Broken Fate

Chapter Twenty-Nine ~ Recuperso Transfero Memoria

After Shay's Transfiguration exam, Professor McGonagall asked to speak with him for a few minutes. She told him she was quite impressed with how much he had improved over the year, and that if he was interested, he could participate in her N.E.W.T. level class. Shay told her he would think about it, and left the class feeling quite satisfied. He knew he owed his success in no small part to Hermione's tutorials over the year. It was hard to believe he had gone through an entire school year at Hogwarts. So much had happened, and so much had changed--not only in the world around him, but also in himself.

He was turning the corner in the hallway when he came face-to-face with Draco Malfoy. The first thing Shay noticed was that he was strangely alone--normally, you didn't see Draco without at least Crabbe and Goyle. He tensed, fingers on his wand, and was about to side-step around him when Draco flickered. His face seemed to shift for a moment, as if there was another person underneath his skin, and then Shay was again staring at Draco's face.

It was something he had seen before, something he recognized, and a feeling of sudden dread clenched his stomach. He whipped out his wand and was moving it up to point at Draco's flickering face, but the other boy was quicker. "Stupefy!"

Shay saw a flash of red light, and then he blacked out.

~*~

Shortly after Hermione and Angelina left the lake, Jamie stood up, feeling restless. "Would someone mind walking up to the castle with me so I can find Shay? His exam should be over, and I told him to meet me outside, but I haven't seen him."

"I'll come with you, Jamie," Neville answered, before Ron or Will had the chance.

"Thanks."

Neville stood up, and the two of them headed back to the castle in silence. Jamie stole several glances at Neville as they headed for the school, feeling troubled. He had said he was just friends with Luna, and that was comforting...she had told Neville not to worry about Shay; that Shay knew Neville's relationships were his own. She hadn't lied to Neville. Shay, Will, and Jamie had all talked about their parents' relationships at various times.

Shay's relationship with Neville had improved so much since January--they were actually friends now. Not great friends, maybe, but friends just the same. Shay had noticed that Neville and Luna had been spending quite a bit of time together. He had said that he knew this time was different; he knew that Neville might have a relationship with someone other than Gabrielle. He had not, however, said he was all right with it. Jamie knew he wasn't; how could he be? She knew there was always a chance her parents wouldn't marry, but at least they were together. She would have a hard time seeing her parents with anyone else, and she knew Shay would be the same.

It had been rather a point of argument between Shay and Jamie. Jamie had told Shay he should talk to Neville about it, and Shay had snapped, "How can I ask him to wait and see if he falls in love with a girl who's only eleven now? This is Neville's life, not mine. It's not my business to tell him who he can and can't be with--and don't you tell him otherwise, Jamie. If the subject comes up, you just tell him not to worry. I know his life is his own."

"I can't tell him that! He's your father--if he wants to worry--"

"No, Jamie. This is one thing that is my business, and I am asking you to not interfere. If Neville somehow, someway does end up being with Gabrielle, I don't want it to be because he feels guilty about being with anyone else. It has to be his own decision, and that's what I want him to know."

Despite his words, she had caught Shay giving Luna several cold, calculating looks. They had changed their parents' lives so much, and Neville and Shay, possibly, had the strangest part to deal with.

And so she had told Neville not to worry, and she hoped he wouldn't--but she was worried for him.

Neville broke the silence as they neared the entrance. "I wasn't lying. Luna really is just my friend, you know."

Jamie blinked; she hadn't said anything out loud, had she?

Neville half-smiled. "I know Shay, Jamie. Not as well as you, but I know that he would have trouble if I dated someone. I can imagine it. It would be like me traveling back in time and finally getting to know my parents, and then watching them date other people. It would hurt. Oh, I'm sure Shay has said that he knows it might happen...but it doesn't mean it wouldn't hurt." He met Jamie's eyes. "Right?"

Jamie sighed, wondering if she was breaking an unspoken friendship rule by agreeing, but not being able to disagree. "Right." She stopped outside of the doors and turned to face Neville. "Do you want to be with Luna...as more than a friend?"

Neville shook his head. "Not right now, Jamie. Maybe not ever; I can't say for sure." He sighed heavily. "She's a good friend, and I've told her that's all I want to be, and she says that's all she wants, too. Actually, what she said was, 'I think it's silly that people believe a boy and a girl can't just be friends if they spend a lot of time together.' I think she's just lonely. She doesn't have many friends. Ginny spent time with her, but she's been in the hospital for four months. I'm one of Luna's only friends. And...well, she knows that Shay is...well, my son in the future. I don't know what she thinks about it--she's never said."

