A/N: I really still own nothing...Many, many thanks to Lady Starlight for her superb Beta work and allowing
me to bounce ideas off of, but as always any mistakes are purely mine, blame me...
Chapter 12: I'm A Big Girl Harry.
******************Hogwarts*******************
August 13, 1997
"No, absolutely not." Harry snapped as he threw up his hands and paced off down the hall. He muttered under his breath some comment about "damn stubborn girls" Hedwig, who had been sitting on his shoulder hooted at him reproachfully and took off, out a window.
"Honestly Harry," Hermione growled as she stomped off after him down the second floor corridor outside of McGonagall's office, "I am a big girl, I can take care of myself...I would have thought you would know that by now." Ron rolled his eyes as he took a post up against the wall and looked on. He shook his head slightly as he bit back laughter, "We need to go check out that Library...Dumbledore said in his journals that he suspected there might be a record of what Rowena left, a verified artifact list, it has been around since the Crusades, it holds records from that time, if it hasn't been plundered... We can't destroy the bloody thing, if we don't know what to destroy Harry."
"He said a lot of things Hermione," Harry muttered as she caught up to him. "We will check it out, just not today." His hands came up to grab his hair roughly, "You are the one that insists that I not go off by myself...it applies to you too dear." Hermione glared at him, then sighed and leaned back against the wall next to him petulantly, not looking at him, as she knew he was right.
Ron glanced up at the pair of them, "Why don't you take Tonks or Lupin, Hermione?" Ron smiled slightly as his two friends glanced at each other and then at him, "they already know what were doing right? Why don't you let one of them back you up, it's not like there should be any danger, it's a just an old library right?"
He's right, not that I'll admit it out loud to him Hermione sent over. Her arms were crossed as she crooked an eyebrow. Harry just sighed and nodded. She gave him a small smile as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. I'll make it up to you; meet me at the Three Broomsticks for dinner love? Harry frowned for a second before nodding.
Yeah, Yeah, I know...just be careful, Mione. Harry replied. She walked backwards and waved as she vanished out of sight as she headed off to find Tonks. "Ron," he commented without looking at his friend, "you know I'm going to kick your arse, right?" Harry pushed off the wall and started back off towards the Head's quarters. "Just be ready, in an hour, we are going to go to the twins to get their new toys."
***********************Diagon Alley***************************
Harry's presence in the Wizarding center of London, as usual, drew long, and not discrete stares. As had been the case, the last time they were here, an air of desperation and unease permeated the sparse crowds. Before, the rise of the Death Eaters had panicked many, causing them to only travel in large groups. Now the times were even worse. Dumbledore, the light that many had secretly relied on for years and years to protect them, had fallen, victim of the treachery of one of his own. According to rumor, their only hope for salvation from the oncoming darkness was a seventeen-year-old boy not yet out of Hogwarts.
New, somber, deep purple posters crowded the shop windows. Pictures of Death Eaters new and old glared down at them as they walked by. Lists of ever less helpful suggestions of the Ministry's of what to do in case of an attack, shared space with the wanted posters, each basically filled with variations of, run, don't try to defend yourself, let the Ministry do so for you. Ron read one quickly that ended with, "in case your family is attacked, try to stay calm and wait for the Aurors to arrive." He snorted, it had taken an hour for Aurors to arrive at the Burrow, and that was with Arthur running his own department.
If either Ron or Harry had noticed, that they, unlike almost all the rest in the alley, walked down the middle of the street, heads held high, they did not show it. A pair of lions, in the company of frightened sheep as they passed Flourish and Blotts. Two second-year Gryffindors saw them stride by and unconsciously straightened, their shoulders coming up and back.
Harry sighed as he and Ron passed Ollivander's boarded up windows. He waved off an offer of an amulet to deter werewolves from a rather shady-looking vendor and headed off down the street. Harry glanced up, to find the marble artifice of Gringotts filling his field of vision. "Ron," Harry asked softly, "do you think Bill could get us past the lines, there's something I would like to get out of my vault."
