Chapter 43: Coming Home
June 19th, 1996
The head of the Australian DMLE was clearly flabbergasted.
"Okay, I understand everything but that," he said, pointing at the remnants of the giant pillars of earth Hermione had summoned, "How did you do that?"
"I did a project on Earth shaping for my transfiguration O.W.L.," lied Hermione, "The principle is the same." Harry didn't blame her for lying though. How would she explain that she got that spell directly from the mind of one of the four founders of Hogwarts?
"It must have been difficult and time consuming though," the man insisted.
"Yes, but they didn't expect it," said Hermione.
"I bet they didn't," said the official, "Well, it is clear that these people are Death Eaters, Mr. Potter, so I think we don't have to bother you any further about this. I know you are going to want to get out of the country soon, and I see no reason to detain you. Next time you try to hide someone, do a better job of it."
"I didn't hide the Grangers," said Harry, "If I had, this wouldn't have happened. I would suggest that you have a conversation with the British Ministry before going public with all this though. Bellatrix's escape was a huge PR disaster for Fudge, he'll want to have some say in how this gets presented to the British magical public. Although your Minister will obviously have the final say on that."
"I'll suggest that to her," said the head of the DMLE, "And do try to not cause any more trouble while you are in Australia." Harry thought that was a joke, but he had to admit he wasn't sure.
Emergency crews had largely repaired the damage to the Granger's Australian home, and were now working on trying to fix the lawn. Hermione had offered to help with that, but so far the crews had refused her. Luckily, Obliviators had arrived right away, and so they had managed to contain any people who had seen the battle.
"Harry," said Helen, who had been standing behind Harry and Hermione the whole time, "I want to apologize to you. I know you must have been scared out of your mind when Hermione disappeared. There is no excuse for that. I am sorry."
"Don't worry," said Harry, "I know you were being controlled. It wasn't your fault."
"I wasn't mind controlled," said Helen, "Or at least I could have fought it. Robert did. I just chose not to because it fit my unease about you and Hermione. I… suspected what you two did over the holidays, even before Robert told me. I wasn't comfortable with it. and I let that cloud my better judgement. Robert overcame his control. I'm ashamed that I didn't overcome mine."
"I understand," said Harry.
Harry and Hermione went to sit down in Hermione's room. Luna was already there, reading one of Hermione's books.
"Thanks for coming with Harry, Luna," said Hermione, "Without you, either myself or my mother probably would have died."
"You're welcome," said Luna, looking up from her book with a smile.
"I have a question for you Luna," said Harry, "I was thinking about your father. He was wearing the sign of Grindelwald when I met him. Why?"
"That is actually a sign Grindelwald stole, the sign of the Deathly Hallows," said Luna, "According to legend, there were three artifacts, which if possessed at the same time, would make the possessor Master of Death. The Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and the Invisibility Cloak."
"Invisibility cloaks aren't artifacts, they're rather common," said Hermione.
"This one is supposedly different, it hides the user perfectly and undetectably. It also supposedly doesn't wear out," said Luna.
"Oooooh," said Hermione, "I think this might be more than a legend Harry."
"Why?" Harry asked obliviously.
"Because it sounds like your Invisibility Cloak!" said Hermione, "Luna, you'd better tell me everything about these Deathly Hallows."
"Certainly!" said Luna delighted that Hermione was taking one of her stories seriously.
At that moment, Robert poked his head in the room. "Hey Harry, mind if I talk to you?"
"Not at all," said Harry, "I'll be right back Hermione."
He followed Robert to the kitchen. Both of them sat down.
"So, what are we doing now?" asked Robert.
"We're going to take you someplace safe," said Harry, "Then Hermione and Luna and I will return to Britain."
"You know, I kind of feel a little silly now, asking you to take care of Hermione, and keep her out of trouble," said Robert, "She was amazing today. I had no idea how powerful she had become."
"She is the most powerful witch I've ever met," said Harry. "The fact that I love her is just a bonus."
"You're going to be fighting this war, aren't you?" asked Robert.
"Yes," said Harry.
"And Hermione will be with you?"
Harry smiled. "Of course she will. I couldn't convince her otherwise if I wanted to."
"How powerful are your enemies, if you can do all these things?" wondered Robert.
"Most of them are less powerful than us," admitted Harry, "Riddle though, he's a trick. He's about as powerful as us, but there is only one of him. But he's immortal. A powerful advantage."
"I don't need to tell you to watch after Hermione," said Robert, "I know you will. Just know that I trust you. I trust you to love her and keep her safe. Not that she needs your protection, mind you."
"We all need someone to watch our backs," said Harry.
