Returning to the Fold

"Are you sure you can't come back for the trunk tomorrow?"

George was standing outside of Hagrid's hut with one hand pulling on his trunk. Inside the hut was Hagrid 'assisting' George to carry the trunk outside. However, George was finding Hadgrid more of a hindrance than a help. Hagrid had already tried keeping him with offerings of tea and biscuits, but George saw this as nothing more than delaying the inevitable. The evening was drawing close and he really had to go.

"I'm sure, Hagrid. The train will be setting off early tomorrow. It's for the best if I take the trunk now."

Hagrid tightened his grip on the trunk's handle, "but I'll be at the Hogsmeade station tomorrow. Can't I give it to you there?"

"You're worrying over nothing, Hagrid. You'll see Norbert again in the new year."

Panic began to bloom on Hagrid's face, "a dragon living with muggles could get me in big trouble. If the Ministry were to find out…"

George shook his head, "that will not happen. Norbert will never leave the trunk. My mother and father won't even know she exists. In my care, she'll be a good dragon and will stay out of trouble."

Hagrid looked lost. He'd run out of good excuses nearly half an hour ago. George knew this was difficult for the half-giant, he did have a habit of getting attached to incredibly dangerous animals. But George had proved himself over the past couple of months. He had fed and trained Norbert in his free time. Due to his input, she had adapted to trunk life. Now, she could catch fish from the sea and drink from the lakes. She was almost completely self-sufficient. There was no need for mama Hagrid anymore.

Hagrid sighed, "Norbert does listen to you… and it is your trunk. Well… alright, here you are."

He let go of the trunk while his eyes began to water. The half-giant was trying to hide it, but he was clearly getting quite emotional. George put the trunk down and walked over to Hagrid.

"She'll be okay, Hagrid. I'll take good care of her."

"I know you will", Hagrid said while wiping his eyes. "Blimey, "I've gotten all choked up."

"Are you gonna be alright?"

"Bah, I'll be fine", Hagrid said while blowing his nose into an old rag. "I should consider myself lucky for having you around. You know, helping me take care of her and all. I wouldn't still have her if you weren't around."

"Don't mention it. It was a pleasure caring for Norbert with you."

George picked the trunk up and turned to leave, "see you at the House Cup feast."

"Oh, before you go…"

Here we go. It seemed George wasn't quite done yet. What was it now? He had to try really hard not to show his impatience when turning back to Hagrid.

"Yes, Hagrid. Is there something else?" George asked with a smile.

Hagrid scratched his beard awkwardly, "just wanna say... Sorry about Miss Granger. Dumbledore told me about what happened. I know she was your friend and all…"

George's smile slowly faded, "thanks, Hagrid. She erh… yeah, was a good friend."

"It's hard, I know. Losing a friend. Well, it's as Dumbledore says. You can't see the light without the dark. Just remember you still have friends you can talk to."

Sound advice for most, but not for George. There was only one person he could talk to about everything that happened.

"I'll keep that in mind", George said while walking away from the hut.

The feast he'd dreamt about two weeks ago was finally here. The sun was setting behind the castle and the clouds were glowing crimson red. Soon, it will be dark and students will be heading to the hall. George however, had other plans.

As he was far enough away from Hagrid's hut, George's path began to stray away from the castle. He made his way down a small valley where he couldn't easily be seen. He kept walking until several tall trees blocked his path. This was one of the few borders of the Forbidden Forest not visible from the castle. George brought his fingers to his lips and whistled.

A few seconds later, the fairy came hovering towards George. She was wearing a new dress made out of orange and white fur. Some unfortunate foxes must have crossed her path. New clothing wasn't uncommon since the fairy had been growing since January. She was now over a foot tall and her limbs were much more defined. Dense muscles covered her dark body while her fingers and toes had turned into claws. Although he still called her a fairy, she shared hardly any of her former species' traits.

The fairy had been quite independent since his patron's visit at Christmas. Most of her time had been spent in this forest doing God knows what. She only came out to see George when her energy was running low. George had plans of using her to steal the stone, but alas, she wasn't anywhere to be found when the day came. Knowing how fate could have differed if the fairy had... if she could have been there to prevent... it made George very angry. But, he had to remind himself, it wasn't her fault. There was only one person to blame.

