Prompt 40: Can we just pretend you didn't see me here?
Prompt 43: I made you some tea - stupid idea, I suppose.
Prompt 50: There's no fixing this
Prompt 45: Last time was a mistake. This time...

Chapter 11

There was a storm brewing on the horizon. The grove remained eerily calm. Ron wondered if there was some charm that controlled the weather inside or if it was just so crowded with gigantic trees that it felt like being inside a protective dome. They'd find out soon enough, he supposed. Activity was slowing down and everyone involved in the search operation inside the tunnels were beginning to accept the network was so vast they couldn't possibly clear the entire system. Most likely the elves and death eaters had escaped out of some opening they hadn't found yet.

Ron stood near the tunnel entrance under the great tree, helping the aurors out and into the fresh air. Sensing movement within, Ron took a step inside, hoping to see a row of prisoners. It was a lone cloaked figure. He opened his mouth to say something, stopped when he recognized who stood there and it wasn't an auror.

Stan Shunpike waved lamely. "Can we just pretend you didn't see me here?" he asked, making no move to run.

Wand up, Ron shook his head. "No. Sorry mate. Come on out."

"Yeah. I understand," the dejected wizard said and walked toward the exit. "Is Miss Granger okay?"

Ron put a hand on Stan's shoulder and spun him around. "You did that to her?"

Stan backed up now. The anger in Ron's words forced him back. He shook his head vigorously. "I didn't. I didn't know they were going to hurt her. She was supposed to be alone. I thought we could—"

"—you thought what?" Ron interrupted. When he realized Stan was about to completely breakdown, he backed off.

"I thought I could warn her. I tried but I was cursed. And then I thought I could keep her from getting hurt," he explained, wiped at his red eyes with his filthy sleeve. "I didn't know what Alecto and Amycus were planning."

The Carrows. Ron couldn't believe they were out already. The abuse they carried out at the school still haunted those who had endured. Neville nearly had a nervous breakdown when he found out the siblings were being released. "You're working for the Carrows?"

"I needed the money. I thought we were just taking things from the forest and selling them. It got out of hand."

The pathetic nature of the older wizard had Ron softening a small measure. He knew life hadn't been easy for him. And Ron believed that he never intended for anyone to get hurt. He motioned to the exit, "You know Harry would help you."

Stan hung his head and marched out of the tunnel. "Don't need hand outs."

Ron handed him off to the aurors outside the tunnel.

"Where was he hiding?" one asked.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Ron felt pity. "He surrendered. He has information on the the death eaters and wants to help."

"Just in time," the auror said, nodding toward the edge of the grove. A small group of people were stepping out of the shadows.

Seeing Harry and Hermione both on their feet made his tense muscles relax. They didn't all the way relax. Dumbledore was still with them. And Williamson. And some new people he didn't recognize but were a little too put together to be ministry hacks. Joining them, he looked Hermione over. She was pale and holding her hand against her chest. His eyes flicked to Harry, about to ask why she wasn't still in the hospital. The dark look on Harry's face stopped him. "What's happened?"

"Nothing. Yet. We need to question the elves," Harry started to explain. "You found Stan. Did you get the Carrows too?"

"No. Not yet," Ron answered, surprised Harry hadn't mentioned the death eaters before if he know who took him. Then again, he had been pretty preoccupied. And likely had a head injury. Hermione and Williamson looked as surprised as Ron felt. Where the group had been, the death eaters hadn't been the priority.

"I'll question him. You three… four, go on and talk to the elves," Williamson said but didn't look pleased. Ron couldn't be sure if that was just the head aurors neutral condition to be displeased.

Digging in his inside cloak pocket, Ron pulled out the two wands he was carrying, handed them to Harry and Hermione. "I should have given those to Williamson. I didn't know if I'd see you first and wanted to keep them safe." His friends looked relieved to have their wands back, but their serious mood didn't lift. "Should we go in then?" Ron asked Harry, having no idea why they needed to enter the secret area or why everyone appeared so tense.

"Hermione…" Harry started cautiously.

