Chapter 26
Hermione watched the students enter the great hall for the welcome feast with a touch of sadness and a hint of longing, as she saw her former classmates recognise her and head straight over.
Lavender was, of course, the first to speak, "Hermione you're looking lovely, what happened to the house tables and where do we sit?"
Hermione smiled at her former dorm mates, "Hi you two, the house tables will only be used for the sorting ceremony and leaving feast in June, and you can sit anywhere you want to."
Both girls couldn't wait to sit beside Hermione as there was a lot to catch up on and they wanted details. It was Parvati who was the more intuitive though, she asked, "won't you miss this Hermione? You loved Hogwarts and classes."
She had a dreamy expression on her face and both girls could see she was thinking before replying, "when I saw you enter the hall I got a bit nostalgic but then I remembered that instead of sharing a dorm with you two I would be sharing a bed with my Harry, no offence girls but that wins every time." From the wishful looks she was getting from both girls she knew they were in one hundred percent agreement.
Her comments also earned her a kiss from her husband as he sat down beside her; Ginny, Neville and the three Grangers joined them. Seamus and Dean came over to catch up but there were strained glances around the table when Vince, Greg and Pansy took the last three seats, narrowly beating the Creevey brothers to them. The four Gryffindors who hadn't been on the island relaxed when Harry said, "Thanks guys, I don't think I'm up for Colin and Dennis tonight."
As the tables filled, McGonagall stood and said, as there were so many changes everyone would be fed first, she sat down to a cheer as the food appeared at each table. The biggest cheer seemed to come from those purebloods that no longer had elves at their beck and call; this would be the best meal they had eaten since Christmas Eve.
Harry told Hermione to glance over at her gran, Amanda could hardly eat she was so excited, she was at a Hogwarts feast, staying in Gryffindor apartment before lending a hand in the new non-magical annex, she knew that excitement would rob her of sleep tonight and didn't care – she was living her life long dream.
There was so much to take in that the students were constantly straining their necks as someone at their table pointed out something else that wouldn't / couldn't have taken place a few short months ago.
There were six Weasleys having a meal together and with the other half of the table consisting of the three Gryffindor chasers and three seventh year Charlie Weasley chasers. Charlie, though embarrassed, was at least thankful they were all girls. The fact that Ginny was sitting very close to Neville and at another table was also a topic of discussion for multiple reasons.
Sirius Black was sitting in the middle of the great hall as the new head of Gryffindor along side Elizabeth Zabini, the new head of Slytherin, and Rose Parkinson who was there representing the Prophet. Remus was sitting with Tonks and her parents trying very hard to remain calm, meet the parent's was always bad but when you had to work with them as well! The number of Slytherins walking about with the Potter crest on their robes didn't go unnoticed either, Angela Flint had been sorted into Slytherin by the hat in Minerva's office earlier.
There were so many new faces and also that beautiful new building they had all passed before entering the gates, it was an unusual but elegant mixture of sandstone, steel and glass that had everyone looking forward to classes there. When the meal finished it was a well-fed audience that settled down to listen, they knew this would be a long speech.
The headmistress introduced the new staff, new courses, new facilities and finally new rules. As she expected it was the no carrying wands between classes that had some people on their feet but she explained the decision, "I know that in the past this rule would have been absolute folly but we are in a new school, in a new year so it's time to start a new era. It is the job of Hogwarts staff to keep you safe, not some second year Gryffindor who kills basilisks instead of doing his homework." This got a laugh, as she knew it would, "I'm now going to hand you over to the man whose idea this was, an idea that all staff fully support, Harry Potter."
Harry stood without speaking for a minute as he gathered his thoughts, "it was not long ago that most of us watched while a young man lost his life in this very hall because he made a bad decision, had this system been in place he would still be alive and annoying everyone with tales of how the mighty Cannons were actually going to win a game this year." Harry could see the tears in most people's eyes, there was sobbing coming from the Weasley table, "this rule is dedicated to Ron Weasley and you better believe it will be enforced. There will be no exceptions, no excuses and no family intervention; we have the minister's niece and my adopted daughter, as students and their treatment will be exactly the same as everyone else's. Using a wand on a fellow student to cause harm will see you expelled and, depending on the severity, escorted by aurors to be charged."
Harry noticed a Slytherin seventh year that he thought was called Warrington stand to ask a question, "Lord Gryffindor, does this rule apply to those of age?"
"Good question and the answer is no, those of age are expected to behave like the adults they are, but as an adult they will be charged with endangering children should they use their wand illegally. The minimum penalty for this charge is ninety days in Azkaban, and, of course, expulsion from Hogwarts. There is also the non-magical annex where no wands are allowed by anyone." Harry's answer had a few older students exchanging worried looks, ninety days in that hellhole was not something to take lightly.
"What if I choose not to take non-magical studies?" asked Warrington.
"That is entirely your choice but, as this and wizarding studies are mandatory subjects then I'm afraid you will be taking the floo home tonight with your belongings. Guys!" Four elves appeared silently next to Harry, "it would appear that Mr Warrington no longer wishes to attend Hogwarts, could you please pack and place his belongings in headmistress McGonagall's office as he will be returning home tonight."
Warrington just had his bluff well and truly called, "excuse me my lord, I was merely making an enquiry and will happily comply with Hogwarts regulations."
Harry nodded and apologised for the misunderstanding, before hammering his point home, "attending Hogwarts is a privilege, not your right. This is now a privately owned establishment that will be run by our company, Stag Industries, and anyone deliberately disrupting the smooth running of this establishment won't be here very long." It had been spelled out to everyone in language that left no room for error, behave or be gone!
"Now the real reason that I'm standing here is to pass on information about the new Tri-wizard Tournament, with the first elimination heat taking place this Saturday. All teams must contain a student from each school and you have until eight pm on Thursday night to give your team's details to our administrator, Percy Weasley. The top ten teams on Saturday will go through to the next round and all the information you're going to get is that all three members must work together to complete the task and it will definitely NOT involve dragons. I will now hand you back to headmistress McGonagall to introduce our last new initiative for tonight."
Minerva stood back up, "tomorrow the first parents will arrive and be staying with us for a few days, and they will be attending classes to see for themselves what their children are being taught. This will continue all year but the first recipients are the Creevey's, the Patil's, the Finch-Fletchley's and the Higgs." It was no accident that the mixture was of all houses and different blood statuses.
The heads of the four houses made their way to their respective house common rooms to make sure everyone knew how to key into and operate their lockers. For the first few days' prefects would be at the doors ensuring students didn't forget to put their wands in their lockers until everyone got used to it.
After all the hard work and planning the first day of the new Hogwarts was a resounding success for staff, students and visitors alike, and the atmosphere in the great hall at dinner was better than they dared to dream.
Tonks first class of the day had been seventh year snakes and puffs, she had kept it very simple, an aerobic warm up, some laps round the track followed by some cool down exercises. It was going to take a few lessons before they were fit for much more than that and the shorter program gave the knackered teenagers time in the café to drink some fruit juice and recover before their next class.
Harry knew they had won over the visiting parents by lunchtime, they had been delighted with their accommodation and began the tour at the annex just as first year snakes and claws were pouring into the mini-mall. The students had spent the first part of the morning learning about non-magical money and were then given some to purchase swimwear for their next class – swimming.
Harry could see the purebloods looking around in astonishment so, after introducing himself; he asked if they had any questions. Mr Patil couldn't wait. "Lord Gryffindor, I notice that these shops sell no magical items, I am concerned that the children might receive a biased view of the world."
"Its just Harry please and there are two good reasons why no magical items are sold here. The point of the non-magical annex is to try and prepare the children for encounters in the non-magical world therefore it would be wrong to sell products not found there. The second reason is we do not want to take customers away from the local shops in Hogsmead, as part of wizarding studies or first and second year pupils will have organised outings to the village where they will have the opportunity to see wizarding shops and cafes. This will not affect the normal Hogsmead weekend visits for the older students, it just means students no longer have to wait until third year to see the village."
