A/N. As much as it felt like it most times, no, I didn't fall into a black hole of a time warp and totally lost track of time. I can't believe it's April, more than three months since I last updated. It's been crazy in RL and the little free time I had I spent going around in circles in this one chapter. Cokieisme's review last night finally pushed me to just let go- : ) thanks! Pamcakes - thanks to you too for your gentle reminders. Hope you're having an amazing spring so far. It's been great (it'll be better once I overcome my fear that I'll kill every plant in our yard - including the grass!). The Hugo-Hermione scene won't be in here but should be on the next.
This is short but I think it was giving me such a block I needed to post.
I still owe a lot of review replies - will plug away at answering over the next few days. I am blown away by them and the theories some of you have come up with astound me. A few have been spot on!
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Chapter 54 - The Invincibility Stones
Warren was still laughing, seemingly amused about some private joke between him and Hermione.
"Fidelus," she explained why she couldn't.
"Really?" Harry knew that but had to ask, wanting to make sure she wasn't pulling his leg.
"Yup, hard to imagine," Warren butted in, answering for her.
Every little sound from the asshole irritated him now. Thankfully Warren's phone rang and whoever it was on the other line drew his undivided attention. He stepped out into the backyard for privacy.
The fact that Hermione wasn't the Keeper wasn't surprising. She wouldn't be because she would be the most obvious one. However, he didn't figure that she would completely give up the ability to talk about where the Hallows were.
"Is it really that hard to believe?" Hermione inquired as they tidied up the mess he and Warren made.
Confident she wouldn't take it the wrong way, Harry replied, "You've always been somewhat of a control freak."
"True," she concurred, then admitted in a self-depreciating tone, "I really didn't think that through, did I?"
"I'd say. Any work around it?"
"Unfortunately I was quite focused and determined when I set it up. And I had excellent help."
Professor Flitwick maybe. They each picked up the last two wooden chairs that had toppled over. She then asked if he wanted a drink. He didn't but she filled two glasses of water anyway and put them on the breakfast table, sat down and proceeded to drink hers.
Harry took a seat beside her and, after a brief internal debate, succumbed to the temptation to gaze to his right. As he did, he couldn't help the totally inappropriate wonderings that bubbled through his mind. He missed her and he didn't fully realize how much he missed her until that moment. It was still all surreal to him that Hugo was their son.
We actually have a son.
Harry had not felt this good about anything in his life in a long while. It meant a big deal to him and so he thought that surely, it must mean something to her. She said he was wrong about the reason why she never told him about Hugo. What exactly did she mean by that? Did she trust him to do the right thing but didn't want him to? Or did her decision to keep Hugo a secret have nothing to do with trust?
Swearing mentally, he took the other glass and drank it bottoms up to wash down the lump in his throat, sternly rebuking himself there was so much else to talk about.
"Who's the Keeper?" were the first set of words that came out of his mouth.
She answered with regret in her voice, "Sorry. Unbreakable vow. I guess I could tell you if I really had to."
"I'd rather you didn't."
"Right. At the moment I don't think there's a need to," she said. She leaned closer and her expression became more sombre as she added, "I just want to say that I am sorry about not giving your cloak back."
The apology was sincere but he couldn't help thinking that obviously, she wasn't sorry enough. Hermione read his mind; he could never hide anything from her.
She blushed as she tried to make him understand, "It was a very difficult time and for a while being Mistress of Death was the only thing that made sense in my life. But I had always wanted to return it. Many times I wish I did."
He nodded. It sounded like it wasn't solely up to her to make that happen anymore. The cloak was valuable in that it was his one possession that belonged to his father but it was still just a 'thing'. And while he was disappointed that Hermione took it, he realized that he was no longer as upset about losing it as he had been years ago, even more so knowing that it wasn't lost at all and that she had put it to good use.
"I hope I do get it back at some point," he brushed that aside, noting that she retained a perturbed expression. Harry couldn't get himself to care more about the cloak at that moment. He asked, "Will you tell me - what it was like then? Not now but maybe some other time?"