Neville hesitated and glanced over at the lake, where Ron, Harry, and Will were still talking. "You know, that's the third time I've ever seen Gabrielle--I saw her during the Triwizard Tournament, and briefly when Jamie was lost in the Forbidden Forest. This is the first time I ever actually talked to her, though." He looked back at Jamie, an incredibly troubled look on my face. "It's really, really odd to see her and know...what I know. I've been preparing myself--I knew she was going to be here next year for school. I was afraid I was going to sound really nervous or act really weird when I saw her again."

Jamie recalled Neville telling Gabrielle where Shay was, but he hadn't even flinched when he spoke to her. "You looked perfectly normal to me."

"I didn't feel it." Neville shook his head. "I just can't help thinking..." He stopped and sighed again. "She looks just like Shay." He opened the door and waited for Jamie to walk through, and then he followed her inside. Jamie had the distinct impression Neville was finished with this particular conversation, and so she walked next to him in silence. Most of the school was empty as students celebrated the end of exams outside in the beautiful weather.

"Shay's last class was Transfiguration--let's head that way," Neville said.

Jamie nodded in agreement, and they headed up the stairs. They hadn't gone more than three steps when Gabrielle herself appeared at the top of the stairs. "Jamie!" She bounced down the steps. "I was going to look around upstairs, but there are so many corridors!"

Jamie smiled. "It's easy to get lost when you don't know where you're going."

"Can I come with you?" Gabrielle asked.

Jamie shot a quick look at Neville. He looked at her and shrugged. "Sure," he said. His voice sounded as normal as it had earlier, but Jamie now noticed that his forehead had broken out in sweat. "We're just...looking for Shay."

How awkward would that be for Neville, to see Shay and Gabrielle together? How strange for Shay? Jamie wondered. She held out a hand for Gabrielle. "Come on."

"Thank you." Gabrielle took hold of Jamie's hand and looked up at Neville. "I don't think I have met you before, yes?"

"Um, yes. I mean no, you haven't met me before. I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom."

Gabrielle grinned at him. "I am Gabrielle Delacour."

It was a historic moment for Jamie--she had just witnessed Shay's parents actually meeting for the first time. She was snapped out of this thought when Gabrielle turned to Jamie and said, "Is he your boyfriend?"

Neville flushed and Jamie laughed. "No! He's my friend. Shay is my boyfriend."

"Ohh."

"Come on." Shaking her head to herself, Jamie headed down the corridor toward the Transfiguration classroom. They hadn't gone far when they saw Shay coming in their direction from the other end of the corridor.

"There he is. Shay!" Jamie raised her voice to get his attention.

Shay smiled and waved, heading down the corridor toward them. Jamie started to move forward, but was pulled to a halt by Gabrielle. She frowned and glanced down at the girl. She stood stock-still, wearing a confused expression, and she was squinting at Shay as if she couldn't see him properly. "Gabrielle? What's wrong?"

"Shay..." Gabrielle trailed off and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "That...he looks strange."

Jamie froze and looked carefully at her approaching boyfriend. It looked like Shay, but... She quickly pulled Gabrielle around to face her and said urgently, "What do you see, Gabrielle?"

"I don't know...he is...blinking."

That was all Jamie needed to hear. She must have learned. Fleur must have taught her. She released Gabrielle and yanked out her wand, aiming it at Shay, who was now less than two yards away. "Don't move."

Shay stopped and frowned at her. "Jamie, what are you doing?" One hand was stuck into his robe, presumably near his wand.

"I said don't move," Jamie snapped, as Shay's arm began to creep out of his robe. "Who are you?"

Shay stared at her as if she had lost her mind. "It's me, Jamie."

Jamie felt a bit of doubt. It certainly looked like Shay, and sounded like him...but she knew better than to take chances, especially with something Gabrielle said. And given that he wasn't even glancing at Gabrielle or Neville, not acknowledging that they were there... "No, what's your full name?"

"What kind of question is that?" Shay asked.

Jamie felt Neville shift slightly behind her, and then his own wand appeared in her peripheral vision. "Just answer it."

"Shay Long," he answered slowly.

Wrong answer. Jamie opened her mouth to shout a curse at him, but Shay--or the imposter Shay--lunged forward, and her curse blew by his head. He slammed into her, knocking her to the floor, and pressed something into her hand.

Jamie was vaguely aware of Neville shouting something, and Gabrielle screaming, but then she felt a jerk behind her naval. As her stomach lurched sickeningly, she realized that whoever this was, he was taking her somewhere with a Portkey.

~*~

"Will! Ron! Where'd everyone else go?" Breathless, Hermione threw herself down beside the two boys.

