H P Boy who Lives 7th year
Chapter Eleven
Morgana's influence
--
Morgana makes yet another move this time the target is Hermione.
--
Avalon
It was now Thursday and Harry was done with being six as was Draco. It was difficult enough to come up with these essays at seventeen, but at six their arms gave out after writing on twelve inches of parchment. This made finishing homework twice as difficult.
"I quit! This is useless!" Harry threw his quill down onto the desk.
"I agree with you big brother, but its not like we have much of a choice." Draco glanced over at Cameron, who was reading by the doors that led out of the Ancient Hall of Wisdom.
"Uncle Cam will be taken care of in about one minute." Harry glanced at his watch then at the doors.
"Are you plotting an escape or something?" Draco hissed.
"Yeah, something like that." Harry watched as Daisy raced through the Ancient Hall of Wisdom, passed their desks, and began dancing around her Grandfather.
"Right on schedule. Now take Grandpa's book like a good little cousin."
"Play with me Grandada!" Daisy took his book and scampered off towards the other end of the hall.
"Daisy!! What on Avalon are you up to now?" Cameron got up from his chair and gave chase.
"Genius pure genius," Draco grinned at Harry.
"Shall we go explore Unicorn Valley? I hear Rainbow Falls is an excellent spot for an afternoon swim." Harry and Draco vanished from the hall.
"The Great Hall of Wisdom is not a place to play. The boys are trying to study in peace and quiet." Cameron carried her back to the study area.
"Boys be gone." Daisy pointed at the empty desks.
"Boys gone?" Cameron looked at the two empty desks and swore.
"Grandada say bad word." Daisy stared wide-eyed and innocent at him.
"Grandada is very upset with your cousins at the moment." Cameron growled.
"Oh, they be in trouble now?" Daisy sucked on her thumb.
"Why you little imp. You helped him play hooky didn't you?" Cameron could read the guilt in her eyes and she only sucked her thumb when she was naughty.
"Harry be sad, so Daisy help make happy again." Daisy nodded.
"I see, well, in that case we shall allow them a few hours of freedom before Dad and Mum sort them out." Cameron turned her upside down in his arms.
Daisy squealed with laughter.
"Let's you and I go check the unicorn herd. I hear they have four new foals, two of which are unicorns with wings."
--
Hogwarts
Hermione and Ginny had also had enough, so they bunked off afternoon classes.
"Do you think Aunt Minerva will give us detention or take points off our House? I mean, me being a Prefect and you being Head Girl, skiving off afternoon class is soooo not gonna go over very well with her." Ginny hissed as they snuck into Harry's rooms under the cover of invisibility cloaks.
"We have been patient enough, besides the boys will need clothes tonight when they get returned to normal." She chose one of Harry's favorite outfits and stuffed whatever else he might need in a rucksack.
"Oh crumbs, here come Wills and Rory." Ginny glanced down at the map.
"Holy cricket, he's really peeved." Hermione glanced down at the map.
"Rory seems okay though." Ginny whispered, as they snuck out of the bathroom just as the two in question were entering the bedroom.
"Cutting! Both of them went and skived their afternoon classes! It's not like they weren't getting both of them back this evening or for another week for that matter!" Wills paced the floor not even a foot from where they were standing.
"It's been nearly four days, since they've seen them. I half expected them to slip away earlier this morning, but then Uncle Albus gave them the good news." Rory sensed the two of them were somewhere in the room.
"Your Dad has Harry's map, so how can they slip away!? All this ruddy stunt has done is made them make spectacles out of themselves!"
"How is that possible, when no one knows except for Mum, Daddy, Aunt Minerva, and Uncle Albus." Rory walked over to where the girls were standing, "Take the Firebolt and go to the Ancient Oak. I will handle things here." She hissed at them.
Wills senses where on high alert, so he caught some of what she had hissed at the girls. "What the bloody hell does the Firebolt have to do with any of this? Are they in this room? Did you just help them to escape!?" He turned on his heels to narrow his eyes suspiciously at her.
"Cool off for a bit your royal high horse!! You're giving me a headache!" She transfigured him into a mule.
--
Hermione and Ginny took their leave out the doors and into the hallway, just as James and Sirius were leaving Draco's quarters.
