A/N: All right, so here's Chapter Twenty-eight. I know I've lost many of my readers, but I'd like to genuinely thank those of you insane enough to stick it out with me. I'm looking at this being something like a Thirty-Five chapter story, but we'll just go with the flow. Now, on with the chapter.
"Right, now, I've stopped here to review the plan."
Harry rolled his eyes, and received an elbow in the ribs from Ginny and a glance that was half amused half remonstrating from Lupin, who was speaking to the group on a street lined with bright, cookie cutter houses shimmering in the sunlight of noon. Ginny stood next to Harry on one side, Ron on the other with Hermione by his side. Tonks stood in front of them as Lupin's right hand man—woman. McGonagall was not with them to visit the man called Bernard Dycott. The group had been told the plan many times. They were to be wary of Dycott's charms—as if a man who collected Dark artifacts had any charm—and question him about buying back the locket.
"The plan must be stuck to at all times, Harry. I must go over it once more. Bear with me," Lupin said with a small smile.
"Harry's got a point, Remus," Tonks said, laying a hand on his arm, "We've heard the plan a million times. How bad can this guy be?"
"None of you have met this man. I've never met him either, but I know what to expect. This man is no Death Eater. He's on no one's side, save his own. But that means he will go to any lengths to protect himself and his interests—in this case, the locket. And there's something else to consider. He's no old geezer. He's--"
"All right, already! We'll deal with it as it comes," Harry said impatiently.
Lupin held back the chuckle that so longed to escape, but muttered, "More and more like James every day."
Harry smiled, "Good to hear. Now, let's get this Horcrux! It's been long enough."
Lupin nodded. He'd tried to warn them, hadn't he? But, all the same, he knew that there would be problems. They didn't know of Dycott's charm. He did.
"It would be to our advantage if you lot were the first thing he sees when he opens the door. He'll be intrigued with Harry and…interested in speaking with the girls. So! Knock away!"
Ron and Harry didn't have time to puzzle out the statement about the girls, but simply looked at one another and shrugged. This was too important for them to be analytical of irrelevant aspects. Harry raised his right hand to knock, feeling Ginny's comforting form at his left. He knocked soundly and as he heard footsteps approach the door, he resolved to blow past this old man and retrieve the thing he so desperately needed. The door opened and Harry's mouth dropped in shock.
Standing before him was not a man crippled with evil and age. The man standing in the doorway was the best looking man Harry had ever seen. Tall, with a shocking head of golden hair, cornflower blue eyes, tanned skin, and a stunning smile, Harry thought that if illustrations for fairy princes could come alive they would look like this man.
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered darkly.
Harry was thinking along the same lines. This was so not good. He felt rather than saw Ginny lean forward to see Hermione on the other side of Ron and share a brief appreciative glance.
"Can I help you?" Dycott asked in a pleasant, deep voice. Harry would not be taken in by the kind tone, "By Merlin! It's Harry Potter!"
Harry usually found it grating the way people exclaimed over his identity. He was usually thinking, "Well, yes, I know that! As it's me you're talking about. But if I ever forget, I'll just come see you and you can shout out my name." Instead, he had to ignore the genuinely interested and not at all grating way in which Dycott had stated the obvious. Dycott collected Dark artifacts! There could be no good in him!
"Yeah, I am," Harry said, with a determined bitterness in his voice, "We'd like to see about buying an artifact from you."
"From me? Well, how about that? Come on in, and introduce me to these lovely ladies!" Dycott took both Hermione and Ginny by the hands and led them into the house first.
Lupin was hiding a wry smile as he followed a very angry Ron and a bewildered Harry into the house. Tonks was giggling beside him.
"Oh, I reckon this might be more fun than I'd thought, eh?" Tonks whispered.
"Don't be too amused. We can't lose sight of our goal. He's a charmer, but he's shrewd and very intelligent. And he only has his own interests in mind. Though he's a bit short-sighted when it comes to women."
Tonks laughed, "So you threw a couple of teenage girls into the pit, did you? Tactful, Remus."
