Apprentice Potter
Conversations
By Draco664
Conversations
Since we had to wait a few days anyway for some of the other potion ingredients, Zab had me study the tomes to memorize exactly how each of the ingredients reacted with each other. Since mixing two ingredients with a third or more could conceivably change how the individual items would react, this was a mammoth task. I made copious notes, cross-referencing with tables and charts, since in some cases, different amounts would change the reaction. My efforts produced what could be considered a fairly thick book in the process, not to mention an arm that felt like I'd be going blind sometime soon.
The research was tedious, but not boring, and towards the end of the three-day study session, I actually felt like an expert.
On this one potion.
Which we hadn't actually made yet.
But I still felt like an authority, and when I went back to read the original recipe, I could infer a great deal of information from what survived into the illegible parts of the page. On the third evening after our evening visit to Hagrid's brother, I gave Zab my notes, and he presented me with a repaired hand mirror.
"Go on. Go and call your friend. I'm sure she will be waiting with bated breath."
Despite my excitement, having not had a chance to say goodbye to Hermione, I did hesitate.
Zab smiled. "No, there are no security implications. Just sit with your back towards a non-descript wall and ensure you can see nothing in the mirror that gives away any clue to your location before you use it. Not even Albus could divine your location thought the mirror with magic. Now, scoot, you've given me a fair amount of reading to do tonight."
"Yes, sir," I said, and bolted.
As soon as I entered my room I jumped on the bed and shifted the pillow around so I could lean against it. I figured that the headboard of my bed wouldn't divulge anything about my location.
I lifted up the mirror and said, "Hermione!"
Nothing happened. My frowning face stared back at me.
"Hermione!"
The mirror stubbornly showed only my face.
I bit my lip, thinking hard. Would the mirror work if Hermione wasn't in the room? Even if she was, would she hear it, or would the mirror glow or give an alarm? What if Hermione had given it to Ron? Or even Blaise, if they ended up rowing.
"Harry?"
I blinked and looked down into the mirror in my lap. It wasn't Hermione's voice that called my name. It was a particularly unwelcome voice.
I sighed deeply with frustration as the bearded face swam into focus in the mirror. "Dumbledore. What the hell are you doing with this mirror?"
He actually had the gall to look chastised. "I must apologise, Harry. I persuaded Miss Granger to allow me to use the mirror to talk with you."
Wonderful.
"Well, you can forget about trying to divine my location from the mirror. I've made sure that not even you can trace me with it."
The old man's expression didn't change, even for an instant, but his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, telling me all I needed to know about his motives. "Harry, the entire Order is looking for you. Please tell me where you are. We cannot keep the fact that you have disappeared a secret much longer."
"So?" I snapped, a sneer on my face.
Dumbledore shook his head and began to speak rapidly, far faster than he usually did. He was rushing things. Probably because he thought that I'd stop using the mirror the moment the conversation got boring.
"Harry, if the Dark Lord discovers that you are no longer protected by the blood magic, he will come after you. It is imperative you return to your relative's care before it is too late."
"Look, you moron, Voldemort has been coming after me since I was born, blood magic or no. I'm not going back there, no matter what you say."
"It is for your own protection, Harry. And that of your family's. Despite their feelings, they do need you there to ensure their own protection."
I sighed. "And?"
He looked confused. "And what, Harry?"
"And what else? You'd hardly expend all this effort to keep one average student and a bunch of bigots safe. Ergo, you have another motive. What is that motive? You want me there so you can keep your bloody secret weapon under your thumb, to be released when needed," I growled. "Don't try and pretend you only have my best interests at heart."
"Firstly, I would expend this much effort and more to keep a single person safe, and secondly, I do not, and have never, considered you my secret weapon. In this one instance however, both our best interests are satisfied by the one course of action."
"Bollocks. If you truly had my best interests at heart, you'd weigh up what you know of my current circumstances with what up until a few weeks ago was the status quo. I'm unlocatable, defended and safe. I'm learning Occlumency, among other things, so my time is not being wasted by having to do pointless chores for my pig-headed relatives. I'm not confined, restrained or lonely, I have freedom here that I've never had before. Not to mention that I'm mature enough not to abuse it, and that I'm taking an active interest in maintaining, and even increasing, my security. So exactly what makes you think that going back to a prison for my body, spirit and mind will be, in any way, in my best interest?"
He sighed again. "You are not as unlocatable as you believe, Harry. I know that you are at an unplottable location. These locations are documented at the Ministry by law, and are publicly accessible. A suitably thorough search through the records will give anyone a list of your possible locations."
I shrugged, quite confident that Zab both already knew that, and had taken appropriate action. I opened my mouth to suggest that I could be at Grimmauld Place under my invisibility cloak and not be discovered, but that may give the old man a clue to the level of security surrounding me. Certainly, the number of properties masked to the degree of Sirius' house was low enough that it would narrow the search dramatically. It would probably be better to throw him off the trail all together. "Ah, the logical approach. Well, if you want to go down that road, allow me to toss a stick through the spokes of your bike. What about places outside the country, hmm? Come on Dumbledore, as much as you've stuffed up over the years, you're smarter than that! The wizarding world doesn't end at the edge of the country."
