"Honestly, Harry." Hermione huffed. "Everyone should know how to dance."
"Except Potters." Remus chuckled. "James used to fall over sideways every time he tried. Nothing Lily did, helped either."
"Mostly?" Kingsley ignored Remus. "Distraction until Bill got here."
"Why am I here?" Bill asked.
"We've got a horcrux to deal with." Moody said.
"A horcrux? Really…?" Bill whined. "I though it might be something challenging."
"Oh, it's challenging alright." Harry snarled. "It's in my head."
"Harry?" Bill asked sharply, his eyes focusing on that famous scar.
"Yep." Harry nodded. "When Riddle attacked us, whatever mum did made his Killing Curse ricochet back at him. Professor Dumbledore believes that he'd already done part of the ritual to create a horcrux and intended to use my death as the act of splitting his soul. However, mum's protection changed that and when the Killing Curse hit him, his soul split, but because he wasn't able to direct the soul-shard into the vessel that he intended to use, it went looking for its own vessel, preferably one with magic. And as I was the strongest magical signature in the room and had a cut on my forehead that the blast the Killing Curse hitting him caused? It latched onto me."
"That sounds about normal for the damned things." Bill nodded.
"Fast forward a few hours and Dumbledore's taking me from Hagrid, who took me from Sirius in Godric's Hollow. He scanned me and as he wasn't aware that horcruxes can be removed, he took no steps to have it treated." Harry continued.
"Bloody hell…" Bill sighed.
"So… I've had a passenger in my scar for the last fourteen and a half years." Harry finished.
"Horcruxes are useless." Bill shook his head in disbelief. "Sure, they can resurrect someone that died, but they don't increase the length of their life."
"Really?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah." Bill nodded. "The oldest known witch or wizard, not including the Flamels with their philosopher's stone, was a wizard from Spain, Senor Jorge Martinez. He died of natural causes at one-hundred-and-forty-seven."
"One-hundred-and-forty-seven?" Harry did some quick math in his head. "Riddle's only half that. Less. From what Professor Dumbledore says, Riddle will be seventy on New Year's Eve."
"Right." Bill grimaced. "And we don't need him around for another seventy-odd years."
"No." Harry said. "Hence the Horcrux in me needs removing and we need to kill a few more."
"More?" Bill asked. "You've already killed one?"
"I've killed one." Harry nodded. "The diary in my second year. It was possessing Ginny and forced her to open the chamber of secrets. We know about six, all up."
"That's what happened in her first year?" Bill demanded.
"Yes." Harry replied.
"Oh, sweet Nimue…" Bill groaned. "That puts a different slant on things."
"Why do you say that?" Hermione asked.
"Because horcrux possession leaves traces and those traces, if not treated can create susceptibility to compulsions and mind magics like the Imperius Curse." Bill said. "I'll have to scan her when I get home, work out how much resistance she actually has."
"You mean… she might not have been fully responsible for her actions?" Kingsley sat up sharply.
"Exactly." Bill said. "But to what degree? I don't know until I scan her."
"Oh, hell…" Kingsley grimaced.
"We can talk about the girl, later." Moody said. "Right now we have to get that mess out of Potter's head."
"Right." Bill nodded. "I'm going to need a few things."
"Like…?" Moody glared at the curse-breaker.
"Some fine white sand. Some good clean charcoal. Some refined salt. At least a cup of each. A raven feather. A silver potions knife. A handful of pure wool. Some red Runic Ink. And some pure distilled water." Bill ticked off his list on his fingers. "And it would probably be a good idea if there were some healing potions for Harry, for afterwards."
"Andromeda Tonks is in charge of the infirmary." Kingsley told Bill. "She'll want to be there when you do it."
"So will he." Hermione warned.
"Ah. Yes, he probably will." Moody grunted.
"He?" Bill asked.
"Ah…" Harry bared his teeth.
"Um…" Hermione winced.
"Oh, for heaven's sake…" Neville groaned.
"We're back!" A voice yelled and a group of people entered the room. "Ah, Bill Weasley, I take it? You got here alright, then?"
"Sirius Black?" Bill stepped between Sirius and Harry, only to have Harry dart around him and step directly into Sirius' arms.
"Um… We haven't told him anything yet." Harry told Sirius, he leant back to look at his godfather.
"Ugh…" Sirius grunted.
"Wand down, Weasley." Moody ordered. "Black's working with us and always has been. He wasn't the Potters' Secret Keeper, Pettigrew was."
"But what about your third year?" Bill asked.
