A Measured Response
This tragedy in Magical Britain demanded to be written. Harry returns from India where he's been studying parsel magic to hear of a tragedy that strikes close to him. Worse, there are attempts to cover it up. This is very dark. Be warned, there's lots of BASHING Goblins, Weasleys, Ministry.
Everything belongs to Rowling. I'm just playing in the sand on the beach, and the tide will wash away all sandcastles.
+++ BEGIN: London 14 January 1999It was late in the day when Auror Andrew Sheffield appeared on the landing pad for international portkeys. The staff expected Harry Potter to appear with the portkey from Gibraltar but it was the well-known Sheffield instead. He was hustled off to a meeting with DMLE Director Proudfoot where he made his report.
"I was in position with Weasley and Parker in the meeting room – we were all invisible, silenced, and scentless before Fleur Weasley walked to the landing pad in Cairo to meet Potter. I fell asleep and when I woke up several hours had passed. I was told by Bill Weasley that Potter had come and gone. Parker was like me and just woke but Weasley seemed okay except for being sad. And it was very strange but somehow or another, Weasley's scars from that werewolf attack had been cured."
Proudfoot scoffed, "Not likely. Where are Weasley and Parker now?"
"They headed for Gringotts Petra for new assignments. Bill said he'd send an Owl to his wife and find out where she was."
"Wasn't Bill worried about his wife being missing?"
Blushing Sheffield replied, "No sir. Bill said it was a private family matter, so I let it drop."
"And you came from Gibraltar, why?"
Shrugging, Andrew explained, "Potter left the portkey he'd already bought to reach the rock and the money to pay for a second portkey back to London."
Proudfoot sighed and told the Auror to write up his report. Then the director headed for the stairs to go down and report the news to the minister.
+++ CHANGE: France. 14 January 1999Henri Delacour sat at his desk working on the accounts for his estate when his eldest daughter's Patronus – an elegant swan – swam through the plaster wall. Fleur's voice sounded tired but the message caused the wizard to rise and run through the house, calling for his wife.
He threw open the front door and ran down the steps to the gravel walk that led to the gates that marked the inside edge of his wards. He didn't ward the entire property, the house and immediate gardens. Anyone attempting to reach his wards had to step onto his lawns and take their chances with the traps and creatures hiding underneath the grounds.
There just on the other side of the gate stood his eldest daughter, looking tired and distressed. The man standing beside her wasn't very tall but with the black hair and glasses, Henri recognized Harry Potter, the wizard who rescued both of his daughters from Black Lake five years earlier.
'Dumbledore était un imbécile. Il est peut-être mort mais c'est toujours un imbécile,' declared Delacour in his mind. He didn't know how Potter felt about the former headmaster and he would remain silent on the man. ['Dumbledore was a fool. He may be dead but he is still a fool.']
Fleur, is it truly you, my daughter?
"Oui, Père," Fleur replied, "Je suis fatigué et j'ai besoin de votre aide." [I am tired and need your help.]
Delacour cast several spells through the gate on his daughter and found her to free of spells, charms, compulsions, and potions. He glanced at the man standing beside Fleur, and Harry offered a polite, half-bow.
"Monsieur Delacour, please forgive this intrusion on your day, but I find myself in need of your advice. Fleur and I met in Egypt when I journeyed back from India and it seemed she was determined to escort me to your side."
"My family owes you two life debts, Mr Potter, and my house is yours for the asking."
"A cup of coffee and information will be sufficient today," Harry replied. "There are no life debts between friends and I have long considered Fleur Delacour as a true friend."
"Henri! Bring them inside!" called his wife from the door of the house. Until the gate was closed behind her daughter and she was certain there was no attack coming from the visitor or hidden individuals, Madam Delacour remained in the shadows of the house with her wand drawn and ready.
The gate swung open and the two travelers stepped inside the wards. Then Monsieur Delacour closed the gate and raised the war wards to protect his home, family, and this proven friend.