"Exactly," said Robert, "Watch her back, and she'll watch yours. And maybe, just maybe, one day I'll be able to call you son."
Harry smiled. He'd finally broken through to him. Now they just had to survive this war.
XXXXX
June 20th, 1996
Blaise and Seamus walked swiftly down the street in Belfast. Danny had been late to his meeting. Danny was never late. Ever. Which meant that something had gone wrong at the pub. Blaise had sent a Patronus to call for help, but help wouldn't arrive until it was too late, if it wasn't already.
The pub was a small place, with only a small door opening to the street. It wasn't specifically a magical establishment, though it was run by a Squib, who had cleverly named it The Squib's Kick. When Blaise and Seamus got there, they saw a pool of blood coming from under the door. Neither of them hesitated. Blaise kicked open the door and they charged in. Danny was still alive, barricaded in the back of the pub. The bartender was dead, as were two of Danny's guards. There were three men still standing, plus three more on the ground. Danny had done well for himself.
The three would be assassins spun around. Neither Blaise or Seamus hesitated. "Confringo!" they both yelled. All three assassins went down, two of them clearly dead, the other one merely injured.
"Danny, are you all right?" asked Seamus.
"As right as I can be, given the circumstances," said Danny.
"We need to get you out of here," said Blaise as he wordlessly stunned the third assassin, who had been trying to get up.
"My men…" said Danny.
"Gave their lives to keep you alive," said Blaise, "But if there are more assassins around, that will all be in vain."
Danny nodded, though he was clearly not happy about it. He knew his duty, but he'd managed to convince himself that he was some sort of damned hero. Blaise wasn't foolish enough to think that, but he did need Danny alive.
"We'll keep you safe," said Seamus.
"Wands away, boys," said Danny, "We're going outside."
XXXXX
A few hours later, Danny was acting a lot less restrained.
"I knew coming here was going to be a disaster," he said angrily, "Now we have to reply. And how do we do that without Clarise responding with force?"
"We can't," said Pascale, "we need to keep a low profile."
"I disagree," said Blaise, "We need my mum to make a strong move, it's the only way we beat her."
"Blaise, this isn't the time for…" started his father.
"For what? For the person who knows my mum best to give their advice?" said Blaise, "It's pretty obvious from the fact that you were surprised when she joined up with the Death Eaters that you never knew her."
"Blaise," warned Pascale.
"The boy is right," said Danny, "You were blinded by your affection for her, and now you are blinded by hate. Maybe Blaise is blinded by hate too."
"I… don't know exactly how I feel about my mother," said Blaise, "I am very angry with her. But I know her. She rules Northern Ireland's magical underworld through fear. She has kept it in line through the use of one of her lieutenants, Magnus Svenson. He's a nasty Swede, but everyone knows that if things here in Northern Ireland start to go south he gets sent in to keep people in line. It's fear of him that keeps this place in line."
"Because he is very dangerous," said Pascale.
"He's just a man," said Blaise, "Hit a big target, any big target, and he'll come. And I know exactly where he will come. And I'll be waiting for him."
"Blaise, no!" said Pascale.
"I'm not getting out of this war with my hands clean, father," said Blaise, "They're already dirty. But he will not kill his boss's son. He'll try to talk to me, might even think I'm coming back over to their side. I'll only need one spell."
"Blaise, it's too dangerous," said Seamus.
Danny looked at Blaise for a long moment. "I saw how you handled yourself back there. I know you can do this. The question is, should you? Killing in cold blood is very different from defending another person, even a person as evil as myself."
"I know," said Blaise, "I've done it."
Danny shook his head sadly. "In that case, we'll do as you suggest. And may God have mercy on my soul for what I'm asking you to do."
XXXXX
The day after the attack on the Granger's house in Australia, Harry, Luna and the Grangers flew to the US. It was a long flight but when they landed in Los Angeles a huge weight was lifted off of all of them.
"There should be someone meeting us here," said Harry.
"How did you arrange this?" asked Helen.
"I made the arrangements with Percy," said Harry, "as a Junior Undersecretary, he has enough clout to ask for some small favours like this."
There was indeed a man meeting them there. He had dark skin and wore a black muggle suit.
"Ned Hakes," said the man, "I work for MACUSA. Hiding no-majes isn't usually our thing, but as you aren't asking for us to show them any magical sites, just to keep them hidden, we can accomodate you. We'll have them put into witness protection with the FBI. No mess, no fuss, and they'll be with no-majes. Easy for all of us. I'll be their contact with MACUSA."
"Thanks for doing this," said Harry.
