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SIYE Time:5:19 on 29th March 2024
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Normalcy
By notadryeeye

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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-HBP
Characters:None
Genres: Tragedy
Warnings: Dark Fiction, Death, Sexual Situations, Violence
Story is Complete
Rating: R
Reviews: 1174
Summary: Harry gets one night that gives him a glimpse into what life could be like with the Dursley's. But events turn for the worse and both Harry and the wizarding world are left wondering what it's consquences mean for the future of the world.
Hitcount: Story Total: 500798; Chapter Total: 11329
Awards: View Trophy Room




Author's Notes:
I don't own anything. JK Rowling owns the entire Potter Universe. I just write fanfics for fun and to take up time. No Copyright infringement is intended.




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Chapter 32: Shining a Light on the Darkest Places

“Weasley…” hissed a voice quietly as Ginny walked down a fairly busy corridor with Luna Lovegood as they made their out of double Potions with Professor Slughorn and down to the Great Hall for lunch. The whispered mention of her surname made Ginny pause and clutch her wand tight inside of her school robes.

“Ginny,” the voice repeated again quietly, causing Ginny to fully spin around to face the purveyor.

“Tonks?” Ginny questioned as she turned and caught a glimpse of the pink-haired witch as she stood on the other side of a nearby suit of armor. The young Auror was facing the other way, watching over the other passing students as she always did when she was on guard duty at Hogwarts.

“Hey Gin…how’s it going?” Tonks asked with a smirk as Ginny approached her with Luna at her side.

“Alright,” Ginny replied with a nod. “Having fun?” Ginny teased as she noticed the Auror’s stiff disposition and her disheveled appearance. Tonks had been putting in a lot of hours both as a Ministry guard and in a more covert role with the Order.

“Oh yeah…it’s loads of fun watching over a bunch of rowdy and obnoxious boys and hormone and boy-crazed teenage girls all day,” Tonks replied sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

“You miss it,” Ginny pressed with a knowing smile.

“I do have to admit it brings back a lot of good memories and fun times,” Tonks admitted. “But I do believe the boys are a right sight better to look at than when I was here,” she added with a smile as she winked at the approaching tall frame of Neville Longbottom who had come up from behind Luna.

“Hullo,” he said with a nod as he joined the conversation. “Tonks, Ginny,” he said as he inclined his head towards the two women and took Luna’s books out of her hands. This gesture caused the other two to smile discretely and cast knowing glances out of the corner of their eyes at one another.

“You guys going down to lunch?” Neville asked with a smile.

“Yes…we were just on our way,” Luna answered with an equally broad grin. “I was wondering where you’d gotten to,” she added in a much more quiet voice as she reached up on her tiptoes and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, causing the other two girls to struggle even more to contain their giddy laughter.

“I got hung up in Charms…um…Flitwick wanted to make sure I had the Disillusionment Charm down,” Neville replied, his cheeks a violent shade of red still from the peck on the cheek. “I finally managed it on my hand,” he added with a proud face.

“I was never much good at that particular charm,” Tonks said wistfully. “Though you really don’t have to worry about disappearing when you can change your appearance altogether,” she added, referring to her natural ability as a Metamorphmagus.

“Well we can’t all be that lucky,” Ginny teased as she took a quick glance at her wristwatch. “Sorry Tonks…but we better get going if we want to be able to get more than a bite to eat before next period,” she added suddenly when she realized the time.

“Oh right,” Tonks replied quickly. “Ummm…but before you go…I’ve got–something–for you,” she continued, as she reached into her cloak and partially exposed the corner of an envelope. Luna and Neville took this as their cue to continue onto lunch

Ginny raised her eyebrows and looked expectantly at Tonks. Tonks was the one who always gave her letters from both her family and from Harry, usually all in the same envelope to keep things a bit more secretive. Sending their correspondences by owl was just too risky and there were just too many chances for interception by the wrong sort of people.

There was still no telling if there were any spies or students. There were still a fair amount of Slytherins and other prominent and esteemed wizarding names that had children at Hogwarts who would say anything to their parents, some who may or may not be involved with the likes of the Death Eaters or Voldemort himself. They all had to be careful of what they talked about and how much they interacted, not wanting to jeopardize the position of the Order and most of all…the mission that Harry was embarking on.

So as a result, Ginny’s conversations with her favorite Auror were very generic and brief and ended with Tonks discretely handing over any mail or messages from those back home.

Ginny looked around to see that their meeting was not drawing any unwanted attention or prying from those around them and then quickly stuck a hand out to grab the envelope from Tonks, stuffing it quickly into her own robes.

“Did he get my message?” Ginny asked quietly and with a sly grin as she pulled away.

“Oh yes,” Tonks replied, biting her lip to keep herself from busting out into a fit of laughter. “I’m pretty sure he enjoyed the first gift…but the second one…I don’t think he was too thrilled to get,” she added in a whispered tone.

“Good,” Ginny said firmly. “Serves him right,” she laughed, trying to hold onto her mock-angered tone.

Ginny then paused for a second and then suddenly took a more serious tone.

“How is he?” she spoke softly and concernedly.

Tonks averted her eyes and looked around. Ginny didn’t know if this behavior was to see if there was anyone around or if it was because things weren’t so good with Harry or that something was wrong. And this worried her.

“Alright,” Tonks replied almost hesitantly. Ginny eyed Tonks with a lot of suspicion and apprehensiveness. “Maybe…maybe you should read that,” Tonks added quickly as she brought a hand to her nose as if to scratch it, but was indeed covering her mouth and her words.

Ginny once again bore into Tonks, wanting the Auror to just tell her what was going on. She didn’t want to read it in the stupid letter. They couldn’t say anything really important in case the letters fell into the wrong hands and Ginny knew Harry would never really tell her if something was going on. Even though he’d promised he wouldn’t push her away, Harry still wanted to protect her as much as he possibly could with as much distance as there was between them.

“Ginny…you should go,” Tonks pressed as she gestured down the corridor, signaling that their little conversation had lasted a tad too long.

Ginny shot Tonks one more inquiring look before nodding and turning away as she said a quick good-bye. She heard the female Auror’s boots echoing the opposite way down the hallway and knew Tonks was moving to another part of the castle to set up watch and guard.

Ginny made her own way down the long stone corridor that led to the Great Hall. But just as she rounded into the front entrance hall, she took a sharp left. Her legs carried her down the side corridor and she instinctually slipped behind a tapestry and found herself in a secret passage that was completely empty and quiet.

