Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling and her licensees.
Thank you to my incredible beta Kaylee Jane Potter. All errors are mine.
Just as Heather walked out of the room, a figure slowly materialized in front of them. Harry, Hermione, and Gwendolyn drew their wands, with the latter pulling Alwyne and Richard behind them. The figure put his hands in the air and grinned. Harry thought the man looked very familiar and was trying to place him when Heather ran into the room. She stopped short and her eyes went wide with recognition when she saw him. He smiled at her and said, "I was expecting a warmer welcome, love."
Chapter 10
Heather looked at him, just looked and slowly started advancing on him with her wand. "Who are you?"
"I know you can hear me, Heather."
"Daddy?" Gwendolyn whispered and both Harry and Hermione looked up in shock. The man had the same brown hair as Hermione and Gwendolyn's startling blue eyes.
"Who are you?" demanded Heather.
"I already told you, Heather. How did you know I was here? How do you know it's me?"
"I watched him die. I held him after he died, you are not my-"
"I'm not truly alive, Heather, at least not in the traditional sense and never will be again, but what I do have is time. You need to heal and you need some help."
"Prove it's you."
"I officially proposed on 2 August," he said.
"What year?" the question came to him in a whisper.
"1945. Two years to the day that we first talked about it."
Two large tears traveled down her cheeks and she stood in front of him.
"I promise it's me."
"How long are you back?"
"I don't know. Someone played with the treads of fate and caused so much worse to happen. Luckily we were able to send Harry back and that opened the door for things," replied Hamish.
"I was sent where?" asked Harry confused.
Tearing his eyes away from Heather for the first time he said, "That's okay son, you won't remember. Let's just say from my perspective last time, you didn't go to the hospital wing like Mum asked you to and you, my little girl, and that git you called a best mate went out alone. There was an incident because Albus was convinced that Harry was a Horcrux, and in turn, he convinced Harry to off himself." Hamish shook his head in disgust. "Meddling old buzzard. I would not want to be in the general area when Lily Potter finally hunts him down." Seeing the panicked look on Hermione's face he quickly placated, "He isn't a Horcrux. Lily's blood protection wouldn't have allowed it. Anyway, after Harry died we were able to send him back to the point where things could still be fixed. We stacked the deck too and made sure that if you didn't get to the hospital wing, someone else would check you for potions." He waved his hands in a dismissive manner then continued. "There were issues further back and I will tell you about them later, but we sent Harry back to the headmaster's office remembering that he must go see Poppy. I was given permission to come back after they bonded. I watched. It was very nice."
Heather's breathing became iritic and she was about to hyperventilate. "Please go back now. I can't... I can't do it again. Trade places with me if you must stay, but don't ask me to do it again." She crumpled to the floor.
Hamish McGonagall stooped down and scooped her up. "No love, you don't understand. I won't leave you like that again, not like before. I wasn't supposed to die, love, it wasn't my time and while that is unusual, it does happen. However, my death was the direct result of interference and it has caused many problems. Not the least of which is the number of times we've almost lost you. Destiny was not happy about it and once Fate sided with Destiny, Death had to concede. The kids have done a wonderful job, but things are going to get very, very bad."
"You aren't going to leave me again?" Heather asked burrowing into him.
"I won't leave without you again."
Heather wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and pressed her mouth to his. There was a bright gold glow surrounding them and the same three golden ribbons that wrapped themselves about Harry and Hermione during their ceremony were now doing the same thing to Hamish and Heather, but enveloping their whole bodies and not just hands. Prepared for it, the group shielded their eyes until the blinding light passed.
Gwendolyn leaned over and whispered something to her husband. He nodded at her and the two of them advanced on the couple. Gwendolyn gently pulled her mother away from her father and said, "Hi, Daddy."
"Come here, princess," Hamish pulled Gwendolyn into a hug and kissed her on the crown of her head.
Hamish smiled and then looked at Hermione. "If you had red hair you would look just like your mother. Even more than your sister I believe. The Winter's Tale is my favorite."
Hermione didn't say anything, she just watched him. It was then that it occurred to Harry that while he had no memory of his parents hugging him, he knows that they did. Hermione was meeting her father for the first time in her entire life. "I like it. It's not my favorite. It's sad actually. There is a happy ending and everything, well if you don't take into account what he did to the baby, but um, well, it's nice. I like Jane Austen, that's where I got my middle name. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite." Harry squeezed Hermione's hand while trying not to grin at her. She always rambled when she was nervous.
"Your mother has always liked Jane Austen. How about a quick hug, Hermione, and then you and everyone else will go to the bank and anything else that you think you need. Tomorrow we will start to get to know each other, okay?"
"Yeah, all right," she said hesitantly. Hermione walked carefully and with a foot to go she threw herself in his arms and began to cry.
"Shhh, I've got you, little one, you are going to be okay. It's going to get hard and there are times that it will seem like we won't ever win, but eventually things will be okay. Grandfather's prophesy says so."
Hermione nodded and then wiped the tears from her eyes. "You can't come to the bank?" asked Hermione. "Not even sharing Harry's cloak?"
"Not even. We will talk about it soon, but now, go on." His attention turned to his wife and he said, "You won't need ward stones."
Everyone's eyes got big. Heather asked, "Why?"
"There's a Rune circle already on the property. I stopped there thinking you might have already moved. I had my days mixed up."
Reluctantly they all went into the back garden and Gwendolyn and Alwyne slipped under the cloak next to Harry. Soon the six of them were in the basement of a bookshop. Gwendolyn and Alwyne came out from under the cloak and they headed up.
"Hello Heather, I see you brought the whole family with you today," said a pleasant looking man with short gray hair.
"How are you Phil?" asked Heather.
"Not bad. Cat is doing well this season, you still going to the game next week?"
"Forgot actually, still that sounds like an excellent idea. I'll send her an owl." Heather looked at him and said, "If things get bad, I want you to close up. Do you have enough Muggle money saved that you can stay with Portia's family?"
"You ask me that every few weeks and when you don't, your girl there does." He used his cane and gestured to Gwendolyn. "I still have that Muggle account that you set up for me a couple years back, but now with Dumbledore gone, our position is a bit more precarious. The boys came over yesterday and gave me an emergency Portkey, said it would take me somewhere safe and I have something they call a 'Minion Button'. It will alert them to trouble. Gave me some other things too that don't require me to use a wand. A shield hat and an invisibility hat. Said that the invisibility hat is just a charm and not like the cloaks. It will last at the most ten minutes, but to only count on five. I know I had my doubts when you rented to them, Heather, but they are good boys at heart. I'll leave you to your shopping." He walked off to help a group of customers near the back of the shop.
Just as they were about to leave Fred and George walked in. Fred beamed at Heather and said, "We have an Apparition alarm in our shop and since we checked out our place and it was just us and Verity, we thought we would come check on Phil."
Heather grinned. "That was very thoughtful, boys. I appreciate that. He also told me about the things you dropped off for him. That was generous."
"Not a thing," said Fred.
"Not an option," said George.
"You gave us a chance…," added Fred.
"…and took a risk," finished George. "Besides we have a good friend..."
"…who sets a good... Hermione?" Fred said the last in a bit of surprise.
"Hi, Fred, George," Hermione replied.
