Chapter Twenty Four
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does and unfortunately I am not her. However, I do own the OCs and the Guardian Program and the other things that being a Guardian entails.
Summary: After the Second Wizarding War, a Guardian was given to each child of the main families that helped in the war. They were all tasked with a simple job, protect their allocated person with their life. Somehow, Freya screwed it up in the biggest way. She fell in love.
There are going to be a lot of OCs, but the focus is going to be on Freya.
Enjoy!
HARRY POTTER
Two days later
Harry sat at his desk, holding the pendant in his hands. He, Hermione and Ron had examined the pendant closely and so far they were still stumped. They all knew that these pendants were important but they just didn't know why it was so important. They had researched the names that Hermione had seen and had come back with absolutely nothing. Just like with Freya, there was absolutely no record of those names anywhere. There was no birth certificates, death records or any hospital records. There seemed to be a group of children that were basically ghosts to them – they didn't exist on paper but Harry had seen them and he was sure of it. To say they were all frustrated was an understatement. It was beginning to annoy Harry that a department in the Ministry had been undetected for years and was only just being uncovered now.
"Have we found anything new so far?" Harry asked with a sigh in his tone.
Hermione bit her lip. "Not much. The only thing I've found is that all the last names I spotted on the pendants lead back to ex-Death Eaters that haven't been convicted; much like the Williams." Finding this out had shocked them all. It was appalling that so many Death Eaters had escaped justice so easily and no one had noticed until now. The evidence was easy to find once you knew where to look and what to look for and that's what was so bad about it.
Ron shook his head. "Something isn't right. We all made sure that all the Death Eaters got what they deserved after the war. Kingsley was the one who led the campaign." It was a hard pill to swallow that Kingsley hadn't done what he said he would.
"Yet there are loads that haven't been punished," Harry answered back dryly.
There was silence for a moment as everyone took this information in. Harry was still handling the fake pendant absentmindedly. He had seen these pendants on multiple children on Hogwarts – he couldn't count exactly how many but he knew it was quite a few and he had to consider the possibility that some of these pendants had been hidden from sight. No one knew how many children were actually involved in this.
"We have to escalate this," Ron said suddenly making the other two look at him.
"Are you mad?" Hermione said with wide eyes.
Harry leaned back in his seat and watched the two. He understood where Ron was coming from. They weren't getting anywhere on their own but he couldn't do it. Harry eventually shook his head. "You know I can't. If this gets escalated then there is a chance that Lance will find out." McGonagall's warning rang loudly in his head, which was one thing that was keeping him away from reporting it to the Ministry. If it got escalated that meant that Kingsley would have to be involved and he would rather avoid doing that.
"But we need the resources and manpower." Ron tried to reason.
Hermione shook her head. "Ron, it's too dangerous. One wrong move could endanger so many children's lives. We need to be careful." Hermione said, moving closer to her husband in comfort.
Ron frowned and nodded his head. "I know. But something is happening at Hogwarts and we don't even know what." The thought of his children being involved in this scared him. He didn't want anything to happen to his kids and he would protect them no matter what.
Harry sighed deeply. "Ron, I am worried too. But acting rashly has never done us any favours. Remember when we were back in Hogwarts?" Harry asked with a grin on his face.
Ron grinned back. "Oh, they were fun days." He couldn't deny that they were also the most dangerous and scary years of his life, but he would never change that for the world. Everything that happened had shaped him into the man he was today.
Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "We just need to be smart about it. We don't need the Ministry's help, we've completed missions without their help before." Hermione said, thinking back to some missions. Once or twice, they had been without the Ministry's assistance because it was either too dangerous to contact them or they had to do something off the record.
Eventually, Ron nodded his head in agreement.
Just then, there was a knock on Harry's office door. Harry, Hermione and Ron all looked at one another, all wondering who it was. "Enter," Harry said, raising his voice slightly so the person on the other side of the door could hear him. He knew it wasn't Ginny because she never bothered to knock, even when he was having meetings with a client.