"No. No way. I didn't come all this way to sit out here and wait," she pushed back before he had the chance to tell her to wait in the grove. Her protest would have been more convincing if she hadn't needed to push against the bulky bandage under her shirt in response to the pain from her exertion.

Ron was hoping his friends wouldn't want him to be the tiebreaker. He mostly agreed with Harry but he was scared of Hermione. Dumbledore didn't look like he was interested in getting between them either.

Whatever else Harry wanted to say, he seemed to tap it down. "Those creatures with the quills are hiding in the rocks. They blend into the stone. Keep an eye out when we get inside," Harry said, looking directly at Ron.

Nodding, he wasn't going to let any of them go through the torture Hermione had. Susan was still shaken over it all.

Harry took Hermione's hand in his and led them all toward the rock cliff. Stairs appeared. Ron gripped his wand tight and followed behind his friends.

~~/~~

Once inside the treaty zone, Hermione reluctantly let go of Harry's hand. They both needed their wands out and the path down the boulders was too narrow to walk side by side. She studied him as they climbed down. He hadn't put the sling back on at Saint Mungo's, and she could tell he was guarding his left shoulder. He was so focused on her, he wasn't taking care of himself. On top of that, he couldn't possibly have had time to process the betrayal of Dumbledore. For both those reasons, she wasn't about to let him into the Forbidden Forest without her. They'd been down that road. He left her behind to sacrifice himself to Voldemort. The thought, brought fresh tears to her eyes, and a small panic in her chest. She tried to shake it off and told herself that it was a fresh wound due to the effects of the poison. It was partially true. The scene played out often enough in her dreams through the intervening years. It was no wonder it played out so heavily while she was forced to relive such terrible memories.

He changed, she tried to tell herself. He was older, not as naïve. And that might have been true a few hours ago. Dumbledore's return and confession changed her calculus. She worried he'd do something impulsive if he thought Hogwarts really was in danger.

"You okay?" Ron asked, sidling up to her and giving her a hand as they traversed a large boulder.

She wasn't sure if he was asking about her recovery or if he sensed her internal struggle. She waited until her feet were on the ground before making eye contact. "Yeah. My mind is still a little foggy," she whispered.

Whatever he saw in her eyes had him looking away toward Harry who was several meters up the trail.

Hermione squeezed Ron's arm. "Don't. He's got enough to worry about right now."

"Tell me," he asked.

This wasn't the place to tell Ron about the horcruxes. They should have taken the time to fill him in. She settled on the least inflammatory and more relevant piece of information. "There's magic in here that needs to be protected. It's connected to the school and it's likely what the death eaters are after."

"That's why Dumbledore was hiding out in here?"

Hermione started walking again. She didn't want Harry to notice them talking and assume she was telling Ron about Sirius. That felt like information Harry needed to share. "That's what he says."

As they neared the village, there was no security party to greet them. They were expected. Or there had been no warning of the breach. Odd.

The few elves outside didn't appear overly bothered by their appearance. Harry walked directly toward Cirdan's hut. Dumbledore followed close behind. Hermione worried.

Ron motioned for her to enter and took a position near the door.

"Mister Potter, Albus. This is unexpected," the elder said, looking shaken that they could be surprised.

"We need to talk," Harry said.

The elf regained their composure. "Of course. I'm sure you have questions. I would think Albus could answer them. Please have a seat. All of you. Miss Granger. And I assume you're Mister Weasley?"

"We're not here about Dumbledore," Harry said, not wanting to waste time with pleasantries.

Cirdan didn't seem to care and busied themselves at a small counter. "Oh?"

Hermione stepped close to Harry, and put a gentle hand on his wand hand. It was raised and could be considered threatening. She didn't want something to happen unintentionally. The elves might not use wands, but clearly they welded powerful magic.

Harry looked down at her touch. Nodding at the subtle warning, he put the wand in his wand pocket. Then, pulling out a chair for Hermione, he sought out Ron. Motioned for him to join them.