"Nothing is missing. Let's check Harry's rooms." James looked on the map nothing appeared except that Wills and Rory were rowing for some reason in Harry's rooms. "We should have grabbed our map! This one is useless, if the anyone you're searching for are wearing invisibly cloaks! Padfoot, remind me to jinx the tar out of all those ass kissing old geezers that gave them to Junior last August!"
"No Prongs, its just some trick phrase the kids came up with in case we got a hold of their creation. I mean look how theirs jinxes you if you mess with it and don't know the password. Ours only insults the intruder." Sirius liked the new version of the Marauders Map, except for it being polite, it really was a work of art.
"Keep looking Padfoot! I have a class in ten minutes and for once in your life think like a parent and be responsible!!" James handed him the map before heading off to his class.
"But, Prongs that just ain't my style," Sirius caught the scent of roses and jasmine and grinned. "Going somewhere lassies?"
Ginny and Hermione were slowly making their way to Draco's room and stopped mere inches from where Sirius was standing there grinning at what he assumed was them.
Drat him and that Genus Canis nose of his! I should have forgone the perfume this morning! Hermione berated herself in her mind, but did nothing to give their location away to him.
The two of them were both in their Animagi forms.
"So you're gonna play it that way are you. Very well then, since this map is polite when it answers you, let's see what happens when one is polite to this wondrous map of yours." Sirius glanced down at the map. "I wish to see any invisibility cloaked persons in the castle, please."
Drat! Drat! And Double Drat!! Hermione fumed.
The map revealed the two of them as Cleo and Princess sitting right beside him. "So, that's the key to the puzzle, ya ask politely, and be specific with your request." He cleared the map, put it away, and then reached down to pick the two of them up by the scruff of their necks.
"In you go ladies. We're gonna have a nice chat." He entered Draco's rooms and shut the door behind them with his foot before setting them free.
"How rude!" Hermione revealed herself to him.
"I'll say that hurt my neck!" Ginny glared at him, as she rubbed at the sore spot on her neck.
"Next time behave and reveal yourselves and I won't have to resort to other means." Sirius narrowed his eyes at Hermione when he spied the rucksack slung over her shoulder. "Running away because you aren't getting your way is not gonna win you any House points back. Uncle Albus stopped Aunt Minerva at fifty points each, three months of detention, no Quidditch, no Hogsmeade, and no holiday time away from Hogwarts period."
Ginny's eyes grew wider and wider as Sirius growled out their punishment. All she could think of was how much trouble they were both in. How her mother was going to react to her Aunt's scathing letter that she knew was no doubt on the way to her parents. "Mum is gonna kills us! A hundred points off our House is bad enough! The boys are gonna go mental when they find out we've been banned from the team, have three months detention, and no holiday time off!" She glared at Hermione. "I told you that this was an insane plan, but no you never listen do you!!"
"I am not running away! This is for Harry when he gets changed back to normal tonight!" Hermione took off the rucksack tossing it at Sirius. "Look for yourself if you don't believe me."
Sirius glanced inside it. "So you two planned to spend the rest of the day with the boys."
"That's the plan." Hermione glanced at Ginny. "Go collect Draco's things.
"But we're caught!" Ginny gapped openmouthed at Hermione.
"Do as I say Ginny!"
"Fine. I'll go collect some of his things, but you have well and truly cracked Hermione." Ginny not wishing to incur the wrath of Hermione headed into the bathroom.
"All of you have done everything to keep the two of us away from the boys! Well it stops as of now!" She whipped out her wand and pointed at her Uncle. "Stupefy!!"
Sirius went flying against the doors.Bloody hell, that's the last time that I underestimate my niece! Do to the sheer power behind the spell he was unable to move.
She followed that up with Silencio, Petrificus Totalus, and then bound him up with tight snakelike coils of rope that came out of her wand. "Next time leave well enough alone and leave us be!" She glared down at him.
"Now you've gone and done it! Uncle Sirius is a professor! You attacked him not once, but four times! You've beyond doomed us!" Ginny came out with the rucksack for Draco and watched as Hermione used her wand to move Sirius to the bed.
