The Prince Returns

Chapter Nineteen

Richard was pulled from his sleep around two in the morning. He woke up to find a very scared Arthur Weasley standing over his bed. "What?" he asked, his voice still groggy, but his mind suddenly clear once he saw the younger man. Richard wondered what could have happened. Arthur would not have been able to Floo to his room; Hogwarts and the Prince house had very strict connections to the Floor Network. Arthur had to have flown or taken the Knight Bus. "What?" Richard repeated as Arthur searched for the right words. Richard got out of bed and pulled on his robe. He sat in an armchair next to the fireplace, which was always lit. He gestured for Arthur to join him. While Richard waited for Arthur to begin, he tried to remain calm. Arthur appeared flustered enough without Richard adding to his problems by acting terrified.

"There was a Death Eater at the house tonight," Arthur finally said. Richard was not surprised. He had expected another visit. He waited for Arthur to continue, but Mr. Weasley appeared to be finished.

"What happened?" he asked, trying to remain gentle, but he was getting impatient.

"Tonks was walking the grounds. Trying to help the guards and things. It's what she normally does. There isn't much else to do around the house lately, but somebody has to stay there," Arthur babbled. "She doesn't like it much, but-"

"Arthur, what happened?" Richard interrupted, not unkindly.

"He just attacked her. No warning. S-s-slit her throat. Muggle weapon," Arthur said, his voice cracking. Richard sighed and rubbed his forehead. A Muggle weapon, of all things.

"Where at?" Richard asked. No one without authorization could enter the Prince estate, thanks to all the spells and charms placed on the area. Also, Tonks would not be stupid enough to leave the grounds. He didn't understand where this had happened.

"It happened in the gardens on the south end of the estate. According to the guards, he jumped out of the plants around the garden and scared her," Arthur said, staring into the fire. It looked to Richard that the man had had a very long night.

"That's impossible," Richard said, very impatient. He wished that Arthur would snap out of his reverie and look at him.

"I know," was all the other man had to say. Arthur kept looking into the fire. "We tried to figure out how he got onto the grounds, but we couldn't come up with anything. We searched the area, but he left some time ago."

"Who else knows about this?" Richard demanded, noting Arthur's use of plural pronouns. Richard leaned forward in his seat as Arthur continued to stare into the fireplace passively.

"The guards. A few other Order members. Dumbledore. That's about it," Arthur said. He began twirling his wedding band absently. Richard noticed with distaste that Dumbledore had been told before him. Arthur had gone straight to Dumbledore.

"Do they have any idea how they could have done this?" Richard asked, trying to hide his resentment.

"No. Dumbledore says that it would have been someone who could have gotten into the estate. He doesn't think that the murderer would have used magic to get past the security charms," Arthur said, sneering at the word murderer.

Richard suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He knew who had done it. He no longer wanted to be in the same room as Arthur. He went to the window and looked out at the dark grounds. Richard could not believe what had happened. Braydon would have been the only person who could have gotten on the grounds. The spells kept outsiders from entering the Prince estate. Braydon would never be an outsider. Richard had always told Braydon that he would always be able to come home, even when the two men had been fighting. Richard's promise to Braydon that he would always be welcome in his home created a bond stronger than magic. The Prince house was Braydon's house and he could come and go as he pleased. Richard sighed. He had not thought about Braydon when he had helped the Order devise the security charms and spells. He had not warned the guards that Braydon could enter the estate. Richard realized that it was his fault that Tonks was dead. He also realized that this meant that Braydon was doing a lot more than giving Voldemort information on his father. Apparently, Braydon was an active Death Eater.

****

Richard slowly entered Dumbledore's office, knowing the old man was awake. He had sent Arthur home-he had seemed very ready to leave.

