Chapter 14

Revelation

The enter table was stuck silent when Ginny shared the news.

"You flew 160 miles per hour?" Ron asked in awe. "Impressive." Ron said as he sat back in his chair.

"More like incredible." Arthur corrected. "I am so very, very proud of you dear."

"And you are all right?" Molly asked.

"I'm fine mom." Ginny fibbed, but just a fib. She wasn't going to worry her mom over a simple bruise.

"Harry, Bill, what was your sense of the place?"

Harry went first. "The factory and the test grounds are grand, but what else would you expect from a company that large. Moreover, Mr Whitehorn seems legitimate. His statements were all consistent. As a husband, father, and head of business, it would make sense if so many of statements struck a chord with him. Especially if he lived through some of the last Wizarding War, I could understand where he would want to contribute. He seemed perhaps a bit old fashioned, but not in a bad way. Polite, but formal. It was always, Miss Weasley, till Gin specifically said otherwise. He easily could have gotten mad when I got a little… direct, but instead he moved over and let us do our thing. Respectfully Gin, you were pretty blunt in negotiations, but he didn't seem phased at all by it. When you were up there he called you ' a hoot'. More importantly, there was a point where Gin got frustrated. He honestly sounded like he legitimately cared."

"I'm inclined to agree with Harry. When the papers come, I am going to be reading those a few times. But unless there is some catch, I am becoming increasingly optimistic. His statements make logical sense. Harry, I'm going to disagree with you. I think she did excellent with negotiations. I said I'd be happy with 10%. Obviously, 16% is even better. Please don't take this the wrong way, but yes Ginny, I do believe you could help sell more brooms. And advertisements for products and supporting other causes are far from unheard of. If he truly wants to support the war against Riddle, we are the ones having 15 minutes of fame."

"Alright," Arthur nodded, "Well Ginny, please keep your eyes open, but congratulations." He smiled from ear to ear, beaming with pride for his daughter. Then he took a breath. "Now while I have the floor. This may not seem near as impressive now, but Ginny was not the only Weasley who was offered a new job today."

"Arthur?" Molly asked, "Really?"

He pulled a letter out of his pocket. "You know it's a ministry job when the title is too long to remember: Head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. While the Twins and others are making legitimate items, there has been a surge in counterfeit and fraud, all trying to cash in on the rising fear from Riddle. That new Minister for Magic, Scrimgeour, wants to get that stamped out before it's a bigger problem. I wouldn't be surprised if that article helped jog my name to his mind."

"Did you meet him?" Molly asked.

"Oh no, no, no. Came down through channels but regardless. Promoted, respectable raise."

Another round of cheers.

With a cocky grin Harry couldn't resist. "So Ron, you're the only one left. When's your promotion?"

"Oi!" he pointed to Hermione sitting right next to him. "I just got promoted to boyfriend, thought I was doing well! "

Laughs around the table. Hermione leaned over and kissed him. "Good answer," she smiled.

After supper, Harry went down to his room and crashed onto his bed. A few minutes later Gin. "Need to borrow your mirror babe." as she loosed the top button the flannel she had changed into.

""Why? You've beautiful." he observed as he rose up and walked over behind her.

"And I thank you. But this time I need it for first aid." she mentioned as she put some ointment on a very clear bruise on her chest.

"Ouch," he commented.

She cocked her head to the side with a smile. "'Ouch', really? That's all? No 'Oh my god.', no 'Are you okay?'"

"Sorry, are you okay?"

"Of course I am, it's just a bruise. I am just surprised you are… so relaxed."

Harry smiled. "Last I knew our terms were 'Partners, no sidelining'. With all the injuries you have literally patched up on me. I think it would be a bit … hypocritical." He slipped his arms around her waist. "Was I concerned when you were up there? Absolutely. But do I trust you? Absolutely. Am I ridiculously proud of my Crimson Witch? Absolutely."

She smiled. "I don't know why I like that name so much."

Harry shrugged, "Your independent streak."

"What do you mean?"

"Ginny, do not tell me you think you don't have a strong independent free will."

"Well yes, but please tell me what you mean?"

"Well… for a while you've had labels or identities that are relational. Your parent's daughter. Your brothers's little sister. Chosen One's girlfriend."

"Chamber of Secrets victim." she groused.

"Wasn't going to mention that one. Crimson Witch doesn't do that. That's you. That's all you. Out of the shadows, center of attention, Reign of Fire and all."

A wave of relief came to her. She spun around in his arms to kiss him full and proper on the lips. "Thank you. So have you thought about this whole endorsement thing? Are you going to be okay with me selling brooms?"

