Hey guys! Hows it going? Sorry for posting so late. I got caught up planning my spring break and just managed to finish in enough time to post. Enjoy!
Disclaimer in Chapter 1. Will add as necessary.
When the train arrived to the station Harriet expected Molly and Ginny accosting her as well as having to temper the twins' overprotective reactions to their scheming family being so close to her. What she did not expect was to be greeted by Severus as she exited the train station platform. She stopped and raised an eyebrow, "Professor?"
"It would seem that the Headmaster expects you to make a run for it." Severus said exasperatedly, "I am here to escort you back to your relatives and ensure that you are received by them."
Harri looked amused, "Well, I can't say I didn't expect something like this." She walked over to him and held out her hand expectantly, "Take me to my prison Professor." Severus rolled his eyes and took her hand, apparating her in the next instant. Once they had landed in the park near Number 4 Privet Drive Harri released his hand and sighed, "Let's get this over with." She started off toward the place where her childhood was ruined.
Severus walked with her, a frown set on his face, "You're not really going to stay here are you?"
"Of course not Professor." Harri snorted, "I have things to do this summer and play house elf to a bunch of animals is not one of them." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, "I'm just going to let you see enough of the usual interaction between myself and my wardens so you can make believable memories for Dumbles to look over in your mind, then I'll renew my threat, probably let the Marauders get in a few shots, and then leave. I have stuff to do before I can get ready for my interview and photoshoot tomorrow."
*Yes!* James hissed excitedly, *I'm going to show these assholes they shouldn't have messed with my daughter!*
*Sweet Revenge!* Sirius crowed, Remus didn't say anything but he too was excited for the chance to put the Dursleys in their place.
"Interview? Photoshoot? I thought you didn't like the fame Potter." Severus said, his sneer in place.
Harriet rolled her eyes at him, "And I thought you understood when I said I would use that fame to my advantage." Harri looked up at him, "I would rather stay in the shadows like I said however, being who I am and wanting to take on Dumbledore like I am, I can't do that. If I let the media and the public interpret my actions on their own there is the chance they will skew them the wrong way and it could backfire on me. If I give them the facts I want them to know and look as if I'm cooperating, then they will be less inclined to turn on me when Dumbledore eventually goes after me. This is what Pepper taught me. Use the media to your advantage."
"If you say so Potter."
"I do." Harri said brightly.
"So what is it you have to do later?" Severus asked curiously.
Harri raised an eyebrow at him, "Why do you ask?"
Severus stopped as they reached the ward line and studied her intently; she kept still, wandering what was on his mind. Finally he looked away, "Just wondering." He said in monotone.
Harri's other eyebrow joined the first, "Ah, I see. Those you previously worked under kept things from you which left you in a bind sometimes and you wanted to see if I would do the same." She smiled, "Severus, I'm not going to lie and say that I will tell you everything. Even if we become close friends or even family I will only ever share somethings with my mates. However, if I ever have plans that may affect you in any way I will inform you and for certain plans I don't have a problem sharing." She turned and eyed the house in front of her with deeply ingrained distaste, "As for later, I need to go to New Mexico to set an alarm that will alert me when the Bifrost touches down. From all the stories Thor and Jane told me of his banishment and Jarvis and Clint's input on the matter I have narrowed down the time of his banishment to sometime in the next week or so, I need to know when he lands so I can know when to go to Asgard to rescue Loki."
Severus blinked at her several times, "I see." He looked back to the house, his mind going a mile a minute with the information Harri had shared so nonchalantly. "Shall we?"
Harri gave a short nod, "Just let me get in character." She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, as she let it out she changed. She hunched over and her eyes dulled; all positive emotion fell from her face, replaced by resignation, sadness, and a tinge of fear. She looked up at Severus and let the faux fear creep into her voice, "Do I really have to go back Professor? They don't want me here."
Severus was shocked at the sudden change in demeanor and, as he gazed down into the eyes that had once belong to his best friend, he was close to folding under her gaze but he steeled himself and turned away from her with his sneer firmly in place, "Nice try Potter but the Headmaster already warned me of your exaggerations. You will be going back to your family one way or the other."
"Yes Professor." Harri said sullenly, she trudged up the drive behind him, her feet heavy and her head down. Snape knocked on the door sharply and drew back a step to wait, his eyes drawn to the downtrodden looking Harriet, she was an amazing actress.
