Chapter 19
Arrangements
It took nearly ten minutes for the customs agent to get through to someone and make arrangements, and then he led them out of his office and to a portkey point in a different room. Ginny was morbidly amused at Harry's reaction. He'd apparently developed a bit of an aversion to portkeys.
Not that Ginny liked them much better.
She made sure to stay close to him; his presence, nervous though he was, was keeping her calm. This was all new territory, and their reception so far had not exactly been perfect. The fact that both the agent and the young attendant were traveling with them was also not easing her nerves.
Mostly because that young attendant couldn't keep her eyes off her husband.
Ginny wasn't the jealous sort, and nor did she have any lack of trust in Harry's fidelity, so that wasn't the problem. No, the problem was that it was making his skin crawl. She had long known that his fame and the excessive scrutiny that came with it bothered him, but that was before they were connected like this. Now she could practically feel his skin crawling.
She tried just as hard as he did to ignore it, but it wasn't easy.
The portkey deposited them in a grandiose building that seemed governmental in nature. It had to be one of those tall towers she'd seen in the distance. The agent led them into an elevator, and eventually they got off on another floor, where he guided them into what seemed to be a conference room rather than someone's office.
It was empty at the moment, so they sat down and tried to wait calmly. Ginny made sure to sit as close to Harry as she could; for all that he appeared outwardly calm, he most assuredly wasn't. His nerves were jangling away, and she had the distinct sense that her soft touch, mentally and physically, was serving as a critical anchor for him right now.
Luckily, it was only a few minutes before someone new entered.
Unlike the customs agent, who was just wearing an average suit, this man was in what was clearly a uniform. If she had to guess, she would say he was an Auror, or whatever the American equivalent was. He also had that readiness about him that said that he actually knew what he was doing, and wasn't an idiot.
Harry also picked up on it if his sudden tension was any indication. It wasn't a nervous reaction, but rather a sudden tautness as he prepared to react instantly if needed. It wasn't even a conscious thing, she thought; the man was unknown and potentially dangerous, and he subconsciously shifted into his own state of readiness in response.
Interestingly, the man must have noticed something, because he raised a surprised eyebrow at them.
"Agent Dahl?" he began as he joined them at the table. "Are these our asylum seekers?"
The customs agent nodded and fixed his gaze on the newcomer. "Yes, Auror Felton," he said, confirming Ginny's thoughts on the man's profession.
"…and?" prompted the Auror. "I'm a little short on information here."
"Better see for yourself or you won't believe it," said Dahl, handing over their passports, which he still hadn't let go of. "He swore an oath on his life to me as to his identity."
Felton blinked and took the passport. The first one — which must have been hers — he frowned at for a moment, but quickly moved on from. Then he opened the other one, and his eyebrows shot into his hairline. She wasn't surprised when he turned to very carefully examine Harry.
"He swore an oath, you said?" Felton asked quietly, his gaze never shifting.
"Yes," nodded Dahl. "Irene can verify that, she also witnessed it. It was on his life and magic, and proved his identity thoroughly."
There was a brief moment of silence as the Auror considered this, even as his ongoing study of Harry intensified. It wasn't unfriendly, more that the man was truly surprised by this turn of events.
"Huh," he finally grunted. "You look pretty damn good for a dead man, Mr. Potter," he said bluntly.
Ginny couldn't help the giggle that escaped her as Harry rolled his eyes in exasperation. She had to wonder how long this was going to go on. And really, it tickled her pink that he had made his escape so perfectly that they actually thought he was dead!
"I didn't set out to leave that impression," explained Harry. "They probably either jumped to conclusions on the flimsiest of evidence, or just plain failed to investigate properly. Neither one would surprise me."
Felton frowned slightly, but otherwise didn't react to that. "They're saying that Voldemort was resurrected and killed you," he prompted.
Harry rolled his eyes again, and Ginny couldn't help but agree with his feelings on the matter. Their home country was full of idiots, and she had seen it more and more just from paying attention to Harry. It was honestly quite disheartening.
"Tom is dead," Harry said simply, shaking his head.
"Tom?" frowned Felton.
