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Harry Potter and the Ritual of Love's Memory | ||||||
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Category: Post-HBP Characters:All Genres: Action/Adventure, General, Romance Warnings: Death, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Violence Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 259 Summary: After the horcrux hunt implodes leaving most of those Harry loves dead, he starts a new life with a few fellow survivors far away from wizarding Britain. But the discovery of an ancient ritual that promises to send a single memory back in time sparks hope that maybe things can change. Dark ending to DH followed by a tweaked retelling of GoF through DH. Harry/Ginny. Friday updates. Original Timeline Voldemort's Victory - Chapter 1-5 (Feel free to skip if you don't like major character deaths) Tenochtitlán - Chapter 6-9 New Timeline Harry's 4th Year - Chapter 10-28 Harry's 5th Year - Chapter 29-68 Harry's 6th Year - Chapter 69-Current Hitcount: Story Total: 169444; Chapter Total: 2469 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: Last chapter in Tenochtitlán is a little shorter than most, but hopefully you'll enjoy the details of how the ritual goes down! I'm excited that I've found an awesome Beta reader to help with the story, and she's currently reading through and editing / providing ideas and notes. Once I get the okay from her, I'll give her a shoutout by name here. Really thankful that so many folks have read the story so far, and especially grateful for those of you who choose to comment! |
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Bill and Fleur arrived in Tenochtitlán as the summer heat was beginning to shift from sweltering to oven-like. Aurelia and Genevieve were both thrilled to see their aunt, uncle, and cousin, and they quickly took to Harry, Luna, and Atzi. The weekend they made it to town the Weasleys spent getting settled and taking the kids to a nearby Muggle park, while Harry and Luna finished gathering their notes and Atzi took a shift at the restaurant. The playground equipment was far too hot in the late afternoon sun for the kids to climb on until Fleur muttered an incantation under her breath which caused the nearby area to cool significantly. The Weasley kids and several other families' children were overjoyed as they climbed, used the slide, and got pushed on the swings. By the time the kids were fed, bathed, and tucked into bed, both sets of parents were exhausted from the chaos of travel and hosting. They stayed up a while chatting and catching up, but all four were happy to have decided to begin their planning meeting the next night. The next evening, the house was packed. George had placed an order at Atzi's restaurant for a meal for nine plus a toddler, and the magically-enlarged dining room table was still elbow to elbow. Luna was happy to hold Genevieve for most of the meal while her girlfriend played peekaboo with the little bundle of cuteness. Aurelia was reveling in having a slightly younger playmate who would follow her lead, and kept trying to teach Freddie the French words for things. Harry cast a Muffliato to ensure that their voices were dampened as the Weasleys tiptoed back down the stairs after putting their kids to bed. Luna was organizing their research about the manuscript on the coffee table while Atzi was laying out their compiled notes from their time in the memory. Fleur, Angelina, and Bill sat down in the living room while George grabbed libations from the kitchen. The younger of the brothers soon returned with enough for everyone. The explanation took the better part of three hours. Both Fleur and Bill had a wide variety of questions, and though the five friends had thought through most of their concerns, there were still some loose ends to tie up. "It is not the most important detail, but do you know if the memory would be lost to this Harry completely once it has been sent back?" Luna rifled through her notes as Harry considered Fleur's question. "I don't think that ever came up in our research,' answered Luna. "It's possible that he will retain it, but it's not certain." "It's one of my favorite memories, but if I lose it to the ritual, it'll be worth it," asserted Harry. "I don't know whether it'd be a possibility, but I suppose I could always rent out a Pensieve again and borrow the memory from one of the ones who viewed it during our research." Bill had moved to the couch next to Luna and was examining the ritual notes closely, occasionally scribbling his own thoughts into the margins. "This isn't the most complex spell I've read up on, but it looks like it'd be top ten pretty easily. This wandwork is exceedingly complicated. Who were you planning to have doing it? And who is on the incantation?" "Luna has been practicing the pronunciations with Señora de Olmos and me," offered Atzi as she laid a hand on her girlfriend's back. "She has it perfected." "Yes, I feel quite confident that I can recite the incantation. George has been working to ensure he can accurately perform the wandwork." "Hmm…" Bill gave George an appraising look. "I can see how that could work. But from my experience, some of these rituals need more than a skilled hand on the wand motions. Many require both confidence and the ability to make last-minute adaptations based on how it feels like it's going. I think that you could pull it off, George, but I need to ask: how confident do you feel going in?" George furrowed his brow. "Well, I felt more confident before you started explaining the nuances of it. I figured that my time designing and testing products would be helpful, but now I'm not as sure." "The creation of spells is a different type of magical strength than the performing of an already established ritual," explained Bill. "I almost worry that your talent for creativity and finding new things would work against you. What this requires is someone to be able to not only do the wandwork that has been laid out by the translation, but also… It's hard to explain… Sorta feel out the grooves of the magic while in the middle of the ritual. Even the best translations can lose something when brought to a different time