**A/N- Thank you for being patient. Is anyone still reading? Real life gets in the way sometimes. Sorry. Your reviews are REALLY appreciated!
Chapter 16
"No."
Her answer was firm and resolute. She looked at her husband with burning eyes form her position on the bed where she continued her bed rest. Harry shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed deeply, knowing convincing Hermione might just be a losing battle. Not that he wasn't hesitant about the whole thing himself. Without even the proper research binding ones magical power was just as dark as most unforgiveables and was only used in the rarest of instances. He didn't know if it was even the answer, what if nothing was wrong with James and this was just a side effect of something else? But that couldn't be it either; Hermione was very healthy other than the curse that hit her a few years before in the Department of Mysteries and some wounds from the war. In a way, Harry might even hope that it's one of those things affecting her, if he had to choose anything at all. Because the alternative was the fact that the baby growing within her was something the world was not able to yet comprehend.
Ron's voice brought Harry out of his thoughts. "I know it seems far fetched, and sure, we might need to do some research on it, but think about it. If the baby's magic is this powerful now Hermione, to the point where it is draining you, imagine how powerful he would be. As a baby! And you know this world isn't cuddly and friendly. They will try to come at Harry and you with everything they got to obtain that power."
Hermione finally took her probing eyes off Harry and shifted them to Ron. "Do you know what you are even saying? You want me to take something that is going to be as natural to him as breathing away! My baby is not a freak! He didn't ask for this!"
Ron turned to Harry, who had yet to say another word after first bringing up the suggestion. He frowned in frustration. "Both of you need to come to grips with reality. Right now you have Death Eaters out there gunning for you, for us all. You have Coogle on the other side and you have no idea what he's playing at. Then you have the whole wizarding world that is still quite unstable from years of brainwashing and war. And you know who is going to suffer because of it? James. Not only because he's the first-born of Harry Potter, but they will find out what he is capable of. If we don't cut it off now. This is to protect him, and you."
"You don't even know how it is done Ron!" Hermione argued back. "Shouldn't we be more concerned about the ashes?! Instead of you coming to me with this kind of rubbish. We have no research to support that binding James will help anything. But I do have info on those damned ashes, Ronald!"
"It isn't rubbish, it might be the only thing to save your child's life. I remember my mom being knowledgeable about it. Harry and I are going to go check in with her to get more details. In the meanwhile, we do need to meet about the ashes."
"Oh so you've made up you mind then, Harry? Without me?" Hermione tossed at him. He dropped his eyes to
the floor again.
"Of course he didn't. This is eating him up! He's barely able to process this! There is so much going on Hermione, least you c an do is consider the ramification of what's happening to you right now!"
"I'm pregnant! I'm having a baby! Nothing is horrific about it!" Hermione bickered back.
The two continued as Harry said nothing until he heard Hermione say, "Is this what you want Harry? You want to strip our baby of his magic?" Hermione asked quietly.
Harry looked up finally, his face drained and his eyes red. He was struggling so hard with what was the right thing to do in this situation. Ron had only brought it up a few days ago and he still couldn't wrap his mind around it. All he could see was a small baby, who he wanted to protect just as much if not a tad more than Hermione. He wanted his family safe. Out of the reach of the same demons that tortured him. Truth be told, Ron was right. For years, not only did Voldemort chip away at Harry's innocence but so did society and the burden he bore at such a young age. He would not rest that on James. He wouldn't.
"Harry?"
He looked into his wife's questioning glare and with the most honest voice he could find, said, "Yes."
Ginny stepped out the shadow as Draco came out of his room, cloak in hand.
"Where are you off to?"
Draco turned slowly at her voice, steeling his conflicting feelings. She was staring at him with suspicion and he knew
she could care less about what his plans were, but she was only interested if it affected Harry.
"Out for a walk in the garden."
"Liar."
Draco shrugged and turned to continue walking. "Takes one to know one."
"Pardon me? Was that some sort of snipe at my character?"
He chuckled bitterly and turned around. "No. Just to surprised to see you actually remember I exist. What? Is Harry too busy being a husband to his wife right now?"
Ginny glared at him and crossed her arms. "I really wish you would get over it."
"I'm sure Hermione wishes that same thing with you."
"My god you are so bitter Draco. Merlin and to think I was concerned that you were going to go and do something stupid so I could talk you out of getting yourself killed."
