Disclaimer: No money is being made or received for this work in her playground of characters
Castles, Summer, and Explanations
Rowan returned to the castle that evening. Her quarters were becoming easier to find and she still had work to do for the Ministry. She found herself staring at the pictures of her children thinking of how much she missed them. At that moment, she decided that tonight she would write and tell them as much as possible. Two hours later, and what seemed a book to each of them and her older brother, she summoned Dobby to her room. "Dobby, other than owls, how can I get this to my children? I would hate to think of the size of the owl that had to carry this thing to Texas." Dobby thought for a few moments and his eyes were suddenly alight with excitement
"Dobby is taking it to them!" He took the envelopes from her and looked at them carefully. "Dobby is taking it NOW!" With a resounding CRACK, Rowan was left alone again
She began to read the NEWT test for "Muggle Studies". She laughed out loud as she read about dentists being called barbers and making wooden teeth. No wonder there was such a lack of understanding. About half way though the test, Dobby returned. Grinning as he walked to her desk, he handed her a box from her kids. Opening it, there were pictures and letters. There were a couple of CD's and DVD's. Even though she couldn't watch them here, she was sure there would be somewhere she could. She cried as she looked over the pictures of their practices. The music room in the back of her home was filled with more instruments. Mason played each of them and was learning more. Jeff's note said that they were fine. The money she had in her account was being used and enjoyed. He told her about the new grill for the back yard, and the new pool that was put in the week before.
"Dobby, how did you get this?"
Dobby looked guilty as he said "I is knowing you is missing your little ones. I went as a dream and had them all put their things they is wanting you to have in a box for me to take. When I is leaving, they is all back asleep."
"Thank you Dobby. I do miss them." And with a lighter heart, he left her office and her to her work and memories and went to Harry Potter
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They had now been in the Estate for just over two days. The four friends were in the Library that morning when Hermione screamed loudly as she took a book off the shelf. Harry, Ron and Ginny looked up to see Hermione standing before an open bookcase. Harry, for the first time, was not willing to rush in. He told them to wait a minute and returned with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Wands at the ready, Harry lead them down a corridor and stairs. Lights flickered into existence as he passed them. They walked on and on. Finally, a large door loomed in front of them, the now familiar lion's head looking back at him. Taking a deep breath, he stated his name clearly and put his hand on the door.
The door creaked open. The room was for research. It looked as though it hadn't been opened in hundreds of years. Hermione gasped as she looked at the age of some of the tomes. The large table in the center had three chairs which looked quite old. Quills, ancient parchments, and open books lying on top. There were two other doors. The first one did not respond, nor did the second. On a whim, Mr. Weasley introduced himself, looked at Harry with surprise, when the door swung open as well. Harry, Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley made their way through the door. It stayed open behind them, but Ron and Hermione stayed in the research room. Leaving them far behind, they walked on and on. It would have been easy to get tired if their adrenaline level were not so high.
At the fourth door, the same introductions were repeated. The door opened into bright sunlight filtering into a…. basement. As Mrs. Weasley stepped in, she stopped, and turned to her husband. "Arthur, this is the Burrow's basement." But the Burrow itself gone, leaving only a pit where the basement used to be; the smell of fire still covered their senses; the door was not scorched and stayed open. Harry wondered if they closed it, if they would be able to see it.
Arthur seemed to think along the same lines. Looking around at the basement he loved, he wrapped his wife in his arms. "This is old magic, but at least it is good to know we are not the first Potter-Weasley friends."
They noticed movement on the ground above them. Arthur pushed Molly and Ginny back through the door and motioned for Harry to do the same. Harry motioned for Arthur to go ahead. The door closed behind him and Harry was left alone. He looked around for some way to trigger the door into existence again, but was afraid that whoever was above would hear him. He took his wand out in an instant. He knew there was more than one person there. He stood in the shadows of the burned out basement, hoping to avoid them. He heard a familiar voice overhead. "I don't know if they will be back or not. Last I heard they were with Dumbledore. Should we wait? We can't get to him if he's at Hogwart's."