He blinked. "Are you not even in the United Kingdom?"
I raised an eyebrow. "You honestly expect me to answer that?"
He seemed to deflate. Probably because he really thought he had no chance of finding me. "No, I don't suppose I do, though I had hoped you would reconsider."
"Don't bet on that happening any time soon. My chance of living a normal life was taken away because of you. Even after that, you again and again messed up with your lies and manipulations. You lost all right to have a say in my life through your own choices and actions, old man."
Dumbledore was silent for a few moments. "Very well. What happens now?"
I snorted. "You stop looking for me for starters. I'm safe, alive and learning. The fact that you couldn't enter my mind at the twin's store or at my party proves that to you. The Order have more pressing issues than chasing down my location."
Dumbledore lowered his head briefly before looking up at me. "Very well."
"Second, you give this mirror back to Hermione. Today. I didn't give it to her just so you could bully her into giving it to you."
"I didn't bully her-"
"I'm not finished!" I interrupted. "I don't care how you got it, I didn't want to talk to you in the first place. And you would have received an invitation if I wanted you at my party."
"I'm sorry, but I had no idea you were having a party, Harry."
I rolled my eyes. "Merlin's balls, you must think I'm an idiot! Remus and Tonks, the two adult members of the Order who I am closest to, both arrange to go to my best friend's house on my birthday. Unless you are even more incompetent that I currently believe, you knew exactly what was going on there."
Dumbledore winced. "It would be closer to say that I suspected, Harry. I-"
"So you just lied to me again," I snapped.
"No, I merely said-"
"I'm so glad you can justify your lies to yourself, you bastard. I'm sure it helps you sleep at night. Me? I'll just accept that whatever you tell me is definitely not the truth, just what you can semantically defend as being close enough."
Dumbledore winced again, jerking his head down in self-recrimination. "I'm sorry, I promised myself that I would be totally honest with you. I was worried that if I admitted bringing Severus to your party you would stop this conversation immediately."
I pushed my eyes open as wide as they could go. "Bloody hell, Dumbledore! You actually told the truth! For an entire sentence!" I said, sarcasm flooding my words.
The old man's expression relaxed slightly as he realised that I was more likely to continue the conversation than end it, even if that was just to heap abuse upon him. "I shall continue to do so, you have my word."
I rubbed my chin. Perhaps I should test his resolve. "Really? Why did you bring Snape to my party in the first place?" I challenged.
Dumbledore paused before replying. "I'm sorry, Harry. I would prefer not to answer that."
I gave him an unfriendly grin. "You're getting better. Perhaps you can learn not to manipulate people. But that's OK. I've already figured out why. I was just wondering if you could admit it."
He looked pained. "Yes, I rather suspect you have come to some conclusion."
My grin probably turned evil. "You had Snape charge out to confront me, since that would be totally in his character. Knowing that since I was surrounded by my friends, I wasn't likely to lash out at him, even though I would get angry. As a matter of fact, you were counting on him making me angry. You were hoping to use Legilimency to pick up a hint or two about where I am, under the cover of my rage." I shook my head. "No matter what I've accomplished over the years, he still underestimates me though. Both of you do."
Dumbledore visibly swallowed. "Once more, I am humbled by your abilities. You have become far more like Miss Granger over the past few weeks. I am stunned at the progress you have made in such a short time in both logic and perception."
I flushed red. "There's nothing like having someone you love die because of your actions to prove that you need to progress, old man. I've learned that I can't trust anyone, least of all you, so I need to rely on myself. I won't be manipulated again. That said, I certainly don't want to talk to you. Give the mirror back to Hermione and tell her to call me. I won't initiate another call until it is back in her hands. Goodbye."
"Harry, please! We must be able to talk to each other at least. Your anger with me appears to have run its course; at least you are not incoherent with rage when speaking to me. Surely with your much-improved analytical skills you can see that it is best to keep in touch? There is no reason to turn away a willing ally."
I growled at him. "If there is anything you want to say to me, tell Remus. I'll keep in touch with him."
"What of Molly and Arthur? They miss you, Harry; they miss you terribly."
"You're bloody incredible, you know that? You wouldn't let them see me if I was stuck at Privet Drive either, so you can shove that argument where the sun doesn't shine."
The wave of sadness that crossed his face was almost palpable. In almost a whisper, he said, "Is there anything I can do to make up for the errors I've made? It pains me to see such an angry expression on you, Harry."
I snarled, not falling for his tone even slightly. "I'll tell you what, as soon as you get out of my face, my frown will disappear. As soon as you stop trying to manipulate me and my life, I'll start smiling. As soon as you take a wizard's oath to stay out of my life for good, I'll start fucking partying. How does that sound?"
