Preparations
Chapter 19
It took a great effort on Ron's part to force his eyes open. The angle at which the sunshine poured through the window hinted at a time past noon…well past noon. But he'd needed his sleep, having had very little before coming to England. Added to that was the excitement of the discovery of Max's sister, and the information the Rangers had been able to supply Hermione with.
He, Hermione, and his brothers had stayed up until five in the morning to discuss their course of action against Malfoy, for it turned out that Malfoy possibly had the means to baffle some magical detectors. But they had no way of verifying this until the wedding, when they'd see him again. Diggory had decided that it would be best for Malfoy to lie low until the wedding, giving them a very narrow window of opportunity to unmask him then.
Unfortunately this brought them no closer to solving Ginny's mysterious determination to marry Malfoy. Ginny had surreptitiously been observed for new bracelets and necklaces, but they had found nothing. Ginny had only been wearing that ring Harry had given her for her birthday.
An invisible hand squeezed his heart as he remembered the look on Ginny's face the day Harry had given her that ring. She'd worn a look of perfect happiness. It must have been one of the best moments in her life, because the ring had been an unmistakable sign that Harry had felt the same way about her as she had about him. But he'd never told her, and even though Ron had understood that Harry thought he'd been doing the right thing, he couldn't help being mad at his best friend for hurting his baby sister like that.
Hermione groaned and stirred in front of him, and Ron caressed her naked hip under the sheets. He smiled. Despite their need for sleep, they'd still found the time for an hour of pure passion. It had been a good thing that Hermione had remembered to place a Silencing Charm around the room, because he didn't want to deal with his mother's knowing glances today.
Ron briefly wondered how Ginny would feel about his sleeping with Hermione. After all, she hadn't been allowed to sleep with Malfoy…and Ron thanked the deities for that…but it was still a bit unfair. He let those thoughts slip and carefully brushed Hermione's hair aside and kissed her neck.
"Max…" Hermione muttered, and Ron's expression soured as the feeling of happiness was promptly replaced by a feeling of intense jealousy. "I…found…your sister…" The jealousy was shattered and replaced by a deep sense of shame. He should have known better. Wolfe wasn't his rival, and believing that Hermione had lied about her true feelings was an insult to her.
Ron reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his watch. He saw it was four in the afternoon, and he knew he and Hermione had to get up, no matter how comfortable they were right now. He roused her by gently kissing her shoulder, and moving up to her neck. She stirred, and he slid back a little, allowing her to roll over. Her eyes fluttered open and locked with his, causing another swarm of butterflies to invade his stomach. "Hi."
"I love you, Ron."
"I love you more, sweetheart," he said, gently planting a kiss on her hips.
"Nuh-uh!" Hermione smiled, and kissed his back, allowing her lips to linger on his.
It was an internal battle. Ron knew the signs. Hermione was very much in the mood, as was he, but they really had to get out of bed. He used the thought that they still had to find out how Malfoy was controlling Ginny to inject steel into his spine. "C'mon, rise and shine…it's about bloody time anyway."
Hermione groaned in protest and pulled the sheet over her head as Ron clambered out of bed and wrapped a robe around his tall frame. He'd let Hermione sleep a little longer while he took a shower. The bathroom was close by, since he and Hermione were staying in Percy's room because it was the largest, second to the master bedroom. Besides, he didn't want to sleep in his own anyway. Not until every surface had been scoured at least twice, ridding it of Malfoy's taint.
Wide awake after taking his shower, he'd gone back to the bedroom, only to find Hermione still snoozing. "Get up, Mione," he bellowed, hoping that his loud voice and her pet name would irritate her enough to get her out of bed.
She just groaned and pulled the sheets over herself more tightly.
There was nothing else for it. He walked over to the bed, grabbed Hermione and hoisted her over his shoulder.
"Ron…what on earth do you think you're doing?" she screamed as he strode out of Percy's room and into the bathroom. "Put me down this instant, Ronald Weasley!"
"Okay, love!" Ron laughed as he put her into the shower, with the sheet still wrapped around her. Then he tapped the sprinkler head. "Cold water!"