The door flew open a few minutes later and they were greeted by Dudley who slouched there with a candy bar hanging halfway from his mouth. He looked up at Snape questioningly before his eyes fell to Harriet and disgust came over his features, "Mum! Dad! The freak is back!"
"WHAT!" came a roar from inside, Harriet flinched. There was a loud series of thuds that served as the whale's footsteps before the door was yanked open further and Vernon appeared behind Dudley, his eyes settling on Harri who shrunk under his gaze. Vernon's eyes gleamed at the reaction and he reached around Dudley to grab her by the wrist in an unforgiving grip, "The other freaks decided to return you did they girl?" he drug her after him into the house, not caring that the awkward angle created by Dudley's presence threw her against the door frame.
Severus had simply watched all of this with wide eyes, not believing that the man would treat her like that on his front porch. "Who are you?" Snape blinked and looked down at the pig like boy who was still chewing wetly on his candy.
"I'm Severus Snape, a Professor at your cousin's school." He said flatly before pushing his way past the boy and into the house, ignoring the child's protests. He heard a screech and ducked into the living room in just enough time to see Harriet's bag being flung against the wall, the three snakes falling halfway out with the force. Petunia was standing on a chair, looking fearfully at the snakes while Vernon glared at Harriet.
"How dare you bring those filthy animals into our home!" Vernon roared, he backhanded Harriet who stumbled backward into the wall, "Isn't your freakishness enough?"
"Potter I think this is quite enough for me to being going off of for the future." Severus said loudly, the Dursleys all looked to him in surprise and confusion as he felt the Headmaster's wards turn fuzzy then a secrecy ward slam down around the front room where they had gathered. Harriet was up from the wall in the next instant and she delivered a right hook right into Vernon's nose, sending the whale to the ground.
"Aw, what's wrong Uncle Vernon? You can dish it but you can't take it?" she cooed sweetly, eerily reminding Severus of Bellatrix.
"How dare you hit your Uncle!" Petunia screeched, said Uncle was struggling to his feet slowly.
"How dare I?" Harri snapped, "How dare you forget the lesson I so nicely taught you last time!" Petunia paled and ran over to hug Dudley protectively. Harri rolled her eyes and walked over to her bag, she picked it up and then moved past the secrecy ward line to stand in the dining room. "Professor come over here so the secrecy ward wont effect you." She said nonchalantly as she pulled the snakes free and set them on the floor gently. Just as Snape reached Harri's side Vernon lunged at them and Harri grinned as she put up a containment ward just inside the secrecy ward, the man bounced off of it and fell on his backside. "I'm sure you remember this one Uncle. Just sit tight, I'll deal with you in a minute."
"What did you do to the Headmaster's wards?" Snape asked as Harriet cast diagnostics on the dazed snakes.
"It's called the Black Ward Scrambler. It allows the wards to remain active but leaves them essentially useless." Harri said as she cast a general healing spell to get the three Marauders past their shock of being thrown against a wall.
"That's incredibly useful." Severus mused.
"Yeah, the Black Grimoires have a whole bunch of great spells like that." Harri said as she canceled Remus' transformation, "If you want to learn it you'll have to ask Sirius, as the Lord he is the one to yay or nay a non-family member learning Black Magic." She cast the diagnostics on Remus again, "You okay there Moony?"
"Fine." Remus muttered, rubbing his head, "I'll be sore in the morning though."
Harri chuckled, "I bet."
Just then James and Sirius transformed back with groans, "Fuck that hurt." Sirius groaned.
"You said it Pads." James said, stretching slightly and wincing.
"What is going on!" Vernon roared, he had managed to stand up again and was banging on the containment ward. "Get this freakishness out of my house this instant."
Harri stepped from the group of wizards and crossed her arms as she stared at Vernon, "Your house Uncle? Come now, with all the money you owe me its more mine than yours."
"We owe you nothing!" Petunia screeched, "We took you in, fed, and clothed you for ten years! We deserved that money!"
"You took me into abuse, fed me scraps only if I pleased you that day, and made me wear rags that I wouldn't give to a street urchin!" Harri snarled, "You deserve nothing but a painful death." The four wizards looked at her in surprise, they agreed but they hadn't seen this vicious side of Harriet yet. Harri slid out her wand and twirled it around her fingers, "Luckily for you I can't do that yet. I'm just here to reiterate what I expect from you and to make sure you understand your place."