George tried to put his regret aside and opened his robe. The inner lining of the robe had gained a large pouch. It had been made to give the fairy's constantly increasing body somewhere to rest on George's person since she no longer fit in his pocket. Normally, she would leap at him like a thirsty leech and begin absorbing his ambient mana, but this time, she hesitated. Her expression looked torn between restoring her mana and staying in the forest. George had a pretty good idea why.

"I know leaving your home isn't easy, but you have no choice. You will die within a matter of days if I have to leave without you."

George's words seemed to do little to motivate the fairy. If anything, she seemed less keen on joining him. George wasn't mad, he understood her reluctance. She knew today was the day George went back with his patron. She had never seen George's 'real' home and naturally didn't want to leave her birthplace.

"It's not all bad. What about this?" George held up the trunk.

"There's a forest in there, and a couple of lakes. Even if you don't like my patron's home, you'll always have somewhere familiar to stay."

The fairy took a minute to make up its mind. George gave her all the time she needed. In the end, his genuine smile must have won her over. It wasn't hard for him since he didn't feel like he was tricking her. Just because she didn't help with his mission didn't mean she deserved to die. She belongs with her new brothers and sisters, with his patron.

After much deliberation, the fairy mimicked his smile and flew into his robes. Like a baby kangaroo, she climbed into the pouch and made herself comfortable in a makeshift hammock.

"H… ome?" she said in a buzzing voice.

George patted her head, "yes, we're going home."

With all his possessions recovered, the annoying owl didn't count, the next stop was the Whomping Willow. He arrived beside the tree only to find its many branches looking particularly green today. Now it was ready to fully embrace the summer weather. With the cold gone, the tree had improved its flexibility and reaction time. Perhaps George's frequent visits were partly responsible for that.

This would be the first time he tried to pass it with a trunk in tow. Thankfully, George wouldn't be needing to exert himself today. There was a far easier solution.

"Hey, fairy."

The fairy stuck its little head out of the pouch.

George pointed at the tree's trunk, "can you see that knot? It's right at the base of the tree."

The fairy looked where George was pointing before answering with a nod.

"Good. Do you think you could fly over there?"

The fairy tilted her head, clearly confused. Since her modification by his patron, the fairy had been developing both physically and mentally. She had thoughts of her own and didn't need training like a dog anymore. However, she did like knowing George's reasoning for every little request. It could get quite annoying at times.

"If you press down on the tree's knot, it won't be able to move. Understand?"

The fairy bit her finger in contemplation for a while before she finally had her eureka moment. She wasn't smart, but after working with Neville for so long, George was used to this. The fairy flew out of his pocket and zipped over to the trunk. She was far faster than normal fairies, appearing as a black blur. Since she wasn't touching the Whomping Willow's roots or branches, it didn't move to attack her.

The fairy stopped by the knot and pointed for confirmation. George nodded and she happily landed and pressed down. The tree shuddered slightly before returning to its neutral state. George tested the water by deliberately stepping on a root. To his delight, the tree didn't move to attack him.

George proceeded to walk casually toward the trunk. It was by far the easiest 'battle' he'd had against the tree. He arrived beside the fairy and gave her a thumbs up, and she reciprocated with some excited buzzing. George continued passed her and descended into the tunnel. Once he and the trunk were safely out of harm's way, George whistled. He heard the tree shake again shortly before the fairy reappeared beside him.

"Good job. Here, your reward."

George stuck his thumb in his mouth and bit down. He kept applying pressure until an iron flavour filled his mouth. Then he pulled his thumb out and saw red staining his hand. The fairy excitedly landed under his arm and awaited her treat. George chuckled at her eagerness. She had long since realised the true pleasure in life wasn't from sweets, but his blood. If his aura was her fuel, then his blood was like an injection of steroids. Plus, it came with some great side effects.

George squeezed his palm and a trickle of blood dripped onto her head. Upon contact, the blood flowed unnaturally around her body. His blood kept moving until it had covered her entire body, wings and all. A runic symbol formed on her head before the blood began to be absorbed. Then the cut healed and the fairy fell to her knees. A layer of skin peeled off her as she started to grow. Her wings and limbs became ever-so-slightly longer and more reptilian. Then her eyes changed from black to crimson.

