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Author: buzzzz Story: The Gryffin Councilor Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: WIP Warning: Character Death Reviews: 12 Words: 56,992
AN: Guys if you read this please review. Every review makes me want to write more :) and all characters are JKR’s I am merely playing around with them and giving you a story for free :) …………………………… A cool breeze blew against his expensive black robes. His meticulously styled silvery hair stood out against the dark of the night. Draco Malfoy, heir to the Malfoy fortune and a forgiven Death Eater, walked purposefully down a side lane in central London. There were a few Muggles stuttering around; beggars, drunks and the lowlife of the city. They paid little attention to the strange man who was one of the richest men in the wizarding world, and a villain as well as a hero of the second war. Draco Malfoy did not give them a second look. He strode down to the end of the street not stopping even as the wall that marked the end came close. He closed his eyes as he walked right through the wall. Those Muggles who saw him disappear would later attribute it to the liquor. When he opened his eyes he was in a dim hallway lit by torches. The flickering flames cast moving shadows on the graying walls that would make men of lighter hearts shudder. Malfoy, however, scowled and with a frown walked up to one end where an old door was slightly ajar. He pushed the door open and walked in. “Malfoy!” Harry Potter greeted Malfoy with a smile that did not reach his eyes. “Good evening, Potter. So the half-blood savior is still alive,” said Malfoy, returning the greeting. The two men stood facing each other in a small room that seemed to be an old library. Shelves full of books covered the walls. Except for a small cabinet that held two glasses and a bottle of fire whiskey, the rest of the room was empty. The two stared at each other, their expressions unreadable, as if sizing each other up. Finally, the two walked up and shook hands. It was difficult to say if they were friends or foes. “Don’t expect me to hug you, Potter. You are still scum,” snapped Malfoy, before moving up to the cabinet. Harry laughed sarcastically, and snapped back, “Good to see you too, Malfoy. How does being a good guy feel?” “Save the act, Potter. Where have you been for three years?” asked Malfoy, a little angry. “Dead,” Harry replied in a tone that clearly said not to ask more. Harry walked up to the cabinet and conjured two stools. He sat down on one and started pouring drinks. Malfoy watched as Harry’s jaw began to clench and his muscles began to tense. From the experience of several years, Malfoy knew that the man in front of him was getting very angry. For a brief moment Malfoy feared for his life, but he quickly put the thought away. He had nothing to fear, the man in front of him was the only man Malfoy had ever served or will ever serve. Harry turned to Malfoy, his eyes red with fury, and growled, “If you ever disrespect Ginny again, I will kill you.” “You will do no such thing, Potter,” Malfoy coolly replied and then walked up to the stool and sat down. For a long time the two men sat quietly, drinking their feelings away. Both of them hated and loved the other. It was hatred borne of years of rivalry and deeds against the other that could never be forgiven. And it was love and trust borne of fate. The two men knew how similar their lives were. They had both sacrificed everything. Both had lost all friends and friendships, parents, relations, and everything else. Yet both were nothing but weapons in a scheme of things larger than a single person. Both owed their lives to the other. Both had, in their own ways, loved the same woman. Both were beginning to realize that behind all their animosity, they had indeed become friends. “When were you planning on telling me you were back?” Malfoy asked Harry after a long time. “I knew you would figure it out sooner or later,” Harry replied in a calm voice. “He is finally dead, isn’t he?” asked Malfoy, his voice shaking slightly. Harry turned and saw Malfoy holding out his arm. “The scar… It’s finally faded,” said Malfoy, pointing to his arm. “Yes.” The one word from Harry was enough. A feeling of immense relief washed over Malfoy. “You killed him,” he said. It wasn’t a question; it was an acknowledgment of years of effort. For years he had been one among the few who had known that Voldemort wasn’t really dead. He had worked hard to stop that information from reaching other Death Eaters, worked hard to give Harry the time to finish off what was meant to be done. They were years in which his life was nothing more than a weapon in the hands of the boy he had loathed. Voldemort was finally dead, and Malfoy was finally free. “Your debt is paid, Malfoy,” said Harry waving his hand at Malfoy. “Indeed, Potter. Indeed it is,” Malfoy said, giving a slight smile. Malfoy had not served Harry for the sake of any moral debt and both knew it. He had served Harry to save himself. But after nine years of being the only two to understand what was truly happening, he could not bring himself to become the enemy he had once been to