Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns
everything.
The Secret Keeper XII
As night fell on the Burrow, Harry finally agreed to go to bed, knowing that nothing could be done for Ron until Hedwig returned with Dumbledore's response. He was glad to return to his friend's orange bedroom, where he could escape Ginny's tears and reproachful glances. It was very hurtful that she blamed him for her brother's disappearance, but Harry knew that he couldn't afford to wallow in self-pity anymore. He had to concentrate on trying to save Ron, and perhaps thereby regain Ginny's respect. He wondered if the other Weasleys blamed him too. Fred and George had not spoken to him since Percy's funeral, but that may simply have been due to the fact that he hadn't seen them for more than a few minutes at a time since that terrible day. Similarly, Mr. Weasley had been spending a great deal of time at work, while Mrs. Weasley had been visiting her son's grave daily, so Harry really didn't know if they blamed him or not.
It made Harry furious to see how the Weasley's lives had
been turned upside down because of Lord Voldemort, who had absolutely no reason
to feel threatened by them, who had probably never even heard of them. The
Weasleys were probably the least threatening people Harry was acquainted with,
and it was hard to imagine how anyone could ever want to hurt them. He felt a
deep sense of gratitude toward them for everything they had done to make his
years as a wizard more bearable. They had offered him a peaceful refuge from
his cruel relatives, introduced him to the delightful phenomenon of birthday
presents, and had been there to support him in his darker moments. They had
been his family, and had always made him feel loved and welcome. They had done
so much for him…I'll repay them. Soon, I'll know how to adapt Avada Kedavra
to kill Voldemort. I'll avenge Percy, and Cedric, and my parents, whatever it
takes…
There was a quiet knock at the door, and Sirius entered, carrying a piece of parchment. He seemed anxious and unsure where to begin.
"Harry, Dumbledore sent this letter. It seems you were right, he did go to Hogwarts, first thing this morning it would seem-"
"This morning? 'But that was hours ago. What happened? Was he seen?"
"No, I'm afraid not. He searched Snape's office pretty thoroughly, though, and Dumbledore thinks he may have found some papers explaining exactly where Snape is. If he can find Snape, he'll find Wormtail…"
"So what are we going to do? Has Dumbledore told you to go after him?"
Sirius shifted uneasily on his feet before sitting down on the bed next to Harry.
"No, it's too dangerous, Harry. Wait! Just hear what I have to say!", he pleaded, "We're not abandoning him, Harry, but we can't do anything right away. Our forces are stretched too thin, and if we're to walk into Voldemort's headquarters we're going to need large numbers. It should only take a day or two to recall more members of the Order, and then we'll go after him. Please believe me, Harry. This is the only way…"
Harry knew that Dumbledore was right, but he hated being so helpless. Surely there was something he could do
"Sirius, you've got to show me how to improve that curse before we go! Yes, "we". I'm going too. I have to do something to help the Weasleys. It's the least I can do. Besides, it'll give me a chance to try out the curse on Voldemort-"
"Harry! Listen to yourself! You're not ready to duel with Voldemort. Performing the curse is all very well, but he's far stronger than you. You're too young. You have to be patient and wait a while-"
"Enough people have died, Sirius. I have to try…I'll do it with or without your help…"
"Damn it! Why do you have to be so stubborn? James was never this bad-"
"I'm not my father. Now, will you help or not?"
Sirius nodded reluctantly. Fine Harry. You can try, but
I'll be there when you do.
Harry was surprised that he had spoken so demandingly to Sirius, and he felt more than a little guilty at manipulating him so shamelessly. It was important, however, for him to take every opportunity of facing Lord Voldemort. He could understand Sirius' fears, but what Sirius didn't know was that his godson would have the added strength of the Penna Potissimus. It holds the spirit of Godric Gryffindor, himself. I'll be ready for Voldemort. Harry just hoped that Dumbledore was right, and that he would be able to find it. The ruins of Godric's Hollow would be a good place to start looking, considering his experience with the Pensieve…
"Thanks, Sirius. There's one more thing. I'd like to see my parents' home. Will you take me?"
Sirius was gobsmacked. This was the last thing he had
expected to hear from his godson. Why does he want to see it so suddenly? It
would be far too upsetting for him…
"Harry, there's not much to see, I'm afraid. 'Just an old, empty house. Why dig up the past?"
