Harry Potter and the Mysterious Stubbardmans

Why did seconds always seem like hours when you couldn't wait for something to happen--when every cell of your being was over ripened with eagerness? That was how it felt for Grace Stubbardman. It wasn't enough that she was branded with the outlandish job of watching Harry Potter, now she had to suffer the insecurities, the uncertain thoughts, the silly jitters that commonly came along with the territory of developing a new relationship.

She and George Weasley had been seeing each other secretly for over two weeks. The warm evenings with cool, inviting breezes and skies draped in indigo and twinkling stars didn't help to make things any easier. As if things weren't complicated enough! It was becoming more and more of a challenge to keep up the facade that nothing was going on in her life. Grace was feeling naked around her mother, Headmaster Candelier, Uncle Ari, and Cousin Bridget. She knew that they were growing suspicious of her motives. She no longer had the drive to, 'keep her eyes on the prize.' Such constant vigils were creeping into her quality time with the one she loved.

How awkward it was, feeling like she was fraternizing with a member of the enemy, but was she really? It was drawing close to the end of the year, and that meant that Grace would soon be free from having to spy on The Chosen One. He would be off to his Auror Apprenticeship. He would be in the Ministry's charge. Aristotle and Bridget had helped him to make great strides in his progress of regaining his magical powers.

As far as she was concerned, Grace had completed her mission. She was in the homestretch. Yes, it was terrible about Megan Corner. Hermione and Dori had never solved the case. No closure was brought to Megan's parents, her brother Michael, or Hogwarts. Those who were still loyal to Voldemort would prove to be formidable menaces, but that was just a fact of life that everyone would have to live with. After all, the death of their lord and martyr was never suitably avenged--not yet. Alas, maybe the year was still young after all.

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It was the middle of May and the Hogwarts staff had decided a good way to end the year would be to have one last Quidditch match. There would be two teams: Hufflepuff and Gryffindor forming one and Slytherin and Ravenclaw the other. It would be an all-star game, consisting of the top players from each of the four original teams.

Harry, Ron, and Ginny couldn't be more excited. For Harry and Ron, this game would certainly make up for all the time they had lost, washing dishes for four months straight. Even though Ron was not invited to participate in the game, just knowing that Harry and Ginny would be playing was satisfying enough. Michael Corner would be representing the better part of Ravenclaw's team.

It was the night before the big match. All of the players were finishing up their practice. Most of them, including Harry and Ginny were in the changing room. They had swapped back into their regular school clothes and were just about to leave when they saw Michael standing by his locker. They walked over to him to praise him for his performance during practice.

"That was a good run, today." Harry smiled, giving Michael a pat on the back.

"Thanks," Michael said, somberly. It was clear to Harry and Ginny that Michael was still in mourning.

"We'll see you at dinner, tonight," Ginny said.

"Yeah, okay." Michael nodded, buttoning his shirt.

Harry and Ginny left the changing room, and Michael realized he was the last one to leave. He was just about to close his locker when he heard a strange noise coming from Madam Hooch's office closet, where the Quidditch equipment was kept. He quietly walked over to see if anyone was there.

Just as he was about to go around the last set of lockers, he saw a female Hufflepuff running out of the building.

"Hey! Come back here!" Michael called out. That looked like Grace Stubbardman from the back, he thought. What would she be doing here? She's not even playing tomorrow.

Michael hurried back to his locker and slammed the door shut. He quickly grabbed his jacket from the bench and trotted out of the building. Once outside, he carefully scanned the immediate area to see if he could spot the mysterious girl, but she was nowhere to be found.

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"Guess who," George playfully sung as he placed his hands over Grace's eyes.

"Hmm, let me think," she played along. "Who could this be?" Grace placed her hands over George's. Her eyelashes tickled his palms. She pried his fingers apart then twirled around to face him. "Oh, it's only you," she teased.

"It's only me!" he repeated, pretending to be insulted. He held her delicate arms and pulled her into a warm, soft kiss.

"You realize we're taking quite a risk, being here. What if someone sees us? What if Ron or Ginny sees us?" Grace fretted.

"No one will see us. Trust me; Ron and Ginny don't even know I've arrived yet. Besides, only students and people who live in the village come to this station," George answered, referring to Hogsmeade train station. The place had been deserted. Everyone who was going to attend the match the next day was either a student or faculty member, and all were already at the castle. Grace searched the station then sighed in relief, seeing that George was correct in his assessment. They were alone. Grace pressed the side of her face up against George's chest. She could hear his heart beating.

"Ron is expecting me, so we better make our way back," George spoke softly.

"Where will you be staying?"

"Where I said I would be in my message. Remember? I'll be sharing the dorm with Ron and Harry. I brought a sleeping bag with me."

