Chapter 43

"Applegate and I will stay to see these make it to Azkaban." she gestured to their prisoners.

Narcissa stood over them and grinned with relish at the invaders of her home as they lay bound and unconscious. Even Bellatrix Lestrange finally passed out. Harry sat to the side watching Lestrange with a sort of melancholy look to his face.

Lupin and Snape stood to the side.

"And how are we supposed to return to the estate if we all are supposed to be holding the portkey to activate it?" asked Lupin.

"I supposed I'll have to apparate to Hogsmeade and inform Dumbledore..."

Harry stood and headed out of the room. "I'll take care of it."

He stepped into the next room , took the hand mirror out and opened it up. "Hermione?"

Her face appeared only a second after. "Harry, what took so long? Are you okay?"

"Shh." he smiled. "Everyone's okay. I need you to find Dumbledore for me. As fast as you can. Call me back."

Her eyes widened and she protested, "But ..."

He closed the mirror. A few minutes later he felt the mirror vibrate slightly and reopened.

"Wait until you get home Harry Potter! Hang up on me will you. I will ... oh, yes Professor." Dumbledore's face came into view.

"I am most assured you will be quite the Enchanter, Harry. Very nice mirror, yes, very nice."

Harry almost laughed. "Professor, we need a different portkey. We had a welcoming party when we arrived, and Tonks and Applegate are staying to make sure they make it to Azkaban."

Dumbledore seemed mildly surprised. "Indeed?"

"I got her Professor, Hermione. I got Bellatrix Lestrange, and four others. Malfoy got two. "

He could hear Hermione squeal in the background.

"Well done Harry. I assume since you have said nothing that everyone else is unharmed?"

"Yes sir, we're a little dusty, but everyone is fine. Lestrange is kinda pus'y."

Dumbledore nodded not even bothering to find out why one of the Death eater's was 'pus'y'.

"About that portkey, sir."

He acted like he had forgotten all about it, but Harry knew Dumbledore's mind was sharp as a knife.

"You know the words Harry. You have the power. Make your own." he paused. "Picture the destination in your mind as sharp as you can. Then determine the mode of activation, time or touch. Portus is the final element with a tap of your wand."

"But Professor ..."

"Whether you believe it or not Harry, with enchantments, you possess more power than me. A portkey charm is a very mild enchantment for someone of your power."

Harry didn't know what to say. "Uh, okay."

Dumbledore handed the mirror back to Hermione.

"Don't you think you're off the hook just because you captured all those Death Eaters, Harry Potter." Her sour face turned up, "I'm so proud of you! I can't wait to tell Ron! Be careful."

She snapped her compact closed severing the connection.

"Women."

Harry walked back out of the room and up to the group. "Everyone ready to go?"

Draco and Lupin were charming all of the bags into a large trunk.

Snape just sneered on. Sometimes Harry actually thought that was his only facial expression ... well that and contempt. "In case you haven't noticed, Potter, we have no portkey."

He ignored Snape and closed in on Narcissa. "If you would like to bring anything else, we have the time. Once we leave though it won't really be safe to return until Voldemort is dealt with."

She jerked at the name.

"Sorry," said Harry.

She caught her breath. "Thank you no, Mr. Potter. I have everything I desire in that trunk. Almost everything in the house belongs to Lucius, and I have no desire to bring anything, of his, along."

Harry saw that the trunk in question had several decorative brass rings around the outside of it.

"I guess this will do about as well as anything else."

He stepped up and pictured the front hallway to the new Potter Family Estate very clearly in his head and tapped the trunk with his wand. "Portus!"

"You must be joking." Snape almost laughed. "Potter, you are only a sixth-year, despite your honorary assistant professorship. You do not possess the knowledge or power to charm a portkey."

"Everyone grab hold. Once I touch it we're leaving." he looked back at Snape. "Coming?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "I am not coming, nor are you going. The rest of you are participating in a lesson of futility."

Lupin, and both the Malfoy's grabbed a brass ring.

"See you back at Hogwarts, Professor."

Harry made to grab a ring and stalled for a half a second, not knowing if the charm would work or not. He glanced back at Snape and found out he did have another face. Smugness. That's when Harry grabbed the ring and felt the familiar tug behind his navel. The last thing he remembered seeing was the surprised look on Snape's face. Okay, make that four faces.

The resounding thud of the trunk against bare wooded floor echoed throughout the house at number twelve Grimmauld Place.

"Well done, Harry. Did you see the look on Severus' face before we left." Lupin chuckled.

He watched as Narcissa and Draco looked around the hall at the rather bleak bare walls with a little trepidation on their faces.

"I only inherited it this summer. We haven't had time to decorate."

Narcissa had an odd look on her face and looked up at the landings above. "This appears somewhat familiar."

Harry nodded. "It probably should. I inherited it from my godfather ... Sirius Black."