At that point, Ginny decided she should be a part of the conversation, if only so they didn't discount her. Not to mention that Harry didn't actually like to talk much, especially to strangers. The more she helped, the more comfortable he would be. It wasn't like she minded anyway.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle," she supplied. "It's his real name. Rearrange the letters and you get 'I am Lord Voldemort'."
Felton turned and studied her for a moment, and she had to admit that it was quite intimidating. It was also an indication that things in this country were very different from back home. Unlike most of those in Britain, the Aurors here were not to be trifled with, she thought.
He only lingered for a moment before turning back to Harry, and Ginny couldn't quite figure out what the man was thinking, or if he believed them. It was truly unnerving. Whoever this guy was, she suspected that he didn't give anything away in his body language unless he chose to. And unlike Harry, who was much the same, she didn't know him well enough to see past it.
"Why are you seeking asylum?" he finally asked.
Harry sighed and leaned back in his chair, and she felt a deep sort of emotional exhaustion start to leak into his feelings. It happened whenever he thought about his life back in Britain. It had truly been difficult for him.
Ginny moved her hand to his neck to offer him what little comfort she could.
"It's a very long story," he finally said, his voice soft and slightly pained. "In short? I think Albus Dumbledore wants me dead."
The Auror's eyebrows went back up into his hairline again. Dumbledore was known worldwide, at least from what she knew. Accusing him of something like that was always going to raise a few eyebrows, she supposed.
"That's a very serious accusation," frowned Felton. "Dumbledore is fairly well known, and he certainly doesn't have that kind of reputation."
"Doesn't make it any less true," said Harry, looking him directly in the eye. "I've nearly been killed multiple times every single year in his school, and some of them I think he set up deliberately. The Tournament is just the latest example."
"What do you mean?" asked the Auror, clearly confused.
"The Tournament?" asked Harry for clarification. The man nodded, so he continued. "I didn't enter it," he explained. "I never wanted to compete, to the point that I publicly swore an oath that I wouldn't enter, because I predicted that it would probably happen whether I wanted it to or not. That's how my life at Hogwarts was."
Harry closed his eyes then, and drew in a breath to calm himself. He was still very, very angry about the Tournament in general. He was tired of being dragged into that sort of thing without so much as a by-your-leave. Thankfully, the Auror gave him a moment to wrangle himself back into a calm state.
Finally he opened his eyes and met the Auror's gaze again. "My name came out, and I told them I didn't enter. Dumbledore claimed I was bound to a contract because someone else entered me. Unless he's a complete idiot, he has to know that a contract can't form without deliberate intent from the people involved.
"And I did check, too," he noted. "There was no contract binding."
Felton blinked a few times, and silence reigned as he considered what he'd just been told. Ginny still couldn't tell if he believed them, but she supposed they would just have to wait and see. For Harry's part, at this point, he was simply resigned to whatever was going to happen.
It said a lot that he was so burned out on it all that even a month away hadn't dulled his feelings where his life back home was concerned.
"Okay," nodded Felton slowly. "Why did you compete if you knew you weren't bound?"
Harry snorted. "He had me on an extremely short leash," he said flatly. "My only two supposed friends even turned out to be his spies. I couldn't go anywhere or do anything without them tagging along, and they reported everything back to him. If he knew I was on to him, it would have been a thousand times worse. I had to play along if I ever wanted to escape."
Silence spiraled in the wake of that statement, and Auror Felton watched him for a short while, obviously deciding what he thought of all of this. Finally, though, he decided to move on, and instead turned to Ginny. Now it was her turn for the intense scrutiny, but she simply endured it. What else could she do?
"And you, Miss Potter?" he finally asked. "Why do you seek asylum? Or are you just tagging along, as he put it?"
Not finding any humor in it, Ginny met the man's gaze solidly. While she was no Harry Potter, she had still faced a nightmare that it was doubtful that even this man could imagine. She might have a healthy respect for his probable capabilities, but fear was not on the menu.
"It's Missus, actually," she told him quietly. "And while I would support my husband regardless, I also have my own reasons."
She would have gone on, but she expected that he would want to respond to that. She felt a curious sense of pride and gratitude filtering over to her from Harry. It was the first time she'd ever openly referred to him as her husband, she realized.
