Harry Potter and the Silver Dragons
Chapter 10: The Calm Before the Storm
Harry and Ginny brushed snow off of themselves as they stepped into Weasley's Wizard Wheezes the next day in order to stock up on their supplies. Both Fred and George were still at St. Mungo's, so their best friend from their Hogwarts days, Lee Jordan, was running the shop for them. Lee even had a few new things for them to try. "Fred and George were working on or finishing up some of this stuff when they attacked you," Lee explained as he pulled out a large box from behind the counter, "they told me to give them to you next time you were in, just call it a Christmas present if you want."
"Are you sure they are safe?" Ginny asked.
They all knew why she had asked this. If the twins were still under the Imperious Curse when they told Lee to do this then they would be putting their lives at risk just by using the stuff.
"Quite sure," Lee assured them, "they had Mad Eye Moody and Remus Lupin double check everything in this box. The only thing they found was this stuff would be highly useful in a pinch, or just to pull a prank on some people, and I have tried a few of them out for myself." Lee pulled out a small item that looked like a coach's whistle. "They call this one a Sounder," Lee explained, "you simply tap it with your wand and when you blow it, it will imitate any animal." Lee pulled out his wand and gave the Sounder a tap, then blew into it. Instead of the sound of a whistle, there was a roar like that of a dragon scaring a few customers as they past the counter.
"That's pretty cool." Harry exclaimed, "What else do you have?"
Lee pulled out of the box several tablets, all of them were colored black. "These are the next generation of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder." He explained, handing the tablets to Harry, "Fred and George wanted to make them easier to use, so they encased them in these clear plastic tablets. They then put a spell on them so they would dissolve when they came into contact with anything hard enough."
"I get it," Ginny said as she held one of the tablets up, "the old version of the Instant Darkness Powder could be messy and hard to handle. But these tablets are easy to carry and to use as well."
Harry nodded, "Thanks Lee, we will take the box with us and Lupin can show us how to use the items tonight."
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That evening, after testing most of the items they had gotten from the shop, Harry and Ginny were sitting at the kitchen table while Hermione and Ron told them what they had found out about the town of Little Hangleton and its most famous, not to mention infamous house. "We found out that just over fifty years ago, the entire Riddle family were found murdered in their sitting room by the maid." Hermione told them.
"We also found out that the old muggle we followed around in the pensive was the man that the entire town thought had killed the Riddles." Ron added.
"His name was Frank Bryce," Hermione added, "and the people in Little Hangleton believe he is even guiltier for the crime since his disappearance three years ago, even though the police could never prove he had killed them."
"That sounds just like the way Voldemort works," Harry told them, "he will let somebody else take the blame for his crimes. He did it with his uncle for the same crime and with that house elf when he stole Hufflepuff's cup and Slytherin's locket from that Smith woman."
"Well, unlike You-Know-Who's uncle," Ron began, "Frank Bryce was released after the muggle doctors finished their…" He looked at Hermione for help.
"Autopsy!" Hermione finished. "There was no visible evidence of why they had died," she continued, "no stab or gun shot wounds, no sign of poisons, or trauma of any kind, in fact according to the report they were all in perfect health with the exception of course that they were all dead."
"Well I guess that would be about right if Voldemort used the Avada Kedavera on them." Ginny put in.
"What about the house?" Harry asked, "Did you find out anything about it?"
'Plenty," Hermione said, "after the murder of the Riddles, the house was sold to a new family, but they didn't even live there for two months before they moved out."
"It was the same for everyone else that tried to live in that place," Ron continued, "every one of them left within a month or two of moving in."
"The current owner is a wealthy muggle that never uses it," Hermione said, "he even allowed Frank Bryce to stay on as the gardener until he was killed by Voldemort."
"All in all mate," Ron quickly added, "this place has several things in common with the orphanage: they have both been abandoned, and nobody wants to go in."
"And both of them were places that meant something to Voldemort when he was younger." Hermione added, "Unlike the orphanage where he grew up, or the cave where he terrorized those other children from the orphanage, this was where he conducted his first cold blooded murder."
"Sounds like the perfect place for us to find a Horcrux." Harry said.
"When do we leave then?" Ginny asked.
"What's this 'we' business?" Ron asked throwing a furious look in Harry's direction.
"I thought this time I was going with you." Ginny told them.
Harry had been somewhat expecting this since he had told everyone the story while he was in the hospital wing. "Sorry Ginny, but I can't risk taking you with us." Harry told her.
"Because you are afraid I will get hurt," Ginny protested, "in case you don't remember, I was with the three of you when you went to the Ministry of Magic, so you should know I can take care of myself."
