Chapter 6 Granny Gathering
The next day before returning to Hogwarts to resume his post of Potions professor, Severus attended church with Mimi and Harry. It had been years since he had stepped into a church, and poor Harry hadn't been in one since just before his mother had died, so it was a new experience for both of them. Mimi was dressed in a dark purple muggle dress with lace ruffles at her neck line and wrists, and a large flappy hat with a dark green ribbon that was tied into a bow at the back. Harry and Severus were both dressed in sharp black suits with matching neck ties and highly polished shoes.
Harry sat quietly and tried not to fidget while the priest gave his sermon about loving one another, and attempting to not be led astray by the powers of Satan, while his father bowed his head and attempted not to fall asleep. When it was time to sing the final hymn of the meeting and end the service in prayer, Severus was the only one who remained seated as he snored softly, until Mimi wandlessly hit him with a slapping hex to wake him making him snap his head up and leap to his feet.
"Severus what kind of example are you setting for Harry, sing," she hissed under her breath.
"Mimi, you know that I hate singing," he hissed back.
"Nonsense, you have a wonderful voice, now either you sing or you'll have no lunch," she snapped giving him an I'm not joking kind of look.
Severus began to sing in his soft silky voice and several pretty muggle women turned their heads in his direction and smiled as Harry waved at them. Severus blushed, and bowed his head when the prayer that ended the service started, and smiled as he heard Harry echoing every word that Mimi said by his side.
"Merlin, she's rubbing off on him, and me too again," he thought as he softly whispered the prayer under his breath.
After church they enjoyed a picnic lunch in a lovely park not far from Gringots while Misty grazed in the shade of a tree flicking her long tail peacefully, and Rainbow pounced on a Cornish pixie changing from a happy yellow color to a bright pink as Harry laughed at the antics of his pet. "Mimi, how are we going to do this? Hunting down the horcruxes and obtaining the ingredients might be more than dangerous. I don't want Harry left alone with some stranger, and the thought of him going with you is out of the question," Severus said as he flicked his wand stopping a gang of Cornish pixies from carrying Rainbow off over the small pond where he suspected that they were about to drop her.?
"why Severus, you're sounding more and more like a responsible parent already. Don't worry, I've already procured the freely given unicorn blood, and I know where there is a Horcrux that you can get for me. In fact I am the only person alive who knows where Ravenclaw's lost diadem is hidden. As for the other Horcruxes, they can wait until Harry is of age to attend Hogwarts. At that time, I will be able to retrieve the other's and possibly obtain the final ingredient for the potion," Mimi said as she sipped from a hot cup of tea as she watched Harry and Rainbow crawl all over Misty who was laying in the grass grazing lazily.
"Wait a minute, did you just say that you know where Ravenclaw's lost diadem is hidden," Severus asked in shock as he choked on a bite of his sandwich?
"Yes, I was there the day that Tom made it into a horcrux, and hid it. When you get a free opportunity all you need to do is to go into the room of lost things," she laughed as Harry played peek a boo with Rainbow hiding under one of Misty's relaxed wings.
"Where is this room of lost things? I've never heard of it," Severus said as he flipped open his journal and prepared to take notes with a self-inking quill.
"It's also known as the come and go room, or the room of requirements. Go to the seventh floor to the blank space of wall across from the painting of goblins in tutus and walk passed the wall three times thinking on who you need to find the room of lost things. A door will appear. Once inside take the path through the lost things that is to the far right of the room. It will dead end at an old broken vanishing cabinet. Once you find the cabinet, face it and turn around completely. You will find a small table with a dark blue velvet box upon it, sitting next to the broken bust of Salazar Slytherin that has a blond wig on it. The blue box contains the Diadem. Do not open it, or it will affect you. Once you have it call me from the floo and I'll take it from there," said Mimi as she started to pack away the remints of the picnic.