He flushed, though with anger or shame, I couldn't tell. "As you wish, Harry. I shall conduct any further conversations through Remus. If you ever find it in you heart to forgive a foolish old man, I will be grateful for the opportunity to talk in person. Perhaps, given time, you can learn to trust me again."
I leaned forward, so that my face filled his mirror. "Oh, I guarantee I'll eventually trust you again."
Dumbledore looked taken aback. Not surprising, since this was the opposite of what I'd been saying for the last few minutes. "Really?"
I nodded slowly. "As far as I'm concerned, I'll trust you completely again, but only after you are referred to as the late Albus Dumbledore."
With that I rapped the rim of the mirror with my wand, breaking the connection.
"Harry?" came a muffled voice.
I glanced over at the mirror where I had left it face down on my bed. I had only broken off the connection to Dumbledore less than ten minutes ago, so unless he was at the Grangers or Hermione was at Grimmauld Place, then he probably wouldn't have had time to pass the mirror to her. Neither scenario filled me with anticipation.
I blinked and shook my head. The voice was both feminine and familiar, though with the mirror being face down, I couldn't able to recognise the voice immediately. It didn't sound like Hermione.
I reached over and picked it up by the handle. Lurid pink hair caught my eye, almost making them water. "Wotcher," I said.
Tonks grinned back. "I've never had a fan who copies what I say. I could get used to this."
I smiled. "Don't let it go to your head."
Tonks' own smile disappeared. "Listen Pup, what did you say to Albus?"
"None of your business," I said shortly.
Tonks pursed her lips together. "Look, maybe it isn't, but he had something that he needed to tell you. Something about something you saw in his pensieve. Did he tell you what it was?
I shook my head. "It never came up."
"It sounded important."
I shrugged. "I gave him a couple of chances to bring stuff like that up, nothing was mentioned. Perhaps he decided it wasn't the right time. I don't really care. I had a few words with him myself, and then I stopped the conversation."
Tonks looked down and shook her head in disbelief. "Whatever you said really hit him hard, Pup. He's drinking firewhiskey like it was pumpkin juice."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "How many has he had?"
"Do you mean how many glasses or how many bottles?"
I let out a low whistle. "That many?"
"Too right. Look, you're right that it isn't any of my business, but are you sure you can't tell me what set him off like this? Severus is with him right now, trying to get him to stop, or at least slow down, but he's already stumbling around and slurring heavily."
I shrugged. "Essentially, I told him he was a liar, a thief and a bully."
Tonks' eyes widened. "Ouch."
I shrugged. "And I told him that I'd lose the frown and start partying once he promised to stay out of my life."
This time, she winced. "Double ouch."
"Oh, I also told him that I'd trust him again, but only once he was dead and buried."
Tonks shook her head. "Three for three. Damn, remind me not to ever piss you off."
"It wasn't the fact that I'm pissed off with him that I said those things, Tonks."
She frowned, looking most confused. "Then why?"
I let out a deep sigh. "Look, I really don't want to have to relive it, Ok? If you want to know, ask the grand high idiot himself. Don't be surprised if his version of events doesn't gel with the level of my reaction."
Tonks looked down and ran her fingertips back and forth over her forehead. "I know that, well, that you still sort of blame yourself for what happened to Sirius, but to say-"
"This has nothing to do with Sirius!" I spat, covering the mirror with specs of spittle.
Tonks drew back, her eyes betraying her nervousness. She swallowed with some difficulty. "Um, Ok. I guess I was wrong."
I took a deep breath and wiped the mirror with my sleave, leaving faint smears. "Look, Tonks. I just want to be left alone. I don't want to have anything to do with the wizarding world right now. For the last five years, I've either been a celebrity, a dark wizard in training, a psychopathic killer, a delusional, attention-seeking freak or a hero standing alone against the world. I just want time to be me. To be Harry. Not the Boy Who Lived."
Tonks nodded. "Alright, Pup. I guess you've earned that right. But I warn you, the world seems to have a rather irritating way of intruding into your life. If you need me, I'll be here for you. Remus too."
I swallowed myself. "Thanks, Tonks. Say, can you do me a favour right now?"
"Name it."
"Can you floo over to Hermione's place and hand her the mirror yourself? I'm not sure I trust anyone else there to do it."
She smiled back at me, the skin around her eyes crinkling merrily. "Sure thing, Pup."
I cleaned the mirror of my spit properly; so that when Hermione's face finally appeared it was as though I was looking through a nice, clean window, rather than a cloudy piece of glass.
"Harry?"
"Hermione. Finally," I said, a little harsher than I meant to.
She blushed rather prettily. "I'm sorry Harry. I didn't want to let Professor Dumbledore take your mirror."
"Really?" I asked. "What the hell happened? I gave you the mirror because I wanted to talk to you! I thought I made that pretty clear."
