Eve. of the 10th anniversary of Battle of Hogwarts
Harry was sure that the dying embers of the flame in the mud pit in front of him accurately represented the emotional state of people around it. His eyes moved over the other seven people except him. Each of these Witches or Wizards were once considered as the leaders in one field or another. Every one of them had overcome large problems, earned the victory despite overwhelming odds, all in the hope of a better future. But as they sat around the fire today, none of them felt like leaders. They all had lost the most important battle of their life. The sound of a bottle breaking brought his attention to Bill Weasley, who had thrown his butterbeer bottle in the pit. The voice of the eldest Weasley son was full of bitterness.
"Look at us. A curse breaker, An Enchanter, Two of the best Aurors in the DMLE, A spell specialist, A founders descendant, and even a bloody Mage. And still, we are not able to save our loved ones. Even with all these powers, we can't do anything to the maggots who should have died long ago. We all are failures, damn it."
Harry thought it was a testament to everything that the group had gone through that no one objected to Bill's words, not even Ron, who was famous for his anger by now. Seeing no reaction from either of them, Bill's hand slapped down on his chair.
"Damn it, We cannot let them do it. We have to do something..."
He was interrupted by the Susan Bones, who was sitting on his opposite side.
"And then what Bill? Take them where. We cannot run, we cannot leave, We can't even hide them in the muggle world. The Wizengamot made dure of that when they placed the runic tattoo on Teddy's leg. We..."
She was interrupted too, but this time it was not any other person. Without any source or reason, the fire dwindling in the pit burst in a large towering flame, reaching more than 20 feet in height. Harry's eyes were fixed on the flame while he desperately tried to regain control over his magic, which had reacted to Susan's words. It was not until his wife, Daphne Potter nee Greengrass grabbed his hand and started rubbing it that he was able to reaffirm the control over his magic.
Susan, who had been staring at him all the time, took a deep breath and spoke in a soft tone.
"We cannot hide, we cannot leave, and we cannot run, not with a 10-year-old werewolf child along with us. The new hit wizard force will catch us sooner or later, and then we would have no other option but to fight. With barely anyone left to fight along with us, we would have to do it alone. Some of us are too big of a threat to Wizengamot to be left alive, and this will give them an excuse. Once the fight starts, they will make sure that we lose, no matter what their losses are."
By the end of her speech, Susan's eyes had teared up. After a few moments of silence, Tracey spoke up in a wavering voice.
"What about our friends on the Wizengamot? Can't they help us?"
On her seat next to him, Daphne turned to look at her best friend.
"No, Trace. They did all they could, but they are low in number. The pureblood faction has held the power there since the second blood war. Most of them went underground so the post-war reforms never effected them. If the Criminal house law had not passed during the second blood war, our seats would have been enough to stop and maybe change everything. But with it in effect..."
There was another silence but this time it was longer than any other. Harry knew he should tell them about his plan, but he refrained. At least until he saw his wife's tear-filled eyes. Seeing that broke his determination.
"When the hit wizards arrive at her house tomorrow, we know Andromeda will not let them do it, not unless she is breathing. She will kill a lot of them, but she won't succeed in stopping them from taking away."
He hesitated for a few moments before releasing a deep sigh.
"At least, not alone, not without my presence there."
Knowing everyone around the fire would understand what he was not saying Harry raised his hands to stop the obvious objections.
"Look, I know our oath to Andromeda says we can't be at her house to help her."
As he spoke, a malicious smile spread on his face unknowingly, making some people in the group flinch, as they had never seen such a thing on the Potter heir's face.
"The oath never said that I cannot do anything before she would need help. I am going to make sure that she would not need any help. The Wizengamot, who will be meeting tomorrow morning to formally approve the Special creature commission, will see its first major interruption since the war. I have already asked Neville and a few others to not attend tomorrow."
The malicious smile had turned into a sad one by now.
"This world has given me a lot of good things. Adoptive brothers, sisters, a loving wife, and a lot of good friends. But it has also taken away my parents, my family, my happiness, and a lot of other things at every chance it could. No more guys, no more."
