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SIYE Time:9:23 on 28th March 2024
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Shadow of the Serpent
By KEDme

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Category: Post-OotP
Characters:Harry/Ginny
Genres: Action/Adventure
Warnings: Death, Extreme Language, Violence
Story is Complete
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 537
Summary: **June Dumbledore Silver Trinket Award Winner for Best Angst, and May winner for Best Author**

Harry is whisked away to an ancient island to be trained in Occlumency. What he finds is another complication to add to his already complicated life. Will friendship, love, loyalty, bravery, and honor be enough to save him from the Shadow of the Serpent that haunts his life? H/G angst/action adventure.
Hitcount: Story Total: 151589; Chapter Total: 5521
Awards: View Trophy Room






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Disclaimer:
The characters and situations of Harry Potter depicted in this story are the legal property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, and AOL Time Warner, and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.

No profit is being made off this story. It is for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter Fifteen
“Back to the Dursleys”



The Dursley’s Dining Room Table…

Harry looked up from where he had landed on the dining room table into the screaming face of Claire Smith. Next to him Stephen was trying to untangle himself from Bill’s legs; Bill had landed on the bottom of the heap and was groaning softly from the weight. Luckily the table had already been cleared for pudding or they might have landed in a huge mess of food and dishes.

“Y-you!” Claire screeched, pointing mutely with one hand at Harry, her other covering her mouth in shock. “Where did you come from?” She seemed to be looking up, trying to find a hole in the ceiling.

“How dare you barge into out home!” Vernon bellowed, rising from the chair, his face purple with rage. “I will not have it!”

Aunt Petunia was on her hands and knees hopelessly trying to salvage the remnants of her pudding now smeared all over her once pristine, spotless rug. Harry thought she looked as if she wanted to be sick all over the floor, but he knew she wouldn’t. It would make even more of a mess.

Dudley was staring at Harry as if he wanted to murder him for interrupting his date with Claire, but was too afraid to actually say so. His mouth was clamped shut in a thin harsh line that made his face look even more comical than usual. His eyes were blazing.

“I said, get out!” Uncle Vernon continued screaming. “You have no right-”

“Shut it, man,” Stephen commanded, “or I’ll shut it for you!”

“How dare you!” Vernon cried out, his eyes bulging widely. “Last summer it was bloody owls and this summer people are falling through the ceiling. I want you all out of my house, especially you!” he said, pointing a stubby finger at Harry.

“We’d be happy to oblige you, Mr. Dursley,” Bill’s voice echoed from underneath Stephen, “as soon as we figure out what caused us to land here. Just allow us to get off the table first, please.”

Bill and Stephen had finally disentangled themselves from each other and all three were gingerly trying to get off the table as gracefully as possible. Thankfully Harry’s backpack that carried Macoa and her egg landed on top. He quickly checked to make sure his friend and her offspring were all right and was relieved to find them miraculously unhurt. Macoa hissed softly to Harry that she would stay out of sight until he sorted things out.

“What happened?” Stephen asked Bill. “Is this your idea of a joke or did someone on your end nause it up as usual?” He looked accusingly at the younger man, who bristled.

“I have no idea what’s going on,” he said angrily. “As far as I knew this Portkey was supposed to land us at Headquarters. The only way it wouldn’t is if-”

His face paled.

“What?” Harry said, alarmed.

“…is if something happened.” Bill’s eyes were wide and from the look on his face he had clearly not expected this to happen. “It was a safety measure Moody insisted on,” he added quietly.

“Mad-Eye Moody, the Auror?” Stephen asked.

“Ex-Auror,” Bill corrected. “He’s retired now but working for the Order. He insisted on adding a little something to the spell just in case something unexpected transpired and Harry needed to be rerouted to a safe-house. We’ve been worried since Sirius died that our headquarters has been compromised. The Black family had many enchantments placed on the house and, since Sirius was the last of the Blacks, well… we thought one of the relatives might make a claim and compromise our position.”

“You mean Narcissa Malfoy?” Harry asked.

“Yes, and Bellatrix, although as an escaped convict she wouldn’t be able to make a legitimate claim to the property. But that won’t matter when it comes to the wards.” Bill looked to Harry. “Actually, I know Dumbledore was planning on telling you anyway Harry…” His voice lowered to a gentle tone. “Sirius, he… well, he left everything to you.”

