Harry Potter and the Horcrux Quest

Chapter 5: An Official Visit from an Official

      The next day started like the previous. While Harry weeded the garden, Ron relaxed and entertained Harry by reading passages out of one of Gilderoy Lockhart's books. They were interrupted by Hedwig with a response from Hermione.

      Dear Harry and Ron,

      I'm glad you two are together. I wanted to join you, but something has come up at home, and I won't be able to see you until next week.

      I'm surprised you told Luna your plans. I hope you know what you're doing. I think Ginny should be kept informed, though. I hope Luna sticks to facts when she tells Ginny. Have you heard about the Rotfang conspiracy? Ask Luna about it sometime.

      Be careful. Ron, take your job seriously! I'm looking forward to seeing you again.

      I remain your friend,

      Hermione

      Ron read it after Harry. He looked around, as if checking the area for enemies for the first time. Harry laughed, and said, "The blood protection should be in effect here, too. It obviously doesn't work away from the house, or else those Dementors wouldn't have been able to attack me two summers ago. Let me finish up here, get cleaned up, and I have an idea for something to keep us busy for awhile. Meanwhile, you write Hermione back."

      After cleaning up they had lunch, once again alone. Petunia and Dudley had gone out to eat, so as to avoid the two wizards. While they were cleaning up, Harry said, "Ron, there's two things I want to do -- one dangerous, one not. I need to go to Gringotts. That's the dangerous one. Then I want to go shopping for some clothes that fit me. I am so tired of wearing Dudley's rags. I'm going to be free in a few weeks, and I want some clothes of my own."

      "You sure about this mate? Before I went to Diagon last summer I wouldn't have believed that it was a dangerous place, but now -- it's got to have gotten worse."

      "I know, but how else am I going to get some money? I wish there were a way to avoid it, but there isn't. Shall we go?"

      "Might as well. The sooner, the better. We're Gryffindors, right?"

      "Exactly!"

      They walked several blocks from Harry's house, before they summoned the Knight Bus. It was fairly empty, and dropped them off at the Leaky Cauldron after just a few stops. They greeted Tom at the Cauldron and exchanged a few words with him. He was concerned about them being in Diagon Alley alone. When Harry told them he was going to Gringotts, Tom lent them some floo powder and they skipped the street. Harry got a large sum of Wizarding and Muggle money, and, after it was explained to him, a check book to access his funds. Ron was surprised at their next stop, Madam Malkin's. Harry ordered a formal outfit for the wedding. They were a dark blue, the color of the sky shortly before night fell. It was fairly plain, and Ron looked at Harry as Madam Malkin made adjustments on the size.

      "I like it. Not over done with lace and things," Ron said. "It has a quiet dignity. Too bad you don't," he teased. "Of course, if it were orange it would be better."

      "So, are you wearing orange to the wedding?"

      "No, Bill already ordered our robes, to go with his. Green, to set off his hair."

      After Harry had been fitted for his robes, they looked out the window to see if it was safe. The street was almost deserted. All the hucksters were gone, having no foot traffic to sell their wares. Some of the other shops were closed, also. War was bad for business. Madam Malkin told them that she would have to close if Hogwarts closed. She couldn't afford to stay if she didn't get the business from the children's uniforms. Harry paid for his purchase, using his first check, and asked that the robe be delivered to the Burrow. They made a quick stop at the bookstore, where Harry picked up a book on Occlumency. The two teenagers then went quickly to the Leaky Cauldron and out into Muggle London.

      Ron and Harry spent the afternoon getting Harry a new wardrobe (and Harry bought Ron a new pair of jeans and a couple of shirts).

      Meanwhile, at the Burrow, Luna was visiting with Ginny in her room. Luna risked the underage magic rules by casting a Silencing Charm, and sat down with a slightly confused Ginny.

      "Ginny, Neville and I visited Harry yesterday."

      "You did? And you didn't bring me along!?"

      "I haven't seen you since before the funeral. Harry invited us to his relatives' place on the train, and you weren't on the train, you know."