Lupin shrugged, "You know that I don't believe they're in any real danger, Nymphadora, or I wouldn't have let them come. But I believed that their presence and yours too, dear, would be a help."
"Wow," Tonks murmured, briefly forgetting that she was scolding her boyfriend as she beheld the elegantly furnished house they'd just entered.
Dycott was speaking to Hermione and Ginny, who were both giggling in a very atypical manner. Harry and Ron hovered just behind them as they were led into the sitting room.
"Please," Dycott said with a smile meant to disarm, "sit. Make yourselves comfortable while we get to know each other. Getting to know a person—or people—before doing business with him—or them—is always the best policy in my book."
He settled himself comfortably between Hermione and Ginny on a small loveseat leaving no room for any of the others. Hermione and Ginny giggled again as Dycott laid his arms across the back of the couch, seemingly around their shoulders.
"Honestly, he'd better keep his hands to himself, Harry, or I'm gonna jinx him. I'm this close!"
Ron muttered this into Harry's ear as the two moved to join Lupin and Tonks on a much longer couch on the opposite side of the rich oak coffee table that separated the love seat and the long sofa.
"I know. I'm halfway there myself. Just keep your cool. Maybe this could work to our advantage," Harry muttered back.
"Right, then! I've met Hermione and Ginny here. And of course you're Harry Potter-" Dycott began, but Ron interrupted.
"And I'm Ron Weasley. Ginny's older brother and Hermione's boyfriend."
It was said with such menace that Harry nudged his best friend. Lupin smothered a chuckle, and Tonks turned her laugh into a cough. Hermione glared at him as did Ginny.
"Just ignore my older brother, Mr. Dycott," Ginny said sweetly with a hand on his chest, "We have the same mother, but she just couldn't force him to learn his manners."
Harry's eyes narrowed at the hand Ginny had fleetingly rested on the very attractive older man's chest, and prepared to speak, but he told himself that he still had to find the Horcrux. Challenging the man who had it to a duel would not be the best way to get it.
Dycott just laughed good-heartedly, "Oh, nonsense, he's just putting the warning out there. I'd do the same if my girlfriend and sister were as beautiful as you two are. And, please, call me Bernard."
"Please, Mr. Dycott," Lupin interceded, "I'm Remus Lupin and this is Nymphadora Tonks. We're in search of a certain artifact, and our search has led back to you."
Suddenly all business, Dycott's smile became sly, "And just what artifact would that be, Mr. Lupin?"
"We're looking for a locket. It's engraved with the crest of Slytherin."
Without missing a beat, Dycott smiled, "I am afraid you have been misinformed. I'm not fortunate enough to own anything that came from any of the Hogwarts founders. So sorry, chaps. Now, Hermione, Ginny, tell me a bit about yourselves. Still at school are you?"
As the girls became enamored with Dycott, Harry turned to Lupin, "He's lying. I know it!"
"Yes, I know, Harry, but what else can we do? We have to be smart about this," Lupin replied looking pensive.
"What are they falling all over themselves for?" Ron mumbled next to Harry, "What's so special about him?"
"I don't know, Ron, but we're never going to get anything accomplished with them here distracting him. If they weren't so giggly, they could probably help us, but it doesn't seem as though they're able to think straight through Dycott's charm."
"Well," came Hermione's voice, addressing the room at large, "We are clearly getting in the way of business here."
Dycott protested, but Ginny stood with Hermione, smiling and leaning down to murmur in Dycott's ear.
"Is there a restroom where Hermione and I could…freshen up?"
Dycott smiled as Harry and Ron scowled. Was it necessary for Ginny to put her lips that close to that man's ear?
"Upstairs, second door on the right. Hurry back."
The girls left, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. At least he didn't have to worry over whether or not the girls were being hit on while they tried to conduct business. HE shook his head and bent to his business. He would retrieve the Horcrux.
Twenty minutes later and Harry had not only gotten no further with Dycott then he had when he walked in the door, he was beginning to worry about Hermione and Ginny. Where could they have gone? But he tried a different tack with the man who had been reassuring them that he didn't own the locket.
"If you don't own it, then perhaps you know who does?" Harry asked.