Many minutes later, Harry waited for his host to join him in the study. Fleur's parents insisted on escorting their daughter above stairs for her to bath, change and rest before supper. After about ten minutes, Henri returned to the study and thanked Harry again for saving his daughter.
"Fleur will be free of Weasley tonight!" Delacour swore. "Giving her commands as if this was 1691 instead of 1991! Her grandmother will be so angry, she'll transform, fly to England and burn the whole family to ashes! To treat a member of our family in such a manner is unforgiveable!"
Confused for a moment, Harry asked, "Might I ask? How can you free her so easily from the marriage to Bill?"
"The contract I forced Weasley to sign forbids him from invoking commands through the traditional role of husband," Delacour explained. "This is the modern world where wizard and witch are partners! Not belongings!"
"I'm surprised Arthur and Molly allowed Bill to marry your daughter with such a contract in place."
Henri snorted and said, "Molly asked me for the particulars of the contracts we use in France before the wedding of my daughter to her idiot son." The man grimaced and added, "I imagine she was looking into one to inflict on you and her spawn."
Harry looked away for a moment, shook his head to dismiss his past beliefs, and sighed. The study was quiet for a moment, the two wizards sharing the excellent coffee. Then Henri asked, "Now, how can I help you, Mr Potter?"
Without looking at his host, Harry asked, "What can you tell me about goblins? Everything about them…are there any books you recommend?"
The questions asked by Monsieur Delacour prompted Harry to tell the entire story about the death of his sister and her unborn child. The tale took some time; Harry remained with the Delacour family for supper and spent the night in a guest room. Before retiring, Harry asked for permission to call a house elf to bring him a change of clothes. Permission was granted and when Sneaker delivered Mr Harry Potters trunk, Monsieur Delacour provided the wizard with seven books on goblin culture, engineering practices, and history.
"These books are from my personal library and you can't be connected to them in any way," Henri assured his guest. A moment after handing over the books and not noticing them vanish in the bottom of the trunk, Delacour said, "I advise you to use caution, Mr Potter. The goblins will be on guard and worse, your own ministry will hamstring any efforts to attack Gringotts."
The reply from Harry Potter sent a cold shiver down the older wizard's spine.
"Monsieur Delacour, Gringotts London has earned a carefully Measured Response from me. I shall examine every angle and wait until the proper time. Perhaps the goblins will destroy themselves…like foolish wizards do."
The young wizard pursed his lips and then added, "And perhaps the Fleckless and Useless Ministry for Magic hiding underneath a car park in the City of London will learn not to poke a sleeping dragon."
There was no mention of goblins or books the following morning when the family and their guest gathered for breakfast. After the meal was over, a distinguished owl delivered a certified divorce decree to Fleur, and Madam Delacour escorted her daughter from the room to hold her while she cried again.
Monsieur Delacour assured Mr Potter his daughter would heal with time. "We shall travel to Beauxbatons this weekend for my daughters to reunite. Gabrielle will be most unhappy that Fleur was rescued by the chevalier en armure brillante my youngest considers her own." [knight in shining armor]
Harry took a moment to translate the statement but then he blushed brightly. Then he thanked his host for the night's lodging, food, and advice. Delacour acknowledged the thanks and Harry promised to return the books after his elf popped away with the trunk.
"Quels livres?" asked Henri. "Je ne t'ai pas donné de livres." ["What books? I didn't give you any books."]
The French wizard smiled and added, "We discussed dealing with loss and how strict father's must be about the scallywags that come around our daughters."
Escorting Harry beyond the wards and watching the young man disappear, Henri Delacour returned to his wife and daughter. He was about to open the door to his house when he realized that he'd seen the young wizard vanish – transport himself away – with some unknown spell.
'Was that apparition? Or a portkey?' Delacour wondered. 'The Goblins and the British have no idea what's coming to their caverns and shore this morning.'
