My beta-readers, fredfred and InquisitorCOC, deserve a huge thank you. They helped a lot.


Chapter 69: The Ferry

Black Lake, Scotland, April 22nd, 2006

"Yes," Hermione repeated herself. "We'll sneak into Azkaban. We've already done part of it - we know the coordinates of the island."

"GPS cut out at a certain place when we reached the island in the ferry," Ron explained.

"Ah. And now you're planning to take a boat there? With a Curse-Breaker?" wizarding Harry asked.

"I thought we wanted to wait until the prison was abandoned - so we could take our time dealing with the wards without anyone caring about it," Ron's counterpart said.

"Croaker won't forget my request, and I can't stall him until the Ministry withdraws from Azkaban," Hermione explained. "Besides, they'll leave a garrison to keep an eye on the Dementors anyway - otherwise, every dark wizard would at least consider recruiting the Dementors. Which is another reason we need to destroy them - they won't station the most competent wizards and witches there."

"Of course not - that's Hit-Wizard work, after all," wizarding Ron said, chuckling.

Hermione sighed. "Leaving the Auror-Hit-Wizard rivalry aside, I'm aware that waiting until the Ministry has abandoned the prison would have made things easier."

"With our luck? We would've stumbled on a take-over by some dark wizards. Probably some leftover Storm Wizards of Grindelwald's," Ron's counterpart said. "Our Grindelwald."

"Of course." Dumbledore grinned as he nodded - as if he'd tease his partner about this soon. Which he probably would, in Ron's opinion.

Hermione, though, didn't see the humour. Or didn't want to see it. "Back on topic. Sailing up to the islands with a boat of our own is one possibility," she said. "We could also use the ferry - it has to be enchanted to pass through the wards that keep other ships away."

"You want to steal the ferry?" Wizarding Harry sounded surprised. "That's guarded almost as well as the island itself."

"Not exactly steal it - I fear its absence would be noticed quickly. But study it to copy the enchantments on it that allow it to pass to the island?" Hermione shrugged. "That might be possible."

"I'm not sure Bill could do it - and he's one of the best Curse-Breakers in Britain," wizarding Ron said.

"We'll have to ask him," Hermione said.

"Well, if we time it right, we could replace the ferry with a copy," Ron suggested. "They only need it to transfer prisoners, visitors and staff. That's not exactly a packed schedule, isn't it?"

"Good idea!" his counterpart agreed.

"The number of visitors has increased lately, what with people preparing to abandon the island," wizarding Harry told them. "So it's not as if it's only used every two weeks, as before."

"But from what we've heard, the conditions on the island are so deplorable that few will venture there voluntarily," Dumbledore pointed out. "It shouldn't be too hard to ensure a period of a week without anyone needing to use the ferry."

Ron looked at wizarding Harry and his counterpart. That would be up to them.

"We could do that - probably," wizarding Ron said. "But we'll have to be careful to avoid arousing suspicion - especially if Croaker's lot are keeping an eye on the island. Percy said that what influence the Unspeakables had lost after the war, what with them conducting all those… atrocities, they've since recovered under Croaker."

"Then, perhaps, we should endeavour to keep Mr Croaker's attention on other matters," Dumbledore suggested.

"Easier said than done - he's got an entire department he can order around," wizarding Harry retorted.

Hermione snorted, surprising her friends. "If the Unspeakables are anything like my old colleagues at Imperial College - and, from what I've seen, they aren't too different - then he would have better luck herding cats without magic than having them help recruit a potential rival to the department. After all, the budget of the Unspeakables might be in no danger of being cut, but it's still not limitless. Whatever one member gets to spend could've been used by another instead."

"Well, Mr Smith seemed quite enthusiastic," Ron pointed out.

"For his own selfish reasons, no doubt," Hermione replied. "He probably hoped I would end up as his assistant."

And his lover, Ron silently added. But he nodded.

"Doubtless, Mr Croaker will have the help of some of his colleagues, for a variety of reasons. But not the entire department." Dumbledore smiled. "Disagreements over the department budget can be very violent - literally, in some cases."

"And how do you plan to distract Croaker and his Unspeakables?" wizarding Harry asked with slightly narrowed eyes.

Dumbledore smiled. "I've got a few ideas. Although we will need to talk with the Lunas."