"I can't believe you came all the way here from Diagon Alley to watch a silly Quidditch match."

"Well, it's no ordinary match. It's the all-star game! Besides, I had an ulterior motive for coming here." George grinned devilishly.

Grace looked into George's eyes and he lowered his lips to hers, kissing them with soft, little kisses. He caressed her smooth cheek with his thumb as he cradled her heart-shaped face in the palms of his hands. "Come on, before the prefects notice you're missing."

As they made their way back to the castle George said, "Hey, I've got a joke for you. There was a house elf, a mountain troll and an evil wizard sitting at the bar and..."

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"I'm not positive. Like I said before, I didn't get a look at her face, but I could swear it was Grace." Michael Corner stood with his hands on hips as he watched Ginny's expression change from suspicion to belief. The library was their secret meeting place to discuss all things related to Megan's murder and the attacks on Harry.

"I believe you, but unless we're certain, there's no way anyone will do anything about it. We can't just accuse her without being certain." Ginny pouted.

"You're right, but I still think we should tell Neville, Harry, and Ron."

"Oh, I definitely agree."

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Late that night, Grace slid her legs out from under the covers and slipped her feet into bed slippers. She went over to her trunk and acquired the crystal ball from its box. As it had become customary, Grace carried the crystal ball into the storage room and placed it on the desk.

"Mum. Mum?" she summoned. In seconds, the ball filled with the familiar pink and yellow swirling smoke.

"Grace," Dori replied, "what's the latest?"

"My work here will be almost complete. I think after tomorrow, we won't ever have to worry about Potter."

"Good girl, Grace. See. What did I tell you? Keep your eyes on the prize."

"Yes, and it worked," Grace concurred.

"If only your father was here. He'd be so proud of you."

"Potter was the reason why he died, wasn't he?"

"Oh Grace, let's not bring that up again. Now, you go get some sleep. I'm looking forward to seeing you at the match."

"Me too. Good night, Mum."

"Good night, my little spy."

Grace picked up the crystal ball and carefully carried it back to her room, unbeknownst to her that Eleanor Branstone was watching and listening the whole time.

Eleanor picked up on Ginny's suspicions and decided to conduct her own little investigation. Since she was a year behind Grace, it had been easy to follow her. Grace would never suspect. Eleanor had heard the door to the sixth year girls' dorm room open on several occasions, late at night. She had decided tonight she'd find out who was responsible for the eerie noise, and she had done just that.

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Morning finally arrived and all of the students, staff, and guests were sitting in the seats around the Quidditch pitch. Harry, who was representing the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff team, flew to the centre of the field. The Ravenclaw-Slytherin team's Seeker also flew to the centre. Harry acknowledged Terence Higg's younger brother, Frederick, with a sportsmanlike nod. Madam Hooch signalled the game to begin with her whistle, and then tossed the Snitch high into the air. Simultaneously, she released the Bludgers then quickly dodged out of the way.

Something strange began happening. Neither the players, nor the audience had witnessed anything like it, save for when Harry's experience in his second year. Both Bludgers were chasing Harry around the stadium. It would have been bad enough if the targeted Seeker was hit by them, but what made it worse was that once they were released from the box where they had been safely kept, they produced very sharp, rotating blades that spun like circular saws, around their axes.

"HARRY, LOOK OUT!" Ginny hollered. She raced over to where Harry was trying to dodge the deadly Bludgers.

Screams from the crowd filled the stadium. Madam Hooch jumped onto a broomstick and attempted to deflect the murderous balls with a Beater's club. Some of the members of the opposing team joined in the fight, swinging their bats at the rogue Bludgers.

"Ginny, be careful!" Hermione cried out. She turned toward her mentor. "Dori, isn't there anything we can do?"

"I don't know," Dori replied her eyes transfixed to what was happening.

Then Hermione got an idea. "Harry! Harry!" she called out to the poor, soon-to-be-diced Seeker.

"WHAT?!" Harry begged.

"Fly closer!" Hermione yelled back.

"I can't! Just tell Ginny, and she'll tell me," Harry ordered.

"GINNY! Quick, come here," Hermione hollered.

Ginny flew swiftly over to the stands where Hermione, Ron, George, and Dori where sitting. Ron looked out and saw Grace sitting with the other Hufflepuffs. It appeared as though she was casting some sort of spell that seemed to have an effect on the Bludgers. He elbowed Hermione to show her what he had seen.

Hermione acknowledged Ron with a look that indicated that she was in agreement. Grace was trying to kill Harry.

"Hermione, what's your plan?" Ginny called out.

"Tell Harry to fly his broom as fast as he can, straight for the castle wall."