She was reluctant and after her hesitation, compromised, "Maybe - some other time."
At least she was considering it. Harry hoped she would tell him eventually, even if it was an abridged version. He steered them back to a more neutral topic.
"So, Malvado; what's the story?"
She seemed as relieved that they were talking about something else.
"What have you heard?"
"Aside from what the Ministry knows, not much."
He retold what he read from the file Isa gave them as well as the snippets Warren told him, figuring that Hermione would correct any mistakes. She didn't.
"How off am I?"
"You met him. What do you think?"
"He definitely has talents I haven't seen in a dark wizard since Voldemort," he understated, "Is he really an ancient, volcano spewed spirit with the gift of immortality?"
"Ancient - yes. His physical body is new but his inner core, his soul, is hundreds of years old. Volcano-spewed - partly true. He once came back using an inter-realm portal through a dormant one and that story follows him to this day. The fire-hell-demon image scares many and exponentially increases perception of how evil he is, without him needing to do anything."
"And immortal Son of Death?"
"That depends on your definition of 'son'. The moniker 'Son of Death' comes from the Hag's prophecy. It's bullcra-," she caught herself in time and put it more simply, "Well, I don't have to tell you how I feel about her and what she said. To be precise about it Malvado is Death's creation. The stone that gives him what everyone thinks is immortality is from Death."
"You talk about Death as if Death is real."
"Death is real; black hooded cloak, scythe and all. The scythe is just a prop, by the way," she replied, "You should meet It. Lovely character. Well, the current one is."
She was dead serious. It was odd hearing her talk ordinarily about something so extraordinary - kind of un-Hermionish. That story about being Mistress of Death was becoming even more intriguing, imagining now the literal meaning of having the title. He thought about his strange vision, about Rasputin and the portals, and began contemplating the likelihood that it was more than just a dream. He decided to let that one go for now and asked her about her other point
"You implied that Malvado is not immortal."
"Not in the true sense of the word. He is invincible, impermeable to injury and illness. Understandably, that's not a big difference to us mere mortals."
"And I take it that this stone is not something that can easily be taken from him?"
Hermione confirmed, "It is part of him until he willingly lets go of it and someone willingly accepts it."
"That's a problem."
"Yes, a huge one. He hasn't given it up since acquiring it. There is no reason why he would do it now."
"What else do you know about the stone? How did Malvado get it?"
"Centuries ago, there was an epidemic of immortals and quasi-immortals brought about by Deaths who gave powers away in backdoor deals, like the Hallows. Some of the immortals were becoming problems in society so to address that, the Death-then deputized thirteen living beings, giving them Invincibility stones in exchange for their services to bring these immortals and quasi-immortals down."
"Giving special powers to rid the world of those with special powers? Sounds counter-intuitive."
"I agree. But I'm sure you can appreciate how difficult it is for ordinary individuals to bring into justice beings like Malvado. Many have tried and failed."
"Why didn't the Death-then rescind the deals Its predecessors made?"
"That would have been great if It could. Unfortunately after-life politics isn't like ours. Any changes to agreements have to be mutually approved by both parties. Death tried renegotiating; that failed too. Left without a choice and desperate, It decided to create the team of Invincibles, beings of exemplary character, who agreed to what Death asked of them."
"So Malvado passed Death's psych test, got a stone and turned bad."
"Yes though not immediately. The team was quite successful in its first decades of existence, eliminating a significant number of problem immortals. Knowing that the mission would likely last more than one lifetime, the original deal with Death involved them giving up their stone at some point and choosing someone deserving and willing to continue with the task. Most, keeping true to their agreement with Death, handed over the stones to willing relatives and friends. Others, Malvado included, reneged on the deal."
"And Death didn't see that coming?"
"Foresight is not a skill Death normally needs in Its line of work. It felt betrayed and somewhat humiliated. These promise-breakers were hand-picked, personally chosen by Death."
