A/N. Greetings loyal readers.
Four weeks is a long time so without further adieu…
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Chapter 57 - Dungeon Reunions
Harry hung up the phone, second guessing the instructions he left Ted with. His gut told him that Ted was going to be just fine but he would never forgive himself if something bad happened to his godson. He made his way to the house, thinking of all the people in it right now who he could never face again if that occurred. He was at Shell Cottage.
Bil and Fleur Weasley, their gracious hosts, had added three additional levels to their home to accomodate their temporary guests. They had been aware that trouble was on its way when their daughter, Tory, came home unexpectedly. After Anne arrived with the twins with news that the Pitch had been attacked, Bill immediately made arrangements for his other London based siblings to come. George and Percy were here with their families and Charlie was on his way from Romania to offer support.
He took his wand out and fortified the perimeter defences. Bill was a high ranking Gringott's official now, and as such the wards around his home reflected the importance of his position. Harry did not have to add much more and although he remembered Hermione's mention of the possibility of moving the family again, he doubted he could convince the Weasleys to do that unless Shell Cottage drew fire.
Through the window out back he could see Ginny in the Weasley dining room, in a serious discussion with her brothers and sisters-in-law. As Hermione anticipated, Ginny would not stay at the Magical Village. She arrived at Pag-asa with James, Lily and the IMP escort shortly after he and Warren did. No words could adequately describe how angry Ginny was about the whole thing. Harry had not seen her that upset since, well, a very long time ago, and much of her anger was directed at Warren.
To her credit she had waited until they were in a less public space before letting Warren have it. Warren accepted her verbal abuse stoically which pissed Ginny even more. It took Al's insistence that he was all right and that he was glad to have seen the village to get his mother to calm down.
Their departure from Pag-asa an hour later was complicated. They expected Rosie to come with them but Hermione's daughter refused to leave, saying that she had to see her mother. Both he and Ginny thought that was reasonable (and Warren promised to take care of her), but they were surprised at Al's insistence to stay at Pag-asa too.
Harry tried to talk Al out of it while his Mum told him straight that she'd rather he be somewhere safe. Al was the easy kid, the straight one, and, in the past, the one who. always did as they asked. But in the end Al's argument about helping the Beings and keeping his cousin company won out. Al was with Rosie at Pag-asa and would leave when she did.
Harry wasn't comfortable with that for although Hermione trusted Warren with Rosie Harry didn't trust him with Al. This only strengthened his resolve to get to Malvado as soon as he possibly could. When they met that one time at the fair Harry got the impression that Malvado was not keen on duelling him. He doubted very much that Malvado would accept an invite to meet. This being the case he could either wait until the asshole attacked Hugo or Hermione again, or, seek him out. He preferred the latter; to go on the offensive and to dictate his own terms. He also liked the idea that he'd have to go through Warren to find the Dark Wizard. It would give him the opportunity to sort Warren out.
Admittedly Harry wasn't prepared to confront Malvado but Hermione had given him enough information so he wouldn't make catastrophic mistakes. Throughout his years as an Auror he never needed an exhaustive report of his opponents and never overanalyzed who he was up against. To be honest, much of wand fighting was instinctive for him. Each opponent was always unique and he had been for the most part been fortunate to do the right thing at the right time, sometimes after much trial and error. Harry definitely wasn't the most scientific dueller but as challenging a foe Malvado was he wasn't worried about fighting him.
He closed his eyes and willed himself to calm down, to not rush even though the upside of ending the Malvado threat sooner was overwhelming. To him this was more than just a case. His family's future was on hold somewhat until this was settled.
The back door swung open. Harry glanced over and saw James at the entrance. His sixteen year old had been unusually quiet since Pag-asa and had a gloominess about him that Harry had never seen him with before. With his Weasley red hair, sense of humour and happy-go-lucky demeanour, James never let anything bother him until now.
"Dad, can I talk to you for a sec?"James opened without hesitation.
"Of course. What's on your mind?"
On James' lead they walked towards the beach. His son began speaking as soon as they were a distance from the house
"I'm really sorry about what happened at the Pitch."
The apology dripped with remorse. Harry had no idea where it was coming from.
"That wasn't your fault."
"It was. I couldn't protect Mum and I couldn't protect Lily," James explained, his brows in a deep frown, "I'm sorry for disappointing you."