"Now shall we go on about our day? You will need to return to the school tonight, and I have to pay another visit to Gringots to see about the progress of Harry's accounts. I have a feeling that Albus will not make an effort to repay what he's taken, and I've placed a few plans into action to deal with him, if he refuses," Mimi smirked as she moved toward Harry and removed him and Rainbow from Misty's back so that she could get to her feet and be reharnessed to the carriage.
Things were hung up for the next couple of years, and it was now time for Harry to attend his first year at Hogwarts. By this time, Mimi had managed to have Albus stripped of all of his titles pertaining to the running of the wizengmont, until he repaid every last galleon to Harry's account. This was not the end of Albus's distress, however, because Haggrid had reported that young Harry was not where he was to supposed to have been. As a matter of fact, the house at number 4 Privet Drive was now inhabited by another much nicer family of muggles.
Albus went to number 4 and questioned the new family of muggles only to discover that apparently then had moved because they were being investigated for the abuse and neglect, and possible unsolved murder of a child who's body had never been found. Albus returned to Hogwarts the night of the new term feeling confused and forlorn. He just didn't understand it. Surly Harry wasn't dead, because if he was, why would Gringotts be constantly hounding him to repay the gold that he had taken to fund his order.
Then there was his banishment from the Wizengmont and the stripping of all of his titles except for the post of Headmaster, thus far. His heart plummeted when he returned to find a very angry Minerva waiting for him in his office with a copy of the first year roster for this new term and a frown upon her face. "Albus, do you care to explain this," she asked as she handed him the scroll and pointed to where Harry Potter's name should have been? It was as if it had never been there in the first place.
A few spaces down on the list was a new name that had not been there before and Dumbledore looked up at his Deputy Headmistress in confusion. "When did this name appear on the roster," he asked pointing out the new name?
"I don't know, Albus. That's not our problem. What happened to Harry? You said that he'd be safe with those horrid muggles," Minerva scowled angrily.
"It's not good, Minerva. The muggles have moved out and another family now live where the Dursleys should have been. They say that they were accused of abuse, neglect, and possible murder of a child who's body has never been found," Albus admitted grimly.
"You said that the only people who could take him were family members. Harry's only family was supposedly those horrid muggles, and now you say that they've supposedly killed him or that someone has gotten through your wards and taken him. You should be booted from your position as headmaster for endangering the life of the most precious boy to ever live in our world. You disgust me Albus. I'm of half a mind to resign until you either are booted or retire. I can't stand to even look at you," Minerva snarled as she whirled and stomped from the room leaving him alone.
The sorting started and everyone who thought that Harry Potter should have been called was sadly disappointed when his name was never called out. As Minerva moved down the list of new first years her eyes lingered on the name of a boy that puzzled her. She called out the name numbly and gasped as a young boy with shoulder length black hair and emerald green eyes stepped forward when she called out the name.
"Toby Prince," was called forth after the absence of Harry Potter, and Toby stepped forward giving his father and the snowy white owl that perched upon the back of his chair a beaming smile before he sat upon the stool. The hat was placed upon his head, and he smiled as he heard a voice inside of his head. "Well, then, young man. Your name may have changed and one of your parents may be gone, but I know who you are. Who you will become, and where you belong. Your secret is safe with me, it better be, Slytherin," called out the hat.
Severus clapped and smiled at his son proudly. He had expected for his son to be placed into Gryffindor like his mother, but it seemed that the hat had other ideas in that regard. The white owl hooted softly and clicked her beak and he heard her voice in his head.
"I'll leave him in your capable hands Sev. I'll be checking in with you often and will give my progress in the hunt as I go, So don't worry," she said as she flew off through an open window after swooping down and knocking Dumbledore's hat from his head as he entered the Great hall late.
