Chapter 15
Dumbledore looked out at the attendees of the Order meeting. How many would understand if they knew the truth? He was reminded of a line from a muggle film that he had recently seen.
He began, and everyone listened in silence. "Nearly a month ago a series of events took place, each directly or indirectly affecting members of the Order and Harry Potter. They began when Harry's Uncle took it upon himself to pick a fight with Harry."
Moody stood up. "Excuse me Dumbledore, but if this is the meeting to come clean about what's happened in the last month, we'd best all do that. Prior to Dursley's conversation with Potter, a few of us who are here tonight had taken it upon ourselves to bait him a bit. Led by myself, we made a fair amount of threatening remarks to him regarding treating Potter decently, and then we left."
"That is precisely my point, Alastor. In spite of our best intentions, many things went badly. I too have made many mistakes this last month. I took it upon myself to presume that I alone knew what was best for Harry regarding his welfare, and made requests of many of you. It has been pointed out to me that by having what could fairly be described as a blinded concern for Harry's safety, I have repeatedly disregarded his right of choice."
Amelia and a dozen or so members thought to themselves, Spot on, Dumbledore.
He continued. "To this day, I believe that some of his decisions were wrong. I believe that he knowingly placed the Grangers in additional risk, by electing to stay with them. I believe that at this moment, he would be safer staying here or at the castle. I believe that he could be studying new skills."
He could see the look of disagreement on many of their faces. "Yet, I recognize that he is barely sixteen and has the weight of the world on his shoulders, and I can not honestly say that I would have made wiser decisions at age sixteen or age twenty six myself. I also realize that having a hundred and fifty years of perspective does not automatically make me right, nor does it give me the right to make decisions for others without their consent."
There were nods of obvious agreement at those conciliatory words. He continued. "Having said that I must apologize for a handful of decisions that I have made in the last month that I wish I could take back. In making these decisions, I realize that I have damaged many longstanding relationships and trusts. I requested that Miss Tonks and Minerva visit Harry at the Grangers and insist that he leave there for a safer location."
Arthur was feeling guilty, having told Dumbledore that Harry was staying at the Grangers, knowing that the resulting confrontations had caused many hard feelings. He remained silent.
Dumbledore continued. "I requested that Kingsley use every available means to find Harry. Kingsley did not misinterpret my request and searched the Granger residence for any evidence that Harry may have recently been there, or might still be there."
Kingsley stood up, and said, "Professor Dumbledore, you didn't direct me to break or stretch any laws. I could have gone and gotten the paperwork to make an official search of the premises. I took a shortcut, and I accept what happened without regret."
Dumbledore nodded in appreciation, but replied, "Perhaps, but I could have issued you the appropriate legal paperwork in advance, but neglected to. I offer you my sincere apology."
Kingsley said, "It's not needed, but I accept it."
Minerva was still angry. 'Yes, Dumbledore should be making apologies to the Order, but he never made one to the Grangers, or to Wood's parents.' She waited silently so see where he was taking the conversation.
Dumbledore replied, "Thank you, Kingsley. I had also made a request of Severus. After Harry had been at the Grangers for several days, I asked Severus to go and check on the security that had been established for Harry's safety. I could have simply asked Amelia, or I could have risked her wrath and gone to see for myself, but I didn't. I asked Severus."
He continued, "For reasons that we may never know, he invited Draco Malfoy to accompany him. Unable to maintain stealth, or discipline, the two of them were discovered, and engaged in a firefight with a very good man, Michael Wood, who was faithfully guarding Harry and the Grangers. One or the other of the intruders killed Michael. There is good reason to believe that it was Malfoy who did it, but the fact remains that a good man was murdered due to an event that I helped initiate."
There was absolute silence in the room. Taken at his word, Dumbledore had done little wrong, but a simple plan had gone horribly wrong. Minerva wasn't positive that he had told the whole truth, but remained silent.
He continued. "To make matters worse, Malfoy and Snape then proceeded to seal the Granger residence and attempt to murder all of the residents by torching the house like the Death Eaters had done to the Dursley residence days earlier. Whether Severus did those actions of his own free will, or was simply drawn in by the moment, we shall never know, but at that moment, he was helping commit murder."
This time there were audible sounds of distress. Molly openly wept as did Tonks who had arrived immediately before the start of the meeting. Severus had no real friends within the Order, but at Dumbledore's urging they had accepted him, and minimally respected the role that he had played.
Dumbledore concluded. "As it turned out Harry and Miss Granger were enjoying a midnight swim, and saw the two men dressed in Death Eater garb attempting to torch their home. With remarkable presence of mind, Harry engineered a counter-attack and put an end to the attack. Directly or indirectly three people are dead."
Lupin had not heard the words that he'd expected. Sirius had been wronged, Minerva had been wronged, Snape had been directed badly, Michael had been murdered, Tonks and Kingsley had been wronged, and the Dursleys had been wronged. Each of them may have made mistakes along the way, but Dumbledore had set each of them in motion.
'What about Harry? What about the Grangers?' Their rights had been repeatedly violated. A simple utterance of "Opps. Sorry about that," didn't seem sufficient. He had no doubt that Sirius had been set off due to hearing that Harry had been taken away from his rightful custody.
The more Dumbledore offered forgiveness to everyone else, the more Remus questioned Dumbledore's leadership. Keeping Harry in the dark, keeping Harry locked up at the Dursleys, and keeping Sirius locked up felt like a nearly unbroken series of bad leadership decisions.
As Amelia sat and listened to Dumbledore, she increasingly felt that his story was not so much a bald faced lie as a canard filled with half-truths, slanted perspectives and omissions. She concluded that regarding the event that originally set off the Dursleys and conclude with their deaths, neither the Order, nor Potter, nor the Dursleys were lily white. She was certain that the five had had honorable intentions in their threatening discussion with Vernon Dursley.
She was equally positive that neither Potter, nor Dursley were willing to back down that afternoon, and they simply parted ways in anger. Neither the Order, nor Potter had considered that the protective wards would have failed so quickly, or that the Dursleys would have ignored repeated warnings to vacate the premises when Tonks had come to the conclusion that they were in imminent danger.
There had been no inference in that part of the discussion that Dumbledore had initiated the confrontation. If she pressed on the matter, Molly Weasley would probably admit to having pushed Arthur to go and talk with them, and the others just went with him for support. Tonks had already been disciplined over that issue as she had been working at the time of the discussion, but the others went as individuals.
She agreed that Dumbledore had made mistakes. From her perspective, except for his astonishing battle against Voldemort in June, Dumbledore appeared to have attained a virtually unbroken string of marginal decisions in the last year. Granted, Fudge with his assignment of Umbridge had doubtless been a major distraction, but he clearly had not been as crisp as she would have hoped. Yet she could honestly admit that until the last two weeks, the ministry had done nothing constructive to fight Voldemort or his followers.
Hestia Jones sat listening to Dumbledore's words. Fifteen years as an investigative Auror had honed her ear to differentiate from a person telling the whole truth, a truth, a small lie, or a whopper. She was not happy with what she was hearing and decided that the time had come to do something about it.
