What Your Parents Didn't Tell You
Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter.
There was a dead silence after Kingsley gave the news. It was impossible, there was no way this could be happening. Harry blinked once, sure he had misheard.
"Gone?" he asked quietly. "What do you mean, gone?"
"Just what I said," Kingsley replied, his hands clasping together. "Dumbledore's body hasn't been abused in any way. It's clear that the Elder Wand was the only thing that mattered."
"Do you think it's a Death Eater we haven't gotten to yet?" Ron asked, his face deathly white. His hand has fisting in his pocket, fingers clenching around his wand as though the perpetrator was in the house. "Someone who wants to follow in their old master's footsteps?"
"It can't be," Hermione said, looking extremely shaken at the news. "There's still a large majority of the Wizarding population that believes that the Tale of the Three Brothers is just a fairy tale. Besides, Voldemort didn't confide in his followers, he operated alone for the most part."
"But, Hermione, someone must have found out about the Hallows," Harry cut in, his hand automatically going up to touch his lightning bolt scar. He shouldn't have done it really, there was no pain, there hadn't been for twenty-one years, but he couldn't help it. "Probably someone like Rita Skeeter did some digging and let slip to a Death Eater about them. Or maybe it was a Death Eater who found out themselves and is trying to make themselves into another Voldemort." He looked back at Kingsley, who was studying the trio carefully. "Is there anyone who was in the Order or in the Ministry who might have found out?"
"None but you three, Ginny, myself, and Minerva know about the Hallows' existence. We are all very careful not to give anything away."
"Security breach in the Ministry, then?" The minister's face darkened.
"It's possible," he said slowly. "I know we've taken great pains to keep security functioning efficiently but even the best organizations can be penetrated if the enemy keeps at it diligently and long enough." Kingsley frowned, obviously displeased at the possible laxness of his Ministry security team. "But we can deal with that later. What I'm most concerned about, Harry, is that whoever this person is, is going to try to get to you." Harry blinked, momentarily confused.
"Me?" Both Ron and Hermione gave a scoff of disbelief.
"Of course you, Harry!" Ron exclaimed. "You've got one of the Hallows, remember?"
"Harry, this person is going to try to get your Invisibility Cloak!" Hermione said. "And they are very likely to do anything to get at it!" Suddenly, Harry had a sickening vision of Ginny, James, Albus, and Lily all lying dead at home at the hands of some raving mad Dark wizard. Just like his parents…no, he could not let that happen to him. Not again. Shaking his head, Harry sat up straight, his resolve steeling.
"What about the Stone? I know I mentioned dropping it on the grounds, but let's be honest, the grounds are extensive. How can a single person find it?"
"If they can get past Hogwarts security, break into Dumbledore's tomb, and steal the Death Stick without getting caught, then they could find the Resurrection Stone without any trouble," Kingsley said darkly. "I know some of the history books have ventured a guess that you dropped it around Aragog's old nest, especially since so called 'researchers' have been poking around that area." Ron's ears went scarlet red as they usually did when he was stressed.
"Ok, so let's say that whoever this bloke is, he's got the Elder Wand and the Stone and now he's planning to get the Cloak. We can try to track him, right? He must have left something behind on accident, something that might identify him." It was here that Kingsley hesitated, which made Harry uncomfortable. Hermione glanced at him and sensing his discomfort, asked for him,
"What is it, Kingsley?" He was not looking at her or at Ron, but straight at Harry with a look that Harry didn't like. Kingsley, in the first time in Harry's memory, was looking uncertain and worried; that was too much, and Harry took in a shaky breath. This wasn't right, Kingsley was the one who always remained calm and never gave a hint to any emotional turmoil he might have brewing underneath. Finally, after a moment of uncomfortable silence, the black man reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out what looked like a tattered piece of paper.
"Something was found. Which is the main reason I called you here, Harry." He handed it to Harry, and Ron and Hermione huddled around to see better, and Harry felt his heart leap quite suddenly into his throat, only to plummet back down just as quickly.
It was an old photograph, a Wizarding photograph, for the people in the picture were moving. They appeared to be somewhere on the Cornish coast, quite possibly on summer holiday. But their faces didn't have the happy, carefree expressions one would normally expect when on holiday. The photographed people looked rather solemn, as though they had a great weight on their shoulders, their hair blowing rather pathetically in the sea wind.
For the first time in his life, Harry was looking at a rather serious and darker version of James and Lily Potter.
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