Once again a heavy silence ensued as he waited for everyone's reaction. He knew who the most strongest objectors would be. While his wife he might be able to handle, it was the other two that worried him. Ron and Hermione had been through a lot of things through him. They had lost family, happiness, their homes, and much more while helping him. But this time he had to convince them to stay behind, to after things once he was gone.
"What is your plan, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"The chief warlock does not control the wards of the chamber until the session. If I disable all of them before the warlock asserts control, I can keep them as a hostage while they agree to my demands."
Daphne's voice was as flat as it could be.
"What demands? How are you going to disable nearly 70 people in a chamber?"
Harry checked upon the privacy ward he had raised before answering.
"Disable as in I am going to make it impossible for them to move. I have enough power that I can make it for 5 to 6 hours. That would be enough for what I intend to do. The demands would not be much, just a request to dissolve the proposed law and commission, and few oaths from each of them upon their family magic."
"And if they don't agree to your demands?"
Harry was silent this time, not willing to answer the question. It was not because he was afraid of how they would react, but because his idea would betray everything anyone who ever cared for him might have stood up for, including the people sitting around him. When no answer came from him, Hermione pressed once again.
"Harry, what are you going to do if they don't agree with your plans? Tell us."
He avoided everyone's eyes, instead keeping his eyes focused on the fire.
"Tomorrow's session would be the last session of this year, so the heirs would be attending along with the Lords."
Harry stopped once again, not willing to let them know, but after a look from his wife, continued.
"For every 15 minutes that pass, I will end one magical line until they agree. I will start with..."
"Harry, you are talking about cold-blooded murder."
Ron's voice was soft but serious, the one which he would use when acting as an Auror. But Harry shook his head.
"No, I am not going to kill anyone, Ron. Although, some of them would prefer to be killed then what I have planned to do to them."
At the questioning look on his friend's face, he continued.
"Everyone knows that the Peverell family was wiped out, but very few know the reason behind it. I found out the answer in the Peverell family grimoire. The Peverell family was cursed by some powerful entity in the past. And no Hermione, I don't think so it was Death."
Hermione, who was getting ready to speak, closed her mouth with a blush.
"The curse has turned the family magic abilities around. Unlike before, when the Peverells were known for their defense enchantments, once the curse spread in the family, they became known for stealing magic. The family magic of Peverells had developed an invading quality in it. The members of the family could drain another person of their entire magic if they wished it to be. Not temporarily like draining a core, but permanently like absorbing everything and leaving nothing behind. Once this ability was known to the general public, every member of the family was hunted down. From newly born children to the Old lords of cadet families, none were spared. Even the daughters who were married in other families were killed, their children dying along with them. The members who were able to go on a run survived for a few more years, until the last known member, the youngest head of the family was executed in Diagon alley, where he was caught. No one knew that he had sneaked there to store all the records and family tapestry in the Peverell vault. After that, the people in power did their best to remove every mention of the family from records and history. The only thing that remains today is the Vault which the goblins refused to give up as one member of the family was still alive, the manor which was taken over by the ministry but left abandoned due to large upkeep cost, and the seat in Wizengamot, which could not be removed as it is tied to the wards of ministry and Hogwarts."
Harry took the glass of water his wife had conjured, as his throat was parched by the end of the explanation. Hermione stated the obvious when he was done.
"You are going to drain their magic completely."
"Yes, Hermione. Every family I drain will give me enough magic to keep them down for some more time."
After a moment of silence, Bill spoke up.
"How will the process affect you, Harry?"
"Nothing except the draining of my core. If it extends as long as I expect it to be, I won't have enough power to fight my way out of the ministry."
"And you don't intend us to join you, do you?" Daphne's tone indicated that they would be having a serious discussion alone. Harry shook his head once again.
"There is no us, Daph. Not this time. The same goes for all of you. I will make sure that everything capable of tracing Teddy or any of you is destroyed. If I don't survive it, I will at least know that Teddy will be taken care of. Andromeda is past her prime. He will need you. Teddy is all that matters, nothing else."