Oh no.


Black Lake, Scotland, April 23rd, 2006

"The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures handles magical creatures - or abuses them in many cases," wizarding Luna said with a frown. "So I don't think I could condone using our poor endangered creatures as a distraction. And they are quite territorial. The department, I mean. They won't ask for help - such as from Daddy or myself - unless under duress, even though most of them are clearly not competent at handling animals, and the others are in the pockets of various poachers. And if the Unspeakables were to become involved - openly, I mean; they already run the Ministry anyway, just look at the budget - they would be likely to simply kill any creatures in the area - or capture them and use them as sacrifices for their experimental rituals." She shook her head and glared at them. "No, you need to find another way to distract the Unspeakables."

Ron almost shook his head. The parallels between wizarding Luna and Luna were obvious - although by now they would be influencing each other as well.

Dumbledore, though, was unfazed by wizarding Luna's apparent ire. "My dear, I wasn't planning on endangering any creatures - I wanted your help to create a fake incident that would entice the Unspeakables to get involved from the start. Something urgent and mysterious that defies conventional logic."

That fits Luna - both Lunas - perfectly, Ron thought.

"You'd ask us to fake the existence of a magical creature?" Wizarding Luna sounded shocked.

"No, no," Dumbledore assured her - and Ron couldn't tell if the old man had indeed planned exactly that or not. "Just a mystery using some exotic creatures that the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures wouldn't know about, which would make the Unspeakables involve themselves. I've heard that they do love mysteries."

"Oh." Wizarding Luna blinked. "I guess that would be alright."

"It would be a prank against the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Luna added with a smile. "Showing them up and exposing their incompetence!"

"Exactly," Dumbledore agreed.

"We can do that, yes," wizarding Luna told him. "We can ask Fred and George for help."

"Both Freds and Georges." Luna smiled. "I'm sure we can come up with something no one has ever thought of - or even imagined!"

Ron almost felt pity for the department. Both departments.


"Shouldn't we keep an eye on them?" Ron asked the others after the Lunas had left - presumably to gather the two sets of twins.

"Are you volunteering?" his counterpart asked, raising his eyebrows.

Ron almost said that he wasn't a wizard, but that would've felt like… both a cop-out and an admission that he was useless.

Before he could agree, though, Hermione spoke up: "The Lunas promised to run whatever they come up with past us before implementing it. I trust them."

"I don't trust my brothers - or their counterparts," Ron told her. He knew his brothers, after all.

"The twins are a terror."

"Would they go behind the Lunas' backs?" Hermione asked.

That was a good point, Ron had to admit. "I guess not." At least his brothers had a soft spot for Luna.

"No, they wouldn't. Mum would go ballistic," his counterpart added.

That was true as well. Ron still had some misgivings. "Well, that escalated quickly, anyway."

"Sometimes, you have to roll the dice and deal with the result," Dumbledore said. "And as far as distractions go, bigger is usually better - though I'm very much aware that this is a delicate mission."

"Anyway, now we need to talk to Bill about this," wizarding Ron said. "And Fleur, of course."

Wizarding Harry nodded. "She'd never forgive us if we dragged Bill to Azkaban without telling her."

Hermione nodded, wincing a little.

"Something from the war?" Ron asked.

"Yes. A mix-up in communications," she said. "Fleur got left at home for a mission. It was supposed to be an easy one."

Ron winced. He could imagine how that had gone down.

"Well, no one died," wizarding Ron said. "And according to Bill, the most dangerous part was when the team returned to base - Fleur was so angry, she set the safe house on fire by accident."

"At least, that's what she says happened," wizarding Harry said. "I have my doubts."

"But you won't mention them." His friend grinned.

"Would you?"

"Do I look like I'm fireproof?"

The whole exchange had the feel of an old family joke. And those jokes were never funny to an outsider. "So Fleur will want to come along, then," Ron said.

"Or she'll forbid Bill to come." Wizarding Ron shrugged. "Hard to say with her."

"Then we should go and ask them both so we know where we stand," Hermione said. "And whether or not we need to recruit another Curse-Breaker."

"Let's go, then," wizarding Harry told them. "I don't want to be late for dinner, either."

"You married my sister, mate - that's on you."