+++ CHANGE: 19 January 1999There were rumors and reported glimpses of Harry Potter all over Diagon Alley and in the Ministry that week. When the wizard finally appeared at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions just before noon that Tuesday morning, a reporter and his photographer for the Daily Prophet didn't hesitate to enter the story, march right up to the man, and begin asking questions while taking pictures.
With an ever full quill in hand, the reporter demanded to know, "What are your plans, Harry? The ministry is afraid that you'll attack Gringotts!"
"Wait until I am finished with my shopping. Then I will speak to you."
"No, you've been missing for months and…" the wizard tried to continue but the reporter and the photographer found themselves petrified and ignored by the young wizard who quietly ordered three flat black outer robes and ribbons suitable to tie around his upper arm when in shirt sleeves or a muggle coat like today. Neither intruder heard Potter state that his elf would retrieve the garments after three that afternoon. The young clerk helped Harry tie one of the ribbons around his arm to signify that he was in mourning.
After thanking the clerk, Harry turned to the pair of statues. He didn't move a muscle before the camera vanished, followed by the quill, and roll of parchment.
Harry asked, "How did you do that gentlemen? That's powerful magic to make things just disappear. Now, make certain you don't disappear like that. You never know if things can come back if they disappear."
The clerk giggled and Madam Malkin herself chuckled watching the two wizard's eyes roll in their heads. Now Harry stepped closer and released the reporter. He said calmly, "I am in mourning for the witch who was a sister to me. You should not intrude on me at this time."
Ignoring the last statement, the reporter asked, "Did you blood adopt Mrs Weasley?"
Harry ignored the name 'Weasley' and answered, "No, but Hermione Granger was the sister of my heart and soul. She was the brightest witch of our generation and she married into a pureblood family with all the old lines – Weasley, Prewitt, and Black. Can you imagine what her daughter would have accomplished?"
"Of course, with the Weasley blood…"
Scrunching up his face as if there was a sour taste in his mouth, Harry explained, "No. The Weasley's are clever and they practice magic all day every day so they are talented. But my sister's baby would be powerful despite the Wesley blood."
"My niece or nephew would have been a half-blood," Harry reminded the man. "And everyone has to acknowledge that half-bloods are more powerful that muggleborns and five to seven times more powerful than purebloods."
Offended, the reporter declared, "That's not true! Purebloods…"
"…can barely reproduce outside the Weasley clan," Harry retorted before he pressed on. "Look at recent history. Albus Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard in Britain for 80 years and then Tom Riddle came along – both half-bloods. Then me – another half-blood. My sister was the brightest witch of our generation and she married into a pureblood family connected to the Black family. Can you imagine how powerful a metamorphic witch her daughter would have been?"
The reporter stared in disbelief before Harry added, "And now, we'll never know."
The true sadness and grief in the young wizard's voice touched even the reporter's tiny heart but the man asked, "Have you spoken with Ron Weasley?"
"No…I'm mourning and grief-stricken. I doubt I'd have control of my magic if one of the Weasleys approached me anytime soon."
Taking another tack, the reporter said, "Headmistress McGonagall wants you to return to Hogwarts. She says you must finish your education and take your NEWTS."
It was obvious that question irritated the Boy-Who-Lived in a different way than the personal questions. Harry snarled his reply, "Take my NEWTS? What for? A British NEWT is worthless outside Britain."
Stunned the reporter didn't know how to continue but Madam Malkin asked, "Can you explain that statement, Mr Potter?"
"While in India, I spoke with ICW officials from all over the world – Asia, Africa, and the Americas. They all rank Hogwarts as worst the Magical School in the world. Our NEWTS are equivalent to fifth year OWLS in a few countries but not all of them. Did you know that Magical USA offers all British refugees two years of remediation they can be licensed for any position in America. And the other nations do the same. I understand Gringotts hires very few British wizards for that reason."
"I believe you have your story," Madam Malkin told the reporter as Harry left the store and vanished once he stepped onto the cobblestone street. Everyone in the alley noticed the extra warriors standing on the steps of Gringotts Bank when the young wizard appeared. But Harry neve glanced toward the goblins.