Draco felt a bit of conflict pull at his heartstrings. Should he tell her what he was planning to do when he had a chance to leave unnoticed? No she would just betray his trust to get in good with Potter. "Sorry to disappoint you. Like I said, I'm going for a walk."
Ginny stepped frightenly close to him, pulling a sensation of warmth and longing with her. She leaned forward in the
most seductive manor, her lips slightly caressing his ear as she whispered, "You're a horrible liar. I can
read you like a book."
And as she stepped back with a smirk, Draco composed himself quick enough to say. "I wasn't aware you could read. Good to know. Goodbye."
Leaving her with her mouth opened in indignation and feeling a little bit full of himself for the time being. He would wait in the gardens. He would wait until he was sure Potter was leaving for him to start his mission.
"Not so fast Malfoy," He heard Harry shout for behind him. He groaned and turned to see Harry walk towards the spot he left Ginny.
Isn't this ironic?
"Yes, Potter?"
"We need to talk. All of us. Now." Harry replied simply, glancing only momentarily at Ginny as he turned back towards the house.
Malfoy cursed under his breath and stomped back towards the house following Ginny and Harry.
"Tell me about this amulet."
Hermione bit her lip and pushed the torn page she had ripped out of the book towards Harry. She was still on bed rest, so the group crowded around her bed. "The Amulet of Aenorta. From what I've researched it was forged to hold the strongest of magic, basically a conduit for someone to control the amount of power and therefore consequence of an outsource, such as a dominant potion or …"
"Ashes from an obliterated evil wizard." Harry replied, sitting next to her.
Hermione nodded. "Apparently it can control the manifestations of whatever power it contains, allowing the person who possesses it to control the power within it."
Ron frowned from his position at the foot of the bed. "What kind of power do you seriously think these ashes have? I mean, there's ashes in the fireplace right now…"
Hermione frowned at Ron's dismissive attitude, but she just pulled out a book she had found in the library. "When you die Ronald, your magic goes with you. But as you know, Voldemort wasn't an average wizard. Hell he split his soul into horcruxes, for goodness sakes. He was able to do dark magic, sealing his soul into physical things, remember?"
Ron just bobbed his head in acknowledgement. "Of course I remember. We searched all summer for those bloody things.
"So," Hermione stated simply, "It isn't a stretch to believe to be this all powerful consuming being, he somehow enhanced his full physical self. It would have made him stronger when he-"
"Fought me. " Harry finished her thoughts quietly. He felt Hermione slip a comforting hand over his.
Draco looked subtly over to Ginny who was standing by the other post. She grimaced at Hermione's gesture to comfort
her husband. Draco snorted.
Neville cleared his throat. "So his ashes hold his essence in a manner of speaking?"
"Yes. Now what kind of essence he might have left I can't say. But for the Minister to have both the ashes and the amulet to expose the power in his possession, I hope he hasn't considered actually using it."
Ron looked perplexed. "What are we talking about here? You're telling me that the Ministry has both the ashes and the amulet? Isn't that…I don't know…enough to say Coogle is planning on doing some horrible things? We need to get the both or at least one. So where is this amulet being held?"
Harry lifted his head at Ron's question and looked back at Draco. Draco was trying to look anywhere but at Harry.
Feeling defeating as the whole room stared at him, he muttered, "I told you before, Dweedle recovered it during one of his prior raids before I was assigned the task. It's being stored in a vault inside the Ministry, and trust me, there's no way to get it out."
Luna spoke up. "So finding the amulet was dumb luck, but he sent you specifically to find the ashes. How'd he know they existed?"
He looked at Luna. ""Hogwarts raids were divided in 4 ways. Recovery of precious artifacts, containment, surveillance, and special assignments. I was special assignments. Dweedle found the amulet maybe 6 months before I found the ashes. They had blasted though the 3rd wing of Hogwarts. And you know…I have to wonder why the hell Dumbledore kept so much dangerous shit in a school full of children."
Ron muttered something under his breath and Harry dropped his head in irritation. Draco mentioning Dumbledore in that manner wasn't a good thing.
Draco continued without noticing the tension. "Surveillance had caught wind of a man claiming of possess the ashes of Voldemort. He was trying to sell them down in his shop in Knockturn Alley."
Harry sighed. "The shape shifter. That's why he said he knew you that day."
Draco grunted. "Yes. Seems he truly did like to watch. Reports were that he was in with a pack of war vultures, men who sit on the sidelines, waiting to collect AFTER the devastation. He scavenged the grounds of Hogwarts, looking for wands, and bones, and what not. He came upon the ashes near the lake."
