As always, I'm only playing with JK Rowling's toys. All credit goes to JK Rowling, her publisher and all the other people involved in bringing her work to life.
#
The realisation that Harry Potter had apparently side-along Apparated Hermione Granger out of the school caused an eruption of chatter. No-one, not even the headmaster of the school was supposed to be able to do that. It seemed that the legend of Harry Potter was destined to grow.
'Dae ye hae ony idea whit ye hae dane? Ye Bloody gowk!' screamed Minerva
Albus looked blankly at her; with a haunted look in his eye.
She sighed and said 'Richt, tae th' hospital wing wi' ye.' before dragging the elderly wizard by the sleeve towards the doors of the Great Hall.
She turned and spoke clearly to the general assembly 'Prefects, ensure that all students are escorted to their dorms, Heads of House, please ensure that the discipline of your houses is maintained. Gryffindor; I will be alone shortly to attend to house business. Mr and Mrs Weasley, please follow me.'
Arthur pulled Molly to her feet and got her shuffling along behind the Deputy headmistress. The prefects and head pupils began shepherding the student into their respective houses. Severus Snape remained on his knees, oblivious to all that had transpired in the last ten minutes or so. It wasn't until Draco came over and asked 'Are you, alright sir?'
Severus looked blankly at his young charge muttering 'he knows' before Draco called over some of the older pupils to aid their head of house who was suffering from shock. Terrance Higgs made his way over to Draco 'Did that actually happen, Draco? I mean did Potter just face down Snape and Dumbledore after ripping the Weasel a new one?'
Draco nodded 'Tell me Higgs between the Dark Lord and Potter, who would you rather back?' he asked before walking over to Neville.
#
Dobby popped Harry and Hermione into the main room of the Potter Suite at the Dorchester, before popping off again to locate the Grangers.
'Harry, what happened?' asked Hermione
'I think I just unfriended Ron.' He replied.
'That's not what I mean, and you know it, please talk to me. I need to understand, ever since the train ride you have been a different person, and sometimes it scares me.' explained Hermione.
Harry took her in his arms and held her, kissing her hair ever so softly. 'Don't leave me, Mia, I –' he began before the tears came. It was logical that there would be some reaction to the events in the hall. Hermione expected ranting and colourful language, or even silence and brooding; she didn't expect that he would break down and be inconsolable.
Harry held her like a drowning man holding on to a piece of driftwood. Physically he knew that she was here in his arms, but in his mind, all he could see was the broken and battered body of the woman he loved as she died in his arms.
'I'll never leave you, Harry.' she whispered.
The Grangers appeared just as Hermione made her declaration; they stood off to one side watching everything unfold.
'Please, Mia, Please don't go.' Harry whimpered, his voice sounding small and broken.
'I'm here Love, and I'll always be here. Nothing will ever keep me away from you, Harry, Nothing.' She said.
Hermione, moved her head to be more comfortable on Harry's shoulder and saw that her parents were standing there watching Harry break down.
She motioned to them to come over, reluctantly they made their way over and embraced the young man that they had grown to love. It was clear that he had some demons that were plaguing him and needed all the Love and support that they could give him. After everything he had done for them recently, it was the very least they could do.
#
Andi stood on the beach on Black Island looking out over the bay, the air was cold, and the sky was darker than she had ever seen. It was so clear she could see the Milky Way and just about every star there was. Over the last few days, she could not sleep; the fact that Sirius was so close to getting his freedom was causing the restlessness that she was feeling.
'Penny for them?' asked Sirius.
'What do you know about Pennies?' asked Andi, turning to face her cousin.
'Lily taught me. There were so many things out there that I had no idea about until I met her. She changed my life; When James and Lily asked me to be Godfather to Harry, I almost refused because I didn't think I was worthy enough. I tried to tell them that I would eventually fuck it up, and I didn't want to let them down. Maybe I'm a seer or something because I really fucked things, Andi.'