Everyone seemed satisfied with the answer and watched as Hermione, Emma and Amanda helped serve the excited first years. It was when Hermione was putting a young witch's purchase into a carrier bag that Mr Finch-Fletchely almost had an aneurysm, he couldn't take his eyes of the Stag logo. "Is that Stag Industries?" he whispered.
Harry's nod set the stockbroker off, "the whole city is buzzing with news that this could be the next big thing, we're all trying to get in on the ground floor so we can make a killing."
Harry just laughed and translated for the rest of the guests, "he is hoping to make an investment in Stag Industries while the company is still growing with the hope of making lots of gold, and unfortunately he's going to be disappointed. Stag is a family run company and will not be looking for outside help."
Finch-Fletchley's' s expression could be compared to a fruit machine, the tumblers were spinning and stopping, one by one, on the jackpot. "You own Stag Industries?" he asked, earning another nod from Harry, "then it's not just rumours, the products actually work?" Another nod from Harry and he found his hand engulfed in both of the smiling mans. "I've never been so proud of my Justin for choosing Hogwarts over Eton, what you are doing is wonderful and will make a massive difference in our world to peoples lives and even the economy."
Harry again had to explain, "Stag Industries are registered as a non-magical company and selling cures in potions form to the general public. They are marketed as healthy options that will help with specific problems, what they are in fact are potions that the wizarding world has known about for many, many years. This provides employment for people who were on the edge of our society and boost's our economy in the process. To me, a sick child is a sick child regardless of race, creed, colour or magical ability and deserves the best care and attention possible. There is also the case that should our world ever be discovered we could point to the work we have been doing behind the scenes to aid their problems."
"How does this effect the statute of secrecy?" asked Mr Higgs.
"It doesn't" was Harry's curt answer, "The Minister and Chief Witch will be here later today and are going to attend one of the lessons in non-magical studies with Professor Tonks, we have nothing to hide here and our doors are open to the ministry, Wizengamot and, more importantly, the parents of our students. We have a guided tour for your first day but tomorrow you are welcome to see whatever you want. We know that there will be mistakes made but when we find them they will be fixed and apologised for, not swept under the carpet or ignored. Our aim is simply to prepare the students for life in our rapidly changing world."
Andromeda took over, "may I suggest we follow this class down to our new sports and leisure complex where we will meet the other Professor Tonks and see the first students to use this facility."
The parents watched from the spectator area as the first students dived in the pool, later they entered the café and spent about twenty minutes just chatting about what they'd expected against what they now saw in front of them. Visits to Transfiguration and Defence were followed by a sixth year Wizarding studies class where the students were given news that they had to organize a formal wizarding ball, for them and the seventh years in Hogwarts, to be held after their exams. They would have to research wizarding customs and work out guest lists and the many other requirements, the success of this venture would go a long way to determining their final mark.
The lesson that the two officials were there to see was devastatingly effective. The class contained fourth year lions and snakes and they covered communication and transport. The lesson started with a projector showing last nights news broadcast from the BBC in which the anchor woman spoke live to colleagues in America, Kenya and China while showing video footage from around the world. Professor Tonks then projected an animation while explaining about communications satellites and passed a few mobile phones around so people could talk to each other. He then introduced two Beauxbatons students and the projector switched to their family and friends in France, Dan and Winky had went there with a laptop, mobile phone and web cam so they could all talk live to each other.
For the people present whose contact with the non-magical world was, at best, sparse this was the equivalent to their counterpart's first encounter with magic but when the subject moved on to transport everyone began to get the idea behind the new Hogwarts. When planes, trains and automobiles were compared to apparition, portkey and floo there was no surprise that the wizarding system was superior. The point had been made though, what was required was the best of both worlds and the minister had an announcement to make that would help with that.
Amelia Bones always seemed to be more impressed every time she met the Potters but today's demonstration was a real eye opener, she was glad there was something she could add to the lesson and silently agreed with Harry that this was indeed the best time to announce it, she took out her prepared speech and was mentally making adjustments to factor in what they had seen here today.
"I would first of all like to thank Hogwarts for the invitation here today and to tie in with the lesson we have just witnessed I, on behave of the ministry, would like to announce a major change in the use of portkeys law. The old law would have allowed the two Creevey boys the use of a portkey but not the rest of their family, this is an unjust law so, as of today, portkeys are available for family use within the statute of secrecy. This will mean that the Creevey family could travel to Florida in minutes for a fraction of the cost of non-magical travel. Lord Gryffindor has arranged a demonstration for those unfamiliar with this mode of transport." What she didn't say was that the old law had been written to make it very difficult for anyone but purebloods to use the system.
Harry and Hermione held out two ropes as the students, guests and everyone else who was in the room grabbed hold. The whole strange group appeared in the glass-fronted foyer of the Potter's island home. The sun had just risen and the views of the ocean and beach were nothing short of spectacular.
Professor Tonks found his voice first, "That, ladies and gentlemen, was travelling by portkey. From the position of the sun you can see we have travelled thousands of miles and the fact the sun is shining tells you for definite we're not in Scotland anymore." This generated some laughter though most were just staring at the view, Lavender Brown wasn't so much 'catching flies' she could probably caught a hippogriff had her chin dropped any lower.
When Harry said they could have lunch here or head straight back to Hogwarts the decision was instantaneous and unanimous as everyone headed to the beach. Neville and the Potter crested Slytherins led the way, receiving many envious stares from their classmates at their obvious knowledge of this paradise. Tables, chairs and parasols started appearing on the beach even before the group reached it and lunch was laid out along a massive table where everyone could help himself or herself before sitting under a parasol.
As the group was enjoying lunch the minister asked a question that grabbed the attention of every person there, "Lord Potter, what does one have to do to receive an invitation to this magnificent island?"
It was Hermione who answered, "Amelia, this is our home and there are no titles here. Our home is reserved for friends and family, any official business or entertaining will take place at Potter Manor. As to invitations, as you clearly don't qualify as family we will just have to wait and see if we can become friends." Her message was crystal clear, they didn't care about titles or positions, being a friend meant more to the Potter's than being the minister for magic.
They had to do a head count before returning in case anyone had decided to remain, Harry and Hermione were sorely tempted. Hermione knew she would be approached by her former roommates and wasn't disappointed when they spoke to her as soon as they returned to Hogwarts.
Hermione decided to put them out of their misery, "girls, I have some friends coming over for a few days at Easter, would you like to join us?" Hermione took the squeals and hugs to mean yes.
Amanda Granger was having the time of her life helping wizards and witches learn to blend into her world while she was experiencing the world her grandmother had spoken so longingly about. Amanda had no doubts that she couldn't return to her old life and with four grandchildren on the way, all of them magical, this was her life now and she couldn't be happier. After working in the mini mall she then helped with explaining the workings of the fully equipped flat to second years after Ted Tonks had explained electricity to them. Ted had a course curriculum all worked out but the difficulty was trying to explain computers to students who'd never even seen an electric light bulb. There was an orientation course that was being implemented with the older pupils, especially the Slytherins who had not been 'encouraged' to have contact, far less befriend, non-magical children.
The annex had been a brilliant success, purely because of the way it was presented to the students. At no time was judgment passed on the difference between the two systems, the facts were presented and people were left to draw their own conclusions. The whole ethos of Hogwarts had shifted in this direction, the world didn't need more sheep who would believe everything they were told, it needed people who would question, investigate and form their own opinion, and this was something that all the Grangers believed passionately in.
Sirius couldn't believe how much he enjoyed teaching, Remus had told him of the buzz obtained from imparting knowledge into eager young minds. Taking into consideration that he was replacing one of the most hated professors in Hogwarts history, Sirius would have to have been really terrible not to be an improvement on Snape. The calm, relaxed style of his classes was a million miles away from his predecessor's method of teaching potions. Encouragement replaced punishment and sneers had become smiles as the new Head of Gryffindor was quickly becoming one of the student's favourite professors.
Minerva was sitting at dinner on Friday night with Filius, Poppy and a mixture of students from all four houses wondering if she was some sort of dimensional traveller who'd just appeared at another Hogwarts. Make no mistake this was a different Hogwarts from the Dumbledore led abomination, she even heard students talking about how they had enjoyed their history of magic lesson. Although there had only been two days of lessons, the school had become something entirely different, she was reminded of an amusing saying from her childhood, 'I didn't know you drank until I saw you sober.'