"Get the Firebolt we're leaving!" Hermione ignored Ginny's panicked reaction to what she had done to Sirius. "Uncle Sirius could have influenced them to let us see the boys as was promised, but he did not so he deserves what was landed on him!"
Ginny, Firebolt in hand, eyed her with wary eyes. "Ron's right. You may be brilliant, but on days like this you really are scary."
"Yes, well, by keeping me away from Harry, they pushed me way too far this time!" Hermione opened the windows and then closed them. It was zero visibility and bitterly cold outside. "Not even a blizzard is going to stop me from getting to him."
Ginny looked at their sweaters and frowned. "We have to get bundled up. You do know that it's really not a good idea to fly when you can't see an inch in front of your face."
"The Ancient Oak is not hard to spy. It's the one with a full canopy of leaves and a ring of flowers around it." She put the rucksack on her back, after stuffing the map into it, flung the cloak around her, and changed back into Princess.
"I have a really bad feeling about this, but someone has to keep on eye on her." Ginny mirrored her actions and changed into Cleo.
--
Henry and Dromi walked into the rooms.
"Wills is gonna want payback for what Rory's doing to him. She's helping the girls that much is beyond obvious." He glanced into the bathroom. "Oh bugger! Draco's Firebolt is missing! Those two are gonna risk flying in this god-awful weather!"
"I told them to let the girls see the boys, but oh no do they listen to me! Now look at what they've gone and done because of it!" Dromi fumed.
"They doubled teamed Uncle Sirius!" Henry turned to spy Sirius on the bed.
"Uncle Sirius!" Dromi used her wand to set him free and right again.
"She's on the warpath and nothin's gonna stop her from gettin ta Harry." Sirius was feeling the aftereffects of the wrath of his niece. "She needs to work on her binding spell though, unless she meant for me to lose circulation in me limbs." He winced in pain.
"She can't get to Harry in a mood like that." Dromi realized the recklessness of Hermione's plan which was doomed from the start. "The Ancient Oak won't appear for them until she's in a calm state of being."
"Merlin's beard! I can't trust you to do anything can I! Remus is teaching afternoon classes today, so I can deal with the girls! He all but threw me out the doors when he heard the words Sirius is taking care of it come out of my mouth!" James stalked over and grabbed Sirius by his robes. "Start explaining why you're in extremes on this bed or I may have to seriously tear you in half!"
Sirius had rarely seen James this unglued before. "Now Prongs don't go off the deep end about this...I still have Harry's map..." He reached into his robes pocket and swore.
James hauled off and decked him. "I asked you to do one goddamn thing PADFOOT! And you bloody well mucked it up! Now the girls are gonna go out in this monstrous storm and freeze to death! Why the hell didn't you stop them!?"
"Hermione quadruple hexed me, Prongs! Ginny went off about Aunt Minerva's massive punishment and I assumed that Hermione would as well, but she just kept on with her plan. While Ginny packed up some clothes for Draco to wear tonight. Hermione went off about being kept away from Harry and then proceeded to stun sending me flying against the doors, and then she hit me with Silencio, Petrificus Totalus, and followed that by conjuring binds. She put me on the bed, they took the Firebolt, and left. It was as if she wasn't Hermione, but under the influence like Harry was fifth year!" He was let go by James and went flying back against the bed.
"FLYING THE FIREBOLT IN THIS WEATHER?!" James lost it completely. "THE ANCIENT OAK IS NOT GONNA BE IN PLAIN SIGHT! ESPECIALLY IF SHE'S UNDER MORGANA'S INFLUENCE! THEY'LL END UP GETTING CAUGHT IN THIS BLIZZARD AND WILL FREEZE TO DEATH!"
Rory raced into the rooms followed by a beyond furious Wills.
