Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all other characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this version of the Mask belongs to New Line Cinemas; I'm just using them for this story. Oh, and 'Song 4 Lovers' was released recently by Liberty X, so that's not mine either
Feedback: I'd appreciate it, believe me
Harry Potter and the Mask of Loki
A few days later, the Mask hidden under his jacket, Harry was standing in a side street near the Leaky Cauldron, impatiently checking his watch as he waited for the sun to set so he could put the Mask on and go in. It had been a few days since his last outing with the Mask on his little payback jaunt, and since then he had been pouring over the information he'd already gathered about the horcruxes, trying to figure out a way of finding the last one. He'd kept a few pieces of the already-destroyed horcruxes on him, in the hope that they might give him an idea to that effect, but so far it had al been to no avail; nothing had come to mind, and any locations that had seemed likely hidey-holes for the horcruxes had always had some kind of problem with them.
Even if he hadn't been able to see his closest friends on this little jaunt (Even if it was from behind the Mask), he'd probably have come here for a couple of hours to take a break from that crap anyway. If he checked out one more site of one of Voldemort's old victories only to come back with nothing, he'd be ready to kill something…
He just hoped that this little jaunt went according to plan. If Ron and Hermione didn't work out how they felt about each other soon, somebody was going to get hurt, and he still wasn't sure if it would be physically or emotionally; given the war they were currently dealing with, it wouldn't be impossible for one of the two to be killed before they could tell the other how they felt.
Harry wouldn't allow that.
He may not be able to be with Ginny as himself, but Ron and Hermione were going to get together if he had anything to say about it.
Or rather, if Mark has anything to sing about it, Harry thought jokingly to himself. He still wasn't quite sure what song his alter-ego was planning to sing to pull this off- they were separate enough to stop either of them knowing what the other was planning unless it was implicitly stated- but he was fairly sure that, whatever it was, none of the people in the Leaky Cauldron right now would forget it.
As the sun finally set, he smiled, raised the Mask to his face…
Inside the Leaky Cauldron, sitting at a barstool drinking the bottle of butterbeer she'd purchased shortly after her arrival, Ginny was relieved to see Mark's distinctive green-and-leather form enter the door in a brief green whirlwind (She still wasn't sure how he did that trick), wave politely at the confused barman, and then walk over to her table and sit down beside her.
"Hi," he said, grinning at her politely. "Sorry if I'm a bit late; some stuff came up that stopped me getting here sooner."
Ginny shrugged nonchalantly. "It's fine," she said in an equally offhand manner. "So, you managed to make the arrangements we discussed?"
(She was fairly sure she knew the answer, of course; the fact that there was nobody else here seemed a good indication that Mark had managed to hire the pub for the night, but it might just have been a slow night at the moment rather than Tom having closed the pub to all other customers)
"Yeah, everything's set, and all we need now are the guests of the hour," Mark smiled back at her, as he glanced at his watch briefly before looking back at Ginny. "You've sent Ron and Hermione notes to come here?"
Ginny smiled. "Yep; they're on their way," she assured him, chuckling slightly at the thought. "Gave both of them brief notes in disguised handwriting asking them to come here for a meeting, and claimed that I found them lying on the doorstep outside the Burrow. Hermione was a bit suspicious about it, but I pointed out that if Death Eaters wanted to capture them, they'd hardly give Hermione a time and a place that could be easily monitored, would they?"
Mark chuckled slightly. "Good point," he said, nodding as he glanced out of a nearby window, his eyes widening slightly as he saw something.
"Hermione's coming!" he hissed to Ginny, jerking his thumb out the window as he looked back at his companion. "I'll go and get things set up; you just… stall for time until Ron gets here, OK?"
Nodding resolutely, Ginny turned her attention to the door as Mark dived over to the bar, whispered a few words to Tom, and then dived through a nearby door, leaving Ginny to look after him blankly for a moment until Hermione entered, looking around the pub in confusion, and Ginny turned her attention back to the matter at hand.