She stood to speak. "Professor, I believe that you have consistently elected to be less than complete with us. Time and time again we have committed our spare time, risked our careers and our lives to follow your decisions. None of us expect that things would always have gone perfectly, but you have not been forthright with us."
There were several nods of agreement as she continued. "I feel like we are fighting he-who-must-not-be-named and are being led by he-who-must-not-be-blamed. I must in all good conscious, resign from the Order. Sir, I whole heartedly support the cause, but I cannot abide by your leadership. I'm sorry. Goodbye." She turned around to leave.
Dumbledore knew that the time had come for full disclosure. "I appreciate your many contributions, Hestia and believe that the time has come to fully disclose the seeming madness to my methods. Prior to do so, I must ask you once again to sign a wizard's oath of non-disclosure. The information that I'm willing to share with each of you is that secret and that important. Hestia, you and the others are welcome to stay, or leave as you will. I shall call a recess for five minutes." He turned and walked into the kitchen not knowing id anyone would be there when he returned.
Amelia followed him. When she found him in the kitchen having a cup of hot chocolate, she flicked her wand creating a wall of silence. She sat across from him and said, "Dumbledore, I came here tonight to verify that you were either disbanding your private army or turning the leadership over to someone else, and now you spring this. I won't say anything else until you've had your say, but this revelation of yours had better take the twist out of my knickers."
Dumbledore put down his cup, smiled, and replied, "Amelia in the many years that I've known you, I've never known you to mince words, and I've always respected your fairness. I will not disappoint you on this, and believe that you will appreciate why I have kept this information virtually to myself for many years. Thank you for your patience. Shall we go back?"
To Dumbledore's great relief, no one had left, not even Hestia. There wasn't a sound in the room as Bones took her seat. Dumbledore began his tale of full disclosure. He told them of hearing the prophecy sixteen and a half years ago and believing it to be authentic. He told them of informing the Potters and the Longbottoms that both Lilly and Alice matched the descriptions. He told them of the night that James and Lilly had died, and his decision to place Harry in the care of his muggle relatives rather than with his appointed guardians in the belief that he could not be harmed while in their care. He told them of Harry's reaction after learning of the prophecy. He told them of Snape's request to avoid being sent to Azkaban. The only aspect that he omitted was Moody's involvement in Snape's death.
Dumbledore continued. "As such, I have violated, stretched and broken many laws in my lifetime. I do not deny those things, nor do I believe would you. Sturgis endured Azkaban for six months this year in an attempt to keep the prophecy away from Voldemort. Arthur nearly lost his life in the same effort. Sirius had his life taken from him protecting Harry. He was there of his own free will that night, as were the others who followed Harry, and those who went to help him."
He continued. "Michael Wood had his life taken from him protecting Harry, having freely placed himself in harm's way. I believe that everyone here would place themselves in harm's way to give Harry just a bit more time to prepare himself for his destiny. And let there be no doubt - he is nearly ready. He had dueled Bellatrix to a draw by the time that I had reached him in the atrium. He caused grievous injury to Voldemort when Riddle attempted to possess him. That, I believe, is the reason that we have not heard more from him in the last few weeks. In fact, Harry has faced Riddle five times and not been bested. No one else had done that." There were murmurs of astonishment at this news. Few had heard it before.
He concluded. "It is my intent to transition the leadership of the Order to Harry in the current year. His time has come and mine is passing. I would ask that you give him your full support as you have always given it to me."
Dumbledore looked at Bones, nodded and finished, saying, "I believe Minister Bones has some closing remarks."
She stood and said, "I believe another five minute recess is in order." Dumbledore's telling of the prophecy had been astonishing, but somehow not surprising. Many of the pieces clicked into place.
Dumbledore had violated Black's rights as a legally designated godparent and subjected Harry to fifteen years of abuse. Certain that Black had been wronged, he elected not to stand in the way when Crouch moved to imprison him without a trial. Had he done that to ensure that Harry's placement at his Aunt's house was not challenged and overturned as it surely would have been? She was certain about one thing – he had tossed aside laws and lives to do what he considered to be right.
She stood to speak. "I offer you my perspective tonight as the guardian of a young witch, and a concerned citizen, not as Minister of Magic. Many of us were amazed at the revelations Professor Dumbledore provided us this evening. For others, his words simply filled in the small gaps of our knowledge of the events that he described.
"My quarrel with Professor Dumbledore is not over his intent, for surely we are all against Voldemort and his followers. My quarrel is specifically related to his methods. He has consistently asked people to be in harm's way. A government is naturally distrustful of a militia, and the Order certainly qualifies as a militia, but that is another long conversation for another evening. You have willingly placed yourselves in harm's way for what we collectively believe is a good cause.
"Sirius Black had his rights violated for thirteen years due to a decision that Professor Dumbledore made without consulting anyone. Harry Potter had his rights violated for fifteen years. The Grangers had their rights violated. It is not our right to insist that Harry Potter solve our problems for us. The prophecy that Trelawney uttered is open to dozens of interpretations. With the news thrust upon Harry as I'm certain that it was, most people would be driven to despair or madness. Potter asked only to be able to live one summer as a normal teenager. The responsible move would be not to place him in a cage, rather exercise what my own mentor referred to as constant vigilance." Moody nodded at her.
"We can not protect Potter if Voldemort decides to vaporize Hogwarts or central London with a nuclear weapon. There are limits to any protection that any government or militia could give a person. Could the thirty of you withstand an attack by an assembled army of a thousand dementors, vampires and Death Eaters?" Several people shook their heads, no.
She continued, "We can provide Potter with a reasonable amount of security, and the means to escape if attacked. I believe that he has these things right now, though his guard could easily be doubled without unduly taxing the Ministry's resources."
She took a sip of water, and continued. "Yes, it was his decision to go to the Grangers, and as such, they are at risk."
Tonks stood up, "Excuse me Minister.
Bones smiled indulgently at the young Auror, admiring her spunk. "Go ahead, Auror Tonks."
"Harry has informed the Grangers of everything that we have heard here this evening, if not more. They have taken him in with full disclosure. He offered to tell the same things to me so that I would know the risks of being by him. In my direct observation, Harry Potter is acting incredibly responsibly, regardless of his age." She sat down. Nearly everyone was nodding their head in agreement of her words.
Bones continued, "I would concur with Auror Tonks' words, and request that she return to her post immediately following the meeting. It is my understanding that nearly half of the students at Hogwarts would have willingly followed Potter to the Ministry in June. This may end up being the younger generation's fight. Time will tell. Indeed, he is a natural leader."
"Regarding the Order, I welcome the new spirit of candor. Too many secrets have been kept, and the cost has been unacceptably high. I welcome the news of the transition in leadership, assuming Mr. Potter even has an interest in being associated with you. I want to be perfectly clear on one thing. The Order does not have the right to violate the laws of Britain, or the rights of the citizens. I encourage you to continue the fight against Voldemort and his followers. However, you must act within the law, as do the Aurors who will be taking a much more aggressive stance against his followers. There is no allowance to be made for breaking these two rules in the guise of a greater good scenario."
She concluded, asking, "Would anyone like a clarification?"
Remus found Minerva after the meeting and asked, "What can we do to help him?"
