The Prince Returns

Chapter Eleven

The house was in shambles. The living room alone, where the fireplace was located, looked as if a tornado had been through recently. The chairs and sofas were turned over. Books seemed to have been ripped from the shelves and thrown about, several pages escaping the binding and joining the chaos. Several ornaments around the room were now on the floor, shattered into a million different pieces. "Where is everyone," Hermione asked as the four cautiously stepped off fireplace. The house was ominously quiet. After listening for several moments, they detected some noise upstairs. Slowly, they began their ascent upstairs. As they passed through the hallway to the staircase, they saw the bodies. They recognized several Order members: Kinglsey Shacklebolt, Dedalus Diggle, Sturgis Podmore, and Mrs. Figg. A few of the people lying on the floor were obviously dead. Others appeared to be only hurt. They would have to be taken care of later. Regan and Harry both wondered how late they were, if there was any one left. Despite all the bodies lying on the floor, there did not seem to be any dead Death Eaters.

Upstairs, the carnage continued. More bodies. More blood. More death. However, all four were greatly encourage to see two Death Eaters lying on the floor. Carefully, they stepped around the men and pulled down their hoods. Both had identical expressions of terror and pain. They were definitely dead. "What's that?" Ron asked, pointing his foot to the hand of one Death Eater.

"It's a pistol," Regan said. She looked back to the bodies surrounding her. Now she realized why there was so much blood. "The Death Eaters have discovered Muggle weaponry."

"Who are they?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the Death Eaters.

"Macnair. Crabbe," Harry said, recognizing them from the graveyard during his fourth year. A sudden scream from down the hall woke them from their reverie. The four hurried down the hall. The noise was coming from the masterbedroom. The four carefully entered. Peter Pettigrew was standing in the middle of the room, his wand pointed menacingly at Laura Prince, who was crouched down against the wall, terrified. Richard Prince stood on the other side of Pettigrew, his wand laying at his feet. There was no one else in the room. Everyone looked up as the four teenagers entered. Regan blanched at the sight of her mother. "Stay where you are," Richard said to the children, looking back to Pettigrew.

"I am here to offer you one last time, Prince," Peter said with conviction. He did not appear to be the weak monster Harry had once seen. "Join our side, or give my master what he wants."

"He will never get it."

"That's what you think," Peter said, his wand still pointed at Laura. Harry slowly reached for his wand. Peter turned to him quickly. "Put your hands down, Potter."

"Go downstairs, children. Molly and the others are in the kitchen," Richard said, still looking at Peter.

"No, I won't leave," Regan said stubbornly.

"Regan, GO!" Richard exclaimed, in a voice Regan had never used before. She had never heard her father sound frightened. His tone made her begin to leave. It happened as Harry was in the doorway, the others behind him, all leaving. Peter smiled at Richard, as if to tell him that he had lost. Peter then turned back to Laura. "AVADA KEDAVRA!!"

There was a blinding green light. Then, Laura fell to the floor unmistakably dead. Regan gasped and ran to her mother. Richard reacted quickly. No sooner than Peter had lowered his wand than Richard was on him, throwing him to the ground. Hermione buried her face in Ron's shirt. He held her tightly, but turned his own head. Regan buried her face in her mother's hair. Harry watched. He was the only one to see the murderous rage on Richard's face, the pain and anguish. He was the only one to see Richard kill Pettigrew. Richard didn't use magic, he used his bare hands. He positioned himself over Pettigrew and wrapped his hands around his neck. He gripped as tightly as his hands would allow, then picked up Peter's head as high as it would go, and brought it to the ground with such force that Harry didn't understand why his neck didn't break. Peter was grunting in pain, terror filling his face, any conviction and faith in himself gone. It only took a few moments for Peter to do, but for Harry it seemed like an eternity. Richard's hands tightened. Peter's arms flailed about, trying to grab a hold of Richard, but not having enough strength. Peter's face turned an alarming shade of red, then purple, then a blue color, and then white as he stopped struggling. Richard slowly released Peter. Regan, Hermione, and Ron looked up. Richard left Peter's body and went to his daughter, wrapping her in an embrace. All rage was wiped from his face, replaced by a deep sadness and loss. Regan began to cry into her father's arms and Richard looked as if he might join her. Harry suddenly felt like he was intruding. He left the room, followed by Hermione and Ron.