'Harry doesn't think so.' She said 'He did all of this so that you can be free. Not to mention what he did for you last year. Sirius, you have to let go of the past and move on. Your Godson not only wants you in his life, but he also needs you in his life. This trial is your opportunity to prove that James and Lily were right about you. Make them Proud; show them that their little boy is in safe hands.'
'I will, I promise. Now I need you to promise me something Andi.' said Sirius.
'Sure, what can I do for you?'
'Get some sleep; I have watched you come out here every night for the last week. Grenada looks lovely at three in the morning, but I think Ted is missing having you next to him.' Sirius said with a smile.
Andi looked once more over the bay, the moon reflecting off the gently rolling waves.
'Ok I'll head to bed, don't you stay out here too long though.'
Sirius nodded his agreement and turned and walked towards a palm tree in the middle distance.
#
Molly and Arthur stood beside their unconscious daughter while Madam Pomfrey worked diligently to diagnose what was wrong. So far she had managed to ascertain that no spell had hit Ginny, nor had she been poisoned or ingested any potion. She was showing no sign of any physical trauma or blood loss. It was safe to safe to say that the school healer was stumped.
On the other side of the ward, Albus sat motionless on the edge of the bed. Minerva stared at him with the fiery intensity that only a Highland woman could give.
'What have I done?' was all that Albus would say. Minerva had had enough.
SLAP!
The headmaster's eyes shot open. 'You slapped me!' he exclaimed
'O' coorse a slapped ye, ye wur spoutin' aye ma auntie. Ye gowk.' Drawled Minerva.
'Professor, in all the years we have known each other, I have never been able to understand you when you speak in your native brogue.' Said, Albus.
Minerva bristled at his ignorance and took a deep breath.
'Do you have any idea what you have done, you old fool? Not only did you insult Harry, but you could also very well have insulted the Goblin Nation because of your pig-headedness.' Stated Minerva mater-of-factly.
'I must speak with Harry at once' said Albus, trying to stand up from the bed.
'You must speak to him? The one you just said wasn't mature enough to wear his family ring? And exactly what would you be saying to him, Albus?' demanded Minerva.
'I cannot tell you, suffice to say that I must see him.' pleaded Albus.
'Harry appointed me as his steward Albus. To get to him, you will go through me.'
'When did this occur? Why wasn't I made aware of this?' he asked
'When you chose to ignore the summons from Gringotts, Harry appointed me. You have burned that bridge, so don't bother trying to manipulate things to suit your needs.'
'Where is he now?' Albus asked.
'I'm not at liberty to divulge the location of His Grace. Now would you kindly explain what the hell you were playing at in the hall?' said Minerva.
'The oath that Harry made when he claimed the life debt was enacted is why Ginevra is her current state. He should not have claimed the debt at all. An honourable man would never do such a thing.' Said, Albus.
'The wording of the oath was obvious Albus, very obvious indeed. His Grace cannot be held accountable if Ms Weasley did not follow the terms set against her. He stated very clearly that she could have no ill will against them in thought, word, or deed or cause anyone else to have ill will against them in thought, word or deed. Albus, you know just as well as I do that the first rule of magic is that it's the intent that matters most. We have drummed it into countless children for over fifty years.' Exclaimed Minerva.
'So a young girl will lose her magic or worse because she was ignorant? Or that Harry will feel crippling remorse for the rest of his life because of it? How is this fair Minerva?' asked Albus.
'How is it fair that this world expects so much from that young man, that he willingly gives so much and yet he is not allowed to be happy or that his choices be dismissed because they don't fit a teenage daydream? Where is the justice in that Albus, how does your "Greater Good" answer that?' Minerva demanded.
Minerva turned and began to walk away before stopping and saying;
'We have been friends for many a year, Albus if you value that friendship at all then leave Harry and Hermione alone. You will not be warned again.'
#
John Dawlish and the three Aurors returned to their department only to be summoned to the Head Aurors office.
