*Flashback continued…*
"Albus, I need to speak with you," Molly Weasley squawked out of Dumbledore's floo.
The old man sighed and rose from his seat, opening the grate of the fireplace. "You may come through now, Molly."
"Albus, I am at my wits end, you have to do something! My children are worried you've yet to act to curtail Harry's dalliance with Granger and that creature. My daughter is heartbroken. Even though I've assured her multiple times that Headmaster Dumbledore will make it right. Please do not make me a liar, Albus."
"Molly, you're right," Dumbledore said with a weary smile.
"I am? I mean, yes, of course I am," Molly replied.
"I had hoped young Harry's romantic endeavours would be brief, which is why I was content to leave it at first. But it has become clear you were right, and I need to step in. I fear though, simply telling young Harry to end his romantic entanglements will only harden his resolve to pursue them."
"I agree, what do you plan to do then?" Molly asked.
Dumbledore smiled as he laid out his plan for Molly and his price. Molly nodded, frowning. "Very well, Albus."
"Excellent. Now, once I'm finished, we'll need to keep Miss Delacour close. Unfortunately, no Obliviation is foolproof. We need to be ready if for some reason the mind of a Veela is able to circumvent our efforts," Dumbledore explained.
"I'm led to believe she has an interest in becoming a curse breaker after graduating Beauxbatons. I'm sure Miss Delacour will be in need of a mentor, someone to guide her through the corridors of Gringotts. We've talked many times about how Bill deserves a beautiful wife."
"Hm, yes, you're right, of course," Molly agreed. She wasn't in love with the idea of marrying Bill off to a creature. But she was comforted by the fact that she would be protecting her investment. Potter's vault, and restoring the family's prestige was the goal, everything else was an inconvenience.
"I will let you know when it's done. Please assure Ron and Ginny they have nothing to worry about," Dumbledore said, guiding Molly back to the floo.
"Thank you, Albus. I knew you'd see sense eventually."
Dumbledore maintained a brittle smile as they stood in front of the fireplace. "Goodbye, Molly."
"Goodbye, Albus."
Once Molly was gone, Albus returned to his desk, shaking his head. "Stupid woman…"
Fleur had never felt as sore as she did right now. She didn't blame Viktor for attacking her, he'd been controlled by the man with two faces. Despite the twitching and the aching, she pushed herself to get out of bed. She crossed the infirmary and slipped into Harry's bed. The boy had awoken a little while ago and began sobbing. Fleur pulled Harry against her and stroked his head. "Shhh, it's ok, 'Arry. You're safe now. I'm here, you can go back to sleep. I'll watch over you."
Harry relaxed in her grip and slowly fell asleep. As Harry drifted off Fleur kissed the top of his head. She wished Hermione was here too. As much as Harry needed comfort, she wanted Hermione's arms around them too. "I love you, 'Arry."
"Mister Potter, Miss Granger, the Headmaster has asked to see you after breakfast," McGonagall informed them before walking away.
"Any idea what this is about?" Hermione asked.
"No, maybe it's about You-Know-Who, not that one, the other one. Padfoot."
"Or it is about You-Know-Who, maybe Professor Dumbledore wants to discuss your living arrangements for the summer," Hermione suggested.
"Could be. Guess it's as good a time as any to tell him I don't plan to be back next year."
Hermione nodded. "Good point. I should do the same."
As the two exited the great hall they were joined by Fleur. "The headmaster wants to see me. Professor McGonagall told me I should go with you."
"Why would the headmaster want to see all of us at the same time?" Harry asked suspiciously.
"I don't know, I don't think it's anything to worry about," Hermione assured him.
"Famous last words…" Harry muttered.
"Good morning, headmaster," Harry said as he, Hermione, and Fleur entered Dumbledore's office.
"Ah, young Harry, Miss Granger, Miss Delacour, thank you for arriving so promptly," Dumbledore said as he snapped the book he was reading shut and put it on his desk.
"You wanted to see us?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Dumbledore said as he sat down. He let out a long breath and frowned. "Young Harry, I am concerned about your romantic entanglement with Miss Granger and Miss Delacour. I feel you've not properly considered how who you date reflects on your reputation."
"Sir, are you telling me who I can and cannot date?" Harry said as his eyes narrowed.