Both laughed. Ron would've laughed as well - he knew his own sister - but Hermione didn't find it funny, so he only grinned.


Shell Cottage, Outskirts of Tinworth, Cornwall, Britain, Wizarding World, April 23rd, 2006

For a counterpart of Bill, the cottage looked downright rustic, Ron thought as they walked towards the door. Great location - directly on the beach - but it looked old enough to have been built by Romans. Well, not quite, but close enough to make no difference. And small enough to feel crowded for even a family of three.

Of course, this was a wizarding home, so it was likely bigger on the inside. Still, Ron's brother wouldn't have been caught dead in the house - unless he was hosting a client who liked old cottages.

"Uncle Ron! Hermione!" A blonde little girl dashed out of the shed next to the house. "You're visiting!" Then she drew to a stop in front of them, blinking. "You're not uncle Ron. You're Not-Uncle-Ron."

"Yes," he confirmed. "How did you figure that out?"

"You dress funny!"

"Ouch!" Ron mimed getting shot in the heart. "I'll have you know that this is the height of muggle fashion." He gestured at his sweater, shirt and trousers.

"Somewhere, it probably is," Hermione added, smiling at the girl. "Hello, Victoire. How are you doing?"

"I'm great! I almost managed to get feathers!"

"Feathers?" Ron asked. Oh. She probably wasn't talking about gathering feathers lost by birds. She was talking about transforming.

"Already?" Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Aren't you a little young for that?"

"Daddy says I'm precautious!"

"That's precocious," Hermione corrected her. "And it's a good thing!"

"I know! I'm going to fly before Hogwarts!"

Ron smiled as well. "And without a broom, hm?"

"Yes! And with a broom, too!"

The window next to the door opened, which caught his attention - Fleur stood there. "Victoire! Don't bother our guests!"

"She's not bothering us," Ron replied.

"I'm not!" Victoire yelled at the same time. "See? Not-Uncle-Ron said the same thing, Maman!"

"Victoire." Fleur shook her head

"I just told them about my transformation." Victoire pronounced the word very carefully. "I almost got feathers - my skin was all tingly!" Her beaming smile would've made Ron's mum forgive her accidentally setting the house on fire.

But Fleur wasn't moved. The watch frowned at her daughter. "What did I say about trying to transform without me watching?"

The little witch froze. "Uh…" She grimaced.

"Go to your room! We'll discuss this later!"

"But Maman!"

"No 'but'! Go to your room!"

"Fine!"

As the little girl stalked off with a deep scowl on her face, Fleur smiled at Ron and Hermione. "Come in! Bill's visiting Arthur and Molly, but he should be back soon."

"That almost felt like home," Ron said as they entered the cottage - which was far bigger on the inside. "Just that we had two boys who were up to no good."

"I would point out that the twins didn't have magic - but I've met Fred and George," Hermione said.

"Hermione! Ronald! Bienvenue à notre maison!" Fleur beamed at them, and, for a brief moment, Ron was distracted by her sheer beauty. Veela were… well, something.

But he recovered. "Thank you."

"Merci," Hermione added. Was she a little terse? Ron couldn't tell.

"Welcome!" Victoire yelled from the floor above them.

"Victoire! Go to your room!"

"But Maman!"

Ron chuckled. "It looks like she takes after Bill." At least if Bill's counterpart was anything like Ron's brother.

Fleur didn't find his comment funny, judging by her scowl. "She's impossible. But come, please sit down!"

"I think most of the Weasleys were just like her as kids," Hermione said with a faint smile as she sat down on the couch, with Ron following suit. "And the other children certainly seemed to be as lively."

Fleur sighed. "Oh, yes. Family gatherings would be a catastrophe if there weren't more adults than children."

"That will make birthdays rather weird," Ron said.

"Not as weird as leaving the kids to themselves," Fleur retorted. "We made that mistake once. Never again." She sighed again. "They managed to work each other up…"

"Still do, I think - they've just become a little more subtle," Hermione said.

Fleur swished her wand and a tea service and a plate of pastries flew towards the low table and set down softly. Without spilling a drop, as far as Ron could tell - and even if it had, a single spell would clean it up.

"So, what brings you to our home?" Fleur asked once everyone had tea and pain au chocolat.

"Oh, pain au chocolat!"