"I do like to think you will be doing more than just that. I do see you as Inspiration, not just for the war, but for others to keep the spirit in whatever their fights are. You could be a role model."

"Merlin, a whole legion of little Ginny Weasleys."

"The world should be so lucky."

"Flattery, Potter. Seriously though, I'm not dumb. You know this will bring attention and stuff. Are you okay?"

"Gin, I'm the Chosen One. There was never any chance outside the spotlight. This just evens the score. You get your own now too."

Then came a knock at the door, and a slight opening. "Hey, is my sister down there?" Ron called.

"No, but a Crimson Witch is." she replied. "We're just talking, Ron, nothing to worry about."

He opened the door fully. "What? No. I don't want to know. No. 'Mione had an idea. It's Friday night. Butterbeers and a bonfire by the pond. All four of us."

"Absolutely. " Gin replied. "Right behind you." Ron had already left.

"Wow, I am really starting to like non-prat Ron."

Tuesday, 16 July 1996

Tuesday morning Harry flamed in with Bill and Hermione to Gimmauld Place. The floo was in the house kitchen which was about the cheeriest room in the house. At his last visit it didn't seem so bad, the grim and the black seemed to remind him of Sirius, but in a good way. Now it felt hollow, almost like verification he was gone. He had mixed emotions, in his heart this was still Sirius's, even if his mind knew this was his.

Bill set a well worn leather messenger bag on the kitchen table and pulled out a small crystal ball and his wand. Always the curious Hermione, asked as she started looking at the walls, "Is there anything specific we are here for, Harry?"

"I'll be honest, no. But after finding out just how little people tell me, I just feel the need to at least do a walk through of the place. At least be curious, and maybe figure out what questions to ask." he replied as he slowly started surveying everything.

"May one ask why Bill has his equipment. Is there a problem?"

Bill smiled, clearly not offended. "Same reason you brought your mind Hermione, tools of the trade. Curse Breaker, remember? Harry taking possession, it makes sense for me to at least check the house's guards, wards, and charms. Considering this was House Black, a mundane and arcane investigation seems prudent."

Hermione nodded her head as that was a sound proposition. "How do I help?"

Bill smiled. "Divide and conquer, I'll handle the invisible. You use that first rate mind of yours and keep an eye out for the visible. Anything that just doesn't look right."

"Fair enough," Hermione agreed as that at least gave a task for her mind to process on.

"Oh and Harry, thought you may like to know. I read the Nimbus contract four times last night. It is clean."

Harry smiled and looked back at Weasley. "Thank you, that will be great for Gin. Good to know."

"Were you expecting a double cross, Bill?" Hermione asked.

Bill was talking while he scryed the building. "Well first Dad asked me to review them. Secondly, the potential numbers involved warranted it. If Harry can save lives, the least I can do is keep my friends and family out of bureaucratic trouble."

"May I ask you a professional question?"

"Hermione, we're friends. Speak your mind."

Caught off guard at that statement her head cocked back for a moment, then smiled/ "How does a Curse Breaker become good at navigating bureaucracy?"

Bill smiled widely. "Fair question, didn't plan it. In school my strengths were Astronomy and Arithmancy. Arithmancy is fundamental to Curse Breaking and translates very well over to the financials. Largely why Gringotts brought me on. Additionally you would be surprised by the similarities between legal contracts and mystical rituals."

"And working with Goblins?"

"What of it? Don't tell me I am hearing racism."

Hermione, "Merlin, certainly not! I was just observing-"

"Gotcha," Bill said with a smile. "I'm a Weasley, we all have to joke now and again."

Harry looked back and smiled at the pair. Hermione bit her cheek for a moment. "Well played, well played, Mr. Weasley."

They left the basement kitchen and walked up to the ground floor and into the hall.

"MUDBLOOD! Filthy half breed!"

Their heads snapped to the portrait of Walburga Black. Hermione had heard that insult every visit to the wizard world since she was young. It still stung and she clenched her fists and grit her teeth as now she was being insulted from a damned painting.

Harry, though, wasn't wasting time. To Hermione time seemed to slow down, as she saw Harry draw his wand, and enraged, raised it to the painting. "Incin-"

"WAIT!" Hermione screamed as she grabbed his wrist. He looked to her for an explanation. "Trace. We're back in London now."

Again, Hermione's logic to the rescue.

"Incendio." A fire bolt flew over Harry's shoulder, crashing into and incinerating the painting to pleasant silence. The teens looked at Bill, "Age has its privileges."