"Dumbledore wanted to see Harry, and Neville and Jamie went to find Shay," Ron replied, skipping a stone across the water.

"Oh...well...I have something to tell you...I think I figured it out..."

Hermione, Will noticed with a puzzled frown, looked very excited about something. There was a glint in her eyes that she usually got when she had just found a solution to a particularly difficult problem. "What did you figure out?" he asked.

"Molly! Molly and Tonks...she's Nora, Will! Tonks is Nora!"

"Nora...you mean, the Nora that was watching Molly the night Remus died?" Will asked, bemused.

"Yes! I'm almost sure of it! Nora is her nickname--I didn't know that before I saw the note...oh, just listen for a minute." Hermione drew a deep breath and looked intently at Ron and Will. "We were assuming that Voldemort had killed Tonks in the original timeline, because, if Tonks were alive, she would have surely gone to the Order and told them the truth about things...she would have told them she didn't kill Dumbledore, right?"

"Probably," Ron said, exchanging confused looks with Will.

"All right. Well, what if Voldemort didn't kill Tonks? What if he captured her? What if he kept her alive? He keeps prisoners in Azkaban now, and he did the same thing in the other timeline; what if she was in Azkaban?"

"And what? She escaped?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"Maybe! I mean, she might not have been in Azkaban, but there had to have been some reason that she wasn't talking to the Order!" Hermione took another deep breath. "Jamie said that when Nora came over to Remus's, they went into another room and talked for a long time. Then Remus came out and told Jamie that Nora was an old friend of his, and she had important information that you needed." Hermione looked at them intently for a moment. "Think about it! She had important information that you needed, Will. What kind of information would you need? You would need to know what really happened. Remus was helping you track down the Time-Turner. He was going to travel back in time with you, but he died. He never had the chance to tell Jamie whatever it was that Nora--Tonks--had told him."

"So..." Ron said slowly.

"Molly. It's all about Molly," Hermione said. "Don't you see?"

"Molly met Tonks," Will said slowly. So there was a link between Tonks and Molly to explain why Molly was drawing Tonks--if Tonks really was Nora. He still wasn't quite sure where this was going, though. "But Hermione, Molly met a lot of strangers. And if it was Tonks, she was only there for an afternoon."

"Exactly!" Hermione exclaimed. "Something made Tonks stick out in Molly's mind. Now, why would Tonks have left Molly? Molly was found asleep in a cupboard. Now, from what I know of Molly, she doesn't make a habit of crawling into cupboards and falling asleep. I would bet anything that Tonks put a sleeping spell on her and left her there."

"But why?" Ron asked.

"Think about it! Why would Tonks do something like that?" Hermione returned.

"Tonks...would have left if there was some sort of danger," Will said slowly. He frowned. "A danger to herself, maybe..."

"Who knows what it was?" Hermione said. "Maybe she was being followed. Maybe Tonks realized she couldn't stay at Remus's, and so she hid Molly to keep her safe."

"That still doesn't explain why Molly was drawing Tonks so much--or Kreacher," Will said.

"Maybe it does." Hermione's eyes traveled to something behind Will, and he turned and saw that she was staring at the Whomping Willow. "The Memory Transfer Spell."

"What?" Ron asked.

"The Memory Transfer Spell," Hermione said impatiently. "It's...Ron, I just told you that every time I see the Whomping Willow, I see the memory you gave me. It's so vivid." Her gaze focused on Ron and Will again, and she bit her lip. "Tonks had important information," she repeated. "She left Remus's house, possibly because of a danger to herself or Molly. What would you have done in that situation? If you knew something that the rest of the wizarding world didn't know--"

"Remus knew," Ron pointed out. "Whatever Tonks knew, she told Remus."

"She had no guarantee that Remus would live," Will said softly. He thought he knew where Hermione was taking this. He turned wide eyes on her. "We never had guarantees about anything. If there's one thing we learned, it's that you always have a back-up plan."

"Exactly. I think if I had been in that situation, I would have wanted to do something to preserve what information I had," Hermione said significantly.

"You think Tonks--Nora, Tonks, whatever--did a Memory Transfer Spell on Molly?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"Well, it would make sense!" Hermione replied. "Molly drew Tonks for two days straight after she saw Tonks on the Reciprocated Mirror from Christmas. Yes, I know she was around Tonks while she was at headquarters, but you have to imagine that Tonks looked different when she came to see Remus in the future. Jamie didn't recognize her, so it stands to reason that Molly wouldn't, either. But maybe, when Molly was watching the Christmas recording, she saw or heard something that made her realize that Tonks and Nora were the same person."

