The Unbreakable Vow 30
by
Ash Darklighter
It all belongs to JK Rowling and I thank her for her inspiration – There are no galleons to be made from me or by me. This little story is my first Harry Potter fic. It is AU and of course comments are welcome. I am also grateful for all the people who have read and reviewed this story. I am quite stunned by all the positive comments.
As always my thanks to Tad and Mona for their help.
The behaviour patterns of dark wizards never ceased to amaze Nymphadora Tonks but why they would hit such a small town with no major magical connections just didn't make sense. There had to be another reason. She would make her official report later but she had a hunch she wanted to follow first. As the last of the wizards investigating the disturbance popped back to wherever they had come from she decided to hang around a little longer.
There was something about the neat dispatch of Bletchly Flipkin that made her auror's aura twitch.
Kingsley Shacklebolt finished making notes on a large piece of parchment. He gave it a tap with his wand and it promptly rolled itself up and disappeared. He looked around for his young colleague and fellow Order of the Phoenix member and spotted her behind the Christmas tree staring at the spot where they'd come across one Bletchly Flipkin, his Death Eater status confirmed by the presence of the usual 'snake and skull' tattoo on his left arm.
"You coming, Tonks?" called the tall black auror. "Everything's done. The muggles have all been obliviated and where necessary had their memories modified. They now think that a group of disaffected youths ran amok and ruined the Christmas market."
"Later," she called back, her eyes apparently fixed on one of the gaudily decorated shop displays. "There's a shop back there selling something I think my father might like as a Christmas present. Believe me, he's murder to shop for. If I see something that will do for him I just get it and the problem is solved. Anyway, I'm off duty now but I'll pop my report in sometime tomorrow."
"That would be good. We'll see what we can get from Flipkin without the Veritaserum but I'm not holding my breath that he'll cooperate fully with the MLE. Apparently, he's not one of the 'Inner Circle' and therefore I'm not expecting to find out anything of any value."
Tonks frowned. "Maybe not but surely he would know why he was here?"
"That would be something – that's if there is a reason. We'll have to get permission from Amelia if we want to use Veritaserum and then there are all sorts of legalities to go through although it could be worth it." Kingsley pulled the edges of his muggle-style jacket together. "Enjoy your shopping."
Tonks grinned. "They'll never believe it – my parents, that is. I'm usually so disorganised and last-minute about things like that."
Kingsley gave a deep chuckle. "It goes with the job. The things like shopping can often fall by the wayside. If you see anything for me, I'm sure I'll like whatever you're getting for me - especially if involves the words 'fire' and 'whisky'. I'll probably see you at headquarters tomorrow."
"You think you deserve a gift for all those late shifts you made me work?" Tonks grinned at her boss. "Has Dumbledore called a meeting?"
"Not yet," he murmured with a smile. "But by using my superior divination skills, I would guess that there might be one very soon." He slipped into the shadows of the large church, sketched her a wave and apparated away.
Tonks was left standing behind the Christmas tree where one of the lights flickered wildly and swung back and forth on its thin wire. She walked slowly around the now quiet area. The clean-up and obliviation team had done an efficient job as usual. Blending into the shadows around the church steps she brought out her wand and, laying it flat on the palm of her hand, said quietly, "point me, Ginny Weasley." This spell had its limitations but if Ginny was as close as she thought she was, it could prove beneficial. The wand spun and jerked in her grasp before settling in the direction of a young woman with long dark curls hurrying past the large circular fountain.
Tonks gave a silent gasp. That was Ginny Weasley? She peered through the gathering gloom at the young woman. The hair was long and dark, spilling from a knitted woollen cap over her shoulders to her waist. The Weasley red hair was so distinctive that it would have made people take notice, thought Tonks. It was a simple but effective disguise and coming from a metamorphmagus that was quite a compliment.
She hadn't expected to have her hunch confirmed so quickly, if at all. Blurring her features into that of an older woman and her hair to a nondescript brown, she continued to watch the girl's progress as she made her way over the cobbled street. Before she could approach Ginny, the younger witch reached two woman who were standing and chatting, one of them with a child in a pushchair. She heard them greet one another before Ginny bent down to drop a kiss on the child's cheek.
"Did you see what happened?" asked one of the women – a pretty blonde wrapped up in a warm coat.
"No, not much. I got stuck in the chemist's. I could hear quite a bit and it sounded awful," Ginny replied. "I was ready to crawl under the makeup counter."
"It was awful," said the blonde woman. "Imagine, those idiots almost knocking over the Christmas tree. They should be locked up or made to do community service for a long time. All they wanted to do was cause trouble."
"The tree seems to be alright now," murmured Ginny, her eyes tracking the twenty foot tree right to the star on top.
"Yes, they fixed it very quickly," the blonde agreed.
"So they should. It's Christmas." Ginny fixed her gaze on the child in the push chair. Tonks had to strain to hear her as she bent over the sleeping child and adjusted the woolly hat he wore. "Was he...?"
"Slept all the way through it," said the second woman with a chuckle.
"Well, he'd better wake up soon or he'll never sleep tonight." She smiled down at the child. "Hey, sweetheart...you need to wake up. Ennervate!"
"What did you say?" asked the dark-haired woman.
Ginny chuckled. "I just told him that he'd need to wake up. Look..."
Small hands clothed in striped, knitted mittens waved in the air and the woman all laughed.
There was more conversation before the pushchair was transferred to Ginny who, with a final wave to the other two, walked away in the opposite direction.
Tonks blinked and hastened to follow. Ginny had to be looking after the child for the evening. The auror could hear her singing and talking to the child as they made their way up one of the side streets. She quickened her steps, taking extra care not to trip over her own feet. Her reputation for clumsiness was not unfounded but it all seemed to vanish in battle when she showed true grace.
