AN: Woah, no upload last week? What am I? Some kind of a lazy bum? Maybe, I don't know. But what I do know is that my life has been busy lately and I know for a fact that it's about to get busier. On top of that, I had to sit down and do some planning for the Year Five plot instead of just straight away writing because it started to get a little too convoluted in my head and sometimes writing plot plans down is much better because my pint-sized brain doesn't have enough RAM to handle things. And on top of that, I bought new games and I'm the kind of lad that's willing to sink a hundred hours into them.
Long story short, don't expect ye olde weekly uploads anytime soon :(
Chapter 24 - Son, Daughter, Mother
Each passing day brought out a hotter day, Harry noticed this trend quite early on this summer. The hot air clung onto every shred of exposed skin, a problem accentuated by the broken air conditioning of the Dursleys which resulted in a two-storey oven. Dudley chose to escape the suffocating indoor heat by constantly hanging out with his friends. Harry, on the other hand, stuck to the house, glossing through the cover page of newspapers both Muggle and magical.
Thus far, there had been no news of Voldemort's return, no unusual deaths or mysterious disappearances were reported. The only one that he could notice and understand were that of Mr Goyle and Mr Avery, two names Voldemort had listed when the Death Eaters returned. They were both reported to have died from an unexpected onset of dragon pox, with one of them passing on the disease to the other when they had met, Harry knew that those were the two who mysteriously died in the graveyard from some unknown phenomenon. In fact, the only thing that seemed 'dark' was the new Russian syndicate that arrived in Britain. So far, they haven't killed anyone outside of the event on St Helensworth, but some people were sent to St Mungo's when they ran into the criminals by accident.
Two articles on wizarding families being held ransom - their family members had bought them off for a hefty sum - and several on exposed black market trade and extortion. Other than that, no Voldemort. He was getting frustrated too, he had been sent back here with no information whatsoever. All contact with him seemed to cease abruptly, his godfather and friends only sending snippets of words, nothing more.
Speaking of Russia.
He turned to see the framed picture he had propped up on his desk, it was the only photo he had of his sister. It was the night of the Yule Ball, the photo taken courtesy of Collin Creevey. One in green dress robes, the other white, both smiling. Comparing the photo with that of their parents, he realised that while he was all James with Lily's green eyes, she was all Lily with James' black hair, though she did retain their mother's silky hair. Looking at this photo, he should have realised they were siblings. Well, he did, but he shouldn't have wavered in his belief. They looked so natural together in the photo, as though they had been growing up together happily.
Harry liked to assume that had it not been for Voldemort, the two of them would have gotten along very well. He could imagine it, him being the more hot-headed of the two, he would begrudgingly admit that flaw of his. Anne would be the more level-headed one, having to often calm him down when he got into disputes. And in turn, he would be the one always checking up on her to see if she was fine. He chuckled, knowing that he would have been an overprotective brother had he been given the chance.
Instead, the reality was similar but with unsettling differences because of that Halloween night. Yes, Anne did calm him down, difference being that she only saw it fit to do when they were teetering along the jaws of death, surrounded by acromantulas. And yes, he did try to check up on her as often as he could when he discovered her identity. But instead of the innocent dream where she would be fine, chastising him for being overprotective while smiling fondly all the same, she was never fine in reality. Covered in scars, she would still smile at his questions but the smile would never reach her eyes.
Voldemort turned their lives upside down, shattering away their innocence. The nightmare at the graveyard haunted him for most of the nights, forcing him to wake up in the middle of the night far too many times. Pulling at the collar of his shirt for ventilation, he got up and decided to leave the house, the Dursleys were always glad to have him out of sight and it would not be good to be in the house stewing, mentally and physically.
Stepping out of the house, Harry began to wander aimlessly around the neighbourhood. The residents of Privet Drive glared at him suspiciously, his reputation as a delinquent had spread far under Vernon's words, even the kids crossed to the opposite side of the street when they saw him coming.
Behind him, he heard a soft crunching of shoe on dry grass before the almost silent taps of sole on pavement. The sound grew closer and his hand edged closer to the wand hidden in his pocket.