"What, the Boy-Who-Lived, is going to use his fame for special treatment?" Ron replied wryly as he changed his course towards the gold-inlayed doors. He led the way up the stairs shaking his head the entire way. An armed, goblin guard bowed Harry and Ron into the bank, opening the door as they approached. Another guard met them at the door, and motioned for them to follow. Harry just shrugged as Ron gave him a look and followed the goblin. The guard led them to a closed, oak door, set with a brass plaque in a script that neither of them could read.
The door opened and the two entered at a gesture from the guard. Ron smiled as Bill looked on at them. The eldest Weasley child looked worn and drawn as he approached Ron to give him a quick hug. "Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, may I introduce you to Grayfang..." An ancient looking goblin was sitting behind an oak desk, easily the equal to Dumbledore's old desk at Hogwarts. He looked at Harry over a pair of golden pince-nez glasses as Harry bowed respectfully from the waist, his eyes never leaving the goblins as Hermione had taught him. Ron repeated the gesture at a discrete glance from Bill.
"Mr. Potter." The goblin said in a gravely, gruff voice. He hopped down from his chair and came around the desk and extended a hand, wizard-style. Harry took it instantly, ignoring the two-inch claws on Grayfang's hands. "I am pleased to meet you myself...your family was always a friend of the goblin race, whatever service we may be to your or yours, would only be a mere tithe of what we owe your family, or your mentor. We were very...sad to hear of Dumbledore's death. He was a friend to us as well."
"I thank you, Master Grayfang." Harry replied evenly, his eyes still on the goblin's. "At this moment, Clan Potter has no need to call on you or yours, other than the execution of business of the most mundane sort." Harry stated formally, with another duelist's bow.
"Then, you shall execute that business, Clan Master Potter." Grayfang replied with an odd glint in his dark eyes. "Curse Breaker Weasley will act as your escort. If you ever have cause to call on Gringotts for any services, please know that we stand ready to assist you."
Harry knew that some subtext of which he knew not was going on, but he nodded, "May your endeavors be profitable, Master Grayfang."
"And yours Master Potter." Harry, Ron and Bill left the office. Bill led them to an unoccupied conference room next door and closed the door.
"How's Charlie doing Bill?" Ron asked softly. Bill sighed and pulled on his ponytail absently. He frowned and shook his head as visions of his once vibrant brother crossed his thoughts.
"About the same, bro." Bill said finally. "Mum's still there most of the time. They've moved him to the long-care ward...but; there's not too much hope. They restarted his heart a couple of times already this last week. You need to go by if you can Ron..."
"Bill I, ah..."
"It's ok little bro," Bill replied as he reached out and pulled Ron into another hug, "we understand...Charlie understands. Just do what you need to, and know that we will be there when you need us," He looked at Harry without letting go of Ron. "Anytime, anywhere Harry." Harry shook his head slightly, and Bill suddenly looked as if he were trying to weigh exactly how to relate some unpleasant thought. "Umm, Harry, even if we...all didn't consider you part of the family already, which we do, your family and ours go back a very long way...there are alliances and blood ties going back at least five hundred years...just promise us if you need us, call alright?" Harry nodded slowly and took Bill's hand reluctantly. After a moment, "what were you really doing here, Harry?"
"I, umm, need to look into my vault, get some things out of there that might be useful." Harry replied truthfully, at least in the main,
"Alright, let's go then." Bill replied. He stopped on the way to grab a large set of keys after signing a large, ledger with a quill that left a faintly glowing ink behind. "Needed the keys," he explained. The three of them proceeded to the vaults, riding the underground mine carts at an almost terrifying speed. Off in the distant recesses of the caverns, Harry thought he could hear the roars of Dragons. Bill led them from the mine cart as they stopped in front of a huge, vault door.
Harry looked at Bill questioningly, "Um, Bill..."
