Disclaimer: By now you know I'm definitely not JKR.
Rings n Things
Mad-eye Moody was waiting for them when they returned from Hogwarts.
"Hello Professor Moody," Hermione said politely.
Moody sighed and grumbled, "Spent a year locked in a trunk and they still call me Professor." He thumped his cane on the floor and pointed his wand at Ron and Neville. "Wands out of your back pockets, boys!" he barked, gesturing for Lupin and Tonks to go into the library with him, keeping his wary magical eye on the teens as they went down to the kitchen.
"What's for supper?" Ron asked, looking for something to sample. Hermione handed him a carrot from the salad she started preparing. He made a face, but crunched into it anyway."Bangers and mash, and a salad," Ginny replied. "Where did Harry go?"
"Shower, I think," Ron said. "Didn't want to take chances after messing with basilisk venom today. He'll be down shortly, I'm sure. And you stay here where I can see you." He pointed the carrot stick at his sister.
Ginny stuck her tongue out at him and turned back to the lettuce.
"Dobby?" Harry called.
CRACK.
"Yes, Harry Potter sir!
"Were you here this afternoon?" Harry asked. He had noticed his room had been cleaned and laundry done, and hoped it wasn't Mrs. Weasley's doing.
"Yes, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby looked uncertain. "Dobby cleaned and brought some groceries. Dobby wanted to help…"
"Thank you, Dobby, yes, I'm very happy to have you help," Harry reassured him. "Did you have enough Galleons for groceries?" he asked.
"Yes Harry Potter, sir, but it would be easier if you set up an account with the grocer," Dobby suggested. "The grocer can set it up with Gringotts. Then yous would not need worry."
"Good idea, I'll do that, thanks," Harry said. He grabbed a spare piece of parchment and a quill and scribbled a note with his signature. He handed it to Dobby. "This should work. You can take it with you next time you go."
Glancing around his and Ron's recently cleaned room and freshly laundered clothes, Harry had an idea.
"Dobby, is Winky still unhappy at Hogwarts?"
Dobby's entire countenance drooped, "Yes, tis very sad. Winky is drinking too much butterbeer still." He shook his head disparagingly.
"Would she be any happier here?" Harry questioned. "Maybe she'd like a house of her own. Of course my first choice for a house-elf would always be you, but it seems like a good idea to have you at Hogwarts for now, keeping an eye on things there, and this place needs someone here all the time."
"Oh great and wonderful Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby nearly wept with joy. "You be making Dobby's dreams come true! Winky is needing a home of her own and a master to care for."
"So how do I go about adopting Winky?" Harry asked, trying not to think about Hermione's reaction when she found out.
"Well, house-elves is bought by a new master, but Winky's old master is dead. She lives at Hogwarts, but she does not feel she belongs because Hogwarts did not pay her old master."
"How about we bring her here and see what she thinks," Harry suggested.
"Yes, Harry Potter sir! I will get her!"
With two sharp cracks in short succession, Dobby and Winky were standing in front of him. Poor Winky looked terrible. Her eyes were bloodshot and her ears drooped sadly. Her tiny dress was filthy and torn.
"Dobby says Mister Potter would speak to Winky," she slurred, swaying slightly.
"Yes Winky." Harry said. "I would like to buy you – properly – from your old masters."
"But they gave Winky clothes." Her lower lip trembled in sadness and shame. "And they is all gone." She hiccupped sorrowfully.
Harry patted her head gingerly. "Your master is not technically dead," he said. "He was kissed by a dementor, but I believe he is in St. Mungo's long-term care ward."
Harry supposed Crouch could be in Azkaban as well, but he rather wanted Winky to believe he was in hospital instead.
He looked questioningly at Dobby. "How much do house-elves cost?" he asked, pulling his money pouch from his trunk.
"One Sickle is enough, sir, any exchange of money is enough to change the bond," Dobby explained.
Harry frowned and dumped the contents of the pouch on the bed. He counted out a hundred Galleons. He scribbled a quick note, which he tied to the outside of another small pouch after putting the Galleons inside. He reached for an owl treat for Hedwig and handed it to her, stroking her affectionately. When she finished, she held her leg out for Harry to fasten the bag. "St. Mungo's long-term care ward, please, Hedwig." He opened the window and watched her fly away.
Dobby asked, "Why did you put so many Galleons in the bag? Dobby told you one Sickle was enough."
