The Final Lesson
by Jardyn39
Chapter 21 - Baby
Mary rang the doorbell to Harriet Castle's flat on the second floor of the run down pre-war building. They had found the building entrance door wide open and litter was strewn around all of the common areas.
She certainly would have hesitated going into the building had she not been in the company of two soldiers.
Mary could not understand why Harriet had chosen to move into such a dump. Her salary grade had not been particularly high, but she ought to have afforded something much better.
Careem had hung back in case the sight of him caused Harriett to shut them out, but when it became evident that she was not coming to the door, he came forward again.
"Could she be out?" asked Bateman.
"Yes, but I don't think she is."
Bateman leaned against the door and pushed. The door creaked and flexed slightly and they could see that there were no bolts holding the door closed in addition to the central latch.
He straightened up again, waiting for Careem to agree before forcing the door open.
Careem hesitated for a long moment, but then nodded.
Bateman immediately pushed the door again, this time concentrating on the lock area. Mary had expected him to just kick the door down.
Suddenly there was a ping and the door was open. Bateman caught it quickly so there was no noise of the door leaf crashing inwards. He checked the inside lobby was clear and then stood aside for Careem to enter first.
Mary followed, and noted that the poorly fitted latch had failed without actually breaking. The keep was loose against the frame and it looked like one of the screws was missing.
Bateman closed he door and discretely checked the other rooms while Mary followed Careem into the living room area.
Mary made to switch on the room lights, but Bateman reached out to stop her just too late. Fortunately, either the bulbs were broken of the electricity was off.
Careem was hunched down in the far corner of the room, whispering words that Mary could not hear.
Then he stood and stepped back.
Mary almost gasped when she saw Harriet. She looked pale and very thin. Her skin had a tight waxy complexion and her eyes looked dark and tired.
Harriet seemed to come back to herself and realised that she had company.
She got up using the wall for support and fussily tried to first straighten her very creased and dirty skirt and then tidy her hair. Mary wondered when Harriet had last eaten or washed.
"Hello, Harriet," Mary said warmly. "It's wonderful to see you again."
Harriet looked confused for a moment but then said, "Hello," in a tiny voice. She didn't seem to notice that she hadn't invited them into her flat.
Mary smiled and said, "We were hoping to ask you a couple of things about the Ministry activities."
"Oh, I see."
"Yes, there are a couple of things that might have come across your desk."
"Please," said Harriet, pushing herself off the wall, "take a seat. May I get you some refreshments? Tea?"
"Tea would be lovely," said Mary, sitting down and completely ignoring the rubbish that surrounded her. The entire flat smelled like the inside of a kitchen waste bin, but Mary was determined not to show any care or concern.
Harriet went out into the kitchen.
"Tea?" growled Bateman as soon as she'd gone. "There's no power and from the state of this place I can't believe she's got fresh milk."
Careem seemed to share Bateman's concerns and followed Harriet into the kitchen.
"STOP!" came a cry from the kitchen. "PLEASE, HARRIET! DON'T DO IT!"
They rushed into the kitchen.
Harriet was standing in the corner holding a large lethal looking carving knife to her neck.
Careem took a step forward, his arms outstretched.
Harriet made an indistinct cry and pushed the knife further up against her neck. A small amount of fresh blood trickled down from the blade.
Careem stepped back at once and said in a desperate voice, "Please, Harriet. Put the knife down. We came to help you, not hurt you. Please."
A single tear fell down Harriet's check.
"Must," she gasped. "Must do it. Must not answer questions. Must do it."
Mary ducked out of the room and desperately riffled through her bag for the spinning wheel Hermione had given her.
*
Harry tried to assess just how much pain he was in before venturing to open his eyes. His right knee, left elbow and his side were all competing to be crowned the bit that hurt the most.
Harry's head was pounding and to make matters worse he was being slapped into consciousness.
He opened his eyes, but the slapping didn't stop.
"Hey, Bear," he said between blows. "I'm awake now!"
"I thought you were faking," he said. "Here, let me pull you up."
"NO!" shouted Harry. "I mean, wait a moment. Let me sort the worst bits first."
He pointed his wand to his various body parts and performed elementary first aid and help reduce the worst of the pain.
"Have you seen my glasses? I must have lost them when I got hit."
"No," said Bateman, placing his spectacles into his palm. "I think I knocked these off trying to wake you."
Harry put his glasses on and looked around.
"How is she?" he asked at once.