"Thank you, Bill." Hermione said. "And thank you for the thought, Harry."

"Don't worry. I know technically both my parents were magical, being raised on this side I always think of myself as a muggle like you. That insult will not be said in my house."

Bill looked over and grinned. "Hello Master Potter, well said."

Hermione smiled in deep appreciation.

"I'm slow, but I am coming to terms with some things."

"Harry, I think your progress has been incredible." Bill complimented.

"We might as well work our way up, a floor at a time." Harry said as he headed for the stairs.

"Logical." Bill and Hermione said at the same time, then grinned.

Harry looked back and shook his head. "So this is what happens when I bring two brains on a mission."

"Is this a mission?" Hermione asked.

"Isn't my whole life one?" Harry pointed out, more cynical than he had been in weeks.

Hermione could see what was happening already. "Hey, time out. Are you okay?"

Harry took a courage breath. "Fair question." He breathed again. "Not great? I don't necessarily want to be here doing this. It feels so final, you know? Sirius and I, by comparison, didn't get much time together, but still he was the only family I had. Doing this walk, it's official. I'm alone again."

"Stop right there. I do understand the feeling, but that fact is wrong. Now I dont' know which order but I'm pretty sure Ginny would both slap you and kiss you if she heard that."

"Harry, none of us were kidding when we called you the Eighth," Bill added. "As vehemently as you've defended Ginny, I will proudly call you family. Also, I know for a fact, if you were ever to visit, the Delacour's hold you in highest honor."

"You haven't been able to shake me loose for five years, you think I'm going someplace?" Hermione added.

"Thanks… today… this…"

"Is hard." Hermione finished with an accepting nod.

From behind him, came a one arm hug from Bill. "Heavy is the head of he who wears the crown." as he went back to the wards.

"I didn't know we were … hugging, Bill."

"I hug all my brothers, Harry."

The review of the house was uneasy to say the least. The constant state of decay and decline. The house hadn't truly been lived in since Sirus's incarceration. Merlin only knows what all was in there. But it all was such a mess, this … this house was going to take a while to fix… just like its owner. It had been left to rot since then, waiting, pausing, holding its breath, like so much of the wizarding world.

"I really think we have these wars wrong." Harry finally said out loud.

"How so?" Hermione asked.

"It's not the First Wizard War and the Second Wizard War. It's the same damn one, with a … cease fire in the middle. Everyone called a time out so a whole new generation could be thrown in."

Hermione was actually impressed. "Astute observation, Harry."

As they finally got to the attic, Bill declared the Guards and wards secure. "If you don't mind, I'd like to do a peak scry."

"Mind putting that in terms for us non-curse breakers, Bill?"

"Ah yes sorry, work shorthand. There are different levels of magic. Different levels of power and intensity?"

Hermione laughed. "Not all the way to 1st year, Bill."

"Sorry, well most of the wizard world has some arcane signature to it. We'll charm anything. So rather than look for anything magic, it is best to look for the strongest magic, as that more often than not will be your biggest problem."

"Right, yes, please. Bill I'm going to steal a line from your Dad, stop asking. Do."

Bill's crystal ball glowed warmly and he looked up to Harry for a moment, the ball calmed back down. As they walked down stairs, all of them could see a glow grow in Bill's crystal ball.

"Bill, that's a happy glow in that ball, right?" Harry asked.

"Unfortunately there is no happy glow setting on this." Bill slowly waved his wand to find a direction. "Downstairs." Following the scry, they went back down the stairs. All the way to the basement kitchen.

"Figures, first room we were in." Harry noted.

"What's Important this is that we are finding it before it does whatever it does." Hermione pointed out.

In the kitchen Bill swept back and forth, and the scry led him to a corner cupboard. "I hate it when it's something small." Slowly and rather expectantly he opened the door. No food refuses blessedly, but rather a mishmash of items from around the manor.

"Ahh!" Harry yelped with a hand to head. When the others looked at him he waved them off. "Just another Riddle headache or something.

"Alright, Bill nodded as he continued to seek the source. "Alright, I think our culprit is this." He didn't dare touch it, but as it had a chain he did use his wand to pick up a he pulled out a golden locket.

The moment Harry saw the locket, lightning lept from it, directly to Harry's scar. It blinded all of them for a moment and they could only hear the cracking roar of thunder. Harry took the full force of the blast and threw 15 feet backward. He didn't get back up.

"HARRY!" Hermione yelled.

"Merlin!" Bill shouted as he ran for his bag and grabbed a containment jar for just such an occasion. He shoved the locket in and then dashed to Harry's side.