Minerva replied, "I'm not certain that Dumbledore…"
Remus cut her off, saying, "Not him. Harry."
Minerva thought for a moment and responded, "I seriously doubt that at this point, he would accept membership in the Order, the lead of the Order, or any assistance from the Order. We haven't even taken proper care of his property. This home is a wreck, and his broomstick is chained up in the damp dungeons of the castle."
Remus simply responded, "We need to change our ways. Does Minister Bones know where they are staying? I would like to go there and help if I can."
Minerva replied, "I'm certain that she does. Good luck."
Back in the kitchen, Dumbledore and Bones were having another conversation. "Well done, Professor. I knew that you had it in you. Flicking her wand again to create a wall of silence she asked, "Who helped Snape?"
Dumbledore simply replied, "I did."
Bones replied, "Now that you have gotten that confession off of your chest, let's move on, shall we? I'm not your priest. I don't offer forgiveness. You'll need to seek that in the next life. Hermione deserves to know that she was not responsible for taking a life. Iwill offer her an explanation. The fact remains that you weren't there, and most of the list of visitors to St. Mungo's that morning would have gladly assisted in that evil git's passing from this life. Let's drop that as a subject, shall we? How can I assist you in training Potter this term? That's assuming he wants anyone's help."
Dumbledore thought for a moment and replied, "I will meet with you in two days to discuss the matter. In the mean while, I will consider the different options that we could present to him. Is that acceptable?" He was relieved that he had not been arrested.
Bones replied. "Monday the fifth at 9:00AM in my office would be fine. Please learn to enjoy your shorter leash Professor. I prefer you there. Goodnight."
Tonks was tired the next morning. 'Merlin, talk about having the weight of the world on you. Here was a kid, no, here was a young man, no, here was a brave wizard who had effectively been handed a death sentence asking if he could get me a cup of coffee.' She looked in his emerald eyes and replied, "Please, Harry. Thank you."
Harry handed her a cup, and she asked, "What are your plans for the day?"
"Hermione and I are planning on going swimming at the reef off of Neptune beach. We would like you to come with us if you'd like."
Her bright blue eyes met his. "Of course, I'd like to go with. Why there? Hoping to see another mermaid?" she teased.
"Possibly," he said, "Though they're not like the paintings that you may have seen. Mostly they're gray and slimy. Hermione bought some gillyweed, so we will be underwater for an hour."
Tonks remember watching Harry wade into the freezing water at the lake in February and comprehension fell on her. "Cor, that'show you did it. It makes you a better swimmer too?"
Harry nodded, "Like a natural."
Hermione came over and greeted their bodyguard. "Hi Tonks. Did Harry ask you?"
She smiled back and replied, "Yep. Are you ready to go?"
Church, Dan and Emma had been briefed on what they were going to do, so they weren't planning on panicking if they were underwater for a while. The beach was nearly deserted, as there was a slight rain. Church conjured a big umbrella, for her and the Grangers to wait under.
To disguise their actual activity, Tonks had conjured snorkels, masks and flippers for the three swimmers as well as a dive buoy. They swam out to the reef which was deserted of other divers, and placed all of their equipment in the mesh bag that Tonks had tied to the buoy anchor rope. Hermione have them each a gob of the gillyweed, and they each ate their piece. As Harry had indicated, within a minute they each felt a sharp pain along the sides of their neck as the gill slits opened.
Harry felt his hands and feet elongate and web over like little flippers. Immediately he began diving down to swim the reef. He could see perfectly under the water. He looked over to see Hermione and Tonks and nearly fainted. The looked like the most beautiful mermaids imaginable. They had removed their bikini tops and placed them in the mesh bag and were, well, they were beautiful. Hermione swam up to Harry and drew him into the most wonderful kiss that he could imagine. Not needing to break for air, they went on for what seemed hours. After five minutes, Tonks tapped the two on the shoulder, gave Harry a quick kiss on the cheek and they continued their adventure.
The fish were beautiful. A few were big, but most were small and just darted from one hiding place to another. Hermione pointed, and they saw a sea turtle and swam down to it. They followed it around for a few minutes, then went back to the reef, by the dive bag. The bottom was equally interesting. They saw little sea creatures darting along the bottom, sea urchins, plants and more little fish.
Harry looked at his watch. They had two minutes to go, so they began the swim back to the surface. Just as they reached the waterline, they again felt the pain in their necks. A moment later they poked their heads above the waterline.
"That was fantastic!" said Tonks and Hermione together.
"I thought so too," replied Harry, thinking of something else.
Hermione said, "The turtle was so beautiful. It was so graceful in the water. It was amazing." Harry put his flippers back on. Hermione asked him if he would kiss her again.
Harry swam over to her. She placed his hand on her breast and said, "Now you can kiss me properly, silly." And he did. Tonks kept a respectful distance, willing to give Harry all of the slack in the world.
Harry helped tie her strings and the three of them paddled the two hundred yards back into the shore. The drizzle had stopped, and it looked like it would be another beautiful day. They waded in, and found Dan and Emma snoozing under the umbrella while Church was reading a novel.
"How was it?" asked Emma.
"Fantastic!" replied Hermione. "We saw hundreds of fish and plants and we swam with a huge sea turtle."
"See any mermaids?" quipped Dan.
"Actually, I saw two," replied Harry, "But they were different than the ones I'd seen in Scotland."
"Figures," muttered Dan.
"Dad," said Hermione. "Harry's teasing. He just saw us swimming around."
"Oh," said Dan, feeling a bit less sorry for himself.
"But, I had a great time," said Harry, beaming at Hermione.
"That's nice, dear," said Emma, hoping that they had spent a few minutes together.
"Dad, the next time we go, would you like to go with?" asked Hermione.
Dan considered her amazing offer for a moment and declined saying, "Thanks but I'll stick with golf. Emma might."
"What was it like?" asked Emma
"We grew gills and flippers and could swim around like frogs," said Tonks. "It was amazing."
"Had you done it before?" asked Emma,
"Never," replied Tonks. "But, I'm sure that I'll go again."
Emma hesitated. "Are you certain that I could. I'm not…"
Tonks replied, "I'll inquire just to be certain. I believe in this case the magic is in the plant, not the person. That's why so many potions would work on anybody, not just magical people."
"Let's go get lunch," said Harry.
After lunch, Dan and Emma went shopping, while Harry, Hermione and Tonks sat in the back garden having a lemonade.
"How did the meeting go?" asked Hermione.
Tonks replied, "In my opinion, Minister Bones has a better grasp of how to fight a war than Fudge did. She doesn't have her head in the sand, she's realistic about what is happening, and she has a high regard for people's rights. She gave the Order guidelines that they were to follow while acting as a militia. She said that the Ministry is going to move from strictly a reactionary defensive role in the war to a position of offense. I took that to mean that we will be handed a list of Death Eaters and told to hunt them down."
As Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement, Tonks continued. "Dumbledore discussed Harry's role and the details of the prophecy. I'll say that I'm honored to be able to help you in any way that I possibly can."
Harry replied, "Tonks, you have done so much for us. You've helped me have the best holiday of my life, and I simply don't have the words to express my gratitude to you. Everyday you help protect the people that I care the most about in the world. Thank you."
