Coming Back Late
by Paracelsus

Rating: PG13
Ship: Harry & Hermione
Canon: Books 1 - 7
Genre: Drama, Romance
Status: In progress
Length: 218,251 words in 46 chapters
Published: 29 May 2008
Last updated: 15 Nov 2012

We remember the scene from DH: Harry was struck down by the Dark Lord, and his spirit seemed to go to King's Cross and
confer with Albus Dumbledore. Suppose, instead of returning directly to his body, Harry's spirit returned late? Come
watch as the last chapters of the last book unravel and reweave.

From the Unofficial Portkey Archive: https://portkey-archive.org/story/8073/

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1. I: How It Ended

(A/N: This annoying little plot bunny attacked me on my recent trip to Malaysia, and I found that the only way to get it
out of my head was to write it down. It's my favorite kind of AU, a "what-if" story: I tweak one element of the
Potterverse and then watch the new dominoes fall. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten my other stories.

My thanks to my beta for this story, MirielleGrey, who so needed Yet One More Hobby. And ten points to anyone who spots
the tie-in from The Incredibles.)

(Disclaimer: I should hope the fact that I'm discarding the Epilogue in favor of my own interpretation should convince
you that I'm not Jo Rowling. If it doesn't, maybe the emptiness of my bank account will.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

I: How It Ended

*

"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

Dumbledore's closing words continued to ring in Harry's ears – well, Harry's mind – as the vision of King's Cross faded
from view. Harry would be returning to his body now, that having been his choice: he would awaken in the clearing, in
the very midst of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. That meant he'd have to continue to play dead, he knew, until he had
the chance to kill Nagini… then, and only then, would he be able to confront Voldemort for the final time.

But he couldn't feel his body.

Harry tried wiggling a toe (surely that would go unnoticed by his enemies, since he was wearing shoes). Nothing
happened. He couldn't seem to remember how to wiggle. In fact, he didn't feel like he had a body at all. He felt like a
breath of air, or a cloud, light and floating, and not located in any one spot.

Gradually, he began to see his surroundings. He got the impression of looking down at the clearing: there was his body
lying limp, there were the Death Eaters, there was Voldemort being helped to his feet by Bellatrix Lestrange.
Interesting, that… it looked as though Voldemort had fallen when Harry had been killed. Dumbledore had been right again:
Voldemort's use of Harry's blood had linked them together even more firmly. Harry could see all of this, but not through
his eyes: he saw from on high, as a disembodied spirit.

Oh, I get it now. I'm having one of those Out-of-Body Experiences that Aunt Petunia's bridge club used to talk about.
Erm, maybe Trelawney said something about them, too – I wasn't paying attention. All right, fine, an Out-of-Body
Experience. Can I please get back to having an In-Body Experience now?

But Harry's point of view didn't change. He continued to watch from above as events unfolded. He couldn't hear any
words, but he watched as Voldemort cast a few Cruciatus Curses at his body. Then Hagrid was forced to pick up Harry's
body and carry it out of the clearing, with Voldemort and the Death Eaters close behind.

Hey! That's my body! Hagrid, stop! I'm not really dead, Hagrid, don't cry, but I need my body back!

The last of the Death Eaters had left now, and still Harry's consciousness was suspended over the clearing. He tried to
follow, so that he could reanimate his body in Hagrid's arms… but he had no experience with disembodiment. He didn't
know how to move, or what to do – he was totally disoriented. But he had to get back to his body!

One possibility came to mind. Desperately, he cast his sight around the clearing again, seeking a glint of metal… There!
There it is. Let's hope this works…

There it was indeed, the ring with the Resurrection Stone, lying where he'd dropped it. Harry had to assume that he was
still its master, that it would respond to him as though he were alive – and simultaneously, that it could affect him as
though he were dead. In his current twilight state, after all, both might be true.

He focused on his sight of the ring, tried to imagine what it had felt like on his finger… recalled the feeling when
he'd summoned Sirius, Remus and his parents…

And Harry opened his eyes. Which was a wonderful thing! He had eyes again!

But then, why was he seeing the clearing in black and white?

He looked down at himself. His form was more than a ghost, but less than a person… yet it was real enough to allow
himself to act like he had a body again. He could move his head, stretch his hands in front of him (he noted that the
Resurrection ring was now on his finger – it felt very, very heavy to his semicorporeal self). Most important, he could
walk… he could go after Voldemort. He immediately set out, realizing after a few steps that he was heading back to
Hogwarts.

It was slow going. The ring weighed him down, so that it was a struggle to keep it on his finger – yet he had to keep
it, to maintain even this semblance of a body. A couple of times, he was forcibly reminded that, while his body might
not be fully solid, the ring was. He got the hang of it, eventually, and managed to avoid any further obstacles – but it
was still taking longer than Harry liked.

He put the time to good use, planning what he would do when he rejoined his body. Assuming I can kill Nagini, right off…
well, then I have to face Voldemort. I'm master of the Stone, and the Cloak – two of the Deathly Hallows. Can I use
them, somehow, to counter the Elder Wand? Voldemort's its master, since he killed Snape, right there in the Shrieking
Shack… and Snape had killed Dumbledore…

Half a mo. Didn't Dumbledore just say that he'd planned his death along with Snape? That he did it that way on purpose,
to break the Wand's power forever? So Snape wasn't ever the Wand's master… which means Voldemort isn't, either.

But then… then when Dumbledore died, who did become the Elder Wand's master?

When he finally emerged from the Forbidden Forest, he was afraid he was too late. The massed Death Eaters and their
allies were in front of the castle, confronting the defenders of Hogwarts. Voldemort was monologuing, of course, and
Neville Longbottom knelt before Voldemort… the Sorting Hat on his head.

And as Harry watched, Neville reached up and, in one smooth motion, pulled the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Hat and
struck Nagini's head from her body.

There was a great tumult in both armies. The Death Eaters surged forward, forcing Hogwarts's defenders back into the
castle. Harry could sense that the fighting continued within the castle, but for the moment, he paid no attention to it.
He'd spotted his inert body, lying abandoned and forgotten on the ground.

Carefully he walked over to it, circled it once, regarded it from all sides. Then he laid his spectral body down on top
of his physical body, and was delighted when they began to merge. He closed his eyes as a wave of vertigo swept through
him.

After another moment, Harry cautiously opened his eyes. They were his physical eyes this time, he could see in color. He
could hear again. He could feel his arms and legs – boy, did they ache! That settled the matter: he was definitely back
in his body. Painfully, he struggled to his feet. The Ring, somehow, was still on his finger; the Cloak, still under his
clothes. He reached into his pocket and brought out the wand he'd been using: Draco Malfoy's wand.

Draco's the only other person it could be, Harry told himself. He disarmed Dumbledore the night he died, and disarming
must have been enough. Draco became the master of the Elder Wand, even though he never knew it. And I disarmed Draco,
so…

He raised the wand and, just as he had in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, he filled his thoughts with the
image of the item he wanted. It helped that, if he was right, the item in question would know that it was Harry's, and
would cooperate… might even lend its power to the spell. "Accio Elder Wand," he said, softly but firmly.

From far off he heard the ksssh of a breaking window, then a streak in the air coming right at him. Trained Seeker's
reflexes kicked in, and Harry dropped Draco's wand and raised his hand in time to catch the missile. It was the Elder
Wand, the Wand of Destiny. He'd done it.

Even as his fingers closed around the Wand, Harry felt a cold shiver run through his body. It was the complete opposite
of the tingly warmth he'd experienced when he'd purchased his first wand at Ollivander's, a geologic age ago. But he
knew it had the same significance: beyond doubt now, the Wand was his. All the Deathly Hallows were his. Harry had
become… well, not Death itself, nor Death's master – Dumbledore's talk at "King's Cross" had dispelled that notion – but
Death's vizier, as it were. He could not order Death… but he could give orders in Death's name.

I came back to my body too late, blast it, Harry thought. If I'd come back while we were still in the clearing, I could
have stopped Voldemort there. But now there's been fighting, and more deaths. And they're still fighting in the castle,
I can hear it now. Voldemort must have stolen someone else's wand when his own went flying.

This has to stop now. I don't dare take the time to stumble in there and confront Voldemort: people are dying! I have to
finish this now, and since I have all three Deathly Hallows, I can do it.

Harry closed his eyes again, and though his link with the Dark Lord had been severed with the destruction of the Horcrux
in his head, he knew his enemy well enough to picture him perfectly in his mind. Tom Marvolo Riddle, he said in his
head, and felt quite sure that Riddle could hear him. You called yourself the Wing of Death, as though it would make you
safe from Death. But Death comes for everyone, sooner or later. And now, it comes for you.

Die, Tom Marvolo Riddle.

It seemed to Harry that Voldemort was struggling: he could feel his foe's fury, and an attempt at avoidance (avoiding
Harry? something in the battle?), and then an enveloping darkness. He brought his awareness back to the physical world:
had he imagined it, or was there was a pause in the distant noise of battle? Then there came to his ears a tremendous
roar of voices, and even some cheering. Harry could tell from the sounds that the battle was over. Lord Voldemort was no
more.

It was over. At last, after all these years, it was finally over. Harry could stagger back into Hogwarts, greet his
friends and teachers, and…

His eyes opened to see the Elder Wand in his hand.

And then the whole farce starts all over again.

How many people have died because of this Wand, these Hallows? If I go in there and explain how I survived, how many new
enemies will I make? All the Dark-Lord-wannabes who want the Wand's power? Dumbledore let himself be killed – actually
planned to be killed – so that the Wand would lose all its power forever. Can I do less?

I… I have to finish what he started. I can't ever let myself be disarmed, or beaten in battle. Ever. And the only way to
do that… is to leave.

If I leave now, it'll be so easy. Everyone already thinks I'm dead. They'll be able to get on with their lives, with the
least amount of fuss. All they need is a body to bury. I can do that.

Harry looked around and spotted a fallen log, at the edge of the Forest. A quick wave of the Wand – he didn't even need
an incantation, it was so powerful – brought the log to his feet. He Transfigured the log to look like his dead body,
complete with clothes, even with glasses. He even put Draco's wand in its pocket.

After a moment's thought, Harry Transfigured a branch to look like his own holly-and-phoenix wand, the wand Hermione had
accidentally broken. He still wanted to keep the pieces – maybe the Elder Wand could repair them – but it would be
suspicious if they weren't found on the body. He slipped the faked wand pieces into another pocket.

One more thing I should do… I need to do. It's only right. A last wave of the Wand conjured a piece of parchment from
thin air. He paused, considering, then made the parchment dirtier, more wrinkled… rather more expected for a parchment
he'd supposedly been carrying in his pocket. Harry began to dictate, and words appeared on the parchment: explaining how
he'd discovered that he, Harry, had been a Horcrux, and that's why he had to die. Willing his possessions to Ron, and
Hermione, and his new godson Teddy. Saying goodbye.

He heard voices from the castle… someone was coming. Quickly he stuffed the parchment into the body's pocket, next to
the phoenix wand. Whipping out his Invisibility Cloak, he discovered that it had altered color: it was less silvery,
more pearly-grey, as though the addition of the other two Hallows had changed it. Harry wrapped the Cloak around his
body, and was surprised when it conformed itself snugly around his limbs – morphing from a cloak into a full-body suit.
The Cloak had changed: there was no danger of, say, a foot accidentally being seen now.

Resolutely, Harry turned away from the approaching voices and walked calmly back to the Forest. He didn't look back to
see who was coming for his body, didn't want to be tempted from his path. This was the best way, the only way, really,
to remove the threat of the Hallows' power forever. Just as he'd walked with open eyes to his death, now he would
willingly walk into exile. And yes, it would be painful at first, but at least there would be no battles in his future.
Harry felt he'd earned that much, at least.

I've had enough trouble for a lifetime.

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2. II: How It Started Again

(A/N: Many thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter! I realize that you were, in effect, taking up the story on
faith, and I am honored by it. I'll try to live up to it.

There are a couple of clues in this chapter that this story diverges from Canon from the moment Neville lops off
Nagini's head. It will be become inescapable, of course, as the story progresses.

Thanks again to my beta, MirielleGrey, who keeps me correct. Any mistakes still left are, of course, my own fault.)

(Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own these characters. But that doesn't mean I can't make them do what's right, instead of
what's easy.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

II: How It Started Again

*

"Lupin," said Ted Lupin, hearing the nervousness in his voice, and hating it, "reservation for two."

He kept his eyes fixed on the maître d' of the Idée Fixe, as the man impassively scanned his reservation list. Ted
wished now that he'd dared to alter his appearance to something more, well, mature. Not that there was anything immature
about being fifteen, but maybe a squarer jaw or a steelier eye would convince the maître d' that Ted knew what he was
doing.

On this, his first solo foray into Muggle London. At a very posh restaurant. With a very beautiful girl.

He snuck a sidelong glance at his date, and was reassured. So many other girls wanted Ted to morph into the boy of their
dreams… only Tori had insisted (i.e., demanded) that he never morph his features, even a little bit, but that he always
be himself. Ted was determined to be the best "himself" he could be, for her.

"Ah yes, M. Lupin," replied the maître d' with a hint of Parisian accent. "Your table is ready. This way, please?"

They followed the maître d' into the dining room, and Ted began to relax. That wasn't so bad after all. He ought to have
known his guardian angel would be watching after him. Ted hadn't been able to contact him, but he must have seen the
reservation list – and besides, he knew everything. He'd certainly know that Ted and Tori would be dining here tonight.
All would be well.

And the food would be outstanding.

Ted knew they were collecting glances (and a few stares) as they made their way to their table, but it was
understandable. Even with her Veela charms muted, as they must be in a Muggle setting, Victoire Weasley was stunningly
attractive… somehow, tonight, looking much older than her fourteen years. Ted was more than content to let his date be
the center of attention; instead, he fell back slightly and eavesdropped on snippets of conversation from other tables.
Maybe he'd hear something he could use during his own dinner talk with Tori.

One snippet caught his ear: "… you hear about those lost children? Thank goodness they were rescued in time, their
families had just about given up hope… no, the rangers said it was just good luck…" That was a snippet Ted didn't dare
mention to Tori, alas, but he couldn't help smiling anyway. Guardian angels everywhere, seemed like.

He made a show of holding Tori's chair for her, and was rewarded with her dimpled smile. "I hope you're not too
disappointed," he said as he took his own seat. "It's supposed to be really good French cuisine…"

"… for the English, you mean?" she smirked.

"All right, it probably doesn't compare with your grandmother's cooking, but give it a chance." Privately, Ted was
willing to match the fare at the Idée Fixe with the best France could offer, but try telling that to a Frenchwoman. Even
a half-Frenchwoman.

They placed their orders – Tori asked for lapin aux pommes, while he chose the filet de boeuf Wellington, which he
considered a thoroughly British dish despite its French name – and chatted about inconsequentials as their glasses were
filled with sparkling perry. Ted wished he could try to order wine, he'd been curious to see what it was like… but he
knew better than to try. Sometimes, being underage sucked.

Their salads arrived, crisp and fresh, and Tori switched topics in a lower voice. "So do you know who the new Gryffindor
prefects will be?" she asked.

Ted shook his head. "Not me, that's all I know. I don't seem to be the role model McGonagall's looking for." He lowered
his voice further. "I am hoping to make Quidditch captain this year, but we won't find out about that until tomorrow at
the Sorting Feast."

"Yes. Back to school tomorrow." She sighed, then smiled radiantly. "I am glad you asked me out tonight, Teddy. One last
night of freedom – and in, er, regular London! How did you find this place?"

"Oh," Ted waived his hand airily, "you know I like spending time on this side of the wall. It's right amazing what you
can find on the Internet… I still wish your father would let me show you what it can do."

"I don't think it's the Internet that bothers Dad so much, as it is the small, isolated, private little workshop where
you use it." Tori's eyes danced with mirth as she added, "Besides, I've heard of some of the things you can, er,
download. Music? And the pictures? Scandalous, I mean really."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean, m'dear," Ted replied with a smirk. "And hey, are you saying your father doubts
my intentions towards you?"

"Oh no, I think he has no doubt at all."

"Ho ho." Ted left it at that. If he felt he was too young for a seduction, he was sure Tori was. They'd made it clear
that, when they were old enough, and if they were still dating… then they'd see what happened. For now, though,
flirtation was fun. "Tell him I'm not nearly as afraid of him as I am of your Mum," he added, just to be provocative.

Tori gave a mock shiver. "Don't blame you a bit, cheri. Just be warned, Mum's seeing me to the Express tomorrow."

"I shall be the perfect gentleman, then," Ted replied in an upper-crust accent. "If only not to alarm Rosie. She's a
firstie this year, remember. Don't want to scare her off before she's Sorted."

"No fear, Teddy. She idolizes you, you know." Her smile turned warm and she laid her hand atop his. "Perfectly natural,
really," she added softly.

Ted couldn't help blushing… and she made no move to remove her hand from his, which caused his blush to deepen… He was
rescued from his embarrassment by the arrival of the soup course. He'd ordered French onion, of course, and was pleased
to see its cheese crust had been baked on. Tori, just to test the kitchen's mettle, had ordered bouillabaisse… she
regarded it skeptically, fully expecting it to be merely fish stew, and filled her spoon.

And that was when disaster reared its ugly head, sniffed the air hopefully, and prepared to pounce.

"Now you see, if this were real bouillabaisse, the fish would be served separate from the stock," Tori lectured, as the
first spoon of soup came to her mouth. She sipped, swallowed, and nodded. "Not bad," she allowed. Another spoonful, and
she declared, "Why, that's quite good." A third sip, and she set down her spoon and stared incredulously at Ted.

"What?" he asked nervously.

"Have you tasted this?!" Without waiting for him to answer, Tori raised her hand frantically. Their waiter arrived with
astonishing promptness. "Pardonnez-moi," she said, deliberately reverting to a strong French accent, "but I just wished
to say 'ow delicious zis is! I 'ave not tasted anything like zis since I was last in Marseilles!"

"Thank you, mademoiselle," beamed the waiter. Ted was shocked to see that Tori was actually using her Veela power on the
poor man – in public! In front of Muggles! Merlin's beard, what was she thinking?!

"Would you do a small favor for me?" She opened her handbag and rummaged for a moment, bringing out a folded slip of
paper. "Would you please deliver zis to your chef and tell him 'ow marvelous an artist he is?"

"But of course, mademoiselle," the waiter replied, taking the paper. "At once. I may say we at the Idée Fixe are quite
pleased with our sous-chef… versatile at many tasks, but a particularly deft hand with soups and sauces." With a slight
bow, he left them, heading for the swinging doors that led to the kitchen.

"Tori, what do you think you're doing?" hissed Ted.

"Taste the bouillabaisse," Tori answered obliquely. She was watching the waiter intently.

Helplessly, Ted slurped a spoonful of the soup. "Okay, so?"

Tori spared him a glance. "Sorry, I forgot. You don't drink a lot of wine at your house, do you?"

"Huh?" Ted tried to regain some control of the situation. "What was on that paper you gave him?"

"Nothing, it's blank. I just needed a reason for him to… there!" The waiter had opened the swinging door and was
offering the paper to someone in the kitchen. With a bound, Tori was on her feet and darting for the kitchen, ignoring
the astonished looks from the other patrons.

Oh God, NO! In a panic, Ted pursued his date, grabbing her by the arm just as she reached the kitchen door. The amiable
waiter was still standing there, blocking her view. He turned as Tori all but collided with his back. "Mademoiselle?"

"Forgive me, but I simply had to offer my personal compliments to your…" She paused and looked around the waiter's
torso. "Where is he?"

The waiter looked over his shoulder, puzzled. "I don't know… he was here but a moment ago. I can assure you, though, M.
Clayman was very pleased to receive your praise…"

"And he deserves it," Ted put in hastily, pulling Tori out of the kitchen. "Thanks so much… I know the rest of the
dinner will be just as good, so we should be getting back to it…" He returned to their table, his hand still wrapped
around Tori's upper arm. Literally wrapped around: he'd unintentionally morphed his hand, elongating his fingers to
guarantee she couldn't break loose. She had no choice but to follow him.

"What are you doing?" she demanded in a whisper. "Magic in front of Muggles?!"

"My thoughts exactly, Little Miss Veela," he whispered back. "Why did you…?"

She broke in to what he was about to say. "This Mr. Clayman – he must be a wizard, Teddy! He must have Apparated out
when he heard me coming!"

Ted kept his face neutral while he tried to salvage what he could from this fiasco. "All right… one, a wizard wouldn't
be working as a cook in a Muggle restaurant – I mean, think about it, he'd be working in a wizarding restaurant. Two,
even if he was a wizard, so what? It's not like he's done anything magical in front of Muggles – unlike you. You Veela'd
that guy, and then made a scene so everyone'd be sure to notice! We'll be lucky if the Obliviators aren't here any
moment. People have had their wands snapped for less."

She gulped, only now realizing the enormity of what she'd done.

He released his hold on her arm, surreptitiously returning his fingers to normal, and adopted a more conciliatory tone.
"I'm sorry, Tori. I guess I saw you doing magic, and I overreacted… but you have to admit, so did you." He took his
seat; by reflex, she promptly did the same.

"I did, I know I did! Oh, Teddy, I'm sorry…"

"'Sokay, I understand. You want to be a detective when you grow up." He gave her a slightly mocking smile, as though to
say he was joking but also serious. He knew perfectly well who Tori wanted to be like when she grew up. Ted grew somber
as he realized she was still upset.

"Tori, let's just… all right, if you're really worried, I can send an owl to the Ministry tomorrow from Hogwarts, and
ask them to check and see if everything's on the level here." Ted caught her eye and tried to reassure her. "And in the
meantime, let's see if we can enjoy ourselves for the rest of the evening, 'kay?"

"You're right. Okay, I'll try. Thank you…" Tori gave him the apologetic smile that (though he'd never admit it) always
softened his heart, and settled down to her dinner. After a minute or two, they began to make small talk about their
upcoming Hogwarts classes, and Ted congratulated himself on having averted a major incident.

He thus failed to notice that the cause of the incident, the small bowl of bouillabaisse, had disappeared from the
table.

*

Harry Potter, known to the staff at the Idée Fixe as Jacob Clayman, sous-chef de cuisine, let himself into his flat well
after eleven that night – which was still earlier than he normally did – and leaned back against the closed door. He
took a moment to try to calm his nerves. That had been far too close a call, that evening. What in Merlin's name had
Teddy been thinking…?!

And at that moment, as if in response, the phone rang. The restaurant again? He checked the Caller ID, and didn't
recognize the number; cautiously, he picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Um, hi, Harry." It was Teddy. He sounded worried. And well he should, thought Harry.

"Teddy?! Where are you? How in Merlin's name can you be calling me…?" In the ten years since Harry had first sent a
birthday gift (anonymously) to Teddy, never had Teddy ever contacted him. Harry had always been the one to initiate
their contacts. He couldn't imagine how Teddy had even got his phone number!

"Er, online phone directory," Teddy said, as though it were obvious. Well, to someone of his generation, thought Harry
ruefully, it probably was. "I mean, the waiter tonight said your name was Clayman, and I just reckoned your phone 'ud be
in the same name." There was a short pause, in which Teddy was plainly gathering courage. The next words came out in a
rush. "Harry, I'm sorry, about tonight I mean. I just wanted to show Tori a good time on our last night before school,
and you always talk about how good the Fixe's food is… I didn't think there'd be any problem, and anyway, I thought for
sure you'd've seen my name on the list…"

Harry sighed. "Slow down, Teddy, slow down. Relax a mo. Yes, I might've seen your name if I'd looked, but I've been
running around quite a bit today. I never got the chance." He sighed again, too exhausted to maintain anger. There was
obviously no point in berating the boy for not giving him any warning that he was coming – bringing any witch, much less
Victoire Weasley! – when he'd never been given Harry's number. Although a note sent back to the kitchen might've been
nice.

"Anyway…" Teddy's voice turned formal. "I won't do it again, godfather."

"A-hem. I thought I told you to call me Harry." Harry had always called his own godfather by his first name, and he
insisted that Teddy do the same for him.

"Um, right, sorry." Then, with a meekness both knew was assumed, "And I thought you were going to start calling me Ted."

They managed to share a laugh at that. "Well, anyway, Ted, we got lucky tonight. Nobody from the Ministry saw fit to
investigate. I'm guessing that none of the diners thought it was anything more than a beautiful young girl being
headstrong. No harm done," he finished, lying smoothly. In point of fact, he'd already had to do some damage control
with his employers, and he could look forward to a lot more work tonight.

"Yeah, but now she's thinking there might be an unregistered wizard… you know, a late-bloomer that never got registered
with the Ministry? And I had to tell her I'd owl the Ministry, just to calm her down…"

"Then do that. Only send the owl to the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department. They'll check, confirm that no Muggle
artifacts were misused, and that'll be that. Case closed." Harry took a deep breath, preparing for his next deception.
"Actually, this'll be a good time for them to investigate. You see, the reason I was running around so much today is
that I'm getting ready to go on holiday."

"Oh, Merlin, I didn't know! Um, it's not…"

"No, no, nothing to do with what happened this evening," Harry hastened to assure him, sounding very sincere. "I'd been
planning this for about a month, now."

"Oh! Well, that's great news, Harry, you deserve a break. Where do you think you'll go?"

"Switzerland," said Harry, choosing a country at random, and some inner imp prompted him to add, "Reichenbach Falls.
I've always wanted to see the place, it's supposed to be stunning. Anyway, though, I'll be incommunicado until I get
home, and you'll be back at Hogwarts by then… so I'll get in touch with you around Christmas. Try to stay out of
mischief until then, if you can."

"If you wanted me to stay out of mischief, why'd you give me the Map? No, but seriously, Harry, what if something
important comes up? What if… what if there is still a problem because of tonight?"

Ted had a point there. Harry was quite certain that the incident at the Idée Fixe hadn't yet run its course. "Um, all
right. Let me give you my mobile number – for emergencies only," he emphasized.

"You have a mobile…?" Ted began, then fell silent. He was once more confronting the fact that his godfather lived in a
very different world: a world where secrecy was, for some reason, absolutely essential. No one at all, for any reason,
ever, could know about Harry Potter – even Ted was told only what he had a need to know. Harry had repeatedly drilled
Ted on this point, since he'd first made his identity known, and Ted knew better than to question it.

Harry recited the number, then continued, "Memorize it. Do not write it down. Do not program it into your own mobile – I
assume you're calling on a mobile? From your workshop?"

"Yeah! I got it this summer so I could keep in touch with some friends – and this way, their parents don't see owls or
anything. As long as I'm far enough away from magic, it works fine. Won't work at Hogwarts, of course." Ted gave Harry
his own mobile number.

"All right, then," said Harry. "Go back to Hogwarts, and don't worry about anything except Quidditch, you hear? Tonight
was an accident, and accidents happen. Nothing to worry about." He laughed. "I'll send you a postcard. Unsigned, of
course. Have fun this year, Ted. Oh, don't forget that special package… and listen, you be careful with Tori Weasley.
Don't do anything compromising, if you know what mean."

"Oh, I won't, Harry," Ted promised. "Like I told her tonight, her Mum is downright scary. Oh, and Harry? Good work with
those lost kids." The relief was evident in his voice. His guardian angel was on the job again, and all would be well.

Harry smiled. "Thanks. Be well, Ted."

"'Bye."

Harry hung up the phone and immediately lost his smile.

He rolled up his left sleeve to reveal the Elder Wand, strapped to his forearm. He wore it there at all times, just as
he always wore the Resurrection Stone, just as the Stealth Cloak was always tucked around his waist under his clothes.
He unbuttoned his shirt now, unstrapping the Wand and taking out the Cloak. With a flourish, he swirled the Cloak around
his shoulders. The Cloak settled and fit itself snugly around his body.

When Harry had first learned that his father's Invisibility Cloak was a Deathly Hallow, he had a hard time believing it.
After all, for something that was supposed to hide its wearer from Death, it did a poor job: Dementors weren't fooled by
it, heck, even Mad-Eye Moody's magical eye could see through it. Once Harry had the other two Hallows in hand, however,
the Cloak changed dramatically. Its color became pearly-grey; it fitted itself to the shape of its wearer; and it
became, not merely an Invisibility Cloak, but a Stealth Cloak. When he wore it, Harry was invisible, inaudible,
scentless; he left no footprints in snow, made no swath in fog; neither mail owls, nor the goblins of Gringotts, nor the
magic detectors of the Ministry, could find him. For all intents and purposes, when he wore the Cloak, Harry didn't
exist.

Which was why he'd worn it continuously for the first year after Voldemort's death. Never removing it, not for sleeping,
not for eating, not even for bathing (Scourgify and Tergeo inside the Cloak worked well enough). He still slept in the
Cloak, for safety's sake.

And now, he would again wear it continuously, until he was sure that any Ministry investigators were stymied.

I ought to've known Teddy'd be the weak chink in my armor, Harry thought, striding to the center of the flat. If I
hadn't promised Remus… but I did. And Remus and Tonks died fighting at Hogwarts, to buy me time. Wizarding debts don't
take my convenience into account, now do they?

He cleared his mind as he readied the Wand for use. 'Course, I gave the restaurant staff a different story than the one
I told Teddy, he recalled. I explained my sudden disappearance from the kitchen tonight as just stepping outside to take
a phone call – from my brother-in-law, who was telling me about my sister's sudden illness. I told them I had to leave
for a week or two, family emergency and all that. Have to admit, they were pretty understanding about it.

A week or two should do it, one way or another. By then, I'll know how closely the Ministry's watching… and whether
Jacob Clayman has to disappear for good. Probably, yes. Luckily, Howard Seaker is up-to-date.

A wave of the Elder Wand, and Harry's possessions began to shrink. He shifted his focus slightly, and his clothing
marched out from the bedroom and began to fold itself neatly. He went everywhere in the flat, removing all trace of the
individual who lived here.

With a thought, he conjured a trunk and watched as all the items in the flat packed themselves into it neatly. The
contents of his larder went, sagaciously, into a separate box. Harry might have been able to do the same spells with his
holly wand, but the Elder Wand would leave no magical traces. And the spells were easy as pie with the Elder Wand, much
faster – and time was most definitely of the essence.

The first time I met Arthur Weasley, he'd just come home from a set of nighttime raids, looking for Misused Muggle
Artifacts. So I have to assume that someone from the Ministry is on the night shift – and could be at the restaurant
right now. If not now, then certainly by this time tomorrow. I have to be long gone by then.

After all, it's not Tori's mum I'm worried about. It's Tori's aunt.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. III: The Witch Who Won

(A/N: My thanks to all who've reviewed! I appreciate each and every comment… they help temper my skills. And double
thanks to my beta, MirielleGrey, who has to slog through this before it gets to you.

For those who are wondering, npower is not a typo. It's a British power utility.

Please be aware that the next chapter won't be posted quite as promptly as the first three have been. Once again, Real
Life beckons. Demands, actually. I'll post as quickly as I may.)

(Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, nope. Don't make money from doing this, nope nope nope.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

III: The Witch Who Won

*

"Ma foi, I swear," murmured Fleur Weasley, surveying Platform Nine and Three-Quarters critically, "it seems as if we
have more first-years this year than last – again."

"Well, maybe everyone waited until You-Know-Who was killed," suggested Victoire helpfully. "To, you know, have kids."

"And your point would be what, My Prime Example?" her mother responded dryly. Victoire knew quite well that she'd been
born on the first anniversary of Voldemort's defeat – her name was a dead giveaway, after all – and she was perfectly
capable of subtracting nine months from that date.

"Um, well… that you and Dad were first out of the block?" Victoire hurriedly scanned the platform, seeking – and finding
– a change of subject. "Teddy! Over here!"

Ted Lupin came trotting over to them, his wheeled trunk following a couple of paces behind. He had a respectful greeting
for Fleur and a broad smile for her daughter. "Morning, Madame Weasley. Salut, Tori! Where's your dad?" Hand over his
heart, he gave them a slight, whimsical bow. He'd kept the regular features and light brown hair that he'd worn to the
Idée Fixe the previous night, but his eyes were glinting with red and gold as befit a true Gryffindor.

"He had to stay home for Dobbywatch," replied Tori, who couldn't help grinning. "My, my, aren't we in the mood for a
Sorting. Subliminal suggestion, much?"

He grinned back. "Well, the more ickle firsties that aren't scared of Gryffindor before they even arrive at the school,
the more new Gryffindors we end up with. And anyway, I promised Professor Longbottom."

"Speaking of first-years," put in Fleur, "have you seen your cousin Rose yet, fille?" Victoire shook her head.

"I thought I saw red hair," Ted looked over his shoulder, "back there. Shall we reconnoiter?" With his head turned, he
missed the significant looks that Fleur and Victoire traded one another.

*

They'd chosen one of the more private corners of the platform, and Hermione Granger-Weasley had cast unobtrusive
Notice-Me-Not charms around them as well. There were still the occasional passersby who eyed her curiously, but at least
they wouldn't interrupt.

"No, don't be ridiculous," she was now telling her daughter Rose, "of course you won't be Sorted by wrestling a troll.
I'm surprised you ever listened to your Uncle George – that joke must have whiskers, he's been telling it so long now."

Rose grimaced and pushed a lock of hair away from her face. She greatly disliked her hair, which combined the fiery red
of the Weasley clan with her mother's unmanageable locks. One or the other, she felt would have been fair; getting both,
decidedly not. "How then…?" she began.

Hermione shook her head. "I won't say… but rest assured, you'll be Sorted correctly. Just be yourself, and it will all
work out well."

Ron nodded agreement. "Of course, if you're sorted into Slytherin, we'll disinherit you," he added with a smirk, "but no
pressure."

"Ronald!" she hissed as she glared icily at him. Rose's eyes had gone wide with anxiety, bordering on panic.

Hermione dropped to one knee so that she could look Rose in the eye. "There's nothing wrong with Slytherin – despite
what some people still think," she added with an acid glance at Ron. "All four Houses have their good points, and their
bad points, and all have produced outstanding wizards and witches."

"But if I am Sorted into Slytherin…"

"Then you'll still be our daughter, and we'll love you very much," Hermione finished, giving Rose a hug. "We're proud of
you, Rose, and no amount of Sorting will ever change that." She maintained the hug but said no more, pointedly waiting
for Ron to back her up.

"Erm, yeah," coughed Ron, "Ravenclaw, well, you'd do fine there, of course, smart as you are… and, erm, it's almost
impossible to go wrong with Hufflepuff…" He sighed. "Just don't worry about it, Rosie," he summed up. "Whichever House
gets you, they're getting a damn fine student, right?"

"Not quite how I'd have phrased it," Hermione said, straightening, "but essentially yes."

Rose nodded. "It would be nice to be in Gryffindor, though," she said, somewhat wistfully. Ron was about to say
something about all the Weasleys always landing in Gryffindor when she added, "Then I'd be in the same House as Teddy."

"Why, I do believe I heard my name," drawled a new voice. Ted stood at the edge of the Notice-Me-Not field: the charms
kept him from looking directly at them, but he'd morphed the corners of his eyes to expand his peripheral vision. One
side of his mouth crooked up. "Um, may I…?"

"Oh. Oh, yes, we're done here." Hermione canceled the charm field as Fleur and Victoire approached. "Hello, everyone,"
she added, the animation fading from her face.

"…h'lo Teddy…" Rose managed to choke out. If there'd been any doubt that she was a Weasley, her bright red face would
have dispelled it.

He dealt with her crush as he always did, by ignoring it. "Is your trunk here? Tori and I are about to find a
compartment, we can find one for you too… and maybe you'll see some of your dormmates-to-be."

Victoire smiled at Rose and extended her hand, as Ted took possession of Rose's trunk. "Come, cousine, this is where the
adventure begins." They made their farewells to Fleur, Hermione and Ron and started for the Hogwarts Express. The adults
watched them go… and both Fleur and Ron noticed the brightness of Hermione's eyes.

"Have to say, there goes our finest achievement," Ron said in a low voice. Hermione nodded, her eyes still on Rose.

"So how go things with you?" Fleur asked Hermione. "Any new word on the Minister?"

Hermione blinked, and switched from maternal mode to professional mode in a heartbeat. "Still failing. His mind is still
clear, at least, but he spends four days a week at home in bed. I don't dare ask the Healers, of course… but I doubt
he'll survive past Christmas, poor man…"

Standing to one side, forgotten, Ron cleared his throat. "Well, uh, if you two don't need me, I'll be heading back to
the shop. George is waiting for me."

"Oh, of course," Hermione responded, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you for coming today, Ron. It meant so
much to Rose for us both to see her off."

"Wouldn't have missed it," he responded in all sincerity. "Um, I'll be in touch." With a wave to his sister-in-law, Ron
headed for the Platform's Apparation Point. Hermione turned back to Fleur. "And, as I was saying, Kingsley's illness
puts all our plans in turmoil…"

Fleur flicked her gaze for an instant to Ron's retreating figure, and she suppressed a sigh. She couldn't help but worry
about Hermione's increasing bouts of melancholia. Rose was the only thing that could brink a sparkle to her eyes
anymore… Rose, and on occasion, her work for the Wizengamot.

Certainly not the man whom wizarding law insisted was her husband.

Well, perhaps Victoire's little adventure last night will pique her interest, thought Fleur. "I'd like your opinion on
something," she said, reaching into her purse. She brought out a sealed tumbler and offered it to Hermione. At
Hermione's questioning look, she continued, "Victoire brought it back from her date with Teddy. He took her to dinner in
Muggle London."

A flick of Fleur's wand opened the seal on the tumbler. "Victoire managed to Transfigure a bit of crockery into this,
and apply a Warming Charm. Quite clever of her, really, considering the circumstances. Taste and tell me what you
think."

Puzzled but willing, Hermione sipped from the tumbler. "Bouillabaisse," she said immediately. "I remember it from
holidays in France; my parents used to take me there as a girl. Hm… not bad. Not too much saffron here, which is good,
and they must have used a white wine stock…" She paused, her tongue between her lips, then took another quick sip. Her
eyebrows went up. "You said this is from Muggle London?"

"Ah, good, you can taste it, then?"

"Taste it? Isn't it obvious? This… this was made with elf wine!" Hermione looked aghast. "How in heaven's name did
elf-made wine end up in a Muggle restaurant's kitchen?"

"Oh, it gets better," said Fleur. "Perhaps I'm more accustomed to the taste of French dishes, but I can detect at least
two magical herbs they used as flavorings, in addition to the saffron and garlic. Subtle, but unmistakable. Victoire let
me taste it last night, and we reached the same conclusion: her dinner was cooked by a wizard."

Hermione handed the soup back to Fleur. "Interesting. I suppose it could be a Squib, someone who chose to make their
living amongst Muggles rather than wizards…" She regarded Fleur thoughtfully. "Except you'd hardly be bringing something
so minor to a Senior Counsel for the Wizengamot, would you?"

Fleur gave a Gallic shrug. "Victoire says Teddy promised to bring it to the Ministry's attention… but she feels he's
dismissing it too lightly. She is feeling very clever, rather the detective, and wants to see the matter through. She's
trying to live up to her role model, after all."

As Hermione hesitated, Fleur pressed onward. "At the very least, this is a potential violation of the Secrecy Statutes.
And surely there are some in Magical Law Enforcement who wouldn't mind doing a favor for The Witch Who…"

"Please don't," interrupted Hermione with a pained expression. "Fine, Fleur, I'll start some inquiries. Do we have an
address?"

*

The same morning sun that shone on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters shone most irritatingly in Harry's eyes. He snorted,
tried to roll over in his bed, and finally gave up sleep as a lost cause for the moment. With a grunt, he swung his feet
to the floor and sat up in bed. No one who might have been in the inn room would have seen or heard anything at all –
Harry slept, as he always did, with the Stealth Cloak wrapped around him.

Harry would have liked to use a Fidelius Charm on himself, as the best way to hide the fact of his existence. Initially,
he hadn't the skill for such a complex charm, though he certainly had the power. Eventually, he came face-to-face with a
hard truth: the Deathly Hallows defied all attempts at concealment. They might obscure themselves, but no outside force
might do so. (It made sense: even Dumbledore, who easily used the Fidelius to hide Phoenix HQ, and who had much more
incentive to hide the Elder Wand, couldn't do it. Come to that, it explained why Harry's father had left the Cloak in
Dumbledore's care: if James and Lily Potter were to be hidden under the Fidelius, the Cloak couldn't go with them.)

So Harry had to resort to subterfuges such as he had last night. Oh, he could probably have found an empty house and
settled in, a squatter, as Horace Slughorn had been the first time they'd met – but on the other hand, that was one of
the many things he loathed about Slughorn.

After vacating his flat, he'd Apparated to Manchester. At a modest inn on the edge of town, he slipped behind the front
desk and watched the night clerk as she worked… learning the system. Just before the night shift ended, Harry had waited
for the clerk to be distracted, then entered a two-week reservation for an empty room into the inn's computer,
programmed a room key, and slipped a stack of pound notes into the tiller. The day clerk would assume the night clerk
had done it.

Thus Harry had his room at the inn, honestly paid for. He hadn't even needed to Confund anyone this time, for which he
was grateful – he hated Confunding. The "Do Not Disturb" sign was now on the door, and he would remain undisturbed while
he planned his activities.

Now let's see, where was that newspaper…?

Absently, he brought the Reducio'd box of food out of his pocket and levitated it over to the room's tiny kitchenette,
while he pored over the local newspaper. The box enlarged itself, opened, and spewed food items into the air, which
automatically sorted themselves onto shelves or into the icebox, as appropriate. Except for diverting a bit of pastry to
his open hand, Harry gave the process no thought.

Orphanage, he thought to himself, finding the news article. Yes, an old building, needing a lot of repairs. A public
appeal for donations. Well, I'm afraid I can't give money: Jacob Clayman's savings may have to last for a long while.
But I can pay them a visit this afternoon, and make sure they need fewer repairs than they think. Their hot water boiler
will never break down again, and it'll consume a lot less gas. Wish I could make it use no gas at all, but that would
look suspicious – still, I can forge a letter from npower saying they've fixed their leaky gas lines, reducing their
bill.

Their electric bulbs won't need replacing any more, either. And maybe there'll be other "fixes" I can do, as well…
inconspicuous, little, but they add up. Harry had to smile. It's one more way the Hallows contribute back to the
community, and about time, too.

He finished his pastry, dutifully applied a Tergeo charm to his teeth, and Disapparated from the inn.

*

It was a few days later that Hermione arrived in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic. She nodded to the guard on duty,
and today succeeded in reaching the lift without once looking at the Harry Potter Memorial. She could never bear to look
at the larger-than-life statue of Harry, or the glass case filled with memorabilia – she'd convinced herself it was
because the Memorial was too gaudy.

Still, it could have been worse: it could have been in honor of Neville Longbottom – or her.

The lift opened and she entered, to find Blaise Zabini and two of his satellites already inside. "Morning, Zabini," she
greeted him.

"Morning, Granger," he replied cordially, using her "professional" name (most of her Ministry co-workers felt
"Granger-Weasley" too unwieldy for regular use, and she refused to answer to simply "Weasley"). "Busy day today for you…
doesn't the Swivingham trial begin today?"

She shook her head. "Defense got an extra week for depositions," she said emotionlessly.

"Ah," he said as the lift stopped and he stepped off. "Well, not to worry – I'm sure you'll dispense the justice they so
richly deserve." As always, it was hard to tell whether Zabini was being supportive or sarcastic. In that regard, he
hadn't changed much since his Hogwarts days: never openly opposing Draco Malfoy's faction within Slytherin, but never
openly supporting it, either; neither a bearer of the Dark Mark nor a defender of Hogwarts from Death Eaters.

He'd cheerfully slit my throat, reflected Hermione, but only if he could make it look accidental.

She arrived at her offices, greeted her clerk in passing, and entered her chamber. On her desk, a number of memos
already vied for her attention. (Literally: they bobbed up and down on her desk like hungry chicks in a nest. Someday,
Hermione would do the research and discover who'd invented that spell, so that his body could be disinterred and thrown
to the dogs.) She'd read them in a minute… she was still thinking about her encounter in the lift.

Blaise Zabini. He'd been an attractive boy at school, and he'd grown into a very handsome wizard. He was doing good work
in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, from all she'd heard. And, in any discussion of who might
succeed Kingsley Shacklebolt – discussions that were growing more frequent as Kingsley's illness grew worse – Zabini's
name kept coming up.

Hermione couldn't really say she disliked the man. She could say, unequivocally, that she didn't trust him, but she
would be hard pressed to explain why. The fact that Harry –

(She paused to steady herself, and take a deep breath.)

The fact that Harry had witnessed Zabini getting cozy with Malfoy, their sixth year, and agreeing completely with
Malfoy's agenda – even though he wouldn't ally himself with Malfoy – wasn't something she could share with others. But
it told her that Zabini certainly didn't embrace all the reforms that Kingsley had been instituting, these last fifteen
years. Instituting with her active help, she was proud to say.

But his personal charm, his work record, and – she hated to admit it – his Pure-blood status, made him a likely
candidate to be Kingsley's successor. If Kingsley had a nominee of his own, he hadn't yet said anything. At the rate his
health was failing, if he didn't say something soon…

With a shake of her head, Hermione settled into her chair behind her desk and began to open her waiting memos. Two memos
on upcoming cases to be tried (she set those in a tray for more detailed reading later); a letter from Rose, delivered
by owl that morning (gushing with details of her Sorting into Gryffindor – of course – and thanking Hermione for her
present); a warning from the Department of Mysteries to ignore any sudden loud noises between 11 and 3 tomorrow (she had
to wonder what they were testing down there)…

Ah, and a letter from the Improper Use of Magic Office, responding to her query. She nodded and raised her voice so the
clerk in the outer office could hear. "Sheryl, could you send a note to Dennis and ask him to talk to me today?"

Two volumes on legal precedent regarding prostitution in Britain had been opened and perused before Dennis Creevey stuck
his head into her office. "Hi, Hermione. You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, Dennis, come in." Hermione stretched an arm behind her and took a manila folder from the shelf. "Thank you for
looking into that report of rogue magic for me."

"The fancy restaurant? No problem, it was fun. I let them think I was writing a food column for the local paper." Dennis
took the chair next to Hermione's desk and carelessly swung one leg over the other. "Open-and-shut case, really. No
magic done in the presence of Muggles, no Muggle artifacts cursed… it really looks like some wizarding foodstuffs
accidentally ended up in their kitchen. Misdelivery, I'm guessing."

"Did you interview the chef, this…" Hermione opened the folder and read from the sheet inside. "This Clayman? Is he a
Muggle, wizard, Squib, or what?"

"He wasn't there. Seems his sister had a medical emergency… he had to take an unpaid leave." Dennis shrugged. "I'll talk
to him when he comes back."

"And the timing didn't seem suspicious to you? This person who might have violated our laws up and disappears, on the
very night the violation may have occurred?" Hermione's eyes were beginning to flash dangerously. "Did you, perchance,
make the effort to visit him at his home?"

"Well, uh, yeah, I tried." Dennis uncrossed his legs and sat straighter in his chair. He tugged nervously at his collar.
"I got his address from the restaurant's employee records. But it's as I said in my report, the address must've been
mistyped or something. The flat at that address was empty. No sign that anyone lived there."

"It was dusty, then? Unfurnished? Electricity turned off?" Hermione paused to let Dennis to realize where her thoughts
were headed. "No? Creevey, it takes years for a cook to advance to sous-chef status. I sincerely doubt the restaurant
owners had a wrong address for all those years. I think you had the right address, and I think our man did a bunk that
night and cleaned up after himself very thoroughly." She lifted the memo she'd received from the Improper Use of Magic
Office so he could see it. "But strangely, there was no record of magic use at that address on the night in question."

"Oh. Well, then, Clayman couldn't be a wizard, could he…" Dennis's relief died away under Hermione's steady gaze.
"Except… if he moved all his stuff out of the flat that same night…"

"Exactly. If he did it the Muggle way, he must've had a lot of help, and surely one of his neighbors would have noticed.
Perhaps you might ask them if they heard anything." Hermione tapped an imperious fingertip on the papers in front of
her. "But if he used magic, he had to know how to keep his magical signature from being detected by the Ministry. Which
makes him, not just a wizard, but a powerful wizard. Not the sort who'd be playing chef at a Muggle restaurant, don't
you agree?"

She stood, and Dennis hastened to do the same. "I want to know what he was really doing there. Why he left so
precipitously. Who he is. So please go back and do some serious checking, this time." Throughout the discussion, she
hadn't once raised her voice; she had no need. Scalpels didn't have to be loud.

Nonetheless, he had to point out the difficulty. "There's still the part about no obvious crime having been committed.
No Muggle saw magic, no one was cursed…" He cleared his throat before continuing. "I can't ask for one of the Ministry's
Legilimenses without more evidence of wrongdoing than we have."

Hermione gave him a half-smile. "Dennis, I'm sure an investigator who wants promotion as much as you do will find a way
to demonstrate his talents without needing a Legilimens." She handed him the folder and added, "Start with Clayman's
neighbors, then his co-workers. See if they've noticed anything… unusual." She nodded in dismissal and sat down again,
her attention already returning to the open reference books on her desk.

Dennis took the opportunity to leave quickly, counting himself lucky to have escaped with his skin (mostly) unflayed. He
would go back to the Idée Fixe at once, and do a thorough check… both magical (spell residues) and Muggle (phone
records). The latter would set him apart from his co-workers, give him visibility.

Yeah, this time he'd do the thing right, as he ought to have done the first time… do it, in other words, the way she
would do it. The woman who had killed the Dark Lord Voldemort: Hermione Granger, The Witch Who Won.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. IV: Pieces on the Board

(A/N: Those of you who are anxiously awaiting word on Hermione will have to suffer a bit in this chapter… but rest
assured, next chapter will more than make up for it.

MirielleGrey is my beta for this story, though if I'm lucky, I may draw her 10-year-old daughter into the vortex as
well. (Insert evil cackle here.) My thanks to her, though honorable mention must go to Robert Howard and Leslie
Charteris.)

(Disclaimer: Well, if Harry and Company did belong to me, you can bet some things would make more sense!)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

IV: Pieces on the Board

*

There was a Healer watching him, but at least she was unobtrusive, sitting in the corner of the Minister's office, and
not hovering beside him like a mother hen. Cushions kept him propped up in his chair, and a blanket was wrapped around
his legs, but his robes were well-tailored and didn't let his body's gauntness show. Kingsley Shacklebolt might have to
yield to the realities of his physical condition, but at least he could salvage a bit of his dignity.

"Thank you, Diggory," he said, as the Head of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures concluded his report. "We'll
want to keep moving forward with the Werewolf Registry reforms, of course, but it sounds as though things are well in
hand." He coughed, and sipped from a goblet filled with green potion. "Let's move on. Department of Mysteries?"

Croaker, Head of the Department, gave the same three-word report he always gave at the Minister's weekly briefings.
"Nothing to report."

Shacklebolt nodded; no news (from the Department of Mysteries) was usually good news. "Right. Department of
International Cooperation?"

Kerricks, Head of the Department, gestured silently to his young protégé. Zabini cleared his throat and began, "The
Benelux Ministries have finally agreed, in principle at least, to our proposal for free trade…" He continued for a few
minutes, speaking in a low, pleasant voice that never lost his listeners' attention. Everyone around the table was
nodding in appreciation as he concluded his report.

"Thank you, Zabini." It was obvious to Shacklebolt why Kerricks had Zabini give his reports: the young man was a
charmer. International Magical Cooperation could do no wrong, if Blaise Zabini said it was well. "Let's wrap this up so
we can get on with the day. Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"

Robards, Head of the Department, passed a sheaf of parchment around the table. "Take one and pass it on," he said. Given
that Magical Law Enforcement was easily the largest Department in the Ministry, a written summary was far less tedious
than a verbal report would be. "You'll see the usual number of actions taken by our Aurors, Enforcers, and other agents.
The statistical report shows no increase in Dark activity this year. At the moment, the Swivingham prostitution ring is
attracting the most attention, and that case'll be brought before the Wizengamot within the week."

"'Attention'? A bloomin' media circus," snorted Diggory. "I'm still surprised it wasn't thrown out of court."

"Granger's built a solid case," Robards countered. "I don't think they're going to slip away on a technicality."

"Technicality?" The disgust in Diggory's voice was unmistakable.

Further discussion was curtailed when the Minister began to cough again. The coughing fit was longer this time, more
violent, and the Healer was halfway to Shacklebolt's seat before she was waved back. "I'll be all right," he managed to
wheeze, taking another pull from his goblet. "Thank you for your concern, ladies and gentlemen. Robards, I'm pleased to
hear about Granger's progress. I want all Departments to be ready to offer any assistance she may request. If there's no
further business, this briefing is done." He caught Croaker's eye as the Department Heads stood and shuffled towards the
door.

Croaker came to Shacklebolt's side and gave the Healer a mild glance. She nodded and retreated back to her corner,
giving them privacy. He nodded in return and looked down impassively at Shacklebolt. It was typical of an Unspeakable:
he wasn't about to volunteer information, even to the Minister of Magic.

"Did it work?" Shacklebolt asked.

Croaker didn't pretend to misunderstand. "No."

"So what happens now?"

A slight shrug. "We keep trying."

Shacklebolt scratched his ear thoughtfully. "Has it occurred to you that your best course of action may be to simply
walk away from this? We've done without it for a long time, really: we don't execute criminals anymore. Not that
Azkaban's a holiday resort."

"We've been denied access," said Croaker stonily. "We want to know why."

"And that's part of it, isn't it? How dare you be denied access, eh? Shoe's not very comfortable when it's on the other
foot, is it?"

Stung, Croaker for once responded with more information. "We still have the runes that appeared; we will crack the
code…" He fell abruptly silent as he realized how much he was saying.

"Well, keep me informed," Shacklebolt concluded. "Though I still say you should let sleeping dogs lie. It's not as
though we ever knew what the thing really was."

A wintery smile tugged at Croaker's lips. "If we knew what it really was, it wouldn't be in the Department of
Mysteries."

*

Outside the Minister's office, Amos Diggory was managing to hold on to his temper, but it was proving a struggle. An
outrage, that's what it was! What was the wizarding world coming to?!

Someone fell into step beside him. He looked up to see Blaise Zabini walking with him. "You look troubled, Amos," he
ventured.

Diggory champed his jaws and didn't respond for a moment. "I agree that Swivingham is slimy," he said eventually. "I
think his whole organization is foul. He certainly ought to be put away."

Zabini nodded sympathetically. "A disgrace to the name of wizard."

"But for Granger to…" Diggory swallowed his words and fell silent. They continued down the corridor, Zabini patiently
waiting.

"And the worst part? That Swivingham could actually find customers! Willing to pay for a roll in the muck!" burst out of
Diggory. "Do they feel no shame?"

"That, of course, is what Granger will emphasize in her prosecution," noted Zabini. "Without paying customers,
Swivingham's offense wouldn't have been so… lurid." He gave a graceful sigh. "I don't blame her, of course; she can't
help the way she was raised. Have you ever seen the Muggle tabloids? They air their dirty linen in public on a daily
basis."

"I suppose I must get used to it," grumbled Diggory. "The Minister wants us to cooperate fully with her as she goes to
trial…"

They'd reached the door to Diggory's office. He nodded farewell to Zabini and stepped inside. Zabini caught the edge of
the door before Diggory could close it.

"There are… degrees of cooperation, Amos," he said softly. He gave Diggory a conspiratorial smile, released the door,
and continued down the corridor to the lift.

*

"Hello, hello! Good to see your smiling faces," said Neville Longbottom, sitting on the corner of his desk. "Welcome to
your fourth year of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Take your seats, that's it, let's get started." He looked cheerfully
around the classroom at all the familiar faces – this was his fifth year teaching Defense, and he'd been with each of
these pupils from their first days at Hogwarts.

"Now last year, as you'll recall, we covered Dark creatures of various types, and a few examples of Dark objects. This
year, we'll begin focusing on the Dark spells themselves: curses, hexes and jinxes, spells applied directly on one
wizard by another. We'll start this week with the mildest of curses – though they're really not that mild, are they? –
compulsions. Forcing someone to act against their will or wish." He smiled and folded his arms over his chest. "Who can
tell me the most powerful such compulsion curse?"

Half a dozen eager hands shot up, and Neville again marveled at the turn his life had taken. If someone had asked him,
when he'd been a fourth-year taking Defense, whether he'd ever be teaching the class – and a respected practitioner of
the subject, to boot – he'd have laughed in their face. But as the leader of the D.A. in his seventh year… as the man
who'd summoned Gryffindor's sword to destroy the last Horcrux… he was respected, even liked, by his students, and he
couldn't be happier.

He fleetingly wondered, as he nodded to a volunteer, if they'd respect him as much if he weren't teaching a "sexy"
course like Defense Against the Dark Arts. If he were teaching, oh, say, Herbology…

"The Imperius Curse?"

"Yes, one of the Unforgivables. It's the best known of the compulsion spells, and certainly the Darkest – but not the
only one. Muggle-Repelling Charms, Notice-Me-Not charms: they could be called milder forms of compulsion, wouldn't you
say?" One of the girls had kept her hand raised. "A question, Miss Vincent?"

"Professor, what about love spells, or potions? Are they Dark magic? And, well, there are magical creatures that can
force a person to like them… if that's done against their will, does that make them Dark creatures?" Miss Vincent was
pointedly not looking at Miss Weasley as she asked the question. For that matter, it seemed the entire class was looking
everywhere except at Miss Weasley as they waited for him to reply.

Miss Weasley, for her part, was looking fixedly straight ahead, with the shuttered look that meant she was trying not to
explode – either in tears or in anger. Neville sighed and looked Miss Vincent in the eye. "You're probably referring to
the Persian slinkfur. It's true, the slinkfur loves to be petted, and sends psychic 'pleasure' signals to anyone who
approaches. But such creatures are no more Dark than, say, the Cheering Charm you learned in your second year… and for
the same reason. Would anyone care to guess what that is?"

He paused just long enough, then answered himself. "Because such magic may influence how a person feels, but it can't
dictate how the person acts. They aren't really compulsions, strictly speaking. Even under the strongest love potion, a
person can control his actions – if he's got anything resembling a spine." This last part was delivered without a trace
of a smile, and he took some satisfaction as Miss Vincent shrank down slightly into her seat.

Neville decided the point was made, and continued with his lecture. "Not all compulsions are necessarily Dark, mind you.
Those entered with the willing consent of both parties, for instance – starting with the Unbreakable Vow. Powerful, yes,
and dangerous, certainly – but not Dark. Somewhat less severe are magically binding contracts, wizards' oaths, and the
like, where the parties' own magic is used to constrain their actions." He paused, and looked speculatively over his
class. "Um. Are you old enough?" he wondered out loud.

Several of the boys sat up straighter, as though to make themselves taller and therefore 'old enough'.

"Yeah, I'd say so." His smile returned. "May I assume that some of you have entertained… daydreams… about being married
someday?" He held up his hands in mock terror. "No, don't tell me! I don't want to know!"

It got some "eww's" and some laughter, as it often did. And Neville noted that it brought a blush to the cheeks of two
or three witches, as it also often did.

"Well," he went on, "that's an example of magical oaths. When a couple says their marriage vows, it's magically binding
on them – the Muggle concept of 'divorce' has no basis in the wizarding world. It really is 'until death us do part'…
your own magic will see to that." He gave a reassuring shrug. "Of course, that same magic usually serves to keep people
from marrying the wrong person – it's easy to see if one's magic is incompatible with someone else's. So relax." He
paused, and couldn't help adding in his mind: As I myself found out, in the nick of time. Aloud he added, "Besides, none
of you are that old enough yet."

The class laughed again, and Neville was pleased to see that Miss Weasley had joined in, her earlier angst forgotten.
Neville fancied the young Veela would have no more trouble, on that point at least. "But back to Dark compulsions. Who
here can tell me about the Ironbound Book of Skelos?"

*

"You know," said Ron, "no matter how rotten a week I've had, I can always count on your sunny disposition to cheer me
up."

Draco Malfoy stared balefully at Ron from the other side of Azkaban's visiting room. It was, perhaps, the only room in
Azkaban that made a pretense of interior decoration… only a pretense, though, a splash of abstract colors in a frame,
hung crookedly on one wall. It was certainly more for the benefit of the visitors than the inmates.

"Go to hell." Malfoy's voice was hoarse and scratchy. His complexion, which had always been pale, was now an unhealthy
white – except for the bags under his eyes, which were almost black.

"Sorry, I'm only a visitor here." Ron reached into his rucksack and pulled out two butterbeers. "But come on… have a
drink with me. You know, for old time's sake." He opened the bottles and set one on the small table next to his chair:
the table flexed its legs and walked across the room, stopping next to Malfoy's chair. Malfoy eyed the bottle but made
no move to take it.

"It's not poisoned," Ron said encouragingly.

"No. I couldn't be so lucky." Malfoy snatched up the bottle and drank deeply from it.

"Got some pasties in here, too," Ron offered. "As good as they used to serve at Hogwarts – remember those golden days?
Oh, now, don't be such a sourpuss. Pasties have got to be better than whatever gruel you usually get. 'Course, whatever
you used to feed your house-elves is probably better, too…"

Malfoy drained the bottle. "Weasel, the dementors are bad enough. I shouldn't have to put up with your torture, too."

"Why, Malfoy, what a coincidence. I said that about you for years." Ron smiled beatifically. "The difference is, now you
do have to… and I don't."

"Damn you!" Malfoy screamed, and raised the bottle as though he were going to hurl it at Ron's head. Instead, he checked
himself and delicately set the bottle back on the table. When he spoke again, he'd regained some control, but his voice
throbbed with rage. "Why the hell do you come here? To see me rotting away? As some kind of sick, petty revenge?"

Ron leaned back in his chair. "Oh, gee, let's see. If all you ever did to me was go on about my family and how poor we
were compared to yours… well, that'd be sick, petty revenge. But…" He started counting on his fingers. "Spiking that
mead I drank. Letting Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Trying to kill Dumbledore. Nearly killing us. Your wonderful
hospitality at Malfoy Manor. Attacking us in the Room of Lost Things." He grinned at Malfoy. "Naw, I'd say this is
healthy, well-deserved revenge."

"Don't you understand?! I had no choice–"

"And Harry even saved your life at that last one. Your thug fried the Room with Fiendfyre, and he still flew in and
saved your whiny arse. Heck, if Harry'd lived, he probably would have tried to keep you out of Azkaban… that's the sort
of bloke he was, always giving people another chance." Ron's grin had turned feral, and its message was clear: But I'm
not Harry.

They glared at one another across the visiting room. Malfoy was the first to break the eye contact. "Guard!"

Ron raised an eyebrow. "You prefer the comfort of your cell?"

"Over sitting here watching you gloat? Damn straight. I've got better things to do." Malfoy stood defiantly as the door
opened to admit one of Azkaban's human guards. "Weasel, my actions may have put me here. I've made my own hell. I admit
it." He smirked, almost the same smooth smirk he'd worn as a Prefect and member of the Inquisitorial Squad. "But so have
you, Weasel. The difference is, I'll admit it… and you won't."

Ron lowered his brows. "What the hell are you talking about…?"

Malfoy cut him off, and the malice fairly danced in his voice. "Heroic Ronald Weasley! Got the fame, got the girl, got
everything he'd always wanted – and doesn't even have to stand in the Boy Wonder's shadow any more." The smirk
broadened. "And then it all fell apart. Sucks, doesn't it? God, how you must hate your life."

He walked out of the room with his head high, as though the guard were escorting royalty instead of a prisoner. And as
Ron watched him leave, his face changed from puzzlement to despair, before settling on anger.

*

It was another sleepless night for Harry. They'd been common, almost routine, in his first year of exile, but it had
been months since he'd had a night this bad. They were nights spent recalling his past, the friends and loved ones the
Hallows had forced him to give up… recalled with a vague, unsettled feeling that never identified itself. Distantly, he
wondered if he should be worried by it.

After several hours of staring at the dark ceiling, Harry decided that he might as well get some use out of insomnia. He
rose from his bed, slipped out of his room and headed for the front desk.

He'd discovered that, after midnight – if no guests arrived to require attention – the inn's night clerk would retire to
a cot in the manager's office. Harry had taken advantage of this, and of the Stealth Cloak, to use the computer at the
front desk in the small hours of the morning.

A quick glance showed that the clerk was down for the night. He took a seat in front of the computer and, with a few
keystrokes, logged onto the clerk's Internet account. He wasn't nearly as expert with computers as Ted Lupin, but he
could browse the Net well enough for his purposes. Two purposes, mostly.

I can't go back to being a chef, he thought with some regret. Not even under another name: Jacob Clayman's style was far
too distinctive. It was my own fault: I needed the job, they asked for a demonstration, and I had to give myself an
"edge". A few well-chosen magical spices, and voilà. And of course, once I had the job, I had to keep on with the
spices… it was only a matter of time before some wizard noticed. And also of course, it had to be Tori Weasley. I don't
dare assume she hasn't told, um, anyone.

So no haute cuisine for me anymore. Mmm, gardening? Lawn maintenance? God knows I've years of practice…

At the moment, there were no online listings for job opportunities in gardening. Harry considered using his savings to
start a small lawn care business of his own… once it was safe to come out from under the Cloak. In the meantime, he
brought up websites that summarized local news and police logs, in pursuit of his other purpose: looking for those who
needed help – who he was able to help.

It's not as though I could end world hunger or stop a war, he reflected wryly. A couple of times, I've been lucky enough
to be on the scene of a disaster – but I can't avert calamities on a regular basis. I'm not Superman – he at least had
super-hearing. By the time I hear about a disaster, it's usually too late. But I can help scam victims, or accident
victims…

He stiffened as one police report caught his eye. Or victims of abuse…

The report took only moments to scan. Domestic disturbance… constables called twice in one week… husband appeared drunk
both times… wife refused to file charges, claiming all was well… Harry couldn't be completely sure, since the police
report wouldn't give the most important details… but a clandestine visit to the house would soon show him the truth of
the situation.

And then, perhaps, a little behavior modification, courtesy of the Elder Wand.

Not Superman, no, he decided with a grim smile, as he logged off the computer. But maybe Simon Templar.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. V: The Day The Universe Changed

(A/N: My thanks to MirielleGrey, my beta for this story, who read it over and found my errors. Any still left are my
fault, and mine alone.

A couple of lines here are from Edmund Burke and T.E. Brown, and ten points to the reader who spots them first. The
chapter's title is taken from an old PBS science documentary by James Burke, which I found too appropriate not to use.)

(Disclaimer: Jo Rowling created the Potterverse, and it is hers… but she quite obviously doesn't understand it at all.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

V: The Day The Universe Changed

*

"Dearly beloved," intoned the Officiant, the tufty-haired wizard who'd presided over Bill and Fleur's wedding, "we are
gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this Man and this
Woman in holy Matrimony…" He was staying with the C of E ceremony, at the request of the bride's parents, and Hermione
felt a thrill as she heard the words course over her. She squeezed her bridegroom's hand, and smiled broadly as Ron
squeezed her hand in return.

Now the Officiant had come to the most dreaded line in the marriage ceremony. "Therefore if any man can shew any just
cause, why these two may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace."

Hermione turned her head, ostensibly to face Ron, but in reality to survey the crowd out of the corner of her eye. She
could think of at least three people who might find it amusing to ominously clear their throat at this point, or shyly
raise a hand – George Weasley being foremost on the list – and she was determined to glare each into submission before
the thought even crossed their minds.

But no one even pretended to raise an objection – they were all too happy for the lucky couple. Hermione brought her
attention back to her fiancé Ron, and his best man Neville. Both were watching her, one with affection, the other with
amusement, as though both had guessed what was going through her mind.

And then someone did clear his throat. "Er… well…"

It was the Officiant! Horrified, she turned to face him, only to find it was no longer the tufty-haired wizard – it was
Harry. He looked from Ron to Hermione apologetically. "I'm sorry, guys, but I had to live with your rows for too many
years. And I mean, face it, the things that interest each of you bore the other to tears! Are you sure you aren't,
y'know, rushing into this?"

He stepped between them, forcing them to let go their clasped hands, and faced Ron. "Mate, her working habits drive you
crazy, and she'll always be pushing you more than you like. Plus, in a few years, she's going to be a force to be
reckoned with at the Ministry. Are you sure you want to spend the rest of your life being known only as 'Hermione
Granger's husband'?"

He turned to face Hermione. "Luv, he'll always prefer the easy road and the quick fix, and he'll try to get you to slow
down more than you like. In a few years, he'll be an easy-going bloke while you'll have worked yourself to a frazzle –
are you sure you want to spend the rest of your life frustrated that he's not trying to do the same?"

She wanted to argue, she wanted to refute his words – she wanted to list, categorically, all the wonderful, happy things
she and Ron shared in common…

But the thing she and Ron shared in common… was standing between them.

Hermione woke up with a gasp.

She spent a moment lying motionless in her bed… the bed in which, despite all the years of separation, she still slept
on the side away from the window. Hermione didn't usually have dreams like this one, or at least, she didn't remember
them on waking. Now she remembered the vision with painful clarity, clarity that left an ache in her breast, somewhere
deep where she couldn't dismiss it.

For the dream had been a lie, an awful lie sent solely to torment her. After all, Harry had not interrupted her wedding
to Ron and told them to call it off. Harry hadn't been there.

Harry was dead.

He had been dead fifteen years. Four months. And, since it was now just before dawn, nine days.

And by this time, she occasionally had days when she did not miss him terribly. Such days were rare, and she felt guilty
the day after.

Things would have been different, she was sure… so different… if Harry had lived.

Perhaps he would have been a moderating influence on Hermione and Ron: keeping their squabbles mild, intervening when
necessary. They might have dated longer, had a chance to grow more used to one another, married later. (Of course, at
the same time, Harry might have continued to date Ginny… but if her actual behavior after his death was any indication,
they would probably have split up quickly.)

Yes… Harry would have come with Hermione to finish their seventh year at Hogwarts. Harry would have supported her as she
strove to rise in the Ministry, where she could make a difference for all magical races. Harry would…

…wouldn't have left her, any more than she had never left him.

She seized one of the pillows and hugged it tightly to her chest as she curled over on her side. Maybe if she hugged it
hard enough, it would dull the ache that throbbed there and refused to die for five thousand, six hundred and eleven
days.

*

Today she couldn't quite keep her eyes off the resplendent Potter Memorial as she made her way through the atrium, but
she only spared it a brief glance. No one in the lift seemed inclined to engage her in small talk, for which she was
thankful. She arrived at her office to find Sylvia chatting with Dennis Creevey. Dennis looked up as she entered.
"'G'morning, Hermione. I have an update on our Mr. Clayman…"

"Ah. Give me a moment, then, and we'll review what you've got." She entered her chambers… and stopped abruptly. "Canby,
what are you doing here?"

Canby was an elf, a free elf, who had come to Hermione some years before and begged for employment. (He would never say,
but Hermione always suspected he'd belonged to a borderline Dark family who'd fallen on hard times following Voldemort's
fall.) Hermione would not hire Canby for her household, but she'd made sure the Wizengamot legal staff hired him for
clerical work. Since then, he'd proven his worth many times over… but never more so than during the investigation for
the Swivingham case.

He stood now in Hermione's chambers, wearing a sleeveless tabard of the style that all well-dressed house-elves wore
these days, and an expression of mortification.

"Forgive Canby, Miss Hermione," said the elf, "but we're having a problem with the… the witnesses."

"Problem?" asked Hermione in alarm.

He nodded regretfully and delivered the bad news. "They… they are refusing to testify."

"WHAT!?" The elf winced at Hermione's sharp tone, and she immediately softened it. "But… but they can't refuse, Canby!
Their testimony is the key to our entire case!"

"Hermione?" Dennis and Sheryl come to the door in response to her shout. She looked stricken, while he looked confused.
"Hermione, what's the problem?"

She whirled to face him. "Dennis, you must've heard we've been pursuing Jack Swivingham for months now. You know who I'm
talking about?"

"Well, yeah, they say he's been running the sleaze that's been cropping up in Knockturn Alley. They say he's got his
hand in all sorts of dodgy pies: drugs, muscle-for-hire…"

"And the sex trade." Hermione glanced at Canby, but thankfully the elf was showing no sign of punishing himself. "Only
he's not a procurer of witches. He procures female elves."

"Oh, Merlin! I hadn't heard that." Dennis looked properly shocked… if anything, slightly nauseous. "Sex with
house-elves? And he… he actually found customers?"

"You're such a naïf, Dennis," snorted Sheryl. "There's no activity so slimy that some men won't pay good Galleons for
it."

Dennis blushed, but he kept his eyes on Hermione. She could see the wheels turning in his head, and waited to see if he
reached the right conclusion.

"You're prosecuting Swivingham under the prostitution laws," he said slowly. "But historically, those laws didn't apply
when the sex-slave was… literally a slave. Chattel. Property. The laws only applied in cases of involuntary indenture
or…" He stopped, and an admiring smile spread over his face. "So if you could convict Swivingham of organized
prostitution, you'd set the legal precedent that the elves were…"

"Were free beings by right, whose freedom was unjustly stolen." Hermione nodded, impressed. "Very good, Dennis. A fair
few of our upper management still haven't sussed that out." She paused and scowled. "But evidently someone has. The
'depositions' last week… I doubt now they were any such thing. They were an excuse for intimidating witnesses."

"The girls… uh, elves in question?"

Hermione nodded curtly as she turned to Canby. "Canby, we need to schedule a counter-deposition for those witnesses, at
once. I believe we're allowed that, by the rules of the court."

"We can schedule, and we can summon," said Canby doubtfully. "But they will not talk, Miss Hermione. They would not even
tell Canby why they will not talk, although Canby can guess." He looked steadily into Hermione's face. "Loyalty to
masters. Desire to please masters. House-elves keep masters' secrets, even after leaving service."

"Not always," responded Hermione. "I can think of one exception… hmm." She paced a moment, lost in thought, before she
looked up again. "An idea. Sheryl, please send an owl to Shell Cottage, and ask Fleur if I can bring some guests to
Dobbywatch today."

*

She was sure she must present an unusual sight, even to Fleur Weasley, who had seen many unusual sights in her life.
Hermione walked up the flagstone path to the front door of Shell Cottage, with half a dozen elves around her huddling
close to one another… and, as they drew nearer the door, to her as well. They were all female, and young by elven
standards – but their ears, noses, and other features were less pronounced than for many of their kind, which by human
standards made them, well, not unattractive. They kept glancing nervously, furtively, around them, and hunched down as
though afraid of being noticed.

Fleur opened the door before Hermione could knock. "Bonjour, Hermione! I'm glad you could come… we've missed you." She
gave Hermione a Continental peck on each cheek before stepping back and smiling at her entourage. "And I see you
brought…?"

"These are Whimsy, Briony, Sylph, Brillig, Fatima, and Chalice," Hermione introduced them, lightly touching one or two
of them as she did so (quickly removing her hand before they had a chance to flinch).

"Well, any friends of The Witch Who Won are welcome here," Fleur told them, and with a graceful gesture invited them
into her home. Hermione followed behind, hoping her grimace had gone unnoticed… she hated, hated, hated the nickname
she'd received after defeating Voldemort. Just like Ha… like Harry had hated his nickname for doing the same, years
earlier.

But in this latest legal skirmish, she needed every advantage. And with the elves, she had two of them, which she again
hated, but which she would be foolish to ignore: She was The Witch Who Won, and she was the best friend of the Defender
of House-Elves. So Kreacher had named Harry while leading the elves in the Battle of Hogwarts, and among elves the name
had stuck.

"I hope you don't mind," Fleur said in a low voice as they made their way through the house.

"The title?" Hermione shrugged. "Ce qui sera, sera…"

"Not that," Fleur put in quickly. "But I didn't know you were coming today, and… well, Arthur's here with Telly."

Hermione pursed her lips but said nothing. It probably wouldn't matter, either way… and in any case there wasn't much
she could do about it at this point.

They arrived in the Cottage's back yard. The garden here was impeccably kept, courtesy of the daily visitors. On a stone
bench near one end of the garden, Arthur Weasley sat with his six-year-old grandson Telemachus. (The Weasley clan was
still trying to settle on a workable nickname for Percy's youngest: "Lem" and "Gus" seemed too plebian, but "Telly" was
too undignified for Percy's taste. Probably why Fleur uses it, Hermione reflected.)

Two house-elves sat cross-legged on the ground in front of them, looking with rapture at the central feature of the
Cottage's garden. Elves came from across Britain, across Europe, on a sort of pilgrimage to see it and tend it: probably
the best-maintained grave in England. The grave: dug, not by magic, but by the sweat of Harry Potter's brow and the
blisters of his hands. The headstone: personally carved by the noblest wizard in elven history, in memory of the elf
he'd befriended.

Here lies Dobby, a free elf.

Many house-elves might shy away from true freedom, but they all admired the devotion and heroism shown by Dobby. If it
resulted in a few more house-elves considering freedom a good thing, Bill and Fleur were perfectly willing to open their
home to pilgrims. The elves, in return, tried to be considerate of their hosts, and did not come at all hours, but at
pre-appointed times. Hence, Dobbywatch.

They also repaid the Weasleys' hospitality by tending the grounds. They did make the garden a lovesome thing, God wot.

Fleur now turned to her new guests. "Have you been to see Dobby before today?" she asked the closest… Brillig, it was.
The house-elf shook her head, slightly less scared now.

"Who are these?" piped a new voice. Hermione turned to see Telly asking Arthur. Arthur seemed slightly befuddled, as he
so often did these days.

It was Brillig who answered… she seemed to have appointed herself the spokeself for the group. "We is here to see the
great Dobby. We is here as friends of The Witch Who Won."

Telly looked puzzled. "What did she win?" he asked his grandfather.

Hermione attempted to intervene, but Arthur had already begun to reply. "Everything. And then she gave it to all of us."

Arthur put his arm around Telly and hugged him close. With a wave of his other hand, he invited the attention of the
assembled house-elves. "You see, many years ago, the Dark Lord ruled. He was an evil man, and those were evil times for
everyone. Wizards and elves. Some of us worked against him, but he was powerful. But it had been foretold, there was one
wizard who could defeat him…"

"Harry Potter!" said all the elves in unison, excitedly.

"Yes," Arthur nodded, "Harry Potter. But what none of us knew, until it was over, was that the only way Harry Potter
could defeat him… was to die. When Harry died, the Dark Lord could die. But it still took a brave, powerful witch to
kill him."

Arthur was no longer seeing Telly, or the elves, or the garden. His eyes were filled with scenes from fifteen years
earlier. "We were all fighting desperately," he said softly. "The last battle, and we had to win or lose everything, and
we all knew it. At first we thought we were winning… centaurs, elves, giants, humans, all fighting against the Dark
Lord's forces. And your grandmother… oh, she was magnificent, Telly. She killed the wicked witch. Bellatrix Lestrange.
But then…" He choked, and began to weep. "Oh, Molly…"

"What, Granddad?" whispered Telly, wide-eyed and solemn.

"Then the Dark Lord killed your grandmother, Telly. And he started to kill everyone in the room. He… he was more
powerful than all of us. Even after someone disarmed him, he could summon two more wands and continue the attack, and
it's very hard to do magic like that, you know. But Hermione Granger…"

"Aunt Hermione?"

"Yes, Aunt Hermione. When he tried to kill her, she blocked his curse. Then she started dueling him, hitting him with
spell after spell. We'd never seen anyone cast so many spells so fast, Telly! He tried to block them, and
counter-attack, but she was faster than him… and her last spell broke through and hit him... and he fell to the floor,
dead." Arthur smiled, but it was faint and tremulous. "And every evil thing in that room stopped fighting when they saw
him dead, and they surrendered to her. To no one but her. And that, child, is why your Aunt Hermione is called The Witch
Who Won."

All the elves' eyes flashed to Hermione at Arthur's words, and she felt she should say something. "I was one of those
trying to stop Bellatrix before she and your grandmother dueled," she said quietly.

She fell silent, reliving the scene. She had become a true berserker in that battle, determined to kill Voldemort for
Harry. The only reason she had taken on Bellatrix, in fact, was because Bellatrix stood between her and Voldemort.
Looking back, she could barely believe she'd been so aggressive, so vicious, so merciless – the tiniest hesitation on
Voldemort's part was all it took for her to launch her strongest Reducto straight into his heart.

Hermione knew she'd had to do it, but she took no pride in it, and she never wanted to have to do it again.

She turned her mind back to the reason she'd brought the young house-elves to Dobbywatch. "This is why we fight,
Brillig," she told the elf, aware that the others were listening to every word. "Right and justice do not win unless we
fight for them. All that evil needs to win is for the good people to do nothing." She could not directly ask them to
reconsider their decision to testify: witness tampering was now as proscribed in wizarding law as in Muggle law, thanks
to Shacklebolt's reforms (and hers). But she could make clear what she thought was the right thing to do… what Harry and
Dobby would think was right.

Feeling suddenly tired, Hermione excused herself and left the garden, returning to Shell Cottage and, with luck, a cup
of tea… or something stronger.

*

"Well?" asked Sheryl when Hermione arrived back at her chambers.

"They still haven't said they'll testify," Hermione replied wearily, "but at least now they're considering it again. We
probably won't know for sure until the moment they're on the stand. Merlin, they may not know before then." She paused
and picked up note from her desk. "Dennis?"

"Said he'd come back again when you weren't so busy."

With the Swivingham trial imminent and its myriad details clamoring for attention, Hermione really felt she'd spent as
much time as she could afford on a mystery wizard who cooked for Muggles. On the other hand, she was looking into the
situation as a favor to Fleur, for her would-be-sleuth teenager – and Fleur had just done her a favor, by permitting her
to bring six house-elves to Dobbywatch on very short notice.

"Any word on the monitors?" Hermione asked Sheryl.

Sheryl shook her head and gestured to the corner of the office, where some quills were poised over sheets of parchment;
one was writing words. "Swivingham hasn't said anything… well, perhaps when his solicitor was visiting him in his cell,
but we had to turn off the monitor for that. Right now he's…" She glanced at the parchment. "Singing bawdy songs to
himself. Something about a hedgehog."

"Hmf. He seems pretty chipper for someone awaiting trial," Hermione muttered in disgust. She would get the elves to
testify, she must! In the meantime, however, she should wrap up this minor matter so that she could concentrate on
matters of greater import.

"See if Dennis is free now," Hermione sighed. Sheryl nodded and returned to her desk, where she wrote a brief note,
folded it into a paper airplane, and with her wand launched it into the inter-office slipstream.

Dennis wasted no time in arriving at the Senior Counsel's office. "Thanks again for seeing me, Hermione. I know you're
busy, I'll keep this brief."

"No, no, I need some details if I'm to report accurately," said Hermione, but with a smile that said that she
nonetheless appreciated the offer. "I take it you returned to the restaurant?"

"Yeah, but nothing new to be gleaned there. Clayman's employee records don't give much more than his address, which we
already have, and some personal data, which we have no way of verifying. None of the staff had a photograph of Clayman,
either."

"You at least got a physical description?"

"I got six descriptions, from six people. Which one would you prefer?" Dennis grinned at Hermione's look of surprise. "I
interviewed them separately. Each of them was very specific about Clayman's appearance – and no two agreed in all
details." He reached into a pocket of his robes and pulled out a small device, a gymbaled hoop mounted on a round
handle. "No trace of Memory Charms or Obliviation, either. He must have used a very slick little Confundus charm, clean
as a whistle."

"Why is he so anxious to remain anonymous?" Hermione muttered. "Anything at his flat?"

"Yes indeed, two things – both of which point to the fact that he's a wizard. First, I went over the flat again in
greater detail, and any trace of this guy is gone. Right down to hair or spit or DNA fragments. Nothing that would
identify him. It would be impossible for a Muggle to do such a thorough job, so it had to be a wizard."

"So we've since concluded," commented Hermione. "And the second thing?"

Dennis's grin had turned smugly triumphant. "The fact that he doesn't really understand modern Muggle technology. His
phone has Caller ID, and it retained the number of the last person to call him." He placed a slip of paper on Hermione's
desk, with a phone number written on it. Hermione began to be seriously worried.

"Dennis," she said, her voice rising, "please tell me you didn't try to do a search by magic through Clayman's
telephone? You know what magic does to telephone or computer networks! It took us weeks to clean up that mess with
British Telecom three years ago…"

"Which is why I've spent three years cultivating contacts within BT and BT Mobile," smiled Dennis. "They think I work
for New Scotland Yard. I asked them about this number, off the record of course. They wouldn't give me a lot of
information, but they did verify that it's a mobile phone number… registered to one T. R. Lupin." He leaned back in his
chair and watched Hermione's gobsmacked face as she processed this bombshell.

It took her a gratifyingly long moment to do so.

"Are you saying… Teddy Lupin knows this Clayman?" Hermione said at last.

Dennis shrugged. "I'm saying Teddy Lupin called Clayman's flat on the night he and the Weasley girl had dinner at the
Idée Fixe. Whether it was to warn Clayman that he'd been outed, or to get his recipe for bouillabaisse, well, that I
can't really say… but I know the way to bet."

*

Circe, I don't remember when I've had this long a day, Hermione thought tiredly, as she arrived home. She dropped her
briefcase by the front door as it closed, hung her cloak on the peg in the hall, and went to the kitchen to scrounge
some dinner.

Bottlebrush, her silver tabby Kneazle, was waiting expectantly in the kitchen next to his food dish. "Yes, yes, you
silly thing," murmured Hermione as she filled his dish, "you're not going to starve." She opened the icebox, brought out
the makings of a salad, and began to assemble it as she reflected on her day. Her main priority, she knew, should be on
finding a way to get Swivingham's house-elf sex-slaves to testify.

And yet, her thoughts kept coming back to the mysterious Jacob Clayman. Did Teddy know Clayman from someplace else?
Teddy's said to be knowledgeable about Muggle computers – for a wizard, anyway – so perhaps they met online? But that
doesn't tally with the other facts…

She shook her head, ate her salad without really tasting it, and returned to the living room. She Summoned her
briefcase, opened it, and spread the papers on the low table in front of the sofa… glanced over them… and decided that
she couldn't bear to look at them tonight. Instead, she went to one of her many bookcases and looked over her library of
books. She passed over the volumes that had come from Grimmauld Place, which Harry had willed to her, and instead
selected a novel by one of her favorite Muggle authors, Dorothy Sayers.

But Murder Must Advertise didn't distract her, as it usually did.

Playing with Bottlebrush didn't distract her, either.

She started three letters to Rose before giving up the task as a lost cause.

In the end, she got ready for bed, whispered "Nox" to kill the lights, and crawled under the covers. Her bad dream had
disturbed last night's sleep – she needed a full night of sleep tonight. She closed her eyes and attempted to clear her
mind of all thoughts.

No such luck. Hermione's brain seemed to be on overdrive: thought and reasoning flooding through it, as they hadn't done
for, well, it seemed like years. For the moment, she surrendered to the trains of logic that were using her head as a
waystation.

Assume Teddy knows Clayman… the timing of the phone call and Clayman's disappearance strongly suggests it. Why didn't
Teddy say anything about him to Victoire? Is he trying to hide him… or protect him?

If Teddy swung that way, I might have suspected a love affair with an older man. But from what Fleur's said, he's not
only quite straight – and something of a flirt, as well – he's genuinely attached to Victoire. So he must be protecting
Clayman… for some other reason. What?

Is Clayman a criminal, perhaps? If so, he's astoundingly good – we have no evidence of a crime here at all! Even the use
of the magical herbs and wine in Muggle food: as long as our secrets aren't revealed, there's no law against that.

But this Clayman does seem to want to be anonymous. Perhaps he's protecting someone, someone who'd be ashamed that this
powerful wizard was working as a Muggle cook…

No way of knowing. All I know is that Teddy seems to be the one doing the protecting.

It's not a lover. It's not a family member. Teddy's too close-mouthed about this for it to be a casual acquaintance. Is
there a pattern to his behavior? Do I know of anyone else who's acted like this?

Hermione rolled over and tried to settle more comfortably into her pillow.

Well, there was Harry. This was exactly how Harry acted with Sirius. Fiercely protective of his…

Her eyes flew open. Of. His. Godfather.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. VI: The Game is Afoot

(A/N: This chapter breaks some of the Laws of Paracelsus, or at least my usual story-telling patterns. First, it picks
up immediately where the last chapter left off, which I don't tend to do much. Second, it's a shorter chapter than my
usual standards – but attaching it to the next chapter would have made the latter a longer chapter than my usual
standards. My thanks to my beta, MirielleGrey, for her review and suggestions.

Remember, boys and girls, a computer without a password is like a window into your life. I borrowed this chapter's title
from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Oh, and if you look up the quote on the plinth, I feel sure you'll recognize
it.)

(Disclaimer: Despite my repeated use of the Authoritatem Tranferro charm, the Potterverse still belongs to Jo Rowling.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

VI: The Game Is Afoot

*

Ridiculous, Hermione told herself sternly. Out of the question. Not possible. One of those crazy notions that come in
the middle of the night. She clenched a fist and pummeled it repeatedly into the mattress next to her.

Harry is dead. I gave the eulogy at his funeral! He can't be alive! And if he were alive, he wouldn't have needed to
hide! He'd have been hailed as a hero!

Which, declared a second voice in her mind, might well have been sufficient reason for him to leave. He'd always hated
his fame.

Hermione shook her head angrily, willing the second voice to be silent, and tried to return to her previous logical
process. Well, it does appear that Ted is protecting Clayman the same way Harry protected Sirius. But there are other
reasons, other possible relationships, besides godfather and godson. It doesn't mean Jacob Clayman –

"Jacob" and "James" are the same name in different languages, objected the second voice again. A potter is a man who
works in clay.

That's my point! If Harry were alive, and he were in hiding, he wouldn't choose such an obvious alias!

Given that he once chose "Vernon Dudley" as an alias? Sure he would.

But he would have let us know he was alive! If he contacted Teddy Lupin, he would certainly have contacted me!

Unless he had no choice.

Stop it! STOP IT!

Hermione swung her legs out of bed, startling Bottlebrush, and seized random bits of clothing from her dresser. "I'll
show you," she said aloud. "I'll prove it to you – I'll prove he's dead. Then you'll believe me…" She froze in
mid-motion, then continued to dress while muttering, "I'm talking to myself. I'm having an argument with myself. Oh,
Merlin, this can't be good…"

*

Her sudden Apparation in the atrium at the Ministry of Magic would have caused quite a stir, if anyone human had been
there to see it at that hour. Hermione had been in too much haste (or perhaps not awake enough) to coordinate her
outfit, and her morning hair had always been dreadful – as a result, she looked rather like a younger version of Mrs.
Figg.

As it was, she did startle three or four house-elves who were giving the Harry Potter Memorial a thorough polishing. No
wonder it always looks so gaudy, Hermione thought grumpily as the house-elves frantically disappeared, they probably
clean the damn thing every night.

For the first time in many years, she allowed herself to take a good, long look at the Memorial. The
larger-than-lifesize bronze statue of Harry gazed at some faraway horizon; by its pose, it seemed to be taking a first
step towards that distant destination. It stood atop a plinth of smooth black stone, with a few words carved thereon.

IN MEMORIAM: Harry James Potter. Born 31 July 1980. Died 2 May 1998. John XV:13.

No mention of the titles Harry had hated: The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One, blah blah blah. Just a simple elegant
epitaph… Hermione had seen to that.

She turned her attention to the glass case next to the statue, containing relics of Harry's life, all neatly labeled.
His Quidditch robe, with "Potter" emblazoned on its back; his copy of Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find
Them, with Harry's "marginal notes"; photographs taken from the album Hagrid had given him.

And his wand, snapped in two – by her, accidentally, but still by her – with the pieces set end to end.

If Harry were alive, he'd be wandless, Hermione thought to herself. He wouldn't be able to perform the level of magic
that this Jacob Clayman seems capable of. And that is Harry's wand, I'd recognize it anywhere.

For good measure, she raised her own wand and pointed it at the case. "Specialis Revelio," she commanded. Harry's wand
shimmered momentarily, then again lay motionless in the case, unchanged.

That settles it. If there were any other magic on those wand fragments, the Revelaspell would have shown it. Hermione
started to turn away from the case, then paused.

But if the Revelaspell had found nothing, she reluctantly forced herself to admit, I wouldn't have seen any change.

Her wand felt like lead as she raised it to the case again. The words had to be forced from her lips. "Finite
Incantatem."

Harry's wand started to Transfigure, a very little bit, then began to revert to its previous form.

"NIHILO INCANTATEM!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The wand immediately Transfigured, its outlines fluidly altering, turning rougher, darker. It became a dried-up broken
branch, ugly and wild. Hermione let her wand fall to her side as she stared at the old branch without blinking, without
breathing, trying desperately to make sense of what her eyes were telling her.

*

At approximately the same hour of the morning, Harry Apparated into his inn room, weary but not yet sleepy. He gave a
thought to the provender in his icebox, decided he wasn't really hungry, and plopped down onto the bed. He didn't bother
to open his Stealth Cloak, or even turn on the lights.

That actually went better than I expected, he thought. The husband could be a jerk, now and then, but the alcohol was
his real problem – he was actually a decent enough bloke when he was sober. And his wife really does love him.

I had to make sure he quit drinking, of course… and make it look like it was his own decision. I used the idea of Fred
and George's Nausea Nougats, but cast it as a spell inside his mouth. And a permanent Cheering Charm on him as well,
which gets triggered every time he's nice to his wife.

He smiled and put his hands behind his head. Satisfaction at having again done service to the community lasted a few
minutes, until restlessness began to niggle into his mind.

It's kind of odd that I'm still not sleepy. Mmm, I suppose I could whip up a Dreamless Sleep Potion…

But on the other hand, now would be a convenient time to check again for groundskeeper jobs. Harry dithered for a minute
between his vague desire for sleep – or rather, his vague discontent at not having slept – and his eventual need for
money. It was the realization that he could, at the same time, check the Web to find people who needed help that got him
off the bed and on his way to the inn's front desk.

It's better this way, he reminded himself. If I can help, I should… maybe I can't save the world again, but I can help
this little corner of it. Not that anyone will ever know, but it's still the right thing to do. People would be proud,
if they knew. Hermione would.

And hard on the heels of that thought, unbidden, came an image of Hermione at Hogwarts, beaming at him for having done
something right – he didn't even remember what, it was her smile he recalled. The memory caused him to stop dead in his
tracks.

Why was he thinking of Hermione now? He'd avoided any thought of Hermione for… well, it felt like eternity. At first,
because it had been painful to remember her; lately, because he felt guilty it hadn't been painful. She seldom came into
his thoughts these days… when she did, it was with an undefined regret that soon dissolved, along with her face, into
the grey background of his mind.

It doesn't matter, he told himself firmly, before the past could intrude itself again in still greater detail. To all of
them – Hermione, yes, and to Ron too – to Luna, Neville, Ginny – to all of them, I'm dead, and I have to stay dead.
They'll have gone on with their lives by now. They'll have careers, got married, had kids. The last thing they need is
me coming back to haunt them, like a bad rerun of Banquo's ghost.

He nodded, confirming his decision, and continued to the inn's front desk… blithely unaware of how metaphor was
gradually becoming reality.

*

Kreacher opened the door of 12 Grimmauld Place a crack, but wouldn't admit Hermione. "Madam Granger-Weasley," he said in
his gravelly voice. "My Mistress does not receive visitors at this hour."

"I don't need to see her, Kreacher," said Hermione, now acutely aware of how bizarre she must appear, "but I do need to
have a look at Teddy's workshop."

"Kreacher regrets, Madam Granger-Weasley…"

"Why, Hermione!" came a new voice. "This is an unexpected pleasure. Kreacher, show her in." Kreacher immediately opened
the door wide and stood at attention as Hermione entered the house. Andromeda Tonks was coming down the stairs, tying
the sash of her night-robe around her waist. She and Teddy had moved into Grimmauld Place following the end of the war –
after the deaths of her husband and daughter, her old home had too many sad memories.

Andromeda took in Hermione's haphazard appearance with barely a flicker of surprise. "It must be something important, to
bring you here so early. Kreacher, prepare coffee for two in the drawing room… unless this is very urgent, Hermione?"

"Could you bring it to Teddy's workshop?" Hermione asked the elf. He nodded courteously and left for the kitchen,
without once muttering under his breath, about Mudbloods or anything else. Hermione watched him go, as always amazed at
the changes that time – or rather, Dromeda – had wrought.

Harry had willed 12 Grimmauld Place to Teddy, as his godson and the last of the House of Black. Ownership of Kreacher
came with the bequest… but if Kreacher had initially been disinclined to serve Harry, as a half-blood, he was tenfold
unwilling to serve Teddy Lupin, son of two half-bloods and a werewolf-metamorphmagus hybrid.

It had taken Andromeda Tonks (née Black) just one day to straighten Kreacher out. She had merely declaimed, in icily
patrician tones, that the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black expected certain standards of behavior and deportment;
that retainers who did not meet those standards brought shame onto the House; and that Kreacher's services would be
dispensed with unless he too met them.

Teddy might be Kreacher's owner, but Andromeda was unquestionably his Mistress.

Kreacher stood straighter these days, and no longer mumbled. He kept himself well groomed, and like Canby wore a
sleeveless tabard – jet black, with the Black family crest on the left shoulder – which he insisted was livery, never
clothes. The style was proving popular, even among free elves.

"Teddy's workshop, you said?" asked Andromeda, concerned now. "He's not in any trouble, is he?"

"No, no," said Hermione hastily. Not yet, anyway, she added silently. "But I have to check something on his computer."
Honesty compelled her to add with a sigh, "I suppose it could have waited until morning, but I wouldn't have been able
to sleep."

Obligingly, Andromeda led Hermione through the house. Though Grimmauld Place had been cleaned up considerably in the
last fifteen years, it would never be a light and airy home; Andromeda had to cast a Lumos spell as they walked down the
hallway to the back door.

She stopped Hermione before opening the back door. "Remember," she warned, "no magic." Hermione nodded her understanding
and slipped out the back door. She crossed the walled yard to a smaller building standing separate from Grimmauld Place.
Originally a carriage house when the Place was built, it was distant enough from the main house to allow the new owner
to use it as his workshop – devoted to modern Muggle technology.

At the workshop door, a sign proclaimed "NO WANDS ALLOWED – NO EXCEPTIONS" next to a rack of wand holders. Hermione
obediently deposited her wand in one of the holders before opening the door. Inside she found a room similar to Arthur
Weasley's shed, but pristinely neat. There were a variety of electronic toys and gadgets, but the centerpiece of the
collection was a 48-cm flat screen with a wireless keyboard and mouse. Hermione sat down in front of it and turned on
the power.

Oh, Teddy, no password protection? Did you really think no wizard would know how to use your little toy? That was
foolish…

She checked his e-mail first: Teddy had a fair number of contacts (Muggle friends, and possibly Muggleborn wizards
during the summer), but none of them were Jacob Clayman. No recent messages (even in the Deleted bin) concerning any
restaurant; nothing that sounded like a meeting with anyone. If Clayman (i.e., Harry) had contacted Teddy
electronically, there was no record of it here.

Next were Teddy's telephone records – Teddy evidently paid his phone and wireless bills online, using a Muggle bank
account. (And how could a minor like Teddy set up an account, anyway? she wondered in passing. Another datum.) However,
those records didn't list the numbers Teddy had dialed.

Bringing up Teddy's Internet connection, Hermione checked his browser history, bookmarks and favorites. There were two
or three music sites, search engine sites, news sites, personal networking sites, a couple of rather, er, graphic sites
(she rolled her eyes, but had to remind herself that she wasn't Teddy's guardian)… in short, what might be expected for
a fifteen-year-old male. Nothing to suggest any connection to an older wizard, whatever his name.

Grasping at straws, she went to his root directory to see if there were any files or folders he'd deliberately kept out
of his personal documents folder. Most were software- or system-oriented, but there was one whose anomalous name stood
out: File:GA. Intrigued, she opened it.

File:GA was a folder containing numerous image files and links to websites, two or three dozen at least, going back
years. The most recent, posted on the same evening as Teddy and Tori's date at the Idée Fixe, was an image file of an
online news account: two children lost in the woods, given up for dead, had been miraculously recovered.

She opened another at random: it told of a family trapped in a burning building, saved by a freak rainstorm.

And here: A young widow with two small children, trying to make ends meet, saving pennies in a jar, discovered a rare
coin worth thousands of pounds.

And here: A corporate embezzler, caught when his bank balance suddenly showed a ten million euro overdraft, triggering
an audit.

And here, one of the earliest entries: An old woman with a rare blood type, who needed an operation, had three
volunteers with the same blood type walk into the hospital and donate, on the same day. None of them could explain what
had prompted them to do it. "My guardian angel must have been watching over me," the woman was reported as saying.

Hermione nodded when she read that. File:GA, she thought. File: Guardian Angel. Yeah, right. File: Saving-People-Thing
would be more like it.

No jury would convict, based on this evidence – but Hermione considered herself much more intelligent than any jury. She
was utterly convinced. Harry was alive and in hiding, and Teddy was protecting him. She was sure of it.

But how to prove it? And, once proven (if proven), how to find him? Did she even want to find him?

The last question answered itself. If Harry was alive, she had to find him. She had to know. After that...

Well, either Harry was dead, or he was going to wish he were.

*

The sky was lightening with the promise of dawn when Hermione finally left the workshop. Kreacher and Andromeda were
waiting for her at the back door. Kreacher held a silver tray with a cup of coffee, a cream pitcher and a sugar bowl;
Andromeda was sipping daintily from her own cup of coffee. "Did you find everything all right?" she asked.

"Yes, thanks," Hermione replied absently, taking her cup. She remained deep in thought for a few seconds. "Dromeda," she
finally said, "are you busy this evening?"

Andromeda raised one eyebrow in inquiry.

"I have two interviews… no, three interviews to conduct," Hermione explained, remembering a remark from a recent owl.
"As soon as I can arrange it. And for one of them – the most important one – your presence is required."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. VII: Target Lock

(A/N: I'd like to thank all those who've reviewed the story to date: you keep me on my toes, which is how I like it. And
sevenfold thanks to my beta, MirielleGrey, who gives these the once-over before I pass them along to you.

Once again, I am indebted to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. When you see it, you'll know why.)

(Disclaimer: The Potterverse belongs to Jo Rowling. Harry and Hermione belong only to themselves.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

VII: Target Lock

*

Hermione's sleep was disturbed by a very polite but persistent owl tapping at her window. Her eyes opened to full
daylight. "Merlin!" she exclaimed, looking at the clock by her bed. After returning home from Grimmauld Place, she'd
only intended to kip for a couple of hours… not until almost noon!

Frantically, she jumped from her bed and opened the window. The owl landed on the bed – thank goodness it hadn't decided
to perch on her bare shoulder! – and offered her the parchment in its talons. It was a note from Shacklebolt's office,
requesting her to meet with him over lunch.

Of course, coming from the Minister of Magic, a "request" was as good as a direct order.

Now approaching panic, Hermione grabbed her wand and raced around her bedroom, peeling off clothing as she selected
clean (and coordinated) robes for wearing to the Ministry. She leapt into the shower, performed the quickest ablutions
in the history of bathing, and was drying herself with her wand even as she stepped back into the bedroom. A quick
Switching Spell caused the clean robes to array themselves on her body. Hermione checked the result in the mirror,
smoothed a bit of recalcitrant hair, and Apparated to the Ministry with seconds to spare.

She arrived at the Minister's office to find a table set for three. Kingsley was already seated at the head of the
table. The other guest was Croaker, Head of the Department of Mysteries. He regarded her woodenly as she entered.

"Madam Granger," the Minister smiled – he didn't rise to meet her, and she would have insisted he sit if he'd tried –
and with a gesture invited her to join them. Their lunch was light yet tasty: slivers of fish wokked with vegetables,
served over pilaf. She and Kingsley kept up a stream of small talk, with the casual ease of two former comrades of the
Order of the Phoenix. Croaker maintained his wooden silence, eating lunch with mechanical precision.

Finally, Hermione sighed and set down her fork. "What may I do for you, Mr. Croaker?"

Croaker beetled his brows. "Do for me?"

"One assumes that was the purpose of our lunch today." She looked from Croaker to Shacklebolt inquiringly.

Shacklebolt glanced at Croaker and cleared his throat. "Yes, well, Madam Granger – that is, Hermione – we were wondering
how well you knew Albus Dumbledore."

She blinked in surprise. "Well, we weren't exactly close… I can count on my fingers the number of times we spoke. Har…"
It was her turn to clear her throat. Her voice was reasonably calm as she continued, "Harry was much closer to him than
I was."

"And yet Dumbledore remembered you in his will."

"More as a way to evade Scrimgeour than anything else." Hermione grimaced at the memory of the late Minister. "I'm not
saying Dumbledore and I didn't get along, but we weren't exactly bosom buddies."

Unexpectedly, Croaker spoke. "Did Dumbledore ever discuss Grindelwald with you?"

"Not really," Hermione replied, taken aback. "Of course, I know the story Skeeter put out in her book, years ago, about
Dumbledore and Grindelwald being, well, very close. And everyone knows that Dumbledore was also the one who defeated
Grindelwald in 1945… some say he killed him, but that's not true."

Croaker's eyes never left her. "No?"

"No. Voldemort killed Grindelwald, just a few months before the Battle of Hogwarts." Hermione returned Croaker's gaze.
"He entered Nurmengard, where Grindelwald was imprisoned, and killed him there."

He inhaled sharply. "You're sure."

"Very. May I ask what this is about?"

"No." Croaker turned to Shacklebolt. "This does raise a new possibility, though I suspect the fact that Granger could
give us this information remains the most likely interpretation. If you'll excuse me…"

"Does this have something to do with that blocked door in the Department of Mysteries?"

Croaker and Shacklebolt fell silent, staring at Hermione. She gave them her small, tight smile, the one she tended to
reserve for elderly males: Why yes, I am that intelligent, so kind of you to notice. "Oh come now, gentlemen. I have to
walk past the Department of Mysteries every time I go to the courtrooms. And your people aren't nearly as discreet as
they like to think they are."

She leaned forward in her seat. "I've just proven I can help you, even if I don't know anything about your problem.
Imagine how much more help I can give if I do know about your problem." She waited expectantly.

Shacklebolt finally spoke. "Croaker? Unless, of course, you have other options you're pursuing…?" Croaker scowled at the
Minister, then at Hermione. She continued to wait.

"As you say," Croaker finally admitted, "there is a blocked door in the Department… as it were. The door itself can be
opened, but no one can walk through the doorway now. The block comes from the inside. We first discovered the block some
weeks ago; it has resisted all attempts to break through it."

"You 'discovered' the block," Hermione pounced on the word. "Do you mean it had been there longer, and you never
noticed?"

"It seems probable: that room is very seldom used."

"How much longer? Which room?"

Croaker gave a tiny, stern shake of his head. The message was clear: there were some Mysteries he would still refuse to
share. "More recently," he continued, "observers could see through the door a set of runes that had appeared on… inside
the room. Some of them have just been deciphered. They seemed to point to you."

"Me?" asked Hermione in surprise.

"The rune for Voldemort, and the rune for Grindelwald… in conjunction with the rune symbolizing one who kills or
executes. We had thought the last referred to you, since you killed Voldemort… but now, if Voldemort did indeed kill
Grindelwald, the runes may refer to that event. We'll need to contact International Cooperation, and arrange to send
some Unspeakables to Nurmengard… it might be important to see what's there."

Shacklebolt nodded in agreement. "I'll talk to Kerricks. In the meantime, Hermione, thank you – I'm sure Croaker
appreciates your help. And I want you to know how pleased I am with your work on the Swivingham case – a bold step
forward. I assume you'll want to get back to working on that?"

It was an obvious dismissal. Hermione excused herself from the table and left Shacklebolt's office to return to her own.
She did indeed have interviews to arrange… but they had nothing to do with Swivingham.

*

"Oooh, Captain," cooed Tori, clinging to Ted's arm in a scathing parody of some of the older-but-less-mature witches,
"what a big, shiny badge you have."

"It's magic, you know," replied Ted, keeping a perfectly straight face. "If you stroke it, it…" he paused for effect,
"purrs."

"Oooo-oooo-ooooh!" she squealed in three-part harmony. "Later tonight, will you… show me?"

Ted leaned closer. "I'll show you my… badge… if you'll show me your… birthmark," he murmured suavely.

They stared soulfully into each others' eyes for a few more seconds, until they could no longer keep straight faces.
They burst out laughing at the same time.

"You two are so weird," said River Jordan from behind them. "D'you think you could, like, not block the door? Some of us
want to eat dinner while it's still hot." The second-year managed to push Ted to one side as he stomped into the Great
Hall.

"He has a point," chuckled Ted, and the two of them joined the tide of students entering the Hall for their evening
meal.

"By the way," Tori remarked as they took seats at the Gryffindor table, "which of my dormmates told you about my
birthmark? I want to know who ratted."

Ted's face showed surprise. "You actually have a birthmark? I was just taking the mickey."

She eyed him skeptically, but before she could say any more, Rose approached them. "Uh, hi, guys," she said, looking
wistfully at the empty seat next to Ted.

Tori gave him a Look, the one that meant Be nice. Ted sighed inwardly. "Hi, Rose, have a seat. How was Defense today?"

"Okay," Rose told him, scrambling into the seat, but she still looked nervous. She lowered her voice as she reached into
her bookbag. "But, um, Professor Longbottom stopped me as class ended, and he gave me a message – and asked me to give
messages to you two, too." She pulled out two small scrolls, tied with red ribbons, and handed them to Ted and Tori.

Ted quickly unrolled his scroll and read it. "He wants me to meet him in the Defense classroom after dinner tonight. He
doesn't say why, though…"

"Same here," said Tori, scanning her own scroll. She glanced at Rose, who nodded and held up her own scroll. "No reason
given? Teddy, what have you done now?"

"Nothing! For once, my conscience is clear." He sighed aloud this time as both Tori and Rose smirked at him. "Honest."

They ate their dinners in relative serenity, despite the fact that neither Professor Longbottom nor Headmistress
McGonagall were at the head table. At the appointed hour, they excused themselves from their classmates and headed for
the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Ted wasn't surprised to find McGonagall and Longbottom already there. He
was surprised to find his Gran there, along with four of the Weasley Clan: Bill, Fleur, Ron, and Hermione. They sat in a
semi-circle of chairs near the Professor's desk – facing three empty chairs that were obviously for Ted, Tori and Rose.

Mystified, the three students took their seats. Ted expected McGonagall or Longbottom to say something, but instead
Hermione stood and addressed the room. "Thank you all for coming… I appreciate it, especially on such short notice. I'm
here to ask a few questions of you three." She smiled at the students reassuringly. "Let me emphasize, none of you are
in trouble. But you may have some information that we need, so I'll have to question you a bit."

She gestured to the seated adults. "The Headmistress and your Head of House are here in their official capacities, to
make sure I don't overstep my bounds. Given that you're all minors, I've asked your parents and guardians to be present
as well."

Rose looked puzzled at that, and Ron leaned forward in his seat. "She can't be here as your mother if she's here for the
Ministry," he explained softly.

"Indeed," interrupted McGonagall. "Madam Granger-Weasley, are you saying this is a formal inquiry by the Ministry? If
so, are we to know what it is about?"

Hermione turned to face McGonagall. "Headmistress, I'm hoping to keep this from becoming a formal inquiry. As for what
this is about…" She paused, seemed to consider, then continued, "Let's hold off on that for the moment. I promise it
will all be explained." Drawing a deep breath, she concluded, "But I must ask you all to keep the results of this
interview confidential – absolutely confidential. Do you agree?"

The other adults looked at one another in surprise, and a hint of concern. "We'll take wizarding oaths if you'd like,
Hermione," Neville began.

"No," she cut him off with a small smile, "no, Professor, that won't be necessary. After all we've been through, I trust
you all." Her gaze included Ron as she spoke. "I can rely on your discretion." She waited a moment until everyone in the
room had indicated their assent, then turned back to the students.

"Rose, let's start with you. Did you bring your new book with you as I asked?"

Rose nodded and dug into her bookbag. "Here," she said, holding up a small leather-bound book. "Thank you again, Mum and
Dad, it's really a cool gift! I've already used it for my first Potions essay…"

Hermione accepted the book and leafed through it. "Hmm? The pages are blank. Rose, explain to us how you've 'used' it."

"Huh? I thought you knew…" Rose looked from one adult to the next in confusion. "Well, it's sort of a catalogue of all
the books in the Hogwarts library. I can… I can write a subject on the first page, and the rest of the pages will show
me all the books in the library on that subject."

"I never… how cool!" blurted Ted. "A search engine for the library! Does it give you the page numbers too, and quotes?"

Rose nodded, smiling at Ted's approval.

"A wonderful gift, and very thoughtful," agreed Hermione, still looking at the book's pages. "Just one problem: I didn't
give it to you. Ron, did you?" Ron shook his head.

Hermione opened the book to the front flyleaf. "Mm, but there is an inscription. 'For our budding Rose'," she read, "'in
hopes that it will mean less library time and more fun time. We are so proud of you!' Which we are," she added with a
smile for Rose. She held the book open and showed the flyleaf to the other adults. "Anyone recognize the handwriting?"

Ron shook his head, as did the others. "Actually, it looks artificial," suggested Bill. "Like it was written by a
Quick-Quotes Quill, instead of a person."

"Artificial, yes." Hermione tapped the inscription with her wand. "Specialis Revelio," she said, and then struck the
inscription more forcefully. "Specialis Revelio, dammit!" She ignored the shocked looks, from the adults as much as the
students, and peered at the handwriting as it started to alter, then reverted to its stylized form.

She looked again at her daughter. "How, exactly, did you receive this gift?"

"Um, it was in my trunk, on top of my stuff," said Rose. "Wrapped with a bow and everything. That's why I thought it was
from you or Dad."

"Sorry, I wish it were. We didn't put it here, which means… it had to have been put there by someone who handled your
trunk after you left us." Hermione let her gaze rest on Ted's face. Ted blinked back, the perfect picture of puzzlement.
Hermione gave it one more moment before she continued, "Unfortunately, Rose, you're a first-year, and so your luggage
was separated from the other students'. Anyone might have had a chance to put something inside, while you were taking
your boat ride across the lake."

She handed the book back to Rose. "Thank you, dear. I've no more questions for you. You can go back to Gryffindor Tower
now."

McGonagall spoke up. "Actually, I wonder if I might examine the, er, search engine for a few days. I'd very much like to
see if we could duplicate the charms that make it work… it sounds like something that would make a most welcome addition
to the Hogwarts library." Her unspoken corollary, that it was an unfair advantage if only one student had access to it,
was understood by all. Looking very downcast, Rose surrendered the book to her Headmistress.

"You can stay here if you like, Rose," volunteered Ron. "I reckon you've a right to know what's going on." He gave
Hermione a dark look that said he'd argue the point – loudly and strongly – if she objected. She shrugged and turned
back to the students.

"Victoire," she said, "would you please tell us about your bouillabaisse." Hermione noted with inner satisfaction that
Ted's face went perfectly blank at those words.

Relishing the attention, Tori told what happened at the Idée Fixe on her date with Ted. "The sous-chef must have
Disapparated when he heard me coming," she finished. "From that, and the elf-made wine in the soup, I concluded he must
be a wizard. The waiter called him Clayman, but I'd never of a wizarding family of that name, so I deduce he must be
Muggleborn, which correlates with his desire to work amongst Muggles…"

"Thank you, Victoire," said Fleur firmly. The girl subsided, but her shining eyes never left Hermione.

"Teddy, how did you come to choose that particular restaurant?" Hermione asked.

Ted shrugged slightly. "I found their website on the Internet, and they'd got a lot of very good reviews. I wanted to
take Tori someplace special."

"Did you know Chef Clayman was a wizard before you made the reservations?"

"Um… well, our first hint was when Tori jumped up from the table and headed for the kitchen. I couldn't even taste
anything special about the soup." He smiled at his girlfriend. "Some of us have better-trained taste buds, I guess."

"Did you know Chef Clayman?" Hermione met Ted head-on and looked him squarely in the eye. "Have you ever spoken with
him?"

Ted spread his hands. "Sorry," he replied easily, "that was the first time I'd ever been to the restaurant."

"Is that a 'no'?"

He gave a sigh of long suffering at the density of the adult mind. "That would be a 'no'."

Hermione kept her gaze locked on Ted. He looked back at her, sincerity written across his features. Finally, she gave
him a gentle smile. "Do you know, Mr. Lupin," she said softly, "if I didn't already know the truth, I'd have believed
your every word."

She spun in place to face Andromeda Tonks. "Mrs. Tonks, as Mr. Lupin's legal guardian, I must ask your permission to
administer Veritaserum." Gone were the gentle smile and soft voice: the Senior Counsel for the Wizengamot was speaking
now.

"One moment, Madam Granger-Weasley!" McGonagall protested.

"Headmistress, he has just crossed the line. Everything he's said has been evasive, never directly answering the
question… surely you noticed? But his last answer was an out-and-out lie." Hermione's eyes flashed with indignation and
a hint of anger as she looked from Neville to McGonagall. "I cannot permit false testimony to impede this
investigation."

There was a moment of silence, broken by Neville's quiet voice. "I trust you, Hermione. As Teddy's Head of House, I
concur with whatever you decide." He glanced at McGonagall, pinch-lipped but raising no objections, then looked at
Andromeda. "Well?"

Andromeda sighed and nodded her permission. "You're as bad as your mother, Teddy," she added.

"I keep telling you: my name is Ted," he fumed rebelliously.

Hermione snorted. "Well then, Ted…" She reached into her pocket and brought out a vial of clear liquid. Stepping over to
Neville's desk, she poured a small tumbler of water from a carafe sitting there. Carefully, she tipped three drops of
Veritaserum into the water. Putting the vial back into her pocket with one hand, she offered the tumbler to Ted with the
other.

He accepted it with an air of injured resignation. "If this is what it takes for you to trust me…" He poured the potion
down his throat. He waited a second, regarding the adults with a cocked eyebrow that said Are you satisfied? before
offering the empty tumbler back to Hermione. She reached for it…

… and as their hands touched, her hidden hand flashed out of her pocket and slapped his outstretched hand. "Ow!" he
cried, dropping the tumbler. It shattered on the stone floor as everyone reacted with shock.

She gave a superior smile and showed the adults the needle she'd palmed in her hand. In dawning horror, Ted looked at
it, then at his own hand, where a drop of blood had oozed from the slight puncture wound.

"Should you choose to take up criminology as a career," Hermione told Tori didactically, "you'll learn why Veritaserum
isn't usually given to witnesses during a trial. It's considered untrustworthy… because you can't be sure you've dosed
your witness. The defendant's lawyer, or someone in the audience, can Transfigure it into water… heavens, the witness
himself can do it as he drinks, before it hits his stomach, if he's good at wandless magic."

She drew her wand and, with a murmured "Reparo," reassembled the shards of the broken tumbler.

"But…" Tori looked at Ted. "But Teddy can't do wandless magic…"

"No, but he is a full metamorphmagus. He can extrude a pouch on the inside of his throat and catch the Veritaserum in
that. And we'd have all believed his testimony implicitly, because after all, we saw him drink it." Hermione gave Ted a
mocking smile and laid the end of her wand against his larynx. A quick whisper, and she smacked the wand against his
throat, causing him to involuntarily gulp.

"Oh, what a shame, Mr. Lupin," she continued. "Now you've had a double dose of Veritaserum." She waited a moment, until
his eyes turned slightly glassy. Then she leaned over him. "Your name?"

"Ted Remus Lupin," he gritted out.

She flicked a fingernail on his Captain's badge. "What position do you play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team?"

"Chaser."

"Who taught you how to use your metamorph powers to evade Veritaserum?"

Ted tried to clamp his lips together, but the truth forced itself out. "Harry Potter."

"WHAT!?" cried several of the adults, but Ron's voice was the loudest. He jumped to his feet. "What, is he insane!? How
the hell… Are you … Is Harry really alive, then!?"

"I don't know," said Ted.

"Ronald! Please take your seat and don't interrupt!" snapped Hermione. In a calmer tone, she continued, "By the way,
Tori, this is another disadvantage to Veritaserum: you have to choose your questions carefully. The way Ron phrased his
last question allowed Mr. Lupin to answer as he did… after all, Harry could have died since they last spoke." Hermione
swept her gaze commandingly over the others, making sure there would be no further interruptions, before turning back to
Ted. "When did you last speak with Harry?"

"The night I took Tori to the Idée Fixe."

"To warn him he'd been outed as Jacob Clayman?"

"Yes."

"When did you speak to him before that?"

"During the summer… early July."

"For what purpose?"

"He had something he wanted me to give Rose."

"The 'search-engine' book?"

"Yes."

Rose had been watching Ted and Hermione during their exchange, her gaze bouncing back and forth like a tennis ball at
Wimbledon. At this last admission, she did a double-take and stared at Ted with an awe that bordered on worship.

"When did he first contact you, Ted?"

"He directly contacted me the summer after my eleventh birthday. Indirectly, he'd been sending me birthday gifts in
secret since I was five."

"Why all the secrecy?"

"He never told me."

"Why do you think?"

"I don't know."

"All right, then. Why did he contact you, as opposed to anyone else?"

"I'm his godson."

Hermione paused, and her expression softened slightly. "Oh, of course. A wizard's debt. He had no choice." Her face
hardened again. "Where is he now?"

"On holiday."

"Where did he say he was going?"

"Switzerland. A place called Reichenbach Falls."

Everyone in the room was startled when Hermione threw back her head and laughed uproariously. "Touché, Harry!" she
cried. She calmed down after a moment and added, mostly to herself, "Of course, that might be his way of telling us not
to come after him…" Seeing the bewildered looks on the adults' faces, she explained, "Reichenbach Falls is where a
famous hero in Muggle fiction faked his death to avoid enemies. It's a message, don't you see?"

She looked again at Ted's glazed expression. Her laughter had quite died as she asked, "Did he ever say why he felt he
had to fake his death?"

"No."

"Did he give you any hints?"

Ted swallowed nervously. "When he told me I couldn't tell anyone he was alive… he said something under his breath. I
couldn't hear it clearly."

"What did it sound like?"

"He said it was because… because his death was hollow. Something like that."

Hermione froze. Face pale, she stood motionless for almost a minute. "Oh, sweet Merlin," she finally whispered, "it
can't be…"

"Hermione?" Fleur asked in alarm. "Hermione, what is it?"

"It's… it's…" Hermione gathered herself and turned once more to McGonagall. "Headmistress, I think we've finished with
the interviews here. Could we go back to your office?"

"My office?" McGonagall was looking confused, a rare sight.

Hermione addressed the stunned adults, her manner again turning brisk. "I had some evidence before coming tonight that
Harry might be alive: the wand on display in the Ministry atrium isn't his wand, it's a Transfigured twig! Tomorrow I
intend to apply for an exhumation order, and confirm that the body buried in Harry's tomb is likewise a Transfigured
fake."

There was a general outcry of protest from the adults at the idea of disturbing the Chosen One's tomb. This time,
Neville's voice carried over the rest. "Hold on, Hermione, I was right there. I saw it… it was Harry's body, I'm
absolutely sure…"

"And I was sure that was Harry's wand, Neville, but we were both wrong. There's no question in my mind but that Harry's
alive right now, and in hiding. Until we can find him, I remind all of you to keep this to yourselves. Tori, Rose, would
you please escort Ted back to Gryffindor Tower? He's going to need a good night's sleep before that double dose of
Veritaserum finally wears off. Neville, Fleur, Bill, Ron, Dromeda, thank you again. Headmistress, we really need to go
to your office."

McGonagall found herself being bustled down the corridor by a bushy-haired force of nature. Hermione seemed absolutely
committed to – fixated on, obsessed by – whatever tasks lay before her. For once in her life, McGonagall was unsure what
to say or do. Finally, she brought up a point that had occurred to her during Ted Lupin's questioning.

"Madam Granger..." By this point in the evening, the single name seemed more appropriate than the hyphenated surnames.
"If you believe Mr. Potter is still alive, and you're intent on finding him… well, I'm surprised that you didn't ask Mr.
Lupin if he had any way of contacting Mr. Potter."

A faint smile graced Hermione's lips. "No. No, I didn't, did I?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------

8. VIII: Discovered Check

(A/N: Two chapters ago, a short chapter. Last chapter, a longer one. This chapter, a shorter one again… but my
wonder-beta MirielleGrey persuaded me that the chapter has to end as it does. She also gave me the idea for the title.
Thank you, Miri.

One of the lines here was adapted from a similar line by Spider Robinson… but I think he got it from Heinlein, so I'm
clear.)

(Disclaimer: That's not my Epilogue. Those aren't my interviews. And I definitely don't deal in anvils. So no, I'm not
Jo Rowling, and don't own any of this.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

VIII: Discovered Check

*

Rose Weasley's thoughts were whirling as she tugged on one of Ted's elbows. The interviews in Professor Longbottom's
classroom… the revelations about Ted, and Harry Potter! Ted was actually working to protect the greatest wizard who ever
lived… The Boy Who STILL Lived! And, Circe, was that her own mother?! Wow, was she ever brilliant, but… wow. Rose
promised herself, then and there, that she was never going to cross her Mum ever again, or even try to hide anything
from her.

The Veritaserum was still causing a certain grogginess: Ted was stumbling and trailing behind the two witches. They had
to help him back to Gryffindor Tower, one on either side, and it was slow going in places – particularly on the trick
staircases. It allowed Rose to play back the interview in her mind.

Finally, her curiosity got the better of her. "Teddy? How do you know it's Harry Potter?"

"Mm. What do you mean, Rose?" Tori asked. She seemed distracted, as though half her mind were somewhere else.

Rose shrugged. "Well, Teddy's never seen Harry Potter, right? Really, when you think about it, this could be any wizard…
saying he's Harry, talking like Harry, maybe even looking like Harry… but how would any of us know?" She tugged on Ted's
arm again. "I'm kind of surprised Mum didn't ask you. So how do you know?" she asked again.

With a direct question put to him, Ted had to answer truthfully… but that didn't mean he had to answer responsively.
"Things he's said. Things he's given me."

"Oh. You mean, like the book he gave me?"

"Yes."

"Why did he give me that book, Teddy?"

"I asked him to."

"You did?" Rose's heart soared. "Why?"

"To remind him of his past."

"Oh." Rose could make very little of that answer. After a moment, she went back to a previous topic. "So what did he
give you, to convince you he was Harry Potter?"

"A Map."

Rose regarded Ted quizzically. "What's so special about a map?"

"He said it was from one Marauder's son to another." Ted struggled to set a brisker pace forward. He needed to shake off
the effects of the Veritaserum as quickly as possible – and warn his godfather that his cover was about to be blown
sky-high, just as soon as Hermione got the exhumation order from the Ministry. He had a day's grace, at most…

The trio's progress came to an abrupt halt as Tori stopped short. She gave a gasp, and her bright blue eyes widened…
then narrowed dangerously. With more force than necessary, she swung Ted around to face her. Seeing her expression, he
was uncomfortably reminded that Veela powers included the throwing of fireballs.

But she spoke pleasantly enough. "Rosie, you're going about it all wrong. You can't ask open-ended questions, or you're
leaving him a loophole to wriggle through. No, this is how you do it…" She considered very briefly. "Teddy, are you a
metamorphmagus?"

He blinked… he certainly hadn't expected anything so innocuous. "Yes," he replied readily.

"You can assume other human forms?"

"Yes."

"Even female forms?" Tori took a step closer and lowered her voice. "Anatomically correct female forms?"

Uh oh. "Yes."

"Have you ever done so in the girls' shower?"

Sweat broke out on Ted's forehead. "Yes." Please don't ask, please don't ask, please…

Tori took another step closer. He could feel her body's warmth, see the honeyed smile on her face. "Was I in the shower
at the time?"

Oh God, she figured it out. That damn birthmark… If Ted could have metamorphed his vocal cords into silly string at that
moment, he would have done so – but the Veritaserum wouldn't let him. "NNnnnnnngggggggyyyyes."

With her fingertip she tenderly caressed his face, smiling sweetly all the while. She lowered her voice further, and
told him in seductive, dulcet tones, "You are so dead, they'll have to bury you twice."

*

In the Headmistress's office, Hermione stared at the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, trying in vain to think of a response
to what it had just told her.

Professor McGonagall found it for her. "You manipulative old bastard!"

Dumbledore looked pained. "I've been guilty of many things, Minerva, but acquit me of that at least."

"You've always known Harry's Cloak was a Deathly Hallow," interjected Hermione. "And now you tell me that you hid the
Resurrection Stone in the Snitch you willed to him. Making sure, of course, that he could only retrieve it when it was
too late to help him. I open at the close. Yeah, right."

She strode up to the portrait and jabbed a finger at it. "And now you're saying that you also always knew that Harry was
a Horcrux! Before we read his farewell message, you knew! And you always expected him to die facing Voldemort! No wonder
you never taught him anything that might be useful in your lessons together… like, oh, how to fight! Sacrificial lambs
aren't expected to fight!"

"My hope was that Harry himself would realize the need to be, as you put it, a sacrificial lamb," replied Dumbledore.
"If he went to his death willingly, the deep magics of his mother's protection would keep him alive. He had to die, to
destroy the Horcrux within him, but it would not be a permanent death."

"No, of course not! It would only be a little, temporary death! Hardly even an inconvenience!" Hermione turned her back
on the portrait and stomped away angrily.

"But if he had returned from his… temporary death," put it McGonagall, "would Potter have been able to summon the Elder
Wand from Voldemort's hand? It did go flying during the battle, but we all assumed it was due to a random Expelliarmus
charm…"

The portrait looked grave. "Let us hope not. Not one man in a million could safely be trusted with all three of the
Deathly Hallows. I certainly could not have been… I could not even be trusted with only two of them. It's why Severus
and I went to such lengths to insure that the Wand would lose its power forever."

"Saying nothing to me about it, as usual," McGonagall retorted. "And just how did you plan to accomplish this?"

"By choosing to die of my own free will, in the manner of my choosing. Had I, the Wand's master, died undefeated, killed
by Severus at my own request, there would have been no successor master."

"But that didn't happen!" Hermione had spun around and was facing the portrait again. "The Wand still had plenty of
power in that last battle. So somebody, somewhere, must be the Wand's master." She looked away, eyes unfocused, as she
considered what she'd heard. "But… but if he didn't die… and if he chose as you did… oh my God, of course he would. And
that's why…"

She drew a deep breath and looked up at McGonagall and Dumbledore. "That's why he left."

*

That night, Ted lay in his bed with the curtains drawn, as though he were trying to sleep – but sleep was the furthest
thing from his mind. He was, after all, still fully dressed, even though in bed... and he'd brought with him the two
items he'd need to warn Harry.

The evening had been painful enough. Tori had wasted no time in conferring with all the other Gryffindor girls, who sent
many a furious glare in his direction. Now every single one of them was giving him a shoulder so cold it could freeze
the fire in the fireplace. Even Rose was refusing to speak to him… as though he'd even be in the first years' shower!
Geez, did they think he was some kind of pervert?

He'd conscientiously limited himself strictly to fourth years and above. Not that anyone seemed to appreciate it.

The one silver lining in the toxic waste dump that was his current life was that Tori and Rose had kept his Veritaserum
dosage a secret. All the girls, mindful of his "offense" (Ted's thoughts insisted on the quotes), would have taken
advantage of his current state to ask all sorts of incriminating questions, if they'd known. And the guys, if they'd
known, would have been curious to learn all the details of the girls he had seen in the showers. Not that Tori hadn't
cowed them into shunning him tonight, too.

Ted had no doubt that, within a day or two, he'd be experiencing a much more… palpable… retribution as well. He couldn't
suppress a shudder at the thought.

If you're ever taken captive, don't let them give you to the Veela.

Snores from the fifth-year boys' dormitory were beginning to compete with one another. Cautiously, Ted opened his
curtains a crack and peeked out. No one looked awake; no one was suspiciously motionless in pretended sleep, either.
Silently Ted emerged from his bed and crept to the window, the two items in his hands. He opened the window wide,
checked his dormmates again to insure they still slept, then stepped onto the windowsill.

In one hand he held his mobile phone; in the other, his Levinbrand, that worthy successor to the Firebolt. Ted mounted
the broom and jumped off the windowsill into the midnight sky.

And headed straight up.

People always accuse me of breaking the rules, he thought with a mental grin, when all I really do is test their limits.
Well, usually…

The phone, like any advanced electronic device, wouldn't function at Hogwarts at all: even if there were no active magic
being practiced near it, there was simply too much ambient magic in the castle itself. If he tried to use his phone
anywhere around the school, its circuits would fry. And leaving the school grounds, of course, would earn him a
detention.

But if he flew high enough, he could get far enough away from the castle to allow the phone to work – while technically
never crossing the boundaries of the grounds. The big question now was, how high was "high enough"?

And he dared not make a mistake, and ruin the phone. He had to warn Harry – and he'd only get one chance.

So upward he flew, until he could see the lake and the forest shrunken at his feet, until the chill of the air began to
be painful. Ted remembered another trick he'd learned: he metamorphed his lungs, enlarging them like those of Himalayan
sherpas or the natives of Peru. He continued to breathe normally now, even at his current altitude. (What was it, a
mile? Mile and a half? He shouldn't go too high, or he'd have no signal strength.)

He had to risk it. Cautiously, he turned on the phone's power. It seemed to be all right, which was a good sign. He
dialed the number Harry had given him… listened to the ringing on the other end.

For emergency use only, he reminded himself. Well, this certainly qualifies.

Ringing. Ringing. Still ringing. Harry, please, for your own sake, wake up and answer the phone!

*

Motionless. Perfectly motionless, Harry sat on the edge of his bed, "listening". It was the only analogy he had for the
extension of subtle senses no human could fully appreciate or understand. He didn't understand them himself; he only
knew what they told him.

Somewhere very close, someone was dying.

It was a relatively peaceful death, a gentle departure for an elderly man. A slowing of the heartbeat, in sleep. He was…
he was in one of the rooms here at the inn. Very close to Harry. Very close to death.