She nodded mournfully. "You did. But can I tell you what happened from the beginning without you yelling at me?"
I nodded slowly. "Sorry, 'Mione. It was just a bit of an unwelcome shock to see Dumbledore when I expected to see you."
She arched an eyebrow. "Now that, I can understand."
I chuckled softly, feeling the tension of the past conversations easing. "Yeah. Even in your modesty you can accept that you are prettier than Dumbledore."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, Harry. You just spent a great deal of effort informing me that you only want me as a friend, and then you start flirting with me?"
"Since when was making statements of fact equate with flirting?"
She huffed a little, making me smile even more. "Well, anyway, I'm glad that you aren't angry at me. I do have an explanation, you know."
"Yes, you mentioned that. Go on."
"The headmaster and Remus were in the kitchen having an argument when Blaise and I finally finished our little talk," she started with a little heat in her voice. Apparently the pair still had some issues to work out. "I knew that you were angry with him, so I hadn't told him that you were having a party."
I smiled at her. "And like I just told him, two Order members, Remus and Tonks, oh, three if you count one of the twins, went to your house on my birthday. It wasn't a great stretch to figure out what was going on."
Hermione's brow creased slightly. "I suppose. I asked Remus and Tonks to arrive early to set up wards around the house."
"Good idea. I'd hate to think of what would have happened if you'd asked Fred to set them."
A look of horror flashed across her face. "Don't even joke about that!"
I chuckled again. "Anyway, keep going. Dumbledore and Remus were having a spat."
She laughed out loud. "A spat? Good word. Yes, now that I think about it, a spat is a good description. They were both talking heatedly at each other, but not raising their voices, if that makes sense. I wondered what was going on, since one of the twins was in the kitchen with them too. Um, my parents, Professor Snape and Tonks were there too."
I waved my hand in a circle to signal my impatience. "Right, so we've established who was there. Keep going."
Hermione gave me a mock look of frustration. "OK, slave driver. I butted in and asked what was going on." She looked at my expression, probably noting the disbelieving look I was giving her. "Hey! It is my house, and they were not invited!"
"Fair enough. Don't keep stopping!"
This time the look of frustration was a little less mocking, but I could see the humour under it. "Fine. The Headmaster asked me if I knew where you were staying. I said no."
"Good."
"Remus then tried to tell him he should leave, and to take Professor Snape with him. Come to think of it, Professor Snape looked a little unwell."
"Did you find out what happened to him?" I asked innocently.
Hermione shook her head. "I heard a few different things afterwards. He came out and challenged you and you stunned him. He came out and challenged you and Ron stunned him. He came out and challenged you and the entire room stunned him," she ticked off her fingers.
I shook my head. "He marched out to goad me into being angry so that Dumbledore could try and use Legilimency to get into my mind, so I had Fred stun him from behind."
Hermione blinked. "That's one version of events I hadn't heard."
I grinned. "Did Ron enjoy Susan's attentions?"
Hermione clicked her tongue in disapproval. "She was all over Ron when I went back to the party."
My grin didn't waver. "You didn't answer my question."
She set her lips into a McGonagall-esque straight line. "He seemed to be," she said evenly.
"Good for him."
"Oh, Harry. He shouldn't be abusing his celebrity like that!"
Huh? "What do you mean?"
It was Hermione's turn to look blank. "You-, Harry, what do you know about how the press reported the night we went to the Ministry?"
"Hermione, I'm in a communications black out. While it is helping my studying, I've got no idea about what is happening outside."
She swallowed. "Well, the Quibbler wrote what happened, Luna told her father everything. Oh, she told me to tell you that she was sorry she couldn't come to your party, by the way, but she is out of the country. Anyway, the other major papers picked up the story, and we were all named."
Hermione shifted slightly, looking most uncomfortable. "The fact that we all survived the Death Eater attack made us all famous. The papers were lauding Dumbledore and Hogwarts for producing students who could survive and even fight off a Death Eater attack so well. I've been getting fan mail for the last few weeks."
I digested this. "Um, is Ron getting his share of fan mail?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, but nodded. "You wouldn't believe some of the things some witches are sending him."
My lips twitched, no matter how hard I tried to keep them steady. "I probably would, you know."
"I suppose you would. Anyway, Ron is enjoying his fifteen minutes of fame to the hilt. He's been interviewed by Teen Witch, and it came out that he is a genius chess player. He's been offered membership in the most prestigious chess club in the wizarding world."
I blinked. "What about Ginny? And Neville?"
Hermione shook her head. "Ginny has tried to keep a low profile, but stories about her first year have surfaced. I'm glad I still have some influence over that Skeeter woman, since I was able to convince her to report it with the view that Ginny had already fought Voldemort and won."
I nodded. "Thank you."