'Auror Dawlish, I thought that your instructions were self-explanatory, was I mistaken?' asked Rufus Scrimgeour
'No, Sir, your instructions were unambiguous. We encountered a problem, Sir.' Explained Dawlish.
'A Problem, you say? Prey tell, what kind of problem prevented four highly trained Aurors from detaining a teenage wizard?' asked Rufus
The three other Aurors simply looked to Dawlish as their spokesperson.
'The intelligence that we received regarding Harry Potter was flawed, sir.'
Rufus picked up some paperwork from his desk before reading from a charge sheet 'Flawed, you say. That is interesting because the charge sheet reads; "The Accuser, one Ronald Bilius Weasley; youngest son of Arthur Weasley, states that he was attacked and left for dead. While his girlfriend, one Hermione Granger, was taken and is currently missing" It would appear that the charge was obvious.' Explained Rufus.
John looked to the others for some support, seeing that he was on his own he carried on.
'Sir, it appears that Mr Weasley was lying. Mr Potter and Ms Granger left the school with the headmaster yesterday morning at approximately six o'clock. Both Mr Potter and Ms Granger were permitted by Deputy Headmistress McGonagall to stay the night with Ms Granger's parents.'
Rufus appeared unmoved with this information. John continued 'Mr Weasley's older twin brothers confessed to the attack as punishment for bringing his family name and his house into disrepute for his behaviour towards girls from Hogwarts.'
'So where is he?' asked Rufus
'where is who, sir?' asked John, clearly confused.
'RONALD BLOODY WEASLEY!' Rufus exclaimed
'I'm not sure I follow, Sir. Mr Weasley is in Hogwarts. His younger sister took ill just as we were leaving.' Said Dawlish.
'I don't bloody care if his mother was giving birth to the second coming of Merlin. I want that little shit arrested for wasting Auror time and resources. So get back up to that damn school and bring him in.' Dawlish and the other Aurors left the office and headed back to Hogwarts.
'They had one fucking job! Honestly, how the hell am I supposed to work with this level of stupidity.' Muttered Rufus to the empty office.
#
Harry picked up the phone and called down to the reception. He was advising that he and some guests would be staying overnight and could some breakfast and coffee for six people be sent up.
After he put the phone down, he looked in the mirror and saw the redness around his eyes.
The teenage emotions that were once a distant memory were bouncing all over the show. Harry couldn't keep up with everything, it had been well over a hundred years since he last felt like this and he wasn't sure how he managed to cope the first time around.
Dan came out of the room that the girls were in and approached Harry 'I think we need to have a little chat Harry, don't you?' he said.
Harry nodded and led the way to the study; Harry thought that he was in for a grilling.
'Son, Emma and I think the world of you and nothing is going to change that. We want to help you in whatever way we can, but you have to talk to us. I am happy to sit here and listen to as much or as little as you want to divulge. Everything will be in the strictest of confidence.' Said, Dan
Harry knew that he couldn't tell them the truth, but he would tell them everything that he said to Hermione. 'Dan I think that this is a conversation that Hermione and Emma need to be a part of, would you mind bringing them in?'
Dan simply nodded and left to get his girls.
Harry took a long slow breath and waited for the Grangers to return; this was not going to be easy, either for him to tell or them to hear.
A few moments later, Dan reappeared with Emma and Hermione; both women had looks of concern on their faces. Dan gave Harry an encouraging smile; now, it was time to tell them his story.
'Mr and Mrs Granger, you have been nothing but welcoming and accepting of me since we met. I think it's time that you know who Harry Potter is and the reason for the scene you witnessed earlier.' said Harry.
'On the way to school this year, I fell asleep on the train, not an unusual occurrence but this time something happened, and it shook me to my core. As I dozed off, I had a dream that was so real, so vivid that when I woke up and saw Hermione, I immediately went to her. I think I kind of freaked her out a little.' said Harry.
