Time Keeps on Slipping - Chapter 20

Gabrielle Delacour - Sasha Luss

Harry tried to keep his temper in check as he read yet another headline about the 'Curse-Bringer'. That was what they were calling the attacks that popped up at magical gatherings. She showed up at random, but the pattern was always the same. One or two Magical events were attacked to charge her crystal bomb followed by an attack in the Muggle world to blow something up. Every article said they were getting closer to tracking her down but never more than that. He knew they couldn't share all the details about the case, still it annoyed him. Harry had to put faith in Hermione and her changes to the Ministry. If nothing else, he trusted Tonks to get things right.

It had been two weeks into his sixth year, and he had settled into life as Newt. He stayed close to Rose, Hugo, Dominique, and Louis to provide support. As such, he was instantly assimilated into the Weasley social circle. They had quite the network since they were spread out among different houses and years. Dominique was hit the hardest with everything. Louis almost seemed dismissive to the death of Bill. He said it was due to his Veela heritage as Males were often forgotten in the shuffle. Harry took that to mean that Bill probably gave the girls more attention and Louis was using it as a coping mechanism to distance himself from the feelings. He knew what it was like to rationalize being forgotten.

Seeing Rose and Hugo get back into the swing of things was a little jarring. He wanted to say that they were well adjusted, but that didn't fit with things. The brief glance into their home life with Ron rarely home and Hermione disconnected at best, they had years to prepare for being left to their own devices. Harry did what he could by being there to listen. He didn't want to admit it, but they were avoiding him. It was understandable. Their lives had been fine until he showed up again.

The two didn't have that many happy stories to share about Ron, or many stories at all. His Quidditch career as a player, then as a coach took up most of his time. Ron favored Hugo, until he was sorted into Slytherin and then kept the boy at a distance. Quidditch took up more of his time as the marriage started to grow rocky.

"Newt," Sonny said, poking him in the side.

"What?" Harry jumped at the touch.

Sonny motioned to paper airplane hovering in front of him. Harry took it and opened it.

Mister Potter,
Your Aunt is here to see you.
Head of Gryffindor House
Professor Neville Longbottom

"He really doesn't like you," Sonny chuckled.

That was an understatement. Neville wasn't hostile towards him, but he didn't speak to him unless absolutely necessary. He hadn't recognized Harry and hadn't shown any sign of it changing. The better-quality clothes that actually fit and lack of life threatening after-school events had more of an impact that expected. On the other hand, Professor Greengrass had started to pay more attention to him. Harry had been too busy to talk to Susan outside of class.

"This is weird," Harry muttered.

"Huh?" Sonny asked.

"I don't have an aunt," Harry whispered. "Well, I do, but she's a Muggle."

"That is odd," Sonny shrugged.

He went back to eating his food as though it was no big deal. This would have been an issue in the past. Some random person showing up claiming to be his relative would have raised some red flags. He guessed that this was how much life had changed. The lack of yearly near-death experiences had really made these kids soft. A small smile played across his face. Kids these days. The other option was this how it felt to be a normal student. Did his old classmates simply go on with their lives while he fought dark wizards and monsters? That would explain a little.

That was something that Harry had noticed. Things in Hogwarts were a lot more relaxed. House rivalry was at a competitive level rather than hostile, people freely sat at other tables, and there were multiple inter-house study groups. Hermione had thought the kids would want training to be ready for this new threat, but they didn't. Instead, they trusted the Ministry to handle things as it was supposed to do. It was just another blaring difference that reminded him every so often that he wasn't from around here.

Harry tucked the note in his pocket as he stood.

"Time to go see my aunt," Harry muttered.

Sonny nodded. Roxie was the one who noticed his exit.

"Oi!" She called out.