Harry seemed to freeze up at the mention of the lake, flashing back to his confrontation with Voldemort. He remembered the water was black, the wind was cold, the ground hard. He heard screams and flashes of light. Voldemort stood in front of him, his black robes whipping in the wind, a sadistic grin on his face. Suddenly, a green light coming towards Harry and he remembered his whole body feeling ripped apart as a blast of energy came from him and cut through Voldemort. He remembered too well. Hermione was staring at him and squeezed his hand, seeing the torture on his face. Only Harry knew what happened down by the lake.
Draco solemnly continued. "He was trying to unload them, but no one would go near them. And he didn't want to keep them in his shop so he stashed them back in the Hogwarts dungeons. The shape shifter boasted that these ashes had some sort of power, and after several meetings with him as an undercover, he convinced me too. Coogle seemed to push that assignment to go through rather quickly, which makes sense now…because I never even thought of him using it with the amulet. I never got whiff of him planning to use it. I just thought he wanted it off the market."
Harry cleared his throat as he looked back at the page in front of him. "Let's be honest with ourselves, he
was either going to use it for himself, or use it as a weapon for the Ministry."
Ginny finally spoke up herself. "So are we going to try to get the amulet? Or stay low?"
"We? There's no we, Ginny. You stay low. Hermione and Neville also. You will not get involved in this." Ron stated, his tone deathly serious.
Ginny narrowed her eyes. "Damn it Ron, stop trying to be my father!"
"I'm not trying to be Father. You have one, one you never see or talk to; one I'm not so quick to bring
you back to in a body bag."
Everyone groaned at the impending fight. Ginny's mouth opened and snapped shut as she pushed back tears. Draco felt the intense urge to reach out to her, to comfort her. But he knew she wouldn't receive it well, so he held it and dropped his head.
Hermione cleared her throat and spoke up. "Ron's right, Ginny. There are things we need to consider. It's less risk involved if the three of us stay here. Ron, Luna, and Harry can move easier and under the radar. Draco's a little more difficult, but he has information they need."
Ginny cut her eyes at Hermione but said nothing.
The tension got worse. Neville wanted to run from the room. "So what now?"
"I suggest we go visit Lupin and Tonks."
"Merlin, the werewolf and the freak?" Draco sneered, but the deadly look on Harry's face squelched any further discussion.
"You're not going either." Harry replied.
"What?" Draco cried out. "You need me!"
"Not right now. You of all people need to stay under the radar." Hermione agreed with her husband, Lupin and Tonks had background info on Voldemort and the Ministry's activities, but Draco wasn't necessary in this particular instance.
Draco glared at Harry and then pushed past Neville and stomped out the room.
Arthur Weasley shuffled down the stairs and into the kitchen. He has a craving for one of his wife's delicious biscuits and he knew she would pitch a fit if she knew he ate more than one. He clapped his hands together and pulled the plate out of the warmer, all the while licking his lips and humming to himself. No harm in having a biscuit before bed. He carefully plopped one off the top and began to butter it.
"Arthur Weasley!" his wife bellowed from upstairs.
She had found him out. He winced and bitterly shoved the biscuit back on the plate and stomped towards the bottom of the steps. "Yes dear?"
"Are you trifling with my biscuits?!"
He muttered to himself for plastering a fake smile on his face and cheerfully saying, "No dear. Just putting a bit of wood on the fire. 'Tis a bit chilly in here, you know?"
"I don't feel a fire! Are you lying, Arthur?"
He shook his head and wondered did the woman have the blasted inner eye as well. "No dear! I just-"
He paused and looked curiously towards the fireplace, which was now flanked by green flame and wider than usual. The floo…someone had activated the floo.
Old age did not slow down his wand play as he brought his wand to the ready to blast anyone who might come through. It had been years since the floo network had been used in his home, and not only that, that specific floo portal was for one place only. A place he no longer visited. Grimmauld Place.
"What in heaven's-" Molly grumbled as she stomped down the stairs, only to see her husband standing defensively by the fireplace with his wand drawn.
"Quiet woman!" he hissed, his eye trained on the opening. She was about to say something but she noticed it too. The fireplace that looked bigger than normal. She gasped aloud and Arthur looked at her, to which Molly pulled her wand as well. The green flame bounced about and then roared, and a redheaded dust ball came sliding out in a heap in front of Arthur.
"Dammit, I hate this bleeding floo!" Ron sputtered, soot in his mouth and covering his body. He spit out the flakes of ash in his mouth and looked up to see his mother and father standing over him, stunned no doubt.