Harry’s throat constricted tightly. “He did?”

“Who left him what?” Vernon interjected quickly, his anger momentarily put aside.

All eyes swung to the fat man at the head of the table. “Harry’s Godfather left him his family fortune,” Bill said coldly, seeming to enjoy taunting Vernon. “Harry’s rich.”

“Fortune?” Vernon repeated, his eyes bulging. “And you never thought to tell us your convict Godfather was dead and left you a fortune, boy?”

“It never came up, and I didn’t know about the money,” Harry said just as coldly.

“But you knew he had died and you didn’t tell us,” Vernon accused.

“Since when do you care what happens in my world?” Harry said, spitting out the words furiously.

“Since your blasted Godfather died and left you money!” Vernon roared. “After everything we’ve done for you-”

Harry whipped out his wand and pointed it at Vernon threateningly. “I’d shut up if I were you, Uncle Vernon. I don’t have time for this,” he growled.

Vernon seemed to deflate a bit but he didn’t back down. “I know you can’t use that thing. Did you forget? They’ll chuck you out.” His eyes gleamed triumphantly.

Next thing Vernon knew he had two more wands pointed at his throat.

“But we won’t, will we?” Stephen said icily. He got up close to Vernon’s face. “I know all about you, Dursley. I saw in Harry’s mind what you did to him when he was growing up in this house.”

Vernon cowered, beads of sweat forming on his fat forehead. “T-That’s impossible…”

“Is it?” Stephen said, sounding slightly mad. “I know you used to lock him in the cupboard, how you refused him meals… how you hit him. I know everything.”

Vernon blanched.

“That’s enough, Stephen,” Harry said sharply. “We’re wasting valuable time. Obviously something happened to activate the safety backup in the Portkey.” He turned to Bill. “Who’s at Grimmauld Place now anyway?”

Bill startled, and then looked scared. “Moody, Mum, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.”

Harry felt his equilibrium give way and his heart drop through his chest. Everyone he cared about, in jeopardy. It was too terrible to think about.

“We have to get back there,” he said sounding more in control than he felt.

“It’s too dangerous,” Bill said firmly. “We don’t even know what’s happened.”

“I don’t care,” Harry said, drawing his wand and preparing to Disapparate. “I’m going.”

Stephen grabbed his arm. “Hold on Quetzal, don’t go doing something stupid. A good Auror never rushes into a situation until he knows the facts. You could put them and yourself at risk, not to mention taking the chance of Apparating into a dangerous situation that could put you right in the hands of Voldemort himself. That would ruin everything.”

“I can’t just do nothing,” Harry yelled. “They’re my friends! Ginny…” He looked around wildly but all his eyes landed on were Dudley’s stupid face, his arms encircled around a confused-looking Claire.

Harry was just about to disregard both Stephen and Bill’s advice and Apparate straight to Grimmauld Place, Voldemort be damned, when the ceiling seemed to open up and two bodies came tumbling down with a thud to Claire and Aunt Petunia’s screams and Vernon’s swears; Dudley was still mute, as if in shock. Harry immediately recognized Hermione’s bushy brown hair and Ron’s ginger locks.

“Harry!” Hermione gasped, jumping up quickly from the floor.

“Hermione, Ron,” Harry exclaimed, running over to them and jerking Ron up roughly. “What’s going on?”

“We don’t know,” Ron said, his face white. “Mum just thrust this cup in our hands and we ended up here.” He held the silver goblet with the Black family crest on it up for them to see.

“Those are the emergency Portkeys,” Bill said. “They’re keyed by a special code word that only Order members know. The destination depends on the word.”

“I heard her say something about an alarm sounding, and we had to get out of there,” Hermione added breathlessly, her hair practically standing on end from the Portkey journey. She turned to Bill. “Do you think it’s V-Voldemort?”

“Maybe,” Bill said. “But it could be anything. Dumbledore put several layers of alarms around the house. It could be that one of them was tripped. Our Portkey’s safety back-up probably activated when the alarm at Headquarters sounded, which is why they sent you here.”
“Where’re Ginny and your mum?” Harry asked fearfully.