She’d been in the passage a time or two before. She’d snogged Harry a time or two in this corridor. In fact, this was the same corridor where they had had their first ‘thorough’ snogging session.

Though the idea had been solely Ginny’s, the place had been Harry’s idea, a product of the ingenious Marauder’s Map he always used. She knew he had picked this secretive hallway because it was almost unknown to everyone else and she knew he was nervous about getting her alone to do more than just a sound kiss in the Gryffindor common room or their experimental kissing down by the lake shortly after.

But this corridor was no longer for sneaking away to snog her boyfriend. Lately she had used this and other secret passages in the castle to get away to read and write her letters to Harry and her family, as well as to just get away from everyone and be alone to collect her thoughts.

She shrugged off her book bag and slid down the cool stone wall into a sitting position on the floor. She then let out a long, steadying exhale of breathe and reached into her school robes to pull out the now semi-crumpled envelope.

A smile spread across her lips as she recognized the handwriting as Harry’s untidy and slanted scrawl. She could tell it was done with his left hand because it was a bit messier than usual and if he had used his right, the writing would be darker and the lines thicker because of the immense strength he still hadn’t gotten full control over when it came to fine motor skills. An image of him practicing writing with his left hand, his face set and his mouth in a line of determination, leapt to her mind and she found herself repressing another fit of giggles.

Sighing, she slid her finger under the slight space at the top of the envelope and opened it, pulling out the folded piece of slightly faded parchment. She carefully unfolded it, exercising caution so not to rip or tear it anyplace as if it was a fragile object.

Lightness filled her heart as she set eyes on the slanted writing that filled up the majority of the page and she slowly began to read, trying not to worry that it contained some sort of horrible and damning information. The letter started out as it normally did, not mentioning her name outright, but a title that conveyed Harry’s feeling for her.

Hey Sweetheart,

I want to first start out by thanking you for your very thoughtful letter and all the 'extras' it entailed. I have to admit, I deserved the punch. But in my defense, I only picked the best person for the job and I know you'll do wonderfully in your new role and you'll keep the others in line and in top shape. (I'm going to get another punch for that aren't I?)

Aside from whining in this letter about getting hit, I have more important things to talk about and tell you.

I want you to know that I love you and I miss you and I hope everything is going well at school. From what it sounds like, things are going on fairly smoothly and the school is running almost as normal, but I can't help but to tell you to be careful. I know you're probably yelling at me right now to stop being paranoid, but I just want to 'remind' you to stay safe.

Things are moving along here. Actually things are moving quite well and we're a bit farther along now in the process than in my last letter. So I just want you to know that this might be my last correspondence with you for a while. We have to leave here soon and I'm not sure how long we'll be gone or where we'll exactly be going. But hopefully in the near future we'll be able to put one more obstacle behind us.

I'm not telling you this to make you worry, but to let you know the state of things and that you're aware of what's happening. I promise you that we're taking all the precautions and making all the preparations we can and we will have lines of communication open to us if the need arises.

I'm sorry this is letter is a bit sketchy on things, but you know how things are and I'm sorry I can't tell you more. But I want you to know that I love you and I'm always thinking about you. And when I mean always...I mean always. Sometimes it can even get a bit annoying and overwhelming. (Another punch I'm presuming?)

But seriously, I want you to understand how things are and be prepared for what's to come. I'm not going to say goodbye just in case or pour my heart out with my pen here because I know we'll get through this. But I want you to be aware just in case things happen that aren't planned.

I hope this letter didn't get you too down. Not my intention all. But things are starting now and the journey has begun. My promise for you still stands and I can't wait to hold you and snog you senseless again.

With all my heart,

Me


P.S. I think it would be wise to burn this letter. Not that I think you're careless...but we still need to be careful, no matter how vague I've tried to be. You know how thick I can get sometimes.



He hadn't wanted to worry her, but the letter did just that. Even though it was vague enough in terms to keep an outsider from deciphering its meaning, she knew exactly what his message was. They had gotten a lead on a Horcrux and were venturing out to act on it. That meant that things were beginning to unfold and Harry was one step closer to an end she was so afraid to even think about.

She read the letter once over again, trying to take in every detail or any hidden meaning she might have missed in it. But after five times going through and memorizing the scratchy handwriting, she had to resolve to herself that this was it.

Her eyes came to rest on the post script on the bottom or the page. Part of her couldn’t help but crack a smile at his bumbling explanation of why she needed to get rid of this particular correspondence. But the other part of her was terrified to do so.

As she held up the letter in her shaking hand, she couldn’t help but think that this might be the last letter she ever received from him. However dangerous and unsure things were before, they seemed a hell of a lot more now that she had the proof of the beginning here in her hand. But something in her couldn’t bring herself to dispose of it; to burn something that meant so much to her.

But she knew it had to be done; to ensure his safety and the safety of everybody she held dear.

So with a trembling touch, she held the letter aloft in one hand and her wand in her other, holding the tip to the faded parchment. With little more than a murmur, she said the incantation and the tip of her wand was suddenly ablaze, the flame soon catching the fragile parchment, which began to curl at the edges.

She watched almost memorized as the paper began to blacken and the ash fall away, melting the words right off the page as the fire ate away at it. She held onto the parchment until the heat from the flame burned at her fingers and she was forced to let go, letting the last corner of the letter fall to the floor and extinguish as it turned into dark ash.

With a heavy sigh, she hoisted herself from the cold stone floor and righted her pack onto her shoulders, wiping away a stray tear that she hadn’t realized had fallen all this while. She took one last look at the pile of ashes that littered the floor before her and muttered a quick ‘Evanesco’. With the evidence of the letter and her being in the hallway gone, she turned back towards the back of the tapestry that hid her passage, realizing, as she slipped back into the outside hall, that Christmas had never felt so far away than it did now.


------------------------------ ---------

“Ron be quiet, someone will hear,” Hermione hissed worriedly as she and Ron stood at the end of a long, damp, and dark alleyway that led to the flat that Mundungus Fletcher was supposedly living in.

“Nobody’s around,” Ron replied reassuringly as he tried once again to jimmy a window on the side of a dilapidated old building open with a piece of broken board they had found in the alley.

“You don’t know that,” Hermione retorted, her voice still hushed. “This is a very dodgy place…anyone could be listening or watching. We need to be more careful.”

“Dodgy?” Ron snorted sarcastically as he tried once again to shove the wood in the space between the sill and the bottom of the window. “I think that’s a bit of an understatement, isn’t it?”

