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SIYE Time:15:32 on 29th March 2024
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The Thorny Rose 3: A Spring Clean for the May Queen
By Brennus

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Category: Alternate Universe
Characters:Harry/Ginny
Genres: Action/Adventure, Romance
Warnings: Intimate Sexual Situations, Sexual Situations, Violence
Story is Complete
Rating: R
Reviews: 127
Summary: The third and final part of the Thorny Rose trilogy. Voldemort is again without a body, Ron has vanished and our favourite couple now know the contents of the prophecy. More importantly, Sirius is getting married. What will Harry and Ginny do now to finally put the Wizarding World to rights.
Hitcount: Story Total: 49697; Chapter Total: 4847
Awards: View Trophy Room




Author's Notes:
Chapter 2 already, thanks to super-speedy Arnel and her lightning fast beta work. Thanks a million, Arnel, you’re the best.

As the title of this chapter suggests, it’s rather dialogue heavy. Normally, I would want a few action scenes to break things up, but as the rest of the story really pivots around this chapter that wasn’t practical. You will get a bit of action in Chapter 3, however, including a rare sighting of Narcissa Malfoy’s chest.

There, that will have all the male readers clamouring for me to post early, and maybe a few female ones, too…




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Chapter 2 — Conversations



It was a good half-an-hour before Harry, Ginny and Sirius were able to escape the pandemonium of the courtroom. Even then, they had to agree to meet with Madam Bones at a later date to discuss the ramifications of Harry’s confession.

They had just managed to leave the courtroom and were heading for the lifts when a familiar voice halted them.

“Ah, Harry, I’m so glad I managed to catch you. I wonder if I might have a moment of your time.”

The three of them turned to see Albus Dumbledore standing serenely behind them. Ginny was enough of a student of the man’s expressions to know that his seemingly emotionless gaze really indicated he was deeply upset. She sighed, instinctively knowing that a very uncomfortable conversation lay ahead.

“We are all rather tired, Albus,” Sirius stated warily.

“I really must insist,” Dumbledore said evenly.

Harry shrugged his shoulder in resignation and followed the Professor back the way they had come. Dumbledore led them to a small office which Ginny assumed was reserved for him when he was acting in his role of Chief Warlock. They seated themselves and waited for Albus to begin.

“Words cannot begin to express my concern that the prophecy is now common knowledge,” Dumbledore stated. “Now Voldemort knows the exact wording, he will not rest in his efforts to get to you, Harry.”

“So what’s new?” Harry snorted. “In case it’s passed your attention, Voldemort has been doing his level best to kill me for years. We practically guessed what the prophecy was going to say before we heard it, and I doubt Tom would have thought any differently.”

“Besides, Voldemort is currently not in any shape to do much of anything,” Ginny ventured. “With most of his trusted Death Eaters either dead, locked-up or now having to go on the run, he’s not going to get much help, either.”

“But you saw how easily he managed to inhabit the body of that snake,” Dumbledore objected. “He could possess anyone at any time. Danger may come from the most unexpected of sources.”

“I don’t think so,” Ginny disagreed. “That snake was a one-off. Judging by the way it reacted after Harry cut its head off, I’m pretty certain it was a Horcrux. A greenish mist escaped from the body just after it died, and exactly the same thing happened to the diary after Harry destroyed that. I suspect the only reason Voldemort had the strength to take over the snake was because he already had part of his soul in it, anyway. That’s the second time he’s been blasted out of a body in a year. I’ll lay money on the fact it will be a long time before he can try anything like that again. True, he managed to possess Quirrell when he was in spirit form, but that was years after his original body was destroyed. No, it will be ages before he has the strength to try anything like that again.”

Dumbledore nodded and seemed to accept that line of reasoning.

“The fact that Voldemort’s Horcruxes didn’t become public knowledge is something of a comfort,” he acknowledged. “I must express my surprise that you were able to prevent mentioning them while under the influence of Veritaserum, Harry. Indeed, you seemed able to shake of its effect completely towards the end.”

“I learnt that I could resist the Imperius Curse last year, so I’m not totally surprised I could beat the Veritaserum,” Harry explained. “At first, I was helpless, but I found I was soon able to stop myself saying too much, and as it weakened I was able to ignore it completely.”

“It takes a strong wizard to be able to do that, Harry,” Dumbledore noted approvingly.

“That’s my boyfriend,” Ginny said fiercely, “a strong, powerful wizard who is destined to do great things with his life, and not just be some weapon or tool for you to casually sacrifice.”

Dumbledore sighed. “I suppose the chances of you actually explaining to me how you intend to deal with the Horcrux in Harry is remote now, isn’t it? After all, my last bargaining chip is now gone.”

“Wait a minute,” Sirius interrupted. “What the hell do you mean ‘the Horcrux in Harry’? And what’s this about him being a sacrifice?”

“Oh, bugger,” Harry muttered.

“Ah, am I to understand Sirius was unaware of the situation?” Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling for the first time since they had entered the office.

“Sirius, we can explain…” Ginny began.