Moments like this served to remind Harry that the two were not one and the same. The moments had been rare, in the years
since he'd acquired the Deathly Hallows, but they'd happened often enough for him to know what was happening. Death was
at work, and Harry must not interfere.

He could neither speed the old man's passage, nor prevent it. And he knew better than to try.

There. Harry felt it brush over him and through him, soft as down feathers, colder than interstellar space. The
departing soul, journeying to… Harry couldn't say. He'd always felt as though the soul should be traveling up or down,
but no: it passed through, like a bird winging through the empty sky. The idea diminished him, in some nebulous way.

He shivered slightly. Death could not find Harry, wrapped as he was in the Cloak – as he always was, these days – but
its presence was always disquieting. Whenever he sensed someone nearby succumbing to Death's touch, Harry took care to
remain alert, quiet, and inconspicuous.

So when his mobile phone on the dresser began to warble, he was understandably startled.

Probably the manager of the restaurant, wondering when I'll be returning, he thought, returning to the mundane. He rose
from the bed and stepped to the dresser. He's just about the only person who'd be calling me… who even has my mobile
number…

But as he picked up the phone, the display showed an entirely different number: one given him by his godson less than a
fortnight earlier.

Hurriedly, Harry peeled the Cloak away from his head and neck so that his voice could escape. He accepted the call.
"Hello? Ted, is that you?"

"Harry! Thank Merlin you're awake!"

Harry didn't bother to mention that he hadn't been sleeping. "Ted, I'm warning you, if this is about one of your pranks
gone wrong, or anything less than the direst…"

Ted interrupted him. "She knows!"

Harry paused. "Who knows, Ted?"

"Hermione knows! Everything! She came to Hogwarts tonight and I had to take Veritaserum and she made me tell her that
you were still alive…!"

Harry started to speak, but Ted overrode him. "And yes, I tried the trick you showed me with the pouch in my throat, but
she knew about that too! And she said she was going to dig up your body tomorrow and show it wasn't your body, which
would prove it to everybody!"

"All right, Ted, calm down," ordered Harry, knowing now he had to wrap up the conversation quickly. He glanced around
the room at the few of his belongings he'd unpacked – he didn't want to abandon them if he didn't have to, but he
couldn't use magic to Reduce them for transport until the phone was safely turned off.

"What's done is done," he went on. "I don't blame you, so don't you blame yourself. If Hermione dosed you with
Veritaserum, you really had no choice."

"But… but…" Ted sounded distraught. "But they know! McGonagall, and Longbottom, and Tori's parents, and Gran! How'm I
supposed to explain to Gran that I was spending summers with…"

"With your godfather," Harry finished firmly. "Just tell her the truth, Teddy. It won't matter: they still won't find
me. I'm afraid this means I won't be contacting you at Christmas after all… and I don't know when I'll see you again."

Now Ted sounded positively wretched. "But… I'll still be able to call you, won't I, Harry? I mean, if something else
happens? If I take precautions and everything…?"

"Ted, I plan to ditch this phone the moment we hang up. So I really have to get going…"

"Wait, hold on, Harry, it'll be okay. We can still talk, really. I told you, magic can't track through phones or the
Internet, right? It's impossible – the magic crashes the system. I mean, you must've learned that at Hogwarts, same as I
did…"

"Ted," Harry said with emphasis, "if I learned anything at Hogwarts, it was to never underestimate Hermione Granger!"

"And yet somehow," came a hard, cold voice from behind him, "you keep doing it."

The bottom dropped out of Harry's stomach. Slowly, not hearing the buzz of static from the now defunct phone, he turned
in place. Hermione was standing at the foot of his bed, her face a mask carved from furious stone, her wand's glowing
tip pointed right at his head.

Fifteen years of exile had just been thrown out the window. His two worst fears were now realized: Hermione Granger had
found Harry Potter – and the Master of the Deathly Hallows was being held helpless at wandpoint.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

9. IX: Flint and Steel

(A/N: Anyone expecting a fluffy sweet reunion might want to step outside for a while.

My thanks once again to MirelleGrey, who beta'd the story… and to all my reviewers, who keep me honest. Which is not to
be construed as an admission that I'm not.)

(Disclaimer: The guys who invented the transistor never envisioned the Internet. Jo Rowling created a whole universe,
but never realized all its implications. That's our job, isn't it?)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

IX: Flint and Steel

*

He stood unmoving and watched her eyes closely as they took in the sight of him, from his disembodied head – all that
could be seen of him, with the Cloak covering the rest of his form – to the phone seemingly floating in mid-air. Her
wand never wavered: it stayed pointed right at him.

The eyes came back to look directly into his own. Harry had never suspected that brown eyes could blaze, but he knew
better now. He remained in place, like a stag at bay, watching for signs of an imminent attack.

"So," Hermione finally said in a tight, controlled voice, "you are alive."

If she was talking instead of jinxing, he had a chance. He gestured with the dead phone. "How did you find me? I thought
magic couldn't… through phones…"

She snorted. "I expected Ted to try and warn you, so I put a transcribing spell on him tonight – the one we use at the
Ministry to monitor what prisoners say. Only I set it up to report location, as well as words. Lo and behold, it started
reporting his voice at Hogwarts and in Manchester. After that, it was a simple step to… to…" A puzzled look flitted
across Hermione's face… then her eyes rolled upwards into her head and she began to collapse to the floor.

Harry was instantly beside her, tossing away the phone to get one arm around her waist, while the other plucked her wand
from her limp hand. He got her to the bed and gently lowered her onto it. For some reason, it didn't occur to him to
levitate her.

"And yet somehow, you seem to underestimate me, too," he murmured.

Using the Elder Wand for fifteen years had taught Harry a fair bit about raw magic. In particular, he'd discovered that
the lessons taught at Hogwarts were based on, or at least reinforced, a fallacy: the idea that wand motions were
important. Maybe they were important for first-years, like pronunciation was. But just as spells could be performed
voicelessly, or even wandlessly, they could be performed with a wand – but without wand motions.

Such as the Somnius Spell he'd just cast, using the Elder Wand strapped to his forearm, without a single word or
gesture.

He turned away from the bed and began to Reduce and re-pack his belongings. It made a good excuse to avoid thinking
about what he had to do next. But actually, he told himself, that decision was made fifteen years ago. I did think it
would be easier on everyone if they thought I was dead… but it doesn't matter if they know I'm alive, so long as they
can't find me. If I can't be found, I can't be fought.

It's time to leave England, looks like. Should've left years ago – I've only stayed here because of my commitments to
Ted. But he's almost of age now, and I can complete my godfatherly duties from abroad if need be. Probably not Europe,
it's too near, and too magically populated. Canada, maybe.

Just as it hadn't occurred to Harry to levitate her, it didn't even cross his mind to Obliviate her. If it had, he might
have justified not doing it by the fact that she wasn't the only person Ted had named as knowing he might be alive – but
in truth, the idea of Obliviating Hermione was literally unthinkable.

I wish I didn't have to blindside her like that, but I hadn't much choice. At least I could disarm her with a minimum of
fuss. I'll be sure to leave her wand next to her, where she can find it, before I…

He paused, then resolutely completed the thought. Before I leave again.

Harry pulled the Cloak's hood back up, letting it remold itself over his head, as he turned for one final look at
Hermione. It was the first time he'd looked at her that evening, really looked – and it was the first he'd seen of
Hermione since the Battle of Hogwarts. Then, she'd been an adolescent witch, her face streaked with sweat and grime,
robes torn and dirty and burnt in places, adrenaline and fatigue competing in her voice. When thoughts of Hermione had
come to haunt him in years past, that image was the one that came most often.

He was therefore unprepared for the Hermione he now saw: a witch in her full flower of womanhood, no longer slim
awkwardness but lithe grace, with features glowing in beauty even as they showed the signs of confidence and competence.

All cognitive processes crawled and came to a halt. He couldn't stop looking at her.

He knew it was imperative that he leave at once, but he could not stop looking at her.

Leaving them all back then, when they all thought I was already dead – that would save them from pain, that made sense,
that felt right, he finally told himself. Leaving her again now, when she knows I'm alive – that would only be
convenient.

And though you may have forgotten the fact, Harry old son, the Hat did put you in Gryffindor.

After a long, long moment, he sat down on the edge of the bed. Reluctantly, he pulled back the Cloak's hood to expose
his head again. He examined Hermione's wand, still in his hand, and yielded to a whim: He pointed it at her unconscious
form and said softly, "Rennervate."

The spell flashed from the wand's tip into Hermione's body, as he felt sure it would. Not that it means her wand is mine
now… I've always been able to use her wand a little. He watched carefully as she gave a small moan, then opened her
eyes. They flicked around the room, settling on his head.

Her expressionless mask immediately slammed back into place. "I would have expected you to be long gone by now," she
said coldly.

Well, now that it's known I'm alive, there doesn't seem to be much point in hiding away and faking my death anymore,
were the words Harry intended to say.

"It hurt too much to leave you the first time. I couldn't do it again," is what he said instead, to his vast surprise.

Hermione's eyes went wide. She struggled into a sitting position on the bed and reached for her wand, still in Harry's
right hand. Reflexively Harry offered it to her… and as he was thus occupied, her own right fist shot out, connecting
squarely with his face.

He tumbled backwards off the bed, bleeding from the mouth, and looked up from the floor to see Hermione standing over
him in what might charitably be described as a towering fury. "It hurt YOU too much!!??" she screamed. "Hurt YOU?! God
DAMN you, Harry Potter, you LEFT me!!"

"Er, yeah," Harry said, moving backwards on his hands and buttocks until his back was against the dresser. "But I had
to, honest. I had to leave the wizarding world, Hermione – at the end, let me explain, at the end of that battle I had
all of the…"

"I know about the Hallows, dammit!" she shouted. "Dumbledore's portrait finally got around to telling me all about them.
I know you had the Ring and the Cloak, and I figured out you'd summoned the Wand, and I know that's why you felt you had
to leave. I'm not talking about that!" She spun away from him, hugging her arms tightly around her torso.

He got to his feet carefully, watching her. He brought one hand to his bleeding mouth, but decided against healing it
for the moment. "Hermione," he tried again, "I wrote the message with my will, remember? Where I explained that I was a
Horcrux…"

"And that you had to die if the rest of us were to defeat Voldemort. I remember, Harry," she interrupted again. "I
remember it very vividly, thank you. I'm not talking about that, either. Quite." She glowered angrily over her shoulder
at him.

Harry shook his head slowly. "Then I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you…"

"You LEFT me – left US!" She'd turned to face him again, her arms uncrossed and fists clenched at her sides. His
apparent lack of response seemed to inflame her own anger. "When we came back from the Shrieking Shack, and the entire
castle heard Voldemort's little ultimatum. Ron and I went to his family to comfort them, remember? We thought you were
right beside us, but when we looked up, you were gone. And I was worried, but Ron said oh no, you wouldn't be so stupid
as to actually go to Voldemort…"

"I went to Dumbledore's office," he said calmly enough, "to use his Pensieve. For those last memories Snape gave me."

"And then you went to Voldemort," she replied, not at all calmly, "without one word of goodbye. After all we'd been
through, after all we'd done together… you… you…" Her voice broke, but though words failed her, the glare was eloquent.

"You weren't to be found," he persisted. "And there was no time to look. And even if…"

"Oh, for God's sake!" Hermione suddenly erupted. "Will you please take off that damned Cloak?! I feel ridiculous talking
to a floating head!" The total irrelevance of her demand took Harry aback. Before he could react, she strode quickly up
to him, grabbed two handfuls of Cloak, and yanked it open.

Neither of them was prepared for what happened next.

Harry drew in a great, shuddering breath, as though he'd fallen into an ice bath. His green eyes turned huge, and as
Hermione watched, they brimmed and overflowed with tears. Harry began to weep uncontrollably, staggering to one side and
bracing himself upright on the dresser.

Hermione watched open-mouthed as Harry continued to sob. It took her several moments to convince herself that this was
not some sort of trick or ruse. "What is it, Harry?" she finally asked, keeping her voice neutral.

"The man…" Harry choked out. "Oh God, that poor man…"

"What man, Harry?" Hermione continued, in the same even voice.

"The one who just died," he wept. "I felt him die, it was like a release for him, but oh sweet Merlin… and his wife,
she's still asleep next to him, how's she going to feel when she wakes up and finds him…" His hands fumbled with the
edges of his Cloak, preparing to draw them closed again, and suddenly Hermione understood.

"Oh, no you don't," she snapped. She came up to his side and batted at the air near the Cloak's edges, where his
still-invisible hands had to be. "Off! Take it off now!"

His eyes came up to meet hers. The dispassionate look from minutes before was long gone, replaced by an almost tangible
remorse. "Hermione…" he began.

"Shut up! Take off the bloody Cloak and just shut up!" Whatever Harry was about to say, Hermione did not want said while
he was in the throes of some magically induced mood swing. Instead she pulled more of the Cloak away from his body.
Hermione was not to be denied: through sheer force of will she got Harry to cooperate.

Once removed from his body, the Cloak had become visible, a pearly grey in color. Hermione was certain it had been
silver when last she'd seen it. Beneath the Cloak he was dressed in singlet and light trousers, which looked as though
they'd been worn (and slept in) for at least a week. "How long have you been wearing this?" she demanded.

"Um? A couple of weeks, almost. Since…" Harry paused and wiped the tears from his cheeks, as he considered what to say.
If she'd questioned Ted under Veritaserum, then she had to know about Jacob Clayman. "Since Ted and Victoire's dinner at
the Idée Fixe."

"Every waking hour?" Hermione wrinkled her nose at his appearance. "Yes, I would think so. And before that?"

He sighed in defeat. "I've been sleeping in it for fifteen years. It guarantees no one can detect me."

"Such as the Ministry," she nodded sharply. "Well, that stops as of right now."

Harry stiffened at that. "Stops?"

"Yes, stops. Harry, I know why you thought you had to leave… but it's time to come back now."

She gave him no reason, merely stating it as an unarguable fact. If she thinks that, then she doesn't really understand
why I had to leave, Harry thought. The surge of emotion had abated somewhat, and he was able to collect his wits… and
recall his purpose. "As far as the Deathly Hallows are concerned, nothing's changed," he said firmly. "I can't ever let
myself be defeated, or even disarmed. Which…"

"'Even disarmed'? Oh!" Hermione said in quick comprehension. "That explains the unprovoked attack when I arrived!"

He couldn't help wincing. "I'm sorry about that. But you were holding a wand on me. The Hallows gave me no choice." He
regarded her steadily, making no attempt to evade her gaze. "Just as I had no choice about exiling myself. I couldn't
stay in the wizarding world… and I can't go back."

She said nothing at first. Harry watched as Hermione processed what he'd told her. When she spoke again, her voice was
still hard, but no longer as cold: there was a trace of sadness in it now. "You're wrong, Harry. You can't stay away.
You'll end up destroying yourself." She gestured at the Cloak, now lying in a tumble on the bed. "Look at what the
Hallows are doing to you. The Cloak seems to actually cut you off empathically, as well as visually. I'm astonished you
can still feel anything for other people."

"That's not true," he objected. "I try to help people all the time…"

"Anyone else would have stopped trying years ago," she tried not to snap. Hermione wanted to shake him by the shoulders,
and force him to understand. Her anger at him burned as hot as before, but its focus was blurring: from resentment at
his treatment of her, to frustration at his obtuseness. The Hallows were damaging him – didn't he realize the risk he
was running…?

The question answered itself: of course he did, and he didn't care. He'd long ago accepted the risk, as the only way of
ridding the world of the Hallows forever.

Hermione dropped the line of argument as unproductive. She tried a different approach: making a conscious effort to
soften her voice, she said, "Harry, what about all the people who care for you? You owe it to them to come back. And
there's so much you can do to help, Harry… so many things that still need to be accomplished."

He squeezed his eyes shut and screwed up his face in pain. "Hermione…" he began. He hesitated, then opened his eyes and
continued more firmly, "I think… I think I'm doing the greatest service I can do by eliminating the Hallows. I mean,
would it make any difference to reform the wizarding world, if… if it's torn apart by war? The last two Dark Lords have
both wanted the Elder Wand – so if there is no Elder Wand, maybe there won't be a next Dark Lord. The only way to do
that… is to die without passing it on. And the only way to do that… is to not be around to be challenged."

There was no response she could make to that.

With unfathomable sadness, he added, "I know people care for me, Hermione. And… and I care for them, too, more than I
can say. But I've already died for the wizarding world. I mean, I didn't fake dying – I died. I don't think I can owe
them more than that. I won't come back… for them."

Hermione would not let herself falter. She would not cry; she would not beg. "So you intend to stay 'dead', then?"

He raised a hand, palm outward in supplication. "Please, Hermione, don't make my 'non-death' public. I know you were
planning on digging up my body to prove it's not me…"

She never thought she'd be able to laugh, but she did. "That was a spur for Teddy – excuse me, Ted – to make sure he
contacted you tonight. Honestly, why would I make such a public show, right after insisting that everyone in the room
keep the matter quiet?" She sobered and looked Harry in the eye. "You want me to keep your secret, Harry? I will. You
want to destroy the Hallows? More power to you. You insist on destroying yourself, and dying alone, to do it? Be my
guest – I can't stop you. After all, it's For The Greater Good. Just like it says at Nurmengard."

With those words, she Disapparated. Harry collapsed on the bed and covered his face with his hands. And for the second
time that evening, he wept uncontrollably.

Which proved Hermione the stronger of the two: she waited until she had undressed, showered, and climbed into bed before
she allowed the tears to finally flow.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

10. X: Chinks in the Armor

(A/N: Once again, my thanks to MirielleGrey, who proofs these chapters before I send them on to you.

For those of you who are actually keeping tabs on the chronology of this story: I made a slight error in counting days,
not enough to affect the story line, but enough to peeve me. From the hints I've dropped, it's clear that the story –
from Chapter III onward – is set in September, 2013. This chapter therefore begins on the evening of Thursday the
Twelfth. And yes, I know what the next day is.)

(Disclaimer: Random spot check: still not my characters. Will keep checking periodically. Just in case.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

X: Chinks in the Armor

*

One good thing about being a pariah: when a bloke needed privacy, he was sure to get it.

Ted Lupin sat in one of the plush armchairs of the Gryffindor common room. It was late; almost everyone had headed for
their dorms. The few hardy souls remaining were pointedly not interested in him. For tonight, that suited him very well…
he had business. Ted touched the pocket of his robe again, and felt the reassuring crackle of the note inside. It had
come to him this afternoon on the Quidditch pitch, folded as an airplane, and all it said was Gryffindor fire, midnight;
but that was enough for Ted.

"Ted?" He looked up to see Tori standing before him, a level look on her beautiful face. "Ted, we need to talk." Ah yes,
those wonderful words every male was thrilled to hear.

"Tori, I've already said I was sorry. Repeatedly." Ted did want to have this discussion, but not right now. Right now,
he needed her to leave. It was getting close to midnight…

"I know, mon cher, and as soon as I've exacted my revenge, I'll forgive you completely." She lowered her voice. "I mean
we need to talk about your… godfather." The last word was mouthed silently.

This, on the other hand, was not a discussion he wanted to have. Ted's face went blank, a reflex based on years of
training. "Everything I can say, you heard last night," he said curtly.

"Ted, what has he been doing for all these years, that he needs to have everyone think he's dead? Have you been helping
him? What's he…"

He lowered his brows sternly and shook his head. "I can't talk about any of that, Tori. They aren't my secrets, and I
gave my promise. It was bad enough I was forced to say what I did." He looked away from her into the fire, hoping to put
an end to the conversation.

"Forced by my aunt, you mean?" Curse it, why did she have to be so sympathetic all of a sudden? "Ted, I… I'm sorry about
that, honest I am. I know you're upset, and you're right, it wasn't fair of her to dose you with Veritaserum…"

"That?" He snorted with bitter mirth, still looking into the fire. "Actually, that was classic pranking. Beautiful –
like the Weasley Twins at their finest. I've got to admire her technique, if nothing else." Which was true, so far as it
went.

"Then…" Tori sounded puzzled. "Then why are you down here so late… moping?"

"I'm not moping. I'm just… sorta persona non grata in the fifth-year dorm right now." He turned his head to look at her.
"They're kind of upset that I'm not willing to share the wealth from my Adventures in Shower-land."

"What did they expect? That you'd somehow change them into metamorphmagi and bring them along?"

Ted didn't reply in words. Instead, his hair grew longer and blonder, until it was a perfect match for Tori's hair. He
turned his eyes blue to match hers as well, and softened his jawline somewhat. He didn't morph further, keeping the rest
of his facial features – but waiting to see how long it would take supersleuth Victoire Weasley to make the correct
deduction.

Not long at all, as it turned out. "They want… they want you to model…!?" she sputtered in outrage. "Me!? As in… all the
way…!?"

"Not just you, if it's any consolation. There are three or four girls' names that keep, er, coming up."

"Euurgh! Well, then, it's a good thing you're not in the fifth-year dorm right now, because it's about to get very
uncomfortable there in a couple of minutes…!"

"Oh, it's not just the fifth-years," Ted assured her. "You know Watkins, the seventh-year Prefect? He took me aside
right before dinner… wanted to know if I could, ah, model Prudence Boomhalter for him." Ted morphed back to his usual
appearance, though he made his hair jet black.

"Watkins?" Tori looked at him aghast… she'd liked Watkins. After a moment, her expression became quizzical, finally
dissolving into a soft smile. "So the fact that you are, as you say, persona non grata… does that mean you're not, ah…?"

He raised one eyebrow and affected an upper-crust accent. "I may be a scoundrel and a rogue, m'dear, but I am still a
gentleman."

She promptly sat in his lap and gave him a hard, passionate kiss. Sadly, it was also a brief kiss: she broke away before
it could develop into a full-blown snog session. Her face remained inches away from his, though, and their gazes met and
locked. The soft smile continued to hover on her lips, which Ted took to be an encouraging sign. "I'm forgiven, then?"

Tori blinked for a moment in sudden confusion, then pursed her mouth in thought. "Mm, some final penance is still
required. If you bring my breakfast to the common room on Saturday – we'll call it even."

Rising gracefully from his lap, she added, "Of course, I still have to decide what to do about your gonad-brained
dormmates, but not tonight. I'm off to bed now, luv… don't stay up too late."

"I won't," promised Ted. He barely waited until she was headed for the stairway to her dorm before turning back to the
fireplace. That had been close, very close… it was just past midnight… thank Merlin he'd distracted her…

And Harry's head appeared in the fire. Furtively, Ted glanced over his shoulder at the now-empty common room, and back
to Harry. "Hi, Harry. Wow, your timing is perfect… I was afraid you'd be spotted."

Harry smiled. "By the girl? I took a trick from my own godfather: I 'flashed' my head through the fire for a quick look,
to check the scene before making my appearance." He chuckled and added, "So… do you morph your tongue when you kiss
her?"

"Ew," Ted began, then paused. The idea had merit…

He put the idea aside for later consideration. "Harry, are you all right? When our phone call last night cut off…"

"I'm fine," Harry said. "I'm sorry about the cut-off… some magic happened, and the phone was ruined."

"You mean Hermione managed to track you down – even through the BT phone system? Wow, she is good. No wonder your phone
got zapped."

"Well, that's why I'm Flooing you tonight, to let you know I'm okay." He hesitated, then met his godson's eyes frankly.
"And to emphasize again that none of this was your fault."

"I made you a promise," Ted said, falling morose again. "I should've found some way to keep it."

"Not your fault," Harry repeated.

"No… it was 'Auntie' Hermione's fault," said Ted, his resentment coming back to the fore. "She made me break my word to
you – in front of witnesses. In front of Tori…"

"Ted…" Harry's voice held a note of warning.

Ted ignored it. "Her and her so-called 'interview' – 'inquisition' would be more like it. And she used me to track you
down! Who the hell gave her the right…"

"Enough!" barked Harry. "That's enough! You do not get to criticize her!" His voice had gone well beyond warning now.
Even through the Floo fire, his green eyes were cold. "Not to me."

Taken aback, Ted stammered, "I, I'm sorry, Harry. It's just… she made me betray a trust!"

"If it comes to trust, I've trusted Hermione Granger with my life. Now I'm trusting her with my secret, just as I trust
you." He sighed and smiled ruefully. "I'll say it again, Ted, you didn't betray me: Veritaserum is considered, what's
the word, force majeur. And Hermione won't ever betray me, either. It's okay."

Ted didn't reply immediately. "If you say so," he finally conceded.

"I do. It's one thing I'm absolutely certain about. Please… Ted, I ask this of you, as your godfather, please don't hate
her."

With a sigh in return, Ted said, "Right, then… I reckon she needed to find you, no matter what." Shrewdly he added, "And
she found you. How'd that go?"

"It," began Harry, and stopped. He tried again: "The thing is." After another moment, he came up with, "See, Hermione
and." Ted decided it was only fair that he enjoy the spectacle of his high-horse godfather at a loss for words.

"We had… issues," Harry finally said. "It… didn't end well. But… but some things she said…" He fell silent again.

Ted waited for Harry to continue. After a minute, when Harry seemed lost in his own thoughts, Ted ventured, "At least
she didn't exhume your body today…"

Harry looked up. "We don't need to worry about that," he replied. "Ted, I'll be replacing my mobile; I'll get the new
number to you the same way you got my note earlier today. But I've decided…" He hesitated, then continued more
diffidently, "I've decided that, in case of emergencies, Hermione needs to have it too. For emergencies," he stressed,
and waited to see if Ted would challenge this. When Ted said nothing, he continued, "So I'm assuming you know where Rose
lives?"

"Rose? Don't you know… oh, of course not, you wouldn't have needed me to deliver her gift if you could've done it
yourself." Ted shrugged nonchalantly. "I've never been there. Really, most of my contact with the Weasley family is
through Tori and her folks. I mean, it's not as though you were around to introduce me. I could ask Rose tomorrow…"

"I had to borrow someone else's Floo to contact you tonight," put in Harry, "while they're away. I won't be able to do
it again tomorrow. I'll find out some other way, then…"

"Rose lives with her mum outside Wookey Hole," came a new voice. "They call their place Enthalpy House, but heaven help
you if you ask what that means." Ted turned in shock to see Tori's head peeping over the back of the divan. "I'm sorry,"
she said fearfully, "but I saw your face in the fire and I knew Ted was going to talk to you and I know Ted can't tell
me anything but…"

"You mean, while you were kissing me, you were looking at the fire…?" Ted fell speechless at this evidence of perfidy.

Harry gave Tori, or at least the top of her head, an appraising look. "You're Tori Weasley, aren't you? You heard Ted's
confession yesterday under Veritaserum?" he asked her. When she nodded, he sighed and said, "Come on, then. It seems we
have to enlist you."

Tori wasted no time in moving to Ted's side by the fireplace. "I swear to you, Mr. Potter, I'll take any oath you like,
but I'll keep your secret safe. You must be on a very important mission, if you've had to remain in complete hiding all
these years – as a Muggle, even!"

He laughed softly. "Keep the secret as well as Ted has, and that'll do. Thanks." Harry glanced at Ted and smirked.
"Beauty, brains, and loyalty – this one's a keeper, lad."

Both Ted and Tori blushed bright red, but Tori didn't flinch from Harry's eye. "Why, thank you, sir, I agree. Are you
paying attention to him, Ted? A man would have to be a fool to throw away all three of those."

Harry seemed to choke on something, and had to cough to clear his throat. "Yes," he managed to finally say. "Good… good
point. All right, I need to be off, but you'll get the new number tomorrow, Ted. Remember, it's only for emergencies… I
still expect to be gone for the foreseeable future. Good to finally meet you, Tori." With a small pop, Harry's head
disappeared from the fire.

Ted looked at his girlfriend with an increased respect. "Nice parting shot, that. What was that all about…?"

"Weren't you listening?" Tori rolled her eyes. "Men." And she would say no more, despite Ted's best puppy-dog look –
which, from a metamorphmagus, was rather impressive.

*

As the two witches made their way through the atrium to the lift, Aurora Sinclair felt sure her co-worker would address
her once they were in the lift together, alone. Zinadia had that "antsy" feel about her.

She smiled to herself as she proved herself right, the instant the doors slid shut. "I hear you're going to a Fire Party
tonight."

"My second one," replied Aurora. "Good food, good music, good people – Friday nights don't get any better."

Zinadia gave a wistful smile. "Must be nice."

"Mm hmm, it is nice." Aurora lowered her voice to a more intimate level. "The nicest thing, of course, is just the
chance to mingle with… well, you know, Our Own Kind. Just to be ourselves, without having to worry about politics or
watching what we say… you know, relaxing and acting naturally…"

Her co-worker nodded. "And Zabini's home… well, from what I've heard, it's impressive. Not overwhelming like the Malfoy
mansion used to be, but, um…"

"Elegant," Aurora nodded in response. "Rather like its owner. It's what you'd expect of Blaise Zabini, after all."

"Oooh, yes," giggled Zinadia. "I'll bet that's the best part of a Fire Party, getting to be up close and personal with
him…"

"Oh, I don't get my hopes up. I know better than to try and get between Blaise and Flame. That's why they call them
their Fire Parties, you know." They shared a quiet laugh together at this, while Aurora eyed Zinadia speculatively.
"Listen, you know that sometimes we can bring a guest, if we're willing to vouch for them…" Zinadia was bouncing on her
toes in anticipation as Aurora finished, "Are you interested?"

"Tonight? I'd love to! Uh, you'll have to help me pick out what I should wear, I mean is it casual dress or evening wear
or…"

The lift doors opened and the two witches looked up. Immediately, they were transfixed where they stood – while the
smiles remained on their faces, it was only because they were frozen there.

With an expression as dark as a thundercloud, Hermione entered the lift. Her nods to Aurora and Zinadia were cordial
enough, but it was patently obvious that The Witch Who Won was seething.

Aurora's self-preservation instincts kicked into overdrive. Thunderstorms, after all, were notorious for striking more
than the intended target. "Oh look, this is our floor," she said quickly. She grabbed Zinadia's wrist and stepped
forward.

"Um, no it isn't…"

"Yes it is, Z," hissed Aurora, and pulled her co-worker out of the lift just as the doors slid closed. Hermione barely
noticed their departure.

Whether through luck, or through some silent message transmitted ahead of her, Hermione met no one else between the lift
and her office. She stormed into her rooms, slammed her notebook down hard on her desk, fell into her chair, and put her
head in her hands. The memos and letters on the desktop that would normally jostle for her attention sat prudently
quiet.

Sheryl waited a moment for Hermione to regain her composure before making so bold as to peep through the doorway.
"Anything I can do?"

It was one of the things Hermione liked about Sheryl. Anyone else might have started with exploratory questions: What's
wrong? How are you feeling? Are you et cetera? No, Sheryl went straight for the fix.

"In the years we've worked together," Hermione finally said, not lifting her head from her hands, "have I ever asked you
to do something intrinsically demeaning to your job title or position, like fetching me coffee?"

"Black, no sugar?"

"And as strong as possible. Thank you, Sheryl."

By the time Sheryl returned with a steaming mug, Hermione had recovered to some extent. The letters on her desk had been
read but not answered; three references had been pulled from her bookshelves and were lying open on her desk. "I've just
come back from Magical Creatures," she explained, accepting the coffee. "I spent the entire morning there, trying to get
them to help me find a way to persuade our witnesses to cooperate. You'd think someone there would be knowledgeable in
elven psychology, wouldn't you?"

"Well, yeah, I'd think so. Especially now, when they're having to deal with more freed elves than ever…"

"HAH!" The acid scorn in Hermione's voice could etch platinum. "They're still mired in the same troglodyte mentality
that's worked so well over the centuries. 'Browbeat and marginalize.' First they refused to see that I might have a
problem – just order the elves to testify! And then one imbecile suggested that the elves weren't competent to testify,
because they could be ordered to say anything – not even realizing how contradictory that was!" Another tome joined the
three on the desk.

"In the end, I had to go to Amos Diggory to get anything worthwhile," she concluded. "He said their best expert on
house-elves was doing field work this week, and hard to reach... but he'd contact her and have her Floo me as soon as
possible." Hermione looked disgusted.

"I'm impressed," said Sheryl dryly. "You managed to get through that entire tirade without once using the word
'stonewall'."

Hermione breathed through her nose until she was somewhat calmer. "It's not the first time I've faced tactics like
this," she noted. "Kingsley and I have had to deal with plenty of stalling for each reform we've enacted."

"That's a point! I mean, the Minister did say you were to have every Department's full cooperation. If you're not
getting it… well, couldn't he do something?"

"As it happens, I'm meeting with him this afternoon… he wants to hear the final case against Swivingham before it goes
to trial Monday." As she said this, she was reminded of something; she moved aside two of the books and began to rummage
through the papers on her desk. "But I don't want to bring up Diggory's stalling tactics if I can avoid it. Kingsley's
so frail these days… he shouldn't have to deal with this sort of mess."

"And besides, you've always been his 'go-to girl' – you've handled messes like this before now, am I right?"

"Yes, that's true too… oh dear, the notes for the case. Where are they – oh!" Hermione lightly smacked her forehead. "I
remember now, they're scattered all over my coffee table. And I really need to research house-elf motivation… Sheryl,
where's Canby? He can go to my home and collect the notes for my meeting."

"Canby, I believe, is currently making sure that the personal needs of our six witnesses – particularly Brillig – are
being adequately addressed," said Sheryl in her driest voice yet.

"If he ends up compromising our star witness – in any meaning of that word – I'll ship him to the Ministry field office
in the Falklands, I swear," Hermione mock-growled. She and Sheryl both knew that Canby would do nothing of the sort: as
Hermione had when she'd taken the elves to Shell Cottage, he would avoid any direct mention of the Swivingham case. "All
right, fine, he can take Brillig with him, but he has to get my notes back here before my meeting with the Minister!"

Sheryl nodded and turned to go. "Oh, and Sheryl?" added Hermione, lifting a sheet from the stack of daily letters, "I've
a note here from Ron, asking me to lunch with him today. Will you please let him know that I'm not available? And that
it's not just an excuse, I'm really not available?"

Another nod, this one with sympathy, and Sheryl left Hermione to her research. Though it took a couple of minutes for
Hermione to buckle down and work. She was well aware, painfully aware, of why Ron wanted to have lunch with her. And
what – or rather, who – he wanted to discuss.

Even if she weren't swamped with work, she would find an excuse to avoid talking about Harry – she'd given her word. She
wished it made as good an excuse to avoid thinking about him. She'd managed to avoid it for two days… trust Ron and his
lunch invitation to steer her thoughts back in that unwelcome direction.

Back from the dead – literally, according to Dumbledore, she thought. But ever since, he's been in hiding. From the
wizarding world. From me. After I stood by him! The… the ungrateful berk! I could have helped him!

Except I wouldn't have helped him destroy himself. And that's just what the Hallows are doing.

Well, fine! If he wants to play the martyr, that's fine.

Except you can't play the martyr if no one's watching. If it's a lonely sacrifice… he is a martyr.

Listlessly, Hermione turned a page of the book in front of her and tried to focus on the text. Harry had made his choice
– stupid, pig-headed and hurtful though it was, it had been his choice – and she could do nothing but accept it. After
all, she couldn't locate him again: he was too canny to remain in that hotel room, he was almost certainly no longer
there. She had no way to find Harry now. Even if she wanted to.

Even if she still – despite everything – missed him terribly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

11. XI: Fresh Perspectives

(A/N: For those of you who've requested to see other members of the Potterverse: this chapter's for you. My thanks as
always to MirielleGrey, my beta Who Can Fix Anything.)

(Disclaimer: Credit must go to Jo Rowling for creating the characters; but I take some small credit for the situation in
which they've found themselves.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XI: Fresh Perspectives

*

Roswitha, the proprietress of the Three Broomsticks, met Neville as he came in. "Thanks for coming," she said in a low
voice. "He's actually been fine so far, but I just didn't want things to get, you know, out of hand."

"Understandable," Neville agreed. Roswitha had taken over the Three Broomsticks following her cousin Rosmerta's
retirement; though she was capable enough, she was years younger than Rosmerta, and hadn't her experience in handling
potential crises. "Where is he? What's he had?"

"He asked for a private room in the back. So far, three firewhiskeys and a plate of sandwiches. He hasn't touched the
sandwiches."

Neville thought quickly. "Bring us a couple of butterbeers, please, and put it all on my tab." He made his way to the
back room and entered with an air of confidence. Ignoring the sour look from the room's sole occupant, he took a seat at
the table opposite him, picked a sandwich off the serving plate, and began to eat.

Ron glowered at Neville. "I'm not drunk."

"I didn't say you were. Hello, by the way."

"No, but you're here because I'm drunk, aren't you." Ron considered his words for a moment. "Or on the way."

"Maybe a little." Neville knew it would, in fact, take more than three shots of firewhiskey to get Ron really drunk.
Their only visible effect so far had been to make his speech more emphatic, if anything. "Of course, if you insist on
getting pissed, I can't very well stop you – I have one more class to teach this afternoon. But at least have something
to eat first." He offered Ron the plate of sandwiches.

Ron took a sandwich and bit into it, just as Roswitha bustled into the room with two butterbeers. She left them on the
table, deftly scooped up the used shot glasses, and made a graceful exit before Ron could swallow enough to ask for
stronger drink.

"Hmph. It's a bleedin' conspiracy," Ron muttered. Nonetheless, he accepted the butterbeer. They ate and drank in silence
for a few minutes.

"I'd planned on meeting Hermione here for lunch," Ron finally said. "She sent word this morning, she was too busy.
Something about a big case on Monday."

"Sorry to hear it," said Neville. "When did you ask her to lunch?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Okay, it was this morning. I get it. She couldn't change her schedule that quick, I should've
planned ahead, I get it."

"Her work for the Wizengamot is pretty important," Neville noted mildly. "It'd be hard for her to drop it on the spur of
the moment, even for family."

"Yeah. Family." Ron took a deep swig of butterbeer. "Or even for me."

Not knowing what to say to this, Neville said nothing. He was startled when Ron straightened in his seat and declared,
"She dropped everything quick enough earlier this week, though, didn't she?"

"Slightly different circumstances," Neville extemporized. He knew exactly what Ron was talking about – it had been on
his mind for the last two days, too.

"Not from where I sit." Ron thumped the bottle onto the table and met Neville's gaze challengingly. "So what did you
think about that dog-and-pony show?"

Neville opened his mouth to reply, but Ron surged onward. "He can't be alive, Nev! It's… it's crazy! You were there when
You-Know-Who marched on Hogwarts – hell, you were closest! Was that or was that not Harry's body?"

"It looked like it… but then, I was kind of preoccupied at the time." Neville sipped as he regarded Ron thoughtfully. "I
do remember how broken up Hagrid looked, when he carried Harry's body out of the forest. And, well, Hagrid's no actor."

"Exactly! Exactly! And… and look at Kreacher! I mean, I like Teddy Lupin well enough, but there's no way Kreacher would
consider Teddy his master if Harry were still alive! And Merlin's beard, the goblins track inheritances better than
anyone – they wouldn't have passed Grimmauld Place to Teddy if Harry were still alive!"

"Nor, for that matter, would you and Hermione have received your bequests," said Neville.

Ron deflated slightly at that. "I didn't want his damned money," he said after a moment. "It was… just one more
Harry-hand-out…"

"I really don't think that's how Harry meant it, Ron," protested Neville firmly. Which Ron already knew, and they both
knew it – but Neville also knew there were moments when Ron believed the truth of what he'd just said, even if he
wouldn't normally admit it.

After the Final Battle, Ron had chosen not to return to Hogwarts with Hermione and finish his schooling. Instead, he'd
joined with George to reopen Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. He made good money… but if he'd thought George would accept
him as a partner, as a replacement for Fred, he seriously miscalculated. Ron worked hard, he contributed good ideas for
new gags, and he helped the business to flourish – but his brother's employee he would always remain.

Once Hermione had received her NEWTs (setting a modern record), she'd accepted Minister Shacklebolt's personal offer, to
help with codifying wizarding laws with an eye to making them fairer. Between that, and Neville's own year with the
Aurors in an advisory role, Ron had seen a window of opportunity: he applied for Auror training, convinced that his
exploits fighting Voldemort and Death Eaters would make up for his lack of NEWTs. He quickly learned otherwise. The
Aurors would have accepted Harry, without question, and Ron might well have got into Auror training on Harry's
coattails… but certainly not on his own merits.

It would be all too easy for Ron, in his darkest and bitterest moments, to credit Harry Potter for anything he had in
his life – including his failures. Small wonder, then, if Ron looked askance at the possibility that Harry might not be
dead.

"Look, Nev," said Ron, shaking his head as though to clear it. "Look... if Harry miraculously came back to life today,
I'd be happy. You know I would. I mean, you and I've been good friends over the years, but Harry was my best friend all
through school. I'd be glad to hear he was alive – but he's not." He picked up the bottle again, but didn't drink from
it… instead, he stared at it moodily. "He can't be. So why was Hermione so all-fired sure he is?"

"Well…" Neville scratched his chin. "At a guess, because Ted Lupin said under Veritaserum that he is."

Ron shrugged. "Only proves that Teddy honestly thinks Harry's alive."

"Why would he think that, though? It can't be some idle fancy on Ted's part. The amount of detail in what he told us…"
Neville scowled. "I think we have to assume an imposter, Ron. Someone representing himself as Harry to Ted. The question
is why."

"An imposter? Huh. I suppose, yeah…" Ron finished his butterbeer quickly and raised his voice. "Roswitha, darlin'! It's
gettin' pretty dry in here!"

The door opened, and both Ron and Neville turned to greet the Broomsticks' landlady. But Roswitha had someone else
beside her as she entered the room. "Hello, Neville," said Ginny pleasantly. "Cheers, Ron. A bit early in the day for
ruining your liver, isn't it?"

Ron goggled at his sister for a second, before giving Roswitha a reproachful look. "Anyone else I should expect? Madame
Pomfrey? The Temperance League, maybe?"

Roswitha blushed, but stood her ground. "See, here's how it is, Mr. Weasley: I'll keep serving as long as you can keep
ordering them, but only if there's someone to see you home after. Or I can stop right now. Your choice."

"I think, between the two of us," Ginny smoothly interposed, "Neville and I can take care of this. Why don't you bring
Ron one for the road, as it were? And a Cliodna's Choice for me. Neville? No?" She joined Ron and Neville at the table
as Roswitha left to fill their orders, flipping her waist-length hair over the back of the chair as she sat down.

"You're lucky, actually," she continued cheerfully. "Play-off training doesn't begin until next week. So when I got
Roswitha's owl, I was free to pop over." She smiled at Neville. "I haven't seen you in a while, Neville. How're you and
Susan doing?"

"As well as always," replied Neville. Whenever their paths crossed, Ginny never failed to ask after Susan. His relations
with Ginny were currently friendly enough – on the surface, certainly – but neither of them could forget their history.

"Glad to hear it," said Ginny. "So… what were you talking about so intensely when I showed up?"

Neville couldn't help giving Ron a warning look. Ron responded with an almost-but-not-quite roll of the eyes, to say
that he didn't need the warning. "We were playing 'what-if' games," Ron said. "You know, what our lives would've been
like if Harry hadn't died."

Ginny blinked, obviously not expecting that answer. "Well, I probably wouldn't be Chaser for the Harpies," she said
candidly. She didn't need to elaborate; her pursuit of Harry before he'd died was well known to the other two. "And
Neville probably wouldn't be a professor," she added.

"Oh, I imagine I would," Neville objected. "I enjoy working with students, after all."

She shook her head pityingly. "Harry would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, not you. I mean, think about it.
If he'd lived, he'd be… well, the Boy Who Lived. Not to detract from what you did," she added reassuringly, "but
compared to Harry? He'd have put you in the shade – even if you weren't letting him. Which you would've – you let The
Witch Who Won do it to you, after all."

"Hardly a question of 'letting'. We both played our parts – but in the Final Battle, people will remember that I killed
Voldmeort's snake and she killed Voldemort. She earned her title, I'd say."

"You organized the resistance at Hogwarts – even after Luna and I left," Ginny insisted. "You fought as well as anybody
in the Battle. You could have parleyed that into some major clout, if you'd wanted. You could have been a real mover and
player in today's world, and you know I'm right."

Neville sighed. They'd been over this ground many times during their brief relationship, before it fell apart, and he
felt not the slightest desire to go over it again now.

Their drinks arrived, putting a hold on the discussion. As soon as Roswitha left the room, however, Ginny picked up the
thread. "And what about you, Ron?" she asked, turning to her brother. "D'you reckon you'd be an Auror by now, if Harry'd
lived? You and Hermione could've made a great team: you'd catch the dark wizards, and she'd try them."

"I think," Neville interrupted sharply, "we've just about played out this game. Let's drop it, shall we?" He was
irritated by Ginny's jibe at Ron – with its catty reference to Ron's and Hermione's estrangement – and it showed in his
voice. This was his classroom voice now, the one that expected immediate compliance.

Rather to his private surprise, he got it. "Sorry," murmured Ginny shamefacedly, looking down at the drink in her hands.
"I was being mean, wasn't I? I'm sorry, Ron… Neville…"

Neville's expression showed he agreed. All he said, however, as he rose from the table, was, "No worries. Well, I need
to get back to Hogwarts. Ginny, you sure you can see him home? He's really not…"

"Not that pissed yet," Ron confirmed. "And I am sitting right here. No, Gin and I will finish our drinks, catch up on
our lives, and then she'll take me back to my rooms in Diagon Alley. I'll be right as rain in the morning." He caught
Neville's eye and nodded in appreciation. "Thanks, Nev."

Nodding back, Neville took his leave of the Weasley siblings. He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Ron: his life
hadn't turned out at all the way he'd hoped, at the end of the War. Neither had Neville's, come to that, but in
Neville's case it had turned out better than his hopes. In particular, while he and Ginny had grown close as
comrades-in-arms during the War, and after the War sought comfort with one another for their losses, he'd realized in
time that it would be a huge mistake for them to marry.

In that respect, he'd avoided Ron's mistake.

*

Well, that went a little better than I expected, thought Hermione as she Apparated back to the Ministry. At least we
have options now.

Her afternoon meeting with Shacklebolt had included Robards; between the three of them, they'd finalized her strategies
for the Swivingham trial on Monday. Several strategies, in fact, depending on whether the exploited house-elves would
testify or not. There was still other evidence that could be presented – financial records, surveillance reports – and
humans in Jack Swivingham's organization that might cooperate in exchange for a reduced sentence.

And as they left Shacklebolt's home, the Minister had quietly pressed a sealed envelope into her hand, murmuring "From
Croaker" as he did so. Hermione suspected it contained more information about the blocked door in the Department of
Mysteries – perhaps even the newly appeared runes that Croaker had mentioned. Not that Hermione thought she could
decipher them more easily than the Unspeakables' own rune-readers, but she'd already agreed to help however she could.

It would all make for a busy weekend, but Hermione was used to being at the Ministry on weekends.

As she approached her office, she heard a familiar voice waft through the open door. "… don't worry, it's a common
mistake. I don't know why anyone would think Rolf would even be interested in me that way – after all, he is older than
me. And I'm still taking care of Daddy, you know…"

"Hello, Luna," Hermione called out, before entering the office. Luna Lovegood stood chatting with a bemused Sheryl. Her
blonde hair had been bleached almost white by the sun, which had unfortunately left her skin slightly burnt. As Hermione
approached, Luna turned and reached out for Hermione's hands, smiling broadly.

"I heard this summer's trip was to Morocco," Hermione said. "Welcome back! What did you find?" Hermione had long since
learned that, every once in a while, one of Luna's strange imaginary creatures wasn't all that imaginary. Her annual
summer trips with Rolf Scamander had brought several new species to light, such as the ypotril two years ago.

"Nothing definite. We visited the Atlas Mountains, looking for tragopans. We found some spots that might have been
nests, but no other signs." Luna shrugged and smiled. "If we go back next year, we'll keep looking."

Once upon a time, Luna would have taken those indefinite nests as positive proof. Time has tempered her, too, Hermione
reflected. Aloud she said, "Well, come inside then. What brings you here? I'm always happy for a visit, but I have to
keep it brief…"

"The Jack Swivingham prosecution," nodded Luna. "Yes, that's why I'm here."

Hermione paused. "Do you mean… are you the Magical Creatures' expert on house-elves?"

"Well, as much as anyone can be. I'm not officially an employee of the Department, but I do hire out to them on special
occasions." They entered Hermione's rooms and took seats as Luna continued, "I gather Mr. Diggory sent an owl to Morocco
to find out if I was available. Luckily, I'd arrived home days earlier than I expected – in fact, I came to the Ministry
today to check on the status of plimpie overfishing. Mr. Diggory promised he'd do something about the plimpies, which
are close to extinction, you know…"

"Yes, no doubt, no doubt. Now about the elves, Luna…" Quickly Hermione summarized the current situation with the six
elves she hoped would give testimony. "They won't even say why they won't testify," she concluded. "But given the timing
of the 'depositions', I'm assuming some sort of pressure was put on them."

"It would be easy enough to do," commented Luna. "Probably the most important motivation in house-elf psychology is the
desire to serve humans. Certainly it's one of the strongest. I'd even say it was genetic, just as some breeds of dog are
naturally-born retrievers." Luna paused, curling her hair around her finger in thought. "Their desire is to serve, mind
you, not necessarily to please. I've known cases where an elf would risk his master's displeasure because the elf was
sure it was serving faithfully."

"You're thinking of Dobby, I assume?"

"Dobby's the prime example, yes – but then, Dobby was extraordinary in so many ways." She tapped her teeth with her
fingernail, considering. "Perhaps I could speak with one or two of them? Sometimes the questions they won't answer are
more instructive than the ones they will."

"Of course. Sheryl, is Canby at hand?" Even before Sheryl could reply, Canby had appeared by Hermione's side with a puff
of displaced air. "Oh, Canby! Good. Miss Lovegood would like to talk to one or two of our guests… probably Whimsy and
Chalice…"

"Will be no need, Miss Hermione!" chirped Canby. "All our guests have told Canby they will testify at trial!"

There was utter silence, which Luna seemed compelled to fill. "Well, that's wonderful! Your name is Canby? You must have
been very persuasive to have convinced all of them!"

"Oh, no, miss. They is deciding on their own! Brillig is telling them…"

"Telling them?" Luna prompted. Hermione had still said nothing.

"T-Telling them the great Dobby would have wanted this! It is… it is as Miss Hermione said at Dobbywatch. Dobby fought
to save Harry Potter, fought for right, and now we all must fight for right. And so they will."

"This… this is very sudden, Canby," Hermione managed to say. She broke into a warm smile, wrapped her arm around Canby
and gave him a quick squeeze. "But very, very welcome."

Canby blushed as Hermione released him. "Thank you, Miss Hermione. But Canby did nothing. They are wanting to help Miss
Hermione, because she has done so much."

"I don't know about that… but in any event, this is splendid news." Hermione paused and cast her mind over the
commitments she'd already made for the weekend. "I like to review the prosecution witnesses' testimony one final time
before the trial begins, just so there are no surprises. We'll have to do that Monday morning very early… shall we say,
six? Canby, will you be here then to help me?"

With nods so enthusiastic that his head looked in danger of falling off, Canby assured Hermione that he would do all in
his power to help. Upon Hermione's nod of dismissal, he teleported out of the room. Hermione glanced at Luna happily.
"Well, I'm sorry you came in here for nothing, but I do thank you! Perhaps after this trial's done, we can get together
and just talk…"

"Of course," said Luna absently – or rather, more absently than usual. Puzzlement creased her brows.

"What?" asked Hermione, noticing.

Luna shook herself. "Oh, probably nothing. But it's… I can't help but feel Canby's not being strictly forthright about
the elves' sudden change of heart. Remember, what they don't say is more important than what they do… and Canby wasn't
any too specific about their reason for switching."

*

When Hermione arrived home, the first thing she noticed was a bit of parchment on the low table where all her case notes
had been spread. It wasn't like Canby to leave an item behind… Upon closer inspection, it was a stiff card made of
pasteboard, not parchment, with the words For Emergencies neatly handwritten on it.

The handwriting seemed familiar, somehow, but for the moment, Hermione couldn't identify it. She went to the kitchen,
expecting to find Bottlebrush waiting by his dish as always. But Bottlebrush wasn't there.

"Bottlebrush?" called Hermione, walking rapidly back to the living room. Bottlebrush was settled on the sofa – she'd
been so wrapped up in her usual evening routine, she'd missed seeing him – looking steadily at the bit of pasteboard.
Now thoroughly mystified, Hermione picked up the card to get a better look at it.

Even as she recognized the handwriting as the same unnaturally perfect script in the flyleaf of Rose's book, the letters
began to change shape. They quickly reformed into a telephone number, followed by a glyph: a bisected circle within a
triangle.

Only a handful of living people, including Hermione, knew that glyph to be the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. And of
those, only one would be using it as a signature – on a piece of Muggle pasteboard.

She dropped the card back onto the table and watched the pen-strokes flow and reform into the words For Emergencies.
Evidently it took the touch of her fingers to cause the phone number to appear. Hermione was willing to bet that the
Transfiguration was keyed to her fingers alone. Which would require a sample of my tissue… blood would work best. But
where could he have… ah, of course. Hair from my comb, saliva from my toothbrush, any number of sources once he had
access to the house.

And how did he gain access to my house? she wondered. Like all high-level Ministry officials, Hermione had several
levels of magical protection on Enthalpy House; the memory of Scrimgeour's assassination, though it was sixteen years
earlier, had never been forgotten. After a moment, she shrugged it off as another example of the Hallows' power.

So Harry's decided to share his phone number with me. Great. Maybe after another fifteen years, we'll start trading
Christmas cards.

She walked back into the kitchen, her emotions turbulent. Harry had made it very clear he'd never rejoin the wizarding
world. That was certainly the impression he'd given! Why, then, would he seem to open the door to the possibility, by
giving her a means of contacting him? He had to know that, sooner or later, there would come a crisis that needed Harry
Potter's aid.

And in such a crisis, he'd left the decision to come back in her hands.

I don't want it to be my decision! If Harry's going to come back, let him come back of his own free will! Not under
duress, or "for emergencies", but because he wants to come back.

I want him to want to come back.

The thought brought her up short in the midst of feeding Bottlebrush. He had regretted staying away, once the Cloak was
no longer deadening his feelings. She could see the remorse on his face. But he also believed he was doing the right
thing, the only possible thing under the circumstances – and for the life of her, she couldn't see any other way to
break the Hallows' power.

She pondered the question for a moment longer. The Hallows themselves would have to be well-nigh indestructible, to have
survived intact all these centuries; the only power capable of destroying them was the power that had created them, the
power of Death. There was no way around it: to eliminate the Hallows, Harry had to die… without transferring the mastery
to anyone else.

Either way, Harry wouldn't be returning.

Dejected by her analysis, Hermione quickly ate a light snack and returned to her sofa. She picked up the card again, and
watched in a detached way as the lettering reshaped itself into the phone number. It's just as well he keyed the
Transfiguration to me, she thought randomly. Most people wouldn't understand the sign of the Deathly Hallows… they'd
think it was…

For one second, she froze in place, staring at the card. Then she dashed to her briefcase and scrabbled through it,
eventually finding the envelope from Croaker. Ripping open the envelope, she snatched out its contents: a folded packet
of parchment, sealed with black wax.

She was familiar with the seals used by the Department of Mysteries… they were made of the same wax as in their candles.
"I am Hermione Granger," she told the seal, and with a spurt of blue fire it cracked open at once. Impatiently she shook
off the wax fragments, unfolded the parchment, and scanned it for the item she was absolutely certain must be there.

*

Ten minutes later, she was standing in a call-box in Soho, dialing frantically. "The party you are calling – Howard
Seaker – is not available. At the tone, please record your message," came the unemotional voice-mail recording.

"Howard Seaker? Oh, please. Fine, you know who this is, you were at my house today. Come back there the moment you hear
this message – because I may have a way for you to safely lose those three crosses you've been carrying."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

12. XII: Answers Beget Riddles

(A/N: Some chapters come easier than others. This one, for some reason, wasn't an easy one. Here's hoping it does its
job. The next chapter, I'm sad to say, may take even longer, but for Real Life reasons. I'll try to get it out as soon
as I may.

Many thanks to all who have reviewed (and, I trust, will review). Double-thanks to my beta, MirielleGrey, who
volunteered to beta even while on vacation, and who gave suggestions for the title.)

(Disclaimer: Fair use. 'Nuff said.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XII: Answers Beget Riddles

*

Hermione made ready for bed in a state of extreme dudgeon. Harry had not come to Enthalpy House in response to her
message – he hadn't even sent a reply. So much for 'Emergencies', she thought disgruntledly as she doused the lights and
climbed into bed.

Her head had barely touched the pillow before a flash of silver darted into her bedroom. It stopped in front of her face
and took the form of a tiny silver stag. "I'll be right there," Harry's voice said in her head, and the Patronus
messenger dissolved into mist.

Even as she reached for her wand to brighten the room, there was a tiny puff of air and Harry's figure was suddenly
framed in the window. "Hermione? Oh, damn, I'm sorry, you were asleep. I'm sorry, but your message did say…"

"It did… I mean, I did," she said, bringing up the lights. "It's all right – thanks for coming."

"Um… um, well… it sounded important. I'm, uh, I'm sorry I didn't get your message… I was, er, out in the field, and
couldn't take my phone with me."

"Playing guardian angel again?" Hermione began, before it came to her that Harry wasn't sounding very articulate… and
couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. With a start, she remembered what she wore to bed this time of year – or more
accurately, how little she wore to bed. Thin camisole and knickers, to be precise.

She felt her face grow hot with embarrassment, and tried to mask it with her usual brisk manner. "Oh for goodness sake,
Harry, it's nothing you haven't seen before. Honestly, we spent weeks together in a tent, and you hardly gave me a
second glance then."

"Sorry," repeated Harry, averting his gaze. But his lopsided smile suggested that he may have given Hermione more
glances than she'd noticed. "I'll, er, just wait in the other room, shall I?" He made a quick exit, eyes averted all the
while.

Five minutes later, wearing hastily-thrown-on sweats, Hermione came out of the bedroom to find Harry sitting on the
couch, Bottlebrush purring in deep contentment on his lap. "Well, that's a surprise," she commented. "Bottlebrush
doesn't usually make friends so quickly."

"Bottlebrush, is it? Hello there, Bottlebrush…" He gently scratched under the kneazle's chin; the purring grew louder.
"I suppose you got him after Crookshanks died… what, two years ago?"

Hermione stared at Harry.

"There in your bedroom," Harry confirmed, nodding at the door. "You found him on your bed… died in his sleep, of old
age. Well, he was old for a cat, or even a kneazle." He smiled gently at Hermione's astonishment, and held up his hand
to display the Resurrection Stone ring. "I can feel passages, Hermione, like the old man the other night. I can sense…
currents… where Death's been. The details aren't always clear, but the threnodies help sometimes."

"Th-thren…?"

"Threnodies." He held a finger and thumb a couple of inches apart. "Little things, kind of like butterflies, but I think
they live on the same Death currents I can sense. And they sing…" Harry sighed as Hermione gave him a look she usually
reserved for Luna Lovegood. "Right, you remember the thestrals? Most people can't see them, because they live in more
than one world… well, believe me, thestrals are only the beginning."

She nodded slowly. "I do believe you. I do indeed." Hermione sat on the other end of the sofa. She looked searchingly at
Harry's face, but didn't say anything for a moment. When she spoke, it was with deep concern. "And what about you,
Harry?"

He understood. "I'm still in this world…" he said, but he looked away from her as he said it.

"And you're slipping away a little more every day… Never mind," she said quickly with a shake of her head. She didn't
want an argument to start. "I'm just glad you came. I may have discovered a way to destroy the Hallows without your
needing to die."

He quickly turned his head to face her again. "The Elder Wand is the main problem… it's the Deathstick, after all. And I
think it even powers the other two. But we can't destroy it, Hermione – it's too powerful for that. And I don't dare
just lose it, like throw it into the North Sea or something. It's like that ring in the Tolkien books, it would find a
way to be found again. And in the meantime, its magic is still…"

"I wasn't thinking that," Hermione interrupted, pulling out the document from Croaker. "I was thinking more like,
'Return To Sender'."

She definitely had his full attention now. "The Department of Mysteries has noticed that it can't get into one of its
many rooms," she began, unfolding the parchment and spreading it on the low table. "There's some sort of barrier across
the doorway. I volunteered to help them figure out the cause, and they gave me these runes that appeared inside the
room. Now, they interpreted these symbols to refer either to me, the destroyer of Voldemort, or to Voldemort, the
destroyer of Grindelwald." She pointed to one rune: a bisected circle within a triangle. "But what they don't realize is
that this isn't the rune for Grindelwald, it's the rune…"

"For the Hallows," Harry finished. "The same mistake Krum made when he met Lovegood."

"So the runes really refer to the destruction of the Hallows," concluded Hermione. "And given what I know of the
Department, the runes are almost certainly on the Arch – the one in the Death Chamber." She didn't need to say more: the
details of the room where Sirius Black died were surely etched in Harry's memory.

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "So I just hand the Hallows over to you, and you take them to the Death Chamber and bung them
through the Arch, and that's it?"

"Er, no, not me," said Hermione slowly. "I can't get in – that barrier, remember?"

She watched as the hands stroking Bottlebrush froze in place. Horror began to spread across his face. "Hermione," he
whispered pleadingly, "Hermione, I… I can't…"

"Only you can. You're the Elder Wand's master. Only you can get through the barrier – I'd bet it's there to keep out
everyone but you. It's simply too much of a coincidence that the Death Chamber should seal itself off when the Hallows
are united." Hermione tried very hard to sound reasonable.

"It's not just that. It's… I'm supposed to be dead. I can't go where magical people can see me… and I really can't go
waltzing into the Ministry of Magic! They'd stop me… I wouldn't get anywhere near the Arch…"

"I thought your Invisibility Cloak…?"

"I, uh…" For a moment, diffidence overcame the anguish on his face. "I haven't worn it for the last few days, you know."

"This one last time, I don't think it will matter," she said in matter-of-fact tones. Inwardly, Hermione felt absurdly
pleased that he'd listened to her. "Once the Hallows are gone, after all, it won't matter if everyone knows you're
alive." She gave an exasperated sigh as Harry continued to hesitate. "We'll come up with some cover story, if you like.
But you have to do this."

Slowly, reluctantly, he nodded.

Hermione wasn't reassured by his sudden silence. "Well, then," she said briskly, "let's get some sleep, and we can be at
the Ministry tomorrow morning. Harry, you can take the sofa here…"

"Actually, I'm not particularly sleepy," he said apologetically. "I don't seem to sleep much these days… anyway, there
are a couple more, er, 'field errands' I was hoping to do tonight…"

"No," she interrupted firmly. "You have to stay here." In a flash, she'd connected his reluctance and his sudden silence
with his past behavior, and she saw what he must be planning.

"What…"

"I mean it," she interrupted him again. "I know what you're thinking: you're thinking you don't need to expose yourself
to the Ministry when all you need to do is vanish again! It won't work, Harry Potter. You're staying right here where I
can keep an eye on you!"

"Hermione…"

She stood to face him as he sat. "Do I have to chain you to that sofa?" she demanded.

Bottlebrush laid back his ears, hissed, and jumped off Harry's lap. Harry regarded her silently, a touch of grimness
tightening his mouth. Hermione had a moment to realize that, if she'd used that tone of voice with almost anyone at the
Ministry, they'd be scuttling to do as she bade; if she'd spoken to Ron that way, it would have guaranteed a furious
shouting match.

But not this man.

He'd fought against bullying and abuse his entire life. Even when they were at Hogwarts, he seldom gave in to her
bossiness. Harry wouldn't argue – but he couldn't be browbeaten.

When he spoke again, there was a faint but unmistakable growl in the edge of his voice. "They'd better be really good
chains."

"Oh, Merlin, I didn't… I didn't mean…" Hermione's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Without input from her
brain, her mouth began to work on its own: "I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't really mean I'd chain you, but you were dead and
gone from my life and now you're back and I can't give you up again. I'm just afraid you'll leave… again…"

By this time she'd sat heavily on the sofa next to him. She had to press her lips together to keep from babbling
further. She'd ruined it, ruined everything, before it had even had a chance to heal… she'd let her anger, her anxiety,
her pain control her, and they were driving him away as surely as his own noble intentions. She kept her gaze lowered,
unable to meet his eyes, which she knew would be cold and angry.

So Hermione didn't expect to see his hand enter her field of view, coming to rest atop her own hand. "I'm not leaving,"
he said very softly.

She still didn't raise her eyes. "You did," she whispered.

"Yeah." Neither of them moved or spoke for a long minute.

"It's too late tonight," Harry said at length, "but we really need to talk." He paused. "I will be at the Ministry
tomorrow," he promised. "What time?"

Hermione did look at him then. He gazed back at her solemnly, with a slight apprehension in his green eyes. He means it,
she told herself, and felt the knot of tension in her chest relax. He said he'll be there, and he'll be there. The
parallel to their long-ago interview with Rita Skeeter wasn't lost on her.

"Nine thirty," she replied. "You should wear the Cloak, at least at first. Meet me in the Ministry atrium." The
relaxation in her chest made her feel almost giddy; she couldn't resist adding, "I'll wait for you by the big statue on
the black pedestal. You can't miss it."

*

Saturday morning found Hermione standing in the Ministry atrium, next to the display case at the Potter Memorial. For
the first time she could remember, it didn't give her heart a pang to view the large bronze statue. In fact, she
actually found the items in the glass display case… well, amusing. I'm glad I transfigured Harry's "wand" back, though.
That might have been awkward to explain.

She stiffened, but managed not to cry out in surprise, when she felt a small object press against her ear. Soft and
button-shaped… it was one end of an Extendable Ear. Through the bud she heard Harry's voice in her ear: "I never looked
that good in my life." She didn't turn her head, but gave a quick smile to acknowledge she'd heard him. A glance out of
the corner of her eye showed exactly what she expected to see: nothing.

Well, a memorial statue has nothing to do with life, does it? Hermione would have liked to say it aloud, but for the
moment, secrecy was still in force.

She turned away from the Memorial and towards the lifts, and felt the button recede from her ear. Careful to restrain
her pace – neither faster nor slower than normal – she strode to the lifts, where a witch and a wizard stood waiting.
She gave them both a smile and a greeting. "Good morning, Hutchings, Fenchurch."

"Morning, ma'am," said Fenchurch. They fell into the habitual silence that descends upon people gathered watching the
lifts' numbers change.

"It… it's a lovely day, isn't it?" suggested Hutchings.

"It certainly is," agreed Hermione, slightly surprised. She'd had few dealings with Hutchings, who worked in the Floo
Network Authority.

"Yes, we thought so, too," put in Fenchurch. Which was even more surprising: she barely knew Fenchurch by sight. Are
they making… small talk with me? she wondered. Not that Ministry employees never made small talk, but they rarely seemed
to do it with her.

Two lifts arrived; Hutchings and Fenchurch entered the one going up with affable nods at Hermione. She took the downward
lift to the ninth level. None of her senses offered a clue that Harry was in the lift with her – no slight change in air
pressure, no sound of breathing, nothing – but she knew he was there.

Arriving on the ninth level, she proceeded down the corridor to the black door leading to the Department of Mysteries.
Opening it, she looked into the round, many-doored foyer, lit by its odd black candles – she stood in the doorway to the
corridor and left the door open. "I'm Madam Granger, and I need to speak to Croaker," she announced.

Nothing happened. She waited another moment, then entered the foyer (inconspicuously touching her wand's tip to the door
as she stepped through). Once the door closed, the foyer's walls immediately began to revolve, fast enough to blur their
features. Finally the room slowed, stopped, and one of the doors opened to admit Croaker. He regarded Hermione, silent
and impassive.

"I need to see the runes for myself. They're on the Arch in the Death Chamber, aren't they?" Hermione asked without
preamble.

Only a slight crease of his eyebrows betrayed Croaker's surprise. "The runes you were given were an accurate
transcription," he said after a moment.

Hermione shook her head. "The relative placement of a series of runes has as much meaning as the runes themselves." She
took the parchment from her pocket and unfolded it to show the symbol of the Hallows. Pointing to it, she said, "This
one, for instance, is centered on the Arch's lintel, isn't it?"

Croaker hesitated, and Hermione pressed her advantage. "And they aren't in a row, as on this sheet, but on multiple
lines, yes? So a rune on the bottom line could apply to two runes on the top line, yes?" She said nothing further,
trusting her point had been made.

Evidently it had, though Croaker gave no acknowledgement of the fact. With a tiny wave of his hand, he motioned her to
another of the doors. He pushed it open and entered – Hermione following immediately behind – and called out. "Eldritch.
Show Granger to the Death Chamber." With a final, unreadable look at Hermione, he took his leave.

Eldritch was… grey. No other word was as apt: his hair and beard were short-cropped and grey, his eyes unnaturally pale;
even his robes exuded an air of dusty huelessness. But he was personable, where Croaker was not. "This way, Madam
Granger."

Shortly they'd arrived at the door to the Death Chamber. Looking through it, Hermione could see the rows of low benches,
and in the center the Arch. It had indeed changed since the last time she'd seen it, when she was sixteen: now the Arch
was completely covered with scores of graven runes, glowing a dull red, like coals against the dark stone. But the black
veil that fluttered as though in a breeze, even in the still air – that hadn't changed.

"So… this barrier…" Hermione said to Eldritch. "Is it merely a barrier, or is it more, er…?"

"Active?" Eldritch shook his head and stretched out a hand. "Not as far as we can tell. It won't hex you to touch it.
You simply won't be able to get through." He drew back his hand and added, "Try it."

Tentatively, Hermione reached out with her fingertips. At the very center of the door frame, they stopped abruptly. It
didn't feel like anything – it wasn't as though there were an invisible glass wall, or stone wall, or whatever – but her
fingers would go no further. "I didn't realize the Arch was so far from the door," she said. "Do you have a set of
omnioculars I could borrow?"

"Not omnioculars," said Eldritch reprovingly. Hermione recalled that omnioculars could record a scene; obviously, the
Unspeakables would never permit that. "But we have a set of opera glasses," he added. "It's what we used to transcribe
the runes for you. I'll go fetch them, back in a moment."

Hermione stepped away from the door as Eldritch walked away. That would give Harry plenty of working room. She tried not
to look as though she were watching carefully… she was curious as to exactly how he'd breach the barrier.

Eldritch returned with the glasses in his hand. "Here we go. You'll probably want a chair to sit in as you read them. My
own concern was whether there were more runes on the side of the Arch we can't see."

"If so, there's not much we can do about it," commented Hermione, taking the glasses. She hefted them experimentally,
buying a minute more time…

"Yeow!" cried Eldritch. Hermione had felt it too: a wave of shock, like an electrical shock, passing through them. It
caused them both to jump into the air and twitch for a few moments.

Eldritch was staring at the doorway. "That came from inside!" he cried. He reached into the pocket of his robe and
pulled out a spell residue detector, like the one Dennis Creevey had used when investigating 'Jacob Clayman'. "Michaels!
Brymston!" he shouted over his shoulder as he fiddled with the device. "I need the Number Two Analyzer here now! And
bring three – no, four resonance jars! Excuse me," he added brusquely to Hermione, all but shoving her away from the
doorway as he thrust the device forward.

Hermione watched as two more Unspeakables, clad in green robes, pushed a cart loaded with gear up the corridor to the
Death Chamber. She imagined the looks on their faces when Harry Potter made himself visible in the Chamber, threw the
Deathly Hallows through the Arch, and walked out to greet…

Suddenly, a cold weight settled into her stomach. We assumed the barrier and the Hallows were linked – that the barrier
would disappear when the Hallows were destroyed. What if we were wrong? If Harry destroys the Elder Wand, and then can't
leave the Chamber…!

Wide-eyed and speechless, she watched the Unspeakables assemble their apparatus… looking past them into the Chamber,
waiting for Harry to appear, Hallows in hand, preparing to throw… if only she could catch his eye and warn him in time…

She jumped again. The Extendable Ear nub had been pressed to her ear.

"It wouldn't let me in," said Harry.

*

"You're sure you did nothing?" asked Croaker, as he escorted Hermione back to the Mysteries foyer. By now, there were a
half dozen wizards and witches clustered around the doorway to the Death Chamber, all testing to see if the burst of
shock-magic would recur.

"I hadn't even started making notes on my copy of the runes," said Hermione calmly. "All I'd done was touch the barrier,
and Eldritch did so before me."

Croaker didn't respond, but he continued to eye Hermione with that unblinking gaze. She gave him little mind; her
thoughts were on Harry's words: Having said he couldn't get in, he'd said nothing further. She wished there'd been some
way to ask him questions, but even whispers would have been heard in that small space. Discussion would have to wait
until they got back to Enthalpy House.

They arrived at the foyer to discover that another outsider had arrived. Blaise Zabini was delivering a portfolio of
official-looking documents to two senior Unspeakables. "The passes are good for one week," he was explaining to them.
"You'll be granted full access to Nurmengard, but you won't be permitted to remove anything. I couldn't convince them to
permit photographs, but you can make all the tracings you want…"

Zabini stopped upon seeing Croaker and Hermione. "Everything else you'll need is in the packet," he concluded, with a
charming smile. He accepted the Unspeakables' thanks graciously but hurriedly. He quickly turned his attention to
Croaker and Hermione.

"So, Croaker old man, I see you've recruited Granger. Don't tell me she's considering a career change, from law to
research? Not that you wouldn't be outstanding as an Unspeakable, Granger."

"Granger's been helping us resolve a small anomaly," said Croaker. "I'll let you both out now." Only an Unspeakable, in
theory, could select the exit from amongst the identical doors of the foyer.

Hermione promptly strode to the proper door and held it open for Zabini… and, she hoped, for Harry. She'd unobtrusively
tagged the exit when she'd first arrived, after all – Just In Case. (A precaution she'd learned from her first, illicit,
visit to the Department of Mysteries.) The opportunity to score on Croaker and Zabini was simply too great to pass up.

She nodded farewell to Croaker, who remained standing in the foyer staring incredulously at her, and gently closed the
door behind her.

"By the way, it would appear congratulations are in order," smiled Zabini. "I understand the witnesses against Jack
Swivingham have agreed to cooperate fully."

"They have," said Hermione, wondering how he knew. Granted that she hadn't told anyone to keep it secret, the elves had
only come to their decision the day before.

"And I must say, I'm impressed with how you convinced them," he continued smoothly. "In some ways, Granger, it's a pity
you couldn't have been Sorted into Slytherin."

"Beg pardon?"

"Oh, come now, don't be so modest. Starting a rumor that Harry Potter has returned from the dead? Sheer genius!" Zabini
applauded softly.

"I didn't…!" Hermione suppressed the urge to look around for Harry. It would be pointless: either he wasn't there, or he
was invisible. Hermione fervently hoped that he was gone, and couldn't hear this…

"No, of course you didn't. Of course." Zabini gave her a knowing smirk. "Still, the elves believe it, and that's what
counts, eh? They'd do anything for their great hero. Genius, I say again. I wish I'd thought of it."

Hermione looked Zabini straight in the eye. "You must be mistaken, Zabini. I have not started, or spread, any tale about
Harry. Alive or dead." Are you listening, Harry? she called silently. I didn't do this! I promised I'd keep your secret,
and I have! Are you listening?

Zabini cocked his head and regarded her curiously. "Well," he said after a moment, "it doesn't matter, I suppose. The
elves will testify against Swivingham on Monday… anything else is superfluous. You'll certainly end with another jewel
in your cap."

"Jewels in my cap are fairly superfluous, too," she retorted. "Far more important is the chance to clean up the seamier
side of the wizarding world – and put the head of this filthy criminal cartel in Azkaban where he belongs!"

For an instant, Zabini's eyes narrowed. The smile remained on his face, but it had lost all pretense of affability. "I
quite agree," he said. "Scum like Swivingham are a disgrace to the name of wizard." Then his smile broadened, and the
bonhomie returned so quickly that Hermione couldn't be sure it had vanished. "Good luck on Monday, then, Granger. We're
all looking forward to your victory in court."

He gave a slight bow, one hand over his heart, and strode briskly down the corridor towards the lift. Hermione didn't
follow him… she was waiting until Zabini was out of earshot.

Then she whispered, "Harry? Harry? Please, Harry, come back tonight. You were right, we need to talk… Harry?"

But whether Harry had been standing beside her all along, or had already left, the response was the same.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

13. XIII: Unfogging the Past

(A/N: As ever, I am indebted to MirielleGrey for her support and beta-skills. Any errors left over after she's scanned
my copy are my own fault. The chapter's title is a play on the title of one of Harry's Divination textbooks.)

(Disclaimer: This is Paracelsus. See Paracelsus write. Write, Paracelsus, write! See Paracelsus get no money for
writing. See Paracelsus deny that he is Jo Rowling. Deny, Paracelsus, deny!)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XIII: Unfogging the Past

*

Hermione tried to leave the Ministry as quickly as she could, but she promptly discovered that the Senior Counsel to the
Wizengamot couldn't arrive in the Ministry, even on a Saturday, without people descending on her, bearing items that
required her immediate attention. Even after escaping the press of business, she was still stopped several times on her
way to the Apparation point in the atrium, by people asking if she'd heard "the latest rumor". No one, thank goodness,
seemed inclined to actually believe that Harry had "come back from the dead"… but interestingly, none of them dismissed
it out of hand, either.

It wasn't until late afternoon that she arrived back at Enthalpy House, only to discover it empty… seemingly so, at
least. "Harry?" she called out tentatively, and then more urgently when she got no reply. In a rush she looked for some
sign that he'd been there: searching among the mail (from Ron, from professional journals, from others) for another
charmed bit of pasteboard, dashing from room to room to see if he'd left items there.

I was afraid of this, she told herself frantically. He heard Zabini's remark, and now he's sure that I've told everyone
he's not dead. He's decided he can't trust me…

There was a tiny, almost silent pop of air, and Harry Apparated into her living room. He regarded her with a neutral
face, and raised a paper sack in one hand. "Hungry?" he asked. His tone was like his expression, neither hostile nor
cheerful.

Hermione couldn't tell what was going through Harry's mind, but she knew she needed to clear the air at once. "Harry, I
don't know how a rumor got started about your return, much less why Blaise Zabini is giving me credit for it. But please
believe me: since we met in your hotel room, I haven't told a soul about you. At all."

Harry didn't react to her words at first. "I brought sarnies," he finally said, still in that neutral tone. "D'you
prefer beef or chicken?"

"Chicken. Harry, please believe…"

"I do," he said curtly, without waiting for her to finish. He sat at the coffee table, unpacked the paper sack, and
offered her a wrapped sandwich. Hermione hesitated, then accepted the sandwich and sat on the sofa, neither too close to
him nor too far away. She very much wanted to continue probing him, making sure he accepted her word, but something held
her back for the moment.

Harry broke the quiet. "You're nervous," he shrewdly noted – but though his voice was mild enough, his eyes were hard.
"But really, I believe you: you haven't told anyone about seeing me in my hotel room." He paused, sighed and raised his
gaze to meet hers directly. "But Ted said something about an interview, where you first brought up the possibility of my
survival. In front of a crowd."

Ah. Hermione saw where his thoughts were headed. "Yes, but I only stated the possibility, Harry; it wasn't confirmed.
More important, every person in that room can be trusted. You've trusted them all, Harry, in the past." She counted on
her fingers. "Professors McGonagall and Longbottom. Bill and…"

"'Professor' Longbottom? Neville?" Momentarily, Harry sounded both surprised and pleased.

"He's very popular with his students, so I'm told… Bill and Fleur. Andromeda Tonks. Ron. Ted, Victoire, and Rose…" She
frowned suddenly. "I've tried to teach Rose the importance of keeping confidences, but she is only eleven. She might
have blurted it where people could hear."

"Mph – but probably not people who'd report to Blaise Zabini so quickly," Harry mused, turning again serious – almost
grim, thought Hermione. She'd succeeded in identifying his attitude: that of a man who felt himself wrongly done by, but
trying nonetheless not to rush to judgment. "Portraits, perhaps? Could any of the school portraits have overheard you?"

"Only Professor Dumbledore's, in the Headmistress's office. And you know those portraits are pledged to serve the
Headmistress." Hermione took another bite of her sandwich, thinking hard how she might demonstrate her innocence. "The
easiest way to trace the rumor would simply be to ask Canby where he and the other elves heard…"

"No," put in Harry hastily. "Er, no, that won't be necessary."

"What? But why not…?" Hermione began, but she didn't need to finish. The scene flashed before her mind's eye, complete
in every detail: Harry comes to Enthalpy House to deliver his "Emergency contact" card – at the same time that Canby and
Brillig arrive to gather my notes for my meeting with Kingsley! "I… I don't bloody believe it! I wracked my brains
looking to persuade the elves to testify, and you just show up and…!"

"I didn't tell them to do anything – I didn't even know who they were!" protested Harry, suddenly on the defensive. "And
I pledged them to secrecy…"

"Are you serious? Are you freaking serious?" Hermione slammed the half-eaten sandwich onto the table and glared
furiously at Harry. "Let's pretend that two nuns enter a chapel and find Jesus Christ standing there. And Jesus tells
them, 'Oh, this isn't the Second Coming, I'm not supposed to be here, you'll keep my secret, won't you?' Do you honestly
think those nuns could keep a secret like that? And even if they did, don't you think when they rejoined their convent,
the other nuns might notice a change in their behavior and act accordingly? For God's sake, Harry!"

"Uh, I really think you're overestimating…"

"No, Harry, I don't think I am! Oh, honestly!" Unable to remain seated, she stood and stalked to the opposite end of the
room, folding her arms over her chest. She fumed as she waited for Harry to respond… coldly, or angrily, or whatever…
but didn't expect what she heard next.

Harry was chuckling.

She whirled and fixed him with her blackest glare. He appeared not to notice. "Okay, you're right. However the rumor got
started, it wasn't through you."

"Oh, thank you," she said witheringly. "And what convinced you…?"

"The way you're acting right now," Harry explained calmly. "If you'd imagined a way you might have let it slip, even
accidentally, you wouldn't have suggested the elves as the source, and you wouldn't be so upset. I mean, you were never
a very good actress, Hermione." At her scowl, he grinned and said in a falsetto voice, "You see, Mr. Borgin, Draco
Malfoy is my friend, and I want to get him a present, oh but obviously I don't want to buy something if he's already
reserved it…"

Hermione couldn't help it; the matching grin broke through her temper as she recalled the incident in Knockturn Alley.
"All right, I admit that wasn't exactly one of my more brilliant moments." She uncrossed her arms and put her hands on
her hips as she continued to scowl – but only a mock scowl now – at Harry. "And may I just point out, Mr. Potter, that
I've had plenty of time to improve my acting skills."

"Now that you're a prosecutor? And a wife and mother? Maybe," allowed Harry, "but not that much, I don't think."

Somewhat mollified, she returned to the sofa. They finished their sandwiches in silence. There was so much they had to
say to each other – and Harry's remark about "wife and mother" touched on only one of them – but for the moment,
Hermione was content to sit on the sofa and eat.

She was just about to break their silence when Harry did so first. "I couldn't get through the barrier this morning.
Even when I hit it with the strongest Reducto spell the Elder Wand could generate."

"Was that when Eldritch and I felt that… shock wave?"

He nodded. "Yeah… some kind of backlash. I felt it too."

"But then – don't wipe your hands on your trousers, Harry, I have serviettes – but then why would the Death Chamber have
such an impenetrable barrier over its door? I was certain it was to restrict access to you alone, with the Hallows. So
is it just…"

"It's not impenetrable," interrupted Harry. "Someone got through just before I lost patience and tried the Reducto." At
Hermione's inquiring expression, he elaborated. "Someone's… soul. Someone had just died, and I could feel their passage.
Remember the old man in the inn? It was like that: I felt someone's soul pass through me today. The threnodies were
following, but I couldn't quite make out who it was from their song."

She couldn't help gaping at him… not only at what he said, but at his matter-of-fact way of saying it. "Are you saying
the Arch is where our souls go when we die?"

He blew out a breath. "Well, we'd already figured it was a portal to the afterlife, didn't we? 'Course, everyone's soul
can't go through there: I mean, how many people die every minute, worldwide? There'd be a huge crowd of souls in that
case, but I only felt one pass through while I was there."

"Possibly the Arch is only for magical people, and Muggle souls go elsewhere," said Hermione, thinking out loud. "Or
maybe there's more of them besides the Arch… legend tells of a cave in Greece, where Heracles and Orpheus made their
descents to the Underworld. Or maybe the Arch is merely the druids' means of physically embodying and localizing the
portal…"

"My point is, I felt the soul go past me, through me, through the barrier, and into the Arch," Harry concluded.
"Whatever the barrier's supposed to keep out, it isn't the spirits of the dead."

"Which raises the question again: what is the barrier keeping out?" Hermione pondered. Neither said anything for a few
moments.

"Maybe it's not supposed to keep anything out," Harry finally suggested darkly. "Maybe it's keeping something in."

*

After delivering his thoughts about the Death Chamber, Harry found himself with nothing else to say – or rather, nothing
safe to say. He'd come to the Ministry at Hermione's prompting, but he'd given no thought to what he'd do if her plan
had worked – if he had, at one stroke, rid the world of the Deathly Hallows. Uncomfortably, he realized he'd then have
no excuse for not rejoining the wizarding world… if he'd stayed away, it would be a true rejection of that world, and
everyone in it.

And while Harry didn't care if he never saw some people in the wizarding world ever again, he'd realized in the last few
days that there were others who he'd missed… missed very much indeed. Foremost on that list was the bushy-haired
inquisitor on whose sofa he was sitting.

So far, their conversation had concentrated on the events of the day – though that included clearing up their
misunderstanding about discretion. Harry knew, however, that wouldn't last. He felt reluctant to intrude any further
into the affairs of the wizarding world – Hermione's world, if no longer his – and even more reluctant to share the
details of his world.

Their lunch concluded, he stood politely and said, "Well, it was a good idea… and I think your notion of other portals
is worth checking out. Especially the cave in Greece… maybe it won't have a barrier across it. Thanks loads, Hermione.
You still have my emergency number, so…" He made the vague motions usually made by visitors about to take their leave.

"Ah, yes, Howard Seaker's mobile." Hermione laughed but didn't stand along with Harry. "Howard Seaker, Jacob Clayman…
how many pseudonyms do you have, Harry?"

He shrugged. "Warren Locke… Nigel Chanter… I thought Hal Jameson was a little too obvious, even for me." He didn't
mention others he'd devised, such as Neville Thomas and Ron Granger, which he'd discarded early in his exile as too
painful to use.

"But Jacob Clayman was your favorite. Or, at least, you used it longest." Harry must have looked surprised, for she
sighed and explained, "How long does it take to advance to sous-chef status, Monsieur Clayman?"

"Years," Harry conceded. Without thinking, he'd reseated himself on the sofa. "Mind you, I had an advantage in my choice
of spices. Mallowsweet in particular is good in sauces served with roast lamb, much better than mint, really…"

He stopped as Hermione laughed again. "Oh, Harry, I'm just trying to picture you as a gourmet chef. You must cook for us
sometime, honestly. I'd really like to taste your skills."

"Maybe," he hesitated, "maybe someday." He smiled ruefully. "'Course, those 'skills' were how I was finally caught,
weren't they?"

"I don't suppose it ever occurred to you that wizards might visit a Muggle restaurant." Hermione turned serious. "You
cut yourself off so completely…"

This was striking a bit too close to home. Harry tried to make light of it. "Well, after I started having regular
contact with Ted, I learned a little bit about what was going on. I only had one restriction: I didn't want to hear
anything to do with Quidditch. Mind you, once that had been barred as a topic of conversation, he didn't have a lot to
say."

"I daresay you heard a lot about Victoire Weasley, then," she smiled.

"Oh yes."

"Anything…" Hermione hesitated. "Anything else?" She tried to keep the smile on her face, but it kept flickering away.

He gave a half-shrug, not looking at her directly, but at a spot two inches to her left. "Well, I knew about Rose, of
course… I suppose she told you about the book I gave her." He dropped the topic… he couldn't say more about Hermione's
family life if he wanted to avoid mentioning her marriage to Ron. And everything he could see around him – from the
neatness of the room, to its lack of Chudley Cannons memorabilia – told him that, whatever turn Hermione's life had
taken, it didn't include Ron at Enthalpy House.

Her penetrating glance suggested that she knew exactly what he wasn't saying. Harry was saved by a timely interruption:
a tapping at the window. After a moment's pause, in which she obviously debated whether to ignore the tapping, Hermione
rose from the sofa. Going to the window, she opened it to admit an owl with a scroll in its beak.

She took the scroll and, when she saw that the owl was waiting for a reply, unrolled it at once. "It's from Edwin
Lovinett," she read aloud to Harry, "the solicitor representing Jack Swivingham. He's requesting a meeting with me and
his client, tomorrow, on a matter of the utmost importance and… hm." She glanced up at Harry. "And confidentiality."

"Who's Jack Swivingham?"

She looked momentarily astonished that he should ask. "It's too long to explain," she said. "But he's a criminal I
intend to put away for a very long time. The elf you met yesterday will be one of the witnesses against him."

"Sounds like he wants to cut a deal," said Harry encouragingly.

"Yes, it does, doesn't it?" She found a quill, scribbled on the back of the scroll, and handed it to the owl. The owl
launched itself out the window. "I'll see him tomorrow at noon," she told Harry, sitting down again. "That'll give me
time to work out any details before the trial begins on Monday."

"Well, then." He stood once more, trying to display the signs of imminent departure. "If you're going into the Ministry
tomorrow, you'll need a good night's sleep, so…"

"Stay."

He barely heard the single word, she said it so softly.

"Please," she added. Her gaze was steady on him… not pleading, but not at all tentative. "Please. I'd like you to stay."

Somewhere, his voice had gone on holiday. It took Harry a minute, or possibly hours, to find it again. When he did, he
responded with a single word of his own. "Ron?"

Hermione turned pink, but didn't avert her gaze. "Ron lives in Diagon Alley, in a flat above their shop. We're…" She
cleared her throat and continued, "Yes, we're married, but…" She stopped, looking far less than her usual confident
self, and swallowed heavily. "It's a long story," she concluded.

Harry locked eyes with her. "Do you love him?" he asked quietly.

"It's not that simple," she replied, "not anywhere near as simple as that." She said no more, merely waiting… for Harry
to make the next move. Which he did, by sitting back down on the sofa near her.

Hermione clasped her hands together and stared at them, as though they contained the words she wanted to say. "Ron and I
were married a few years after you'd… after the end of the War," she finally began. "We'd always been close, after all,
and he'd seemed to mature so much in the last months of the conflict. I mean, he started to genuinely care about some of
my interests. And he, well, he made me laugh, at a time when I never thought I'd laugh again. He could always do that.
And…" She paused.

"And I was dead," Harry nodded.

Her answering nod was filled with a deep sadness. "I'd lost you – I couldn't bear to lose Ron, too. So when he asked me
to marry him, I said yes."

Harry could see how it must have been. The War was over, and the losses had been great… the two survivors of the Trio
had each clung hard to their one remaining friend.

"But even then – even then, we had some… friction," Hermione continued carefully. Harry could only imagine the
disagreements, arguments, and outright fights contained in that one word. "I went back to Hogwarts to finish my seventh
year – Ron decided to work for the Wheezes. And when I got my NEWTs and Kingsley offered me a job at the Ministry, Ron
found out he couldn't do the same. None of which would've mattered, of course, if only he'd been happy at how it all
turned out – but he saw himself taking a second place to me, and he couldn't bear that."

She wasn't looking at Harry now, or at anything in the room. Harry guessed that she was watching scenes from the past –
scenes she'd replayed in her mind many, many times over the years. "I don't know what went wrong… or maybe, it was never
really right to begin with… but we argued over so much, Harry. Even when I was first working with Kingsley, fighting to
correct the most blatant injustices in our government: rights for all magical beings, an end to bloodline
discrimination. And at first Ron seemed to genuinely care about my work. But the more time I spent at the Ministry, the
less he seemed to care… almost, you know, like he'd used up what to say and couldn't think of anything."

No, Harry reflected, I'd reckon "Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches" wouldn't cover a situation like this. He made
very sure to keep the thought to himself.

"So I was putting in more and more time at the Ministry, just to get away from home. And of course, he didn't like that
I was advancing in the Ministry so rapidly as a result. It seemed as though every night was spent in either yelling or
not saying anything." Hermione sighed wearily.

"And then you got pregnant with Rose," guessed Harry.

Hermione looked up at him in surprise. "I've been trying to help people… secretly… for a fair few years," Harry
explained. "I've watched domestic catastrophes unfold. A baby can either cement a relationship, or blow it apart."

"Don't think for a moment that Ron doesn't love Rose," Hermione said quickly, firmly. "He loves her very much, and so do
I. But…"

"But that was the straw that broke the camel's back, as it were?"

"As it were." She sighed again and once more met his gaze. "So, to answer your question: I don't know that I'd call it
'love', but I suppose I do still care for Ron, somewhat. But I can't live with him." She gestured at the room around
them. "He moved out when Rose was five."

"But you're still married, then?" For a moment, Harry had to wonder if Hermione had stayed with Ron to avoid damaging
her Ministry career – then he rejected the thought as unworthy. Hermione had despised Percy for putting career before
family: she would never do that herself.

Her expression turned incredulous for an instant, before she visibly recalled how little he still knew, even after all
these years, of the wizarding world. "Vows in the wizarding world are enforced by the users' own magic, Harry. You
certainly remember the magically binding contract that kept you in the Triwizard Tournament? Well, if anything, marriage
vows are stronger. Ron and I can't divorce – hell, we can't even cheat on each other."

She stood jerkily. "So you see, it's perfectly safe for me to invite another wizard to spend the night in my home. Don't
feel any qualms on that account. It's simply that…"

"I never assumed that was your intention, Hermione," he said quietly.

Hermione's words fumbled slightly, then she continued, "It's simply that I'd like to have my oldest friend – whom I'd
thought dead for years and years – I'd like to know that he's close by. That he's alive, and safe, and near. That's
all." Though she didn't say it in so many words, there was a sense of Is that so much to ask? in her tone. Harry was
quite sure that Hermione wasn't even aware it was there.

She'd shared the details of her life with him… and she'd made her case. She would not ask again, Harry was certain of
that. The next move was once more his – and he was acutely aware that his choice would dictate the courses of the rest
of their lives, one way or another.

But for the first time in what seemed forever, he felt he really had a rest of his life.

Even before his conscious mind realized he'd made his choice, his mouth was responding with a seeming non-sequitur,
delivered from a perfectly straight face. "Eggs?"

She was taken aback. "W-what…?"

"Eggs. Do you keep eggs in your icebox? Maybe some bacon, or some mild cheese? If you don't, I know a little all-night
shop in Kensington that has pretty good quality…"

She blinked at him three or four times before a delighted smile spread across her face. "Oh! Um, no, I don't eat
breakfast all that often. Um, usually I just grab a pastry on my way to work."

Harry stood and faced her. "Well, if you wouldn't mind decking out the sofa with pillows and such, I'll make a grocery
run and be back in two shakes."

It was truly amazing how swiftly she closed the space between them, to envelop him in a massive, spine-cracking hug. And
the awkwardness he expected to feel, about putting his arms around her and returning the favor, somehow never
materialized.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

14. XIV: Delicate Negotiations

(A/N: The letter from Ron was inspired by a suggestion from Particle Accelerator.

My thanks, once again, to MirielleGrey, my gold-standard beta, who showed me how to tighten some of the scenes in this
chapter.)

(Disclaimer: Don't be silly. Of course I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters. I'm just insisting they
reach their full potential.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

Chapter XIV: Delicate Negotiations

*

The omelets were light, almost soufflé-like in their airiness, with veins of molten bleu cheese running through them,
and bits of perfectly crisp bacon sprinkled overall. "Small wonder if the girls can't keep their hands off you," joked
Hermione as she finished eating, "if this is the sort of breakfast you can cook."

Harry smiled slightly but didn't respond to the jibe. Instead, with a tiny jerk of his head he levitated their empty
plates over to the sink. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please." She'd actually had a restful night's sleep, though she wasn't sure the same could be said of Harry: she
had got up to use the lavatory around three a.m. and saw that he was lying awake on the sofa, hands folded behind his
head, staring at the ceiling. She'd returned to bed without saying anything.

She watched him now over the lip of her cup of coffee, as the dishes and pans cleaned themselves in the sink. The casual
ease with which he manipulated magic was impressive, but a topic for another time. Right now, she wanted to discuss his
return to the wizarding world – if she could find a safe way to broach the subject. Hermione was reluctant to disturb
the concord they'd reached last night.

Habit asserted itself: she started puttering amongst the items that had arrived in the post on Saturday. Very quickly
she came across the message from Ron. She opened it, started to read, and felt the blush blossom on her face; hastily,
she slipped it into the bottom of the stack of papers.

Not hastily enough, unfortunately. "Is that Ron's handwriting?" Harry asked. "What's he have to say?"

"Erm," Hermione said, trying through sheer willpower to keep the blood from rushing to her face, and failing. "It's… a
reminder. My birthday."

"Oh, that's right! Your birthday is this week, isn't it? And he's giving you a party? That's pretty good of him…"

"Not exactly. He's… inviting me to a, a private party. As it were." To hell with the blushes, she decided, and raised
her head to look straight at him. "We are still married, after all."

It took Harry a moment to decipher her meaning. When he did, it was his turn to blush. "Ohh. So, uh, you're not really,
uh, separated, then?"

"We're very much separated, Harry. But as I said last night, our wedding vows are enforced by our own magic." Hermione
swallowed a quick gulp of coffee to clear her throat. "I suppose if I were Narcissa Malfoy, I'd have worded my oath to
allow occasional 'liaisons', as long they were discreet. Instead, Ron and I were married using the Church of England
ceremony. As a concession to my parents, you understand."

"Yeah, you said you couldn't cheat on each other. So… that, uh, means no sex at all? For either of you?" Harry was
bright red now, and no longer looking directly at her.

"Pretty much," said Hermione, scarlet-faced but determined to get the matter out into the open. "Though there are charms
that make objects vibrate…"

"Right. Got it."

"You'd probably have a better idea than I would about Ron's options," she concluded.

He closed his eyes as if in pain. "I'm sorry," he finally said.

"I gather that Arthur's pressuring Ron to have more children," she continued doggedly, taking a perverse amusement from
his embarrassment. "A son, this time – to carry on the Weasley family name, you know. So far, all but one of Arthur's
grandchildren have been girls. I don't feel we should have any more children, given how our marriage has turned out, but
you know Ron…"

"Please. Enough."

"Welcome back to my world, Harry. It hasn't been all skittles and beer while you've been gone." Hermione saw the opening
in the conversation and took advantage of it… gambling that his current discomfort would leave him ready to make
concessions. "So… when do you plan to let everyone know?"

"Let everyone know?" Harry blinked at the change of subject. The blush faded rapidly as his eyes came back to look at
her again. "That I'm 'back', you mean? Hermione, I'm… I'm not…"

"You're not coming back? Is that what you're trying to tell me, Harry? Because if you…"

He raised his hand, palm towards her, in a quieting motion that was an unmistakable command. The several logical
arguments she'd been primed to deliver came to a screeching halt, tumbling over one another in her head. Quite
uncharacteristically, she fell silent and let him speak.

It took Harry a second or two to find the words. When he did, they carried an air of quiet authority very similar to
Kingsley's. "I'm not 'back' until the Hallows are gone. The whole point of not coming back was to destroy their power –
especially the Wand's. Until then…"

Blast. Unfortunately, the same rationale that had kept him away for all these years was still in force, and she'd never
convince him otherwise. Nonetheless, she voiced her challenge. "So what was yesterday, then, if you're not returning to
the wizarding world?"

Surprise flashed over his face. "Yesterday was you asking," he said simply, as though it were obvious.

Hermione would not allow herself to feel the glow of pleasure at his words. "And what if, tomorrow, Ron asks?"

"Ron won't ask, because Ron won't know."

True. Ron may have been present when I questioned Ted, but he won't know for certain unless I tell him – and I promised
to keep Harry's existence secret. She couldn't help pressing, "Or Ginny?"

"Pfft."

The dismissive snort wasn't what Hermione had expected. "Really?" she asked in tones of disbelief. "Because when last I
saw the two of you, you certainly seemed to be in love."

"It was fifteen years ago," Harry said shortly. "People change."

You don't know the half of it, thought Hermione. She knew she should drop the matter, change the subject. But his sudden
change in attitude – in a heartbeat, he'd turned testy, almost surly – and his casual dismissal of opportunities lost,
annoyed her for no reason she could name.

"Yes, I suppose you must have changed," she said sweetly. "A Muggle, a success in your field, and obviously single? You
must have had your pick of women, Harry. Fifteen years…"

He shook his head in warning. He was definitely not smiling, as he had at her earlier jibe.

She paid no heed, irrationally determined now to get under his skin, irritate him as he'd irritated her. If I have to
reveal the secrets of my sex life, so does he. "Why, you probably wouldn't even have any trouble picking them up. A
simple spell to stimulate libido, I imagine? All that magic does have its uses, I see…"

The room's temperature abruptly dropped. The chill seemed to radiate from Harry's body language his face, his eyes.
Hermione realized she'd crossed the line, but it was too late. Even his voice was icy now. "I've been using the Elder
Wand," he told her, "all the Hallows, to help people. To try and make up for some of the wrong things that've been done
to them in the name of magic – even if they never realized it."

He stood. "In fact, there are a couple of 'projects' I've been working on, that I've neglected. I should probably attend
to them… and you, I daresay, need to be getting to the Ministry for your meeting."

He didn't simply Disapparate away – that would have been as rude as slamming down a Muggle telephone. But his curt exit,
walking from the room to Disapparate a moment later, was just as final a last word.

*

Though she truly wasn't in the mood for it, she kept her appointment in the Ministry atrium. Edwin Lovinett, junior
partner of the legal firm Gouging & Lovinett, was waiting for her there. He was a prim, middle-aged wizard, fastidious
and precise, in a robe of conservative cut. Hermione had a hard time reconciling his respectable appearance with the
clientele he represented… starting with the Malfoys just after the War's end, and continuing up to his current client.

"Ah, Madam Granger-Weasley," he greeted her, shifting his briefcase so that he could extend a hand to shake. "So good of
you to see me on such short notice. My client was most desirous to discuss matters with you, without the distractions of
a courtroom. Thank you again."

"Not at all," she said, forcing a smile. "Shall we?" She gestured towards the lifts.

They took the lifts to the ninth level, walking past the Department of Mysteries to the courtrooms, and thence to the
prisoner holding cells. Lovinett made some attempts at conversation, almost as a professional duty, but Hermione really
wasn't up for verbal fencing. She was trying too hard to banish the memories of the morning, and her abominable
treatment of Harry.

They arrived at the cells: a barred door with a guard's desk beside it, opening to a corridor of barred doors. A burly
MLE agent sat at the desk, reading the Sunday Prophet. He looked up as they approached. "Morning, ma'am," he said to
Hermione.

"Good morning, Nelson – or rather, good afternoon," she replied, handing him her wand. Lovinett did the same. Together
they waited as Nelson carefully weighed their wands, handed them receipts, and slid the wands onto a rack. They would
retrieve their wands when they emerged from the cells.

Nelson turned his head to look at the barred door. "Open," he told it, and then as it clanged open he called out down
the corridor, "Open number five!" With a grunt he nodded for them to proceed, as he returned to his newspaper.

I hope I don't have to speak to Robards about lax discipline in his ranks, thought Hermione as she walked down the
cellblock. Nelson was hardly paying attention at all… and he should be escorting us to Swivingham's cell.

The cell was hardly luxurious, but here and there she spotted a few items of comfort: a form-fitting bed instead of a
cot, a linen tablecloth for the area where the Ministry elves brought meals. They were clear evidence that the current
occupant was used to the finer things in life, and was able to obtain them even in prison. He was lounging on the bed,
humming to himself, when Hermione and Lovinett walked in. "Ah, if it isn't the ever-charming Witch Who Won," he laughed.
"Welcome back, lass."

Jack Swivingham was a large man, well over six feet tall, broad-shouldered and bulky. His ebullient manner and booming
voice filled any room with his presence. Still, his pot belly bespoke a lack of physical exercise, and he'd evidently
been treating his thinning hair with potions – his stay in cells had caused his hairline to recede drastically.

Hermione turned one of the cell's chairs to face Swivingham and settled herself into it without waiting for Lovinett.
"You called this meeting," she told Swivingham. "What's on your mind?"

Swivingham sat up on the bed as Lovinett moved the other chair closer to him. "I hear that Harry Potter's come back to
life."

"So rumor has it," agreed Hermione unhelpfully.

"Which has confused my poor house-elves into thinking they have to appear at the trial," Swivingham continued
mournfully. "I have to say, Granger, that was a clever ploy on your part."

"I wish I could claim credit for it," Hermione noted. "Not that I hadn't more than sufficient evidence to send you to
Azkaban without their testimony, but it'll certainly make my job that much easier." She smiled at Lovinett. "And yours,
I'm not sorry to say, that much harder."

"Ahem. That is why my client has requested this meeting," said Lovinett, opening his briefcase. "In exchange for a
reduced sentence, he will agree to plead guilty to a lesser charge of…"

"No," interrupted Swivingham.

Lovinett stared at his client in concern. "Jack," he said softly, "don't throw away this last opportunity…"

"I won't," said Swivingham. "I intend to take full advantage of it." He leaned forward and looked at Hermione with a
hardening face. All traces of jollity were gone from his voice when he spoke again. "In exchange for total immunity from
prosecution, I'll give you the Lords."

"The Lords?"

"Of the cartel. The real one."

Hermione was confused, but would not allow herself to show it. "Swivingham, it's well known that you ran all the
under-traffic in Knockturn Alley. The prostitution ring was only one part of it – there were drugs, fencing…"

"Did I run all that?" Swivingham grinned. "Strange that you didn't charge me with anything but procurement, then. But
let me offer you some food for thought." He gestured with both hands, describing a petite female figure. "Fatima.
Probably the best looking of my 'working elves', wouldn't you say? From a human point of view, anyway. And – let me
guess – probably the least communicative of the six you've got." He waited for Hermione to acknowledge his point. Her
silence was acknowledgement enough. "Didn't you ever wonder how a British house-elf received such a… Levantine name?"

Swivingham smiled again as Hermione fixed her most penetrating stare on him. He had her full interest now, and he knew
it. "Another example: you know the sorts of drugs available in Knockturn Alley. Silverleaf. Runecap extract. I hear you
can even acquire some Muggle drugs. Their new synthetics don't do much for magical metabolisms, of course, but the
classic organic-growns are always popular – blond hashish is the current favorite. Do they even grow cannabis in
Britain, I wonder?"

"This… would have to go far beyond Knockturn Alley," Hermione said slowly. "You're talking about a major international
cartel. And you're, what, second-in-command?"

"Ah, Granger, you flatter me. I do run the businesses here in Britain… regional manager, if you like. But I take my
orders from the Lords. How would you like to get your hands on them? Promise me immunity and a free ticket out of here,
and I'll give you names, dates, bank accounts, everything you'll need to go after them." Swivingham sat back, quite
satisfied with the impact of his words.

Hermione was thinking furiously. To accept Swivingham's offer would mean not prosecuting him for procurement or running
the prostitution ring – the strategy by which she'd hoped to strike a blow for elf rights. But if there were an
international criminal cartel doing business in Britain – throughout Europe – that would be too great a target to
ignore.

"You're asking me to buy a pig in a poke," she shot at him. "Any promises of immunity would have to depend on the level
of cooperation we got… and how effective your information turned out to be."

"Oh, it's good, sweetheart," Swivingham assured her. "Trust me, it's good. By the same token, I want that promise of
immunity in writing. This is where you come in," he added as an aside to Lovinett.

"As your legal counsel, Jack," Lovinett replied in a low voice, "I have to strongly advise against entering any
agreement like this with the current Ministry…" He glanced at Hermione under lowered brows, and she understood he was
requesting privacy. She stood and stepped outside the cell door, swinging it nearly shut; she scrupulously looked away
from them, as they conferred in low voices.

Eventually, Lovinett called Hermione back into the cell. Both men were very tense – Lovinett's face was pinched in
disapproval, while Swivingham had broken out in sweat – but seemed ready to conclude the deal. "I can draw up an
instrument right here," Lovinett began stiffly, "if you care to call in the guard as a witness…"

"Actually," put in Hermione, "any agreement of this magnitude needs to be co-signed by the Head of Magical Law
Enforcement. I can contact Robards as soon as we're done here… we should certainly have something ready for everyone's
signature tomorrow morning, before the court convenes."

"Good enough," said Swivingham, wiping his brow. "I'd insist on getting Shacklebolt's agreement, too," he added
candidly, "except I don't think he's going to be around long enough to keep his end of the bargain."

Hermione sniffed disdainfully. "We'll see you in the morning, then, Swivingham," she told him. "Oh, and do please bear
in mind: if so much as one word of your information is dodgy, the whole deal's off, and you're back in the dock." She
led Lovinett out of the cell – the door automatically shut behind them – and out of the cellblock.

"No further visitors until tomorrow," she instructed Nelson, as she retrieved her wand. "Mr. Lovinett, while I'm sure
this wasn't what either of us had in mind for today's meeting, I think we can call it productive. If you'll come by my
office tomorrow morning, we can hammer out the final details of the agreement."

She all but flew back to her office and wrote a précis of the day's meeting, which she promptly owled to Robards.
Hermione wanted the matter done and the decision out of her hands, a fait accompli. It would be a Pyrrhic victory:
Magical Law Enforcement would get kudos for eradicating a criminal cartel, but at the cost of losing a round in her long
fight for elvish rights.

In particular, she dreaded having to explain to Canby that all his efforts preparing for the trial – including his work
with the witnesses – had been for naught… and that the elves were no closer to emancipation than before.

*

It was late in the evening when Harry Apparated back to Enthalpy House. The house was silent and dark, and at first he
wasn't sure he'd be welcome. He'd been snappish and cold with Hermione over breakfast, refusing to share details of his
life although she'd been sharing hers… in the end, leaving in a huff without even letting her speak – or explaining
himself.

How could he possibly explain about Ginny? It had taken him years to figure it out himself – he had no idea how he might
explain it to anyone else. To Hermione. Or to the Weasleys, for that matter.

But if Harry ever did find a way to return to the wizarding world, he'd better also find a way to explain. Certainly
Ginny deserved the explanation, if no one else.

He was reassured to see the sofa had been decked out with pillows and coverlet, again… Hermione had expected (hoped?)
he'd be returning tonight. Harry could hardly blame her for not waiting up for him – if for no other reason than that it
postponed their inevitable discussion/apology session until morning.

A quick Transfiguration changed his Muggle street clothes into pyjamas, as he'd done the night before. Almost out of
habit he set protective spells around the house: he might not be sleeping in his Stealth Cloak any more, but he wasn't
about to neglect his defenses. He was making ready to climb under the coverlet when he heard a sound in the silent
house.

The unmistakable sound of Hermione weeping.

It gave him a moment of queasy hesitation. He'd never been comfortable with crying females, never known what to do – but
he'd had fifteen years to learn, a little. And he bitterly remembered his failure to console Hermione, when Ron had left
her crying in the Forest of Dean.

Quietly he went to the door of Hermione's bedroom. It was closed but unlocked; he opened it enough to pop his head into
the room. In the darkness he could make out Hermione on her bed, softly weeping. Harry couldn't tell if she knew he was
there.

He slipped inside, hesitated again, then noiselessly stepped to her bedside and knelt there. Hermione's back was to him;
he could now make out that she was curled up slightly, hugging a pillow. It helped, somehow, that she wasn't looking at
him – in that disconcertingly direct way she had – and the darkness of the room helped, too.

Keeping his touch feather-light, he began to stroke her hair. She hiccupped once, then the crying continued unabated.
She wasn't going to tell him why she was crying, then… but he thought he could guess.

Harry drew a deep breath. "I'm afraid to come back," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. "It's the Hallows,
yes, but not just the Hallows, it's… I was born under a prophecy, and I fulfilled it. I almost feel like, without the
prophecy, what use am I to the wizarding world now? At least the Muggles I can help."

Her weeping had slowed. She was listening, then. "And I was sure… well, I'd convinced myself… that no one would miss me.
That you'd all, y'know, get on with your lives. I hoped you'd remember me occasionally, but really, you were better off
without me." He fell silent, simply stroking her hair, ever so gently.

Hermione was sniffling now, not crying. After a minute, she spoke in a voice no louder than Harry's. "When you died –
that day when Voldemort and his Death Eaters came out of the Forest, and Hagrid carried your body for us to see…" She
said no more, and Harry wondered if she would continue.

She whispered, "I died too."

As there didn't seem to be anything to say to this, Harry said nothing. He knew Hermione was incapable of leaving it at
that.

"Part of me just… died, Harry. I'd dedicated my life to helping you – in Hogwarts, and then I gave up Hogwarts, I
Obliviated my own parents – I gave up Ron to help you. When I thought you'd died, it was like there was a hole inside me
where you should have been. Don't ever think you weren't missed, or that you have no value. Don't…"

Another pause. "Don't ever think you weren't loved," she finished.

He sensed she was done for the moment. My turn again. Harry let the silence settle into place for a time, while he
gathered his thoughts. He paused in stroking her hair, and began to lift his hand from her head.

"Don't stop," she quickly added.

With a mental shrug, he resumed his stroking. I suppose it's because she's a cat person, he mused, that's why she likes
this.

"About Ginny," he began, and felt her stiffen under his hand. He tried to put his hard-earned thoughts into order: if
there was anyone he could explain this to, it was Hermione. "Something happened that year, and I don't know… I don't
know if it was all the fighting, or the fact that I was getting ready to die – they do say that clears the mind, don't
they? But… I didn't want her near me in the battle. And when Voldemort made his ultimatum, and I went to him in the
Forest… to die… well, I saw Ginny, and I could have said goodbye. I could have comforted her when Fred died, too. I
could have done… lots of things… but the point is, I didn't."

"I see."

"And it took me years to understand, but I know now… I didn't really love Ginny, not really. I never did. There was a
lot of lust, I know that now, lust on both our parts, I think. We were teenagers. But… I didn't know anything about
love, Hermione. I mean, I wasn't about to learn it from the Dursleys, was I? It took me years to figure that out."

"I see." Pause. Then she rolled over in bed to face him. It was too dark to make out her expression, but her eyes were
shining. "And now?"

"I've helped a lot of people who needed help. I've seen people who stayed by each other, no matter how hard things got.
If that was love… then I guess I know what love is. Love is putting the other person first. Isn't it? You'd know better
than me."

Slowly, cautiously, her hand came up to touch his face. "Maybe once," she whispered, "but not now." His eyes must be
adjusting to the darkness, finally: he could see a tentative smile make its way to her face. It disappeared as she
turned solemn. "I am so sorry for what I said this morning, Harry."

He let his hand come to rest onto her head, no longer a stroke, but a caress. "Me too. For what I said. For.. for
everything, y'know? Then and now. I… I should have trusted you."

With a smile no longer tentative, Hermione took his hand between both of her own, snuggled with it into her mattress,
and closed her eyes. Harry concluded that the sofa wasn't for him tonight. With a wistful sigh, he Accio'd his pillow
from the other room and settled into a sitting position by the side of her bed… his hand still clasped between hers.

Oh, he'd be stiff in the morning, but he'd spent worse nights… and there were many kinds of comfort.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

15. XV: A Strike at the Heart

(A/N: I'm all the more grateful to our sterling beta-reader, MirielleGrey, because she had to work under extraordinarily
stressful conditions: a couple of irritating visitors named Gustav and Hannah. Many, many thanks, Miri.)

(Disclaimer: You can tell I'm not the esteemed Ms. Rowling, because I go back and re-read the story already posted. Not
to mention all the helpful reviews…)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XV: A Strike at the Heart

*

Being both Monday morning, and the day she'd either close the deal with Swivingham or open his trial, Hermione didn't
expect as fancy a breakfast as yesterday's, just her usual pastry and coffee. Pastries she got, but they'd been
Apparated in from Paris; coffee she got, but it was brewed from Kona beans, freshly ground.

A girl could get used to this, and she immediately squelched the thought before it could go any further.

She spent a moment checking the morning post – there to find Robards's response to her owl, agreeing to the plea bargain
and grant of immunity for Swivingham. Hermione had expected he'd jump at the immediate win without worrying about their
long-term goals, but the fact still dejected her.

Ce qui sera, sera, she sighed to herself, and slipped Robards's letter into a folder. She added a note to the guard
staff at the holding cells, to increase the security on Swivingham until all the deal's details were made final. If he's
telling the truth about these Cartel Lords, he may be at risk once his evidence becomes public. The folder went into her
briefcase.

"Good luck today," Harry offered as he stood from the table. He'd "dressed Muggle" again, in clothes that suggested
country rather than city.

"Thanks. Will you be, er…?

"'Field work' today? Yeah, and probably tonight, too. There's this old couple in the Lowlands, they've owned and run a
dairy farm for fifty years or more, and they don't really want to sell it, but it's hard times for small farms these
days…"

"I get the picture," she smiled. "There's a spell for increasing milk production, by the way: Lactus. Of course, it's
usually intended for new mothers who've just had twins, but there's no reason it shouldn't work on dairy cows."

"Lactus," Harry repeated. "Thanks…" He hesitated, then added, "And thanks for… well…"

"No, Harry, thank you." Her smile turned warmer. "When I think of how miserable I was when I went to bed last night, and
how much better I feel this morning…"

"Yeah. I know what you mean." He took a step towards her, hesitated, then slowly – giving her every opportunity to
decline – leaned forward to lightly kiss the top of her head. Far from declining, Hermione closed her eyes and gave a
soft hum of contentment. Harry quickly straightened and stepped back; he opened his mouth to say something, but no words
emerged. Instead, he gave her a shy smile before turning and leaving the room to Disapparate away.

For a rarity, Hermione took a few moments to linger over her coffee. She couldn't help the smile that spread itself over
her face, she couldn't suppress it if she tried – and she didn't want to try. She didn't remember the last time she'd
slept so peacefully, so blissfully. Even some of her nights with Ron, where she'd lain in welcome post-coital languor,
didn't compare to last night, simply falling asleep with Harry's hand pressed between hers.

Harry had never been comfortable with feelings, neither his own nor others'… his aunt and uncle had seen to that (and
that blasted Cloak hadn't helped matters any). Certainly, he'd never liked talking about them: it had always been
through Harry's actions that he'd made his feelings known. So last night's admissions, she sensed, had been a tremendous
breakthrough for both of them. Hermione hoped Harry felt better for it – she knew she did. She still felt a residuum of
anger over their past – issues of abandonment and mutual boneheadedness, she admitted it – but the anger had been washed
clean of bitterness.

Healing had begun.

Of course, he won't be staying around for long, she mused. He still thinks he has to avoid the wizarding world, as the
only way to avoid any confrontation that might lose him the Wand. I'll have to work on that. There must be a way of
eliminating it without Harry dying! He survived Voldemort, he can survive this, too! He has to!

She paused. Something about that last thought… something about Harry, about Voldemort… it niggled at her subconscious.
Hermione tried to bring it out for inspection, but for the moment it eluded her. She waited a few seconds to see if it
would surface on its own… then she gave a mental shrug and went back to her preparations for what promised to be an
important day at the Ministry.

*

Once at the Ministry, Hermione set a brisk pace, not pausing to talk to any of those who might delay or distract her.
She went first to her office, and immediately wrote the warning for the guard staff. Increased security – two guards,
not one – for this week at least, she thought, as she folded the note into an airplane and sent it on its way. And
eventual witness relocation, possibly – again, assuming Swivingham's telling the truth.

Next, she sat down to draft the agreement with Swivingham. It took only two drafts; the final wording went into the
folder with Robards's message, which she tucked under her arm as she headed for the lifts to the ninth level.

At the holding cells, she surrendered her wand to the guard – Ferrers, it was today – and made her way to Cell Five. The
door opened, she stepped inside – and froze in horror.

Swivingham was hanging by his neck from the ceiling, his belt a makeshift noose, his eyes rolled back, his tongue black
and protruding.

"Ferrers!" yelled Hermione. "Ferrers!" The guard ran up, coming to a full stop at the sight of Swivingham's corpse. "I
want Forensics down here now," she ordered him. "I want the duty roster for last night – the names of everyone on duty
from DMLE. And send word to Head Robards – he'll want to see this for himself." Ferrers gratefully took his leave, while
Hermione stood stock-still in the cell doorway, wishing she dared disturb the crime scene by looking for her own clues.

I guess Swivingham was telling the truth, she thought morbidly.

In remarkably short order, four MLE investigators, including a somber Dennis Creevey, had lowered Swivingham's body to
the floor. Two began to run tests on it; the third began to cast spells around the cells, testing to be sure its
Anti-Apparation wards were intact. Hermione watched, staying well out of the way, as Creevey approached the cell door
itself. "Tempori Incantatem," he said, tapping it with his wand. A stream of mist issued from the lock, coalescing into
five tiny, translucent clocks: time marks. Hermione knew that the first clock showed the time of her own arrival,
minutes before.

Gawaine Robards entered the cell block and joined Hermione, watching the forensics team at work. One of the medical
analysts spotted him and trotted over. "First-level spells complete, sir," she reported in clipped tones. "Cause of
death is exactly what it appears to be. Broken vertebrae, slow strangulation – death by hanging. No other trauma or
injuries."

"Time of death, Franklin?" asked Robards.

Franklin, the analyst, glanced over at her teammate, who had just completed another test. He nodded affirmatively.
"Between midnight and two," Franklin replied. "Could be a bit earlier, but can't be much later. We'll know more after we
get the body to the morgue."

"But why?" wondered Hermione quietly to Robards, as they stepped out of the cell to allow the analysts room to work.
"Why would he commit suicide? Now, of all times?"

Robards shook his head. "He must've heard the rumors, and known that the elves were going to testify against him after
all. He knew he was going to Azkaban, and decided he couldn't face it – and took the easy way out." At Hermione's
stunned look, he elaborated, "It's happened before, after all. I recall one prisoner, at the end of the First Voldemort
War, accused of being a fairly high-ranking Death Eater – he slit his wrists with a chicken bone."

Hermione shuddered at the image, but pressed her point. "No, but I'm talking about his plea bargain. If he was so
willing to cut a deal Sunday afternoon, why kill himself Sunday night? It makes no sense!" She turned to Creevey, and so
missed Robards's puzzled look. "Who else came into this cell last night?"

Creevey gestured with his wand, and the log book from the front guard desk came into his waiting hands. He flipped its
pages, checking them against the miniature clocks by the cell door. "According to Tempori Incantatem, before you arrived
this morning – the door was last opened…" He glanced down at the log book. "…when you and Lovinett interviewed him
yesterday at noon."

"No, I mean since then."

"Nothing since then… until you opened the door this morning."

"No… that's not possible. Someone had to've come in, killed Swivingham, and made it look like suicide. He wouldn't have
killed himself, after cutting a deal with us!"

"What deal?" asked Robards.

"The…" Hermione stopped and stared at her superior. "The plea bargain," she said slowly, "granting him immunity from
prosecution in exchange for information against his own bosses. The Lords."

"His… 'bosses'? Granger, I thought Swivingham was the boss in Knockturn Alley! And no plea bargain would have been valid
without my approval!"

Without saying another word, Hermione opened her folder and produced Robards's message. She handed it to him silently
and waited for him to read it.

Robards's face showed confused shock when he looked back to Hermione. "This… is my handwriting… but… but I never wrote
this."

"I think you did," said Hermione, quietly but forcefully. "I think you've forgotten. I think we need to see the Spell
Reversal specialists." She grasped his forearm. "And I think we need to go now."

Robards started to protest, but Hermione was no longer listening. "Creevey, have one of our Legilimens meet us at Spell
Reversal. Ferrers, you'll have to accompany us, too – we need to be able to clear you. You relieved Nelson when you
started your shift, yes? Good. Grimaldi! Bones! Find Nelson and bring him here on the double – and be warned, he may be
a fugitive at this point, so use appropriate caution, but bring him!" She waited just long enough to receive
acknowledgements of her orders, then she left the cell block briskly – pulling her superior along behind her.

*

"If anyone else had tried to tell me this," Kingsley Shacklebolt said, two hours later, "I would have dismissed it out
of hand." His keen gaze went from Hermione to Robards, before landing on Peasegood, the Ministry's foremost expert on
Memory Charms. "You're absolutely certain, Arnold?"

"No question of it, Minister," replied Peasegood. "His memory has definitely been altered. Whoever Obliviated him knew
what they were about: the lost memory was erased promptly, before it had time to imprint from his short-term to
long-term engrams. Within the last twelve to eighteen hours, I'd guess."

Shacklebolt nodded thoughtfully. "Last night, then. That makes sense: they'd have to do it before our weekly briefing
this morning. You'd certainly have told me and the other Heads about this plea bargain with Swivingham. And – correct me
if I'm wrong, Arnold – it would've been much harder to Obliviate many people than just one."

"If you want their altered memories to still match, yes."

"Hmm. And no chance of recovering whatever was Obliviated?"

Peasegood pursed his lips. "I wouldn't say no chance, Minister, but slim. St. Mungo's has been working on Gilderoy
Lockhart for over twenty years, and he's only just started to regain a few genuine memories."

"Which means no way of telling who did this to me," said Robards angrily, "except it was probably someone I trusted
enough to let into my home!"

"Well, it could have been done through the window, or even the Floo," said Shacklebolt. "What puzzles me, Granger, is
why it wasn't done to you as well."

"The standard Ministry security spells set on my home were recently… augmented," replied Hermione carefully. It seemed
the most likely explanation: given the habits of secrecy Harry had developed over the years, it would've been very much
in character for him to have added his defenses to her own. At least, she hoped that was the explanation, and not Well,
the culprits had broken into my house and were about to Obliviate me when they spotted Harry Potter, raised from the
dead and sitting by my bed!

"Well done. Now we need to do the same for the Ministry's internal security," Shacklebolt said forcefully. He abruptly
broke off in a series of rough hacking coughs. Immediately, his attendant Healer stepped forward with a goblet of
potion.

"You need to calm yourself, sir," she told him in a low voice as he sipped. "The stress…"

"I know," he replied, equally quiet. "Just keep me going for a few more days, Emily, that's all I ask." He handed the
goblet back to her, wiped his lips with the back of his hand, and returned to the matter at hand. "Arnold, I want you to
work with our Legilimens on Ferrers. Make certain his memory's whole, and that he's telling the truth. When we find
Nelson, I'll want the same done for him." His stern nod was a dismissal.

Shacklebolt waited unto Peasegood had left the office before he resumed. "If not for Gawaine's Obliviation, I would have
accepted Swivingham's death as suicide. Hell, I still can't see how it could have been anything else. He was alone in
his cell. No one went in that night, and there was a guard outside the cell block. He…"

"Did he have dinner?" interrupted Robards.

Hermione glanced at the analysts' preliminary report. "Yes, curried lamb."

"So someone could get into the cell," said Robards grimly.

"The Ministry house elves?" Hermione whirled on the Head of Enforcement, prepared to deliver a stingingly indignant
lecture, but Shacklebolt cut her off.

"Our elves need not have been culpable," he pointed out. "They might have simply delivered his food, as usual – and the
food could have been doctored. You know as well as I that there are potions that cause severe depression." Hermione
nodded in agreement; Harry had described to her the potion Dumbledore had been forced to drink, the night of his death.
"Which the flavor of the curry would've hidden. Swivingham could easily have been driven to suicide that way."

"We'll have to wait until all the autopsy tests are done, then," said Hermione, ceding the point. "I'll instruct
Franklin to check for mood-altering potions." She glared at Robards. "I cannot believe the Ministry elves would murder
anyone."

"I wasn't thinking of the Ministry elves, exactly," said Robards, not flinching before Hermione's glare. "There are six
other elves who might welcome the chance to strike back at their former master. They were, after all, prepared to
testify against him… maybe their change of heart went a little further."

Hermione was rendered speechless for a moment. But only a moment. "Not possible! I've worked with those girls…"

"If it wasn't elves, and it wasn't suicide, then it had to have been one of the guards on duty," Robards retorted. "No
one else came into the cell block, and no one opened Swivingham's door!"

"It could have been done through the bars of the door," Hermione shot back. "A really powerful mood-altering spell, a
solid Imperius Curse, an Hallucino Hex…!"

"Again, that means one of the guards. All of those spells require wands, and visitors surrender their wands before they
enter the cell block. Only the guards are armed."

"It almost doesn't matter," ruled Shacklebolt. "What matters is that a prisoner in Ministry custody died last night! Bad
enough if it was merely lax security on the part of Magical Law Enforcement – but your Obliviation, Gawaine, proves it
was more than that. I think…" He paused, considering. "I think we must take Swivingham's story as fact. Lords of an
international Cartel – who wanted Swivingham dead before he could spill their secrets."

"Which is all well and good, sir," said Robards, "except that the only evidence of such a Cartel was Swivingham's word.
We hadn't a clue of their existence before that."

"I would imagine that we had clues, but too few to detect any pattern to them," replied the Minister. His manner turned
formal, decisive, that of a born leader; only the tremor of one hand betrayed his body's weakness. "We need to work
through the International Confederation of Wizards, see what other Ministries might have uncovered, pool our
information. Mr. Robards, work with Mr. Kerricks to arrange a conference this week – give it your top priority. Thank
you."

"Thank you, Minister," Robards and Hermione murmured, as they turned to leave.

"A moment, Madam Granger," added the Minister. He waited for Robards to exit before he softly said, "All right there,
Hermione?"

Hermione nodded, half-smiling. This was no longer the Minister of Magic for the United Kingdom; this was her friend
Kingsley, her comrade-in-arms from the days of the Phoenix, terminally ill but valiant to the end. "I'm fine, Kingsley.
Oh, I was upset that we lost the chance to bring the elves closer to freedom, but…"

"But that day will come. There'll be other chances," nodded Kingsley. He paused, lost in memory. "We've worked so hard
together, you and I, Hermione. We have made great strides… more opportunities for Muggleborns, goblins on the
Wizengamot… have faith, the day will come." He held out his hand; Hermione clasped it gently. "But you know as well as I
do, I won't be here to see that day. No," he spoke over Hermione's protest, "be honest. If I see Christmas, I'll be
lucky. Hermione – will you be up to finishing the job? No matter who the Wizengamot chooses to succeed me?"

She understood what he was saying… and who he believed his successor would likely be. Particularly given the lead role
the Department of International Cooperation would have in any investigation of the Cartel Lords. "Kingsley, trust me, if
Blaise Zabini gets in my way, I will skin him alive and hang his hide on my wall. I'll reserve a place of honor for it."

"Good girl." Kingsley closed his eyes momentarily, as he let go of Hermione's hand. "Now, if you'd just send in my
secretary… we're going to have to explain to the press exactly why the Trial of the Century has been cancelled. And I
have to decide whether to maintain the suicide story – for now, anyway – or announce he was killed by persons unknown. A
preemptive strike, as it were, so that we control the story before it leaks. Not that I'm looking forward to the
Prophet's inevitable sneers about our security…"

"I'll leave you to it, then," said Hermione. As she made her way to the door, she saw the Healer heading for
Shacklebolt's chair, a new goblet in hand.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

16. XVI: Fairy Tale Lessons

(A/N: Today's chapter is brought to you by the letter M, as in MirielleGrey, who beta-reads each chapter and advises me
on myriad issues.)

(Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Harry. Or Hermione. And Jo's welcome to the Deathly Hallows. The plot, now, that's mine.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XVI: Fairy Tale Lessons

*

Bedtime stories had never been part of Harry's nightly ritual during childhood. The Dursleys wouldn't have wasted their
time with him, for one thing; besides, most children's stories involved magic, which was anathema on Privet Drive. So it
wasn't until he'd started primary school that Harry learned of the Brothers Grimm – and their tale of the Elves and the
Shoemaker.

From the first, Harry had always wondered why the shoemaker didn't grow lazy and dependent on the elves, and be unable
to fend for himself once they'd left. (If Uncle Vernon had been the shoemaker, that's exactly what would've happened.)
Harry took the tale to heart, now, in his role as guardian angel: use the power of the Deathly Hallows to benefit, not
curse – but don't leave the beneficiary worse off than before.

In the case of the Cheswrights, the old dairy farming couple, Harry had to be sure that their current problems were more
due to bad luck than bad habits. Once he'd satisfied himself of that, he happily spent the day subtly increasing milk
production on their farm. Harry was sure just a few days' extra milk would let the Cheswrights pay their immediate bills
– and keep their farm for at least another year.

Mind you, Harry never questioned why the elves would help the shoemaker in his time of need. To Harry, that part of the
story was self-evident.

The sun had just slipped under the horizon when Harry called it quits for the day. He debated for a moment whether to
return to Jacob Clayman's flat to sleep – no reason not to, after all, it's still mine; the rent's been paid until the
end of the month – but decided he should at least check in with Hermione first. As a courtesy.

He Apparated to Enthalpy House to find Hermione sitting listlessly on the couch, Bottlebrush nearby watching her
intently. The contents of her briefcase were strewn across the low table in front of her; the evening edition of the
Daily Prophet lay folded on the couch next to her. She looked up and smiled at Harry's arrival, but the smile didn't
make it into her eyes. "H'lo, Harry. How did it go today? Any luck?"

"I think so, yeah. I used the Lactus spell you taught me, but gradually, so it won't look too strange. I even had to
switch from the Elder Wand to my old holly wand, just to keep it low-key. In a day or two, I'll taper off just as
gradually, and that'll be that." Harry frowned slightly as Hermione didn't seem to respond to the good news. "Hermione…
what's wrong?"

