Disclaimer/Author's Note: Congratulations to those who spotted the B5 and Matrix references in the previous two chapters. Yes, I shamelessly borrowed moments from those sources, and credit goes to the parties responsible for their creation. And sorry for the delay, noble readers. I tried to update yesterday, but the Internet demons had other plans.
Chapter 6
"I curse you, Maximilian Wolfe!" Medea Aconit screeched, straining in the chains that kept her bound tightly to the wall. "I will have my revenge, I will deprive you of that which you hold most dear—"
"Don't make any promises you can't keep," Wolfe said disdainfully. "In the unlikely event that you manage to escape again, I'll be right there to put you back in your cage before you manage to hurt anyone." With a nod to the dwarf guard, he authorised the stunning. The dwarf pressed a button in a panel in the wall, and the witch briefly twitched in her chains as a Stunning Hex coursed through the chains. Then she fell silent, hanging limply in the chains.
"She's very creative, so don't bother enervating her when she reaches Azkaban. She might try to escape. Time will wear the stunner off, " Ironheart told Deputy Chief Nel.
"Did you see an escape plan in her mind?" the constable asked.
"She was too angry to think clearly, but like I said, she's very creative. She's escaped once before, and given half a chance, she will do so again."
Nel gave Ironheart a curious look. "How could she possibly come up with an escape plan? People can't do that when they're stunned."
"She doesn't need a plan," Ironheart said impatiently. "She only needs an opportunity. She's skilled in several martial arts and poses quite a threat, unless her limbs are securely chained behind her back… You know, you'd better stun her again shortly before arrival at Azkaban. We didn't take a blood sample, but it's possible that she ingested a potion that could help her recover from a stunner more quickly." He regarded Nel thoughtfully. "I sense that you're not taking me seriously. Perhaps I should send some of my own people along to make sure she doesn't slip away."
"That won't be necessary," Nel said quickly. "I'll make sure that your instructions are followed."
Wolfe shot the constable a dark look. "I know you don't intend to escort her to Azkaban personally, so how did you intend to make sure that the commander's instructions are followed? Can you be sure that your subordinates stun her as per instructions, or will they fail to take you seriously, like you failed to take us seriously just now? The odds of that happening are fairly high, considering that you were thinking about sending very inexperienced constables to guard her. She may not look very threatening, but she's killed a lot of people and evaded capture for a very long time. And I assure you that it wasn't only a matter of luck, or any incompetence on our part!"
The combined verbal assault of Wolfe and his grandfather produced results, and the constable got the point. "Very well, I'll relay your request to Chief Garibaldi, and ask him if I can personally escort the prisoner to Azkaban."
"Good man!" Ironheart nodded, and stalked off, leaving Harry and Wolfe at the high security cell.
Harry sighed. He would have felt much better if he'd been allowed to personally throw Medea Aconit to the Dementors, or if some Rangers had been assigned to the task. However, this task always befell the City Watch, and Harry knew that the Order of Illumination's interference would suggest to some folks that the Rangers believed the constables of the City Watch to be incompetent.
"You all right, kid?" Wolfe asked, as they made their up to the City Watch Headquarters' reception hall.
Harry nodded. "Thanks for protecting Ginny. I really owe you one."
"You chose me to be the Guardian. I was only doing my job."
Glancing up at Wolfe, Harry found his face impassive. "I'm serious. This is the second time you've saved Ginny."
"Don't mention it. I have a debt to you that I can never pay off."
"Consider it paid."
Wolfe stopped and turned to face Harry. "When I briefly overcame the parasitic personality and urged you to kill me, you still didn't give up on the possibility of my survival. I'm not sure I would have been so steadfast. That's what makes you better than me, and that's why I'll never consider my debt to you repaid."
Harry fell in step with him as they resumed walking. He knew that nothing he could say would change Wolfe's mind, so he allowed his mind to wander back to the events that had taken place earlier that day. As it turned out, the leaders of the Thieves' Fellowship hadn't allowed Medea Aconit into the city. It had been the work of an impatient and not too intelligent lieutenant in the Fellowship, who thought he wasn't being promoted quickly enough. He had allowed Medea Aconit passage to the city, and in exchange she was going to kill enough senior crooks to allow the lieutenant to ascend within the Fellowship's ranks. It had never occurred to the silly sod that Medea would want to keep her brief intrusion into Nomad Island a secret, and that he'd probably be killed after she'd done her job.
