The next day, somewhere during breakfast, brought an abrupt end to the monotony.
"Oh!" Ginny exclaimed suddenly. Harry had been absentmindedly stroking Ginny's leg (he'd been unable to stop touching her after that spectacular night they'd had earlier that week) and drew his hand back quickly.
"Did I do something wrong?" he asked her.
"No," she said, putting her hand in the pocket of her jeans and pulling out the galleon. "It's the galleon that Craig and I used to communicate as we were looking for you." She brought it close to her face to read it. "Bucket of Blood, 5PM. Bring H.", she read, frowning. "Strange, you'd think we wouldn't have to meet anymore now that you're back."
"Yeah, strange," Harry repeated, staring at the galleon as she laid it back on the table.
"So for no discernible reason, this man wants to meet you, and he wants you to bring Harry as well?" Lydia asked, an eyebrow raised. "This sounds like the most obvious trap in the world."
"It does," Ginny said slowly. "But only Craig can use this galleon, and he's one of the last people I'd suspect of changing allegiance. The man hates Castlereagh and his goons."
"Maybe he was put under an Imperius Curse?" Lydia said.
"Craig can resist that," Harry said. "That's why I used him on the more dangerous missions."
"But I'm not too confident about this thing either, Harry," Ginny said. "It's so strange, so sudden."
"I understand," he said. "Can you ask him what it's about?"
"Already done."
His reply appeared on the surface of the coin soon after. "Amelia wants talk", it said. Then it made way for another sentence. "Time for action against C."
They exchanged significant looks.
"Well," Ginny began, "that's promising."
"It's brilliant, is what it is," Harry said, grinning. "I'd hoped Amelia would come to this conclusion, after all the work we did together in the past, but I didn't expect her to take the first step in this."
"Are you sure about this?" Lydia said, her eyes fitting between Harry and Ginny. "It seems a bit too coincidental to my taste."
"Yeah, I know," Ginny said. "Which is why I think we'll have to Apparate a fair distance away from the pub and approach it carefully. And if we think something's not okay, we leave immediately."
She met Harry's inquisitive gaze. "What?" she asked. "You tend to learn after inconspicuously searching for your wayward boyfriend for a year and a half."
Harry looked away.
"Magical traps are not that easily discovered, though," Lydia said, her brows furrowed.
"I've dealt with them plenty of times as an Auror," Harry said, shrugging. "We'll have to trust on that and Craig's integrity. It's all we can do at this moment, really."
"I'm still worried for you," Lydia said, her eyes solely directed at the galleon. "I've been part of a gang for nearly half my life and this is entirely the kind of stunt those people would pull." She sighed. "Just… be careful."
"We will be," Ginny promised.
Their worries proved to be unfounded, and around five o'clock that afternoon, they followed Craig into the pub, which was just starting to get a bit busier as people went in for a pint and grub after work.
"We've got a table at the back," he said as they walked past the bar. "It's good to see you alive and well, Harry."
"You too, Craig," Harry said. "And thank you for… everything."
They arrived at the back of the room and sitting there, at one of the tables against the wall, was Amelia Bones. She was wearing a black and tidy skirt and vest combination, which was her usual attire for occasions in the Muggle World, and for a moment Harry felt ashamed for being underdressed in his easy jeans and hoodie.
"Harry Potter," Amelia said, standing up to approach him. He noticed there was a lot more grey in her neatly tied-back hair than the last time he'd seen her. "I don't know how you manage to survive every situation you get yourself into."
"Ginny wanted me back home," Harry said, smiling at the woman who had been a sort of protégé for him within the department. "I knew better than to go against that."
Amelia's gaze shifted to Ginny.
"He can be smart from time to time," Ginny quipped.
"I've noticed," Amelia said, the corners of her mouth quirking up.
"Let's sit down," Craig interjected, arriving at the table with three pints.
"So what's the reason for all this?" Harry asked after they'd sat down.
"The arrest of Lord Castlereagh," Amelia said without preamble. Harry's grip on his glass tightened, and Ginny sat up straighter next to him.
"The Wizengamot is done with him, then?" Harry asked, looking straight at her.
"Not all of us," she said. "But enough of us. Just over two thirds, as a matter of fact. The stunt with the pledge of allegiance in the Ministry was the last drop, and our patience is up with him." She paused and regarded him. "Your name still holds a lot of sway," she said. "His stance regarding you was especially grievous in the eyes of the council. It also didn't help that he had several of our members interrogated, including me."
"He's out for conflict with everyone, isn't he?" Harry asked.
"Oh, yes, he is," Amelia said. "And that is an advantage to us, because it fits the image that you painted in your interview perfectly. We're convinced, and it's probably not far from the truth, that he's more out to destroy the Ministry than lead it. And that's why we see it as our duty to make sure that he is arrested before he can do more damage than he has done already."
"So where do we feature, then?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at the woman.
"We need a good team of Aurors to arrest him, of course," she responded.
"Team?" he pressed.
"The old team has agreed to this already. They're ready when you are," Craig said.
Harry's gaze fitted between the two, and he sighed. "Even if I wanted to say no, it was not an option, was it?"
"We took the liberty of assuming you wouldn't," Craig said, a sly grin spreading over his face.
"Slytherin through and through, right, Craig?" Ginny asked.
"If we're done with this," Amelia interjected, tapping the table impatiently as she looked at Harry. "Are you in or not?"
Harry turned to Ginny. There was a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she nodded at him.
"Alright," he said, turning back to the woman across the table.