"Don't forget to let us get in a couple shots!" James growled, pulling his wand and stepping up to Harri's side.
Petunia squeaked and held on to Dudley tighter, Harri grinned, "I see you recognize my father Aunty." She tapped her pointer finger against her chin and smoothed her face into a thoughtful look, "You know, I told him about my time with you guys." All three Dursleys paled, "Funnily enough, it didn't go well." James threw the first hex at Vernon who screamed as painful boils broke out all over him, Harri smirked but laid a hand on her father's arm, "Just remember you can't kill them yet, and nothing permeant."
"Got it." James said, Remus and Sirius moved to flank him as Harri stepped back to enjoy the show.
"You Potter's are always so dramatic." Severus snorted from where he was leaning with his arms crossed to watch the Marauders Justice unfold. Remus was currently playing up his status as a werewolf to frighten Petunia even more as Sirius tormented Dudley with stinging hexes and nightmare charms.
"Says the man who deliberately billows his cloak as he walks to make himself look intimidating." Harri shot back playfully, the corner of Severus' mouth twitched upward. "Besides, it's much more fun like this."
"Are you really going to kill them eventually?" Severus asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
Harri glanced at him, "Yes. Does that bother you Severus?"
Snape looked down at her in surprise when she said his name, "No." he said after a few seconds of studying her, "However it might bother those three." He said tilting his head to the Marauders, "Even though they participated in the last war and two were Aurors, they never killed unless absolutely necessary. At some point they will wonder why you don't stop at bone breakers and cutting curses."
Harri nodded, "They have yet to see real war. According to Madeye the last war was nothing like the one to come." Harri said, she got a faraway look in her eyes, "The second Wizarding War was a million times worse than the first. Even the Order members who held strong to Dumbledore's projected front of peace, tolerance, and forgiveness killed with hesitation near the end. There was simply no other way." She blinked and shook herself, "Of course I will also do anything to protect my family. I was like that even before my phoenix animagus, however afterward the drive to protect them got stronger. Merlin help anyone who decides to hurt ones a phoenix sees as flock." She brushed at her pants agitatedly, "Like I said, I was protective before but the day after my phoenix emerged one of the soldiers staying at the castle made comment to Tony that made him withdraw into himself in a way that rarely happened. Previously I would have threatened him just enough for him to see that I was serious but that day with my new instincts kicking in I beat the man so badly that he was in the hospital wing for a month."
Again, Severus was surprised, he shook it off, "I thought phoenixes were solitary creatures."
Harri laughed, "Males are solitary after they reach maturity until they find their mate, then they rejoin their original flock or their mates flock. Females however are very family oriented creatures. They attach themselves to other phoenixes and protect them whether the other birds want them or not. When they mate and have young, those become the most important to them but they are still protective of their flock." She shifted, "For me it's a little different because obviously I'm human as well. My flock are the Avengers and a few others. That paired with the way I was raised makes me latch on to certain people quickly. I'm extremely protective, even beyond phoenix standards because of losing many of the people I loved to the same man, the person who was only targeting them because he was coming after me."
"I see." Severus said quietly.
Harri nodded, "So, yes, I know they might not agree with me killing but I will do what is necessary to ensure that my family is safe." She gave a lopsided smile, "And Avenge any of my family I can't protect. That's what an Avenger does after all." Severus chuckled. Harri pushed off from the table and walked over to still the Marauders wands, "That's enough for now." The Dursleys were all laying in various levels of disarray on the front room floor. Dudley was blubbering under the effects of the nightmare charm and his arms and legs were red after so many stinging hexes. Petunia was shaking under Moony's gaze, her arms littered with small cuts and blisters. Vernon was by far the worst, he was shaking as he lay there with his left arm at an awkward angle, the blisters starting to bust painfully, and his legs pressed together as he recovered from being magically castrated. Harriet looked to her father with amusement, "I said nothing permeant but I can't say I'm unhappy by the development."
James grinned, "Thought you'd like it!"
