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Category: Post-OotP Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Fluff, Drama Warnings: Death, Sexual Situations, Violence, Extreme Language Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 79 Summary: Harry makes a massive gamble to draw out a Dark Lord in hiding. Hitcount: Story Total: 39163; Chapter Total: 3164 |
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Chapter 10 Three Aurors bolted for Harry as he fell, Nymphadora Tonks, Kinsgley Shacklebolt and Ronald Weasley. Tonks looked up fright apparent in her eyes. “We need to get him to St. Mungo’s!” Shacklebolt placed his hand on Tonks’ shoulder. “No, Tonks there is no way Harry can be seen until we have everything figured out.” He turned to Fudge. “I take it you don’t have any problems with us taking him to a safe location?” “No, no… Not at all.” Fudges’ face betrayed his shock at everything that had happened in the past five minutes. He watched as the Aurors removed the unconscious boy and the dead wizard. “Well.” Amelia Bones said after the crowd had left. “That certainly spiced up an otherwise dull meeting.” Fudge shot her a withering look, but his still pale face made it look almost comical. “Sh — Shall we continue on then?” The Burrow Ron Weasley Apparated just outside the rather formidable wards around the Burrow, and entered in a hurry. “Mum! Mum!” His mother looked up from the table where knives were cutting vegetables and meat for stew. “Ronald, please! Don’t run and for goodness sakes don’t track snow all over my…” Her voice dried up. Shacklebolt and Tonks entered behind Ron with a figure draped in a cloak, making it impossible for her to see who it was. Mentally she compared the height and frame of the draped figure trying to place a face on it, the only one that matched had been dead now for eight months. “Who…” before she could speak more, they set the figure on the couch, and Tonks pulled back the cloth revealing the form of Harry Potter. Molly Weasley was caught by her youngest son as she slid to the floor. Minutes later she felt the effects of an enervation charm, and regained her wits. She smiled at Ron. “Goodness, I must have overworked; I could have sworn you came home with Tonks and Kingsley with Harry…” Her eyes lit on the obviously sleeping form of Harry Potter again. “Harry?” She bolted upright and fled to his side, her eyes scanning every inch of his face looking for any aberration. “Ronald, go into the kitchen, I need the kit on the top shelf. Tonks, contact…” She paused a moment, and came to a decision. “Contact Albus, tell him we need Poppy here. Kingsley I need Arthur home, would you be a dear and fetch him?” The three Aurors moved to follow her orders. Ron returned with the kit, Tonks had her head in the fireplace, and Kingsley was gone. “Ronald Weasley.” Her tone was one that brooked no backtalk. “How long have you known Harry was alive?” Ron thought fast and in a small voice, “Umm, a week, or so…” “And you didn’t bring this to light why?” He could see the tear forming in her eye. His heart constricted in his chest, and he fumbled for the words. “He — See it was like this mum! Harry asked…” On the couch Harry’s eyes fluttered open. “Alright Ron?” Molly’s breath caught in her throat, she managed to choke out “Harry dear, Madame Pomfrey is on her way, what happened?” Ron looked apologetic at Harry. “What do you remember Harry?” “Well, I went looking for Tom.” Molly’s hand flew to her mouth. “I found him in Godric’s Hollow, at my parents’ cottage. We fought, and I — I think I won. I vaguely remember feeling a Portkey, and not much else I’m afraid.” “You brought him in Harry. Dumped him in Fudge’s office, and passed out as soon as we showed up mate, it was bloody brilliant!” Harry nodded. “Yeah, I suppose it was.” He smiled a weak grin. “I — I am so tired Ron.” His eyes glazed a bit and then seemed to clear. “How’s Ginny?” Ron looked at his mum meaningfully, and was about to speak, when the fireplace roared to life, and Albus Dumbledore and Poppy Pomfrey stepped through, Poppy went to work immediately, forcing potions down his throat and casting minor spells. She turned to Tonks. “Get Professor Snape, I’ll need him to brew a few potions I just don’t stock. Quickly now!” Tonks practically fell into the fireplace in her eagerness to comply, within minutes Professor Snape entered the living room with a caldron and a leather sack filled with ingredients. “Weasley, Chop these finely, in perfect cubes. Molly, I’ll need these crushed into a fine powder.” He looked at Tonks. “I’ll need some water.” He worked on other ingredients himself, and began brewing the potion Poppy had asked him to create. “Just fifteen minutes Poppy. That’s all the time I need.” Poppy looked again at the young man on the couch in front of her. “You don’t have but five minutes…” her voice trailed off. Snape cursed and worked harder on the potion. Dumbledore looked around the room and smiled. “It’s a lovely day today.” Ron looked up