"Excellent!" Amelia replied. She reached underneath the table and produced a document so quickly that he was sure she'd had it ready the whole time.
It was an official-looking document, with the crest of the United Kingdom at the top, as well as the seal of the British Ministry For Magic. Underneath it stood, in large, cursive letters: "DECLARATION FOR THE DISMISSAL OF THE MINISTER FOR MAGIC, LORD TRISTAN APOLLYON CASTLEREAGH", and underneath that a long text specifying that he was to be dismissed and arrested on the basis of high treason against the Ministry, and for bringing the Statute of Secrecy into peril.
The document closed off with the names and signatures of a lot of Wizengamot members. Harry noticed, to his abject lack of surprise, that Malfoy's name was absent. Draco may have abstained from stirring trouble ever since his parents had left for France, but his voting habits within the Wizengamot showed Harry that much of his old bigotry was still there.
"You are to present this document to him, after which you arrest him for the reasons stated here," Amelia said. Again, there was a faint trace of amusement in her expression. "And… make sure to speak up, so that the journalists can hear it as well. You'll be accompanied by five competent and trustworthy Aurors, so there's no worry of him making his arrest difficult."
Harry swallowed. Now that the document was in front of him, it suddenly became all too real. It was as if he'd suddenly arrived at the edge of a cliff, and he was looking over the edge.
"What happens then, after the arrest?" he asked.
"I will fill in the interim position, as was agreed upon during the closed Wizengamot meeting," she said. "I have no intention of holding that position for longer than a few months. I'm getting too old for this, and we need someone young, someone from your generation, who is not part of the rotten establishment that has thwarted Kingsley so much."
Harry opened his mouth and was ready to retort, but she held up a hand to stop him. "I know you would never accept the job, Harry, and I won't ask you to. You'll get your place at the head of the Aurors back, unless I can finally convince you to step in as head of the DMLE. I'm talking, of course, about Hermione Granger. In all her years here, she has shown nothing but competence and integrity in the part of the Ministry where it's needed most, in that department of hers with the name I'm not going to pronounce. It's got to be her."
"Wow," Harry said, exchanging a glance with Ginny. "You sound very assured that she'll win the elections. The Wizengamot is not exactly the type of institution to favour the young and… erm… well, she's a woman, and she's Muggleborn."
Amelia sighed, and her stiff façade showed a crack. "I know," she said. "She'll have my vote, for starters, but it'll take a lot of campaigning to convince the others."
"And we'll be plastering my name all over it," Harry grumbled.
"That goes without saying." She surreptitiously pushed the declaration further towards him. "But that's something we'll plan out in more detail after Lord Castlereagh is dealt with."
"Yes, I think so too," Harry said. The amount of information being dumped on him was getting to him a bit. "When do you want us to do it?"
"I should think Monday morning is a good time."
"And what about Gawain Robards and his contingent of Aurors?"
"I've got the solution to that," Craig spoke up, draining the last of his beer and placing his glass back on the wooden table. "I've got a meeting with him tomorrow evening. He's been talking quite a bit to us Aurors, and the topic has always about you: "what sort of thing did Potter make you do?"; "what did Potter do about this case?"; "do you still have contact with Potter?"; that sort of thing. It's really tiring, normally, but it actually comes in handy today."
"How so?" Ginny asked.
"Well, it wouldn't be too disadvantageous to us if the Head Auror woke up this Monday with a bad hangover…" Craig said, smirking. "I know Robards cannot hold his drink as well as he used to, with his old age, but I also know he still loves his alcohol far too much for his own good. It won't be too difficult for me to make him drink himself into a stupor, is what I'm saying."
A grin spread across Harry's face. "Brilliant," he said. "That's that spot of bother out of the way."
"Pretty much all of them, really," Craig corrected him. "It's much more simple than you think it is, Harry. We gather in Leslie's house, we Floo into the Atrium one by one, make a bit of a show of it with our robes, march in formation, that sort of thing, and then it's just a procession to his office. He won't know what will hit him until it's too late. It'll go off without a hitch; I'm sure of it."
"I know, it sounds in order and all…" he sighed. "It's a big step, that's the thing. You can't just treat the arrest of the Minister for Magic like something light."
"Lord Castlereagh did," Craig mentioned. "Right after he became Minister himself. Just marched straight into Kingsley's home and took him straight to Azkaban."
An image flashed in Harry's mind, of a monolithic column on a dark island, where Kingsley sat behind bars, his clothes ragged, his eyes wild and devoid of all the life that used to contain them before.
His grip on his beer glass tightened. "Alright, let's do the bastard in," he said. "How late do we gather at Leslie's place?"
"Eight in the morning sounds about in order."
"We'll be there," Harry said. "Unless, Ginny, you've got training, right?"
"I do…" she said. Her lips curled up in a smirk. "But I suppose I could come in a few hours later. The capture of the Minister for Magic sounds like a good enough reason. Let's alert Luna as well, by the way. She'll want to be there to write a report for The Quibbler."
"It sounds like everything is in order, then," Amelia said. She and Craig stood up at the same time. "No, keep seated for a while," she added when Harry and Ginny tried to follow suit. "We're nearly there, but we can't grow sloppy now. I've heard what happened to Hermione Granger and Auror Fabian Fletcher, and it shows that they really do have eyes everywhere. Stay here for a few more minutes, and then Apparate away at the courtyard behind the building. I'll see you on Monday."
"See you then," Harry said, his throat suddenly feeling a lot drier than it had done just before.
