Categories > Books > Harry Potter > The Ritual
The Ritual
Disclaimer: See Previous Chapters
Warnings: NC-17, AU
Author's Note: Many thanks to all those who reviewed, commented, and made suggestions both in comments, by private message, and otherwise.
Chapter 16
The next morning Ginny used several diagnostic spells to make sure Harry was healed and well. He, in turn, used a few of the new healing spells he’d picked up to ensure she wasn’t sore. After breakfast they both went to the library.
“How do we search all these books?” she said.
“We don’t have to,” he replied. “The air elementals know all the books.” He called one and asked, “Do we have any books relating to ways to store all or part of your soul in an object inanimate or not?”
“We do young lord but such things are not recommended,” the air elemental stated. “You are young and healthy why do you want such?”
“Wow,” Ginny said. “I think that’s the closest to a ‘no sir’ we’ve gotten since we came.”
The elemental started to apologize but Harry cut it off and explained why he wanted it. It sounded much happier as it said, “Ah, I comprehend young lord. I am sorry I misunderstood your intent. I will bring you the few books we have on such things.” It left and returned shortly with two books. One was titled, “So you want to be an evil wizard? Here’s how!” and the other was “How to kill an immortal”.
Harry grinned, “Thanks! These should help a lot.” He turned to Ginny, “Which one should we start with?”
“The first,” she said and grinned. “It might have ideas I can use to prank with! Suitably watered down of course.”
Harry smiled, “Of course dear, just don’t practice on me.” He sat in his usual chair and she sat in his lap and listened as he read the book out loud. When there was an illustration he showed it to her and lunch time would have passed them both by without notice if her stomach hadn’t growled.
She blushed, “Sorry.”
He grinned and said, “Nothing to be embarrassed about!” He put the book down then picked her up and carried her, bridal style, to the dining room where they had lunch then went back to the library. They broke before dinner and went out for a walk to stretch stiff muscles.
“Well,” said Harry. “I think we’ve found out what that cloud was.”
She nodded grimly, “I just hope we can destroy the rest more easily than you did the diary.”
“Well we are older, wiser, and much stronger now,” Harry said. “Assuming we don’t run into any more thousand year old Basilisks we should have no trouble.”
“Assuming we can find them,” she said.
Harry grinned, “Well we can always just keep killing him until he stops wanting to come back.”
That made her smile a bit, “Planning to get creative are you?”
His grin got wider, “Imagine the headline “Dark lord dies buried under dirty underpants!’.”
She giggled, “Can you actually do that?”
“We learned that spell to teleport anything left at a previously prepared location,” Harry said. His grin grew wider as he said, “And Dobby has access to the Hogwarts laundry.”
She laughed, “That’s great! Just make sure not to use any of mine.”
Harry laughed, “Sure. I was thinking of using the Slytherin’s underwear anyway.”
She grinned widely, “What a wonderful idea! Make sure it’s the most embarrassing examples too.”
He snickered, “I will. So are we ready to go home tomorrow?”
“One more day of reading I think,” she answered. “We haven’t finished both books and we don’t want to take either back with us.”
Harry nodded, “Okay, one more day. Now let’s get back and have dinner.”
They finished the second book by dinner on the next day, Sunday, and made somewhat reluctant plans to go back Monday morning.
“I guess you’ll be happy to start wearing clothes again Harry?” she asked as she placed some clean clothes on her trunk. She had packed everything but the outfit she planned to wear home and he had done the same.
He smiled, “When its just you I don’t mind the nudity but I still think I’d faint if anyone else saw me. So yeah, I’m happy that I’ll be dressed before we return.” He set out the clothes he wanted to wear in the morning and turned to look at her, “You remember the plan?”
“Of course,” she said. “Once we get home we floo the headmaster first thing and get his help with our cover story. Then we join him and the three of us appear at the Burrow so we can divert Mum’s questions to him while we fend off any other questions from curious bystanders.” She giggled, “Don’t worry Harry! I’m sure they’ll buy it with Dumbledore telling the story.”
He reluctantly nodded, “Okay, then I guess there is nothing left to do but get some sleep.”
She grinned at him, “Well maybe one other thing.” She pushed him down onto the bed and giggled at his expression, “Prepare to be ravished Harry Potter!”
