Chapter 8
A/N: 'lo to the new reader, nice to hear from you. I'll post a reply to previous comments later on when I'm feeling a bit more typey...
Teddy shuddered with disgust as he took a swig of his drink, hoping no one saw him. Not that they would be able to do anything of course; the ministry had traps in place to catch intruders and he was supposed to be alone for the next few hours. He was still nervous, however, his ears picking up every creaking floorboard and turning it into a horde of Aurors. Though what he was doing was legitimate work for a man in his position; if it reached the wrong ears it would spell disaster and destroy years of work.
Taking another sip of his drink - this time able to ignore the burning sensation at the back of his throat - he bent closer to the ancient document he had pulled from the ministry's vaults., tossing it carelessly aside when he realised it would not help him achieve his goal.
The noise as it hit the stone-flagged floor caused him to wince and take a precautionary, confidence boosting swig of his drink; a quick glance to confirm he was alone helped to calm his nerves.
About to toss the whole pile aside in frustration, ignoring an age that magic could not repair, Teddy noticed a familiar rune embedded in the wax seal of the top scroll.
Popular folklore surrounding the rune suggested the scroll was a work of Merlin. Teddy knew this was not the case - Merlin was a mythical being designed to keep the celtic wizards quiet - but it did not stop him from reverently unrolling the scroll as if expecting Merlin's voice to fill the chamber. Disappointed at the lack of tension release when he had fully unrolled the scroll, Teddy began to read it; a small smile forming and growing with every paragraph.
When he had finished reading the scroll, Teddy let caution take over again; he kept glancing over his shoulders as he grabbed more scrolls with the same seal. Slipping them into his bag, Teddy knew they needed studying in his own home. He needed to be relaxed to study them properly.
Harry finally dragged himself to bed - for three days after his argument with Ginny he had not moved from the dining room. Only a surprise visit from Hermione had caused him to move: more in instinct to the bossiness in her voice than anything else, though he had to admit he felt better as a result - the loss of three days worth of facial hair alone was almost enough to make him smile.
After a heated discussion which had brought up James - Hermione was his godmother - the Weasley temper and 'that Cei kid' - Hermione had agreed to leave after promising to check up on Ginny.
Harry leaned against the door frame, resentful of Hermione's parting hug. He felt jealous of Ron. His best friend had a wife who loved him and no children who filled him with hate.
Feeling the tears threaten to overwhelm him, Harry rushed to the bed, his nostrils suddenly filled with Ginny's scent. An image popped into his head - Ginny lying on crisp white sheets, laughing. Her long red hair framing her soft, beautiful face.
The image hit Harry like a punch to the stomach, causing him once again to stop, eyes looking for a distraction and resting on his firebolt.
Slowly, reluctantly, a smile formed as he flew. The joy of a skill not lost - a few dives, twists and near misses to prove it - of responsibilities slowly slipping away and the wind whipping through his hair. He let out a great whoop of delight.
The whoop died in his throat when he noticed Neville gesturing at him.
Lily woke with a start and promptly screamed. A noise that became louder when she realised she could not move.
The gruff, half familiar tones of an elderly madam Pomfrey did not help as her eyes struggled to get used to the gloom, nor did the tender hand that brushed hair from her forehead - unable to move; it was torture.
Slowly, she adjusted to her surroundings and another soothing voice entered her head.
'Hush princess, everything's going to be alright.'
Lily relaxed when she recognised her father's voice, allowing his hand to stroke her hair and feeling as safe as she did when curled up on his lap as a six year old. She soon drifted off to sleep.
Woken by the light streaming through the hospital wing's windows, Lily turned to the snoring figure in the chair next to her bed. She reached out, wanting to cuddle her father - he looked like he had aged in a short space of time.
A hand slightly larger than her own, but just as familiar, stopped her. 'Leave your father be, Lily, he hasn't slept for several days.' Ginny smiled down at her daughter. Harry had been asleep when she arrived and it had taken all her self control to not wake him and give him a hug.
Mouth agape, arms akimbo, untidy hair bathed in moonlight, Harry had looked peaceful for the first time in months.
Ginny turned her piercing gaze to her daughter, making Lily once again feel six years old.
'What were you doing so far from Hogsmeade?' The voice was quiet. The expression firm.
'Spying on Cei,' Lily's reply was reluctant.
Despite herself, Ginny smiled, 'Death boy? Why?'
'He looked upset. I wanted to comfort him.'
A louder than usual snore caused both Potters to look at Harry. Ginny poked him sharply in the ribs after sharing a mischievous look with Lily.
'How long have you been awake?' Ginny was half accusing, half amused.
She recoiled from an answering stare full of resentment. Her confusion was saved by Neville announcing his presence with a discreet cough, 'I just got patronused by Ron, Harry. He said something about a fellytone call from Bill.'
Without a second glance at his family, Harry bolted from the room.
'Did Ron say what the call was about, Neville?' Ginny asked, still in shock from Harry's behaviour.
'Goblins,' Neville said simply, a habit he had picked up as a teacher.
Both adults turned as Lily gasped loudly, 'Goblins attacked Rose, Cei and myself outside Hogsmeade,' a small pause as she gathered her thoughts, 'where are they?'
'Rose is in the bed next to you, there is no trace of Cei.' Neville spoke monotonously.
'If goblins attacked you, Miss Potter, why am I not dealing with injuries more commonly associated with goblin attacks?' Madam Pomfrey asked from her office.
Faced by inquiring stares and wishing Rose would wake up, Lily began to tell the tale of what had happened in Hogsmeade.
Ron was unhappy, having quoted Bill word-for-word he had been asked why he had not been at Hogwarts last night. The honest answer was the Ron hated sitting waiting for something to happen but Harry in his current mood would never accept that. He shrugged, 'you know me Harry; I can sleep through anything.'
'You're a bad liar Ron.' Harry laughed, 'Ah well, at least we know what the goblins are up to. 'Morning Teddy!'
The young wizard checked his hood was in place before extravagantly sweeping his wand and bellowing 'avada kedavra!'
The twenty captive wizards fell as one. All of them tall, long haired and in their penultimate year of schooling.
Albus found Hugo dumbly looking out the common room window, his eyes unfocussed and his thoughts deep. 'Wake up Bonehead! Can't have you going AWOL the night before a big quidditch game. Who else am I going to prank with now that Cei is dead?'
'It'll take more than a few goblins to take Cei down. He's alive, I know it,' was Hugo's obstinate reply. Albus did not like to point out that thirty goblins was "more than a few".
When Lily finished her tale, omitting only what Cei had whispered to her, she noticed the three adults were a deathly shade of white. 'What's wrong?'
'The rite of passage you described,' Neville surprised himself by answering first, 'was used only by the famous old families that joined Lord Voldemort.'
Chapter 7 Chapter 9 A/N: Deepest apologies for the delay, I've been a bit too busy recently to be able concentrate on this.. That aside, I hope you like it and look forward to reading any comments.