"Look at the time," Hermione said as she elbowed Ron in the ribs, "we had better start getting things ready for our trip tomorrow." Without giving Ron a chance to say anything, Hermione pulled him out of the room.
There was an awkward silence in the room during which time Harry looked down at the Daily Prophet and a picture of himself giving his speech at the Ministry, the title "Potter Criticizes Ministry Policies" next to the picture.
"So are you going to say anything?" Ginny asked her arms folded over her chest.
Harry tore his gaze from his picture and looked at her, "I know that you want to go and help to recover this Horcrux Ginny," he began, "but…"
"But what?" Ginny interrupted.
"But," Harry began again, "while I was in the hospital wing, just after I told all of you about the Horcruxes, your mother and father came to me and asked that I keep you out of harms way."
"Listen to him Ginny," came a voice from the doorway, "Harry is only concerned with your safety." They both looked in that direction and found John Warrens standing there. "Unlike Harry, Ron, and Hermione, you have not been training for this mission, and, as much as I'd hate to say this, would probably just get in their way."
"Hey," Ginny said anger evident in her voice, "I can take care of myself."
Harry let out a sigh, "Nobody is debating that Ginny, but…"
"But what?" she asked him, the anger in her voice rising.
Harry paused for a moment to choose his next words carefully, finally deciding that the best course of action would be to just let his heart do the talking in this case, "But if anything happened to you while we were retrieving the Horcrux, I would never be able to forgive myself." He walked up to her and took her hands in his own, "Remember on the train when you told me you were not willing to give up on us, and how much you loved me?" Ginny nodded, "Well, what I am doing is just another version of that love that we have for each other, call it selfish if you want to, but I just can't let you get hurt because of something I must do."
"Besides," John added, "if you go along with them, who will be here to greet them when they return with the Horcrux?"
"Alright," Ginny finally told them, "I'll stay here, but I won't like it."
"A friend of mine would tell you that you don't always have to like doing it, as long as it is the right thing to do." John told her.
Ginny glared at John, "If you say so," she then turned back to Harry, "I am going up to my room, goodnight." And she left the room without giving him a kiss.
John, sensing what Harry was thinking spoke up, "She may not understand it now, but someday she will understand Harry."
Harry shrugged, "I hope so. Oh, and thanks for the help there, I'm not sure I would have been able to convince her if you had not arrived when you did." John just gave Harry a smile.
Not that long after Harry decided it was time to head off to bed as well. However, he found something he did not expect when he got to the first floor landing, Ginny sitting at the top of the stairs near Ron's room holding up a flesh colored tube to her ear. As he walked up to her, Ginny noticed him and held her finger up to her lips indicating that he should be quiet and motioned for her to sit down next to her.
When he did this Ginny held the extendable ear so that he could hear what was being said as well. On the other end he could hear Ron and Hermione talking, "I am sorry about that thing with Lavender Brown last year," Ron said, "now that I think about it, I am pretty sure I only got involved with her because of the things Ginny had said when Harry and I caught her snoging Dean Thomas in the secret passage that night."
"That was a rotten reason to get involved with somebody Ron," Hermione said, "but in all honesty, I realize now it was one of the reasons I went to the Yule Ball with Victor Crum and Slughorn's Christmas party last year with Cormac McLaggen."
"And then I considering how much of a git I was both those times, first by only asking you a few days before the Yule Ball, and then having Lavender hanging off my arm for a good part of last year, I guess I can't blame you for what you did." Ron said in a voice that sounded a bit ashamed."
Harry looked down at Ginny and mouthed to her 'What is going on?"
She gave a tug on the extendable ear, which immediately shrunk it back down, then explained, "When I got up here, I figured Hermione was finished with the things she and Ron went off to do so that we could talk. When I didn't find her in her room, I figured she was down here still working on your supplies for tomorrow. After I got down here, Ron's door was ajar just like it is now, and when I stopped to knock on it to let them know I was there, I heard strange sounds coming from inside."
Harry didn't have to be told what was making those sounds, after all he had been expecting this for some time. "All I can say is that it's about time those two got together."
"Yeah, you have no idea what she went through last year when she saw him with Lavender hanging off his arm for most of the year, not to mention when they were snogging each other whenever they were in the common room."
Harry remembered when Hermione sent that small group of small yellow birds after Ron when he and Lavender had started going out, "Oh I think that I have a pretty good idea of what she was going through."
There was a long moment of silence before either of them spoke again, "Harry, I'm sorry about what happened earlier, you and John were right, the three of you have been training for this, and though I have been helping out I have not been training." Ginny looked away, "I just thought that I should let you know about that."
Harry smiled at her then reached into the pockets of his jeans and pulled out a golden locket, the same locket that he and Dumbledore had retrieved from the cave. Reaching around her, Harry connected the chain around her neck.