Once everyone was seated, Harry's leg started bouncing so much, it was shaking the table. He was growing impatient, but was still holding it together long enough to not be confrontational. "We needed to talk to you about a threat," he started.

Cirdan turned, a tray in hand full of clay cups and a kettle. "I made you some tea - stupid idea, I suppose. Considering the reason you say you're here," they said, unbothered by the words. "We've been through this. Threats from your world aren't our concern."

"This one is," Ron said. "Because they're your people. Not ours."

"I assure you, that's not possible," Cirdan dismissed it with a wave.

Hermione felt the tension from Harry. "Someone from your enclave attacked us. They had poison that came from a creature that only exists here. From the rock of despair," she explained, swallowed hard at the lump in her throat. She pressed on, hoping to give Harry a little more time to even out. "Who's gone missing recently?"

"No one. No one leaves or joins us. It's been this way for centuries. It's how we prefer it. Maybe another fairy mound is interfering with your matters."

Centuries. Hermione sat forward. "There was a schism. Five hundred years ago," she pushed back.

"Well. Yes. They would be dead by now."

"Their children wouldn't be," Harry countered. "Or their children's children. What's your lifespan? Maybe they've had a long enough time to blame you for their misfortunes."

"Our lifespan depends a great deal on circumstances."

"What kind of circumstances?" Harry asked.

Cirdan hesitated. They looked from Harry to Dumbledore. It seemed as if the pair were having a private conversation. Hermione couldn't rule it out. Cirdan finally nodded and looked out the nearby window to the mountains. "Well. Whether or not they're inside this sanctuary. The magic here keeps us young. It was part of this land long before us. Long before your founders decided to claim this land. The magic drew us all here. It needed to be protected."

Of course. The elves who were banished would have noticed their aging increasing. But by then it would have too late to reverse their actions. They would have spent their centuries on the outside trying to find a way back in. The tunnel systems would have been an attempt to tap into either the sanctuary or the magical vein itself. How the death eaters got involved was obvious. Yet.

Before anyone could say another word, a great explosion rocked the village.

~~/~~

When the explosion rocked the hut, it barely registered. Harry was too focused on Cirdan. He wanted to get his answers. The screams from the terrorized villagers finally pulled him from his singular focus.

"This isn't possible," Cirdan said, rushing to the door.

"Their charms that warn them of breaches were down," Hermione said aloud. "That's why they were surprised to see us."

Harry pulled his wand out. Ron and Hermione flanked him. The older elves in the village were engaged in wandless magic. The only way to tell the two sides apart was to study the clothing. The elves who'd been living a comfortable life inside the treaty zone were dressed in clean, well maintained garments. The outcast faction had higher priorities, and appeared to choose colors and textures that would be more forgiving. The other give away was one side appeared more hesitant to fight. Whether that was because of surprise or confusion or a genuine dislike for combat, Harry couldn't tell. He stunned an attacker who was aiming for a small group of younger elves. The adult, attempting to get them out of harm's way, gave Harry a nod of thanks before herding their charges to a safer location.

"What do we do?" Ron asked him.

Dumbledore stepped forward. "We need to get to the mountain. That's where they'll go. The pool originates there.

"We can't leave the village to fight on their own," Hermione protested. "There are children here."

Cirdan grabbed a cane from a small hook. "They're not defenseless. They're not children as you understand them. Albus is right. The pool. They'll go there."

Harry stopped short. There was a gaping hole where a fountain had once been. Several huts nearby were on fire. The invaders might be interested in the magic in the mountain, they were intent on doing as much damage along the way as they could. This wasn't just a disaffected faction looking to regain their youth. They wanted revenge.

"We have to help them," Hermione called out and started putting out the fires with water charms.

"There's no time!" Cirdan said, coldly.

Ron helped put out a few more fires, "We can help on the way," he told Hermione. "Look. The elves are taking care of it."

And they were. The older villagers had finally snapped out of their initial shock and were using staves and wandless magic to push back the attackers and put out the fires. There was a trail of destruction leading out of the village. "They didn't know we were here," Harry guessed. The forces wouldn't have gone ahead if they had. "We can surprise them. If we hurry."

