CHAPTER TWO
RON'S FAILURE
"Pass the potatoes, would you, Harry?" Teddy Lupin asked across the table in the dining room of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.
Harry passed the bowl over to Teddy, who today was red-haired, slightly freckled and sporting a matching goatee. It was a look he often bore. Harry assumed it was a style he had picked up out of admiration for the Weasleys. Certainly, Teddy admired Victoire very much and had grown up with much of the Weasley clan around him.
Teddy dumped four or five potatoes onto his plate and placed the bowl back on the table. Ginny, meanwhile, handed out goblets of pumpkin juice, then sat down next to her husband. Filling the table were Lily, Hugo and Ron, who sat on the opposite side of Hermione, Harry and Ginny.
"So how did it go at the office this morning?" Ginny asked Harry.
"Well, slow... we really have nothing to go on," Harry replied between mouthfuls of steak and kidney pie.
Harry had been at the Ministry at the break of dawn, and had spent the last six hours trying to find out as much as he could about the type of magic (and/or wand) that he'd confronted the night previous. Lily and Hugo were eating their potatoes and vegetables, talking quietly between themselves. Harry heard the words "seeker" and "Cannons" among their murmurs.
"So – you really think they were Muggles, then?" Teddy chimed in.
"They definitely were." Harry nodded, then added, "Whatever it was they were doing with the wands, I don't think it was coming from them."
"It's so odd," Hermione said, "I've never heard of any sort of magic that can empower Muggles."
"Well, if Hermione's never heard of it, you're definitely wrong, Harry," Ron teased.
Harry grinned; Hermione frowned.
"What time have you got to meet Mr Ollivander?" Ron asked, with a mouthful of Yorkshire Pudding.
"Three o'clock. Thanks again, Teddy, for making sure he was free on such short notice," Harry said.
Teddy shrugged.
"Didn't take much convincing. Old Ollivander loves you, doesn't he? Never stops harping on about the day you got your wand," remarked Teddy.
After leaving Hogwarts with nine NEWTs, Teddy had decided to pursue a career in wandmaking. Mr Ollivander had gladly accepted him as an apprentice, considering he was getting so old he sometimes struggled to maintain the workload on his own.
Harry glanced over at Lily to see the sprout on her fork turn into a meatball the second before she put it in her mouth.
"Lily, stop transfiguring your food," Harry said sternly.
Lily rolled her eyes.
"I can't help it, Dad. I haven't started Hogwarts yet, I'm not in control of my magic."
"We both know that's a lie," Ginny intervened, "And don't talk back to your father like that."
Ginny's reprimand seemed to sink in, and Lily's newly transfigured meatball turned back into a sprout, much to Lily's displeasure.
"So, you think Ollivander will be able to tell you who's wand that is?" Ron asked.
"Well, the wands we picked up are just copies... but if Ollivander can tell us who has the original, we can finally find out who is behind all the Muggle unrest." Harry explained.
"I've got to head back to the shop this afternoon to help George with some stock – I'll come with you, shall I?" Ron asked, a little too innocently.
Harry nodded and stuffed a few sprouts in his mouth so he wouldn't have to comment further.
He had noticed it last night too: Ron's willingness to jump in and help, although he was no longer part of the Auror Department. Ron had helped him through the toughest times of his life, and Harry would like nothing more than to have his best friend at his side every day. However, he knew that Ministry regulations wouldn't allow non-employees on Auror cases except for special circumstances. Harry decided he would go with Ron to Diagon Alley and hoped he wouldn't have to tell Ron to leave before he got to Ollivanders.
A short while later, Harry excused himself from the table, waving his wand at his plate. It cleared itself as he did so, and once finished, Harry prepared to leave. When Ron was also ready, the two of them bid their goodbyes and set off for Diagon Alley.
Apparating a few yards away from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, Ron turned to Harry.
"How about we meet up in the Leaky Cauldron later?" he suggested. "Once you've finished with Ollivander."
"Sure," Harry replied, "I have to meet Kingsley there later, anyway."
The door to the Weasley joke shop opened and a red-haired man (complete with bald spot) came strolling out backwards, mid-conversation.
