Chapter 18
“Lavender just doesn’t like washing ponies.” Colin said. “She much rather be on kitchen duty than getting chilled fingers, washing ponies. The water here is cold.”
“That it is, Colin, that it is.” Harry led Latte back to the ponies’ roped off field, while Colin followed him with Almond. “But I’ll let you in on a secret…” He waited for Colin to join him before he released Latte. “Warming charms are great.” He laughed at the betrayed expression on Colin’s face. “Let Almond go and let’s get the laundry over with before Lavender calls us in.”
“Warming charms?” Colin whispered. “Ooh you horrible dwarf, you couldn’t have told me that earlier?”
“Was kinda wondering, how long it would take you to figure it out for yourself.” Harry told the blonde.
“Oh, bugger…” Colin huffed. “You’re mean…”
“Yep. The meanest.” Harry laughed and ruffled Colin’s curls.
“Oi!”
~~~
May 4th 2920
The day passed quietly, no dramas, no issues. Just a calm progression, from one place to another.
The training sessions in the mornings, were starting to look more like what Karol had told Harry to do. Just a little louder and with more laughter.
Harry was nearly finished his fifth pair of socks and was contemplating what he was going to do with the scrap yarn, when Lavender told him about a blanket that her grandmother had made for her cousin. He cast on the yarn and knitted the first square, before picking up stitches down one side of the square and casting on the additional stitches needed, and then it was knit away until the square was done. He got five squares done before deciding that he could wait for another day, to add more.
That afternoon he showed Lavender his progress and she said his knitting was much neater than her grandmother’s. Colin joined them and asked Harry for some yarn and a crochet hook, he couldn’t knit but he could crochet and it would be nice to have something colourful on his bed. When Harry said that he only had earthy colours, Colin told him how to dye wool using food colouring, vinegar and heat.
For the rest of the evening they had an impromptu dyeing party, pots lined up on the grill of the firepit, the steam rising gently from each pot. After gently heating the wool for an hour, they formed a floating chain of pots down to the creek to rinse the yarn, although there was little colour remaining in the pots. Then Colin, who had the best idea of what was needed, transfigured a few pieces of wood that Fred offered up, into a drying rack. But it only took a few minutes and Harry’s impatience winning, for the raven-headed dwarf to cast a tergeo on the hanging hanks.
So, he wanted to knit something other than beige or brown? Sue him.
~~~
May 5th 2920
For the first time Harry removed the blunting charm from Fred’s knives, no longer quite so worried that the redhead would hurt himself with his daggers. And Lavender asked if, when they found a dwarven smith, could she put in an order for a decent axe, or at least look at buying one that was better sized for her. Colin quickly added to the list, with heavy iron tips for a pair of staffs, not that he planned to use two at a time, but he really liked the idea of a backup.
They passed by Helm’s Deep by mid-afternoon but opted to keep going.
Finally, stopping beside a stream that was still shallow but far deeper than anything else they’d crossed that day. Hedwig brought them a pair of rabbits for dinner and to Harry’s surprise, she also brought a half-grown rabbit kit, that she dropped in front of Crookshanks. The part-kneezle meowed to the owl and happily tore into the still warm meal.
Teddy continued to change eye colour to match whoever was holding him, but still showed no sign of changing anything else. Much to Harry's relief.
~~~
May 6th 2920
After their training session that morning, Harry asked the others to think carefully before doing any magic that day, because as the day progressed, they were getting closer and closer to Isengard and the traitor and they really had no idea if the wizard could detect their magic or not.
A simple breakfast of stuffed bread and mugs of tea, was quickly followed by harnessing up their mares and moving out. The Isen Fords were nearly fifteen miles in front of them and once through them, they would be in Dunland. Out of Rohan. Two days after the Fords and they would be able to stop for a couple of days, shielded from Isengard by the tail of the Misty Mountains.
Have a break. Let the mares and themselves rest and recharge, ready for the next stretch.