"It's not a problem," said Ned, "Dark Wizards are a problem for us all. Anything we can do to help, we will. Within reason, of course."
"Goodbye, Mum, Dad," said Hermione, hugging her parents in turn, "It might be a few years before I see you again." She then handed over the cat carrier she had carried Crookshanks in. Everyone had mutually decided that Crookshanks would be better off with Hermione's parents. Harry idly wondered how they'd gotten her into Australia, what with the quarantine laws and all. Probably magic.
"Goodbye, Hermione," said Robert, "We'll take care of Crookshanks for you."
"We love you," said Helen.
"I'll take good care of them," said Ned, "you have my guarantee."
Luna rested a hand on Hermione's back as her parent's walked away.
"You will see them again," said Luna.
"I know," said Hermione, hugging Luna back, "I know."
XXXXX
June 22nd, 1996
Arriving back in Britain was a strange feeling for Harry. He knew that the threat of war was now upon them again, but he seemed to feel more ready for it now. Of course he was now a bit of a fugitive, but Harry didn't mind that so much.
They stopped at Luna's house first. Xenophilius had been surprised when Luna returned. Apparently he'd thought she had been lying to him for some reason, and he seemed rather embarrassed when he refused to say what he had thought that Luna and Harry had been doing. Harry had an idea, but decided to keep it to himself.
Hermione had asked him several questions about the Deathly Hallows. Harry was bored, until Xenophilius described the Resurrection Stone. His description made Harry's ears perk up. It sounded a lot like the stone on the Gaunt family ring.
After leaving Luna's, Harry and Hermione headed to Diagon Alley. Harry had one last piece of business with the goblins.
"I can arrange to show you Potter Hall at any time," said Brokgut, "Dobby has already taken up residence, and has begun to set things up for you. Just be warned, James Potter had some very specific ideas about what he wanted Potter Hall to be."
"Oh?" asked Hermione.
"He was hoping to turn it into a base for the Order of the Phoenix," admitted Brokgut, "But as the war heated up he decided that this would be inadvisable. So he put the project on hold."
Harry, Hermione and Brokgut flooed over to Potter Hall. The hearth fire they emerged in was a very cozy living room.
"Master Harry!" shouted Dobby as he ran into the living room.
"Just Harry please, Dobby," said Harry.
"I am showing Mr. Potter the house," said Brokgut.
The house was actually about the same size as the Greengrass home, perhaps a bit smaller. Harry was surprised that this had all been as expensive as it was.
"The real work was out on the grounds," said Brokgut. He led them outside.
From outside, the house looked like a nice country home, but hardly a full manor. It looked like an oversized cottage really. And that was when Harry realized that his father hadn't wanted the tradition of an old style magical home, but he had wanted his family's old land.
The grounds had a lot of open space, surrounded by tall trees. But there was a small house on the edge of the tree line.
"This was originally the servants' quarters," said Brokgut, "Your father apparently decided to make it a safehouse."
Inside the house, there were stairs that led down. And below, they found a large series of caves. Harry hadn't known there were caves under the Potter land! Some tunnels had been cut to create halls with rooms for sleeping, other larger spaces could clearly be used for other purposes.
"This would make a fantastic base," said Harry, "How many people could we fit down here?"
"A few hundred," said Brokgut, "Apparently your father had a grander idea of what the Order was going to be than was ultimately justified."
"The Order, maybe," said Harry, "But I can definitely use all this space."
They returned to the surface, and Brokgut made ready to leave.
"I hope you are very satisfied with your new home Mr. Potter," said the goblin.
"I am," said Harry, "Thank you for taking care of it so well."
"We are most happy to have been able to help you," said Brokgut, "And might I say, you have been one of the best customers we have ever had. We look forward to doing business with you again."
"I still bank with you, Brokgut," said Harry, "I'll see you when we are next in Diagon."
"As you say," said Brokgut who bowed and then made his way to the floo.
After the goblin had left, Harry sat down at the kitchen table. "You see a room you want to claim?" he asked.
"Well," said Hermione a bit coyly, "I was hoping I could share with you."
"I only have one bed in my room," said Harry.
"That doesn't seem like a problem," said Hermione.
Harry smiled. "Why don't you pick a room to have as your own for now, and if you want to 'visit', we take that on a case by case basis. At least until my sixteenth birthday."
"I was looking forward to playing house with you," said Hermione with a smile.
"And we still can," said Harry, "Let's just take things slowly, okay?"
"I can do that," said Hermione, "But just to be clear, tonight I'm sleeping over, right?"
"Oh, of course," said Harry, "That goes without saying.
Harry sighed as he reluctantly changed the subject, "We should probably talk to Ginny tomorrow, then check in with Sirius."
