Chapter 14

The Ministry was in an uproar, crazier than Ron had ever seen it. He watched people scurry back and forth, eyeing him suspiciously. Ron glanced down at his robes, wondering if he'd spilled something on them, or was wearing them wrong-side out or something. He couldn't see anything to warrant the sort of looks he was getting, however.

"What's with you?" he asked a witch who peered at him from her cubicle. She squeaked but didn't respond as she sank down, disappearing back into her work space once more. "Mental," Ron grumbled.

Conversely, the Auror department was almost dead silent when he entered the doors. His three hour shift patrolling Diagon Alley this morning had been pointless. He was up before the sun, and before any of the shops even opened. The only people he'd seen were sleepy-eyed merchants opening their doors, and a bit of activity down Knockturn Alley. The three hour stints were idiotic, Ron thought, but a part of Robard's new plan to keep the Auror's engaged and aware of what was going on in every corner of Wizarding London. Unfortunately, rotating people in and out so often did just the opposite. Details were missed, and nobody knew what was going on anymore, anywhere. Typical Ministry bureaucracy, Ron huffed.

"Where's Harry?" he asked Seamus as they met in the hallway.

The Irishman gave Ron a piercing look and tilted his head toward the locker room. "Haven't heard, yet?"

Ron's heart sank. "Oh no. What did he do now?"

"Probably best to hear it from him." Seamus shoved a Daily Prophet into Ron's hands and clapped him on the shoulder.

"What?" Ron wanted to demand an answer, but he also wanted to get away from people who were staring at him, also. He glanced down at the crumpled paper, and then did a double take as he saw the headline.

"Wizarding World's Only Hope. The Daily Prophet's Exclusive Interview with The Chosen One, Harry Potter."

Stunned, Ron shook his head and opened it more. Harry's face was pictured there, right under the headline. Ron swore and stuffed the paper into his robe pocket, turning on his heel to find Harry. There had to be some sort of mistake. The press had mostly left Harry alone in the past few years, barring a few off-the-wall stories about his odd habits and love life. He and Ron usually laughed those off. But this…

Ron found him sitting on the bench in front of his open locker, staring at the contents.

"What is this?" He tossed the paper down next to Harry, who didn't move.

"Did you read it?"

"No. I mean, just the headline. I want to know why you're not down there right now, demanding they print a retract-"

"Because it's true."

Ron's mouth went dry as he stared at his friend. "T-true?"

Harry's eyes met his and he rubbed at his scar. "Yeah."

"What did you do?" The truth was beginning to appear, little bit by little bit as Ron's mind placed bits of the puzzle together. Harry had been extremely upset the other day after another argument with Ginny. SHe'd given him the brush-off and he'd spent the evening getting completely pissed. Which meant that Ron spent the next day trying to sober him up and cleaning up the mess in Harry's flat. The next few days had passed with Harry getting increasingly more hostile and distant.

"What I had to do," he said. With a violent shove, Harry slammed his locker closed and ripped the Potter nametag off the front. "I gave them an interview."

"Painted a bloody red target on your back is what you did, you idiot!" Ron wanted to punch something. "I don't understand."

"They need a hero," Harry said. "Well, now they bloody well have one. I'm the Chosen One, Ron."

"Have you been drinking?" Ron peered at him. "Been Confunded?"

"I'm seeing things clearer than ever before, Ron." Harry tossed his Auror robes toward a bin in the corner, pulling on plain black ones. "This is the way it has to be. The prophecy says so."

"Prophecy? What prophecy?" Ron moved to stand in front of the door, blocking Harry from leaving. "What are you on about?"

"The prophecy, Ron. The one that says I have to defeat him."

A sick feeling rushed upward and Ron clamped his jaw down hard. "You…"

"I'm the Chosen One." Harry seemed almost proud, defiant about it. Whenever he got like this, however, Ron knew bad things were coming. They'd been through enough scrapes together for him to recognize it.

"So, you're just going to march off and...what? Kill You-Know-Who?"