"...And you can tell Roderick Hamperlump that I will not accept anything less than 2 sickles per Pygmy Puff, if he's buying in bulk. I'm running a joke shop by name, not by nature," George called in to an unseen person. Turning round, he spotted Harry and Ron.
"Ah... Won-Won," George beamed, "And Harry."
"Don't call me that," Ron growled.
"Come to help us with the stock too have you, Harry? Got twenty-five boxes of assorted jumping toadstools that need sorting."
Harry grinned.
"Not today, George. Auror Business." Harry said.
"Ah, say no more," George nodded, "Just let me know if Voldemort breaks out of his grave, won't you?"
Harry chuckled.
"Would I ever let you down?"
Harry turned his attention to the younger Weasley.
"So – Leaky Cauldron in about an hour, Ron?" Harry asked.
"Yeah –" Ron started, but George cut in.
"Make it two. We have a lot of work to do, little bro."
George went back into the shop without another word, having changed the poster in his window from "Buy One Pygmy, Get One Free!" to "Limited Stock! Get this season's Pygmy Puffs less than half price while you still can."
Ron sighed, "Two hours, I guess, then."
And with a goodbye to Harry, he joined George inside the shop.
Harry continued on through Diagon Alley until he arrived at Mr Ollivander's. It was – and always had been – a dusty, cramped little shop, with gold lettering above the door reading, "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C."
Harry was five minutes early of their scheduled meeting time, but with nothing better to do to kill the time, Harry opened the door and stepped into the shop. The chill from outside subsided immediately upon closing the door and Harry felt warmth spread through his fingers and toes. Looking around, Harry saw the ever-present crooked towers upon towers of wand boxes. The table where an empty chair lay behind was slightly dusty.
Then, without warning, Ollivander was suddenly there. He had come from the side of the shop and into Harry's view, seemingly out of nowhere, slightly discomforting Harry.
"Ah, Mr Potter."
Mr Ollivander smiled, his face more lined and ancient, his hair more white and wiry than it had ever been before.
"Hello, Mr Ollivander," Harry said, reaching over the table to shake his hand.
"Yes, yes... and how is young Albus getting used to his new wand?" Mr Ollivander asked, before adding: "Cherry; dragon heartstring; twelve inches, as far as I recall."
"Well, you know, Mr Ollivander – as Head Auror, I have to say he wasn't allowed to use it before starting Hogwarts," Harry said, then leaned in with a quieter tone: "But as a father, I allowed him to test it out a little and he was very comfortable with it."
Harry grinned and winked. Ollivander returned the grin.
"Wonderful, wonderful... but of course, I don't think you came here to discuss your children's wands," Ollivander mused.
There was an air of curiosity about him that Harry had always sensed and both liked and disliked. Harry had not told Ollivander why he needed to see him and any possible wand mystery was something Ollivander positively thrived on.
"Well, no – I actually came because of Auror Business. You see, there's been some trouble lately with Muggles. Someone has been sending them off on a rage, starting riots, and the Muggles seem to have no recollection or understanding afterwards," Harry started.
"Interesting... but I fail to see how that is related to wandmaking?" Ollivander frowned.
"Well, you see – the Muggles had wands and were producing magic." Harry said.
Ollivander stared at him for a moment with a puzzled expression.
"Impossible," he muttered finally.
"I thought so too, until last night," Harry replied.
Harry slipped his hand into his robe pocket and pulled out the short wand he'd taken from one of the Muggles the night before. He slid it across the table to Ollivander.
"This wand – and many copies exactly like it – were what the Muggles used," Harry said.
Ollivander took the wand curiously and lifted it up and down in his hand, as if measuring its weight.
"That is no wand," Ollivander declared, shaking his head. "It has no core."
"No core?" Harry frowned. "But that makes no sense. They definitely used magic. I fought them."
Ollivander studied the wand further, looking at it from all angles and at one point, bizarrely, balancing it on his head.
"Wood from the cashew tree; eight inches exactly. Very pliant, but certainly no core," Ollivander explained.
Harry tried to think about what this "wand" was and how it worked without a core. He had never heard of a wand without a core.
"I'm not sure what to make of that," Harry started. "But let's just say for the sake of argument that it did have a core – have you ever sold a wand anything close to this? We believe these so-called wands may be some sort of copy of an original. The owner of that original may be behind this whole thing."