through tar filled eyes, he was sure his best friend was dying, and there wasn’t one damn thing he could do about it. “I — Harry you can’t…” The door opened and in rushed Arthur with Kingsley behind him. “Harry’s here?” Harry opened his eyes part way. “Arthur? Yeah, I made it back, you can — can put on the hand now…” his eyes slid closed again. “So bloody tired…” Albus Dumbledore looked around the Weasley living room, and raised his wand beginning to cast a spell that he knew the end result of so well. His last thought was that this was his penance for what he had done to Harry Potter, and it was his final gift to the world. Too shocked to move, the people in the room watched as Dumbledore transferred a portion of his life’s energy to Harry. Albus smiled and said “It’s a lovely day today…” and slid to the floor. Harry gasped for breath and sat bolt upright, power coursing through him at a level he hadn’t ever felt before. He screamed to release some of the pressure inside of him, but even that wasn’t enough. His body glowed with a golden hue as items randomly exploded, levitated, or simply vanished around him. After a minute of this, Harry passed out again, exhausted as Poppy looked over Albus, and sadly shaking her head closed the eyes of the ancient headmaster for the final time. More from routine than need, Snape finished the potion, ladled it into a vial and handed it to Poppy. “It’s done…” Professor McGonagall arrived minutes later, confused. She had felt Albus’ death, but not the obvious transfer of power from Headmaster to her as should have happened. Snape looked at Harry and grimaced, “Perhaps the Messiah could illuminate matters?” Minerva scowled at the potion master’s new nickname for Harry. “Have some modicum of respect Severous.” She chided, and went on to attend to Dumbledore. “After all he has done, he deserves at least that.” Snape began putting items into his pouch and finished cleaning out the cauldron. “I will be at the castle if anyone needs anything further.” With that he swept away, and flooed back to his offices. Tonks and Ron provided a hushed report to Kingsley who wrote it all down and owled it back to the Ministry offices. “I’m sorry Ron; you’ll have to come back with me.” He laid a hand on Ron’s shoulder. “The written report is only going to buy us some time. We need to present this to Bones as soon as possible.” Ron nodded and gave his mother a hug, the three Aurors left with the body of Dumbledore. Arthur and Molly Weasley sat near Harry, and Poppy Pomfrey trying hard not to pester the matron. Finally Poppy stood and with tears in her eyes nodded to the couple. “I — He’s in good hands. I need to return as well.” She left and flooed back to Hogwarts leaving Minerva in the living room of the Weasley household in a mixture of emotions she was trying her hardest to control and gain an understanding of. Minutes passed. “I — I should return as well.” With a last glance at Harry she turned to the fireplace. “Do let me know when Mr. Potter awakens.” She disappeared in a burst of green flame. Molly looked at Harry and slid his robes off, underneath she found the scabbard, and his dragon hide jacket and jeans, she tutted disapprovingly, and removed the jacket, and on his left hand saw a simple white gold band, her brow creased. “Arthur, do you see this?” She asked holding Harry’s hand out. Her husband was far too quiet for her tastes and she turned on him. “What do you know about Mrs. Potter then?” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and said weakly. “You’ll like her, I’m sure…” Molly glared at her husband. “I can’t say more Molly…” She placed Harry’s hand gently down on his chest and rounded on her husband, her voice stern, icy and calm, like she normally used on the twins when they had done something truly horrible. “Arthur, please sit.” Nervously he did so, fiddling with his wand. “Look at me Arthur.” His eyes flicked up and met hers, and then dropped back to his wand. “Look at me.” He did, withering under her gaze. “Who is she?” Arthur’s mouth opened and a single word formed on his tongue, but his throat wasn’t cooperating. He couldn’t utter the name, and Molly saw what was going on, he couldn’t say. She sighed. “Oh alright, keep your bloody secret then.” Arthur’s face had turned purple with the effort of not telling her, and yet desperately wanting to. She finished removing his shirt, and began bathing him, cleaning the cuts and bruises. Using potions to clean them all up, in the back of her mind she was replaying the events of the last half hour. Harry had arrived in the company of Ron, Tonks and Kingsley. Her mind worked on the problem until it found an answer, rejected it and evaluated everything from another angle, and returned the same answer. She stood up and went to the fire, threw in a bit of floo powder and said “Virginia Weasley.” And waited tapping her foot. Arthur squirmed under her gaze. In a constricted voice he said “Must be bad powder?” |
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