Thursday, June 30, 2016 - Afternoon
The conference concluded on a high note. The resolutions that MACUSA had proposed were all adopted. It was the first step in the process, but it was the most important one. The International Confederation of Wizards members would now take the proposals and debate them in their own assemblies. Then they would come back with proposed changes, outright rejection, or acceptance. There would be negotiations, some give and take, tiny modifications might be conceded but eventually they would all agree, and new international laws would be put in place.
Hermione hummed with pleasure as she made her way to the exit. Her mission accomplished, she would report to the MACUSA International Law Office and accept the accolades she was owed for the months of hard work leading to this victory. After 22 years in the States, she had risen to the top of her chosen career. She graduated from Ilvermorny with Honours in every subject. She had then graduated from Harvard with a first-class degree in international law. She had worked hard for every year since then, rising through the ranks in MACUSA. She was happy.
Hermione had married a great man. He was a powerful wizard who was now a senior partner in a law firm working in the magical and non-magical worlds. They had three wonderful children who were powerfully magical and talented. Life was good.
“Hermione, wait please. Can I talk to you?” A dark-haired witch, about her own age was hurrying after her.
“Hello, I’m sorry, do I know you?” She looked vaguely familiar, but no name matched her face.
“I’m Tracey, Tracey Plantier. I was Tracey Davis, from Hogwarts.”
The old saying, ‘my blood ran cold’, suddenly happened for Hermione.
“You are one of the Potter vassals.” Now her blood was nearly freezing, Hermione’s face was carved from stone.
“Hermione, please let me talk to you. Can we go somewhere private?” Tracey was trying to smile. This was still a conference room. Happily, wands were banned. Tracey willed herself to stay calm.
“I’m leaving, my husband and children are waiting for me. Is this important?” Hermione gave Tracey one chance to explain herself.
“I have not been a vassal for twenty-two years. Harry released me after three days.” Tracey held her breath. Surely Hermione would understand.
“Three days, what do you mean three days? What do you mean released?” Hermione gave Tracey a second chance.
“Can we go somewhere private to talk?” Tracey did not want anything she had to say being overheard.
“My delegation has a meeting room on level six. I can’t stay long.” Hermione glared at Tracey. She had made a concession. Hermione was not happy.
Escalators took them to level six. The meeting room was secure and charmed to be private. They sat on opposite sides of the conference table.
“Daphne Greengrass and I left the meeting when you did. We thought the same as you. Our parents were convinced that the Edicts were fake. We went home and slept in our own beds, behind our own wards. Potions and spells would have no effect on us. That night, we were visited in our sleep by Athena and Apollo. They told us that the Edicts were right. They were made by Hera, Zeus, Hades, Athena, and Hecate. Hecate came to us. She threatened us. She ordered us to get back to Hogwarts and join the Potter School. Our parents were visited in the night by Athena and Apollo. They were told that the Edicts were right. They were frightened. In the morning, they told us to get back to Hogwarts.” Tracey stopped and took some deep breaths. Even after twenty-two years this story disturbed her.
“That day we slipped a note to Potter. He took us to Merlin Tower, and we joined his school. The visits from the Gods stopped. During the night, our Potter vassalage rings appeared on our right hands. Potter gave us a note saying that he released us from the vassalage. The feeling that something was tied around our throats went away. That was the sign to us that we had been released from the vassalage. The next day Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and Su Li joined us. Their vassalages lasted four days. We still wear the Potter rings. They protect us from all but unforgiveable curses and they detect hostile charms and potions. The vassalages really ended; Potter can’t order me to do anything.” Tracey stopped and looked at Hermione. Hermione was unhappy but she didn’t storm out.
“Hermione, on that Friday, Harry was told to release you from your vassalage. If you kept refusing the summons, you would have been driven permanently mad. More than five nights of visits from Hecate is too much for anyone.”
“All right, let’s say that was true. Why was it done? What was the reason?” Hermione folded her arms and glared,
“Since he was born, Harry was marked to do a certain job. Harry had no choice about it. Dumbledore was told in a prophecy, which he kept to himself. How can such a genius be an idiot too? However, a spy heard some of the prophecy and reported it to Riddle. That was the reason Riddle was obsessed with killing Harry. That spy was Snape.
Tom Riddle was not dead and gone. You knew that. Harry was the one who was going to send Riddle to Hades forever. The people who were supposed to help Harry, help him learn what he needed to know, help him train, they turned their backs on him. They ignored him; Dumbledore included. Being expelled from Gryffindor was close to the end for Harry, he was more cut off from help than ever.”
“The Gods knew that if no help came, if something more was done to harm him, Harry would climb the Astronomy Tower and step off.”
