Legacy

A/N: I of course do not own Harry Potter or any of its components or characters. I do however own my story idea and any characters not recognizable. If my fan fiction somehow resembles another author’s work, I assure you that it is unintentional and purely coincidental. As such, please do not borrow my idea(s) without prior written consent from me. I have much to write, and will have many ideas as you will see as the story progresses.



Legacy



Chapter 8



Ginny sat curled up in an old leather easy chair that was situated in front of the hearth in Remus’s sitting area. She had spent the past twenty-four hours in her partner’s quarters just trying to adjust to what had been done to her. Her blue eyes stared into the flickering flames. Every once and a while her slender hand would wipe away a few stray tears. Deep in thought she barely registered her older twin brothers as they whispered lowly to one another.



She felt as if she had awakened from a nightmare, one that had lasted for more than several years. The sad thing was that it was not all that far from the truth. She took a shuddering breath. The betrayal she felt seemed to emanate from her very soul.



How could mum do that to me?



Her eyes narrowed in rage as her thoughts focused on the Weasley matriarch. She was prevented from leaving the Legacy building for fear of what she would do in her anger.



And with good reason.



How dare that red headed bitch that birthed her mess with her mind! After what she went through with Tom Riddle and his diary all those years ago, one would think that messing with her mind would NOT be a good thing. She snorted audibly drawing her brother’s attention to her.



“Ginny?” Fred asked cautiously. George and he had volunteered to sit with their younger sister when Remus, Harry and Ron had been called down to the infirmary last night.



She waved her hand in dismissal.



“I’m fine.”



George came and sat on the arm of her chair. “No you’re not. None of us are.”



Fred, not wanting to be left out also perched himself on the opposite arm of the chair of his twin. “Ginny, no words can express how sorry we are and how much we want to kick our own arses for not figuring it out.”



“And just how were you supposed to figure it out Fred?! It’s not like mum told you that said she was alternating my memories and essentially controlling my very thoughts and emotions!” She burst out angrily.



George rubbed his sister’s back soothingly. “We know Gin.”



She closed her eyes, her voice broken. “No you don’t. How could you know what it was like? If you hadn’t oblivated me a few weeks back after my fight with Hermione, I would still be under Mum’s influence.”



Fred exchanged looks with his brother, a tic in his jaw as his little sister continued.



“They hated me. They have for a long time.” She laughed bitterly. “And why not? I only accused one of my best friend’s of stealing my boyfriend and murdering her own parents and good friend. For the past few years, I have done nothing but spew hatred and prejudices against Hermione.”



She leaped out of her seat, eyes brimming with angry tears. “And for what? For my dearest mum? Why does she hate Hermione so much? Why does she hate me so much?”



“We don’t know Gin, but we intend to address this issue.” George said with narrowed eyes. The Weasley siblings sat in silence their thoughts on the approaching Order of The Phoenix meeting.



After a while the sound of Fred snorting echoed in the room. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing that Mum had all of those books she used as reference. After all, Gilderoy Lockhart is very well known for his extensive memory charms and mind alterations.”



George covered his mouth to hide his laughter at his brother’s sardonic statement. He glanced over at Ginny and saw a true smile grace her face.



“Yes, one could say he was an expert at them.”



Both Fred and George nearly fell over at their sister’s witty comment. All three of the siblings broke out into laughter.



“What’s going on here?”



They sobered up at hearing Ron’s tired voice.



“We were just commenting on how good it was for mum to use such a knowledgeable source for her memory control.”



At Ron’s blank look, Ginny interjected.



“Gilderoy Lockhart.”



A fleeting smile crossed his face before his expression returned to weariness.



“Ron? Are you okay?”



He smiled at his younger sister, glad to see her more like her old self.



“No, Gin. Not really.” He said quietly.



“Mione?” George questioned, concern shining in his blue eyes.



Ron sank onto the couch and stared idly at his siblings. “She has pulled out of her unconscious state as of last night. That is why Remus, Harry and I had to leave so suddenly.” Sighs of relief from the other Weasley’s in the room made him stop his explanation.



He held up his hand. “Wait. She did wake up, but not for the reasons she should have.”



“What in the bloody hell does that mean?” Fred asked.



Ron ran a hand through his hair. “Lucius Malfoy severed the Adiunxi Fortuna bond.”



“WHAT?!”



“Lucius had Severus take a Wizarding Oath under false pretenses. He had no choice but to sever their bond. Since no one had ever done so before, the outcome could not be predicted.”



Ginny held a hand over her mouth in horror. She could only imagine the pain of splitting from her partner, particularly now since she was in a proper frame of mind.