'What did you dream about, son?' asked Dan
'Hermione died in my arms. It was about twenty years from now, her husband beat her because of me and...' Harry's voice grew thick with emotion, and his eyes began to fill.
'Ron forced her to cut off contact with me, and when he found out that we kept in touch, he got angry and beat her. Her last words to me where "I'm sorry Harry", It changed me. I had danced around my feelings for her for so long because I didn't feel worthy of her. When I woke, I saw her and realised that if anything happened to her ...'
* Harry took a long slow breath and wiped his cheeks, 'until I was eleven my bedroom was a small cupboard under the stairs, It has a bold on the outside of the door with a padlock on it. My aunt forced me to make breakfast for my uncle and cousin, then do all the cleaning and gardening. If I was lucky, I was allowed a glass of water and half a cheese sandwich, if I was unlucky, I just got the water. Until I was five my name, as I understood it, was "Freak". It was only when they had to enrol me in school that they told me my name.'
Hermione whimpered and clung to her mum, her heartbreaking for the young man before her. Silent tears fell from Emma's eyes as every motherly instinct screamed for her to wrap this wonderful; brave and lovingly gentle-spirited man in her arm and never let him go.
'My Hogwarts letter was addressed to "Harry Potter, Cupboard under the stairs" as though this was normal. I met someone on the train that had such an influence on me that it changed the way I would treat people. These changes caused your wonderful daughter such anguish and heartache that I doubt I will ever forgive myself even if I live a thousand lifetimes. Ronald Weasley was the first friend I had ever had, and because of this, I didn't stand up to him when he was cruel to Hermione. It was unforgivable of me, and I am genuinely sorry.'
'Oh, Harry!' sobbed Hermione.
Harry continued 'I'm not sure how much you know about our school and what's happened over the last few years. On Hallowe'en, in our first year, Mia spent most of the day crying in the girl's toilet because Ron was an obnoxious arse to her. To cut a long story short, a Professor let a mountain troll into the school and Mia didn't know. It eventually made its way into the toilet she was in, I managed to jump on its back and shove my wand up its nose before Ron used the levitation charm to drop its club on its head.'
'A Troll? Jesus, How big was this thing?' Asked Dan
'About twelve-foot, give or take.' Said Hermione.
'Why is this the first we are hearing about this?' growled Dan
'Because the school is run by an old man who thinks he knows better than everyone else.' Said Harry
'I've never blamed you for not standing up to Ron that day, Harry. You had so much on your mind.' Said Hermione
'That's no excuse, Love. I should have at least said something.' Harry replied sadly
'What was on your mind, Harry? if you don't mind me asking.' Said, Emma
'The thirty first of October is the anniversary of when Harry was orphaned Mum. It's the day he lost his parents' As she spoke, the realisation hit her like a sledgehammer.
'You had only just found out, hadn't you?' she asked him
Harry simply nodded; his head hung a little bit lower.
'I've never been to their grave; I don't even know where it is.' He whispered.
Emma's resolve broke, she could not in good faith sit there while this young man bared his soul to them. It was clear to her his heart was broken because of everything that had happened to him or been taken from him, and he was worried that because he didn't speak up for their daughter on the worst day of the year for him, that they would somehow think less of him.
Emma got up from the couch and took him in her arms and simply held him. In all his many years, Harry had very rarely spoken of his guilt for that day, or the guilt he felt for Hermione dying. Even though coming back had saved her, it didn't change the fact that he felt responsible for it and would never forgive himself for it.
'Son, We'll find them for you, I promise you that we'll find them and we'll take you to see them. You save my little girl's life the very least I can do is take you to your parents grave.' said Dan
'I killed the professor that let the troll into the school.' said Harry
'I'm Sorry?' said Emma
'He was possessed by the spirit of the man that killed my parents, but I still killed him.'
'Harry, that wasn't your fault, he was dying anyway. Besides, you saved the school and everyone in it.' said Hermione before getting up from the couch. Emma let Harry go, and he welcomed Hermione's arms around him.
