Thank you JPx and Wolf's Scream for beta'ing and wvchemteach for your ideas and support.
Okay so tomorrow, January 3rd, 2007 I will be in a chat to launch a friend's writing project. If you would like to join me, I will be there from 3:30pm-6:30pm EST and 9:00pm-10:30pm. It is a writing project that sounds like it will be a blast and the writers will be the chat discussing it. The link can be found on my Bio page and I encourage everyone to check it out.
As always, discussions are open at my yahoo group which is the link for 'my page' in my bio.
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Harry Potter and the Final Flame | ||||||
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Category: Post-HBP Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, General Warnings: Death Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 235 Summary: COMPLETED!!! Following the events Harry Potter is focused and determined to fulfill a destiny that only he can fulfill. Simple isn't it? Track down and destroy piece by piece the Darkest Wizard to ever live. If only things were that simple for Harry. Watch as the his best friends come closer together, the Order crumbles with a traitor in their midst, and the people he cares about the most suffer through heartache and trial. Can Harry succeed and if he does will there be anything for him to come home to? Hitcount: Story Total: 175391; Chapter Total: 5358 Author's Notes: |
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“Right there,” Ginny groaned as Harry kneaded the tense muscles in her shoulders. “Oh yes…” she sighed happily before reclining back into his embrace. “Mummy I got one!” Harry’s six-year-old son, Andrew, yelled. “Daddy look!” Harry looked up as his filthy child held up the squirming, ugly potato. “Good job,” he called out as Ginny snickered. Her entire body shook the porch swing and Harry had to stick out his leg to brace it against the railing. “He’s better at catching them than you ever were,” Ginny added helpfully as she sunk back into him, trying to get comfortable. He just grimaced and rubbed a hand over her swollen belly. “He got started earlier.” “Mumma,” three-year-old Emma called out as she made her way slowly up the steps. “Mumma, I didn’t get one.” “Aww, you will soon,” Ginny crooned, bending a bit to pull their daughter into what was left of her lap. She kissed the toddler’s cheek and smoothed out her bright red hair. “Andrew only learned to catch them this year.” Emma shrugged her tiny shoulders and snuggled her head against Ginny’s large belly, reveling in her mother’s gentle fingers combing through her hair. Harry watched Andrew running through their yard after another gnome. He easily overtook it and pulled it up by the head, just as Ginny had instructed. He took the gnome over to a large box and dropped it in. The sun shone warm on his raven locks, causing a hint of red to shine through his otherwise black hair. It never failed to amaze Harry how much his son looked just like him although he was his mother’s son all the way. Andrew’s head rose as if he could feel his father’s eyes on him. His mouth quirked up in a grin that was so reminiscent of Ginny that Harry felt his breath hitch in awe. “Daddy, I’m all done. Should I close the lid?” Harry nodded, almost too choked up to speak. “I’ll take them over to Uncle Fred’s house later today.” Andrew placed the lid on the box and ran through the garden towards them. He climbed up on the swing next to his sister as Harry balanced them by keeping his foot firmly on the ground. When they were all settled, he slowly started the rocking motion. “You know, this feud with Fred has got to stop,” Ginny said with laughter in her voice. “I’m not sure I could take it if he made you bald again. Every time I looked at you I ended up laughing till I cried.” “He started it!” Harry muttered indignantly. Ginny snorted and shook her head. “Technically Emma started it when you told her to dump that bottle of breast milk on his head.” Harry had nearly forgotten about that. Smiling in contentment, he ruffled his baby girl’s hair and sighed happily. Overall it was worth losing part of his arm to show his children the true meaning of family. “Can I come with you to Uncle Fred’s house when you take the gnomes over?” Andrew asked, breaking the silence. He considered his child for a moment and his eager expression. He was, after all, Ginny’s child… “It is all right with me, but you need to consult your mother. She has final say on who is old enough to prank.” Ginny picked up the conversation instantly. “Do you understand that if you’re caught that you will be held for ransom and torture… at least until your Gran hears about it and orders Uncle Fred to let you go?” Andrew nodded solemnly. “I can take it, Mummy. I’m a big boy.” Ginny held out her hand for him to shake. “All right, then. You know your mission. Right before bath tonight, you and your