5. Being Evil Is Not As Easy As It Looks.
Austin Henry settled in well at Grimmauld Place, Harry and Hermione were finding that they were spending most of their time with him. They had discovered that his friends at the orphanage had called him AH so they started doing the same; it saved such a lot of time. With the two older students as his guide the boy rapidly regained much of his confidence and began acting as any normal eleven year old.
When Poppy Pomfrey came to see him a few days later she was amazed at how well he seemed. She had been told how he was at St. Mungo's, that nothing was snapping him out of his trauma, and she hadn't really expected him to have improved.
"I don't know how you two managed this, but thank-you; the Mungo's healers won't believe the change in him" she said. "It will be such a shame to take him away, he seems so happy now."
"Take him away, what for?" The idea made Hermione decidedly unhappy.
"Well Miss Granger, he will need to find another home in an orphanage, it will have to be a muggle one, there are no wizarding ones anymore."
"Rubbish" said Harry.
"I beg your pardon Mr Potter"
"I said 'Rubbish' Madam Pomfrey. AH is due to start at Hogwarts in a few weeks, he will need to go to Diagon Alley to get all his clothes, books and all the other things he will need. We are nice and close, he can stay here in our house. When he gets to Hogwarts he can stay there all year, I did, then when it comes to next summer… well we'll see."
Madam Pomfrey considered her school's senior pupils, she knew these two of old, if anyone could cope with AH's recuperation it would be them. "You agree to this ridiculous idea Miss Granger?"
"Of course, it's a wonderful solution, but it's Harry house, he doesn't need me to endorse his decision."
"Actually Hermione, it's our house, so it should be our decision" Harry reminded her.
"Oh I'd forgotten about that, sorry Madam Pomfrey, it's our house and our decision. AH stays".
Much to Harry's consternation, Madam Pomfrey in an uncharacteristic display of affection, gave them both a hug..
"Thank-you both, that's such a weight off my mind" she said with relief. "Albus said I shouldn't worry, and that you two would work something out. I will arrange such funds as the orphanage has left to cover all his expenses."
"No you won't" said Harry "I think the Potter-Granger vault can handle one additional small boy. Right, Hermione?"
"No question" she replied.
The words were hardly out of her mouth when with a 'POP' a sealed roll of parchment appeared out of thin air and landed on the table.
"I've seen one of those before. We had better see what the old man wants now." Harry said. He suddenly had the feeling that he was being manipulated again and strangely in this instance he didn't mind.
Hermione broke the Hogwarts seal and unrolling the parchment began to read.
"By order of Albus Dumbledore Joint Minister for Magic and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
From this day forth Austin Henry Durston Dibble is hereby made a ward of said Hogwarts School and is placed temporarily in the care of Harry James Potter and Hermione Jane Granger currently Head Boy and Head Girl of the school.
A.P.W.B.Dumbledore."
"Well that settles that then" said Harry.
………………………………..
With only two weeks left before the start of the new school year, Solomon Aegis and the other four members of the Tyr arrived at Grimmauld Place. Harry was very curious to discover what had kept his Defence Against the Dark Arts professor so occupied that he had abandoned Hermione and himself with AH to look after. With no means of leaving the house, and only the odd flying visit from an order member to keep them company, they had felt quite isolated. For the moment however he wasn't saying, so Harry and Hermione had to be content with listening to what their friends had been up to instead.
It appeared that they had been similarly restricted in their movements, but maybe they had been in more pleasant surroundings. Neville and Ginny had spent time with both Neville's parents and then back with the Weasleys at The Burrow. Ron and Luna, apart from a brief visit to Luna's father at the offices of the Quibbler, had been at the Burrow as well. They had all been keeping up with the news, such as it was, about the Death Eater attacks, and the description of the destruction on the orphanage had been particularly harrowing.
"They haven't pinned that on any particular group of Death Eaters yet" said Ron "But I am not sure Voldemort will be all that pleased with them."
"What makes you say that?" Hermione was curious.
"Well, the mood of people, it's not like last time, so Dad says. There is more defiance at the moment, and it has made people angry rather than frightened. Not what they wanted, eh?"
"It was Bellatrix Lestrange" said Harry, flatly.
"How could you possibly know that?" said Ginny, in a disbelieving voice.
Harry fixed her with a stare that made her feel a little uncomfortable, "You explain Hermione, I'll be back in a minute."