"I'm afraid I am, Harry. This is difficult to ask, I take no pleasure in dictating how you should live your life. But we live in precarious times, and we can't afford to show weakness in the face of our enemies."
"Sir, with respect, no," Harry replied.
"Harry…" Dumbledore began.
"Furthermore, I'm planning to attend Beauxbatons starting in the new school year. I am sick of having my life and the lives of people I care about, threatened year in and year out. I'm hoping changing schools will change that trend."
Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "I was afraid you'd say that."
Dumbledore waved his hand and two streaks of red light hit Fleur and Hermione in the chests. The two slumped in their chairs as Harry looked around in alarm, bolting to his feet. "What have you done??"
"I am protecting you, young Harry. I would say you'll thank me, but you won't remember any of this."
Harry tried to block Dumbledore's stunner, but he was still weak from fighting Voldemort a few days before. Harry fell into his chair before slumping to the floor as Pomfrey and Snape dispelled their disillusionment charms. Dumbledore stood and rounded the desk to stand in front of the three. "Let's get started."
*End Flashback*
Fleur's eyes fluttered open, meeting Hermione's chocolate brown eyes and tearing up. "Hermione!"
The blonde girl grabbed Hermione by the back of the head and pulled her down into a kiss. Sitting up she wrapped her arms around the younger girl and tearfully peppered Hermione's face with kisses. "Hermione, you're safe… I… I…"
Hermione wrapped Fleur in a hug, resting her head on Fleur's shoulder. "I know. When I got my memories back I felt the same way. I fucking hate that bastard, I want to rip his stupid beard off and strangle him with it."
Fleur gave Hermione a tearful smile as she wiped her face. "Only if I don't do it first." She paused a beat. "Where's 'Arry?"
Hermione took Fleur by the hand and led her upstairs to Harry's room. Said boy was lying unconscious and heavily bandaged with potions bottles crowding the bedside table. Fleur worriedly glanced at Hermione. "What's wrong with him?"
"Harry was a noble idiot and took on the curse damage Dolohov inflicted on me at the ministry. But for some reason it's hurting him worse than it hurt me. Andi, Senior Medi-Witch Andromeda Tonks, Tonks's mum, thinks it's because he's a descendant of the Black family through his dad's side."
"Did Medi-Witch Tonks give an estimate on when Harry will be healthy again?" Fleur asked.
"No, honestly, she's been very quiet about Harry's condition for the last little while," Hermione explained worriedly.
"I see," Fleur replied, letting her fingers card through Harry's hair.
Sirius was eating lunch when Andi entered the kitchen. She'd been up checking on Harry before the girls went up to see him. "How's the Pup?"
Andi crossed her arms under her chest and frowned. "Not great. I'm worried about him, I'm detecting signs of core damage. I am continuing to monitor it, but if Harry doesn't make significant improvement soon…"
"Don't say it…" Sirius said darkly.
"Sirius, you need to prepare those girls for the possibility that Harry might not make it."
Sirius slammed his fist on the table making the plates rattle for a few seconds. Tears ran down his cheeks as Sirius hid his face with his hands. "Damn it, I did it again! I knew, I fucking knew I should have stopped him. But I didn't and Harry is suffering again."
Andi wrapped Sirius in a hug. "It's not over yet. He's still fighting, but I need to be honest about his chances. I will do everything I can to save him, Sirius. But if his core breaches you need to get everyone out of here in a hurry."
"I know," Sirius replied bitterly.
"There has to be something we can do!" Hermione protested as she paced the sitting room. Andi and Sirius had sat down to explain what was happening to Harry. As they suspected neither Hermione nor Fleur took it particularly well. While Hermione raged, Fleur sat sobbing into Tonks's shirt, who had been invited to provide emotional support to the pair.
"I'm open to suggestions, Hermione. I don't claim to have all the knowledge in the world about magical medicine. If you know a way or know someone who knows a way, please tell me."
"What about the Unspeakables?"
"Do you think they'd help Harry? He broke into their department a few weeks ago and left it in ruins. I mean… we did, we did that," Hermione said sheepishly.
"It can't hurt to ask," Tonks said. "We need someone who isn't in Dumbledore's camp. And I know a guy."
"Oh?" Andi asked, raising a speculative eyebrow.
Tonks rolled her eyes. "He's a friend from school. He's not a doctor, but I'm hoping he knows someone who can help us."