"Your funds have grown even more," He shrugged, "it seems that some Muggle enterprise that your parents had shares in expanded enormously. Please insert your key Harry." Bill instructed softly as he pointed at a keyhole three feet away from the one he was placing a large silver key into. Harry pulled a matching gold key on a long chain from under his shirt and placed it in the keyhole, "On three then, Harry...one...two...three." The huge, battle-steel vault door ground open almost silently. A spill of reflected light fell around the trio as piles and piles of gold reflected the torch light from the halls.
"Harry what are we getting here?" Ron inquired; curiously, they could get gold or Muggle money at the Hogsmeade branch if needed, without having to deal with much of this hassle.
"There are some journals that mum and dad had that might be of use." Harry replied, and I think a couple more of Dumbledore's that were here in Gringotts that transferred over instead of being in his other hideaway. Go look over there, Ron." Harry asked as he waved Ron to the other side of the vault. Meanwhile, Harry walked to a small table pushed against the opposite wall, and opened a small box set on it. An odd expression crossed his eyes as he looked into the box for a second, before closing it abruptly and putting it in his pocket.
"Oi, Harry, found em" Ron shouted from across the cavernous vault, Harry waved at him to show that he understood."
Harry waited as Ron left the vault, "Ok mate; let's go." His hand ran unnoticeably over the pocket with the small box, "I think we have what we need. Let's go see the twins."
After leaving the bank, and promising once more that Ron would do his best to go visit Charlie, and Harry promising that he would make sure that Ron did so, and Harry promising that he and Hermione would do so as well, Harry left the building with Ron in tow. Bill looked up as Fleur detached herself from the shadows and fell in next to him.
"Iz interezting." Fleur commented softly as they entered Bill's office and closed the door. The white flash of an Imperturbable Charm lit the walls for a second as the doors closed.
Bill gave her a small smile, as she sat demurely on the edge of his desk, "you mean the last part were Harry promised, he and Hermione would come and see Charlie?" He smiled, the expression pulling his faint scars taunt across his face. "As if they were one unit."
"And 'onald, acting as if that were every day..." Fleur agreed with a beatific smile. Her expression fell after a moment, "She...has not stopped, Bill." Fleur commented sadly. "'Arry, is very forgiving...but he will not easily forgive that transgression. There are factors involved, that she knows not of, things of destiny and prophesy... A Veela would have known not to fool with the fates...the one time that full bloods tried to influence him, Hermione broke the spell, it is known among the clans.... the only other ones that weren't influenced or broke the spell that day, were already bonded. I could, zpell the Amortentia on him at the wedding Bill, and it most definitely wasn't keyed to 'ermione. And ztill, he fought it off...
"Yeah." Bill replied softly, "yeah."
The twins shop was a riotous splash of color in an otherwise dreary street. The shop, which currently had a large glowing and flashing sign advertising their newest product, "The curse that should be an Unforgivable...the ImPEEious curse." A lurid illusion of a scantily clad witch standing with her legs crossed, floated over the store. "You know," Ron mused as they passed under the sign, "That could be handy for our green wearing friends." Harry laughed softly as they walked into the store.
"HARRY" Fred yelled as he came from around the counter. Angelina waved at them as she took over. A half dozen third years, in a mix of Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw robes were hauling a mix of Tongue Taffys, Skiving Snackboxes and Professor Deflectors. Harry and Ron passed into the back room amid crates of Shield Hats, skittering Decoy Detonators and racked, stacks of Really Fanged Frisbees, the civilian versions that just stunned.
Fred came to a blank wall, tapped three times on a certain brick and a large glowing eye appeared in the wall. Fred gave it a rude gesture and the wall shimmered and vanished. A set of spiral stairs appeared leading downward. He waved Harry and Ron on, and followed, the wall reappearing behind him. "Where's George?" Ron asked as they reached the bottom.
"What do you mean Ronniekins? I'm George."
"Please..." Ron replied, rolling his eyes.