Hermione shot him a critical and challenging face.

“Listen…no self-respecting wizard would ever think about hanging around this place. It’s crawling with thieves and the worst sort of Muggles imaginable,” Ron said, standing up to face her and abandoning his attempt to open the window. “How many drug-seeking, homeless low-lives did we see on our way here? Believe me…no ‘pureblood’ wizard would be caught dead here. Only the likes of Dung would think this place would be safe.”

“It’s just…we need to be more discreet. We can’t–” Hermione started to explain exasperatedly, but was cut off when the lock of the door they had been standing in front of clicked open and the door itself swung inward.

Instinctually, Ron grabbed Hermione and pulled her to him, both drawing their wands on the door, ready to fire and fight.

“Are you just going to stand there or are you coming in?” Harry chided as he stood framed in the doorway, the light from his friends’ wands glinting off his glasses, his smile broad and amused.

Ron and Hermione just stared aghast at their best friend as he stood nonchalantly in the entrance to the flat they had been trying to enter. Both of them still held their wands aloft, still poised to strike.

“Well?” Harry questioned as he stepped aside and motioned for his friends to join him inside the dingy apartment.

Thinking that it might be better to go in rather than stand out in the dangerous and threatening alleyway, both Ron and Hermione crossed the threshold and entered the flat, shutting the door as quietly as they could behind them.

“Mate, what took you so long? I thought you were just going around back to find another entrance?” Ron questioned as they stood in a small kitchen that was lit by a very dim light hanging from the ceiling. “You were gone for about twenty minutes.”

“Well obviously I got in,” Harry replied cheekily as he turned and started shifting aside stacks of papers and what looked like catalogs from the cluttered table.

“Yeah, and the question is…how and why did you leave us out there for nearly a bloody half an hour?” Ron questioned unflinchingly.

“Actually that’s two questions,” Harry joked, causing Ron to shoot him a nasty glance. “But for your first, I turned into the snake and slid in through a crack in a window near the back of the flat.”

“And that took that long?” Ron raised his brows skeptically as Hermione moved around him and began to open various drawers, looking for any clue.

“Well…no,” Harry replied a bit less playfully. “That only took fifteen minutes to figure out and do.”

“Then what were you doin--?” Ron began to ask.

“I had to take a piss for your information,” Harry interrupted, causing Hermione to snort at his bluntness. “But I wouldn’t recommend using Dung’s bathroom…especially if you needed to go Hermione,” Harry added, knowing it had been a while since any of them had had the luxury of using any sort of facility or amenity.

“So while you were–relieving–yourself…did you manage to find anything useful,” Ron questioned as he began to take in the dismal surroundings for the first time since they had arrived.

“No…” Harry replied tiredly as he opened the door of an ancient refrigerator, revealing a few half-empty Butter beer bottles and the remnants of a long forgotten and spoiled plate of something now unrecognizable as its only contents.

“And I really don’t think we’re going to find anything,” Harry added as he closed the fridge and leaned back on the counter. Hermione and Ron ceased their rummaging and investigation of the area and looked up at Harry, clearly confused.

“What do you mean?” Hermione asked. “We haven’t even looked around.”

“It doesn’t look like there’s been anyone here in a long time,” Harry answered her. “There no food and the whole place is covered in a layer of dust,” he continued, “and I’m really beginning to doubt that he keeps his goods or his stolen stuff here.”

“Then what are we supposed to do? Kingsley and Tonks said this was his last known residence and he’s been known to hang around here. That’s all we have to go on,” Ron pressed exasperatedly.

“I don’t know,” Harry sighed half-heartedly, as he took another glance around at the small apartment. The small living room that also doubled as a bedroom, housing a small, rickety looking cot in a far corner, as well as the disgusting bathroom, were all clearly visible from their spot in the kitchen.

“We should still really look around Harry,” Hermione chimed in. “Maybe we’ll find something useful…something that might lead us to where he might be,” she added.

“Or we could just hang round here on the off chance that this is the night the he decides to come here,” Ron offered hopefully. “Or not,” he added hastily when his two friends looked very disagreeable at his suggestion.

“Let’s just look around,” Harry interjected firmly. “And if we don’t find anything…we’ll make our way back or find someplace–nicer–to stay until we can figure out what to do next.”

Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement and all three of them embarked from their positions in the kitchen in search of an elusive clue or lead that might bring them to their target.

“Find anything?” Ron asked after about another half hour of looking through various nooks and crannies, and rummaging through piles of dirty clothes and other garbage.

“Not really,” Harry replied from where he was sitting on the floor, hastily throwing aside various papers and magazines.

Ron sighed heavily and turned to where Hermione was bent next to a small and stout dresser, her head inclined low as if she were studying something intently.

“Hermione?” questioned Ron, trying to get her attention. “Anything?”

But Hermione didn’t turn around or make any acknowledgement that she had heard Ron’s question. Her silence did, though, make Harry look up from his rummaging and turn his attention to where Hermione was poised.

“Hermione?” Harry questioned this time. “What is it?”

“I wonder?” she breathed out as she ran a hand through her bushy, but slightly frizzy hair and shook her head in thought.

“Wha--?” Harry began to continue his line of questioning, but Hermione cut him off, finally speaking what had been occupying her mind.

“There are all papers and notes with the same name on them,” Hermione replied, not turning to meet the boys’ inquiring gazes. “It occurs over and over again…”

“Who is it?” Ron questioned as he stepped closer.

“B. Landon,” Hermione answered. “It looks like Mundungus did a good bit of trading with this guy. There are order quotas and…it looks like dates they were supposed to meet. There are some here that aren’t from that long ago…the past months or so…looks like right after he got out of prison.”

“So what does that tell us?” Ron asked.

“If we find this guy we might be able to find out where Mundungus is. It seems like this Landon does a lot of dealing with him, so he might have a better clue of where he might be,” Harry replied, realizing what Hermione was getting at. Hermione nodded in recognition that Harry had her theory correct.

“But all we’ve got is a name,” Ron reasoned. “That doesn’t tell us much and I’m not seeing how it’ll lead us any closer.”

Both Harry and Hermione, whose faces had lit up momentarily at this new piece of information, suddenly looked a bit deflated and even a bit disgruntled that Ron had shot this finding down so quickly.

“I just mean…maybe we’re grasping at strings here just to find something,” Ron countered quickly when he caught the expressions that his friends were casting at him. “It can’t be that easy is all,” he added quietly.

