I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.
Note: I was going to wait a week but was blown away by the response so far, so have an extra chapter this week. Hope all are doing well and have a lovely day and weekend!
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His Last Curse
Chapter 2 – Buried Past
"Hey, Potter. I want to ask you something."
"Sure, what's up Boss?"
Harry had gotten used to a new routine. It had been over a week since he returned to England. Thankfully, things have stayed pleasant. Tracy and Hermione seemed to actually like him living with them. They certainly appreciated his cooking. Hermione loved to learn about the magic he learned, comparing how he learned Arithmancy and Runes to the way she did. Tracy liked learning more about Hermione's past, and his as well, and delighted in him helping her tease Hermione. Not to mention that she really was earning a lot of money with Harry working for her.
Harry also liked working for her surprisingly. She was blunt, which he appreciated. She never asked him for anything unreasonable. If anything, she was ready to call it quits before he did every day. The work he was doing was much lighter in scale and danger than the dives he did for Gringotts. The bank was so scared of his last meeting with them, Ragnok did in fact increase his bonus bracket and was given a formal letter telling him to enjoy his vacation of undefined duration.
He was still waiting for things to turn on him like they usually did, but he was enjoying every moment as much as possible while he could.
"So this next job…it's a tricky one," Tracy said slowly. "It's really important to me, and I'll be honest and say it's stumped a lot of people for the longest time. But you've proved that you know your stuff so I got a good feeling that you might be able to figure it out."
"I'll be happy to take a crack at it. Any information I should know before going in?"
"Old house, old magic. Really stubborn magic really. Had several warders and cursebreakers in the past take a look and no one could figure out a thing. Belongs to a friend and would like to keep the place intact if at all possible."
Harry nodded. "Always like a challenge. Let's go take a look then."
The pair apparated in the garden and reappeared in front of a nice looking home. The garden was immaculate and the building looked pristine. Harry whistled at the sight. "You weren't kidding about old. I can feel the magic radiating off this place. And it looks expensive. Old money?"
"Very. Almost an ancestral home. Stayed in the family for ages and while they updated it and renovated it here and there, it's definitely a family's manor style home. Come in." She led him up the stairs to the front door and let them in.
Harry looked around with interest. The air was charged, almost heavy with magical energy. He could feel it tingle against his skin. The floors were polished hardwood, not a single scuff to mar the surface. The walls were painted in grey that bordered black, gleaming silver scrollwork decorated the base of the walls. Expensive looking statues and vases decorated the alcoves.
Harry snorted. "I feel terribly underdressed," he said in his jacket and hat, his usual cursebreaking attire.
Tracy, who wore jeans and a light blouse, snorted too. "I always did, still do. You don't really get used to it."
"Well, let's see what's going on," Harry said and tapped his glasses with his wand. The lenses shifted in hue and he started to see lines of magic glow in the air. He froze. "Tracy, don't move."
She froze too. "What? Why?!"
"There are so many wards and spells weaved all over. I don't want you to trip anything and get hurt."
She flushed lightly. "How new do they look?"
He hummed softly. "Been here a while."
She relaxed. "Don't worry then, I come here every few days so if it's anything actively dangerous, they would have been tripped already."
He nodded reluctantly. "Okay…well, you're not wrong. Most of these aren't active in the sense that they're traps. Most seem to be preservations and protections…" He walked slowly, head swiveling, eyes never still. Tracy followed behind him. "Who did all this? I can't even tell the different layers."
"Layers?"
"So wards and permanent spells usually have to be layered on each other. You know how runes for things with long term use are written in a specific sequence or else it won't work?" She nodded and he continued. "Wards are like that. If you put two wards on the same layer or surface, then they won't work as well because they're fighting for magical energy. Or worse, they'll fight each other and will do the opposite of what they should do."
"So you apply a spell, then a spell on top of that, and so on?" Tracy asked.
"Yep. And for the best effects, you have to do it in a certain sequence. Now the more layers you add on, the more magic you need to sustain the different spells. And of course it depends on the material, how big the place is, so on and so forth. But basically, the more layers, the harder it is to break them all and the longer it lasts."
"How many layers can you have on average?" she asked.
He walked into the kitchen, following a line of spells. "Depends on the place and caster, but three is the typical number that remains fairly stable and is doable for most people that know what they're doing. Any more, you have to really know what you're doing. The wards here all seem interconnected, woven together."
"Is that better or worse?"
He waggled a hand back and forth. "Spell weaving is really really hard. You have to be able to connect spells that normally aren't, and again you have to have the magical strength to do it. But woven spells are a lot harder to break because you have to break all the spells that are tied together at the same time where layers you can break apart layer by layer."
"Can you weave layers together?" she asked, interested.
He grinned. "You catch on quick."
She laughed. "I blame Hermione, she makes learning fun sometimes."
"Yeah you can weave layers together, which again, you have to be incredibly good to do. And I think that's what's going on here." He shook his head. "Whoever did this is a real paranoid guy. Talented, but paranoid."
