Harry Potter and the Serpent's Eye by Marauder9744
Chapter Notes: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far, I really appreciate it! Also, I’d like to thank my beta, LucyLupin, who has helped a great deal with this story “ Thanks so much! I’m glad everyone is enjoying the story so far… please, please leave a review if you can. Thanks again!
Chapter 10 - Harry, Ron and Hermione return to Grimmauld Place after successfully destroying Slytherin’s Locket; Azkaban is broken open.
“Now, you’re sure you’re alright, right?” Ginny Weasley asked sternly, while at the same time, sounding slightly worried.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Harry replied, smiling down at Ginny’s face, which was talking to him through the picture she had given him for his birthday.
“And you destroyed…” Ginny began in a quieter voice, before pausing and glancing to her left and then to her right. “You destroyed the Horcrux?”
“Yes,” Harry answered again, absentmindedly rubbing Slytherin’s Locket, which he hadn’t taken out of his jeans yet.
“That’s wonderful, Harry!” Ginny said, letting out a small squeal. “Does that mean you’ll be coming back here?”
Harry smiled at Ginny’s face again before he spoke.
“Shh, you’ll wake Ron and Hermione, and yes, we should be there for breakfast if they ever wake up.”
Ginny laughed.
“Harry, it’s what, six in the morning? Not everyone can wake-up as early as you,” she replied with a smile. “Besides… this just gives you more time to talk to me!”
Harry smiled at the picture again and replied cheekily. “Now why would I want to do that?”
Ginny’s smile instantly faded and she raised her eyebrows at Harry.
“You’re lucky you’re so far away, Potter,” she began, wagging her forefinger in his direction. “When you get back here I’ll… well… I’ll kiss you… but mind you, after that…”
Harry and Ginny shared another laugh.
How did I get so lucky? Harry thought, looking down at Ginny’s smiling face.
Seeing Ginny so happy and carefree, however, brought his thoughts back to Voldemort. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the locket, holding it open in his hand. If Voldemort ever lays a finger on her…
“You’re quiet “ what’s wrong?” asked Ginny, staring worriedly at Harry.
“Nothing,” he answered far too quickly.
Ginny gave him a look of deep disapproval, showing that she knew he was lying. How does she do that, he thought, she’s just like her mother.
“Harry,” she began soothingly, “what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing, really… I’m just, well, I’m worried about you,” he answered, not quite sure why he was telling her this.
Her expression did not change, in fact, her face suddenly hardened.
“Nothing’s going to happen to me, I promise,” she answered, with the utmost confidence. “It’s me who should be worried. You’re out there fighting and I’m here, doing nothing.”
“But you are doing something,” Harry answered with a smile, “you’re helping me through this. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“I’m just afraid that one day it’ll be Ron or Hermione on the other end of this telling me that… that… that something happened to you.”
She quickly looked away and Harry swore he heard a small sniffle.
Harry waited a moment, not quite sure what to say, until he saw her face through the picture again. He could distinctly make out her red cheeks and wet eyes.
Just as Harry opened his mouth to say something that probably wouldn’t help very much, he heard a voice through the picture that was not Ginny’s.
“Oi, Harry!” called the familiar voice of Fred Weasley. “Would you get back here and snog our little sister so she’ll stop crying every three hours?”
“She’s worse than Mum,” said another voice that sounded like George’s. “In fact, Harry, you might have to snog her too.”
Ginny made a playful slapping motion to her left somewhere off the picture where Harry couldn’t see.
“Got that,” she added, once she had turned back towards Harry, with a wicked grin on her face.
“Well, how about I only snog you this time?” Harry answered and Ginny broke down in a fit of giggles.
“Sounds good “ I’ll see you soon?”
“Very soon,” Harry answered with a smile.
Ginny returned the smile and kissed the picture before her face faded from view.
Harry, still smiling, pocketed the picture, got to his feet and made his way back to the tent that they had pitched on the cliff, high above the cave’s entrance.
Harry opened the tent flap and had to recoil due to the loud snores coming from Ron’s bed. Hermione walked out of her room sleepily and lifted her hands in defeat.
“How did you ever sleep in the same room with him, Harry?” she asked irritably, “I was wearing earmuffs and I could still hear him from clear across the tent.”
“Dunno - got used to it, I suppose,” replied Harry as he and Hermione walked to the kitchen where Harry poured each of them a glass of chilled pumpkin juice. “He doesn’t do it on purpose, though.”