Ollivander handed the wand back to Harry.
"I'm afraid I've never sold a wand like this," he asserted, sighing.
Harry pressed.
"You're quite sure, sir?"
Ollivander nodded curtly.
"Certainly," he said. "I have never made wands from this wood. It is from the cashew tree – a type of evergreen – and is quite an obscure tree choice for wandmaking."
Harry's shoulders sank a little in disappointment. Desperate, he continued his questioning.
"Do you know any wandmakers who might have made a wand like this?" Harry asked.
Ollivander looked to be in deep thought for a moment before replying.
"I can't think of any wandmakers specifically, but if anyone has, the likelihood is that they'd be South American."
"South American?" Harry repeated.
"Indeed," affirmed Ollivander. "The cashew tree is common there. I'm sorry I can't be of more help."
Harry pocketed the wand.
"Nonsense, Mr Ollivander. You've been a great help," Harry lied and then – in an effort to make it sound more plausible – added: "You've at least told me where to look next. Thank you."
"Anytime, Mr Potter. Let me know what you find, if you think I may be able to help you further."
A little while later, after taking a stroll around Diagon Alley to gather his thoughts and quickly visiting Gringotts to withdraw some gold, Harry shuffled back to the Leaky Cauldron and approached the bar.
Seamus Finnigan – short, stocky, sandy-haired and with a large sandy beard to match – greeted him.
"Harry, me pal. How are ya?" Seamus asked cheerfully.
"I'm alright, thanks, Seamus. Business good?"
"Aye, about as good as I expected. How's the little ones?" Seamus asked, pouring Harry a Butterbeer.
"Just sent off Albus to Hogwarts yesterday. Gryffindor," Harry said with obvious pride.
Seamus grinned.
"Obviously."
Seamus considered this for a moment, then asked, "Did I hear right? Malfoy's kid a Gryffindor too?"
"You did," Harry confirmed.
Seamus' eyes widened; his grin grew wider.
"Blimey! Now I've heard it all, fella," declared Seamus, adding: "There ya go!" as he handed Harry his Butterbeer.
"Thanks," Harry replied, sliding three sickles across the bar before moving over to a corner booth to wait for Ron and Kingsley.
Harry was mid-way through his pint when Kingsley Shacklebolt came in through the door, looking a little flustered from a blustery wind that had picked up outside as evening approached. Behind him was a younger man: black and broad-shouldered, with fuzzy black hair; almost like a younger Kingsley who never went bald.
"Harry," Kingsley said with a nod, leaning over to shake his hand. "This is my nephew, Bokamoso. Boka, this is Harry Potter."
The young man leaned over and shook Harry's hand, too – somewhat shakily – and took a seat opposite him as Kingsley approached the bar to get drinks.
"It is an honour to meet you, Mr Potter," Bokamoso said courteously.
His voice was slightly higher than Kingsley's, but still carried a certain bass to it. Boka seemed excitable and outgoing. Harry imagined he was the type of person who always stood out in his social groups. It was slightly bizarre seeing someone who resembled Kingsley so much, yet lacked his calming aura.
"Nice to meet you, too." Harry replied politely.
A few seconds later, Kingsley returned to the table with three Butterbeers and sat down also.
"Hope you haven't been waiting too long. I had to deal with some paperwork. And of course, I had to meet Boka."
"Not at all; I only arrived about ten minutes ago, myself," Harry said. "So what brings you to London, Boka?"
"I'm hoping to get into the Auror Department," Boka said, somewhat sheepishly and all too aware that Harry himself was Head of the Department.
Harry noticed Boka's accent was somewhat thicker than Kingsley's, although he spoke English exceptionally well.
Harry raised his brow and glanced over at Kingsley.
"Is he any good?" he inquired, grinning.
Kingsley barked a short laugh.
"Well, he has a good work ethic," Kingsley said kindly.
"Got all your NEWTs?" Harry asked Boka.
"NEWTs?" Boka frowned, confused.
"Ah, you see, Harry," Kingsley interrupted, "Boka studied abroad. Uagadou School of Magic."