"Where does Kreacher fit into it, though?" Will asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. Molly was wary of Kreacher from the moment she saw him. Maybe Tonks knew something about Kreacher; maybe, if she did leave memories in Molly's mind, there were memories of Kreacher." She stood to her feet determinedly. "There's only one way to find out, though. We need to go to headquarters. And since this involves Tonks...I think we should talk to her."

~*~

St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries was a familiar place to Harry; he had spent a lot of time there the Christmas of his fifth year, when Mr. Weasley was hurt. He had never seen the part of the hospital that Ginny was staying in, though. He had to go through several security points before being allowed in her room. First, he had to register his wand. Then he had to pass by a burly wizard who ensured that his name was on the list of approved visitors--it didn't matter that Dumbledore was there. He half expected to be fingerprinted and photographed, like with the Muggle police. He did notice Reciprocated Mirrors lining the hallways. There was also a password to get into Ginny's room, which Dumbledore said in such a low tone that Harry couldn't hear it.

After what seemed like ages, Harry found himself standing at the bottom of Ginny's bed. She had a small room to herself. Despite the high security, the room was bright and cheerful. Paintings of flowers hung on colorful walls, the flowers rustling in an invisible breeze. Real flowers stood in vases beside Ginny's bed, and a vivid quilt was spread on her bed--courtesy of Mrs. Weasley, no doubt.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in the room, and both greeted Harry and Dumbledore when they entered. Ginny was lying on the bed, looking as still and peaceful as the last time he had seen her, but before he could go to her, Mrs. Weasley had pulled him into a tight hug. "Harry!" She whirled on Dumbledore. "I thought I told you not to bring him! This could be dangerous! Harry, I must insist--"

"I'll be all right, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said firmly.

"No, we can't let you do this. Besides, you're not of legal age to make a decision like this without your guardian's consent."

Harry gave a choked laugh. "Mrs. Weasley, all of my guardians are dead. Besides, I'll be seventeen next month." He wasn't going to sit around for a month just waiting to be of legal age.

"I believed that this was his decision to make, Molly," Professor Dumbledore said quietly. "Now, Harry, I think it's time to tell you exactly what you will be doing."

Mrs. Weasley whirled on the headmaster. "You haven't even told him? You let him make this decision without knowing what--"

"It's not his fault--I insisted on coming. I don't care what I have to do," Harry said firmly.

"Harry, this could be quite dangerous," Mr. Weasley said. His eyes traveled from Harry to his daughter, then back again.

Harry thought he saw the dilemma. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wanted Ginny awake more than anything, but they weren't willing to let him go into a dangerous situation to do so. "I'm going to do this," he stated. "I know Ginny's your daughter, but she's..." he looked at the ground for a moment, and then met Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's eyes. "I'm empty without her," he said simply.

Mrs. Weasley's eyes filled with tears, and she squished Harry in another hug. "Harry..."

Harry pulled away from Mrs. Weasley and went to sit beside Ginny. He took her hand and looked over at Dumbledore. "Tell me what I need to do."

~*~

Will, Hermione, and Ron found Tonks alone in her classroom. Once she heard what they had to tell her, she agreed to get permission to take them to see Molly. She disappeared for a short while, and when she came back, she said, "Professor Dumbledore isn't here, but I've let Minerva know we're going." She carefully set a tin cup on her desk. "We're using a Portkey. Ready?"

Within seconds, they were in the empty kitchen at Grimmauld Place. "Hello!" Tonks called. "Anyone here?"

"Nymphadora?" Remus's voice preceded him into the kitchen. He looked puzzled when he saw everyone standing by the kitchen table. "What's going on?" he asked worriedly.

"We're here to see Molly," Will said quietly. "Is she--" His question was left unasked when Molly herself peeked her head into the kitchen. Her eyes lit up, and a grin crossed her face, startling Will. He had, of course, seen her smile several months earlier, and Mrs. Weasley's reports said she had continued smiling, but he still wasn't used to it. "Hello, Molly bear," he said, scooping her up. She gave him a fierce hug, and then squirmed out of his grasp and ran to Ron and Hermione. She held onto Ron's robes until he picked her up, and then she settled into his arms, turning her grin on Tonks. Tonks returned the grin, then stepped aside to talk quietly with Remus.

Hermione hid a smile and smoothed Molly's hair back. "Hello, sweetheart."

"Hey, are my parents here?" Ron asked.

Remus looked up from his conversation with Tonks. "No, they're at St. Mungo's, visiting your sister."

"So..." Hermione looked at Ron and Will. "Are we going to try this?"

"Tonks?" Will asked.