"If we go to the Burrow…" said Hermione.
"I need to talk to Dumbledore anyway," said Harry. That was a conversation he was not looking forward to.
XXXXX
June 24th, 1996
Ginny was anxious. Luna had stopped by yesterday. She hadn't given anything away, but the very fact that she was back meant that Harry was back as well. Molly hadn't noticed that she was gone, which wasn't surprising given that Luna was usually gone the whole summer. But Ginny knew that Harry and Hermione would almost certainly stop by today. Which meant the Burrow was about to see a major confrontation. Ginny made sure she had her wand on her, just in case.
Unfortunately, Molly was right by the fire when Harry called.
"Harry!" said a very excited Molly, "Where have you been?"
"I will explain in person," said Harry, "I need to come through and speak to you and Ginny."
"Of course!" said Molly, her happiness that Harry was still alive obvious.
Harry stepped out of the fire confidently, and moments later Hermione followed him.
"Hermione!" said Molly, her voice surprised, "What are you doing here?"
"I'd prefer to explain this just once, so if you could call Dumbledore, that would be great. No need to do it behind my back," said Harry.
Molly flushed a bit at Harry's inference that she would go behind his back, but she knew he was correct. She made a quick floo call, and soon Dumbledore had apparated in.
"Harry!" said the Headmaster, "Where have you been?"
"I went to Australia," he said, indicating Hermione.
"Hey," said Hermione, her eyes hard.
"Harry, what have you done?" asked Dumbledore.
"Given that someone messed with McGonagall's mind in order to force her to give permission for Hermione to move to Australia, I'd say I rescued her," said Harry, "Not that she needed my help with that. She did need help when Bellatrix Lestrange attacked her and her parents, along with five other Death Eaters."
"What!?" cried Molly, her voice sounding horrified.
"Don't worry, Bellatrix and her goons are dead," said Hermione, "Help arrived just in time. Still I had to kill everyone except Bellatrix before it did, so it was very touch and go."
"You killed five Death Eaters?" asked a stunned Dumbledore.
"Four, my dad shot the fifth actually," said Hermione, "The Australian Ministry should have informed the British Ministry by now."
"And you killed Bellatrix?" Dumbledore asked Harry.
"She was pretty dead the last time I looked," said Harry. Ginny noticed the deflection. Which meant… had Luna killed Bellatrix? Ginny was oddly certain that that was what had happened.
Ron had arrived downstairs. Ginny saw that he also had his hand on his wand. Dumbledore had better not start something, or this would turn into a shooting gallery.
"Voldemort isn't going to recover from this easily," said Ginny.
"Harry, you can't put yourself at risk like this," said Dumbledore.
"Because of the prophecy?" asked Harry.
"So you do know what it says," said Dumbledore, to which Harry nodded, "I didn't tell you…"
"If you had told me, Arthur would still be alive you colossal twit!" snapped Harry, "You need to trust me! Instead you did the one thing I can't forgive. You placed Hermione in danger! Your attempts to keep her safe failed. Well, her parents are safe now, and will remain in hiding until I see fit to bring them out. And now, I have to ask, why should I ever trust you again? You need to come clean. NOW."
"Harry, I need you to come back to Grimmauld Place," said Dumbledore, "Once you are safe…"
"No," said Harry, "I will not be going there. Sirius will understand. You have too much control there, and can surround me with members of the Order. I'm done being contained."
"Harry, you need to come with me, you know why you are important. We cannot let Lord Voldemort have access to you," said Dumbledore.
"I won't," said Harry, "and you can't make me go anywhere."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Is that so?"
Harry smiled.
And suddenly, both Harry and Hermione summoned their wands into their hands. Dumbledore wasn't quite ready for this, but he managed to get wand in hand before they could get off a spell. Molly pulled out her wand and pointed it at Harry, but before she could cast Ron disarmed her. Ginny quietly simply pulled out her wand, and the moment Dumbledore shielded against Harry and Hermione's disarming charms she cast her own. Dumbledore's wand ripped out of his hands and sailed into Ginny's.
"Ron, Ginny?" asked Molly, her voice incredulous.
"Sorry Mum," said Ron, "But Harry and Hermione are our friends." He handed his mother her wand back.
"Please don't do anything stupid with that," said Ginny, "I really don't want to fight you Mum."
Dumbledore's wand felt… strange in her hand. Like it was more powerful than any other wand she'd ever held.
"What the hell is up with your wand?" asked Ginny.
Dumbledore sighed, "It seems that you have won it from me," he said regretfully, "I trust you can feel that it has some rather unique properties."