All three were silent as they made their way down to the kitchen. Molly and Remus were the only ones in the kitchen. Both looked at the children anxiously when they entered. Molly ran to them and enveloped them into a hug. "What are you doing here?" Molly demanded.

"What's going on up there? I heard screaming. And the curse," Remus said. Harry decided Remus would be easier to answer.

"Peter. He killed Laura," Harry said, instantly regretting to be the one to tell Remus. Remus's face fell and his face became filled with loss, not unlike Richard's. "Richard killed Peter. He's dead."

"Good," Remus said, heading for the stairs. Harry grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"No. Leave them alone." Remus nodded and went back into the kitchen.

"Where is everyone?" Hermione asked.

"Well, some of the Order members managed to capture a few Death Eaters. All those strong enough Apparated to the Ministry, taking the Death Eaters with them. I imagine Ministry officials will be here shortly," Molly said.

"Where's Dad? The twins?" Ron asked.

"They're fine. They're at the Ministry now," Molly said. Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did they get most of the Death Eaters?" Harry asked.

"No. There were so many of them. Most got away once our guys brought out their wands and started to defend themselves," Remus said, scowling.

"What about Voldemort?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. He and Lucius made a brief appearance at the beginning, then disappeared," Molly said.

"Are they still in the house?" Harry demanded. All at once, a loud noise issued from the basement, where Richard's offices were located. Without hesitation, Harry hurried to the stairs and went down to the basement, Remus, Ron, Hermione, and Molly following him. The noises were obviously coming from the library, where Richard stored all of his magical items. Harry briefly recollected what Hermione had said about Richard's rare artifacts concerning dark magic. The five cautiously entered the library. Lucius Malfoy, his Death Eater hood still down, was in one corning, pulling items out of cabinets. He seemed to be searching for something. The library was a wreck. He appeared to have gone through everything. He looked up, startled to see that he had company. He and Remus both pulled out their wands simultaneously, pointing them at one another.

"What are you doing here?" Lucius demanded, looking at Harry. "Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Thought I should be here," he said simply, noting Malfoy's surprise at his appearance. Apparently, Draco had been telling the truth. Stranger things had happened.

"Remus Lupin," came a low voice from the shadows. Voldemort slowly appeared, wearing expensive robes of a deep green. His hood was also down. Voldemort no longer appeared pale and sickly. He had taken full human form, his face as snakelike as ever. Voldemort appeared powerful and very much alive. His eyes still burned red, seeming to glow in the dimly lit room. "Lower your wand."

Wordlessly, as if in a trance, Remus did. "Harry Potter," Voldemort hissed. "It is so good to see you. I've been looking forward to this." He smiled, his mouth twisting into something of a grimace. He kept his eyes on Harry, but gave Malfoy a simple command. "Kill him."

Malfoy grinned, raised his wand to Harry, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" he bellowed, a green light issuing from the tip of his wand. Molly Weasley's maternal instincts kicked into gear. She jumped in front of Harry, shielding him from the light. It hit her and she fell to the floor, dead.

"No!" Ron and Harry yelled in unison. They both knelt down to Molly. Remus took the opportunity to pull out his wand. "Expelliarmus!" He yelled. Malfoy's wand instantly flew into Remus's outstretched hand.

"Another time then, Potter," Voldemort said, attempting a smile once more. "It's time to go, Lucius."

"But my wand," he whined.

"Right," Voldemort said. With a flick of his wrist, the wand flew from Remus's hand to Malfoy's. With another flick, both men were gone.

****

The Ministry spent several weeks cleaning up the mess at the Prince house. It took them several days just to collect all of the bodies. It took them another week to identify everyone. Several arrests were made, but the Death Eaters refused to give information. They knew that they wouldn't be in Azkaban long. The dementors were on their side.