Lunch was more stuffed bread rolls, this time filled with thick slabs of cold roast beef and accompanied by a bowl of sweet cherry tomatoes. Then it was change the ponies over and keep moving.
They entered the wooded area that surrounded the Fords and instantly, Harry and Fred were on alert and constantly scanning for danger. Fortunately for them, nothing leapt out and threatened them. They took turns crossing the Fords, Colin and Harry doing the driving with Fred and Lavender on guard duty, sword and axe at the ready.
Once across the Fords, they kept moving, even if they only covered another two or three miles, that was two or three miles further from Rohan, two or three miles closer to wherever they ended up.
Harry wasn’t really sure how far they were from the Fords, when they reached the first Guard-Station, but it couldn’t have been more than a mile. They paused there to question the guards about the road ahead and where to buy additional pony feed. The response was more pleasant than he expected. Dunland was renowned for its grain production and mills that would sell directly to the public were almost everywhere. Ironically, if a mill wouldn’t sell to the public, it would have a sign, usually a stick-figure in a crossed circle, stating no public sales.
They told the guards about the guards at the last Gondorian Guard-Station helping travellers and how they wanted to help the Dunland guards do the same. They offered the guards a large-ish pouch of coins, mostly florins and sovereigns, but also a few crowns, when the guards replied that it was standard procedure to inquire and where needed, to add to travellers' supplies. The guards were appreciative and the four Hogwarts trained magicals handed over the pouch with smiles and handshakes, intending to do the same at the next couple of Guard-Stations.
After talking between themselves, the group mounted their wagons and moved out. The sun was still reasonably high, certainly enough to go another mile or two. The guards had told them that there were no formal camp areas in Dunland, that as long as they kept the ponies out of a farmer’s field, they could camp pretty much anywhere they liked. There was a large valley a couple of miles north, that wasn’t farmed, mostly due to early spring flooding, but this late in the spring it would make an ideal camping place for them, giving them plenty of room for them and the ponies.
It took far longer for Colin and Harry to rope off an enclosure for the ponies, than it had previously, but that was only because Harry had cautioned them against using magic, if at all possible. But soon the mares were washed, fed their grain and the last of the hay and were grazing quietly.
Fred had put together an Irish stew and Harry had made cheese encrusted bread rolls to go with it.
For once, neither Hedwig nor Crookshanks had left the wagons, preferring to stay on the drive-seat of Harry’s wagon, preening and basking in the late afternoon sun.
“This guy really has you worried, doesn’t he?” Fred asked as they sat around the firepit.
“Not exactly worried, more… concerned.” Harry countered. “In eighty years, he’s a traitor, imprisons someone that trusted him and actively talks people into killing others. Whether he’s already turned bad or not, I don’t know.”
“Then why aren’t we trying to save him?” Lavender asked.
“Because…” Harry sighed. “Because everything I’ve read about him, tells me that he’s on a par with Voldemort.” He ignored the tiny flinch that Lavender made. “He’s manipulative, powerful and he won’t hesitate to lie or have someone killed, but unlike Voldy, he won’t do the killing himself. He prefers to keep his hands clean and have someone do that for him.”
“Right…” Lavender nodded slowly. “So we let him think he’s safe, until we can dispose of the item and then what?”
“Doesn’t really matter.” Harry shrugged. “Once the item is gone, any connection to the Enemy is gone. With it gone, there’s no way to control the Enemy’s armies, and without them, dominating the different nations of middle-earth just isn’t possible. And if he does try anything stupid, either his so-called colleagues will deal with him or we will.”
“He’ll be powerless?” Lavender asked.
“Not powerless,” Harry disagreed, “but no more powerful than his colleagues are.”
“That sounds… reasonable.” Lavender nodded slowly. “But we’ll be keeping a watch on him?”
“We will.” Harry nodded.
“Okay.” Lavender’s nod became more confident.
