LoDK
The Legacy of the Dark Knight Saga
Jamie Prosser and the Fourth Champion
Chapter 2: A Weasley Wedding
Disclaimer: This is solely a not-for-profit fan activity, and does not intend to infringe on copyrights held by Time Warner, DC Comics, Bloomsbury et al, and JK Rowling. Any characters original to this work remain the property of the author.
A/N: This story diverges significantly from accepted canon for the
Harry Potter series from the outset, as in addition to the crossover elements, there are several deviations from the books, two of which is touched upon in this chapter, and others that will be covered where they fit into the narrative. The timeline of the DC Comics elements borrows heavily from Young Justice (2011), but adds elements and characters from the comics, and relocates the series to the late Sixties and early Seventies rather than the 'New Tens' as screened, and therefore includes several 'legacy' and original characters on the DC side.
Side Street,
London, WC2
20th July, 1155 BST
"Recognised Protector B147," announced the Zeta Booth as Ginny stepped out. Ginny waited for a moment for it to power down, then turned onto Charing Cross Road and headed north up the road, that - despite being the middle of the day on a Sunday - was busy.
Five minutes later, after passing by the Leaky Cauldron, she pulled open the door of W & G Foyle Ltd, a - sometimes eccentric - but well-stocked bookshop, and entered. She bypassed the stacks - which already had several browsing customers - and entered the cafe. Looking around, she didn't see Bill, so she ordered a bowl of soup and some bread from the counter and sat down at a table to wait.
She hadn't been waiting long, as her soup hadn't even arrived yet, when Bill sat down opposite her. "Hi Bill."
"Hi, Firefly," replied her eldest brother. "How's it going?"
Ginny smiled, "Pretty good. Alanna took a group of us to Chester Zoo yesterday for Danny's birthday. That was fun - a different sort of fun than the waterpark I went to for Harry's "little sister" Jamie's birthday two weeks ago - but still a lot of fun."
"And... the Team?"
"That's been pretty quiet for me," Ginny replied. "I missed the big fight at Geneva and I have been only been on two short missions - the hunt for the Steel City Stripper..." Here Bill started, and looked like he wanted to say something. "… It was fine, I got a bit roughed up, but I managed to hex him and then Cole hit him with a Muggle wheelie bin. He surrendered after that."
Bill relaxed a little at that, "What about the other one? Another rapist?"
Ginny shook her head. "We do a lot of other work as well. My second operation was a search-and-rescue in the Irish Sea - a teenage boy fell off a yacht in the Irish Sea and got swept away before his sailing partner could pick him up."
"Did you find him?"
Ginny nodded again, then cast her mind back to the events of two days before…
Herefordshire, WD3
18th July, 1530 BST
"Rescue Base, this is Bio-Ship Two," I declared as I turned the Z'orr away from SCOPE's Urban Warfare Compound and towards the coast. "Do you have an update on the search area?"
"Affirmative, Bio-Ship Two." confirmed the SARF controller. "Proceed bearing three-two-two magnetic from current location towards grid reference fifty-three degrees, forty-seven minutes north, by four degrees, fifty-seven minutes west then proceed north. Bio-Ship Three will approach from the north, Rescue One-Two-Two will approach from the east. Weather patterns put the swimmer within two square miles of that location."
"Understood Rescue Base," I told him. "ETA at search grid is six minutes."
"Rescue Base, standing by…"
London, WC2
She paused for a moment as her brother appeared to be trying to figure something out. "What?"
"The 'urban warfare compound', that's in England somewhere, right?"
"Herefordshire, why?" asked Ginny, though she had sneaking feeling she knew.
"I know enough about Muggle navigation to know that that location is over a hundred miles from Hereford in the middle of the Irish Sea."
"Yep," agreed Ginny.
"How did you get there in six minutes?!"
"Ma'aleca'andran Bio-Ships are very fast," said Ginny with a grin. "I've clocked Z'orr at over one and a half times the speed of sound."
"Wow," said her brother, impressed.
"I know."
Irish Sea
18th July, 1536 BST
"Rescue Base, this is Bio-Ship Two, we have arrived at the search area," I declared as I angled the Z'orr down towards the waves and opened the rear ramp. "Preparing to deploy searcher."
"Received, Bio-Ship Two. Bio-Ship Three is ten minutes out, Rescue One-Two-Two will be on-station in twenty."
