Harry Potter and the Serpent's Eye by Marauder9744
Chapter Notes: Once again, thank you all for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate it. Also, a special thanks to my wonderful beta, LucyLupin... I couldn’t do it without you!
Chapter 4 “ Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys prepare for Bill and Fleur’s upcoming wedding; Harry meets Ginny’s new boyfriend (the slimy git); Harry learns a piece of very important information concerning Lord Voldemort.
The days passed quickly as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny began to prepare for Bill and Fleur’s wedding. Harry still had not uncovered the name of Ginny’s new boyfriend, but inside, he was itching to find out. Mrs. Weasley had the four of them set to various tasks, including de-gnoming the garden, which Hermione, with some encouragement from Ginny, learned to thoroughly enjoy. Ron and Hermione’s bickering had somewhat subsided and they were much more careful to be pleasant to each other around Harry. This, however, came to a crashing halt on the day before the wedding. Harry had been helping Mrs. Weasley and Ginny move tables and chairs out into the garden, where Ron and Hermione were supposed to be setting up one of the tents. To Harry’s surprise, however, when he, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny reached the garden they could hear raised voices.
“What do you mean, Vicky’s coming to the wedding?” roared Ron.
“Do not call him Vicky,” Hermione retorted angrily. “And of course he’s coming to the wedding. He’s good friends with Fleur, and he’s good friends with me as well!”
“Good friends! Good friends! Oh, of course, good friends. If you two are only good friends, then I’m a dung beetle!” And with that, he stormed off into the house, his ears as red as beets.
“Well, you’re certainly acting like one,” said Hermione angrily to his back. She lowered her arms to her side and sank into a chair in defeat, a single tear sliding down her cheek. Ginny rushed over to console her, while Mrs. Weasley and Harry looked anxiously at each other.
“He’s a great, insensitive git, Hermione,” said Ginny. “Don’t worry about him.” Hermione nodded slowly and wiped the tears from her face.
“I’m fine, thanks, Ginny,” she said, giving Ginny a brief hug. “Now, let’s get to work on this tent.” Harry smiled at her.
“All right there, Hermione?” he asked, helping her with the tent as well. She looked up at him and nodded.
“Thanks, Harry,” she said, giving him a small, toothy smile.
After a while, with the tent not looking very good despite the use of magic, Ron came trotting out of the house with his head down and his hands in his pockets. Harry saw Ginny stand up and march over to Ron and kick him squarely in the shin.
“Oi, what was that for?” he yelled angrily, hopping up and down on his other leg. Harry fought very hard to stifle a giggle.
“You know what that was for,” replied Ginny, giving him a glaring stare and turning back towards Hermione.
“Well, thanks,” he said angrily, still rubbing his shin as he turned towards Harry. “I’m supposed to come and get you, Harry, come on.”
Harry looked quizzically at his best friend but followed him into the house, leaving Hermione and Ginny to finish with the tent.
“What’s up?” asked Harry, catching up with Ron as they entered the kitchen.
“Mum wanted me to wash the dishes, and I didn’t want to do it alone,” he said sombrely.
“Oh, yeah, of course I’ll help. It shouldn’t be too hard, I just can’t use magic yet,” Harry replied grabbing a dish and scrubbing it.
“Thanks,” said Ron.
Harry looked up at him with a look of interest. He had a feeling that Ron had something on his mind and that Ron wanted to share it, but Harry did not press him. He merely waited patiently.
“I really made a fool of myself, didn’t I?” Ron finally said, grinning slightly.
“Well, a bit, yeah,” replied Harry, smiling at his friend in return.
Ron, however, did not respond and continued to wash the dishes in silence. Harry, again, did not push Ron and, instead, went back to the dishes as well.
“I don’t know why we fight so much,” Ron said after a few more minutes of quiet cleaning.
“Have you ever tried to talk to her about it?” Harry offered.
“Are you mental?” Ron said, letting out a sharp laugh. “We get along all right sometimes. I mean, whenever we had prefect duty at night together we always ended up having a good time… laughing and joking around and all. Well, it was mostly me doing the laughing and joking, but still, I don’t know.”
He looked somewhat defeated.
“It’ll be all right, mate,” Harry said, clapping him on the shoulder and grinning. “I mean, both of you have been friends for a long time and I’ve always thought you two would be good together.”
Ron fumbled with the plate he was washing and it shattered on the floor.
“Shit.”
“Ronald Weasley!” cried Mrs. Weasley, coming into the room and using her wand to clean up the pieces of porcelain. “Watch your language… and be careful!”