Ginny headed for the car park, singing quietly to Jamie as she did so, trying to banish her lingering sense of unease. It was a long time since she'd felt so exposed and so close to her real world. This brought the danger she'd been able to ignore for so long back with a vengeance. She moved quickly, eager to reach the door into the car park. It was the unexpected feeling of a wand against her neck that was the only other warning that she was not the only non-muggle around.
"If I wasn't a friend," a low voice murmured, "you would be in a lot more trouble, Ginny Weasley. What happened to 'Constant Vigilance?'"
Ginny's mind went momentarily blank before feeling a strange tightness squeeze at her chest. She fought the feelings of dizziness and terror, her mind switching to calculating as she turned her head and met the steely gaze of a dumpy, middle-aged woman she'd never met in her life – one whose features were morphing before her very eyes.
The strange woman was replaced by the familiar sight of a head of shocking pink hair, surrounding a heart-shaped face.
"Tonks," Ginny managed to squeeze out through dry lips. They could all be in serious trouble now.
"Hello, Ginny."
There was an awkward silence as both women stared at one another under the yellow glow of the street lamp. It was almost dark now – the days were short as far north as they were at this time of year.
"You're well?" asked Ginny stiltedly.
"Yes, but making polite conversation isn't what I want to do to you right now," snapped the auror.
"You want to hex me six ways from Sunday?" A tinge of amusement entered Ginny's voice. "It's not a good idea as I would have to retaliate and we're in a muggle street."
"No, I suppose not." Tonks didn't quite know what to say or do. The Auror training manual hadn't covered this situation.
"How did you manage to find me?" Ginny asked eventually, easing her wand into her hand. She could obliviate Tonks and make a run for it - or she could try. Tonks was gripping her own wand with the intent to use it if Ginny tried anything silly.
"A hunch," said Tonks with a shrug. "A hunch and a captured Death Eater who'd been hit with a Bat-bogey hex, followed by a stunning spell."
"What has that to do with me?" Ginny didn't think that she could fool Tonks - the auror was far from stupid - but still, she had to try.
Tonks gave her one of those 'Are you off your trolley' kind of looks. "The Bat-bogey hex is a Weasley speciality. Bill taught it to you before you went to Hogwarts. I don't know many other wizards with that particular spell as part of their regular arsenal. Yours is particularly powerful."
"You got lucky." Ginny dismissed. "Didn't you have aurors cleaning things up?"
"Yes, but I was quite certain that death eater had been hit before any of us arrived. My hunch has paid off, Ginny. You're standing here in front of me. That's proof enough."
"Oh!" Ginny looked nonplussed for a moment. "So what are you going to do about it?"
"Nothing...yet. I didn't tell anyone what I saw today but I will have to make a report by tomorrow."
"It doesn't give me very much time to decide what to do," Ginny muttered bitterly. Once she would have attacked and made a run for it but she couldn't do that with Jamie and there was the new baby to think about. However if there was no other choice then she would fight.
"You can chat about it with Harry...perhaps."
"H...Harry!" Ginny's eyes widened. "Why would I be able to chat with Harry?" She gave a laugh but it sounded strained. "You think Harry's with me? It's ridiculous. Why? I haven't seen Harry since I left..."
"Harry gave Remus the information about the attack," Tonks explained, her shrewd eyes taking note of every nuance of expression on the younger witch's face.
"Harry did?"
Tonks nodded grimly. "Harry did and it's not 'ridiculous' at all. Harry was in love with you and would have done anything to help you escape from Malfoy. In fact, he did help you escape from Malfoy as it would have been almost impossible for you to do this on your own."
"Are you saying that I'm helpless?" Ginny asked in outrage.
"Don't be stupid, Ginny. I've seen you in combat situations. But you are a pureblood witch and have never lived as a muggle. I've never lived as a muggle even though my father is muggle-born – I've never had to. Remus got a tip-off from a friend saying there was someone who looked like Harry in his shop. Remus checked up on it and it was Harry all right. While he was there, someone – a female - contacted Harry to tell him about the arrival of the Death Eaters. I think you were the contact because Remus felt that the voice was familiar. I acted on my hunch and here you are."
"You've no real proof," Ginny declared.
"Of course I do," snapped Tonks. "You and your reactions are the proof."
There was a whimper from the pushchair as Jamie, having been ignored for too long, in his nineteenth-month-old opinion, as the two witches talked, made his presence felt. Ginny immediately dropped to her knees. "Ssh, sweetheart." She looked up at Tonks. "I don't think we should stay out in the open any longer. The temperature is dropping."
Tonks muttered a quick warming spell under her breath. "I would agree. Where are we going to go to talk this over?"
She shook her head as she made a decision, hoping that her husband wouldn't be too annoyed at this development. But her reckless Gryffindor husband needed to be given the same wake-up call that she'd just experienced. How long would it be before Dumbledore had the Order staking out the town centre? How long would it be before the wizarding world encroached upon their safe little lives? Their real lives were calling to them more strongly than ever. "You found me. What's the chance that someone else might make the connection that quickly, too? You'd better come with me." Reluctance dripped from every syllable.
"Where?" The young auror gave Ginny a doubtful look. "Is that wise?"
"For you it's a question of trust, perhaps, and for me it's necessity." Ginny looked at Tonks, her gaze deliberately sliding to the wand in the auror's hand. "You're not going to let me go without answers and I am not prepared to keep Jamie out in the cold air any longer." She scowled. "You're going to have to come home with me."