"Lord Cyrus' talent was only exceeded by his caution," a cold voice cut in. "None would survive calling him paranoid to his face."
Harry and Tracy turned. A woman walked into the kitchen. Long silver-blonde hair fell to her mid back, hanging in an intricate braid. Bright blue eyes glared at him and she tapped her wand against her leg. She wore fitted robes and a large locket hung at her neck. "Tracy," she greeted, her tone thawing ever so slightly. Her eyes remained fixed on Harry who resisted the urge to take a step back. "Who are you?"
"He's a pal," Tracy said soothingly. "Remember I asked if I could bring in a new cursebreaker?"
"Yes, so here is the newest idiot to try their luck." She frowned. "Don't you know better than to wear a hat indoors?"
He sheepishly took his hat off, running a hand through his hair in a vain attempt to make it behave.
Her eyes widened. "Harry Potter. What are you doing here?"
"I'm uh, the cursebreaker trying his luck," he said lamely. "You must have been in Slytherin when I was there. Sorry, don't remember your name off the top of my head."
"Why do you assume I was in Slytherin?"
"Everyone in Slytherin says my last name the same way, really emphasizing the P. They also sounded perpetually mad at me."
Tracy blushed. "Do I do that now?"
"No, you've really softened it Boss. Which I appreciate by the way."
"That's good. Potter, I mean Harry, this is Daphne Greengrass. Daphne, this is Harry Potter, formally."
Daphne stared at them. "Why is he calling you boss? I had no idea he became a Cursebreaker. Is he allowed to use the title?"
"He's worked for Gringotts for seven years, fully credentialed, and is really good," Tracy said firmly. "He just got back to England and just started working for me. He's good, trust me."
"Trust you? Or trust your lover?"
"Hermione's my girlfriend," Tracy sighed.
Harry's eyes narrowed slightly. "Hermione had nothing to do with me being here. If you have a problem with her though, I can leave."
"No, no problem at all," Tracy said hurriedly. "Daphne likes Hermione, right Daphne?" Her voice took on an edge.
Daphne had recoiled slightly at Harry's narrowed expression. "Hermione is very pleasant," Daphne said softly.
Silence reigned for a long moment before Harry relaxed slightly, easing the tension. "Yeah she is. So you live here I assume?" he asked Daphne. At her nod, he continued. "That's why you said to keep everything intact then Boss? Right. Let me take a walk around the property then and see the ward boundaries. I won't go into any rooms," he said, cutting Daphne's protest off. "Just want to see everything in macro before working in micro." He nodded at the two women and left the kitchen.
"He means get a look at the big picture before working on the details," Tracy explained. "Also, what the hell Daphne? What's your problem?"
"What's yours?" she spat back. "Why didn't you tell me you were bringing Harry Bloody Potter?"
"Because I knew you'd react like this and was hoping your propriety would keep you civil." She sighed and leaned against the counter. "Look, just trust me. You trust me right?"
"I trust you, yes."
Tracy snorted. "Harry isn't like anything we thought we knew back at Hogwarts. He isn't an arsehole, he isn't cocky. He undersells himself and is actually really nice. And that's not just because of Hermione. I've worked with him for over a week and he's been really chill. He knows his stuff too."
"Where has he been for the last few years? He practically disappeared after all the fallout after You-Know-Who."
"He left the country and jumped into cursebreaking. He hasn't been back in over seven years."
"Why not?"
"I have no idea, neither does Hermione. We haven't pressured him to tell us but he said he will explain to her soon. Listen," she leaned forward, "I checked with his records at the bank. In just seven years he became one of the top cursebreakers that worked for them. He's beyond advanced level. They consider him a senior, something it takes most cursebreakers decades to do, if they make it."
Daphne frowned. "Can he be trusted?"
"Hermione thinks so and I think so too." Tracy looked serious. "You told me the symptoms were getting worse, right?"
Daphne looked away.
"He is our best bet at figuring things out. Give him a chance. Please."
She ground her teeth. "Fine."
They went quiet as they heard Harry walk down the hall, joining them in the kitchen again. "Well, I found the boundaries. They go out to the garden but no further. Completely encompass the property otherwise. Not even a landscaping charm will come close to them so it's localized only to here."
"So, what're you thinking?" Tracy asked.
"Well, since this home is still being lived in, we have a few different options. The easiest would be if we had access to the keystone for the wards."
"Oh why haven't we thought of that?" Daphne asked scathingly. "Oh now I remember. We do not know where it is. As far as I know, it has been destroyed."
"Hmm, that shouldn't be the case. Not saying I don't believe you, but normally when the keystone has been destroyed, all the wards and spells should be weaker without it being tied to the anchor and the wards here are some of the strongest I've ever seen." Harry rubbed his chin. "I don't suppose we can ask whoever made the wards?"
"That will be difficult unless you are a necromancer," Daphne said.