"I SWEAR TO GOD KATHERINE AURORA LILY ELIZABETH, IF YOU EVER PULL THAT ON ME AGAIN I WILL MAKE IT MY LIFE'S MISSION TO MASTER MAGIC AND PAY YOU BACK!! I DON'T EVER WISH TO BE A DONKEY, FLOBBERWORM, FERRET, OR WHATEVER THE BLOODY HELL YOU TURNED ME INTO AFTER THAT!!" Wills roared at Rory at the top of his lungs. "I WAS GOING TO GIVE US SOME DOWN TIME FROM THE HUNDREDS OF OFFICIAL APPEARANCES, BECAUSE I DIDN'T WISH FOR YOU TO BE PUT THROUGH THE WRINGER YET! BUT AFTER WHAT YOU JUST PULLED WE'LL JUMP IN WITH BOTH FEET!"
"You were overreacting and I just wanted you to calm down!"
"YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN WHEN YOU HELPED THEM ESCAPE THE CASTLE?! YOU LET THEM DO GOD KNOWS WHAT IN THE MIDDLE OF A BLIZZARD, BECAUSE YOU HELPED THEM LEAVE HARRY'S ROOMS!" Wills roared furiously down at her.
"I didn't know that Hermione was under some evil hags influence! That she was completely mental, but then by the looks of it that temperament runs in the family!" Rory was sick of Wills roaring at her and hot angry tears burned in her eyes. "I'm going after them since this is my fault!!" Rory vanished Merlin style from the room.
"GODDAMN IT KATHERINE AURORA LILY ELIZABETH!! YOU ARE NOT ENDING OUR FIRST ROW BY BLINDLY CHASING AFTER THE GIRLS IN A BLIZZARD!!" Wills stalked out of Draco's room and went to go suit up into his winter gear, so he could go after her.
"That tears it! Dromi watch over your mother! Henry suit up we're going to find the girls!" James did not like the fact that the situation kept worsening.
Padfoot was sitting on the bed.
"Padfoot, you idiot...we need winter gear on or we'll freeze!" James rolled his eyes in annoyance as Padfoot raced out the doors. "You aren't gonna win you old hag. We're better than you are and so the girls are gonna be fine. Henry, I'll meet you down in the Common room." He vanished, Merlin style out, of the room.
--
Avalon's Rainbow Falls
An hour later
Harry floated on his back in the warm crystal clear water. Suddenly his whole body went icy cold. "Draco, something's wrong with Hermione. I can feel it." He swam to shore.
"You said that she was in a temper this morning, while we were taking lessons with First-Gramps." Draco swam over to where Harry was drying off. "You don't think the girls made a break from the castle do you? I mean it's like subarctic weather in our world right now."
"I'm aware of that little brother and if she's in a temper she won't be able to see the Ancient Oak. In weather like that they'll get hopelessly lost." Harry used magic to dress himself and waited for Draco to dry off and do the same.
"So, in truth both the girls and us had the same idea, only ours went off smashingly and theirs not so much." Draco was now dry and dressed.
"That about covers it. Time to face the wrath of our First-Grandparents and Uncle Cam, maybe they can go find the girls." Harry and Draco vanished.
--
Hagrid's Hut
Ginny and Hermione made it as far as Hagrid's Hut with the Firebolt. After that they waded through knee-high snow to get to the front doors of the hut, where they took shelter from the bitter blowing vortex of snow howling outside.
Ginny lit a fire in the fireplace with her wand. "Don't snarl at me about lighting a fire. It's snowing so badly outside that you can't see the smoke from the chimney."
"The map usually shows us the Ancient Oak, but its not working correctly." Hermione was under Morgana's influence, so she wasn't thinking clearly.
"Did it ever dawn on you that maybe that's a sign to wait until this evening?" Ginny was so cold that her teeth were chattering.
"I've come this far and I'm not turning back now." Hermione was also frozen, but determined to find her way to Harry. "You stay here and keep warm."
"Hermione, you can't even see the forest behind us. How are you going to see a tree that isn't even showing up on the map?" Ginny in a try to get warm again, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, and used her wand to blow hot air on herself.
Hermione set about making them tea all the while using her own wand to blow hot air on herself. "I had this nightmare that Harry was sick and I have to see for myself that he's okay."
"Uncle James and Aunt Lily told us that they were both fine and you haven't sensed anything during our lessons in Avalon. Maybe Morgana is playing mind games with you, like Voldemort did with Harry fifth year." Ginny sneezed and coughed.
"Their excuse for us not being able to see them, besides the homework issue, was that we would get upset seeing them like that, or was there more to it than that." Hermione continued to prepare the tea.