"I'd just like to see it. You know it's my birthday tomorrow-almost the anniversary of their death-I'd just like to know what it's like."
"Well if you're sure you want to go, I suppose we can arrange something. I won't be able to bring you tomorrow, though, as Moony and I have some marauding to do…"
"What do you mean?"
"We're going to do some creeping around at the ministry-"
"You can't go in there! What if they see you? You're bound to get caught…"
"It's alright, Harry. I wouldn't go if I thought there was any danger. Arthur has agreed to help us get in and out safely, so it'll be fine. Besides, I can always get Snuffles to help if there's any trouble."
"Oh, alright then, but I still think it's stupid to take such a risk. 'And I don't think Arabella would approve either. What are you hoping to find, anyway?"
"We're not sure. We're just hoping that Percy left some of his evidence in his office. You never know, we might get lucky…"
"Well, be careful, but about Godric's Hollow…Is there no way I can go tomorrow? I'd rather not have to wait-"
Sirius eyed his godson shrewdly, perhaps sensing his feelings of guilt and annoyance.
"Why the rush? It'll still be there in a few days time, you know…"
"I just think it would be nice to see it on my birthday, kind of special, you know?"
Sirius was unconvinced, but for fear of hurting Harry's rather sensitive feelings, he relented. Maybe he's telling the truth. I suppose it must be hard for him on his birthday, not having them around. 'And after all he's been through lately, I really shouldn't question his sincerity. I could be wrong. Although it seemed understandable, and even admirable, that Harry would want to mourn his parents on his birthday at the one place that they had shared together, Sirius couldn't help but feel like he was being carefully managed to suit Harry's plans. What could Harry be planning this time, however? He hadn't seen enough of Ron or Hermione to be involved in any kind of foolhardy adventure. Whatever was going on, he was in it alone. Sirius made a mental note to pay more attention to his godson's activities, before considering how he could arrange for Harry to visit the house soon.
"Well, Remus and I will be busy, and we certainly can't ask the Weasleys to bring you-"
"I could go alone…"
"No way! I'm not that dumb, Harry…What about 'Bella? Would you mind going with her?"
"I don't suppose so, but she might mind going with me. We haven't exactly made up since she slapped me…"
"I'm sure that's all "water under the bridge" by now, Harry. Besides, if she goes with you, I won't have to worry about her trying to follow me!"
"I'll tell her you said that!"
"Just try it, Harry! You're no match for old Padfoot! I'm sure I can think of at least a few things to tell Ginny about her "green-eyed hero who conquered the Dark Lord"…"
"Oh, God. I'll kill those twins."
Sirius chuckled, while Harry quickly tried to change the subject.
"When will Mrs. Figg be able to bring me?"
"Call her Arabella, Harry, you're making me feel like a married man! I'll ask her if tomorrow's convenient, okay?"
"Okay, thanks."
"'About your birthday, Harry…I had planned a great party, but under the circumstances I don't think it would be a good idea. I hope you're not too disappointed."
"Sirius, considering I've spent nearly all my birthdays locked up in a cupboard, I'm not likely to be disappointed, but you'd better get me a decent present!"
"…And you used to be such a humble, unassuming boy…where did I go wrong?"
They both laughed as Sirius turned and left the room.
***
The Ministry of Magic presented an imposing concrete façade overlooking the Thames near Westminster, but to the grey-clad muggles who hurried into their offices on the dot at nine o'clock, it was a deserted building site, a blot on the otherwise cosmopolitan area. Remus approached the dark building in his best, but unfortunately two sizes too large, muggle suit, pulling on a dog lead to keep his canine friend in order. Sirius really didn't approve of being pulled about on a lead and he continually waved his head from side to side trying to dispel the hated object. Remus just pulled harder on the cord, smiling apologetically at Arthur Weasley who was standing on the stone steps of the Ministry, waiting for them. Arthur nodded grimly and gave Snuffles a cautious pat on the head, before ushering them both inside, whispering, "Just act naturally…"
Arthur led them quickly across the large marble foyer and up
several flights of stairs, occasionally speaking to other wizards and
introducing Remus and his pet dog. They passed many different departments, but
steered well clear of Fudge's office on the first floor. Finally, Sirius
arrived panting on the top floor. They had not passed any people for a while
now, and this seemed to be a much more isolated section of the Ministry, darker
and more delapidated. Nevertheless, Arthur led them onward, turning from one
corridor to the next, until they reached an old rickety wooden ladder that
seemed to lead up to an attic. On the attic door was a small sign that read
"Department of International Magical Cooperation: Head of Department Mr. B.