the man he now respected most of all. Malfoy smiled to himself, he could not believe he was considering this. “Thank you, Harry…” said Malfoy, his voice staying crisp. “For giving my mother the funeral… and for everything after that.” Harry raised an eyebrow at Malfoy and laughed. “Why, a Malfoy thanking a half blood? What has the world come to?” he said. The scowl came back to Malfoy’s face. “And just so you know, Potter. She loves only you. I don’t know what we have, but it will never be what you two had or will have. And no, despite what Snape says, I am not sleeping with her anymore.” With that he turned and walked out. Harry Potter sat staring at his drink for a long time. He was no longer the confident, powerful wizard he had been two days ago at the duel. He was a lonely, broken man, a twenty-seven-year-old boy who had lived a life of deception and dread. Twenty-seven years towards a single goal. And it seemed to him at times like this, that with the goal accomplished, there was nothing left for him in this world. Harry shook himself and wiped his eyes. He would not let the depression take him; he would fight for a life he had earned. He would see happiness again. With that he stood up and Disapparated. …………………………………………… At the same time that Malfoy left Harry, a wizard and a witch were having a blazing row in a small apartment on Diagon Alley. “Harry is dead, Hermione. Why can’t you just let things go?” asked an exasperated Ron. “I just have a feeling, Ron,” replied Hermione, her voice rising. “Is that so hard to understand? There is more to Evans than meets the eye and I am going to find out what it is!” Ron and Hermione fussed around the house getting ready to leave for work. “For god’s sake, Hermione,” said Ron, trying desperately to convince his wife. “McGonagall obviously knows the truth as do several others in the position to know. You will find out when every one of us does. And what does that have to do with Harry anyway?” “Harry is NOT DEAD,” shouted Hermione. “Don’t shout, Hermione. Harry’s been dead for three years,” said Ron, not giving up. “NO…” shouted Hermione, but then calmed herself before continuing, “No body was found… the Ministry is not saying he is dead and I have a feeling. A FEELING, RON.” With her face glowing red, Hermione picked up a few things from a table near her, straightened her dress and Disapparated. Ron sat down on the couch with his head in his hands. “Merlin. She is going to kill me when she finds out the truth.” He sighed. A voice spoke up from behind him. “It’s just for a little more time, Ron. And I will owe you big for this.” Ron turned around swiftly bringing out his wand and crouching. Seeing the wizard who had just appeared he relaxed and smiled. “You scared me!” Ron exclaimed, half laughing at the man who had just appeared in his apartment. “The best Auror in the country scared by an anonymous man?” asked the man, laughing. “She is going to kill both of us when she finds out,” said Ron, looking a little scared. “Thanks for warning me about the twins’ map or we would already be dead,” said the man, still sounding very amused. Ron turned to him; his brows furrowed, and asked “What did you put in our names for? You should have just put Evans there or something.” Harry Potter shrugged his shoulders at his friend and sat down. “I hadn’t expected it to happen so soon,” he explained. “You didn’t tell me the twins were bringing it, so I lost control.” The two walked into the living room in silence before Harry spoke again. “I want to tell the Council today.” That took Ron by surprise and he was quiet for a moment. “It’s about time mate,” said Ron finally, smiling a little. “How did the meeting with Malfoy go?” “He is a git,” replied Harry. “But I trust him. He stood by me when it counted.” “I still don’t see why you are friendly with him after what he did to Ginny,” said Ron, shaking his head. “I’ll kill the ferret the first chance I get.” Harry ignored the anger and laughed. “That’s why I never let the two of you meet,” he said. Ron laughed back. “You sound like Dumbledore talking about Snape,” he joked. At that Harry laughed out loud, the smile reaching his eyes, and said “I guess I will have to do a lot of things like Dumbledore now.” He paused and gave Ron a very meaningful look. “Don’t tell them anything before I get there. I will be there in an hour or so, I just need to take a shower and change.” “All right,” said Ron. “But they are going to be really angry.” The two friends walked out discussing the meeting and Disapparated. Ron Apparated outside a cottage near Hogsmeade. The cottage was surrounded by tall trees on all sides, and was enchanted to look like tree tops from above. Any casual passerby would not see it at all. Ron walked up to the door of the cottage and knocked. A House-Elf opened the door and smiled. “Hello, Winky. Is everyone there yet?” Ron asked the Elf. “Yes Sir, Mr. Ronald Weasley, Sir. All is waiting for you,” replied Winky smiling. Ron walked in and took off his cloak and Auror robes to reveal golden dress robes underneath, with a symbol of a flying Gryffin in red on them. He ran a hand over the silky material, smoothing out the wrinkles and