Perhaps due to the amount of blood, the fairy had managed to grow a whole inch this time. Since she looked exasperated, George picked her up and kept walking ahead. She weakly looked up at him with a faint smile before succumbing to exhaustion. He was happy for her. Everyone under his patron was kin, but at the rate she was changing, he might be able to consider her a sister in more ways than one.

George gently lowered the fairy into his robe pouch and produced a flame with his freed hand. The path ahead was awfully familiar to him by this point, but he wasn't too sure he could walk it blind. He soon reached the ladder he'd repaired months ago and climbed up it. Once the hatch was pushed open, he was back inside the Shrieking Shack.

"You're early."

George recognised the voice and immediately lowered his head. He dare not look his patron in the eye if he'd done something wrong. And deep down, George knew that was true. There was no way of putting it mildly, George had destroyed the timeline. All the advantages his patron had gained from knowing the future were gone. Such a precious resource was squandered by his stupidity.

"No need for those self-deprecating thoughts, boy. No need at all. You have completed your mission. That's all that matters. Now, come here and sit down."

George looked up and saw his patron sitting in a jet-black armchair facing the lit fireplace. A boney finger was gesturing towards a stool on the opposite side of the fire. George silently walked over and sat on the stool while keeping his eyes on the ground.

"You've done more here since I last visited."

George nervously lifted his head and saw his patron looking around the living room. All the rotten wood and piles of rubbish had been disposed of. The damaged furniture was cleaned up and new fabric sheets had been substituted for the rotten curtains. The biggest renovation was the fireplace. What was once a degrading stack of crumbling bricks had been restored to working order. The flu had been cleared and the iron fire basket was filled with dried-out logs from the forest.

Since the bedroom had been cleaned, George had made this room his next target. It had stank the whole house out and needed to be dealt with. But once he got started, he had to keep going until it was spik and span. Cleaning could be considered one of George's new hobbies in his dragon form. Restoring order to the chaos was something he found oddly relaxing. Hopefully, his patron won't think he was wasting his time.

"Of course not. Whatever you do in your own time is not of my concern."

Ekrizdis took a deep raspy breath and stared at George, "your worry stems from more than procrastination. The changing of fate is what's plaguing your mind."

George lowered his head in shame. His patron could read him like a book. What he'd done, how the future had been changed, that was what kept him awake at night. Hermione was dead because of him. Harry and Ron should be celebrating with her, but instead, they barely left the Gryffindor Common room. The conclusion to the upcoming war was no longer set in stone.

Ekrizdis leaned forward, "tell me, George. What do you think the price for defying fate is?"

George opened his mouth but couldn't think of what to say. Did fate demand a price? He didn't know it could be bartered with like a merchant.

Ekrizdis nodded, "nothing in this world can be taken without compensation. So, if you were to take life from fate…"

"Then a life must be given in return", George murmured.

"Exactly", Ekrizdis confirmed. "Fate had determined the remainder of Hermione Granger's life was adequate payment for the extension to mine."

So there was no avoiding it. There was nothing George could have done. If he was to steal the stone, consequently saving his patron's life, then Hermione had to die. But why her and not someone else like Harry or Ron? It may be selfish of him, but George would have preferred if one of them died instead of her.

Ekrizdis waved his hand dismissively, "fate must have not determined their lives worth the cost of mine. To equal the value of even a small portion of my life, Hermione Granger must have been destined to do great things. Her sacrifice will be remembered."

Although George felt his patron was trying to console him, he didn't feel any better. Deep down, he felt her life wasn't worth the cost. Was the stone really worth it? Wait, what was he thinking? Of course it was worth it.

Ekrizdis interrupted George's pondering and held out his hand, "if you could."

George cleared his treacherous thoughts, bowed his head, and reached under his robe. The fairy stirred slightly but didn't wake up. He performed the incantation and plunged his arm into his abdomen. Once the intestines were pushed aside, George grabbed the stone. He pulled it out and was happy to see it was exactly how he remembered. Since his talk with Dumbledore, George had checked several times that the real stone was with him.

Ekrizdis's bandaged face didn't react upon seeing the Philosopher's stone. He merely leaned forward and lifted it out of George's hand. Then he held it in the light of the fire and nodded.

"What I expected. Ten years give or take a month. It'll do."