"He's dead," Tracy clarified.
"Okay then. Well, then we'll have to do it the normal way. I'll identify all the spells, hopefully find the link between them, and then undo and unravel them one at a time."
"How long will that take?" Tracy asked.
Harry shrugged. "A few weeks?"
"A few weeks?!" Daphne exclaimed. "I thought you were a decent cursebreaker, or so you said!"
"Well let me ask you this then." Harry's voice finally took a note of exasperation. "What's my collateral damage limit?"
"No collateral damage!"
"Then it's going to take me a few weeks! If you didn't care about it, then I could probably bully my way through the wards a lot faster but it would cause a lot more damage. I'm used to working in derelict places where collateral damage is low on the list of objectives. As long as the treasures were fine and injuries kept to a minimum," his face twisted as he fell silent. The two witches looked at each other, questioning the look. "I don't want to damage your home unless it's absolutely necessary," he said at last. "So I'll do it slowly and methodically. Hopefully I'll figure things out faster."
"That sounds fair. When do you want to start?" Tracy asked.
"Tomorrow? You mentioned those other to locations you wanted to check today and that'll give Miss Greengrass some time to get things ready."
"That is acceptable," Daphne said reluctantly. "I will put away the more fragile things."
"Great. I'll see you tomorrow then. I'll pop out first Boss. Meet you at Swallow's Swale." He was about to put his hat on but stopped. With an awkward nod at Daphne, he left, hat in hand. Daphne and Tracy followed him after a moment and watched him walk into the back garden, slip his hat on, and apparate away.
"You are not going to make me deal with him alone, are you?" Daphne asked after a while.
"I can't stay here the whole day every time," Tracy said. "I'll pop over when I can. Get Astoria to come over if you feel the need to but I don't think you have to worry about him."
"Dating a Gryffindor has made you more trusting," Daphne remarked.
"Being here by yourself has made you more untrusting," Tracy replied.
-0-
The next few days were incredibly awkward for Harry. He would visit some other site that Tracy asked him to but otherwise he spent all his time at Greengrass House. He brought over all his gear and spent time drawing runic arrays on parchment and sticking it to where lines of magic converged, watching the parchment fill with Arithmancy lines and equations. He laid them out on the biggest table, constantly moving them around as he identified more of the spells woven into the wards.
The first two days, Daphne followed him around like an overzealous dog. She watched him with cold blue eyes, as if waiting for him to make a mistake or cause some kind of damage. When he asked if she wanted to search his belongings before he left, she sniffed so hard he thought she was going to burst a blood vessel.
Eventually she stopped following him around, inspecting his every move. However, when she did come by to watch, she would ask questions or make disparaging remarks. It got to the point that he did not know which was worse: dispassionate and distrustful inspection or barbed words and mockery. He did his best to remain civil, treating her like he did any goblin overseer or bank upper management that tried to inspect him when he worked.
"Could you put that back where you picked it up when you're done looking at it?" he asked one day, looking at the pieces of parchment laid out.
"Why? Do you not lay them out at random?" she replied. "I see you shuffle them about often enough."
"Because the pattern is changing and each time it stops, I make a note of the pattern of spells so I can try to figure out the original order."
"What do you mean the pattern is changing? Written spell lines do not change."
"These are. It's uncommon, hard to do, but the higher ward schemes do that."
She frowned. "That would lower the efficacy of the spells."
"Usually yes, if the individual spells are being moved. Instead you shuffle spell arrays. As long as large chunks of the scheme are fairly stable, you can randomize the order with little loss in strength while making it that much harder to dispel and remove."
She looked thoughtful. "So if you establish individual arrays where the spells in each array are static, and then change the arrangement, you change the perceived order of the spells. Which makes undoing them harder, because you will be doing the wrong counter-spells."
"Yeah exactly. You're pretty good at that."
She sniffed. "I did pass my O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s in both Runes and Arithmancy."
"Cool, I mean, good job," he said awkwardly.
"I just realized that you were not in those classes. How did you become a cursebreaker without them?"
"I learned on the job."
"You learned Arithmancy…on the job."
"Yeah. That's why my theory is a little weak. My practical though is pretty good." He stared at a ward cluster on the wall and rearranged the slips of parchment to match it. He then made a note of the order in a notebook and sat and watched the cluster again.
"How…how many arrangements have you found?" she asked.
"Nine," he said.
"That does not seem so bad."
"No that wasn't too bad, I figured out the arrangements on day one. Now I'm trying to figure out the pattern of the arrangements. They keep cycling and I realized that the pattern wasn't the same day to day. I'm beginning to think that there might be seven different patterns."
She blinked. "That...that sounds very difficult to deal with. How will learning the patterns help?"
"Well when the spells were first cast and the wards were first made, that very first order is called the primary pattern or the progenitor."
"Where all further variations are derived from."
