The Great Goblin Rebellion October 1991

What triggered a goblin rebellion in October 1991? Harry Potter's introduction to magical Britain goes differently, and Hagrid's trip to the secret vault…well, the cart gets tipped off the track completely.

Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling, the creative lady who shared her wizard and his life with the world. She's kind enough to allow others to play on her beach for a while.

&& From Last Chapter &&

In the Department of Mysteries, a team of Unspeakables laboured and experimented with the still-breathing corpse of Severus Snape. They were not trying to revive him, place another soul into him or measure his respiration. The Unspeakables used their wands to cast spells through the Dark Mark, attempting to influence the followers of the Dark Lord who wore his tattoo. They did not cast unforgivable curses, but they did cast charms and spells to change their personalities and actions.

They had no way of measuring the effectiveness of their spells before Snape's body ceased breathing. The connection between the dark mark on Snape's arm and the Dark Lord's magic should have ended when Snape ceased to breathe. Using a cutting charm, one Unspeakable cut off the arm before another wizard levitated the body through the Veil of Death. They would continue to experiment with the Dark Mark.

&& CHANGE SCENE &&

The teenage boy walked along the shore of the beach, the waves cooling the hot sand under his feet. He watched other families ride the waves together and smiled, remembering doing the same with his family earlier in the day. The sunscreen charms allowed him to tan nicely after only five days. He glanced back toward the umbrella where Uncle Teddy sat, reading a spy novel while keeping an eye on both of his children; Harry was walking on the shore while Tonks flirted around the lifeguard stand with a few teenage boys her age.

He spotted Aunt Andromeda walking toward the umbrella now with a large floppy hat on her head and a large bag she brought to the beach each day at lunchtime. If, like the previous four days, it would be filled with assorted beverages, multiple types of sandwiches, and treats for their picnic on the beach.

'It's great having a family,' Harry told himself again. 'A real family.'

As he headed back toward the umbrella when his aunt waved her hand, Harry grinned, 'And I bet Dobby packed enough food in Aunt Andromeda's bag to feed everyone on the beach if we needed to.'

Dora brought a new boy with her for lunch today. Mike Gilbert was Irish, from Dublin and hiking around Europe before returning to Ireland for his first year at university. Uncle Teddy proceeded to question the young man, determined he was muggle and harmless, and asked him to join them for lunch.

While walking back, Harry bumped into a young girl his age or maybe just a little older. A rubber band held her wild hair in a pigtail, and she wore a swimsuit with a towel-like shirt around her waist. Neither fell onto the sand, but Harry still apologised, "Sorry I didn't see you."

"I…oh…I didn't see you," she replied.

Then Harry noticed she was looking around wildly, and he asked, "Are you lost?"

"I've just walked further than I should and lost my parents," the girl admitted.

"Come on. My family is here, and my aunt will give you a drink while we find your Mum and Dad."

"Your family?"

"Yeah, they're cousins, but I love living with them. I call them Aunt and Uncle. Dora's my big, bossy sister."

"Hello dear," Andromeda said, standing as her nephew walked up with a girl his own age.

"Aunt Andromeda, this is…uh…I didn't ask her name. We just met, and she's lost, so I thought we'd help find her family…" Harry said rapidly. "If that's okay…please."

"Of course, Harry, it's all right," replied Andromeda. Turning to the visitor, Andromeda said, "We're the Tonks family; Andromeda, Ted, Nym…."

"Dora!" shouted the teenage girl. Glancing at the young man beside her, the young woman emphatically repeated, "My name is Dora!"

"Yes, dear," Ted said, intervening to stop an argument between mother and daughter. "The beachcomber who brought you along is Harry Potter, but we call him Harry Tonks."

Staring at Harry, the girl managed to get out, "Harry Potter? Really?"

Blushing, Harry asked, "Wait…you know my name?"

But Dora rescued her brother-cousin by asking, "And what's your name?"

"Forgive me…I left my manners in the hotel room," the girl babbled. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"You sound British," Uncle Ted observed. Harry noticed that Ted and Andromeda had their wand hands free at their sides, Dora hung back, Mike was confused, and Harry felt safe.

"Are you sorry about not starting school on 1 September?" Harry asked.

Hermione asked, "Were you going to that school too?"

