Will You Ever Return to Me?

Chapter 15.

"You!" Harry yelled, and reached for his wand.

"There'll be none of that, Mr. Potter." Hund stood up, his own wand in his hand. "I didn't bring you here to duel you--not that you'd be much of a challenge."

Harry aimed his wand at the man. Hund lazily raised his own to block. He was still smiling. "We really should talk."

"We have nothing to talk about. You sent me to jail--"

Hund reached into his pocket and tossed something to him. Harry, shocked by recognition, barely managed to catch it. It was his invisibility cloak.

"You stole--"

"Borrowed," Hund corrected.

"I didn't give you permission--"

"I couldn't have asked--"

"I wouldn't give--"

"Does it matter? I put it to some good use, but now, I am returning it. I do acknowledge you as the rightful owner."

"Oh, thanks a lot," Harry said sarcastically. "Good use? What you and I consider to be good use are liable to be two different things."

"What makes you say that?" Hund asked.

Harry laughed. He had a perfect response to that. "Cincinnati."

"And your evidence that I had anything to do with that is...?" Hund let the question hang in the air. Did he really think Harry was that stupid?

"Sometimes I think defeating Voldemort had clouded your judgment, Mr. Potter. There was only one Voldemort. I am not another."

"How did you get me here? And were his here, anyway?"

"Like I said, Potter, you're in Chicago. The top of the Sears Tower, in a special section protected by magical wards. And as for how..." Hund laughed. "It was very simple, considering my allies."

"Allies?" Harry asked.

"One ally in particular," he said. "Come in, Mrs. Malfoy."

Harry aimed his wand at the side door, through which Ginny stepped in. "You!" he shouted. "I believed you--"

"A mistake on your part, Mr. Potter. Of course, it would have been easier had--"

He didn't finish. He didn't need to. Had I jumped into her arms the moment I saw her. It was probably true, too.

"Hello, Harry," Ginny said. "The game is up, apparently."

"Apparently. It should have been up the moment you married Malfoy, though. "How could I have been--"

"Mr. Potter," Hund interrupted, "I brought you here to talk."

"About what?"

"We don't have to be enemies, Mr. Potter. Surely you realize that."

"Oh? We should be friends, then?"

"I am going to rule wizarding America one day," Hund said. "I've had enough of us bowing down to the Muggle world."

"And you want my help? No thanks," Harry said.

"I neither need nor want your help. But America has nothing do with you. Go back to Britain--you can take it over, you know."

Whatever Harry expected, this wasn't it. "Yeah. It's that easy," he said. "The Ministry, the Aurors are just going to--"

"Kill them," Hund said. "Don't pretend you don't want revenge for everything they've done to you. I know you better than that."

"You don't know me at all," Harry spat. "And the worst thing they did was throw me in prison--and you had something to do with that, I recall."

"I had to cooperate so I could get information out of Bellatrix. It was her idea all along. We broke up since then. If you kill her, I won't shed a tear."

"I have no intention of killing anyone," he said.

"You killed Voldemort," Hund pointed out.

"That was different."

"How so? Oh, wait. He wasn't innocent. Well, innocence is a matter of degree, Mr. Potter, and I think it's time you learned that."

"I don't think so," Harry said. "I have no desire to become a murderer."

"You know, Potter," Hund said suddenly, "we're quite alike."

"We're nothing alike," Harry replied.

"One way in which we're alike," Hund continued, "is that neither of us has much respect for the law."

"What. I--"

"Don't lie to me, Potter. You aren't a weak person--quite the contrary."

"So? The law--"

"The law is about hampering the strong from doing what they need to do. Did you give a damn about the law when you hunted Voldemort? Did you give a damn about the law when you went after the late Mr. Malfoy? Did Dumbledore give a damn about the law when Fudge moved against him?" He laughed. "There's a perfect example of what the law does. An idiot like Fudge strutting around like a king while Dumbledore is forced to skulk. Is that your ideal world, Mr. Potter? Because I am really sorry for you if it is."

"Voldemort didn't give a damn about the law either."

"True. That was a strength. And you realized that, didn't you? If you were going to defeat him, you couldn't stick to the law either. And neither can I. All I need from you is that you do not waste your and my time trying to stop me. Go back to Britain and leave America to me. If you wish, you can even marry Mrs. Malfoy and take her with you--she does love you, although I don't really understand that. I'd miss her assistance--"

"I have no intention of marrying Ginny," Harry said sharply. Ginny looked ready to burst into tears. Serves her right.

"Glad to hear it," Hund said.

"You won't be so glad when you her me out." He turned to Ginny. "You've betrayed me twice now. I shouldn't have been surprised--I won't be again, you can count on that. As for you,--" he looked at Hund, "--you're wrong. We must, indeed, be enemies. I will do everything I can to stop you. And I can do a lot." With that, he fired off a Stunner, which crumpled Ginny before she could even reach for her wand, and turned to Hund.

A hard object hit him in the chest, and he gasped. By the time he aimed his wand, he was, once again, hurling through space.

He landed on the floor of the bar in Salem. He stood up, brushed the dust off his robes, and ran out, ignoring the looks customers sent his way. He had to get to Clarence.

"Harry!" A voice shouted as he approached the school buildings.

"Megan!" he yelled, and ran up to kiss her. "How'd it go?"

"They'll let me stand trials!" she shouted with excitement. "Last week of October."

"You'll pass," Harry assured her. "And you'll get in, and in two years or so, you'll graduate as an Auror."

"Thanks," she said. "Celebrate?"

"I have to see Professor Clarence first." He frowned. "But then, yes, we can celebrate." It'll help me forget about... everything, anyway.

Megan followed him into the Headmistress's office. "Come in," Clarence said, choking on the words.

They entered. Clarence was not alone; Professor Lyman was there as well. They both turned.

"Harry!" Clarence shouted. "What happened? Who--? Are you all right? We were about--"

Megan turned to him. "All right, Harry, the full story. What were you up to?" she demanded.

Harry explained to her how he got the envelope that was a Portkey. "And?" Megan asked.

"And what?"

"Where'd it take you? Who was behind it?" Clarence asked.

"It took met to Chicago. Straight to Hund."

"Hund..." Professor Lyman muttered.

"We... talked. He wanted me to leave him alone while he took over the U.S."

"You refused, of course," Megan said.

"He offered to let me take over Britain. But yes, I refused. Then he tossed another Portkey at me and sent me back."

"What I'd like to know," Clarence said thoughtfully, "is how Hund found out you were here."

Harry laughed. "That's very simple, Professor. Ginny works for him."