Chapter 13
Harry had spent the morning in the workshop. Severus had made him promise not to go anywhere while he was out on his unspecified errand, and so Harry worked on the less-dangerous potions that didn’t require a master’s touch or supervision. He was a bit distracted, however, by thoughts of Ginny Weasley and wondering how he was going to get into the Ghost Rental to look for the One Ring.
Severus returned in time for lunch, with some rather surprising purchases. “Aw, nice, Severus!” Harry beamed at his new limited-edition movie poster depicting Morpheus, the King of Dreams. “Thanks!” This was a particularly generous gift given Severus’s marked dislike of all pop culture.
“You deserve it,” smiled Severus. “I got these, too.” He laid out a paper-wrapped package and—surprisingly—a brand-new belt.
Harry carefully laid aside his new Morpheus poster and picked up the belt. “What’s this for?” It was an ordinary man’s belt, woven of gray, black and white threads in a geometric pattern, with a plastic buckle.
“It’s for these.” Severus unwrapped the package, letting several small metal discs clatter out. He picked one up, showing Harry the runes etched on its surface, the small perforations around its edge. “These are protective amulets, far better than anything we can make ourselves. They’re intended to be attached to clothing, via the Sticking charm or hand sewing—see the holes? Normally wizards would attach them onto their cloaks or hats, but obviously you can’t do that. So I thought the belt would be a good solution. We’ll Stick the amulets onto the inside of the belt, and you can wear the belt with all your outfits without any comment.”
“Clever!” said Harry admiringly. He lifted one of the amulets. The amulets he was currently wearing were old, crude things, dug up from Severus’s old wizard’s trunk, that had lost much of their power. This amulet was clearly in a different league altogether. It was about the same size and shape as a crushed penny, very light in his hand, the metal shiny silver. He examined the runes etched on the surface. He recognized them as runes—the potions books sometimes depicted runes—but he couldn’t read them. Severus had taught him just enough of runecraft to recognize the symbols of danger or poison, but Harry had no idea how to read more complex rune spells, let alone compose those spells himself. “What do these runes say?”
Severus glanced at it. “That one is actually for promoting your personal charm and likability. Useful, I must say.”
“My what?” Harry frowned.
“Wearing it makes you seem nicer and more charming to those you interact with. More trustworthy.”
Harry nearly dropped the thing. “What! You mean it controls their minds?”
“Of course not.” Severus was already taking out his wand. “It’s not the Imperius Curse. It just amplifies the more positive aspects of your character, so to speak. Hand me the belt.”
Still uneasy, Harry did so. “That still doesn’t seem right.”
“Don’t be squeamish. It’s not as though you’re lying or coercing anyone. It’s no different than wearing something to cover facial spots. Speaking of which, Miguel will be getting us some stage makeup to cover your scar.” Severus’s eyes flicked up to Harry’s forehead. “It’s a pity the Weasley girl already saw your scar. We’ll just have to try and change the shape of it, so it looks less like a souvenir from a curse.”
“Her name’s Ginny,” Harry muttered, still troubled by the charm-amulet. He picked up another amulet. “I didn’t know runes could be so…powerful.”
“Runecraft is an ancient and complex magic. It’s capable of quite a lot.”
How come you never taught it to me, then? Harry bit back the question. He knew it was unjust. When he was a little kid, he’d thought Severus knew everything about everything, certainly everything about magic. Now, of course, he realized this was impossible. Severus was talented at defensive magic and an expert at potion-making, but it was unreasonable to expect him to know everything about every branch of magic, especially since there were clearly many different kinds.
This thought intrigued him. “Hey, Severus,” he said, “how many branches of magic are there?”
“Who knows?” Severus didn’t look up from Sticking on an amulet. “Thousands, probably. There are many different cultural traditions across the world: the Chinese, for example, do not practice magic the same way as the British. And that’s just wizards. Magical races such as goblins, elves and centaurs all have their own methods and powers.”
“Wow.” Harry knew about magical creatures—those strange, flitting beings such as the beach fairies, invisible to Muggle eyes—but he’d never given much thought to sapient magical races. There certainly weren’t any living in San Benito. Momentarily, he wondered if he’d ever get to meet someone from such a race.
I bet Ginny’s met magical races. The thought prompted an unexpected spurt of resentment. How come Ginny and her brothers got full access to the magical world and he did not?