He grinned at her. "Exactly. No matter how many combinations is made from a randomizing spell, they will always eventually cycle back to the progenitor. Once I figure out the progenitor, I can figure out the method to dispel it."
She blinked as his grin. "Will you have to wait for the array to go back to the progenitor before you can dispel it?"
"Thankfully not. As long as you know the original order, you can cast the counter-spells and unravel it whenever."
She nodded and got up from the table. "I shall leave you to it then."
"Talk to you later," he said absent-mindedly as he rearranged the parchment slips again.
-0-
Daphne sat in her room, irritated.
Lately she had found herself feeling irritated more often than not and she thought she knew the reason. She was a private person. Tracy was her best, and honestly only, friend. She considered others acquaintances at best and annoyances at worst. She adored her little sister but sisters were not typically friends. Hermione was slowly transforming from acquaintance to friend but Daphne knew that was more to appease Tracy than not.
With Harry being there every day, she felt like her space was constantly being intruded upon. She did not know why. The majority of the previous cursebreakers and so-called specialists that came to 'help' had always wanted her around. They asked her all sorts of questions, badgered her for personal information, insisted on banal small talk and spouting off their accolades. Eventually they all quit, a combination of failure and her barbed tongue.
In contrast, Harry kept to himself. He spoke only when spoken to and had respected her space and privacy. He seemed to ignore the majority of her thinly-veiled insults, only rising to the bait when she made comments about Hermione. He was even defending any comments she made about Tracy. He did not do so with anyone else, not even Ronald Weasley. Something she was very curious about.
She had found herself drifting to where he was working more often than not. The first two days she wanted to make sure he was not defacing her home. When it was clear that he was being professional, she had left to be alone, to try and ignore her presence. However, something changed. She began to like hearing him work, a different sound than the wireless or her own thoughts. The few times they chatted about theory and other mechanics were intriguing and while he explained things a bit too simply, he was knowledgeable.
Am I enjoying his company? She snorted out loud. Perhaps she had spent too long on her own where she was becoming desperate for another's presence. She would have to go to Magical Menagerie to get a pet. She would rather fill her home with cats and kneazles before admitting to wanting to be with another person, for someone else to betray her.
Especially if that person was Harry Potter.
She sniffed the air, smelling something very different. It was savory and spicy, and her stomach grumbled. She walked out of her bedroom and descended the stairs, finding the scent growing stronger as she got closer to the kitchen. Her eyes opened wide as she saw Harry cooking, stirring something in a pan. "What are you doing?" she asked.
"Cooking," he replied, barely looking at her. "I'm still not familiar with the area and didn't know where to go to get something to eat. I brought stuff over from Tracy and Hermione's. Cooking helps me relax."
"You should have asked me for permission before taking liberty," she said angrily, letting her annoyance rise to the top.
He looked at her for a moment. "You're right, I should have. Sorry." He poured the food into a serving plate and set it on the counter. "I made a lot, feel free to eat as much as you like."
She did not want to but her stomach wanted to and made it known loudly. "What is it?"
"Stir fried beef, tofu, and soybeans. A Chinese dish I picked up when I did a dive there." He opened a pot and took out two ramekins of a soft yellow concoction and dished out two bowls of rice. "This is steamed seasoned egg."
Her stomach growled louder and her face went red as she tried to force her embarrassment away. "You cook without magic? I am surprised you know how to cook at all."
"I grew up cooking by hand. Never beat the habit. Always thought it tastes a little better when you do it by hand anyways." He opened the ice box and pulled out a can, sitting down with a grunt. "Help yourself." After murmuring grace, he started to eat.
Despite how good it smelled; she was reluctant to follow suit at first. She sat and served herself and carefully took a bite of everything. The egg was silky in texture, almost melting in her mouth. It broke apart with barely any pressure, like a savory custard. The meat was tender, the beans snappy, the tofu pleasantly chewy. Garlic and soy and pepper filled her mouth and soon she was eating voraciously.
They ate in silence, which was only a little awkward.
"I hope your spellwork is as good as your cooking," she said eventually.
He sighed. "Look, whatever I did to you at school, I'm sorry."
She looked at him. "I beg your pardon?"
"I've been racking my brain for anytime we interacted at Hogwarts and I'm coming up with nothing. Did I insult you or something? Did I hurt you or slight you somehow?"
"No, we did not interact at all."
"What did I do to deserve your remarks then?"
She glared at him. "You are in my home and I did not ask you to be."
"Tracy did because she wants me to help you. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at her."
"I am not mad," she said unconvincingly.
He snorted. "Coulda fooled me. Just, it's really exhausting hearing you insult me over and over again. Especially when we sometimes seem to be getting along talking about things." He watched her stew in silence for a few moments. "Just let me do my job and I'll be out of your hair before too much longer hopefully."
"Why are you doing this?" she asked instead.
"Because Tracy asked me to. She's my boss right now and I'm doing my job."
"Why are you working for her? You are allegedly a senior cursebreaker working for Gringotts. A job with them must pay more that any salary Tracy is paying you."