Tonks shot a look at the infant in the chair. It was difficult to get a proper look at it owing to the mound of clothing it was bundled up in. "Can't you return the kid to whomever it belongs to?" she asked. "And is it a boy or a girl?"
Ginny's mouth dropped open. "Return the kid!" she echoed, drawing herself up proudly. "I don't want to return him. That would be really hard to do as he's my son – not an 'it'." Ginny waited for the knut to drop.
Nymphadora Tonks could honestly swear that she heard ringing in her ears. "Y...your son?"
The situation was kind of amusing, Ginny thought. "Whose son did you think he was? Did you wonder why I was walking around with a pushchair? I'm not doing it for kicks, I can tell you. I assure you, Tonks, I didn't kidnap him. He's my son and I'm taking him home. You can come with me or stay here." She stood up and turned around, glaring at the metamorphmagus. "That's your choice. My car is this way. And if you come with me there's no magic until I say so."
"But, Ginny..."
"It's up to you. If you want your information that's the deal," Ginny stated firmly.
Numbly, Tonks followed the younger witch towards a small red car fitted with a child's safety seat and watched as Ginny lifted the child from the pushchair. The child chuckled and waved his tiny arms, his fingers grasping for his mother's curls.
"He's always been a good baby," Ginny confessed awkwardly, pulling Jamie's hands from her hair with a wince, "apart from the occasional magical tantrum or two. He knows what he wants but he doesn't always get what he wants."
"Hence the magical tantrums," put in Tonks, staring in fascination at the child's thick dark lashes framing familiar green eyes. She would bet every last sickle in her next salary that the child was Harry's. "Ginny..."
"I'm a very good mother," the younger witch said.
Tonks held her hands up in surrender. "I never said that you weren't but Ginny..." She stopped, gathering her thoughts before ploughing on. "Merlin! He looks like..."
Ginny finished strapping Jamie into the car seat, collapsed the pushchair and stowed it in the boot. "Don't say anything else. Not here and not now," she said fiercely. "Wait until we get out of here and I hope you're the only witch or wizard hanging around."
Tonks' hair darkened to a vivid purple. "They all left apart from me, I promise you. And, as I said, I'm not expected back at HQ with my report until tomorrow."
"Don't make promises you cannot keep," snapped Ginny. "Get in and fasten your seatbelt. I want to get home. I've had a hell of a day." She moved around the car and climbed into the driver's seat, pulling the door closed with an angry click. "Well...?"
Tonks gave a swift glance around the almost deserted car park and moved into the seat next to Ginny. "I'm in."
"Fasten your seat belt," muttered Ginny as she started the ignition and steered the car out of the car park.
"You're driving like a muggle!" Tonks exclaimed in astonishment. "How do I...? Oh, I see." She pulled her belt across her body and fastened it with a faint click.
Ginny's lip curled. "How else am I supposed to drive? Apparitions can be traced. I've been living like a muggle for nearly five years and it's a muggle car."
Tonks gave a rueful chuckle and stared at the controls with interest. "I never really considered that."
"Car!" Jamie chanted from the back seat.
"Is he really...?" Tonks stuttered to a stop.
Ginny cast her another amused look. "His name is Jamie, he's nineteen months old and, yes, he's really mine. I wouldn't go back to life without him."
"Ginny..."
"I'm usually called Jenny around here. It's close enough to my real name but different enough to make it hard to find me. It's been over five years..."
"But... a child, Ginny?"
"Why not?" Ginny grinned. "We chose to have him – it wasn't an accident. Yes, we've been hiding but we refuse to stop living. He's a proper boy and he likes anything that moves. Cars, lorries, tractors..." There was a garbled shout of something that might have been the word 'tractor' from the little boy and he continued to talk cheerful nonsense to himself for the rest of the journey. "We're a family," she stated firmly.
Ginny drove out of the town over the railway bridge, heading to the south past neat little houses with cheerful Christmas lights shining in the dark. Tonks noted that she seemed at ease behind the wheel, her movements deft and sure. "Where are we going?"
"We don't live in town," Ginny said. "There are too many people around. The house is quite isolated and we like it that way."
"What about Harry?" pleaded Tonks, hoping the other witch might let something slip now that they were alone. She'd said 'we' and that could just have meant her and the child but she didn't really think that. "Do you know where he is? I'm on your side, Ginny."
But Ginny refused to say anything about Harry until they reached a safer location which for the Potters was behind goblin and blood-based wards. Instead, she gave Tonks what she considered to be more useful information. "When the Death Eaters apparated into town, I thought at first that they had finally found me. But I was wrong. They weren't looking for me at all. They were searching for Snape. He's done something to piss them off."
Tonks looked at Ginny's profile. "Snape!"
"Yes. Our surly Death Eater turned spy. They thought he was dead but when they failed to find a body they decided that he's not as dead as they thought he was and they're looking for him," Ginny murmured, flicking the indicator as she turned off the main road into a smaller one. "Probably to finish off the job they started. He's a marked man in more ways than the obvious one." The car trundled down the slightly bumpy road until they took another turn-off with an arrow sign marked 'Shielhill'. Ginny slowed the car to a stop and turned her head to look at Tonks. Even Jamie had ceased his cheerful chatter and was watching the adults, sensitive to the strange shift in mood between them. "If they do find out where he is, then I don't give much hope for his chances of staying alive."
"Why have we stopped here?" Tonks could only see darkness ahead of her. The road was narrow with overhanging trees stretching out on either side. There was no comforting sign of any human habitation.
Ginny ignored the question and turned her head to look at Tonks. "You said that you had a report to complete. What will you put in it? Who will you tell?"
