Disclaimer: Any characters you recognize from the books in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling belong to the aforementioned J. K. Rowling. I am simply playing with them for my amusement, and to see what kind of reaction I can get.
Not Another Author's Note:
Ladies & Gents,
I did have every intention of updating this story sooner than now. The problem I am having is getting from here (well not exactly here, chapter 55 to be precise) to the scene that I have already written (temporarily identified as Chapter 666) in which Mouldyshorts dies. No, there will not be 611 more chapters in between. I have not yet determined a clear path between the 2 places. Once I have, I can only hope that the words will flow. Between now and then, look at the end of this chapter for some Author's names whose stories I have been enjoying recently. Thank you for your patience.
53 - Malfoy or Bust
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Sunday Evening In Camelot
Suppertime came, Dobby and Guinevere disturbed the musings of the Granger's and Potter's allowing them to get to the Great Hall for the last meal of the weekend. During the meal Harry explained to Howard and Anna, the situation the Granger's were in and that Remus was expected to call for them on Monday and take them away for part of the day. Howard suggested that since they were currently settled into Camelot they should stay here. Anna promised that they and some others would keep them company from time to time and there would be more to see and do here than in the little house in the hollow. Hermione promised that she and Harry would come by as often as possible, besides Hermione wanted to keep an eye on her crazy Mother. Hermione promised herself that she was going to talk to Madam Pomfrey about her Mother's condition if for no other reason than to get a qualified opinion.
After supper Howard showed Dan and Harry the workshop and riding stables while Anna showed Emma and Hermione the Conservatory where there were several musical instruments and other amusements including games. There was no tele or internet. Across the hall from the conservatory was an exercise room with several magical contraptions that Anna had to explain. Hermione and her Mum tried them all out just long enough to get the idea of how to work them, but of course her parents would need the assistance of magic to use them. Anna explained that Guinevere could help the Grangers to use the equipment if she herself wasn't around and they left it at that returning to the Conservatory.
When the guys returned they stopped outside the Conservatory and listened to someone playing what Howard told them was a Grand Piano. The music sounded a little odd with small interruptions and the occasional wrong sounding note. Dan whispered to Harry that he thought it must be Hermione playing. She had played quite well before she left for her first year at Hogwarts, but hadn't played since to his knowledge. After Hermione finished the song, Anna showed her some spells to make the Piano play by itself. When next the boys heard the music it sounded quite good and they prepared to come in and applaud the musician until Howard warned them that the Piano might be playing magically.
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Monday Morning
September 22 1997 AM
Harry awoke first and slowly opened his eyes. The room was still quite dark although the first hints of daylight could be seen through the far window as a dull grey sky. An ominous looking start to the day … although still early. His eyes drifted down to the young lady that was snuggled in tight to him. She was mostly obscured by a mop of frizzy brunette hair. Her arms, legs and body were threaded around him in such a way as to make him think he was nothing more than a large hot water bottle for her convenience, and maybe he was ... sometimes. Hermione wasn't one of those girls that wore the shortest shorts and skimpiest tops and constantly complained of being cold. She normally wore sensible clothing and rarely complained of being cold … when she did feel the cold, he was usually cold as well. On the other hand she had commented several times about how warm and cuddly he was even though he was a little lumpy in places, and she seldom wasted a chance to absorb some of the body heat he was radiating. As she said, if he was giving it away anyway ... she had first dibs.
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As breakfast wound down Harry and Hermione said their goodbyes to Dan and Emma. The Grangers asked them to be careful this morning when they flushed out the bad Wizards that caused so much damage at home. Harry, in all his gallantry, tried to assure Dan and Emma that he would do all in his powers to protect their little girl. Hermione feigned throwing up at the 'little girl' part of Harry's speech and they all had a brief chuckle.
The teens got up and backed away from the table, Hermione looked at Harry for a moment, then transformed into Caledfwlch and landed gently on Harry's shoulder. She nodded at her parents, spread her wings, flapped once and they were gone in a nearly blinding white flash appearing moments later in the Head's Common Room. While Caledfwlch folded her wings into her sides they both spotted Dobby who appeared to be fidgety.