“Explain? EXPLAIN? What the hell are you talking about? What’s this crap about Harry being a Horcrux?” Sirius bellowed.

“Harry is NOT a Horcrux,” Ginny insisted angrily. “Ignore this old duffer, we’ve told him enough times that what’s in Harry’s head isn’t a Horcrux, but he can’t seem to grasp the idea.”

“So, what is in his head,” Sirius asked in a dangerous tone.

“A piece of Voldemort’s soul,” Harry said quietly. “We think it became detached from him after he killed Mum and it latched onto me. It’s why it’s so painful for me to be around him and how he can get inside my mind, or at least he could until Eva taught me Occlumency.”

“Dear lord, a piece of Voldemort’s soul?” Sirius repeated looking appalled. “Why didn’t you tell me? More to the point; how do we get it out?”

“My question exactly,” Dumbledore interjected. “Miss Weasley assures me they know of a method of removing it without causing harm to young Harry, but I regret that I know of no such procedure. Horcrux or not, while that piece of soul remains inside Harry, Voldemort cannot be killed outright, so forgive me if I refer to it as such.”

“You’re right that it will act like a Horcrux, but it isn’t one,” Ginny maintained. “It might still have the effect of tying that evil bastard to this world, but the fact that the correct rituals were never performed means that we can remove it.”

“But how?” Dumbledore demanded, frustration creeping into his voice.

Ginny glanced over at Harry, who just grinned at her. He was obviously enjoying seeing the old man having to beg for information for once. Still, she didn’t want to anger Dumbledore too much, he was extremely powerful, after all. Maybe a subtle clue would satisfy his curiosity?

“Aren’t you always saying that love is the strongest power in the universe?” Ginny asked Dumbledore. “Well, we’re going to use that power.”

For a second, Dumbledore looked confused. He looked at Harry and Ginny rapidly in succession, his brow creased in concentration. Then, without warning, he burst out laughing.

“Oh, my! I’ve been a fool, haven’t I?” he gasped, howling with laughter. “All these years I’ve been preaching that love can overcome all things, and now, just when that knowledge is most important, I forget my own lessons. How positively idiotic of me!”

“I gather the Knut’s dropped, then,” Ginny asked despondently. She really hadn’t meant to give that much away.

“Indeed it has, you most wonderful young lady,” Dumbledore chortled, “and it is a most magnificent solution, I must say. You intend to use love as a weapon to drive Voldemort from Harry’s mind. Really, I can think of no more appropriate way of fighting his evil, I really can’t!”

“Wait, I don’t understand,” Sirius objected. “I know these two are cuckoo over each other, but how is that going to help, exactly?”

“Unless I am greatly mistaken, Harry and Ginny intend to perform an act that is the greatest expression of love and commitment that two people can ever go through. They intend to perform a Soul Bonding Ritual.”

“A Soul Bonding Ritual? But nobody has done one of those for years,” Sirius objected.

“Nevertheless, it is a most perfect solution to their problems,” Dumbledore noted. “Voldemort’s foul presence will wither and flee when confronted by the love these two share.”

Sirius looked rather concerned.

“Harry, Ginny; you do both know exactly what this ritual entails, don’t you? You’re a bit young to be making this sort of commitment to each other,” he pointed out.

“Don’t worry, Sirius, I know for a fact that I’ll never meet a better match for me than Harry,” Ginny assured him.

“Ah! Would I be correct in assuming that the hereditary Prewett talent of aura-reading has been passed to yourself, Ginevra?” Dumbledore asked happily.

“No one likes a know-it-all, sir,” Ginny growled.

“Aura-reading?” Sirius gasped. “What else have you two been keeping from me?”

“Not much else, Sirius,” Harry assured him. “We have been trying to talk Molly into agreeing to a Betrothal Agreement, though. If we have that, then we’ll be able to perform the ritual without any further parental permission.”

“A Betrothal Agreement?” Sirius repeated in a sick voice. “I despise those things! It was because of such an agreement that I ran away from home. I would never subject you to one of those things, Harry.”

“Ah, it might be a good idea if you don’t mention that to my mum,” Ginny admitted reluctantly. “We sort of implied that you were thinking of arranging one for Harry and she was quite keen for my name to be on it.”

“Bloody hell, I swear you two will be the death of me,” Sirius moaned. “Are you really sure about this?”

“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life,” Harry said, reaching over and taking Ginny’s hand in his.

“Well, I can’t say this is a total surprise,” Sirius admitted. “Your father was the same, Harry. As soon as he decided Lily was the one for him, that was it. It seems all Potter men are destined to pick their partners at an early age. I’ve always thought it was a daft idea, myself. At least I waited until my thirties to think about getting hitched.”

“Yeah, well, don’t count your chickens yet. Eva might still come to her senses,” Harry joked.

“Oi!” Sirius objected.

“A Betrothal Agreement would be a sensible way to proceed,” Dumbledore interjected. “If there is anything I can do to help convince Molly and Arthur to go along with it, please do let me know.”

“So, you’re happy with this idea,” Ginny said pointedly. “You no longer think that Harry has to die for Voldemort to be defeated?”