Sunday passed by in a nervous haze that seemed to drag on and on. The minutes crept by, and Harry either paced around the living room or went upstairs to the attic to pace there when Ginny got tired of his nervous antics. Ron and Hermione were there as well, as Rose always spent the Sundays with Molly and Arthur. Luna was there as well, but she and Lydia spent all afternoon upstairs in the library, and they refused to tell the others what they were up to there. Harry and Ginny shared knowing looks at that.
Then came dinner, and they spent the rest of the evening talking about things that went on in the outside world. At least it helped pass the time more quickly as Harry listened to Hermione tell him all about the many creative ways in which the Statute of Secrecy had been breached that week. He couldn't decide which incident was his favourite: the choir of singing lampposts in Devon, or the bins zooming around the streets of Reading in what appeared to be a series of street races.
But no matter how many stories and laughs they shared, Harry still noticed the tinge of nervousness in the air. He saw it in their eyes, especially Hermione's. He and Ginny had decided not to dally in telling her of Amelia's plans and she had taken the revelation in just about the way he'd come to expect from her. First, she had shouted at them that she was tired of all the secrets and surprises that they had for them. Second, she stopped talking to them and disappeared with Ron. Then by the end of the day, she had already started writing down possible ideas for what she'd want to achieve as Minister. Harry had a strong suspicion that this was not the first time she'd made such a list.
The clock ticked on, and it went dark outside. Then Luna stood up.
"I'd like to make a small announcement before we go to bed," she said. Not that she needed to, really; it was deathly quiet in the kitchen. "Lydia and I have been talking quite a lot lately about what we can do after this whole thing has calmed down."
"Basically," Lydia continued (to Harry, this looked like a well-rehearsed thing), "Considering my past, I don't think I've really got a future here in this country. For one, the Buckriders will always be after me. Even if you round most of them up, there will still be a few of them left to walk around freely, and the ones you did lock up won't stay in there forever. And if they see me, you know what will happen. And if that's not enough, there's also the matter of my criminal record."
Harry made to interrupt, but Lydia held up a hand to stop him. Luna took over again.
"That's why we've decided that Lydia will move in with my trusted correspondent in Paraguay, Aimé Bonpland."
"He already agreed to it," Lydia said with a watery smile. "He lives quite isolated, on a rural farm, and he's getting very old. I can help him there with his research and farmwork." She sniffed, and Harry felt tears pool in his eyes as well. "I'll be free."
She never looked happier than at that moment, and Harry breathed in deeply, his already volatile emotional state threatening to overpower him.
"I'll miss you," he said.
"You won't have to," Luna said with a serene smile. "I regularly go there during my travels, and you're welcome to accompany me. We'll be delighted to show you the Limpy Flimdingers in their natural habitat."
Harry shared a look with Ginny.
"Brilliant!" Ginny said, her eyes shining.
"D'you want to see the Limpy Flimdingers with me?" he asked her.
"If we have the time," she said, placing her hand on top of his. There was a challenging glint in her eye as he fingers traced patterns on the back of his hand. "We've got so much to do, you know: house hunting, spending time with Teddy, Quidditch, sorting out the Ministry…"
"We'll make it work," he vowed. He looked around the table. Ron looked completely at peace; Hermione smiled at him as tears rolled down her cheeks, all prior nervousness gone; Lydia rested her head on Luna's shoulder; Ginny regarded him with that blazing look. He thought he could burst with happiness. "All of us," he said. "It'll be okay."
They trickled off to bed one by one. Harry was only woken up once that night, when Ginny stirred next to him and mumbled something about her galleon heating up. Harry was awake and alert instantly, waiting to hear what she had to say about Craig and his meeting with Robards.
"He's out cold," she read.
"Fantastic," Harry muttered. He grabbed his watch from the nightstand to see what time it was. "It's 3 in the morning. I think Robards might not be of much use tomorrow morning."
Ginny giggled next to him. "Let's hope Craig didn't let himself go as well."
"I doubt that. The man is legendary with his drink," he said. He turned to his side to look at her. "So that –"
"No, Harry," she whispered, interrupting him. "If we're going to talk about it now, you'll be up all night."
"How do you know that?"
"I'm the resident Harry expert," she replied. "Now turn around."
Harry wanted to protest, but a look from her quelled his retort. He sighed and spun around until his back was towards her. He heard the rustling of bedcovers, and then she pressed herself against him. He felt her breasts, her stomach, her thighs and her legs, and her arm slipped around him. She kissed a particularly sensitive point in his neck.
"Now close your eyes," she whispered very close to his ear. "I'm here for you." Goosebumps spread over his skin, and a feeling of delicious warmth spread throughout his chest. She was much smaller than him, but he was amazed at how little that mattered, now that he was the little spoon for once. Peaceful sleep overcame him before he even realised it.
Harry rubbed the last vestiges of tiredness from his eyes, but his mind was already in full focus as he stood there in Leslie Proudfoot's small kitchen. The other Aurors – Claire Johnson, Craig Robertson, Aamir Ghezzal and Jordan Bennett – were there as well, as well as Ginny, Luna, Hermione and Ron. Lydia had stayed at home, and, considering that she would be arrested for gang activity and drug membership if she showed herself, Harry thought that was for the best.
"Right then," Proudfoot called, and the conversation around him came to a halt. "First of all, boss, welcome back to the team!" Cheers erupted around him, and Bennett slapped him on the back. "And to celebrate your return to the fold, you can take over this speech immediately and tell us what the plan is."