~~~
May 7th 2920
They held no training session that morning. All of them wanted to get further west, primarily to get mountains between them and Isengard, but also as it brought them closer to foothills of the south-western edge of the Misty Mountains where they would take a two- or three-day break. Harnessing mares was left to Harry and Fred, while Colin and Lavender saw to packing their camp and something for breakfast.
The first mill they passed had a ‘no grain to sell’ sign hung on the gate, but the second had a ‘grain for sale’ sign and Harry pulled his wagon to a stop on the edge of the road and after a quick discussion with the others, he and Colin transferred what little grain they had left, to the floor of Harry’s wagon and drove into the mill’s yard. A short chat with the miller and a handful of coins, and they left with a fully laden wagon.
At lunch they cancelled the charms on the headcollars of the two horses that they’d taken from the Gondorian border farmstead, they intended to sell both horses. It wasn’t that they didn’t like the shrunken horses, they did very much, but they didn’t know how to make the transfiguration permanent, and none of them were tall enough to manage horses that were easily the size of Abraxians or Shires. They were a good foot taller than Fred, who was still the tallest of the relocated Gryffindors.
That evening the caravan had barely come to a halt, before Harry was activating the wards, only then did he let the tension leave his shoulders and relax. It was also then that Crookshanks stalked off in the direction of the stream that they were camped beside.
“I think Crooks wants fish for tea.” Lavender laughed as she dismounted from her and Colin’s wagon.
“I think you might be right.” Harry snorted and started to unharness the ponies that Lavender held.
“Can I use my wand?” Colin asked.
“Yeah, the wards are up.” Harry replied. “From that split rock over there to the mossy rock on the top of that bank and back to the cairns.” Harry pointed to the corners of the wards. “Stick within that and we’re fine.”
“Cool.” Colin grabbed the reel of rope and bucket of shrunken pickets. He trotted off, setting a picket into the ground and directing the rope to thread itself through the coiled loop of metal at the top of each picket. Soon the enclosure was up and the mares were let loose, their half-barrels of feed dominating their attention.
“Can I do Cornish pasties for dinner?” Fred asked. “It’s my turn to cook, but I’m just not feeling enthused.”
Lavender and Harry looked at each other and shrugged.
“Sure.” Harry said. “Make enough for lunch, too and that’s covered.”
“On it.” Fred gave them a smile and began pulling things out of the camp storeroom of Harry’s wagon, while Harry shrunk the bags of grain and bales of hay and added them to the feed wagon’s stasis box.
Half an hour later and Crookshanks appeared, a small fish in his mouth.
“So, you heard Fred, then?” Harry laughed.
Crookshanks meowed and dropped the fish at the base of Hedwig’s stand and meowed, again, looking at Harry.
“You want me to give that to Hedwig for you?” He asked and the part-kneezle meowed a third time. “Alright.” Harry picked fish up and held it for Hedwig, the owl blinked a couple of times before plucking the fish from Harry’s fingers. “I’ll leave you to it.” He told the bird. “Thanks, Crookshanks, you’re a very good hunter.” He told the ginger tom, seriously. The part-kneezle blinked and his whiskers fluffed forward in pleasure and pride, before he strutted off again, returning with another fish that he ate himself.
“It’s so cute how you speak to them.” Colin laughed. “It’s almost like they can understand you.”
“Ah, Colin?” Harry looked sideways at the blonde. “They’re both familiars. Magical familiars. They can understand me.”
“What?” Colin looked startled. “They’re not just… you know, pets?”
“Oh, Merlin, no.” Harry laughed. “I mean, you can’t have a complete conversation with them, but they understand. Hermione seems to think that they have the understanding of about a... two or three-year-old kid. Enough to know what you’re talking about and whether you’re pleased about it. Enough to know what something is, like rabbits or fish, what a hunter is. That sort of thing.”
“So, he knew that you were pleased?”
“Yeah.” Harry nodded. “He likely understood I was pleased with his hunting.”
“Huh.” Colin grunted and nodded a couple of times. “Okay.” He headed off to his wagon to get a change of clothes, he’d been moving bags of feed by hand and he was dusty, he wanted a bath.
