Training for the Inevitable
Chapter Three: The Curse Breakers
When they finally landed in Egypt the next morning, they found that they were going to be staying with Bill at his house while there. They found that when they first got there, they were going to be learning first of the book, and then a crash course in Curse Breaking so that they wouldn't hurt themselves when they were down in the tombs. Harry and Ginny had a couple of days to go before they were to start with the Curse Breaker Training, so they decided that they were going to do some shopping for their wedding and reception afterwards. They found that Bill had set up a beautiful wedding for them for when they got done with their Curse Breaker Training. They were then to spend a short honeymoon in the Cairo Hilton, before going on their way into the tombs.
While sitting in Bills living room getting ready to read the book, Harry had decided that he was going to look into a couple of other things while they were there also. "Hey Bill, is it possible that we can do some private shopping while we're here? I mean for us, besides the wedding." Harry was hoping that Bill caught onto what he was asking, and would agree to take Ginny sightseeing while he did some 'private' shopping for themselves.
"I don't see why not Harry. Is there anything that you wanted to get in particular?" He gave Harry a wink to let him know that he knew what he was talking about, and that he would take care of everything.
"Thank you Bill, no there's nothing in particular that I wanted, I was just wanting to get a few things for the next couple of years. Does the book say anything about how long we're going to be in each place training, or is it just til we get done with the training for each place?" Harry had voiced the same thing that Ginny was thinking at the time.
"Well it looks like we will be spending 1 ½ months in each of Russia, Mexico, the Southwestern United States, and Romania, 3 months in Egypt, and Japan with being in Japan on two different occasions. You will then be training the last year with the Founders of Hogwarts training with them. The order that we will be visiting them are, we will be spending the first three months here in Egypt, then we go to Japan for the first time, then Russia, Mexico, Southwestern US, Romania and finally into the Japan again for one and a half months, before you go back to the time of the founders to train."
Harry was reading the book and finding it quite interesting. He decided that they would be needing complete new outfits for the different areas of the world they were going to go to. He decided that they would need 4 sets of cold weather gear for when they were in Romania and Russia, 4 sets of Gi's for their training of the Samurai and the Ninja, a complete set of Dragon Armor and Cloaks, Gloves, Boots the whole set for when they are with Charlie in Romania, Casual for Mexico and the American Indians, at least 4 sets. Then of course they would need enough casual and formal clothes for all occasions. "Well Ginny, looks like we are going to need to go shopping for clothes along with all of our training needs. You might want to get stuff also Bill, because if I read this right, we will be joined by one other in our training, and I have a feeling that it might be you. Now when will we be doing our shopping, and will we be needing anything for our training with the Curse Breakers Bill?" Harry and Ginny were listening intently to what Bill was going to say to that.
"No, all you really need is your casual clothes and the robes you have on. You will be assigned what ever protective wear you will need. You understand that if you decide that you want to after all this training and get rid of Voldemort, your both welcome to join us in Egypt as curse breakers also. You will need to do a little bit of training, but it won't be much, because you will be doing most of your training right now. There is one thing Ginny, I know you were wondering if you could go back to Hogwart's when you got done with this training. Well my dear sister, you won't need to, because when your done with it, you will be fully trained in all of your classes, and if you want, we can have you take your NEWTS after you get done with your classes in both Curse Breaking and with the Ancients." Bill was smiling at his sister when he said this.
Ginny was ecstatic when she heard this, and readily agreed that she didn't really want to go back to Hogwart's after what they went through to get out of there. "If that's true Bill, it would be great. I mean I had some great times at Hogwart's, but it isn't like we left there on good terms. I know that if we wanted to, we would be welcomed back there, but I don't think that we will ever be trusted again." Ginny said this last part with a bit of a tremble in her voice.
Harry held her close and whispered calming words into her ear. "Its ok Gin, we will be all right in doing this. Forget that old fool Dumbledore, he isn't going to be able to control our lives anymore. He isn't controlling my life anymore. I love you Ginny, and I won't let him hurt you any more." Harry was rubbing her back trying to calm her down.
Bill was chuckling at the young couple. But he knew what they were going through, and he was going to help them in anyway that he could. "Well I think that we should get some sleep, you two must be tired. I'm sorry, but I only have one spare bedroom, and I guess I shouldn't be saying this since she is my sister Harry, but you two are dedicated to each other, and going to be married in a couple of months, so I am going to let you two share a room. Please don't breech my confidence in you Harry, or at least put up a silencing charm, and an anti-conception charm if you can't help yourself." Bill winked at Harry and Ginny and was chuckling when he saw both of them blush. "Good night you two, and remember what I said. I don't think that mom and dad want to have another grandchildren from their youngest. Yes they know about Ron and Hermoine. I got an owl from them when we got back saying that Ron and Hermoine had flooed them about the good news as soon as you two were gone. Don't worry, mum and dad know about why you two left the school, and they are really mad, but they support both of you." Bill left the two lovebirds to do what they might, for he was tired, and he went to bed.