composing himself before entering the first door on his left. The moment he entered, everyone turned towards him in greeting. Ron smiled at his closest friends and colleagues and quickly scanned the crowd to see if everyone was present. “I am in a hurry,” he began. “Hermione will be back in a few hours, and I need to get back by then. Let’s start. Please take your seats.” All the wizards and witches sat down at a round table in the center of the room. All of them were wearing the same golden robes with the Gryffin symbol. A fire burned in the fire place and the rest of the room was empty and had blank grey walls. Ron took one of the three empty chairs in front of the door. His smile was gone and his voice was now very professional. “Dean, have the records on Professor Evans been edited?” he asked, looking at Dean Thomas. His classmate from school and now the Undersecretary for Accounts at the Ministry of Magic stood up. “I have added the name of Harry Evans to all records about Hogwarts,” replied Dean. “Anyone snooping around will find nothing wrong. Evans will be a Gryffindor who was quiet and reserved, who left Hogwarts during his OWL year, and who was provided a special room by Professor Dumbledore due to his powerful magic.” One by one, everyone got up and spoke for a few minutes. Neville, Seamus, Colin, and Katie gave reports that basically said there was nothing new going on. The meeting had been called suddenly and they had no agenda. In fact, the Gryffin Council -- as the group called itself -- met only rarely these days. They had fought together under Harry against Voldemort and his Death Eaters but now, with only a few Death Eaters left, they just got together for old times sake. They knew it was time to suspend the Council till another time when the need arose. They were just waiting for a final conclusion to this chapter of darkness in wizarding history. The Gryffin Council had been setup by Harry at the end of his sixth year to fight the Dark Lord. Harry had wanted to fight the war on his own terms after refusing to join the Order of Phoenix. No one except for its members and Dumbledore knew of its existence. Dumbledore had fought hard against having two separate groups but Harry’s concerns had won over. The Council had grown over the years and now had over a dozen highly trained members at its core. It had been pivotal in the defeat of the Dark Lord during the second war, the subsequent imprisonment of Voldemort, and his final destruction three years ago. Harry and Dumbledore had disappeared that fateful night and Harry had left Ron in charge of the Council. Since then, Ron had focused on weeding out the remaining Death Eaters and getting their own man to Hogwarts as its Headmaster. They had been preparing Evans, who had been inducted into the Council by Harry just before he died, to get there for three years now. Only Ron knew that Evans was in fact Harry himself. Ron Weasley gave a deep sigh. He had told Harry the facts behind his disappearance would be a difficult thing to keep from others and he had been right. Hermione was becoming suspicious and the Gryffins had haunted him for the past three years on this topic. Even though he had agreed with Harry for the need of secrecy, it had been maddening to keep it from the people closest to him. At least some of them would get off his back today, he thought, and wondered how they would react to seeing Harry back from the grave. They had been grieving for him for far too long and they would rightly be the first ones to see him alive again. A knock on the door brought Ron out of his reverie. He sighed with relief; it was time for Harry to come back to the world. He opened the door and hugged the man who stood there in identical golden robes. Then Ron stepped aside to let him in. Harry walked in and stood in front of the men and women who had been his front line army. They had trusted him through the worst, helped him, and stood by him. If he had been a weapon then these were the people who had made it possible for the weapon to function. And they thought he was dead. For a moment all of them stared at Harry and then pandemonium broke out. Everyone jumped at him and started speaking at the same time. He was hugged more times than he could remember; a few had tears in their eyes while others were laughing. Harry Potter just smiled, feeling warm and wanted for the first time in many years. His life was beginning to come back. “God, Harry. Where have you been for three years?” asked Neville, as everyone finally started to settle down. Harry felt all the eyes on him and saw Ron give him an encouraging nod. With a deep breath, Harry changed into Professor Evans. Harry could see the emotions cross their faces… at first surprise, then understanding, then disbelief, and finally anger. “You are Professor Evans! I knew it!” exclaimed Dean with a thump on Harry’s back but his smile suddenly faded as he looked at the others. Neville was the first to speak up. “Three years… you have no idea… ” said Neville, his face turning red. “… How could you Harry? How could you?” “Shut up, Neville!” exclaimed Ron. “You don’t know what happened. At least give Harry a chance to