"Aunt Lily would be worried, so would Uncle James, and they aren't. So, again I say Morgana the hag is up to something." Ginny tried to snap her out of it.
"I need to see for myself." Hermione handed her a cup of tea.
"Just like Harry had to rescue Uncle Sirius. Look how that turned out. It's obvious that her new agenda is to destroy your future with him. Maybe this is another attempt at that." Ginny sipped the warm soothing tea.
Hermione warmed herself up with tea that she sipped in one hand, while she continued to warm and dry herself with her wand. "I'm going while you stay here and keep warm. Don't worry Ginny I'll be fine. I've been to the Ancient Oak a hundred times. I know where it is regardless of the map."
"That was before it snowed and with actual visibility of the Dark Forest." Ginny reminded her between sneezing and coughing fits.
"I'm all bundled in my alpine ski gear. I'll be fine." Hermione was all set to head out into the storm again. "I even cast Impervious on myself, so the snow won't cling to me." That said she wrenched open the back door of the hut and headed out into the storm, leaving Ginny safe and warm back inside the Hut.
Ginny sprang to her feet, raced over to the door, and wrenched it open. "Hermione! Come back it's too risky!" She shouted into the storm, but it was no use it was as if the storm had swallowed Hermione whole. There was no sign of her except for her footprints the storm was covering with each gust of icy cold wind. "I'm not gonna let that hag win!" She used her wand to send up five signal flares before going back inside.
--
"Did ya see that Prongs!?" Sirius shouted over the howling winds of the storm.
"It came from Hagrid's, maybe the girls decided to hold up there!" James shouted back.
"I can't believe that Ginny didn't stop her!" Charlie shouted.
"Stop Hermione when she's on a mission? You must be in dreamland thinking that mate!" Wills shouted as they made their way towards Hagrid's.
"No one stops our Hermione when she's set on something!" Henry agreed. "At least Dromi stayed back at the castle."
"Katherine Aurora is still out in this nightmare that is unless she went to Avalon!" Wills felt horrid that he had lost his temper and now his beloved was out in the storm.
"She's wearing the alpine ski gear that you bought her last month, it'll keep her safe from the elements, and Hermione has the same gear as well." Henry tried to reassure his brother.
"Rory's probably sitting in the shelter of the Ancient Oak waiting for a break in the storm. I've no doubt in my mind that we're going to find the girls. Just keep moving!" James shouted over at Wills as they caught sight of the Hut in the distance.
--
Imperial Palace of Avalon
Harry and Draco arrived back at the palace and found their Uncle Albus and First-Grandparents waiting for them.
"Either we're in extreme trouble for taking a well earned break or I was right in my assumption that something is wrong with Hermione." Harry could feel them trying to rein in their thoughts and feelings from him.
"Morgana is influencing Hermione's mind, just as Tom influenced yours on that pinnacle eve when you entered the Department of Mysteries." Albus knew better than to sugarcoat the situation.
Harry's blood ran as cold as an icy river once more. "Morgana Le Hag is making her believe that I'm here in extremes or hurt? That everyone is hiding things from her?" He narrowed his eyes up at the four of them. "Keeping us apart backfired on all of you and now she's out in a blizzard trying to get to me!"
"Not alone. I'd bet my Firebolt that Ginny was with her through most of it." Draco read Albus' silent expression and swore.
"Ginny and Hermione stopped to thaw out at Hagrid's. Ginny stayed, but Hermione did not." Albus could feel the fury and terror building up inside Harry. "Ginny sent up a series of flares that were seen by the search party."
"Change me back! Set me right again or so help me if Morgana wins and Hermione..." He couldn't say and Hermione dies.
What he had seen with the Boggart flashed in front of his eyes, and he lost it. "I WILL NOT CARE ABOUT ANYTHING ANYMORE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT!? I WILL LOSE ALL FAITH IN BEING A GOODY-GOODY AND MAKE ALL OF YOUR LIVES HELL!! I WILL MAKE TOM RIDDLE LOOK LIKE A KITTEN THAT HAS BEEN DECLAWED!" Harry's voice held venom in it as he roared the words out at him.