"WHAT? He'll crash!" Ginny argued.

"No, he won't. Not if he pulls up at the last minute."

"What good will that do?"

"Hopefully it will cause the Bludgers to crash into the castle."

"It's crazy," Ron said to Hermione. He looked back to see what was happening. Sure enough, Harry was still struggling to escape the maniacally rotating orbs. "But it's worth a try."

Ginny flew close enough to relay the message to Harry while avoiding being hit by the bewitched spheres. "Harry, fly as fast as you can toward the castle wall then, at the last second, pull up!"

Harry immediately took a wide right and headed straight for one of the castle's towers. Instantly, the Bludgers followed. Sweat began to bead on his forehead and drip behind his goggles, finding its way behind his glasses. The salt stung his eyes, forcing him to keep them shut for extended periods of critical time. The Bludgers continued to gain on him, closing the gap between them and the blinded Seeker. Harry made a final sharp turn. He sensed that this would be the last chance he had before the irrepressibly spinning blades ripped into his flesh. Harry gunned his broom directly toward the highest tower. He could hear the squeal of the blades as they continued to cut feverishly through the air.

The castle wall was directly ahead of him. Finally, with just a few inches to spare, Harry pulled up. As he banked left he heard what sounded like two crashes. He looked back to see that Hermione's quick thinking was a success. Both Bludgers had hit the high tower at full force, shattering their blades before falling onto the rocks below. Both Bludgers were smashed to bits.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he made his way back to the Quidditch pitch. The crowd roared with cheers as he flew to where Ginny, Michael, Frederick, and Madam Hooch were hovering.

Later that evening, Grace was summoned to the Headmaster's chambers to be questioned for her participation in the alleged conspiracy to murder the Boy- Who-Lived. In addition to Grace, Dori, Bridget, Aristotle, George Weasley, Hermione, Ron, Michael Corner, Madam Hooch, Eleanor Branstone, Ginny, and Professor McGonagall were present during questioning.

"Eleanor, tell us what you heard last night," Headmaster Candelier ordered.

"Well, I heard the door of the sixth years' dorm open. When I went to check it out, I saw Grace Stubbardman tiptoeing down to the storage room. I quietly followed her. It was in the storage room where I heard here talking to someone in her crystal ball," Eleanor testified.

"And do you remember what she said?" the Headmaster probed.

"Titus, this is ridiculous!" Dori interrupted on behalf of her daughter.

Headmaster Candelier held up his hand to silence her. "Go on, Eleanor. Tell us what you heard Grace say."

"Well, from what I can remember, she said something like, 'I'm almost done with the job. We won't have to worry about Potter anymore,' or something like that."

"See! I told you, Harry!" Ginny exclaimed.

"That's enough! One more outburst and I will dismiss everyone here who doesn't have to be here!"

All became silent at the Headmaster's threat. Dori advanced toward his desk.

"Titus, please. I need to talk to you for a moment."

The Headmaster acknowledged her urgent request with a nod. Addressing the rest of the group, he announced, "We will continue this hearing momentarily." He rose from his chair and, taking Dori by the arm, escorted her to one of the far corners of the chamber. The others in the room looked on.

"Titus, you must see how insane all of this is," Dori pleaded. "Grace would never try to kill Potter. You know as well as I do she was following him to help us keep a protective eye on him."

"Dori, I'm well aware of Grace's participation, but let's not forget the possibility that she may be working for the other side."

"Titus, how could you think such a thing?"

"Dori, it's not impossible. Others have turned their back on their families for gain before. Also, we were concerned about a spy being amongst us."

"You can't put Grace in the same category. She wasn't spying on Harry; she was guarding him."

"Maybe so, but let's not forget that the acquisition of power has an alluring appeal for those who desire control over others," Headmaster Candelier warned his cousin.

"Grace has absolutely no desire to control anyone. She's just a little girl."

"Dori, I have to complete this hearing. I'm not just Grace's uncle; I'm the headmaster of this school. I can no longer afford to play favourites. I'm sorry, Dori." The Headmaster returned to his desk and resumed the hearing.

Michael Corner was next to give his testimony.

"Michael, tell me what you saw the previous evening, while you were in the changing room," the Headmaster said.

"Well, erm...I was getting dressed and, just as I was about to leave, I heard this noise like someone was in Madam Hooch's office. I went to investigate it and when I did, I caught Grace running out of the office and making a mad dash out of the building."

"That's a lie!" Grace cried. "I was nowhere near the changing room that evening!"

"So, if you weren't where Michael said he saw you, then just where were you?" Headmaster Candelier questioned in an authoritative tone.