"Not for you, Victoire!" Fleur glared at her daughter.

"But…" Victoire, perched at the top of the stairs, sniffled as she looked at the tea party.

"Do you want to go to bed without dinner?"

"If I can have pain au chocolat?"

"To your room!" She shook her head again, brushing a stray lock behind her ear. "I don't know how my soeur can raise two of them."

"Probably without having to take the Weasleys into account," Ron replied with a grin.

"I concur." Hermione smiled as well. "You can blame Bill."

"I will!" Fleur laughed. "But enough of my parenting troubles. What brings you to our humble home?"

Ron thought it was anything but humble - from what he could see, the interior put the villas of various rock stars to shame.

"We're here because of Bill actually," Hermione said - after casting a privacy charm. "We want to hire his services."

"To break into Azkaban," Fleur said with a frown.

Hermione blinked. "Did Harry and Ron talk to you already?"

So much for operational security, Ron thought.

Fleur rolled her eyes. "Vraiment! It's obvious, isn't it? You got the gold to abolish the prison, then you visited it and now you need Bill? And you cast a privacy charm? You don't need to be Poirot to know what you're doing." She smiled. "We know you."

"I could want Bill for an unrelated task," Hermione defended herself.

"You could. But you don't."

"No, I don't." Hermione sighed. "Yes, we need to capture a Dementor."

"And we need to do so without anyone noticing, since, apparently, everyone will suspect us if anything happens," Ron added with a frown.

"Most of the Ministry are dumb," Fleur told them. "And many of the rest wouldn't dare suggest that the famous Hermione would do anything illegal."

Ron wondered, privately, if Fleur was jealous of Hermione's fame. He couldn't tell.

Hermione pressed her lips together. "That's another problem with the Ministry," she said. "And it's not my fault."

"Of course not," Fleur agreed.

"And there are many who would jump at the chance to frame me."

"Technically, it's not framing if you actually did the deed," Ron pointed out.

She frowned at him with narrowed eyes, then huffed - he was correct, after all. "They won't have any proof."

Ron snorted. "That doesn't really matter." Certainly not in Wizarding Britain, according to what he had seen and heard.

Fleur snorted. "You're right. It's all politics." She sneered in what Ron thought of as a very French way. Unlike Damien, her sneer made her look beautiful rather than ugly. "A number of the Wizengamot don't like Veela, either."

"Mostly the witches?" Ron joked.

Fleur laughed at that, but it sounded slightly forced. "That too - some witches don't understand that I'm happily married and that I wouldn't be interested in their partners even if I were single. It's all those stupid novels - the heroine's rival is almost always a Veela. And a French Veela, usually."

"Well, blaming the French is a British tradition," Ron pointed out. "And French women have a reputation for being beautiful, seductive and passionate," he added with a grin.

"If we could move back to the topic of Azkaban? Discussing prejudices is fascinating, but our problem is slightly urgent." Hermione sounded rather annoyed, Ron noted.

"Bien sûr," Fleur replied with a wide smile. "You want to hire Bill to crack the wards of Azkaban."

"We don't have to crack the protections," Hermione protested. "We just need to be able to slip through. Copying the enchantments on the ferry would work, for example - and he wouldn't even have to come with us to the island."

Of course, having a competent Curse-Breaker with them would be better, in Ron's opinion. He didn't have to be an expert on wards or curses to know that.

"You think Bill would let you go to Azkaban without coming along? He'd never forgive himself if something happened to you because he made a mistake."

That sounded like Bill, yes. If Bill were a wizard risking his life breaking ancient curses, instead of risking fortunes to make more money. And paying off Mum and Dad's mortgage.

Hermione, of course, didn't see it that way. "We could hire another Curse-Breaker."

"Really? And trust them to keep quiet?" Fleur scoffed again. "The sort of Curse-Breaker who would do something illegal isn't the sort of Curse-Breaker you want to hire." Shaking her head, she went on: "And planning to obliviate them after the fact only works in novels."

There went plan B.

"So it's Bill or no one." Hermione sounded resigned.

"And me, of course."

"You can't both risk your lives!" Hermione shook her head.

"We cannot not risk our lives together," Fleur retorted.

"But…"

"Hermione. We were working together as Curse-Breakers before we married. We have an understanding."