“Let me see those Hermione,” Harry interjected, trying to shake Ron’s assumption and reaching for the stack of what looked like crumpled paper and napkins. Hermione handed Harry a few of the said papers and he began to look over and decipher them. Ron even reached in and took a few, casting them aside once he was certain that there was no ground-breaking or earth-shattering information hidden on the used and tattered records of stolen and shifty transactions.

Harry must have reached the same conclusion, because after a while, he let out a heavy sigh and put down the items he had been going over. But as he set down a particularly stained paper, he paused and turned it over in his hand, studying something on the back of the paper that he hadn’t notice before. He then repeated the motion with several of the other discarded records.

“What is it?” Hermione questioned, sounding a bit miffed that Harry found something she hadn’t.

“These are all either napkins or letterheads from someplace called Blanke’s,” Harry replied, showing Hermione and Ron a small, stenciled logo on the corner of one of the parchments.

“Blanke? Maybe that stand’s for the ‘B’ in ‘B. Landon?’” Ron offered, his face looking as though the cogs in his brain were working meticulously to come to that conclusion.

“That could be,” Harry agreed. “But what is Blanke’s?”

“A pub,” Hermione answered knowingly. “In Knockturn Alley,” she added, holding up a piece of paper that had a different version of the logo with the words ‘Blanke’s Pub’, as well as the address of the establishment that had it located in the heart of the dirty and dark district of Wizarding London.

“So let me guess?” Ron interjected perceptively. “We’re going to Knockturn Alley to this pub to find this…Blanke Landon…to see if he knows where Dung is?”

“Yeah…and we’re going soon,” Harry said firmly, gesturing for Hermione to put the papers and records back in the dresser where she had found them.

“We’re going now Harry? It’s getting late and we’ve been trying to find this place all day…maybe we can wait until tomorrow…when it’s light out,” Hermione tried to reason, trying to keep her fear of going into the infamous Knockturn Alley after twilight out of her questioning.

“We might have a better chance of catching him now. The crowds from Diagon Alley will be gone now that it’s dark and I reckon more people might be out now that the day’s over,” Harry explained. “Most people go to the pub for a drink after work…right?”

“Most people…most ‘normal’ people don’t head to Knockturn Alley for a pint Harry. And I doubt those who do hold any sort of normal office hours or do anything you could call work,” Ron pointed out.

“Well whatever the case…we are going there,” Harry replied grimly, fastening his traveling cloak around him and gesturing for the others to follow his lead.

------------------------------- ---

A short while later, the Trio found themselves at the entrance of Knockturn Alley, hidden for the most part by the darkness of night and of the shadows of the building they were standing between. Upon their arrival, they had been even more surprised to find that the area that usually had a good flow of wizards doing their shopping was near empty. But then they had to remind themselves that when they had done their shopping for school the fall previous, the crowds had been more clustered and subdued than usual.

“So we are going to go in there and see if we can’t find this Landon guy and if he’s seen or knows where Dung might be,” Harry explained quietly.

“That’s it?” Ron questioned, seeming a bit concerned that this was their plan. “This is a pretty dodgy place…I’m not sure we’re just going to be able to waltz in there and start asking questions…”

“Do you have a better plan?” Harry retorted a bit heatedly. “Look…just…let’s feel things out and we’ll go from there. Just prepared for anything and keep a hand on your wand at all times. We might need to scram if things get out of hand.”

Ron nodded and sighed heavily, letting out some of the tension that was hanging thickly over the three of them. Only Harry had ever ventured into Knockturn Alley and that was by accident. Now they were heading into the heart of a very dark and dangerous part of the Wizarding community where the worst sort of witches and wizards congregated and did their dishonest dealings.

Harry took yet another steeling breath and tugged at the black leather glove that was once again hiding the metal of his prosthetic arm, making sure it was firmly on and everything was well hidden. He then clasped his black cloak tight around him and slid the hood over his head. Ron and Hermione soon followed Harry’s lead, covering their heads and obscuring their faces with the black fabric of their cloaks.

Normally this behavior and manner of dress would have seemed odd when it came to the three of them. But deception and disguise was commonplace in a place like Knockturn Alley and they would fit right in place with everyone else.

When the three of them were well concealed, they turned to enter the dark and uninviting alley, but Harry turned and motioned for them to pause and turn back into the shadows.

Both Ron and Hermione gave him questioning looks, wondering what he sensed or had noticed was wrong. But their confusion was furthered even more when Harry held up his left hand and brought it in front of his own face, where a faint glow encompassed his hand.

“What are you doing?” Hermione hissed, knowing that Harry had wanted to use as little magic as possible to keep from being detected. So she was a bit befuddled as to why he was using it so wide out in the open where it was sure to attract attention.

The burst of light was suddenly extinguished and Harry shot a slightly disgruntled look at Hermione for her interruption.

“Concealing my face,” Harry replied simply.

“What for? We already have the cloaks and hoods,” Ron whispered.

“Yeah…they only hide part of our faces. We’re still recognizable,” Harry explained. Hermione continued to look skeptically at Harry, still not sure that all these extra spells were necessary.

“Look…I’m a bit too noticeable, seeing as my face is always being published in papers and books,” Harry pressed, using his hand to lift up his hair and uncover his scar. “And Ron’s hair is a warning beacon for Weasley and I’m not sure how well received that name is in these parts of town. You’re the only one who doesn’t have to worry,” Harry explained.

“Well you are Muggle-born…but it’s not like that’s tattooed across your forehead or anything,” Ron joked, earning him another piercing glare from Hermione for his attempt to add humor to a tense situation.

“Just let’s get it over with,” Harry pressed.

And without waiting for anymore resistance or interruptions, Harry raised his hand to his face, waving it slowly and leaving his face in a veil of shadow that made any of his features indiscernible and unrecognizable.

“Wicked…where did you learn that?” Ron blurted excitedly as he watched Harry’s face seemingly disappear within the hood.

“In a book…Remus helped me perfect it and he agreed it might be needed as went along,” Harry replied as he raised his hand to Hermione’s face so as to perform the spell on her. But she hesitantly shrank away from his hand.

“What?” he inquired hastily.

“What sort of book?” she asked quietly.

“What does it matter?” he retorted, knowing that she had valid concerns about his sources considering the previous school year’s events involving the incident with his fabled potions book.

“I just–” Hermione started, but Harry cut across her.

“Do you trust me?” he asked seriously, yet a bit less aggressively. “Do you trust me?” he questioned again, waiting for her reply.

