FicWad

A/N: I own nothing except the plot and characters. I know some of you are wondering why Alexander is so overly powerful, don't worry; there are reasons for this and limitations to his powers. Also, don't forget there are two strangers who arrived in Harry's time. Only one has been identified clearly, but the other one is only known as Lucien. The mystery or their origins and reasons for their appearance will be answered fully around chapter 6 or 7. Now, without further ado, enjoy! BTW, thank you to the person that reviewed, your views helped me greatly. I reviewed how I have this chapter written originally and toned it down a lot since some of it even made me cringe.

Chapter 4: Return of the Patriarch

It had been two weeks since Harry and Kingsley secretly began their search for "the stranger" as they came to call him. While both men had a gut instinct that this man was indeed the Corvin Patriarch, they refused to admit it until they had undeniable proof. Deep down, both men hoped that they were completely wrong, and yet, somehow knew they weren't. He had made several trips to the Room of Requirement, hoping to find something useful, but whenever he tried to get the room to fulfill his wishes, it merely showed him the founders of Hogwarts. Maybe the room thought he wanted to see the origins of Hogwarts, but no matter what he tried out or how he thought about it, the results were the same. After a week of searching within that hollowed room, he finally gave up, for now.

The hardest part for Harry these last few weeks was keeping those he loved in the dark, especially after the events of the past five days. In that time, Hermione had broken the news that she was 4 weeks pregnant, and Ron had taken to waiting on her hand and foot. The Weasley family in general was ecstatic, despite the fact that the couple was not married. Mrs. Weasley shifted fully into caretaker mode, insisting that Hermione not do anything except get her rest and eat well. His best friend's pregnancy provided Harry with the perfect reason to keep Ron from throwing himself into work completely. Harry found that he felt bad for using Hermione's baby as an excuse to keep them all in the dark, but he refused to let that child grow up without either of its parents. He would do whatever was necessary to ensure that. Not that keeping Ron in the dark was easy. He was constantly asking what was happening with the mystery man case, pestering Harry about when they would continue investigating. Getting Ron to believe that Kingsley had it handled by himself was quite difficult indeed, but he managed to convince him in the end.

Ginny however, was a completely different problem altogether. She had this knack for knowing how to read Harry like a book, which made lying to her extremely hard. Harry had to sharpen his Occlumency skills just to hide his guilt, and boy did he feel guilty. He hated not sharing this huge matter with the love of his life, but how could he? The knowledge of what he was doing would undoubtedly worry her to illness, and he did not want that. Somehow, thank Merlin; their relationship was as strong as ever despite his lies. He swore that once this was all over he would make it up to her a million times over.

So there he was, sitting with Kingsley in his office going over eyewitness "sightings," trying to determine what was false and what was factual. It was already 7 at night, and it had been one long day. Finding nothing interesting and suppressing a yawn, Harry grabbed Kingsley's attention,

"Looks like nothing new. It's been a long day, mind if I go home?"

Kingsley smiled at Harry, "Of course, you've already done more than eno-" but he never finished that statement as alarms suddenly starting blaring, alerting the two to an intruder. Both men were stunned, someone managed to break into the ministry? They sprung up, drawing their wands in an instant and headed for the door to Kingsley's office. Kingsley grabbed the door handle and flung it open, only to be greeted by the hooded figure. Recognition dawned instantly within Harry. It was the stranger! This was impossible! How could he break into the ministry?

The man stepped forward slowly, backing Kingsley up as both wands were kept pointed at the intruder. For some reason, no other Aurors were anywhere in sight. It looked like they were on their own. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but the man spoke first,

"I hear you wish to apprehend me."

Both men went wide eyed, stunned that he knew. How could he know? Before either could formulate a question, the man spoke again, "Your people are not adept at hiding themselves. Stop trying to have me followed," with that, the man threw down several badges from his left hand. Upon a glance, it was obvious that they were Auror badges. Wands still at the ready, both eyes locked on the man standing mere meters before them, "or next time there won't be anything left to find," the man finished.