“As you know an Order meeting has been called tonight to address several issues, one being what was done to you Gin.”



Ron’s eyes grew dark. “The other main reason is so that Harry, Hermione and I can withdraw from the Order of The Phoenix immediately.”



Fred and George exchanged looks. “What aren’t you telling us little brother?”



Ginny looked apprehensive. She also could tell that there was something more behind that decision.



“Blaise Zabini has returned. I do not know how much you three know, but Harry, Severus and I sent him on a little reconnaissance mission a couple of days ago. He had much to tell us.”



Ron looked at his siblings, sorrow and anger in his eyes. “Mione was set up. Apparently, the muggle in charge has contacts in the wizarding world. A deal was made that would protect certain members of our world if Hermione was given up.”



“Who made the deal?” Fred asked shrewdly.



Ron did not answer.



“Your mother did.”



Heads swiveled to look at Harry as he, Remus and Severus approached them.



“Impossible! Mum would not deal with muggles! She does not share our father’s fondness for muggles in fact she rather dislikes them. That’s why she was always so hateful towards Hermione……” Ginny’s voice died out as realization crept upon her.



“Her parents?” she asked, her voice wavering.



Remus stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder. “That was the muggle’s first attempt at getting to Hermione. He was informed that Mione was off visiting a relative in France when they attacked her family. Only the Order was told that reason since she used that as a cover story for her absence. She was actually on a mission with Lucius at the time.”



“So when that muggle shot at her and Dean pushed her out of the way, the muggle military had no idea who they were shooting at.” George concluded.



“Correct.” Severus said smoothly.



Ginny felt her heart sink as the facts came to light. Merlin, she had said such horrible things to Hermione! How could she ever be forgiven?



“How do you know that it was Mum that gave Mione up?” Fred asked pointedly.



“Veritaserum. Blaise’s muggle informant was slipped some in his tea. This muggle happens to be the personal assistant of the muggle they refer to as ‘Alpha’. The man-in-charge. I replayed the conversation myself.” Severus said.



“But how did Mum get in contact with muggles in the first place?” George asked.



“That we do not know at this time, but we are working on it.” Remus said.



“Does Hermione know?” Ginny asked in small voice.



“No. At least not to our knowledge.” Remus said softly.



“Any of it?” She persisted.



“Ms. Weasley, if you are referring to your brain washing, then no, she does not know. If you are also referring to what your mother had set in motion with regards to Hermione, then no, she is not aware of that either.” Severus said abruptly.



“What about the breaking of her bond with Lucius Malfoy?” She asked loudly, bracing herself to feel the dark man’s wrath.



Severus stared at the youngest Weasley, his onyx eyes devoid of emotion. “That has yet to be determined. I am sure that on some level she is aware of what happened, but how much of that is conscious thought, I do not know.”



“Who will tell her?” Ginny did not know why she continued her questions, but a fire had been lit deep within her to right the wrong that Hermione has had to endure.



Silence greeted her question. She looked around at the gathered wizards and saw much sadness and uneasiness on all of their faces.



“Well? Come on you guys! It cannot be so difficult to tell one witch what has been happening!”



“It is when that witch is Mione.” Ron muttered.



“Look, I would tell her myself, but I realize that I am not the right person to do it for obvious reasons.”



“Ginny, it’s not that we won’t tell her. It’s more along the lines of we are afraid to tell her. I seriously doubt we would come out of it unscathed.” Harry said grimly.



She stared in shock at The-Boy-Who-Lived. “So why don’t you go tell it to her together? Who said you had to do it alone? All I know is that if I were in her place, I would want someone to tell me sooner rather than later.”



“I’ll tell you who I think should be there in case she flips out. Lucius. It would serve that bastard right.” Ron said.



“He lost the right to be anywhere near Hermione when he had Severus destroy their bond. Except for Council meetings, he is not to be anywhere near her. He will NOT hurt her ever again!” Harry said venomously.



Severus placed a calming hand on his partner’s shoulder. “We understand, and I am sure that I do not only speak for myself when I say that we agree with you. But now, we must go. We have an Order meeting to attend.”



Harry’s green eyes blazed with anger at the mention of the upcoming meeting. He looked at Remus and Ginny. “Let’s go.”



Surprised, the red head looked at her partner who had an odd, feral grin on his face. “I can go?”



Remus nodded. Severus sighed as the room emptied out before following behind.



“Well this will be most entertaining.”



