Chapter 9
The next few weeks were quiet ones for all. James had an anxious few days after he sent his message off to Victoire informing her and Ted that his activities had been uncovered by his grandmother, who to her credit had not informed his parents, but had essentially shut down his eavesdropping. He had even tested her once by making his way into Abagail's studio, where with his ear pressed to a spot on the hardwood floor, he could hear what was said in Harry's library.
He had no sooner set foot in the room when a cough from behind alerted him to Gran Lily's presence. He just put his hands in his pockets, made as if to be looking around the room and then turned on his heel to leave the suite of rooms. He was somewhat relieved when he got the return message and found out that Victoire had likewise tipped their hand, if in a somewhat more embarrassing manner and that they had to lay low until some alternative could be developed. When he shared the information with his younger brother, Albus looked up from the small pocket recorder, a present from his grandfather, that he was dismantling and said,
"What did you expect?" and went back to his work.
In fact, the only activity out of the norm for the Potter household was the planning for the upcoming wedding of Anthony Goldstein and Susan Bones. Shortly after Harry had made the offer to Anthony the couple had paid a visit to Meadow Crest on a Saturday evening at the invitation of Ginny for 'a little get together'. During the course of the evening, Fleur and Bill, Eleanor and Charlie, and Audrey and Percy just happened to stop by, purely by coincidence of course.
So, when the topic of where the upcoming wedding was going to take place arose in conversation, Ginny's comment, 'we'll have it here', was met with near universal acclaim. The only objection came from the soon to be bride, who didn't want to be a bother, but that was quickly overcome by the sheer volume of assurances that it would be nothing of the sort.
When it came time for tea and snacks, Susan had wandered over to the window and was looking out into the darkness. She was idly trying to make sense of the jumbled shadows out by the meadow when a soft voice asked,
"You are steel troubled, yes?"
Susan turned to look into that flawless face framed in white blonde hair and smiled a bit,
"A little bit, Fleur. It's such a lovely gesture by Harry and Ginny and it should be such a wonderful time, but I was just thinking about all those in my family who won't be there."
Fleur smiled a bit and said,
"Yes, 'arry 'as told me of your situation. You 'ave suffered much loss. Eet might 'elp to theenk about what you 'ave gained, 'owever."
Susan regarded Fleur for a moment and then looked over at the small knot of people by the sideboard. She nodded and then looked back at Fleur.
"You might be right. Let me ask you something. Do you ever find it a little overwhelming, I mean everyone and all they seem to be doing?"
Fleur cocked one of her finely crafted eyebrows and said,
"My dear, Susan. Eet ees they that are overwhelmed by me."
Susan's eyes popped a bit and then she began to giggle and then laugh, with Fleur adding a bit of throaty chuckle. After she stopped Susan asked,
"How's he doing? Harry I mean. Word was he wasn't doing so well over the holiday."
"Yes, 'e 'ad a bit of a problem and 'ad to get much rest. Eet seems that 'is unique nature may be more than one body can 'andle. We do what we can but..." the blonde beauty finished with a shrug. "My oldest daughter ees quite convinced she must become a 'ealer so she can look after 'im."
The two witches turned to regard the subject of their conversation, watching as he listened to Bill and Charlie discuss something. If he knew he was being watched, he gave no sign. By the time the evening was over, the plans had been set as to place and date of the wedding and with pledges of help with the more bothersome details the visitors all went on their way.
Later that night as Ginny and Harry lay in bed, she looked over at her husband and said,
"Despite the protests, I think she was very moved, Harry."
"She deserves it. I still feel bad when I think of what Nev and Hannah went through. Even now the repercussions of what Riddle did haunt us. I'm just doing what I can."
Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry and brought her head to rest on his chest so he could lean his head on hers. She knew how much he liked the smell of her hair. As she lay there listening to his steady heartbeat she wondered about the tortured soul that lay just beneath and whether or not it would ever know any peace.