Tonks turned around. "I've explained things to Remus. I think we're ready." She reached out toward Molly, and Molly willingly moved from Ron's arms to Tonks'. Tonks sat Molly on the kitchen table and smiled kindly at her. "Molly, we're going to check something. I'm going to put my wand right here on your head, all right?" She touched Molly's temple. "It won't hurt at all, I promise."

Molly gazed at Tonks trustingly. Tonks pulled out her wand and carefully set it on Molly's temple. "Let's see if your theory is right, Hermione. Recuperso Transfero Memoria."

For an instant, nothing happened, and Will was certain Hermione had been wrong, but the next moment, an image of a woman appeared in the air beside the table. She seemed to be in her forties, though the deep lines on her face made her look older. Her hair was black, and her dark eyes looked haunted. Molly beamed at the image, immediately wrapping her arms around Tonks' waist.

Hermione frowned, her eyes narrowed at the image. "That's you, isn't it, Tonks?"

"Yes." Tonks' eyes locked on the image as it began to speak.

"Wotcher," a very tired voice rang through the room. Will recognized it immediately as Tonks', though it was a bit more hoarse than he was used to. He wasn't surprised that Jamie hadn't put the pieces together--she had probably only heard 'Nora' speak a little bit. "My name is Nymphadora Tonks, and I'm putting this memory in the mind of this little girl because I have little choice.

"Many years ago--in the 1996 to 1997 Hogwarts school year--it was revealed to Voldemort that I was spying on him. I wasn't sure at the time who had revealed this information, since the only people who knew this were Dumbledore and myself." Tonks drew a deep breath and continued. "Voldemort didn't call me on being a spy at once, but instead devised a plan to kill Dumbledore, and frame me for killing him, soiling my reputation with the Order before he took care of me personally. Voldemort had learned that I was a metamorphmagus, and he eventually figured out the alias I was using to work my way into his ranks.

"Of course, he also knew that I had given him the mirror that he thought was spying on Harry Potter. He did a thorough examination of the spells, and realized anyone who could break the spells would be able to tell who had cast them, and that was one of the things he used to frame me.

"Voldemort...from what I understand, from what I learned during a great many years in prison, he created a potion, and he didn't tell anyone about it. He spent months collecting ingredients for the potion, even sending Death Eaters into the Forbidden Forest to collect virish root, and finding a way to get basilisk skin--"

"Oh!" Hermione and Will exclaimed.

"Malfoy," Ron muttered darkly.

Tonks' voice continued, "--but eventually, the potion was complete. Next came the biggest part of Voldemort's plan. This was something he didn't trust anyone with--not even Severus Snape, who he thought to be one of his most loyal Death Eaters. Voldemort somehow got a hold of something of mine, something he could use to make a Polyjuice Potion."

Ron, Hermione, and Will exchanged significant glances.

Tonks' image continued, "The day before final exams started, he summoned me--or rather, the person I had always appeared as to him--and I had to go; you don't ignore Voldemort, especially when you're working to spy on him. I was caught unawares, though. He threw me in the prison he had been working to set up, guarded by the dementors.

"Then, taking on my appearance, he snuck into the school. He must have avoided those who would be able to tell who he was--Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore, to name two. He managed to slip the potion he had created--which was undetectable, due to the virish root--into Dumbledore's morning pumpkin juice. It took a little while to work, but at just the right moment, Dumbledore received a message asking him to see me in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He went, and met Voldemort, in my form. He never had a chance to do anything--he died only moments later, in my classroom. From what I understand, it appears that he was burned from the inside out, a side effect of the basilisk skin. Not only that, but the Reciprocated Mirrors kept in my classroom recorded the whole thing, giving the Ministry one more 'proof' that I had betrayed and murdered Dumbledore."

"Once Dumbledore was dead, Voldemort left, but not before sending Draco Malfoy to conveniently find Dumbledore's body and call the Ministry. Voldemort couldn't Disapparate, and he couldn't walk across the grounds with Dumbledore's body without being stopped. Besides, I think he wanted it perfectly clear to everyone that Dumbledore was dead. This was the most convenient way to handle the situation. The Ministry sent people to get Dumbledore's body, and on the way to St. Mungo's, Death Eaters ambushed them. The Ministry workers were killed, and Dumbledore's body was stolen to prevent anyone finding out about the new potion.

"Before too long, Azkaban was taken over by Voldemort, and all of his prisoners were moved there. I was there for years. Years. I was tortured in more ways than anyone could imagine.