Tonks sighed. "Your family for one – they've been so worried about you and Molly will love Jamie. I should also tell the Order – most of your family are in the Order - and of course, that means Dumbledore..."
"What about the Ministry?" Ginny's voice was careful. The Ministry meant that her brother, Percy, and the Malfoy family would find out. She knew that the marriage contract was worthless but if Lucius still had the Ministry in his pocket, then she was still in danger.
Tonks knew what Ginny was thinking. "I could arrange to leave them out of it for the time being. No one has to know that there was an extra witch in town. I could discuss it with Kingsley."
"You can't tell anyone where we are," Ginny said quietly. "If you do, then history will repeat itself. I must protect my family – I must protect my son."
"Ginny..." Tonks shook her head.
"You will find it rather difficult, if not impossible, to give away our location but just knowing anything puts us all at risk. Here." Ginny jabbed at the overhead light with a sharp finger and thrust a slip of paper into Tonks' hand. "Read this."
"Harry, Ginny and Jamie Potter live at Shielhill Cottage," read Tonks, her words slowing in dawning surprise. "Married!" she exclaimed. "You and Harry are married and live under a Fidelius and..."
"Yes." Ginny said shortly. She snapped off the light and started the car again. Ahead, a set of large metal gates gleamed against the car's headlights.
"They weren't there before...those gates...and now they are," breathed Tonks. "It's just like Grimmauld Place."
Ginny pressed a switch on the dashboard of her car and the gates swung smoothly open.
"Was that magic?"
"Nah. Harry got one of those remote control thingies. It's electric – muggle magic." Ginny gave a relaxed chuckle as the gates swung closed behind them. "I don't really understand how it works but I aim the gadget at the gates and they open. No gadget and they stay shut." The car continued to trundle its way up the bumpy drive, the headlights lighting up the edges of the trees. "Here we are," Ginny announced, thankfulness in her voice as she turned off the engine. "Home."
Tonks climbed from the car, breathed in the crisp, clean air and took in the appearance of the cottage. "It's lovely, Ginny."
"It is, I agree." The lights shining in the windows gave the place a welcoming air. "We've been very happy here and that's going to continue," she finished fiercely. "This is our home. Harry and I married four years ago and that's the way we're going to stay."
"Of course," agreed Tonks, although inside she wondered. There were a lot of things stacked against the happiness of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley and now that there was a child in the mix... She gave a sigh. She needed to talk to someone like Kingsley or Remus. There was no guarantee that they would know what to do but at least they could try and work something out. She never thought that Harry and Ginny would go against the Ministry contract and get married. There was no telling what the Malfoys would do once this became common knowledge. "Ginny, are you sure this is the right thing to do? There could be real trouble for the three of you. You've brought a child into this."
Ginny unlocked the door and ushered Tonks inside. Jamie was placed on the floor, divested of his outdoor clothing and left to toddle towards his toys.
Ten minutes later, Tonks had had the tour of the house and was sitting at the large kitchen table nursing a cup of tea as they watched Jamie wander around the room on slightly unsteady legs, clutching something soft and furry that may have resembled a dragon. "This is not a wizarding home," she commented lightly. "Reminds me of my Granny Tonks place except more up-to-date. My dad was raised muggle...but you're a witch, Ginny."
"I'm a witch living as a muggle, remember?" murmured Ginny, with an anxious glance at the clock. Harry shouldn't be long she hoped. "No magic."
"You've really been doing that?" asked Tonks. "Living as a muggle?"
"Yes." Ginny gave a little shrug. "Harry was used to living as a muggle and I learned from him – even after five years I have to be careful. Dumbledore..." She gave a sneer that would have made Snape proud. "Dumbledore sent him to his awful relatives every summer."
"Were they really that bad?" Tonks clutched her mug tightly, suddenly feeling chilled.
"Worse," stated Ginny succinctly. "But that's all in the past. Harry's never going near them again. He's twenty-five for Merlin's sake, not twelve, and Dumbledore should remember that. This house has kept us safe for four years and that was before the wards went up."
Jamie made his way to Ginny and held up his arms. "Up!" he announced.
"James Arthur Potter, you are such a nosy parker," Ginny said lovingly as she plonked the child upon her lap. "You just want to hear what's going on, don't you? This is Auntie Nymphadora..."
"Ginny..."
"Auntie Nymphadora is a metamorphmagus, Jamie. It's a very long word which means that Auntie Dora can do funny things with her face. Maybe if you're a good boy then she'll show you." Ginny smiled at her son, who giggled up at her.
"Why, Ginny, why?" whispered Tonks as she stared at the young witch cuddling the child. "Why go against the contract. Your magic..." Ron's question from the last Order meeting surfaced in her mind. "What happens if Harry doesn't want to come home?"
"No one had the right to take me from Harry," snapped Ginny. "No one. Harry's been used from the moment of his birth. I know of very few people who have put Harry first for the right reasons apart from Sirius and myself. Dumbledore can take his 'greater good' and shove it where a Lumos wouldn't work. Harry's magic..."
"I heard about the spell," Tonks interrupted hastily. "Dumbledore finally told us what happened and don't call me Nymphadora."
Ginny's eyes widened. "He told you? The old man actually told you?"
"Too many people were asking questions. He explained why Harry lost his magic but was unwilling to divulge the exact spell. I don't think he had any choice in telling us, really. Fleur had heard about the spell from her 'Defence Against the Dark Arts' classes at Beauxbatons and was quite happy to share all that she knew."
Ginny laughed derisively. "Oh! The headmaster wouldn't be too happy about that. He would suddenly think that we're all off to practise the most foul 'Dark Arts' curses on the next unsuspecting Slytherin that we meet." Jamie wriggled in her grasp and she placed him back down on his feet murmuring softly, "Your toys are through there, darling."