With a dejected sigh, Hermione handed him the Prophet. He unfolded it to see banner headlines: KNOCKTURN KINGPIN KILLS
SELF! Swivingham suicide tables trial! Ministry in disarray – sloppy security faulted! There was a photograph,
presumably from the paper's files, of a large man, bold-eyed and grinning, who nonetheless showed signs of fraying
around his handsome edges from living too high. "This… this is the bloke you were going to put away, right? The same
bloke whose solicitor sent the owl on Saturday, asking for a deal?"

"Yes, that would be him." Hermione accepted the newspaper back from Harry and dropped it on the table. Neither of them
noticed that she moved slightly on the couch to make room for him, or that he sat next to her without hesitation. "But
despite what the Prophet says, Harry, it was no suicide. Swivingham was murdered, right in his cell." She gave him a
summary of the discovery of the body, and the facts that had been uncovered to date. Harry listened, growing more and
more shocked.

"I don't want to accuse any of the house-elves," she finished, almost in despair, "but if it was one of them, they
certainly had good excuse. The only other suspect is a human – Eddie Nelson, one of the guards on duty that night – and
he's not to be found. Which Robards is practically taking as proof of guilt."

"Uh huh… I'd wondered why the Prophet has Robards practically breathing fire here. Appointing a review board for the
Ministry's security, vowing to…" He glanced at the paper on the table. "'To spare no effort to prevent future
occurrences'," he quoted. "Yeah, when he'd like to tell them that he intends to nail the killer, or something. You're
sure this is something to keep secret?"

"For the moment. The news will break later this week – we're trying to get some international help – but for now, at
least, it lets us control the story."

"Um. Any chance it really was suicide, not murder?"

"Not really. The killer, or killers, were trying to keep Swivingham from giving evidence about these so-called Cartel
Lords. They Obliviated Robards and snatched my letter to him, which took some pretty cool nerve…" Hermione stopped and
regarded Harry in appraisal. "Did you do something to my protective spells last night?"

"Er, yeah. Force of habit, I guess, I always set up extra defensive wards when I sleep… especially now that I'm not
sleeping in the Cloak…"

"It wasn't a criticism, Harry, far from it! Your wards are probably the only thing that kept me from being Obliviated!
If that had happened, we'd never have known about the Cartel Lords at all – no memory of a plea bargain, no written
record, nothing."

"Well, good," began Harry, then stopped in dismay. "Wait, though, doesn't that mean they'll still be after you? They
must know that they didn't succeed last night. Although… don't Memory Charms work best when the memory is recent?"

"Before it's had a chance to integrate into the long-term memory, yes. Even then, it's not beyond the reach of a skilled
Obliviator, but I don't know what resources these Lords might have. Still… I was lucky that I went straight to my office
this morning, without letting myself be stopped. And since then, I've been on my guard – or I've been here, in my now
well-protected home."

"Okay. Any other possibilities? What about the solicitor bloke, um, Lovinett? If they were willing to Obliviate you and
Robards, they'd have gone after him, too…"

She nodded in glum agreement. "We spoke with Lovinett this afternoon – he couldn't remember anything about the Cartel
Lords. He still recalls our interview with Swivingham, but as he tells it now, we were trying to negotiate a plea
bargain, and Swivingham rejected it. Lovinett said he was showing wild mood swings." Hermione shrugged. "Edited
memories, of course, intended to support a finding of suicide. Whoever these Lords are, they're thorough."

"Yeah," Harry said slowly, as an idea came to him. "Yeah, but they can't think of everything. Especially if they think
those things are only from a children's tale." He held up his hand to display the Resurrection Stone on his finger.

Hermione stared at it, as comprehension dawned. "Of… course," she breathed, "of course. I assume it works as it did in
the Tale of the Three Brothers? Well, why shouldn't it, the other two do, more or less. But have you actually used the
Stone this way, Harry? Can it really bring… bring back…?"

"It brings back the dead," said Harry firmly. "It doesn't bring the dead to life. There's a big difference. Beedle the
Bard, and Xenophilius Lovegood, and even Dumbledore – none of them understood that, really. Well, I guess Dumbledore
did, after he was dead…" He shook himself. "Never mind. The point is, we can ask this Swivingham what happened to him.
If you're willing."

She didn't answer immediately, continuing to stare at the Stone, and Harry went on. "Er, and yeah, I've used the Stone
to do this. Not in a long, long time, mind you."

Her eyes flicked to his. "Is it dangerous, then?"

"Not physically." Harry didn't say any more.

After a moment, Hermione nodded her understanding. "Well, then…" She drew a deep breath. "Let's do it."

It was very simple to do, really, considering the cosmic powers they were invoking. Harry turned the ring on his finger
three times, and pictured the wizard in the newspaper photograph; drawing on a common memory should make it possible for
both Harry and Hermione to see the spirit. In a clear voice he said, "Jack Swivingham."

And just like that, with no flash of light or other warning, Swivingham was there, seated in one of the chairs across
from them, as though he'd been in the room all along. He appeared to be solid, much more solid than a ghost, but he
looked… monochrome, like an old daguerreotype. The other senses' perceptions were also "off" slightly, in ways the
rational mind couldn't define but was forced to accept: he might be present, but he wasn't full "there".

"Granger," he greeted her, but with his eyes on Harry. "Looks as though the rumors were true after all."

"Be grateful for that," said Hermione. "It gives you a chance to finish what you started."

Swivingham's eyes turned to her. His smile wasn't quite as suave as it had been in life. "And what might that be,
lassie?"

"Help put away the Cartel Lords. You said you had names, dates, bank accounts, all sorts of information to give,
remember? Thanks to this last chance, you still can."

He snorted with laughter, but there was no real amusement in it. "That was in exchange for something, don't you
remember? Quid pro quo? Things have changed a bit since then, girlie. What can you possibly offer me now in exchange for
my help?"

Harry could see that Hermione was nonplussed by this. He stepped in smoothly. "From what I've read about you, friend,
you haven't exactly been… comfortable… since you died." He watched as an involuntary shudder shook Swivingham's
features, and smiled to himself. "Every minute you're with us here is a minute not spent there. That's got to be worth
something to you. The more you cooperate…" He left the offer dangling.

Hermione immediately picked up the thread. "And on a more theological note, every good act reduces one's ultimate
punishment. If you've had a taste of that, you've plenty of reason to help us. Forgiveness comes with atonement."

Swivingham closed his eyes; this time, the shudder took his entire body. When he spoke, it was with unexpected venom.
"You. Pathetic. Mewling. Infants." He opened his eyes and looked at Harry and Hermione with agony and hatred competing
on his face. "You have no idea what you're talking about. A few hours here, to return to an eternity of that? Infinity
minus ten is still infinity, you half-blooded cretin. And you…!"

He turned on Hermione, and now the hatred had no competition. "You filthy, mudblooded bint! How dare you presume to
lecture me on forgiveness? I've earned forgiveness simply by putting up with people like you! How…"

"Enough!" shouted Harry, while Hermione sat stunned. This wasn't the convivial sybarite she'd interviewed in his cell:
this was another wizard altogether, afroth with anger – no, not anger, contempt, for her, for Muggleborn, for pretty
much everyone.

She tried to find a way to use that emotion, to reflect it back on him, to get answers. "All right, then, don't do it
for yourself. Do it for revenge. They murdered you in cold blood, Swivingham. This is your last chance to get back at
them."

"Pfah! You mean this is my chance to help you get them! Do you think I'm as stupid as you, you scumbred waste of magic?
I wouldn't help you even if…"

"I said ENOUGH!!" In a bound, Harry was off the couch and over the low table, scattering papers. With one hand on
Swivingham's collar, he hauled the procurer out of his chair and held him suspended, feet dangling. Harry's eyes were
glowing, literally radiant with dark green energy; flickers of virid St. Elmo's fire danced around the hand at
Swivingham's throat. "Tell us how you died! Now!"

Swivingham's lips curled in a sneer even as his hands clawed at the iron grip at his throat. "I – hanged – myself," he
got out. "Mortal sin, innit?"

Emerald fury blazed. "Imperio!"

Swivingham froze, staring at Harry, before he started to chuckle. "Nice try," he rasped, "but that's not going to make
me help you."

Slowly, the deathly green faded from around Harry's form. He lowered Swivingham to the floor, but without releasing his
hold on his throat. Harry granted Swivingham a small, hard smile. "Oh, on the contrary. You just helped immensely." The
smile vanished, abruptly and completely, as Harry tightened his grip again. "And I'm done with you," he growled.
"Maledictus in aeternitam."

And the last view of Swivingham's face, in the instant before he faded away, showed all other emotions giving way to
purest terror.

Harry's empty hand fell to his side; his shoulders slumped; his head bowed wearily. After a moment, he managed to say,
"That wasn't a curse, Hermione. That was a prediction."

"I… good. I wouldn't want to think you… yes. Good."

She was staring sightlessly at the space where Swivingham had been – deeply shocked, he suddenly realized. Quickly he
rounded the table and knelt by her side, taking her shoulders in his hands. "Hermione?" He was afraid he'd pushed her
away, shaken her by his final words, or by the raw power he'd displayed.

It was almost a relief when she whispered, "The vitriol… my God, the hatred…" Hermione had to breathe deeply several
times before she could compose herself and look Harry in the face. "He never showed any of that while he was alive. He
dealt with all sorts, Purebloods, half-bloods… with never a sign that he despised people so."

"Yeah, well, they say there's nothing like being dead to strip away all your pretenses, all your false fronts. No reason
for them anymore. Death is honest." He smiled grimly. "Brutally honest."

"In morte veritas, is that it?" Hermione managed to smile back. "Is that why you haven't used the Resurrection Stone in,
what did you say, years?"

"Yeah." Seeing that she wouldn't be satisfied with a one-word answer, Harry settled himself beside the sofa. "The first
time I ever used the Stone was the night I, erm, died. When I saw in the Pensieve that I was a Horcrux, I knew I had to
die – and I intended to die, without fighting or anything, I was resigned – but going to meet Voldemort was harder than
I thought it'd be. So I used the Stone to bring back my parents, and Sirius, and Remus. They…"

"Please tell me they weren't like that, Harry!"

"No! Nothing like Swivingham. More like… they were sad that I had to die, and happy I was joining them, and proud I was
doing it of my own free will." Harry smiled wistfully.

"Hmph," she grumbled waspishly. "That was rather different from what your parents' spirits told you, when they appeared
in your duel with Voldemort during the Triwizard Tournament."

Harry was surprised at her tone. "Maybe, but it was what I needed to hear just then."

"Because you had to be a willing sacrifice… and of course, you couldn't know that your death would be temporary. I know,
Harry, Dumbledore explained it." She sniffed and muttered, "Doesn't mean I have to like it." In a more normal voice, she
added, "And you haven't used the Stone since?"

He sighed. "Once. That first year, when I was wearing the Cloak continuously, to fool all the magical ways of finding me
– the Ministry, the goblins, the stuff at Hogwarts, owls, elves, everyone – so that everyone would be sure I was dead.
Didn't have a Muggle identity yet, so I was living in the backcountry and doing a lot of scrounging. Kind of like
Sirius, which I guess was appropriate. One night, I got so lonely… I used the Stone."

"Who did you summon?"

"Ah, nobody, as such. I didn't have anyone specific in mind… so the Stone chose." He pinched the bridge of his nose and
looked away from her. "I got Snape."

"Oh," she said in a low voice. "That couldn't have been fun."

Harry glanced briefly at her before he averted his eyes again; he seemed unable to continue talking while she was in his
field of view, visibly responding to his words. "You know Snape gave me his memories, just before he died. I viewed them
in Dumbledore's Pensieve. I never told you what I saw, did I? Well, let's just say… I understand now why he did
everything he did. But I don't have to forgive him. He was Dumbledore's man, right enough, and he was… he was
extraordinarily brave. But he was a petty, caustic, twisted, unforgiving son of a bitch for all that. I do not forgive
him."

He looked at Hermione then. "And when the Stone brought him back that night… well, that's how I knew what to expect from
Swivingham. He was not a good man, and I. Do. NOT forgive him." He glanced down at his ring. "I really think the Stone's
the worst of the Hallows, not the Wand. At first glance, it's…"

"It seems so… innocuous," Hermione concurred. "Harmless… even beneficial. And yet it's nothing of the sort, is it? I
don't wonder that you haven't used it since."

"Yeah." He flashed a relieved smile at her, pleased at her quick understanding, and not at all surprised.

With a slight shake, Hermione brought herself back to the present. "Well, death may have made Swivingham truthful, but
he was hardly cooperative. I'm afraid we're back to where we started. Unless…?" She cocked a hopeful eye at Harry. "You
know something. I can tell."

"Well, yes, we did get one bit of information from him," Harry said with his tight smile. "The Imperius curse didn't
work on him."

Hermione blinked. "Did you expect it to? He's dead."

"But he was physically here – for all intents and purposes, anyway – and he had a mind and will. Yeah, it should've
worked. But it didn't. And I really doubt he was strong-willed enough to throw off Imperius so easily." His smile
broadened. "So under what circumstances would the Imperius Curse not work?"

Her brow furrowed in thought; she chewed her lower lip, and for an instant Harry flashed back to the Gryffindor common
room, where the brightest witch of her generation revised her class notes. "Stipulate he has a will to be affected, and
isn't strong enough to throw it off… then the Curse must be blocked somehow… no shield was cast in this case, though,
but if…" She smiled in triumph. "If he were already under the Imperius Curse…!"

He nodded and tried to speak, but her words continued to rush forth. "Of course, it's so obvious now! Once a subject is
under Imperius, any attempt by another wizard to use the Curse would be expelled. The Curse must have been a carry-over
from his death, just as ghosts still wear the clothes in which they died. And that means – that means Swivingham was
murdered, by someone using the Imperius Curse and ordering him to kill himself! Which eliminates any elves, because it
takes a wand to cast Imperius, and only humans have wands! Oh, this is excellent!"

"Glad you approve," said Harry dryly.

"So then… if we accept that no one else could have entered the cell block without detection," Hermione stated, "that
only leaves the two guards on duty that night, Nelson and Ferrers. And our Obliviators and Legilimens have cleared
Ferrers, so as I said earlier, that leaves Nelson, who's looks like he's done a bunk. I have to admit that weighs
against him…"

"Er, Hermione," he interjected quickly, "should you be telling me all this? Isn't this, well, sensitive information…?"

The look she gave him would have warmed a marble statue to its core. "If I can't trust you, Harry Potter, I am well and
truly screwed."

"Hermione! Language!" he mock-scolded, trying to maintain an expression of shock. His laughter rather spoiled the
effect. She laughed with him, and he thought for a moment that she was going to take his hands in hers, or give him one
of her enthusiastic hugs. For that one moment, it almost felt as though he'd always been with her, as though he'd never
left.

And then the golden moment was broken by a rush of green flame from the fireplace. Through the flames could be heard a
voice: "Hermione? Hermione, are you there?" Hermione's heart fell as she recognized the voice: it was Ron.

With catlike grace, Harry was off the couch and through the door into the bedroom, where Floo callers couldn't see him.
Hermione, with a helpless look after him, turned to the fireplace. "Yes, Ron, I'm here."

Ron's head appeared in the flames. "Hermione, what's going on? I tried to Apparate, I tried the Floo, but nothing seemed
to get through…"

"I've had to augment the security on my home," she said shortly. Of all the possible interruptions, this was the least
welcome.

"Oh, yeah, I suppose so." Ron cleared his throat nervously. "Listen, I was wondering if I could come over… I really
think we need to talk…"

"If this is about your letter, Ron," she interrupted evenly, trying to keep the sharpness from her tone, "there's not a
great deal for us to discuss. I've made my position plain, time and again…"

"No, not about that," he interrupted back. "I don't mean that. I, uh, need to talk about something else." He gave her a
nonchalant nod that was a Floo call's equivalent of a shrug. "Nothing urgent, just wanted to know if you wanted a party
for your birthday. You know, like our party after Bill's wedding…"

Hermione was about to retort that a birthday party was the last thing she needed that week, when she thought back to
Bill's wedding – how the wedding party had been attacked, and how she, Ron, and Harry had been forced to fight, flee and
fight again. No one besides the Trio would have known any of the specifics of that episode… and Ron had been far too
casual when he'd mentioned it.

There's a serious problem, life or death – and he daren't talk about it over the Floo Network.

"I… see," she replied slowly. "Give me a minute, then, Ron." She made a hasty exit to the bedroom.

There, as she expected, she found Harry unwrapping his Stealth Cloak from inside his tunic. "I'm sorry, Hermione," he
said hastily as she entered. "I should have realized, I've outstayed my welcome. If Ron's coming to see you, I'll go…"

"Whatever it is, I'm afraid it sounds important," she told him. "I'll get rid of Ron as quickly as I can. But I need you
to stay here, Harry. If nothing else, there's the possibility that the Lords will try to get me again tonight – and not
stop at Obliviation this time." Privately, Hermione thought there was small chance of that. Her reputation as The Witch
Who Won was, in her opinion, overstated and burdensome, but at least it meant she wasn't likely to be openly assaulted.

But as she hoped, it made Harry think twice about leaving. They were, slowly and painfully, working through the problems
of his abandoning her fifteen years ago – he was not about to do it again now. And she wasn't above taking advantage of
that fact.

Still, he hesitated. "Okay, I'll hang around… for a bit… but I, I can't face anyone yet! Not even Ron. I'll be under the
Cloak, but I'll stay in here." With the Cloak over one shoulder, he loosened the bandages on his left forearm and
brought out the Elder Wand. "Hold out your hands."

Hermione did so. He traced a figure-eight around her hands with the Wand's tip. "All right – you're keyed to admit
people through the wards. I may go outside and add an extra layer of protection…"

"Just stay here," she told him firmly, and went back into the living room. Ron's head waited for her in the fireplace.
"Ron, walk into the fire as though you were going to Floo here – you're not going to move, though, but just wait there –
and hold out your hand. I'll bring you through."

"Great. Careful, I have some, uh, baggage," Ron said. His head disappeared, but the fire stayed green. After a moment,
his right hand appeared. Hermione reached into the fireplace, grasped his hand, and gave a firm tug forward as she took
a step backward.

Ron came through the Floo fire into Enthalpy House, his hair disheveled and an overnight bag hanging by its strap from
his left shoulder. "Thanks, Hermione," he said, no longer nonchalant but deadly serious. "I wouldn't have bothered you,
but we really need your help – and you're about the only one who can help."

"We?" she asked.

He nodded and bent down to open the bag. "In here. I got the idea from one of those children's stories, you know the
one? Thumbelina?"

The overnight bag opened wide, and a very worried Ginny Weasley stood up from its interior. The bag obviously had an
Undetectable Extension Charm on it, like Hermione's handbag once had. Useful, thought Hermione, if you want to avoid the
appearance of being a long-term house guest.

Nervously, Ginny looked around the room, as though checking for traps. Her eye fell on the Prophet on the table, and she
grimaced. "Yeah, Swivingham. I read about him. You know he didn't really commit suicide, right?" she said. At Hermione's
astonished look, she nodded. "Yes. I know he was murdered. And I'm scared I may be next."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

17. XVII: Payment Due On Past Mistakes

(A/N: I feel I should remind my readers that Ginny was Not At All A Nice Person in the last two books. Sorry.

Beta proofing provided by MirielleGrey, who advised on some of the behavior we see – or rather, don't see – in this
chapter. I tried not to infodump, but you've got to admit I've answered a great many questions.)

(Disclaimer: No, there has been no recent realignment of the Cosmic Axis to make me suddenly owner of Harry Potter and
his world. Pity, that.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XVII: Payment Due On Past Mistakes

*

Under Hermione's hard scrutiny, Ginny began to fidget. She wisely said nothing further, and after a moment, Hermione
said, "Sit down. I'll make some tea – and this had better be good."

Tea took only seconds, using magic, and Hermione was back in the living room with a tray of three cups before Ron and
Ginny had settled onto the sofa and chair, respectively. Hermione set the tray on the table, ignoring the paperwork
already there, and selected a cup for herself. She sat on the sofa, the only spot left to sit, but as far from Ron's end
of the sofa as she comfortably could. "All right, let's start. Ron, do you know what this is about?"

Ron shook his head. "Gin showed up at my flat and said she had to talk to you, but absolutely not in your office.
Convinced me it was a matter of life and death. Beyond that…" He shrugged helplessly.

"I see. All right, Ginny, start at the beginning." Hermione restrained her urge to interrogate Ginny… at least for the
moment.

Ginny took a moment to sip her tea and collect her thoughts. "When I saw today's Prophet, I recognized the man in the
photo. We've met before. I didn't know at the time his name was Jack Swivingham," she added hastily, "and I certainly
didn't know what sorts of dodgy business he was involved in! He…"

"Where could you have met him, Gin?" Ron interrupted. "Don't tell me you've been slumming in Knockturn Alley! That's no
place for…"

"A decent young witch like myself," finished Ginny. "Merlin, Ron, you're channeling Percy again! No, I haven't been to
Knockturn Alley, thanks for the vote of confidence. No, I've seen him at…" She hesitated, and kept her gaze on Hermione
as she finished, "…at Blaise Zabini's manor house."

"Zabini?!" Ron's tone was a perfect blend of incredulity and disgust.

"Will you get over your old anti-Slytherin prejudices?" Ginny snapped. "Blaise is a respected politician in the Ministry
– and a rising star there, practically a member of the Minister's cabinet. He's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Perhaps," said Hermione neutrally. "So how did you come to be at his home?"

"Blaise will occasionally have a few people to his manor," Ginny explained, evidently choosing her words with care,
"private, informal get-togethers. I don't know if you…"

"Fire Parties?" Hermione put in dryly, and smirked at Ginny's surprised look. "Oh yes, tales of them have reached even
my ears. For obvious reasons, I've never been to one." She looked at Ron and explained, "As far as I can tell, Ron,
they're very exclusive parties, by invitation only… and only Purebloods seem to get invited."

"It's not a question of blood, Hermione," said Ginny defensively. "Blaise isn't like that. He'd never have reached his
current position if he believed the old supremacist line – you know that as well as I do."

"I know that no modern politician can afford to spout the old supremacist line," rejoined Hermione. "But he certainly
believed it when we were at Hogwarts."

"Well, then, he's changed," Ginny insisted. "Some people do, you know! Fire Parties are just… just a chance for folks
who've been raised in a common culture, wizarding culture, to get together and relax. There's nothing sinister about
it!"

"And yet, somehow, I feel sure that Ron, or your father, would never be invited." Hermione shook her head sharply.
"Never mind. I assume you met Swivingham at one of these parties?"

"Not as a guest," hedged Ginny. "He was… that is…" She paused, obviously trying to find the right words. "If you've
heard of them, you've probably guessed that a fair bit of, shall we say, social networking goes on at a Fire Party…"

"Is that how you were invited? Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, figure in the public eye and all that?"

"Not exactly. I was seeing David Midgen at the time – back when he was starting up his new music network, the
alternative to WWN, you know? He brought me to Blaise's first party, and…" Ginny stopped.

"And you've been attending them ever since? How… upwardly mobile of you," said Hermione sardonically.

"So why're they called 'Fire Parties'?" put in Ron, in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Does Zabini have a volcano in
his living room, or something?"

"It's a play on Blaise's name," Hermione replied absently. "His, and his co-host's… hostess, I should say…" She broke
off abruptly and stared at Ginny's fiery red hair, as the penny dropped loudly in her head. "Blaise and Flame," she
finished softly, her voice a challenge.

Ginny met her gaze without flinching. She said nothing.

Hermione waited.

"Yes," Ginny finally admitted, equally softly.

"You're Flame… you've been the hostess for Blaise Zabini's 'old-boy-network' social gatherings," Hermione spelled it
out. "Are you and Blaise…?"

Ginny lifted her chin defiantly. "I don't think that has any bearing on the current discussion."

"I'll be the judge of what does or doesn't have any bearing on our discussion," Hermione shot back, while Ron stared at
his sister as though she'd just sprouted horns. "You were describing the 'networking' that goes on at these parties – is
Zabini involved in that directly? As a facilitator?" Ginny hesitated again, and Hermione pressed on, very sure of her
ground now. "May I assume that there's a back room or two at Zabini Manor, where deals get made and bargains get struck?
Purebloods consolidating their influence and power? Call it what you like, Ginny, that's the reality of it!"

"Hermione, please understand…"

"And if Swivingham wasn't a guest, why was he there? Providing, oh, let's call it 'entertainment'?" Hermione's voice had
turned scathing. "Since I doubt you'd call it by its right name…!"

Stung and ashamed, Ginny lowered her gaze to the floor. "The back rooms only," she mumbled. "I didn't know about it,
Hermione, I swear. I kept seeing this bloke, but it wasn't until I read today's paper that I knew who he was, and what
he'd been doing at the Manor."

There was another moment of silence. "Well," said Hermione at length, "I daresay it would embarrass Zabini if the public
learned that he'd hired a Knockturn Alley crime boss to provide hookers and illegal drugs for his parties, but I don't
see that as a threat on your life."

"No," agreed Ginny, "there's more," and she gulped her tea. "I, er, don't suppose you have anything stronger…?" At the
looks she received from Hermione and Ron, she took another gulp, then set the cup down. Drawing a deep breath, she
began, "We gave a Fire Party last Friday. There were some new guests, I'd never seen them before, and Blaise didn't
introduce them to the general crowd as he usually does for newcomers. They seemed to be very important wizards, by the
way Blaise was talking to them. They went straight to the back room. I followed – normally I host the main party, you
see, so I stay there, and Blaise plays host to the back rooms – but this time I went back there, and I overheard Blaise
talking."

"With these new, important guests?" Hermione prompted.

"Yes. Um, Swivingham wasn't there Friday, of course… he was behind bars. I heard Blaise saying something about how
Swivingham was sure to be convicted now, because his elves were going to change their minds and agree to testify at his
trial."

"How did he know that?" Hermione asked sharply. "This was Friday, you said? The elves had only told me on Friday – it
couldn't have been more than a few hours before your party!"

"He figured the elves would testify, because of the rumor about… about Harry." Ginny fell silent, waiting.

If Ginny had been alone in Hermione's living room, Hermione might have accepted that Zabini had heard the rumor
somewhere inside the Ministry. One look at Ron's red face and gaping mouth, however, and the truth flashed complete in
Hermione's mind. "You told her, Ron?! After I trusted you to keep it to yourself, you told Ginny about Harry?"

"Hey, it wasn't like I was taking an advert in the Prophet!" Ron shouted. "I was only telling Ginny! She's family! And
anyway, I think she has a right to know if someone's pretending to be Harry, don't you!?"

"Besides, he was three sheets to the wind," Ginny noted quickly. "It's not his fault, Hermione, don't blame him."

Hermione turned her fury on Ginny. "And then you turned right around and told Zabini…!"

"He didn't believe it, though," Ginny said. "He didn't believe there was an imposter… he, er, thought it was a ruse by
you to trick the elves into testifying. He was actually pretty impressed."

"Am I supposed to be flattered? I asked that it be kept secret!" Hermione had no way of knowing whether Harry was
listening, but she hoped he was, and that he understood what had happened. She wondered in passing whether he'd be angry
enough to confront Ginny – and so confirm his existence.

In the meantime, she needed to bring the conversation back on track. "So Zabini was telling these guests that Swivingham
was going to Azkaban?"

Ginny nodded. "And that… that he'd probably betray them."

Hermione jumped on this. "He used those words?" It seemed incredible – but if the Cartel Lords were responsible for
Swivingham's murder, and Blaise Zabini had a hand in it…! The implications were staggering. She kept them to herself,
however: she still had nothing concrete.

Ginny licked her lips nervously. "I, I think he said, 'He'll probably betray us now to save his skin.' And then it was,
'Don't worry, I'll take care of it. He'll set a good example.' Or close to that." Ginny twisted her fingers together.
"And then I saw today's Prophet, and read all about Swivingham, and I knew he didn't kill himself – Blaise had him
killed. I, I didn't want to believe it, but…!"

Ron spoke up. "Does Zabini know you overheard him?"

"I don't know. They nearly caught me – I had to knock and go into the room with them, and pretend I had a question for
Blaise. You know, so I wouldn't look like I was eavesdropping. But if Blaise suspects anything…!"

"He might not have you killed," said Hermione calmly. "He might simply have you Obliviated." She didn't explain that
this seemed to be the Cartel Lords' preferred method of dealing with problems: there were obviously advantages to
keeping their existence unknown. Swivingham had evidently been a special case: either they couldn't find a skilled
enough Obliviator who had access to his cell, or, as Ginny's tale suggested, they were making an example of him.

Hermione's words didn't seem to reassure Ginny. She drained the dregs of her cup and set it back on the tray with a
thump. "Hermione, what can we do?"

"We can keep calm." Hermione fell silent, considering. There was, she judged, a real risk to Ginny's life: Even if Ginny
knew no more than she'd just told, the fact that she was Hermione's sister-in law might lead Zabini to assume the worst.
Moreover, Hermione was quite sure that Ginny did know more than she was telling, even if she didn't realize it. If she'd
been present at most of these Fire Parties, she might well have seen chance encounters, heard bits of conversation,
which when added together might be damaging to Zabini. And such scattered memories would be nearly impossible to
Obliviate without detection… while killing was so easy.

"Tonight, you'll spend the night here," she finally said, hoping Harry was listening. "As I told Ron, my house defenses
have been augmented recently… you'll be safe here. Tomorrow, I'll bring in one of the Department's evidentiary
Pensieves. I'd like to see for myself the conversation between Zabini and his guests… to determine how dangerous it
would be for him, and thus for you."

"And if Hermione doesn't think it's dangerous," said Ron, "then you should probably go to Quidditch practice this week,
as usual. If Zabini isn't suspicious, you don't want to make him suspicious, right? Act normally – but you might want to
beg off the next Fire Party, say you're sick or something. The less direct contact with him, the better."

"Yes, Ron, I'm sure you'd love that," said Ginny, with her usual tartness when dealing with her brother. She became
somber again as she said to Hermione, "And… and if you look at my memory, and you decide it is dangerous?"

"Magical Law Enforcement has some safe houses tucked away, here and there," Hermione assured her. "There'll be no
trouble putting you up in one…"

"No! If it's through the Ministry, then Blaise can know! He can find me!" Ginny insisted. "He has…." She stopped.

"Spies everywhere?" guessed Hermione, then in a voice of comprehension, "Or should I say sympathizers? Ah, I see. No
wonder you showed up inside an overnight bag. No telling who might be watching the Floo." She took a sip from her cup of
tea – and nearly spewed it out in surprise, as she felt something press against her ear. The bud of Harry's Extendable
Ear.

"Don't trust her too far," came Harry's voice. "She's not the threat to the Cartel Lords – you are. And if Zabini's
working for them, and she's working for Zabini… she may have been sent here. By them. To get at you, when they
couldn't."

It was a thought worthy of Mad-Eye Moody at his most paranoid. Hermione knew that Ginny could be mean-spirited and
spiteful on occasion, but she'd always believed Ginny to be a basically decent person. Hermione had a hard time
believing Ginny could be evil, or that she'd invent a story just to have the chance to strike at Hermione.

But then, she'd not have believed that Ginny would ever associate with Blaise Zabini, with his Pureblood beliefs – which
Hermione felt sure he maintained, even if he kept them to himself for political reasons.

Constant vigilance.

"You can sleep in Rose's room, Ginny," she said at last. "I'll put additional wards in place, just to be sure." She
heard Harry murmur, "I'm on it," as the bud withdrew from her ear, and knew he'd understood: additional wards on the
room itself, in case it was Ginny who proved to be the danger.

"Zabini might not have any plans for your head," she concluded, "but we'll take no chances. Once I've reviewed the
Pensieve, we'll know what to do next."

"Thank you, Hermione," said Ginny in relief, and she seemed genuinely grateful. "I'll try not to be a bother." She
stood, slung the overnight bag over her shoulder, and headed for the door to Rose's bedroom.

"Yeah, thanks, Hermione," said Ron; but while he likewise seemed grateful, he made no move to rise. Instead, he leaned
forward towards Hermione and lowered his voice. "Y'know, it might be best if I spent the night, too. Like you said, just
to be sure. An extra person around can't hurt security, don't you agree?"

She just barely kept from rolling her eyes at his transparency. "Of course, Ron, if you think so," she told him sweetly.
"You can sleep on the sofa."

He twisted his mouth in annoyance. "Not exactly what I had in mind."

"I know exactly what you had in mind, Ronald Weasley, and my answer's the same now as it was before," she said, her
voice low but firm. "What part of No don't you comprehend?"

"The part that keeps a husband and wife out of their marriage bed!" he answered hotly, no longer bothering to keep his
voice down. "God damn it, Hermione, this is beyond ridiculous! I know we've had our disagreements, but…"

"Disagreements? Ron, we were never compatible! It was a mistake for us to marry, and I can't have you around anymore!
When I told you we were through, I meant it!"

"Well, maybe you should've thought of that before you insisted on using your parents' stupid wedding ceremony! Because
you can say we're through all you like, but we're still stuck with each other! You can't have anyone else, and neither
can I! What good are your brains if you can't figure out a way to fix this!"

"Why, of course, Ron! Since it's our own magic that enforces our vows, all we have to do to 'fix this', as you put it,
is become Squibs! No magic, no problem! Is that what you want?!" They were both on their feet now, facing off in
high-pitched confrontation.

"No, dammit, but we aren't Muggles either! If we'd done a regular wizarding ceremony, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Right! Because I've noticed how much importance wizards attach to little things like fidelity! Small wonder Swivingham
could find customers! I'm sure you're sorry you couldn't be one!" Hermione screamed.

"Oh, I doubt he felt any need," came Ginny's voice from the bedroom door, a silken voice, gleeful at the barbs it was
about to deliver. "I mean, the new clerk at the Wheezes is more than willing to accommodate him. What's her name again,
Ron – Felicia? Or is that pronounced Fellatia?"

Both Hermione and Ron stared at her aghast, speechless with rage and mortification. As usual, it was Hermione who found
her voice first. "For someone whose life expectancy depends on my good will," she said in a dangerously quiet voice,
"you don't know when to keep your mouth shut."

Smoothly, Ginny began to respond.

"Shut," emphasized Hermione. Ginny lost her smile and closed her mouth.

Hermione waited a moment, until she was certain her point had been made, then turned to Ron. "True or false?" she asked,
in the same laser-quiet voice.

Ron's face was brilliant scarlet by now, but he responded as he characteristically did, with a frontal assault. "First
of all, what the hell business is it of yours? You've made it clear you're never gonna do me again, so what do you care
if someone else does? And second of all, since we can't cheat on each other, whatever I did with Felicia wasn't
cheating, was it? We weren't having sex! So get off my back!"

She stood, frozen and silent, staring at this stranger in her living room, wondering what had happened to the man she'd
thought she'd known well enough to marry. When Hermione spoke again, she was pleased that there was no tremor in her
voice, and no hint of moisture in her eye.

"Very well, Ron. I'll get off your back." She stepped close to him and jabbed a finger in his face. "And you get out of
my house. Now." She took a step back and added, with stony finality, "And forever."

Ron looked like he wanted to continue arguing, but in a rare display of prudence, remained quiet. He shot Ginny a
venomous look that promised dire retribution, and Disapparated.

Hermione turned on Ginny. "Good night," she said in curt dismissal, and headed for her own bedroom. She found herself
hoping that Harry put really solid wards on Ginny's room, sufficient to block anything from entering, like oxygen.

"Hermione, wait," said Ginny miserably. "I'm… I'm sorry. After all you're doing for me, that was way out of line. I had
no business…"

"You've never lost an opportunity to humiliate Ron," Hermione interrupted. "Ever since we were in Hogwarts. I'm not the
only one who rates an apology." She tried to leave the matter there, but indignation spilled forth. "And you're damn
right, you had no business! Yes, Ron and I made our mistake when we were younger – I admit it, and we're paying for it.
No one's sorrier than I am. But I don't really think you're in any position to rub our noses in it, Ginny!"

"No, I'm not. And I'm truly sorry."

Hermione's indignant anger couldn't be contained. It didn't occur to her, until later, that she was sounding forth to
the person who had sparked the confrontation in the first place. "And how can he say that… that… isn't sex? How can he
honestly maintain…!"

"I'm guessing," Ginny offered, "that if the magic of your vows let him do it, then it was all right under those vows."

"The intent was sexual gratification with another woman, Ginny. And magic is powered by intent, as much as by the
specific words. It certainly violates the spirit of our vows."

"But if Ron's intent was to be bound only by the specific words?"

"Then… then that would mean… from the very beginning… he'd never considered our marriage to be…" Hermione broke off,
then gave a short bark of bitter laughter. "Our marriage. Right. We don't have a marriage, do we? We have magically
enforced wedding vows. Not a marriage."

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Ginny said again. But this time, the words carried entirely different weight.

"As am I, Ginny. As am I." Wearily, Hermione nodded goodnight and turned to her bedroom.

Ginny's voice followed her, a temptress. "Hermione, if there's no marriage to save… and if Ron's found a way to find
some pleasure despite your bindings… why shouldn't you do the same? Is it so unthinkable?"

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut. "Yes, Ginny, yes it is. It is un…"

Harry, smiling as he prepared breakfast for her.

Harry, sitting all night by her bedside, for no other reason than to hold hands.

Harry, staring at her in cami and knickers, unable to take his eyes off her, bringing blushing warmth wherever his eyes
touched her.

Harry, who wouldn't come back for the wizarding world, but who came back for her.

Harry, noble, stubborn, self-sacrificing, infuriating, irreplaceable, and decidedly more fanciable than ever.

"…thinkable," she sighed, and closed the door behind her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

18. XVIII: Behavior Modification

(A/N: Longest chapter to date… but I doubt anyone will object. Thanks once again to my esteemed beta-reader MirielleGrey
for her aid. Any remaining errors are, of course, entirely my own fault.)

(Disclaimer: I don't own Harry or Hermione, obviously. I'm just borrowing them from Jo for a few minutes. I intend to
return them in better condition than I found them…)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XVIII: Behavior Modification

*

Maybe it's a good thing the Cloak started deadening my emotions again, Harry fumed silently. Otherwise I might've hexed
Ron right there in Hermione's living room.

As it is, I'm still boiling.

After Ron had been sent packing, Harry had remained at Enthalpy House just long enough to see Ginny settled in Rose's
bedroom, and to add an alarm spell to the extra wards on that room – to alert him should she leave the room in any
manner, for any reason. Then, gritting his teeth, he'd Apparated to Diagon Alley for the first time in fifteen years.

Most of the shops had closed at dusk, but there were still witches and wizards mingling down the Alley. Harry had
pressed himself against a wall, his fear of being discovered reaching almost claustrophobic levels. But he'd kept calm,
looking up and down the Alley until he spotted Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Ron lived in a flat above the shop, he knew.

He now watched the windows of the flat, as the evening wore on. One by one, the few remaining open shops closed their
shutters… only the Leaky Cauldron stayed open late. The crowd of pedestrians thinned, until the Alley was deserted.
Harry remained still, maintaining his vigil, until he saw the lights in the flat's window go out.

At Hogwarts, and at the Burrow, Ron had always been able to fall right to sleep. Harry gave it another half-hour, just
to be safe. Then he walked down to the shop, drew the Elder Wand from the straps on his left forearm, and began to
probe. It was much the same as Dumbledore had done, when he and Harry had tried to retrieve the locket Horcrux from the
cave grotto: no flashy spellwork or incantations, but quiet probing of the defenses.

The Wheezes' defenses felt like a standard anti-Apparation hex, combined with an alarm spell and a couple of others that
he'd never seen… probably unique, with nasty effects, given the proprietors.

In short, nothing capable of keeping out Harry. The barrier to the Death Chamber was the first I've found that I
couldn't get through, he thought. Any other barrier… well, if they wouldn't stop Death, they won't stop me. And compared
to the wards on Hermione's place, or the Ministry, these are simple.

He Apparated silently into the flat, not even a pop of air announcing his arrival. He'd had to guess at the flat's
layout, and by good fortune he'd guessed right: he arrived in Ron's bedroom. Ron lay on his bed, snoring as loudly as
Harry remembered.

Harry was tempted, oh so tempted, to awaken Ron with some nasty hexes of his own. But it would mean revealing himself to
Ron, followed by the inevitable explanations. Harry'd been unwilling to do that, even before the evening's earlier
revelations; now, he simply didn't know if Ron could be trusted with the secret.

Instead, Harry decided a little psychological conditioning was in order.

He placed a glamour on his own features, to soften them slightly and make him appear younger, closer to Ron's last
memory of him. More glamours were cast around Ron's head, not on it but around it, to distort his perceptions into a
surreal effect – emphasizing negative emotions below Ron's threshold of perception, like a milder form of a dementor's
gloom. Finally, a low-powered Confundus charm insured that Ron would be uncritically receptive, unable to analyze what
he would see and hear.

With that, Harry slipped the Elder Wand back into his sleeve and stepped out of the Stealth Cloak. Deliberately, he
lowered his voice half an octave and assumed a stern expression – not hard to do, he noted. "Ron!" he intoned, laying
his hand on Ron's shoulder.

Ron snorted and half-opened his eyes. "Wha…?" he said groggily, then realized a stranger was in his bedroom. He opened
his eyes fully as he batted at the hand on his shoulder – and froze, the action uncompleted, as he recognized Harry's
form in the darkness. "Harry?!"

"Yes," said Harry, still in that sepulchral tone. He said no more.

"But – but you're dead! No, this is a trick, you're the imposter who's been messing with Teddy Lupin! You can't be Harry
Potter, he's dead!"

"Yes."

Ron's face paled. "Yes?" he echoed feebly.

Harry didn't respond, letting the Confundus and the distorting glamours do their work. He saw with satisfaction how
Ron's eyes were sliding wildly from side to side, the whites showing around the edges.

"Harry… listen, Harry, mate, what is this? Are you a ghost? H-Harry, say something. What's…"

Harry decided Ron had worked himself into enough of a lather. "I left Hermione in your care."

"You left…? B-But Harry, it's not my fault! Well, not all my fault! You gotta understand, Hermione's got even more
mental since you died. She's more of a swot than ever…"

"I trusted you," Harry broke in, "and you hurt her." He let the words roll off his tongue, like a Shakespearean actor
playing Hamlet's father. "I am," and he paused for effect, "disappointed in you."

Ron was trembling now, breathing heavily and sweating hard. Good, thought Harry, and he leaned closer. "Stay away from
her. Never hurt her again. Or you – will – pay." Without gesturing, he used the Elder Wand to cast the Somnius Spell on
his quondam best friend. Ron's panicked eyes rolled back into his head, and he went limp on the bed.

Satisfied, Harry dispelled the glamours and retrieved the Cloak. When he wakes up, he thought as he draped the Cloak
over his shoulders and let it mould to his body, he'll remember this only as a nightmare… but maybe he'll stop being
such an arse with Hermione. God knows she deserves better.

He Apparated back to Enthalpy House, arriving in the living room. The house was dark; Ginny and Hermione were in bed
asleep, then. A quick check of the wards on Ginny's room confirmed she hadn't left it. Harry sighed and glanced over at
the sofa; he was a little surprised to see Hermione's legal paperwork still scattered over the floor and coffee table.
He gathered them together with a wave of his hand. Once the sofa was cleared, he made ready to bed down for the night,
still wrapped in the Cloak.

No, he berated himself, I need to get out of this Cloak. Hermione's right, if I wear it too long it'll damage me. But he
wasn't about to leave Hermione to deal with Ginny alone, should the need arise – Harry still wasn't entirely convinced
that Ginny wasn't a threat, either directly or as a spy. There was no help for it: he'd have to spend the night in
Hermione's bedroom. He hoped she wouldn't mind.

He slipped quietly inside and closed the door before removing the Cloak again. Hermione was in bed, seemingly asleep,
but her troubled expression showed she hadn't been happy when she'd retired. Another mark against Ginny, in Harry's
book.

The pillows and coverlet he'd used the previous night were neatly stacked in the corner of the room. Harry sat down in
that corner, where he could keep an eye on both the door and Hermione, tucked one of the pillows behind his head, closed
his eyes, and waited for sleep to come.

*

The sky outside the window was slate grey, but growing lighter by the second; reddish highlights were beginning to
blossom as Harry watched. It had been another sleepless night for Harry, still sitting in his corner, and he didn't feel
the least bit fatigued.

And now he was beginning to be seriously concerned.

When was the last time I slept – a full night's sleep, not a catnap? Has it been anytime in the last couple of weeks,
since the debacle at the Idée Fixe? If I did, I don't remember it.

I mean, I've done without sleep a few times, when I was out helping people. That little girl in her nursery, a few years
ago… things like that. But this is different, this is… like I've lost the need to sleep.

It must be the Hallows, somehow. They're a tremendous source of power, after all – maybe they're energizing me, keeping
my body from needing sleep. But why? And why start now?

Harry knew he should ask Hermione about this, and he would… just as soon as they'd dealt with the Cartel Lords, and
Zabini, and all. One crisis at a time, he thought wryly.

He heard Hermione stirring in her bed, slowly returning to consciousness. She moaned slightly and began to breathe more
rapidly… the remnants of some morning dream, Harry guessed. He was wondering whether to wake her, when her head began to
roll slightly on her pillow – her eyes opened, blinked to shake away the cobwebs, and spotted him in the corner.
"Harr…?" she began.

Quickly, Harry held up a hand in a plea for silence. His left hand gestured at the closed bedroom door. "Muffliato,
Imperturbus," he cast in rapid succession. "All right, it's safe to talk – she won't hear a thing. G'morning, Hermione."

Hermione blinked twice more, yawned and came immediately awake – she'd always had that enviable ability. A sort of
mental discipline that came with being a genius, Harry suspected. "Mmm. Good morning, Harry. Did you spend the night in
that corner? That can't have been very comfortable…"

He dismissed it with a shrug. "Didn't want to sleep in the Cloak… and being visible on the sofa didn't exactly seem a
good idea, either. Besides, this way I could keep an eye out… just in case."

"Um." She sat up in her bed… Harry noted in passing that she'd slept in long-sleeved, opaque pyjamas. "You don't
honestly believe that Ginny's been planted here… that her story last night was all a fabrication…!"

"Yeah, well, constant vigilance and all that." He showed her the stack of legal paperwork he'd collected. "The less she
sees, the better – even if she isn't a plant. Both she and Ron seem a little too easy with other people's secrets." He
looked stonily at the door. "I don't think I'm ready to trust her with mine."

"Oh." Hermione turned slightly pink. After a moment she said softly, "Thank you, then."

He laughed, and threw back at her the words she'd said the night before. "If I can't trust you, Hermione Granger, I am
well and truly screwed."

"Harry! Language!" she laughed with him. For a moment, it seemed that whatever cares she'd borne from the night before
were gone.

But she turned serious again soon enough. "Well, I've still got to deal with the mess left by Swivingham's death. Are
you visiting your dairy farmers again today?"

He nodded. "Just a day or two more... they should be able to cope with their problems by then."

"Of course. And will you… be staying here again tonight? I know you don't want Ginny to know…"

"Hermione, I want to stay as long as there's any chance that… well, you know… that you won't be all right. If that's all
right." Harry gave a wry half-smile. "I like to think I can learn from my mistakes."

"I appreciate that."

"But, um…" Harry hesitated, wondering how best to say this next bit, wondering how she might take it. "As soon as the,
uh, 'Swivingham mess' is done, I should be leaving again. For Greece," he added hastily, before she could take his words
the wrong way. "I want to look around Greece… see if I can find that cave you mentioned, the one that leads to the
underworld. If it's like the Arch, if it's another portal to the afterlife, I should be able to chuck the Hallows
there."

She gave him a penetrating look. "You've changed your mind, then? I thought you'd still planned to hold onto the Hallows
until you died undefeated."

"Yeah, well, that's still my fallback plan, but I'd rather not wait that long. In case I didn't mention it before, these
things are dangerous." Harry kept to himself his worries about his lack of sleep. "The sooner the world is shut of them,
the better."

"I couldn't agree more." Hermione was still giving him that look, as though she knew what he was thinking, even without
his saying it… that she understood the danger the Hallows presented to him. After a moment, she continued, "And you
know, the country's history is rich with magic – there are any number of magical sites in Greece to visit. Or so I've
heard. I've never been there."

"Me either. Okay, then," agreed Harry absently. Hermione smiled slightly, and he suddenly wondered if he'd just
committed himself to something without realizing it.

And was surprised, after a moment, when he found he didn't mind being committed, really. Not at all.

"Right," he said, standing and stretching, "So I should be off, I reckon. Back to my flat – Jacob Clayman's flat, I mean
– shower and change. Let you shower and, um, change. Think you can handle breakfast on your own?"

"Oh, I think I still remember how," Hermione replied, smiling wider. She swung her legs out of bed, took two quick
steps, and had him in a hug before he could react. "Thank you, Harry. Thank you for everything."

"You too," Harry mumbled into her hair as he returned her hug. It was not until much later that he wondered if Thank you
might have some other meaning.

*

Hermione's thoughts were uncharacteristically disordered as she Apparated into the Ministry of Magic that morning.
Indeed, it would be fair to describe her thoughts as chaotic. To go to bed after hearing the awful revelations from Ron
and Ginny – to transition from a disturbing dream (the details of which remained maddeningly nebulous, except for
glimpses of green eyes and black hair) to waking with Harry sitting at eye level – and now to racking her brains into
some approximation of cognitive function upon arrival at her office. There was too much to be done today for her to be
distracted, by anything or anyone.

Evidently, the Ministry had decided to be more than usually chaotic that day, too. Hermione walked into her office to
find Croaker waiting for her. He didn't wait for a greeting, but pressed an envelope into her hand, murmuring "The runes
have changed." He started to leave, but Hermione caught his arm.

"Changed how?"

"What had been a statement now seems to be a warning," Croaker said shortly. He looked deliberately at the envelope in
Hermione's hand, as though all further explanation were inside it, and left without another word.

Next came the memos regarding the Conference on International Crime. True to the Minister's request, it was being
convened "within the week" – indeed, on Thursday. And, as she ought to have expected, it would be chaired not by Magical
Law Enforcement, but by the Department of International Cooperation. I have got to prove that Zabini's involved with the
Cartel Lords before then, she vowed. If he's allowed to run that Conference, it might as well not bother to convene.

She penned a request to have one of the Department's evidentiary Pensieves brought to her office… paused as an idea
struck her, gave a small secret smile, and added a line to the request before folding it and launching it into the
interoffice slipstream. I can only hope Ginny's memories can show us something useful – damaging to Zabini. Of course,
in that case, she's definitely in danger. Which means I'll have a semi-permanent house guest. Oh joy.

Finally, she received a visit from Grimaldi and Bones, the Enforcers tasked with finding Eddie Nelson. They'd found
Nelson at the home of a friend… nursing a hangover that even Sobriety Potions couldn't fully cure. "One of his pals is
getting married next week," Bones explained, "and it looks like the stag party turned into a drinking contest. Eddie
smelled like he'd been embalmed in Ogden's Finest."

"Which he practically was," added Grimaldi.

"Hmph," sniffed Hermione. "Well, as soon as he's regained some semblance of coherence, take him down to Peasegood to see
if his memories match his story. Keep me posted – and good work, both of you."

And all that was before morning break.

Once Grimaldi and Bones left, she leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes wearily. It looked now as though Nelson
wasn't Swivingham's killer after all… but in that case, she had no suspects. And Robards would certainly renew his
suspicion of the elves, either directly or as accomplices. Although Hermione knew the killer had used the Imperius Curse
on Swivingham, she couldn't tell Robards how she knew – without bringing Harry into the mess.

But it had to be one of the guards, she told herself. No one else had a wand! Unless… unless someone else sneaked into
the cell block, and Obliviated the guard to forget they'd been there. Since Ferrers showed no sign of Obliviation, that
means it was on Nelson's watch. We'll see what Peasegood finds.

A tentative knock sounded on her door. "Um, ma'am?" asked Dennis Creevey carefully.

She didn't take her hands from her eyes, hoping he'd get the hint. "Yes?"

He drew breath, as though gathering all his courage, and said, "I think I have a lead on the Swivingham death."

Hermione immediately sat upright and pinned him with her gaze. "Let's hear it."

Dennis came into her office and shut the door behind him. "It was something Mr. Robards said to you, the day we found
Swivingham's body," he began, placing a stack of file folders on the desk. "I don't think anyone else heard but me.
Something about it happening before?"

"Yes, an accused Death Eater, at the end of the First Voldemort War," nodded Hermione. "Sliced his wrists with a chicken
bone, of all things." She frowned. "That does sound like an Imperius-induced suicide, now I think about it…"

"Well, I went back through the old records," said Dennis, his confidence growing with Hermione's interest. He opened the
first folder. "Obadiah Castle, Dark Mark on his forearm, charged with eleven counts of murder and torture. But the
records show," and he flipped through the pages, "that Barty Crouch had offered him the same sort of deal as Karkaroff.
A reduced sentence in exchange for naming unindicted Death Eaters."

"In-teresting." Hermione snatched up the folder and scanned its contents eagerly. Dennis waited a moment for her to look
up from the pages.

"By an odd coincidence, two days after Castle's death, another suspected Death Eater's case was thrown out for lack of
evidence. The man claimed total exoneration, of course." Dennis slid the second file over the desk. Hermione's eyes
widened at the name on the outside of the folder.

"And by a yet odder coincidence," concluded Dennis triumphantly, "they had the same defense attorney." He flipped open
the second folder and laid his finger next to a name. Hermione slowly began to match Dennis's smile.

Her smile abruptly vanished. "But as you just said, this could be coincidence. It's suggestive, but it's not proof. And
he'll be sure to point that out."

Dennis nodded. "So what do we do next? Would this be enough to bring him in for questioning, at least?"

"Yes, but to no purpose. He would deny complicity, we'd have no tangible evidence, and he'd walk away. And if he were
the guilty party, we'd have accomplished nothing but to warn him that we suspect him."

"Veritaserum…"

She shook her head and tapped the folders with one finger. "Not without more solid evidence than this."

"Then what…?"

Hermione lowered her gaze and chewed her lip in deep thought. After a moment, she looked up at Dennis. "Well, first I
talk to Robards," she said slowly, "and see if he'll give me carte blanche without explaining why. And then, Dennis, you
and I take a little trip." She smiled warmly at Dennis's confusion. "It's only fair you should come, Dennis. This is
excellent work."

*

The guard shut the door to the visitor's room at Azkaban, leaving Draco Malfoy looking around in puzzlement. If he'd
been brought here for one of Weasley's gloat sessions, Weasley ought already to be present. Instead, Draco was alone in
the visitor's room.

He was not to remain alone for long. The door opened again, and Narcissa Malfoy was escorted in. "What is going on?" she
demanded of her guard. "I insist that you tell me!" The guard said nothing, merely releasing her arm and leaving,
closing the door behind her.

Draco was incredulous. "Mother?" He took a faltering step towards her, then rushed to embrace her. "It's been so long…!"

The door opened a third time, and Lucius Malfoy was shoved inside. The years in Azkaban had treated him less kindly than
the other Malfoys: as a convicted Death Eater, his cell had fewer human guards, and more dementor guards. His hair was
unwashed and matted, his complexion sickly, his eyes sunken and haunted.

Lucius spun back to the door as it slammed shut. He was about to scream at the departing guard when he realized he
wasn't alone in the room. He turned, saw his wife and son – and the embrace quickly became a three-way hug.

"My husband… what is this about?" Narcissa ventured at length to ask.

Lucius shook his head warningly. He rolled his eyes to indicate that they were undoubtedly being watched.

The opposite door opened to admit Hermione and Dennis. "Good afternoon, everyone," she said pleasantly. "Let me set your
minds at ease from the start. I've dismissed the observers, and taken a few other precautions… I wanted to guarantee us
perfect privacy."

The entire Malfoy family glared with undisguised hatred at the Muggleborn witch who had ruined their lives. "What the
hell are you doing here?" spat Draco. "Couldn't the Weasel fit us into his schedule today? Or are you proving to him how
much better you can be at gloating…?"

Narcissa placed her hand on her son's shoulder, silencing him. "What do you want?" she asked Hermione in more moderate
tones.

Hermione gestured to the Malfoys to sit down, as she and Dennis took their own seats on their side of the room. "Not
much," she told them, opening her briefcase. "A little information. A modicum of cooperation."

Lucius coughed hoarsely. "Indeed," he said, in an attempt at his old patrician drawl. The effect was spoiled by the
roughness of his voice, which had seen so little use. "And why should we aid a sworn enemy? You can hardly expect us to
help you out of the goodness of our hearts, after all you've done to us."

"Oh, no, the goodness of your hearts is far too small to be of any use," Hermione agreed. She pursed her lips in
thought. "I could easily have got a Ministry order, doped you with Veritaserum up to your eyeballs, taken what I wanted
– and returned you to your cell." Her cool look implied that the option was still open.

"But I thought it better to offer you an incentive – cooperation is so much more pleasant," she continued with more
sympathy. "Which does raise a dilemma." Hermione leaned forward slightly. "Mr. Malfoy, as a convicted Death Eater – and
ranking high among Voldemort's followers – you were sentenced to life without parole. Very little I can do about that,
I'm afraid. But it seems you have information I want."

She glanced at Narcissa and Draco. "Mrs. Malfoy and Draco were never given the Dark Mark, never convicted of being Death
Eaters. So they weren't given life sentences – and do have the possibility of parole. But sadly, I feel sure they were
never party to this particular information."

Hermione looked back at Lucius, and couldn't suppress the superior smile of a person who knows she has the upper hand.
"That's why I asked that all of you be brought to this discussion today. We can consider any information as coming from
you as a group… and any reduction in punishment applying to you as a group."

Lucius stared stonily at Hermione, but said nothing. Narcissa and Draco looked hesitantly from the Malfoy patriarch to
the slender witch who held their fates in her hand.

Dennis broke the silence. "Maybe we were wrong, Madam Granger. Maybe there are other Malfoy heirs to carry on the family
name. I thought for sure old Draco was the last of his line."

Draco drew a hissing inward breath. "Creevey, you brown-nosing little…" His mother tightened her hand on his forearm,
and he bit off what would have been a scathing retort.

"'Course, he's not begetting any heirs in here," Dennis added to himself, almost as an afterthought.

"Point… made," grated Lucius at last. "In return for freedom for my wife and son, then, along with the restoration of
the Malfoy estates and assets…"

"Oh, those have long since been confiscated by the Ministry," said Hermione with a show of regret, "to help pay for the
damages caused by Voldemort's regime. You might still have some savings in your Gringotts vault, which could perhaps be
restored to you." She extracted a file folder from her briefcase and set it to rest on her lap. "In return for
cooperation now… which may include court testimony under Veritaserum later."

Lucius Malfoy bowed his head in assent. "What do you wish to know?"

"The First Voldemort War… the one that pretty much ended when he was defeated by a one-year-old baby," began Hermione,
watching the snarl pass over Malfoy's face, "you were accused of being a Death Eater even then."

"And was completely exonerated by the Ministry," put in Lucius sharply.

"And had your case dropped by the Ministry," corrected Hermione. "Come now, it was thirty years ago, you can tell me how
you managed it." She nodded encouragingly.

Something like a smirk appeared. "By calling in favours, in some cases," he said easily. "With social status and
influence, one can amass a fair few. In other cases, judicious amounts of money, to the right government officials."

"That surely wouldn't have been enough to clear you… if they thought they had enough evidence to accuse you in the first
place."

Lucius's smirk vanished. His brow furrowed as he stared at Hermione, trying to glean from her body language what she
wanted, what she already knew, whether she was bluffing. Hermione returned his gaze unwaveringly, revealing nothing.

"You must be thinking of Obadiah Castle," he grudged after a minute. "Yes, Castle claimed he could finger me as a Death
Eater, but he must have known he couldn't support such an accusation. I suppose that's why he killed himself. His faith
in Our Lord and His Cause was… lacking."

"How was it arranged, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione asked. Her voice was soft velvet – with Damascus steel just underneath.

"Ah," said Malfoy, now knowing what the interview was about. Visibly, he debated whether he should continue to
cooperate, or try to bargain again.

Narcissa moved slightly. "Lucius," she whispered, and he turned to look at her… and they communicated without speaking
for a long minute, as by her facial expressions Narcissa pleaded for the fate of their bloodline.

At last, with a sigh, Malfoy turned back to Hermione. "Castle and I employed the same attorney. The man came to me the
night before Castle died… told me that Crouch was offering Castle a deal, which would likely get me Kissed. And I was
told that, for a sufficient… consideration…" He shrugged. "My attorney could make Castle, and the problem, go away. He
didn't say how, and I thought it prudent not to ask. But it was done."

"You paid your attorney to kill his other client, in order to have your case dismissed. Is that right, Mr. Malfoy?"
persisted Hermione.

Malfoy swallowed and said, committing himself to his path, "That is exactly right, Madam… Granger."

"And the attorney's name?

He made one final attempt to prevaricate. "Surely it's there in your records…"

"That's not how this works," Hermione reproved him. "Upon your own testimony, tell me his name."

Malfoy nodded with an air of resignation – an acknowledgement that the Muggleborn witch had won. "Edwin Lovinett."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

19. XIX: Gathering Intelligence

(A/N: "Dear Diary: Suckiest month ever. Less said of it, the better. Couldn't have got through it without support of my
friends. Especially MirielleGrey, who had plenty on her plate without being a beta too. Love, P."

Seriously, thank you all for your patience, as I've tried to reconstruct this chapter following the tragic death of my
hard drive. I hope this chapter can slake your thirst. Until the next chapter, of course.

I've used the concept of the Jungian collective unconscious in others of my stories: I frankly don't see how some of the
Potterverse's magic can work without it.)

(Disclaimer: This can't be JKR: Even I write faster than she does.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XIX: Gathering Intelligence

*

"What I can't figure out," Hermione said to herself as she and Dennis made their way to Azkaban's Apparation Point, "is
how Lovinett could have done it. I saw him give up his wand to the guard – not that anyone could smuggle a wand past the
guard desk's sensors, anyway…"

Dennis shrugged. "We'll ask him after we've hauled him in. I mean, now we have enough solid proof to use Veritaserum,
right?"

"Right – but we don't haul him in yet." At Dennis's astonished look, Hermione explained, "I went to extraordinary
lengths to keep our visit to Azkaban today a secret. I don't want to show our hand until we're ready."

"But I don't see…"

"Why did Lovinett kill Swivingham?" asked Hermione gently. "Who is he working for?"

"I don't know…" Dennis began, then caught himself. "But you think they're the ones who had Robards Obliviated?"

"It would seem so, yes."

"Lovinett did that, too?!"

"Probably not. If Lovinett were skilled with Memory Charms, why not Obliviate Swivingham, instead of killing him?"
Hermione recalled Ginny's story, with Zabini calling Swivingham an 'example' – but until she had a chance to review
Ginny's Pensieved memories, those suspicions were best kept to herself.

For a moment, she slipped back into lecturer mode. "Right now, nobody knows that Swivingham's death was anything but
suicide – nobody but us, and the ones responsible. If we arrest Lovinett now, the guilty ones will know we know – and
we're not in a position yet to arrest them as well. But they mustn't be given a chance to respond, either – flee, hide,
or counter – so for now, we hold off on Lovinett." Hermione gave a grim half-smile at her colleague's impatience. "Only
for now, Dennis. As soon as we can collect Lovinett in a way that doesn't tip off his employers, we will."

"Whatever you say," said Dennis, still impatient but willing to trust The Witch Who Won. "Do you have a plan, then?"

"I've an idea, yes. It will require a good deal of coordination and advance preparation." Hermione sighed and couldn't
help wincing. "Not least of which will be the humble pie."

*

Ginny watched Blaise's retreating figure in puzzlement. Whatever reaction she'd expected from him, upon hearing Ron's
news of an imposter Harry, it hadn't been that look of sharp attention… followed by quick excuses and rapid departure.
He was returning to the drawing room, where his three mysterious guests were being privately entertained, and Ginny
couldn't imagine why they'd be interested in this bit of gossip.

Especially as Blaise had insisted it wasn't true, but merely a ploy on Hermione's part.

She hesitated, turned the hesitation into a wait, and gave Blaise enough time to return to the drawing room and close
the door. Then Ginny quietly followed him down the hall, stopping in front of the closed door. Years of growing up at
the Burrow came in useful: she stood nonchalantly by the door, not looking at all as though she were listening intently.

The voices through the door were faint at first: she couldn't distinguish words. Then Blaise's voice rose above the
others. "Because I've just learned that Granger's spreading a rumor that Harry Potter's come back from the dead, that's
why. The elves will respond to that, I assure you. Oh yes, they will testify – making the verdict certain."

Another voice spoke up, in a sharp German accent. "Then Swivingham will to your Azkaban Prison be sent after all. Hm.
Does your Ministry have an appeal process we might attempt? If not, at the very least we can a goodly bonus guarantee
him, once his term he's served…"

"No, we've no options left," replied Blaise, "but he does. He can turn Crown's Evidence in exchange for immunity from
prosecution. And that's exactly what he'll do. You gentlemen have no idea of the horror that is Azkaban, but trust me,
Swivingham will do anything to avoid it. To save his own skin, he will betray us."

There was a hubbub of angry voices as several people tried to speak at once. Ginny tried to focus on specific comments,
until one smooth voice spoke. "I think we're agreed," he began, and the others fell silent at once, "that it would be in
everyone's best interest that our good friend Jack remain silent. Our faithful servant would not wish to be forsworn,
after all… and it would be merciful to keep him out of Azkaban, if what you tell us of it is true."

"Setting an example to the end," said Blaise after a moment. "Very well, gentlemen, I'll take care of it. It shall be
done discreetly–" Blaise stopped talking… a little too quickly. Ginny realized he must have heard or suspected her
presence, and was even now heading to open the door.

She didn't hesitate: before he could reach the door, she knocked briskly. "Blaise?" she called, in a perfectly natural
tone.

The door swung open immediately. Blaise stood filling the doorway, his face carefully neutral; behind him Ginny could
see his three visitors. "I'm sorry to interrupt," she said apologetically, "but there's an owl from the Ministry here
for you."

Visibly, Blaise relaxed a bit. "Of course," he said easily. "If you'll forgive me, gentlemen? Duty calls." He left the
drawing room, closing the door behind him, and motioned Ginny to precede him to the manor's foyer, where owls usually
arrived.

"Sorry," she said again as they walked. "I know you like me to stay with our main party, but if the Ministry is owling
you on a Friday night, it must be important."

"No, you did right."

"And Aurora Sinclair brought a new guest tonight. I thought you might want to bedazzle her with the famous Blaise Zabini
charm." Ginny smiled impishly, and Blaise returned her smile automatically.

"First the owl, then our guests," he promised. Ginny knew there would be an owl from the Ministry waiting for Blaise at
the foyer. Every Fire Party, at least one owl arrived from the Ministry, sometimes more than one. She'd never disturbed
Blaise with their contents – she knew the back room sessions were important, politically – but simply read the messages,
which were often trivial matters, and dealt with them on her own initiative with no one the wiser. She was perfectly
capable of handling such routine details, and events had always proven her right.

The owl waiting in the foyer wouldn't bear anything vital, but it would be from the Ministry, and would give Ginny the
excuse she needed to be loitering outside the drawing room door. As long as she enjoyed Blaise's confidence, that was
all that mattered to her.

Hermione and Ginny emerged from the Pensieve. Each took a moment to regain her bearings; Hermione recovered first. "And
you haven't seen or heard from those three wizards since Friday?"

Ginny swayed on her feet slightly, still dizzy from the trip into her own memory. "Um, no. I didn't even learn their
names. But you can see why I got so worried, when I read about Swivingham's death yesterday…!"

With a swirl of her wand, Hermione collected the memory into a flowing silvery thread, wrapping it around her wand's
tip. She delicately removed it from the Pensieve before replying. "Yes, but even in the worst case, you should be safe
enough," she told Ginny, as she deposited the memory into a glass phial. "After all, there wouldn't be much point in
killing or Obliviating you, when we've effectively got your testimony in here." She held up the phial, now filled with
silvery fluid.

"You could use that in court?" Ginny asked. "Whether I'm there or not?"

"Well, yes. That's exactly what this is for, after all," pointed out Hermione, patting the Pensieve's rim. "This is one
of the Ministry's evidentiary Pensieves. As the name implies, it displays the memory exactly as you experienced it,
providing an eyewitness account. No more, no less."

Ginny nodded, then furrowed her brows. "But Memory Charms?"

"Would be apparent as a blurring or discontinuity in the flow of events. If necessary, we'd have a Ministry Obliviator
scan the witness for Memory Charms."

"Ah," said Ginny, her doubts not quite dispelled.

Together they made their way to the kitchen, where Hermione had set out the Indian take-away she'd brought home with
her. "I need to restock my larder, if you're to be staying here more than a few days," she joked.

"I'll pay you back," Ginny offered, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "And this smells heavenly, thanks."

They make inconsequential small talk as they ate. Ginny was as easy and personable as Hermione remembered; several
times, she had to catch herself as she fell back into old habits, from their shared nights in the bedroom at the Burrow.
She had no doubt that Ginny was making a conscious effort to get back on her sister-in-law's good side.

It wasn't until they'd nearly finished their dinners that Ginny returned to the issue of her Pensieve memories. "So,
then," she said, pushing away her plate and somberly meeting Hermione's gaze. "Now you've seen it, what do you think?"

Hermione chose her words carefully. "Nothing you heard was an unambiguous death sentence for Swivingham. If this memory
were presented as trial evidence, I don't doubt that defense counsel would show how it could be interpreted in more than
one way."

"That's true," said Ginny, brightening. "Blaise never really said anything about Swivingham being killed, did he? I knew
he couldn't be involved in anything shady…"

Who exactly are we trying to convince, Ginny? asked Hermione silently.

"I mean," continued Ginny blithely, "if they were all talking about something criminal or dangerous, wouldn't you think
they'd put an Imperturbable Charm on the door? Or Silencing Charms, or something?"

"Mm hmm. On the other hand, using those charms would demonstrate to everyone in the manor that he had something to
hide."

"Oh. Yeah. I suppose…" said a deflated Ginny. After a moment, she looked up at Hermione with a hint of a smirk on her
lips. "So why'd you have an Imperturbable Charm on your door last night?"

Hermione was unprepared to have the tables turned on her. "Oh! Um. Well, no reason, I suppose…" she fumbled.

Ginny's smirk widened. "Come on, you can tell me."

"Well… I didn't want to say, but…" Hermione played at hesitation, as an excellent excuse occurred to her. "It was
because… well, I'm sorry, Ginny, but you snore."

The smirk vanished immediately. "I do not snore!"

"Yes, you do, I'm afraid. I mean, you snored back when we roomed together in the Burrow, but nothing like last night.
And I'm not talking little ladylike snores, either." Wickedly, Hermione imitated the loudest, most adenoidal snore
possible, and added, "And I thought Ron was bad." She gave an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, Ginny."

"Hmph," Ginny scowled, crossing her arms. Pleased that she'd diverted Ginny's curiosity, Hermione began to clear the
dishes and put them in the sink.

"Speaking of Ron," said Ginny abruptly, "he Floo-called here twice today. Said something about not being able to see you
in your office."

"I was in and out most of the day," Hermione confirmed.

"Anyway, after his last call, he owled you a message." Ginny indicated Hermione's desk, where a hastily tied scroll sat
among her paperwork. Intrigued, Hermione went to her desk and opened the scroll. She read it silently… then read it
again, to be sure.

"Well?" Ginny demanded at length, unable to contain herself.

"Well, I'd have to say this is the most fulsome screed of remorse and contrition that I've ever had the dubious pleasure
of reading." Hermione glanced from the scroll to Ginny and translated, "He says he's really, really sorry."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"As far as it goes, I suppose." Though she knew Ginny dearly wanted to read the note for herself, Hermione re-rolled the
scroll and slipped it into her pocket. There were certain details in the note that she didn't want to share… at least
not with Ginny.

"Well, I need to return the Pensieve to the Ministry tonight," she announced. "I can pick up some groceries while I'm
out, so decide what you'd like to eat while you're here. And, er, is there anything else I can pick up for you? I know I
don't have a lot of diversions in my home…"

"I was listening to Rose's WWN hookup most of the day. But… if you could pick me up a copy of this month's Modern
Quidditch, that'd help," said Ginny gratefully.

"I'll do that," laughed Hermione. "Why don't you wash the dishes, while I pack the Pensieve?" Upon Ginny's eager nod,
she left the kitchen and headed straight for her bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she hissed, "Harry? Are you
there?"

Harry's head appeared. "So what did you see? I didn't want to try following you into the Pensieve… didn't know if I'd be
visible inside it, Cloak or no…"

Hermione overrode him. "Can you come with me back to the Ministry?" she asked urgently. "I've no time to explain, I
don't want Ginny to suspect anything – but can you meet me there? In the Atrium again, and follow me to my office? It's
very important, Harry."

His jaw clenched once… then he resolutely nodded and wrapped the Cloak over his head once more. Hermione quickly grabbed
one of her pillows, stripped off its pillowcase, and returned to the living room just as Ginny entered from the kitchen.
Together they slipped the Pensieve into the pillowcase for transport… then with a friendly nod to Ginny, Hermione
Disapparated.

*

At the Ministry, Hermione shut the door to her office and glanced around. "You can come out now," she announced quietly.
She waited a moment, and added, "Trust me, Harry, please."

The air shimmered as Harry shucked off the Cloak. He immediately stepped to the door and put his ear to it, listening.
He raised his left hand, where the Elder Wand was strapped, as though he were about to cast a warding spell… despite its
being after hours, and the Ministry being nearly unpopulated, he clearly felt very exposed and vulnerable being there.

Evidently, whatever protections he detected on the room seemed to satisfy him: he lowered his hand without casting
anything. "All right, Hermione, what's on with this? I'm guessing you want me to see Ginny's memory in the Pensieve…?"

"Yes and no," Hermione replied, pulling the phial from her pocket. A little explanation, she thought, might help
distract him enough to settle his nerves. "An evidentiary Pensieve is limited, deliberately so, in what it can show us.
But in theory, a Pensieve can draw on more than the memory being displayed: it can extract memetic information from the
gestalt of the collective unconscious itself. "

"Uh huh. And what's that mean, when it's at home?"

"It means a powerful Pensieve can actually show details that the memory's observer didn't herself see." She walked
behind her desk and, with a grunt, picked up a large, heavy wooden box. She set the box on her desk as she continued,
"Unfortunately, the spells needed to create such a powerful Pensieve have been lost for generations. There are only a
few left in the world. One of them, as you may recall, belonged to Albus Dumbledore."

"Yeah," said Harry with dawning understanding, as he recalled his sixth-year lessons with Dumbledore. Now that he
considered, his Pensieve trips into Tom Riddle's life had seemed far more detailed than would be possible if only a
single person's memories had been used: events behind closed doors, or out of the person's line of sight, had been fully
visible. "So I'm guessing that you've got Dumbledore's Pensieve there?"

"Right in one," smiled Hermione, lifting the box's lid to reveal the rune-graven stone basin. "I sent a note to
Professor McGonagall earlier today. She's been good enough to loan us Dumbledore's Pensieve in the past." She opened the
phial and poured Ginny's memory into the waiting Pensieve. "Of course," she added, "precisely because it does show more
than one witness's experience, it can't be used as evidence in a trial – but that won't matter to us, if it points us in
the right direction. And I think we'll both want to see this."

And seizing Harry's hand, they plunged into the roiling silvery mist.

They entered the memory at the point where Ginny was listening by the drawing room door. Without letting go of Harry's
hand, Hermione walked through the door – literally through it, as though it were an illusion – and found herself in the
room with Zabini and three others. "Because I've just learned that Granger's spreading a rumor that Harry Potter's come
back from the dead," Zabini was saying forcefully, "that's why. The elves will respond to that, I assure you. Oh yes,
they will testify – making the verdict certain." He sat back in his seat and regarded the three wizards before him:
dressed in elegant robes that bespoke wealth without flaunting it, they carried an air of authority… and danger.

The wizard on his left met Zabini's gaze coolly. Hermione noted him carefully: thin, with high cheekbones, wispy blond
hair, and deep-set blue eyes. Calluses on the bridge of his nose suggested he normally wore spectacles. "Then Swivingham
will to your Azkaban Prison be sent after all," he said in a sharp German accent. "Hm. Does your Ministry have an appeal
process we might attempt? If not, at the very least we can a goodly bonus guarantee him, once his term he's served…"

Zabini made a slicing gesture with one hand. "No, we've no options left, but he does. He can turn Crown's Evidence in
exchange for immunity from prosecution. And that's exactly what he'll do. You gentlemen have no idea of the horror that
is Azkaban, but trust me, Swivingham will do anything to avoid it. To save his own skin, he will betray us."

The German wizard began an angry retort, but was interrupted by the second wizard, the one on Zabini's right: swarthy
skin, curly black hair, massive muscular build. He favored heavy gold jewellery. From the Mediterranean, Hermione
guessed; his accent sounded neither Italian nor French, but some polyglot blend. "You put too much faith in these
dementors of yours," he snarled. "I 'ave never believed they're the deterrent you and your Ministry claim. It's not as
though we've 'ad problems in recruitment, after all."

"Amazing, then, that you ever saw the need to approach me, Castigni," Zabini riposted. "Or do you think your gains here
would have been as great, or as rapid, without my aid?"

"Irrelevant to the discussion," put in the German. "Swivingham will not to betray us be moved if your dementors aren't
fearsome enough to discourage crime in the first place…!"

The third wizard, who sat directly facing Zabini, had yet said nothing. He looked to be from the Middle East:
hawk-nosed, a trim black beard, wearing a neat turban. He accepted a goblet of some foaming drink from a young, female
house-elf, and sipped as he listened to the growing argument. Finally, he handed the goblet back to the elf and raised a
finger. "I think we're agreed," he began smoothly, and the others fell silent at once, "that it would be in everyone's
best interest that our good friend Jack remain silent. Our faithful servant would not wish to be forsworn, after all…
and it would be merciful to keep him out of Azkaban, if what you tell us of it is true." He smiled serenely as he
watched Zabini, and waited.

After a moment, Zabini gave a jerky nod of reluctant understanding. "Setting an example to the end," he said slowly.
"Very well, gentlemen, I'll take care of it. It shall be done discreetly–" Abruptly, Zabini stopped – his head swiveling
to look at the closed door. Raising his hand for silence, he quickly rose from his chair and took a step – as a brisk
knock sounded.

"Blaise?" came Ginny's voice through the door.

Hermione nodded, satisfied by what she'd seen. She turned to collect Harry… to see him kneeling before the house-elf,
studying her features closely. By elven standards, indeed by human standards, she was quite comely. Her only garb
comprised a long translucent veil, strategically arranged to cover without concealing, and held in place by a fine gold
chain around her waist. "She reminds me of one of the elves that visited Enthalpy House," Harry said, unnecessarily
whispering.

"Brillig," Hermione automatically supplied, then gasped as she looked more closely. The house-elf in the Pensieve was
obviously the Arab's personal servant – but more importantly, she was the very image of one of the witnesses against
Swivingham! The elf named Fatima…

"Swivingham hinted there was a… Levantine connection to the Cartel Lords," Hermione said softly. She took Harry's wrist,
pointed her wand upward, and together they left the Pensieve scene.

"'Levantine'?" Harry asked.

"One of the six witness elves, one you haven't met yet, is named Fatima," explained Hermione, as she hurriedly collected
Ginny's memory from the Pensieve. "She looks almost exactly like the elf servant we saw. Enough to be sisters! It can't
be coincidence."

"Wizards have bred house-elves as servants for centuries," Harry commented. "Stands to reason that someone, somewhere,
would breed them for looks, as well as everything else." He shrugged. "And it makes sense it would be in Arabia. What do
they call those girl-slaves in Paradise – houris? Pretty house-elves would be like houris on earth."

"In every way," muttered Hermione in disgust, as she replaced the lid on the Pensieve box. Small wonder Swivingham
imported elven sex-slaves from that region! Hermione was willing to bet that Fatima had been charged with instructing
the other elves on "technique".

"So…" Harry began to pace back and forth in Hermione's office. Since the office wasn't all that big, he was more or less
reduced to constantly turning in a circle. "So what does this tell us, then? Are these three wizards the Cartel Lords
that Swivingham worked for? From what we heard, I'm guessing that Zabini killed Swivingham, or arranged it – does Zabini
work for the Lords, too, or is he one of them? And did we hear… there was a name mentioned! 'Castigni' – does that ring
a bell with you?"

"No, but I wouldn't have expected it to: we know how the Lords prefer to remain anonymous. Mm, we can forward the name
to the various Ministries in Europe, see if anyone has a dossier on him. And we have physical descriptions for all three
of them, which we can also forward." Hermione took out a sheet of parchment and began to make notes. "As for
Swivingham's murder, I made some progress on that today. I know the agent Zabini used, but not the method. I'm still
working on a plan, an idea really, to bring the agent in for questioning, without anyone being aware of it." She
scribbled furiously.

"Working on an idea?"

She did not want to discuss the details of her plan with Harry, lest he offer to help with the worst part of it. "Er,
yes. Right now, I'm trying to find a way to persuade the, er, target to accept a Portkey." She swept her quill in the
air between them, dismissing the topic, and went back to Harry's previous comment. "And, from what I saw, I'm guessing
that Zabini's not one of the Lords, but he's hardly a hireling as Swivingham was."

"Ah. More like Fudge, under Malfoy's thumb?"

"More like an ally, I'd say," she replied, now comfortably in her element. "Think about it: Zabini has an agenda, a
political agenda. For that, he needs political influence. He's got plenty of that already – Merlin, he's tapped to be
the next Minister of Magic when Kingsley passes on. Therefore, any entente he may have with the Lords must serve to
increase his influence, or it does him no good. No, he won't jeopardize his agenda by becoming part of a criminal
cartel, no matter how high he could rise there."

"But then, why would he…?"

"Work with the Cartel at all? Agendas need financing, Harry." Hermione looked up from her note-taking to watch Harry,
still pacing around the office – except what she'd taken for nervous energy was instead a constant monitoring for
intruders. He'd picked his Cloak up off the floor, and looked ready to vanish under it at anyone's approach. "Oh,
honestly, Harry," she tsked, "do you think you're the only person who augments the standard wards with their own spells?
Of course I've put extra defenses on my office."

"Oh. Uh, right. Of course, sorry…" Harry stopped pacing, a trace of embarrassment on his face. "Yeah, you've probably
been doing that for years, haven't you?"

Tempting though it was to let Harry believe that, honesty forced Hermione to say, "Um, no. Only for a couple of days.
Since the night I didn't get Obliviated." She rolled her eyes at his smirk. "Yes, thanks to your extra defenses."

"Just checking." His smirk turned into a warm smile as he raised his hand, as though laying it against a curtain to feel
its material. "Hm, I recognize Cave Inimicum and Salvio Hexia, but there are a couple here I don't know."

"I like to think I've learned a few things since the Horcrux Hunt," Hermione smiled back.

"Me too." Harry's smile turned rueful. "'Course, it would have been hard not to have learned since then – I was so
incredibly stupid. Most important quest of the War, of my entire life, and what did I do to get ready for it? I watched
you pack."

"You let me do what I do best. When the fighting started, I let you do what you do best. I was often afraid that I was,
well, a liability to you in combat…" She paused, brows lowering, as a sudden thought occurred. "Harry, when you were
using the Lactus charm for that farming couple, did I hear you say you used your holly wand? The one I… I broke?" At his
nod, she continued, "But I thought Mr. Ollivander told you…"

"Ollivander didn't reckon with the Elder Wand. He only thought of it in terms of killing, remember? 'The Deathstick', he
called it. But using it, I was able to fix my old wand – a simple Reparo was all it took." A half-grin on his lips, he
bent down to look Hermione in the eyes. "Have you been feeling… guilty about breaking my wand? For all this time?"

"No! … Well, perhaps a little." Hermione hunched over her parchment and resumed writing notes, well aware of her red
face. Trust Harry to pick up on that… She began again, "So, anyway, Harry, you don't have to worry about being in my
office. There are enough wards to keep anyone noticing."

"I appreciate that, thanks." He looked slightly more relaxed.

"And certainly more wards than you had when you visited Ron in Diagon Alley last night."

There was a pause so long that Hermione wondered if her friend had been Petrified. At long last, he sighed resignedly
and said, "You weren't supposed to know about that."

"Ron wrote me a very apologetic letter today. In which he made repeated reference to 'how Harry would have wanted
things'. I got top marks in Arithmancy – let's assume I can add two and two, shall we?" Feeling more secure now that
Harry was on the defensive, she raised her head and pinned him with a gimlet eye. "Harry, I appreciate what you were
trying to do, but I can fight my own battles. Certainly my battles with Ron are between him and me."

"I know. I saw you battling last night, remember? My little sojourn wasn't about fighting your battles for you,
Hermione. It was… it was…"

"It was what? I don't see what else I could call it but your assuming that I can't…"

"NO ONE gets to…!" Harry stopped, drew a long, deep breath, and continued more quietly, but with no less force. "No one
– no one – gets to hurt you, and get away with it. It has nothing to do with defending you or sheltering you or fighting
your battles for you or anything like that. It's just…" He stopped again, and looked at her almost pleadingly – as
though he expected her to complete his thought aloud, as she so often did.

But for once, she was at a loss for words: too astonished by his sudden vehemence to speak.

"It's like Scotland," he finally said. He thrust his hands in his pockets and spun away from her. "I'm sure you know the
motto of Scotland."

'Nemo me impune lacessit', Hermione's memory supplied. 'No one assaults me with impunity'. Except in Harry's case, it's
'No one assaults me with impunity'. Sweet Merlin, was this the man who refused to come back to the wizarding world? Who
so reluctantly came to the Ministry two days ago? Yet he risked everything to go to Diagon Alley last night to deal with
Ron…

"Funny thing is," said Harry, still unable to face her, "a month ago, I'd have said that for Ron, too." It was eerie,
how his thoughts seemed to parallel her own. He was almost mumbling as he finished, "But, but not after… after last
night."

"Or Ginny?" she whispered.

"Or Ginny."

Without hesitating an instant, Hermione rose from the desk, walked up behind Harry, and wrapped her arms around him. He
stiffened momentarily at her touch, then relaxed as she pressed herself against his back. Hermione rested her cheek
against his shoulder and simply held him. She wouldn't embarrass him further by making him face her, but she was
determined to give gratitude and affection in the only way, at that moment, that he could accept: her embrace.

When Harry started to lean back against her, she knew he understood.

A deliberate change of subject was needed, to break the tension. "Well, speaking of Ginny: her Pensieve evidence
probably isn't enough to endanger her life. But Zabini wouldn't know that. If he suspects her at all, he may take action
against her 'just in case'. As much as I'd prefer otherwise, she should spend at least one more night at Enthalpy
House."

"As you say," he sighed after a few seconds. "At least she was a good girl today: she didn't try to breach the wards or
contact anyone."

"You know that…? Oh, of course you would."

"Yeah." Harry covered her hands with his own, and squeezed them gently. Then he stepped forward, out of their span, and
turned to face her again. "I assume I'll be in your bedroom again tonight? Right, then I'll wait here a bit… give you a
chance to, um, get ready for bed before I Apparate in."

"And stop at the market for provisions," Hermione reminded him, stepping back to her desk. She folded the parchment and
placed it in her pocket along with the phial of Ginny's memories. She was about to Disapparate when Harry said, in a
voice so quiet that she almost didn't hear it, "And Hermione? You weren't a liability."

His green eyes were fixed on her now, bright as jewels, and piercing to her soul. "You were never a liability," he went
on. "If I were going into battle tomorrow … I'd …" Harry paused, seeking the right words, and finished, "There's no one
I'd rather have by me." A smile flashed on his lips, born of relief and thanks, before he swirled the Cloak over his
shoulders and vanished from view.

There was no logical reason why that tribute, those words of acknowledgment, should cause Hermione's heart to beat more
wildly, nor her eyes to sting. She hastily wiped them with the back of her hand, gave a return smile of thanks to the
seemingly empty room, and Disapparated while she still trusted herself to not say anything.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

20. XX: Queens' Gambits

(A/N: What with the Thanksgiving holiday, yet another business trip, and giving my beta a well-deserved break, this
chapter has taken more time than I liked. I had a choice of a long, very late chapter, or a short chapter now and
another coming soon. I opted for the latter – I hope no one's disappointed.)

(Disclaimer: After nineteen disclaimers, if you haven't yet absorbed the concept of my non-Rowlingness, a twentieth
application probably won't convince you either.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XX: Queens' Gambits

*

How in seven hells could Hermione ever think she's a liability?

In the wee hours of the morning, Harry sat on the floor of the darkened bedroom at Enthalpy House, next to Hermione's
bed. He'd done better last night than the night before: he'd remembered the existence of Cushioning Charms, and had
applied them to the floor and wall. He even thought he might actually have dozed off for a few minutes, sometime during
the night. He couldn't say for sure.

It had been a wakeful night like so many before – and unlike any other. He hadn't used the time to plan his next
"guardian angel" project, as he'd done on sleepless nights in the past. He hadn't spent the hours monitoring the wards,
or checking to see that Ginny had tried nothing suspicious. He hadn't even spent the night worrying about the effect the
Hallows were having on him, or seeking a way eliminate them forever – though Merlin knew he ought to have been.

He'd filled the hours watching Hermione as she slept.

It astounded Harry that Hermione might see herself as anything less than superbly capable. Oh, her flaws were real, and
he was well aware of them; she'd made mistakes, some of them huge, and he readily acknowledged the fact. But as far as
he was concerned, those were like smudges on a stained glass window, barely noticeable amidst the sunlight shining
through.

Even in battle – who fought by my side at the Department of Mysteries? At the café after the Death Eaters attacked
Bill's wedding? At Hogwarts? I told her the truth last night, there's no one I'd rather have by my side in a fight.

Except I'd never want her in a fight, because I'd be so scared of anything happening to her.

He'd begun to worry, earlier in the evening, when he'd Apparated to Enthalpy House – hidden under his Cloak, of course –
and discovered that Hermione hadn't yet arrived, despite her leaving the Ministry a good half-hour before he had. He'd
fretted in the living room, silently watching Ginny work the Daily Prophet's crossword puzzle, growing more and more
worried that Hermione was roaming about, while minions of the Cartel Lords wanted to Obliviate her, or worse. He tried
to comfort himself that Hermione could buy groceries anywhere in Britain, Muggle or Magical, so the chance of her being
spotted was slim.

But that comfort had been dashed when Hermione'd arrived with groceries – and the latest issues of Modern Quidditch and
Quaffle & Snitch for Ginny. Which could only have been obtained in a wizarding shop, greatly increasing her risk! Not
until almost bedtime, when Hermione had mentioned to Ginny (undoubtedly for Harry's benefit) that she'd "borrowed" the
magazines from the Department of Magical Games and Sports, did Harry relax.

And now, here I am, sitting on the floor watching her, as if she were going to disappear any minute.

He lifted his head slightly to look at her bed. Hermione carefully slept on one half of the bed, as she always did – as
though years of married life had made a former necessity into a habit. The empty half of the bed was reserved space, as
it were. Reserved for the husband whom Hermione couldn't divorce… but who thought nothing of pleasuring himself with
another woman.

Out of nowhere, Harry remembered a complaint Ron had once made, just after the Quidditch World Cup: "Why is everything I
own rubbish?" Harry had maintained a sympathetic silence at the time, not really having an answer to give. He had an
answer now.

Because when anything good does come into your life, you whinging git, you toss it aside.

Hermione had told him of the breakup of her marriage, but the raw fact hadn't sunk home with Harry until Monday night,
when he'd seen her and Ron argue… and she'd thrown Ron out, once and for all. Now, staring at the empty half of the bed,
Harry found himself wondering if there was anything he could do to help – anything at all. He'd helped so many others
over the last fifteen years; surely the Master of the Deathly Hallows could help here as well. But he knew, without
needing to think it through in detail, that Ron's and Hermione's marital problems were beyond even the power of the
Hallows to repair. Even when it came to simply breaking the power of their vows, so they could divorce… well, only one
idea had come to Harry, and to his credit, he had immediately rejected it, with the deepest sense of shame. Ron might be
a whinging git, but he didn't deserve to have the power of Death remove him from Hermione's life.

I have to be better than that, he told himself. He still stared at the empty half of the bed with a certain resentment.

Hermione made the soft sound, halfway between a sigh and a moan, that Harry had learned meant she was awakening. Harry's
attention came back to her face as she snorted softly, licked her lips, and opened one eye. "It's safe," Harry told the
eye. "Good morning, Hermione."

Both eyes opened. "Morning, anyway," she grumbled as she sat up. She was wearing the opaque pajamas again, Harry noticed
– probably because of the change of season, he told himself firmly, and not as a sop to their mutual embarrassment. "I
should shower and head to the Ministry early. I've a lot to do today."

Harry tilted his head curiously.

"Tomorrow's the opening session of the Conference on International Crime," Hermione explained, correctly interpreting
his unspoken question. "Which Zabini, of all people, is chairing! If he's really in the Cartel Lords' pocket, the whole
Conference becomes a pointless waste of time, at best. He'll use it to cover his tracks, or consolidate his position to
the point that even with hard evidence, I wouldn't be able to prosecute him. He might even deliberately divert
suspicions away from the Lords. So not only do I need to find that hard evidence… I need to find it today." She swung
her legs out of bed and stood. Briskly she walked to one of the bedroom's bookcases (there wasn't a room in Enthalpy
House that had no bookcases) and pulled a volume off a lower shelf.

"Ginny's Pensieve memories, I take it, won't produce any results in time?" Harry stayed on the floor, watching as she
leafed through the tome.

"They pointed us in the right direction… they showed Zabini was responsible for arranging Swivingham's murder. And I
already know who his, er, agent was … but proving it is something else again. I have to find a way to do that today."
She broke off at that point, unusually for Hermione, and Harry wondered why she was reluctant to talk about it.

One possibility occurred to him. He tried a gentle probe. "You mean, that 'idea' you mentioned last night? Getting a
Portkey to your target before he knows about it?"

"Erm, yes. I'd thought about owling him, with the envelope uncharmed but the letter a Portkey. But the type of business
he's in, he's sure to have Secrecy Sensors checking his mail – much more complete Sensors than Filch ever used. So that
won't work." Without meeting Harry's eye, Hermione tossed the book onto the bed. She stepped to her wardrobe and began
to search for clothes.

"Hm, yes, I see your problem," Harry said seriously. "But there must be a way to deliver a Portkey without being
spotted. If only you knew some bloke who isn't stopped by wards, and who had a Cloak that could keep Sensors from
detecting him. That'd be brilliant."

The robes fell from Hermione's hands. She spun to face him, her mouth a round O of astonishment.

"I assume you were going to get around to asking me sooner or later," he noted matter-of-factly. "I just thought we
might save some time."

"I was…" Hermione swallowed, the surprise on her face fighting with indignation. She cleared her throat and started
again. "I wasn't going to ask you. How could I? You've made it clear you want as little to do with the wizarding world
as possible."

Harry nodded in agreement. "But I thought I also made it clear," he added, "that I was not abandoning you, ever again."

Her expression turned neutral, but with a hint of speculation. "Not abandoning me means staying," she said after a
moment.

He closed his eyes helplessly at that. He couldn't stay, couldn't be part of the wizarding world, not as long as the
Hallows were intact and he was their Master, and she surely understood that. "Hermione, that's a discussion for another
time," he finally allowed, opening his eyes. "Maybe I could sort of, y'know, be on call, like I am with Ted." He stood
and dusted his backside, then met her gaze squarely. "Right now, though, we have a Portkey to deliver."

By the set of her mouth and the light in her eyes, Harry could tell that she was intent on continuing the discussion
right then and there. He timed it perfectly: just as she was drawing breath to speak, he added, "And we're on a
deadline."

Hermione closed her mouth, swallowing whatever she'd been about to say. Harry knew he had, miraculously, won an argument
with Hermione Granger – or at least, postponed losing an argument.

After a long pause, Hermione spoke again, somewhat edgily. "The target is Swivingham's solicitor, Edwin Lovinett." She
picked up the fallen robes and draped them over the edge of the bed, then found a scrap of parchment and a quill, and
began to write. She didn't stop talking as she did these things. "Dennis Creevey connected Swivingham's death to a
similar death after the First Voldemort War, and Lovinett was involved on both occasions. Oh, I still haven't deduced
how he could have done it – but we've enough evidence now to bring him in for questioning. Under Veritaserum, and that's
something else I need to do today, put in a requisition for Veritaserum."

She finished writing on the parchment, and blew on it gently to dry the ink. When she handed it to Harry, her voice had
lost its edge. "Here's the address of his law office. When everything's ready, I'll give you a Ministry-approved Portkey
– I'm sure you could make one, but I don't want him able to claim this wasn't an official proceeding – and we'll
schedule when you'll use it. We'll have to work on a pretty tight schedule, but if it's done right, we'll corral
Lovinett without anybody even knowing he's gone."

He nodded as he accepted the parchment, noting the address wasn't on Diagon Alley, as he'd expected, but on Queen
Street. "Anything else while we wait?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not for you. There are other… arrangements… that have to be made, but I need to… well, let's
just say I can't delegate them." Her face showed a moment of apprehension, before it broke into its first smile that
morning. "But now, Mr. Potter, if you'll give a lady a few minutes' privacy, I need to shower and dress."

He relaxed into a responding smile. "Yeah, I'll go back to my flat and do the same. Call me on my mobile when you want
me. Or send your Patronus – my flat's private."

"I will," she promised, then stepped closer to him. "And Harry? I really wasn't going to ask – but I'm awfully glad you
volunteered. Thank you." She leaned in and gave him a firm kiss on the cheek. Then she stepped back, smiled warmly, and
waited a moment, watching him.

It was all Harry could do to stand there in a daze, blinking at her – his brain seemed to be simultaneously frozen in
place and racing in overdrive. His hand slowly came up to touch his cheek, where she'd kissed him.

Hermione's smile broadened. She made little shooing motions with her hands – he managed to kick-start his brain enough
to take the hint. He unbuttoned his pajama top, unwrapped the Cloak from its usual place around his waist, draped it
over his shoulders, and Disapparated.

*

When it came to breakfast, Hermione reflected, Ginny was perfectly competent – probably some remnant of kitchen training
from Molly, when she was growing up in the Burrow – but though they made a filling breakfast, she couldn't help
comparing Ginny's scrambled eggs to Harry's omelets, just a few days earlier.

(But really, though, there was no comparison.)

"Well, I'm just glad I'm able to help out around here," Ginny declared when Hermione had thanked her for breakfast.

"It shouldn't be for too much longer," Hermione assured her. "I want you to spend one more night here, just to be safe.
Zabini is chairing an international conference tomorrow, which should draw his attention from anything that might have
happened at your last Fire Party."

"Not that I saw anything that would have, er, compromised him, though – right?"

"Not that I could identify." Hermione finished her coffee in a long gulp, which let her drop the topic. "You could
probably go back to the Harpies' training camp tomorrow, if you like. I'll give Ron credit for that: the more you stay
with your normal routine, the less suspicious you'll appear."

"Um, yeah. Ron." Ginny pushed a bit of egg around her plate with her fork. "I know nothing really excuses what he did,
Hermione, but…"

"I can't help but think," interrupted Hermione, smiling but with a certain asperity, "that however you were planning to
end that sentence, you'd be better off stopping there."

Ginny cleared her throat. "Right, got it. Sorry, Hermione. I just want..." She trailed off.

"Want everything to be better?" Hermione's expression and voice softened. "Me too, Ginny, me too." She stood and carried
her dishes to the sink. "Thank you again for breakfast, Ginny. Shall I bring back anything tonight?"

As Ginny shook her head, Hermione picked up her briefcase and Disapparated. Ginny busied herself cleaning the breakfast
dishes, waiting to see if Hermione had forgotten anything. After a few minutes, she decided Hermione wouldn't be
returning before evening.

Drying her hands, she left the kitchen and tried the door to Hermione's bedroom. The door opened easily, which was as
she'd expected: from what she'd seen, the Imperturbable Charm was only used at night. Ginny didn't enter the bedroom;
instead, after a quick glance around the room, she quietly closed the door again… before heading for her own room. She
hadn't anticipated this turn of events… but if the years had taught her anything, it was to Be Ready. If she was leaving
tomorrow, tonight would be her last window of opportunity.

And she would be ready.

*

Sheryl watched in amusement as a slightly befuddled Hermione entered their offices, glancing back over her shoulder.
"Morning, ma'am."

"Good morning, Sheryl. Um." Hermione shook her head. "Grimble just asked if I wanted to be part of the Pumpkin Pool this
year."

"Grimble runs the Pumpkin Pool every year. 'Whose pumpkins will be biggest by Hallowe'en?' It's his pet passion."

"Well, yes, I knew about it… but still, he's never invited me to join before." It's odd, how many people have stopped to
say hello in the last few days, or make small talk, she thought. Odd, but rather nice, really…

She gave a mental shake and returned to the present. "Well, let's get to work. Sheryl, would you contact the Potions
lab, and tell them I'll need some Veritaserum for a field interrogation today? I'd like it by noon, just to have some
leeway. Then contact the Auror stockroom for a set of Patches – or no, send Creevey, have him contact the stockroom.
Tell him to specify 'open destination'…I'll take care of completing the locator charms. Assuming this works…" she added
in an undertone.

She barely heard Sheryl's acknowledgment as she stepped into her chamber. Once they had Lovinett in custody, and dosed
with Veritaserum, they might learn how he'd killed Swivingham. But Hermione's experience in courtroom interrogation had
taught her to only ask questions to which she already knew the answers.

When Harry called up Swivingham's shade, we learned that the Imperius Curse had been used on him, to make him kill
himself. That's undeniable. Lucius Malfoy implicated Lovinett in the death of Castle, with the same modus operandi.
That's equally undeniable. Therefore Lovinett performed the Curse on Swivingham, and therefore had to have a wand inside
the cell. But I saw Lovinett surrender his wand to Nelson at the guard desk. Again, undeniable…

"He had to take one inside – but he couldn't have! Uurrghh!" she cried aloud, resisting the urge to pull at her hair.

Sheryl popped her head through the door. "Did you call me?"

"No," said Hermione, lowering her hands from her head. "Just trying to reconcile two impossible conditions." Seeing the
interest on her clerk's face, Hermione waved her in. "Brainstorm with me, Sheryl. Lovinett had to bring a wand into
Swivingham's cell. How could he have done it? You know the security charms on the holding cell block as well as I do."

"Yeah." Sheryl nodded thoughtfully as she entered the room. "You both had to give up your wands to the guard. Are you
thinking he might have had a second wand? Most wizards only have one… at any given time, I mean… I mean, the wand
chooses the wizard, and it's rare that a wizard gets chosen by two wands."

Hermione shook her head. "Even if he'd had a second wand, the security charms check for wands, to prevent them from
being smuggled in to the prisoners. He couldn't have had a wand – not and get it past the guard's desk undetected."

"And Nelson may be a sloppy guard, but even he wouldn't have tried to hide a security breach with you standing right
there." Sheryl chewed her lip. "What did he take into the cell? What did you take in?"

"That's just it. We didn't take anything into the cell." Hermione paused, recalling the scene to her mind. "I didn't
take anything, certainly. Lovinett had his legal paperwork, but the guard's desk would have spotted a wand if he'd
tucked it amidst the papers…" She blinked. "Inside his briefcase," she finished softly, her eyes glazing. Sheryl watched
curiously as Hermione remained motionless, as still as a statue, for a long minute.

"Pumpkins," she eventually murmured. Her eyes clicked into focus again, to see Sheryl's bewildered expression. "Big
pumpkins," she clarified, and couldn't resist grinning as her clerk's bewilderment grew.

"You… took… big pumpkins…?" Sheryl said, very slowly, still trying to make sense of Hermione's words.

"Heavens no, of course not. But big pumpkins tell me how the murder was done."

*

Enshrouded in stealth, Harry stood in the corner of Edwin Lovinett's chamber, at the offices of Gouging & Lovinett. It
was getting close to four in the afternoon, and Lovinett had been in and out of his chamber for the last two hours, with
no signs of settling down.

Harry fingered the Patch he'd been given by Hermione. The Patch was an Auror-issue Portkey, specifically designed for
search-and-snatch missions like this one: an adhesive patch, similar to the nicotine patches used to quit smoking, save
that this patch was infused with a Portus charm instead of drugs. This Patch's charm was set to activate three seconds
after the backing was peeled away – Harry would have that long to slap the Patch onto some exposed area of Lovinett's
skin.

Four o'clock, Hermione told me, thought Harry, or as soon after as possible, when the target is both alone and
unobserved. So far, he's been neither.

There was a flutter of wings outside the room, as the afternoon owl-post arrived. A few minutes later, letters in hand,
Lovinett entered his chamber – carefully closing the door behind him, Harry was relieved to see – and sat down at his
desk. With a silent Colloportus on the door, Harry made sure that no one could unexpectedly barge in and interfere.

Cautiously, Harry left his corner and maneuvered behind Lovinett's chair. As Lovinett opened the first envelope, Harry
opened the Cloak, just enough to bring out the Patch. He resealed the Cloak and held the Patch ready.

Out in the office's foyer, the grandfather clock chimed four.

In a single motion, Harry tore the backing off the Patch and slapped it onto the back of Lovinett's neck. The solicitor
looked up as if stung, turned around in his seat to stare through Harry's invisible form – and vanished a second later.

Right, that's done. But now how are we supposed to keep the rest of Lovinett's office from noticing he's up and gone? I
suppose I could create some sort of diversion… a fire, perhaps? Hermione said I could leave now, so she must have
something planned, but still…

There was a pop of air, and Lovinett reappeared.

Harry immediately backed to the wall and readied his wand. Lovinett got away?! But no, if he’d escaped from wherever the
Portkey sent him, he wouldn’t have come back here! Was the destination warded, and bounced him back, or…? He considered
his options… stunning Lovinett and side-along Apparating him, perhaps, but where to take him…?

Meanwhile, Lovinett had stepped back to his desk and was looking on either side of it. "Briefcase?" he asked himself,
then "Ah." He lifted the briefcase from the floor, set it on the desk, and carefully opened it. He looked inside, then
scooped all the legal paperwork from the desktop and unceremoniously stuffed it into the briefcase.

It gave Harry a moment's pause: he'd been watching the solicitor for two hours, and this was atypical behavior. His
manner had always been exact, precise, and neat.

Snapping the briefcase shut, Lovinett started to pick it up, hesitated with his hand near the handle, then lifted the
briefcase by its sides and tucked it under his arm. He started for the door. Harry aimed his wand, preparing a silent
Stupefy spell, but holding it in check while he watched. Something about Lovinett was off…

Lovinett tugged on the doorknob to no avail. He took a step back and cleared his throat – ostentatiously. Expectantly.

He knows I'm here! Harry thought in sudden understanding. Oh, Hermione, you are the clever one!

He cast a Finite on the sealed door. After a moment, Lovinett tried the door again. It opened easily. "Thank you," he
primly told the air, and headed out of the office. Harry couldn't resist following as far as the open doorway and
looking out.

"I'll be leaving for home now," Lovinett told his clerk. "See that my appointments for today and tomorrow are
rescheduled, if you please. I will, of course, be available in case of emergencies – but try not to have any
emergencies, hmm?"

"Edwin? What's this?" A portly wizard, somewhat older than Lovinett, had appeared from another chamber. From his age and
his familiar address to Lovinett, Harry guessed this must be the senior partner, Geoffrey Gouging. "I can't recall a
time when you've left the office early."

"This afternoon's owls brought some distressing news," replied Lovinett. "What with the Ministry and its Conference on
International Crime, and all. I've come to the decision this would be an excellent time for me to be… shall we say,
unavailable?" He gave the other wizard a knowing smile. The man nodded appreciatively.

With an affable nod in reply, Lovinett continued on his way. Invisible in the doorway, Harry could only smile and shake
his head in admiration, before Disapparating away, his own task done.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

21. XXI: Rubicon Crossing

(A/N: Some of you have been waiting patiently for this chapter. Some of you, not so patiently.

Thanks again go to MirielleGrey, my peerless beta!)

(Disclaimer: I did not write the Half Blood Prince, it tasted like a moldy quince. I did not write the Seventh Book, the
plot gets worse each time I look. I did not write the Epilogue, I don't want folks to diss my blog. I say it near, I say
it far, this tale is not by JKR.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXI: Rubicon Crossing

*

"All right, then," Hermione told Dennis Creevey, looking down at Lovinett's bound and gagged form, "if you and Bones
will escort our guest to his new accommodations, I'll be along presently." She handed Dennis the Portkey she'd finished
charming. "Don't worry," she added to Lovinett, "your new home will have anti-Apparation charms just like here." She
nodded to the massive gate rising next to them, where the great winged boars looked over the entrance to the Hogwarts
school grounds.

"Not one of the Ministry's official safe houses, I take it?" Dennis asked with a grin.

"Oh, my goodness, no. No telling who might come looking for us there," Hermione replied, in a chipper voice than
nonetheless conveyed menace. She spoke for Lovinett's benefit: the information would keep him off-balance from the
start. "This is one of the secure locations Lee Jordan used for Potterwatch broadcasts. Alastor Moody'd set them up, a
couple of years before his death, and no one could make a place as secure as Mad-Eye Moody. We'll be quite undisturbed."

"Ex-cellent," said Dennis brightly. He looked up from Lovinett at the two young witches, blonde and redhead, who stood a
respectful distance away. He kept his smile fixed in place as he lowered his voice, speaking for her ears only: "I still
say we could've found a way to divert them."

"Little chance of that," Hermione muttered. "Keeping them close was the most we could hope for." She looked Dennis in
the eye. "I'm bending enough regulations here as it is. Did you think I wanted to run a covert operation from Hogwarts?!
It was the only way to keep it truly covert."

"Including from spies within the Ministry, you mean," nodded Dennis. His smile turned grimmer. "Thanks for trusting me,
then."

"How not?" Hermione watched as Creevey and Bones hauled Lovinett to his feet. The solicitor didn't try to struggle, but
his outraged expression spoke volumes. Creevey thrust a bit of parchment in front of Lovinett's face. "Warrant for your
arrest," he explained quickly, before putting it back into his pocket. "Must keep things legal." Checking to ensure he
and Bones had firm grips, Dennis raised the Portkey – a Muggle biro – and clicked the end with his thumb. The three
wizards promptly vanished.

Hermione sighed as the remaining two observers joined her. "Right, you two. I've let you stay and watch, as I promised.
You've seen all there is to see – now will you return to Gryffindor Tower, as you promised?"

"We haven't seen him come back safe and sound," Tori pointed out.

"We don't mind waiting a few extra minutes, Mum," said Rose more respectfully. "All the classes were let out early
anyway… something about an accident in Transfigurations, and some animals getting loose. Professor Zebulon was pretty
upset."

"So was Headmistress McGonagall," added Tori, "with Professor Zebulon."

Tori's hint of blackmail had been well delivered: Hermione did not need to be reminded that the Headmistress hadn't been
told of their presence on Hogwarts grounds. A little counter-pressure of her own seemed called for – Hermione assumed
the formidable expression that had caused many a Ministry intern's knees to quake. "Now listen to me, both of you…" she
began sternly.

She was met with a fierce glare – not from Tori, but from her own daughter. "You said," Rose firmly reminded her, with a
righteous air that brought Hermione up short. Merciful Lord, please tell me I didn't act like this when I was her age.
Please.

"Yes," she finally sighed. "I did say, didn't I?" Hermione wished she had the luxury of finding a chair in which to
slump, close her eyes, and rub her temples to relieve the stress. Once these two showed up, keeping them here was the
lesser evil, remember: I couldn't have them telling the Headmistress. The less she knows, the better.

The less anyone knows, the better. Ginny had the right idea, though she was concerned with Zabini. Justifiably, as it
turns out. And I've gone to all these lengths to keep him, or any possible spies, from suspecting I've arrested
Lovinett. The Veritaserum was a routine requisition; but I did nothing else that anyone could see. I avoided the
Ministry safe house. I had Dennis requisition the Portkey Patches, but even that was pushing my luck.

There was a pop of air, and Lovinett stood before them. He grinned and began to speak – then spotted Tori and Rose, and
promptly lost the grin.

Requisitioning Polyjuice Potion as well would have raised too many red flags, finished Hermione in her head. "Any
problems?" she asked Lovinett aloud.

Lovinett shook his head, without taking his eyes off Tori and Rose. "May I ask what you two young ladies are doing
here?"

"'Young ladies' – I like that," said Rose indignantly.

"I suppose you might say," Tori smirked, sidling up to Lovinett, "that we were up to no good, and managing mischief."

"You took my MAP?!" The voice was no longer that of Edwin Lovinett. His features began to morph, until Ted Lupin's face
reappeared. It was not a happy face. "You broke into my dorm and stole my Map? How'd you even know about it?!"

"Um," said Rose, suddenly cowed. She swallowed nervously, then continued, very earnest. "That night when you had the
Veritaserum? You mentioned Marauders… and I remembered Uncle George telling me about them once, so I owled him."

"He had lots to say," affirmed Tori, unfazed by Ted's black look. "About Maps, stolen property, passwords, everything.
He was quite eloquent on the topic, actually."

"So when you left in such a hurry this afternoon," finished Rose, "we, um, well, we only borrowed the Map, just to see
what was on. And we saw the dots with your name and Mum's name, and then yours disappeared, and well, we had to check it
out, didn't we? Wouldn't you?"

Ted glowered at the two of them a moment longer, before turning away huffily to confront Hermione. "Here," he said
curtly, extending the briefcase at arms' length. "I brought it, just as you asked. And I left a false trail. Do I get to
know why?"

She accepted it carefully by its sides, not touching the handle. "I'm not totally certain myself," she replied in strict
truth. "It wouldn't be fair to share untested theories with you. But when I know for certain, I'll tell you. You… you
have my word on it." Hermione drew herself up, fully aware that her daughter was watching her in critical expectation,
and took a deep breath. "Mr. Lupin. I deeply regret my actions last week. They were unwarranted… and wrong. My only
excuse was my anxiety for, for a certain other person. But that's insufficient excuse. I… I'm sorry."

Ted swallowed the snarky reply that first came to his mind. He could now feel Tori's eyes, watching him as Rose had been
watching Hermione. He gained a moment's respite by reaching under his sleeve and peeling the Patch from his forearm.
When he spoke again, he'd schooled the surliness out of his voice… most of it, anyway. "Yeah. I, uh… I understand. You
were concerned about…" He flicked a glance at Tori and Rose, and continued without missing a beat. "Him. No, um, no
permanent harm done, I reckon." He actually managed a wry semi-shrug. "And anyway, a prankster should expect to be
pranked."

"Good boy," cooed Tori, while Rose beamed proudly at her mother.

*

Hermione left Dennis and Bones waiting for Peasegood at their "secure location" – he would be able to verify whether
Lovinett's earlier story to Hermione had been the result of edited memories, as she'd first assumed, or merely a lie.
She'd already confirmed her own theory on the murder method.

She Apparated into the living room at Enthalpy House – and stood speechless in surprise. The room was decorated with
festive red and gold balloons and sparkly streamers. On a platter on the table sat a small cake, with a single lit
candle planted atop it.

From the kitchen came Ginny's voice. "Happy Birthday, Hermione!" The kitchen door opened to admit Ginny, wearing one of
Hermione's aprons (a wedding gift from her mum, which she'd never used), and waving a wooden spoon. "Hope you like pasta
carbonara – it was best I could do, given what we had on hand."

"Ginny?" Hermione turned slowly in place, taking in the decorations. "Ginny, what…?"

"Well, technically, your birthday's tomorrow, but since I'm leaving tomorrow… well, I wanted to do this for you
tonight." She gestured at the cake. "Spice cake from my stash – Be Ready, that's my motto. C'mon, make a wish and blow
out the candle, then we can have dinner."

"Oh. Of course." Hermione sat down on the couch and, with scarcely a pause, blew out the candle. "Your stash?"

"From my overnight bag… well, you saw how much it can carry." Ginny waved her hand from head to feet, reminding Hermione
of how she'd been smuggled through the Floo Network. "I keep an emergency stash there, clothes, cosmetics, provisions
and such – and I happened to have a cake there, too. And I Transfigured some scarves and stockings into decorations, and
presto! Instant birthday party."

"Well, thank you, Ginny." Hermione rose and gave Ginny a quick hug. "Thank you! I truly wasn't expecting this – I'd
almost forgotten about my birthday, what with everything that's happened this week."

"I thought maybe," Ginny smiled. "Sorry there's no prezzies, but we'll make do. Now come on and have some dinner. You
must be famished."

*

All in all, it was a pleasant evening. Ginny had found a light classical selection on WWN, which they left playing in
the background. They'd both steered clear of any discussion of Blaise Zambini or Fire Parties, unsurprisingly, but Ginny
shared some amusing anecdotes from her career with the Harpies. Hermione was almost reluctant to cut the evening short…
but, as she explained to Ginny, she had much work to do before she could sleep. As well as some very private
discussions, she added silently.

Once in her bedroom, she set down her briefcase, closed the door and, almost as a reflex, cast the Imperturbable and
Muffling Charms. Thus assured of privacy, she surveyed the bedroom with her hands on her hips. "And how much of that did
you help with?"

Harry emerged from under his Stealth Cloak. "Nothing, honest. I came straight here when the wards detected her
Transfigurations, but she was putting up balloons and all I could do was watch. I didn't even 'help' with the carbonara,
and let me tell you, that showed great restraint on my part."

"Yes, I'm sure you could have done a better job, Monsieur Clayman." She tilted her head as a thought occurred to her.
"Unless you… ah, I see. You'd planned to cook a birthday dinner for me."

"You said you wanted to try my cooking. Oh, well, there's always tomorrow night. So much for surprise." Harry shook his
head in mimed sorrow, then gave her a mischievous grin. "Mind you, I did sneak a taste of pasta tonight when neither of
you were looking." He waggled his hand. "Professionally speaking, not bad at all."

"So glad," she laughed. "And thank you again for delivering the Portkey to Lovinett. I assume you stayed long enough to
see the last act of that play?"

"With the second Lovinett? Yeah. That was someone under Polyjuice, I take it? I can see now why you were on such a tight
schedule…"

"Not that tight: I didn't send in the substitute until I had Lovinett in hand. No, I couldn't safely get Polyjuice
Potion on such short notice. No, that was…" Hermione cleared her throat and gave a nervous cough. "That was Ted. Lupin,"
she added.

Surprise flitted on his face before it went somber. He sat down on the bed and stared at Hermione. For a minute, he
showed no reaction at all, and Hermione began to feel anxious. Finally, he asked, "So, uh… you and him?" He didn't
elaborate, but Hermione understood what he meant.

With equal economy of words, she replied, "Better."

He nodded slowly. "Thank you," he said, and meant it. He said nothing more for another moment, before smiling slightly
and changing the subject. "Well? Has Lovinett told us anything yet?"

"Not yet. First, we have to make sure his own memory hasn't been tampered with. Once we're satisfied about that, then we
question him under Veritaserum. To be honest, I haven't much doubt what we'll learn, but unfortunately, my certainty
isn't the same as legal proof. I was right about how Lovinett smuggled a wand into Swivingham's cell, though." She gave
him a broad smile that was as good as a taunt.

"Um. All right, I'll bite: how?"

"He didn't," she told him triumphantly.

Harry waited another moment, then let out a long-suffering sigh. "You're evil, Hermione."

"Why, thank you, Harry. Let me put it this way: he did it the same way Hagrid brought a wand into Hogwarts, to engorge
the Hallowe'en pumpkins every year."

"But Hagrid hasn't got a wand. Oh, well, he did once, but it was snapped when they kicked him out of school as a kid.
'Course, he still kept the pieces…" Harry stopped and raised an eyebrow at Hermione. "Inside his umbrella."

"Yes! Yes! I was so obsessed with how Lovinett could have smuggled a wand in his briefcase – when what he actually
smuggling was his briefcase! The handle has a wand core, like Hagrid's umbrella!"

"Which I assume you tested with Priori Incantatem, or you wouldn't be so happy about it. Very clever, Hermione." Harry
applauded noiselessly, grinning. "Does this mean you can arrest Zabini before the Conference starts tomorrow?"

"Not quite yet. We still need Lovinett's verbal testimony – confession – call it what you will, but he has to implicate
Zabini before we can move against him. Of course, once that's done, tying him in with the Cartel Lords should be
straightforward – the little polecat'll probably turn Crown's Evidence himself." Hermione smiled and opened her
briefcase. "So while I'm waiting, I thought I'd indulge in a little light reading."

"Light reading?" Harry craned his neck to see what she held. "Oh Merlin, more ancient runes?"

"Croaker gave me this, a couple of days ago," she explained. "He told me that the runes on the Arch have changed since
our last visit. I simply haven't had a chance to think about it before now." She unfolded the parchment and looked it
over in silence for a minute.

"Yes," she said eventually, showing him the parchment. "See here, and here?" She pointed to two runes, not to be found
in the classic futhark. One was the bisected circle inside a triangle, the symbol of the Deathly Hallows. The other was
an ovoid with a long curled tail, like a misshapen letter Q. "That seems to be the symbol for Voldemort… well, I suppose
it does look like a stylized Dark Mark. But these gaps in the sequence appear to be new… and there are a couple of new
runes included, as well. Hm."

Harry waited without saying anything, but with mounting impatience. Finally, Hermione refolded the parchment. "A warning
against something, but I can't see what. The gaps make it harder to interpret. In any case, I certainly won't be able to
finish translating it tonight. I'm sorry, Harry… I'm sure it's something to do with that barrier across the doorway…"

"Don't fret yourself, Hermione. I mean, with the Conference tomorrow, your first priority is Zabini." He shrugged and
smiled. "I've kept the Hallows for fifteen years – a day or two more won't make any difference."

"I can't help worrying. I worry one day will make a difference. I worry about what the Hallows are doing to you." She
sat on the bed next to him and looked him in the face. "I mean, it's all been so gradual, you might not notice any new
effects until it was too late. After all, we know the Cloak has tampered with your emotions, and the Stone's made you
sensitive to Death currents… when would the Wand start affecting you, too?"

In the instant before Harry's face went perfectly blank, she saw the flash of guilt – and she knew. "Oh, for the love
of…! Harry James Potter! Why don't you tell me these things!? How else am I supposed to help you?"

"But it's nothing, honest! I didn't want to trouble you over something trivial, when you've got so much to worry about
already!"

Hermione folded her arms across her chest and glared at him, with equal parts incredulity and fury. It seemed to loosen
his tongue, a bit. "It's just, well, I've noticed I'm not sleeping as much as I used to. I'm not tired," he hastened to
add, "not a bit. I just don't sleep as much."

"Uh huh. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?" Hermione demanded. She saw him about to prevaricate, and added,
"On average, Harry. Roughly."

"Erm, well… roughly, on average…" Harry coughed and looked away. "Zero," he mumbled.

She was shocked out of her anger… but only partially, and only for a moment. "And you thought that was trivial!? Don't
you see what's happening? Not needing to feel, not needing to sleep… soon, you'd probably stop needing to eat. The
Hallows are drawing you into the Nether World, Harry, one step at a time!"

"But, no, they wouldn't be able to do that. I mean, look at the Story of the Three Brothers – none of them were sucked
into the Nether World. The Hallows have never affected anyone like that before…"

"No one's ever been the Master of all three Hallows before! Harry, this settles it – you have to get rid of the
Hallows!"

He looked at her helplessly, almost despairingly. "You think I don't know that? I'm open to suggestions."

Hermione quickly went through the possibilities in her head. The Hallows couldn't be destroyed by any magic she could
conjure: even magic potent enough to destroy a Horcrux had left the Resurrection Stone almost unscathed. The best option
was still returning the Hallows to their maker… but how? Necromantic rituals, she was sure, wouldn't work in this case:
using death magic against Death wasn't the brightest of ideas. There was the cave in Greece, which legend said led to
the Nether World, but it might not exist… might not be readily found if it did exist… and might even have the same
barrier across it as the Death Chamber in the Department of Mysteries. As for other portals to the afterlife, none were
familiar enough for Hermione to suggest them without more research – and she was now convinced Harry was running out of
time.

"We haven't much choice," she said after a minute. "We'll have to go back to the Department of Mysteries. There must be
some way to get through the barrier, there must!"

Harry shrugged. "Don't suppose anyone's tried using a house elf to get in… I've never forgotten how the elves can
Apparate to Hogwarts when humans can't." He raised a quick hand to forestall her response. "I know, I know, they have a
different sort of magic altogether. That's what I mean: maybe an elf can get in. 'Course, with the runes changing…" He
hesitated.

"With the runes changing into a warning," Hermione finished his thought for him, "an elf would probably be risking his
life if he actually got inside. And," she added, interpreting his unhappy look, "you don't want to endanger any more
lives, even elfin lives."

"No… it'd sorta defeat the whole purpose of getting rid of the Hallows, wouldn't it?" Harry sighed dejectedly and ran
his fingers through his hair. He leaned forward as he tried to think, elbows on knees and head in his hands. "Maybe, if
the barrier's only across the door… I could break through the wall, or down through the ceiling from the floor above?
But people would be sure to notice…"

"They might not notice if they were distracted by something else," she suggested. "Like the opening of a very
attention-grabbing International Conference, say."

Harry turned his head slightly to look at her out of the corner of his eye. "Especially if the Wizengamot's top gun
marched in to arrest the Conference chairman," he said after a moment. "Try to make it dramatic, would you?"

"Of course," Hermione replied gravely. "I'll bring a half-dozen Aurors with me, in matching Hussar uniforms."

"Carrying halberds," he agreed, equally straight-faced. "They stand at the door in two files."

"My honor guard, of course, so naturally they'll precede me. And then I enter the Conference hall, riding my magnificent
white stallion."

"Hey, I asked for drama, not fantasy… No, you'll come striding into the hall in your form-fitting leathers, with a
billowing cape and bearing Gryffindor's sword. You'll stop in the center of the hall, commanding everyone's attention,
and point the sword at Blaise Zabini, crying…"

"J'accuse!" they said in chorus. Hermione struck a theatrically heroic pose and pointed her finger imperiously.

Harry's straight face twitched as he tried to contain his amusement. Hermione saw the twitch, and couldn't suppress a
tiny snort of laughter. Within seconds, both of them had burst out laughing. The release of the tensions of the day
caused the laughter to redouble on itself – and seeing the other one helpless with laughter caused each of them to laugh
all the harder.

By the time their paroxysms of mirth had been spent, Hermione was sprawled back on the bed, helpless with hiccups, while
Harry lay curled on the floor holding his sides. "N-no f-fair," Harry eventually managed to say. "You caught me off
guard. I'm not used to laughing like that…"

"Me hic! Me either," she said, wiping her eyes. "Are we pathetic, or what?"

He'd struggled to his knees, and now rested his arms on the bed. It brought his head level with her own. Harry started
to say something, then paused in the midst of the first word. He was looking Hermione right in the face, and though she
could tell he was trying not to show any reaction, he was clearly looking at her in… well, the only word was wonder.

"Yeah," he finally said, his voice gentle, soft, caressing, "pathetic, that's us."

He cleared his throat hoarsely, and got to his feet. Harry smiled – a bit uncertain, it seemed to her – and glanced at
the bathroom door. "Er, I can change into my pajamas in there, give you some privacy…"

"Let me use the loo first," she said quickly, rolling off the bed and onto her feet. Hermione flung open the wardrobe,
snatched her own pajamas from the bottom, and hurried to the bathroom. She locked the door behind her and turned on the
faucet. But she didn't immediate wash her face, or brush her teeth, as she normally would. She looked at herself in the
mirror instead.

You saw it, didn't you? Hermione asked her reflection.

Oh, yes indeed, her reflection replied, he was looking at you. With that look. We know what that look means, don't we?

It means he's actually seeing me as a desirable woman, instead of a non-male best friend. She quickly splashed water on
her face, then patted it dry with a towel. Which would have been wonderful – fifteen years ago. Before I swore
unbreakable marriage vows. There's not much I can do about it now.

Her reflection raised one scornful eyebrow. Oh, so now we're the Witch Who Gave Up, are we?

Hermione scowled at her reflection; its scorn continued unabated. Fine. We'll just see about that.

Quickly she brushed her teeth, finished her nightly ablutions, and shucked out of her clothes. She hesitated only a
second before she put on her pajamas – only her pajamas. When she emerged from the bathroom, Harry was standing at the
door holding the pajamas he'd brought from the Clayman flat. She gave him an encouraging smile as they moved past each
other… and if she misjudged the distance between them and lightly brushed against him as they passed, it didn't seem to
bother him.

When Harry returned to the bedroom, the lights were out… but the moon shone through the window, giving enough light to
allow him to navigate the room. Hermione was already in bed, eyes closed. He was moving to the corner of the floor where
his pillows and coverlet were stored, when she spoke: "I'm sure you'd be more comfortable up here."

"Um, yeah," he mumbled, "comfortable," in a tone suggesting he'd be anything but. She smiled without opening her eyes,
and waited.

"It's just…" he started again, and hesitated, at a sudden loss for words. "Sharing a bed? Isn't that, um, not allowed?"

"It wouldn't be allowed," she agreed, "if we had sex in bed. But a snuggle… well, that's just a horizontal hug. We'll
simply need to be careful with our hands." Hermione didn't know exactly how her magic would enforce her marriage vows if
she or Harry attempted anything more overt – obviously, she had no practical experience on the matter! – but the
possibilities, especially when it came to Harry, were too horrible to tempt.

She sneaked a peek through half-closed eyes. Harry wasn't moving, which meant he wasn't moving away. She pulled back the
duvet from the unoccupied half of the bed, in open invitation.

He accepted.

Harry slid under the coverlet, settled himself, and turned his head to look at Hermione's face. Her eyes were fully open
now, reflecting the bright moonlight, and her smile was tender, warm, and very warming. She placed her hand on his
shoulder – and pushed.

He took the hint and rolled onto his side, facing away from her. She moved closer, snuggling up behind him, pressing
herself against his back. Involuntarily, he tensed as she put one arm around his waist, carefully resting her hand on
his chest.

"Is this all right?" Hermione asked softly. "Do you think you can try to sleep?"

"It's all right," Harry replied, tacitly sidestepping the issue of sleep. He was acutely aware of her breasts pressed
against his back – and she seemed to have forgotten her bra when she changed into pajamas. Those pajamas were
long-sleeved and opaque, but their silken fabric transmitted sensation all too exquisitely.

"Relax," she urged. "This surely isn't the first time a woman's held you in her bed." There was a hint of interrogative
in her voice… rather a strong hint, actually. He ignored her unspoken question, as he had at breakfast on Sunday, but he
did seem to relax somewhat. Hermione pressed herself closer, smiled blissfully, and closed her eyes for slumber.

With Harry in her arms.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

22. XXII: Declarations and Discoveries

(A/N: I could whine and kvetch about how busy my Real Life has been recently, or I could thank my readers for their
patience. So: I'm sorry this chapter took so long – many thanks for your patience. Extra thanks to MirielleGrey, my
Beleaguered Beta.

And besides, I think you'll mostly enjoy this chapter.)

(Disclaimer: "Fair use," he chanted, "fair use, fair use, fair use.")

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXII: Declarations and Discoveries

*

The rhythm of Hermione's breathing, the warmth of her body at his back, the sheltering darkness of the room, should have
lulled Harry into sleep, if anything could.

Evidently, even those weren't enough.

It was sometime after midnight, he guessed. He was keeping very still, so as to not disturb the sleeping woman whose arm
was draped over him. Harry had been playing a sort of game, drawing on what he'd learned about wild magic through his
mastery of the Elder Wand: eyes closed, he tried to sense the flow of magic through Hermione's body, gently in and out,
like breathing. He wondered if it was something all wizards and witches did while they slept. Harry wouldn't know.

After all, this was the first time since mastering the Wand that he'd slept with someone magical. A witch, to boot. A
beautiful witch. A brilliant witch.

A witch, he'd come to realize just hours before, whom he loved very, very much.

He didn't know why it should have been such a surprise, when he did realize it. Beauty, brains, and loyalty. How
extraordinarily lucky he was to have found all three – in her. How incredibly blind he'd been not to have seen them in
her years before. And what kind of fool would he have to be, to risk losing her now.

Even though, strictly speaking, she wasn't his to lose. No matter: he would find a way to be with her. Notwithstanding
that he still had to remain isolated from the wizarding world… or that they could never share affection more physical
than a hug or a chaste kiss… that their time together might be a series of exquisitely uncomfortable nights, like
tonight. No matter.

I love Hermione. The rest… the rest is noise.

Harry's reverie was broken abruptly by a needle-like prickling at the base of his skull. Carefully he shifted, trying to
move without awakening Hermione. He froze when he felt her arm tighten. "What is it?" she whispered… as much to tell him
she was awake, judging by her tone, as to gain information.

"Someone outside is testing the wards," Harry replied. Now that he knew she was awake, he moved more decisively: sitting
up in bed, he slipped the Elder Wand out from its bindings on his left forearm. He held it at the ready, its tip faintly
glowing in the darkness, and cocked his head as though listening – probing.

Almost immediately, he lowered his wand. "They're gone. Whoever it was, they didn't want to hang around: a quick try at
the wards, just once, then they left. Afraid they might be caught if they stayed in one place, I suppose." He smiled
grimly as he slid the Elder Wand back into its sheath. "And they'd be right."

"I'm surprised it's taken them so long to come for me," Hermione said quietly.

He shrugged. "They may have been making more subtle probes all week," he admitted. "There're always minor brushes
against the outer layer, random magic for the most part. I didn't pay them any mind. This, though… this was the first
concerted effort. Gee, it's almost like they're afraid you're about to catch them or something."

"Imagine that." There was dry humor in her voice. She started to settle back into the mattress, then paused as he failed
to follow her.

"Lumos," he said, and soft light gathered around them. "Um, Hermione, this may be a good time to give you your birthday
present." He saw her blink in confusion, and added, "Well, technically, it is your birthday."

"I thought you were going to cook me dinner?" Hermione sat up next to him, as always waking up promptly.