"You're no fun anymore." Fred complained. He frowned, "He went by the Burrow." Ron nodded slightly as Fred led them over to a crowded worktable. "We did what you asked Harry. We have another fifty or so of the mirrors made up, each can be keyed to a user with a standard identity spell, so we should have enough to equip all of the DA. However, we were only able to make another four of the Osirus Eyes, like the prototype you used at the Grangers Harry." He shrugged. "The Demiguise essence that's needed for the vision element is too hard to get right now. But." Fred paused with all of the spirit of the pure showman, "we did come up with something as good." He reached into a side pocket of his robes and pulled out a closed fist, Fred held up one finger, and threw the other down hard next to him. A bright flash and a loud bang like a gunshot rang out, and as the smoke cleared, Fred was gone.
Ron jumped at a touch on his shoulder, his wand extended, to find Fred laughing at him. "Interesting." Harry muttered, as he bent down and examined the burnt residue on the floor, "but we can already Apparate."
"Yes," Fred agreed, "However this is not the same, with this stuff, which we are calling Instant Portable Floo Powder, you can hop from one spot to another, even in such places as Hogwarts, where the wards will not allow any apparation, not only in and out. It is limited in its use though; the furthest anyone has hopped with it is twenty feet. And those under fifth year basically have to say their destination out loud, so..." Fred shrugged and went to the next item, "we have been looking into the Inferi problem, but so far we have not had any luck, sorry Harry. Hermione sent along her notes..." He glanced at Harry hopelessly, "We don't understand them mate...so we don't have a way to stop them. Can anyone actually do that spell?"
"Yeah, Mione and I can." Harry replied instantly. "It's tiring though."
Fred and Ron shared a knowing look and hidden grins. "Ok, then...we did however get these to work...we think." He held up a small oval shaped, faceted stone dangling from a leather thong. "It should detect the presence of Inferi within say a hundred yards." He handed it to Ron, who looped the stone around his neck and placed it under his shirt.
Fred reached for one more item, it looked like a Muggle fishing reel, filled with a thin, almost invisible line. He pulled on a loop tied in one end, and after digging around in a box of assorted, loose items, Fred found a bright red, locking carbineer. He put the bineer through the loop and locked it. "Pull on it Harry." With just a touch of trepidation, Harry did so after Fred had played out a bit of line, and to his amazement, the line neither stretched or snapped, even as he started to let a touch of magic flow. "Acromantula thread...should be about a hundred times as strong as an equivalent thickness of steel. The reel it's on, can be placed somewhere and it will lower or raise you, I recommend however that if you use it to climb or get down into something, that you wear a harness, I have sets of those too, they're a bit of Muggle kit, American even, but they work really well, Eagle Industries I think." He shrugged, "That's about it, for now Harry."
"All right then," Harry replied, looking somewhat anxious, "we will be in touch, have what you guys have done ready by the first, we will try to reconstitute the army within the first week of school. One of us will get in touch with you to have you demonstrate the gear to the members.
"Sure Harry." Fred replied, and with a slightly amused expression, he watched Harry and Ron vanish.
*************************St. Gabriel's Abbey, Southern Ireland****************
With a soft pop, and a bare whisper of displaced air, Hermione and Tonks appeared in the center of a green, overgrown, stone garden. Tonks glanced over at Hermione, and pulled the hood of her deep black Auror robes over her head, vanishing her features into shadow. Hermione did likewise and the pair headed down a long, winding path under a canopy of overgrown oaks.
After several minutes of walking, in which Tonks drew her wand trice at the feeling of being watched, the pair passed though a tall stone archway, inscribed with faintly glowing blue Runes. A snap of light, and they were somewhere else.
Hermione and Tonks both drew wands and pointed them out into the darkness. They were suddenly standing in a room, possibly, in a puddle of light. Endless night surrounded them as they slowly backed together. A voice boomed from out of nowhere, "Who seeks the knowledge contained and protected here."
Hermione slowly sheathed her wand and used her other hand to forced Tonks' down. She stepped away from the metamorph slowly and lowered her hood, "I am Hermione Granger, I come on the instructions of Albus Dumbledore, my companion is Nymphadora Tonks; she comes as my escort and friend."