This time no one disputed his words. Harry potter's godson had prevented each of them from dying or going down the wrong path, just by existing. All eight people loved that little child as much as they loved their other half. But that didn't mean they would not dispute his method.
Harry was prepared to argue to all of them when Hermione raised her wand. Immediately a silencing ward went up around them, muting all the discussion. Harry knew he could break it, but it would take some effort, so he just sat back and listened, knowing whatever Hermione wanted to say would be worth it.
"So that's it has come down do. You either dead or imprisoned in Azkaban, half of us on run, and the other half helping them. We did not fight for this, Harry,. I did not suffer through everything for this."
"I know, Hermione. But we have no other option left. I looked into every solution. We have done everything except murder and things like that to stop this law, but nothing was successful. And I will not allow them to take Teddy away."
Since his eyes were still focused on the fire, Harry failed to notice Hermione turning to look at Bill and Fleur. When the eldest Weasleys nodded, Hermione faced Harry again.
"In that case, there might be one more option, Harry."
Seeing his raised eyebrows, she removed the silencing ward and explained.
"It will take me too long to explain the specifics, but in summary the answer is Time-Travel.
Seeing everyone perk up in their seats, Hermione continued.
"In a Joint expedition between Ministry and Gringotts two years ago, Bill, Fleur, and I came across some ancient manuscripts. We think that they more than 1000 years old. It took us some time to decode them, but eventually, we were successful. We found out that it was written by the last living members of an ancient tribe, and was research into a ritual. A ritual that would have undone all the wrongs to them. We think that it might have been a native tribe who was being hunted for having magic. Or maybe..."
Harry, recognizing the signs of an impending lecture, interrupted her.
"Hermione, I know that it would be an interesting thing to listen to, but right now, there are more important things that you can tell us than the history of a wiped out tribe."
Hermione gave his adopted brother a small glare before speaking again.
"Very well. In simplest terms, the ritual should send someone back in time, much farther than a time turner can do. But this won't destabilize the present if we meet our past selves, like in the case of time turners, as it would create an alternate time stream, so that any change someone would make in past, should not affect the present future. I can give a more detailed explanation, but we don't have time. If we decide to do it, it should take us at least 6 hours of preparation. And we might not have that time, because, seven hours from now, the hit wizard team will arrive at Andy's home to take Teddy away.
Daphne, who had been silent until this time, made an observation.
"There was a lot of should and would in your explanation, Granger. Are you sure about what you are proposing?"
Hermione's face took a rigid expression for a second before mellowing out.
"100% sure, no. But it's still a better option than letting Harry die."
Daphne, who had been ready to argue and demand for more explanation, flinched and leaned back. This time Harry took the job of comforting. Unfortunately for Hermione, her partner, Tracey had some concerns too.
"What's the catch, Hermione? I don't believe it's going to be that easy."
Hermione looked Tracey with a little guilt before answering.
"The reason why this ritual was never performed before was the sacrifice required to power it up. For each individual with a matured core to be sent back, the ritual demands half of a person's magical core given up willingly, permanently."
"And since a witch or wizard will not survive for long without their magic, in other terms, a painful life for a single person to time travel, or death for more than one." Daphne completed Hermione's answer, who gave no reaction to the words.
As expected by everyone, Harry was the first to volunteer.
"What if a person had a core which is nearly three times the standard? Would that make any difference?..."
Hermione interrupted him in between, having already prepared for this.
"I don't know Harry. It might, or might not. And before you say anything, I won't calculate it. Only you will the ability to channel the power of sacrificed cores in the final rune, otherwise we would have to search a very powerful magical object to do that. Not to mention, if we do this, you are the only person that has to travel back, no matter what you or anybody else wants."
Harry looked ready to argue but his wife understood the reason behind Hermione's refusal.
"Voldermort."
A hush fell as everyone remembered what they would have to face in the past. Hermione took a deep breath before continuing.