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The kitchen of 12 Grimmauld place was packed. Not only were the members that made up the Inner Circle present, but many other Order members had appeared. This caused great confusion as normal Order of the Phoenix meetings did not have this many people attend. There was a strict hierarchy. Orders were given and passed along the ranks. This was something different. Something unexpected.



“Why are all of these people here?” Tonks shouted over the racket. Bill Weasley shrugged, looking confused.



“Order! This meeting has been called to order!” Mad-Eye shouted, gaining the attendees attention. The room slowly quieted down.



“Thank you. Now I would like to begin this meeting with a simple question. Why are all of you here?” He asked sternly.



“Because I asked them to come.” Harry said entering the kitchen, Ron at his side. Severus smirked from his seat at the table next to Remus. Both wizards would enjoy this.



“What gave you the right to invite all these people?” Molly Weasley asked waving her had at the ensembled witches and wizards.



“What a great question Mum. Don’t you think so Fred?”



“Oh absolutely George. Yes Harry, do tell us what you were thinking.”



Draco snorted from his place in the shadows as the Weasley matriarch shot a glare at her twin sons. He stiffened as he felt his father’s familiar presence at his side. He barely prevented his lip from curling in anger. There would be time later to deal with Lucius. For now, he had quite an interesting show to watch.



“Since this is my house that I so graciously have let you use, I can invite whomever I want.”



Molly looked taken aback at his icy tone. Before she could say anything, Arthur spoke up.



“Harry, whatever is wrong?” The raven haired wizard looked at the Weasley patriarch with something akin to pity.



“Arthur, do you happen to know where Ginny or Hermione are right now?”



Bewildered, the older man shook his head. “No, I am afraid I don’t. I did know about Hermione’s disappearance, and that there were no leads to follow.”



Tonks stirred angrily in her seat. She was one of the ones who wanted to look for Hermione. She was still angry at the Order for more or less abandoning the younger witch almost a month ago.



“As for Ginny,…..”



“What concern is it of yours where our daughter is? This has nothing to do with an Order meeting.” Molly interrupted her husband forcefully.



“Oh, I beg to differ. There are several reasons as to why I have called all of you here. Would you like to guess?” Harry said silkily causing a ripple to go around the room at his dangerous undertone.



“Harry, what has gotten into you?” Bill asked, somewhat angry at the younger wizard’s tone. “There is no reason to speak to Mum in that way, particularly after all she has done for you.”



“Shut it Bill.” Ron said evenly. “You have no idea what is going on, so I suggest you sit there and listen.”



“Ronald Weasley! I will not have my son speaking in such a disrespectful manner!” Molly shouted.



“Sod off! You need to shut it too!” Ron snapped.



Gasps and muttering were heard throughout the gathered Order members. Severus caught Draco’s eye and they smirked in unison. Oh, this was going to be real good. Lucius noticed the exchanged glances as well as the malicious smiles on the Weasley twin’s faces.



What in Merlin’s name was going on? He winced slightly, still recovering from the pain of last night.



“Ron! Son, don’t speak to your mother so rudely.” Arthur chastised, his voice filled with anger.



“Why not? She has done worse. Much worse.” Ron snarled his temper frayed beyond measure.



“If you cannot address your leader politely, you will be banned from this meeting.” Moody said sternly.



“I don’t think so.” Harry countered.



“Excuse me?” The grizzly retired Auror asked in astonishment.



“You heard me. Molly Weasley is not a fit leader or a fit mother.”



“Now just a minute…” Arthur shouted getting to his feet as murmurs rippled through the room at Harry’s words.



“Silence!” Ron roared. He looked at his father. “Dad, you need to listen. This is important.”



Arthur seeing the determination in his youngest son’s eyes sat down slowly.



“What gives you the right to make such an unjust accusation?” Molly spat.



“I do.” A calm voice said from the doorway.



Ginny stepped into the room, her eyes trained on her mother.



“Ginny, what is the meaning of this?” Bill asked. He had a sinking feeling that something was seriously wrong.



“So, mum. Read any good books lately? Maybe something written by Gilderoy Lockhart?” Ron asked conversationally.



Molly paled noticeably. “I..I don’t know what you are talking about.”



“Sure you do. Severus, the veritaserum, if you don’t mind.” Harry said almost cheerfully.



The dark man withdrew a vial of the strongest truth potion from the folds of his robes.



Molly jumped up in fear. She backed away from the offending vial, oblivious to the confused looks of the Order members.



“Molly?” Arthur questioned, puzzled at his wife’s actions.



“Will you take it mum or do I need to?” Ginny asked in a poisonous voice.