"I know Dobby, but I didn't want a one-Sickle house-elf," Harry said. "I wanted a hundred-Galleon house-elf."
Winky's entire demeanor changed. "Oh Harry Potter sir, Dobby is right. You is the most nicest, best wizard anywhere, and Winky will be loyal and work hard and keep all of Master's secrets." Her eyes shone. Harry patted her head awkwardly as she hugged his leg.
"Just one thing, Winky. If Hermione, or anyone else asks if you're a free elf, just tell them you are. After all, you are free to do whatever you choose here. If you choose to cook, or clean, or go to the shops, or visit Dobby at Hogwarts, or invite Dobby here, you are free to make those kinds of decisions. You know more about running a house than I do, Winky, so it would be best if you just give yourself orders. Can you do that for me?"
The little elf nodded, her eyes huge.
Harry excused himself from the room for a moment, then came back with two small hand towels in Gryffindor colors.
"I know clothes are out of the question, but I need to give you something of mine and Ginny's, right? Will these work?"
The little elf squeaked with happiness. "A new master, a new mistress and a new house to work in! Winky is so happy Master Potter sir! When can Winky meet Mistress Potter?
"Er, please call me Harry…"
"Oh yes, Master Harry, sir!"
"And you'd better call Ginny, 'Miss,' okay?"
"Miss Ginny, yes Master Harry!" The little elf bobbed her head so fast Harry was afraid she'd snap her neck.
"Thanks," Harry smiled, relieved. At least she was happy now, and Dobby would be a good spy at Hogwarts. And he'd made a sizable donation to the hospital. Good deeds done for the day, he thought in satisfaction.
He headed downstairs for the kitchen, meeting Lupin, Tonks and Moody emerging from the library. Mr. and Mrs. Granger had also come downstairs and were setting the dining room table. Ron and Neville brought out the heavy serving dishes, while the girls carried the salad and pitchers of pumpkin juice.
"Harry, Harry. Can you hear me?" Hermione looked impatient. Apparently she'd been trying to get his attention for awhile.
"Uh, yes, Hermione? Sorry, I zoned out there…"
"Obviously. I was saying that since my parents are moved in a day early, we have tomorrow afternoon open on our schedule. Do you want to go to Godric's Hollow?"
"Er, actually, Lupin is going to take me." Harry looked at his friends apologetically. "He and I are the only ones who would be able to see it, as it's still under the Fidelius Charm. We'll see if Professor Flitwick can join us there to recast the spell, and then you can all come."
Ginny's narrowed eyes sought his, and as soon as he felt her intrusion, he projected the memory he had of Snape lifting the hem of his robes for Filch. The real memory was Filch treating Snape's leg after being bitten by Hagrid's three-headed dog, but for Ginny, Harry spiced things up a bit. He imagined a "come hither" look in Snape's eyes and made a few other adjustments…
"Merlin Harry!" Ginny laughed, "Cut that out! That's disgusting!"
As everyone turned to look at Harry, they all got the same broadcasted image.
"Eww, sick!" - "Harry, yuck!" - "Mate, you are one twisted …"
"Sorry!" Harry sniggered, stopping the projection. "Ginny keeps trying to break into my mind, so I have been doing what you do to boggarts, you know, make a disturbing image funny."
Moody frowned, which scrunched his scarred face and made his magical eye seem more prominent. "How long have you been able to project like that, Potter?"
"A few weeks I guess." Harry shrugged. "It's the only way I can repel Legilimency. I used to just use happy thoughts, like for a Patronus, but then I started trying to create false images, because I don't know if I could come up with many happy thoughts facing Voldemort."
"It's one thing to concentrate on a false image to block mental invasion, but another thing entirely to project it to an entire room," Moody snapped.
"Sorry, sir, I'm not very good at controlling it yet," Harry said, abashed.
"I will be training you tomorrow," Moody said abruptly as he stood to leave. "Be up early."
Ron groaned and slung his lanky body sideways across an armchair in the library after supper. Hermione glanced up from her book and smiled. Neville had built a small greenhouse in Mrs. Black's room, and had gone up to tend his plants. Ginny and Luna were having a tutoring session with Tonks, trying to cram enough to start NEWT classes with the others in September. Harry was talking to Lupin.
"D'you think this wedding thing is the brightest idea?" Ron mused, massaging his right temple with his long fingers. "Why do I get the feeling that 'Burrow' and 'bullseye' sound entirely too much alike for my peace of mind?"