The next morning found Harry and Ginny off doing some shopping for their stuff that they were going to be needing. They stopped by the clothing stores, and weapons shop for the different stuff, and had a brilliant time shopping. The afternoon found Ginny off with Bill doing some sightseeing, with Harry saying that he wanted to do some more reading, and maybe get a nap. Ginny was a bit suspicious about what was going on, but didn't say anything for she was sure that whatever he was doing, he was doing for her. She just went off with bill sightseeing telling Harry to have fun and get some sleep. Bill gave him a wave and a wink as they took off into downtown Cairo.
Harry went down to the different jewelry shops looking for just the right thing for Ginny, and in a small out of the way shop in the magical area, he found just the right thing. "She is just going to love it. How much is this pendant sir?" Harry was thinking to himself that this would be perfect for Ginny to wear during the wedding, and when he found out about what it actually did, he was going to make sure that she wore it at all times.
"That would be 500 Galleon's sir." The old man looked at him with a smile, and told him that it was well worth it.
"Hmm, I didn't really want to spend that much, but if it's worth it, I will take it. Is there a way that you can take the money out of my Gringotts Bank Vault in London?" Harry was hoping that there was a possibility, because he didn't want Bill or Ginny to question his large purchase until it was time to reveal what he bought.
"Yes sir, it is quite possible. Just give me your name and Vault number, and the amount that your authorizing to be taken out, then it will be taken care of." Harry readily did what he was asked, and also picked up a set of matching earrings, and bracelet that was part of a set. He thanked the man, then made his way back to Bill's place to actually do what he said he was going to do. He spent the rest of the afternoon reading the book, and sleeping.
Ginny and Bill found him curled up with the book on the couch when they got back. Bill quickly saw the packages that Harry had gotten and recognized the store, so he cast a quick disillusionment spell on the package, and a quick chat with Ginny found that she didn't see anything. Bill picked up the packages and took them up to Harry's trunk and put them away. "Nice things you bought her Harry old man, I hope that you truly love her like you say you do." Bill smiled as he said this, and slipped out of the room.
The three of them were invited to a secret meeting of the leaders of Gringotts. They walked into the big office of the Main Goblin, Richoop. "Please sit down Mr. and Ms. Weasley, Mr. Potter. Can I offer you anything to drink?" Richoop was pleasant enough for a Goblin, and they found that they liked the goblin immediately.
After they all had there favorite drinks in hand, Richoop had started in on his speel about what it meant to be a Curse Breaker, and what was expected of him in their training. "This is a special treatment that we are offering you two, so don't blow it. You have both been recommended for this by the ancients and Bill here. He is one of our top Curse Breakers, and he will be your trainer. Now is there anything that you want to ask me before you take the code of the Breaker?" Richoop looked at them as in saying that it was ok if they asked a question.
When neither of them had a question, they thanked the Goblin and waited to take their pledge.
"Good good, now if the two of you will please follow me, I will take you to the initiation room. There you will be tested in your knowledge of the ancient curses, and how they may affect you. Don't worry, it's not a pass fail test, it will just show us how much you know, and what we need to train you in still. Now if you will follow the Troll over there, he will take you to the room. Bill if you would come with me, you know you can't go in there with them." He got up, and the others knew that it was there time to go.
Harry and Ginny got up and followed the Troll off out of the room. They were led into a large ornate room that had two desks set up with tests on them, and a little maze that it looked like they would have to navigate to get out of the room. "Well it looks like we have a written and a pratical in this Gin. Are you ready for this?" He asked her with a knowing smile. When she just nodded, they sat down and started on the written test.