“He what?” Sirius snarled angrily.

“Calm yourself, Sirius,” Dumbledore said meekly. “I am now convinced that this is the right path. I confess that I did believe Harry would need to sacrifice himself, but I assure you no one is more delighted than I to find that is not the case.”

“Oh, trust me, there are plenty of people more delighted about it than you,” Ginny snorted before a thought occurred to her. “This is why everything has happened the way it has, isn’t it? Harry being left with his horrid relatives, you not preparing him to face Voldemort like you should have been doing, the near-death experiences he seems to have every year: it was all part of the plan, wasn’t it?”

Dumbledore sighed. “I would be lying to you if I said otherwise. You may think me a monster for doing what I did, but put yourself in my shoes for a moment. As soon as I looked at young Harry after the attack at Godric’s Hollow, I knew a part of Voldemort lurked within him, and to the best of my knowledge, I knew of no way to safely remove it. As far as I was aware, Harry had to die if the Dark Lord was to be defeated. How could I possible put the safety of every witch and wizard in the country at risk for the sake of one young man? It wrenched my soul, but I genuinely believed I had no choice.”

“Then you’re an idiot,” Ginny snapped. “You know, when I was younger everyone accused me of being obsessed by all those stupid fairy-tales about Harry Potter, but I was nothing compared to you! You really bought into all this Boy Who Lived rubbish, didn’t you? To you, Harry was some gallant young hero who was ready to sacrifice his life to protect his friends and loved ones. You really wanted this to end like in some romantic story-book, didn’t you? It just means that what you did was even more stupid than it first appears.”

“I told you, Ginevra, that I had no idea that the Horcrux could be removed from…” Dumbledore protested angrily.

“Not that!” Ginny spat. “I mean dumping Harry at his relatives’ house and then never checking up on him. Those bastards did everything in their power to make him feel worthless and unloved! You wanted Harry to be the noble hero, you’re bloody lucky you didn’t turn him into another Voldemort!”

“Tom Riddle turned to evil primarily because he was abandoned by his remaining family,” Dumbledore argued. “If his father had agreed to take him in, Tom would have grown up to be a normal boy. That was precisely that sense of abandonment that I was trying to avoid. There was no better place for Harry than with the last remaining members of his family. Nothing is stronger than blood, Miss Weasley, and the wards around his aunt’s home kept Harry safe for many years. Vernon and Petunia may not have been the guardians for Harry that I had hoped they would be, but they still took him in and looked after him.”

“Looked after me?” Harry yelled. “They only tolerated me as a slave! By five years old I was cleaning the house. By eight I was cooking nearly all the family meals. By ten I was doing all the work in the garden, too. I was an unpaid skivvy, barely fed and constantly abused. There was not a day that went by that my dear ‘family’ did not insult or ridicule me. Dudley used to beat me up once or twice a week and Vernon thought it was hilarious. Vernon himself broke my arm once. Did he take me to hospital? No, he locked me in that tiny cupboard for days. Do you know what it’s like to go four days without any food, Headmaster? I do. I know what it’s like to feel constant hunger pains. I know what it’s like to try to sleep in my own shit because my uncle won’t let me out of my cupboard to use the toilet. I know what it’s like to be made to feel like dirt.”

Dumbledore stared at Harry in horror.

“Could you have blamed him if Harry had turned dark?” Ginny challenged the old man. “If he’d used his magic to defend himself and killed those bastards? The worst thing was that you did exactly the same thing to Tom Riddle. I know from the diary that Tom begged all the staff at Hogwarts, you included, not to send him back to that Muggle orphanage at the end of each term, but you did. You might not have been his Head of House, but you were the only one who’d seen what that place was like first-hand. Did you lift a finger to help Tom? No, you didn’t, just like you did nothing to help Harry.”

Dumbledore’s mouth opened and closed several times, but no words escaped his lips.

“Come along, kids,” Sirius said, putting his arms around their shoulders. “Let’s go home. I think Albus here needs time to realise what a bloody mess he nearly made of everything.”

The three of them left the small office without a backwards glance.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH PHPHPHP

Wearily, they made their way back to Grimmauld Place. Entering the kitchen, they encountered Remus, Hermione and Tonks, enjoying a cup of tea and some light conversation.

“Oh, how did it go? Was Malfoy convicted?” Hermione asked the moment she caught sight of them.

“Guilty of the crimes he was initially charged with and additional charges are pending subject to further investigation,” Sirius said, dropping into the nearest chair.

“You look about done in,” Tonks noted.

“In addition to the trial, we had a rather draining conversation with Dumbledore,” Sirius explained. “It appears Harry and Ginny have been keeping secrets from us.”

“What?” Remus exclaimed, eyeing the two teenagers suspiciously.

“We promise we’ll explain everything once we’re all here,” Harry assured them, “but I really could do with a cuppa and something to eat first.”

“Yeah, me too,” Ginny agreed before looking around. “Isn’t Luna here yet? I thought she said she’d be here early.”

“She’s upstairs with Eva,” Remus explained. “Luna was confident she had her Occlumency skills up to speed, so Eva is currently testing her. Percy called via the Floo and said he and Audrey would be here around one o’clock.”

