Chapter 5 - Evil Spells

Harry and Hermione both were beginning to feel exhausted as the only sleep they had was for an hour earlier the previous evening. However, they both knew that they would need to get the bindings off of Harry so that he could freely use magic. Then, due to all of the legalities both would be of age and out from under Dumbledore's thumb.

"Well, Mrs. Potter, how do you feel now that you are a married woman?"

"Exceptionally well, Mr. Potter, or should I say milord?"

"No, Mione. You will never have to call me that."

"I hate to break it to you kiddies, but we do have more that we have to do. And then we need to get back to Hogwarts," Severus drawled.

"Are you sure that's wise, Severus? I mean, after all, Dumbledore will have returned by now and learned that you are with us. He most likely won't be happy and he may try something to either of us," Harry responded.

"True, Harry, but I do believe that he might hold off with you being the heir of Gryffindor himself. Heirs have incredible power over Hogwarts herself, and she will obey them over the headmaster any day."

"Oh, well, then we just have to worry about you all then."

"No, Mr. Potter, Albus needs us all in some way. He wouldn't dare try to get rid of us, when he wants to keep us under his control as much as he does you."

"Okay, then. Any other foreseeable issues?"

"Me?"

"No, Mione. You're in this with me, you're tied to me so he can't get rid of you. However, we should keep an eye on your parents. You never know when Dumbledore will try something dirty."

"Right. I'll send them a letter to keep on the lookout when we get back. Then at the holidays, perhaps, we can move them somewhere safe."

"I'm sure one of the Potter properties would do, Hermione," Ragnok said returning to his office, after leaving to make sure everything was ready in the ritual room.

"Of course. Why didn't I think of that?" Hermione asked.

"Because you're wearing out due to the loss of adrenaline, dear," Harry said.

"Ah. Okay, Ragnok, is everything ready? Professor Snape is right, we do need to get this show on the road."

"Everything is ready. I should warn you, Harry, this process is invasive and painful. You won't be able to stop until it is finished."

"I know. Let's just get it over with. Hermione, just in case something happens-"

"No, Harry, nothing will happen. You will be fine, and then we'll go back to school and train to beat Dumbledore and Voldemort. Nothing is going to happen."

"I love you, Hermione. Don't forget that."

"I won't, Harry. I love you too. Come back to me."

"I will."

Ragnok led Harry out of the room and down some stone carved pathways to a ritual chamber. He directed Harry to lay on the altar in the room and four goblins wearing robes with runes on them walked in as Ragnok left. They walked to the four corners of the altar and began to chant in Gobbledegook, and Harry began to glow with white light. Suddenly, Harry began to scream with pain, as though he were under the Cruciatus curse. His body contorted violently and the screams got louder. He began to glow in a multitude of colors, which began stripping away leaving the white light once more. Finally the light was totally white again, and Harry's body settled; the goblins stopped chanting and began to heal the damage inflicted by the ritual on Harry's body. However, before they could, all four goblins were thrown across the room by a golden light emerging from Harry. The light pulsated, as if it were alive, and sped out of the room and down the halls until stopping in front of Ragnok's office. It went under the door and headed for Hermione causing her to faint. Severus, Minerva, and Poppy were thrown to the office walls away from Hermione.

All of a sudden the glowing stopped, and Severus, Minerva and Poppy looked at Hermione and were shocked by what they saw. It was Hermione before them, there was no doubt about that, but she stood several inches taller, she looked leaner, and her hair was actually manageable. They just stood there in amazement, until Hermione spoke.

"Why are you all staring at me like that?"

"Ms. Granger, I mean, Mrs. Potter," Minerva began, "I don't know how to tell you this, but you have changed physically. Now, I'm not entirely sure why, but I would wager that it has something to do with your husband."

"Please, professor, call me Hermione. And what do you mean?"

"Perhaps this will be beneficial," Ragnok said entering his office followed by goblins carrying a wall mirror.

"Oh. I-I look very different. Wait, what was that about Harry?"

"Most likely what happened to you happened to him. Unfortunately, Hermione, no one can get into the ritual room until someone comes out. So we won't know if anything happened to Harry other than the binds being stripped off."

"Oh, something happened all right," a voice croaked from the hallway.