"But what about Victoire?" Hermione asked, looking at the stairs.

"Should she grow up knowing that her father died because her mother was afraid to help him?" Fleur shook her head with a sneer. "My family will take care of her, should the worst happen."

That was a rather… alien view. Or custom. Ron wondered - privately - if it was a Veela or a French witch thing.

"You didn't expect either of us to stop working as Curse-Breakers because we got married, did you?" Fleur asked.

Or perhaps it was a Curse-Breaker thing.

"No, I didn't," Hermione said. "But…" She fell silent and sighed. "My plans keep getting derailed," she complained.

"Our plans," Ron corrected her. "And that's how things work. No plan survives contact with the enemy."

"That doesn't mean what most people think it means!" Hermione replied. "Moltke meant that no plan extended with any certainty past the first battle - not that no plan survived the first battle."

"And it means you have to be ready to adapt," Ron told her.

"I just wish they would last a little longer," Hermione said, sighing again.

Before Ron could say anything else, Fleur perked up. "Bill just returned."

And, indeed, Ron could hear Bill's counterpart enter the house a moment later. "Hi, everyone! Where's the most beautiful girl in the world hiding?"

He sounded like Bill, too.

"Victoire is in her room - and she better stay there!" Fleur said, standing up. "Because she tried to transform by herself. But we have guests, Bill."

"Oh? Then it's a good thing that she's not on the stairs," wizarding Bill replied.

Ron was sure he heard a high-pitched squeal from the first floor.

Then wizarding Bill entered the living room. "Hermione! Ronald!" he greeted them before hugging Fleur.

"Just call me Ron," Ron replied. But he wasn't sure if the man heard him - his brother's counterpart was busy kissing his wife. For some time.

Ron was wondering if the other two adults had forgotten that he and Hermione were present when Hermione cleared her throat. Twice.

And wizarding Bill and Fleur broke apart. "Sorry," the wizard told them with a grin that clearly showed he wasn't sorry in the least. "But the second-most beautiful witch in the world always makes me forget everything and everyone else."

Fleur seemed to blush a little at that, but Hermione drily said: "Well, I hope that's hyperbole, since we want to hire you for a challenging task and Fleur has explained to us - at some length - that she won't let you do it alone."

"Oh? Colour me intrigued," wizarding Bill said, grinning as he sat down in an armchair. He still had a dragon fang earring, Ron noted, and his hair was still far longer than Bill's. Mum would be quite cross at the sight - although only until she saw Victoire, of course; Bill still hadn't had a steady girlfriend for longer than a few months.

"They want to break into Azkaban and steal a Dementor," Fleur told him, taking a seat on the armchair's armrest.

"You want me to help you break into the most well-guarded prison in Europe and kidnap a monster whose very presence kills plants and which dines on souls and memories?" Wizarding Bill frowned at them.

"Ah…" Had they misjudged him?

Ron was about to apologise when the wizard laughed. "Of course I'm in! That's a challenge no real Curse-Breaker could resist!"

Now that macho attitude was very familiar. Ron grinned.

"We were wondering whether you could copy the enchantment that allows the ferry to pass through the wards," Hermione explained. "You wouldn't have to come with us and risk your life that way," she added with a glance at Fleur.

"And wonder, should something happen, if it had been my fault?" wizarding Bill snorted. "No chance. Danger is part of the job." He nodded. "It's a good idea, though - quite a novel approach."

"So you think it would work?" Hermione asked.

"Hard to say. If they used secret spells then we might not be able to copy the enchantment, much less learn the spell." Bill shrugged. "Won't know until we try it."

"That's the other complication - we're sort of on a timer," Ron said.

"We need to do this within a week, approximately, or it will become even harder," Hermione explained. "Although since so many people have guessed our plans already, even a swift mission might not help."

"Which is why it's crucial that we aren't noticed." Ron nodded at the others.

"Won't they miss a Dementor?" the wizard asked.

Hermione scoffed. "I'd be surprised if the guards had any idea of how many Dementors populate the island. They certainly had no supervision of, or surveillance on, them and were completely surprised that the Dementors didn't stick to the guards' schedules."

"We're preparing a diversion to distract a potential witness," Ron said, "but it's still quite dangerous."