Tonks watched the little boy wander off before turning back to the younger witch. "Some of the Order members got very upset on your behalf – your brother, Ron, for one."
"A bit late now," Ginny muttered cynically. The time they'd needed the help was five years ago. "Hell, Tonks," she bit out angrily. "Harry should have been taken care of properly from the moment his parents died. I could understand the need to keep him away from fame and those in the Ministry who would use him for their own agendas but to completely abandon him in the way that he did, Dumbledore treated Harry like a weapon, not a child. When Harry's magic deserted him, he was given no other choice but to live in the muggle world - forcibly if need be. I was going to be sold to the nearest Death Eater to bolster my brother, Percy's, ambitions. Oh, and perhaps I could spy on my new 'husband's' Death Eater family while I was there. No one apart from Harry and perhaps the twins, tried to do anything to help me. I encouraged them because I wasn't willing to tamely succumb to that particular fate."
"You said it yourself. Harry was used to life as a muggle."
Ginny snorted. "Yes, but Dumbledore," she spat, "wasn't going to let him choose where he was sent. He was going to gently persuade his aunt and uncle to give him cupboard space once more."
"That was mentioned," Tonks admitted. "But not about a cupboard."
"Harry spent ten years of his life with a pokey cupboard-under-the-stairs as a bedroom until he got his Hogwarts letter," Ginny snarled between clenched teeth. "Dumbledore never checked up on him once to see how his relatives were treating him. After he received his Hogwarts letter, the Dursleys grudgingly gave him his cousin's second bedroom."
Tonks' mouth dropped open in shock. "But Harry's an adult now. Surely..."
"Dumbledore has his ways, like Voldemort, of ensuring compliance."
The metamorphmagus paled, her hair reverting momentarily to a dull mousy brown. "He wouldn't."
Ginny sneered. "Wouldn't he? If it was all for the greater good - wouldn't he? Never mind that it wasn't for Harry's good."
"I...I..." Tonks closed her mouth looking defeated. The headmaster had practically admitted that very thing to the Order.
"Well?"
There were many ways in the wizarding world of ensuring compliance as they both knew.
Tonks swallowed. "I'm sorry. If it makes anything any better, the Headmaster appeared to be truly unhappy about it all."
"I'm sure he is." Ginny's voice was hard. "You know what the prophecy says. It wouldn't stop Dumbledore from doing the exact same thing all over again. We did not want to give him the chance. Dumbledore did not help Harry when he was cursed."
"I knew that Harry still loved you five years ago," Tonks admitted quietly. "I could see you circling one another – getting closer and closer. He only broke up with you to save you from harm."
"I know that. Harry and I love one another too deeply to remain apart. That is why we did what we did. It was for the same reason. I let him break up with me until he was ready for us to be together permanently. He was the one I wanted and he was the one I was going to get. I know my husband – I always have. My brother Percy's actions pushed us back together quicker than anticipated." Ginny's smile turned wicked. "Maybe I should send him a letter of thanks. But, as you know, magic leaves a trace so I had to live as a muggle also and that was a lot more difficult."
"But Harry's magic - how bad is it?"
"Not so dead as some might think." Ginny's mouth curved into a chilly smile. "Don't get me wrong, Harry's situation was extremely serious. But I'll let him tell you all about it himself. He shouldn't be long," she muttered as she glanced up at the clock on the wall. "And I'm not sure how happy he'll be that you're here."
"Where is he?"
"At work, actually. Some conference or other. He doesn't usually work on a Saturday – something to do with a new computer system."
Tonks took note of the information. "You need to tell your family that you're safe and well."
"I suppose I do." Ginny gave a smirk that Tonks didn't understand.
"Ginny, they still don't know that you're alive. They've been worried..."
There was a sudden ringing sound from the corner of the kitchen. "Excuse me, Tonks, that's probably my husband ringing now." She headed for the telephone and picked up the receiver, placing it against her ear. "Where are you?" Her face lit up. "Good. I'll put the potatoes on."
"Harry?" asked Tonks as Ginny replaced the receiver.
Ginny nodded. "He'll be here in half-an-hour. He's just dropped off his colleague and is on his way home."
"The Order will really step up their efforts to find Harry now," Tonks warned. "You've given them too many clues and they know where to look."
"That's nothing we didn't expect," Ginny murmured with a shrug of her shoulders. "We knew we were going to have to come out into the open at some point. Normal muggle life as we knew it will cease."
"The Order managed to see some of Snape's impressions of his rescue," Tonks offered. "Snape thought at first that Harry was James Potter coming to guide him into the afterlife."
Ginny dropped the potato she'd started to peel into the sink. "You are joking!"
Tonks smile was evil. "No, I'm not. The wizard he hated almost as much as You-know-who was the first person to welcome him to his 'next great adventure'? Then he eventually realised that it was Harry and not James?"
"How?"
"His eyes. He has...his mother's eyes."
Ginny located her lost vegetable and finished peeling it. "That's some sense of poetic irony. Snape would have been crosser than a bat caught in a pile of hippogriff dung at the thought of Harry saving his life."
"Flobberworm innards," muttered Tonks. "The amount of the disgusting slimy things I had to dissect for him during detentions." She looked up at Ginny, her tone wry. "My natural grace manifested itself many times during Potions. I lost Hufflepuff many points."
"I didn't know you were in Hufflepuff," Ginny said as she started rummaging in the freezer for the pie she'd made last week.
"I suppose you thought I was in Gryffindor?" Tonks watched with interest as Ginny cooked in a completely muggle fashion.
"Well, yes. But it doesn't matter which house you were in at school."