Crouch Mr. P. Weasley Mrs. S. Graves".
"I'll just check it's empty. Graves should be attending a conference on the International Wizard Currency today."
Mr. Weasley pushed the attic door inwards and climbed up. A moment later his head appeared in the gap and he told them to come up. Sirius quickly looked around before transforming back into his human form. He grabbed the lead out of Remus' hand and pulled it from around his neck. Remus chuckled at the ridiculous sight.
"Think it's funny, do you? You'll be laughing on the other side of your face if you're not careful-"
Remus gave him a sarcastic innocent expression and followed Arthur up the ladder. As he climbed up, something snapped one of his enormous muggle shoes from his foot. He growled, "Very mature, Padfoot…" and bent down to retrieve it. They heard Arthur's most severe, scolding voice calling down to them.
"Come on, you two. You're worse than Fred and George."
Once the three were gathered in Percy's former office, they quickly began the task of opening up the filing cabinets and searching their contents. Their were at least a dozen cabinets on the dusty uncovered floorboards, each containing six drawers full of files, on every possible subject from the standardising of cauldron thickness to a call for an international registry of werewolves.
"This could take forever…", Sirius complained.
"Well, I'd better be leaving", Arthur began, "Good luck!"
He received two annoyed grunts in response.
***
Harry looked pleadingly at his godmother.
"Is there no other way? I hate portkeys…"
"Don't be silly, Harry. It really is the safest way to travel, and we don't have time to fly. Come on, now!"
Harry reluctantly took the proffered apple and instantly felt the dreaded familiar sense of being hurled backwards by his navel. He had travelled with his eyes closed
and his wand in his hand, just in case he ended up in the wrong place like last time. Presently he felt solid earth beneath his feet, and as he opened his eyes, he beheld the forest from his dream. It was a lot greener than he remembered, filled with thriving grasses and ferns. He looked up at Arabella and was surprised to see that she had a very sad expression on her face. She turned to face him and spoke solemnly.
"It's not far, just a ten minute walk-"
"I know. Let's go!"
She looked at him quizzingly, before hurrying after him in the direction of the house. They finally reached the clearing in the trees and came onto the path, along which was a very overgrown row of hedges. Unfortunately it was too early in the summer to pluck blackberries from them, but Harry didn't mind. He walked at a brisk pace that was closely matched by Arabella, speeding up when he saw a gap approaching in the bushes ahead. He broke into a run, hurrying toward the gap and his first real view of his former home. The image from his dream was fully present in his mind of a large grey stone house with a pair of towers, a dark mahogany door and a pleasant ivy climbing next to it. He raced forward, full of expectation, ignoring Arabella's calls behind him. He turned into the long avenue up to the house, but halted in surprise at the sight that met his hungry gaze.
The stone exterior of Godric's Hollow could barely be detected beneath the mass of greenery that now covered it. It was overgrown with ivy that trailed even on the lawn before it. The saplings that had adorned its garden in Harry's dream were now fully grown sycamores, but not at all lush and healthy as in the surrounding forest. The trunks seemed twisted at an unnatural angle, and the leaves were too dark an olive green for a sycamore. Indeed, all the vegetation that seemed to thrive at Godric's Hollow now had an unhealthy warped appearance, giving the house a sinister air that made Harry quite uncomfortable as he slowly walked toward it. Arabella followed slowly behind him, remembering her own first visit to Godric's Hollow after Lily's death, and the terrifying moment of seeing the Dark Mark floating in the sky above it. She was grateful that Harry didn't have to feel that pain, but wondered why he would want to submit himself to the torture of visiting the site of his parents' murder. Ahead, she saw him nervously push the already open front door…
***
Molly Weasley looked up in surprise from an article she had been reading in the Daily Prophet as Mundungus Fletcher entered the kitchen. He looked around curiously with his intelligent dark eyes, apparently ignoring her, until she cleared her throat and gave him a stern glance.
"Hello, Molly. Where are Black and Lupin? I haven't seen them today…"
"Didn't Dumbledore tell you? They've gone to the Ministry to see if Percy left any of the evidence against Fudge there. Can I get you anything? You look dead on your feet-"
"At the Ministry?! Why wasn't I told about this? What about Arabella? Is she gone too?"