A little while after first arriving in Concordia, Harry had wondered why the Order of Illumination allowed this Fellowship to continue to exist. Commander Ironheart had explained to him that, unlike many other criminals, this guild had something resembling a code of conduct—well, actually more of a guideline that kept them from descending into total moral barbarism. The Fellowship also formed a front that allowed them to keep out certain elements that would be decidedly more damaging to life in Concordia.
"Wolfe, I just realised something."
"You need to beef up the wards around our homes."
This caught Harry by surprise. He hadn't been sharing his thoughts with Wolfe, but Wolfe had correctly summarised his thoughts.
Wolfe read his astonished expression and smiled. "I had the same epiphany after Robert was born. Some of the bad guys we chase are going to hold grudges, and yes, they might go after our families because of it. You've seen the magical aura around my home. There aren't many wizards alive who can break those wards. And despite what you might think in light of today's events, Concordia is still a safer place than England."
"I reckon you're right."
"I've given this a lot of thought," Wolfe admitted. "I even have Doc working on a new device. It's a Portkey bracelet that senses and reacts to threats to the person wearing them, whether or not he's aware—a bit like a foe-glass, really. We could get our kids to wear them for added protection."
"Don't they already exist?"
"Yes, but these are much smaller."
"How is it coming along?"
"Not too well. Doc knows how to make them, but the powerful magic it requires to create the bracelet's detection magic limits it to a single teleportation, after which the thing becomes useless." Wolfe threw his arm around Harry's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, though. Our kids will be safe, and you're forgetting the most powerful deterrent."
"Which is?"
"Our new powers are a cause for great concern in the underworld. There aren't many people out there who would risk the consequences of abducting our children. And those who try will be the foolish ones who don't realistically stand a chance."
Harry smiled. Though Wolfe was being a bit boastful, there was plenty of truth to his words. Ever since the destruction of Draco and Anastasiou, the Order's foes almost always surrendered at the sight of him and Wolfe. The swift defeat of those who didn't surrender immediately only served to reinforce that trend. "C'mon, let's go home and wash up. I've got to spend some time with the Weasleys because one of my nieces has her birthday today. After that, we've got a stag party to throw."
*
Ginny was grateful that Matt had allowed the Weasleys to use his courtyard for little Scarlett's second birthday party. It wasn't really a courtyard, though everyone regarded it as one. According to Matt there used to be a house there, but it had burned down shortly before Nathan and Helga moved there. Since no new house had been built there, Matt bought the property and erected a wall that spanned from his house to Wolfe's. A heavy door that could only be opened from the inside provided access to the street. Since both their houses were backed against the large wall that separated the city's third tier from the second one, it became an enclosed square that was shared by the Kellys and the Wolfes.
"I like what you've done with this courtyard. That mosaic covering the walls is so beautiful," Molly said, admiring patterns.
"It is, isn't it?" Gudrun smiled. "It was done by dwarves."
"And the enchantment on this ceiling must have cost a fortune," Molly continued, gazing upwards. "I've only seen something like this at Hogwarts."
A year ago, Matt had secured permission from the city officials to expand his attic into a complete floor. It jutted out from the main structure of the house, supported by heavy pillars and covering about one-quarter of the courtyard. However, Matt had decided that he wanted to look at the sky when sitting under this outcropping, and hired the best charmers to do the job. In fact, Matt had turned his middle-class home into a pocket mansion, raising the value of all the other houses in the neighbourhood at the same time.
"What can I say? My husband may not have been raised to be a snob, but he certainly has a taste for the finer things in life. I suppose he'll never really blot out the fact that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth."
"More like a jewel-encrusted platinum spoon," Ron said, stepping in and throwing his arm around Ginny. She jumped a little, startled by his sudden appearance. "So, feeling pre-wedding jitters yet?"
"No, Ron!" Ginny rolled her eyes with exasperation. "I'm marrying the man of my dreams, yet I'm perfectly calm. Of course I'm a bit jumpy."
"Be nice, Robert!" Galatea's melodious voice rang over the regular din of conversation, chastising her eldest son. Her accent had sounded unusually heavy, though the fact that she reverted from a rapid French conversation with her cousin to address her son probably had something to do with it. Little Robert immediately let go of the ear of the Wolfe family's Crup, Caesar, and began to gently pet the animal's head, encouraging his slightly younger second cousin Alan to do the same. Fleur and Galatea watched their offspring with gooey expressions, and that subtle feeling of longing returned to Ginny.
