The Boy Genius
Chapter 27
Ron stared at the part of the tapestry that led to him and his siblings through Violet McKinnon, his great-grandmother on his mother's side. That tiny little patch of tapestry revealed so much! It revealed that his Mum's total grandchild tally would rise to twelve soon, that Wolfe wasn't dead, and that Cho Chang, like Wolfe, was Rose McKinnon's great-grandchild. The tree showed Mei Li, Rose's daughter, marrying a Chinese wizard named Wufei Chang.
"Never thought I'd be related to her. Who would have thought she had a dash of British blood."
"I remember Mei telling me that all her grandchildren were grown up and had moved out," Hermione mentioned. "I just assumed all her grandchildren grew up in America."
"Some of them did," Ironheart came walking up the gloomy corridor. "Shen and Long moved to the United States after finishing Hogwarts to pursue their dream of golem manufacture and design. Their company's called Gundam Inc."
"I think I've heard of it," Ron nodded.
"Chronos is one of theirs…the first of the Nataku series. That home under the herb shop Hermione's been to served as their initial workshop in the early years, before they moved to San Francisco. They sold it to their Uncle Long. Mei and Wufei later moved there to be halfway between their grandchildren in England and those in San Francisco."
Captain Faust and the three trainees from the Martial Division appeared in the corridor, and Ironheart turned the conversation in the direction of official matters.
"The results are finally in. It took so long because Serafina couldn't be convinced to dig up the body…she's superstitious that way. In the end we had to drag Lilia Rosaria out of bed to do the honours."
"I bet she gave you hell, didn't she, sir?" Hermione smirked.
"She wasn't pleased with the interruption of her beauty sleep, no," Ironheart smiled.
"She can sleep all she wants, but she isn't going to get any beauty," Ron heard Larsson half-whisper.
"Aw, c'mon, she isn't ugly!" Ramos answered.
"Oooh, are you sweet on her, George? Like your women dumpy, do you?"
"She's not dumpy, she's voluptuous!"
"And foul mouthed?"
Ramos smiled. "I like verbally abusive women."
"You're weird," Larsson shrugged.
"Birds of a feather, Rolf."
"I only hang out with you because you always buy me drinks at The Barrel."
"Only to put out the flames every time you crash and burn with Vesta."
"She'll relent one of these days."
"Unlikely."
"Will you two shut up?" Danielle Esklove snapped irritably.
"Thank you, my dear…" Ironheart winked and flashed her an insolent grin, making the young witch blush furiously. "Not even bones were left. It must have turned to pulp a few days after we buried it, like clones always do when they expire."
"So it was a Cauldron Clone?" Faust asked.
"What else could it have been?"
"Good point," Faust nodded. "So what else have you been up to? It's been three hours."
"Playing Divide and Conquer. I slipped our discovery to my daughter at the International Confederation of Magic. By the time the Japanese Wizarding Empire formally lodges a complaint, an inquiry into all their cloak and dagger political manoeuvring will be waiting for them." Ironheart smiled. "I'm sure everyone would like to know exactly why the Emperor Sayuki sent his one of his daughters to be raised by half-bloods after covering up her birth…both the representatives in the confederation as well as his own court. He'd be too busy explaining that, so he wouldn't bother us for a while."
Ron knew that Ironheart could be devious, but he'd never expected this level of deviousness. The commander hadn't even mentioned all the ICoW representatives who mistrusted the reclusive Japanese wizarding society because they allegedly felt that membership was beneath them. They'd probably give the Order of Illumination a pat on the back instead of a reprimand, and they would make sure the inquiry dragged on even longer. On top of all that, Sayuki would possibly be constrained to reveal exactly why he'd separated Mayumi from the rest of his family, saving the Order the trouble of finding out. Ironheart had scooped away three snitches in a single swipe. But there was a downside. "What happens if the Emperor's explanation is exceptionally good?"
"It won't be. I have a theory as to why Mayumi was separated. You see, Inihara, the chief of the Thunderbird clan, has been trying to take control of the empire for decades. After that curse was cast on the imperial bloodline, Sayuki needed Inihara's support to change the succession protocols. In exchange for this, Sayuki promised to marry Matsu off to one of Inihara's grandsons, and to marry their offspring off to future Thunderbirds. Basically, he wanted to take the Unicorns' place as the main source of imperial consorts, thus causing every future empress to call a Thunderbird father. I'm guessing that, upon finding out that his daughter-in-law was expecting twins…well…I'm basing an awful lot on assumptions, really."
Even if that was true, Commander Ironheart's theory made sense to Ron. Sayuki would surely have tried to worm his way out of relinquishing power to Inihara. "How exactly did Inihara secure this promise from Emperor Sayuki?" he asked. "Something like a binding magical contract?"
"You'll have to ask Miss Makioka for the exact words used in the contract, but yes, it was binding,"
"It must have contained the names of all the parties involved. Otherwise it would have been worthless." Ron's mind suddenly made the connection and he looked at Ironheart. "The throne always goes to the eldest sibling…so you're saying that Sayuki hid the existence of the eldest and put the second one's name in the magical contract?"
"Thus deflecting Inihara's power grab," Ironheart nodded. "What do you think?"
"We are basing an awful lot on assumptions."
"Yet these assumptions make sense," Faust remarked.
"It still leaves a lot of questions unanswered," Ron said. "There's something that's bothering me, though. If our theory is correct, it means that Sayuki would have revealed Mayumi's existence sooner or later. Would he have got away with that? I mean, everyone would know that he deliberately hoodwinked Inihara, right?"
"He probably would have got away with it," Ironheart said casually. "The clans don't want Inihara to take control though. And without their support, there's nothing he can do, really."
"All right," Ron nodded, but he still had some doubts. "I did some background reading on the Japanese wizarding society before the mission, to help me understand how their minds work. Their concept of honour—at least, the honour that matters—is based on one's actions when witnessed by others. It's all about perceptions and façades right? Honour is an external affair."
"Partially," Ironheart nodded slowly. "Their views are different from ours. Honour is something that could be stripped from an individual as a means of social control."