"Ah, Hermione!" she said, grinning as she turned to look at her friend, noting the bemused expression on Hermione's face with glee; the chance to confront Hermione with something that the bushy-haired witch wasn't expecting was so rare that Ginny would probably have done something like this just for the chance to see that expression.
True, she was still looking forward to seeing Hermione up with her brother, but hey; why shouldn't she be allowed the chance to enjoy some of the fringe benefits?
Especially given that she needed something to take her mind off things; she was still confused about how she felt about Mark when compared to Harry…
"G-Ginny?" Hermione asked, looking at the younger girl in confusion. "W-what are you doing here?"
Ginny just shrugged casually. "Thought I should make sure things worked out well at this meeting," she explained, glancing out the door briefly and smiling in relief at the sight of her brother's distinctive red hair coming down the streets of London; she wasn't sure she could come up with a convincing reason to keep Hermione here for long.
"What?" Hermione said, looking at the young redhead in confusion. "Are you saying you know something about-?"
Then the door to the pub opened and Ron walked in, his eyes instantly falling on the table where his sister and his closest female friend were sitting.
For a few moments, he and Hermione could only look at each other in confusion for a few moments, Ginny nervously glancing between the two as though waiting for a reaction, but then, much to everyone's surprise, the lights in the Leaky Cauldron all went out; in a muggle pub, it might have been attributed to a power cut, but since the lighting here was created by a combination of magic and everlasting candles, that wasn't even an option here.
The only exception to the sudden attack of darkness in the building was a long table down at one end of the bar. A tall figure, its back to the other people in the pub, was standing on the table, illuminated in a spotlight and dressed in a long black leather coat, with a wide-brimmed hat around its head that concealed most, if not all, of the details about its appearance.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the figure said, his back to his four-person audience as he spoke in a low, deep voice, "I am here tonight to remedy a mistake that has been taking place for the past six years… A mistake that should have been stopped from the moment it nearly became a problem and broke apart Hogwarts' Golden Trio…"
Then, as the three people watched in surprise (Ron and Hermione from total confusion and Ginny because she wasn't quite sure what to expect from Mark), the figure spun around, revealing the green head, blue jeans, and a blue-and-cream checked shirt that were the typical appearance of the enigmatic Mark Tiller, grabbed the microphone that had suddenly appeared in front of him in a puff of smoke (Ginny was convinced Mark had only done that to be melodramatic) and smiled at his small audience.
"So sit back, relax, and take a hint, Mr Weasley and Miss Granger; it's party time!" he said, grinning so widely that his face seemed ready to split in half.
Then, before Ron and Hermione could say anything, Mark opened his mouth and began to sing, the microphone off its stand and in his hand as his body swayed to the music.
"Now once again, my friend it's the Reverend
The first platinum status rap president
And from the coast to California to the show the main,
Got an east coast sound and my beats go bang
My own black crown with my snickers got my name
And I'm back yo, with my collar and cape
Like a superhero armed with an old school tape
It's the Rev, yo, you gots to believe"
Then, as Ron, Ginny, and Hermione watched incredulously, four… clones (For lack of a better term) of Mark leapt up behind the original (Apparently from thin air) and began to sing.
As the song progressed, the five of them took off their wide-brimmed hats and tossed them to the side, the 'clones' revealing firey red hair under the hats that reminded Ginny of her family. Evidently, the clones had been given that hair colour in an attempt to make Hermione realise that the song they were singing was meant to be reflecting Ron's feelings for her (Of course, the fact that they pointed at Hermione also went a great deal towards creating that impression).
Only the original Mark Tiller retained his typical dark, almost cartoonish hair, but he pointed at Hermione with his clones nevertheless as their song continued.
"There's a song for lovers you can hear all the time
But you're like no other to me
So I'm not gonna promise you a starry sky
You just need to believe
(Just need to believe)"
No sooner had the last line been sung than the focus shifted back to Mark, his clones pulling brand-new (Albeit identical) hats out of their pockets and placing them back on their heads.