Harri giggled before looking back at the Dursleys, "Well this was fun huh?" they all glared at her only to flinch when the Marauders flanked her and stood there menacingly. "Now that they've had their fun let me remind of you the new rules of this house. You will continue to pretend I live here during the summer until I'm seventeen, you are still prevented from telling anyone about this," she leaned forward and tapped on the wards which rippled into view around them, "So I wouldn't try unless you have a thing for pain. Get your story together, you'll need one. If you don't do this and this gets back to me or you try to run, I will ruin you in every way possible. Your money." She said looking at Vernon before looking to Petunia, "Your reputation. Everything. It will all be gone and once you're more miserable than I was growing up here I will take the last things you have to give me. Understood?" they nodded dejectedly, "Good." She drew her wand, "Don't expect all this to be gone when you wake, this was very much real." In the next second, all three were asleep. "Someone fix the broken arm; the rest can stay. They'll fade eventually." She said as she took down the wards.
"Yes Boss." Sirius said cheekily.
Harri rolled her eyes and turned to Snape, "You want to come with us to New Mexico? Or do you have things to do?"
"I have to report back to Dumbledore." Snape said with a shake of his head, "Send me a portkey if you need me otherwise I'll see you next year."
Harri held out her hand to him and he shook it without hesitation, "See you then Professor." Snape released her hand and nodded to the Marauders before walking from the house. "Ready to go?" Harri asked.
"All done cub." Remus said, dropping Vernon's newly healed arm none to gently on the ground.
Harri nodded, "Good, we need to go to the ward line in the backyard so we can flame to New Mexico." She said, leading them through the back sliding doors.
"Do we need to be snakes again?" Sirius whined.
Harri chuckled, "No, you're good until tomorrow."
"Yes!" Sirius exclaimed, he stretched, "It's so good to walk around for a bit."
"What, our morning training wasn't enough for you?" Harri teased.
"No that was just exhausting." James complained.
"Well you stronger for it so I don't see why your complaining."
"Because it's fun?" James replied in a 'duh' voice.
Harri rolled her eyes and stopped just beyond the wards, once the other three were past the line she cut the ward scrambler. "Grab hold." She said, James and Remus took her hands while Sirius placed a hand on her shoulder. Her blue flames engulfed them and in the next second they were standing on the edge of a tiny town, just under a huge sign that proclaimed 'Puente Antiguo, Home of the Vikings'. Harri looked up at the sign and nodded, "We're here." The Marauders released her and followed as she darted through town, they kept watch as she put specialized detection runes across certain doorways that she was sure that Thor would pass over as well as a large dormant ward around the town that would help protect it from damage once the Destroyer set foot within the circle.
Finally, they snuck over to Jane, Darcy, Erik's field lab. "How is this going to help find where the Bifrost touches down?" James whispered to her as they crouched behind the old diner under notice-me-not and disillusionment charms.
Harri rubbed at the back of her neck, "It won't actually. I should have said something different when I was describing it to Severus. According to Thor and Jane's story of how they met, Jane, Darcy, and Erik were storm chasing when the Bifrost hit. I can't be sure where exactly it comes down. I can, however, try to take a look at their notes and see where they're focusing and try to get a more accurate hit based on that. Push comes to shove I'll really be able to pinpoint it after Thor arrives and can come place more detection runes around the site. It won't take long and I won't have to keep it up long either. Thor ended up only being banished for something like three days." Harri said with a roll of her eyes.
"What really?" Sirius snorted, "I was kicked out of my house longer than that when I was eight."
Harri sighed and nodded, "Yeah, it's a tad ridiculous but Odin is a push over when it comes to punishing Thor and Thor himself will change quickly enough in the face of a pretty girl." Harri giggled, pointing to where Jane was stepping into view, a pencil tucked behind her ear as she ranted to Erik. Darcy was lounging in one of the rolling chairs, playing on her phone.
"So that's Thor's wife?" James asked, sizing the woman up.
"Not yet." Harri laughed, "But yes, if things go the same way this time this is the future Queen of Asgard."
"Who is the other woman?" Remus asked, his eyes a little wide as watched her tongue stick out a bit as she focused on what she was doing.
Harri's eyes shot to Remus and she grinned, "That's Darcy Lewis, Jane's friend. She's pretty huh Moony?"
The werewolf jolted and looked away from her with a small blush, "Um, no."
"Prongs, Moony has a thing for a girl he hasn't even met yet!" Sirius crowed.