A soft sound of hushed, urgent speaking surrounded them, after another drawn out moment, the same unseen voice as before answered, "you seek the list of Rowena, and Godric..." a light like a giant flashbulb appeared in their midst. A floating scroll bound with a dusty string and sealed with the coat of arms of Hogwarts set in blood red wax remained. "If what you seek remains within our archives...it is in this scroll." Hermione stretched out her hand and as she touched it. They vanished to reappear at the archway from before.
"Well that that was interesting." Tonks quipped softly as she dropped her hood and pulled her robe open to reveal a Muggle outfit that would probably fit in, in most clubs in London.
Hermione crooked an eyebrow as she took in the older witch. "Planning on doing something later?" Tonks' grinned at her as the pair of them started off down the path towards the spot marking the edge of the wards. A large gull soared by as they could hear the crash of the ocean waves on the nearby rocky shore.
"And you can talk?" Tonks replied flippantly. Hermione flashed open her robe with a soft laugh to reveal a short, bouncy skirt that might, sort of, reach mid-thigh and a loose top that stopped a couple of inches above her waistline.
"Well I promised Harry that we'd go out to dinner, I can't very well let the boy starve now can I?" Hermione replied cheekily.
"Oh heaven forbid." Tonks rolled her eyes, "and you think he'll be able to eat with you in that?"
"Oh no, he is a boy," Hermione replied with a laugh, " I'll wear my cloak for dinner, this is for later." She glanced down at Tonks' left hand, "and what's your excuse, miss I'm already engaged to the sexiest bloody teacher to teach at Hogwarts in the last ten years?"
Tonks never answered Hermione as the chirping of birds and the rustle of insects that had surrounded them, fell suddenly silent. Brown and black eyes met, and two wands snapped outward. A patch of air shimmered in front of them, and a dark, presence that neither had expected to ever see again appeared from behind a disillusionment charm. A tall, blond haired young man with a long, pointed face, Hermione's age, stood with his wand extended.
"Draco." Hermione growled as her wand aligned with his throat. "What do you want?" Her lethally low, dark hiss barely registered as her eyes hardened and flickers of green fire danced at the edge of her irises.
"Mudblood." Draco replied, as casually as one would discuss the weather. "My master would like to know just what you are doing." Another six shimmers appeared surrounding them and six more Death Eaters appeared. Of them, Hermione only recognized Marcus Flint, the former Slytherin Quidditch Captain. He leered at the two witches. Draco's wand flicked and Hermione and Tonks' outer robes were ripped away, leaving them only in their street clothes. Draco smiled, slightly manically, "Yes the Dark Lord said there would be rewards to his service. I would expect he would approve of the extra...impact of your, shall we say, used, bodies when Potter gets our note." He shrugged "of course, we will have to get the information from you, somehow...
HARRY. Hermione hissed in her thoughts, and a thousand miles away, Harry grabbed Ron by the scuff of the neck, grabbed a golden ball with his other hand and vanished in a fall of color. She had been holding her senses in tight, the magical wards and barriers to this place had been causing her a slight headache. She felt out as she found another four Death Eaters behind them, still under their charms. A slight smirk appeared as she felt two of the signatures fade away, forever. A pair of stronger, welcomer presences replaced them and she smiled.
"What the bloody hells are you smiling at Granger?" Draco snarled. His eyes grew wide, "just what do you and Potter do, I had thought you were with the Weasel..." Hermione's lips tightened into a fine line as he chuckled, "I didn't know you liked more than one at a time? Toss away your wands...now." Tonks glanced at Hermione, to find the younger witch giving her a small nod, and as their eyes met, she noticed Hermione's briefest eye flicker to the rear. She frowned but tossed her wand at Draco's feet, Hermione following suit a moment later. She knew without knowing as Harry snuck up behind another hidden Death Eater directly to her right and dispatched him without a sound. A slight rustle to their left announced the loss of Draco's last-remaining hole card.
