Chapter Twelve
The sun was still setting when Harry and Co. arrived just outside Godric's Hollow. He'd Apparated side-along with Hermione, and they touched down on the hard ground; Harry feeling a bit dizzy so he put a hand on the young witch's arm to steady himself.
They were early, as planned. Harry couldn't see the little town but Hermione assured him that it was there, despite the painful ruins his eyes settled on. His parents were there; his childhood home was in there, and he couldn't even see any of it.
Bill and Fleur immediately made quick work of sending people to check their periphery, to make sure that they were indeed alone. Bill had them search for illicit traps and Fleur helped arrange people in one half of the opening in which they found themselves.
It was a type of meadow, with the grass still a strong green even as summer was ending. On any other night, it might have even been romantic.
"It's beautiful here," Ginny said, her eyes darting around as she stood between her brothers, George and Bill. She sneaked a look at Neville who merely nodded his head.
Even though Neville was still apprenticing as an Assistant Professor with Professor Sprout at Hogwarts, he could easily slip into warrior mode when needed. It was actually what Ginny seemed to love most about him. The way he protected her made her weak
at the knees, even though she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
The closer they came to the scheduled meeting time, the more anxious Harry felt. Back when he still had his magic, he would have stood right in front, wielding his wand. But now he stood just behind the first line of defense. Ron and Bill stood, poised
and alert. Hermione was to Harry's right and Luna was on his left.
Luna was, despite her ever-present bewildered look, a very fine duelist. Harry felt protected but he couldn't stop himself from feeling useless. What could he possibly offer if this whole thing turned out to be one massive elaborate trap?
At a little after nine o'clock, hooded figures began to pop into view before them. Harry had a flashback to the moment the Death Eaters had descended on the graveyard in his fourth year. He felt angry, annoyed and scared all at the same time. Why was
this happening again? Voldemort was dead. All of this fear and conspiracy and betrayal should have died with him.
Hermione took a subconscious step towards Harry, involuntarily gripping her wand tighter. Harry's eyes shifted to Hermione at his side and, without giving it much thought, he took hold of her free hand. He thought he was doing it for her but he was really
doing it for himself. He calmed her, and she kept him grounded. This was something none of them had ever faced before.
"Potter?" a voice called out from the hooded group of people.
For a moment, Harry didn't move. Nobody did. That voice. He knew it.
"Potter, step forward," the voice said again.
Hermione squeezed his hand once in support before Harry finally stepped forward, moving to stand between Ron and Bill. His eyes settled on the front of the hooded group. There was a moment as he stared at the black of their robes. The Order.
"What did you do?" the voice asked, sounding slightly disappointed. "What have you done? That prophecy was the answer to everything."
Harry doubted that, though he didn't say. He wasn't going to speak until the owner of the voice stepped forward and revealed themselves. Harry wanted to look them in the eye for this confrontation.
"Show yourself," Bill shouted, almost spitting.
Harry watched in mild horror as Andromeda Tonks stepped forward and dropped her hood. The first thing he thought about was Teddy. Teddy! Where was Teddy? He glared at her in the night sky, almost daring her to use the first-grader against him. Harry was
sure he wasn't the only one who was shocked by her presence.
"Harry," Andromeda said, her voice sounding that grandmotherly that he remembered. "How nice to see you again. I see you've brought some guests."
Harry, for the most part, felt a bit relieved that she was there. Surely she would explain what was going on, and make it all make sense to him. Because, as it stood, Harry didn't understand. "You didn't expect me to come alone, did you? I brought witnesses."
"I was glad to hear you agreed to meet with us," Andromeda began, getting through the formalities quickly. "Your actions have made what we hope to achieve very difficult. I suppose, given what you know, you expect an explanation."
"If you want to know what's really in the prophecy, yes," Harry replied coldly. His face was expressionless. Ron shifted his standing position at the sound of hostility in Harry's tone. "Why are you doing this?"
Another hooded figure stepped forward. "We planned it for a long time," Aberforth Dumbledore said, removing his own hood.
Harry looked at the man and all he saw was his Headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore. He couldn't help it. "How long?"
"Since Albus told us of this prophecy that you have destroyed. Seems to be a habit of yours, isn't it, Potter?"
Harry risked a look Neville's way but the Herbology apprentice didn't so much as bat an eyelid. "Not always on purpose," Harry said, almost shrugging. "It was quite a risk you took though, attacking us in a Muggle neighbourhood. You must really have wanted
that prophecy."
Andromeda cast her eyes downward. "That was... unfortunate, to say the least. It was never to turn so violent."
Ron stepped forward and spat out, "You used the bloody Killing Curse on us!"
Harry put a hand on his arm to calm him, kind of like what Hermione did, and it seemed to do the trick. He stepped back again, muttering obscene things under his breath.
"Like I said... unfortunate."
Harry's eyes narrowed. She was no longer sorry. In war, certain things just had to be done. It disgusted him. How had they come to this point? 'Why, Dumbledore? Why did you make this our legacy,' he thought, cynically.