"Won't Emperor Sayuki's honour as perceived by his subjects incur significant damage that way if the International Confederation of Wizards twists his arm so publicly? He'll have to comply to retain diplomatic relations—"
"If things got that far…yes, he'd lose face. But I instructed my daughter to withhold the petition for the inquiry until after the Japanese representatives turn up." Ironheart smirked. "In fact, I know Sayuki will reach the same conclusion you just did. That's why I also sent a messenger to Japan to offer Sayuki the possibility to avoid public embarrassment, especially in the eyes of his subjects, and discuss the matter with us privately."
"That's bloody brilliant!"
"Thank you for that assessment, Mr Weasley." Ironheart made a brief bow. "I learned this particular manoeuvre from Lei Li. He was a genius when it came to manipulation."
"You could have told me about it sooner," Faust frowned. "If I'd known you had a contingency plan, I wouldn't have worried as much."
Ironheart shrugged apologetically and looked at the three trainees curiously. "Shouldn't you be in the vault?"
"The Intel people kicked us out. They say we get in the way more than we contribute," Danielle Esklove said, though her tone and expression made it clear that she didn't agree. She glared at Ramos and Larsson. "It's their fault. They keep joking around, so Captain Kovalenko doesn't take any of us seriously."
"Is that so?" Ironheart shot the two offending Rangers a stern look.
"Just trying to lighten the mood…" Ramos muttered.
"You should know by now, Mr Ramos, that Captain Kovalenko doesn't have a sense of humour. All right then…Ramos, you'll do monitoring duty on the Typhoon. Mr Larsson, you will be his counterpart on the Hurricane. And you won't use the channels for personal bantering."
Larsson and Ramos both looked very disappointed, and Ron really couldn't blame them. They'd been assigned the most boring tasks to be performed.
"I had something more suited to their training in mind," Faust said. "Perhaps sentry duty?"
"I doubt Her Imperial Highness would appreciate these two on her doorstep. Besides, if they take over monitoring duty, it will free Hwang and Olsen up to spend more time repairing the Notus."
"You heard the man, off you go!" Faust made a shooing gesture with his hand, and muttering a few feeble protests, Ramos and Larsson finally set off, only to be called back by Faust. "Hold it…aren't you forgetting something?"
Ramos and Larsson exchanged puzzled looks.
"I'll give you a little hint. It's proper decorum towards a superior officer…"
Chastised, the duo offered crisp salutes.
"Better," Faust nodded, returning their salute.
"What as that all about?" Ironheart asked, after Larsson and Ramon had gone. "You disregard decorum as much as I do. Have you been taking lessons from Nehanda?"
"No." Faust shook his head and grinned. "It's just that those two needed a reminder that informality is a privilege that can be squandered by substandard behaviour." He turned to Danielle Esklove. "You may rejoin the efforts in the vault."
"Thank you, sir," Danielle said gratefully before she hurried away.
Then Ironheart turned his attention to Faust. "Matthias…the reason you needed to see me?"
"Oh yes…we sorted the prisoners out. Three of them were under the Imperius. Your gift will enable you to milk them for information better than I could, so I'll leave their debriefing to you. What are we going to do about the others, though?"
"Are we positive that they're Anastasiou's truly willing servants and not people tricked or bullied into working with him?"
"They're bad people, sir. Every one of them is eligible for a Dementor's Kiss in his own country. One of them is Medea Aconit. She poisoned a French Auror in March of '94."
Hermione gasped. "Galatea's mum!"
"Yes," Faust nodded.
"I assume these wizards will be extradited to their own respective countries?" Ironheart asked.
"That's the general idea. Speaking of which, the wizards from the British Ministry will be here shortly to collect their dead. We located the bodies about an hour ago. They were transfigured into boulders to match the ones already spread over the island, but the aura of fresh transfiguration gave them away."
"At least they can be mourned properly now," Ironheart sighed. "Who can we expect from the Ministry?"
"The head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation and some of his people from the International Magical Office of Law. Given the rather exotic collection of bad guys, they've got to do the paperwork and sort through the red tape," Faust added as an explanation. "And of course, some Aurors to escort the Scottish captive."
"Where are they going to hold the rest of these people until they can be shipped off to their own countries? Azkaban?" Ironheart asked, wearing a very sceptical look indeed.
"Actually, they've asked us to hold the rest due to the Dementors' questionable reliability when it comes to people with value to powerful dark overlords."
"Nice to know the bureaucrats actually do learn from their mistakes, sometimes," Ironheart said wryly. Then he pinched the collar of his shirt to activate the miniature broadcaster. "Excuse me for a moment…" He walked farther down the corridor and began talking.
"So, I hear you've been healed?" Faust asked Hermione.
Hermione beamed. "Holly's really a treasure." But her smile immediately faded somewhat. "It did seem to take a lot out of her, though. I have to ask her exactly how she did it…" She looked at the tapestry and got tears in her eyes.
Ron stepped closer and wrapped an arm around her. They had just seen her name and the dot symbolising the foetus fade away when they had all rushed over to see whether Harry hadn't been imagining things about Wolfe's name. "Shouldn't we tell Galatea that Wolfe is alive?"
Faust got an anxious look as he heard this. "I'm not sure. Nathan told me something rather disconcerting before he moved on. He said the dark general's fighting style reminded him of Wolfe's. It could be a coincedence, but if Anastasiou managed to change Wolfe like he did Quist…"
After hearing eyewitness accounts from Matt, Aberforth and Doc, they'd realised that Malfoy wasn't the dark general after all, shrouding the identity of the individual in mystery once more.
Ron groaned, remembering the prophecy. It is the hour of twilight. A dark general will arise. He will supersede his handlers and grab the reins of evil himself, directing it onto the world. The scarred one, his Soul Brother, will oppose him. Only one will emerge from the fray.
Handlers…that's what Anastasiou and Yamato would be if they'd introduced a parasitic personality into Wolfe, for the Ranger himself would never regard them as masters. And Harry and Wolfe had a kind of connection. Wolfe had managed to gain Harry's respect, and Harry had begun look up to him much like a younger brother looked up to an older brother. "Does Harry know?"
"No, and I told Matt to keep this quiet."
"You can't keep this from Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.