Hermione shrieked as the cold water drenched her under the sheets, and she struggled to pull off the sheet.
Ron was greeted by a look of intense fury on her face, and his grin faltered. "Sorry love, but I had to take drastic measures," he explained hastily. "We have to find out what's wrong with Ginny, remember!"
Hermione's face softened slightly. "I'm still going to get you for this!"
"You've already got me, love!" he winked and walked out of the bathroom and made his way downstairs. He found Molly brushing some soot off her shoulders.
"Ron, would you be a dear and clean out the fireplace for me?"
"Mum!" Ron complained, not wanting to perform the particularly dirty task. "I just took a shower!"
"Honestly, do you and Hermione always sleep this late? When your father and I…"
"I'll clean the bloody fireplace, all right?" Ron interrupted her, hoping that she'd forget to relay the lengthy story of how she and his father behaved in her youth.
"That's a good boy!" his Mum beamed. "As I was saying, your father and I always used to get up bright and early to…"
To Ron's secret relief, the flames of the fireplace roared once more and interrupted Molly's lecture. Percy's head was floating in the flames. "Oi, Perce."
"I will not be addressed in such a vulgar way!" Percy said pompously.
"Hello, Percival, old boy!" Ron imitated Percy's pompousness. "Jolly good to see you, old chap. How is your lovely spouse…"
"Shut up!" Percy snapped, annoyed. "Where is Hermione?"
"Taking a shower. What do you need her for?"
"Four of her fellow Rangers are in my office right now. They'll be staying at the Burrow, and will accompany us to the wedding tomorrow."
This turn of events caught Ron by surprise. "Really? What for?"
"You'll hear about it when they get there. Now stand back!"
Ron and Molly took a few steps back while Percy's head disappeared. Seconds later, the flames grew once more, and two small men were expelled from the fireplace. They were carrying a trunk between them. Ron recognised them as Gavin Carey and Docmor the Diligent. Then a small witch came flying out of the fireplace, landing with cat-like grace. It was the Hermione's housemate…Mayumi Sakai. Seconds later, the fourth person had joined them…but Ron didn't recognise this woman.
"Hermione…we've got company!" Ron bellowed. Then he introduced his mother to the Rangers. "Mum, these are the Rangers, Mayumi Sakai, Docmor the Diligent…"
"But you can call me Doc," Doc added.
"Oh, my…a…a goblin?"
"Half-goblin," Doc corrected.
"I never knew that was possible," Molly gasped.
"Well, I am the first half-goblin in the recorded history of the wizarding world," Doc explained. "And my brothers and sisters and I are the only half-goblins in existence."
"But goblins and wizards simply don't mix," Molly said, unable to grasp the concept. "Not that I have anything against goblins…but I never thought a human could possibly be interested in a goblin…or the other way around for that matter."
"You're right about that, Mrs Weasley. Humans and goblins don't mix. My parents aren't really your average goblin and witch. My father is considered a bit odd by his fellow goblins, because he isn't as concerned with the pursuit of wealth as most other goblins are. And my mother…well, I haven't got her worked out yet. But even so, their life together is far from perfect. They've divorced and re-married a dozen times. They had me…had a fight…divorced, stared courting again, mother got pregnant with Grimlock, they re-married, it went well for a while, fought, divorced, and so on and so forth until they had my youngest sister, Didi."
"And can all your brothers and sisters do magic?"
"Wizard magic?" Doc shook his head. "No…just me."
"Ron…aren't you to introduce the rest of the us?" the strange woman said…though her voice sounded oddly familiar to Ron.
He regarded her carefully, and soon he realised who she was. "Gudrun?"
Gudrun rolled her eyes. "Yes…Gudrun! Really, what is wrong with you men! You're the third one who didn't recognise me today."
Ron looked her over. She wore her usual tight fitting clothes Muggle clothes and a dragon-hide jacket. Her hair was a dark blonde, her natural hair colour, Ron assumed. And without all the iron in her face…Ron had to admit to himself she didn't look half-bad.