Wizarding Bill shrugged. "If all else fails, we can flee to France and let Harry and Ron sort things out. Visit the family."

Hermione frowned at him, but held her tongue instead of lecturing him about corruption and nepotism. Which was a good thing, of course - given that they were planning a break-in, it would have sounded more than a little hypocritical

"My family will welcome us with open arms," Fleur said. "Especially if we're being accused of attacking a Dementor."

"Well, we hope that won't be necessary," Hermione said. "We'll be masked and in disguise. My only worry is that people will immediately dismiss our disguises since they'll be convinced that I'm behind it."

"Well, you will be, won't you?" Ron pointed out.

"That's not the point."

Bill's counterpart laughed. "It's a prison that's going to be abandoned soon, with monsters everyone wants to see gone. I doubt anyone will make a fuss for long."

"Unless they want leverage on us," Ron said.

"Oh?" the wizard cocked his head at them.

"Saul Croaker has expressed an interest in recruiting me," Hermione told them. "He doesn't strike me as the sort of man to easily abandon his plans."

"He isn't," wizarding Bill confirmed. "But he has his limits as well."

"But getting caught, or even just accused, would damage my friends' reputation and political capital," Hermione pointed out.

"Perhaps," wizarding Bill replied. "Or they could use your actions to push for more reforms, citing the fact that you felt pushed to commit a nominal crime as evidence of how desperately reforms were needed."

That was a rather twisted view, in Ron's opinion. On the other hand, this was about politics.

"I would still prefer to avoid even the shadow of suspicion," Hermione told them.

"That train's left the station," Ron said. "You're already the main suspect anyway." He grinned. "Might as well make the most of your reputation."

"Really, Ron!"

Hermione frowned at him, but wizarding Bill and Fleur laughed.


Cove near Filey, Yorkshire, Britain, Wizarding World, April 24th, 2006

"You'd think they'd protect the only ferry capable of travelling to Azkaban a little better," Ron muttered as he studied the small pier and boathouse in the cove below through his night vision gear.

"You'd think so, yes," Hermione agreed, "But they don't."

"They did improve the wards, after the war," wizarding Bill told them. "And even posted guards for a few years, but once the Death Eaters were all accounted for…" He shrugged. "To be fair, the ferry isn't supposed to move without a key from the Ministry, and no one outside its crew is supposed to know where the island is actually located."

"None of those precautions seem sufficient," Hermione mumbled. "And it wouldn't keep anyone from freeing a prisoner - we saved Dirk Creswell by attacking the ferry during the war."

"And the Death Eaters used the ferry as bait later, ambushing another group," wizarding Bill said. "Although prisoner transports have more guards now."

"That won't keep anyone from stealing the ferry."

"But anyone who can steal the ferry and reach Azkaban could probably get through the wards anyway, if not as quickly," Ron pointed out.

"That's still no excuse for this...this sloppy organisation." Hermione huffed.

Wizarding Bill laughed. "Don't let Harry and Ron hear that. Their department is responsible for the ferry's security."

"They'll blame the Hit-Wizards, anyway," Ron said.

"True."

"Have either of you spotted any hidden guards?" Hermione asked. "I haven't."

"I haven't seen anyone, either," Ron told her. "Let's check with the others."

They moved down the hill and to the rally point. Wizarding Harry and Ron's counterpart were already there, as was Dumbledore - who had claimed he was coming along merely to observe.

Although in this case Ron believed the old man - Dumbledore knew he wouldn't be of any use when breaking through wards or dealing with Dementors. Not unlike yourself, a traitorous part of his brain reminded him. He ignored it. He couldn't let Hermione do this alone. At the very least, he could carry anyone who got wounded or present another target.

He doubted that Dumbledore would willingly do either. But the old man would observe everyone and everything. And draw conclusions for future plans.

"Did you spot anyone?" he asked as soon as he reached the parked van.

"No, mate," his counterpart replied. "Not a guard in sight."

"Just as the schedule claims it should be," wizarding Harry added. "And no sign of an Unspeakable hiding in the area, either - I checked with my Cloak."

Which somehow didn't show up on the usual charms to detect invisible people.

"I believe we've been most thorough, although admittedly I only have limited experience with magic," Dumbledore said. "But we investigated the most likely places where one could set up a secret observation post and found no sign of anyone having done so."