father will sneak out and plant the gnomes in your uncle’s bed, making sure to warn your aunt Kate, and exit the premises without being caught.” Andrew shook her hand and nodded proudly. “I won’t let you down.” “Good man,” Ginny replied seriously. Harry beamed at his family. Yes, he was her son. He hugged Ginny tighter to him and- “Harry, breakfast is ready,” Ron’s voice sounded through the room. “Remus is here too and he wants to speak to you.” Harry groaned and waved his arm, letting Ron know that he’d heard him. The door closed and all light fled from the room again. All he could do was stare up into the empty blackness. As far as dreams go, this one was one of the more intense. He could almost feel her body still pressed up against him and the warmth of the summer day. Harry let out a slow breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He hadn’t been denying it to himself. He knew that his feelings for Ginny were serious and that even if he wanted to pretend that they weren’t there, his dreams were telling him otherwise. His biggest fear, the one that kept him tossing and turning in bed, was that one night he wouldn’t be alone in his dreams. Voldemort had infiltrated his sleep before and Harry knew that he could do it again. If he did, then it would be all over for Ginny. A fine sheen of sweat broke out all over his body. He wanted so badly to make it through, to kill Voldemort and have a life. If Ginny wasn’t here for him to share it with, he doubted that he would care if he lived or died. “Harry!” Hermione’s voice floated through the door. “Remus needs to speak to you and he’s only got a few minutes.” “All right,” Harry called out. “I’m coming.” He rose and stretched, trying to work out the kinks of the night. He grabbed his glasses and threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater before making his way downstairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley was at the stove, making breakfast as she usually did, although this morning she was ignoring Harry and Ron. She had been furious over the events of yesterday, even though he and Ron had saved Neville’s life. She had yelled at them for a full ten minutes when they had gotten back and Hermione had sat, not even standing up for them. At least she wasn’t angry with them. Instead, Hermione had told them that she was proud of them for saving him but that they were reckless. Harry couldn’t argue with that. It had been reckless, but well worth it. He sat at the table and shrugged helplessly as Remus stared at him. “I just got back from St. Mungo’s and Neville is still unconscious. They don’t know what his prognosis is right now, although he is stable at the moment.” “Thanks, Remus,” Harry replied as a huge plate full of eggs and kippers was plopped unceremoniously in front of him. “Listen, do you think you can find a Pensieve for me?” Hermione took a huge gulp of her juice, nodding in agreement. “Yes, we were wondering what it would take to get one.” They had talked briefly last night, after the boys had been yelled at and they were permitted to retire, about heading back to Hogwarts and using Dumbledore’s, but Hermione decided that they should try to locate one of their own first. The problem was that if they went back to use Dumbledore’s then while they were in the memory anyone could view what they were doing. Remus didn’t even seem surprised by their request. “I could probably locate one but they are very expensive.” “I’ll pay it,” Harry answered instantly. “I might as well use that money that Sirius left me for something good.” “All right, I will look. I’m also here to tell you that Tonks would like to see you at the Ministry today, to talk about your role in the rescue of Neville.” Remus’ face was grim and his mouth set firm. “Somehow the Ministry found out that you were in the house.” Harry looked first to Ron and then to Hermione. The same thing was on all three of their minds. Who could have told the Ministry that he and Ron were there? The more pressing thought, however, the one that had Harry frozen in fear was that Ginny had known… that she was right. There was a spy in the Order. He took a couple of bites of food and finished off his plate. “I’m ready when you are,” Harry told him as Ron stood up. “I’m coming, too,” Hermione added as she drained her drink. “I have a few questions that I want to speak to Tonks about.” “Molly,” Remus began as he also got to his feet, scraping the chair along the floor as he rose. “Breakfast was excellent. Thank you very much.” Ron went over to his mother and put an arm around her shoulders. He whispered something into her ear and she shook her head. He continued to speak to her softly until she nodded and pulled him into a hug. “Off with you, then.” Harry felt Hermione tug on the sleeve of his jumper and followed obediently. He turned to look at Mrs. Weasley one last time as they left the kitchen and she was smiling