The Ministry managed to clean up the house enough so that the remaining Order members would be able to stay there. The Weasleys were staying there. So was Remus. Everyone inside the house seemed sad, there was an air of depression about the place. So many people had died. Not long after the attack, there was a large memorial for all those lost. Nearly every respectable wizards within traveling distance came. Though the Order had lost many members, it gained even more. Voldemort was a reality in a way he had never been before. Many people had lost family members and friends.

After the memorial, Harry and Hermione went back to school. Regan and Ron didn't. They chose to stay at the Prince house and be with their families. Also, the Prince house was suddenly very safe. As it remained the headquarters for the Order, Ministry guards surrounded the estate. Many different charms were places around the estate so that no one would enter. It was almost as safe as Hogwarts.

It was arranged so that Ron and Regan would be able to continue their lessons from home. All of their teachers, including Severus Snape, were very understanding. They would be able to keep up with their classmates.

Hogwarts seemed very quiet without Ron or Regan. Several other students, like Ginny Weasley, had left school to be with their families. The Princes and Weasleys weren't the only people who lost loved ones. Several students were finishing the school year via owl.

"Have you heard from Regan and Ron?" Harry demanded once Hermione joined him at the Gryffindor table one morning not long after they had returned to Hogwarts.

"Harry, calm down. The post hasn't even arrived yet," Hermione said. Harry said nothing, just stared into space with a vacant expression he was displaying too often. "It wasn't your fault, Harry. Molly would have done that for any one of us."

"But it was me. I'm the reason she's dead."

"Don't say that. It was Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort. They are the ones who did it, not you. No one blames you. Not Ron. Not Ginny. No one," Hermione said. She had given Harry a similar speech several times in the past few days. "There are only a few more weeks left of the school year, then we can all go back to the Prince house. I think that everything will be better once we're all together again. By then, Regan and Ron will have mourned in private. They'll be ready for their friends again."

"It's going to be a long few weeks," he said. "I didn't do anything Hermione. I just stood there."

"There was nothing you could do Harry. You're lucky to be alive. Voldemort could have killed you."

"I wasn't lucky. Hermione, my scar didn't hurt," he whispered. He hadn't told anyone this. He was reluctant to share.

"What do you mean?"

"My scar didn't hurt. It usually hurts whenever Voldemort is near. Sometimes, I can feel his emotions through the scar. Last year, it hurt all the time. This year, it hasn't been. It hasn't hurt at all. No sudden visions of Voldemort. Nothing. I didn't say anything. I thought maybe he was losing his power, or maybe he was too far away. I thought it was a good thing. But last night, I should have felt something. My scar didn't even tingle. Nothing," he said, feeling as though a huge weight had been lifted off his chest.

"You should tell Dumbledore, or at least Remus. Maybe, maybe the connection is gone," Hermione said, still considering it.

"I suppose. Hermione, do you ever think that maybe if we hadn't questioned Regan, if she and Ron hadn't been bickering, if maybe we would have gotten there sooner, we could have prevented it all?"

"No. What's done is done, Harry, there's nothing we can do to change it, so don't think like that." Suddenly, the Great Hall filled with owls. The morning post was here. Hermione received the Daily Prophet. No other owls stopped at their table. Harry had hoped that Ron or Regan would send something. Hermione was busy scanning the newspaper. She didn't notice Harry's lack of owls.

"Anything interesting?" he asked.

"Nope. Just the usual stuff about the attack," Hermione said. Since it happened, the newspaper had had several stories about the attack, but no new information. "Come on Harry, let's go to class."

Harry and Hermione got up and walked to their classroom. Several students looked at them along the way, whispering to one another. Thanks to the Daily Prophet, most students knew what had happened. However, they were awestruck by Harry. They seemed to think that he had faced Voldemort. They saw him as someone courageous. They didn't know how he had stood there and watched Molly and Laura die.