“Great, just time for lunch before everyone arrives, then,” Harry noted.

Dobby was summoned and was soon busy laying out an impressive buffet lunch which everyone tucked into enthusiastically. As promised, Percy and Audrey arrived shortly before one and joined them in the kitchen. A few minutes later, Luna and Eva both emerged.

“I did it!” Luna exclaimed happily. “My mind is secure!”

“Yes, she did very well,” Eva noted in a slightly bemused tone. “I must confess, I’ve never encountered anyone with pink mental shields decorated with flowers before, but I can’t deny they are effective.”

“Just because they’re functional doesn’t mean they have to be unattractive, does it?” Luna protested mildly.

“No, indeed, Luna, and your shields are quite the most lovely I’ve ever seen,” Eva smirked.

“Thank you,” Luna replied, sounding genuinely pleased.

“Right, if Eva and Luna don’t mind eating while we talk, I think we should crack on,” Sirius announced. “As some of you have already heard, Lucius Malfoy has been convicted of numerous crimes and under Veritaserum confessed to a whole host of others. Better still, he trotted out a long list of his fellow Death Eaters and admitted that you can’t take the Dark Mark under duress or outside influence. He’ll be bloody lucky to escape the death sentence, and his mates are being rounded up even as we speak.”

“A couple of them were Wizengamot members and were arrested on the spot,” Harry added happily.

“Indeed, and it did my heart good to witness it,” Sirius smiled grimly. “In one fell swoop, most of Voldemort’s closest supporters have been taken out of the game. Unfortunately, Malfoy didn’t have the good sense to shut-up at the point.”

“What do you mean?” Tonks asked.

“He blurted out about the prophecy and that we were trying to get to it before Voldemort could. More to the point, it seems that these two,” Sirius said pointing at a shamefaced Harry and Ginny, “actually knew what the bloody thing said.”

“You told us the prophecy had been destroyed!” Hermione protested.

“We lied,” Ginny admitted calmly. “We do that quite a lot, actually.”

“We always planned to tell you, we were just waiting until we were all together,” Harry added hastily while glaring at his girlfriend.

“Of course, that’s all a bit late now. Harry was called to the stand and administered Veritaserum. He then promptly recited the whole bloody thing to the court. Fortunately, he was able to shake off the effects eventually and was able to do a bit of damage limitation, but it was a bit late by that point,” Sirius growled.

“What does the prophecy say?” Hermione demanded.

Harry dutifully repeated the whole thing word for word.

“Well, that’s not much of a shock, is it? We pretty much guessed that’s what it would say,” Tonks pointed out.

“But what about the political implications?” Percy objected. “Now the Ministry know You-Know-Who will return and that Harry is the only one able to defeat him, they’ll never leave him alone!”

“Don’t worry, Harry managed to convince them that by blowing the head off that snake he’d already fulfilled the prophecy. By the time we left the courtroom, people were chanting his name and falling on their knees to worship him,” Sirius grinned evilly. “I lost count of all the witches trying to throw themselves at him.”

“Not that it mattered, I wasn’t interested in any of them,” Harry said, eyeing Ginny nervously.

“Don’t worry, love, I know you would never cheat on me,” Ginny replied sweetly. “Not unless you wanted a first-hand sample of my Castration Charm, anyway.”

“Which brings me neatly onto the next little surprise these two lovebirds had for me,” Sirius noted. “It appears that our best-buddy Voldemort loved Harry and Ginny so much he showered them with gifts. Now, most of you know that Ginny has his memories as a result of her run-in with his diary…”

“What?” Percy squealed. “His memories? What are you talking about?”

“Nice girly shriek, Percy, very macho,” Ginny laughed. “I’ve told you I was possessed by Voldemort acting through an old diary of his, right? He was trying to suck out my life-force to enable him to return, remember? Well, when the diary was destroyed, all the life-force that Voldemort had stolen came rushing back into me. But that’s not all. Because we were connected so closely when he was destroyed, all of his memories up to the point that he made the diary ended up in me, as well. I can remember everything that Voldemort did up to the age of sixteen.”

“Bugger me,” Audrey gasped.

“Sorry, that’s Percy’s job,” Ginny smirked. “Before anyone asks, no, it does not make me the next Dark Lord in waiting. I’m still the same person I always was, I just have a bit more knowledge then I had before.”

“Like knowing how the Horcruxes were created,” Hermione added helpfully.

“Exactly,” Ginny agreed, smiling at her friend. “Unfortunately, the memories only go up to the point Riddle created his first Horcrux: the diary. That’s why I can’t be sure exactly how many he made or what they are. I know pretty much everything about his earlier years, however.”

“What colour underwear did he wear?” Luna asked.

“Why could you possibly want to know that?” Tonks asked in bewilderment.

“You can tell a lot about people by their underwear choices,” Luna explained, “that’s why I don’t wear any. It maintains a sense of mystery about me.”

“Bet it makes you popular with the boys, too,” Tonks muttered.