Harry's face hardened. "I'm going to go demand that Dumbledore train me, is what I'm going to do. The Ministry offered to have the Hit Wizards-"

Ron groaned and pressed his fingers to his eyes. "Not those blokes. They're…"

"I know. I said no," Harry said. "I want Dumbledore to do it."

"But...work."

"I've been placed on leave. Too much of a security risk." Harry tried to smile, but it was forced and didn't look right on his face. "Besides, I've got better things to be getting on with."

There was a fatalistic sense of foreboding that washed over Ron and he watched as Harry left the room, ducking under Ron's arm.

He waited until Harry was gone before exiting and walking to Seamus' desk. "Get who you can and send them to Hogwarts."

"What're you on about?"

"Just...just do it. We need to stop Harry from doing something stupid."

Blackheart's hands shook as helped Ginny stand. He stepped out into the hallway first, both to shield her, and to reassure her. Although, with the damage she had done to Sirius, he wasn't sure she needed protection of any kind. Perhaps he had underestimated her. She'd protected him twice now in less than five minutes.

"Come on," he said, holding his hand out toward her. "It's safe."

"Harry, I…" But she shook her head and put her hand in his. That was a good sign. At least she hadn't hexed him. Yet.

Sirius was standing in the hallway, brushing dust off his clothes and rotating his neck.

"Alright?"

"I will be." He glanced at Blackheart, and then at Ginny.

Behind him, she swore and tugged at her goggles, just now realizing that she was still wearing them. Blackheart wasn't sure where his had gotten off to, whether he'd pried them off when the pain hit, or if Ginny had removed them back at the hangar.

"Miss Weasley. It's good to meet you." He reached forward to offer a handshake. Ginny eyed it for a minute and then bravely stepped forward.

"You're really not a murderer?"

"Not today," Sirius said.

Ginny nodded and then moved back, closer to Blackheart's side. He could feel her begin trembling as the adrenaline wore off.

"That's a nice look for you." Sirius motioned toward Blackheart's head.

"I'm sure it's highly attractive." he tried to smirk at Ginny, but she wasn't having any of it. Her eyes were growing shiny and Blackheart was worried she might collapse. "Why don't we sit down," he said.

"In here." Sirius indicated the sitting room. "I'll get some tea." They shared a look over Ginny's head. Blackheart needed to tell him what had happened, the pain and the vision he'd seen, but wasn't sure if he could with Ginny clinging to him. Her arms were now wrapped around his middle as they shuffle-stepped toward the sofa.

"Dobby will bring tea."

Ginny gasped as Dobby appeared and Blackheart pulled his arms around her tightly. "It's just Dobby. He's not going to harm anyone."

Ginny nodded and allowed him to guide her to sit.

"Are you okay?" They both asked the question at the same time and Blackheart smiled.

"I will be," he said. "You?"

"I just…" She shook her head, blinking to fight back tears that threatened to fall. "I don't know what happened. I was so scared. I thought...I thought somebody hexed you, or that… I don't know."

"I'll explain," he promised.

Both Sirius and Dobby returned with a tea service. A moist cloth was draped on Dobby's arm and he offered it to Blackheart before summoning his chair to sit closer to Ginny.

"Thank you." Blackheart pressed the cloth to his head and then hissed.

"Let me," Ginny said. Her touch was gentle, and Blackheart felt warm all over.

Sirius began fixing several cups. "What happened?"

"Had a vision. Knocked me off my broom."

"A vision. Strange. Haven't had one of those before."

"Have you…" Ginny shook her head and continued to wipe away drying blood from his face, biting her lip. "This wasn't unexpected?"

Blackheart sighed and reached up to hold her hands in his. "This scar, it connects me to Voldemort. Sometimes-not often-I get dreams, or feel...emotions, I guess you could say."

Her hands stilled, and then fell away as she stared down at them. "If you're Harry Potter…"

"An imposter," Sirius said. "A fake."

"A decoy," Blackheart said, "of sorts."

Ginny pulled her hands away and scowled. "Does he know?"

"No! I mean...I don't think so."

"And you don't think that's cruel? You're putting him in danger-"

Blackheart tried to figure out what he could say to quell her obvious anger. He'd thought she might take more exception over the vigilante persona than the Harry Potter one. Ginny was always surprising him.