"I was… am. And I was going to give you this with the pudding – but now I think you should have it right away." A silent
Accio brought the gift box to his waiting hand. Harry handed it to her with a slight flourish. "Happy Birthday,
Hermione."

Hermione carefully unwrapped her gift without tearing the paper. That, at least, hasn't changed, thought Harry in
amusement. The paper came away to reveal a long, flat velvet box – very obviously a jewellery box. She flipped the cover
open, and gasped. Inside was a necklace, comprising a solitary star sapphire as large as her thumb, set in ornate silver
and hanging from a simple silver chain.

"You like sapphire, right?" Harry asked, a bit anxiously. "I mean, you always favored blue, and it's your birthstone and
all…"

"It's lovely, Harry! Thank you!" She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He put his arms around in
return, and they embraced for a long minute.

When they broke apart, Harry took the box from her hands. "I'd like you to wear it now," he said, extracting the
necklace from its box.

"Now? You mean, tonight?"

"And tomorrow, and the next day," he said, hesitant to break her happy mood with the explanation. "See, I charmed the
stone to act as a… well, as an anchor point for my special wards, the ones I put on your house. When you wear this,
you'll be as protected as you'd be here in Enthalpy House."

"Ah," Hermione murmured. "I see. And our anonymous would-be intruder just now… he reminded you of this? You think he's a
harbinger, and that I might need this extra protection?"

He nodded. She didn't seem displeased by his concern, thank Merlin; she made no protest about how she could protect
herself, as he'd half-expected. Instead, she put her hands behind her head and lifted her hair off her neck. It was a
clear suggestion that he fasten the necklace's chain around her neck.

Which he lost no time in doing. Harry leaned towards her as his hands fumbled behind her neck… his cheek brushed hers,
ever so delicately, and he had to suppress a shiver as the warmth of her skin touched his.

Hermione looked down at the star sapphire nestled just above her breasts. She lifted it, bringing it closer to her face
so that she could examine it more closely. "Harry… did you personalize this in some other way? Because I know it sounds
odd, but I could swear I feel… well, you, your presence, here in the jewel."

"Really?" he said, slightly surprised. He took the jewel from her fingers, the chain still around her neck, and peered
at it. "Huh… I assure you it wasn't intentional. Something to do with when I keyed you to the wards, a few days ago?"
Smiling gently at her, he gave the stone a quick kiss before handing it back to her. "Happy accident, I guess."

She let the sapphire fall into place against her chest as she nodded to him in thanks. Protectively, she covered the gem
with her hand, pressing it to her – then went wide-eyed in surprise. "I felt that!" she exclaimed, touching the point
where the sapphire lay. "Your kiss – I felt it here!" A smile spread over Hermione's face: clearly, she was seeing
possibilities open with this new discovery. She raised the jewel again and offered it to him.

It took Harry a moment to catch on. When he did, his smile matched hers. It's not quite the same as kissing her myself,
but a piece of sapphire's not likely to run up against her vows. He took the jewel in his fingers and gave it another
kiss… a softer kiss, more tender than his first quick peck. He returned the sapphire to her…

…and watched, gobsmacked, as she loosened a button on her pajama top, slipped the sapphire inside and pressed it to her
left nipple. She sucked in a deep breath, then released it slowly as her face melted into a happy smile.

"Um… ummmm…" Speechless, he watched as Hermione withdrew the jewel, leaving her top unbuttoned. Harry couldn't have
pulled his eyes away from her even if Voldemort and Grindelwald together had reincarnated at that moment and begun
singing Ode to a Hippogriff in two-part harmony.

"Another?" Her smile now impish, Hermione offered him the sapphire again.

"I… uh, I…" he sputtered.

"Biiiiirthdaaay," she sang.

Somehow, he managed to reassemble his wits. "Birthday. Your birthday. Right. But only once more. We… we have a lot to do
tomorrow." She nodded in agreement.

Harry took the sapphire in his fingers, looked it over carefully… still puzzled how he could've imbued the stone with
such an oddly personal affect. Deciding it was a problem for another day, he brought the stone to his lips. He closed
his eyes, imagined himself kissing Hermione – as he now wanted to kiss her – and gave that kiss to the sapphire: a slow,
lingering, sensual kiss. If it was to be the last one that evening, he wanted to make it count.

He released the stone to let it dangle from its chain in her hands. Harry was a little surprised to be the one drawing
the line with Hermione like this – traditionally, that had been her role! – but it was the right thing to do, he felt.
One more birthday "kiss", as it were, for the night… though he would happily have given her a thousand, if he'd been
free to do so…

Hermione watched the sapphire swing from its chain for a moment, as though hypnotized. Then, with that impish grin, she
drew the necklace over her head, freeing the gem. Meeting Harry's gaze boldly, she hooked a thumb around her elastic
waistband, pulled it from her body, and thrust the gem into her pajama bottoms and between her legs.

With a flaming crimson face and an inarticulate gurgle, Harry clamped his eyes shut and rolled away from Hermione. The
very thought of what Hermione was doing was enough to cause his loins to ache… and her deep, throbbing,
just-shy-of-orgasmic moan didn't help matters at all. Not. At. All.

He felt, rather than saw, her arm snake around his torso again – he opened his eyes a crack to see the star sapphire
beseeching another kiss. "Nox," he managed to croak, and blessed darkness descended to hide his red face.

"Oh, dear," came Hermione's voice, gentle and contrite. "I'm sorry, Harry, I was just playing. I didn't mean anything…
that is, I assumed you were familiar with this sort of teasing, that you'd be comfortable with it…"

"Given my vast experience with women?" he asked tiredly. "Hermione, you've been dropping hints about my love life for a
week now. Is it that important?" To you, he didn't add, but the words were clear in his tone.

Her hand withdrew from his torso. After a moment, it began to stroke his upper arm, trying to reassure him. She no
longer held the sapphire… presumably she'd dropped it somewhere behind her where it wouldn't bother him further.

"Your private life is none of anybody else's business," she said hesitantly after a moment. "But… when it comes to us…"

His heart leapt at her use of the word us. And though he didn't interrupt her, something must have shown in his body
language. "When it comes to us," she repeated with more confidence, "well, there are limits to how, er, demonstrative we
can be with each other. My stupid, stupid vows make certain of that. But…" Hermione's voice faltered an instant, then
continued, "but you have no limits on you, Harry. I'm sure, over the years, there were times you… that is, I know men
have needs, and I understand, Harry…"

"Um… Hermione? Do you really think I'm desperately in need of going out and picking up some bimbo for a one-night shag?"
Thankful as he was for the darkness hiding his face, Harry wished for that moment that there was enough light to see
Hermione's face.

"Well, no, I'm certainly not suggesting you go out and…"

"I mean, I'm pretty sure that's the sort of carte blanche Ron wishes he was able to have." Oh, to blazes with caution,
Harry decided, and rolled over until he was facing Hermione. He could make out her shape, but not her expression… which
was probably just as well. It would have been nice to see what she was thinking, but that would have made it impossible
for him to continue this discussion. "Granting permission implies I need it."

Hermione was silent for a few seconds. "Perhaps I assumed…" she began stiffly.

"Well, yes," Harry interrupted, before she could work herself into a snit. "Justifiably, I think, but yes. So let's not
make assumptions." His hand reached out to find hers. "Let me say it right out. Y'see, I'm very dense in a lot of ways,
but I did realize something last night."

"Oh?" Her voice was no longer stiff – if anything, it was a little breathless.

"Uh huh. I realized that I am in love with one Hermione J. Granger. Who's been my best friend since I was eleven. Who's
stayed true, even when I abandoned her – and who thwapped me repeatedly until I saw the light." He brought her hand to
his lips and kissed it tenderly. "No matter how much it hurt."

"Ah." She made no move to draw closer to him… but she made no attempt to pull her hand away, either.

"So even though circumstances have arranged that I can't rip off her clothes and make passionate love to her, I think
she does indeed have the right to grant me permission to play the field." He pressed her hand to his mouth again, not to
kiss it, but so that she could feel his grin. "Which I have no intention of using."

Of all the responses she might have given, Harry didn't expect her to start sniffling.

Oh crap, I've bollixed it up again. Again! What did I say wrong? Hastily he put out his other hand, found her face, felt
the wetness of tears. "No! Hermione, I'm…"

"Don't you dare apologize, Harry Potter!" she scolded him through her tears. "I'm crying because I'm happy, dammit!"

"Ah… right. Of course you are." Harry released her hand so that he could stretch his arms around her. They ended up with
her head against his chest and his chin atop her head. Harry was careful to cant his lower body slightly away from her;
certain parts of his anatomy didn't need any more encouragement.

Her exasperated snort, so characteristically Hermione, told him she knew perfectly well what he was doing. She seemed to
be steeling herself to continue, determined to get the words out before her nerve failed her. "But I'm serious, Harry.
Just because I can't engage in sex doesn't mean you can't… or, or shouldn't. I won't think the less of you if you, er,
pursue other venues."

Harry didn't immediately reply. He'd been extremely reluctant to share his sexual experiences with her… but he saw now
that nothing less would reassure her. "Twice," he finally said, almost inaudibly.

"Twice?" she repeated, puzzled, before she realized what he was talking about. "Oh! Twice. But… you mean, in fifteen…?"
Hermione paused a second, then nodded, accepting the information. "All right. Once with Ginny, and…"

"No," he interrupted harshly. "What made you think Ginny and I did it?"

"She… ah. I see. She allowed us to assume that." Hermione fell silent; Harry could sense she was straining not to ask
questions. Not quite what I expected, considering the interrogation I got after my first kiss with Cho. Well, we've all
grown…

"It was a day seminar – hosted by Le Cordon Bleu." His voice was low again, slow and measured… confessorial. "I met her
at lunch, and we seemed to hit it off… so we met again at dinner, and then in her hotel room. She was a bit older than
me, more experienced. She expected me to be more experienced, too. When it became clear I didn't much know what I was
doing, she…"

Hermione waited for him to continue. "She?" she prompted.

He hadn't realized how much it still hurt. "She laughed."

She nodded, but didn't say anything. When it became clear she wouldn't say anything, Harry felt a surge of gratitude
such as he'd seldom felt before. He tried to joke past his hurt. "I was about ready to become a monk after that."

He broke off. Hermione nodded again… he realized it was her way of showing she was listening, of encouraging him. "Then
a few years later," he continued, "one of the waitresses at the Idée Fixe set me up with her younger sister. Uni
student, bright and fresh, no expectations. We got along pretty well, really."

Again he broke off, and she couldn't contain herself. "And?"

Harry shrugged. "And she was a Muggle, and I was a wizard, and I was living under a false identity to boot. I couldn't
share my life with her, couldn't share my self. The excuses just kept getting clumsier and clumsier… Anyway, after a few
months she got a scholarship to some American school, and we both considered it time to end the relationship."

"Oh, Harry. I'm sorry…"

"It's okay." Gently he began to stroke her hair, as he had several evenings earlier… reasoning that if the magic of her
vows permitted it then, it should permit it now. Of course, then he'd only thought he "cared for" her. He hadn't yet
figured out that he loved her.

Which, of course, shows how much of an idiot I've been.

"It's okay," he repeated. "I can now say that I've known sex, and I've known love – and of the two, I much prefer love."

"A sentiment with which I totally agree. Frustrating though it may be," Hermione murmured, resting her head against his
chest. He continued to stroke her hair… his hand didn't seem able to stop. "Do you know," she continued after a pause,
"there've been times when I had to hug my pillow like this – I thought, because I needed physical contact so much. But
then, I could've had physical contact any time I wanted… if I were willing to put up with Ron. I needed you, Harry." She
snuggled closer. "And you're much better than a pillow, I must say."

Harry sighed slightly, and she immediately picked up his thought. "I know we can't do this every night. It is
frustrating… and if we keep tempting my vows' magic, sooner or later we'll be burned. But if… if we could just do this,
every now and then…"

"Happy Birthday, Hermione," he said softly.

Her breathing lengthened… she was growing sleepy again. "And for the record, Mr. Potter," she mumbled to his heart, "I
love you too."

He nodded, ever so slightly, as though to say I know. His patient hair-stroking didn't stop. When a gentle snore issued
forth, Harry smiled to himself. One hand continued to stroke the bushy mane of hair… the other felt around on the
mattress behind her until it found the star sapphire necklace.

One last birthday kiss, as much for him as for her – to be a surprise, when she discovered it – and he dropped the gem
back onto the mattress.

*

Hermione awoke again, just before dawn, to the distant sound of someone calling her name. She came to full alert almost
immediately, and turned her head to greet Harry.

Only to discover that Harry had rolled over onto his side again, facing away from her.

"Um, good morning," she greeted him. "Did you hear something…?"

He tilted his head without rolling back. "Hear…?" He was interrupted by someone calling Hermione's name again. "It
sounds like it's from your Floo fireplace."

"It sounds like Dennis Creevey!" Hermione was instantly out of bed and throwing on a robe. She strode to the door, and
paused as she canceled the security charms on it. "I'd better talk to him," she said, looking over her shoulder, "a call
this early can't be good news. Do you…" She quickly turned her head again to face the door, but not before she'd seen
why Harry had rolled away from her during the night. A morning riser in more ways than one, she thought with amusement.
I wonder if sleeping in the Cloak was damping that reaction, as well as other emotions. Probably, judging by his
embarrassment now.

"You're already keyed to the wards," Harry said hastily. "I'll just, um, make myself scarce."

"Can you wait for me in my rooms at the Ministry? I want to coordinate our efforts today – see if we can get you to the
Arch while everyone's busy with the Conference." Barely waiting for Harry's agreement, Hermione flung open the door and
rushed to the fireplace. "I'm here, Dennis," she told the flames, kneeling before them.

Dennis's head appeared. "Hermione, we have bad news here. Peasegood and the Legilimens have spent all night checking
Lovinett's memory…"

"Don't tell me his memory's been Obliviated?!"

"Not quite. His memory's been sequestered. Peasegood says there's a set of memories that's been blocked, walled away by
an outside Occlumens. Lovinett himself can't access those memories without someone telling him a code word. And if we
try to access them, there's a failsafe in place that will wipe Lovinett's mind. Maybe completely, according to
Peasegood."

"Damn!" Hermione pounded the floor with her fist in frustration. "Does Peasegood have any ideas for how to get past the
blocks?"

Dennis waggled his head. "He wants to keep working at it – I assume he wouldn't do that unless he had some hope. But if
he guesses wrong, Lovinett ends up in Vegetable City."

Hermione remained motionless for a moment, thinking frantically. "These… mental blocks," she said slowly, "these blocks
surely wouldn't have been put in place without Lovinett's knowledge or permission. His conscious memories might match
the story he tells, but he must be aware those memories are false. Play on that, Dennis. Emphasize what we can prove:
that his memories have been tampered with, and that that he did cast the Imperius Curse on Swivingham. We can convict
him of that, if nothing else, whether he remembers it or not!"

She jabbed a finger at Dennis as he nodded his understanding. "Maybe then he'll remember a few random details that
weren't blocked – like, say, accepting a payment from our dear Mr. Zabini. Oh, and be sure to remind him that
client-attorney privilege can't be invoked on an agreement he claims never happened!"

"Hermione – what are you doing?" Ginny had emerged from Rose's bedroom, ashen-facing and gaping.

"Wait one, Ginny," Hermione said, not taking her eyes off Dennis's face. "Dennis, you understand?"

Dennis grimly smiled. "Apply pressure until something crystallizes. Got it, boss. I'll contact you at the Ministry the
moment we have anything." With a swirl of green flame, his head disappeared from the Floo.

Hermione barely had time to get off his knees and to her feet when Ginny was in front of her. "What is this? Did I hear
you say something about Blaise? Hermione, I thought we decided he was innocent!"

"Ginny, you showed up here Monday night because you were scared of Zabini! Remember? You were afraid, because you
thought he might be involved in Swivingham's death!"

"I was overreacting! And besides, that was before you looked at my Pensieve memory. You said Blaise didn't have anything
to do with it, based on what I saw!"

"No," sighed Hermione in exasperation, "that's what you said. I said a clever lawyer would argue that your memory didn't
implicate Zabini. Not iron-clad, anyway." She started for her bedroom. "Look, I have to go straight to the Ministry, and
I need to shower and dress…"

Ginny surprised Hermione by following her into the bedroom, still arguing. Hermione was relieved to not see Harry:
either he was under the Cloak, or (more likely) he'd already Disapparated. Probably to Clayman's flat for his own shower
and change of clothes, before meeting her in her office.

"If my memory can't implicate Blaise, it's because he's not involved! He'd have no reason to want Swivingham dead,
anyway – the man was about to be sent to Azkaban, for Merlin's sake, which is punishment enough. You can't just go
around and accuse a high-ranking Ministry official of ordering a murder, simply because you don't like him!"

Hermione whirled angrily to confront Ginny. "Is that what you think of me, Ginny Weasley? After over twenty years, do
you really think so little of my integrity!?"

Ginny flinched only slightly. "You just told Dennis that you wanted a connection with Blaise… I'm sorry, Hermione, but
it does sound like you're trying to dig up dirt on him! You're almost as bad as Ron, you won't even consider that he's
reformed – that he's trying to make our world a better place!" She caught Hermione's gaze and held it. "Lay off him,
won't you?" she pleaded softly.

Their gazes stayed locked for several moments. Hermione took that time to review everything Ginny might have seen or
heard at Zabini Manor. Either she's the most accomplished liar and actress ever born, Hermione concluded, or she really
doesn't know about the Cartel Lords.

"Ginny," Hermione finally said, "try to believe this, because I'll only say it once. If Blaise Zabini hasn't done
anything illegal, I will never trump up charges against him just because I disagree with his politics." She saw Ginny
begin to relax in satisfaction, and hardened her voice as she continued, "And if Blaise Zabini has done something
illegal, I will never fail to bring charges against him just because you're sleeping with him."

Into Ginny's shocked silence, Hermione added, "Now, since you were planning on returning to your flat today, or possibly
attending your Quidditch practice, perhaps you should get ready to leave, since I need to do likewise." She watched as
Ginny backed away with something like a sob, and turned to her wardrobe to pull out the clothes she'd be wearing to the
Ministry that day.

She heard Ginny stumble against the bookshelves on her way out of the bedroom. Hermione gave no more thought to her
sister-in-law… but if she'd turned her head, she would have seen that Ginny had removed one of the books from the
bookshelf as she left.

*

It wasn't a lie, Ginny told herself. I was worried about my safety when I showed up at Hermione's home, truly. But
that's only because I'd panicked – Blaise would never hurt me, I'm far too useful to him. As I'm about to prove.

Extremely rare was the wizarding business that stayed open twenty-four hours a day. In that respect, the Muggle world
was a hell of a lot more convenient. She waited now at the photography counter at an all-night pharmacy, as they
developed her roll of ultra-sensitive high-speed film.

When Dad first brought that old gadget home, years ago, he didn't even know exactly what it was, Ginny recalled. I'm the
one who recognized it as a camera, and who took it to a Muggle shop… where they fixed it and told me what it was. And
what it was, was perfect.

An old camera indeed, no larger than her two fingers together, but a precision optical instrument for that. Predating
transistors, powered by a wound spring, virtually silent, it was made to go unnoticed by Muggles. The fact that it had
no magic to be detected – and no electronics to be affected – made it equally unobtrusive in the wizarding world. Ginny
had taken to carrying it everywhere with her, in her Extended overnight bag – just to Be Ready.

A quick Transfiguration in the midst of my party preparations – did Hermione think I didn't know about all the
monitoring wards on her house? – and one of her books was able to hold my camera until I needed it. Last night. Snapping
one picture of her bedroom every half hour until the roll of film ended.

One of those pictures should show the face of Hermione's lover.

Let's face it, Blaise is brilliant, but he's such a male. He can't see the most obvious things, sometimes. When he told
me at our last Fire Party about the recent upswing in Hermione's mood – how she was being friendlier to Ministry
workers, and they to her – he had no clue to the reason. Sweet Circe, once I arrived at Hermione's home, it was plain as
day! Suddenly upbeat? Extra blankets and pillows? Bedroom door made Imperturbable every night? She's been getting laid!

I mean, if Ron could find a way around their marriage vows, Hermione certainly could.

As soon as I have the photos, I'll know who she's been shagging. And that might just be the lever I need to get her to
drop this pointless investigation of Blaise. It's obvious she's trying to discredit him, before today's International
Conference secures his position as heir apparent. After all, that's why I suggested to him that his department chair it.

No, I've been far too valuable to Blaise. And by the end of today, it will be clear to him, too, beyond doubt. I think
I'll enjoy being the wife of the next Minister of Magic.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

23. XXIII: A Page from Machiavelli

(A/N: A shorter chapter, to whet your appetite. Once again, my thanks to all those who read and review: you help me
temper my craft, and I am deeply in your debt. As for those who read and don't review: I know you're out there, I can
hear you breathing.

Fullest gratitude, of course, must go to MirielleGrey, my trusty Beta. Any mistakes remaining are solely my own fault.)

(Disclaimer: Yes, this story was written by J.K. Rowling. On even-numbered days. On odd-numbered days it was written by
Lewis Carroll. Oh, and on Leap Day it was written by Jean-Paul Sartre. Sheesh.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXIII: A Page from Machiavelli

*

No, Ginny thought wildly, practically hyperventilating as she flipped through the photographs, it's not possible. It
can't be. It can't. It CAN'T…

*

If Harry had been nervous being in her office late Tuesday night, when all other Ministry employees had left for the
evening, he was three times as nervous being in her office early Thursday morning, with people already beginning to
arrive for work – not to mention the bustle of preparation for an international Conference. Hermione had to repeatedly
bring his attention back to the issue at hand. "Do no Ministry elves work in the Department of Mysteries, then?"

"Some do, Miss Hermione," answered Canby. His professional demeanor was actually quite remarkable, considering that he
was in the same room with The Witch Who Won and The Defender of House-Elves. "But Mysterious elves don't associate with
other Ministry elves. They are like Unspeakables that way."

"So no way of knowing whether they've been inside the Death Chamber since the barrier went up, then?" she pressed.
Regretfully, Canby shook his head.

"Which means we're back to Plan B," said Harry. He wore the Stealth Cloak, with only his head uncovered – ready to
vanish in an instant should a stranger approach. It was very odd, talking to a disembodied head, but Hermione refused to
let it bother her. "We ignore the door, blast a hole through the wall and enter the Chamber that way."

Hermione nodded reluctantly. "The Conference is scheduled to convene at ten," she noted. "It'll take a few minutes for
the speeches and all to be thoroughly underway. This being the opening session, I imagine some of the senior
Unspeakables will attend – that should thin the ranks inside the Department, if only a little." Her eyes flicked to
Canby. "Canby, you may be required to provide a distraction while Harry tries to get into the Chamber. Are you certain
you're willing to, well, let the Ministry be damaged…?"

"Canby is paid by the Ministry," the elf replied proudly. "Canby works for the Wizengamot Senior Counsel. Canby does
what Miss Hermione says."

She couldn't help smiling, even as she sighed and shook her head. Elves rarely gave their loyalty to an abstraction,
like justice or the Ministry; she'd tried hard enough to appeal to that with Swivingham's "working elves", Brillig and
the others, but with only limited success. No, their loyalty was intensely personal, as Dobby's had been to Harry. She
ought to have known that Canby would attach himself to her.

I have to be careful not to take advantage of that, she reminded herself firmly.

"Right, then. We'll wait until after ten before we try anything. In the meantime…" Harry looked with some agitation at
the closed door. "Is there some room where we could wait, that's a little less public? I really don't feel comfortable
sitting here all exposed."

"You could pull up your hood and vanish in half a second, and no detection charm on the planet could find you," Hermione
pointed out. "Still…" She gave Canby an inquiring look.

The elf briefly considered, then bobbed his head shyly. "There are elves' quarters, Miss Hermione. No wizard or witch
ever goes there. None would see Mister Harry there."

"Except for the Ministry elves," said Harry, "and… I mean, I hate to say it, but Hermione seems to think that if they
see me alive, I might, um, disrupt…" He glanced uncomfortably at Hermione, looking for help.

"Some private rooms were set aside for our witnesses, Mister Harry," Canby quickly added. "Brillig, Whimsy, and the
others. They are already knowing about you. We will even make rooms larger for you, if you are wanting it!"

Harry smiled wanly. "I can always sit on the floor… anyway, it's only until, say, ten-thirty or so. Sounds good, then.
Shall we?" He extended his hand to Canby, who stared at it for a moment in amazement.

Canby brought his gaze up to Harry's face, and squared his shoulders. "Mister Harry Potter," he said with dignity, "it
would be Canby's honor." Solemnly he took Harry's hand.

Harry quickly looked over at Hermione. "You'll let me know if we hear from Dennis?" he asked quietly.

"I'll tell you as soon as he calls," she promised. Hermione had already summarized her Floo call from Dennis, earlier
that morning; she'd also explained that, as their "really safe house" had no Floo connection of its own, they had to
wait for Dennis to contact her again. "And in the meantime, I'll keep pursuing other possibilities. Thank you, Canby…
and thank you, Harry." With a pop of air, Harry and Canby vanished from Hermione's rooms.

Hermione spent a few moments trying to devise alternative plans, should Dennis and his team prove unable to access
Lovinett's sequestered memories. Some way to connect Zabini to Swivingham's murder – or to the Cartel that ordered it.
Mm, Lucius Malfoy might have more information: Lovinett had been his attorney, after the First Voldemort War. Did Malfoy
recommend Lovinett's services to the Cartel? Through Zabini, perhaps?

There were several avenues she could follow, but none that were certain to bear fruit quickly – and she needed to
neutralize Zabini today, if possible. As the chairman of today's Conference, he'd use his influence to direct attention
away from the Cartel, or send the various Ministries down blind alleys. Not to mention consolidate his personal power
within Britain's own Ministry. Hermione was not going to let that happen.

But at the moment, she had very little idea how to stop him.

She flicked a glance at her wristwatch and groaned. The first delegates would be arriving for the blasted Conference
now, through pre-arranged International Portkeys. And while Robards and Kerricks, as Heads of their Departments, would
be present to greet the more important delegates, she felt sure that Blaise Zabini would be personally welcoming each
new arrival. With a warm handshake and that charming smile. Dammit.

Standing, she straightened her robes and headed out the door towards the lifts. As she did, her hand paused on the star
sapphire that rested just above her breasts – under her robes, where it wouldn't raise awkward questions. Hermione
smiled as she remembered slipping the necklace over her head as she dressed that morning. She strongly suspected that
Harry had kissed the gem one last time during the night… and she was saving that stored kiss for when it would do the
most good. During the lunch break, perhaps.

The lift took Hermione down to the Atrium level: large meeting halls had been opened off the Atrium, so that the
visitors wouldn't need to take the lifts to the Conference. She stepped out of the lift as its doors opened – and froze
in surprise.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was sitting in the Atrium, in a very handsome wheelchair that almost resembled a mobile throne. His
face looked positively gaunt, but he was greeting newcomers with evident delight.

"Sergei! Welcome! I'm pleased you could be here on such short notice. Well, yes, this is an important issue, one on
which I feel our collective Ministries need to pool our resources. Your Enforcement people provided you with case files?
Excellent." He turned his head and spotted Hermione. "Ah, Madam Granger! Sergei, have you met our Senior Counsel,
Hermione Granger-Weasley? Madam Granger, Direktor Sergei Volshev."

"Zdravstvuite, gospodin," murmured Hermione, as Volshev sketched a hasty bow. She shook her head with a smile as he
seemed about to address her. "And that, I'm afraid, exhausts my conversational Russian."

"A pity. Your accent was refreshingly impeccable," he smiled in return. With a nod to Shacklebolt, Volshev wended his
way through the growing crowd. Hermione watched him for a second before turning to Shacklebolt.

"If you're thinking about scolding me," he said, quickly and quietly, "don't. I had to come in today: some documents
needed to be delivered to the Wizengamot – in person." He smiled coolly and added, slightly louder, "And moreover, this
Conference was my idea in the first place. I wanted to at least be present for its opening." Shacklebolt seemed to be
looking over Hermione's shoulder as he spoke. She turned slightly to see who was approaching this time.

Blaise Zabini stepped up to Shacklebolt's chair. "And it was good of you to come, sir," he said smoothly. "Thank you.
Though I think Madam Granger will agree that you shouldn't exert yourself."

"I'll leave the exhausting bits of the next two days to you, Mr. Zabini," nodded the Minister. "I'll have my opening
remarks, of course… and perhaps I'll look in on some of the sessions, as time permits." Watching them, Hermione had to
suppress a smile of admiration: Kingsley's presence took the wind out of Zabini's sails quite effectively. No one could
gainsay the Minister's right to preside over the Conference, and war-hero Kingsley Shacklebolt was perhaps the one
person who could eclipse Zabini's rising star.

Did Kingsley know that Zabini would use the Conference to spotlight his candidacy? Kingsley had to've suspected it –
he's nobody's fool. I still wish he hadn't come today, though: his health is all too precarious.

Hermione stepped back from Shacklebolt as he greeted another newcomer. Unexpectedly, Zabini likewise took a step away,
to stand by Hermione's side. He regarded her with a neutral expression for a moment, before raising one eyebrow at her –
much as a grandmaster might acknowledge his opponent across the chessboard. All he said, however, was, "Well, this
should help keep the agenda on focus."

"I think it's sweet," came a new voice. Ginny Weasley, elegantly dressed, had appeared at Zabini's side. She squeezed
his arm and smiled at him. "It's rather a touching gesture, Blaise dear, when you think about it. Passing on the torch
to the next generation, and all that."

Zabini blinked at Ginny in surprise… then a calculating smile grew on his face. Hermione kept her own expression
carefully schooled, to hide her sudden dismay. Ginny had just provided Zabini with the perfect spin for Shacklebolt's
presence – if Zabini played it right, he might yet end the Conference with his political influence enhanced. It would
all depend on how Shacklebolt played his part… and whether he had the physical strength to do it.

Ginny gave Zabini a quick kiss on the cheek, then turned to Hermione. "Can you spare me a few minutes, Hermione? Girl
talk," she lightly added as an aside to Zabini. He laughed and waved them off.

"Let's go to your office," Ginny said in a lower voice. "Someplace where we can talk privately." Her emphasis on the
last word raised the hairs on the back of Hermione's neck.

They took the lift in silence. Hermione led the way to her office in silence. Ginny waited in silence, but only until
Hermione closed the door. "Do you still have my memory?" she demanded, before Hermione could speak.

"Your…? The memory we reviewed together in the Pensieve? Yes, of course." Hermione stepped to a short cabinet, opened
it, and brought out the phial filled with silvery mist. She made a motion to hand it over, but stopped as Ginny raised
her hand.

"Good," Ginny said. "Keep it."

Hermione regarded Ginny in surprise. She'd expected Ginny to insist on having her memory returned to her, so it couldn't
be used against her precious Blaise. "You… want me to keep custody of it?"

Ginny gave her a curious half-smile, and gestured towards the chair behind Hermione's desk. As they seated themselves,
the redhead seemed to be choosing her next words with some care.

"I think you've always had the gift – even back at Hogwarts – of accepting what your eyes told you," she began
obliquely. "No matter how much you disliked the answer, you never shied from seeing it." Her mouth gave that quirk
again. "Hermione… you saw Blaise just now. I think you've started to accept what your eyes are telling you: he's going
to be our next Minister of Magic. But I know," she added quickly, forestalling Hermione's protest, "I know you have,
well, reservations. You don't trust him – again, going back to our Hogwarts days. And you're worried that a Zabini
Ministry might turn back the reforms you've made, under Kingsley Shacklebolt."

The speech had obviously been thought out in advance. Hermione found herself clamping her lips shut, waiting to see
where Ginny's line of reasoning would lead.

"I suppose, if I were in your shoes, I might be worried too," Ginny said sympathetically. "I mean, I know that Blaise
has the best interests of the wizarding world at heart, and that he'd try to do right by everyone, including the
Muggleborn. But you've no way of knowing that. And you're scared of what he might do when he's in power."

"You could say that, yes," said Hermione neutrally.

"And that's exactly why I want you to keep my memory. It's not proof of anything criminal – even you admitted that it
wouldn't stand up in court – but Blaise would probably find it embarrassing. And the Minister of Magic can't afford
embarrassments like that. So with that memory, you've got a handle on Blaise. What's the term, 'checks and balances'?
That memory gives you a way to check Blaise, if you feel he's going too far over the line. Which should give you some
reassurance – enough to let you accept him as Minister, d'you think?" Ginny sat back in her chair and waited for
Hermione to respond.

"So," Hermione said slowly, "you're telling me I shouldn't object to Zabini becoming Minister… because I have this
threat to hold over his head. But the threat's no good if he doesn't know it exists…"

"On the contrary," Ginny corrected her, "if he knew it existed, you might worry he'd start a PR campaign to soften its
impact. No, keep it safe, for the day you think he's about to cross the line – trying to disenfranchise the goblins
again, or something. Then tell him you have it – show it to him in a Pensieve. It's as I said, a Minister can't afford a
scandal. He'll give way to you."

"I don't understand, Ginny. Even stipulating Zabini does become Minister – why are you undermining his position? I
thought you wanted him to…"

"I'm not undermining him, really," Ginny said, and that half-smile had come back to her face. "Since I know you won't
actually use this threat, except for something really important – important enough to risk scandal, I mean." She reached
into an inner pocket of her robes and brought out a set of photographs. "Checks and balances, remember?" she added.

She leaned forward and spread the photos on the desk in front of Hermione, who picked one up and stared at it. It was a
bit grainy, taken in poor light, but it very clearly showed Hermione in her bed – with Harry.

"My dear brother's not made much of a secret of your marital woes," Ginny said, with an apologetic grimace. "I mean,
personally, I can hardly blame you for taking a lover – but you can't afford a scandal any more than Blaise could. And
since everyone knows about your vows, they'll also know that you couldn't evade them without trying extra-hard. This
couldn't be an impulsive, one-night-stand sort of affair."

Hermione dropped the photo and picked up another. Like all of them, it was a Muggle photo: the figures in it didn't
move. However, unlike the others, it showed a well-lit scene: Harry and Hermione sitting in bed, their arms wrapped
tightly around one another. He must have just given me my birthday present, she thought dazedly.

Ginny evidently expected Hermione to say something at this point. When nothing was forthcoming, she resumed, "And as I
said, I can hardly blame you. Especially since you've found a lover who looks so much like Harry." That got Hermione's
attention, Ginny saw. "I'm guessing this is your Harry stand-in – the one you used to convince Swivingham's house-elves
to testify. Blaise would be surprised, I think, to learn he exists… he still thinks you invented that rumor out of thin
air." Ginny shrugged. "But it stands to reason, if the rumor alone didn't convince the elves, you'd have something
physical to show them – some-one, I should say. And I admit, the resemblance is striking – even I was taken aback for a
moment."

Her voice lowered to a purr as she concluded, "But I think it's safe to say that I know what Harry looked like in bed."
Her smirk was both knowing and dismissive.

Ginny watched as Hermione let the photo fall from her fingers back onto the desktop. Her eyes stared, unfocused, at the
images strewn before her. Ginny waited another moment, then spoke again in a more conciliatory tone. "I… I didn't want
things to get to this point, Hermione, honest. I tried, remember? I tried to convince you to lay off Blaise. But really,
it's better this way. Blaise will be Minister, and you'll have your job… and, well, will anything have changed? If
Blaise ever does break the law, you can still go after him. All this means," and she gestured at the photos, "is that
you won't rush into anything that would make a stink. And since you've got my memory, it'll keep Blaise from doing the
same."

She sat back in her chair, well aware that her position was ironclad. Hermione was a pragmatist – she couldn't have
reached her current position without recognizing certain political realities – and she'd accept Ginny's proposal. Why,
it wasn't even fair to call it a "threat", really, since both Blaise and Hermione were checked… checks and balances,
that's all it was…

"I… I…" Hermione seemed to be finding her voice at last. "I… don't know what to say…"

Holding back her triumphant smile, Ginny opened her mouth to respond… only to leave it gaping as Hermione rose to her
feet, her face devoid of emotion.

"Except what the Duke of Wellington once said," Hermione continued more firmly. She planted her hands on the desktop and
leaned forward, never taking her eyes off Ginny. Those eyes flared with sudden wrath as she finished speaking, in a
voice gone deadly quiet, anger expressed in precise diction: "Publish and be damned, Weasley."

For one long moment, the room was utterly still. Without conscious intent, Ginny found herself no longer sitting – but
on her feet, backing slowly away from the cold rage that was The Witch Who Won. She tried to speak, but only a
humiliating squeak emerged.

Hermione hadn't yet moved, but her furious glare hadn't left Ginny's face. It came to Ginny, quite clearly, that the
only thing saving her from a great many excruciating, debilitating hexes was Hermione's self-restraint – which was fast
crumbling. Hastily, Ginny reached behind her for the doorknob, fumbled the door open, and in a rush had escaped the room
with the door closed behind her.

Not until Ginny was gone did Hermione give way to a fit of furious tremors. She collapsed back into her seat and raised
her fists before her, as though trying to throttle her anger – or possibly her sister-in-law. I took her in! When she
thought her life was in danger, I took her into my home! And she could do this to me in return? And look me in the eye
and claim it was For The Greater Effing GOOD!?

One finger at a time, she unclenched her fists, and breathed deeply to try and purge the fury from her system. The red
haze that had filled her vision was slowly dissolving. After a moment, Hermione had recovered enough to let her gaze
skip randomly around the room. It came to rest on the photos, still spread over the desk, showing Harry and her in
various stages of cuddling or sleep. She never slept with Harry, she thought, tartly and somewhat irrelevantly, she has
no idea what he looks like in bed!

Still, she realized as she calmed, Ginny ought to've recognized Harry, regardless. Did Harry's wards on Enthalpy House
affect how others might see these pictures, perhaps? Or… no, it couldn't be that ridiculous.

Sure it could, another voice in her head interjected. Ginny hasn't matured – why should her image of Harry mature?
Subconsciously, she expected him to still be eighteen years old.

Hermione couldn't help snorting, in combined amusement and disdain. Yes, Ginny, I'm perfectly capable of accepting the
evidence of my own eyes. You should consider trying it sometime.

She held one hand in front of her. It no longer trembled, nor seemed ready to clench into a fist of its own volition.
Hermione conjured a hand mirror, gave her face a critical once-over, and applied a quick freshening charm. With that,
she decided she'd calmed sufficiently to return to the Atrium and rejoin Kingsley.

She left her offices and walked briskly down the corridor to the lift. There were two people waiting for the lift to
arrive, and one of them had unmistakable fiery red hair. Hermione felt her stride falter briefly, then she willed
herself to keep walking. If Ginny fancied herself a sort of éminence grise, she wouldn't be making a public scene.
Hermione could simply ignore her.

The wizard standing next to Ginny turned at Hermione's approach. He smiled at her, obviously recognizing her – though
Hermione couldn't place his face. Ginny hadn't even acknowledged her presence, which didn't surprise her greatly. She
took one more step – and time suddenly slowed to an absurd crawl, as Hermione abruptly realized…

… that Ginny was staring vacantly ahead, unresponsive…

… that the unknown wizard had pointed his wand at Hermione…

… that Hermione wouldn't be able to draw her own wand in time…

… that the wizard said something, too softly for Hermione to hear, but she could read lips well enough…

"Obliviate."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

24. XXIV: Taking Initiative

(A/N: Yep, we rejoin our story immediately where it left off…

My thanks go to MirielleGrey, my Wonder Beta… and to you, my readers. I know it's been said before, but I'll say it
again: if you're enjoying this story, please tell your friends – and if you're not, please tell me.)

(Disclaimer: Some collective nouns: A paladinate of Harrys. A concordance of Hermiones. A randomness of Rowlings. A fair
use of fanfiction. A poverty of Paracelsi.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXIV: Taking Initiative

*

Even as Hermione drew her wand, she knew it would be too late: there was no time to erect a Shield before the intruder's
Obliviation spell struck her. Nonetheless, she attempted to hurl a fast Stunner at her opponent, in the hopes that, once
begun, the Stunner would fire even after her mind had been blanked.

Except that her mind didn't blank!

There were times to stop and analyze, and there were times to simply act. The middle of a magical combat situation
qualified as the latter. "Stupefy!" Hermione cast, now running at full tilt towards the intruder.

Astonishment flashed on the stranger's face, a snarl replacing the smile of a moment earlier. A skilled flick of his
wand parried Hermione's Stunner. He seized Ginny, still vacantly staring, and roughly shoved her into Hermione as she
came near. Hermione caught Ginny by the shoulders and thrust her aside, as the wizard brought his wand back up.
"Caedero!" he hissed.

"Protego!" Hermione responded, deflecting the attack. Hacking Hex, she thought wildly, nasty…

The wizard was bolting down the corridor, away from the lifts, towards the emergency stairs. He continued to throw
curses behind him as he ran, forcing Hermione to maintain her defenses. She pushed herself to run faster… if she
couldn't bind him magically, she'd tackle him physically. She still didn't recognize the wizard, but she now knew who he
must be – and she wanted him captured, alive.

The commotion was starting to draw attention: a few fellow Ministry employees were emerging from office doorways. The
intruding wizard grimaced, then thrust his hand into his pocket and brought out a glass bottle. He hurled it to the
floor as Hermione came within grabbing distance of him.

And the corridor promptly plunged into pitch blackness.

Hermione stumbled, tried to maintain pursuit, and with a jarring thud ran headlong into the corridor wall. She
remembered this darkness now, from her sixth year at Hogwarts, and knew its cause: Peruvian Darkness Powder. The
Ministry had since banned its importation, but evidently the wizarding criminal element still had a few remaining
stockpiles.

Fortunately, she knew the proper counter-spell. "Zephyrus!" she cried, and a breeze immediately sprang from nowhere to
clear away the darkness. Unfortunately, in her few seconds of blindness, the assailant had made his escape: he was
nowhere to be seen.

Co-workers were beginning to approach her, inquiries on their lips, but Hermione had no time to spare for them. She
rushed back to the lifts, where Ginny sat dazed on the floor. Hermione examined her, carefully but quickly: she didn't
seem physically harmed, but the vacant stare hadn't left her face.

Right, then. And Dennis doesn't have a Floo connection available. Dammit, I didn't want to advertise this ability, but…
Hermione formed a terse message in her mind: "Send Peasegood at once." Then with a flick of her wand and a quiet
"Expecto Patronum," her Patronus-messenger sped away in a blur of silver.

Message sent, she turned her attention to the gathering Ministry employees – including, she was glad to see, several
Aurors. "I'm declaring the Ministry to be in emergency lockdown, as of now. I want the entire building sealed: all
communications suspended, and no one leaves without my authorization!" She pointed to each Auror in turn as she
continued, "Floos disconnected, Portkeys disabled, Anti-Apparation protocols activated, stat. Montagu, go to the Atrium
and inform Head Robards – he'll want to organize a floor-by-floor search. Until then, everyone is to remain where they
are. Any questions?"

No one questioned her.

*

The common room of the elves' guest quarters was cramped, to be sure – Harry had to remove his Stealth Cloak, since he
kept misjudging where he was stretching his invisible limbs, and knocking items off tables – but as long as he sat
cross-legged on the floor, he was comfortable enough. He resisted Canby's repeated offers to raise the ceiling for him,
suspecting it wouldn't go unnoticed elsewhere in the Ministry.

But in consequence, he found himself at eye level with the Ministry elf, as they debated on the best way to enter the
Death Chamber in the Department of Mysteries – which, Harry discovered, put him at a bit of a disadvantage. "No," he
reiterated yet again, "I don't want you risking your neck to try to appear inside the Chamber. Not unless we know for a
fact that Mysterious elves have been in that room."

"It would be no risk," Canby insisted. "If elves can't appear in the Chamber, Canby's attempt will fail. If the attempt
succeeds, Canby will fetch Mister Harry and bring him into the Chamber."

Harry sighed. How he wished he could simply forbid Canby to risk his life. The last thing I need is another death on my
conscience. I still remember poor Dobby… But Canby wasn't Harry's to command – even though Harry probably could, by
capitalizing on his mythic status among elves. He sighed again and ceded the point. "Fine… but only if all else fails,"
he emphasized.

"Then how else shall we try?" Canby asked.

"Hm. Find a spot away from the door to the Chamber, and drill a tiny hole in the wall?" offered Harry. "Where no one
will notice… say, behind a tapestry or something? If it works and I can get through the wall, then I make a big hole.
That's the part where you distract the Unspeakables."

"Could perhaps get into an argument with Mysterious elves," Canby mused. "A very, very loud argument…"

"If they're anything like Unspeakables, you probably can't get a rise out of them."

Canby waved off the suggestion. "Oh, they are so sure they are better than other elves… Canby can always point to spots
of dirt they missed cleaning." His sudden, wicked grin was worthy of Fred or George at their finest, or rather, their
worst. "Even if Canby must supply dirt himself…" He stopped speaking abruptly, jerked upright as though jabbed with a
pin.

"What's wrong, Canby?" Harry asked in concern, as Canby tilted his head and spread his bat-like ears as though
listening.

"Emergency lockdown of the Ministry," Canby reported after a moment. "Everyone to be staying in their rooms while Aurors
search." Seeing the sudden alarm on Harry's face, Canby hastened to add, "They will not be searching elves' quarters,
Mister Harry! Looking for a… a wizard, they are. Wizards do not find their way to elves' quarters."

I could, now that I've been here, thought Harry. He kept the thought to himself, while he brought up a more immediate
objection. "But what if they ask an elf to search the elves' quarters?"

"Then Canby will volunteer to be searcher," the elf said simply. "Please stay here and be safe, Mister Harry. Canby must
go to Miss Hermione now." Canby gave Harry a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and vanished with a loud pop of air.

Resigning himself to waiting, Harry looked around the common room. Had he ever given the matter any thought, he supposed
elves' private rooms would be decorated in some bizarrely eclectic mix of hues, styles, and gimcracks… rather like
Dobby's wardrobe. Instead, the common room was minimalist, almost Spartan, in its décor: muted earth tones, side tables
with flower vases, and a frame on one wall containing an abstract splash of black and white. Doors led to other rooms,
presumably the guests' bedrooms; Harry didn't see a door that looked like an exit, though. After a moment's thought, he
realized that house elves wouldn't need an exit door.

He felt a tentative touch at his elbow. Turning his head, Harry found himself face-to-face with the female elf he'd met
at Enthalpy House. She was shyly (nervously?) offering him a goblet of pumpkin juice. Harry reached out to accept the
goblet, and noticed how the elf had to control her flinch. She's scared, he was shocked to realize, scared of me. Scared
that I might touch her.

Quickly recovering, Harry gave her a friendly smile, hoping to allay her fears. "Hello. You're, um, Canby's friend,
right? Brillig?"

She went from timid to delighted in a heartbeat. "You – you are remembering Brillig!" She looked over Harry's shoulder
and raised her voice. "Brillig told you he would remember!" Harry followed her gaze to see five other elves cautiously
emerging from their "dorm rooms": all female, and all staring at him with various mixes of fascination and reserve. They
wore neither the tea-towels Harry associated with Winky (the only other female elf he'd really known), nor the
sleeveless tabard Canby favored. Instead, they wore short-sleeved, knee-length shifts, white and unadorned – but fitting
well enough to make clear that the elves were, without question, female.

These are the elves that were going to testify against Swivingham. His, um, his "working elves". No wonder they're
nervous about a man invading their private rooms. Harry glanced back at Brillig. "Are introductions in order?" he asked
her softly.

Brillig met the other elves' eyes, and seemed to gather consensus. "These are Briony," she said, with a gesture at the
first elf, and continuing, "Chalice, Whimsy, Fatima, and Sylph." Each one bobbed her head as her name was given. Harry
smiled more warmly and nodded in return to each, but made no overt movement towards them. Which seemed to reassure them,
a little: Sylph and Chalice took a shy step closer.

"Those are nice names," he told them. "Mine's Harry – I'm pleased to meet you."

"You are great Dobby's friend Harry Potter," Sylph clarified.

"Er, yes," said Harry, still trying to put them at their ease. "And I count myself very lucky to have had Dobby as a
friend. Dobby was a… a noble elf, in so many ways."

Half of them were quickly losing their reserve, their fascination for the Defender of House-Elves growing stronger.
Briony, however, seemed inclined to take exception to Harry's last comment. "Dobby? Dobby was… was a free elf," she
said, somehow making the term sound unclean.

"He was," Harry agreed. "Dobby wasn't afraid of hard work." He saw that he'd dumbfounded Briony, and pressed his point.
"Good elves don't mind hard work, do they? Well, freedom is very hard work. Easy to let someone else tell you what to
do, all day, every day – but hard to have to think, to choose, to take responsibility. I know humans find it hard work,
so I imagine elves find it hard work, too. It takes a very special kind of person to be free." He paused, seeing Dobby
in his mind, recalling his fierce insistence on doing the right thing, no matter how it might hurt… and Harry smiled
fondly. "That was Dobby, all right."

To his other side, Brillig drew in a deep, fervent breath. If Harry had looked at her just then, he might have been
disconcerted to see the nearly worshipful expression on her face… and uncomfortably reminded of Hermione's analogy with
Jesus and the nuns. But at the moment, his attention was drawn to the one elf who was still holding back from him:
Fatima, who looked so much like the servant-elf to the Arab Cartel Lord in the Pensieve.

Hermione was sure this Fatima had some connection to the Cartel, once. If I can just get her engaged in the discussion…

"Freedom… well, once you have freedom, you want all those close to you to have it, too." Harry paused to gulp his
pumpkin juice, then set the goblet on the nearby table. "I don't think Dobby had any family," he went on. "I think he'd
have told me if he had children, or brothers, or anything. But if he did, I think – I know – that Dobby would have
wanted them to be as free as he was."

Oh, that got her notice.

"I guess I don't know much about elf families," he concluded ruefully. "It's stupid of me, I know… I'm sorry…" He looked
around the room in invitation.

Brillig took over her role as spokeself for the group. "Elves is having brothers and sisters, of course, Mister Harry,"
she told him. "Elves is certainly having children – how else is there being more elves?" There was a general giggle at
that. Brillig sobered quickly as she went on, "If elves is lucky, elves is having mates for life."

"If elves is not lucky," Fatima put in abruptly, harshly, "elves is never having mates, only having breeders. Masters is
telling elves when to breed, and with whom."

Harry nodded. "Like your former master, Jack Swivingham." As the elves nodded in return, his eyes fixed on Fatima. "And
like your master before Swivingham."

Fatima maintained her harsh expression. She said nothing.

"Your sister's current master," Harry finished gently. It was a shot in the dark, but Harry felt sure of his ground.

And the shot struck home. Fatima's stark façade crumbled in astonishment. "Mister Harry Potter knows about Ayesha?!" she
cried piteously.

"I know some things about some things," Harry hedged. "I know she still waits on him, bringing his food and drink."
Fatima's eyes widened, and he felt confident enough to add, "And he's, er, 'training' her… the way he 'trained' you?"

The misery on her face showed Harry he was right – and it was more than he could bear. He quickly turned to Brillig.
"See, that's just not right," he said earnestly. "Human, or elf, or any being whatever, that's not right. No one should
be able to tell us where we may love, or deny it from us. Love is too precious."

He'd started to turn back to Fatima, wanting to draw her out further, when he felt tiny fingers dig into his bicep.
Brillig had fallen to her knees, wrapped her arms around Harry's arm, and was hugging it to her bosom with an iron grip.
"Oh, yes, Mister Harry," she sighed in ecstasy. It might have been religious ecstasy…

Harry managed to move his free arm in time to prevent Sylph from seizing it in a similar grip. He wanted at least one
hand to drive his point home – and gain Fatima's cooperation. "It's not right," he repeated. "If we can find Ayesha,
there's a chance we can free her from…" He let the sentence dangle, hoping Fatima would respond.

"From ibn al-Afrit?" Fatima finished doubtfully. "He is being a hard master, he will never…"

"She will never be free if we don't try," Harry persisted. "We have to try. I promise you I will try, if you will help."
He saw her starting to waver: he caught her eye, and held it. "You have my word, Fatima."

Sylph squealed excitedly, and this time she succeeded in capturing Harry's other arm above the elbow. Fatima still kept
her distance, undecided. Harry managed to extend his lower arm – Sylph didn't loosen her grip, but didn't try to stop
him, either – and reach out his hand to Fatima. In supplication.

Fatima hesitated one more moment. Her mouth tightened – and she stepped forward and took Harry's hand. In agreement.

Chalice and Whimsy crowded around them in excitement. From behind Fatima, Briony cheered her friend. Thus surrounded and
held, Harry was acutely aware of the elves' proximity – and, embarrassingly, of their attractive forms. Really, except
for the ears, and skin tone – and the fact they were four feet tall – they looked very much like seventh-year female
students at Hogwarts. They even had hair!

Like students at Hogwarts.

Taught by professors at Hogwarts.

And that thought was followed by an idea so incendiary, yet so filled with potential, that Harry was almost glad Canby
chose that exact moment to reappear in the common room, bringing Hermione with him.

"Harry!? What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

"Um…"

"Mister Harry Potter is promising to help the elves again!" cried Brillig happily.

"Well, one in particular," Harry said hastily, forestalling elven imaginations from running rampant. "I promised Fatima
we'd try to free her sister Ayesha – you remember seeing her sister? – from her current master, ibn al-Afrit." Harry
delivered the last words with only a slight emphasis, but Hermione immediately picked up on their significance.

They now had the name of a second Cartel Lord – and judging from Ginny's Pensieve memory, the most influential.

"If ibn al-Afrit is convicted of crimes," Hermione slowly said, as she sat down on the floor next to Harry, "and
house-elves were victimized in the commission of those crimes… yes, I should think the Ministries, or the ICW, would
guarantee their freedom."

"Thank you, Hermione," Harry began, then broke off. His eyes had focused on Hermione's face. Suddenly oblivious to the
elves around him, he shook Brillig and Sylph off his arms and leaned towards Hermione. His fingers came up to
not-quite-touch her cheek, where a mottled bruise was darkening. "Where'd this come from? Hermione, what happened?"

"Oh…" Hermione brought her own hand to her cheek, and winced as she felt how extensive the bruise was becoming. "There's
been some unpleasantness."

"Miss Hermione was attacked," Canby told Harry, with a reproachful look for Hermione. "It is why the Ministry is in
emergency lockdown now."

"Ginny was attacked first," Hermione said quickly, before Harry could storm out of the elves' quarters in anger.
"Obliviated. I happened along at the wrong time, and was nearly Obliviated as well. When that didn't work, he tried a
more direct approach."

"You're all right, though? I mean, you weren't hurt, or, or…?"

"No, I defended myself quite creditably, thank you. Except for his first attack on me, when he tried to Obliviate me –
that one I only avoided thanks to my birthday gift." She fingered the sapphire where it lay beneath her robes, so that
he could see its outline. "I didn't even remember it was there until later, actually – my reflexes took over."

"Then how…?" He gestured again at her bruised face.

"He used Peruvian Darkness Powder to escape," Hermione said in disgust, "and I ran into a wall." Her irritated glare
said that Harry laughed at his own peril.

The Master of the Deathly Hallows had long since learned to recognize danger when it confronted him. He didn't so much
as crack a smile. "Oh," he deadpanned.

She waited a moment, until she was satisfied he wouldn't take the mickey… then turned away and relaxed slightly.
"Anyway…"

"Try not to do that," he added, still deadpan, his timing perfect.

She whirled to glare at him again, but he brought up his left hand to her face. There was a brief glow, as the Elder
Wand did its work, and her injury was healed. "I mean, the gem only wards spells… it doesn't make you invulnerable. You
can still be physically hurt." He lowered his hand and regarded her tenderly. "Try not to do that," he said again, but
this time without a trace of mockery.

It was impossible for Hermione to maintain her glare after that, though she certainly tried. "Anyway," she pressed on,
"the Ministry's in an uproar, and I thought I should see you while I could, inform you what's happening." He nodded,
ready to listen. She continued, "Ginny's more or less recovered from the attack. I brought Peasegood back to see her: he
says the attacker was trying to edit a specific memory, but I interrupted him and his Memory Charm went awry. As a
result, Ginny's lost about a week's worth of memory."

"Friday's Fire Party," winced Harry, "seeing the Lords."

"And everything since." For once, Hermione didn't elaborate; Harry suspected that, this time, he didn't want her to. "We
still have her Pensieve memory," she said after a moment, "but I doubt she had a chance to tell Zabini about it, else
she wouldn't have been Obliviated. And Zabini… well, I know he's an actor of the first water, but I'd swear he's
genuinely upset about Ginny's attack today."

"We need to keep in mind that Zabini's not a member of this Cartel," Harry said slowly, thinking aloud. "It's as you
said a couple of days ago, he works with them, not for them. The Cartel Lords want anonymity – they're the ones who
prefer Obliviation. It was Zabini who went for the kill – and only the one time. It had the feel of a… a loyalty test…"

"So today's attacker was from the Cartel… erasing memory, erasing evidence. Robards, Ginny… although how did they know
Ginny would be at the Ministry today? She must have told Zabini she was meeting him here, and he told the Cartel…"

"Or else Ginny wasn't their primary target today. You were." Harry scowled at the thought that Hermione was still at
risk. "Who was the attacker? Have the Aurors caught him yet?"

"Not yet, they're still searching. I couldn't identify him, so he's not a Ministry worker… except he was in the Ministry
already… but he could have been Polyjuiced… Damn. Too many possibilities." She chewed on her lower lip, lost in thought.

"Did he say anything?" asked Harry. "Er, besides spells? I mean, one obvious source of strangers at the Ministry is…"

"… is today's International Conference," Hermione said in unison with him, which caused her to smile for the first time.
"I considered that. But no, he only spoke incantations, and I didn't notice any particular accent. But then, I wasn't
paying attention to that." She cocked an eyebrow at Sylph, who was trying to re-bond with Harry's arm, and said sweetly,
"Rear of the queue, please." Once the abashed elf had relinquished her spot next to Harry, Hermione slid beside him and
wrapped her arm around his waist.

She was very pleased that his arm had found its way around her waist in response.

"The Aurors have my description of the assailant," Hermione continued. "They'll search every floor, room by room, until
they find him. Which is why, during lockdown, everyone stays in whatever room they're in." She snorted. "Obviously, all
the delegates and their staffs are being kept in the meeting room on the Atrium level, until this is sorted out. And
again obviously, the opening session of the Conference has been delayed. It gives my team with Lovinett a little more
time to break through his Occlumency – get the evidence we need to stop Zabini."

"You're going to be pissing off some fairly high-powered people," noted Harry. "Foreign and domestic. The sort of people
that don't appreciate being inconvenienced just so Aurors can do their jobs. They could make your job difficult, down
the road." He smirked as Hermione formed an indignant reply. "And you don't much care," he added in approval. "I know."

She squeezed him tighter and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder… heedless of the mixed looks she was
receiving from the elves. They shared a quiet moment together: they both knew, somehow, it would be their last for some
time to come.

"I need to return to the Conference very soon, before they miss me," she said at length. "As you say, if I'm going to
inconvenience a room full of delegates, I'd better be there for the show. If only to remind them why they've convened in
the first place."

He nodded. "And y'know, if everyone's confined to their offices, this is a perfect time for me to try to break into the
Death Chamber again. Less chance I'll be noticed, eh?" Getting to his knees, he retrieved the Stealth Cloak from where
he'd put it after earlier removing it, and began to drape it over his shoulders.

"If Mister Harry will wait," said Canby, stepping towards Hermione, "Canby will take Miss Hermione to the Atrium, then
come back for him…"

"No need," Harry interrupted. "I've been to the Department of Mysteries once – I can find my way there again. Take care
of Hermione first, please, Canby… then join me when you can. We'll try some of our ideas together." He settled the Cloak
into place and vanished from view; the faint puff of his Apparation was almost anti-climactic.

Canby sighed and shook his head. "Mister Harry is very much like house-elves, isn't he, Miss Hermione?"

"Mm hmm, in some ways," Hermione said, but her mind was elsewhere. She had to admit, she was loath to go back to the
Conference and confront Zabini – without having something in hand she could use to stop him! Oh, if worst came to worst,
she'd show Ginny's memory to the assembled delegates, but it wasn't enough: at most, it might associate Zabini with
Swivingham's death, and that weakly. The memory didn't even prove that the three wizards were the Cartel Lords, let
alone that Zabini was working hand-in-glove with the Cartel.

Even Lovinett, if he testified, could only show Zabini ordered Swivingham's death – I'd lay odds Zabini never told
Lovinett about the Cartel. Though Lovinett's sequestered memories do suggest the Cartel's Obliviator paid him a visit…
Face it, Hermione, the only people who can show Zabini's connection to the Cartel Lords are either dead or Obliviated.

She paused. Or have no reason to testify. Yet.

Perhaps, just perhaps… I can give them one.

Canby was at her elbow, ready to leave. "One moment, Canby," Hermione said slowly, considering an idea. She turned and
addressed the female elves. "You six were prepared to testify against Jack Swivingham… because it was the right thing to
do. Are you still prepared to do the right thing?"

Hesitantly, wondering where The Witch Who Won was leading, they nodded.

"And more to the point, will you help us free Ayesha, as Fatima asked, so they can be together again? And not have to
work… like that… any more, ever?"

More enthusiastic nods this time, and Brillig took Fatima's hand in encouragement.

"Then I need your help," Hermione said firmly. She stretched her arms out, as though to bring the elves together into a
conspiracy, and they didn't hesitate to gather around her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

25. XXV: In Zugzwang

(A/N: There was just no good place to break this chapter.)

(Disclaimer: Just as Lord Voldemort chose a new name, so shall I! Henceforth, let me be known as… Prince Natural
Gossi-Owls! Which, for those of you who aren't born anagramists like Tom Riddle, unscrambles to mean "Paracelsus is not
Rowling.")

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXV: In Zugzwang

*

Ron Weasley was growing less happy by the minute. Almost the very moment he'd arrived at the Ministry, he'd been herded
into a large room filled with people in an uproar. He was told, by the Auror who'd marched him in, that he could either
stay there or be Stunned, his choice. He was told his stay would be indefinite. He was told, in no uncertain terms, that
he couldn't send a message back to the shop, to tell George his "morning break" had been extended.

What he wasn't being told was why.

The room, at least, had a coffee and tea service laid out. Presumably, for the people who were already here… foreigners,
most of them, to hear them talk. Ron did recognize two of them from photos in the Daily Prophet, years ago: members of
the International Confederation of Wizards, back when they'd had to replace Dumbledore. Shaking his head, Ron took his
coffee and a hastily-snagged pastry and retreated to a chair in the farthest corner of the room.

What am I even doing here? he wondered. Stuffing the pastry into his mouth, he reached into his pocket and brought out
the note he'd received early that morning. He read it over again. Someone wants to meet with me this morning, regarding
Ginny's 'welfare and safety'. Huh. I guess I wasn't the only one to be worried – not that I really much care what Little
Miss Blabbermouth is up to now. Why they couldn't talk to Dad? He works right here in the Ministry, after all.

He spotted Blaise Zabini across the room, talking to Kingsley Shacklebolt. Could this have something to do with Ginny
and Zabini? I tried to tell her he was no good for her. Or… could Zabini have sent the note? Naw, he'd have signed it…

Ron had a good mind to walk right up to Zabini and tell him to stay away from his sister. But he had wit enough to know
that, first, it would make him look like a school boy, and second, it might even prove counter-productive. Oh, and that
it was none of his business, that too.

Still, Ron kept his eyes glued on Zabini as he separated from Shacklebolt and circulated about the room, not trusting
the berk an inch. It gave Ron something to do, as he waited to be let out of this room so he could keep his appointment
with the mystery note-sender.

*

The corridors of the Department of Mysteries were deserted, with the Unspeakables confined to their offices (or, some of
them, in the Atrium conference hall). Eldritch's strange monitoring device was still in front of the open-but-impassible
door to the Death Chamber, and Harry gave it wide berth. There were no tapestries or portraits on this section of the
corridor wall, unfortunately, but there was a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, which would hide Harry's activities very
nicely.

A Silencio on the bookcase first, to keep any sound from echoing down the corridor… then Mobilibancus lifted the
bookcase slightly and shifted one end away from the wall. Harry waited until there was room for him behind the case,
then lowered it gently to the floor. With the Elder Wand in hand, he squeezed behind the shelves and placed the Wand's
tip against the stone wall that separated him from the Chamber.

"Foro," he murmured. A beam of blue light began to drill a neat quarter-inch hole into the stone.

He had to stop at one point, to blow dust out of the hole – which necessitated removing the Cloak from his face. He was
just about to replace the Cloak and continue drilling when Canby appeared by his side. "Progress, sir?" he whispered.
Harry was pleased the elf had the forethought not to say his name aloud.

"Almost through, I think," Harry whispered back. He aimed the Wand back into the hole and reapplied Foro again. After
another minute, he withdrew the wand and again blew dust from the hole. "I think that did it," he told Canby. "Let's try
it." He inserted the Wand's tip into the hole. "Reducto!"

The Wand shot out of the hole like an arrow, expelled by the sudden discharge of energy. Only Harry's superb reflexes
allowed him to snatch the Wand in mid-flight before it could clatter against the back of the bookcase, or fall to the
floor. He could feel the shockwave of magic crawl prickling across his skin, just as it had the first time he'd tried
breaking through the barrier; judging from the way Canby's ears stood erect, he'd felt the shock too.

"It isn't working?" Canby asked.

"No. The barrier seems to be everywhere in the room – flat against all the walls, apparently. Bleeding crap!" Harry
rubbed one eye wearily.

"Then… then there is no help for it," Canby said slowly. "Canby must see if he can enter the Chamber."

"Wait a mo." Leaving his face uncovered – a necessary risk for the moment – Harry stepped back from behind the bookcase.
Canby immediately moved it back into place, covering the new hole in the wall, as Harry stepped to the door that led
into the Chamber. He gently moved the monitor apparatus to one side, so that it no longer blocked the doorway, and with
a quiet "Finite Incantatem" assured that it wouldn't record what they were about to do.

"I don't suppose there's any way I can talk you out of this?" he asked resignedly. Solemnly Canby shook his head.
"Right, then," Harry went on, "I'm going to Silence you so that we don't attract attention. Then I want you to try to
appear in the Chamber right here, right in front of the door, so that if it looks like you're hurt I can Accio you
straight out of there. I hope."

"With luck, it won't be needed," said Canby. Turning to face the door, he waited until Harry had applied the Silencing
Charm. Then he closed his eyes and squinched up his face in concentration.

Two things happened in rapid succession. Canby vanished and reappeared just inside the doorway – and in the next
instant, he was propelled forcefully out the door as though shot from a cannon. He collided with Harry and the two
tumbled to the floor in a jangle of limbs.

"What was that?" Harry asked when he could catch his breath. He quickly cancelled the Silencing Charm to hear Canby's
reply.

"Canby… Canby isn't sure," replied the elf, obviously confused. "It felt like… like Canby was being blown from the
Chamber." He looked wide-eyed at the door, then back at Harry. "It is not a barrier, Canby thinks. It is a… a coldness…
filling the Chamber! Pushing out everything like a strong wind."

"Uh huh. So it is keeping things out, and not in." Harry stood and stepped to the Chamber door. Experimentally, he
extended his hand: as before, it was stopped, blocked from entering. And as before, it didn't feel solid, as an
invisible wall might: his hand simply would go no further. It didn't feel like a rushing wind of any sort… but then, on
this side of the doorway, there was no reason it should.

Through the door he could see the Arch, with its mysterious Veil fluttering gently. It had done so when Harry had
visited the Chamber the night Sirius died, fluttering as though in a slight breeze, though the air in the Chamber had
felt deathly still. He supposed it might still flutter gently, even if a mighty wind were somehow being sent through the
Arch from beyond.

Why are you keeping everyone out? he silently asked the Arch. Why are you keeping me out? It's not as though I plan to
hurt you, I only want to get rid of the Deathly Hallows. I'm only Master of the Deathly Hallows because I don't have any
other choice…

His gaze fixed on the runes graven across the Arch… runes that glowed ember-red against the black stone. Harry might
have thought the runes had always been carved there, remaining unseen until they'd started glowing – but the fact that
the runes had altered themselves dispelled that notion. And they were some sort of warning now, according to Hermione…

With a start, Harry leaned forward and squinted to sharpen his vision. Hadn't Hermione said there were gaps in the runes
now? He couldn't see any gaps in the gravings on the Arch. Either the runes had altered themselves yet again, or…
"Canby," he said softly, "come look at the Arch. Look at the runes. Can you read them?"

Canby trotted to Harry's side and peered at the Arch. "Canby cannot read the runes, sir," he replied, equally softly.

"Do they cover the entire Arch?"

"No, sir. There is… gaps."

So I can see runes that no one else can see. Well, that's just splendid. Now if only I could read the damned things,
we'd be making progress!

Harry hadn't studied Ancient Runes, as Hermione had; he knew runes existed, and that was about the extent of his
knowledge. But he had a Seeker's eye for detail, and he used it now to compare the runes on the Arch with what he
remembered on the parchment Hermione had shown him. Amidst all the other runes were two new ones, which he didn't recall
from the parchment – runes repeated several times, runes he now suspected filled the gaps in Hermione's copy. One symbol
was shaped like a bolt of lightning; it didn't take much thought to suss out that it must refer to him. The other was a
variant on the symbol for the Deathly Hallows: the bisected circle within a triangle, but the whole within a square. Or…
maybe not quite within…?

He squinted more closely, then conjured a pair of opera glasses. Looking through the glasses, he could see the symbol
clearly: the vertical straight line, within a circle, within a triangle – all within, or surmounted by, a square with
the bottom side removed. Three lines at right angles, the three top sides of a square, drawn as though hovering over the
Hallows' symbol. Or, perhaps, covering it.

A cover? A box? A container? Harry racked his brain. No, not for the Hallows – the Hallows can't be contained. What is
it, then, and why is it with the Hallows' symbol?

It must symbolize something else. Like the line symbolizes the Wand, and the circle's the Stone… some other object with
roughly that shape. Three-quarters of a square… two uprights and a top…

And Harry couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, so hard that he couldn't stand. It was laughter at himself, laughter
at his predicament, laughter with more than a tinge of bitterness. Laughing, because the alternative was crying.

He sat heavily on the floor and covered his mouth to suppress his laughter. Canby looked at him in astonishment, but
Harry couldn't explain without giving away his secret. But oh, how he wished Hermione were there with him to share his
discovery.

All these years, I've been calling myself the Master of the Deathly Hallows. I should have known that couldn't be the
truth.

I'm only Master of three of them.

*

From his corner, Ron noticed various people's reactions when two wizards slipped into the conference room, one wearing
the blue robes of an Auror: Concern, fear, expectation. The new arrivals went straight to Shacklebolt and Robards, and
Zabini made a beeline for the group. They shared low murmurings for a minute or so.

"A week?!" Zabini had made no effort to lower his voice. He stared at the Spell Reversal specialist, who fell silent. By
voice, by expression, by every sign Zabini seemed aghast and outraged.

"Don't sound so shocked, Zabini," growled Robards. "This is exactly the sort of attack we called this Conference to
counter." He addressed the Auror who had accompanied the Spell Reversal specialist. "Any word on the search, Montagu?"

The Auror shook his head. "We're working our way down, floor by floor, sir. I've two agents in the stairwells, and three
watching the Floo fireplaces and Apparation point. Oh, and the phone booth entrance."

"We convened this Conference," Zabini told Robards with icy courtesy, "so that the national Ministries might pool our
resources to address the rise in international crime. Smuggling, even drug trafficking. But this – this unwarranted
assault on an innocent bystander could be no part of our brief!"

"Why not? The attack on Miss Weasley was no different than my own attack!" Robards smiled thinly. "Oh, hadn't you heard?
I was Obliviated on Sunday night, in the sanctity of my own home. We have proof of the attack, though of course I
haven't yet recovered the stolen memories."

"Wait a minute!" Ron interrupted, suddenly realizing what they were saying. He bounded from his corner and marched up to
the group, as the assembled delegates watched with growing interest. "You never said it was Ginny who was attacked! Is
she hurt? Where's is she? What happened?"

"She was Obliviated, Mr. Weasley," Shacklebolt said, "right here inside the Ministry. She's lost," he glanced at the
Spell Reversal specialist for confirmation, "about a week's worth of memories, but she's physically unhurt."

"We will find the culprit," put in Robards.

"See that you do," said Zabini in a low voice. "And I'll want to go to see her as soon as possible."

"Fine. Right after I do," put in Ron savagely.

Zabini didn't reply directly, but his glance at Ron clearly said the redhead wasn't worth his time. He dismissed Ron and
turned back to Robards. "I know the last few days have been trying for you, Gawaine… but still, I'm not sure I
understand how your Department could have grown so lax as to allow this attack in the first place. But it seems quite
clear that it could have nothing to do with your own attack – or the purpose of this Conference."

"Oh, now, Zabini," came a new voice at the door, "don't sell yourself short. I feel sure you understand everything
perfectly well." Hermione Granger-Weasley strode confidently into the hall, a Magical Law Enforcer behind her. At her
nod, he closed the door and stood in front of it, arms crossed.

Hermione was, in fact, much less confident than she looked. She knew that diligent work, by her and Creevey and others,
might well produce solid evidence – given time. But it might not. And in that time, Zabini would have consolidated his
political influence further… while the Cartel Lords would have taken their own steps to protect themselves. If Hermione
was to keep the initiative, she had to act now.

But her only course of action carried considerable risk, should it fail.

Zabini was about to reply, but Ron spoke first. "Hermione? What's this about?"

She frowned slightly and shook her head, as if the signal Not now, Ron was a conditioned reflex, before his presence
fully registered. "Ron? What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to someone about Ginny," here Ron dug the note from his pocket as he spoke, "something about her welfare
and safety, and it looks like I was right to worry! Is it about… well, you know what…" He offered the note to Hermione.

She barely succeeded in hiding her astonishment that Ron hadn't understood the implications of that note – fortunately,
her expression was still one of being slightly put out, which helped. Mechanically she accepted the note, but her
attention wasn't on it, or Ron. Instead, Hermione kept one surreptitious eye on Zabini, while the other was monitoring
the room, waiting to see who would react to her possession of this message…

There! Upon seeing the note, one of the wizards from the Greek delegation had given a tiny start, then begun to turn,
taking a step behind one of his colleagues – not moving fast enough to attract attention, but enough to obscure
Hermione's view of him. She pointed a finger at him. "Halt!"

His colleague promptly moving out of the way, the wizard straightened and raised his hands slightly in a gesture of
cooperation. Zabini, meanwhile, had showed no reaction to Ron's note… which, given it was Zabini, meant nothing.

Hermione approached the wizard with an outward show of calm, not drawing her wand, knowing that Robards, Montagu, and
the Enforcer at the door were covering her back. "And you are?"

"Sabas Doukas," he replied quietly, "clerk for our deputation." His face was completely different from that of the
wizard who'd attacked her and Ginny. But a dose of Polyjuice Potion would make facial features irrelevant. More
important was the fact that he was the same height and build as the attacker – and Hermione knew that Aurors using
Polyjuice always tried to find a form close to their own build, so that their trained responses weren't thrown
off-balance by a body of unfamiliar size or weight.

She held out her hand. "May we examine your wand, please." Phrased as a request, her tone made it a order.

Doukas 's eyes slid around the room, noting the interest of all the delegates – but more importantly, of the Aurors.
Slowly, making no sudden movements, he reached into his pocket. After a moment, an expression of surprise filled his
face. "I… I appear to have lost it."

Hermione nodded. "As I expected. Oh, it must have been a wrench for you to throw it away: I know how attached we grow to
our wands, they did choose us after all." She turned and stepped backward so that she could address Shacklebolt and
Robards, while still keeping Doukas in her field of view. "I've no doubt that we'll find his wand in the stairwell. And
that Prior Incantatem on it will yield a positive result for Memory Charms. And that Doukas will claim it was another
wizard who used his wand to attack me and Ginny."

"I do claim that!" Doukas said, with more force.

"In that case," replied Hermione cordially, drawing an empty ampule from her pocket, "you won't mind if I take a small
sample of your blood?"

He stared at the ampule, motionless, mute, expressionless. Hermione felt a qualm of doubt… which she covered, as she
frequently did, by talking.

"The Aurors will continue searching, of course," she said didactically, "but I came here, to the international
delegates. I was certain the culprit would be here amongst them." She looked around the room at the assembled witches
and wizards, some of whom were beginning to swell indignant at her words, and raised a finger as though lecturing. "The
culprit used Peruvian Darkness Powder to escape. That's been banned in Britain… but it's still available in other
countries. Reasonable that the wizard who used it brought it here from one of those countries. The Slavic states, for
instance." She fixed her gaze back on Doukas. "You are Macedonian, are you not?"

"All very interesting, Madam Granger," put in Zabini, who seemed to have regained his sang froid, "but very
circumstantial. As is the wand… even if it were his, well, as you yourself note, these aren't proof."

"Taken separately, I agree. And even if his blood tests positive for Polyjuice, that's still not proof." She gave Zabini
the frosty half-smile for which all the upper levels of the Ministry had learned a healthy respect. "But cumulatively,
it would be evidence sufficient to hold Doukas for questioning… under Veritaserum. And then, I suspect, proof will come
readily." She turned back to Doukas. "Your blood. I won't ask again."

His lips curled in a snarl, and Hermione recognized the expression – and in that instant, knew she'd found her attacker.

Doukas lunged towards Hermione. But she'd anticipated this – she sidestepped, one hand guiding his body away and down
while her foot stay in place to trip him. He started to tumble, turned the tumble into a well-practiced roll, and came
out of the roll immediately back to his feet – with a knife in his hand.

The roll had taken him some distance from Hermione, and towards the door. Doukas instantly made for the nearest person
between him and the door: Ron. The flurry of action had taken Ron by surprise; before he could react, he found himself
held from behind, one arm twisted behind his back and the knife at his throat.

"Let us all stay calm," announced Doukas. "I would not enjoy making Madam Granger a widow."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

26. XXVI: No Turning Back

(A/N: Originally, this was going to be the second half of Chapter XXV, but the whole thing was just becoming too
unwieldy. But I have a clear picture of where we're going, and how we're getting there… in the words of King Henry (The
Lion in Winter), all I need is a little quiet confidence.

Beta-work provided by the MiriGrey Proofreading Company, MirielleGrey, president and CEO. Any mistakes still here are my
own fault.)

(Disclaimer: No, I don't own any part of the Potterverse. But there's a difference between ownership and stewardship.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXVI: No Turning Back

*

"You're in a sealed room with Aurors inside and outside," Robards told Doukas with enforced calm. He kept his movements
slow and deliberate, his hands in plain sight; the other MLE personnel in the room took their cue from him. "Portkeys,
Apparation, and Floos are all blocked. Do you honestly think you're going to leave?"

"As a matter of fact, I think precisely that," said Doukas. "Since surely, keeping Weasley alive is more important than
keeping me prisoner."

Ron, Hermione knew, was for once showing both sense and restraint. He didn't struggle against his captor, nor did he do
anything to remind Doukas of the knife at his exposed neck. Only the clenched fists at his sides hinted at his eagerness
to fight, given the slightest opening.

Doukas's eyes flicked briefly to the Enforcer before the door. "You. Unlock the door, then step away from it. The rest
of you, stay back. Leave your wands where they are." He began to back slowly towards the door, keeping his face to the
room, and keeping Ron as his shield.

Ron gave a dry cough and cleared his throat. "Uh, where are we…?"

"To the Apparation Point in the Atrium. Granger, I expect it to be unblocked by the time I arrive. Once there, I'll
simply release your husband and be away."

"Having Obliviated him as well? That is why you sent him that message, asking him to come to the Ministry today?"
Hermione retorted.

"He won't, Hermione," said Ron quickly. "He's just going to Apparate to safety. No wand, remember?" He emphasized this
last bit as though relaying a secret under his captor's nose.

Doukas paused, scowling, just in front of the door. "What are you saying, Weasley?"

"Er, n-nothing, nothing," Ron stuttered. "Let's go. Sooner you're gone, the sooner I don't have a knife tickling me."

"Yesssss…" drawled Doukas suspiciously, still paused at the door. "It occurs to me," he said after a moment, "that you
are only shielding me on one side."

"Um, well, there is only one of me…"

"And that between here and the Atrium, there are ample opportunities to be attacked from multiple directions. Surely
that could not be why you are so eager to be taken there?"

"Furthest thing from my mind," Ron replied, in the tone of voice Fred and George had always used to proclaim their own
innocence. Hermione was speechless at Ron's seeming ineptitude – was he trying to put Doukas on his guard?!

"Of course. But I think, just to be safe, I will have a wand after all. Your wand, Weasley. Which pocket?"

Ron sighed in defeat. "Front right."

"Excellent. Don't move." Doukas emphasized his last words with a slight increase in pressure on the knife tip into Ron's
throat. Ron stood perfectly motionless as Doukas reached around him, into his pocket, and pulled out a wand.

"Now we can go. Your body on one side, a good Shield Charm on the other – SKATA!" As Doukas tried to use the wand to
cast his shield, without warning it turned into a foot-long rubber haddock. In that instant of surprise, Ron shoved the
hand holding the knife away from his throat, bent at the waist, and kicked backwards at Doukas's knee.

Doukas avoided the kick, but Ron's action gave the others in the room a clear shot at Doukas's torso – and Montagu,
Robards and Hermione all fired their Stunners at the same moment. Dropping the fish and the knife, Doukas collapsed to
the floor.

Ron, still standing, looked behind him at the fallen wizard. Then he stooped and retrieved the haddock, which he
displayed to the room with a flourish. "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes," he cheerfully proclaimed. "Accept no substitutes."

*

We should all have seen it, Harry imagined himself explaining to Hermione. I mean, the Hallows are artifacts made by
Death and given to mortals. Right? So what does that make the Arch?

He smiled to himself as he imagined Hermione's response, and his reply. No, it wasn't in the story of The Three
Brothers, but so? Maybe the Arch wasn't made at the same time as the Wand, the Cloak and the Stone, or for the same
reason… but Death had to've had a hand in its making. You can't tell me a physical portal to Death's kingdom could be
built without Death's permission! Quacks like a duck, waddles like a duck… it's a Hallow.

He stood and stepped to the door again. Extending both hands, he pressed them against the barrier and leaned his weight
into it. It was a bit odd, his hands feeling nothing solid but his body's weight supported from falling. He fixed his
eyes on the fluttering Veil, allowing its random movements to mesmerize him.

For some reason, then, it must not want the other Hallows to join it. It's keeping them out – keeping me out, and
keeping out everyone else, too, just in case. But again, why me? Is the Arch afraid I'm going to master it, the same way
I mastered the other Hallows? Don't see how I could. It's a bit large to "possess"… I certainly couldn't cart it around
as I do the first three.

But… but if I controlled access to it, that'd be mastering it, wouldn't it? Deciding which souls went Onward, which ones
were trapped here… wow. Talk about playing God. If I controlled all four Hallows, I really would be Death's vizier.
Hell, what could Death do that I couldn't?

It took a few seconds for this last bit of internal dialogue to be fully absorbed into Harry's head. When it did, he
suddenly found it difficult to breathe. He must have turned very pale, because Canby noticed. "Mister, um, sir? Is
everything all right?"

Harry couldn't summon the coherence to answer, even to shake his head. Oh. My. GOD. The effects the Hallows are having
on me! Not feeling emotion, not sleeping, not stopped by wards… Hermione was right, at some point I'd probably stop
eating. But the Hallows aren't drawing me into Death's realm.

They're changing me into Death.

*

The two Aurors had taken Doukas to the holding cells, and there was a notable relaxation in the air of the conference
room. "Well, now that your criminal has been captured, Gawaine," said Zabini with an almost affable nod to Ron, "perhaps
you should authorize lifting the lockdown." He didn't wait for a reply, but turned to Shacklebolt. "Obviously, sir, this
appalling turn of events has disrupted the Conference's morning session. I'd like to reschedule it to reconvene this
afternoon, let's say at two." In a lower, confidential voice he added, "That will give me time to make sure Miss
Weasley's doing all right."

Zabini again didn't wait for a reply, but turned to address the assembled delegates. He opened his mouth to speak, then
paused and looked expectantly at Robards. "The lockdown?"

Robards, in turn, looked inquiringly at Hermione. She inhaled deeply. This is it, she thought, showtime. "There are
still some threads that need untangling. I'm keeping the lockdown in place until then. I apologize for the
inconvenience, but it's necessary."

"Necessary how, Granger?" Zabini demanded. "You have the culprit. You'll soon have the proof. What more do you need?"

"A great deal." She raised her voice so that all in the room could hear. For her plan to work, she needed the audience.
"Let's start with the fundamentals. Why were we attacked? Me, Ginny Weasley… and Ron was set up to be attacked, with a
letter luring him here today. Why?"

Zabini shrugged. "Ask the prisoner. With Veritaserum, you should get the answers you want."

Possibly not, Hermione thought to herself. Doukas's incriminating memories have likely been sequestered, just as
Lovinett's were. But this wasn't the moment to bring up that suggestion. "Fortunately, we already know why we were
attacked. Remember, Doukas's intent wasn't physical harm, it was Obliviation. That's the Cartel's modus operandi. Their
calling card, if you will."

"Ah yes, the international Cartel of crime." Without being overt, Zabini made it sound like something from a cheap
detective thriller. "I understand there've been rumours of such a thing, but not much in the way of evidence." He looked
around at the delegates and spoke to them. "There's certainly enough crime already crossing our borders… more than
enough to require our full attention. No need to compound the problem by assuming the existence of criminal masterminds,
surely?"

"Not so much of an assumption," came a voice from the crowd, and Volshev stepped forward. "I admit I was skeptical at
first, but when your Minister contacted our Minister personally, I started taking it seriously. A little digging showed
several cases, unsatisfactorily resolved… but easily explained, once we took Memory Charms into account. Memory Charms
which would have to have been carefully orchestrated by a central authority."

The delegate from Denmark nodded in agreement. She lifted a file so all could see the case records she'd brought.

"Fine," chuckled Zabini, raising his hands in acquiescence, "fine. A Cartel. We'll make certain to give it higher
priority when we set our agenda this afternoon. Along with our other pressing items…"

"I can't think of a more pressing item than a secret organization, flouting national boundaries and laws, attacking our
citizens at will," Hermione shot back.

For the first time, Zabini looked irritated. "You're placing an awful lot of credence on some unconnected case files and
the ravings of a Knockturn Alley pimp."

"Swivingham, you mean? You call them ravings? He did say he took his orders from the Cartel Lords…"

"Of course he did! He'd say anything to keep from going to Azkaban. He was desperate."

"Possibly." Hermione smiled sweetly. "On the other hand, he insisted that his becoming an informant be kept secret. He
only told me and his attorney. Edwin Lovinett. Where did you hear about it, Zabini?" She paused, and helpfully added,
"It wasn't from me."

His face darkened, but he made no reply.

"One might conclude it was from Lovinett, I suppose," she continued thoughtfully. "But Lovinett wasn't just Swivingham's
attorney, he was Swivingham's murderer. He went into Swivingham's cell ready to cast the Imperius Curse, and force his
client to kill himself. Which is odd, since Swivingham told Lovinett about the Cartel Lords the same moment he told me –
Lovinett couldn't have gone in prepared to kill him. And moreover, Lovinett didn't seem to remember the conversation
afterwards."

"Memory Charms," said Robards with a nod.

"Exactly. As Direktor Volshev put it, it's easily explained once Memory Charms are taken into account. Lovinett's in
custody now…" Hermione noted with satisfaction how Zabini had gone very still at this. "And it turns out his memories
were sequestered – by an expert. Fortunately, we have experts of our own." She deliberately left it there, not offering
specifics.

"Wait then, wait," broke in Ron. "So this Greek chappie who nearly cut my throat just now – you're saying he wrote the
note to me, to get me here, to Obliviate anything Ginny might have told me about Swivingham? And he Obliviated Ginny?"

"And tried to Obliviate me, too, yes," Hermione reminded him, somewhat tartly. "All to get at one specific memory of
Ginny's."

"Not to mention my own Obliviation," Robards put in, "about Swivingham's agreement to testify against the Cartel Lords.
Which was done the same night he was murdered – all less than twenty-four hours after he talked to Granger. How did you
learn about Swivingham's agreement, Zabini?"

"Hey, maybe it was from Swivingham himself!" Ron loudly suggested. "Swivingham did attend your Fire Parties, after all."

"I don't appreciate your insinuation!" shouted Zabini angrily. "As though a… a lowlife scum like him would ever be
invited as a guest in my home!"

"Not a guest," grinned Ron. "More like a caterer?"

"Weasley…!" Zabini began, then visibly took hold of himself. He turned to Shacklebolt and said, with icy dignity, "Sir,
these are innuendo, pure mudslinging – charges that they can't prove and I can't defend. Worse than slander, they're
irrelevant to any of our discussions on international crime, much less a nebulous Cartel."

"'Irrelevant'? Hardly," rejoined Hermione. "And you, of all people, should know that I don’t make charges that I can't
prove." Eventually, she amended silently, and raised a hand. "But to answer the Head's question: I'm well aware that you
didn't hear about Swivingham's deal from Lovinett." With a smile, she dropped her bombshell. "Lovinett heard about it
from you."

There was a moment of silence in the room as Hermione's words were digested – silence that immediately exploded into an
uproar of voices, all demanding to know what Hermione meant. She had to raise both hands and call out several times
before the hubbub subsided.

"Zabini knew on Friday night that Swivingham's elves would testify against him at his trial," she said, ticking off the
points on her fingers. "He realized that Swivingham would plea-bargain with the Ministry: offer to lay information
against the Cartel Lords in exchange for immunity. Zabini contacted Lovinett, and arranged for him to eliminate
Swivingham – and to allow his memory of their agreement to be sequestered, so that he'd do the job never consciously
knowing any of the details."

"Ridiculous!" Zabini scoffed, but Hermione saw a tic growing in one eye, and knew she'd cracked his façade. This might
work after all, she assured herself.

"It might be, if it weren't true," she shot back at once, not giving him a moment's respite. "You ordered Swivingham's
murder, and you ordered the Obliviation of Head Robards as follow-up. You tried to have me Obliviated that same night,
as well… and today you almost succeeded."

"That… that is utter slander!" he shouted.

"It's only slander if it's not true!" Ron shouted back. Hermione shot him a quelling look, and he subsided for the
moment.

She resumed, "As I said, Obliviation is the calling card of the Cartel Lords. I would imagine it was ibn al-Afrit who
ordered it." Zabini sucked in breath as though struck in the stomach, and Hermione knew she'd struck home. She pressed
her advantage. "It's his style. Castigni, after all, is more the bludgeoning type."

"Castigni?" asked the delegate from Italy, suddenly alert. "Ibn al-Afrit?"

"Lords of the Cartel," declared Hermione to the room at large. "International Lords of Crime. Invisible, all-pervasive –
and associates of Blaise Zabini. They were guests at your manor last Friday, when you plotted together to protect your
secrets – by murdering Jack Swivingham!"

"LIES! LIES! You have no proof!" Zabini screamed.

She raised her voice to match him. "Ginny Weasley was the proof! She saw them… she heard you! That's why the Cartel
Obliviated her!"

"Easy to say, Granger, after her memory's gone! You spin accusations like cobwebs, with as little substance!"

"I said she was Obliviated – I never said her memory was gone." Hermione reached into her pocket and pulled out the
phial of silvery memory, holding it up for all the room to see. "She gave it to me, voluntarily, long before this
morning's attack. Shall I show it to everyone now?"

Stunned into silence, Zabini stared in horror at the damning glass bottle in her hand.

"Oh, and rest assured, Zabini," Hermione added, with the air of one delivering the coup de grace, "Ginny Weasley's far
from my only witness." With the phial in one hand, she raised her other hand and snapped her fingers.

And at that prearranged signal, with a loud crack, Fatima appeared in the conference room by Hermione's side. Brillig
and the other elves had followed Hermione's instructions perfectly: Fatima was now dressed only in a diaphanous veil,
bound around her waist with a slender chain. She remained silent, her gaze lowered, as instructed.

It was the final brick in the structure of the bluff Hermione had built. As she'd realized in the elves' quarters, the
one who could most thoroughly implicate Zabini was Zabini himself. Though she knew she'd eventually have evidence
against Zabini, at this moment, she didn't have it. Her only hope was to bluff, to stampede Zabini into incriminating
himself.

Wizards didn't go into the Ministry elves' quarters, and she'd kept her six witnesses safely away from outside
interference. There'd been a slight risk that Zabini had availed himself of Swivingham's "services" at some point, but
Hermione had deemed it very slight. She was confident Zabini had never seen Fatima before. But he had seen her sister
Ayesha: serving drinks to ibn al-Afrit that night in Zabini Manor.

Fatima looked very like her sister, and now they were dressed identically.

Hermione waited for the recognition to dawn in Zabini's face. She gauged his reaction carefully, and when she saw the
first glimmer of panic, she spoke in a quiet but penetrating voice. "'Amazing, then, that you ever saw the need to
approach me, Castigni'," she quoted, in a fair imitation of Zabini's voice. She smiled as Zabini's eyes snapped to glare
at her. "'Or do you think your gains here would have been as great, or as rapid, without my aid?'"

"No… no…" He looked around the room wildly, his eyes coming to rest on Kingsley Shacklebolt. The Minister sat very still
in his mobile chair, his expression as deliberately neutral as a judge's. Zabini breathed deeply and raised himself to
his full height, regaining a measure of poise. "It's a house-elf," Zabini told the Minister, with just the right touch
of disdain… but he couldn't completely rid his voice of something close to pleading. "It can be ordered to say
anything…"

"Including the truth." Fatima had raised her gaze to stare stonily at Zabini. "Was no objection to elves speaking
against Swivingham. Should be no objection now."

Perfect, Fatima, thought Hermione. She gestured with the phial. "Weasley's memory. Ibn al-Afrit's elves. Lovinett. All
point to one conclusion: you've been working hand-in-glove with the Cartel Lords. When Swivingham threatened to spill
all your secrets, you ordered him eliminated. You ordered me and Robards Obliviated. You ordered Ginny Obliviated…"

"No! Not Ginny! She was to be left alone! I would never hurt her, I love her!" Zabini protested.

Hermione smiled her half-smile of victory. She'd done it. She'd pushed Zabini over the edge – and everyone in the room,
including the Minister, had heard what amounted to a tacit admission of guilt. Hermione opened her mouth to pronounce
the indictment…

… and was interrupted by Ron thrusting his furious way forward to confront Zabini. "You did this to her, you Slytherin
bastard!" he screamed, drawing his wand. "Goddammit, I knew you'd get my sister hurt!"

"Weasley, stand down!" Shacklebolt commanded.

Ron was too incensed to listen to anyone. He pointed his wand at Zabini's head, who glared back with a mix of anger and
contempt. "Spare me your empty theatrics, you pitiful loser. You don't dare assault me."

For a brief moment Ron stood motionless, face ugly but his hand steady. He might have lowered his wand, obeying
Shacklebolt's order, if Zabini hadn't chosen that moment to add with a smirk, "After all, even if your little wife gave
you permission to do it, your sister is the one with balls in your family."

And Zabini immediately raised a Shield, as an enraged Ron fired a series of nasty hexes. He held the Shield in place at
first, not counter-attacking, until Ron realized none of his hexes were penetrating.

Ron's next curse was Sectumsempra.

"No, Ron!" cried Hermione, and moved to intervene. The Conference delegates were starting to panic, most retreating to
the far walls to be out of range of ricocheting curses. And Zabini, having ducked Ron's more vicious curse, was
preparing to respond in kind: his wand was raised, and aimed at Ron.

Ron fired one more hex, which Zabini deflected. Then Zabini fired three curses in rapid succession. Ron dodged the first
curse while trying to raise his own Shield… and almost had it in place when the second curse struck. It penetrated the
half-formed Shield and sliced open his shoulder.

Even as Hermione stepped in front of Ron, her own Shield securely in place to cover them both, she saw in horror that
Zabini's third curse hadn't been aimed at her husband. Fatima clutched her stomach with a gasp, then collapsed to the
floor.

"Enough!" yelled Shacklebolt, trying to be heard over the tumult. His voice, gone reedy and thin, could barely be
distinguished. "Zabini, Granger, stop this. You're endangering innocent bystanders!"

"I am not some ruffian to be set upon this way! Stupefy!" Zabini launched a Stunner at Hermione, but her Shield held
firm, deflecting the spell into the floor. "Stand down, Granger! Your imbecilic husband fired first!"

Her only reply was a Stunner of her own. Again, Zabini blocked it.

"ENOUGH, I say!" Shacklebolt had reached the limit of his patience. He stood from his chair – and though his legs were
shaky, the hand holding his wand was perfectly steady with years of Auror practice. "Incarcerous!"

Instantly, heavy ropes shot through the air, to entangle themselves around Hermione and Zabini. Bound from ankles to
shoulders, arms pinned to their sides, the two adversaries glared at each other for one more moment before each lost
their balance and fell to the floor.

"Brawling – in the very heart of the Ministry – putting bystanders at risk!" Shacklebolt snapped, trembling with
outrage. He paused a moment, wheezing for breath, and continued, "Granger, I am appalled. Of all people, you should know
better! And Zabini, even if you were defending yourself, your actions only compound the charges against you!" He paused
again, gave a quiet gasp, and began once more, "Gawaine…" Then he stopped, gasped again, and fell heavily back into his
wheelchair, one hand pressed to his chest.

*

Robards hadn't tried to stop the impromptu duel, once it had started – rather, his primary concern was to keep the
assembled delegates from harm. He'd relaxed, slightly, when Zabini and Granger were hogtied: let them cool their heads,
and the public rebuke would do them both good. He'd stepped forward to see to Weasley's injury when he heard the
Minister's voice fail.

He turned his head, took in the emergency at a glance, and cast about for the Minister's Healer. But for once, there was
no Healer accompanying Shacklebolt – the Minister had come to the Conference to meet with the delegates and promote an
ideal, and bringing a Healer would have sent the wrong message. Now, when medical help was needed, there was none in the
room. "Call for a Healer now!" he shouted at Montagu, as he sprinted to Shacklebolt's chair and knelt before it. "Sir?
Sir?"

*

Zabini narrowed his eyes as he watched the commotion around Shacklebolt's chair. How fortunate, he smiled secretly. This
couldn't be better. He'd kept hold of his wand – it was beneath the ropes, but still in his hand, still ready for use.
And unlike Weasley, he didn't have to aim it to use it.

"Incarcerous," he mouthed without sound. He waited a moment, until he was sure the spell had taken effect… then he
slipped the wand between his fingers and snapped it in two. It would be perfect: with his own wand broken, the spell
couldn't be traced, and Kingsley Shacklebolt would take the blame. And from the sound of things, Shacklebolt wouldn't be
available to defend himself. Then, once the dust had settled, he could smooth over his current predicament as he always
had: a deft word here, a judicious donation there, and always a subliminal appeal to sympathies that so many wizards
still held without even knowing.

*

Hermione had fallen facing away from the Minister's wheelchair. She winced as his rebuke echoed through the hall: yes,
she'd had to engage Zabini in a wandfight, and she'd done her best to minimize injuries to the bystanders, but she still
should have found a way to stop the duel before it had started. Then Kingsley fell abruptly silent – and Robards was
calling for a Healer.

She tried to roll over, to see what was happening. Suddenly, new ropes appeared, winding themselves around her neck, her
throat, her mouth. Her eyes bulged as the new ropes began to tighten… slowly, inexorably choking her.

Her cry for help was smothered by the ropes over her mouth. Her struggles to attract attention were lost amidst the
furor around Shacklebolt's collapse. Her wand had fallen from her fingers when she'd been bound – and her attempt to
summon a wandless, non-vocal spell was hampered by the increasing lack of oxygen.

No, she thought desperately as her vision went spotty, went grey, went black, no, please. Help me. Somebody help me.

Harry…

*

Harry had given up trying to blast through the barrier by raw power alone. He was trying a new tactic: letting his magic
slither across the barrier like quicksilver. He was probing for fissures, cracks, any flaw in the barrier's "surface".
If he found one, he'd focus all his resources on breaking that one point. All he needed was a thin tendril of magic
reaching to the Arch, and he'd be able to cancel the barrier, he was sure.

The moment of intense cold took him aback. Harry recognized it immediately, of course: a soul passing Onward. It had
happened before, the first time he'd confronted the barrier. He could feel the soul's gentle passing, delicate but
freezing, as it went through his body, through the barrier, and (he knew) through the Veil.

Seconds later, right behind the departing soul, came a flurry of tiny creatures, winged and singing. The threnodies,
attracted by the currents of Death. Fleetingly, Harry wondered what they would have to say about the person whose demise
had attracted them…

And then his attention was not so fleeting, as the threnodies' song penetrated his brain. "Steadfast and true, like
Phoenix song, he strove for right in midst of wrong. Let none the incorruptible mourn, who kinglike was a warrior born."

Harry felt his stomach clench. "Kinglike". Kingsley? That soul was Kingsley Shacklebolt? Dear Merlin, I knew he was ill,
but I hoped he could last long enough for me to say goodbye once the Hallows were gone…

He didn't finish the thought. Another soul had wended its way to the doorway, and again Harry felt it as it passed. Its
touch was feather-soft, as always, and piercingly cold, as always – but this time, Harry felt a pang as the soul went
by, almost as though it were trying to reach out to him.

He sensed it pass into the Chamber and towards the Arch, and then a new flurry of singing threnodies swarmed around him.
"She as an equal treated slave, and freedom's rights she fought to save. Her mind so quick, her heart so brave, her love
to Chosen One she gave."

"No," a shocked Harry whispered.

"S-Sir?" asked Canby. The elf stepped back, fearful, as a nimbus of dark green energy began to form around Harry.

"No." He squeezed his eyes closed, forcing the tears out, and shook his head in denial. "No. NO! She can't be…!"

Desperately Harry launched himself at the barrier, and as before was barred from entering the Chamber. He could feel
Hermione's soul now, flying through the Chamber and towards the Veil – flying Onward to Death's dark kingdom. For one
anguished moment he even considered using the Resurrection Stone to stop her soul from departing – but he knew that,
even if he succeeded, having her back that way would be a hollow mockery of what they might have had in life.

With all his vast power, there was nothing Harry could do to swerve her soul one iota from its path through the Veil.

Its path… through the barrier.

It's not impenetrable! Harry thought in sudden determination. The barrier's not impenetrable – a soul going through the
Arch passes through the barrier first. Which means I can go through, too… if my intent isn't to reach the Arch, to
possess the Arch as a Hallow… but to pass through the Arch.

Death owes me something for my good behavior all these years, I think. What was it Dumbledore said? "The true master
does not seek to run away from Death." Fine, then. I don't seek to run from Death – I seek to meet Death. Through the
Arch!

Awkwardly, he stumbled forward a step… then another, and another. With Canby watching in growing terror, Harry walked
with increasing purpose through the doorway and into the Chamber… down each of the many steps that led to the ancient
Arch.

I promised I wouldn't leave you again, Hermione. Wherever you go, there I will follow. And I will rescue you… or die
trying.

And with that vow echoing in his head, he strode up to the Arch and without hesitation plunged through the Veil.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

27. XXVII: In the Land of the Next Great Adventure

(A/N: In this chapter, I did borrow somewhat from another writer – much better than I – but I gave due credit at the
appropriate place. Credit is also due MirielleGrey, the lovely Beta-reader standing beside Door No.3.)

(Disclaimer: "No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money," said Samuel Johnson. I make no money from this work,
the characters not being my property, so I must be a blockhead – albeit a satisfied, well-rewarded (non-monetarily)
blockhead.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXVII: In the Land of the Next Great Adventure

*

Not a photon of light, nor an erg of warmth. Harry could feel his body's energy being steadily leeched, even as he made
his way through absolute darkness. The very air was deadly still: no drafts, no scents, no sounds but his own footsteps…
in what felt like fine sand.

He thought he was walking forward in a straight line, but there were no sensory cues to confirm it. All he had was the
Stone, telling him that a soul had passed this way, moments before.

If the concept of "moments" had any meaning here…

I wish I could make some light, Harry started to think, before he caught himself. He'd become so used to trying to avoid
Death's notice… now he realized that, for once, he wanted Death to notice him. And if the Stone was still working, here
in the heart of Death's realm, then the other Hallows should work as well. "Lumos," he murmured, and the Elder Wand
responded with a bubble of radiance – which revealed absolutely nothing. Nothing but infinite blackness above, and a
flat featureless plain that vanished into darkness.

Teeth chattering, Harry decided to try a Warming Charm on himself… maybe it would counteract the numbing cold. He opened
his Cloak – yeah, Death's gotta see me, or how else can I negotiate? – and was about to cast the Warming Charm when he
realized that he had something gritty in his hand. He held the Wand, still glowing, closer to his hand for a better
look.

It was a handful of crumbling fabric.

Beneath the Cloak, his clothes were disintegrating on his body, literally rotting away by the second. By the light of
his wand, Harry saw his wristwatch corroding into decay – his shoes were falling apart at the seams – his glasses were
disintegrating off his face. He brushed the fragments away from his eyes with the back of his hand – then looked at his
hand in horror, at the swollen joints and liver spots that had sprung up there.

My own body's decaying, along with everything else! This – this must be how Sirius died! The life sucked out of him…

Harry started to run, still following the Stone's guidance. At the rate his body was deteriorating, he knew he hadn't
very long at all, minutes at best. He had to reach his destination, whatever it was, before then – had to survive long
enough to talk to Death, and rescue Hermione…

He stumbled, fell upon arthritic knees, and forced his aching body to rise and resume running.

The second time he fell, it was to his hands as well as knees, and he hadn't the strength to rise again.

Weakness was spreading through his body like basilisk venom. He collapsed flat onto what he'd thought was sand, and
which now turned out to be powdery ash. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down, he thought dizzily.

Numbness was rapidly replacing the weakness. Harry felt like his body was emptying, growing lighter… his spirit felt
airy, ready to fly free. It was, he dimly realized, an oddly familiar feeling, but the exact memory eluded him…

Of course!

He managed to clasp his hands together and get his fingers around the Stone. He turned the ring three times and mumbled,
"Harry Potter." Just as he had in the clearing in the Forbidden Forest, fifteen years earlier, he pictured his own
spirit captured by the ring, given form, wearing the very Stone that kept it anchored… in this case, to his body.

Never before had Harry attempted to use the Hallows to actively interfere with Death – but he couldn't help Hermione if
he were dead. And you did want to get Death's attention, old son. Well, if this doesn't get it, nothing will…

After a moment, he took stock. He was still freezing, but he was getting no weaker… his condition appeared to have
stabilized. Carefully, he got to his feet, eased the Cloak off his body, and examined himself. His clothes were gone,
rotted away, and he looked like a refugee from a geriatric nudist camp – but he was still alive, alert and functioning.
With a shrug, he tied the pearly-grey Cloak around his waist, more for his dignity's sake than his modesty's, and began
to walk again, as brisk a pace as his aged body could take.

I could have seen it then, when I "called" myself back to the clearing, if only I'd thought about it, he reflected as he
trudged. If I can summon my own soul with the Stone, then I can keep it in my body. Only my own, I think… when I
summoned other souls, I couldn't move them around like I can my own… but face it, Xenophilius Lovegood was right after
all. The Master of the Deathly Hallows can make himself immortal. Wonder why Voldemort never tried that tactic.

Doesn't mean beans if I can't get Hermione back, though. He forced himself into a faster pace.

Really, though, I should have realized it all those years ago. Back in the Forbidden Forest, when I had just come back
from…

With no transition, the surface beneath his feet changed from soft ash to hard pavement. The air grew warmer, and the
ambient light began to grow, as Harry stopped in place and swung his head around. Aw, no… NO. Merlin, it's official.
Death has the lamest, tritest, unimaginativest imagination in the freakin' universe.

Harry gave a deep, dismayed sigh as he stood at the center of Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

Exactly like last time… or no, he corrected himself, looking more closely, not quite. It was as if the Platform had been
sliced out of King's Cross, lifted up, and planted in the center of an expanse of grasslands. Except for Harry, the
platform seemed to be empty… almost empty. Harry could sense the presence of others, but couldn't quite see them: it was
as if they were visible out of the corner of his eye, but vanished when he tried to look directly at them.

He stepped to the edge of the platform, where the Hogwarts Express stood ready. Except there were two Hogwarts
Expresses, side by side on parallel tracks. Curious, Harry walked to the very end of the platform, his eyes following
the tracks as they left the station. Some distance away, the parallel tracks diverged: one set of tracks led to a
distant horizon, with sunlit meadows and inviting forests. The other tracks led directly into a dark tunnel in the side
of a hill, with no visible exit.

"Good Lord," he said aloud, "could we get any more clichéd?"

"Hey, don't blame me," came a voice from just behind him. "This is all out of your head, not mine."

Harry's head swiveled to see who had spoken. He saw a young woman, early twenties at most, who might easily have been
taken for Harry's younger sister. The mop of unruly, jet-black hair was the same, as was the slender frame and pale
complexion; the eyes, however, weren't green, but a deep, deep black. Indeed, she favored black, to judge by her
Goth-style clothing: skin-tight black trousers, a black tank-top and short-sleeved jacket that left her midriff
uncovered. Her only bit of color, in fact, was a gold ankh necklace.

She looked down and examined herself, and giggled. "And I must say, I had no idea you were a Neil Gaiman fan."

"Well, yeah," Harry said dryly. "I was always fond of Timothy Hunter, the character really resonated with me…"

"I daresay," she replied, equally dry. Her face relaxed into a gentle smile. "I'm sorry, Harry, I thought you'd
appreciate a different setting. I wanted you to feel comfortable when we talked."

"Thanks." Harry fell silent, watching her. She stood, watching him in return, that gentle smile on her lips. Harry
initially felt the urge to outwait her, not to speak until she spoke first – but he rejected the notion almost as soon
as it occurred to him. Death had infinite patience, after all – quite literally.

"So," he said after a few moments, "you know why I'm here."

She shrugged one shoulder and waggled a hand. "I've a good idea. Supposing you were to come out and say it."

"All right. You've got something I want: Hermione Granger. I've got something you want: three of the Deathly Hallows. I
propose an even swap."

"Three of the…? Oh." She tutted in amusement. "That silly old Arch. Has it been acting contrary again? I keep telling it
and telling it…"

"Wait, wait… the Arch is alive?"

"Well, aware, anyway – as aware as the Elder Wand is, I suppose. And I'm guessing the Arch has been talking lately?
Glowing red runes, yes?" She chuckled at Harry's look of confusion. "Harry, there are countless artifacts throughout the
world that tap into my power, or interact with my realm. A Shinto shrine in Japan… a holy relic in Rheims… and yes, I
suppose you could call them Deathly Hallows. But no mortal could ever master them – they're mine."

"Then, the runes? The barrier? Those aren't your doing – that's the Arch?"

"Yeah," she shrugged. "It's just jealous, that's all. It's never liked the Hallows, doesn't want them around – it thinks
they're wastrels or something. And it has a point. The Arch, all my other artifacts – they're mostly there to make my
job easier. But the three Hallows? They make my job harder."

"So you should be glad of the chance to be rid of them," Harry quickly said, getting back to his point. "You get what
you want, I get what I want. It's a win-win situation."

She tilted her head to one side, looking like a dark version of Luna. "Except, didn't you intend to dispose of the
Hallows anyway? Hadn't you exiled yourself from your world, planned to keep them until your death, to put an end to
their power? If you were going to get rid of them in any case, you're not giving up much in trade."

He was tempted to tell her that he would be giving up a lot, since the Hallows, the Stone in particular, were keeping
him alive in her realm. He saw no point in admitting that weakness, however. Ironic, actually, now I think of it. If I'd
only let myself die after coming through the Arch, I'd have died undefeated, and the Hallows would've lost their power,
just as I'd always intended. 'Course, then I'd have nothing to offer Death – well, that and I'd already be dead.
Details, details…

"If I'd got rid of them in any case," he responded instead, matching her words and tone, "wouldn't I have been doing you
a favor? All I want is a favor in return."

"You know I don't work that way, Harry," Death sighed ruefully.

"You can. You have." Harry raised his hand to show her the Stone. "If the tale is true, you made a deal with the
Peverell brothers – that's why the Deathly Hallows exist in the first place."

She scowled at that. "That 'tale', as you so quaintly call it, hardly cast me in the best light!" Harry didn't speak or
move, but continued to hold the Stone where she could see it, and after a moment she sighed again and relaxed. "But yes,
I did give them the Hallows. Different times, though, Harry… different circumstances."

"But… but there's no reason you couldn't do it again. Please. It's not as though you won't have her again eventually.
I'm asking for a… a reprieve, that's all. So that we… we can be together in life." He emphasized the last word, making
it clear that being together in death would be a pale substitute. "And I'll hand over the Hallows, so you'll never have
to worry about interference again."

"Hm. Are you saying I should be worried about interference now?"

Her attitude of non-confrontational non-cooperation was getting on Harry's nerves. He spoke more sharply than he knew
was wise. "You know as well as I do that I could make your, um, work a lot harder. I've already fixed things," Harry
gestured one last time with the Stone before letting his hand fall to his side, "so that you can't take me until I'm
ready. I could block souls from coming here… I could probably send back all the souls already here. I could…"

"Disrupt the natural order of things in the worst possible way," she broke in mildly. "Not really a good way to enjoy
life with your beloved, is it?"

"I could," he pressed, heedless of her interruption, "even become, well, a competitor. The Hallows have been good
training for your job… and it's like they're preparing me for it…"

Death rolled her eyes. "Yeeesh, somebody thinks well of himself." At his blank look, she shook her head in mock sorrow.
"Harry, you can't carry around powerful tokens like the Hallows and not feel some affects. Yes, you took on some of my
attributes – so? You got Parseltongue from Riddle – you took on some of his attributes – did that make you a Dark Lord?"
She put her hands on her hips and gave him an exasperated snort. "And once again, you're not giving up much in trade.
You were worried you'd have to become me. Giving up something you didn't want in the first place? Harry, Harry, Harry…"

By reflex, Harry began to run his fingers through his hair. He hastily dropped his hands when he realized how little
hair he now had left. "I'd say it's more important whether you want it."

"Point, that." She gazed at him, the gentle smile returned to her lips but her eyes somber, and said nothing more.

He was moved to make one last appeal. "But I don't want any of that. I don't want to disrupt the natural order, like you
said. I don't want to fight you for your job… or for anything else. That way, neither of us wins. My way, we both win.
It's better to cooperate than fight, right?"

Her smile turned wistful. "I'm sorry, Harry," she said after another pause. "I can't make deals."

Well, there it is. Some Master of Death I turned out to be.

Feeling hopeless, Harry looked around the platform. If he squinted, he could now see a multitude of faint shapes, barely
visible – human shapes, but barely present, far less substantial even than ghosts. He couldn't make out any details
beyond the fact they were there – he certainly couldn't identify any individual. Each of them seemed to each be carrying
a tiny candle, a flickering flame held close to their breasts. They were queued up on the platform, waiting to board one
of the two trains.

He turned back to Death. She was still standing there, still with that wistful smile on her face. She gave no sign that
she was expecting him to do anything – indeed, her casual attitude suggested there was nothing he could do – but on the
other hand, she wasn't rejecting him, either. She hadn't dispelled Platform Nine and Three Quarters, for instance.

Master of Death. The words insisted on repeating themselves in his head. Master. Of. Death. It's such a ridiculous
concept, when you think about it – how can anyone "master" a universal presence? And it is universal: even worlds, even
stars, eventually die. Death has eternity. It literally can't lose.

But… the idea percolated into his mind, but that doesn't necessarily mean it has to win.

You can't have a winner, after all, if there's no contest.

To defeat Death, all you have to do is die.

With a deep breath, Harry drew himself up. He looked her in the eye as, with a businesslike air, he untied the Cloak and
let it fall to the ground. He dropped the Elder Wand onto the folds of cloth. Still holding her gaze – if only to keep
it from wandering – he pulled the ring off his finger and displayed it before her. Then wordlessly he opened his fingers
and let the Stone fall to join the other two Hallows.

Her gaze did wander downwards for a second, but her only reaction was a slightly raised eyebrow and a slightly wider
smile. Then she was opening her arms to him, and without hesitation he walked into Death's embrace.

It was actually quite nice: her chosen avatar had snuggly curves in all the right places, and the body felt warm and
yielding in his arms. He felt his consciousness, his being, begin to blur, but strangely felt no fear. After all, there
was nothing to be afraid of… it wasn't as though he hadn't done this before…

And at least I'll be with Hermione again…

Abruptly, he felt his mind grow sharper, and his body more… more solid, for want of a better term. Death had taken a
step back from him, and now there was mirth in her eyes to match the grin on her lips. "An unconditional act," she said,
with a note of approval. "You yielded the Hallows without surrendering them. You were giving in without in the least
giving up – and with love still foremost in your heart. Love." She gave a low, musical laugh. "You'd think I'd have
learned by now."

Harry was almost afraid of the hope that was starting to blossom inside him. "Does this mean…?"

She nodded, then turned serious. "But Harry – I have to make this clear. The next time we meet, it'll be for keeps. The
final curtain. Department of Doornails. No more special consideration for former masters of Deathly Hallows. Got it?"

"Got it." He glanced down at his wizened body and grimaced. "Not that you'll have to wait very long, with my new age.
But as long as I can spend the rest of my life with her…"

"Let me worry about that."

He nodded thanks, and started to turn to the throngs of nearly invisible presences queued on the platform – though, he
suddenly realized, without the Stone he shouldn't be able to see them – unless Death was taking care of that detail for
him. He stopped as Death cleared her throat meaningfully. He turned back to her, only to see her looking small and
forlorn, with big hopeful eyes fixed on him.

"Harry?" she asked in a little-girl voice. "Don't I get a thank-you kiss?"

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "Now who's being cliché?"

She tried to pout at him, which was difficult to do given the mischievous grin that kept breaking out on her face.
Really, for an anthropomorphic manifestation of a metaphysical abstraction, she was actually pretty cute.

After a moment, they both burst out laughing, and she took his arm. "Come on, hero. Let's collect Hermione, and the two
of you can go back together. You should probably think about what you're going to say when you arrive."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

28. XXVIII: Life Is Details

(A/N: My last few weeks have been, without fear of exaggeration, Total Chaos. My sincere thanks to all of you for your
patience… and to MirielleGrey, my alpha-and-omega beta.

For those who haven't been tracking the story's internal chronology, this chapter (like the last couple) takes place on
19 Sept 2013. Yes, I did it on purpose.)

(Disclaimer: All right, we'll settle this by majority vote. If you think Harry and Hermione belong to Jo Rowling, raise
your left hand. If you think they belong to me, raise your right hand. If you think Harry and Hermione belong to each
other… vox populi vox dei.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXVIII: Life Is Details

*

Eldritch would probably have stayed in his office in the Department of Mysteries, obedient to the Ministry's lockdown
protocols, if he hadn't heard the clap of thunder from the Death Chamber. He'd spent too much time and effort trying to
solve that particular Mystery to ignore a signal like that, Ministry protocols be damned.

Stopping only to collect his spell residue detector, he ran down the corridor to the Chamber door. The Number Two
Analyzer stood to one side – and some fool had turned it off! A quick flick of his wand and it resumed its function.
Eldritch saw one of the Ministry house-elves standing near the door, but gave it no more mind than usual… the elves knew
by now, surely, about the impassible barrier across the door…

And as he thought of it, he absently brushed his fingers across the barrier – and nearly fell on his face, as his
fingers encountered no resistance. The barrier… was gone.

He looked into the Chamber. The Arch was still there, but the Veil – the Veil wasn't merely fluttering as though in a
gentle breeze, as it usually did. It was flapping wildly as though in a gale! The sight so astonished Eldritch that, for
a moment, he didn't notice what had changed in the Chamber.

When he did notice, he shouted over his shoulder without taking his eyes off the scene. "Brymston! Michaels! Come here
now!" He crouched down, using the doorframe as cover, and kept his wand trained on the Arch. Eldritch hoped he wouldn't
need reinforcements, but at this point, he didn't know what to expect.

For the runes had vanished. The Arch had resumed its former appearance: ancient, featureless stone once again.

And something besides wind was disturbing the Veil. For the first time in the recorded history of any magical race,
something was coming out of the Arch.

*

The cold air smote Harry's bare skin, and he squinted into the light as he emerged from the Arch. His hands were close
to his breast, cupped together, sheltering what looked like a candle flame without a candle. He couldn't travel
magically and carry it – no Apparation of any sort – he would have to walk, as fast as he dared without losing that tiny
flame.

Urgency seemed to lend strength to his old bones: he found himself taking the stairs out of the Chamber two at a time.
There were Unspeakables at the door, whom he ignored: his gaze was fixed on Canby. "Where is Hermione?" he asked, his
voice tight.

"C-c-conference room, s-sir," stuttered the elf.

"Clear the way for me."

Canby nodded sharply and dashed away. Harry started to follow. One of the Unspeakables made a move to block his way, to
ask some question, to hinder him for some totally inconsequential reason.

Harry spared him one glance.

The Unspeakable hastily stepped back. Harry didn't break stride… he walked rapidly after Canby, keeping his precious
cargo safe. Canby made sure every door was open, every corridor cleared, so that Harry didn't have to do anything but
keep walking.

He looked neither right nor left at the eyes he knew would be staring at him. Panic was growing deep in his stomach,
panic born of an irrational fear of being noticed, of being crowded, of crowds. But Harry kept his roiling anxiety under
iron control, so that it neither showed in his face nor slowed his steps. He allowed himself to think of nothing but his
goal.

Hermione.

By the time he reached the conference room on the Atrium level, he knew he was being followed by a pack of curious
Ministry employees, with Eldritch and his team of Unforgivables at the lead. He ignored them, as he swept his eyes
across the scene before him, picking out individual tableaux from the chaos and confusion:

There was Ron, sitting on the floor, one hand holding a bloodied shoulder, while a green-robed wizard, presumably a
Healer, probed the wound with his wand.

There was Fatima, lying flat on the floor, motionless – unconscious or dead, Harry couldn't tell – with a gaggle of
house-elves clumped around her. Harry couldn't see what they were doing, but it didn't bode well for the elf.

There was Kingsley Shacklebolt. His wheelchair's back had been folded (or Transfigured) back, and its leg supports
brought up – turning the chair into a functional hospital gurney. His body lay upon it, stilled in death; Gawaine
Robards was pulling Kingsley's cloak over his face with an air of sad finality.

There… there was Hermione. A crowd of witches and wizards, some from the delegations, others from the Ministry, were
standing around her body; their faces showed everything from bewilderment to shock to sorrow. Croaker was kneeling next
to her, cutting away the last of the ropes. He was making tiny adjustments to her limp hands and feet, straightening her
body and making it lie neatly… an oddly touching gesture from the inscrutable Head of the Unspeakables.

But all activity, all conversation, all movement ceased when Harry entered the room. Harry told himself that it was the
sight of a naked old man that had seized their attention: surely, in his current state of decrepitude, no one would
identify him as the young hero dead these many years.

Canby had begun to lead Harry to where Hermione lay – then, seeing Harry stride quickly to her side, moved away to join
the elves around Fatima's body. Harry didn't notice… nor would have noticed if a pack of dinosaurs had chosen that
moment to stampede through the conference room. His attention was far more focused on Hermione than it had ever been on
a Golden Snitch.

Croaker made no move to get out of the way as Harry approached. Harry ignored him. Kneeling beside Hermione's body, he
brought his cupped hands from his breast to hers. Cautiously he opened his hands, releasing the tiny spark of light he
held between them… the spark drifted downwards, and seemed to hesitate for an instant before it was absorbed into her
body.

Her chest rose and fell. Hermione gave a husky cough, licked her lips, and forced her eyes to open. "H-Ha…?" she
whispered.

His sense of relief was so sudden, and so complete, that he almost felt he'd gone weightless. The knots of anxiety in
his stomach dissolved away, and he found his face actually relaxing into a smile. "Hi," he said softly, as though the
two of them were alone in the universe.

"I…" Hermione struggled to sit up. Her eyes never left Harry's face. "I thought I'd…"

"Well, yeah," he nodded, "but it's all right now." Gently he caught a stray wisp of her hair and tucked it behind her
ear. His smile broadened as a touch of pink colored her cheeks. "Happy Rebirthday, Hermione."

He was expecting what happened next, and so wasn't surprised when she flung her arms around his neck and squeezed him
hard enough to cause his vision to blur. As much as he wanted to return the favor, Harry couldn't help but feel that a
freshly revivified body was a fragile thing… so he kept his own embrace exquisitely gentle, but no less heartfelt.

It was also an embarrassing reminder that he was still naked as the day he was born. Without breaking out of the hug,
Harry raised his voice. "I, erm, I don't suppose anyone has a cloak I could use?"

"Here," came a voice Harry recognized, and a cloak draped itself over his shoulders. Harry looked around to see Ron
standing next to him, staring down in incredulity. His shirt had been cut away from his shoulder, where a faint scar was
the only remnant of his wound. "She's not dead after all… and you… sweet Merlin, it's not possible…!"

"He came out of the Arch!" The words burst out of Eldritch in a sort of agitated awe. "He came from beyond the Veil! We
all witnessed it!"

Croaker's attention was now pinned on Harry. He forced himself to ignore Croaker as he slowly stood to face Ron. He drew
the borrowed cloak closed around him. "Yeah, Ron, it's me. Harry."

"No… no, you're dead! I mean, Harry's dead!"

Harry sighed and looked around the room. Everyone was watching and listening, even those who had arrived to take charge
of Shacklebolt's body. Harry had taken Death's suggestion seriously, and had spent the time walking back to the Arch
coming up with a story he hoped was plausible. "In the sense that I was beyond the Veil, Ron, I was dead."

He pitched his voice slightly louder so that the entire room could hear. "When I left Hogwarts that night to face
Voldemort – I hope you got my last message, Ron, where I said I was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes? – anyway, when I faced
him, I knew he couldn't be beaten unless I died by his hand. And Voldemort did hit me with the Avada Kedavra – but it
didn't simply kill my body." He gestured with one hand from his head to his feet. "I don't know whether it was a
reaction between his spell and the Horcrux magic, or our connection through my scar… but he ended up sending me
physically, soul and body, into the realm of Death. And that's where I've been ever since… until now."

Harry glanced down at Hermione, trying to rise from the floor, and offered her his hand. "When Hermione died," he said,
pulling her to her feet, and squeezing her hand slightly to warn her of what he was doing, "I sensed her soul… and the
way it came into Death's realm showed me the way out, as well. And I brought her with me, and now… now we're both back."
He gave Ron a lopsided grin – which, though he didn't intend it, dispelled most of Ron's doubts by its authenticity.
"Came back late, maybe… but we're back."

"A living human, spending fifteen years in the land of the dead," Croaker said slowly as he likewise stood. "Almost
unbelievable… but if he did emerge through the Veil…" Croaker glanced at Eldritch for confirmation; Eldritch nodded
once, firmly.

"NO! This is lunacy!" Blaise Zabini had been released from his ropes, and now stood to one side with a Magical Law
Enforcer holding either arm. "This is the imposter that Granger found to play Potter, to gain the house-elves'
testimony! Everyone in the Ministry knows about it!"

"Why don't you shut up," growled Robards.

"Listen to me, all of you! This is just another of Granger's tricks! How can you be so gullible?!"

"His tale's easy enough to prove," said Hermione briskly. Harry was pleased to see that she'd recovered some strength;
at any rate, she seemed her usual businesslike self. And she'd picked up on his story without batting an eyelid. "If
this is Harry, then the body that's in Harry's tomb can't be real. I'm guessing, when Voldemort realized he'd sent Harry
to the Nether World, he created a replica of Harry's body – he had to show us a body, or we'd never believe he'd
defeated Harry." Hermione gave her tight half-smile. "Plus, there are other tests of identity we can use… Gringotts is
particularly good at that sort of testing."

"Yeah, okay… but I don't think it's necessary," said Ron. With a slowly growing grin, he reached out a hand to clap
Harry's shoulder. "It's you – it's really you! And Merlin, look at you! If you've been on the other side of the Veil all
this time, hell, that explains…!" He made vague gestures at Harry's face.

"Right," said Harry, returning Ron's smile, glad that his explanation was being accepted. "That explains the way I look…
my age…"

"Tell me about it," Ron interrupted, growing excited. "I mean, you haven't aged a day."

Harry blinked. He looked down at the hand that still held Hermione's. It wasn't the veined and age-spotted hand of the
ultra-centenarian he'd been when he'd confronted Death. It wasn't even the calloused hand of the thirty-something
sous-chef de cuisine he'd been just a month earlier. It was the hand of the teenager he'd been when Voldemort had killed
him… the hand of a seventh-year Hogwarts student.

The voice of a laughing young woman sounded in the back of his mind: "Retirement benefits… and thanks for taking such
good care of my Hallows." Which was a nice gesture on Death's part, but Harry would have appreciated a little more
warning.

He looked up from their clasped hands to give Hermione a nervous smile. Strangely, she didn't return it. Rather, she
delicately disengaged their hands and took a step away. She was looking, not at him, but at the various Ministry
Department Heads present in the room, waiting for one to take control of the chaotic situation.

"Right, then," she said after a moment. "Gawain, as the senior Department Head present, I'd be grateful if you could
make the arrangements for Kingsley… funeral, his family, you know what needs to be done. Canby? About Fatima…?"

"Elves will make the arrangements, Miss Hermione," said Canby somberly. The other house-elves gathered around Fatima's
body nodded in sad agreement.

Hermione nodded her thanks in return. "I'm sorry," she told Canby quietly, then shifted to Croaker. "Harry," she said,
keeping her eyes on the Unspeakable, "it might be best if you were to go with Croaker here, so that he can confirm your
identity. You'll arrange for a Gringotts goblin, Croaker?"

"I will," said Croaker evenly. "And my department may also have a few questions for Mr. Potter, regarding his
experience."

Harry wanted nothing less. As far as he was concerned, it hardly mattered whether the wizarding world acknowledged his
return – and he did not want to answer anyone's questions regarding the Afterlife. The gawking wizards and witches
around him were causing him to grow anxious again, and he was strongly tempted to simply Apparate away – but he'd
started this little drama, and he owed it to Hermione to play it to its end. Though why Hermione was refusing to look at
him…

As he allowed Croaker to lead him away, he might have taken some comfort in the fact that Hermione did look at him,
watching him leave. She waited until Harry was gone before turning to Montgu, the Auror.

"Montagu," she continued, and there was steel in her manner now, "take Zabini to a holding cell. I want it, and him,
stripped of anything that could harm so much as a mouse. I want no one in that cell except Zabini. Outside the cell I
want a three-man guard watching him at all times – and I mean at all times, twenty-four hours a day – and with staggered
rotation of shifts. I want his food, his drink – hell, I want his air triple-checked for toxins. We are not having a
repeat of the debacle with Swivingham!"

"Got it," Montagu replied smartly, and he joined the two Enforcers in escorting Zabini away.

There was a pause, as Hermione surveyed the assembled delegates to the International Conference. Before she could decide
on the best way to address them, however, Volshev turned to face his fellows. "The aims of our Conference were good," he
said smoothly. "They still are, and I would suggest we ought still to convene to discuss them. With all that has just
happened within the British Ministry, however," here he gave a slight half-bow to Hermione, "I cannot help but think
that we should reschedule for a later time. Does this meet with everyone's approval?"

From the general nods and murmurs of agreement, it did indeed. "Needless to say," added the French delegate, "we hope
you will accept our sincere condolences for the death of Minister Shacklebolt. He was a formidable leader. He will be
sorely missed."

"Thank you," said Robards. He glanced at Hermione and lowered his voice. "Madam Granger, it looks like things are under
control for now. No one would think less of you if you needed a quiet moment to yourself, after what's happened…"

"I'm fine, Gawain," Hermione began, then wavered… so much had happened, it was true… "Promise you'll call for me if…?"

Ron stepped forward and tugged on Hermione's arm. "They will. They always do. C'mon, love, a few minutes' kip in your
office and you'll feel like a new woman."

*

If Death was going to give me a new body, Harry thought irritably, it would've been nice to get new eyes, too.

His little sojourn beyond the Veil had resulted in the disintegration of everything he'd been carrying or wearing,
including his glasses – as a result, he was developing a headache from squinting at his surroundings. Right now, he was
squinting at Artok, the goblin sent from the Trusts and Wills section of Gringotts Bank. Artok seemed to require a great
many drops of Harry's blood for his tests, and Harry was running out of fingertips to prick.

"He is definitely an heir to the Potter family vault," Artok reported at length.

Eldritch and Hopkirk, from the Magical Records Office, looked at one another. "Well, James Potter was the last of the
direct male line," said Hopkirk, "and he only had one son, Harry Potter."

Artok smiled toothily, which among goblins was not a warm or friendly expression. "Which is not conclusive. Harry Potter
could himself have fathered sons before he died."

Harry snorted. "Riiiight. Simple arithmetic says I would have had to 'father' any kids when I was fifteen, if they're to
be my age today. And the professors at Hogwarts really try to discourage fifth-years from shagging – much less
procreating. Not that I was emotionally ready to shag anyone that year." Not even Cho, he added silently, nor she with
me. Certainly not anyone else. "And besides, if I had got a girl pregnant at the age of fifteen, do you really think
she'd have kept it quiet all these years?"

"I've yet to fully comprehend why you humans do any of the things you do," Artok retorted. "All I know from these tests
is that you are a scion of the Potter bloodline."

"Well, why don't we see if I can open the Potter heirloom chest, which was specifically charmed by James and Lily Potter
so that only their son Harry could open it?" Harry countered. "Or would that be too obvious a solution?"

Artok glared suspiciously at Harry. "How did you know about…?"

"Gee, maybe because I am their son Harry?"

Harry and Artok matched glares for a few moments, before the goblin turned to Hopkirk. "If he can open the Potter
heirloom chest, that will be conclusive proof. The difficulty, of course, is that the chest is no longer in the Potter
family vault – strictly speaking, there is no Potter family vault any more, its ownership having been transferred under
the terms of Harry Potter's will."