They had not realised how bad Hogwarts had been until they experienced the new improved version, not one point had been deducted or punishment handed out and, apart from a few muscle strains, the only thing Poppy has had to deal with was a broken nose. Michael Corner had "apparently' walked into a wall at the sight of Miss Greengrass in her swimwear, Mr Corner fancied himself to be something of a ladies man so whether that 'wall' was named Crabbe or Goyle she really didn't need to know. Minerva had noticed the way members of House Potter looked out for one another and thought that they were closer than house members, being more like family members, and woe betide anyone who messed with them.
Having almost all her paperwork now being dealt with by Percy freed her time to do what she loved best, teach. When she was not in front of a class Minerva was assisting her new staff in ways to improve their lessons, being an expert on a subject did not automatically mean you could teach it with Hagrid and Severus immediately springing to mind. The headmistress would be the first to admit she was still learning as Ted Tonks idea to Augusta Longbottom proved, combining non-magical footage of the war against Hitler with the story of Grindelwald was brilliant and something the students really enjoyed. It also had other staff enquiring if the annex could be used in the teaching of their own subject.
Bringing parents into the school was a touch of genius, Albus had always avoided anyone coming to 'his school' but the new policy of openness was winning the 'hearts and minds' battle of the wizarding world. Being able to trust what appeared in the Prophet was an added bonus; she hated to think what Skeeter would have done with a picture showing a goblin with a sword attacking students. Fencing classes were a massive success and a club was being set up to offer fencing outside timetable, even talk of a tournament being held.
The new Tri-Wizard Tournament also had the excitement levels sky high with eighteen teams now competing in tomorrow's elimination heat and the familiar gleam in the former Marauder's eyes told their old head of house that the spectators would be in for a treat. Harry's laughter when she had asked how he managed to get the competition changed annoyed her until he explained, "the people responsible for organising the original tournament are almost all dead or in disgrace, Fudge and Karkaroff dead, Barty Crouch was given his son's old cell in Azkaban while Ludo Bagman is ruined due to gambling debts and lets not forget the manipulative old bastard. Only Olympe is untarnished and with the completion of the first task the contractual obligations of the goblet were fulfilled, we had taken part and the cancellation of the original tournament did the rest."
Minerva, like almost everyone else in the hall was really looking forward to tomorrow.
The only two people who it seemed were not looking forward to tomorrow were now lying entwined in each other's arms trying to sleep. Harry and Hermione had a sense of dread that they just couldn't shake off, they had already decided they would be returning home after dinner tomorrow if everything went as planned. The last few days had been an outstanding success but both had the feeling of the calm before the impending storm, tomorrow was the first big event on the new Hogwarts calendar and, with invited guests there as well, an inviting target for Dumbledore. Neither Harry or Hermione were afraid of facing him, quite the opposite in fact, but both knew there would be no frontal attack, the old bastard was much to sneaky for that.
-oOoOo-
The said 'old bastard' was currently pacing up and down while going over the plans in his mind, phase one was completed earlier on tonight and phase two taking place tomorrow. It was the final phase of the plan set for Sunday that Albus kept going over, looking for flaws and not finding any. Albus Dumbledore, unlike Tom Riddle, was not afraid of death, what really terrified Albus was not being remembered. His boggart would probably be a witch or wizard asking 'Albus who?' but this plan would ensure that never happened, by Sunday night he would either be ruler of the magical world or the reason for its downfall. The world would remember the name of Albus Dumbledore and that was all that mattered.
Chapter 27
It was a very nervous group of students that greeted Remus and Sirius at the entrance to the school's new sports facility, those nerves kicked up a gear when they saw what awaited them for the elimination heat later today. It was basically an assault course that traversed the pool three times in a zigzag pattern with two platforms that looked like rest points.
Sirius spoke to the assembled contestants, "the object of the task is for all three team members to complete the course in the quickest time possible, but you also have to take a barrel around the course with you and there is a hoop at each section which it must pass through. Each member of the team must control the barrel for one section and the platforms are where you pass it from one team member to another. You now have twenty minutes to familiarise yourselves with the course although no one is allowed on it until the competition starts."
They walked away a lot more confident than when the entered, this didn't seem to bad and, as Harry had promised, no dragons. Anyone who knew the marauders would have seen the gleam in their eyes and been really, really worried.
After the allotted time the students were laughing and joking as they came back over to the professors, you could almost see the wolf in Remus's smile.
"There may be one or two things we forgot to mention," said Remus, while waving his wand at the pool which now contained a couple of giant archer fish, they demonstrated how they got their name by spitting out a fierce jet of water at a piece of the course. "We would also like you to take one of these and each team member must wear a different colour," said Remus while handing out red, green and blue armbands.
When each team member was bedecked in their armband of choice, their nerves were back on high alert watching the grin on Professor Black's face. "When you entered this competition you knew it would require teamwork to win, well today we're going to find out just how good your teamwork is. Each of the armbands you are wearing represents the colour of the potion that has to be taken fifteen minutes before you start. Each potion will block one of your senses, sight, hearing or speech, with no clue to which colour does what. The first team member to hit the water ends the run and the last members position will be marked as how well your team did. If more than ten finish the course it will be the ten fastest who go through, if less than ten then the remaining places will be filled by those who got the furthest. Any questions?" Sirius asked only to be met by total silence.
Remus continued, "we want everyone back down here at twelve thirty where the draw will take place to decide which order the teams compete in."
It was a much more thoughtful group of students who made their way out heading to have a light breakfast, they were reassured now knowing that the task wasn't particularly dangerous but the potential for being made to look a fool was massive, quite a few were asking themselves 'why did I enter this?'
Harry thought Salazar Slytherin must have been turning in his grave as the sound of laughter reverberated around the founder's former chamber. The introduction by Sirius had proved to be hilarious and set the tone for the competition, even McGonagall had been laughing loudly, something you would have got long odds against.
Sirius spoke to a packed spectator gallery, "Good afternoon everyone and welcome to the new Tri-wizard tournament being held in the new Hogwarts. This competition is based on teamwork and each trio must attempt to complete the course you see here, our job was to make it a little more difficult so we based the next bit on the three wise monkeys, though we didn't have any monkeys so just had to go with the next best thing." A giant image of Hermione holding both hands over her mouth appeared on the wall, she was wearing a red t-shirt with the legend 'speak no evil' emblazed across the chest. Harry was next with his eyes covered and his green t-shirt proclaiming 'see no evil'. Ginny was mortified as her image was displayed with her fingers in her ears, the blue t-shirt declared 'hear no evil'. Everyone was laughing at the three wise Potters jibes Sirius was making; he was so in the doghouse.
The attempts at the course were entertaining to say the least but the last trio to compete had surpassed everyone else. They had been going along strongly and reach the last handover point only to discover that the person who had the barrel for the last section and had his power of speech blocked, couldn't perform non-verbal spells. When the member who couldn't hear finally figured out what the problem was, he began screaming at the speechless wizard, the one that couldn't see thought they were fighting and tried to break it up with the result that the three of them ended in the pool.
The three former contestants were easily the fastest team as they had obviously worked out a plan to deal with the potions; Victor had lost his speech so was at the front of the group. Fleur couldn't see so she was in the middle with her left hand on Victor's shoulder while Cedric without his hearing brought up the rear. They had worked out a simple 'number of taps code to attract Victor's attention while Cedric spoke to her and guided Fleur around the course. They were the only team to use shields against the archer fish as everyone else had tried to dodge or stand up to their attacks, which resulted in them knocking four teams out.
Harry was starting to relax as the competition wound down, he'd been expecting trouble all day and just when it looked like they'd dodged a bullet, an unknown owl entered the arena and headed straight for Harry. When he read the letter it had carried his heart sank and Hermione ran sobbing from the arena with her hands over her face. Harry really had no choice but to comply with the letter and place his thumb on the marked square of the parchment.