Richard had been in Dumbledore's office many times, but it always impressed him. The portraits and magical gadgets and decorations created an atmosphere that was completely different from Richard's office back at the Institute. While both rooms were cluttered, Richard's was very New York. Everything was chrome, leather, black and white. There were no pictures in Richard's office except for a few of his family and friends on his desk. There were a few magical instruments, but they were mainly used during meetings with students and parents. In fact, Professor Cobain had liked to joke that Richard's office was almost Muggle.

Richard was very uncomfortable in Dumbledore's office. He was almost ready to leave when Dumbledore entered, wearing deep blue robes and looking very awake. Richard pulled his own robes tighter around himself, suddenly wishing he had changed out of his pajamas.

"I suppose that you have an idea of who could have done this?" the old man said, a small smile on his lips. Richard saw that Dumbledore knew who had done this.

"Braydon. He's the only one," Richard said simply, his face betraying no emotion, though anger and sadness alike were running through his veins. "How long have you known?"

Dumbledore looked Richard in the eye, not surprised by his question. "I assumed that it was Braydon when Arthur told me what had happened. You are right. He is the only one."

"You knew what Braydon was capable of, but you did nothing? You could have warned us that he could enter the estate. You could have prevented this!" Richard exclaimed, his voice rising. Dumbledore remained calm.

"We all make mistakes," he said, still looking Richard in the eye. Richard remembered that he was also aware of Braydon's abilities.

"What are we going to do?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"We will contact what little family Tonks has left. We will plan a funeral and memorial service for her within the next few days. We will contact Fudge and let him know. We will contact the media and let them know. I will go to Arthur now and we will get started," Dumbledore said slowly, as if this had all been planned for some time. "You, Richard, will go see your daughter."

Richard nodded. He had not even thought of Regan. Without another word, he left the room. He had been told where the Gryffindor entrance was before, but he was not completely sure on how to get there. He did not know that password either. However, he did not realize this until he was standing at the Fat Lady, wondering what to do. He was pretty sure this portrait led to the Gryffindor tower, but he was not for sure. It was the middle of the night-everyone was in bed. He did not want to go back to Dumbledore. He was contemplating his few options when the Fat Lady swung open. Ron Weasley, still in his clothes from the previous day, stumbled out of the portrait hole. He looked at Richard with shock. Richard quickly hid his own shock.

"What are you doing, Mr. Weasley?" Richard asked as the portrait slid back into place behind the red head.

"I..uh..I was...um," he stuttered, looking around the deserted hallway as if an excuse would magically appear.

"Save it. I need to speak with Regan, but the portrait hole is closed. You tell me the password and I will pretend that I did not see you. Deal?" he asked. Ron nodded gratefully. He headed for the stairs. "Where do you think you are going?"

"Um...I'm supposed to be meeting someone?" he said in a small voice, stopping at the head of the stairs.

"No. I said that I would pretend that I didn't see you, but I can't let you roam the halls in the middle of the night."

"Okay," Ron mumbled. He slowly made his way back to the portrait hole. He mumbled the password and the door opened. The two men entered the common room.

"Which one?" Richard asked, indicating the different staircases. Ron pointed to one.

"But you can't go up there. Boys aren't allowed," he said somewhat triumphantly.

"I'm a teacher," Richard said simply. He was right. He was able to walk up the girls' staircase. Ron shrugged unhappily and went back to his bedroom.

Luckily, the Seventh Year dormitory was marked. Richard breathed a sigh of relief and entered his daughter's bedroom. Everyone was asleep, but one of the beds appeared to be empty. However, the sheets were rumpled as if the bed had just been occupied. Richard looked for his daughter and found her. She was in the corner, her bed next to Hermione's. He went to her bedside and sat down. She looked so peaceful. He didn't want to wake her.

It had been a long time since Richard had watched either one of his children sleep. He took a few moments to do so. Her eyelids fluttered as she dreamed. He wondered what she dreaming of. He had not spent a lot of time with his daughter lately. Richard mentally reminded himself of the task at hand and shook his daughter awake, trying not to wake the other girls. "Regan," he whispered as she slowly awoke.