Tonks blushed slightly at the profound compliment, knowing that Harry was absolutely sincere. She replied, "Harry, the Order will most likely be coming to you and your friends asking how it can be of service to you. I don't think you'll be kept out of any more meetings, or any secrets. You'll have to decide what we can best do to help you."
Harry didn't say anything for a few minutes. They sat in comfortable silence. Finally he said, "There must be a hundred ways to kill Voldemort. I don't need to learn them all. I need to learn one way that will actually work, and get in a position where I can try it. For the first time in my life, I truly believe that I have someone to live for, and I don't want to lose."
Hermione leaned over and whispered, "I'll give you as many reasons to live Harry as you could possibly want. When can I start?" she asked with a gleam in her eye.
A/N
Thanks for the insightful reviews and emails that I have received. I can't reply if you don't have an email listed. I hope everyone is OK with the meeting at Grimmauld. I think it fits well. I hope to have more gillyweed adventures in the next chapter. I think they're fun.
Next up:
The trials, and the Grangers confrontation with Dumbledore.
Final question – How many Death Eaters are there at the end of book 5?
Chapter 16
"So aside from kicking Tom Riddle's arse, what would you like to do with your life?"
"I'd like to marry Hermione, be a great husband, a great dad and find ways to use the gold that I was given to help people start business of their own like I was able to do with Ron's brothers."
Dan nodded. "I couldn't fault your ideas, or your taste in women. My own parents were pretty well off – nowhere near your situation, but they were able to help me through school and to get us started in our own practice. I met Emma our first year at university. We just clicked. Her pregnancy with Hermione went badly, and we weren't able to have other children, but we've had a great life together."
As they were walking to the 16th green, Dan continued. "We began noticing her special abilities when she was eight. Obviously we didn't know what it was, but she mended a teacup on several occasions when one would fall off of the table and break. I wasn't as close to her as I could have been, as she deserved, or as I wish that I had been. The ministry of magic doesn't do a lot for nonmagical families of magical children."
After they putted, Dan finished. "Anyway, I was always pretty good with my hands and dentistry has been a good career for me. I hope that your path is as clear for you. I know that you love Hermione, and I know that you're a good man, so I hope that the two of you find a lot of happiness together. Is there anything that I can do to help you short term?"
Harry replied, "There is. I was wondering if there would be a way that you and Emma could take a year off at your business? What I'm really trying to say is that the most important thing that the two of you could do for us right now is to stay safe, happy and healthy. Could you go visit the States or Asia for a year? Maybe you could take a long cruise?"
After they had hit their tee shots, Harry continued. "What I'm trying to say is that neither of us could stand it if anything happened to you or Emma, and as much as Auror Tonks or the others might try, they really can't protect you in Surrey. I'd be more than happy to cover all of the expenses. We just don't want to lose you."
Dan had come to view the young man with increased respect every hour that he spent with him. The last three hours had brought that up several levels. He heard the spoken and unspoken words that Harry had said to him, and found Harry's judgment to be excellent. He could turn the business over to the young dentist that they had recently interviewed and the senior hygienist. After they finished putting, Dan asked, "What timeframe do you recommend?"
Harry replied, "Hopefully you could be ready in a week or two – by the end of August at the latest. I'd recommend selling your home, or renting it out, and putting your things in storage. Maybe we could just get a caretaker if the home itself is that important. I'm sorry to have to make these suggestions. I'm sure that they're not things that you want to hear."
Dan replied, "Harry, I know how much you value honesty and openness. So do I. Emma and I aren't married to our practice. We're not married to our home. They both have significant meaning to us, but they're nothing that can't be replaced. Emma, Hermione and you, our family – those are the things that have meaning. Let's go talk with Emma and Hermione. This could be a long conversation."
It turned out to be a surprisingly short conversation. Harry had not previously discussed his feelings on the subject with Hermione, but she had recently had a similar conversation with her mum. They made arrangements to leave Nice in two days time, so they would get back home on Sat 17 August. Dan would meet with their solicitor on Monday.
Tonks listened to the conversation in silence. Harry was effectively doing the same thing to the Grangers that Dumbledore had tried to do to him. The only difference was that Harry wasn't trying to lock them up, rather give them options that they could live with, and send them out of harm's way, indeed, half way around the world for a year until they could reasonably be certain that they would again be safe. Effectively they were preparing for the war that they knew to be rapidly approaching.
Tonks knew that Harry and Hermione were not dodging the war that was drawing them in. She knew that they would willingly do their part, and then some. She also recognized that they felt like they had to do their part on their own terms. She met with Jamie, who agreed to go back and inform Minister Bones.
The next morning they went back to Neptune beach. Tonks conjured them all snorkel gear like she had the day before and set out the diving buoy by the reef. She hadn't mentioned it, but she also brought along a portkey to St. Mungo's in the event that Emma had a bad reaction to the gillyweed.
Hermione took her piece first, and swallowed it. Seconds later, the gill slits appeared and she dove under the water. Emma went next, took her piece and swallowed it. Thirty seconds later, the magical plant did its magic, and she dove under the water. Harry waited a few minutes and joined them. Emma and Hermione were in about thirty feet of water looking like they were having the time of their lives. Like sea otters, they swam to and fro, chasing the fish and each other.
At Tonk's urging, they did not stray too far from the reef and Harry kept a careful eye on his watch. They were following an octopus when Harry realized that Hermione's hour was nearly up. He tapped her shoulder and pointed to his watch. Hermione swam to the surface, and a minute later, got her mask and flipper from the mesh bag where they had put them.
As Harry was feeling the pain in his own neck signifying that his hour was up, he noticed the same thing was happening to Emma. He swam to her, took her hand and they surfaced together.
As they surfaced, the normally reserved dentist grabbed him and gave him a huge kiss on the cheek, and exclaimed, "That was bloody brilliant! That was the most fun I've ever had in one hour, bar none. Thank you both for sharing that with me." She hugged Hermione then hugged Harry again. Tonks would have been slightly embarrassed at her words, but had thought the same thing herself when she'd tried it the previous day.
A few minutes later, they had reached the shore and waded in. Dan looked at his love for a moment, as she broke into the biggest smile that he could remember. He said, "I take it that the three of you had fun together."
Emma started in telling him how her feet grew, and she could breathe under the water, all the while chasing fish effortlessly.
A few minutes later, Hermione again asked her dad if he'd ever want to try it. Dan shook his head no, and replied, "When I was in my late twenties, I had the urge to go skydiving once, but that idea wasn't received very well with your mum." He hugged her and replied, "I'll stick to golf, thanks."
They wound up their trip to Nice by having dinner at one of the popular pubs. Hermione was a bit apprehensive when she noticed a collection of bikini tops hanging above the bar. She wasn't sure about what Harry expected from her physically, and had many of the same insecurities as any sixteen year old dating steady for the first time. She wasn't certain if she was ready to be intimate with anyone, but knew that she loved Harry so much and that he loved her too.
Adding to her stress was the knowledge that half of the older witches at Hogwarts would offer him any activity that he might desire on a casual basis, simply due to his fame or his wealth.