"What are you doing here?" asked Fred.
George elbowed him and said, "She's buying a book."
"Oh, right. Say do you want to come up for a bit of tea?"
"Not today," she said, "I've got plans."
"Um, listen, Hermione, we," George gestured to himself and Fred, "we need to talk to you for a bit. Are you sure you can't come up for tea?"
Fred was nodding emphatically. "We wouldn't ask if it wasn't truly important."
Hermione's eyes drifted over to Heather who flicked her gaze over to a private corner in the bookshop. "Um, why don't we just go over here? Will that work?"
The twins held conference for a bit and then nodded. They followed her over and Fred whispered in her ear, "We don't think that you should come to stay at the Burrow this summer."
She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why?"
"That is a good question. We don't really know," said Fred.
The two before her turned as serious as Hermione had ever seen them. "We are just asking that you trust us," said George, "please. Something is wrong. Mum is more upset then she should be that Harry is with the Muggles and she about had kittens when your mum or sister or aunt or whoever it is that you stay with most of the time didn't send you right away."
"Hadn't planned on it. In fact we are going away for a bit of a holiday."
"But Harry's big birthday and Bill's wedding," said Fred.
"I have every intention of celebrating Harry's birthday with him. Do me a favor, don't worry about trying to figure out what is wrong with your brother, mum, and sister and just let me deal with it."
Fred's eyes narrowed and he said, "We hadn't even mentioned Ginny yet. She's the worst of the lot. You already know."
Taking a deep breath, Hermione said, "Please leave it alone for a bit. One day soon, I will tell you the entire story and exactly what is going on, but for now, all you need to know, or at least tell everyone, is that we, that is my family, are going on holiday."
The twins held conference again and they nodded, "We'll keep your secrets, Hermione."
"We know something big is going on and it has to do with why you and Harry were avoiding the entire family for days."
George looked at Heather who was in conversation with Phil about something when all of a sudden his eyes got big and he looked at Hermione. "Merlin's beard."
Hermione realized what he figured out. Like her father said, she looked like her mother, but with brown hair. Especially since she wore it in ringlets for the ceremony that morning. "George, please. Please don't. It might all come out, but not right now. We still need a bit of time."
Fred evaluated her and asked, "Is she your mother, grandmother, or aunt?"
"Mother," said Hermione softly.
"Blimey. We did a bit of research when we rented the shop and we know who she is and what she use to do. No wonder you can do every spell you've ever tried."
"We can only help you, Hermione," started Fred, "if you give us enough information to work with so when Mum goes spare we can set her right. We will never hurt you, we will never betray you."
"I dunno, might try to slip her a Canary Cream. Just to see, but nothing more serious than that," added George.
Fred looked around then blindly reached into the open space near Hermione. He encountered a solid object and tugged lightly on what he knew to be Harry's cloak. Looking directly at that still empty space, Fred said, "We can't help you if you don't tell us what's going on."
Taking a risk, Hermione motioned for her mother to join them. "They sussed out that you're my mum and Harry was here. We need to talk."
"I understand. Harry, stay under your cloak and we can go downstairs." As she was taking them back down with Fred and George in tow, she called out, "Gwendolyn, it might be a good idea for Alwyne to pick out some books for the trip, you and Richard too."
They got into the basement and Harry pulled off the cloak. Heather immediately sealed all the doors and windows leaving Fred and George open mouthed at the complexity of the charm.
Harry began, "Your entire family has a serious credibility problem with Hermione and me right now."
"We just don't know if we can trust you," said Hermione.
Fred and George began shaking their heads in the negative, "We don't know what happened, but it wasn't us."
"Unless it was a prank in which case it probably was, but nothing this big."
"Are you sure it was one of us?" asked George. "Maybe someone trying to make you think that it..." he saw Hermione shake her head.
"We overheard a conversation and it confirmed what we thought and implicated another member, leaving only doubt as to the rest of you. We want to believe that you guys didn't know, but until we have time to figure it out, we can't discuss it with you," said Hermione.
"You going to tell us what happened?" asked Fred.
Hermione cleared her throat and said, "This is all you need to know for now. Harry's aunt and uncle have gone on holiday and since being alone with your family is, at least in Harry's mind, not the safest of places for him; we have told everyone that his aunt and uncle have agreed to allow him to go on holiday with them as long as he pays for his own room and meals. Harry will be staying with me and no one is to know that. Are you with me so far?"
"Yes," they chorused.
"Good, now, Delores Umbridge is back as High Inquisitor in four hours. She will, in turn, be permitted to take custody of all students without a magical guardian if she so chooses."
"Harry," Fred gasped. "He's not seventeen for a few more weeks. I'll do it. I'll sign a form."
Harry grinned, "Not a problem, but thanks for the offer. I've got one. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia signed off a couple days ago."
Hermione went a step further and explained, "As Harry is on holiday with his relatives, then he won't be able to come into the Ministry to testify should the toad woman try and contest and then she'd have to explain to the Wizengamot why she's bothering for only a few weeks. Even better, the Dursley's aren't scheduled to return from their holiday until the end of August; Harry will already be of age."
"All right," said Fred who looked at George and nodded. "We'll go along with it."
Fred was still nodding. The entire conversation was replaying in his head. Something was just not adding up. George who was looking down almost choked. "The two of you... you got married," he spluttered.
Hermione hissed to herself for not covering her hand better. Harry encircled her waist with his arms. She said, "Your mum was right, sort of. Harry is fated with someone, but it's me, not Ginny. We had our bonding ceremony this morning."
A look of hurt and sadness crossed over both boys faces. "We're sorry that you didn't trust us..."
"...enough to invite us to something like this."
"We will explain it and soon," said Harry, "but give us time."
Fred looked at them and asked, "Does it really get all misty and have a bright light?"
Hermione nodded, "Yeah, the mist is like a pearl and gold ribbons, like that with an unbreakable vow, wrap around you and then after you say your vows, it flashes."
They looked at each other and said, "We will do what we can to control Mum, but she doesn't really listen to anyone. Ginny will be heartbroken, but she's been listening to Mum for so long, who knows what she feels for Harry and Ron is convinced that you are the girl for him."
"Obviously not," said Fred. "He'd have to open a book every once in a while for that relationship to work."
"We swear on our life and on our magic we will keep your secrets until you tell us it's okay," both Fred and George said together, with a quick burst of magic sealing the deal.
"We would like to know soon what we did to you so we can make it up," George added to the look of disbelief on Harry and Hermione's faces.
On the way up the stairs Fred said, "Heather, with you being gone we'll keep a closer eye on Phil. If Death Eaters found out that he..." Fred shrugged and finished, "Since most Death Eaters can't read it might not be an issue."
"I appreciate that boys. Just keep those hats out of the wrong hands."
"We intend to. Learned that lesson the hard way. We'll see you in a few weeks."
George looked around a bit embarrassed and said, "You by any chance didn't have time to..."
She chuckled and said, "Phil has them behind the counter."
They all left the store. "What do they have you get for them?" asked Hermione as they headed to the bank.
"They like several Muggle magazines and don't exactly blend well enough to go down to a newsagents and get them for themselves."
Harry chuckled thinking about the lurid dragonhide suits the twins were wearing under their maroon Wheeze robes. "No, they aren't subtle."
