Bad News

Disclaimer: I have not claim to characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series, which belongs to JK Rowling and associates. I get nothing from this except the enjoyment of imagining and writing the story. If I did own any of the Potterverse, I could stop having to work for a living.

Time frame – Post–DH except for the epilogue which I am ignoring, for reasons that should become obvious.

Later that afternoon, after most of the guest had left for their homes, Viktor and Ron took Harry aside, and Ron said "Mate, we have something you need to see. We're really sorry to kill the mood, but we think we have a serious problem. Dark stuff."

Harry said, "Then I think we need to get the core team together." He called Hermione and Pansy over and took them all into a side room, introducing Viktor to Pansy as they went.

Meanwhile, Luna took Sophia and Magda out for a walk around the gardens; the Bulgarian women were rather curious to meet the English blonde, about whom they had heard a lot of disparaging comments from Ron. Instead of the out-of-it dream-queen (as Ron had described her), they found an intelligent, inquisitive young witch who was curious about their homeland, and even more, about the magical creatures which inhabited it.

In the side room, Harry cast some privacy spells, as he had the impression that the news was not going to be for everyone's ears, at least not yet. Viktor pulled out a couple of magazines from a pocket, and said "These are magazines publish in Europe for wizards who like see witches undress. Not just happy undress, like PlayWizard" (Ron frowned at this description, as his sister had 'posed' in that magazine, and the family was not thrilled to say the least), "but doing unhappy things. First translates as 'Wand and Quaffles', and second 'Broom Rider'. I am sorry to bring to attention, but Ron and I think something needs to be done. Maybe something very big, and you are people who can help do."

He spread the magazines on the table. The first showed a wizard with his genitalia transfigured to a massive size, and a full-figured witch who was naked and on her knees in front of him performing oral sex. The second showed the same witch using a broom handle. Hermione and Pansy instinctively hugged their lower abdomens, in sympathy for the pain that must have been caused by what they were seeing. Hermione gagged, and said "My God, what is she doing to herself with that? That would kill her!"

Viktor said quietly, "Look at face."

Pansy's eyes widened as she cried out "Oh no, that's Millie! I knew she was in trouble, but oh God!"

Ron said "One of our team had these. I was going to just burn them, but then I thought I recognised her."

Viktor said, "I thought I remember her from year at Hogwarts during Tournament. Big girl, Slytherin, hang around with children of Death Eaters. I have friend, lawyer, he look up magazine owners – is group called 'Todessener Bund' locate in Germany, but money and owners English. Name translates 'Death Eater Society'. Man in first magazine picture with 'bignesses', his body was found in trash bin; he was French muggle-born."

"All muggle-borns and halfs playing quidditch starting to get hate mail, saying quit quidditch because they have no right to play 'wizards' game'. Ginny Weasley getting hate mail at Harpies. Some calling her 'blood-traitor'. Some saying good she come to senses and dump half-blood abomination Harry Potter, now do her duty to 'true wizards' and have pure-blood babies. If she not agree, they will rape. "

"Look again at face."

Harry looked at Millicent Bulstrode's face carefully, and recognised some ugly symptoms, the blank eyes, and expressionless mouth. He said "She under an Imperius curse. They're using an Unforgivable on a pure-blood. She was one of their side, the dark side, and they're doing this to her!"

He looked at Viktor, and asked "If they are doing this to pure-bloods, what are they doing to half-bloods and muggle-borns?"

Viktor shook his head, "I hear rumours of what in America are call 'snuff flick'; moving pictures where participants actually killed on film. I have heard that they take girls who not pretty, and do things to them, then kill. Having found body of guy in picture, can believe."

Harry sat with his brow furrowed for a long time, muttering things like "Oh, damn, why can't those bastards stay dead!" and other pleasantries.

Finally he looked up at Viktor and the rest, and said, "Thank you, if that is the right thing to say, for bringing this to my attention. You're absolutely right, we have to do something. This is going to get very nasty."

"I think the hardest part of cleaning up this mess is going to be to not sink to their level. I don't want to get rid of the garbage, and then find that I have just become the next Dark Lord in the process. If that does happen, I want you all to promise me that you will kill me. If we can only get rid of one set to become the same ourselves, we accomplish nothing!"