Hermione and Ron reached for their wands just in case. After years of being an Auror, they were very cautious when it came to unexpected visitors.
The door opened and revealed to be Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan. Dean had grown over the years and stood at over six foot whereas Seamus looked tiny compared to his giant of a friend. However, they both looked tired, with bags under their eyes and the soulless expression in their eyes stood out. Seamus' sandy coloured hair was greasy and looked like it hadn't been washed in weeks.
"Dean, Seamus. What's wrong?" Harry stood up in alarm.
At this question, Seamus looked ready to cry. His eyes were bloodshot with how much crying he had been doing. Dean placed a hand on his shoulder and looked up, but he didn't seem to be doing any better. "Harry, we really need your help," Dean said slowly, his voice low and hoarse.
Harry nodded his head and directed them to sit down. Dean and Seamus looked to be weak and that they hadn't had a meal in weeks. They both sat down on the couch in his office while Harry stayed sitting at his desk and Hermione and Ron stayed standing up. Hermione summoned some water for both of them. Dean seemed grateful for this and downed his immediately while Seamus just looked at the ground with a soulless expression.
"What happened to you two?" Ron asked in concern. He had never seen these two in such an appalling state. Even in the Second Wizarding War, Seamus didn't look this bad.
Dean looked at his friend but found nothing. "As you might know, our daughters are missing. The Ministry has tried to find them but they have had absolutely no luck." Dean said, the frown growing deeper onto his face as he spoke. He was devastated when he found out that his daughter, Gretchen, had been kidnapped from Hogwarts. It was news that he wasn't expecting to hear and neither was his wife. They had received a letter from Lance Johnson stating that something had broken into Hogwarts and had kidnapped his little girl. They immediately went to the Ministry but even after weeks of searching, they still had nothing. But that was nothing compared to his friend. Dean looked over at Seamus in pity. His daughter, Caitlin, had been missing for far longer than his Gretchen. He couldn't even imagine what Seamus was thinking or going through.
Hermione nodded her head. "I am sorry to hear about that." She said genuinely. She couldn't imagine what she would do if Rose or Hugo went missing. However, one thing was certain and that was she would have set the world ablaze to find them and nothing would stand in her way.
Dean smiled weakly but it didn't reach his tired eyes. "We keep asking and the Ministry just keep saying that they're investigating but they don't seem to be getting any closer." Dean said bitterly. He couldn't hide his contempt for the Ministry because he was so frustrated.
Looking at Harry, Dean whispered. "Please. I need you to find them. Find my Gretchen and please find Seamus' daughter."
Harry got up from his seat and walked over to them. He placed one hand on Dean's shoulder and spoke with determination. "I promise the both of you, we will find Gretchen and Caitlin. They will be found." He looked at both of them as he said this.
"They're looking for a body." Said a faint Irish voice.
Everyone looked up at Seamus. He was still looking at the ground and wouldn't meet anyone's eyes because he knew that if he did then he would break down.
"What?" Ron asked.
"My Caitlin," Seamus continued, "They think she's dead." He said hollowly. He too had received a letter from Lance Johnson, apologising for the incident. In the letter, he said that the Ministry would try their best to find his daughter, however, it had been nearly five months since it happened and they were no closer than they were the night he reported it. He had received no word to say that they were looking for a body but he just knew it in his gut. The looks he got when he entered the Ministry or spoke to anymore said volumes. He couldn't handle this anymore – not even his marriage could handle the stress of it all.
Dean shook his face. "No, they're not."
"Well, they should be." Seamus snipped back in frustration.
Harry was silent as he watched the two of them. He hadn't been assigned to the case because there was a fear he would have an emotional attachment to the case. However, he did look into the case every now and again because he was hoping they had found something. Although, even now he was beginning to think that Caitlin's fate wasn't great. The longer that someone was missing, increased the chance of them being dead.