Harry remembered reading about Uagadou. It was an African school, located in the Mountains of the Moon, in western Uganda. It was known as the biggest wizarding school in the world, accepting students from all over the African continent. Photographs of the school that Harry had seen revealed a breathtaking edifice, carved out of the very mountain itself. Mist enshrouded the school often, giving it the illusion of floating in mid-air. Harry had always thought it would be an incredibly interesting place to visit.
"I see. So, you think you have what it takes to be part of the greatest Auror Department in the world?"
Boka nodded feverishly.
"Oh, yes! You know, with the correct training and such, I think I could be a great asset. My magic is wandless, and I can transform into a cheetah. I am also an accomplished transfigurer and alchemist."
Boka said all of this very quickly, with an attempted air of confidence; but Harry could sense the nerves in him. He was not surprised, considering how everyone seemed to think of Harry as some kind of living legend – even though he'd always tried to dissuade that notion.
"That's impressive," Harry said truthfully. He had never met anyone who could use magic without a wand, although he was aware that African magical culture had not taken to wands as widely as Britain.
"The school year ends in August in Uagadou. As soon as Boka finished school, he contacted me asking for a job. Of course, I don't intend to show favouritism. But since he's from a foreign school, it can be difficult to get your foot in the door, so I thought I'd bring Boka along today to meet you."
"Well, I'd be delighted to have you on board, if you are willing and able to learn." Harry nodded, "Kingsley's approval is as good as twenty NEWTs if you ask me."
Boka grinned.
Suddenly, through the doors of the Leaky Cauldron came a silver terrier. Harry recognised it as Ron's Patronus as it walked up to the booth.
"Sorry, Harry. Can't make it. Hermione has to go into the office, I have Hugo. Another time."
"That's my fault," Kingsley said, apologetically, "I had to call in Hermione to deal with some of the paperwork – and the Prophet wants some information, so she'll be addressing that too. Joys of being Head of Magical Law Enforcement, eh?"
"I have heard many things about you and what you have achieved. Lord Voldemort is infamous, even in Uganda," Boka said to Harry suddenly, as the Patronus vanished.
"Well, that was a long time ago; and I had a lot of help," Harry replied modestly.
"But not just that – I've also read about how you, Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom were the three newest Auror recruits after the War. You helped round up the remaining Death Eaters," Boka said.
Kingsley turned to Harry.
"As you can tell, Boka admires what you've achieved very much."
"But, if you wouldn't mind indulging, how is it that you are the only one of the three still in the Department?" Boka asked, curiously.
Kingsley cleared his throat.
"Maybe that's a discussion for another time," he said awkwardly.
Harry shook off his worries with a wave of his hand.
"No, it's fine. I think Boka should probably hear. Being an Auror is no picnic," Harry said.
Harry turned to Boka.
"The three of us started in the Auror Department at the same time, as you know. It's true, we helped the Auror Department round up the Death Eaters during our Junior years. At the turn of the millenium, Professor Sprout, who had been Herbology teacher at Hogwarts for decades, announced her retirement. Neville, who had always been superb at Herbology, decided that he needed to try for his dream job, so he applied, got the job and resigned from the Auror Office. He's still the Herbology teacher now. For a few years he was the landlord of this very pub with his wife Hannah Abbott, but they've since sold up to Seamus there and moved to Godric's Hollow," Harry said.
Boka seemed thrilled to be hearing new details directly from the source.
"And Mr Weasley?" He asked, "I know he runs the joke shop down the road with his brother now... but I never did understand why he left the Auror office in the first place."
"Well, with Ron... it's slightly more complicated," Harry sighed.
Boka sat quietly and waited.
"Ron and I were doing well, I think. For years we both worked in the Auror Office and gradually worked our way up as two of the best Aurors in the Department. At that time, Gawain Robards was Head Auror. We knew he was going to retire soon and word had it that we were both the favourites to be chosen as his successor." Harry said, stopping only to sip his butterbeer.
"Then we met Brennan Greaves," Harry said grimly.
Kingsley looked grave. Boka turned his head, looking from one man to the other, frowning.
"I don't think I've heard the name," Boka said.
"I don't expect you have," Harry replied. "But he was a wizard and he was mentally ill. We never did really understand what was wrong with him. But in February of 2006, he took to the streets of London and started attacking Muggles."