Ron mumbled angrily behind his mother’s back, but did not say anything else to Harry about Hermione. In truth, Harry knew that both Ron and Hermione had always had feelings for one another and if they just accepted that, it would be good for both of them. He thought, especially after last year’s fiasco with Lavender, that it would have been easy for Ron to finally tell Hermione how he felt. It was quite clear, to Harry anyway, that Hermione had liked Ron for years but it was not his place to say anything. Now, Ginny… if only that was as simple.
* * *
That night, many members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived at the Burrow, including Remus and Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Fleur, and all of the Weasleys, except Percy of course. The twins had entered the house cautiously, but it seemed, to Harry at least, that Mr. Weasley must have talked to Mrs. Weasley and calmed her down, because she said nothing to the twins as they sat down at the outside dinner table.
“This is delicious, Molly,” said Lupin, sipping some of the warm soup that Mrs. Weasley had made. Lupin looked haggard and tired as usual, and even more of his brown hair had been prematurely greyed. He did, however, look much happier now that he was with Tonks and this pleased Harry quite a lot. Tonks, today, was sporting bright orange hair that fell just below her shoulders and a vivid yellow t-shirt that made it hard for anyone to look at her for more than a few seconds. If they did, there was a good chance that they would go momentarily blind. She was talking hurriedly to Hermione and Ginny and making them giggle uncontrollably, as usual.
“Thank you, Remus,” said Molly as she ladled more soup into his bowl. “You need to eat more, you look thin.”
He merely smiled in return and took a bite of some of the warm bread that Mrs. Weasley had made as well. Ron was talking to Charlie and the twins, all of them with large smiles plastered across their faces; Mad-Eye and McGonagall had joined in the conversation that Lupin had been having with Mr. Weasley and Hagrid about werewolf movements. Lupin had explained that, while he could not continue his work as a spy now that Snape had surely blown his cover, he had still convinced other werewolves to join their cause and he was now relying on them for information. Bill and Fleur, meanwhile, were sitting on the end of the table and engaging in some serious snogging, while receiving threatening looks from Mrs. Weasley all the while. Harry sat quietly for most of the dinner, enjoying the company of everyone that he considered to be his family. It was during dessert, however, that Harry began to feel uncomfortable.
A tall, well-built, very handsome boy with sleek, black hair had entered the garden where everyone was eating and he approached the table very cautiously.
“Ahh, Davey, it’s been too long,” said Mrs. Weasley quickly, getting up and Conjuring a chair for him. “Please do sit down. Ginny told us you might be stopping by. It’s truly a pleasure to see you again.”
Mrs. Weasley placed his chair in between Ginny’s and Hermione’s as he went around and exchanged pleasantries. Harry was fuming on the inside. He could see that this Davey was taller, more muscled, and better-looking than he was and that Ginny really must care for him, for she had given him a hug and was now showing him off to everyone around the table. Hermione had blushed the minute Ginny introduced her to Davey, much to the dismay of Ron, and Tonks nearly fell out of her chair when Ginny snuck Davey up on her. If it weren’t for Lupin’s quick reflexes she certainly would have fallen. He raised his eyebrows at Tonks after putting her chair back in place but she smiled warmly at him and kissed him on the forehead. Harry did not want Ginny to bring Davey over to where he was sitting and thankfully she did not.
He did notice, however, that not everyone was quite so taken with Davey. From the way that Mrs. Weasley had greeted him, Harry assumed that Davey had met the Weasleys before. Fred and George were staring at him with a smirk. They caught Harry’s eye and winked. Harry also noticed that Bill and Charlie were not quite so thrilled that Davey had arrived… but neither was as upset as Ron. Ron looked like he wanted to hit Davey, and, as far as Harry was concerned, he wouldn’t mind that in the least.
“You’ll be at the wedding tomorrow, I trust, won’t you, dear?” asked Mrs. Weasley sweetly to Davey. That’s how she talks to me, Harry thought to himself.
“I’d be delighted to, Mrs. Weasley. I don’t want to impose, though,” he said, smiling towards her.
“No, it’s not a problem, dear. The more the merrier.”
Harry looked up from his chocolate gateau and caught Ron’s eye. Ron dropped his angry demeanour and gave Harry a sympathetic look before going back to devouring his own cake. Harry looked further down the table and caught Lupin’s eye. Lupin gave him a very knowing look and a small wink. Harry then looked towards Hermione, who had been trying to catch his eye. Come on, she mouthed and she excused herself from the table, taking her plate inside the house. Harry quickly followed suit and they both sat on what Ron now called ‘Fred’s Sofa’.