Grace panicked. She looked at her mother's distraught face. What was she going to do? She knew if she revealed where she was, she would suffer severe consequences. There was no way that Dori Stubbardman was going to allow her only daughter to be romantically involved with someone almost four years her senior.

"Grace, for the last time, tell us where you were that evening," the Headmaster demanded.

The chamber became deathly silent, as the others waited for Grace to reply.

"Who were you with, Grace?" the Headmaster asked, beginning to understand Grace's dilemma.

Grace lowered her head as tears began to fall from her eyes. She covered her face with her hands as she whimpered.

"She was with me," George Weasley spoke up.

"George! NO!" Grace cried.

"Well, just tell them where you were. Tell them you were with me, at Hogsmeade station," George demanded. He watched Grace's reaction. He noticed her looking at Dori with a frantic expression on her face and caught on to what the problem was. "You're seventeen -years -old, Grace. You're of age."

"On the contrary, young man, Grace is sixteen -years -old, and as long as she is under age, she will do as I want her to, and I forbid her to see you anymore!" Dori angrily affirmed.

"What? You told me you were seventeen." George glared at Grace.

Grace looked back at George. The pained look in his eyes was more than she could bear.

"Whoa! This is getting good. Wait 'til Mum hears this. She's going to take the mickey out of him when she finds out," Ron whispered.

"Ronald, what an inappropriate thing to say!" Hermione scolded.

"I'm sorry I lied to you, but if I had told you how old I really was, would you have still gone out with me?" Grace asked defensively.

"I might not have gone out with you right away, but I would have waited for you. I believe a nice, honest girl is worth waiting for," George resentfully replied. The hurt in his voice was strongly apparent. He quickly left the chamber.

"GEORGE!" Grace cried out after him, but it was too late. George was gone.

"Someone should go after him," Hermione insisted. She looked around, but once again, no one budged. "I guess I'll have to go then," she huffed, throwing her hands up in disgust. She immediately chased after George.

"George? George?" Hermione called down the hallways of the castle. She finally caught up with him as he was just about to use his Portkey to return to Diagon Alley. "George. Wait. Don't leave."

"Hermione, I'm perfectly fine. You don't have to worry about me. So she lied to me, broke my heart, but I'll live," he replied with bitter sarcasm as he rushed toward the entrance of the castle.

"If you're so fine, then how come you're running away so fast?" Hermione challenged, struggling to keep up with his stride.

George stopped immediately and looked down at her with a surprised expression on his face. It quickly turned to an expression that belonged to someone whose heart had been irreparably shattered. "Because she lied to me."

"But it wasn't to get rid of you; it was to keep you."

"It makes no difference. She lied. I told her the truth about myself and she lied to me. What else has she been lying about? Maybe it's true. Maybe she has been trying to kill Harry all this time."

"Oh, George, how could you believe such a silly thing? Grace wouldn't hurt a fly." Hermione thought about what she had just said. She was aware of Grace's fighting skills, based on what Dori had told her. She rescinded her words. "Well, all right, she could hurt lots of people. She's an excellent fighter, according to Dori, but she would never hurt anyone she loved. Besides, how could she have been responsible for those Bludgers when she was with you?"

"I don't know. Maybe she has a doppelganger or something. I don't know," George answered in a frustrated tone.

"Hmm, funny you mention that."

"Yeah, and why's that?"

"Well, think about it. How could it be possible for someone to be one place and then look as though they were in another?" Hermione questioned.

"Who knows? Perhaps it was someone disguised as Grace, is that what you're getting at?"

"You do know there are two ways that someone could make themselves look like someone else, right?"

"Yeah, you, Ron, and Harry drank Polyjuice Potion in your second year, so you could fool Malfoy into thinking that Ron and Harry were Crabbe and Goyle."

"Exactly. That's one way, but there is another. Ron and Neville brought up the possibility the day after Megan was murdered."

"Yeah, and what was that?" George challenged.

"It could be a Metamorphmagus."

"That's insane! That's..." George stumbled on his words.

"A very good possibility," Hermione completed his sentence.

"But wait. I thought, in order for a Metamorphmagus to turn into someone else, they would have to have some sort of physical contact with that person. The only people Grace has been in contact with are the people here, at school."

"And you." Hermione smirked.

"And me." George blushed.

"George, please come back to the chamber with me. Grace was so heartbroken. She didn't mean to hurt you," Hermione pleaded.

"I know, but her mother will kill me if she sees me, and then I'll be forced to retaliate, which may actually be a good thing. I've been dying to try out this new itching powder that I've invented," George said.

"Neither one of you will do no such thing. Just leave everything to me. I'll talk to Dori. In the meantime, Grace will turn seventeen this August," Hermione revealed.

George chuckled as the two proceeded back to the hearing.