Heather nodded.
"What do you get them?" asked Hermione.
"Two of them are lads magazines. I think they were curious and since they're of age, I don't have a problem with it." She shrugged and said, "Imagine what Molly would say."
"That's why you asked Dobby this morning if they were magazines with pictures of naked girls in it?" asked Harry.
"Yes." They were coming upon the bank. "Now nothing more until we get inside."
Heather stopped as they reached the snowy white building, evaluated the two goblin guards, and walked over to the one she deemed the more senior. She pulled back her hood just enough for him to see her and said, "I need to speak with vault manager Longfang. I have someone with me wearing an invisibility cloak, he means you no harm, but he must remain hidden for his protection."
The goblin bowed slightly to her and snapped his fingers. Instantly another took his place and he ushered them in past the long queue of those attempting to get their gold, but having to be subjected to security first. Harry wondered if those long thin devices that many of the goblin guards were holding were what Bill had once referred to as Probity Probes.
They were shown into an ornate office decorated with tapestries, battle axes, and portraits of what Harry surmised to be deceased goblins. As soon as the door closed, Harry pulled off his cloak.
The goblin behind the desk jumped down and bowed. Heather, Gwendolyn, and Richard greeted him in a similar fashion and indicated that the three young people with them should do the same. Heather then stepped forward and began to speak in Gobbledygook. Harry got the impression that they were chatting as both grinned on occasion and chuckled. During the course of the conversation, Heather handed the goblin her wand and her left hand, but neither of them stopped speaking.
Finally, the goblin said, "We will speak this way for discussing our business for the benefit of your young. I would like to apologize, vault manager Longfang is not available at this current time, he is in the process of securing our protections below, in the event that your dark wizard succeeds in what he attempted last time. I do hope that you will find my assistance to be acceptable."
Heather nodded and said, "We appreciate you taking your valuable time to help us in our affairs. I cannot imagine a time when the chief of the London bank and head of his clan would not be acceptable. I have a number of matters to be taken care of today, most of them involve my youngest daughter and her husband," she gestured to Hermione and Harry.
"I can see where Mr. Potter's business affairs would cause concern considering recent events. His business is very important to us. It will be," he paused to think of the correct phrase, "mutually beneficial to take care of everything now then have to worry about it after a situation arises."
Hermione leaned forward and whispered in her mother's ear. "You speak Gobbledygook?"
Smiling, the older witch shook her head. "Your sister is the one that takes to languages. I only know a few key phrases. Mum was insistent when we were younger, but I just used a translation spell." Seeing the look on Hermione's face she added, "I will teach it to you soon."
The goblin gestured to the chairs in front of his desk and they all took a seat. "Mr. and Mrs. Potter, I am Clan Chief Ragnok. What is it you wish to discuss today?" The goblin was dressed in a navy velvet suit complete with waistcoat, brass buttons, and a fob watch. His pants went just below his knees, reminiscent of something out of the eighteenth century.
Heather nodded to her daughter. "Go ahead, little one."
"Um, I was told recently that I received an inheritance last summer for the amount of 10,000 Galleons from the estate of Sirius Black. I never received notification of the contents of the will."
The goblin furrowed his brow and frowned. "Identification please," he said looking at Hermione.
The teen looked at her mother who said, "He needs to see your wand. He is going to check the magical signature and he also needs your left hand. He will match your bonding ring. It's routine."
"Quite true Mrs. Potter." Hermione looked up. That was the second time he called her that, and it was very odd sounding to her ears. Still she handed over her wand and placed her left hand on the desk.
After intently studying both, he snapped his fingers and a goblin instantly appeared in the room. Following a hushed conversation, the goblin disappeared and returned less than a minute later with a small stack of parchment.
Ragnok frowned, slid the parchment across to Hermione, and stated, "The notice was sent out on 21 July, 1996 and our owl confirmed that it was received. May I ask where you were on that date?"
Hermione furrowed her brow trying to concentrate, but it was Harry who answered, "The Burrow. That was the day that I arrived at the Burrow and you came in the day before."
Hermione looked at him then nodded, "That's right. I was only home for three weeks," she turned to look at the goblin and said, "but I didn't get an owl from the bank."
Heather swallowed and said, "Little one, are you sure?"
"Very. I would remember something like that. I don't usually forget things like this, Mum."
Ragnok looked at the girl across from him and continued. "The key to your new vault and the letter were sent to you at the same time."
"Okay, so we'll just get a new key."
Having taken the parchment from the desk, Heather began to read. "It isn't that simple, little one. That vault has been accessed a number of times already. Someone has already spent over 3000 Galleons."
"What?" Hermione exclaimed.
"Here is a list of the transactions," Heather pointed to the parchment in front of her. "This is the date that it was first accessed. In fact, someone was here this morning then went over to Madam Malkin's and made a purchase charging it to that vault."
Richard scowled and asked, "Were any of the Weasleys here this morning, about this time? And would we be able to find out who made this purchase at Madam Malkin's?"
"I am sorry sir, you are?" asked the goblin.
"Sorry. Richard Granger. I am Gwendolyn McGonagall's husband. I am Harry's guardian, until he is of age in both Muggle and magical eyes. I do not carry a wand, but will give a blood sample if you require. You should have a record of me."
The goblin narrowed his eyes at Richard and then looked at Heather. He turned back to look at Richard and said, "Are you sure you are unable to carry a wand?"
Richard shook his head.
"It matters little to us. We do not carry the same prejudices as your kind," he waved the topic off then began. "You make practical suggestions. I will have that investigated at once." He snapped his fingers again and after speaking to the same goblin as before, Ragnok turned his attention back to the group and continued. "You will more than likely find it difficult gain inquest through the wizard court at this time, however the goblins will not stand for thievery and will make sure the thief is punished."
The goblin reappeared and placed a single sheet of parchment in front of the bank chief. "Two Weasleys entered Gringotts this morning. Curse Breaker Bill Weasley arrived several hours prior to when access of the vault was granted and Ginevra Weasley passed through an inspection point shortly before the withdrawal was made. According to an inquiry made at Madam Malkin's, one Ginevra Weasley was fitted for several sets of robes, ladies personal garments, and a bathing costume, among several other things." He pushed the list at Hermione with a slight blush to his cheeks. It appeared she was buying her trousseau.
"Honestly," said Hermione with disgust. "She is stealing my money to seduce my husband." Looking at Harry she asked, "What do you want to do?"
"I don't think arresting her is the answer, Hermione. That is a lot of gold and since she isn't of age, her parents are responsible for it."
"I think," said Heather, "that we can use this to our advantage. We have several things to discuss with the Weasleys as it is and if I remember correctly Miss Weasley already owes Harry a life debt, being in this kind of financial debt as well is going to make her life very difficult for a long time."
"It isn't just Ginny, it's Ron and Mr. Weasley too," said Hermione.
Gwendolyn cringed. "That's a bad move if half the family owes him like that." She was thoughtful for a moment then said, "Probably why Fred and George insisted on making Harry a partner. A very wise decision on their part."
"All lessons that should be taught at that wizard's school you insist on sending your young to," said Ragnok with revulsion. "Please tell me how to proceed."
