Chapter Fifteen: Tough Decisions

Harry walked down the main street. The sidewalks were gone, and the rubble was smoking. Ron and Bill walked on either side of him. Ginny and Hermione walked behind, tears in their eyes as they looked around at what had been a small English village. The village that Harry had grown up in.

"Hey! You lot! You can't be here! It's too dangerous, there's been a gas explosion, you know!"

Harry looked at the uniformed muggle police officer who approached them.

"I have family here," Harry said.

"Not anymore you don', lad..." the man said, stopping three feet away. There was pity in his eyes. "Look, I'm sure the authorities will be in touch..."

"I am the authorities..." Harry said quietly, waving his hand before the man, then moving on past him. The police officer gave his head a shake, looked around and, without appearing to even see them, and moved on.

"Harry..." Ginny moved up next to him, taking his hand. "Harry, there is nothing left..."

"The house is up this street, Gin..." Harry continued on, gripping her hand tightly.

"Harry..."

"I need to see, Ginny," he looked down at her, the tortured look in his eyes convincing her that she would never change his mind. "I need to see."

"Okay, Harry," she agreed quietly, stepping carefully through the debris and following him. The others came behind.

Turning up the street where Malcolm and Marion's house was once located, Hermione gasped.

"Dear Merlin!"

The street was razed. There wasn't a house left standing, and not a sign of life anywhere.

Harry continued up the street, and came to pause in front of a pile of red brick. There was a high-pitched metallic squeal coming from under the pile... somewhere.

"What is that?" Ron said, his eyes searching the pile for the source of the noise.

"Fire detector..." Hermione said quietly. "A muggle device... they're battery operated.... it will do that until the battery dies."

A moment later, it did just that, the sound warbling out to nothingness. It gave them all a queer feeling... as though they'd been witness to death.

Which, they were, really. The death of a village and all in it.

Harry took a deep breath, still staring at the pile of rubble that had been his childhood home, and the home of his last remaining blood family. Malcolm and Marion were more than likely dead. Unless they hadn't been home at the time of the attack, which coming at three in the morning seemed unlikely.

No. They were dead. Harry knew this with everything in him. Every instinct he had told him that the Death Eaters razed the entire village with one purpose in mind.

To strike a blow at Harry.

This, too, would be on his conscience. It was one more reason...

"Malfoy," Harry spat in an undertone. "I swear to Merlin, you've done your last!"

Back at Potter Manor, Bill was quickly on the phone with Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was at the scene in Surrey with a team of aurors. They were trying to piece together what had happened while trying to keep out of sight of the muggle authorities. Harry had placed a call to the muggle police station in the next village, and had inquired after his cousin. As expected, the police had told him that no survivors had been found as of yet, but that they would keep his name on record as the Rivers' family's next of kin.

Harry then paced in his office, from the window to the desk to the bookshelves and back. For over an hour, he paced, getting angrier and angrier as he did so. By the time Ron opened the door just before lunch, Harry had worked up a good head of steam.

"I can't do this anymore, Ron." Harry said firmly. "Something has to be done, and it's my job to do it. This is going to end."

"Harry..."

"Bloody Malfoy..." Harry said. "I should have killed the little bastard the night of the final battle... I would have, too..."

"And lived with that for the rest of your life? Harry, come on..."

"What would be better, Ron? Living with the fact of killing off Malfoy, or living with the death of every person, every child, he's killed since? They'd all be alive if I had..."

"Not necessarily, Harry. You know it was only a matter of time. Malfoy isn't the only Dark Wizard in the world."

"No," Harry agreed. "But he's one I could have done something about."

"So?" Ron said, flopping down on the sofa and settling in for a long discussion. He knew Harry in these moods, and not much talking would get done, but it would take hours for Harry to come to any conclusions, and when he did, Ron would be there to listen.

Harry, however, surprised him.

"I'm going to call for the reinstatement of auror raids on suspected Dark arts families. It's got to stop, and the only way is to stop them before they attack. Attack first."

Ron looked at him speculatively. This didn't sound like the Harry of a few weeks ago.

"I doubt you'll get them all that way," Ron said quietly.

"I may not," Harry said, his voice firm, his eyes hard. "But I'll take a few of the bastards out before I go."