"She is quite the looker there Moony." James chuckled.
Harri looked between Remus and Darcy who had jumped up with her arms set in the touchdown pose, prompting Jane and Erik to laugh at her enthusiasm for whatever it was she was celebrating. "I could see it. You guys would be cute together."
Remus was blushing even worse now, "Just figure where we need to set things up and let's go." He grumbled.
Harri giggled but turned back to diner, she pulled out a small pair of binoculars and looked over what papers were visible. After several minutes of nothing she sighed and put her binoculars back, she bit her lip and ran through different scenarios in her head. Finally, she brightened with a snap of her fingers and led the Marauders around the building where she climbed onto the hood of Jane's van.
"What are you doing Princess?" James asked as she started marking small runes around the windshield.
"When Thor arrives he hits their windshield. Since they were storm chasing I don't have a specific place to look but these runes will tell me when a body impacts the glass. I'm, like, ninety percent sure that Jane will only hit one person with this van in the next couple weeks." Harri said excitedly, "After that I can come and set up the runes around the Bifröst sight."
"Better finish quickly then." Sirius said, "I hear them coming out."
Harri nodded and sped up as much as she could, three runes away she heard Erik's voice coming closer. "Go around the corner!" she hissed, the Marauders ran around the corner to hide as she finished the next rune. Two runes later she rolled from the hood and then underneath the car just as Jane, Darcy, and Erik came around the corner. She changed to Godiva and crouched in place while the three got into the van, once all the doors were closed she darted around the corner to the Marauders.
Godiva changed back to Harriet in an instant and she grinned at the Marauders, "Let's go home." All three grinned and she flamed them to Potter Manner. Home.
The next day around noon found Harriet under a cloak making her way toward Gringotts. She had just finished with her interview and Photoshoot with Rita at the Leaky Cauldron. It had been long and tedious but she had pushed through to finally get her plans going. It would be up in a few days after she was tucked safely away at the Manor for the summer. Now she had just sent the Marauders back to the Manor to wait for Luna and get ready for their night out while she was going to meet with her mate's older brothers and retrieve the weapons she had requested from her vaults.
As she stepped into Gringotts her eyes drifted over the occupants and her eyebrows rose when she saw a group of red heads standing near a desk, arguing with a goblin. As she took in their identities she breathed in a sigh of relief, glad that she had changed out of her uniform and into the clothes she was wearing out with Luna later before she left the leaky Cauldron, if she had shown up in her school uniform there was sure to be questions. Standing at the counter was not only Charlie Weasley but also Percy Weasley, who seemed disgruntled, and her mates, looking determined as they argued. She made sure her hood was in place and walked over to the high desk and cleared her throat delicately.
All of the Weasleys looked back at her with frowns which she ignored and looked up to the goblin, "Greetings, may the gold be flowing in your favor today." She recited, out of the corner of her eye she saw the twins relax as they recognized her voice. "What is the problem here?"
"And may your enemies be trembling before you today." The goblin responded, "Only one of these people have been summoned to a meeting and he brought his brothers with him without warning or consent from the summoning partying."
"I see." Harriet willed all of her rings onto her hand and held it up for the goblin to inspect, "I am the summoning party and while they should have warned us beforehand…" she said with a quick look to the twins who looked sheepish, "I will allow them into the meeting at this time."
The goblin inspected her rings, his eyes going wide when he came to the Ambrosius and LeFay rings. "As you wish Lady LeFay. Griphook is expecting you." He straightened and Harri let her hand fall back down to her side, "Do you know the way to the meeting room or shall I call an escort?"
"I know my way, thank you. May your gold ever flow."
"It's my pleasure Lady LeFay." The goblin said with a bow, "And may your enemies fall before your blade."
Harri inclined her head and motioned for the Weasleys to follow behind her as she walked over to the double doors that lead to the offices. As soon as the door closed behind them Harri pulled her hood off and looked to the twins questioningly, "Warning would have been nice."
The twins scratched at the backs of their necks unison and looked down, "Yeah, sorry." George started.
"We didn't even think about not being able to get in." Fred said.
Harri rolled her eyes and tutted jokingly, "You need to think before you act, this is what almost got you eaten by a Cerberus."
"What?!" Percy exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"We never told them about that." Fred muttered.
