Chapter 209 - The Carter Family

Yeah?

What am I afraid of?

Ginny couldn't figure it out. Am I not pretty enough? Is my magic not strong enough? If I can face enemies without flinching, why do I fall apart when it comes to love?

Why, in love, am I still that Ginny, the one whose heart fluttered and trembled in the Chamber of Secrets?

She flipped over and sat up, seized by a feeling she couldn't name. Why couldn't she bring the same confidence to love that she brought to Quidditch and the Bat-Bogey Hex?

She was done being anxious. That wasn't who she was anymore. She wanted to believe in herself. She wanted to believe in Harry. And if anyone dared to cross her, they could taste her hexes.

Ginny thought about all of it, and said nothing. She was good at hiding what she felt. She'd had five or six years of practice.

There are many kinds of girls in the world, each with her own nature, her own shape. Physical and psychological maturity arrive so quickly. True growth is something else entirely.

"Praeris." Dumbledore looked at the girl whose back was turned to him. "You are far too willful."

Praeris gave a cold laugh and kicked the tree trunk. "Sir, I don't understand what you mean. I didn't kill anyone. I only taught them a lesson."

"The debtor is the master, and you know you can count on me to repay my debts. So, for the sake of victory, I follow your arrangements most of the time." Praeris turned slowly, her tone impeccably polite. "But perhaps you don't know, even in front of Professor Snape, I have never been the kind of obedient, well-behaved student who follows every word."

"You are absolutely right," Dumbledore said gently. "But Praeris, I worry about your safety. I cannot easily act. The Death Eaters far outnumber us. The longer this drags on, the more danger you're in."

Praeris's expression softened a little. She blinked. "That's not entirely what you think."

Dumbledore gave a kindly smile.

"But I accept it," Praeris said.

She was genuinely dissatisfied with his demands. She was a lone wolf, with her own judgment, and she rarely made mistakes. Once or twice was nothing, but pile on too many restrictions and it started to cramp her thinking, and that made her uncomfortable. Did he see her as some wicked witch perpetually on the edge of turning evil?

But she also knew, no matter how irritated she was, she couldn't afford to fall out with Dumbledore. Not if she wanted to win.

Before victory, everything else could wait.

"Well then." Dumbledore said pleasantly. "Could you tell me about your flame magic?"

She'd known this was coming. Dumbledore wouldn't have missed the word "poisonous" coming out of those Death Eaters' mouths. He was probably still worried this had been a delayed murder.

And at the same time, she found herself thinking, had Draco once been hurt by the same suspicion? Had he thought Praeris believed him capable of killing for pleasure?

"It's called Gloriosa Flame. Gloriosa lilies, also known as flame lilies, are rich in colchicine. Poisonous." Praeris folded her arms and spoke quietly. "But the flame itself has only mild toxicity. It causes numbness and weakness in the limbs for a short time, nothing more."

"Their most serious injuries," Praeris said evenly, "were probably splinter wounds and burns."

That said, the Death Eaters in the heat of battle hadn't felt merely anesthetized. Feeling their bodies go weak, fingers too numb to grip their wands, they would only have thought one thing: this potions prodigy had poisoned them. Panic does the rest.

"A most fitting application!" Dumbledore said with genuine admiration.

Dumbledore was a good actor. Even Praeris couldn't always read his thoughts from his micro-expressions.

Right now, for instance, she was beginning to suspect he wasn't interrogating her at all. He might simply be curious about the Gloriosa Flame.

But whether that was true or not, for this temporary alliance, it had to be the former. She lifted her chin slightly. "You flatter me."

"Well then." Dumbledore's pace was unhurried. "We must consider a question. Why would Death Eaters dare to attack in broad daylight, on an open street?"

Yeah,

Praeris sank into thought. Could Voldemort have been driven mad with rage by the destroyed Horcruxes?

No. No, no, no. She rejected the idea immediately. The person who thinks their enemy is stupid is the stupidest one in the room. She wasn't falling into that trap.

Just then, Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "Something has gone wrong at the Ministry of Magic."