Tonks shook her head. "Have you had that conversation with your brother? He still thinks all Slytherins are embryonic Death Eaters."
Ginny made a face. "True. Ron is a stubborn, thick git on that subject. But Harry and I just think of Pettigrew and that he was in Gryffindor. We're not saying that we like Snape but you can't help admiring the man's courage. It can't have been easy doing what he had to do. He's lucky he wasn't found out long ago."
"Harry did save Snape's life – the Death Eaters left him to die." Tonks was serious. "Dumbledore was surprised to find Snape practically gift-wrapped for the Hogwarts infirmary at the gates and, even more, did not expect Harry to be Snape's saviour. Your husband's magic has to have recovered rather better than the norm because he managed to safely portkey Snape all the way to Hogwarts and once the old man is thinking clearly he'll realise that."
"It's a horrible curse," whispered Ginny. "Horrible. It left Harry so vulnerable. But he didn't sit around doing nothing - he chose to act."
Tonks moved to the younger witch and patted her gently on the shoulder. "He's Harry Potter and has come through more difficulties than any other wizard I know. What more is there to say? Expect the impossible?" She gave a sudden grin. "I've just had a thought. Snape's still going to be mad but able to stew over it and nurture his grudge as he's still alive. He was rescued by a Potter once more. He owes Harry and he's not going to like it."
Ginny paused for a second. "I guess he does. Although my darling husband would say it was the opposite way around. Snape saved his life on more than one occasion." She fiddled with a small device with a dial on the front. "It's a timer," she said, noting Tonks' curious look. "I'm giving the pie thirty minutes to cook. Harry should be home by then. You will stay for dinner?"
Tonks nodded. "I would like to see Harry and if you're half the cook your mother is..."
"I'm not in her league," Ginny admitted, "but I'm not too bad. Harry's the better cook, if you want my honest opinion. He used to do a lot of the meal prep for those horrible relatives of his. We usually share the cooking – it's fun."
Tonks moved through to the family room to check on the child. Now that she knew who he was, the toddler couldn't be mistaken for anyone other than a Potter although there was a sweep of Ginny across his face when he smiled. "Your son is gorgeous," she said a little enviously as she returned to the kitchen.
Ginny smiled. "He is...most of the time. We're very lucky."
"Dad!" Jamie squealed and took off as fast as his little legs would carry him as the sound of the front door opening and shutting resounded through the house.
"Stay there, Tonks," Ginny ordered as the other witch stood up. "I'll tell Harry that you're here." She checked the potatoes once more and followed her son to the front hallway.
Tonks could hear Jamie's excited chatter and the soft murmur of voices before the kitchen door opened and Harry Potter stood before her with Jamie in his arms.
"Tonks," he said stiffly, placing the child back on his feet and watching him as he headed back towards his favourite toys. He watched as the witch shifted nervously, fiddling with a curly strand of hair as it shifted wildly between various lurid colours.
"Oh, Harry!" the auror cried and then leapt to her feet almost overturning the chair she'd been sitting on as she threw herself at him. "It's good to see you - really good to see you. We thought that you were dead – both of you. And now you're here with Ginny and you have a baby and..."
Harry patted her back as he looked almost helplessly over Tonks' shoulder at his silently amused wife. "It's good to see you too, Dora. How did you come to be here?"
"I was in Elgin on behalf of the Auror corps helping to sort out the scum that decided to attack the town. I followed up a little hunch I had and it led me to your wife and son. I always suspected that you and Ginny were together. You wouldn't have left her to fend for herself and..."
Harry smiled proudly at the mention of his son. "We're a proper family now," he said. "And no one is taking that family away from me. We're happy."
"Harry..." Tonks said hesitantly. "You know this idyll can't continue. You have to come back to the wizarding world. You-know-who will search for you until he finds you."
Harry's face changed. "My family comes first, Dora," he hissed warningly. "No one can take them away from me – I will not allow it. The Malfoy wedding contract is bogus. Ginny was mine long before Malfoy decided he wanted her. Ginny is mine and I am hers. We belong to one another."
Tonks looked totally bewildered. "There was another contract?" she asked.
"Harry?" Ginny slid her arm around her husband, her touch instantly calming him. "This could wait until after we've eaten."
"You're right, sweetheart," he murmured. "We may be having more company later on." He inclined his head and gave her a knowing look.
Ginny frowned and then gave a short laugh. "You think he'll understand the message?"
"I think he will. He's not stupid by any means – once he says the password then..." Harry steered his wife back into the kitchen and after he and Tonks were seated at the large, wooden table he enquired cheekily, "what's all this I hear about you and a certain werewolf?"
Tonks stared at Harry in amazement. "How did you know that? We're just really close friends...nothing much has happened. I think he likes me but he's..." She flushed.
"I'd heard that you were a lot closer than friends." Harry smirked.
"I forget that you're a grownup, Harry, and I shouldn't," Tonks muttered ruefully. Her hair shimmered briefly to blue before returning to its original pink.
"I may have lived away from the wizarding world for five years but I still have my sources and no, I'm not telling you what they are. Remus has lived for so long with his condition that he is used to pushing women away. You may have to take the initiative, Dora, and move into Grimmauld Place permanently."
"I have moved in...I think...but Remus is...." She sighed. "You're right. He tries to push me away and...and don't call me 'Dora'," Tonks snapped defensively.
Harry grinned. "I like it and it suits you. But if you prefer I could give you your full first name..." He tailed off, his eyes sparkling wickedly.