"You is both requested in the Headmistresses office as soon as you has returned." Stated Dobby.
"We'll go there in a minute," said Harry, "As soon as we put on our school robes."
"No, no, yous comes first ... they is all waiting for yous." Responded Dobby as he tried to pull Harry's hand towards the portrait hole. Harry braced himself, resolute and unmoving; Caledfwlch then flashed the three of them, since Dobby was still trying to pull on Harry, to the Headmistresses Office. Hermione had learned from Fawkes how to scout out a destination quickly in advance so she knew to appear in the far corner near Fawkes Perch and away from the crowd of Order members and Aurors that surrounded Minerva's desk. A pair of nervous young Aurors were spooked at the flash of light as Harry, Caledfwlch and Dobby appeared almost silently in the office. The young Aurors had their wands drawn and pointed as Dobby pushed out his own small hands towards them saying, "Yous will not hurt Master Harry and Miss Miney!" The two Aurors were forced away and fell down, skidding along the floor until they crashed into a display case built into the far wall near the door.
"Calm down everyone!" Shouted Mad-Eye, "It's only the two 'late arrivals' that we've been waiting for and their crazy House Elf." Before everyone had a chance to see the new arrivals, Caledfwlch had transformed back into Hermione and was standing nearly in front of Harry.
By the time the two Aurors were back on their feet Harry had thanked Dobby and sent him to look out for Dan and Emma. Harry stayed silent and considered his position, how was he supposed to keep his promise to her parents if she was going to jump into the line of fire. Logically, if he was logical, he knew of course that she could take care of herself. To his way of thinking, he had promised to take care of her ... he was going to have to resolve this issue, either with himself … or with her.
This get together turned out to be the briefing to operation 'Granger House' that would take place in about an hour. Once the plan was explained by Alastor and Remus, there was some confusion about Harry using Polyjuice Potion and where was the potion. No one it seemed had deemed it necessary to say that they now had two Metamorphmagi in the ranks, Tonks and Harry. Hermione stood between Harry and Tonks, or rather they moved to either side of her, then they transformed into Dan and Emma for all to see. Tonks was just a tad faster at transforming than Harry and when she pointed it out he said she should have told him it was a race.
Tonks and Shacklebolt had a Ministry car that looked like a Muggle Taxi. The plan was that Kingsley would drive the faux Grangers up to the house and drop them off as if they were returning from the airport or such like. He would wait outside for a few minutes allowing his passengers to enter the house and connect with the two order members that were already inside. Professor Molly Weasley and Hestia Jones were hiding inside using a disillusionment charm. They had entered over the weekend when the other Order members and Aurors were there investigating the disruption and had never left. Over two dozen Order members and Aurors would be disillusioned or under invisibility cloaks and be hiding in the neighbours yards or disguised and approaching on the street. The Ministry had two teams of Obliviators on standby for the operation. The hope was that the lone DE, who they knew was Markus Flint, would have some way to alert Voldemort and they could capture or kill a good number of Death Eaters. There were ten portkeys in the house, five would take you to safe house near the Ministry and the other five would take you to Saint Mungo's.
In Minerva's office, everyone was ready and Moody passed out several portkeys to take the groups to various destinations within a few blocks of the Granger home. Seconds later the groups began to leave. Harry and Hermione went with Shacklebolt and Tonks to a place where they had parked the Ministry car that looked like a taxi. Some groups, hiding under disillusionment charms landed in neighbouring yards, others landed behind cover as far as a few blocks away and began slow walks towards the Granger home, while waiting for something to happen.
As soon as the Taxi pulled into the Granger driveway Flint was wide awake. Tonks, looking exactly like Emma, whispered to Dan {Harry} and Hermione that they had just tripped a local alarm jinx so Flint knew they were here and he was probably watching very closely. Hermione passed the front door key to Tonks who looked at it curiously until Dan {Harry} explained what it was. Tonks nodded as if just clueing in while Dan {Harry} reached over saying, "Maybe I should have the key, it would look more normal for me to open the door for you ladies?" Tonks and Hermione snickered for a moment and Tonks handed Dan {Harry} the key. They had now remained in the Taxi long enough to have paid the driver and proceeded to extricate themselves.