"You didn't disappoint me," Harry tried to reassure him, trying to think what could have given James the idea that he was disappointed.
James continued beating himself up, "I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't good enough."
"They were trained IMP and you're only sixteen..."
"But you were much younger when you rescued Mum," James reasoned, "At my age you escaped from Voldemort many times and I - I couldn't even fight off a bunch of well meaning elves."
He sighed, feeling bad for his son. James had, before today, handled the pressures of being his firstborn very well, carving out his own identity even though many expected him to be just like his father, which he really wasn't. Harry stopped walking and gently took James by the shoulders, looking him in the eye as he held him steady.
"James, escaping from Voldemort and rescuing your Mum then had absolutely nothing to do with being fast or good. You have more skills now compared to me when I was your age. I was just lucky and I had a lot of help. So I am not disappointed in you. In fact I'm proud that you were brave enough to try. You did your best, right?" Harry waited for James to answer and when his son nodded continued, "Then you shouldn't feel bad. Your Mum and Lily are safe now. That's all that counts."
James nodded again but Harry could tell he wasn't completely okay.
Harry added, "There's absolutely nothing that you did that I would have done differently at your age."
"Honestly?"James asked, unsure if his father was just saying that to make him feel better.
"Honestly," Harry replied, "So you shouldn't be too hard on yourself. Okay?"
He gave James' shoulders a firm squeeze, emphasizing what he just said. James took a big breath in and let it out, picking up his shoulders in the process.
"Okay," James answered with some restored confidence.
Harry let go and motioned, "We should head back."
"Dad," James had something else on his mind. Harry listened attentively while James struggled to get his point across, "I'll still do better. I mean, not only to protect them but you know, with things the way they are now I'd like to do better. I haven't exactly been the best big brother out there. I promise to be around more for Al and Lily. And for Mum too."
Harry nodded, acknowledging how hard it was for James to get that out. What he just heard filled his heart with pride. Well, to be honest, both pride and guilt; pride because James was finally realizing that he had to be more responsible and guilt because it was to partly fill Harry's shoes. It felt unfair to let his son do his job in his absence, even if James was okay with it. Or maybe that was how things were supposed happen between fathers and sons. This was all new to Harry so he didn't really know but he was certain about one thing.
"Your Mum will be happy to hear that."
"Dad -" James looked embarrassed and Harry read his mind.
"Okay, I won't make a big deal out of it."
Someone was approaching. It was Ginny. They walked towards her and met her halfway.
"James, your Aunt Fleur wants you settled in your bedroom," she told their eldest.
"Sure thing," the young man looked over to remind his father of his request, then marched on, his step more upbeat than earlier.
They watched James walk back into the house and as soon as he did, Ginny asked him, "Is he okay?"
"He felt guilty about not making a difference at the Pitch," he told her and headed off her worry, "I think I set him straight."
But that was probably the last straw for her. Ginny looked away and from where he stood he could see her biting her lip, fighting off tears. She had already been upset and worried about Al and Lily - and now James. Their children were her life.
He put his arm over her shoulders and pulled her in.
"This is exhausting," Ginny caved in and admitted.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, rubbing her arm in an effort to comfort her.
She shook her head, quickly brushing off the tears that came, "I'm not blaming you."
"That our sons want to be stupidly heroic like me and that our daughter hates me because I failed her?" he thought he'd put things in proper perspective.
His brutal honesty made her laugh and she conceded, "Fine, it is your fault for setting such lofty ideals."
Harry smiled back. It had been a while since he heard her laugh like this he had almost forgotten what that sounded like.
Ginny moved away, feeling much better, patting him on the chest as she did, "Don't feel so bad. It was expected of the boys to try and live up to their father being a hero."
"And Lily?"
He was very heartbroken about what his daughter was going through. She still wasn't speaking to him at all.
"Time heals all wounds," Ginny quoted knowingly, drawing from personal experience, "It took me a while to accept that even heroes make mistakes."
Harry nodded. If only he could be as certain about that as Ginny was. She was more concerned about Lily's brother.
"Will you be seeing Al soon?" Ginny inquired.
"After I get Ron out."
"Who's going with you?"
"George and Ted," Harry lied, not wanting her to worry that he was going alone.
"Be careful, okay?" Ginny said with genuine thoughtfulness.