Harry breathed deep, trying to slow his heartbeat. 'Who were they looking for? Who are they anyway? Where the hell was the door?' he thought seriously. He stepped back another step, tripping on a burnt piece of wood, the stairwell collapsing on top of him. His wand was knocked from his hand as blackness overtook him
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Arthur and Molly were about to reenter the research room when they realized that Harry was not behind them. They returned to the Burrow at a full scale run back down the corridor to the Burrow's basement. When they reopened the door, Harry was not there. They called to him, hoping that he had gone to the main level, but no one answered. Molly burst into angry tears. When they realized that Harry was gone, they turned and retreated into the research room once again
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Harry woke with a start, sore from the burnt staircase falling on him. His glasses were still on his face, but askew. He tried to reach his hand but it was restrained. He wiggled his nose until they were sitting properly on his face. Not that it mattered, as he was in complete darkness. He could hear voices but when he yelled, no one responded
His hands and feet were shackled. He was upright so he must be attached to that wall. He pulled his hands and felt a burning sensation around his wrist. It did not take long for him to decide not to push it. He knew at some point he would have a visitor, and resigned himself to the realization that Voldemort had kidnapped him and he would never see Ginny again. As the time wore on, he was glad he had taken care to get the Estate nonsense settled that morning. In just a couple of days, the Weasleys would finally have the wealth that they deserved
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The Weasleys returned to the research room to find Hermione was pouring over a text that sat open on the table. Ron was pacing the room watching for anyone who might enter. Ginny entered first, surprised when their parents did not come through immediately after her. Finally Molly and Arthur returned to the room
Before either of the adults could speak, Ron cut across "You aren't going to believe this…" but was interrupted by Hermione looking up from her book
"You are not the first Potter Weasley friends. In 1293 John Potter and William Weasley were friends," Hermione was speaking very fast, looking from her place in the book to read aloud, "As their friendship grew, they developed a friendship with a girl, Mary Precious Cowan; a strong witch with a great insight. Mary loved these two boys, her own age, as brothers. But as their friendship grew, so did the dark times. A dark wizard appeared. Mary's mother made a prophecy that destined that only three friends of equal heart could defeat him. The Dark Lord that they all feared was married to a Malfoi. The friends decided that it must be them of which the prophesy spoke. They resolved to learn all they could to save their world.
"With Mary's help, they built this room and the secret passage between the homes. Only the blood line of both can open the door into their own castle from this room or a direct female heir of Mary's. She can open any of the doors without the men. Apparently, their friendship with Mary grew stronger. They researched everything possible in order to bring the evil under control. And they did. The three united used an ancient chant that brought about the fall of the dark lord.
"Malfoi's descendants denied that this was the same person, but this author believes that they knew and supported him all along. Their family continued to prosper when the dark lord was… vanquished." She looked into the eyes around her. "We may have found it…"
It took several moments of listening to Hermione's rambling before Mrs. Weasley, tears streaming down her face, finally screamed "SHUT IT - HARRY IS GONE!" Ron and Mr. Weasley went back to the Burrow, determined to find out what happened to Harry. Molly, Ginny, and Hermione notified Dumbledore and roused the rest of the Weasleys, in order to organize a search.
They searched for the entire day. Adrenaline kept them at it well after dark. No one could sense him. Even Dumbledore, who had always had magical sensors in place to keep track of Harry, came up with nothing. Either he was dead or in some where so magical, that his magical signature was being covered
Ron found Harry's wand and pocketed it. He had no doubts at that point that Harry was somewhere he did not want to be. That night, Hermione, Ginny and Ron slept in the large bed in Harry's room. They would not sleep long, waking early to continue the search
Dumbledore notified the staff of Harry's disappearance. Snape left immediately. Rowan assumed it was to help search. She sought out Dumbledore and asked what she could do. He looked into her eyes for a moment before turning away. "Nothing Ms. Black, nothing. If you would just stay here at the castle, I don't believe you can do anything to assist tonight. I will see you in the morning."
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The following morning, Rowan woke early, put on her running shoes and made a few laps around the lake. Upon her return, she found Remus waiting for her. "Hey Remy! Have you heard anything about Harry yet?" He shook his head, seemingly unable to speak, she continued, "I'm sorry. Come in. I'd give ya' a hug, but I doubt you would want one… I smell!" Smiling at him, she said, "Let me take a quick shower and we can have breakfast." When she exited the bathroom, she was dressed in a casual pair of khaki shorts and a loose tank top. An elf had brought coffee in her absence, but Remus was not drinking it. He was pacing as he waited for her. "You okay? Did they find Harry?"