He leaned back, looking thoughtful. "You know, I don't even know what she's paying me. She just asked me to start working so I did. I should check with her on that."
Daphne laughed derisively. "So you just went along with her just because she told you to?"
"I'm staying with her and Hermione. They've been kind to me. It's only right."
Her smile was cruel. "I thought you were a lion. So eager to help someone for a kind word and a smile. Not very lion-like."
His smile became chilled. "And you're just like a snake, ready to sink your fangs into someone at their weakest."
She stiffened. "You do not know me at all."
"I can say the same to you." He drank deep of his can. "Besides, I haven't had a lot of kind people lately in my life so why not be nice to the last two people who are nice to me?"
"Oh spare me. You have people throwing themselves at you," she scoffed. "You're the Boy-Who-Lived. Or what did they call you after the war? The Man-Who-Won?" She was wholly unprepared for his sudden change in expression, how he slumped back into his chair.
"I don't know which one I hate worst," he said tonelessly.
"I beg your pardon?"
He looked at her. "The Boy-Who-Lived. Congratulations. You survived something you shouldn't. Never mind that your parents died for it. I didn't even do anything. I survived and was condemned to a living hell for eleven years and a different kind of hell for another seven."
She did not know what to say to that.
"The Man-Who-Won. What did I win?"
"You beat You-Know-Who," Daphne protested. "You won peace for the Wizarding World of England and the United Kingdom."
"Ah, peace for everyone. You're right, that's exactly what I won. Except I didn't do it on my own. Hermione did more than I did to be completely honest. Ron did his part. All those people that fought and died at Hogwarts, they contributed a lot. They won." He looked down at his hands. "I don't even get to enjoy the peace I won."
"Are you trying to be humble?" she asked quietly. His last comment disquieted her.
"No, I just don't want to be thanked for something I didn't do. I didn't win anything." He sighed again. "Sorry, I'm being a prat. You don't deserve me throwing all this at you."
She looked at him curiously with a hint of shame. "I did provoke you. I…apologize for that."
"We'll call it even then." He got up from the counter. "I'm going back to work. To answer your question, I'm doing this for three reasons. One is to help Tracy. You and her are best friends, right?" He smiled when she nodded. "I can tell. You two are really comfortable around each other. The second reason is the more I'm here, the more interesting the situation is. I don't think I know everything going on but I like a challenge."
She watched him walk to the door. "And the third reason?"
He looked back at her. "The third reason? Just seeing if I can do one thing right, one more time." He walked out of the kitchen, leaving a very confused Daphne behind.
-0-
Unknown to either of them, Tracy had come in towards the end of the conversation. She was about to walk into the kitchen when she heard Harry ask to bury the hatchet. She hid on the other side of the door, listening in. She had no real qualms at eavesdropping at first. She knew Hermione had been so happy the last few weeks and she would do a lot to keep her that happy.
Figuring out what was up Harry's arse would go a long way to keeping her happy.
Though she did not see his expression when he spoke about his two titles, Tracy could hear the change in his voice. She knew she did not know him nearly that well, she could tell that he had changed. He had regressed back into when she first met him: very quiet and reserved. She peeked around the corner and saw him. If anything, he was even worse than when she first met him. She listened carefully to his reasons, thinking.
She slipped into a closet to avoid running into him, listening to him walk by. After a few moments she slipped back out. Daphne still sat at the counter, lost in her thoughts. Tracy walked in, served herself some of the leftovers, and started to eat, sitting beside Daphne.
"I assumed you were listening?" Daphne asked.
"Mmmhmm," Tracy hummed.
"Do you know what he is talking about?"
"Nope. But I plan on finding out."
"Will…will you tell me?"
"Maybe. You will have to be completely honest with him too. I bet you haven't told him everything."
"You would be correct."
"I'll try to figure out some things, but you're going to have to be as open as he is, if he opens up."
Daphne nodded reluctantly.
-0-
"Hey, you home?"
Hermione poked her head out of the office. "Yes I am." Her smile faded, seeing the serious face that Tracy was making. "Is something wrong?"
"Uh…maybe?"
She snorted. "That's explaining things."
Tracy grinned sheepishly. "I think…we should try and get Harry to talk to us tonight. I know you said you want him to tell us on his own, that if we push him he'll get really mad and clam up. But I sorta overheard the end of a conversation between him and Daph today and well, yeah. We should try to get him to open up a little."
Hermione looked concerned as well as miffed. "He told Daphne things before us?"
"Before you, you mean?" Tracy laughed at Hermione's red face. "He didn't explain anything. Just made some off-handed comments that's a little concerning. No, I won't tell you what he said." Hermione closed her mouth indignantly. "I'll let him explain it fully to us."
"Color me a little surprised at how much you…care."