He had been sparring with Voldemort far longer than she had, and wrangling with the Ministry even longer than that. Where Praeris worked from human nature and scattered clues, Dumbledore had years of experience to draw from.

Praeris caught on fast. "Then Harry —"

She'd guessed right. Harry and his two companions were already running.

Scrimgeour had been dealt with by Yaxley. The Ministry had fallen under Death Eater control. Enemies had slipped into the wedding guests. Harry and the others had fled the scene, fugitives with nowhere to go.

"This is hardly good news," Dumbledore looked up at the sky. "Scrimgeour was fond of whitewashing the peace, but at least he kept up appearances. And he was far more capable than Fudge."

Praeris picked up a pebble and tossed it into the lake, watching it skip across the surface. "It's not entirely bad news either. At least people can no longer close their eyes and pretend nothing is happening."

It was true. The Death Eaters would have fewer constraints now, yes, but more ordinary people would finally understand the danger. No more clinging to illusions of peace, no more dying in ignorance.

"Let's go." Dumbledore's blue eyes caught the sunlight. "Accompany me to meet someone."

Before the meeting, Dumbledore gave Praeris a white hair to add to the Polyjuice Potion. Within moments he had transformed into a blue-eyed old man with white hair just like his own.

Praeris raised an eyebrow. The white beard concealed most of his face, but she still thought his brow and eyes carried one or two traces of Dumbledore.

He offered no explanation. He took her arm, and they Apparated together into a shabby room.

Inside, a husband and wife rose to their feet, hand in hand. Their clothes were simple and patched, but their hair was neatly combed, and they were clean and tidy from head to toe.

"Little Prae, this is Wolfgang Carter and his wife, Lailie Carter."

Dumbledore's tone had shifted entirely. Gone was the gentle, measured wise man. His voice now carried a rougher, earthier energy.

He turned to the Carters with an easy smile. "As you can see, this is Miss Prince."

Praeris had a dozen questions, but she said nothing. She only smiled warmly and shook hands with both of them.

"Miss Prince, oh, no, Master. We have been looking forward to meeting you for so long, so very long, ho!" Lailie's voice shook. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I've lost my composure..."

She didn't finish. The tears came before she could, and she fumbled to wipe her face with the back of her hand. Praeris immediately pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and pressed it into Lailie's hands. Lailie thanked her twice, three times.

Seeing that his wife couldn't hold herself together, Wolfgang took on the task of explaining. He held his hat against his chest and said quietly, "Miss, as you can see, we have a poor household now. But it wasn't always this way."

Wolfgang had once worked at the publishing house where Heidi was employed. Lailie had been a shop assistant at Eeylops Owl Emporium. They met at the Leaky Cauldron, fell in love quickly, married, and had a little daughter.

The good life lasted a long time. The owner of the owl shop even let little Carter play in the store. Lailie worked and looked after her daughter at the same time, living in ordinary, uncomplicated happiness.

Until the day it was Lailie's turn to lock up. She finished her shift and set off with her daughter in her arms, walking toward the publishing house to find Wolfgang.

There was no moon that night. But a few shops on the street were still open, their light marking the way for the Carter mother and daughter.

"Mama." Little Carter, who loved small animals, raised a chubby finger and pointed. "Big doggy."

Lailie was exhausted, but she still answered. "Sweetheart, don't point your finger at —"

Her eyes went wide. She screamed and ran on instinct. But what chance does a woman on two legs, carrying a child, have against a werewolf on four?

When the werewolf finally left, the neighboring shopkeeper mustered the courage to open their door. They got the Carter mother and daughter to St. Mungo's. The treatment was prompt, the Healers did everything they could, but both mother and daughter became werewolves all the same.

Because of their werewolf status, Lailie lost her job. Her daughter was traumatized into mental instability. The publishing house tactfully suggested Wolfgang resign and go home to care for his family. The Carter family fell into the abyss.