Harry couldn't help laughing, though it sounded far from amused. "So I can't get into the vault unless I can open the
chest, and I can't get to the chest unless I can get into the vault? I think the Muggles call that a 'Catch-22' for some
reason."

"Whatever," said Hopkirk with a shake of her head. "Can we get authorization to take this gentleman into the vault,
then? From whomever is the current owner?"

"Well, yes," grudged Artok. "I can send a message to my superiors, who will arrange to contact the current owner. I
couldn't tell you how long it will take…"

"Please send your message at once, then," Eldritch told the goblin. "In the meantime, Mr., er, Potter, do you think you
might answer some questions we have about the Arch?"

"In the meantime," snapped Harry, "do you think I might get some clothes?" He was still wearing nothing more than the
cloak Ron had loaned him.

Eldritch looked mortified. "I'm sorry about that, but Head Croaker was concerned that any disturbance in your ambient
environment might affect Mr. Artok's determination."

That does it. That bloody well does it. Harry closed his eyes and prepared to Apparate to Jacob Clayman's flat (he still
thought of it that way), both to get a change of clothes and to get away. Away from the probing, prodding, and poking…
away from the sodding Ministry…

A moment later, he remained unmoved, still seated in a featureless room within the Department of Mysteries.

He barely suppressed a groan. You're not the Master of the Hallows any more, old son. Wards and barriers affect you like
they do everyone else, now. You'll have to make your way to the Ministry's Apparation Point – even assuming the
lockdown's been lifted.

Still… I wonder if Eldritch could wrap his mind around the concept that the domain of Death looks exactly like King's
Cross station.

*

The lift doors had barely closed when Ron's arms encircled Hermione and held her close. "Oh, Merlin," he breathed, "I
thought you were gone forever…"

"I thought I was gone, too," admitted Hermione softly. She said nothing more, and while she didn't push Ron away, she
didn't exactly yield to his embrace, either. Ron didn't persist.

He led her to her rooms, past a wide-eyed Sheryl (giving her a look that begged for privacy), and into her private
office, closing the door behind them. There was no place in the office to lie down, he noted, but her desk chair was
plush, and could be set to lean back… it would have to do. Ron led Hermione straight to the chair and watched as she
allowed herself to collapse into it.

In truth, Hermione would have liked nothing better than to curl up in fetal position and make the world retreat for a
few hours. She had died – and more to the point, she remembered dying. She vividly remembered the process of dying, and
she certainly remembered being dead. She recalled what seemed like floating in ice-cold water, slowly drifting towards a
distant ray of light, inviting and warm – only to be plucked from the water and held safely in two hands, kept snug and
sheltered as she was taken away from that seductive light back to the living world.

She'd known full well whose hands had carried her home: The same hands that had embraced her upon her return to life,
the arms that had enfolded her in love. Ron's embrace in the lift had been a pale, weak substitute.

But at that moment, the real thing would have been too overwhelming.

It was all too overwhelming. Cold shivers began to chase each other down her spine and across her face. She had died…

"Erm," Ron cleared his throat. "Yeah. It's been a hell of a month, hasn't it?"

She felt a flash of irritation at the inane comment… which, to her surprise, helped ground her in reality again, which
she found comforting. Hermione wondered, just for a moment, whether Ron had intended that.

"Yes," she agreed wryly, "that it has."

"I'm just… I'm glad you're alive," Ron said simply.

Hermione couldn't help smiling at that. "Thank you, Ron."

Ron made no further attempt at physically comforting her; oh, he knew she'd accept it, but he also knew that it wouldn't
really comfort. Besides, in his opinion, Hermione needed to be doing something – useful activity, the best therapy for
his supremely competent and efficient wife. She'd always hated admitting weakness. "So," he ventured after a moment, "I
suppose there's a lot of messy details to clean up now."

"A great many, and quite messy," she nodded, mentally ticking off her list: getting warrants from the International
Confederation of Wizards for ibn al-Afrit and Castigni, securing Zabini, following up with Dennis Creevey, writing her
summary to the Wizengamot on the day's events…

"Will you really be opening Harry's tomb later today? To see if there's a body there?"

"Today or tomorrow... I think we have to, Ron. Personally, I have no doubt…"

"Neither do I," he interrupted with a flash of a smile. "I mean, Merlin knows I saw his bare backside plenty of times at
Hogwarts: in the dorms, and the Quidditch locker room…"

"And between the goblins and the Unspeakables," Hermione continued doggedly, "his identity should be easy enough to
confirm – but an empty tomb will be the final proof."

"Right," he nodded. "'Course, you mentioned doing that last week." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop
them; after a second, he realized he didn't want to stop them. Ron wanted to have this out.

Hermione gazed fixedly at him, her eyes trying to penetrate into his thoughts. Calmly he returned her gaze. "After your
interview with Teddy Lupin, remember? It's odd, really, when you stop to think about it." Ron paused a moment, watching
Hermione, who'd uncharacteristically shut her mouth tighter than a clam.

"Think about it," he repeated. "Teddy tells us Harry's alive. Under Veritaserum, mind you. And you announce you're going
to open Harry's tomb and prove it. Then all of a sudden, nothing comes of it. I start wondering if there's an imposter.
Zabini's sure you made the whole thing up to psych out the elves. Then…" Ron caught what he was about to say, and
continued with scarcely a break. "Then bang, Harry's returned from the dead. With eyewitnesses saying he came from
beyond the Veil."

Ron stopped and waited, watching Hermione all the while. The silence grew longer, neither of them willing to be the
first to break it.

Finally, Ron took a step towards the door, away from Hermione. His tone was remarkably mild, for Ron. "I think I deserve
to know what's going on. I think everyone who was there when you interviewed Teddy deserves to know what the bleedin'
hell's going on. Don't you?"

Hermione gave no sign that she agreed. It had happened more than once, throughout their relationship: every so often,
Ron would prove that he wasn't at all stupid. Indolent, insular, and inattentive perhaps – but not stupid. Hermione
could only wish he hadn't chosen this particular moment to prove it again.

And she couldn't say anything. Ron might have the right of it – at this point, they probably all did deserve to know the
full truth – but the truth wasn't hers to divulge. She'd given Harry her promise, and she'd always meant to keep it. And
especially now, after he brought her back from the dead (she shivered again), how could she not?

"Well," Ron said at length, "think about it. I was hoping we could celebrate your birthday at some point – and now we
should totally celebrate your re-birthday, as Harry put it. My thought was, some sort of lunch party… this Saturday in
Hogsmeade, at the Three Broomsticks, so Rose could be there too. And then, I reckon, you could share whatever you feel
like sharing?"

He took her continued silence as acquiescence, and with a nod, left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He
headed down the corridor to the lift, determined to see Harry next. There was one recent incident that stuck in Ron's
mind, one he hadn't mentioned to Hermione: a nightmare in which Harry had ordered Ron to leave Hermione alone. At least,
Ron had assumed it was a nightmare, at the time. Now…

Well, now he needed a few minutes' conversation with Harry. Maybe he could find out from Harry what he couldn't learn
from Hermione… and besides, Ron was sure that he could prove it was the real Harry Potter, just by talking with him.
After all, there were things known only to the two of them…

Like what happened with that damned locket Horcrux, Ron recalled in a sudden pang of torment.

But when he arrived at the Atrium level, Ron saw that he was far from the only person who wanted to see Harry. The
Ministry was crowded with the delegates from the International Conference, with reporters, with gawkers and onlookers –
all wanting to see if The Boy Who Lived lived again, and all being held back by a team of Enforcers and Unspeakables,
who were finding ever-more-imaginative ways of saying no. Ron might be able to use his status as Harry's friend to get
past them, but it wasn't likely, and would probably take way too long.

His talk with Harry would have to wait for another day. Shrugging, he turned and headed for the Apparation Point,
intending to return to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. He owed George an explanation for his absence, after all… and he
felt sure George would find eye-witness details of the day's events would be tremendously interesting.

And Felicia, too. Ron knew she'd prefer to get the details from him than from the Daily Prophet. Besides, Ron had been
guiltily avoiding Felicia for the last couple of days, and that was hardly her fault. He needed to find time to take
Felicia aside and talk to her privately, make it clear that she'd done nothing wrong, and apologize to her, perhaps over
a bite to eat.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

29. XXIX: Not Broken But Fulfilled

(A/N: Oh yes, you've been waiting for this chapter.

I didn't finish the story within a year of the first chapter's posting: I still have many loose threads to tie up. But
we're nearing the finish line, surely. Multiple thanks to my beta, MirielleGrey, who I know for certain has had more on
her mind this week.)

(Disclaimer: See, I know when I've left loose threads that need tying. And I try to tie them. So I can't be the author
of Deathly Hallows, now can I?)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXIX: Not Broken But Fulfilled

*

Hermione was tense. Hermione was fidgety. Hermione had not really been given a chance to recover from her brush with
Death. And Harry still hadn't emerged from the Department of Mysteries. She didn't know what the Unspeakables were doing
with Harry, but she had a strong notion it shouldn't be taking this long.

Hermione wanted nothing more than to take Harry and go.

Yet at the same time, Hermione wasn't sure she wanted to be anywhere near Harry right now. She didn't like it when
diametrically conflicting states co-existed in her mind; they certainly weren't helping ease her tension.

As much as she would have liked to retreat to Enthalpy House, there to burrow into her bed with a pillow over her head,
there was too much to be done. What with the attacks, and the arrests, and the deaths – not to mention the resurrections
– the Ministry was thoroughly unsettled, and none of the Department Heads seemed to be taking charge. Either they were
already busy, as Robards was, or they simply didn't feel that a smoothly-running wizarding government was part of their
brief.

So Hermione found herself "playing Mum to the Ministry" and dealing with a plethora of niggly details. She had just
finished talking to Kingsley's two executive assistants, making sure they would continue to carry out the mundane daily
functions of the Minister's office for the short term… until the Wizengamot selected a new Minister. (When one of them
asked when that would be, Hermione had replied, "Not a moment too soon.")

Now she was walking back to her rooms, hoping there would be a reply from the ICW to her message earlier that day.
Pursuit of Castigni and ibn al-Afrit could not be delayed… With luck, there might also be a status report on Blaise
Zabini waiting for her.

"Oh! There you are! Er, good to see you, Hermione," a familiar voice said. "I was just coming to your office." Arthur
Weasley fell into step beside her, a concerned look on his face.

"Good to see you too, Mr. Weasley," she greeted him, smiling but not breaking stride. "You're not often on this floor,
though. What's on your mind?"

"Harry," he said, with a touch of diffidence.

She didn't stop in her tracks, but she did slow considerably. "Harry?" she repeated, willing her voice to stay level.
There was no way Arthur could have found the same objections to Harry's story that Ron had…

"Er, yes," said Arthur. "I was wondering… that is to say, Hermione, you know I've never presumed on our relationship…"

This was true. Throughout her rise in the Ministry, Arthur Weasley had never taken advantage of the fact that he was the
father-in-law of The Witch Who Won. He'd never used it to seek preference for promotion, nor had he ever approached her
directly for favors. Some might attribute it to a total lack of ambition, understandable for a widower whose children
had left the nest; but Hermione knew that, for all his seeming woolgathering, Arthur Weasley was a wizard of honesty and
integrity.

For him to approach her now, therefore, meant that the matter must be very important, indeed.

"But I was, well, wondering," he continued, "if you could… well, could you get me in to see Harry? No one's seen him
since Croaker took him away – and by now there's just a mob of people waiting to catch a glimpse of him. I wouldn't
stand a hope of getting past that crowd, much less past Croaker. But if you could take me there… I mean, no one would
deny you…"

Hermione was astonished. "Arthur… why?" She'd never thought him the type to be attracted by fame or notoriety.

He looked surprised that she should ask. "Well, the boy's just come back to us – and he hasn't a Knut to his name, has
he? No place to stay, no food, no clothes… I was going to offer the Burrow. He can certainly stay with me – as long as
he likes. Indefinitely."

"Oh, of course." Hermione beamed at him, while inwardly chiding herself. Of course Arthur would extend shelter to Harry,
as he'd done so many times in the past. He had no ulterior motive: Arthur would do no less for any of his sons. And he
certainly thought of Harry as one of his own children.

But that reminded her that Arthur's other children (some of them) might prove awkward… and Hermione knew, as Arthur did
not, that Harry already had a flat and funds in the Muggle world waiting for him. She found a diplomatic excuse for
putting him off. "I can try, Arthur, but even Kingsley had trouble getting into the Department of Mysteries sometimes.
And then, too, I think we should let Harry get used to being in the land of the living again… before deluging him with
everything that's happened since he left." She gave Arthur a sympathetic half-wince, half-shrug. "Molly's death, for
instance…"

"Oh! Oh, yes, certainly!" Arthur responded hastily. Hermione felt a twinge of remorse for having brought up Molly, but
it seemed to have worked. At any rate, Arthur left her at her office door with a thankful smile.

*

Harry was hungry. Harry was tired. Harry still hadn't been given anything to wear. And Harry hadn't been allowed to
contact Hermione. It was early evening, he'd spent most of the day in this drab room in the Department of Mysteries, and
Harry was transitioning from irritated to supremely pissed.

When at last Croaker entered the room, Harry gave him no chance to speak. "Right, then, listen up! I've been patient.
I've been cooperating with you, right? So if I don't start getting some cooperation in return, I'm walking, and you
can't stop me. I mean, I really need something to wear besides this cloak, and I've had bugger-all to eat…"

Croaker only appeared to hear the last bit of Harry's vent. "It's true?" he asked Eldritch. "No food or drink?" The grey
wizard shook his head. Harry looked from Croaker to Eldritch, and back again, and the penny dropped.

"Oh, so that's it. It's been a few hours, nothing past my lips, and I haven't changed my shape – so that must rule out
Polyjuice Potion. Glad we've cleared that up. Now can I get some supper?"

"We had to be sure," said Croaker unapologetically. "As for leaving, I had assumed you would wish to stay here. Where
else would you go? Any property you might have owned has been bequeathed elsewhere."

Jacob Clayman's flat, Harry almost retorted, but he knew doing so would open a can of worms that he'd only managed to
seal. "I'll go into Muggle London and find a homeless shelter, if I must. Anywhere but here."

Croaker nodded minutely. "And would they feed and clothe you as well? With no money…"

Harry interrupted angrily. "Am I getting fed and clothed now?!" He took a smidgen of satisfaction in seeing Croaker
retreat a step, and Eldritch shrink slightly into his chair. He didn't notice – or couldn't feel – the wave of cold
magic, like a chilling draft, that had swept through the room at his outburst.

He drew a slow breath, exhaled just as slowly, and continued with a certain deliberation. "Look. I am not staying here
tonight. I'm leaving. You can take that as settled. Let me worry about where I go once I leave here. It's not like I
haven't had to fend for myself in the past. Thanks for your concern," he added sardonically.

"Very well," said Croaker, deftly recovering. "You'll have to leave from the Atrium. Shall I escort you there? The
crowds may have thinned by now."

"Crowds. Oh, crap." Harry slumped back in his seat and closed his eyes in pain. "Please tell me they're not all here
because of me."

Croaker said nothing. No muscle in his impassive face could be said to form a smirk.

"Is there any chance," Harry said after a moment, "that I might get a Portkey out of here? I assume the lockdown's been
lifted… I could take a Portkey out of here to someplace isolated, then Apparate to where I'll spend the night."

"Interesting. Our records show that Harry Potter didn't know how to Apparate."

"No," snapped Harry, opening his eyes to scowl at Croaker, "your records show that Harry Potter never got his Apparation
license. Which, when you consider that Thicknesse was Minister when I turned seventeen, makes perfect sense. Like I'd
show up for my license after Voldemort's followers took over the Ministry!"

Eldritch spoke up. "So you admit you'll be Apparating without a license."

"Only if you admit I'm Harry Potter," Harry returned.

Croaker ceded the point with a brief nod. "As for a Portkey, unfortunately, they…"

"Are readily available," put in a new voice, and Hermione stepped into the room. "Ah, here you all are. My, what a snug
little hidey-hole they've found for you, Harry…"

Harry's face lit up at her entrance. Eldritch looked affronted that someone not an Unspeakable could so easily find
their way through the Department of Mysteries; Croaker simply looked resigned, as though he'd expected no less from The
Witch Who Won.

"Anyway, it happens I've some Portkey Patches," Hermione continued. "I'd be perfectly willing to charm one for whatever
safe location Mr. Potter wishes. I'm a little surprised he hadn't already suggested it to me…"

Harry heard the hint of inquiry in her voice as she trailed off… he tried to tell himself that he was only imagining the
hint of reproach as well. "I probably would have, if I'd been allowed."

"Ah." Hermione allowed her gaze to slide over Eldritch before settling on Croaker, who stared stonily back. "Right
then," she said after a moment. "Harry, are you ready to go?"

"Oh Merlin, yes." He stood, one hand holding his cloak closed, and gave her a grateful smile. She returned his smile,
but nervously; Harry noticed again that she was finding it hard to maintain eye contact. He felt a flash of irritation,
followed by puzzlement, then worry, all boiling down to Why doesn't she want to look at me?

"Erm… and where will you be taking him, Madam Granger?" Eldritch asked. "In case we have further questions."

"A charming village called None-of-Your-Business-on-Thames," murmured Harry, before Hermione could respond. This time he
was rewarded with a smile that lasted more than a few seconds.

"I will see that any legitimate messages for Harry are properly forwarded," Hermione primly told the Unspeakables.
Seizing Harry's wrist, she produced a Patch from her pocket, peeled away its adhesive backing, and slapped it onto the
spot where her fingers touched his skin, so that the Patch touched them both.

One dizzying ride later, they found themselves in the enclosed back lawn of Enthalpy House. With the tall fence, and the
gathering twilight, it was unlikely that they were spotted by Muggles. Hermione looked around in a moment of confusion,
before recognizing the backside of her home. "This can't be right… I was sure I charmed the Portkey to take us directly
into my living room…"

"The wards," said Harry. Out of habit he raised his left hand, intending to "feel" the wards… then dropped his hand with
a grimace as he remembered that he no longer had the Elder Wand. Yet for a moment, he fancied he'd felt something… "We
augmented the wards on the house to keep out anyone – Apparation, Portkeys, whatever. And that's a Ministry Portkey,
so…"

"So the wards didn't acknowledge its right of entry – and we landed here," finished Hermione, peeling the Patch off her
hand. "And from here, you can Apparate back to your flat and… and get what you need, clothes and such."

"Right. I can grab some things, and be right back…"

"I…" Hermione swallowed and turned her face away from him. "I'm not certain that would be a good idea, Harry. I could
use some time… I mean, with everything that's happened…"

"With everything that's happened," Harry put in quietly, "I would have thought you'd want to talk about it, at least."

"And I do – in excruciating detail," she said, her usual brisk manner reasserting itself for a moment. "I want to know,
of course I do, but…" She faltered, then continued more timidly, "But I need to absorb what's happened first. I need
time to think about it. It's not any one thing, it's, it's everything. It's… it's just too much to deal with – but I
have to, now, thanks to…" She stopped abruptly, with an appalled look on her face. Then, mortified by what she'd almost
said, and unable to speak further, she Apparated into her living room.

If she thought she could run away from her conflicting feelings that way, it was one of the very few times in her life
she was quite wrong.

"Thanks to what?" Harry demanded, Apparating next to her a second later. "Thanks to me? You wanted me to come back,
Hermione! You can't ask for more 'back' than this!"

"I know! Yes, I wanted you back… but… but not like this! Not with the Ministry turned upside-down and Kingsley
Shacklebolt dead and me dy…" She choked on the last word and turned away from him, squeezing her eyes shut to prevent
tears from leaking out.

"And the Deathly Hallows gone."

Surprise momentarily banished her inner turmoil. Hermione opened her eyes to stare at Harry. He gave an uncomfortable
shrug. "It's a little hard to explain, but the short version is that I gave them back to Death, and Death gave you back
to me." He waved his hand over their heads, indicating the house's wards. "'Course, the effects of the Wand are still
with us, they didn't fade. Good thing, I reckon…"

"So… you made it through the barrier… and then went through the Veil…" Hermione said, very slowly, piecing her thoughts
together, "to bargain with Death… so you could bring me back from the dead… and get rid of the Hallows… so you could
rejoin the wizarding world."

Harry smiled shyly and tried for a bit of humor. "That's an excellent summing up, counselor." Hermione fell silent,
blinking at him in a stunned sort of way.

And then she found her voice. "Were you out of your fracking MIND!?" she shrieked, raising trembling fists in front of
her. Warily, remembering the last time she'd punched him, Harry backed up a pace, one hand coming up to protect his
mouth. "Did you even consider what might have gone wrong with that so-called plan? What if you'd died, like Sirius? What
if you hadn't died but been trapped behind the Veil forever? What if…"

"What if you had stayed dead?" he shot back. "Do you think I cared a rat's arse about living, if you didn't?"

She continued as though she hadn't heard him. "And did you even consider the effects of your dramatic entrance today?
Sweet Circe, they'll be hounding you for the rest of your life! Endless talk about how you escaped from the Netherworld
– cheated Death twice, your life and mine – The Boy Who Lived Again, with eternal youth thrown in!" Hermione spun away
from him and faced the wall, wrapping her arms around her stomach as though it ached. "Making the rest of us feel like
utter hags…"

"Say what?" Harry was amazed that this, of all issues, should be the one affecting Hermione the most – Hermione, of all
people. Yet from her voice, from the rigid lines of her back, it was obvious even to Harry just how distraught she was.
He took a tentative step towards her.

"Please don't," she bit off, causing him to halt, "just… please, Harry, just leave me be. Just go."

It was to Harry's everlasting credit that he totally disregarded her demand. He stepped up behind her and placed his
hands on her shoulders – not heavily, but clearly with no intention of letting them be shoved off. "I told you before, I
wasn't leaving you again," he said in a low voice to the back of her head. "And I haven't. And I won't."

She drew breath to respond… and as she did, he glimpsed a flash of silver chain on the back of her neck. A wild impulse
surged through him, and without bothering to think it through, he tightened his hands on her shoulders and spun her to
face him.

And before she had a chance to speak, he pressed his hand to the spot just above and between her breasts, where a slight
lump was outlined beneath her robes.

The breath caught in Hermione's throat. Wide-eyed and round-mouthed, she stared into Harry's face. It was as he'd hoped:
she was receiving the kiss he'd given her star sapphire, that last loving kiss he'd given… Merlin, had it been only that
morning?!

"Feel that," he told her, his voice intense, husky, deep. "That's how much I love you, Hermione. It may've taken me
forever to figure out, but I'm not stupid enough to walk away from it. Not ever again. Not…"

Whatever else he might have said was lost, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him as though their lives
depended on it. He put his hands behind her back and held her close, delighting in her warmth, the scent of her, even
the unmanageable hair that tickled his nose and threatened to make him sneeze.

"When I came for you," Harry whispered after a moment, "through the Veil… my body started aging, really fast. I must
have been, oh, about Dumbledore's age when Death finally let me bring you home. But I didn't reckon you'd care. Hell, I
didn't care, as long as we were together. Now my body's gone the other extreme – but either way, my mind didn't change.
We're together, Hermione. Nothing else matters."

"It does matter," she mumbled, half exasperated and half despairing at his male thickheadedness. "It's entirely
different. Dammit, Harry, I'm almost old enough to be your mother now! What will people say?"

"Oh, I dunno. Something like, 'How about that sexy Granger witch, huh? She must be something wicked special, if she can
keep that young stud Potter happy…'"

Almost against her will, Hermione found herself laughing. She pulled out of their hug just far enough that she could see
his grinning face. "Let's test that," she retorted, and brought up her hands to grab fistfuls of his cloak near the
collar. She yanked him forward and planted a saucy kiss on his lips.

A kiss that lengthened, that grew from saucy to searing, as their hands found better purchase, as their bodies molded
together, as their mouths opened hungrily to one another.

Hermione moaned, sounding in pain though far, far from it. Her body was recalling sensations that her conscious mind had
nearly forgotten, and she wanted more. She adjusted her position, to press as much her body as she could against
Harry's, and together they deepened the kiss. Hermione reveled, positively wallowed, in the sensuous pleasure of feeling
her lips on his, on her breasts against his chest, of her thighs pressed against his loins…

And with that rampant reminder, they both realized exactly what they were doing. Harry and Hermione broke apart abruptly
and stared aghast at one another, panting and panicking.

"We can't," Hermione finally whispered.

Harry gave a nod that was closer to a jerk of the head. "Right. Your vow."

"My wedding vow," she choked out. "It won't let us do… this."

"Your own magic would stop it," Harry mumbled. "Or else…" He looked horrified. "Or else you might lose your magic –
become a Squib. My fault, Hermione, I should never have let it get this far…" He relaxed his hold around her, and
prepared to push her gently away.

How like Harry to try to take all the blame himself, thought Hermione distractedly. I was letting "it" get this far as
much as he was…

But… it flashed through her mind, but… my magic should have stopped us from getting that far… the magic of my vow… And
realization dawned on her.

"My vow won't let us do this," she recited deliberately, as though reading from a list, and lunged forward to snog Harry
again. Reflexively, he took a step backwards, with Hermione still pressing forward, and backed into an obstacle at
knee-height: the couch. Harry fell backwards onto the couch, with Hermione on top of him, straddling him. "False," she
announced.

"Say what?" Harry was thoroughly flustered. It hadn't escaped either of their notice that his cloak hadn't stayed closed
when he'd fallen.

"Breaking my vow will make me a Squib," she continued, drawing her wand and waving it over her. "Evanesco!" Within
seconds, her clothing was gone, banished to limbo, leaving her dressed only in her sapphire necklace. "False again."

By now, Harry could only make inarticulate gurgling noises.

"So…" Hermione leaned low over Harry, guaranteeing him a full view between her breasts, and gave him a smile that was
both triumphant and just a little bit predatory. With that smile, and the gleam in her eye, and the mane of bushy brown
hair cascading over her shoulders, she reminded him of a lioness eyeing a gazelle. "Soooo… by a process of reduction ad
absurdum… we can only conclude that my vow has ceased to be."

"But… but…" With a visible effort, Harry raised his gaze to her face. "But… you said those vows were permanent…"

She nodded happily. "Mm hmm. Until Death us do part."

"Until Death…" Harry blinked rapidly, and she could see the light dawn in his eyes. He was gratifyingly quick on the
uptake: it only took a moment more before he was matching her, grin for grin. "So when you died, the vows died too?
Except you came back…" He laughed, a deep rich joyful laugh, and ran a hand through her hair. "So," he added invitingly,
"what do we do for an encore, eh?"

Her smiled grew broader, if that were possible. "Biiiiiirthday," she sang, just as she had that morning.

"So it is," he agreed, and his hands moved lower on her body. "Come here, you."

"Several times, I trust," his lioness purred, and pounced.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

30. XXX: One Foot In Front Of The Other

(A/N: A couple of reviewers have asked how many more chapters are in store. In the past, I've been a remarkably poor
judge of how long my stories would end up being. Still, I've no desire to have this turn into a neverending history of
the Potterverse – this story's plotlines will reach resolution. Of course, to do that in a reasonable time, I've had to
make this chapter the longest to date. I'm so sorry to have to subject you all to this, but, hey, them's the breaks. At
least you didn't have to suffer the way my beta, MirielleGrey, did.)

(Disclaimer: Der! XY chromosome? Not a billionaire? Never even seen Scotland? What part of "I am not JK Rowling" does
anyone find ambiguous?)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXX: One Foot In Front Of The Other

*

The first thing that came to Harry's notice, when he woke up in the wee hours before dawn, was that he was waking up.

Waking from sleep – it had been so long since Harry had slept that he'd almost forgotten what it felt like. If he'd
needed any more proof that the Deathly Hallows no longer affected him, he now had it.

The second thing that came to Harry's notice was Hermione: gently snoring, delightfully nude, and using him as a
full-length mattress. They hadn't moved from the positions they'd been in when they'd fallen asleep together: she fully
atop him, and he fully inside her.

His expression turned goofy – really, there was no other word for it – as the last night's events came back to him.
Somehow, they'd never made it off the couch and into the bedroom (Harry vaguely recalled Hermione performing some
enlarging charms on the couch, but his attention was understandably elsewhere). Both of them were so eager, and so
nervous – understandable, he supposed, since they were each coming out of a long sexual drought. But more to the point,
each of them had initially been more concerned about the other's physical gratification than their own. Which made for
some fumbling and awkwardness at first, but they'd resolved the problems by the end of their second round of lovemaking.

Round three had been just about perfect. And round four was even better, because it ended with their falling asleep
while still joined. Maybe that was why Harry had slept so well.

The third thing that came to Harry's notice was a gentle brush across his brow… from above. He looked up and squinted
into the semi-darkness, to see a pair of bright yellow eyes staring back at him. Bottlebrush was perched on the sofa's
back, curious and only moderately resentful. After a moment, when Harry failed to respond, the kneazle reached out his
paw and gently swatted Harry's fringe again.

Thanks to your foolery, his look seemed to say, I didn't get any dinner last night.

Neither did I, Harry felt like replying. Deal with it. He didn't say anything out loud, of course – he was enjoying
Hermione's closeness too much to want to disturb it in any way. Her body pressed against his, her warmth, her scent…
even her weight, and why hadn't he ever imagined that being squashed under his lover's weight could be so pleasurable?

Lover. Harry sighed in utter contentment.

Bottlebrush gave a plaintive meow and swatted his paw again, this time on Hermione's head. "G'way," she mumbled, then
lifted her head to look Harry in the face. "Not you. Him. You stay right there."

"I wouldn't dream of moving. Good mornimmmph…" Hermione had evidently decided that there were better morning greetings
than mere words… and better uses for their mouths. Harry tried to show his approval of this concept, and the next few
minutes were spent in a thorough lip-mashing.

Hermione only came up for air when they heard the tapping on window, telling them an owl was requesting entry. With a
final buss that promised this would be only a brief interruption, she reached down to the floor by the couch and felt
around for her wand. Once she found it, she used it to open the window and admit the owl. Bottlebrush gave her an
affronted glare as he hastily jumped off the couch's arm, an instant before the owl landed there. It stiffly held out
its leg to allow Hermione to remove the tiny scroll, which she did without moving from atop Harry.

"Ah," she said after quickly reading the message. "Gringotts has contacted the owner of the vault that used to be yours,
Harry. They've agreed to open it for you, so you can prove that you're you. Eldritch – he's the one who wrote this,
asking me to 'forward' it to you – will meet you at Gringotts tomorrow, or I should say today, this morning at nine.
Thank you," she added as an aside to the owl, which shook itself haughtily and flew out the window.

She watched the owl leave, then brought her head back down to rest her chin on his chest. She regarded him somberly.
"Harry… about yesterday," she began.

"Yeah," he said quietly, not letting her finish. "It was a pretty, um, full day, wasn't it? Perfectly understandable if
we got a little freaked out…"

"If by 'we' you mean 'me', I'm forced to agree. And… and Harry, I have to admit I'm still a little freaked out, as you
put it. Heart surgeons routinely bring people back to life in Muggle hospitals – but those people don't remember being
in the land of the dead! It was so cold, so dark... but it felt so, so inviting in a way, as well. A small part of me
wants to… to go back."

Dismay must have showed on his face, for Hermione immediately butted her forehead against his to look directly into his
eyes. "A very small part of me! The rest of me wants to stay right here – with you, my Orpheus, my love, forever."

My love… words that sounded like phoenix song to Harry's ears. He reached up to entangle his fingers in her hair, gently
rubbing her scalp with his fingertips. She gave him a soft hum of contentment, then brought her head upward so that she
could softly brush her lips against his.

"So… nine o'clock," she said in a voice gone husky, "that's about four hours from now…"

Harry cleared his throat and assumed a matter-of-fact tone. "Yeah. Yeah, that should give me enough time to Apparate
back to my flat, get some clothes and my spare glasses… give me a chance to wake up…" He almost managed to keep a
straight face as he said this, but something must have slipped. At any rate, a slow, anticipatory smile began to blossom
on Hermione's face.

"Mm, yes, wake up," she purred, rising to a kneeling position over Harry and stretching her arms over her head. The
sapphire bounced atop her breasts – and her smile grew broader as she saw how Harry's eyes darted to it, moved south
slightly, and turned hungry. She started rocking her hips as she continued, "Well, it does seem to me that someone's
already awake. Oooh, yes! A bit of a surprise, since he's still in bed…"

"Rise and shine," laughed Harry, and put his hands on her hips to bring her closer. Hermione moaned delightedly as
together they found their rhythm and rocked all the harder.

Round five was shaping up to be outstanding.

*

Hermione stared at Gawaine Robards in utter incredulity. When she'd arrived at the Ministry and received the note to
come at once to Robards's office, she hadn't anticipated this. "No."

Robards said nothing, but his eyes were hard and determined.

"No," Hermione repeated. "If this is a joke, Gawaine, it's not very funny."

"Not a joke," said Robards quietly. "And not really a surprise, either. We were prepared to offer the same deal to
Swivingham, after all."

"Dismissal of all charges? Total immunity from prosecution?!" Hermione looked wildly around the office, as though she
expected George Weasley to jump out from behind a potted plant and yell Gotcha!

"In exchange for Zabini's complete cooperation in bringing the Cartel Lords to justice," Robards affirmed. "Yes."

"If we drop the charges, Zabini will claim exoneration! You know he will, Gawaine! Damn it, this is Lucius Malfoy all
over again!"

"Hermione…" Robards stopped, and seemed to gather his thoughts. He began again. "Madam Granger… I trust you've seen this
morning's reports from the ICW? They've apprehended Castigni, but ibn al-Afrit has so far evaded capture. Nor were they
the only Cartel Lords – merely the two you succeeded in identifying. Their lieutenants… the Cartel's internal
organization… those will quickly slip through our net, unless we act now. That means we need the information in Zabini's
head."

"Then why can't we pump him full of Veritaserum until it bleeds out his ears, and get it!?" Hermione flung her hands
into the air in exasperation as she paced about the room. Her question was rhetorical, and Robards knew it; both of them
understood why they couldn't apply such direct methods to Blaise Zabini.

"You must admit," Robards added sardonically, "his timing's perfect."

Hermione took another turn around the room, growing calmer as she slowed to a stop. She chewed on her lower lip, a habit
she would have claimed she'd lost, as she considered. "But he must know," she said, thinking aloud, "he must know his
life wouldn't be worth a leaden Knut if he testified against the Cartel. Swivingham was example enough, surely…" She
tapped her chin pensively, then asked, "This bargain… was it his idea or ours?"

"His." Robards gave her a grim smile. "And before you ask, he made it verbally to one of his guards, not through a
solicitor. No one's been in his cell, per your instructions."

"Then let's get a Memory Charm expert down there, and make sure his memories haven't been tampered with," said Hermione.
"It's unlikely, since we hustled him into cells right away, precisely to prevent any possible tampering. If he had his
full memories of the Cartel yesterday, when I confronted him, he should still have them now. But let's make certain, all
right?"

"All right," nodded Robards, making a note on the parchment on his desk. "And if the scan turns up clean, I'll sign off
on this plea-bargain. What about Doukas? Has the Greek delegation said anything about him?"

Together they continued their brainstorming session, hammering out their priority tasks for the day. Hermione promised
to report back to Robards's office before she left for the day. ("For the weekend," were his words, but neither of them
believed it.) For her own part, she was pleased with how the Head of the Department was taking her suggestions to heart.
The years of working side by side, Hermione told herself, had taught them to respect the other as an equal.

*

Canby, if asked directly, would deny that he was bonded to any human. Canby was a free elf, he would insist. He was paid
wages by the Ministry of Magic, after all. The fact that he sometimes acted as though he were bonded to a human was the
purest of coincidences.

That said, if The Witch Who Won ever told Canby to go jump off a cliff, Canby would make the trip to Dover in record
time.

He waited now in the inconspicuous way of elvenkind, present in Miss Hermione's outer office without being seen by
anyone. Miss Hermione had arrived that morning – looking practically radiant, about which Canby had his opinions but
reserved judgment – and had been handed a note by her clerk Sheryl. She'd dashed into her room for a second, then left
again.

If he concentrated, he could sense Miss Hermione's current location: the office of the Head of Magical Law Enforcement.
Miss Hermione was a frequent visitor to that office. Canby judged that her work there would be more important than his
business with Miss Hermione. He would not interrupt; he would wait here for her return.

Though, truthfully, the matters he wished to discuss would take only a few minutes. Miss Hermione would want to know
that Fatima had been properly remembered. Canby would tell her about Fatima's "funeral" – he would use the human term,
though the elf ceremonial would hardly seem like a funeral to humans – which had taken place at sunset yestereve.

And then there was Fatima's sister Ayesha, who would soon be arriving in England from foreign lands. True to Miss
Hermione's word, the indictments against ibn al-Afrit had prompted the ICW to emancipate any of his elves that might be
called to testify against him. Ayesha had chosen to come to England, to take her sister's place in whatever needed
doing.

And finally, Canby was curious about the remaining witnesses in his care, and what was planned for them. Were they still
witnesses, now that Jack Swivingham was dead and no longer to be tried? Canby suspected so: Swivingham had had his own
organization in Knockturn Alley, and his elves might well have overheard things while working for him. Which meant that
they would still be the guests of the Ministry for the time being… so Canby assumed, but he wanted Miss Hermione's
confirmation.

Once he had Miss Hermione's authority to back him up, Canby could persuade them to remain patiently in their rooms, and
not strike out on their own. Perhaps Canby could show them some of the opportunities England offered to free elves…
unbonded to humans.

*

Harry considered leaving behind his borrowed cloak when he Apparated to Jacob Clayman's flat. The flat was private,
after all, so no one would be scandalized if he suddenly materialized there in the nude. Plus, he really didn't want to
keep Ron's cloak a moment longer than necessary – and after last night, it was rather in need of cleaning.

But that reminded him that he didn't want to leave it at Enthalpy House, either. A cloak loaned to Harry Potter, found
in Hermione Granger's home? If someone should show up there, he didn't want to leave any clues as to what had happened
last night. Oh, neither he nor Hermione had any reason to be ashamed, once Hermione deduced that her wedding vows had
been dissolved – but any announcement would be on their terms, in their time, thank you very much.

So Harry arrived at Clayman's flat (he still thought of it that way) with the cloak wrapped around him. The flat was as
he'd left it, with all clues to his identity neatly cleared out. In the center of the living room was his goal: the
trunk he'd conjured and packed, the night he'd first fled. He'd been living out of it ever since, unpacking and
repacking as needed, and it had followed him from hotel to inn to open field, and now back to this flat.

With a smirk, he shrugged Ron's cloak from off his shoulders, wadded it into a ball, and tossed it in the general
direction of the kitchen. He'd have clean clothes now, not to mention his spare glasses – everything he'd need,
magically shrunk and packed…

Using the Elder Wand.

Oh, crap. Harry raised his left hand and stared at his forearm, where for fifteen years he'd kept the Elder Wand
strapped. I don't have the Elder Wand anymore. I don't have any wand anymore! How am I supposed to get my clothes!?

I suppose I could use Hermione's wand to unpack my things. Right. Just Apparate back to the Ministry, still wearing only
Ron's cloak, and walk into her office? Uh, no.

Or I could send her a Patronus-message and ask her to bring it here… if I had a wand to summon a Patronus! Aargh!

In frustration, he beat on the trunk with one fist. Obviously, if he planned on rejoining the wizarding world, obtaining
a new wand would have to move to the top of his to-do list. And after his spectacular entrance from the Department of
Mysteries, Harry figured he was committed on that point.

But he had half an hour to find some clothes and show up at Gringotts, or he'd never be able to prove his identity to
some wizards' satisfaction. Getting a shower would be nice, too, but he'd do without if he was running late.

With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes and pressed his hands against the trunk. Harry would swear he could feel the spells
he'd used to shrink and pack his belongings: the atoms themselves shrunken and overlapping, the very fabric of space
folded up like some intricate origami, in sneering defiance of the laws of physics.

Everything was so simple when I had the Elder Wand, he thought in despair. I didn't even need an incantation. Just
picture in my head what I wanted… and the Wand's power took care of the rest. Everything neatly packed.

It would need such a tiny tug to unpack it. Just a little untwist… right… there…

And Harry went flying as the entire contents of the trunk violently erupted outward, each item expanding in its arc to
add to the mayhem. He landed on his arse several feet from the now opened trunk, with a pillowcase over his face and a
winter scarf tangled around one leg. He started to sit up, and felt more items of clothing being flung at him – and
heard the more ominous sound of his living room furniture thumping forcefully against the wall. The opposite wall, thank
Merlin, but Harry didn't feel like pressing his luck: he stopped trying to rise, but instead lay flat and waited, until
the sounds of upheaval slowed and finally stopped.

He waited another moment, just to be sure it was safe, then slowly stood up with a chuckle. Well, maybe the effects of
the Hallows aren't completely gone after all, he thought as he began to peel off the bits of garb. I guess all that
practice trying to sense the flow of magic paid off…

"Oh!" exclaimed a high-pitched voice, and Harry's chuckle froze in his throat. "Oh, this is a terrible mess Mister Harry
is making! Mister Harry needs help, that much is plain!"

Harry whipped the pillowcase from his face and turned around. Brillig stood in the center of the room, surveying the
chaos, her hands on her hips and her head shaking slowly.

"Brillig?" he blurted. He realized his mistake at once when Brillig turned to answer him. The elf's eyes went wide and
her mouth gaped. With a blush as furious as any Weasley's, Harry held the pillowcase over his privates with one hand, in
a belated attempt to preserve his modesty. With the other hand he made a twirling motion at Brillig, to get her to turn
around.

Mesmerized, Brilling made the same twirling motion back at Harry.

"W-Will you please…?!" he hissed, barely articulate. "Not… can't you see... I'm… no clothes…"

"No clothes?" Brillig brought her wide eyes back up to Harry's face, and Harry was astonished to see them fill with
tears. "Oh, thank you, Master…"

And before Harry could correct her choice of words (or say anything, really), the elf crossed her hands in front of her
to grasp the hem of her shift – and with a practiced, fluid motion she pulled it over her head. Needless to say, the
shift was the only article of clothing she wore. And it didn't help Harry's composure in the slightest to learn, in the
moment before the shift cleared her head, that Brillig could have posed as a Page Three Girl with no trouble at all.

Brillig carefully folded her shift and set it aside. Then she stepped closer to Harry and quickly knelt before him,
resting on her knees and toes. She assumed a submissive posture with her hands folded in her lap and head lowered. "How
may thy handmaiden please thee, O my master?" she asked, her voice no longer as high-pitched. For a female elf, it was
positively… sultry.

Desperately trying to jumpstart his brain, Harry guessed that this must be one of the behaviors Swivingham had required
his "working elves" to learn from Fatima. Certainly her words, both in phrasing and in delivery, smacked of a ritual or
a convention of some sort. But it made no sense that she'd offer herself – in that way! – to him! She was done with
prostituting to humans! She was a free elf, she should be looking to mate with another elf!

And yet… Harry caught Brillig glancing up at him through her lashes, giving him a look both demure and… hopeful. This
couldn't be an act, could it?

He cleared his throat, and prayed his voice wouldn't crack. "First of all," he said firmly, "I'm no one's master. No
human's, and no elf's. Do you understand?"

He waited until he saw a minute nod of her head before he continued, more gently, "And second of all, Brillig, you're no
man's property. You're free of all that, and you should cherish it. Do you understand?"

The elf raised her head to stare at him. Her face was stricken. "But Mast… Mister Harry… you said, no clothes…"

Harry could have smacked himself. Stupid! Stupid! If giving clothes to a bonded elf grants freedom – then an elf who
surrenders her clothes must be bonding! She thinks I offered to bond with her!

At least, I hope that's what she thinks I offered her…

"But thirdly," he said, his mind racing, "um, thirdly… I can't accept any service, even paid service, right now." An
idea flashed through his mind, and he gestured around the flat. "I live as a Muggle, amongst Muggles. You know how we
have to keep magic secret from them, Brillig. And yeah, I know elves are good at not being seen, but even Muggles would
notice if you were here, working, day after day. For me to have an elf here – a paid elf," he emphasized, "just isn't
possible."

Brillig looked puzzled. "Mister Harry is living amongst Muggles… oh!" she exclaimed in sudden understanding. "Brillig
remembers! Mister Harry has been here in secret, not telling wizards! But Mister Harry is not in secret any more?"

"Not since yesterday," he said ruefully, relaxing a bit. She seemed to be taking this better…

"So Mister Harry will need a home amongst wizards!" In an instant, the elf was on her feet and had rushed up to Harry.
He tried to keep the pillowcase in front of his groin, not quite sure of her target… so he was taken off guard as she
seized his free hand in both of hers. Before he knew what was happening, she was kissing his hand. "Mister Harry must
not worry, Brillig will find wonderful home for him! Some place amongst other wizards, with nice large house that needs
an elf's care!" She gazed up at him, her face radiant with happiness. "And… and Brillig will even take wages! One
Galleon, just like the Great Dobby! But no more!" she told him, suddenly stern. "Would not be seemly to take more than
Dobby took. That is very important, Mister Harry, so you must promise Brillig!"

"Ah, er, um…"

"Oh, thank you, Mister Harry! Brillig will begin at once! Thank you!" And snatching up her shift from the floor, the elf
vanished from the room with a crack of displaced air.

Harry stood blinking for several seconds. Well, he concluded glumly, that certainly could have gone better. At least
he'd bought himself a little breathing space: he could wait until he joined the wizarding world before he had to explain
to Brillig that he really wasn't in the market for an elf.

As housekeeper or anything else.

In the meantime, somewhere in this mess was his spare set of glasses, and he was now in the unenviable position of being
too nearsighted without them to be able to search for them.

*

In the foyer of Gringotts Bank, Eldritch glanced at his watch for the third time in thirty seconds. "Madam Granger
assured me she would forward any message," he muttered.

"Considering where he's been these last few years, I'm prepared to cut him some slack, Mr. Eldritch," Andromeda Tonks
replied tranquilly. She was only half-attending to the grey Unspeakable; she kept her eyes on the entrance to the foyer.
Seconds later, she was rewarded by the sight of a young man trotting briskly into the bank. Andromeda didn't bring his
arrival to Eldritch's notice, wanting a moment to study the newcomer.

She'd only met Harry Potter the one time, when the Order of the Phoenix had used her home as a way station for Harry and
Hagrid. The few minutes she'd spent with young Potter had been enough: the young man who was now looking frantically
around the foyer was definitely the same man. He was even, as he had then, wearing clothes slightly too large for him.

Eldritch had noticed Harry by this point, and was motioning him to join them. "It is nine oh-seven," he said by way of
greeting.

"Sorry," Harry shrugged. "I had a little difficulty rustling up some clothes." The last half of the sentence was
delivered with a certain frostiness, and Andromeda couldn't help smiling at Eldritch's discomfiture.

"Harry," she began, and he turned his eyes on her. Those bright green eyes were just as she remembered. The smile upon
seeing her was genuine.

"Mrs. Tonks? Hello! I should've realized that Teddy would end up with my vault… a lot of the Black estate ended up
there."

"Harry," she began again, "I'm glad of the chance to meet with you, here at Gringotts. It will help facilitate the
return of much of your property…"

"No," he interrupted hastily, "that's all Ted's now. My will was executed exactly as I wished – and let's face it, Mrs.
Tonks, I was dead. Well and truly dead, by any reasonable definition of the word. The goblins followed my last wishes
perfectly…" Harry didn't look around, but his eyes danced as with a shared joke; Andromeda knew that he knew the goblins
were eavesdropping. "And I'm satisfied with how things turned out," he concluded.

Andromeda smiled to herself: she'd expected this response, and was ready. "At least accept this." From her handbag
Andromeda produced a small money pouch filled with Galleons. "I must insist you not argue with me, young man. You came
back into this world owning nothing but your skin. Let your friends – your family – help you while you get back on your
feet. I assure you, this is only a fraction of what our entire world owes you."

Put that way, Harry had no choice but to accept. Andromeda quickly closed her handbag, so that no one would see the
letter it still contained.

"Well then," said Eldritch briskly, "shall we do what we came here to do? The Potter heirloom chest awaits you, sir…" He
was, Andromeda noted, careful neither to use Harry's name, nor deny it was his.

The three made their way to one of the tellers, where a goblin watched alertly as Andromeda produced her vault key.
"Acting on behalf of Ted Lupin, I authorize the opening of his vault, and the admission of these two wizards." She
handed the key to the goblin, then calmly extended one finger.

With a swift motion, the goblin stuck a pin into Andromeda's outstretched finger, and allowed a single drop of blood to
fall on the key. Andromeda watched dispassionately as the blood was absorbed into the metal key, which promptly gave a
momentary golden glow. "All seems to be in order," said the goblin, who turned and shouted for an escort.

"You won't be accompanying us to the vault?" Eldritch asked.

She shook her head. "I expect there'll be plenty of opportunities to catch up with Harry in the future." She smiled
knowingly at Harry, with this reminder that they would be meeting again Saturday in a much more private setting… and was
a bit puzzled by his lack of response. "In any case," she added in a clear dismissal, "I am already convinced as to his
identity."

Once Eldritch and Harry had left with their goblin escort, Andromeda retired to a bench in the foyer to await their
return. She paused only a moment before surreptitiously casting privacy charms around herself. With a nod, she put away
her wand and, bringing out her handbag, drew out the letter. She'd received it only that morning, and to say she had
been surprised was an understatement.

The letter was from her sister, Narcissa Malfoy.

Andromeda had already read the letter several times before coming to Gringotts; she fancied she had its contents
memorized by this point. Nonetheless, she unfolded the letter and scanned it again. None of the words had changed –
which was not a farfetched concern, given it was from Cissy.

She's being released from Azkaban… her and her spawn, Draco. And of course she considers herself destitute: Malfoy
Manor, their lands and holdings, were confiscated when her husband was proven to be a Death Eater. So she's asking for
my help while they re-establish themselves.

Oh, Cissy. Have you forgotten? Do you think I've forgotten? Forgotten your scorn when I was disowned from the House of
Black for the sin of marrying a Muggleborn? Forgotten the deaths of my husband, my daughter? She was as much a Black as
your get, dear sister.

You must have forgotten, Cissy. Because not even you would have the unmitigated gall to ask for my help, otherwise.

She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. With Harry Potter's return, a great many shadows from the past had returned as
well. Most were easily dealt with… this one, much less so.

But it's as I just told Harry, she reminded herself. Family is there to help when one's down on their luck. I daresay
one can't get more "down on their luck" than spending fourteen years in Azkaban. And Narcissa is family, a trueborn
Black.

Nonetheless, it will do no harm to extract a promise from my dear sister before I'll agree to help them: an
acknowledgment that my grandson Ted, by blood and inheritance, is the Head of the House of Black. Won't that stick in
her craw!

*

Arriving back in her offices, Hermione was only mildly startled to see the knot of people waiting for her, all with bits
of Ministry business that they seemed to think needed her approval. She was more startled to see that one of the waiting
wizards was Ron. A serious, unwontedly quiet Ron, bearing a large manila envelope.

Sheryl noticed her glance around the room. "I was going to ask them each to take a number for faster service," she said,
"but I don't know how many of them would get the joke."

Hermione managed a smile at that. "Have we heard from Dennis this morning?"

"Peasegood dropped off a note," said Sheryl, handing it over, "saying that The Subject is being kept Stupefied until he,
Peasegood, has another chance at him. At the moment, he's busy with our Higher Profile Subjects."

"There are disadvantages to being the Minstry's best Memory expert," Hermione sighed. Unfortunately, Arnold Peasegood
was not only their best expert on the subject of Memory Charms, he was head and shoulders above their second best
expert.

She was about to ask which wizard had arrived first when Sheryl tapped the back of her hand with a fingernail. Sheryl
caught Hermione's gaze, looking her firmly in the eye, and silently mouthed the word Ron. Hermione blinked in surprise;
Sheryl gave a barely imperceptible nod.

Well, this was as good an opportunity as any to give Ron the news that their wedding vows had been dissolved. She still
wasn't sure how to tell him how she knew, but it would work itself out. First, she'd let him conclude whatever business
he'd brought… that would give her a bit more time to think. "Gentlemen, I'll be with you all shortly," Hermione
announced. "Ron, did you need to see me?"

"Yeah," he said. He didn't elaborate, which was unlike Ron.

She ushered him into her office and closed the door behind them. "I wanted to give you your birthday present," Ron said
without preamble. Hermione was surprised again: Sheryl's demeanor had suggested that Ron's business was important.

"I didn't think it could wait until tomorrow," Ron went on. "There'll be too much else to talk about." His demeanor was
harder to define: it reminded her of the rare times during their marriage when he'd really wanted a serious discussion
on an important matter – and didn't want it to end in a shouting match. Which seemed rather much, for a birthday
present…

Ron handed her the manila envelope. Quickly, she tore it open and brought out what appeared to be a Muggle legal
document. Its wording appeared to be standardized and formulaic – and at the top were the words Decree Absolute. Below
that were their names, Ronald B. Weasley and Hermione J. Granger, as they'd appear in the Muggle world.

The Decree Absolute was the final document in the Muggle divorce process. According to this, a Muggle court had granted
them a divorce.

Ron continued talking as Hermione stared at the document. "I got this from, um, well, she's Muggle-born and her brother
dug it up for me. I reckoned, since we weren't married in the Muggle world, we didn't have to bother with their whole
divorce business. That can take months, they tell me. This way, our own Magical Records Office can slip this into
whatever records the Muggles keep, just like they do for births and deaths and such."

Hermione kept her gaze on the paper, so she could avoid meeting Ron's eyes. Inwardly, she was both hurt and touched. It
was obvious to her what was coming, she'd deduced it the moment she saw the Decree; and while part of her had longed for
it for years, another part was saddened that it was now here.

Still, she'd been prepared to inform Ron, so couldn't complain that he was informing her instead. And secretly, she
couldn't help but be amused by the timing. And, really, for Ron, it was a considerate gift. Far be it from her to spoil
his presentation.

"If it were that easy, Ron," Hermione said softly, "we could have done it years ago. But a wizarding marriage won't be
affected by this…"

"No," said Ron seriously, "but this is just a formality, to cover all our hoops. We'll probably want our own Magical
Records Office to have a copy, too… make it official and all. Y'see, we've done something that's never been done before
in the wizarding world." A dramatic pause, then: "We're not married any more."

She looked up and feigned surprise. "Of course we are! Our marriage is enforced by our own magic, and the vows we took.
Where we promised to be together forever…"

"Nope," Ron corrected her. "For life." He grinned at the confused look on Hermione's face. "Until Death us do part,
Hermione. When you died yesterday, it broke the power of our vows. The moment you died, we stopped being married."

"I see!" she exclaimed, then stopped and assumed a thoughtful expression. "No, wait, it sounds plausible, but it may not
have happened so cleanly. This is speculation. After all, as you noted, it's never happened before."

Predictably, the blood came rushing to Ron's face. "Erm," he coughed, "no, it's not speculation. I'm pretty sure our
vows are gone." Hermione smiled quizzically, and he mumbled, "Okay, I'm absolutely sure."

She gave a slight snort of mirth, and decided she'd strung him along far enough. "I won't pry," she said gently. "So –
my birthday gift is… freedom? Being rid of the hyphenation?"

He relaxed at the easy manner in which she was accepting his news. "Hey, last time we spoke, you did allow as how it was
something you wanted." He smiled ruefully. "All right, that both of us wanted."

"Yes, well… thank you for telling me, Ron. I appreciate it." She laid the document on her desk, reached across and
squeezed Ron's hand warmly. "And I hope this means we're still friends, even if we can't be spouses. I do care for you…
I just can't be with you."

"I know what you mean," he grinned, then turned serious again. "But yeah, I hope we stay friends, at least. We're still
going to be seeing a lot of each other, y'know."

Her surprise this time was completely unfeigned. "Oh, Merlin, I hadn't considered! Rose! What about Rose?"

"Hogwarts for most of the year, and summer hols with you," said Ron, with a readiness that suggested he'd given it some
thought. "As long as I can be there for Christmas, and spend a day now and then with her, I'm good with that. What I was
worried about was how…"

"How we're going to tell her," Hermione finished his sentence with him. "Well, she should certainly hear it from us, not
from another source… we should do it together, and soon."

They stood silently for a moment. It was Ron who voiced what they were both thinking. "So… Saturday, after your
Rebirthday Party, then."

"My Rebirthday Party." Hermione rubbed her forehead. Where I'll also be explaining all about Harry's disappearance,
exile, and return. About which I haven't yet spoken to Harry. "Well," she finally said, "it's going to be one hell of a
party, isn't it?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------

31. XXXI: Multipronged, Queen-side

(A/N: Still a few loose ends to tie up… and we haven't even reached Hermione's Rebirthday Party. Don't worry, we'll get
there, we'll get there. As long as I have MirielleGrey as my beta, I can face the world.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: If you're enjoying the story, please tell your friends. And if you're not,
please tell me.)

(Disclaimer: The characters of the Potterverse are the product of Jo Rowling's brain. The believable way they act in
this story, obviously not.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXI: Multipronged, Queen-side

*

Mnemosyne Fleming waited at the guard desk leading to the holding cells, while the guard perused her pass into the
Ministry's holding cells. "This looks in order," he smiled. "You're authorized to keep your wand, miss. He's in cell
number seven. Open!" he told the outer door, which obediently swung open. Mnemosyne collected her pass, nodded thanks,
and proceeded down the cell block.

She had no trouble finding the correct cell: there was a second guard posted in front of it. After hearing about Madam
Granger's orders regarding Blaise Zabini, Mnemosyne wasn't surprised. "Legilimens Fleming," the guard greeted her –
Kelly, that was his name. "Haven't seen you in a while. Are you here for Doukas?"

"Our Memory people are spread a bit thin today," she told him. "Mr. Peasegood thought I could do the most good here.
He's told me what to look for." A sequestration of specific memories: the subject himself could not recall the memories,
and would be unaware of having them, until they were released into his conscious mind. Peasegood believed they were
keyed to be released only when the subject received a code word, or possibly a code phrase.

No one could be certain that Doukas's memories had been sequestered, but given the nature of his employers, it was
imperative to find out. As a full Legilimens, Mnemosyne could detect sequestration, now that she knew what to look for…
perhaps not as surely as Peasegood, using Engram Patterning, but certainly faster. Of course, if she found sequestered
memories, she wouldn't be able to affect them; that would be for the Obliviators, persons much more skilled at Memory
Charms than she.

"He's actually been pretty quiet this morning," Kelly noted, readying his own wand. "Not like last night. Shoutin' for
the head of the Greek delegation, for his wand, for firevodka, all manner of demands. Didn't get any of 'em – strict
orders, no contacts."

"Good," said Mnemosyne, moving to stand directly in front of the cell door. Kelly stood to one side, where he could
cover her with his wand without being seen from within the cell. "Not even the house-elves, I assume?"

"Served 'im breakfast me own self," Kelly snorted. He aimed his wand and barked, "Open cell number seven!"

The cell door swung open. After a moment, Mnemosyne stepped into the cell. Doukas was reading at the small table, the
remnants of his breakfast service pushed aside. He seemed to be lingering over his coffee – and ignoring her presence
altogether.

"Sabas Doukas?" she demanded. He made no acknowledgment.

Well, for the job she came to do, she hardly needed his active cooperation. "Legilimens," Mnemosyne said smartly,
pointing her wand at his head.

And promptly recoiled in horror.

*

Sheryl was waiting for Hermione when she'd finished with the last of the wizards who'd queued at her office that
morning. "I know I'm not the only working mother at the Ministry," Hermione groused, watching him leave, "so why am I
the one playing 'Ministry Mum' today? Honestly, all they wanted was my opinions on their ideas – a pat on the head,
really. Even Canby wanted to talk to me, about our elf guests." She rubbed her eyes wearily. "Everyone wants reassurance
in times of trouble, I suppose. It's not like I can actually authorize any of their plans…"

"Get used to it," Sheryl said quietly.

"Used to it? What do you…? Ah." Hermione raised one eyebrow. "You've got your I've-been-listening-to-the-scuttlebutt
look on your face."

"Mm hmm." Sheryl leaned closer. "I heard from Mavis in Finances that the Wizengamot council chambers haven't been
readied for a session today."

"What!? But… but why not? The Wizengamot needs to convene as soon as possible, and select the new Minister! We can't go
on very long without a head of government…" Hermione paused. "Well, it would be upsetting in a lot of quarters if we
tried…"

Sheryl wasn't done. "What's more," she continued, "Agnes in Floo Authority says they got a request today from Giles
Yarborough – asking to have his home taken off the Floo Network for the rest of the month."

That brought Hermione up short. It wasn't too unusual for families to disconnect their fireplaces from the Floo Network
for short periods… for example, if they were leaving for a holiday. However, Yarborough was an old, crusty curmudgeon,
not given to travel. He was the patriarch of an ancient Pureblood wizarding family: exactly the sort of wizard who,
though never a supporter of Lord Voldemort, might still be sympathetic to the Pureblood faction.

And Yarborough was a sitting member of the Wizengamot.

Either way, the odds that he was actually leaving on holiday – at this moment – were negligible.

"Let me know if you hear of anyone else 'rusticating', as it were," Hermione softly said after a moment. Sheryl nodded
her understanding.

*

Blaise Zabini sat stoically in his chair, placed directly in front of the door to his private cell. Arnold Peasegood was
seated on the door's other side, facing Zabini through the bars. The older wizard twitched his wand again, for perhaps
the twelfth time; Zabini watched as a new set of spots of colored light seemed to dance before his eyes before joining
the kaleidoscopic pattern above his head. He declined himself permission to react.

Two Aurors stood behind Peasegood, wands in their hands but not pointed directly at anyone. Zabini knew the third Auror
was outside his field of vision, wand aimed and ready to respond, should anything untoward happen.

Another twitch of Peasegood's wand. More spots of light. Zabini kept his sphinx face securely in place.

Finally, the Obliviator swept his wand in a broad arc and binned the light display. "Well, Mr. Zabini," he said slowly,
"I can find no evidence that any of your memories have been tampered with."

Zabini inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. "You'll inform Gawaine straightaway, then?"

"Per his instructions, yes."

"When you do, would you also inform him," Zabini said coolly, as though they were at one of the Department Heads'
morning briefings, "that I wish my solicitor to review any agreement before we both sign."

Peasegood pursed his lips for an instant in disapproval. "I'll relay your message," he said neutrally, standing and
backing away from the door. Nodding his thanks to the guards, he left the cell block. The three Aurors took their seats,
far enough away from the door that they could converse in low voices without Zabini overhearing – but still keeping the
cell in view.

With a casual shrug, Zabini slid his own chair back to the small dining table. He was well aware of Peasegood's opinion
of him, but he knew the Obliviator would pass on his message. Whether Robards would act on it was another issue.
Certainly Zabini would not be allowed to speak with a solicitor: the "No Visitors" rule would be absolute in his case.
It wouldn't be legal, but Zabini decided not to press it. The important point was that there were now no bars to Robards
accepting his deal.

Retrieving his Daily Prophet from the remains of breakfast on the table, he folded it in half and lay down on the cell's
bed to read. It was a delicate game he was playing, and the appearance of ease was important. The last twenty-four hours
had been a setback, a severe one, and his position certainly looked bad – but he wasn't out of the game, not yet. He'd
had a week to prepare other stratagems, and they were now in play. Zabini might yet recoup his losses.

He wondered idly how the Prophet would word the headline when the charges against him were dropped.

*

Hermione arrived back at Robards's office at a dead run. Peasegood was there, as well as one of the Ministry's
Legilimens, Fleming, who was literally wringing her hands in distress. "What's happened?" Hermione demanded.

"Doukas's mind has been wiped," replied Robards curtly. "He's gone."

Mnemosyne tried to take control of herself. "I went to his cell this morning to check his mind for sequestration, as… as
Mr. Peasegood asked. When I arrived, I thought he was ignoring me, just pretending to read… being an uncooperative
prisoner, I mean. We get them every so often, ma'am, and it's usually simpler to just get on with my work, but…"

"She knows that, Miss Fleming," Peasegood interjected quietly.

"I mean, not even Gilderoy Lockheart had his mind erased so completely! Even Krups have more brain activity! I didn't do
it, I swear I didn't…"

"Of course you didn't. Your Obliviation skills are nowhere near the level such a drastic mindwipe would require,"
Peasegood pointed out.

"We can likewise rule out Kelly and Fraser as suspects, for the same reason," said Robards, naming the two guards at the
holding cells block.

"I don't believe it," Hermione growled slowly. "I. Don't. Believe. It. Another attack on a prisoner inside the Ministry?
Just as with Swivingham? How in Merlin's name could this have happened!?"

Robards coughed. "Both the guards swear that no one went past them, that Doukas had no visitors at all. No contact
whatsoever, not even a lawyer. He'd just finished breakfast, so we're checking for potions. Beyond that…"

Hermione shook her head sharply. She began pacing, eyes on the floor, thinking furiously. "We know Doukas was able to
Obliviate… he Obliviated Ginny. It's why he was at the Ministry yesterday in the first place. Could he have Obliviated
himself?"

"Well," began Peasegood.

"No," she answered herself, not stopping, "no, obviously not. He had no wand. And he wasn't capable of wandless magic,
else he'd not have wanted Ron's wand when he held Ron hostage. Um, um, um…" She paced another circuit around the room
before she glanced up at Peasegood and Fleming. "Is there such a thing as a timed Obliviation?"

"You think he might have performed it on himself, in advance?" Mnemosyne blurted. She had watched in fascination as
Hermione had brainstormed.

"Not necessarily. It wouldn't surprise me if the Cartel kept more than one Obliviator on tap. Doukas could have had the
charm performed on him before he was sent here. It doesn't matter… the question is, can Obliviation be timed to take
effect hours after it's been cast?"

Everyone looked at Peasegood expectantly. "I… have never heard of such a thing," he said slowly. "But I admit, I'd never
heard of sequestering memories, either, before I saw it in Lovinett's mind. Sequestration, at least, I can understand:
the charm is in place and working, it needs only the trigger. A key word, as I've told Creevey. But to delay the charm's
action… with no visible effect before the time expires, and full effect afterward…" He twisted his mouth, pondering.

"Tranfigurations can be timed," Hermione noted, thinking of several Weasley Wizarding Wheezes.

"There's a world of difference between physical objects and mental engrams," Peasegood scowled. "No. No, I can think of
no way to time-delay a Memory Charm."

"Keep thinking about it – hard," Hermione ordered him. "Because it doesn't do us much good to go after the Cartel, if
every defendant and potential witness turns into a vegetable before we can even hold the trial."

*

By mid-afternoon, it had become plain to everyone in the Ministry that the Wizengamot would not be convening that day.
And in the meantime, two more members of the Wizengamot had become "unavailable"; while the remainder were ready to
convene, tradition dictated that a new Minister of Magic be chosen by a full session.

Of course, tradition also dictated that the new Minister be chosen promptly, within a day at most. To postpone the
selection was almost unheard of. Within the Ministry, the general reaction ranged from unease, through annoyance, to
outrage. However, the populace at large was still unsettled by Kingsley Shacklebolt's death: he had, after all, been
enormously respected. So, as much as everyone recognized that a successor was needed, the push to choose that successor
was not yet strong.

Which disgusted Hermione no end.

"This," she told Sheryl as she stomped back into her office, "this has to be the most blatant power play I've ever
witnessed. Do they honestly think they're fooling anyone?"

"'They' who?" Dennis Creevey followed Hermione into the room, a roll of parchment in hand. "Hello, all. See, this is
what happens when I leave you by yourselves for a few days. Man, you've been busy here."

"You might say so," said Sheryl at her driest.

Hermione sighed heavily and turned to Dennis, who offered her the parchment. "Welcome back to Bedlam," she greeted him,
accepting his report. "By 'they', I mean certain elements of the Wizengamot. It would appear that they aren't ready to
name a new Minister."

"Why not? They aren't volunteering to run the government themselves, are they? I mean, it's not exactly the Roman
Senate…"

"I almost wish it were. No, the situation's fairly convoluted, but I think I see what's happening. And I really have to
give Blaise credit: this is political manipulation at its finest." At their inquiring expressions, Hermione fell into
her usual lecturing habit. "We've been working for years to reform wizarding legal procedures, haven't we? To make them
fairer. Well, now he's using our own reforms against us. Remember the reforms to the Wizengamot Charter of Rights?
Particularly the clauses regarding Ministry employees?"

"Yeah, I think so," said Dennis. "They were supposed to make it harder for the Minister to intimidate Ministry workers
into toeing the party line… preventing another Thicknesse or Fudge. Things like no coercion of Ministry employees, no
loyalty oaths…"

"No Veritaserum," Sheryl cut in, beginning to see what Hermione meant. "Top-level Ministry personnel can't be forced to
take Veritaserum without the joint approval of their Department Head, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, and the…" She
stopped as she realized what she was about to say.

"And the Minister," finished Hermione. "Except at the moment, we don't have a Minister. So Zabini is exempt from
invasive magic such as Veritaserum. Leaving him free to plea bargain with Gawaine: cooperation in return for having the
charges dropped. And without those charges on his record, the Wizengamot could select him as the new Minister with a
'clean' conscience." The last words were delivered with heavy irony.

There was silence for a moment. "You're right," Dennis said. "They can't believe people wouldn't notice that."

"As long as the traditions are observed," said Sheryl, "I don’t think they care."

"I just wish I knew what sparked those three to act so… so precipitously," fumed Hermione. "I knew they favored the old
wizarding traditions, but I never figured them to be reactionaries… certainly not to this degree. Zabini must have
swayed them to his side – into his Fire Party," she said in an acid aside, "well before his arrest. And now it looks
like he's calling in favors."

"Yeah, but… but he still has to give Crown's Evidence against the Cartel," Dennis objected. "Wouldn't that make him,
like, the shortest-serving Minister of Magic in history?"

Hermione sighed again. "I'd think so, but… I don't know, I just don't know. I must be missing something… something
crucial. Perhaps he's gambling that the Cartel's use for him as Minister outweighs any damage his testimony might cause
them. I wouldn't make that gamble, but I'm not in the dire straits Zabini is."

"Then maybe Head Robards should hold off on finalizing the deal with Zabini until after the Wizengamot meets," suggested
Dennis. "They can't put it off indefinitely."

"But we need to go after the Cartel now," Sheryl reminded him. "They'll go underground otherwise, Memory Charm their own
employees, restructure. We can't give them time to do that."

"And believe it or not, I don't tell Gawaine Robards how to do his job," Hermione said firmly. She ignored the skeptical
expressions on their faces, and continued, "To guard against future tampering, I will suggest that Zabini's testimony be
in the form of Pensieve memories. Mm, and I can send an owl to the ICW, telling them about Doukas and warning them to
keep Castigni secure. Though I'm not sure how." She paused, brows furrowed in concentration, before giving her head a
slow, grim shake. "That's about all we can do for the moment."

*

Harry slipped into Ollivander's shop, quickly closed the door behind him, and leaned his forehead against it as he
released a long-held breath. Calm down, he told his racing pulse, just calm down. There's nothing here to be afraid of.

With Eldritch and Artok watching like hawks, Harry had easily opened the Potter heirloom chest. The fact that one of the
items in the chest – a baby rattle – had chosen to starting singing to him, calling him by name, was icing on the cake.
They'd both had to concede that he was, in truth, Harry James Potter.

That, of course, meant that Harry couldn't leave Gringotts until he'd assured the goblins, in writing with multiple
copies, that he didn't hold Gringotts or its employees responsible for the loss of his worldly possessions, that they
had simply been executing his wishes per his will, that he expected no indemnification against his losses, and so on and
on.

He had taken the opportunity to open a new vault. And he was very grateful for Andromeda Tonks's gift of cash: it meant
he could spend money without anyone wondering where he'd got it. Harry's last stop before arriving at Gringotts that
morning had been to Barclay's, where he'd withdrawn some of Jacob Clayman's savings; pounds converted to Galleons, they
now rested in his new vault, and Harry could make some much-needed purchases.

But he hadn't reckoned on the crowds.

He'd been spotted the moment he set foot outside Gringotts's doors: a double-take by a passing pair of witches, followed
by heads popping out of shop windows as he walked, and a knot of wizards and witches a few paces behind him. He could
hear the whispers spread like wildfire down the length of Diagon Alley, could feel their curious eyes on him. Thank
Merlin no one actually approached him, but their attention was more than enough.

Harry had fought the urges to either run to his destination or to slink there. He'd walked down the Alley at a
reasonable pace – spine stiff, to be sure, and meeting no one's eyes, but not allowing himself to run. He would not
allow himself.

He would conquer this.

Surreptitiously, he wiped his hands on his trousers as he straightened and turned to look around the shop. He honestly
hadn't expected Ollivander's shop to still be in business: he remembered all too well rescuing Mr. Ollivander from
Malfoy Manor, and the old man had seemed very frail – and that had been fifteen years ago.

Harry forced a cough, to announce his presence. After a moment, a short stout man bustled out from between the stacks of
boxed wands. "Yes, hello? Can I help… ah, young man. What can I do for you? I expect you've had an accident at school,
have you? Need a replacement wand?" Not waiting for a reply, he snapped his fingers. A measuring tape jumped from the
counter and stretched itself down Harry's right arm.

"It happens every year," the stout man continued, as the tape moved to Harry's left arm, then wrapped itself around his
brow. "Some young man suddenly realizes this is his last year at Hogwarts, and NEWTs are approaching, and he panics.
Overgripped your wand, I expect. Or whiplash, was it?"

"No," Harry replied, beginning to relax and be amused. "It just… fell apart."

"Hah! Haven't heard that one before. And what wand type was it before it 'just fell apart'?" The tape, done with Harry's
head, hovered in mid-air waiting for its next instruction.

"Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches."

"Hum." The stout man looked curiously at Harry. "Not a usual combination, that. Let's see…" Another snap of his fingers,
and the measuring tape came to his hand. He looked carefully at it, jotted some numbers on a scrap of parchment, then
opened a ledger book and started turning its pages, searching.

Harry could tell exactly when the penny dropped: the man abruptly paused, his finger on the page of the book, and his
face turned white. He looked up at Harry with wide eyes and goggling mouth.

"I'm afraid so," Harry said diffidently.

The man worked his jaw, but no sound came out for a moment. Then he seemed to recall his wits. "Grand-da!" he yelled,
not taking his eyes from Harry. "Grand-da, it's…! Wait right there!" he shouted at Harry desperately, as though afraid
Harry might evaporate. "Don't move!" Pausing just long enough to make sure that Harry wasn't moving, he darted back
through the shelves and vanished.

Moments later, the stout man returned, walking slowly, with an old man leaning on his arm. Harry recognized Mr.
Ollivander… and as the old man raised his gaze, it was clear he recognized Harry. A broad smile split his wrinkled face.

"Bless my soul, for once the rumours were correct. Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back. And you're here for a new
wand, my, my… Caleb, help me here, if you would?"

The stout man gently lowered Ollivander into a chair, then brought him the book and the parchment with Harry's
measurements. "I'll start with the holly collection, shall I, Grand-da? We've a good variety in stock–"

Ollivander waved him away. "No, I think not. The wands from my workbench, I think. You'll find them on the curing rack.
Caleb's my grandson," he confided to Harry, as the stout man scuttled away. "Not a bad lad, but still learning the
business. He doesn't yet have a feel for the right wand, if you know what I mean, Mr. Potter. His idea to look among the
holly wands… or those with phoenix cores, for that matter…"

"Erm, those would've been my first guesses," said Harry.

With an indulgent smile, Ollivander said, "Your first wand chose you when you were eleven, Mr. Potter, with little
experience with your magic. Subsequent events have shaped you, and shaped your magic… and you are a great deal more
powerful now than you were then. I daresay you'd burst a new holly wand at the seams, directly you tried it." He rested
his chin on his clasped hands and looked off into the distance.

Harry had forgotten how odd Ollivander could act. After a moment of silence, he felt bound to say something. "I remember
buying my first wand from you… we had to try dozens before we found the right one."

"I too remember, Mr. Potter," replied Ollivander, still staring into the distance. "And if we were to sample our usual
stock of wands, I suspect we would have to try many more to find your match today. At eleven, you were untrained: you
couldn't simply use any wand, but only the wand that chose you. Today, you could use any number of wands, even another
wizard's wand, without their being a perfect match for you. Finding a genuine match thus becomes that much more
difficult." He smiled enigmatically.

"Fortunately," he continued, "having my grandson run the shop has allowed me the luxury of time. Time I've spent in
research, Mr. Potter. I've been experimenting with new woods, new cores – and I can't help but feel that there is where
we shall find the wand that chooses you."

*

For a wonder, Hermione had a moment to herself, with no one clamoring for her attention, no explosions elsewhere in the
Ministry. She retired to her office, closed the door (giving Sheryl a look that promised retribution for any intrusion
that wasn't the direst of emergencies), flumped into the chair behind her desk, and let her head fall into her waiting
hands.

I'm missing something, she chided herself. I'm missing something important. It's there, I know it is, and I'm missing
it. I hate when my mind doesn't do what I expect it to do.

No epiphanies revealed themselves to her.

After a moment, Hermione sighed and sat up. She was still Senior Counsel, and as such had an abundance of paperwork
tasks. She'd put them off far too long, caught up as she'd been in other concerns. Perhaps the sheer mindlessness of
paperwork would germinate some fresh ideas.

She picked up the first sheet, saw that it was the final deposition on a case she'd resolved two months earlier, and
dropped it unread. Suddenly, she couldn't bear the thought of reviewing it. Scanning the top of her desk for something,
anything, she could legitimately use as an excuse for ignoring the pile of paperwork, her eye fell on Dennis Creevey's
report.

Well, let's see how they're faring with Lovinett, she decided, unrolling the parchment and smoothing it flat.

The report summarized what she already knew: that some of Lovinett's memories had been sequestered from his conscious
mind. Presumably, they were the memories of his dealings with Blaise Zabini. Peasegood was of the opinion that the
memories would be restored once Lovinett received a code, a key word or phrase.

"Unfortunately, Peasegood hasn't made a lot of progress in breaking through the sequestering," Dennis's report
continued. "Partially because he's been called back to the Ministry to deal with more urgent matters. Partially, because
he's moving slowly and carefully, to avoid the Charm's fail-safes. Peasegood has a plan he wants to try, when he comes
back here. He explained the technique to me in what he called 'layman's terms', meaning he considers us barely out of
infant school; essentially, it's like taking a plaster cast of a lock to see what key will fit it. Once he's done that,
he'll have a better idea of what key words to try. He estimates three to seven days before he's ready to try breaking
the charm."

Three to seven days. With another sigh, Hermione released the parchment and watched it roll itself up again. There would
be no arguing with that estimate: when it came to Memory Charms, Peasegood was the best man for the job.

But… but perhaps we can narrow the search a bit… Hermione chewed her lower lip and began to think in earnest.

We have to assume the "key word" is an actual word, not a series of nonsense syllables. The key has to be recognized by
Lovinett's consciousness in order to affect it, I suspect. Besides, it would be too easy for someone to mumble, or have
a real word drowned in ambient noise, and Lovinett to hear it as nonsense syllables. No, logically it must be a real
word.

By the same token, it can't be a common word. The Cartel wouldn't risk Lovinett's memories being restored accidentally,
by overhearing casual conversation. So we can eliminate words like "pudding" or "owl" or such. Given that Lovinett's a
solicitor, we can likewise eliminate words used in the legal profession, like "tort" or "nolo contendere". Nothing he
might be expected to hear in the course of his daily affairs.

So: words which are recognizable as words, but extremely uncommon. Well, there's no shortage of those. Leptodactylous.
Belesprit. Philotimy. And a host of others. I could name dozens more off the top of my head, but then I've always been
good at word games…

And Hermione froze.

Seconds later, she was pelting down the corridors of the Ministry as fast as her feet could take her, praying she wasn't
too late to avert catastrophe.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

32. XXXII: Fulfilling Commitments, Large and Small

(A/N: Given how he's spent the last few years, it stands to reason that Harry would be a bit more adventurous in his
culinary tastes than Hermione.

The goblin members of the Wizengamot were mentioned all the way back in Chapter XV. And my theories about Artifaction as
the goblins' form of magic were used in some of my other stories, like Restoring Hope </shameless plug>.

Harry's epiphany in the chapter's last bit seems absolute and inescapable, based on what canon has given us.

This is by far the longest chapter to date, but it needed to be. Thanks as always are due to MirielleGrey, my Beta Who
Can Grow People.)

(Disclaimer: I am in awe of those who create universes. My own forte is exploring universes, quite a different thing.
Evidently, many people with the first skill are woefully inept in the second skill. Especially those with surnames that
rhyme with Bowling.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXII: Fulfilling Commitments, Large and Small

*

"When you've dressed yourself," said the Healer at St. Mungo's kindly, "just come down to the ground floor and find
Admin. They'll have a quick bit of parchmentwork for you, and then you'll be free to leave."

Ginny slowly nodded. "And you're sure nothing can be done about…?"

The Healer looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry, dearie, I know how frustrated you must feel. But those memories are gone. We
only kept you for overnight observation, just to make certain there were no other damages to your mind, and there don't
seem to be. Mentally, you're the same person you ever were… minus a few days of memory. And physically, you're in
tip-top shape, which was only to be expected for a Chaser of your skill." She gave Ginny a reassuring smile and a pat on
the arm, before leaving the room.

Ginny took her time slipping out of the hospital gown. She vaguely recalled being brought to St. Mungo's: very
disoriented, unable to track her surroundings, and only slowly regaining her sense of time and place. Evidently she'd
been visiting the Ministry – Ginny guessed she'd gone to support Blaise as he chaired his Conference on International
Crime. She remembered urging Blaise to chair the Conference, as a way of cementing his position within the Ministry –
and as heir apparent to Kingsley Shacklebolt.

She glanced down at the side table, where that morning's Daily Prophet lay. From its banner headlines, it was clear that
the Conference had been completely eclipsed, relegated to back-page status. There'd been an attacker within the Ministry
– she'd been attacked, hit with a Memory Charm. The attacker had also gone after Hermione… and was then caught by Ron.
Ron!

And then… the newspaper seemed to gloss over the details, but… then there'd been a fight, and Hermione and Blaise were
involved, and Shacklebolt had died, and Hermione had died! And then… she'd been brought back to life. Brought back to
life by a hero, himself risen from the grave: Harry Potter.

Harry.

Ginny closed her eyes for a moment, trying to sort through her feelings. Harry… Harry was alive again. Harry had spent a
decade and a half trapped behind the Veil, according to the Prophet. Harry had heroically freed himself by bringing back
Hermione's soul, following its path back to the living world. In a sense, he owed his return to her… and she certainly
owed her life to him.

Another glance at the Prophet showed its front-page photo, grainy and amateurish, probably taken by one of the delegates
at the Conference: it showed Hermione sitting on the floor, Harry kneeling beside her, and the two were embracing for
all they were worth. The angle of the photo was such that only Harry's head, arms and upper torso could be clearly seen,
but he was obviously in his altogether. Hermione's face was in profile… but on the half that was visible, the expression
could only be described as blissful.

Ginny had no illusions about what Hermione must be feeling for Harry now. She remembered perfectly how she felt when
Harry saved her from the basilisk – and that was small beans in comparison to this. She felt a pang of sympathy for
Hermione. But Hermione was married to Ron, with vows that couldn't be set aside. And Harry had always treated Hermione
as the sister he'd never had; that wouldn't have changed while Harry was in the kingdom of Death.

Indeed, to judge by appearances, Harry hadn't changed while in the kingdom of Death. Harry hadn't aged at all: he looked
exactly as in her last memory of him. Ginny glanced at her reflection in the mirror as she buttoned her blouse. She was
trim, in excellent form, her hair shone like fire, and she knew she looked damned hot – for her age.

The idea of a mature woman romantically involved with a schoolboy was… troubling, she had to admit. A bit squicky,
actually. But this was Harry. He wouldn't find her age a problem. Why, he seemed to have a preference for older women,
if his experience with Cho was any indication. And he was seventeen, healthy, and male… No, Harry would come back to
her, just as she'd always imagined. And he'd do so at the moment when his fame couldn't be brighter.

That fame might be useful to Blaise's career. If Blaise's fortunes could be tied to those of The Boy Who Lived Again…
well! Ginny didn't doubt her ability to persuade Harry to join with them. She knew exactly what "arguments" (she smiled
coyly to herself) would sway him best. And Blaise would certainly not complain about the results.

Now if only she could contact Blaise and discuss these developments with him. For some reason, none of the messages
she'd sent to him at the Ministry had been received.

*

Blaise Zabini had grown thoroughly tired of re-reading the Prophet's lead story, complete with its sidebars and
speculations. Thankfully, the story had downplayed his role in the conference room – his actions, and the accusations
leading up to them – but that was its only redeeming feature. Otherwise, it was simply an effusive paean of adulation
for Harry I-Cannot-Be-Killed Potter. With a generous dollop of Granger-Gelato as icing.

At least Potter's homeless and penniless, even if he is alive again, Blaise reflected. And clueless as well: he'll have
no idea of what's been happening in the world, these last fifteen years. He, at least, won't prove a hindrance to me.

Outside his cell door, the three Aurors on watch sat up straighter as footsteps sounded in the corridor. Seconds later,
two wizards stood framed in the doorway: Gawain Robards, and, amazingly, Tiberius Ogden, the Chief Warlock of the
Wizengamot. Blaise hadn't expected Ogden to be included in his deal… Robards must be taking it seriously indeed.

"Gawain… Tiberius," he greeted them easily, folding his Prophet and tucking it under his arm as he rose from his cot.
"Good afternoon. I trust all is well with you?"

Ogden gave Blaise a smile of greeting in return. Blaise acknowledged the elderly wizard, but otherwise paid him scant
attention. Tiberius Ogden was an ineffectual hand-waver, who'd been pleased as punch when he was chosen to be Albus
Dumbledore's successor as Chief Warlock. He'd proven an amateur politician at best, content to let the Minister of Magic
dictate the Wizengamot's agendas. Doubtless Shacklebolt had found that very useful.

Doubtless the next Minister of Magic will find it useful as well, Blaise thought in anticipation.

Robards regarded him neutrally for a few seconds, before brandishing a roll of parchment. "I've prepared our agreement,
if you'd care to look it over…"

Blaise strolled to the cell door and accepted the parchment through the bars. "Of course I'll look it over, but… didn't
Arnold deliver my message?" He knew Peasegood had, and he knew he wasn't going to be allowed a solicitor, but there was
no harm in gently digging at Robards. This breach of the Wizengamot Charter of Rights was quite illegal, after all.

Robards let the dig go by him. "Yes," was all he said, as he gestured at Blaise to read. With a slight sigh, Blaise
unrolled the parchment and reviewed the wording. It was, he noted, a Magically Binding Contract… not that he'd expected
anything less.

He glanced up at Robards with one eyebrow raised. "The language is rather broad, don't you think, Gawain? 'Assist
Magical Law Enforcement and the Auror Corps to the best of my ability'? Please. That wording would require me to donate
my entire fortune to you, if you ever ran over budget." He pointed to the clause in the document. "How about, mm,
'Answer truthfully, to the best of my recollection, any questions from Magical Law Enforcement and the Auror Corps
pertaining to the Cartel," he countered.

With a nod, Robards flicked his wand at the parchment. The clause vanished momentarily, then reappeared with Blaise's
wording… with an addition. "'…and provide Pensieve support for those answers upon demand'," read Blaise aloud.
"Reasonable."

They worked their way through the contract, until both were satisfied with its wording. Blaise handed it back to
Robards, who produced a self-inking quill from his pocket. He signed the contract and passed it to Ogden. Ogden seemed
befuddled as always, but he signed readily enough at Robards's urging. "Well, if you're sure you don't need me anymore…"
he smiled. "I should be heading back to the Council chambers… still some minor cases to hear today…" With an affable nod
to everyone, he departed.

Another person took his place at the cell door: a young woman, carrying a valise in one hand. She looked somewhat
familiar… Blaise racked his memory until he recalled that she worked in the Department of Magical Catastrophes. She
worked under Peasegood, and she was… Mnemosyne Fleming – not an easy name to forget! Under Peasegood, but, he
remembered, not as an Obliviator…

She was one of the Ministry's Legilimenses! "Now I must protest, Gawain! Using Legilimency on me is a flagrant violation
of the Charter of Rights. I haven't yet signed your little contract, after all." He made his voice sound scornful yet
unconcerned, even while he was hastily preparing Occlumency shields within his mind.

"I'm not here to invade your memories," Fleming told him. "I'm here to see that they're uncontaminated."

"Your rights are safe," added Robards sardonically. "But we're not sealing any bargains until I'm sure you haven't been
tampered with." He nodded at Fleming, who raised her wand and pointed it at Blaise.

"Legilimens," she said clearly.

Blaise was now very glad he'd waited until the last moment before completing his plan. He left his Occlumency shields
mostly lowered – enough to prove that he could hide things from Fleming, but chose not to. Blaise could feel Fleming's
psychic magic washing over his mind: a curiously gentle feeling, not like the ripping of memories typical of
Legilimency. It lasted only a few moments.

"Clean," reported Fleming.

"Of course. Are you certain Arnold spoke with you today?" Blaise asked mildly. He returned Robards's scowl with a tight,
patronizing smile as he reached for the contract and quill. A quick scan showed nothing had been added or removed…
flattening it on the table, he scribbled his name at the bottom. The parchment made a soft thrumming sound, showing the
Magical Binding had been sealed.

He rolled up the parchment again. Retaining the quill in one hand, he tossed the contract back through the bars of the
cell door with the other. "What's next?" he asked nonchalantly, seating himself at the table.

"Next comes questioning," Robards responded, tucking the contract into his breast pocket. "I'll ask you some specific
questions, and depending on the answers, I'll have Fleming here extract certain memories for safekeeping. In case of,
let's say, accidents." Behind Robards, Fleming was rummaging in her valise; Blaise could see one of the Department's
evidentiary Pensieves, as well as some implements he couldn't identify.

"Reasonable," yawned Blaise, every fiber of his body affecting an aura of boredom. "I trust you've arranged for
refreshments? For yourselves, if not for me – I can see this will take a while." He withdrew the Daily Prophet from
under his arm and began to unfold it to its back page. "Fortunately, I can keep myself amused until you're ready…"

"INCENDIO!"

The Prophet burst into flames in Blaise's hands. Hastily he dropped it onto the floor, and tried to put out the fire
with his feet, but the flames were persistent: within seconds, nothing remained of the newspaper but fine ashes.
Angrily, Blaise brought up his eyes to see who had treated him so shabbily.

And saw Granger, triumphantly brandishing her wand.

"Damn, Granger, I realize it wasn't a pretty photo," Blaise snarled, "but that's hardly my fault, is it!? Either sue the
Prophet or learn to use a mirror, but don't take it out on me."

Robards, Fleming, and the other Aurors were staring in shock at Granger. "Hermione…?" Robards began.

"Sorry, Gawain," she said, lowering her wand, "but I didn't have time to explain… and I was sure you'd want at least one
witness kept alive and intact."

"For Merlin's sake, how much longer do we have to put up with your endless insinuations?" Blaise turned to Robards.
"Gawain, any promise of cooperation was based on the assumption that I'd be treated with a certain amount of fairness
and dignity. Including Granger in these proceedings gets me neither! She's already proven her bias against me – and I
don't have to put up with her attitude any longer." He crossed his arms in a gesture of finality. If need be, I can
raise questions about the Charter of Rights again… or find little details in the contract to cavil at. Anything, to
distract them, and put off the questioning until tomorrow…

"I'm not staying." Granger smiled at Blaise. It wasn't a pleasant smile. "I just had to make sure you could carry out
your side of the bargain, that's all." She looked back at the others. "It was the crossword puzzle," she explained.

Blaise remained stoic. Robards and his cohorts stared at Granger blankly.

She sighed in the way Blaise had learned to recognize: she was about to lecture. "Remember when Peasegood first
discovered that Lovinett's memories were sequestered? He was afraid that trying to break through the sequestration would
erase all of Lovinett's memories. And now we've seen that happen – to Doukas. Obliviation, sequestration, full mindwipe
– they're all variants of the same Memory Charms. If one can be set to trigger with a key word, why can't all of them?
Doukas was prepared by the Cartel for his mission, with a Memory Charm set to wipe all his memories upon receiving the
key word." Granger glanced back at Blaise. "And they prepared you as well, didn't they, Zabini? Probably just
sequestration in your case, not full mindwipe, but I couldn't take the chance. I'm surprised you did, quite frankly."

"But… I tested him," Fleming said in confusion. "Mr. Peasegood tested him…"

"That's the brilliance of it. I've got to give you credit, Blaise, it was quite ingenious." Granger returned her
attention to Fleming. "You and Arnold checked for signs of sequestration. And you found none – because none of his
memories are sequestered. Yet. But as soon as he receives the key word, the memories we want would be squirreled away.
We probably wouldn't have thought to keep checking him for sequestration, and he could give you perfectly honest
testimony – to the best of his recollection – while still withholding the information we need."

"Then you know what the key word is?" asked Robards.

"Well, no… but I know how it was delivered. Mnemosyne, when you found Doukas this morning… you said you thought he was
ignoring you, right? That he was sitting at the table? What was he doing?"

"I thought he was…" Fleming's eyes widened, and she stared at the pile of ash on the floor of the cell. "He was
reading…"

"This morning's Prophet," Granger finished with her. "We've been assuming the key word had to be spoken – but there's no
reason it couldn't be in print, is there? It came to me just a few minutes ago: The key word can't be a common word in
daily use. But it mustn't attract undue attention, either. So where could you expect to find recherché words and not
think them out-of-place? Word puzzles."

Now she was watching Blaise again, gauging his reactions. He was absolutely determined not to give her a gram of
satisfaction as she continued, "In this case, the Prophet's daily crossword puzzle. Again, it was a stroke of
brilliance. How better to widely broadcast the command in a perfectly innocuous way?"

She gave Blaise that smug half-smile of hers, the one he detested, then turned back to Robards. "If you compare today's
puzzle clues with tomorrow's, there'll be at least one that's repeated. If I were the Cartel, I wouldn't stake
everything on the chance that Zabini sees the Prophet every single day. They'll have redundancy measures. The key word
will appear several times, over several days."

"Which means," put in Robards, growing excited as the possibilities came to him, "that if we were to subpoena the
Prophet for the names of the authors of the puzzles on those days, we might get another lead to the Cartel."

"Certainly worth trying," Granger agreed. She locked gazes with Blaise and gave him a small half-bow, half-salute. Yes,
quite clever of you, she seemed to silently say, but not clever enough.

Fists clenched by his sides, Blaise seethed in impotent fury. He knew no power of Obliviation could ever erase the
memory of her smile of victory, and at that moment he would cheerfully have volunteered all he knew of the Cartel,
accepting the consequences, if for five minutes he could have his hands around Granger's throat.

*

"And here's the last for today," Sheryl said, handing Hermione the case file for her signature. "You remember, Brock and
his Statute of Secrecy violations? Three-member Wizengamot panel heard the case, and it looks like Smith's elocution
lessons paid off. Brock got hit with a hefty fine this time."

"Good. This is his fourth offense," Hermione nodded, flipping through the file. "Open and shut case, really, but I'm
still glad Nehemiah got the verdict. He's needed a win for weeks, now." She began to sign the file off, then paused as
she read the attendees. She glanced up at Sheryl. "You did say a three-member panel…?"

"For a minor case like this? That's normal, isn't it?"

"Yes… but evidently we could have had our pick of judges for the panel. It looks as though most of the Wizengamot were
available today. Including our Chief Warlock… and including Forgelock and Gemhoard!"

Sheryl shrugged. "I think they were holding themselves ready for a summons, just in case someone did convene the full
Wizengamot today. To elect a Minister, I mean."

"Well, yes, but for goblins to wait on humans?" Hermione shook her head in amazement, then quickly signed her name to
the case file and handed it back to Sheryl. "And I strongly doubt the full Wizengamot is going to convene this late on a
Friday night, anyway."

"And speaking of which…" Sheryl waggled her fingers in farewell as she grabbed her cloak from its peg on the wall.
"Don't stay too late!" came her parting shot as she rushed out the door.

She always says that, noted Hermione in amusement. But for the first time in a long time, she felt inclined to follow
Sheryl's advice.

It had been a very full day: preventing Zabini from snookering Gawain; warning the ICW about the sequestration triggers,
lest Castigni try a similar stunt; disinterring the fake body from Harry's tomb (it had been a Transfigured log), which
together with the Gringotts evidence established Harry's identity beyond any doubt. And of course, all the minor crises
that people insisted on bringing to her. She'd barely had a moment to herself all day.

Which was good. Constant work kept her from dwelling on that darkness, deep and inviting, from which she'd been rescued
barely thirty hours earlier. She didn't want to dwell on that land beyond the Veil, morbidly fascinating though it might
be. So far, the only other thing that could make her forget her brush with Death, besides hard work… was Harry.

Sweet Aphrodite, but she loved that man.

It made telling him about her Rebirthday Party that much harder.

Hermione drew a deep breath, and slowly let it out. She put the last few documents into her briefcase and snapped it
closed. Wand raised, she concentrated a moment on her thoughts of Harry – happy thoughts all – and said aloud, "Curry
take-away for dinner." A flick of her wand and a murmured "Expecto Patronum," and her Patronus-messenger was speeding
its way to Enthalpy House. Harry hadn't said he'd be returning to her house that evening... but he'd certainly implied
that he'd be sleeping there for the foreseeable future.

With a smile on her lips, Hermione wended her way to the Atrium, there to Apparate to her favorite Indian market to pick
up dinner.

*

"Hi! I got your message!" Harry announced cheerfully as she Apparated in her living room. "And you're in luck, I know
this great little place in Southall with take-away. Some Rogan josh, a little Murgh makhani… I asked them to go easy
with the spices, I didn't know how hot you prefer your… um…" His enthusiastic monologue slowed and stopped as he saw the
paper take-away cartons in her hands.

"Um…" Hermione looked embarrassed. "I meant I was bringing home curry, not that I expected you to…"

"Ooops," he mumbled.

She had to laugh at that. "Don't worry, Harry. With the day I've had, I'll take all the comfort food I can get. It means
a little more in the icebox, that's all." She eyed him speculatively. "You got naan?"

"I got naan."

"Then life is good." She carried her tandoori chicken and fish biriani to the table, there to join the curries Harry had
brought, and they sat to eat. After a few bites, Harry waved his fork at the take-away cartons. "Comfort food?" he
inquired.

"Rose only left for Hogwarts this month," Hermione explained dryly. "For a working mother, 'comfort food' means 'any
food I myself don't have to cook'." She saw him duck his eyes and return to his eating, and softened her remark. "But,
yes, I've always enjoyed Indian cuisine. This is good, Harry."

"Ah. Glad I could help, then." He spooned more rice into his dish. "Rough day, then?"

"Mm… calling it a full day would be closer to the mark. I'd rather hear about yours, first. You made it to Gringotts, I
understand?"

"And established my identity, no problem," he nodded. "From there, Ollivander's… got my new wand, and it didn't take
nearly as long as I thought it would." With a smile, he drew it from his pocket, brandished it theatrically, and
levitated Hermione's glass of tea.

"Nice. Do you mind if I…?" She held out her hand, and Harry dropped his new wand into her palm without hesitation. He
grinned at her astonished reaction. "What is this made from? It's so…"

"Heavy? Hard? Yeah, Ollivander told me he's been experimenting with his wands. That wand's one of his better efforts:
ironwood."

"There are several types of ironwood, Harry. Did he say which kind?" She hefted the wand slightly, getting accustomed to
the extra weight, then flicked it at her glass of tea and caused it to settle back onto the table. "Is it Brazilian
ironwood, South African, Borneo bilian…?" Or, she continued silently, is it the ironwood I suspect it is?

"He called it lignum vitae. The core is even more unusual: gryphon heartstring. Ollivander said, as far as he knew, it
was unique among modern wands."

"Given the ferocity of gryphons when they're attacked, I would imagine so." Hermione debated on lecturing Harry about
the symbolism of his new wand, then decided against it. If Harry wanted to know, he'd ask, and she'd happily tell him.
But let's face it, she smiled to herself, that wand is entirely appropriate for the Boy Who Lived To Save Others.

"Well, after Ollivander's," he resumed, "I went back to my flat for a bit, then I went out into the field." Harry looked
at her over the tops of his spectacles. "My, er, special projects, you'll recall. I just wanted to follow up with them
while I had the chance. The Cheswrights, the old couple with the dairy farm, remember? They're doing loads better… they
didn't need any more help from me. Um, I think they're the only ones you know about…"

Harry paused, considering. There was the husband who'd turned abusive to his wife when he was drunk – that case had
turned out strangely, but luckily, better than Harry'd hoped. The Cheering Charm he'd cast on the man, triggered when he
did something nice for his wife, had become a sort of Pavlovian conditioning. Now he was constantly looking for new ways
to please her – and from what Harry could observe, she was most certainly pleased.

"Does this mean you're giving up the 'Guardian Angel' business?" Hermione asked.

He shrugged. "It's harder to do without a Stealth Cloak, don't you think?" He smiled shyly at her and added, "Besides, I
don't know that I'll have time for that, if I'm living full-time in the wizarding world again."

Which was the perfect segue for Hermione to tell Harry about her Rebirthday Party, and how their friends and family
deserved the truth about his long disappearance. She opened her mouth… and lost her nerve. Instead, she fiddled with
Harry's wand for a moment, before thrusting it back to him.

He took it with a quizzical look at her face, as though he could sense that she'd had something to say but had decided
to remain quiet. "So…" he said after an awkward moment, "you were going to tell me about your day."

"Ah, my day," said Hermione, seizing on the opportunity for postponement, and rapidly gave Harry a summary of Doukas's
mindwipe, Zabini's plea bargain, and how in the end he'd been forced to cooperate with his memory intact. She concluded
with her concerns about the Wizengamot, and why some members were delaying the selection of the new Minister.

"Tiberius Ogden, our Chief Warlock, can't convene the full Wizengamot, as tradition demands," she finished. "As far as I
can see, all three of our holdouts come from old-fashioned Pureblood families. Oh, they may not have agreed with
Voldemort's methods, but they wouldn't object a bit if his goals had been met. They see themselves as saving traditional
wizarding culture – and they don't see it has bad parts as well as good. They'd prefer Zabini as Minister, warts and
all, because they believe he'd help them save their traditions."

"Mm. I imagine they can't be too blatant about it, though," Harry sympathized. "I mean, the only time I ever saw the
Wizengamot was when Fudge had convened the full lot of them for my trial. When I was tried for defending myself against
dementors, just before our fifth year, remember? Once Dumbledore reminded them they needed to be fair, most of them were
fair. If they're to have any legitimacy, they have to be, well, at least seen to be fair."

Hermione nodded. "Which is how Kingsley and I got so many of our reforms made into law: basic fairness for everyone.
More rights for Muggleborns, better representation for all races – did you know the Wizengamot has two goblin members
now?" She smiled at his open-mouthed surprise. "After all, if the Wizengamot is going to ratify laws that affect their
race, it's only fair that they have a say in those laws."

"Wow… I never would've believed it. I mean, last I heard of goblins, they were still mad at us for keeping their
artifacts and not letting them have wands!"

"That was part of the accord Kingsley came to with them. Really, the goblins only wanted wands as a sign of status. It's
not like they need wands. Their magical artifacts will do just about anything a wandcast spell can do."

Harry hesitated. Her point touched on an idea he'd had, days earlier, while he was waiting in the elves' quarters at the
Ministry. He hadn't dared bring it up with Mr. Ollivander… but Hermione would surely know the answers. "Can goblins even
use wands?"

The question brought her up short. After a moment's reflection, she replied, "They should, at least in theory. Why else
would they want them? I suspect they couldn't use our wands, though… they'd have to have wands designed for them, for
their special magic. You do know that most magical Beings have their own special magic, don't you, Harry?"

"I know that goblins are experts in artifacts: Gryffindor's sword, their bank vaults. Ron's Great-Aunt Muriel's tiara.
And I think the goblins made an unbreakable helmet for Hagrid to give to the giants…"

"Plus, I suspect it was goblins who actually made Dumbledore's Deluminator. They were probably following his directions,
but still…" Hermione smiled as Harry listened intently. "Artifaction is the goblins' speciality, you see. Their magic
doesn't express itself as charms and spells, as ours does, but in the magical devices they create."

She paused and watched carefully as he waved his wand and began to levitate the dishes into the sink. While it wasn't
the level of control he'd shown a week earlier, when he'd still been Master of the Hallows, he did seem to perform the
charm with much less effort than most wizards. Hermione was determined to explore just how much mastery Harry had of his
magic, with his new wand – a very powerful wand, as she could tell from using it.

"Now, giants… you mentioned the giants a moment ago," she continued. "They're a different case altogether. Giants never
had a great deal of magic to begin with, and it's almost entirely spent in simply keeping them alive. The square-cube
law would…" Harry's puzzled expression stopped her for a second. "The square-cube law, Harry. Dating from the time of
Galileo? If you enlarged a man until his height was doubled, his bones and muscles would increase by four times – the
square of the height – but his weight would increase by eight times, the cube of the height. You'd reach a point where,
if all other factors remained unchanged, he'd collapse under his own weight."

"Oh. Okay, you're saying that giants' magic is used to fight this law? To keep them from collapsing?"

"Exactly. Their magic makes them proportionally stronger, and more impervious to damage. Which is why giants are so
resistant to hexes."

"Uh huh." Harry looked lost in thought. "And I suppose merpeople's magic is used to keep them alive under water. And the
centaurs… well, their special magic is, what, Divination?"

"Divination and Healing," Hermione amended. "The greatest Healer who ever lived was the centaur Chiron."

"So… giants and merfolk can't use wands. And goblins and centaurs would need wands tuned to their own special magic.
They can't use humans' wands. Have I got that right?"

"Yes, pretty much. You see the problem now that we've had with some of our more tradition-bound wizards, who seem to
think that the wand is the measure of civilization…"

Harry stopped her. "Then why have a law against it?"

The abrupt question caused her to lose her train of thought. She sat blinking at him in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

"Think back to the incident in the campground, after the World Cup we saw. Ireland vs. Bulgaria," he clarified as an
aside. "Remember how Barty Crouch Junior was there, invisible, and he stole my wand to cast the Morsmordre spell. And
poor Winky was blamed, because she happened to be there with my wand? Remember how Mr. Diggory yelled at her, Hermione?
I'll never forget." He leaned forward and looked grim. "Clause Three of the Code of Wand Use: No non-human is permitted
to use a wand. But if they can't use a wand, why bother with a law?"

Hermione had no ready answer. She sat back in her chair and thought hard. Harry gave her the space to think, busying
himself by placing the leftover curries in the icebox. A tap of his wand brought the teakettle to a boil within a few
seconds; he measured leaves into the teapot, poured in the boiling water, and covered the pot with a tea cozy.

"It must come back to… status," Hermione finally replied. "As I said a moment ago, for many wizards the wand is the very
emblem of their magical essence. For a grown wizard to surrender his wand is tantamount to cutting off an arm or a leg.
In a sense, it defines them. To wield a wand means to be a wizard, and vice versa. And therefore they wouldn't want any
other magical race to be able to make that claim, and take away their uniqueness."

Harry knotted his brows in thought. "Okay. Yeah. Okay, I suppose that makes sense. I guess." He waggled his head,
expressing his ambivalence at the notion that a person's worth was measured by a stick.

And he still had that look of intensity on his face. Hermione's curiosity was piqued. "Why is this so important, Harry?"

"Well, er, it's an idea I had… while I was with your witnesses a couple of days ago. Swivingham's 'working girls', uh,
elves." He twisted his mouth in deprecation. "It's probably a stupid idea… I mean, after all the hard work you've put
into it, this can't be the answer…"

"What can't be the answer?" She found herself drawn deeper into his thought processes… and slightly irritated that he
couldn't tell her in plain English what he was thinking.

Harry rubbed his nose, choosing his words with care. He decided to come to the point gradually. "Our professors at
Hogwarts… they all had wands, didn't they?"

Hermione sighed impatiently. "Yes, Socrates, they did."

"Ha ha. Bear with me, please." He leaned forward again, intent on making his argument persuasive. "They all had wands.
Well, in Hagrid's case, he had his wand when he was still a student. But he was allowed to have a wand, right? And
Flitwick – I remember someone saying he had a drop of goblin blood in him."

"His great-grandfather," Hermione affirmed. "Professor Flitwick is one-eighth goblin, not that it matters."

"It would matter a lot to Voldemort's Death Eaters. Halfbloods and Mudbloods were bad enough, but half-breeds?" Harry
shook his head. "But Flitwick had a wand; Hagrid had a wand; Madame Maxime had a wand. Heck, Fleur Delacour had a wand,
and she's a quarter Veela. Socially, they might be looked down on by the Pureblooded bigots – but legally, they couldn't
be denied wands. Legally, they're all humans."

"Because they all have human ancestry! At least half-human, in Hagrid and Olympe's cases, and much more for the others.
Legally, they'd have to be treated as humans."

Harry fixed her with a hard look. "Is that an actual law? Is it actually written down in the law that anyone with human
ancestry is considered human?"

"Of course it's…" She paused. "Every witch and wizard has the right to carry a wand, by law. Non-humans may never carry
wands, by law. It's implicit that all wand wielders are human, but… you're right, Harry, wizarding laws are based on the
assumption that the offspring of a human is human. It's axiomatic, but never explicitly stated."

"Then you need to explicitly state it as soon as possible." He leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smile.

"I… I don't understand. Why is it so urgent that…?"

"Because humans may not be enslaved," he said, slowly and distinctly.

"Because humans…" Hermione began to repeat his words, then stopped. Her eyes grew huge, and her hand flew up to cover
her mouth. "You can't be serious!"

"Look at it the way I did, and tell me if I'm wrong." Harry began to tick off points on his fingers, tapping them on the
table for emphasis. "Your witness elves, Brillig, Fatima and the rest. If you didn't know they were three or four feet
tall – if you ignore their ears, and skin color – wouldn't you say they looked just like human girls?" He gave Hermione
a moment to absorb that point, then continued. "Fatima told me that elves have to mate where their masters tell them,
and with whom. Didn't we agree that elves were bred by humans? That some elves, like Fatima, were bred for beauty as
well as other traits? Human standards of beauty?"

Another pause. Harry opened his mouth to make his next point, but Hermione spoke first. She spoke in a low voice, a
voice of discovery. "I knew it was true in human history. From the earliest records of slavery… masters have always
taken advantage of slaves, forcing them into sex. I should have realized Swivingham didn't invent house-elf prostitution
– he only brought it into the light. And if humans are cross-fertile with goblins or giants, there's no reason they
can't be cross-fertile with elves. Magic trumps genetics, evidently."

Her gaze locked with Harry. "You're saying that house-elves have human ancestry."

"Yes."

"Your hypothesis, then, is that the original reason for Clause Three was to keep anyone from discovering that fact? And
that reason, never being directly stated, has been all but forgotten, subsumed under wizards' desire to remain dominant
among magical races?"

He half-closed his eyes as he parsed through her statements, then nodded in confirmation.

"I concur." Hermione stood and began to circle the table, hands clasped behind her, thinking furiously. "Pass that one
law, just as you described it, and house-elf slavery would end overnight! Which makes it absolutely imperative that the
Wizengamot convene and select a new Minister – one who's not Blaise Zabini! It should be Gawain, I think – Gawain
Robards, Harry, currently Head of Magical Law Enforcement – the Head of that Department has traditionally been a
favorite for the Minister's position, and he's been sympathetic to our cause for years. I'm sure his name would come up
in any discussion – if we could just get the Wizengamot together to discuss it! Aaargh…"

"Well," offered Harry, "maybe tomorrow you should contact this Tiberius Ogden, and see if he'd be willing to go against
tradition… convene a less than full Wizengamot…"

"Oh!" Hermione stopped short, her cheeks pink. There was no help for it now, she had to tell him… "Um, it can't be
tomorrow. Tomorrow is… well, Ron's taken to calling it my Rebirthday Party." Harry cocked his head curiously, and she
hastened on, "It was originally going to be simply a birthday party, on the Saturday after my birthday, in Hogsmeade, so
Rose could attend. Now… well, now Ron wants to invite others…"

"Um, I suspect he already has. I think Andromeda Tonks was kind of hinting about a get-together on Saturday…" Harry fell
into a reserved silence.

"Ron…" She hesitated, then continued, speaking even more rapidly, "Ron was there when I interrogated Ted Lupin, and made
him admit you were still alive. Ron thinks I owe everyone who was there a complete explanation. But I won't, Harry, not
without your permission. I promised you…"

"Um… Hermione, I really don't want to the truth to get out… too many people wondering where I've been for fifteen years…
I concocted a pretty good cover story, I think, and I'd like to keep it intact." He brooded for a moment. "Ted knows
most of the truth already… I'd imagine he's shared it with Tori Weasley by now… who else?"

"Bill and Fleur. Ron and Rose. Neville. Andromeda Tonks. Professor McGonagall. They're all trustworthy, Harry, and I can
make them take magical oaths this time if you think I should…"

He waved it away despondently. "No, no, I understand. You need to make things right with these people. All right, you
can tell them, but please impress on them that I really want this kept close." He stood from the table; his eyes didn't
quite meet Hermione's as he added, "You might want to hold off about telling them about, y'know, you and me. I'll leave
that up to you." He managed a shaky smile. "I, um, just remembered some things about one of my 'special projects' that I
forgot to do. I should probably take care of that before it gets too late."

With that, he exited the kitchen, only to Disapparate away a second later. It left Hermione confused, until she realized
what had prompted his words. Harry was having difficulty finding his place in the wizarding world again – his fear of
crowds would highlight any feelings of isolation. And now, having learned that he'd not been invited to her Rebirthday
Party, he was still expected to allow all his secrets to be revealed there.

Betrayal would be too strong a word for how Harry was feeling, but abandonment was probably too weak.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

33. XXXIII: Equinox Eve, When More Than the Season Turns

(A/N: I am lamenting the recent loss of two extraordinary fanfic authors – or rather, two extraordinary people, who were
also excellent fanfic authors. Please, take a moment, and raise a glass to the memories of simons_flower and fenriswolf.
Thank you.

While I'm mentioning other authors, I've taken the name of Susan's home from a story by seel'vor, over on ff.net; it was
simply too clever not to use. There's also a Kafkaesque scene in this chapter, which you may recognize when you see it.

I keep promising the Big Birthday Scene, and I keep having other scenes demand my attention first. Still, I felt sure
you'd all want this bit of development, now, rather than wait for a much longer chapter, later. We'll see the party next
chapter, I swear. If nothing else, my beta-reader MirielleGrey will keep me in line.)

(Disclaimer: How to distinguish J.K. Rowling from Paracelsus: One is from Scotland; the other is not. One is a
best-selling author; the other is not. One owns the rights to a seven-book series that has earned millions; the other
does not. One has written works filled with gaping plot holes, dei ex machinis, and massively unconvincing romance; the
other… well, you make the call.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXIII: Equinox Eve, When More Than the Season Turns

*

Giles Yarborough scowled as he poured another snifter of century-old brandy from his decanter. It wasn't that he was
displeased with the recent turn of events, far from it. It was simply that his features naturally fell into a scowl
unless he willed them otherwise. As far as he was concerned, it was part and privilege of reaching the age he had.

He'd instructed his house elf to refuse all owls. The fireplaces were no longer connected to the Floo Network.
Yarborough was "not at home" to all callers. And wizarding etiquette absolutely forbade anyone from simply Apparating
into his home, uninvited, unannounced. In short, he had effectively isolated himself, and would remain so until the
moment was ripe.

Damn Kingsley Shacklebolt, anyway, he groused, moodily settling back into the chair in his study. Things were bad enough
without him shoving in his oar. You'd almost think he knew he was going to die Thursday.

Distantly, he heard knocking at his front door. He picked up his book from the side table, opened it, and took a slow
sip of brandy. It was getting late in the evening – the caller probably wasn't one of his fellow Wizengamot members,
then. A reporter, perhaps. Well, Tippy would deal with the importunate intruder, and Yarborough could return to his
contemplations…

So Yarborough was thoroughly surprised when Tippy poked his head through the study door. The elf waited, as protocol
demanded, for his master to speak first. Yarborough finished reading the paragraph before raising his eyes. "Yes?"

"Excuse Tippy, Master," squeaked the elf, "but the Chief Warlock is being here, and is asking to be speaking with
Master. Tippy is telling the Chief Warlock that Master is not taking callers, no, but…"

He raised an eyebrow at that. Ogden, here? Actually coming to me, rather than vice versa? By gad, there must be more
pressure for a new Minister than I thought. Pressure on him. Good. Perhaps it will make him readier to listen to reason.

"Show him to the study, Tippy," he ordered, and resumed reading. Moments later, he heard footsteps at the study door,
and raised his eyes again to greet his visitor. "Tiberius," he said, smoothing his face into a smile, "how good to see
you. That will be all," he told the elf, who bobbed his head and retreated, closing the door behind him.

Setting aside his book, Yarborough rose from his chair to clasp Ogden's hand. "Really, old fellow, I wasn't expecting
visitors during my little sabbatical. Very good to see you, yes indeed." He gestured with his snifter. "Care for
something to take off the night chill? The Cognaçais never produced a finer."

"Don't mind if I do," Ogden accepted cheerfully, and the two ancient wizards spent a moment with their snifters,
savoring the bouquet before carefully sipping. "Superb," announced Ogden. "I've always said you had impeccable taste in
wine, Giles."

Yarborough smiled again, the quintessential polite host. It's too late for a social call, you old fool. How long will it
take you to come to the point of your visit? We both know what it is.

Ogden took another sip of brandy. "But I fear your timing in the political arena is somewhat less so," he added, quietly
but firmly.

Well, that was more direct than I was expecting. "I'm not sure I know what you mean, Tiberius," he said, continuing the
play. "I've simply taken some time away from…"

"Codswallop," Ogden interrupted – he actually raised his voice and interrupted! It was almost amusing. "You know as well
as I what's happening here. We have an obligation to convene at once upon a Minister's death – not dally until the
candidate we might favor becomes available."

"If such a candidate is head and shoulders better than any other choice, should we saddle our government with an
inferior Minister, merely to avoid appearing laggard?" In a way, Yarborough was glad that the issue was now in the open.
He'd longed to have this discussion ever since Shacklebolt first took ill. "Come now. The slightest of delays to provide
us the best possible Minister – that doesn't seem like a bad bargain."

"Carry that reasoning too far, Giles, and we might convince ourselves to wait months, even years, for the 'best possible
Minister' – even stipulating we could all agree on who that might be," rejoined Ogden. "While in the meantime, the
Ministry must struggle on without direction, failing even in its primary responsibilities."

"Oh, you're exaggerating, surely. The Ministry bureaucracy can carry on for a good while, I suspect, without needing our
appointee to tell them what to do." Yarborough raised his glass in mock salute before taking another sip of brandy. It
was time to begin negotiations in earnest. "Still, there's no denying that we are expected to select a new Minister with
all deliberate speed. We will need some time to prepare, and of course the general populace will want their opinions
heard. So – I would think Tuesday will be the earliest we could reasonably begin…"

"I'm convening the full Wizengamot tonight."

Yarborough snorted. Automatically, his features had fallen back into their usual scowl. "The full Wizengamot convenes
when the full Wizengamot chooses to convene, Tiberius. No one summons us…"

"Cornelius Fudge did. If you'll recall, he once summoned the full Wizengamot to try a trivial offense – a charge of
Underage Magic. Utterly ridiculous, but as Minister of Magic, he had the authority, and we were forced to assemble."
Ogden looked uncomfortable, as though he'd have preferred to be anywhere else but here confronting Yarborough. He
finished his brandy in a gulp, set the snifter on the sideboard, and squared his shoulders. "And I find it written in
our By-Laws that the Chief Warlock likewise has the authority to summon the full Wizengamot. The fact that Albus
Dumbledore never did so, doesn't mean he couldn't. You know as well as I, Giles, that wasn't how Albus worked."

"No," conceded Yarborough, "no, it wasn't." Though he gave no sign of it, inwardly he was plagued with sudden doubt. He
didn't recall that clause appearing in their By-Laws – but he had to admit he didn't know the By-Laws well enough to be
certain it wasn't there.

It must be so, he concluded silently. This is Tiberius Ogden. The blitherwit hasn't the stones to bluff me.

"So you've come to tell me this – personally? I daresay I'm flattered."

"That, and make sure all was well with you. Not confined to your bed with dragonpox, or somesuch. I am glad to see you
up and about." Ogden extended his hand. "Well, Giles, you'll forgive me, but I fear I must be pressing onward – I still
need to visit Wimple and Harkiss tonight." Those were the two other members who had retreated into seclusion.

"The Wizengamot will meet tonight at ten o'clock, in our chambers," he continued. "Most of us have been there all day
today, you understand…"

"A bit over the top, since only three needed to be on call," Yarborough reminded him. Three members of the Wizengamot
were always available at the Ministry, should Magical Law Enforcement need a panel to judge a minor case that day. More
members would be called in, of course, should a major case need empanelling.

"Perhaps they felt they should hold themselves ready," said Ogden. "I hope Wimple and Harkiss prove as amenable as you
have." He sighed, as though in regret. "My fear is that they might simply not show up, even after being officially
informed of the summons."

You dodderer, I'm surprised the possibility even occurred to you. I certainly don't intend to leave my home tonight at
your beck and call. You still won't have the full session tradition requires…

"Because, should that happen," Ogden concluded, "I'll have no choice but to call for a vote to replace them."

Yarborough choked on his brandy. "You can't!"

"Well, I can, actually. It's the same procedure we follow when one of our members dies or resigns, after all: the
remaining Wizengamot votes in a new member to fill that seat." The Chief Warlock gazed coolly at Yarborough. "And I
would suggest that, once having been officially informed of a summons to attend, a member who chose not to attend – and
who wasn't ill, of course – had effectively resigned. Proven nonfeasance of office."

"I… I would… would expect either Harkiss or Wimple to contest his removal." Yarborough was forcing himself to remain
calm with great difficulty. "Popular sentiment… gross abuse of power… and it's not as though we had candidates at hand
to replace them!"

"Oh, but we do," Ogden said equably. "For instance, I was thinking of Neville Longbottom."

Yarborough's scowl became a snarl of pain and surprise. Neville Longbottom: Leader of the Hogwarts Resistance. A hero of
the Battle of Hogwarts. Scion of an ancient Pureblood family whose lineage made Yarborough look like an upstart parvenu.
Order of Merlin, First Class. Former advisor to the Auror Corps. Young, handsome, charming, and popular, Longbottom
could have any empty seat on the Wizengamot for the asking – and probably any occupied seat, for that matter.

Nevertheless, Yarborough made one last attempt at derailment. "Longbottom?" he scoffed disdainfully. "Longbottom hasn't
the slightest interest in government. He could have had Merrythought's seat, when she died seven years ago, but he
preferred to remain a teacher."

Ogden nodded. "But seven years ago, Harry Potter wasn't available to ask a favor of one of his best friends."

They locked gazes, the moment of silence becoming a long, stretched minute of mute tension.

"Ten o'clock is too late," Yarborough finally said. "Many of our more elderly members are barely able to stay awake at
that hour. Let us say, Monday at noon."

"Let us say, tomorrow at noon."

"I will be there," grated Yarborough. He turned away from Ogden, not wishing to give his opponent anything that might be
construed as satisfaction, and waited for Tippy to escort Ogden out.

*

Tiberius Ogden returned from Wimple's home with a spring in his step, or perhaps a jaunt in his Apparation. He arrived
at the Apparation Point in the Ministry Atrium, and with a nod to the late-shift guard, took the lift down to the ninth
level of the Ministry. From there it was a short walk downstairs to the Wizengamot chambers – and his private office as
Chief Warlock.

He nodded and beamed at the many Wizengamot members still in the chambers, milling about restlessly. Several of them
returned his glance with one of expectation, but Ogden gave his head a quick shake to put off their inquiries. Not
permitting himself to be caught in a conversation, he strode directly to his office, entered, and swiftly closed the
door behind him.

"You were right, lad," he said, half amazed and half exultant. "You were absolutely right. Giles was deliberately
holding back. And Harcourt and Wendell were following his lead…"

Harry rose from his chair in the corner of the room, where he'd been writing a letter to his godson Ted. It had taken
his mind off the crowd of people, on the other side of the door – and besides, Ted deserved to learn the truth of
Harry's life before anyone else.

He gave the Chief Warlock an encouraging smile, while inwardly wondering if the old gentlemen were playing with a full
set of gobstones. Hermione'd certainly known that the three recluses were making a political move – it had been so
obvious. Even Harry, unversed in politics, knew that when someone showed a radical change in their behavior, it was
worth investigating.

All he said, however, was: "I'm glad I could help, sir. Things just weren't adding up, somehow."

"No, no, they certainly weren't. Thank you so much for waiting here whilst I… er…"

"Delivered your ultimatums?"

Laughter bubbled from Ogden's lips. "Yes, exactly! I never dared attempt a maneuver of this magnitude before, and now to
do so three times in one night…!" He sobered somewhat, regarding Harry with a small, avuncular smile, and after a moment
gave Harry's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Did I ever tell you how much you impressed me, the first time we met? Fudge's
ridiculous hearing on your bout of Underage Magic. You would have faced Fudge and his jackals, with no support
whatsoever – we had no idea Dumbledore would show, after all, so how could you? – and yet there you were, unapologetic
and unafraid." He ducked his head, almost bashful, and added, "I, er, I resigned from the Wizengamot because of Fudge's
actions, you know."

"I know," Harry nodded.

"I've always found your courage to be, well, inspirational," Ogden confessed. He stepped to the bookcase by the desk,
resting his hand on one of the shelves. Harry now saw that the shelf contained several books and pamphlets, devoted to…
him. Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, Revised was nestled among some thinner books; Harry was disgusted to see
one prominent volume, Chosen To Die: The TRUE Story of Harry Potter, by Rita Skeeter. Recalling Skeeter's hatchet job on
Dumbledore's life story, Harry swore to buy himself a copy – for the sole purpose of tearing it to shreds and stuffing
it down Skeeter's throat.

But Ogden was still speaking. "And this evening, facing our recalcitrant members, I imagined you present in the room,
watching me as I brought them to heel, and I…"

Harry forced a light laugh. "Enough," he said, raising a hand in protest. "Enough! You're going to give me a swelled
head. Just remember, I wasn't there tonight, sir – everything you've done, you did on your own."

"Yes, I know… but I just wished to thank you, nonetheless. For spurring me… and also, for everything you've done in your
life… you know, it's seldom one has a chance to thank a hero posthumously. And I can only imagine what a shock it's been
for you, to return to the land of the living. This…" With a jerk of his head, Ogden indicated the Chief Warlock's
office, where he'd given Harry much-needed privacy. "This was the least I could do."

Harry couldn't help but grimace at the recollection. He'd had to steel himself to come to the Ministry this evening.
True, he'd tried to convince himself that it was a Friday evening, when few would be working late, and the chance of
being seen was slim. And it had almost worked – oh, the guard at the front desk had done a triple-take, between the
unusual wand and the recognition of The Boy Who Lived Again, but otherwise his luck had held until he'd reached the
Wizengamot chambers.

Where, faced with at least twenty people who recognized him at once, and had begun to approach, he'd frozen in place at
the entrance. His mouth had gone suddenly bone-dry, which only made sense, since his palms were sweating so badly…

And the Chief Warlock had shown that, while politics might not be his forte, he was a master of social situations. He'd
immediately bundled Harry into his private office, putting a door between Harry and the world. And Harry, once he'd
calmed somewhat, had explained his errand – and his request.

A request which Tiberius Ogden was now proud to report had been accomplished. "In just a minute I'll inform the members
outside that the full Wizengamot will be convening tomorrow, at noon – with the selection of the new Minister of Magic
being our primary order of business." He gave Harry a sly smile and added, "I don't suppose you'd care to nominate
anyone…?"

Harry shook his head twice, hard, but with a disarming grin. "Don't look at me! I've been way out of touch, remember? I
don't even know who's in the running. As long as it's…" He caught himself before he finished the sentence. As long as
it's not Blaise Zabini had been what he was about to say – and that, after all, was the whole reason he'd braved the
trip to the Ministry in the first place! Hermione couldn't promote her vision of elven freedom if Zabini were Minister.

But he couldn't say that to Ogden. He couldn't even tell Ogden what he knew about Blaise Zabini. Otherwise he might have
to explain how he knew. "As long as it's someone Kingsley Shacklebolt would have approved," he finished. "Pity no one
thought to ask him."

"Well, but poor Kingsley was mortally ill…" Ogden paused, and frowned slightly. "One would have thought, though, that
being so ill, he'd have taken especial care to recommend a successor. Wasn't like him to be so… ah well, de mortuis nil
nisi bonum and all that."

"Yeah," said Harry slowly, as a notion occurred to him. To gain a moment to think, he folded closed the letter he'd
written, and addressed it to Ted at Hogwarts. "Do you have an owl I could borrow? I'd like to send this tonight."

"Not a problem, my boy," Ogden responded genially, accepting the letter. "Wizengamot owls are among the best in the
world – they have to be. Anything else I can do for you? You've but to name it."

"Mmm, just wondering… if Kingsley'd wanted to recommend a successor, who would he talk to?"

Ogden blinked, as though the idea were new to him. "Oh. Well, I suppose… he'd have discussed it with me, as Chief
Warlock. Failing that, of course, he could have simply owled his recommendation here to the Wizengamot chambers."

"It wouldn't get, um, lost accidentally? I mean, what if there wasn't anybody here to receive the owl? Or what if… what
if he'd brought it here himself?"

"Brought it himself? In his condition?" Ogden shuddered. "No matter. In either case, my boy, there would be someone
here. There are always at least three members on call in our chambers. You know, to provide a speedy trial, in case the
Department of Magical Law Enforcement has a minor malefactor…"

Harry couldn't stop himself. He took a step closer to Ogden – his expression suddenly intense, his emerald eyes gleaming
with some arcane light from within – and he stopped the Chief Warlock's discourse with a single, focused word. "Three?"

"Er, yes, the minimum necessary for a judicial panel…" Ogden fell silent as the implications finally dawned on him. "You
don't think… I mean, even they wouldn't dare…!"

"Oh, I don't think they'd dare destroy a letter from the Minister of Magic," Harry said darkly, "but it might get
misfiled. Not discovered again until it was too late." His gaze met Ogden's. "I think, if I were you, I'd confirm which
three of your gang were on call Thursday, when Kingsley died. And then I'd do a thorough search of your chambers here,
before tomorrow's meeting. And finally, I'd keep it all very close to your vest… if I were you."

"Close to my vest?" Ogden seemed unfamiliar with the idiom.

"Well, let's say that if you find anything… interesting…" Harry smiled. As long as it isn't Zabini's name, he amended
internally. "Then you should save it as a surprise for tomorrow at noon."

*

Neville Longbottom stared blearily at the owl that stood on his desk, waiting for a reply. What did I do to deserve, not
one, but two owls from the Chief Warlock this evening? he griped silently.

The first owl had brought a short note, giving no explanation, but asking him merely to "keep himself available by his
Floo connection" around ten o'clock. That hour, of course, would have fallen right in the middle of his scheduled
night-time patrol of the school. He'd had to arrange with Zacharias Zebulon to swap patrols, and Zebulon had been
unwilling to swap: Neville had been forced to remind Zebulon of his little Transfiguration mishap earlier in the month,
the repercussions of which were still causing headaches among the Hogwarts staff.

But he'd arranged to be available, and ten o'clock had come and gone and… nothing had happened. And then came this
second owl, with the message that "the crisis had passed." Crisis? What crisis? And why was it so important that I be
available? I have to wonder if Tiberius is growing just a bit senile – maybe he's confusing me with my dad, or
something.

He turned over the parchment, scribbled "Thanks for telling me. Good night," on its back, and refastened it to the owl's
leg. "And this is it. No more owls tonight, thanks," he told the owl. The owl did a thing with its wings which Neville
interpreted as a shrug, and took off.

"Errrrrrgh…" Neville sighed and tried to rub some of the fatigue from his eyes. "I suppose it's not too late to find
Zebulon, and swap back," he muttered to himself. "Finish tonight's patrol…"

"Or you could come to bed," said a voice from behind him, as two slim hands found his shoulder muscles and began
kneading them.

He felt the tension begin to melt away, and his good humor return. "Ah, Miss Trollope," he smirked, "putting in for
another private tutoring session?"

A thwap to the back of his head was his reward. "That had better be the only thing anyone's putting in anywhere," his
lover scolded him. "Prat." She softened the sting of her words by circling around to Neville's front and planting
herself on his lap, her arms around his neck.

"Strangely enough," he said mildly, "so far this year, I've had almost no seventh-years ask for some 'one-on-one' time
with the Defense Professor. By a remarkable coincidence," and he smiled as she settled into his lap, wiggling her bottom
as she did so, promising more to come, "the news about us seems to've made the rounds with amazing speed." He pulled her
close to him, and they shared a passionate kiss – while he combed his fingers through her hair.

Susan Bones had preferred to keep her hair plaited while they'd been at Hogwarts. A few years ago, she'd considered
cropping it short, in the style of her late Aunt Amelia. That, of course, was before Neville had remarked in passing how
much he'd always liked her hair. She'd ended up not cutting her hair, rather the opposite: now it was a cascade of long
dark tresses, flowing past her waist.

She still kept it plaited during the day – it was too long to manage, otherwise – but she let her hair free at night, so
Neville could admire it. As he was now…

"Anyway," she continued, "let Zacharias finish tonight's patrol, since you've already swapped schedules." She paused,
tilting her head, considering. "What exactly did he do, by the way? To be beholden enough to you to…"

"He was sloppy." Neville tried to return to the kissing, but Susan pulled back slightly – wearing the expression he
recognized as her I-want-explanations-mister-and-I-want-them-NOW look. She probably learned it from her aunt, years ago,
he decided. Sooner or later, he'd have to find a way to resist it.