Because they’re living under the Dark Lord’s tyrannical rule, that’s why. I’m the lucky one. He tried to concentrate on the matter at hand. “Do you think Ginny will realize I’m wearing these amulets?” he asked. “I mean, do they teach runes at Hogwarts?”
“Indeed they do, but the good thing about amulets is that they’re undetectable to anyone who isn’t actively casting a detection spell. Ginny won’t think to do so, as she believes you a harmless Muggle.” Severus did look up then, to give Harry a hard stare. “She does think that, doesn’t she?”
“Yes!” Harry said indignantly. “I’m not stupid enough to tell her, not like with Jose—” He broke off. “I learned my lesson, okay?” he said after a moment. “I won’t do anything to let her know.”
“Good.” Severus returned to attaching amulets. “Because the stakes are much higher this time.”
Harry’s mouth tightened. The stakes had proven pretty damn high for Jose Ruiz. But all that had happened years ago. There was no point in bringing it up now and having a fight about it.
Instead he said, “Severus, do you know much about the Weasleys?”
“Such as?” Severus was even now attaching the charm amulet.
“Well, anything, really. If I’m going to, uh, spy on them, I should know more about them going in.” Harry shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t like to think of it as spying, even though that was what it was. Looking for the Dark Lord’s One Ring and saving San Benito from its evil menace sounded better in his head.
Severus paused, wand in hand. “That’s a fair point,” he said in a tone of mild realization. “I apologize, Harry. I forgot just how little you know of other wizards.” He set the belt down. “I don’t know that much about the Weasleys personally,” he said in businesslike tones. “They were never friends of mine. But I do know that they are a large family and an old one, though certainly not wealthy. Never greatly involved in politics, never a great power in the wizarding world. But they have never subscribed to notions of pureblood supremacy or anti-Muggle bigotry, and, as I said, they are probably no great supporters of the Dark Lord in their hearts.”
Harry wondered what it was like, having a large, established family like that. He imagined Ginny in the middle of a crowd of redhaired, chattering relatives and felt another pang of envy. “Yeah, I guess I’ve kind of seen that. Ginny says she has six older brothers!”
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” said Severus with a hint of haughty disdain. “You’ve met her brother Ronald, right? What were your impressions?”
Harry thought back. “He seemed pretty nice, actually. He really had fun surfing yesterday.” He grinned a little, remembering the surfing lesson and how all three wizarding teenagers had fallen off their surfboards the first time they tried standing up, just like any beginners. Magic couldn’t help you with everything. “His girlfriend Hermione seems cool, too. Very brainy. She and Maya were really getting along.”
“That’s good.” Severus recommenced Sticking on amulets. “Your friends can provide good camouflage, especially when you get into the house itself.”
“Yeah, but when do you think we can do that? We’re all supposed to meet up at Tulles this afternoon, but I don’t think they’ll invite us over tonight or anything…”
“Not tonight,” said Severus decisively. “But maybe next week. Keep being friendly to Miss Weasley and her brother. Be polite to her parents if you’re introduced. And if they invite you for dinner or something, be a good guest. Don’t look for the One Ring during your first visit. Establish yourself as a friendly presence first.”
“‘The One Ring?’” Harry grinned. “Now I’ve got you saying it!”
Severus shot him a sour look, which only made him laugh harder. “Don’t be flippant, Harry. This is not a game.” He turned to Harry fully then, expression even more serious than usual. “On that note, I’d like to discuss something with you.”
“What?” Harry’s grin faded.
Severus was silent a moment, which only made Harry more nervous. “Harry,” he said at last, “what would you say your feelings are for the Weasley—for Miss Weasley?”
“My feelings?” Harry blinked at this unexpected question. “Well—she’s nice, I guess. Nicer than I expected a witch to be, honestly. She’s fun to hang out with.” Involuntarily, he remembered her infectious laugh, how her hair blazed under the sun. “Pretty, too.”
Instantly, he knew that had been the wrong thing to say. Severus’s eyes sharpened. “I hope you’re not getting any ideas, Harry.”
“Ideas about what?” Harry asked, though he thought he already knew.
“About falling in love with this girl,” Severus said flatly. “Remember, she is the Dark Lord’s subject, however nice she seems in person. And, at the very least, she’s a tourist. She’ll be going home at the end of the summer. Such a relationship can’t go anywhere.”
