Chapter Three: Goodbye, Merlin, and an Orphanage
As the door to the study closed, Hermione sighed and pushed her way into a standing position at the table. Whenever he had morning practices, she would either train with Ron and Ginny - or rather, teach them what she knew about bladed combat - or go to the library to read. Given how both Ginny and Ron seemed to be involved in some sort of odd staring contest involving a bowl of sweets that had appeared with Tonks that morning, she decided it would be better to go to the library.
Nestling into her favourite chair, she pushed the elven texts to the side and pulled forward a book that looked older than any other one that could have been found in the library with the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. The covers were both worn with age, but nothing was damaged that she had discovered. Since the book belonged to Harry - it was her birthday present to him last year, as well as the golden bracelet he now wore around his wrist - she treated it with even more care than she did her own books, which was saying something. The title was faded, but had been written in golden lettering.
`The Source of Magic and the Power of Charms, Curses, and Jinxes.'
She had also read it through a couple of times, but as with many old magical books, things seemed to change on occasion. Something was calling to her from within the book suddenly, and so she pulled open the worn covers, letting the pages flip themselves as she had seen them do a few times in the past.
The book settled down with the pages split down the middle, though both open pages were practically blank. Only a few lines on one side marked them as special in the slightest, or even worth bothering with.
Life and death, love and hate, light and dark, good and evil.
From the mouths of children, innocence to transcend all barriers is found,
Only to be striped away as their purity is lost.
Strength of magics... a gift beyond all gifts without knowledge or intent.
As soon as she had read the words, they started to fade again as the book started flipping through itself, finally closing the covers and sealing the wisdom within once more. Hermione quickly pulled a piece of parchment over to her and scribbled out what had been written, but found the words becoming more and more impossible to write, even though she could remember them. It was as though the book itself was keeping her from making a record of what she had read, keeping her from letting the thoughts stay fresh in her mind for a later date.
When she looked away from the ancient tome and back to the parchment where she had been writing, she was surprised to find that she had written something completely different, foreign... in the ancient language itself. She pulled over the translations Harry had left for her quickly and matched up the six words she had scribbled out. "Flames, courage, blood, fear, power, and love?" she muttered to herself as she double checked her work. It didn't seem to make a lot of sense, but she promised herself that she'd be doing some research in the near future about it.
Just as she was tucking the parchment into one of the elven books that she was planning on looking at later, the door to the library opened slowly, almost hesitantly, and Ginny stuck her head through to look around.
"Oh thank Merlin," she breathed, quickly slipping inside and closing the door behind her. "Mum hasn't been up here yet, has she?"
"It's just been me in here since Harry left for his lesson this morning," Hermione admitted. "Why? What's wrong?" Her first thought was that Ginny's mother was going on about the sleep arrangements again, and that put her on edge without even realising it.
"Since her telling off yesterday, she's been trying harder and harder to control every part of Ron and my lives!" Ginny said, throwing her hands up in the air. "Its like she's lost one battle but refuses to back down about anything else!"
Hermione groaned softly and stood up. "I'm sorry, Gin," she said quickly. "That's not what we were trying to do at all. Do you think it would help if..."
"I wanna go to the backyard," Ginny said firmly, cutting off the seventh year Gryffindor. "I just wanna let go and not think about all this, please?"
"Well, sure, why ask me?" Hermione said. "Just go and fly." She knew what the youngest Weasley meant by letting go - she wanted to sing as a nightingale and forget everything else. "You don't need me there, too, do you?"
Ginny shook her head quickly and put a hand on both Hermione's shoulders. "You don't understand!" she said urgently. "Every time I go out to sing, Mum's there before I can even notice, and then she just talks to me, complaining about anything that comes to mind! I know she doesn't know it's me she's talking to, but she's always had this weird thing for talking to birds, even at..." she trailed off suddenly as her face paled slightly. It was obvious that she was about to mention the Burrow, which had been blown apart last year.
"And you don't see her coming out if I'm there, is that it?" Hermione asked with a fake grin. "She's pretty upset with me, isn't she?"
"Yeah, but she'll get over it," Ginny admitted. "But can I please take advantage of it for now?"
Hermione smiled to the younger girl and nodded. "Sure," she said. "Besides, your singing it pretty relaxing you know. It'll help me take my mind off... things." She didn't need to tell Ginny what that meant - she was still wondering about what secrets Harry was being forced to keep.
With a soft popping sound as air filled in the space she had just been standing, Ginny became her animagus form - the small brown and grey bird known for it's song. She flew up and gently landed on Hermione's shoulder, sidestepping quickly to be right next to her head. Hermione just chuckled to herself as she flipped her hair back and over, hiding the small bird from view.
It was odd how when people had once called her hair so bushy that it could be a bird's nest she had thought it an insult. Now, however, being able to hide Ginny in her hair as the two snuck outside brought a smile to her face.
She picked up one of the old elven books - the book on potions, oddly enough - and then left the library. Pausing at the kitchen door, she called to whoever was inside that she was just stepping into the backyard for a bit of light reading. When her father called back, she let out the small breath she had been holding in case it was Molly inside before turning and going down the hall.
It was a few minutes later that the soft trills of song filled the yard that no one not in on the secret could even see. Hermione was sitting against the house with her book propped open in her lap, but she had her head back and eyes closed as she listened to the soothing melody coming from the nightingale Ginny.
"Amazing as always, Gem," she whispered in the short lull between songs. Ginny chirped up to her and almost hopped along the ground before spreading her wings to land on Hermione's knee. Then she started another song, softer and more peaceful than the last.
The fluttering of wings made Hermione open her eyes again quickly, given how Gem was still singing on her knee. Looking up to the sky to find the source of the noise, her gasp caused Ginny to fall silent and look up as well. With a quick pop, she fell to the ground next to Hermione in her human form in her surprise.
There were dozens of owls in the sky overhead, all circling the house as they started their descent. Obviously they saw the two in the backyard as they all settled on the ground before them. The door opened quickly as Remus, Tonks, Molly, and Arthur all rushed outside to find out what was going on.