Harry turned to face her. She arched her eyebrows in an unasked question. Harry shrugged. He had no idea if he would need help. She sighed and returned his shrug with one of her own. Of all of the Weasleys, Roxie was the most active in his life. She took him for flying in the evenings, invited him to pick-up games of Quidditch, and simply hung out around him so he wasn't completely alone. Well, not alone alone, more that the family hadn't abandoned him. The difference in years, houses, and class schedules made it hard to see everyone.

A familiar warmth enveloped him as he approached the meeting room. The Veela allure didn't turn him into a mindless drone, but that didn't mean he was immune. It made his body feel warm and easily aroused. Thankfully, it didn't make him instantly get an erection. That would have been embarrassing. Instead, it just made it so that he could get hard in the blink of an eye while his mind was still clear. This one felt different than his brief exposure to Victoire or the familiar touch of Fleur.

Harry stepped inside to see a gorgeous blonde woman waiting for him. She wore a stylish white suit that fit her wonderfully, and her hair was styled in a series of intricate braids. A bright smile crossed her face as he entered.

It was a smile he recognized.

"Gabbi?" Harry gasped.

"HARRY!" Her voice had a slight French accent.

The blonde dashed across the room and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her on instinct. She was roughly the same height as him and the wonderful parts of her body pressed against his in a blissful feeling.

"You remember me?" Gabbi smiled at him.

"Of course," Harry returned the smile. "How could I forget?"

She had grown into a gorgeous woman. There was a slight discordant moment in his brain as he realized that she was now older than him. Physically she was in her twenties while he hadn't aged. Did he count the years he had missed toward his age? That was a headache for another day.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Coming to see you," Gabrielle said as she hadn't let him go yet. "I thought Fleur was being mean until Vic told me the same."

"You're her favorite aunt?" Harry teased.

"Perhaps," she preened.

"Tell me about your life," Harry said happily. "The last I heard you were about to start school."

"Yes," she laughed. "I was excited to start school and tell everyone that I knew Harry Potter." Her expression turned into a pout. "Then you went and died."

"Very rude of me," Harry nodded seriously.

"Quite," she said dropping the pout. "I was a disaster for a while. A little girl that lost her knight."

"I'm sorry," Harry meant it.

"Death is a part of life," she sighed. "No more of that. This is a happy time. Dominique tells me, and anyone who will listen, that you were her first."

She muttered something in French that Harry didn't catch. The tone didn't sound nice.

"Anyone who will listen?" Harry asked.

Harry felt a stone settle in his stomach. He wanted to keep his private life private.

"In the family," Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "The Veela side."

"Ah," Harry replied. "That's not as bad."

A purr rumbled in her chest. It sent a shiver down his spine. Harry could feel her allure get stronger.

"I've missed you, Harry,"  she nibbled her bottom lip. "I would love to show you how much."

"Here?" Harry absolutely didn't squeak.

"Eager?" Gabrielle nuzzled his neck. "Sadly, no. I had to promise your Headmistress to keep this meeting within certain limits."

A mixture of disappointment and relief mingled in his chest.

"I did get an apartment in Hogsmeade," Gabrielle pulled back. "We'll continue this next time you're in town."

"That sounds like a plan," Harry replied.

"Now," Gabrielle said taking a step back. "I do need to get some work done."

Harry pulled her into a deep kiss. Her allure surged so much it made him instantly hard enough to ache.

"Naughty," Gabrielle said between deep breaths.

"You've been teasing me this entire time," Harry smiled at her. "It's only fair."

~§~

Nefertari strutted through the doors of the meeting room. The Ministry Fund Raiser was the perfect target for her needs. Her success was almost silly with how many events the Magical Community held. She preferred the gatherings with a healthy mixture of Muggle-Born and Pureblood. They had higher success rate that the others.

The Egyptian style make-up and crimson red dress had become her signature. She had charms to make it flow cinematically on an invisible breeze. The snake shaped gold armband stretched from her biceps all the way to her wrist. Unfortunately, the crystal wasn't capable of being resized. It would have made an excellent accessory. A necklace or an amulet would be the best fit.