Harriet grinned, "I thought not."
"You did it on purpose." George pouted.
"Of course." Harri grinned before turning, "Now, onward. You can have that discussion later."
"Don't think you'll get out of that one." Percy muttered to the twins fiercely, they latched onto Harri with exaggerated pouts on their faces.
Harriet ignored the interaction and pulled her mates forward as she continued on to the meeting room; luckily, since it was a meeting room meant for client-client meetings, it wasn't too far away. Harri stepped through with the twins to see that Griphook and Bill were already seated at the table, Griphook on one side with a big bundle of cloth in front of him and two files while Bill sat on the other looking nervous. Harri shook the twins off gently and went around to sit next to Griphook even as Bill looked to his brothers in surprise, they all sat with him. Charlie went to ask a question but Bill held up a hand to him in warning.
Griphook pulled a ward stone from under the table and set it on top, "In the Gringotts Meeting room everyone will be placed under a secrecy ward before proceedings start. To protect the one who called the meeting their blood will be tied into the ward so only they can give permission for the information to be released freely to those not in the room. Those of you who don't wish for this to be placed on you, please exit without sound." Griphook paused for several seconds but the Weasley brothers stayed in place and he nodded, "Lady LeFay, if you would." Harri nodded and conjured a small ice blade, she cut across her hand just enough to draw blood, and pressed it to the ward stone. The ward sprung up around them and settled quickly, Griphook nodded, "Now we may proceed."
"What is this all about?" Bill asked right off the bat.
Harri raised an eyebrow at him before looking to Griphook, "You didn't tell him anything."
"Just that his employer wished to talk to him." Griphook said.
Harri sighed and looked to the twins, "Do you want to take this? I have the proof to back it up so if you would feel better talking to your brothers about it you can." The twins shared a glance and nodded, Harri smiled and slid one of the files over to the twins, "I'm right here if you guys need me to help explain anything." They nodded and moved their chairs so they were sitting facing their brothers, George taking the file into his lap. While that was starting Griphook unfolded the bundle of cloth with Harriet's requested weapons and opened the second folder, she began inspecting each one, filling out the paperwork for the item, and then storing them in the dimensional pocket Loki had taught her to create.
The twins glanced at their brothers nervously; while they knew that their brothers loved them, they had always been set apart from the family by their pranks and their own close bond. They were very rarely taken seriously and the toleration for behavior that was normal for a pair if magical twins fluctuated on a day to day biases. Hell, their own father seemed to forget them most of the time for the eldest and youngest of the group and their mother often acted like they weren't even her children. Would their brothers even believe them? Would they side with their mother and younger siblings? Would they need to be oblivated?
Their slowly spiraling thoughts were halted when they heard a soft humming behind them, they looked back to see Harri filling out a paper with a sheathed dagger in front of her. She glanced up through her eyelashes and smiled softly as she went back to the paper and continued humming. The twins looked to each other and their resolve strengthened, For Harriet. They thought as one.
"Fred? George?" Bill asked, looking between them expectantly, "Talk to us."
Fred took a deep breath, "It's about Mom, Ron, and Ginny."
"And to a certain extent Dumbledore but he is a whole other problem." George said.
"They have been stealing from Harriet." Fred said with a scowl.
"And dosing her with a whole bunch of potions." George added.
"And putting compulsions on her." Fred threw in.
"They planned on having Harriet marry Ron to get control of her fortune." George growled, angry at the mere thought of Harriet being joined to anyone other than himself and Fred. Fred's growl joined George's at the thought and the humming picked up a little, instantly calming them down. "Dumbledore and a muggle born are in on it as well though we're not sure what all they're getting out of this."
"Probably power and knowledge." Fred grumbled. They looked at their brothers, curious about their reactions. Charlie, who had already heard this, had his jaw locked and was staring at the file in George's hand; Bill and Percy looked skeptical. The twin's anxiety grew a bit.
"The file Fred, George." Harri hummed gently.
George remembered the file and opened it. The first page was a copy of the third test parchment that Harriet had gotten that day a year ago. It had a full list of every compulsion, potion, and block that had been on Harri that day as well as the horcrux before she had them all removed, even the ones the twins hadn't known about. George handed it to Bill, Percy and Charlie leaned over both of his shoulders to look at it, all of their eyes widening as they read.