"Zebulon decided his fourth year Transfiguration classes needed a change from the established curriculum. Instead of
Transfiguring guinea fowl into guinea pigs, he decided it would be fun if they were Transfigured into aardvarks
instead." He couldn't keep the disgust out of his voice as he continued, "And, with his usual foresight, he made no
provision for caging the bloody things once they were Transfigured. So naturally, they escaped. The entire staff's spent
the last two weeks hunting them down – and we still haven't caught them all."

Susan began to giggle. "You mean to tell me, that somewhere at Hogwarts there's an aardvark…?"

"Actually, somewhere there are two aardvarks… humph." Neville sighed in exasperation.

"In any case," said Susan, refusing to be diverted, "Zacharias doing the rounds tonight means you can be rested for
Hermione's party tomorrow. But only if you come to bed now." She rose from his lap, took him firmly by the hand, and
tugged him from his seat. Obediently he followed her into the bedroom.

"Bossy witch," he growled as she began to unbutton his shirt, "are you going to be like this when we're married?"

She paused in her ministrations, and gave him a wry half-smile. "From your mouth to God's ear," was all she said, but
Neville knew she was as bothered by their situation as he was. They loved one another, they'd discussed marriage for
years – and this summer, they'd finally decided to take the plunge – but ironically, precisely because they were both
Purebloods, their path was barred by practical difficulties.

Both Neville and Susan were the heads of their bloodlines. Extensive holdings came with those positions. Neville had and
held Longbottom House, which had been his family's home for more than 700 years; he spent every summer there, though he
had quarters at Hogwarts during the school year. Susan likewise owned her family's ancestral home, The Ossuary. It was
unthinkable that either should sell their house: both felt a strong filial obligation to keep the property in the
family.

It made planning for a life together somewhat difficult.

Their mood more somber now, they finished preparing for sleep. No more was said between them until they were in bed
together, with the lights out. Neville held Susan close in his arms, while she used his shoulder as her pillow.
"Something odd did happen today, though," Susan finally said softly. "I was asked if The Ossuary was for let."

"You really think someone's interested?" Neville murmured.

"Hard to say. I mean, whoever it was, they only sent their house-elf to inquire, which doesn't exactly inspire
confidence, does it?" She sighed deeply and snuggled closer.

"Ah well, we'll see," he said sleepily. "Wish I could bring you with me tomorrow…"

"I wasn't invited, love," she reminded him. "And anyway, didn't you say you're going to have your hands full with your
Three Little Gryffindors?" Susan smiled to herself as Neville's breathing grew regular. "I'll be fine. Now sleep,
darling. You'll need your strength in the morning. Trust me."

*

Harry didn't know exactly what reception he expected upon his return to Enthalpy House, but he was fairly sure that a
frenzied tackle wasn't it.

He stumbled backwards against the wall, but managed to stay upright as Hermione wrapped her arms around him. "Whoa,
whoa, whoa," he said as soothingly as he could. "I wasn't leaving for good, honest. I told you I had some errands…"

Hermione loosened her grip slightly, just enough to draw back and look him in the face. Her expression, oddly enough,
showed none of the anguish or concern he might have imagined, given the greeting he'd just received. No, her expression
was… well, fierce. Harry was uncomfortably reminded of how many times she'd been described as brilliant but scary, and
always aptly.

She brought her hands from behind his back to seize the front of his shirt. Without saying a word, she walked firmly
backward, drawing him along, until they arrived in the corner of the living room she used as her study. Standing on the
desk was a standard postal owl, with a small scroll tied to one foot.

Releasing her grip, Hermione turned and addressed the owl. "Go ahead, deliver it." The owl gazed steadily at her. "Harry
Potter," she prompted it, "care of Enthalpy House. You have the address. Please deliver it." As though puzzled, the owl
cocked its head at Hermione. It didn't so much as glance at Harry.

After a moment, Harry tried for a light remark. "Ah, me. Snubbed again…"

Her fierce gaze, transferred back to him, cut off any further comments. "You've been back in the wizarding world for a
full day now, at least. Have you yet received any mail?"

"Er…"

"As I recall, after your Quibbler interview, you received dozens of owls. I would have expected ten times that for a
hero returned from the dead. Offers of business deals, offers of support – hell, offers of marriage! But you've received
nothing." Hermione gestured at the postal owl, still waiting patiently. "That gave me an idea… so I set up this
experiment to verify it. This owl doesn't seem to sense your presence – even when you're standing right in front of it!"

With something akin to anger, she turned back to the owl and untied the scroll from its leg. Then from her pocket,
Hermione pulled out another small scroll and offered it to the owl, which took it in its beak. "All right, then, you can
take this one," she muttered. With a flap of her hand, she shooed the owl off the desk and watched it fly out the
window.

"I can only conclude," she finished, confronting Harry once again, "that disposing of the Hallows didn't quite eliminate
their effect on you. Owls couldn't find you for fifteen years – and it looks like they still can't." She thrust the
scroll at him almost like a dagger. "Here."

With a certain trepidation, Harry unrolled the scroll to read:

Madam Hermione Granger requests the presence of Mister Harry Potter at a celebration to be given in honour of her being
brought back to life by him on Saturday that's tomorrow at noon and don't let's even bother with the favour of a reply
because if you so much as consider not attending I will cancel the entire party because there is no way in hell I would
have it without you. Git.

He looked up from the scroll to discover Hermione standing very close. He couldn't understand why she was still glaring
at him – or why she'd begun jabbing at him with her finger. "The next time you think there may be a problem," she told
him frostily, "with your returning, with your friends, with us, talk to me about it. Don't. Just. LEAVE!" She maintained
the furious look for another few seconds… then softened, and added more quietly, "Please, Harry. I'm always so scared
you'll go away again. Please, please, talk to me?" The last word was no longer a demand, but a humble request.

"I'll…" Harry swallowed nervously. "I'll try, I promise. I mean, I know my reaction these days to trouble is avoidance…
but I've already promised I wouldn't leave you." The words caused them both to relax slightly. He gestured with the
scroll. "And… er, I would of course be delighted to attend. I can shop for a gift tomorrow… but I'll be there. Thank
you, Hermione."

Only after he'd seen the broad smile spread over her entire face did he relax completely.

"Right, I think we should assume that Ron tried to invite you, but that his owl couldn't find you," Hermione said,
embracing him again. "Not that it matters, since this is my party and I can invite whomever I please. Honestly, Harry,
did you think Ron would deliberately exclude you? Of, if by some mental lapse he wanted to, do you think I'd let him?"

Put that way, it did sound a little juvenile. Harry was about to say so when he found further speech impeded… Hermione's
mouth being pressed against his, and all. The cognitive portions of his brain gave a figurative shrug and went on
holiday for the next several minutes.

"So," she said, once they'd relocated to the couch, "I didn't finish telling you about my day. Ron brought me a birthday
present." She paused dramatically, and finished, "A divorce."

"He… what? But I thought…" Harry was taken aback, but only for a moment. "Oh! You mean… he figured out, just like you
did, that your wedding vows were gone?"

"And he thought he'd surprise me with a formal notice for the Records Office," Hermione nodded. "I am now officially, as
they say, foot-loose and fancy-free. Or I would be," she added thoughtfully, "if my fancy weren't already taken. I blame
you for that."

"Yeah, that's me, always striking while the iron's hot… well, something was hot," he grinned.

She blushed slightly, but continued, "I guess I'm bringing this up because, well, we will both be at my party tomorrow.
Along with Ron… and Rose."

Harry sobered at once. "Ah, I see. You plan to tell Rose…?"

"Ron and I need to tell her that we're still her parents, and that we still love her – but that we're no longer
married." Hermione bit her lip worriedly. "I doubt it will come as much of a shock to her. I mean, we've worked hard to
keep our, er, frictions out of her sight, but I'm sure she's aware of them." She met Harry's gaze evenly and continued,
"But in the interests of minimizing her distress, I'd like to hold off telling her about us."

"'Hold off'?" Harry was momentarily unsettled. "Not tell her…?!"

"Not because I'm ashamed of being with you, Harry, or because I don't think she'd approve! It's not that at all! Only, I
don't want to force too many changes on her all at once. Once she's accepted that Ron and I are no longer married, we
can ease her into the concept that you and I are together."

"Um, all right. How long do you reckon that will take? Maybe… tell her at Christmas?"

"Even that may be too soon… but let's tentatively plan on that, yes." She moved closer to him and put one arm around his
waist… her body language reassuring him that she still wanted him with her, that any issues with Rose would pass. "You
could continue to stay here, if… if you want. I know I'd love it. But… but it might make it easier for Rose to accept us
if, at least at first, you were to live somewhere else. I'm hoping you'll still spend most of your time here, because
goodness knows I can hardly bear to be separated from you, and I can only hope you feel the same way…"

He chuckled, and cut off her rambling with another kiss. "Hermione my love, I don't want to cause any problems between
you and your daughter. I suppose I can find someplace else to stay for a while. Clayman's flat is probably out, but…
oh." He cut off abruptly as he recalled the earlier scene at Clayman's flat.

"Harry? What is it?"

"Er. Well, I didn't finish telling you about my day, either. When I was at Clayman's flat this morning, Brillig showed
up. She, er, she offered to… um… bond with me."

There was a moment of eloquent silence.

"You said no, of course," Hermione finally said flatly.

"I certainly tried to say no, but, er, you know, elves don't speak English all that well…" At Hermione's indignant
glare, Harry sighed and looked away. "Right. I wasn't emphatic enough. I will be, next time."

"For your sake, I hope so." She reached out a finger to his chin and turned his head to face her. "Because let me remind
you: if our reforms become law, Brillig will be legally human. She won't be able to 'bond' with you as a slave. Your
idea, I might add."

Hermione told herself it was ridiculous to be concerned about Harry losing his heart to… to an elf. Still, for the
moment she avoided mentioning the fact that, as a legal human, Brillig would be free to marry any wizard who fancied
her. That was a fact best left unspoken until after their reforms were made law.

For now, she made her voice stern. "And I would strongly suggest you not consider hiring her as a free agent. I've seen
the way she looks at you, Harry Potter, and while I know you'd never take advantage of her, she'd certainly try to take
advantage of you."

"Plus, it would break poor Canby's heart." He leaned forward until his face was a scant inch from hers. "But more
important, there's only one female of any race I want sharing my bed, and I'm looking at her now."

Hermione laughed at that, a laugh born of relief and a pure, bubbling joy. "Is that so?" she asked, artfully maintaining
the distance between their mouths, despite his efforts to merge them. "I will point out, good sir, that we haven't
actually done it in a bed yet."

Harry joined in her laughter. "Is that so?" he asked, and repositioned his hands until they touched her bare skin.

The next instant, he'd Side-Along Apparated her from the living room to the bedroom – from the couch to just an inch
above the bed – and, clean contrary to all known theories of magic, he'd Apparated both of them out of their clothes.
They fell onto the bed, still laughing, still holding one another, as Harry concluded, "Well, we'll just have to remedy
that, won't we?"

And they did.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

34. XXXIV: A Very Merry Rebirthday To You, Yes You

(A/N: NOT a good few months for me, sorry.

I'm only now starting to recover – but that said, I'm back now. I want to thank all those who worried about my welfare…
it was not misplaced, and I appreciate it. I've a couple of chapters left in which to wrap up the story, tying up
various loose threads (or else giving enough hints to let the readers tie them up as they prefer… which I don't mind in
the least). Many thanks to my best of betas, MirielleGrey, who, had she known what she was signing up for, might not
have answered that e-mail two years ago.)

(Disclaimer: (Jeez, two disclaimers.) Disney inspired the title of this chapter; I own nothing of Disney's. J.K. Rowling
and Warner Brothers inspired this entire story; I own nothing of Rowling's or the Warners'. I'm not making money from
this work, and more to the point, none of them are losing money from this work, so let's let everyone get back to their
fair-use pastimes, 'k?)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXIV: A Very Merry Rebirthday To You, Yes You

*

It felt wrong. And it was confusing, which made it doubly wrong.

This new place was… inviting. One normally associates "inviting" with "warm". Only this was cold… so dark, and so very,
very cold. She could tell she was being welcomed in this new place, but in the same way the sea welcomes a sinking ship.
It's not as though the ship has a choice.

Neither, for that matter, does the sea.

She did her best to look forward to this next great adventure, but she couldn't shake an icy pang of regret. Very sharp
regret, piercing her heart… if only she could remember what it was.

And suddenly, there was warmth. Not the distant, aloof light that beckoned her onward, but a much more personal warmth:
two gentle hands surrounding her, sheltering her, sustaining her. They drew her from this chilling, inviting darkness
and bore her back whence she'd come. She didn't object, for her thoughts grew clearer with every step of the journey
back. It was as though the warmth of the hands brought their own light, brought clarity. The warmth of those hands meant
she had no further use for hoary regret. For she knew those hands.

Harry's hands.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes. Pre-dawn light was filtering through the window, giving a rosy tinge to Harry's skin.
She was spooned up against his back, with her arms around his torso. Odd, when she'd been dreaming of his arms around
her. Not that it mattered a whit, she realized: it was infinitely comforting either way.

"And you're so better than my old pillow," she murmured.

"Mmmm?" Harry mumbled.

Never mind, she told him, silently and indulgently, and gave the back of his neck a kiss before she snuggled in closer.

"Mmmmph," he mumbled again, more strongly. "Whuh time zit?"

"Far too early. Go back to sleep."

For a moment, she thought he had indeed gone back to sleep. Then he began to rouse from bed, carefully disengaging her
arms from around him. "'s your party," he said, only slightly better than mumbling. "Got t' get ready…"

"At this hour?" Hermione was puzzled – they had several hours before the party began.

"Your present," he explained, growing more coherent. "Thin's to do…" Standing, he swayed for a moment before picking up
his new wand from the nightstand.

Puzzlement had been replaced by dismay – she'd have much preferred him to stay in bed with her. She'd been hoping that
he'd prefer it, too. "You're going out? Now? But I'd thought… well, that is, I thought we'd go to the Three Broomsticks
together…"

A Summoning Charm and a Switching Spell had brought Harry's clothes from the sofa (where they'd been discarded the night
before) and arrayed them on his body. He stretched, was rewarded with a popping sound from his shoulder, and turned back
to smile at Hermione. "If I'm back in time, yeah, we definitely should go together… but no matter what, I'll meet you
there." His smile grew tender. "I'll be there, love," he said very earnestly.

And with an almost inaudible puff of air, he Disapparated. Presumably back to Clayman's flat, for shower and clothes… a
daily ritual which grew more irksome every day. Hermione almost changed her mind about Harry not yet moving into
Enthalpy House; she had to remind herself with some force that Rose would need time to accept the new developments in
their lives.

"You'd better be there, mister," was all she could find to say.

*

Waiting at the massive front doors of Hogwarts, Ted Lupin fingered again the two scrolls in his pocket – the scrolls
he'd received just the evening before. One was from his godfather, revealing in detail the secrets he'd had to keep from
Ted for so many years – secrets Ted only knew in vague outlines. Given all that's happened, Harry had written, I thought
you deserved to have the facts. The scroll confirmed Ted's belief that some of those secrets, at least, would be shared
at Hermione's Rebirthday Party today.

The other scroll was from the rebirthday girl herself, keeping her promise to tell Ted all she could about the Lovinett
caper he'd helped her with, earlier that week. Not that she could yet tell him all that much, but it was her willingness
to keep her word that impressed him.

There may be hope for the overbearing control freak yet, he told himself in charity.

Voices from down the corridor caused him to straighten expectantly. He caught a glimpse of straight silvery blonde hair,
and behind it a bird's-nest of fiery red, as Tori and Rose turned the corner. Professor Longbottom was with them,
talking with them as they approached. "Because by rights, Miss Weasley-Minor, you wouldn't be allowed into Hogsmeade
until your third year," the Professor was explaining. "Even under these special circumstances, you can't go to town
unless your Head of House accompanies you. Besides," he added more cheerfully, "I was invited, too. Oh, good morning,
Mr. Lupin."

"Morning, sir. Are we waiting for anyone else?" Ted thought it prudent to ask… though he was fairly sure of the answer.

"No, we're the lot. The Headmistress was invited, but had to decline," Professor Longbottom replied, as the doors
automatically opened before them. "The press of Hogwarts business, I'm afraid. I promised to tell her if anything
interesting happened." His tone made clear that he fully expected that eventuality. With an expansive gesture, he
motioned the three students to walk ahead of him. They set out down the path to the school's gates, Ted taking the lead,
the girls falling into place on either side of him.

"Pity this isn't really a Hogsmeade weekend," he commented. "Rose, we could show you all the best spots in
town…Honeydukes, the Shrieking Shack, the important places… I mean, yeah, the Three Broomsticks is great and all, but
there's a lot more to Hogsmeade than that."

"Until then," added Tori, "Ted and I will have to visit those places alone. For the next two years. At least."

If Rose caught the subtext of Tori's last remark, she gave no sign. Well, she did give a quick, cheeky grin, but she'd
been doing that a lot since she'd caught Ted impersonating Lovinett. Not quite as awestruck as she was at the start of
term, no indeed.

"You think I'll be able to get a butterbeer today?" she asked them eagerly. "I've heard of that…"

Ted couldn't help but smile. It had become something of a rite of passage at Hogwarts: the First Butterbeer. Ordered by
every third-year on their very first Hogsmeade visit. Even the kids who grew up in Hogsmeade looked forward to it,
having been too young before then to be allowed in a pub. Leave it to Rose to want a two year head-start on her
classmates. "I dunno," he drawled. "I imagine your mum will say you're still not old enough. Although," he added
thoughtfully, "if they let you have a butterbeer, maybe they'll let me have some wine…"

"Wine?" inquired Tori, arching an eyebrow.

He twisted his mouth ruefully. "Our date at the Idée Fixe showed up kind of a gap in my education, don't you think?"

"Oh, you do that every time you open your mouth," Tori assured him smugly. "But yes, your ignorance of wines is, beyond
doubt, simply appalling. I told you to visit Shell Cottage more often last summer – we'd have served you wine every
night with dinner. Maman thinks everyone should have at least a minimal appreciation of fine wine – even the English."

"Prime. Can she vouch for me today?" Ted put on his most innocent expression. "One glass?"

Tori eyed him speculatively. "Mm, maybe I should be the one vouching for you… after all, I'm the one who's got to walk
you back to Hogwarts." She gave his arm a reassuring pat. "Don't worry, I'll try to make your first time an enjoyable
experience."

Ted returned a slight smile of acknowledgement, while hiding his surprise. Yeah, he and Tori had been semi-flirting
since before the start of term… but until now, they'd been careful not to do it in front of Rose.

"A Chenin Blanc, I think," Tori continued, warming to her subject. "It's a good choice for a novice: sweet and
uncomplicated. Later I'll let you try something with a bit more subtlety: a Vouvray, maybe, or eventually a
Pouilly-Fuissé, that one's very nice…"

Unexpectedly, Rose broke in. "Sounds like a good plan. White wines are a good introduction, 'specially if you don't
limit yourself to French stuff…"

"And how would you know anything about wine?" Tori demanded.

Rose shrugged. "I do read." She looked back at Ted, who was maintaining an uncharacteristically discreet silence.
"'Course, once you've tried the whites, you can move on to red wines. Reds are supposed to have a lot more character
than whites."

"Well, yes, traditionally," allowed Tori, "although there are exceptions both ways. The problem with reds, of course, is
that you have to wait years until they're properly matured, if you want to enjoy the more interesting nuances." She
sniffed dismissively. "Young reds are hardly worth drinking."

"On the other hand," Rose pointed out, "the whites reach their peak so quickly – a year? Two years? And then, just as
quickly, they go sour. While a good red continues to improve as it ages, until it reaches its full body and flavor."

Tori smiled sweetly. Ted was all too painfully familiar with that sweet smile; the better part of valor told him to fall
back a pace or two, letting the two girls continue their discussion without him being right there in the middle. "Mm,
that can be the case with the reds," she said, "but in those cases, the varietal in question was a quality vintage to
begin with."

"Oh, I don't think that's something Ted needs to worry about," Rose replied, just as sweetly. She met Tori's gaze
unabashedly

Ted continued to retreat until he found himself by Professor Longbottom's side. "They're, uh, they're not really talking
about wine any more, are they?" he softly asked the Defense Professor, who was looking far, far too amused.

Longbottom paused to consider his words. "If I were you, my boy," he said confidentially, "I'd stick to butterbeer."

*

They arrived at the Three Broomsticks to catch Madam Roswitha, the proprietress, bustling out from the private parlor.
"The rest of your party's already here," she told them with a smile. "I've just brought in your lunch, and put a Warming
Charm on – eat whenever you're hungry." A hint of slyness crept into her smile as she added, "Bon appétit."

Hermione was standing at the door when they entered the parlor. She greeted Neville warmly, Rose with a big hug, a
bright smile for Tori and a somewhat more tentative smile for Ted. He nodded affably and let the others receive the
brunt of her attention. Watching her, it seemed to Ted that she kept half an eye on the room outside the door, as though
she were expecting more guests to arrive.

Ted had only a moment to reflect on this before he was caught up by his grandmother. "Stand straight and let me look at
you," Andromeda declared. "Staying out of mischief this term, I trust?"

"As I always do, Gran," he grinned.

"Hrmph." Andromeda's mouth pursed skeptically. "Well, if it were anything serious I'm sure I would have received an owl
by now." She glanced over Ted's shoulder, saw Ron moving to the center of the room, and lowered her voice to add, "We'll
catch up on news later. Right now, I think the party's about to begin."

"Ahem," announced Ron loudly. "Thanks, everyone, for coming today – I appreciate it, and I know Hermione does, too. We,
er, we don't have any real festivities planned… except lunch, of course…" That got a laugh from the guests, all of whom
were familiar with Ron's love of food. "But this is the day to celebrate our Hermione's birth, and more importantly, her
recent re-birth." He beamed at Hermione as the other guests applauded.

"Of the two, I have to say the latter ranks more highly with me at the moment," Hermione responded wryly as the guests
chuckled. "But yes, thank you all for coming. May I suggest we eat first, and save… er, talking for later?" She motioned
to her guests to queue at the sideboard. Hermione held back, making sure she was last in the queue… always with one eye
to the door. It wasn't obvious unless one were watching her closely – and Ted, who was watching Hermione closely,
thought he saw disappointment flash in her expression, before it was covered with a social smile.

Ron and Bill were first to the sideboard, chatting and trading recent family moments. Fleur followed her husband, with
Tori and Rose next in queue. "Huh," Ron remarked as he began to fill his plate, "S'funny… I don't recall the Broomsticks
ever doing fancier than bangers or shepherd's pie." He hesitated over some of the dishes, looking doubtful.

Fleur, always the gastronome, came to his rescue. "Well, that is shepherd's pie, in that pot," she told him, pointing.
"This is poached salmon, with…" She touched the tip of her little finger to the dish and brought it to her tongue. "With
dill sauce," she continued. "Not at all bad."

"A bit beyond the Broomsticks' touch, in my day," put in Bill. "Maybe the new owner – what's her name, Ron? Roswitha? –
maybe she's trying for something a bit more adventurous."

"If so, she has good tastes," Fleur replied. "As well as an understanding of her customers. None of this is haute
cuisine, to be sure, but…" She studied a meat pie for a second before taking a knife and slicing into it. "Strasbourg
pie. The filling is pâté de fois gras, do you see? All the dishes are like this: country fare, but well prepared."

"Sounds good to me," said Ron, and helped himself to the shepherd's pie. Fleur continued to inspect the offerings on the
sideboard, until her gaze paused at a casserole dish with a baked crust of bread crumbs. "Surely that is not… It is!
Cassoulet. Did she use local game, I wonder…?" She ladled a sample onto her plate and took a delicate taste.

Momentarily, her face went blank, as though she were searching inward. Then without warning, Fleur thrust her plate at
her startled husband and marched out of the parlor.

"Ooookay," said Ted in a low voice. He glanced at Tori, who shrugged. "My mum," she whispered to him, "what can one do?"
It was Tori's usual comment whenever Fleur got a bee in her bonnet; the only thing to do was to stay out of her way.

Half the guests had served themselves from the sideboard, and taken seats at the table, when everyone heard a commotion
outside the door – noise growing louder by the moment. Noise which eventually resolved into words: "Ow! OW! C'mon, ten
minutes, I only need ten, five, oh dammit Fleur, stop!"

And into the parlor strode Fleur, with her finger and thumb leading Harry by the ear.

The party gawked in amazement: only Ted had the presence of mind to observe the others' reactions. Hermione's face had
lit up brightly upon seeing Harry; Rose's jaw dropped, and she almost seemed to forget how to breathe. Ron and Neville
looked as though they would have rushed to Harry, to poke and prod him and make sure he was the genuine article. But no
one moved: Fleur's dramatic entrance left them stunned and immobile.

In the gobsmacked silence, Harry freed his ear from Fleur's grip with a swat of one hand and an angry jerk of his head.
"I wasn't finished," he told her through clenched teeth.

"Pas de ça, Harry," responded Fleur. "The meal is served; what is left to do?"

"The cake," Harry snapped. "I wasn't finished icing the cake. You know, the birthday cake!?"

"Er," came a hesitant voice from the doorway. Rosewitha stood there, having followed Fleur and Harry from the kitchen.
"Er, I could do that for you, Mr. Potter. I wouldn't mind, honest! And it would give you a chance to be with your
friends…" Her words faltered in the face of Harry's glower.

After a moment, the glower softened into resignation, as Harry gave a despondent sigh. "Et tu, Roswitha?" He regarded
the landlady a moment longer, trying to gauge her culinary skills, before gesturing with his hands. "You do the top
first, and then work down the sides," he instructed. "Light, circular strokes…"

"Mlle. Roswitha does not need to be told how to ice a cake," Fleur interrupted sternly. "Sit down, Harry. No, don't
bother getting food, I will bring you your plate. Sit." And she all but forced him into an empty seat at the table –
providentially, the empty seat Hermione had been saving.

Harry sighed again, glanced back at the door where Roswitha was still shyly waiting, and flapped his hand at her, as
though to say, Go ahead and do it. Roswitha beamed and left quickly. Harry gave Hermione a quick sidelong look, and
shook his head sheepishly. "Well, you did say you wanted to sample my cooking. Happy Birthday, Hermione."

Hermione said nothing in words, but her hand found Harry's beneath the table – and the squeeze she gave made clear she
would never let him go.

"It's true, then?" Bill leaned forward and fixed a sharp gaze at Harry. "Victoire's story – about finding you working as
a chef in a Muggle restaurant – that was true?" Tori preened smugly, but had the sense to say nothing… though her
expression spoke volumes.

"Alors, Bill, of course it's true," Fleur said, sliding a filled plate in front of Harry before taking her seat next to
her husband. "How else would I know he was here today? The mysterious M. Clayman had quite the distinctive style. Adding
wild muskseed to the cassoulet – I will have to remember that one."

"Right, right, whatever," said Ron, leaning forward and starting to scowl. "So – all this time, when we'd thought
You-Know-Who had killed you…"

Harry jumped in. "He did kill me, Ron. Let's have no confusion about that. I went into the Forest that night expecting
to die, and I died. That part of the official history is true. And last Thursday, at the Ministry – when I came through
the Veil out of Death's domain – that part's true, too. It's, uh, everything that happened in between that's not what
most people think." He looked around the table. "But before I can tell you exactly what happened, I need you all to
agree to keep it secret. Seriously secret. I mean it – trust me, once you hear, you'll understand why."

The guests looked at one another. Neville broke the pause. "I told Hermione a few days ago that I'd be willing to take a
wizarding oath, Harry. I think we're all still willing."

"I don't need anything that formal…" Harry started to say.

"Actually, Harry, maybe you do," Ron interrupted. "Since the last time we all got together and promised to keep mum, the
word got out anyway." He met Hermione's eye unwaveringly. "It was me. I told the story – told it to someone I thought
wouldn't blab, but that's not the point. I was wrong. So I can't speak for anyone else, but I think I need to have some
kind of binding put on me."

"Ron, it's not that easy to…" protested Neville.

Ron snorted mirthlessly and pointed a finger at Hermione, who had remained silent throughout. "Nev, old bean, I'll bet
you Galleons to gobstones that our Hermione has already thought of this, and has a bit of parchment in her bag – with
jinxes on it just like the ones she put on our old D.A. membership list. Hopefully not as nasty, though?"

Hermione blinked in surprise. Lifting her purse into her lap, she opened it and brought out a parchment sheet. "Not as
nasty," she agreed, "but more effective. The D.A. jinx only told us after Marietta snitched on us. This one will
actively prevent it if anyone should try."

"Yeah? What does it do?"

Her only reply was that quiet, confident half-smile that caused everyone in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to
tread warily. Ron closed his mouth with a gulp.

"Ah. Well, perhaps you'll allow me to hold off on signing my name," said Neville, calmly enough. "I did promise Minerva
that I'd tell her about today's events, after all. I trust no one would have any objection to my doing so?"

Harry glanced quickly at Hermione, raised an eyebrow in inquiry; she gave the slightest of nods in reply. "Of course
not, Neville," Harry said, with scarcely a hesitation. "All right, Ron, you sign Hermione's scroll. Anyone else who
thinks they might need help keeping this secret, should sign their names too. But I know for a fact," and here he turned
his gaze on Ted, "that a promise is all that's needed to keep a secret – if you mean it."

*

Once everyone present had promised, one way or another, Harry settled into his chair and started eating. He wasn't
particularly hungry – tasting while cooking was a chef's traditional prerogative. Rather, eating was a calculated move
on his part: he hoped, by example, to get the others eating as well. Listeners with mouths full of food weren't likely
to interrupt, he felt, and well-sated eaters might be less combative in their questions. Not that questions would dismay
Harry much: he'd already decided to stick to the truth where he could. An abridged edition of the truth, but the truth
nonetheless.

"Since Thursday, I've had a chance to hear the official version of what happened, the night I died," he began. "That
bit's all true: I was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. I did go to Voldemort in the Forest that night, and he did hit me
with the Killing Curse… and I died. But I didn't stay dead. I came back… minus the Horcrux. Mind you, I came back too
late to help with your final fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters – but from what I understand, you all did just
fine without me."

"I saw your dead body," Neville said quietly. "You didn't… stay dead?"

Andromeda Tonks spoke up. "You actually rose from the dead? How?"

Harry couldn't help grinning. "Except for me and Hermione, everyone at this table was born and raised in the wizarding
world, am I right? How many of you remember the Tales of Beedle the Bard?"

Only Fleur and Tori didn't raise their hands. The others looked puzzled, wondering what possible connection Harry's
death and resurrection could have to a set of children's stories. It was Ron (who, after all, had been with Harry and
Hermione when Lovegood had explained the Tale of the Three Brothers) who saw it first. "It was the Hallows, wasn't it,
Harry? You're saying you got all the Deathly Hallows? You're… Master of Death!?"

"When I walked into the Forest that night, I was Master of all three Hallows," Harry said, sobering. "The Cloak, well,
I'd had that since my first year at Hogwarts. The Stone, it turned out, was inside the Snitch that Dumbledore'd left me
in his will…"

"Rendering it utterly useless until it was too late," grumbled Hermione. It was obviously a sore point with her.

"And the Elder Wand… well, it turns out that when Draco Malfoy disarmed Dumbledore, that night on the tower, he became
Master of the Elder Wand – even though he never knew it. So when I disarmed Malfoy, at Malfoy Manor, I became the Master
of the Wand – even though I didn't know it. But yeah, that night in the Forest, I was Master of all three Hallows."

(Harry chose not to bring up the idea Dumbledore had suggested, when they'd met for the last time at "King's Cross":
that Harry's blood in Voldemort's body had somehow anchored Harry to life. It sounded too much like having his own
Horcrux for Harry's comfort… and frankly, given Harry's first-hand experience with Horcruxes, it just didn't feel right
to him. Survival through being Master of the Hallows, even without knowing it, at least sounded plausible… at any rate,
Harry hoped his friends would accept it, because otherwise he had no explanation.)

"So, as the Master of Death," Ron concluded, "you could decide to come back to life. How did you…?"

"Wait a moment, Harry," Neville interrupted. "You say Voldemort killed you? Honestly killed you?"

"I was honestly dead," Harry affirmed. "My spirit went to the land of the dead and everything. Hey, I had to die – it
was the only way to destroy the Horcrux inside me."

"Hm, all right, but… but then, why didn't Voldemort become the new Master of the Elder Wand? From what I recall of
Beedle's stories, isn't that how the Wand went from Master to Master?"

Harry smiled wryly. "Believe me, Neville, I've had plenty of time to wonder that myself." He turned to Hermione. "You
were there in the Shack when Voldemort killed Snape. Remember that?"

"I do, yes," she frowned. "He killed Snape because he thought Snape was the Wand's Master. He knew the Wand wasn't
performing properly for him, so he took what he thought were the necessary steps."

"And that, in itself, should have been a clue," Harry pointed out. "After all, if Grindelwald could steal the Wand from
Gregorovitch, and become its Master, then Voldemort should have been able to steal the Wand from Dumbledore's tomb to
become its Master as well – regardless of who its prior Master was."

"So the fact that he wasn't…" Hermione said slowly, thinking hard. Her brown eyes seemed to focus on far infinity as her
brain processed everything she knew about the Hallows, about Lord Voldemort, about Death…

Sharply her gaze snapped back to Harry's face. "Voldemort had made Horcruxes! And by doing so, he'd isolated himself
from Death's influence!"

"He'd cheated Death," Harry nodded. "Heck, by making one of the Hallows into a Horcrux, he insulted Death. And Death
didn't like it, not one little bit."

"Harry, you're speaking of Death as though it were a man," Fleur admonished. Her attitude seemed a touch patronizing to
Harry, and he had to swallow his flash of irritation.

"Girl," he corrected her, causing her to frown in return.

Hermione waved the issue aside. "Whatever the case, it's always problematic to mix Death magics together. I think it's
safe to say that, when Voldemort altered the influence of Death on him, the artifacts associated with Death would no
longer work properly for him. Voldemort could never have been Master of the Elder Wand, no matter who he killed to get
it."

"Fascinating though all this may be," interjected Andromeda, sounding very businesslike, "I'm more interested in hearing
what you did after you returned to life, Harry – and when exactly this took place. You were Master of the Wand – may I
assume you're the one who summoned the Wand from Voldemort's hand during the last battle?"

Reluctantly, Harry nodded. Given a choice, he would have glossed over the details; Andromeda's question was a little too
specific for his liking. "From the sounds of things, the battle ended almost immediately after that. And that… that was
the point at which I decided the Hallows had to be destroyed. And I've spent the last fifteen years working on that."

"So you just… up and left," said Bill, half-asking and half-concluding. "Because if you stayed and told everyone you
were alive…"

"He'd have to explain that he was the Master of Death after all," finished Hermione. "Can you imagine what a mess his
life would have been after that? The number of people who would have wanted favors? The Ministry's reaction?"

"I wasn't thinking of any of that," Harry corrected. "It was more like… the only way to destroy the power of the Wand,
and I guess all of the Hallows, was to die undefeated. That's what Dumbledore intended to do, when he had the Wand… but
it only took one slip on his part for Draco-I'm-So-Inbred-It's-A-Miracle-I-Have-Opposable-Thumbs Malfoy to become Master
of the Wand. I couldn't risk that. And the only way to avoid it… was to leave." He sighed. "Looking back on it, I think
the Hallows themselves were helping me make the decision… keeping me from feeling regret. Being the so-called Master of
the Hallows didn't mean they weren't affecting me."

"So you lived as a Muggle," Tori burst out, "and took a job as a chef. Where I found you."

"Where you detected me, petite. It was Hermione who found me – and figured out a way to destroy the Hallows without me
waiting to die undefeated. Or committing suicide, if I didn't care to wait."

"Not funny," Hermione growled.

"No, it wasn't." Harry sipped his butterbeer. "Ahh. Merlin, I've missed this. Right, so Hermione deduced that binning
the Hallows through the Arch in the Department of Mysteries – returning them to Death – would get rid of them
permanently. I went to the Department of Mysteries to do that, on Thursday… and I was there when Hermione died. So I,
uh, I went through the Arch after her…"

"You what!?" exploded from Ron and Neville together, while Ted managed to keep his own remarks to a strangled "guh".
This part of the story he hadn't heard.

"I went through the Arch," Harry repeated, "and negotiated with Death, as you might say… and left the Hallows behind in
exchange for bringing Hermione back." He smiled warmly at her. "And the rest, you know."

"Damn," muttered Ted in awe, "damn, damn, damn. Just when I thought I've heard it all…" Harry shrugged modestly and
returned to his food. He pretended not to notice Andromeda chastising her grandson for language.

Ron leaned forward again, a sure sign he was coming to his point. "Let me get this straight," he demanded, his voice
rougher. "Your trip to the Ministry on Thursday… that was when you returned to the wizarding world? No other visits
before then?"

Ah, of course, thought Harry, Ron's "nightmare" of me, warning him to treat Hermione right. Harry hadn't given specifics
of the timing of his return: he wanted everyone to accept the unspoken assumption that there'd been a gap between
Hermione tracking him down and his trip to the Department of Mysteries. The last thing he wanted was for Ron to suspect
where he'd been spending his nights, this last week.

Not because he had any reason to be ashamed – but because it was nobody's business. This part of the tale, Harry wasn't
willing to share.

So Harry put on a puzzled expression. "Not as such," he replied. "Well, I was in contact with Ted for years, as you all
know now. I had obligations to fulfill, godfather obligations… luckily, he turned out to be a decent bloke to be around,
which was an added bonus." He grinned at Ted, and Ted grinned back. "But we kept all that in the Muggle world."

Ron wasn't satisfied. "You never came to, uh, to Diagon Alley…?"

Harry looked convincingly surprised. "Why would I come to Diagon Alley? I was trying to stay hidden from the wizarding
world!" His gaze was level, his eyes wide, and he didn't flinch from Ron's stare. Harry at seventeen couldn't lie worth
a damn, and certainly not to Ron. Harry at thirty-three-but-looking-seventeen had well-honed talents of deception… and
asking a rhetorical question wasn't even lying, technically.

And, patently, Ron was buying it. He sat back in his chair, looking momentarily bemused, before obviously dismissing the
matter, smiling warmly again, and returning to his food.

Under the table he felt Hermione's hand squeeze his thigh, and looked up to see her watching him with an almost neutral
expression. Only the slight tightening of her lips told Harry how put out she was… probably because he was still hiding
bits of the full truth. Or more likely, because I didn't warn her in advance I was going to do it – or tell her what my
story was going to be.

He ducked his head toward her and gave a quick, pleading glance. Follow my lead, he wanted to mouth silently, but didn't
– he could only hope she got the message.

"I suppose I can see why you wouldn't want a great deal of this made public," Andromeda said thoughtfully. "It would
reflect badly on you, should the idea spread that you'd abandoned our world – oh, I understand why you thought you had
to leave," she smoothly forestalled Harry's protest, "but that's how many would see it. And while we wouldn't go out of
our way to publicize your story, I don't see that it would do any real harm if it got out, either."

Harry blinked – now Andromeda was sounding like she was lecturing him. What was up with everyone today?

He took another sip of his butterbeer to give himself a moment to gather his thoughts. "If it were only my… well, call
it my convenience," he said at last, "I'd ask you not to talk about it, but I wouldn't bind you to silence with oaths or
the like. My reasons are more important." He sighed. "Voldemort nearly took over the Ministry, but he did it from behind
the scenes. Don't you remember the point when he himself took the offensive, when he personally led his armies? It was
only after he'd got the Elder Wand."

He waited under he saw nods of understanding around the table, then continued. "Now think back to Grindelwald…"

"I'm not that old, Mr. Potter," Andromeda put it dryly.

"Duly noted," Harry smiled. "Think back to what we've been taught about Grindelwald, then. He'd been working for power
behind the scenes, too, only it was with Hitler's Zauberstaffel. And he didn't act publicly until he'd got the Elder
Wand… when was that, Hermione?"

"Early in 1942," supplied Hermione, "coinciding with the completion of Birkenau. No one's ever been able to prove that
at least some of the deaths there were used as human sacrifices in magical rituals, but personally, I'm convinced of
it." She raised a hand as Harry looked about to continue. "Your point, I think, Harry, is that the last few Dark Lords
all sought the Elder Wand, and became most dangerous only after they'd acquired it. I find myself agreeing."

"Um, actually, Harry… wouldn't that be a reason," Ted ventured, "a good reason to tell people the Elder Wand was gone,
then?"

"Oh, but that wouldn't prevent future Dark Lords from rising," Harry explained. "It'd only cause them to skip a
traditional step along the way. No, I think it's better for future Dark Lords to keep looking for the Wand – and not
finding it."

Ted smirked wickedly. "I like it! A prank on Dark Lords wannabes! If they waste enough time looking for the Elder Wand,
maybe they can be stopped a little sooner." He raised a finger in deliberate imitation of one of his teachers. "Ah! But
if we can't tell anyone Harry destroyed the Elder Wand…"

Tori joined in. "… then we can't tell anyone that Harry ever had the Wand…"

Rose piped up. "… which means we can't tell people he left the wizarding world to live with the Muggles, or they'd want
to know why…" She blushed and fell silent.

Which left it for Ted to summarize. "… so we have to make sure they believe the official version, that he's been beyond
the Veil for all these years!"

"In a nutshell," Harry affirmed, clapping his hands softly at their performance.

*

Once consensus had been reached that no one present would tell Harry's tale, the Rebirthday Party continued in a far
more relaxed vein – certainly from Harry's point of view. No one insisted on interrogating him further, which helped
immensely. He ate and drank, and listened attentively: as Neville told anecdotes from his Defense classes; as Bill
described the globetrotting he'd done over the years, working for Gringotts; as Ron brought him up to date with the
world of professional Quidditch. At Hermione's request, he showed off his new ironwood wand, passing it around the table
(Hermione gave a brief lecture on ironwood's properties as she used it to refill Harry's glass), and letting everyone
marvel at its density.

Everyone, in short, seemed to be relaxing a bit, and enjoying the conviviality of the party. Everyone, that is, but one
person.

After her one outburst, when she'd been caught up in excitement thinking aloud with Ted and Tori, Rose Weasley had
fallen silent again. She seemed to concentrate on her food – at any rate, her gaze never left her plate – and she
resisted her parents' occasional efforts to include her in the conversation.

Well, she is the youngest person here, thought Harry, and that's got to be awkward. He waited until Ron's end of the
table was laughing at some remark… then he leaned forward slightly, to bring his head closer to hers. "We haven't been
formally introduced," he said, his voice low and confidential, "but I'm very glad to meet you. You're Rose, yes?" He
smiled kindly. "Did you like the library index? Ted thought it would suit."

With a bright blush that betrayed her Weasley heritage, she nodded mutely. Harry's further attempts to draw her out were
interrupted with a hail from Bill – and a reminder that, alas, the interrogation was not yet over. Far from it.

"So what are your plans, Harry, now that you're back?" asked Bill. "I mean, do you have a place to live? And what about
work? I daresay any Quidditch team in the country would be eager to have you…"

Harry shook his head. "For my fame, maybe, Bill. Not for my skill. Remember, in real time, I haven't played Quidditch in
years." He smiled wistfully. "I have to admit, though, I'm looking forward to getting back on a broom. As for where I'll
live…" He glanced sidelong at Hermione, and gave a nervous cough. "I was sort of hoping I could impose on my heir and
godson."

"Live at Grimmauld Place? Well, of course!" Ted exclaimed. "By rights it ought to be yours, anyway. And old Kreacher
will go into heart palpitations when he sees you…"

Andromeda cleared her throat. "I do not think that's advisable, Harry. Not that I disagree with Teddy, but… well, Teddy,
this is a bit of the news I wanted to share with you. My sister has written me, and has asked to live at Grimmauld Place
for the foreseeable future. With certain conditions, I plan to permit it."

"Your sister… Narcissa Malfoy?" Ron asked incredulously. "When in Merlin's name did she get out of Azkaban!? And more
important, how!?"

"Early next week. It was through a bargain she made with the Ministry – I don't know the specifics." She glanced at
Harry as she added, "Her son Draco is also being released, and I plan to permit him to stay at Grimmauld Place as well,
under the same conditions. You can see why you might not wish…"

"Right, got it." Harry didn't look at all pleased… but more to the point, Ted noted, neither did Hermione. In fact, she
was eyeing Ted as though he were responsible for inviting the Malfoys into Grimmauld Place. After a moment, she nodded
to herself, as though she'd reached some conclusion – and turned back to Harry, dismissing Ted from her thoughts. Ted
couldn't contain a small sigh of relief… dodged another hex, he thought.

"I suppose, if there are no other options…" Hermione began.

"Actually, Harry…" Neville began at the same instant. They stopped talking simultaneously and flashed smiles at each
other. Each gestured for the other to continue, until Hermione won the politeness match.

"Actually, Harry," Neville began again, "there's one place for you to stay that's obvious. More than obvious: people
will expect it, I imagine. Certainly so, if you intend to maintain the public perception that you've spent all these
years behind the Veil, and come back the same age as when you left." He smiled serenely and dropped his bombshell.
"You'll have to return to Hogwarts and finish your seventh year."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

35. XXXV: Rain of Anvils

(A/N: No, of course this chapter doesn't say everything I wanted to say. Yes, of course this means the story will be
prolonged even further while I wrap up loose ends. One of these days I've got to learn pacing. I'm sure my
long-suffering beta reader, MirielleGrey, will appreciate it.)

(Disclaimer: If I never claimed to be JK Rowling, or making money off this story, how can I disclaim it? Logically,
don't you have to do something before it's possible to undo it?)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXV: Rain of Anvils

*

Neville smiled serenely and dropped his bombshell. "You'll have to return to Hogwarts and finish your seventh year."

Harry was too nonplussed to speak at first. After a moment, deciding that Neville was making a joke, he began to laugh.
"Oh, I don't think so, Professor." His laughter died when he saw most of the other adults at the table were seriously
considering the idea.

"I'm not joking, Harry," Neville insisted. "Aren't you seventeen? Or, I should say, isn't that what you want people to
think? To the vast majority, if you're seventeen, then you're a seventh-year student at Hogwarts, period. So if you want
to reinforce the public perception of you…"

"And you know," Bill added gravely, "almost any employer is going to insist on seeing your NEWTs, even if you are Harry
Potter." His attitude seemed more than a little patronizing to Harry, for some reason – just a touch shy of
condescending, in fact, and Harry found it rankling.

It moved him to object more strongly than he might have. "Fred and George did fine without NEWTs, as I recall. NEWTs
aren't mandatory. I'll find work – it's not like I'm really a helpless teenager, after all. Besides, it's too late to go
back to school now, term's already begun."

Neville waved the objection aside. "We're barely three weeks into term. You should have no trouble catching up with the
rest of your class – as you say, mentally you're not a teenager. And if you do need help, I feel quite certain we can
find a seventh-year willing to tutor Harry Potter for a couple of weeks."

"That's true, Harry," Ted felt bound to interject. "We could ask Prudence Boomhalter, she'd be a perfect partner for
yoomgkph-OW!" The termination to his suggestion was caused by Tori's elbow to his ribs arriving only milliseconds before
Rose kicked him in the shins under the table.

"You," Tori hissed in his ear, "are not helping." Rose's face was as red as her hair, but that didn't keep her from
looking daggers at him.

"I wouldn't need a tutor in any case," Harry snapped, now thoroughly nettled. "I could probably teach most of those
classes… the practicals, anyway."

"Then it wouldn't be any hardship for you to finish school," Fleur pointed out reasonably. "And it would give you a bit
of breathing room, while you decided what to do with the rest of your life."

"What to do with…!" Harry brought himself up short. "That's it, isn't it? Yeah, I thought something was a bit off with
everyone today." He stared huffily at the adults around the table… but his voice, when he spoke again, was almost
gentle. "I'm not a child, ladies and gentlemen. In point of fact, I'm the same age as our good Defense Professor over
there. I only look like a teenager."

"We know that…" Neville began.

"Do you? You're sure not acting like you know it… or it may be that you know it in your heads, but you're reacting
automatically to what you're seeing. And what you see is a teenager, so…" He shrugged. "Eh, I suppose you can't help
it." He turned to Hermione. "I'm just grateful there's one person who still sees me as an adult. Thank you."

"Well, it helps that I did actually see you as an adult," Hermione responded, "before you were, erm, rejuvenated." She
gave him a quick, nervous smile that vanished almost as soon as it appeared, before lowering her gaze to her plate. Her
next words seemed decidedly forced. "But I, I have to, to agree that schooling is important, Harry… as is getting your
NEWTs. I returned to Hogwarts to finish my seventh year, after the war, you know, and I don't regret it."

He regarded her quizzically for a second, before pitching his voice low, for her ears. "But would you regret it if I
did?"

Her reply was barely more than a movement of her lips. "I'm torn." Beneath the table, her hand fumbled atop his leg,
seeking his hand, seeking reassurance.

"Got it," he breathed, as their hands found one another and clasped. And indeed, Harry did understand Hermione's
conflict. To her, a good formal education was paramount, absolutely indispensible. It was a cornerstone of her beliefs,
and always had been. She'd labored over her schooling for years, and pushed him and Ron to do likewise. It would be
unthinkable for Harry to have a chance to complete his schooling, and reject it.

Except, as her desperate grip on his hand told him, now that he'd finally come back she couldn't bear to be parted from
him anew.

Harry returned his gaze to Neville, but spoke for Hermione's benefit. "Well, I don't have to decide right this second,
surely. I'd like a chance to think it over. A few more days won't affect my class standing, seeing as I'm already three
weeks behind. And in the meantime, you should probably run this by Professor McGonagall – I mean, she is the
Headmistress. And who knows? She might have some, well, some reservations."

"Doubtful, that," said Neville, but he looked thoughtful. "But you're right, I should… I mean, courtesy if nothing else…
and there are probably some logistical problems to be addressed…"

Ron gave a sudden bark of laughter. "Like how she's going to deal with the sons of Prongs and Moony together in
Gryffindor?"

Neville's open mouth showed he hadn't considered that aspect of Harry's return. "Oh! Ah… well, er…"

"Oh, no worries, Professor," Ted put in, with a truly impressive show of gravitas. "No worries in the least. After all,
we all heard Harry say he doesn't have his invisibility cloak any more. So honestly, how much trouble could we get
into?" He lifted his glass of wine to Harry, who nodded in acknowledgment, and took a demure sip.

*

Roswitha, bless her heart, had done her best with the cake. No, Harry chided himself, be fair, she's done quite a decent
job of it. I could see only one, maybe two spots where I'd have gone back and fixed it. (Harry had to admit that he
probably wouldn't have had time to add the icing drop flowers.) The meal done, Ron stood and announced, "Thank you
again, all of you, for coming and celebrating with Hermione and me. I reckon we've all got a lot to be thankful for." He
beamed at Hermione for a moment, then continued, "We've got the use of the parlor until three, so feel free to hang
about… keep eating, catch up with the news, whatever you like."

Most of the guests, including Harry, rose from the table at this invitation. Harry decided he'd snag a few last morsels
of salmon, and meandered over to the sideboard. The party became a socializing event, where guests formed groups of two
or three that chatted for a few moments before breaking up and reforming. Harry spotted Andromeda with Ted (with Tori on
his arm), and thereafter lost track: he found himself chatting amiably, and privately, with Bill and Fleur, finally
convincing them of his adult status.

Once he broke away from Bill and Fleur, he linked up with Ted and Tori. "Ted, that was inspired," he greeted them.

"It was that," agreed Tori warmly. "Almost makes up for his earlier faux pas." She ignored Ted's scowl and continued
smoothly, "So, er, Harry, are you really considering coming back to Hogwarts? Or did you just want everyone to stop
talking about it?"

"A little of both," Harry admitted. "I really don't see the point of it, but it seems to be so important to… um,
everyone…" His eyes scanned the room over their heads as he said this.

"Well, you did spend fifteen years puttering around as a Muggle," Ted shrugged. "One more year in limbo ought to be easy
enough." When Harry didn't respond, Ted turned his head to follow his gaze. Hermione and Ron, wearing serious
expressions, had gathered Rose and were speaking to her in low tones.

"Take it outside," Harry muttered under his breath. Tori raised an eyebrow to Ted in inquiry; his slight shake of the
head conveyed his own puzzlement.

Across the room, Ron and Hermione took Rose's hands. "Ron and I are walking Rose back to Hogwarts," Hermione said to the
party. "Please, enjoy yourselves – and thank you all again for coming!"

"Family chat?" Ted asked Harry quietly.

Harry nodded. "Tori, you and Rose are pretty close, aren't you? You might make yourself available this evening… in case
Rose needs to talk."

"I can do that, sure. Harry, what's this about?"

"Something you should let Rose tell you," Harry said firmly.

*

Hermione was satisfied with how things had worked out. This, she felt, would be an ideal opportunity. She and Ron could
walk with Rose to Hogwarts, not a brisk walk but taking their time; the walk would give them the privacy and intimacy
they needed to tell Rose about their divorce. Hermione was fairly sure that, while Rose might be surprised and dismayed,
she wouldn't be shocked.

They were barely out the door of the Three Broomsticks and on the street when they were ambushed.

"Madam Granger, what was your first reaction to the Wizengamot vote?" "Madam Granger, do you plan to continue the
policies of your predecessor? Even expand on them? What changes do you plan?" "Mister Weasley, what was your reaction to
the news?"

"What? What!?" Hermione held up her hands and tried to command silence, or at least impose order on chaos. It had been
years since she'd been confronted by so many reporters, all at once. Obviously, they'd known of her Rebirthday Party,
somehow – well, it hadn't been a secret, exactly – and had been waiting for Hermione to leave the party, to be in a
public thoroughfare, before they pounced.

She was forced to raise her voice. "All of you, quiet down! Please! What in the world are you talking about?!"

"Today's Wizengamot vote, Madam Granger," piped up one reporter, before the others could speak. "They met just two hours
ago and elected you the new Minister of Magic!"

This set off another blizzard of questions: "Any comment on the unusual timing of today's vote, Madam Granger? Why it
was delayed? Then scheduled for today?" "Madam Granger, were you aware that Shacklebolt wrote a letter of endorsement
for you before he died? Did he ever discuss it with you?"

"Kingsley wrote a… what?" Hermione was thoroughly taken aback. She had never suspected, never dreamed…

*

Ahhh, thought Neville as he watched the scene unfold, so that's why Tiberius wanted me to 'be ready'. All at once, a
great many things seemed to fall into place.

"Neville? Did you find out what all the commotion's about?" Harry and Ted were approaching the parlor window where
Neville stood, attracted by the noise outside. Neville raised his hand in the universal sign for shush, and the two fell
silent as they joined him. He nodded at the scene outside.

It only took Harry a few seconds to absorb what was happening. When it did, his face clouded, then turned pale. His
breathing quickened – but his spine stiffened. He began to step away from the window, towards the door…

Ted laid his hand on Harry's arm. "Hold on a moment, Harry."

"She needs my help," Harry said hoarsely.

"Uh huh, and it wouldn't take much. All you'd have to do is walk past them. Those reporters would drop Hermione like a
soggy crisp, if they had the chance to interview The Boy Who Lived Again. That's what you're thinking, am I right?"

Harry gave a curt nod, and made a motion to brush Ted's hand from his arm.

"Okay, but let's hold off a moment," Ted suggested. "Plenty of time to intervene, if you need to."

Harry looked strangely at his godson, who returned his gaze blandly, and told himself that he couldn't be that obvious.
For in truth, Harry's stomach was churning at the thought of making himself the reporters' target. He would rather have
thrown himself to wolves – which he would readily do, for Hermione's sake. But surely, there was no way for Ted to have
known about his acute social anxieties…

Unless Harry was that obvious.

"You haven't seen Hermione in action, these last few years," Neville put in mildly. "She's pretty impressive. Ted's
right, let's give this a chance to play out…" He broke off in mid-word, as their combined attention was suddenly riveted
to the events on the other side of the glass.

*

The reporters – there looked to be no more than half a dozen, though they gave the impression of a mob – were still
peppering Hermione with questions. She'd barely had to time to begin formulating an answer to one before another came
hot at its heels. For the moment, though, she was holding her own against them.

Ron felt far less sure about his own ability to do so. Moreover, while it went against his grain to back away from any
confrontation, he had Rose to worry about. Get her away from these vultures, he reasoned, before something bad happens,
and then come back and help Hermione…

Quietly, he placed his hand on Rose's shoulder, and with a gentle pressure suggested they move away from the scene. Rose
was, thank goodness, too flummoxed by the verbal assault to resist. Casually, inconspicuously, they edged away from the
impromptu news conference. For a moment, Ron thought they might be lucky enough to escape notice.

Given the history of his life, Ron ought to have known better than to trust to luck.

"And what about you, Mr. Weasley? Any comment on Madam Granger's election?" "Can you tell our readers, Mr. Weasley, how
you managed a magical divorce when it's never been done before? And was the divorce deliberately timed to take effect
before the election?"

"Shut up, you berks!" Ron shouted, but it was too late.

"Dad?" Rose quavered, looking up at him. Hermione rushed over to join them, kneeling to bring her head level with
Rose's.

"Darling, we were about to tell you," she said as soothingly as she could. "Please understand, this doesn't change how
much either of us love you…"

Ron tried to chime in, but the questions continued to hammer at them, unabated. If anything, they were growing louder,
not only to compete with each other, but to break through the private family moment: "Madam Granger, how will your
election affect custody? Mr. Weasley, will you be keeping your daughter if her mother is too busy with the Ministry?"

And then one reporter went too far, even for the press. "Miss Weasley? Miss Weasley, can you tell us what you thought
when you heard about your mother's election? How will it feel being at Hogwarts when your parents are divorced? Do any
of your classmates…"

Rose's lower lip trembled as she fought to keep hold of her newfound sense of maturity. She failed: instead, she turned
her head and buried her face against her father's side. Outraged, Hermione rose to her full height and turned savagely
on the assembled reporters. She drew breath to rail at them, too wrathful to care about her exact choice of words or
their possible impact. Then she realized, with grim satisfaction, that the reporters had fallen abruptly silent. They'd
stepped away from her, doubtless intimidated by the expression on her face…

She didn't notice Ron and Rose, behind her, suddenly hugging each other for warmth, nor the wave of arctic coldness that
washed over everyone in the street… nor the icy horror on the faces of the reporters, as though the angel of Death had
reached into their chest cavities and prodded their hearts with one bony, accusing finger.

*

"No, Harry!" hissed Neville. "You can't!" He had an iron grip on one of Harry's arms; Ted had seized Harry's other arm
and was holding it equally fast. It was the only way they could prevent Harry from diving bodily through the window and
attacking the reporters with his bare hands.

On the surface, Neville felt surprised: given the freezing flash that Harry had just radiated, Neville had half-expected
Harry's body to be ice-cold. Deep down, Neville was even more surprised: he would never have imagined himself brave
enough to physically restrain a dangerously powerful, dangerously angry Boy Who Lived Again. His face was twisted with
rage, and Neville almost imagined he could see green lightning flash from his eyes.

"Those soulless bastiches! Those pustulous, scum-sucking leeches! Let me go, you two… as bad as dementors, have they no
shame, I won't stand for this…"

"You won't have to," Neville insisted, happy his voice didn't waver. "Just watch…"

*

"The Wizengamot has not yet formally announced the results of their session today," Hermione sternly told the now-silent
reporters. "I know this because, if they had chosen me to be Minister, they'd have done me the courtesy of informing me
before making a general announcement. And I've not been informed of any such thing."

Her gaze swept over them, daring them to interrupt. "Since I've not been informed, I have of course not given any
thought to any possible agenda for the Minister's office. Time enough for that, after – and if – I receive the position.
Until then, it's fruitless to ask me any policy questions – though I would anticipate there'd be no radical changes in
the direction of Kingsley Shacklebolt's policies."

She took a step forward, and suppressed a smile as the reporters nervously took a matching step backward. "No matter
what the Wizengamot has decided, I remain an official in the Ministry, and as such I am, naturally, always open to
questions from the press. BUT!"

Her voice rose sharply on the last word, then descended to the quiet, incisive, razor-precise tones that were more
compelling than her shouting – tones that might have been described as "soft", except there was nothing whatsoever soft
about them. "But: my family is off-limits. My daughter is off-limits. There are lines you will not cross, gentlemen –
doubly so, should I gain the title of Minister! – and before you even think of evading this issue, just remember the
title I had before I joined the Ministry."

She didn't explicitly say the words The Witch Who Won, but they were hardly necessary.

"Now, if there are no further questions," and her voice, her stance, and her flashing brown eyes made it abundantly
clear that there weren't, "we'll be returning our daughter to Hogwarts. Good afternoon to you all." Hermione held out
one hand; she felt Rose's hand slip into it. With a quick glance to be sure that Ron held Rose's other hand, she nodded
one last time at the thoroughly cowed reporters and resumed her walk down the main street of Hogsmeade.

*

"See, Harry, that's the Hermione Granger we've come to know and love," Neville said, releasing his grip on Harry's arm.
Harry had… not relaxed, but at least stopped struggling, once Hermione had begun delivering her dressing-down. He now
watched wordlessly as Ron, Rose and Hermione sauntered past the poleaxed reporters and continued towards Hogwarts.

Harry finally spoke in a low voice. "She's always been brilliant and scary. And nobody knows better than me just how
capable she is. But… Minister of Magic? Neville, has there ever been a Muggleborn Minister of Magic?"

"Not that I can recall. And believe me, I think I would."

He nodded, and then nodded again, reaching a decision. "Ted, I'm afraid you're going to have to continue the Marauder
traditions on your own, after all. Neville, I won't be coming back to Hogwarts. Not this year, which means probably not
ever."

"Well… if you say so, Harry," said Ted hesitantly. "But you could still…"

"She's going to need me," Harry interrupted. "She's going to need every bit of help she can muster. There are still a
lot of blood purity elitists, and they'll be fighting her every move. You know what I'm talking about, Neville!" He
paused, and added more quietly, "And she'll be lucky if fighting her agenda is the only thing they do. No, I have to be
there for her."

"She's hardly a pushover, Harry," Ted reminded him. "I mean, she is The Witch Who Won."

"And these days, that probably has a bit more cachet than The Chosen One," Harry said with a wry half-smile. "But if I
can open just a few doors that wouldn't open otherwise, it'll be well worth it." He fell silent, pensive.

"Right, then," Neville said at length, "if you're sure, Harry… I have to agree, she can use all the support she can
get." He too fell silent, before drawing a deep breath. "Mr. Lupin, would you mind asking the Weasleys if they could
escort you and Miss Weasley-Major back to Hogwarts? I'd like to remain here for a bit longer."

Ted immediately noticed the change in address, recognizing Neville's shift from "family friend" to "Hogwarts professor".
"Yes, sir, not a problem. Talk to you soon, Harry?" He gave his godfather a warm smile before breaking away and seeking
out Tori.

Neville watched Ted go for a few seconds, then turned back to Harry. "You didn't look shocked to hear her called The
Witch Who Won. I take it you knew already?"

"I heard," Harry grimaced. "I'm sure she hates it as much as I hated my titles."

"Uh huh." Neville eyed Harry skeptically. Neither said anything for a moment.

It was Harry who broke the stalemate. "Something on your mind, Neville?"

"Just wondering something. Y'see, I was there when Hagrid brought your body back to Hogwarts, the morning of the Battle.
I remember the entire scene, quite clearly. So I was listening very carefully earlier, when you described how you came
back to life."

"It happened just as I described it, Neville," Harry said, face and voice carefully neutral.

Neville nodded, then seemed to change the subject. "Hermione did tell me about the prophecy, after everything had
settled down… seemed to think that I deserved to know, given how it almost applied to me. Well, that, and how close I
came to being tortured trying to save it." They shared a smile at the memory, before Neville cleared his throat and lost
his smile. "But y'know, it's a funny language, English. Have you ever noticed how many English words have more than one
meaning?"

Harry stood stock-still. He looked Neville in the eyes and slowly shook his head, silently mouthing No, and trying by
facial expression to get Neville to lower his voice.

"For instance," Neville continued, seemingly oblivious but watching Harry closely, "the word either. Normally it's,
like, a choice: 'either-or', one thing or the other thing. But it can also mean 'each', one thing and then the other
thing…"

"Enough," Harry whispered desperately. "Let it go, Neville…"

"'Either must die at the hand of the other'," Neville mused, although he now murmured his words for Harry's ears alone.
"Voldemort killed you in the Forest, you were quite clear on that point. To fulfill the prophecy, you must have returned
the favor – so when did you find the chance? After you came back to life, obviously… and you told Andromeda you summoned
the Wand from Voldemort's hand, which would have happened, let's see, just before…"

"God damn it, Neville, enough! You've made your point!" Harry glanced around to see if anyone had been close enough to
hear their conversation. "Yes, fine, I admit it. But you can't tell anyone, Neville. You especially can't tell Hermione!
It's just as I said, as Minister she'll need every scrap of advantage she can get. To the public, she has to be The
Witch Who Won. Which she wouldn't, if she thought it wasn't true! You know she wouldn't, and she must! Promise me you'll
keep it secret!"

"The credit should go where it's due…"

"It has, trust me, it has. I've heard the stories of that last fight – she earned her title." Harry shrugged with one
shoulder. "And it's not like I need it, particularly. Please, Neville."

Neville pretended to consider the matter, though in fact he'd crafted his response before he'd started talking… when
he'd first deduced who'd actually killed Voldemort. "On one condition," he finally told Harry.

"Let's hear it," said Harry cautiously.

"I'm, well, I'm looking to marry in the next few months – yes, thanks," he added, as Harry smiled and made the
appropriate congratulatory noises, "thanks, I appreciate it. Susan Bones, you remember Susan of course? But there've
been some hassles, some difficulties… anyway, there are details we need to arrange, and that means days I'll have to be
gone from Hogwarts. And for those days I'm absent, I need a guest lecturer."

Harry raised one eyebrow. "I am supposed to be a teenager, Neville. I'm barely older than your students. Makes it rather
hard for me to be their teacher, don't you think?"

"Being the same age as your pupils didn't stop you in the D.A. You have the skills, Harry – didn't you just tell us you
could teach the practicals if you wanted? Right, then, Mr. Boy Who Won't Die, time to put your Galleons where your gob
is." Neville grinned as Harry rubbed his nose dubiously, thinking.

"We're talking, what, one day a month?" Harry eventually asked.

"More or less," Neville agreed. "Might be a bit more… I've no way of knowing how long it'll take to smooth out our
wedding details. And, yes, I will clear this with Minerva." He left it at that, though he would have liked to keep the
pressure on: This is the price for my silence, pay it or suffer the consequences. But he knew from experience that
pressuring Harry only made him more stubborn.

And in the end, he couldn't have Harry calling what was, after all, a bluff.

"I'll need to see your course syllabuses," Harry said… muttered, actually.

"Come to my office at Hogwarts Monday, after classes. I'll have copies ready." They shook hands on the deal, Harry
inwardly relieved that he'd gotten off so lightly… and Neville outlining what he'd tell Susan that evening.

*

Ginny was shocked by Blaise's appearance. Oh, to anyone else, he would look as though he were entering the Ministry
Atrium with his usual confidence and elegance – but to Ginny's eye, he looked haggard. Immediately, she put into the
background all the things she wanted to discuss with him… taking his arm in hers, she simply said, "Let's go home."

Blaise looked at her as though he were having difficulty focusing on her face. Then his features seemed to minutely
relax. "Yes, let's," he replied. "Sitting room?" When she nodded her agreement, they Disapparated together.

They arrived in the sitting room of Zabini's manor house. Blaise immediately released Ginny's arm, strode to the liquor
cabinet, and poured himself a shot of firewhiskey. He downed it neat, in a single gulp, his hands steady.

He spoke without looking at Ginny. "I intend to resign my post at the Ministry. Oh, it's customary, at a change of
administration, for all the senior officials to offer their resignations – but I intend to follow through. I want it to
be my choice, not the new Minister's."

"Blaise," said Ginny evenly, "what's happened? Where have you been?"

"I've been in… protective custody," Blaise replied. He poured another shot of firewhiskey, but didn't drink; he kept the
crystal tumbler gripped tightly in his hand. "It turns out, my dear, that I had privy information about the
International Cartel Lords… enough to give Gawain Robards the option to prosecute me as a co-conspirator, if he chose.
So, to prove my innocence, I've spent the last forty-eight hours… cooperating with the Aurors."

"And you've proven your innocence to everyone's satisfaction?" Ginny knew full well Blaise was shading the truth for her
ears. As though she couldn't read between the lines as well as anyone.

"No charges will be brought against me." He downed the second shot of firewhiskey as quickly as the first. "But
unfortunately, that came too late to be considered in today's Wizengamot vote." Blaise turned to face Ginny. "I doubt
it's public knowledge yet, but the new Minister of Magic will be… your sister-in-law."

"Hermione!?"

"Ha! Yes, I suspect that will be a great many people's reaction." Blaise glanced down at the tumbler in his hand, and
visibly decided against a third drink. He tossed the tumbler into the liquor cabinet, heedless of whether it broke or
not, and strode to one of the large plush chairs. He didn't so much sit as collapse into the chair, staring stonily
forward.

After a minute of tense silence, Ginny cleared her throat. "These Cartel Lords… they're the ones who had me Obliviated?"
At Blaise's terse nod, she continued more quietly, "Is there any chance they'll want to do the same to you?"

Blaise's eyes flicked momentarily towards her. "Now that I've been debriefed? No, that's not a concern." It wasn't
necessary to point out the obvious: Obliviation might keep the Cartel's secrets, but more lethal spells made for an
excellent object lesson.

"We'll take extra precautions," Ginny said decisively. Blaise didn't reply.

She walked over to him and sat on the edge of the chair, caressing the back of his head. "We'll deal with it," she said,
quietly but firmly. "Okay? Okay." She paused to let that sink in, then went on, "About your resigning…"

"I will hardly be alone," Blaise noted dispassionately. "I feel quite sure there'll be any number of resignations, from
the Ministry, from the Wizengamot… tolerance for Muggles is all well and good, up to a point, but when it comes to
serving under one of them…"

"Which is exactly why you shouldn't resign, love."

He finally looked directly at her. "Ginny, I know your family has always had a soft spot for Muggles, but do you truly
want them overthrowing our culture?"

"She's not a Muggle: she's a Muggle-born. There's a world of difference. She understands the superiority of magic,
otherwise she wouldn't still be living in our world. I'm not saying Hermione won't try to make changes," Ginny said
quickly, raising her hand to forestall Blaise's objection, "of course she will, and with the best of intentions. That's
why you shouldn't resign."

Blaise's eyes narrowed slightly. She had his full attention now, and his brain was starting to work in its normal
manner. "Damage control, then? Are you saying I should stay at the Ministry to clean up Granger's mistakes?"

"Not quite. You're staying at the Ministry precisely because others are resigning. They aren't broad-minded enough to
work with the new Minister, but you are. You'll be the go-between for Hermione and her opposition. You'll be the one
who'll actually get things done." Ginny began to massage the back of his neck.

"And besides," she continued, "I know Hermione better than just about anyone. She does mean well, but she doesn't
understand our world, and she's not exactly patient. Sooner or later – and I'm guessing sooner – she's going to attempt
some huge legislative reform. It won't be a little thing, like Kingsley'd do, it'll be something huge. And hugely
unpopular. It might be a necessary change, maybe even the right thing, but she'll approach it all wrong. So even if she
manages to push the thing through, there'll be a call for a vote of no confidence."

Ginny moved her fingers from his neck, to entangle them in his hair, as she shifted her weight. "Whereupon, a more
traditional candidate – one who's already proven he's a consensus builder – will look very," she slid from the chair's
arm into Blaise's lap, "very," and draped her arms around his shoulders as she finished, "attractive." Her eyes danced
as his arms reflexively encircled her waist.

"Tell me," Blaise said thoughtfully after a moment, "were you always this politically savvy, and I simply didn't
notice?" Ginny smiled, and though she didn't reply in words, the kiss she gave him might have been a reward for his
newfound insight.

"One more thing," she said when they broke contact, "you need an ally who can broaden the base of your support. One that
Hermione can't touch. Literally and figuratively."

"Literally and figuratively? What do you…?" Blaise frowned. "It's Potter, isn't it? You actually think I can recruit
Potter? We never got along, and I'm sure the last thing he remembers about me was my departure from Hogwarts. He'd never
trust me."

"But he'd trust me," Ginny said simply. "And remember, he's spent the last fifteen years on the other side of the Veil.
He doesn't know anything about the current political situation. If I convince him that Hermione, for all her good
intentions, is a bit of an extremist – easy enough, I only need to remind him about SPEW – and that you represent
moderation… if he thought you were the one most likely to make the wizarding world safer… well, Harry's a pragmatic
bloke. If he could work with Severus Snape for the greater good, he'll have no problem working with you."

"Mm hmm, perhaps… if you convince him. That's a fairly large 'if''. Just how, exactly, do you plan…?" Blaise fell silent
as Ginny placed one fingertip over his lips.

"If it would upset you to know the answer," she told him with a sly smile, "you shouldn't ask the question."

Ginny kept her finger in place a moment longer, until she saw in his eyes that he understood. Then she leaned forward to
kiss him again, more thoroughly… thereby receiving his tacit approval to her plan.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

36. XXXVI: Status Far From Quo

(A/N: Life has only gotten a little better recently. I do intend to finish this story… I can only hope I still have
readers when that happens. Heartfelt thanks to you all for staying with me.

I will admit that we don't have a lot of action-adventure in this chapter: it's mostly tidying up from Hermione's
Rebirthday Party (indeed, by the story-clock it's still Saturday afternoon). But you can't build an edifice without a
little ground-breaking.)

(Disclaimer: Still not JK Rowling. Still no theme park in Florida based on my stories. Still toiling in obscurity.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXVI: Status Far From Quo

*

Bill eyed the great oaken doors of Hogwarts with an air of nostalgia. "Sometimes it's good when things don't change," he
murmured.

"I'll settle for their not changing quite at breakneck speed," Fleur responded. She turned to Tori and Ted. "Mes
petites, it was a pleasure to see you again, so soon after seeing you off. I trust you may find your own way back to
Gryffindor Tower…?"

"Erm, we might want to wait a moment longer," Ted cut in, glancing past Fleur's shoulder. She turned her head to see
Hermione, Rose and Ron, hand in hand, coming around the side of the castle. They'd evidently taken a stroll around the
school grounds and continued their "talk", rather than cut it short, or try to compress all that needed to be said into
the walk from Hogsmeade.

There had been quite a lot that needed to be said.

Rose seemed unusually subdued, and Hermione and Ron were trading worried looks over her head. "Ah, and here we are,"
Hermione announced, more for the need to break the silence than to impart information. "Rose?"

Reluctantly, Rose released her parents' hands. She looked searchingly up into Ron's face; he nodded. "Christmas,
princess," he said gently. "I promise."

"Both of us are only an owl-flight away," Hermione added.

"I know," mumbled Rose. She seemed uncertain about whether to hug her parents, or which to hug first. Ron took the
decision out of her hands by embracing Hermione, with Rose between them, and the three shared a family hug for a long
moment.

When Rose stepped away from her parents, Tori was there to put one arm around her shoulders. "Let's go back to our
rooms, shall we? Do you mind?" Tori gave Ted a sidelong glance and shook her head ever so slightly, to warn him not to
join them, and he obediently fell back a pace. Rose seemed to accept Tori's company… at any rate, she made no protest as
the older girl steered her through the doors and into the castle.

Left alone on the front steps, Ted found himself in the unusual position of fifth wheel. It was clear that the four
adults were aching to discuss everything that had happened that day, and were pairing off to do so: Ron with Bill,
Hermione with Fleur. Ted raised his hand half-heartedly and turned away towards Hogwarts's doors.

"And speaking of Christmas, Ted," Fleur said unexpectedly, "we'd be pleased if you could spend a day or two of your
holiday at Shell Cottage with us." Bill looked surprised, but some silent communiqué passed from his wife to him, and he
kept silent.

"Erm," replied Ted, caught off his guard. "Thanks. I'll speak with Gran, but I'm sure there won't be any problem… Boxing
Day, then?" There would at least be no problem with Tori's father on the full moon: that would fall at least a week
before Christmas that year.

"But of course," she smiled brightly. Ted found himself smiling back; feeling suddenly upbeat, he gave the adults a
jaunty wave before disappearing into Hogwarts.

"I felt that. Behave yourself," Bill chided Fleur.

"Pfui. If our daughter can't sway him, what hope have I?" She kissed him, tenderly but quickly. "Have a nice family
chat, mon cher. Try not to come home too late or too inebriated, yes?"

"Just inebriated enough," agreed Bill. "Hermione, congratulations, if that's the right word, and good luck. Shall we,
Ron?" With an affable nod to the ladies, he steered Ron towards the gates of the grounds, there to Disapparate to a pub
somewhat more private than the Three Broomsticks.

By unspoken agreement, Hermione and Fleur began strolling towards the lake. They steered wide to avoid clusters of
students, who were lounging on the grass enjoying their Saturday. "So," Fleur said after a moment, "is 'congratulations'
the right word?"

"For what?" rejoined Hermione. "Becoming Minister of Magic? Or my divorce from Ron?"

"Divorce is never a cause for congratulation, I suspect," Fleur said somberly. "Even when it's both desirable and
needful. One doesn't congratulate a surgery patient for the necessity of the surgery… only for surviving it."

"Ow! Rather too apt an analogy, Fleur. I mean, Ron told me about our divorce yesterday, but its full impact didn't hit
me until we were talking about it with Rose. She seems to be taking it well, but…" Her words trailed off uncertainly.

They walked in silence until they reached the water's edge. "You and Ron seem to have taken the right tack with her,"
said Fleur. She selected a smooth stone, balanced it in her hand for a second, then sent it skipping across the surface
of the lake. "That you both still care for her, both still be there for her…"

"Ron will always be Rose's father, no matter what happens," Hermione declared, picking up a stone of her own. She cocked
her arm, preparing to send the stone skimming after Fleur's.

"You mean, no matter who you start seeing?" Fleur asked.

The stone veered violently to the left, missing the lake altogether, as Hermione fumbled and nearly fell into the water.
"What? I… I…" Unable to say more, she stared at Fleur in dumbfounded horror. How!? I thought we were so discreet! We
didn't do anything, didn't say anything…

She was therefore greatly relieved by Fleur's response. "I don't mean to imply anything, ma loutre, but I know very well
that your last few years with Ron haven't been pleasant – for either of you," Fleur said hurriedly. "It would be
astonishing if you didn't someday find a man who could make you happy. It's certainly nothing of which you should be
ashamed!"

"Ah! Yes! Um, yes, I… I see what you mean. That is, well, in time…" Hermione knew her face was flushed, but hoped Fleur
would attribute it to mere embarrassment about the topic. She picked up another stone, but didn't throw it at once.

"And – again, in time – I think Rose will come to understand that as well," Fleur concluded reassuringly. When Hermione
didn't immediately respond, she gave a Gallic shrug and added, "Bien sûr, as the new Minister, time may be in short
supply at first."

Glad of the change in topic, Hermione turned back to the lake and sent her stone flying. "As I told those newshounds,
I'm not officially Minister until I hear from the Wizengamot." She canted her head, considering a new idea. "Though… I
mean, if I were named Minister, I certainly see areas where I could do some good. And Fleur… for one of them, I could
use your help." Along with Flitwick, she added silently, and Hagrid… or perhaps Olympe might be a better choice…"

"Certainement, of course…"

"In any event," Hermione concluded, "there's an old adage about counting your chickens before they're hatched."

"Or in your case, owls." Fleur gave a short, melodious laugh. "You'll hear from them soon enough. Perhaps you should
enlist Harry's help as you start your new duties. If he's not returning to Hogwarts, he'll need a job… and the two of
you would deal well together. And it would certainly give the press something else to write about: The Boy Who Lived
Again, working for The Witch Who Won…"

"No." Abruptly, Hermione's attitude switched from embarrassment to cold intensity. "I'll not have that title used any
more. We'll find another if we must, but I won't call myself… that… any more. I couldn't."

Fleur was taken aback by her sudden vehemence. "Well, if that's what you… that is to say, certainly, whatever you wish.
But… Hermione, I know you've never cared for that title, but you can't deny it's proven useful, and you may need to use
it again… if only to force people to take your position as Minister seriously."

"Why shouldn't they? Because I'm Muggleborn? The first Muggleborn Minister that Britain's ever had? Eeeurgh!" Hermione
was working herself into a temper, she knew, which was hardly fair to Fleur. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, as
Fleur made anxious soothing sounds. At least this was a plausible reason for being upset.

After a moment, Hermione felt it was safe to open her eyes again. "Right. Well. I think I can count on Gawain Robards's
support. And once everyone sees I have him behind me, they'll fall in line soon enough." She knew her face was still
pinched in irritation. Hermione could only hope that Fleur would assume her sudden mood change was due to worries about
being a Muggleborn Minister – it would keep her from pressing for other reasons.

It had been bothering me for days. That niggling question about Harry surviving Voldemort, I knew there was something
peculiar about what he said. I can't believe it took me so long to figure it out! Hermione gave an exasperated snort,
receiving another concerned look from Fleur. But at least I won't have to carry that ridiculous title anymore.

*

The Floo fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron was a little too public for Neville's taste. There was a working Floo fireplace
in his office at Hogwarts, but it was only large enough for talking, not for Floo travel; Neville didn't feel like
walking back to Hogwarts only to leave again. Wishing for the hundredth time that the wizarding world had better methods
of communication, Neville left the pub and made his way to the Hogsmeade post office.

While they had their usual delivery owls ready for service, the post office did offer a Floo fireplace in a fairly
private corner. Neville took a moment to compose himself, then flung a pinch of Floo powder into the fire and called,
"Susan Bones! Are you there, my lovely?"

"So glad you narrowed that down," she smirked as her head appeared in the fire. "I'm at The Ossuary. Do you need me to
come to you, or…?"

"Be right there," he promised, breaking the Floo connection. He exited the post office, with a smile of thanks to the
clerk; once in the street, he Disapparated to the ancestral home of the Boneses.

Whereupon he was immediately hugged from behind by an enthusiastic Susan. "Mine! Mine mine mine!" she declared, before
turning him in place and kissing him properly.

"Oh yes, definitely yours," Neville agreed once they broke apart. "So did you have a nice day…?" He stopped,
embarrassed, as he realized they weren't alone.

Susan followed his gaze. "Oh! I'm sorry, I ought to have introduced you. Neville, this is… Brillig, did I say that
right? She's the elf whose master…"

"Employer," corrected Brillig proudly. The elf was dressed in the current fashion for house-elves, a sleeveless tabard
of a deep crimson hue, but with no crest displayed on it.

"Whose employer is inquiring about letting The Ossuary. We've been discussing the conditions of the lease, you know,
rent and so forth." Susan shook her head ruefully.

"Is a fair amount, we agreed," Brillig reminded her, sounding as close to reproof as a house-elf could.

"But nothing is final until I meet with your employer and approve his tenancy," Susan countered firmly. "Face-to-face, I
must insist on that. If everything's in order, we'll sign the lease together, and he can move in on the First."

The elf looked uncertain. "Brillig must… must talk about this with her employer," she said after a moment. "He is
wanting peace and quiet. Brillig may not know until tomorrow… or day after. Will Miss be agreeing to this?"

"Of course. Please let me know when your employer's reached a decision. I do look forward to meeting him." Solemnly they
shook hands. Then with a bow to Susan, and another to Neville, the elf vanished.

"Sounds as though Little Miss Brillig drives a hard bargain," Neville chuckled.

"As hard as goblins! A good deal more polite, I'll grant her that, but…!" Susan's shoulders slumped slightly as she
expelled a carefully held breath. "Well, it'll be interesting to see just how much her mysterious employer values his
anonymity. I won't give over The Ossuary to just anybody, sight unseen, I won't!" She settled herself on the love seat
and patted the cushion next to her. "So come tell me how the Rebirthday Party went?"

Smoothly, Neville sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her, while mentally reviewing the events of the Party.
There were certain details he couldn't repeat, not even to Susan. True, he'd been absolved of any need to swear an oath
or sign a contract, but that was because Harry and Hermione trusted him – which compelled him to try to be worthy of
trust.

One detail, though, was too good a tidbit not to pass on. Besides, it would be in the Daily Prophet soon enough. "So
then… Harry was at the Party, and someone suggested that he return to Hogwarts and finish his seventh year, as Hermione
did." He smiled as Susan snorted in disbelief. "You're right, of course. He decided against it – but not for the reason
you think. He wants to be available to lend his support to the new Minister of Magic."

Susan's gaze sharpened. "I'd heard the Wizengamot was convening today – finally! – but I hadn't heard they'd announced
the results of the vote."

"They haven't yet… they need to notify the new Minister first, before they announce it publicly. But of course, they
couldn't reach the new Minister today, since she was busy celebrating her Rebirthday." Five, counted Neville silently,
four, three, two…

"HERMIONE!?"

"According to the reporters who waylaid her as she left."

She gaped for several moments, then closed her mouth and briskly nodded, absorbing the information. Susan had always
been better at the politics of the wizarding world than Neville; he suspected it was her aunt's influence at work.
"Well, well," she said after a pause, "that would explain why the Chief Warlock sent you those owls last night, wouldn't
it? It was probably a close vote, and he'd want your weight behind Hermione's candidacy."

"But then he told me not to come… the 'crisis had passed', I think were his words. And besides, if the vote was today,
why'd he ask for me last night?"

"As a pressure tactic, I'd imagine. After all, my dear, to a hidebound conservative, the only thing worse than a
successful Muggleborn is a Pureblood who supports successful Muggleborns. Ogden may have been preparing to use you as a
threat… he may even have threatened to put you on the Wizengamot itself. Yes, I know, you'd never want a seat, but his
opponents wouldn't know that."

"I, hm, I wouldn't say 'never', exactly."

Her gaze was so sharp now that Neville almost felt like a butterfly pinned to a board. He met it without flinching. His
decision had crystallized in his mind the moment he'd heard of Hermione's election: it was necessary, it was right, and
he wasn't about to apologize for it, to Susan or to anybody.

"When I heard she'd be Minister, I knew right then that she'd need all the support she can get. I've let other
opportunities slip by in the past, I know – but not this time." He managed a tight smile. "After all, I expect there'll
be a few resignations in protest, don't you?"

"I can see it happening, oh yes." Susan sighed and looked away. "Of course, I could run for one of those empty seats, I
suppose. That way, you can remain at Hogwarts. I know how much you love teaching there…"

"My thought," he interrupted, "was that we'd both run for the Wizengamot. When I said 'all the support she can get', I
wasn't exaggerating. I'd planned to speak with Minerva as soon as I got back to Hogwarts." Neville smiled as he
anticipated the question forming on her lips. "Not to worry, love. I've already located a replacement for the Defense
position. Not that I've told him yet; I'll have to break him in gradually."

*

Hermione returned to Enthalpy House feeling decidedly morose. Yes, the Party had been fun, for the most part – there
were a few tense moments, of course – but any pleasure she'd had in the company of friends, family and Harry had been
flensed away by the Party's aftermath: dealing with reporters, discussion with Rose, settling with Fleur. At this point,
she was quite ready to call it a day.

So when she Apparated into her living room, she was surprised to find Harry, sitting on the couch with his feet propped
on the coffee table, thumbing through a book. "Wotcher," he greeted her, looking up as she appeared, "how'd the talk
with Rose go?"

"No storms," she sighed, "but hardly smooth sailing. We'll see how she reacts once she's had time to absorb it."

He nodded. "Right. What's the most interesting magical site in Greece?" At her astonished look, Harry elaborated. "You
remember when we were talking about portals to the Nether World… you said Greece had lots of historical sites that were
interesting, magically speaking. If you had to pick the most interesting, just one, which would it be?"

Twisting her head to one side, Hermione managed to read the title on the spine of the book in Harry's hands: "From
Achelous to Zeus: A Wizard's Guide to Greece." "Well, er, I suppose the island of Aeaea. It was Circe's island, you
know, that Odysseus visited, and it still retains strong echoes of her magic. The Greek Ministry even made it
Unplottable to keep Muggles from finding the place and getting cursed accidentally…"

"Sounds perfect." Harry tossed the book onto the coffee table and, reaching behind the couch, produced an overnight
valise. "How quickly can you pack? Just for one night, we'll come back late Sunday."

Hermione jabbed a finger at the valise. "Where did you…? Oh, of course, you stopped at your Clayman flat before coming
here. Harry, it's a sweet idea, but I can't simply…"

"On the contrary," he broke in, "you not only can, it's your only chance. As soon as you get that owl from the
Wizengamot, you'll be officially the Minister of Magic – and if being Senior Counsel was a lot of work, I can only
imagine what being Minister must be like. It may be years before things slow down enough for you to take a day off."
(Left unsaid was Harry's thought that, as a confirmed workaholic, Minister Granger was unlikely to take a holiday no
matter how slow the work.)

"So, if we want a moment's respite from all the lunatics out there, it's really now or never – or rather, for years to
come, I should say," he concluded. "And we did sort of agree, didn't we, that it would be nice to visit Greece
together…"

She stared at him in bewilderment, with desire and disbelief warring on her face. "Harry, it's… it's out of the
question! Even if I chose to go, it takes time to arrange international travel! There are proper channels to be
followed! Merlin, the Wizengamot's owl would probably find me while I was waiting in queue!"

"Um, it's kind of why I asked how quickly you could pack," replied Harry diffidently.

"What part of 'proper channels' did you not understand?!"

"I figured, if we used a Ministry-approved Portkey, wouldn't that satisfy the legalities?"

"That's my point! To get a Ministry-approved Portkey requires an application to the Department of Magical
Transportation, which, given this would be an International Portkey, would…"

Harry smiled and raised his wand. "Accio Portkey Patches," he said clearly. Seconds later, the remaining Patches (of
those Hermione had requisitioned for Lovinett's arrest) came sailing to his open hand.

Hermione eyed the Patches with disfavor. "Well, yes, those are Ministry-approved, but they've hardly the power for
international travel…" Her voiced trailed away as Harry's smile turned smugly broad. Obviously, he thought his own
magical power was sufficient to boost the Patches' range all the way to Greece. Hermione found it difficult to dispute
the idea: as she'd already observed, effects of the Hallows still lingered on Harry.

"One last splurge," he said after a moment, his voice a temptation, "one single day we can just be together, without
having to worry about Hallows or Cartels or anything worse than sunburn. You can take up your new job Monday morning,
refreshed and recharged and ready to take on every old stodgy, calcified traditionalist in England."

"You make it sound so appealing," Hermione grumbled, but there was a twinkle in her eyes now that belied her tone. Harry
waited hopefully.

"Give me a moment," she said at length. She closed her eyes and furrowed her brow in concentration – then flicked her
wand sharply with a murmured "Expecto Patronum." A silver streak flashed from her wand and through the window.
"Normally, I'd use an owl for a message like this," she explained, opening her eyes, "but I don't have time to call for
one, and you can't. Owls still can't see you, can they?"

"Erm, haven't had a chance to check yet, really…"

"No matter." With a brisk stride, Hermione disappeared into her bedroom. Though Harry could no longer directly see her,
he could hear her as she opened her wardrobe and began rummaging through her clothes. "Did you pack any food?" her voice
carried back through the open bedroom door. "You in particular probably shouldn't eat any food that comes from Circe's
island. I assume the Greek Ministry's cleansed the place of her magic, but there's no point in taking chances."

"I packed us a picnic supper for this evening. For tomorrow… hm, if we're not eating on Aeaea, well, we could Apparate
to Athens or something…"

"Uh huh, especially if we stick to the Muggle part of the city. Not that I expect many people in Greece to recognize you
on sight… And you packed appropriate clothes? You do realize the Mediterranean will be a good deal warmer than here?"

"Yes, mum, I did. I even packed a swimsuit and tanning potion, just in case…" Harry broke off as Hermione reappeared,
carrying a slightly larger valise than his, and wearing a brightly colored sundress that flared and swirled below her
waist – and, above her waist, fit her like a coat of paint. (It was certainly snug enough to reveal the outlines of her
bra, had it been there.)

"Swimsuit? Whatever for, Harry?" Hermione asked in mock innocence. "Surely your little travelogue must have mentioned
how many beaches Greece has for sunbathing au naturel. Didn't it?"

"It, ah, that wasn't covered… I mean…" He covered his crimson face and looked down. When he spoke again, there was
rueful amusement in his voice. "You're evil, Hermione. Have I told you that you're evil?"

"Why, Harry Potter, you sweet-talking charmer, you." She walked up, waited a moment to see if he would lower his hand
from his face, then kissed the side of his neck instead. That caused him to lower his hand. "Seriously, though, Harry,
this was a delightful notion. And you're right, this is just what I need – what we need – before I take up my new
duties. Thank you."

"My pleasure," he smiled. "I just thought we should seize the moment, as it were: it's such a small window of
opportunity."

"Of course. And were you waiting for a similar window of opportunity to tell me you weren't returning to Hogwarts?"

Harry chuckled wryly. "Who told you? Ted? Oh, Fleur. Then she must have told you I only decided about Hogwarts after I
overheard the reporters telling you about your new job." He shrugged. "It just seems to me that giving my support to The
Witch Who Won is more important than taking my NEWTs…" His voice trailed off as he realized Hermione had gone deathly
still.

"I understand," she said, after a moment. "Finding the right moment to divulge important information can be… important."

"Yes, exactly," he agreed, puzzled by her response. Her voice had been light, but her stance was rigid, and he couldn't
understand why.

"For instance, there wasn't a right moment before the Party to tell me all the details about your little flight of
fiction this morning, I do understand that…"

"Yyyyyeah, sorry about that, but it all worked out. I managed to dispel any notions Ron might have had, after his
'nightmare'. And you played along beautifully…"

"And I simply can't imagine the right moment to tell me that I'm not The Witch Who Won."

Oh crap bleeding crappity crap. In shock, Harry watched Hermione as she fell back a pace, arms akimbo. "I suspected
something was amiss when you told me you'd fulfilled the prophecy. It was such an odd wording: you'd fulfilled it? Not
if I was the one that actually killed Voldemort. But today you finally described exactly when you came back to your
body, and I knew." She was beginning to show anger now as she added, "And you never told me?"

Harry felt his face go sphinxlike, a conditioned response to confrontation… honed by years of avoidance while in hiding.
He realized, even as it happened, that it was the wrong response: Hermione was no longer rigid. She stood apart from him
now, fury written on her face as she waited for him to say something, anything.

"You needed to be The Witch Who Won," he finally admitted. "You still need to be. And you're too honest to use a title
you didn't think you'd earned."

"But my using a fraudulent title unknowingly was just fine, was it?" Hermione spat. "Harry, I swear to God, if I hadn't
promised to keep your secret, I'd be talking to the Prophet right now – telling them how Voldemort really died. I don't
like this precious title, I don't need it, and I don't want it!"

"Hey, 'Chosen One' here," Harry said pointedly.

"Oh, so your title justifies mine?!"

"No… but it does give me a certain insight on the necessity of hateful titles. And it means you don't get to go all emo
on me about your own title. Anybody else, maybe, but not me."

She drew a deep, indignant breath and regarded him frostily. "I do not go 'emo'."

Harry judged that appeasement was now in order. "Perhaps I spoke poorly," he soothed. "I know I promised we'd talk more,
but you're right: there simply hasn't been a good time to tell you this. And compared to the Swivingham case, to the
Elder Wand, to everything else… well, you have to agree it was a lower priority."

Hermione paused, saying nothing, but still glowering at Harry. "I just find it disturbing," she said, a bit more calmly,
"that after all your assurances that you'd talk to me about things, you're still keeping things from me. Things which,
you have to agree, I've a right to know. Were you planning to tell me?"

"Let's just say I was hoping the subject never came up, and let it go at that." He raised a placating hand. "I know, I
know, I need to stop doing that. Hermione, I'm sorry."

She looked away, her glower softening but still present. Finally, she gestured at the Portkey Patches still in his hand.
"As you've been at pains to point out, if we're leaving at all, we'd best leave now. But we will finish this discussion…
later. When you packed our supper, did you include something to drink?"

He blinked at the seeming non-sequitur. "Um, yeah. Three-quarters of a bottle of elf wine, left over from your Party."

"That should do. In vino veritas, as they say." Hermione marched up to Harry, took firm hold of his collar with one
hand, plucked the Patches from his grasp with her other hand, and looked him squarely in the eye. "And I intend to put
that little platitude to the test this evening. So if there are any other bits of important information – for which you
haven't found the 'right moment' to tell me – I suggest you have them ready." She waited a beat to make certain she had
his undivided attention… then her expression gentled as she added, "Because I intend to do the same."

*

Tori quietly closed the door to the first-years' dormitory behind her. I wish I could have been more helpful, she
sighed, or at least more of a comfort. Still, Rose was both intelligent and level-headed, qualities which would stand
her in good stead in the weeks to come. And Tori had managed to extract a promise from her young cousin, that any future
troubles should not be bottled up inside, but brought to Tori for disposal.

Her emotions felt drained away, and she would have loved to retire to her own dormitory for the night, but she owed Ted
an update. Tori made her way down the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room, scanning for Ted's face: his hair might
change with his mood, but he almost always wore his usual face. Unless he was pranking someone, of course.

She spotted him in the window embrasure, with the window open. Mercifully, no one else was nearby, or seemed to be
paying him close attention – which meant they'd have privacy for their chat. As she approached, she caught a flash of
something silver sitting on the windowsill – and recognized it as a Patronus. And Ted appeared to have been talking to
it! "I've only ever seen one of those," she said as she drew close. "Professor Longbottom showed us his Patronus last
year. This isn't yours, is it? Whose is it?"

"Guess," Ted said sourly. Now that she was nearer, Tori could tell that the Patronus had the shape of… an ermine? No: an
otter. Whom did she know whose avatar might be an otter…? After a moment, she shook her head.

"Your former Aunt Hermione," he told her. "Dispensing a little unsolicited advice." He rubbed the back of his neck in
irritation as the Patronus evaporated. "Which I would resent a lot more," he added grudgingly, "if it didn't make so
much damn sense."

"Ah." Tori waited another moment, then decided Ted wasn't ready to share the message with her – and pressing him would
probably trigger an explosive rant on Hermione's perceived moral failings. "Anyway," she said, "I just had a long talk
with Rose."

"Oh, yeah. How is Rose? Has she recovered from her shock? About her parents, I mean?"

"A bit. I don't think it was the fact of the divorce that was such a shock – the whole family knows Uncle Ron had moved
out years ago – I think it was more the way she learned about it." Tori sighed and surveyed the Common Room. "Of
course," she added without looking at Ted, "everyone else will learn about it too, soon enough."

"I see what you mean, yeah. The Prophet, for one, will have a field day with it. First Muggleborn Minister of Magic, and
also the first witch to actually beat the magic of her wedding vows? I can just see the gossip columns now." Ted gave
her a sideways glance. "Are you thinking that her classmates might give her a hard time about it? 'Cause I'm sure you
and I can squash anyone here in Gryffindor who tries…"

"You might have your own troubles to deal with, Mr. My-Godfather-Is-The-Greatest-Wizard-Since-Merlin. I can't imagine
that little tidbit won't be making the rounds soon."

Ted gave her a grin filled with mischief, and changed his eyes and hair to match Harry's.

"And that is something I recommend you never do again! At least if you ever want Rose to stop crushing on you," Tori
said sharply. "Or didn't you notice the effect Harry was having on her, all through lunch?"

The raven hair turned immediately back to brown, as Ted stared at her in astonishment. "Rose? Crushing on Harry? He's
old enough to be her dad!"

"But he looks not much older than you. I may be wrong, of course," Tori allowed generously, "but it certainly looked as
though she were smitten at first sight."

"Oh, that's good. That's just too good," Ted snorted in amusement. "Don't worry, Tori, I won't take the mickey on Rose –
but oh, will I ever take it on Harry!"

She frowned at his obtuseness. "If I were you, I'd keep my lip buttoned about it. If Rose does crush on Harry, it won't
be comfortable for any of them. Especially once she realizes that Harry's already taken. Or didn't you see that at
lunch, either?"

"What d'you mean, Harry's already taken? Are you talking about all those years he spent with the Muggles? He didn't say
anything about…" He stopped short, his mobile face showing his sudden dismay. "You're not talking about… you don't mean…
her!? NO, Tori! I know you think she practically walks on water, but Harry'd never…"

"She can use his wand, Ted."

Tori's meaning was clear. Ted knew that Professor Longbottom had talked about compatible magic making compatible
marriages – he mentioned it to every fourth-year Defense class at some point – and there was no better measure of
magical compatibility than being able to use another's wand as though it were your own.

"And Harry used Hermione's wand, back when they were hunting for the Horcruxes," he murmured thoughtfully. "Still, that
only means their magic is compatible. The same could be said for brothers, or best friends, or… It doesn't guarantee
they'll fall in love and get married."

"But if they do fall in love and get married," argued Tori, "it'll be built on rock, not sand."

"Spare me your metaphors," Ted muttered. "Harry and… her? I thought Gryffindor Girls were supposed to be lionesses, not
cougars – OW!" He rubbed his shoulder where she'd smacked him.

"First of all," she said sternly, "they're the same age. You just said so, Ted! And second of all, you'd best be careful
not to say anything like that around Harry – not if you want to stay on his good side. Or don't you remember the
chewing-out he gave you from the fireplace last week?"

"I remember, I remember. And I am trying hard not to hold a grudge against her, honest. For Harry's sake. Maybe for
Rose's sake, too – and maybe even yours, super-sleuth." He scowled, lost in thought. "'Course, even if you're right, I
don't know that she'd be good for Harry. She's going to be Minister and he hates publicity… I mean really, what does he
see in her? Yeah, I know they've been friends since forever, but still."

"I don't expect you to understand," Tori informed him haughtily, "but I think it's very romantic. A love so strong even
Death couldn't kill it! It's… it's beautiful." She sniffed slightly.

Ted's scowl slowly changed to a quizzical look, with which he regarded her for a long minute. "So I'm not romantic, am
I?" he asked in a lower tone.

"You do have your good moments," she admitted, "but let's face it, men just don't have any real romance in their souls.
It's not your fault, I suppose…"

Tori stopped as he drew his wand. For one instant, she was afraid he meant to hex her; then she wondered if he intended
some demonstration, some romantic gesture, to disprove her words. She didn't know what he intended – but was completely
unprepared for what he did next.

Ted offered her his wand.

For some reason, her eyes could see nothing but the handle of his wand. For some reason, her lungs couldn't properly
take in oxygen. "You… you just got through saying it didn't prove anything," she whispered.

"No, I just got through saying it's not the final word," he replied softly. "But it can certainly be a beginning word."
He waited patiently, not withdrawing his wand, not forcing it on her either.

In exquisite slow motion, her fingers came up to wrap themselves around Ted's wand. He released it as she lifted it to
eye level, inspecting it as though she'd never seen it before in her life. After a moment, she gave it an experimental
twirl. "Erm, Orchideous?"

And Tori was rewarded with the sight of a wreath of flowers encircling Ted's brow.

Ted didn't act surprised. He tilted his head and rolled his eyes upward, trying to see the flowers… and his gentle smile
for Tori was nothing like his more usual sardonic expression. "Good. That gives us something to start with, don't you
think? Now all we have to do is figure out where to go next." He reached out to retrieve his wand from her hand, and in
the process, succeeded in entwining his fingers with hers.

She put on an air of primness, trying to lighten the moment. "I believe the usual idiom, good sir, is 'taking it to the
next level'." Tori's fingers made no attempt to escape from his – which meant, as he brought back his own hand, he also
drew her closer to him.

"Next level," Ted repeated. He started to lean towards her, hesitated, and looked out at the Common Room. "Yeah, well,
in my opinion, the next level doesn't need quite so many witnesses." He brought her fingers up and brushed them against
his lips – not quite kissing them – and turned oddly formal. "Would you care to watch the sun set over the lake with me,
m'dear? 'Roaming in the gloaming, we two', as the locals might say?"

Not trusting herself to speak, Tori gave a single nod. With his free hand, Ted removed the wreath from his head,
extracted the largest of its flowers, and proffered it to her. Accepting it with a murmur of thanks, she held it to her
face and inhaled its bouquet, while Ted linked his arm with hers. And together, heedless of any looks they might have
gotten from their fellow Gryffindors, they made their way out of the Common Room.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

37. XXXVII: Ebb and Flow

(A/N: We had some technical difficulties with the last chapter… they've now been resolved, if you care to re-read it.
Plus, some reviews, and some of my responses to reviews, seem to have Disapparated. So this time, let's cross our
fingers and hope for the best, shall we?)

(Disclaimer: HP7 is coming soon, and for the first time, I'm hoping a Harry Potter movie is nothing like the book. For
what it's worth, neither is this story.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXVII: Ebb and Flow

*

Blaise Zabini had never expected to feel that vibration in his temples again.

For a moment, he lay motionless in the darkness, gauging whether the buzzing under his skin was genuine or a product of
morbid imagination. Finally, convinced that the sensation was real – and judging it too dangerous to ignore – he slid
his feet from under the duvet and sat up in bed.

"Blaise?" Ginny called sleepily beside him.

"It's nothing, Flame," he told her quietly, using his pet name for her. "I'm too wound to fall asleep, is all. Thought
I'd put the time to good use."

Ginny nodded; this wasn't the first time Blaise had made a virtue of insomnia. "Still say you should try Sleeping
Potion," she mumbled.

Zabini managed a chuckle, leaned over to kiss her brow, and stood from the bed. He navigated the darkened room with the
ease of long familiarity, grabbing a pair of reading glasses and Ginny's wand from the nightstand, and a dressing gown
from its hook on the door. He closed the bedroom door behind him and made his way to his study. Once there, he gathered
some Ministry documents from his desk and settled into his favorite comfy chair, looking just as though he were going to
review the documents.

Instead, after hooking the reading glasses behind his ears, he tapped them with Ginny's wand and whispered, "Adsum."

The earpieces of the glasses began to vibrate in synch with the vibration in his own temples. After a moment, the
buzzing began to die; as it did so, Zabini closed his eyes, to avoid the moment of vertigo that always accompanied this
charm.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw Svartalfer in the lenses of his reading glasses. The thin-faced Aryan wore his own
set of glasses, charmed to link with Zabini's. Svartalfer's expression was more pinched with disapproval than usual –
which wasn't surprising, Zabini supposed.

"Zabini." The word sounded in his ears through his glasses' earpieces. It lost none of its disdain along the way.

Zabini cleared his throat and began to carefully subvocalize, as he'd been taught for this charm: his lips barely
moving, the barest thread of sound escaping. "I see you've evaded the authorities."

"No thanks to you. At that, I have fared better than Castigni and ibn al-Afrit," Svartalfer scowled. "You, also, seem
Azkaban to have avoided." His tone, though hardly friendly, wasn't as accusatory as Zabini might have expected. Either
the Cartel's current difficulties were more cosmetic than real, of no true concern to them, or else…

He wants something, Zabini realized. He wouldn't have summoned me to talk if I were to be simply killed or Obliviated.
He still needs me.

Zabini would not allow his sudden surge of relief to show in his face. His voice remained less than a whisper: "I assume
you've arranged…"

"I have to a secure facility retreated," Svartalfer interrupted. "Retrenching our agents, our top priority for the
foreseeable future is. Many have been arrested; many are fugitives. How remarkable, that for once the ICW have so
immediately acted."

"Blame Gawain Robards for that. He's used Shacklebolt's death to mobilize the international Enforcers."

"And has armed them with information by you provided."

"Which was not my fault," Zabini shot back. "Your Memory Charm expert didn't provide a failsafe for sequestering my
memories. I was forced to give them up intact."

"Then you did not receive the key? Why?"

Zabini hesitated, unwilling to confess the full truth, and Svartalfer jumped on it. "Granger. It was Granger, nicht
wahr? Again and always now, Granger. She has more than an inconvenience become. She is a… liability."

"She'll be worse than that soon enough. Hadn't you heard, Svartalfer? She's to be our next Minister of Magic. Merlin
only knows what agenda she'll pursue once she's in office."

"Yes." The Cartel Lord said nothing more for a long minute, his cold blue eyes measuring Zabini… as though Zabini were
being weighed in some imaginary balance, to see if he were found wanting. Zabini returned his gaze steadily, but
silently. Let's see if Svartalfer comes out and says anything. Let him commit for once.

"Assassination of a political leader is too overt… too messy," Svartalfer said at last. "Our preferred modus operandi it
is not." The unspoken implication, however, was plain enough.

His mouth had gone abruptly dry, making it even harder to whisper. "Plus, in Granger's case, rather difficult to
manage," Zabini replied. "You must give me some time…"

Svartalfer gave him a tight, wintry smile. "Your offer is unnecessary, my friend. She is not your Minister yet – and my
sources say she unexpected folly is showing. Ah! I see you did not know. Sehr gut. Perhaps, then, you will not
displeased be, by news shortly to come." His expression became tranquil, almost benign. "And should fortune favor you
when your Wizengamot again meets, I trust your friends in mind you will keep. We may yet together for our mutual profit
work."

"I… would look forward to that," Zabini responded courteously, profoundly thankful the charmed reading glasses wouldn't
show the cold sweat that had broken out over his entire body.

*

When Harry had suggested lunch in Athens, Hermione mused, he probably had no idea what happened in Athens on Sundays.

The Monastiraki flea market was in full swing around them, with vendors hawking their wares from carts, open-air bins,
and storefronts. They'd early on found a small sidewalk café for their meal; as the crowds had gathered, Harry had grown
progressively more nervous. Hermione held his hand in sympathy, and it seemed to help.

"Relax, you're perfectly safe," she reassured him. "No one here is going to recognize you, after all."

"Yeah, well, there's a reason it's called 'irrational fear'," he muttered back. With a deep breath, he straightened in
his seat and made a visible effort to be more cheerful. "Y'know, if you're interested in shopping, I think we passed a
used book store on our way here…"

"Oh, no, Harry," she laughed, "I'm not so easily distracted as I was as a schoolgirl." She paused. "Old books?"

"Probably." His smile at her response was genuine. "Would you care to go…?"

"You haven't finished your breakfast," Hermione pointed out. "And if we lose this table, we'll never get another." Plus,
having Harry navigate the street traffic would bother him more than merely watching it flow by. Keeping her back to the
crowds, she discreetly Transfigured her napkin into a paper cup, and transferred her remaining coffee into it. A quick
Warming Charm completed the job. "I'll be back in ten minutes, I promise. If the waiter returns, have him bring me
another coffee?"

The bookseller was not far down the street, and Hermione located the shop with ease. As promised, the books were quite
old, with rich leather bindings and the delightful musty smell that Hermione loved. She scanned the shelves for any
books that might be of magical interest.

"Are you looking for something in particular?"

The voice had a Greek accent. She looked up to see a handsome young man, smiling and prepared to wait on her. Too young
to be the shop owner… his son, probably. She wondered in passing how he'd known to speak English to her, then decided it
must be obvious she was a tourist.

"I was looking for books on the occult," she told him, using her stock phrase when dealing with Muggles. "Any Eastern
European lore of that sort."

"Ah. Yes. Let me see…" The young man walked up to her and reached past her to grasp a book on the shelf.

He brought back his hand – and she noted with suddenly sharp clarity that it held, not a book, but a dirk, slender and
pointed, which he had palmed. He'd positioned his body so that no one else in the shop could see it. Instinctively, she
stepped backward – and bumped into another man who had approached her from behind, silently, blocking her retreat. The
second man's hands were close to her elbows, not pinning them, but ready to do so.

Still smiling, the helpful, handsome young man said softly, "This is for Sabas Doukas," and struck.

*

Zabini awoke a bit later than his wont – understandable, considering his night – and to the smell of coffee brewing. A
quick side-glance confirmed that Ginny was already up. He rose from bed, stretched and touched his toes. Shrugging his
dressing gown over his shoulders, he made his way to the parlor, where a full coffee service was on display. Also on
display was Ginny, delightfully deshabille in a thigh-length silk kimono, close-fitting and showing every curve.

She was writing on a piece of parchment, but looked up and smiled at him as he snagged his first cup of coffee.
"Morning, sleepyhead. You must have been productive last night: you came to bed quite late."

"Mm. Yes, I think I can say I'm now ready to face the week." Zabini busied himself with adding cream and sugar to his
coffee to avoid further questions along that line. He arched one eyebrow and nodded inquiringly at the parchment before
her.

"Oh, this," she frowned. "I tried to send an owl to Harry this morning… arrange to get together with him soon, over
lunch or something… but the owls didn't even seem to know his name, or where to find him. I'm wondering if they think
he's still dead, or something." She scratched another line on the parchment, then lifted it and blew on it to dry the
ink. "So I thought I'd try another tack. I'm writing my coach on the Harpies. I'm sure Harry would be delighted to
receive a season pass to all the Harpies' matches… and it would be good publicity for the team as well."

"And what more natural that he discover you there, an old 'friend'," (his tone lent the word deeper significance), "as
it were, and the two of you reconnect." Blaise kept his voice matter-of-fact, and willed his emotions to accept Ginny's
plan in a spirit of cold calculation. He was disturbed to discover that he wasn't quite successful.

His thoughts were detoured by the arrival of Virgil, his paid house-elf (Zabini had long ago seen the political
advantage in freeing and re-hiring his family's house-elf) appearing at the parlor door. "Excuse this one, Master," he
said, "but there are visitors from the Ministry."

"Visitors? I was expecting an owl…" Zabini began to rise from his chair, but stopped as Ginny laid her hand on his
forearm.

"They come to you… you don't go to them," she reproved, but with a smile. "Show them here," she told Virgil.

Zabini reseated himself, with a smile of thanks for her reminder. It was a lesson that most Slytherins were taught from
a young age, and which Ginny seemed to know instinctively: Treat others as though their deference is your right.

He adjusted his dressing gown to look spontaneous but neat – let the visitors see they'd interrupted his morning, it
would put them off their balance from the start – and tasted his coffee. After a moment,Virgil returned, escorting a
witch in her late twenties, carrying a briefcase… and another elf, wearing a Ministry tabard. Zabini quickly searched
his memory for the witch's name.

"Sheryl Binder, isn't it?" he smiled, rising graciously to extend his hand, "from the office of the…" And he almost
faltered as his mind finally made the connection.

"Of the Senior Counsel," she confirmed, taking his hand. She didn't seem to notice his momentary pause. "Thanks for
seeing me."

He gestured her to a seat with a restored aplomb. "Coffee? I take it you've come on behalf of our new Minister," he
said, sitting down again next to Ginny. He could feel Ginny squeeze his arm; he pressed his arm against her hand in
reply, but otherwise kept his attention on charming his guest. "Or our ex officio Minister, I should say. I believe
you've been serving as her clerk?"

"Yes, that's right," Sheryl acknowledged, accepting a cup. "I thought I'd help out with the transition of office… take
care of the routine mess. You understand, of course, nothing's official until the Wizengamot invests Madam Granger,
but…"

"But she'll have enough to do without needing to worry about every fiddling detail," agreed Zabini cordially. "I believe
it's pro forma for all Department Heads and their deputies to offer their resignations – we serve at the Minister's
pleasure, after all – and I assume that's why you've come. If you'll wait here a moment, I have the letter ready in my
study…"

"Actually, sir, we were hoping it was indeed pro forma in your case," Sheryl put in. "Because it looks like your boss,
Mr. Kerricks, has decided to resign in earnest. I guess you're the acting Head of International Cooperation now… I think
Madam Granger would be inclined to make it permanent. If you're willing," she added, seeing Zabini's astonishment.

"This is… unexpected." And indeed it was: both that Kerricks should resign, and that Granger should promote him. She
knows about my involvement with the Cartel – why would she want to keep me around? As Department Head, no less?

"I'm honored, of course," he murmured, temporizing, "if Madam Granger is willing…?"

"I'm sure she will be," smiled Sheryl, and her wording gave Zabini the answer. Aha! Granger's gone into seclusion –
Binder can't locate her – so she's taken the initiative on herself! And it doesn't sound like Granger told her lackey
everything she suspected about me. With the dismissal of all my charges, I'm now exonerated in the Ministry's eyes – and
I am far and away the most qualified person for the post.

By the time Granger reappears and is sworn in as Minister, I'll be in place… and it'll prove rather embarrassing to
dismiss me at that point.

And of course, he congratulated himself slyly, everyone still believes it was Shacklebolt's spell gone wrong that
strangled Granger. The truth of that, at least, will never come to light.

"Well, then… provisionally speaking, I would be pleased to work with Madam Granger," he replied with a broad smile. "And
certainly act as the Head of the Department pro tempore."

"Splendid! Well, then, I need your signature on a few documents here. And I expect the new Minister will wish to meet
with you Monday morning."

"Certainly. Let's go to my study and look these over first, shall we? Will you excuse us, my dear?" Giving Ginny a
heartfelt kiss, Zabini rose from the table and led Granger's minion out of the parlor and down the hall. "By the way,"
he added quietly, when they were alone, "did Kerricks say why he was resigning?" His attitude was casual… mere minor
curiosity, nothing more.

"No specific reason that I heard… simply something to the effect of 'it was time'." Sheryl met Zabini's gaze
forthrightly. From what he knew of his former superior, Zabini had no trouble divining her unspoken message: Kerricks
wouldn't work under a Mudblood.

Ginny's insight of the evening before was looking to be square in the gold. Zabini hid a satisfied smile as he ushered
the clerk into his study.

*

Back in the parlor, the Ministry house-elf waited for Blaise and Sheryl to leave before clearing his throat. "Excuse
Canby, miss… but while they are busy, may we speak?"

"Of course," Ginny said, a bit surprised. Not at the elf's demeanor – he was obviously a free elf in the Ministry's
employ – but at the fact he might have any business with her.

"Canby only wonders if now would be convenient to collect the pictures you promised Miss Hermione."

"Pictures? I don't recall promising Hermione any pictures…" Ginny furrowed her brow in thought.

"Earlier this week?" Canby suggested helpfully.

"Oh!" That explained it, Ginny thought. "I'm sorry, er, Canby, but I wouldn't be able to recall anything Hermione and I
talked about this week. You may have heard how I lost my memory on Thursday?"

"Was so much happening that day, miss. It would not be surprising." Canby looked wistful. "It was only… the pictures
would mean much to Miss Hermione, and she was looking forward to receiving them…"

"I'm sorry, Canby," Ginny said more firmly. "I simply don't recall anything about any pictures. I don't have any idea
where they might be. Miss Hermione will have to be disappointed, I'm afraid."

The house-elf looked so crestfallen that Ginny felt herself wondering why. "Are these pictures so important, then?"

"Canby doesn't know, miss. Canby only wants to please Miss Hermione…" The elf's voice died away, but Ginny thought she
understood now. Another example of a free elf bonding itself to a human, pretending to have a "master" again. Really, I
think Blaise is right when he says the elves are happier when they have a house to serve. Freeing them doesn't seem to
make them better off.

"If miss will permit," the elf suggested, turning hopeful, "Canby can find the pictures. House-elves are good at finding
things for humans. Is one of a house-elf's duties, so our magic can be used to do it."

"I really couldn't tell you where…" Ginny began, then reconsidered. "Well, I've no objection to your looking, in any
case. Virgil!" Summoned, Virgil appeared by her side in a pop! of displaced air. "Virgil, Canby here is going to look
for some pictures I've misplaced. I give permission for him to use his magic for that purpose. I want you to help him
search, all right?"

"Thank you, miss," beamed Canby, and left the parlor in Virgil's company – the main reason for their visit to Zabini
Manor having been accomplished.

*

The young man stabbed upward, the dirk coming from below to slip between her ribs or eviscerate her stomach. In the same
instant, Hermione reacted instinctively – by throwing the contents of her coffee cup into her attacker's face. The man
cried out sharply as the scalding liquid hit, and tried to stifle his cry as he pressed his attack – but half-blinded by
the coffee, his aim was a touch wide.

Twisting desperately to one side, Hermione evaded the dirk while positioning herself to deliver a kick at the man behind
her. He staggered back, groaning; the part of Hermione's mind that was still calm and methodical catalogued his
description, to be passed on to the Aurors, brown hair, three-day growth of beard, small jewel in left nose piercing…

With a bound, she was away from the two men and ducking behind a display table. Outnumbered, and disadvantaged by the
presence of Muggles, she decided retreat was the better part of valor. Crouching low behind the table to avoid being
seen, she tried to Disapparate.

And nothing happened.

Anti-Apparation wards! These two weren't taking any chances, she thought wildly. How far do the wards extend? There
wasn't time to ponder overlong; the men were coming for her again. Hermione stood quickly from her crouch, grasping the
edge of the table as she did, and with a heave upended the table and its contents. The men dodged the falling books, but
the resultant alarm among the bookshop's customers gave her the opening she needed. She threaded between two other
patrons and managed to get out of the shop into the street.

Her initial thought was to rejoin Harry. Together, they'd be far better suited to repel an attack. But once in the
street, she spotted another man, bulky and grim-faced, between her and the café where Harry waited. And he was making
his way towards her.

At once, Hermione darted in the opposite direction, weaving through the crowds, doing her best to avoid causing a
disturbance. We daren't get into a magical battle here! There are too many innocent bystanders! And even if there
weren't, a fine thing it would be, for the British Minister-elect to violate the Secrecy Statutes before she's even
sworn into office! I'm surprised my attackers care about that…

They're from the Cartel, she immediately concluded. Their primary defense is anonymity. They wanted this to look like a
Muggle affair, a robbery or such. With no sign that wizards were involved, the Greek Ministry wouldn't have given it a
second thought.

She wasted a second glancing behind her: Bulky Man had been joined by Handsome Young Blade, and they were following her
as quickly as the crowds permitted. The third man, Nose Jewel, wasn't immediately visible, but Hermione had no doubts he
was closing in as well.

The Cartel want anonymity. Maybe I should make a scene, then? Scream for help… make up a story about a lost child, or
something… No. It would put every passerby at risk. Muggles against wizards, they'd stand no chance.

She'd come to a larger street, filled with more throngs, more street vendors – the Plateia Avyssinias, if the guide
books she'd perused had been right. She made another attempt to Disapparate, again without success. The crowds here
seemed to include more foreign tourists: at any rate, the locals appeared to be catering to them, with more signs in
Roman letters, and what appeared to be actors or dancers performing on a low stage. The audience were taking photographs
of them.

Their cameras had electronic flashes…

Even as the idea formed in her mind, Hermione was making for the crowd near the stage, surreptitiously drawing her wand.
She tried to concentrate on a happy thought – hard to do when one is running for one's life! – and waited until the
dancers had completed a particularly involved routine. Waited for the applause. Waited for photos to be taken.

The moment the flashes began, she whipped her wand downward. "Under attack. Can't Apparate. Come at once," she recited
in her mind, and "Expecto Patronum!" from her lips. The tiny silver streak sped from her wand to the ground, lost amidst
the bursts of electronic light, and zipped away, hugging the street.

It was an advantage her attackers didn't know she had. Using Patronuses as messengers had been a closely guarded secret
of the Order of the Phoenix; except perhaps for Shacklebolt's lynx appearing at Bill and Fleur's wedding, all those
years ago, only a select few had ever seen the method in use, much less knew it existed. Certainly Hermione had never
advertised her ability to use it. Her attackers thought they'd isolated her. They were wrong.

Now she needed to stay alive until Harry arrived. Unfortunately, if she hid, Harry might not find her in time. She had
no choice, she'd have to stay in the open – but keep moving, keep one step ahead of her pursuit.

She'd reached the far side of the audience in front of the stage. Up on the stage, the dancers had been replaced by a
pair of jugglers, keeping half a dozen clubs spinning in the air between them. As Hermione began to dodge away, looking
for cover in an unoccupied shop, the jugglers earned a round of applause, and more photos were taken.

And as the cameras flashed again, a bolt of deadly magic shot towards her from the street somewhere before her.

If Hermione hadn't already been dodging to one side, the curse would have struck her squarely in the stomach. As it was,
the curse sliced along the outside of her hip, leaving a bloody gash that burned intensely. She stumbled, nearly
knocking over a very fat tourist – and taking advantage of his size, she ducked around him, dropped to the ground, and
rolled under the stage.

She didn't remain in one place, though her wound was causing terrible pain. Hermione crawled on elbows and knees to the
back of the stage, where the performers made ready before going on. The troupe had erected several lightweight screens
there, to form small enclosures, for costume changes and prop storage; Hermione waited an instant, making sure no one
was watching, before emerging from under the stage and darting behind one of the screens.

There she collapsed onto a folding chair, finally giving way to a fit of the trembles. She pressed a hand to her wound,
wincing, and drew it away covered in blood. Healing charms, she thought wildly, which healing charms can I do here?
Episkey is for breaks, not wounds or burns…

First things first: the pain. For pain, she only knew the Anodyne Charm, which didn't relieve pain as well as potions,
but it was better than nothing. Hermione cast it on herself, regaining a measure of calmness as the pain dulled. A quick
Diffindo sliced away the smoldering bits of her skirt that were closest to the wound, leaving it exposed. Then, gritting
her teeth, she pointed her wand at her wound. "Aduro," she hissed.

The burning pain returned fivefold, as the charm cauterized the wound and staunched the flow of blood. Hermione knew it
was only a temporary measure, but it would last until a Healer could deal with it.

"Hermione? I know you're here," Harry's voice said from the other side of the screen. Seconds later, it spoke again. "I
came as quick as I could. How, how bad is it?" Somehow, even though it was clearly audible to her, Harry's voice
sounded… strangely distant.

Vaguely, she felt as though she ought to be responding, but she didn't raise her eyes. Instead, she kept her gaze firmly
focused on her wound. After a moment, for no reason, she transferred her gaze to her left foot. At the same moment, she
thought she felt… something… come to rest on her hand. The touch seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place it…

"Hermione?" Harry's far-off voice said, "what's wrong? Why aren't you…" The voice cut off with a sudden intake of
breath. "Damn. Damn, damn, damn."

And with those words, Harry's presence came rushing back into her senses like a bracing sea breeze. His hand was on her
hand; he was bending over her, peering worriedly into her face. She could look up again, look at him again. She realized
at once what he'd done, and that he hadn't known he was doing it until just now.

For his sake, she kept her voice light. "That's one heck of a Notice-Me-Not Charm you've got there, buster."

He lowered his gaze, disturbed. "Wasn't my doing," he mumbled.

"I think it was, Harry, at least subconsciously. You've had a fear of crowds since you came back – you've dreaded
attention. It looks as though your magic has found a way to make sure you don't get it."

Harry looked sharply at her. "My magic? Or… a leftover of someone else's magic? Like how owls can't find me?"

"Evidently so…"

"Or how I found you?" She must have looked puzzled, for he continued, "When I still had the Wand, I could sense the
magic flow through you, in and out, as you slept. Today, I sensed when you did that Anodyne thingie… and I followed the
current of magic here, to you."

It was all very plausible, and corroborated with the mastery of magic Harry had shown with his new ironwood wand: a
remnant of the awesome power of the Deathly Hallows, lingering on their former Master. Hermione promised herself they
would investigate further, when they had a free moment – then put it aside. "We can worry over it later – we have more
immediate problems."

Hurriedly she filled him on the events since she'd left for the bookshop. "They're definitely from the Cartel," she
concluded, "since they mentioned Sabas Doukas."

"And there're three of them, you say?"

"Three that I spotted. There's at least one more. Someone had to have been ahead of me, to curse me from that
direction." She shook her head glumly, and gave him the conclusions she'd reached. "Harry, we can't count on the Greek
Aurors getting here in time – the Cartel has put Anti-Apparation spells over the entire marketplace – and there are too
many innocent bystanders here. We need to get away, that's the safest for us and the crowds – but we can't Apparate,
either. We'll have to use the Portkey Patches, even though they'll take us back to England without our luggage…"

"The Patches are with our luggage," Harry replied. "I left them on Aeaea – didn't figure we'd need them for a quick
jaunt to the mainland." His fingertips hovered over her wound, as though he was trying to summon the healing power the
Elder Wand had once given him. "You know – the same reason you didn't wear your birthday present."

"My sapphire," Hermione groaned. Her sapphire necklace, with its near-impregnable protection against magical attacks!
Yes, that would have been useful in a firefight! Inwardly, she berated herself for her abysmal stupidity…

"You can punish yourself when we get home," Harry snorted, reading her thought. "You can do lines… 'Constant Vigilance'
five hundred times, or something. For now, focus."

She bridled at him, but his attention was no longer on her. Harry was visualizing the street, gauging their enemies…
planning. "I feel sure," he said slowly after a few seconds, "that I could take any of those goons, one-on-one. Hell, I
bet I could take all of them – if we could catch them off-guard. So that means…"

Harry looked her in the eye. "Two things. We need to target them, and we need to distract them."

"Well, distracting them should be easy," she said dryly. "I only need to show myself."

His expression was intent and somber, and with a start, she realized that was exactly what he'd had in mind.

Harry gave Hermione a chance to object, to tell him she wouldn't risk herself that way. When she met his gaze with a
look of determination, he nodded… as though to say he'd expected nothing less from her. "As for targeting them," he
continued, "you can identify them for me… before you show yourself and distract them, I mean…"

"But that leaves at least one of them I can't identify," Hermione pointed out. "Maybe more. And if they try something in
this crowd before you can get to them…"

He bit his lip. "Right. We need to make sure they don't pose a threat to bystanders… or to you, for that matter… while
smoking out the ones in hiding…" He looked around the screened area, at the props and ethnic garb used by the troupe to
entertain tourists. Slowly, for the first time since he'd found her, a smile spread on his face.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

38. XXXVIII: Threats Foreign and Domestic

(A/N: Before anyone asks, I sincerely doubt the goblins would adhere to British "banking hours".

I've begun reposting this story over on fanfiction.net, under my other pen name of alchymie. In the process, I'm
slightly amending and tightening the story – thanks to the suggestions and concrit of you, my Portkey readers! If that
proves to be an incentive for readers to review here, I won't complain.)

(Disclaimer: Somewhere, there's a Platonically ideal Harry and Hermione, of which Rowling's "creations" are pale
imitations. Mind you, their love isn't Platonic.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXVIII: Threats Foreign and Domestic

*

Judging by her expression, Harry mused, Hermione feels ridiculous. She hates that.

He'd just finished "conferring" with the manager of the theatric troupe. Harry had been worried that he'd have to
Confund the manager – which he would have hated to do, but this was an emergency – but it turned out that cash had a
powerful magic of its own. It had taken every euro Harry had on him, but the manager had agreed.

Now Harry stood back, out of the way, as the troupe lined up for their next bit on the stage. Hermione stood among them,
her eyes glued to Harry, and her expression all but shouting, This had better be worth it, Potter. Harry smiled blandly,
and waited until an announcement in Greek was made on the stage, distracting the performers. Then he pointed his
ironwood wand at himself, and concentrated.

I did it just a few minutes ago, he reminded himself, when I didn't mean to. I should be able to do it now, on command.
C'mon, let's go! Lateo! Oculus fallo! Noli me animadvertere, dammit!

He knew he'd succeeded when Hermione's gaze turned momentarily vacant, and her eyes began to wander. She was looking at
the backdrop of the stage, at the dancers, at her feet… at anything but Harry. He'd done it: he'd recreated the potent
Notice-Me-Not charm that had allowed him to run through the crowds unnoticed. It was better than Disillusionment, better
even than invisibility: those could be beaten by someone who was actively looking for him. This way, that same someone
would forget to even try to look.

With a smile for Hermione that he knew she'd never see, Harry slipped around to the side of the stage and scanned the
crowd. He spotted one of Hermione's assailants, the bulky man, at once: not only from Hermione's description, but by the
way he too was scanning the crowed, more surreptitiously… looking for Hermione.

Quickly, Harry made his way across the square, tracking as he did so the bulky man's position and movements: the man was
moving slowly, trying to stay near Hermione's last reported location while looking as though he were simply meandering
along with the crowd. The other two assailants weren't immediately visible… and of course, there was at least one more
Cartel thug in the crowd somewhere, as yet unidentified. Well, that would be Harry's job.

He reached the shops on the side of the street opposite the stage. One of the merchants had left a ladder propped
against the building; Harry decided it would serve his purposes nicely. Confident now that no one would notice him, he
moved the ladder so that it was under an upper-story window, and climbed the ladder to the top. He stretched up his
arms, gripped the open window sill, and jumped up. He scrambled his feet against the wall to gain extra purchase as he
pulled himself up. With a final heave and a mid-air twist, he ended up perched on the sill, facing the street.

After a moment, he spotted the unshaven bloke with the nose jewel, some meters from the bulky man. They were evidently
running a search pattern, spreading out so as to cast as wide a net as possible. It gave Harry an idea where the other
pursuers might have placed themselves.

At this point, he half-closed his eyes and let his vision blur… while he brought another, entirely different sense in
focus.

*

Hermione waited behind the stage, wondering again why she'd allowed Harry to talk her into this. Granted, it seemed a
good plan, both in terms of attracting the attention of her attackers and keeping the Muggles unaware of magic. But it
left her feeling very exposed, indeed.

Because the plan's greatest risk – and it was considerable – was that the agents of the Cartel might no longer hesitate
to use magic. They'd foregone magic earlier, to avoid detection, and to make the attack on her to look like a Muggle
robbery. But by now, they'd thrown a curse; they'd cast an Anti-Apparation field; it wouldn't be long before Enforcers
or Aurors came to investigate. The Cartel might simply hex her, the moment she showed herself, and leave immediately.