Hermione was shaking him. "Harry, wake up. Snap out of it."

Bill was now grateful for the home healer lessons his mother insisted on. "Pulse is racing. He's breathing, but barely. Completely unresponsive. Hermione, grab my bag. Back to the Burrow!"

"Mum!" he yelled as he flamed through. Laying him on the kitchen table he opened his shirt.

Molly ran in from the garden. "What happened?" she asked as she grabbed the Healer's basket.

"We triggered some sort of hex at the house. It skipped over me to go straight for Harry. Just now, I assessed and flamed in. "

"Pupils are dilated. He's too damn hot. That pulse is too high and I do not like that breathing." Molly assessed. "I need some weeping fig and dracena." Bill nodded and ran out the door

"How can I help?" Hermione asked.

"Do you know any healing?"

She shook her head. "Ice, cloth, forehead"

Hermione nodded and followed instructions making a cold compress. Molly directed her hands, left hand holding the ice. Right hand pressing onto his neck. "Feel that pulse?" Hermione nodded. "Too high. Let me know when it slows."

Bill ran back in with the plants and passed them to Molly, who quickly put leaves into a mortar and pestle, with a few drops from bottles in the basket creating a green paste. She then painted on the sides of Harry's neck, including Hermione's fingers. "Sorry, not sorry."

She shook her head, "Don't care."

Molly then took to her wand. And Harry's body seemed to tense in pain, Then Molly clearly changed spells,... and finally Harry took a deep breath and started breathing far more relaxed. His pulse slowed.

"Alright I think that will stabilize for now. Bill, can you get him to a couch? Hermione, go grab his blanket off his bed, something he's familiar with."

Once Bill got Harry layed down, Molly nodded, "Go get Ginny." This time Bill apprated, and moments later reappeared with her.

"Merlin," she gasped. She took a knee to kneel down to him. "Harry? She called caressing his cheek and kissing his lips. "I wish that worked in real life." She took a breath. "Time to wake up now. You're going to embarrass your girlfriend if you don't." She took another breath to wait. "Okay, fine. Take a nap, but you're not getting rid of me." she told him resolutely as sat on the edge of the couch and took his hand. "You rest, you heal. I'll stand watch. Keep you safe". Hermione came up with Harry's blanket and Gin reflexively started covering him and tucking him in. Finally turning her attention elsewhere in the room. She asked the question. "What happened?

Bill filled her in on the morning at Grimmauld Place. Molly took over when they flamed in. As they retold the events, Hermione couldn't bear it so ran upstairs. "I did try a basic waking spell but he reacted very poorly to that, so I went the opposite direction and gave him a sleeper spell, my mildest." Molly explained. "It's hard to go wrong with giving the body rest and we'll see if he sleeps this off."

Ginny nodded, "Thank you, mum." Molly knew there was nothing left she could do that Ginny wasn't already. She bent down and kissed the top of her daughter's head and excused herself.

Bill took a seat on the couch by Harry's head so he could see Ginny's face. Where any other woman would likely be a sobbing mess, Gin, was very much what she said, on guard. While parts of her body trembled, it wasn't from sadness. Bill could see her jaw was set. Her right hand, clenched tightly, and in her eyes were not tears, but flames. "Ginevra, I'm sorry."

Still watching Harry. "For what? You didn't do this. I'm not mad at either of you. I'm enraged with whoever made that damn …thing. Fucking not fair. It's not enough."

"Enough?" Bill asked.

She finally looked up to her brother. "Time. Nowhere near enough. It took us years to finally get past all of our… crap and even get here. All we get is 16 days? Everything he's already done. If we thought just a little bit I bet we could think of more than 16 people he's saved. Not even a month of us being able to be honest with each other? He was about to have his first REAL birthday at the end of this month. " She shook her head vehemently. "No, I refused to accept this as the ending. He's just taken ANOTHER hit. Like he always does. And soon he's going to wake up. And I'm going hug him. And THAT's probably when I'll cry and you know I fucking hate it when I do that. And when he's got his strength back I'm going to snog the hell out of him, and I'm not even sorry for that one, Bill."

"I wouldn't expect you to be, sister. The most fair statement I could say is that if it were Fleur there, I would be the same. Is there anything I can do?"

"You're the Curse Breaker. Figure out the cursed locket." Bill nodded as he left.

He grabbed his bag from the kitchen. "I'll be working in the barn, mum."

"Barn?"

Bill gestured to Harry, "I certainly don't want any more accidental victims."

Molly nodded. Bill started out, then paused. "It may be prudent to have someone check on me… often."