"During my years in prison, I also learned who had been leaking information about the Order. It was my Aunt Narcissa. Apparently, when Kreacher, the house-elf in Grimmauld Place, visited Narcissa the Christmas of 1995, she had given him an early prototype of a Gourl--they didn't come out onto the market until the next spring. The Gourl had been modified in much the same way as the Gourl that Dumbledore and I used on Voldemort. Kreacher wasn't aware of what it was; Narcissa told him it was a record of family history, and he should protect it and keep it safe. He did so, which resulted in bits of conversations at Grimmauld Place being picked up by the Gourl, and transferred directly to a second Gourl kept by Narcissa. Kreacher had, of course, been forbidden to give Narcissa any information, but since he didn't realize he was doing it, his magic didn't prevent it.

"When Dumbledore died, Minerva McGonagall apparently became Secret-Keeper, and one day when she said where the Order's headquarters were, the Gourl Kreacher had picked it up. This allowed Voldemort access to Grimmauld Place. He attacked it, captured several members of the Order, and then burned it down, and as far as I know, Kreacher perished in the flames.

"Finally, after a seemingly endless time in prison, I escaped. I had no idea if anyone I had known was still alive, and even if they were, I knew everyone believed I had murdered Dumbledore so many countless years earlier. I hunted around for information, for anyone I had known. Most of the original Order was dead. Harry was dead, but I had learned that while I was in Azkaban. I finally tracked down Remus Lupin. I managed to convince him of my innocence by taking Veritaserum that he had, and then he shared information with me. He had staying with him four children--two belonging to Ron and Hermione Weasley, a daughter that was Harry and Ginny Potter's, and a son that belonged to Neville Longbottom. The children had been kept secret from Voldemort, and since all of their parents were dead, they were living on their own.

"Remus was helping them track down a Time-Turner that Hermione had created. The plan was to go back in time--he was planning on accompanying the children to the past, to the year that Dumbledore had died. He said that their objective had been to stop me from murdering Dumbledore. Now that he knew I hadn't done it, he said he was going to have to introduce me to the children and tell them that the objective had changed. Unfortunately, the same day I met up with Remus, he went with the Potter's daughter--Jamie--to follow a lead on the Time-Turner. I met Jamie briefly, but she never found out who I really was. I wanted to go with Remus, but he said it was essential that I stay put, since he and I were the only ones who had all of this information. I stayed with the youngest Weasley child--Molly--while Remus and Jamie went hunting for the Time-Turner. They were only supposed to be gone for the evening.

"While they were gone, one of the items I had picked up after my escape from prison--one that alerted me to the approach of Death Eaters--began to warn me of danger. I realized that my time was up--they had tracked me down. I imagine Voldemort must have created a Tracking Spell and put it on all of his prisoners, just in case of escape. I knew I was leading the Death Eaters straight toward myself, and I didn't have time to wait for Remus to return. I did the only thing I could think to do. I performed the Memory Transfer Spell on Molly, locking this account into her memory in hopes that she would one day be able to recount it, or that someone would realize it was there and retrieve it. I knew that if the Time-Turner was found, and all went well, Molly would be brought to the past, where this knowledge might make a difference."

The image vanished, and was immediately replaced with another one--a life-size image of Kreacher, and in his hand was a small, silver object, at least half the size of the Gourls that Will was familiar with. Kreacher wore a huge scowl on his face, and Will was immediately struck by the resemblance to the images Molly had drawn of him. A moment later, that, too, vanished, and everyone stared at the empty space where it had been. "Well, that explains a lot," Will whispered. "That's why she drew so many pictures of you and Kreacher." He looked at Tonks.

Tonks nodded, resting her her hand on top of Molly's head. "You're a very smart girl, Molly Weasley. Now, if you'll excuse me, we need to find that Gourl. Remus?"

"We'll help look," Hermione said quickly. "If it's like the one in the image of Kreacher, it doesn't look like a normal Gourl. But then, Tonks--er, the memory of Tonks--did say it was an early prototype."

"First place to check--the boiler," Tonks said, moving straight to Kreacher's cupboard. She opened the door, then knelt on the ground, peering under the pipes of the boiler. "There are some things shoved in the back," she said, sticking her head into the cupboard. There was a crack as she hit her head on something. "Ow!"

Remus covered his eyes with his hand and shook his head. There were more rustlings and several bangs as Tonks bumped into things. "Oh, it stinks in here!" Finally, she gave a triumphant, "Aha!" and squirmed out. She turned around and held it aloft. "I think this is it." The round silver object was not much larger than a walnut.

Remus looked grim. "Let's hope it didn't pick up any of the conversation that was just shared with us."

Will knew what he meant; if the Gourl had picked up what Tonks' image had just said, Voldemort would learn exactly what happened in the future.