She nodded her acceptance. "Neville has been almost as timid as Ginny, but what Sirius' cousin did to his parents has become common knowledge again. A lot of people have owled him to say that his parents would be proud of him. It means a lot to him."
"I'll bet."
"He told me at the party that he'd been given an invitation to join some European company researching new medical aspects of magical plants once he leaves Hogwarts though."
"Cool. Will he accept?"
Hermione shrugged. "He seemed happy, but I think that after that night, he has a more active role in mind."
I nodded. "That doesn't surprise me. Are you going to continue the DA?"
She looked a little unsure. "Um, do you mind if we do? I mean, Ron and I have discussed it, and we think that it would probably be a good idea, since-"
"'Mione, slow down," I said, my voice tight with suppressed laughter. "I don't mind, not that you needed to get my approval in the first place. I think that you'll all do fine. I just have one suggestion."
Hermione's expression went from grateful to disapproving in an instant. "Let me guess, you want us to invite Zabini."
I sighed. "Yes, I do. For a very good reason."
"And that is?"
"She has been trained by members of her family. She knows spells I've never read about."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Really?"
I nodded. "Yes. When she arrived where I am staying we sort of, well, duelled. It was at night, it was dark, and we didn't recognise each other."
Hermione smirked. "And you handed Miss Slytherin her ego on a platter?" she said with an almost greedy expression.
I shook my head. "Sorry to burst that bubble of glee, but we fought to a standstill. When we were broken up, we were wrestling. Neither of us could claim to have beaten the other."
She gaped. "What? Harry, there isn't a single person in the DA who has beaten you in a duel. What the hell happened?"
I shrugged. "In my defense, she did arrive ready for a fight, while I was completely surprised."
"But-"
I held up one hand in front of the mirror. "'Mione, just don't, please? She is good. Better than most of the DA. Apparently, she was the only Slytherin to get an 'O' on her Defense OWL. She'll be a great addition, if she wants to join, that is. Now, stop delaying and tell me why Dumbledore ended up with your mirror?"
She looked as though she was about to argue, but took a breath and let it out slowly. "Fine. What was I up to?"
"You'd told Dumbledore you didn't know where I was staying."
"Right! He then kept asking me questions about how long it took to send an owl to you, and how long it took to get a reply. I mean, really, how was I supposed to know that?"
"No idea. Can you please get on with it?"
She huffed a little. "I told him that you were at the party if he really wanted to talk to you, but he said that he tried and that you'd run off through the floo."
I winced. "That's not exactly how I'd like it to be remembered, but that's essentially correct."
Hermione gave me a sympathetic look. "He then said that he had some information that he desperately needed to get to you. Information about what he showed you in his pensieve."
"Interesting. I never told you what he showed me."
She nodded. "He seemed surprised that I didn't know. Remus was nervous though, and Tonks was almost frantic at the news. They told the Headmaster that they gave you a mirror from Sirius. He asked where it was now, and, well..."
I sighed, but gave her a sympathetic expression myself. "You couldn't keep it from showing on your face," I offered, but it soon became apparent that she wasn't listening to me.
"I'm sorry, Harry, I didn't say anything, but he just knew! Do you think he used Legilimency on me?"
I shook my head. "Hermione, you are the most honest person I know. Every emotion you have shows on your face for all to see. I was just afraid that he bullied you into giving him the mirror."
Hermione winced. "Well, he didn't."
I blinked, but then rolled my eyes and groaned. "Tonks."
"Yes. She took me aside and said that if it was what she was thinking, then you needed to know. You admitted that you hadn't told me everything, so I wasn't sure what to do. I thought for a minute that it was quite convenient that this happened just as you'd given me a way of contacting you, but I wasn't sure I could take the chance. I gave him the mirror then. I'msorryHarrypleaseforgiveme!"
I smiled. "Of course I forgive you, 'Mione."
She didn't appear to hear, or at least take notice. "I mean, if I could call you right then, if your mirror was OK, I'd have asked you, but there was no way to contact you to find out and-"
"'Mione? Hermione?"
"-Tonks kept saying that it might be important. But he only really became agitated when he found out that I had a way of contacting you straight away, you know, it just seemed strange that he only-"
"Hey!" I shouted at the mirror, trying to get her attention. Her descriptive stream of excuses was amusing, but unnecessary. "Stop!"
She looked as though she was about to burst into tears.
"Right. If there was something to forgive, then I would forgive you. You wouldn't have done it if you could check with me, but you couldn't. Don't worry. The old coot can be quite subtle when he needs to be."
Hermione frowned. "But I didn't quite believe him. It was Tonks who... convinced... me..."
I nodded at her realisation. "Yep. And Dumbledore manipulated Tonks. Good at it, isn't he?"
Her frown deepened. "I can't believe he'd do that!"
I sighed. "Believe it, Hermione. He has manipulated all of us over the years. I just refuse to let it happen to me again."
"Then I shouldn't let him manipulate me either."