~~~
May 8th 2920
A full training session that morning left Harry breathless and beaming. Colin had managed to stay standing against Harry and his knives, for five and a half minutes, and Fred had managed to go the entire session without dropping his knives or cutting someone accidentally, not even himself. They celebrated by deciding that tonight would be the end of their travel-week and that wherever they stopped that evening, they would stay there for at least two days, maybe three, depending on how they were feeling.
Two hours after first light and they were on the road and moving north-west. The late spring sunshine and a gentle breeze, made for perfect travelling weather.
An hour on the road and they stopped at the first mill that had a ‘grain for sale’ sign on the gate. Once out of sight of the mill, the fresh grain and hay were shrunk and added to the feed wagon’s stasis box, which was finally beginning to look like it might soon be full. This was repeated at another three mills during the course of the day, not three consecutive mills though, just a random ‘oh, let’s do that mill’ selection.
Over lunch in a tiny settlement, that was little more than a crossroads, they heard a few locals saying that there would be a market for a couple of hours, that afternoon. A quick glance at Fred, Lavender and Colin, had Harry approaching the Man that had spoken and inquiring as to whether he and his friends could set up stalls to sell their wares? He was assured that all comers were welcome and directed to set up a temporary camp on the far side of the creek, as the market would be between the crossroads and the creek.
The market gave them another reason to celebrate. All four of them had produce to sell and all four of them sold well. Harry sold a number of locks, with keys, and a pair of lockboxes. Fred sold three sets of windchimes, four teapot trivets and six pot stands. Lavender sold three hair combs, four hair bands and a set of six jewelled clips, lesser gems but still very pretty. Colin sold a number of pieces, mostly cloak clasps, watch-chains and necklaces.
After a profitable two hours, the four packed their wagons and harnessed their ponies and set out, again. Three hours on and Harry turned from the road and followed an overgrown track as it headed towards the mountains. Before they reached the first serious foothill, they crested a rise and saw their intended weekend getaway.
A broad, shallow valley with a small creek winding its way down the lush, green hollow. Harry stopped his wagon and studied the area. Where would be best to place his ward-stones? He hummed for a few moments before taking his ward-stones and banishing them to his chosen points, then it was a simple matter of activating them.
Now they were safe, wands could be used freely.
After setting up camp and seeing to the ponies, Harry, Fred, Lavender and Colin sat around the fire with a mug of tea.
“Okay…” Harry sighed. “We’ve mountains between us and Isengard.”
“Yay.” Fred’s voice was flat. “Now what?”
“Well…” Harry blinked. “We do what we want.”
“Which is?” Lavender asked.
“How am I supposed to know what you want to do?” Harry looked at her like McGonagall had when he and Ron had challenged a troll and won.
“Oh…” Her eyes went wide.
“I want to repair or replace the bodies of a few coin purses.” He went on. “I want to try and use magic to shape some metal to replicate the purse clasps. If I can, I’m going to make some more purses, using some of the fabric that we have in the stash. I also want to try and replicate some of the metal coin purses. Maybe make a few more coin pouches and as I have plenty of canvass, possibly a few bags.”
“Huh…” Lavender grunted.
“I’m going make some leather cuffs.” Colin said. “And maybe some leaf pendants. Most people around here seem to like plants. I might have a go at making some chains. I’ve got plenty, but it’s something I need to figure how to do.”
“Well, I’m going to check out that little woodland over there.” Fred gestured towards the mountains and the trail of trees that edged from it, out onto the plains. “See what the timber is like, maybe collect a few pieces. I’ve sold a heap of trivets, so I need to replace that stock. Them and wind chimes, seem to be my biggest sellers.”
“Oh.” Lavender nodded in understanding. “I want to make some flowers and leaves to go on clips and bands. Maybe some butterfly clasps.” She paused. “I also want to make a couple of doona covers and some cushions for my bed.”
“Now you’re getting it.” Harry grinned.