He found it odd hearing her say those words again. For a time, and Harry couldn't think when it actually started, they were assumed and not exchanged between them. That went both ways. And it sounded more meaningful now than how he remembered, maybe because it had been so long since the last time she actually said it. Or maybe it was because of how things currently stood between them. Wouldn't that be ironic?
"I always am," Harry replied somewhat belatedly, then promised, "This will be over soon."
"I hope so," she countered. He noticed her slight hesitation before deciding to ask, "How is Hermione?"
Her mention of Hermione's name was so unexpected that his mind blanked out for a split second.
"Um, she's fine," was his answer when the question finally registered, "A bit weak from what she went through but she's fine. At least I think she is."
He stopped himself from further rambling, thinking that Ginny probably got more than what she really wanted to hear.
"Good," he heard her say.
They walked side by side back. As they neared the house she mentioned how the family had many questions.
"Fleur's prying. Her Vela senses are picking up that something's wrong and it's annoying as hell."
"You want to tell them what's going on," Harry read between the lines.
Ginny confirmed, "They'll find out sooner or later and I'd rather they hear it from me. I'd like to do it when Charlie gets here. I don't want to have to do it twice."
"And you don't want me there?"
"Harry, they're my brothers. They will judge you harshly no matter how we tell them. I think it's best to give them space to calm down about this."
Even though Ginny had a good point, Harry wanted to tell them himself and to receive the backlash that he deserved firsthand. He owed it to them, to Ginny and to his children. It was something that Harry needed to do but he couldn't do it now. He had other fish to fry. Ginny, on the other hand, was anxious. Harry understood her need for them to know the truth and her need for their support. He had to let her do what was best for her. He would have to speak with them at a later time.
After saying goodbye to James and a non-responsive Lily, Harry told Bill where he was off to, fully expecting never again to get the same warm welcome Ginny's family always had for him. And he deserved everything that was to come.
He Disapparated for London.
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Ted hung up the phone armed with orders from Harry to strictly surveil and desist from engagement. As puzzling as that was to him Ted deduced that Harry had good reason for the non-confrontational approach. When they spoke there really was no time for explanations.
It was going to be tricky. Following an ex-Auror, an ex-MLE and Merlin knew who else into a dead end alley without being noticed was almost mission impossible but he would definitely give it a try. And if he got caught Hermione was there after all. What was the worse that could happen?
He morphed into a lizard once he reached the shadows, figuring a wall crawler would get him as close to them as possible without being detected. Instantly, his view of the surroundings changed. He didn't like this fishbowl perspective but that went with the costume. And while as a metamorph changing his human appearance was no big deal, transforming into a non-human was something he was new at. It took a lot out of him and he would require a period of readjustment after.
This was worth it though. Ted was excited. He suspected that he was about to find out more about the POTH.
With the short legs Ted had to hurry. He was hearing voices now. There were figures in cloaks up ahead, standing at the southeast corner of the alley.
One, two three, four...
Ted recognized Hermione and Gummy. He crept closer, straining his eyes to adjust. The other tall, wiry man, was maybe in his fifties and was definitely non-magical. The fourth figure was a Being he had met before. It was the business she-elf, Winky.
The Being waved her hand over the solid brick wall and a wooden door materialized out of thin air. Winky slipped past the entrance and disappeared into the darkness beyond. The non-Magical followed, then Hermione.
Ted went in the same time Gummy did and was just above the lintel of the previously hidden door when the ex-MLE stopped suddenly and looked up. On pure instinct, Ted managed to conceal himself within a nearby crack, holding his breath, wondering if Gummy saw him, and preparing himself if that was the case.
"What's the matter?" Hermione doubled back and asked Gummy.
The Ex-MLE answered, lighting his wand, "I sense the Metamorph's presence."
Both paused and looked around, Gummy's magical scans washing over him, but the ex-MLE did not react adversely.
"Sorry, false alarm," Gummy apologized.
Gummy put his wand out of sight. Ted had not a moment to feel relieved. Hermione turned, walked down the narrow hallway and took the first right. The entrance disappeared as quickly as it appeared and Gummy was on the move.
Afraid he would lose them, Ted made a split decision and jumped for Gummy's cloak, catching its coat tails as Gummy turned the corner. With all fours he tugged as much fabric as he could around him and clung on for dear life. A metal gate cut across his view, then a jolt.
They were in a lift and were going down fast. In less than five seconds they reached the very bottom. They all got off.