      "But why would he do that? I mean, sure, Neville is his roommate. But he's hardly talked to you all year long!"

      "We did go to the Christmas party. He was very nice to me that night." Luna either didn't see, or ignored, Ginny's look of anger. "While we were with him on the train, Neville pointed out that a lot of things happened to Harry over the years that relate to Voldemort." Ginny shuddered at the name, and wondered at the casual way Luna said it. "He was very perceptive in guessing that Harry will have more encounters with the Dark Lord, and wanted to know what Harry was going to do about it. Harry didn't feel comfortable telling us on the train, so he invited us over to talk. And you have an animated dust bunny on your shoulder."

      Ginny looked at her shoulder, alarmed. Then she smiled, and introduced Luna to Arnold the Pygmy Puff.

      "He's so cute. But we have such a Bollywoggle problem at my house that I don't think he should come over. But after we got to Harry's place, and cleaned up from lunch...."

      "You had lunch with Harry?"

      "No, just helped him clean the dishes."

      "Why?"

      "Because they were dirty. It wouldn't make sense to wash them if they were already clean."

      Ginny was getting a little annoyed at Luna. "Luna, what did Harry say?"

      "He said I could tell you, so you wouldn't feel left out, because all the reasons he had for telling us apply to you, and I thought you'd be upset if you had to wait until the wedding when Harry gets here to tell you in person. So as long as no one can hear us, and we don't tell anyone else, I can tell you." She stopped and looked at her friend.

      "Luna, will you tell me already?"

      "Oh dear, I seem to have started at the end, and when I reached it, I stopped. I'm sorry. What he told us starts two years ago with the prophesy, which actually was made before Harry was born, so I guess that's more than two years ago. But the prophesy wasn't lost, and Harry knows it. It says that Harry is the one who can defeat the Dark Lord with, quote, a power the Dark Lord knows not, unquote. It turns out that when Voldemort tried to kill Harry as a baby, he was just fulfilling the prophesy. Harry said Dumbledore said the power the Dark Lord knows not is love, but we have no idea what that means. I mean, we know what love is, but how that helps defeat Voldemort, that we don't know."

      "Oh wow, he's going to defeat You Know Who! This time he won't be a baby, and he'll really be a hero!" Ginny was smiling, thinking about Harry's eventual triumph.

      "He might not, and he won't be."

      "Huh?" Why wasn't Luna happy? "This is good news, right?"

      "No, it's not. The prophesy doesn't say he will defeat Voldemort, only that he's the one with the power to do it. And it doesn't say what the power is, only that he will have it. And it doesn't say that he'll come out of it alive, even if he defeats Voldemort. And even if he does, Harry doesn't want to kill anyone, not even Voldemort."

      "When you put it like that.... Don't you think Harry will defeat Vol --You Know Who?"

      "I don't know, Ginny. Harry's quite aware that the prophesy isn't a victory announcement for him."

      Ginny turned away. She didn't know what to think. Harry had to face You-Know-Who, and wasn't sure if he would win? But he had to do it anyway?

      "Oh, Luna! What will happen if You-Know-Who kills Harry!"

      "Bad things, Ginny. Especially for people like us who fought him."

      Ginny started crying, and Luna took her friend into her arms. After a while Ginny's sobs stopped, and Luna released her.

      "Harry can't lose, Luna. He's got a string of victories going all the way back to when he was a baby." Ginny had put a false smile on her face. Luna didn't find it too convincing, but she didn't think Ginny was trying to convince her.

      "Ginny, tell me about them."

      Unlike other times when they had talked, or even the beginning of this conversation, Ginny noticed that Luna didn't have her dreamy expression. If anything, Luna was concentrating harder than Ginny had ever seen her concentrate before. Later, when Molly Weasley poked her head into Ginny's room to, she thought, rouse her daughter and get her to eat something, she found Ginny and Luna still talking behind a Silencing Spell. Since it was so late, Luna stayed for dinner, and eventually stayed the night, listening, and questioning Ginny about Harry's encounters with the Dark Lord.