"Oh, you thought you had a choice in that matter?"

"Thank you, mum."

A few minutes later Ron flamed in. When he came around the corner he took a breath. "Bloody hell, what happened now?"

"I've got him, Ron. She wasn't injured, but Hermione is not reacting well to this. She's upstairs. She needs you more."

"Right, thanks." he turned and then stopped. "Keep me posted?"

"Of course."

Ron ran up to Ginny's room, ""Mione?" he called. He opened the door, and it was empty.

He went out to the hall. "Hermione?" he called louder.

"Your room, Ron." He could tell she was in tears just from her voice. He ran down and into his room and didn't stop till he was holding her. She'd been sitting on his bed with her arms wrapped around her knees, she leapt up as he came to her. "Thank you," she whispered.

Ron held and comforted. "Hey, hey, breathe, breathe for me, please."

"I'm sorry, I just… I didn't know if Ginny would want her room herself and you weren't here… But I wanted to be close … so I wanted at least reminders."

"'Mione, 'Mione, You're fine. You're welcome."

"I'M NOT FINE!" she cried squeezing Ron tighter. "Everyone says I'm the smart one. Everyone always says Hermione is the brains in the group. Then, Harry got hexed and thrown across the room and I have NO idea what to do. Bill's the one who was smart enough to get back here. And help your mum. And I just stand around like a useless git. I'm THE SMART ONE! And when my best friend is dying on a table all I can do is hold FUCKING ICE!"

"Shhh, breathe babe," Ron comforted, rubbing her back. "We've been here before. Harry's going to be fine."

"You don't know that!"

Ron pulled away to look her in the eyes, and gently caressed her cheeks. "The Harry Potter Probability Paradox?"

A small chuckle bubbled up from her chest, but at least that started to calm the sobs down and she fell into his chest. "You're just as close of a friend to him. How are you so okay?" She looked up in his eyes. And she could see him thinking, and not just for a quip or joke.

"Because you need me now. Gin's got him. I've got you. I guess we're a quartet now. And Harry would kick my arse if I were to leave you in such a state."

After a few moments she began composing herself and wiping away the last few tears. "Merlin," she sniffled. "I must look like such a fright."

Ron gently lifted her chin. "Never. Never ever. Not even on your worst day." Slowly and gently he kissed her lips, which gave a calming wave to Hermione's being.

She fell back into a hug with him. "Thank you, Ron."

"Hey. you're the one saying I make things better. You ought to be first in line."

"Lucky me then" she said with a smile.

"Seriously, Harry will be fine. And if you not knowing what to do has rattled you this much, there's at least a simple solution."

"I'm sorry, Ron. My thinking isn't the clearest right now."

"Mum. If you want to learn some healing magic, she could teach you."

Hermione smiled a bit at that. "That sounds like quite a lot of time with your mum. You sure she won't discover something to kick me out over."

"Nah, you two get on well. Correct my language the same way and everything."

Ron was indeed succeeding at cheering Hermione up. "In that case are you alright with your mum and I together that much?"

"Hey, if it helps you fair better next time something like this happens, absolutely. And let's be honest, with the Harry Potter Probability Paradox, there will be a next time."

Whiteness. Harry was surrounded by pure brilliant white. He didn't even see his own body. Nothing but blinding light. In a flash that went away, and all his attention was focused on the locket they had found. It floated in the center of white existence, the only thing besides the white, perhaps the only thing in this existence but clearly the most important. With another flash the locket disappeared, replaced by a book. It had a plain black cover, but no title, yet familiar. Another flash and a golden ring appears with black stone on it. Another flash now showed a very ornate silver cup, with handles on both sides. The fifth flash brought a silver crown, no more feminine, a tiara, that looked like a bird, with a blue sapphire for a body. The sixth brought with it sound. The hissing of the snake filled the air, as a large python slithered through the air circling him. After the seventh flash nothing appeared. The sound of the snake faded, then the roar of thunder sounded as lightning arched all around him, after the thunder faded, the only sound that remained was a baby's cry.

Then it started over. A book, a ring, a locket, a cup, a crown, a snake, and crying lightning. A book, a ring, a locket, a cup, a crown, a snake, and crying lightning. It flipped through over something telling him they were all connected and all important. Again and again and again he went through images. Then soon accelerated being reduced to just pictures up for a fraction of a second. Then so fast that they blurred together. The blur grew larger and larger to replace the white. His whole existence now nothing but a rush of darkening colors. Soon the colors darkened to just black and rush so fast it no longer was there.

Harry opened his eyes. "Hey, Gin."

"Thank, Merlin!"