“Ginny was in her room where she always is these days,” Hermione said. “Mrs. Weasley went to find her but she insisted that we go on ahead.”

“You mean she’s still in the house?” Harry said, his jaw clenched painfully.

“Yes,” Hermione confirmed. “As far as I know.”

“Damn it, Stephen,” Harry raged at his teacher, pacing wildly. “I have to get there. I have to help her!”

“There’s nothing you can do, Quetzal,” Stephen insisted. “I’m sure they’ll be along.”

“But you don’t know that,” Harry persisted. “What if they’re in trouble?”

“What if they are?” Stephen shot back. “What good would it do to lose you as well? It’s too big of a risk, Harry.”

“What would you say if that was your wife and son, Stephen, the people you loved most in the world?” Harry asked quietly. “Would you just be able to shrug it off and wait?” He fixed his eyes green on Stephen’s blue ones, man facing man.

They were still staring at each other in a standoff when the doorbell rang.

“For God’s sake, I wonder who that is!” Uncle Vernon said. “More freaks, I’m sure,” he muttered sarcastically.

Aunt Petunia spoke up for the first time. “I’ll get that,” she said sourly.

“I’ll go with you, just in case,” Bill said, still eyeing Harry and Stephen wearily, neither of which had moved a muscle. Aunt Petunia looked as if she’d rather dye her hair blue than have Bill accompany her, but didn’t put up a protest.

It turned out to be Lupin and Tonks with Harry’s luggage. Both seemed relieved to see them.

“We went back to Headquarters,” Lupin said, oblivious to the tension in the room, “but the house wouldn’t appear. The only thing I could think of was to come here. I’m glad we found you. Does anyone know what’s…” Remus’ voice trailed off as he took in Harry and Stephen’s angry stances. “All right there, Harry?” he asked, shooting Stephen a suspicious frown.

“No, Remus, I’m not all right,” Harry retorted angrily. “Supposedly an alarm went off at Headquarters and so far Ginny and Mrs. Weasley are unaccounted for.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” Remus said mildly. “We’ve set the alarms around Headquarters to be very sensitive; you know how paranoid Mad-Eye is under the best of circumstances. Anything could have done it.”

Just then the ceiling opened again and out tumbled Ginny and Mrs. Weasley.

“Ginny!” Harry jumped forward to pull her up off the floor as Bill assisted his mum, who appeared to be limping.

His heart was pounding in his chest as he gathered her into his arms. The moment his arms encircled hers the block he held on his emotions came tumbling down with a crash, causing his senses to be flooded with her emotions. He heard her gasp and knew she felt it too. Her strong reaction in turn heightened his own reaction even more, but it was total bliss just losing himself in her.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Ginny murmured into his chest. “Never leave me for that long again.”

“I won’t,” he promised quietly, forgetting all about his resolve to keep her safe. It just felt so good to have her back in his arms, to feel her love for him wash over him like a warm blanket. Forgetting they had an audience, he pulled her closer and kissed her properly, only pulling back when he heard several discrete coughs and sniggers, then the beginnings of one of Uncle Vernon’s tirades.

“Stop that this instant! I won’t have you doing that in my house, boy, with trash like her,” he said nastily gesturing wildly towards Ginny. “I know that girl is a witch and I won’t have her kind in my house, corrupting my family! It’s bad enough that Petunia had to have a witch for a sister and we got landed with you, but I will not welcome one into my home under any circumstances.”

Before Harry could reach for his wand Mrs. Weasley had already drawn hers and cursed Uncle Vernon. He continued talking but suddenly no sound was coming out of his mouth. He grabbed his throat and for a moment Harry thought he might be choking until he stopped moving his mouth and simply started breathing angrily, his nostrils flaring but fear evident in his eyes. She shook her wand at him as she gave him a scolding unlike Harry had ever heard her give anyone, even the twins.

“That will be enough of that, Vernon Dursley,” she said angrily. “You may be Harry’s uncle and his only family, but I’ve been saving this lecture up for years and you are going to listen!” She conjured a chair from thin air and blasted him into it, making him stick no matter how hard he tried to get loose. “I have stood by in silence and allowed you to abuse that dear boy every summer he comes here, but not anymore!”