Mark didn't even appear to notice the lack of backing vocalists as he continued to sing solo, his arms waving in odd gestures that Ginny didn't recognise as he sang. She presumed it was some kind of dance move, but that was as far as her knowledge went; wizarding singers normally just kept hold of the microphone and sang without worrying about creating a visual impression at the same time. True, his dance moves at the party had been similar, but there he hadn't been the one singing the song; this was a different matter.
"I take time for my rhyme and I climb but don't reach
Hustling when we rustle and grime and rock beats
And this is it what? Another hit for the streets
I got love for my people from queens to overseas
Step into the room and then 'boom' the horns scream
Rev's coming well and regal, I've got dreams
Just like Martin Luther the King I might teach
Rock a collar to the party after party going reach"
Then, once again, the clones tossed off their hats, now exposing bushy brown hair that resembled Hermione's as they pointed towards Ron (Ginny noted with some slight surprise that Mark almost seemed to be scowling, as though he was angry at Ron for some reason).
"There's a song for lovers you can hear all the time
(All the time)
But you're like no other to me
(Like no other, like no other)
So I'm not gonna promise you a starry sky
You just need to believe
(You just need to believe)"
Then, for the next part of the song, the words seemed a little more spaced out between the two 'groups' of singers (Mark and his clones) than it had been earlier; the clones still sang the majority of the song, but Mark put in his own contribution around the middle of the verse.
"There's a song for lovers
But you're like no other
(Rev's coming well and regal, I've got dreams
(Step into the room and then 'boom' the horns scream)
There's a song for lovers
But you're like no other to me
You just need to believe"
After that, the clones and Mark divided the singing equally between them; the clones sang the first lines, and Mark followed them up with a comment to reinforce what had just been sung, his gaze locked on Ron and Hermione as he alternated back and forth between the two of them.
"(I'll be your friend)
If you say you love me
(I won't let you down)
If you say you really care
(Hold out your hands)
If you say you really want me
(I will be there)
I promise I'll be there, oh, oh"
Then, for what something told Ginny would be the last solo verse in this song, mark took a couple of steps forward, raised the microphone close to his mouth, closed his eyes as though trying to hold back tears, and his hands clenched around the microphone tightly as he began to sing.
"I promise
I promise
And then I promise
I'll be there"
As he finished that part of the song, he stepped back slightly and relaxed, as though he had merely wished to emphasise the 'promise' part of his speech, and the five of them began to sing, looking
"There's a song for lovers you can hear all the time
(All, yeah)
But you're like no other to me
(Like no other, like no other)
So I'm not gonna promise you a starry sky
(Nothing but a starry sky)
You just need to believe"
"There's a song for lovers you can hear all the time
But you're like no other to me
(Other to me)
(Like no other, like no other)
So I'm not gonna promise you a starry sky
You just need to believe
(Just need to believe)
(You just need to believe)"
As the song finished, the clones and Mark all stepped up to the front of the table and took a bow, before the clones all vanished once again, leaving only Mark to look critically at Ron and Hermione.
"Take Harry's advice, Ron," he informed the red-haired boy who was staring at him incredulously. "Don't let the best thing that ever happened to you get away because you were scared."
Then he waved once at the audience, gave Ginny a small wink, and vanished.
Smiling, Ginny glanced over at her brother and her friend.
"So, have you got the message yet?" she asked, leaning back in her chair and smiling at them. "Or do I have to go back to my original plan and lock you both in a broom closet?"
Hermione and Ron looked at Ginny for a moment, but then sighed and turned to look at each other, an apprehensive expression on their faces.
"Uh, look, Hermione…" Ron said, looking at his friend with a slightly nervous expression on his.
"Ron, about that…" Hermione began, looking equally apprehensive, before Ginny sighed and leaned forward, grabbing the back of Ron and Hermione's heads in her hands.
"OK, screw this; desperate times call for desperate measures," she said simply, before she rammed Ron and Hermione's heads together so that their lips were pressed up against each other. Even more fortunately, they had just begun to open their mouths to make some kind of protest against what Ginny had just done, with the result that their mouths were open when they met. With their mouths stuck together, and their tongues down each other's throats, the two of them appeared to be too shocked to do much more than remain where they were, making a meal out of each other's mouths as Ginny released her grip, smiled at them, and then walked away to leave them to their own devices.