"Thanks Lesie," Harry said as the others laughed. "Right, the plan is very simple: we all Floo in to the Ministry. I'll go last, because we're fairly sure that we'll set off several alarm bells in important places once I use that connection. Then, when we're all there, we'll walk in formation – to make a show for the journalists," he added, nodding at Luna, who seemed more interested in the purple potted plants that Proudfoot had displayed on his windowsill, "… and then it's just a straight march to the Minister's office. Resistance should be minimal to non-existent, because the Hit Wizards are not on alert to defend the Ministry and the Head Auror is at this very moment sleeping off a very bad hangover. Good job on that, Craig."
"My pleasure," he replied with a tight grin.
"Once we enter the Minister's office," Harry continued, "we're to arrest Lord Castlereagh immediately for high treason. The quicker he is bound and without a wand, the better. We want this to go as smoothly as possible. Got that?"
The Aurors nodded.
"After we've disarmed and bound him, I will present him with this document right here," he opened his jacket to show them the roll of parchment that was stored in his inner pocket. "I will read it loudly to him, arrest him for high treason, and then we'll cart him off to Azkaban before his goons even know what is going on. And after that, it's Amelia's call what we'll do."
"Alright!" Proudfoot cried. "Let's go and bag ourselves a Minister!"
A loud cry of grim approval followed that statement.
Harry was the last to Floo into the Ministry. As soon as he stepped out of the fireplace, a loud shrill alarm sounded through the Ministry Atrium, and all the other fireplaces, including the one he just stepped through, were barred off with a loud clang.
"They had some tricks in place," Harry cried as conversation and movement drifted to a halt in the hallway and attention zeroed in on the group that just arrived. "Don't let the bells and whistles distract you. We've got work to do."
He marched forward, head held high, wand held tightly in his right hand, and to his left and right the other Aurors followed suit in a V-formation. Ginny, Hermione and Luna trailed behind. It was deathly silent in the Atrium as they marched through. All activity had come to a halt; the wizard in the wand- weighing booth froze, a ticket held loosely between his fingers; Ministry workers just passing through the hallway stopped to stare at the procession; even the memos seemed to flutter to a halt as the group of Aurors passed.
"That's Harry Potter!" someone whispered as they passed.
"What's happening… are those Aurors?"
"I see the robes."
"Where's the security? How can they just walk in like this?"
"I've heard that the Wizengamot are done with the Minister. Is this it?"
Harry felt his face heat up at all the attention drawn solely towards him, but Kingsley's lesson to never show the others how nervous you really are kicked in. He slowed down his breathing and channelled all the nervous energy into keeping his posture straight and forward. The days of wandering homeless and directionless through the country were over. The fog that had been in his head for so long, he realised now, was gone. He was himself again, and on a mission.
They arrived at the elevators. The queue there, consisting of Witches and Wizards of all sorts all gawking at him, dispersed, making room for them as an elevator rattled to a halt there at exactly the right time. They stepped in, and no one followed. The elevator scuttled into movement, and the surprised, awed faces of the Ministry workers quickly slipped from view.
Tense silence reigned in the elevator, and Harry kept his rigid posture, until Ginny wormed her way forward and she said: "Nice entrance, Potter."
Harry looked at her, saw that she was smirking at him, and his façade nearly cracked.
"Stay focused, you two," Hermione said in a muffled voice somewhere at the back of the elevator.
"Yes, madam," Harry replied, but she was right. The elevator arrived at level ten, the floor that was designated for affairs of the Minister. There was a small ping and the doors rattled open. Harry and the others strode out, wand clearly visible in their hands.
Harry recognised the Minister's secretary; she was there as well when Kingsley used to sit here. But what was new, were the two bodyguards standing on either side of the ornamental wooden door that led to the Minister's office.
They never even had a chance to defend themselves as five simultaneous Stunning Spells were sent their way. Harry marched forward and ripped the door open. Lord Castlereagh stood inside, one hand on the desk, and the other clutching his wand. His eyes widened as he saw who entered.
"You!" he bellowed. Then the Aurors trooped into the room as well. "What is the meaning of all this? And what happened to my guards?"
"Lord Tristan Apollyon Castlereagh! In the name of the Wizengamot, you are under arrest for gross negligence and high treason against the Ministry of Magic," Harry spoke clearly. He paused briefly when the man raised his wand in his direction. "Try anything, and you'll regret it. It's five against one, and it will definitely not look good in the eyes of the judge if you resisted arrest."
"Where is Robards?" Lord Castlereagh demanded.
"He couldn't help himself and became blind drunk last night," Craig said. "He's still in bed, we think."
"It's over, Minister," Harry said, taking over again. He took the parchment from his inner pocket and handed it to the slack-jawed man standing across him. "The Wizengamot has decided your fate. You're out."
Lord Castlereagh unrolled it, and his eyes roved over the parchment, his hands shaking as he gripped it tightly.
And then, when his eyes reached the bottom of the pages, where the collection of signatures stood, all the tension left his body. He slumped back into his chair and his wand slipped from his hand, clattering down onto the desk. Harry took the parchment from his limp hands and stashed it away again. The man stared ahead, lost in his own world. Proudfoot and Ghezzal stepped around the desk and hoisted him up by his shoulders, which visibly took effort. And then he was bound and led out of the office.
Harry, walking next to him, heard him mumble under his breath as he hung his head.