"Peter Pettigrew is better known as Wormtail." Bill's eyes widened at Harry's comment, he'd seen the map, the twins had asked him to check it out after their father had given them the 'don't use something if you can't see where it keeps its brain' talk between their first and second years. "But you know him better as Scabbers the rat." Bill nearly choked on nothing but air, that little… He'd slept in Ginny's room…He'd had the run of the Burrow... Including the kitchen...
"Oh, fuck…" Bill whined. "What's the bet that he's the other magical signature that the DMLE recorded at the Burrow?"
At his question, Kingsley and Moody gasped and ran from the room, or rather, Kingsley ran while Moody hobbled as fast as he could. Hermione, Neville and a few others just looked blankly after them.
"Oh, shit…" Harry whispered, he'd figured out what Bill was thinking. "If Pettigrew's been loyal to Riddle from the start, what's the chance that Molly, Ron and Ginny's actions have been planned by him and he's either cursed them into it or confundus-ed them?"
"Oh, dear." Hermione said.
"You don't think…?" Sirius gasped.
"Would you put it passed him?" Harry asked.
Sirius tilted his head back and glared at the ceiling. "No, I bloody well wouldn't…" He swore.
"Exactly." Harry said. "If he did, then the healers might be able to help them, if he didn't, nothing will change."
"He's got a point." One of the newcomers said in an American accent. "Until we know, we're still in the same position."
"Which is getting that thing out of Harry's head." Hermione reminded them.
"Well, I told you what I need." Bill repeated his list of requirements. "Get me them and I can do this in a few minutes."
"Back in five." Sirius and Remus left the ballroom.
"How about some introductions?" A tall dark-haired man said in an American accent.
"Sure." Harry nodded. "This is Bill Weasley, he's a Curse-breaker employed by Gringotts and brother to Ron, Ginny and the twins that we told you about."
"Hello." Bill gave a half-hearted wave and nodded.
"When I say your name please give Bill a wave. And Peggy? If I mess up, will you correct me please?" Harry addressed the questions to a small girl.
The girl nodded. "I will, Harry."
"Right." Harry took a deep breath. "First is Sirius' husband, Bucky, he came back through the Veil with Sirius from 1946, which is where the Veil spat Sirius out, after he entered it during the fight in the DoM. Next is Peggy Carter, she's been accidentally, permanently de-aged, prior to that she was the director of the muggle equivalent of the DoM. Then the next three are James Falsworth, Dum-dum Dugan and Jim Morita, they were part of Bucky's army unit in the muggles' World War 2, the Howling Commandos. They've been temporarily de-aged, to train us and help us get rid of Riddle. Everyone else you should know."
"Riddle?"
"His name's under a taboo curse, so don't say it." Harry flicked his wand and letters formed in the air.
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
After a few moments, the letters began to move and formed new words.
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
"Now you know his greatest secret. He's the son of a muggle and a near-squib." Hermione said.
Bill's eyes were wide and his face pale.
"He's not a man anymore, he made horcruxes." Harry said. "Six of them."
"At least six." Hermione corrected. "We don't know if he's made more since his resurrection."
"Now, you see why we want that thing out of Harry's head." Remus said entering the room, carrying a silver tray.
"We got everything, plus, Andi cast purifying charms over them all." Sirius said, from behind Remus.
"The feather is willingly given by an Ice Raven, the only black feather it had." Andi came in after them.
"Excellent." Bill lifted a pair of dragonhide gloves from his belt and slid his hands into them.
He carefully picked up the feather used the knife to sharpen the feather to a quill-point. "Harry? Over here, lay on the floor in front of me." He dipped the quill into the bottle of ink and crouched down to begin writing on Harry's face, first outlining the scar, then his eyes, nose and mouth, chanting all the while.
"There you go, Harry." Bill stood up and stepped back, cracking his neck to release the tension across his shoulders. "All done. Madam Tonks? He's going to need a Systemic Purifying Draught."
"Maybe now that that thing is out of his head, I'll be able to repair some of the damage to his body." Andi grumbled.
"Yeah, they object to a lot of healing." Bill said. "They allow for structural integrity of the object holding them, body or item, but little more can be done in the way of healing or repair."
"Curse-breaker Weasley, I'd be obliged if you would allow me to consult with you on further treatments for Mr Potter." Andi spoke formally.
"Not necessary, Madam Tonks." Bill said. "Once the Systemic Purifying Draught does its job, he can be treated as any other patient would. If you have any concerns, you can contact Healer Flickhammer at Gringotts in London, she's the primary healer for the Curse-breakers based there."
"Thank you, Mr Weasley." Andi nodded. "I shall. For now, someone bring Harry through to the medical rooms, while I get the draught Mr Weasley suggested."