"Harry!" Hermione cried as said boy entered the room.

"Yes."

Harry had grown to a rough height of 6 feet and his muscles had toned out. He had a nice, healthy look about him rather than the scrawny shrimp of a boy he had before. His hair had grown out to be shoulder length, and he didn't have his glasses on.

"Harry, where are your glasses?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, um, apparently I don't need them anymore. Plus, my glasses got knocked off and broke so I would have had to get new ones anyways."

"Are you alright, Harry?" Poppy asked.

"I'm fine, Madame Pomfrey. I'm just a little tired. I could definitely go for some sleep right now."

"Well then, I think that is our cue to get back to the school. We'll discuss the changes of you two later. Now for your's and Hermione's safety, I think that you should stay with either Severus, Poppy, or myself," Minerva stated.

"Dumbledore probably knows by now that I don't have the bindings. Thanks to Hermione's unintentional slip, he now knows we're married. He could try something the moment we get back."

"All the more reason to have you with one of us at the moment."

"Yeah, but which one? Any of you could get called for an order meeting and you, Severus, could get called for a Death Eater meeting. What then?"

"Harry's right," Hermione started, "we need to find a permanent solution. And, unfortunately, I don't have one. With Harry emancipated, he doesn't really need protection from a guardian. We just need somewhere to stay."

All five of them started when they heard a muffled "Get me out of here!" come from Harry's bag that contained the portraits. It turned out to be Godric Gryffindor's shouting as, when Harry pulled him out, he shouted again to get him out.

"Oi, don't you know it's not nice keeping us all in there? It's cramped, it is," Godric shouted before Harry put a silencing charm on him, re-shrunk him, and told the rest of the occupants in the bag that he would take them all out tomorrow, when he knew of some more permanent housing arrangements.

"You know none of the portraits we have acquired this evening and morning, Harry, have acted like portraits that we've seen. They all act differently, even your parents' portrait."

"You're right, Hermione, but I don't want to solve this mystery this early in the morning. All I want to do is get some sleep. I think for now, we'll stay with Severus, if he has the room of course. Plus he can readily protect us."

"Of course, I have the room, Harry. It would be my pleasure to have you stay. Good Lord! Did those words just come out of my mouth?"

"Yes. You have to remember the potions. They affected the way you think."

"You're right. Now that we have a plan, I suggest we return to Hogwarts. We should regroup later in the morning, seeing as it is Saturday now. Shall we meet in the Room of Requirement at…hmm, three o'clock now, how about noon?"

"Fine with me," Minerva said.

"And me," Poppy answered."

"It's all right with us, Severus," Harry answered for Hermione and himself.

"Very well, noon in the Room of Requirements. Harry, I suggest you use that annoying elf, Dobby, to get your clothes and anything else you will need for sleep and for the rest of the day. I know that at some point tomorrow Dumbledore will call us in, and we'll have to do some heavy work. But we'll worry about that later. For now, let's go. Thank you, Director Ragnok, for everything you have done for us this evening."

"Yes, thank you, Ragnok," Harry and Hermione said in unison.

"You're most welcome, Harry, Hermione, Severus, Minerva and Poppy. If you need anything else, do not hesitate to call upon us. The goblin nation always answers the call of its friends."

The group departed to the main lobby, which was now devoid of people. Griphook handed them a portkey, which landed them right at the boundary of the Hogwarts wards. Each swiftly made their way to where they should be, with the exception of Harry and Hermione following Severus to his quarters. He showed them the guest room, and his room, should they need anything; of course, they were required to knock first. Harry and Hermione thanked him, and neither cared it was their wedding night, they only cared about how tired they were. They called Dobby to retrieve their night clothes which he did, saying he would be back later with fresh day clothes. Both thanked him and then exhaustedly fell into bed.

(A/N I know I said it would be soon after Wedding Bells, but I had to enroll in college, which took me awhile since the college misplaced the info I sent them, so I had to make more copies and then take those up there. Get my schedule, and then take care of finances. I'm finally enrolled with everything paid for. Yeah! I hope you like this installment. All of the evil spells wore off and will be explained later when Dumbles gets his due. Please read and review. Thank you to those who have reviewed so far. Any ideas you have for the story are welcome, and I'll try to use them.)

Enigma Potter 23