“You do know what happened here, don’t you, Hermione?” said Harry cheekily.
“Sadly, it was the first thing Ron felt the need to tell me,” she replied, looking up at him and letting out a small laugh.
“Speaking of which…” Harry began, but the look Hermione gave him made him fall silent.
“We’re not talking about Ron, we’re talking about you,” she said firmly. “How do you feel?”
“Well, Hermione, how would you feel?”
“Not very good,” she said. “Probably hurt, sad, a little angry and definitely jealous,” she added, smiling.
“Well then, why did you have to ask the question?” said Harry irritably, getting up and pacing a bit.
“Do you still have feelings for her, Harry?” Hermione asked, knowing exactly what his response would be. Harry said nothing but he was sure she took that as a ‘yes’.
“But there’s nothing I can do about it, Hermione. You saw her; you saw how happy she is with Davey.”
Hermione giggled a little and Harry gave her an angry look.
“Oh, I’m sorry, but now you do sound like Ron.”
This got a smile from Harry, and Hermione gladly returned it. They got up and returned to the dinner table in silence, where, by the sound of it, Davey had just told a very funny joke. The twins, Harry was happy to see, did not seem to think that the joke was very funny, and he gave them a quick smile that they returned knowingly.
“Have something to eat, won’t you, dear?” Mrs. Weasley asked Davey. Davey tried to refuse but it seemed Mrs. Weasley had already decided that he needed to eat something.
“Would you please pass the pie, Fred?” Mrs. Weasley said.
This seemed to be exactly what the twins were waiting for, and Harry was sure that if Mrs. Weasley hadn’t had three glasses of wine she would not have trusted Fred to pass her anything. Harry saw Fred slip something deep into the pie before passing it to his mother, who had not noticed. She cut Davey a generous piece and handed it to him on a plate.
To the twins’ and Harry’s delight, Davey took a bite and immediately turned into a large, feather-covered canary. Harry, Ron and the twins had to stifle a laugh, as did, to Harry’s surprise, Lupin and Mr. Weasley.
“Oh… oops,” Fred said, feigning worry. “I must have dropped our canary cream pill in there by mistake. Sorry.”
Ginny looked absolutely furious, as did Mrs. Weasley.
“Oh, Davey, I’m so sorry,” Ginny said, trying to catch Davey, who, in canary form, began running around wildly on the ground.
“Put him back right now!” Mrs. Weasley bellowed angrily.
Fred shrugged his shoulders, drew his wand and flicked it under the table, toward the frantic canary. A jet of yellow light left Fred’s wand, and a second later, a disheveled looking Davey crawled out from underneath the dinner table.
Ginny was fuming, but it was Mrs. Weasley who tried to calm the situation.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, dear,” Mrs. Weasley said, helping Davey to his feet. “I’m sure it was a complete accident… right, Fred?”
“Oh, of course,” Fred said, “I’m dreadfully sorry, Davey.”
Harry could see him crossing his fingers behind his back.
“Oh, yes… not a problem,” Davey replied, flattening his hair and brushing the mud off of his shoulder.
* * *
After what turned out to be a rather pleasant dinner, which Harry did not enjoy, it was time for Davey to go. Ginny walked him to the edge of the garden where Harry was surprised to see her give him a kiss on the cheek instead of the lips. Hmm… he thought to himself.
“I was hoping to talk to you about something, Harry,” said Moody, once Ginny had returned to the table. Mad-Eye gave Lupin and Mr. Weasley a knowing glance and motioned for Harry to come inside.
“Can we come too?” asked Ron, standing up and motioning to himself and Hermione. Mr. Weasley shook his head and, along with Lupin, followed Mad-Eye and Harry into the house.
“Arthur, what’s going on?” his wife called before he reached the house, yet he did not answer. The four of them made their way into Mr. Weasley’s office (which happened to be a converted water closet) and each of them grabbed a chair.
“I have to ask you something, Harry,” said Mr. Weasley, looking into the young man's eyes. “You’re not going back to Hogwarts, are you?”
Harry said nothing at first and then looked up at him and shook his head.
“That’s what we thought,” Mr. Weasley said, looking between Lupin and Mad-Eye.
“Did Albus give you something to do, a quest of some kind?” asked Moody, his magical eye staring fixedly at Harry.