“Focus, people!” Sirius yelled. “Merlin, I thought I was meant to be the childish one here. As I was saying, Ginny isn’t the only one Voldemort left something in. Harry has a little prezzie, as well.”

“What?” Hermione asked, peering at Harry suspiciously.

“A piece of his soul,” Harry answered before Sirius could speak.

There was a stunned silence for a moment.

“A piece of his soul? But… surely that means you’re a…” Hermione began.

“He is NOT a Horcrux,” Ginny yelled. “I’ve told you all before; to make a Horcrux requires a complex ritual and a Binding Spell. Merlin, they’d be created every time someone was murdered, otherwise! No, the piece of soul in Harry can and will be removed without any harm coming to him.”

“How?” Audrey asked.

“Ah, that’s the good part!” Sirius said exultantly. “It seems it’s not only Eva and I that will be getting married soon. How do you feel about having a brother-in-law, Percy?”

“What are you talking about?” Percy asked in a distinctly unfriendly voice.

“Well, it appears the only way we can get Voldemort’s soul out of Harry is to introduce another piece to force it out. Specifically, a soul willing to join with his,” Sirius explained, clearly enjoying himself. “To that end, his beautiful girlfriend has agreed to undertake a Soul Bonding Ritual with the lucky boy. Of course, the two of them will need to be formally betrothed first…”

“Blimey!” Tonks gaped.

“A Soul Bonding Ritual? Are you out of your minds?” Percy exclaimed vociferously. “Don’t you know how dangerous those things are? If one person dies, so does the other! Besides, couples who go through with the ritual are linked for life and you’re far too young to decide on something like that, Ginevra. No, I forbid this. You’ll just have to find some other way to get that Horcrux out of Mr Potter.”

“IT’S NOT A HORCRUX!” Ginny bellowed. “And you, you big git, have no say in my life! I know for a fact that I will never, ever find a better match for me than Harry! Besides, Mum’s already decided that a betrothal is a good idea and she’s agreed to talk to Dad about it. You might be part of this family again, Percy, but you’re still a stupid twat who thinks he knows more than he does!”

“Ah, I quite forgot! Another little secret Ginny decided to drop on me today: she’s a magical aura reader. Apparently, her and Harry’s magic are in complete alignment and they are ideal partners for each other. It certainly explains why they can’t keep their hands off each other,” Sirius explained in a light tone.

“What? An aura reader? Just like Grandma Jill was?” Percy asked in shock.

“It’s a Prewett family skill,” Ginny explained. “Mum has the ability, too, although she keeps quiet about it. Now do you see why I’m so certain Harry is the one for me, apart from the simple fact that I love him?”

“And I love her,” Harry added fiercely.

“But… what about the linked death thing?” Percy pointed out. “No disrespect, Harry, but you’re not exactly the safest person in the world, are you? If Voldemort does return he’ll be after you and therefore you’d be putting Ginny at risk, too.”

“If I don’t do this, Voldemort will be unbeatable,” Ginny pointed out. “You’ll just have to help ensure Harry’s safe then, won’t you?”

“Well, that’s a trick, isn’t it? This Bonding Ritual might dispose of the Hor… err, piece of soul in Harry, but what about the other Horcruxes? We’re still no closer to finding them, are we?” Percy angrily pointed out.

“Harry, when did this piece of Voldemort’s soul enter you?” Luna asked with a puzzled frown on her face.

“When he tried to kill me as a baby,” Harry replied in a tight voice. “We think his soul became fractured after he killed my mum, and when the Killing Curse deflected back on him it came loose and attached itself to me.”

“So, it was nineteen eighty-one when this happened, and Voldemort would have created all his Horcruxes by that point, right?” Luna continued.

“Yes, I guess that was how he managed to survive,” Harry confirmed warily.

“And Ginny, you said that you obtained all of Voldemort’s memories of from the piece of his soul in the diary, yes?” Luna asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” Ginny confirmed, excitement building in her as she started to realise what her blond friend was hinting at.

“So, logically, all of Voldemort’s memories up to eighty-one will be contained in that bit of soul in Harry’s head, including what his Horcruxes are and their location. We just need to get it out,” Luna said triumphantly.

“Luna, that’s bloody brilliant!” Ginny exclaimed.

“Wait a minute,” Eva interrupted. “That’s not so easy. Ginny, you obtained Voldemort’s memories by a unique series of events that cannot be easily reconstructed. Also, the Soul Bonding Ritual most certainly will destroy the soul piece, so any information we wish to retrieve must be obtained before that happens. I’m an extremely gifted Legilimens, but I would not dare to try and probe the soul part myself. Voldemort was an incredibly powerful wizard and even a splinter of his soul could probably destroy me.”

“Damn, it sounded such a good idea,” Tonks cursed.

“Wait a minute, what if the soul part was weakened?” Ginny suggested.

“What do you mean?” Eva asked.

“I seem to recall that Riddle knew of a spell that could literally freeze a person’s soul and make them vulnerable to attack. I think he was researching it, thinking it would be useful in combating people who were skilled in Occlumency, but in the end, he felt he didn’t need it,” Ginny explained.