"I know," Hermione answered in a low, concerned voice. "I'm sure they're taking every precaution they can think of, but…what an irresistible target. People from the Order, Gringotts, the Ministry, Aurors, Hogwarts…Harry…Almost everyone Voldemort wants to kill will be in one place. It'd be a bloodbath if Voldemort showed up with his Death Eaters, dementors, Dark creatures… There would be heavy losses on both sides, but what a horrible memory for what should be a wonderful day for them."
"I don't suppose you'd want to stay here with your parents instead of coming…"
Hermione glared her answer. "There just has to be a solution. They can't let Voldemort dictate their lives, either. That just means he wins."
"What if they'd move the wedding to Hogwarts?" Ron pondered.
"It's too late to change that, isn't it? They are responsible adults, I'm sure they're not just going to let everyone get picked off like sitting ducks."
"Thing is, even responsible adults have never done a stellar job of protecting anyone from V-Voldemort." Ron grimaced.
Hermione rose and crawled into Ron's lap, curling her arms around his neck.
Two small jewelry boxes from Harry's vault were on Lupin's desk. Harry tried to convince Lupin to keep them.
"No, Harry. Sirius and I had this discussion when he wrote his will. I told him to leave everything to you. The contents of his vault were transferred to yours. End of story." Lupin refused to even look at the contents of the boxes.
"Fine," Harry shrugged. "I'll give them to Tonks. Maybe her mum wants them. I just thought you might want to take a peek first, see if there isn't a pretty little ring a certain someone might appreciate…" Harry wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Lupin snorted. "What kind of conspiracy is this? I don't need a teenager giving me relationship advice, nor do I need one providing jewelry!"
Harry arched an eyebrow. "I'm not providing anything. This is from Sirius. I think he'd have found it appropriate. We were just going to use them for Portkeys, but it sounds like the twins have that angle well covered. You know, when this whole mess is over, I think you should sign on with the twins as a consultant. I know they're good, but with a senior Marauder on the staff, think of the mayhem and madness they could make. Plus I know they need help with the business end of things. Managing the books and whatnot."
"Did they ask you to talk to me about this?" he asked.
"Well, not specifically, but since I'm sort of their main investor, I believe I'm allowed to make some recommendations, and it would be a perfect solution for you and them. You would be a partner, not an employee. I doubt you'd have to work the counter unless you wanted to. I know their dress code is, erm, sort of brighter than your usual style…" Harry grinned suddenly, eyes lighting up mischievously. "But I bet Tonks would love it! She could match her hair to your work robes."
Chuckling, Lupin reached over and ruffled Harry's already mussed hair. "That really does sound like a wonderful business opportunity, Harry. Thank you for thinking of me. It's good to think about life after Voldemort."
Harry absently opened the boxes and started shifting through the contents. "You could at least help look through this stuff and see if anything is cursed."
Lupin nodded and carefully lifted several pieces out, commenting on the various stones. "Here's an opal, Harry." He held up a ring with an iridescent stone. He tilted it in the light, and it shone with all the changing colors of the rainbow. "Opals are believed to have healing powers. They are also reported to solve depressions and to help their wearer find true and real love. An opal must be worn as often as possible, to absorb humidity from the air and from the skin of its wearer."
"Tonks would like that," Harry said. "It suits her." He went back to perusing the contents of his box, only to look up in alarm when Lupin gasped.
"I thought this had been lost," he whispered, cradling a pendant containing a shimmering bluish stone.
Harry craned his neck for a better look. "Pretty. What is it?"
"Moonstone." Lupin smiled softly. "It was my mother's. It's supposed to bring sweet and beautiful dreams. It's also reputed to bring forth feelings of tenderness and to protect true love. My dad gave it to my mum when I started at Hogwarts. He hoped it would reassure her. Legend says the stone changes shades with the phases of the moon."
"I'm glad you found it, but why did Sirius have it if it was your mother's?" Harry asked.
"I've no idea," Lupin said, puzzled. "I imagine it got lost in the shuffle of one of our many moves. I may have left it with him for safekeeping and forgot."
Most of the old jewelry Harry thought was too large and cumbersome to be attractive. But then he found a little gold ring with a brilliant red stone in the center and smaller green ones forming a circle around it.
"I like this one." He held it up for Lupin's inspection.
Lupin looked stunned. "That was your mother's," he said, frowning. "She thought she'd lost it. She was devastated. Your dad gave it to her when you were born. I helped him pick it out." Lupin moved closer to take the ring.