“In a way, yes,” Harry answered, not looking at anyone in particular.
“We can help you, Harry,” said Lupin, looking concerned. “We’re not going to make you tell us where you’re going, but at least let us help you.”
“I can’t,” Harry responded. “I promised Dumbledore I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
Lupin nodded and held up a hand, as Mad-Eye was about to say something.
“Are Ron and Hermione going with you?” he asked calmly, as if he already knew the answer. At this, Harry looked up at Mr. Weasley.
“I tried to tell them that they couldn’t… but… they insisted, and frankly, I need them,” Harry replied.
Mr. Weasley, however, did not seem angry.
“We thought as much, Harry. Ron and Hermione are both adults and they would follow you to the ends of the earth, I know it,” Mr. Weasley replied. “But I don’t think Molly will be so understanding, and it is not my place to tell her.” He looked at Harry and Harry nodded.
“When do you plan to leave?” asked Mad-Eye.
“Not until after my birthday. It wouldn’t make much sense to set off before then,” Harry replied.
“That’s not too far from now, Harry,” said Lupin, trying to look the young man in the eyes.
Harry remained silent and kept his head down. He had already dragged Ron and Hermione into this. He was not going to allow anyone else, including Mr. Weasley or Lupin, to be put in any more danger.
“I have to do this,” said Harry stoically.
“The prophecy?” asked Lupin, again as if he already knew what the answer was.
Harry knew that the only other person who knew of the prophecy, besides himself, was Dumbledore. Nonetheless, Harry nodded affirmatively to Lupin’s question. Harry heard Mad-Eye began to speak, but again Lupin held up his hand.
“If you don’t feel comfortable telling us, Harry, then we won’t make you. We can help, though,” Lupin said with a slight frown.
“I know,” replied Harry, looking away from everyone again and staring at his trainers.
“That’s not why we needed to talk to you, though,” said Mad-Eye roughly. “We knew you were getting ready for something like this, and there’s something you need to know.”
Harry looked up from the floor.
“Lord Voldemort has obtained the Serpent’s Eye,” began Lupin gravely.
“What’s the…?”
“The Serpent’s Eye,” said Moody, cutting Harry off, “is the sister gem of the Sorcerer’s Stone. I hear that you are quite familiar with that,” he added with a grave smile.
Harry nodded.
“The Serpent’s Eye,” continued Moody, “possesses many of the same powers as the Sorcerer’s Stone. It is, however, used in quite a different manner.”
“The Serpent’s Eye can be used to revive a person who has been killed,” said Lupin. “Not someone who has been dead for any long stretch of time, Harry,” noticing Harry’s brightening face. “No, for the Serpent’s Eye to revive you, the potion that it is used to create must be administered within seven minutes of your death.” When Lupin mentioned seven, Harry could have sworn he saw Lupin wink at him but he concluded that he must have imagined it.
“As we said, it has been brought to our attention, Harry,” said Mr. Weasley, “that Lord Voldemort has acquired the Serpent’s Eye and, with it, we are sure he has begun to concoct the Draught of Life, the opposite to the Draught of Living Death, in that the Draught of Life, if administered within seven minutes, will bring one back to life, while the Draught of Living Death will put the drinker in a deep sleep.”
“If you are to confront and defeat Lord Voldemort, then you must make sure that he does not have the Draught of Life with him, or the Serpent’s Eye for that matter,” said Mad-Eye.
So, he had to destroy the five remaining Horcruxes and steal the Serpent’s Eye before attacking Voldemort, Harry thought to himself. This was becoming impossible.
“How long does it take to brew the Draught of Life?” Harry asked, not wanting to know the answer.
“Seven months,” answered Lupin with emphasis, again, on the word seven.
“Do we know when Voldemort got the Serpent’s Eye?”
“From all accounts,” said Lupin, “it was within the past week.”
Harry nodded.
“So, I have seven months to steal the Serpent’s Eye back?” asked Harry, looking for clarification.
“Yes… or you must make sure that during your final confrontation, Lord Voldemort does not have access to the Draught of Life,” answered Mr. Weasley, a grim look on his face.
Harry nodded affirmatively again and stood up.
“We can help you, Harry,” said Lupin, again looking concerned.
“Before the end, I have a feeling I might need your help,” replied Harry, looking at Lupin, Mr. Weasley and Mad-Eye Moody in turn.
With that, Harry walked out of the room and up the stairs into his bedroom where he heard Ron’s loud snores. He went to his bed, collapsed on it and fell into a very deep sleep.