“I think I’ve heard of the spell you refer to, but it is a very Dark Curse, indeed,” Eva said frowning. “I have heard it called the Mind Rape Curse, and only the most powerful of wizards can cast it. I’ve never encountered its use before; are you saying you know how to cast it?”

“Well, no, I don’t, but it must be documented somewhere, right?” Ginny argued.

“Do you think it will be in the library here?” Sirius asked. “There’s quite a lot of Dark stuff in there.”

“And who would cast this spell, Ginny?” Eva asked. “As I said, only an extremely powerful wizard can do so.”

“No, it’s not in the library upstairs. I’ve been through all the stuff on Soul Magic and Occlumency,” Ginny admitted. “But I know who has the power to cast it: Harry.”

“Harry?” Hermione gasped. “You want him to cast something called a Mind Rape Curse, on himself?”

“Actually, that might work,” Eva said thoughtfully. “Harry certainly has the power to do so, and the spell itself is not intrinsically harmful. It would leave him completely vulnerable, however, so we would have to be very careful when and where it was cast.”

“If we did it here it would be okay, wouldn’t it?” Harry asked.

“I think so,” Eva replied. “I have no idea how long the spell will last, however, and during the time it was active you would be completely exposed, both physically and mentally.”

“Would it be you who entered my mind to retrieve the information?” Harry asked.

Eva nodded.

“Then I have no problem with it,” he replied, smiling at the woman.

“And I’d watch over you, too,” Ginny added. “I’d make sure no one came near you apart from Eva and myself.”

“Then I have no problem with the idea of the spell being used,” Harry confirmed.

“Super, now the only problem we have is that no one has any idea how to cast the spell,” Remus pointed out.

“Well… I might have an idea were you might find some information on it,” Percy said reluctantly.

“Where?” Sirius asked.

“Malfoy Manor,” Percy replied. “I remember Dad saying that the Manor had one of the largest collections of books on Dark Magic in Europe. Lucius had to get special dispensation from Fudge to own a lot of them. If details exist on this spell anywhere, I bet it will be there.”

“Great, how do we get in there?” Sirius moaned. “I bet it’s under a Fidelius Charm.”

“Actually, it’s not,” Percy disagreed. “Remember, Lucius was a politician and a statesman. He regularly hosted balls and functions, and had a constant flow of visitors to the Manor. How do you think my father was able to raid the place?”

“Okay, no Fidelius, but I bet the place is still heavily protected, even with Lucius banged up. How do we get in?” Sirius demanded.

“Yeah, we’d need someone really skilled at taking down wards,” Tonks agreed,

“What, like a curse-breaker, for instance?” Harry asked turned to grin at Ginny.

“You know, I think it’s time for our little group to take on a new recruit,” Ginny beamed.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

“Mr Black? Sorry to have kept you waiting. It’s good to see you again,” the tall red-haired man said offering his hand.

“Ah, Mr Weasley, we meet again,” Sirius replied, shaking the young man’s hand vigorously. “Thank you for seeing me at such short notice.”

“All part of the Gringotts service,” Bill smiled. “Perhaps if you’d like to step into my office, we can discuss your requirements.”

“Hiya, Bill,” Ginny said cheerily, stepping from behind the pillar she’d been hiding behind.

“Ginny? What are you doing here?” Bill gasped.

“She’s here with me, of course,” Harry said, stepping into view as well. “Hi, Bill, you okay?”

“Harry? Yes, I’m good, thanks. What are you two doing here, and where’s Mum?” Bill asked looking around the banking hall.

“Oh, these two are here with me,” Sirius informed him. “They are quite central to the discussion I wish to have.”

“Umm, okay. You’d better all come in,” Bill said hesitantly, gesturing towards the open door of his office.

They all entered the small room and Ginny looked around. She’d never had the chance to visit Bill at work and was a little surprised at how pokey his office was. Still, she reasoned, as a curse-breaker he probably spent very little time here. Besides, she doubted the goblins would ever give a human anything luxurious.

“So, what can I do for the… err… three of you?” Bill asked.

“We’re seeking a rare book of magic that we believe is in a highly protected location. Its retrieval is likely to be extremely difficult and dangerous,” Sirius explained.

“Okay,” Bill said hesitantly while eyeing Ginny. “What’s the name of this book? I may have heard of it.”

“That’s the challenge: we don’t know,” Sirius replied happily.

“Right, well, where is it located,” Bill tried again.

“Ah, again were not exactly sure, but we think it’s located in the library of a convicted Death Eater,” Sirius informed him.

Bill stared at them silently for a moment before a slight smile came onto his face.

“This is a joke, isn’t it? This is why Ginny and Harry are here, to watch you try and kid me, right?” he ventured.

“Nah, were deadly serious, Bill,” Ginny said. “Unless we get our hands on this book, thousands could die at the hands of a resurrected Dark Lord.”

“Resurrected Dark Lord? What rubbish is this? Why are you…” Bill began.

“Think who I’ve got sitting next to me, big brother,” Ginny interrupted, tilting her head in Harry’s direction. “If anyone knows about Dark Lords, it’s him.”