"Dad?" she asked groggily, rubbing her eyes. Richard noticed the green stone, a Nirvana stone, around her neck and wondered briefly where she had gotten it. "What's going on?"

"There's been an accident," he said, still in a whisper. Regan quickly sat up, suddenly very awake. "Don't wake the others."

"What happened?" she demanded, though in a whisper.

"A Death Eater sneaked onto our property. He killed Tonks with a Muggle knife," Richard said quickly. Regan gasped.

"How did they get onto our house?" she asked.

"Regan," Richard began slowly, "it was Braydon."

"Oh," she said lamely. Richard watched as his daughter's face contorted into an expression of shock and hurt. "So he's a Death Eater now?"

"It would appear so," Richard replied.

"Oh, Dad!" she exclaimed as she began to cry. Richard hated seeing his daughter in such a state. He brought her to him in an embrace.

"Shh," he muttered, trying to comfort her. "Don't wake the other girls."

Regan tried to compose herself. She disentangled herself from Richard and sat back against her pillows, rubbing her eyes. Richard waited for her to say something. "Are you going to tell everyone about Braydon?"

"I think that everyone will find out on their own."

"Can you fix it so that he cannot get in?" she asked.

"I'll see what I can do. You should go back to bed," he said, getting up.

"What are we going to do, Dad? First Mom, now this," she said, trying not to cry again. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know. Go back to sleep. I'm sorry I had to wake you, but I wanted you to know from me. Understand?" he asked. Regan nodded. She slid back under the covers and, for the first time in years, he tucked her in. He went to the door and looked back at his daughter. She had her eyes closed, but he could tell she was still asleep. He doubted Regan would be going back to sleep. He knew he wouldn't be.

The other girls were still asleep and he left the room as quietly as possible. As he was walking down the stairs, however, he met another girl coming up. She looked to be seventh year and Richard assumed she belonged to the empty bed in Regan's room. As she spotted the teacher, a terrified look passed over her face and she stopped suddenly. Richard looked at her closely, but did not recognize her from one of his classes. "What are you doing?" he asked in a quiet voice. He wanted to get back to his room. He did not want to stand around lecturing a student about the school rules. He did not want to wake anyone else, either.

"Sleepwalking?" she muttered hopefully. Richard rolled his eyes at the lame excuse. As his years as headmaster, he had heard many excuses. The kids at the Institute were very creative. Apparently, it was an American thing.

"And you are?" he asked.

"Lavender Brown. My room is right over there. With Regan," she added, recognizing the teacher.

"Well, Ms. Brown. Go back to bed. I won't mention this as long as it doesn't happen again," he said and continued down the stairs. Lavender looked as if she might kiss him. Instead, she went on up to her room.

****
The next morning, Regan did not want to go to the Great Hall for breakfast. She was worried what everyone else would think about the Death Eater attack on Tonks. She was worried that everyone would know that the Death Eater was her brother. She was worried about how everyone would treat her once they knew. She stayed in bed as long as she could. By the time she reached the Great Hall, she was one of the last students to enter. Most of the students looked up as she entered. Those who didn't were nudged by their neighbors and soon they were looking at her also. Blushing furiously, she hurried to her seat and sat next to Hermione. Eventually, the students turned back to their meals, but not until several whispers were shared.

"So everyone knows?" she asked her friends quietly.

"It was in the Daily Prophet this morning. Front page news," Harry whispered. Regan looked at her friends and took in the looks of concern. She had expected them, especially Ron, to be angry with her. After all, it had been her brother who had killed Tonks. There was no trace of anger or resentment. They didn't know.

"I just don't understand how they could have gotten past the security measures," Hermione said. She had a gleam in her eye and Regan knew she was thinking of all of the volumes in the library that dealt with security charms and spells. Regan sighed. She would have to tell them.

"I know how and who," she said. Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at her, intrigued.

"Who killed Tonks?" Harry demanded.