Ron knew Hermione was right. They'd have to tell Harry. "We need to keep the people who know about this down to a minimum. And I think we shouldn't tell Galatea about Wolfe. I mean, what good would it do? Why tell her that Wolfe's alive but that he's been taken over by evil and that he'll have to face Harry in a fight in which only one of them will survive?"
"God, why does this always happen to Harry? How will he feel when he finds out that it's Wolfe he has to fight?" Hermione said morosely. "Oh…was Nathan certain? Was he absolutely sure?"
"He trained with Wolfe an awful lot. And this situation would explain where Wolfe disappeared to. Anastasiou is one of very few individuals with enough influence to get Dementors to negotiate with him. He also has access to crooked potions masters who can create Cauldron Clones."
"Doc is on his way over here. I don't want the Ministry to know about this, so Doc's going to seal up this corridor again." Ironheart said, and he noticed the gloomy expressions around him. "I try my best not to read minds indiscriminately, but your minds are screaming and it's only a matter of time, so one of you will have to tell me what's wrong."
Faust sighed and told Ironheart what he'd just discussed with Ron and Hermione, and the commander's face turned ashen. "Ron is right…Galatea mustn't know about this. But Harry needs to be prepared both physically and mentally…" The commander's words got caught in his throat, and he had to stop to swallow them away. "The prophecy is very clear. Only one will emerge. As much as I love my grandson, I fear there is no way to save him. I'm sure he'll see death as salvation…a way to finally free him from the parasitic personality's influence." He rubbed his eyes, and Ron suspected he was wiping away some early tears. "Come, we have to leave the corridor. Gudrun's just returned with her mother in tow."
"Her mother?" Faust asked.
"Doc just told me Gudrun and Matt decided to perform the continuation ritual of the Consanguinity Charm today, since they found the manuscripts and necessary components. I understand that the head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation also has the capacity to marry people officially, and apparently Gudrun's decided to get married too, that is, if the wizard can be convinced. Lilia's on her way too, since she'd never forgive Gudrun for getting married without her being there. Janice is coming over with her to do the spiritual part of the ceremony."
"Blimey, isn't that a bit sudden?" Ron said dubiously, after Ironheart and Faust had put moved a bit further away.
Hermione laughed. "This is Gudrun we're talking about, Ron. She's prone to launching herself into adventures, remember? Matt isn't the most cautious of men either."
"But marriage is a big step."
"I'm not really worried. They're meant to be together. Lieutenant Cliff once told me that she made a reading with her cards to build on an interpretation from the stars. It revealed that Matt and Gudrun met had before, and they'd searched for each other ever since. It turns out to be true, doesn't it? Literally! And Matt's girlfriends all resembling Gudrun, I think that was a manifestation of his subconscious. I think Matt was trying to remember all along, and I think he actually did come close a few times. Doc told me how he got this glazed look in his eyes after hugging Gudrun really closely, and that he got a terrible headache afterwards. And Matt himself told me that thinking about Gudrun gave him a headache. I think it's because of the Memory Charm."
As Ron mulled over that information, something suddenly occurred to him as he remembered things he'd heard about Nathan's explanation. "Gudrun called herself Maria when she first met him, right? Remember what you told me, about Matt calling for Gudrun and Mary in his sleep? He didn't say Mary, did he? He called for Maria, didn't he?"
Hermione's eyes widened. "That's brilliant, Ron. I hadn't even thought of that. I just assumed that he was calling for Mary because it was her given name. But why would he have called her that in a dream if he didn't call her that when he was awake? He definitely remembered Maria subconsciously, and he made the connection to Gudrun!"
"Okay, so they're meant to be. I still think it's a bit rushed," he said seriously, wondering whether Hermione would agree with his next statement. "Gudrun and Matt are like you and me, only more extreme. I'm sure they're going to disagree on how to run the household once they're living together, just like we did at first. I bet those rows are going to be explosive, and Mary will be caught in the middle. We ought to remind them that they should restrain themselves for Mary's sake when that happens. Or at least to hack it out when she's not around."
Hermione sighed. "Yes, sometimes love alone isn't enough. Look at—"
"Harry and Ginny," Ron finished. He decided he wanted to change the topic, so he voiced another concern of his. "Good thing Lieutenant Cliff will be there to lend a hand. I'm not sure if Percy's ever done a ceremony before."
"Yes, he has! He married Parvati and Wood after everything was out in the open, remember?"
Ron smiled. He'd been in Concordia at the time, but he remembered a letter from his mum telling them all about it. "Yeah. But I completely forgot, with all the excitement that mirror demon was causing, and Ginny and Malfoy…" He trailed off as they turned to follow Commander Ironheart down to the Entrance Hall.
There they found Commander Ironheart beaming at a woman who looked very much like an older version of Gudrun. Her nose was a bit longer and her lips thinner, but she was obviously Gudrun's mum. It seemed like she already knew Commander Ironheart, because he was clasping his hands in hers.
Gudrun looked rather shocked, and Ron heard her question as he and Hermione closed in. "You two know each other?"
Then, after looking into Gudrun's eyes, Ironheart began laughing really hard. "Y-you…oh, don't worry, Gudrun," he said after he'd composed himself. It's no use lying to you. Yes, I do know your mother that intimately, and no, I am most certainly not your father. You're very much Muggle-born. If I recall correctly you were two years old at when I met your mother. It's just that I never guessed you were that little girl. You did remind me an awful lot of your mother when I first saw you at the Citadel, but I never made the connection because you have a different surname. I should have remembered that surnames in Iceland are traditionally patronymic. Oh dear, it really is a small world," he added with a chuckle.
"I don't believe this," Ron muttered under his breath so only Hermione could hear him. "Trelawney, McGonagall, Pomfrey, Gudrun's mum…the man is a monster. I don't think I'll ever leave Mum alone in the same room with him if they ever meet again—" he added jokingly and immediately ducked to dodge Hermione's swat intended for the back of his head.
"Oh, don't look at me like that!" Gudrun's mother scolded her daughter playfully. "Your father had been away for nearly seven months, and he—" she patted Ironheart's arm. "—was the most dashing and handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. I know you would have done the same thing in my place, my daughter!" She added something in Icelandic that made Gudrun blush furiously. "Now, where is your man?"