Bill stared at the three of them in total confusion. Clearly uncertain what to do next, he fell back into his standard Gringotts sales patter.

“Well, Gringotts offers a full range of Curse and Ward Breaking services, although I warn you now, we will not undertake anything illegal,” he said, handing Sirius a sales brochure.

“That’s the other thing,” Sirius said, calmly handing the brochure back. “This would be a private job; nothing to do with Gringotts.”

“What? I can’t take private jobs! If Gringotts found out I’d be sacked on the spot,” Bill protested.

“But you do work for the Order of the Phoenix, don’t you?” Harry said innocently. “Surely the goblins would consider that private unauthorised work.”

“How did you know about that?” Bill hissed. “For Merlin’s sake, don’t spread that around! The goblins would have a fit if they got wind of me being a member.”

“It’s probably best if you listen to what we have to say, then,” Ginny smirked. “I mean, we’d hate it if that information got into the wrong hands.”

“Ginny, are you blackmailing me?” Bill exclaimed in horror.

“Not really, I’m just trying to get your attention, actually,” Ginny assured him. “You see, Bill, there’s a war coming and you’re on the wrong side.”

“What do you mean? The Order is run by Albus Dumbledore!” Bill protested.

“Exactly! That old duffer is going to get us all killed, the rate he’s going,” Ginny said passionately. “He’s already nearly condemned Harry to die based on false information and is making a complete balls-up of everything else.”

“Ginny!” Bill exclaimed in shock. “How can you say that?”

“It’s all true, Mr Weasley,” Sirius confirmed. “Dumbledore is making huge mistakes and I fear for this country if our defence is left to him. Fortunately, others have realised the problem and are stepping into the breach. A new group called Harry’s Heroes…”

“The name will be changing shortly,” Harry interrupted.

“…are making a stand against evil and intend to vanquish Voldemort and all of his lackeys. Unfortunately, Ministerial corruption, not to mention Albus’s bleeding hearts approach, is making this all very difficult. That’s why we need a few good men…”

“And women,” Ginny interrupted.

“…to fight the good fight. We need men like you, William! That’s why we’d like to invite you to the next meeting of our group. You would need to give us an Unbreakable Vow not to disclose any information about the group, but I swear that if you don’t want to join us you will be free to walk away unhindered.”

“Who else is in this group?” Bill asked in a stunned voice.

“We can’t tell you until you give the oath, Bill, but I will say that I’m not the only family member involved,” Ginny said calmly.

“Look, are you sure about this? Dumbledore is a great man…” Bill began.

“Great man? He’s a manipulative old codger who thinks he knows everything!” Ginny spat. “Didn’t I already say that he was ready to offer Harry up as a sacrificial lamb based on wrong information? Not to mention he could have ended up turning Harry Dark the way he was going. Oh, and how about the fact he knew there was a bloody basilisk on the loose at Hogwarts, but did nothing about it! I’m convinced he knew I was being possessed, too, but did nothing because he knew Harry would never just leave any member of our family to die.”

“What? He knew about the basilisk? I don’t believe it,” Bill snorted.

“Bill, it’s all true, I swear,” Harry said intensely. “If you want any of us to take a Magical Oath right now we will but, trust me, if we follow Dumbledore we’ll be heading on the path to ruin.”

For a second, Bill just looked confused. He stared at his sister intently.

“Are you sure about this, Ginny? You know I think the world of you, but can you promise me that this isn’t just some crack-pot scheme drummed up by your boyfriend there,” he demanded.

“Bill, I swear to you, once you hear what he have to say, you’ll see things completely differently,” Ginny assured him.

“Okay, I’ll listen to what you have to say,” Bill agreed in resignation, “but no promises beyond that, okay?”

“Actually, when you come to the meeting, why don’t you bring Fleur along, as well? She’d be a great addition,” Harry suggested.

“I hope you’re not suggesting that just so you’ll have a Veela to leer at,” Ginny said warningly.

“Of course not, Fleur’s far too old for me,” Harry replied before smirking. “Mind you, in a few years her little sister will be hot!”

“You do know you’re going to pay dearly for that comment, don’t you, Mr Potter?” Ginny said in deceptively calm voice.

“Yes, sadly, I do,” Harry confirmed tragically, while Bill and Sirius both sniggered.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Th at evening, Bill and Fleur visited Grimmauld Place and gave the required Unbreakable Vow. They were taken into the kitchen where Sirius, Eva, Harry and Ginny all explained the current situation to them. This time, nothing was withheld and soon the tall curse-breaker and his beautiful girlfriend knew everything that had been going on.

“Mon dieu!” Fleur exclaimed. “Zis is incroyable!”

“I don’t know where to start,” Bill said, shaking his head. “I’ve got a million questions, but I really don’t know what to ask first.”

“Well, why don’t I ask a question first? Will you help us?” Ginny asked hopefully. She was desperate for her favourite brother to be on board.

Bill and Fleur exchanged a long look before they turned back to Ginny.