Hermione said nothing to this, but Harry had the feeling he had gotten his point across. Hermione took a sip of her pumpkin juice, her brow furrowed in a slight frown.
“I’m sorry, I know he doesn’t,” she said after a moment, smiling slightly.
“Who doesn’t what?” asked Ron as he trotted into the kitchen and sat down next to Hermione.
“Nothing,” replied Hermione, trying to brush it off by taking a sip of her pumpkin juice.
Ron raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
Now that Ron had woken-up Harry took the opportunity to voice something that he had been thinking about all of the previous night.
“Didn’t that seem… I don’t know… easy?”
Ron and Hermione each looked up at him, expressions of confusion etched on their faces.
“What?” asked Ron, clearly dumbstruck. “You mean last night “ in the cave?”
Harry nodded.
“Well, that’s just the thing, Harry,” Hermione answered, “it was easy.”
“Why though?” Harry asked. “I mean, shouldn’t it have been harder… more dangerous?”
Hermione took a moment before she answered.
“Well, remember what Dumbledore told you, Harry, because it’s very important,” Hermione said, actually sounding a bit like Dumbledore himself. “Voldemort likes to work alone.”
“I know that, Hermione,” responded Harry, starting to get slightly annoyed. “But what does that have to do with anything?”
“Oh, but it means everything, Harry,” Hermione answered. “One wizard would not have been able to drink the liquid from the basin, retrieve the locket, hold it under the water and fight off the Death Eaters all by himself. He would need help, right?”
Harry nodded, beginning to see where Hermione was going with this.
“Well, that’s just it. Because Voldemort likes to work alone he would only assume that someone trying to destroy his Horcruxes would also prefer to work alone. So you see, in his mind his defences were perfect because one wizard, working alone, would not be able to get past them.”
Harry nodded his head in agreement again before he spoke
“That goes along with what Dumbledore told me in the cave, too,” he said, “Voldemort would have never expected anyone but a fully qualified wizard to get to the boat to cross the lake. So, naturally, his defences only detected Dumbledore on the boat in the cave that night and not me.”
They all sat at the table for a moment, each of them immersed in their own thoughts.
“I talked to Ginny,” Harry said after a few minutes, steering the conversation towards happier things, “and we should probably head back, she said that your Mum promised us breakfast.”
This seemed to awaken Ron fully and he nodded before he made his way hurriedly into his room to get packed, though Harry wasn’t sure whether this was because he wanted to get back home or because he wanted breakfast.
Hermione rolled her eyes and went back to her room as well.
The three of them met back outside of the tent after they had everything packed and with one flick of her wand, Hermione compacted the massive wizard tent into a small cloth ball that Harry stowed in his bag.
With a small nod to one another, Harry, Ron and Hermione Disapparated and, within seconds, were standing on the small patch of grass of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
After checking to make sure that they hadn’t inadvertently Apparated in front of muggles, they walked up to the door, opened it and were met by the familiar scowl of Draco Malfoy.
“Back from your vacation so soon, Weasel?” he spat. “Did you get a tan or do you just look that way because you haven’t bathed yet this month?”
“Shut it, Malfoy,” said Harry, trying his best to restrain Ron from diving at Malfoy. “If you’ve got a problem with us, then leave. I’m sure Voldemort would love for us to kick you and your mother back onto the streets.”
“Don’t speak his name, Potter!”
“Why, you afraid of Voldemort?” replied Harry, taking care to add extra emphasis to ‘Voldemort’.
In a flash, Malfoy had his wand drawn and aimed at Harry.
“Serpensortia!”
A serpent shot from Malfoy’s wand and landed in front of Harry, slithering menacingly towards him, its fangs bared.
“Evanesco!” cried Bill, marching into the room, followed closely by Ginny, and the serpent vanished immediately. “Malfoy, you had best get back to your room before I do the same to you as I did to your snake.”
Malfoy glared at the eldest Weasley son, but apparently decided not to respond, because he turned and stalked off up the staircase.
“How are you, Harry?” Bill asked, once Malfoy was out of earshot.
“He looks like he could use a good meal,” replied Ginny with a small smile, moving to stand next to Harry.
“Anything else, Mum?” said Ron under his breath.
Ginny turned swiftly and punched him in the stomach. Ron glared at her and muttered something that sounded like “can’t take a joke” before he walked into the kitchen.