Her eyes caught sight of Aunt Petunia as she tried to quietly escape the room.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Molly Weasley cried pointing her wand at Harry’s aunt and freezing her feet in place. She quickly conjured another chair beside Vernon’s and blasted her into it as well. “You have this coming too, Petunia Dursley,” Mrs. Weasley told her pointedly.

“Now Molly,” Remus tried, but she interrupted him.

“I will not allow this to go on any longer, Remus,” Mrs. Weasley insisted. She turned back to the Dursleys who cringed away from her as far as they could get. “These are clearly the worst Muggles I have ever laid eyes on and Harry shouldn’t have to put up with them a minute longer. I remember the first time I set eyes on him at the train station. He looked so lost and alone, yet he was so polite when he asked how to get to Platform 9 ¾… I wondered what kind of parents would allow their eleven-year-old to go off to school without a proper send-off.

“Then Ron wrote to me later and told me how he had never even had a proper Christmas present in his life and I knew that he needed me.” She turned to Petunia coldly. “He needed a mother, that’s what he needed! All these years you’ve had him under your roof and you never once saw what a treasure you had in your possession. That young man,” she said, gesturing towards Harry, “is one of the most caring, courageous human beings I have ever known, no thanks to the two of you! You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

“I could not have said it better myself, Molly,” Professor Dumbledore’s voice rang out from behind. Everyone turned in surprise.

“Albus!” Molly said, surprised, looking slightly ashamed. “I didn’t know you were here.”

“It’s quite all right Molly,” Dumbledore said amiably, as if they were discussing the weather. “I just arrived in time to witness that very admirable display on behalf of Mr. Potter. I’m sure he is as impressed as I am that you care so deeply.”

Harry’s face reddened and he gripped Ginny’s hand harder. He did feel pleased that Mrs. Weasley thought so much of him but he wished it didn’t have to be so public.

“I, too, have had my reservations about my choice of placement for Harry all these years, but once the decision had been made I could not undo it.” He turned his wise eyes behind the half moon spectacles to the Dursleys who looked terrified. “I had hoped that you would grow to love him and treat him as your own,” he paused and looked towards Dudley, “if not better… but you did not.”

He turned to look at Harry directly and smiled. “Yet Harry has grown to be a fine young man with outstanding moral fibre and fortitude. He has many friends who care for him a great deal.”

Harry was shocked to hear murmurs of agreement resound throughout the room and his heart swelled with emotion.

“H-he doesn’t,” a stuttering voice said from the corner. Everyone turned to Dudley who had finally found his voice.

“Dudley, no,” Claire whispered.

But Dudley seemed to draw himself up taller than before. Harry had a sickening feeling he knew what he was about to say.

“H-he tried to hurt Claire,” Dudley whimpered weakly.

“He’s right,” Harry admitted, his eyes on the floor. He couldn’t deny what he as done and it was time to come clean to Ginny at least, even if she ended up hating him for it. “I did.”

“No, Harry, that wasn’t your fault,” Ginny said gently, drawing his face up to hers with a soft hand. “That was Tom. I felt him inside you.”

He shook his head. “I wasn’t strong enough to fight him, Ginny.”

“I thought we’d covered that Quetzal,” Stephen said from across the room, moving in closer. Stephen addressed the entire room, Dumbledore in particular, his blue eyes cold as ice. “He was controlling Harry by using mind enhancing potions.”

Hermione gasped and Harry heard her mutter that she should have known, and how it all fit now.

Dumbledore turned to Stephen, a doubtful look on his face. “Yes, Mr. Lupin reported that was a possibility, but I am certain Severus checked for the presence of mind enhancing potions and found nothing.”

“That’s what you get for trusting a Death Eater,” Stephen said coldly.

“Stephen’s right,” Harry said, defending his friend. “After he gave me the antidote I was fine, although it took awhile for me to be able to block him out of my mind totally.”

“Don’t sugar-coat it, Quetzal,” Stephen said reproachfully. “You almost died. If I hadn’t figured it out when I did, and if Chuen hadn’t been such a good healer, you’d be dead.”

“No,” Ginny said quietly. “I’d be dead.”

Mrs. Weasley gasped and everyone else looked at Ginny in shock. “What do you mean by that, Ginny?” her mother asked.