"Ronald!" They both chorused as they helped their son stand. Ron felt his mother's huge arms engulf him and his air supply was restricted.
"Oh Ron!! It's you! Oh goodness. And don't swear!" Mrs. Weasley said, smacking her younger son on the arm.
Ron winced and dusted himself off. "Yes, yes. Hello Mum. Move, more are coming through."
The green flame ignited again, and Harry stepped out.
"Thank goodness you're okay Ron, we were so worried." Mrs. Weasley yelped. She hugged Ron, causing him to wince at the pressure. She regained her composure and focused on Harry.
Harry wasn't one for a Weasley hug at the moment but he let her embrace him before stepping back. "I'm so sorry to scare you like this. But we need your help."
"You and Ron disappeared with not so much as a note. Luna and Hermione gone as well. The attacks, Death Eaters loose, and my dear Ginny a fugitive. I would say you do need our help!" Mrs. Weasley huffed.
Mr. Weasley nodded in agreement. "Whatever you need."
Harry continued. "We need you to come to Grimmauld Place."
"For what?"
Ron looked at his friend and then back to his parents. "We need to get to Tonks and Lupin."
Mr. Weasley frowned. "Well that's not a big spectacle. Surely we can do it here-"
Harry shook his head. "It's safer at Grimmauld Place. Plus, Ginny's there."
"Dear Merlin, is she alright?" Mrs. Weasley gasped.
Mr. Weasley bobbed in head in shock before saying. "She's involved with this Draco Malfoy business?"
"In a way. Sort of. But we mustn't waste time. Mum, we have to go back."
"Right, er, mind if we get decent first?" Mr. Weasley asked sheepishly.
"No go ahead."
The pair waved their wands and then prepared to floo.
Neville dropped to his knees; the ache in his stomach was too much to bear. He dry heaved hoping to vomit, but nothing came out. An intense wave of nausea had suddenly struck him after Harry and Ron flooed to the Weasleys. He was walking to Ginny's room after she ran out of Hermione's, hoping to calm her down. But he never made it. He didn't call for help either, maybe he had eaten something rancid, or maybe it was the stress of the whole situation. He braced himself on the floor of the study, his sweaty palms against the cold wood floor. He felt as though he was dying.
"Painful, isn't it?"
Neville turned his head slowly to the voice, and stared at Draco, draped in a cloak. He swallowed the nausea back. "What did you do to me?"
"It's the Genuioa Blood oath. Didn't you learn any of this in good ole Gryffindork? Slytherins were learning this first year. It's simple really. Basically, this way if you tell on me while I'm gone, you die."
Neville's eyes widened in fear. He struggled to stand, shakingly leaning against the bookshelf. "You son of a bitch. You had no right!"
"I have to protect myself. I know the first chance you got, you'd run to Potter about my little excursions." He said stone-faced. Neville blinked and felt sick again.
In a pitying sort of move, Draco walked over and helped him to the settee.
As Neville settled back, he yanked his arm away. "Don't touch me, don't ever touch me! I should have let the Ministry get you!"
Draco drew back as if wounded a little and then composed himself. "Maybe you should have."
"Where are you going?"
"I can't tell you that Neville. Potter will think I'm in my room, sulking that I couldn't go talk to those two old freaks with him. That and the Weasley reunion special. I'm sure they won't want my presence tainting that. So I'll sneak back in under radar."
"You're going to leave me to suffer like this?" Neville gulped.
Draco gave a pregnant pause before continuing. "The nausea should go away a bit when I leave, but it will be back if you are around Potter. Once I make it back here, it will stop."
Neville was sweating profusely and yet he felt cold. "I feel like I'm dying."
Draco nodded, pulling his hood over his pale face. "That's sort of the point. Give me the portkey."
Neville pursed his lips and reached into his jumper pocket, extracting an ink pen. "Click it, and it activates. Click it again and it return activates. Once each time, Draco."
"I'm not dumb." Draco snorted, snatching it out Neville's hand.
"You really think you can stop your father all by yourself? He has a gang of Death Eaters behind him."
"Why is that so implausible? The existence of the wizarding world rested on the bony shoulders of a seventeen year old. You people were eating it up then!"
Neville frowned. "What happens if you don't return? What happens to me then?"
Draco looked at the pen in his hands. "Then you die."
Before Neville could spit out an exasperated response, Draco was out the door and about to activate his portkey.