“I can scarcely get my head round all this, but I don’t think I’ve got a choice, have I?” Bill admitted. “Fleur and I have already been talking about how disappointed we’ve been by the Order of the Phoenix. You’re right about Dumbledore being too passive and, now I’ve heard just what a mess he’s made of everything, I think it’s time we changed allegiances.”

“Oui, I already know ‘Arry is a good person, and I’m ‘appy to follow him,” Fleur confirmed.

“Well, I think that perhaps you should meet the fellow members of your group,” Sirius announced before calling Dobby and asking him to tell the others that they could come down.

A few minutes later, the rest of the group filed into the kitchen. Bills jaw dropped when he saw who was present.

“Percy! Bloody hell, when Ginny said that there were other Weasleys involved, I assume she meant the twins. I guess this what she meant when she said she’d been in contact with you at Christmas,” Bill reasoned.

“Indeed,” Percy replied with a smirk. “Audrey and I have been supplying the group with information from the Ministry for some time. You may not believe this, William, but our little sister is becoming quite the politician.”

“Yeah, I’m beginning to believe it,” Bill smirked before turning to address another person who had just entered. “Hi, Tonks, I guess I don’t have to feel bad about being the only Order member to go behind Dumbledore’s back, eh?”

“Nah, don’t worry about it, Bill,” Tonks replied with a grin. “Trust me, Harry and Ginny have done more to combat evil and injustice in the last year than Albus has done in the last dozen! This is where the action is, believe me.”

“Cool, well, against my better judgement I think we’d better talk about trying to gain access to the Malfoy family library. That place will be a right sod to get into, you know that, don’t you?” Bill pointed out.

“Sadly, it must be attempted,” Sirius insisted. “The information in Harry’s head is vital to ensure Voldemort never returns and we need that spell to gain access to it.”

“But you do not even know it iz in ze library,” Fleur objected. “It could be, ow you zay, a wild ghost chase.”

“That’s ‘goose chase’, but your point is well made,” Sirius acknowledged. “Unfortunately, unless you have a better idea where we can find this spell, we have little choice.”

“No, I’ve heard of this ‘Mind Rape’ spell, but as it has no direct use in curse-breaking it wouldn’t be recorded in goblin records. They don’t tend to worry too much about spells that only affect humans, you see,” Bill apologised.

“Don’t worry about it. I looked in the Ministry’s records and it’s not there, either,” Tonks assured him. “The Unspeakables might know of it, but security around the Department of Mysteries has been beefed up a lot recently.”

“I wonder why?” Harry said with a smug grin.

“They’re probably worried that rotten Harry Potter bloke will break-in and smash all their pretty little glass orbs, again,” Ginny smirked.

“Well, it looks like there’s nothing for it but to raid Malfoy Manor,” Remus declared. “Bill, how confident are you of getting into the place?”

“I’d need to survey the place first before I could say,” Bill responded. “Until I perform some checks, I’ll have no idea what I’m up against.”

“Do we ‘av any information about ze place?” Fleur asked. “If we ‘ad a plan of ze grounds it would be a big ‘elp.”

“You’re doing a grand job of teaching Fleur English, Bill” Ginny teased her brother.

“Shut it, shorty,” Bill responded, glaring at his sister. “Oh, and after we’re finished here, you and me are going to have a little talk about a certain proposed Betrothal Agreement, understand?”

“Whatever,” Ginny replied, crossing her arms in a huff.

“Err, ‘Arry? Why iz you ‘ouse-elf jumping up and down like zat? Iz he wishing to use ze toilette?” Fleur asked.

“Dobby, what’s wrong?” Harry asked in alarm.

“Master Harry, sirs! Dobby is knowing Malfoy Manor like that back of his hands, he is! I can be making you a map of the entire place, sirs!” Dobby exclaimed, bouncing up and down in excitement.

“I thought you couldn’t divulge any of the secrets of your former masters?” Sirius asked the small elf in surprise.

“Nasty old master gave Dobby clothes, so Dobby is not bound by any oaths he previous gave,” Dobby explained.

“But that’s great!” Harry exclaimed. “Do you think you can make us a map of the grounds, Dobby?”

“Easily, Harry Potter, sirs!” Dobby replied happily. “Dobby can be making maps of the whole house and gardens. I can magic ups a map in no time!”

“Dobby, an estate of this size probably bases its protections on a series of ward stones, probably situated around the perimeter of the grounds. Do you have any idea where they might be?” Bill asked eagerly.

“Oh, yes! The wardsy stones gives off big magic and Dobby knows exactly where they are,” he replied, nodding furiously.

“Dobby, you’re wonderful!” Harry told the little elf, who immediately turned bright red with embarrassment.

“I don’t believe it,” Bill said shaking his head. “You just happen to own a house-elf who just happens to have previous worked in the one place you need to get into, and who just happens to have been sacked in a manner that allows him to tell you everything! How much of a coincidence is that?”

“Karma owes me a few favours,” Harry said smugly.

“Yeah, I mean, he’s getting betrothed to me; how much luckier can you get?” Ginny asked.

Bill just sighed as everyone else laughed.











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