sadly at them. She nodded once and waved a rag, telling him that all was well. With her it was, anyway. They exited the house and walked down the street towards the London underground station that he and Mr. Weasley had taken so many years before. “Remus,” Harry said quietly to his old professor as they walked quickly down the street. “What would it take to get the Fidelius Charm placed on the Burrow?” “Molly and Arthur would have to agree, but I believe that Bill could do it.” Remus studied him shrewdly. “I’m not sure that they’re willing to go that far.” Harry stared at the cracked sidewalk as they walked through the chilly, dry December day. “I think they should, especially after what happened at Luna’s. They could have easily gotten the Burrow as well.” At least Luna was safe. She and her father were renting a flat in London for the time being and they were continuing to run their paper. Harry had owled her to tell her that he was sorry and that he would do an interview for her dad any time he asked. Her entire house had been leveled, along with all of their belongings, and all of the newspapers that the three friends had been using for research. Hermione was obviously upset over the house being destroyed, but she had become manic overnight when she had been told that her source of information was now nothing more than dust. “I think,” Remus said after a long pause, “that it might be a good idea as well, but it is up to them. I will speak to Arthur about it, if you’d like.” Harry nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to ward off the cold. He was more than happy to get into the underground where they were protected from the breeze that had begun to whip up. Thankfully the trip was uneventful and they made it into the Ministry without incident. The Ministry was deserted except for several guards who checked them over thoroughly. Harry and Ron were on a list, along with Remus, to head up to the Auror department but Hermione was not. It took Tonks coming down to collect all of them before they were able to pass. The silent trip up to the Auror’s office was not a pleasant one. As they got closer to the second floor Harry felt his body getting tenser. The lift doors opened and the four exited with Remus, taking care to avoid a pile of greenish looking slime that had taken up residence on the hallway floor. A tired looking man with a mop and a bucket was hobbling towards them as they walked down the hall, following Tonks’ bright pink head. They wended their way back through the nearly empty cubicle until they were at her desk. She sat them down and got out a quill. “Some how the Ministry found out that you were at the Longbottom’s. Would you care to explain why you were there?” Ron gaped at her. Hermione fidgeted. Remus raised an eyebrow at her deadened tone, but Harry didn’t even pause to think before he spoke. “Neville is a friend of ours. We went to visit him and saw that the house was on fire so we went in to try and help.” Tonks gave him a ghost of a smile as she wrote that all down on an official looking form. “What was the state of Mrs. Augusta Longbottom?” “She was dead,” Harry replied flatly. Ron nodded and gulped as his face went ashen. “Her face had been burned and she was just staring up… I mean her eyes were open but she was dead.” “Thank you, and Miss Granger,” Tonks looked to Hermione. “Why are you here?” Hermione smiled back at her, suddenly animated. “I’m keeping up my studies for school, even though we’re no longer in session. I had a few history questions that I’m afraid I can’t locate an answer to and I was wondering if someone here might spare a few minutes for me.” All four of them stared at her incredulously. “We’re all pretty busy at the moment,” Tonks finally answered. “As you can see, many of the employees are dead or missing. We’ve only got a skeleton crew-” “I know,” Hermione interrupted. “But I want to be an Auror or an Unspeakable and as the Ministry will be looking for new employees someday, shouldn’t I be encouraged?” It was completely heartless, unbelievably thoughtless and totally out of character for her and yet she kept a broad smile on her face as she said it. Harry leaned over and whispered, “What are you on about?” “Shush,” she hissed back and waited for Tonks to come up with a response. “I… well I suppose I could answer a few questions,” she admitted. “What do you want to know?” Hermione got out a small slip of parchment and consulted a list. “First off, I want to know what happens when a family is attacked. How does the Ministry know?” “We have sensors that alert us to magic,” she replied, sitting back in her chair. “If a huge burst of magical activity starts to occur then there might be something wrong, but we have someone who monitors what spells are being performed.” Hermione chewed on her lip as she kept staring at her list. “If I commit a crime in a home but my home is unplottable, can