explain!” “And you,” said Neville, his voice angry. “You always knew didn’t you? Your unwavering faith in Evans even when we didn’t know anything about him… you always knew… and you didn’t tell us either.” Ron felt anger surging through him but before he could reply, Harry held up a hand, and said, “It’s all right, Ron. I owe them an explanation… ” “Oh c’mon, there will be time for explanations later. We trust your judgment, Harry. Always have,” Katie pitched in and glared at Neville. “Yeah, drinks on the house at my bar through the night. Harry, you can tell us your story there,” said Seamus and began to pull Harry to the door while everyone looked at Neville. Neville let out a breath, looked at his shoes and looked up again. Finally, he smiled slightly and said, “It’s good to have you back Harry, I missed you.” Then he hugged Harry again. Within moments everyone had relaxed and it was as if Harry had never been gone. After a few minutes of bantering Ron spoke up, “I need to go home guys, Hermione will kill me.” “C’mon!” exclaimed Seamus, laughing, “the most decorated Auror in the wizarding world is afraid of his wife?” “Shut it, Seamus,” said Dean, hitting Seamus playfully, “you know she keeps him on a leash. Isn’t that so, Ron?” But Ron just ignored them, told Harry to wait up for him before starting the story, and Disapparated. The others walked out, chattering happily. Their mentor was back, he was going to be the Headmaster of their old school, and Voldemort was dead. Things were looking good again in the wizarding world. The days when every meeting would bring death were long over. The members of the Gryffin Council went to the bar and partied like twenty-somethings should. Anyone watching would not have known that these youngsters were actually men who had fought a long and hard war. ………………………………….. The next morning arrived with a sense of hope for the wizarding world and a sunrise to match. A cool breeze blew the leaves outside The Burrow and the gardens smelled fresh. A few chirping birds added music to what was a quiet morning. The Burrow itself, however, was a hub of activity. Witches were rushing around waving their wands, babies were crying, and wizards were trying to find something useful to do. “I have got to go, Molly. Tell me how I look!” Arthur Weasley was dressed up in brand new robes that looked immaculate and expensive. Molly had pushed him into buying the robes for his appointment ceremony as the new Minister. “You look wonderful, dear. Be back by lunch?” Molly reached up and gave her husband a lingering kiss. “Actually, I may be late. Minister Bones sent an owl about a meeting after lunch on some extremely sensitive and secretive issue, as she put it. But I’ll be back in time for the party,” said Arthur smiling at his wife and waving good-bye to his grandchildren before Apparating. “Coffee for you, Mum?” a voice called out from behind Molly just as Arthur left. Molly turned to see her daughter, smiled, and said “Yes, dear. Why don’t you take some rest? There's plenty of time to get everything done.” Ginny sat down next to her mother and watched her nephews and nieces playing in the living room. The new twins, she thought looking at Hermione’s and Ron’s little ones as they put cream under their elder cousin’s chair. Who would have thought Fred and George would have such Percy-like babies. She had started to laugh but the thought of Percy put a stop to her smile. She missed Percy and she hated Harry for killing him. She stopped herself on that thought. She hadn’t allowed herself to think of Harry for years and she wasn’t going to start now. It was difficult enough with Hermione’s obsession with Evans and her book on Harry’s life. Sometimes she just hated her sister-in-law’s persistence. Harry had murdered her brothers. Harry had deserved to die. Molly watched the emotions play out on her daughter’s face. Things had been hard for them, but Ginny had been the worst effected. Molly liked to believe that it was the war that made her daughter do some things that she wouldn’t have otherwise done. Things which Molly liked to ignore. It was a constant bone of contention between them. Molly hoped going back to Hogwarts will put an end to her daughter’s wild ways. She had been hoping Ginny would find someone more stable for herself and she had really liked Professor Evans. He had seemed so familiar and easy to talk to, even though something dark seemed to lurk behind him. Despite that, and despite the doubts everyone had towards him, Molly had a good feeling about the man and she trusted her instincts. He was such a young man, after all. Molly looked around and watched her family. They hadn’t all been together for years. The twins were here with their families often, as were Ron and Hermione. Fred had married Angelina and George had found Veronica during a holiday. They both had a son each. Two very appropriate kids, thought Molly. Ron’s twins were just like Fred and George. But Ginny was not a frequent visitor anymore and it had been years since she had seen Charlie and his family. Charlie had married Fleur after Bill passed away and they had two kids. Harry Weasley was Bill and Fleur’s son, while