"What was the penalty for breaking the promise?"
"They paid for the lives of their families and their family's families," she replied, "Soon, they were living beyond appropriate life expectancies, the dark powers of the stone decimating their human form to the likeness of Death Itself. No amount of magic could completely mask the change. It also became extremely hard to explain why they were still alive so they found ways to occupy new bodies and switch identities every few decades. Eventually, Death was replaced. The stones scattered across continents, their original reason for existing lost in the transitions. We don't know how many stones remain."
"Pity. We could use some help with Malvado."
Hermione neither agreed nor disagreed, adding, "Stories say Malvado was a good spirit once but a very poor judge of character. They say he became what he is today because he took over too many bodies with tainted essences."
"Essences?"
"Soul remnants," she clarified, "Anyway, every time Malvado has misbehaved in the past someone has always stepped up to the plate and sent him back to the afterlife. There his invincibility is not an asset and what he does doesn't affect anyone. Then he gets bored, finds a way back and always gets worse in an evil way each time he resurfaces. The most obvious and easiest way to get rid of him short of him giving up his invincibility stone is to send him back again."
"I take it the easiest way isn't easy."
"He knows how to protect himself against the obvious. And even if we succeed he'll eventually find a way back. It'll be nice to find him permanent after-life accommodation. We need for him to die."
"And he wants to be Master of Death so he won't have to go back?"
"That's what Warren and I thought initially. But that never made complete sense. Malvado, in his many previous lives, has known about the Hallows. It was part of what he and the rest were sent out to deal with. And he has had his current human form for many years yet his interest in acquiring the Hallows has only been recent."
"Is it to prevent the Hag's Prophecy?"
"He doesn't believe in the Hag's Prophecy."
"That didn't seem to be the case when he tried to tear Hugo in half earlier."
"His intention to kill Hugo does not come from his belief that Hugo will be the one to do him in but his desire to crush the hopes of those who believe Hugo will."
Harry didn't think it possible but he was now more pissed off at Malvado.
Hermione continued, "He will quash anything that could make him look bad. His blind loyalists adore him with god-like reverence and many beings fear him for how he deals with enemies. That he has that power over others is very important to him."
"So why is he after the Hallows?"
"At the meeting with the Being Elders, I found out that possessing the Hallows is not his main goal. Except for the wand. He does want to own the unbeatable wand for the obvious reasons. But even that is still secondary."
"Secondary to what?"
"To preventing the powers of the Hallows from - um - leaving this realm," Hermione answered, "The Invincibility stones were designed to be effective only for as long as there remained a reason for them to exist."
"The threat of an immortal."
"Precisely. Recently, the last Death-created immortal Being decided to stay in the after-life for good. As we speak, the Hallows are the only remaining reason for his invincibility. He wants to secure at least one to ensure his survival and the wand, in his eyes, is the most powerful of the three."
Harry frowned. It still didn't make complete sense to him.
"I get it that he wants the Hallows to remain in our world. I get it that he wants the wand because of what it is. Two things are bugging me about it. One, if he's not really interested in the rest of the Hallows, then why, when he thought he already had the wand and the stone, was he still looking for the cloak?"
"The answer to that," she began, "Is complicated."
He countered, "I have no doubt that it is. I'll try my best to follow."
She took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. She seemed very intent in considering her words carefully before she finally answered.
"As I said, acquiring the Hallows is secondary."
"He wants them to stay here."
"And to continue to exist," she added, "And if he couldn't have them all - "
Harry finished for her, "He wanted to make sure no one will find the last one."
Malvado wasn't killing off the POTH to get the last Hallow; he was killing them off to make sure the Cloak, what he thought was the only one he didn't have, remained hidden.
Realizing that he understood, Hermione continued, "What was the second thing?"
"Why stop at one or two Hallows? Wouldn't being Master of Death make him more powerful than he is right now?"