"Understood, Rescue Base," I said, and turned towards the other member of my team. "Nita?"
"On my way," my friend confirmed, then rose and headed towards the ramp. She whispered a word 'pomboo' and dived off into the cold waters of the Irish Sea.
London WC2
"How long did it take?" asked Bill.
"Not long," Ginny admitted. "Nita was able to locate him using 'dolphin echolocation' before Rescue One-Two-Two was able to get there. He was cold and very tired but he'll be fine. And hopefully a little more cautious when he's sailing."
"Dolphin echolocation'?" asked Bill, intrigued.
"Nita's wears the Tantu Totem of the Zambesi."
Bill's expression immediately shifted to understanding, "I've heard of that totem, it's from Western Africa isn't it?"
Ginny nodded. "Although some historians apparently think the Zambesi were originally from the Rift Valley of Eastern Africa as they speak Swahili and are named for a Zambian river."
"That would make sense," agreed Bill. "Sounds like you know quite a bit about them, are you two friends?"
Ginny shrugged. "I guess so, she and Eddie Montrose are dating, so she tends to spend quite a bit of time around the Orchard. We've trained and played a few games of Muggle pool together. She and Eddie were also on the squad that took down the Stripper."
She paused for a moment as one of the cafe staff placed the Weasleys' bread and bowls of soup and then returned to the counter. After focusing her attention on her soup for a few moments, she regarded her brother, "I suppose you're wondering why I sent you the letter?"
"I must admit..." said Bill, he had finished his soup and was now working on his bread.
Ginny fished inside her bag and pulled out her mother's letter and handed it to Bill. "Mum sent me this a week ago..."
Bill took the letter, opened it and then began to read. It only took a moment for him to read it, but Ginny could see his expression flit through conflicted to annoyed and finally understanding. He sighed and looked up again, "Who's seen this?"
"Harry, the two of us, Mum... maybe Dad."
"I doubt it," Bill said, looking relieved to know that she'd mostly kept it quiet. "This isn't Dad's style. Especially if he can get hold of you?"
Ginny nodded. "He knows the telephone number of The Orchard and he can also access to The Consulting Room and contact me from there."
Bill looked conflicted again, "I'm sorry that Mum sent you..." he said, indicating the letter. "And I don't like that she's talking down and belittling your choices..."
"But she's right that you'll be disappointed if I'm not at your wedding," Ginny finished for him.
Bill paused, halfway between relieved and embarrassed, and nodded. "You don't have to... with everything that's going on between you and Mum I'd understand if you wanted to stay away..."
"It's okay," Ginny told her brother. "I'd be lying if I said was looking forward to seeing Mum again - and I'm seriously considering having my birthday party at The Orchard, not at the Burrow..."
"I don't blame you there," Bill agreed. "So, you'll come?"
"I'll be there on the day," Ginny agreed. "Is Mum doing the dresses?"
"No, Fleur's mother, Apolline, is getting them from Mieux Habillée in Le Rue du Magie."
Ginny was relieved to hear that. "When should I go?"
Billy looked a little reluctant, then replied. "Can we go today?"
Ginny paused, then finished in her bag for the mobile phone she'd borrowed from stores after moving out of The Burrow. "Sure. I'm going to see if Nita is free, her mamma was a Muggle fashion model and is still active in the business, so she knows a fair bit about it."
"That's fine," agreed Bill.
It turned out that Nita was free, and - as Ginny suspected - was eager to help with clothes shopping, so she joined the Weasleys outside the bookshop half-an-hour later and after finding a scheduled spot, Bill Side-Along Apparated them to Paris.
The Burrow
Ottery St Catchpole
1st August, 1450 BST
Ginny was just about to zip up the back of her dress when there was a knock on the door. "One minute," she replied, then quickly fastened the back and glanced at the other two people in the room – her brother's bride-to-be Fleur Delacour and her eleven-year old sister Gabrielle – both were dressed, Fleur in a lavish white organza with a black heart design on the bodice formed by a pair of phoenixes and Gabrielle in a silver and black sleeveless dress similar to her own.
Satisfied, Ginny crossed to the door and opened it. Fleur's father was standing outside, "Are you ready?"
"I am," Ginny agreed, then glanced backwards. "Fleur?"
"Une dernière chose, papa," replied Fleur, as Gabrielle picked up the Prewett Tiara and settled it on her sister's head. "Bon. Je suis prêt," she declared as she rose to her feet and joined Ginny and her father at the door. Monsieur Delacour took her by the arm and guided her out of the room and down the stairs.