They sat there for four hours, working steadily on the test. Harry and Ginny both found that they weren't having problems with this test for some reason. Ginny was seeming to have even fewer problems than Harry was. When they were finished, Harry looked up at her and smiled. "Well that was easy, was it easy for you also?" Harry smiled when she nodded. "Well shall we do this practical test? I think that we just slip these written into that slot in the front of the desks." They did that, and took each others hand and walked into the maze. The first thing they found was that they were being held by a simple binding charm. Harry cast a quick counter curse and then they both cast there most intense detection charms, which found that they were surrounded by different types of curses and charms. "Darn it Gin, looks like we will need to be on our toes. Do you see what I see? I see that almost every inch of this maze is covered in curses and binding charms. Why don't you start on the right side, while I take care of the left, and we will start taking down the curses. I recognize most of them, and the ones that I don't know, look like they aren't in our way of getting out." Ginny nodded and they started making there way slowly out of the maze. Two hours later, they found themselves on the other side of the maze with a smiling Richook and Bill standing there.
"Very good job you two. You are more than qualified to do this kind of work, and with only a little bit of training, you will be ready to go down into the tombs. Now if you will follow us, we will take you into the room for your pledge. I'm sorry that you have to take it, but it is required of everyone that is going into the tombs with our curse breakers. Now if you two will raise your right hands, and repeat after me."
"I, state your full name, swear to uphold the code of the Curse Breakers. I promise not to take any of the thing that I find in the tombs for my own personal use unless otherwise stated that I can. I also promise to keep all of the secrets of the Curse Breakers to myself and not to bring disgrace to the Breakers." Richook smiled as he said this, and watch Harry and Ginny repeat it after him.
Harry and Ginny repeated the pledge without a problem, and then smiled at each other. They went up and shook the Goblins and Bills hand afterwords. "Ok what do we do now? When do we start with the training? When do we get any of our extra stuff that we need to do this job? Do we get paid for this?" Harry and Ginny was going crazy with the questions, but knew from earlier experiences with Goblins, that they were going to get there questions answered without hesitation, or without lies.
"Well the first thing we need to do is get you the tools of the trade, which you will be able to keep, because you will be offered jobs as Curse Breakers as soon as you get done with your current Job, and defeat Voldemort. Your training will be starting next Monday, so that gives you a week to get used to Egypt, and it should last about a month. As for you getting paid for this job, you will be offered the same package that Bill has, which is either you can get half of what is found in the tombs, but not needed for other things, or you can have a salary of 100,000 Galleons a year, paid in monthly installments." He was hoping that the money would be there downfall and that they chose that, for he knew that if they were this good they would be making about 10 to 20 times more than that in what they find.
"Well Richook, we will take your first package, for I don't really need the money, but you never know what we will find in the tombs." Harry smiled at the thought, and Ginny smiled at him for his thoughtfulness.
"Very well Mr. Potter, and Ms. Weasley. If you will please sign these papers, it will be taken care of. Will you be needing a Vault for this, or do you wish to use your family Vault Mr. Potter? I can assume that you might want to make it so that young Ms. Weasley can get into your vault, considering that we heard from Bill here that your getting married. Congratulations you two, and I wish you the best of luck." Harry and Ginny signed the paperwork, and Harry said that it would be a good idea to put it in his vault, and have it set up so that Ginny can get into it. Ginny smiled as she thought of this, for she loved Harry dearly, and now she knew that he loved her to.
The next week went by really fast. Harry and Ginny were making plans for their wedding, and getting ready for the start of their new training. When they went down to meet the other Curse Breakers on Monday morning, they were rip roaring ready to go. "Harry Ginny, these people might think it's strange to have two people so young with them on their job, but remember you two have scored the highest of anyone in the testing, and all you need is some basic skills and training in the art of Curse Breaking and the Egyptian language to be ready for the job. Your next week will be in the Egyptian Language, both Modern and Ancient. You will also be learning San Script and Hieroglyphics. You will find that this is quite interesting, and that it will be quite helpful in your training."
Harry and Ginny spent the next month going through all kinds of Language, Curse and Charm work that was well over what they would have learned at Hogwart's. They found that they loved this work, and new that they were going to come back to Egypt once Voldemort was defeated to do this as their lives work. Their training also was in the basics of the use of their chosen weapons, and in getting to know the people in their group. They spent the last week of their training actually doing the job, and found an ancient tomb, that the rest of them were trying to find for a long time. When they found this, and brought the results back to their boss, he was ecstatic about the find. "You have found something in one day, that we have been looking for nearly twenty years. You two deserve this reward that was meant to go to the first Curse Breakers to find and get into it. It is on top of your half take of the haul. You will be getting 100,000 Galleons each, and a brand-new house for your to keep. Thank you and here's the key and deed to the land. Now if you two are ready, you will be heading into the tombs of the ancients in a couple of days. If you would like, you can have the next couple of days off to get your things in order, and then it will be you two and Bill that will be the only ones that go in. Are you sure that your ready to go through with this? I mean, nothing against your skills or abilities, but you are both still young." The goblin wasn't trying to be mean or anything, but he knew too many that have lost their lives trying to find this tomb, and even more that thought that they were ready for the training. He was very sure that these two were ready, and he wasn't going to stop them from going, but was just asking. He didn't want to lose his two best future curse breakers now did he. He hadn't seen anyone so talented naturally since Bill himself came into his office those years ago.