      Just before they went to bed, Luna asked, "Ginny, can I borrow your owl? I have to owl Hermione."

      Another day came to Privet Drive, and Harry and Ron followed the same routine that they had the other mornings. After working on the yard and cleaning up (and putting on new, fitting clothes) they went down for lunch.

      About the same time, a few blocks away, two men suddenly appeared in the park. They looked around, and saw that their entrance had been unobserved. So far so good. They took their bearings and headed down a street towards Privet Drive. One had a sort of cat-like grace about him, despite a limp. The other was lanky and had a head of red hair. He kept consulting a notebook, and directed the older man towards number four. They knocked on the door, which was soon opened by Petunia Dursley. She looked at the men, especially the red haired one.

      "Just because we took him in, doesn't give you any right to come barging into my house! We put up with you lot enough! Now get off my property!"

      "Mrs. Dursley, I presume?" the older man began.

      "Don't you go around presuming in my house. Begone, you freaks!"

      "I'll have you know that I'm the Minister of Magic!" Petunia shrank back as if hit. She recovered quickly, and looked around outside to see if anyone was looking. She didn't see anyone, but they could be looking through the curtains.

      "I don't care who you are! I've had enough of all of you!"

      "Petrificus Totalus," the Minister said quietly, while pointing his wand discretely at the woman. He stepped in and caught her before she fell. The red head stepped inside and closed the door. They gently lowered the woman to the floor, stood up, looked around, and found Harry and Ron aiming their wands at them.

      "Arresting innocent people isn't enough? You have to hex women and break into their houses now?"

      "Potter! That's not it and you know it!" cried Percy Weasley.

      Minister Scrimgeour signaled Percy to be quiet. "Harry, I'm very sorry about that, but she was making a scene. We didn't want to attract attention."

      "You couldn't just leave as you were asked? Finite Incantatem!" He went over and helped Aunt Petunia up.

      "I'm sorry, Aunt Petunia. It seems that property rights and justice don't matter to the current government. You better take Dudley and go out for a while. He won't be here at supper time." Ron laughed and Percy choked at Harry's comment.

      Petunia wasted no time collecting Dudley from the kitchen, and leaving the house.

      "Well, you had your little joke, Potter. Can you put down the wands and talk, please?"

      "We've talked twice. You said the same thing twice. I've said the same thing twice. Why should I talk to you again?"

      "Because I have things that I think you should hear. Percy, why don't you and your brother go somewhere and reminisce about your family."

      Percy and Ron looked daggers at each other.

      "Go on, Ron. Take Percy upstairs. I don't think this will take that long."

      Ron lowered his wand, but didn't put it away. He led Percy upstairs to their bedroom, conjured up some chairs, and sat looking at his brother.

      "You're still following him," Percy said.

      "He's my friend. Friends are worth almost everything. Do you have any friends, Percy? Did you leave the family for your friends, like Sirius Black did?"

      "What are you talking about! Black was in Azkaban."

      "Before that, he left his family because he didn't support the dark wizards, like Voldemort." Ron enjoyed watching Percy flinch at the name. "Did you leave us because we support Voldemort?"

      "Stop saying that name!"

      "Well, why did you abandon us?"

      "I didn't abandon you. You all decided to follow a crazy wizard! What good has it done? Black's dead. Dumbledore's dead. You follow Potter and you'll be killed, too."

      Ron got ready for an angry retort, but then stopped. He suddenly realized that this was a chess game. He would destroy Percy's arguments one by one as if they were chess pieces.

      "Why do you say he was crazy, Percy?" Ron asked calmly.

      "You read what they said in the paper. He'd lost his touch. That business at the end of the Triwizard."

      "What business?"

      "You-Know-Who's return!"

      "So he was crazy because You-Know-Who didn't return?"

      Percy saw his problem. "No, He did."

      "Then what did Dumbledore do that was crazy?"

      And the match was on.

      Downstairs, the Minister and Harry sat in the living room.

      "Potter, is Binns still teaching?"