****

Several weeks later, Hermione was glad to leave Hogwarts, something she had never expected. She was tired of all the whispers and stares from fellow students. She was tired about the constant questions about that day. She was also tired about the special treatment from the teachers. She had wanted to be punished for sneaking into the Slytherin common room and leaving the castle. Instead, her teachers had excused her behavior. Then, they had given her and Harry longer deadlines. Hermione was glad to be rid of their concerned looks and sympathetic smiles. She was ready to go home and be away from the magical world for awhile. Though she missed Ron and Regan, she wanted to be with her own family for awhile, just a week or so, but that would be enough of a break for her.

Harry, on the other hand, was going straight to the Prince house. He had written his relatives a brief note explaining that he would be spending his final summer as a minor with friends. They did not write back.

The train compartment seemed very empty and lonely with just the two of them. They made a few attempts at conversation, but ended up simply staring out the train window at passing scenery. At the train station, Harry and Hermione gathered their things and exited the train. They were surprised to see Lucius Malfoy on the platform, waiting for his son. "I can't believe he has the nerve to show his face," Hermione muttered. The Malfoy name had never appeared in any Daily Prophet articles, but many rumors had spread about his involvement in the attack. He gave Harry and Hermione and wave before collecting Draco as he got off the train. Malfoy did not seem like a very happy man. Somewhat satisfied Lucius was unhappy about something, they searched the crowds for friendly faces.

Hermione quickly found her parents. "See you later, Harry," she said before hurrying off to join the Muggles, who looked very out of place. Harry could not seem to find anyone who would be escorting him to the Prince house. Of course, Harry supposed it could be anyone. He wasn't for sure who the Order would send to collect him, and with the Order so busy at the moment, he figured that it would be just some lowly member who hadn't been with the Order very long. He was wrong. After several moments of anxious looking around, he found Remus Lupin. The two made eye contact and smiled at one another.

"Let's hurry, Harry. Tonight's a full moon and I need to be getting back to the house," Remus said, slightly embracing the young man. "Everyone's waiting for you."

"Remus, there's something I need to tell you," Harry began. He had not taken Hermione's advice and told anyone about the scar. He had wanted to tell Dumbledore, but just couldn't find the right time. He had hoped that he would be able to tell someone over the summer.

"Sorry, Harry, but not now. The Order is in full swing, very busy. There isn't a moment to waste."

"Oh," Harry said, practically running to keep up with Remus. "How are we getting there?"

"Ministry cars," Remus said with a smile.

"Ministry cars?"

"Yes. Fudge greatly regrets his lack of involvement so far and is trying to make up for it. Do you need anything, Harry? A new broom? A million Galleons? Just ask the Ministry. They are being very cooperative," Remus said nonchalantly. Harry laughed in spite of himself. Sure enough, a black care was waiting for them in the parking lot. A driver emerged from the car and placed Harry's luggage in the backseat. Remus and Harry got in afterwards, the driver shutting their door. Moments later, they were off.

"Remus, how is everyone doing at the house?" he asked hesitantly.

"They're all right I suppose. Richard and Arthur have thrown themselves into their work. Everyone is just to busy to properly think. That's probably for the best. There were a few days there, right after it happened, when no one seemed to be able to think, to work, to smile. But that time has passed. Everyone is moving on. There is work to be done," Remus said. As if for proof, he smiled at Harry. However, Harry could detect the sadness in his eyes.

"What about Regan and Ron?"

"They're okay. Ron has spent a lot of time with the twins. I was so happy this morning. The twins sneaked a Nosebleed Nougat in my breakfast. Well, I was happy once the bleeding stopped. It's good to see that they're back to their old tricks. Everyone had a laugh at the breakfast table. Ron seems to be doing a lot better. Of course, it helps that he has so much homework to do."

"He did his homework?"

"Of course, with a lot of persistence from Regan. They both successfully completed their sixth year."

"That's good. How is Regan?"

"Good, good. Right after it happened, she spent a lot of time with her father. I think that helped. Then she was able to work on her homework. She had a lot of help, though."

"What do you mean?"

"She had a lot of help with her homework. From a friend from school. I assumed it was Hermione. They were constantly in correspondence, owl nearly every day."