"You really ought to get a holster for that."
The wry and amused tone of the voice was very familiar and Harry spun around, staring at the source of the voice in disbelief. His sister stood there, in loose pants, jacket and a pair of rugged boots, looking at him with silent judgement. Jet-black hair done up in a usual low ponytail with locks of loose hair framing her face. Lithe figure that stood on firm feet. Sharp and cautious green eyes that revealed as much as it hid. There was no doubt this was Anne, she did not bother with her glamour charms, the scar on her eye as well as several smaller ones on her neck and jaw were on full display.
"Anne!?" Harry gasped and Anya gave that amused smile he was so accustomed to.
"Didn't think I would find you here," said Anya.
Harry immediately pulled her into a tight hug, which she allowed but never returned. After having contact with his friends practically severed, it was a godsend to have his sister her in the flesh. And among his friends and godfather, she was the only one with no obligation - merely having the relationship of an acquaintance - to maintain contact with him and yet here she was.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked when he pulled out of his hug, his tone of equal confusion and joy.
"Mooching around," Anya shrugged. "I have a question for you though. You live around here?"
Harry nodded, wondering where this was going.
"Do you know who lives in Number 4 Privet Drive? There's supposed to be a wizard who lives there."
"Uh... that's me," Harry answered awkwardly.
"Oh," Anya responded and for once, Harry caught a look of surprise flashing through her face.
She took out a piece of parchment and looked at its contents. She looked back up at Harry and her eyes averted once more to the parchment before giving a soft sigh.
"Well... I don't know about you," Harry chuckled weakly, scratching the back of his head. "But this seems a little awkward."
"Please," Anya snorted, rolling her eyes. "It's not as awkward as having your brother ask you out to Yule Ball."
Harry's palm hit his face as he flushed in embarrassment.
"You're never going to let me live that down, aren't you?"
"Nope," Anya stated blandly, handing the parchment in her hands to Harry. "You ought to read this though."
Harry took the parchment and read it curiously, trying to get a grip at the situation he was in.
To whomever this may concern,
Your target resides in No. 4 Privet Drive, Surrey, he is the only wizard in the household. Ensure that his death cannot be traced back to you. Your payment of two thousand galleons will be transferred to your Gringotts account once the death of your target has been confirmed.
A friend
Harry heard a clicking sound and felt cold metal press against the back of his head. His heart froze.
"It's amazing how the British authorities assume all death by firearms are the work of Muggles and no one else."
Her voice was emotionless, a cold steel that stung more than the real metal against his head.
"Goodbye, brother."
A loud crack of the gun going off reverberated in Harry's ears. He felt his body go weak and limp as dropped onto the pavement, his hands and knees bracing against the pavement. His mind was blank, shattered in disbelief at the fact that his sister had shot him. He waited, waited for the cold darkness to overwhelm him.
He waited.
It didn't come.
Gingerly, he reached to feel the back of his head. It was dry, not slick with blood. In fact, he was not in pain, merely in shock. Still on his knees, he turned to face his sister. She had a stoic face but he could see the corners of her lips twitching.
"Too much?" she cracked.
Harry's jaw dropped as he tried to process the information before groaning loudly. Anne was definitely a Marauders' child, albeit in a cruel, twisted sort of way.
"I can't believe you did that," Harry grumbled, climbing back onto his feet. "Where did you even get that? I thought it was real."
"The pistol?" said Anya, already stowing the weapon. "Bought it from Tesco's for ten pounds in the toys section."
"It was too much," Harry answered her initial question, falling in step with Anya as she began strolling down the street. "With Voldemort back, I almost that was a real assassination contract."
His sister did not speak for a minute before dropping him another bombshell.
"It is real," Anya stared at him with eyes narrowed seriously. "That's why I showed it to you. Watch your back, I found one person tailing you the whole time when I arrived."
"What!?" Harry yelped, looking around him in panic. "Where is he? What happened? How...?"
"Relax, I knocked him out cold and placed him under binds. In the meantime, you ought to watch who you make friends with."
"Why?"
"The one who was tailing you, he was that Weasley person."
"Wait! Mr Weasley!? Ron's dad!?"