      "Yes, sir."

      "There's another mistake of Dumbledore's. Sure, he didn't have to pay a ghost, but he was a terrible teacher.

      "Do you know the Wizarding population of Great Britian and Ireland around 1925?"

      "No, sir."

      "Aproximately thirty thousand. That was about what was here before the Great War, what became known as World War One. Then came Grindelwald and World War II. There's not much a wizard can do when a buzz bomb is falling on your house or workplace. And we had plenty of wizards who felt it their duty to fight in WWII. So we had casualties from both the Muggle battle and the attacks by Grindelwald. But something else happened, and this is very important. The Pure Blood supporters didn't only target their opponents, whether pure-blooded or not, but also their businesses and investments. Tell me, Potter, what do you do if your business is destroyed? Or if your place of employment is?"

      "I don't know, sir. Start another? Look for another job?"

      "Exactly, except you're unwanted by those who aren't likely to be attacked, and likely to end up someplace that will be attacked."

      "Learn to fight?"

      "Some do. But if you have a family to support, you might not feel up to protecting them and your employment. No, what a lot of families did is they left - moved someplace that wasn't at war. At the end of Grindelwald's war the Wizarding population of Great Britain and Ireland was less than twenty thousand humans. We were almost to twenty six thousand by the time You Know Who started his rise to power in the '70's. Not all of that was from home grown population increase, of course. The Wizarding communities of Eastern Europe were being decimated by the Communists. I think the last wizard, The Magician out of Manchuria led the final exodus from China in 1964. But anyway, You Know Who ...."

      "Voldemort." Scrimgeour scrunched his face.

      "Please, you don't know. Early in the war - after a lot of attacks on the foreign, immigrant Wizards - they started a campaign of attacking people who said his name with the Cruciatus Curse. They'd be left alive the first time. Anyone saying it a second time was tortured to death."

      "Then call him by his real name, Tom Riddle, Junior."

      "That's his real name?"

      "Yes, and he's a half-blood. His father was a Muggle."

      "Hmm, very interesting. Perhaps we can do something with that. Please tell me more."

      Harry gave the Minister a brief sketch of Riddle's background and childhood. He left out anything that might relate to the Horcruxes, like his murder of his own father and godfather. It was clear that Scrimgeour wasn't interested in more depth, anyway.

      "Yes, we'll have to see if we can use that. But where was I? Oh yes, the first war. It started, as I said, against the immigrants. They didn't have much popular support, and a lot of people thought if they were driven out that things would be better. Well, they were driven out, and things got worse. The killings started, not just against Half-Bloods and Muggle born, but anyone who opposed, uh--Riddle, was it?--Anyone who opposed him. We were losing by the way. Sure, there were minor victories, but more and more people felt that they could put up with being ruled by Riddle if the killing would stop. The Aurors and the Order did their best, but it was getting harder to get people to fight back. And of course those most in danger left. When you finally stopped Riddle the first time, the population was down to twelve thousand. He and his Death eaters had killed maybe seven hundred. But that's seven hundred families that's impacted, and hundreds of small wizarding business.

      "He halved the wizarding population of our country in ten years. And now it's starting again. Diagon Alley is being de-populated. Hogsmeade started to feel the pinch with the cancellation of Hogsmeade weekends for the students of Hogwarts.

      "Potter, what we are looking at is the destruction of Wizarding Britain. We are looking at devastation at least as bad as happened in parts of the world under the Communists. Our whole culture will be gone, it will just be Riddle, his Death Eaters, a few who either can't get away, or are slaves, and the Muggle population. And the last will have no protection. We have to rally the population and give them something to hope for, some glimmer of hope so they don't leave, like Ollivander. You could be the rallying point."

      "Olivander is alive? He wasn't killed or captured?"

      "Oh, he's alive. He moved to one of the Wizarding communities in the United States. We have Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, they have dozens of towns spread throughout the continent, including some larger than our entire population."

      Harry considered this information.

      "It won't work."

      "How can you say that?"