"Mother, I'm sorry," he heard, over and over again as they walked back the same way they came. It was absolutely silent in the hallways, save for their footsteps, Lord Castlereagh's mutterings, and Luna's self-writing quill that zoomed over the pages.
It was as if time had stood still in the Atrium. Everyone had remained where they were. Only one group had now added to the crowd in the hallway: the Wizengamot. He saw them standing there, next to the fountain, wearing their traditional black robes and hat. Amelia stepped forward as Harry, Lord Castlereagh, and the others approached.
"Good work. Your part in this is almost done now," she said as they reached her. She patted his shoulder, which, Harry figured, must look awfully telling to the bystanders.
She then turned to the others next to Harry. "Aurors," she said in a brusque voice. "Escort this traitor to Azkaban, where he will be awaiting his trial."
"Yes, Madam Bones," Proudfoot said. "Right, Lord, you're coming with us."
Harry watched them leave for a while, but then Amelia's arm, which still rested on his shoulder, pulled him away.
"Stand next to me as I address the Ministry," she muttered. Harry allowed himself to be guided towards the other members of the Wizengamot. He knew what she was doing. She was showing everyone that Harry had acted under her orders, and not the other way around. Part of him felt bitter for being treated as essentially a puppet for show, but he knew that this was necessary. And he trusted her.
A simple wooden elevated stage appeared in front of the fountain, and they climbed the steps to stand on it. He looked around the assembled crowd, and saw Ginny, Hermione and Luna standing near the front. He saw photographers worming their way in and out of the crowd, shooting as many pictures as they could of Harry and Amelia addressing the crowd in front of the fountain that was built to honour the defeat of Lord Voldemort. He saw countless confused and impressed Ministry workers, but he saw none of the resentment that the Wizarding World had shown him prior to his flight from it. He would never understand their fickleness.
And then Amelia spoke, telling them what had transpired, why Lord Castlereagh was arrested, how important Harry had been in all this (while skirting over the details of his disappearance and time spent with the Belfast gang), and that she would step in as interim Minister.
Harry knew that this was the kind of day that would end up in the history books, probably with a picture of this exact moment alongside it. But all he could think about was that he was free now, that he was no longer locked inside his own home, and that that meant that he could finally pay a visit that should have happened a long time ago. He sought out Ginny in the crowd. Their eyes met, and Harry nodded toward the end of the Atrium, where the Floos were. She smiled and nodded back.
Amelia ended her speech by asking the people to stop the unrest and promising that all Ministry workers that had been fired last week, would get their job back immediately.
"And let that be the first of many of Lord Castlereagh's decrees that we shall reverse!"
Applause broke out. It lasted for a long, very long, time and Harry was keenly aware of many people aiming their praise towards him as well. And then the clapping gradually died down, and the crowd that had gathered in the Atrium dispersed. People either turned to each other to discuss what had happened, or they rushed away, probably to tell friends, family, acquaintances, anyone, about this. And Harry, Amelia and the other members of the Wizengamot were approached by journalists who wanted to interview them.
Harry turned to Amelia, but she held up her hand to stop him before he could start talking.
"Just a little while longer," she said. "We will face the questions together, to show everyone that we are in this together, and then you can go. And I need to have a chat with the Muggle Prime Minister as well, sooner rather than later."
He swallowed but nodded. "Alright."
A few hours later found Harry pacing in the centre of the Headmistress' Office in Hogwarts. It had been straining to face the questions of not only journalists, but also other people from the Ministry who he occasionally saw in the hallways, who all wanted to know where he'd been, what had happened to him. He avoided the details and hoped that it would suffice to repeat what he'd said in the interview with The Quibbler: that he was deceived by Damien and subsequently tricked and trapped into a gang, before eventually escaping to return home again. It seemed to be enough, because the questions then turned to what Harry would do now that he was Head Auror once again.
"Set things right," was what he replied.
And eventually he could escape, after promising Amelia that he would see her at ten o'clock the next day. He then met up with Ginny and after a calming cup of tea back home, they Flooed to Hogwarts.
The last time he'd seen McGonagall was during the Yaxley murder cases, and they hadn't parted on good terms. But all that was forgotten when they had greeted each other just now with all of the usual warmth between them.
"You're making me stressed as well," Ginny then said. Harry paused to glare at her, and then clenched his jaw and resumed his pacing. McGonagall had gone to fetch Teddy from Care for Magical Creatures, which left them alone in the office for the time being.
"Honestly, Harry, I'm going to join you in a moment if you don't stop."
"I'm just really nervous, Gin!" he bit out. "What if…"
But he trailed off when the door opened. In stepped McGonagall, followed by his godson, who froze in the doorway. Harry stopped pacing and gazed at him, drinking in the sight of him. His hair, which had turned a vivid red colour at the moment; brown eyes that looked so much like his father's; and he had grown so tall.
"Harry," he then stammered. That was when Harry's legs regained their functionality again, and he took two large strides across the room, and took his godson in his arms. Worry cut through him when Teddy didn't reciprocate the sentiment, but it was squashed as quickly as it came when he felt the boy's long arms wrap around him.
"I'm so sorry," Teddy then whispered. Harry pulled back and laid his hands on the side of his godson's face.
"You have nothing, nothing to apologise for," he said, his voice gruff. "I'm sorry for taking you into the forest that night, and I'm sorry that you had to witness what you had to see there."
Teddy swallowed, and then nodded, casting his eyes downward. Harry took him back in his arms. It was all he could do at this moment.
"And I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner."
"S'ok."