As winter gave way to spring, things began to happen. The meadow that lent Meadow Crest it's name began to take shape once more. Over a period of successive nights the heaved and muddy ground was leveled and graded. Then it was seeded and covered with straw to keep the mild spring rains from ruining the work. The last of the downed trees were long since removed and those that remained had begun to bud.
The kids had remained under control, at least as far as any overt spying was concerned. By virtue of their continued experiments, Rose was able to keep track of Harry's aura but dared not send any messages to Vee, for fear of discovery. The adult conspiracy, as proposed by Ginny, was in full swing however. Mrs. Dubonais-Henderson, working in concert with the apothecary in Diagon Alley, along with Professor Slughorn, was attempting to develop some concoction that would help strengthen Harry's system while at the same time investigate the voodoo witch's concerns that Harry was somehow out of balance.
On the more practical side, Harry found himself unable to do the least strenuous task without someone popping up from seemingly nowhere to offer a hand or simply nudge him aside to take over. In fact, he found himself making more frequent trips into the forest simply to have something to do. When it came time for him to take his annual trip to Beauxbaton, he found he was to be accompanied on the train trip by a seventh year wizard from Gryffindor, a muggle born. It had been decided that a senior member of the Hogwarts faculty shouldn't have to go it alone, fetching and carrying for himself. Harry didn't make a fuss about it, as part of the decision he had made not to object to what people were trying to do for him as he tried to sort himself out, as he thought of it. However, by the time he got back to Hogwarts he had to make a conscious effort not to give the unoffensive young man a swift kick in the bum, simply because he was a constant reminder of everything that was going on.
It was nearly the end of March when Anthony Goldstein appeared at the front door to Hogwarts and requested to see Harry. He was shown up to Harry's office and in short order they were sitting across from one another.
"It's looking like it's as bad as I thought, Harry. In the last three years, nearly a dozen prominent members of the European magical community have died under suspicious circumstances. There's also been a number of deaths and disappearances amongst the less well known. Sound familiar?" Anthony asked.
"Frighteningly. You're not suggesting..." Harry began.
"No, not old snake face, but someone or multiple someones with similar ideas. And Harry, so you know, this is me talking. There's nothing official from the Ministry or the other entities on the continent."
"That's alright, Anthony. I trust your instincts. What makes you think it's all tied together?" Harry asked.
"Similar oddities I guess you'd say. At least four of the dead had considerable fortunes without clear inheritors. Shortly after each one died someone showed up with ironclad proof they were the rightful heirs. Others were upper level bureaucrats. After their deaths their replacements began moving their departments in directions that could best be described as provocative as far as muggles are concerned. And the muggles are starting to notice. Not in the main, not yet, but weird stories are starting to show up in those tabloid type publications."
Harry's expression flowed from interested to concerned to perplexed.
"What in the name of Merlin do they think they're doing? Deliberately drawing attention to magical folk? What are they playing at?" Harry asked.
"I'm not sure but it's not playing, Harry. I think it's deadly serious. From what I can see, it's organized and sinister. And there's one more thing, Harry. I'm picking up hints that part of their focus is you. And there's nothing good about it."
Harry nodded. That would align with what Mr. Evil had suggested about him being the focus of a lot of malicious intent. He could understand a lot of people not being happy with him, especially in certain parts of the continent, but what would prompt them to purposely draw outside attention?
"Anthony, do me a favor. Keep this to yourself. I'm having enough trouble as it is. If this gets to be general knowledge, my family will have me locked away in my basement for my own good."
"I understand, Harry. I'll keep working on it and keep you informed, but just you, as long as I can. But if they keep going the way they are, it won't be all that long before it becomes impossible to hide."
Harry simply nodded. Neither mentioned the upcoming wedding and Anthony was soon on his way back to the Ministry. Harry sat back in his chair. Considering that part of the world in question, he could think of at least three separate groups that might have it in for him. Any survivors of the smuggling operation, remnants of the holdouts at Durmstrang, or the three former board members of the Black Sea school sprang to mind. Some, or all, could have come together with him as a target.