Ten years? George wasn't sure what his patron was referring to. Ekrizdis put the stone under his robes and turned back to George.

"Ten years is in reference to the amount of time left in the stone. Mr and Mrs Flamel would have only half a decade left to live if the stone had stayed with them."

Oh… George felt a bout of realisation come over him. No wonder Dumbledore wasn't too worried about his patron having the stone. It was running out of juice. Using it as bait for Voldemort didn't seem like such a terrible idea anymore. Even if Voldemort was victorious, the stone couldn't have made him immortal. But was ten years enough for his patron, there was so much that still needed to be done.

"It is plenty of time. Using your soul and blood as a template, the next generation of your kin will be the last. My work would be done and you will be my successor."

George had no idea how to respond. His patron's successor… would be him? He couldn't do it. It was too big of a responsibility. There surely would have been a more suitable candidate.

"My passing has been prolonged by ten years thanks to you. By then, you will be an adult with a dozen young brothers and sisters to care for. Have confidence in my judgment. When that day comes, you'll be ready."

George felt a profound sense of joy hearing his patron's optimism for his future. He will one day take the mantle of responsibility and finish his patron's lifelong mission. To uncover the origins of magic and take the human race to the next stage of evolution, what an honour, what a privilege. It was a dream George had wished for his entire life. But now… George wasn't sure.

Ekrizdis lean back into his chair and stroked his pale chin, "you're thinking about that creature you saw in the Mirror of Erised."

"Ehm… yes I…", George stuttered in panic.

He didn't want his patron to think his loyalty was wavering. George felt ashamed for bowing to the two-headed dragon in his dream, but that's all it was, a dream. Just because that thing had gotten in George's head didn't mean he was going to listen to it.

Ekrizdis raised his hand to silence George, "we'll speak of this another time in private. Someone is coming."

George heard the hatch move and bolted to his feet. He must have been followed. And today of all days, what horrifically bad luck. George concentrated and a ball of condensed fire appeared in each of his hands. They both instantly grew to the size of beach balls and gave off waves of blistering heat. Each one easily had enough power to level the building. George stepped forward to protect his patron but an arm blocked his path.

Ekrizdis calmly said, "sit back down. She is here on my orders."

"She?"

The hatch was pushed open and a teenage girl ascended the ladder. It was Gemma, and she wasn't alone. A scrawny young boy was hanging limply over her shoulder. Once she was high enough, Gemma rolled the boy onto the Shrieking Shack's floor, exposing his face. It was Theodore.

George stood still in disbelief. These were the last two people he'd expected. Gemma wiped the sweat off her brow and walked into the living room. She passed George without giving him a second glance and bowed before Ekrizdis.

"My patron. I have brought you the boy", she said like a soldier giving a report.

Ekrizdis pointed at Theodore, "were you seen taking him?"

"Theodore was following George exactly as you said. I was able to restrain and collect him from there."

Wait, what? George's head was hurting. Theodore was following him? How long has he been doing that for? And since when did Gemma work for his patron? She wasn't one of his sisters. She had never been to his patron's home while George was there.

"George, I told you to sit down."

George walked back to his stool with a dazed expression. He was questioning everything he'd thought he'd known.

Ekrizdis flicked his wrist and another jet-black stool formed beside George's, "you may sit as well, Gemma."

"Thank you, my patron", Gemma said politely while sitting next to George.

Then Ekrizdis gestured towards Theodore and his limp body glided into the living room.

"Such a troubled boy. His mind is tainted with suspicion and doubt", Ekrizdis said while holding his hand above Theodore's head.

Gemma held up her hand, "may I speak?"

Ekrizdis nodded, "you may."

"Due to unavoidable circumstances, Theodore has become convinced of George's inhumanity. Unlike the professors, attempts to stop his investigations have been met with resistance. Since memory-altering magic is too easily detected and potentially recovered, I suggest ending the boy's life here and now."

George was surprised to hear Gemma speaking with such cold brutality. She was normally so fun and kind, an abnormality compared to her fellow Slytherin students. Now, she was speaking of killing a child with zero empathy. Was the version George had known been a lie all this time?

Ekrizdis tilted his head, "that is one solution. One more young student getting lost in the Dark Forest wouldn't be out of the ordinary. George, what do you think we should do?"