and culture. It might be worth considering an alternative caster." "Well then, it's a good thing we looped the two of you in on this, eh?" George's tone seemed to be tinged with a little sadness at not being able to help, but also a good bit of relief that he wouldn't be messing the ritual up. "Fleur has a better touch with this kind of thing than I do. It's one of the reasons Gringotts were so keen on bringing her on. I could probably fill in if needed, but I think she's our best bet." Fleur blushed. Harry liked seeing that she still got such joy from her husband's praise, especially since she had endured so many hollow compliments based solely on her Veela looks and allure. "It is one of my specialties. I've been rereading your notes about the wandwork, and I believe I can learn it all quickly enough to perform it before we return to France. Is the potion completed?" "It's simmering in our pantry as we speak. In two days we will add the fire ant larvae, then it'll be finished within 48 hours." Angelina and George had spent the most time brewing the potion. Despite years being taught by Snape, both had become adept at potioneering. "It's now a deep maroon, just as the manuscript described. Once the final ingredient is added, tiny white bubbles of smoke should begin to emanate from the liquid. Then we take it off the heat, and it'll be ready to drink when the bubbling ceases." "The potion can be safely stored for a month, but it seems worthwhile to get this done as soon as we can." George looked to Fleur, who was already pouring over the notes again. "Any idea how fast you can be ready to do this?" "If I can sneak away during nap times and do some practice in the evenings, a week at most. It is very complex, but it doesn't seem to have anything written into it to prevent someone from using it. With Egyptian curses and rituals, there were often parts that required a certain kind of cleric or priest, which we would have to work around. This ritual is very naturally complicated, but it was not designed to make things more difficult." Harry spoke up. "Let's aim for a week from Wednesday. That gives Fleur a bit more cushion in case it's trickier than anticipated or the kids don't cooperate, and that's usually Atzi's night off. Any objections?" Everyone shook their heads. "Right then. Anything else need to be said before we head out?" "Just that this is all really impressive," stated Bill thickly. "You've done incredible work that could really make a difference, not just for us or our families, but for the world. I'm really glad that you all brought us in." "I agree. I will begin studying my wandwork right away." Fleur gathered a few more pages of notes that had been spread out during their marathon explanation session. As the others stood and began saying their goodbyes, Fleur signaled to Harry to come near. "My sister, Gabrielle, asked me to tell you hello on her behalf. The one she is dating now is an idiot, so I wanted to check on how you were doing while I was visiting here, wondering if you had found someone. Ever since the second task, I've held out hope that the two of you might connect. But it seems safe to say your heart is still with Ginny, no?" Now it was Harry's turn to blush. "Err… Yeah, I think that's fair. I haven't really dated anyone seriously since Gin. Maybe I will someday, but I dunno…" He finished lamely as Fleur smiled. "Not to worry, Harry! At least I can tell her that you are unmarried. Maybe that will help her decide to dump Philipe." "Anything to help you out, Fleur." George was snickering nearby as he gathered up notes. Fleur looked at him with a bit of danger flashing in her eyes. "And what is so funny, George?" "Nothing at all, Sis, nothing at all. I overheard your predicament, though, and have a possible aid for you to use on Gabrielle. Let me go grab it from the office…" Fleur watched him skeptically duck into the room they used as an office for the mail-order business. Harry wasn't sure where this was going but felt confident he wouldn't like it. Sure enough, George soon returned with a page-sized glossy version of the photo of an embarrassed Harry without a shirt. As soon as the picture-Harry realized he had been brought in front of others, he covered himself with his arms and tried to flee out of frame. "If that doesn't do it, I don't know what will!" George exclaimed. "Gabbi will be sure to get rid of her beau after catching a glimpse of this." The real Harry made a dive for the photo, but Fleur was too quick and stashed it in her purse. "Merci, George. I see you, too, would like to have our friend marry into the family." Fleur's mischievous smirk looked as dangerous as the twins' pranking faces ever had. "If you two will excuse me, I have wandwork to practice." George's loud laugh was quickly muffled as Harry smacked him in the face with a pillow. He peppered George with a relentless pillow barrage, with each blow followed by, "You! Told! Me! You! Destroyed! All! The! Copies!" George was quickly in the fetal position on the couch, laughing uncontrollably as the pillow rained down on him. "What kind of Weasley would I be if I let such a treasure go?" Harry was about to reply when Genevieve began to cry upstairs. Bill shot a look at the two of them as they fell still and silent. Harry glanced at George and hurriedly said, "Well, it was a great evening, but I really must be going! Lovely to see you all!" With a pop, he apparated back home, leaving George to face the wrath of a parent of a woken child alone. Two vials of the potion lay corked on the table in front of Harry. Somehow, he felt a little bit more nervous knowing that there was a backup, just in case something went wrong. Across from him, Luna sat on the edge of her seat with a parchment that had been checked and rechecked countless times by Señora de Olmos, Atzi, and herself. Despite the assurance that she could recite the ancient words by heart, her quivering hands held tight to the paper. Fleur stood behind him with her wand at the ready. She, too, had her instructions written down in front of her. She was murmuring instructions to herself in French as she stood motionless, which added to the sense of nervousness creeping up Harry's spine. George