~~~
May 9th – 11th 2920
Even though they were supposedly on a break, Harry still made them train. Fred was never going to master hand-to-hand, or knife-fighting, but at least he knew the basics and was no longer a danger to himself or those around him. Lavender was scarily good with an axe but with knives, she wasn’t much better than Fred. Colin had picked up enough knife-fighting skills to challenge Harry, but the staff was his preferred weapon and he wanted to know if he could make one with a wand in it or permanently transfigure a wand into a staff. Harry gave him free-rein to hunt through the books and see if it could be done.
Clothes were washed, repaired and thanks to Hermione’s library, they had a large list of dressmaker’s charms that they could use to physically alter clothes to fit them. Muggle made fabrics won’t hold a charm well, but with the dressmaker’s charms, they were able to trim excess fabric and re-sew seams, re-set hems and with a needle and thread were able to sew button-holes that fit a garment.
Wagons were cleaned and where necessary, washed. Bedding was aired and refreshed. The interiors of the wagons were decorated as per the inhabitant’s tastes. Extra furniture was made, using magic to heat and physically shape timber before it was pegged and allowed to dry and set. This enabled Harry to make a rocking chair for he and Teddy and Fred to make a seat to go with the fold-down dressing table in Lavender’s wagon. This was such a success, that he made a few more of them, both types of chairs and the folding table, to sell.
The Summoned items from Edoras were sorted and divided up. Unlike previously, it wasn’t just coins that went into the communal collection, although they did only add sceptres. Gems and jewellery were divided as per the spoils of the Gondorian border farmstead. While the non-monetary items all went into the kitty. And a vote was taken that this was what they would continue to do, in the future. It wasn’t clear whether or not the gold and coins had come from the Royal Treasury but if they hadn’t, someone had been hoarding money for long enough to forget what they had.
Three full days they spent in that little valley, laughing, working, experimenting and just enjoying the freedom to do what they pleased, without the threat of Voldemort hanging over them.
“This must have been what it was like after the first war.” Lavender said, one evening.
“Maybe for some.” Harry greed. “But for others it must have been a heart-wrenching time.” He was thinking of Sirius and Remus, again.
“Bill said there were funerals each day.” Fred said. “Which must have been kind of confusing, as there were also parties every night.”
“It is bad that…? I’m glad I’m not there.” Harry said. “Sure, I miss Ron and Hermione… and Luna and Neville. And… Yeah, I miss some of them, but others? Malfoy, Scrimgeour, the Ministry? I don’t miss them. And I definitely don’t miss the parties, they would have wanted me to go to. The Balls, the dinners. Urgh.” He screwed up his face in disgust.
“Yeah.” Fred nodded. “Don’t really miss that.” He sighed. “Do miss George, though.”
“I miss Dennis.” Colin said. “But he’s safe, now. No more Voldemort hanging over him and he didn’t fight, so the Ministry can’t get him for that.”
“True.” Harry nodded. “That’s very true and I remind myself of that, every time I wake up from a nightmare.”
“Your nightmares are getting better, though.” Lavender said. “You’re sleeping through more nights than you’re waking.”
“It’s been nearly two months.” Harry said. “Working and talking with you three has made a huge difference. Walking through the entire war and talking about my decisions and their consequences was good. But talking about what else I could have done with the information I had and what other people were doing at the same time? That was better. Yes, I could have done things differently, but what would have been the consequences of those decisions? Would they have been better or worse? And when it all comes out? I did what I did and I have to live with that. But other people made other decisions and, in some cases, they weren’t what I would have chosen, but they were other people’s decisions. Not mine. I didn’t make those choices, they did.”
“Well done, Harry.” Lavender beamed at him.
“I know that it wasn’t me.” Harry went on. “Now, I just have to come to terms with that knowledge.” He sighed. “It’s not as easy as I had hoped.”
“But you’re getting there.” Lavender said. “Just a week ago, you wouldn’t have been able to say that without trying to shoulder the blame for those other people.”