It was that stress that led her into his room at 11PM that evening. Harry was, in fact sleeping, happily dreaming very naughty thoughts about Hermione.
"Hi Harry," she whispered in a soft voice, casting a silencing charm over the door.
"What's wrong?" he asked, slightly nervous about her being in such close proximity
"I wanted to be with you, together." She was scared about what she was thinking of doing, scared that he might not find her desirable, or that he might reject her offer.
Looking into his sleepy eyes she asked, "Can I spend the night with you?"
Harry could sense her nervousness and felt the same way himself. "I'd like nothing better, but I need to be certain that we would be doing this for the right reasons. Mione, I want to so much, but I'm scared too. Everything is so great between us right now. If you're ready, I'm ready. If you want to wait, I'll wait forever until you're ready."
Nuzzling his nose, she whispered, "Thank you Harry. I want to really bad, but I'm not quite…"
Shaking her apology off, he stroked her arms and asked, "I'd neverask you to do something that you're not ready for. Can we still spend the night together? I won't do any…" He stopped. His breath had been taken away. Her nightgown had slipped to the floor.
Forcing himself to breathe and not gawk like an idiot, Harry was awestruck at the beautiful sight. There was so much skin, everywhere. Hermione tentatively sat on his bed as Harry held open the sheet for her. He saw her beautiful face next to his in the dim moonlight and began to devour her, kissing her forehead, ears, neck, and shoulders as he ever so slowly worked his way downward.
For several hours, there was no Voldemort; there were no Death Eaters, no bank vaults, nothing. There were just two young lovers finding their way together. The sounds of the waves of the sea were overpowered by their love for each other.
At 4:30 the next morning, Hermione gently kissed her best friend on the forehead as he slept. She whispered, "I love you so much, Harry Potter," as she got up. She pulled on her nightgown and quietly opened the door to go back to her room. She finished packing, showered, got dressed and went down to make coffee. She found Jamie, and handed her a cup.
Jamie thanked her, hesitated for a moment and said, "Hermione, it's not my place to tell you how to live your life, and you know that I wish you a world of happiness. While I'm sure that you remembered to place an effective silencing charm over the door, you may want to do the same with any open windows in the future." Smiling and with bright eyes, she continued, "I need to apparate over to the airport to check on some arrangements. Tonks is up. I'll be back in a half hour. The van should be here at 7:00."
Only slightly embarrassed, Hermione nodded, and said, "Thanks Jamie."
There were mixed emotions on the ride back to the airport. Each of them could honestly say that this had been the best two and a half weeks of their lives. Each was sorry that their time together in Nice had come to a close. Each had come to the realization that they had made their best plan together, and knew what they needed to do in the next week.
Harry noticed things on his second flight that he hadn't seen the first time. He'd been able to glance in the cockpit while boarding, and saw the pilot, first officer and navigator going through their pre-flight checklist. The first officer nodded at him as he walked by.
He felt the wheels lose contact with the ground as they lifted off and were tucked into the jetliner a few moments later. He watched as the flight attendants served him and the other passengers their beverages, and breakfast on little trays, then with remarkable efficiency collected everything as they made their way to Heathrow airport.
They hadn't really bought much when they were there other than a few shirts, and souvenirs. Dan had taken quite a few photos that they would get developed and printed in the next week.
On the flight, Emma had coached Harry about getting through the customs inspection and had helped him fill out his declaration forms. He felt rather pleased with himself as he was handed back his stamped passport and waited for the others.
Jamie met them outside the customs checkpoint and they put their belongings into a van. They stopped at Diagon Alley. Harry stopped in at Gringotts for a moment, then Hermione bought another book, and Harry bought five magical storage trunks in a brief shopping flurry. He shrunk them and placed them in a bag. On the way out, he bought a case of butterbeer from Tom, and they drove back to their home.
Dan asked Harry what he had wanted the trunks for. Harry expanded them and opened one. Dan was shocked as he looked in. Each was about the size of a single stall garage! Harry said, "The ministry people could have one delivered to you if you like. Otherwise, Hermione and I would be happy to keep them for you at Gringotts or at Grimmauld Place."
Dan was incredibly grateful at the generosity that the young man was displaying. He replied, "Thank you, Harry. That will make things a lot easier for us. Are you sure that it's not too much trouble?"
Harry replied, "It's no bother at all. Beside, I would happily do anything for you and Emma.
"Dan looked at him and said, "You're a good man, Harry. I know that you would."
"So are you. How can I help?"
Emma said, "Dan will make the arrangements at the surgery in the next two days."
There was a knock on the door. Wand out, Harry went to answer it. Amelia Bones and Connie Hammer were there. "Good evening, Harry," said Amelia. "May we come in? We came to visit with Emma."
"Please," replied Harry, putting his wand back in his wrist holster.
Emma saw them and said, "Hello Amelia, Connie. It's good to see you both. Please come in. Can I get you a coffee or tea?"
"Please," said Amelia.
When Emma returned, Amelia asked, "How are you?"
Emma said, "We're fine, and currently we're safe. We had a lovely time in Nice. Actually this was the best family holiday that I can remember. We took the time to discuss the civil war going on in the wizarding world. Hermione and Harry have asked us to take an extended vacation to the States or somewhere else. Our safety is currently a significant concern to both of them, as it is to us. As such, Dan and I have decided to spend some time in the States. We have the resources available to get by. Our plans are to pack our things into storage and hire a caretaker for the garden. Dan is making arrangements for the operation of the surgery. Harry has offered us the use of one of his homes until we are ready to go."
Amelia smiled, and replied, "He is a remarkable young man. I'd have to agree with your daughter's assessment regarding the risks in Britain. Given that you have the resources, I hope that you are able to enjoy yourselves. Far too few people take the time to live and enjoy themselves then they are young and have their health. What can I do to help you?"
Emma thought for a moment and replied, "Would it be possible to arrange some sort of secure mail forwarding service? It would be nice to get the post from time to time."
Harry came back into the family room and said, "The Gringotts goblins have taken care of all of your financial issues. They offered to take care all of any bills that come in the post while you are away."
Connie had never heard of the Gringotts goblins offering such a service. Seeing that she was about to say something, Amelia nodded and replied, "An excellent idea Harry." Turning to Emma she handed her a business card, and said, "This is my private telephone line. You can reach me at any hour by calling that number. Please contact me when you get settled. I will provide you with the number of a local contact. When will you be leaving?"
Dan said, "We should be done here Monday evening. We will be staying at one of Harry's homes for the rest of the week, and most likely take a flight Saturday afternoon the 24th."
Bones looked at Harry who nodded, silently confirming that they would be going to Grimmauld Place.
Hermione was amazed that the Minister of Magic would personally be concerned with such details, but acknowledged that Harry was one of the most prominent wizards in Britain if not the world, and fame and fortune had their advantages.
On Sunday morning, Harry awoke to find that there were not two but four guards around the home. Dan had left to go to the surgery to make the needed arrangements. Harry was not surprised that two other Aurors had gone with him.
