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The Veil | ||||||
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Category: Post-OotP, Holidays Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Drama Warnings: Death Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 113 Summary: In the fall of 1996 Harry finds a book about the ancient holidays just before Samhain, or what has become Hallowe'en. Tradition says communication with the dead is possible. Harry enlists Ginny to help him find out if its true. Hitcount: Story Total: 59197; Chapter Total: 1178 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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Chapter 27: Harry, Ginny, and Sirius were conversing with Anwen's misty visage for one last run-through before Ginny would leave with the Marauders. Harry was a bit petulant about being left behind, but he understood the wisdom of it. His mother and grandmother had been giving him potions every hour, blood strengthening, a pink one to increase his fluid levels, a blue one to calm his heart rate. It was all a bit too much and had made him quite nauseated. His mum was getting out one to combat that feeling right now. The two Potter women had been in the potions room while the others hammered out the details of the trip to Hogwarts. “I have a bad feeling about this,” Harry confessed. “You sure it’s not just the concoction floating in your stomach, Pup?” Sirius asked. He disliked the nickname, but at least they weren’t calling him ‘sport’ anymore. "No, everything has been too quiet," Harry said. "Someone in the castle has reported to their parents that we aren't at school, and it won't take much to confirm we aren't in St. Mungo's. The Death Eaters have broken out of Azkaban, and we know this. They've been trying to break into Hogwarts since before school started. Dumbledore told me about it when he took me to convince Slughorn to teach. I don't understand why they haven't attacked. Plus, why is there no one there with Tom? Normally he has sycophants crawling all over him.” “That was an image I didn’t need,” Ginny quipped. "Sorry," Harry said, squeezing her hand. “Sirius, take my bracelet off," Anwen said. The man balked at the request. "I want Ginny to have it. She doesn't have the tattoo." Sirius grumbled as he did what his wife asked and then gave it to Ginny, the charm with the Order rune on it between his fingers. "If you are in trouble and you can't get to one of us, rub this charm, and it will return you to Grimmauld Place. You can Floo here then. It's the only fireplace connected, and it will only work for the people here.” “Okay,” Ginny said as she attached the charm bracelet to her arm. “How did you manage that?” “I took a bit of everyone’s hair and used it as a biological key,” Sirius said. “James and I had done it between this place and the little house Anwen, and I had in London. I just went to headquarters with Remus in the middle of the night to do the spell." Sirius made it seem like the most straightforward thing when Ginny knew it was anything but. Her father would be thrilled if they could move between the Burrow and headquarters without even stepping outside. "That charm works like Harry and Henry's necklaces," Anwen said. "You don't need to kiss it; however, just rub. Go on, you two, say your goodbyes and let me have a moment alone with him." There was no need for her to say who, and the younger teens moved away. "Be careful, please. Harry's right, the other side is too quiet. Someone must know Tom’s out of commission now. Who was helping him before?” "I know Barty, Jr. was right there with him, but he's in the International Wizarding Prison in Belgium. The night Harry witnessed Tom coming back to full, er, life, the gang was there. Oh, and so was Wormtail. I wish I had killed him," Sirius said. "I know, but you're not a murderer, Luv. Just, please listen to Remus, and please guard Ginny. She's so young to be in this, they both are," Anwen urged. “You were younger when you started to fight,” Sirius reminded her. “You joined the Order when you were just sixteen.” "Yes, I was. I want to spare her the reason why I joined." Neither spoke of the Death Eater attack Anwen had experienced on the first Hogwarts weekend after she and Sirius had started dating. The curses were hard enough for her; the molestation left her hollow and mute for weeks. “Agreed,” Sirius said grimly. “Malfoy is still out there, and I doubt his predilections have changed.” “Bring her back safely so we can destroy that thing, get Him out of Harry's head, and end this. I miss you." "I miss you too." Sirius watched as Anwen's visage disappeared, and then he gently kissed her lips. "Let's go! We've got a Horcrux to retrieve." Harry watched them leave with some lingering envy. Henry toddled over to