Hermione stood quickly before any of the adults could move and took a step towards the closest owl. It lifted its foot and let her take the letter that had been tied there. She unfurled it to find out who it was addressed to.
"Harry Potter, Leader of the DA." The bird didn't wait for her to offer it any treats before taking off to the sky again, letting the next one come forward. "Harry Potter, Leader of the DA," she read again. Ginny came up beside her to help, and quickly the two made short work of all the owls in front of them.
In the end, there were seven letters addressed solely to Harry - one of which had come from a Ministry Owl - and eight letters addressed to "Leaders of the DA." There was also a single letter for Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Hermione Granger, all from Ministry Owls as well.
"So what's all this about, then?" Tonks asked, speaking up before any of the other adults could. "Fan mail, perhaps?"
"I doubt it," Arthur said softly. "Not with those Ministry Owls." He looked to his wife quickly and smiled to her. "I think we should find Ron and see about getting Harry out of his lesson a little early this morning."
"What do you know, Arthur?" Molly asked, suddenly suspicious of the grin on her husband's face. "What's going on?"
"You'll find out in due time, dear," he said quickly. "Let's just say Amelia spoke with me a couple of days ago when these four owls were returned, unable to find any of the kids. I told her how to address the letters instead - just the names would do the trick - and here they are. As for the others..."
The door to the house banged open suddenly and Ron appeared in the doorway. "Hey, what's going on out here?" he asked. Hermione immediately handed him the letter with his name on it, and he glanced down at it quickly. Seeing the Ministry seal on the back, he looked up to his parents again. "I didn't do anything wrong, honest!"
"Guilty conscience, brother?" Ginny asked with a giggle. "Don't worry, Hermione and I got one too. And we've got one for Harry, and then a whole pile of letters from members of the DA."
"Could I request we take this inside?" Remus suggested. "Some of us aren't as young as we once were, and would find this easier siting down." The fact that the full moon was only a couple of days away was probably closer to the truth, but no one mentioned that fact.
"What, tired out this morning, wolfie?" Tonks asked with a grin. "Seems to me you didn't complain last night when..."
"Tonks!" Molly practically screamed at the young Auror, who's hair flashed from light brown to a shocking pink in surprise. "There are children present! And we don't need to hear about..."
"No one's been able to fix my mouth in years, Molly," Tonks said with a grin. "Sorry, I'll try to watch it in the future," she added, turning away. Once Remus saw her wink, and he was barely able to keep himself from groaning at that.
On the way, Hermione discretely slit the seal on the letter to her and pulled out the parchment, pausing for a second or two to scan it before moving to catch up. Her squeal of shock brought that fact to everyone's attention as they turned to face her. "Second Class?" she read out loud. "Second?" she repeated.
Taking her cue, Ron ripped open his letter in the hall too and pulled out his own parchment. In an official sounding voice - sounding mockingly like Percy - he started to read. "Mr. Ronald Weasley. First, we wish to offer our condolences to your experiences at the beginning of this current year involving your kidnapping by You-Know-Who." He paused for a second and looked away from the parchment. "They actually wrote You-Know-Who, can you believe it?" He didn't wait for a reply before looking back. "Thanks to your firm commitment and loyalty, You-Know-Who failed to break your resolve or spirit - for that, you have my personal thanks. For persevering through such difficult times and coming back for all intents and purposes stronger than when you left, you will be awarded the Order of Merlin, Second Class!"
"What?" Molly shrieked in surprise, looking quickly to Arthur, who had a large smile on his face. "You knew about this for how long?"
"Just a couple of days, Molly," he reassured her. "Don't worry."
"Signed Amelia Bones, acting Minister of Magic, Second Chair of the Wizengamot..." Ron looked up from his letter in shock and looked around. He saw Ginny pulling out her own letter to scan it before sitting down hard on the ground. "What it is?"
"Second Class..." she muttered to herself. "For being a leader of a group of students who had the bravery and skills to attack You-Know-Who's fortress and doing everything possible to ensure the best results..."
"That's not all," Hermione said in a quiet voice that was almost a whisper. "But every member of the DA is getting an Order of Merlin... leaders of groups are getting Second Class, followers Third Class... and Cho and Dean are both getting First Class for willingly giving their lives in the fight against the Dark Arts."
Tonks caught Hermione's arm before she could fall - it was looking dangerously close that she was going to collapse in shock - and led the girl to the kitchen for a seat. Everyone else followed quickly and also took seats, too shocked to do otherwise. "Why would they tell you all that, Hermione?" Tonks asked once they were sitting.
"It says that they spoke to a few other members of the DA - members that they could find, anyway - who said that Harry is the leader of the DA, but I'm second in command. Apparently they thought I should know that the rest of the group is being honoured as well," Hermione explained. She looked up as the door opened again, revealing an extremely tired looking Harry.
The fact that there was a bloodstain on the sleeve to his robes caught her attention first, and she pulled herself to her feet to rush over to him, only to find him rushing towards her as well. She didn't have a chance to inspect the injury before finding herself enveloped in his warm embrace.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly, his voice carrying through the entire room. The others had barely even noticed the tears on Hermione's face, but apparently Harry had noticed them immediately.
She shook her head as she tried to find her voice, but only managed to let out a long, shuddered breath instead. "Nothing's wrong, Harry," Arthur said for her in a firm voice. "But we are a bit shocked. This should explain everything," he added, pulling out the letter from the Ministry from Harry.
Harry nodded to the table, and Arthur set the letter down in front of an empty chair. Hermione then pulled a bit away from Harry and put a hand against his arm where he had obviously been injured earlier. The fact that he winced did not go unnoticed by her, and she immediately pulled aside the sleeve to his robe, revealing a long gash on his arm and the fact that the blood was actually running down the length of his skin and now dripping off his hand to the ground. It had pooled slightly at his elbow when he was holding her, keeping the blood off her clothes, but she didn't care.
Ignoring the cries of surprise and worry from those behind her, Hermione placed her bare hand against the injury without any prompting from Harry. He smiled down lightly to her as a warm white glow surrounded the torn skin and it knit itself back together.
"Thanks, Mione," he whispered. "Talisien was going to fix it, but then I..."