Hermione frowned and was thinking about what little she knew of goblin traditions and banking matters. After several moments, her recent reading about bonds entered her mind and she grinned. "May I have a minute to talk to Harry?" she asked.
"Please do, Mrs. Potter," said the goblin and he busied himself with something on his desk.
After a silent conversation, they finally called in Hermione's mother, sister, and brother-in-law to bounce ideas off; Hermione looked up at Ragnok and nodded. "We've made a decision."
The goblin looked up at her and gestured for her to continue.
"As we don't want to arouse suspicion, leave the vault as it is for the time being, however freeze all activity on 30 July. My mum said that she has a warded vault. At that time, just send the remaining balance there. She doesn't have to be there for a deposit, right?"
"No madam, it is a one way ward."
"Good, in the meantime, please make copies of all the documents to take with me, especially the ones implicating Miss Weasley. If you feel just and true about Miss Weasley's roll as thief, then I am establishing a debt bond to my descendants and myself. We are; however, not calling it at this time, but will at the end of this month. As she is not of age, we are assessing her parents as well, Arthur and Molly Weasley, but not any of her siblings." Looking at Harry, Hermione saw him nod to her and she continued. "Please do not allow this matter to come to the attention of her brother who is in your employ, nor should it affect his standing with your institution unless it is shown that he was aware of her duplicity."
Ragnok grinned evilly and Harry wondered just how much he how much the goblin was enjoying the situation. "Very well madam. I would not mind hearing about the conclusion of this matter when time permits."
"I will share it with you someday." Taking a deep breath she said, "The rest is a bit more complicated."
Harry took Hermione's hand and said, "We aren't legally married yet. In a week we will go see a Muggle vicar, but right now we've only had the bonding ceremony."
"I see. That does complicate matters. You're marriage must be acknowledged by at least one recognized government. The terms of your parents will and our laws are very specific." He frowned for several moments then grinned again. "Perhaps there is something that we can do to help you Mr. Potter."
Two snaps and two goblins scurrying around later, Ragnok looked at the parchment in front of him and asked, "You are of age, Mrs. Potter?"
"Um, yes sir, I'm seventeen," replied Hermione.
Ragnok nodded then looked at Gwendolyn and Richard. "Do you have documentation to show guardianship?"
"Yes," replied Richard. He reached into a folder he was carrying and produced the necessary information.
"Yes, this should work nicely. Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter, Gringotts recognizes the Goblin Nation as a sovereign government and as clan chief one of my duties is to perform hand fasting ceremonies. I would be honored if you would allow me to conduct yours."
Not knowing exactly what was happening, but figured it was a very good thing, Harry said, "We would be honored."
Shaking his head, Ragnok slid a piece of parchment across his desk and handed Richard a quill. "If you would just sign your consent here." When his signature, along with Hermione and Harry's, was filled in the parchment rolled itself up and disappeared with a pop.
He briefly explained to them what was to come and soon the office was filled with several important looking goblins. All dressed, like Ragnok, in velvet suits with brass buttons.
The teens knelt in front of the clan chief and he placed his hands on their heads. All of the goblins began to chant in Gobbledygook and several minutes later a smooth white stone, the size of an apple, was placed in front of them. Ragnok picked up Harry's hand and with a silver dagger cut a slit across his palm. The hand was held to the stone until it was soaked in blood and the procedure was repeated for Hermione. A blue flash engulfed the pair and when they looked up, Ragnok was beaming. "Excellent. You were found worthy of each other. Please heal yourselves and we can get back to pressing matters."
The room was suddenly empty of goblins save Ragnok and Harry would have doubted what just happened if there wasn't a bloody rock sitting on the desk.
"Um, we, er, thanks for helping us," said Harry.
The goblin nodded. "It is always a good day when we can, what is it you say? Get one over on your ministry." Ragnok pulled his watch from his waistcoat and consulted it. "I believe that you are on a tight schedule today Mr. Potter. Shall we proceed?"
"Er, right. Um, from what I've read, I'm not eligible to access the Potter family vault, properties, and heirlooms until I become of age."
"That is correct, even with your bonding to Mrs. Potter, who is of age. There was no provision put in the inheritance procedure."
"That's fine, but what I, er, we," he gestured to Hermione, "are curious about is whether or not the type of vault used can be altered."
The goblin looked over the complete ledger and read several items. He then snapped his fingers and within a minute, a goblin was bringing him a bound ledger, which he consulted. "There does not seem to be anything prohibiting altering the protections on the vault. The additional fees would have to come out of a different vault, but that is common. What did you have in mind?"
Taking a deep breath, Harry said, "I would like the contents of the Potter family vault secured with blood wards."
The goblin looked up with mild surprise then nodded. "Very well, we will have them keyed with your bonding stone before you leave the bank today."
Hermione broke in, "We will need to remove a substantial amount of gold today, converting quite a bit to pounds sterling." Harry watched a quill dancing around taking notes of everything Hermione was stating. "Um" she looked down at her list, "the balance of Harry's trust vault, his inheritance from Sirius Black, investment income from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and any other investments, and the James and Lily Potter household vault should be secured in the same vault with the Potter family account at two o'clock this afternoon, but maintained separately. We will be making several large purchases from it prior to that time. The purchases should be authorized with just a vault number and made anonymously. Oh, I guess you need something to take fees out of. Please set that up."
"Very well."
"Harry and I have to leave, but my sister and her husband will be staying behind and reviewing the merchandise in the vaults that Harry has access to at this time and have permission to remove any items they see fit. Gwendolyn will take care of transporting them to a secure location."
"Of course. I will evacuate them from the vault at two o'clock."
Figuring that it would be a good time to ask, Harry said, "I have an anonymous contract with the Ministry for Hogwarts. We'd like a copy of the contract."
Heather was watching with interest. A very good start had been made with Harry and Hermione today. The goblins did not have to offer their assistance. "How many items from the Black inheritance is rightfully goblin?" she asked Ragnok.
Harry looked at Heather quickly with a look of astonishment. He couldn't imagine Sirius stealing anything from the goblins, but then he remembered the type of wizards Sirius' family was and figured that one of them did it.
"Seventeen. One of the tiaras has been lost to us for six hundred years and was stolen from a clan chief's dead daughter on the day of her hand fasting."
Heather looked at Harry who was nodding with a pained expression on his face. "Harry would like to return all seventeen items originally located in the Black vault to you at this time. We apologize for any sorrow their loss has caused your clan and others."
"We accept your settlement in the manner in which it was intended."
Heather laid the Ravenclaw dagger down on his desk and asked, "I need you to tell me about this dagger, if you are able."
He picked it up and studied it for an extended time, running his long fingers on the luminous jewels, the gold inlay, and sparkling blade. Finally, after what appeared to be ten minutes he walked over to a file cabinet and read a piece of parchment after matching something on the dagger to something on the paper. He then looked at Heather and said, "You have a fine weapon. It is goblin made, imbued with basilisk venom. It was made as a gift to Lady Rowena Ravenclaw for services that she rendered to the goblins. The rubies were added at her request and payment, prior to her hand fasting to Godric Gryffindor. Do you wish to know the goblin maker?"
"While I am convinced of his skill as an artisan and craftsman, my knowledge of goblin history does not extend to that level." She sighed and said, "What assessment do I owe for use of the dagger?"
