Chapter 5

"The Weasleys are going to be so happy!" Harry exclaimed.

Remus smiled. "Yes, they most certainly are. But why in the world wouldn't that group try to break the other site now?" His eyes glowed yellowish, as though he were fighting an internal battle with Moony.

"I don't know, Remus. I don't know anything about this stuff," responded Harry, his eyes uncertain once again.

"No, loves. She is right. With an unknown, you tackle the one you are pretty certain you can break first." Lily spoke from experience. Her tone brooked no nonsense from the others.

"What exactly did you do for a living, Mum? You don't seem like the stay-at-home type." Harry grinned, so that she knew he meant it with affection.

"I was an Unspeakable, like your friend Hermione. I apprenticed with Perenelle Flamel to do some work with shields and potions and old magic. It is why you didn't die the first time. And once you were around, I could work on that in my lab at home. Houses don't normally explode from Avada Kevadras. The energy rebounded on the lab."

Remus stared at his friend with wide eyes. "I never knew, Lily."

She smiled. "You weren't meant to know, Remus."

The three got back to their scheming and watching.

Far on the sidelines, Sirius and James were watching everything. "I don't get it, Prongsy, why can't they see how wrong they are?" Sirius paced back and forth frantically.

"What if they aren't wrong, Padfoot? When have you ever known Lily to be wrong? Or Moony for that matter? You know they're going to completely shut you out if you can't even consider their point of view." James' hair was up on end from his hands. He walked away from Sirius and toward his wife, son and other best friend.

James took a chance and a deep breath. "Harry, I thought you said Draco and his father were horrible people, Dark wizards the both of them. How is it that they are so involved in getting everything straightened out?" Lily and Remus looked at each other and smiled at the state of his hair.

"You know something, Dad, I don't know. It's going to have to be one of those things I ask Hermione. She obviously kept secrets better than anyone. But I'm not going to overreact when I get back. I want to know what happened. Why is Snape her uncle? Why are so many of those people I could have sworn were evil, not? I'm guessing Dumbledore wanted me to be as reactive as you and Padfoot, which is why Hermione never told me anything. Could you imagine how things could have gone if I had known that so many people I thought were evil, weren't? People wouldn't have had to die."

Lily smiled. It was good to see her boy could learn. Oh, no, he's running his hands through his hair.

James was quiet. He still didn't understand what was going on at Hogwarts. All he knew was that life as he understood it was turned on its head. But he remembered his seventh year, and the way he was able to win the girl of his dreams. "I don't get it, son. But I'm willing to try. Can I help you with your planning?"

Lily, Harry and Remus beamed at him, and James knew he had made the correct decision.

Sirius watched the entire proceedings with trepidation. He was losing his friends again, and there was no way he could blame it on anyone but himself. I just don't get it. Next thing you know, James is going to make friends with Snivellus.

Hermione held her hand to her mouth as Charlie gathered his very weak brother into his arms. She ran over and waved her wand over him to assess his needs, then cast a couple of healing spells. She and Draco both pulled potions out of their pockets, then smiled at each other. They gave him a general nutrition potion, knowing they shouldn't give him anything else until a Healer looked him over; they had learned that much during the war. Meanwhile, Neville had conjured up a glass of water, so Charlie could give it to Bill.

Cho had sent her Patronus up to the castle, and the small group was met by the elder Weasleys, Ginny, Rabastan, Percy, Severus and the Head Healer from St. Mungo's. Rabastan and Ginny had called for a Healer to accompany them to Hogwarts when they received Arthur's Patronus message, which he sent to the pair after receiving Cho's.

"No. I will carry him." Charlie was adamant when both Percy and Healer Solange wanted to conjure a stretcher. "He needs to know we're here for him, and he knows my magic."

The hopeful group strode quickly toward the hospital wing of the castle.

Charlie gently set Bill down on the bed the Healer indicated. "I didn't know the Hospital Wing had private rooms."

"I felt them to be necessary, considering some of the people we were treating when Voldemort was in power." Severus' explanation covered quite a bit, and he received many knowing nods in return.

Healer Solange quickly ran a diagnostic. "I see he was given a nutritive potion and some water. Well done, neither of those will interfere with the other things we need to give him." He smiled at the others. Then he turned back to Bill, who was aware of what was going on. "Mr. Weasley, I do have your diagnosis and a treatment regimen, but I don't want to invade your privacy. I can ask everyone to leave, if you wish."