“Real friendly, that one,” said Ginny to Hermione sarcastically, as they followed Ron into the kitchen.
Hermione gave her a look that it seemed only Ginny would understand and they both shook their heads in annoyance.
“Did you get done with… well… with what you had to do?” asked Bill. “Sorry, that didn’t make much sense, did it?”
Harry, however, smiled at him.
“Well, sort of, we… er… got the ball rolling, I guess you could say.”
They entered the kitchen, where they were greeted warmly by Mrs. Weasley, who had breakfast ready (Ron was already at the table stuffing his mouth full of bacon).
“Harry!” Mrs. Weasley yelped, running over to him and encasing him in one of her bone-crushing hugs. “Oh, Harry, how are you, dear?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” he answered, finding it quite difficult to breathe while wrapped up in Mrs. Weasley’s embrace.
“You always say that, Harry, and most of the time you’re not fine,” said Ginny, smiling at him.
“No, really, I’m fine,” Harry answered, starting to become a little uncomfortable. “How is Fleur, Bill?” he asked, trying to deflect the attention.
“She’s good,” Bill replied, evidently understanding that Harry did not want to talk about himself. “She and I are actually going to visit her sister, Gabrielle, at Beauxbatons once school starts. Madame Maxime was friendly with Dumbledore, obviously, and we’re hoping to gain some support for the Order while we’re down there.”
“Oh, France should be lovely this time of year, I was there on holiday a few years back,” said Hermione excitedly.
Ron rolled his eyes at Harry but Ginny saw this and socked him in the stomach again, causing him to spit out a few bits of bacon that he was chewing.
“Stop punching me!” said Ron angrily.
“You deserved it!” retorted Ginny,
“I didn’t…”
“Would you two stop it?” said Mrs. Weasley sternly, breaking up their fight. “Ginny, you’re not going to be seeing much of your brother, do try to behave.”
“Good,” said Ginny under her breath, earning a chuckle from Bill, as Ron stuck his tongue out at Ginny.
Hermione, frowning, merely shook her head and turned towards Bill again.
“Do you think that Madame Maxime will be able to help?” she asked.
“Hopefully,” Bill answered, with a slight shrug, “she’s trying to, I guess you could say, recruit as many people as she can who want to fight alongside the Order and the Ministry against You-Know-Who.”
“Well, that wouldn’t be too hard, though, would it?” said Ron, after taking a bite out of his bagel. “I mean, there’s not exactly a lot of good press for Voldemort these days.”
“But not everyone looks at it that way, Ron” replied Hermione quickly, “I would expect that most French people view Voldemort as a ‘British problem’ and they most likely don’t feel they need to get involved.”
Ron smiled to himself as Bill praised Hermione’s intuitiveness.
“Exactly,” Bill said, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. “Although, I have to say, if I was being persuaded by Fleur to do anything, I’ll tell you what I’d…”
“Bill!” said Mrs. Weasley angrily, “not in front of Ginny.”
Ginny rolled her eyes, but evidently decided against making a remark.
They ate together, each making the others laugh on occasion, much like a family should. Much like the family Harry hoped he would be able to return to once his battle with Voldemort was over.
* * *
They spent the morning playing Quidditch two-on-two, Harry and Hermione against Ron and Ginny. Ron and Ginny won two games to Harry and Hermione’s one, mostly owing to the fact that Hermione was dreadful on a broom.
Harry finally persuaded Ron to switch partners, mostly so Harry and Ginny could see how Ron reacted to some of Hermione’s mistakes.
“Hermione!” Ron yelled, after Ginny scored easily by grabbing the Quaffle from Hermione and zooming to the end of the makeshift pitch.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to take such a sharp left. I was trying for a more graceful turn.”
“Graceful turn?” Ron said to himself, sounding exasperated.
Ron tossed Hermione the Quaffle and she took off up the pitch and immediately dropped it, this time it was picked up by Harry who bolted towards the opposite goal and scored easily.
“Sorry, sorry, I’m sorry,” she said before Ron could yell at her. “You know, it’s much harder to fly and hold the Quaffle at the same time.”
Ron lifted his hands in frustration while Hermione gave Harry a small wink that Ron did not see. Harry was quite sure that Hermione was now putting on a show just to see how much Ron could take.
“Here, throw me the Quaffle and I’ll try again,” Hermione said, wobbling on her broom.
“Er, why don’t I play Chaser, Hermione? You can play Keeper,” said Ron, trying his best to keep his cool.