Once outside the Leaky Cauldron, Ginny glanced through one window and was relieved to see that Ron and Hermione appeared to have finally taken the hint; not only were they still kissing, but Ron had reached up with one hand to hold Hermione's head to his own, and Hermione had now reached both arms around Ron waist.
"Y-ESSSS!" Ginny smiled, turning around and punching the air in victory.
"It worked, huh?" a voice said from behind her. Turning in the direction of the voice, Ginny smiled as Mark walked from the back of the Cauldron to join her, still dressed in his more familiar outfit.
"Take a look for yourself," Ginny said, smiling as Mark peered through the window. "I think it's safe to say that we have made a very significant breakthrough in their relationship, if nothing else."
"Oh yeah…" Mark said, chuckling as he turned away from the window. "Nice job there, Miss Weasley. Looks like our 'charming' couple has finally…"
Suddenly, much to Ginny's surprise, Mark stopped talking and stared ahead at something only he could see, an expression of growing revelation appearing on his face.
"Oh my God…" he muttered to himself, as he stared up at the sky. "That's it…"
"What?" Ginny asked, looking curiously at Mark. "What's wrong?"
"Wrong?" Mark said, staring incredulously at Ginny. "Far from it; I just had a brilliant idea, and can't believe I didn't think of it earlier!"
Leaning over, he gave Ginny a brief kiss on the lips, smiled at her, and then vanished with a loud POP, leaving Ginny staring at the area where he'd been in surprise.
What was that all about…? she asked herself in confusion.
As soon as he was back in the safety of Dumbledore's office, Mark groaned.
"God, I pulled out a photo featuring one of them when I started this whole thing, and I never thought to give that idea a try?" he said to himself, his forehead clasped in one hand as he slumped down in the chair behind the desk; he didn't even care that he was sitting in Dumbledore's desk right now. "I am a world class idiot…"
"Harry?" a voice said from the wall. "Is something wrong?"
Mark chuckled ruefully under his breath as he looked up at Dumbledore's portrait.
"That depends on how you define 'wrong', Professor," he said, his tone evidently sarcastic. "I've just figured out a way to track down the last horcrux that we don't know the location of, and I could have done it ages ago if I'd just bloody thought for a bit!"
"Really?" Dumbledore said, looking at Mark curiously. "What would that be?"
Sighing, Mark stood up and turned to look at Dumbledore.
"First, have you still got Gaunt's ring somewhere about the place?" he asked.
The portrait raised an eyebrow at this odd request, but nevertheless it nodded and pointed at a drawer in the desk. Reaching into it, Mark smiled as he pulled out the ring, then his face fell slightly as he shuddered slightly.
"This is gonna be odd…" he muttered to himself, as he spun around once again before reappearing, this time dressed in a silky blue top and leather trousers…
And, of course, he was now, for reasons Dumbledore couldn't quite fathom, a woman with shoulder-length red hair and all the necessary… extras that made his new gender clear.
Noting the headmaster's raised eyebrow. Mark glared at him angrily as he pulled a map of Britain out of his right pocket and a small crystal out of his left, the ring clutched between his thumb and left ring-finger as he tugged the crystal out of his pocket with his middle and forefingers.
"Look, I know the outfit's daft, but I need it to properly pull this stunt off!" he said, his teeth gritted as he placed the ring in front of him and swung the crystal around it for a few moments. "Some mentality thing, I think- you know, the form helps me focus the Mask's power so that I can pull off what I'm trying to do- so hold with the jokes, OK!"
Dumbledore merely nodded once, and, his expression as calm and focused as it was ever likely to get, Mark turned back to the map. The crystal circled around it… circled… circled… circled…
Then it landed.
Glancing at the map, Mark swore under his breath.
For reasons unknown to him, the last horcrux was in Azkaban Prison.