Bill looked at his father. "Dad?"

"I trust everyone here with my life, son. I will be certain to tell you why later." Arthur responded with a smile in his eyes.

Bill turned back to the Healer. "It's all right. You can tell me now."

Healer Solange smiled. "Very well. You will need a nutritive potion regimen, starting tomorrow, probably lasting about six weeks. I will see you weekly, so we can make that decision as we get to it. In a couple of minutes I'm going to give you a powerful cleansing potion. You were given food infested with parasites a while back, and we need to get your body clear of them before we start. Even with your body as weak as it is, you only took advantage of about ninety percent of the potion you were already given; the parasites are using the rest. Once that is done, I will give you an antibiotic and an anti-fungal potion just to make certain your body is free of anything that might wear it down. I will give you a restorative potion to help your muscles that have atrophied, but you will need to do physical therapy on your own to get back to your regular state of health. You will eat only broth and bread for a few days until your stomach is used to food again, and then we will start with soft meals, small ones until we can build you back up to your regular amounts of food. Do you understand food magic?"

"Yes, sir. When magical people prepare food, some of their magic is transferred to it. When a person has been ill for a long time, it helps to eat food prepared by familial or bonded magic."

"Good, since you understand, you won't mind that you will eat what your mother, father, sister or brothers prepare for you as a preferred source for at least two months. After that we can add things made by friends and trusted elves. In about three months, you will be feeling yourself again. In about six months, you will be back to normal, if you follow my directions and work at it. As for magic, we will start small, just like the meals, and work our way up. Sound good?"

"Very. I thought I was going to die there alone. Who knew Charlie could look like an angel?"

Relieved laughter followed Bill's statement. He was obviously going to recover if he could make fun of Charlie.

That evening, the elves served a second dessert and tea, to feed those who were celebrating. They were joined by the elder Malfoys, who had heard of their discovery while at the Ministry.

"So, loves, please tell me exactly how you managed to break through Fenrir's wards. We have discovered a few more places with that particular magical signature." Narcissa had been instrumental in cataloging places that needed extra attention from the Ministry.

Draco brought out his notes. "Luna knew which runes to use, and what to add to the tincture that Hermione devised. Oh, and she and Viktor have been combining their magic; we may want to see if any other pairs can manage that. Then Neville added a cleansing smoke, and that was the final touch."

Lucius looked very thoughtful. His right hand closed reflexively on the head of his cane. He turned to look at his wife, who looked stunned. "How many pairs were there as part of your circle?" he asked the small group.

"There were three pairs. Draco and Luna, Cho and Charlie and Viktor and I. Then Neville joined us, and he was the one who came up with the cleansing smoke that gave us the final push to break the ward." Hermione answered thoughtfully.

"You had it set up in a semi-circle, did you not?" Narcissa was amazed by how naturally these children fell into ancient magics.

"Yes, Madam, ve did." Viktor was unsure where this was going, but he felt compelled to answer truthfully.

"Amazing. You fell into a half-circle without even trying. I cannot even begin to imagine what you could manage with a full-circle, completely powered." Lucius was impressed, and it showed in his voice.

"What is a full-circle, Father?" Draco had never heard of this.

"An ancient way of calling power. But it has been historically difficult to find well-matched pairs who were willing to work together. A full-circle requires six or seven bonded pairs and then one unmatched witch or wizard. Each person or pair brings something different to the circle, together they are almost unstoppable, and can solve the most unsolvable magical dilemmas. The practice and knowledge has fallen into the realm of myth." Lucius sounded wistful.

Hermione was curious. "When you say bonded pairs, you don't necessarily mean couples, do you?"

"No, my dear. Had the Weasley twins been alive, they probably would have been a very powerful pair, more so than with their spouses, I would imagine." Lucius contemplated the situation he had used as an example.

Cho turned to Hermione. "I think that is what we are going to need to get through the other site."

"I think you are right. But I think we need to get Bill healthy first. It just seems very important." Hermione answered.

"I'm so glad that you are finally listening to your feelings, Hermione. Even the castle is happy about it." Luna's pronouncement would have sounded strange, except for the contented glow emanating from the stones surrounding them.