"Once you're done ogling Gudrun, you can introduce me to your mother, Ron," Gavin chuckled, causing Ron to turn crimson.
"Right…Mum, this is Gavin Carey."
"Are you Cyrus' son?" Molly asked.
"No ma'am, he's my uncle. I'm Gareth's son."
Molly smiled. "Gareth's the younger brother." Molly nodded, remembering. "I briefly dated your uncle, before I met my husband…you know?"
"Mu'um!" Ron groaned. "You can tell them about your girlhood flings later." Then he turned to the Rangers. "So what brought you here?"
"Our love for weddings." Gudrun grinned.
Doc gave the Icelandic witch a mock-scowl. "Actually, we do want to attend the wedding. It'll make it easier for us to find out if Malfoy indeed owns something similar to a Confundus Amulet," he patted the trunk. "We've got some equipment that should flush him right out."
"Brilliant!" With the Rangers' help, maybe they'd be able to unmask Malfoy before the ceremony.
"What about your sister?" Gudrun inquired. "Did you find out what was wrong with her?"
Ron shook his head. "She isn't wearing an Enslavement Collar," he growled in frustration.
"Maybe she is being forced somehow…not through magic," Mayumi said quietly.
'That's not possible," Molly said. "Malfoy couldn't have threatened her. I didn't leave them alone long enough for him to get a chance to do that. Besides, my daughter isn't easily intimidated."
"Yeah, Mayumi…don't be stupid!" Gavin sneered.
Ron was puzzled by his behaviour. Everybody knew how Gavin felt about Mayumi… and now he jumped at the chance to put her down. His behaviour didn't make any sense. It seemed as if he were angry with her for some reason. Hermione bounding down the stairs, followed by Ginny, interrupted his thoughts.
"Doc, Gavin…what are you doing here?" Hermione gasped. "Gudrun? Look at you!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Gudrun scowled. "I look normal! Really, I don't see what the big deal is." She reached into the pocket of her dragon-hide jacket and drew out a package of chewing gum. She proceeded to stuff half a dozen sticks of gum into her mouth.
"We had some time off and decided to visit," Gavin lied smoothly, since it was best that Ginny didn't know the reason for their presence. He walked over to Ginny and extended his hand. "You must be the lovely bride-to-be?"
A slight blush crept up Ginny's cheeks, and she nodded.
"Ginny, dear…you wouldn't mind inviting these nice people to the wedding tomorrow, would you?"
Ginny gave Molly a sad smile. "I don't see why not. There'll be plenty of room. A lot of the people I invited cancelled."
Ron winced. The look on Ginny's face was breaking his heart. Indeed, nearly half the people she'd invited had declined the invitation with some silly excuse. If it would have made his little sister feel any better, Ron knew that he'd have hunted these people down and dragged them to the wedding. He'd always had this desire to protect his baby sister and keep her happy, even if he hadn't shown it in his early teens. But Ginny's happiness meant everything to him. He would even have given Malfoy his blessing, if he'd been sure that Malfoy would have made her happy. But it just so happened that Malfoy was a cold-hearted monster…and possibly very dangerous.
"Come on…Ginny," Molly said, grabbing Ginny by the arm. "We have to do some last minute preparations, and I still have to talk to Narcissa about some things," she sighed. "Ron…will you tend to our guests?"
"Okay, Mum," Ron said.
*
"So, what's the plan?" Ron asked, after Ginny and Molly had gone.
"We'll probe Malfoy with a special scanner we use to test our own amulets," Gudrun explained. "It'll detect the jamming properties of the amulet."
"What if it doesn't work?" Hermione asked worriedly. After all, if they didn't expose Malfoy, Ginny was going to be stuck with him for a long time.
"If he's wearing a Confundus Amulet, it'll work."
"But what if he takes it off?" Hermione asked.
Gudrun bit her lip and looked around the table, uncertainty etched in her features. It was the first time that Hermione saw her housemate get nervous. "We have to hope that he's paranoid enough that he never takes it off. But he doesn't have any reason to assume that someone will be carrying a detector to see if he's taking his vows seriously."