But if they were caught by surprise, they might hesitate… just long enough…

On-stage, the announcer was praising the dancers, to scattered applause. Hermione listened carefully: her Greek was not
fluent, but she knew a few phrases, and one in particular that she'd told Harry to pay the announcer to use…

The announcer's voice took on the cadence of someone deviating from the usual script. Hermione paid closer attention,
and caught the words thumos Athenaios – "spirit of Athens". Her cue was coming up…

"Show time," she muttered. The wound on her hip continued to pain her; firmly, she told it she couldn't deal with it at
the moment, so stop hurting. Squaring her shoulders resolutely, she marched onto the stage just as the announcer
finished with the words: "Pallas Athene!"

Hermione strode forward on the stage with all the confidence she could muster, head high and chest out, holding herself
as a goddess (or an actress playing a goddess) ought. Her costume was borrowed from the troupe's wardrobe, Transfigured
as needed: a helmet with a horsehair crest, and a bronze-colored plastic chestplate (which Harry had magically molded,
somewhat generously, to her figure). Below the waist she wore a long, flowing white skirt. In her left hand was a round
shield, in her right hand a spear. Her appearance might have been an anachronism in ancient Greece, but here in modern
Athens, it was a decent romanticized vision of the goddess Athena.

The dancers and the announcer, who shared the stage with her, led the audience in a round of polite applause. Hermione
kept her eyes on the crowd; the moment she spotted the handsome young man who'd tried to knife her in the bookshop, she
smiled broadly. She waited for the moment of recognition.

Recognition came swiftly. His dark eyes locked on hers – and widened slightly. At once she brandished the spear overhead
as though in victory – and thereby allowed the knifeman to see her wand, gripped in the same hand as the spear, flat
against its haft.

She gave the Cartel assassin just enough time to register her wand's presence – to draw his own wand halfway out of its
sheath – then she dramatically swung the spear, and the wand, as she cast a nonvocal spell with all the power she could
give it. It was nothing more than a simple Cheering Charm, though she'd modified it to be cast over the entire crowd.
But her hunters didn't know that.

*

There. Harry could sense a subtle change in the raw magic around him… if one pretended ambient magic was a pool of
water, there was definitely a current forming. Indeed, if he kept his eyes half-closed and unfocused, he fancied he
could see it gather towards the stage, where Hermione was lifting her wand. Quick, now, look everywhere… track the flow,
spot the eddies…

On the far side of the square, a bright spark: a hard-faced woman, lean and strong, and Harry could see the tip of a
concealed wand in her hand. She'd raised her arm to use the wand, but now she was slowly lowering it… she hesitated,
unsure, her expression watchful, wary…

A wave of pastel blue washing over the crowd: Hermione's Cheering Charm. It was funny, really, watching how people's
faces lit up as the Charm spread…

Five silver flares, scattered: Shield Charms. In the audience full of Muggles, five witches and wizards had protected
themselves from whatever spell their quarry was casting – and in doing so, betrayed their identities and locations to
Harry as though they'd shouted aloud.

Immediately, Harry brought his eyes back into focus and shot off five Stunners, pushing himself to cast as rapidly as
possible. The Cartel roughs were all facing the stage – as were their Shield Charms, to deflect Hermione's magic. Their
unprotected backs were to Harry, and he intended to give them no chance to realize their error.

He was trying for speed, not power: he dared not allow them to attack Hermione while she was exposed and vulnerable. At
best, he expected his volley to weaken them, not disable them totally. So he was mildly (and pleasantly) surprised when
all five of the roughs were Stupefied into unconsciousness. As the nearest thug began to buckle at the knees, he hastily
cast his follow-up set of charms: "Mobilicorpus!"

The five figures jerked upright, looking rather like marionettes. Under Harry's painstaking guidance, they began to walk
to the side of the square, to an alley between two storefronts. Now that he'd isolated them, Harry could see that three
of them fit Hermione's descriptions of her attackers. There was also the hard-faced woman, a bit older than the others;
Harry tentatively pegged her as the leader of the group. And there was a fifth wizard whose face looked familiar, but
for the moment it escaped Harry's memory.

Overhead, the sky seemed to flicker for a moment, as though a cloud had blocked the sun and moved away again. With his
concentration on his Mobilicorpus spell, Harry didn't realize for a moment what had happened. When he did, he smiled
grimly. Anti-Apparation spells gone? Good. So we should be seeing the local Aurors any minute now.

*

Hermione posed theatrically with her spear outstretched, and watched as her Cheering Charm spread through the crowd. If
nothing else, it was causing the audience to applaud this time with more than indifferent politeness. She waited,
smiling confidently, while her knotted stomach reminded her that she wasn't really all that confident.

It wasn't until she saw the knifeman begin to crumple, then be pulled erect, that she felt those knots loosen a bit. A
tiny bit.

She could now see her pursuers being herded to a quiet spot – five in total? Yes, the three she'd seen earlier, plus an
unknown woman, and – she gasped as she saw the fifth, recognizing him from the hostel on Aeaea! So that's how the Cartel
knew where to find us! Quickly, before the man turned away, she memorized his face; with any luck, it would provide the
ICW with more leads to other Cartel members.

Her relaxation must have been apparent, for the audience applauded again with yet more enthusiasm. Hermione played to
the crowd for a moment, stepping to the very edge of the stage and thrusting the spear outward.

And no one in the crowd was more surprised than she, when a large tawny owl chose that moment to descend from the sky
and perch on her spear.

The applause this time was fervid and wild, from the dancing troupe as well as the audience, as Hermione and the owl
stared at one another. The owl ruffled its wings in a thoroughly disgruntled way, sidled down the spear's haft towards
her, and stiffly extended one foot. There was a scroll of parchment tied to it, and even from a distance Hermione could
make out the official seal of the Wizengamot.

It had taken a day longer, and the message had traveled hundreds of miles farther, than originally expected. No wonder
the owl looked so put out.

*

Amongst Muggles, the hamlet of Berwick-upon-Tweed is mostly notable for being about as far north as one could go in
England without crossing into Scotland. Amongst wizards, Berwick-upon-Tweed had a more sinister significance: it was the
sole point of contact between the Unplottable isle of Azkaban, in the North Sea, and the rest of Britain. With the
security measures instituted since Voldemort's defeat, the only transport from Azkaban was a small ferryboat, run by the
Ministry of Magic, shuttling between Azkaban and Berwick twice daily.

In the ferry terminal at Berwick, Andromeda Tonks sat patiently, ignoring with disdain a half-dozen prisoners and their
MLE guards. Those unfortunates were waiting to be taken to Azkaban, to serve their prison terms; patently, they were
dreading the trip. Andromeda, by contrast, was waiting to receive two parolees from Azkaban.

A bell announced the afternoon ferry's arrival. Andromeda stood and watched the door that led to the boarding ramp.
Minutes later, a lone human guard was escorting Narcissa and Draco Malfoy into the terminal room. The years in Azkaban
had left their marks on them: their blond hair was prematurely grey, and Narcissa's was cropped short. Their faces were
pale from lack of sunlight; they were dressed in non-descript Ministry-issue robes.

The guard stopped at the doorway, ready to assist in loading the waiting prisoners, while Narcissa and Draco continued
inside. Narcissa at least had a smiling face for her sister as she approached. "Dromeda, it is so good to see you," she
said. "Thank you for coming to greet us."

"How could I not?" Andromeda replied, taking Narcissa's outstretched hands and kissing her on the cheek. "Welcome home,
Cissy… and nephew," she added to Draco. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Said with utter graciousness, it was a
veiled reminder of how the Blacks, including Narcissa, had disowned Andromeda after her marriage to Ted Tonks.

"So come," Andromeda continued, "let's get you settled into your rooms at Grimmauld Place…"

"If you don't mind, aunt," Draco cut in, "I think a visit to Diagon Alley should be our first order of business."
Azkaban had seemingly left more than a physical mark on him: he wasn't as loud or arrogant as Andromeda had been led to
expect. Still, he wasn't ready to defer to others, either… even to a relative to whom he was indebted for shelter.

"Gringotts," he amplified when Andromeda didn't immediately reply. "And Ollivander's."

"We've some savings in Gringotts," Narcissa explained, "which the Ministry has promised to restore to us. And of course,
we need new wands." Having been convicted and sent to Azkaban, their old wands would have been broken – a detail now
left discreetly unmentioned.

"And new clothes as well," conceded Andromeda. "Very well, we can go there first. Sunday afternoons aren't that bad,
once term's begun at Hogwarts." She paused, then added casually, "Be sure to Apparate just inside the wall from the
Leaky Cauldron. That's the designated Safe Apparation Point for Diagon Alley." The suggestion that much had changed
since the Malfoys were sent to prison, and that they should tread warily now that they were out, was not lost.

*

After examining the meager funds in her Gringotts vault, Narcissa looked positively grim… but yielding to necessity, she
withdrew a sizable fraction of them. Andromeda had thought she'd take more, but apparently her sister was showing
uncharacteristic economy. (It also suggested that Narcissa would have to be in much direr straits before she requested a
loan from Andromeda. Almost a pity, that: it gave Andromeda one less lever on her sister.)

Their next stop was Ollivander's. With the needs of Hogwarts students taken care of during the summer, the Malfoys
expected to find the shop empty, and themselves served immediately. They weren't prepared to find another customer in
the shop – and quite surprised to discover who it was.

"No," Blaise Zabini said meditatively, balancing a wand between thumb and two fingers, "no, it's still not quite right.
There's no, mmm, no warmth, if you know what I mean."

"I do," said the short, stout shopkeeper, taking the wand from Zabini and setting it aside in a pile with several
others. "Not to worry, sir, we'll find the proper match for you. Good afternoon, ladies, sir," he added, turning to the
new arrivals. "If you will give me just a few minutes, I'll be available to serve you."

Narcissa gave her sister a puzzled look, which she correctly interpreted as This isn't Ollivander. "Caleb Ollivander,"
Andromeda explained quietly, "his grandson." Raising her voice, she addressed the merchant. "If this will take long, we
can return later. We have other shopping to do…"

The younger Ollivander gave Zabini an appraising look before replying, "Er, yes… I don't mean to inconvenience you,
ladies, but that might be best. It would allow me to give you all my complete attention."

Andromeda and Narcissa nodded in unison, and prepared to leave the shop. However, Draco shook his head. "I'll catch up
with you at Madam Malkin's," he told them. He tilted his head slightly towards Zabini.

"Indeed," smiled Zabini, eyeing Draco with tolerant amusement.

"Ah," said Narcissa. "Of course. We'll wait for you there, then, Draco." She handed Draco some Galleons to pay for his
new wand. With smiles all around, the two sisters left the shop. As the door closed, they could see Zabini and Draco
lowering their heads towards one another for a private conversation.

The two witches took their time strolling down Diagon Alley, stopping on occasion to peer into shop windows and make
inconsequential remarks. It was Andromeda who broke through the small talk. "So, then, Cissy… have you thought any
further about what I wrote to you?"

"I have," Narcissa admitted, "and I spoke to Draco about it this morning… though we hadn't much time on the ferry. But
we're beholden to you now," a tacit admission that, for some time to come, their fates depended on Andromeda's good
will, "so we agree, in principle, with what you propose."

Andromeda raised one elegant eyebrow. "'In principle'?"

Narcissa sighed. "Dromeda," she said quietly, "don't let's play games. We are of the House of Black. We both know what
that means – the history, the traditions, the status. And now you demand that Draco and I acknowledge, as Head of our
House, a half-grown youth who has but one-quarter Black ancestry, twice on the distaff side."

"And who is," Andromeda calmly noted, "the nearest male heir of Orion Black with no stigma attached to his name."
Privately, she was surprised that Narcissa hadn't objected to Teddy's blood status, as most Blacks through history would
have done. Acknowledging the son of two half-bloods as the Head of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black would make
a mockery of Toujours pur… which Andromeda wouldn't mind in the least. She'd be glad to see an end to that racist credo.

Narcissa acquiesced to her sister's point with a resigned nod. "And as I said, we agree to this… in principle. But if
we're to acknowledge him as Head of the Blacks, he must be a Black." She looked her sister in the eye. "It is not
unreasonable to insist on this."

Andromeda stiffened. "My grandson is a Black," she said frostily.

"In all but name. So let him be a Black in name as well. If he will agree to that, Draco and I will acknowledge him as
Head of our House – with everything that implies."

She hesitated. To have Narcissa and Draco acknowledge her grandson as Head of the Blacks would obligate them to support
him publicly, regardless of his blood status or anything else. (Not that Andromeda expected her grandson to found a new
line of Black patriarchs… but that concern would be for the next generation, not hers.) Moreover, being Head of the
Blacks would immensely enhance Teddy's social standing in the wizarding world… no small thing, once he was of age.

And, rather to her surprise, she found that, given this last opportunity to keep the Black name from dying out, in her
deepest heart she welcomed it.

But, by implication, Teddy would be repudiating his own heritage – the names of Lupin and Tonks. Andromeda had to admit,
she had no idea how Teddy would react to the suggestion. She rather suspected he wouldn't take it well.

A compromise seemed in order.

"If Ted and I had cared about such things," she said slowly, "my daughter would have been Nymphadora Black-Tonks. Had
she continued the tradition, her son would have been Teddy Black-Lupin. He would agree to that change, I imagine."

Narcissa pursed her lips. "Teddy Lupin-Black," she countered, giving the Black surname pride of place.

"Black-Lupin," Andromeda repeated firmly. She waited for her sister to concede.

After a moment, Narcissa gave her sister a wry smile. "The important thing is that he will be named Black."

"As you say." By now they'd reached Madam Malkin's shop. Within its confines, they might be more easily overheard… and
this discussion was not for everyone's ears. "I'll put it to him when he comes home for Christmas break," Andromeda
stated, tabling the topic for the moment. "He will make his decision… and then you and Draco can make yours."

*

Thankfully, when the Enforcers from the Greek Ministry of Magic arrived at Monastiraki, they brought a Healer with them.
More importantly, they also brought full Aurors from the International Confederation of Wizards. The ICW was already in
active pursuit of the Cartel – they had Castigni in custody, and probably more – and they took Hermione's warnings about
memory sequestration very seriously, indeed.

"It was young Ioannou who tipped them off," the lead ICW Auror told her. His name was Prevoost, and though he was from
Belgium, his English was excellent. "Works at the hostel on Aeaea where you're staying. He told his uncle, who told
Varvara Stavros, who assembled the team that attacked you." He indicated the hard-faced woman, unconscious but levitated
into a standing position. "She's just the Cartel's local factor, but she'll have passed reports up the command chain.
We'll learn her contact, which will give us their contacts…"

Hermione nodded in approval. The Healer had gone straight to work on her hip wound, first conjuring a stool and forcing
Hermione to sit, then slitting her skirt up the side all the way to the waist, finally applying some potion-infused
salves. Hermione tried to ignore what the Healer was doing, to focus entirely on Prevoost's briefing. "And of course I
don't have to tell you…"

"To take them swiftly and keep them isolated? The word from my superiors, dear lady, is that you already have." Prevoost
grinned at her embarrassment.

The Healer stood up, gestured at Hermione, and spoke to Prevoost in Greek. Prevoost nodded and replied; the Healer gave
Hermione a brief, professional smile before packing his back and departing.

Prevoost helped Hermione to her feet… then glanced over to the other detainees. Like Stavros, they were held in
levitation, under the watchful eyes of a dozen Enforcers – and a black-haired youth who seemed jarringly out-of-place
amongst the cadres of Magical Law Enforcement. Prevoost canted his head towards Hermione, speaking more confidentially.
"Madam Granger, I hesitate to ask, but… one hears such wild news reports coming out of England these last few days…"

She had to laugh. "I can only imagine…" she began, but the laughter died in her throat as she saw what was obviously a
reporter, cameraman in tow, making a beeline for them. "Speak of the devil?"

Prevoost followed her gaze. "Ah, yes. I would've wanted to have words with the press in any case… I need for them to sit
on some aspects of this story for now. I fear that means I must allow other aspects to be more publicized."

"You'd better be talking about yourself," Hermione retorted, growing angry. She was excruciatingly aware that she was
still dressed in her Pallas Athena costume – which, thanks to the Healer, was now showing a good deal more leg than she
liked. The last thing she needed was to be photographed wearing that! And her original outfit, the clothing she'd worn
when they arrived in Athens, was presently Reduced in size and tucked into Harry's pocket…

And as if in response to her thought, she felt Harry's hand come to rest gently on her elbow. She wasn't even aware that
he'd left the group of Enforcers. "If you've done all you can do here, maybe it's time we left…" he murmured.

"I do believe you're right," she replied, just as softly. Raising her voice, she addressed the lead Auror. "Mynheer
Prevoost, since you feel you need to publicize aspects of this case, perhaps you should go do so now. I'd be grateful,
though, if my role's not one of those aspects mentioned." Gesturing at her outfit, she added dryly, "For obvious
reasons."

As she'd hoped, her appeal to his sympathy was the right approach to the kindly Belgian. "Of course. I'll go brave the
ravening hordes solo, then… you two should hop back to your hostel, and then," with a significant look at Hermione,
"return to England in advance of your new duties." Prevoost lowered his voice and added, "I trust I am not premature in
offering my felicitations."

With a smile, he strode forward towards the waiting journalists, as Hermione and Harry fell back a couple of paces.
Hermione felt sure that, by keeping their distance, they would avoid the scrutiny of the press. "Aeaea?" asked Harry,
his hand still on her arm.

"Aeaea," Hermione agreed, "and home." With a nod to synchronize their magic, they Disapparated away.

In their haste to depart, neither Harry nor Hermione paid much attention to the camera equipment used by the European
journalists. If they had, they'd have noticed it was far more up-to-date than that used by their British counterparts.
After all, paparazzi is the same word in Greek as it is in Italian.

*

The Portkey Patch brought them from Aeaea back to the exact spot they'd started, the living room of her cozy cottage,
Enthalpy House. Hermione sighed as she stripped the Patch from their joined hands. "I suppose the first thing I need to
do is inform the Wizengamot that I'm back." As Harry started to protest, she shook her head. "The owl that found me in
Athens? It brought my official notification that I am now the Minister of Magic. Oh, there'll probably be a formal
investiture ceremony, Monday morning, but I'm Minister right now."

She saw Harry twist his mouth in thought – and in sudden dismay, she realized what he was trying to find the words to
say: It's not official until the investiture, you don't have to start being Minister right this second, do you? It would
have been a typical response from Ron – on a good day. Not explicitly unsupportive, but urging her to take it easy, not
to be such a swot… She was unhappily sure Harry was about to take the same line with her, and was only hesitating to
find the gentlest way to say it.

After a few moments, he cleared his throat. "Right then, you'll have to call up another owl – I can't, after all, sorry
– and let everyone know you're home. If a crisis comes up, the Ministry needs to know where to find you." A brief
hesitation, then, "Erm, Hermione, is there anything we should do before tomorrow? Anything you need me to do?"

And Harry found himself with a double-armful of extremely grateful and appreciative witch. He returned the hug, as he
tried to figure out what he'd said to merit it. "Is this what you need me to do?" he joked. "Because, y'know, I'd be
doing this no matter what."

"Oh, shut it, you," she mumbled into his neck. "Just… don't ever leave, Harry."

"I've already…" he began to say, but was interrupted by two loud cracks in rapid succession. Followed by two
high-pitched voices speaking simultaneously:

"Miss Hermione is back! There is much to… OH!"

"Oh, Mister Harry! Brillig has found… OH!"

Startled, Harry and Hermione broke from their hug, although they kept their arms wrapped around one another. Standing on
either side of them were Canby and Brillig, totally motionless except for their eyes, which flicked from each other to
Harry and Hermione and back.

In that moment of stasis, Hermione noticed several things: both elves wore fashionable tabards, but where Canby's was
the plum color of the Wizengamot, Brillig's was a suspiciously Gryffindorish crimson. Both elves held envelopes in their
hand, which they seemed to regard as important. And both elves were regarding the other with a look that seemed…
assessing?

"Canby had wondered where Brillig had gone," Canby said after a moment.

"Brillig is a free elf; Canby has said so, many times," she replied with a trace of acerbity. "Brillig is employed now,
just like Canby."

"Erm…" began Harry, but the elves were too busy with each other to heed him.

"Canby is happy to see Brillig get a job, but hopes it is not with another household. Not when so many other
opportunities were available…"

"Oh, like Canby's? Canby is always talking about how he is working for The Witch Who Won! Brillig is working for the
Defender of House-Elves!"

"Harry!?" Hermione asked sharply.

"Erm," explained Harry.

"Right, then," Hermione declared, breaking free of Harry's arms and moving between the elves, silencing them. She
paused, but only for a quick moment – then, making a snap decision, she stepped up to Brillig and laid a hand on her
shoulder. "Harry," she said with elaborate courtesy, "would you be so good as to speak with Canby and deal with his
business? I'll deal with Little Miss Brillig, here." She barely waited for a response before shepherding Brillig out of
the living room and into the kitchen, where they'd have privacy.

By her face, Brillig looked torn, not wishing to abandon the Defender of House-Elves, but not willing to set herself
against The Witch Who Won, either. "Brillig is having news for Mast… Mister Harry," she protested.

And we'll discuss that slip of the tongue presently, Hermione promised silently. "Harry's busy with Canby at the
moment," she replied. "But we're a team, he and I. We work together. So you can tell me the news." As Brillig hesitated,
she added, "Unless it's a secret?"

"N-no, miss, not a secret, exactly, but… it is being Mister Harry's business…" The elf peeked up at Hermione's
expression, which was carefully neutral, and was encouraged to continue. "But Mister Harry was looking for a home
amongst wizards, so he would not to live with Muggles any more, and Brillig has come to say she has found him a home! It
is large, and very nice, and is good enough for Mister Harry – but, but the owner insists to meet Mister Harry before
she agrees to lease!" She opened the large envelope in her hands, and pulled out a legal-looking document.

Hermione calmly held out her hand, and after a moment of internal struggle, Brillig placed the document into it.

Quickly Hermione unfolded the document and scanned it. Wait, Susan Bones? The Ossuary? I don't understand: that
mansion's been in her family for generations, why would she ever give it up? Even on a temporary basis? In any case, the
Ossuary wouldn't suit Harry, it's far too roomy for a single occupant, and far too grand for someone of his tastes…

She raised an eyebrow at the amount of the rent. "This… is a very modest rent for such an impressive house, Brillig…"

"Thank you, miss," beamed the elf.

"But you do understand, don't you, that even this amount is beyond Harry's means at the moment? He has no job, no gold
in Gringotts – how did you think he would pay for this?"

"Oh!" Brillig was crestfallen. "Had not thought… masters is always having money…" Her ears drooped as she considered the
matter… then she braced herself. "Brillig is… is a good elf," she said resolutely. "If Brillig must find money for
Mister Harry…"

"If Brillig is thinking to bring in money for Harry Potter the same way she did for Jack Swivingham," Hermione
interrupted, gently but firmly, "Brillig had better think again."

Seeing the stricken look in the elf's face, Hermione knelt to look Brillig eye-to-eye. "Quite apart from the illegality
of it, Brillig, it's morally and ethically wrong. It makes you into property, when you should be a free elf. And it
would reflect very poorly on Harry, don't you think? He would be the first to forbid it."

The last point affected Brillig most strongly. "Yes, you are right, yes, Mister Harry would forbid it. He has said as
you say, that Brillig is a free elf, and that Mister Harry is no one's master… he said it when he hired Brillig…"

Hermione deduced the talk must have taken place at Jacob Clayman's flat. Harry had mentioned the encounter, though in
typically Harry fashion, he'd left out most of the details. She realized now, Harry simply hadn't had any opportunity,
in the interim, to speak to Brillig again and correct her assumptions… this absurd situation wasn't really his fault.

The thought sparked a question, which she put to Brillig at once. "How did you find Harry there, at his Muggle flat? For
that matter, how did you know he was here? I thought Harry was still undetectable by magic. Certainly the owls can't
track him…"

"Oh, Brillig is always knowing where her Mast… Mister Harry is!" Brillig chirped happily, and Hermione's heart sank.

Slowly she stood, looking around the kitchen to avoid the elf's eyes, and thought hard. There's just no way to resolve
this dilemma without breaking Brillig's spirit, just as Winky's was broken, she told herself sadly. She's bonded herself
to Harry, even though she can't admit it – and Harry won't permit it – but it's happened nonetheless.

Given house-elf psychology, Harry might have to formally become her master, just so he's able to manumit her! If that
would even work…

I wonder if Luna's still in town, I could use her advice. And wouldn't that make Harry laugh.

I hope he laughs when he hears he now has a house-elf servant again. And a big house he can't afford, and wouldn't like,
and doesn't need, seeing as he prefers privacy and wouldn't entertain… no big formal parties for The Boy Who Still
Lives…

Hm.

"Brillig," she said slowly, thinking it through, "I know you were looking forward to telling Harry your news… but would
you let me tell him instead? I think he's more likely to consider the advantages and disadvantages, if he were talking
with me." She gave a warm smile to the suddenly hopeful elf. "And who knows? Maybe we can find the rent money somewhere
after all."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

39. XXXIX: Transitions Great and Small

(A/N: I want to thank you, my readers, for your extraordinary patience: not only waiting for this chapter, but waiting
for my replies to your reviews from the last chapter. Don't think I didn't read them, every one of them – or appreciate
them. It's just been very hectic for me, these days. (And for some reason, writing this chapter was like pulling teeth.)

I had thought of describing some investment ceremony for the new Minister of Magic, or even giving her some token of
office – some big flashy medallion like the Lord Mayor of London wears – but we never saw Fudge or Scrimgeour wearing
such tokens in canon, and I doubt the Wizengamot would invent one in the interim.)

(Disclaimer: Before Rowling, chop wood, carry water. After Rowling, chop wood, write fanfiction, carry water.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXIX: Transitions Great and Small

*

Sheryl gave the closed door to Hermione's chambers another nervous glance. She'd known there would be confusion and
chaos, that Monday morning, with everyone preparing for the Wizengamot to convene. She'd thought it would be easy enough
amidst the chaos to slip away for a moment of privacy, without anyone noticing. Which was true, for Sheryl Binder.

Not so true, for the Boy Who Lived Again. Even if he hadn't arrived at the Ministry practically hogtied to Hermione
Granger at the wrist.

And in the end, it hadn't been at Sheryl's insistence, but at Canby's, that Harry had excused himself from Hermione's
side and joined them in this closed room.

A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned to see Harry emerge from the evidentiary
Pensieve on Hermione's desk. Harry took a few seconds to regain his bearings. When he did, his first words were to
Canby. "That was when you…?"

Canby nodded grimly. "It seemed the best chance."

"Thank you," Harry said quietly. He turned his gaze to Sheryl. "And thank you, too, ma'am. I mean, well… it's one thing
to hear rumors, but to see it like that…!"

"Don't thank me," Sheryl hastened to say. "It gave me no pleasure… but I truly felt it was something you needed to see,
before today's Wizengamot session."

"Forewarned is forearmed?" Harry's smile was wry. "Not that I think she'll try anything today: too much else happening."

"Oh yes," confirmed Canby with ears suddenly erect and a grin spreading on his face. "In fact, Canby hears something
about to happen right now."

The door burst open to reveal Dennis Creevey, older and much taller than Harry remembered him but still recognizable.
"Just got word from the Wizengamot," he said in a rush. "It's time."

Harry nodded. "Is Hermione…?" he began.

"She's already gone on ahead." Dennis anticipated Harry's next question. "She's pretty nervous – I don't think I've ever
seen her so nervous. I'd swear, there's a circular groove in the floor out here now, from where she was pacing."

Harry sighed. "Well, a promise is a promise." He looked around the room at Hermione's three lieutenants – and, he now
knew, her loyal supporters. "I wouldn't force this on you, not if you hate this sort of thing as much as I do – but in
fairness, you deserve to be there. A lot more than I do, I'm sure. Anyway, wish me luck?" And bracing his shoulders, he
strode from the room, heading for the meeting chambers of the Wizengamot.

*

"The votes have been re-tallied," announced Chief Warlock Ogden from the high benches of the chamber, where the full
complement of the Wizengamot sat assembled. He gestured to either side and added, "To include the votes of our newest
colleagues." In the higher benches, those newly chosen members of the Wizengamot stirred self-consciously; Neville
tugged nervously at the collar of his plum-colored robe of office.

Ogden smiled beatifically on the audience seated before him, composed of journalists, Ministry officials, and the movers
and shakers of wizarding society. "I am pleased to confirm the selection of our new Minister of Magic – one of the
youngest in history – Madam Hermione Jean Granger!"

To the applause of the audience and Wizengamot (some more enthusiastic than others), Hermione took her place next to the
Chief Warlock. She waited for Ogden to be seated, and for the applause to die, before facing the crowd and clearing her
throat. "Good wizards and witches," she began, barely concealing her anxiety – until she spotted a mop of unruly black
hair in the last row of seats.

And her confidence soared at the sight of it.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt will be sorely missed," she continued in a stronger voice. "He was a remarkable man, and his
achievements as Minister were no less remarkable. His shoes would be hard for anyone to fill. I can only promise to do
my best." She paused and looked around at the audience. "The best honor to Kingsley's memory is to preserve his work,
and continue it. I plan no changes from the policies of my predecessor. I believe Kingsley's policies have helped make
wizarding Britain, on the whole, a better place. And I believe, working together, we can make our world better still. To
this end, and to you all, I pledge all my effort. Thank you."

Well, that has to set a record for the shortest acceptance speech ever given by a new Minister, she thought with
satisfaction as she took her seat. I should win a few points for that, if nothing else.

The Chief Warlock rose, made some concluding remarks, and with a bang of his gavel declared the Wizengamot session
adjourned. At once, the plum-robed members descended from the benches as the audience left their seats to come forward
to meet them.

It is, of course, part of any politician's job to delightedly mingle with her constituents. Hermione knew she'd have to
do the same, if she were to be an effective Minister. Yet she also knew, as she started shaking hands with a firmly
fixed smile, that it would be the part of the job she'd loathe the most.

She managed to maneuver herself through the throng so that she could meet up with Neville and Susan earlier, rather than
later. "I hear from Harry that congratulations are in order," she greeted them, her smile becoming genuine.

"It's not common knowledge yet," Susan said, standing close to Neville without quite holding hands. "But yes."

"We've not set a date," added Neville, knowing that Hermione would be curious. "There are still all too many details to
be settled."

"Mm, yes, I daresay," Hermione nodded. "Perhaps I can help with one, at least. What evening this week would be
convenient for us to finalize letting The Ossuary?"

Susan blinked. "The Ossuary… Brillig was your house-elf? Hermione, I never realized…!"

"No, no," Hermione quickly assured her, "not mine, not even working for me, but the offer is on my behalf. I just think
the Minister of Magic should have a presentable home for official functions – more presentable than Enthalpy House, at
any rate."

"'For official functions'," Susan repeated thoughtfully. "Then you won't be living there on a permanent basis…?"

"I haven't decided yet… but I expect I'll need a caretaker living there full-time." Hermione turned her head to spot
Harry, who had retreated to the farthest corner of the room and was doing his utmost to remain inconspicuous.

Susan followed her gaze. "Ah… I imagine it's a bit overwhelming for him," she murmured sympathetically.

"Yes, well," said Neville before Hermione could respond, "I'm sure, with a little help, he'll learn to cope."

*

Interesting, Zabini mused inwardly as he mingled with the crowd, making witty small talk without needing to think about
it. When Ogden introduced Granger, he emphasized her age: how young she was. No mention of her being The Witch Who Won…
and certainly no mention of her being the first Muggleborn Minister.

Easy to see which issues will be downplayed in the new administration – and thus, which will receive priority.

Up to the very moment Granger had arrived in the Wizengamot hall, Zabini held out hope that Svartalfer's hints of action
against her, early Sunday morning, would bear fruit… that Monday's Wizengamot session would be convened to find a new
Minister, rather than invest one. Either Svartalfer had been overly optimistic – a quality Zabini would never have
credited him – or Granger had dealt the Cartel yet another setback. Unfortunately, the charmed spectacles worked only
one way: he couldn't contact the Cartel, but rather, had to wait until they contacted him. He now suspected it would be
a long wait.

So Zabini would have to make his own plans for Dealing With Granger.

To that end, he'd kept a watchful eye on the door before the investiture began… so had seen Potter slip into the room
almost at the last minute. Potter now looked distinctly uncomfortable; he was keeping a distance from the rest of the
crowd; he was obviously here only at Granger's insistence, then. So Granger was trying to co-opt Potter's fame and
popularity, in support of her position – or her policies.

The latter, Zabini decided. The Wizengamot vote was all the support she needed for her position, in and of itself. So if
she needs Potter's support for her policies, they must be radical indeed. Ginny was right about that, too.

Let's hope she was also right about her ability to woo Potter to our side.

The random motions of the people in the room had brought Zabini up to Amos Diggory. "I heard about your promotion,
Zabini… well done," said Diggory. "A mite surprised you accepted it, though."

"My history's shown I can work with the new Minister, Amos," Zabini replied easily. "As well as with others who, shall
we say, can not."

"Hrrm. Well, I don't know if you'll have got the notice, but the new Minister'll be keeping on with Kingsley's weekly
meetings with the Department Heads. First one will run longer than usual: she's asked for a report from each Head,
summarizing everything that's going on within their Departments."

"Fair enough. Did the notice say when? Surely not today?"

"Meeting's been put off until Wednesday morning, to give us all a chance to prepare." Diggory grunted and jerked his
head in Granger's general direction. "Decent of her, I suppose."

Out of the corner of his eye, Zabini saw someone making a beeline towards Potter: Gwenog Jones, former captain of the
Holyhead Harpies, now their manager and coach. He wished, not for the first time, that there was some audial equivalent
of the Supersensory Charm – something that would let him listen to private conversations from a distance – but he'd
managed without it before now.

Still chatting, he began to maneuver Diggory, ambling towards a spot halfway between the exit and where Potter and Jones
stood. It looked for all the world like a simple strolling conversation. Zabini was well-practiced at this technique: it
only required a fraction of his attention to be devoted to Diggory. The rest was focused on the other conversation.

He was rewarded, as they drew past, with a snippet of speech from Jones: "… no photographers, no press releases, nothing
like that. I mean to say… this isn't a promotional thing, Harry… this is a thank-you thing."

"Oh," said Potter. "Oh, uh, well, in that case… I mean, sure…"

Zabini didn't need to hear more. His voice continued discussing Wednesday's meeting with Diggory, while his mind went
further afield, exploring this new development. With any luck, Ginny's plan would shortly prove a success: even if
Potter's cachet couldn't be brought to the side of the Fire Party, it would be enough that Potter wasn't seen to support
the new Minister.

But just in case… Zabini had to admit, he was none too eager to embrace them, but… just in case, he needed to at least
consider Malfoy's suggestions for Dealing With Granger.

*

"That should do it," Neville concluded. It was Monday evening, and as arranged, the Professor of Defense Against the
Dark Arts had met with his temporary substitute teacher in his classroom at Hogwarts – there to discuss the course
syllabus. Given Neville's class schedule, they'd agreed that Wednesday next would be a good day for Neville's absence:
the classes would be devoted to "practicals" on that day, at which Harry excelled.

It also allowed Neville to slip Harry some of the course textbooks, suggesting he study them in case "theoreticals" ever
came up in class.

"It's just one day," Neville said comfortingly, as Harry looked dubiously at the texts. "Susan and I need to talk to our
families, is all."

"Uh huh," said Harry, still giving the books a skeptical eye. "And when the Wizengamot needs you to sit on a case,
that'll be just one more day, won't it? When were you planning to tell me you and Susan had been elected?"

Neville shrugged. "Susie knew that some of our more reactionary members would resign in a huff, once Hermione was chosen
to be Minister: that's when we decided to make our bids for the seats. Hey, Dumbledore was Chief Warlock and Headmaster
at the same time: surely I can be a mere Wizengamot member and a mere Defense Professor without too much trouble." He
sighed and caught Harry's eye. "You said it yourself, Harry: Hermione needs all the support she can get."

Harry echoed Neville's sigh. "As you say…" he began, then jerked his head up at a sudden rap at the door. By reflex his
right hand went to his left forearm, stopping when he remembered that he no longer kept a wand there.

"'Salright," Neville said hastily. "I invited him. Come in!" he called to the door. The door opened and a grinning Ted
Lupin sauntered into the classroom. "I figured you'd want to see him, since you were here and all," Neville continued
with a smile, "but you wouldn't have been allowed to wander through Hogwarts to find him… not until you're on staff,
anyway." After accepting thanks from both Ted and Harry, Neville retired to his inner office and left them to
themselves.

"I'm not sure whether to be worried you're here, Harry," Ted joked, settling into a seat as Harry did the same. "All
this conspiracy with Professor Longbottom… tsk, tsk, doesn't bode well for us poor students." He turned serious as he
added, "All the same, I am glad to see you. I, um, wanted to talk about, well, this." Reaching into his pocket, he
pulled out a scroll of parchment and proffered it to Harry.

Harry unrolled the parchment and began to read. He quickly looked up at Ted. "Hermione wrote this to you?"

"Yeah… a little advice. I got it just after the Party." Ted gestured for Harry to continue reading.

When Harry was finished, he re-rolled the scroll and returned it to Ted. "So she's actually advising you to make a will,
hm? I can see one might think that's a trifle morbid… but you know, it's never really a bad idea. She, uh, she mentions
the Malfoys?"

"Apparently, it was Gran's announcement at the Party – you remember, that they'll be staying at Grimmauld Place for a
while – that prompted Her Nibs to write me," Ted said, with just enough lightness to his voice to forestall any reproof
from his godfather. "She seems to think I might be in some sort of danger."

"Without a will, your grandmother Andromeda is your heir, as next-of-kin," Harry pointed out. "If you predecease her,
she inherits Grimmauld Place and all that goes with it – everything I'd willed to you, what Sirius had willed to me. And
she's getting on in years, Ted: no one would think it strange if she died soon after you did. And if you were dead, her
next-of-kin would be…"

"Her sister Narcissa – and my cousin Draco." Ted waggled his head. "Yeah, but does that really put me in danger? I mean,
do you honestly think either of them'd actually murder me, just to get Grimmauld Place? Seriously, now."

"Seriously." Harry rubbed the side of his nose, collecting his thoughts. "Seriously, they see you as a half-blood… which
in their minds is another way of saying 'sub-human'. Seriously, Draco tried several times to kill Dumbledore – not to
mention trying to kill me – he's proven he's not above killing, Ted. And I've never heard that a stint in Azkaban ever
changed anyone for the better."

"Sooooooo you think he'd kill me."

"I think he might be tempted to kill you – if you didn't make a will that removed the incentive. Stopped anything before
it could start, as it were. And it's not like a will's hard to arrange."

Ted sighed morosely. "'Course, under other circumstances, I'd have named Gran my heir in any case. But that would sorta
defeat the purpose now." He flicked his fingers at the roll of parchment. "And Dear Aunt Hermione reassures me that any
bequest doesn't have to be permanent… only until I 'beget heirs of my body'." The tinge of bitterness in his last words
was very slight… but Harry was surprised it was there at all. This, he guessed, was what had truly prompted Ted's desire
to meet with him today.

"We did have a talk about that, a couple of years ago, I believe," Harry said. "It, well, it didn't seem to bother you
then." He waited, watching Ted closely. When Ted remained quiet, Harry added, "Do I gather it bothers you now?"

A very teenaged shrug was his reply.

"Tori Weasley?" Harry offered gently.

Ted shot him a quick but smoldering glare. "She doesn't know."

"Neither does Hermione," said Harry, "or she wouldn't have brought it up."

"Yeah." Ted subsided and slumped back in his chair. He said nothing more, but after a moment his eyes and hair began to
change to match Harry's. "I guess there's a sort of symmetry to all this," he went on with a ghost of a smile. "You will
the Place to me, I will the Place back to you… Oh, yes, it has to be you. You'd let Gran continue to live there, I can
trust you for that. And you might even say it's the ultimate deterrent for Cousin Draco, if he knows you get the Place
if I, er, how's it go? If I meet an untimely end."

By this point, Ted had morphed into… not Harry's twin, but a reasonable extrapolation of Harry's younger brother. Harry
couldn't help smiling at the unspoken display of affection. "Neither of us is dying any time soon," he said more
cheerfully. "This is insurance, nothing more."

*

Harry Apparated back to Enthalpy House that evening to find the cottage dark and empty, save for Bottlebrush. It didn't
surprise him greatly: he felt sure Hermione's first day as Minister had been a full day, indeed. The moment Harry had
solidly materialized, Bottlebrush marched into the kitchen and began to pace in front of the icebox. It was easy to see
what he considered important.

"All right, all right, hold on…" Harry opened the icebox, while he tried to recall how much Hermione had usually fed
Crookshanks.

The sharp pop of Apparation behind him told him Hermione had finally returned home. "Hello, my love," he called. "You're
just in time. How much food…?" He straightened, turned away from the icebox, and froze. Brillig stood just behind him,
blushing brilliantly, and very obviously trying to pretend that she hadn't been pretending that Harry'd been addressing
her.

Next to Brillig was a shy young elf, female and (by human standards) attractive… but she wasn't one of Swivingham's
"working elves". I do recognize her, Harry thought after a second, she was serving ibn al-Afrit, in the Pensieve vision.
Poor Fatima's sister… what's her name, again? Ayesha, that was it. Ayesha was keeping her gaze firmly on the floor,
hands clasped demurely behind her; it was clear she wasn't comfortable being at Enthalpy House. Or possibly, in the
presence of the Defender of House-Elves.

He decided not to embarrass the newcomer by addressing her directly. Instead, he nodded casually to Brillig, affable but
businesslike, as he imagined an employer ought to be. It felt very odd, employing a house-elf… somehow, odder than
outright owning Kreacher had felt, years ago. Not that I was particularly enthused about owning Kreacher, either…

But last night, after Canby and Brillig had delivered their news and departed, he and Hermione had discussed the matter
– quite thoroughly. And in the end, Hermione had convinced him of the necessity of taking Brillig on as a paid servant –
despite the risk that close association would only make her more infatuated with him. At least I don't have to formally
bond with her, he reminded himself, I don't think that could possibly end well.

"Ah, hello," he now greeted them pleasantly. "Have we heard anything yet about letting The Ossuary?"

Brillig shook her head. "No, Mister Harry, but Miss Hermione will be meeting with Madam Bones later this week, so all
can be settled by month's end. Brillig is eager to begin her work, Mister Harry!"

"I'm sure you are," he smiled. He'd agreed with Hermione to live in The Ossuary, at least for now: Hermione would be the
lessee of record, and Brillig would be the actual caretaker for the property. It seemed the smoothest solution, given
that he wouldn't be moving into Enthalpy House any time soon, alas.

"And…" Brillig hesitated, and put a hand on Ayesha's shoulder. "And… Mister Harry, this is Ayesha. She is Fatima's
sister, and Mister Harry must remember, he promised Fatima that Ayesha would be free. And Ayesha is free now, Mister
Harry!" she added hastily. "When hit wizards came for her old Master, and he ran, they is telling Ayesha she is free!"

Harry nodded. As Hermione had explained, Ayesha would have to be freed from her bondage to be able, physically able, to
testify against her former master.

"So… so now Ayesha is coming to England, Mister Harry, and… Canby said she could stay at Ministry with Sylph and Chalice
and the others… and she did, Mister Harry, Ayesha did go to Ministry, but…"

"She wasn't welcome there?" Harry asked in surprise.

"They is always calling her Fatima," explained Brillig helplessly. "Mister Harry… does you know a home that needs a
hardworking elf?"

Dimly, Harry could see how painfully awkward it must have been for Ayesha, being called by her dead sister's name… and
probably being compared to her as well, behind her back (or even to her face). The thought crossed his mind that, to
make Brillig willing to "share" Harry, Ayesha's plight must have been dreadful.

"Um… I haven't been in touch with very many wizarding households since my return, Brillig," he said slowly. "And I don't
know if Hogwarts is hiring… or the Ministry… I don't even know who to ask, but I can find out. Until then…" He sighed.
There really was no alternative.

"Until then, I suppose she can stay at The Ossuary. I mean, not to work – keeping The Ossuary tidy is hardly enough work
for one elf, never mind two – but as a guest." He smiled encouragingly at Ayesha, and was surprised when she raised her
eyes from the floor to glower at him.

"No," she said, with an odd musical lilt in her voice. "Ayesha will work. Ayesha is wanting to work. There must be so
many things needing doing for Master…"

Before Harry could even draw breath, Brillig was interrupting Ayesha with a fierce intensity. "Not! Not 'Master'! Never
'Master'! Mister Harry is no elf's Master, that is the rule!"

"More to the point," Harry tried to interject, "as a free elf, Ayesha, no one is your Master…"

His words went unheeded by the two elves. "If he is telling Ayesha what she must do, is he not Master?" she asked
Brillig indignantly. "Even paid elves is told what they must do, and they does it!" She put unmistakable scorn into the
word "paid".

"When house-elves obey masters, it is because they is compelled. When Brillig obeys Mister Harry, it is because she
wants to! And Mister Harry is very generous, that is why he pays his elves – "

"No," said Harry more loudly, and this time he caught their attention. They fell silent at once; Harry let the silence
linger a moment before continuing, "People… pay people to do jobs, don't you see? Humans pay humans… and Hagrid, he was
paid, too… and of course the goblins pay goblins, but they also pay humans, like Bill…" He realized he was rambling, and
tried to marshal his thoughts so that the elves could follow them. "The point is, when someone's hired to do a job, they
choose the job, freely. That's what it means to be free: you get to choose. And once you agree to the job, it's like a
contract, you compel yourself. No one else makes a free person do anything, he makes himself do it – and the free person
who hires him, he's contracted to pay. That's how it works with free people."

He stopped, somewhat embarrassed to have fallen into a Hermione-like lecture mode – though not nearly as eloquent, he
admitted ruefully – but determined to let these elves know what it meant to be free. If Hermione's proposed reforms
became law, Brillig and Ayesha wouldn't be merely freed elves, but legally humans: an enormous shift in status, and
possibly some new responsibilities as well.

Merlin, if the elves're ruled to be humans, I wouldn't be surprised if some Ministry flack decides to tax them, he
thought irrelevantly.

Harry became uncomfortably aware that the elves were still silent – simply staring at him with wide eyes. Their
expressions were, for once, quite unreadable, which made him more uncomfortable still.

"The great Dobby was a free elf," Brillig finally said, in a soft voice. "Dobby chose…"

"Yes, exactly," agreed Harry, pleased that he'd managed to make his point. Dobby had made his own choices, once he'd
been freed from the Malfoys' clutches: where to work, how to live… in the end, how to die. And Dobby's fame among elves
would make the option of choice seem more attractive, more glamorous, to Ayesha and Brillig. I should've thought of that
myself…

Ayesha and Brillig turned their gazes from Harry to each other. Each elf stared into the other's eyes for what seemed
like Harry to be a long time… as though some silent communication were passing between them.

Finally, Ayesha turned back to Harry. "Ayesha would… would not feel right, accepting charity," she said slowly. "There
must be something Ayesha can do…"

Harry had never heard an elf use those exact words before. "Well…" he said, racking his brain, "well… we haven't let The
Ossuary yet, but when we do, I'll need my clothes and things moved into it. Brillig, you remember you found my flat,
where I was living amongst Muggles? Show Ayesha where it is, and then, once The Ossuary's lease is final, you can move
my stuff from my old flat. Okay?" It was a trivial task for her, given the power of elven magic, but Harry judged it was
exactly the sort of household duty that would appeal to Ayesha. It ought to satisfy her need to be needed, Harry told
himself.

"Until then… um, until then… Brillig, you mentioned Dobby just now. Ayesha, have you been to Dobbywatch?" He recalled
Bill and Fleur mentioning, at Hermione's Rebirthday Party, how Dobby's grave had become a sort of shrine amongst elves.
Maybe a visit to the grave of the most famous free elf in history would help reinforce what Harry'd said about freedom.

Brillig brightened at once. "Oh, it is beautiful! Ayesha will enjoy seeing it! And there is always gardening to be done
at Dobbywatch, too!"

Harry fervently seconded the notion of garden work at Shell Cottage, and somehow managed to send the elves on their way
without actually seeming to kick them out. Once they were gone, he took a deep breath and released, glad he had (for the
moment, at least) dodged a hex. And if he'd helped Ayesha, even a little, to understand what it meant to be a free elf,
then it was all to the good.

Now then, he told himself, opening the icebox again, first Bottlebrush's dinner, then our own. Hermione should be home
soon, and she probably won't have found time to eat all day… He was again interrupted, however, this time by the voice
of someone calling through the Floo.

Sighing in exasperation, he dried his hands and went to the living room, where he discovered Fleur's head floating in
the Floo fire. "Why, hello, Harry," she greeted him, raising one eyebrow. "I didn't know you were staying at Enthalpy
House."

"I'm not," he replied, kneeling in front of the fireplace to bring his head level with Fleur's. "I am, however, cooking
dinner, or trying to. If you're looking for Hermione, she's still at the Ministry…"

"Can you bring me through her wards?" Fleur interrupted.

Harry thought it best not to mention that the wards were, in fact, his. "Yes, but… I mean, Fleur, dinner isn't going to
be anything fancy tonight…"

"Oh, I'm not inviting myself to dinner, Harry," she replied with a quick smile, "tempting though the notion may be. No,"
and here she turned serious again, "I've received something tonight – something I feel absolutely sure Hermione will
want to see before tomorrow morning."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

40. XXXX: Two Worlds, One Evening

(A/N: WWN, the Hogwarts train… let's face it, wizards got some really good ideas from Muggles. Not that they'd ever
admit it.

For those tracking the story's chronology, this entire chapter takes place on the evening of Monday, 23 Sept 2013. Anent
the discussion of magical races: it's established in canon that vampires are "non-wizard half-humans". The ratings of
Beings and Beasts are taken mostly from Scamander's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. No, seriously.)

(Disclaimer: It’s a statistical certainty that, somewhere out there, there’s a real-live married couple named Harry and
Hermione who are getting really tired of all the crap they have to take.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXX: Two Worlds, One Evening

*

Harry had always known that Hermione's vocabulary was impressive, but he never realized she knew all those words, nor
that she could string them together so impressively without pausing to draw breath. "Do you kiss your daughter with that
mouth?"

"Shut it," she snapped, and returned her black glare to the newspaper Fleur had just handed her.

It was the Monday edition of le Moniteur Magique, the Parisian equivalent of the Daily Prophet, and its front page was
devoted to the ICW raid in Athens on Sunday. A normal, straightforward, almost "dry" news spread – were it not for the
two photos that accompanied it. The first showed Hermione portraying Pallas Athena, with an owl caught in the very act
of alighting on her spear. The photo had been taken by one of the Muggle tourists, evidently – as seen in the fact that
the images in the photo didn't move – and must have been shot when Hermione was on the dance troupe's stage, acting as
bait and distraction for the Cartel's thugs.

But while that photo was embarrassing enough, it was almost harmless… in comparison with the second photo.

"How… how did they… how could…" Hermione spluttered.

"Paparazzi," Harry said, as though the word explained it all. When Fleur raised an eyebrow in inquiry, he continued,
"You can always count on paparazzi to have the very best in photographic technology. They didn't get anywhere near us in
Athens, but I'd bet there was at least one telephoto lens…"

"Not that!" interrupted Hermione angrily. "This!" And she jabbed her finger at the second photo.

Fleur looked surprised. "You mean you weren't…?" She raised her hands placatingly, as Hermione transferred her death
glare from the newspaper to her. "Bien, bien, but then I too have to ask how…"

"Muggles have a little toy they call Photoshop," explained Harry. "Um, get Ted to explain it to you sometime. But I
suppose it was inevitable that wizard photographers would come up with a magical equivalent, sooner or later."

Ostensibly, the second photo showed Hermione just as the Healer had finished treating the wound on her hip. She still
wore the Pallas Athena costume, but the costume in the photo had been not-so-subtly doctored. The chestplate now looked
like bronze-colored body paint, showing every physical detail of her torso, with special attention given to her nipples.
As for the skirt, Hermione remembered that the Healer had cut it to give access to the wound, but it had still mostly
covered her; in the altered image, the "skirt" was a loincloth less than an inch wide, covering exactly no more than was
necessary to keep the photo from being pornographic. (And, not coincidentally, implying that Hermione favored Brazilian
waxes.)

Hermione's mood, Harry decided, could best be described as smoldering icy. "Tell me," she now asked Fleur, "is this the
Moniteur's work? I mean, I know the French love a scandal – would the Moniteur deliberately cater to that? Or do I have
to hunt down that particular photographer?"

Fleur shrugged. "If one must hazard a guess, I would say le Moniteur printed the photo just as they received it – so
they could claim, in all sincerity, that they did not falsify the record. Là, it will be interesting to see if this
version of it has been released anywhere besides France."

"I'm more concerned with where it's going to be released. If it's on the front page of the Moniteur today, I'm sure
it'll be on the front page of the Prophet tomorrow!"

"I, er, I don't suppose," Harry put in, "that you could Floo the editor tonight and just ask…" His voice trailed off
under Hermione's contemptuous glare.

After a moment, she plastered a vacuous smile on her face. "Hello there, Mr. Editor," she chirruped, "this is the new
Minister of Magic. You may have seen a photo of me today in some French newspapers. I was soooo embarrassed by it! Would
you please not print it? You promise? Oh, thank you!" She dropped the fake smile and snorted derisively. "I can think of
no better way of guaranteeing they will print it."

He conceded the point by sighing and slumping. "I guess I don't know enough about the Prophet to suggest anything else.
Sorry."

Hermione paused, her scowl slowly being replaced by a speculative pursing of her lips. "But on the other hand," she said
slowly, "we know people who do know enough about the Prophet… or at least, publishing in general." She nodded
decisively, her decision made, and turned to the fireplace. Grabbing a handful of Floo powder, she hurled it into the
fire, and barely waited for the flames to change color before thrusting in her head. "Luna Lovegood!" she called.

"Luna Lovegood?" echoed Harry in confusion. He turned to Fleur, who shrugged. "The Quibbler?" she offered. Harry caught
her meaning: Luna's experience with the Quibbler might provide some insight in how to deal with the Prophet. Though
privately, Harry had his doubts…

Still, Hermione's call to Luna did bring more immediate concerns to Harry's mind. "Um, sounds like there'll be four of
us for dinner. You'll be eating with us, won't you?" he asked Fleur politely. Honesty compelled him to add, "Not that
there's much in the larder. I think stir-fry's the best I can hope to do…"

Fleur laughed gently. "I would not normally impose, no… but I confess I'm curious as to what advice dear Hermione
expects to receive from little Luna,"

*

Luna, at least, didn't seem in awe over Harry's new status as The Boy Who Lived Again: she treated him much as she would
if he'd been on a very, very long holiday. And her advice to Hermione turned out to be no more radical than a letter
owled to the Prophet's editor and publisher, reminding them that the libel laws on the Continent were different from
those in Britain, and that they would be prudent to double-check any representations of the new Minister of Magic for
accuracy before they were published.

Her opinions on Harry's activities since "returning to life" were more pithily expressed.

"Do you know, I've always thought that Professor Hagrid's classes on Magical Creatures were more suited for future
dragon handlers than the usual run of Hogwarts students. I mean, after all, Harry, did you really think his classes on
Blast-Ended Skrewts were all that useful? I'm sure a few classes on elves would have been far more beneficial… at least
then, you might have avoided your current foolishness."

"But it isn't foolishness!" Harry insisted. He wished he could explain to Luna more fully, especially about the elves
being bred by humans – which included inbreeding with their slavemasters. But he understood that the facts of elven
ancestry had to be kept quiet, until Hermione could get the laws changed defining humans. (Briefly, he wondered if
Hermione had told Fleur: technically a half-breed but accepted as human, she'd be almost the perfect poster-child for
the new law.)

So, failing that, Harry instead concentrated on defending the specifics of his most recent elven encounter. "I'm showing
Brillig what it means to be free – y'know, things a free elf ought to know! And I've managed to do it without bonding
with her, which would've set her back to square one!"

"I see." Luna looked thoughtful. "So you honestly believe she's not bonded herself to you? Because, you know, it sounds
as though she has, and this new elf Ayesha with her. Oh, no formal wording may have been said aloud… but what an elf
doesn't say can be more important than what she does say."

"No. No, no, no. I impressed on them both the need for free will. And I even explained to them how paid elves can obey
orders without needing a bond with a human: commitments, contracts, that sort of thing." Harry drank the last of his
tea. "It's not as though I had much choice in Ayesha's case: she truly had nowhere else to go. And in Brillig's case, I
really think I'm getting through to her… I'm making progress…"

"Which is more than I was able to do, when Brillig and Swivingham's other elves were staying at the Ministry," put in
Hermione.

"But Harry…" Luna fixed her unblinking blue eyes on him. "You just told us you used Dobby as an example, to persuade
them."

"Well, sure, of course. Dobby's probably the best example of a free elf: an elf who actually wanted to be free…"

"An elf whom you befriended. An elf who, because of that friendship, worked tirelessly for you – in the end, giving up
his life for you." Luna let the statement sit in the air over the table, before calmly returning to her fried potatoes.
"This is quite tasty, Harry," she complimented him.

Harry glanced quickly at the other two witches at the table. Fleur looked amused; Hermione looked frostily unamused. He
made one last attempt. "The point is, Dobby had free will. Dobby chose his actions. It's why his death was heroic, it's
what made him so special…"

"Yes, Dobby chose to follow you, and to obey you – out of love for you. And you held him up as an example for Brillig
and Ayesha, did you not? And asked them to choose as he did?"

"I said… that is, I… I…" Harry pushed his glasses up onto his forehead and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Aw, hell."

"Oh, no. Not yet. That depends on you," Hermione said in unmistakable warning.

*

Their meeting place had to be Muggle in nature, since they couldn't risk being seen together by anyone in the wizarding
world – even by house elves, which thus precluded Zabini's manor house. Ginny's unfortunate Pensieve memory had
demonstrated that, all too clearly.

Blaise had toyed with the idea of a Muggle pub, but decided against it: too great a chance of growing too comfortable
there, and ordering, say, butterbeer. In the end, London had so many cafés that they could be considered anonymous; he'd
chosen one, more or less at random, and had Virgil deliver its address to another elf – who'd deliver it to another elf,
and thence to his guest. All perfectly circumspect and discreet.

Zabini sat now in the café, eating a slice of chocolate cake (which, considering it was Muggle-made, wasn't too bad),
surreptitiously watching the door, and waiting.

With the tingle of a small bell, the door opened to admit Draco Malfoy – dressed, as Zabini was, in middle-class Muggle
clothing. (Unlike Zabini, he looked distinctly uncomfortable in them.) Malfoy spotted Zabini at once, and quickly
crossed the restaurant to seat himself in the chair opposite Zabini. "Coffee," he muttered… to Zabini.

Zabini sighed and signaled for the waitress. "A large cup of coffee for my friend, please. Black? Yes, black. And I
could use another cup as well." He waited until the waitress had fetched the coffee and left them, before saying in a
low voice, "I see it's still beneath our dignity to speak with Muggles."

Malfoy sipped his coffee and made a sour face. He didn't reply at once, but his eyes flicked around the café. "Are we
safe here?"

"Now that you've arrived, we will be." Blaise reached into his bag (temporarily Transfigured to look like a Muggle
rucksack) and brought out a small widget he'd appropriated from the Department of Magical Catastrophes. A twist of the
knob on its end caused the knob to glow gently. "There. A Notice-Me-Not charm, which won't be detected by the Ministry…
and can't be traced to our wands. We'll be quite undisturbed." Blaise reminded himself to cast a Confundus on the
waitress just before they left.

"As you say." Malfoy took another sip; it seemed to steady him. "Right, then. I assume you'll get around to telling me
why you asked to meet with me here?"

"What, no small talk? No witty give-and-take? Ah, well." Reaching again into his bag, Zabini brought out two newspapers,
which he slid across the table to Malfoy. "My Department gets copies of the news from across Europe and North America.
These are today's; have a look."

Draco cast his glance over the newspapers. One was in French, le Moniteur Magique; the other, Das Orakel, was in German.
He knew enough of both languages to grasp the gist of the lead articles: they both described Sunday's raid in Athens by
the ICW. The main difference was that the French paper devoted several inches of print to Granger personally – including
some obviously enhanced photos of her – while the German paper was plain text, and concentrated more on details of the
raid.

"So," he said after a few moments, "she's gone international."

"Yes, I'm guessing she's a major thorn in the Cartel's side at the moment," agreed Zabini. "Only guessing, of course. I
can't know, since my knowledge of the Cartel is limited."

Malfoy nodded and took a larger swallow of his coffee. Since running into Zabini at Ollivander's, he'd picked up a bit
of news: the fact that charges had been filed against Zabini, and then dropped, was hardly secret. But he realized, as
most wizards and witches did not, what penance Zabini would have to pay for that. "I do hope," he said, with a faint
hint of his old schoolboy drawl, "that you worded your Contract so that you aren't forced to volunteer information, at
least."

Blaise raised one eyebrow. "Astute," was all he said… but between the two former Slytherins, it was acknowledgement
enough.

"Not that it matters," Malfoy continued. "Your Cartel won't have to do anything to neutralize her. If she's the same as
she was at Hogwarts, she'll use her new position to launch some grand crusade that will offend even her support base.
I'd expect a vote of no confidence by the end of next year, at the latest."

"Do you think the Cartel would wait that long, given how effective she's shown herself against them?" Zabini tapped the
Orakel's front page with a fingernail. "From this account, they weren't trying to Obliviate her, as they would anyone
else. They want her eliminated. I'm guessing this is no longer merely a business affair, on their part. It's a
vendetta."

"You seem quite familiar with the Cartel's ways of thinking… for someone who knows so little about them."

Zabini shrugged with one shoulder, and took a bite of cake. "Do you know Scrimgeour's biggest failure as Minister?" he
asked suddenly. "Lack of imagination. Knowing that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had returned, he still failed to prepare for
what eventually happened – because he hadn't the imagination to see what his opponent might do. Scrimgeour never really
took the initiative in that war: he only reacted to events. In the end, it got him killed… and the Ministry fell."

He met Malfoy's gaze. "If Granger, or Robards, expect to fight the Cartel Lords, they'll have to try and imagine what
the Cartel Lords will do next. So, you see, it's reasonable for us, for me, to speculate here… and it breaks no
agreement I might have with Magical Law Enforcement."

"How very creative of you," Malfoy drily replied. "Very well, then. I take it you asked me here so that we might…
speculate together. Two heads are better than one, are they not?"

"When we met at Ollivander's last week, you intimated you had some thoughts on how someone might Deal With Granger."
Blaise gestured with his fork. "Unfortunately, you expressed yourself rather vaguely at the time."

"No one can offer details if they don't have details, my dear Blaise. My thoughts at the time were broad concepts, no
more… and fairly obvious to anyone who had to deal with her at Hogwarts. She was always a stickler for the school rules
– except when they might get Potter or Weasley hurt. My main point, as I recall, was that Granger will sacrifice her
principles to achieve a Greater Good." He stared speculatively into his coffee cup. "I wonder what Greater Good your
Cartel can offer her."

"Stop calling them my Cartel," snapped Zabini, nettled.

"My apologies. Well, if mention of the Cartel makes you uncomfortable, there are always our Pureblooded brethren. Quite
conservative, some of them; one might even call them reactionary. How many of them oppose Granger's policies? How many
would like to see someone else as Minister? What Greater Good could they offer her to step down?"

Zabini considered. "Mm, no," he said at length, "no, that wouldn't be a profitable line of thought. Granger's an
idealist. As you said, she'll probably mount some high-minded crusade as soon as she's consolidated her power. That
would be her Greater Good, as you call it, and she won't be able to carry it out if she steps down as Minister."

"Ah." Malfoy continued to stare into his cup, not directly meeting Zabini's gaze. "Well then," he went on more softly,
"continuing to speculate: if there's no carrot available, her enemies will try a stick."

"Threats? Against The Witch Who Won?" Like a finely tuned violin, Blaise's voice held undertones, subtle but clear:
incredulity mixed with scorn. "She defeated the Dark Lord in single combat, Draco. I strongly suspect she won't be
intimidated by threats."

"Threats against herself, I would agree she won't. That was true even back in school. But threats against Potter or
Weasley…? Those would always cause her to, shall we say, reconsider her position."

"Hmph. Possibly so – back in school. It would be a different story, nowadays. I don't know if you heard…" Zabini paused.
"Come to think of it, I'm surprised the Prophet hasn't said more about it. It certainly didn't escape the Moniteur's
notice… Suffice to say that Weasley no longer has the attraction for Granger that he once did. And as for Potter: well,
he's been gone fifteen years. That's more than enough time for friendships to cool. Being back only four days would
hardly rekindle any lost feelings there."

"I suspect you underestimate the strength of those feelings… but no matter." Malfoy finally raised his gaze from his
coffee cup, to look Zabini squarely in the eye. "I wasn't thinking of Potter… or of Ron Weasley."

"That…" Zabini found his words catching in his throat. He gulped from his now-cold cup, and found his voice again. He
spent a second bringing it back to a calm, controlled modulation before replying, "That would be an extraordinarily
perilous course of action."

"If it failed." Malfoy sat straighter, and smiled for the first time since entering the café. "Granger's enemies,
therefore, would need a plan ensured not to fail. And once accomplished… well, what need would there be to remove a
Minister so… compliant?"

"What… what plan do you imagine… Granger's enemies devising?"

"Broadly speaking, I don't believe they could, really. The Cartel couldn't do it: Granger's wise to their methods now,
and I think we can safely assume she won't make Scrimgeour's mistake. Pureblood reactionaries – I'm sure you know the
type, there must be a few in your Fire Party – well, they haven't the specialized skills or knowledge."

"But you… know someone who does?" Blaise leaned forward. "What skills or knowledge? What did you have in mind? Be
specific."

Malfoy shook his head. His smile was sly; his silence, all-telling.

"Draco," Blaise said heavily, "this is not a game anymore. You tried playing games at Hogwarts, and we all know where
they landed you. So tell me now what…"

"I know!" The snarl exploded out of Malfoy as though it had clawed its way from his heart. His suave expression was
gone, replaced by a rictus of anger and horror. "Don't even try to lecture me about where I 'landed', damn you! You have
NO! BLOODY! IDEA!"

Taken aback by the sudden vehemence, Zabini raised both hands, palms outward, trying to calm the mercurial dragon across
from him. Prudently, he didn't continue his comment… and the momentary pause allowed Malfoy to regain his composure. The
half-insane face disappeared, his polished look returned, as quickly and smoothly as though he'd taken off a mask – or
put one on.

"In any case, Blaise, you're mistaken," he said, quite calm again. "A game with high stakes remains a game. And the
stakes are very high, here: so high that wealthy Purebloods, or high Ministry officials, or even Cartel Lords, probably
couldn't afford to lose. Ah, but a lone agent? An independent, with little to lose? He might think the payoff worth the
risk."

"No one's said anything about payoff…" began Blaise.

"No, no, of course not. This is all mere speculation." Malfoy cleared his throat. "Still, if some lone agent were to
deliver a compliant Minister into their hands, I have no doubt he'd be richly rewarded. The Cartel Lords, for instance,
might… oh, let us say, appoint him as Swivingham's replacement in their organization. Quite a lucrative position, I
gather." He smiled thinly as he added, "And I'm sure the conservatives, and even the high Ministry officials, would find
ways to show their appreciation. All very discreetly, of course."

He regarded Zabini a moment longer, before lifting his coffee cup and drinking deeply. He said nothing more, but simply
waited… and watched Zabini. Zabini, for his part, finished his chocolate cake in thoughtful silence; his own face gave
no hint as to what those thoughts might be.

"If the main threat to Granger were indeed a lone agent," Zabini said at last, "a single, unpredictable wizard… I don't
see how we could possibly defend against him. And without something concrete to offer Robards, with nothing but empty
speculation… well, mentioning this would only be wasting his time."

He smiled politely at Malfoy. "Still, this has been a productive meeting. Draco, I hope you don't mind if I forward some
of your ideas? I've other wizards with whom I brainstorm; I feel sure they would be sympathetic to your… speculations."

"I could ask for no more," Draco said agreeably, finishing his coffee and rising from the table. "You'll cover the tab,
I trust? I'm afraid I'm still a bit short on pocket change."

*

He'd reassured Hermione that he would, somehow, make things right with Brillig and Ayesha. He'd excused himself to clean
up the kitchen after dinner, to give Hermione a chance to visit with Luna and Fleur in the living room. Now Luna and
Fleur had said their good-byes and Flooed away, and Harry realized just how late the hour had grown. He and Hermione
were now alone in Enthalpy House, alone together for the first time all day. "So let me guess," said Harry. "You chatted
with Fleur this evening about speaking in front of the Wizengamot. Softening them up for the new law… what are we
calling it, anyway? The 'Person's a Person No Matter How Small' Act?"

"I'll think of a name once the wording's pinned down," Hermione replied wearily, not responding to his attempt at humor.
Now that their guests were gone, she could afford to collapse… which she did, onto the sofa. Harry contemplated her for
a moment: he'd seen her in this state at Hogwarts, physically exhausted but nerves keyed up. He wasn't sure what he
could do to help her, to make her feel better… though he suspected that, if he did get her to relax, she'd fall right to
sleep.

Should he talk to her, perhaps, keeping the conversation light? Harry couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't
totally inane, like So how was your day, dear? Of course, standing in place like a statue wasn't on, either…

One possibility came to mind, vaguely recalled from a time years ago, a time spent with Laura, his uni-student
girlfriend. Although, in that case, it had been Laura's suggestion… still, she'd seemed to enjoy it… it was worth
trying. Harry knelt on the floor in front of Hermione. Without waiting for permission, he slipped off her right shoe and
began to rub the sole of her foot.

He'd only thought to relieve some of her day's stress. Truth to tell, he hadn't expected her to start purring. "You have
exactly ten years to stop that before I call the New Zealand Aurors," she breathed.

Harry chuckled, happy that he was indeed helping, and spent the next few minutes concentrating on foot massage therapy.
He quickly learned, from the variations in her purrs (and occasional moans), when he was hitting sensitive spots that
needed extra attention. After several minutes he had to pause, to flex his fingers and give them a moment's respite. She
immediately kicked off her other shoe, extended the left foot, and waggled it imperiously in front of him. He accepted
the inevitable and resumed the massage on the second foot.

Only then did she reply to his earlier question. "Yes, I did ask Fleur to appear before the Wizengamot. She'll talk
about her experiences as a hybrid – I intend to start using that term instead of 'half-breed', it has fewer negative
connotations – anyway, the prejudice she's faced simply for being part-Veela. Despite the fact that she has the right to
a wand, and therefore must be human. I intend to have Professor Flitwick and Madame Maxime appear as well. Madame Maxime
in particular will have strong stories of discrimination to tell."

"Mm. Maybe Hagrid should talk to them, too? Not instead of Madame Maxime, necessarily, but in addition to? He's British,
where Madame isn't, and a lot of the Wizengamot will know him… I mean, he was a fixture at Hogwarts for decades…"

"During which time – I'm sorry, Harry, but you know it's true – he got a reputation for being oafish and not entirely
safe. It's precisely because so many of the Wizengamot think of him that way, that I don't want to call him up. No, I
think three respected members of the wizarding community – hybrids of humans with three different magical races – should
be enough to convince the Wizengamot. I should have no problem passing our law… although I don't plan to dawdle. I don't
want to give anyone a chance to poke it for problems!"

"Such as the fact that it would include house-elves by default?" He switched back to her right foot and extended the
massage to include her calf. "Three different, um, 'hybrid' races, huh? Humans with Veela, with giants, goblins… hey,
are we sure there aren't any others? Half-leprechauns, maybe, or half…" His fingers and his speech both stopped
abruptly.

"Leprechauns aren't Beings," murmured Hermione. "Magical races are demonstrably cross-fertile – but, I suspect, only
sentient magical races. You were saying? Half...?"

"I, uh, I seem to recall stories from Greek myth… where centaurs were portrayed as, um, lusty." Harry started his
massage again, more slowly now.

"Centaurs? Eww, Harry! Let's please limit ourselves to the physically possible!"

"Right. Because Hagrid's dad mating with a giantess presented no problems at all." He shrugged. "Judging from the
centaurs we've met, the Greek myths were just that: myths. I can't see any of the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest
wanting to mate with a human." He didn't add, Lucky for Umbridge, but he knew if he'd thought of it, Hermione would too.

"And trolls, despite having rudimentary language, aren't considered Beings any more than leprechauns," she said, getting
into the spirit of his inquiry. "Hags and werewolves can't have children… mmm, vampires are partially human, but they've
no active magic… and besides, I can't see any human wanting to mate with one…" She thought for a moment longer, then
nodded decisively. "No, Fleur, Filius and Olympe should suffice nicely, thank you…"

"Have we checked with the merfolk in the lake?" At Hermione's incredulous stare, Harry shrugged again. "A lake with
mermaids living in it, right alongside a school full of horny teenagers. Hogwarts has been by that lake for a thousand
years. Would you care to bet that, in a thousand years, not one of those teenagers snagged a mermaid on his fishing
pole?"

Hermione made no response. Usually, Harry would take this as a sign that he'd won his point… except that her stare was
beginning to unsettle him. He lapsed into silence, continuing to minister to her feet and calves until his fingers began
to ache.

"I'd like to point out," Hermione finally replied, her voice slightly challenging, "that it could just as easily have
been a teenager catching a merman in her fishnet."

He conceded the point with a nod and an apologetic smile, and she continued more reflectively, "But in that case, the
mother would have been human. If there'd ever been a child of such a union, we'd certainly know about it. On the other
hand, if the mother were a mermaid… well…" She took a deep breath, exhaled, then cocked her head at Harry and waggled
her eyebrows. "Goodness, Harry, I had no idea your imagination was so… erotic."

He stood, giving her a cheeky grin. "What can I say? I have uncharted depths." He started to offer his hand, to help her
off the sofa, then thought better of it. Instead, he drew his wand and swish-and-flicked it at her. His lips formed the
words Wingardium Leviosa, but he didn't say it aloud – and as he suspected, his new wand performed the spell just fine.

She didn't react to being levitated, but took it in stride. But she did raise an eyebrow when he began to move her to
her bedroom. "What's this, then?"

"What's it look like? I'm putting you to bed." He positioned Hermione over the bed, and lowered her as gently as a
feather. "You had a long, stressful first day on the job, Minister. A good night's sleep is just what the doctor
ordered."

Harry expected her to object, one way or another: verbally at the very least, or leaving the bed at once. But no:
Hermione simply lay there, quite relaxed, her eyes half-closed (and, though Harry didn't know it, watching his every
move). With a nod to her, and a muttered "Nox," he doused the lights and turned back to the doorway.

And that's when he heard the firm "Accio!" from the bed. Harry was yanked backwards, to land on the edge of the bed…
where he was immediately seized from behind.

"Well then, doctor," Hermione announced softly in his ear, "you'd better do your best to tire me out." She embraced him,
her arms wrapping around his chest, as she switched to lecture mode. "Honestly, Harry, you can't expect me to listen to
you talk about sex and then just sleep, do you? And I'm still in my clothes… tsk, tsk, fine job of putting me to bed,
mister." Her hands wandered, one firm against his stomach, the other moving lower, as she whispered, "We'll have to work
on that…"

*

The last house on Spinner's End was, remarkably, not listed in any records kept by any Muggle institution – it appeared
on no tax rolls, for instance – so was effectively unknown to them. On the other hand, being a thoroughly Muggle house,
the Ministry of Magic paid it no heed, either. Though neither Unplottable nor protected by a Fidelius Charm (the
Ministry might have noticed those), it was so anonymous that it didn't need to be.

Indeed, most of the people who'd ever known of the house were now dead. Bellatrix Lestrange, Peter Pettigrew, Lord
Voldemort… and of course its former owner, Severus Snape. All dead. Only two living people knew the house even existed:
Narcissa Malfoy, who had visited once. And the one in whom she'd confided the secret.

Squalid little place, really, Draco thought to himself, standing in front of the entrance at a respectful distance. Did
Snape actually grow up here? It would explain so much.

No one had entered the house for at least sixteen years, not since Snape shut it up for the last time to return to
Hogwarts as its Headmaster. All of Snape's possessions – his Potions stores and equipment, his library, his notes – were
inside, untouched and waiting. And somewhere amongst all that, Draco knew, would be the specific magic he needed:
mentioned in passing by Snape, during a Slytherin house meeting, years ago.

Of course, I'm not such a fool as to think Snape left his house unguarded, he thought as he drew his new wand and
cautiously approached the door. But I also know Snape wasn't such a fool as to not prepare against the eventuality of
his own death. He had to have permitted access to a few select people: Mother and Father, for certain. And therefore me.

He touched the tip of his wand to the door knocker, and steeled the nervousness from his voice. "I am Draco Malfoy," he
told the door firmly. There was a soft, musical chime, almost inaudible even in the quiet night. Gingerly he grasped the
doorknob and tried to turn. His fingers remained intact, but the knob wouldn't turn.

Alohomora had no effect. It was just like Snape to make his doorway into an intelligence test. And Draco knew better
than to try to enter the house any other way than through the door.

The door knows it's me: that chiming sound acknowledged my name. He'd want me to enter… but not the Aurors, or anyone
from the Phoenix, even if they used my name. So how do I prove that the person now using my name is, in fact, me? A
riddle? Or something that only Snape and I would know? Or…

Ah, of course. Yes, so much happening at once that summer, he'd have been a bit rushed. He'd not have wasted time
inventing a spell, he'd have used something that had already been used. At Malfoy Manor.

Pocketing his wand, Draco rolled up his left sleeve. The Dark Mark was still there, only slightly faded with the passage
of years. He raised his arm to show the Mark to the door knocker. A louder chime sounded, and there was a click behind
the door. Draco lowered his arm and gave the door an experimental push. It swung open noiselessly. He stepped inside,
drawing his wand again just in case.

Dust covered every surface. The room was cramped and ugly, but to Draco, the room's most important features were the
floor-to-ceiling bookcases covering every wall – stuffed to overflowing with Severus Snape's personal library. A quick
inspection showed that, despite the grime and seeming clutter, the books were in fact meticulously categorized: books on
curses here, books on history there, books on herbology, on potions…

Best get to it, then, Draco told himself, flicking his wand at one of the chairs to clean it. He made certain the door
was closed, and the windows shuttered, before casting a Lumos charm. He pulled a likely-looking book from its shelf and
settled down into the chair. Right now, Granger's still in transition, still pulling everything together for her
Ministry. It'll take some days before she realizes the hole in her security. I have to act against her by then.

Against Hermione Mudblood Granger, Minister of Magic for the United Kingdom. Draco smiled grimly. So you think your
Cartel is pursuing a vendetta, do you, Blaise? Pfah! Let me show you how vendetta really works.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

41. XXXXI: Guardians On Duty

(A/N: No, I didn't get as far with this chapter as I'd intended, but I thought it better to post this now, rather than
make everyone wait for a giant chapter in a few weeks. Mea culpa.)

(Disclaimer: So far as I can determine, the new "Pottermore" website would be better named "Pottersame". Fanfiction,
now, that's Pottermore.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXXI: Guardians On Duty

*

Standing in The Ossuary's vestibule, Harry looked again at the sheaf of photos in his hand. "I still can't decide
whether to preserve these forever or Incendio them right now."

"Well, given what Canby and Sheryl went through to retrieve them," smiled Hermione, "it seems a pity to simply destroy
them." She nodded at the clearest one, which showed them hugging in bed, and added, "Besides, they're comforting in a
way. They're a constant reminder to me that you only look like a callow youth."

"Oh, ha ha ha." The photos themselves had been saved by Canby, who had spotted them on Hermione's desk the day she'd
been killed and revived – fully visible to anyone who might have entered the room – and had squirreled them away before
they were spotted. Canby had gone on to find the original negatives in Zabini's manor house – practically under Zabini's
nose, had he but known! – and rescued them as well. Though the photos were less scandalous now than they'd been when
they were shot, they were still an embarrassment – or, as Canby had phrased it, "nobody's business but Miss Hermione's."

"Yah, well," rejoined Harry, "to me, they're a constant reminder that we shouldn't trust Ginny."

"We've been over this already, Harry. We can't punish her: she's been Obliviated, she's lost her memories of that entire
week. We can't in fairness punish her for doing something she doesn't remember doing."

"You're ready to punish Lovinett for something he doesn't remember doing."

"Lovinett committed murder, and we can prove he did it whether he remembers or not. Ginny may have betrayed our trust,
but that in itself isn't a crime. And as for the attempted blackmail… I'm not bringing charges." Hermione flapped one
hand in a gesture of finality. "Which isn't to say I disagree with you: she's not to be trusted. You'll keep that in
mind Saturday?"

"When I visit the Harpies? Of course. I'm pretty sure it was Ginny's idea, too. Poor Gwenog Jones was sincere enough,
but…" Harry squared the sheaf of photos into a neat stack, which he tucked into his pocket. "The tricky part," he added
thoughtfully, "is going to be sticking to our cover story. I'm not supposed to know anything of what's happened while I
was 'beyond the Veil'… except maybe what I might've picked up in the Prophet."

"Oh, yes, the Prophet. That reminds me…" Hermione proffered half a dozen envelopes, each addressed to him. "The
Ministry's had to set up a mail drop for you: once people figured out that owls wouldn't come to you, they decided to
send the owls to us instead. It's not part of anyone's duties, really, but I've had several volunteers: to sort and
store your mail, until you can come to collect it. These? These, I thought you'd want to see sooner." She handed him one
envelope with a flourish. "This, for instance, is from Hogwarts, and it feels like a prefect's badge. I'm guessing it's
a staff badge, so that you can walk through the castle safely." She waited until he'd accepted the envelope and tucked
it into his pocket, with the photos, before offering the others. "And these are from various newspapers: the Prophet,
the Moniteur, some others. I've no doubt they're requesting interviews."

Harry eyed the second set of envelopes but didn't immediately move to take them. At length he said, with a noticeable
lack of enthusiasm, "What do you want me to say to them?"

"Whatever you… oh! No, Harry, I'm not trying to pressure you into giving interviews! Not at all. Talk to reporters, or
don't – say anything you like, or say nothing at all. It's entirely up to you."

"I thought Fleur'd told you," he continued, in the same dull tone, "why I decided not to go back to Hogwarts. Because I
thought you might need me… need my support."

"But not if it means doing things you hate, like interviews," Hermione insisted firmly. "I wouldn't ask that of you."

Harry shrugged resignedly and reached out for the envelopes. Hermione moved them away from his hands, out of reach, as
she suddenly recalled their bedside conversation, earlier in the month. "You're thinking you're useless now, aren't you?
That the prophecy's fulfilled, and you don't have a reason to exist anymore? That's it, isn't it?"

He shrugged again and looked down at the floor, unable to meet her gaze. "I just need to earn my… I mean, I don't feel
right accepting charity." He felt a pang as he realized he was echoing Ayesha's sentiments. At that moment, they matched
his own perfectly.

"Oh, honestly!"

Those words had been the closest a schoolgirl Hermione would ever come to an expletive, and they brought Harry back to
earth immediately. He looked up again to see the Minister of Magic standing two feet away, hands on waist, one foot
tapping impatiently, and a very no-nonsense scowl on her face. "Let's get something straight, Mr. Potter," she told him
sternly. "You are not being offered charity. I expect you to pull your own weight – and not as a cheerleader for my
policies as Minister!" She stepped closer to him, poked a finger into his chest, and added in a lower voice, "And not as
my gigolo or my boy-toy, either."

Briefly, his sense of the absurd broke through his despondent mood. "Aww, you never let me be your boy-toy…!" Turning
somber again, he lowered his voice to match hers and continued, "I know we'd talked about me being caretaker, sort of,
for The Ossuary… but I won't be moving in until next week. Besides, with house-elf help that'll take up maybe five
minutes of my day, tops. And at least I know I can be a cheerleader for your policies. I can do that, talk to Tiberius
Ogden and any fence-sitters in the Wizengamot…" He reached for the envelopes in Hermione's hand. "Influence public
opinion…"

"But not because you think you have to," Hermione insisted. "I mean it, Harry."

"Have to?" He snorted in amusement. "Hermione, look at all the people I helped while I still had the Elder Wand. Did I
have to? Of course not… I had a choice in the matter, every time. But…"

"But being who you are, you couldn't have chosen otherwise," she finished softly. "I understand that, Harry, but… but
the cases aren't parallel…"

"Hermione." He looked her in the eye and spoke quite simply. "Let me help."

She didn't say anything. After a moment, he reached again for the envelopes, and this time she didn't move them away
from his hand.

"Don't worry," he said after another moment, "I'll try not to be too obvious."

"I appreciate that." Hermione glanced nonchalantly over Harry's shoulder at her Auror escort, who had withdrawn to a
discreet distance to allow them privacy while still keeping Hermione in view. "Not being too obvious is so rare these
days, don't you think?"

"It won't last," Harry tried to console her. "This is just Gawain Robards reacting to the Prophet's story, the one about
you in Athens, that's all. There aren't enough Aurors to spare one as bodyguard… otherwise Fudge would have insisted on
having one. Yours will be around just long enough for Robards to make his point, then she'll be reassigned. You'll see."

"I don't know… Gawain seemed adamant." She smiled and added, "At least he admitted that Enthalpy House has better
protection than anything the Ministry could provide. I'll be guard-free at home… or rather, I should say, Auror-free."
Her smile had turned anticipatory.

*

Harry gave his first interview that very afternoon. While he might have granted it to any British publication, for
personal reasons he'd decided on le Moniteur Magique: as he saw it, he had a bone to pick with the French newspaper, on
Hermione's behalf.

Nemo me impune lacessit, after all.

Consequently, he Apparated to Paris and sought directions to the Moniteur's editorial offices with a certain gleam of
determination in his eye.

M. Chretien, the Moniteur's managing editor, was surprised but delighted to see Harry, and quickly arranged for a
private conference room for himself, Harry, and a senior reporter, a M. Sondeur. "And perhaps a quick photo session when
we're done," he added hopefully, waving Harry to a seat.

Harry remained standing. "Oh, and speaking of photos," he said pleasantly, "I was wondering if you know the name of the
photographer who provided you with that artistic photo of our Minister of Magic. You remember, the one you published
Monday?" He held up a hand. "I don't need to know his name, I just want to be sure you know the fellow."

"Ah, yes," said Chretien, whose delight was now suddenly tempered with caution. "Yes, I'm familiar with the young man.
He is not one of our staff photographers, you understand, but we have purchased samples of his work from time to time."

"Even when they're pretty obviously faked up?"

Chretien spread his hands and gave Harry a most Gallic shrug. "What can one do? We accepted the photograph at its face
value. Le Moniteur made no alterations, we would never do that. And of course, there is no way to tell if the
photographer himself has altered a photo…"

"Actually," Harry interrupted, "there is. I mean, Muggles can tell if a photo's been changed, and I assume anything
Muggles can do, a wizarding organization such as yourselves can do better." He waited a beat, to see if the gauntlet
would be picked up. When Chretien said nothing, Harry continued, "Moreover, there is the rather simple solution of
asking. Or even, y'know, requiring the bloke to sign a Magically Binding Contract that his work hasn't been, shall we
say, enhanced." Harry still hadn't taken a seat, and his body language said plainly that he was prepared to walk out on
the spot – without giving the coveted interview.

"I seem to recall our publisher making that very point, just this morning," Chretien recovered with aplomb. "Before now,
you see, we had always accepted our staff at their word… but it's clear now that sterner measures are needed. I assure
you, M. Potter, henceforth any photograph purchased by le Moniteur must be accompanied by a sworn declaration of
authenticity – magically sworn."

"I am satisfied to hear it," replied Harry, at last taking his seat and turning to Sondeur. "Shall we begin?"

The interview itself proved to be a double conversation. Rather to Harry's surprise, Sondeur and Chretien weren't as
much interested in his personal life as they were with his afterlife: they wanted details about his fifteen years spent
in the Realm of Death. Harry, for his part, tried to steer the discussion so he could bring up the Delacour family and,
more especially, Olympe Maxime. "French wizards and witches have entrusted their children to her care for generations,"
he pointed out. "No sane person could think her a threat merely because of the conditions of her birth. In that regard,
France is far advanced over my own country." Harry knew that last bit would cause his praise of Mme. Maxime to be
printed in full. So Britain, learning of the high regard in which this "hybrid" was held, would be readier to pass
Hermione's new law. And once Britain had passed such a law, could "advanced" France do less?

"Yes, yes, but this land beyond the Veil," pressed Sondeur, "le domaine de la Mort…"

"All I can tell you is how it appeared to me. Which, by definition, will not be accurate: I was a living person, I
wasn't in my proper place, any more than ghosts are in their proper place on our side of the Veil. But to me, it was…
well, think of a train platform."

There was a moment's pause. "A train platform."

"It's a metaphor," Harry said as charmingly as he could, and as though it explained everything. He wished he could make
his eyes twinkle, as Dumbledore was always doing.

"Mmf, yes. It would have to be." Chretien regarded Harry skeptically, and apparently decided that he would get no
further information. "Well," he said, rising from his seat, "we do appreciate your speaking to us, M. Potter. Thank you,
and if you should recall any further details of your experience…"

"I won't hesitate to contact you," Harry finished, as they shook hands. With a smile and a nod, he left the conference
and wended his way out of the building to the nearest Apparation point.

While back in the Moniteur's conference room, Chretien allowed himself to smile only once Harry had left. "Of course,"
he reflected to Sondeur, "my concession to M. Potter only applies to photographs we buy after today. It would not apply
to any photos we may have already bought from a certain paparazzi, n'est-ce pas?"

"No professional takes only a single picture," agreed Sondeur. He hesitated, then continued, "But perhaps I should make
sure there were no further alterations made… just to be safe. Not that the best of the photos needed any."

*

Hufflepuff booked the Quidditch pitch all morning tomorrow, Ted thought in disgust, as he stomped into the Great Hall
for breakfast. And Slytherin booked it for the afternoon. Their teams aren't that bad… they're just trying to keep us
from getting any practice before the matches begin. Ted had to schedule some solid practice time for his Gryffindor
team, and soon; evening practices on weekdays were hardly a decent substitute.

Mechanically, he served himself eggs and bacon, with a purpleberry muffin on the side, while he pondered his next steps.
Ted knew he should be worrying about his classes that day – it might be Friday, and less than a month since term began,
but every professor was already harping on about his OWLs at year's end – but frankly, the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain
had other priorities at the moment.

He paid no attention to Peeves, cackling somewhere in the rafters; Peeves wasn't bothering the Gryffindor table, after
all. And he barely registered Rose's arrival, as she took a seat beside him, until she tapped his arm and cleared her
throat nervously. "Ted? I… I was wondering… if you could, erm, do me a favor."

"Hm?" Maybe I should talk to Ravenclaw, we can double-book for next weekend, that'll show 'em…

"Can you show me what Harry Potter used to look like?"

Quidditch was immediately forgotten. Ted looked sternly at Rose, and injected just a hint of frost into his voice.
"What's this, then?"

"Well…" Rose twisted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. She extracted a week-old copy of the Daily Prophet from her
bookbag and lowered her voice to barely a whisper. "Most of the time you knew him, he was an adult. He only turned our
age when he rescued Mum. I know what he looks like now… I, erm, just wanted to see what he looked like before."

Ted said nothing, and kept his expression neutral, while he thought quickly. The request seemed harmless enough… still,
Tori had warned him against doing it… but then, Tori hadn't considered that Rose might actually ask… He glanced around
the Great Hall: he and Rose had arrived a bit early, so there weren't many students at the tables yet. And nobody seemed
to be paying them any particular attention…

"Okay, but just for a moment," he told her. "You'll have to imagine that I'm wearing glasses." And with that, he
restyled his hair into an unruly jet-black mop, changed his eyes to emerald green, and morphed his features to that of
his godfather at a mature thirty years of age. Rose watched intently as he morphed, comparing his face with the photo on
the Prophet's front page – showing Harry and Hermione embracing, just after they'd returned from the dead.

Ted held Harry's image for a few seconds, turning his head slightly from side to side, giving Rose a good look. Then he
abruptly resumed his usual appearance. "That should do, I think."

"Uh huh." Rose was still staring at him intently. She didn't seem to have blinked at all; Ted wasn't quite sure she'd
heard him.

He snapped his fingers in front of her face, and had to smile as she seemed to awaken from a trance. "Oh! Erm, yeah,
erm, that'll do, thank you, yes…" By now she was blushing scarlet in embarrassment. Ted made a gesture at the food on
the table, and Rose immediately began serving herself, grateful for the diversion.

"And good morning to all," came a new voice, and Tori came up behind Ted to caress his neck as she slid into her seat
beside him, on the other side. She smiled warmly at him, leaned forward to look past him and greet Rose – and paused in
mid-crane. Immediately she turned an accusatory glare on Ted. "What did you do?"

"Why do you always assume I've done something?" Ted responded, in a completely unbelievable voice of injury.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't specific: what did you do to make Rosie blush like that? Since you are the only person sitting
near her…"

Ted sighed. He really didn't want a ruckus this early in the morning. Fortunately, he'd evolved several time-tested
strategies for dealing with Tori; he settled on Deflection. "I think if Rose wants people to know, she'll tell them."

Tori's sharp eyes flicked back to Rose's red face, scanned the rest of her immediate surroundings, and came to rest on
the Prophet's front page, where it lay to one side of Rose's plate. Half a second later, she drew in an angry hiss of
breath and turned back to Ted. "You didn't!"

There are definite disadvantages, he complained internally, to only associating with super-geniuses. He made a valiant
effort to look her in the eye, and not to cringe.

"'smy fault," Rose mumbled into her plate. "I asked him to. I just wanted to see something, 'sall."

"Rose," Tori began, her voice an odd mix of patience and exasperation.

"Look, can we not talk about it? Please? I know, okay? I'm not stupid. I know that's just how he looks now, and I know
how old he really is, and I know he'd never… with… but… but…" Rose brought her gaze up to meet Tori's. "He's just so…
so…" she finished in despair, for once rendered almost totally inarticulate.

"Yes," Tori agreed gently, "he is." She elbowed her boyfriend in the ribs. "Switch places with me, would you? Rose and I
need to chat by ourselves."

Obligingly, Ted slid his plate to one side, and rose to allow Tori to take his seat. He tried to tell himself that he
should feel relieved that Rose had transferred her crush from him to Harry; still, there had been something undeniably
flattering about being the object of a girl's fantasies. Even an ickle firstie's fantasies.

Before he could take his seat and continue his breakfast, they were interrupted by the arrival of the morning mail owls.
They artfully dodged Peeves, who was trying to make them drop their packages, and descended to the tables. One owl was
headed for the Gryffindor table, and for a moment, Ted wondered if Harry were sending him a message.

Instead, the owl landed before Rose, and dropped in front of her a large flat package wrapped in brown paper. Rose and
Tori broke off from their discussion in surprise.

"For me?" Rose asked the owl. It bobbed its head and gave the package a little push with its beak. Intrigued, she
rewarded the owl with scraps from her plate, and waited until it had eaten and flown away before inspecting her new
possession.

"Addressed to me, all right," she told Tori, who was watching with interest, "but there's no return address. Let's see…"
She carefully unwrapped the paper without tearing it (a trait she'd learned from her mother) to reveal an impressive
looking book with a glossy cover. "History's Greatest Witches," she read the title aloud. "Newly Released Second
Edition! Wow, I think someone sent it to me because of Mum! It probably has a chapter about her becoming Minister of
Magic!" Growing more excited, she shoved her plate away from her, plunked the book in its place, and prepared to open it
and read.

"Can I see that, Rose?" Ted said from directly behind her, and his long arm reached over her head to pluck the book from
the table. Ignoring her indignant protest, Ted keenly examined the book's cover, taking great care not to open it.
"Sometimes they'll say more about the book on the back cover," he said cheerfully, his face showing only friendly,
casual interest.

Behind his face, it was another matter altogether. Ted's stomach was churning and his mind was racing. Oh Merlin, now
what do I do? I can't give it back to her but I can't explain why but if I have to I will and dammit Tori's watching me
she still doesn't suspect I need a Deflection!

He could think of nothing better than fomenting chaos by casting hexes – at the Slytherin and Hufflepuff Quidditch
captains, he decided, that at least would be vaguely plausible – but in the next instant, the decision was taken out of
his hands.

"Ha ha haaaahh! Gotcha!" cried Peeves, throwing water-balloons filled with ink at the Gryffindor table.

There was immediate shrieking and dodging, with various degrees of success. Tori was hit in the back of the head; the
ink stained her hair dark blue, and droplets splattered both Ted and Rose. Enraged, Tori whirled, brandished her wand,
and cast a series of furious curses at the poltergeist. He dodged and launched another water-balloon.

"Iacto!" cried a new voice. The water-balloon reversed course in mid-air and hit Peeves squarely in the face. Sputtering
and snarling, his face indigo, Peeves flew from the Great Hall.

Headmistress MacGonagall lowered her wand. "Every year I promise myself I'll rid the school of that pest," she said to
no one in particular, "and every year ends with him still in residence. This year, I swear…" She eyed the stained
students and addressed them. "Is anyone hurt? Does anyone need assistance removing the ink…? The incantation is Dealbo.
Miss Weasley-Major, you seem to have taken the brunt of it; if you hurry, you can change your clothes before classes
begin."

"Oh no, classes!" cried Ted. "I'm almost late for Potions! Tori, Rose, I'll see you both later." He turned and trotted
out of the hall, and fortune continued to be with him: no one took notice that, amidst the confusion, he'd stuffed
History's Greatest Witches into his bookbag.

*

Ted made a point of lingering after his afternoon Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Longbottom seemed to
read his mind: he waited until everyone else was gone before saying, "Is something on your mind, Mr. Lupin?"

"Sir, I was wondering… well, that is to say, I need to talk to Harry. Right away." When Professor Longbottom didn't
react, Ted added, "It's very important."

"Has there been an accident in the Owlery?" Longbottom asked mildly.

"Not as such, but… the problem is, the owls still don't seem to've figured out that Harry's alive again. I tried to send
him an owl, lots of students have tried, but the owls won't even try to deliver messages to him." Ted's eyes flicked
meaningfully to the door leading to the Defense Professor's office, which contained one of the few fully functional Floo
fireplaces at Hogwarts.

Again, the Defense Professor seemed to read his mind. "We don't normally encourage such direct contact during the school
year, Mr. Lupin. If this is truly an emergency…" He paused. "Has Harry told you where he could be contacted?"

Ted shook his head.

"Then I can't very well tell you, either. I can pass on any messages, if you like."

"It's… sir, I need to talk to Harry about it."

"Important and secret? If this is an issue regarding your personal life, I'm afraid that doesn't qualify as an
emergency. I know it seems like the world to you," Longbottom said sympathetically, "but it's not as though lives were
at stake here, after all." He paused again, giving Ted another opportunity to explain, but Ted remained silent.

"Well," said Longbottom at length, "if it helps, Harry will be substituting for me next week, on Wednesday, and you can
speak to him then in perfect privacy. Is there anything else, Mr. Lupin?"

"No, sir. Thank you," said Ted steadily, and left the classroom.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

42. XXXXII: Attack and Counter, Parry and Riposte

(A/N: I have shamelessly borrowed a line from the immortal Bill Watterson in this chapter. Ten points to the first
reader who spots it.)

(Disclaimer: Oh, come on, has anything changed since my last disclaimer? Still not my characters. Still not making money
from this story.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXXII: Attack and Counter, Parry and Riposte

*

He'd hinted to a few people, in strictest confidence of course, that he planned to secretly spy on the Hufflepuff and
Slytherin practice sessions today, to get an idea of whatever new tactics they might be developing. Thus, without anyone
actually saying anything openly, everyone would be unsurprised if he wasn't around, and no one would come looking for
him.

Easy part's done, Ted told himself grimly.

He'd tried, last night, to contact Harry. He'd repeated his stunt of flying straight up from Hogwarts Castle on his
Levinbrand, until he was far enough from the castle for his mobile phone to work safely. But his call had gone directly
to Harry's voice mail, which told him Harry's mobile was turned off… from which he inferred that Harry was now
permanently back in the wizarding world. Harry wouldn't be available for phone calls any time soon.

Ted had left a voice message anyway, just in case.

He'd also considered breaking into the Defense Professor's office and using the Floo fireplace without permission, but
rejected the idea. Judging from the legends he'd heard, Harry had once done exactly that, back when he'd been a student
at Hogwarts – and he'd had Professor Longbottom's help to do it, so Longbottom would be quite aware of the possibility.
And Ted didn't think Longbottom was foolish enough to not guard against it, either.

And on reflection, Ted still didn't know for certain where Harry was staying, so unless Harry'd given him personal name
status on the Floo Network, he was reduced to taking hopeful pot-shots.

He'd even tried the trick he'd seen a few days ago, of sending a message via Patronus. (Ted hadn't even known one could
send a message via Patronus, until he'd received such a message from "Aunt" Hermione.) But, one, Ted wasn't quite sure
how to alter the Expecto Patronum charm so that it would carry a message; and two, he was ashamed to admit that his own
Patronus wasn't yet corporeal. He could manage a thick mist, which would get the job done in most cases. Somehow, he was
quite sure that this wasn't one of the cases.

So now here he was, standing in a hidden niche just outside the Entrance Hall, about to try a stunt he'd never tried
before in his life. It should be possible, he reminded himself firmly, my mother could do it; hell, she had to be able
to do it. Even if I fail, I have to try.

Of course, if I do fail, this'll be my last day of sunlight for, oh, at least a month.

Ted gave another nervous glance down at his hands. In one hand, he held a small pocket mirror – useful for looking
around corridor corners, but today serving another purpose. In his other hand, he held the Marauder's Map, folded to
display Professor Longbottom's private rooms. The dot labeled "Neville Longbottom" was still there… right next to the
dot labeled "Susan Bones". Ted hadn't known that Madam Bones would be visiting Hogwarts today, but he certainly wasn't
about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath; held it for a slow count of ten; released it slowly. And concentrated on the
form of Professor Neville Longbottom. Concentrated on his hair, his face, every wrinkle in that face; his posture, the
way he held himself when motionless; his gait, the way he carried himself when walking; his meals, the foods he
preferred when eating at the head table…

And Ted Lupin focused the image inward, and willed himself to become Neville Longbottom – not merely in outward
appearance, but deep down to the very cellular level.

When at last his body felt like it had stopped morphing, he opened his eyes and examined himself with great care in his
pocket mirror. As far as he could tell, the resemblance was perfect. He nodded, slipped the mirror back into his pocket,
and brought out his wand. A quick Transfiguration altered his robes to better fit his new form – and from a student's
cut of robes (with Gryffindor trim) to a professor's. Ted even made certain his shoes matched those which Longbottom had
worn to breakfast that morning.

Finally, unable to think of any other detail that needed adjustment, Ted straightened his shoulders and walked out the
giant double doors, into the outside air… and headed along the path toward the school gates. He wished, for
approximately the thousandth time since his first year, that all the secret tunnels and passages leading out of Hogwarts
hadn't been sealed up, after the final battle with Voldemort. Not leaving even one passage intact, he felt, was a
deliberate slap in the face to future generations of pranksters.

He saw Stull, the castle's caretaker (Filch's successor, and had Ted but known, a vast step up) cleaning some of the
ground-floor windows. Ted wasn't certain how Longbottom and Stull dealt with one another, so he gave the caretaker an
affable but neutral nod as he continued to walk.

"Off to town, are ye, P'fessor?" Stull hailed him.

Ted smiled and half-raised his hand in greeting. "A quick errand, but I mustn't dawdle. Don't work too hard." He
quickened his pace and strode briskly to the great gates. Of course Stull knew he couldn't Disapparate from the Hogwarts
grounds; he would have to trust that Stull wouldn't notice "Longbottom" still hadn't Disapparated, once he was through
the gates.

And he passed the gates easily. No invisible magic halted his footsteps; there were no alarms, and no pursuit. He'd done
it: the wards of Hogwarts saw him as Neville Longbottom, who was free to come and go at will. Mere glamours and body
Transfigurations wouldn't have been enough to fool the wards, and Ted had long ago decided not to attempt passing them
with his usual level of morphing. But this extra-deep morph, though significantly harder to achieve and maintain, fooled
them quite nicely.

Next stop: Hogsmeade.

*

In the meantime, breakfast in the Great Hall had been served, during which the Saturday mail owls had arrived. Ted would
have been glad to see that Rose had received no new packages. He wouldn't have paid any attention to the mail received
at other Houses' table… such as the Slytherin table.

Lapis Flint was a first-year Slytherin, and so shared most of her classes with the Gryffindor first years. She hadn't
paid a great deal of attention to any of her classmates; in particular, as far as Rose Weasley went, she neither liked
nor disliked the girl, apart from her obvious mania to be first in every subject. As an owl landed in front of her and
offered her an envelope, that was all about to change.

Huh, she wondered as she tore the envelope open, I wonder who'd be writing me. It's too soon for Mummy's weekly letter…
She unfolded the page, but before she could begin reading, the letterhead jumped out at her: the stylized logo for Witch
Weekly, her favorite magazine!

In growing excitement, she read:

Dear Miss Flint:

We wish to thank you for being a devoted subscriber to Witch Weekly. As such, we felt you would appreciate this special
opportunity to help our magazine in the months ahead. With the recent Wizengamot election, Witch Weekly is starting a
new column devoted to our new Minister of Magic, Madam Granger.

You, being in your first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, are in a unique position to observe the new
Minister's daughter, Miss Rose Weasley. There are many details about the young woman which, our editorial staff feels
sure, will shed new light on the Minister's attitudes and actions as she takes office.

Please don't think we would ask anyone to spy upon Miss Weasley, or invade her privacy in any way! Not at all! It's
simply that any information which would be apparent to any of her classmates – her favorite foods, what clothes she
prefers when not wearing school robes, her opinions on the wizarding world in general – may be considered common
knowledge, and therefore shareable to the public.

If you would consider sharing such details, they'll help us make Witch Weekly that much more informative and far-ranging
a publication, with the sort of features you enjoy most! We've enclosed some pre-addressed note sheets for your use; and
please, accept this small sum as a token of our gratitude. We look forward to a long and illuminating correspondence.

Yours truly,

Madison H. Prewett, Assistant Editor, Witch Weekly.

The five Galleon coins slid neatly and silently into Lapis's palm; instinctively, she clenched her fist to prevent
anyone else from seeing them. As nonchalantly as possible, she gave one of the note sheets a quick scan: yes, it seemed
she would receive another five Galleons for each sheet she sent in. There were spaces for noting Weasley's dress, her
meals, her schoolwork, her habits, her health, what she said in public… all of which, as the letter said, was public
knowledge. And really, there wasn't any harm in sharing what everyone already knew, was there?

Already, Lapis was planning what she would do with her newfound wealth. Why, she could send in a report at once: after
all, she'd been in classes with Weasley for almost a month, there were lots of juicy details for Witch Weekly to digest.

*

Ted changed his features to a rather bland and unobtrusive face, chosen more or less at random, before arriving at
Hogsmeade: he wanted no connection in anyone's mind between this visit and Professor Longbottom. His first stop was the
post office. The owls there would be as unable to find Harry as the owls in the Hogwarts Owlery, but the post office at
least boasted a Floo fireplace he could use.

Throwing a pinch of Floo powder into the fire, Ted thrust his face into the flames – and once it was safely out of view
from the postal clerk, morphed it back into his own features. He really had only one guess where Harry might be.
"Enthalpy House!"

Nothing seemed to happen. "Harry? Harry, are you there?" he called. "It's me, Ted!"

Still no response. Well, so much for the idea that Harry might be staying at the Granger residence. Enthalpy House had
really been Ted's next-to-last resort; he wouldn't have even tried, had Tori not put the notion into his head that Harry
might be getting down with That Woman.

Sighing, Ted removed his head from the fire, hurriedly threw in another pinch of Floo powder, and gave one last try.
"Harry Potter!" He didn't expect this to work: simply calling a person's name into the national Floo Network wouldn't
generally get hold of that person without their prior permission. But he had to try.

Oh, well, it was worth the try.

Ted resumed his anonymous face before straightening up from the fireplace. "Thanks," he nodded to the postal clerk, and
left the building. Well, crap, without Harry covering for me, I don't have a choice. I'll have to tell Professor
Longbottom… no, wait a minute, hmm…

Maybe not immediately, though. Maybe I can postpone it with the old 'hide-in-plain-sight' gambit. It's worked before.

And with that thought, Ted altered course and headed for a specific shop on Hogsmeade's main street.

*

Cold, crisp autumn wind in his face. Green sward beneath him, crystal blue skies above him, and a new Nimbus 5000
propelling him. And for the first time in over sixteen years, that once-familiar, all-encompassing exhilaration, born of
the freedom he always felt when flying.

Harry soared over the practice pitch of the Holyhead Harpies, reveling in the feel of the broom in his hands. He hadn't
realized, hadn't truly realized, just how much he'd missed this; and the problems of house-elf slavery, and of garnering
further support for the Wizards Patrimony Act, seemed for that moment to be remote and trifling.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Eluned Price, Seeker for the Harpies, easily keeping pace with him, returning a
smile to the joyful grin that threatened to split his face. When Price had offered Harry the broom and invited him to a
"friendly bout", he'd been sure Price had been mocking him… or at the least, condescending to him. But she honestly
seemed to be enjoying the sheer fact of his enjoyment; either Price was a kindred spirit who, like him, loved flight for
its own sake, or she was a more empathetic person than she initially appeared. Either way, Harry was grateful.

"Spotted the Snitch yet?" she called.

He laughed. "Haven't been looking!" he hollered back. He hadn't been looking, actually, hadn't even thought of the
Snitch – in fact, he promptly did a loop in mid-air just for fun. Just as promptly, Price matched both his maneuver and
his laughter.

"Well, one of us needs to catch it so we can put it back in its box," Price shouted eventually, "so start looking!" And
she began to fly what Harry recognized as a search pattern, a slow zig-zag down the pitch. He straightened his Nimbus
and flew away to her left, so that the sun would be behind him, and began his own search pattern along a line at right
angles to hers.

In the end, he was first to spot the Golden Snitch, and almost managed to beat Price to it. They were neck and neck for
just a few seconds, and afterwards, he was convinced he'd stood a good chance. But then Price did some sort of fancy
barrel roll that caused him to veer and slow just a hair, for just a fraction of a second – but that was all the
professional Seeker needed. Her fingers closed around the Snitch and she was arcing away before Harry had quite
registered what had happened.

"Good one!" he panted, as she returned to his side with the Snitch struggling in her hand. "Should've known you'd get it
first… but man, that was fun! Thanks, Ms. Price!"

"The pleasure was mine, Mr. Potter," Price replied. "C'mon, we'd better head back to the clubhouse." And she dipped her
broom and plummeted from the sky. To anyone not a Seeker, it would have looked like a death-defying dive; to Harry,
who'd done his fair share of Wronsky Feints in his day, it seemed perfectly natural, and he immediately followed suit.

Gwenog Jones met them as they alighted in front of the clubhouse. "What kept you two? The Chasers and Beaters finished
their practice twenty minutes ago."

"Just having fun," Harry said briefly – he and Price were still catching their breath – but he gave Jones a smile to
show he'd enjoyed himself.

"Ah. Well, they should be out of the showers by now… I thought we'd all meet and mingle in the lounge, Harry, we'll have
refreshments, drinks, whatever you like. The rest of the team's probably already there – shall we join them? Price, you
can join us as soon as you've secured the Snitch."

Harry nodded and started walking in the direction Jones had gestured – where, sure enough, there were the sounds of
voices, glasses, and cutlery. Jones fell back a pace to stay with Price. "Well?" she asked quietly.

"Well," Price echoed with a shrug, "you heard him. We were just having fun. And he was, too: it's not often you see
anyone getting into the flying like that."

Jones relaxed slightly. "Ah. Good. Then you wouldn't call Potter a threat…"

"I didn't say that. He's got no polish yet, but he's good. I beat him to the Snitch today for two reasons, and two only.
I had to use one of my special moves, one that I'd been saving for the Cup finals… thank Merlin no scout from another
team saw it. And second…" Price smiled wryly. "He was just having fun. He wasn't even trying for the Snitch until the
end." With a shake of her head, she trotted away to replace the Snitch in its case, leaving Gwenog Jones pondering
whether she might persuade Harry that there were lots of career options more fun than professional Quidditch.

Harry, in the meantime, had made his way to the lounge and the anticipated food and drink: mostly hors d'oeuvres for the
food, but the lounge had a well-stocked bar. Harry, wishing to keep his wits about him, declined butterbeer or stronger
drink; he received a tall glass of sparkling cider with a touch of pomegranate juice, and carried it to the buffet
table.

Most of the Harpies were already gathered around the buffet: at least ten of them, which meant both the first team and
the reserves were there. They greeted Harry, but didn't crowd him, for which he was grateful: it wasn't too large a
group, he wasn't feeling anxious, exactly, but he still felt more comfortable with groups of two or three at a time. He
gathered himself a small plate of food, and withdrew to the side of the room.

As it turned out, whether by accident or design, they did approach him in groups of two or three: to greet, inquire, and
socialize. All very friendly and, as promised, low key. Harry felt himself starting to relax, and had to remind himself
to keep Constant Vigilance. After all, a certain redhead hadn't yet made her appearance.

He found himself gravitating to those Harpies who were closer to his own age (chronological if not physical). Soon
enough, he was deep in discussion with Rae Davies, the reserve Keeper, as she described her first chance at League play:
at a game from the previous year. "Hughes, our lead Keeper, was still recovering from a Bludger to the head, so they put
me in. So there I was, facing Puddlemere's Keeper, Wood…"

"Oliver Wood?"

"Yeah, that's right, you were on the same team at Hogwarts, weren't you?" Davies grinned. "Wish I could say he's
mellowed with age, but no such luck. Because what's happened, he's got our Chasers totally shut out, while I'm trying to
be in three places at once, right? And he starts screaming at me – screaming advice. Which I pretty much have to ignore,
don't I? I mean, the opposition giving you advice is bad enough, but taking it?"

She was laughing now, an infectious belly-laugh, and Harry had to grin. "Even if it works," he guessed.

"Especially if it works, right. Well, I pretend I'm ignoring him, and he shuts up eventually… but it's Wood, after all,
and he is a first-string Keeper. So I wait for a bit, see, and then I start trying out what he said. And in the end,"
she finished triumphantly, "we only lost to Puddlemere by ten points."

Harry nodded appreciatively: if Puddlemere United was as good today as they'd been fifteen years ago, losing to them by
only ten points was a noteworthy accomplishment. "Wish I could've seen it…" he began, but was interrupted by Jones's
approach.

"Harry, we've a tradition here at the Harpies for our guests," she told him. "Group photos with the team." She waved at
the walls of the lounge, where there were indeed many framed photographs. Harry recognized a few of the celebrities
posing with the team: one photo showed the Harpies gathered around Cornelius Fudge, another had members of the Weird
Sisters band amongst the team. (One Weird Sister held a set of bagpipes: the image would try to bring the chanter to his
mouth to play, only to be smacked by the Harpy standing next to him.)

"For our clubhouse," Jones hastened to add, "not for our publicists."

Harry couldn't think of any reason not to accede. He obligingly allowed Jones to lead him to the center of the room and
turn him to face a camera, mounted on a tripod some distance away. He stood in place as Jones arranged her players on
either side of him, forming two rows. "Everyone face the camera," she finally called out, taking her own position and
pointing her wand at the camera. "Ready… aaaaand…"

At the last moment, Harry felt an arm slip from behind him and across his torso. He had no chance to react before the
camera's flash went off, with a burst of brilliance and a puff of purple smoke. As soon as his vision cleared, he turned
in place to see whose arm it was.

Ginny had given some thought to this moment, and prepared carefully. Her hair had been brushed until it shone, and was
hanging long, as she'd worn it at school. Her face was artfully made up to suggest freshness rather than sophistication.
Her Quidditch robes, in the team colors of gold and dark green, suited her complexion perfectly – and were better fitted
to her figure than most of the others in the room. Every detail of her appearance was a subliminal connection to Harry's
days with her at Hogwarts.

"Hello, Harry," she said softly.

Harry had also given some thought to this moment, but he was unprepared for the jolt to his stomach upon confronting
Ginny. On an instant, his newly-teenaged body remembered the long hours it had spent with hers, and demanded more. It
took a moment for his adult mind to put down his body's betrayal, but for that moment, he stood staring slack-jawed at
his onetime girl friend.

She didn't seem displeased by his reaction. She gave a demure smile and waited for him to respond, quite sure now of her
ground.

He decided to take advantage of his reflexive reaction, and play along. "Ginny," he said, making his voice sound dazed.
He made no move toward her. "You… you look…"

"Thanks," she said with a broad smile. "It's wonderful to see you, too, Harry. It's like a miracle, isn't it? And look
at you…" She reached out and brushed his fringe with her fingertips. "You haven't changed, not at all."

"Well, you've changed a little," Harry replied shyly. "But only a little. I mean, really, you're the same person you
were in your fifth year… my sixth… you remember?"

If possible, Ginny's smile broadened. She started guiding Harry away from the center of the room. "How could I forget?"
she chuckled. Falling back half a step behind him, she quickly glanced at her teammates – the glance at once requesting
privacy and warning poachers. "It's sweet of you to say so."

"Yeah… sixth year… that was quite the year, wasn't it?" Harry continued. "Our last quiet year together, I reckon –
except it wasn't all that quiet. What with Cormac McLaggen… or Won-Won and Lav-Lav… or how about the Slug Club?" He
returned her chuckle. "Remember Slughorn's first meeting, on the train? How you put Blaise Zabini in his place? I'll
never forget that."

Ginny paused at the mention of Zabini. After a brief hesitation, she replied, "Ah. I suppose you've been talking with
Ron, then."

Harry turned serious. "We've spoken, yeah, but not about you. And besides, Ron wouldn't know anything about your cute
little kimono." He watched in satisfaction as Ginny's face froze into an immobile mask. Plainly, she was ransacking her
memory, trying to deduce what Harry might have heard, and where. He gave a diffident shrug and added, "Well, I have been
dead. One gets glimpses." No harm in setting a few doubts in her mind, he felt.

"Oh," she said, suddenly subdued.

On impulse, he reached out and touched her forearm. "Ginny… it's not my place to say anything. I was dead. It's only
reason that the rest of the world should move on… that you move on. All I want to ask is, are you sure? I mean, Blaise
Zabini pretty much stood for everything Dumbledore's Army was created to fight against…" This hadn't been part of the
script he'd envisioned in his head, but of a sudden he had to try to dissuade her… for the sake of the younger Ginny
he'd known.

Ginny brought up her other hand to cover his. "But it's different now, Harry. Blaise is different now. He understands
the need for, for diversity in our society – he welcomes it. Diversity in birth and blood, and diversity in thought… a
difference of opinion doesn't make a person a traitor, after all, or even an enemy. He knows this."

Harry sighed. He wished he could tell Ginny about Zabini's statement on the Hogwarts Express, which he'd never shared in
detail: "I wouldn't touch a filthy little blood traitor like her whatever she looked like." But he found he couldn't
bring himself to repeat the words… and doubted it would help anything if he could. "Ginny, your loyalty to him does you
credit… and it's probably better than he deserves. That may be how Zabini acts, these days – but I can't believe it's
how he thinks."

"I can," she insisted. "Blaise and I, we've talked a lot. I know how he thinks now, and it's not like at Hogwarts." She
took a deep breath, entwined his fingers with her own, and filled her voice with all the compassion and wisdom she could
muster. "He's changed. People do change, Harry."

He looked Ginny squarely in the eye. "Yes," he said, quietly, flatly. "People do change." He extracted his fingers from
hers, and concluded, "I'm sorry…"

The sentence was never finished. With an all-too-familiar blazing look, Ginny lunged forward, took Harry's face between
her hands, and – to the sound of laughter and polite applause from the other Harpies – gave him a fiery, passionate
kiss.

Immediately, Harry broke the kiss and backed away from her. "No," he said firmly, refusing to allow anger to seep into
his voice. "That's long since over. I'm sorry, Ginny, but we're done." Deliberately, he turned away and began to walk
back to the center of the room.

"Harry," called Ginny, and the anger in her voice was very evident. In two quick strides she caught with him and seized
his bicep… intent on stopping him from leaving her.

He spun in place, wrenching out of her grip, and his ironwood wand in his hand quicker than the eye could follow. The
Incarcerous spell came so fast that no observer could have told whether it was done non-verbally. Thin ropes appeared
from mid-air, to bind Ginny's legs from ankle to knee.

Even as she tumbled to the floor, Ginny was crying out in something approaching panic. "Harry, please, no! Not this!
This killed Hermione!"

"WHAT?" Harry yelped in shock. A flick of his wand banished the ropes. "I… Ginny, I didn't mean to hurt you… you said
'Hermione'?"

"Yes," she muttered, waiting for a second to see if Harry would help her to her feet. When no help was forthcoming, she
rose from the floor, acutely conscious of her teammates' astonished gazes. "Kingsley Shacklebolt used that spell on
Hermione, but he lost control of it when he died, and it killed her. You can understand why I'm a little nervous about…"

"Yeah, I do understand now. Hermione's your friend, after all." Harry said it absently, with no trace of irony. "Sorry
about that, but I didn't know… I mean, the Prophet didn't go into any details about the incident…"

"Blaise was there when it happened, he told me about it." She dismissed thoughts of that day with a flip of her hair and
a pleading outstretch of her hands. "Harry, please, this isn't like you. We're friends – we're almost family – that
hasn't changed! What have I done to you to deserve being treated like this?"

You're consort to a Pureblood bigot who thinks nothing of allying with criminals if it'd let him set the clock back
twenty years, Harry replied silently. You took advantage of your best friend's generosity to collect evidence for
blackmailing her. And I can't talk about those, because I can't tell you how I know.

"You've chosen a path," he finally replied.

From his memory Harry summoned up the youngest Ginny, who once put her elbow in a butter dish; the bold Ginny, who
reminded him there was always a way to his goal if he had nerve enough; the fighting Ginny, who battled the Dark Lord's
forces in her last two years at Hogwarts. He summoned them, and set them alongside the adult Ginny now before him,
professionally successful and socially ambitious; and to all of them he said, with sad finality: "Good-bye."

And amidst the total silence in the Harpies' lounge, he turned away from her and left the room.

*

"Well!" exclaimed Tori as she sat down for dinner. "I was wondering if we'd see you today! You didn't tell anyone," by
which I mean you didn't tell me, was the metatext, "where you'd be."

"No," agreed Ted easily, slinging his bookbag from his shoulder, "no, I didn't." She made a circular motion with her
fork, her usual signal for him to continue talking. "No one saw me today, which is fine. I got a lot done." He lowered
his voice and added with a conspiratorial smirk, "I could fill a book with what I know now about Hufflepuff's new
tactics."

Tori nodded, as though to say she'd expected no less. Ted glanced across the table, where Rose was hesitantly
approaching them. "Speaking of books…" he said, and reached into his bookbag. He extracted History's Greatest Witches
and presented it with a flourish to Rose, as Tori watched with interest. "Sorry, didn't mean to keep it… just, y'know,
get it away from Peeves and the ink, and all. And then today, things've been a little crazy." Which was truer than
either of the girls knew.

Rose accepted the book eagerly, plopped down at the table opposite Ted and Tori, and proceeded to delve into her new
treasure. She stopped at the entry on Granger, Hermione, and immediately became oblivious to her surroundings. Ted and
Tori exchanged an amused look.

"So," Tori said after a moment, helping herself to some sliced ham, "our first match is against Slytherin. Learn
anything about their tactics?"

"I learned Hill's such a lousy shot with the Quaffle, the hoop's probably the safest thing on the pitch," Ted replied
drily. "Merlin, if it wasn't for gravity, he couldn't hit the ground." They shared a chuckle at that.

"It's a capital mistake," came an adult voice from behind them, "to underestimate your adversaries." Professor
Longbottom approached them, his manner cordial. "The lesson applies to more than my Defense classes, Mr. Lupin."

"Oh, I know it, sir," Ted assured him.

"Mm, let's hope so. I've grown fond of having the Quidditch Cup in my office, you know." Longbottom looked thoughtful.
"I'd like to discuss the Gryffindor team with you, Mr. Lupin… between the two of us. Would you stop by my office some
time after dinner? I'd appreciate it." He nodded and continued to the head table.

Tori watched Longbottom leave, then turned curiously to Ted. "Ted? Is there something you want to tell me? No, let me
rephrase that: something you ought to tell me?"

He shrugged. "I won't know that," he answered with a perfectly maintained nonchalance, "until I talk with the
Professor."

*

As he calmly walked down the corridor, Ted wasn't as calm as he appeared. Professor Longbottom's sudden appearance at
dinner was… well, Ted hoped and prayed it was mere coincidence. And Longbottom had given no sign he knew of Ted's
absence that day… Arriving at the Defense classroom, he schooled his features into tranquility – easy enough for a
metamorphmagus – and told his nerves to get a grip, before he entered the room. A door within the classroom led to
Professor Longbottom's office; the door was standing open. Longbottom was sitting at his desk, grading some essays. Ted
knocked on the door jamb.

"Ah, come in, Mr. Lupin. Take a seat." Longbottom gestured at the chair in front of the desk, facing him. Ted sat down
and waited politely as Longbottom finished grading the essay in his hand, set it on the stack of parchment, and gave Ted
his attention.

After a moment of mutual silence, Ted cleared his throat. "Er… you wanted to discuss the team with me, sir?"

"Yes, Mr. Lupin," Longbottom said mildly. "I wanted to know what you thought the team's chances would be this year,
given that their Captain and star Chaser is about to be suspended from the team."

"Oh." Suddenly Ted's stomach was twisting, and it wasn't from his dinner.

"You know," Longbottom continued, reminiscing, "I once lost fifty House points and served a night's detention – for
being out of bed past curfew. I should take that into account in deciding an appropriate punishment for leaving the
school grounds without permission." His eyes, no longer mild, fixed on Ted's face. "The only reason I haven't already
assigned your punishment, and docked points, was that I wanted first to hear why. Whatever your reason, I can't imagine
it would be sufficient – but I confess I'm curious."

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes still locked on Ted, and waited.

Ted forced himself to clear his dry throat. He knew that, if he tried to spin a story, no matter how plausible,
Longbottom wouldn't believe it. And the truth was so fantastic that Longbottom might not believe that, either. Which
left him very little to say.

So he was surprised when his mouth, quite independently of his brain, found something to say.

"I need to tell Harry."

Longbottom looked surprised. "Still? Just like last night? Mr. Lupin, if I wouldn't contact Harry for a personal crisis
then, I certainly won't do so after you've broken so many…"

"It's not a 'personal crisis', Professor," interrupted Ted desperately. "It's what you said last night: it really is a
matter of life or death." Longbottom's gaze had focused and sharpened, like a magnifying lens – appropriate, since it
felt like it was burning Ted where he sat – but Ted refused to flinch from it. "Please."

At long last, Longbottom sighed and stood. "You'd best hope, for your sake, that you've not exaggerated," was all he
said, as he stepped over to the Floo fireplace. He muttered inaudibly over the pot of Floo powder, then tossed a handful
into the flames. "Hogwarts staff. Harry Potter."

Within moments, Harry's head appeared in the green flames. "Neville? What's…" He fell silent as he spotted Ted standing
in the background.

"Congratulations, Harry," nodded Longbottom. "It's your very first disciplinary action as a staff member. He insists on
involving you. Are you free at the moment to come in? Staff can Floo into the school nowadays."

Harry nodded. His head vanished; seconds later, he emerged from the fireplace in a crouch. "Right, then," he said,
straightening. "What's this about? Ted?"

Ted realized belatedly that having Harry at Hogwarts was going to be harder than he'd thought: he couldn't lie to his
godfather, it was physically impossible. "I left the school grounds without permission today," he confessed
forthrightly. "I went to Hogsmeade, because I had to find some way to contact you. I truly think it's that serious."

Harry and Neville traded looks. "Go on," Harry said evenly.

Reaching into his bookbag, Ted brought out a pair of dragonhide gloves and put them on. "This came in the mail
yesterday," he said, and reached again into his bookbag to carefully, oh so carefully, bring out History's Greatest
Witches. "Someone sent it to Rose. Don't touch it, either of you, without gloves." He set the book on the desk and took
a respectful step back.

He now had the full attention of both the Leader of the Hogwarts Resistance and the Boy Who Lived Again.

"Isn't that the book you gave to Rose at dinner?" Neville asked.

Ted shook his head. "When I couldn't reach Harry, I bought a duplicate copy in Hogsmeade. I gave that one to Rose. She
doesn't know anything's wrong. I thought, until we had some idea what was going on, it might be better to keep things
close, y'know?"

Cautiously, Harry approached the desk, drawing his wand as he did. A flicked gesture, and the book opened itself; the
pages began to slowly turn, one at a time. Harry watched them intently… and Ted licked his lips. "Professor," he
murmured, "look at his eyes…"

"I see it, Mr. Lupin," Neville replied, fascinated. For the green of Harry's irises had expanded, to fill the entire
eye… and Harry seemed to be using his eyes to see something other than light, some vision beyond optical.

The pages abruptly stopped turning. "One of the legacies of the Deathly Hallows, gentlemen," Harry said softly. "I'm
sensitive to the currents of magic. I can see where it's being used… and where it's been used." He smiled at the picture
on the opened page: Hermione, somberly accepting the position of Minister of Magic.

At Harry's nod, the pages resumed their turning, stopping again only when they reached the book's index. "You were right
to be concerned, Ted," Harry said at last. His voice carried strange harmonics that neither of his listeners had ever
before heard. "Some potion's been applied to those two pages – something I don't recognize. Did either of you notice
anything unusual about them?"

Neville and Ted shook their heads. "They looked more or less like every other page in the book," volunteered Neville.

"To me, they look… I'd call it oily. A sort of oily grey, like a grease stain." The former Master of the Hallows shook
his head sharply, and Harry returned to them. "On the upper corner of each of those two pages. Just where someone would
grasp the page to turn it… on the two pages Rose Weasley would almost certainly turn to first."

"The index… and the chapter on her mum," said Ted shakily, as he saw what Harry was implying.

"Dear Merlin." Neville sat down heavily, looking stunned at the news. "Mr. Lupin, I may have to rescind your punishment
yet. How on earth did you know?"

And this was the moment Ted had been dreading. He could only pray that his guardian angel was still on the job. "It
just… felt like something was off," he said, waving his hands as though they could express what words couldn't. "It just
smelled wrong, y'know?"

And he could see at once that Harry understood. "In other words, instinct," he said with a nod of sympathy. "Your
subconscious putting together the clues, but not telling you why. I hate to think how many times I had to rely on
instinct, during that damned Horcrux hunt… but then, I didn't have a lot of other options."

"So what's this potion supposed to do?" Neville asked, recovering his poise.

"Don't know," said Harry, examining the book again. "I'm not familiar with this specific blend of magics, it's new to
me. But it's puzzling: it doesn't look particularly dangerous. I mean, the trace doesn't look good to me, but I don't
see quite how…" His voice faded; his eyes narrowed. Another flick of his wand turned the pages of the book again, until
Hermione's entry was displayed. "Hold on a moment… that's not…" He fell silent again.

Neville and Ted watched as Harry used his wand to flip the pages back and forth, showing first the index, then
Hermione's entry, then the index, then Hermione's entry again. "I need a clean glass phial, Neville," he said at last.
"And two scalpels, or styli, that you don't mind throwing away."

Mystified, Neville went into the Defense classroom, and returned with a small phial and two small knives. With a quick
Aguamenti, Harry half-filled the phial with water. Then he used one knife to scrape the page of Hermione's entry –
taking greatest care to not touch the page with his skin – and dipped the knife into the water. He used his wand to turn
to the book's index, and with the other knife, again scrape the page. When he dipped the second knife into the water, he
drew a long, hissing breath.

"We definitely need to keep this quiet," Harry announced, in a tone that brooked no contradiction. "And we definitely
need a Potions expert… or at least, someone more expert than us." He sighed, and with a final wave of his wand, sealed
the phial. "And since this was intended for Rose Weasley, our choice of Potions expert is pretty obvious, don't you
think?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------

43. XXXXIII: Forced Re-Evaluation

(A/N: We met Joanie Vincent all the way back in Chapter 4; Agnes Mayfair, in Chapter 31. I'm trying to conserve
characters, you see.)

(Disclaimer: I've borrowed slightly in this chapter from the work of William Goldman. And quite a bit from J.K. Rowling,
but that goes without saying – as should the fact that I do not profit thereby.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXXIII: Forced Re-Evaluation

*

Monday, 30 September

Dear Ms Prewett: Here's my "sharing sheet" for Witch Weekly this week. Also, I didn't put it on the sheet, but you
should know that Rose Weasley looked sick in Charms today, so Professor Flitwick sent her to the Hospital Wing for some
Pepper-Up Potion. People are saying she may have wizard's flu. Before she got sick, she seemed to be very excited that
her mum was the new Minister, but now she's not saying a lot about it. I put other details on the sharing sheet, and
I'll have another sheet ready when Rose gets out of the Hospital Wing.

Yours sincerely, Lapis Flint.

*

"And I've reset the Floo connection, and here are the keys and such," Susan Bones finished, sliding a fat envelope
across Hermione's new desk at the Ministry. "The Ossuary is now officially let to you. I thought perhaps we might
celebrate this evening by having dinner together, you and I and Neville…"

"Thank you, Susan," replied Hermione, accepting the envelope, "but perhaps I could take a rain check? I'm… not up for
socializing tonight…" Her smile looked wan.

"Rough Tuesday, Minister?" Susan grinned, nodding at the other parchments piled high on the desk. Her grin died when
Hermione didn't respond in kind.

"It's not that. It's… Madam Pomfrey sent me an owl this morning. Rose has to spend the night in the Hospital Wing."
Hermione shook herself and smiled more brightly. "Poppy reassures me it's probably nothing, but better to be safe than
sorry. I suppose I'm simply worrying too much."

"I don't think it's possible for a mother to worry too much," Susan said sympathetically. "Hope Rose feels better soon…
and we'll definitely take a rain check." She gave Hermione a quick hug and left the Minister's office, almost bumping
into Blaise Zabini as he was going in.