Rachel was Charlie’s daughter. With a sudden idea she got up and called out to everyone. “Everyone, it’s time for tea and cookies. I don’t want to see any of you working, including the little ones.” Molly placed large bowls of cookies and sweets on the table and watched as everyone stopped what they were doing and lunged at the food. She laughed to herself and continued, “We will have a family Get-Together after the party so all of you are staying back.” ……………………….. Arthur Weasley sat behind a large desk in a lavishly decorated room. He had just been appointed the Minister of Magic and already he looked like a formidable man. He was alone for the first time since this morning. After a short but very boring ceremony where an elderly wizard had read out oath after oath, Arthur Weasley had spent hours completing paperwork. It had taken several more hours and a working lunch to finish the meetings with all the important people. He had only finished his meeting with the Ambassador to India ten minutes ago and had finally asked Amelia for a few minutes of rest before the next order of business. He knew whatever the next meeting was about was going to be something big. Amelia Bones had been dropping hints all day and had looked extremely worried over it right until the time she had just left him. He knew the Minister was privy to several things that no one else knew but, for the life of him, he could not imagine what this could be about. He had heard someone mention Evans, and wondered if this had anything to do with the new Headmaster. May be he will finally know where the Headmaster had come from but why that would be such a sensitive issue he could not fathom. He had liked Evans when he had met him after dinner at Hogwarts. The man was sure of himself, honorable, and Arthur got along with him easily. But something about him had made Arthur feel uneasy. There was a sense of familiarity that should not have been there. He also thought Evans was a little apprehensive of him, but he didn’t know why. He had finally argued that if a man was so powerful at so young an age, he had to have had a very eventful life. He knew it wasn’t logical, but that thought brought memories of one other young man who would have been equally powerful. He didn’t believe it, but Hermione’s arguments about Evans being Harry Potter were quite convincing at times. The thoughts of the Boy-Who-Lived brought with it extreme anger to Arthur. He had treated Harry as a son and Harry had betrayed them all. For a long time they had wondered if Harry would even fight You-Know-Who. But Dumbledore had managed that somehow, and Harry had killed Voldemort in minutes. The fact, however, meant little to Arthur Weasley. He held only anger and contempt for the boy who had murdered his two sons. Little did Arthur Weasley know that in a few minutes his view of the second war was going to be turned upside down! Arthur looked up just as the door opened and Amelia Bones walked in, along with her Special Undersecretary Param Hansini, Head of Aurors Nymphadora Tonks, Minerva McGonagall, Harry Evans and the man they called Councilor. After all the visitors had taken their seats, Evans and the Councilor cast several charms in the Minister’s office. Arthur smiled up at Amelia, and asked with a questioning glance, “I would have thought the Minister’s office was safe for private conversations?” “After you hear us out Arthur, you will find the paranoia with secrecy understandable,” Amelia Bones replied. “This whole business is one of the things I am happy to leave behind. I just wish I had never known about it.” “Your wish is about to be granted Amelia,” the Councilor spoke up in his usual amused voice. “We have decided to help you forget our little secret as soon as this meeting is over.” Arthur looked at her incredulously. She just gave him a look to say just hear them out and you will believe it. The Councilor was the first to speak up. “Minister Weasley, what you are about to hear in this room today, you will be magically forced to keep to yourself. Only you, one of your lawyers, the head of the Aurors and the two of us will know the full extent of what is to be said in this room.” He was now pointing at the people in the room. “Minister Bones and her Undersecretary will not know anything as soon as she walks out and Professor McGonagall will know only as long as she is the Headmistress of Hogwarts. You may now ask one trusted person to join us, however as you already know, you may not choose Mrs. Hermione Weasley.” Arthur sat quietly for a few moments before he answered in a cautious but firm voice, “I must begin by saying I find this very strange. I do not think it is in your right to ask me to keep something secret from the people. That is my decision alone.” “Actually, Minister.” Harry Evans spoke up for the first time. “If you check with your council, you will find that we do indeed have that authority.” Arthur turned to Evans, with his brows furrowed, and cleared his throat as if trying to calm himself. “Hear them out, Arthur. At the end you will find they are only trying to help.” Tonks said in a heavy voice. Arthur thought about it for a moment before giving up. “All