Ron slammed his fist on the table. "Unless we give him reason to."
"What do you mean?" Hermione frowned.
"We spread a rumour that the angry brothers will be attending the wedding with a Sneakoscope. That ought to make him wear the amulet." Ron grinned.
"But he'll just tell his mother to make a scene and forbid it," Hermione countered.
"I'm counting on it. Then we reply by making it known that he has nothing to fear if he truly loves our sister. If I know Malfoy, he won't be able to resist the chance to publicly humiliate me. He'll insist that we keep the Sneakoscope in plain sight, so everyone can see that he's being sincere. He'll wear the amulet!"
An ear to ear smile spread onto Doc's face. "It seems like we'll have a new Ranger soon." Then he looked at Hermione. "Oh, Galatea told me to thank you for your advice."
Hermione frowned. She had no idea what that advice would be. "When did you see her?"
"Shortly before I left for England. Wolfe borrowed my carpet a couple of days ago, for a date with Galatea. I went to get it back, and Galatea answered the door to his quarters." Doc grinned toothily. "She was positively glowing, and Wolfe had the silliest grin on his face. I think getting laid loosened him up a lot."
Gudrun laughed. "If I'd known that all that was needed to loosen him up was a good lay, I'd have volunteered for the cause a long time ago."
Gavin muttered something under his breath as he left the table, and Mayumi flushed red. But the others hadn't caught the significance of that exchange. Only Hermione knew what it had to be about.
"Seriously, Gudrun. Wolfe only has eyes for Galatea."
"What about you, Ron?" Gudrun asked coyly. "Is Hermione the only girl who catches your eye?"
Ron shook his head. "Plenty of other women catch my eye all the time."
The surge of jealousy caught Hermione unaware. "What do you mean by that, Ronald Weasley?" she burst out.
"Don't worry, love. My eyes may stray but my heart won't ever leave you!" Ron said, before he took her hand and kissed it.
Hermione was furious, but not at Ron. She was furious at herself for allowing Ron to wind her up like that, and not being able to stay angry with him after his sweet gesture. "All right, we have to get to work," she said in an attempt to change the subject. "We still need to put Ron's plan into motion. How are we going to do that?"
"Through Percy," Ron said. "We don't know where Malfoy is hiding, and Percy doesn't either…but Diggory does. We'll have Percy tell Diggory, who will tell Malfoy. We proceed according to plan from there… which reminds me…" Ron looked at Mayumi, Doc and Gudrun. "How many people know you're here?"
"The Minister, two Aurors, and your brother, of course. We told Diggory not to reveal our presence to anybody."
"And the Floo connection you used to talk to us and travel here with?"
"We made sure it was secure before using it," Doc said. "No one knows we're here."
Hermione leaned back in her chair. She hoped Doc was right about that.
**
"Any news?" Anastasiou asked, as he surveyed the brewing of the potion down in the dungeon.
"Our spy in Concordia tells us one of our drones has been caught. The Ranger!"
Anastasiou looked at the messenger. He was young…barely fifty, and he used to be a Muggle. "How does she know?"
"She says she never saw him around again."
"Change in his habits?"
The young vampire nodded.
"Pity. He was an excellent source."
The young vampire looked down into the dungeon. "I'm curious. What went into that cauldron, anyway?"
Anastasiou smiled. Having been a Muggle, this vampire knew little about magic. The fact that he'd known about the magical community for fifty years should have changed that. "Your ignorance is annoying, sometimes, Martinez. You should have schooled yourself in the ways of a wizard."
"What's the point…I don't have their powers."
"And I lost mine when I turned," Anastasiou said.
Martinez looked surprised. "You did?"
"Of course. Why else do you think I never practice magic anymore?"
"I guess I never thought about it that way." Martinez frowned and stared into the bubbling liquid in the giant cauldron. "So what's in it?"