"Harry Potter needed to be protected, Miss." Dobby spoke up. He slid his hand into hers, looking up at Ginny with wide eyes. "Miss understands that, I'm sure. The other boy...he was safe, protected."

Ginny looked up at Blackheart, then over at Sirius, as she tried to understand.

"I think the more pressing point is the vision," Sirius said. "The other Harry is safe right now. Nobody knows who he is. Even Dobby won't tell us."

Dobby shook his head, his ears flapping. "It is for his own protection, too.

Ginny huffed and Blackheart knew that the conversation wasn't nearly over. But for now, she would let them talk.

"He knows," Blackheart said. "What we've been doing."

Sirius' eyes grew wide and he sat back heavily in his seat. "Still two more."

"One," Blackheart corrected. "I know where the last one is."

"Where?"

"Hogwarts."

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The man was a mess. His hair was badly cut-likely self-inflicted-and his clothes were clean, but threadbare. He looked much, much older than he should, and the little skin that showed was covered with scars. If he looked close enough, Dumbledore knew they would be bite marks. He was thin and gaunt, as if he had not been outside or had a decent meal in a very long time.

"Remus. Please sit."

Dumbledore shared a look with Severus, who hovered like a predatory animal in the back of the room.

"Thank you for coming."

"Your messenger was rather...persuasive." Lupin glanced over his shoulder at Snape, but gave a genuine smile.

"Yes. Well, I was hoping to ask you… Do you know where Harry Potter is right now?"

Remus was genuinely surprised. The cup he'd just picked up shook in his hand, rattling against the saucer.

"The last I'd heard, he was an Auror with the Ministry."

"I wondered if you would keep up with him."

"Always from a distance," Remus said, "as you asked."

Dumbledore considered that. "And you have not seen him since?"

"Not since he was a child." Remus sipped at his steaming cup, sighing when the warmth hit him. It was May, and warm out, but he was still wearing a thin sweater, as if he couldn't quite get warm enough. "May I ask why you felt the need to track me and require me back here to answer questions? I would have answered an owl." He looked toward the window, squinting at the sunlight that streamed through the glass.

"You did not take Harry Potter from the Dursley's when he was young, Remus, and raise him on your own?"

Remus' head snapped to the front and he stared, his eyes narrowing as his mind raced. "What… Why would you ask something like that?"

"And you have not been in contact with Sirius Black?"

"This is why I stay away," Remus said. He finished his tea and set the cup and saucer back on the hovering platter. "England does not hold pleasant memories for me."

"Answer the question."

They both turned to look at Severus.

"Have you been in contact with either of those men?"

"No."

Dumbledore frowned and tried to decide what to do next. He had been so sure… He looked up at Snape, who gave the softest of shakes of his head. No deception. Remus was telling the truth.

"I do not understand," he said aloud. "I thought… But perhaps…"

"Why are you asking me this? Has something happened to Harry? What is this about Sirius? He hasn't been heard from in years, not since his escape. I had assumed he'd gone back to...his master."

"I'm starting to think that Sirius Black was never the Potter's Secret Keeper."

Snape made a sound in the back of his throat, but Dumbledore pressed forward. "If so, he would have gone after Harry by now. He would have finished what Voldemort wanted him to do."

"Who?" Remus looked over his shoulder. "You don't think that I…"

"Not at all," Dumbledore said. "Certain events… Well, things have changed here, Remus. It is possible that Harry Potter is not the person that we thought he was."

He opened his mouth to continue, but the grinding of the staircase made him look up. Professor McGonagall dove into the room, gasping for breath.

"Professor…Hogwarts is under attack!"

Dumbledore jumped so quickly that his knees hit on the underside of his desk. The three men rushed to the window, watching as the sun disappeared behind a large dark cloud. ALong the edges of the grounds, a dark ripple formed.

"Albus," Professor McGonagall said, "it's him. It's You-Know-Who!"

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Note: It's a fun story! I remember a discussion on reddit a few weeks back about WBWL stories, and I think this one is a fun way to get Harry and Ginny together!