"Ok, you need to contact him today, Tonks. Harry can't wait," Andi urged.
Kingsley Shacklebolt walked into a large hall in the ministry, where thirty Auror trainees were waiting. "Good morning, I am Senior Auror Shacklebolt. Today we're embarking on a search. Among the personal effects of Death Eaters captured or killed is, we hope, a key piece of evidence we hope will help us bring down You-Know-Who and his collaborators."
"What are we looking for, sir?" One of the recruits asked.
"A piece of paper with an address on it, get to work."
After going home to change, Tonks ventured into Knockturn Alley, and eventually the Augury's Curse. The dive bar in the dark back corner of the alley, was the haunt of many of the most unsavoury elements of wizarding Britain. It was even a well known death eater recruitment meeting point. The recruitment wasn't done on site, no one would be that stupid. But the recruiter met with prospective recruits and then took them elsewhere for evaluation.
Tonks would happily round up all of the bastards in the bar, but she wasn't there for that today. Instead, Tonks walked upstairs and knocked on the door of room number three. The latch popped open allowing Tonks to enter. Tonks coughed and waved her hand in front of her face as she crossed the room and snatched the cigarette out of the man's hand and put it out in the ashtray.
"Hello, Tonks…" The man said as he stared into the ashtray.
"Damn it, Nick, when did you start smoking?" Tonks demanded.
"It's good to see you too," was Nick's deadpan reply.
"Whatever… thank you for meeting with me," Tonks said with a smile.
"For you? Always," Nick replied. "What do you need?"
"I have a friend who is suffering from curse damage, he's dying. We need an expert in curse damage, who might know how to treat him. I was hoping you'd have someone like that among your colleagues who might be willing to help?"
"Yeah, I can put you in touch with someone. But it'll be up to them whether they're willing to help you."
"Thank you."
Nick smiled. "What are old friends for?"
It was a quietly tense lunch at Grimmauld Place as they waited for Tonks to return with her curse damage expert. Sirius was reading the Daily Prophet which detailed Moody's latest efforts to combat the death eaters. "Mad-Eye is moving fast. You might be interested in this piece of news, Hermione."
"Oh?"
"The last of the death eaters from the raid on the Department of Mysteries have been tried and sent through the Veil."
Hermione glanced up from her food in alarm. "They were sent through the Veil?"
"That's the new policy. It was passed the day after Moody was elected Minister. Being a Death Eater carries a death sentence. The Aurors have a kill on sight order and Moody has instituted mandatory loyalty oaths for all Ministry employees. Moody is trying to push for that to extend to Hogwarts too, but as you can imagine Dumbledore is pushing back hard."
"What about the Death Eaters in Azkaban?" Fleur asked.
"Already dead. Moody had them put on a boat, and shipped back to the mainland and sent them through the veil."
"I didn't realise I was so far out of the loop," Hermione commented.
Sirius shrugged. "You've been dealing with more important things."
"Yeah," Hermione agreed as she returned to her meal. As lunch continued a thought occurred to her. "Missus Tonks…"
"You may call me Andi, Hermione."
"Ok, Andi, is your husband safe? You helped elect Professor Moody as the Minister for Magic, that makes you a prime target for Voldemort. Shouldn't Mister Tonks be staying here?"
Andi huffed a laugh. "You'd think so, but Ted refused. I think my old horror stories coloured his opinion. We managed a compromise in the end, and he's taken up a role in Geneva with the ICW."
"To answer your next question, the Greengrass family moved to France until this is over," Sirius explained.
"Joseph's daughters have already enrolled at Beauxbatons and Joseph is only returning to Britain for Wizengamot duties," Andi added. "We went into this with our eyes open. We knew we'd draw the ire of Voldemort, but if we stood back and did nothing, we'd have blood on our hands too."
Hermione nodded. "Ok."
FleurAn hour later Tonks was sitting outside Fortescue's, sipping on an iced coffee when a woman with short silver hair ran over. "Tonks!"
Tonks smiled and got up from her seat to embrace the approaching woman. "Chiara! It's so good to see you."
"You look well, I guess being an Auror agrees with you," Chiara said.