Finally Hermione relented. Harry understood her instincts were to protect the young and innocent. If the death eaters made it to the vein, the students at Hogwarts would be their concern. They rushed forward. Passing Cirdan easily. Dumbledore had a commanding lead. It seemed his new body was as fit as it looked. Harry wanted to run. He worried Hermione would feel compelled to match his speed and push herself too far. The trees grew dense. The trunks were lit with blue flames. Harry couldn't tell if it was the fire or the trees that made it burn in such a peculiar way. The invaders knew exactly where they were going. That observation unsettled Harry. Rushing into the unknown suddenly felt very stupid. They were only guessing. About everything. What if they were wrong? About everything. A familiar feeling came rushing back. Chasing Dumbledore. No time to get answers. "There's no fixing this," he realized.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. "We'll stop them."

"It won't matter. This will only be the beginning. The Carrows will tell others, or they already have. We don't know if all the other elves attacked. It would have been smarter to leave some behind. Once word gets out about this magic, it will be the target of every criminal looking for an advantage. Every Voldemort sympathizer left who wants to destroy the school will know where to attack. At the very least, this treaty zone needs to change. The ministry will need to know about it." Harry didn't know if the darker thoughts he was voicing were a byproduct of the unresolved issues with Dumbledore or the utter exhaustion from having another war to fight.

Hermione stepped up to his side. "We'll stop them. And we'll deal with whatever comes next."

Knowing he wouldn't need to do it alone suddenly felt like a relief. Ron had also proven he was willing to step up. Of course, Harry knew that, it had been easier to go on alone. To let Ron take care of his family, and let Hermione pursue her career. Bolster knowing he wasn't alone, Harry pressed forward. The cave a few hundred feet away. There was no sign of the death eaters. They might already be corrupting the magic. Harry ran forward and into the opening. Voices echoed off the rock walls. He looked back, Dumbledore and Ron were right behind him. Harry looked over their heads to see Cirdan and then finally Hermione bringing up the rear several feet behind. He should have tried harder to convince her to stay in the grove.

"This isn't what we agreed to," someone said. The word were followed by a rush of air from within the cave.

"Oy! Don't use your magic on us. You knew what you were signing up for when you asked for our help," Amycus protested.

As much as Harry wanted to rush in, he understood their only advantage was the element of surprise.

"These waters won't bring your wizard from the dead. We're here to heal our elders. To restore our youth. We promised you resources and potions to enrich yourselves," another of the elves pushed back.

Harry swallowed. The Carrows were trying to resurrect Voldemort again. Despite the denials from the Elves that it was possible, a resurrected wizard was a few steps behind him. And it was clear the magic the death eaters sought were partly responsible. In Dumbledore's case, there was still a fragment of soul left to give the body humanity. Harry couldn't rule out that the magic was powerful enough to raise up a soulless Voldemort. Peering around a corner, he could see the Elves on one side of a pool and the death eaters on the other. There must be a shield separating the two groups and keeping both from the waters.

The longer Harry looked at the pool, the more he realized water wasn't the right term. The liquid rippled, creating swirls of color just under the surface. A carving halfway up the wall depicted a great mountain absorbing a similar substance from the stars in the sky above it. Gathered around the mountain were crowds of beings. Humans, elves, giants, goblins, strange creatures and beast he couldn't identify. The longer he stared, the more details he could see. An opening at the base of the mountain opened up, acting as a fountain for the magical substance to stream down into the pool.

Cirdan pushed past Harry, impatient to address the threat. Harry cursed.

"This magic is not meant for you," Cirdan commanded, staff up and ready to strike the first person to challenge them. Slowly though, the staff lowered. "Benge? How is this possible?"

Harry recognized the figure to be the same person who shot Hermione. It was the first time he'd seen the face. It was reminiscent of the paintings he'd seen of Nicolas Flamel. A body that lived longer than nature ever intended.

Anger transformed the features from a fragile, ancient elf, to one ready to strike in revenge. "You thought exiling me would kill me?"