"No, it's not," he said more harshly than he intended. Harry pulled back once more and took a deep breath as he saw Teddy's demure expression. "I love you very much." He swallowed. "I know I'm not your real father, Teddy, but I love you like my own son. Always have. And I may have done a poor job of showing that this past year and a half, but I promise you that it's a thing of the past."
Finally the boy looked up, his eyes widened, and Harry embraced him again and kissed his cheek. He hadn't done so in ages, even long before he'd fled. Teddy had been around eleven years old when he'd decided that affection between him and Harry was too uncool and that he was too grown up for those kind of things. Harry had accepted it as part of him growing up, but now that he saw how affected Teddy was at what had happened, he vowed that even if the boy thought he was too cool for love, he still had to know that his godfather loved him nonetheless.
They separated, and Harry was surprised when Ginny stepped in his place and drew Teddy into a hug as well.
"Hey, giant," she said softly. Harry saw clearly how Teddy closed his eyes and returned the hug, breathing out slowly.
He wasn't jealous, he realised. He knew that she'd been there for Teddy when Harry couldn't, but that thought, and the sight of their close bond, only gave him a warm feeling deep inside his chest that spread out in a wave, from his core to the tips of his fingers and toes.
"One moment, please, Potter." Harry turned around and faced Professor McGonagall. Her lined face had softened, and she almost smiled at him. "Hagrid has asked you if you could visit him later today."
"Of course, Professor," Harry said. "I'd love to."
"He'll be glad. But it's not just that he wants to see you again," she went on. "There is something very wrong in the Forbidden Forest, and considering what went on in there on the night you disappeared…" her gaze grew distant for a moment. Then she shook her head. "Anyway, he thought it would be best if you two could talk about it."
"Alright. Do you want to come with us as well? You were there as well that night, after all."
Her lips tightened at the recollection. "I'd like that, yes. But don't let me interrupt this, please. I'll be upstairs."
She took the small stone stairs to the upper level of the office, and Harry turned back to Teddy and Ginny.
"I read the interview in The Quibbler," Teddy began.
"Let's sit down first, shall we?" Harry said, pointing at the four simple straight-backed chairs that stood around a small coffee table next to the tall window overlooking the grounds.
"Right," he said when they were seated. "The interview. What do you want to know?"
"Everything," Teddy blurted out immediately. "Did you really join a gang?"
Harry exchanged a look with Ginny, and their hands found each other.
"Yes, I did," he said. He took a deep breath, squeezed Ginny's hand and told his godson an abridged version of the events that had transpired. He was starting to grow more comfortable with the story, but he found that he had more trouble with the less savoury details, especially when talking about them to Teddy. But mercifully he seemed to understand Harry's unease, and he didn't press the issue as much as he normally did when adults were not forthcoming with him.
Harry had been talking for nearly an hour when the story wound down to the most recent events after he'd come home again, and when he finished with Lord Castlereagh's arrest, he let out a breath and leaned back in the chair. That didn't say much, because this was Professor McGonagall's office, and she seemed to despise comfortable seating. The sun was getting lower on the horizon, and he guessed that it was around dinner time.
"So now you know," he said, clearing his sore throat.
"Wow," was Teddy's reply. "I…"
"You don't have to say anything," Harry said. He leaned forward and patted his knee. "I think it's important that you know what I went through. I'm not proud of what I've done, but I don't want to leave you in the dark with this. I know how awful that can be, and I don't want you to feel that as well."
"Thank you," Teddy said. Their eyes met, and Harry knew that he meant it.
Professor McGonagall then appeared again, offering them the option of having dinner here in the office, which they gladly accepted. She summoned a House Elf, who assembled a small banquet for them, and then she went down to the Great Hall to have dinner with the rest of the school.
"So what's this I hear about you learning to play Quidditch?" Harry asked in between spoonfuls of soup. Teddy and Ginny had gone for a steak, but Harry found that he still wasn't comfortable eating meat.
"Oh," Teddy said. He dropped his knife and fork. "Yeah, I…" He paused and exchanged a look with Ginny. Harry could do nothing but smile when he saw that he sat up straighter after that. "Yeah, Ginny taught me a lot," he said. "I didn't make the team this year, but next year I want to try out as a keeper."
"A keeper, eh?" Harry said. "That's an idea. You do have the length for it."
"That's what Ginny told me," he replied.
"And I am a professional Quidditch player, after all," Ginny added. "I think my opinion holds a bit more sway than that of the amateurs." She stuck her tongue out at Harry.
"Careful," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I've been known to bite." Teddy chuckled, but Harry had made the joke before he realised the undertone of it, and he coughed as he choked on a bit of spit.
"Anyway," he quickly said, determined not to think about Anoushka now. "I've got an idea. Your next Hogsmeade weekend is coming up, isn't it? How about we spend that day together, just the three of us? And then you can show me what Ginny taught you on a broom."
"That sounds like an idea," Teddy said. Harry looked at Ginny for confirmation; the way she smiled at him sent flutters down his stomach.
There was a lull in the conversation and they turned back to their food. They spent the rest of the dinner talking about easier subjects like Teddy's classes and the chances of the Chudley Cannons not ending last in the league this year. Despite the straight-backed chair, Harry felt all the tension that he'd felt flow from him. Talk came easily, Teddy looked at ease around him, the food was good… In that moment of reflection, it seemed to him like it was time to put the troublesome period that they were now climbing out of behind them. What would come after this, he didn't know, but he knew that these two people here would be at the centre of it.