Despite the twinkle in her eye Ron could see that Gudrun's mum was not well. That disease that had prevented her from continuing to care for Mary had really taken its toll on her. "Gudrun told me her mum had her at the same age she had Mary. She's what…fifty-two? She looks eighty-two!"
"Remember that Muggle women age faster than witches do, Ron. And I'm sure her treatment has aged her quite a bit." Hermione said.
"Isn't treatment supposed to make her better?" Ron frowned. Why would it make her look worse?"
"Because, while the treatment Muggles use for her illness does kill the bad cells, it also harms all the other ones."
"That's insane!"
"That's life without magic," Hermione said. "And she doesn't look eighty-two. Eighty-two year-old Muggles look like wizards who are well in their hundreds."
"Granny!" Mary yelled as she came running down the hall wearing a tiara on her head, several pearl necklaces rattling around her neck and a few very expensive-looking rings on her fingers.
"Mary…you come back here with those jewels!" Clara da Silva yelled, chasing after her. "We still need to sort those!"
The little girl stopped briefly and stripped off the jewels quickly. She handed them to Clara and resumed her sprint towards her grandmother, nearly bowling the fragile-looking woman over when she reached her.
"Easy, sweetheart. Gran isn't as strong as she used to be," she gasped as she noticed her granddaughter's recent transformation. "Oh, look at your eyes…"
They're from Dad. He's got a great-great-great-great-grandmother who was an aboriginal witch from Australia had some cat-people blood. That's where we get the eyes."
"Cat-people?" Gudrun's mother looked puzzled.
"Magic beings," Ironheart clarified.
"Like goblins? I've seen some of those at the wizarding bank."
"Hardly," Ironheart smiled. "I understand they looked like humanoids with some feline traits and had an exotic beauty about them. There aren't any left, though," the commander added wistfully, giving Ron the feeling that the randy old goat would have made a pass at one of their females if there had been any left… Ron quickly shut down those thoughts, since the commander might read his mind.
"Oh my, I need to sit down. This is overwhelming. I feel like I'm in a fairytale. This castle certainly looks like one from a fairytale."
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Mary said as she grabbed her grandmother's hands and began pulling her in the direction from which she had come. "Gran, you haven't met my dad yet, have you? This castle belongs to him, you know! He's a gazillionare and he's very handsome too!"
Gudrun's mum resisted Mary's tugging and shot her daughter an inquisitive look, asking her something in Icelandic.
Gudrun blushed, and she and her mother exchanged a few quick sentences in Icelandic before Gudrun switched back to English. "That's what I love most about him. He didn't let his gold go to his head…too much. Wait here, I'll go find him!" she said, and walked off in search of Matt, who had to be somewhere inside the vault, helping with the sorting of the treasure.
Hermione then started towards Gudrun's mother. Ron saw she wanted to introduce herself, and he followed her.
"Mary, aren't you going to introduce us to your grandmother?"
The woman took the cue and extended her hand. "Hello, Verna Bjornsdottir."
"I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ron Weasley," she added as Ron moved within her peripheral vision.
"How do you do," Ron shook her hand, not daring to grip her very hard because of her apparent fragility. But he got a surprisingly strong grip in return.
"Don't worry, Mr Weasley, I won't break!" she said, giving his hand an extra squeeze for emphasis before she released him. "I assume my daughter told you about my illness."
"I wondered if you'd like to rest," Hermione began.
"Nonsense. My affliction seems to be in remission, and no amount of rest will delay its return. I decided to enjoy my remaining time as much as possible, and sitting still isn't a very good way to do that, is it? I'm just glad my daughter found a man who is right for her. I'm still not completely sure how she found him. She just appeared on my doorstep and told me to pack a suitcase to come to her wedding. She said she fell in love with a wizard who turns out to be Mary's father? She wasn't very coherent…"
Hermione smiled. "It'll sound like something out of a sappy soap opera, really. I'll give you the very short version. Mary's father has been under our noses all along. Gudrun didn't recognise him because when she met him, he'd had a false name and different hair and eye-colours. Matt didn't recognise Gudrun because his memories of her had been removed by his father's orders."
"Why would he have a false name, and why did they take away his memories? I know wizards do it to Muggles all the time, but he's a wizard himself, right?"
"I see there's no way to explain this briefly," Hermione sighed, and then she explained about the attempted kidnapping early in Matt's life due to his parent's exceptional wealth and their status in the wizarding world. She continued with describing the measures that were subsequently taken to ensure his safety, namely changing his appearance and behaviour whenever he was away from home and without protection.
Then she touched on the subject of the point of view some pure-bloods in the wizarding world held, and while Mr Kelly hadn't been as bad as some others she'd met, it had been among the reasons why Matt's father opposed his son's relationship with, supposedly, a Muggle woman. But she quickly added that the age difference had also been an issue, and that Byron Kelly, for all his faults, had also been a concerned parent who probably though he was saving his son from making a mistake. And since Matt had been so determined in finding Gudrun, even resorting to illegal means to do it, Obliviation had seemed like a viable course of action.
"I did suspect that Matt and John Smith were the same person due to their similarity, and Mary's similarity to Matt," Hermione said. "I asked for someone to do a blood test and I was rather surprised when I was told that he couldn't be Mary's father because of an incompatible blood type. It turns out he has some of his brother's blood in his veins. That's a rare but natural phenomenon, nothing magical about it. So it was concluded that the information on his blood was thus inaccurate because the particular spell they'd used to take blood only takes a single cell. It obviously took one of Nathan's."
"They figured it out after my eyes changed," Mary piped up.
"But none of us knew exactly what had happened until the ghost of Matt's brother turned up and confessed what their father did. I think this covers it. I wasn't there when Mary's eyes changed or when Nathan Kelly's ghost explained Matt's memory loss, but I think I have the facts straight," Hermione said, concluding the story.
Verna smiled. "It sounds like a story written by a twisted writer who borrowed the plot and central characters from a talented and successful one and embellished it beyond recognition."
"I hope I'm one of the central characters…" Ron muttered.