"What sort of wood is that?" asked Hermione, "I've never actually been able to identify it."
"Wait… you don't think…" started Harry, his eyes going wide.
"It is Elder wood," said Dumbledore.
"Merlin, it's the Elder Wand," said Hermione.
XXXXX
"What?" asked Ginny, "The Elder Wand?"
Harry had forgotten that Ginny hadn't been around for that conversation.
"The first of the Deathly Hallows," said Harry, "My invisibility cloak is probably the third."
"You know about the Deathly Hallows?" asked Dumbledore.
"The Lovegoods told us about them," said Harry.
"I suppose you will take the wand from Ginny then?" asked Dumbledore.
"I will not," said Harry, "Ginny won it fair and square. It's hers. I trust her with my life."
Dumbledore seemed to relax at that. "I am sorry Harry, I should not have been so glib with you. I was… well for a moment I was scared for you, and I considered… well I see now that my fear was misplaced. Ginny, you should indeed keep the Elder Wand, it may be of use to you. I suppose I shall have to use my old wand from now on. It will take a bit of getting used to. And I will have to re-evaluate some of my plans like the Gaunt… well, I can consider that later. I will see you at Hogwarts."
"Have you been reinstated as Headmaster?" asked Harry incredulously.
"No," said Dumbledore, "But with the Board of Governor's blessing, I will return as Transfiguration Professor, for the coming year at least. Minerva will be very difficult to replace."
Harry nodded, his eyes suspicious. Ginny was also looking quite sceptical. Dumbledore was probably just trying to continue keeping an eye on Harry.
"Headmistress McGonagall agreed to that?" asked Harry.
"I did not mess with Minerva's mind, Harry. I managed to convince her of this," said Dumbledore, "It must have been Bellatrix. We believe that she interrogated Minerva at some point."
Harry refused to believe that. If Bellatrix had interrogated anyone, they'd still have the marks. Bellatrix hadn't been subtle. But Harry also knew that if this had been mentioned as a possibility to McGonagall she would accept it. She really wanted to be able to trust Dumbledore.
Yet Harry was uneasy. Something about the tone in Dumbledore's voice was wrong. And finally Harry understood what it was. Dumbledore didn't know what was wrong either. He was trying to hide it, but he couldn't. Dumbledore had no idea why he was behaving the way he was. And suddenly Harry thought back to Luna telling him the magic that had taken control of Hermione's parents had been a potion effect.
Merlin! Is it possible that Dumbledore is being controlled by someone? thought Harry, But if this is a potion, is this Snape? It would almost have to be! But why?
And looking back on it Harry understood the truth. All of their major disagreements had resulted from Dumbledore behaving in ways that seemed tailor made to making Harry distrust the former headmaster. Harry had been dancing to a tune. And suddenly Harry wondered, had Dumbledore and Molly been forced to sign that marriage contract?
"I believe that you are correct though, Harry," said Dumbledore, "I do need to tell you some things. If you wish, this year I will begin to try to explain what Voldemort has done to himself, and how we can defeat him."
Harry's face softened. "I'd like that Professor. It's all I've asked for these last couple of years." Suddenly, Harry was all too willing to cooperate with Dumbledore. Even if he was wrong about Dumbledore, he remembered the old adage "keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Either way, suddenly Harry knew he needed to keep an eye on Dumbledore.
"Do you know who is going to be teaching defense?" asked Ron.
"Professor Snape, I believe," said Dumbledore, "I've been trying to help Minerva find Professor Slughorn, the previous Potions instructor, but he has disappeared."
"He's probably gone to ground," said Hermione.
"He hasn't been answering my letters since Voldemort's return." said Harry, "I think it's a good bet that he won't be easy to find."
"You know Slughorn?" asked Molly.
"I contacted him during the whole incident with the Chamber of Secrets," said Harry, "He was instrumental in helping me locate the chamber. I corresponded with him for a while. I passed on a lot of his advice to Percy as well. I think he's a good man, if a bit overly concerned with his reputation."
"A good assessment of the man," said Dumbledore, "Well, I shall leave you to it then."
And with that, Dumbledore made his way to the Floo and left.
"Mum, why don't you apply for the Potions job?" asked Ginny, "You had an O in your NEWT, with a special commendation. Hell, the NEWT project you did on the polysoul potion is probably good enough for a mastery."
Harry whistled. The polysoul potion was a potion based on the polyjuice potion that let you imitate another soul. It was definitely a potion best left to Potion Masters.
"Language, Ginny," said Molly, but her heart wasn't in it, "I couldn't. I have to…" and suddenly she stopped. She really didn't have anything to do. All of her children were gone, and Arthur was dead. She would just be alone in this house.