~~/~~

The pain in Hermione's chest was growing. It had been increasing with each step, the exertion was taking a toll. If this had been any normal operation, she would have been more inclined to take a seat on the sidelines for everyone's safety. This wasn't any other operation. It felt like a nightmare tailor made for Harry. It worried her how it was affecting him. And she felt guilty that he'd spent so much time on his own, that he'd forgotten he wasn't alone. She left him though. She had left him alone and regret felt as heavy as the wounds under her bandages.

Accepting that she couldn't keep up with the group, she decided she could make sure no one surprised them from behind. There were still invaders in the village. They may try to rejoin the others. There was something about the entire situation that felt wrong. She knew Cirdan wasn't telling them everything. Hell, Dumbledore wasn't telling them everything. A trap might be set for them at the end of the tunnel. Her fears seemed to become reality when a pressure change from spells nearly knocked her over. Steadying herself against the rock wall, Hermione gripped her wand tighter. Muffled voices drifted through the tunnel. Pushing off from the wall, she traversed the uneven ground as quickly as she could.

As she rounded the corner, she got her first look at the situation. Death Eaters were in a stand off with the elves. A pool lay between them.

"Benge," Cirdan breathed out. "This isn't possible."

"Why not brother? Because you thought you had complete control over the waters?" an ancient elf shot back. "We've been living in caves under the mound, digging for access to the magic that doesn't belong to you. Living on rationed drops."

"This isn't living," the younger elf said in a whisper.

Hermione made eye contact with Harry. They landed in the middle of a centuries-old feud between brothers. The death eaters were an additional complication she didn't understand. It seemed like they were contained by someone's shield. For the moment. Stepping closer to Harry, she tried to figure out if he was worried. He hadn't taken an action yet. There didn't seem to be an obvious one. It was a stand off. Mostly by virtue of the uncertainty of the magical power in the cave. Her eyes flicked to Dumbledore. He was solely focused on the death eaters. A clear sign of who he thought was the threat.

The Carrows also noticed the attention. There wands turned toward the resurrected wizard. Harry tensed.

"Enough of this," Alecto shot out. "We fulfilled our end of the bargain. Let us take the samples and we'll leave you two to settle this."

"You're not leaving here with that water," Harry spoke up.

Hermione got the sense she had missed something important.

"It won't work," Dumbledore replied.

"You're one to talk," Amycus hissed. "It worked for you."

Cirdan finally turned his attention away from Benge. "The water gave life to a body. It didn't regrow the soul," he said, looking cautiously at Dumbledore. He was aware of the sensitive nature of the magic that bound the soul to the earth. "Your dark lord will not benefit from this magic."

Alecto took a step closer to the pool. She strained against the shield. "Then you won't mind if we take some. If it won't resurrect Voldemort."

Hermione swallowed her gasp, finally understanding the reason the death eaters were involved. Logically, she believed Dumbledore and Cirdan's assessment was true. Voldemort's horcruxes were destroyed. When Harry killed him, that was the end of his soul and his ability to return from the dead. But. The wizarding world thought that was true before, with disastrous consequences. Just the threat of his return would create fear and chaos. And having another wizard thought long dead return, it wouldn't ease the panic. They couldn't leave with the water. They couldn't be permitted to go free at all.

"You have no right to this magic," Cirdan said.

"Neither do you, Cirdan," Benge shot back. "You've lied to yourself for so long, you actually believe those lies. You didn't make some great sacrifice to protect this magic, you've kept it hidden for yourself. To keep the world from knowing what's possible."

"The power here is too great to allow it to fall into the wrong hands," Cirdan countered, but his words had lost some certainty.

"And you're the right hands? No. No brother. Last time, I left. I left to save our people from war. Last time was a mistake. This time… this time, you must be stopped." Benge raised his hands and with a flick, an explosion of energy expanded out into the cave, rushing toward the exit. Everyone in its path were blown off their feet. It happened too fast for anyone to cast a counter spell. Hermione felt herself flying backward. Trying to brace herself for the impact, she closed her eyes, wondering if this was how it all ended.