The Prince Returns

Chapter Fifteen

Harry left Richard on his balcony. He went downstairs to see who else was up. He finally found Ginny in the kitchen, eating cereal on the island. "Good morning," he said. She nodded, her mouth full of food. "Is anyone else up?"

"I think Ron and the girls are," she said once her mouth was empty. "I heard Ron going to his room and voices coming from Regan's room."

"Oh," he said and sat down on a bar stool next to her. He poured his own bowl of cereal and began eating.

"Harry," Ginny said after a few moments of comfortable silence. "I haven't really thanked you for the other night. For talking to me out in the garden. You let me get everything off my chest and I really appreciate it. I think it offered a kind of closure. It made her death seem real. Before, it was like it was all a dream and she would come back. Talking to you made me see that she would never come back. It allowed me to face that and accept it. Thank you, Harry."

Harry was speechless. "It was nothing Ginny. We were all worried about you. It's nice to see you back to normal again."

"I still miss her, but I feel like I have you as a friend now, and that helps more than you'll ever now." She seemed to have said her piece and returned to her cereal. Harry just looked at her. He had not expected for her to be so touched by his friendship. He was about to tell her so, but Ron entered the kitchen, looking slightly disheveled from the night before.

"Morning," he mumbled, sitting at the counter and fixing cereal.

"Are Regan and Hermione still fighting?" Harry asked. Ron looked a little confused.

"Well, they weren't fighting when they got up exactly. They weren't being very friendly towards each other either. I was still half-asleep when they woke up. They exchanged a few mean words. I didn't know what was going on. Regan took a shower. While she was in the shower, Hermione 'accidentally' flushed the toilet. Anyway, a few moments later, Regan emerged from the bathroom looking pissed off. They didn't say anything, just glared at each other. They pretty much ignored me, so I went to my room to change clothes. When I came back, less than ten minutes later, the girls were fine. In fact, they were talking about going shopping in Muggle London," Ron finished, looking more confused. "I don't understand it."

"They're going shopping? Is that safe?" Harry asked. Just then, the girls came downstairs. They were talking and laughing. They joined the trio in the kitchen, but did not fix any breakfast. They appeared to be waiting for something.

"Does anyone want to come with us? Ginny?" Regan asked. Ginny shook her head.

"No thanks," she replied. Ron also shook his head. He did not appear to be entirely awake.

"Is it safe to go shopping alone?" Harry repeated.

"We aren't going alone," Regan said with a mischievous smile. "We just talked to Dad. He's going to take the Ministry's sudden cooperation to heart. He's using the Floo now to talk to someone in the Ministry. He's going to have a Ministry car and driver take us to London and a bodyguard from the Ministry watch us."

"Regan has promised that we will go to a few book stores," Hermione said, as if she needed to convince herself that shopping was necessary. However, a glint in her eye suggested that she may be looking forward to shopping with a bodyguard and personal driver.

"I don't understand," Harry said. "Last night, you could hardly stand to look at each other."

"Last night was last night," Regan said casually. Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Do you want to come with us or not?" Hermione asked.

"Not really my thing," he said simply.

"You're missing out. The Prada store in London is having a huge, one-day only sale today," Regan said excitedly.

"I think I'll live," Harry said. There was a knock on the door.

"That's probably the driver," Hermione said. She and Regan said a quick 'good-bye' before leaving. Harry looked after them, still bewildered by their new attitudes. He shook his head. He would never understand girls.

****

Less than two hours of shopping later, Regan and Hermione were laden with several shopping bags. They put them in the nearly-overflowing trunk of the Ministry car and continued shopping. As they walked to the next store, their bodyguard followed closely behind them. Their bodyguard was a tall, solid man dressed in a very nice suit. He traveled a few feet behind them so that he would not interfere in their personal conversations. The girls kept looking back at him, not used to the attention.

They went into Manolo Blahnik, though Hermione protested. Regan immediately picked out a pair of shoes and had the attendant find her size. "Hermione, you are in the presence of shoes. At least pretend to be interested," Regan said sternly.