Ginny and Gabrielle quickly slotted in behind them and soon they were passing through the kitchen and out into the garden – which due to a lot of extra work was tidier than Ginny could remember it being at any point in her nearly sixteen years – heading towards the marque that had been set up at the far end of the garden.
As they approached the marque, a quiet murmuring broken by occasional spurts of excited laughter filtered out towards them. Ginny could just see her mother and father strolling up the aisle, smiling and waving at relatives - her mother was wearing a brand new set of amethyst-coloured robes with a matching hat – to where Ginny's eldest brothers were standing at the front of the marquee - Bill in the centre, flanked by Charlie and Percy - all three wearing dress robes, with large, white roses in their buttonholes.
A wolf-whistle – probably from one of the twins – and then an outbreak of giggling – likely from the Veela cousins – broke through the soft buzz. Then the crowd fell silent as music swelled, from what seemed to be the golden balloons floating through the marquee.
"It is time," said Monsieur Delacour, and led the way through the entrance to the marquee.
A great collective sigh issued from the assembled witches and wizards as Monsieur Delacour guided Fleur up the aisle towards the podium, with Ginny and Gabrielle trailing behind. After a few moments, Fleur and her father reached the front and Monsieur Delacour passed her arm over to Bill, then joined his wife in the front row of seats and Ginny and Gabrielle took their places by Charlie and Percy.
"Ladies and gentlemen," said a slightly sing-song voice from the podium. Ginny glanced over at and saw a small, tufty-haired wizard in Ministry presider's robes, now standing in front of Bill and Fleur. 'We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls …"
"Yes, my tiara sets off the whole thing nicely," said Auntie Muriel in a rather carrying whisper.
Ginny found Harry's face in the crowd, and then grinned and winked at him - which he returned - then quickly faced the front again.
"Do you, William Arthur, take Fleur Isabelle …?"
In the front row, Ginny's mother, and Madame Delacour were both sobbing quietly into scraps of lace. Hermione turned and beamed at Ron who was sitting beside her; her eyes, too, were full of tears.
"… then I declare you bonded for life." The tufty-haired wizard raised his wand high over the heads of Bill and Fleur and a shower of silver stars fell upon them, spiralling around their now entwined figures. As Fred and George led a round of applause, the golden balloons overhead burst: birds of paradise and tiny, golden bells flew and floated out of them, adding their songs and chimes to the din.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" called the tufty-haired wizard. "If you would please stand up!"
They all did so - Auntie Muriel grumbling audibly - he waved his wand. The seats on which they had been sitting rose gracefully into the air as the canvas walls of the marquee vanished, so that they stood beneath a canopy supported by golden poles, with a glorious view of the sunlit orchard and surrounding countryside. Next, a pool of molten gold spread from the centre of the tent to form a gleaming dance floor; the hovering chairs grouped themselves around small, white-clothed tables, which all floated gracefully back to earth around it, and the golden-jacketed band trooped towards the podium.
The hired waiters popped up on all sides, some bearing silver trays of pumpkin juice, Butterbeer and Firewhisky, others tottering piles of tarts and sandwiches but before Ginny could even think about getting anything, the entire wedding party – including her - were enveloped by a crowd of well-wishers.
Ginny plastered a smile on her face and tried to ignore her growling stomach as the crowd jostled for position in the receiving line. Mercifully, the crowd thinned out after a few moments and then the band began to play and Bill and Fleur moved onto the dance floor, followed by both sets of parents.
Ginny was about to grab a waiter - with Fleur as the centre of attention it wasn't like anyone would notice her absence - when something caught her eye… One of the 'Veela cousins' was wearing an unusually fierce expression and staring at something or someone. Turning to follow her gaze, Ginny saw she was looking at Xeno Lovegood and Ginny suddenly had a terrible feeling… "Noumilías," she whispered. *Harry, where are you?*
*On the far side of the dance floor from you,* replied Harry. *Why?*
*I've got a feeling that one of the 'Veela cousins' is about to do something rather rash,* she replied. *Can you get to Mr Lovegood?*
*On it.*
*Hurry…* Ginny told him, moving towards the Veela. But before she could get within arm's length of the girl, the Veela shifted into her bird form and launched a fireball at Xeno. The first one missed, but the second flew true and was seconds from hitting Mister Lovegood when Harry pushed him out of the way, then blocked the fireball with adark-grey circular shield that expanded out from his wrist.