He was actually proud of it!
But as much as she wanted to smile at him, she kept her attention on Felton. He was the key here; she had to convince him. Being separated from Harry was not an option she wanted to even remotely contemplate.
In the background, the attendant — Irene she supposed — went bug-eyed, to her well-hidden amusement.
"Your… husband," echoed the Auror, his eyebrows once again threatening to leap off of his face. "You're claiming to be the wife of Harry Potter, when you're only thirteen going on fourteen years old? That's not legal anywhere I'm aware of."
"Not the normal way, I'm sure," she shrugged. "But nothing about us is ever really normal it seems."
Harry snorted in agreement with that sentiment.
"Okay, you're going to have to explain that one," frowned Felton.
"It's the result of a bond of some sort," she shrugged, making sure that she held the man's gaze. "It happened about two weeks ago. We ran into some people about a week ago who told us that it's recognized as marriage by magic, and under both the ancient laws and Merlin's laws, but they couldn't give us a name for it. We don't know much more than that yet."
Felton stared at her for a long moment, clearly trying to decide if she was having him on. She simply stared right back. They had nothing to hide, and had no intention of lying to these people. They wanted to get off on the right foot, though she wasn't so certain that was actually happening here.
"I see," he frowned after a moment. "What's your maiden name?"
"Weasley."
The man nodded, and then after another long moment of thought, drew his wand and shot a wispy silver something in the direction of the door. "Someone with more knowledge of that sort of thing will be here shortly," he frowned. "For now, though, we'll go with it. You said you had your own reasons?"
Ginny sighed and leaned up against Harry. Just as Harry's life was painful for him, this topic was painful for her. She'd been run out of Britain, and would likely soon be run out of her birth family. She wished she knew what was wrong with her parents, but she had no earthly idea.
"I believe that my parents are mentally ill," she finally said, her voice having unconsciously gone quiet. "I was attacked by a Dark artifact in my first year at Hogwarts, and my mother blames me for it. I've been a model student since then, and have not put one toe out of line at home or at school, but they just keep getting worse. This year they started threatening to disown me. It was only a matter of time."
One of Felton's eyebrows went up, but she ignored him. It was no surprise when Harry's arm came around her to pull her closer, and she soaked up his comfort. She had avoided thinking about this, and in retrospect that was probably a mistake.
"I don't know if you're aware," she continued quietly after a moment, "but a young girl my age who gets disowned in Britain has no options. Nobody will lift a finger to help her, let alone take her in. My only option would have been to sell my body, and that's not something I would ever willingly do."
Ginny shuddered at the thought. It was a truly potent fear, and she had endured many nightmares since the first time her mother threatened it. She still didn't know what had gotten into the woman, and sincerely hoped that Bill took her plea seriously, because she really did think that something was very wrong with her parents.
"I'm aware of that issue," said Felton quietly. "We get a couple of refugees a year who manage to make it over here."
Ginny nodded, and realizing that her gaze had drifted, returned it to his. "I already knew that Harry was planning on leaving when I got the first threat," she sighed. "I tried, but nothing I said to them helped, and only made it worse, so I asked him to take me with him. It was the safest thing for me, and the only regret I have is that I'll probably never see my family again."
Silence reigned once more, and Ginny leaned her head on Harry's shoulder. She was going to have to talk to him about this just to get it out of her system; it was affecting her more than she had realized. Avoidance was never a good strategy in her experience. She needed to come to terms with it.
"You're an Occlumens, aren't you?" Felton suddenly asked.
Ginny glanced back up and saw that he was addressing it to her. "Yes, sir," she frowned, "though I don't know how you know that since neither of us have felt an intrusion."
"You're far too controlled," he said, waving it off. "And I'm not picking anything up off you with passive Legilimency. It's not an issue, I'm just surprised. Mr. Potter I almost expected, but it's almost unheard of in someone your age."
"That artifact possessed me," she told him bluntly. "That's actually how I picked up the basics. Pretty much the only good thing that came from that mess."
That earned her a shocked look. "You actually got knowledge from it?" he asked.
