Harry Potter and the Secret Horcrux

Chapter Seven: The Great Escape

The Burrow was gone, and with it came a distinct brand of 'Victim of the Dark Lord.' The Weasleys accepted Harry's gesture to stay at Grimmauld until The Burrow could be rebuilt, but the gesture was taken with a grain of salt. The family was essentially divided.

The twins were determined to stay in London near their shop. The attacks in Diagon Alley had increased and few witches or wizards ventured out into the open. Charlie was back in Romania working to uncover any information he could on the Dark Rising. It was rumored in The Quibbler that He Who Must Not Be Named was planning on raising dragons to use in attacks. While the tabloid wasn't known for its factual stories, no rumor could be taken lightly.

Bill had hidden his new bride in France, determined not to let her know the truth about his duties with the Order of the Phoenix. It was well-known that being a member was a death mark and he was determined not to let the day's tragedies place a shadow on his new marriage.

The few weeks after the attack passed slowly and reminded Harry of the summer before his fifth year. The members of the Order of the Phoenix wandered in and out with their reports. Most of them looked weary and lost. Mad-Eye Moody didn't have Dumbledore's charisma, the morale of the group was destroyed, and Harry seriously doubted that the Order was well-organized enough to fend off a major attack.

Many magical families had fled from Britain in hopes of escaping the Dark Lord's wrath, but there was no escape. The situation became grimmer with each passing day, and when the twins announced they were forced to close their shop because there was nobody left in Diagon Alley, it seemed that they had reached the lowest point.

"We don't have a choice," Fred explained.

George nodded. "We haven't had a customer in nearly three weeks."

"But the catalog sales are still booming. Dank Marks are still our best sellers," Fred continued. "It leaves a moldy looking green fungus wherever you place it when you add water."

"Well I must admit that I'm thankful that you two won't be at the shop any more during the day. It's a miracle that you haven't been attacked," Mrs. Weasley confessed.

Ron sighed as he pushed his way out of the kitchen where the twins were announcing their decision to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry and Hermione had tried to inconspicuously eavesdrop from the sitting room. The Weasleys had endured a difficult time in the weeks after the wedding and Harry couldn't help but feel responsible.

"They can't close the shop. It's the only place left on Diagon Alley," Ron moaned.

"There's still the Leaky Cauldron," Harry offered.

Hermione frowned. "For now, but how long can they stay open if nobody is venturing out?"

Harry knew that Hermione wasn't a huge patron of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, but she realized it wasn't just a joke shop. Everything was changing. The Daily Prophet ran stories of Muggle towns being destroyed, kidnappings and murders of entire families.

Inside the walls of Grimmauld Place, they were sheltered, but outside it their world was falling apart. Hermione's fears seemed more valid since she hadn't seen her parents since the Christmas holiday. Mad-Eye had promised her parents were safe and well-guarded, but Harry could tell she wasn't reassured.

A ball of rage had found permanent residence in the pit of Harry's stomach. He felt as if he could see the direction he was destined to travel but couldn't discover how to take the first step. Hermione's collection of books had been exhausted and the library at Grimmauld offered little encouragement unless they were interested in researching 'Dark Magic.' There was no point in planning an escape to Wales if they didn't even know what they were looking for.

There was talk of Hogwarts, but it seemed even the governors were unsure what to do. It appeared that the most rational reason Hogwarts was safe was Dumbledore. Parents would not want to send their children to a place where one of the greatest wizards who ever lived was slain by a teacher.

Ron picked up a book, but before he even opened it completely, slammed it shut. "It's pointless; there isn't anything in this one that hasn't been in the twenty before it."

Harry exhaled. "He's right, this is getting us nowhere. Maybe we've stumbled across a dead-end."

"Or maybe you're just not looking in the right places."

Harry turned to see Ginny standing in the door way with her arms crossed and a determined look in her eyes.

"What are you on about?" Ron mumbled bitterly. "You don't even know what we're looking for."

Ginny shrugged. "You aren't going to find any information about any of Harry's family in Wales. Well, not in a book."

Harry glanced at Ron and then Hermione. Hermione lowered her head so low behind a book it looked as if she were trying to disappear behind the pages.

"Hermione," Ron said sternly. "You told her?"

"No," Hermione defended.

"I figured it out myself," Ginny snapped. "Hermione didn't tell me anything and I didn't tell her anything either."

"What would you know?" Ron inquired scathingly.

Ginny shrugged again. "What you're looking for."

"Which is?" Harry asked.

Ginny met his gaze for just a moment then looked away. He could see a trace of mingled hurt for being left out and a resolve to prove herself. There was something else that he couldn't explain and he wondered for the first time if their time together had truly passed.