"Being Master of Death does not make him more invincible than he is and it involves responsibilities and accountabilities he would rather not have."
"I imagined the powers to be more independent and absolute."
"It was. I certainly fixed that," she muttered the last more to herself with amused satisfaction.
Harry heard it and had to chuckle, "You took the fun out of it, didn't you?"
"I did not," she denied, her half-smile betraying how little truth there was in her words, "Maybe I did but it really depends on one's definition of fun. I had to do something, especially since I couldn't destroy them or send them back. All that power resting on one individual was just not right."
"What's the plan?"
"Still working on it."
She looked at him too intensely and he sensed it was a lie. She would at least have one, and a back-up.
"You don't trust me with it?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Harry. We both know the answer to that. I am still working on it."
She repeated herself. Even if it were possible, he thought it unlikely for her to take Warren's advise to re-unite the Hallows and become Mistress of Death again. Whatever her plan was it would involve making Malvado more mortal, which meant eliminating the threat of the Hallows. Did she figure out how to do that?
The POTH. Maybe she and POTH were close to a solution to get rid of the Hallows. It was probably one main why Malvado was hell bent on finding the Keeper even though he thought he already had the wand. Malvado must want to eliminate the entire group, to eliminate the threat to the existence of the Hallows and ensure the Hallows couldn't be found.
"Tell me about the POTH."
She shifted in her seat uncomfortably, pausing before replying carefully, "According to a 2014 article in the South American Journal of Magic the POTH, or Pillars of the Hallows, is an underground organization of seven individuals created to prevent the use of the Deathly Hallows and to exhaust all possible means to neutralize the individual and collective powers contained within them, not limited to the destruction of the magical artefacts."
It wasn't exactly the answer Harry was looking for. He wanted her to confirm who else the POTH members were and from her answer it seemed that was off limits too. He did wonder why Ted didn't find the POTH document in his research but figured Hermione would have had a hand in that. He had to be honest about his disapproval if only to let her know where he stood on the matter.
"Short and sweet, although I would have added radical or extreme in there somewhere."
"Sometimes there is no taking the middle road. Sometimes more people suffer when you do," she defended and left it at that.
"Who's on it with you?" he asked more specifically.
"I can't say," she said.
He looked her in the eye, "Another Unbreakable vow?"
Hermione bit down on her lower lip and didn't answer but he knew he got it right this time.
Harry pressed on, "Burkes, Phil the Prophet Elf, Grawp, Professor Flitwick, Gummy, you. That makes a very odd mix of six. Not exactly my top picks to form such a group."
"Who the POTH are doesn't matter."
"Malvado is killing you off one at a time. We can at least help protect those left."
"The POTH can take care of themselves. There are more important people who need and will need protecting."
"Is it Dovalov or Jurnuk?" he threw the question out in the open. When Hermione remained tight lipped he continued, "I was thinking the seventh was the asshole out back but he ratted you all out and lived so he isn't it. Is it Dovalov or Jurnuk?"
He paused this time, waiting for a reaction he could read into. There was none.
Instead, she asked, "Why do you think it's one of them? Are they dead too?"
"Jurnuk is."
"That's tragic. The Brotherhood of Goblins lost a great leader."
Hermione seemed genuinely affected, and it was understandable because she and Jurnuk had worked together on many committees furthering Being rights. But she was not going to give him the information he wanted directly. He had to find some other way.
"Did you write the article?"
She shook her head and replied, "Warren did."
The revelation grated annoyingly on his nerves. He wasn't sure what irked him more, Warren knowing about the POTH way much longer than he had or that the bastard lied to him.
"He told me there were only six members."
She wasn't upset nor bothered the least bit, as if she expected it.
"You don't believe him," she pointed out the obvious.
"I don't trust him."
"You are justified not to."
"I don't understand why you do."
She explained, "He would never do anything to hurt me or my family. He doesn't care what happens to yours."
My family...yours.
"I never thought there was a distinction. Since when did you?"