Hermione walked over and sat down near Seamus. "We will try and find them." She said softly, feeling despair as she looked at her old friend. She always remembered Seamus to be a firecracker and was always the loud and vibrant one out of him and Dean. To see him in such a soulless way was horrible.
For a moment, Seamus didn't react but he slowly nodded his head.
"Thank you," Dean said, looking at them all. This was the most he had seen Seamus talk or interact with anyone for months and it was relieving to see this. It had been especially hard on both of them over the Christmas break because it was their first Christmas without their children. To say it had been a horrible time was an understatement.
Harry took out his wand and waved it. He summoned a pen and pad in front of him and put his wand away. "Alright, I need you to tell me what happened. All of it." He said, his pen poised and ready to take notes.
Seamus went first. "It was a normal day. We had all just got back from a holiday and we were all tired. I and Sophie were asleep because it was a long trip because we had decided to travel the muggle way. Next thing I know, I hear a scream and a loud crash. I and Sophie rush up, our wands in hands and we couldn't find Caitlin anywhere." Seamus explained, his eyes tearing up at the thought. He felt guilty. He had insisted on travelling the muggle way, if only he hadn't been tired maybe he could have saved his daughter.
Harry jotted this all down on his pad, writing down everything that was said. "Did anything happen afterwards?"
Seamus nodded his head. "Yes. I received a letter from Lance Johnson later that day. He sent his condolences and that the Ministry would try and find Caitlin."
Harry had to stop himself from reacting. He continued to write this down as though nothing was wrong, but on the inside, he was shaken. Lance wasn't part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the Ministry – not anymore. He had been moved many years ago, so the fact he did something that wasn't in his job description unnerved him. If Harry wasn't already suspicious of Lance then he could have let this go, but now he couldn't.
Hermione jumped in, sensing everyone's shock. "Have the Ministry said anything to you?" She asked, looking at Seamus.
Seamus shook his head. "No. They just keep telling me that they are still investigating." That's what was so disheartening because there was no hope for him to cling onto. He was sure that the people in the Ministry were sick of seeing him. At this thought, tears gathered heavily in his eyes and he stood up. He quickly left the room because he couldn't handle talking about his daughter anymore.
Immediately, Hermione ran after him with Ron right on her tail.
Harry then turned to Dean. "What can you tell me?" He asked, getting back on topic. He had a feeling that Seamus just really needed to take some time and breath for a moment before coming back in. It was obvious to everyone that he was overwhelmed.
Dean nodded his head. "Mine was the same as Seamus. I don't know the details because apparently no one present when she was kidnapped. I found out that she was missing from a letter that Lance Johnson sent me. I went to the Ministry, demanding answers and demanded to see someone from Hogwarts or Lance Johnson himself, but I was denied all access." As he spoke, anger and frustration appeared in his eyes. He couldn't understand why he couldn't speak to McGonagall about what happened, surely she would know something.
Harry frowned and jotted everything down. He found it extremely suspicious that Lance was involved with both instances. He didn't need to get in contact with Dean about Gretchen's disappearance and in all honesty, he didn't know where the situation was in the search for her. As he wrote everything down, he made sure to write Lance's name down in big letters.
HARRY POTTER
Later that day
Harry appeared someone he didn't think he'd ever be back again. He looked at the mansion and sighed deeply, he was back at the Malfoy mansion. It was a handsome mansion, but one that had many bad memories attached to the stones wall. This mansion had been the headquarters of the Death Eaters at one point but ever since Draco had taken over, he had changed it. He made it more of a family home for him and his family and they all seemed to love it. Very few people were allowed access to the Malfoy mansion and Harry was one of those few people who was allowed to Apparate on tp his property. Walking up, Harry reached the door and knocked loudly. He knew that Draco would be in because this was his scheduled day off – Harry had made sure to check this just in case he wasn't in.