"That was Ron Weasley's dad?" Anya murmured. "I suppose I can see the resemblance, didn't take him to be a contract killer."
Harry thought about Anya's words. Why would Mr Weasley want to kill him? It did not add up. If anything, the Weasleys treated him like family. Anya had to be wrong.
Unless she was right about everything except for Mr Weasley's intent. Harry swore under his breath when he realised what was going on. Dumbledore had people tailing him for protection, but did not reach out to tell him about it. It added up, after the Fourth Task it did seem like Dumbledore was assembling an Anti-Voldemort group of sorts, this must have been one of their tasks.
"He isn't a contract killer," Harry corrected her spitefully. "Dumbledore probably placed him there to protect me, he likely knew that people were going to come after me, seems he was right too."
"He was here to protect you?" said Anya before sighing again. "Merlin, this day gets more and more awkward."
Harry laughed weakly at Anya's look of exasperation. It was rare to see other emotions on her face and it was nice, it made her seem more human, more like a sister.
"You didn't cause permanent harm did you?" Harry asked uncomfortably.
"Thankfully not," Anya replied offhandedly. "Placed him under a sleeping spell before binding him, I'll just have to remove the binds and he'll think he fell asleep under a hot summer afternoon."
"Wait!" Harry cried out. "How did you do magic? You're underage."
"Same with drinking," Anya shrugged. "Don't get caught."
"And how do you not get caught?"
"I have my ways," Anya responded cryptically. "You want to go see this... Mr Weasley?"
"No," Harry spat out. "If Dumbledore wants to keep me isolated, he can damn well do what he wants."
Anya noted quietly before turning her attention to the quiet neighbourhood, observing the place.
"But the contract... it was real?"
"Came from an owl from the Ministry."
Harry was surprised. Fudge did deny Voldemort's resurrection, but to go as far as silencing him in this manner was too much. Suddenly, suspicion gripped him, he cast a glance towards his sister who was walking without a care in the world.
"Where are you taking me?"
"I don't know," Anya chuckled. "You're the one following me."
That was true.
"Then why are you here? How did you get that letter? You were searching for me after all."
"A friend passed it to me. Wanted me to find out who the Ministry was so intent on murdering."
The letter was real. That alone was a shock, Harry looked at Anya once again. As far as he knew, his sister loved misdirection, she would make small offhand comments to mislead him. If the letter was real, he was sure of that given Mr Weasley's presence, then the pistol... It looked and sounded too real to be bought off Tesco's...
"Your friend from the Black Mark?" Harry guessed wildly, dreading the truth.
"Good guess but no."
"Then?"
Anya arched an eyebrow and shrugged. Harry groaned, why can't his sister be anything but complicated for once? Sighing, he tugged Anya into a one-armed side hug as they walked.
"I'm glad you're here anyway," he mumbled.
"I'm not. Wasted one hour that could have been spent doing the summer homework."
"Hermione pairing with you for the Runes project was a bad influence," Harry snorted.
"Who do you live with?" Anya asked. "I heard from the Slytherins you live with Muggles."
"That will be our aunt and uncle."
Anya kept quiet, looking at Harry. Harry averted his gaze, the scarred eye that glowed eerily was uncomfortable to maintain eye contact with.
"They don't treat you well do they?" Anya asked softly, Harry could detect a hint of genuine care in her voice.
"How would you know?" Harry retorted defensively.
"I could feel your ribcage very easily," Anya replied calmly, nudging him gently at his side with her elbow, as if to prove a point. "Skin and bones."
"Fine, fine, whatever," Harry muttered, never enjoying it when others spoke of his treatment at the Dursleys. "Why do you care?"
"Sirius did ask me to keep an eye on you," Anya turned her head to face the front, watching the distant brown dry grass dance in the hot summer wind. "And I figured you deserve the chance, nobody deserves to be separated from family, it hurts."
There was a weariness in the last sentence that prompted Harry to look back at his sister, examining her faraway demeanour. Harry pulled her closer, sighing as he rested his head against hers, they were almost the same height. She did not move away, simply adjusting her step so that they walked in synchrony, never tripping from their proximity.