"We are deeply grateful to Master Damocles," Wolfgang said. "But we have 2 werewolves in the family, and the Wolfsbane Potion is too expensive. We couldn't sustain it. Before long, we had cut ourselves off from normal wizarding society and were forced to live among other werewolves."

Wolfgang was a normal person. Even within werewolf communities, their family was regarded as outsiders by many, and they never stopped hoping they could return to a normal life.

That hope became real when the cheap Wolfsbane Potion arrived.

Wolfgang pressed a hand over his mouth at that, wiped his face roughly, and said, "Master Prince, Aberforth told us he knows you."

He bowed deeply, head lowered. "Lailie and I are here today on behalf of all the werewolves who have been able to live normal lives because of you, we thank you. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for seeing a poor and unfortunate family like ours."

Praeris caught Wolfgang by the arms and steadied him, speaking softly. "Mr. Carter, there is no need to thank me."

"Potions research exists precisely for the welfare of wizardkind. Whether you or I, we are all wizards striving toward a better life. To bring you even a little closer to happiness is my honor."

At that, Lailie got to her feet. Her voice was unsteady. "May I, may I hug you? Miss Prince."

The moment she said it, her husband tugged at the hem of her clothes. She remembered herself.

"I — I was just saying that!" Lailie said, flustered.

"Of course," Praeris said.

Lailie looked up in surprise.

Praeris opened her arms. "Of course, Mrs. Lailie."

Lailie stepped forward and held her tight. She wept as she spoke. "Miss Prince, we have always imagined what kind of person you must be. The real you is better than anything we imagined. So much better..."

Lailie and Wolfgang took turns thanking her. Praeris gave her warmth back to them just as freely, without hesitation, without a trace of unease at Lailie's condition.

Half an hour later, Dumbledore and Praeris walked the Carters out together.

The parting was reluctant. Lailie hugged Praeris one more time.

Wolfgang gripped Dumbledore's hand with both of his, his voice thick. "Aberforth, we truly cannot thank you enough. Lailie and I will tell everyone exactly what we have seen and heard today, Lupin is right. We need normal lives. But that shouldn't come at the cost of bloodshed."

He wrapped an arm around Lailie's shoulder, and the two of them slowly disappeared from sight.

Praeris said three words.

"Satisfied?"

"It couldn't be more perfect." Dumbledore's tone was genuinely pleased. "I'm starting to think the position of Potions professor has already become too small for you. Won't you consider letting me recommend you to the Ministry of Magic?"

Praeris looked him up and down and gave a cool smile. "The Ministry is Death Eater territory now, isn't it, Mr. Aberforth?"

Dumbledore burst into laughter.

He walked to the table and sat down, eyes bright and sharp. "Lupin helped us loosen some of the werewolves' thinking. But the person who can truly change their stance, that's you, Praeris."

"The relationship between Aberforth and me, I imagine you've worked that out by now." Dumbledore said, still smiling. "He's in contact with all kinds of people. I asked him to tell certain werewolves — the ones who live closer to normal wizarding society — that he could arrange for them to meet you."

A portion of those werewolves had already reclaimed something like a normal life. They had become werewolves through violent attacks, not by choice, and they wanted no part of extremists like Greyback. Under Lupin's persuasion, their sympathies had been shifting toward the Order of the Phoenix.

Aberforth, upon receiving his instructions, chose his target carefully. He told Wolfgang over a drink at the bar that he knew Miss Prince. All Wolfgang had to do was pass along a few interesting pieces of news to keep him entertained, and he would arrange for Wolfgang to meet his benefactor.

Wolfgang didn't hesitate for a moment, Aberforth had worked as a middleman and broker for years, everyone knew that, and agreed on the spot.

"Lailie was the first person to try the cheap Wolfsbane Potion," Dumbledore said, unhurried. "And Wolfgang recommended it to other werewolves. He's still doing it to this day."

Because of Wolfgang, the Carter family had never been accepted by the extremist werewolves.

And for exactly that reason, they knew which werewolves could be reached, the ones who had taken their recommendation, the ones who had found their way back to normal life under the potion's effects.

➤ Next: Including Me — Face to Face