Secrets Revealed
Harry carefully placed the great sapphire called Eye of Narlroot into the outturned claws designed to hold a lens into place. It fit as perfectly as if it was meant to be there. He glanced upward and noticed something he had somehow missed before. The inside of the sleeve that would soon cover the throne was polished to a perfect sheen. The surface was almost to the point of being a mirror. Again, perfect for refracting light; or in this case magic, a thousand times over. It began to dawn on him that Heaglevert had modified the machine after his first attempt. He had come to the same conclusion as Harry had. He made changes in the machine to compensate for it. His great, great grandfather had even adjusted the holding claws to fit the Eye just so.
What Harry would not give for those torn out six pages of the journal. What would the pages say? What was learned and why did he have to hide what he discovered from the world? Somehow, Harry still felt that above it all the machine was still going to do what it had been designed for. He knew that Heaglevert would have destroyed the machine if it harmed rather than done good. So, here the moment was before him. Colette patiently strapped in and ready to go. All of her trust placed in him. He could feel Amelia's hovering presence nearby and knew that she too had put all her hopes with Harry. He turned around and saw Ginny and Neville excited by the moment that would soon come. There also, was Hermione, her eyes intently staring not at the machine, but at Harry. They reflected the love and trust she shared with him. He was going to marry that girl, he had no doubt. His life, his future was completely in his own hands. He could do with it anything he wanted… and this was most definitely what it would be.
"Are you ready?" Harry said looking back at Colette.
Colette's cloak was gone. Her tormented body was wrapped only in a pair of cotton pants and a white shirt. All the ravages her illness had done to her stood out in the open. She was for the first time in many years, completely exposed to others. Her total humiliation had been quickly replaced by a fervent hope. Perhaps this great machine would give her eyesight back to her as well. Hermione seemed to have total faith. That faith reflected inside of her as well. When everything was done her dearest Bili would see her and would never be afraid to touch her again. She began to tremble in anticipation of how it would all turn out.
Harry stepped back and with a resolute motion, pulled the lever toward him. An eerie silence filled the room as the huge brass sleeve closed down around Colette's seated form.
In a whisper Ginny spoke, "Harry? We're doing the right thing aren't we?"
"It will give her the second chance the wizarding healers never would. Here and now is when we throw off the repression of ages of hate and mistrust between muggles and our world. I will not stand one more day in which those who suffer and could be helped are turned away, because of who they are. When we prove that The Great Machine works, we will tell the world and each and every last person who suffers will be welcome here. My great, great grandfather would have wanted it no other way."
Ginny, Neville and Hermione simply stared back in awe. The magnitude of what Harry was saying truly would change the world. The three of them would have an opportunity to be a part of it. They could feel history being re-written right here inside this hidden cellar.
"Okay, everyone out of the room," Hermione spoke out.
The four of them quickly shuffled out the door and Harry shut it behind them. Teebel stood at the end of the hallway, which was as close as he would ever come. He wanted to be here to see what the great Harry Potter was going to do.
"Wait here," Harry commanded the others.
With that, Harry walked doggedly to the family crypt. He slipped inside the darkness and made his way to the back archway. He stepped up to Amelia's open coffin. There standing nearby was the ghostly figure of the girl he knew as his only real family. The Dursley's already forgotten and left in the smoke of the past left behind.
"I believe in you Harry Potter," she said earnestly.
He smiled back at her. He climbed up and looked inside. There lay the still figure of a nine year old girl's skeleton. A monument to the terrible bigotry of the wizards and witches through the ages. How they would commiserate over the ill treatment at the hands of the muggles throughout history and yet how with all the knowledge and power they had did nothing more than turn their backs on those who needed them the most.
"What a terrible waste," Harry muttered under his breath.
He reached down and curved his fingers around the small, ball-handled switch that would start the machine. He closed his eyes and waited for the right moment. He counted each breath he took, when he reached ten, he jerked his arm forward and set it all in motion. All was silent throughout the manor, except for one small place.
Inside The Great Machine sat a woman whose life had been irreparably damaged. A strange whirring sound began and she could hear the thing come to life. Long brass arms made metallic whooshing sounds as they pushed and pulled large cogs and gears into a feverous motion. The chamber felt warm against her exposed skin. She dearly wished she could see it all happening. Then a strange sensation occurred. A million tiny pin points of light lit up her vision. She could not see anything else, but she could see them. In a way, she could feel the soft lights go through her like a gentle breeze. A sound like an old man's voice could be heard echoing through her mind.
"I set out to heal my sweet daughter. Alas, for her it is too late. Now, here some time in the distant future, a descendant of my family has returned to finish my work. Will he or she learn the true secret? Will you? Hold your breath… when it is all done you will be the very first. Don't be afraid."
Colette did not recognize the voice, but it was strangely calming. She held her breath and kept so very still. The lights became intensely bright and changed the whole world from black to fiery white. Then as quickly as it began, it ended. The giant was now silent.