Dycott shook his head, "I'm afraid I don't. In fact, I didn't know such an artifact existed, but now that I am, I may, too, try to track it down."
"Right, well, the rumors say that accrue quite a store of artifacts," Lupin said, "Is it a possibility that you purchased through a buyer, with a group of things, and you don't realize that you have it."
This would be quite likely if Mundungus were selling it. He would group things together without even really realizing it.
"No, I'm afraid not. I catalogue everything I buy."
"But are you absolutely sure-" Harry began, but was interrupted when the doorway to the sitting room was filled with the forms of Hermione and Ginny.
"Oh, Harry, stop badgering Bernard," Hermione said with a fond smile in Dycott's direction.
"Yeah, guys, I think we've overstayed our welcome," Ginny said with a nod.
Harry could not believe his ears. Ron's jaw dropped. They couldn't believe the girls were going to ruin this mission all because they were enraptured with the man's good looks and charm.
"But, Ginny," Harry began.
"No, we have to go anyway, Harry," Ginny said with a giggle.
"Yeah, your mum's expecting us soon," Hermione said to Ron.
Lupin looked from the girls to Harry to Dycott. They couldn't very well continue questioning him now that Hermione and Ginny had interrupted and made it nearly impossible.
"Oh, no, you have to leave? We've hardly had a chance to get to know one another," Dycott, rising and moving toward the girls.
"I know," Hermione said with a sigh, "I wish we didn't have to go."
"Me, too," Ginny said wistfully, moving in front of Hermione and taking both of Dycott's hands in hers. She kissed him on both cheeks and said, "We'd love to stay."
"Well, then, do. All of you. Have dinner with me."
This would be a chance to pump him for information, and Harry opened his mouth to accept the invitation even as he was seething that his girlfriend had kissed the man on the cheeks. But Hermione interrupted again.
"We can't," she looked thoroughly remorseful as she leaned slightly forward offering a cheek for him to peck while remaining in the doorway, hands behind her back.
"Let's go," Ginny said, "I don't want to face Mum if we're late."
Lupin rose, dazed, as Tonks followed with a smile. Harry and Ron were scowling as they bid farewell to Bernard Dycott. The group emerged onto the street, and Hermione said in a low voice.
"No questions. We have to get home."
And she Apparated. No other explanations. Ginny took Lupin's arm and they followed suit. Tonks was next, leaving Ron and Harry to stare into the void.
"They've gone mad," Ron croaked.
But the two Apparated back and bolted into the Burrow to find Hermione, Ginny, Lupin, and Tonks in the entry hall. Tonks, Ginny, and Hermione were grinning while Lupin looked confused. Ron and Harry were angry.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking? You flirt with a man twice your age and ruin our mission in defending him! We have nothing now! Nothing! Because you two were too wrapped up in looks to see the mission."
"Ron, stop yelling."
"No, he's right!" Harry started in, "I was going to let it go that you were so taken in by Dycott. I figured, 'They don't get to meet a man with good looks and charm every day. They have to settle for us, so naturally they'd be dazzled.' But you went too far! Why are you SMILING?"
"Because, cute as your jealousy is," Hermione began.
"We're not jealous," Harry and Ron stated simultaneously.
"Right, well, anyway. Glad you think so little of our intelligence, though," Ginny said, "It was an act, Harry. We knew he was lying about the locket, so we figured we'd charm him into thinking we were just harmless, pathetic women."
"I thought it was odd that he'd been so adamant about not having any things that had belonged to any of the Hogwarts founders. I wanted a look around."
"And through Hermione's brilliant spell work, we found not only the locket, but this."
Hermione produced from a bag that she'd charmed to make small enough to fit into the palm of her hand…the locket and…a large cup with a letter "H" engraved on it.
A/N: Two bird with one stone, ladies and gentlemen. I know it's unlikely that it would work out anywhere near this way in Ms. Rowling's world, but I liked the idea that someone conniving could be attractive. Anyway…look forward to more romance in the next couple of chapters. And the Final Battle looms as the number of Horcruxes dwindle. Review please!