Harry left the room, there was silence for a moment, then "Sorry Hermione, did I say anything wrong?" asked Ginny quietly.
"No Ginny, it's been a bit difficult, I think it has affected Harry more than even he realises. Let me explain….."
Harry climbed the stairs to the bedroom AH was using, he found him sitting on the bed reading from Hermione's old grade one spell book.
"Spare a minute AH. I'd like you to meet some friends of mine."
"Sure Harry" he reluctantly closed the book "Have you any more books like this? This one's really good."
"Ah… you need to have a word with Hermione about that" he said cagily. "She's the one with the passion for hoarding books. Anyway, we'll be getting you your own soon, you'll have more than enough to read then."
Harry smiled to himself as they descended the stairs. Another bookworm, Harry wasn't sure he could cope with two.
The murmuring of voices stopped abruptly as Harry opened the door.
"Right" said Harry, by way of introduction "Everyone this is Austin Henry Durston Dibble, call him AH for short."
"Thank goodness for that" laughed Ron.
Harry ignored him. "AH this is…."
"Ronald Weasley" finished AH, walking up to Ron and holding out his hand. Ron took it rather sheepishly and shook it.
"That's right" said Ron.
Harry could see AH scan the faces of his friends, so he indulged the lad as AH picked out each member of the Tyr correctly.
"How did you work that out 'short stuff'?" said Ron, earning himself a look from Hermione this time.
"Oh that's easy. Madam Pomfrey told me all about you. You have red hair, so you and your sister had to be the Weasleys. Then there was only two left, and I didn't think you would be holding Neville Longbottom's hand."
"Har! Har! Got a right comedian here, haven't we… 'short stuff'" said Ron deliberately.
"Well then, that means we have two, and don't call him that" Hermione said crossly.
"Oh sorry your majesty, I forgot I was in such august company" retorted Ron.
"Ron, you're incorrigible" snapped back Hermione.
Harry looked with mock concern at his red headed friend. "Careful Ron, she called me that a while ago. I still don't know what it means, but I think it might be some form of hex."
The room resounded with shrieks of laughter.
…………………………….
Draco Malfoy wasn't laughing. During his whole summer holiday he hadn't seen anything remotely funny. He had met his parents only once, and that was at The Dark Lord's Keep. That was the name the Death Eaters had given the crumbling mansion that was being used by Voldemort as his headquarters. What it was really called, Draco had no idea.
His aunt Bellatrix had brought him to The Keep, and from her he had learnt what evil really was, and he had learnt to enjoy it. He could cause pain at will, he could command obedience, but he had yet to learn to kill. The muggles they had practiced on would not be missed, vagrants and other similarly dispossessed, were stunned and brought to the lair. When they were finished with, they were taken down the passageway to the sea, the water was hungry, and always took them.
At first the Dark Lord was encouraging. Draco's efforts were showered with praise, and advice was given to help him on his way to evil. He knew that his father and the other Death Eaters feared the Dark Lord, but to begin with he saw nothing to fear, until he felt the wrath of Voldemort for himself. All Draco had done was to mention Harry Potter's name in the same sentence as Dumbledore's.
The pain had been excruciating but brief, however it was the sight of those eyes burning red with hate that would remain with him forever. Draco had made no more mistakes since then; he had watched the other Death Eaters and came to realise that none of them mattered to the Dark Lord. They, his father and mother included, would be used and cast aside, but still in his own mind he thought that he was different.
Voldemort's eyes had followed the youth as he had left the room, his smile was one of satisfaction that yet another generation of Malfoys had fallen under his control. The boy was ridiculously easy to manipulate, there was no subtlety to him. The father, he was devious, but his mind was clouded with feelings of superiority which caused him to underestimate his opposition, and would ultimately lead to his downfall.
The boy was green and barely trained, he could be moulded and may show some promise. He had after all nearly killed Potter's mudblood, and if Wormtail hadn't intervened, he would have been successful. For now the boy would be tested again, while he proved useful he would be used, then discarded like the others.
Draco felt elated and important, with his small band of fellow Slytherins in tow he swaggered his way down Knockturn Alley. The dark Lord had given him specific instructions to 'shake up' Diagon Alley. He had been told to enlist some young wizards, 'Cause pain and destruction, kill if you must. Give them a taste of what is to come'.
Draco passed by the drinking establishments he had entered with his father, the patrons that frequented those places would be unlikely to follow the orders of one as young as him. He needed some empty headed young wizards who would look on his mission as something of a lark.