Hermione...I can't let you go anywhere, can I? Harry sent with only the barest trace of panic in his thoughts. She felt the Gryffindor Sword become unsheathed as her own matched daggers responded to their brother in his hand.
Well, I had thought that you might want to take Draco alive...for now anyway. Hermione added in the last as she glared at the junior Death Eater. And we are still going out for dinner.
I won't last through dinner with you in that outfit. Harry replied cheekily as she felt him come to stand behind the three Death Eaters to Draco's right. Not even a rustle of fallen leaves betrayed his presence, and only a link forged over seven years allowed her to know his whereabouts. The two of them watched as Draco bent down to pick up Hermione's wand. She carefully didn't grin.
That was the idea Harry...Draco's mine...on three...one...two...Harry felt Hermione's magic stretch out towards her wand, the idea had come to them the other day after another exhausting session of training, when Harry had mused on the insane things he had done over the years or rather had happen to him. In particular, that day when he had lit his wand, while it was still feet from his hand. THREE, INCARCEROUS. Thick steel cables shot out of her wand, binding Draco instantly and flinging him to the ground.
An invisibility cloak fluttered to the ground to her right as Harry MOVED. The Gryffindor Sword cut up and right, Harry spun as the Death Eater fell, brining the sword down again as he faced the second. A pair of corpses settled slowly to the ground in his wake, he didn't even turn to confirm Hermione's dagger protruding from the back of the third on his side.
To the left, Ron flicked his wand, and the ground froze under one Death Eater, he fell to the ground with a shout as a silver curse dispatched his neighbor and sharp rap on the side of the head with the pommel of Ron's sword finished the third. Ron flicked his wand again, stunning his first target. He knelt next to his last and felt for a pulse and with a glance over at Harry, he shook his head. Hermione called her wand to her hand and summoned Tonks' with a flick and handed it to the metamorph, right as Harry gave her a hug.
Hermione didn't even frown as Ron, kicked Draco in the side, hard, on the way over. Tonks gave them a small smile as she clapped Harry and Ron on the shoulders... "Good job boys." She eyed Hermione oddly for a moment, "but how did you know to get here?"
Hermione's eyes caught Harry's for a heartbeat, and without a word between them, she strode over to the ruins of her robes and bent down. She pulled a compact mirror from inside of it, it was already open, and as Harry pulled another, already open mirror from his pocket, Tonks nodded as Hermione crossed back over to Harry.
"Wotcher, I get it, you nudged it open before Draco thought he'd get cute." Tonks said thoughtfully and Hermione gave her a small smile as she relaxed back against Harry. He glared over her shoulder at Draco, and suddenly Tonks felt rather afraid for the Death Eater.
"Draco." Harry's voice was lethally cold, like a sword blade of ice, "give me one reason, why I don't eviscerate your arse right here and now?" His fingers twitched as Draco rose to hover a foot off the ground, upright and rotating slowly in the air. Green eyes lit with an icy blaze as he leaned on his sword slightly. "Tonks?" he asked without turning to her. Hermione rested her hand on his shoulder lightly as her other hand retrieved her dagger. Draco's eyes watched the entire purposefully slow flight of the Damascus blade. "What is the current proscribed punishment, by the Ministry for a Death Eater?"
"For one guilty of murder or conspiracy to commit the same...beheading." Tonks replied coldly. "Followed by public display of the head in the Ministry Atrium." She paced over to Draco and flicked her wand; his wand flew to her hand from his immobilized one. She snapped it in front of him, watched as the small particles floated to the ground, and tossed the remains at his feet contemptuously.
"So...if I were to?" Hermione asked, holding up her blade to the light.
Tonks shrugged, "no one would care really, as long as you left the eyes intact, they like them open and starting on the pikes. She paced back over to Harry and Hermione as Harry handed her the sword and flicked his wand. The cables vanished for a moment, before reappearing, and forcing him to his knees. Draco's lip trembled slightly as he glanced up to see his very own Muggleborn Angel of Death standing over him. Tears came to his eyes as the late afternoon sun reflected into his eyes from the flat of the blade. Rubies danced in the sunlight as Hermione raised the sword above her head, the blade became a sliver blur as it came around...