"Harriet will be fine," said Careem. "She's in better shape than you, actually."
"I wonder why?"
"Harry, I'm really sorry," said Careem. "When you appeared like that and fired at her, I just kind of lost it for a moment."
"I had to break the connection," said Harry, struggling to his feet. "She was under an Imperious Curse. You can tell by looking into their eyes."
"Harry?"
Bateman and Careem parted to reveal Mary coming into the room.
"She's coming around."
Harry nodded and followed, rubbing his sore head.
Harriet was lying on the sofa, still bound with the ropes he had conjured before passing out due to the injuries Careem had inflicted on him. Harry had been surprised to find it very difficult to subdue Careem.
He knelt down and placed a hand on Harriet's wrist. Her pulse seemed normal.
She opened her eyes and Harry looked into them carefully.
"Hello, Harriet," he said gently. "I'm afraid you've been under an Imperious Curse. They tried to control you and make you hurt yourself. I'd like to help you, if I may. I can tell you how to beat the curse. All you need is a little willpower."
*
Careem and Hagland whisked Harriet away to an undisclosed safe house as soon as she was able to move by herself.
"It will be a few days before she can tell us much," said Harry.
"Mm?" mumbled Bateman, who didn't appear to be listening. "Oh, right."
"Is anything the matter, Bear?"
"Not really. I was just thinking how lucky we were that you were looking at that spinning message wheel thing when you were."
"True. I found that for the whole of yesterday I'd left it in my other trousers."
Bateman nodded.
"The other thing concerns Careem."
"It's okay," said Harry, gingerly flexing his elbow which still hurt a little. "He was just acting to protect Harriet. It did look like I was attacking her. Actually, I was, in a way."
"No, Harry, I didn't really mean that."
"What, then?"
"Careem attacked you and he hurt you quite badly before you were willing to defend yourself properly. I know you can do it when you want to, but why did you take so long for you to react?"
"I didn't want to hurt him. He's on our side, remember?"
"Harry, we're on the trail of a traitor and someone who would have no problem with killing you."
"You think that Careem is a traitor?"
"No. I'm saying that we don't know who it is. For all you know, it could have been Careem. It could even be me."
Harry began to laugh but soon stopped seeing Bateman's very serious expression.
"Do me a favour, Harry?"
"Sure, anything."
"When you see Shacklebolt, tell him about this conversation as well as the thing with Harriet."
"Er, okay. This hasn't been much of a conversation, though, has it?"
"Just so long as you tell him."
*
Almost a week passed and Harry received no further news about Harriet. During that time he had put in a request to see Kingsley that had remained unanswered. He had tried again to persuade Mary and Bateman to return with him, but they had refused outright. He had also pestered Hermione about what she thought Bateman's last comments were all about.
He was sure Hermione had a good idea what he was talking about, but refused to speculate about it.
This just made him fret more about what Kingsley might say to him.
Hermione, also, was growing tired of Harry's interference. He didn't mean to disturb her researches, but as she was now the only one he felt comfortable talking to, more often than not he would go looking for her.
Harry would have spent more time at the Burrow. He knew he was always welcomed there, but since the row with Ron he had felt awkward going there, especially without Hermione. Unlike him, she always managed to find the right thing to say to Mrs Weasley before she got too upset.
Such was the extent of his anxious boredom that he even went up to Hogwarts with the hope that Neville would practise with him.
Having sneaked past Professor McGonagall's classroom in case she decided what he really needed was more homework, and headed in search of Neville.
Unfortunately, Neville's combined Prefect and unofficial Head Boy duties made Harry's idea impossible, and so he had visited Hagrid instead.
"Ello, Arry," said Hagrid. "What's up? You look miserable."
"No, Hagrid. It's nothing."
Hagrid gave him a shrewd look and put the kettle onto the fire to warm up.
"I'm goin' up t' see Grawp later, so you can come with me."
"That'd be good."
*
Harry pulled the large rough cloak Hagrid had lent him closer and shivered with cold.
"Is it much further, Hagrid?"
"Nah," Hagrid replied from a few feet further up the path they were walking up. "Grawp's cave is just a bit further up here."
Harry took a quick look up but saw nothing but rocks and boulders ahead. He had spent little time sightseeing on their hike up the mountain, mainly because Harry needed to almost run to keep up with Hagrid's leisurely pace.
Suddenly a loud howl filled the air.
"What was that?" Harry gasped between heavy breaths.
"Ah, sounds like Grawpy's got company," replied Hagrid unconcerned.