After breakfast, Emma said that they should begin packing. Harry suggested that they pack one trunk with things that they would like to bring with them, and regular suitcases for a few changes of clothing. They could use another for household items that they would not need, a third for the garden and garage things. He gave the fourth trunk to Hermione to pack her things that she would want to bring with her. Different than the other three, it was a five-lock model similar to the one that he had seen Moody use several years previously. He had a similar trunk for himself.
Hermione knew that her mum's heart must be breaking. She knew that her parents loved their home and had always been happy there. Emma loved the kitchen, garden and the pool, while Dan loved the study. As they carefully put things into the trunk, Hermione hoped for the day that she could help her parents put their belongings back in their right place. Hermione had transfigured a roll of paper towels into packing boxes and a packet of dinner napkins into packing blankets. By dinnertime they had packed about half of their things.
Emma insisted on cooking a more elaborate dinner than any of them really wanted. Hermione realized that it was the last dinner that her mum might prepare there. The only way that they would be in a position to return would be if Voldemort were defeated.
After dinner, they looked at the photos that Dan had taken in Nice. He had two extra sets of prints made, and gave one each to Hermione and to Harry. He also gave them each a photo album containing family photos beginning when Hermione was a toddler up to the ones of all of them that he had taken within the last few days. He told Harry, "I heard that you don't have too many photos yet. We will add to these in the coming years." Both Hermione and Harry were grateful for the gifts.
Hermione had gone to bed first. Dan went up shortly after. As Harry was getting up to go, Emma told him, "Harry you don't need our permission, but you have our blessing to do what it takes to take care of Hermione while we're gone. We know that you two love each other, and that you'll be under a lot of stress. If you two can take comfort from each other and give each other love, you should. Dan and I have signed a parental permission form for the two of you to act on your own behalves during the school year. We love you Harry as our own son and wish you the best. Unless I'm mistaken, Hermione is in her room, crying her eyes out. Can you tuck her in for me?"
Harry nodded. "Goodnight," they each said at the same time.
By noon the next morning they were all packed. Harry sat on the back steps with Tonks and Jamie, giving the three of them some privacy as they looked around their home together. Hermione charmed the trunks to be light and they loaded them into a ministry van that Church had brought.
Dan locked the home, and gave Hermione a set of the keys to the house and the two cars. They rode together in Dan's BMW following the Ministry van. Tonks and Jamie led driving Emma's BMW, Jamie and the other two Aurors followed in the van.
The brownstone row house had a two-car garage in the back. Number 12 was the only one of the large mansion sized homes that had not been subdivided in recent years. Built just over a hundred years ago, Harry placed the key in the lock with a sense of dread.
He had not been there since last Christmas, and the home held many sad memories for him. Expecting to see the dingy dark home that he remembered, Harry was shocked when he arrived. "Harry Potter sir, you has arrived. Dobby is so happy."
"I'm happy to see you here too Dobby. Hello Winky." When did you come here?" Harry wasn't sure that he wanted anything to do with Dumbledore right now. As far as that went, Harry wondered how Dumbledore would have known that Harry would have been there.
"Professor Dumbledore asked Dobby to come and work here for the rest of the holiday Harry Potter, Sir. He asked Dobby to come here two days ago. Winky came along to help."
It didn't take Harry long to conclude who know that they were leaving Nice two days ago. Harry was angry, but realized that the little elves had done nothing wrong.
Harry looked around the home. It barely resembled the home that he had stayed at last December. The walls were stripped of the pealing wall coverings that had been there. The threadbare carpets and rugs had been removed and the hardwood flooring polished. The home was by no means elegantly appointed, but it was clean and very livable.
Dumbledore hadn't taken the Fidelius charm off of the home as he had been directed to, but there was no evidence that it was being used by the Order. Harry was disappointed in Dumbledore. Tonks was obviously reporting on their activity, and he had disregarded specific instructions from the Minister of Magic regarding Harry's home.
There were three floors and a cellar in the home. Each level was about three thousand square feet. On the first level there was a large kitchen, entryway, library, two bathrooms, a dining room and a large area that had been used for entertaining. On the second level were eight good-sized bedrooms and two bathrooms. The third level was largely open except for a well-appointed study. Harry thought that the open area could easily be used for training.
He asked Dan and Emma and Hermione to select rooms then went downstairs to talk with Dobby, Winky and the Aurors. Harry asked Dobby to have dinner ready within an hour and asked the little elf what thing he needed. He gave Dobby a sack of Galleons and asked him to get anything that he might need.
Winky had made a very nice dinner, of roast beef, potatoes, vegetables, a salad and cherry pie for desert. Harry insisted that the elves eat with them. Neither Dan nor Emma had ever met an elf before. They both were very curious about the happy little creatures. Harry delighted Dobby with his tales of using the gillyweed in Nice. Both Dobby and Winky seemed happier than Harry could remember previously seeing them.
After dinner Harry was getting ready to rip into Tonks when the fireplace flared up. Arthur, Molly, Ron and Ginny came through. Arthur had a nasty gash across his right bicep and was bleeding badly.
"What are you doing here?" asked Harry and Ron at the same time. Harry recovered and said, "You first."
Out of breath, Ron said, "Attacked. There must have been fifty Death Eaters outside our house. This was the first place that we could think of. The burrow was on fire. I'm surprised that we got out."
Chapter 17
Just then, Tonks, Church and the Grangers walked in, with looks of total surprise on their faces. Harry's anger was instantly displaced with concern over his friend's family. There were a lot of healing potions and the like left over from when the Order was using the home. Molly cast a healing charm over the gash, and got a blood restorative potion from the kitchen. Fifteen minutes later, Arthur was resting comfortably in one of the rooms upstairs.
Molly returned to the kitchen to find it full of people. Hammer and the rest of the Weasleys had arrived. Kingsley arrived a minute later. The burrow was nothing but ash, but no one had been killed or seriously injured.
Dumbledore arrived a moment later. He saw her and asked, "Is everyone OK, Molly?"
With tears in her eyes she nodded, and replied, "Arthur will be all right. He's upstairs resting."
Kingsley mentioned that the burrow had been destroyed and none of the Death Eaters responsible had been apprehended.
Harry and Hermione listened in sadness, holding each other's hand. The twins noticed, but didn't say anything.
Dumbledore replied, "Molly perhaps Harry would allow you to stay in his excellent home?"
Harry nodded. Ron looked over to see and saw Harry and Hermione. She had her arm around his waist. Ron walked out muttering loudly, "He's got everything. I've got nothing." A moment later, he slammed the back door behind him while walking outside.
Harry was about to go after him, but Emma said, "Harry, leave him be for a moment. I'll go look after him. Perhaps you can find appropriate rooms for everyone who needs one. People need to be fed and have something to wear."
Harry and Hermione led Ginny upstairs and put her into the room between Ron and Dan and Emma. He asked her if she was OK.
Ginny's eyes welled with tears. "We're fine now. It was really terrifying. I was amazed that the floo worked. I was so scared."
They could easily relate, having watched Malfoy and Snape try and torch the Granger home. Hermione brought her a spare set of clothing and pajamas. Harry gave her a hug and said, "We'll get you everything that you need, tomorrow."
