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Author: Shamrock Holmes Story: Harry Potter and the Torch of Caelum Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: Completed Reviews: 2 Words: 59,803
Chapter Four: Gryphon's Eyrie When Harry came down to breakfast the next morning, Sirius, Tonks and Lupin were already awake and clustered around Lupin's small battered kitchen table. They appeared to be eating breakfast, and were chatting to two other wizards who were perched on the kitchen cabinets: Jason Draper, who was today dressed in a crimson muscle T-shirt and green tracksuit bottoms, and another young wizard, a few years younger, with tawny hair and almost bird-like eyes, wearing scarlet and white robes. Sirius turned to look at Harry as he came in and smiled. "Hi Harry, I'm glad you're up, I'd like you to meet Jarred Laken, he'll be filling in for Draper's girlfriend, Corinne Anderson for a few days. She had some family business to take care of." "Is everything okay, Draper?" Draper nodded. "It's just family stuff, nothing to do with the war. She'll be back by the end of the week at the latest." Sirius picked up an envelope that lay on the table in front of him. "Harry, Jarred brought me a package from my vault at Gringotts. Now that I've got it, we can go." "Go where?" "To your ancestral home, Harry." An hour later, the group, who had been joined by Troy and another friend of theirs, Antonia Menotti, a pale dark-haired girl with a similar taste in clothes to Troy exited the Floo Network into what Harry could only assume was a gatehouse. As usual, Harry managed to trip and fall as he came out of the fireplace, causing his glasses to break. "Not again," he muttered. "I can't wait till I can Apparate." As soon as Lupin exited the fireplace, Harry handed his glasses to him. He eyed the shattered lenses and removed his wand from a pocket inside his robes. "We really should see about getting you some wizard spectacles, Harry. However… Oculus Reparo." Seconds later, the glasses were whole once more and Remus returned them to Harry. "Harry, are you coming?" Sirius asked, a little impatiently. "We should get going." "I'm coming Sirius. Professor Lupin was just fixing my glasses, I broke them again." "We really should get you some wizard glasses, Harry," said Sirius, moving to the large golden door that formed most of the far wall. "Professor Lupin just said the same thing." Sirius smiled, and then unwrapped the small package to reveal two gold keys, both of which had griffins at the base. "Take one of these keys and put it in this lock," Sirius instructed, pointing to one of the two large keyholes set into the door's face. "I will do the same with the other key. On my signal, turn the key a quarter-turn precisely and say the words 'domus suävis domus' at the same time as I do." "What happens if I get it wrong?" "Then no one will be getting inside until one of us dies." "Oh." "Actually," Sirius continued. "I've just realised that since you haven't named an heir, no one would ever be able to go in." "Let's get it right then," Harry said nervously. "Yes, let's." Sirius said dryly. "Are you ready?" Harry nodded and inserted his key in the lock. "Ready." Sirius copied the motion and nodded to the others. They took up a defensive line behind them with Remus and Tonks in the middle, Troy and Menotti at the ends and the others between them. "After three. One... two... three." "DOMUS SUÄVIS DOMUS!" There was a rumbling sound from the doors and a bead of light ran down both sides of the lock pedestal and up towards the lintel. Seconds later, the pedestal dropped into the floor and the two halves of the door itself parted and returned the jibs. Sirius turned back to look at his godson. "Harry. Welcome… to Gryphon's Eyrie." ---- Harry and Ginny spent the rest of the day exploring the small estate — a castle, which nestled in a natural crack in the side of a sheer cliff face overlooking the North Sea — accompanied by his ‘bodyguards' and the castle's warden. Harry's favourite discovery was that the estate was equipped with it's own Quidditch pitch. He was also pleasantly surprised with the stable of flying horses, which mercifully did not contain either Thestrals or the giant Abraxans favoured by Beauxbatons. Harry hadn't a chance to pack his trunk before he left on his birthday, so the next day he took the Floo to Mrs Figg's house. Sirius, Professor Lupin, Tonks and Draper accompanied him, as did Ginny, who had come over to visit at breakfast, claiming she couldn't stand another minute of being the third wheel to Ron and Hermione, a sentiment Harry could certainly sympathise with. "We'll Floo back to Gryphon's Eyrie from the Dursleys', Arabella," Sirius told the old woman as they headed out of her front door. "So don't wait for us." "Don't kill any of them, Black. I don't want to have to clean up the mess." The look on Sirius' face changed to one that reminded Harry of the one the twins wore when they were trying to persuade their mother that they hadn't been doing something underhanded. "Why Arabella, what makes you think I would do anything to them?" "Because those… people would try even a saint, Black," Mrs Figg replied sharply. "And you're no saint." "Why thank you, Arabella," said Sirius, totally straight-faced. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." "Can we get moving?" asked Draper, impatiently. "We're rather exposed here, and I'd like to avoid trouble if possible." "We'll see you at the Order meeting at Grimmauld Place on Saturday night?" "You will," confirmed Mrs Figg. Sirius nodded to Draper, and he and Tonks led the way to the corner of Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk, with Sirius and Professor Lupin bringing up the rear. Five minutes later, they arrived at number four, Privet Drive. Draper reached the door first and knocked. Petunia Dursley opened the door a few seconds later, when she saw Draper she paused, trying to figure out if she'd ever seen him before, then spotted Harry over his shoulder. "Get inside," she hissed. "I don't want the neighbours to see you." "Draper, stay in the hall and keep watch," Sirius told the Hit Wizard once Petunia had disappeared into the living room. "Ginny, Tonks, why don't you go with Harry and get his trunk packed? Remus and I just need to have a little word with Harry's aunt and uncle." "I bet they won't enjoy that conversation," observed Ginny. "Probably not," Harry agreed with a grin. Tonks didn't seem too upset at the prospect either, but said nothing. "I could stay out here…?" Ginny offered hesitantly, when they arrived on the first floor. Harry shook his head, then taking out his wand, he released the Locking Charm he been able to put on his room before he left thanks to his Underage Sorcery Permit, and ushered her inside. Tonks followed them in and closed the door. Harry immediately crawled under his bed to retrieve his most valuable possessions: the Marauders' Map, his broomstick, his Invisibility Cloak, the photo album given to him by Hagrid at the end of his first year, his old Sneakascope and his new Pocket Foe Glass. Ginny moved to Harry's desk and began to gather up Harry's school books and piled them into his cauldron, then stacked up his papers and tucked them into some free corners. Tonks finished Harry's packing by moving his clothes into the trunk and fixing it closed with a Locking Charm. "You wait here, Harry," said Tonks. "I'll go and see if Sirius and Remus have finished their 'conversation' with the Dursleys yet." Harry nodded and watched her as she headed down the stairs and into the living room. He was so focused on watching the living room door for her to come out, he missed the creak of a door to his right as Dudley came onto the landing. "Who's this? Your girlfriend?" he asked, grabbing her by her wand arm. "Surely she couldn't be that desperate?" He looked Ginny up and down, and Harry could tell he was mentally undressing her. Harry frowned, he always found this habit irritating, but this time it was worse, much worse. "She's not actu..." They never found out what he was going to say, because at that moment Harry drew his wand and pointed it at his cousin's forehead. "Let go of her," Harry ordered. Dudley obeyed, looking rather scared. "Touch Ginny, or any of my friends again, and I'll kill you. Understand?" For once in his life, Dudley Dursley had no problem figuring out what his cousin had said to him. With a whimper, he fled back into his room and slammed the door. "Colloportus." Harry muttered and the door clicked shut. "That should hold him for a while." Harry turned so he could look Ginny in the eyes, and could see several different emotions silently vying for dominance. Eventually one won out. "Thank you, Harry." she said gratefully. Harry could see a tiny tear glistening in the corner of one eye and without thinking he reached out and wiped it away for her. "That's okay Gin," he told her. "You... er, I mean… your family, Hermione, Sirius... maybe Tonks and Professor Lupin, you mean the world to me," he paused, not sure what to say next. After a minute or two, he dropped his gaze and added. "You're the only family I've got, and I don't want anything to happen to any of you." "Am I interrupting something?" asked a voice from behind them. Harry spun around and raised his wand. It was only Draper. "What is it?" "We're ready to go," said the raven-haired Hit-Wizard, his eyes unreadable behind his black shades. "Sirius wants you to come downstairs now." Harry nodded and pointed his wand at his trunk. "Locomotor trunk. Could you possibly not mention that I lost my temper with Dudley to anyone? Please?" "I didn't see a thing Harry," Draper lied smoothly. "I was too busy watching out front, wasn't I?" "Yes, I suppose you were, Draper, weren't you?" Harry agreed with a smile. Draper was infamous for having eyes like a hawk. He'd seen what happened alright, but was happy to keep quiet. Which is fine by me. When they entered the living room, Harry noticed immediately that the boards covering the fireplace had been removed and a fire was already burning in the grate. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mr and Mrs Dursley huddled in the far corner, under the watchful eye of his godfather. Tonks was missing, Harry guessed she'd Flooed to the castle already. At Harry's urging, Ginny took a handful of Floo Powder next and stepped into the flames. Once she was gone, Harry manoeuvred his trunk into the fireplace and took some Floo Powder for himself from Professor Lupin. He threw it into the flames and shouted, "Gryphon's Eyrie!" And with a flare of green flame, he disappeared. ---- The next morning, Harry was in what was rapidly becoming his favourite place to think — the balcony outside his opulent quarters at the top of the keep — watching the sun rise above the flat grey-blue expanse of the North Sea, when a harsh, cackling voice broke the silence, bringing him out of his meditative state. "Knut for your thoughts?" "Civis! What have I told you about sneaking up on me?" said Harry, his eyes still fixed on the horizon. "The same thing your father, grandfather and every other master of this house told