"You know, maybe I should apply," said Molly, "Merlin knows, I need something to keep me occupied."
"I think you'll be fantastic," said Harry. Ginny looked at Harry strangely, but Harry shook it off. Harry was suddenly very interested in what happened once the Hogwarts potion supplies were no longer in the hands of Severus Snape.
Molly shook her head, "We're going to have to deal with that later. Right now, the ministry is probably getting notices drawn up on all of you but Harry for using underage magic."
Ginny grinned. "Oh, don't worry about that. We removed the Trace from ourselves ages ago."
"Ginny!" said Molly angrily.
"And I'm not sorry in the slightest," said Ginny, "We need to be able to defend ourselves."
Molly took in a deep breath, then nodded. "I do want to apologize for jumping into that fight," she said contritely, "I just helped Albus out of habit."
"We know, Mum," said Ginny, "That's not necessarily a bad thing. Harry and Dumbledore tend to push each other's buttons for some reason though, and it's best to stay out of it if you can."
Ginny managed to get a quick word alone with Harry and Hermione in her room before they left.
"Anything interesting happen while we were gone?" asked Harry.
"I don't know," said Ginny honestly, "Everyone's been reporting everything to Daphne, and she hasn't been calling here because it would be suspicious."
"How so?" asked Hermione.
"Oh damn, you weren't here for that. Ron and Daphne broke up. Well, she broke up with him at least."
"Ah,' said Harry diplomatically, "Well, we'll have to visit Daphne then."
Ginny raised her hand to stop them from leaving. "I wanted to say something. I've been talking with Ron."
Ginny went over to her window, and then turned back to her friends. "I fucked up this last year, I let my rage over my Dad's death get the better of me. As a result… well we did something I'm not proud of. It took a lot of help from Ron to see it, but I do see it now."
"Hey, I knew doing it was wrong, and I went and absorbed a horcrux to give me a reason to do it anyway," admitted Hermione, "I wasn't indecisive. I was against it. And I deliberately tried to get an excuse to ignore that because I thought I needed to be strong. We both screwed up."
"Yes, you did," said Harry, "But you can't keep beating yourself up about it. We have to move forward. Do better."
"But aren't we just murderers?" demanded Ginny.
Harry considered that. "No, not quite," he finally said, "They intended to kill us, after all. But… that sort of premeditation in killing is never good. I think… well I hope that we can come back from that."
Harry tried to sound sure. But he had to admit, he was anything but.
XXXXX
June 23rd, 1996
Blaise sat outside the Broken Hourglass. It was Belfast's version of the Leaky Cauldron, though it had far less traffic. But it was the main entrypoint from London to Northern Ireland for magicals. Apparition into and out of Northern Ireland was banned by the Ministry for security reasons. So most people used the Floo Network. Any use of the Floo Network could be traced, so there was no way that Svenson would floo directly to any site controlled by Blaise's mother. No, he'd have to come right through here.
And he did. He probably thought that no one would be able to follow him until he'd revealed his presence. Big mistake. Blaise waited until Svenson had gone into a nearby alley then he followed.
"Magnus," said Blaise as he entered the alleyway.
"Blaise?" asked Svenson as he turned around.
"Old Danny is onto you," said Blaise, "This is a trap."
"Thanks for the warning," said Svenson, "But I thought you were on…" Whatever he thought went unsaid as Blaise pulled out his wand.
"Reducto," whispered Blaise. At point-blank range, the spell practically disintegrated Svenson's midsection. Svenson's eyes seemed betrayed for a moment, then glazed over.
Blaise simply pocketed his wand and continued on. And for the first time, Blaise felt queasy. Was this really what he wanted to do with the rest of his life?
XXXXX
Harry walked out of the floo into the Greengrass home as if he was moving between rooms. He sidestepped, and moments later, Hermione came out beside him.
"Harry! Hermione!" shouted Daphne, who gave both of them hugs. Astoria was behind her and she gave both of them a wave.
"How are you, Astoria?" asked Harry.
"I'm okay," said Astoria, "I've been a bit unwell since I got back from school. Which is usual. I'm almost over it."
"I wish I could help," said Harry, "But long term curses are hard to beat."
"Harry!" said Bryant Greengrass as he swept into the room, "you've been sending Dumbledore into fits. I almost approve, though running off without telling anyone is very dangerous."
"Sorry, but I had to get to Hermione before Bellatrix did," said Harry, "Well, it turns out I didn't have to, but I was trying to. We sort of found Hermione at the same time."
"What?!" said Daphne, her face distraught.