"The dagger was a gift for Ravenclaw's honor. She was the true owner as are her recognized descendants. The addition of the rubies she paid for however and I am unable to gift that to you at this time, as it was not my clan that first gave the dagger, I would be pleased to take your payment."
Harry and Hermione looked confused and it was Heather's upheld hand that stopped either of them from asking questions. "Did she purchase the rubies from you or only the craftsmanship?"
"The rubies were a gift to her from her betrothed. We provided only the artisan. They are dwarf mined rubies, not goblin." He ran his fingers over the rubies and studied their fastenings. "I believe that one hundred Galleons is a fair price for continue use of the decoration."
"A very fair price. I would like at this time for you to take another hundred Galleons should for some reason one of my daughters or granddaughter take it into her tenure before I am able to return to Gringotts."
"Very well."
Taking a deep breath, Heather plunged onward. "There is also a sword. Lady Ravenclaw's husband used a sword. That sword has presented itself to my son-in-law."
"Where is it now?"
Both Harry and Hermione cringed. They'd left the sword at Hogwarts. Hermione spoke up and said, "In the headmaster's office at Hogwarts."
"The sword will present itself to an heir when needed. It is not now nor has it ever been under goblin control. Lord Gryffindor was given the sword as a gift at the same time Lady Ravenclaw was given hers. The rightful owner of the sword is the Gryffindor line. There is no assessment."
Heather breathed a sigh of relief. The headmaster's office had sealed itself and there was no way to get the sword just yet. "Should someone other than the true and rightful owner of the sword attempt to safeguard it, steal it, or place it in a vault, it should be noted that unless he is here to tell you so in person, it is not to be done."
"Gringotts will have no part in the thieving of goblin treasures by others. We will not permit the sword to be taken from Mr. Potter."
Breathing out a long breath Heather nodded and stood. Ragnok snapped his fingers and a goblin laden with several briefcases and moneybags stepped forward. "Each case contains 100,000 pounds sterling. All bills are unmarked. There are also four moneybags with three thousand Galleons each."
"Which vault did this come from?"
"The value of half of the money bags and cases came from the inheritance of Sirius Black, the other came from the household vault of Heather and Hamish McGonagall."
"Is that the balance of the Black vault?" asked Hermione.
"The amount withdrawn today represents less than ten percent of the available balance. I do not have the exact figures in front of me, that is an approximation. Mr. Potter's business is very important to Gringotts."
Harry was hidden from view once again and with a bow, Ragnok personally escorted them out of the bank.
Hermione checked her watch. They were running out of time. "It's already after twelve."
"You need to get a broom, Hermione," said Harry.
"All right, Quality Quidditch Supplies then, but we aren't staying long." Hermione knew from experience that he could spend hours in the store. Hermione grabbed a basket and after a quick chat with her mother who ran off to pick up a few other things, she took Alwyne by the hand and began to load up on balls, safety Bludgers, hoops designed for home use, gloves, several dozen children's books, action figures, and piles of things that Harry, using their new form of communication insisted that they needed. Once to the counter, Hermione took a deep breath and purchased two of the new Nimbus 2100's and one Nimbus youth broom for ages six to ten. The clerk raised an eyebrow when she only gave a vault number, but the transaction went through immediately. When asked her name Hermione smiled sweetly and said, "Penelope Miller."
"Of course Mrs. Miller, have a nice day."
Once outside, Hermione said, "Mum told me to meet her outside Madam Malkin's and you should take off your cloak before we get there."
Thankfully, the store was empty when they walked in. The clerk, who Harry wondered if she was Madam Malkin, looked at them and said, "Yes dears?"
Taking charge and seeing if she was able to lay a false trail, Heather said, "My daughter's friend is going on holiday to Ireland with his family in an hour and he asked us to come help him pick out a wardrobe. As you can imagine as he has outgrown everything he owns. The rest of us are also going on holiday soon and need a few things too."
The old woman looked at Harry and her eyes widened in recognition, she then flicked a glance to his scar to confirm his identity. "Of course, Mr. Potter, you first." Heather picked up a shopping basket and tossed in pants, socks, trousers, shirts, jumpers, and jeans. He was also fitted for several pair of robes. Heather did ask that they be left a bit loose in the shoulders and hemmed so that the sleeves and the bottom could be let out when he did what all teenage boys do and grow before next summer. The seamstress laughed and complied.
"Mr. Potter is finished."
"Without robes to hem, I don't know what I will do while you are sunbathing."
"Are you going to the sea?"
"Belize actually. Of course Hermione will just sit under an umbrella and read."
Once out the door Harry was back under the cloak. "Why did you give our names?" asked Harry.
"This way when someone is looking for you later, she will say that you bought some new clothes and are going on holiday with your family to Ireland. It also puts Hermione way out of the country. Will they buy it? Maybe, maybe not. Still, they will spend time looking and we have no real reason to lie, it isn't like we could possibly know what is about to happen."
The group split with Heather taking Alwyne and Harry and Hermione heading off to finish up. At exactly two, they met outside what use to be Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Shoppe. "Okay. The last one is the camping supply, but first..."
Using her wand, she altered their appearance. Hermione's hair went strawberry blonde and both Alwyne and Heather went a light brown. Alwyne's eyes stayed blue, but green flecks were created and the other two had eyes to match. There was no way any of them could be recognized.
"It's just after two," said Hermione as she looked at her watch.
"Harry is under the cloak and this is our last stop." Heather pulled open the door of the outdoor store and showed both girls in.
"Hello," said the proprietor. "What can I help you find today?"
"We are in the market for a tent. My husband thinks that we need to go camping while the sprogs are home from school."
The man chuckled. "We have studios all the way up to five bedrooms. Just tell me what you need."
"I think a four bedroom will suffice."
He nodded, "Beds?"
"Oh, um, three doubles, and two sets of bunks in the other. Make the couch a pullout as well and..." she walked over and looked at the descriptions of options and said, "We will take this 'Witches Wonder' upgrade. I see no reason to suffer."
"You know, Mum," said Hermione. "A tent wouldn't be a bad gift for the boys either."
Heather shook her head and said, "This is why I go shopping alone. Unfortunately, it isn't a bad idea. Every boy should have a tent and this way I don't have to figure out what to get them come time for Christmas."
"I know the feeling and with the safety of everyone out in public like this getting worse every day, taking care of it all now, is not a bad idea. This way you have somewhere to go if-" he looked at Alwyne and then said, "things get like last time."
"Surely it won't get that bad. Minister Scrimgeour will have it under control in no time." She shuddered and said, "All of this You-Know-Who talk is disturbing. It will get better soon, you'll see."
"I hope so ma'am. I truly do." He was looking at Heather as if she had just fallen off the turnip truck.
Heather was doing quick conversions and figured that buying five of them was something that she would get away with. "I'll take five."
He labeled what was what and then bundled them all up together. As they waved to him on their way out of the store the man was shaking his head hoping that the clueless woman and her kids weren't among You-Know-Who's first victims.
The charms were canceled and they made their way back to Heather's store. Heather waved to Phil and they went into the basement to find Gwendolyn and Richard waiting for them with a tray of sandwiches and butter beer. "Winky said that we didn't have lunch, Dad's unpacking and up to something, but as you have been in half a daze all day, you are talking to him so you already know. We fed Phil. He said not to tell Portia."