the Ministry detect it?” Tonks’ eyes narrowed. “No, the Ministry can’t.” “Who is running the Muggle Ministry now that it has been destroyed?” “I’m not sure, possibly members of the royal family.” She set her hands on the desk and began to twiddle her thumbs. Hermione sighed and used her finger to scroll further down her list. “How are the Muggles being kept from knowing about how their Ministry was really destroyed?” “The Muggles are being told that it is terrorism. Aid from foreign countries has poured in and even what are called Marines from the United States.” Tonks was beginning to sound bored, which was probably a good thing since the few people who had walked by to gawk at Harry, had stopped all together when they realized that Tonks wasn’t really interrogating them. “Otherwise their memories have been modified.” “Is that done by anyone? I mean, can anyone from the Ministry perform the charms on the Muggles or is that regulated?” Tonks sighed heavily and raised an eyebrow at the question. “Generally it is done by the Hit Wizards or Aurors, although sometimes a senior member of the Ministry will be authorized to do so.” “Is the Minister back here or still in hiding?” Tonks shook her head. “Can’t answer that one for you, but I will say that he is safe and is still in control.” “Fair enough,” Hermione intoned. “And if I wanted to know more about the night that Harry’s parents died, who would I ask for a direct account?” The question came out of Hermione’s mouth as if she was asking what Tonks had had for breakfast. “I believe Moody was around then but-” She stopped, her mouth hanging open slightly. It only lasted a second though. “But I’m not sure he took that call. I believe that Sirius Black was there, along with Hagrid, but the Ministry could not launch a formal investigation because, as you might have heard, the house was under the Fidelius Charm and none of the Aurors could get in to look around.” “That is fascinating,” Hermione mumbled as she met Tonks confused gaze. “I have just one other question… Professor Bins has set me an essay on the four founders and I’m afraid that I wasn’t able to find much in Hogwart’s library. Does the Ministry have more information about them that I might borrow for a bit? I hate to ask, but with everything the way it is I’m afraid I won’t be able to pass my History of Magic NEWT.” “I didn’t know you were taking that class,” Ron said suddenly, as if he’d been in a stupor and not paying attention for the last ten minutes. “‘Course she is,” Harry growled back. “It’s an Independent Study since we smashed all the time turners.” “Oh right,” Ron said instantly, cottoning on. “It’s hard to keep track since all she does is study.” Tonks stood up quickly, although she stumbled over her own chair and landed in Remus’ lap. Laughing at her own clumsiness, she let Remus help her to her feet again and said, “Follow me you three. I believe that the Ministry does have a few brochures that you might find educational.” She led them out the door and past the man with the mop who was now scrubbing at the scum with a tooth brush. “You’re doing great, Archie,” Tonks cheered as she clapped a hand on his diminished shoulder and kept going. She paused outside of a large office and knocked firmly. “Who’s office is this?” Harry asked curiously. “No ones, this is the file room,” she told him as the door opened of its own accord and they walked in. A plump woman in a bright orange-feathered cap sat at a desk, writing notes. “Can I help you?” “Students from Hogwarts,” Tonks told her as she sat on the corner of the woman’s desk, knocking over a cup full of quills. “Oops, sorry.” The woman sighed dramatically and looked up at Tonks. “What do these students want?” “They’re doing a report on the four founders and with Hogwarts closed, they haven’t got a proper library to pilfer from.” Harry nearly gasped at Tonks’ cheek but the woman simply chuckled throatily and shook her head. “All right, I’ll see what I can find.” Within minutes the woman was making copies of several huge files for them and Hermione was gushing, telling her how she had been so worried about her NEWT’s. The orange cap bobbed as the older woman patted Hermione’s cheek. “Aren’t you a luv? Don’t worry about it so much; you’ve got plenty of time to study still. Come back to see me if you need more materials.” They left, Hermione gushing still, and Tonks escorted them to the lifts. She kissed Remus on the cheek and whispered to Harry, “See you in a bit.” Harry grinned and entered the lift as the door slid open. Hermione had at least three days worth of material to read, conveniently shrunk and kept in Remus’ pocket for the trip home, and he hadn’t seen Umbridge through the entire visit. Overall this trip into the Ministry had been rather pleasant… surely a first and probably the only time that this would ever happen to him. |
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