Mrs. Weasley started feeling uneasy at Fletcher's angry outburst.
"No. She's taking Harry to see Godric's Hollow. It's his birthday today, you know…"
Fletcher looked like he was about to say something, but thought the better of it. He stood still a moment, considering.
"Where are my manners? I'm sorry for barging in like this, Molly. Has there been any sign of Tom, yet?"
"Ron. No. We're very worried-"
"Is that why Harry's gone to Godric's Hollow, then? Does he think he might be there?"
"No, he just wanted to see it. I think he probably-"
"I'd better go there at once. It might not be safe…"
"Well, I think Arabella is perfectly capable-"
"Goodbye then!"
Molly stood up in confusion, watching as Mundungus quickly ran across the lawn and removed the security perimeter to get out. She saw him vanish on the other side, not having re-established the field. Something was very wrong here…She hurried over to the table and took up a sheet of parchment and her quill. She hastily scribbled a note to her husband…
***
Harry stood uncertainly in the hallway of Godric's Hollow, surprised at how normal the inside of the house actually was. It was as if it's occupants and simply gone on an extending holiday, leaving the dust to build up on the old furniture. Looking around, Harry found it hard to believe that this could be the scene of such a terrible murder, since the house really was as his parents had left it. It did, however, have a stale, musty odour that Harry found slightly sickening. He turned as Arabella entered behind him and smiled sadly at him.
"Have you ever been here, since my parents died?"
"Yes. I usually visit every couple of weeks, just to make sure it's okay. I don't think the Death Eaters would have any reason to come here now, but I'd hate for them to desecrate it in any way."
"Are any of their things still here? I'd love to see my Dad's old broomstick…"
"No, I'm afraid not, Harry. It was too dangerous to leave things like that lying around. There were all kinds of magical objects here, which had to be protected. I think Dumbledore must have locked them away in Gringotts…"
Harry sighed and walked into the dark mahogany-panelled room. It was pretty much as he remembered it, with it's maroon carpet and curtains, and the gold lion motif printed on them, however something was quite different. The air seemed fresh and clear. There was no stale, musty smell as in the hall. Harry walked slowly over to the opposite wall, where the portrait of the old man was still hanging above the fireplace. As Harry walked closer, he was surprised to see that the man had bright green eyes that were just like his own.
"I think that's Godric Gryffindor", Arabella's voice spoke up behind him, "Lily inherited the painting from her mother. Aren't his eyes amazing? We used to joke that Lily must be his great-great-great grand-daughter or something! She used to tease us by saying she could see more than we could. You have his eyes too…"
Harry smiled weakly and looked closely at Gryffindor. He was no longer moving, as in his dream; instead his gaze was fixed on the opposite wall. Harry turned but could see nothing of any importance, just a plain panelled wall. He walked over for a closer look, trying to appear as casual as possible.
"Where did it happen, you know, where did they die?"
"Right in here, actually. James died protecting Lily, as you know. He fell over there by the door. Lily was found here, before the fireplace, with you in her arms. It was terrible. I've never seen Hagrid so upset. He was the one who found you…"
As Arabella continued speaking, Harry ran his fingers down the wall. It felt very cool to the touch, despite the sun that was blazing through the large Georgian windows. The sensation reminded Harry of his dream. He continued to touch the wall and was amazed when suddenly he felt a slight breeze coming through the seemingly solid panel. The air was being ejected through a long thin invisible groove that ran along the length of the wall. I have to get a closer look at this, but I can't with her watching.
"Um, Arabella? Would you mind just letting me have a few minutes alone in here?"
"Oh, of course, Harry. I understand. I'll just be outside if you need me."
Harry waited until he heard the door close behind him, before standing back from the wall and thinking hard. This had to be where the Penna was hidden. He just knew it…Harry aimed his wand at the wall and muttered, "Finite incantatem!"