"Then Harry decided to leave training early to find out what was going on," Talisien's calm voice said from the doorway. "I apologise... normally he's healed and cleaned up before a lesson's complete."
"You've been injuring him?" Molly screamed in surprise at the elf. "Just what do you think..."
Harry's hand being raised in the air was all the warning she had before finding her voice stripped from her again. "Please do not yell at my Professor for this, Molly," he said softly. "I do not have any complaints, and like he said, I am always healed and clean before leaving a lesson. I was in a hurry to find out what was happening this time, though," he explained before lowering his hand and muttering something under his breath.
The silencing charm broken, it looked almost like Molly was about to say something else before Hermione turned around and picked up Harry's letter, handing it back to him so he could look at it. He smiled to her and gave her a quick kiss before turning back to Talisien.
"It is quite alright, Harry," Talisien said, cutting him off. "We were just about done your last lesson with me anyway. I will be leaving today after lunch. It has been a pleasure to teach you what I can."
"Thank you sir," Harry said firmly, meeting the elf's brown eyes with his own vibrant green ones as though daring him to say anything about the formal title. When Talisien sighed, Harry smiled. "I mean it. Talisien, few would have taken the effort that you have, so thanks."
The elf nodded once before disappearing from view. When he did not reappear right away, Harry looked back to everyone else before returning his attention once more to the letter in his hands. He pulled the parchment out of the envelop and scanned the contents quickly.
In an action almost too fast to follow, he held up the letter and tore it in half before turning away from everyone else. "I refuse," he said in a hard, almost cold voice. "Though I encourage the rest of you to accept."
The effects his actions and words had on those gathered was pure chaos. Shouts and cries of surprise and concern echoed through the kitchen before he turned back to them again. "Harry..." Remus said softly as silence fell. "You should really think about this first."
"I have," Harry said firmly. "I thought it was a possibility at the end of last year," he explained. "And I already knew then that I couldn't accept this."
"You can't just refuse an honour like this, mate!" Ron said quickly. "I mean, well, I guess you could, but why would you?"
"He has a good reason," Tonks said softly, looking to him in a calculating manner. "Don't you, Harry?"
Hermione stepped towards him and put a hand on his arm again, gently drawing his gaze away from everyone else in the room and back to her. "This is about Dean and Cho, isn't it?"
"I've never wanted fame or riches," Harry replied in a whisper that carried. "And the only time I get it is when people I care about die."
"In that case, I'm turning it down too," Ginny said firmly, moving to pick up her letter. Ron nodded solemnly and picked up his letter as well.
"No," Harry said, halting them before they, too, could tear the parchment in half. "You all should accept. You weren't leading them."
"But Harry," Ron started, only to stop when the cloaked Gryffindor shook his head.
"Please."
After a short staring contest between the two, Ron finally sat down again and sighed before nodding. When Harry turned to Ginny next, she looked defiant for a second or two before she, too, sat down and nodded slowly. "You do realise, Harry, that this will make you even more famous than if you accepted it?" Arthur asked quietly. At Harry's sudden gaze, he went on quickly. "No one has ever refused an Order of Merlin before."
"I don't care," Harry said firmly. "I can't accept it... not when I failed."
"You brought Ron and Luna back!" Molly pointed out. "You can't call that a complete failure!"
"I traded a life for a life," Harry said in return. "And although I'm beyond glad that Ron and Luna are both back with us, safe and sound... there's a part of me that hates me for that! I'm putting more value on one life than another!"
"But that's what makes you human," Hermione said softly. "Every life has value, but to each person, that value is different. Even though you try to hold everyone as valuable, there's no helping that."
"Besides," Ginny said quickly before Harry could reply to Hermione. "You didn't trade a life for a life - you saved three people, and you destroyed the Crystal of Guidance. Yeah, I'd be happier if none of us had died, too, but you can't change the past."
Harry sighed and pulled the hood up on his cloak, an action that was extremely rare in the house. "Sometimes, I think you can't change the future, either," he said softly. He held up a hand quickly and shook his head. "I'm sorry... I just need a bit of time to think. I'll join you all for lunch in a bit," he offered before turning and leaving through the door.
When Hermione moved to follow him, she found the hallway deserted.
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Although Hermione even used her kneazle senses to try and find him, Harry remained on his own until the first plate of sandwiches were placed on the table in the kitchen. Ron and Ginny had both helped her look for him, but in the deceptively large house, he seemed to be able to hide better than anyone had thought possible.
To Molly's surprise, Talisien had let himself into the kitchen while she was speaking with Arthur, Remus, and Tonks about the Order of Merlins, and had started to prepare a luncheon for everyone present. Although the food looked familiar, in that there were plates and plates of sandwiches, the bread had an odd blackish green tinge to it, and the meat was obviously from an unknown animal.
He had also provided drinks in large ornate glass pitchers that she had never seen before. On the side of each, etched in a rich gold, was an oak leaf with a crown above. Although Hermione explained that it was the symbol of the family of Oak in the elven world - Talisien's family - it really went without saying. The pitchers were all filled with a pink liquid that was both sweet and tangy, but didn't leave the mouth with the usual sugary feel to it. He even assured both Mike and Jane Granger - knowing they were both dentists - that the sugars were all natural and it was actually quite good for the teeth.
It was only by the wind of the opening door that Hermione looked up in the end. She hadn't heard it open or heard footsteps in the hall, but she did feel the wind on her back, and she turned quickly to find Harry letting himself into the kitchen to join everyone. The hood to his cloak was down again, and he gave a small apologetic smile to her before standing in front of a seat next to her.
"I am sorry about my disappearance," he said softly, though everyone present was listening closely. "I needed time to think about a few things. However, my decision from earlier stands. Please don't ask me about it now, though," he added quickly when Molly made to stand. "As he mentioned earlier, this is Talisien's last meal here."
"Is that why you decided to cook?" Molly asked, looking to him quickly, her first thoughts about questioning Harry put on the back burner for the time being. "I would have made you a going away lunch if you had wanted!"
He smiled to her, though it was more of a shadow of a smile than anything else. The three long scars on his cheek that were only visible when he had his hood down - as it had been the entire time he had been within Grimmauld Place thus far in the summer - stretched with the action, making it look almost like a grimace. "I am aware of that, Mrs. Weasley. However, my elven blood takes precedence in this case."