The door opened, revealing the head of the Malfoy house. "Potter, what do you want?" Draco asked, arching his perfectly shaped brow in surprise. Draco had aged since they were in school together. His hair was still short but was slicked back and he was still as lithe and thin as he was in school. However, he looked calmer and like he wasn't carrying the weight of the world on his shoulder.
Harry sighed slightly but grinned in humour. "And here I thought we were past that Draco." After the court cases against the Death Eaters, Harry and Draco had met up with one another. They had a really long chat about what happened and they both were able to come to understanding. It turned out that they had more in common than they had originally thought. Slowly, they began to build a friendship with one another and now Harry could say they were on friendly terms.
Draco grinned slightly. "Right sorry. Force of habit." He said, opening his door more, indicating to Harry to come in.
Harry nodded his head and walked into the house with a small smile. Once inside, Draco led them into the sitting room. "Can I offer you anything to drink?" Draco asked politely as they both sat down on the comfy chairs.
Harry shook his head. "I'm alright, this should be a quick visit,"
Draco rolled his eyes, "How flattering."
Harry grinned but it soon fell from his face. "Draco; what I am about to tell you is extremely confidential. You must never repeat this to anyone, do you understand?" Harry asked seriously, the volume of his voice decreasingly so it was like he was whispering. He was there for a reason and he would hopefully be getting some answers.
Draco frowned and his posture tensed. "I understand." Draco had only ever seen Harry this serious when he was on a job in the Ministry which it was why this put him on guard.
Harry wet his lips before speaking. "I have just been recently informed that there is a secret department in the Ministry of Magic, one that I am not allowed access to." He said this slowly because even now he couldn't believe that something like this had slipped by for so long without being picked up on.
Surprise flashed through Draco's eyes. "What?" The regulations in the Ministry had tightened ever since the Second Wizarding War so to hear this was definitely surprising. There were constant checks in the Ministry – all thorough and demanding but that was expected.
"I, Ron and Hermione are trying to uncover it, but it's proving more difficult than hoped," Harry admitted slowly. There was a slightly bitter tone to his voice because they hadn't been able to discover anything definitive yet to bring to light.
Draco nodded his head slowly, taking all this in. "But what does this have to do with me?" He asked looking curious.
Harry leaned back in his seat. "I was hoping you could tell me what it is like to be a group. If we could get some understanding about it then maybe it could help us."
Draco's lips thinned. "Because was I part of the Death Eaters?"
Harry nodded his head, "Yes." He did feel a bit guilty for bringing this up because he knew how much Draco hated talking about his past, especially about his father and Voldemort. But he needed to get some insight and maybe understand it.
Draco sighed deeply and sank further into his seat. "The first thing to always look for is the leader. The leader is usually charismatic on the outside only and not to his followers. They increasingly become an object of worship for their followers. There is no accountability for the leader and they will always blame someone else." His thoughts went back to Voldemort; everyone feared him. But, there were a few Death Eaters that practically worshipped the ground that Voldemort walked on – Bellatrix would be the best example of this.
Harry nodded his head, taking all this in.
"The leader is always right and there is absolutely no tolerance for questions or critical inquiry, anyone that usually does is punished severely. People in the group wouldn't be allowed to leave and there is a fear around leaving that people wouldn't understand unless you're in the situation. Even if you get someone from the group on their own, they won't tell you anything because they would be too scared." Draco explained with a frown on his face as he thought back to Voldemort and what it was like to be part of the Death Eaters. Every time anyone questioned Voldemort, they were punished severely and Bellatrix's cackling laugh echoed in the room.
Honestly, Harry wasn't surprised by this information and it all made sense to him. However, it was the haunting look in Draco's eyes that really made Harry surprised. No one really spoke about the Death Eaters around Draco because of how much it had affected him over the years. For years after the war, Harry had suffered from PTSD and so had many others who helped him in the war so he wouldn't be surprised if Draco had been going through the same thing.
"Thank you, that's really helpful," Harry said softly.