Ron sucked in a breath as he watched his friend exit the room. Exactly what the hell did Harry mean by that?

Ginny walked down the hallway on her way to the twins' room to put away some laundry, only to pause. What was that noise? It sounded like...

Suddenly sure of what she heard, she rushed through Hermione and Ron's room into their ensuite. There, crouched in front of the toilet, was Hermione.

She was retching and grasping the sides of the bowl, and Ginny moved to her, dropping the laundry she was carrying and pulling the other woman's hair gently back from her face.

"Mione?"

"Ginny..." Mione gasped through her tears. "Don't tell Ron..."

"Of course not, love," Ginny stroked her clammy forehead before straightening and turned on the cold water tap.

"He's so worried about Harry, and so am I, but he won't let me go when they need me to, if he knows..."

"Knows what, Mione...?"

"Oh, Ginny... I have a bad feeling about this," Hermione cried as Ginny handed her a dampened cloth.

"Mione...?"

"It's going to get so much worse..."

"I know," Ginny sighed. "But making yourself sick...that's not going to help."

"I can't help it. After what we saw this morning..."

"I know."

"No, you don't," Mione said. "I've been there, Gin. I've been in war zones where entire villages were wiped out, like we saw this morning. I've seen that before.... it's going to get worse. Much, much worse."

Ginny sighed. "I think you ought to lie down for a while. Ron will freak if he finds out you've been ill..."

"He'll freak if he finds out I've been napping in the middle of the day," Hermione got to her feet, swaying slightly with dizziness before grasping the edge of the sink. "He'll be convinced I'm dying."

"Oh, Mione..." Ginny's eyes filled with tears. "I don't think anyone realized before just how much you've seen... I'm sorry."

"It's not just that, Gin," she said softly. "Come on, Harry and Ron need us."

Bill came in later that day with the news that another ministry official had been caught in "suspicious circumstances" at the Ministry. Apparently, he had been trying to get several non-ministry people in through the security floo, and failed. This time, it was a minor official from the Magical Elections office.

Harry, once again pacing in his office, had skipped dinner. Ginny knocked on the door and then entered without waiting for him to acknowledge her. It was time something was done.

"Ginny..."

"You need to eat, Harry."

"I can't," Harry said. "I have to... I have to talk to David and Susan, and I might have to go into the Ministry..."

"And starving yourself isn't going to do anyone any good, Harry Potter," she said firmly, placing the tray on his desk and guiding him over to sit down.

Immediately, he was back on his feet and moving around the desk, pacing again.

"I... did I make a mistake...?"

"No, Harry."

"Two in the last twenty four hours, Gin! Ministry officials!"

"Harry..."

"Bloody hell, my own people, Ginny!"

"Not your people, Harry."

He turned confused, angry eyes towards her.

"These people, these dark wizards, they've never been your people, Harry. You've always fought for the Light. Anyone against that isn't your people, and never has been, no matter which office they hold."

"Gavin Pierce, Ginny. He's been.... he's been with the Ministry since before the Final Battle with Voldemort. He was... he knew Dumbledore..."

"I'm beginning to believe that Dumbledore mightn't have had the best judgment, Harry." Ginny said dryly. "I mean, really, he did have a way of trusting those who were particularly untrustworthy, didn't he? Look at Langley Griffin... even Draco. He never would believe anything negative about Draco."

"Oh, he believed it, Gin," Harry said, sighing. "He just couldn't do anything about it. I, however, can."

"How so?" Ginny asked gently.

"I can deal with Draco, and his filthy little minions. He's got nothing on Voldemort... or even Mahood. Draco is small potatoes. The problem is that we don't know who his followers are..."

"So what do we do about that?" Ginny asked.

Harry looked at her for a moment, knowing she wasn't going to like his answer.

"We reinstate the raiding policy on the homes of those suspected to have connections to the Dark arts."

"What?" she looked at him, shocked.

"You heard me, Gin. It's the only way."

"Harry... you...."

"Ginny, can you think of any other way to discourage them from following him, other than using their fear of what they might lose personally from it?"

Ginny sighed. "No."