and Atzi were nearby, ready to step in if anything went wrong with the ritual partway through. Neither was as confident as their counterparts, but both felt capable of helping should things go awry. Angelina stood to the side of the living room near the front door while Bill was posted next to the entry to the kitchen. Their job was to maintain a ward to prevent magical interference from outside the home. It was a trick of the trade he'd picked up in Egypt. Every once in a while, magical tourists would visit near sites where he was working. Most low-level spells had no effect on the curses and traps he was working on dislodging, but occasionally a powerful cast would cause a jinx or hex to go off at just the wrong time. His mentor had lost several fingers to an unfortunate accident like that. Bill had researched wards to prevent ambient magical energy from affecting a limited area but found nothing. Instead of giving up, he'd spent the better part of two years creating a ward from scratch that was now featured in Curse-Breaking training courses. Between him and Angelina, they had most of the house covered in the ward, and they felt fairly confident that they'd done all they could to ensure the ritual went off without a hitch. Harry pulled his wand from his pocket and laid it on the table. "Everybody ready?" Luna's eyes shone as she nodded. Fleur gave a confident "Oui," from behind him, and George said, "Let's go!" Bill and Angelina both gave a go-ahead thumbs up, and Atzi smiled and said, "You can do this!" He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and uncorked the first vial. His eyes closed as he brought the potion to his lips. Harry's eyes shot open as he tried to swallow the liquid. He forced himself to gulp it down as his body shook. Tears were forming in his eyes already, and it took every ounce of self-control not to flee the room to find relief. "Harry! Are you okay?" shouted George as he started to move towards his friend. Harry tried to answer, but his words came out as a mixture of a gasp and a hiss. "Bloody hell, is that Parseltongue? Anyone understand snake speak?" Bill kept his hands outstretched for the warding but looked panicked. He called out, "Harry, you've got to let the potion work inside you for at least five minutes! Can you do it?" Harry was coughing violently but nodded his head enough to reassure Bill. "Angelina! How much longer does he have to wait?" Luna's usual calm seemed to be breaking as Harry's face became increasingly red. "Just over four minutes!" she answered. Luna got Harry's attention. "What's wrong? How can we help?" With tears running down his flushed face, Harry spluttered before finally yelling, "SPICY!" The panic of the room immediately transformed into relief, then relief quickly devolved into laughter. George seemed to have lost his ability to stand and had draped his arms around Fleur's shoulders as he attempted to stay upright. She was doing little better, and her laughs had become a series of snorts that seemed very unVeela-like. Atzi had fallen to her knees and buried her face in Luna's lap as she shook with giggles. Bill doubled over while keeping one hand up to keep the warding active, and Angelina had simply thrown her head back and allowed herself to gasp and wheeze. Harry was decidedly less amused. Every breath in felt like fiendfyre was burning through his insides and every breath out re-scorched his throat, mouth, and tongue. Through her giggles, Luna commented, "I told you that you need to build up a tolerance to spicy food. Atzi has been trying to help, but you keep refusing." Harry met her eye and glowered at her as the rest of the group redoubled in laughter. Through the burning, he managed to wheeze, "Time?!" Angelina checked the clock and answered, "Less than a minute and a half!" Sweat was dripping off of Harry as he concentrated on the task at hand. He had to pull out the piece of his memory, only the small part they'd agreed upon, and hold it aloft at the end of his wand. Luna and Fleur could then begin their parts of the ritual. If all went well, once they were done the memory would be sent back to his younger self. He grabbed his wand, but Angelina called out, "Not yet! Thirty more seconds!" He gave her a hand motion that he hoped conveyed that he would wait for her signal. Everyone had regained their composure and was in position. Angelina counted down the last ten seconds. Harry forced himself to wait for another five count in his own head, just in case, and then placed the tip of his wand to his temple. Instead of a strand of bright white light, the memory was golden and shimmered while dangling from his wand. Luna and Fleur made eye contact, then began their parts of the ritual. The ancient Aztec words seemed to crackle with magic as Luna spoke them. The complex motions of Fleur's wands left glittering light behind with every movement. As the moments passed, the glow of the golden memory grew and grew. It soon became too bright to look at directly, and Harry was grateful that both Luna and Fleur could do their parts with their eyes closed. Harry could recognize a few of the words of the incantation Luna was reciting and knew that it was drawing to a close. He tried to catch a glimpse of the memory one last time, but even squinting out of one eye left his vision blurry and dotted with sunspots. Luna finished the last line with a strong voice just as Fleur completed her wandwork. Harry's wand seemed to move further upwards of its own accord and Harry was forced to stand to keep from losing his grip on it. With eyes still closed tight, he nervously stepped onto his chair and then onto the table. He faintly heard the tinkling of glass breaking as the spare vial shattered on the floor. Then, without warning, a massive gust of wind whipped through the house. Papers were blown everywhere, doors slammed open, and all sorts of items toppled to the floor. His eyes opened briefly to see the last bit of the memory dissolve into nothingness. A final burst of light and sound shook the house. When the rest of his friends were able to survey the scene, they found Harry's unconscious body lying still on the floor. |
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