--- ---
"Here it goes."
Harry pulled the lever back and waited. The giant brass pipe lifted up into the ceiling. There sitting serenely was Colette waiting.
.
.
.
Ginny gasped.
.
.
.
Neville closed his eyes.
.
.
.
Hermione felt the sting of tears immediately touch her eyes. They began to pour from her face. She covered her face with her hands.
With pain in her voice she finally spoke, "It didn't work… How can this be? … It didn't work. Harry?"
Harry shook his head in total defeat. Heaglevert was wrong. Amelia was wrong. He was wrong. The machine simply did not work. He had failed. It was one of the darkest moments of his life.
"I failed," he whispered, "Ginny, set her free."
Harry turned his back and walked out of the Leakwood cellar. He walked down the hall and up the stairs. He wandered through the floor until he came back to the crypt. He did not stop until he made it all the way to the back. He sat down next to Amelia's coffin, onto the cold ground. Tears dropped into the dust from his eyes.
Amelia looked down at him. She felt a terrible frustration run through her, but that paled in comparison to the sadness she felt for Harry. She wanted so badly to wrap her arms around him and give him comfort. She could not, so she simply drifted down by his side and wrapped her ghostly arms inside of him.
"Don't be sad," she said to him. "You didn't fail. You did everything in your power and that is all my Papa could have ever asked. It just wasn't meant to be."
Harry said nothing and simply sat in the dark room and wished with all his might that it could have been different.
--- ---
"So, it didn't work?" Colette asked timidly.
"It… it doesn't look like it. How do you feel?" Hermione asked cautiously.
"Well, I still can't see and I'm still in a lot of pain, so I guess… I guess it didn't work."
Colette tried to hide the disappointment in her voice. She knew it was still there, but this was no different from every other time she had let herself give in to false hope. She had grown familiar with failure. At least she had all these new friends. For now, that would do.
"It's alright," she told the three of them, "it's sad that this didn't work out, but believe me when I say that life will go on; for all of you and for Bili and I. You'll see, you'll see."
Hermione threw her arms around Colette and held her closely.
--- ---
"Harry, it is me Teebel."
Harry could hear the house-elf's voice from outside of the crypt.
"I am being very sorry to disturb you, but there is an owl that is delivering a letter to you and is not giving it to me. I am thinking you must be getting it."
Harry pulled himself up to standing and forced his legs to walk. He came to the side of Teebel and the elf led him to the front door. There on the doorstep was the same brown owl that had delivered the warning letter that he had received a few days ago. The owl pumped its wings and flew to Harry's outstretched arm. There was a roll of parchment with his name on the outside of it. He carefully removed it and unrolled the letter.
I hope this letter finds you well. I am afraid that I am again the bearer of bad news. The Ministry of Magic has been made aware of your activities and they are on their way now. You will have but an hour at most before their arrival. I need to stress how important this is; you MUST destroy the machine. If they were to find it operational then you will be arrested and likely imprisoned. Have you figured out my clues yet? Not that I doubt your abilities of deduction, but perhaps I will nudge you in the right direction. The one who would betray you has already committed their act. The one who would see you succeed is the one who waited for you. The one who seeks that which you have hidden away has yet to be revealed. Keep your eyes open, your story is not done quite yet. By the way I am in contact with a neighbor of yours.
~A Friend~
"My friend sure is irritating," Harry snapped. "Teebel, how much power over witches and wizards do you have?"
"I am not understanding," the elf answered.
"If I were to directly order you to do something that would involve making two witches, a wizard and a muggle to be forcibly transported against their will, could you do it?"
"Harry is asking the most peculiar question. It is not normal for house-elves to be doing such things, unless it were being a grave emergency."
"Good choice of words," Harry muttered. "Teebel I order you to, by any means necessary, take Hermione, Colette, Ginny and Neville over to Bilibaum's estate and keep them there until all of this blows over. It is a life and death emergency and I will not take no as a reply."
Teebel trembled. This was not the Harry he was used to. However, he was bound to do this for him.
"I will be doing this for you Harry Potter. Though I would not be doing this for any other."
Teebel snapped his fingers and was gone. Harry sighed. If the ministry was on its way, then he was not about to let his friends go down with him. Within minutes a small box appeared at his feet. A nervous looking Teebel was next to it.
"Umm, yes, this is a thing coming from Herm-i-nee. I am going back now."
Teebel immediately left the area. Harry shook his head and picked up the box. He opened it, only to be greeted by a howler that sounded suspiciously like Hermione.