him from where he’d been sitting with his toys. Since Eva had returned home to shower and change, Harry was the only ‘grown-up’ around. Henry walked in spurts. He stood and walked a few steps, fell down from momentum he couldn’t control, got up, and waddled again until his bottom met the ground again. Harry thought it was a good thing we learned to walk as babies since they were so close to the floor already. "‘Rrry, "Rrry," Henry said as both his name and Harry's. When the toddler finally reached his ‘brother,' he fell against Harry’s body. Henry wound his chubby arms around the other’s neck. “Good job, Henry,” Harry remarked. “You made it all that way.” Harry hugged the little guy, liking the idea of having a brother — even if he knew the baby was a clone. He had always been jealous of the Weasleys, always having someone who knew your family secrets and silly memories. You also had someone who would cover your back, no questions asked. He would definitely be that for this little guy. Henry sat down with a bit of a thump and immediately picked up the string from Harry’s sweatshirt and put it in his mouth. Harry pulled it out immediately. “Gross, Henry. Here, have a toy.” Harry summoned a stuffed giraffe that Auntie Anwen said went everywhere with him, and this nubby dragon toy that always was in the baby’s mouth. Henry was content to put the dragon’s wings right in where a new tooth was budding. "Well, you two seem comfy," Lily said as she entered with a smaller phial for Harry to drink. "I promise it will help with nausea." Harry somewhat reluctantly drank it down, thrilled that he almost instantly felt better. “Did I put everything in my mouth when I was his age?” “All babies do, Harry. Honestly, your favorite thing to chew on was Sirius’ hair. He finally had to start wearing it tied back around you. Then you went for the collar on his leather jacket. He always held you on the same side, so the next time he has it on, look at what baby drool does. It’ll be on the left side.” “So gross.” Harry said under his breath. “Mum, what will you do about Henry, if I…well if I don’t make it?” Lily sat down with a bit of her own thump on the sofa and stared at her eldest. “I try not to think about it, honestly. Henry isn’t a replacement for you, he’s his own person. I would be devastated if we lost you. We'd do whatever Anwen and Sirius did. Did you know he's Viscount in France? There are some huge castle and vineyards; I could see them going there. I think we'd all follow." “Anwen wouldn’t stay to fight?” “Maybe for a while. Maybe if we had Tom on the run, but I doubt she’d stick around long enough to be sacrificed. So much has happened to her, everyone has taken from her. She wants her own children, and Sirius will do whatever she wants. If she says she’d done, then that’s it. If she says we fight on, we do that.” “Why does it hinge on her? Why not Dad or Sirius?” Harry wondered aloud. "I'm not sure when it happened, probably after the Death Eaters attacked her, all of our lives changed. Life wasn't just about having fun and finding jobs. The war became our job. We followed Dumbledore and the Order, but amongst the six of us, Anwen became the fulcrum. Maybe it was because Sirius had always followed her lead, at least when he was smart. In part it's because she's the most powerful of us. She's more powerful than Tom, as you can see," Lily said, motioning at Anwen's prone body. "With more training, she might have rivaled Dumbledore. That's not only it; there is just something about her that makes people trust her. Your dad told me that in a deer herd, it isn't the bucks who raise the alarm, it's the lead female. Anwen was always that." "You said Death Eaters attacked her?" Harry asked. "I don't know how much of that story she wants to be shared. You can ask her, but if she says she doesn't want to talk about it, please respect her." “I will,” Harry said. “So, I was exactly like this?” "Oddly, no. Henry is quieter than you were. We could barely keep up with your conversations, even if we had no idea what you were saying. Henry is much more introspective. He observes things like you do. Maybe his not being around Sirius for a few weeks is what quieted him," Lily said with a grin. “I take it Doggy is a bad influence?” "Oh, Harry, you have no idea. He fed you foods I asked him not to, took you riding on his motorbike, and on his broom. I was mortified when I found out he was reading you the articles out of girly magazines," Lily laughed, which caused Harry and then Henry to join her. "Your aunts and uncles love you, but Sirius is fierce about you." “I know. I wish I would have grown up with him and Anwen. My life would have been so much better,” Harry said sadly. "They would have liked that too," she said, matching his tone. "Well, Henry Potter, it's time for