Tracy shrugged. "I'm surprised myself to be honest. But spending time with him this week, well I can see why you two were so close. I don't want you to lose him again and I can see me and him being friends. Anyways, what's his favorite dessert? I can see if I can get a good one and try to butter him up tonight with it."
"Treacle tart," Hermione said without hesitation. "I think. It's been a while but that was his favorite growing up." She thought for a moment. "Go to the bakery on the corner of Piccadilly. The one with the flower name, Buttercup I think?" She looked nostalgic. "It's where I got one for us before he left."
Tracy nodded. "Right. I'll go do that and pick up some alcohol. Something tells me we're going to need it."
-0-
Harry smiled softly when Tracy cut a giant slice of treacle tart and put it in front of him with Hermione putting a large dollop of whipped cream on top. "I haven't had treacle tart in years," he said fondly. He looked at the smiling witches. "So, what am I doing tonight?"
"Feeling suspicious?" Tracy asked lightly, trying to hide her surprise.
"A bit. You sort of develop a sense for traps as a cursebreaker."
"Can't we do something nice without ulterior motives?" Hermione asked in a wounded tone.
Harry grinned. "Sure but after buying all that pizza and drinks and now treacle tart? Might have overplayed it a little."
Tracy snorted. "Better grass up Babe." She sat on the chair opposite to him. "We're sort of hoping you'd tell us about why you left. And I'll offer to leave again if you want to just talk to Hermione."
"So you can eavesdrop from the closet?" Harry snickered at her look of surprise. "I heard you in it earlier today at Greengrass'." He tapped his right ear. "Got caught in a Bombardment Hex when I first started, destroyed my ear. Had it regrown and they repaired my ear drum and everything. I have excellent hearing from this side."
"I wasn't eavesdropping from inside the closet," Tracy said with a red face. "I was hiding in it after eavesdropping from the hallway."
Harry's laugh was unforced, helping them relax. "I'm not upset," he said. "Sure, I'll explain. It'll take a while." He laughed again when Tracy set two bottles of wine and a bottle of firewhiskey on the table. "Yeah, might need that." He took a bite of the tart, eyebrows raising in appreciation. "Damn, that's good. Hey, is this from the same place you got it before I left?"
"You remembered?" Hermione asked, her voice soft and wondering.
"Sure do. One of the best memories I have." He ate slowly, savory every almost decadently sweet bite. The two women let him find his pace, eating their slices of tart as well. "I don't even know where to start," he said at last.
"A lot did happen rather swiftly," Hermione said softly.
"Do you know some things?" he asked Tracy. At her nod, he continued. "I guess, when I first thought things were wrong, was after I got back from Australia." Harry took a sip of firewhiskey. "I came back early after helping Hermione with finding her parents and helping them get their memories back. How are they by the way?"
Hermione smiled. "Well, thank you. They are back here and are happy. I actually have little siblings now. They think kindly of you."
"They shouldn't."
"They do and they'd love to see you," Hermione said firmly.
He smiled softly. "Anyways, I got back to try and figure out things for myself. I left with Hermione pretty much right after the Battle at Hogwarts, and it took us about a week to find them and do the counterspell work. Hermione was staying with them for the rest of the summer to mend some bridges and be a family again. So I got back and headed to the Burrow."
"The Weasley home," Hermione explained to Tracy.
"And uh…it didn't go well."
"Wasn't he your best mate in school?" Tracy asked.
"Yeah he was and his family was really close." Harry stared off into space, looking into the past. "Things got really awkward really fast. After a few hours Arthur took me aside and said it was probably best that I didn't stay there."
"He didn't!" Hermione looked astonished. "Ron told me you didn't want to stay there!"
"He did." Harry's sigh was heavy and full of pain. "He said they were dealing with a lot and I was…wasn't helping by being there. I tried to talk to them, to see how I could help." He took a big gulp of the fiery spirit. "They didn't want my help, or want any help I could provide."
"They didn't ask for money, did they?" Tracy asked. She flinched lightly when Hermione smacked her.
"No, if they did I could have easily helped with that." Harry rubbed his eyes. "They said they wanted Fred back."
"They didn't," Hermione whispered, horrified.
"Yeah. George blamed me. Said if I did things better, if I was faster, Fred wouldn't have died." He could still hear the way that George screamed the words at him, blaming Harry for Fred's death. He could still feel the way all the Weasleys glared at him, how their eyes bored into him and cored him. How no one disagreed. How now one tried to defend him.
"That's…really rough," Tracy said wincing. "I mean, I can sort of understand feeling that way but from what Hermione's told me, you guys did the best you could. You were kids. You didn't have help. You-Know-Who was out looking for you and had the country under his thumb."
"They're not wrong," Harry said wearily.
"Yes they are!" Hermione said loudly.
"We could have done lots of things better," Harry said. "We didn't need to take the fight to Hogwarts. All those people that died…because of me."
"They surely didn't blame you for that too, did they?" Hermione said tearily.
"Ginny blamed me for Colin, and a few others of her friends," Harry said. "But no, they didn't blame me for all of them."