“I know that,” Harry said, stung. He’d lived in a tourist town all his life, after all, and knew how these things went. “I’m not planning to marry her or anything. I just like hanging out with her. Her brother seems cool too. But isn’t that good? Isn’t it better that I actually like them, since I’m supposed to be making friends with them?”
“True,” said Severus. “But remember what I said: the Weasleys are not truly your friends. You mustn’t lose sight of what you’re trying to do. Never lose sight of the goal, Harry. And the goal is the One Ring—not Ginny Weasley.”
Harry nodded, tamping down the mild resentment this caused. Severus was right, after all. “I’ll remember.”
Severus gave him one last suspicious look before picking up the belt again. “Good.” He let out a sudden hiss and dropped the belt, right hand clapping onto his left elbow.
“Severus? You okay?” That was the same place Harry had seen the odd bruise on Severus’s arm, Harry remembered. He wondered what could have happened.
“I’m fine.” Severus let go of his elbow. “Why don’t you go put up your new poster in your bedroom? And be sure to wear sunscreen and a hat when you go to Tulles.”
Harry stood, taking up his precious poster. “I guess I’d better pull my hat down low, to hide my scar,” he said, half-joking.
“Yes, you should.” Severus nodded, dead serious. “You’re getting good at this, Harry.”
“Hey, Ginny.” Bill appeared in the doorway. “We’re almost ready to go.”
“What?” Ginny looked up from her book, bleary-eyed. “Oh! Right.” She hurried to put down the book and grab her hat.
Bill craned over to read the title. “Major Dark Events of Recent History? Are you and Hermione working a history project or something?”
“No. Well—sort of. Hermione’s got this bee in her bonnet and I promised I’d help with some research.” Ginny paused. Hermione wasn’t the only one with a weird bee in her bonnet. “Bill…you’re a curse breaker for Gringotts. Do you know anything about curse scars?”
“Curse scars?” Bill blinked. “Well, no, I don’t know much, actually. I’m trained to break curses on buildings and inanimate objects, not human beings.”
“I just thought you might know something.”
Bill stood back, thinking deeply. That was a nice thing about Bill: unlike Ginny’s other brothers, he always gave every question serious thought. “Well, I do know that they’re fairly rare: a witch or wizard has to survive a powerful Dark curse to get one, and that’s not easy. And they’re always the same shape: a lightning bolt, on whatever part of the body the curse hit.”
Ginny tried to remember the shape of Harry’s scar. Was it a lightning bolt or just a line? “Can Muggles get them?”
“Muggles?” Bill looked more surprised than ever. “Well…I suppose it’s possible. But Muggles have even less chance of surviving a powerful Dark curse than wizards do.” He gave a quick, humorless smile. “That’s where the Muggle word ‘abracadabra’ comes from, you know. From the Killing Curse: Avada Kedavra. Muggles used to hear that one a lot.”
“Yeah, I know,” said Ginny grimly. Wizarding history was truly nasty in places. She gave a rather uneasy chuckle. “Imagine if You-Know-Who had actually taken over fifteen years ago! Muggles would start hearing it all the time again.”
“Wizards too,” Bill nodded. “Whatever happened that Halloween with the Potters, we all certainly dodged a bullet, as the Muggles would say. Now come on, everyone’s waiting.”
Ginny followed Bill through the house, pushing aside her dark thoughts. She was being foolish. Ron was right: Harry was an ordinary American Muggle, and his scar was just a scar. Get a grip, Ginny. She paused by the door to strap on her sandals before heading outside.
Ron and Hermione were already waiting by the car. Fleur would not be joining them: trotting around a tidal marshland in the heat of the day was not her idea of fun. However, Bill would be accompanying the younger ones. “This nature reserve sounds interesting, and I’d like to meet these friends of yours,” he’d said.
Now Ron and Hermione stood by the car, Ron hopping from one foot to another, Hermione with her nose deep in a magical history book. When Ron saw Bill and Ginny’s approach, he nudged Hermione. “They’re here!”
Hermione tucked her book into her bag, slow and reluctant. “Better not show that to the Muggles!” Bill said lightly as he headed for the righthand car door, checked, and then circled around to the other side.