"We are aware of that Harry and you are about to be set right again. Now, both of you quickly change into the clothes that I brought for you both to wear." Albus had not felt that darker side of him in two years.
"Grandson, you must calm your mind, tamp down your emotions, and focus on that bright future ahead of you. Hermione is going to be fine. Your sister will keep her safe. Do as I taught you. Clear your mind it is essential for you to do this for the counter incantation to work." Merlin waited until Harry came out dressed in ridiculously oversized clothing before walking over to calm him.
"Listen to them Harry or Morgana wins and your vow to rid the world of Dark wizards will be a memory." Draco looked him in the eyes. "You are her only hope now. Forget that you're pissed off and focus on next September."
Harry focused on his training, the breathing from the lessons by Master Chen, mental focus lessons from Gramps, and the ability to rein in all his emotions and achieve complete clarity over his mind from his lessons with First-Gramps. "I'm ready now." His voice was utterly calm as he walked over to stand in front of his First-Grandparents and Uncle Albus.
Draco watched in utter astonishment as Harry went from six to what appeared to be an inch or so taller than his previous six foot three inches. "Uncle Albus is it me or did they just make him nineteen?" Draco frowned.
Albus looked down at Draco and sighed. "Yes, well, setting a wizard back to their original form and exact age is a tricky business." He glanced over at his nephew, who did appear to have grown an extra inch or so in height.
Harry glanced down at his hands, they were normal size again. His clothing seemed an inch or so shorter, but he didn't care he was back to normal again. "It's good to be me again..." He noticed the four of them were frowning at him. "What is it...do I have a third eye in the middle of my forehead or something?"
"We overshot our counter incantation by two years. No matter you're now older than Hermione." Merlin patted him on the shoulder.
"Nineteen? Did he just say nineteen?" Harry went to stand over by his uncle.
"Not to worry, dear boy, this sometime happens." Albus hugged him. "No harm was done from it. Now finish getting dressed in the other winter clothing."
Merlin conversed with Mab for a minute or two before changing Draco back. This time the incantation worked flawlessly. Draco was back to his seventeen-year-old self. "That's more like it I guess it needed fine-tuned." Merlin grinned pleased with the results.
"We repeated the incantation twice with Harry when only once was needed." Mab was now able to focus on calming the storm raging outside their world. "I need to teach Hermione the ways of finding our tree. In her current state of mind she will have wandered passed it a dozen times by now."
"If Morgana is influencing her mind the tree will not reveal itself. After Voldemort invaded all those years ago, it had a countermeasure set on it so such a thing would never occur again." Cameron walked into the room. "Is Harry older?"
Harry was all geared up to go rescue his love. "First-Grams and Gramps goofed. Now if you will excuse me I have to rescue my princess. Draco you see to Ginny. I won't be long." Harry vanished.
"I'll let the two of you break the news to Dad and Mum that you missed his age by two years." Draco also dressed for the weather vanished.
--
Dark Forest
Rory sat in the warmth of the Ancient Oak as the storm raged on mere inches from her. "Come on baby sister let me find you." She was using empathy to zero in on Hermione's emotional state. The storm was beginning to ebb and she could now see most of the forest. "No sense sitting here. Looks like I'm going to have to search for her on foot." She got up and left the protective warmth of the tree. The cold hit her like a vise and bit into her warm skin.
Hermione, her impervious charm now depleted, was wandering around in circles half frozen. "I will find the tree because Harry needs me." The snow was knee to waist deep in places, so she couldn't see the exposed tree roots underneath it. Therefore, with one misstep she found her foot hopelessly lodged between some exposed roots.
"I WILL GET TO HIM YOU HAG! YOU WILL NOT WIN!" Ignoring the pain shooting up her leg, she clawed at the snow with her gloved fingers that were numb from the cold.
Rory heard her cry of fury not even a stones throw from where she was wading through the snow. "Hermione! It's Rory! Call back to me and I'll come to you!" She shouted into the forest her voice echoing around her.
"Rory? Help me! My boot is caught between some roots!" Hermione shouted back relieved to hear her voice.