A twenty-foot projection of the old bastard suddenly came from the letter, "I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, challenge Harry James Potter to a duel to the death for the lies he has told and the damage caused to my impeccable reputation. This duel will take place tomorrow on the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch at one o'clock and all spectators are welcome as truth will out."
The old bastard was nothing if not a showman but Harry wasn't about to be outdone, using the same magic he had used on Christmas Eve, a thirty foot projection of Harry now dwarfed Dumbledores, "I, Lord Harry James Potter Gryffindor accept the challenge for all the harm this deranged lunatic has brought to my family. Yes, truth will out and justice will be done." Harry vanished, reappearing next to his distraught wife in the Gryffindor apartments.
Ginny grabbed the Grangers and Neville before saying 'blue lagoon' and they all appeared next to her parents where Harry was trying to comfort an inconsolable Hermione. Ginny couldn't understand this, her dad could kick that old fool's arse anytime he wanted, why was mum so upset?
Harry handed the note to Dan and the colour drained from his face the more he read with his legs giving way as he sat down heavily on the couch repeatedly muttering "oh shit"
The room filled up as people used the floo to find out just what was going on and as the letter went from Dan to Ragnok, Amelia, Minerva, the elves and the marauders, Hermione was rocking, sobbing with the chant of "my babies, not my babies."
Ginny couldn't take it any more, "will someone please tell me what the hell is going on before I start hexing people!"
Harry gestured for people to sit before explaining the situation to his daughter, "the old bastard has kidnapped two young boys and if I don't publicly lose the duel to him they will die." Hermione seemed to get worse with someone actually saying it out loud.
"Well ok, we will try our hardest to make sure we get to them in time but there's no way dad's going to loose his life to save a couple of kids. That's just not an option." Declared Ginny.
"You don't understand Ginny, it's who he's kidnapped. Should anything happen to Prince William or Prince Harry then we would be looking at the Greengrass scenario magnified a thousand fold, nothing less that the utter extinction of every magical creature and item in the country." Ragnok looked scared.
Emma was also hugging Hermione, trying to comfort her daughter and asked was there something wrong with her babies, Hermione clung to Harry pleading with him not to do this, hide on their island as he gently rocked her and held her tight. Harry then dropped the bombshell "due to our soul bond if one of us were to die, the other would follow. If I lose the duel tomorrow Hermione and our babies will die to."
There were a few seconds when the only sound was Hermione's "not my babies" before pandemonium broke out. The elves and goblins had known this fact but the rest hadn't. Ginny threw herself onto her parents and Amanda wasn't far behind her, Dan sat there totally out of his depth, every time he though he was getting a handle on the situation, fate seemed to kick him in the nuts. Sirius and Remus were trying to figure a way round this while Minerva had sent for Poppy who was administering some calming draft to all the ladies.
Sirius took control, "Ok everyone, and listen up. If the combined knowledge and abilities in this room can't defeat one crazy old man then my name isn't Sirius Orion Black."
"Could we use a substitute?" asked Remus "he didn't notice Crouch Jr and he sat at the same table as him."
"I don't think we can take any chances and I wont have someone die for me, he knows every magical trick in the book so we're going to have to use a different book," Harry's mind had been flooded with Hermione's distress but she was now getting it back together, the thought of her unborn children had swamped her emotions but Hermione's anger was beginning to surface, a good sign since it wasn't directed at him.
They were bouncing ideas around, each one wilder than the last, before Hermione took a calming breath and grabbed her husband for a deep and passionate kiss. As they finished she said, "here's the deal, we get this sorted, head for home and then your arse doesn't leave our bedroom for a week." Harry knew this was her attempt at an unnecessary apology for loosing it so he just played along.
"Now Sirius, why can't you come up with a plan like that."
His wife stood up and took over, His Hermione was back, "Dobby, Winky we need to move, Harry lets go change – dad, you might want to come along to. We will keep the rest of you informed as best we can." Everyone mentioned left to get changed while the rest looked on bemused.
Ginny let out a chuckle, "Dumbledore's in for it now, He's really pissed mum off which is not something you want to do."
Emma, Griphook and Ragnok remembered that day at the bank and started laughing, Sirius was right the magical power and intelligence here just now should be enough to defeat one old man.
Harry and Hermione were wearing their armour and cloaks as were Dobby and Winky, Dan had on his best suit. The elves applied the glamour's they had used for the wedding while Harry put Winky's teaching to good use and found the person he was looking for, taking Dan by the arm they were gone.
-oOoOo-
Kevin Carter was sitting at his desk staring at blank pieces of paper, that wasn't strictly true but for the amount of information they contained they might as well have been blank. He had no answers to how two children were taken from a secure building without anyone seeing, hearing or finding anything later. It was back to the ghosts whose heads mysteriously appeared on his kitchen table. This time he was praying that wouldn't happen, he needed an alive ten and twelve-year-old princes or all hell would break lose. It hadn't made the press so far but it was only a matter of time and the public outcry would be unprecedented.
Kevin was deep in thought until he realised he wasn't alone, there were five people in his office who didn't enter through the door.
"Relax Kevin, we're here to help," said Harry
"Why am I not surprised? I could use all the help I can get, what can you tell me?"
"I can tell you how, who and why. Were working on the where but that's another story. Can you get us in to see the Queen?" asked Harry.
"If you can get in here why do you need my help to get into the palace?"
It was Hermione who answered, "I imagine things are pretty tense over there at the present time, were we five were just to appear before the Queen then someone could end up getting hurt. We don't need to tell you that this is beyond urgent and we won't deal with any of her lackeys."
What Kevin hated most in the whole world was anyone who harmed children, these two boys just happened to have the Prince and Princess of Wales as parents but they were still children, the couple in front of him he was sure shared this belief and he recognised her father and the two members of their wedding party so his decision had to be based on whether he trusted these people.
He thought of the hug his son had given him as he left for work and knew this group were on the side of the angles, the angles might not appreciate their methods but they got the job done. "Ok but even with the blue light flashing it's going to take a bit of time to get through the traffic…" Dobby took his arm and they were suddenly in a room at the palace. "…Or maybe not, I'm guessing that answers the how part of my question."
Kevin took out his identification as they left the room, he didn't want to get shot, not until he had at least heard this explanation because the policeman was sure it would change his life.
The first group of guards they approached were far from happy and Kevin's explanation that these were 'mission specialists' with information for the queen wasn't going down to well when the guard suddenly changed his mind and allowed them through.
Kevin waited until they were out of earshot before asking, "What the hell are you people? Some kind of Jedi Knights or something?"
Hermione just smiled, "or something Kevin, only this time Luke and Leia weren't siblings and Han Solo made some bad decisions. We've dealt with Vader but the emperor is still out there and using these boys to get us both."
Kevin's eyes nearly popped out his head while Dan just shook his head.
"Just ignore dad, he's a trekie who drinks Earl Grey, hot." She was explaining the references to her husband over their bond when they came across another set of guards. They decided just to take them along and headed straight for the private apartments.
They eventually got to see the Queen where Kevin introduced Harry, "Your Majesty, this is Lord Gryffindor and his party, they have some important news on the princes"
Harry bowed before speaking, "Your Majesty may I introduce my wife, Lady Hermione Jane Potter Gryffindor, my father Dr Daniel Granger and our best friends Dobby and Winky Potter. We understand exactly what you are going through at the moment because the same man abducted our adopted daughter on New Years Day, luckily she escaped."
Harry now had everyone's undivided attention as he spoke to the Queen, "what we have to tell you goes way beyond the 'official secrets act' so I would ask that we reduce the numbers present to the bare minimum though we will need a military presence to organise the rescue."
Harry could spot the flunkies at once, their 'how dare this upstart question how important we are' attitude was a dead giveaway.
The Queen retained her top two advisors and the head of her military though there were still four armed guards in the room, they were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales before Harry sealed the room and erected privacy charms. Hermione, Dobby and Winky had the guards asleep in under a second as Harry reassured the others.