Draco snapped out of his daze and nodded his head. "So, you believe they are like the Death Eaters?" He asked, trying to move the conversation on from himself.
Harry nodded his head. "I have a hunch. One thing that we have uncovered is that some members of the group are children in Hogwarts." The thought of children being part of this secret group that he wasn't allowed access it didn't sit right with him. Just thinking about Kingsley's reaction and McGonagall's desperation just sent off an alarm bells in his head.
Draco's face became grim and now he understood the concern.
"Also, all the children involved seemed to be children of ex-Death Eaters. However, the parents were never prosecuted." Harry admitted, feeling saddened by this. The fact that children were being involved disgusted him and gave him, Hermione and Ron the motivation to uncover this.
This made Draco frown. A bitter feeling bubbled in his stomach, but he pushed that aside. His family got what they deserved. His father belonged in Azkaban and Draco hadn't been to see him since. His mother had moved away into one of the many properties that they Malfoys owned because she couldn't handle being in that mansion anymore. As far as he knew, his mother hadn't visited his father in Azkaban either.
Harry stood up, having got the information he needed. "Thank you for that Draco, I understand that it must have been difficult to talk about." He said, offering some comfort. They may not be reallyclose friends, but Harry would still class them as friends.
Draco nodded his head as he too stood up. "As long as I could help. If they are anything like the Death Eaters then they need to be brought down." Draco didn't want anyone else going through something similar he went through. This group needed to be brought down.
Harry too nodded his head, agreeing with him. "Exactly." He turned around and was about to leave when a thought entered his mind. "Draco, would you happen to know anything about a Pureblood family. They are called the Williams." Harry asked on a hunch. There was a chance that Draco may not know them, but it never hurt to ask. However, if they were ex-Death Eaters then there is a chance that they used to meet up at the Malfoy manor when Voldemort was still at large.
Recognition flashed through Draco's grey eyes. "Rupert and Vivienne Williams?" Draco asked, looking hesitant.
Harry nodded his head, feeling a bubble of excitement build in his chest. "Yes, those two exactly. Do you know what they were like?" He wanted to find out as much information about the Williams as possible because the whole family seemed to be shrouded in mystery.
Draco frowned and a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "I remember Rupert was always quiet and Vivienne was a very big supporter of Voldemort. She and Bellatrix were close." He could remember that Bellatrix and Vivienne would be the most enthusiastic about anything Voldemort did. Vivienne always scared him as a child and he made sure to stay away from her. Even his mother and father weren't the biggest fans of her but they never said it out loud.
This unsettled Harry, the thought of someone like Bellatrix still free didn't sit well with him. "Any children?" Harry asked further, hoping to find out more.
Nodding his head, Draco answered him. "Yes. I heard from other families that they had a girl called Lydia."
Harry frowned. He had been expecting another name but was quickly proven wrong. "Thank you Draco, it was very helpful." He meant every word he said. He was thankful for any information at this point.
"If you need help then just give me a shout," Draco said, smiling slightly.
Harry nodded his head and left the Malfoy Manor.
HARRY POTTER
It didn't take long for Harry to get back to his home. He immediately went back into his office and he was going to get in contact with Ron and Hermione to tell them the information that he had found out. It wasn't much but it was something – he was going to record this down too. Every piece of evidence that Harry had gathered about this case he had written down. He didn't want to take a chance and forget anything or be affected by a memory charm like Ginny had the at Lance's Christmas Party. Walking into his office, Harry immediately noticed that something wasn't right. Looking around the room, Harry took out his wand. His green eyes darting around the room rapidly. After a few moments, Harry knew that no one was in his office. Putting his wand away, Harry walked into his office cautiously.
That's when he noticed it. There was a single envelope on his desk, sitting right in the middle, making it very noticeable. Reaching out, Harry picked up the envelope and opened it. When he saw what was written in the letter, his eyes widened.
'It all begins and ends with Lydia Williams.' Drag Link/Files Here
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