"Call me Bill, ma'am." Bill said as Bucky gently lifted Harry up off the floor. "Mr Weasley makes me feel like I'm back at Hogwarts with Professor McGonagall after me for some prank." He grinned as he followed the American.
An hour later, the group were seated in the ballroom at the round table again, Moody and the other Aurors having joined them, to give an update on the latest news regarding the Weasley family.
"Well, Mr Potter's going to be out of it for a day or two." Andi said. "Releasing the binds that Pettigrew placed on him in 1991 has hit him like a bludger."
"If we ever catch Pettigrew, we got a string of charges to cast at him." Moody growled. "Imperius on Molly Weasley. Confunduses on Arthur, Ron and Ginny. Brewing of illicit potions. Intent to poison. Attempted Line Theft. Theft. Abuse of a minor. Memory charms on minors. Murder. Destruction of public property. Destruction of private property. Extortion. Palcing Illegal Binds."
"And that's just so far." Kingsley added.
"It also means that Molly, Arthur, Percy, Ron and Ginny Weasley are staying in St. Mungo's." Moody said. "All of them bear the traces of Pettigrew's magical signature on their cores and bodies."
Hermione grimaced. "Bodies?" She asked.
"The three children have been memory charmed and sexually abused." Kingsley said softly. "Healers are doing what they can to correct it, but Pettigrew is a slippery rat. The healers have stated that they may have to de-age the three of them, just temporarily. That would remove any physical effects but there's still the mental and psychological damage. Ron was conditioned to be Harry's best mate but he was also conditioned to see him as a clone of James."
"Harry's nothing like James." Sirius said. "It took me a while to look passed the surface but once I did, Harry's far more like Lily."
"Yes." Kingsley nodded. "But Pettigrew didn't see that, so neither did Ron."
"Doesn't sexual abuse create problems for the victims, magically?" Neville asked.
"No." Andi shook her head. "Magic is all about intent and in the case of sexual abuse the intent of the abuser overrides that of the abused. If charms, potions or force are used, magic rejects the possibility that the victim has intended the act to happen. Once the de-aging happens, they'll be considered as pure a newborn, magically. Well… Unless they've willing used Dark Magics."
"How does that impact their convictions?" Hermione asked.
"Once the curses and charms are lifted all three will have to be dosed with veritaserum and questioned by a mind-healer using legilimency." Moody answered. "Depending on their answers as to what will happen. But given what was found, there's a good chance that they'll have their sentences amended or possibly even revoked."
"We just don't know, yet." Kingsley said. "It's going to be days before they can be questioned."
"Brilliant…" Sirius muttered.
"You don't have to worry about that, the DMLE have it well in hand." Moody told them. "Even Fudge is being helpful. He ordered Bones to do whatever it took to find out who was responsible. Amelia took that and she's playing Lead Beater, no-one's safe from her bludgers. Dolores Umbridge landed herself in custody for forcing Fred, George, Ron and Ginny to use a Black Quill, during her time at Hogwarts."
"Go, Madam Bones." Neville chuckled.
"Indeed." Andi nodded. "Mr Longbottom?"
"Neville, please, Madam Tonks." Neville said. "Like Bill said, I keep looking for Professor McGonagall whenever you say Mr."
"Very well. Neville." Andi gave the teen a regal head dip. "Please call me Andi. And that goes for all of you."
"Why don't we just say, no titles?" Tonks asked. "All except Moody, of course." She threw a quick smirk at her mentor, ignoring his grunt.
"That will work fine." Andi said. "Neville, you parents are responding well. I've been giving them small doses of de-aging potion, boosting the dose just before the previous one wears off. So far, I estimate I've removed roughly two years from them. I prefer to do it this way as I wish avoid any major injuries that they had suffered prior to the last attack. Yes, I know I could give them a large dose followed by smaller ones, but this gives me a chance to boost their overall health as I go and reintegrate the pieces of their minds that I recover along the way. All the pieces of their memories are there, they're just shattered and scattered. I'm using legilimency to locate small pieces and put them in rough chronological order, as I do, larger pieces are automatically slotting back into place."
"So, the de-aging is working on them?" Peggy asked. "They'll recover?"
"I believe so." Andi smiled at Neville. "They remember Neville, I can see the progression of time as Neville aged, in their memories. I'm trying to use that as a gauge for progression. But I'm taking it slowly. I want them fully recovered, or as fully as we're going to get them, and rushing is not going help. I'd much rather take a month or two and have them fully recovered than take a week and have them remain semi-invalids."
"Yes, please." Neville had tears running down his cheeks, but his smile was bright and cheery.