      "What happened to Fudge when the truth came out? Lies only hurt people, and create a backlash when they find out they've been lied to. I can't lie to the Wizarding world. I never said I was the chosen one. I never claimed that. I'm a sixth year student. I'm no superman. I'd like to help, but I won't lie. Imagine the impact if you created false hope based on me and the Death Eaters kill me? The ministry may not be trustworthy, but I intend to be."

      Scrimgeour sputtered. He may have been used to attacks from the Press, but not to his face.

      "The fact that Umbridge isn't in Azkaban is proof that the Ministry after Fudge can't be trusted."

      "Why should Umbridge be in Azkaban?"

      Harry explained about her time at Hogwarts, the Dementors and his trial, the threat of the Unforgivable, and the Blood Quill.

      "So that's what that scar means. I'd give you my word that she'll be in Azkaban soon, but you have no reason to believe me. But just watch the Prophet, and you'll see."

      "I'll believe it when I see it, Minister. But whether you're trusted or not, you have the responsibility to do something. Somehow, I don't think trying to convince a sixteen year old to give you lip service is what you should be doing."

      "We're trying!" Scrimgeour answered angrily. "What you suggest we do?"

      "How about giving all the Muggle-born and Half-Blood families portkeys so if they're attacked they can escape? Have a set of Aurors standing by the secured reception room. The Aurors can take the portkeys back to the site of the attack, and others can secure the families, being ready for a trap. You'd have to be ready for multiple groups showing up simultaneously - the Death Eaters do multiple attacks on the nights they go out, trying to make it difficult for the Aurors to concentrate. This will work for a little while until the Death Eaters change tactics."

      Scrimgeour looked at him. "You just thought this up?"

      "No, Ron Weasley and I were trying to think of some way to keep Dean Thomas' family safe. He's a Muggle-born. His family has no protection should they be attacked."

      "That's not strictly true. A number of the Muggle-born and half-blood families have formed a group called the Muggle-born Support Group. They've had the areas around their homes warded. Should a wizard or witch cross the wards without giving the password, many of them have guns and will shoot first and ask questions later. They also have magical signals to summon Aurors."

      "You did that?"

      "Actually, no. They did. I think the Order helped. It's stopped some attacks. Lately the Death Eaters have used more attackers. And the Aurors have to appear outside any anti-Apportation shields the Death Eaters put up. As you say, tactics change as defenses are discovered. See, Harry, you have already helped us. Won't you help us more?"

      Harry sighed. "If we come up with any more ideas, I'll let you know. But I won't let you use me!"

      "Very well, Harry. I'll take what I can get, and do so with gratitude.

      "Now, there was actually another reason I came. Dumbledore's will has been read."

      Harry felt his blood run cold. Scrimgeour noticed the sudden change in the boy. Yes, he really was only 16, and when his guard fell, Scrimgeour knew he was out of his depth.

      "Dumbledore left most everything to his brother, or the school. He did leave a box for you. We think it has papers in it. We can't open it, but if you'd come to the ministry some time, you can get it then."

      "And you'll get a look at them, too, I suppose." Suddenly, the mistrustful Harry Potter was back.

      "Not if you don't want us to. I'm hoping that after seeing what's in it, that you'd feel that you could trust us enough to know what he said. If not, so be it. I want you to work with us freely. I won't force you to. Oh, yes, there are two conditions on the bequest. First you have to be an adult, which will be at the end of the month, if I recall correctly. The second is that you get your Apparation license. If you want, I can arrange to have you take it at the Ministry on your birthday."

      "Can Ron Weasley take it again, then, too? He failed his first test."

      "OK, I'll see you both on July 31^st."

      "Weasley!" the Minister called. Ron and Percy appeared at the top of the stairs.

      "Which one?" Ron asked.

      "He wants me, of course! Coming sir," Percy answered.

      As they walked to the door, Ron called, "Percy, you're my brother. We love you. I love you. Don't cut us off."

      Percy looked back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I'll see you at the wedding, Ron." Then he and the Minister of Magic left.