"You see, the main stone is a ruby, which is July's birthstone, and the little ones are peridots, for August. You were due the end of July, but as due dates aren't an exact science, your dad wanted to have both months covered." Lupin smiled, handing it back to Harry. "The ring really just reminded him of your mum. The red for her hair and green for her eyes. He wanted emeralds for the green, but settled for the greenest peridots they could find," Lupin recalled fondly. "Only a gold band to go with the red, of course. Gryffindor colors."
"How did she lose it?" Harry was suspicious. Finding a lost necklace was coincidence. Finding two lost pieces from two separate people was not.
"She only ever took it off when she gave you your bath. She set it near the sink, so she thought it must have fallen down the drain. They tried everything to retrieve it. I have no idea how it could have ended up in Sirius' vault," Lupin frowned and shook his head. "Perhaps Sirius found it at the house after Voldemort…" he trailed off. "Well, I'm sure there's some explanation, but I know your mother would be delighted that you found it."
Harry was still looking at the little ring. He rubbed his thumb over the gleaming stones. "What is special about rubies and peridots?"
"Ah, that was very appropriate also. Rubies symbolize love and vividness, passion and power, warmth and a strong sense of life. Two magical elements are associated with them as well: fire and blood, implying warmth and life. The green symbolizes healing, good luck and well-being. Green is the colour of life and the recurrence of springtime. It is the colour of beauty and constant love. It conveys harmony and love of nature."
"No wonder dad asked you to help him pick it out." Harry added the ring to the chain around his neck. "I never knew stones and colours meant anything."
"It was a hobby of mine for awhile."
"Picking out jewelry for women?" Harry smirked cheekily.
"Actually, yes," Lupin said archly. "I always had an interest in the magical properties of stones. I worked with a gem cutter for a time and often helped out in his shop. Precious stones are more so when you know the stories behind them."
"Well, it's more interesting than Divination." Harry grinned.
"Here, look," Lupin said. "Your dad's and Sirius' pocket watches." He handed one to Harry. "See, when you open it, there is a two-way mirror. They used them to talk to each other when they had separate detentions. They had bigger mirrors they used as well, but these were easier to carry around. I still have mine. We never did get around to making one for Peter." He snapped the watch closed. "Not as fancy as the ones Hermione made, but perhaps you could give this one to Ron and you two can find some mischief." He smiled, handing the second gold watch to Harry, who pocketed them both with a shrug.
"We don't go looking for mischief, you know," Harry said. "It just finds us."
"Uncut, Moonstones look quite boring and make it difficult to discern their attractiveness," Lupin told Tonks. "However, once cut, incoming rays of light are refracted inside the stone and scattered, creating 'adularescence.'"
"Reminds me of you," Tonks smiled, reaching out to stroke the stone with a delicate finger. "Unassumingly gorgeous." She took the pendant from him and carefully set it on his desk. Her hands slid up over his shoulders and into his hair as she reached up to meet his lips with her own. A small opal glistened on the fourth finger of her left hand.
She had been touched when Remus explained that Harry thought she and her mother should go through the jewels. "It was nice of Harry to think of my mum. She was cut off from all the Black heirlooms when she married my dad. This will make her happy. She'll probably recognize something from her grandmum that'll bring her to tears."
Remus had held out the opal ring he'd discovered. "This reminded me of you. Look, if you tilt it like this...you can see about a hundred shades of pink."
"It's beautiful," she'd squealed, slipping it on her finger. It was a perfect fit, without needing any magical adjustment. That's when he'd shown her his mother's necklace.
"Nymphadora," Remus said tenderly, pulling away from her for a moment. "I want you to have that." He picked up the necklace again, and slipped it around her neck, fastening it securely.
She bit her lip worriedly. "What if I break it or lose it?"
Lupin tapped the necklace with his wand. "There. Unbreakable."
"Ha," she snorted. "Like that'll stop me." She glanced at her watch. "Hey, it's only 9:30. Let's pop over to see my parents. I want to ask mum about this ring, and take her the rest of the stuff."
Lupin smiled. "You go ahead. I forgot to ask Harry about something." She shrugged, picked up the boxes and blew him a kiss as she headed out the door.
After she'd gone, he rummaged in his desk until he found his old pocket watch. He clicked it open and spoke into the mirror. "Prongs." After a few moments, he saw Harry's wary face appear.