They climbed up a narrow steep path until they arrived at the bottom of a wide flat area at the top of an escarpment. Ahead the ground sloped gently upwards to the mouth of a large cave from where all the noise was coming.
Harry staggered up part way but then gave up and sat on a small boulder in front of the cave entrance to catch his breath.
Now that they were closer, Harry could tell that the howling wasn't from distress. He guessed that Grawp and Herita were inside having an argument.
"Maybe we should, er, catch our breaths out here for a moment," suggested Hagrid diplomatically, who unlike Harry, was not out of breath at all.
"Good idea," said Harry with a smile between pants. "The view from up here is amazing, Hagrid. I don't think I've ever been this high, even on my Firebolt."
"Yeah," agreed Hagrid fondly as they looked out over the Hogwarts grounds towards the horizon. The winter sun was going down fast and there was a pink tinge to the almost clear sky.
The noise from inside the cave stopped abruptly and they both turned to see Herita storm out of the cave.
"Hello, Herita," said Hagrid with a grin. "Look, I've brought you a visitor."
Herita had discarded her battle armour and instead had fashioned for herself a simple dress made from a patchwork of old Hogwarts bedclothes. Harry had almost forgotten how formidable she looked. She had to be several feet taller than Grawp.
Harry made to stand and say hello properly, but in what seemed two strides the Giantess was right next to him. Frowning, she picked him up as if he weighed nothing at all and took him into the cave.
*
Realising it was useless to struggle, Harry allowed himself to be carried deep into the cave, trying all the while to ignore Hagrid's echoing laugher. He saw flashes of flaming torches but little else before she stopped.
She sat down beside a roaring fire and sat Harry on her knee to have a good look at him.
Shaking her head, she pushed him into the crook of one arm. Harry tried to free himself, but he was like a protesting babe in arms with no chance of escape.
Suddenly she was holding a giant spoon up to his face and Harry realised with a shock of horror that Herita intended to feed him, just like a baby.
"I can feed myself!" he protested, but that meant opening his mouth. This was precisely the moment the Giantess was waiting for, and Harry heard Hagrid laughing himself senseless as he almost choked on the hot stew he was being fed with.
Almost as quickly, the spoon was replaced with a rough rag which she used to wipe his face.
When Herita had finished feeding him, she sat him up but didn't allow him to leave her lap.
"Hello, Grawp," said Harry, blushing while Herita fussed over his hair and clothes.
Grawp grunted an acknowledgement from his seat next to Hagrid, but he was staring at Herita with an undisguised look of puzzlement on his face.
"I were just sayin to Grawp, Herita," said Hagrid, "how much nicer the cave is looking. I hardly recognise the place, especially with all the old carcasses gone," he added conversationally.
Herita did not answer, but she relented from her fussing over Harry.
He looked up at her. She met his look with concerned eyes.
Harry smiled and said, "I'm sorry for not visiting you sooner, Herita."
Herita's eyes instantly became watery and she gathered him up and hugged him.
*
"Hagrid," said Herita, "told us stories. All about you and vot has happened to you."
Harry smiled as he listed. He had been allowed down off Herta's lap and now sat under her watchful eye in front of the fire.
Hagrid and Grawp had gone off to reset the traps down in the forest while Harry and Herita remained up in the cave.
"Your English is getting much better."
"Ah, well," she replied with an accent that showed clearly that she was being taught English by Hagrid. "Hagrid teaches Grawp an' me as best 'e can."
Harry smiled and nodded.
"May I ask, what were you and Grawp arguing about before?" asked Harry tentatively.
"Var," she replied simply. War.
Harry waited patiently for her to continue.
"Ve both want to fight. That is our nature, 'Arry. Staying hidden is not easy, but I gave my vord to you, and Grawp promised Hagrid. Ve stay here until called or until the school is threatened."
"I'm glad you are here guarding the school. Professor McGonagall told me you have been patrolling the grounds at night. I don't quite see what you and Grawp were arguing about, though."
"Ve Giants have always fought. Death comes often amongst us, so ve do not have time for other matters. The little time ve have between battles must be used vell. Grawp is afraid, not for himself, but of the consequences if he does not survive."
"You want to marry?" asked Harry.
"I vant a child," she replied firmly. Then she sighed and said, "Grawp is right. What if ve were killed. Who vould look after them?"