"How did they get around the spells?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Why did they use a Muggle weapon?" Ron asked, though he looked slightly impressed at the prospects of a good knife.

"All of the spells and charms are designed to keep intruders off the property. There are certain people that the spells and charms would not recognize as intruders," Regan said, not wanting to actually say her brother's name.

"But who would that be?" Harry asked.

"Even we had use magic to get back in. The guards had to let us in," Ron added, remembering an uncomfortable night during the summer when he had wandered off the estate and had trouble getting back in.

"It is a Prince estate. Therefore, only Prince family can get in without magic," Hermione said, a look apprehension on her face. Regan felt ill.

"Braydon," Harry mumbled. He lowered his face so that he was no longer looking Regan in the eye.

"What?" Ron asked, still confused. Regan felt sorry for him. Braydon Prince was a Quidditch player. While he may follow the Dark Lord, he did not kill people. "But he's a Quidditch star."

"Apparently he's a Death Eater now," Harry said. Hermione nodded.

"It was an initiation," Regan said, remembering what Draco had said over the summer.

"What?" Ron asked again.

"He was proving his loyalty, proving he could be a Death Eater," Regan continued, not meeting any of her friends' eyes.

"Maybe there is another way to get in," Hermione said with false hope. "We have a few minutes before class. I'll go look in the library." And she was off. Regan looked after her, wishing she could leave. She did not like the look that Ron was giving her, as if she might pull out her own knife at any moment and start slicing.

"At least no one knows," Harry said, trying to be helpful. Regan gave him a small smile. At least no one knows.

****

Lavender Brown was in a bad mood. Harry did not understand why. They were in Care of Magical Creatures Class. Hagrid had given up on the dragons and they were working with unicorns. Harry thought that it was an attempt to win the animals over to their side; he knew that Voldemort had been trying to get them. Still, even he would admit that unicorns were easier to work with than dragons. He thought that Lavender would be excited. Instead, she was off to the side, talking quietly with Parvati, who was clearly enthralled with the dragons. Lavender looked mad about something and kept shooting daggers and Ron and Harry. "What's her problem?" Harry asked Ron while Hagrid talked about the unicorns.

"I don't know," Ron said, not looking at Lavender. However, Ron looked guilty. Harry decided not to push the subject, Ron looked uncomfortable enough as it was. "What do you think about Braydon?" Ron asked, trying to change the subject.

Harry looked over to their blonde friend. She was standing next to Hermione. The two girls were actually taking notes. Regan had seemed upset by the news, but she was acting better. Generally, the other students had been extra nice to her. However, they all thought that someone had been killed by a Death Eater at her house. They had no idea that her brother had been the killer. Harry turned back to Ron and shrugged. "I guess we should have expected something like this. I mean, he is part of Voldemort's group now, right?"

"I guess so."

After Care of Magical Creatures, Harry had class with Richard Prince. For the first time, Harry was not looking forward to class with the professor. After only a few lessons, he had already proven himself to be an excellent teacher. Harry did not think that he had ever had a better Defense lesson. During class, Richard was not the man who had killed Peter Pettigrew. In fact, Harry almost thought that they were two different people. That morning, however, Harry was dreading the class. Harry knew that Richard knew what his son had done. He did not know how the teacher would handle it. The last time a Death Eater had entered Prince property, Richard had not taken it very well.

As he entered the classroom, Harry noticed a difference immediately. There was a different atmosphere. The classroom usually reminded him of the Gryffindor common room. It had a relaxed feel about it. Harry felt so comfortable, so at home, in Richard's classroom. Not that day. When he entered the classroom, Harry quickly felt sad and scared. He actually looked over his shoulder as he took his seat. The other students had the same impression. Because there were so few students, the class usually sat towards the front, all grouped together. That morning, however, the students separated themselves. They were all in groups of twos and threes, sitting apart from each other. Harry sat next to Hermione in the back of the classroom. Regan was sitting in the back also, but on the other side of the room, next to Malfoy.