"Right then. Historically, we've learned that the only way to hit them so they take notice is to take their things. So, we bring back the raiding policy. If it even discourages one, and that one then doesn't have the opportunity to commit one murder, then it will be worth it, right?"

"Right," Ginny agreed. She agreed with him, she really did. But she was also fully aware of what this was going to cost Harry personally. And that, she was not looking forward to.

"You have been convicted of the crime of High Treason," Harry didn't take his eyes from the stoney face of the young wizard standing before him. "It pains me to think of your life being wasted... I find it very difficult to pass sentence on you for this crime, but I have to say that you committed it knowing the consequences. It is wizarding law that anyone who commits High Treason shall be executed for their crime. I... I do not wish to pass this sentence. The reality of it is a terrible thing, but it is our law.

"Michael Vincent Rooney," Harry continued. "You are hereby sentenced to death, to be carried out within the next three days. Dismissed."

Harry was shaking as he made his way from the courtroom back to his office. Ramona saw his white face as he passed her, and quietly followed him in.

"Minister?" she said quietly. "Harry?"

"I'm okay, Ramona," Harry said from the darkened room. The blinds were all pulled, and he had cast some sort of darkening charm. He was slumped in the corner of the sofa.

Ramona came to stand in front of him. "Can I get you anything? Tea?"

"No. Thank you," he said quietly. "I've just had to do one of the hardest... I'm sorry. I'll be fine."

"If you need anything..."

"I'll call. Thank you, Ramona."

Ramona left the room, pulling the door closed behind her. After a moment's hesitation, she moved to her desk and picked up the phone.

Ginny was there in minutes. She had grabbed her wand, but nothing else, and had flooed directly to the main Ministry floo and found the main hall of the Ministry of Magic absolutely jam-packed with reporters. Knowing full well why they were there, she pulled the hood of her cloak up and made her way through the crowd towards Harry's offices.

She found Ramona holding back a group of reporters who were insisting on speaking to Harry to get his comments on his controversial sentence. Smiling, Ginny cast a sonorus charm on the pretty secretary and suddenly the young woman's voice filled the outer office.

"I have told you that the Minister isn't accepting visitors or giving interviews at the moment. He will be making a statement to the press later, but until then, you are wasting your time."

This didn't satisfy the reporters, who turned on Ginny as she pulled down her hood, revealing her identity.

"Go in, go in!" Ramona said. "I'll handle this lot. You're needed inside."

"Thank you, Ramona," Ginny said, nodding to the girl. "Thank you for calling me."

Ramona nodded and Ginny proceeded into the office, finding herself in blackness as soon as she shut the door behind her.

"Harry?"

Silence.

"Harry, I know you're here. Ramona called me."

Still silence. Ginny shook her head and lifted her wand.

"Lumos," she said, and suddenly the room was lighted by the soft glow coming from the end of her wand.

"Ginny," Harry said quietly from the couch. "Please put it out."

"Why? So I can trip on my way over to you? I don't think so, Mr Potter."

Harry was silent. He didn't look up from where he was slouched on the sofa.

"Harry," Ginny sat down beside him, looking at him despite the fact that he couldn't meet her eyes. "Look at me."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because," he said softly. "Because I can't bear to see the disgust in your eyes."

"Why would I be disgusted?"

"Ginny, I ordered a man's death today. "

Ginny nodded. "I can imagine that must be difficult to bear," she said softly. "But I still don't understand why you would think I would be disgusted with you."

Harry turned and looked at her, his eyes full of pain. "How can you possibly love me, after this?"

Ginny smiled, "Because you're you. I don't look at what you've done and judge it, Harry, I look at the reasons you feel compelled to do what needed to be done. I know you don't take any pleasure from it, and I know that if you did, you wouldn't be the man I loved. I agree with you. This can't be easy, and there are few out there, I think, who would be equal to doing what must be done. But you said it yourself, ours was a safer world when these laws were enforced... and our world needs to stop living in fear."

"I ordered the death of a twenty eight year old wizard today!"

"Yes," she smiled sadly. "There are few wizards who could have done what you've had to do, Harry. Your strength amazes me."