Harry blinked as he thought about that. “You’re right…” The smile that grew on his face was beautiful and free. “They made their own choices, it wasn’t my fault…”
“Finally!” Fred crowed. “Finally, he gets the snitch.”
“Oh, and talking about snitches.” Harry changed the subject. “I found a book on broom-making.” He looked at Fred. “I think we need to try and make some brooms.”
“Ooh, I miss flying…” Fred nodded rapidly and was soon joined by an eager Colin.
“Boys…” Lavender sighed.
The night before they left the valley, they had a feast. Roasts of chicken, pork and lamb, with all the trimmings. Chocolate pudding, treacle tart, cheesecake, lemon tarts and bread-and-butter pudding with custard.
All small of course, but they did have the ability to put things into stasis boxes, which would allow dishes to remain fresh and hot, or cold, depending on the dish.
Hedwig and Crookshanks also got treats. Colin had found the recipe for owl treats and had made a batch for Hedwig as a thank you for her hunting. While fish-shaped ones were made for Crookshanks, using a piece of tuna that Harry had bought in Pelargir and placed in his stasis box.
Even the ponies were given treats and an extra biscuit of hay each. Their harnesses had also been cleaned and where needed, repaired. Harry made a mental note that in the next week, they needed to be reshod as well.
~~~
May 12th 2920
Leaving their little valley was sad but at the same time, they were all excited about what was to come. Now, they had a rough idea of what they wanted in a permanent home and all four of them were excited to see if they could find it.
They stopped at yet another mill and topped up the feed wagon, but only the feed wagon, as the stasis box was finally full. The miller told them that the nearest farrier was in Mountain’s Heel, the next village to the north. Upon arriving there, they were lucky that the man had nothing scheduled for the day and was happy to take on re-shoeing their mares. Five hours was all it took, fifteen minutes to remove a set of shoes, fit and attach a fresh set. And they were all delighted when the farrier inquired if the two horses were for sale, as he was looking to set up a mobile workshop and while he had a wagon and portable forge, he hadn't yet bought horses. Harry had watched the man and how he handled their ponies, he knew that this man would care for the horses and quite happily sold them to him.
Of course, five hours out of their day was many miles not travelled, but the care of their ponies was vital to their ability to travel. Not to mention, that the ponies themselves, were important to them. Time spent grooming them in the evenings was calming and no matter how tense one of them became, half an hour grooming a dirty pony and leaving her gleaming in the evening light was proving to be excellent as a relaxant.
They may have covered only eight or nine miles, but their ponies were worth it.
An unnamed creek crossing was the night’s camp site, a space warded by magic and closed off by rope. The ponies contentedly grazing on lush grass, was enough to make them all smile.
~~~
May 13th 2920
A training session that was quickly becoming routine for them, was followed by a leisurely breakfast and then it was time to harness up and moved out.
They stopped at two villages that day, the first about two hours out from the creek, while the second was early in the afternoon. Both were profitable, financially speaking. Harry’s folded, envelope-styled leather coin purses were popular, but he did have a stunningly beautiful dwarrowdam buy a filigreed, metal purse that was black-steel with touches of gold and mithril to make it shine. And by the way her eyes lit when she saw it, Harry had little concern that he had wasted materials, in making it.
The second stop also showed that while some people may have not had much in the way of coins to spare, they were open to barter. One teenaged girl bartered an embroidered cushion cover for one of Lavender’s amethyst and crystal hair combs, and another cover for one of Colin’s leather cuffs. Another lad bartered with Harry for a lockbox, two locks and their keys, taking three of their young chickens in exchange, later Harry put coins to the same value into the communal purse.
Three more miles up the road, they stopped on the edges of a large-ish village, not quite the size of Hogsmeade but not far from it. A quick visit to the town hall and an inquiry about markets, got them information that would become vital to them in the future. Markets in Dunland, the South Downs, the Shire and Breelands, weren’t like in the south. Up here, markets were twice weekly, Tuesday and Saturday, and the next day was Saturday.
~~~