Ginny nodded. "Just bits and pieces," she explained. "Most of it is useless, and thankfully none of what I retained is actually dark."
The conversation might have continued, but they were interrupted by someone walking into the room. Whoever it was wore a nondescript gray robe with the hood up. She figured it had to be the American equivalent of an Unspeakable, which was a little unsettling.
"You requested assistance?" it said to the Auror in a shockingly nondescript voice.
"Yes," nodded Felton. "These two have stated that they are married by way of a magical bond covered under Merlin's laws. I need verification of that."
The figure turned to address them, seeming to address both of them at once. "I will need to cast a spell," it told them bluntly.
"Go ahead," nodded Ginny. "As long as it doesn't harm us."
Rather than answer her, the figure produced a wand from somewhere and gave a complicated motion. There was no incantation that Ginny could hear, but a pale gray light shot out between them. At first she thought it had missed, but as it neared them it abruptly split in two and struck them both.
And then it developed into that same oddly-entwined golden glow that they'd seen once before.
"True," said the figure simply. "They are a soul bound pair. It is forbidden to interfere in any way. This is decreed by Magic."
Ginny blinked at that description, and she could feel Harry's surprise matching her own. That sounded… ominous actually. She could only hope that this bond of theirs didn't mean that they were in for some sort of crazy adventure somewhere down the line.
Felton and the pair from customs looked surprised, but not overly so.
"What do I need to know?" asked Felton.
"Married," said the figure, still staring at them. "Emancipated. Do not interfere."
"I'm not sure what would constitute interference," frowned Felton.
The figure finally turned back to him. "Follow the law," it said. "Do not separate them. Do not force them. They are married and emancipated. Respect their wishes within the law."
"Easy enough," nodded Felton.
Then the figure turned back to them one last time. "It is an honor," it said softly. "Should you require assistance, come and we will assist."
"Thank you," frowned Harry. "Is there any way we can get more information on this?"
"I will arrange it when you are settled," the figure stated.
"That would be lovely," offered Ginny quietly. "Thank you."
"It is my honor," repeated the figure.
And then it turned and simply left.
"Drama queens," grumbled Felton. Then he shook himself and look aback at them. "Okay, that was easy enough on that score," he opined. "That leaves your request for asylum."
Felton stared off into space for a moment, and they both held their breath; this was the moment of truth, they felt. They both genuinely hoped this would work out, because they had no real backup plan if it failed. Neither could go back to Britain any time soon.
"Would you be willing to repeat this interview under Veritaserum, possibly with more detailed questions?" he finally asked them.
Ginny exchanged a long look with Harry, but figured that was reasonable. They were trying to come to live in this country, and their situation was more than a little unbelievable. Finally, she nodded to him.
"Yes, within reason," nodded Harry. "If we could see the questions first and not both be under at the same time, that would be okay I think."
"That's reasonable," agreed Felton. "And do you have an idea of what you want to do if granted residency?"
Harry and Ginny both frowned at that, and Ginny decided to take that one. "We don't know what our options are," she told him honestly. "We want to finish our magical education, and we've thought about getting a muggle one as well. We don't even know whether we should live on the muggle or magical side. Either is doable."
"Any of that is easy enough to accomplish," Felton told them. "There's state assistance for school fees and the like if you need that, and they can probably cover housing for you at least for a while, but you will eventually have to have an income."
Ginny couldn't help but chuckle to herself as Harry spoke up. "We actually have plenty of money," he said quietly. "That won't be an issue."
For the first time, Felton actually smiled. "Then let's get you to the right people to make the arrangements. We'll handle the Veritaserum questioning while they process the paperwork. We should be able to get you done within the next hour or two. I'm not expecting any problems, so welcome to America, Mr. and Mrs. Potter."
"Thank you," they smiled simultaneously.
The sense of relief that roared through them was palpable.
===[~]===
A/N: Another hurdle crossed!
This sequence was one of those unplanned things, as was the press deciding that Harry was dead in the first place. It just made too much sense when I wrote it, and so I went with it. And then to have them run into the fallout of that a month later without having seen even a word of the news just… fit. It was rather fun to write. =)
Thanks for reviewing, folks! See you tomorrow!