Ginny looked at her mum steadily without wavering. “I made a Life Bond with Harry, Mum. If he dies, I will take his place.”

“You did what!” Mrs. Weasley shrieked, making Harry jump and Ginny flinch. But she quickly recovered and Harry felt her determination and resolve.

She jutted out her chin defiantly. “I owe him for saving me from Tom in the Chamber of Secrets, and we are connected. I’ve been feeling his emotions all summer. You can’t change it, Mum. It’s done.”

“Is this what you’ve been hiding all summer young lady?” Molly said, glaring. “I had wondered, but I thought you were just going through some sort of teenage phase. Why didn’t you tell someone?”

“Dad and Bill know,” Ginny said, biting her lip.

Her mother looked shocked and then whipped around to Bill who seemed like he wanted to find a hole to crawl into and hide from his mother’s wrath.

“Miss Weasley,” Dumbledore said before Molly could pounce on Bill, “did I hear you correctly when you said earlier that you’ve been feeling Harry’s emotions?”

Ginny nodded.

“And I can feel hers, too,” Harry said quietly. “We’re connected somehow and we’ve been sharing dreams all summer. I was with her in Diagon Alley when the Death Eaters attacked and she was kidnapped. I don’t know what happened after that man, Tom, cursed us but she was able to escape because of our connection.” He left out the part where he had projected himself into Grimmauld Place through their connection. That was just between him and Ginny and he could tell she felt the same way.

“What do you mean by ‘cursed us,’ Mr. Potter?” Dumbledore asked.

Harry took a moment to formulate his thoughts before he spoke. “When Ginny was hit by the Cruciatus Curse, I felt it too. It made me so angry I lost control. I felt the power inside me explode and take over.”

“Most unusual,” Dumbledore said amid the gasps of most everyone present.

“It seems,” Dumbledore said, drawing the attention back to the matter at hand, “the incident at the Leaky Cauldron happened as a result of your connection.”

“What incident?” Stephen asked.

Harry heard Stephen’s intake of breath as Dumbledore told him what happened and when. He whipped around sharply to Harry, who jumped. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked. “That’s exactly what happened to you, and frankly it scared the shite out of me.”

“I did tell you most of it,” Harry said defensively. “I just didn’t know at the time how much I could trust you. What was I supposed to say, Stephen? I didn’t even know myself what happened in that room. I still don’t. ” He looked to Ginny who shrugged.

“When did these occurrences begin?” Dumbledore asked.

“The night she stayed here this summer, when Dudley threw the party,” Harry said.

Harry heard Vernon’s muffled outburst and Petunia’s surprised gasp but everyone ignore them. Dudley whimpered again slightly.

“It started after the dream-walking and got stronger from there,” Ginny continued. “That’s how I knew Harry was in trouble the day he was with Claire. Whenever Tom took control I couldn’t feel Harry as strongly and that day I couldn’t feel him at all for a bit. It scared me. When I finally did get a sense of him he was so emotional and upset that it was overwhelming. That’s when I went to Bill and warned him that Harry was in trouble. The whole time he was unconscious I felt like I was close to death, like a piece of me was missing. I felt him slipping away but he always came back.” She squeezed Harry’s hand and closed her eyes. “It was the worst two weeks of my life.”

“That’s why you always seemed to know what Harry was feeling,” Hermione exclaimed as if she had just figured out a puzzle and all the pieces were just now fitting into place. “You said that he had told you those things, but I knew that was impossible.”

“Harry did tell me those things, Hermione,” Ginny said indignantly. “I never said he verbalized them to me in person.”

“Professor Dumbledore,” Harry asked tentatively, “is there any way we can undo this bond between us?”

Ginny’s head whipped around. “You want to sever our connection? Why?” Harry could feel her pain and it hurt him to know that he was the cause, but it was a question he had to ask.

“Knowing that I’m putting you in danger is killing me, Ginny,” he told her. “It makes me second guess every move I make.”

“Good!” She said, crossing her arms. “Then maybe you’ll be more careful with your life instead of taking unnecessary risks.”
“Harry,” Dumbledore said. “I’m sorry, but I have to agree with Miss Weasley. I think it would be dangerous at this point to separate you. What we are dealing with seems to be much more complicated than the usual Life Bond. Frankly, I am in uncharted territory here. The phenomenon we have witnessed is a type of joining that has never been documented. It’s possible we are dealing with something entirely different.”