"We're just here to check the enchantments on the ferry, anyway," wizarding Bill said. He grinned at the two other wizards. "Don't try to steal the ferry, you hear?"

Wizarding Harry laughed, but wizarding Ron scoffed. "You aren't half as funny as you think you are."

Ron looked at Hermione. "He's talking about a mission during the war," she told him in a low voice. "They were supposed to scout somewhere but looted it instead. To be fair, we had a need for the supplies. Still, it was rather impulsive."

"We saw an opportunity and exploited it," Ron's counterpart said. "Now, let's get this done!"


As far as magical heists went, this was the most disappointing one Ron had ever been on. Granted, he hadn't been on too many, but literally all he was doing here was standing around keeping an eye out for wizards and witches he might not even notice. And if Hermione hadn't apparated with him into the cove, he wouldn't even have seen the boathouse.

It was more than a little frustrating, to be honest. On the other hand, Ron thought as he glanced over his shoulder, at least wizarding Bill and Hermione seemed to be making good progress on getting through the wards on the boathouse - the protections on the building, as had been explained to him, were new and therefore, even if they used more advanced spells than older wards, not as powerful as protections that had been around for decades or centuries.

Neither wizarding Bill nor Hermione seemed tense or even concerned as they flicked and swished their wands at the building.

"Fascinating," Dumbledore, standing next to him, said in a low voice.

"It would be," Ron replied, also in a low voice - easy or not, he didn't want to distract the others while they were breaking in, "if we could see what they were doing."

"That is indeed the fascinating part." Dumbledore chuckled. "A stark reminder of how much we depend on wizards and witches to deal with magic. And how much we have to trust them."

"That was obvious some time ago," Ron told the old man.

"So it was," Dumbledore agreed. "But, sometimes, certain lessons need a refresher to avoid being forgotten."

Ron nodded. Was the old spymaster alluding to himself? That he had started to think of the wizarding world as just another playground?

"In my old business, I received briefings and intel and made my own analyses, but I could, theoretically, still verify anything by myself - I knew how things worked and, except for any physical limitations, I could do everything myself."

That wasn't how it worked, in Ron's opinion. Everyone needed others, especially specialists. But he nodded anyway - he understood the sentiment.

"But with magic…" Dumbledore sighed. "I know I will never be able to use a wand and check myself if what I've been told about a spell or item is true."

Like Ron would never be able to check if what was discovered by forensics was actually true. "You have to trust people."

"Which is not something that comes easily to someone with my experiences."

Tough. Ron shrugged. "That's the reality we have to deal with."

"Indeed. Not to mention that the numerical discrepancy would be rather telling."

Was that a hint that Dumbledore wouldn't attempt to take over Wizarding Britain with a few hired wands? Or an attempt to recruit Ron? Or to lure him into spilling Hermione's and his own plans? Or was it a distraction from an attempt to take over their own world with magic? Ron shrugged again. "Fortunately, we're not limited to a single world."

"Or to two." Dumbledore smiled. "All those possibilities - at the tips of our fingers."

"At the tip of a wand," Ron corrected him.

"For now. But if magic and physics can be combined, wouldn't that indicate that one can replace the other with a bit of refinement?"

"I wouldn't count on that," Ron replied, "despite Arthur C. Clarke's famous quote." Magic might very well not be replaceable by mundane technology. Hermione certainly didn't seem to expect it to be - and she was the expert on portals.

"Even so, it's far easier to find a handful of trusted wizards and witches - perhaps tied together by familial bonds - to run a portal than to find a small army to take over a country guarded by wizards of their own."

The old man hadn't mentioned taking over a muggle country, Ron noted. "You mean the Weasleys."

"Your dimensional counterparts, yes." Dumbledore looked at wizarding Bill and Hermione, who were waving their wands around - and walking forward. Through the open door of the boathouse. "Quite an extraordinary family. Both branches."

Ron snorted. His family couldn't change reality at will with a wave of a wand. "Loyal, too," he said.

"Indeed. Though not blindly loyal, which is a quality too many dismiss, to their own detriment." Dumbledore's smile turned a little sad, Ron could see even in the dim light of the lamps the others had brought. "I've exploited blind loyalty in the past."