"What did you find?" asked Heather.
"There were several trunks of books. I think they were Lily's. We were moving quickly, so we took what looked like books and journals and left the crockery, silver, and jewelry. There were several crates of photo albums and such too. The Black stuff..."
Richard picked it up from there, "It took the goblins maybe ten minutes once we had the vault open to take what you told them they could and then I was given a receipt. I figure there was a reason some of that stuff was being stored at the bank and not at the house where it could be seized more easily. There was a bit that we were afraid to touch and the goblin with us said something to Gwendolyn that I didn't fully get. I've never been able to understand Gobbledygook."
"He said if that yellow box contained what he thought it did, we were far wiser than any humans then he had ever seen before."
"Always nice to be only sort of insulted by a goblin," said Richard with a shake of his head.
Heather chuckled and motioned for them to continue. "We did get the books, but there was a reason that they weren't in the other library." She looked at her mother and said, "The books were bad Mum. I'm not sure there aren't curses on them. We... well Richard and I had Winky bring them back to the house and Dad put them in the kennel. He put some charms on it, since Hermione's..."
"Yes, I know, he asked me where it was. Her other one works just fine for him."
Hermione pulled her wand out of her pocket and looked at it. "Oh, I guess I should give this back."
"Wand lore is funny, little one. The wand chooses the wizard. It very well might have changed allegiances."
Hermione nodded and then pulled out one of the canvas bundles from her mother's handbag. There was something she felt she needed to do before they left. She took Harry's cloak from him and started out the door when her mother said, "Take them something to eat little one. I know they sleep upstairs."
"Moved out first chance they could. Not that I blame them for needing to get away from her," said Harry darkly.
Hermione tossed the cloak over herself and slipped out of the shop. She eased past a gaggle of second years trying to get inside the joke shop and slipped behind George. He was the least likely to react badly. "I'm behind you," said Hermione in George's ear.
He startled a bit then said, "Oi, Fred. I think that Verity can handle this lot for a bit. Come help me with something in the back."
Fred looked at him oddly when he noticed George scratching his knee. The two of them had just worked out physical cues for their two friends liable to be hiding under an invisibility cloak. "Sure, I'll be right there."
George opened the door to the back room and waited a second or two longer then he normally would to go through. The same with the door that led to basement. Once they got down there, George held up a finger and waited. Ten seconds later Fred came in and as the doors and seams sealed, Hermione pulled off Harry's cloak.
She put the food down on the table and both boys dove for the sandwiches. "Oh, this is good Hermione. Did you make them?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow and said, "No female in my family should do more than boil water. Mum hired Crouch's old elf, Winky."
"From the Cup?"
"Right. She'd taken to drinking so Mum was afraid that something would happen to her with that toad woman back in charge. She was liable to be tortured for Crouch's secrets."
"Good point," said Fred popping another sandwich in his mouth.
"So not that we ever turn down a visit by a pretty girl, but what gives? We didn't think that you were too fond of us at the moment," commented George.
"Fond of? Yes. Trust you as much as I did last week? No. The fact that you appear completely clueless and were warning me against coming to the Burrow this summer, helps your cause, that and your oath."
"So what gives?" asked Fred.
"Mum wants you to keep this with you," she put the tent on the table. "It's just a one bedroom, has bunks like that one we used for the Cup, but without the doilies. Sleeps eight, bathroom and kitchen. It isn't great, but when they come hunting Order members, it is someplace to take off to."
"So you aren't Muggle-born. How come the ruse?" asked George.
"You said you looked up who my parents are, why do you think?"
"Your dad, if he is your mum's cousin, is about as decorated an Auror as Mad-Eye, but without the eye and wooden leg."
"Dunno, might have one, never met him," interjected Fred.
"Right you are. Moreover, your Mum is said to be the most powerful witch alive. Asked Dad a few years ago, most think she's dead, but no one can tell you where she's buried. We let it go, figuring that there was a reason that she wanted everyone to think that. So Dad said that a bit after we were born MLE was doing a cleanup of a Muggle torture and needed an Auror to sign-off. It was related to You-Know-Who and they had been tracking him."
Fred picked up, "They went in to see what was up, and it was a trap. All the MLE were dead and the Muggles were still being tortured. A mass of Death Eaters and such all lying in wait." Hermione nodded. She knew this story.
George continued, "Your dad sent for back up and in the meantime, they get attacked. The person who intercepted the Patronus at the Ministry was a Death Eater and sent a message to You-Know-Who that they were there and what their position was. Eventually they both went down with a stunner or something. Finally, someone figured out that they hadn't checked in and sent a response team. MLE came in and pulled the memory from the Muggles before they Obliviated them."
"Mum downplays it quite a bit, but it was something like that. First, most people think Mum is dead, so it needs to stay that way. Second, Voldemort wants her badly, almost as much as he wants Harry except his plans for her involve a bit of entertainment on his part before killing her. Mum knows a lot and the Ministry has never been too receptive about listening to her. It is more complicated than that and I think Mum is going to talk to you guys in a couple months, but until then, just keep an ear open and stay out of trouble.
Fred looked around and said, "Dean Thomas came in earlier and asked for a bit of help. McGonagall gave him and some Hufflepuff bloke we recognized from the DA a pretty big job. They need some gold. She told them that the two of us were specifically the only ones other then you that they were allowed to talk to about it. Both of them are afraid to go home now that Umbridge is coming in and they've suggested that their families go on holiday or something. They're upstairs taking a kip. We don't know what to do, Hermione, and we don't really have extra gold. We'll give him what we can, but we just bought a bunch of inventory getting ready for the summer rush."
"We can load them up on products and all, but not much else."
"I'll talk to Mum and see what we can do." She looked around and said, "Check with Phil before Dean and Justin leave. We have another one of those tents. I'll leave it for them and some Muggle money. I think that will help them more then gold. If we need to get a message to you, we'll leave it with Phil. Give me an activation phrase."
"What?" asked Fred.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," said Hermione. "Give me another one, something Pettigrew doesn't know."
After a bit of quiet consultation, Fred popped up and said, "I hereby declare that Fred and George are dishy."
"You're kidding?" she said with a straight face.
"Nope, can you imagine Bellatrix trying to come up with that one?"
She shook her head and said, "Don't forget to burn any messages." She looked at them again and clarified, "I hereby declare Fred and George are dishy?"
"Why thank you Hermione, we think you are quite fetching too," said Fred.
Upon seeing her raised eyebrow George hastened, "Yes, that's the one."
"All right," She tossed the cloak over her head and left.
Hermione went back to the bookshop and down the stairs. "Gran told Dean and Justin to look up Fred and George if they needed help."
"So they are talking to you?" asked Richard.
"She said they could talk to me too. Anyway, Fred said that Dean and Justin are upstairs taking a kip. They've given them a bit of gold and some products like those that Phil has to help stay hidden. I told them if we wanted to get a message to them we would leave it with Phil." She shrugged. "Since Peter knows, I wasn't sure about the map phrase so I had them choose one. It is 'I hereby declare that Fred and George are dishy.'"
"You are kidding," said Harry.
