Harry Potter and the Wizards of Malta

Chapter 2.

Damn... he was nearly twenty minutes late, and it was his turn to buy the coffee this morning. Ron would be wondering about now, just where the bloody hell he was. Trotting down the long marble halls, he was almost at the canteen entrance. What the hell. Other than the coffee, how did it matter whether he was late or on time. The crossword puzzle would be in the floor, exactly where he'd left it the day before.

He had walked about the city after leaving the Leaky Cauldron, thinking of Hannah's remarks, life in general, and finally Sandy until the morning hours. And then later, he had dreams; dreams he was still caught in the Abbey. He was trying to get out but couldn't. Still trying to save Sandy, but couldn't. It had been this way for some time.

Looking great in the lavender frock, Hannah had been warm and friendly in an intimate way. Maybe leaving like he did had been stupid, but he'd played it completely fair by letting the girl know he was in no mood to fall into another relationship. But he woke up with a plan. He would make up some excuse to drop by again and ask her out to dinner for the weekend. He owed her a meal now anyway. If she didn't like his remarks about relationships then she would probably make up some excuse about having to work the weekend – or something like that. If she agreed to go, then there would be no holds barred this time. And if it looked like it would turn into a 'full service date' as she called it, this time he wouldn't run out on her.

He grabbed the coffee and little packages of cream and sugar. He threw the cream, sugar, and a couple of wooden stir sticks in a small Manila bag and put the lids on the coffee. Chuckling, he thought of how their morning would probably start off with Ron telling him stories of how he and Jerry fared with Penny Penthane. The regular lift operator was out this morning and the spotted face temp had trouble with the handles and gear levers. Thankfully, he'd taken the time to fasten the lids on the coffee. The kid's name tag read 'Clarence'.

"Thanks Clarence," Harry said, glad to be out of the lift.

"Have a nice day sir," said the kid.

Hurrying down the hall to the Auror office, he noticed the office was as quiet as a tomb. Curiously, Ron wasn't in his cube and it didn't look like he had been in since the day before. He put Ron's coffee on his desk along with his share of the cream and sugar.

Turning to his own cubicle desk, he fixed the coffee and was stirring it absentmindedly when he noticed and interdepartmental memo had been delivered and slid to the back corner of his desk. Still too hot to drink, he put down the coffee and unfolded the note in the shape of a little paper plane.

Potter,

Come to my office immediately when you get this.

Kingsley

Huh, well whadayouknow, maybe he's finally gotten me an assignment. It's about time.

He blew on the coffee to cool it and took a drink. It would be low enough now to carry without a lid. Going straight away to Kingsley's office, he passed under the gilded archway and glanced toward Sandy's old desk and the new receptionist. Tracy Tolley was working on paperwork of some kind as he approached her desk. A blonde head shot up and she looked at him with huge aqua eyes. She was cute. Not as good looking as Sandy, he thought, and she didn't have combat training, but she was just right for a receptionist. Not that it mattered – Harry had promised himself he'd never get involved with another female employee of the Ministry anyway.

"Oh Mister Potter – Kingsley is waiting," she said and shot up from the chair.

"What's this about Tracy, do you know?" he asked and she shook her head with a slightly worried look.

Kingsley's office was clouded with pipe smoke and he was staring a hole in the wood paneled walls. He slowly turned when he heard Tracy work the magical latch.

"Oh, Harry – you finally make it in?" he asked and motioned toward the leather chair by his desk with his pipe stem.

Harry took a seat and was swallowed up by the huge chair and then started off with a long apology.

"Sir, I know you've been a little disappointed with me lately – I'll do my best to tone it down," he admitted.

"What?"

"I've already started actually. Lately I've been leaving the black wand at home. You see that way..."

"Harry, shut up," Kingsley ordered and Harry stopped in mid-sentence.

"We've had an incident – a serious incident Harry," he said and sat the pipe in the stand.

"An incident?" Harry asked solemnly.

"Yes, and there's no easy way to put it – Jerry was killed and Ron is in bad shape," he said and dipped his head.

Taken back, he struggled to speak. "How... how sir – I thought they were just watching for a stalker?" Harry asked with a look of disbelief.

"I don't know – we'll have to talk with Miss Penthane. But first things first. I know you'll want to see Ron, of course. The family is at St. Mungo's now."

"Yes sir. How bad is it?"

"It's about fifty fifty, I'm afraid," he said and rose from the desk. He paced around the desk, deep in thought.

"Now, if he's stable, I want you to get back here after lunch – and with the black wand. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"We can't afford to lose any more Aurors," he said as he continued to pace. "Harry I wasn't particularly upset about the way you handled things. I just felt you weren't the right man for minor arrests. You don't need to lose that valuable edge you've put your life on the line to get," he said, looking Harry squarely in the eye.

"Yes sir. Thank you sir."

"If you get back in time I'll schedule you an appointment with this Penny Penthane."

"Yes sir."

"Maybe she'll have some answers about what the bloody hell happened to our Aurors," he said and slammed his fist on the desk.