right,” he said. “I trust Tonks as well as Amelia and I will wait till I have heard what you have to say. I would have liked Hermione to be here but I will ask my son, Ronald Weasley, to be my representative in this thing, whatever it is.” Seeing that things were in place for the meeting, Amelia Bones took control. “Tonks, please ask Ron to come in,” she said. “Meanwhile, Arthur, let me warn that you should hear everyone out before reacting. You have a bit of a history with our story and a lot of things that you have known as true are going to be turned on their heads in the next hour or so. Just give time for the story to finish.” Just as Amelia Bones finished, Ronald Weasley walked in, smiled at everyone present, gave a slight nod to Harry Evans, and sat down at the table. Arthur leaned back in his chair and sighed. “All right. Now what is this all about?” he asked. “Arthur, my boy, let me tell you a horrible story,” the Councilor began speaking, a darkness appearing in his eyes. “Anything you hear or see from now on you will not be able to repeat to anyone even if you want to…” “Councilor, I think you should introduce Professor Evans first,” Minerva McGonagall interrupted him. “Also, I will second Amelia in asking Arthur and Ron to remain calm.” The Councilor smiled up at Harry and gave a nod. A glowing brilliant golden light surrounded him for a moment and he turned back to Harry Potter. Arthur’s jaw dropped in shock but before he could react the Councilor spoke up again. “The first fact you should know is that Harry did not kill either Percy or Bill….” Harry broke in. “I could not save them either though,” he started, but with a glare from the Councilor, he shut up again. “The story of their death will be told today,” the Councilor continued. “You will find that you indeed had one villain and one hero for sons. But it was Percy who was the hero and Bill who was the villain. In fact, Arthur, in collusion with Voldemort, it was Bill who killed Percy. Harry fought hard and almost died in his attempt to save Percy and make Bill see reason.” At this the Councilor paused and nodded to Ron. Ron immediately put a hand on his father’s stooped shoulders as the shock of the news settled in. “But … But the Ministry gave an Order of Merlin to Bill!” exclaimed Arthur. “Actually that was given to Percy,” said Amelia Bones with a concerned look. “But as we risked leaking out the rest of the story you are going to hear today, we decided to keep it secret till a more opportune time. Take a break, Arthur, we will begin again in a short time.” As everyone began to leave the father and son alone to grieve, Tonks and McGonagall noticed that Ron didn’t look very shocked. They glanced at Harry and saw him nod at Ron in understanding. A meaningful look passed between the two witches and they smiled. The two friends had stuck together through it, after all. Among the confusion of thoughts that brought on, the main one remained as to why Hermione had been left out. Or had she? “Harry, son, can I see what happened that day?” asked Arthur, his voice heavy, before anyone could leave the room, causing them to stop. Harry Potter looked at Arthur Weasley and saw a father he had lost nine years ago. Once again his heart filled with hope. But he wondered if at the end of the story this man would still love him as a son. He motioned for everyone to sit down and waved his hand at the table. Smoke began to form above the table and a scene began to play out. A young Harry Potter sat hidden behind a large rock and watched as Percy paced up and down in a small clearing. The scene seemed to play out in dark in what seemed to be a forest. A sudden rustling made Percy stop. He glanced nervously at the rock behind which Harry lay hidden and then turned towards the sound, his face betraying his fear. Harry explained as the scene played out. “Percy was my spy. He had managed to reach a Death Eater in Voldemort’s inner circle. The Death Eater had promised Percy a lot more power in return for information. We were sure that this Death Eater was the key to Voldemort’s knowledge of Ministry affairs.” Meanwhile, a black-robed figure had walked out to the clearing. Percy waited for him to approach. The figure paused, considered Percy for a moment, and then took off its hood. It was Bill Weasley. “Bill! What are you doing here?” asked Percy, clearly shocked. Bill smiled at Percy and said, “We are together now Percy.” “Oh, no Bill, you don’t understand,” said Percy, sounding desperate. “You need to hide. Death Eaters will be here soon, maybe even Voldemort.” Bill’s eyes suddenly went cold but Percy continued pushing him on “Hide with Harry, Bill, he is behind that stone.” At the next instant several things happened. Bill’s eyes went from cold to furious and he raised his wand towards the stone hiding Harry, shooting off a powerful curse while backing off. His other hand grabbed something in his cloak. Meanwhile, Harry had leaped out from behind the stone and was shouting at Percy to back off. Percy was yet to realize what was happening and was still grabbing and pushing at Bill. A throaty laugh echoed through the scene and a voice rang out. “Well, well, well, Weasley, you