"Elves see themselves off," Hermione muttered when both Ron and Ginny looked to her for an explanation. By the fact that Harry hadn't looked to her told her that he already knew that, which made sense given how closely he had been working with the elf for the pas couple of weeks.
"I do have a request of you, however, Mrs. Weasley. I must ask you to think about it over the meal and say nothing about it until the food has been cleared away. Then I would hear your opinion and comments, if that is alright," he said softly, looking directly at her with his brown eyes that seemed to almost leak warmth from them when he allowed it.
"Why do I not like the sound of that?" she asked, speaking more to herself than to anyone else in the room.
He smiled gently and then looked around the room. "My request goes for everyone else, as well. Not a word of it until the food has been cleared." When everyone nodded, he looked back to Mrs. Weasley again. "I wish to take your son with me back to the forest. He would join..." He paused for a breath, and Hermione saw Harry hiding a smile. "Miss Luna Lovegood for some aide with his rehabilitation. I think it would do both of them good." He paused again, looking to Ron now who had dropped the glass he had been using. With a wave of his hand, Talisien repaired the ancient goblet, and then went on. "If not for the sake of your son, then for the sake of Miss Lovegood, who needs the time to adjust to her new form of sight."
As soon as Talisien's voice had died down, it became obvious that Molly wanted to reply immediately, and unfortunately with a negative response. However, just as she was about to stand, Arthur put a hand on hers, keeping her in her seat, and Talisien held up a hand to remind her of the request she had already accepted.
*Did you know about this?* Hermione purred softly to Harry as Ron asked in a louder voice than normal if someone could pass the juice.
*I had no idea,* Harry admitted. *That, I would have told you about, even if he had asked me not to.*
The meal progressed from there, though it started out with a bit of a strain as many of those gathered obviously wanted to say something about Talisien's request, but none were willing to break the word they had given earlier. After helping himself to his third sandwich, Harry stood from his seat and raised his glass towards Talisien.
"To the second best Professor we've ever had," Ron said quickly, interrupting Harry with a toast of his own as he stood as well. At the startled look, he shrugged. "Well, personally I liked Remus here better," he admitted in a mumble, looking away from everyone else.
"To a true ally," Remus said gravely, standing to join in the toast.
"To one who's willing to tell off Snape!" Ginny exclaimed in a loud voice, standing up quickly as she lifted her own glass towards Talisien. That got a collection of laughs, as well as a frown from Molly before it cracked into a grin as well.
"To the best healer I've ever seen," Hermione said softly, standing and raising her own glass as well. When Talisien looked to her, she smiled and nodded, trying hard to ignore the blush that had somehow found its way onto her cheeks.
"To someone who's great fun to laugh with, at, or have laugh at you!" Tonks said cheerily, pulling herself to her feet as well. Harry made a mental note to ask her about that at some later stage.
Mike and Jane had also stood and raised their glasses, but had said nothing right away. After silence fell and all eyes looked back to Harry, Arthur quickly stood, sensing he should say something before Harry's final toast. "To one of the few I would trust the lives of my own children with!"
Molly looked up to him in surprise before sighing and standing as well. She lifted her glass and obviously was thinking of something to say before smiling sadly. "To lost childhoods," she said softly. Talisien caught her eye at once and understood - it was a comment in response to his actions at the Order of the Phoenix meeting last year when he had mentioned losing his own child to a war. He nodded to her, and she smiled again before looking to Harry as well.
Harry couldn't help but grin and then looked to Talisien after scanning the room. "Well, I was going to say a bit, but I guess a simple toast will have to do. To Talisien - a mentor, a teacher, and a great friend."
Talisien nodded solemnly and Harry lifted his glass to his lips to drink, noticing everyone else following his lead quickly. As he sat down again, Talisien stood slowly, picking up his glass at the same time. "To all of you," he said softly. "And your continued efforts and success in the war."
Everyone stood again quickly and drank to that before settling down once again. In almost no time at all, the food was gone and everything had been cleaned up. Talisien then made his way to the doorway before turning and looking back to everyone gathered there. "I believe your end of the bargain has come to an end, Molly," he said calmly. "You have heard my request... now I simply await your decision."
Molly turned away from the sink where she had set the dishes that weren't Talisien's to washing themselves - his dishes had apparently vanished entirely when the meal was over - and looked to him quickly. She then took a deep breath and looked away from him to Ron, who seemed to be holding his breath in anticipation.
"What do you think, Ron?" she asked in as calm a voice as she could manage, though it did come out a little higher than normal.
Ron looked to her in surprise before looking to both Ginny and then his father as though making sure he had heard things properly. He then stood up slowly and looked back to his mother. "Luna needs me," he said in a soft voice. "There's nothing else I need to think about."
Molly turned to Arthur as though seeking his advice one last time before looking back to Talisien slowly. Just as she was about to say something, though, she looked over to Ginny quickly. "And what do you think, Ginny?"
"Me?" she asked, startled at being asked, even moreso than her brother had been. "It's not really up to me, is it? It's either your decision or Ron's - I'm not affected by it, right?"
"Well, aside from not having your brother around," she pointed out. "It would be the first summer you'll ever be the only Weasley child in the house."
Ginny looked surprised at that comment, and then turned to Ron. He shrugged to her, and she smiled back. "Well brother... have fun and stay safe. I'll miss not being able to make fun of you for the rest of the summer. See you in September?"
"I do have one request of you first, Talisien," Molly said, interrupting Ginny's words. When he looked back to her, she went on quickly. "Please ensure that they sleep in separate bedrooms. While I may not have control of that here," she said with a quick glance to Harry and Hermione. "My own children are another matter entirely."
Talisien nodded, a small grin on his lips at the request. "I will see to it personally," he promised. He then looked over to Ron. "We leave in three minutes. I'd suggest you gather your things quickly!"
"Three minutes?"
"Would ten be better? That's as long as I wish to wait, though."