"WAIT." Draco screamed. The sword stopped, instantly, kissing the skin of his pale throat. A thin line of blood appeared where the edge of the sword touched his skin, and he gulped, wide-eyed as twin, glowing green eyes ripped into his skull. Draco screamed as paired, joined minds shattered whatever Occlumentic barriers he had erected to defend himself. He collapsed to the ground, whimpering. A small bit of drool leaked from his lips onto the gravel below.
Hermione glanced at Harry and shrugged. She gave her wrist holding the sword an odd twist and it vanished into the ether without a sound. She turned back to Draco and flicked her recovered wand, a red bolt snapped out, and Draco went limp. "What should we really do with him?" Her teeth found her bottom lip as she ran her hands up and down bare arms as if she were cold.
Harry looked over at Tonks meaningfully his eyes cold, "Tonks, would it violate any of your oaths if, we umm, lost Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Flint in transit? I have a feeling that they may be of use. At least they should know the identities of the majority of the Death Nibblers still in Hogwarts."
"No, but where do you want to keep them?" Tonks replied thoughtfully. "I doubt that you would want to keep him at Grimmauld."
"Hogwarts has dungeons...Dobby." The elf appeared, but before he could say a word, his green, tennis ball eyes caught sight of Malfoy. "Dobby, I would like you find...quarters for misters Malfoy and Flint. And make sure they do not escape. They are not to be seen Dobby, and no one, except Headmistress McGonagall is to know that they are at the castle. Understood?"
Dobby grinned. "Yes, Harry Potter Sir..." the elf turned its head to glare at Malfoy, "And if hes tries to escapes Harry Potter Sir?"
"If there is no other choice, kill him." Harry replied simply. Dobby's grin grew. "But only if they give you no other choice Dobby...I mean it." Dobby's grin fell somewhat and his eyes grew, nodding briskly and vanishing with a soft pop, Malfoy and Flint vanishing with him.
"Good," Harry muttered as the elf disappeared with his nemesis. "I would have..." he glanced down at Hermione who gave him a small smile, "I don't think I could have questioned him tonight." If he had...
Tonks and I could have handled it, Harry. I called you so we could get prisoners...
I know, but... Harry just gave up and kissed her, as Tonks looked on smirking.
"That whole conversation thing you two do, is kind of unnerving." Tonks announced softly. She glanced down at a enchanted, Muggle digital watch and muttered something under her breath in another language. "I have to go, I promised that I'd meet Wolfie." Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes in unison as Ron chortled in the background. They watched Tonks head off at a trot towards the Apparation spot her and Hermione had arrived in, marking the designated hole in the wards. A minute later a soft pop carried to their ears as Tonks vanished.
"What about you Ron?" Hermione asked softly as the trio followed Tonks at a more sedate pace.
"I dunno, thought I'd call Luna, see if she was...free to meet me somewhere." Ron replied, "You two still going to the Three Broomsticks?" Hermione stopped abruptly at his words and glanced back to where the spot where Draco had jumped her and Tonks could still be seen.
"Actually Ron." Hermione mused, "After dealing with that piece of trash, I honestly would rather forget I'm a witch tonight." She glanced at Harry, "I would rather, just be a normal Muggle teenager tonight, if its alright. I want to be able to eat with my boyfriend in public and actually act like he is, without it possibly getting back to Ginny. The Dursleys never took you anywhere did they Harry?" He shook his head with a slightly confused look in his eyes. "Ron, how would you and Luna like to go see a odd Muggle landmark?" He shrugged. "You know where Piccadilly Square is in London?" Ron nodded as they reached the Apparation spot. "Meet us there in an hour, dress as a Muggle." Harry and Hermione vanished with a breath of displaced air.
Ron grinned, as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a folding pocket mirror. "Luna." He whispered into it, and after several seconds, Luna's glowing, happy face appeared looking up at him. "Hi."