After the bell rang, the students sat quietly. No one talked. Richard was missing. He did not enter the classroom until ten minutes after the bell. The classroom was still silent when he entered. Several students shrank in their seats as he walked to his desk. The students had never been afraid of Richard before. Harry looked closer at the professor. Usually, Richard looked very put together. His clothes were also impeccable, his robes, tailor-made, of course, were always clean and straight. His hair was styled just right. That day, however, was different. He had bags under his eyes. It was obvious that he had not gotten much sleep. His hair was a mess. Harry doubted that a comb had seen his hair that morning. Richard's robes were wrinkled and possibly on backwards.

"Hello class," Richard said with a forced smile. "Today, we are going to be doing things a bit differently. I have a few other things to do, so I am going to trust you today. I will be in my office. You are to read the next chapter in your books and practice what we have learned so far. Hermione, I trust you will keep the class in control," Richard said, again with a forced smile. He nodded to Hermione and went to his office. Once the door was shut, students began turning to their neighbors and whispering. Harry looked to Regan again. She was looking down at her desk, playing with her nails. Malfoy was whispering something in her ear. Harry wondered if she had told him about her brother. Harry shook his head and looked to the rest of the class. They all seemed to be talking. No one had opened their book.

"As Head Boy, maybe you should help,." Hermione said.

"No. He said you," Harry said, not wanting to get involved. Hermione rolled her eyes and walked to the head of the classroom.

"Class!" Hermione said loudly. Everyone was silent and looked at her. "You all heard Professor Prince. Please open your books and read the next chapter. It should not take the entire hour. Once you are finished, we will practice the jinx we learned last week."

Harry had to smile at her audacity. As everyone started to read, she actually walked around the classroom, making sure everyone was at the right spot, actually reading. Harry's smile widened as she informed Malfoy he was on the wrong chapter. Malfoy scowled and muttered something Harry couldn't understand. Harry looked at Prince's office. Harry could not see inside it. Once the class started reading, the atmosphere brightened considerably. Twenty minutes later, things had almost returned to normal as they practiced the jinx. Harry, however, couldn't help but notice Regan. She was practicing with Malfoy, but she wasn't performing nearly as well as she usually did. She looked preoccupied. Harry considered talking to her, but Hermione hit him with a jinx that sent him flying across the room.

"Pay attention!" she exclaimed, hands on her hips. Harry stood up and wiped himself off, trying to obtain some dignity. He went back to his spot with Hermione and returned to practicing, giving Hermione all his attention.

****

Arthur Weasley was leaving the Ministry of Magic. He had just had his first meeting with Cornelius Fudge. He was not impressed. The Minister had not had many answers. The entire meeting had come down to one point: the Ministry would do whatever the Order told it to do. Arthur had wanted a little guidance. Instead, Dumbledore had told him to go to Fudge and Fudge had given him all the responsibility. Arthur did not want all the responsibility. He did not know how to handle a death. More importantly, Tonks was his friend. He wanted to be able to mourn her properly. Instead, he had to deal with her death in a different fashion. To begin with, there was the funeral plan. There was the media to deal with. Several reporters from several media outlets had already called. And, of course, he had to lead the Order. The Order would have to deal with last night's attack, but Arthur did not know how they would go about it. As he rode in the back of the Ministry car, he wondered what he would tell the other members.

Eventually, the car stopped in front of the house. Nearly every Order member was waiting inside the large dining room. They were waiting for Arthur to tell them what to do. Hesitantly, Arthur got out of the car and entered the house. He could here everyone talking in the dining room. He slowly went down the hall and went into the dining room. Everyone stopped talking and looked at him expectantly. Arthur walked to the head of the table. He took a deep breath before beginning.

"Last night, Tonks was killed by Braydon Prince," he said. Several Order members were shocked, others just nodded their heads knowingly. "He is the only person who could have gotten through the security. I will need a few of you to create a few additional charms that will prevent his entry specifically. The rest of you, we need to arrange a funeral for Tonks. Her few remaining family members need to be notified. I will deal with the press."