Ron gave his sister's shoulder a quick squeeze - apparently as affectionate as he was willing to be with her in front of everyone else, and then gave his mother a hug and his father a clap on the arm before turning to leave the kitchen in a rush, only to run headlong into Harry's outstretched arm.
"Forgetting someone, aren't you?" he asked with a grin as he helped his friend up from the ground.
"Oh, right," Ron mumbled, looking to Hermione. "Keep an eye on this one," he suggested. "A lot of people seem to think he's a bit crazy sometimes."
"Thanks, mate," Harry said, rolling his eyes as Hermione pulled Ron into a quick hug.
"Be sure to learn lots, Ron!" Hermione said in a rush. "The elven culture is immense and there's bound to be loads you can study if you're willing to..."
"Mental, this one," Ron said as he broke away from he and looked to Harry. "Better keep an eye on her."
"I intend on it," Harry said with a grin as he clapped Ron on the back in an odd, awkward hug before the youngest Weasley son pulled away again. "Oh, and give this to Luna when you see her," he added, handing her a letter sealed with an odd symbol that matched the one on the white badge he wore on his cloak - the Destiny's Force symbol, sign of his group within the DA. Ron pocketed the letter without a word and then tore off through the door that Talisien had opened for him.
Before anyone could say anything else, there was a flash of silver and the sharp ping of metal colliding with wood. As one, everyone turned towards the table, where a dagger with a foot long blade was stuck into the wood, quivering slightly. As it came to a stop again, a leather sheath appeared next to it.
"Those would be for you, Hermione," Talisien said softly. "To replace those you willingly gave to a friend in need. Although there's no magics within, I'm sure you'll find it useful at some stage." He didn't wait for a response or a reaction before he vanished completely.
It was a sure sign that Molly was thinking more about Ron than anything else that she didn't comment on the blade as Hermione pulled it free and picked up the sheath as well. By the time Mrs. Weasley had turned away from Arthur again, she had sheathed the blade and tucked both into a pocket of her own dark green cloak, hiding it away until she had the chance to attach it to her belt.
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Most of those within Grimmauld Place had been surprised when Harry had shown very little emotion over Talisien's leaving. They knew he had grown rather close to the elf - given how he had claimed him as a friend in the toast - so it did strike them as odd. Well, at least until he looked to the first who voiced such thoughts with a sad smile. "It is never so much a goodbye, as a simple farewell. I is not as though we will never see each other again."
Hermione was the only one who recognised the words as those he had spoken on several occasions in the past, and knew them to be elven parting words.
While Ginny had her hands full keeping her mother occupied - almost as soon as Ron had left she had started questioning her decision - Hermione slipped out of the large study where everyone had congregated to find Harry sitting on the steps leading up into the higher parts of the house.
She sat down next to him without a word and was a bit surprised to find him fumbling for her hand. When his fingers laced with hers, she felt that he was shaking, and she looked to him carefully. His ocean green eyes met her rich brown ones, and she took a deep breath at the odd look of fear found there.
"I'm scared, Mione."
"Of what?" Hermione asked. She could think of half a dozen different things he could have been scared about, given how their lives seemed to work, but she had never really heard him admit to any of them.
"This afternoon," he whispered, his voice actually too quiet for normal ears to hear. Thankfully, her animagus form of a kneazle seemed to have granted her powerful hearing in human form, too.
"You're just going to a park, Harry," she said softly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "There's nothing to be afraid of, you know that."
"I know, I know," he said, breathing out slowly. "I mean, it's not like my life's in danger or anything, right?"
"Oh? I thought you would've been used to that by now," she said with a smile.
He shot her a wry grin and shook his head. "I somehow think I'd have an easier time if it was," he mumbled, looking away from her to hide his eyes. "Like you said, I'm used to that. I've... I've never been to a park and been able to just relax, to play. Back on Privet Drive, everyone was afraid of me, because speaking to me would get them beat up by Dudley. And then there's Dudley himself! I've just..."
"Just relax," she said, cutting him off. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll be fine out there - just remember that the whole point is for you to play with the kids. I'm sure they'll be younger than you, so play to that, okay?"
"But what if I mess it up?" He finally looked up again and she caught his gaze. There was such warmth and love spreading from his eyes that it caused her to take a deep breath to steady herself before saying anything. While she could usually understand where he was coming from right away, this wasn't something she had been expecting at all.
"You won't," she said calmly, fighting against the instinct to launch herself at him and cover him with kisses. "There's no question - once you're out there, you'll be great with kids. I know you, Harry... you'll be great with them, and one day in our future... you'll be great with ours, too. Even if you don't believe it."
He sighed before leaning into her, resting his head against hers and taking a deep breath again. "If you think I can do this, then I'm sure it'll be fine," he whispered. "And since you do... I should get going before Molly comes out of the study. She might try to hold me up. I'm sure Remus will explain everything later, but now, I should just go to take a look at the place first."
She turned to him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good luck. I'll be thinking of you."
"I know," he said, standing up quickly, causing his dark green cloak to billow out behind him, part of it covering Hermione's shoulder. "I love you - hope you know that."
"Of course I do," she said, pulling herself to her feet as well and giving him a hug. She was only barely conscious of the fact that his cloak was practically shielding her from view before he had released her again and turned towards the door. "Don't worry - I love you too."
Harry didn't reply to her words as he pulled open the door silently and slipped outside. Once the large wooden door had closed again, he closed his eyes and willed the transformation to take place as he had been practicing with Talisien.
When he opened his eyes again, he looked down to find the red jacket that reached down past his knees, and buttoned across his chest just slightly lower than his cloak would have, and he knew it had been a success. Deftly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the strip of red fabric, tying it around his black hair that suddenly had a tinge of purple found within it. He knew without even checking that his scar hadn't vanished.
Before taking a step away from the hidden house, he reached around just behind his back and felt at the black belt he was now wearing. Hidden from view by magics, he found both the wand that Hermione had given him - his only wand now, since his phoenix and holly wand had been destroyed - as well as the dagger that protected his mind from mental intrusions.
Confident that he was as ready as he was going to be, he stepped away from the house and quickly stepped onto the sidewalk. For the first day, he had no real worries about being seen coming out of nowhere - his mind was on other things, after all.