“Got it “ now, which one is Keeper?”
* * *
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny spent the rest of the afternoon in the library; Hermione was convinced that she could find some information on ancient items of Ravenclaw or Gryffindor in the extensive Black library. Harry and Ginny shared the sofa while Ron sat angrily in a chair near Hermione.
“Hmm… I need another one by Waffling, please,” Hermione said, throwing aside a heavy book and looking expectantly at Ron.
Ron got up without a word and walked over to the ladder that ran alongside the tall bookcase. Ron climbed up the ladder as Hermione used her wand to move it along its track.
“Hold it, here’s one,” said Ron, reaching for a book, “The Noble Sport of Muggle Hunting, hmm… I don’t think so.”
Hermione frowned and continued moving the ladder along the bookcases.
“Wait, stop, stop, here’s another one,” said Ron again, reaching out and grabbing another book. “How to Please Your Werewolf… this’d make good birthday present for Tonks but I doubt it’ll have anything about Horcruxes.”
Hermione sighed as Ron climbed back down the ladder, grabbed some of the books Hermione had got out and began putting them away.
“It’s alright, Hermione,” said Harry consolingly as Hermione came over and sat down in a nearby chair. “There are plenty of books… I’m sure we’ll find something.”
“I know, but I really thought I’d be able to find something today,” she answered, sounding quite defeated.
Harry and Ginny both looked at her comfortingly, until they heard Ron’s voice from the bookcase.
“Here’s one, Hermione,” he said, holding a book in his hand.
“Ooo, really?” she shrieked, sounding very excited and jumping to her feet.
“Yeah, Nature’s Most Precious Gift: The Crumple-Horned Snorkack.”
* * *
After an amused Ron and a very annoyed Hermione had both calmed down, Harry led the way down the stairs and into the kitchen for dinner.
Once they reached the landing on the stairs, they could hear raised voices and shouting coming from the kitchen. They entered the kitchen to find a hysterical Mrs. Weasley being consoled by Bill and Tonks, both of whom had ashen expressions on their faces.
“Mum?” said Ginny, utterly perplexed as she moved to stand next to her mother.
“Don’t look at me, Ginny. I don’t want you to see me like this.”
She let out a very wet sneeze.
“What happened?” asked Harry.
“There’s been an attack at Azkaban,” answered Bill, letting go of Mrs. Weasley and allowing Ginny to continue consoling her.
Both he and Tonks had countless cuts and bruises on their arms and face and Tonks was sporting a bloody lip.
“A gang of Death Eaters, teamed with the Dementors, have broken open the prison. We don’t yet know how many prisoners have escaped,” Tonks said, wiping her forehead with her sleeve.
While this did not come as new news to Harry, for he had been sure that Voldemort would break open Azkaban as soon as the opportunity presented itself, he still took a seat next to Mrs. Weasley and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“What happened, Bill?” Hermione asked, a worried hand held over her mouth.
“We don’t have time to explain just now,” he answered hurriedly. “Come on, Tonks, we have to go,” he added, giving Tonks a tug on her arm.
Tonks nodded and then mouthed ‘help her’ while motioning at Mrs. Weasley before she and Bill rushed out of the kitchen and out the front door.
“Come on, Mrs. Weasley, let’s get you a cup of tea,” Harry said, heeding Tonks’ words. He rose from his chair and poured five cups of tea.
“Thank… thank… thank you, dear,” she said, as Harry handed her a cup.
“Mrs. Weasley,” Hermione began timidly, once Mrs. Weasley had calmed down somewhat, “do you know what happened?”
All Mrs. Weasley could muster was a small nod before she dissolved back into sobs. Hermione looked up pleadingly at Harry, Ron and Ginny. Ginny moved to her mother’s side and spoke softly.
“Mum, what happened?”
“They… they… they… they ran off before… before… before I could say good “ goodbye,” she answered, struggling to string her words together.
“Who did?” Ron asked. His face had gone strangely pale.
“Everyone “ Bill, Charlie, Fred, George and your father,” she answered, taking a sip of the tea that Harry gave her. “I just… I just hope they’re alright.”
They sat in silence for what seemed like hours. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all exchanging nervous glances every few minutes or so.
“Come on,” said Mrs. Weasley, drying her tears and putting on her best motherly voice, “let’s get you lot something to eat. Merlin knows, everyone will be hungry when they get back.”