Mimi's first stop was to the shack in Little Hangleton where the Gont's once lived up until their deaths at Tom's hand and moved right to the place where she knew the ring to be and Pried the loose board up revealing a small box with a single ring resting within it. She knew without a doubt that it was the Horcrux because she could feel the evil coming off of it in waves. She flicked her wand a few times ridding it of all curses and then conjured a shatter proof crystal orb that protected it from being tampered with or allowing the dark magic within it to effect anyone.
After making sure that it was stored in a safe place where only she could enter, she reported to Severus who handed her the diadem that was held safe within the blue velvet box. He wanted it as far from him as he could get it and sighed in relief as Mimi cast her protective crystal around it blocking the effect of the dark magic from effecting him.
"That's two, down now. How's Toby been handling his first year of School so far," she asked as she vanished the orb containing the diadem into the safe place and collapsed into a chair in his office?
"He's doing very well, Mimi, except for a few instances of fighting between him and a Gryffindor boy and a member of his house who he is friends with over what he clames is his right to be friends with whoever he likes within Hogwarts. I actually had to give him detention tonight because of the fight. He should be getting through with it around midnight or so," said Severus as continued to grade papers from the day.
Mimi's eyes suddenly widened and rolled back into her head as she fell into a trance. An image of Toby and a blond boy trekking through the Forbidden Forest flooded her mind. On the ground was silvery unicorn blood that was in a trail that they appeared to be following. She could feel Tom's presence and knew that her grandson was in danger. She suddenly snapped out of her trance and leapt from the chair running from the room leaving Severus with a shocked expression on his face wondering what she had seen.
Mimi shifted into her animagus form and flew out of the castle and out into the forest as fast as she could move. Flying fast she swooped down just as a cloaked figure came fluttering toward her grandson making the blond boy run in terror. Toby seemed unable to move and stood there in stunned silence as the familiar white owl fluttered down between him and the cloaked figure and morphed into his Mimi Brown. She pushed him behind her protectively and waved her wand quickly chanting something under her breath as the dark figure loomed closer.
Then just as it seemed that he was going to reach out to her, he started screaming and writhing on the ground and a dark cloud vanished from the dead and mangled body of Professor Quarrel. She then turned and examined Toby before pulling him into her arms and squeezing him furiously. "Mimi, your squishing me , I can't breathe," he complained as he tried to free himself from her grasp.
"Toby Harrison Prince, who ordered you out here," she asked furiously as the tears of relief flowed down her cheeks into his long black hair that was cut like his father's and pulled back into a low ponytail with a green ribbon?
"We were supposed to originally serve our detention with Filtch cleaning the trophy room from top to bottom, but Professor Dumbledore ordered him to take us out here with Haggrid instead. Mimi, what was that horrid thing that you destroyed," he asked in a shaking voice?
"That was what's left of the thing that killed your mother dear. Regrettably, destroying him killed your professor. Come let's see if we can help this poor unicorn. If we move fast she might survive," said Mimi as she removed a small velvet bag from her pocket which instantly enlarged to a larger side before rummaging in it for what she needed.
"Toby, most unicorn's don't trust boys. I'm going to keep the unicorn calm while you attend to her wounds for me. "I'll walk you through what to do so don't be nervous dear," she said calmly as she sat and cradled the unicorn's head in her lap and started to whisper into its ear soothingly. Toby followed his Mimi's instruction until the Unicorn set up and nuzzled him with her soft velvety nose before nudging the bag making an empty potions flask roll out.
"Mimi, what does she want," Toby asked as he picked up the flask questingly?
Mimi placed a gentle hand on the unicorn's sleek neck and was silent before she answered by taking the flask and allowing the unicorn's blood to flow into it. Then she hugged the unicorn and healed the rest of her wounds with her wand. "Mimi," Toby asked quizzically before there was a rustling noise that made them both turn and the unicorn run off into the forest?
""There's no time, Harry, just tell who ever comes that you healed the unicorn and let your father know that I've collected something else that we may check off of our list," she said before she changed back into her owl form and flew away with the flask clasped tightly in her talons.