“Yes,” she replied sounding as though she had been caught a bit off guard by his question. “Yeah Harry…of course I do,” she replied a bit more confidently as she stepped closer and allowed him to wave his hand in front of her face, veiling her own feminine features and the tufts of brown hair that were sticking from her hood.

He did the same concealing spell on Ron and soon all three of them were identifiable only by their height and builds. Satisfied that they were hidden, they turned finally to the small, crooked opening that housed the alley and descended down the long and jagged steps, making their way past various shops, stands, and other establishments.

At the end of the alley, past Borgin and Burke’s, they stopped. They had been down the entire alley and there wasn’t any pub that was called Blanke’s. There had been a few dingy establishments with derogatory and highly imaginative names, but nothing more.

Harry was just about to voice his concern out loud when Hermione let out a chuckle and pointed to the building they were standing in front of and motioned to the worn sign hanging over its door.

The sign was blank.

There was no logo or printed name. The wood was bare and blemished only by the wear of the weather and the sun.

“Blanke’s…” Harry breathed in amusement at the simple ingenious of the sign.

“So this is it?” Ron asked in confirmation.

“Yep,” Harry replied. “Here we go,” he added as put a hand on the door of the pub and pushed it open.

The instant they stepped into the bar, they were overwhelmed by the smell of stale drink and spirits, as well as an unpleasant aroma of greasy food. There was also an air of un-cleanliness and neglected hygiene hanging around; as if someone hadn't had a good washing in a few weeks. But as Harry looked around, he suddenly wasn't surprised at the various odors, seeing as every occupant in the dimly lit bar looked rather haggard and un-kept. All of them fit the mold of someone you'd expect to see in an alley that was known to house and harbor the worst that wizard-kind had to offer.

Harry took one more glance over of the place and then turned to Ron and Hermione, who two were checking out the shady circumstances. After getting a reassuring nod from his friends, they stepped towards the bar and sat down on three rickety and ancient looking stools at the counter, causing a lined and weathered looking wizard near them to look up from his large tankard of alcohol for a moment, before returning to it.

Their presence was also noticed by the rough looking barman who had been carrying on a conversation with a very badly made-up and haughty looking witch, who seemed to be giggling at the man's comments. Seeing the three of them sitting at the bar, he set down the drink he had been pouring for the woman and gave her a small smile before he made his way down the bar towards them.

"What'll it be?" the barman asked roughly, after eyeing the three of them for a second as if to make sure they weren't any more unusual than the shady patrons and unusual beings who usually occupied his bar.

"Two pints and a glass of mead if you've got it," Ron spoke up first, gesturing to Hermione's small, obscured frame next to him as he said the last drink order.

The barman gave Ron and the others a curt nod and then turned away to collect the glasses and fill their drinks.

"Do you think the barman's Landon?" Ron whispered as he leaned closer to Harry.

"I dunno? I'd reckon he'd be the owner...not the barman," Harry replied quietly. "We could ask..." he added.

"That'll be a bit obvious won't it?" Ron replied. "It might dra--"

But Ron stopped abruptly as the barman returned with their mugs of beer and Hermione's mead, setting them hard on the counter before them.

"Four Sickles," the barman rasped, as he reached for a bar rag to wipe off a bit of beer he'd spilled on the counter.

Harry reached into his cloak and produced the coins, throwing them on the counter in front of him. The barman took the payment and gave the trio a nod of acknowledgement before turning his back on them and turning his attention back to the ugly witch at the other end of the counter, who smiled at his return.

Harry and Ron both took measured sips of their beer from their mugs, trying to look inconspicuous and blend into the atmosphere. But Hermione just held her small glass between her hands, obviously anxious for something to happen or for one of them to come up with their next move.

"Hey B!" yelled a boisterous sounding voice from a far corner table, causing Ron, Harry, and Hermione to jump and turn their heads towards the source. A very wobbly and intoxicated looking bunch of wizards, dressed in varying states of shabbiness were laughing and cawing about something or someone.

"Hey B!" repeated one of more unstable looking wizards as he stood up and directed his comments across the room towards another table, where a stout man with thinning, dark brown hair and a broad face sat, papers and a ledger out in front of him on the table. The man looked up tiredly from the table to address his caller.

"What is it this time Marking?" the man replied jestingly, but with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"You still owe me my winnings," the drunken wizard, apparently named Marking, slurred back.

"And what winnings would that be?" the stout man replied with narrowed eyes and a knowing smirk.

"From when the Cannon's won the league of course!" the man roared with laughter, causing his drunken cohorts to respond with their own riotous cackling.

Harry heard Ron snort into his drink beside him. No matter how hard Ron wished, the Cannons had never and probably would never win the Quidditch league championship.

"You always were a funny one Marking," the stout wizard replied with a hardly laugh of his own. "But the year the Cannons take it all is the day I give you the keys to my bar," he added, shaking his head and returning to his ledger with a smile.

Even though their faces were still obscured by their hoods and the Concealing Charm, the Trio stole knowing glances at each other. The man sitting in the corner had just revealed that this was his bar and the group of drunken wizards across the room had addressed him as "B"; the same name they'd found over and over again on the papers Mundungus's apartment. They had found their link to Mundungus and now it was just a matter of figuring out how to go about inquiring about his whereabouts.

A sudden surge of daring, which was fueled by his intense desire to find the locket, rose up in Harry and he lifted a hand as if to beckon the bartender to him. The witch he had been talking to caught on to Harry’s motion first and nudged the barman in that direction. The barman sighed heavily and shook his head in annoyance at being called away from his attempts at flirting with her.

“Yeah?” the barman questioned roughly, still sounding put-off about being bothered when all three of them were clearly not finished with their drinks.

“Is that Blanke Landon over there?” Harry asked quietly as he gestured towards the man at the table with the papers.

The barman followed Harry’s gesture and he raised an eyebrow of caution and suspicion towards Harry and the other two.

“And who wants to know?” the barman asked in a dangerous voice as he leaned closer, almost in an attempt to intimidate them.

“Someone who might have some business with Mr. Landon,” Harry replied equally as dark, showing that he wasn’t one to be intimidated by this tubby and lowly barman.

The barman looked Harry over for another second or two with eye of caution before nodding slowly and moving away from them. He made his way past the witch he had flirting with and around the bar to where Landon was sitting, puffing slowly on a cigar and counting some coins from a leather pouch.

The barman leaned in low next to Landon and whispered something in his ear. Landon looked up and glanced over to where the Trio was sitting, eyeing them warily before turning back to whisper a response to the barman. After deliberating for another few seconds, Landon stowed away his money pouch and vanished the various papers he had been going over with a wave of his wand. He got up from seat, clearly irritated at being bothered and followed the barman back behind the counter where he stopped in front of the Trio.