"Let's not go there, Harry," she said to him with a slight impatience.
Harry backed down. Yes, that was childish, a reflection of his increasing frustration with how their conversation was going and a subconscious attempt to piss her off too. Still, it was disturbing that she trusted someone who would look after the interest of a few even if it was to the detriment of everyone else. Hermione having total confidence in Warren did not sit well with him. He had to say something. He leaned closer and spoke gravely.
"I have a bad feeling about him. If he hasn't sold you out, he will eventually."
"Warren's loyalty to me has no price," she insisted, trying to reassure him and failing.
Harry tried to appeal to her objective nature, "I know him. You know him. He has no loyalties except to himself. I don't believe for a moment that the only reason he's after Malvado is because Malvado is a bad guy. It's not about money but he wants something else out of this. Why is he still on this case?"
She knew as much that Warren had at least one other motive for staying on board. Harry sensed that whatever it was she preferred to keep it between her and Warren for now. That or she didn't know either.
"At the end of the day he will choose to do the right thing."
"The right thing?" he reacted in disbelief, "What was 'right' about taking Al and Rosie?"
"He wanted Rosie safe where he could keep a better eye on her. She would have given him a hard time without Al."
"And sending imposters to the Pitch?"
"He promised me he would look after your children," she answered calmly.
"All these lies..."
"To keep his word not to get you or Ron involved," she finished for him, "I really don't want us to argue about him."
"Too late, we already are."
"Harry..." Hermione pleaded but he couldn't let it go.
"What was he sorry about?"
"What?" she asked, puzzled, unsure what the question was about.
"He said he had to do it, that he didn't want to take a chance."
It was apparent instantly that it was something she wasn't keen on discussing either and she, in her usual way, tried to stall him, saying again, "It's complicated."
"I'm all ears," Harry put the pressure on, "He wasn't talking about taking Rosie, or Al, and it wasn't about the Pitch. He doesn't regret doing any of that. What was it?"
As Hermione contemplated an answer he realized something awful and said it out loud, hoping he was wrong, "You were attacked in your home. The Fidelus was broken. Warren was your Secret Keeper, wasn't he?"
"Yes, but..."
He didn't hear what followed. He completely lost the handle.
"So he already betrayed you! He almost got you killed!"
"No! He was the one who helped me escape that night!" she reasoned arduously, matching his raised voice.
"He wouldn't have had to had he not blabbed about your exact location in the first place! He almost got Hugo killed! How can you continue to trust him?!"
"It didn't happen that way!" she continued to defend the bastard, which only frustrated Harry even more, "We knew a long time ago that once Malvado realized I was the former Mistress of Death he would use Warren to get to me! There was always that risk! We just didn't count on it happening that night and weren't as prepared to deal with it as we thought we were!"
"And he just let Malvado use him? If he's so loyal to you he should have taken your exact whereabouts to the grave!"
"With or without him Malvado would have gotten to me anyway through many of you! It would have been pointless!"
"You told him to break the Fidelus?!"
"Of course, I did!"
This lack of rational thinking was driving him crazy! He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her back to the Hermione he knew years ago, the one who made much more sense!
"Well I guess that makes it all right then! Because if you can't count on your friends to get you killed when you ask them to then who else can you count on?!"
"Exactly!"
Hurt by his sarcasm she blushed a deep red, her answer meant to put an end to their discussion. He only noticed then that they had both gotten off their seats. They were toe to toe, eyes burning in a fierce stand-off, as Harry percolated in frustration at her stubborn refusal to see Warren for who he really was.
Then Harry realized. If she told Warren to break the Fidelus then that wasn't what he was apologizing for. Warren did something else.
"Excuse me…"
They were interrupted before he could question her further. It was the asshole. At some point just before Hermione finished talking Warren must have walked in.
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A/N. Hope that gets us back on track.
My thanks to Cranksatnyc for the recommendation. Having such recognition is one of the best feelings a ficwriter can ever have.