At the front door of the house Dan put the key in the lock and twisted his wrist while Hermione and Emma appeared to be looking around the yard. Tonks had told them where Flint was hiding and as they looked around they could see an occasional glint of reflected light from that location several houses away. Tonks thought he might be using an omniocular like Harry bought at the Quidditch World Cup to record what was just happening. If he had the recording device charmed as a portkey to return to Voldemort then they would know soon enough.
Once inside the house Dan {still Harry} proceeded to lock all the doors and windows with his patented locking charm that had bamboozled everyone so far. Meanwhile Hermione, Molly, Tonks and Hestia were discussing strategy and tactics. They had all disillusioned themselves including Dan {Harry}. During the discussion, Hermione found out that Dobby had removed anything he thought might be of value and replaced it with magical copies. Hermione was now less worried about the house being destroyed than she had been.
About five minutes after the three arrived at the house they started to hear multiple popping noises at close proximity that sounded like a brief burst of machine gun fire. A few seconds later flashes of multicoloured light could be seen through the windows along with the shouts of spells and minor explosions. The four Witches and a Wizard inside the house made sure they had their portkeys in their pockets and scattered themselves around the main floor so they wouldn't make a single target for anyone who got inside. It didn't take long for a hole to be blown in the back wall, probably a bombarda or reducto spell that missed its intended target. The sounds of spells, yelling and screams of pain were instantly louder and suddenly a horde of Death Eaters were trying to climb in through the new opening.
While the Witches sent bone breakers, reductos and disarming spells at the Death Eaters, Harry, as Dan, removed his disillusionment charm and stood to draw their attention away from his friends. Between Harry's shields and blocks he managed to do some human transfiguration spells changing the Death Eaters hands and arms into animal paws, legs and wings that were incapable of holding wands. More and more Death Eaters piled through the hole in the wall. Inside the house, Hestia was the first Light Witch to be taken out of the fight and Harry didn't recognize the yellow-orange beam that hit her. Molly was next to go down which threw Harry for a moment, and that was long enough for him to be hit with a spell from Bellatrix who immediately vanished in the blue blur of a portkey as a spell from Tonks passed through the spot she had been. Hermione immediately stood up, dropping her wand, and raised her hands above her head clapping them together. The sound of the hand clap was drowned out by a shockwave of magical energy that knocked everyone inside, except herself, unconscious and blew out all the doors and windows that Harry had so carefully locked. The glass and wood debris that the concussion created cut into a dozen or more DEs that were still outside, dropping a few of them and the rest vanished by apparition or portkey a moment later ending the bulk of the spell fire outside.
Hermione rushed over to an unconscious Harry who was bleeding profusely from several locations. Hermione activated his St. Mungo's portkey and then checked on the others. Tonks had been knocked out by Hermione's blast, but responded to an enervate charm, she also sent Hestia and Molly to St. Mungo's. Before Tonks could stop her, Hermione activated her St. Mungo's portkey to be near Harry.
Nobody had bothered mentioning to her, and if Hermione had waited a moment to hear what Tonks was going to tell her she would have found out. Hermione arrived directly onto a bed in the Emergency ward at St. Mungo's and as soon as she appeared she was hit with a stasis spell. The stasis spell was intended to be temporary so that the healers and staff could ascertain the patient's injuries and determine a course of action. Visitors and others were supposed to walk in through the door and not use the Emergency Portkey that would place them directly onto a bed next to waiting healers.
Harry felt Hermione's presence for the briefest of moments along with a sudden burst of fear and panic. He knew she was nearby … but not what had happened. The Healers were just about done with him and he jumped up and off the bed, amidst shouts from the healers he began running in the direction he had seen others being wheeled in from. As he neared he could see Hermione lying motionless on a bed with three Healers hovering over her.