Harry smiled and said, "That won't be a problem. I'm sure that many people will want to adopt them if the worst happened. Professor McGonagall won't forget what friends you have been to Hogwarts; and neither will I. Who knows, maybe one day they'll even attend Hogwarts as students."
Herita smiled and said, "That vould be nice. I like to watch the children in the grounds. So often laughing and joking amongst themselves."
Harry reached out and touched her massive hand.
"I've a feeling that both you and Grawp will be harder to defeat than you realise. Try to look on the bright side."
"The Dark Lord is so powerful."
"Yes he is, but he won't be invulnerable for ever," he said gently. "You and Grawp have a right to live in peace and raise a family. You are just one of the things I'm fighting him for."
"You have a plan?"
"Yes, well plan might be an exaggeration. Idea, is more accurate."
Herita frowned but said nothing.
"It isn't going too well, at the moment. We're getting there, but it's taking too long. We don't even know how to destroy-"
Harry stopped abruptly before said more than he ought. A chill ran through him despite the heat from the fire. More than ever before, Harry was acutely aware of the consequences if Ron told what he knew of the Horcruxes.
He looked up to see Herita studying him intently.
"I still find the expressions on human faces difficult to read," she said, brushing his hair back gently. "You have lost it."
"Lost what?"
"When we first met. You challenged me with a look that told me you could not be defeated."
Harry looked down, feeling ashamed.
"It was different then," he replied weakly.
"You are vorried about something. Maybe many things, I do not know. If you were a Giant you vould kill until there was not enough left to bother about."
"I'm not a Giant."
"Perhaps not on the outside; but inside you may yet have time to grow like a Giant."
"I'm not sure that's possible. There are so many things we need to overcome."
"Forget many," she ordered. "What is your greatest concern at this moment?"
"That one of my best friends will betray us," Harry replied honestly. "If that happens, we'll have no chance of defeating him."
"The solution is simple. Hunt him down and kill him," she said coldly.
Harry shook his head.
"I am not a Giant, though. It may be your nature to kill, but if I acted like that I'd be no better than Voldemort."
Herita looked at him coldly, prompting him to add, "I'm saying that to offend you. I'm just saying it would feel wrong for me."
Herita shook her head.
"You vorry about offending me, now?"
She reached out and gently ruffled his hair.
"How much vorry can a head this small hold, I vonder? You had better grow quickly, young human."
"I'm getting there, although some people think my head is too big as it is. I can even feed myself sometimes, you know?"
"You know that is not what I meant."
"I won't kill."
"Yes, you will. You'll hate yourself, but you will. You'll do almost anything to protect the ones you love."
"Almost," Harry repeated, barely audibly.
They barely spoke again until Hagrid and Grawp returned a little later and they all spent the night in the cave.
As Harry sat staring into the fire and contemplating, he seemed to get a feel for the perspective a Giant would see is present situation in. Even Hagrid, he suspected, would be prepared to do terrible things if he believed the consequences of not acting might be worse.
His last thought before he fell asleep, was to wonder what Hagrid would do to Ron if he knew the threat he presented to Harry and all of their chances of defeating Voldemort.
The next morning, Harry woke early and helped Herita prepare breakfast and tidy the cave a little.
After breakfast, Hagrid returned to the school and Harry Disapparated back to Grimmauld Place. To his relief, Herita actually allowed him to feed himself this time, although she did insist upon trying to burp him before he left.
*
Kreacher handed Harry a sealed envelope almost as soon as he arrived home.
"Would Master like a cup of tea now?" asked the house elf.
"Yes, please, Kreacher. I'm parched," replied Harry sitting down on one of the kitchen chairs.
"Kreacher would like some tea too," said the elf sitting down opposite.
Harry narrowed is eyes and then abandoned the partly opened envelope. Picking up his wand, he got up to make them both a drink.
"Has everything been quiet around here?" asked Harry, tapping the kettle. Instantly steam blasted from the spout.
"Yes. Kreacher thinks the Muggle boy has decided what he wants to do for a living. Master's Aunt has not been happy about it, but Kreacher has been too busy cleaning to take any notice of her."
Harry snorted and then poured the drinks.
He placed the cups on the table and sat down again, picking up his envelope again.
"Would Master like biscuits with his tea?" asked Kreacher innocently.
Harry took the hint and waved his wand at the biscuit tin. It flew to the table and landed gently beside Kreacher.
"Is there anything else Master might like, or can I read my letter now?"
"Kreacher will think about it," replied the house elf smugly, picking up his cup and sipping.
The letter was from Kingsley.