"Tell us the prophecy, Harry. Word for word. We have to make plans to stop what is to come," Aberforth said, his voice booming across the meadow.
"I thought you already made plans," Harry said. "Isn't the whole reason I don't have magic part of your illustrious plan?"
"Tell us the prophecy!"
Harry sneaked a look at Ron. They'd discussed it. Harry would tell them the prophecy. They'd decided. And yet, Harry was determined not to tell them. Not now. He expected to come and have a conversation. They were supposed to help him understand,
not make it more of his fault that the whole thing was falling apart.
"You must have an idea of what you intend to do," Harry said, purposefully avoiding the prophecy. "You have to have some idea. I mean, Dumbledore wouldn't have left you without telling you what to do, right? That's all you're really doing now, aren't
you? Just going on a dead man's word!"
Aberforth stepped forward, his dark robes flailing under his unspent magic. "You will not speak of my brother that way!"
"He had no idea what he was doing!" It was Hermione, sounding angrier than Harry had ever heard her. He definitely wasn't the only one dissatisfied with this conversation. "He sent a boy looking for pieces of Voldemort's soul without even telling
him how to destroy them! A boy! What sane man would do that?"
Aberforth raised his wand in anger and Harry just held his breath. Andromeda put a hand out to stop him. In that moment, he knew that this was never going to end peacefully. A sudden hush fell over the already quiet gathering as the truth of it sunk in.
"Step back, Harry," Bill whispered, loud enough for only the green-eyed Muggle to hear.
Harry didn't move. "There is nothing you can do to stop it!" he yelled out. "You can't do anything. And now I'm the only one who can! Kind of seems like a bad idea that I'm powerless now, doesn't it?"
For a while, nobody said anything. What could they say? Harry had spoken the truth, whether they wanted to believe it or not.
"So what will you do? What have you decided? What has Dumbledore told you to do?" Harry continued to question. "Are you going to get rid of all the Muggles like they intend to get rid of you? Only all you need is to flick your wand, right? Voldemort has
already turned us all into murderers."
There was another lengthy silence, Harry's words hanging in the air like acidic mist.
"You are misguided," Andromeda shouted. "Think, Harry. Think about how important this is. Open your eyes. We have to protect ourselves from the likes of those who intend to destroy us."
Harry's insides churned. Did that include him? From that, he gathered that taking his powers was what they settled for and he should have been grateful. Harry was not supposed to have survived the Final Battle, and they would have made sure of it. Someone
must have pleaded for his life.
"Join us," Andromeda said. "Don't make the same mistake my daughter and that husband of hers did."
That made Harry's breath catch. What? His eyes searched for Andromeda's in the darkness, hoping to find something he could hold onto. Instead, he found something cold. "What did you do to them?" Harry asked, his voice coming out as a screech.
"They didn't believe in our plan," she said flatly. "Lupin was convinced you would stay on our side. He wanted you to keep your magic. He fought to stop the ritual. But, in the end, he paid the ultimate price for turning against the Order."
Harry couldn't even believe what he was hearing. This had to be some warped dream or something. Wake up! Wake up, Harry. But Harry knew it wasn't a dream. Even his dreams couldn't have predicted something like this. "You killed them," he said
hatefully. "Your own daughter. Teddy's parents. You just... how could you?"
"They're to blame here," Andromeda roared. "Not I."
"No!" Harry was angry. He was livid. "What are you hoping to accomplish? We're supposed to be the good ones! Only the likes of Voldemort kill those who do not follow them. If this is the way the good witches and wizards act, then maybe the Muggles should
just get rid of the lot of you!"
"Aha!" Andromeda said, looking quite chuffed with herself. "I told you he would say it. I told you these were his thoughts. We made the right decision. Albus was right. He would turn against us."
"Now!" Harry said hotly. "I would turn against you now. You don't know what could have happened if you had just let things be. You made me turn against you and now who knows what's going to happen?"
Andromeda stared hard at Harry, refusing to acknowledge any of the words he said.
"You put it all into motion," Harry said, stepping forward and further out of the defensive line. "I'm surprised, really. I thought Dumbledore would be smarter than Voldemort in that regard. I guess he really wanted this to happen." He was walking slowly
towards the woman before him. "He wanted you all to have a reason to hate me, fear me, isolate me. You don't think that would send me to the Dark side faster than allowing me to exist peacefully with my family. You did this! Whatever the prophecy
spoke of is going to happen and there's nothing you can do to stop it. I hope it was worth it. Because I don't think Teddy will think it was."
Before Harry could even react, a bolt of blue light from Andromeda's wand was sent towards him, making him fly backwards until he landed at Ron's feet. He was too shocked to move for a moment, even as his defensive line changed their stance.
"Harry," Bill said. "Get behind us."
Harry just managed to stand, the air in his lungs just returning.
And then, without much warning, it began. The second beam of light came from across the meadow. It was directed straight at Harry. Before the spell could reach him though, Ron shoved him out of the way and held up a strong shield. Harry ended up on the
ground by Bill's feet. In quick motion, Bill stepped around him, protecting him as lights started to fly across the sky.