"I'll look over it," Tonks said, clutching it in her hand and glaring at it.

"It couldn't have always been in Kreacher's cupboard; we've searched it several times for dark objects he's taken from around the house, and we've never come across it," Remus pointed out.

Tonks nodded. Holding the Gourl out in the air as if it were a piece of dirty laundry, she left the room, mouthing, "Contact Dumbledore," to Remus.

Will turned around and saw that Hermione had picked Molly up and was hugging her tightly. "You did such a good job, Molly. You worked so hard to let us know about Tonks," Hermione said, sitting down at the table and settling Molly in her lap. "Hopefully some of this information will make a difference for our side."

~*~

"This is all about connections, Harry," Professor Dumbledore told him. "Voldemort is holding this curse in place through his connection to Ginny. It might be possible for you to break it through your connection to Voldemort."

Harry nodded. "How?" He didn't glance at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who were sitting nearby. He knew they were both scared for him, and he was already nervous about this. He kept focused on Ginny and Dumbledore.

"You and Ginny are both linked to Voldemort. Now, Ginny is asleep, but her mind is also completely inactive. Voldemort has had to keep her mind asleep so that she would be unable to use her connection to Voldemort to break the spell. Connections work both ways, after all, and were Ginny's mind aware, she might be able to break the curse herself. However, I doubt she has even dreamed since falling under this spell."

Dumbledore was only succeeding in confusing Harry. "So you're saying..."

Dumbledore hesitated, and then looked directly at Harry. "You have learned the Memory Transfer Spell, correct?"

"Yeah, we learned it this year," Harry said.

"I believe that by using a variant of this spell, you and Ginny will be able to connect your minds," Dumbledore said. "It has been done before, but very rarely, because oftentimes it doesn't work, and it must be performed by a third person."

"So...how will this help Ginny? And how is it dangerous to me?" Harry wondered.

Dumbledore looked very grave. "By entering Ginny's mind, there is a possibility that the same curse she is under will influence you, and neither of you will wake." He looked down at Ginny and rested a hand on her forehead. "However, if you and Ginny are sharing minds, there is a chance that you might also share connections. Voldemort might be grounding the sleeping spell, but it is only through his link to Ginny that he is keeping it in place. As I told you, Voldemort is the only one who can break the spell, as Ginny's mind is unaware. However, bringing your connection to Voldemort into the mix might be enough to temporarily interrupt the connection that Ginny and Voldemort share. Interrupting it enough might make it possible for a counter-curse to wake her, thus destroying the spell."

Harry drew a deep breath and let it out. "All right." It sounded so complicated, and he still wasn't completely sure what was going to happen. He was going to go into Ginny's mind...and hope that his link to Voldemort would what? Meld with Ginny's link to Voldemort? That it would be enough to disrupt that link? And hope that it didn't put him into the same sleeping state that she was in? "Wait, Professor--with the Memory Transfer Spell, you end up with the other person's memories permanently. Is that what will happen with this?"

"Yes. That is, it will not be as clear as the Memory Transfer Spell--you will only have impressions of the memories. This is more about seeing the mind in the present. However--Harry, you should know that if you do this, you will forever share a connection with Ginny, similar to the one you have with Voldemort. The two of you might be able to learn to block it off--as with Occlumency--but it will always be there."

Harry hesitated. He understood what Dumbledore said--he was making a lifelong decision not only for himself, but for Ginny. Ginny wouldn't care if she shared a connection with Harry. He was positive of it, and he certainly didn't mind sharing a link with Ginny. "All right. I'm ready."

"I will perform the spell, then," Dumbledore said.

"Harry--" Mrs. Weasley began again.

"I'm going to do this," Harry repeated for what seemed like the dozenth time. He laid down on the bed beside Ginny, facing her so he could see her sleeping face. "What do I do?"

"Relax your mind," Dumbledore said quietly. "And I'll need to borrow your wand. I've already borrowed Ginny's. As soon as I connect your minds, I will attempt to perform a spell to wake Ginny."

Harry handed Dumbledore his wand. The professor touched Harry's wand to Ginny's temple, and then pulled out a second wand--Ginny's. He touched this to Harry's head. "Transfero Memoria Totus!"

Harry felt a curious tingling sensation in his head, and a moment later, his mind was overwhelmed with blackness. Though his eyes were wide open, he couldn't make out anything, and he realized that he was seeing what Ginny's mind was seeing. He wondered if she was also viewing his mind, or if the curse on her was preventing that from happening. Was her mind still dormant?