have indeed been worthy of your position. Potter and a spy in one shot.” Voldemort had appeared behind Bill and grayish smoke seemed to come out of him. A snake slithered next to him and several Death Eaters appeared all around Harry and Percy. It took a moment for Percy to realize what had happened and by the time he started to run, he was surrounded by three Death Eaters. Harry had, meanwhile, reached the center of the circle. He raised his wand and shouted “Accio Percy, Transporta!” Percy came flying towards Harry and then went crashing into an edge of the clearing. Harry’s second curse had hit several Death Eaters, making them disappear. A golden glow began to form around Harry, but it remained weak. Harry closed his eyes just as several curses flew towards him. Some kind of shield had come up and only one curse managed to get through. Harry was thrown back and landed just in front of Percy. He closed his eyes again and a look of intense concentration came upon him, the golden glow shone for a moment but died down to its original weak form. Harry opened his eyes again, a look of frustration and failure coming over him. He started throwing curses, fighting the Death Eaters. “I wasn’t able to control the magic. The shock of seeing Bill and the whole situation… I just couldn’t manage it,” said Harry shaking his head. The fight went on for several minutes before Voldemort came out from behind the Death Eaters and fired several curses towards Harry. One of the curses hit Harry, who lost his wand and was knocked out of the way. On the other side of the clearing, Bill had come up behind Percy and Harry had obviously noticed. As Bill picked up Harry’s wand and a green light shot out of it, Harry took a large box from his robes and opened it. A reddish light burst out of the box and everyone in its path seemed to disappear, including Harry. Time seemed to be suspended as the two beams raced toward Percy. Unfortunately, the green beam reached Percy first and he fell like a log. At the same time as Harry had opened the box Voldemort had cast a brilliant white shield covering Percy, Bill, and himself and when the red light struck it the shield fractured in several places but continued to hold on. Finally, after several seconds, there was a loud blast, and the shield burst just as the red light faded away. Voldemort, Bill, and Percy were the only three still visible and the two brothers lay unconscious at the Dark Lord's feet. Voldemort took Harry’s wand from Bill’s hand and killed Bill with it. He then placed a round object in Percy’s hand and dropped Harry’s wand before Disapparating. As soon as Voldemort had disappeared, Ron arrived on the scene in his Auror robes, saw Percy and Bill lying there, and then saw the box that Harry had opened. Ron walked up to the box, and fell on his knees in front of it. He looked at the box and exclaimed, “Harry… Merlin… why did you use it, Harry? Are you alive?” A voice came out of nowhere, “I am here, Ron, get the box back to the Council, I'll be all right.” Ron breathed a sigh of relief and, just as the Aurors appeared, he closed the box and the scene faded out. “It was Harry’s wand,” Arthur said in a weak voice. “The recorder in Percy’s hand had evidence of Harry turning dark… Oh God… I am so sorry, Harry. Why didn’t you tell everyone what really happened? Ron, I thought you never spoke to Harry after your sixth year …” “Calm down Arthur, take a drink. It’s a long story,” said the Councilor. He placed a calming drought in front of Arthur and continued telling the story once again. ..…………. Ginny Weasley poured herself some wine, noticing how expensive it was and trying to get used to the feeling of having rich parents. The party had started over an hour ago and most of the guests had arrived. The entire who’s who of the wizarding world was here, which included a lot of bachelors. She knew she was looking good in the bright red dress that hugged her figure and the light make up which made her face shine. She had tied her hair in a loose pony tail. She hadn’t dressed up like this in a long time, but she was getting lonely, and was ready to get back to the game. Ginny scanned the crowd, her eyes stopping at the dance floor. Fred and Angelina were dancing to a quick song and Ron’s twins were trying to copy them. Veronica, Hermione, and Molly stood in one corner chatting with some other witches whom Ginny didn’t recognize. She knew Hermione and Molly were getting anxious that Arthur and Ron had not arrived yet, but she was not worried. She knew her dad would come as soon as he could. She looked further and noticed a man with silvery hair and a scowl on his face. Draco Malfoy caught her eye and nodded to the dance floor. Ginny sighed; she knew the Daily Prophet will have a field day if she and Malfoy were to dance at the party. In reality, Ginny did not care for Malfoy. He had just been a useful partner occasionally, a bad boy with good looks she had been with a few times. Ginny chuckled at that thought; it had really been only three times. Three highly eventful times. The first time, Harry had walked in on them, and walked out of her life. The second time it had been Ron and the