At first nothing happened. Harry lowered his wand in
frustration, asking himself what Hermione would do, when all of a sudden a
section of the panel began to open out into the room like a door. Harry's eyes
opened wide in astonishment as he looked at the secret passage ahead of him. He
quickly made the decision to investigate, and raised his wand in front of him,
whispering, "Lumos", as the passage was very dark. He walked a short distance
down the narrow tunnel, and descended a small curving staircase, only to emerge
in broad daylight in a circular clearing surrounded by tall pine trees. Harry
was bitterly disappointed. Oh great! It's just a secret passage into the
garden. Well, I might as well walk back through the garden and have a
look around…Harry looked around for an exit, but the vegetation seemed to
be completely blocking his escape. Weird, what's the point of having them so
close together?
For a while, he walked around the circular enclosure, trying to guess it's secret, when suddenly it occurred to him. Somehow he just knew what to do. Confused at this sudden inspiration, Harry pointed his wand at the ground in the centre of the circle, and bellowed, "Fidelio!"
Immediately, the sound of phoenix song burst through the air. Harry stood transfixed, listening to the beautiful melody, when suddenly there was a blinding flash of golden light. He tried to open his eyes, but the glare was too painful. He felt his wand arm being raised up against his will, and a strange prickly sensation running up it. His hand shook uncontrollably and his wand fell out of his grasp. Harry dropped to his knees, cradling his sore arm and feeling around blindly for his wand. From behind his eyelids, he saw the light subside. Cautiously he opened his eyes. He caught a glimpse of a large red and golden bird flying away from him over the trees. His wand was lying on the ground in front of him. It seemed unharmed, but…wasn't it a darker shade of brown before?
Harry carefully examined his wand, but there was no sign of
damage. It was just a little more golden than before. He stood up weakly,
looking around and trying to figure out what had just happened to him, when
suddenly a shrill female scream echoed from the passageway behind him. Arabella…
A/N: Okay, sorry that was a bit long. I probably should have divided it up into two chapters. Oh well…I'll have to cut down in my A/N then. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and reassured me that they are actually still reading! I really appreciate reviews, but even if you don't review, I'll still write for the sheer pleasure of doing so. Anyway, thanks to:
The Wizened Wizard (Don't worry, I would never turn Ron to the Dark Side. Far too cheesy, even for me! And yes, I certainly would like to make poor old Sirius a free man), Rain in Fire (I love your reviews. You put so much time into them, so I understand if you've been busy. I feel terrible for not reviewing your fic yet, I'm exactly the same as far as college work is concerned. Well, maybe I can write a quick review here and plug it for all my readers! "An Exercise in Cruelty" is an excellent fic that I have thoroughly enjoyed reading. I love the whole tortured take on Snape, and I really like the way you have portrayed him as an unlikeable rather than evil character. This is much more realistic, and adds a certain human and less melodramatic quality to his character that I have found lacking in other Snape fics. I hope you're not killing him off. Please get another chapter up soon!)., OrcaPotter (I have more apologies to make to you too. I have not reviewed any of your work yet, although it looks really well-written, simply because of my lack of time. I know you've written many series, so it's difficult to start reviewing in the middle of them. Your work is on my "to read" list, however, and I hope to read all of it during my easter holidays in a fortnight. You'll hear from me then, I promise!", Caitlyn (Thanks for reviewing again. Sorry about all these plot twists. I think I'm finished now…), PEZ (You're absolutely right about there being a lot of unsaid stuff between Ron and Harry. I wasn't planning on including this but I might now. Actually, to be honest, I was going to do something horrible to Ron, but most people seem to want him to live happily ever after so I guess he and Harry will make friends near the end), Dumbledore (Thank you), Amanda Mancini (If you read the above you'll see that I've decided to save Ron just for you! I wasn't going to kill him, however. It was something much worse than that as I'm sure Sirius would testify), ryuu kaze (Thanks for reviewing again. Sorry if I sounded a bit demanding. I know how hard it is to find the time to review, especially since in Ireland, we're charged for every minute we spend on the internet. This damn backward country…), Rede (Thank you for saying such nice things about my fic. Ron and Harry will face Voldemort together, by the way…), Nameless (Hey thanks, I will enjoy my vacation! I'm off to Wexford, that's in the south of Ireland, but it should be good. I won't hurt Hermione, though, as I think I've tortured enough characters for one series, but hey, there's always the sequel! Kidding…), Sailorcelestial (You're right. I'll never finish this in five chapters. What was I thinking? Its looking more like eight or nine…Personally I think Harry will be an Auror, or, if he can kill Voldie, a professional quidditch player) and California Love (Thanks for reviewing. Hope part 12 doesn't disappoint.).
Pleiades