“And what it is I’m supposed to be able to do you for today?” Landon said roughly as he leaned on the bar, scrutinizing the three cloaked forms before him.

“We heard you were the guy to talk to if one had an interest in trading and securing items of a--tricky--nature,” Harry said quietly, as he took a sip of his beer and watched the man’s facial muscles work.

“Did you now?” Landon retorted unbelievingly. “And who would you be hearing that from?”

“Mundungus Fletcher,” Harry answered firmly.

“Fletcher, eh?” Landon replied airily. “Never heard of him,” the bar owner added after feigning an attempt at recognizing and placing the name.

“Haven’t you now?” Harry inquired, not believing the man for a second.

“Nope,” Landon replied simply.

“And if that’s all…I’d appreciate it if you three be finishing up your drinks and leaving. I don’t need any trouble here,” he added hastily, sounding a bit worried that perhaps the three of them were Aurors or some other agency out to catch him at his black market game. “I think you’ve been led astray by coming here,” he added dismissively.

The bar owner turned away from them, looking very eager to quickly dispatch himself from the situation. But as the man left, Harry instinctively grabbed at his hand that was still on the counter, causing the man to spin and face him.

“I think--you want to tell me where Mundungus Fletcher is,” Harry hissed quietly, as not to draw the attention of any of the other customers, and as he stared unblinkingly into Landon’s eyes.

He knew this man knew who Fletcher was and probably even where he was. And it was imperative that he make Landon tell him what he needed to know, even if Harry had to force it out of him.

He continued to keep his grip on Landon’s wrist and stare him down, searching the depths of his mind for what he needed to know.

Even though he couldn’t see the blazing green of his eyes that were staring coldly back at him from behind the veil of blackness, Landon seemed to be mesmerized with Harry. Something was happening between the two of them and Hermione and Ron could only sit by quietly and watch in silent shock as the invisible exchange went on beside them.

“Fletcher you say?” Landon replied breathlessly as Harry suddenly let go of his wrist and Landon backed away slightly as if almost fearful of Harry now. “Good Old Dung?” he repeated shakily and Harry nodded in confirmation.

The bar owner took a moment to steel himself and looked around before nodding quietly to the three of them.

“Come with me,” he added in an undertone as he gestured for the three of them to follow.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry got up from their seats and followed Landon as he slowly made his way around the counter and into a side door that led to the back rooms of his bar. When the three of them were securely in, he closed the door behind them, gripping his wand for his own safety.

“So…what’s he done this time?” Landon asked, referring to why they were after his fellow crook.

“We just need to see him about some of the items he’s been selling lately,” Harry replied simply as he took in the rows of shady merchandise that occupied this back room. “He seems to have taken something he wasn’t supposed to,” Harry added bitterly.

Landon only nodded, looking as though he wasn’t thoroughly surprised that Mundungus had stolen anything.

“Dung’s a good guy, but sometimes he tends to get himself in a bit of trouble, doesn’t he?” Landon replied almost heartily for the first time. “I guess it wouldn’t do any good to ask names, would it?” Landon asked quietly.

The Trio only shifted anxiously in response, each one gripping their wands under their cloaks.

“Well…you’re not the only one he’s taken from lately,” Landon replied with a smug smile as he started to move towards another door at the end of the small room filled with his inventory. He beckoned for the others to follow as he pulled a small key from inside his worn robes and inserted it into the door.

When it clicked, he stowed the key back in his robes and pulled the door open. He moved inside and the other three followed cautiously. When they were in, they saw that there were several large tables with large piles of coins and on others there were even piles of Muggle notes. There were also two men in the room, sitting at the tables, seemingly counting the money as they puffed on cigars of their own.

Upon their entrance, the two men looked up and cast curious glances at Landon.

“What do we have here B?” one of them questioned gruffly as he eyed the three cloaked figures.

“Just some common--associates--that have some business with Fletcher,” Landon replied cautiously. But the two men smiled knowingly and dangerously at the response.

“Here that Dung?” one of the men yelled in an amused voice to the far corner where a pile of dirty rags lay. But at the sound of the man’s jeers, the pile moved and began to cough and sputter. “You’ve gone and pissed more people off with your dirty dealings,” the man added with a laugh.

Mundungus began to shift and struggle against bonds that were holding his hands and his feet together. He tried to roll into a sitting position, but he seemed incapable of doing so.

“Was’ up?” he groaned groggily as the rags covering him shifted and showed his bruised and swollen face. Obviously he’d done more than just make Harry angry by taking the locket. And it looked like whoever had gotten to him first had done a bang up job on him.

“I’ve got some visitors here that say you’ve screwed them over too,” Landon replied with a laugh as he walked over to the corner and picked Mundungus up by the collar and shook him violently, causing him to groan and cry in pain at the movement.

“I swear, I didn’ screw no one over,” Mundungus whined as he slumped back onto the floor.

“Yeah? Just like you didn’t try and sell us that bad batch of Rooks-weed? Or when you tried to get out of paying us for those cauldrons we gave you a deal on,” the other man who had been in the room shouted as he through a bottle at Dung that connected with the side of the defenseless wizard’s head.

“You’re always trying to pull one over on people. You’re a lousy crook and a sorry excuse of a wizard,” the man laughed as Mundungus shouted in pain and grabbed at his face.

“Stop,” Harry said suddenly as he watched the men taunt and beat Mundungus. As bad as a thief and as immoral as Dung may be; he didn’t deserve to be locked up and beaten by the Wizard’s own version of the mafia.

Landon and the other men stopped and looked curiously at Harry.

“Let him go,” Harry added.

“Let him go?” Landon repeated. “I’m sorry to say I can’t….he owns me too much money and he hasn’t paid me back properly enough,” he added as he kicked Mundungus swiftly in the side. “Now if you would like to get in your retribution…I’d be more than happy to oblige. But--”

“How much does he owe you?” Harry asked.

“More than his life’s worth if you count all the years he’s been jippin’ me,” Landon laughed, avoiding the question.

“How much would it take to free him?” Harry asked impatiently. Landon pursed his lips and considered the prospect for a moment.

“1500 Galleons,” Landon smirked after a while.

Harry sighed. That was a lot of money. Not that he didn’t have more than enough in his bank account at Gringott’s. With the money his parents had left him, as well as the money he’d inherited from Sirius, he had quite a bit more than that. But he certainly didn’t have that much on him at the moment.