"Bellatrix is dead," said Hermione, "Luna killed her, though try not to tell anyone that. If anyone asks, we're saying Harry killed her. I killed the other Death Eaters with her, well, all but the one my Dad shot."
"I don't believe it," said Bryant, "I mean I really don't believe it. You may be the smartest witch in your year, but you aren't even in sixth year yet. How could you take on Bellatrix and live?"
"Let's just say that Harry and I aren't ordinary sixth years, and leave it at that," said Hermione, "But the Australian authorities…"
"Yes, I just received a letter from the Ministry," said Bryant, "I know that it did happen, yet the how eludes me."
Harry decided that the time had come to rein in Bryant Greengrass. He needed to understand that Harry was calling the shots, at least as far as the war against Voldemort went. If Greengrass hadn't been aligned with the purebloods, maybe Harry could have asked him for more, but as it was, Harry needed Bryant in a short leash.
"You don't need to know that," said Harry, 'what you do need to know is that I have put together a faction to fight Voldemort, and if you want to help, I'm offering you the chance to do so. As an ally of course, not as a member of our group."
"Your own version of the Order?" asked Greengrass slyly, "There are a lot of those popping up."
"Harry, Ginny and myself are the Triumvirate, Bryant," said Hermione, "We are behind the deaths of the ten Death Eaters in the Ministry. That is the faction that we've put together."
Bryant stepped back, stunned. "Wh… what? I… why shouldn't I just report you to the DMLE?"
"Father, you can't," said Daphne.
"Daphne, I know they are your friends, but this is murder!" said Bryant.
"It wasn't murder, it was war," said Daphne, "Though I do regret it."
"As do I," said Astoria.
It took Bryant a moment to realize what Daphne and Astoria were saying.
"Oh," said Bryant, suddenly understanding, "I can't report this, can I?"
"No," said Daphne, "We're committed. Completely."
Bryant made a sound that sounded like a growl. "Damn you Potter."
"Harry gave me a choice," said Daphne, "I chose to go with him. It was my decision."
"So if I don't help you, are you going to kill me?" demanded Bryant.
"Don't be absurd," said Harry, "I don't want to kill anyone. Not even the Death Eaters."
"Harry was outvoted, but after we killed Lucius and his group, we decided not to kill Death Eaters in cold blood anymore," said Hermione.
"Until Bellatrix…" started Bryant.
"I defended myself," said Hermione, "so did Luna."
Bryant sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, I overreacted. I just wasn't ready… I wasn't ready to hear my little girls have grown up faster than I had thought they would."
"Astoria didn't actually kill anyone, if it makes you feel any better," said Daphne.
"I thought you didn't see that!" said Astoria angrily.
"Actually, it does make me feel better," said Bryant.
He turned and looked at Daphne. "If this is what you feel you have to do…"
"It is," said Daphne.
Bryant shook his head. "I guess I'm going to have to run cover for you then," he said.
Harry smiled, though he felt a bit sick. When Greengrass started running interference in the Wizengamot, everyone was going to think he was behind the Triumvirate. Except for Voldemort, he wasn't likely to be fooled for long.
"Daphne," said Hermione, "are you doing all right?"
"I'm fine," said Daphne, "Breaking things off was my idea."
"If you need to talk…" said Harry.
Daphne smiled briefly, "Thanks guys, that's really nice of you. It probably won't be necessary."
XXXXX
Narcissa was going over the numbers one last time. The Death Eaters had a substantial income, and it would be more than enough to do most of what they would need. The Dark Lord's new plan was coming into place, now if only Bellatrix would get back. Then they could get started.
"Narcissa!" said a voice from the door to her office. It was Snape. "Rookwood has news."
Narcissa got up and followed Snape to the dining hall, where the Dark Lord was seated. Rookwood was kneeling before him and relating his news. Draco was nearby. He'd been attending to the Dark Lord ever since he'd left school.
"...and his information is impeccable. He says that Bellatrix went to Australia, but Potter and Granger were waiting for her," finished Rookwood.
"Is that true?" asked the Dark Lord.
"I do not know how things went down, but the result is undeniable. The Australian Ministry has confirmed that the entire group we sent was killed, including Bellatrix."
Narcissa felt as if she had been struck with a hammer. Bella was dead. Her sister was dead. Nothing else mattered, her sister was dead.
"How could Potter kill six Death Eaters including Bellatrix?" asked Draco, "I've seen him in defense class. He's good, but even with Granger, that should be beyond him."
"A good question," said the Dark Lord, "He has clearly been hiding his true talent. So has Granger. Damn it, what do you say about him not being behind the massacre at the Ministry now Severus?"