"Hello Ronald." Luna replied breathlessly. "Is something the matter?"
"No luv." Ron returned with a slight, wondering headshake. "How would you like to have dinner in London?" Luna's tiny face lit up, "Hermione says dress like a Muggle." Ron shrugged.
In the mirror, Luna's tiny eyes went even more unfocused than usual before sharpening to hard points. "Hermione wants to be normal and not have to worry about your sister." Luna said with that maddening air she got when she knew what the answer had to be, and knew it without any corroborating facts. Ron did notice that Ginny had become "your sister" and frowned slightly, almost imperceptibly, before smiling at her. "When do we leave, we do have to be careful of the London Ale Flies this time of year...should I bring repellant?"
"Umm...no," Ron didn't even roll his eyes, "we are to meet them at Piccadilly Square in an hour, so I'll be by..."
"No Ronald." Luna said softly, "Come by now...I need to fix you up a bit, you still have those ratty jeans and t-shirt on, don't you?" Luna's gaze was oddly calculating as Ron swallowed softly, and nodded. He vanished a second later with a soft CRACK.
************************Hard Rock Café, London***************************
8:20 pm
"This is pretty cool." Harry replied thoughtfully as he looked around the rather loud restaurant. The restaurant was crowded on a Saturday night, filled with everyone from American tourists to several other younger, "locals" such as themselves. Hermione gave him a small grin and took a bite of her pasta. The four of them were seated in a corner booth, under an authentic Hendrix's guitar and a gold record. "I remember that Dudley had to come here once, but Vernon hated it-said it was too loud." He glanced over at a photo of the Stones outside of the Café, one of them winked at him, "But I thought it was a Muggle place."
Hermione followed his gaze, "Oh, you know that Richards is a Wizard...he's like two hundred years old. There are more than him here Harry." She looked up at a monitor showing an Aerosmith video. "I have that album," she mused as she looked over at Luna and Ron. Luna was looking around at the various artifacts scattered along the walls and in display cases. Her head cocked oddly as she took in a '46 Harley in one corner under a an ivory bass guitar, next to an older acoustic with a nameplate marking its origin from Clapton's original donation in '71.
The two purebloods were sitting there with dazed expressions on their faces as they looked around the restaurant. Ron was almost, almost shocked off his feed, as he took in the surroundings, while Luna was probably just happy with all the shiny things and glittering lights. Harry looked up as a pretty, brown-eyed, red-haired waitress, wearing a short black outfit stopped at their table. She smiled down at Harry, as she swept a loose lock of hair behind her right ear. "You got everything you need honey?"
"Umm, yeah." Harry replied, oblivious. Ron rolled his tongue around in his mouth as Hermione scooted even closer to Harry. She shot a glare at the waitress who just shrugged and refilled their drinks before leaving. Hermione's glare transferred to Ron, and he returned his gaze to his food. Luna had been true to her word; she had made Ron change into "acceptable" clothes, a button down shirt and new jeans and even to more or less neatly make up his hair.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Harry was Harry, he had changed from the torn jeans and t-shirt he had had on earlier under his robes when they went to Diagon Alley and then the Abbey after Hermione and Tonks to a dark blue shirt and khakis, but his hair, was even worse than normal. Hermione caught his glance and smiled, as they pretended for one night that they were not who they really were, that they didn't have wands ready to draw at all times.
She leaned over as Luna moved onto Ron's lap, and the pair started to make out. "That's not a terribly bad idea," Harry whispered and kissed her on the forehead. "At least we're back out of the way."
"No, it's not love," Hermione responded softly against his lips as her hand slipped across his thigh.
"Umm, check...please."
(A/N Aerosmith, Falling in Love is Hard on The Knees, #81 in 1997)
A/N: There ya go, I felt happy so I thought I'd get this one up a day or two early. Next Chapter, some stuff
happens, a talk to a ferret, Luna does some math, and plans are hatched to look into another Horcrux...