"I wish I was. However, as George said, 'Can you imagine Bellatrix coming up with that one?"'
Heather said, "There is a charm we can use for the notes." She pulled out an envelope; put £2000 and 50 Galleons in it. Taking one of the tents she picked up for just this purpose, she walked it upstairs and left it with Phil.
They gathered up everything that they needed and then said, "Let's go home."
The six of them appeared on the ground in front of a gabled house with a stone facing covering the lower half of the ground floor. There was a wide porch and big front doors. Turning around Hermione saw that they were in a valley with a cliff on one side and mountains in the distance. It was stunning. The house itself was situated in a meadow with woods nearby, covering what looked like a driveway.
"Wow," said Harry.
"Yeah," agreed Hermione.
Alwyne, who had broken loose of her mother, wandered off a bit and asked, "What is that feeling? It's warm and... I don't know."
"That poppet, is old magic," said Gwendolyn. "But we should only be able to feel it if we are descended, so" she looked a bit confused. "I thought this was Harry's maternal grandparents' originally."
"It was, princess," Hamish said as he came out of the house and stood next to his wife.
Heather looked at Hermione and said, "Okay sweetie, you and Harry need to choose a secret keeper."
The two of them went off then came back half a minute later. "Harry wants Mum."
Heather nodded as if that was a given. "What are you going to call it?" asked Heather.
"Oh, I, um, we don't know."
"It doesn't have an address, not really," said Heather. "Pick something. You will know if it is already used as the name of another wizarding dwelling in Britain if the spell won't take."
"The trees are all rainbow," said Alwyne pointing off to the way the afternoon sun was lighting the trees in a myriad of color.
"Rainbow Valley?" said Hermione tentatively.
"I think that is fitting," said Richard who squeezed her shoulder, "especially considering how much someone likes L.M. Montgomery."
Harry, Hermione, and Heather stood off to the side as Hermione began to do the spell that would hide the house and most of the property from the rest of the world.
As soon as the spell was cast, Heather ran over to Gwendolyn, Hamish, Richard, and Alwyne to tell them where they were and then she ran inside to find Winky. The poor little elf was in the kitchen making dinner when the enchantment took hold. She spent almost a whole minute completely confused and distressed that she had no idea where she was.
"There is already a Rune circle?" asked Hermione. Hamish just nodded.
It was about a two-minute broom ride going at a reasonable speed for Alwyne. Once they landed, it was obvious that they had already been cleaned and prepared.
Hermione knelt down and ran her fingers over the Runes. "Mum?"
"Just like you learned in class. We start with North. I think that since Harry was gifted the property by his parents, he should go first, with all of us it's seven and that leaves you to set the spell."
"Dad," Gwendolyn asked. "Are the perimeter stones in?"
"Winky and I checked them against the map you got from the goblins. We brought in the three that were outside the current property boundaries."
Heather walked over to the North stone and brought Harry with her. After cleaning his hand well, she used her wand to cut a deep gash in his palm. He flinched and tried not to draw away as she made the cut. "I know sweetie, but at least it isn't the same hand."
She took his bloody hand and placed it on the stone. Once it was covered in his blood, she moved him around the circle in an anti-clockwise manner. Hermione was last with everyone else just using the North stone. She spoke something that Harry didn't understand; Gwendolyn whispered to him that it was the name of the Rune etched on the stone. When she completed the circle, the stones glowed and a pink dome encompassed the property then solidified overhead. In the blink of an eye, it disappeared.
Heather looked at her eldest daughter and said, "Check them please."
Gwendolyn kicked off and gestured for Harry to join her. They went straight up. Harry felt himself pass through a barrier. When he looked down it was almost as if what he knew was there wasn't. It didn't look odd, like someone had blackened out an area, but that it just wasn't there. "Is this what it is supposed to be?" asked Harry.
"Looks right, or what I presume it's supposed to look like. I've never seen one like this. Let's hope that it's enough."
"I am sorry about making you-"
"Harry Potter, that is enough. The guilt thing has to stop. There is one person that is to blame and you and I will make a toast over his dead body. Now let's get down."
They walked in the front door and looked around the entry. A large staircase was off to the side leading to the upstairs. It was split with one direction leading to the area that Marge used and the other that had been hidden all these years by Lily Potter's charm. "I took the liberty of moving us into the section that has been unused for so long," stated Hamish. "The other side will require some repairs and most of the furniture was not usable. As I was not comfortable digging in your personal trunks, I did not unpack anything from the bedrooms, except Alwyne's. I figured that I was pretty safe with a six year old."
As they made their way around the downstairs, Harry realized how large the house actually was. "How much was closed off?"
Gwendolyn frowned and said, "I'd say at least half the house Harry, Tonks didn't say it was this much, but maybe there were rooms that your Mum couldn't access because she didn't activate the wards. See, some of it hasn't been updated in a hundred years. There are no plugs in this room. The lanterns lit when we walked in."
Richard looked around the sitting room and said, "This would be a better choice for the Black books then the spare room upstairs where I've set them."
It took another ten minutes to walk through the house. There was even a back section that must have been servants' quarters at one time. Hermione was wondering if they would be able to get Winky to sleep on a bed and not a cupboard. That idea was so painful for Harry that he almost begged the little elf to use one of the sofas.
The kitchen was wonderful. It was light and airy. The appliances were a bit dated, but since they were Muggle, it wouldn't take more than a trip to the appliance center to have them updated. Dinner was a simple stew, as Winky had been busy. Hamish set her straight about the kitchen. It was not a sign of displeasure if they cooked, they enjoyed it and she was expected to sit and eat with the family.
"Do you think that we should start looking for the Horcruxes right away?" asked Harry as he slid into a chair and Winky placed a bowl in front of him.
"That is not the right question," said Heather smiling at the elf.
Harry nodded and then said, "So um, what is the right question?"
"The right question is, do we have what we need to start researching the Horcruxes?"
"Oh, right. That makes sense."
"We were lucky about the diadem, Harry, but I doubt finding the cup and the unknown Gryffindor object will be as easy and then there is the locket. That could be any number of places," said Hermione.
"I guess. It's just hard not to act. To pretend that it's okay to have a normal life while he's out there killing people. If it took Dumbledore three years to find the ring and another year to find the cave, we could be at this another four years, maybe longer."
Heather sighed and pulled him into a hug. "I understand that it is hard and I will not lie to you and tell you that people won't die. Some of them will be people that you know, that you are friends with even, but if we aren't smart about this and Tom finds out what we are doing we will never be able to end it."
"What I would like to do," said Hamish, as he picked up a piece of crusty bread, "is to spend the next few months looking at the selection of memories that Dumbledore gave Harry and then the kids own memories about the things that have happened at Hogwarts in the last six years. From there we can work out what we need to learn and where we need to go."
"You think that it will take months?" asked Hermione.
"In addition to the fact that the two of you are very behind in several subjects, how long were you at the graveyard Harry? What about listening to, um, Junior's confession? How long did that take?" He looked at the two teens, "Harry won't have to watch it with us past the first time if the two of you just can't stand to relive it all, but the more we see each memory, the more details we'll notice and the answer to a question that we ask in six months, just might be in that detail," stated Hamish.
"Don't you already know all that stuff," asked Harry.