The stasis spell that the Healers used suspended most body functions though it kept the persons mind awake. She could move her eyes and think, but nothing more. Hermione hadn't seen Harry but she could feel his concerned mind nearby. Her panic was quickly swept away when Harry's thought entered her mind. They began legilimizing each other until Harry understood that she was not hurt. She then began to try to think herself out of this jam before the Healers had a chance to do something unnecessary.
Harry quickly spoke to the Healers, and after telling them that Hermione was his wife and she was not hurt, he finally convinced them to release her from stasis. Just as the Senior Healer was about to release Hermione, she glowed bright orange from head to foot and released herself from the spell. It had taken her a few minutes while Harry convinced the Healers, to figure out exactly how to do it, but she did, and now it was their turn to stare in surprise. Never had the Senior Healer seen a patient break that stasis spell before. She slid off the bed and stood in front of Harry and then began checking him over from head to toe. She banished the remaining blood stains and repaired his clothes with such efficiency that the Healers were quite amazed.
The Healer that had been chasing Harry since he left his bed had finally caught up and was carrying a tray of three potions for Harry. His injuries and spell damage had been magically healed from the outside and the potions would finish the cure from the inside.
Just before Harry, Hermione and Remus left St. Mungo's they saw Markus Flint being hovered past them on a gurney with very blood soaked sheets. The young Death Eater, it turned out, had been approaching the front picture window of the house when it blew out. All of the Order members had initially been stationed between windows and doors to minimize the possibility of being attacked from behind. When the house blew out, a few of them that were out of position were injured and Hermione had talked to those she could and apologized.
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It was lunch time when the kids returned to Hogwarts. They had taken Remus to see her parents, who again were very relieved to know that everyone they cared about was alright. In the telling of the tale to Dan and Emma there were a few details left out such as Harry having to go to St. Mungo's and Hermione nearly destroying the house. The fact that there was currently a team of six Ministry Wizards and Order members on site trying to repair the house was also left unspoken. Because of the way that Harry sealed the doors and windows, when they blew out, part of the adjacent walls went with them. If a City Building Inspector had seen what was left, the first floor was more holes than wall; the devastated home would have been condemned in an instant.
Remus had taken Dan and Emma to sort out the details of spreading their patients out to other dentists and arranging a phone line and computer for their receptionist to work from home, so that she would be able to advise patients of their re-arranged appointments and doctors. The Grangers had also arranged between Remus and some other Dentists to use their offices in the evenings and some weekends to alleviate the overload they were creating.
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The afternoon classes passed quickly with only a few curious questions about where they had been over the weekend. Their explanation was intentionally vague since they couldn't tell anyone about Godric's Hollow due to the 'fidelius charm'. There were a few winks, nods and cat calls when some of the Gryffindor sixth and seventh year students found out it had been Hermione's birthday.
There meeting with Draco and Narcissa was quickly approaching and the teens were putting the final touches to the plans for that meeting. They were in Rowena's Common Room in the Restricted Section of the Library. Salazar, Helga and Godric were all present along with Rowena Remus and Minerva. The four Founders would continue to instruct Draco in the magical subjects he was currently taking. They would also do the same for Daphne when she arrived in a few weeks. The students would have to take on the more modern portions of History of Magic by themselves. Salazar had promised to clear up the common misconceptions of today about what Slytherin House should actually stand for. Although Salazar still had a predisposition for Pure-Bloods, he had realized over the passing centuries that it was not contributing to a healthy society. All the radical Dark Lords that emerged from Slytherin House, while they preached his ancient words, were not accomplishing his intentions. Salazar had never intended the Blood Wars that people like Grindelwald, Riddle and others before them, were attempting. The Blood Wars were in fact very counter productive as there were now, in proportion, far fewer supposed Pure Bloods around than Half-bloods and Muggleborns, at least in England.