"Sirius did tell me to take care of you as well," Harry said gently. "But it's so hard to do that with you, you're so uncooperative."
Anya hummed a slow tune as she ignored his words. Slowly, she shrugged out of his arm. Reaching into her jacket pocket, she took out a pen and notepad, scribbling something on a page.
"Do you really need to take care of me?" Anya smirked at him. Harry could swear there was a hint of... was it pity? Sadness?
"Of course," said Harry, confused.
"What if I wouldn't be here for long? Here in Britain that is. After all, I do live in Russia and I will be returning there eventually."
Harry got where she was going at, Anne did spend her life there. But did not matter to him, he still had three more years with her until they graduated.
"Doesn't matter," Harry shook his head. "We are siblings and I'll take care of you. You may leave, sure, I really hope you stay but every moment with what I have left of my family... I'll take it."
"Wouldn't that make it harder on you, when I do leave?" Anya raised an eyebrow in question.
"Doesn't matter."
Anya nodded slowly, tearing off the page on her notepad. She handed it to Harry, who took it and looked at it, it was a phone number. Anya reached into her pocket and handed an object to him, he took it and realised it was a hand phone, a simple hardy Nokia.
"In case you ever want to meet up or in trouble," said Anya. "If I don't pick up, don't bother, it means I'm busy. I'll owl you the charger for the phone."
Harry stared at the grey Nokia in his hands in awe, nobody bothered to contact him and yet here was his sister.
"I have to go," Anya turned away and left, waving her hand. "Things to do and people to see."
Watching his sister walk away, Harry waved back forlornly, flinching slightly in surprise when she vanished into thin air. Underage magic, and yet she did it without being in trouble. As always, Anne Potter always had to be a mystery.
XXXXX
Anya was sure her birthday was not correct, Grey might be good at guessing their age, but to be precise enough to pinpoint a date of birth was too much. Maybe she should ask Harry for their exact birthday, but really, it did not matter. Her birthday may have been something else when she was born, but now it was different.
"Happy Birthday!"
Familiar voices erupted all around her she reached for the salmon. She was not in her apartment, rather she was in one of the safehouses that Nathaniel happened to be in. He was the one who strongly suggested that Anya celebrated her birthday there.
Jen and Dimitri were there naturally, Aleks was too busy dealing with the British Aurors to attend and Grey back in Arkhangelsk. Nathaniel was at the side of the dining room conversing easily with several other operatives Anya had worked with on multiple times. Several faces were unknown, but she did not care, the safehouse was meant to be shared.
This birthday celebration was a quick event and soon it was time for her presents. She never received much presents, but she did not care, she knew she would not always have the time to enjoy them. The presents, if they came, were usually practical, nothing gaudy.
Jen got her a new knife, it was a Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife, famous for its association with the British Commandos and other Muggle special forces. It was well made with various runes etched on the blade.
"Thought I'd get you something local," he grinned. "My runes aren't as great as yours, but you wouldn't need to sharpen that knife for a very long time and it'll probably sink through steel. I did leave space for you to add your own runes too."
Dimitri got her a new set of tools for etching runes, made of tungsten carbide. Simple but very much appreciated. It was almost as though the two had coordinated their gifts, but knowing that duo's weird form of improvised and chaotic synergy, it was probably random. Those were all the gifts she received, nothing more but nothing out of the ordinary.
"Anya, come with me for a moment," Nathaniel's clear voice sailed across the room, he nodded his head towards the door and Anya took the hint.
Standing from her seat, Anya followed him up the stairs to an office. Nathaniel drew his wand and with a swish, revealed a lockbox hidden in a corner. The pair came nearer and Anya could spot the British Department of Mysteries emblem on the lid of the lockbox. Nathaniel proceeded to deactivate the runes surrounding the lockbox and unlocked it. Reaching in, he took out a binded document, handing it to Anya.
Anya took it and glanced at the cover, flipping to the next page, she gasped as she read the words on it. One name stuck out in particular. She looked back at Nathaniel with bewilderment, as though asking how and why.