"Yes. Harry is the only one who can defeat him, and if we go back, we cannot expect his younger version to do it. And the same goes for Ron, Susan, Tracey, and me, and Daphne. We are the heirs of houses that hold a large amount in the past."
Tracey's voice as filled with anger as she raised another question.
"What about our past selves, Hermione? Will they be still alive, or would we replace them?"
Hermione gave a small shrug, having already wondered about it.
"No one knows, Tracey. At this point, we can only assume that we won't replace them as a new timeline will be formed."
Fleur's tone was as sarcastic as it was amused.
"So it seems that Bill and I are the ones who would have to be the sacrificial lamb. Damn, the world will never know how my Gryffindor did the most Gryffindorish thing..."
It seems no one was going to complete what they wanted to say, as someone else interrupted her, Someone, who was not supposed to be listening to them or even be here.
"No, Fleur. The world will never know how a Slytherin supported a Gryffindor and his wife in the most Gryffindorsh act ever."
Andromeda Tonks materialized behind them out of thin air, carrying a sleeping child in her arms. With a small movement of his hand, Harry conjured a chair next to him, taking Teddy from her arms. The small metamorphagus immediately turned inside, assuming his favorite position in Harry's arms even in sleep. Once she had settled down, Andromeda turned to face Bill and Fleur Weasley.
"May I know the reason?"
Bill was the one to answer her question as he took fleur's hand into his and spoke in a bitter voice.
"Fleur and I are bonded by our magic, Ms. Tonks. I was hit with a blood curse in a fight 4 years ago. It took us some time to notice that my spells had weakened, and Fleur was being unusually tired everytime. When we lost our unborn daughter due to no understandable reason, we went to the Veela enclave in France. The healers found out the problem on the very first day. The blood curse had been constantly dissolving my magic at a steadily increasing rate, and Fleur's magic was being leached into me by the bond. Right now it will take only two more years before the curse destroys my core completely. Once it happens, only death is the option for both of us. Despite my request, Fleur has refused to look into ways to break the bond. So, once the curse is done with me, it will pass on to her. It will take a few more years, but she would also lose her core ultimately. A Veela cannot live without magic, and the power of bond will not let her die without taking me along too. With Ron's departure, it would be just Fleur and me. I have no desire to be the last of Weasley's any longer than it is required.
Once again a hush fell upon the area, as everyone processed this unknown information. Andromeda eyebrows raised as she remembered something
"4 years ago, didn't..."
Bill's reply was filled with anger.
"Yes, Ms. Tonks. The same fight that saw the end of the Malfoy line."
Another tense silence spread in the clearing, as everyone was reminded that some of them had killed other's families. Andromeda closed her eyes for a long time before opening them again. This time her focus was on Harry and Hermione
"I would suggest you six to start preparing for the ritual."
Tracey's voice had lost the anger now, which was replaced by fear.
"Ms. Tonks, We have not agreed to it yet. And six.."
Andromeda's laugh was way too bitter for a woman of her age.
"Don't, Tracey. All of you are already considering it, I can see it on your faces. None of you have anything left that would keep you in this timeline, at least not anymore. And yes all Six, because I would be one standing along with Bill and Fleur. Our cores should be sufficient for you six and Teddy, I guess?"
The last question was directed towards Hermione, who nodded.
"Theoretically, Yes. Teddy's core is not stable yet, so it will not take much power for him. I will go through all the calculations once more, just to be sure."
Harry knew it was time to make a final decision, so he stood from his chair, Teddy still asleep in her arms.
"I need details of everything we need if we are going to do it."
The unasked question was clear to everyone else. As he had expected, Hermione, Ron, and Daphne rose as one from their seats, followed soon by Tracey and Susan. He did not miss Tracey's muttering of some bloody Gryffindors badly influencing herself and her best friend.
Harry knew that in a normal situation or at any other time, this type of decision would d not have been taken in such a hurry. But the hopelessness of the past few months, the tiredness from fighting one way or other for years, the load of taking care of Teddy, and the large amount of firewhiskey they had drunk to drown all the sorrows, had combined to pushed all them to make a life-changing decision without much thought.