I shook my head. "He will try, and even if you do what you can to defy him, he may well succeed in the end anyway. Remember, you don't have the kind of freedom that I do at the moment. The instant that I resolved not to return to Hogwarts his power over me collapsed."
She didn't look too happy with that, but she did accept it. Eventually. She railed at me for a while on my decision not to return, but finally got it out of her system. For now.
"Actually, speaking of Hogwarts, I got a letter from Hagrid," she said.
"Really?"
She nodded, her eyes narrowing. "He got back from a mission, and can now visit Grawp more often. Apparently, the centaurs are now leaving his brother alone."
I grinned. "Hermy no visit Grawp?"
Her soft brown eyes blazed. "Don't you dare start calling me that! I only put up with 'Mione from you and Ron because you've earned the right, but if you start calling me Hermy, I'll- I'll..."
"What? Go all tongue-tied?" Oh it was fun to goad her.
"Oooooh! I hate it when you do that!"
"Fair enough. I'll have to remember that. "Now, what else did Hagrid write?"
Hermione stared at me silently for about a second longer than was entirely comfortable before continuing. "The usual. Asking if I knew where you were staying. I think the headmaster has asked all the teachers to be on the lookout for you."
I gave her a mock yawn. "You know, this conversation would move a little quicker if you didn't editorialise."
"It would also finish quicker if I hung up, you know."
"Point taken," I offered, giving her a completely unconvincing contrite look.
She couldn't stop herself from smiling. "Now, after that he told me about Grawp. Apparently, he's found a friend. The last time Hagrid visited, Grawp had bandages all over him, on wounds he got from the centaurs."
I nodded solemnly. "It took my master and I an hour to bandage them all. The centaurs put fifty-eight arrows in him by my count."
Her mouth opened into a perfect 'O', and stayed that way long enough that I thought that she had lost control of her drool reflex. "Are you serious?" she finally managed.
I grinned. "Absolutely."
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Harry James Potter! What were you doing in the Forbidden Forest?"
I shrugged. "Getting some giant's blood for a potion."
"Rubbish. Any decent apothecary sells that!"
"Guess again."
"What do you mean?"
I sighed. "Because the giants have joined Voldemort, their blood has become rare. There is a delay of several months before any can be available in any large quantity. You know, if we sold what we collected that night, we'd make a fortune."
"We?"
I frowned at her. "My master. Don't pry."
"Wait a minute! Your new master took you into a highly dangerous situation for some idiotic potion reagent?"
"Well, since I was the guide, he could hardly leave me behind."
"Guide?"
I rolled my eyes. "To Grawp, Hermione. Where else would we be able to collect giant's blood in the UK?"
"You stole blood from Grawp?"
I wondered how she thought everyone else got their potion ingredients. Given her moral stand on SPEW and things like that, I decided to downplay exactly how Zab extracted the blood. "Not exactly. He was leaking pretty badly all over the place. Is it stealing if he was giving it away to the world at large in the first place?"
She shuddered at the image. "What happened?"
"Bane. He was leading an attack on Grawp, who, by the way, was holding his own against a few dozen centaurs. He'd just ripped a tree out of the ground to use as a club when we got there. We stopped the fight, patched his wounds and left him asleep in his clearing."
Hermione bit her lower lip. "That sounded like you edited a great deal of detail out of it."
"True. I didn't think you'd want to hear more."
"Did you do something stupidly heroic?"
I slowly raised an eyebrow. "Exactly why would you think I would do something like that?"
"Because I know you."
I gave her a sad smile. "Then you'd be disappointed in me. About the only brave thing I did was insist on accompanying my master when he went to face the centaurs."
"And?"
"That's it. I cast a sonorus charm on myself, and shouted them into submission. Bane left shouting threats, but the rest of the centaurs just started picking up their fallen and left. Grawp followed us back to his clearing, we patched him up, took some blood in the process, and left him snoring so loudly it measured on the richer scale."
"Oh, Harry!" she said in a despairing voice.
The next two weeks were filled with flying, talking with Hermione, writing letters, studying and performing experiments with Zab's potion recipe. I could not in all honesty say that I have ever had a less stressful time in my life. There were no expectations other than those I set on myself, though I did have an implicit one in assisting in the creation of the new potion.
Zab turned out to be a fairly adept potion brewer, but certainly not an expert or a natural. While he could brew any potion listed in the NEWT potion text, he drew the line at attempting dangerous recipes like the Wolfsbane. But it seemed to be practise that allowed him to achieve such success. Whenever he made a mistake, and he made them fairly often, he thoroughly documented the incident, recording even the most obscure circumstances that I had assumed would have no affect on the potion. Things like the weather.
It turned out, however, that some older potion recipes did require that they be brewed during certain weather conditions, if not for success, then at least potency. One of Zab's older potion texts referred to a recipe that allowed the imbiber to withstand the elements with much greater stamina. If however, that potion was brewed during a thunder storm, apparently it would also allow the drinker to withstand a lightning strike with little more than a hair style that would put you in mind of a certain famous ex-patent clerk.