But the rest of it just didn't make any sense. To do things that would attract the attention of muggles was a lot like committing slow suicide. All it would take was a few Rev. Armbrusters to start stirring things up and it could turn into a modern day witch hunt. Harry thought it might not be a bad idea to get in touch with Professor Dumbledore.
When he returned home that evening he retired to the library and his chair. It took all his experience to get himself relaxed to the point where he could slowly slip into that state of not quite sleeping. The gray mist swirled and he called out,
"Professor Dumbledore? Are you there, sir?"
"Harry, is that you, dear boy?"
"Yes, sir."
"One moment," Dumbledore said.
Out of the swirling mists the tall robed figure of Harry's mentor strode forward, his face set in a mild expression.
"Harry, it's been some time since we last talked. Is there something I can help you with?"
Despite the seriousness of what was to come, Harry had to smile inwardly. Dumbledore seemed almost eager for some mystery with which to help.
"Yes, sir. As a matter of fact there is. Some old troubles come anew, I'm afraid."
Harry began to explain what had been occurring, to include his encounter with the essence of evil, or so it claimed. He ended with the information that Anthony had provided. By the time Harry was finished, Dumbledore's expression was grave.
"Most distressing, dear boy, most distressing. I had feared the coming of unwanted attention, as you know, but for it to be self imposed is something I never imagined. For the moment, I cannot fathom what the motivation could be, but I will think on it. Perhaps Merlin may be able to offer some insights. He has many generations of experience in the murkier aspects of human nature, both magical and mundane. Perhaps he might be able to discern the underlying plan."
"I hope so, sir. We have one dead wizard in the forest and now a dozen or more on the continent. At this rate it won't be all that long before they, whoever they are, pass Tom Riddle. I'm pretty sure I don't want to go there again."
"None of us do, dear boy, I assure you. I will send word when I think I have information for you."
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it," Harry said.
"Not at all, dear boy. We must all do what we can," the wizard's spirit said and then turned back into the mists, but before he faded from view he called back over his shoulder. "Linger a moment, Harry."
Harry did so and soon an all too familiar face appeared. His in fact, minus the green eyes and lightening scar.
"Hello, Dad. It's terrific to see you."
"For me as well, Harry. I understand you've been having some health issues again. It's been causing your mother some significant anxiety. If she could sleep, she wouldn't be," James said with a bit of a grin.
It seemed James was every bit the rogue in death as he was in life. But then his expression turned serious once more.
"Harry, you may remember that I once warned you that you needed to be ready for some serious trouble."
"Yes, Dad, I remember. Is this it?"
"It's a start, yes, son. You need to be careful and stay alert. I realize that right now you have a lot of distractions. Particularly concerning those close to you. Don't allow yourself to get caught up in all of that. If they want to do things for you or keep an eye on you, let them. There will be others watching you that won't be so caring and you'll need to focus on them. I wish I could tell you more but I can't. Trust your instincts and be ready to act when you feel it's right. Your mother and I are in no hurry to have you join us, son."
Harry regarded those serious dark eyes that looked a lot older than the face surrounding them. He nodded and said,
"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate that sentiment. I'll watch myself."
James nodded and then turned and walked back into the mists. Harry sighed and then let himself drift back up to awareness. He got up and walked to the kitchen where he found a cup of hot tea waiting for him. Nibs looked over from where he was putting away the last of the dinner dishes. His expression was serious and a little sad.
"Thank you, Nibs."
"Master Harry is most welcome," the little elf replied, "and worry not, the house will be secure."
Harry smiled a bit and nodded as he carried his cup back to the library. Then he spoke a silent curse for all those fools, himself included, who thought the little beings were only good for slavish menial labor. Hermione was a true visionary.