*
Even though the circumstances of their reunion could have been better, Harry had been glad to see Percy and Seamus again, and had used the opportunity to catch up on news from the home front. The reunion hadn't lasted as long as Harry would have liked due to Percy's busy schedule. He'd returned to the mainland as soon after making things official between Matt and Gudrun in an outdoor ceremony in a consecrated circle.
With the remaining criminals having been transfigured into toads and locked in small cages, Harry had found himself with more free time on his hands, since fewer people were needed to guard them. He still had to be ready to fulfil any miscellaneous tasks that might come up unexpectedly, but he had been given no such task for the moment. And with Ginny spending more time working on the Cruiser due to Gudrun's sudden decision to tie the knot, he couldn't talk to her. So he, Ron and Hermione had chosen the Caer Sidi private library to spend their free hours.
"Bit of a shock that Seamus and Lavender broke up, though," Ron said, wiggling back into a luxurious leather in sofa while he readjusted his arms around Hermione's middle, who was leafing through a book about gem-cutting and alchemical treatment of precious stones.
Harry nodded. He'd always thought that Lavender and Seamus would end up getting married.
"You heard Seamus," Hermione said absently. "She was driving him nuts. He gave her plenty of room for her to do her thing. She shouldn't have vented her frustrations on him like that. She shouldn't have gone professional. It's as simple as that. It's a waste of time for someone with such limited ability to try and make a living with divination. She could have kept doing it as a hobby, of course. Ugh, I told her to invest more time in other subjects."
And Harry knew Lavender had never quite forgiven Hermione for downplaying her first real prophecy. It had been an impressive bit of clairvoyance. Lavender had prophesised the highly unexpected victory of the Chudley Cannons over the then seemingly invincible Tutshill Tornados early in their sixth year. Granted that, like Hermione had said, it hadn't been a world shattering prophecy. But several Gryffindors bet on the game and ended up making a killing due to the ninety-to-one odds against the Cannons.
While they had broken up, Seamus had confessed that he still cared about her a great deal, and that he'd probably take her back if she stopped being egocentric, provided that he'd still be unattached, of course.
"I wonder how they're going to compensate from the loss of these wizards at the Ministry," Harry frowned. As far as he knew the Ministry of Magic still had a long way to go before recovering from the loss of life in the war.
"Postponing retirements, or asking some people to come out of it," Ron suggested. "That's how the Order's coping."
"And Seamus did say that he had much more responsibility than someone of his level of experience used to have in the old days," Hermione pointed out, looking up from her book. "I know this sounds rather morbid, but in a way, the war had some favourable consequences. I heard that promotions in the Ministry these days are based on merit more than they used to be. In the old days it largely came down to who you were related to and who you knew. Now, two department heads are Muggle-born and three are half-bloods. Percy's the only pureblood."
Ron nodded. "Before the war it was all pureblood with only one half-blood. There aren't that many purebloods left, though, and I suspect there won't be any in a generation or two, unless they broaden the definition of pureblood. Of Mum's grandchildren only four are pureblood, and that's because I'm not counting Fleur's grandmother as a non-witch. If I do that, only Arthur and Charlie are pureblood."
"The Bells were pureblood?" Harry frowned. "I didn't think Katie had wizard ancestors for nine generations on either side of the family in every direction."
Ron chuckled. "Only elitist gits like the Malfoys had such strict guidelines. Nine generations indeed! That would mean you'd have to have five hundred and twelve wizard ancestors. Think about it…in a community as small as ours it would be impossible for them to all be different people. Enter inbreeding, I suppose. Nah, the unofficial standard is at least four generations in either direction. You're a pureblood if all eight of your great-grandparents were wizards, and at least two of them had to be pureblood themselves. So only Charlie and Arthur are pureblood, strictly speaking. Angelina's dad is Muggle-born, so her children aren't. Same goes for Hannah's children, because of her mum. Amelie and Alroy are in a bit of a grey area since one of their great-grandparents is a magical being."
"I don't think that would be a problem," a child's disembodied voice said. "I think that being descendants from magical creatures is the real reason why purebloods think they're better then Muggle-borns or half-bloods." A high-backed easy chair that had been facing a bookshelf swung around, revealing Nicolai with a book on his lap. He looked like a toddler, because with regards to size, the chair reminded Harry of the four-poster in the guestroom Princess Matsu was occupying. It could have held Hagrid easily.
"Nicolai! What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.
"Reading."
"You ought to know that, Hermione," Ron teased. "We are in a library."
"I seem to remember you two doing things other than reading in the library back at Hogwarts!" Harry said, taking delight in the opportunity to remind them of their unorthodox snogging spots. Hermione and Ron both blushed.
"Well, of course. The library is a good place to do your homework, right?" Nicolai said.
"That's right!" Hermione said quickly. "I actually meant to ask you where Mary is. You two are always together, but now you're suddenly by yourself in here."
The boy shrugged. "She wants to play with the jewellery. I think the library is much more interesting. There are lots of great books in here. Too bad I have to leave soon," he added with an air of great disappointment.
"What are you reading?"
"Beowulf. Our version, not the Muggle one."
"That book looks very old. It isn't in English, is it?"
"Yes it is…well…Old English!"
Harry certainly hadn't expected that. His own knowledge of Old English extended to knowing that it didn't sound anything like Modern English. Hermione could decipher a page or two given enough time, but he knew she'd never learned it either.
"And you actually understand it?" Hermione asked, looking every bit as surprised as Harry felt.
Nicolai nodded enthusiastically.
"How did you learn?" Ron frowned. "Who taught you?"
"I taught myself. I saw a bit of the poem once, and I wanted to know what it said. I asked the librarian what language it was and where I could find a dictionary."
"And you taught yourself?" Ron asked incredulously.
Again, Nicolai nodded vigorously, and Harry saw a shrewd look appear on Hermione's face.
"Nicolai, how many languages do you speak?" she asked.
"I can speak Gobbledegook, Concordian-Dwarven, English, Russian, Italian and Latin really well. Mary taught me French and Icelandic, but I'm not fluent yet."
"That's impossible," Ron said. "You've known Mary for what…five weeks? How could you have…wait…" A glint of comprehension dawned in Ron's eyes too, and Harry felt stupid not knowing what Ron and Hermione had obviously realised. "You're a Lingomagus, aren't you?"