The next morning they got dressed for the first time in weeks and after they had both taken hold of their trunks Harry invoked the portkey and it took them to England. They landed in the damaged house his parents had owned. Harry was surprised, “I thought we’d end up in Privet Drive.”
She shrugged, “Well this is the last house owned by a Potter in England. Maybe that’s why it brought you here?”
Harry shrugged, “Well anyway, we’re here. So I guess we can either try to borrow a fire to floo call the headmaster or I can try one of the communication spells we picked up.”
“I’d vote for the second,” she answered. “Anyone who’d have a floo would recognize you in a heartbeat.”
“Even without glasses and only a faint scar?” he asked surprised.
“Yeah,” she said. “I think so.”
He nodded, “Okay then, I’ll try the patronus messenger. I can already do the other sort so it should be the easiest for me.” He flourished his wand and called out, “Hermes Patronum!” A silvery stag appeared. He gave it his message and it rushed off so fast it blurred.
A few minutes later there was a crack of apparition and Albus walked in, “Hello my boy! I must say you are looking very tan and healthy.”
Harry frowned at the smug look on the headmaster’s face but then sighed mentally and forced a smile onto his face, “Thank you sir. And thank you in advance for going along with our cover story. We thought we’d talk with you before we talked to anyone else. We have learned a lot, including a few disturbing things we’d like to share.”
“But first,” Ginny said. “Tell us how things have been going in our absence?”
"It has been a quiet summer with one exception," Albus said. "The Death Eaters were staying quiet and recruiting carefully."
"What's the exception then?" Harry said.
"The one exception was when young Ginevra's mother found out there was no all girls spell camp this summer," the headmaster told them. "No one was hurt but the Minister who got slapped silly when he told her she must have been hallucinating. Arthur escorted her home before the Minister could shake off the grogginess and call for Dawlish." He smiled and his eyes twinkled, "I managed to meet them when they arrived home and told your parents that you two and Hermione had been doing secret training with old friends of mine on the continent." He shrugged she got back two days earlier than you but I believe we can explain that away."
Harry nodded, "We'll say these old friends of yours spent the morning of the first extra day removing the quote dark magic unquote from my scar and I spent the rest of the time recovering. Ginny naturally stayed to nurse me back to health."
Dumbledore nodded, "I believe that will be satisfactory. I have copies of the spell book I gave Hermione. It has a healing spell that you Ginevra may wish to practice in case anyone should ask why you were the one nursing young Harry."
She grinned, "I already know one I can showcase but I'll gladly take those books. This way we'll be able to cast the same as Hermione. That will help."
Harry asked, "Can you bring Hermione here before we head to the Burrow and what happened with Umbridge?"
Albus smiled, "I canget Hermione as soon as we are done speaking and I'm told Madame Umbridge is now in the same ward as our dear former Professor Lockhart. She was apparently buggered by three dozen centaurs and both her mind and her, er, fundament, are permanently damaged."
Ginny giggled, "Couldn't happen to a better person."
Harry said, "I'd like to have Hermione hear everything that we tell about this summer but I suppose you'd rather hear about the horcrux removal without her?"
"If possible," Albus said.
"Well," Harry smiled. "If you can give me a good reason for not telling me I have a horcrux in my head then I'll agree."
Albus looked at him sadly, "I know how that must seem to you but you should know that I did it for ..."
He was interrupted by Ginny saying, "...the lesser evil? You know just for a change of pace?"
Albus sighed and disappeared with the cracking sound of air displacement. He returned shortly with Hermione.
"Thank god you two are back," she said after hugging them both. "They've all been asking where you two are and one can say 'that's classified' only so many times before one goes irretrievably mad."
Harry smiled, "Well don't worry Hermione. We have a better explanation for you."
Ginny added, "We'll also tell you all the details of our summer."
Harry looks briefly worried then tells Hermione and Dumbledore the version of what happened with only the briefest mention of sex and no mention of nudity. She shows them both a few of the most useful spells she learned from the book Albus gave her.
"I'm surprised you've picked them up that quickly," Hermione said. "But it's for the best since we are about at the limit for a reasonable amount of time to be bringing you two back. Let's go now and anything else we can discuss later."