All too soon they were done with eating, and Teddy announced hesitantly that he still had some more homework to do.
"Thanks for seeing me," he said to him as they hugged.
"Of course," Harry replied. "And we'll see each other again before you know it. I promise."
Teddy then hugged Ginny, thanked Professor McGonagall, who had returned from the Great Hall, and then he was off, back to the Hufflepuff Common Room.
For a moment, the three remaining people stared at the door through which Teddy had disappeared. Then Harry cleared his throat and he turned to the Headmistress.
"You wanted to go to Hagrid with us, Professor?" he asked.
"Yes, indeed," she said. "Are you aware of the strange events in the Forbidden Forest lately?"
"Luna told me about it," he replied. "That the Thestrals had gone missing, I think?"
"Yes, and the Unicorns. And there's more, but I'll let Hagrid explain it. Maybe you can make more sense of it."
They exited the office and made their way through the corridors. They occasionally passed by a few students who were on their way back to their Common Room after dinner, and, like in the old days, they all stopped to stare as they saw Harry Potter pass by them. The awkward feeling of the children staring at them gave him a sudden burst of déjà vu, and for a moment he could imagine himself as a young teenager again, still at Hogwarts.
They stepped out into the rapidly cooling evening. The sun approached the forested horizon, casting the heavens in a deep shade of red. Harry could smell the dew that was forming on the long grass, and the wind that brought with it the cold mountain air gave him goose bumps. They followed the dirt road through the castle grounds and quickly reached Hagrid's Hut. McGonagall knocked on the door, and moments later Hagrid appeared at the door. Harry only had a moment to notice that he had his crossbow in his hand and had quite a suspicious look in his eye. Then Hagrid noticed him, and Harry found himself wrapped in a bone-crushing hug that pushed all the air out of his lungs.
"Never though' I'd see yeh again, 'arry," Hagrid stammered. "Yeh've had me worried sick all this time."
They were ushered inside for a cup of tea. Harry and Ginny politely refused Hagrid's rock cakes, which had only grown more solid as the man got older, and Harry noticed that he didn't even offer Professor McGonagall one. Perhaps he was used to her refusal.
"We don' have the time now, but yeh'll tell me later on what yeh've been up ter while yeh was away, won' yeh?" he asked Harry.
"Definitely," he replied. "I'll stop by as soon as I can for a cup of tea and we'll catch up."
Hagrid beamed at him.
"But let's get down to business," Professor McGonagall cut across. "Hagrid, would you care to explain what has been happening lately?"
Hagrid's happy expression slid from his face. "It's been downrigh' scary to go into the Forbidden Forest lately," he said. "It started with a nasty fly infestation early in the spring. Far too early for that kind o' thing, I tell yeh. Normally I can jus' grab any carcasses and feed them ter the Hippogriffs, bu' that's no' the best idea if they're full o' maggots. Tha' doesn' usually happen tha' quickly after the animal has been killed. Bu' now even the animals tha' were freshly killed were full o' them."
Harry pushed the rock cakes a bit further away from him.
"Then the Thestrals started ter behave strangely. Restless all the time, ate less, tha' kind of thing. I don' think any of 'em 'ave even mated t'all this spring. An' on top of tha', since a few weeks they've disappeared entirely. I think they've gone deeper inter the forest, bu' I don' know why. The Unicorns 'ave all disappeared an' all. And it's, well…" he shook his massive head. "It's too quie' in the Forest. No birds, see? Normally it should be full o' them, bu' it's just silen', all the time."
"Luna told me the Centaurs know more than they're letting on," Harry said.
"Aye, they do. Been righ' bothersome trying ter get some more from them, because they don' think that us humans should interfere in their business." He shook his head. "Bloody arrogant mules, the lot o' them."
"And do you have any suspicions on what might be the cause of all this?" Harry asked.
"No idea," Hagrid said. He sighed. "It's like the forest is ill. Terribly ill."
"And since when did this start?"
"Well, since yeh've been back, really. Or maybe a week or so earlier."
Harry leaned back in his chair. There was something niggling in his unconscious brain, that had been there all the time, but he needn't consider it until now. And then it hit him.
"Ginny," he said. "Do you remember what we talked about with Yaxley?"
"Erm, yeah?" she said, furrowing her brows. "But to be honest, I haven't really considered him lately. We've been too busy with Lord Castlereagh."
"Right, but do you remember what he said to me before he pushed me off that boat? What the entire point was of him getting me out of that jail before the Ministry could get me?"
She stiffened, and he knew that the realisation hit her as well. "The Deathly Hallows… You don't think this has anything to do with that, do you?"
"I don't know," he said. "But it does make perfect sense. Everything that had to do with those blasted artefacts gets tainted. And the last remaining place of the Resurrection Stone, as far as we know, is in there."
"You think Corban Yaxley is behind all this?" Professor McGonagall interjected.
Harry sighed. The last time he'd acted on these suspicions regarding Yaxley, it had only ended in disaster. But he'd been right about them, hadn't he?
"It's likely," he said at length.
"It does seem logical that he'd have something to do with it," Ginny said. Harry clenched his jaw and squeezed her leg softly as a burst of affection rushed through him. The memory of all the disbelieving stares every time he'd mentioned the Death Eater were still fresh in his memory, but Ginny was there for him now.
"We could take a look at where I'd last left the Resurrection Stone," he proposed. "If it's still there, then I suppose we can rule out Yaxley as far as this is concerned."