"We know we're ready for this sir. Thank you for everything that your group has done for us, and we won't let you down. Now where is this house at, I think that we would like to check it out. We will check it out and start making it our base of operations for while we're here. That is if Bill and Ginny wouldn't mind doing that, I know that they will have a say in it themselves. Now we will put up base there, and then get things ready for the entrance into the tomb. I also think that we should owl your parents Gin, to let them know that we're all right, and that we're with Bill right now."
"There's no reason to do that Harry. I already let them know what was going on when we were making the plans to get you two out of Hogwart's. They don't like it, but they are supporting what we are planning to do here. They know that you're a responsible young adult Harry, and the family trusts Ginny with you, especially since you will be with me also. Now as to where the house is, if I know right it's the one right next to mine. They're both in a wizardring area of Cairo, and are unplottable, so no one will be able to find it. As to making it our base of operations, I think that we should continue using my place so you two can set your new place up as your first home." Bill was smiling at the two of them as they had equal smiles across their faces.
"Well that sounds like a plan to us. Why don't we head home, and then get started on what we need to plan tomorrow. Unless there is anything else you need from us boss." Harry, Bill and Ginny were looking at the Goblin with questioning eyes.
"No there isn't anything else that I need of you tonight. In fact as of now, you three are on assignment, and will be out of touch with me until you get done in the tomb. I hope that I am invited to your wedding Mr. Potter, Ms. Weasley. I may just be a Goblin, but we sure know how to party." He had a smile on his face when he said this, and the three others looking at him and smiling.
"Of course your invited to the wedding, it would be a pleasure to have you and your misses, if there is one, join us. We will be having it as soon as we are done down in the tombs." Ginny and Harry were telling him this, and they were glad that they would have another new friend with them.
"Well there isn't a misses, but my daughter would probably love to come. She loves these types of things. You know her Bill, she is one of your fellow Curse Breakers. She is quite good at it, and loves working with Bill. Is Fleur going to be coming for the wedding Bill?" Their boss asked this with a knowing smile.
"Fleur, as in Fleur Delacour? Why would she come to the wedding with you Bill?" Harry and Ginny asked this, but then got a knowing smile on their faces. "How long have you two been dating Bill? Will she be all right with you going off for two years to train?"
Bill turned a bright shade of Weasley red at that thought. "Well we have been seeing each other for about 5 months now, and I have already talked to her about this, and she will wait for us while we train. We weren't going to get married until you defeated Voldemort anyway Harry. She says hi and that she will be at the wedding with her little sister." Bill was now smiling and looking at the two teenagers.
"That's great Bill, the whole family loves Fleur and her family. She will be a great addition to the Weasley clan. Now all we need to do is get Charlie and the Twins married. I think that Charlie fancies Tonks, and that the twins are hooked up with the two former Chasers from our house Quidditch team. So that makes the whole family at least hooked up." Ginny was absolutely beaming when she said his.
The next week went quite well. Harry and Ginny went about getting things for their new house in Cairo, and getting it so that they would have someone to watch over it while they were away with their training. Bill closed up his place also for while he was training, and basically moved in with Harry and Ginny until they were done at the tomb. The night and day before they were to head down into the tomb found them getting their stuff packed up, and double checked to make sure that they had everything. Harry was looking through the book one more time, and finding out more about the Ancients and what they were going to be learning. "It looks like we will be finding out what our Ani-Magi forms are going to be, and training to become one. Then we will be going into wandless magic, healing magic, and then dueling while with the ancients training. Sounds like we're going to be having fun with this. It also says that we will be each given a gift from our trainers that will help us along the way." Harry was telling the other two what they were going to be expecting while down there, and how it was going to be played out.
"Well I think we should get ready to go. We leave in 30 minutes to get down into the tomb. We have to sneak in, because it is at night, and there will be guards there. It won't be hard to do, because I got us each an invisibility cloak to use, well Ginny and I, because I know that you already have one Harry. If we're ready to go, let's go then." Bill picked up his backpack, and strapped on his weapons that he had picked up for the training. The others did the same thing, and then put on their invisibility cloaks, and hopped on Bill's flying carpet to head down to the tomb area.