He peeked through. They were in another narrow passageway, this one much longer and seemingly more tortuous than the one above. Rooms with old wooden doors of similar vintage to the disappearing entrance lined the path on both sides, some open some shut, but it was too dark to see within them to give him an idea of what the place was. Wherever they were it was cool, damp and likely uninhabited for decades.
Winky led the way. She seemed to be the only one who knew where they were going. The deeper they got the more worried Ted was that he would never find his way back. Logic told him that if they couldn't Apparate coming here Disapparition from within it was unlikely. Where the fuck were they?
Luck was on his side; Gummy asked his very question.
Winky cured their craving for information, "The Ministry Dungeons. For centuries witness to unspeakable torture and punishment."
"How do you know them so well?" the non-magical asked.
"Winky find out years ago. Winky's elves use passageways to and from Ministry parts. Current Management don't like help using front door."
Ted breathed a sigh of relief. At least they were in the Ministry. Even if he lost his ride he was certain he could make his way up to the surface. This, however, drew a disapproving cry from Hermione.
"Winky made a business decision. She's not sorry she didn't tell you," Winky minced no words, quite pleased at the fact that she was able to hide the truth from Hermione, "Not sorry one bit."
"Not yet but I can quickly change that," Hermione wasn't going to let that one go easily, "How can you let Magical snobs treat your elves like that?"
"It is none of Hermione's business. And not important and no time," Winky announced, "We're here."
Ted peered up ahead to see where 'here' was. There were heading for a doorway. There were humans in the room.
"Watch out," Gummy warned as they approached, his wand back in his hand.
"It's just me."
A man appeared from beyond the entrance, his hulking frame blocking the light from within it. Ted tried to make out the face but he couldn't.
"Just like I said," Gummy retorted, "Watch out."
"Your paranoia is irritating," the man with a thick accent countered. "Happy to see you alive, Hermione. Why you took so long?"
"It doesn't matter. We're here," Hermione replied, "Are you okay?"
"Your IMP acquaintance released us unharmed, generous considering we attacked them first. The new guy is inside, still shaken up."
The man turned slightly to see who else was with Hermione, revealing an older man with harsh features. Ted recognized Boris Dovalov. The Russian stood there, his eyes narrowing as he gave Hermione a questioning look.
Hermione shook him off, the exchange unnoticed by the others. She seemed very eager to see 'the new guy' and went inside the room right away. Gummy was the last to enter. As soon as he did, Ted came out from his precarious hiding place and snuck under the wooden round table, climbing up one of its legs.
After trying out a few nooks, Ted settled for an upside down view of the proceedings through the half inch slats than ran intermittently across the table. The members of what he assumed was the POTH were bunched up around one side, exchanging greetings until someone called the meeting to order.
"We are in enemy territory. Danger sense tingling. We start, no?" Dovalov prompted the group.
That quickly killed the congenial atmosphere. Hermione urged the others to find a seat. With everyone settled Ted counted six; the four who he came with, Dovalov and 'new guy'. 'New guy' was Seamus Finnigan.
That Seamus was part of this felt like being doused with cold water. Ted had known Seamus all his life and couldn't imagine him being involved in something like this. When he heard that it was Seamus who took Professor Flitwick's Snitch from Neville, he doubted it, and when Neville and Ernie said Seamus ran away at confrontation, Ted even wondered if somebody was impersonating the bar owner. Ted remembered that Seamus had been 'away on business' that morning Harry called the meeting; POTH related business maybe.
And Harry told him there were supposed to be seven of them. Where was the other one?
The eerie stillness broke when Hermione spoke.
"Boris, thank you for holding the fort in my absence and thank you all for coming under less than ideal circumstances. Winky, Brian and Seamus, welcome. It has been years but I hope it didn't come too much of a shock when the charm lifted and you regained the memory of your POTH vows. For those of us who've been around since the POTH's inception it is never a good time when we do this, especially never under these conditions. Phil, Grawp, Burkes and Jurnuk were great Beings who stood by the promise we all took when we joined the POTH. They will be missed. As unnecessary as their murders were we will make sure they didn't die in vain. We will remember our fallen through you, the pillars they have chosen to replace them. May they find peace in the after-life."
"Here, here," Dovalov concurred, "It was an honour to serve with Grawp, Phil and Burkes, and Jurnuk was, from what I know, an honorable Being."