“That is one of the reasons why the Gods conscripted us. One of our first jobs was to stay with Harry. I realised years later that we were put on suicide watch. Then we had to help him survive the Tri-Wizard Tournament.”
“The girls who were selected were not the people who would fight for Harry or train him or protect him. But our families could, and they did. Lord Greengrass has agents everywhere. The Abbott and Li families control mercenary armies around the world. My parents are Unspeakables. They brought in the Department of Mysteries to help Harry. Susan Bones’ aunt and guardian, Aunty Amelia, was the head of the DMLE at the time. Luna Lovegood has a special role. I don’t know what the Weasleys could do for Harry. You were supposed to provide your intellect.”
“By the first Friday we worked out that Alastor Moody was actually Bartemius Crouch Junior. He was a Death Eater who had captured the real Moody and used polyjuice potion to impersonate him. By that Sunday, Aunty Amelia had him under arrest and interrogated under veritaserum. It was him who sabotaged the Goblet of Fire and put the Potter School of Magic and Harry’s name in it. He gave the DMLE a lot of other information about Riddle.”
“Hades gave us all the details of Riddle’s soul anchors, the dark objects that stopped Riddle from being sent to the Underworld. Our allies collected them and destroyed them. Hades told us that Harry’s scar had a part of Riddle’s soul in it. The Unspeakables found a way to cut it out. That removed the connection to Riddle.”
“The tournament was hideous. The best thing about it was that no champions were killed. The real story of the last task has never been published. Viktor Krum won but Harry was captured by Peter Pettigrew. Sirius Black was with Harry in his dog form. Black hung on to Pettigrew as they were port keyed to an abandoned house. When they landed, Black started transforming. Pettigrew killed Black before he could draw his wand.”
“He was tied up and used by Pettigrew in a ritual to make Riddle a new body.”
“Harry was tortured by Pettigrew and Riddle. He was held under the Cruciatus curse by both of them for a long time. We don’t know how long.”
“The Abbott and Li mercenaries arrived. Riddle’s last soul anchor was Nagini, an exiled demi-god who was cursed to transform into a snake. While Riddle was distracted by torturing Harry, an Unspeakable used a charm to break the transformation curse, Nagini transformed back into her human form. Nagini was able to remove the Horcrux, it was a ring that Riddle had forced her to wear. A Li Army soldier destroyed it with Fiendfyre. The soldiers killed Pettigrew. Riddle fired a killing curse at Harry. Nagini stepped in front of Harry, the curse bent right around her and killed Riddle. It’s a long story but Nagini is really an immortal demi-god, she had been cast out of her family, weakened, and captured by Riddle.”
“Harry didn’t need any more attention. Years later the story was put about that Black had killed Riddle and then was killed by Pettigrew. The soul anchors were never revealed. No one wanted new dark lords to get the idea that they could make them.”
“Harry and his vassals lived our own lives after that. Harry was severely damaged. His mind took ten years to even partially recover. Living is still a struggle for him. Eventually, all of the vassals married and had kids. My husband is Andre Plantier, he was the delegate to this conference from the Swiss Federation. We live in Geneva and have three children. Andre’s brother Michael married Daphne Greengrass.”
Tracey looked up, she jumped to her feet, her face turned white. She was staring at something behind Hermione. Hermione could not move.
“I have to leave now. Have a nice life.”
Tracey hurried to the door and rushed out without looking back.
Someone walked slowly around to face Hermione.
It was Hecate.
“Hermione, do you know me?” Hecate smiled at her.
“You are Hecate. I want to deny it, but I can’t.” Terror gripped Hermione in a way that she had not known since those awful nights twenty-two years ago.
“Back in Magical Britain, you were given a chance to be involved in a mission. That mission saved tens of thousands from dying before their time. Hundreds of thousands were saved from having their families torn apart and destroyed. A sickness that could have nearly destroyed magical and non-magical humanity was cut out before it could grow. I wanted you to hear a short outline of what you missed and what Harry and his people accomplished.”
“You are safe. You and your family will live long, happy lives. However, you will remember that you let your mind rule over your love.”
Hermione was released. Hecate was gone.
Much later the conference room door opened. Viktor Krum came into the room.
“Hermione, what are you doing sitting here? I have been searching for you. We need to pick up the kids.”
Viktor saw Hermione’s face. “What is wrong? You’re crying!”
“Viktor! Oh! Viktor! I have messed up! Big time!” Tears flowed freely.
Viktor was stunned. “The conference was great. We got everything we wanted. What is wrong?”
“It’s about Harry.”
Viktor was still stunned, “Harry! As in Harry Potter? I didn’t know that you knew him.”
“I was supposed to be one of his vassals. I ran away. I was wrong, Viktor! So wrong! I messed up!”178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHknmXsjfsK
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