'I don't think I have ever said this to you before, but you truly are my hero' she said.
#
Ginny woke slowly, her eyelids were very heavy, and her mouth tasted like she had been sucking on a piece of metal. 'Mum?' she said hoarsely
'It's alright, Ginny, you're in the hospital wing. How are you feeling?' Molly asked her.
'I feel exhausted and like I have no strength, what's wrong with me?' she asked, her voice cracking
'Madam Pomfrey isn't certain. She's done several tests, and they have all came back negative, so you've not been poisoned or hit with a spell. So you should make a full recovery.' Molly tried to sound cheery.
'It was the life debt.' Said, Ginny
'Life debt? What life debt? Honey, You're not making any sense.' Said, Arthur
'Harry called in the life debt because I kept pestering him and Hermione and I made Ron confront them the other day.' said Ginny
'That's why you wrote that letter isn't it?' asked Arthur
Ginny nodded.
'Did you want Harry to break up with Hermione and choose you instead?' he asked
Ginny nodded.
'What did he say?' her father asked
'He said I could have no ill will against them in either word, thought or deed. Whenever I said anything or thought anything, I would start to glow, but it was only because I was angry.' said Ginny
'It's pretty standard wording sweetheart. Harry is a good man; he wouldn't have done this if he wasn't pushed.' said Arthur
'Are you saying that it's Ginny's fault?' asked Molly, her tone getting slightly dangerous.
'Of course, not Molly, but Harry would not have called in the life debt unless he had no other choice.' Explained Arthur
Arthur handed Ginny her wand, 'Do you think you can cast Lumos for me?' he asked
Ginny took the want and said the incantation and relaxed slightly when the tip of her wand glowed brightly.
'I thought so.' said Arthur
'I knew that vindictive bitch would try something to keep them apart. When I got that letter, I just knew that you wanted me to come up with something to change his mind. How dare that scarlet woman used her filthy muggle ways to steal your Harry, I have got a good mind to curse her the next time I see her.' Molly ranted, utterly oblivious to Arthur attempting to get her to stop.
All the while, Ginny was glowing, but Molly kept ranting. 'I think a potion would do it. A simple revulsion potion should do it and then you'll have Harry.'
'MUUUM!' cried out Ginny as the glow grew brighter before flashing out and Ginny collapsed on the bed
Madam Pomfrey rushed over to the bedside 'I need to work on your daughter, please leave the ward.' It was not a request; When Madam Pomfrey tells you to leave her ward, you know that there is something dire happening.
'Oh, Ginny...' screeched Molly as Arthur dragged her away.
For thirty minutes, Poppy did everything she could; the amount of magic she expended was off the charts. In the end, Ginny was hanging on by a thread, Poppy and Minerva sat in the healer's office and discussed the options.
'She has had two massive flares in under an hour; by rights, she should be dead. Min, that woman needs to be reigned in, or she will be the cause of her daughter dying.' Said Poppy
'I'll speak with the family; hopefully, they will manage to talk Molly round.' sighed Minerva.
'They'll have to. Her magic is a quarter of what it was when she arrived here in her first year. It seems as though magic has given Ginny one last chance to change her ways.' Poppy yawned and said ' Can you arrange so cover for the next week, I have a feeling I'll be out of commission' asked Poppy
Minerva nodded, then left to let her friend to get some rest.
As she walked through the ward, she stopped at Ginny's bed, the young girl under the draught of the living dead, her family sat solemnly around her.
Minerva cleared her throat 'For the time being, Ginevra will be staying here to be monitored. She is in critical condition, and she must be allowed to recover. That being said, there are a few things that we need to discuss, May I ask you to come to my office, this is a discussion that should remain private.' Minerva's tone left little doubt that she was deadly serious.
'Boys, your mother and I will be back as soon as we can.' said Arthur to his sons.
'No, Mr Weasley, I meant all of you. This is a family discussion. Both William and Percy will meet you there.' explained Minerva before she turned and headed to her office.