"Can we go to a bookstore next?" Hermione asked. Regan nodded. That was enough for Hermione. She grabbed the shoe nearest to her and asked an attendant for it in her size. While they were waiting for their shoes, Hermione looked around the store. She did not know why Regan go so excited by shoes. Hermione did not find high heels that comfortable. In fact, she sometimes had difficulty walking in them. Also, these types of shoes were so expense. Hermione could hardly afford one shoe, let alone a pair. Hermione's gaze settled on the cashier. She looked familiar. "Regan, do you recognize her?"

"Who?" Regan asked. She had been previously distracted by a pair of sandals.

"The cashier. I've seen her somewhere before..."

"No. I haven't really had an opportunity to properly shop in London and get acquainted with the store employees, but I'm sure that we'll have no problem with her. I've got my new credit card and you wouldn't believe the limit it has," Regan said, turning back to the sandals.

"Where have I seen her..."Hermione wondered aloud, concentrating on the woman behind the register. "Diagon Alley!" she exclaimed, remembering her trip to Diagon Alley last year for school supplies. The woman behind the counter had been at the bookstore, looking for a spell book. If Hermione remembered correctly, the woman had been incredibly rude.

"Diagon Alley?" Regan asked doubtfully. "I don't think a witch would work in Manolo Blahnik. This store if very selective in hiring its employees."

"It's her, I'm sure of it."

"So? She probably has no idea who we are. Even if she does, she can't exactly talk to us in the middle of a Muggle store. Besides, I'm sure there are plenty of witches and wizards out there who don't know who Hermione Granger is."

"Here you ladies are," the attendant said, suddenly appearing with their shoes. While they were trying on the shoes, Hermione kept glancing back to the cash register. The woman seemed normal enough, but Hermione just had a feeling about her.

They were in the store for nearly an hour until Hermione finally persuaded Regan to leave. In the end, Regan chose two new pairs of shoes. Hermione followed her to the cash register, interested in finally talking to the cashier. "Will this be all?" she asked politely as she rang up Regan's purchases.

"Yes," Regan muttered, pulling out her credit card. The cashier looked at the card with curiosity.

"Regan Prince?" she asked. Regan nodded and pulled out her purse for i.d. The cashier looked from Regan to her driver's license. As she did so, the sleeve of her shirt moved up slightly. Hermione looked at her arm with wonder. Barely visible on her forearm was the Dark Mark. Hermione gasped involuntarily. The cashier raised an eyebrow at the girl and quickly pulled down her sleeve. Hermione turned to Regan and could tell from her awe-struck appearance that she had seen the Dark Mark. Both girls quickly recovered and left the store.

"Did you see that?" Regan asked as they left the store.

"I can't believe that we saw a Death Eater in Muggle London!" Hermione exclaimed.

"I can't believe that Manolo Blahnik would hire a Death Eater. Maybe it's a fluke. Maybe she just has a tattoo or something," Regan suggested. The girls entered a bookstore and lowered their voices.

"No. That was definitely the Mark. Plus, I recognized her from Diagon Alley," Hermione said knowingly.

"Still, I can't believe that she would be working the cash register at a place like that," Regan said, crestfallen.

"I'm sure she's worked there for a while and only recently became a Death Eater," Hermione said reassuringly. Regan visibly brightened. "While it is shocking that a Death Eater would work at such a respectable establishment, it shows just how wide Voldemort has gone. How many servants does he have if they extend all the way to Muggle London?"

"Well, Dad has said that his influence has increased over the last year or so..."

"Still, I would never expect to find a Death Eater while shopping here."

"They could be anywhere," Regan said. Both girls suddenly felt very paranoid. They did a quick glance around the store. The bookstore seemed to be very full. "I'm not in the mood to shop any more."

"Me neither."

****

The next afternoon, Richard visited Hogwarts. When he returned, he confirmed everyone's suspicions: the amulet was the Amulet of Rah. However, that was all Dumbledore had decided. The Amulet went to the safe in Richard's study, where it was protected by several Muggle security systems and several wizard charms. Hermione again brought up its destruction, but was ignored. Richard and Remus both seemed to think that the Amulet may be useful later on, and Dumbledore apparently agreed with them. However, the Amulet was still kept secret. Only a few Order members knew about the Amulet. No one knew at the Ministry. The children promised their silence. Still, its presence in the safe in Richard's office was felt by those aware of it. Every time they would walk by the office, their eyes were invariably drawn to the small safe in the corner.