Goyle said he knew where to find them, Draco couldn't believe he was taking advice from 'gormless Goyle', but the elder Malfoy had never let him enter any of the places the younger wizards used, so he had little choice.
"All right Goyle, are you sure you know which one we want?" Draco tried to hide his irritation while Gregory Goyle's thought processes slowly built up speed.
"Umm…Yes… yes, down the end of the passage Draco, you'll see." Goyle's encouraging tone gave Draco even more pause for thought.
They walked in the semidarkness that the overhanging buildings produced. The ground was wet underfoot, a general dampness permeated everything, and the smell was none too pleasant either. The doorway into the pub was low and narrow, so that only one person could enter at a time and would have their head bowed down. This form of entrance protected the patrons from surprise raids by law enforcement wizards, or worse, by some of their own kind bearing a grudge.
The pub itself was one large room with many dark alcoves. It was crowded and full of smoke.
"Over there in the corner" Goyle nodded in the general direction, wisely not pointing with an accusing finger.
The man Goyle indicated was sitting at the head of a table around which was gathered some seven or eight others. He was probably no more than a year or two older than Draco, but held himself with that false superiority that comes with having the backup of your fellows.
He looked at Draco dismissively "What do you want then Blondie?"
"Regrettably, your assistance" Draco replied, trying not to be condescending, and failing.
"Here! don't like your tone, you wanna watch it mate, I've 'ad wizards like you for brek'fst I 'ave."
"Really?" said Draco "ever had any of this for breakfast" he placed a small bag of galleons on the table.
"Blimey, you've just earned yourself five minutes of my time you 'ave. What's the deal?"
"Organised mayhem in Diagon Alley, property destruction, attacks on the weak and confused shoppers, that sort of thing." Draco said, getting as close to the table as his senses would allow. They all smelled rank, Draco doubted that any of them had taken a bath in the last month, if ever.
"Easy enu'f that is. But what's in it for all of us then?" he said sniffing loudly and indicating his colleagues round the table.
"Another bag for you and one each for each of your…err…men." Said Draco dismissively.
"Got it on you?" the head yob asked leering at Draco.
"Don't be stupid."
Thirteen dark wizards walked in a group back up Knockturn Alley, pushing aside crones and hags, but avoiding any groups of older male wizards. They turned into the bright gaiety of Diagon Alley full of shoppers, and they began firing spells left and right. The screams started immediately, the panic seconds later. They marched up the centre of the street straight into the last thing they ever expected to see.
………………………..
Harry and Hermione had finally managed to get Solomon to themselves. The others were in the meeting room, having cleared the large table away they were using the floor space to practice some of their shield work. AH was playing with Compass on the other side of the sitting room. Bouncing around like a complete lunatic the dog reminded Harry so much of Sirius that it made his heart ache.
"So, are you going to tell us what you have found out Solomon?" Harry asked, not really expecting a direct answer.
"Yes, I think it's time, and I think I have everything planned out now."
Except for some excited scuffling over in the other corner of the room there was a silence.
"Sooo?" Harry tried to be encouraging.
"Harry! please Professor, agh! Solomon." pleaded Hermione. Then in a firmer tone "You're playing vague again."
Aegis smiled "Sorry Hermione, Harry. Look, what I have found is the location of your glass ball full of stars. It is in the Department of Mysteries, and…" he flourished a folded parchment, "I have permission from the Minister to go and see it. However I suspect that things will not be plain sailing. There is certain reluctance in some sections of the department to allow you anywhere near it, but I cannot find out why. So we will have to tread carefully. I think you should get young AH kitted out in Diagon Alley first, then we will tackle the Ministry on the 28th.. OK?"
……………………………..
So it was that the Tyr and AH took a portkey to the steps of Gringotts Bank. A quick visit to Harry and Hermione's vault, then with sufficient funds they hit the shops. Harry had expected Solomon or Remus to accompany them, but it had been decided that in the surroundings of the alley they should be able to look after themselves. As they traversed the length of Diagon Alley several shoppers remarked on the seven of them.
"Looks as if that young lad has an impressive bodyguard" remarked one elderly witch. Then "Oh goodness, isn't that one Harry Potter?" asked another.