“What do you mean?” Harry asked warily.

“In the typical Life Bond the person whose life has been spared is so grateful that they pledge their own life to their saviour. Sometimes,” he smiled at Ginny apologetically, “as it is popularly recounted in numerous romance novels, the person may become sensitive to the other person’s emotions in times of distress. And in these fictional scenarios it is often the case where the hero will come to reciprocate the feelings, establishing a two way bond or connection.” Ginny blushed and Harry could feel her embarrassment. He sent her his own feelings of reassurance and immediately her embarrassment lessened.

“Sadly,” Dumbledore continued, “this rarely happens in real life. What I think is more likely the case is that you have established a Soul Bond, something much different and more exceptional.”

“What is a Soul Bond, exactly?” Harry asked, confused.

“A Soul Bond,” Dumbledore explained, “is a joining of two souls, once separated. It is a joining of magic, where the two truly become one. I think your bond, Miss Weasley, kept Harry from dying earlier in the summer because you shared your magic with him. A true Life Bond doesn’t work that way. You would have simply taken his place, and that would have been the end of it. If Stephen is right, he should have died… or you, Miss Weasley, would have died in his place.” Harry heard Mrs. Weasley’s strangled cry but otherwise the room was silent.

“Blimey, Harry,” Ron said aloud. “I gave my permission for you to date my sister, not bond with her soul.”

Among twitters and coughs trying to hide their laughter Harry heard Hermione smack Ron’s arm and hiss, “Honestly, Ron! This is serious!” But even Harry had to smile.

“You never do anything the easy way, do you Quetzal?” Stephen spoke up. “I knew there was someone, but this… this is beyond anything I had imagined.”

Harry sighed and gripped Ginny’s hand tighter. “So if I can’t undo the bond how, exactly, am I to keep her safe?” he asked Dumbledore.

“Harry,” Dumbledore said, staring at him in his enigmatic way over his half-moon glasses, “I know you are old enough to understand that no one has any guarantees. Under the best of circumstances things can happen to people that we can never foresee. But, with Voldemort back, our lives are in even greater jeopardy, so long as we choose to defy him. Miss Weasley has already made that choice at the age of eleven, I believe.”

“So that’s it then?” he said angrily. “I’m just supposed to take my chances that Voldemort doesn’t find some way to get to her?”

He felt Ginny stiffen. “I’m not a china doll. I can take care of myself.”

“I understand your concerns, Harry,” Dumbledore said, “and I agree with you. I think that in this case it would be wise to take some precautions.”

“What kind of precautions?” Harry asked over Ginny’s cries of protest.

“I think your relationship with Miss Weasley should remain a secret for as long as possible. I do not believe that Voldemort is aware of your connection yet-” he began, but Harry interrupted.

“He does. He tried to have Ginny kidnapped at Diagon Alley, remember?”

“My sources tell me that they were on the lookout for someone who could give them information,” Dumbledore explained. “It is a well-known fact that you are very close to the Weasleys and I think he was hoping to capture her that day for the purpose of information only. He is aware that something happened that night, the night you shared your dream, and that someone else was sharing the connection between you and him, but he doesn’t know who that person is at this point.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. “I would have thought Pettigrew would have told him.”

“I do not believe that Peter Pettigrew was aware that you had formed an attachment to Miss Weasley that night. He does know about the Muggle, Miss Smith, however. The day Voldemort tried to take over was a test to see if she was the one.”

Harry noticed Claire startle to hear her name spoken by the old wizard, and Dudley put his arm around her protectively.

“We have had Miss Smith under constant surveillance these last few weeks and thus far no action has been taken, leading me to the conclusion that he no longer believes her to be a threat. Given that she is a Muggle, I’m sure that she was not taken as a serious possibility anyway, but we had to be sure,” Dumbledore told her kindly. “I apologize for our intrusion of your privacy.”

“Th-that’s all right,” Claire stuttered bravely.

“We will continue to monitor the situation to make sure no repercussions are forthcoming, but I think that Voldemort has moved on to look at the young witches present that night to determine who it might have been. Unfortunately,” Dumbledore said, turning to Ron and Hermione, “Miss Granger is a prime suspect given that she is so close to Mr. Potter and has been linked to him romantically in the past. But I understand that the other young ladies are being investigated as well. All of them are linked with Harry in one way or another, either through Gryffindor House or because of the Quidditch team.”