“Found anything?” Ginny asked Hermione in a low voice. She flicked a questioning look at Ron.
“He knows we’re researching,” said Hermione in response to Ginny’s unasked question. “But I still haven’t found that picture, or this Severus person.” She shook her head in exasperation. “I’m going to have to write to Hogwarts and ask for some more books to be sent.”
“Good luck with that,” Ron snorted. “Madam Pince would have a heart attack at the very thought.”
“You can borrow books over the summer with a teacher’s permission,” Hermione said, opening the car door. “I asked McGonagall. You just have to write in and McGonagall will replicate the book and send you the copy.”
Ron shook his head, grinning. “Only you, Hermione.”
Ginny sat in front, next to Bill, even though it felt like she should be the one driving in this seat. They headed south, flashing through town. Ginny hoped Harry and his friends would be there when they arrived. She found she was very much looking forward to seeing them again, especially Harry. “Think they’ll give us surfing lessons again sometime?” she asked, craning around to address Ron and Hermione.
Hermione groaned while Ron laughed. “Yeah! I want to get as good as Tomas.”
“Surfing is fine,” said Bill. They emerged on the opposite side of town, the road spiraling into a wide, flat plain between the two headlands. Here the sea mingled with an incoming river, forming wide pools of water, interspersed with flat, reedy islands. A flock of white birds took off, wings dancing against the clear blue sky. “But I hope I don’t have to remind you to be careful. Just because Mum and Dad have gone back home doesn’t mean we’re not still following the International Statute of Secrecy. You can make friends with these Muggles, but they can’t ever know that we’re wizards.”
“Yes, we know, Bill,” said Ron, annoyed. “We’re not toddlers. We’re not even allowed to do magic outside of school.”
“Yeah, we won’t say anything,” said Ginny. Unbidden, she wondered how Harry, who seemed to love Muggle fantasy so much, would react to the discovery that there was real, true magic in the world. She imagined he’d be awed and delighted, once he got over his initial shock. It was really too bad Ginny could never tell him.
They rolled into the gravel parking lot of the reserve, outside the visitors’ center building. Ginny saw with pleasure that Tomas’s car was already present. As the wizards got out of their vehicle, putting on hats and sunglasses, the door to the nature center opened and Harry and Tomas strolled out.
“Hi there! Hot enough for you?” Harry called, grinning widely.
“Just about!” Ginny shouted back. “How do you stand this?” The air was wavering in sheets over the parking lot, blurring the landscape beyond.
“Aw, you get used to it.” Harry checked when he saw Bill. “Hello! Who’s this?”
“I’m Bill Weasley.” Bill came over, hand held out. “Ron and Ginny’s older brother. Nice to meet you!”
“You too!” Tomas shook his hand enthusiastically. “I’m Tomas Rodriguez. Any brother of Ron and Ginny’s is a friend of mine.”
“Harry Powell.” Harry was less effusive, seeming reluctant to shake Bill’s hand, and giving him a wary look—though it was hard to tell with his baseball cap pulled so low over his forehead.
“Come on, let’s go inside!” Tomas ushered them all into the cool, air-conditioned interior of the visitors’ center. “Maya has some cool samples lined up. She’s done a great job.”
“Tomas is saying that ‘cause he wants to date Maya,” Harry said in a stage whisper. Ginny and Hermione both giggled and Ron grinned.
“That true, Tomas?” he asked.
“Shut up, Brexit!” Tomas swatted at Harry, who dodged, cackling.
“Stop fighting!” called Maya. She was standing by a table in the middle of the main room of the center, spread with various trays and boxes. Ginny looked around the room with interest, taking in the flats of insects, the animals stuffed by taxidermy, mounted skeletons, pressed plants and informational plaques, adorned with photographs. “Sorry about Harry and Tomas,” Maya continued with an embarrassed smile. “They’re always like this.” She held out a hand to Bill. “Hi, I’m Maya Smith-Gomez. I’m an intern here at Tulles.”
Bill shook her hand. “Bill Weasley, Ron and Ginny’s older brother. What’s all this you have here?”
While everyone moved off toward the table with its samples, Ginny sidled up to Harry. “I just wanted to tell you I really enjoyed Punderworld,” she said in an undertone. “I didn’t get a chance to last time.”