They tried to act as normally as possible. AH acquired his wand, his books and robes, there was only his potions things to get now. Harry wondered if he had unconsciously avoided this particular subject, but then the shop was the one closest to The Leaky Cauldron at the far end of the Alley, and thus the last one to visit.They headed back up to their portkey point near Gringotts, their arms full of parcels, their own stuff as well as AH's.
It had been instinctive for the Tyr to spread out, to give each individual enough room to move unhindered, in case they ran into trouble. So when the sound of spells being fired, and then when the screaming began, it was a simple matter of discarding their loads, pushing AH into the doorway of Flourish and Blot's, and standing their ground.
The gang creating the havoc were busy destroying all they could see, leaving several shoppers stunned in their wake. They took no notice of what was waiting for them, but Draco did. He grabbed Pansy Parkinson by the arm and dragged her into a nearby alley way.
"Draco! What are you doing?"
"Quiet! It's Potter, there, look."
Out in Diagon Alley the hooded gang had come to a halt, facing them were six Hogwarts students. The only two of the gang who knew what they were up against were Goyle and Bulstrode and their resolve began to falter. The others didn't have the sense.
Ron had taken charge as the Tyr had fanned out to cover the width of The Alley.
"Shields in the front" he ordered "Harry and Hermione behind us, fire through the shields."
The four shields moved like a well oiled machine, this is what they had practiced so long to achieve, Ron and Neville flanked on either side by Ginny and Luna. Their wands were out, and to the unspoken thoughts of 'murusvolum' which had flashed through their minds, round shields appeared at the tips of their wands. Fortunately for the wizards facing them they did not complete the full enchantment 'murusvolumacutus' so the deadly cutting edges did not appear.
Then the four began to move, their shields' mirror like surfaces flashed in the sunlight, the sight was mesmerising. Draco's gang were entranced, they stood mouths open wands held in mid cast, like petrified rodents in the eyes of a snake, they couldn't move. Then the red streaks of stunning spells flashed out from Harry and Hermione's wands, this shocked the gang out of their immobility and those that were left standing began firing again. Reductor and blasting spells were met with shields and stunners in return. A blasting spell crashed into a wall to Ginny's right, lumps of masonry flew in all directions. Ginny's shield deflected all, but one piece which came at her was the size of a Quaffle, and it impacted at considerable speed. The shock shattered her arm and as her shield failed she had to dive behind the others for protection.
Suddenly Harry vanished and reappeared behind the 'dark wizards', he decided to give them a fighting chance.
"Behind you!" Harry's voice was loud enough to be heard over the discharge of spells. He raised his left arm, 'aegis maximus' he thought, and from the palm of his hand erupted his shield. This left his wand hand free and from his wand stunners blasted forth.
Draco watched in horror as his forces were whittled away. He had seen Potter take out both Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode with multiple stunners. He knew there was nothing he could do to help them, but there was something he could do to help himself. In the confusion he cast memory charms on each member of the gang as they lay unconscious on the ground. The charms weren't subtle, but sufficient to clear the memories of his part in this fiasco. As the last attacker fell, he turned away and led Pansy Parkinson into the darker parts of Knockturn Alley and concealment.
Back in Diagon Alley there was literally a stunned silence. Harry moved to stand guard over the defeated gang as the rest of the Tyr gathered round Ginny and gently helped her to her feet. A rising murmur from the crowd huddled in doorways and the shops was momentarily cut off as with multiple cracks a dozen Aurors apparated into the Alley. Then seeing the reinforcements, the crowd regained its bravery and surged out onto the street. The Aurors held the crowd back with simple restraining spells, and then one advanced on Harry.
"Can't leave you lot alone for five minutes without getting into trouble" the pink haired Auror had a great smile on her face. She surveyed the scene. "Well done". The rest of the Tyr joined them, supporting Ginny in their midst. "Well done all of you."
"Thanks Tonks. Do you mind if we give our reports at my house? Only we need to retrieve AH and all his things, and get Ginny taken care of" asked Harry.
"OK Harry, you taking Ginny to St.Mungo's or Madam Pomfrey?"
"Madam Pomfrey, I hope" said a familiar voice. The school matron bustled up and immediately took charge of the injured girl. As she marched Ginny in the direction of Gringotts she shouted over her shoulder. "You can have my report later as well Nymphadora, saw everything, quite amazing."
They gathered up their belongings and retrieved AH from the bookstore. Walking quickly and avoiding the crowd now gathering, they followed Ginny and Madam Pomfrey to Gringotts, and the portkey back to Grimmauld Place.