The women heard the strange emphasis that he used.
"So, that was the first incident," Harry continued. "Then a few weeks later I got a letter from Shacklebolt. He asked me to come to the Ministry. I get there, escorted by Aurors, and in his office was him and Robards, the new head of the Aurors."
He closed his eyes. He could remember how cold the office was, the coldness matched by the eyes of all those adults. "They told me they were not accepting me into the Auror program and that my invitation was rescinded."
"Why?" Hermione asked. "I thought anyone who fought was offered a spot. I was offered a spot and I had and still have no desire to be an Auror."
"They said they wanted to build a new Ministry, one untainted by the past. They wanted to show a brand-new Ministry that people could trust and to do so, they had to cut away any lasting ties with…seemingly unsavory individuals."
"That's rubbish!" Tracy looked incensed. "That's an even better reason to have you there! You were the…name you hate. They could have used you like a prop! Having the Savior of the Wizarding World there would be the ultimate deterrent for anyone trying anything shady!"
Hermione's stomach was roiling. She knew none of this and she was starting to feel even worse with every word Harry said. "They…they just cut you off?"
"With many thanks for my duty and had me escorted out," Harry said wearily. "That was the second sign." He took a moody bite of tart. "So, no Burrow and Weasleys, no Auror training. I was having trouble figuring out what to do. I then get a letter from Professor McGonagall, asking to meet with me. She came to Grimmauld place."
He rubbed his neck. "She asked me to not attend Hogwarts for an eighth year."
"SHE WHAT?!" Hermione rose to her feet, eyes wide and furious. "She told me you didn't want to come! She said you were focusing your energies elsewhere! SHE LIED TO ME!" Her magic crackled and small objects in the room shook from the pressure of her fury.
Tracy gaped, frozen. She had never seen Hermione look like this, act like this. In the five years they were together, she had never seen her girlfriend lose control quite like this.
Harry reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. Hermione slowly calmed down; the air stilled but smelled faintly of latent danger. "Yeah, I figured that's what she told you so I didn't tell you. I didn't want to make things awkward for you when you went. She said she could not refuse me if I wanted to attend, but she said that it would be a disservice to those that died in the Battle and that I owed the students a quiet year, a chance to learn without fear."
"Again, that makes no sense." Tracy found her voice after drinking her glass of wine. "You just stopped the bloody Dark Lord. Why wouldn't anyone want you there as a warning to anyone and everyone?!"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. It made sense to me and I…I didn't want to be anywhere I wasn't wanted."
"I would have wanted you there," Hermione said angrily.
"I know but I wasn't about to do to you what happened fourth year. I couldn't handle that again. That was the third sign. I was pretty desperate at that point: no one friendly looking to help except Hermione, no job prospect, no school. I was pretty close to rock bottom."
Hermione gasped. "No, please don't tell me." She started to cry. "Teddy?"
"That was the last sign," Harry said, beyond weary.
Tracy sat next to Hermione, hugging her close. "Who's Teddy?" she asked.
"Do you remember Professor Lupin? He got married and had a baby with Nym…I mean Dora Tonks. They named me godfather. I was transforming a room in Grimmauld to be a nursery and was looking forward to help take care of him, tell him about his parents."
He drank a full glass of firewhiskey in one swallow. "Andromeda, his grandmother, wouldn't let me near him. She blamed me for Tonks and Remus dying, for making Teddy an orphan. She blamed me for Ted dying."
"How dare she?" Hermione seethed.
"Again, she wasn't wrong. If we stopped Tom sooner, loads of Muggleborns would have survived. Remus and Dora wouldn't have come to fight and die."
"But that still doesn't make any sense," Tracy insisted. "How can everyone blame you for everything? Just because you were the Chosen One or some nonsense? It was a freaking war! People die in wars. It's just so…unfair that you were blamed for it all." She shook her head. "They made you the scapegoat."
"That's what it felt like, still feels like," Harry said. He sighed. "Not going to lie, that broke me. So I went to Gringotts the next day to make arrangements. I transferred Grimmauld place and all the Black vaults and titles and assets back to Andromeda and Teddy. They deserved them more than I did. That's when I was told about the cost of all the damages we caused on the way out and the goblins demanded restitution.
"They were going to take it out on all three of us but I made a deal. With a percentage taken off the top, I liquidated all the Potter assets and paid for it all."
"Oh Harry," Hermione said. "It was just as much as us as it was you."
"After all you went through, after what Ron lost, it was the least I could do." He laughed without humor. "So there I was. No money, no career, no education, nothing. Ragnok and the council took pity on me, saying I was the most pathetic Wizard they had ever seen, and offered me a way to get back into the good graces of Gringotts. So that's when I became a cursebreaker."
"I wish I knew," Hermione wept. "I would have helped you."
"I know you would have," Harry said sadly. "But I couldn't do that to you. You spent years helping me at your own cost. You deserve a life too."