She whimpered, "Thanks, Harry. Thanks, Hermione. I love you both."
Hermione nodded and replied, "We love you too, Ginny. Goodnight."
Emma found Ron an hour later. Sitting down by him, She asked, "Why did you choose to treat your friend so badly back there? He was only trying to help."
"It's not fair. He's got everything, and now he's got Hermione too."
She thought, 'So that was it. Trios end badly.'
She looked at him and said, "From what I was able to observe in the last six weeks, I'd more accurately describe it as she's caught him, but we're getting off track. Neither one of them did anything to intentionally hurt you. I think they both were hurting so badly that they needed to heal each other. I don't think it makes them bad people."
They both sat there for a few minutes in silence. Ron kept trying to think of rational endings to the phrase "But he's…" and couldn't think of anything that would fit. Finally Emma asked, "Are you uncomfortable knowing that my daughter loves Harry or that Harry's murdered relatives have left him with some assets?"
Ron answered, "Yes."
Emma took that to mean yes to both questions. She asked, "Ron, how many brothers and sisters do you have?"
"Six."
"If your parents had been murdered today and you and your brothers had been left with a hundred Sterling, I mean a hundred Galleons each, would you be happy?"
"Of course not."
"A thousand each?"
"No. I'd never…"
"A hundred thousand each?"
"No. I don't want their money."
With a sad look on her face, she replied, "Either does Harry. How many people did he lose? - Parents, grandparents, godparents? Dan and I took him into our home and became his guardians before we knew that he had anything. Money doesn't make him a better person and not having piles doesn't make you or I lesser people. Let's take that one off of the table OK?"
Ron looked at her and nodded.
Emma continued, "At the birthday party, you were interested in a very attractive young witch, Lavender. Did Harry react badly when he saw you two together?"
"No."
"Hermione says that she's a popular girl."
Ron nodded. Lavender was a popular witch.
"Was Harry jealous when he found out that you two were seeing each other?"
"No." Ron thought for a moment and realized, 'He looked happy for me.'
Emma said, "Ron, things change. My life will never be the same. After our home was attacked and Harry and Hermione were forced to take those lives, I was certain that all of our lives had changed forever. Later I realized that I wasn't worried about losing our home. Heaven only knows if it's still standing. That's why we're all here. We're refugees on the run. The only difference was we had a day to pack our things."
Ron wasn't entirely convinced and muttered, "But he's got everything…"
Emma was getting frustrated at the bull headed boy. "What he hasis a death sentence on his head with that damn prophecy. Are you so sure that you want to trade lives with him?"
"What?" Ron was flabbergasted at her words.
Emma replied, "That prophecy, the one that almost got Hermione killed in June. It said that Harry had to kill that Voldemort wizard or die trying. That sort of makes a three-day root cannel sound like a day on the beach in comparison to me."
Ron was almost speechless. He stammered, "How do you…?"
Emma replied, "He told us about it so that we would understand the danger associated with having him in our family."
Not giving up while he still had a shred of dignity, Ron whined, "Why didn't he tell me?"
Emma responded, "I suppose he wasn't ready to share that information at the time, and it probably isn't something that you'd just drop into the post. It does take some getting used to. Maybe it was a need-to-know consideration. It doesn't matter, except that he believes that it's real."
For once, he didn't have a comeback.
After a moment, she asked him, "Shall we go back in now?"
The tall red-headed young man nodded and they walked back inside. Bill, Charlie, Kingsley and Hammer had already left. Dumbledore was talking quietly with Tonks in the library. Church and Dan were waiting in the kitchen.
Few wizards maintained any sort of homeowners or personal property insurance. It wasn't a concept that had ever caught on in the wizarding world. As such, except for the little money that Arthur had saved in their Gringotts vault, the Weasleys were, in fact, penniless. At that moment, Molly couldn't care less. She was upstairs caressing Arthur's brow. She still had her husband and all of her children.
Ron had had the good grace to go off to bed. Dumbledore finally left, leaving Harry, Tonks and the Grangers downstairs. Emma asked, "Would anyone care for a late desert?" Instantly Winky appeared with plates of apple pie and whipping cream.
"Thank you, Winky," they all said. The little elf beamed at them.
"I wonder what they'll do," said Tonks more to herself than anyone.
"What do you mean, Tonks?" asked Emma.
She replied, "My dad was telling me that non magical people usually purchase an insurance policy on their home to help cover the expenses in the event of damage. It is a contract where…"
"We know what it is," replied Emma, "but what did you mean?"
"There isn't anything like that in the wizarding world. Well maybe at Harry's level, but not for regular wizarding folk. In most cases, it wouldn't make any sense, since witches and wizards can repair most things, but to have your whole home burned out like that – I suspect that they're in a bad way."
The enormity of their loss quickly sunk in. What little the Weasleys had was gone. Hermione looked at Harry, who nodded, and asked, "How much would it cost to build them a new home?"
Tonks was no expert, but had some experience in filing damage reports in her work as an Auror. She considered what he was really asking her and replied, "Perhaps ten thousand galleons."
Harry nodded. Going to Gringotts in the morning and giving them the gold would be the easy part. Getting them to accept it would be almost impossible.
After Emma had gone to bed, Harry asked the young Auror, "Tonks, how did Dumbledore know that we were here?"
'The fit's gonna hit the shan,' she thought. She replied, "Harry, I told him that we were coming back early from Nice, and I told him that you and the Grangers were coming here. I'm certain that's why Dobby and Winky had been sent here."
Dan asked, "Is it normal procedure in bodyguard duty to reveal your client's movements ahead of time?"
Tonks hair turned blue, reflecting the guilt of her reply. "No, but Harry's…"
Dan cut her off. "Harry's my responsibility. If you felt that there was a legitimate reason to keep his schoolmaster appraised of our holiday plans, you should have mentioned the need and the logic to us, don't you agree?"
Harry added, "I really don't want him dictating my…"
Tonks cut him off saying, "Harry, he just asked to be kept informed."
Harry was getting hot under the collar. "It's not his damn business. He should have asked me to tell him, not get someone else to write a surveillance report about how I spend my days and nights."
Tonks angrily replied, "That's not for you to say." Immediately she regretted her words, knew that she was wrong, and also knew that she had gone too far. She walked out of the room and went into the loo.
To say that Harry was mad didn't begin to describe how he felt. He was sick of people nosing into and interfering in his life. He knew that tonight wasn't the time to make a stand on the issue, and that Tonks was simply doing what she'd been instructed to, but he wouldn't forget about it.
Dan went upstairs and Emma was still awake. She looked at him and softly observed, "It got a bit loud down there. Is everything all right?"
Dan replied, "Apparently Tonks has been reporting our activities to the schoolmaster."
"Really? He's a nosey old goat. I'd like to get him in my chair for an hour."
Dan smiled in agreement at her little joke. "Needless to say, Harry's more than a bit miffed about it."
Emma was miffed too and wondered out loud, "Why doesn't he transfer?"
Knowing that his love was on a roll Dan nodded, "Keep going."
Emma continued, "It sounds like there are nearly as many witches and wizards in Britain as dentists. It can't be the only wizards school in the world. Tuition obviously isn't an issue. Do you know what he left on our bed this afternoon?"