you to have a nappy change and then a nap. Come along, my little man." Lily lifted her youngest and headed up the stairs. Harry got up, sat down in the chair next to Anwen, and held her hand. “Thank you,” he whispered in her ear. *** The three Marauders landed in a heap when Fawkes deposited them just outside the Room of Requirement. Ginny, however, landed gently on her feet. She looked at them in amusement before she started walking back in front of the door, thinking that she needed the room full of junk. “What are you doing?” James asked. She chose to ignore him, not knowing if stopping in the process would make the opening move again. When the door appeared, she looked at the others. "You have to walk in front of the spot three times, thinking of what you need to in the room before the door appears. Come on." James helped his friends up as Ginny went to open the door. Sirius stopped her, instead choosing to go in first. The quartet all pulled their wands and followed Sirius. “So, Harry said he saw it in a cabinet near a shield and an empty wine casket,” Ginny said. “Let’s fan out and see if we can locate it,” Sirius said. “No one touch it, I’ve got the gloves with me.” The other two men nodded and branched off. Sirius, however, followed Ginny. “I’m more than capable of looking for something, Sirius,” Ginny said. “I don’t doubt it, Red, but I promised Harry that I would keep an eye on you, and that’s what I’m doing. He’d hex me into next week if anything caused you pain.” “Fine,” Ginny said, not feeling like an argument. The looked around piles of old furniture and used textbooks. Under rolled up carpets and above some truly ugly floor urns. A statue of Sir Walter the Waterlogged frightened Ginny when she backed up into it, as the bust was wet, and she felt the chill to her core. Her scream prompted a strangled noise on the other side, some large wardrobes. Sirius motioned for her to be quiet, and he silently fired off a Patronus message to both Remus and James. With Ginny behind him, Sirius wove between piles of discarded detritus of student life with shocking stealth for a man of his height. He peeked his head around the corner and without a word, handed Ginny his wand and changed into Padfoot. With a growl, he lunged, and Ginny saw just enough to notice the shock of white-blonde hair and Hogwarts robes. Malfoy? What was he doing here? Not being one to shy away from a fight, she stepped out and sent her bat-bogey hex at Draco Malfoy, but he moved, and it hit a goblin statue instead. Not sure what to do, she remembered the Tri-Wizard tournament and cast a red burst into the air. “What are you doing here?” Malfoy asked, sounding frightened. “Dumbledore said you’re sick. Why do you have a dog with you?” "I could ask you why you're here, too!" She yelled back, firing at him again, with a stunner. Malfoy ducked, and she accidentally hit Padfoot instead. Ginny cringed as the dog turned back into Sirius. Thankfully, he looked twenty-something, so Malfoy didn't recognize him. James and Remus arrived, and Remus set about reviving his friend. “Professor Lupin? Potter? You look different,” Malfoy mumbled. "What are you doing here, Draco?" Lupin asked, and the young man began to stammer. “I can’t tell you.” Remus took pity on the boy. "Did your father ask you to do something?" he gently asked. "It wasn't Dad," Malfoy admitted, although saying no more. Remus understood and continued to speak to Draco in calm tones. Meanwhile, Ginny poked James in the ribs, across the way she spied what she suspected was the diadem. James nodded, but Sirius was looking at the floor, rather than making eye contact with him. He didn't dare pick the thing up without precautions. He grabbed someone's long-discarded robes and wound them around his hand and then cast a protection spell on the mess. Remus was still talking with Draco, who seemed tenser than he was just a minute ago, so James slipped behind the boy to reach for the tiara. Draco sensed it and twisted around. “What are you doing?” he asked, pulling his wand on James. “I don’t trust you, Potter.” “Just grabbing this,” James said as he lunged for the item and grabbed it with the bound and charmed hand. At the same time, Sirius stood and stunned Malfoy, making him pitch forward unconscious. Accidentally, he knocked Remus into the open cabinet, the door slamming shut behind him. “Fawkes,” James yelled, concerned about the young student, but knowing what he’d done to terrorize his son. “Ginny make sure he’s breathing.” Ginny put her hand a few inches away from Malfoy’s mouth, even though she was disgusted to do so. "He is," she answered, wiping her hand off on her jeans. Fawkes appeared, and Sirius opened the cabinet to let Lupin out. Remus Lupin wasn’t there. |
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