Nicolai nodded shyly.
So that had been Nicolai's secret! Lingomagi were as rare as Parselmouths, Metamorphmagi and Mind Readers. Just like the powers of Metamorphmagi could be mimicked with to a certain extent with charms and potions, and Mind Reading could be accomplished with Legilimency, which required a wand by all but the most powerful and practised wizards, those substitutes still fell short of the innate abilities.
Wizards could enhance their linguistic abilities with spells and potions as well and thus learn over a hundred languages. But to Lingomagi it came naturally. They could learn languages by being exposed to them for a few days. The reason Nicolai didn't know more languages was because he'd simply not been exposed to them.
"Well congratulations!" Hermione beamed at the little boy. "If I could have chosen a unique magic ability, I'd want to be a Lingomagus. It would make it so much easier to get information. I could just open up a book and read it. No need to bother looking for a translated copy, or have too much difficulty translating it myself. I envy you!"
Nicolai's face fell. "Well, it would just be you. The other children who know tease me. They call me a freak," he added quietly, causing a sharp twinge of sympathy to shoot through Harry's heart as he remembered his second year at Hogwarts. But he didn't understand why the kids would be so mean to Nicolai. His own situation hadn't been fun, but at least it had been marginally understandable. After all, being a Parselmouth was regarded as the mark of a dark wizard. He couldn't see anything wrong with being a Lingomagus.
He shifted his gaze from Nicolai to Hermione and found her staring at him with a knowing look. Instantly he knew his facial expression must have mirrored his thoughts.
"They're just jealous because you're special," she told Nicolai.
"Mum always says that, and I know she's right. But that didn't stop them from picking on me, did it? Not until Mary came…" A mystified sort of smile appeared on the boy's face, as if he wasn't sure if her arrival had been a good thing or bad thing. The smile brightened a bit as Nicolai decided the change was positive.
"Must be nice with her around, eh?" Ron teased. "If someone picks on you, they'll taste her knuckles!"
Nicolai looked remarkably impartial to Ron's words. "I never really minded being picked on. It's just that I didn't have any friends before she came along. I hated school because I was always lonely. Everybody was afraid to be my friend because they knew they'd get beaten up too. But she wasn't afraid."
Harry felt like something began squeezing his heart inside his chest as he heard that. Nicolai's experiences hit too close to home.
"I'm glad I have a friend now. I'd do anything for her," Nicolai said solemnly, with so much conviction that it sent chills up Harry's spine. Not many nine-year-olds anywhere would talk like that. The way he was talking to them, Harry guessed that he was gifted in more than just languages. He had to be few years ahead of his age emotionally as well.
A moment's silence followed before Hermione spoke. "But what did you mean earlier, when you said that being descended from magical beings was the real reason why purebloods think they're better than Muggle-borns or half-bloods? I don't understand. Doesn't the non-wizard blood taint the family tree in their opinion?"
"No, I think that's what defines it! That's where they're bigotry comes from, don't you see?" Nicolai hopped off the chair and began pacing around. "I've often asked myself where the bigotry comes from, and what pure blood is. Aren't Muggle-borns the pure ones, because they get it straight from the source? Aren't the so-called purebloods the weaker ones, because they produce more squibs the longer they go without importing fresh blood into their families?
"I know this must have crossed the mind of many purebloods who sought ways to rationalise and defend their views," Nicolai continued, pacing like a professor giving a lecture. "The way I see it, the one thing that sets a so-called pureblood apart from a Muggle-born wizard, is impurity. Traces of non-human blood. What sets me apart from you, Miss Granger, is my Incubus blood, and according to the tapestry, Draconian blood. Mr Potter and Mr Weasley were on the tapestry too. They too share at least one ancestor with me, and they too have Draconian blood.
"You've experienced the power of Draconian magic firsthand today. It was awesome, wasn't it? Holly did what our magic couldn't do. And that is why the old wizarding families look down on newer ones. They reckon that they're somehow better because of their ancestors, even though there isn't a trace of that powerful magic left in their bodies." Nicolai stopped pacing and climbed back into the chair he'd been occupying.
Harry found it increasingly harder to believe that the boy was just nine years old. The way Nicolai had delivered his explanation was simply amazing. Clearly the boy was a genius, and Harry wondered why he hadn't started his magical education yet, like gifted Muggle children sometimes followed education on a higher level earlier.
"Nicolai!" Mary had appeared in the doorway and darted over to Nicolai's chair, plopping down beside him. She reached over and took his hand, interlacing her fingers with his and sliding as close to him as possible. "Where have you been?"
The boy shifted in the chair awkwardly, since Mary would have been sitting in his lap if she'd been any closer. "Uh, reading here—"
"Well, you missed something great. There was this sceptre in a hidden compartment. It was gold and covered with emeralds and sapphires. And on top it had a diamond as big as my fist…bigger even! It was a red diamond! Doc told me it could be the most expensive diamond in the world because it was flawless despite being so big. It was the biggest he's ever seen. He said it was about seven hundred and ninety carats, almost half again as big as the Cullinan One is. That's largest diamond in the British crown jewels."
"Was the diamond already cut or was it a rough one?" Hermione asked.
"It was cut…" Mary frowned as she recalled her memories. "Doc said it was an oval with one hundred and eleven facets...yeah, one, one, one, easy to remember."
"That diamond has to be worth millions upon millions!" Hermione exclaimed.
"What exactly determines how valuable a diamond is?" Harry asked.
"That depends," Nicolai said, beating Hermione to the punch. "The history and lineage of the stone is the most important factor. But if the stone were new, I'd have to say the brilliancy of the cut would be important. And the diamond has to have as few inclusions as possible. Normally a diamond is more valuable the more colourless and translucent it is."
"And I suppose rarer gemstones are more valuable too," Harry ventured.
"That's variable. Extreme rarity and erratic supply reduces the marketability of a gemstone and the prices are lower than one would expect. Fancy diamonds have this problem. Blue and green diamonds are rare, but there isn't a real demand for them, so they're less expensive than colourless diamonds. But red diamonds are an exception, even though they're fancy. I think Argyle pinks fetch a higher price than colourless diamonds too."