me since I got here," Civis replied, as Harry turned to face him. As a hobgoblin, the Warden resembled a heavy-set, six-foot tall house-elf, and there was something about him that made you want to confide in him, which Harry guessed was probably the Fidelius Spell that bonded him to the Potters. He was dressed in somewhat medieval style that he had worn when he greeted them on their return from Surrey the day before: grey breeches, black boots, and a scarlet lace-up shirt under a black dress cloak. "Sirius wants you downstairs for breakfast. You're meeting your friends in Diagon Alley at nine to get your school supplies, so you'll need to get a move on." "I'll be down in a few minutes," Harry told him, turning to go back inside. Civis nodded and disappeared with a 'crack'. When Harry left his room about fifteen minutes later — after showering and putting on a pair of clean, outsized jeans and his Weasley jumper from the year before — Civis was waiting for him, perched on the stair rail. When he saw Harry he jumped down and walked at Harry's side as he descended the long wooden main stair. "What were you thinking about anyway?" "Lots of things really," Harry admitted with a sigh. "The prophecy… Sirius coming back…" "What happened yesterday with your cousin?" suggested Civis, slyly. "Yes that too," Harry agreed. "I meant it, Civis. I really would have killed him. The curse was on the tip of my tongue. I almost killed my cousin over an insult. What does that say about me?" "That's not what bothers you most about yesterday, and you know it, Harry," Civis chided him. "It's why you reacted so violently to what he said." Civis smiled again. "From what Ginny told me it wasn't that bad." "I would have reacted the same way if it'd been Hermione, Luna… any of my friends." "No you wouldn't have, Harry," retorted Civis. "Well, Hermione maybe. From what I've heard listening to you and Ginny, you do care a lot for her…" They continued to walk. ‘… But not in that way,' "And what kind of a way is that?" "How many of the portraits do you remember in the Entrance Hall?" Civis asked him, spotting Harry's frown he added. "No, I'm not trying to change the subject, Harry, it is relevant." "The ones of the masters of the house and their families?" Civis nodded. "Let's see… My mum and dad of course, James Tiberius Potter and Lily Evans… their parents, Tiberius Algernon Potter and Antonia Kirtland… my great-grandparents, Algernon Delphineus Potter and Agatha Bones…" He went on for about five minutes, by which time they'd nearly reached the ground floor. "… Gudrun Gryffindor and Simon Atticus Potter… and finally Gudroc Gryffindor and Helena Hawkesmoor." "Not bad. You got thirty out of the thirty-five." "As I said to Ginny yesterday, my family is important to me." "You missed out two younger sons who inherited after the death of their older sibling: David James Potter, 1268-1294, and Terrence Alfred Potter, 1402-1451. You also forgot the dead-end line of the Claymore family." "Simon Claymore and Joanna Potter, 1763-1799, Sigrid Claymore and Augusta Fielding, 1799-1864, and Serena Claymore 1864-1908. Serena Claymore died unmarried and without a clear heir, so the estate passed to my great-grandfather Algernon Potter, who was the great-grandson of Joanna Potter's younger brother Harold." "So you did remember them after all," said Civis, with what could have been a smile, but on him more closely resembled a leer. "Very good. Full marks." "What's your point?" "Lily Evans, Agatha Bones, Petunia Portland, Simon Claymore, Rachel Summersby, Augusta Fielding, Gudrun Gryffindor, Helena Hawkesmoor, and eighteen of the others. What do they have in common?" Harry thought for a minute, but couldn't come up with anything. He shook his head. "They were all redheads, Harry. Eighteen of the women and seven of the men who have married the heir in your family have been redheads, three more: Cassandra Alderton, Alyson Blareau and Natasha Crosby, have been blondes. Are you seeing a pattern here? 'Cause I saw it in 1662 when Henry John Potter married Regina Anne Stokes, another red-head." "Ginny is not my girlfriend!" Harry snarled. "She's seeing Dean Thomas." "Well, two things about that…" said the hobgoblin, with what was definitely now a leer. "First, I know she isn't, but you like her to be; and, second… who said she was seeing Dean Thomas? She's here, not with him, isn't she?" Harry was spared further conversation as they had arrived in the big work kitchen in the basement of the keep. Professor Lupin, Sirius, Tonks, Ginny, and two of the Order — Jarred Laken and Antonia Menotti — were sitting at the large scrubbed pine table in the middle of the room eating porridge. Velky, one of the six house-elves that were still at the castle, was working at the huge cast-iron stove. "What can I do for you, Master Harry?" "Porridge please, Velky," Harry replied, sitting down between Ginny and Laken and opposite Sirius. "Sausages, or bacon and eggs too, if that's okay?" After a quick breakfast of sausages, eggs and fried bread, Harry put on his new dragonhide coat and he, Sirius and Ginny followed Civis down to the gatehouse and all four of them Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron pub on Charing Cross Road. A/N: The Warden of Gryphon's Eyrie was inspired in part by Robin Goodfellow as known as Puck, the servant of Oberon in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bonsocus is derived for the Latin for 'good fellow', Civis is from the Latin for ‘free man', the Germanic route of Charles).
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