"Yeah, I suppose," Was Tonks's uncertain response. Honestly, she'd been doing a lot of thinking about being an Auror since the start of the war. Being pulled in two directions, between her loyalty to the Aurors and working for Dumbledore put a strain on her. She didn't like she had to look outside the Aurors to protect people. She'd always believed it was the Aurors role to do that.
"It's great to see you, but I'm waiting for someone…" Tonks said.
"An expert in curse damage?"
"That's you? I thought you worked for St Mungo's?" Tonks asked in surprise.
"I did for a while, but I ended up being recruited into the Unspeakables. They knew I was struggling to keep up with my… medicine, and they offered to subsidize it in exchange for me working for for them. So far it hasn't come back to bite me in the butt," Chiara explained, referring to her monthly issue.
"That's great, I'm glad you're being looked after. If you're free, I can take you to see my friend now."
"Ok, let's go," Chiara agreed.
Voldemort played with his wand idly, as the rest of the room focused on the twitching heap that had once been Draco Malfoy. "Tell me, young Draco, why should I spare you? I gave you a simple mission. Bring me Potter's mudblood. However not unlike your father you failed to even complete a simple task. Your mother has run away, you are alone in the world. What worth do you have? My resources are finite, why should I allow you to take away from someone who has proven useful? Should I ask dear Bellatrix to go without?" Voldemort asked as he stroked Bellatrix's chin.
"Master… please…" Malfoy begged.
"Please, what, Young Draco? Have mercy? You should know by now; Lord Voldemort has no mercy for the weak. You're useless, like your father before you. Avada Kedavra!"
"Leave his body where everyone will see it, so they know what happens when you fail Lord Voldemort," He ordered as two grunts entered and dragged Malfoy's body away. "What news do you bring me, Severus?"
Snape only allowed himself a brief sad glance at his godson as he was dragged away. "My Lord, Dumbledore has suggested the primary backer behind Moody's ascension to being the Minister for Magic is Sirius Black."
"A dead man?" Voldemort asked incredulously.
"Much like a cockroach, Black found a way to survive. He is now actively working against you. And defiance of the Dark Lord can only be met one way."
"I am well aware of your hatred for Black, Severus. Are you sure that is not clouding your judgement in this area?"
"No, my lord, his cousin was seen advising Lord Greengrass during the vote to install Moody," Snape explained.
"Then shouldn't we target them first?" Voldemort asked.
"Yes, my lord…" Snape replied reluctantly.
"My lord, Black's cousin is my sister, please allow me the honour of slaying her and her pig mudblood husband," Bellatrix begged.
"Very well, my sweet Bella. Go, make an example of the blood traitor and her family. Severus, would you be so kind as to pay Lord Greengrass a visit, I want his family brought before me. His daughters will make a nice reward for our recruits. And once we're done, I want them hanged in the middle of Diagon Alley. Only then are you permitted to pursue Black."
"Yes, my lord…" Snape responded with barely concealed resentment.
"Albus, are you there?" Arthur Weasley asked from the floo in Dumbledore's office.
"Hello, Arthur, what news?" Dumbledore asked as he stood up from his desk and approached the fireplace.
"Bad news, I'm afraid. Bill and I went to collect Hermione as you asked. But her house was in flames by the time we arrived. Death eaters judging by the dark mark hanging over the ruins."
"Any sign of the girl or her parents?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, unless they were in the house when it was set on fire. I suspect the only one who can tell us where they might be, is Snape."
"Unfortunately, Severus is with the Dark Lord as we speak. I suspect I won't be able to reach him for some time."
"What do we tell Harry when he returns?"
"I will deal with it," Dumbledore assured him before ending the call.
Chiara Lobosca stood waving her wand over Harry. She had a worried look on her face as she examined him, while supervised by her ex-boss Andromeda Tonks. "Madam Tonks, were there any complications from the transfer, aside from what we have in front of us?"
Andi pondered the question for a moment before reaching for her medical bag. "There was a black ooze coming out of his scar. I didn't know what to make of it so I sent a sample to the lab at St Mungo's. I kept the rest so I could run my own tests. But I haven't been home since the transfer."
Andi handed Chiara a bag containing the rags she'd used to clean Harry's head. Chiara grinned to herself. "Rags with Harry Potter's sweat on it. I could sell this in Diagon Alley and never have to work again."
"I can think of two girls who might have some words for you over that suggestion," Andi replied, chuckling.
