What I Always Wanted
Chapter 18: A Visit With The Deputy Minister
Harry was awakened by the sound of rustling parchment and the dim glow of candlelight. A frown creased his brow as he directed his bleary gaze to the other side of the bed where he could just make out Hermione propped up in bed surrounded by roles of parchment, his and Isolde's journals and the jewel-studded Book of Spells. Harry cast a glance over to the bedside table; the clock registered 3:15 am. Harry's frown deepened. Ever since she had found that blasted book three weeks prior and come barreling into the house shrieking at the top of her lungs for him to come quickly Hermione had become more that a bit obsessed. Initially, Harry'd been as gung-ho as Hermione at what she had happened upon and the possible answers it held but his enthusiasm wore off quickly enough. After three or four days of working at Hermione's side trying to sort out the book had reminded Harry why he had always been the muscle amongst their trio. Despite Harry's hands off approach Hermione had pushed ahead determined to get to the bottom of things. Her single minded determination had resulted in more than a few sleepless nights and Harry'd had enough. Pushing himself into a sitting position Harry spoke.
"Have you any idea what time it is?"
Hermione spared her husband the briefest of glances as she replied.
"Sorry I woke you. I'll apply a dimmer and a muffliato so you can get back to sleep shall I."
Hermione reached down and picked up her wand from among the parchment scattered about the bed. Sighing in exasperation Harry answered back.
"Hermione its past three in the morning!"
The frustration was so apparent in Harry's voice that Hermione stopped what she was doing and devoted her full attention to her husband. Seeing the narked expression covering his face Hermione queried.
"Harry is something wrong?"
With a shake of his head Harry replied.
"You know most men who are awakened at three in the morning by their pregnant wives usually find it has something to do with some odd craving or another not from their obsession with a bloody book…"
Hermione frowned and interrupted.
"I'd hardly say I'm obsessed…"
Harry overrode her words with his own.
"Not obsessed! Hermione look at yourself. You're sitting up at the most unholy hour of the morning possible thumbing through that blasted book yet again. Ever since you brought the bloody thing home you've been focused on it night and day. You rush through your assignments at work so you can get back to it and the moment you walk through the door its all you do until you go to bed…if you go to bed at all. For Merlin's sake Hermione you're pregnant…you need to take better care of yourself!"
Hermione's eyes narrowed as she curtly retorted.
"That's a laugh coming from the man who has devoted nearly a year to figuring out this entire mess. You've stolen and concealed evidence, used your honeymoon as a cover to investigate a case you'd been kicked off of and broken into the home of your direct superior, and that isn't even mentioning the fact that if it wasn't for you having dragged me into this crusade of yours in the first place I wouldn't be as you say obsessed. So tell me oh wise husband of mine who is really the obsessed one here!"
Harry jumped in.
"The honeymoon was your idea and I'm not pregnant!"
"The honeymoon was my idea because I knew I'd never survive a month of your brooding and scheming and my being pregnant, just like my being involved in this bloody case, is your fault!"
Hermione took a deep breath before going on. When she spoke again her voice sounded as though she was on the verge of tears.
"I really can not believe that you would insinuate that I am a bad mother."
A look of disbelief shone on Harry's face.
"I never said you were a bad mother…I never would say that."
"You may as well have…saying I need to take better care of myself…what's that if its not saying I'm a bad mother."
Harry reached out and grabbed his wife's hand, squeezing it gently he replied in a loving yet firm tone.
"Its your git of a husband trying to be concerned about you and bungling it up rather badly."
Harry paused and waited for the faint smile that turned the corners of Hermione's mouth upward. Seeing her smile Harry pressed on.
"You're absolutely right it is my fault that you're involved in all this, which makes it my responsibility to see to it that you're taken care of. I know you're only trying to help me sort through things but I'll not let you carry on like this any longer."
Hermione cut in.
"You won't let me carry on like what any longer?"
Harry replied succinctly.
"No more of these all night translation sessions and obsessing over this ruddy book. This case has been nearly a year in the making, if its already taken that long to suss out what's a few more months."
Hermione posed another question.
"You want me to give up trying to translate the Book of Spells?"
Harry shook his head.
"I'm not asking you to give up anything, love. I know that this case has become as important to you as it is to me. I just think it'd be better for us both if we pulled back a bit and concentrated on more important things…"
Harry let go of Hermione's hand and reached out to caress her protruding belly and added.
"Like this little one of ours."
Hermione smiled at the endearing action. She intertwined her fingers with his and said.
"We really should get started on the nursery. I am midway through my second trimester, this one will be here sooner than we can imagine."
Harry smiled.
"Exactly, we've the baby to prepare for and Paige and Charlie's wedding is just around the corner, maybe we should look into taking time off from work soon, really take some time for just us."
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. She stared intently at Harry before saying.
"You're really serious about this aren't you?"
Harry nodded.
"Yeah I am."
Hermione gnawed her lip thoughtfully as she added.