"Funny," she muttered. "Your wife has already introduced me to your son using my full name"
Harry leant forward, his face earnest. "I mean it, Tonks. Life is too short to waste. Look at what happened to my parents and to Sirius. Putting everything on hold is letting Voldemort win. If you want the old wolf then don't give him the chance or the choice."
"Goodness, Harry," Tonks murmured, a little embarrassed. "Where did all this come from?"
"Living," he said, his face serious. "Being with Ginny and Jamie, becoming a father. I really know what's at stake, Dora, because the bad guy is still out there. Ginny and Jamie are everything to me. I would die in a heartbeat if it kept them safe. Take your pick because any of these reasons count. I'm not living without love any longer."
Ginny placed steaming plates of food on the table. "Harry, go and strap Jamie into his high chair and get the apron from the top drawer." She smiled at Tonks. "Jamie is still at the stage of wearing his dinner and we want to minimise the damage."
Harry winked at Tonks and saluted his wife. "Yes dear. I may be the 'Boy-who-lived' but in this house, I'm the 'husband-who-does-what-he's-told'."
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Grimmauld Place
Remus Lupin turned the pages in his book without really reading them. He had a lot to think about. He was ensconced in the library at Grimmauld Place in his favourite armchair, a glass of port by his side and a cheerful fire crackling in the hearth. Harry. It all came back to Harry. But a Harry without magic had no chance against Voldemort.
"Remus, I thought we might have a little chat now that the Order meeting is finished," Albus Dumbledore said quietly as he entered the Grimmauld Place library. "Are you feeling any better?"
Remus turned his head and gave the Hogwarts headmaster a reserved smile. "I'm getting there, Albus. This month's transformation was particularly difficult owing to Severus being unable to make my potion after his recent difficulties with his former colleagues. It's been a while since I had to do without the calming effects of the Wolfsbane potion." He shrugged lightly. "I've grown soft under your care." He waved Albus to the other chair beside the fire.
"Nonsense, Remus. If I could have done more I would have." He levelled a serious gaze at the werewolf. "What is it you would like to say to me, Remus?"
Remus frowned. "I'm still having problems with what you did to Harry. He's had a hell of a life, Albus."
Albus's breath hitched in his throat. "I've made so many mistakes over Harry, Remus. Living with Petunia was supposed to give him a loving home as well as blood protection. I kept secrets from him because I wanted him to have a childhood. When I realised that his family did not welcome him as I'd hoped, I thought it was all for the greater good that Harry wasn't spoiled or arrogant."
The werewolf stared into the fire, his fists tightly clenched. "Do you know something? I'm sick of hearing about the 'greater good'. I want you to do something for Harry's good – just for Harry. He never had a proper childhood and that was your fault and Voldemort's fault but you could have made things better than they were and you didn't. When was the last time you saw him truly happy?"
"I..." The headmaster bowed his head.
"Because I cannot remember – I really can't remember. I pulled out my wand and actually prepared myself to stun him this afternoon. The words were on my lips."
"But you didn't say them aloud," murmured the headmaster as he stared into the softly crackling flames.
"No, because I'm not sure that I could have and he would have hated me for it." The werewolf lifted tired amber eyes. "I would have hated me for it. I'm not prepared to act against the wishes of Harry Potter for you again, Albus. Deny me Wolfsbane, refuse me employment...whatever. I should have done this a long time ago and developed a backbone. If necessary I will resign from the Order."
"Now Remus..." Albus said, dismayed. "Don't be hasty."
"No. I've had it with your greater good. Stuff Voldemort...."
"An interesting vision."
"I mean it, Albus," growled Remus.
Dumbledore held up his hands in surrender. "Peace, Remus. I do not want your resignation. Fighting amongst ourselves will aid Voldemort's cause and not our own. Severus will be well enough to start brewing Wolfsbane in time for your next transformation. All I want is to see your memory of Harry."
"The memory!" Remus exclaimed. "Why would you want to see it? I told you everything..."
Albus sighed. "You did and I trust your views about Harry but if I could see the memory for myself I might pick up something you missed."
Remus sat up stiffly. "Albus..."
"Remus," the old mage remonstrated gently. "Whatever your views on my faults I can only point out to you that Harry is still in peril. He may not want to return to us but for his own good he must. We do not know how much his magic has recovered. I do not think it can be at the level it was before Voldemort hit him with the Magisiphonoux curse."
"Can you be sure? After all, he was able to create a portkey."
"Frankly, Remus?" Albus shook his head. "No, I cannot be sure. Voldemort believes that Harry is a threat and will keep coming after him until he succeeds in killing him or Harry kills Voldemort. The portkey was only one piece of magic that we saw him perform even if it was a fairly advanced spell. If Harry hasn't enough magic to defend himself then the wizarding world is indeed doomed."
The werewolf swore. "The prophecy."
"As you said, 'the prophecy'." Albus removed something from his pocket and with a tap of his wand enlarged it. Remus blinked. The old wizard had brought his Pensieve with him.
Remus placed his wand to his temple and withdrew the thin silvery strands of memory, depositing them in the Pensieve. "Perhaps he's safer where he is," he said quietly.
"I doubt it. Voldemort has returned and will grow stronger even if the Magisiphonoux curse has drained him of some of that power. Harry cannot remain in hiding forever – he is still connected to Tom through his scar. We need to be able to protect him."
"I wish you'd listen to yourself," snapped Remus. "You were going to send him back to Petunia even though he'd come of age. He's managed to elude our every search effort for five years." But Dumbledore had already dipped his head into the memory swirling around in the Pensieve and was only focused on the images he was seeing. Remus clenched his fists tightly and then forced himself to relax.
Dumbledore lifted his head from the basin, his resigned gaze focused on the shabbily dressed wizard in front of him. "I'm glad you did not stupefy him, Remus. He does not trust easily and never has. Count yourself lucky that Harry still trusts you. Some of us are not so fortunate."