Chiara scanned the rags and frowned, returning to Harry and waving her wand over his lightning bolt scar. "Madam Tonks, have you heard back from the lab at St Mungo's?"
"No, I've been meaning to check in, but I haven't had time," Andi said.
"I don't think you're going to hear back from them. I suspect the DOM took over the examination of the sample you provided."
"Do you know what's happening to Harry?"
"Not exactly, what I have is a theory. I need to go back to the ministry and consult with my colleagues, before I say anything definitive," Chiara responded.
"Can you help him?" Andi asked.
"I hope so."
"Andi, do you have a moment?" Sirius asked as Andi walked back to the kitchen after seeing Chiara off.
"What's up Sirius?"
"You might want to sit down," Sirius said nervously.
Andi frowned and crossed her arms. "Sirius, I have been on the other side of this conversation for thirty-five years. Whatever you have to tell me, I think I can handle it."
"I got a letter from Mad-Eye, a group of death eaters attacked your house and burnt it to the ground. I'm sorry Andi."
Andi sat down and wiped her eyes as Tonks came over and embraced her. "Fucking bastards…it's so pointless."
"I'm sorry mum," Tonks said.
"It's ok, dear. Things can be replaced, people can't. Thankfully you and your father are safe. That's what matters. I'm more upset that things like your baby pictures are gone. Those I can't replace easily."
"So, death eaters were useful for once, who knew…" Tonks mumbled under her breath.
"Behave yourself Nymphadora," Andi said admonishingly, unable to help the tiny smile that crossed her lips.
"They also attacked the Greengrass Estate, but they were significantly less successful. Apparently, Joseph had activated the War Wards before relocating with his family. They left a bunch of bodies behind when they retreated."
"They're also suspected in an attack on the muggle residence of Hermione Granger," Sirius said as said girl entered the room.
"Were my parents…?" Hermione asked fearfully. Their neglect hurt, but they were still her parents and she loved them, after a fashion.
"Moody reported no bodies found at the scene. The muggle authorities confirmed your parents are still in Switzerland."
"Good," Hermione said in relief.
"Chiara has taken her findings back to the ministry to consult with her colleagues. She's promised to get back in contact ASAP," Andi explained as everyone sat down.
"Did she say if she can help Harry?" Hermione asked.
"She wasn't willing to commit one way or the other. Which is understandable, she needs time to go over the data and confirm her theory."
"Ok," Hermione said, trying not to sound disappointed.
"What's the plan for when 'Arry has recovered?" Fleur asked.
Sirius thought for a few moments. "We need answers, we've been working with conjecture so far. Eventually we need to know what the Weasley's and Dumbledore have or had planned."
"How do you intend to do that, Sirius? They're not just going to tell you," Andi said.
"Molly Weasley is the key. She's the brains of the operation. If we can get to her we can get our answers," Sirius explained.
"How? Veritaserum? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Sirius. But Britain's entire supply has been confiscated by the ministry for interrogation purposes. No way is Moody going to let you borrow some for this," Tonks replied.
"I'm open to other suggestions," Sirius said, looking around the table.
"They took our memories from us, so let's take their memories from them," Hermione suggested.
"What are you thinking?" Andi asked.
"We use Legilimency to rip the plans out of her head," Hermione explained.
"That's… extreme…" Andi replied hesitantly.
"It's no worse than what they've done to us. They made me forget the happiest year of my life. I grew up so much that year, I found the two loves of my life and they took that away from us. I don't care if you think it's extreme!" Hermione declared angrily standing up.
Fleur gently guided Hermione back into her seat. "It's ok, Hermione. Deep breath."
Hermione nodded, covering her face with her hands. "I'm sorry, Andi, you're not the enemy."
"It's ok, Hermione. I understand your anger. You're right, they've shown no respect for you as people. Just remember not to lose your humanity in the quest for revenge."
"I don't want that either, Andi. But they have to pay for what they've done."
"I know, Hermione. And when we're ready I'll be by your side ready to do whatever needs to be done to bring those bastards and the stupid old man down. But we need to be careful, our enemies are powerful and dangerous and there are very few of us."
"How do we lure Molly Weasley away from the Burrow long enough to get what we need?" Fleur asked, looking around the table.
"I think I have a way," Andi said. "I am a Medi-Witch."