Ginny approached the three and took a seat next to Hermione. She glanced over her shoulder towards the kitchen then leaned in closer and made a motion for them to do the same.

"I'm going with you," Ginny said firmly.

Ron frowned. "No, you aren't."

Ginny's face turned a shade darker but she kept her cool. "Then I won't tell you what I know."

"Which is?" Ron demanded.

Harry quickly raised his wand as their voices grew louder and aimed it at the kitchen door. "Muffliato."

"I'm not a child, Ron. I'm in this just as much as you are, "Ginny continued, as she attempted to ignore Harry's gesture.

Harry felt his chest constrict as Ginny's words seared into his soul like a knife made of ice. She was right; she was in this as deep as Ron and Hermione were and he couldn't help but feel if something happened to her it would be his burden.

Ron frowned then turned on Hermione. "You've encouraged this, haven't you?"

"She has a point," Hermione defended. "She's not that much younger than Harry."

"That isn't a point," Ron and Harry said together.

Ginny narrowed her eyebrows and looked harshly at Harry. "I've earned the right for you to trust me. It has nothing to do with my age; it has everything to do with your ego."

Ron threw his hands up in the air dramatically. "It doesn't matter because none of us are going anywhere. Mum is never going to let us out of her sight long enough so we can go to Wales."

As if on cue Mrs. Weasley poked her head out of the kitchen door. "Do you kids hear that buzzing?"

"I don't hear anything," Ginny said with a straight face as Ron, Hermione and Harry all nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Weasley shrugged and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Hermione glanced at Ginny. "We've actually already figured that part out."

"Have you?" Harry asked Hermione irritably.

Hermione quickly tried to explain. "I don't know where in Wales. I told Ginny not to tell me, but we did come up with a way of getting past Mrs. Weasley."

"I'm going," Ginny said firmly.

Harry reluctantly nodded and Ron made a disapproving grumble in Harry's direction. He knew Ron would fuss at him later for allowing Ginny to be placed in danger, but Harry could see no way around this particular technicality.

Ginny took a deep breath and then started. "The reason you can't find what you're looking for in any of those books is because Dumbledore made sure any evidence connecting Harry to Wales was destroyed to protect his great-aunt. Apparently, when Harry's parents died, she was his last living relative on his father's side. However, it was Harry's mother's sacrifice that saved him therefore he had to go live with his mother's living relative. Tonks said she really didn't understand it all and that was the best she could explain it."

"Tonks?" Harry asked. "Why were you and Tonks talking about me?"

Ginny blushed lightly but kept her composure. "When your parents were murdered Dumbledore told Hagrid to bring you to your great-aunt's, Leanne Purter Potter, home in Wales so she could say her goodbyes before bringing you to the Dursleys."

"Is she still in Wales?" Ron asked. "Harry's great-aunt, that is?"

"No," Ginny said quickly, looking annoyed at Ron's interruption. "Tonks said she passed away before Harry came to Hogwarts. However, apparently the entire Potter legacy is in Wales and that is where Harry's parents are buried."

The air lingered heavily in the air as Ginny turned to face Harry before continuing. "I'm sorry, Harry."

Harry nodded quickly. "So, where in Wales is it?"

"Tonks wouldn't tell me," Ginny admitted. "It was difficult enough getting anything out of her at all."

"That doesn't help us does it?" Ron retorted.

"If you'd let me finish," Ginny snapped. "I asked Hermione if she knew of any wizarding settlements that could have been derived from the surname Purter. I thought it was a rather odd name and Tonks said Old Miss Potter insisted on being addressed by her full name. I reasoned that if Harry's family was pureblood there must be some family record of them. I took my hunch and started researching. "

Harry frowned and glanced at Hermione.

"I didn't know what she was on about, honest," Hermione said quickly.

"If you trace back family history of the name Purter, which I did," Ginny started, "you'll learn that the there was once a Lord named Patton Purter. The earliest magical record I could find said he lived around 1210 in Wales. He was the Lord of Bimdwell, where Bimdwell was a patch of land granted to him by the Welsh king. 'Muggle Marrying' back then was a crime punishable by death in the wizarding world and his son George Purter changed the spelling of his name to Porter to escape the magical shame of his name when he went to Hogwarts. Patton apparently married a Muggle of importance after his first wife died, but there were no records of who she was. Lord Purter's Muggle wife murdered him sometime while George was away at Hogwarts, so George inherited his land and titles. George avenged his father's murder and executed his Muggle stepmother, placed a Disillusionment Charm on the entire village and banished all Muggles.