"NO! They did not find Harry." he screamed at her. She stepped back a bit to be sure he didn't hit her on accident. "I didn't want to do this Rowan. I wanted you to take your time, make the decision yourself, but now, I'm so sorry, I must insist."
"Uhm, Remus? What's this all about?"
He turned to look at her, his eyes were frightening. "You are not just Rowan Black. You are Rowan Cowan Black, one of my oldest friends. You left here just over fifteen years ago. Now, you have to remember." She took another step away from him; luckily it was to her outside door. Her hand found it as he continued, "Please Rowan, now you have to remember. You have to save Harry!"
She opened the door and bolted; her bare feet slapped the stone floor as she fled down the great staircase and out the front doors. She did not know where to go. She wasn't even sure why he scared her so. No one scared her, she prided herself on it. She stayed outside most of the day.
When he realized she was gone, Remus returned to the Potter estate to continue the search without the one person who could help. Night had fallen when she made her return to the castle. She went to her room, closed and locked the door, and fell into a troubled sleep
The search went on for days. The Order of the Phoenix were utilizing the War Room in Grimmauld Place for additional research. Rowan shut herself off from the castle, the insanity, and the search; not answering the door. Her rational was that as a Muggle, she just didn't have the resources to effectively help. She finished the revision of the text in five days, and proceeded to complete the revision of the tests in another two. Only then did she leave her room. Her feeling of safety vanished when she looked into the seated form of Severus Snape, Hogwart's Potions Master, who was apparently waiting for her to open the door. She immediately retreated back to the safety of her room, feeling safe as she was hidden away
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Harry had been just over a missing a week. Seven days his friends and the Ministry of Magic searched for him. Seven days of hell for Ginny, who would only sleep if one of her brothers was in the room with her. Molly cried herself to sleep every night. Arthur and Dumbledore looked at every possible lead to find their missing charge
Hermione and Ron spent their time in the Research room. The texts were so old that it was difficult to translate them. Hermione was convinced that there was a spell here that would allow a Weasley to find a Potter. But so far, she had nothing.
The Weasley's were visited by Mr. Obee. The Estates and holdings had been magically transferred to them on the third day of Harry's disappearance. Arthur held his wife as she cried
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Harry was given water to drink, for the first few days. Then, he was allowed additional links in the chains that bound him so he could sit or lay on the floor. There were no lights in his dungeon. He had no wandless magic. He did hear and feel the rodents as they left their hiding place to taste the boy. He screamed repeatedly, until his voice was hoarse
Finally, the door opened and a figure entered. He stood, trying to present a courageous exterior. He was weak and dehydrated, though, and it showed. He expected to see the glowing eyes of Voldemort at any second. When the torch was brought in he wished it was Voldemort's face he saw, rather than the one which stood before him now
"Potter… so nice of you to join us." she said in her sickeningly sweet girlish voice. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up
"What do you want?" His voice was raspy, not enough liquids to keep him hydrated
"The Minister has asked me to keep an eye on you, until the final battle. You will be used as bait to bring out He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. At which time, hit-wizards will do their job."
"Why?"
"Because since Cornelius heard the prophesy from Dumbledore, he has been planning the downfall of the Dark Lord." She smiled a toothy grin at him
"Please, I am so thirsty." He hated to think he was showing his weakness as he heard her laugh
"Mr. Potter, you will have a pitcher of water brought to you at once." she snapped her fingers and a plate of sandwiches appeared in front of him, just out of reach. The water jug was inches too far away. "Perhaps you should use your wandless magic I have heard so much about."
Harry concentrated his efforts on summoning the jug, without success. He panted with the effort. "Oh, how silly of me." she drawled, "The shackles prevent you from doing magic of any kind. This entire room is something of a magical dampening field. Only the owner of the home can use magic. Quite useful really; Don't you think?"