“What are you doing to protect them?” Harry asked angrily. This was all his fault and he’d never forgive himself if one of his friends got hurt because of him.

Dumbledore held up an old, withered hand reassuringly. “It is being done, I assure you Mr. Potter. I believe your friends Messrs Fred and George Weasley have volunteered to keep an eye out for Miss Spinnet and Miss Johnson, while Miss Bell is being watched over by Mr. Jordon until she returns to school. As you know, Miss Weasley and Miss Granger have been at Headquarters since the attack on Miss Granger’s home occurred. Her parents have agreed to remain under the Fidelius Charm until the situation is resolved and will stay in hiding, allowing the Order of the Phoenix to take charge of their daughter’s safety. We agreed that this was the best course of action.”

“Will that be enough?” Harry asked worriedly.

Dumbledore shrugged understandingly. “It is the best I can do.”

“Your best isn’t always good enough, Albus,” Hunter said coldly, “as you well know.”

Dumbledore turned his sad eyes to Stephen. “Perhaps you are right, old friend, perhaps you are right. But it is the most I can offer.”

Harry regarded his friend and Headmaster curiously, wondering for the thousandth time what had happened between them to make Stephen so bitter towards Dumbledore. He knew it had something to do with the death of his wife and child, but there had to be more to it than that. He caught sight of Hermione and could see her curious look, too. Ginny seemed taken aback that anyone would speak to Dumbledore in such a disrespectful way, while Ron looked flat out impressed. Everyone else was registering versions of anger or surprise as well.

“What is our next move, Albus?” Remus asked, cutting through the tension in the air. “Do you know what happened at Headquarters?”

“Yes, I do.” He turned to Lupin with a grim expression on his old face, which seemed to look even older under the weight of Stephen’s criticism. “It seems that Narcissa Malfoy has contested Sirius’ will. The property has been put into trust by Gringotts until a decision can be reached regarding the true heir.”

“Can they do that?” Lupin asked. “I thought Sirius’ will was airtight. He had it drawn up by the best lawyers after Harry was born because he was determined that the Malfoys would not get their greedy hands on the Black fortune.”

“I think this is a ploy on the part of the Malfoys to distract us,” Dumbledore said. “Because of Kreacher’s betrayal the opposition is aware that Sirius had aligned himself with the Order of the Phoenix once more after he escaped. They were also aware of the will and his subsequent death. I feel certain the intent of this petition is to draw Harry out into the open where they hope he will be vulnerable.”

“I don’t care about the money,” Harry said dispassionately. “They can have it.” He almost grinned when he heard his aunt and uncle’s gagged protests.

“Would you rather see it go to aid Voldemort and his Death Eaters, then, Harry?” Dumbledore asked disapprovingly.

“Well, no,” Harry answered truthfully. He had never thought of it that way.

“Good,” Dumbledore said with approval. “I will make arrangements for the hearing as soon as possible. The quicker we get this resolved, the better.”

“Sir,” Harry asked quickly. “Whatever happened to Kreacher?”

“He is still residing at Headquarters, under constant watch. Now that you mention it, Harry, there is a simple test that will most likely resolve this inheritance issue, if you’d like to set your mind at ease.”

“What do I have to do?”

Instead of answering, however, Dumbledore called out loudly, “ Kreacher!”

Immediately, there was a ‘pop’ and the old house-elf in his tattered, dirty tea towel appeared in the middle of the room, bowing low.

“Master Dumbledore called Kreacher?” he said in a disgruntled voice.

“Yes, Kreacher, I did.” Turning to Harry, he said, “I’d like you to give him an order.”

Perplexed, Harry shook his head vehemently. “You never said I’d have to take him, too. I won’t do it.”

“Harry,” Dumbledore said patiently. “You realise that Kreacher has been living in the Headquarters for quite some time now and he knows too much to be set free. If you are truly Sirius’ heir then he will be magically bound to follow your orders and our secrets are safe.”