"No. It wasn't Hermione," Harry muttered, suddenly losing his happy thoughts.

"Oh, who then?"
"Draco Malfoy. They have become friends or something," Harry mumbled. Remus shrugged. "I don't know how she can talk to him, after what his father did."
"You shouldn't judge Malfoy by his father. There is a war, Harry, don't make enemies if you don't have to."

"But his father is a Death Eater. Surely it's dangerous for her to be communicating with him."

"Regan is a smart girl. She won't tell Malfoy anything that he shouldn't know. It is a two-way street, Harry. He could just as easily tell her his secrets. Regan told me how she knew about the attack."

"Yeah, and we were too late."

"Still, maybe next time you won't be. Trust me, Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort had not wanted you there that day. I know how you think, Harry, and stop. Draco Malfoy was not supposed to tell Regan the information he gave her. Maybe it's a good thing that they've become friends. At least she was able to finish her lessons in time."

"Right. So," he said, ready for a subject change, "has the Order made any progress?"
"Somewhat. Having the Ministry back us up has helped. Everyone is very busy, Harry."

"Does anyone know what Malfoy and Voldemort were looking for in the library?"

"No, but we haven't had any time to look. Been very busy."

"Oh, I see."

"I know!" Remus said with such vivacity that Harry nearly fell off his seat. "That's what you can do to help the Order. You and your friends could look through the library, see what you can find. Ron and Regan have been after me to find something for them to do. Everyone wants to help out. I don't know if it'll be fun, but it'll be something productive you can do. I mean, you can only play Quidditch so many times."

"Sure, we could do that, but we'll have to wait for Hermione. She'll want to be involved-all that time in the library would be like heaven for her."

"Good. Ah, here we are," Remus said as the car came to a stop. The driver quickly came around the car and opened the door for them. Once they were out, he retrieved Harry's luggage.

Harry was surprised at the sight of the Prince house. He was expecting to see some sign of what had happened just a couple of months ago. Instead, it looked impeccable, right out of a magazine. The lawns were perfect, no where near the trampled mess Harry had last seen them as. Inside was similar. The house had been arranged to look perfect again, not a single chair out of place. It was like a different place altogether. The largest change was the atmosphere. The feeling of fear and death was gone. It was replaced by a sense of activity and contentment. Suddenly, Harry was nervous about facing the Weasleys, especially Arthur and Ron, wondering if they would blame him. Remus stopped him before they went in. "Harry, it wasn't your fault, all right?" Harry nodded. "Good, we'll talk later."

Harry suddenly remembered his scar. His hand went to it automatically as Remus opened the door. Any doubts Harry might have had about Ron's opinion of him vanished when the door opened. Ron was standing there, waiting for him, a huge grin coming over his face at the sight of his friends. "Harry!" Ron exclaimed, hugging the startled boy. "Thought that was you."

Once Ron released him, Harry stepped back and looked the redhead over. The last time he had seen Ron, his mother had just died. He had been sad, ignoring everyone and everything. He hadn't spoken to anyone, didn't acknowledge their condolences. That had all changed. Ron looked much better. To begin with, he was smiling. His face lost the dark appearance. He looked like a young man again, a boy. "How are you?" Harry asked, trying to keep his tone light.

"Fine. We've been so busy here," Ron said, a darkness momentarily passing over his face as he remembered his mother. "It's been months, Harry. There have been changes, of course. Everyone's getting along fine. Well, almost everyone."

"Where is everyone at?" Harry asked. There were Order members everywhere, but he couldn't see any of his friends.

"Outside. Playing Quidditch of course." The two headed towards the pitch, Harry stopping to pick up his broom. "I was with them, but thought I saw the Ministry car. I wanted to give you a proper welcome."

"What did you mean before? About almost everyone?"

"Oh," he said, the darkness reappearing. "Ginny isn't doing to well. We've all tried to help her. She and Mum were real close. She's just upset is all."