The park was two blocks down the street, and then three more blocks after turning, but otherwise was just as Talisien had said. It was a large open clearing with a few trees right in the middle, as well as several small benches scattered throughout. There was a couple of large swingsets off to one side, which he frowned at when he noticed that - like the park near Privet Drive - they had all been broken.
On the other side of the park was a large sandy area that had a bunch of odd looking tools strewn about everywhere, though from the distance he couldn't tell if they were broken as well or not. As for people, it seemed relatively empty, which made sense, as Talisien had told him that the kids usually arrived around 2, and it was only 1:30 still.
As he entered the park, however, he heard low voices talking from the other side of the trees, and decided to walk past as though going clean through the park to find out who was there. There was a group of five boys, all about as old as he was - in his real form, anyway, so they looked several years older than he did just then. He didn't need to take a second look at them... the way they were talking reminded him perfectly of Dudley's gang back on Privet Drive.
Bullies.
He doubled back without being seen by them and sat down beneath one of the trees in the shade to wait for someone else to arrive. It didn't take long at all for that to happen, either - the kids must have been early, or his sense of time was way off. He looked up from under the tree quickly and saw a young woman walking with a group of kids, all of whom looked quite young. He was sure there wasn't a child among them over ten, which brought a small smile to his face.
Maybe Hermione was right... maybe it was going to be easier than he had thought.
As the group got a little closer, he started wondering just why there was only one woman with them to watch the six children. Obviously she wasn't their mother - she was far too young to have children even of that age, and on top of that, not all of the children were of the same nationality.
It was a mixed group of four girls and two boys. One of the boys had darker skin than any of the others, and one of the girls was of obvious Asian background as opposed to English, but the kids didn't seem to care - another fact that brought a smile to his face. He could still remember far too easily his Uncle's rants about... quickly, he pushed such thoughts from his mind so he could focus on what was going on in front of him.
One of the girls had long red hair, and was carrying a blue ball held tightly in her arms. She was a bit bigger than the other girls, so he guessed that she was probably the oldest of them. One of the boys was trailing just a little behind her that was about her size, and there was no doubt in his mind that they were the same age.
Another of the girls also had long red hair, but she looked a bit younger and was holding the woman's hand tightly, as though she was scared to be coming to the park at all. All of a sudden, the woman must have said something, because the kids were off in all directions, running around as though they had thought about what they were going to do before arriving. The little girl who had been holding the woman's hand was still right by her, though, and still holding on just as tightly as before. He watched them closely and saw them move over to a bench and sit down, the girl climbing into the woman's lap before settling down again.
Harry stood up slowly, his red jacket and shorts standing out against the rich green tree, as did his white shirt and socks. He was instantly aware of being watched by one of the boys - the oldest of the boys, who had been walking behind the older redhead girl, unless he was mistaken. The boy had messy black hair not unlike his own usually was, and Harry couldn't surpress the grin at that thought.
He was just about to walk over towards the boy - who hadn't really moved since Harry had stood up - when he heard laughter which was definitely not pleasant. It was the laughter of bullies, and was swiftly followed by a scream and then cries. He turned quickly and saw the older redhead shoot past the trees, holding the remains of the ball she had been carrying earlier.
"What happened?" he asked quickly as she ran passed him. His voice sounded quite young in his ears, even though he had spoken in his current form before. He watched as the girl slowed to a stop before looking back to him in surprise. "Is everything alright?"
"They... they busted my ball!" she said through her tears, holding out the shrivelled remains of rubber towards him.
"That's horrible!" Harry said quickly, taking a step towards her. "Meanies. Can I see it?"
Almost at once, she pulled the rubber back towards her and shook her head quickly. "Nu-uh," she said, shaking her head again. "It's my ball, even if it is busted."
"Okay," he said calmly, not wanting her to run away from him suddenly at the odd request. "They bug you often?"
"Those meanies are always here!" she said firmly, her lower lip quivering as though she were about to cry again. "But I didn't think they'd..."
Harry smiled to her and sat down on the ground in front of her, bringing himself closer to her own level - in fact, she was now taller than he was, and had to look down to him. "How about we do something different then, okay?" he suggested, his mind working furiously to come up with something.
"Like what?" she asked, obviously curious about his offer.
"I bet you have a great imagination, don't you?" She nodded slowly and he smiled to her. "Come on, sit down," he suggested, motioning to the ground in front of her. "How about we imagine that you had a new ball, would that work?"
"Nu-uh," she said firmly, shaking her head, though she had sat down. "It don't work like that - you can't just imagine you have something, and then have it! I know, cause then Lily'd just hafta imagine all the bad things to go away."
Harry's heart skipped a beat at the name of Lily, but he decided to try and ignore it for the time being. "Well, this isn't anything nearly as big as that, though, is it?" he pointed out, even though he didn't know what the bad things the girl had mentioned were. "This is just so we can play with a ball, right?"
She seemed to take a minute or two to think about that before nodding several times to him. "Okay, but you hafta do it wif me, too!"
He smiled to her again and held out his hands towards her. "Alright, let's both close our eyes, then," he said softly as she held out her hands as well. He knew what he was going to do... hopefully he could pass it off as just her powerful imagination, and she wouldn't say anything else.
Once she had her blue eyes closed as well, he concentrated hard on forming a ball between them. His wandless magics hadn't ever really worked like that when he needed them to - he needed spells to go with them - but this was more like shaping the magics he had inside of him than anything else, and he knew if he pushed with his will hard enough that he should be able to do something.
He was barely aware of the fact that he had closed his eyes before an excited squeal caused him to open them again. He hadn't felt anything change at all, but on the ground between them was a shimmering ball of... well, it was white, and rather bright, but it was dimming again slowly until it looked much like a normal rubber ball, only a pure white. The girl in front of him was already picking it up and looking at it as though she had never seen such a thing before.
"See?" he said softly. "That's how strong your imagination is," he explained, though his thoughts were going faster than he could ever remember. He hadn't felt anything changing, so had she really done it on her own? Did that mean she was a witch who hadn't been contacted yet because she wasn't old enough for schooling? "And don't worry - if they try to steal that or break it, it won't work - it'll just disappear, and you can bring it back again later," he said, deciding to trust his thoughts this time.