"I hope you and Matt don't move away anytime soon," she said. "It would be nice for my children to play here, too."
Her mum's eyes went wide. "Ginny, are you trying to tell us something?"
"Honestly, Mum, if I were pregnant I'd tell you! I was talking about the future."
"Well, no need to bite my head off," Molly huffed. Then her eyes narrowed as she shifted her gaze to her youngest son. "Ron dear, you and Hermione have been married for over a year now. I'm sure the Grangers are wondering about grandchildren…"
Ginny fought to keep a straight face. While the Grangers probably wanted some grandchildren to spoil sometime in the future, she had a feeling that they weren't half as eager as her mother. Ron glared at Ginny, silently accusing her of bringing up the subject.
"Mum," he began. "I think that's a question for Hermione."
Ginny quickly took a gulp of butterbeer to stifle an upcoming giggle. She knew that her mum would follow Ron's instruction to the letter, and she knew that Hermione would not appreciate Ron's referral to her as the source for the answers.
"Well, what's the hurry, really?" Gudrun asked. "You already have thirteen beautiful grandchildren."
"It never hurts to have more, dear," Molly said. "I'm sure your mother feels that same way I do."
"She does," Gudrun admitted. "She can't get enough of them. I sent her loads of pictures, and I arrange for a meeting at Caer Sidi at least three times a year, so she can see Mary and Rachel."
"Things would be much easier if Muggle relatives were allowed in Concordia, wouldn't it?"
"It sure would, Mrs Weasley," Gudrun sighed. "Especially since there's no telling how long a life my mother has left."
Molly smiled briefly. "Call me Molly, dear. There are four other Mrs Weasleys here—it'll avoid needless confusion. I'm so sorry to hear about your mother. She isn't well?"
Gudrun shook her head sadly. "The Muggles have ways to delay the inevitable, but she won't live as long as she would normally have been able to. Her disease seems to be in spontaneous remission, though. Those things happen, but they rarely last two years. Her doctors can't explain it. Like it's some sort of miracle—" A frown appeared on Gudrun's face as she pondered the possibility. She glanced over at Matt, who seemed to be discussing Quidditch with Charlie Sr. "Or some type of sorcery."
"But wouldn't that be against the law?" Molly gasped.
"You know something about this, don't you, Ron?" Gudrun said slowly, giving Ron an icy-cold stare. Ginny glanced at her brother, who was squirming uncomfortably next to her.
"Well—err—hypothetically," he began hesitantly. "It wouldn't be illegal to give a Muggle an amulet that freezes a disease's progress indefinitely, because international wizarding law only mentions cures."
"That loophole was patched years ago, Ron," Ginny groaned. What had her brother got himself into now? "There's a long listed of banned amulets that keep disease at bay, and they're classified under cures."
Ron shrugged. "Hypothetically, there could be an amulet somewhere in an ancient vault, which predates all those laws and isn't listed anywhere. Strictly speaking, that wouldn't be illegal, would it?"
Gudrun's icy expression melted. She excused herself, strolled over to her husband, grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into the most passionate kiss Ginny had seen since their wedding.
"Wow, sweetheart, what was that for?" Matt asked after Bill and Charlie's catcalls had died down.
"Oh, nothing. Just testing a hypothesis," Gudrun replied airily.
Matt shot Ron a quizzical look, and Ron returned an 'I'll tell you later' look.
"Robert, be nice!" Galatea's voice rang out again, after a high-pitched wail came from the sandbox. Ginny glanced over to the sandbox, where Robert and Alan were playing. Little Rachel and Scarlett, the birthday girl, had joined them at some point, and Robert hastily released Rachel's pigtail from his fist and petted her head gently, like he'd done with his Crup. "Kiss and make up, Robert," Galatea continued, and her son dutifully leaned over and planted a wet one on Rachel's cheek, eliciting more coos and giggles from Fleur and Galatea.
Rachel seemed to be unimpressed by the peace offering, however, because moments later she dumped a bucketful of sand over Robert's lap. The little boy retaliated by tossing a shovel at her, striking her on the side of the head, and Rachel began to wail again. Robert, clever little lad that he was, knew he'd gone too far. He scrambled out of the sandbox and headed over to the nearest coffee table, before hurrying back with a pair of chocolate covered cookies. He offered one to Rachel, who immediately ceased her wailing and snatched it out of his hand.