The next moment, his question was answered as a rush of memories flooded his mind. It was hard to make out one from the other. He saw a blur of the Weasley children growing up, Ginny riding the Hogwarts express, sitting under the Sorting Hat, writing in a diary...and himself. He saw himself a lot. The next moment, he heard her voice--and it wasn't inside his head. "Harry?"

Harry's eyes flew open, and he found himself staring into Ginny's confused brown eyes. "How'd you get in the girls dormitories? Why...Hey--my cold is better. Madam Pomfrey's potion worked."

Relief--warm, glorious relief--swept through Harry, and his throat closed up.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley's face appeared above Harry and Ginny, and she grabbed the two of them into a tight hug, as best she could while they were lying down.

"Mum?" Ginny sounded thoroughly confused. She peered around the room. "Dad? Professor Dumbledore? Where am I? What happened?" Her eyes fell back on Harry. "Harry?"

In response, Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny and held her tightly, his face pressed against her hair. Ginny put her own arms around him in return. "What's going on?" she asked plaintively.

Harry pulled back and sat up. Ginny took hold of his arm and sat up with him, and Mr. Weasley immediately came to give her a tight embrace. "I'm so glad to see you awake, Ginny," Harry heard him whisper. He clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Thank you, Harry."

"That didn't take long at all," Harry said. "I thought it was going to be horribly long and difficult...but I didn't feel much of anything. Just memories."

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Ginny begged.

"What's the last thing you remember, Ginny?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"I went to bed...I had a cold. It was...February twelfth. And when I fell asleep, I saw Voldemort, in my head. He told me...that I was in his way." Ginny's forehead wrinkled in a frown.

"You're in St. Mungo's," Harry said. "Voldemort put a sleeping spell on you."

"What?" Ginny stared at Harry, then whipped her head around to look at her parents. "But...it's February, right?"

"No, dear." Mrs. Weasley smoothed Ginny's hair back. "It's June."

"Today was the last day of exams," Harry said quietly.

"Four months?" Ginny whispered. "I've been asleep for four months?" She sank back against Harry, a dazed look on her face.

"I'm sure Harry and your parents will be able to explain everything, Ginny." Dumbledore smiled and headed toward the door. "I need to take care of something at headquarters. Arthur, Molly--if you would come along when you're finished here..."

"Of course," Mrs. Weasley said quickly. She leaned down and hugged Harry and Ginny again. "We'll be along shortly," she said, sniffling. When Dumbledore was gone, she turned back to Harry and Ginny. "How are you two feeling? Are you hurt? Do you--"

"I'm fine, Mum," Ginny interrupted. "Or I will be, if you explain exactly what happened."

~*~

Within a very short time, there was a lot of bustling around Grimmauld Place. Members of the Order started showing up at the door, and before long, Tonks hurried into the kitchen. "Come on, you lot. I'm to send you to Hogsmeade. You're to stay with Fred and Angelina for a short time."

Ron stood to his feet. "Why? Can't you take us back to Hogwarts?"

"Not right now," Tonks said hurriedly. "They'll explain once you get there. You'll be using the floo network, all right?" She walked over to the fireplace and pulled down a pot of floo powder.

"What about Molly?" Will asked.

"She's going with you," Tonks said. "As she can't talk, one of you will have to hold her tightly."

"I'll do it," Will said. He scooped up his sister.

"Right--in order to get to Fred and Angelina's, you're going to say 'Hogsmeade Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, all right?" Tonks held out the pot of powder. Hermione was the first to step forward and take it. "Oh, and you should know--Ginny's awake."

Ron, Hermione, and Will froze. "She's awake? Since when? How?" Ron demanded.

"Since a few minutes ago--Dumbledore just arrived with the news. How--Harry, but you'll have to ask him about it later. He's at St. Mungo's with Ginny right now. Right, you really need to get going now." Tonks shooed Hermione toward the fireplace.

"Why do I suddenly feel completely lost?" Ron muttered, moving forward to take a handful of floo powder.

"We'll sort it out when we get there," Hermione replied. She threw a handful of powder into the fire and stepped forward. "Hogsmeade Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," she said clearly. Ron followed suit, and Will stepped up to the fireplace last. "Thanks for everything, Tonks."

"I don't see how I did much, but you're welcome just the same."

Will grabbed a handful of powder with one hand and tossed it into the fire. Molly's fingers dug into his arms as he stepped into the fire--she had only traveled by the floo network a couple of times, and it always seemed to make her nervous. "Hogsmeade Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."

The kitchen dropped away from him in a rush of movement, and moments later, he popped out of the fireplace in Fred and Angelina's store. Hermione, Ron, Angelina, and Gabrielle were standing there, and to his bafflement, so was Neville.

Hermione turned to Will grimly. "Jamie's gone."