*

Right, then, I've read through the first five chapters of each year's textbook, Harry thought wearily as he leaned back
and rubbed his eyes. To cover the "theoreticals", if any come up tomorrow. I really, really hope they don't. I don't
care what Neville says, I'm pants as a teacher.

He looked around the master study at The Ossuary. He'd officially moved in that day – true to his promise, he'd asked
Ayesha to transfer all his belongings from Jacob Clayman's flat, and he was bemused to note how many items had been
cleaned, pressed, repaired, or otherwise improved during the transfer. It boded well for leaving the elves to tend the
place in his absence.

Harry sighed, stretched, and glanced at his watch. About time for dinner, I guess. I can whip up something simple –
Susan did say the larder would be well stocked. And then tomorrow, Hogwarts. Oh, and I need to remember to bring a
little something for Rose; she's probably going stir-crazy in the Hospital Wing.

He left the study and headed for the kitchen, but he never made it there. He stopped, quite surprised, in the dining
room, where he found the table lavishly set for one. Brillig and Ayesha stood hopefully by the table; both were now
wearing identical crimson livery.

"Um, so," he said cautiously, "what's all this…?"

"It is Mister Harry's first night in his new home!" exclaimed Brillig. "And we are helping him celebrate! Brillig and
Ayesha have prepared a wonderful feast for Mister Harry, for Brillig knows how Mister Harry enjoys food…!"

"And this is giving Ayesha a chance to be of use," Ayesha put it hurriedly, "by serving Mister Harry dinner, for she has
waited on masters and knows how it is properly done…"

"But we are also remembering that Mister Harry wants Ayesha to be a guest, and not to be working," rejoined Brillig,
more loudly, "so Brillig is here to wait on Mister Harry…"

"Enough!" Harry raised a quelling hand, and the two elves instantly fell silent. They continued to watch him intently,
expectantly, and Harry couldn't help sighing. So now they're competing for my attention? I have to choose which of them
serves me dinner? And what do I do with the one who's not waiting on me…?

He sighed again, scratched his nose, and stalled for time to think by pretending to inspect the table layout. Three
forks, two knives, one soup spoon; soup bowl on the plate, plus a separate bread plate; water and wine glasses. My
goodness, how fancy a meal did these two prepare, just for me?

Just for me… hmmm…

"Something bothers me about how this table's set," he said quietly.

Immediately, Brillig and Ayesha were on either side; Brillig was all but wringing her hands, and Ayesha couldn't help
bouncing from one foot to the other in her anxiety. "Oh, we is not doing it right? Mister Harry is displeased with us…?"

"Nothing that can't be quickly and easily fixed," Harry hastened to assure them.

"Yes, yes!" they chorused eagerly. "Tell us what we must be doing!"

"Well," said Harry, trying to be natural, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "we need two more settings,
just like this one, here and here." And he gestured to either side of the setting on the table.

Ayesha looked puzzled, then excited. "Mister Harry is expecting company to arrive?"

"No," Harry smiled, and waited to see if either elf would pick it up. It took a few moments…

Brillig's head swung abruptly to stare at Harry's face, her mouth agape, her eyes wide. "You… you cannot mean… oh,
Mister Harry must be joking!"

"Ask Canby if I'd joke about something like this," Harry said, now perfectly serious. "Or ask Dobby."

Her anxiety now beginning to tinge with fear, Brillig looked down at the table setting, back up to Harry, across to
Ayesha, back to the table… growing more frantic by the second. Though Ayesha could tell that the other elf was upset,
she still hadn't cottoned to the reason.

Again, Harry gestured to either side of the place set for him at the table, and tried for a lighter, more helpful mood.
"We'll bring the food out from the kitchen and put it here between us," he suggested, "and each of us can serve
ourselves…"

Horrified, Ayesha jumped backward as though she'd been bitten. Ah. She's sussed it out. Right then, time to play the
sympathy card.

"I spent a lot of years eating alone, you know," Harry reminded Brillig, "when I was in exile from the wizarding world.
Honestly, you'd be doing me a big favor if you'd join me tonight…" He let the sentence hang, open-ended.

Brillig swallowed nervously. Neither elf said anything; neither elf made any motion. After a moment, Harry tapped the
empty tabletop on either side of his place setting, and smiled as encouragingly as he knew how.

Whether it was to help Harry in his 'hour of need', or whether it was due to the ingrained obedience of house-elves,
Harry never quite knew. He only knew that, within seconds, two more place settings had materialized on the table, and
Ayesha and Brillig were diligently bringing out dish after dish of prepared food: an eclectic mix of solid British fare
and Middle Eastern cuisine.

He noted with some amusement that neither Brillig nor Ayesha would sit down before he did, but he decided not to make an
issue of it. It was enough that they were actually sitting at the same table, dining together. Like equals, Harry
thought in satisfaction. If this doesn't get the lesson across, I don't know what will.

"So what are we eating tonight?" he began, feigning ignorance to draw the elves out of their nervousness and into
conversation. "This looks like, mm, lamb? And is that cumin I smell…?"

*

"Yes, the thirdies I tutor are having such a hard time with Dark creatures," said Alice Shrewsbury, in a voice just loud
enough for Tori to overhear but not so loud as to make Alice's intent too obvious. "You know, identifying them from a
distance."

"Really?" responded Joanie Vincent, who like Alice was from Ravenclaw. "What, are they overthinking things again?"

It was Wednesday morning, and the fourth-years' Defense Against the Dark Arts class was supposed to have begun already,
but Professor Longbottom had yet to open the classroom door. All the students were standing out in the corridor, waiting
for the Professor. There was some milling about, but in general, the students tended to congregate along House lines…
with notable exceptions. Such as the cluster of girls centered around Alice Shrewsbury.

Or such as Tori Weasley, standing by herself.

Something odd had happened over the summer holidays. Back when she and her classmates were all first-years together,
she'd happily hung out with most of them, boys and girls alike… but that was three years ago. Now a lot of the boys
seemed to be keeping their distance, and had trouble talking to her – though they certainly had no trouble looking at
her. Well, Mum had explained about that: they couldn't help being that way, being boys, any more than she could help
being an attractive girl (who kept her Veela powers very firmly under control, thank you). And anyway, Ted's qualities
more than made up for her male classmates' awkwardness.

But Tori hadn't expected so many of her female classmates to likewise be keeping their distance – not all of them, thank
Merlin, but a good fraction. And the glances they shot her way were far less appreciative.

Still, none of the girls had seemed outright antagonistic – except Alice's little clique, who'd been taking pot-shots at
her since term began. Tori wouldn't let them see how much those shots hurt – she wouldn't give them the satisfaction –
instead, she ignored them with dignity.

But it didn't seem to be helping.

"Evidently so," continued Shrewsbury. "You'd think they'd be able to see that any creature that can hurt you, or make
you hurt yourself, is a Dark creature. It seems so obvious. Hinkypunks? Lure travelers into the bogs to drown – Dark
creatures. Basilisks? Poisonous and petrifying – Dark creatures. It's obvious."

"Dementors? Suck out your souls," offered Vincent. It was becoming almost a game between her and Shrewsbury, alternating
suggestions.

"Werewolves? Tear you limb from limb, if they don't make you another werewolf."

"Veela? Sap men's wills."

"Vampires? They can enthrall you and drink your blood. They're Dark two ways."

"Ooh, that's a good one, Joanie. I can't think of any other Dark creature that can hurt you and make you hurt yourself.
I suppose you could breed two Dark creatures together. What d'you think, Victoire? Breed a Veela and a werewolf? Would
that make a double Dark creature?"

Stung into rage, Tori lost all semblance of dignified composure. She spun in place to hurl invective at the smirking
Ravenclaws. Before she could say a word, however, a new voice broke in.

"Okay, first of all, five points from Ravenclaw. Second of all, didn't you learn anything about Dark creatures last
year, you lot? Veela aren't Dark creatures, and Miss Weasley's father cannot be a werewolf. And third, five more points
from Ravenclaw. Now inside, everyone. Let's get started." The classroom door was open now, but it wasn't Professor
Longbottom standing there, waiting for them to enter. None of her classmates yet recognized him, but Tori did: it was
Harry Potter.

She wanted to burst into song, but she settled for a sly, secret smile. This was going to be good.

"Who…?" began someone in the crowd.

"Mr. Longbottom had business away from Hogwarts today. I'll be teaching in his place. Now – inside."

Harry said nothing further until the class had, with some muttering, taken their seats. He called roll, noting
particularly when Shrewsbury and Vincent timidly answered to their names. Once that was done, he stood in front of the
classroom and addressed Alice Shrewsbury. "You did cover Dark creatures in your third year, right? Well, if you'd been
paying attention, you'd know that werewolves can't have children." His eyes snapped to Joanie Vincent. "Twelve inches of
parchment, from each of you, detailing the reasons why. Due Friday, and don't think I won't let Mr. Longbottom know to
expect it."

He sighed and added, more softly, "Plus, I should know better than anyone that Bill Weasley's not a werewolf. After all,
I was nearby when he was attacked by Fenrir Greyback."

One of the other students began to protest. "But… but that's ridiculous! You'd have been a baby when that happened! You
may be in Professor Longbottom's NEWT classes, but that doesn't mean you can teach us!"

"Ah, well, I'm afraid you're wrong on several counts, Mr. Berkeley. I was older than you when Bill Weasley was hurt. And
I can indeed teach you – want to see my staff badge? And I'm not in any of Mr. Longbottom's classes, NEWT or otherwise.
He's not my teacher – in fact, once upon a time, I taught him."

Berkeley blinked several times, then his jaw dropped and his face went bloodless. "You… y-you're Ha… H-H-Har…"

"Harry," Harry helped him say, and added, "Potter. That would be me, yes. Any further comments from anyone?" His eyes
swept across a classroom that had fallen suddenly, wholly, and absolutely silent. Tori was tempted, very tempted, to
make some cricket chirps under her breath (she could always blame Ted's influence on her), but decided not to push her
luck.

*

The arrival of a Hogwarts owl on Wednesday afternoon had sparked near-frenzy in the office of the Minister of Magic.
Upon reading the message, Minister Granger looked distraught, almost tearful: she cancelled her appointments for the
rest of the day, sent a quick message to Ron Weasley, and announced that she had to go to Hogwarts immediately. The
office rumor mill quickly deduced that the health issues with the Minister's daughter had taken an abrupt turn for the
worse.

"Trust me, I understand completely," opined Agnes Mayfair, who worked in Floo Authority, and whose opinion seemed to be
the consensus among the Ministry staffers. "If one of my daughters had fallen badly ill when they were at Hogwarts, I'd
have been up there like a shot. Any caring parent would."

"Mm, I can only imagine," Zabini sympathized.

*

Ted gave the letter one last dubious read before tucking it in his pocket and sending the owl on its way. Rather an odd
letter, really, not at all what he was expecting… and definitely something he wanted to discuss with Harry.

The news that Harry Potter was substituting for Professor Longbottom had spread through Hogwarts like wildfire. After
the morning's Defense class with the fourth-years, there were only two other Defense classes, the second-years
immediately after lunch and the sixth-year NEWT class; but Ted was willing to bet that both of those classes had been
fully attended… with a few "auditors" as well.

Although he'd listened to the grapevine closely, Ted hadn't heard any speculation about Harry's Defense skills. No one
was publicly challenging the claim that this seventeen-year-old, who'd missed his last year at Hogwarts and never taken
NEWT's, was nonetheless eminently qualified to teach all Defense classes, all years. Either it was assumed that Harry
had spent his year before the Battle of Hogwarts in hiding, studying and training (a logical assumption, really), or
that he'd learned deep, arcane secrets of magic while trapped beyond the Veil. More likely, though, Ted figured, no one
was even wondering about Harry's skills: he was simply Harry Potter, the Chosen One, and his prowess was accepted
without question.

He glanced at his watch. Harry's last class for the day would be over shortly; if Ted could arrive at the classroom as
the sixth-years were leaving, he'd have Harry's undivided attention until dinner. Nodding to himself, he left his dorm
and headed down to the Gryffindor common room, intent on making his way to the Defense classroom with all due speed.

A plan that was interrupted almost before it had begun, upon discovering Tori Weasley waiting for him in the common
room, a determined gleam in her blue eyes. "Off somewhere again?"

"Wanted to talk to Harry, soon as he's free," Ted shrugged casually.

The determined gleam faded, replaced by concern. "There's a new problem, isn't there? Is it something I can help with?"

"New problem?" he asked quizzically. There would be no shaking Tori off, obviously. He waved at her to precede him
through the portrait hole, and waited until they were in the corridor before speaking again. "It's not a problem per se.
I just got a letter from Gran, and I wanted to talk to Harry about it, that's all."

Tori fell into step beside him. "What's up with your Gran?"

He shrugged again. "Eh, she wants to how I'd feel about changing my name. It sounded a little off, really: I've never
had any problem being Ted Lupin. But she seems to think there'd be some advantages to being Ted Black. Can't say I'm too
keen on it, though."

"Ah." Tori didn't comment immediately; when she did, it was obliquely. "You do know, right, that you'll still be you no
matter what your last name is?"

"Well… yeah, obviously." Ted raised an eyebrow at her, but she seemed reluctant to elaborate. Which, come to think of
it, wasn't like Tori.

He was about to ask what she'd meant when their stroll was interrupted by a streak of silver. It flashed up the
corridor, stopping just in front of Ted, and coalesced into the shape of a tiny stag. "I'm on my way to the Hospital
Wing," it said in Harry's voice. "Meet me there."

The Patronus messenger dissolved into vapor, leaving Ted shaking his head. "Need to find out how they do that," he said
to himself, then glanced at Tori. "Well, I did want to talk to Harry, so if you'll excuse me…"

"Like hell," she retorted sharply, and linked her arm in his. "This is about Rose again, isn't it? Fine, you can tell me
what's going on as we walk."

"What do you mean, 'again'?" he said quickly. "Didn't you hear that Rosie's sick – she spent last night in the Hospital
Wing. Harry must be visiting her…"

"Please, Ted. Despite appearances, I'm not a dumb blonde. Haven't you figured that out yet?" With her free hand, she
began to tick off points. "Rose gets a book from a mysterious admirer. You take it away from her before she can read it.
Next day you give her a different copy of the book – and I know it wasn't the same book she received, because you left
the price tags on, twit."

Damn! Ted would not allow a groan to escape his lips, but it took an effort.

"And the very same day," Tori pressed, "Professor Longbottom calls you into his office – about Quidditch. Quidditch?
He's never been that big a Quidditch fan."

She fixed him with an iron glare and concluded, "And ever since, Rose has getting sicker and sicker. No appetite on
Sunday, a little out-of-it on Monday, clumsy and weak enough for the Hospital Wing by Tuesday. Ted, she's my cousin! You
have to tell me! What's going on?"

"Well, that's a fair question," said Harry's voice from behind them. He had come up silently and was now giving Ted a
look of commiseration. "Blame me for Ted not telling you anything, Tori. It wasn't because he doesn't trust you, but
because I trust him." He gave the girl a brief smile and added, "But I suppose, having enlisted you once, we can enlist
you again. Come." He took the lead and walked purposefully down the corridor, with Ted and Tori trailing.

Ted and Tori were startled, upon arriving at the Hospital Wing, to see an Auror standing sentry at the door. She
silently nodded to Harry and allowed them inside, where they were met by Madam Pomfrey. "I'm glad you're hear, Mr.
Potter," she said, taking Harry by the elbow, with a curious glance at Ted and Tori. "The Minister arrived a few minutes
ago, but it didn't seem to rouse Miss Weasley…"

"Rouse?" exclaimed Tori.

"Miss Weasley fell into a coma a couple of hours ago," Pomfrey told her. "There seems to be little I can do, and the
Minister wanted to be here, just in case she awoke one last time before…" Her voice died away.

Tori's eyes grew wide. Slowly, she shook her head, while her lips formed a silent No.

"I've put them in the isolation ward," Pomfrey concluded. "Not knowing what's caused this, I thought it best." She
steered them through the ward, where a couple of students were recovering from injuries, to the far end of the room.
Pomfrey's office door was there; another door stood closed next to it. She knocked twice at the second door, waited a
beat, then opened the door.

Rose was lying motionless in a hospital bed, her eyes closed. Hermione was seated by the bed, holding her daughter's
hand, warily watching to see who would come through the door. On seeing Rose's inert form, Tori gave a little
involuntary cry of pain.

And on hearing her cry, Rose opened one eye in alarm. "Don't freak, Tori, it's okay," she stage-whispered.

"Sshh!" hissed Hermione.

"Yeah, Rosie, you're supposed to be on your death bed," Harry reproved. "We could have been anyone, after all." He
closed the door behind them and added, "Fortunately, we're all in this conspiracy together. And that includes Tori now,
Hermione – she takes after you far too well, I'm afraid. Deduced a plot on remarkably scant clues, she did."

Tori had remained frozen in place, jaw dropped and her eyes pinned on Rose. Everyone in the room noticed when those eyes
began to smoulder. "Death bed, is it?" she said in a darkly ominous voice. "How utterly appropriate." She transferred
her glare to Ted and continued, "And you're next on my list, goob! Unless you tell me everything, right now, I swear I
will personally shove ashwinder eggs up your nose and a salamander up your arse until they meet!"

Gathering permission from Harry with a pleading look, Ted quickly gave Tori an account of bringing the book to Harry and
Professor Longbottom – accurate, as far as it went, but distinctly giving the impression that Harry had discovered the
threat, with his sensitivity to magic. "Since Rose looked to be the target," Ted finished, "Harry asked your Aunt
Hermione to try to analyze what potions were used. She'd have to know about this, anyway, since Rose was involved… and
the fewer people in the know, the better. And she says it's some kind of binary poison…"

"Two synergistic potions, absorbed through the skin," Hermione took up the tale. "Neither potion alone is all that
dangerous – which is how the book could get into Hogwarts without triggering any alarms – but taken together, they
become an incredibly potent nerve toxin. A single exposure leads to dizziness, sleep, coma, and death, all within a few
days."

"You mean… Rose? All this week, you've been… faking your death?" Tori demanded. "Merlin, Harry, it sounds like something
you'd do! Oh, wait, that's right…"

"We all came up with it together," Hermione intervened drily.

"Yeah," agreed Ted, equally dry. "You might say Rose is our… um, tethered kid."

Rose blew a raspberry at Ted and turned smugly back to Tori. "Hey, I was good enough to fool you, Lady Sherlock," she
said. "Mum and Harry explained things, and they asked me if I was willing to help, and I said yes. But it's been pretty
boring, mostly. Except for a couple of times when I had to – gakk!" She fell back dramatically onto her pillow, eyes
closed and her tongue lolling from one side of her mouth.

"More to the point," continued Hermione, "if the poisoned book wasn't seen to do its job, whoever sent it might send
something else, something more stealthy – and more lethal. And we might not be lucky enough to catch the next trap in
time."

"Plus, while there may be some sinister people who'd want Hermione dead," Harry put in, "we couldn't quite see why
anyone would want Rose dead." He stepped to the bed, where Rose was still overacting her death scene, and pinched the
girl's nostrils shut, adding, "Of course, they don't know her as well as we do." Rose gulped air, opened her eyes to
glare at Harry reproachfully, and batted his hand away. "We were waiting to see if something more would happen," Harry
concluded. "Poppy, I gather something has?"

The matron nodded and started to hand Hermione an envelope, sealed and addressed to Madam Poppy Pomfrey. "It arrived
just before you did. I've left it undisturbed."

Hermione made a motion towards Harry, and Pomfrey gave the envelope to him instead. Everyone watched in fascination as
Harry shifted to what Ted had privately nicknamed his 'magic vision': suppressing the normal use of his eyes, instead
calling up a visual interpretation of the eddies and flows of ambient magic.

"No charms or spells on the parchment," Harry reported after a moment, "but there is a concentration of strong potion.
Um, I don't recognize it… but it doesn't appear to be a hazard." Delicately, he opened the envelope and drew out a sheet
of parchment, folded around a small glass ampule. The ampule contained a few drops of oily liquid, pale gold in color.

He handed the ampule to Hermione while he read aloud from the parchment. "To Madam Poppy Pomfrey: the contents of the
phial will revive Rose Weasley. You must use the entire contents; administer orally. She will…" He looked up, caught
Hermione's eye, and read the next lines with heavy significance. "She will require a dose like this one every five days
henceforth to avoid a relapse. Missing even a single dose would have severe consequences. We will supply the next dose
when it is needed. Please tell Miss Weasley's mother that we will be in touch."

"'Be in touch?' They intended to poison Rose… and then promise the antidote? Conditional on my 'good behavior', no
doubt!" Hermione pressed her lips together in disgust. "Who would do such a thing?" She held the ampule to the light,
examining its contents with one eye narrowed.

"We'll know that when we hear what they want," said Harry thoughtfully. "Here, Ted… Tori, Rose… do you recognize this
handwriting?" He passed the note directly to Ted, who held it very close to his face while scrutinizing the writing.

"I can't tell if it's the same as the address on the book's wrapping," Ted said, "but it does look like a Dictation
Quill writing, so that probably doesn't matter." He offered the note to Tori, who snatched it from his hand and
performed Specialis Revelio on it.

"Well, Miss Weasley-Minor, I daresay this is the point where I announce your miraculous recovery," said Madam Pomfrey
briskly.

"Keep her one more night," instructed Hermione, "since we don't know how fast this antidote is supposed to act. And
it'll give me a chance to analyze the stuff." She bit her lower lip in thought. "Notice that they supplied barely enough
to do the job… so there wouldn't be any extra to study, and possibly synthesize. Though if it's like the potions on the
book…!" She broke off and shook her head.

"What about the potions on the book?" Rose prompted.

"They're simply not possible." Hermione met Pomfrey's gaze. "I don't claim to be an expert in Potions, but…"

Harry, Ted and Tori gave simultaneous snorts of disbelief; the unison effect made Hermione redden and furiously scowl at
them before going on. "BUT I would've said that tarantula blood and runescap spores were fundamentally immiscible – not
to mention the fractionation of the iocaine!" She gestured with the ampule. "I've no doubt I'll find something of the
same here. Somehow, someone has found a way to do what all the textbooks say can't be done."

"So we're looking for… what?" wondered Tori. "A genius Potions master researcher – who doesn't publish?"

"Yeah. Doesn't sound very plausible, does it?" Harry responded lightly. His eyes met Hermione's, and it was obvious
they'd had the same thought… and that they weren't ready to share it. Ted let it slide for the moment, trusting he could
ask Harry about it later, when they were alone.

"In any case," Pomfrey said, refusing to be diverted, "if you wish to continue with your bit of dramatic interpretation,
you should leave now. Miss Weasley is 'still too ill to receive visitors'."

Pomfrey, like McGonagall, had found that being at Hogwarts for so long had given her an advantage over much of the
wizarding population: generations of students had been conditioned to obey her without argument when she spoke in a
certain way. As she was speaking now.

Accordingly, Rose's visitors shuffled towards the door, with Tori promising to visit again before she was released (and
with Harry slipping a small book on the nightstand next to her bed, causing Rose to blush and mumble thanks). Once out
of the Hospital Wing, Hermione gave Harry a discreetly chaste kiss on the cheek and followed her Auror escort down the
hallway to the main doors of Hogwarts. She was mildly surprised when Tori fell into step beside her.

"So, do you think Rose…" Tori began, but immediately fell silent when Hermione gave a quick shake of her head and tapped
her ear in warning.

"It's all up to Madam Pomfrey now," Hermione said, her voice a study in resignation. Tori understood: the best way to
keep a secret was simply not to discuss it, even in hints, even when you thought you were alone.

"I need to get back to the Ministry, Victoire," Hermione continued. "What's on your mind?"

"Just… some girls said some things today," Tori said. She seemed unsure of her ground, then began again. "Aunt Hermione,
my dad… he really isn't a werewolf, right? I mean, Mum and I know he gets cranky at the full moon, and Mum always serves
his meat rare…"

"If he were a werewolf, I promise you'd know," said Hermione firmly. "I've seen a werewolf transform, up close, and it's
not something they can possibly hide… or that you're likely to forget. It's… frightening… on an almost visceral level."
She shivered, then smiled reassuringly. "Yes, the werewolf curse itself is a contagion, and your father has a mild –
very mild – case of it. But he's not a werewolf."

Tori nodded. "Plus, werewolves are sterile, so he couldn't have had me."

"He couldn't have had you, that's true – but werewolves aren't sterile. They simply can't have children."

When it became clear that Tori didn't understand, Hermione gave in to her natural tendency to lecture. "It's easy to
equate the werewolf curse with, say, an infectious disease, like a virus. But it's not. It's a curse, it's a form of
magic, and therefore its power depends, among other things, on intent. Most werewolves, for all but one day a month,
want nothing to do with it – it's only on the full moon that they have no choice, and it's only then that a werewolf's
bite spreads the curse, and makes the victim a werewolf in turn. But Fenrir Greyback…"

"He's the one who infected Dad."

"Yes, him. Fenrir Greyback embraced the curse. He enjoyed the terror it created, the power it gave him. And so he could
infect your father even in human form, when the moon wasn't full. Passion, a craving for violence, a need to dominate:
all of these will strengthen the werewolf curse."

Hermione paused and looked sidelong at her niece. "Now let's consider sex."

Tori immediately choked and started coughing so hard that their Auror escort had to stop and look back at them, waiting
until they were ready to continue walking.

"I'm proceeding on the assumption that you've heard about sex but never experienced it," said Hermione severely. "If my
assumption is wrong, I forbid you to disabuse me of it."

Tori gave her aunt a bitter, resentful look for making her uncomfortable. That was supposed to be her job.

"Studies have shown that men, even the gentlest and most loving of men, tend to lose themselves at the moment of
climax," Hermione continued in a deliberately clinical voice. "Measurements of brain activity show decreases in the
cerebral cortex and an increase in the limbic area – the more primitive part of the brain, you understand, the part we
inherited from our primate ancestors. This does not mean that all men become violent during sex!" she added hastily,
seeing Tori's horrified expression. "But it does mean that they tend to… shall we say, embrace their animal side."

She waited a second, then concluded, "Which, for a werewolf, has unfortunate consequences, as we've seen."

Tori knitted her brows as she digested the new information. "So you're saying that a man – still in human form, no full
moon – can still spread the curse, during sex? Infecting his partner…?"

"You're drawing too close an analogy with viruses again," Hermione admonished. "Yes, the werewolf curse can be
transmitted at the moment of sexual climax. But not transmitted to his partner, no. If conception occurs, the curse is
transmitted to the fetus."

"And then the baby's a werewolf?" Tori asked incredulously.

"Possibly, if it were born. But they're never born – they never come to term. Once the mother begins gestating, the next
full moon turns her fetus into a wolf fetus. Human mother, wolf fetus – tissue rejection. The mother suffers a
miscarriage." Hermione sighed. "And that, dear, is why werewolves can't have children. I rather imagine the point isn't
emphasized in your class discussions on werewolves. It certainly wasn't in my third year – even though it's accepted
knowledge in our world."

Tori steeled herself to come to the point – the point that had bothered her ever since Defense class, the point for
which she'd started the conversation. "Aunt Hermione – wasn't Ted's father a werewolf?"

Hermione fixed Tori with a stony stare, and said nothing for a long moment. When she finally spoke, her voice held an
unmistakable note of warning. "Remus Lupin was a werewolf."

"I see." Tori swallowed, her suspicions confirmed, and heeded the warning. "Well, all right then. It…it doesn't change
anything about Ted."

"No," Hermione said, giving Tori a pleased smile, "you're quite correct, it doesn't."

*

Meanwhile, Ted and Harry were finishing the most urgent item on what both recognized was a list of topics to be
discussed in this rare moment of privacy. "You're certain, Ted?" Harry pressed.

"Absolutely. Whoever sent the book is the same person who sent that note with the antidote. Well-handled, both of them."
Ted grimaced. "No idea exactly who, of course."

"Of course." Harry laid a hand on Ted's shoulder. "We'll let everyone think that I'm the one who discovered this… just
like the poison on the book. No one should question it. But Ted… fair warning, Ted. If any of this comes to trial…"

Ted's response was barely audible. "We'll tell the truth."

"Right, then." Harry gave Ted's shoulder a squeeze, conveying equal parts sympathy and pride, then he dropped his hand.
"So. You were coming down to see me, I think, before my Patronus intercepted you?"

"Yeah, and you've got to show me how to do that," Ted responded, somewhat more lively, as he retrieved Gran's letter
from his pocket. "But anyway, I wrote to Gran about the best way for me to make a will… like we talked about, a couple
of weeks ago. She wrote back today." He handed the letter to Harry and waited for him to read it.

When Harry was done, he refolded the parchment and returned it to Ted. "Add the Black surname to your own? Ted
Black-Lupin?"

"You have to understand Gran. What's she'd really like is for me to change my name to Ted Black, but Black-Lupin will
do. Apparently, if I make a will as Ted Lupin, and then change my name – add Black to it, whatever – then I have to make
my will all over again. I don't see why, but it probably has something to do with the House of Black."

"That might explain why you'd want to change your name before making your will – if you'd planned to change your name –
but it doesn't explain why she thinks you should be a Black at all."

Ted shrugged carelessly. "I am a Black, Gran's always said so. It's not like I'm the last of the Blacks, though…"

"Nnno," mused Harry slowly, thinking it through. "No, but you may be the only Black in a position to claim Headship of
the House of Black. I don't know if that's a purely family matter, or if the Wizengamot has to be involved, but either
way, it'd be more acceptable if Black were part of your name." He looked up at Ted and added, "I'm a little out of my
element here. It's not like there's a House of Potter or anything."

"So… do you think I should?"

"What I think is irrelevant. This has to be your decision, Ted. Although… if you do decide to do it, I'd feel happier if
you kept the Lupin part of your name as well." Harry smiled ruefully. "I feel like I owe it to Remus to try to persuade
you to that."

Ted hesitated. "D'you really think this is about Headship of the House? I wish Gran would say why she thinks this is
important…"

"Hmm, tell you what," suggested Harry. "There's a Hogsmeade weekend coming up soon, isn't there? Have your Gran meet
with you at the Three Broomsticks – talk about it face to face. Maybe the reason isn't something she feels comfortable
putting on parchment." As Ted nodded his approval of the idea, Harry added, "Even if it's only to make your Gran happy,
a name change isn't that important. You'll still be you."

Ted gave Harry an odd look. "Funny. That's almost exactly what Tori said."

"Yeah, well, Tori's smart," Harry smiled. Ted grinned, gave a jaunty wave, and turned to return to Gryffindor Tower.

"You have to tell her, Ted," Harry said softly, all levity gone.

Ted froze in place for a moment, waiting to see if Harry would continue. When nothing more seemed forthcoming, Ted
continued walking, not looking back at Harry nor acknowledging his words by any sign.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

44. XXXXIV: Flexible Planning Is Key

(A/N: Thank you, gentle readers, and thank you again, for your patience. I hope to make it up to you with a nice, long
chapter here… longest chapter in the story to date, in fact.

Some internal chronology: the chapter opens on the evening of the same day – Wednesday, 3 Oct 2013 – which closed our
previous chapter. Some quick scenes to finish the week, then the last half of the chapter takes place on the following
Monday.)

(Disclaimer: You don't need to see the disclaimer. These aren't the Rowlings you're looking for. Move along…)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXXIV: Flexible Planning Is Key

*

"Severus Snape," declared Hermione.

"Has to be," Harry agreed. "Do you know any other Potions geniuses who were too paranoid to publish their discoveries?"

"Strictly speaking, I wouldn't know about anyone who didn't publish, so the question's sort of meaningless," Hermione
noted primly, "but I acknowledge your point."

After leaving Hogwarts separately, Harry and Hermione had reconvened at Enthalpy House, where Harry was now engaged in
what he feared had just become a Sacred and Unshakeable Nightly Ritual: rubbing Hermione's feet. Not that he minded in
the least, but he didn't want it to become merely part of a humdrum routine.

Little danger of that for the moment: they were on Hermione's bed, with Harry seated, Hermione lying supine with her
feet in Harry's lap – and Hermione having doffed a good deal more clothing than just her shoes and stockings. Need to
look into backrubs at some point, Harry decided. He said nothing for a few moments, as he concentrated on massaging her
soles and calves.

"Nothing like this was in the Half Blood Prince's book, though," he said eventually. "Nil about binary potions, of any
kind. And believe me, I'd have noticed."

"Mm hmm. I'd still put money on Snape being the source," said Hermione, closing her eyes. "As you just said, we'd be
hard pressed to find another Potions researcher with the necessary combination of expertise and secretiveness. And also,
this sort of technically challenging yet Darkly purposed potion would've been exactly Snape's preferred line of
research."

"Yeah, that's true, it would. Hmm, suppose he originally created it for Lord Voldemort…?"

"Then we should be searching for one of Voldemort's inner circle, a high-ranking Death Eater. But I can't imagine who
that might be, Harry. The Ministry was fairly thorough after the War ended – unlike last time! – and I can't think of
any high-rank Death Eaters who escaped Azkaban this time around." Hermione grunted softly as Harry's fingers found a
sensitive muscle. She drew a deep breath, filling her lungs; held it for a slow count of ten; exhaled, then repeated the
cycle.

Harry was too fascinated by her deep-breathing exercise to continue either massage, discussion, or coherent thought in
general.

"Other than Death Eaters, I wouldn't have said Snape had many confidantes," Hermione went on after a moment, "but if he
did have, it would probably have been someone from his school days. Almost certainly someone both Slytherin and
Pureblood, given his history… someone who, currently, might be described as a conservative radical, perhaps?"

"Erm, Hermione, I think we may be overlooking the obvious thing to do," said Harry, pausing in his ministrations. "Can't
we set a team of Aurors or investigators on the case? We are talking about attempted murder here, at the very least!
Magical Law Enforcement should be looking into it… I'm sure they could find something…"

"That would be the obvious thing to do," Hermione said slowly, "and if I were the blackmailers, I'd therefore take steps
to prevent it. I feel quite sure that my first communiqué from them will demand my silence… 'or else'. So I need to look
like I'm cooperating, to put them off their guard." She paused, and her mouth tightened as though tasting lemons. "Plus,
if this is the work of radicals – all right, I'll come out and say it – people from the Fire Party crowd, I have to be
careful in whom I confide. I've no way of knowing if any given Enforcer or Auror might be a Zabini sympathizer, as it
were."

"You have your own sympathizers," Harry reminded her. "People who support you… people you know you can trust."

"True, and I hadn't forgotten. Well, let me see what can be done – discreetly." Her eyes still closed, Hermione raised
her arms over her head and, with a low moan, stretched her body elaborately,

"Okay, now I know you're doing that on purpose," Harry managed to choke out.

She smiled archly. "And if I am, what do you propose to do about it?"

Challenge accepted, decided Harry. He unbuttoned his shirt and quickly stripped it off. "Roll over," he ordered. He said
nothing more, did nothing more, until Hermione was lying flat on her stomach. Then Harry repositioned himself until he
was on his knees, straddling her waist, and he began to dig his thumbs into the muscles of her back. Experimentally at
first, not as familiar with these muscles as the ones in her legs… then with increasing confidence as his fingers found
knots of tension and kneaded them into submission.

Hermione's moans now were deeper, and if anything, more appreciative. "I wish you'd told me you could do this earlier."

"Yeah, well, I thought a nice backrub might relax you," he said. He leaned forward until his torso touched her back,
brushed his lips against her ear, and whispered, "Because next comes the front rub." And he smiled at the involuntary
shiver that went down Hermione's spine at the suggestion.

*

The expected message from the blackmailers was lying on Enthalpy House's doorstep the following morning, dropped by an
owl who chose not to linger. As Hermione predicted, it enjoined her to silence. Its other demand, however, was not at
all what she anticipated.

Break off cooperation with the ICW regarding any "outstanding investigations", Hermione mused. But nothing about the
Wizards Patrimony Act, nothing at all. Either, a, they don't understand the implications of decreeing all beings with
human ancestry to be legally human – which means they don't know about house-elves – or, b, it's of lesser priority, and
they'll get to it in their next demand – or, c, they simply don't care about it. All of which argues strongly that the
Cartel is behind this plot.

Which makes it both harder and easier to investigate. The Minister nodded decisively to herself, folded the note and put
it in her pocket, and went back inside to finish the rest of the excellent breakfast Harry had prepared.

*

Neville stared blearily at Harry through the Floo fire; Harry stared blearily back. "I'm sorry, Harry, I know it's way
early…"

"Oh, that's all right, Nev. I was awake anyway, re-cataloguing my leaf collection."

Neville winced. "I said I was sorry. I just got the word myself: full Wizengamot session today. I think we're voting on
this new law of the Minister's, the Patrimony Act. Susan and I need to be there…"

Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand. "Yeah, I know. You probably didn't get much advance notice, either. So,
um, you need me at Hogwarts again today?"

"If you could. Fridays are my fifth and seventh-years, I'm afraid: OWLs and NEWTs. But don't worry, it won't be a
problem! It's early enough in the term that you can stick to the practical lessons. My lesson plan's in my desk, top
left drawer…"

He dismissed Neville's apology with a flip of his hand. "I'll muddle through. You go be a Wizenguy. I'll hold the fort,
or the castle, or whatever." Harry paused and added, more quietly, "And I'll keep an eye on Rose."

"Please." Neville shook his head. "I've managed to keep this whole business with Rose from Minerva, but I'm really not
looking forward to bringing her up-to-date on what's been happening inside her school. Don't you worry about that,
though, Harry, that's my responsibility." Neville's head in the fire looked over its 'shoulder', called "Be right
there!", and turned back to Harry. "Gotta go now, mate. Thank you!" And with a pop of green flame, Neville's head
disappeared.

With another weary sigh, Harry stood up from before the fireplace and straightened his bathrobe. Well, Hermione did say
she wanted the Act passed quickly, before anyone noticed the implications. I've certainly tried to do my bit. And she's
had her "expert witnesses" among the Wizengamot for days now: Professor Flitwick spoke with the goblin members, Madame
Maxime concentrated on the younger set, and Fleur worked her charms on the old gaffers. Talk about playing to your
strengths…!

Of course, if the Act has any opponents, they'll have been canvassing the Wizengamot same as we have… but quietly,
behind closed doors. No way of knowing how close the vote will be. Yeah, Neville and Susan both need to be there.
Dammit.

With any luck, once this is done, Neville won't need me to teach his classes for a good while.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a throat being cleared as unobtrusively as possible. "Er, a-apologies,
sir…"

"Yes, Ayesha?" Harry turned and addressed the young elf politely, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on her face. She was
wearing her tabard, thank goodness, which was a lot more than she was wearing last night, when she'd tried to insist on
being Harry's "bath attendant". Harry had managed to send her away without damaging either her pride or his composure;
now he intended to act as though the whole embarrassing incident had never happened.

Clearly, Ayesha was attempting to do the same, but she was blushing too brightly to be convincing. "Th-there is an elf
from the Ministry here for you?"

"An elf from the Ministry? Canby?" With a broad smile, Harry strode to The Ossuary's foyer, where he found Canby and
Brillig standing… well, not together, but not at opposite sides of the room, either. "It is Canby! S'good to see you,"
he said, extending his hand.

Canby, with only the slightest hesitation (and sidelong glance at Brillig) took Harry's hand and shook it gravely. "And
you, Mr. Harry Potter," he replied. "Please forgive Canby for arriving at – what is Miss Sheryl calling it? – at this
ungodly hour, but…"

"But you wouldn't be here if it weren't important," Harry finished, gesturing him inside. Inwardly, he was pleased that
Canby was reacting as a free being ought… in front of Ayesha and Brillig, no less. "What may I do for you?"

"Actually, sir, Canby has come for Ayesha." He looked at Ayesha and explained, "There are questions about your former
master, ibn al-Afrit. You have knowledge that might provide answers."

"T-talk about old master?" Ayesha looked horrified. "Tell master's secrets? House-elves do not…!"

"Free elves may say what they please," Harry corrected her gently. "He's not your master any more, Ayesha. Dobby spoke
against his old masters once he was freed – Dobby even acted against them, to keep them from hurting me." As Ayesha
hesitated, he added, "And this is why you came to England, after all."

"Must… must Ayesha stay at Ministry?"

Canby shook his head reassuringly. "Ayesha may, if she wishes: there are many other elves at Ministry. But Ayesha isn't
forced to stay at Ministry. Ayesha is free."

"Canby is knowing so very much about being a free elf," put in Brillig sweetly. "Canby has been a free elf longer than
any of us."

"We're still looking for a home for Ayesha," Harry said quickly, trying to forestall any bickering. "Until then, she's
welcome to stay here helping Brillig."

Ayesha looked up at Harry, then to Brillig – and Harry once more got the impression that the two elves were silently
communicating, not using words or facial expressions, but through some link peculiar to their race. It only lasted a few
moments… then Ayesha turned to Canby. "Ayesha will answer questions… if she can come back here when they are done."

"Of course!" Canby assured her. He reached into his pocket and brought out a folded sheet of parchment, which he handed
to Harry. Then he gave Ayesha a bright smile and extended his bent arm to her. She tentatively took his arm… and at
Canby's nod, the two elves disappeared with a loud crack!

"Hmph!" snorted Brillig, as Harry tucked the parchment into the pocket of his bathrobe. "Brillig sees she must warn
Ayesha about Canby! Canby is so sure he is Creator's gift to elfwomen!"

Which raised a point Harry hadn't considered before. "Huh. Is Canby considered good-looking for a male elf?" he asked,
curious.

Brillig shrugged elaborately. "Canby's looks is acceptable, Brillig supposes. It is not being Canby's looks, it is being
his attitude…"

"Well," Harry said, as they left the foyer, "do as you think best, Brillig. But I'm not so sure Ayesha needs a warning.
After what she's been through with ibn al-Afrit, Canby's probably a saint by comparison." He scowled. "Bloody ibn
al-Afrit, I hope they catch him soon. He's probably the one who trained Fatima, too – I bet he oversaw it personally,
the slime. Making all his elves serve drinks, and hold towels, and…"

"Ah!" said Brillig in satisfaction, "Brillig did not think Mister Harry would be taken in by…!" She stopped in
mid-sentence, realizing too late what she was saying.

Harry regarded her with a sternly neutral face, until she began to squirm under his gaze. "No more loincloths in this
house," he said at last. "She may have had to wear a loincloth for ibn al-Afrit, and for all I know, Swivingham made all
of his elves wear them, too. But in this house, elves wear clothes, is that understood? Tabards, if nothing else. Free
people wear clothes."

"Yes, Mister Harry," said Brillig meekly.

"And I don't need any help with my baths, either," he continued inexorably.

"Yes, Mister Harry."

Harry nodded, his point made, and decided to relent. "But now I do need to bathe, and then get dressed, since I'm going
back to Hogwarts today. So while I'm doing that, Brillig, could you fix me a light breakfast? I'd appreciate it."

"Yes, Mister Harry!" And the elf scampered to the kitchen before Harry could change his mind.

*

The seventh-year Defense class turned out to be fun, once Harry decided to bin Neville's lesson plan. His own lesson
plan was somewhat more direct: he cleared the students and furniture to the sides of the classroom, stationed himself in
the center of the room, and proclaimed, "Fifty House points to the one who decks me."

The students seemed unsure for a moment, confused perhaps by the abrupt change in teaching styles. Then Harry gave them
all an evil smile and added, "What, are you trying to bore me into submission?" That barb stung one bold Gryffindor into
firing a Stunner at him, and within moments everyone was trying their hardest to take down their substitute teacher.

Between Harry's ability to sense their spells almost before they'd left the wands, and his own superb reflexes, the
students didn't really stand much chance. He dodged or deflected their hexes readily, sometimes using one student's jinx
against another student… but he would wait until a student had at least made a valiant effort before hitting them with a
one-two combination of Expelliarmus and Incarcerous. In the end, Harry awarded twenty points to the last two students
standing – the only two who'd actually worked together as a team to try to defeat him. Harry thought that was an
important lesson worth encouraging,

Once class was adjourned, Harry had a couple of hours before his afternoon session with the fifth-years. He decided to
visit the Gryffindor common room and inquire after Rose. As he made his way to the tower, he reflected on the note Canby
had handed him that morning… the hastily scribbled note enjoining him to secrecy. Evidently, Canby's visit to retrieve
Ayesha had not been an officially sanctioned visit… a bit of information Harry found interesting.

His staff badge made the Fat Lady sniff skeptically, but she swung her portrait aside without requiring a password. Once
in the common room, Harry was surprised to find a crowd of Gryffindors (including Rose and Ted) watching with great
interest as Tori performed a spell, under the guidance of – Dennis Creevey?

"It's a useful bit of magic," Dennis was telling his audience, as Tori held her wand to her temple and furrowed her brow
in concentration, "even if you don't have access to a Pensieve. Saving a memory this way guarantees that it'll be there
when you need it – really good for those of us who don't have total recall. And of course, Enforcers use it almost
daily, so if you're looking to work for the MLE when you leave Hogwarts, it's a good one to learn." He nodded
encouragingly at Tori, who slowly withdrew a silver strand of memory from her head. "Any questions?" he concluded,
snagging the strand with his own wand.

"Don't tell me you're thinking of becoming a Hogwarts professor, Dennis?" Harry asked, startling the crowd.

"Hardly," Dennis laughed. "The Minister sent me to see how Miss Weasley's doing. And then the other Miss Weasley," with
a nod to Tori, "had some questions about Magical Law Enforcement." He took advantage of the students' attention being
diverted by the arrival of the Chosen One to surreptitiously slip the strand of memory into a tiny phial, which
immediately disappeared into his pocket.

"So," he said, standing, "you're off to a tremendous start, Miss Weasley, but you'll want to focus on your advanced
Charms work, if you seriously intend to get into this line of work." He glanced at his watch and added, "I need to get
back to the Ministry; I only came to see how Rose was doing. Any messages for your mother?"

"Tell her not to worry so much; Madam Pomfrey works wonders," said Rose. "And tell her I've already nearly caught up
with my assignments, I've only got one essay left to write, and that's for Astronomy which is never hard…"

"Okay, okay, I'll tell her, I'll tell her," said Dennis, raising his hands in surrender. "Harry, good to see you, but I
really need to get going…" He paused only a moment as Harry casually brought Canby's message partway out of his pocket,
and finished smoothly, "So if you could escort me out, I'd appreciate it."

With a promise to the assembled Gryffindors that he'd return soon, Harry left the tower with Dennis. They waited until
they were well away from the tower – in a corridor with no portraits – before Dennis said quietly, "So you saw Canby
this morning?"

Harry nodded. "Which I'm keeping secret, as requested," he answered, equally quiet. "And now here you are… also
secretly? Interviewing…?"

"Of course I'm not interviewing, Harry. That'd be something I'd do as part of my official duties. Naw, I'm here on my
own time… just, y'know, checking up on the Minster's daughter." Dennis patted his pocket. "The fact that I might now
have an eyewitness account of when an owl brought a suspicious book to said Minister's daughter is purest coincidence."

"Ah." Harry considered this for a moment. "Well, since I'm escorting you out, do you want to leave by way of the
Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey?"

"I've already seen her. Got the memory of her visit from an owl, too." Dennis turned somber. "I don't know what the
hell's going on in the upper levels of the Ministry, Harry. All I know is that, for some reason, the MLE can't
investigate this… officially. The Minister can't ask… officially." He gave Harry a half-smile. "But this isn't exactly
the first errand like this I've run as a favor to Hermione."

"Then I won't say any more. Except, of course, to say thank you, Dennis." They walked in silence for a few minutes.

"It won't be the same owl," Harry said abruptly. "These people aren't that stupid. They won't use the same owl twice.
They certainly won't use their own owl."

"Harry, you'd be surprised how often criminals are, in fact, that stupid. But in this case, I agree with you. The owl
sent to Rose won't match the one who came to Pomfrey this week." Dennis cocked an eyebrow at Harry. "But if you wanted
to send an owl, but not your personal owl, what would you do?"

"I'd… borrow a friend's owl? No, I'd go to the post office." Harry nodded in thought. "Probably the Hogsmeade post
office, it's the largest center for postal owls in Britain, so more chance of being anonymous. Or maybe the London owl
office, same reasoning."

"My, you do show a certain aptitude for crime… yes, exactly. So once I compare Tori Weasley's memory with Pomfrey's,
those are my next two stops. Legwork's the boring part of investigation, but it gets the job done."

Dennis's words brought back a notion that had been tickling Harry's mind for several days now. He'd been stymied at
first, knowing he needed information, but not knowing who he might go to for it. Hermione, usually the obvious choice,
was completely out of the question in this case. Dennis would certainly want to help… but on the other hand, Harry
wasn't certain how much help Dennis could give.

Still, Dennis was here, and for the moment they had privacy… Carpe diem, Harry decided, and chose a gradual approach to
the topic. "So… you've done your fair share of investigations, I reckon. Hm, were you part of the investigation into
Hermione's 'death'?"

"Hunh? I hadn't heard about any investigation into…" Dennis looked momentarily confused. "It was an accident, Harry. I
mean, I wasn't there when it happened, but there were dozens of witnesses. Everyone agrees, it was an accident. You
weren't planning on blaming it on Minister Shacklebolt, were you? I mean, the man was dying."

"And lost control of his Incarcerous spell, from what I've gathered. No, no, I wasn't trying to pin blame on poor
Kingsley. As you say, it was an accident." Harry canted his head, as though struck by a thought… although he'd planned
his next comment from the start. "You weren't there when it happened, you say? D'you happen to know who was?"

*

For the most part, the new Minister was keeping to the routine established by Kingsley Shacklebolt: Monday mornings, the
seven Heads convened to report to the Minister on their various Departments. On this Monday morning, Minister Granger
listened silently to Diggory, Croaker, Ventura, Zabini, Menderson, Edgecombe, and Robards, as each in turn – Robards
last, per tradition – summarized their past week's progress and plans for the upcoming week.

Zabini couldn't help but notice that Granger said no more than was necessary to any of them. Which is hardly her usual
behavior, he reminded himself.

"Thank you, Mr. Robards," she said as the Head of Magical Law Enforcement concluded his report. She paused, tapping one
finger on the conference table, as though searching for her next comment. "First of all," she said at last, "you'll all
have heard that the Wizengamot approved the Wizards Patrimony Act last week. It makes de jure what had been de facto:
that those born of magical humans – wizards and witches – are themselves magical humans in the eyes of the law. I don't
anticipate this will add very much to your Departments' workloads."

"It'll depend on how many frivolous complaints we receive," commented Robards.

Granger sighed. "There are limits to government's power," she lectured. "We can outlaw discriminatory behavior, but our
purview doesn't cover the prejudice that underlies it. That must improve on its own… fortunately, in the long run it
usually does." Her gaze flicked around the room, pausing briefly at Zabini before settling on Diggory. "For the
legitimate complaints, we'll need to have procedures, in place and ready. MLE will have to determine the severity of
each complaint… and Magical Creatures will have to verify that the complainant is, indeed, human. Will that prove
difficult, Mr. Diggory?"

"No, ma'am," Diggory said… or rather, mumbled.

"Excellent. Please coordinate with MLE; I want preliminary procedures ready for my review by next week." The Minister
gave her cabinet a slight smile. "Next: something that isn't so immediately urgent, but I need you all to begin planning
for it. Those of you who don't currently have children or grandchildren at Hogwarts might not be aware of it, but this
year's class is the largest in a couple of generations. After the fall of Lord Voldemort," and she raised a sardonic
eyebrow as one or two of the Heads shivered at the name, even today, "we experienced a spike in the birth rate: what
demographers call a 'baby boom'. In three or four years, the first of that boom will be leaving school and looking for
jobs."

She tapped the table again, for emphasis, as she concluded, "We need to start now, to make sure jobs exist for them."

Zabini could tell the others were as puzzled as he was. "Ah, what do you…?" he began.

"Expanding manufactories to make new goods. Encouraging new shops where those goods can be sold. Jobs in publishing,
construction, service industries…" Granger turned to Ventura, the Head of Magical Games and Sports. "Theo, correct me if
I'm wrong, but the last Quidditch team in the League was founded in, what, the 1820's?"

"The Falmouth Falcons in 1823," Ventura replied promptly. Theo Ventura was famous for having every Quidditch statistic
in history on the tip of her tongue.

"Almost two hundred years ago… because magical Britain hasn't had enough professional-level Quidditch players to field a
new franchise," said Granger. "But in a few years, we will. The cream of the Hogwarts house teams – good enough to play
in the League – but the League won't have enough openings, if any. Do you think any investors might be interesting in
backing a new team?"

Ventura looked happily thoughtful. Granger turned back to Diggory. "The goblins will need to be persuaded to free up
capital for investment. Could the Goblin Liaison Office devise some approaches?"

"I don't see why not, ma'am," replied Diggory, growing more enthusiastic.

"That's the sort of thing I want. All of you, set your Departments to thinking about dealing with a population explosion
of young wizards and witches. You've got three years – but trust me, that won't seem nearly long enough." Granger
coughed and turned to Robards. "Lastly: I have some questions regarding what's being done right now, about the criminal
elements in Knockturn Alley."

"They're in disarray, Minister," Robards responded after only a brief hesitation, "following Swivingham's death.
Currently, my agents are busy coordinating with ICW Aurors against Swivingham's bosses…"

"Yes, but Swivingham's death left a power vacuum in Knockturn Alley," Granger interrupted. "I'd like to make sure that
vacuum is not filled. After all, ladies and gentlemen, our first responsibility is to Britain, not the ICW."

"Madam Minister," Robards began, somewhat more stiffly, "my Department hasn't enough agents to deal properly with
Knockturn Alley and the Cartel…"

"I'm not saying we should completely abandon our commitments to the ICW, Mr. Robards," Granger said firmly. "But
Swivingham's death is an opportunity that may not come again, and we ought not to waste it. Let's hold off, for now, on
our work with ICW Aurors… get our own house in order, before expending resources abroad." She gave Robards a sympathetic
half-smile and added, "For now, Gawain."

As ever, Zabini's face gave no clue to his thoughts. He merely nodded, inwardly ticking off a box in the timetable. She
makes it sound plausible, he thought with a certain smugness, but it's compliance by any name.

*

The meeting had ended, and the Heads were heading out the door, when Granger caught Zabini's glance. Interpreting it as
a request to stay, he lingered at the table as the others left the conference room – only Robards remaining, he noted
uneasily.

Thankfully, it was Granger who addressed him. "Mr. Zabini, I want you to coordinate with the ICW, and make them
understand that this isn't a permanent change of policy on our part. We will resume our combined pursuit of the Cartel,
once we've dealt with our own problems."

"I'll bring out my best oil to pour over the waters, Minister," Zabini replied with a small smile. He raised one eyebrow
and added, "And you needn't worry that I might let this slip into the wrong ears, either."

Granger met his gaze directly. "That is a concern, yes." Her tone was diamond.

"Madam Minister," Zabini said formally, "the moment I gave my evidence to Gawain here, any acquaintance I may have had
with the Cartel Lords was severed completely. I've not had any contact with them, nor do I expect to have. They've
written me off." He let his smile broaden slightly, adding that touch of charm and sincerity that had seldom failed him.
"I'm grateful for this chance to prove myself, Madam Minister; I won't let you down."

"Mm-hmm," Granger responded, showing an appalling resistance to his charm. Clearly, he was still on probation. She
glanced at Robards, who coughed gently.

"He did sign a Magically Binding Contract, Minister," Robards reminded her quietly. "He has to tell us the truth on
anything Cartel-related."

She seemed to accept Robards's word. "Well, then, Mr. Zabini, I'll expect you to report to Mr. Robards immediately,
should the Cartel Lords try contacting you again. In the meantime, carry on." She nodded to Robards, who nodded back and
added enigmatically, "On your desk."

"Thank you, ma'am," said Zabini, and left the conference room in a cheerful frame of mind. Ah, the power of precise
wording, he reflected. My Magically Binding Contract with MLE does indeed force me to answer truthfully any questions
they ask about the Cartel. But any questions from the Minister of Magic – or any statements I might choose to volunteer
– aren't covered by the Contract. Imagine that.

I still have to wait for Svartalfer to contact me, alas, but I do believe I'll have good news for him when he does.

*

That same afternoon, Madam Pomfrey received another ampule of the antidote. The accompanying note suggested it be
administered to Rose Weasley without delay.

Poppy Pomfrey dated the note and initialed it, then placed it with the ampule in a locked drawer of her desk. She then,
to keep up the pretense, sent word for Rose to report to the Hospital Wing.

*

Hermione returned to her office to find a sealed envelope on her desk, as Gawain had said. Breaking the seal, she
extracted two sheets of parchment: one was covered in Dennis Creevey's handwriting, which he'd made neater than usual to
fit as much as he could on the sheet. The other was in block letters so carefully crafted that they looked like a
typewriter font: Canby's "handwriting".

The parchments were summaries, describing the pair's clandestine investigations over the last few days. Dennis was on
the trail of the blackmailers – clever though they'd been, there was still a trail – and Canby was collecting evidence
and testimony to forward to the ICW. All of which was, to use the Muggle term, completely under the radar. Within the
Ministry, only Gawain knew what they were doing, no one else… which meant the Cartel wouldn't know, either.

There weren't many people Hermione could trust to do these jobs, do them well, and do them in total secrecy – but she
trusted Dennis and Canby. Satisfied, she replaced the sheets in their envelope, resealed it with a Sticking Charm keyed
to her alone, and filed it away for safekeeping.

*

Since Harry's disastrous visit to the Harpies' training camp, Ginny had been outdoing herself in the daily practice
sessions: pushing herself and the other Chasers to the very limits of their skill, and beyond. Today, if anything, the
Chasers' performance raised them to a wholly new level: two successive Keepers were quite unable to keep out the
Quaffle, and the Beaters might as well have aimed for empty air.

"Amazing game today, Weasley," Jones told her warmly as they were readying to leave that evening. "Keep it up, and we're
guaranteed to sweep the season! You scored eighteen times today – that's worth more than the Snitch! With play like
that, it almost won't matter how good the opposing Seeker is!" Jones fell abruptly quiet at that point, almost as though
she knew she was treading on thin ice.

And while Jones was careful not to look for a reason for this competitive burst, Ginny knew she knew.

Damn Harry Potter, anyway, she fumed as she prepared to Disapparate. Does he think he can treat me like dirt – humiliate
me in from of my team – just because he rose from the dead, or something? Pfft! Oh, I'll show him. He'll rue the day…

She appeared in her flat just long enough to drop off her Quidditch gear, then Apparated to Blaise's manor house,
materializing in the front foyer. "Hello!" she called out, unfastening the clasp of her cloak and hanging it over one of
the pegs in the wall. "Hello? Is anyone here? Blaise? Virgil?"

At once, Virgil was at her elbow. "Good evening, Miss," he said. "Sir is in his study, if Miss would care to join Sir.
Shall Virgil set the table now?"

"Yes, and dinner in half an hour," Ginny told the elf, striding from the foyer to Blaise's study. She found him there,
seated not in his favorite comfy-chair, but at his desk. Papers were scattered across the desktop.

"Ah, good evening, Flame," he smiled. "A productive practice today, I trust?"

"Very," she replied with a smirk. "I think we're going to own the League this year. And your day?"

"It started out well enough… but then my office received our copies of the European papers. Their weekend editions." He
extracted one from the pile of papers and offered it to her. "Le Moniteur Magique. I thought you ought to see it. Not
want to see it, mind you, but ought."

Mystified, Ginny unfolded the paper to the front page – and barely managed to not shriek in outrage. "What… what is this
shite?"

"A follow-up on a story they ran a couple of weeks ago – from Granger's visit to Greece, just before she was sworn in as
Minister."

Ostensibly, the main story concerned the Wizengamot's approval of the new Wizard Patrimony Act, which Hermione had made
her first priority after taking office. The new Act had seemed harmless enough, and Ginny had given it little thought.
The Moniteur, from what she could glean through her scanty French, was making a big deal of it, pointing out how it
benefitted some of wizarding society's most valuable members – such as France's own Olympe Maxime.

But a sidebar noted how the new Act had been endorsed by one Harry Potter, who was not only the Boy Who Lived Again, it
seemed, but the Boy Who Lived To Serve The New Minister. In every way, apparently – as the accompanying photograph made
graphically clear. It showed Hermione, dressed (if that was the word) as a sort of Greek goddess – her torso wearing
only body paint, a tiny strip of fabric between her legs – with Harry holding her from behind. She leaned her head back
and against his neck, arching her body seductively, while one of his hands caressed her breast.

Ginny looked up, her face twisted with outrage and fury, to meet Blaise's amused eyes. "The picture's obviously been
altered," he told her. "The Moniteur printed a similar one two weeks ago, of Granger alone. It was faked then; it's
faked now. Neither her attire nor their, ah, behavior are anything but sensationalist imagination. It's how the Moniteur
sells, m'dear."

"Faked?" She studied the photo again. No, that couldn't be them… Hermione would never anything so revealing – she would
certainly never allow herself to be fondled in public. And Harry? In their brief relationship, she'd had to train him
where to put his hands! This photo had to be fake. "Oh, sweet Circe – Hermione will be furious!"

She slapped the paper onto the desktop as she went on, "I can almost hear her already: she'll be disavowing this story,
this picture, so fast it'll set a new world's record. She has to disavow it, or she'll lose all credibility! And she has
to put some distance between herself and Harry, too, to make people believe she means it." Ginny absently played with
her hair, twining it around her fingers, as she continued to reason aloud… her earlier fury at seeing Harry so intimate
with Hermione already forgotten. "Harry may have helped Hermione pass this Patrimony Act, but if he stays around her,
he'll be a liability."

Blaise was still watching her with amusement, but his eyes were shrewd now. "Do you think so? Mm, possibly so. The
picture wasn't in today's Prophet – it will be interesting to see if it appears in tomorrow's – but rumors are already
starting to fly." He picked up the paper, unfolded it, and regarded the photo dispassionately. "Gossip about robbing the
cradle, you know, just the sort of thing that makes for bawdy scandal."

She felt her face grow warm as his implication became clear.

"I think," Blaise said after a moment's pause, "I think it might be best, for the immediate future, if we kept some
distance from Potter. Don't you agree?"

"You still need his support," she began mulishly.

"Not that badly, dear, not at the moment. Not at the cost of exactly the sort of innuendo that Granger's starting to
acquire." He stood and walked around the desk, to wrap his arms around her waist. "And besides, I confess I wasn't too
keen on the idea. I was never much one to share."

Ginny felt simultaneously surprised, relieved, flattered… and conflicted. Yes, she still wanted Blaise, but… she hated
the thought of giving up Harry. On the other hand, she realized, if Hermione does distance herself from him, he'll be
isolated. Let him feel abandoned for a couple of weeks, and he'll welcome my attention.

Still, she hesitated. "Then your position as Head of your Department… that's working out as we'd hoped? Being the
facilitator, gathering support…?"

"It's a slow road," allowed Blaise. "But there are other factors coming into play; Granger may not be as much of a
problem as we'd anticipated." And he smiled what was intended to be a reassuring smile.

A smile which instead – just for a moment, but for the second time in a month – left Ginny afraid of Blaise.

*

It had been a tricky problem, Dennis reflected. Someone who had been present at the scene when Shacklebolt and Hermione
died. Someone who was available to meet with them, which ruled out most of the foreigners who'd attended the Conference.
Someone who would have observed in detail, which ruled out folks like Ron Weasley. Someone whose attention wasn't
focused on a single detail, which ruled out those who'd rushed to Shacklebolt's side when he'd fallen.

And someone loyal to the Minister, or better still, to Hermione Granger.

"This is Jason Moore," Dennis said, making introductions. "He was the Enforcer who accompanied Madam Granger when she
went into the conference room that day to confront Zabini… guarded the door, didn't you, Jason? And this is…"

"Mr. Potter," finished Moore, extending his hand. "It's an honor, young man."

"Thanks," said Harry in embarrassment. "Uh, did Dennis explain why we asked for you to stay late this evening?"

Moore nodded, and they took their seats around the table. They were in a secure room in the Department of Magical Law
Enforcement, a room used for debriefing agents. Which, in a sense, was just what was about to happen.

Dennis glanced at the evidentiary Pensieve set into the tabletop. "You really think there'll be something to see,
Harry?"

"One way or the other," said Harry. "Mr. Moore, thank you for consenting to do this."

"Not a problem. And please, call me Jason." Moore set his wand to his temple and concentrated, as Dennis reflected on
how perfectly Moore fit the bill. If Hermione had picked Moore to be by her side when walking into the lion's den, Moore
must be trustworthy… His attention came back to Moore, as the Enforcer extracted a memory from his head. Moore placed it
into the Pensieve, and exchanged a ready look with the other two wizards. Together, they touched the Pensieve's surface…

"Oh, damn," said Dennis approvingly at Hermione's dramatic entrance. "I've heard folks talk about what happened, but it
doesn't compare to seeing it live."

Harry waved him to silence: his attention was focused on the scene playing out before him. As he'd explained to Dennis,
everything Harry knew about that fateful day, he'd learned from the Daily Prophet: he'd not wanted to press Hermione on
the details of her own death. Now, at last, he had a chance to learn those details for himself.

Like a hawk, Harry watched as Ron was taken hostage, and tricked his way out of it; as Hermione accused Zabini of
working with the Cartel, and summoning Fatima as a bluff; as Ron stupidly attacked Zabini, giving Zabini the perfect
excuse for eliminating Fatima; as Shacklebolt put an end to the fight by hogtying Hermione and Zabini…

As Kingsley Shacklebolt collapsed back into his wheelchair.

At once, Harry started counting softly. "One, two, three…" He wasn't looking at Shacklebolt; he ignored Robards and the
others who rushed to Shacklebolt's aid. Instead, he positioned himself so that he could watch Hermione while keeping the
rest of the room in his field of view. His voice grew inaudible after a bit, but Dennis was sure that Harry was
continuing the count.

Ropes made a sudden appearance around Hermione's throat and mouth. Harry immediately cast his eyes around the room,
seeking… something, Dennis was sure. Evidently, he didn't find what he sought: he reluctantly relaxed after a few
minutes, seeming content to watch the remainder of Moore's memory play itself out. He watched as Hermione's death was
discovered; he smiled slightly as Croaker, in an oddly tender moment, started cutting away the ropes, arranging her dead
body respectfully. His attention shifted to Blaise Zabini, whose ropes were being sliced off much less tenderly by a
pair of Magical Law Enforcers. As they hauled Zabini to his feet, the halves of a broken wand fell clattering to the
floor.

"Yah," said Moore, in response to Harry's unspoken question. "He lost his wand. Must have happened when he fell – landed
on top of it, we reckoned."

"Ah," said Harry. He said nothing more, until the Pensieve memory showed him entering the conference room: quite nude,
and with Hermione's precious soul cupped between his hands. "Thank you, we're done now," he said briskly (and though he
had turned quite businesslike, his blush was brilliant).

With a rush, they were out of the Pensieve and back in the Auror's debriefing room. Dennis was about to thank Moore
again, and volunteering the memory, when Harry spoke up. "I'd like to review it one more time."

"Again?" Dennis was puzzled. "But… but you said you wanted to see what happened the day you came back, and you have.
What more is there to see?"

"Maybe nothing." He glanced at Moore. "It's your memory… it's your call."

Jason Moore shrugged with one shoulder and gestured at the waiting Pensieve. "Be my guest. D'you want company?"

"It should only take a minute." Harry had turned strangely curt; Dennis decided he didn't need to join Harry in his
second trip through Moore's memory. And indeed, it only took a minute.

But when Harry returned from the Pensieve, both Dennis and Jason noticed the change in him. Where before he'd been curt,
now he was still: he stood, perfectly silent and perfectly motionless, staring at the silver surface of the Pensieve
without seeming to see it. There was no visible tension – no fists, no clenched jaws, no trembling musculature – but
somehow, both men could sense something cold and deadly within the young man. A terrible, destructive maelstrom of
power, held quiescent through force of will alone.

For the moment.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

45. XXXXV: Nemo Me Impune Lacessit

(A/N: You all recall this installment's title from back in Chapter 19, right?)

(Disclaimer: You all recall that I don't own these characters and make no profit from this story, right?)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXXV: Nemo Me Impune Lacessit

*

There was something in the air at the Ministry…

Hermione couldn't put her finger on it, quite. But it did seem to her that, as she walked the corridors that late
afternoon, small clusters of people would abruptly fall silent at her approach. Surely it wasn't the presence of her
bodyguard: today's Auror had been careful to walk several paces behind her, and in any case, her bodyguards had never
caused a problem within the Ministry before now. This was something else: not hostile per se, indeed, people smiled as
she drew near. But she couldn't help but feel that she was missing something… or, perhaps more accurately, that she was
being excluded from something, something private.

It had been a long time since schoolgirl cliques bothered her; she wasn't much bothered by the Ministry staff's secrecy,
either, as long as it didn't impede job performance. She felt sure, if it was important, she'd learn about it sooner or
later.

*

As it happened, that very evening.

"I suppose," she managed to not-scream through a throat constricted with rage, "I should be grateful that you subscribe,
Fleur. Merlin knows when I might have found out about this otherwise."

"Well, probably tomorrow," responded Fleur with equal parts sympathy and amusement. "When the Daily Prophet published
it."

Fleur had Flooed Enthalpy House the moment Hermione arrived home. They now sat in the living room, with the damnable
Moniteur Magique lying on the coffee table. Try as she might, Hermione could not take her eyes from its front page
photograph, where her image writhed appreciatively under Harry's roving hand.

"I'm sure the Ministry gets its copies as well," Hermione fumed. "No wonder people were acting so strangely – they were
laughing at me! Laughing behind my back! Those foul little…" It dawned on her that the clusters of people who'd been
acting so secretively that afternoon had all been wizards. And this was just the sort of 'men-only' sniggery that would
appeal to a certain type of male. Of which, evidently, there were more in the Ministry than she'd ever realized.

The fire in the Floo flared green, and Luna's voice came through. "Hallo, Hermione? Fleur? Is anyone there?"

"I took the liberty of contacting Luna," Fleur quickly explained before Hermione could speak. "After all, she helped us
the last time we had a problem like this. I felt sure her advice would be useful again."

Hermione nodded reluctant agreement. "Hold out your hand, Luna, I'll pull you over," she called. Within a very few
minutes, Luna was examining the Moniteur with the air of a connoisseur, while Hermione waited with suppressed
impatience.

"Yes," Luna finally commented, "I can see where Harry would be upset."

Fleur clamped her hand down on Hermione's arm to forestall another indignant outburst. "We were wondering, Luna, if
there were anything Hermione could do about this," she said patiently. "It's already public in France, but it isn't
widespread in Britain yet. But Hermione feels certain that the Prophet will not keep this story quiet, as they did the
last time."

"Oh, they won't report it," Hermione injected acidly, "no, of course they won't. Their story will be the fact that the
Moniteur's reporting it."

Luna's eyes flicked from the newspaper to Hermione's face. "And you don't think the Prophet will mention that the
Moniteur's photo is faked?" She canted her head in a quick, birdlike manner, and answered her own question. "Well, they
certainly wouldn't emphasize the point, no. Hmmm." She returned her gaze to the photo; she gave a quick, appreciative
smile as Harry's image began to use both hands.

"You should simply ignore this, Hermione," said Fleur firmly. "Attacking the press will only serve to emphasize what
we'd like to see forgotten. It would give the photo more weight, not less."

"But if I say nothing, it'll encourage worse to come." Hermione plucked the newspaper from Luna's hands, ignoring Luna's
small yelp of protest, and slapped it down on the coffee table. "You see why the Moniteur, the press in general, think
they can get away with this, don't you? Think! Has any other Minister of Magic had to put up with this sort of personal
attack? Did Kingsley? Did Scrimgeour?"

"Cornelius Fudge…" began Luna.

"Was challenged on his competence and ethics – both of which were, quite obviously, fair targets. But I don't think even
the Quibbler suggested that Fudge seduced schoolgirls!" Hermione rubbed her brow as though to scrub away her thoughts
before they formed. "I'm Muggleborn, is why. I am the first Muggleborn Minister of Magic ever. And too many wizards see
me as an object of fun for that reason alone. I can't afford this! I can't afford to have my authority further
undermined by any suggestions of…"

"Of what?"

All three ladies started at the sound of Harry's voice. The almost silent pop of air that heralded his Apparation had
gone unnoticed. Now he stood at the door to the kitchen, motionless, his features expressionless to the point of
emptiness. Hermione could tell he was upset, but whatever problem he'd brought with him was lost almost immediately, as
he caught sight of the newspaper's photo.

It took only an instant for him to absorb the photo and its message. His expressionless face turned positively
murderous. "Ah," he said grimly, "I see. Right, then, so much for journalistic integrity."

And he turned to leave.

Hermione was immediately out of her seat and stretching out her hand to him. "Harry, wait! Look, I'm very sorry about
this. I know it looks bad – I just found out about it, and I'm as mortified as you are! We were just about to discuss
what I might do to counter…"

"Not much you can do," Harry broke in. "The Minister can't take action against a foreign newspaper. And any action the
Minister takes against a British newspaper will just make it look like you have something to hide. The Minister can't
take any official action." He gave her a small, tight smile that didn't extend past his mouth, and didn't last more than
a second. "Trust me, I know about official actions. Dennis explained it all."

"This is different… a different situation altogether." Hermione couldn't speak explicitly about her covert assignments
to Dennis and Canby, not with Fleur and Luna listening. In any case, this wasn't the time for a lecture. She strove for
a neutral tone, firm but reasonable. She didn't want to sound like she was either ordering him or pleading with him…
certainly not lecturing him. "Harry, I trust you more than anyone, you know that. I'll trust you with tasks just as I
trust Dennis, or Canby. But this problem is about public perception, and it has to be resolved publicly – by me. Harry,
please, let me deal with it."

His mouth tightened. "Scotland," he said curtly.

She responded with a warm smile, which seemed to give him pause. "Yes, the motto of Scotland. I do appreciate it… thank
you. But this time, I have to deal with the problem – and be seen to deal with it – on my own, if I want to maintain my
authority as Minister. I can't be seen as powerless." Or dependent on The Boy Who Lived Again, she didn't add.

Harry stood unmoving for one more moment, before his shoulders slumped. "But what can you do? As Minister, what can you
do? You said it last time: asking the Prophet not to print the photo is a sure guarantee they will print it. Pretty much
all you can do…" He caught her gaze and concluded quietly, "is disavow. Deny that we're…" He left the sentence dangling,
unfinished.

She shook her head slowly, her eyes never leaving his. "No," she said with simple finality.

He seemed to lighten at that, if only a little. "No?" he echoed.

"No, of course not," said Luna unexpectedly. "For one thing, Hermione won't lie. And besides, no one would believe her.
I mean, it's so obvious."

"Thank you, Luna," Hermione muttered under her breath. At least she'd forestalled Harry from Apparating to Paris and
confronting the Moniteur's editor face-to-face. His smile for her seemed less forced now… less grim. She hoped, whatever
problem he'd had when he'd arrived at Enthalpy House, it was no longer important.

In the meantime, she needed a plan for dealing with the Prophet. She turned and addressed Luna and Fleur. "The press
never showed this sort of contempt to previous Ministers, even female Ministers like Bagnold. They think they can get
away with attacking me because I can't retaliate – because my position is seen as precarious – because I'm Muggleborn."
Hermione spread her hands, inviting suggestions.

"You will not disavow," declared Fleur, "you will not deny. Instead, you will do what no one will expect." She laughed.
"And you will change the playing field to your home ground. After all, chère, there is one other way in which you differ
from previous Ministers."

*

Another sleepless night – but one markedly different from those he'd experienced while he was Master of the Deathly
Hallows. Then, he'd been energized to the point that he no longer needed sleep. Now, he needed sleep desperately – but
his mind was far too tumultuous to allow him the luxury. Instead, he sat in The Ossuary's drawing room, trying to
marshal his thoughts.

Harry had provided the three witches with "brainstorming fuel" (he knew a pizzeria in Southampton whose fare was
acceptable), then had left them to their plans – returning to The Ossuary for the night feeling decidedly dejected.
True, Hermione's reassurances had been, well, reassuring: good to know that she didn't plan to issue a press release to
the wizarding world that began Harry and I are just friends. But Harry still felt as though the problems she was about
to face, once the Prophet published that blasted picture, were somehow his fault, and his responsibility to fix.

At least the photograph had briefly diverted him from his earlier fury.

Blaise Zabini. It had to've been Blaise Zabini. I was at the Arch, I know how much time elapsed between Kingsley's soul
going through and Hermione's soul going through. I know Kingsley was dead when Hermione was being strangled – so it
wasn't Kingsley's Incarcerous spell that did it. It was Zabini's. In Moore's Pensieve memory, I saw him mouth the
incantation.

But Moore didn't hear it. And I can't tell anyone I was at the Arch, when I supposed to be in the domain of Death. So I
can't prove Zabini did it… but I know it was him. Ohh yes.

Harry was just a hairsbreadth away from Apparating to Zabini's home and taking the law into his own hands. Only the
knowledge that it would reflect badly on Hermione had stayed him… at least initially, until he'd talked with her. And
then, when he'd arrived at Enthalpy House, seeing the Prophet's front page demand Hermione's attention, he'd remained
silent.

And he'd understood her tacit warning, and request.

She trusts me like she trusts Dennis Creevey, and Canby. She sends them out to investigate on the sly, so the Cartel's
agents won't know. Right. So I can investigate on the sly as well. I can take care of Zabini without her involvement…
give her, what's it called, plausible deniability. That's just what I'll do.

The question is how. I have to find proof that I can present in court. Moore's memory is a start, but it's not ironclad.
Because I intend to nail the bastard.

And if I can't… well, I can still pay Zabini a midnight visit.

He glanced up and was surprised to see streaks of pink through the window… the sun was dawning. Harry hadn't realized
how late he'd stayed up, or how early it now was. Or how exhausted he was… thank goodness he wasn't scheduled for
Hogwarts that week. He doubted he could have given a coherent lecture.

A soft knock at the front door caught his attention. Who would be visiting The Ossuary at that hour of the morning…? He
rose from his chair, quickly made his way to the foyer, and opened the front door in time to catch Canby raising his
hand to knock again.

"Oh!" the elf whispered. "Canby is so sorry, Mister Harry, Canby was trying not to disturb…"

"You didn't, you didn't. I was already awake." Harry gestured Canby inside. "I'm guessing you're here to collect Ayesha
for some more questioning?"

Canby nodded. "Also to take Ayesha to visit Ministry elves. They have asked after her, hoping she is well."

"Yeah," Harry said slowly. Something about the Ministry was sparking an idea in Harry's head. "Canby, before we call
Ayesha, I've a question. I hope you can answer it… it's about the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Of course, Mister Harry." The elf looked up at him expectantly. Harry took a moment, seeking a way to get the answers
he wanted without revealing his purpose.

"There's a spell you use in Magical Law Enforcement," he began. "Hermione mentioned it. It's some kind of transcription
spell: it writes down what a person says. Are you familiar with it? Good. The thing is, Hermione used that spell on my
godson, Ted Lupin. And Ted's worried that it might still be working."

"Oh, no need to worry, Mister Harry!" Canby chirped. "The spell does not last more than a few days. When prisoners are
being monitored, the spell must be renewed twice a week."

Damn. That's not very long at all. Harry didn't let his disappointment show. "Does it only work at the Ministry? No,
wait, of course it doesn't: Ted was at Hogwarts when Hermione cast it on him. I suppose you'd know more about that than
I would…" He trailed off invitingly.

Canby seemed happy to show off his knowledge. Possibly he wanted to impress the Defender of House Elves… or maybe he'd
simply spent too much time around Hermione. "Scribo is a simple spell, keyed to special quills at the Ministry. It is
not strong – it must be cast by contact, not from a distance – but it is very suited for monitoring prisoners. It writes
prisoner's location, writes what prisoner says…"

"While at least looking like you're respecting their privacy, got it." Harry couldn't help chuckling at that. "Okay,
thanks for telling me. I can let Ted know he's off the hook."

After Canby had left with Ayesha, Harry sighed and made his way to the kitchen. Maybe I'll think better for some
breakfast, he thought. There must be some way I can get the goods on Zabini. Mmm, maybe a few Extendable Ears planted in
his home…

He set a skillet on the stove, letting it heat while he cracked some eggs into a mixing bowl. Moving with practiced
ease, he slipped a pat of butter into the skillet while adding a dash of milk to the eggs. Spices, let's see, what sort
of spices did Susan stock in her kitchen? Cinnamon, or redseed, or…?

"Mister Harry!" Brillig had arrived in the kitchen. 'Agitated' didn't begin to describe her. "Oh, Mister Harry should
not be cooking! That is why Mister Harry pays Brillig! Sit, sit, and Brillig will make breakfast…!"

Harry smiled and shook his head. "I like cooking, Brillig. I like to think I'm good at it – ah! She does have redseed!"
The bottle of redseed didn't seem to have its own grinder; Harry tapped some seeds onto the countertop and crushed them
with the back of a spoon. The powdered redseed went into the eggs, which Harry began whisking rapidly, keeping one eye
on the skillet.

Brillig watched, her anxiety ebbing, as Harry prepared to pour the eggs into the skillet. "Master Jack was liking
butterbeer in his eggs," she offered tentatively.

"I've heard of that," Harry shrugged, setting aside the bowl and retrieving a plate from the cupboard. He maintained a
running commentary as the eggs were scrambled. "Butterbeer's too sweet, though, really. You add milk to the eggs to make
them lighter, of course, but I like a little zest too. If I were making a full breakfast, we'd have bacon, a couple of
cheeses… here, try this."

He filled a fork with scrambled eggs and pointed it at Brillig's mouth. She hesitated, uncertain whether she was
permitted to eat humans' food, then bravely opened her mouth and accepted the offering. Her eyes widened. "Ooh…! The red
is… like that funny pepper?"

"Cayenne? Yeah, but redseed's better. Doesn't overpower the flavor of the eggs, which is important if you've got fresh
farm eggs like these." The eggs done to Harry's taste, neither too runny nor too dry, he tilted most of the skillet's
contents onto the plate, then glanced at Brillig. "There's enough for two."

The elf was, of course, shocked by the suggestion that she eat Harry's food, with Harry – but Harry was pleased to see
that the shock didn't seem as strong as before, nor did it last as long. It was just as well: Harry knew from experience
that Brillig could follow recipes, but her remarks on preparing eggs had surprised and touched him. He found himself
curious just how creative Brillig could be in the kitchen.

It should be interesting to find out, he decided as they ate their breakfasts at the kitchen counter (Harry standing,
Brillig seated on the counter). I've never tried teaching anyone how to cook – really cook, I mean. Heck, this may be
fun for both of us.

*

Blaise Zabini was likewise having a sleepless dawn. He was sitting at the desk in his study; sheets of parchment were
strewn over the desk, looking as though he were dealing with Departmental minutiae – but he wore his enchanted reading
glasses, in response to the buzzing summons he'd received while in bed.

Svartalfter's image, at least, was expected. Unexpected was the other Cartel Lord visible in the glasses: ibn al-Afrit.
Each Cartel Lord wore one lens of a set of spectacles… which meant, Blaise realized, that al-Afrit had joined
Svartalfter in his secure location. Both Lords, after all, were still fugitives.

"So Granger has now cut off aid to the ICW," Blaise concluded his report, "and we'll still hold the means to influence
her future decisions, as well."

"And this is due to you and your agents," confirmed Svartalfer. "Well done, Zabini… though it has not yet much effect
had. Local Aurors continue our local operations to hamper."

"We are still retrenching, regrouping… replacing lost personnel," said ibn al-Afrit. "Revenues will be depressed for the
foreseeable future. We much fear this will reduce your usual honoraria… for the moment."

"And my agent?" inquired Blaise. "Initiative must needs be rewarded…"

"He will have a high place in our new organization," ibn al-Afrit promised. He frowned. "Though it is as my colleague
says, the ICW still harasses us. Indeed, they seem uncomfortably familiar with the details of our operations. You're
certain your local Aurors are not still providing information?"

"Quite sure. I was present when Granger ordered cooperation suspended. I've been dealing with the international
consequences personally." Blaise shrugged. "In any case, with Swivingham dead and his local cadre dispersed, any sources
of information here in Britain will have long since dried up."

"I had in mind the house-elves we sent Swivingham…"

"The only house-elf who might have presented a threat was your own body servant – the one Granger managed to bring to
Britain to testify against me." Blaise saw the subtle dig strike home, and gave ibn al-Afrit an urbane smile. "Alas, she
was accidentally killed in the firefight at the Ministry, the day Shacklebolt died."

"My Ayesha killed, you say?" The Arab's face went blank for a moment. "Well, no matter," he said at length, "our
priorities remain unchanged." He nodded to Svartalfter, who picked up the thread.

"There are certain of Swivingham's stockpiles which we would useful find," Svartalfer told Blaise. "We will need access
to them – and passage in and out of Britain for our people – without your Enforcers' notice."

"I will arrange it, of course. The same drop as before," promised Blaise, wishing he could call for Virgil to bring him
coffee. The discussion didn't look as though it would soon conclude, and he wanted to be at his freshest when he went to
the office in a few hours. After all, he trusted the Daily Prophet would act as he expected: those scandalous photos in
Monday's foreign news would be prime fodder for Tuesday's Prophet. And far be it from him to fail to do his part: he'd
already shared them with a few hand-picked Ministry co-workers. The photos could only serve to damage Granger's
reputation, and the wider they were spread, the better.

*

Despite his shortness of sleep, Zabini arrived at the Ministry earlier than his usual time. Forearmed with Ginny's
insights into Granger's likely response, he wanted a good seat to watch the show. Its entertainment value alone would be
worth the foul taste of Pepper-Up Potion. And he'd prepared several amusing (and risqué) one-liners to drop into
conversations throughout the day… each one chipping away a little more at Granger's reputation.

But oddly, when the morning Prophet arrived on his desk, the embarrassing photos weren't there. Not on the front page,
not even buried inside. In fact, the Prophet didn't mention them at all, even to say that they'd appeared in the
Moniteur. Surely Granger couldn't have…?

Electing discretion over pleasure, Zabini decided to hold off on commenting on the photos, concentrating instead on
gauging the mood of the Ministry: listening in on conversations without ever appearing to eavesdrop. He would wait for
Granger to arrive before choosing the face he'd show his co-workers.

Which, as it turned out, was a prudent decision – for when Granger did arrive at the Ministry, Zabini almost didn't
recognize her.

Someone must have advised Granger on her appearance, because she didn't look her usual non-descript self. Her bushy hair
was more than merely tamed, it was coiffed. Her face was a study in subtlety, made-up to look quite lovely without
seeming glamorously made-up. She wasn't wearing her usual robes, but something more form-fitting, flattering to her
figure while still undeniably suitable for the offices of the Ministry. It all combined to proclaim that Hermione
Granger was a youthful, attractive, confident witch.

Even worse, Granger had Mina Mignot in tow. Mina Mignot was a bright young reporter for the Daily Prophet: smart, but in
Zabini's view, not yet sophisticated. In other words, the perfect person to write up Granger's spin exactly as it was
given to her.

"It will still take time," Granger was now saying to Mignot as they strolled down the corridor, a photographer trailing
silently behind, "but I think the Ministry has just about recovered from Kingsley's death. We're back on top of our
responsibilities now, and that's always a good thing."

"And how have you settled in as Minister? Experiencing any, shall we call it culture shock?" asked Mignot. A notepad
hovered near her shoulder, with a Dictation Quill scribbling, leaving Mina's hands free.

Granger smiled broadly. "If I were, I wouldn't be the only one. You have seen those photos from France, haven't you? Our
poor European cousins just aren't quite certain what to make of me." She actually laughed, damn her. "After all, I'm
probably unique, unprecedented, in their experience."

"Oh? How so?"

"I'm the youngest Minister of Magic in living memory – possibly in the last three hundred years. Age is only a
demographic, of course," and Granger waved a hand over herself in modest self-deprecation, "but you have to admit,
there's an undeniable… freshness that comes with the territory."

"A breath of fresh air, as it were?" Mignot asked dutifully.

"As it were, and taking some folks by surprise, I suspect. Honestly, can you imagine anyone faking a photograph like
that of Millicent Bagnold when she was Minister?"

Mignot's face lit with appreciation. "Hardly! She was pretty crusty when she was elected! And she was our last female
Minister, too," she added, making the connection. "Nobody'd have tried this sort of thing with a male Minister, would
they?"

"I doubt it. What do you think, Blaise?" Granger added, turning to him unexpectedly. "Would an elderly male Minister
ever be subjected to this kind of muckraking? Would he even consider it slander – or a compliment?"

Surprised and unprepared, Zabini could only temporize, struggling to maintain a smooth poise, and painfully aware that
more and more Ministry staffers were now listening. "Kingsley Shacklebolt was too well respected… and Pius Thicknesse
was, frankly, too feared…"

"And both old enough to be our fathers," laughed Granger, returning to the point she insisted on making: that her age,
not her Muggle heritage, had sparked the Moniteur's moment of yellow journalism. She had, in short, completely shifted
the battleground before Zabini'd had a chance to fire his main salvos. Sly barbs were still possible, but now his battle
would be fought uphill.

Well played, Granger, he acknowledged as he retreated to his office, well played.

*

Having agreed to this charade when Fleur proposed it, Hermione was committed to seeing it to the end. She'd contacted
the Prophet at once, and arranged for an exclusive interview. Then this morning, reluctantly, she'd allowed Fleur to
prepare her for it: sitting uncomfortably while Skeekeasy's Hair Potion was applied; while Fleur painted her face,
erased what she'd done, repainted, over and over; while her wardrobe was critiqued with a scathing Gallic scorn, and her
best robes Transfigured. Merlin, she hadn't gone to this much trouble on her wedding day!

Now she artfully maintained her cheery front, consenting to be photographed in her new look, projecting an aura of vigor
and vitality – pretending the tasteless jokes had been because she was young, not because she was Muggleborn. She knew,
intellectually, that it would not only enhance her political standing, but confound her opponents: the ones who were
hungrily waiting for her to fail. It was the right course.

But neither her intellect nor her determined cheer could quite overcome the bad taste in her mouth.

It's been almost exactly twenty years since I was first called a Mudblood, she reflected sourly. We fought a war over
that prejudice. Is it too much to ask that I not have to put up with it any more?

Miss Mignot's voice intruded on her thoughts. "One more photograph, I think, Minister? Of you behind your desk. I think
we've enough for a full spread, with that."

Obediently, Hermione led them to her office. The Minister's office, it had formerly been Kingsley's; his decorations and
memorabilia had been packed up and forwarded to his family. Hermione had been tempted to decorate here as in Enthalpy
House, with many bookcases stuffed with tomes. A little reflection, though, had led to the addition of some objêts d'art
around the room, hanging on the walls or displayed on small tables. She was proudest of her statuette of Lady Justice:
delicate features, blindfolded, scales in one hand and a sword in the other. It was a reproduction of a 19th C. work,
and she took secret pleasure in knowing that the original, and the reproduction, were made by the hands of Muggles.

Hermione took her seat behind the desk and made sure she was sitting erect, head up, chest not too obviously out, before
giving the cameraman a confident smile. His camera flashed amidst a puff of purple smoke (flash powder, Hermione thought
irrelevantly, how quaint), and then he was nodding to Mignot and packing his gear.

"You can read the story in the Prophet, probably by the end of the week," Mignot said. "I won't lie to you: my editors
may decide to run those French photos after all." (Which meant, Hermione knew, that they had already decided to do so.)
"But we'll blur your faces, and the, um, unpublishable bits…"

"Muggles call that 'airbrushing'," Hermione informed her.

"Sure, okay. But it'll all be part of the story of how the new young Minister is bringing vitality to the Ministry, and
all that. Trust me, it'll be tasteful." Mignot smiled apologetically. "Hey, it'll have to be tasteful. Everyone in the
press knows what you said to those three idiots who ambushed you in Hogsmeade, the day you were elected."

"Excellent," Hermione said gravely. "I do so hate repeating myself."

Mignot's smile faltered for a moment, before she managed to plaster it back into place. "Erm, yes, well… and the rumors
about you and Harry Potter? I'm sure you'll be wanting to make some statement…?"

"That Harry was with me in Athens is beyond denial," Hermione stated, in what was clearly a carefully rehearsed speech.
(She reminded herself to stick to Harry's cover story as closely as she could.) "Obviously, with Harry behind the Veil,
he'd been effectively dead. His return after so many years was a joyful time for him, and for all his friends. I count
myself fortunate to be Harry's friend, and we've spent a great deal of time together since he came back – renewing our
relationship."

"So… you're officially 'just friends', Minister?" Mignot grinned cheekily.

Hermione gave a serene smile in return. "Friendship, certainly, but of the deepest and truest kind. Certainly, there's
no man to whom I feel closer."

"Such a pity, then, isn't it? That he's, what, half your age or thereabouts…?"

Laughing, Hermione cut short the rest of Mignot's sentence. "I said it before, I'll say it again: age is only a
demographic." The reporter's eyebrows rose at the implications, and Hermione continued, "Even before passing beyond the
Veil, Harry had experienced more in his life than most wizards of any age. It's experience that gives maturity, not the
ticks of a clock."

If she didn't know better, Hermione would have sworn that Mignot's eyes glittered with anticipation. She all but leaned
forward to catch Hermione's response, as she asked softly, "What, exactly, are you saying, Madam Granger? For the
record, are you and Harry Potter any more than friends?"

"For the record," and Hermione paused dramatically, never losing her smile, "Harry and I have been very close, we are
closer today, and I would say we look forward to growing closer still. I trust that answers your question, Miss Mignot?"

*

"Mere words cannot express," Tori declared, "how much I've looked forward to this."

Ted was in total agreement. They were queued up with their classmates, waiting for that precious moment when the gates
of Hogwarts would open, and they would be free! Free, at any rate, to escape Hogwarts for the day, free to forget
classes and assignments due Monday – free to visit Hogsmeade, which for once took precedence even over Quidditch
practice. Already, Ted was planning how much they could pack into their morning, since he had an engagement for the
afternoon.

"If only because," she added, squeezing his arm, "I'll have to you to myself for a rarity. Not sharing you with Rosie."

"Oh, cut her some slack," Ted admonished. "She's back in the Hospital Wing this morning, did you hear?"

Tori nodded, her expression suddenly serious. Every five days, Rose would abruptly "not feel all that well" and report
to Madam Pomfrey. A couple of her fellow Gryffindors had begun to remark on it; only Tori and Ted knew that Rose was
pretending to receive her doses of antidote. Her poisoners probably couldn't keep track of her comings and goings, not
inside Hogwarts… but why take chances? Rose would play her part to the hilt, until the blackmailers were caught.

"I heard," said Tori somberly, likewise playing her part. "I hope she feels better soon."

"Yeah, me too." Ted shrugged. "Not that you've had to share me with Rose all that much, lately. She only has eyes for
Someone Else now." He smiled an evil smile. "I can't wait until he subs for Professor Longbottom on a day he has to
teach the firsties."

"On that day, you will behave, if you know what's good for you."

"We'll see." He lost his evil smile and looked almost solemn. "Is, um, is there anyplace you'd like to visit first?
Zonko's, or…"

"Why on earth would I want to visit Zonko's? Is my last name Zonko? Isn't the Hogsmeade branch of the Wheezes just down
the street? That would be 'no' and 'yes', respectively. Please, Ted, try to show a little loyalty."

"To the Weasley name? Are you saying I don't?" He laced his fingers with hers, and continued, "Whatever you'd like to
do, love. I'm just sorry I can't spend all day with you, but…"

"But you're lunching with your Gran. I understand, Ted. Don't fret, I'll find some way to amuse myself." Tori squeezed
his hand and smiled happily at him, and Ted's problems seemed to retreat with remarkable speed.

All too soon, however, he found himself breaking away from Tori, with many apologies on his part and dismissals on hers,
and making his way to the Three Broomsticks. Gran had said she'd be reserving one of the private parlors for them, which
implied she wished privacy for their discussion. First, about why she wanted him to change his name – what need did she
see for it? – and then, about the will Harry had suggested.

But when Roswitha, the landlady, had ushered him to the parlor, he was surprised to discover that Gran wasn't alone.
Gran hadn't mentioned that she'd be bringing anyone to their meeting, much less that it would be…

"My sister Narcissa," Gran introduced them as he stood at the door, frozen in astonishment. "Cissy, this is your
great-nephew Teddy."

"Ted," he corrected automatically, entering the parlor and closing the door behind him. He extended his hand. "Ted
Lupin. Um, pleased to meet you… er, how shall I call you?"

"Aunt Narcissa will do," Narcissa replied, taking Ted's hand with a smile. There was no sign of hesitation or
squeamishness on her part; from what Ted had heard about her, he'd almost expected some. "The pleasure's mutual. Let me
thank you for allowing us to stay in your home, until we find our footing."

"Oh, no worries, no worries at all." Ted glanced sidewise at his grandmother, hoping for an explanation. Wasn't this
supposed to be a private discussion…?

"I asked her to be here," Gran said, gesturing to the chairs and taking one herself, "to lend her suggestions about your
legal change of name. The one I wrote to you about?"

"Changing it to Black-Lupin, you mean?" Ted noticed a sideboard with three pitchers and several glasses. A quick
inspection showed butterbeer, water, and tea in the pitchers; he poured himself a glass of water. His glance inquired
whether Gran or his new Auntie likewise wanted a drink; when they shook their heads, he took his seat, water glass in
hand.

"Or Lupin-Black," said Narcissa. "Or even Black. But yes, in any event, having the Black surname made formally yours."

"Is that really important, then?" Ted looked from Narcissa to Gran. "I mean, it wouldn't change me. I'd be the same
person, with the same parents, even if I changed my name to Arglebarg."

The corner of Gran's mouth twitched upward, as it always did when she was trying not to smile. "I rather imagine the
Wizengamot would find it difficult to acknowledge an Arglebarg as Head of the Most Noble House of Black."

"More to the point," Narcissa continued smoothly, "I and my son would find it difficult to acknowledge an Arglebarg as
Head of our House. Or anybody not named Black."

"Um… I didn't realize the House of Black had a Head. Or that it needed one – I mean, we've been getting along fine
without a Head for how many years? Since your cousin Sirius died, isn't it?"

"We've been 'getting along', as you put it," said Gran severely, "but I would hardly characterize it as 'fine'. A Noble
House does better with a single Head to whom its members can look for leadership. If you were Head of our House, anyone
who would claim the status of being a Black would have to acknowledge you." She met Ted's eyes and added, "And support
you fully, Teddy. In everything. Which will be no small thing, once you reach your majority."

"I… seeeeee," Ted said slowly. "And I need to do this before making a will?"

"It simplifies things tremendously, if the will ever needs to be executed – God forbid," Narcissa replied.

He sipped his water, giving himself a chance to think. "So, um, if – if I decide to do this, how do we go about it? You
mentioned the Wizengamot; we don't have to work through them, do we?"

Gran reached into her purse and brought out a sheaf of folded parchments. "They'd be informed of the change, and may
acknowledge your status – but for the change itself, all that's needed is a filing with the Magical Records Office. Mind
you, Teddy, it will be a magical filing: not quite a Magically Binding Contract, but you won't be able to just change it
back on a whim. You need to be sure this is what you want."

"Um, I guess I'm not quite sure yet. I guess. I'd like to think about it some more. There's no deadline, is there?" Gran
shook her head; Ted noticed that Narcissa said nothing, and kept her face friendly, but he thought he saw a hint of
satisfaction there as well. Well, if Harry's right, he thought, the longer I put off making a will, the better for her
and cousin Draco.

He extended his hand towards the parchments. Gran gave them to him, and he tapped them thoughtfully against his chin. He
made no move to open and read them. "One thing," he said after a moment, "if I do this, I want to keep the Lupin name
too. It was my dad's name, and I want it to be mine."

"That should be no problem," Narcissa smiled. "And I commend you on your loyalty: an admirable trait in the Head of a
Noble House. And I quite understand your desire to keep up appearances."

"That's twice you've said something like that, Cissy," Gran put in. "What are you talking about?"

"About Ted's father," explained Narcissa. "Naming Remus Lupin as his father. You know, Dromeda." She paused, momentarily
uncertain. "Or have I misunderstood? Was Remus Lupin not a werewolf?"

"Oh, he was a werewolf, Mother," came a new voice from the parlor door. "That fact came out when I was a third-year, and
he was our Defense teacher. Since he resigned as soon as he was outed, we all knew it was true." Draco Malfoy entered
the parlor and extended his hand to Ted. "Hello, there. I'm your cousin Draco. I'm very pleased to meet you." He paused,
his hand outstretched, as Ted stood motionless as a statue.

"First cousin once removed, to be precise," Narcissa put in. "You bear the same relationship to Draco that Draco bore to
our last patriarch, Sirius."

Mechanically, Ted reached out and shook Draco's hand. By reflex, his expression had schooled itself into the innocuous
look he favored when accused of a school prank – showing absolutely nothing of what he was thinking. "Draco, yes, I'm
Ted. The pleasure's mine. Good to meet you."

"Thank you," Draco said, relaxing slightly. "So, Ted… I understand you play Quidditch?"

"Erm, yeah," Ted said, and then coughed. He cleared his throat and began again. "Yeah, I made captain of the Gryffindor
team this year. I play Chaser…" He coughed once more and released Draco's hand.

"Ah, Chaser," Draco drawled. "A good position for learning teamwork, Chaser. I played Seeker when I was your age… for
Slytherin, don't you know…" He stopped, slightly dismayed, as Ted started coughing again, more prolonged and violent
this time.

"S-Sorry," Ted managed to choke out. "Got something down the wrong pipe…" He was seized with another fit of wracking
coughs. "'Scuse me a sec…" Seeing Gran's alarmed gesture of dismissal, he darted for the door and made his way to the
lavatory.

Once inside with the door bolted, he dropped the pretense of coughing and raised his hand to his face. He sniffed
carefully. There was no mistake.

But now what do I do? I can't go back in there… well, I can, I won't give anything away, I never do, my face always
looks exactly like I want it to look… but then what do I do? I wish Harry were here… he'd know what to do…

One possibility occurred to him. He hadn't yet tried this trick, but it ought to work… please let it work! Ted drew a
deep breath and his wand at the same time. He brandished it towards the narrow lav window, and tried to think of a happy
memory. Well, that one was obvious.

The night I let Tori use my wand.

As Harry had taught him, he filled his mind with that memory… then altered the memory slightly, to incorporate the
message he wanted to send. Then, before he could begin to doubt himself, he flicked his wand and intoned, "Expecto
Patronum!"

And out of the end of his wand there shot a shining, brilliant, silver… three-inch-long reptile, with bulbous eyes and a
curled tail. It perched on the ledge of the window for a split second, regarding him with one eye askew, then flashed
out the window and away.

A chameleon. I finally get my corporeal Patronus, and it's a chameleon. An effing lizard. Hex me now.

Well, any port in a storm. Ted splashed some water on his face, left the lavatory, and returned to the parlor. He
arrived as Draco was explaining to Gran, "I'm sure any daughter of yours wouldn't have played the field once married –
even married to a, yes, well – so they must have asked a friend to help them out. That's always been the general
assumption, anyway. The important thing, though, is that his mother was a Black…" Draco fell abruptly silent upon seeing
Ted in the doorway.

Ted was seething inside – if that story was "the general impression", why was this the first he was hearing about it? –
but his face remained bland. "Sorry about that," he told everyone casually, as though he'd heard nothing. "Must've been
the caramels I ate for breakfast."

"Caramels?" Gran asked pointedly, just as Ted had predicted.

"For energy," he explained. "You'd know about that, playing Seeker and all," he added, turning to Draco with a grin.

Draco returned the grin. "I do know what you mean, but I never liked the sugar rush: it didn't last. I always loaded up
with carbs and caffeine before a game." He cocked his head. "First game of the year should be coming up soon, eh?
Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, as always?"

"As always. Maybe you'd like to come to Hogwarts and, um, watch the game?"

"Not that game. I wouldn't know who to cheer for. But perhaps later in the year… when you play Ravenclaw, perhaps?"
Draco gave a light laugh and turned for the door. "Well, I wanted to drop in and meet you, cousin, we'll be seeing much
of each other – especially once you've been recognized as Head of the Blacks – but I've still some things I need to do
today. Until later, Ted, ladies." Before Ted could think of an excuse to keep him in the parlor, Draco opened the door
and walked out.

And ran headlong into someone just outside the door.

Draco hacked and spit, stepping backwards into the room, massaging his throat. "Watch where you're going, you blithering
idiot, you nearly crushed my windpipe…" His tirade stopped short as he recognized the figure who'd blocked his path.
"Potter?"

"Malfoy," Harry responded, closing the door behind him. "Mrs. Malfoy, Mrs. Tonks. You're all looking well."

"You're looking very well, for a dead person," said Draco coldly. "Is there something you need here? I hesitate to point
it out, but this is a private party."

"Which was his idea in the first place," Ted said quickly. "When I got Gran's owl, he advised talking with her face to
face. And he is my godfather."

"Your…?" Draco's eyes narrowed; his glance flitted from Ted to Harry and back.

"Well, he wasn't around to carry out the duties until now, but yeah." Ted turned to Narcissa and spoke gravely. "I bear
the same relationship to Harry that Harry bore to our last patriarch, Sirius."

"I see." Draco's face looked as though he were eating lemons – but he drew himself up and spoke without heat. "Well,
Potter, I hope you do well by our young man. He has an important role to play in society, and there are things he needs
to know." That you could never teach him, was the unspoken addendum. "If you will all excuse me now." He left the room
without waiting for a response.

Harry looked at Narcissa and gave a small smile. "He's never liked me."

"I am sure," Narcissa said regally, "my son is willing to let bygones be bygones."

"If he doesn't rattle my chains, I won't rattle his," Harry agreed. He gave Ted a hard look, and a silent message passed
between them: they would talk alone later. "So," he continued cheerfully, turning back to Andromeda and Narcissa, "what
did we decide on? Lupin-Black, or Black-Lupin?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------

46. XXXXVI: No Escape From The Past

(A/N: I am indebted to an essay by Claire Jordan, on the Harry Potter Lexicon site, for the location of Spinner's End.

At long last, I have a new beta-reader. The estimable Bexis has agreed to review my prose, gently point out flaws, and
offer suggestions. Any errors left over are still my own fault, alas.)

(Disclaimer: The only payment I get from writing this tale would be your comments. Certainly, nothing is subtracted from
the Rowling estate.)

*

"Coming Back Late"

by Paracelsus

*

XXXXVI: No Escape From The Past

*

There were times – not many, but there were times – when Harry missed the Deathly Hallows.

In particular, if he'd still possessed the Stealth Cloak, it would be ever so much easier to infiltrate the Ministry on
the sly. No longer an option now, of course. And even if Harry once again managed his hypercharged Notice-Me-Not charm,
he feared it might be detected: Ministry security was still a bit higher than normal, and would be so until memories of
the incident with Sabas Doukas had faded somewhat.

So Harry arrived at the Ministry on Monday evening, just at close of business, when the great majority of Ministry staff
were trying to make their way to the Atrium, there to either Floo or Disapparate home. Harry had Transfigured his robes
to be a bit threadbare, grubby, with oil stains here and there; he'd added a non-descript woolen cap. He'd rubbed a bit
of dirt (not too much) on his face and hands; his glasses were removed and in his pocket. He kept his eyes down, focused
on a coffee-stained and creased bit of parchment, and grumbled for all the world like a Maintenance worker who'd been
given a repair job minutes before quitting time.

He received maybe two sympathetic glances, but everyone seemed too intent on getting home to their dinners to take much
notice of him. Even the gate guard, who should have stopped him and weighed his wand at the very least, motioned him
onward with a jerk of his thumb and a snort.

Once through the crowds, Harry gave a sigh of relief and relaxed a trifle. Worst part's over, he told his queasy
stomach. The corridors to the lift were mostly empty; the lift itself, unoccupied. He relaxed a bit more.

The lift took him to the ninth floor, where Harry expected to find the office of the Senior Counsel to the Wizengamot
likewise empty – the Senior Counsel having been made Minister, and there being no junior Counsels that he'd ever seen.
He paused outside the door, slipped his glasses back in place, and walked inside.

There he was surprised to find Sheryl at her desk, sorting through a stack of reports, and consulting a couple of large
leather-bound books in the process. She looked up as Harry entered. "Oh, hello, Harry. What brings you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Harry grinned, though inside he was rapidly revising his plans. "I'd have thought
you'd still be working alongside Hermione – I mean, the Minister – as an aide or something."

Sheryl shrugged. "Counsel's office still has things that need doing, even without a Counsel." She gestured at the books
opened on her desk and added, "And I'm studying hard in the meantime. I think, if I can pass the examination, and with
my clerking experience, I might be named Counsel. Not Senior Counsel, not right away, but still."

"Good luck, then… Actually, I was hoping to find Canby down here. Is he around?"

"I can let him know you're here." Sheryl scribbled a note on a small piece of parchment, which she folded into an
airplane and launched out the door with her wand. "Don't know where he is… it may take a few minutes."

"I don't mind waiting." Harry leaned against the wall, folded his arms across his chest, and appeared to lose himself in
thought. Sheryl returned to her parchmentwork, occasionally using her wand to re-sort the reports in front of her, prior
to filing them away.

Harry waited a few moments, until he was sure that Sheryl's attention wasn't fully on him. Then he casually took a step
towards the corner of the room, where a quill was poised attentively over a sheaf of parchments. He wished now that he'd
paid more attention to Ted, when Ted had showed him the Supersensory Charm – but that had been two years ago, when he'd
had the Elder Wand, and hadn't really needed to memorize incantations. Dammit.

He waited another few moments, confirming that Sheryl was engrossed in her work, then took another step towards the
corner and cautiously craned his neck to read the top parchment.

"Looking for this?"

Harry's face jerked towards the door. Canby and Hermione stood there, side by side, with Hermione's Auror escort in the
background. Harry had just a moment to register Canby's sorrowful Mister-Harry-how-could-you expression, before his gaze
was trapped by Hermione's stern look. In her hand she held a large sheet of parchment filled with lines of text:
obviously dictation.

She marched into the empty office that had been hers, motioning Harry to follow. When they were both inside, the desk
between them, she whirled and demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Hermione," he said urgently, "if that parchment is what I think it is, it could be very important. I put the Scribo
charm on…"

"Don't tell me!" she angrily interrupted. "I can't read this, I can't know about this!" She slammed the parchment onto
the desktop and struck it with her wand. Immediately, it began to smoulder and blacken, the edges glowing ember-red.
Horrified, Harry made an abortive motion to stop her, pausing only when he remembered that the office door was open, and
that Sheryl, Canby, and the Auror were all watching.

"You've put me in an impossible position, Harry," Hermione said in level, measured tones. "This could have been a
serious violation of someone's right to privacy. Made worse by the fact that you misused Ministry-specific charms and
resources – even though you aren't a Ministry employee. And made more awkward for me by the fact that we know each
other."

"But Hermione," he tried to inject, "this was about…"

"Fortunately," she overrode him, "fortunately for all of us, no one has read this transcription since it was discovered,
so no harm was truly done this time. But Harry, please." Her expression remained hard, but her voice softened slightly.
"Please, you must see that I can't approve this cavalier abuse of Departmental resources… nor the violation of any
individual's rights. Please don't let me catch you doing this again."

She waited a moment to hear what he might have to say, but Harry had turned sullenly mute. After a pause, the Minister
of Magic gave Harry a curt nod of dismissal and, skirting around the desk, left the office and departed briskly down the
corridor, Canby and the Auror trailing behind her. Sheryl, after giving Harry an unreadably neutral look, returned to
her own work.

Harry remained standing in place, staring poleaxed at the burnt parchment that marked the spoiled outcome of his plan.
He'd been so clever, arriving at the Leaky Cauldron upon receiving Ted's Patronus, and casting the Scribo charm on Draco
without his noticing, as they ran into one another. With that charm at work, there'd been every chance Draco might have
said something incriminating, something that would link Draco conclusively to Rose's poisoning. He couldn't believe
Hermione would destroy such vital evidence! She wouldn't even let him tell her his ruse concerned Rose – which he'd have
thought would be important to her!

"Canby was hurt, you know, Harry," came Sheryl's voice. She was hunched over her work, not looking at him through the
door, but her disappointment was plain to hear. "He came in today and saw that the quill was writing, even though we
don't have any prisoners in the holding cells, and he knew exactly what you'd done. I think it was the fact that you
used a spell he taught you that hurt him the most."

"I never meant to…" he began, then fell silent. Any apologies were owed to Canby, really, not Sheryl. Though Harry still
felt as though nobody understood how important this bit of parchment had been…

He suddenly peered more closely at the parchment. It had been charred and blackened, as though held too close to a fire
– but Hermione hadn't set it on fire, as she could so easily have done. The edges were grey ash, but the main body of
the page…

"Imperturbus!" he immediately cast, before the fragile page could be disturbed, or accidentally crumbled into dust. The
main body of the page was still intact – and at the proper angle, the quill's glossy black ink was still visible against
the charcoal black of the parchment!

Clever Hermione, he thought with a grin, as he dug into his pocket and brought out pencil and notebook. Of course, in
front of witnesses, you said what the Minister of Magic had to say. You had to look like you wouldn't accept illegally
gotten evidence, even to the point of looking like you destroyed it. But you left it for me to read. And you didn't tell
me to stop what I was doing: you told me not to get caught!

Trying to balance haste and accuracy, Harry began copying the words on the blackened parchment. The Scribo charm showed
Draco's location, as well as his words. Harry could wish for a date/time marker as well – and the other side of any
conversation – but the charm wasn't designed to provide those. Ah well, he'd have to make do.

*

Hermione prepared her own breakfast at Enthalpy House the next morning, and ate it alone. Harry had spent his night at
The Ossuary, which wasn't unusual… but he'd made no attempt to contact her during the day, which was unusual. She
wondered if he were sulking; she felt a bit sorry she'd had to chastise him as she had. But he'd left her no choice,
once he'd been found out: people had to see her as impartial. Doubly so, as the first Muggleborn Minister of Magic:
Hermione had to be as Caesar's wife, with her actions above reproach, and seen to be above reproach.

She pushed aside her empty plate and reached for the morning post, hoping to divert herself before leaving for her
office. The first item was, of course, the Daily Prophet. She opened it to see, on the front page, the story by Mina
Mignot: New Minister Takes Ribbing in Stride. The story came complete with illustration: not the infamous photograph
from le Moniteur Magique, but an "artist's interpretation" in soft pastels, with sketchy facial features and thankfully
indistinct anatomical details.

I was expecting to see this last week, she mused as she rapidly scanned the text of the article. Ah, good, it does talk
about my youth, not my Muggle parentage. I can live with that: I'll outgrow that kind of comment. Annnd… yes, it does
mention Harry. Mm, my "closest supporter", very tactful.

Her reverie was interrupted by the arrival of a tiny stag Patronus, which circled the kitchen once before lighting on
the table in front of her. "Dear Greek goddess," came the message in Harry's voice, "dinner tonight, my place?
Sincerely, your boy toy."

Laughing, Hermione framed a reply in the affirmative, and sent it off via her own Patronus. Well, so much for Harry
sulking. He must have been as amused by the Prophet as I was. Greatly cheered, she Banished the dirty dishes to the sink
and prepared for another day at the Ministry.

*

Neville likewise saw the Tuesday Prophet, at the high table in the Hogwarts Great Hall. Unlike Hermione, he hadn't known
Mignot's article was coming… but having seen it, he found he wasn't all that surprised. At first, he didn't read the
article in great detail; rather, after taking in the artist's sketch, he cast his gaze across the assembled students at
breakfast. Several pockets of students seemed downcast by the article – sixth and seventh year girls, mostly – but
Neville was primarily interested in one particular trio of Gryffindors.

At the moment, Mr. Lupin was holding the newspaper gingerly: he was shaking his head in apparent resignation as he read
the front page. Miss Weasley-Minor seemed on the verge of tears; Miss Weasley-Major had an arm wrapped around the
younger girl's shoulders, comforting her. A crush, Neville supposed – certainly, by all the gossip of the castle's
portraits and ghosts, there were crushes aplenty on the new substitute teacher – but Rose's would be a more awkward
crush than the others. Neville pondered for a moment whether he should intervene… and if so, as Head of House or as a
family friend.

He'd just about decided that it was better, all things considered, to stay aloof of Rose's personal issues, when another
personal issue arrived via the morning owls. Neville took the letter proffered by the tiny owl, read it, and sighed
resignedly… he supposed it was only to be expected.

Neville: I know you know how to reach Harry. I HAVE to talk to him. TODAY, lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. Tell him it's
URGENT. – Ron.

*

"Urgent, you said?" Harry asked politely. He took a sip of butterbeer and waited for Ron to broach his subject. Once
they'd settled whatever that was – though he had a very strong hunch what Ron's issue would be – Harry had his own
reason for keeping this meeting.

"Yeah," Ron replied, and fell silent. He didn't drink, but kept his eyes fixed on Harry. You couldn't call it a stare,
exactly, but it was just as unwavering.

After a minute, Harry broke the silence. "I'm bollocks at Legilimency, Ron."

Ron regarded Harry for another few moments, before extracting the Prophet from his pocket and tossing it onto the table.
The paper had been folded to display the sketch of Harry and Hermione.

"Yeah, I saw that too," said Harry. "I also read the article, which I'll bet is more than most people have done." He
raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

Ron scowled. "Skimmed it." He tapped one finger repeatedly on the sketch. "Hermione knew she'd be getting grief as
Minister. That's not why I wanted to talk to you. I want to talk about this."

"'This' is an artist's interpretation of a faked photograph in a foreign newspaper," Harry said without heat. "What else
is there to say about it?"

"The photo was taken in Greece, right? They may have faked some details, but you and Hermione were in Greece together
when it was taken, right?"

"You know we were, Ron." Harry sighed, took another drink, and leaned back in his chair. "It was just after Hermione's
Rebirthday Party… after the reporters told her she'd been elected, but before the Wizengamot could confirm it
officially. It was her last chance to take a holiday for, well, years. Should she not have jumped at the chance?"

"The holiday's not the point, Harry. Greece isn't the point, Harry. You know what the point is, Harry!" Ron kept his
voice low with an effort, but Harry could see his face turning red. Some things never changed.

"All right, Ron. Just remember, you brought this up." Harry downed his remaining butterbeer in a gulp and set the
tankard down with a heavy clunk. "We went to Greece together, yes, as you already knew from the photo. Yes, we stayed at
the same hostel." Both Harry's gaze and voice were perfectly level. "Same room." Pause, then more quietly, "Same bed."

Now Ron was definitely staring.

"Do you need more details?" Harry concluded, very quiet now. There was no trace of a threat in his attitude – but
Gibraltar would have been no less immovable.

"No." Ron cleared his throat, hawked, and took a quick swallow. "No, I understand just fine, thanks." He said nothing
more, and an awkward silence descended.

"Well. Okay, then." Harry canted his head. "I must say, you're taking this better than I expected."

"What's to take? The Boy Who Lived Again is having a go with the Minister of Magic. Quite the natural thing, really, if
you think about it."

"Don't do this, Ron. Don't. It's not as though you're married to her anymore. You handed her the Decree Absolute
yourself."

"And you didn't exactly let the grass grow under your feet, did you?" Ron hissed with unexpected venom.

Harry managed to stop himself before he reminded Ron about Felicia – he wasn't supposed to know about Felicia. Instead,
he opted for a soft answer. "I've known her as long as you have," he said, almost gently. "Loved her as a friend since
before our voices changed. Counted on her, right up to the day I died… and since. No, Ron, if anything, I think I let
far too much grass grow. I was stupid for years, too many years – before and after I died – but not any more. So if
you've got a problem seeing her with me, say so now."

Ron didn't reply, not immediately. He drank from his own butterbeer, looking off to the side… he no longer seemed able
to meet Harry's eyes. He sighed heavily, took another drink, and pushed his tankard away. He leaned his elbows on the
table and rubbed his brow, still not looking at Harry. Finally, he mumbled, "Yah, well… I reckon if I've got a problem
seeing her with you, it's my problem, innit? Nothing 'ud change. You'd still be with her."

"I'm so glad you understand that." Harry reached out and squeezed Ron's shoulder; when Ron looked up, he gave Ron a wry
smile. "Would it make you feel better if you gave me the standard If-you-ever-hurt-her-I'll-hurt-you-worse speech? Or
shall we take that as said and move on?"

"Guh! Move on, move on." Ron bit into a sandwich, swallowed without chewing, and added, "Although I will hurt you."

"Right. Moving on." Harry motioned Ron closer as he drew his wand and silently cast Muffliato around their table. Even
though there was little chance they'd be overheard in the Leaky Cauldron, Harry recalled all too painfully what had
happened in the Hog's Head, during his fifth year, when he'd failed to take such precautions.

And despite the Muffliato, he still couldn't help lowering his voice. "Tell me what you know about Rose's 'illness'."

Ron was suddenly alert, no longer resentful but focused. "You know about…? Yeah, right, you would. Okay, then, it
started with a note I got from Hermione, telling me that I was going to hear that Rosie was deathly ill, right? And that
I was to act like it was true, but it wasn't. It was a plot. I'm guessing someone was threatening Rosie to get at
Hermione?"

"Got it in one," Harry nodded. "The plot was to poison Rose and make the antidote conditional on Hermione's good
behavior. They could tell the Minister to do anything, and she'd have to do it. We caught it before Rose could be dosed,
but so far we haven't caught the ones responsible."

"Yet? But… I mean, Robards? The Aurors?"

"Hermione daren't use them. Why, would you believe it, Ron, there are people inside the Ministry she can't trust.
Imagine that." Harry shrugged. "Which isn't to say she doesn't have her resources. And they're looking for the
blackmailers… pursuing several leads, from what I can gather. And you know what else?"

Ron shook his head.

"We are going to beat them to it," Harry finished with a triumphant grin, and pulled out his notebook.

*

Hogsmeade. Same relationship as Sirius. Potter. Damn Potter.

Hogsmeade. I'll show them. I'll show them all.

Spinner's End, New Mills, Lancashire. Yeah, that'll have to be enough.

Post Office, Hogsmeade. I need an owl. Domestic delivery.

12 Grimmauld Place, London. Good morning, Mother.

12 Grimmauld Place, London. As I told you, I had some things to attend to. What do we have for breakfast?

12 Grimmauld Place, London. Let's just say I was working some of my contacts. I am still looking for gainful employment,
after all.

12 Grimmauld Place, London. Nothing concrete yet, I'm afraid. Most people aren't exactly eager to hire an applicant with
my résumé, shall we say. I'm going to need a good word from someone.

12 Grimmauld Place, London. As a matter of fact, I'm meeting with someone today. Don't worry, I shall be the soul of
discretion.

12 Grimmauld Place, London. Oh, Mother, please. I can't speak for you, but I don't intend to live on half-blood charity
for a day longer than necessary.

12 Grimmauld Place, London. Of course not. I would never say that to his face. Credit me with a little intelligence.

12 Grimmauld Place, London. Yes, well, don't forget, Potter's presence changes everything. I mean, who do you think the
half-blood will favor…?

12 Grimmauld Place, London. It's all a question of timing. If…

12 Grimmauld Place, London. Mother, I don't want to know about your plans. And trust me when I say, you don't want to
know about mine. If you'll excuse me?

The Crowned Hart, Godric's Hollow, Wales. Thank you for coming. I felt we needed to keep each other up to date. Join me
in a pint?

The Crowned Hart, Godric's Hollow, Wales. You won't mind if I do, then.

The Crowned Hart, Godric's Hollow, Wales. From my end, everything's proceeding smoothly. The girl is still reporting to
Pomfrey every five days.

The Crowned Hart, Godric's Hollow, Wales. I told you I've cultivated a source inside Hogwarts. And that reminds me, I'm
going to need some more cash if we're to continue using her.

The Crowned Hart, Godric's Hollow, Wales. Good. That brings us to the main reason we're here. I'm running low on
ingredients. Here's the list. I need you to arrange to get them for me.

The Crowned Hart, Godric's Hollow, Wales. Because they're illegal, they're expensive, and they aren't local. They have
to be brought in. The iocaine from Australia, the lightning wort from…

The Crowned Hart, Godric's Hollow, Wales. Because we don't dare run short. If the girl dies, her value as a hostage is
lost. Worse, it would put us at immediate risk. I'd have thought this was obvious.

The Crowned Hart, Godric's Hollow, Wales. I overestimated my stocks. Many of them had gone bad over the years. And… I
suppose it won't hurt to tell you that I'm pursuing a project of my own as well.

The Crowned Hart, Godric's Hollow, Wales. You don't need to know.

The Crowned Hart, Godric's Hollow, Wales. It can't be traced back to you, so leave it. Just get me the supplies I need
to further our plan. You're best situated to bring them in, and do it, shall we say, clandestinely. Now, what
developments on your end?

The Crowned Hart, Godric's Hollow, Wales. I understand. But it's unfortunate. My straits are grown rather desperate.

The Crowned Hart, Godric's Hollow, Wales. All right, I'll be patient. I haven't much choice, have I? But I can't wait
forever.

*

"That's all I could read of the transcript," said Harry. "Apart from some bits I left out, like when he was singing in
the shower."

"Draco bloody Malfoy," breathed Ron. "You think he's the one poisoning my daughter?"

"Sounds like it, doesn't it? Mind you, none of this is proof. The ferret's careful not to name names out loud. We don't
know who he's talking to, here at the Crowned Hart, and he never mentions Rose by name. But he does mention one
ingredient that I know was in the poison sent to Rose: iocaine. The mere possession of which is enough to send him back
to Azkaban, never mind anything else."

"So we need to prove he possesses it, and isn't only talking about it." Ron nodded sharply. "Right, then, I think a
visit to Grimmauld Place is in order, don't you?"

Harry shook his head. "Not Grimmauld Place. Assuming Malfoy's the one who's… well, whoever's behind this, they've
already shown they're careful about hiding their tracks. If it's Malfoy, he won't keep incriminating evidence where he's
living. And… and besides, I'd rather not involve Ted and Andromeda if I can avoid it."

"Mmmph." Ron acknowledged Harry's reasoning with a grimace, and peered more closely at Harry's notebook. He pointed a
finger at one line. "What's this, then? Spinner's End? I don't recognize it."

"Neither do I. I've never heard of it before… certainly not in relation to any Malfoy." Harry nodded approvingly. "Which
would make it the perfect place for a Malfoy to be, wouldn't it, if he was breaking the law." He raised a hand as Ron
started to get to his feet. "Of course, we don't want to be seen breaking the law either, Ron. If nothing else, it would
reflect badly on Hermione."

Ron retook his seat reluctantly. "Well, then, what exactly do you suggest?"

"I suggest looking before we leap, that's all." Harry smiled. "As it turns out, my afternoon's free. Can you take the
rest of the day off from work?"

*

"We should've brought food," grumbled Ron.

There's no Leviosa charm powerful enough, thought Harry, but he kept it to himself.

They'd found a spot where they could watch the house on Spinner's End in relative comfort, without being noticed. For
good measure, Harry had Disillusioned them both. (He still hadn't managed to recreate the powerful Notice-Me-Not charm
he'd used in Athens – not on command, anyway -- and in any case, it would've made it hard for them to converse.) Now
they sat like hunters in a blind, waiting for the prey to return to the nest.

For the tenth time, Ron asked, "You're sure this is the right place?"

For the tenth time, Harry replied, "I'm sure." He debated with himself, then decided that explanations might forestall
an eleventh time. "This is the only house on this street with any signs of magic. I can see the wards on this place, and
they're pretty impressive. I can't tell what all of them do, but… let's just say it's a good thing we didn't decide to
Apparate directly inside."

"You can see the wards?"

Harry shrugged. "Not see, really, but I can't describe it better than that. I'm beginning to wonder whether Dumbledore
could… hold up." He craned forward, staring, as a figure materialized in front of the door of the house. "We've
company."

It was Draco Malfoy, sure enough. He carried in one hand a bag of what appeared to be groceries; the other hand cradled
two or three small boxes. Harry focused his magical senses, and was surprised to discover that the boxes themselves were
individually warded. The wards kept him from sensing what was in the boxes, though the wards themselves were 'visible'.
A careful plotter, right, he told himself savagely. Now what could be in those boxes that's so sensitive you don't even
want to risk setting off the Ministry's detectors?

"Here we go, Ron," he murmured, as he dispelled Ron's Disillusion with a tap of his wand, "just as we rehearsed."

Ron nodded. He waited until Malfoy had opened the door – not using a key, he noted, but by waving his forearm in front
of the knocker – and was on his way inside. Then he darted from their hiding place, arriving at the door just as it was
about to close. One foot in the door kept it open, as he perfunctorily knocked on the jamb. "Hi there, got a minute?"

"You! Get out!" yelled Malfoy predictably, and just as predictably began to draw his wand. By doing so, however, he lost
control of the door, and Ron easily used his superior size to force it open far enough to step inside.

"You're trespassing, Weasel," snarled Malfoy. His wand was out now, pointed at Ron's face.

"Call the Enforcers, then," Ron replied, much more casually than he felt. "Or hex me, in a house where there's not
supposed to be any magic users." He took a step into the room, leaving the door open behind him. As Harry had told him,
he kept his eyes moving around the room, taking in details that might later be available in an evidentiary Pensieve: the
stuffed bookcases, the photograph on one wall, the long table on which rested a cauldron, beakers, ingredient bottles…

Malfoy stood motionless, considering his options, while the wand never left Ron's face. "I said get out," he finally
growled. It confirmed Ron's suspicions: Malfoy very, very much wanted to avoid drawing the Ministry's attention to this
place. As long as the door was open, breaching the house's extensive wards, Malfoy wouldn't try to use any dangerous
spells.

Ron certainly hoped not.

He raised his empty hands, not in surrender, but to show his peaceable intentions. "I just thought we might have a
little talk, that's all. Once we're done, I'll leave, honest."

"I've had enough of your 'little talks' to last me forever, Weasel." Slowly, never taking his eyes off Ron, Malfoy
crouched to where he'd dropped his boxes and groceries to the floor. He began to collect them with one hand, the other
hand keeping his wand trained on Ron.

"Oh, but we never talked about our children before, Malfoy. That's always an interesting topic, don't you think?"

Malfoy froze in place. After a long moment, he sneered, "What in Merlin's name makes you think that I care about your
stupid spawn, Weasel? Other than the fact that there's one more redheaded mistake in the world?"

"Oh, Malfoy, how can you say you don't care? I felt sure my daughter interested you." Ron took another step. "You
certainly seem to've been paying her attention."

"I have no idea what you're babbling about." Malfoy reached for the last box on the floor. As his fingers touched it,
the box tumbled away. As it came to rest, the box opened and spilled its contents onto the floor – including a
transparent packet of white powder.

Malfoy scrambled to collect the scattered contents, but the lone packet slid along the floor, seemingly of its own
accord, staying just out of his reach. He made one more desperate lunge – then, as he realized what must be happening,
he swept his wand across the room. "Cave Inimicum!" he cried, and his wand flashed red for an instant. Immediately, he
followed up with "Homenum Revelio!"

Harry stumbled as his Disillusionment charm was abruptly cancelled. Damn, he complained silently, I didn't think Malfoy
was powerful enough to do that. Right, no more mistakes, I can't afford 'em. Slowly he straightened, keeping one foot
between Malfoy and the packet of powder… clearly ready to kick the packet away, even out the door, if Malfoy made a
threatening move.

"Doctor Iocaine, I presume?" he said quietly. The two pure-blooded wizards probably wouldn't get the reference, but
Harry couldn't help himself.

"Don't touch it, Harry," came a new voice. "Everyone stay where you are." Of a sudden, Dennis Creevey and Canby filled
the doorway, looking very official: Dennis held his wand at the ready, while Canby held what was obviously a warrant.

"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement having detected the presence of an unlawful Class C substance," announced
Dennis in a loud voice, "we are here under warrant to search these premises. All present are advised that anything they
say may be used as evidence before the Wizengamot."

"Mister Harry must have thought MLE is full of idiots," added Canby critically.

Harry gave him a rueful smile and stepped away from the packet of iocaine. "Mister Harry thought MLE's hands were tied.
I apologize."

"The Minister asked us for heightened magical sweeps for controlled substances… particularly iocaine, for some reason,"
replied Dennis with a perfectly straight face. "We would have knocked, but the door was already open. Mr. Malfoy, if you
would please stand up slowly and step away from those boxes…? And please leave your wand on the floor. Thank you." He
waited until Malfoy had backed away, then gestured for Canby to collect the goods.

None of them realized that Malfoy's retreat took him closer to the Potions worktable. Malfoy waited a moment, then edged
slightly closer still.

Canby, in the meantime, was levitating the packet between his hands without touching it. He breathed smoke on the
packet, and a fingerprint became visible on one side. "It is iocaine," he announced. "The finger mark is the same as…"
He looked around, spotted Malfoy's wand on the floor, and bent over to breathe smoke upon it as well. "As the mark on
this wand," he concluded grimly.

"That will do," Dennis nodded. "Draco Malfoy, I arrest you for the possession of…"

"NOOOOO!" Malfoy screamed, suddenly wild. "I'LL NEVER GO BACK THERE, DO YOU HEAR ME! I'D SOONER DIE!" With manic speed
he reached both arms behind him, and brought them forward again – in each hand now a flask of potion, one milk-white,
one blood-red.

Even as Dennis brought his wand to bear on Malfoy and began to cast a Full-Body Bind, Canby was moving to protect the
innocent bystander, Ron. At the same moment, Harry, who was closest to Malfoy, leaped forward – drawing his wand as he
did so – knowing there wasn't time to cast a spell – hoping to physically restrain Malfoy from whatever he was about to
do –

But Malfoy proved too quick, as he dodged Dennis's spell and, with a high-pitched triumphant cackle, smashed the flasks
together onto the floor just as Harry reached him.

And Harry's last thought was how much, in that moment, Draco resembled his Aunt Bellatrix.
