John spent much of the next three weeks at the house on the outskirts of town. The McGraths said something to him one night about his many absences. He lied, telling him that he was working more than normal.
It wasn’t entirely a lie. He was working very hard. Every day Elizabeth taught him harder spells and every new spell took him longer and longer to learn. It took him two whole days before he finally produced a body-bind curse that actually held.
Still, whenever John mastered a new spell or learned another bit of information about the wizarding world he felt filled with such hope and joy that he could never contain his smiles. Each time it felt like one more piece of the scatter puzzle that was his past put back into place. It was a slow processes but he finally felt like he was actually doing something that would jog his memory.
Most of the time, it was just Elizabeth and him in the house and these were the times when John felt most at ease. Though she was training him for the battle he didn’t get the same suspicious feeling that she was hiding information from him like he felt with the other members who occasionally stopped by. He hadn’t seen Eric at all since that meeting of the Wizard’s Society. Elizabeth said he was very busy as was only to be expected of the leader of such a great organization.
A couple days before the battle, Elizabeth said to him, “I think you are ready.”
“What?” John said with a surprised look.
“Well, I mean there are probably a million more spells that I could teach you, but I really feel that you could easily survive in any duel, especially a fight with Muggles.” She smiled and held out her arms for a congratulatory hug.
John picked her up and swung her around. “I couldn’t be more pleased, either,” a voice said from the doorway. John turned to see Eric smiling on the scene. “But there is one more spell, I think it essential he learn.” Eric stepped into the room.
John looked over at Elizabeth expectantly. Her smiling face had quickly turned grave. “Really, Eric. I don’t think it is a good idea. He can stop the Muggles from fighting back. Someone else can do that once the fighting is over.”
“Do what?” John looked from Elizabeth to Eric and back. Eric had an almost satisfied look on his face while Elizabeth’s face showed only fear.
“I don’t really expect that he will actually be able to use it, but he should know what it is. It will help us judge where he is,” Eric added more quietly to Elizabeth. He then turned to John. “There is a spell called ‘Avada Kedavra,’ more commonly know as the killing curse. I am telling you this so should others in the Society use the curse, you understand what is occurring.” Eric stared at John as he spoke. He seemed to be judging his reaction. John just stood there shocked and appalled. Somehow he managed to nod his head in understanding of what Eric had just revealed. “Wonderful. Now, we have two days until the battle. I suggest you take the time to rest and to become more confident with your spells. I would still like you here everyday, but take things a little more easily.” And with that he was gone leaving them alone once again.
“Killing?” John asked Elizabeth. There was a long silence before Elizabeth finally answered in a falsely cheerful voice.
“Don’t worry, there are few in the Society who actually have the strength to use it. Most will just stun them and then deal with them later.” She gave him a weak smile.
“Deal with them later? What exactly does that mean?” John asked.
“It means that you don’t need to worry about it.” She turned and headed to the door. “You will be here tomorrow, let’s say an hour later than usual.” She didn’t wait for a response but disappeared up the stairs.
John stood in the middle of the room unable to move and unable to form a complete thought. He had never been sure about the Wizards’ Society and their motives, but the talk of killing made it all seem suddenly more real than anything else.
When he finally left, he took the long way home. He used the time to contemplate his next move. He couldn’t go back. He couldn’t kill or watch someone kill especially when the only reason he had been given for the dislike of Muggles was that they were “out to destroy the wizarding world.”
By the time he reached the McGraths’ he had a plan. He would wait until the McGraths had left for work then pack up and leave for London. Elizabeth had mentioned once that this was where the ministry was located. Perhaps they would be able to help him.
John spent a restless night tossing and turning, his moments of sleep filled with images of Eric laughing as he killed Elizabeth, flashes of green light, and the ever constant red hair.
When he was finally able to fall into a peaceful sleep it was early morning, the sun had already begun to rise.
“John. John, wake up!”
John slowly opened his eyes. The room was blurry and he reached for his glasses on the nightstand but they were handed to him by the person beside his bed.
“Elizabeth?” he said as the room came into view. “What time is it?”
“Just past noon, sleepy head,” she said with a smile.
John kicked himself. He was supposed to be half way to London now. How was he going to leave now that Elizabeth had come to him?
“Look, I’ll go wait downstairs while you get dressed. Then we’ll head back for a bit more practice.” She started for the door.
“Elizabeth, why don’t I just meet you there?” John said, still hoping to go through with his plan.
“What? So you can run away? No, I’ll meet you downstairs.” She left him alone and shocked in his room.
Had he really been that obvious, he wondered as he got dressed. It didn’t matter though, he would just explain to Elizabeth that he really wasn’t made out for the fighting thing. Surely she would understand.
He went downstairs to find Elizabeth waiting for him at the bottom step. She had a nervous look on her face and was about to ask her what was wrong but she beat him to it.