"I am aware of most of what happened, but it isn't the same. Before you ask, I don't know where the Horcruxes are. It would have upset the balance to allow me to know that information. I do; however, know that Dumbledore was wrong and it isn't the snake. That was one of the things that I was supposed to remember." Seeing Harry's face, he said, "just like you actually going to the hospital wing this time."
"Oh, right."
Hermione leaned into Harry and asked, "So, um, did you get sent back like you said Harry did, because you said you weren't truly alive, but does that mean Harry's not?" It was obvious that Hermione was nervous. She had a tight hold of Harry's hand.
"You are very brilliant and a bit too over analytical for your own good," he looked at Heather with a raised eyebrow and said, "I wonder where you get that from."
"Hush and answer the child's question," Heather teased as she pulled him into a kiss.
After they broke apart, Hamish cleared his throat and said, "Right, well, both Harry and I are alive as much as the lot of you are. We both have beating hearts, bleed, need to eat and drink water, we breathe and are able to engage in pleasurable activities with the lovely women to whom we are married. The only difference is that at one point we were clinically dead. We were able to intervene in Harry's case and his guide, Sophie, some might call her Death or a guardian angel, but in actuality she works for Death, was at a quandary as to what do to with him. If she sent him back into the then present time line, the potions would not have been detected for years in which case you already would have been married to Ron and Ginny respectively. Riddle would have been gone for a while, but since you killed the snake and not the sixth Horcrux, he would have come back, but since you married someone else, you would have lost all the advantages of your soul bond. Since you were both miserable at home and when you came to realize what happened and who you were actually supposed to be with, you were focused on trying to get out of your marriages all the while protecting your children. As it was, neither of you were paying attention as Lucius raised his master once again. Harry and his family were his first victims and then since Hermione and Ron were important in his last defeat, he came after the two of them next followed by Mum and the remaining Weasleys. All before the first headline was in the Prophet."
"Oh Harry," Hermione snuggled in to Harry tightly.
"That is not the worst of it," stated Hamish.
"If me being married to Ron for however long and having his children isn't the worst of it, then what is?" asked Hermione.
"What you named said children."
Hermione tilted her head sideways and asked, "What were they?"
Heather grinned and looked away. Being bonded to Hamish, she could hear him try to figure out what to tell her. Two of them were definitely interesting choices.
"Dad?"
"I'll keep the respectable ones to myself. But Hermione's son was named Hugo Ronald and Harry's second child was called Albus Severus."
Both teens turned green and spluttered. Harry recovered first. "Not going to happen. Severus? As in Severus Snape? The man is a Death Eater and a murderer. If for some reason he sees the light and changes sides, again, he was still an evil murdering git. He's the one that told Voldemort the prophesy. It's because of him that my parents were killed and someone expected me to name my child after him? That had to be Ginny's doing and I must have still been on the potions. Dumbledore and Ron aren't faring much better."
Hermione nodded. "I think it's safe to assume that they will be taken off the list."
Richard was doing his best not to laugh. After hearing about what happened to Harry, he found it unlikely that there would be any Albus Severus Potters anytime soon. Something then occurred to him. "Maybe you became a writer, Hermione."
The teen looked up and said, "I've actually thought about it. Why?"
"Isn't Hugo the name of that Muggle literary award for fantasy and science fiction novels?" he asked.
Hermione nodded.
"Maybe you won once and it was your way of saying thanks." Hermione rolled her eyes and Richard recognized the look and changed the subject. "So Dad, you were telling us why you got to come back."
"My death was caused by someone tampering with the threads of fate. It was a guide that did so and unfortunately his meddling was covert. It wasn't until over decade later that anyone realized something was wrong. Unfortunately, too much time passed, I couldn't be sent back. When Harry arrived unexpectedly, Sophie thought it worth a try to see if we could fix a few other things too. The condition was that he could only be sent back with one instruction and I could only come back if and when they completed their bond," he gestured to Harry and Hermione.
"Can you tell us what the guide did?" asked Gwendolyn.
"He was, in life, a brave and courageous man, not exactly someone I would ever look up to, but because of his sacrifice, he was given a guide position."
"Was he a Gryffindor?" asked Harry.
"No, actually. Ravenclaw. So he goes to wherever and he learns a few things about his children and decides that he doesn't really approve. So instead of just making them miserable from time to time, he decides that they don't need to live. On his wedding anniversary, he manipulated things so that his eldest daughter, along with two of her good friends, were killed in a car accident, and his, I guess we will call him 'son', was somewhere he was never supposed to be and therefore killed. He was hoping that with the death of his son, his younger daughter would commit suicide, but thankfully she was pregnant and her connection to her daughter kept her sane. Of course without the other half of your soul, your hold on life is a bit tenuous at best so we have come close a few more times."
Richard cleared his throat and asked, "That would be Granddad?"
"I would prefer for all of you to refer to him as Heath, but yes, Richard, that was who it was. He disowned Isobel for running away with a Muggle and she married him. That's all I remember. I know something was important, but that was not information I was allowed to carry forward.
"So he gets to wherever he is and learned that his daughter married the Muggle and that his other daughter married her cousin, the man he considered a son. As he died in 1945 and this was April 1979, he spent almost thirty-five years planning, plotting, or just trying to figure out how, but it was done well. Almost to the minute that they said their vows too."
"That's just sick," said Harry.
"I gather that he was," nodded Hamish.
They eventually made it upstairs. All of the bedrooms were huge, at least in Harry's perspective. Hamish cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "Um, I needed a place to put trunks. Obviously, if you don't like your room, it can be moved."
Everyone went into his or her respective rooms. Hermione stopped short. The bedding wasn't something that she particularly liked, but it was fine. The bedroom set was something out of a dream. It was a cherry four-poster canopy, but the posters were thick and sturdy. Much prettier then what they had at Hogwarts. It was even bigger then a double. She didn't think that she had ever seen a bed that big. "That bed is huge," said Hermione.
"It's the same size Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon have."
"This was in Alwyne's room and a single was in here," said Hamish from the doorway. "I hope you don't mind that I swapped them."
"No, it's nice. I like it."
"Good," he kissed Hermione on the top of the head. "I'll leave you two to unpack then." He left the room looking at Hermione.
Heather pulled her daughter into a tight hug and whispered how much she loved her and how proud she was of her for all the changes she was undertaking. "I love you so much, little one, and you will always be my baby girl."
"I love you, too, Mum."
Heather smiled and put a book on Hermione's side table. "When you want to know something about your bond, here is a book. I've bookmarked something you might find particularly interesting."
"Oh, um, thanks."
"You are welcome. I will see you tomorrow."
"Hermione, what's this room for?" Harry asked standing in a small room just off the main bedroom.
Hermione had just come out of the en suite and walked over to where he was standing. She knew exactly what the room was for, but that was not something that would be needed for many years to come. "Um, sitting room," Hermione replied with a blush and quickly retreated to the other room.
"I think it is a bit bigger than the bedroom I had on Privet Drive. We could put some bookcases up and you can put your personal books in here."
"That's a good idea."
"I think your parents thought that we were sharing a room, I mean that's okay, but we..."
"It's okay Harry." Hermione smiled at him. Harry cupped her cheeks as he had just after sunrise and kissed her soundly on the mouth.