While Harry tried to puzzle out what was going on a thousand miles away, James was working on matters closer to home. In addition to his now suspended spying he had been laboring on the bow and arrows with which Ronin had tasked him. With guidance from his grandfather, but all his own labor, he had crafted a bow that didn't satisfy him. It did work, sending a store bought arrow a fair distance, but it had some issues with symmetry and the gluing of the laminates was a little sloppy. He made a second and it came out much more to his liking.
Then they moved on to the arrows. For so seemingly simple an object, they turned out to be the trickier to accomplish. While the arrowheads had been supplied, finding material for the shafts and fletching proved more problematic. James had hoped that with all the downed trees on the property he would find all kinds of small branches but the gardeners were incredibly meticulous cleaning up the debris. It took days and days of scrounging and some very awkward hovering on a broom, cutting live branches from the higher reaches of some still standing trees.
The feathers took some help from Victoire who enlisted the aid of the house elf that looked after the Hogwarts owlry. With glue and thread he got them attached to the shafts in a fair imitation of the arrows on display in Harry's library, but James still wasn't happy with them. So when the first Saturday in April arrived and James accompanied Harry to the forest to meet Ronin he was mildly anxious. He felt cautiously optimistic that the bow would pass muster but he had far less confidence in the arrows.
"Nervous?" Harry asked as they entered the small clearing.
"Yes, Da, I am."
"Good, you're far too young to be cocky," Harry said, looking down at this son with a straight face, before breaking into a grin.
"Da," James said plaintively.
Harry winked at the boy and then turned toward the trail and in a moment Ronin walked into the clearing.
"Hail, Serpent King. Well met, young human."
"Friend Ronin, hail and good morning," Harry replied.
"Hello, sir," James responded.
Ronin came to stand in front of James and held out his hand. With a swallow, James offered up the bow for inspection. The big Centaur turned it over in his hands, then held it up for closer inspection. He gave it a tentative draw and then handed it back. Then he took the offered quiver of arrows and inspected each in turn. The quiver was then returned to the boy.
"Friend Harry Potter, what is to follow is between student and teacher, as I am sure you understand. The young human will be returned to Friend Hagrid's hut before night fall."
Harry nodded and then turned to his son.
"You're a lucky fellow, James. Listen and learn."
"Yes, Da," James replied, his eyes wide.
Harry shook hands in farewell with Ronin and with a small wave to his son walked back to Hagrid's. As he walked out of the trees he was surprised by a loud bark and high pitched yell.
"Uncle 'arry!"
The figure of a tallish first year waved at him from the small meadow beyond the stone hut. A tall rangy dog was frisky about, waiting for her to toss a ball she held high. She reared back and sent it to the far side of the meadow and the not quite full grown beast thundered after it. Victoire took the opportunity to hurry over to where Harry stood. She came to stop just short of him. Harry made a show of looking here and there and then held out his arms and she stepped forward to share a tight hug.
"I didn't think to see you here, sir," she said as she stepped back.
"I brought James up so he could present his bow to Ronin. Looks like it's going to go all day," he replied.
"Really? Wow. Was he nervous?" she asked.
"Somewhat. I think he did pretty well, but he's turning into somewhat of a perfectionist. So it looks like I have the day to myself."
Any further conversation was interrupted by the combination of Hagrid emerging from the hut and the 'puppy' returning with the ball.
"Harry, good ta see ya. Where's my godson?"
"Looks like he's going to be spending the day with Ronin. I wasn't expecting that. He said they'd be out by sundown."
"Interestin'. Looks like Ronin's takin' a serious interest in the boy. He sees somethin' he does."
"So it would seem. Alright, alright. Here," Harry said the last to the dog that was trying to push the ball into his hand.
Harry took the wet orb and tossed it far out into the grass. The puppy dashed off, the massive paws digging into the early spring grass. Hagrid laughed and said,
"Wully loves ta run. Looks like I'll have ta hire some students ta come down and run 'im every day."