"Stay down, Harry," Luna said, almost stepping around as well. "Just stay down."
Harry did not stand up again. He crawled out of the way and hid behind the large rock Bill had pointed out to him. He leaned on his knees and peaked over the granite to see what was happening. The Order was on the attack and Ron kept them on the defensive.
No no no. This was supposed to be a conversation. The congregated people were supposed to be here as witnesses. There wasn't supposed to be a fight!
From his position, Harry could see Hermione. She looked calm, even as the word Protego kept rumbling out of her throat. He kept his eyes on her, right until Fleur appeared right in front of him.
"We 'ave to go," the French witch said, her tone severe. She wasn't giving him any room to get out of her command.
Harry still found some. "I can't just leave them. You go."
"'Arry," Fleur said strongly. "There iz nothing for you to do 'ere. Nothing."
Wasn't that the truth?
She put out her hand and, in Harry's hesitation, she was hit in the back by some hex. It knocked her into his arms and his panic rose right up into his throat.
"Fleur," he called, trying to shake her. "Fleur, no, wake up! Wake up!"
In a moment, Bill was at Harry's side, staring at his wife with a look of shock on his face. "What happened? What happened?"
"I don't know," Harry said, and he really didn't know. They were supposed to be hidden by the rock. If the opposition really was in front of them, Fleur wouldn't have been spotted. Then it hit him. "Friendly fire. One of our own," he said softly.
"Definitely aiming for me."
Bill's features turned hard and his eyes darkened. "You make sure she wakes up," he instructed Harry. "Pull her further behind the rock." He stood up and scanned his ranks, even as they continued the defensive. He searched every one of their faces, looking
for any sign of weakness. How dare they? His wife! His unborn child!
"Check your left," Bill suddenly screamed, and every one of Harry's Co. hesitated. It was enough of a break for Bill to shoot out a vicious bludgeoning hex, hitting one of their own in the back and knocking them unconscious. The surprise at the action
lasted only a moment before Ron turned defensive to aggressive. Harry could only admire the way defense became attack.
Harry could hear him giving out orders. "Push them back," he yelled. "Get them on the defensive, and then start Disapparating out of here. We'll meet back at HQ."
Harry moved to shield Fleur, almost covering her body with his. As soon as Ron upped the force, so did the opposition and Harry was worried about ricochets. He could take the hit. He was conscious and well. He'd also taken a lot of hits in his life.
To Harry, it seemed to go on for ages. He didn't look up until he felt a soft hand on his back. He stiffened at the contact, expecting the worst, but it was just Luna, looking at him wistfully. She was out of breath and looked surprisingly wired. "I have
to take Fleur with me," she said and Harry just nodded. "Someone will come for you." He nodded once more and moved out of his human-shield position. The pregnant witch was still unconscious and Harry desperately hoped it wasn't something serious.
"Stay safe, Harry," Luna whispered, and then she disappeared right before his eyes.
Harry blinked a few times. Then cautiously, he peaked over the rock to see that the Battle was dying down. There were fewer people left and Ron, Bill, Dean, Seamus, Neville, Ginny and Hermione were some of the only ones from their ranks left. Harry noted
that they were back on the defensive, now that their other witnesses were safely away.
"Go, we'll cover you," Ron said to Hermione.
In a moment, her wand gripped tight in her hand, she started towards Harry's rock. They locked eyes and he silently willed her to go faster. It was too dangerous out there in the open. Not with the first line of defense so dwindled. If someone spotted
her, she would be taken out in an instant.
To his horror, Hermione tripped on a stone embedded in the ground, sending her flying forward. Her wand flew through the air, leaving her defenseless. There was absolutely no hesitation as he started forward, crawling as quickly as he could. Hermione
looked panicked but she knew there was nothing she could say to stop him.
"My wand, Harry," she shouted, merely drawing attention to herself. Better her than him.
He managed to locate her wand by feeling the earth. The wood was hidden in the short grass. He gripped it tight in his hand as he started for Hermione again, just as she was scurrying along the ground towards him. Harry couldn't help thinking about the
day they visited Luna's father during the hunt. He remembered the three of them crawling like this so they could Apparate together. They'd been successful then; he hoped it would be the same now.
Harry saw it first. The beam of light headed straight for Hermione. Just the sight of it propelled him forward and, once he was close enough, he leaped through the air, intent on getting the full brunt of the curse. He did. It him on the left side of
his back, making him scream out in pain. As he landed, he felt wet, and he knew it was his blood.
Hermione was slightly under him, able to see the tears filling his eyes as he cowered in pain. She reached for where his hand was gripping her wand. Her own hand closed around his. She had to get them out of there.
But that was the moment he saw them: brown bushy hair and muddy brown eyes. It may have been night time but even he couldn't mistake what he saw. He would know those eyes anywhere. He would be able to pick out that face in a crowd with such ease. With
their hood off, the face was easily recognisable, and it was like Harry was seeing it for the very first time.
And, as he lay there, clutching onto Hermione in his injured state, with the feeling of Apparition starting to pull on his navel; Harry Potter was quite certain that Julia Ahern was looking right at him.