"So the fact that I've finally got the Book of the Spells and the journal figured out doesn't matter to you in the least."
Harry shook his head.
"That doesn't matter to me at…you what?"
Hermione chuckled as she answered.
"I figured out the Book of Spells and Isolde's journal."
Harry stammered a series of querying words.
"When…how…what?"
Hermione answered Harry's questions.
"Well it's been a three week process but I worked out the last bit of it tonight. As for how, once the code was broken the translations were fairly simple. The what…well that's the interesting part."
Hermione spent the next half hour explaining the process of decoding and translating the Book of Spells. By the time she was finished Harry was utterly gobsmacked. He sat staring at the Book of Spells for a moment before he spoke.
"So you're saying that the Knights split the Book of Spells into two parts so that no one would be able to perform the spells in it."
Hermione nodded.
"It's really rather brilliant when you think of it. If a person managed to get hold of one of the books and was able to break Anrai's code and translate the ancient Celtic they'd still be lost because without both books they'd never be able to even attempt any of the spells."
Harry interrupted Hermione's appreciation for the inner workings of the minds of the Knights of Onyx.
"But if you need both books to do the spells how in the name of Morganna did Isolde manage to work things out?"
Hermione replied.
"Isolde has the other book."
"What…where could she have gotten it?!"
"From Priam."
Harry was about to ask another question but Hermione held up a hand to silence him.
"When Priam took his self imposed sabbatical, that's what he was truly up to. He was searching for the Book of Spells. I imagine he found it in its original hiding place which would explain his inexplicable illness, no doubt it was a curse he picked up from the book's hiding place."
Harry was suddenly immensely glad that Bill had given the book a thorough once over before Hermione had begun her attempts to decipher the text. His attention was drawn back to Hermione as she continued with her theory.
"I'm certain that Priam brought the book back with him and as close as he was to his sister I can't imagine that he wouldn't have told her what he'd found. Once Priam and then her mother died I think Isolde got it in mind to use the book to bring them back. With her father being an auror there was no way she could do what she needed in his presence, so she faked her own death and set off to bring back her mum and brother. Of course it wouldn't work her not having the second book. I don't believe that Isolde knew that right off though. From all I've learned about her she hadn't studied any ancient languages so she would have had to learn Celtic to even begin to understand and decode the book. After she mastered that who knows how long it took her to determine that she was missing a portion of the spells."
Harry interjected.
"That's why the last symbols seemed awkward…she's trying to work out the rest of the spell on her own."
Hermione nodded.
"Exactly. She knows something is missing but she doesn't know what."
Silence descended for a few moments before Harry posed a question.
"Is there any chance that there's really a spell in these books to resurrect the dead?"
Hermione shook her head.
"I haven't seen anything that suggests that there is and I imagine if Anrai had known such a spell he'd still be around."
Harry let out a laugh.
"I reckon you're right at that."
Hermione posed a question of her own.
"Now what do you reckon we should do?"
Harry sighed.
"I think its time we had a chat with the deputy minister."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Agamennous Melbourne having just finished his afternoon tea was settling in to read the morning edition of the Prophet. This had been his Sunday ritual for as long as he could remember, he found he quite enjoyed the solitude these Sunday mornings afforded him. He had just unfolded the Prophet and begun reading the front page when he heard a sharp rapping at the front door. With a sigh he heaved himself up from his favorite armchair and plodded down the hallway to the door. He guessed it was some lost muggle seeking directions. As those were the only guests he ever received nowadays. Thus it was quite a shock to Agamennous when he opened his front door and found Harry Potter and his new and very pregnant bride standing on his front step.
"Potter what in the name of Merlin's beard are you doing here?"
"Good afternoon sir I know this is a bit untoward but I need to have a word with you concerning the Transylvania case that you turned over to Torrington."
A displeased expression swathed Melbourne's as he replied.
"That case is none of your concern Potter, and you'd do well to get off my…"
Before Melbourne could finish his statement Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the photograph of Isolde. Holding it up for Melbourne to see he said.
"We know about Isolde."
Melbourne blanched at the sight of his daughter. He stepped aside and allowed Harry and Hermione to step inside. He then led the two into his study. Once inside he waved over his armchair for Hermione. After seeing that she was comfortable he drew up two chairs for himself and Harry but neither of them sat down. Melbourne turned to Harry and asked.
"Now then Potter, what exactly is it that you want?"
Harry's reply was three simple words.
"To help you."
Melbourne's confusion was obvious in his tone.
"To help me…"
Harry cut across Melbourne's words in answer to the unspoken question.
"I want to help you because I know what its like to lose your entire family. Because I know what its like to be willing to do anything just to see them again. Because if I can't have back the part of my own family that I lost, the least I can do is help you get back what's left of yours."
Melbourne looked at Harry with glassy eyes as he recognized how badly he had misjudged the young man standing before him. His voice was barely more than a whisper as he said.
"Thank you."
Harry nodded and said.
Now then, what's say we work on getting you your daughter back."
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