Harry nodded, "Sounds good."
Disclaimer: See Previous Chapters
Warnings: NC-17, AU
Author's Note: Many thanks to all those who reviewed, commented, and made suggestions both in comments, by private message, and otherwise.
Chapter 16
The next morning Ginny used several diagnostic spells to make sure Harry was healed and well. He, in turn, used a few of the new healing spells he’d picked up to ensure she wasn’t sore. After breakfast they both went to the library.
“How do we search all these books?” she said.
“We don’t have to,” he replied. “The air elementals know all the books.” He called one and asked, “Do we have any books relating to ways to store all or part of your soul in an object inanimate or not?”
“We do young lord but such things are not recommended,” the air elemental stated. “You are young and healthy why do you want such?”
“Wow,” Ginny said. “I think that’s the closest to a ‘no sir’ we’ve gotten since we came.”
The elemental started to apologize but Harry cut it off and explained why he wanted it. It sounded much happier as it said, “Ah, I comprehend young lord. I am sorry I misunderstood your intent. I will bring you the few books we have on such things.” It left and returned shortly with two books. One was titled, “So you want to be an evil wizard? Here’s how!” and the other was “How to kill an immortal”.
Harry grinned, “Thanks! These should help a lot.” He turned to Ginny, “Which one should we start with?”
“The first,” she said and grinned. “It might have ideas I can use to prank with! Suitably watered down of course.”
Harry smiled, “Of course dear, just don’t practice on me.” He sat in his usual chair and she sat in his lap and listened as he read the book out loud. When there was an illustration he showed it to her and lunch time would have passed them both by without notice if her stomach hadn’t growled.
She blushed, “Sorry.”
He grinned and said, “Nothing to be embarrassed about!” He put the book down then picked her up and carried her, bridal style, to the dining room where they had lunch then went back to the library. They broke before dinner and went out for a walk to stretch stiff muscles.
“Well,” said Harry. “I think we’ve found out what that cloud was.”
She nodded grimly, “I just hope we can destroy the rest more easily than you did the diary.”
“Well we are older, wiser, and much stronger now,” Harry said. “Assuming we don’t run into any more thousand year old Basilisks we should have no trouble.”
“Assuming we can find them,” she said.
Harry grinned, “Well we can always just keep killing him until he stops wanting to come back.”
That made her smile a bit, “Planning to get creative are you?”
His grin got wider, “Imagine the headline “Dark lord dies buried under dirty underpants!’.”
She giggled, “Can you actually do that?”
“We learned that spell to teleport anything left at a previously prepared location,” Harry said. His grin grew wider as he said, “And Dobby has access to the Hogwarts laundry.”
She laughed, “That’s great! Just make sure not to use any of mine.”
Harry laughed, “Sure. I was thinking of using the Slytherin’s underwear anyway.”
She grinned widely, “What a wonderful idea! Make sure it’s the most embarrassing examples too.”
He snickered, “I will. So are we ready to go home tomorrow?”
“One more day of reading I think,” she answered. “We haven’t finished both books and we don’t want to take either back with us.”
Harry nodded, “Okay, one more day. Now let’s get back and have dinner.”
They finished the second book by dinner on the next day, Sunday, and made somewhat reluctant plans to go back Monday morning.
“I guess you’ll be happy to start wearing clothes again Harry?” she asked as she placed some clean clothes on her trunk. She had packed everything but the outfit she planned to wear home and he had done the same.
He smiled, “When its just you I don’t mind the nudity but I still think I’d faint if anyone else saw me. So yeah, I’m happy that I’ll be dressed before we return.” He set out the clothes he wanted to wear in the morning and turned to look at her, “You remember the plan?”
“Of course,” she said. “Once we get home we floo the headmaster first thing and get his help with our cover story. Then we join him and the three of us appear at the Burrow so we can divert Mum’s questions to him while we fend off any other questions from curious bystanders.” She giggled, “Don’t worry Harry! I’m sure they’ll buy it with Dumbledore telling the story.”
He reluctantly nodded, “Okay, then I guess there is nothing left to do but get some sleep.”
She grinned at him, “Well maybe one other thing.” She pushed him down onto the bed and giggled at his expression, “Prepare to be ravished Harry Potter!”