"So how much would you think this red diamond would fetch?" Hermione asked.
"Well, a single flawless carat of red diamond has been known to fetch as much as one hundred and eighty-five thousand Galleons."
"How d'you know all that?" Ron frowned.
"I read goblin financial newsletters to practice my Gobbledegook," Nicolai explained. "They're always talking about precious metals and gemstones."
"So one hundred and eighty-five thousand multiplied by seven hundred and ninety makes…"
"One hundred and forty-six million one hundred and fifty thousand galleons," Nicolai said after only half a second, impressing Harry ever further. "But this figure isn't accurate. The value of the gem increases more than the mere multiplication of the carat value the bigger the gem gets, as long as it remains flawless. I suppose it's as good a figure as any to work with, though."
"He's smart, isn't he?" Mary beamed, snuggling even closer to Nicolai. His awkwardness, which had temporarily been forgotten during his display of knowledge and number crunching, returned in full force. Seemingly oblivious, Mary continued. "I wonder how much Canadian dollars that would have been?"
"I'm not sure about Canadian dollars, Mary," Harry said. "The British pound to the Galleon is about three to one, so that would be…"
"F-four hundred a-and thirty-eight m-million…Mary, what is wrong with you!" Nicolai burst out, having lost his composure. You've been draping yourself over me all day. It's embarrassing!"
Mary shot off the chair as if she'd been electrocuted. "Fine, forget it. Excuse me for wanting to keep you company!" she screamed, and paced over to the bookshelves, pulling a thick book out. "Here, have another book!" she shrieked with a cracking voice and hurled the heavy book right into his face before storming out of the library.
Hermione slid off the sofa and rushed over to Nicolai, who was whimpering and clutching his nose with tearful eyes. Some blood was seeping through his fingers.
She conjured a towel with a flick of the wand. "Nicolai, I have a towel. Take away your hands…that's good!" When Nicolai removed his hands Harry saw that Mary had got him good. Hermione pressed the towel against the bottom of his nose. Then, with the towel stemming the blood flow Hermione's quick wand work fixed Nicolai's nose. "There, all better." A stream of water from her wand wet the clean end of the towel. "Wipe the blood off your face and hands…"
"I don't know what's wrong with her!" Nicolai huffed as he cleaned himself up.
"You're a very smart boy. I think you do!" Hermione smirked.
Nicolai's cheeks turned pink. "But I didn't ask her to start crushing on me just because I pulled her out of the lake. I like Mary very much, but I don't feel the same way. It's not right! This shouldn't happen until puberty, right? She's only eight and I'm nine."
"He's right!" Harry grinned. "What is it with girls anyway? I remember this girl crushing on Dudley in third grade. Scrawny little thing, even smaller than I was. Embarrassed the daylights out of him…"
"Girls can get attached to people without hormones being involved!" Hermione said icily. "I seriously doubt Mary is having impure thoughts about Nicolai." She turned back to the confused boy. "You've been her only friend since she arrived in Concordia, and you saved her life today! Don't worry, I'm sure her crush will pass. But you could have been a bit more tactful just now."
"I…yeah, you're right. I'd better go find her and apologise." Nicolai sighed.
"Clearly, we have a genius in our midst. The two of you would never have realised that so quickly!" Hermione jibed.
"Really?" Ron asked with a devilish grin. "Well if that's how you feel about things, he'll be of age in eight years!"
Harry burst out laughing at Nicolai's shocked expression.
"So what d'you reckon?" Ron asked after Nicolai had left the library and Hermione had settled back into his arms. "D'you think Ironheart was right about Mary being his future granddaughter-in-law? I think it's a bit early to tell. Both of them are still so young."
"I think the commander might be right, if she doesn't beat him to death in a temper tantrum first!" Hermione giggled. "But seriously, it depends on how often they see each other. For now, Nicolai is the boy next door, but they might grow apart again if they go to different schools. Most of us tend to pair up when we're at school."
Harry struggled to keep his face impassive. Another thing he'd never had the chance to do, though it was something that others simply took for granted. And now it was too late.
"But not all of us," Ron countered. Thankfully neither he nor Hermione had been paying any attention to Harry. "Look at Percy and Hannah, and Wood and Parvati. Bill and Fleur didn't even go to the same school. And about Wood and Parvati, did you hear?"
Harry recalled his conversation with Seamus. "And Parvati's pregnant again too. Wood certainly didn't waste any time, because they're due in early April. That'll be less than a year after Oliver Jr."
"They?"
"Parvati's expecting twins. You know, back at Hogwarts I overheard Wood talking about starting his own Quidditch team just like the Parkins family of the Wigtown Wanderers. I thought he was joking, but now I reckon he could've been serious. D'you think Parvati knows what he's up to? That'll be seven kids, and knowing Wood he'll probably want some reserves too."
The mental image of Parvati wading through eleven little Woods inevitably brought a smile to Harry's face. "Oh yes, Seamus told me. Hey, remember how Lavender predicted that Parvati would have eleven children?"
"Do I ever!" Ron laughed. "That's the day Professor Trelawney inhaled the wrong fumes and jumped out of the window."
"Oh, there you are," Gavin Carey strolled into the library. He looked extremely tired.
"You okay?" Harry asked.
"Matsu won't believe Mayumi's her twin. She thinks Mayumi's a clone or something."
"I guess that answers the question on whether or not she knew about Mayumi," Ron said. "Who broke the news to her, anyway?"
"That's the problem…Mayumi. She visited Matsu without telling Commander Ironheart first. Needless to say she was hurt when her sister didn't believe her. I don't know what she expected. Bugger, I'm sure the commander would have convinced Matsu easily. Mayumi made things unnecessarily difficult."
"Yes she did, but I think I can understand why she did it," Hermione said. "She grew up as an only child and she told us she'd always wanted a sister. She never considered that things could go badly. And I'm sure Matsu's rearing didn't help matters either. With all the back-stabbing, both in the political and literal sense, they must have taught her to be suspicious of almost anything. A mirror image of yourself suddenly claiming to be your long lost twin certainly qualifies."