duel between him and Malfoy still came up in the Prophet. The third time had been the worst. She had gone to a party and gotten quite drunk. Malfoy had come up to her and kissed her senseless. They had found a room and had been kissing when a group of Daily Prophet reporters had walked in on them. The story had taken months to die down. By the time the Prophet had tired of the story her family and several others thought she was romantically involved with Malfoy. Ron hadn’t forgiven her for it yet. “As if I care,” thought Ginny. She had been through so much that she had forgotten how to have a decent loving relationship. She felt suffocated at the kind of love Ron and Hermione or her parents shared. She was sure she didn’t want it. As always the thought took her back to the times with Harry, but she shook it off. They had barely been teenagers and she was sure she had dreamed up the intensity of their relationship. That connection could not have existed between teenagers, it was merely a figment of her dreams. Harry was a good fantasy and a horrible person in real life. There had of course been one other man. Four years ago, she had met a man in Romania while visiting Charlie and had a dreamy two month affair. Even he had reminded her of Harry she remembered in frustration. Ginny felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Malfoy. He guided her to the dance floor and she noticed once again that he was indeed an attractive man. A dangerous, forbidden man but that only added to the electricity of it. Just as she was getting into the mood and had put her arms around him, she saw Arthur, Ron, and Evans walk into the garden. ……………………….. Ron walked into the garden still recovering from hearing the story of the whole war all over again. Almost instantly he noticed Ginny in Malfoy’s arms. At The Burrow! he thought. It took seconds for his anger to flare up and he reached the dance floor with his wand out before Arthur and Harry could understand the situation. Ron sent a yellow light at the couple on the dance floor but Ginny had brought up a shield just in time. A blast from the spell hitting the shield sent Ginny and Malfoy flying back in opposite directions. Ron walked up to Malfoy. “I told you to stay off my sister, Malfoy!” he growled. “You were not invited to this party. Get out before I kill you.” Malfoy snapped back, “If I want to snog your sister Weasley, I will do it any time I want. Even if it’s in the middle of your awful party.” Everyone backed off as both Ron and Malfoy sent curses at each other and began to duel. No one noticed that Harry had begun to glow and his eyes had turned red. Or that Ginny had gotten up and was joining the fray. As the two exchanged curses, Ginny walked up in the middle and slapped Ron hard sending him stumbling back. “How dare you interfere?” she shouted at him. “You can do what you want outside this house Ginny,” said Ron, his voice full of fury. “But not in this house and not in my presence.” “See, Weasley, how badly your sister wants it?” smirked Malfoy and laughed. Ginny turned to Malfoy looking surprised and very angry. “You… you… just get out of my house!” she snapped. “Don’t talk to me like that, you slut,” Malfoy snapped back. Ron had gotten up and he stepped in between Ginny and Malfoy. “Don’t insult my sister,” he growled. Several Aurors had Apparated in around the fight and were moving in to stop it, but before anyone could reach them, the fight took a turn for the worse. “Why, Weasley. Your family has nothing for me to insult,” said Malfoy stepping up. “That’s not what your mother was saying when I killed her, Malfoy.” Ron hissed as he walked closer. Malfoy’s eyes burned and anger flew out of him. He raised his arms and a large ball of light flew out of his hands. But before Malfoy’s curse could hit Ron there was a bang drowning all sounds and the torches lighting the garden dimmed. The crowd gasped as the sky rumbled and a wizard walked up glowing in golden light with lightning crackling around him. The force of magic around him sent everyone back, including the Aurors who were thrown off the dance floor. The glowing wizard was Harry Evans. He reached Ron before Malfoy’s spell did and deftly caught the curse in his hands. Then he turned towards Malfoy. Ron and Ginny watched, unable to do anything to intervene. Harry’s eyes glowed red, the golden glow around him was now brilliant white, and as Harry raised both his hands lightning crackled between them. “NO ONE WILL HURT THIS FAMILY AND LIVE,” Harry’s voice boomed, and Malfoy levitated several feet above the ground and hung there. Harry continued in a slow, deliberate, yet loud voice. “I TOLD YOU THAT IF YOU INSULT HER YOU DIE.” As the crowd watched in horror, unable to move, Harry brought his hands towards Malfoy… ……………………….. AN: More very soon! AN: Thanks to Arnel and Katie, my wonderful beta readers for making this chapter what it is. AN: JKR’s 6th book is coming out!!!! I cant wait for July. Though the fact that she squashed the Neville/Luna ship is sad… but I guess she means in school. Nine years later, they both could still hook up couldn’t they ;)
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