Harry beamed at her under his hat, and Ginny found herself beaming back. For some reason, he seemed even more likeable and charming than usual today. “That’s great! Punderworld’s a cute series for sure. There’s more online: bonus episodes and stuff.”
Ginny laughed, a bit self-consciously. “I don’t have a phone, remember?”
Harry hesitated. “Does your rental have Wi-Fi?”
“Yes.” Whatever Wi-Fi was, Ginny reasoned, the rental must surely have it. It had every other Muggle device, after all.
“Then I can come over and show it to you sometime, maybe.” He grinned. “I still need to show you Star Wars, after all.”
“That sounds lovely.” It did sound lovely, but Ginny had to wonder what Bill and Fleur would think of her bringing a Muggle friend home. The Weasleys never brought Muggles back to the Burrow. “Though…maybe I could come over to your place?” Surely that would be safer.
“Uh…” Harry’s smile dimmed. “Not sure if that’s a good idea, to be honest. I’d love to have you over,” he added hastily, “but I’m not sure Stephen would agree.”
“What, you can’t bring friends over?” Ginny frowned. This Stephen bloke was sounding worse all the time.
Harry blew out his lips. “Let’s just say it’s better to introduce people to him slowly.” He nodded at the table. “Come on, let’s see what Maya’s got for us.”
They spent a fascinating hour in the nature center, examining the samples Maya had prepared for them: feathers and detached birds’ wings, animal pelts, snakeskins, mussel shells, bits of marsh plant and fungi. Maya explained that all the animal parts came from naturally deceased creatures: no animals had been slaughtered for their bones or skins. She seemed very knowledgeable and enthusiastic, explaining each new sample in lively detail. She even had the visitors look at samples through microscopes, and Ginny gasped to see the hidden world suddenly appear under her lens. Arthur was right: it was amazing what Muggles could do without magic.
Ron seemed to agree. Straightening up from his microscope, he whispered, “Blimey, what’ll these Muggles think of next?”
Perhaps it came out louder than he’d intended, or perhaps the visitors’ center was unusually hushed at that moment. Whatever the case, all three Muggles turned their heads to frown at Ron. “‘Muggles?’” said Tomas. “What does that mean?”
Ron turned a bit green. He swallowed, his throat clicking.
“Nothing!” said Ginny in a hasty rush. “It’s just a British term for, um, nature scientists.”
“You mean biologists?” Maya said.
“Uh, yes.” Cold sweat was breaking out under Ginny’s clothes. Passing in the Muggle world was not as simple as just refraining from wand-work, she thought.
To her relief, the Muggles seemed to buy her story. “Cool!” said Tomas. “‘Muggles’. I like it. You’ll have to teach us some other Britishisms!”
“I don’t know,” said Maya. “I think I prefer the term ‘biologists’. But come on, we should at least take a look outside…”
“Yeah!” Tomas fell into place beside her.
“Okay,” said Ginny, though she wasn’t sure about going out into that heat again. “You coming, Harry? Harry?”
Harry was standing stock-still, staring at Ron. Ginny thought he looked rather pale under his baseball cap, eyes wide. “Harry?” Ginny said, a bit louder. “You okay?”
He seemed to return to himself then, startling a little and refocusing on her. “Oh—yeah! Yeah, I’m good. Let’s go.”
Yes, Harry Powell was a bit odd, Ginny admitted to herself, stepping out the back door of the center. But still nice.
Outside, the heat hit them like a fist. The visitors’ center let out directly onto a wooden ramp that led to the slatted path built over the marsh. Bill flapped his shirt, half-laughing, and Ron and Hermione both clapped their hats back on. The Californians all laughed at them, sunlight sparking off their sunglasses.
“Welcome to the wetlands!” cried Maya. “We don’t have to stay out here for long, but I wanted to show you…”
While Maya led the way, jabbering about white egrets and spawning fish and intertidal zones, Ginny found herself walking next to Harry at the back of the line, feet clumping on the wooden slats. She eyed him sidelong. He really was a mystery, she reflected. He seemed so relaxed and nice and ordinary most of the time, and then something would happen—she still wasn’t sure what—and he’d turn into a rigid, clammed-up stick. And there was Hermione, positive she’d seen him in a book somewhere…
“What’s up?” Harry glanced at her.