Boka grimaced; Harry continued.
"Ron Weasley was the first Auror on the scene. He had received reports of a disturbance and sent a Patronus to the rest of us while he went ahead to investigate. Brennan Greaves was madly dangerous; there was no reasoning with him, he didn't even seem to be fully aware of his own destruction. Ron duelled him bravely, but Greaves was vicious..."
Harry paused to drink again. No-one spoke.
"He caught Ron off-guard with a curse and Ron was disarmed; it took Ron a few moments to retrieve his wand. As soon as he did, he jumped back up to his feet and deflected at least ten Killing Curses – meant to hit Muggles – with extraordinary charms, causing obstacles to fly in the paths of the curses. But there was one Killing Curse he was unable to block in time: it hit and killed a seven-year-old Muggle girl."
Boka gasped.
"It was truly a horrific tragedy," Kingsley chimed in. "And the worst part was, we had to erase the memories of her parents and explain to them, disguised as Muggle authorities, that their daughter had been killed by a crazy man who mowed down victims with a car."
"So, what happened after he killed the little girl?" Boka asked.
"I arrived at the scene..." Harry started, and for a moment, he remembered vividly Brennan Greaves: matted dark hair; bulging black eyes; and a sunken, hollow face – waving his wand around furiously. And Ron –face contorted in rage and tears – fighting back. In between them, the small body of a muggle girl, dressed for winter, lay unmoving.
Then, realising he'd trailed off, Harry snapped back into the room.
"I found Brennan Greaves duelling Ron. I jumped in. It was difficult to take him out because we were simultaneously trying to protect all the Muggles. He actually disarmed me when a young girl, his younger sister, came running into the street, screaming for him to stop. She seemed to get through to him. He fell to his knees, and the little girl ran at him.
"At the same time, a wizard who lived in the area, who had seen one of his Muggle friends attacked, sent a Stunning Spell at the distracted Brennan Greaves – but the spell hit his sister. This sent him into a further rampage and he very nearly killed the wizard. I grabbed my wand in the distraction and hit Brennan with a stunning spell. He was knocked out and hit a nearby car. He fractured his skull and was killed instantly."
Harry looked up at Boka at this point. Boka's face showed many emotions: shock and disgust most prominently. Harry thought maybe he could see a little sadness and determination in there too.
"What about Greaves' little sister?" Boka asked.
"She wasn't badly hurt, not like the Muggle girl... that's why Ron left," Harry continued, "He blamed himself for the death of the Muggle girl. He couldn't deal with the guilt. It ... well, for a while, he wasn't the same Ron. He eventually went to work with his brother George at the joke shop. He's doing much better now. He has two children and is very happy."
"I am glad to hear it." Boka said, as Harry finished his story, "but that is truly a terrible thing to happen."
"Yes, it is," Harry said seriously, "And it could very well happen to you. Maybe on your first day, maybe after ten years, maybe multiple times. It's one of the hardest career paths you can choose."
Boka nodded.
"But extremely rewarding also. You stop people like Brennan Greaves. You make the country a safer place." Boka replied.
Harry nodded.
"I think you'll make a good trainee, at the very least. The rest of it.. we'll see."
"So, is that why you become Head Auror?" Boka asked.
"Partly." Harry replied, "But it didn't happen right away. After losing Ron on top of Neville, the Auror Department was short on numbers, so Robards stuck around for another year while we trained some new recruits. Then when Robards left, I got the promotion."
"The Auror Junior programme starts in January," Kingsley informed Boka.
"So, as of then, you'll report directly to Harry. Until then, I could probably get you in on the Ministry Duelling Club, as an Honourary Member. It won't compare to being out there in the real world, but it will be a good starting point."
"Fantastic. Thank you again, Mr Potter." Boka said.
Harry nodded with a smile. They continued to drink. His first impressions of Boka was while he had an air of naivety about him that came with youth, and he was a little excitable, Harry liked him very much. Harry explained to Kingsley Shacklebolt what he had been told by Mr Ollivander.
"Very interesting..." Kingsley commented when Harry had finished, "See if you can find any wandmakers that use that wood. South America... interesting..."
Kingsley didn't finish his thought out loud and instead excused himself to buy another round of Butterbeers.