"Indeed, Jurnuk was," Winky echoed.
"Hermione -" Boris spoke in a much graver tone, "We talk. Before, you ask us to not get involved. But it is obvious. Malvado take war to POTH. He kill each of us one after the other. We must fight back."
"We will fight back," she assured them.
"Excellent! We talk to Keeper, to release us from Fidelus. We use the Hallows - "
Hermione interrupted Dovalov, "No Boris. Our duty to ensure that the Hallows remain inactive stays."
Seamus asked a perfectly legitimate question, "Why can't we borrow them?"
"Because it will make us no better than all those we have been fighting off for years. Because it is exactly what Malvado wants us to do. The Hallows are safe where they are."
Dovalov contested her claim, setting on the table the faint yellow circular object, "Malvado almost got this."
"Even if he did he can't open it."
"It's only an old Snitch, is it not?" Seamus commented, "Surely a wizard of Malvado's calibre would have made short work of it."
Hermione replied, "The powers of the stone within make it as indestructible as the object it keeps."
Dovalov argued, "But he could figure out who will release stone, no? He may not know stone is in it but he suspects."
"Gates is searching for the Hallows, too," Gummy scoffed, "He looked through Potter's cloak collection. And now he knows that Malvado doesn't have the real stone and wand. We are not comfortable that you work so closely with him. If it were not for Auror Potter, his ass would have been mine."
"We have the same enemy, the same goal."
"But means are too different," Dovalov added, "And end -"
"The end is not written in stone," Hermione interrupted him, "I understand why you feel this way. I am not asking you to trust him. I am asking you to trust me when I say that we need him to survive this as much as he needs us to send Malvado away. We will find a common means. He too knows that the only way we can overcome this adversity is if we work with him."
"We know he won't destroy or get rid of the Hallows. He wants to expose them to use them. We can do that," Gummy suggested again.
"Actually, we can't," Seamus reminded him, "The Keeper can release us only if all of us agree."
Dovalov stared at Hermione and concluded, "Then we all die."
"None of us have to," Hermione turned to the five others around the table. "The membership of this organization is and always will be voluntary. Be reminded that at initiation, all of you were given a choice for an out. That choice is still and always will be there for you to take. By now Malvado knows to trace us through the magical connections we've created between each other. He tracked Phil through Burkes, Grawp through Phil and Jurnuk through Grawp. He will not stop until all of us including our pillars are completely eliminated, to ensure the Hallows remain where he wants them to be to perpetuate his invincibility.
"This said it is clear that the conditions of the contract that bind us have changed. Your life in exchange for the security of the Hallows was never part of the agreement, particularly if you no longer believe in the necessity of protecting them. Nobody here will take it against you if you decide to leave."
There was an intense silence at the table as Hermione looked each of those present in the eye and settled on the first one she decided to ask.
"Gummy?"
"I'm in. Always in. I don't have anything to lose and so much to gain."
"Winky?"
"Question is mere formality for Winky. Winky will not refuse opportunity to make difference in this world."
"Brian?"
The familiarity of her address clued Ted in that the non-magical was the Squib Brian Figg, Hermione's former boss at the OFE.
"The POTH is in a bind. I'm not about to bail on it, haven't bailed on anything in my life. Just tell me what to do because I am still unsure how I can help here."
Hermione nodded in acknowledgment before turning to Seamus.
When Seamus didn't answer right away she said to him, "You don't owe me anything."
"I'm in, not because I owe you but because I owe myself," Seamus responded, "Yes, I fucking realize I am in way over my head and I wasn't sure before but I am now. I choose not to be a coward. It's not every day when we get a chance to stand up for what's right and be heroes."
"Thank you, Seamus."
Seamus added, "And I still owe you. No wait, the fact that my wife got dragged into this means I'll never hear the end of it for the rest of my life. So that makes us even."
That lightened up the room. Hermione and the others chuckled, except for Gummy, who didn't have a sense of humour, and Boris, who looked quite unhappy. She asked the latter last.
"Boris?"
The older man had been watching her keenly while she asked the others and had very choice words for her.
"You are witch," his tone more complimentary than insulting, "You think my conscience will leave you alone in dire times knowing all these fools are about to get themselves killed?"
"I didn't think you would," Hermione smirked, getting her way. "It's settled then. We're fighting back."
"How?" Boris asked.