Tracy let Hermione go who grabbed hold of Harry, sobbing fitfully. She refilled their cups and sat beside Hermione, rubbing her back. "Fuck. I mean, I'm sorry Potter. That fucking sucks. No wonder you hate being called the Man-blah-blah. You did all this for people and they treated you like shit."
"Yeah. I mean, for a while, being a cursebreaker was good. New places to visit, lots of magic to see and learn. I was told I was doing good, that felt good. Earned a lot of money again. New food to try." His temporary good cheer dissolved. "But it kept happening. Little things that would ruin things. I try to stay at a remote site for a while but have to leave, called elsewhere. Tried to stay in Paris for a bit, settle down maybe, but then the head of the Paris branch of Gringotts got into it.
"Remember when you asked if I was seeing anyone? I tried a couple times. Both ended terribly. One wanted the Man-Who-Won and didn't like that I wasn't him. The other kept stringing me along and…yeah." Harry rubbed his face. "It's always the same. Things seem to be good then I get told that I'm not wanted anymore. That I'm not needed.
"I'm bad news. It got to the point where it wasn't a question of if something bad happened, it's when."
Hermione leaned back, face wet from tears, eyes blazing. "You are not the problem."
"Come on Hermione. Everything that has gone wrong has one common factor: me. After a while, it can't not be my fault. It has to be. I do something that makes people hate me more and I have to go."
"I refuse to believe it," she snarled.
"I have to admit, I have to agree with her," Tracy said. "I don't have the history that you two do and just being around you this week or so, I can't see you doing anything bad you know?"
His heart ached painfully. "I just haven't ruined it yet," he said weakly.
"You will not," Hermione said fiercely. "Tracy is a deeply suspicious person and takes a long time to trust. If she finds you pleasant then there is nothing wrong with you."
"She's right," Tracy smiled.
"Whatever other people's problems are, you won't have it here. You are back where you belong," Hermione said firmly. "You will figure out how to help Daphne, then you will find a place here, and we will be close again and nothing will ruin that."
Harry dared to hope. "That sounds really nice."
Hermione took his face between her hands. "Harry, promise me you will talk to me, to us. If something is bothering you, if something is wrong, swear you will tell us. Do not run away again, please."
He felt tears build in his eyes and he nodded slowly. "Okay, I promise."
"Good." Hermione kissed his forehead before falling back into Tracy's arms, exhausted. "I need more wine and tart," she said tiredly, "after I use the restroom." She rose slowly and staggered down the hall.
"Thanks," Tracy said softly. "For trusting me."
"No problem. I know Hermione wouldn't tell you if I asked her to, but I also know she doesn't like to hide things from the people she cares about." He looked awkward. "Can you, not tell Greengrass yet? Any of it? I rather come to terms of it myself before I tell her anything."
"Yeah, no problem." Tracy frowned. "Mind if I ask what you meant about the third reason you're helping her then?"
"I meant what I said. I'm just trying to do one thing right."
Tracy patted his arm. "You're a great cursebreaker, you'll do it right."
He smiled and continued to eat his tart but said nothing else.
-0-0-0-
Imaginer.012 - I wanted to lean into the Indiana Jones theme for the first chapter because it amused me. Glad you liked the reference. Hope you continue to like it. I tried to challenge myself to write something different.
Spider of Dreams - Thank you very much. I hope you continue to be excited and like the fic when it finishes.
diffident-serpiente - I try to include a bit more magic theory in this fic to show how a cursebreaker could operate. Hopefully it fills that itch for more magic and adventure. Yeah, I wanted to show a 'realistic' way the goblins would try to act after the war.
alix33 - Thought you would like the sailor comment.
A person - The fic is already completely done. I'm just posting the chapters one by one over the course of a few weeks. I wasn't going to do a bonus update today but decided to.
kerbumbo - Thank you very much. Hope it satisfies you at the end.
bdwilliams3 - Thank you very much. I really wanted to try and write something different in tone and feel so I appreciate you saying that. I personally thought the pacing is a lot faster, which well 5 double chapters versus 144 lol, it is but hopefully it doesn't feel rushed.
Urgwaew - I remember you saying that and didn't want to spoil things way back, so hopefully you still appreciate the overall direction. I thought Tracy and Hermione would be good together and I've read some excellent Hapne fics so this is my attempt to add to that. Hopefully as the story progresses and you find out more, it becomes apparent why he was did not say anything and how things came that way. Same with how he and Hermione interacted. As far as Ron goes, well I'll let you be the judge by story's end.
I was only going to do weekly updates but decided to do an extra one today to thank people for the stunning response I got from posting this one yesterday. I'll probably post all 5 chapters within another week or two. I'm surprised I haven't seen you on Extended Family or the end of The Family that Chooses You. Wishing you the best.
Hogwartsblack - I'm afraid I do not know what you mean.
guest - Thank you so much. Hope you enjoy the journey.