"It is of course possible that he was behind it, but if he did, then he is far more dangerous than we thought he was. It means he pulled off two complex operations simultaneously," said Snape.
"It could be that Potter went to the Ministry and Granger took down Umbridge," said Rookwood, "If she has skills anywhere comparable to his, they might have been able to split forces, but that would require them to have a huge…"
Everyone went silent as they all realized the truth. Potter clearly did have a huge following. He controlled Hogwarts.
"We need reinforcements," said the Dark Lord, "Narcissa, I need to find out how much money I have to spend on hiring mercenaries."
Narcissa blinked, then nodded, though she was visibly shaken. The Dark Lord seemed angry for a moment, but then his eyes, well they didn't exactly soften, but they seemed less angry.
"I know, your heart is burning for revenge Narcissa, and I know that this must be overwhelming for you. I need you to stay focused. Can you do that Narcissa, or do I need to find someone to replace you?"
"I can do it," said Narcissa, "It was just the shock of it all. Bella…"
"Will be avenged," said the Dark Lord, "I promise you."
Narcissa nodded. "I was trying to work out these numbers right before I was summoned actually. Give me a few minutes and I will be able to give you a good estimate. Luckily, it seems as if the mercenary market is pretty favourable right now."
XXXXX
July 1st, 1996
"I can tell you this," said the mercenary leader, Gustav Benoit, "If you hire us, it will send the price of all the other mercenaries sky high. That's just how the market works."
Gustav was there, in the Leaky Cauldron, with about six other mercenaries. Viktor Krum was also there. Apparently Krum only wanted to fight Voldemort, but Gustav wanted to convince him to come on with his group full time. Sirius didn't like his chances.
"Sounds good to me," said Sirius.
"I would like to meet your boss though," said Gustav.
"I can take you to meet two of our leaders right now," said Sirius, "The third isn't available, but we can probably arrange a meeting at some point."
"Good, good," said Gustav.
"But until you are hired, I'd prefer to keep the number of people who know where our base is to a minimum," said Sirius.
"I'm not following you alone," said Gustav, "Not until your first check clears anyway."
"You don't have to," said Sirius, "I notice you have Viktor Krum with you."
Krum stepped up, "I came because I vish to fight Voldemort. I am not usually a mercenary for hire."
"I don't care why you are here, but Harry has vouched for you, so I think I can trust you as well not to give us away," said Sirius.
Sirius took Gustav and Krum to one of the back rooms of the Leaky Cauldron and handed them a Portkey. When they arrived at Potter Hall, Harry and Hermione were waiting.
"Harry! Hermione!" shouted Krum.
"Good to see you, Viktor," said Hermione.
"Where is your leader?" said Gustav.
"I'm right here," said Harry.
Gustav scoffed. "Is this a joke?"
"No, it isn't," said Harry, "Hermione and myself, as well as Ginevra Weasley, the third member of the Triumvirate, are all school children. But we are school children with one advantage. We have the memories of Lord Voldemort in our heads. And we are going to use those memories, as well as the connections of our well connected friends, to destroy the economic base of the Death Eaters. Want in?"
Gustav suddenly grinned. "Now that is what I call a pitch."
XXXXX
July 14th, 1996
"It's all over," said Danny, "The last of the holdouts surrendered today. Clarise Zabini is no longer in control of Northern Ireland."
A round of applause and hoots followed that as everyone in Danny's headquarters cheered. With the death of Svenson, all those loyal to Clarise Zabini had begun surrendering to Danny en masse. All of them.
Blaise sat in the corner, a grim smile on his face.
"You look grim," said Seamus, "What's wrong?"
"We can't stop here," said Blaise, "Otherwise she'll be back."
"Damn straight she'll be back," said Danny, who had snuck up on them somehow. "We need to take the fight to her now."
"Keep her in Wales?" asked Seamus.
"And Scotland, if we can swing it," said Danny.
"As I said, we can't stop here," said Blaise, "This isn't the end of anything."
Author's Note: Harry's realization that Dumbledore is probably being played worse than he is being played is a game changer. Harry doesn't have a lot of details yet, and this won't be fully over for a while, but at least he can begin trying to work with Dumbledore while Snape isn't Potions Master.
As for his suspicions of Snape, well he has no idea why Snape would do this. And it is genuinely confusing because sometimes Snape seems to hate him and sometimes he seems to want to help him. Snape's motivations are actually really complicated, and I don't think anyone has actually guessed what is really going on yet.
Next time: Back to Hogwarts, and Harry and Hermione make a sacrifice for a new student. Or do they?