The Grimmauld Place of Hope
Daphne stood behind her beloved as she caught her exhausted body in her open arms. It had taken hours of their time for Katherine to gather enough energy to change the final word. Daphne had never seen a display of power. She knew Katherine was strong and certainly wasn’t completely human. Katherine was a guardian of sorts, but still coming into her own power. What Katherine had done was beyond her normal capacity.
Two sets of footsteps came thundering up the stairs, as the door was nearly blown off its hinges, revealing a panting Ombric and a stunned Lord Greengrass.
“What in Merlin’s name has happened, Daphne?!”
“Katherine, for the love of MiM, what have you done?”
Daphne held Katherine tighter, meeting both of their stares; Katherine held her hand as best she could.
“Harry Bunnymund is safe,” they replied together.
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Harry felt as if his entire being were compressed into a small tube and spit up on the other side in a span of a few seconds. Instantly, he was on his hands and knees retching into a garden until there was nothing but dry heaving. He felt a heavy hand on his shoulders hauling him and pressing a piece of parchment in his hands.
“Best you read it quickly,” snarled Alastor, taking a step back.
Harry blinked rapidly, clearing his vision, “Numbah twelve Grimmauld Place? What the fuck is a Grimmauld…place?” Harry watched in awe as the large apartments of number eleven and number thirteen pulled apart with the muggles none the wiser. Harry watched as number thirteen seemingly rose up from nothing.
“Welcome to Grimmauld Place, boy now let’s get off the street.”
Alastor hobbled up the steps, taking his cane and banging on the door in three rapid strikes. A large screaming and cursing erupted from inside, followed by a muffled bombarda and then silence. Harry paled and swallowed hard.
He’d rather take his chances with wet koalas.
The door opened up to reveal an utterly beautiful woman draped in black and silver; she had wild eyes and blood red lipstick.
“Ohh! The wee baby’s here!” Harry found himself enveloped in a tight hug, the woman surprisingly strong, lifting him up into the air and swinging him around. “Don’t you worry, pet! You can call me Auntie Bella! Come in already!” Harry was dragged inside, with a barely mumbled cry for help.
Severus sighed and followed obediently as did Alastor and Remus. The door closed behind them suddenly as Number Twelve disappeared once more from the street.
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“Oí, pup, that you?” A voice called out as Harry heard the descent of a large man from the stairs.
“In the kitchen, alpha!” Remus answered back, automatically as he set about making teas and sandwiches for everyone.
The man that came into the kitchen filled the space of the doorway easily. Harry could see the man was more wolf than human or wizard at this point. Da had made it a point to educate him on the various beasts that the wizarding world looked down upon and none was more hated than the werewolf. Of course his Da had stated that werewolves weren’t bad; they were a loud bunch but loyalty and family were all they cared about. Terribly loyal and honest to a fault, werewolves were creatures of higher intelligence and extraordinary senses.
Harry knew the man that had entered the kitchen-Fenrir Greyback, alpha to the werewolves of England and technically one of the ministry’s most wanted until recently. Harry hadn’t kept up with the news too much; but he’d known that Fenrir had been pardoned and given back his basic human rights.
On condition, he reports to the ministry for his dose of wolf’s bane.
The man looked too wolf to be taking wolf’s bane regularly.
His eyes traveled over to Remus; his dual subject professor and apparently, another werewolf like Fenrir.
What in the world was going on here?
“It will be explained shortly, everyone will arrive soon,” Severus whispered, his hand touching the teen’s shoulder gently. Harry nodded; he didn’t want to speak too much as his stomach was still rolling from earlier.
A golden hand passed in front of him, a familiar vial of stomach soother was suddenly in front of him. Without looking, Harry uncorked the bottle and drank it down, closing his eyes in relief.
Wait a minute..
“Uncle Sandy! MiM am I glad ta see ya!” Sandy opened his arms, enveloping the teen in a fierce hug. Rapidly Sandy and Harry were signing back and forth, trading information in a matter of minutes.
“That is quite an interesting language, Bunnymund”
Harry turned, a grin across his face as he saw his former Defense Teacher and Voldemort. “Glad ta see ye-“
“HARRY!”
“Darling!”
“Little Green!”
Harry barely had time to react; as his friends all rushing at him, arms open wide and toppling over themselves in a mad dash. Draco and Blaise got to him first, planting kisses all over his face, Theo was next and then Daphne and Marcus and even little Astoria joined the group hug. Katherine was the last one.
“What are ye doin’ ‘ere?!”
“Nice to see you too, little green,” she smirked, giving him a tight squeeze.
“Mate, it’s bonzas ta see ye but what are ye doin’ here?”
“Who do you think made all this-“
“Katherine, enough. You have done enough. We are on borrowed time as it is.” Ombric’s voice rose suddenly from the back and the crowd parted to make space.
“Borrowed time?! Ye mean I ‘ave ta go back?!” Harry struggled out of the pile of people; his markings glowing.
Ombric remained calm, face morphed into an impassive mask. His voice and presence filled the kitchen as well as the house. Harry’s marking glowed, burning through his clothing.
“Calm yourself, Katherine’s ability will only last so long. We do not have the time for your childish whims. You will return to Sirius Black and none of your escapades will be remembered. We have much work to do before midnight. Do you understand, Harry?”
“Aye, Ombric,”
The glowing of the markings faded but remained as bright as ever. Ombric sighed, walking back through the crowd, beckoning Harry to follow.
—————————————————————
Ombric led them to the library, where Hermoine Granger had taken up a nearly permanent residence. Harry nearly balked at seeing her.
“Hello, Bunnymund, pleasure seeing you once more,”
“Is there anyone else here I don’ know ‘bout?!”
Ombric ruffled his hair and said nothing. Harry growled but followed obediently. Harry had known Ombric enough to understand his silence spoke volumes.
“Have you found the answer, Miss Granger?”
The young woman nodded, presenting an open book, pointing to a passage, “Yes, this one here should work perfectly,”
“What’s gonna work perfectly?”
“Harry, we have found a way to overturn your arrangements. Sirius Black is Lord Black, correct?”
“Aye,”
“We need someone with a higher standing than a Lord and there is a champion who has won the title of Lord Slytherin through conquest in battle,”
“Wait? Lord Slytherin? Who had the title before?”
“I did, Harry, the title was mine but when the basilisk was defeated, the title passed to another. It is the only claim which supersedes Sirius’” Voldemort spoke as Quirrell stepped into the library, shutting the door behind him.
Harry’s mind was whirling in thought, “Wait, who killed the basilisk?”
“As of last year, the new Lord Slytherin is Edelweiss Aster Bunnymund,”