"Please don't worry, we mean you no harm but what we have to say needs to be heard by as few people as possible. I am a wizard, my wife is a witch, her father is a dentist while Dobby and Winky are elves." The elves dropped the glamour charms to gasps from everyone but the Queen; she was made of sterner stuff.
"The children were abducted by a technique called apparition which Dobby will demonstrate" Dobby popped next to the prince before popping him to the other side of the room.
"With your permission ma'am I would like to bring in a couple of friends to prevent this happening again, they will erect invisible shields around the palace that wizards can't apparate through." The Queen just nodded as if she'd lost the power of speech.
Dobby and Winky disappeared but returned soon after with an even greater shock for the assembled company. "Your Majesty, may I present Ragnok, leader of the goblin nation and his associate Griphook."
Both goblins bowed to the Queen, "Your Majesty, the goblin nation would consider it a great honour if you would allow us to ward the palace against future attacks of this kind. It will be invisible to anyone but a wizard, and any wizard or witch, other than Lord Gryffindors family, attempting to breech the wards will immediately be transferred directly to a prison cell."
The Queen again nodded her head in agreement so both goblins, bowing deeply, apparated to Gringotts to arrange the palace wards.
The Queen asked, "excuse me Lord Gryffindor but can I ask how your daughter managed to escape and do you know what this man wants with my grandsons?"
"Our daughter was wearing a special bracelet that is also a portkey, when she speaks a certain phrase it brings her directly to us no matter where we are. We will of course arrange for all the grandchildren to have these devices today but as to your second question." Harry handed the Queen the letter for them all to read.
"The wizard in question is Albus Dumbledore who escaped from the prison which we put him in. He held a high position in our government and was headmaster of the British Wizarding School; he was a very respected member of our society on the surface but was breaking just about all our laws to reach his goal. We are not sure what his eventual goal is but know that it involves me; we think he is insane enough to kill the boys if I don't follow through with his request but he won't harm them before that. Dumbledore is a very powerful wizard who has had his own way for so long he just expects people to carry out his instructions without question and for years in our world that's what happened. He will turn up tomorrow and he will bring the boys, what needs to happen is the neutralising of his brother while we duel. As soon as that happens the elves can get them out of there in a second."
Every person in the room knew exactly what Harry meant by 'neutralising' and there was not one objection, abducting children was way over the line, it was time for the Dumbledore brothers to be taken down.
The princess asked, "Would you really die for my boys?"
This was the crux of the matter, "your Highness, my wife and I share a soul bond, this means that should one of us die the other would follow. Hermione is pregnant with triplets, two girls and a boy. My wife and I would die for our family but in this case the price would be my family, I could not pay that price. When we free the boys I will kill him so we can live our lives in peace."
"I understand your answer and totally respect it," said the Prince, "I have so many questions but realise that this is not the time so what do you need from us?"
"Snipers!" answered Hermione, "but we may have a problem." She cast a disillusionment spell over her father and the military official nearly fainted with the thought of what his troops could do with that. "He will either have the boys disillusioned or under an invisibility cloak so we need a way for the snipers to see the boys so they wont get shot. We can't use magic or they would sense it."
"My wife and I will be able to see them, he's keyed the effect to my magic, so she will be in the sport stand with Dan on a radio and Winky beside her, ready to rescue the boys." Harry knew Hermione hated this part of the plan but there was nothing to be done, only the two of them will be able to see the boys and he would bet money Dumbledore didn't know that she could. "Dobby will be my second and watch my back."
The military man spoke for the first time, "Unfortunately the best man to lead this is in Utah and there's no way to get him back in time."
"Would you like to take a bet on that?" asked a now visible Dan Granger.
Fifteen minutes later Major Tom Davies appeared with Dobby and Winky, his "What the f…" died in his throat and he was bowing before even realising what he was doing.
"It's quite alright Major, I've thought the exact same phrase at least a dozen times in the last hour alone."
No one was quite sure what the protocol was when the Queen cracked a joke but Harry and Hermione laughed anyway.
"I know exactly how you feel your Majesty," said Dan Granger with great feeling "we were told on Hermione's eleventh birthday that she was a witch and that phrase has become an old friend, especially as my wife is now pregnant and the baby will be a wizard."
-oOoOo-
Harry and Hermione lay in bed trying not to let their thoughts wander to the couple in the other room whose sons lives hung in the balance. When the boys were rescued they were to be taken straight to Poppy for a full check-up and Diana had demanded to be there, she didn't want to wait one second longer than necessary to hug her boys.
Charles was military and wanted to see the place as Major Davies studied the terrain, calculating where to site his snipers. Infra red glasses were being used as back-up to tell the shooters where to aim, they were pretty certain it was going to be a head shot but they would find out tomorrow. The snipers were all hand picked and were getting their gear together before being transported by elf into the non-magical annex. They would be out before dawn, getting well hidden without using magic, while waiting on their target appearing.
Hermione asked her husband, "do you ever think we made the wrong decision that night in Gringotts, should we just have went to the island and let the wizarding world deal with itself?"
Harry held her tighter, "it's easy to look at the negatives at a time like this but consider what we have achieved, setting the elves free would be justification enough but Ginny would still be a Weasley, Sirius still a wanted man, shy Neville the butt of all the jokes in Gryffindor, Pansy to marry Draco, the list goes on. When we kissed that day in the corridor we not only changed our world, through Stag industries we are literally changing the world."
"I know your right love but part of me wants you all to my self, when I read that note today I panicked, I knew my noble husband couldn't let anything happen to those boys, whether or not they were princes. It's one of the things I love about my Harry and that evil bastard used it against you. I just wish I could be down there with you."
"You know that's not possible and, apart from you, there's no one I trust more to guard my back than Dobby."
There wasn't much sleep to be had in the Gryffindor apartments that night.
Harry walked towards the Quidditch pitch with Hermione on one arm and Ginny on the other, Dobby and Winky were in front clearing the way while the Grangers and Neville were right behind them. Ginny had been gifted a set of armour from Ragnok and the five of them made quite a sight as they walked with billowing cloaks towards the arena.
Harry kissed Ginny, Emma, Amanda and Winky before spending considerably more time kissing his wife though Dobby and Winky seemed to take longer. They left for the stand as Harry and Dobby walked out onto the pitch to await the Dumbledores.
Dan tried his radio and all four sets of snipers reported in as well as Major Davis who was below the stand with the infrared glasses. It was five minutes to one and there wasn't a free seat in any of the four stands.
The Dumbledores arrived at exactly one o'clock with Albus wearing robes that were gaudy even by his standards. The two boys were there disillusioned and Abe made them sit back-to-back in front of him, this news was immediately passed on to the snipers, a person's chest is a much better target than their head. Three of the snipers had shots but Hermione advised waiting until the duel began so Albus wouldn't be able to interfere with the rescue.
Albus strode over confidently, "a house elf for a second? Really Harry I expect you to at least give these good people a show before I kill you."
"Since this is the last time we will ever speak, if I ask you a question will you answer it truthfully?" Asked Harry.
Albus nodded magnanimously so Harry asked his question, "do you really want to get buried in those robes or will we change them to something with just a bit more taste?"
For a second there was the hint of fear in the old wizards eyes before he recovered, "so are you ready to die?"
'Bring it on old man" this was a no holds barred, duel to the death with no referee required, the winner would be obvious.
Albus fired four spells straight at Harry, which he casually flicked away before Abe was lifted off the ground and thrown backwards; Winky had the now visible boys safely away before the dead body hit the ground.
Albus turned and fired the killing curse straight at Hermione and watched as Harry collapsed to the ground when it hit. His plan had worked like a dream, he knew Harry would have to save the boys and Albus had been waiting on the exact second his brother died to AK the mudblood. He had heard about the soul bond and knew the consequences when one of them died. Albus was once again the most powerful wizard alive and, with his daughter heir to the Potter fortune, the richest to boot. He was a stickler for the golden rule, the person with the gold made the rules and that person was him. He may need to use a few spells and the odd potion on his traitorous bitch of a daughter but then, they'd worked on her mother and a will could be written that would negate the need for her to see seventeen. Poor Abe had to die but his sacrifice was for the greater good, the greater good of Albus Dumbledore.