Summer passed quickly. The twins were busy with their joke shop, employing the help of everyone not involved in Order work. Regan continued to help them with promotion and advertisement. Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny suffered as testers. However, Arthur put a restriction on their experiments once Ginny ate too many Violet Biscuits and remained a dark shade of purple for several days.

The Prince house was always full of activity. Interesting people, both Order and Ministry officials, were constantly coming and going. The guest house continued to play home for several paranoid wizards who no longer felt safe at their own house. The children, however, were not well-informed. They were told what they needed to know and that was all. Hermione insisted on going through the Daily Prophet, reading and re-reading every single article for what might be happening. However, there was little mention of any progress made by the Order. Instead, the Daily Prophet insisted on re-hashing the same facts and stories repeatedly throughout the summer. Fred and George continued to try the Extendible Ears, but with little luck. And Regan, despite using all her Daddy's Girl capabilities, was unable to get any information from her father. Remus and Tonks were also tight-lipped around the younger ones, but they were constantly smiling and winking at them.

Seeing that the Order would not be occupying them for the summer, the children made their own fun. Endless games of Quidditch, which even Hermione joined in, and several swims in the pool made up most of the summer. There were a few more trips to Muggle London for shopping. Regan, Harry, and Ron, feeling brave, had visited Diagon Alley again, but it was just as empty and morose as their previous visit. They then avoided Diagon Alley. The teenagers did what homework they had for the summer. Hermione took it upon herself to begin reading some of the books for next year. Regan continued to read Muggle novels. One author she read, Chuck Palahniuk, piqued Ron's interest and he read some of his books. For the first time in his life, Ron read for pleasure. Of course, Regan had to explain the plot to him several times, but he was still reading. Apart from reading, Ron helped the twins and, along with Ginny, discovered more fantastic aspects of television. They found joy in Sex and the City, The Simpsons, Friends, and anything on Comedy Central. Ron was fond of The Sopranos, but Ginny couldn't stand the show. Harry spent a lot of time with Ginny over the summer. It seemed that everyone else at the house was doing their own thing. Anyone involved in the Order was too busy to give Harry the time of day. The twins were constantly working on the joke shop. Ron and Hermione, when not reading or watching television, were caught up with each other. Regan was either on the phone with Leo or writing to Draco (Loki, his owl, was often at the Prince house, irritating Harry to no end).

That left Ginny. They would watch television together, play board games, anything to pass the time. They would also talk. Looking back on the summer, Harry would remember those talks with the most fondness. They would walk around the grounds, talking about anything and everything. Occasionally, they would remember Molly, though Mrs. Weasley was something they tried to stay away from. For the first time, Harry really saw Ginny as a person instead of Ron's sister. He found that he genuinely liked her. She was a nice person, an individual, not just another Weasley. She had a strong personality. She was no longer the little girl who had blushed and stuttered around him. He did not know when she had grown up, but he berated himself for not realizing it earlier.

****

Before anyone knew it, the Hogwarts letters arrived. School was just a few weeks away. The day the Hogwarts letters arrived, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Regan, and Ginny were eating breakfast in the kitchen. Remus had joined them that morning. It took two owls to deliver all of their letters. Hermione was a bit nervous. She hoped to be Head Girl. She knew that she had been the smarted witch in her class, until Regan arrived. She supposed that the they were about equal, but it terrified Hermione to think that she could lose her Head Girl position to someone who had only been at Hogwarts a year. It wasn't fair. She quickly tore open the envelope once the owl dropped it at her plate.

Regan did not think that she would get the Head Girl position, she knew that she would get the Head Girl position. She was easily the smartest witch in the class, she considered Hermione a very close second only because she had not been taught in several subjects that the Institute in New York stressed. She also expected that Draco or some Ravenclaw boy would get Head Boy. At the Institute, Head Boy or Girl went to the smartest witch or wizard with leadership skills. However, upon opening her letter, she realized that Hogwarts had different standards.