"I tink that was your imagination," she said, almost sounding like she was accusing him of lying to her. "Cause I ain't never done anything like that before!" Before he could reply to that, she had leapt to her feet again, clutching the new white ball to her chest like she had been holding the blue ball earlier. "I ain't seen you here before... what's your name?"
"James," Harry said quickly. "But everyone always calls me Tor."
"Tor? That's a weird name."
"Yeah," he said with a grin, thinking of Hermione's explanation. "I've got a cat named Tor, and every time anyone calls for him, they said I'd come to, so they started calling us both Tor instead."
"Well I'm Thistle!" she said proudly. She then pointed over to the bench where the young woman was sitting with the youngest girl. "That's my youngest sister Lilac, she's four," she explained. "Sitting with Lily. And my other sister's name is Rosie, and she's..." she paused for a second and looked around. "Trying to play in the sandbox!" she pointed out. Before Harry could reply to that at all, she had grabbed his hand and was pulling him over to where Lily and Lilac were sitting. "You've gotta try your imagination on my sister, too!"
"Why?" Harry asked before he could stop himself. "What's wrong with her?"
Thistle suddenly stopped when they were halfway there and looked back up to him slowly. "She don't talk no more," she said softly. "She used to... Mummy and Daddy couldn't get her to stop sometimes... but she hasn't spoken in two years. She don't even cry anymore, neither."
"Two years?" Harry repeated, looking back to the young girl who he had thought looked scared earlier. "That sure is a long time not to speak."
"She hasn't spoken since Mummy and Daddy went away," Thistle said, a sad note to her voice suddenly. Harry looked down to her quickly and was surprised to see tears running down her cheek. "I keep saying that they're gonna come back, but no one listens to me anymore!"
Harry knelt next to her on pure instinct, and was shocked when she threw herself on him sobbing. "They left two years ago?" he asked in a whisper as he rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.
"Some bad men came and took them away. Ever since, we've been living with Lily at our new home."
That explains it, Harry thought to himself. Lily's some sort of leader at an Orphanage... but she seems a bit young even for that sort of thing. I doubt she's even out of school herself!
"What'd you do to Thistle?" Harry turned, pulling himself out of his mussing, and found the dark skinned boy standing behind him, looking for all intents and purposes like he might jump him at any second. "Why's she crying? And why are you holding her?"
"It's okay, Starling," Thistle sniffed, pulling away from Harry again. "I was just telling Tor about my parents leavin, that's all."
"Mine left too," the boy replied, looking to Harry with all the hostility gone suddenly. "About two years ago," he said. "Been living with Lily ever since, too. Just like Thistle and her sisters."
"You all live in an orphanage?" Harry asked in a whisper. They had looked so happy when they had first come to the park, but now that joy seemed to have deflated somewhat. Although already he had thought that the two kids he had talked with had seemed too mature at one second, and regular kids the next, he hadn't counted on that.
"I guess," Starling said with a shrug. "It's Lily's house, though. Well, Lily and Raven's, really - their parents left a couple of years ago, too, and she offered to take us all in. Raven's over there," he added, pointing over his shoulder to the boy that had been watching Harry earlier.
"Like my ball?" Thistle said suddenly, thrusting it out at Starling as she pulled completely away from Harry, all signs of tears gone without a trace. "Tor and I made it from our imaginations!"
"You did not!"
"Did too!" Thistle practically screamed back at him, finishing with sticking her tongue out at him. "And just for that, I'm not gonna let you play with it!" With that, Thistle shot off towards the sandbox where her sister with blonde hair - Rosie, if Harry's memory served - and Starling gave chase at once.
Slowly, he stood up from the ground again and looked back over to the woman named Lily who was still holding the youngest girl Lilac. Both were now watching him closely, and he could tell that Lily was almost worried about what he had been doing. With a smile and a wave, he walked over to them quickly, forcing down the apprehension he was suddenly feeling.
She shifted a bit on the bench, making room for him to sit down, and so he took her up on the offer, taking a quick moment to look at her, committing her to memory so he could describe her to Hermione later. She had long black hair and tired green eyes that had a hardened edge to them. He didn't need magics to tell him that she was having a hard time with a lot of things - and given what Thistle and Starling had told him, he had no question about why.
In his mind, Thistle's words suddenly clicked about Lily not being about to imagine the bad things away.
"You're pretty good with kids, aren't you?" Lily asked, her voice deeper than he expected, though it was definitely still feminine. "Not many kids your age would have been able to calm Thistle down like that."
"No?" Harry asked, his heart suddenly beating faster than he had been expecting. He had figured himself to be a failure earlier... it looked like Hermione was right again. "It wasn't that bad. You must be Lily, right?"
"Yeah," she said, looking slightly surprised that he knew that. "And who are you?"
"Oh, sorry," he said, pulling himself to his feet and holding out a hand to her. "My name's James Lupin," he offered politely, forcing down the nausea that was his memories of his Aunt and Uncle drilling such things into his brain. "But everyone just calls me Tor."
She smiled at that as she shook his hand, and then he sat down again. "I'm sure there's a great story there somewhere," she said, looking away from him and back out to the park again. He caught her eyes darting to each of the children quickly before she looked back to him again. "I guess your parents taught you to be polite to strangers, huh?"
"My... parents?" Harry asked, stumbling over his words. "No," he said in a soft voice that didn't need to be forced at all. "I never knew my parents."
"I'm sorry to hear that," she said, and he knew she wasn't just saying that like a lot of people would have. "You aren't alone, though. All these kids are orphans, too, and so am I... though I guess I'm the head orphan, if you will."
"I'm not sure I follow," Harry said with a frown. "I thought Thistle said her parents just left for a while."
"She fully expects to see them again one day, Tor. I just hope it won't be for a long time," she added, pointing straight up at the clouds. He knew that she meant a meeting in Heaven, and he sighed. "And Lilac here hasn't said one word since it all happened," she said in a whisper as she ran her fingers through the long red hair.
"It happened two years ago?" Harry asked in a quiet voice, trying to speak so Lilac couldn't hear him.