Anastasiou liked to be in control. He couldn't brew the potion himself. A wizard's aura needed to be present during the brewing in order to make a magical potion work…no matter how many of the ingredients were magical. But that hadn't stopped him from memorising the ingredients and procedure. "The base elements… ten gallons of water, with a gallon of Flobberworm secretion to thicken the potion. Three pints of armadillo bile and half a pint of Lobalug venom. Two gallons and quarts of unicorn blood…from an adult male unicorn, three gallons of dragon blood… from a female Chinese Fireball. We let it warm up on a low fire for five hours while stirring it counter clockwise with an oak ladle. Then we add two gallons of Re'em blood, for increased physical strength."
"Male or female?" Martinez asked.
"Gender doesn't matter with the Re'em blood. But it's good that you pointed it out. It shows that you pay attention to detail," Anastasiou praised. "Now where was I… ah yes…we keep it just below boiling point for fifty-seven minutes after adding the Re'em blood, stirring it counter clockwise with a silver ladle before adding eighteen ounces of powdered horn of a Romanian Longhorn dragon. After several incantations have been done, two Murtlap growths and the head of a rattlesnake are added."
"Murtlap is used for resistance against hexes and curses, right?"
"Yes."
"So what is the rattle-snake head for?"
"I'm not sure!" Anastasiou said. "Anyway it's been boiling for thirteen hours and seven minutes now. Three more minutes to go, before Mr Potter can immerse himself in the cauldron. He is being prepared as we speak."
"What if it doesn't work, and Potter gets boiled alive?"
"That's what all the preparation is for. Heat-proofing charms are being cast on him. It is also part of the whole ritual. "Anastasiou shrugged. "If it still doesn't work, we'll serve the potion to the dark trolls as soup. But the notes haven't given me the impression that this ritual was tailored specifically to Voldemort, and our potions brewers and rite-master concurred." He paused, because he saw four dark trolls escorting the Mistress onto their balcony, and he bowed. "Are you here to watch the ritual…my lady?"
"Indeed, Athanasios." She nodded. "I wanted to decorate my chambers some more, but the paintings I want are not available. I want you to get them for me."
Anastasiou knew it was no use to argue. "Very well. Which pieces did you have in mind?"
"I was thinking, anything of Rubens will do."
Anastasiou smiled. "Ah, yes…Rubens."
"Did you know him?" Martinez asked.
"Oh yes…I was young then…your age, no, younger!" he reminisced. "I had one of his servants for dinner."
They waited for a few more minutes, until Potter walked into the dungeon below, wearing only a loincloth. Then he climbed onto a ladder. He stood on a platform at the edge of the cauldron and looked into the bubbling liquid. Then, seemingly without a second thought, he jumped in and disappeared into the reddish goo.
"After he emerges…he will no longer be human." The Mistress smiled.
"How will he change?" Martinez asked.
"He'll be strong…ten times stronger than he used to be. And very few things will be able to harm him," Anastasiou said. "He will be nearly invincible."
"Nearly?" Martinez frowned.
"Voldemort was defeated, even after he underwent these transformations. So we have to assume that Potter won't be entirely invincible."
Lord Anastasiou…my Lady!" a hoarse voice called.
"What is it, Vlado?"
A witch, who was carrying a large bag, accompanied the old wizard. "The Portkeys are here."
"Send Tetsuo my congratulations. His efficiency is commendable. What about the beasts?"
"Master Yamato says the beasts are ready for use…my lord," Vlado said.
"Good!" Anastasiou said, and waved his hand to dismiss the two wizards, who withdrew quickly. Then he turned to the Mistress. "My lady…I will need some of your guards tomorrow."
"And you will have them." She nodded.
"Excellent. Now, may I be excused? I need to start planning tomorrow's assault."
The Mistress nodded absently, completely engrossed by the bubbling cauldron below.
Anastasiou and Martinez bowed, and retreated from the dungeon. Then they made their way up to Anastasiou's chamber, where Vlado and Von Brandenburg were already waiting for them.
"Why isn't Selene here?" Von Brandenburg asked.
"She is no longer trustworthy. I may not be a mind-reader, but I know she's waiting for her chance to escape. Did you move the boy?"