She was falling back to what she felt most comfortable doing “ cooking “ and Harry was quite grateful for that.
Mrs. Weasley stood up, moved over to the refrigerator, and pulled out a large turkey.
“I’ll heat this up, how does that sound?”
Everyone nodded in agreement. The moment she turned towards the stove, however, Harry heard loud noises and movement coming from outside the front door.
He and Ron rushed into the hall and opened the door to find a bloody Bill Weasley and tired-looking Remus Lupin carrying a limp body across the threshold. They set it down on the sofa and before Harry could see who it was, he heard a shriek from the top of the stairs.
“Lucius!” cried Narcissa Malfoy, taking the stairs two at a time until she reached her husband. His body lay limp, his eyes shut tightly and his face as blank as a fresh piece of parchment.
“What happened to him?” asked Draco hollowly as he knelt at his father’s side.
Lupin and Bill motioned for them to move into the kitchen, leaving Narcissa Malfoy crying over her husband’s body.
Mrs. Weasley shrieked once she saw Bill and Lupin enter the kitchen. She steered Bill to the nearest chair while she mopped up his bloodied face.
“Stop it, Mum,” he said irritably, “it couldn’t possibly be any worse than it was before.”
Harry smiled at this, admiring Bill’s ability to joke about his scars.
Hermione and Ginny were still sitting, though both their faces were stark white; Ron stood at Harry’s side and Malfoy retreated to the corner of the kitchen, his face expressionless.
“What happened?” asked Harry, facing Lupin.
“Well… ah yes, thank you, Ginny,” he began, taking the washcloth Ginny gave him and holding it over his bleeding lip. “Voldemort sent a massive band of Death Eaters to break open Azkaban and release the prisoners. We were… overmatched and outnumbered. When we arrived, the Dementors had already joined the hundred or so Death Eaters, which left Azkaban completely defenceless. Once it was clear, to the prisoners, that the Dementors were no longer an obstacle, they began their escape “ in great numbers. Once they joined the battle, on the side of the Death Eaters, we had no choice but to retreat.”
“They picked us off like flies when we tried to Disapparate,” added Bill, acerbically.
“How… how many did we lose?” asked Hermione, carefully.
Lupin glanced at Bill before answering.
“Seventeen Aurors, by the last count “ along with Sturgis Podmore,” he said, then adding as bitterly as Harry had ever heard him, “he was killed when he tried to run down Snape.”
“Snape was there?” asked Harry angrily, earning a sharp nod from Lupin.
Harry clenched his fists together tightly. I should have been there, he thought, I could have killed Snape tonight.
Everyone fell silent and the only sound that could be heard was Narcissa Malfoy sobbing heavily in the living room.
“What happened to my father?” asked Draco in the same hollow voice.
Harry had almost forgotten Malfoy was standing there.
Bill glanced sideways at Lupin and Lupin slowly nodded his head.
“He was murdered by Bellatrix Lestrange while we were retreating,” Bill answered, simply.
Draco face drained and his eyes widened.
“It was apparent that the Death Eaters had orders not to allow your father to escape,” Lupin said, staring Malfoy squarely in the eyes. “I’m sorry.”
There was no response to this and for the first time in his life, Harry felt a pang of pity for Draco Malfoy. Harry knew, all too well, what it felt like to lose a family member.
Everyone was silent for a moment until Hermione made a move towards Draco, who had his head down and his jaw clenched.
Ron reached out to try to stop Hermione, but she pressed on.
“Here, why don’t you sit down and… and have a spot of tea,” she asked Draco timidly, reaching out and trying to get him to sit at the table.
“Don’t touch me “ Mudblood!” he spat, backing away from her. “You have no idea what it’s like! Your precious Order couldn’t protect my father, nor will they be able to protect me!”
Malfoy took one last contemptuous look around the kitchen before he stormed out of the kitchen and slammed the door with a snap.
Hermione backed away before she broke down into tears and moved timidly over to Ron, who opened his arms and held her while she cried on his shoulder.
“He’s right,” Bill said, patting Hermione consolingly on the shoulder.
No one said anything else and Narcissa’s sobs could no longer be heard from the living room.
“Molly, there’s something else,” said Lupin, his face expressionless.
Mrs. Weasley glanced up from her cup of tea, a frightened look in her eye.
“What… what is it?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly.
Lupin took a second before he answered.
“Fred’s been taken to St. Mungo’s.”