"Would you please put the food and water in my reach? I promise not to do anything. I am so very thirsty." He was asking politely, but he would have begged at that moment. He could see the condensation running down the outside of the pitcher making him want it all the more
She reached for the pitcher and slid it a foot closer to him. He grabbed it with his hand and brought it to his lips. When he put the pitcher down, he assumed that it was drugged, he found he didn't care; he was breathing hard. Sleep overtook him at once
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As Rowan came out of her room the second time, she found that Severus had been joined by Dumbledore and Remus. "Hello dear. I trust you feel better than when last we spoke?"
"No, not really." she eyed them closely
"I believe I can help with that. Remus, would you please bring Ron, Hermione and Ginny and meet me in my office?" he nodded and left. "Rowan, would you follow me?"
The three made their way to the gargoyle, "Hot Tamales," he said, as the gargoyle sprang to life.
Once they entered the office of the headmaster, Rowan sat carefully on a chair. She kept her back to the wall and her face so she could see the entire office with a sweeping glance. "What's going on?" The question was blunt, but difficult to answer. Severus' eyes were dilated with a look she could not read clearly. He unnerved her
"There are a few things which you should know before the others get here. Simply put, we cannot find Harry. We have only one resource left to do that. He has been gone now for eight days, and the longer he is gone, the more likely it is that he will not come back to us. We have teams of wizards out looking for him. We only know that Voldemort doesn't have him; but is looking for him too, hoping, no doubt, that he will find Harry before we can. You are our only hope to being able to find him."
Rowan listened intently but just did not understand. "What do you want me to do?"
At that moment, Remus, Severus, Ron, Hermione and Ginny entered the office. They sat before the Headmaster continued. "I want you to remember."
"Remember what?"
"That is the tricky part. Rowan, you actually attended this school some twenty years ago. Your best friend was Lily Evans Potter, you were the maid of honor at her wedding, Godmother to Harry Potter." She looked at him for a moment before she snorted with laughter. Raising her eyebrows, she laughed loudly again. Her mirth filled the room. Ginny wondered for a moment if she had not had some kind of a break down. "Rowan, it is true. You came to me with your two young children and asked me to remove your memories of this place, bind your magical powers, and those of your children, and return you to Texas. After some discussion and consideration, I did as you asked. Now, I need to remove the memory charm, in order to restore your memories. You must remember being named as Harry's Godmother. The contract you made with his parents will undoubtedly reconnect you with him. Please, Rowan, help us find Harry."
"You are serious?"
"Yes, he is." Remus and Severus answered at the same time.
Severus continued, "I provided the potions for your children's magical binding."
Remus said, "I was the witness' signature to the contract stating that you're binding and memory charms were consensual."
"Uhm, yea. That I would like to see." she stated, knowing that they would not be able to produce it
"Uhm, Professor?" Hermione asked quietly. "If this is Harry's Godmother, why did she leave him?"
"It is not my story to tell, however, she did have adequate reasons to do so." He answered as he produced the contract and handed it to Rowan
She read it over. Her signature, Remus', Severus', and Albus', were there under hers. She reread it several times and handed it to Hermione. Hermione, Ron, and then Ginny read the contract with wide eyes. Effectively she chose to turn her back on the magical community as well as bind her children's magic in order to live life as a Muggle in the United States. She had left three months after Harry's parents were killed: December 31, 1990. "So, assuming that this is real, what happens now?"
"Now, we remove the block, restore your memories and unbind your magic. The process will take a few days, possibly a week…."
"A FEW DAYS?" Ron bellowed. "HARRY MAY NOT HAVE A FEW DAYS!"
"Sit down Mr. Weasley," Professor Snape demanded, "You will not speak to the Headmaster this way."
Ron turned to his potions master. "He said a few days. Harry could be…" but Ron could not finish the thought
Hermione, however, could. "…dead, Headmaster, we don't know where he is or what they are doing to him. We need to do this now."
Rowan looked to the kids. "I don't understand everything. But I promise you that I will do this as fast as I can. But you have to remember something, I HAVE memories from the time I was fourteen until now. I don't know how to sort through those and help him at all, but I promise you that I will do my best to sort it quickly." Turning to Dumbledore, she said,"Let's do it."
The children were excused and asked to return to the Estate. For this portion of the practice, it would be best for her to have some measure of privacy.