The next morning they got dressed for the first time in weeks and after they had both taken hold of their trunks Harry invoked the portkey and it took them to England. They landed in the damaged house his parents had owned. Harry was surprised, “I thought we’d end up in Privet Drive.”
She shrugged, “Well this is the last house owned by a Potter in England. Maybe that’s why it brought you here?”
Harry shrugged, “Well anyway, we’re here. So I guess we can either try to borrow a fire to floo call the headmaster or I can try one of the communication spells we picked up.”
“I’d vote for the second,” she answered. “Anyone who’d have a floo would recognize you in a heartbeat.”
“Even without glasses and only a faint scar?” he asked surprised.
“Yeah,” she said. “I think so.”
He nodded, “Okay then, I’ll try the patronus messenger. I can already do the other sort so it should be the easiest for me.” He flourished his wand and called out, “Hermes Patronum!” A silvery stag appeared. He gave it his message and it rushed off so fast it blurred.
A few minutes later there was a crack of apparition and Albus walked in, “Hello my boy! I must say you are looking very tan and healthy.”
Harry frowned at the smug look on the headmaster’s face but then sighed mentally and forced a smile onto his face, “Thank you sir. And thank you in advance for going along with our cover story. We thought we’d talk with you before we talked to anyone else. We have learned a lot, including a few disturbing things we’d like to share.”
“But first,” Ginny said. “Tell us how things have been going in our absence?”
"It has been a quiet summer with one exception," Albus said. "The Death Eaters were staying quiet and recruiting carefully."
"What's the exception then?" Harry said.
"The one exception was when young Ginevra's mother found out there was no all girls spell camp this summer," the headmaster told them. "No one was hurt but the Minister who got slapped silly when he told her she must have been hallucinating. Arthur escorted her home before the Minister could shake off the grogginess and call for Dawlish." He smiled and his eyes twinkled, "I managed to meet them when they arrived home and told your parents that you two and Hermione had been doing secret training with old friends of mine on the continent." He shrugged she got back two days earlier than you but I believe we can explain that away."
Harry nodded, "We'll say these old friends of yours spent the morning of the first extra day removing the quote dark magic unquote from my scar and I spent the rest of the time recovering. Ginny naturally stayed to nurse me back to health."
Dumbledore nodded, "I believe that will be satisfactory. I have copies of the spell book I gave Hermione. It has a healing spell that you Ginevra may wish to practice in case anyone should ask why you were the one nursing young Harry."
She grinned, "I already know one I can showcase but I'll gladly take those books. This way we'll be able to cast the same as Hermione. That will help."
Harry asked, "Can you bring Hermione here before we head to the Burrow and what happened with Umbridge?"
Albus smiled, "I canget Hermione as soon as we are done speaking and I'm told Madame Umbridge is now in the same ward as our dear former Professor Lockhart. She was apparently buggered by three dozen centaurs and both her mind and her, er, fundament, are permanently damaged."
Ginny giggled, "Couldn't happen to a better person."
Harry said, "I'd like to have Hermione hear everything that we tell about this summer but I suppose you'd rather hear about the horcrux removal without her?"
"If possible," Albus said.
"Well," Harry smiled. "If you can give me a good reason for not telling me I have a horcrux in my head then I'll agree."
Albus looked at him sadly, "I know how that must seem to you but you should know that I did it for ..."
He was interrupted by Ginny saying, "...the lesser evil? You know just for a change of pace?"
Albus sighed and disappeared with the cracking sound of air displacement. He returned shortly with Hermione.
"Thank god you two are back," she said after hugging them both. "They've all been asking where you two are and one can say 'that's classified' only so many times before one goes irretrievably mad."
Harry smiled, "Well don't worry Hermione. We have a better explanation for you."
Ginny added, "We'll also tell you all the details of our summer."
Harry looks briefly worried then tells Hermione and Dumbledore the version of what happened with only the briefest mention of sex and no mention of nudity. She shows them both a few of the most useful spells she learned from the book Albus gave her.
"I'm surprised you've picked them up that quickly," Hermione said. "But it's for the best since we are about at the limit for a reasonable amount of time to be bringing you two back. Let's go now and anything else we can discuss later."
Harry nodded, "Sounds good."
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