"Whose fault is that?" asked Remus pointedly.
"Alas, much of it is mine – most of it, if I am totally honest. Again, Voldemort also must take some blame." Dumbledore sat in the chair opposite Remus and gazed into the fire. "I didn't believe in Harry like I should and began to doubt as he grew to adulthood and away from my guidance. I wanted to prevent..." He sighed. "It's all potions down the drain. I will do what I can to help him succeed."
"He looked well...thin, but well," commented Remus softly. "His father was like that. Burned up all that nervous energy and never put on weight. James, however, didn't have the perpetually anxious expression that Harry wears. Even in the darkest days of the first war against Voldemort, James never looked as if he had the entire world on his shoulders."
Dumbledore sat back in his chair, long fingers steepled together. "Anderson had interesting views on Harry's employment. The boy obviously felt secure enough to go out to work like a normal muggle would."
"Yes, he thought that Harry looked like an office worker. The suit..." Remus looked at his hands for a moment. "And the wedding ring?"
Dumbledore frowned. "Yes. That's not a development I would have foreseen but such things can be checked. If it is a real marriage, not simply a gold ring on the appropriate finger, there will be paperwork somewhere. One way in which our two societies are alike is the need for form filling. I'll get Hermione on to that one."
"It's Ginny Weasley," stated Remus. "He's married Ginny or it's a pretence to aid in their disguise in the muggle world. The voice on the phone sounded familiar."
Dumbledore didn't look surprised. "Yes, I think you are correct. They had a clever plan to escape their respective difficulties and were more ingenious than even I suspected. I did not expect Harry to exhibit such patience and cunning but then, the sorting hat did want to put him in Slytherin."
Remus's mouth dropped open in shock. "Harry in Slytherin?"
Dumbledore nodded. "But he'd met Draco Malfoy in Diagon Alley and found out that Voldemort had been a member of that house. As a result he asked to be placed away from Slytherin. The Sorting Hat chose to put him in Gryffindor, which is where he truly belonged. Harry would not have risked a muggle's well-being even if he did love her." Dumbledore didn't look surprised.
"Especially if he loved her," Remus declared. "Harry has nobility down to a fine art. He stepped away from Ginny once before, regretting it all the time. He did it to keep her safe from all those who would target her because of him but some things went too far for him to let slide. He would not sacrifice the woman he loved to the danger of the Malfoys."
"It is unfortunate that she has been contracted to the Malfoys," said the headmaster thoughtfully. "They will not allow this current marriage to stand and will go to the Wizengamot to demand its dissolution. That is, if it is a real marriage."
"Unfortunate!" Remus shouted. "Albus, it's more than unfortunate. It's a tragedy for both of them. Maybe Harry had the right idea after all of leaving. If the Malfoys never get hold of either of them, there is nothing they can do and meanwhile we try and make the first decent attempt at breaking this bloody contract."
Dumbledore sighed. "I'm sorry, Remus, that I cannot give you better news."
"I never thought that you would give up," stated Remus grimly.
Dumbledore's eyes grew cold. "I have the fate of the wizarding world to think about and as the Supreme Mugwump and head of the Wizengamot I have to be seen upholding the law."
"When it suits you," gritted Remus, turning his head away. "When it hurts Harry." His cub had been abandoned and he was guilty of letting it happen. Resigning from the Order had never sounded so much like the right thing to do.
Dumbledore stared at the averted profile, his anger slipping away. "Perhaps you're right, Remus. I am not infallible. For Harry and Miss Weasley's sakes I will see what I can do. At least we can narrow down the area that we have to search for the boy. Some of the Order members could stake out the town where the attack happened. Harry must know it well; perhaps he may even work there. What did Kingsley and Miss Tonks think about it?"
Remus sighed. "I've not spoken to either of them about it yet. They were both on duty and would probably have reported back to the Ministry, although Tonks should be off duty by now." He glanced at his watch. "I'm surprised she's not here yet."
The headmaster dipped his head back into the Pensieve and watched the memory once more. "The piece of card Harry was fingering that he dropped – it looked like a muggle business card. Is there anything on it that could help us?"
Remus frowned and dug through his pockets for the small, white rectangle. "No, it's blank. Look!" He waved his wand over it. "Reveal!" he muttered, but nothing happened. He handed it to Dumbledore who ran several spells over it without success. The card remained stubbornly white.
"Alas, nothing." Albus handed the slip of cardboard back to Remus and eased himself from the chair. "These old bones of mine grow stiff," he admitted. "It's hard for me to admit that I'm not one hundred anymore." The headmaster opened the door and prepared to take his leave. "I will see you tomorrow, Remus. We must keep our spirits up. Harry has finally made contact with us which is a good sign. You will know what to do when you see him again. I am quite sure he will be in touch." The door closed leaving the werewolf alone with his thoughts.
"Yes," Remus said slowly, twisting the card between his fingers. "I will know what to do." The motion of his fingers suddenly stilled as something occurred to him. He held the innocuous piece of paper up to the light and frowned. "I will know what to do?" His mouth dropped open. "Lupin," he muttered. "You've the brains of a pygmy puff. I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he said carefully and watched with baited breath as a series of dark spirals wove themselves over the tiny square.
Hello Remus.
Harry Potter lives at Shielhill Cottage.
"Where the hell is that?" Remus stared at the writing, not noticing that on the back of the card another message was being inscribed.
This portkey will activate in less than ten seconds....
"Fu..." Remus Lupin swore as he was inexplicably sucked into the spinning vortex of sudden unexpected apparition.
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