Without a clue where the conversation was headed, Dan replied, "No idea."
"A briefcase full of fifty pound notes. There's a case with a million in Sterling under our bed. There were some dollar notes in there as well."
"For what?"
Giving her husband a curious look, she reached under the bed, picked up a parchment and said, "He left a note. Take a look at this."
Dan took it and began reading.
Dear Dan and Emma,
Thank you so very much for taking me into your home and your lives. Words cannot express how much your love and kindness mean to me. Hermione and I had a wonderful time every day this holiday, both at you home and in Nice.
We feel very bad that you have to interrupt your lives so much and spend a year in the States. We asked the Gringotts goblins to exchange a bit of gold so the two of you would have some spending cash to enjoy your time. Please accept it and use it in the spirit that it was intended.
We love you both and your safety means everything to us.
Harry & Hermione.
PS - Mum, please don't make a big deal about this. Harry and I are in complete agreement on this.
Dan didn't know what to say. No quips, no clever comebacks. He looked at the note a second time and handed it back to Emma.
The irony if Harry's life was amazing to Dan. His parents were billionaires and he's the prophesized savior of their wizarding world. They get murdered, and a schoolmaster takes it upon himself to snatch their son away from his rightful guardian, and pawns him off to a home where he wasn't even wanted. The guardian goes off the deep end, gets thrown in a hellhole prison without a trial, and the nosey schoolmaster apparently doesn't bother to check up on someone who's supposed to be so very important. He ended up being abused, starved and forced to wear rags his entire childhood. It didn't make sense. Why did he do it? Why did the wizarding government allow it? Why didn't anyone help him?
Neither of the dentists slept well that night, not due to the accommodations, which were fine, rather as two parents worrying about their children.
Harry woke early and asked Auror Church to accompany him to Gringotts. He explained that he wanted to have done and left the Head teller's private office carrying three sacks of gold two minutes later. Using a portkey, Harry and Church were back home before the others had awoken. Harry was met with the smell of delicious food being prepared. "Good morning, Master Harry," said Winky softly. "Here is a cup of coffee. You can have breakfast now or wait until the others have woken up."
Harry replied, "I'll wait a bit to eat."
"Hi Harry," said Hermione. "Can I talk with you for a few minutes?"
"What's up?" he asked, as she let him into the library and closed the door behind her.
Hermione took Harry's hand as she spoke. "Could we, I mean could you help the Weasleys out?"
Harry gave his love a kiss and replied, "We already have. As far as I'm concerned, it's your money too, at least as much as I have control over yet. You're authorized to take any amount out of my vault. You don't have to ask. To answer your question, I transferred 50,000 galleons into their family vault this morning and also withdrew enough gold, so that they could get things to wear today. I was hoping that you would help me with something."
"Anything. What can I do?"
Harry handed her the three sacks, and said, "Make them take it. The larger sack is for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, the smaller sacks are for Ron and Ginny."
"I see," she said. "How much is in here?"
"The little ones are five hundred each and the bigger one has two thousand galleons."
"Can you, can we afford that much?"
"The money that I transferred to them is a week's interest on the cash that the goblins have invested for us. I don't want to rub their faces in it, because Ron gets offended so easily, but the money means nothing."
Hermione kissed his forehead and said, "They're in the kitchen. Let's go talk with them." They walked in to see that Molly was on a losing end of a battle of wills with Winky over the kitchen. Hermione said, "Please have a seat, Mrs. Weasley and join us for breakfast."
Reluctantly, Molly sat down between her and Arthur. As Winky was serving the plates, Hermione asked, "Mr. Weasley, could you do us a favor today?"
Arthur looked up from his plate and replied, "Of course Hermione. How can I help?"
Hermione met his eyes for a moment and said, "Can you please give these to Ginny and Ron. They'll need to get new things today, and Harry and I don't want to embarrass them."
Arthur looked at Molly who was about to say something in protest. He shook his head to stop her and replied. "Yes. Thank you."
Hermione smiled, and said, "Thank you. We also have one more for you. We know that you lost everything last night, and this won't come close to replacing the memories and love that you lost with your home, but it will help with shoes and robes. Please accept it with the love that Harry and I send with it."
Again, Arthur said, "Thank you."
Molly was stunned by the generosity that the two had shown them, but knew if the circumstances were reversed, she would have done the same for Harry. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Thank you, dears."
Harry said, "We also want you to stay here until your new home is ready."
Arthur said, "It may be a while to arrange some loans. Are you certain that we wouldn't be an imposition?"
Harry said, "I could never begin to repay the love that you've shown me over the years. The goblins at Gringotts will help you with anything that you might need. Just go see Griphook when you are ready."
"Thank you both," said Arthur, at a loss for words. They had no idea of the extent of his wealth.
Hermione and Harry gave them each a hug, and said "We have some arrangements that we need to work out with our parents today. We know that you have a lot of shopping that needs to be done. "We'll have dinner at six if that would work for you?"
The two Weasleys just nodded in stunned appreciation.
Minerva was sick when she read the news that the burrow had been torched the night before. She had come to love an entire generation of the red-headed children roaming around the school and knew that Arthur didn't have the means of getting his family back on their feet. The thought of two more students coming to school in a week dressed in third hand rags made her angry. In fifty-five years of teaching, she had managed to save some money. Helping them seemed like a proper way of using some of it. She told Dumbledore that she would be back in an hour.
She saw Kingsley at Gringotts, who apparently had had the same idea. She filled out the little transfer form and waited at the teller window. She had given them 5,000 galleons, about a year's net salary. As she was walking out the door, she saw Hestia walking in.
On the way back to the castle she thought about the cruelty of the wizards and witches who had attempted to murder the Weasley family and had destroyed their home. It made her sick to think that she had most likely helped teach most of them and that they had turned out to be killers and arsonists.
Late that afternoon, Arthur, Molly, Ginny and Ron walked into Gringotts, each carrying bundles and packages that had been shrunken and lightened. Molly said, "We've gotten enough to get started with. We should put most of the rest into our vault. "We'll each keep twenty five galleons and put the rest away toward rebuilding our home." Ron and Ginny counted out the coins and dutifully gave the half empty sacks to their mother. The money in the sacks would cover the first term tuition.
They waited in the lobby as Molly and Arthur took the cart to visit their vault and see what they had to their name. They'd been able to save a bit over the summer, and had nearly a thousand Galleons in their account. The gold in the sacks would nearly double what they had. Arthur handed Griphook the key and he opened the door to the vault. When she looked in, Molly nearly fainted. Arthur asked, "How much is in there, and where did it come from?"
Griphook took a look at the balance sheet and said, "You have 62,212 Galleons. Witches and wizards have been making transfers into your vault all day."
"Who?"
At Harry's instruction the goblin gave no clue as to the specifics, only replying, "I'm not allowed to say. There have been quite a few. Will that be all?"
Arthur put the Galleons that Harry and Hermione had given them into the vault and got back into the cart where Molly was waiting. They took the trip back up to the lobby, and silently handed Ron and Ginny their bags back. Ginny asked a question, but Arthur just said, "I'll explain later."