"The Black Family Estate?" It dawned on her. "I've only been here twice before when I was a teen."

"Make yourselves at home. The kitchen has been stocked with anything that you might need. My room is on the second landing at the end. Help yourselves to any other room in the house."

Narcissa turned to him, "Mr. Potter Thank you for your generosity, and allowing us to reside in your home. I hope it won't be for too long."

Harry waved her off, not liking the kind of attention he was getting. "If I might make a few suggestions?"

She nodded and Draco looked on with suspicion.

"Do you have a compact or a hand mirror or both, and your Gringotts key?"

She turned to her son. "In the trunk, Draco."

He watched as Draco open the trunk and fished out two hand mirrors, and then motioned them toward the living room.

"Torca Ignis!" he said as he waved his wand entering the room. Several gas jet ignited showering the room in a bright light.

Everyone took a seat and watched as Harry set the mirrors before him on the coffee table.

He cleared his mind and recalled an enchantment. "Communicare Privitus Draco en Narcissa Anlic!"

A soft glow issued forth from both mirrors, and Harry put his wand away.

Handing a mirror to each of them he smiled. "I wouldn't trust the owls between here and Hogwarts. You can use these to talk to each other. Just say Draco's name and his mirror will vibrate softly and vice versa. It cannot be traced so it is more than safe."

Narcissa clutched hers for dear life. And Harry saw the thanks in her eyes before they were ever uttered from her mouth.

"Nobody can enter or leave the house without one of three people present. Me, Hermione Granger , and Ron Weasley. I know this sounds very strict but the wards that surround this house ..."

Narcissa raised her hand. "Mr. Potter, your terms are more than generous.

"Remus, has brought over a wide selection of books and other things that will hopefully make your time here a little easier and I've made arrangements for Draco to visit as often as needed. Dumbledore was kinda strict in saying as long as it didn't interfere with his schooling."

That seemed to brighten Draco's face up a little.

Remus poked Harry in the ribs, "Why don't we let them go unpack and take a look around. "

"The key, Mr. Potter?" Narcissa reminded him.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to make sure you were the only one left on your Gringotts account and if you wanted to lend it to Draco we can pick up anything you might want and bring it back before we leave to Hogwarts."

The look on her face said the she would take the idea into consideration.

Harry nodded. "Take your time. We'll be downstairs in the basement kitchen."

***********************

"I think you've taken a big step today, Harry," Lupin said rather fatherly.

He took a long pull off his second bottle of butterbeer. "It felt good."

"Not to mention, Lestrange."

Harry shook his head. "It wasn't enough, Remus."

He set his bottle down and twisted it around, looking at the label. "I wanted her to hurt so much more. I wanted her dead."

Lupin nodded. "I kind of got that impression with the exploding boil hex."

"Popping ... Popping boil."

"Right. It's been a while."

Silence stood between them.

"Harry, I'm worried for you."

"Why?"

Lupin leaned forward resting his forearms on the table. "You are growing up a lot faster than you should. Some of the things that I've seen you do today ... the blasting charm, the boil hex, the portkey. Severus was right, you shouldn't be able to do any of those things. They are difficult even for seventh-years and for most wizards in general."

He threw up his hands. "Even Severus and I can't do portkeys as quickly as you did, not to mention the legal ramifications. Dumbledore can get away with something like that. I think that's why most of us don't even bother."

Harry shrugged. "Dumbledore says I'm an Enchanter, or at least I should study enchanting. He actually told me in that field I was more powerful than him. I think he was trying to inflate my head so I could do the portkey ... confidence and all."

Lupin shook his head. "You haven't figured it out yet have you, Harry? Dumbledore has never lied to you."

Harry looked up and was about to protest.

"I didn't say he hasn't held information back, but can you think of a time he has told you something and it not be true?"

Harry knew he wouldn't remember anything of the kind.

"Now that's not to say you are the most powerful wizard of our time or anything of the kind." Lupin pressed, "Nobody can touch Dumbledore in Charms and Transfiguration, and he's a master in most other fields, but as far as enchantments go ... it's an inbred power, you either have it or you have very little of it."

Harry nodded, "Hermione was telling me something like that. I guess I just didn't get it."

Just then the door to the kitchen opened and the Malfoy's entered. "May we join you?"

Harry stood, "Can I offer you a drink. There's butterbeer, pumpkin juice, sodas, and wine ... actually the wine is fire whiskey. I almost forgot."

Narcissa almost laughed. "Actually that sounds rather nice."

"Accio butterbeer, Accio Fire Whiskey! Accio glass!"

He caught the wine bottle and the glass, Draco caught the butterbeer as it was about to wiz passed him. He pulled the cork out and filled the glass until Narcissa said 'when.'

He smiled because it was almost full.

She looked up at him. "It's been a very hard year."

Harry slid the glass over and lifted his own bottle, "I'll drink to that."