The words sent Kreacher into hysterics. “Kreacher won’t follow the orders of the young Master Half-Blood who caused the Dark Lord such pain! He won’t! He won’t! He won’t!” Kreacher screamed over and over again until Harry finally yelled at him to shut up. Immediately the house-elf’s mouth clamped shut and Kreacher’s protests were cut short, causing everyone in the room to breathe a sigh of relief.

“I think you have your answer,” Tonks said flippantly.

“Yes,” Dumbledore said, smiling. “I think we do. Well done, Harry.”

“What am I to do with him?” Harry asked horrified at the thought that he would have to keep the nasty creature near. The less he saw of him the better.

“Under the circumstances,” Dumbledore answered, “I believe the best thing to do would be to send him to Hogwarts. He can work in the kitchens where the other house-elves, including Dobby, can keep an eye on him and ensure he doesn’t give away any more of our secrets.”

“Alright, then,” Harry said. Turning to the shrivelled little beast, Harry said in his most authoritative voice, “Kreacher, I want you to go to Hogwarts and work in the kitchens until further notice. And don’t tell anyone what you know about me or the Order. Got it?”

“Kreacher will do as he is told,” the old elf said angrily, muttering under his breath the whole time. In a flash and a ‘pop’ he was gone.

“Well,” Dumbledore said. “I think it is safe to say that we are in no danger of our Headquarters being compromised. Will it be all right with you, Harry, if we continue to use Grimmauld Place for our safe house?”

“Of course,” Harry said.

“Excellent,” Dumbledore said. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have some important business to attend to.” Turning to Stephen he said, “Mr. Hunter, might I have a word with you in private before I leave?”

Stephen frowned, but said mildly, “As you wish, Albus.”

Harry watched the two of them exit the room, dreading the inevitable confrontation he was sure was coming from the rest of the group.

To his surprise, it never came. Mrs. Weasley was made to sit down by Bill, who insisted he look at her swelling ankle. It seemed that in her haste to get up the stairs to Ginny she had missed a step and twisted it. Lupin and Tonks huddled together, talking in what seemed to be a consistory manner, and Claire pounced on Dudley with a million questions he probably couldn’t answer. Everyone conveniently forgot about Petunia and Vernon who were still voiceless and stuck to their chairs.

Ron and Hermione ran over to Harry and he let go of Ginny long enough to give Hermione a big hug and slap Ron on the back in a jovial greeting.

Harry spent the next ten minutes bringing his best friends up to date on what had happened to him since he saw them last. Hermione had loads of questions about Stephen, the island, and Harry’s appearance. Most noticeable to his friends was his tan, new glasses and clothes, and the bands he wore around his wrists, but he also showed them the phoenix pendent Dumbledore had given him and gave them a glimpse of his tattoo. He shrugged off their inquiries about the tattoo and bands, telling them that they were just something he had picked up on the island and planned to keep for awhile, but he could tell Ginny didn’t buy it from the vibes he was getting from her through their connection. It would be hard not saying anything, like Stephen wanted. Being back with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny made him feel better than he had in months, years even.

Looking around the room, his eyes slid past his aunt, uncle, Dudley and Claire, coming to rest on his true family — Remus and Tonks, Bill and Mrs. Weasley, and above all Ron, Hermione and Ginny. Harry smiled happily as he listened to his friends banter, Ginny at his side. He was finally back where he belonged; he was home.


[A/N: The idea to use Kreacher as a test for Harry’s inheritance came directly from canon, HBP Chapter 3 “Will and Won’t.” There may be other similarities in this chapter as well, and in the chapters to come. I am trying to incorporate as much of the new canon into the story as I can, but presented in a concise and different way. This story was planned long before HBP made it’s appearance and ultimately I need to stay true to my own universe in order for the story to make sense, but I am a firm believer in using as much from canon as possible. This is the only way, in my opinion, to allow the characters to remain true to how Ms. Rowling intended them to be. Luckily my plot towards the end of the story was not as well defined as the beginning, so that gave me room to make some changes. I hope the end product will be a satisfactory blend of my universe and JKR’s, and that you all find it enjoyable to read. Thanks to Melinda, Arnel, Ryan, and Tyler for your help and feedback on this chapter. I’m looking forward to hearing what you all have to say about it, so please take the time to review and let me know. Thank you for reading.

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