"What are we going to do?" someone called from the back. "About Braydon?"

"There isn't much we can do," Arthur began, but was interrupted.

"We know that there are several Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor. Why can't we go there?" someone else asked. Several people agreed with him.

"No! We will not respond with violence now. We will wait. From now on, we will be more prepared, more ready. The next time a Death Eater enters this property, he or she will not leave," Arthur said sternly, finding some courage. "However, if anyone sees Braydon Prince, bring him back here immediately. We will use him as an example for other Death Eaters. Do not go looking for him." Arthur added the last bit to calm some of the Order members who looked as if they were waiting for an execution. Arthur was losing his courage. He wished someone else would take over. "That is all. Remember, keep watch. Look out for yourself and others."

****

That night, Harry worked in the common room on his homework. He was working alone. Hermione was in the library looking up different ways to get past security charms and spells. She seemed very determined to find someone else to blame the murder on. Regan was with Snape, another Potions lesson. Ron was with Harry, but he was not with Harry. He seemed very preoccupied. Harry considered asking him about it, but decided against it. He thought that it had something to do with Hermione. His two friends had been acting strangely lately.

By midnight, the common room was nearly deserted. Hermione had long since returned to her dormitory. Harry was getting sleepy, though he hadn't gotten anywhere on his homework. "I can't believe all this homework," Harry muttered to Ron, who was staring blankly at a page in his Divination book.

"Uh huh," Ron muttered, not looking up. Harry sighed.

"I'm giving up. It's too late for me," Harry said and stood. Ron stayed where he was.

"I think I'll...um...give this essay another try," he said and gave Harry a small smile. Harry knew his friend was up to something, but was too tired to push it. Instead, Harry shrugged and went upstairs. Ron looked at the clock and then continued to stare at his book.

At half past midnight, the portrait hole opened and Ron looked up expectantly. He was quite disappointed when Regan walked in. "Hey," she said, walking over to him, but not sitting down. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing. How was Snape?" he asked sarcastically.

"Okay. The usual," she said with a shrug. Ron looked at her for a moment thoughtfully. He really needed to talk to someone and, for the first time in years, he couldn't go to Harry or Hermione.

"If I tell you someone, promise you won't tell anyone?" Ron asked.

"Depends," she replied, trying to hide her interest. Even she had noticed that Ron was up to something lately.

"You cannot tell anyone. Not Harry. Not Hermione. Not your father. Not Malfoy-"

"Okay. I get it. I won't tell anyone."

"Sit down," he said. She rolled her eyes and sat next to him. "You won't tell anyone?"

"No!" she exclaimed, wondering if this was worth it.

"Okay. Here goes. I've sort of been seeing Lavender," he said, preparing himself for Regan's reaction. Her jaw dropped to the floor.

"What?!"

"For a week or so. We've been meeting in different places. The library. The Room of Requirement. The common room, but only if we have to. It's too risky."

"But why?"

"Well, Hermione and I aren't really working out. I mean, am I supposed to get married at age seventeen, because I think that that's what she expects. I just don't see us together after school. I don't see us together much longer at all, really."

"But Ron, Hermione really likes you. You are practically all she talks about, except school, of course," Regan said, frustrated at the stupidity of men. "How can you do this to her?"

"I think that I could like Lavender a lot. I don't want to ruin my friendship with Hermione. If I break up with her, she'll never speak with me again. I don't want to hurt her."

"I think that cheating on her with Lavender would hurt her and your friendship more than telling her the truth. How can you like Lavender? She and Hermione are two completely different people."

"Maybe that's why I like her. I don't know. Please don't tell anyone," he pleaded.

"I won't, but you should tell Hermione," she said sternly. He sighed, but he looked relieved.

"Thanks."

"Night, Ron," she said before heading up the stairs.

"Night," he replied.