Those thoughts had passed through his mind in a second which was just as well as there was now so much pain he couldn't think of anything else. His wrist joints had exploded, followed by his elbows, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles, the pain was excruciating, and that bloody elf had disappeared with Potter immediately after casting the curse that left him lying on the grass. Time had no meaning as he lay there, nothing else existed except the pain, then the one person he wanted to see, he was saved.
Winky had returned just after the curse struck Hermione and immediately transported her to the infirmary with other Potter elves taking the Grangers, Ginny refused and rushed down onto the pitch.
Ragnok was walking towards the fallen wizard while drawing his sword when the cry of "WAIT!" made him turn round to see Ginny Potter racing towards him.
"I demand my right of family."
A puzzled Ragnok replied, "There is no such right."
"Do I look as if I give a shit? The old bastard is mine, now stand aside."
Ragnok stood aside and offered the young witch his sword.
She shook he head and concentrated, the sword of Gryffindor was now held in her hand, "I appreciate the offer sir but I think my Father's sword should finish the job."
Ginny could see the recognition in his eyes, "hello old man, I've come for you." She could have sworn she saw him smile as the sword of Gryffindor removed his head and ended the Dumbledore line forever.
Ginny wasn't finished, she grabbed the head by the hair and held it up to the now silent stands. "This is the man you worshiped while my father was being berated in the press as a 'poor lost attention-seeking child.' My parents rid the world of Voldemort and all his death eaters while this piece of shit fires an unforgivable killing curse at a pregnant woman, yet he's the leader of the light! When are you going to grow up and accept responsibility for what's happening around you? My parents gave their lives to save our world and all you can do is complain that your breakfast is no longer ready for you in the morning. The wizarding world doesn't deserve my parents, none of us do." With that she threw the head away as hard as she could before saying 'blue lagoon' and vanishing.
Chapter 28
Minerva McGonagall was frozen in position as she watched her former mentor's head bounce across the grass from Miss Potter's quite impressive throw. Minerva had felt unable to move since that horrible curse hit the young pregnant witch only five seats along from her, cast by a man she had respected, trusted and blindly followed for more years than she cared to remember. It was ironic that with one eye she was seeing things more clearly than she ever did with two. She had seen Albus smile as Miss Potter approached him and this puzzled the headmistress, surely he didn't expect any help other than the swift ending of the pain he was so obviously enduring.
There were quite a few purebloods in the crowd who, like her, were shocked into immobility but for a different reason. The sight of an elf almost casually destroying the wizard whom they considered the most powerful in the world was going to stretch the castles laundry facilities; no elf would ever be abused again. Minerva felt the wards go down which stung her back into action, Harry and Hermione had appointed her headmistress of Hogwarts and she swore never to let them down.
Molly Weasley was still sitting in the slowly emptying stands with her face buried in her husband's chest, she was crying her eyes out. When Dumbledore had fired the killing curse at Hermione, Molly wanted to be sick and this feeling only intensified as Harry fell to the ground. She couldn't believe her eyes when the elf dispatched Dumbledore so easily but that was nothing compared to the sight that followed. Ginny came striding onto the pitch, cloak billowing and her hair flowing like a pennant declaring her allegiance. She then practically pushed the leader of the goblin nation out of her way before summoning the sword of Godric Gryffindor out of thin air.
When Molly saw that smile towards her daughter, the memory blocks in her mind were blown away and she almost cheered when Ginny cut the old bastards head off. She never heard a word her daughter said as everything fell into place, Ginny knew she wasn't a Weasley and, given her choice of fathers, it was perfectly understandable to choose the person that was willing to die to save her. Having seen their relationship now it was a certainty that if Ginny knew so did Harry and Hermione, therefore it was no surprise that Harry was so protective of her. That old arsehole had actually expected 'his daughter' to help him as he lay there, the delusional fool had no idea what he was dealing with. The whole of the magical world would have been after him for murdering the Potters had Dobby not done the job first, shit she wanted to go onto the pitch and spit down the bastard's neck.
Molly decided no one would ever know, even with Harry and Hermione dead her daughter would remain Ginny Potter; she just hoped that they could be part of her life once more.
A big black dog bounded towards the castle as fast as it's four legs would take it, Padfoot couldn't explain the urgency as he had seen the curse hit Hermione and understood there could only be one outcome, but until he'd seen the bodies Sirius wasn't going to believe it. He'd spent the better part of an hour last night trying to convince Harry that he should take his place using polyjuice potion but his godson was having none of it, turns out it would have been academic anyway. Killing Hermione would automatically end Harry's life.
As Padfoot entered the castle he noticed the torches starting to dim while the dog powered it's way along the corridors, before bursting into the infirmary as Ginny collapsed onto her parents. Padfoot became Sirius as he watched expectantly while Poppy ran scans over the three bodies, her shrug of the shoulders to his unasked question left him feeling elated. They weren't dead, not exactly alive but not dead!
This was what Sirius had wished for, a glimmer of hope was all that was required, he'd gotten through twelve years of Azkaban with just the hope that one day he would see his godson. His thoughts turned to James and Lily, to Remus, we all had such high hopes, Harry's life up until he kissed the wonderful woman lying beside him was hardly a bed of roses either. Fate had dealt them all really shitty hands and they were well overdue a break, the survival of the Potters would wipe the slate clean as far as Sirius was concerned, he would gladly give his life to save them if he could.
-oOoOo-
Ginny's portkey landed her in the Hogwarts infirmary where the strangest sight greeted her, Dan was breathing into her dad's mouth while the Prince was pushing on his chest as Dobby fed as much of his magic as he could into him. Emma, Amanda and Winky were carrying out the exact same procedure on mum, Ginny felt hope explode in her chest and rapidly spread throughout her body.
She screamed "STOP!" with such command in her voice that Merlin himself would have obeyed, a snap of her fingers later Harry and Hermione were dressed in their underwear, the beds became joined and her mum and dad had skin contact all down one side. With another snap of her fingers Ginny was now down to her underwear and climbed on the bed, carefully placing one knee between her mother's legs and one between her father's. She then put a hand on each of their abdomens and shouted, "GO!"
The four non-magical people immediately continued the CPR while Dobby and Winky placed their hands on Ginny's back as she thought how much she loved her new parents and magic began to flow. The whole procedure had taken less than thirty seconds but Ginny realised they would either come back together or not at all and when dad had been poisoned the more skin contact with mum the faster he recovered.
Ginny felt the elves leave as they passed out from magical exhaustion but someone else had taken their place, she would recognise his gentle touch anywhere, Neville was now pouring his magic through his bond mate, trying to save her parents, his best friends. She eventually had to use a little magic to push Neville away, he had long passed the point where it was safe to keep contributing and was putting his own life in danger. As soon as he lost contact with his love, Neville lost consciousness and Poppy levitated him into a bed as she had with the elves.
Ginny was on her own now, her senses were closing down and she couldn't hear or see anything that was happening around her but she didn't care, she would give her life for these two special people and just hoped that would be enough. Suddenly a new presence announced itself as power like she'd never felt before surged through the young redhead and straight into her adopted parents.
Hogwarts was not just a building, she was a thousand year old dream that was finally coming true thanks to these people lying here. The last few days had been the happiest in Hogwarts history and the joy of young people learning fuelled the sentient being that was Hogwarts. She wasn't about to let that go, there would be no returning to the bad old days if Hogwarts had anything to do with it.
All over the castle changes began taking place, the great hall ceiling became blank, the wards went, stairways stopped, portraits paused while lights and fires became no more than a glow. Hogwarts was taking every piece of magic she possessed and passing it to the two figures lying on the bed through their daughter. When Hogwarts had nothing left to give, Ginny collapsed atop her parents.
The CPR had been stopped as there was now an irregular heartbeat with feint breathing, Ginny's collapse had allowed Poppy to cast some detection spells as the amount of magic being transmitted had made any scan useless until now.