"Oh, it's you." Harry grinned. "You found yours then?"
"Yes, and it still works. A good bit of magic, if I do say so myself. Do you have a moment? I've been meaning to talk to you about something, and I got sidetracked while we were looking at the jewelry."
Harry's eyes widened with apprehension. "Wasn't that discussion at the Dursley's enough?" He shuddered slightly.
"No, it's not about that," Lupin chuckled. "Would you mind gracing me with your presence yet again this evening?"
"No problem."
Lupin was waiting at his desk with parchment and quill when Harry entered.
"Hi again," Harry said. "What's up?"
"Well, Arthur told me you wanted Bill to help you with this, but I think he's probably a bit busy with wedding plans right now. I offered to help in his place. He sent over the inventory lists of your vaults earlier, while we were at Hogwarts."
Harry and Lupin went through the list together, Lupin taking notes on the parchment.
"So tomorrow…Godric's Hollow?" Harry asked hesitantly after he signed his name to the document."Yes," Lupin nodded. "As soon as you've finished training with Moody. Do you need to make any other stops? Diagon Alley, perhaps? We can drop your paperwork off at Gringotts."
"Maybe at Gringotts you can look in Mum's trunk in their vault," Harry mused. "Griphook let us look last time, but said I couldn't take anything out until my birthday."
"That sounds like a good idea. Then when we get back, we will have two solid days of training and tutoring. Things will be haphazard for the rest of the week because of the wedding and full moon coming up."
"I should get to bed then. Goodnight Professor,""Goodnight, Harry."
Ginny had been waiting for him, but ended up falling asleep on his bed. He watched her idly for awhile. Suddenly he grinned to himself and snatched up his Invisibility Cloak. He met Tonks in the hall and quickly enticed her into accompanying him on an errand of mischief.
"Oh, Harry," she whispered as they slipped outside. "Thank you so much for the Black jewelry. My mum was so happy. A lot of the pieces were her grandmum's. This ring was from some ancient aunt, who was also a Metamorphmagus!" She flashed her ring.
Harry shrugged. "No problem. Always glad to return things to their rightful owners."
They walked quietly to the park, where they Disapparated.
With two sharp pops, they reappeared on Privet Drive. Under Harry's cloak, they slipped to the Dursleys' front door. Tonks clicked it with her wand and the door swung open silently. Inside, the house was nearly empty, with boxes stacked everywhere.
"At least they're taking Lupin's advice and moving," Harry said. He triumphantly scooped up a small triangular piece of wood and pocketed it. He checked the other doors and found two more.
Tonks arched an eyebrow. "That's it? This is your idea of causing mayhem? Stealing their door wedges? Oh come on now, surely you can do better than that." She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned in mock displeasure.
"You know, honestly, they aren't even worth the effort." Harry said. "I have a use for these, otherwise I wouldn't bother. It'll drive Aunt Petunia nuts though." He watched Tonks wander about the kitchen, poking her head in various boxes.
"You disappoint me, really, Harry," Tonks whispered, shaking her head. "I'll just leave these Canary Creams in this box here as a gift. I'm sure they'll find them when they unpack in their new home."
Harry chuckled quietly. Under his cloak once more, they relocked the door and made their way uneventfully back to Grimmauld Place.
Harry threw a door wedge at Hermione's door. It ricocheted off without touching it. "Imperterbed, eh? I see how you are, Ron." He smiled slyly to himself, retrieving the wedge. "Driving your sister out of her room and into mine. I shouldn't be held responsible for what happens. It seems to be a conspiracy." He turned and walked into his room, Imperturbing his door as well. He wondered where to hide his newly acquired door wedges so Ginny wouldn't find them. He finally Disillusioned them and tucked them behind the clock on the shelf. He stripped to his boxers and levitated Ginny so he could pull down the coverlet. He tucked her in and wrapped himself around her.
Ginny… she looked so sweet and vulnerable, curled in a ball in the center of his bed. The monster in his chest snarled possessively. She lay on her right side, her back to him. He took his mother's ring between his thumb and forefinger, and reaching for Ginny's hand, he slipped it on her ring finger. "Gin?" he whispered.
"Mmmpf."
He struggled for words, even though she wasn't awake to hear. "When this mess is all over, I want to be with you. Forever." He enfolded her hand in his and tucked her head under his chin. Within moments, he was asleep. He never noticed the faint pink glow that surrounded them.