Gavin nodded. "I reckon you're right. Anyway, that's not what I'm here for. Gudrun and Matt are about to undergo the continuation ritual of the Consanguinity Charm. Nearly everyone is going to be there. The repairs to the Notus will be put on hold for about an hour. That's how long Aberforth reckons it will take. He'll be performing the ritual because he's the only one who can read the appropriate scrolls."
Hermione bolted up from the sofa. "We don't want to miss this, do we?" she reached down and pulled Ron to his feet, and they left the library together.
Harry started to leave, but stopped as he saw the small Ranger's troubled expression. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Gavin shook his head. "I'm going to lose her, Harry. Commander Ironheart says it's only a matter of time before her family will come to collect her. Marrying me would have been difficult enough if she hadn't been a princess. Now it's downright impossible. They would never accept it."
"She could always abdicate." Harry tried not to sound as uncertain as he felt while he said that.
"We both know she won't. Too many things are at stake. She won't abandon her own people if they need her. That's not like her."
Harry knew all about Mayumi's sense of duty, but he thought that wasn't any reason to give up hope. "What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well. Don't give up yet, mate."
"You sound just like Aberforth," Gavin said ruefully. "I know I don't have a snowball's chance in hell, but thanks for the moral support. You, on the other hand, still have a chance to save your relationship. You still haven't talked to Ginny yet, have you? Come on, maybe you can talk to Ginny before the ritual starts."
Harry followed silently, not feeling quite as confident.
***
Author's note: Catch any new references, anyone? :-) Thanks for the reviews. I even got a critical one this time! I've always dreamt of reaching the 600 mark. Looks like I'm getting there. All right, people, normally the updates take 10 to 12 days. But if you guys take me to 605 before that, I'll update sooner. That's right, for the next chapter, you get to decide how quickly you read it. Now if you try to be clever and post several reviews under different names, I won't count them. If you have an account here and ff.net, log in and leave a signed review…those will count for sure. I also have a good idea which of my regulars don't have an account. (So of course I'll count your names even if they're not signed reviews.) Of course, If their name turns up several times I'll know there has been foul play and I won't update.
(With this I'm aiming at the sixty odd people who have me on their favourites list but never reviewed. Sure, I'm flattered that you think my story is good enough to be added to your favourites, but I'd also like to know what you think. Critique is welcome, as long as constructive. Never mind that others may have said it before. If you share their opinion, I want to know.)
Okay, enough talk about of that shameless quest for more reviews. Ii really isn't only about getting more reviews, though. It's also about getting feedback. You'll see what I mean when I answer one of the last reviewers for chapter 26.
BidDaddy753: I was only a matter of time before Harry would find out about Wolfe. Believe me, their encounter will be spectacular.
StarWest45: Okay, so there's a slightly lighter tone to the story right now. It won't last.
CTR: Chalk up Harry's perceptiveness to his training. He's changed and grown. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have survived the trials of his life as a Ranger. I'm just being realistic.
nycgal: Uh, I think Mary to Gudrun.
Gogirl: Oh they'll talk, don't worry. *evil cackle*
Lioness-07863: You said you understand why Ginny is jealous, but the question you asked immediately after that proves that you don't. As for why it took Harry so long to figure out about Wolfe, I'll tell you a story.
A professor asked his students to count all the passes made during a basketball game. During the game, a guy wearing a gorilla costume interrupted play by running across the court. When he asked them if they'd seen that guy, ninety percent of the student said, 'What guy?'
The moral of the story: If you're concentrating so hard on certain things, odds are you'll miss other nuances.
Siri Kat: Don't worry, I won't abandon this story.
Lamina Court: Actually, If you read my answer to Lioness-07863's review, you'll see that I could have gotten away with it. As for Ginny's behaviour; even though I understand your frustration (and revel in it), I think I'm being realistic. Shortly after night of perfection with Harry, BOOM, Holly shows up and Ginny's dreams come crashing down.
This goes for all of you who complained about Ginny's behaviour: See what I wrote above? I understand why you guys are frustrated with Ginny. But you honestly can't expect her to shrug it off and go on, as if nothing had happened, can you? She's only human. You can't expect her to be the paragon of perfection Heck, it could have been much worse! I know I'm asking for critique, you guys aren't seeing the bigger picture. Foxfur did, though. :-)
LadySiri: Hey, not a bad word about men! I happen to be one, remember?
Stefanie: I'll do my best, but I don't think I'll have it finished this summer. Early autumn probably.
bane: Ah, don't worry about it. All is forgiven. And I'm somewhat of a philosophical hobbyist. Most quotes come from other sources. I can't really attribute it to one source because that's the essence of philosophy. The same things repeated over the centuries by different people using different words.
Philip: Not really. My Galatea is names after the nymph. (Notice her sister's names: Perse, Thetis, Calypso…all sea nymphs.) I wasn't consciously likening Max and Galatea's relationship the Pygmalion and Galatea (the statue), but now that you mention it I see the resemblance. ;-)
Lord Dreadnault: Ah, but is he perfectly willing to love her? Would he do anything to get her back? Anything?
Jayen: Mel? What's the pen name? I think I know who you're talking about, but I can't be completely sure.
stupidx: Do you know what you're saying? No one deserves what Heidi did to Ginny. And no, there can't be a Harry Potter fic without Harry. Sure, you could write it, but it wouldn't be half as good. As for characters being brought back: Nathan stayed dead, didn't he?"
Foxfur: Yeah, of course you were right about Hermione. But I couldn't tell you beforehand. And hallelujah for your assessment on Ginny (and Harry). I wish the others were so enlightened.
Petals: Welcome back. I missed you.
Casual Reader: I just used Hermione's injury as a short-term dramatic twist. It was never meant to become a sub plot.
Lady Reaper of the Shadows: Yeah. ;-)
Jane Grey: Ah, your critique is a breath of fresh air. I wish I got more of these. Allow me to address your points.
1) Harry's dream was a joke. :-) And yes, in retrospect I can see how it disrupted the flow of the story. 2) Harry's jealously wasn't what I intended to highlight. I wanted to bring out the difference between Matt and Malfoy. I suppose I could have phrased it differently to get a better result. I'll pay closer attention in the future. 3) Glad you like the way I brought the knowledge of Wolfe's survival.