"Hang on Hermione! I'll be right with you! Stay still! Don't move or you'll wedge your foot even more!" Rory plowed through waist high drifts of snow until she finally she saw Hermione.
"Rory hurry! I have to get to Harry! He needs me!" Hermione was still very much under Morgana's influence.
Rory's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Easy there baby sister. Harry's fine. I just saw them both at breakfast this morning."
"My dream was so real. He was sick and all of you were keeping him from me..." Hermione burst into tears of exhaustion.
"I think someone needs Occlumency lessons." Harry was standing beside Rory. "Because as you can clearly see not only am I fine, but better than ever."
"But my dream it was so real..." She was slowly coming out of Morgana's influence and with it came all the miserable side effects.
Harry, before seeing to getting her foot unstuck, sent off a phoenix flare with his wand. "Rory, go tend to Hermione. While I see what trouble she's gotten herself into with her boot."
"Is it me or are you taller and older now?" Rory gaped openmouthed at her brother. He even sounded older than his seventeen years.
"Katherine Aurora, please try to focus on the problem, and less on my current state of appearance." Harry went about melting the snow around Hermione's feet, so he could get a better look at how stuck she really was. "Oh baby, you have well and truly gotten yourself stuck this time. Tree roots two Hermione zero." He reached down to try to dislodge her foot.
"Ow! Harry stop it that really hurts!" Hermione awakened the second he tried to move her foot. "Oh goddess, I don't feel so good." She moaned.
"I'm one step ahead of you, baby." Harry conjured something for her to get sick in. "She's really wedged her foot. It's too risky to try to remove the roots with a spell."
"Please don't." Hermione managed between bouts of being sick to her stomach. "I like my foot on my person." She gagged, as she got sick again.
"I'll pretend that I didn't hear that." Harry conjured a small handsaw and began the painstaking task of cutting the roots. "Try not to move sweetheart or that just may happen."
"Harry? Did you find Hermione and Rory?!" Draco's shouts echoed around the three of them.
The storm was beginning to pick up again, only this time it was natures fury, and not Mab's.
"Is anyone hurt?!" James shouted.
"We saw that phoenix flare of yours. Do it again so we can find you!" Sirius shouted.
"Do it again he says." Harry conjured a butterfly of pure energy in his palm. "Bring them to us. Show them the way." He spoke to the shimmering creation and off it flew. "Follow the butterfly! I'm too busy to send up the flare! I found both of them! Rory is fine! Hermione is not!" Harry shouted back, as he continued to try to free her foot.
"Follow the butterfly? What the hell did you mean..." James shout was cut short. "Good show son! We're following your beacon!"
"I'm cold." Hermione's body was racked with chills.
"Well, we can't have that now can we, princess." Harry set down his saw. Took off his coat and put it around her. "Rory, use my wand to warm her up." He had warm air blowing out the tip of his wand.
"What about you? The storm is really starting up again. Oh, and you have to teach me how to do that sometime." Rory was concerned about her brother catching cold.
"I'll be fine. Just keep her warm." Harry had cut through one of the thick tree roots, but had a ways to go before her foot would be free.
"Daddy, get a move on. Hermione has her boot lodged in the tree roots and is half frozen! Harry is using a handsaw to get her free, but Hermione was cold so he gave her his own jacket!" Rory spotted the search party.
"Be right there, Babydoll. We're following the path Harry's little creation is melting in the snow!" Wills called out to her.
"William, did you bring any blankets?" Rory was overjoyed to see and hear him again.
"I've got blankets in my rucksack and another jacket." Henry as soon as they reached them dug into his rucksack and pulled out a thick warm jacket, and a warm blanket. "Here Harry put this on."
Harry took the jacket from Henry and put it on. "Thanks big brother. Now please bundle up Hermione." He went back to sawing at the roots.
"I see the problem, son. She's to close to the root to use a spell to free her." James got beside Harry and started in on the other roots with his own conjured saw.
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me or does he look nineteen?" Wills blinked a few times as if to clear his vision.
"Yeah, he does look older to me." Henry frowned.
"Draco, is he older and taller?" Sirius arched a brow at his nephew. "You look the same as before, but Harry not so much."
Draco got in front of Hermione and ignored their commentary. "She's really gone and done a number on herself this time." He used his wand to melt the snow.