The two boys were almost to the Quidditch pitch. Harry could make out some of the figures. The unmistakable blonde hair of Regan. The twins. He even thought he saw Percy. "Percy?" Harry questioned. Percy had not spoken with his family for nearly two years.

"Yep. After Mum....he came back. He was real sorry. I don't know. We all just sort of forgave him. Nothing else to do, really. He hasn't forgiven himself, though. You know, he hadn't talked to her for nearly two years when it....you know. He's trying to compensate by playing Quidditch." Harry couldn't decide what Ron felt about Percy. His face was blank.

"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked, not able to find her on the pitch.

"Over there," Ron said, nodding to the gardens. Harry looked and saw Ginny, sitting on a bench, staring into space. "She's been having dreams again. About him."

"Him?"

"Tom Riddle."

"Should I go talk to her?"

"No. Leave her alone. Don't talk to her until she comes to you. I found that out the hard way. She'll talk to Dad and Remus. Bill and Charlie if she's in a good mood."

"Bill and Charlie are here?" Harry asked, excited in spite of himself. Ron nodded toward the Quidditch pitch. Harry could barely make out two additional redheads. He also spotted Regan again. "How's Regan doing? Remus said she was fine, but I thought you'd know better."

"She's okay. She's been writing to Malfoy. Honestly, I don't see how she can stand him, after what his father did."

"Remember what Hermione said. This is a war. We don't need extra enemies."

"Whatever. Regan's doing fine. Richard's okay, too. He's been working real hard. Don't tell anyone, but Regan told me that he's hired a private investigator in New York to look for Braydon," Ron whispered, as if someone could hear them. At the mention of Richard, Harry thought back to that day, seeing Richard kill Peter Pettigrew with his bare hands.

"So you and Regan are getting along okay?"

"Yeah. We had to. Everyone else in the house was going mental. We were the only sane ones. Plus, I needed help with my school work. She can be nice, just don't bother her about Malfoy. She'll go all crazy on you."

"Crazy on you? Can I quote that?" Harry asked, laughing. He had missed his friends. The two boys finally reached the pitch. They stood, watching the game, for a few minutes before anyone saw them. Regan was the first to notice them. She dropped the Quaffle in her excitement and rushed down to them, neatly getting off her broom at the last minute.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, hugging him. Once released, Harry also looked her over. She looked perfect, as usual. Her clothes, even though for Quidditch, looked expensive. They fit her as if they were made specifically for her body. She did not look too sad. In fact, if Harry did not know her, he would not believe that she had just lost her mother. However, he looked into her green eyes and saw a bit of sadness, hidden. She smiled up at him. "Good to have you back. How was school? I didn't want to miss the last months, especially with finals, but I couldn't leave home. How is Hermione?"

"She'll be here in a week," Ron piped up, looking brighter.

"School was fine," Harry said. "But it feels like I haven't flown in ages. Let's play Quidditch."

That was all Ron needed. He was in the air in an instant. Regan and Harry paused. "Have you talked to Ginny?" Harry asked.

"Kind of. We aren't exactly the best of friends, but we're kind of the only girls in the house."

"Is she doing okay?"

"No," Regan said bluntly. "She and her mom were really close."

"So were you and Laura."

"Yeah," she said indifferently. "But Ginny is a year younger than me and I just don't think she was ready for it."

"And you were? You're so mature?"

"Look, my parents have always been very realistic with me. My father and my family have always been in danger. Do you know who my father is?" She was almost angry, with an arrogance in her voice Harry had come to know. "There are always wizards about who would like to hurt him. He probably put a relative in Azkaban or something. My parents prepared me mentally for something like this."

"What are you talking about," Harry teased. "You're a spoiled brat from New York."

"True, but I am still more prepared than Ginny. Plus, I've got friends who helped me through it. Ginny hasn't been corresponding with her friends very much. Look, everyone is getting restless," she said, motioning to the boys flying above them. "Let's go play Quidditch."

Harry gave one last look at Ginny. She looked so sad, so alone. He fought the urge to go to her, to comfort her. Instead, he mounted his broom and took off.