“Nothing,” said Ginny, blushing a little. Casting around for some other topic, she said, “Have you lived with Stephen all your life?”
“Pretty much.” Harry held out his hand, letting it trail through high marsh-grass stalks. “My parents died when I was a baby.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Ginny’s heart squeezed. “What happened? Or would you rather not say?”
Something flashed in Harry’s eyes behind his thick glasses, something that was there and then gone in an instant. “A car crash,” he said shortly. “Back in Britain. Stephen was named my legal guardian. He took me to the States pretty soon afterward.”
“Oh. That sounds terrible.”
“It’s okay, really.” Harry hoisted up a smile. “I don’t remember them at all. How ‘bout you? What’s it like, having so many brothers?”
Ginny groaned, which made Harry laugh. “It’s got its ups and downs,” Ginny admitted. “I mean, there’s always someone around when you need them, but…there’s always someone around when you don’t need them too. You know?”
“Not really.” Harry sounded a little wistful. “It’s always just been me and Stephen. Well, and Maya.” He nodded ahead, to where Maya was showing a marsh plant to Bill. “And her dads. Mike and Miguel: we call them Los Dos. They kind of helped raise me. Maya’s been like a sister to me.”
Ginny was glad to hear it hadn’t just been Harry alone with his weird-sounding cousin. “Is that how you got the job at the comics store?”
“Are you accusing Los Dos of nepotism?” Harry grinned at her, then shrugged. “Well, it’s true, I guess. You know, you ought to come back to the store sometime. If you like Punderworld, you might like The Mortal Instruments too—”
He broke off at a sudden hiss that was not the sound of waves retreating against the mud. Ginny clutched Harry’s arm. There, coiled up among the reeds of a nearby island, was a long, brown-patterned snake. It flicked its tongue and hissed again, ink-drop eyes fixed on Harry.
“Harry!” Ginny’s voice sounded high-pitched and strangled in her own ears. “Harry, what’s that snake going to do?”
“It’s okay.” Harry stood quite still, looking back at the snake. “It’s just a gopher snake. They’re harmless. And she can’t get onto the path anyway.”
Ginny blinked. “How do you know it’s fe—?”
The snake hissed again, sounding louder and more insistent. Ginny clutched Harry’s arm harder. “Let’s keep going!”
After a moment, Harry moved, striding along the boardwalk. Ginny ran ahead of him, to where the others stood on a platform built out over the water. “There was a snake back there!”
“Oh, yeah, there’s lots of snakes,” said Maya off-handedly. “Most of them are non-venomous, though.” She shot Harry a smirk. “Harry here seems to attract them!”
“Wow, thanks for that, Maya,” Harry muttered as everyone’s attention turned on him.
“Well, it’s true, Brexit,” chuckled Tomas. “Everywhere we go, snakes find you. Remember when we were out hiking and we stopped to eat lunch, and a damn rattlesnake nearly crawled into your lap?”
“A rattlesnake!” Ron sounded torn between horror and fascination. “Really?”
“It’s not my fault,” Harry muttered, staring at the water lapping at the pilings. “Snakes are always attracted to the warmest spot.”
“Naw, man, they just like you!” Tomas cuffed Harry on the shoulder.
“Is that how you knew the snake was female?” Ginny asked. Her panic was already subsiding, replaced by curiosity.
“What?”
“Well, when we saw it, you said ‘she can’t get onto the path.’ How did you know it was a girl snake?”
Harry blinked rapidly. “Oh…you learn to recognize it. After a while. Anyway, it was just a gopher snake. They’re really common, but they’re not venomous.”
“That’s good to hear,” said Bill, “because I was thinking of inviting you all to dinner at our rental sometime, and I wouldn’t want hordes of poisonous snakes joining us too.”
“Dinner? At your rental?” Harry perked up at this, suddenly all attention. “When?”
“Give us some time,” Bill prevaricated. “The twins are coming soon, and I know Dad would want to meet you…Let’s think about it.”
“Yeah, I still want to ride a roller coaster,” said Ron. He slapped Tomas on the shoulder. “Tomas said he’d take me!”
“My parents are coming later too,” said Hermione. “Don’t forget.”
“And you can’t miss Pridefest,” added Maya.
Bill held up his hands, half-laughing. “We’ll find a time that works for everyone. We’re here for two months, after all. Plenty of time!”