The Weasley matriarch was trapped and she knew it. She dropped all pretenses. “How did you figure it out?” She all but snarled.



Ginny just smiled. “You would be surprised what an Obliviate cast properly can do.”



“So you know? How proud you must be of your weak mind that allowed me to manipulate it in the first place.”



“Molly, what on earth are you talking about?” Arthur asked shocked at the venom in his wife’s voice.



“I’m talking about how she failed to keep Harry and allowed that muggle-born whore to take him! We could’ve had everything if it wasn’t for her!” Molly ranted, her eyes insane.



“Mum, what are you saying?” Bill asked slowly, not believing his ears.



“Hermione! The I’m-so-much-better-than-you bitch! She wants to manipulate us all don’t you see?! I had to do something!”



“Molly, what did you do?” Arthur asked, his heart in anguish at what he was hearing.



“She used spells on me Dad to alter my memories and feelings. She wanted to use me as a tool to take her hatred out on Hermione.” Ginny said evenly, her eyes not leaving her mother’s angry form.



“Preposterous!” Moody exclaimed.



“Oh, really? Ask her then why doesn’t she take the Veritaserum?” Ginny said calmly.



“No, she’s right.” Tonks said softly. “Remember who it was that was so adamant that we could not go after Hermione when she was captured?”



“If she’s dead, it will be on your shoulders.” Shacklebolt said in his deep voice to Molly, his swift mind already reaching conclusions.



“Then it is a good thing that I am not dead.” A familiar voice said from the door. Hermione slowly entered the room, her body still stiff with pain. She came to stand beside Ginny who tensed at her presence.



“Peace, Gin. I’ve heard enough.” Hermione whispered out of the side of her mouth ignoring the exclamations of the room due to her haggard appearance.



Harry and Ron came to stand on either side of the two women as all four of them stared down Mrs. Weasley.



“You!!!” She shrieked her eyes like daggers. “You should be dead by now! I made sure of it!”



Severus quirked a brow as Molly paled after her hasty words.



“I say Fred, did mum just say that Hermione should be dead?” George asked conversationally with a steel undertone in his voice.



“In fact she did George. It makes one think that mum knows more than what she is telling.” Fred said with his eyes narrowed.



“Molly?” Arthur asked in a weak tone.



The Weasley matriarch had clammed up and would not speak. Hermione stepped forward casually. “Shall I make it easy for you Mrs. Weasley?”



“Shut up you mudblood!” Molly shrieked.



Hermione arched a brow delicately. “Now, now. That wasn’t a very nice thing to say. Was it?”



Suddenly, Molly straightened. Her eyes shooting venom at the curly haired witch. “You should be dead, just like I arranged for your parents death.”



“Yes, I know. I figured it out. Three weeks of beatings and torture leaves a person with a lot of time to think things over.”



Tonks gasped, tears springing in her eyes. Three weeks?



Draco eyes burned with anger as he recalled his friend’s condition upon recovery. He still woke up in a cold sweat with the memory. He barely heard the sharp intake of breath beside him.



“I did not come here for your crimes against me as much as I wish to deal justice to you personally. I came for your crimes against your daughter.” Hermione turned her gaze to Arthur.



“You should know that for the past few years your wife has been essentially raping Ginny’s mind and planting false thoughts and feelings in her.”



Arthur’s jaw dropped. “W..what?”



Ron stepped forward. “It’s true dad. We found out last night, though it would not surprise me if Mione knew before then.”



“Is this true mum?” Bill asked sternly.



“Of course it is Bill. It was George and I who first found out. Well, most likely after Hermione, but then again she was unconscious for three days from her torture and could not exactly speak.” Fred said.



“Now you know the facts. With that said I give you until tomorrow at sundown to vacate my house. The Order of the Phoenix is no longer welcome here.” Harry said in a tone of voice that brooked no argument.



“B..but you are a member of the Order of the Phoenix.” Moody said, not able to hide his shock at the proceedings.



Harry smirked. “Not any longer. Ron, Hermione and I are resigning from the Order, effective immediately.”



He turned to leave. “If I were you Moody, I would worry about more deserters. After all, the news of one of the Order’s treachery can not possibly sit well with all the members.”



“No!” Molly screeched, lunging for the foursome that turned to leave the room.



Ginny turned and blasted her mother against the wall. “Never again will I listen to you.” She spat.



Chaos erupted behind the foursome as they made their way out of the kitchen. Hermione all but collapsed against Ron. She looked at her two best friends with pleading eyes.



“Home.” Was all she said before passing out.



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Please review.



Seriously.



Thanks for reading.



F.L.