"Head Boy?" Harry mumbled to himself so quietly that only Ginny, who was sitting next to him, head. He took the badge out of his envelope and looked at it with fascination. He could not believe that he would be Head Boy. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had thought that it would be nice to be Head Boy, but he had doubted that he had the intelligence to pull it off. Several boys in his class had higher marks than he did. Harry hid his badge in his hand and looked up. Everyone was reading their letters; no one except for Ginny, who had gone back to her own letter, had noticed his badge.

"Head Girl!" Hermione exclaimed just loud enough for everyone at the table to hear her. They all looked up at her. She quickly pinned the badge to her shirt, beaming. She turned to Regan, who was sitting next to her, looking dispirited. "Oh, Regan, I consider you my intellectual equal. I'm sure the only reason you weren't chosen is that you've only been at the school for a year, where as I have been since the first year."

"Of course, Hermione," Regan said, composing herself. An arrogant tone crept into her voice as she held her head high. "I'm sure that's correct. Congratulations."

"Head Boy!" Ron exclaimed. He had caught a glimpse of Harry's new badge. Harry frowned at Ron and tried to bury the badge under his papers.

"You made Head Boy, Harry?" Ron asked, smiling. "Congratulations. Your father was Head Boy."

The thought of his father lifted Harry's spirits and he pulled the badge out from under his papers. "I really wasn't expecting this," he said modestly, but he was ignored. Around him, everyone congratulated him, even Regan, who momentarily set aside her pride.

"This means Diagon Alley!" Regan exclaimed, her attitude quickly improving at the thought of shopping, even if it was the gloomy Diagon Alley.

****

The five students made plans to visit Diagon Alley later that week with Remus to watch them, though the Ministry insisted on sending a bodyguard. The teenagers all hoped that Diagon Alley would be a bit livelier than the last time they had visited.

They Flooed to The Leaky Cauldron mid-afternoon. The place was much busier, but all the patrons seemed nervous. Several people kept looking over their shoulders. Others had their wands held tightly in one hand. Most of the crowd in the dining area looked up when they heard the Floo Network. They eyed the six new customers, plus bodyguard, stepped out of the fireplace and into Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley was also busier. The streets were crowded, mostly with back-to-school shoppers. The five students recognized several class mates. Still, there was a sense of fear that hung over the entire area. Once joining the crowd, they immediately felt paranoid and looked over their shoulders at regular intervals, much like everyone around them was doing.

"We should all stick together," Remus said sternly. The bodyguard was silent, keeping a respectable distance. He had changed the suit for a nice set of robes, trying to appear inconspicuous. "Where to?" Remus asked, trying to smile, but the general mood of the place turned it into more of a smirk. Regan fingered her Nirvana Stone, which she was wearing around her neck. The stone wasn't much help in the gloomy atmosphere of the once-pleasant Diagon Alley.

"Quality Quidditch Supplies," Ron and Harry said in unison.

"Flourish and Blotts," Hermione said.

"Madam Malkin's," Regan and Ginny said together, then looked to one another, surprised.

"Well, we don't have all day..." Remus said, debating on what he should do. Diagon Alley was crowded. "Okay, you can split up, but you must stay in groups. I don't want anyone wandering off by themselves."

The words were hardly out of his mouth when the children took off. Ron and Harry went to the Quidditch shop after making plans to meet up with the girls later, and Ginny, Regan, and Hermione set off for Madam Malkin's, but only after promising Hermione they would give her plenty of time at Flourish and Blotts. Remus looked after them. Then he went to Gingrott's to take care of some business for the Order. The bodyguard was slightly confused. He wasn't for sure who to follow. In the end, he chose Remus and quickly caught up with the man.