"Manager Griphook is this document legitimate?" Bill asked with wide eyes.
"I ran it myself Curse Breaker Weasley." Griphook responded, not taking his eyes from the documents he was currently signing, "I also participated in the long difficult rituals that removed all of those long set in items from Lady LeFay's body."
"Hurt like a bitch." Harriet muttered under her breath, Griphook chuckled.
"What does a soulmate suppression potion have to do with stealing from her and trying to control her?" Percy asked, his eyes dragging over the list of potions.
"If she found her soulmates they wouldn't be able to enact what they had been planning." George said.
"Soulmates? As in more than one?" Charlie asked in surprise, "How do you..." his eyes widened, "You two are her soulmates!" Bill and Percy both looked from the paper to the twins in shock.
"Yep!" the twins said in unison, puffing up their chests proudly, Harri smirked at that.
Charlie grinned, "So she is your girlfriend!" Bill chuckled while Percy rolled his eyes; the twins just blushed, remembering their stuttering denial before they had known the truth, Harri giggled.
"Do you have proof of the thefts?" the ever serious Percy asked, getting them back on task.
George opened the file again and pulled out a whole stack of withdrawal and payment orders authorized by Dumbledore going back as far as the day after Voldemort attacked as well as documents stating when Dumbledore took artifacts or books from Harriet's vaults. Bill, Charlie, and Percy all split the stack and started looking over things.
Bill, who had the oldest documents, frowned, "Who are the Dursleys?" everyone looked to Harriet curiously.
"My muggle family who I was placed with after Voldemort's attack." Harri said flatly, her hands tightened on the spear she was holding and the gem embedded in the point started to glow, "Dumbledore authorized those payments to them not to subsidize my living with them but to further his own agenda. They already hated beings with magic but Dumbledore paid them that amount to mistreat me, to beat me, starve me, bully me psychologically, to the abuse me to the extent that I would need saving." She sneered the last word and her magic rose, seconds later two foxes appeared before her and she calmed instantly. She smiled and put down the spear to rub at their ears, "It's easier to control someone who craves approval and acceptance. If they are happy and confident it's a real struggle to control them. So Dumbledore set that monthly payment with the stipulation that they treat me as they did."
All of the Weasleys were looking at her with wide disbelieving eyes, "That….that can't be…..but Dumbledore." Bill rasped, Harri's eyes flicked up to him and the twin foxes pressed closer to her.
"I swear on my magic that what I have just told is true." Harri said flatly, she glowed for a second before casting a lumos. Once the light spell lifted into the center of the room Bill shrunk in the face of Harri's gaze. The twins abandoned their stunned brothers and walked around the table to hug Harriet, she sagged into them even as the foxes rubbed against her arms reassuringly.
Percy cleared his throat awkwardly and Harri looked to him from her spot in the center of the twin circle, "So I assume that from all of this that Dumbledore is not in fact your Gaurdian."
"No, he illegally placed himself in that spot with the help of a corrupt goblin." Harri said.
"A goblin who has since been taken care of." Griphook gruffed, "The disgrace." Bill paled, knowing exactly what the punishment was for something like this, beheading. "Even if he was legally her Guardian, which again he is not, he would only have been able to take out a small set amount each month to be used for Harriet alone. All of the payments to various accounts well exceed that amount and the artifacts and books he took shouldn't have been able to be accessed at all."
Percy and Bill nodded in understanding, going back to their papers when Charlie spoke up, "What was all this leading up to? Just the marriage?"
The twins tightened their grip on Harri who shook her head, "No, once I had been married off they would wait until I had produced an heir and then I would 'have an accident'. After I was dead all of the accounts would be accessible to my husband to care for the child unless otherwise stated in my will. If I had continued on under the potions and such I would never have thought to make a provision like that, leaving them to split up all of my assets between them." The twins were gripping her almost painfully at this point while the other three Weasleys looked horrified.
"That's line theft!" Bill exclaimed.
"Yes, it is." Harri said, she stopped petting the foxes to calm their younger counterparts. "Calm down guys." She said softly, "It won't happen. We caught it in time." Their grips only loosened a bit as they buried their faces in her shoulders.
"Alright." Bill said, tossing his stack down, "I believe you, but why bring us into this?" Percy and Charlie nodded and looked to Harri.