There wasn't any resistance as she progressed through the halls. Usually, there were a couple of Aurors or something to slow her down. Nefertari paused. She turned in a slow circle. Now that she was paying attention it was obvious that the building was completely silent. She shifted her grip on the crystal and tossed it into the air. It came to a halt a few feet in front of her. A chunk of the floor jumped up and formed into a sphere around the crystal.

An iron chain wrapped around her arms and legs. They came to a stop, clinching tight, holding her in place, and digging into her skin. Multiple squads of Aurors appeared in the hall around her as they shed invisibility cloaks. Nefertari opened her mouth to speak only to be hit with multiple Silencing spells. Another barrage of spells surrounded her.

Magic suppressing cuffs clicked into place. A trio of Aurors grabbed her before popping away. They appeared in the office. Her clothes were replaced with a prisoner's jumpsuit, her make-up was cleaned off, and her hands were locked in place on the table in an interrogation room.

Minister Granger and Head Auror Tonks entered the room a minute later.

"Leanne Laughland," Auror Tonks took a seat across from her. "Hogwarts Graduate of Nineteen Ninety-Eight from Hufflepuff. You're not even Egyptian. Half-Chinese."

Leanne alias Nefertari waited for her turn to speak. She looked rather smug considering she had been caught.

"Let's start simple," Tonks said.

Unseen hands from behind Leanne grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked back. Instinctively, she opened her mouth to scream only to feel three drops of viscous fluid hit the back of her throat. She coughed a few times before she settled down into an unnaturally calm state.

"What is your name?" Tonks asked.

"Leanne Laughland," the prisoner replied flatly.

"Are you the one who calls herself Nefertari?"

"Yes," the same flat voice.

"Are you working alone?" Tonks pressed.

"Yes."

"Where did you get that crystal?" Tonks asked.

"Black Market in Spain," Leanne answered.

"How many did you have?"

"One."

"Are there others?"

"I don't know."

"Why?" Hermione cut in.

"Why what?" Leanne shifted her blank stare to Hermione.

"Why pretend to be Egyptian? Why the attacks? What did you hope to achieve?" Hermione snapped.

"I pretended to be Egyptian because there isn't a magical community in Egypt," she answered. "The attacks weren't my first choice. I wanted to unite the Magical World."

"What do you mean?" Tonks glared at Hermione.

"The magical community in Egypt has been replaced. It's just like every other one in the Western world," Leanne explained. "I wanted to use the crystal to strip the unworthy of their magic and give it to others."

"And how would that unite the world?" Tonks asked.

"If there was one enemy that both sides could fight they would have to work together," Leanne answered evenly.

"That is a big leap from taking away magic to genocide," Tonks said.

"The explosion of magical energy was supposed to give Muggles magic," Leanne continued without prompting. "Instead, it summoned dormant creatures using the lifeforce."

"You killed my husband," Hermione snapped.

"I have met Ronald Weasley," Leanne lolled her head to look at the witch. "It was no big loss."

At a speed previously thought beyond her, Hermione whipped her wand forward. A ragged jolt of red energy erupted from her wand and struck the prisoner in the face. The top half of Leanne's head explored leaving the wall behind splattered with gore.

The mostly headless corpse flopped down onto the table. Tonks stared at the dead body before she turned to face Hermione. An expression of fury mingled with a hint of satisfaction played across her face. Slowly, Hermione set her wand on the table in front of Tonks then held out her hands.

"What did you do?" Tonks yelled.

"Paid a debt," Hermione wiggled her hands. "Are you going to arrest me?"

"Put your hands down," Tonks sighed. "No one will blame you for this. I shouldn't have let you come in here with me. Go home."

Hermione nodded. She took her wand and put it away before she left. Her first task was to tell Rose, Hugo, Dominique, Victoire, Louis, and Fleur that vengeance had been carried out. Then she needed a good stiff drink. Maybe a few.