When she tried to move Ginny all three's vital signs reacted badly so she was left where she fell, lying on top of her mother and father. After about ten minutes Poppy noticed the strangest thing, Harry, Hermione and Ginny all had exactly the same heart rhythm and breathing rate, their three bodies were in perfect synchronisation. Ginny's fate was inexorably tied to her parents; they would either all recover or die together. What worried Poppy was her total inability to get any sort of scan on the triplets, it was almost as if her efforts were being shielded against.
Charles wasn't sure whether it was being exposed to magic or the current situation they found themselves in but he didn't even bat an eyelid when the big dog rushed into the hospital wing and transformed into a man, a man who, up until a couple of months ago was Britain's most wanted criminal. His main focus had now switched to helping the Grangers; once they had stopped the CPR Emma had fallen to pieces and was now lying on a bed being comforted by a tearful Dan and Amanda.
The woman stood to lose her Daughter, Son, Granddaughter and three unborn Grandchildren, it's no wonder she was distraught, being pregnant herself couldn't have helped either. They had chatted well into the night, as sleep had been the last thing on their minds, and had found themselves fascinated by tales of the magical world, especially the roles the Potters were playing in it. Charles was a great believer in alternative medicine but it would appear that Stag Industries had taken this concept to a whole different universe.
He looked over at his sons who were both fine and sleeping peacefully in their mother's arms, having been given a very mild sedative, when reality kicked in. Charles had to take a seat as he realised how lucky they had been and the price that might have to be paid by the people lying on the bed. He took out his mobile and, noticing that it was working and receiving a signal, phoned his mother with the news.
Minerva had just done the imposable, she apparated straight into the great hall of Hogwarts though it wasn't looking so great at the moment. The room was darker than she had ever seen it and the ceiling was blank, what the hell was going on?
She was heading towards the infirmary but not a portrait was moving and the torches were barely flickering, this day just kept getting worse. She walked into the ward and her vision locked on the trio occupying the large bed, Minerva was at their bedside without knowing how she got there, they were breathing and had a pulse, how was this possible? She looked towards her best friend for some answers and wasn't happy when she didn't get any.
"I'm sorry Min I have no idea what the hell is going on, Dan and Emma were working on them within seconds of the curse hitting, the prince and Amanda helped. While Dobby and Winky were pushing magic into them, the others were doing their breathing and keeping their circulation going. When Ginny arrived she was like a whirlwind, she got her mum and dad together then was throwing magic about like nothing that's ever been seen before. When Dobby, Winky and Neville had all given everything they had, Ginny kept going and is now in the exact same state her parents are."
"And just what state is that?" asked an agitated McGonagall.
"Minerva you know as well as I do only one person has ever survived this curse, and he's lying in that bed with his wife and daughter." Answered Poppy "This is unprecedented and all I can say for certain is that they are not dead yet!"
"Have you any idea what happened to the castle? I'm going to be forced to send the students home, every portrait is frozen in the closed position and the floo's are not working, nothing that needs magic is working." The thought of closing the school was not a decision to be taken lightly but she could see no other option.
A nervous Poppy tried to answer her friend, "Minerva I know this sounds strange but it looked to me as if Hogwarts emptied her magic into Ginny to use for her parents."
Minerva looked as if someone had transfigured the moon into cheese and offered her a piece – unbelievable.
She was interrupted from her thoughts by the prince, "excuse me Headmistress, what do you need to keep your school open?" he asked while taking out his mobile.
The Weasleys were almost the last to leave the stands but as everyone else slowly drifted silently back to the castle, Molly walked towards the pitch. Arthur stood with his head bowed more in respect for the man he thought Dumbledore was than what lay before them, Molly had just been standing staring at the headless body before exploding into motion and repeatedly kicking the corpse, concentrating on the groin area while screaming 'BASTARD' at the top of her voice.
-oOoOo-
The great hall was mobbed as all the people who had attended the duel congregated there, no one went home and the rumours were getting stranger and wilder by the minute. The hall fell silent as the headmistress entered to make an announcement.
"Can I have your attention please, today's duel was not all that it appeared. The Dumbledore brothers had kidnapped two royal princes whom they threatened to kill if Harry didn't lose the duel to Albus. The British military killed Abe and Winky rescued the princes, who are fine and currently sleeping in the infirmary. Albus knew Harry could never let anything happen to innocent children and used the distraction of the expected rescue to fire the killing curse at Hermione, as the Potters are soul bound this had the same effect on Harry."
Apart from people crying, not another sound was heard as they listened spellbound to Minerva's tale. She knew the silence wouldn't last long and she was right, "Harry, Hermione and Ginny Potter are all currently unconscious and in critical condition in the infirmary." The hall erupted!
Pandemonium, bedlam and any other word in the thesaurus listed under chaos doesn't even come close to describing the conditions in the great hall after Minerva's announcement that the Potters weren't dead. It took well over ten minutes before some sort of order could be restored and that was only because Amelia and some of her Aurors were there to help. It was Amelia who eventually asked the question everyone wanted answered, "Headmistress, how is this possible?"
Silence fell once more, "we are not absolutely sure but a number of factors need to be considered, Hermione was wearing her armour that was a gift from the goblin nation as well as an extremely powerful shield charm and while these didn't stop the curse we can speculate that they reduced it's potency. Also the curse not only affected Hermione but her three unborn children and Harry as well, further reducing its potency. Mr and Mrs Granger are both in the medical profession and carried out a non-magical procedure designed to make a body breath and keep the blood flowing until assistance is available. The assistance came in the form of Ginny Potter who not only poured her magic into her parents but was the conduit that allowed Dobby, Winky and Neville Longbottom to donate as well. The last three are currently unconscious suffering from magical exhaustion but are expected to recover in a few days."
Now came the part that Minerva knew they would have trouble with, she had trouble with it herself and the evidence was right in front of her. "Even this was insufficient so it would appear Hogwarts decided to lend a hand, the castle is devoid of magic because it apparently bonded with Miss Potter and fed every scrap it had through her and into Harry and Hermione. The three are currently in a coma and we would only be guessing when trying to predict what will happen next. There has been no research done into this curse and unless the Potters recover and tell a different story this is the best explanation we have at the moment"
Shock and awe were once again the principle emotions present in the great hall only this time the window stayed put, just as well as it was starting to get rather chilly. The Scottish highlands are stunningly beautiful by any standards but in January 'bloody freezing' are the words most likely to come to mind.
It was Filius who was the next voice heard, "headmistress what are we to do about the school? Nothing magical will work and even using your wand produces very little results, the castle just seems to soak the magic up like a sponge."
"We have been offered assistance and I have accepted"
Minerva was again being bombarded with questions when a strange noise coming from outside found the hall once more descending into silence. Every student raised in the non-magical world recognised the sound but couldn't figure out what it was doing here, there are some sounds that are unmistakeable and a helicopter in flight is definitely one of them.
When you have just saved the lives of two royal princes and ask for assistance, the chances are better than even that answer is going to be yes. The Chinook had a large generator hanging below the massive twin-engine hull, which it lowered into the courtyard close to the main entrance. Everyone was now outside watching this marvel of machinery and man as it manipulated it's cargo to exactly where it was needed, even those raised outside the magic world got a thrill seeing this magnificent machine up close and personal.
The second Chinook had already landed on the Quidittch pitch and was being unloaded in record time by a team of elves wearing glamour's, they would carry whatever they were given until they got behind the stand where they apparated directly into the great hall. As the first one lifted off, it's sister ship landed and was again offloaded quicker than was believed humanly possible.
The generator was quickly hooked up and soon the great hall had lighting, heating and a few banks of microwave ovens that were already seeing use. The whole operation was a master class in non-magical studies and impressed the hell out of everyone in the castle with their teamwork and efficiency; they had speedily solved a problem for which magic had no answer.
Major Davies and his team left on the first helicopter while the Prince and Princess of Wales took their children and left on the second, thanking everyone for their help and leaving their number, as they were desperate to find out the fate of the Potters. It didn't need saying but if they required anything Charles was more than willing to help.
The great hall was split into a small seating / eating area with the rest of the space occupied by fold down cots with sleeping bags that the military had provided, two of the new common rooms were close by and not protected by a portrait so were also used for sleeping.