She planted herself with the twins still clinging to her, her face turned hard. The foxes, sensing the seriousness coming through the broken bond their power was clinging to, sat in front of her at attention with their tails wrapped around their fore paws and their ears up straight. "I brought you into this so you would know what was going on, but also so the twins wouldn't lose all of their family." She felt them tense at her back, "Make no mistake, no matter what happens they will be punished for stealing from and plotting against me in such a way. How they are punished depends on if they continue on as they are currently as they scramble to regain control of me or if they admit their mistakes and attempt to atone. If you chose to side with them I will not hesitate to bring you down with them. If you chose to be neutral, then I will leave you be but you will have no protection from whatever comes after. If you side with me, you'll be safer. I won't lie and say it'll be perfect but I never abandon one of my own and I would rather the twins have some family in this trying time." She held up a hand when Charlie opened his mouth to speak, "Don't answer now, it's a big thing. It's against two different sides of your family or just staying out of things all together. You need to truly think it over; I won't be responsible for regret later. However, I do expect an answer within the next week. If you don't answer before then I will come and oblivate you to keep my mates and myself safe. Do you understand?" all three nodded solemnly.
Bill raised a hand awkwardly and Harri raised an eyebrow in question, "What does this have to do with you having me contracted under Griphook?"
"It doesn't have anything to do with this." Harri said flatly, "No matter what you choose I would like to keep you contracted with Griphook at the moment. You remember reading about the horcrux in my scar right?" he nodded, "Do you know what horcruxes are?"
Bill's eyebrows furrowed, "They're dark magic. A soul container." He ended uncertainly.
Harri nodded, "A wizard or witch will split their soul by the killing of an innocent. As long as there is a piece of them on this earth in the form of that horcrux they can't die." Charlie and Percy's eyes were wide, "The horcrux contained in my scar was a piece of Voldemort's soul." Bill's jaw dropped open, "He made others as well. A few are protected by strong wards and curses, I need the expertise of a Curse Breaker."
"I.. I see." Bill stuttered.
Harri nodded, "Good. You need to go think things over. I will expect your answers within the week." They nodded weakly and left silently. Harri watched as Mischief and Mayhem disappeared and then she stored the spear which was the final requested weapon, a present for Loki. She looked over to Griphook and he took all of the finished acquisition forms and left with a bow. Harri tugged gently on the twins' shirts, "You guys okay?" they loosened their grip enough for her to turn and face them. She nudged their chins up so she could smile at them, "Smile my mischief makers. You don't look right with frowns." Their lips twitched upward and they relaxed just the tiniest bit, "I can't help if you don't talk to me."
"What if they side with mum?" they asked as one. Fred's brow furrowed, "The promise of money was enough for Ron and Ginny."
"What if Bill, Charlie, and Percy are taken in by that?" George asked.
"Or worse,"
"What if they choose to be neutral?"
"Essentially ignoring all of us one way or the other!" the twins said with wide eyes.
"Those three don't strike me as ones to be drawn in by promises of money or power, empty or not." Harri said soothingly, "And if I saw any indication that they were drawn to the others way of thinking I would not have let them leave." She rubbed gently at their arms, "If, for whatever reason, they do decide to side with them I know it will be a hard pill to swallow, betrayal of any kind always is, but you will always have me by your sides." They relaxed completely at that so she decided to tease them a bit, "Or you know, right between you, as you seem to like me as the center in a twin sandwich."
They chuckled and squashed her between them in said twin sandwich, "A twin sandwich with Harriet filling." Fred laughed.
"The best sandwich since a peanut butter and jelly." George crowed.
Harri giggled and continued to tease them even as she prayed to anyone that was listening that Bill, Charlie, and Percy sided with them. For the twins' sakes.
No time to write notes to get this out on time so Review with any questions about the chapter!
The only thing I will comment on at this point is the three day banishment for Thor. I'm not sure if that's the real amount of time or what but the movie was never very clear on that, its one of the things that movie failed at. It SEEMED like a very short time. Also, I was watching the Honest Trailer and they mention it that as the time frame, so that's what I'm going with. If you haven't looked at Honest Trailers or Cinema Sins on YouTube, DO SO! They are awesome and hilarious!
See you next time!
P.S. Check out the new cover image! My sister made it for us!