Harry Potter and the Tomb Spell
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the wonderful world JKR has created. I am merely using her imaginative world to appease myself and, hopefully, others. This story takes place 5 years after the epilogue of Deathly Hallows. I do not even hope to dream that this will be as good as JKR's work, and it will be nowhere close to her last 4 books in length, but I want the story to continue so I got an idea and I am rolling with it.
Harry Potter and the Tomb Spell
Chapter 1: Officially Un-officiated
The day was bright with the heating rays from the burning sun, lighting the world and leaving no one in darkness. The trees did not sway; there was no wind. All was still and all was well.
The heat of the summer day brought perspiration to Harry’s lips. He looked up and surveyed the sky. There were no clouds in sight. He quickly gathered his wits and strode down the worn, dirt path. Harry Potter had a schedule and he could not afford to miss this appointment, as he had so many others.
Harry Potter was a wizard. He was a fully fledged, educated, and skilled wizard. He was a man also, and a husband. He was enjoying his life and he had no worries. He spent time with his beautiful wife and helped her with her activities with his children. Yes, he was also a father. And a proud father, at that. His children were his prized treasure and his care for them was only rivaled for his care of his wife.
Harry quickened his pace towards the old wooden cottage that was at the end of the dirt path. There were shrubs and bushes of all sizes and many different shades of green. Harry stole quick glances at these every few feet to see if he could spot a color close to his eye color. None of them came close to his brilliant shade of the color.
When he reached the front of the cottage he gazed at its simplistic beauty. The house was elegant yet subtle at the same time. The wood used for the cottage was big oak trees. They seemed to fill each others gaps nicely, even and perfect. Harry strongly suspected that magic was used to bring this effect about. The roof was flat and had leaves the sprinkled it. Of course, Harry did not know that because the roof was at least fifteen feet high.
Harry rapped his knuckles on the smoothly polished front door. There was no doorknob. Harry waited until he could hear faint steps on the other side of the door, then he drew out his wand and took a step back, giving him the most maneuverability in case of a confrontation. When the door opened Harry was surprised at what he saw.
“Oh, come on, Harry! We aren’t in tough times anymore. Put that down and get inside!”
Harry stared into the eyes of the Minister of Magic as he brought his wand down to his side. Harry swiftly stowed his wand away and regained his posture. “I see, Harry, that Mad-Eye has left a lasting impression on you, even after all this time.”
“Yes, Kingsley, I always try to learn from my betters,” replied Harry with a small smile. Kingsley ushered him inside while he replied in his deep voice.
“Oh, come on now Harry, don’t you ever give yourself any credit? You know there are few wizards more equipped than yourself.”
“Oh yes, I know that, but there is always room for improvement and you have no idea how much of a help everyone has been to get me where I am,” Harry said as Kingsley Shacklebolt directed him towards a large sitting room. The room was very brightly decorated. The walls were splashed with orange and red with hints of blue every few feet. The floor was covered in a lush carpet of yellow.
There were shelves full of books on the left and right side of the wall. Also, a desk was placed near the back of the room. It had a few knick-knacks on it and there were two stacks of papers. Harry saw a double-sided frame with a picture of Kingsley, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Order inside of it. Harry guessed that the picture was charmed to show on both sides.
Harry sat down in a comfortable table chair that had fur for a back cushion. Harry watched Kingsley conjure up two goblets each full of an amber-colored liquid Harry recognized as Madame Rosmerta’s mead. Harry took a small sip and Kingsley gave him a small smile before he began to speak.
“Harry, I thank you for coming, I know it is your day off and I am sure you would be happy doing something else,” Kingsley said in his deep-pitched voice.
“The Minister requests a meeting and I would gladly come running,” Harry said, thinking of the irony of his youth when he used to despise the Ministry and the face of it, the Minister of Magic. “Of course, it helps that I already like you.”
Kingsley smiled a little knowingly showing his bright teeth that contrasted elegantly from his dark skin.
“Well, Harry, I’m glad you came anyway. You see, it is a very… um, pressing matter that I have been faced with. The report would have gone straight to you, but I happened to come by it and take the report to go over it before I gave it to you,” Kingsley said choosing his words carefully.
“What do you mean? Is there a case I don’t know about?” Harry said, eyeing Kingsley suspiciously.
“Yes, that would be the case, but-”
“Then please inform me, Minister,” Harry said with a hint of anger coming through. Harry did not like secrets being kept from him, not when he was the Head of the Auror Department. He needed to know everything to do his job proper. He should be the one to keep secrets; secrets should not keep them from him.
“Well, you see, it is very delicate, and I need the right person put on the job for this. We haven’t experienced something this serious in quite a while. There might be a few Aurors I would like for you to not choose for this. They might be unprepared, or… biased,” Kingsley said slowly but he said enough to get Harry’s temper down. Harry realized that this secret was not going to be a secret much longer and I looked to be an interesting mission. Maybe I’ll assign myself to this one and get some action in, Harry thought.
“Harry, you must promise me that you will not get involved in this, at all, after you have assigned the appropriate Aurors.”
So much for that idea, Harry thought. Harry pondered this and quickly resigned to agree. After all, he had put himself in for an assignment not that long ago and it would be bad form to do another one so soon, even if his assignment had turned out to be a false alarm.
“Okay, then, I promise, but why are you telling me this if you aren’t getting me involved?”
“Because, Harry, it is your children, they have gone missing.”
The words hit Harry like a sack of bricks. He did not want to believe it. He hoped desperately that George Weasley, older brother of his best friend Ron, would pop in to the room and scream, “April fools!” But Harry knew that the former twin was busy in France, and that the date was wrong for such an event.
Still, Harry did not want to believe it. He had trained his children himself. They were as tough mentally, physically, and magically as possible. They could hold their own against most of the Aurors in training. Even Lily, who was only 14, could have lasted a good fight against most.
“When, you say ‘missing’…?” Harry said after what seemed like a long time.