"What's this?" she asked as she touched the locket.
"It's the locket that Dumbledore and I found in the cave last summer." He told her.
Ginny held the locket up to look at it more closely, "Harry I can't take this,"
But before she could finish saying anything Harry placed his index finger on her lips, "I have been thinking about a good many things ever since I was in the Hospital Wing, and I have been keeping this thing as a reminder of why we are searching for the Horcruxes. But now I realize that I don't need items like this to remind me of the importance of this mission, all I have to do is look into your eyes, or listen to Ron and Hermione argue about unimportant things, watch your mum make a fuse over how we all look, even listen to your dad talk excitedly about anything and everything muggle, stuff like that is all the reminders that I need. So I am giving this thing to you, think of it as an early Christmas gift, or even a very late birthday present."
Ginny smiled up at him, and they kissed. When they finally broke apart Ginny pulled out of her pocket a folded up piece of parchment and handed it to him. "What's this?" Harry asked as he took the parchment from her.
"It's a page out of one of the Gilderoy Lockheart books you gave me just before my first year at Hogwarts." As Harry unfolded the parchment, Ginny continued, "Hermione showed it to me when she first found out that I liked you and told me that it was very appropriate for our situation, particularly now."
Harry looked down at the parchment and read it, when he was finished reading it he looked back up at Ginny and smiled. "I want you to take it with you tomorrow when you go after the Horcrux."
"I will keep it with me tomorrow." Harry told her as he brought her lips to his and they kissed once again.
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Harry woke up very early the next morning and after getting dressed he double checked his bag. In it was his invincibility cloak, several of the darkness pellets that he had gotten from the joke shop along with a set of the special goggles to go with them, one of Fred and George's shield hats, the special walkie-talkie earpiece that Hermione had made for them if they had to split up, and finally Dumbledore's diary.
As he held the book up he thought about that night once again on the astronomy tower when Snape used the killing curse on Dumbledore. Harry quickly shook this out of his mind as he replaced all of the items back into his back and headed down to the kitchen were he, Ron, and Hermione would apperate to the Riddle House in Little Hangleton.
When he got to the kitchen though he found a bit of a surprise, Lupin, Tonks, Mad Eye, and Mrs. Weasley were all there sitting around the table, with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who Harry noticed was still in her dressing gown covered only by a bathrobe.
As soon as she noticed that he was in the room, Mrs. Weasley rushed over to the counter and brought back a plate of toast and some bacon for Harry. "Thanks Mrs. Weasley." Harry said as he began to apply jam to his toast.
"We have decided that we will be standing by here in case you need us Potter." Mad Eye told Harry.
"We know that you feel that you need to do this on your own Harry," Lupin began, "but after what happened when you retrieved the cup," Lupin looked down at Harry's fully healed hand, and paused for a moment, "well I think you get what I mean."
Harry knew full well what Lupin meant. They perfectly well understood that Harry felt he, Ron, and Hermione had to do this on their own, but at the same time they were leaving the door open in case they were needed. "Thanks, but I think we will be a lot better prepared for this one." Harry said. He couldn't help but to notice that Ron and Hermione looked a little less confident of that than he put on, but he also knew that they were behind him one hundred percent.
They all sat in silence as they finished their breakfast. Finally half and hour later, Harry stood up, and grabbed his bag, "Lets go." He said. Ron and Hermione grabbed their bags as well and joined Harry next to the kitchen door. Though she said nothing, Harry could tell that Mrs. Weasley was doing a very good job of restraining herself, but he could also see that she was ready to burst at any time.
Ginny walked up next to Harry and kissed his cheek, "Be careful." She told him.
Harry gave her a reassuring smile, and then with a nod to both Ron and Hermione they all spun in place and disapparated.
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"So they have finally left," Victor Wu said into his telephone, "ok, let them know that Operation Griffin has started." When Victor hung up the phone, he turned to look at the two men that were in his sitting room, "Potter, Weasley, and Granger have left for Little Hangleton."
"Then it is finally time to proceed," One of the men said, "are you ready for the operation to begin?" he asked the other.
"All is ready to go." The second man said.
The first one nodded, "Then good luck." With those words the second man disapparated from the room with a soft popping sound. The first man then turned back to Victor, "Is your group ready to go?" he asked.
Victor nodded, "We have been ready for this day for over two decades."
"Then my old friend let us begin."
Authors Note: Once again, sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I have been really busy the last few months and have not found much time for projects like this. I will try to get the next chapter finished a little faster, and would also like to thank the loyal readers that have given me such great feedback. For everyone else, please read and review this story for me, otherwise I can't make it any better.