"Crash an important meeting. Expose his agenda. Get his undivided attention."
"Piss him off even more! Oooh!" Gummy rubbed his palms together, "Are you thinking about that meeting? The one that's just about to start?"
"The very one," Hermione confirmed.
"I don't like sound of this," Dovalov was shaking his head.
"Winky doesn't like the sound of it either. But Winky never did anything this dangerous in her life."
"What are we doing? What meeting?" Seamus enquired.
"Whatever it is, it sounds important," the non-magical answered him, not knowing which meeting they were talking about either.
"Come on! It'll be fun!" Gummy egged them on, "A little energy here folks, shot of adrenaline!"
"It will be like dangling steak in front of lion," Boris disapproved, "You want to die again?"
"It is not without risk, I agree," Hermione countered.
Gummy went off on a tangent, "Tell me we're fucking with Humptail too."
"At the very least," Hermione confirmed, matching the mischief in Gummy's eyes. "Getting on the podium won't be a problem. Gummy and I can do this on our own but we will need your help to get the message across and to successfully exit."
"To snatch steak away before lion pounces on it," Gummy explained to Dovalov slowly.
Dovalov gave Gummy the evil eye before asking Hermione more questions, "Why give lion steak if you want to kill it? What is point?"
"You said you wanted to fight back," Hermione wasn't really answering Boris' question, "It's one way of fighting back."
"Works for me," Gummy contributed.
"I don't get it. We cannot talk about Hallows. We cannot talk about real agenda."
"Right. Don't worry, I got that covered," Hermione reassured him.
Dovalov sighed, resigned to the fact that it was happening.
"You play me. I am like old violin to you, no?"
Hermione was getting her way and was all smiles, "Boris, yes, but you are a Stradivarius."
"Just tell me plan before I regain sanity."
Ted inched closer to Hermione's side of the table, all ears, when there was a sudden disturbance at the door. Gummy, Hermione and Dovalov all drew their weapons in no time and aimed it directly at the tall, red head who just walked into the room with hands frantically waving up in the air.
"Don't shoot! I come in peace!"
"Ron?!" Hermione screamed her recognition of the newcomer, "You idiot!"
Ron put his hands down as the wands were lowered.
"Oy! Ernie!" called out behind him, "You can come out now! She insulted me instead of cursing me! I told you it was the real 'Hermione'. It's good to see you alive by the way."
"How did you get here?! You're supposed to be -"
"In a jail cell, rotting away, right!" Ron finished for her, "And you are having a meeting instead of rescuing me!"
"You were next on my list!"
"Well excuse me for not waiting! You really need to straighten out your priorities!" Ron was finger wagging and right in her face, both of them flushed, him with anger and her from embarrassment, "We really need to talk. Whoa! Freakish. I think that's the first time in the thirty years I've ever said those words to you."
"We could have killed you!" Hermione lectured him, "You're an Auror, for Merlin's sake! You don't just walk into a sensitive meeting the way you did!"
"How was I supposed to know it was 'sensitive'?" Ron quoted 'sensitive' in the air. "I didn't see a sign. Is there a sign?"
That only drew an exasperated breath from Hermione. The rest of the POTH became uncomfortable as Ernie Macmillan joined them. In all the excitement Ted inadvertently morphed back into human form. He landed on the stone floor on all fours and stood up instinctively, startling everyone in the room as he lifted the heavy, solid table on his back, heaving it off onto its side the second he was totally upright.
Ted, barely able to keep his balance and focus, said to Hermione, "Ron's right. There was no such sign."
XXXXXXXX
Harry just arrived and was standing outside the Ministry of Magic contemplating his next move. Then it came to him.
He walked into the phone booth and dialled the number.
62442
"State your name and your business," the familiar voice of the operator rang in the small unit.
Harry responded, "Harry Potter, recently fired Head Auror, to help Auror Ron Weasley escape, among other things."
A badge was spit out from the phone. The words on it put a smile on Harry's face.
Harry Potter, rescue mission and more
The operator continued, "Thank you and have a nice day!"
"I'll certainly try," he replied with the same amount of cheer.
As the booth sank into the ground and descended upon the busy Atrium, Harry wasn't concerned the least bit. It all felt right.
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A/N. I lingered so much on the Harry-Ginny conversation…portkey compliance in mind :)
Finally deciding on who the POTH members were was really hard too.
Next one should be fun.