"Hey, I thought that's what I was going to do,'' Victoire said.
"Woolly?" Harry asked. "He doesn't look all that hairy to me."
"Wully, not woolly, Harry. It's short for Wulver."
"Wulver? Who, or what, is a wulver?" Harry asked.
Hagrid smiled and touched the side of his nose with a sausage sized finger and said,
"It's a what, Harry, but I'll not tell ya more. Perhaps the young miss here can discover it for yas both."
Harry nodded and then looked past Hagrid and said,
"I'd have thought Norbie would be at the doorway. He's not..." Harry asked.
"Nah, no worries, Harry. He's just gone a bit deaf. Takes a really loud sound ta wake him up these days."
Harry sighed in relief. He was going to really miss that dog. The three went in and the old dog woke up at the feel of footsteps on the stone floor. Norbie might have been going deaf but he knew where to put his head for a heavy dose of ear rubs. By mid morning, the dog was rubbed out and slid back down and went to sleep. Wully was already snoring heavily having been run into a stupor.
"Uncle 'arry? Would you like to go to the Quidditch match? Teddy is flying today."
"Sounds like a good idea. No sense going home and then turning around to come right back up. Coming, Hagrid?"
"O' course, Harry. Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Gonna be a bruiser."
Harry nodded. They stepped carefully around mounds of dog and together headed for the Quidditch stadium. As they approached the front of the castle they joined the stream of students heading for the pitch. The two perpetual rival houses were in a tight race for the cup and the match had caught the imagination of the student body.
As the two professors and one student entered the entrance tunnel Victoire said,
"I guess I'll see you after it's over."
"No, I think we'll watch this one from the student section. I never really got to do much of that," Harry said.
"Really? Oh, wow. The girls will be so surprised."
As Hagrid and Harry inserted themselves into the crush of students they received waves and shouted hellos. When they finally reached the Gryffindor section Harry was all smiles. He hadn't played any Quidditch since before his last illness and had taken in very few matches at the school. He was really looking forward to this.
"Hello, Professor. I didn't know you were allowed to stand with the students," Estelle said.
"Good morning, Miss Mickelthwaite. Yes, it's okay for the faculty and staff to be down here," he said with a laugh. "Most simply prefer to sit. Although, the wooden benches get pretty uncomfortable around the fourth hour."
The girl smiled and nodded thoughtfully at this revelation. Somehow she assumed the VIP tower had cushions and foot rests. Any further discussion was cut off by the appearance of first the Slytherin fliers to the cheers of their housemates. Then the Gryffindor fliers zoomed into the air above the pitch to much greater cheering. It seemed that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were pulling for the Gryffindors as well. Harry could only shake his head. Not much had changed since he was a flier.
The aging Madame Hooch released the bludgers and snitch and then tossed the quaffle into play. The mayhem ensued almost from the start. Some might have called it a battle royal, others a melee'. To Harry it was nothing more than a street brawl in the air. From when he still lived at 4 Privet Drive, he remembered seeing some news coverage of fights between different gangs of football hooligans. This didn't look a whole lot different.
For the moment his attention was fixed on his godson, Ted. He was concerned for the boy, who seemed to be a lightening rod for disaster, although this year had been better than most. There were numerous mid air collisions, stray beater bat strikes and a lot of trash talk and fist shaking. Madame Hootch was valiantly trying to keep order and play had to be stopped frequently and as many points were scored on penalty shots as were on clean goals.
And Ted was doing more than his share of scoring goals and dishing out punishment. With a mix of chagrin and pride, Harry noticed that his protege was particularly adept at aggressive action while the referee was occupied elsewhere. He looked down at his niece, who's expression was particularly intense.
"I hope you bought your first aid kit, Miss Weasley," he said with a smile.