Ron chuckled. "Nothing like Belgian chocolate to get a girl's forgiveness. You women try to pretend that you're so deep, but the truth of the matter is that the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach. Clever lad—took me twenty years to work that one out. Of course, a woman born to a pair of dentists is so much better at hiding that little fact, so my late discovery hardly makes me the biggest prat of the male species."
Ginny snorted. "Where did you learn about that ridiculous idea?"
"Dad hinted at it once, and I also heard it from Commander Ironheart."
Molly laughed. "I did have a bit of a weakness for pastries. I still do, actually," she added, and made her way over to where Hannah and Angelina were sitting to claim one of the delicious-looking pastries.
Ginny remembered how Aria Ironheart devoured a whole tray of pastries while trying to comfort her after Holly turned up. "I imagine Aria Ironheart's fond of them, too."
"She's fond of pastries like Mum is, is she?" Ron said darkly. Ginny wondered why Ron's mood had swung around like that, but she had no time to ponder it, because Susie and Millie latched on to her and dragged her over to the children's corner of the courtyard to show her a trick they had taught Fred. She found her nearly five-year-old nephew beaming at her with over a dozen cookies stuffed in his mouth, while his three-year-old brother and sister, Duncan and Cassidy were handing more cookies to Bill's eldest son Alroy. Their slightly older cousin was trying to find another aperture to stuff in yet another cookie, while his five-year-old sister looked on disapprovingly. Her cousin Grace, Percy's eldest, and Ginny's goddaughter, seemed to share Amelie's disapproval.
Ginny sighed. At Susie and Millie's age she too would have been inclined to find out exactly how many cookies would fit into Fred's mouth, but being an adult she knew better than to let the game continue, lest her nephew choke. "All right, that's very good, but I need you to spit out the cookies now."
"Awwww!" the Weasley children chorused. Fred's own protest was muffled by the cookies, of course. He and his sisters stalked off to join Charlie Jr and Arthur's Quaffle-tossing game, while Amelie, Alroy, Grace and the twins, trooped off to the sandbox to join Robert, Rachel, Scarlett and Alan.
Being Ginny's Maiden, Heidi later turned up to reintroduce herself to the family, and more specifically, to Ginny's mum, whose only real-live memory of Heidi was from Harry's funeral service at Hogwarts. Ginny's stories had long ago convinced her mum that Heidi was okay, and after only half an hour she was treating Heidi like one of her own. Susie and Millie even went over to ask if Heidi was related, much to the amusement of the adults.
As the afternoon drew to a close, she and Heidi sat on a cushioned wicker sofa. Heidi was giving her godson, Henry, a bottle while Ginny cradled Rose's sleeping form. While Ginny nursed a nearly empty glass of orange juice, they talked about the upcoming wedding, both giddy with anticipation since the hour of the ceremony was less than two days away. Then, for the third time that afternoon, a loud wail emanated from the sandbox.
"Robert!" Galatea said sharply, leaping up from her chair and allowing her long legs to take giant steps as she strode over to the sandbox. Ginny downed the pulpy remains of her orange juice and turned her eyes to the sandbox. She saw little Robert with his jaws locked around Duncan's lower arm, while he pried one of the wooden shovels out of the older boy's hand. When he succeeded, he triumphantly handed it to a tearful Rachel, right before his mother picked him out of the sandbox. She sat down next to Ginny and gave him a spanking.
"Oi, it's not his fault, Auntie Tea," Charlie exclaimed. "Duncan stole Rachel's shovel. He was just taking it back!"
"That-doesn't-make-it-right," Galatea said, in between spankings.
"Duncan!" Angelina called her son over, and the boy reluctantly got out of the sandbox and made his way over to his frowning mother, dragging his feet as if they were made of cement. Unlike Robert, he didn't get a spanking, though Angelina made him sit in front of her while he gave him a stern talking to about being nice to the younger children.
Robert was sitting on the floor in front of Galatea, Heidi, and Ginny, letting out an occasional sniffle, but beyond the couple of tears that flowed down his cheeks, it was the only visible sign of his misery. Rachel stepped out of the sandbox and walked over to him. She took his hand and motioned for him to stand up and follow her back to the sandbox. A quick sideways glance revealed a warm smile on Galatea's face. She obviously didn't have the heart to call Robert back, even though he was supposed to be cooling off. Before Robert and Rachel stepped back into the sandbox, she reached up and wiped Robert's tears away with her tiny, sand covered hand, leaving a few grimy streaks on his face.