+++ CHANGE 29 January 1999Ten days later, the news spread that Harry Potter was in Flourish and Blotts, the primary book store in the alley and he was purchasing maps of Magical Britain. The clerk who helped him package his purchases and took his payment, noticed that the wizard used an unusual vault ring. Looking at the store receipt, she read that the payment had been made from Gringotts Paris. This transaction cost Potter an additional 10% of the total for the transfer of funds from France to England without going through Gringotts London.
Reporters from Witch Weekly, Teen Witch, and the Daily Prophet followed Potter into Sweet Berry Trunks, where he spent more than one hour examining a series of the witch's sturdiest trunks. He bought 13 trunks and paid full price with galleons he pulled from a bottomless and weightless bag.
As the magic used to lock each trunk passed from Madam Blueberry to Harry, and his purchases disappeared silently, the witch remarked on the bag being an unusual shape and color. With a sad smile, Harry explained that it had been the last gift from Hermione before he left for India the previous summer.
"She enchanted it herself. It's connected to a source of coins or other items, never weighs more than it does now, can't be stolen, and bites off the hand of any thief reaching inside." Smirking with a memory that perhaps wasn't pleasant, he added, "A guy in Mumbai can testify to that."
Beginning that week, the media in Magical Britain published pictures and stories of Harry Potter appearing and walking around many parts of Britain during the day, despite rain, snow, or other winter weather. And each day, he used strange muggle equipment to talk to the rocks and dirt!
One letter to the editor (Molly Weasley) suggested that the poor boy was insane and a guardian should be appointed to oversee his recovery in Saint Mungo's. A rebuttal letter (Harry Potter) included a photograph of the Burrow and suggested that any family that would build and live in a house certain to collapse in some winter's storm were more likely to be the insane wizards and witches.
+++ CHANGE 15 February 1999A winter's storm was unleashed on Magical Britain that Monday in the middle of February. On the previous Saturday, Luna Lovegood walked to the village during the Hogsmeade Weekend and disappeared into a private room in Rosmerta's establishment. Almost an hour later, she returned down the stairs in the company of her father, Xenophillius Lovegood and they spoke to many of the clientele around the taproom about their opinions of Harry Potter, Minister Shacklebolt, and the state of the British economy.
On Monday, a special edition of the Quibbler appeared in all public places with Magical Wards and the lead article was about Harry Potter's task of finding and recovering the gold hidden by Tom Riddle and his Death Eaters. The Quibbler published maps, letters written by Riddle to his followers, and stories provided by Mr Potter. At the end of the story, Harry stated, 'Unlike the good people of Magical Britain, Dark Lord Riddle didn't trust Gringotts to protect all his wealth. I have it on good authority that Riddle and many of his Death Eaters buried large amounts of gold at key locations around Britain.'
The article generated a mad dash to dig up the yards of the ruined manor houses of the Death Eaters. With the crashed wards, and depleted vaults, the surviving Death Eater families fled whenever groups of average citizens apparated into their yards and gardens to begin excavation.
At Hogwarts, multiple witches and wizards were driven off by Hagrid when he caught them digging up the lawn and a few spots in the Forbidden Forest.
The next Monday, DMLE Director Proudfoot and the Aurors were exhausted after chasing wizards and witches out of yards and public places. Then, the Daily Prophet published a story that Tom Riddle worked at Borgin & Burkes in Knockturn Alley after graduating from Hogwarts. Over a thousand people showed up in Knockturn Alley and demanded to search in and under the antique shop for hidden treasure. During the next thirty minutes, the building was torn down and the proprietor cursed severely. While many illegal dark objects were located in the shop, no gold or other hidden treasures were found.
Once the Aurors had cleared Knockturn Alley, the scavengers returned and ripped up the cobblestone street. This time they uncovered (and killed) multiple vampires and revealed three trolls hidden underneath shacks inhabited by hags.
END CHAPTER