"Of course, sir," she said looking up at him. "Not that I'll get a chance to use it. Madame Pomfrey was concerned about today's match. She told me she was calling in some favors. There are five healers and nurses down there."
A roar erupted from most of the student body as a goal was scored by a Gryffindor chaser that was fed a pass from Ted just before he flipped his broom, slapping a Slytherin with the back end and nearly taking him off his broom.
"Vee," Harry said seriously over the noise. "Do you know whats going on? I understand that there's always bad blood between these two teams, but this is ridiculous."
"There's been a lot of tension since Slytherin beat Hufflepuff and the points totals got so close. The twits that gave Teddy so much trouble his first year started in on him again. None of them fly but the match is the only legitimate way they have to settle things. The evil little sods have been egging on the rest of them to go after Ted and the rest. If we win you're going to have to really sit on those gits," she finished with disgust.
"That's up to their Head of House," Harry replied.
Vee just gave him a look and shook her head. The match continued on, a number of substitutions taking place, some temporary, most permanent. Harry wouldn't have been surprised to see Kai take to the air. She would have been slaughtered. Somewhere into the sixth hour, the Gryffindor seeker, a tenacious little scrapper of a seventh year wizard came up with the snitch during a flat out stretch only a dozen feet above mid pitch. He was also wily enough to not let up until he knew the Slytherin seeker had pulled up and flown away in disgust. Harry could have sworn he heard a collective sigh of relief before the stadium erupted in a wall of sound.
Harry looked up at Hagrid and shouted,
"Have you ever seen anything like that before, Hagrid?"
"I musta seen worse, Harry, but it'll take some doin' to remember when," Hagrid said with a wry grin as he began to wade through the press of students.
By the time they made their way out to the path leading to the school Harry noticed knots of students in various house colors regarding each other like alley cats facing off over a overflowing rubbish bin. Harry pulled out his wand and touched his throat and muttered 'sonorous'.
"Alright, move it along, everyone. Whatever you have in mind, forget it. Anyone who gets involved in any incidents, your Head of House will be the least of your worries."
Accompanied by a number of nervous looks over shoulders, the students hurried along. Vee and her friends stayed with Harry and Hagrid. Hagrid chuckled a bit and then looked down at Harry.
"Ya know, pound fer pound, ya must be the most frightenin' wizard ever."
Harry looked up at his towering friend with a scowl and said,
"Whattaya mean pound for pound?"
The girls all went wide eyed and then the two professors began to laugh loudly. Harry accompanied the girls to the tower and waited for Ted to arrive. He had to suppress a smile as he watched his godson drag himself into the room. Ted acknowledged the shouted congratulations of a number of housemates until he saw Harry sitting in a chair by the fireplace. He walked over and dropped into the chair next to his godfather.
"May I offer my own congratulations?" Harry offered.
"Thanks, sir," the boy replied, shifting himself in the chair with a grimace.
"And may I say that had to be the dirtiest Quidditch match I've ever seen played here. I didn't know you had it in you, Ted."
"Survival of the fittest, sir. We can't all fly like you so we have to resort to other methods," the boy said with a tired grin.
"Well, you did a fine job out there. But I understand there have been some other issues I've missed."
Ted just shrugged.
"Those idiots from Slytherin were starting up again. And I had to persuade some little jerk to leave Vee alone. That didn't sit very well with them, I guess."
Harry looked over at his niece, who was chatting with her friends while casting occasional glances over at he and Ted. Harry decided he needed to keep his eyes open for more than just himself. He looked back at his godson and said,
"Go take a hot shower, get something to eat and then get some sleep," and he stood up.
He reached under his robe and then pulled out a handful of sickles and handed them to Ted.
"Next Saturday, go into Hogsmeade and enjoy yourself. And bring something back for Vee."
"Wow, thanks, Harry."
"No. Thank you," he replied, casting a meaningful glance at the tallish, coppery haired first year.
Ted's face got serious and he nodded his understanding.