Without the artificial time limit of a school period or idiotic Slytherins distracting me, I discovered that potion making wasn't exactly the torturous activity I had become accustomed to. Having harvested some of the ingredients myself gave me some pride not only in the potion itself, but also the giant blood's potency.
In hindsight, it may have been a mistake to have mentioned the new potion to Hermione. She insisted on calling me at least once a day to talk about the progress Zab and I had made. The majority of each of our conversations was taken up with discussions about how the potion was going, and theories on how it was forgotten in the first place.
Zab took Hermione's interference with good grace. Though he never spoke to her directly of course, he did take her comments and suggestions to heart. I didn't have the nerve to tell her that for the most part the things she was suggesting he did as a matter of course.
Remus' letters kept me informed as to the wizarding world at large, something that I found increasingly more difficult to care about. More and more reports surfaced of people claiming that they'd been attacked by Death Eaters and that the Ministry wasn't doing enough to keep them safe. Order members were being stretched by their responsibilities, for the most part keeping up with their Ministry jobs and the missions Dumbledore assigned them.
My disappearance hit the headlines a few days after getting the mirror working, and it began to look like I'd need to make an appearance at some point to prevent the Ministry from doing something rash. One headline screamed "Harry, please contact me! - Fudge", yet despite the fact that I wrote him a letter telling him to leave me alone, the requests for contact began getting more shrill.
Zab vetoed my idea of writing a letter to the Prophet explaining that I had in fact already contacted the Minister, and that he was too incompetent to realise. As much as it dismayed him, he decided that a public appearance was the best way to stop all the silliness.
Obviously, he couldn't come himself, since the world thought he was dead. And there was no way I was going to put myself into a position where I couldn't control my own exit, so both the Ministry buildings and Hogwarts were out. The twins' store was probably a better bet, since it was both public and reasonably safe, but it lacked the non-partisan feel. It would be possible to believe that my appearance there was a hoax perpetuated by my friends.
In an effort to diffuse that scenario, I decided to make an unannounced visit. With any luck, there would be enough people in the shop to testify to the fact that the twins were just as surprised as everyone else at my arrival.
Zab handed me a small bag of his floo powder, enough for only two single trips. "We had better teach you to apparate soon, Harry. I've made more trips through the floo in the last month than I have in the last decade."
I grinned at him. "I'd like that. Another way I could run from Voldemort that he doesn't know about."
Zab nodded, but guardedly. "It would be a good idea, but not for that specific instance."
I frowned, but Zab turned me towards the fire. "Think about it on your own time. Go, convince your friends and the Ministry that you are still alive and well."
"Yes, sir," I said, and tossed half the floo powder into the flames.
Luckily, it was only a short walk from the Leaky Cauldron to number ninety-four. It would have been quicker to floo to somewhere like Borgon & Burkes, but I had no desire to wander around Knockturn Alley if I didn't have to.
I attracted more than a few stares as I strolled quickly and directly to Fred and George's shop. More than one person dropped whatever they were carrying at the time as they laid eyes on me. A couple even called out, though I ignored them for the most part. I only waved at a student I vaguely recognised from the Gryffindor third years.
I did pause before entering WWW though, my hand on the door. With a shove, I pushed the door open quickly and stepped to the side.
True to form, the prank I expected missed me, but my precautions were a little excessive. Nothing shot out of the store to where I had been standing, but a puff of multi-coloured dust at head height indicated that something I breathed in would have affected me if I'd just stepped through.
Cautiously, I stuck my arm through the door and gave it a little wiggle around. Muffled sniggers could be heard from inside from various parts of the room.
Steeling myself, I took a deep breath and walked in, only to have the mirth from my antics change to gasps of shock.
Several dozen people were browsing the packed shelves. Well, they were, before my entrance. Both Fred and George were among the crowd, and both looked absolutely delighted to see me.
"Harry, old chum! Welcome back!"
"Indeed. Sporting of you to make an appearance, old boy! Fudge has been getting quite upset that you haven't been around for him to take advantage of!"
I gave their antics a crocked smile. "It's good to see you both again. How's business?"
"The-"
"-usual," they replied, with identical nonchalant shrugs, fingering their fine clothes.
With their casual acceptance of me in their store, some of their customers started firing their own questions at me. Within seconds, a rather dense crowd of babbling witches and wizards had surrounded me.
I held up a hand and shouted, "Enough!" The group quietened quickly, though probably out of surprise rather than out of any real need to obey. "I'm sorry, I didn't come here to answer any questions. I only dropped in to see my friends."
"But did you really see You-Know-Who?" a waspish looking woman snapped at me. Her daughter, who looked vaguely familiar though she was probably around seven, rolled her eyes and gave me a look, imploring my forgiveness.