"I was going through the archives at the British Department of Mysteries," Nathaniel explained. "I came across this and I thought it would be a fitting birthday present."
Anya gave her mentor and guardian a hug, quietly muttering her thanks. Breaking from the embrace, she looked back at the document.
"I guess you'll want some time with this alone," Nathaniel smiled warmly. "The celebration is more or less over."
Anya nodded gratefully and Nathaniel cast the Portkey Charm on the document in Anya's hands, sending her back to her apartment. She made her way to her bedroom and placed the document on her bed. Grabbing her towel and sleepwear, she treated herself with a long shower.
In a loose shirt and sweatpants, she climbed back onto her bed, feeling fresh. Taking the document in her hands, she began to read it hungrily.
CLASSIFIED 08M/08R
This document can only be read by personnel with Level 08M or 08R clearance or above. Personnel without proper authorisation caught possessing or viewing this document or a copy of this document will face an Azkaban sentence of at least 30 years in addition to a Memory Charm being performed.
MINISTRY OF MAGIC
DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES
RESEARCH DOCUMENT E9D634F
PROJECT ETHEREAL RECOIL: EXPERIMENTATION ON RELIABLE LOVE-BASED SACRIFICIAL PROTECTION
DATE: 24 DECEMBER 1980
DOCUMENT BY: 06A Vivian Dicton
CONTENT
ABSTRACT - 1
PROJECT SUMMARY - 2
PRIMARY WORKINGS - 4
APPLICATION OF THEORY - 115
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION - 274
ANNEX A - 304
ANNEX B - 367
ANNEX C - 412
ANNEX D - 476
Page 1 of 555
ABSTRACT
Love has been dubbed as the strongest form of magic by various sources throughout history. Many myths and stories hold love as a powerful force that can be used as an omnipotent form of protection. Indeed, archives in the Department of Mysteries have confirmed that love has been used as a powerful counter-charm against various spells, usually in the form of sacrificing oneself. These instances have been documented throughout history, further reference can be seen on Annex D.
However, the basis of these counter-charm can be theoretically determined as unstable at best. Given that there is no consistent spell or Arithmetic formulas for these love-based sacrificial protection, the instances that have been recorded can be classified as proto-magic and therefore unreliable.
As such, Project Ethereal Recoil seeks to find a method to reliably employ love-based sacrificial protection. Not only would the project expand the potential of counter-charms and counter-curses, but it could also lay the foundation for magically defining love by tangible means. As of the date this document has been recorded, Project Ethereal Recoil has been concluded by 02R Lily Potter as a success. Declaration as success had been approved by 09R Steven Hawk.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Project Ethereal Recoil began on 11 April 1979 and ended on 27 June 1980, heavily building and relying on various other works of research from sources both inside and outside the department. Results from Project Still Heart, Project Solaris Ten and Project Guinea Kuri were the most heavily used, of which all were highly experimental and partially successful. Further details on derived research can be found in Annex C. Despite having only the rank of 02R, 02R Lily Potter was given special clearance to access higher-level research under the approval of 09R Steven Hawk.
Anya's chest heaved as she saw those words, that name, Lily Potter. Here in her hands was proof that she was alive, that she had left her mark on this world before leaving it. Her eyes stayed on her mother's name for seconds each time they came across it, she had to force herself to move to the next words and continue on reading the document.
By applying and repeating rune sequence R5 on the body, the containment of a subject's love can be ensured into the magical core of the subject. As a result, the raw energy of a subject's love can be completely channelled into magical power. Following the previously calculated magi-dynamic pathways, Beta Working 213(Refer to Annex A for further details), Flamel's Ninth Postulate on Magic will ensure that all magical power naturally be directed into a defensive and reflective nature. Although this is still technically considered as a form of proto-magic due to the lack of a complete and defined Arithmetic formula, its results in experimentation, EX14 (Refer to Annex B for further details), showed a rate of success of 83%, which falls within the accepted range of reliable. Additionally, further testing EX15 (Refer to Annex B for further details) revealed that the presence of familiar bonds can result in a 100% success rate as well as long lasting protection that can be derived as a subset of blood wards (Refer to Annex C for further details).