"Hog-something or other, I think they called it," Harry said quietly. Dora returned her attention to Mike and the lunch sandwiches. Ted cast a privacy spell to keep Mike and Dora from hearing Andromeda's conversation with Harry and his new friend. He remained outside the bubble of the spell and kept supplying everyone with sandwiches, bottles of drinks, and napkins.

"We must be careful with our conversation," Andromeda prompted both eleven-year-old children. "No one needs to hear those words."

Harry grinned, leaned close to Hermione, and whispered, "Magic spells! Yadda! Yadda! Yadda!"

Grinning, Hermione replied, "I know…I read all the books. But then the police wiz…police came and talked to Mum and Dad about the terrorist. We left that same day and came to France. We drove around for a few days but then came here."

She added, "My mum and dad don't know what to think. They don't want to return to Britain."

"Come on, have a sandwich and some water," Harry said. "Our cook makes the most delicious sandwiches. You'd almost think they're made with magic; they taste so good."

Hermione and Harry remained standing the whole time they ate so that she would be visible to her parents, who eventually appeared. After checking their daughter over, the Grangers thanked Harry and his family. Ted went behind the umbrella and reappeared with two more beach chairs while Andromeda pulled out cold drinks and invited Daniel and Emma Granger to sit for a few minutes.

Mike ate four sandwiches and thanked the Tonks for the food. Daniel and Emma each had a sandwich and some biscuits, while Harry and Dora ate three sandwiches each, and Hermione ate two. Then the young Irishman and Dora left for another walk on the beach, and Harry invited Hermione to sit on the sand while the grownups talked. After a conversation behind a privacy bubble, the Grangers agreed to meet the Tonks at a restaurant that evening for a more detailed discussion. Harry heard Uncle Teddy say, "We're not going back either for a long time."

When all their beach chairs vanished under the tent, and the four members of the Tonks family gathered their towels and books before walking back to their hotel, Andromeda smiled, glad to have the services of a creative, happy house elf meant great food, chairs removed surreptitiously, and added safety for Harry. She muttered, "Dobby is worth his weight in gold. Real gold."

&& CHANGE SCENE &&

The Tonks family arrived first and were seated in a section of the restaurant away from the windows where people walking outside could see them. Emma and Daniel Granger were tense even after several weeks in France. They'd begun taking turns sleeping to keep watch over their daughter, fearing some maniac would appear out of thin air (like the magical police did that day) and kidnap their daughter.

Ted rose from his chair and brought Harry to greet the Grangers. Ted said, "We're glad you came. Harry needs to connect with kids his age, and my wife loves to talk about dealing with an intelligent daughter."

"Forgive us," Daniel said. "We're distracted to have folks to talk to after having to run away and hide."

Ted said, "Let's sit down. No one can hear our conversation unless the waiter comes close to the table."

"Is that a spell?" asked Hermione in a whisper.

Dora nodded and explained, "Dad is good with privacy charms."

With everyone seated, Andromeda added, "I'm sitting where I can watch the front door, Ted's watching the kitchens, and Dora watches the neighbouring tables when she's not staring at some handsome stranger."

"Mother, I enjoy looking at young men," Dora replied. "You got one of your own, and I want one too."

"You're too young! You're not out of school yet!" Andromeda replied.

Dora snorted and explained, "Mum and Dad eloped the day they graduated from Hog… school. Her parents had arranged a marriage that Mum didn't want."

"And I was madly in love with your father, so we ran away to Gretna Green in Scotland," the witch explained.

"And got married by the local blacksmith, a muggleborn," whispered Ted.

"You were only one year older than I am now," Dora pointed out to her mother.

Listening to the parent-child banter helped to ease Daniel and Emma's tension. Hermione was full of questions she couldn't ask in public, so Harry directed her toward books they could discuss and not endanger the Statute of Secrecy.

The adults had a glass of wine with their suppers, while Dora, Hermione, and Harry each got a glass of watered wine that went well with the food. Daniel noticed no additional bottles of wine were ordered, Emma noticed the clean clothes everyone wore, and Hermione enjoyed the conversation with the teenagers who weren't put off by her interest in books.

After the dessert plates were cleared away and coffee for the adults arrived, a serious conversation began. Ted declared, "From the newspapers, it appears Britain ignores the warning from the goblins. There's no sign of the new Dark Lord or the Death Eaters."