“How about you let me take care of Dung here and I give you everything I have on me?” Harry replied. “And in the morning I will have the rest for you when I can get to Gringott’s?”

Landon looked skeptically at Harry and seemed to scoff at his offer.

“How bout you give me all the money you three have got on you,” Landon replied, nodding his head at Ron and Hermione, who to this point had remained silently and steadfast at Harry’s side. “And those gloves--those are leather right?” he asked, eyeing the black leather gloves that hid Harry’s hands.

Harry nodded. They were real leather and they had been very expensive. They were elbow length and had weather proof and anti-tearing charms on them as well.

“Throw in the gloves and promise me you’ll take care of Fletcher and make sure he doesn’t ever darken my doorstep again,” Landon offered. “And you can take him.”

“Fine,” Harry agreed quietly as he turned to Ron and Hermione and motioned for them to hand over any gold they were carrying on them.

Hermione produced a few Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, as well as a few Muggle notes and handed them to Harry who placed them on the table for Landon to count.

Ron shifted uneasily as Harry reached out for his money. He dug inside of his cloak and produced three Sickles and a handful of Knuts for Harry to take. Harry nodded encouragingly at Ron to let him know that his contribution was acceptable, knowing that Ron was always uncomfortable and bitter about his money situation.

He set Ron’s money along with Hermione’s on the table and then reached into his own cloak and produced his much heavier money pouch. Dozens of Galleons and a countless number of other coins spilled onto the table, causing Landon to smile involuntarily at the amount of money that Harry had produced.

When Harry’s pouch and pockets had been emptied, he sighed and reached for his gloves. He pulled the left one off first, revealing his real and whole hand, tossing the discarded glove on the pile of money on the table. Harry hesitated for a moment with his right, before shaking back his sleeve and sliding the leather glove carefully off of the metal arm.

He tossed the glove on the table beside the other and noticed Landon’s gaze flicker to the metallic limb in interest and then to Harry’s hidden face as he jerked the arm back into his sleeve and out of sight.

“Will that do?” Harry questioned, to avoid any more attention on his arm.

“Aye,” Landon replied uneasily as he continued to study Harry. “That’ll do…but remember…keep this scum away from here,” Landon added as the other two men hoisted Mundungus to his feet and shoved him towards Harry and the others.

Harry and Ron caught Dung between them and steadied his shaky body so that he was leaning on them.

“I’ll show you out and I don’t want to see you back…the deal is done,” Landon added as he motioned to the door and stepped between them and out of the door, back into the store room.

“This goes to a side alley and connects to the main,” Landon informed them as he opened a rusty and heavy door.

“Thanks,” Harry breathed heavily as he and Ron maneuvered a very unresponsive Mundungus between them and out the door with Hermione following closely behind. As soon as they found themselves in a dark and damp alley outside of the bar, the door slammed behind them and they heard heavy locks being slid into place.

“Well that was easy,” Ron sighed, speaking for the first time since they had entered the back room of the bar.

“Yeah,” Harry replied hastily as he shifted Mundungus off of Ron and moved him against the far wall.

“Please--let me go,” Mundungus begged as Harry leaned him against the wall of the building next door. “I swear--I don’ know nothin’…I can’t ‘elp yeh,” he added frantically as he looked around at the three caped figures with fear. Perhaps in their attire, Mundungus thought them to be Death Eaters, after him for his involvement with the Order.

“Actually you can,” Harry said quietly. “You have something of mine and I want it back.”

“I ‘aven’t taken anything from yeh. I don’t even know who you are--” Mundungus babbled frantically as he shrank away from the Trio.

“Actually you do,” Harry said simply as he waved his hand in front of his face, extinguishing the spell, before pulling back his hood to reveal his identity.

“‘arry!” Mundungus cried in relief. “Sweet Merlin ‘arry…”

“Shhhh,” Harry hissed looking around. “Don’t say my name out loud or I’ll throw you back to Landon.”

“No…no,” Mundungus said briskly. “No…it’s just I’m a bit shocked to see yeh here.”

“Well I’m here and you have what I need,” Harry pressed quickly, not wanting to get hung up on greetings and small talk. “You stole something from me and I want it back.”

“I swear I ‘aven’t taken anything from you,” Mundungus explained quickly.

“You have a locket…you took it from Kreacher’s cupboard when you were last there,” Harry clarified.

Mundungus shook his head.

“No…n-o I ‘aven’t taken anything or seen any locket,” Mundungus said quietly. “You’re mistaken.”

“Don’t lie to me,” Harry hissed, backing a still beaten Dung into the wall.

“I promise yeh ‘arry--” but a swift knee to his mid-section caused Mundungus to crumple to the ground, clutching his stomach.

“I told you not to say my name,” Harry bellowed as he picked up Mundungus with his right arm and held him up against the wall.

“Harry!” Hermione hissed from behind him, sounding clearly shocked at his behavior.

“Mate…be careful,” Ron advised quietly from next to him, sounding afraid of what Harry might do.

But Harry kept Mundungus pinned firmly against the wall.

“You were there…I saw you with my stuff when I met you in Hogsmeade last year,” Harry explained slowly and in a forced calm voice as Mundungus stared with wide-eyes at Harry’s right arm that was clearly visible. “So stop lying to me and tell me the truth,” he added.

Mundungus stayed silent, watching Harry’s metal hand wearily as he breathed heavy and swallowed just as hard.

“You like it?” Harry asked bitterly as he watched the thief study him. “You might need one if you don’t cooperate with me. So I suggest you start talking so I don’t have to test it out for the first time on you. I’d hate to get it bloody on your account.”

“The ‘ogshead,” choked out Mundungus as Harry’s grip tightened around his collar.

“I sold it to the barman there. I’d had it for a while and couldn’t sell it. But a few weeks ago ‘e took it off my hands--I didn’t get much for it though,” he added as Harry let him go and he dropped down to a crouching position.

“You’re sure?” Harry inquired intensely as Mundungus rubbed at the marks Harry had left.

“Yeah--I took it from the ‘ouse elf’s boiler room a while back. It’s a big locket with an ‘S’ on it,” Mundungus said quickly, not wanting Harry to come down on him again.

“Yeah that’s it. And you’re sure he still has it?” Harry pressed.

“Probably. ‘e seemed mighty interested in it,” Mundungus replied eagerly, clearly not wanting to upset Harry.