Ron didn't ask whether the old spymaster was talking about enemies blindly loyal to their leader or leaders, or his own blindly loyal spies.

"We're through!" Hermione announced before Ron could think of an answer.

"Very good!" Dumbledore said, looking at wizarding Bill and Hermione. "Not that I expected anything else."

Of course not, Ron thought as he followed the old man to the boathouse. "Will you have to restore the wards?" he asked Bill's counterpart. That would be detectable, wouldn't it?

"Well, I'll have to close the loophole we've opened once we're done," the wizard replied. "But the wards themselves are intact."

Good, then.

Ron nodded as he stepped inside.

He had been in the boathouse before, of course - when he and Hermione had taken the ferry to Azkaban. And in the short time since that trip, nothing had been changed. Which, seeing how easy it was to change a room or building with magic, he had expected but hadn't counted on.

It still looked very old. Rustic - if the BBC wanted a medieval-looking boathouse for another fantasy or historical movie or series, or for Dr Who, they wouldn't have to look any further. And the ferry would've fit as well.

Ron watched as wizarding Bill and Hermione took a closer look at the ferry, wands flashing as they started to discuss whatever they saw through their spells.

"So this is the anchor?" Hermione asked.

"One of them, yes. But there are more. And one - at least one - will be a trap."

"Oh, I see. It triggers a curse."

"And an alarm charm."

"Linked to a Protean Charm." Hermione sounded proud.

"Clever."

"It seems an obvious step," she retorted, but she sounded proud.

"It's never obvious until it's done."

"I did it in fifth year."

"I know. Ron told me."

"So where is the enchantment to pass through the defences around Azkaban?" she asked.

"Somewhere…. Here." Wizarding Bill pointed his wand at the bow of the ferry. A little bit above it, actually.

"Oh, that will be complicated to sort out."

"Yes. I doubt there's a way to copy it, actually."

"We don't know that, yet," she protested. "Let's untangle this web."

It sounded as if it would take a while.


It had taken a while, and then some. Not least, as Ron deduced from overhearing a few arguments, because Hermione had been unwilling to accept that her idea wouldn't work until she had exhausted every possibility.

"We'll have to steal the ferry," she announced with a deep frown. "We can't copy or transfer the enchantments on it. I'm positive that, with further research and study, we would be able to duplicate them, but that would take time we don't have."

"'Ask me for anything but time'," Ron quoted Napoleon.

"Yes, exactly," Hermione said, glaring at him as if it was his fault. "And it'll also limit our options since the ferry isn't particularly large."

"We only need it to pass through the island's defences," Dumbledore said. "I can get us a better - and faster - vessel for the trip to the island and back again."

So they wouldn't have to spend the trip too close to a Dementor, Ron noted with no small amount of relief.

"Now let's leave - we still need to close the hole we created," Hermione told them.

And then she looked at the ferry with a mixed expression.


"Mr Creswell?" she asked as soon as Harry had sent the last guard into the water. In two pieces. These guards wouldn't transport innocents to Azkaban ever again.

"Y-yes. Who are you?" The man sitting in the bow of the ferry looked shaken. Probably not because of the brutal fight they had just fought; with the way his eyes were swollen - either a curse or a brutal beating - he probably couldn't even see, much less recognise, her.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she told him."We're here to rescue you."

"Oh, Harry Potter's friend?"

She rolled her eyes, ignoring how Ron snickered and Harry coughed. "Yes, Harry Potter's friend. One of them," she said. "Give me your hand." She held out her own, but then a wave struck the ferry - they were drifting, after all - and she lost her balance, almost falling down.

Muttering a curse, she steadied herself against the railing.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked.

"I'll live," Mr Creswell said.

"I just stumbled," Hermione replied.

"Oh. I thought..." Mr Creswell fell silent.

"Let's apparate before reinforcements arrive," Ron told them.

"Yes. Hold on," she told the battered Creswell, grabbing his arm. She didn't want to be on the rickety old ferry when a larger wave hit them - whatever enchantment kept it afloat didn't keep it dry. Or steady.

Mr Creswell held out his arm vaguely in her direction, and, a moment later, they were in the temporary safe house they were using for this mission.

Now they had to treat his wounds. And then ask their questions about Gringotts.