“Do you have a basement?” she asked.
“Yes, the stairs are off the kitchen. Why?”
“Take me there,” she demanded.
“Why?” John asked again. Something felt very wrong.
“Listen. I must tell you something. I wasn’t going to, it could ruin everything if they knew, but I have to tell you,” Elizabeth whispered.
“Follow me,” John said not taking his eyes off Elizabeth. They made it to the basement and John waited for Elizabeth to continue but she paced around nervously wringing her hands.
“What did you have to tell me?” John finally asked.
“I haven’t been very honest with you. No one has really, but me especially.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that from the first time Marcus passed by you on the streets, we have known who you are.”
“What?” John sat down on a chair.
“Yes, we knew your name, your story. I mean you are famous in our world. How could we not know?” It was then that something dawned on John.
“My scar. When I first met everyone, they all stared at my scar.” Elizabeth nodded.
“Yes, that was how we knew.” She hung her head almost in shame for having withheld this from him. But John was at the moment too curious to be angry.
“So who am I?”
“You? Why you’re Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived and the man who went on to conquer.” There was almost a look of awe in Elizabeth’s eyes as she said this.
“What do you mean?”
“There are dark wizards, and to make a long story short you are responsible for destroying the darkest to have lived in our time.”
“The body?”
“Yes, that was him. I still shudder at his name, Voldemort.” And she truly did wince as the word came out of her mouth.
“So my name is really Harry Potter? How did I kill this Voldemort?” Elizabeth winced again.
“Well, no one is really sure considering you both disappeared the night of that final battle, but there really isn’t time right now for that story. We have a more prominent problem on our hands now.”
“Why didn’t they want me to know who I really was?”
“Because they knew you wouldn’t stick around. They figured that you would set off right away to find those who could answer your questions better than any of us could. Those who knew you before you disappeared.” John knew that this was a justified fear, for with this new information John was even more ready to leave. But the look of fear, sadness, and hope mixed in Elizabeth’s eyes held him where he was.
“Why were you more dishonest than the rest?”
“Because I am not a true member of the Wizards’ Society. They believe I am but I am something of a double agent.”
“Who do you work for then?”
“The Ministry. I am an Auror for them. It means I hunt dark wizards,” she added after noting the confused look on John’s face.
“So, the Wizards’ Society is not as noble as they say they are?”
“Exactly, thought I believe you already figured that out. They told you, I believe, that Muggles were only non-magic people determined to destroy the wizarding world, but the truth is a Muggle is anyone without magical powers.”
“So the plan, it’s not to save wizarding kind but to destroy anyone who’s not?” A look of horror appeared on John’s face.
“Exactly. We would have stopped them before but they have yet to truly act in any way that the Ministry could punish. That’s why they sent me undercover. I was to learn what they were up to so that when they do act on their threats, they can be quickly stopped.”
They sat there in silence for a moment while John took everything in. Harry Potter and Voldemort, the Wizards’ Society and Muggles. He trusted Elizabeth, and the look in her eyes made him believe it was all true, but still it was a lot to take in.
“Listen, I know you don’t want to be a part of this battle, I could tell yesterday after Eric mentioned the killing curse, but I hope you will still help us fight. I have a feeling we are going to need all the help we can get to stop the Wizards’ Society. Will you please stay, just long enough to end this and then I swear both the Ministry and I will not rest until we have you reunited with your friends and family.
John nodded. He couldn’t leave now. No matter how much he wanted to. If Muggles were really all who didn’t have magical powers then it included all those who had taken such good care of him when he had had nothing to give back. He couldn’t leave knowing he left Mike and the McGraths in danger. And so he turned to Elizabeth and said, “What can I do?”
“Mostly it just involves pretending like this conversation never happened. You have to listen at the meeting before the battle like you are just as excited as everyone else about the task at hand. Then, when we attack, there will be other Aurors there to help us. All I ask is that you wait for my signal, and then switch your fire from the Muggles to the wizards.”
“Sounds simple enough.”
“Yes, but if you have to attack a Muggle before my signal, you have to do it. Okay? We can’t blow our cover too soon or we will never survive. You don’t have to use anything too damaging. I don’t think they expect you to truly hurt any Muggles. They thought you might be able to, but you’re just too noble for them. So really, stunning or a body bind is the most you have to do. And if we stop them, the Muggles’ memories will be altered, so you won’t even have to worry about them remembering what you did.” She gave another weak smile at this.
John closed his eyes. He so badly wanted to know more about himself and to be rid of the Wizards’ Society, but he knew what he had to do and so mentally he prepared himself to play dumb at the meeting.
After a few minutes Elizabeth said, “We should probably get back.” She sighed. “I suppose our signal will be red sparks.” John nodded and they headed back to the house in silence.
John Doe and the Wizards' Society by hallie_p
Chapter Notes: As always, please review!