"Pardon?" George said, not quite sure if he'd heard his patron right.

Ekrizdis pointed at Theodore, "this boy is here because of you. What shall we do with him?"

Sweat began to drip down George's head, "I… I wouldn't dare to… I mean… I wouldn't know…"

"You're my successor, George. You have to start accepting responsibility for your actions", Ekrizdis said while twisting Theodore's head to face George. "Now what will it be?"

George stared at Theodore's face. The boy's eyes were open even though he was clearly unconscious. He looked... scared. Theodore had been one of the biggest hurdles in George's early days at Hogwarts. He had gone out of his way to frame George as a monster and had apparently been following him around the castle. But that wasn't the boy's fault. George had hurt and threatened Theodore on several occasions. It was George's mistake and it should be he who is punished.

"If you're not going to say anything, then I have to take Gemma's suggestion."

Ekrizdis's mummified hand cupped Theodore's mouth. A dense blanket of cold energy flooded the room and caused George's hair to stand on end. All the colour drained from Theodore's skin as his face began to blur. It looked like the boy's face was being forcibly ripped from his skull. After a couple of seconds, a glowing orb floated out of Theodore's mouth. Like the fairy's soul had once been, the orb was pure white without a single blemish. Ekrizdis plucked the soul out of the air and lifted it towards his mouth.

George felt like his mind was being torn in two. One half wanted to let his patron do as he wished. The other wanted Theodore to live. But if he waited any longer, there wouldn't be an option. Think, George, think.

"What if there was a better option?" he said in desperation.

Ekrizdis lowered the soul from his mouth, "go on."

George licked his lips nervously, "what if we take him with us?"

"He is a below-average eleven-year-old wizard", Gemma retorted. "He has no use."

Gemma gave off an icy aura that warned George not to push her too far. For whatever reason, she seemed keen on having Theodore killed. But for Theodore's sake, he had to at least try.

George shook his head, "not now, but in the future, he will be highly useful. The Nott family is known for their talents regarding time-altering magic. If Theodore has inherited that gift, then he could potentially…"

"Hypotheticals are not worth the risks", Gemma interrupted. "And our patron is in no need of Time Turners."

"Perhaps I don't. But George might", Ekrizdis added.

Both George and Gemma turned to their patron. Ekrizdis twirled the soul between his fingers like a marble before locking eyes with George

"Ten years from now, after I'm gone, do you think this boy will be of use to you?"

George nodded his head. He genuinely didn't know if he was being honest or just trying to save Theodore's life. It felt so out of character for him to risk so much for another. But after what happened with Hermione and the two-headed dragon incident, George didn't want any more blood on his hands.

Ekrizdis stared deep into George's eyes before turning back to Theodore. He lowered his hand and the soul slowly descended back into Theodore's mouth. Once the glow faded down the boy's neck, Theodore suddenly inhaled a massive gulp of air. Then his body dropped to the ground.

"It is done. This boy, Theodore Nott, will be George's responsibility. Do you two accept my verdict?"

George and Gemma lowered their heads and said in unison, "yes, my patron."

"Good", Ekrizdis said while standing up. "Then we'll be leaving now."

The black chair where Ekrizdis once sat morphed into a puddle of mist. The mist diffused towards the fire and instantly snuffed it out. The bricks began to shake and change colour. Starting from the bottom, they all turned black like granite and stretched vertically. Soon the relatively small fireplace morphed into a large archway with runes engraved around the edges. The mist increased in density and filled the doorway.

Ekrizdis stepped forward and disappeared into the mist. Then Gemma followed after him, leaving George alone. The fairy finally stuck her head out of his robe and stared at the ominous doorway.

"Don't be scared. It's all going to be alright... I think."

George walked over to his trunk and briefly glanced at the hatch leading into the tunnel. It hit him, whether it be the Linwoods, Remus, the cousins, or even Neville, he probably won't see them again. He'd known this would happen from day one, but that didn't make the hesitation to leave any easier. A small part of him really wanted to go back down that hatch.

George took a deep breath and pulled the trunk away from the hatch. He made up his mind, it was time for him to go home. He dragged Theodore's body onto the trunk and shoved them through the archway. Then, after taking one last look back, George walked into the mist.