****

Remus finished his business at Gringott's and was signing a few papers to satisfy the goblins when he caught a flash of blonde hair. He surveyed the lobby area, trying to see the man with the blonde hair again. After a few moments, he spotted him. Braydon Prince was speaking with a goblin across the room. Remus felt an unnatural anger rising inside of him, knowing that this man was partly responsible for his own mother's death. Braydon felt eyes on him and turned around. Their eyes met and their held each other's gaze from across the room, Remus's eyes filled with anger, Braydon's with superiority. Remus took in the younger man. His robes were immaculate, made from a fabric that seemed expensive, even from across the room. His hair was perfectly done, not a strand out of place. His face, though beautiful, was marred by a sneer. He was tall and gave the impression of power and wealth.

Braydon observed the older man. It took all of his power not to laugh. Remus's robes were shabby, torn in several places and faded. The clothes beneath the robes appeared to have been bought from a rummage sale, and a poor one at that. His hair looked as if it had not seen a brush in several days. His face betrayed his anger and, to some degree, his fear. He had a rugged, almost dirty appearance. He did not look very healthy. His complexion was pale and sickly. Braydon smiled to himself. This was the competition? Braydon wondered what kind of filth his father now associated himself with.

Their gaze only lasted a few minutes. The bodyguard interrupted Remus.

"Are you all right, sir?" he asked, not unkindly. Remus turned to him.

"Yes. Let's go," he said, finishing the paperwork and handing it to the goblin, who took it roughly from his hands. Before leaving, Remus turned back to the spot where Braydon had been. He was gone.

****

Remus had decided not to share his encounter with the teenagers. They were all excited about their shopping excursion, though the mood of Diagon Alley had affected them, as they kept looking over their shoulder. They Flooed home. The children went upstairs to their rooms with their purchases. Remus went looking for Richard.

He found him a few minutes later outside. He was talking with a witch who worked for the Order, though Remus was unsure of her name. There were so many new Order members, Remus had trouble keeping track. Richard dismissed the witch when he saw Remus. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"I saw Braydon," Remus said without hesitation. He tried to gauge the man's reaction, but Richard's face remained expressionless, carefully controlled.

"Where?" Richard asked, not meeting the other man's eyes.

"At Gringott's. I saw him across the room."

"Did he see you?"

"Yes."

"What was he doing there?"

"I don't know. He had just arrived as I was leaving. I did not get a chance to speak with him."

"How did he look?" Richard asked, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Good. He was wearing expensive robes. He was clean, healthy."

"They're taking care of him," Richard said with a humorless laugh.

"He was full of arrogance and pride."

"Well, he always has been. So there was no regret? Not even any anger?"

"No. I was angry enough for both of us. To see him there, after everything he did."

"Yes. I try to tell myself that he did not know what Voldemort would do, but Braydon is a smart young man. He knew what he was doing," Richard said, his eyes betraying his anger while his voice remained monotone.

"What would you do, Richard, if you saw him? Maybe not at Gringott's, but maybe in a less comfortable situation?" Remus asked hesitantly.

"You mean like in a battle? With Voldemort at his side?" Again, his voice was without emotion and Remus could not see his eyes.

"Yes."

"I honestly don't know what I would do. Part of me believes that I would be able to kill him without hesitation. He is partially responsible for what happened to Laura. He is for the other side. He is just another casualty in a war that I fear will involve thousands of casualties. But another part of me knows that he is my son. Nothing could ever change that. I love him dearly and I would die for him without a second thought. But I wouldn't want the entire wizarding world to die with me. I think that it would come down to that exact moment, that second where I have to choose. Up until that moment, which I pray never comes, I don't know what I would do. What would you do, Remus?"

"I have no idea what it is like to be a father, but I think of the sense of pride I get whenever I see Harry, and even Regan. She looks so much like her mother. I think that I would die for my child, Richard. I would die for my child without considering the consequences, even if that meant Voldemort's victory," Remus said quietly. Richard finally looked at him, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "Not the answer you expected?"

"Not at all. I suspect you think I am a bad father?"

"No. I couldn't judge you as a parent Richard," Remus said. The two men were quiet for quite some time, just standing beside each other as the sky darkened, announcing that evening's arrival. It was only when a house-elf announced dinner that they went back inside the house, temporarily out of their reverie.