I gave the small girl a quick smile then raised my eyebrows at her mother. "Who?"
She blinked. "You-Know-Who!"
I shook my head, exaggerating polite incomprehension. "I'm sorry. Who are you referring to?"
"You jolly well know who I'm referring to, young man!"
I leaned forward. "I tell you what. You say his name, and I'll answer your questions."
She swallowed, looking around the now silent shoppers. "Well, L-lord V-v-"
"Oh!" I exclaimed, and clapped my hands. "You mean Voldemort!"
A palpable shiver ran through the crowd.
"Yes!" the woman snapped, clutching her daughter's hand tighter.
"Right! We've established who you are talking about. Now, which time?"
Her smug features were apparently taking an internal battering. "I beg your pardon?"
I rolled my eyes. "You asked me if I'd really seen Voldemort. I asked which time do you mean?"
"You've seen him more than once?"
"Yes," I said simply. "If you read the interview I gave detailing his resurrection, you'd know that."
"Mother! Hannah said that he did!" the little girl said, tugging on her parent's hand.
I twigged as to why the little girl looked familiar. "Hannah Abbott? In Hufflepuff?"
From the way the little girl blushed, I guessed I hit the mark, and she nodded quickly.
I smiled and crouched down to look the young girl in the eye. "Hannah is a good friend. She really supported me last year, when I was having a hard time. Is she your sister?"
She shook her head. "She's my cousin."
"You should be proud of her." She blushed even more fiercely. "Tell me, what is your name?"
She bit her lip for a second before replying. "Mirriam."
"Mirriam Abbott?"
The domineering mother spoke up. "Mirriam Forthwright. Hannah's mother and I are sisters."
I nodded, but didn't take my eyes off the little girl. "Do you want to be in Hufflepuff too?"
She shook her head nervously. "I want to be in Ravenclaw!"
I grinned at her. "I have a lot of good friends in Ravenclaw. Well, it was good to meet you, Mirriam."
She blushed more fiercely as George shooed the customers away from me. Fred escorted me away through them and into the backroom, via Butt. I sat down at the triangular table on the couch and let my head rest against the top of the headrest. "You know, this would be so much easier if you guys were connected to the floo."
Fred grunted, a curiously unamusing sound. "We put in an order ages ago. It got lost. We put in another one. It got lost again."
I frowned, and raised my head from the chair to look directly at Fred. "You don't sound as though you believe that."
Fred tilted his head to one side. "Don't you remember who works in that department?"
I blinked, and the word 'Sneak' flashed through my mind. "Marietta's mother," I said with a grimace.
He nodded. "Right. Bitch. Anyway, what brings you here? Looking for some stock to use on whoever you're staying with?"
I shook my head, but couldn't help but smile at the mental picture of Zab's reaction to some of their 'stock'. "Nope. That idiot Fudge wants me to make a personal appearance, since he can't get a good photo opportunity by putting his arm around a letter and make the public think that everything is just peachy," I snorted.
"And you made a personal appearance here? Why?"
Because I can control my exit from here. Because I trust you with my life. Because despite having to duck every time I enter the door, I enjoy spending time here.
I didn't say any of that of course, this was Fred I was talking to. I'd never hear the end of it.
"Because I'm pretty sure that Fudge has at least one person watching your shop. I figure it would be the best place to wait for someone from the Ministry to appear and demand an explanation," I offered.
Fred coughed. "You don't really believe that, do you? I mean, why would Fudge have someone watching over us?"
"Well, Fudge knows that your dad has been working closely with Dumbledore since Voldemort returned. He knows that despite the way you two clowns left school, you are astute enough to start and build a thriving business in only a couple of months. I assume you've been supplying the Order with some of your inventions?"
Fred nodded thoughtfully.
"If the field agents use that stuff, and they appear on your stock lists, someone will make the connection. Look, I'm guessing, but if I was Fudge, and I was determined to stay in power, I'd keep an eye on those who supported Dumbledore, like your father, and those close to them with similar values."
Fred pursed his lips together and tilted his head from one side to another as if listening to some internal beat, but finally shook his head. "I can't believe that anyone in Fudge's circle would see us as a threat."
I nodded. "Maybe. At any rate, I hope you are right. But I think the quickest way for the Minister to hear that I'm around would be to either appear at the Ministry, Hogwarts, or here."
Fred laughed out loud. "Good choice, you get to have fun here!"
"Exactly," I said.
From behind me, I heard the sound of Butt grinding to one side. Fred, who was facing the entrance, lost all emotion on his face. "Well, partner, it looks as though you were right," he said, his voice tight and void of humour.
I didn't turn round. "Ah, our visitor is a Ministry toady?"
"Oh, yes," growled Fred, his hate-filled gaze never leaving the newcomer.
And that gave me all I needed.
"Hello, Percy. What brings you here?" I said, not turning around to face him.
You know, somehow, I just knew I was going to enjoy this.