"Hey, birdlady!"shouted Ginny, distracting the attacker briefly as she conjured another pair of fireballs. "Stop!"
She turned to Ginny. "I'm going to kill that murderer!"
"Okay… even if I thought that that was true," said Ginny, her tone indicating that she thought that Mr Lovegood being a murder extremely unlikely. "This is a wedding, my brother's wedding. You need to chill out, before I put you down."
"Never, I will have my revenge!" declared the Veela, spinning around again towards Mr Lovegood.
"Okay, I gave you a chance…" said Ginny and raised her hand towards the Veela. "Pagomeno!"
A rune formed between her outstretched fingers, then unleashed a freezing stream of power that knocked the woman backwards and coated her in ice crystals.
Percy and Charlie were the first to reach her. "Ginny, why did you?" Percy demanded arrogantly.
"Shush, Perce," said Charlie.
Ginny guessed that he didn't think that she had started it. Percy, she guessed wasn't quite so sure. "She wanted to kill Mister Lovegood, called him a murderer… which I think is rather unlikely."
Charlie nodded, "Mr Lovegood's certainly odd, but a murderer… I can't see it."
Glancing at Percy, she could tell that Percy agreed with that much, but he still wasn't happy. "You still shouldn't have…."
"Percy… she was throwing fireballs around," Ginny retorted. "Even if she hadn't hit Mr Lovegood, somebody else could easily have been hurt."
At that, Percy's expression changed, despite his earlier disapproval, she could tell that she had changed his mind.
At that moment, another of the guests - her neighbour Cedric's girlfriend Cho Chang, who was wearing the jade green and gold of the Holyhead Harpies - came over. "Cedric's checked her over, she's a got a touch of frostbite…"
"So have I…" noted Ginny, examining her fingers. They were reddish, cold, and slightly numb. "Apparently, that spell shouldn't be cast without gloves on."
"A dose of Pepper-Up Potion should fix that," suggested Charlie.
"I'll get on that."
"Cedric had the same idea," Cho agreed. "He's going to take her in and let the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol take care of her."
"That should be the end of it then," insisted Percy. "The authorities will deal that… woman. She will learn that there is a right way and a wrong way to go about things."
Ginny wasn't as confident as her brother that it would be that simple, but as she didn't know any different, she decided to let him have the last word for now. "I'm going to get that Pepper-Up and have something to eat," Ginny told her brothers. "Then I owe Harry a dance."
"Why?" asked Charlie.
Ginny smiled, "Wouldn't you like to know…"
Two hours later, she was in the middle of a dance with the twins' friend Lee when she was distracted by twin Apparition cracks just beyond the ward boundary. She glanced that way, but relaxed when she saw that the new arrivals were a pair of Hit Wizards. They must be coming to follow up on Cedric's arrest of that Veela.
Satisfied that it wasn't anything that she needed to worry about for now – her dad would let her know if they had any questions for her – she turned her attention back to Lee.
Moments later, she was shocked when she was torn away from him, "What the…" she sputtered, words dying in her throat between she realised that her attacker was one of the Hit Wizards. Before she could do anything, he wrenched her arms behind her back and shackled them together and started pulling her towards the ward boundary. "What are you doing?" Ginny asked. *Harry, help me!*
The Hit Wizard didn't reply until they were outside the boundary, then he paused, allowing his partner to catch up. "Ginevra Molly Weasley, you are under arrest on charges of magical assault, underage magic and illegal use of a wand contrary to Clause Two of the Wand Use." The Hit Wizard responded, then before she could reply, they Apparated away.
Ministry of Magic,
London SW1
1830 BST
"'That should be the end of it then'," muttered Ginny. "Everything will be fine… nothing to worry about…" She snorted. "Boy, was he wrong."
The two Hit Wizards hustled her towards the lifts. Once they reached them, they pushed her into an empty one and followed her inside. The grilles slid shut with a crash behind them and the lift ascended slowly, chains rattling as usual.
"Level Seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, incorporating the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club and Ludicrous Patents Office."
"Level Six, Department of Magical Transportation, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office and Apparation Test Centre."
"Level Five, Department of International Magical Co-operation, incorporating the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Office of Law and the International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats."