A few minutes before eight Harry pulled out The Marauders Map, opened it up, and repeated the incantation for perhaps the thousandth time 'I solemnly swear I'm up to no good'. The map started filling in as it always did and they could all see that Draco Malfoy was approaching the same unused classroom where they had last met him. Looking a little further a field they spotted Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle keeping track of Draco. The interesting part was when Hermione spotted Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass, watching the watchers. The teens knew that Daphne was in on the plan because she had met with Minerva during the weekend and set up the plans for her and her parents to disappear. She was naturally concerned about Draco being caught, she knew Pansy was suspicious that something was going on and Draco was obviously nervous.
Rowena and Hermione conferred for a moment before Hermione transformed and vanished in a flash of white light. Caledfwlch appeared behind Draco, transformed back into Hermione and then cast the charms that she and Rowena had discussed to alter the hallway and keep the watchers from following Draco. Draco had heard the soft pop and saw a reflection of the flash of light, he turned quickly to see Hermione finish transforming from something. He relaxed after he saw the results of the magic she performed. Draco knew he was being followed and although curious as to how Potter's Mudblood was doing it, he was impressed to see the large stone blocks rearrange themselves to block off the hallway.
Once the blocks had stopped moving, Hermione, looking as menacing as she could manage, turned to face Draco. "I'm guessing it's time for you to disappear." She said with a smirk. "give me a bit of your hair."
"What! You're crazy, what do you need that for?" Shouted Draco.
There's no time for this crap, Hermione thought, she suspended him in the air by his right heel then grabbed a handful of his silvery blonde hair and yanked. "Oowwwww! You Mudblood Bitch, I'll kill you for this." Draco yelled while grabbing his scalp where the hair was pulled from.
"Nooooo … You'll thank me in the morning." Hermione cooed. Draco watched as she turned the handful of his hair into … another live Draco, Draco II … still no wand, but with a full head of hair and a sore head. The original Draco was extremely impressed with her human transfiguration skills … Draco II was even badmouthing her already. This kind of transfiguration didn't usually last long, McGonagall could make it last … a day … two at the most.
Harry had been changing walls and hallways from inside Rowena's Common Room, leading the watchers and their watchers around in circles. Hermione and Draco, and the others were almost directly below where he thought he was, assuming where he was, was adjacent to the Library. Harry felt a drain on his magic and saw on the map that Hermione had created a second Draco and a minute later it looked like Draco II was sprawled out dead on the floor. Harry assumed the plan was for Pansy and her goons to stumble across the dead Draco II. Slughorn and Flitwick were also walking a patrol on the same floor. Harry again rearranged the walls and hallways to bring Pansy's group to Draco II first and the two Professors there moments later. The dead Draco copy would mask the original's disappearance for a few days and create some excitement of its own.
Hermione had slowly backed away from the ranting Draco copy while taking the real Draco down the hall to the door of the same classroom they had used a few days ago. Hermione slipped Draco into the classroom and just before she followed him in, she sent a strong reducto curse at Draco II's chest. The chest imploded into a bloody mass of muscle and tissue and with a shocked expression on his face, the body of Draco II collapsed into a messy heap on the floor. Hermione slipped into the classroom, sealing and silencing the door just as Pansy, Vincent and Gregory came around the corner and saw what remained of Draco II in the hallway.
Inside the classroom the original Draco was still hanging from his right heel, holding his head where his hair was missing and swearing at Hermione in the best traditions of the Royal Navy, even though he had little idea what a Navy was. Hermione conjured a mattress underneath him and even let him down gently … well, more gently than Harry had the previous week.
In the hallway the three 'evil' Slytherins were now standing over the transfigured hair that appeared to be the body of Draco discussing what to do as the two Professors came upon them. From the other end of the hallway, cutting off any escape, Blaise and Daphne came around the corner. "Draco!" Daphne shrieked, Blaise had a solid hold on her before she could run towards the body on the floor.
In a split second everyone had their wands out and pointing at the others. Daphne was felled before she or Blaise could put up any kind of shield. Flitwick shielded against two curses, then between him and Blaise four stunners intersected with the three Slytherins caught between them. Horace Slughorn as it turned out was of no use in a fight unless he had some bottles of potion with him that he could throw. He tried to hide behind Flitwick at the first sign of trouble. It was like Dudley trying to hide behind Aunt Petunia, a rather futile effort.
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