"I'm not strong, Ginny!" he stood and began to pace. "I'm bloody disgusted with myself! With this... this world that requires this of me... Michael Rooney is twenty eight. Do you understand that? He entered Hogwarts the year that Meg was born. He's a child."

"No, Harry. He's a Dark Wizard, from a Dark Wizarding family, and a follower of the Dark Lord."

"He's still..."

"Harry, have you read the report from the young guard? The one who stunned him?"

"I... yes," he admitted, clearly knowing full well where she was going with this.

"Then you read the part about what Rooney was in the process of doing when the guard hit him with that stunner?"

"Yes," Harry admitted tiredly, sitting back down next to her.

"Harry," Ginny placed her hands on his arm. "He was casting the death spell at that guard. It was only because of the young man's good reflexes that he managed to dodge it, and throw the stunner at him. Or he would be dead."

"Yes."

"If he had managed to kill the guard, would you feel differently?"

"I... I don't know, Gin," Harry held his head in his hands.

"Do you believe that Draco deserves to die for what he did during the last battle?"

"Yes," Harry agreed after a moment.

"Then tell me, why this Death Eater deserves to live, and Draco deserves to die... when their crimes are, essentially, the same?"

"Because," Harry looked at her. "Rooney isn't guilty of anything that I haven't done, Gin. I've done a lot worse. He's never killed anyone. I have. He's never..."

"Harry, you've done what you had to, knowing the consequences. So did he."

"I'm not so sure that he did. That he realized..."

"Harry, he's a Death Eater. Do you think he would have cared?"

Harry was silent.

"To me, there were two reasons to bring back the death penalty and the High Treason Laws. The first was to dissuade others from following the Dark by showing them that there were dire consequences to hurting innocents. The second was to remove the danger from our society. Draco wouldn't be alive to be doing this, to be causing this, if we had had these laws in place twenty years ago."

"Agreed," Harry said after a moment.

"So, if those laws had been in place, many people, innocents, would still be alive who are now dead at his hand, right?"

"Yes."

"If these laws had been in place, and Draco had been convicted of breaking them, would he have deserved the sentence?"

"Absolutely," Harry agreed.

"So why should it be different for Rooney?"

"He's so young, Gin..."

"Draco was nineteen when he caused Dumbledore's death, when he used the Impervious on Hermione. Nineteen, Harry."

"But so was I," Harry said softly.

Loved all the reviews this time.... keep them coming!

Shotgunn: The name Rooney just came to me... Although Wayne Rooney (who plays for Man U and the English national team, is an AMAZING player! Harry needed to put his past to rest, which was the main reason behind Malcolm's appearance in the story, I think, but – hey – you never know, do you?

Katherine Rose: Blame my muse, and pray she doesn't hit a dry spell – I certainly am, as I'm pretty sure I'd be hunted down, drawn and quartered...

Gorman99: It's strange... I go through these spells where the story just comes... thanks for the kind words!

James Milamber: I've figured it out. You're a night owl, and Milamber and Jonas are morning people...er... muses... so that's why we've been waiting so bloody long for an update on HPMM, right? Either way, thanks for your sweetness, sweetness.

Pdlegirl: Thanks! Snape is one of my favorite characters to write, alongside the Harry/Ron banter. I like cliffies, also, but I know that the key to a good cliffie is a quick update (I believe in curses, and I don't want to risk it!) -- happily, my muse seems to be cooperating this week...

Gigifanfic: Thanks, Gigi! Hope you enjoy this one!

Merlindamage: Quick enough? Sorry – I think I missed a day....

Elise: Potter Manor is getting rather full, I think!

Whimsical Firefly: I'll check out that book, thanks! Any comments are welcome, you know that – I appreciate all of them, even the critical ones!

Larna Mandrea: Wow – I have superpowers! I can make math class bearable – I really wish I'd had that when I was in school, let me tell you. I had one math teacher who literally put us to sleep every day (think Professor Binns... but older and more boring) and the next year I had a math teacher who smoked a joint before every class and his room smelled REALLY weird... wasn't until about three years out of school that I figured it out – it was incense to cover the rather more recognizable scent...

Saerry Snape: Yes – I can see how that can happen. Rather an interesting way to die, I would imagine. So much better than toddling off in your sleep, for instance...

CQ