"Tha' could be an idea," Hagrid said while Professor McGonagall looked outside to the darkening sky with a conflicted expression.
"Oh, very well, then," she said. "I'd say it's about time we take action with this. But as soon as we've determined whether that stone is still there or not, we're going back immediately. Understood?" She looked at each of them over her glasses, and for a moment he felt like a student again.
Harry pulled on his coat again with trepidation. A moment ago it had seemed like a good idea, but now he realised that he was going back to the place where that had happened. They stepped outside and for a moment, as he looked at the dark shadows that were waiting for him underneath the canopy of the evergreens, he felt like running back inside, to the safe warmth of Hagrid's hut.
But then Ginny's hand slipped in his.
"It's not like last time, love," she whispered to him as they crossed the border of the forest, walking past the first rows of enormous trees. "I'm with you."
He squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek. "I love you."
"Do you know the way, Harry?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Oh yeah," he said. "All too well."
Hagrid was right; it was eerily quiet in the forest. Normally the deep dark woods would be filled with the sounds of birdsong, distant trampling hooves, and small rodents scuttering around on the forest floor. But there was none of that now. It was deathly quiet and even the trees seemed to be still, despite the breeze that rushed through the canopy, making the last rays of light that found their way through dance on the leafy ground.
"Ah, look here, I forgo' ter mention this," Hagrid said. They stopped and looked around to see him pointing at the trunk of an enormous beech tree. "See these these vines all over the trunk? Tha's no' mean' ter be here this much, bu' they're everywhere, the blasted things." Harry stepped closer and then saw the thin tendril-like plants that shot up all over the trunk, snaking up to the top, past the wide arms of the tree.
"They ruddy well suffocate the trees, they do," Hagrid grumbled. "If this goes on, the Forest won' nearly be as thick and dense by autumn as it is now." He shook his head. "The Forest is ill. An' we best be solving this as soon as possible, if we can."
"Let's carry on quickly, then," Ginny said. "It's getting dark quickly."
They set off again, Harry guiding them past a dead tree that lay on the floor, covered in dark green moss, and past a few pools of water that were nearly invisible due to the layer of algae that floated on the water. It was not much further now.
"Is it just me, or does it smell funny here?" Ginny then asked.
They stopped and looked around. Harry inhaled deeply and thought that she was right. It was subtle and unrecognisable, but there was something in the air that made it harder for them to breathe.
"You're right; something's wrong. This was not something that happened last time I got close to the Resurrection Stone," Harry said. "Everything got darker back then, and… Well, it's hard to explain, but it wasn't like this."
"Let's carry on quickly," Professor McGonagall said.
"We're nearly there. Just a few more minutes."
They walked on in tense silence. Harry still had a grip on Ginny's hand, but memories of that horrible night flooded back to him.
"Look, see that clearing over there? That's where we need to go."
"I don't see a clearing," Teddy said, looking positively terrified now. "This place doesn't feel right at all."
Harry shook his head.
"That clearing over there," he said, pointing to a spot further ahead where they could see a small circle in the forest where there were no trees, just leafy soil. "It should be over there."
He gripped Ginny's hand tightly. His legs trembled, his heart pounded in his chest.
"Please, let go of me!" Teddy begged, trying to pry his hand loose.
"Teddy, do not walk away from me," Harry warned.
"Compungo!" Teddy called. The white light of the Stinging Jinx shot from his wand and hit Harry's hand. He hissed in pain, and Teddy yanked his hand free.
He realised that he'd stopped when Ginny tugged on his hand.
"Is everything okay?" she whispered to him.
"Yeah," he whispered back. "I just…" He shook his head. "Let's just get it over with."
She looked like she was about to protest that, but he nonetheless walked on, with Hagrid and Professor McGonagall in his wake.
They reached the clearing. The sun had gone down, and dusk rapidly made way for the dark of the night, even though they could see the setting sun shimmering through the trees in the distance.
"Tha' smell," Hagrid said. "There's something wrong here."
"It should be in the middle here," Harry said. "Lumos!"
He approached the centre, his wand lighting up the black soil and the tree trunks on the edge of the clearing. Then he kneeled down and looked around for anything that might hint at where the Stone might be.
But there was something wrong. He could find the Stone instinctively last time, but that feeling was absent now, perhaps because he didn't have the other two Hallows with him now.
"Accio Resurrection Stone!" he called, but nothing came forth from within the soil. His voice echoed in the deep, silent forest.
"Harry?" Ginny hesitantly asked, her voice small.
"It's not here," he said. "Accio!"
"Harry, can you raise your wand?"
"Why?" he asked, looking around at her. Her eyes shone in his wandlight. Behind her, McGonagall and Hagrid looked on silently.
"Just do it, please, and quickly."
He furrowed his brows, but complied, keeping his eyes on Ginny as he stood up and raised his wand up. Her eyes widened.
"Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, do you see it as well?"
They stepped closer, and Hagrid mumbled something under his breath.
"What?" Harry asked, looking from his raised wand at them.
"It's smoke…" McGonagall whispered. "Of course… the odd smell…"
Harry looked around the clearing, and then saw it as well. The trees closest to them were all shrouded in something that he first took to be mist, but now that he thought about it, it looked much more like tongues of smoke that drifted past. He turned around to see if he could find the source of it, but saw nothing but the dark shadows of the enormous trees, and the setting sun behind them…
But it wasn't the setting sun, he realised.
"Gallopin' Gorgons," Hagrid cursed. "The Forest is on fire!"