Ginny caught an odd glint in Rachel's purple eyes as she tried to dry Robert's tears. All of a sudden, Ginny's sight faded, replaced by a bright white light as a particularly painful headache settled in her skull. She managed to shift her niece from her own lap to Galatea's, before her senses were with assaulted by flashes of images and sounds.
Among the visions, she saw a boy of around six years old offer his ice cream to a girl who had accidentally dropped her cone. Then there was one of two teenagers—the same people she'd seen before, but older—sharing their first kiss on a beach, under the setting sun. Time skipped ahead yet again to young adults in Ranger uniforms. The man's face was a mix of Wolfe and Galatea's, and the woman was a purple-eyed Gudrun with minor facial differences. They were sharing a laugh with some Ranger friends, a younger one among them looking a lot like Harry.
Ginny felt her headache beginning to worsen, but she was too curious to stop now. The mists of time parted again, showing the young man who looked like Harry, talking to the blue-eyed Wolfe and the purple-eyed Gudrun, who was pregnant. A red-haired woman slid under the young Harry's arm and joined the conversation. She was pregnant too, a bit farther along than the purple-eyed Gudrun. The women laughed and placed their hands on each other's bellies. And then a pair of familiar faces stepped into the picture. She saw Ron, who looked just like her dad with only a bit of red hair on an otherwise bald scalp. Harry soon followed, with a bit of grey in his hair, but looking relatively young compared to Ron. He threw his arm around his younger likeness in a fatherly way and looked into Ginny's eyes, calling her over. It was her son—their son—it had to be.
"Oh, God, Ginny! Are you all right? Answer me!"
She immediately recognised Harry's voice, but she couldn't reply. His ring felt like it was burning on her finger, though the heat didn't cause any pain. She staggered away from the bench, gesturing for Harry to keep his distance. There was a sharp pressure building just beneath her shoulder blades, as if something was pushing to get out. She willed whatever was there to come forth, and there was a brief tearing sound before she was blessed with relief.
There was a collective gasp in the courtyard, telling her that it was either something marvellously impressive or something hideously wrong.
"Mummy?" Cassidy Weasley was the first one to speak. "Mummy, is Auntie Ginny an angel?"
***
Lord Dreadnault: I don't want to spread myself too thinly over too many sites right now. I might consider posting there in the more distant future. BTW, who did the job on Bonnie Wright's eyes at SIYE? That was superb.
OHGinnyfan: Thank my beta Christine for the description of the rings.
StarWest45: Did you catch all the B5 references?
The Keymaker: Yeah, Harry's growing up and learning to do things that go against his nature, for the greater good. And I am so not better than JK.
CatatonicReaction: I've never been to Montreal. I'd like to go there sometime, though.
Gogirl: Actually, the rings are my beta Christine's doing. And so will be Ginny and Heidi's dress, which will be described in chapter 10. On another note, I have to amend my prediction. The story will be 11 chapters long. But that's the definite number, since I'm finished now. I'm working hard on the next fic. I can't predict when it'll come out, but there's going to be a bit of a gap between stories. About two months, as things are now. The gap could get bigger or smaller, depending on my inspiration. As for your review to chapter 5; Medea is actually a figure in Greek mythology. She is a sorceress who helped Jason steel the golden fleece. The fell in love and had two children, but then Jason fell in love with another woman, and Medea killed her with a poisoned gown. And in Snow White, the apple was poisoned. The corset was merely bound so tightly that she couldn't breathe. (Like in Pirates of the Caribbean.)
nycgal: I've decided not to write long and complicated stories full of subplots, like MW and EaL anymore. Instead I plan to write shorter and simpler fics. (Simpler to write that is. Not less exiting to read, I hope.)
LadySiri: You got the math wrong. Harry & Co are from 1980, as am I. :-)
The Bronze Snidget: Eh, I don't understand your comment for chapter 4. What after-effects?
Miss Frizz: Thanks. If you want to know when the next update will be check the date of the latest update, and add ten days to that.
mentosadidasgirl17: You want something to keep you busy while I work on the next fic, don't you?
KEDme: You're welcome.
Fragarach: Got yourself an account, I see.
Wolfe550e: GT net politics?
Anon: Nah, it was just The Matrix in chapter 5.
Ginny1946: Anne enjoyed that one too.
Kalen: There won't be any action like in EaL or Mind War.
jynzx: I don't know the name. But it's a bit like a wrench, and the mandibles measure the diameter of the inside of the ring.
Ferret Of Darkness: Thank you.
Alice of Wonderland: You won't have to wait too long to find out.