"Where did you find this stuff?" Ron asked a bit skeptically.

Ginny grinned. "You overlooked the library here at Grimmauld Place too quickly. I knew that the Blacks would have a book of records of all pureblood magical families since they're all related in one way or another, and I was right. In Wales, there is a small magical community called Porter Glen I can't find the connection yet, but I'm almost positive that is where we'll find Harry's great-aunt's place."

Ron snorted, "Porter Glen? Harry's last name is Potter."

"There is another name change obviously, but it's the best hunch we've got," Hermione argued.

"And you have a plan on getting past Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked.

Ginny grinned and looked at Hermione. "Sort of, but it isn't going to be easy."

"Fred and George are closing their shop," Hermione started.

"They've got loads of merchandise that is going to have to be moved and stored someplace, which is most likely going to cause tons of distraction," Ginny continued. "They're going to ask Harry if he would mind allowing them to store some of their jokes here."

Ron's face twisted. "They're in on it?"

Ginny nodded. "I'm threatening to blackmail them if they don't cooperate."

"With what?" Ron demanded, but Ginny ignored the question.

Harry couldn't help but grin as he watched Ginny with an admiration that shouldn't have been there. She had been the one who had helped him talk to Sirius during his fifth year and now she was the one who was helping him discover his past. Apparently, it was a perk to be the little sister of Fred and George Weasley.

"With all the Apparation and Disapparation that will be taking place we'll have the perfect opportunity to pop out of here," Ginny finished.

Hermione nodded. "We'll Disapparate into Muggle London where we should be able to disappear. With all the anti-magic tracers that have been set up as a precaution to protect wizards going underground, we should be able to blend in long enough to catch a train to Wales."

"It's safer than Apparating and doesn't leave a magical trail behind. By the time they realize we're gone it will be too late," Ginny finished.

Ron shook his head. "I can't believe Fred and George are going to let you do this!"

"There is a small catch," Ginny grimaced. "They're meeting up with us before we head to Wales. They're frustrated that the Order won't let them do anything because they're still considered junior members."

Harry frowned, feeling a sense of trepidation course through him. Dumbledore had never intended on endangering so many lives on this quest and Harry couldn't help but fear that the scene he had witnessed when Mrs. Weasley encountered the Boggart a few years before could come true.

"Harry!"

Harry's head jerked up as the twins approached him with broad grins stretched across their faces.

"We have a favor to ask of you, mate," Fred began.

Harry quickly agreed to the twins favor and the day the twins officially closed down the shop, Charlie, Bill, Lupin and Mr. Weasley helped them move their important merchandise into the attic at Grimmauld Place.

Mrs. Weasley frantically worked to make sure all the boxes fit into the designated area and left Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Harry alone downstairs. It was the opportunity they needed to execute their plan. Ginny peered up the stairs and nodded.

"It's clear. Is anybody in the kitchen?"

Ron poked his head in through the kitchen door and gave a thumbs-up.

"It's now or never," Hermione said quickly, as she reached for Ginny's hand. "Remember, right outside Paddington."

Because Harry and Ginny were still not of age it was too dangerous for them to Disapparate alone. The Ministry might be watching and they couldn't afford to have themselves traced.

Ron grabbed Harry's arm and muttered under his breath, "Destination, determination, and deliberation."

Harry forced his eyes shut tightly and prayed that Ron didn't splinch them. Ron still hadn't officially passed is Apparation test. When he reopened his eyes, he saw a welcome sight. They had Disapparated into an alley outside Paddington Station in London.

"Let's find Hermione and Ginny," Ron said confidently. Harry could tell he was pleased he had succeeded in conducting a Side-Along Apparation, but they didn't have time for compliments.

The crowded streets of London were difficult to push through, but they soon found themselves outside the main entrance.

"Where are they?" Ron muttered.

Harry propped up on his toes and pointed. "There."

Hermione and Ginny raced towards them quickly with relieved expressions on their faces. Hermione made a quick motion to scan the crowd.

"We best hurry. Mum will have noticed we're gone soon," Ginny warned as the four disappeared inside.

Hermione had asked Bill to exchange some of her Wizarding currency for Muggle currency since she had spent all of her Muggle money. Because Hermione was a Muggle-born, Bill didn't ask too many questions. Hermione purchased the train tickets and as quickly as they could they boarded the train.

It seemed an eternity had passed before the train finally pulled out of the station. As the train platform disappeared in the window Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"How much time do you think we have got?" Ron asked.

Ginny laughed nervously. "I'm sure Mum has noticed we're missing. She's probably combing over the place right now. We probably have about fifteen more minutes before she discovers the note we left her."