James had seen copies of it many times before. Each time, it gave his heart a sick little jolt, although over the past few years, as the posters had aged and been pasted over by adverts and graffiti, the jolt had numbed slightly. Seeing the perfectly crisp copy now held open in his father’s hands, the sick, sinking feeling came back stronger than ever.
Petra’s face was printed in black and white, unmoving, not because it wasn’t a magical photograph, but because the girl in the picture was unconscious. It had been taken by the American arbiter, Albert Keynes, during the brief time after they had succeeded in capturing her. They had kept her in a magical sleep, knowing that they could not contain her if she was awake.
Beneath the photo were words printed in huge black capitals:
UNDESIRABLE
NUMBER ONE:
PETRACIA ZOE MORGANSTERN
THREAT LEVEL 10+
DO NOT ENGAGE!
REPORT ON SIGHT
“We have to capture her,” Harry said soberly. “She’s where this all started. And before you begin, James,” he raised a hand to his son, “I know. We all do. You don’t need to remind me. She did it to save us, me and Titus, back during the parade in Muggle New York City. But that doesn’t change anything. Everything began to unravel from that moment. Every Ministry Technomancy expert agrees. Petra started it.
In order to stop it, we must find her.” He paused, and then went on in a low, firm voice, clearly repeating the orders he himself had been given.
“We must capture her, by any means necessary.”
“But,” James began, although the piercing look on his father’s face subdued his tone. “But, what if Petra is trying to stop it all herself?
What if capturing her will keep her from accomplishing the job?”
His father’s gaze was direct and probing. James recognized the look and the posture behind it, the keen alertness. His father was in Auror mode. James had rarely felt the intensity of it turned upon him, but he did now.
“She’s had over two years, James,” he said, unblinking. “If she intended to set things right—which I would very much like to believe—she’s had time to do so. Instead, things have continued to go further wrong, and there are many who believe that she is directly responsible for those things. Up to and including the potential disaster that was the Morrigan Web. Even you have acknowledged that she had a hand in orchestrating that.”
“But…!” James began, but his father overruled him again with a look.
“I know. You also tell me she had her reasons, and that she helped to stop it in the end. I want to believe you. If you’ll remember, it was me and your mother that put Petra up the summer her grandfather died. It was us who supported and hosted her during Keynes’ investigation. I’ve always wanted to believe the best of Petra, despite how it made me look to many of my peers and superiors. And that’s the problem, really. Now, people are watching me. They believe I won’t work as hard as I must to capture Petra. That’s why I must work all the harder.”
He sighed harshly and slumped a little, then looked up at James again with only his eyes. “She’s had two years, son. She’s had every chance I can offer her. Things are unraveling too fast to wait any longer.
And that’s why I must ask you, all three of you…” Here he looked aside, turning the intensity of his gaze briefly upon Rose, and then Ralph, before bringing it back to James. “If any of you know anything about Petra—about what her plans might be, or where she might be found…if any of you have had contact with her in any way… you must tell me.
Not because I am your father, and uncle, and friend. But because withholding such information is now a crime punishable by law. Not even I would be able to protect you. Even if…” Here, he hunkered down and drew the three students into a close huddle around him. He went on in a near whisper. “Even if, when I was in your shoes, and knew things that no one else did, I might have chosen to keep that information a secret myself, despite every warning to the contrary.”
“You never were one to bring lots of adults in on your plans,”
Rose agreed.
“You won’t want to hear this,” Harry breathed reluctantly, “but I’m going to say it because it’s true. Things are different now. When I was your age, I didn’t have grown-up allies in positions of power. Or if I did, I didn’t know who they were, and wasn’t certain if I could trust them, at least not until it was all over. Things are different for you lot.
You have me, and Hermione and Ron, and Professor McGonagall, and Neville Longbottom. And Headmaster Merlinus, for heaven’s sakes.”
James tried not to smile, even in the midst of his consternation.
“You sound like Grandma Weasley when you say ‘for heaven’s sakes’.”
The Auror mode on Harry’s face softened a little. “That’s not a bad thing. Never a bad thing. But I’m serious. All of you. This is no longer the time to do things on your own. Besides placing the entire magical world in jeopardy, and possibly the Muggle world as well, it’s a Ministry crime. And people I don’t control will assure that such crimes are punished to the fullest extent. We have to end this. If you hear anything, learn anything, know anything… I need you to tell me. The sooner we can capture Petra…” He shrugged and his eyes drifted uncertainly. “Well, if she does intend to end this, same as we, then the sooner perhaps we can work together to accomplish that goal.”
James wanted to tell his father everything he knew. But in that moment, he saw the doubt on his father’s face. The Ministry wasn’t interested in partnering with Petra. Capturing her meant punishment, imprisonment, possibly even total obliviation, or worse. The entire magical world blamed her for everything that was going wrong. They wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less. In fact, considering how powerful Petra was, the worst outcome—her own death, or those who opposed her—was the likeliest outcome of all.
Suddenly, darkly, James was secretly glad that Petra had created her Horcrux. In order to preserve and repair the magical world, she had performed the riskiest and most damning spell of all. All James had to do to help her… was lie.
Or not lie, perhaps. Merely omit. For a time. He glanced around at Rose and Ralph.
“We’ll tell you if we hear anything,” he said, still looking at Ralph and his cousin, not quite prepared to meet his father’s probing, knowing eyes. He considered his words carefully, quickly. “If we learn anything that will help you put an end to all this… then we’ll tell you straight away.”
This, he told himself, was not a lie, exactly. Because in his heart, he didn’t believe that anything his father did could put an end to the degrading destiny of the world all around. Only Petra could do that now.
His father studied him intently, his eyes neither suspicious nor gullible, merely watchful, as if he was recording every syllable for future consideration. James finally met his father’s gaze again, knowing that it was a mistake not to. After a moment, cryptically, the elder Potter nodded once, slowly.