While reading through the document, Anya realised that her mother was nothing short of a prodigy. Lily's understanding and application of runes was miles better than her. Furthermore, her creativity was phenomenal. Anya smiled wanly, understanding why she had always excelled in Runes, she got it from Lily. Looking at the lines of Arithmetic workings, Anya felt like she should have studied it as well, Lily was as good in Arithmancy as she was in Runes.
Observing the results from various subjects under experimentation EX18 (Refer to Annex B for further details), a clear trend can be derived from the love-based sacrificial magic. The magic inflicted on the subject(S) is directly proportional to both the magic reflected onto the caster(C) and the protection offered to the subject's target(T) should the caster(C) proceed to inflict magic on the subject's target(T) afterwards.
As a result, should C use Spell A on S when the R5 is active under condition H4, the level of protection offered to T will be of equal magnitude to the power of Spell A and the reflection of magic onto C will be of equal magnitude to the power of Spell A.
Hence, when C proceeds to cast the subsequent spell(Spell B) on T, the result will be as follows:
Magic Inflicted on T = Magnitude Spell B – Magnitude Spell A + c
Magic wasted due to incomplete reflection onto C = Magnitude Spell B – Magnitude Spell A + c
Do note that the workings above are loose guidelines, refer to Annex A for further details(Omega Working 56).
As such, should Spell A be of equal or greater power than Spell B, complete protection on T and reflection to C will be achieved. Under the assumption that there are no external interference(c=0)
Anya glanced at the clock on the wall, it was already three in the morning but she could not be bothered. She turned her attention back onto the document and continued to devour it. Page after page, her eyes ate each word as time slowly became a river she was unaware of. There was so much information in the document, she could not believe that Lily had laid another level of groundwork in quantifying love in terms of magic. The academic side in Anya knew that this was big, esoteric branches of magic had always been a big mystery despite their usefulness. The Patronus Charm was a good example, it was a standard spell required for Aurors – especially for British Aurors where the Dementors originate from – and yet academics around the magic could not properly define it, something about using happy memories and thoughts to fuel that resulted in large portions of the spell being undefinable.
ADDENDUM 2
DATE: 05 NOVEMBER 1981
DOCUMENT BY: 06A Vivian Dicton
Although successful against many spells such as the Stunning Spell, Severing Charm and even the Cruciatus Curse(Refer to Annex B for further details). The possibility of the results of Project Ethereal Recoil has never been tested against the Killing Curse.
However, following the event on 31 October 1981 where DL-A19-02 was 'eliminated' by Harry James Potter, Field Operative Unspeakables 05F Brandon Tay and 06F Henry Blight were dispatched onto the site to investigate. Examining the body of Research Unspeakable 03R Lily Potter, Ethereal Recoil rune sequence R5 was discovered on her left arm. Runes were marked in blood and a bite wound was found on 03R Lily Potter's right thumb.
Since no strict experimentation protocols or forms of observation were in place during the event, it cannot be concluded if rune sequence R5 was activated at all or if it worked against the Killing Curse. Although circumstantial evidence points to the fact that it did work as DL-A19-02 is noted to favour the Killing Curse and taking into account Omega Working 56 (Refer to Annex A), the spells used against 03R Lily Potter and Harry Potter would have likely been the same. This would fulfil the requirement for a complete protection against the Killing Curse, which did occur albeit leaving a scar, and a complete reflection of the Killing Curse against DL-A19-02, which is suspected to occur as DL-A19-02 disappeared although no body of DL-A19-02 has been recovered.
In conclusion, it is still unknown whether the works of Project Ethereal Recoil are successful against the Killing Curse due to the lack of evidence. Further testing will be required and approval for testing is under pending.
Finishing the document, Anya flipped back onto the cover, running her finger under the words. Ethereal Recoil, Lily Potter's greatest work and greatest sacrifice. Had it not been for her, things would have been very different. Slotting the document onto a nearby bookshelf, she looked out to the window and saw that the sun was already rising. She had burnt the whole night reading the document and she would not be surprised if she did it again, there was something addicting with reading the work that her mother had created.
AN: Too bad subscripts don't work on FFN :(