When Minerva felt she had done as much as she possibly could, the infirmary beckoned. Things in here were as calm as the rest of the castle; people were just sitting and quietly chatting while awaiting news. Dan was sitting with one arm round his wife and the other around his mother, all three had obviously been crying. Remus and Sirius were rotating between sitting here and assisting in the castle while other close friends were quietly popping in and out.
Molly and Arthur had visited, they had sat silently for about half an hour before Molly rose and gently kissed the three people on the top of their heads before leaving with Arthur's hand clutched tightly in her own.
Augusta had sat with Neville for a while, Poppy had told her he was in no danger and of how Ginny had to force him away before he gave to much, her grandson was growing into the finest of young men and it was all to do with the trio lying unconscious on the other bed. The Longbottom patriarch had an idea and left to see Amelia Bones.
The elves kept the fireplace in the infirmary well stocked with fuel and candles provided gentle light onto the scene. Every elf was aware who had won them their freedom and who caused the death of Dylan and Freda; if Dobby hadn't of dealt with Dumbledore there would have been a very long queue of elves wanting the job. Whatever plan the crazy wizard had, his last day on this earth was certainly decided as soon as his curse hit the Lady Gryffindor. Both Dumbledore bodies had been placed by the elves close to the Acromantula nest in the forbidden forest. There was some thought amongst the elves to keeping the head as a symbol of what happens when you mess with the Potters, but since hundreds had seen the event live it was felt this was unnecciery so the giant spiders got that as well, bon appetite!
There were hundreds of people in the castle who wanted to pay their respects to the Potters, but didn't know them well enough to visit their hospital bed, Augusta had solved the problem. An area outside the infirmary was cordoned off and some seats provided, a table was in the corner with a large book set atop, this came to be known as 'the book of hope.'
Visitors would sit quietly contemplating the effects that the Potters had brought to their lives and then write a message in the book. There wasn't one person in the magical world whose life had not been touched by at least one of the Potters, and everyone was hoping there would be a lot more to come.
As the news spread, witches and wizards came from all over to Hogwarts, queued for hours and then sat in quiet contemplation before leaving a message in the book. Flowers, cards and even small children's drawings started to be left as tokens of appreciation, Oliver Wood left his prized possession, his Quidditch Captains badge and the rest of the team followed his lead by laying their team jerseys out in formation with only the seeker position waiting to be filled,
Greg Goyle left a green and white Slytherin scarf with the Potter crest on it while Colin Creevey left pictures of a younger Harry, Hermione and a beautiful Ginny dancing with Neville at the Yule ball.
By Tuesday Dobby, Winky and Neville had recovered, though not enough for Poppy to release them from her care, while Harry, Hermione and Ginny were oblivious to the changes taking place around them.
Minerva was at a total loss with what to do next, there was still nothing magical working in the castle and hundreds of new people were turning up every day. Every one was being polite and respectful and Minerva knew she couldn't close the school. When you wrote the facts down on paper, closing the school was the only practical and sensible option available. Thankfully life wasn't lived on paper, as she watched staff and students interacting, the community that is Hogwarts was reforming along different lines. Neither blood status, house loyalty nor position in society seemed to matter as all the boundaries were coming down.
Amanda Flint was helping dispense meals when she made a life-changing discovery, the purebloods actually loved these ready meals supplied by the military and couldn't get enough of 'chicken tikka masala' or 'sweet and sour pork' and 'turkey dinner' to name but a few, the variety seemed endless - Flint's Fast Food was born then and there.
-oOoOo-
Harry was in a place that was brilliant white, no walls or ceiling or items, just brilliant white everywhere he looked. He called to Hermione over their bond and was so relieved when she answered, telling her to stay put he immediately popped to her side. Hermione's environment consisted of pale blue, at least what he saw of it before his vision was impaired by his wonderful wife trying to suck his face off and crack ribs at the same time, was this heaven?
They had no idea how long they had been kissing when they felt Ginny's portkey activate and their daughter pounced on them. After more hugging and kissing Ginny told her tale of how she came to be here, she tried to finish on a joke but Harry wasn't happy. "So there I was, couldn't see anything but bright orange, so I tried my portkey password. Dad when you make something, you really make something – it works even here!"
"Why did you sacrifice yourself trying to save us? I thought we had talked about thinking before acting?" asked an angry Harry Potter.
"I did think, I thought what would the person who attacked a Basilisk done or the person who broke the laws of time to save Sirius, what would you have done?"
Harry hugged his daughter tightly, "probably exactly the same as you did, but what about Neville?"
It was a crying Ginny who answered, "I love him so much but I couldn't let him sacrifice his life for us, I know he'll hate me for it but at least he's alive to do it."
Hermione pulled her into another hug, "I always knew getting anger management from your father was a bad idea, you two are far too much alike. Did you really have to shout at all those people?"
"Yes mum I did, I'm sorry if I disappointed you dad but I was just trying to save you both, I knew the dangers and took the risk willingly. I did it to save Neville when we barely knew each other, why would you be surprised that I would give my life trying to save yours."
They all sat on the floor as Harry pulled his girls closer to him, "Ginny you could never disappoint me by being yourself which is exactly what you did. The fact that both the sword and castle recognised you as our daughter means that not only are you a Potter but a Gryffindor as well. You couldn't have acted any other way and we're so proud of you."
"At least we're all here together, wherever here is?" said Hermione as they lay down to rest. Light blue became dark blue, which changed to deep purple before becoming black.
-oOoOo-
It was Friday night and Emma was sitting beside the bed where three of her family lay in limbo and she had never felt so helpless. In the corner of the ward sat a burned out portable ultrasound machine that Ewan Abercrombie had brought to see if they could get any information on the triplets. They had tried the machine on Emma first to confirm it would work in the now magic-less atmosphere of the castle and it performed flawlessly. When they tried it on the unconscious figure of her daughter the machine gave a bang and then caught fire, there were no explanations to be had for this phenomenon but then again there were no real explanation as to why they were still alive in the first place.
Emma was certain Hermione's first words if she regained consciousness would be about her babies and she wouldn't like not having an answer, Emma was proved amazingly accurate as she looked into the now open eyes of her daughter and heard her voice for the first time since Sunday.
"Mum, how are my babies?" croaked Hermione.
As the news that the Potters were awake raced round the castle the outpouring of positive emotions generated enough energy to reboot Hogwarts, she was no where near full power but critical systems like heating, lighting, stairs and portraits were all beginning to come back on line. The school could function again while her magic levels slowly built back up. The positive energy that the new teaching regime had been producing would need to continue for months before the grand old lady that was Hogwarts would be back in the pink.
-oOoOo-
Daily Prophet Headline
Potters Live – Love Saves Day Again?
by Rose Parkinson
One of the most accepted theories of how baby HarryPotter lived that night is that his mother's sacrifice gave him a love-based protection that bounced the curse back at Tom Riddle and it is this reporter's belief that the power of love was triumphant again in the battle against this most evil curse.
As a responsible newspaper it is not our function to tell our readers what to believe, rather to report the facts and allow you to form your own opinion so below are the undisputed facts in this case to support my earlier statement of belief.
The love of a nation who presented Hermione Potter with the best armour our world can supply.
The love of a husband who gave his wife a necklace with the strongest shield charms ever seen in the magical world.
The love of the elves who transported the Potters and Grangers to the infirmary within a few seconds of the curse being cast.
The love of parents refusing to bow to the inevitable and literally breathed for their children while pushing on their chests to keep their blood circulating.
The love of a daughter who was willing to sacrifice her own life in the hope of saving her parents.
The love of friends who gave of their magic until collapsing from exhaustion.
Finally and even more strangely the love of an idea that is Hogwarts, where knowledge is treasured and magic taught to all capable of performing it.
The fact that the castle was all but dead after the curse was applied and only 'awoke' when the Potters did is again an undisputed fact.
The Potters are recovering in the Hogwarts infirmary but for some reason no information can be obtained by any means on the condition of the triplets Hermione is carrying. There is nothing to indicate that the babies are anything but fine and only time will tell how this will be resolved.