"Okay, the first thing we need is information. Where are they making these movies? Where is their money coming from, and where are they keeping it?"

Pansy spoke up, "I'm on it."

Harry nodded, and said, "Thanks. And I'll check with my contacts at Gringott's. Next thing, how do we find Millicent and get her out of her nightmare? I'm open to any ideas."

Pansy said "I think it may take a couple weeks, but I will find out where she is and who is holding her. I just hope we can get her out before they do something more permanent to her."

Hermione gasped through her tears as she pointed at the pictures, "And that didn't look like it was going to do permanent damage? My guts hurt just thinking about it."

Pansy reached over and took Hermione's hands in hers. "Some damage can be repaired, and some, not. I hope we can be in time that the physical damage can be repaired. Whether she can be repaired is another question - whether she can live with herself after this, once the Imperius wears off is another matter entirely."

After the meeting broke up and Ron and the Bulgarians had returned to their homes in Sofia (the capital city), Hermione sat with Harry as he sat lost in thought. She had made Florrie (the house elf) prepare some tea for the two of them, which he seemed not to notice, even as he drank it.

To try to lighten him mood, she told him of the conversation she had had with Luna in the hot tub, before the rest of the 'nudey bunch' showed up. He laughed a little, and seemed more thoughtful than amused, but then returned to his quiet contemplation, every now and again looking over at her with a rather puzzled look on his face. At first, Hermione put down Harry's mood to him considering the problems that they were going to leave behind in the UK as they went to visit her parents in Australia. She knew the matters were going to weigh on his mind, and would require some serious attention when they returned.

Then her long-term insecurities kicked in. Had she said too much? Did Harry just not think of her as a potential marriage prospect, and bringing this up was going to drive him away? She 'knew' (in her own mind at least) that she wasn't pretty, and that Ron had just gone out with her (and become her lover) because he was lazy and she was 'there' for the 'taking'.

Did Harry see this as her bossiness (which he hated) coming out again? Did he hate her for killing the elf?

Did he think this was just her on the rebound, or trying to manipulate him on his rebound from Ginny? She knew Harry really hated to be manipulated. Could this end it between them? Since Ron left (and then showed up with a new fiancée), was Hermione alone without her best friends, like she was before the first trip on the Hogwarts Express (when she met Harry and Ron), and the episode with the troll in the lavatory when they became her best friends?

After about a half hour of sitting with Harry, with the thoughts of how she had failed him, and failed herself, with Harry sitting quietly, occasionally looking at her (as she interpretted his expression) as a strange lab specimen, Hermione told Harry that she had some studying to do as she had exams coming up in the next few weeks. She took her teacup into the kitchen, where the elves were waiting eagerly to finish cleaning up after the party, thanked Harry for his hospitality, and floo'd home to her dorm.

As she left, Harry said he would see her soon, but he didn't really look like he was looking forward to it, all that much.

That evening, Harry wandered the grounds of his estate trying to calm his nerves, and sat for a while watching the bees gathering nectar from the apple and plum blossoms. Why couldn't life stay simple? He smiled to himself remembering the day in Lockhart's class when the pixies picked Neville up by his ears, and he had asked "Why is it always me?"

Hermione's story about her chat with Luna had been a bright light at the end of what had been an otherwise delightful weekend, that ended terribly. He realized that, in his rather depressed state, he had not given Hermione the attention she truly deserved, but he had been rather distracted. His mind was full of thoughts that Gil Granger had been right, and that he should just leave the wizarding world behind, and just get the hell out. He also knew that he couldn't be true to his own nature if he left his friends to face the problems alone. He could run, but he could not hide – he could hide from the problems, but not from himself and his conscience.

Then Harry looked up at the blossom-laden trees and a thought crossed his mind, and stopped his musings. The bees!

The simple hard-working creatures, who pollinated the flowers producing food for everyone, not asking for any thanks. Their own by-product of honey made life sweeter and more pleasant. And if annoyed, they could sting. Sounded like some others he knew.

This was going to require some more thought and some unusual questions to some unusual people.