“See…it’s not so bad when you tell the truth now is it?” Ron interjected from behind Harry, causing Dung to look at him with narrowed eyes, as if trying to place the voice.

“Don’t say his name either,” Harry said firmly when it looked like Dung had come to a conclusion that it was Ron.

“So what are yeh guys going to do with me?” Mundungus asked slowly and cautiously.

“We’ll let you go,” Harry told him almost sweetly. “You have been rather helpful.”

“You don’ know ‘ow much I appreciate this,” Mundungus blurted thankfully, careful not to say Harry’s name. “I swear I won’t say anyth--”

But just as Mundungus was about to swear that he wasn’t going to say anything about their meeting or the contents of their conversation, Harry raised his wand to Mundungus’s head and muttered a quick ‘Obliviate’. Dung slumped to the ground, clearly unconscious.

“Why did you do that!” Hermione whispered heatedly as he looked wide-eyed at the knocked out thief.

“Just because he told me what I needed doesn’t mean I trust him not to talk,” Harry replied simply as he got up from checking Mundungus’s pulse.

“He’s right--” Ron said with a nod. “He knew too much.”

“Well now he probably knows nothing at all,” Hermione said worriedly. “You don’t even know how to do that spell,” she rounded on Harry, “and with your powers the way they are--you probably caused brain damage.”

“Not anymore than he already had,” Ron muttered sarcastically, but Harry spoke over him.

“I--do--know how to do that spell,” Harry said shortly. “Bill showed me how and I assure you…he’s fine,” Harry added aggressively as he slipped his hood back over his head and put the spell back on to hide his face.

“Ennervate,” he whispered as he pointed his wand at Mundungus’s chest.

The previously unconscious wizard sprung to life and sat bolt upright, looking around frantically at his caped and hidden captors.

“Please--don’t ‘urt me,” Dung pleaded as he put has hands over his face as protection.

“You can go,” Harry said firmly.

“Wha?”

“Go…get out of my sight before I change my mind and bring you back to Landon,” Harry repeated.

“No…no thank you,” Mundungus blurted as he hoisted himself onto his feet and clutched at the wall for support. “I promise I won’t--”

“No promises,” Harry interrupted. “Just go,” he said, gesturing to the opening at the end of the alley.

Mundungus nodded and moved shakily, yet quickly down the alley, glancing back once, before turning into the main street of Knockturn Alley and disappearing.

“Harry…we need to talk about you--” Hermione started to pester, but Harry held up a hand to silence her.

“Not here,” he said quietly. “We can’t do anything tonight--it’s getting late. Let’s head to the twin’s shop and see if we can crash there,” Harry added in an undertone.

Ron nodded in agreement and Hermione took a moment to master her desire to talk about Harry’s blatant use of magic in the open, but she too nodded in agreement.

-------------------------- --------

About ten minutes later, Ron, Hermione, and Harry found themselves in the upstairs sitting room of the Twin’s joke shop apartment in Diagon Alley.

It had taken them a while to convince the Fred and George that it was them and to let them in. And the Trio could only imagine what horrifying and unpleasant tricks the twins had set for security around there shop if they had tried to break in.

“We certainly didn’t expect you three to show up on our doorstep,” Fred said as he came back from the kitchen with some sandwiches and butter beer.

“Not that we don’t appreciate our favorite little bro and his best friends’ company,” George added. “But probably should have called ahead…we could have been entertaining…”

“Ladies…” Fred said implyingly and with a waggle of his eyebrows.

“Yeah…right,” snorted as he took a sip of his butter beer and sat in an armchair.

“We didn’t expect to be in the area,” Harry added as he stretched out on the sofa. “But things went a bit more quickly and smoothly than expected and we just happened to be near here.”

“Did you get it?” Fred asked quietly, referring to the Horcux.

“No…but we know where it is,” Harry said and then went onto explain how they had found Mundungus.

“He owes us a few Galleons too,” Fred said indignantly as Harry told them that they had found Dung held in a backroom of the Knockturn Alley bar.

“You should have found us and brought us with,” George added. “I would’ve loved to get my two cents in on the smarmy thief.”

“Well he’s gone now and we got what we needed,” Hermione interjected. “Though I’m not sure our methods were exactly proper,” Hermione added acidly as she turned her gaze to Harry.

“Look Hermione…be angry with me all you want…but we’ve got our information,” Harry replied coolly. “I couldn’t just waltz in there and ask politely if he’d please give me my locket back could I? I’m sorry if having to knock a few low-lifes around is so wrong to you…”

“Since when have you ‘knocked’ anyone around to get things done?” Hermione asked aggressively. “Normally violence is the last thing you resort to.”

“Yeah well…we’ve past the point of normal now and sometimes we’re going to have to accept that going to have to do things we’re not used to,” Harry said quietly.

“I’m just saying--we need to be more careful,” Hermione replied in almost a whisper.

“Well…as much as we’d love to stay and chat with you kids,” Fred interrupted when silence had fallen upon them. “We’ve got night duty at the school and we need to be off.”

“But feel free to help yourself to any food,” George added.

“Except for you Ron…” Fred teased, earning him a glare from his youngest brother.

“You can use our beds,” George informed him as he grabbed his cloak and slung it around his shoulders.

“But if you get any urges…please use the couch,” Fred interjected as he stole a knowing glance at Ron and Hermione. Hermione opened her mouth wide in horror at Fred’s insinuation.

“Better yet--Ron--sleep on the couch,” George added firmly.

“Well--we must be off. There are wards in place so if you leave…you can’t get back in without some--unpleasant--things happening,” Fred informed them as he and George readied themselves to Apparate away.

“Oh--” George said suddenly a moment before they started to spin away. “Can we tell Mum and the other’s where you are and that you’re ok?”

“She’s been in a right state the past day or so,” Fred said sincerely.

“And the others are anxious to know how you are,” George added pointedly.

“Tell them we’re fine,” Harry answered. “And if all goes well…we’ll back within the next day or so,” Harry added.

“Right,” Fred said with a nod. “And before you leave, you can go into the shop and take anything you might need. Anything--no charge,” he added firmly.

“Thanks,” Harry replied sincerely. “Say ‘hi’ to everybody for us.”

“If we see her we’ll tell her,” Fred added knowingly that Harry meant Ginny.

Harry could only grin in response.

“Take care, you guys,” George said seriously. “Ron--stay safe,” he added with a small smile. Ron nodded gratefully at his brothers.

And in a whirl of color, they were gone, leaving the Trio to spend the night mulling over their thoughts and get some sort of rest.









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