"Can't we just conjure a tent or something?" William was now holding Hermione, who was clearly not okay, in his arms. "She needs to get out of this weather."
Xander appeared behind Harry. It was obvious that their grandfather had yet to teach him about being one with nature. "If the two of you would please stop attacking the root system of the Ancient Oak, I will free Hermione's foot."
Harry and James disposed of the saws.
"Being in harmony with nature hasn't been covered in lessons yet. Draco and I were starting to study that this week. If I damaged the Ancient Oak, it wasn't meant." He stood up and frowned at Xander. They now looked eye to eye with each other. That alone was enough to shock him. Intent on helping his princess and not on this new change that he had undergone he shoved that aside.
Dad's right he looks nineteen now and we look eye to eye as well. Xander pushed that thought aside and focused on the problem. "No harm done that cannot be made right again. Now place your hands above the roots and use your mind to focus on asking the Ancient Oak to please move its roots to free Hermione."
Harry closed his eyes and did as Xander told. :Sorry, about cutting your roots, but could you please help me free Hermione?: He heard a sort of music in his head.
The roots lifted, allowing Wills and Draco to pull her free. When that was done, it set its roots back down again.
:Thank you again. I'm sorry about cutting you.: Once again, natures symphony of music exploded in his mind.
"Very good cousin, now finish by healing what you damaged. Just concentrate on mending the roots that you cut by using your mind." Xander was impressed. He was doing magic years beyond his seventeen years.
Harry did just that, only this time the symphony in his mind was off the scales. To his amazement and everyone around him the root was mended in less than a minute. :There now, all better sorry once again for cutting you.: He smiled as the symphony seemed to welcome him in his mind.
He scooped Hermione up into arms. "See you at the Hospital Wing." And vanished.
"Okay Draco. Why is Harry almost two inches taller and two years older in appearance?" James frowned at his youngest son. "You still look as you were before the hex. What went amiss with Junior?"
"Harry, uh, went first. It was a never been done incantation that needed tweaked, before they tried it again on me." Draco took a step back away from his father.
"TWEAKED? BECAUSE IT DIDN'T GO QUITE AS PLANNED WITH YOUR OLDER BROTHER!?" James bellowed at him.
Draco did the logical thing. He got the hell out of harms way and vanished.
"Oh, way to go, Daddy… You scared Draco half to death. Let's go Wills." Rory put her arms around his neck.
They both vanished.
"Mum sent me to see if any of you had been injured or to see if Daddy may have had an attack after seeing Harry." Dromi appeared next to Henry.
"Nervous breakdown maybe, but otherwise he's in denial." Henry pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the nose.
"Oh honestly, Daddy, he doesn't look a year over nineteen. All that really matters is the two of them are back as they should be." Dromi narrowed her eyes as she turned to look at her father.
"Xander! You tell Merlin that they did a smashing job setting Draco right again. However, they should have tried better when sorting out Harry James. Or did they deliberately add two years to his age, so they could enjoy watching me pull my hair out!?" James snarled at Xander.
"Sorry, but I'd rather not. I have a family to think about." Xander vanished.
"YOU DID THIS ON PURPOSE OLD MAN!" James roared up at the sky.
"CONTROL YOURSELF JAMES HARRY STEPHEN ARTHUR MICHAEL!!" Merlin appeared in front of him.
James not caring that he could be hexed to hell and back flipped him the universal up yours sign.
"Morgana tried a curse never performed before in modern or in any timeline! Therefore, a never before preformed incantation was needed! Harry is perfectly healthy and nothing other than missing the age mark by two years went awry! An incantation of this magnitude could have very well killed either of them! You are upset James, so I will let that go! Now to the castle with the lot of you! Get out of my forest!" Merlin sent them all to the castle with a mere wave of his hand.
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Chapter Twelve
Nineteen
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I do not claim any of JKR's characters only that I love being able to create my own kind of mischief with her beloved characters. I do not claim any other things that are owned by other companies that I may mention once and a while in the stories...Although the original characters and ideas are mine and I loved creating them. So please review if you wish but try not to flame me too badly.
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Cindra 2004-2008