"And what's the ministry doing?"

"Nothing," Andromeda replied. "Fudge denies there's a problem. Dumbledore is sitting in Hogwarts, issues stories for the Daily Prophet about the accomplishments of different students from the past and pretends to hunt for Dark Lord Flint."

Dora asked, "I wonder if anyone rode the train this morning?"

Before the adults finished their coffee, another man entered the restaurant and approached their table. Harry grinned and stood to greet the man, hugging him about the waist, "Andrew! What are you doing in France?"

"I came to see you and your family," the Cursebreaker replied. Glancing at Ted and Andromeda, Andrew added, "There's been a development I want to tell you about before you see tomorrow's Daily Prophet."

Motioning toward the strangers at the table, Andromeda said, "These are the Grangers. Their daughter would have been on the train with Dora and Harry today, and we can include them in our conversation."

The group left the restaurant after Ted paid the bill despite Daniel's objections and returned to the hotel where the Tonks family was staying. The clerk at the front desk arranged for the family and friends to use a private meeting room that was not used that evening.

"Will you need anything, sir? Coffee or tea, perhaps?"

"No, thank you," Ted replied politely before closing the door. Not ten seconds later, Ted and Andromeda pulled out their wands and cast detection spells for listening devices (Muggle and Magical), locking spells on the windows and doors and reinforcing the floors, walls, and windows against attack.

Then, the most amazing thing occurred – a complete coffee and tea service appeared on the table next to a large sofa. Harry said, "Thanks, Dobby!"

"Who did that?" asked Emma Granger. "Was that magic?"

"Yes," Dora said with a grin. Turning toward Harry, she continued, "Hey, Scruffy, there's hot chocolate here for you and your girlfriend."

Blushing, Harry replied, "She's not my…Dora, be nice, or I'll ask Dobby to find that guy from the first day on the beach. Uncle Ted scared him off that day, but your mum wanted a turn. Wouldn't that be fun to watch again?"

Raising her hands in surrender, Dora said, "Peace, little brother. Peace! You don't fight fair."

Ted cleared his throat, and the two teenagers fell silent while they served all the adults and the visiting girl with coffee or tea. Dora fixed the hot chocolates for Harry and Hermione, and Harry fixed his 'sister's' tea. Once everyone was seated, Andromeda said, "Daniel and Emma Granger, and Hermione, our friend here is Andrew Poppins, a talented Cursebreaker from Magical USA who has been working at Gringotts in London this summer."

"Poppins? Like in the story?" asked Hermione.

Emma placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder and ordered, "Wait."

"Andrew was the first wizard to help me that first day in Diagon Alley and at the bank," Harry explained. "He helped bring Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Ted to meet me."

"Miss Granger, some of my grandmother's adventures were turned into a wonderful children's story that she enjoyed very much," Andrew explained. "She was British but had immigrated to Magical USA when she married my grandfather. She returned to Britain to work while he fiddled around with some projects for the government."

"That's so interesting," Hermione said.

Ted asked, "So, what's the news that brought you all the way to the south of France tonight?"

Taking a deep breath, Andrew replied, "The Dark Lord and his Death Eaters struck today. They knocked the Hogwarts Express off the tracks while it passed along a long length of pastureland. The engineer and his assistant were killed, but there wasn't anyone else on the train."

Dora went to her mother to be held, "Harry and I would have been on that train today."

"But you weren't!" Andromeda whispered as she held her daughter. "My children weren't there."

"We're never going back to Britain," Daniel said as his wife held their daughter, and Ted comforted Harry before Andromeda pulled them into a family embrace.

END of CHAPTER Author Notes on Goblin Curses:

There are several goblin curses used in this story. They do not have English translations because they deal with human mating practices as imagined by adolescent goblins who have only met a few wizards and generally never seen a witch in their lifetimes.

Sturrdel: (Mild obscenity dealing with a wizard confusing mating with breathing).

Sturrdel-Gryhiglzehwe (Aggravated obscenity: A wizard confuses a boggart with a witch, attempts to mate, and asks a goblin for directions).

Phvyhgs-Sturrdel-Gryhiglzehwe (Most obscene: A wizard confuses one or more boggarts, or trolls with one or more witches, and attempts to mate with some level of success).

Phvyhgs- (Humorous obscenity: Human males approaching a boggart and attempting to mate).