"HARRY POTTER! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF HOW MUCH TROUBLE YOU ARE IN?! AS SOON AS I FIND A WAY TO GET FREE OF TEEBEL'S ENCHANTMENT ON THE DOOR OF THE ROOM YOU HAD US STUFFED INTO, YOU CAN BET THAT I WILL BE HITTING YOU ON THE HEAD WITH LARGE, HEAVY OBJECTS! OOOOOOHH! I AM SO ANGRY I COULD JUST… I WILL SPEND THIS TIME INVENTING NEW WAYS TO MAKE YOU REGRET SENDING ME AWAY! OH, AND I love you. BUT THAT DOESN"T CHANGE ANYTHING!"
Harry winced. It was going to take a whole lot of talking to convince Hermione that he did not deserve whatever she had in store for him. That was not something he could worry about right now. He apparated down to the cellar door, pulled the handle, waited for the sounds and then walked in through when it opened. He pulled out his wand and looked around at everything. Of all the things he imagined, this was not how he imagined it would end.
Amelia gazed around the room. She could sense that everything had suddenly turned wrong. Harry was lifting his wand up.
"Harry wait! Not the sapphire. Take that out before you start," she pleaded.
Harry nodded silently, walked over and pulled the Eye of Narlroot out of its resting place and slipped it into his inside coat pocket. With a deep breath he began to unleash a crescendo of curses and spells designed to tear everything apart with maximum effectiveness. His repertoire would have made Hermione proud. With each spell hurled a piece of him cried out. He had failed his family. Now he was betraying the last legacy of his great, great grandfather. Here in front of his long dead daughter Harry was rending apart the thing he had created to save her.
In the end, he accepted he had no other choice. If it was just him then he would have fought the ministry, but knowing he had involved his friends changed everything. There was no way, under any circumstances he would risk getting them sent to Azkaban. He loved them too much to let that happen. So, he sacrificed everything he had done since he came to his new home.
After unleashing his torrent of destruction, Harry stopped to take it all in. There was no trace of any of the papers, charts or the journal. The model of the machine was now nothing more than a hardened puddle. Even the tables were burnt into ash. The Great Machine was now a smoldering hunk of unrecognizable metal. No one could even fathom what it might originally have been now. Not even if a hundred more generations were to come and go, would it ever be able to be rebuilt. His work was done. He left the room and hurried back to the front entry. He sat in an antique wooden chair that Teebel had placed there and waited.
--- ---
Griltskin was dancing a wobbly jig and cackling in delight. The Unspeakable were coming. They would take Harry away and the jewel would be in his stricken hands. It was almost over.
--- ---
"Teebel," Ginny pleaded, "Pleeeeeaase let us out."
"I am being very sorry, but Harry is saying that it is life and death. If you were to be being at the manor when they come then you will be being put in Azkaban. Please don't be angry with Teebel."
"What do you mean Azkaban?" Neville piped up. "Who exactly is coming to the manor?"
"I am guessing it is okay to be telling you. Ministry of Magic is knowing what Harry has been doing and they are coming for him. Harry is having to face them and he is not wanting you to be there when they are coming."
"Oh dear," Colette said aloud, "this is all my fault."
She then told all of them exactly what had happened the day that the strange wizard had come to visit her.
--- ---
"Harry Potter?" the cloaked figure asked.
"Yes," Harry replied, "that's me."
The figure stepped forward and handed Harry an official looking document.
"We have been ordered to search your home. If we find what we believe we will then you are to be placed under arrest. Do you understand what I am saying to you?"
"Yes," Harry answered.
The figure flicked the wand he had been aiming directly at Harry. A sound of metal clanking could be heard as a steel cage appeared around Harry.
"Do not touch the bars of this cage," came the figure again, "you will be unpleasantly surprised at the shock you will feel."
Harry was careful not to. Immediately another seven or so cloaked wizards appeared out of nowhere and entered the manor. Harry hoped dearly that they would not find the cellar and if they did, he sincerely hoped that they would not know what had once been there.
--- ---
"Bili?" Colette said.
"Ah, my dear, you could always tell when I am around."
Bili was standing just outside the doorway.
"Is Harry's house-elf still keeping you in there?" Bili asked.
"Yes," the group replied in unison.
Teebel's small shoulders drooped noticeably. He was not popular with the current crowd.
"I have a letter for you Teebel."
Bili slid the letter beneath the door. Teebel scampered over and opened it. After reading it carefully he nodded his head.
"It is okay for all of you to be being free now. Please remember not to be angry at Teebel. I am only following what good Harry Potter is asking me."
With a snap the door opened and Bilibaum walked inside. He wrapped his arms around Colette and kissed her on the forehead.
"What are we going to do?" Ginny asked with worry.
"Do?" Bili replied, "Why not a thing of course. I have it on good authority that everything is going to work out just fine."
"On whose authority?" Hermione asked impatiently.
Teebel jumped up and down.
"Oh, I am knowing Herm-i-nee, I am knowing. On authority of Harry Potter's very good friend. It is being right here in this letter." Teebel said excitedly.
"And just who would that be?" Neville interrupted.
"The one who has been sending Harry letters all this time, the great Dumbledore."