"About two full summer's past, yeah," Lily admitted. "Oh, I'm sorry, after your great introduction, I never even told you my name. It's Lillian Woodridge, though everyone just calls me Lily. Seems to be a bit of a pattern with the rest of the kids." At Harry's confused look, she laughed. "Well, Lilac, Rosie, Thistle, and Chameli," she explained, pointing to each of the girls in turn - the last being the Asian girl Harry had spotted earlier but hadn't learned her name. "And me as Lily makes all flowers... roughly speaking, anyway. And Raven and Starling are both birds... I think someone up there's laughing at us, to tell you the truth," she added with a sad smile, looking back to Harry again.
"Sorry," Harry said, and like she had done before him, he meant it. "You from around here?"
"Not originally, though I think I should be the one asking you, kid," she said with a grin. "Been coming here every day of the summer for the past couple of years, and I've never seen you before."
"Yeah, I just moved here with my godfather - you may meet him sometime, his name's Remus Lupin."
She shook her head after a second or two and shrugged. "Can't say I've met him. But after seeing you playing with Thistle and Starling, I must say I'm glad you're around. Planning on coming here often?"
"Just everyday of the summer... until I have to leave for school," he added after a second or two. "Boarding school, up north." He left the explanation at that, and thankfully she didn't ask any further.
"Then I'm sure the kids'll get to know you pretty well. You don't mind playing with them, do you?" she added almost as an afterthought. "I mean, I can ask them to stay away from you if you want the privacy..."
"Nah, it's okay," Harry said easily. It was one of the first times someone in authority - and he could easily see Lily taking charge of the kids even after such a brief conversation - had asked him such a thing first. "I'd like that, actually. Never really had much of a chance to just play around before."
"Great!" she said brightly. "I'll talk to them tonight and make sure they know you're okay. They're not supposed to talk to strangers, strictly speaking."
Harry smiled at that, remembering a time long ago when the Dursleys were yelling - the only time in memory, really - at Dudley for taking candy from a stranger. "Still, better than taking candy, right?" He paused as he looked down to the bright-eyed Lilac, who had blue eyes just like her oldest sister, and froze instantly. It was as though her eyes were talking to him, yelling into his mind. All he could see suddenly was green, so bright that it flared into his vision and blinded him of everything else.
It took a moment, but he was suddenly aware of sitting on the ground next to the bench, with Lily looking down to him in surprise. "You alright there, Tor?"
"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine," Harry said, though he didn't really feel fine at all. That green light had filled his nightmares for years during his own childhood, and he was more aware of it recently than ever before. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, and then raised a hand to point towards the little Lilac before he could think otherwise. "Finite," he muttered so quietly that there was no chance Lily would possibly hear him.
He could tell from his position on the ground that Lilac had been startled by his falling off the bench, and he could see the tears running down her cheeks, but it had been just as Thistle had said - not a peep out of her. At his muttered word, however, the spell had been broken and a soft sobbing sound was suddenly audible. Lily looked down in surprise at Lilac, and to his surprise, she broke out into tears herself as she pulled the little girl close to her.
"Can you get Thistle and Rosie for me?" she whispered over the sobbing child to Harry before looking back down. "Shh, it's okay, Lilac, don't worry. Everything's gonna be alright."
"I want Isle and Rose!"
Harry scrambled to his feet quickly and raced across the park to find the two young girls playing with the white ball, tossing it over Starling's head, keeping him from playing with it, just as Thistle had promised. "You were right, Tor!" Thistle cried when she spotted him. "They tried ta take my ball, but it just disappeared until they left! And now it's back again! If we put our imagination together again, do you think we could make another so everyone could play with a ball?"
"I'm sure we could try it," Harry said, though inwardly he wasn't sure it the little girl was capable of doing it or not. "Or we could just play a game so everyone had a chance."
"Well, yeah, we could, but..."
"Look, I think you should go over to Lily," Harry said, cutting her off and looking to both Thistle and Rosie. "She's asking for you."
"What's she want?" Thistle asked, catching the ball and hugging it to her again. "Cause it ain't time ta go home yet!"
"Remember how you said I should try to use my imagination again?" Harry asked quietly, kneeling down in front of Thistle. She nodded, looking at him with wide eyes, and he smiled. "Lilac's over there crying."
"What?"
"And she's asking for both Isle and Rose..."
He didn't have a chance to say anything else before both girls tore out of the sandbox towards the bench again, Thistle even dropping her ball on the ground as she went. Harry watched it for a second or two before the girls were far enough away, and then it suddenly vanished again.
"You imagined she could talk, and it happened?" Starling asked, drawing his attention back to the fact that he wasn't alone just yet. "That sounds like magic to me! Do you know any cool spells?"
"It... it wasn't magic," Harry said quickly, being careful not to say magics like he had gotten used to. "I just fell off the bench, and she started to cry. I just told Thistle that because I wanted to see her reaction, that's all."
Starling looked over to the bench with his own eyes wide at that statement, and a smile spread across his face. "Well, I've been looking after those three for a while now, cause I'm the strongest of all of us," he said firmly. "So I wanna go talk to Lilac, too!"
Harry didn't try to stop him from going, and stood up only as the boy left the sandbox area. He watched as the other boy and girl also ran over to the group, and he could hear even from as far away as he was how excited everyone was.
So that only left him with two questions in his mind - why were Lilac's memories filled with green light, and who had placed the silencing charm on her?
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Author's Note
Well, there is another chapter of Beyond the Shadows - I hope everyone enjoyed it. I would like to send out a large thank you to the few who reviewed the previous chapter - every review means a lot to me, so thanks.
I am still working on replying to a lot of the older reviews, but all of them for the last chapter and a good chunk for chapter one have been replied to already.
Oh, and I don't own Harry Potter - in case it needs to be said - but I do own a lot of the ideas found in this fic and the prequel. I also don't own Chrno Crusade, incidentally. Oddly enough, that does need to be said, since Harry's innocent, childlike form is meant to ressemble the innocent, childlike form of Chrno - a devil.
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Until the sun sets upon a broken world...
The Shadows
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