Von Brandenburg nodded. "We've taken him to the compound in Morocco."
"Excellent. What's the status on tomorrow's shock-troops?"
"Three dozen wizards from different cells will Portkey to Hogwarts tomorrow. They've all been given identical clothing to prevent friendly-fire situations."
'Three dozen isn't enough to win that fight." Martinez argued. "I've scoped out the opposition. Nine Aurors will be present, and from what I've read in reports about some of the guests, they will mount stiff resistance."
"We've also got the dark trolls and the beasts," Anastasiou said. "And our purpose is a short assault. In and out. It should all take less than ten minutes."
Von Brandenburg cleared his throat. "Lord Anastasiou…I was wondering. How will you prevent Potter from dismembering Malfoy the moment he lays eyes on him? Does the collar prevent it?"
"I haven't taken any measures to prevent it. The collar will only work if he's about to betray me. Killing Malfoy is no such betrayal. I'm hoping Malfoy has the presence of mind to use the Portkey before Potter can get to him."
"You don't value his life much." Von Brandenburg frowned. "With all due respect, this attitude hasn't endeared you to most of your people. They fear that you think they've outlived their usefulness."
This remark sobered Anastasiou up. He realised that Von Brandenburg was right. He had become arrogant lately. "You're right." He turned to Martinez. "Send a message to Tetsuo Yamato. I want to know whether the special collar's properties can be broadened…now!"
Martinez bowed and left the room.
*
Draco paced about in the small living room, annoyed and repulsed by the mere sight of the two Muggles who shared his protection. They were huddled in the other corner, as far away from him as possible. They were terrible…Petunia and Dudley Dursley. He almost felt sympathy for Potter. Ten years with these people would indeed be a long time.
To make matters worse, they had to attend the wedding tomorrow, because Diggory had said that it wouldn't be prudent to split the Aurors up. His mother would have a fit if she heard that there would actually be a couple of Muggles at his wedding. Of course, they would have their uses. Their presence would distract Potter long enough for him to make a clean getaway with Ginny. After all, he didn't completely trust this control that his contact claimed to have over Potter.
An Auror came in after having knocked on the door. "Mr Malfoy…I have a note from your mother.
Draco took the parchment and unrolled it.
Son,
I've heard that the Weasleys will be taking a special Sneakoscope to the wedding, to make sure your vows are made sincerely. I have protested against it very strongly, of course, but I did not have an answer for them when they said that you'd have nothing to worry about if you were truly sincere. What should I do?
Draco crumpled the parchment and threw it in the fireplace, before summoning some fresh parchment along with a quill and inkbottle. The Dursleys cringed at the display of magic.
Mother,
Do not worry. My sincerity will be completely evident.
He smirked as he wrote the sentence down. The Sneakoscope would not react, and the public humiliation would get the Weasleys off his case once and for all!
He folded the piece of parchment and walked out of the room to find the Aurors. He found one of them sitting in the kitchen. He handed the note to the Auror. "Make sure that my mother gets this right away."
The Auror scowled and muttered something under his breath, but he complied nevertheless, having received instruction from the Minister himself to see to all of Draco's needs. With a satisfied smirk, he climbed the stairs and went up to his bedroom, and began to prepare for the next day. He'd be at Hogwarts at noon, and the ceremony would start at noon. Then, Ginny Weasley would be his… and at least one of her brothers would be dead!
***
A special thanks to my beta and proof readers. They're responsible for the elimination of 99% of the errors. I would also like to thank everyone who has reviewed, and take this moment to drop to my knees and beg for more. I know it isn't all about reviews, but I'm addicted to the darned things, What can I say. Anyway, chapter 20 is finished, and I'm working on 21 now. Many people have asked questions about Harry and why he's evil, and I have a feeling that quite a few readers have stopped reviewing because they didn't agree with that. I could be wrong, but I still got that feeling.
Have a little faith in me. I know what I'm doing. Anyway, please review, of course." I'll post chapter 20 as soon as I hit the 260 review mark.