When the doors opened, three of the memos zoomed out but a dozen more memos zoomed in, so that the light from the lamp flickered and flashed overhead as they darted around it.
"Level Four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office and Pest Advisory Bureau."
"Level Three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee."
Two of the memos zoomed out of the door, however this time none came in. However, that didn't stop the remaining memos from continuing to soar around the lamp as the lift juddered upwards again, and then after another moment the doors opened and the voice made its final announcement.
"Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services."
As soon as the doors opened, they pushed her forward. Ginny staggered, just about catching herself before she fell. Which was a good thing given that her hands were shackled behind her. She almost said something to them but decided that she was in enough trouble as it was.
They turned the opposite way than Ginny was used to, and after passing several doors – all closed – came to a set of shabby, pine ones. The larger of the two Hit Wizards shoved Ginny hard into the middle of the doors, knocking them open, and this time she couldn't catch herself before she hit the ground. The impact knocked the breath out of her and distracted her long enough that she heard only snatches of what the Hit Wizards were saying to the woman at the desk. "Daughter of the French… magical assault…. Pius Thicknesse?"
"He's left for the weekend, Sweets," replied the woman. "Theopholous Diggle might still be available, would you like me to check?"
"His uncle is a friend of her father," replied the older Hit Wizard.
"Perhaps not then," agreed the woman. "She'll have to stay until Monday."
What? thought Ginny. That doesn't sound right… She was just about to say something when the younger wizard kicked her in the side, knocking the wind out of her again.
"Do you have her wand?" asked the woman, wilfully ignoring her colleague's brutality.
"I don't…" Ginny tried to say, but was silenced by a foot on her neck. To her surprise, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the older Hit Wizard hand over a vaguely familiar looking wand. Merlin's beard, that's the wand I got from that Zuiverheider that tried to kill me in Svalbard. That's not good.
"Shoes too," the woman reminded them.
Deciding that it might be better to keep silent for a while until she could figure out how to explain the wand, Ginny kept quiet while the two men pulled her to her feet and removed her shoes, which they handed over to the woman at the desk – according to the plaque on the desk, the ironically named Honoria Sprake – who put both the wand and Ginny's shoes into a large paper bag.
Then, without warning, the two Hit Wizards jerked Ginny away from the desk and pushed her against the nearest wall. Then there were several flashes as Sprake took some pictures of Ginny, and then they yanked her back to the counter again. Where a small card with her name, address and other details were written now sat. Ginny heard a click and then her arms were free of the shackles but she was still being held by the Hit-Wizards. Without even giving her the opportunity to co-operate, the two men wrenched first one and then the other arm forward, Sprake cast a quick spell on her fingers that stained the tips back and then they pushed them against the paper recording her prints. Then Sprake duplicated it and attached one to her property bag – which was then Banished to a filling cabinet - and added the other to a binder on her desk. While she was doing that, Sweets' young partner produced a golden rod similar to a Muggle car antenna and wave it over her briefly. "She's clear."
"Put her in number four," said Sprake and then went back to the newspaper she'd been reading when Ginny was hauled in. Without any further warning, the Hit Wizards pulled Ginny away from the desk and half-walked half-dragged her through the bullpen to the holding cells beyond, opened one of the doors and tossed her in. This time, with her hands free, she was able to catch herself before she hit the ground.
"Good night," sneered Sweets as he slammed the door behind her. "Sleep tight."
I knew today was a bad idea, thought Ginny as she tried to find a comfortable position on the stone shelf that served as a 'bed', pulling the rough blanket around herself to try and keep the cold out. But I didn't think it would be this bad…
Her last thought before the pain of her injuries caused her to pass out was, I hope Harry can get me out this…
A/N: Oops, another difficult chapter for Ginny. I really do seem to be putting her in a lot of bother don't I? Anyway, all will be resolved in the next chapter and there probably only going to be another chapter or maybe two after that in the current "season". After that, I'm considering splitting the next "season" (which will shift the narrative to a more HP-centric one) into another story, as much of it will work better from a different main PoV character. I'd be interested in hearing my readers' thoughts on that as I have a general idea what I want to do with it, but some of the fine detail will be decided by who the main PoV character is. Currently, it looks like using my OC Jamie Prosser as the main POV will fit my plans the best, but I could stick with Ginny or even fall back to the default of Harry, but I'd rather not as apart from one or two chapters it would hamper the story.