‡‡‡‡‡

Harry had never seen Kingsley this angry before. As for himself, he felt almost numb. It was almost too much to believe. Jerry was gone. And Ron, he shuddered at the thought, but then blocked it. Ron would pull through – Ron would pull through, and he kept repeating this over in his head as he neared St. Mungo's. He had apparated to an alley near the condemned building of Purge and Dowse, Ltd., and paused by the plate glass window that was the magical entrance to the hospital. With no one watching his movements, he entered St. Mungo's and made his way up to the receptionist.

"I'm – I'm here to see Ron Weasley," he struggled to say with thick and dry lips.

"His visitation is restricted to family," the receptionist said apologetically.

"Yes... I am," he said, without thinking of the technicalities.

She nodded with a little smirk and looked up Ron's room number in a hospital registry.

"It's room 305, sir. The lift is down this hall on the left," she said and pointed the way.

"Thank you."

The long hall was painted that dull and boring green color found only in schools and hospitals. He entered the brass plated lift and pressed the button for the third level. As the doors opened he was greeted with the smell of a strong disinfectant cleanser. There was a plastic looking sign extruding from the corner that indicated the hall on the left was for rooms one through ten. He walked up to the door for 305 and stopped. He could hear soft voices but couldn't make them out. He was tight and tense all over. Taking a deep breath he forced his legs to move. The door was partially open and he poked his head in to see Molly, Ginny, and Hermione talking in muted tones.

"Harry," they softly chorused. Hermione ran up him and Ginny and Molly followed. He hugged all three of them and the emotions and tears began to flow from all three of the girls. After a time had passed, Hermione pulled away and dried her eyes. She reached for his hand and led him over to Ron's bedside.

"They have him sedated – he's totally out of it," she explained.

It wasn't a pretty sight. He'd apparently been burned by a curse of some kind. His skin was red and puffy and swollen to a point you wouldn't recognize him. The read hair had been singed completely away.

"What could have done that Harry?" she asked softly and Harry shook his head without speaking. Ginny and Molly gently nudged up behind the pair. Looking until it began to hurt, Harry turned to see Ginny looking at him through watered and worried eyes.

"Good to see you – by the way," she said, trying to smile.

"Good to see you," he returned and they gazed at each other and pondered what to say next. She nudged her head toward the door and took a step in that direction. They quietly stepped into the hall and into the waiting area. Ginny looked at him and he could see the question forming.

"Will you be going after whoever did this?" She asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Spoke to Kingsley earlier." Ginny shook her head with a worried and puzzled expression. An evil man had done something horrible to her brother. Now, someone more deranged and dirty would have to go after him. That would be him. Harry wanted to pretend they were back in school, but it wouldn't work. There were things men had to do – and they were the kinds of things men generally hid from women.

"You be careful Harry," she said as she gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be fine. And you worry about Ron. Okay?" he asked and she nodded unconvincingly.

They looked at one another – clearly wishing for better times. There was a lot to catch up on. But it wouldn't be today.

"Oh Harry," came the call from a familiar voice down the hall. He turned to see Arthur and George had just turned the corner. Ginny gave him one last probing look and disappeared back into Ron's room.

"Arthur – George. Good to see you."

"And you Harry," Arthur said, quickly dispensing with the pleasantries. "Harry, do have any idea what went on here?"

"Very little actually. All I know is Ron and Jerry went to investigate what was thought to be a stalker..."

"Stalker?" Arthur interrupted.

"Yeah – with Penny Penthane's band. She had asked Kingsley for help."

"Harry, could any stalker have done this?" Arthur asked, incredulously.

"No... someone powerful must have got the jump on them. Clearly they weren't expecting it."

"No, I don't see how..."

"Arthur... Jerry? How did he..." Harry asked clumsily.

"It was the same as Ron – only worse," he said. "We just got back from speaking with Hippocrates. It's old magic Harry. He doesn't recognize it."

"He is trying to find out, isn't he?"

"He going through all the old books. He working on it," Arthur said and George nodded in agreement. "He's burned inside as well as out," Arthur said and almost teared up. Harry was taken back by the last.

"He'll pull through – Ron is tough," Harry said and Arthur nodded vigorously. "We'll catch whoever did this. I promise."

Immediately Arthur's expression changed from worry to caring concern. Harry and the Weasley's had always felt for one another like a family. Arthur and George traded hugs with Harry before he said a solemn goodbye and headed toward the lifts.

Kreacher was surprised to see Harry back at Grimmauld Place so early in the afternoon.

"Just back for a few things Kreacher," he said to calm the old house-elf.

"Yes sir," Kreacher croaked, giving Harry a curious look.

He trekked up to his bedroom and opened the dresser drawer. The wand case was buried under socks and things. He dug it out and opened the case to see the slick black finish of Severus Snape's wand. With careful fingers he delicately lifted the Birch wand and spun it by the handle before returning it to the pocket under his right lapel.

Cupping both hands and gently squeezing the lapels, her felt the reassuring bulge of both wands. Taking a deep breath, he felt complete. Not completely good – just complete. Looking at his watch, there was enough time to get back to Kingsley's office and maybe enough time to catch up with Penny Penthane before the day was over.

With the soft footsteps of an avenging angel, he left Grimmauld Place out the back door and closed his eyes, concentrating on the alley behind the Ministry of Magic.

A/N: Remember to review and Thanks for reading!