Rage bubbled inside Harry instantly. He had murdered his fellow colleagues! As the fire began to course through his veins, Harry's resolve solidified. Before Kingsley could react, Harry put all of his anger into possibly the most powerful stunner he'd ever cast as he cried "/Stupefy!" /A massive thick jet of red light erupted from the end of Harry's wand and headed straight for the man's heart. At such a close range, the spell was sure to hit. Unfortunately, the man proved to be quicker than thought possible as his hand shot up and literally smacked the spell right back at Harry. Too shocked by the sudden reversal, Harry was hit directly in the chest by the powerful spell, which sent him flying towards the back wall of the office. He slammed into the wall with massive force, shattering several ribs and cracking his skull. Harry's limp, unconscious body slid to the floor as blood began to leak from the corners of his mouth.

Kingsley was at his side in an instant, assessing his wounds. It was without a doubt obvious that he needed medical attention, immediately. Remembering the man who did this to Harry, Kingsley stood and spun on his heels, wand trained on the man. With a flick of the man's fingers, Kingsley wand was ripped from his hand and clattered on the floor. The man fixed Kingsley with a cold, unrelenting glare and spoke in a deadly commanding tone,

"Do not try to locate me again. It is a hindrance I cannot afford." Kingsley glared right back at the man, contempt in his voice,

"Who are you to try and command me?"

At this statement the man laughed, "Exactly who you suspect me to be." With that, the man disappeared in a flash of red. Kingsley immediately flew to Harry's side and Apparated them straight to St. Mungo's. Harry was rushed to emergency care and Kingsley Apparated to the outer edges of Burrow. He ran to the door and knocked frantically, only to be met by the confused face of Molly Weasley. Not pausing to address her formally he spoke quickly with concern in his voice,

"Harry's been hurt. Come to St. Mungo's right away."

Mrs. Weasley was stunned as tears began to form in her eyes. If Kingsley himself was here, and was that worried, then it must be bad. Her voice cracking as tears collected in her eyes, "W-what happened?" Kingsley fidgeted with impatience, "No time to explain. We have to go, now." Molly needed no further prompting as she ran into the house to collect Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Mr. Weasley. Within seconds the entire group Apparated to St. Mungo's, worry reflected in all of their eyes.

The group was ushered into the waiting room, told that Harry was extremely delicate and needed complete and uninterrupted care right now. Ginny collapsed on one of the chairs, her head in her hands as she cried furiously. Her sobs echoed throughout the vacant room and brought tears to everyone's eyes. Hermione moved to her side and wrapped Ginny in her arms as tears began to leak from her own eyes. Ginny clutched to Hermione hard and began to cry harder, inadvertently making Hermione break down into wails and sobs of her own. Ron approached his sister and the love of his life, swallowing his grief and strengthening himself as he knelt in front of them both, wrapping them in his arms, trying to give them strength that he himself was hard pressed to find.

It seemed the only thing Ron could find was guilt. 'He's my partner and I left him by himself! If I'd been there I could have helped, I could have stopped this! If he...I'll never forgive myself.' he thought to himself. Ron looked to Kingsley to see guilt reflected in his eyes as well. Still holding his girls tightly, Ron addressed Kingsley, "Wh-what happened?"

Kingsley sighed heavily, "That mystery man from a few weeks ago decided to pay me a visit. Harry was with me in my office going over some paper work when the intruder alarm went off. That man came into the office almost right after that, and Harry tried to apprehend him. The man deflected Harry's stunner somehow, and it hit Harry before he could react. It was one of the most powerful spells I've ever seen Harry cast. He was sent into the wall with tremendous force."

Ginny and Hermione yelped sorrowfully at this and Ron squeezed them tighter to himself, anger boiling in his blood. If only he had been there, he could have distracted the man so he could be captured! Then Harry wouldn't lie injured, possibly dying in some bloody hospital! Ron fixed Kingsley with a determined gaze, "I'll kill him." At his words both Ginny and Hermione gripped Ron tighter and spoke,"No Ron, we need you here."

Ron's anger began to slowly ebb away at the pain in their voices, but his guilt still remained, "I can't let him get away with this. I-I ca-can't. I-if Ha-Harry...then I w-wouldn't...I-I couldn't..." Hermione raised her head from Ron's shoulder to look him in the eye. Her cheeks were streaked with tears and her eyes were red, "Please Ron," the cry in her voice broke his resolve, if only for the moment, "I need you here, we all need you," she finished. Ron nodded and stroked her cheek lovingly, reassuring her that he wasn't going anywhere. He then turned and kissed Ginny's head as she buried herself deeper into his side. He began to stroke both women's hair, trying to soothe them as best he could.

A few moments later, one of the nurses stepped into the waiting room. She looked to the group scattered everywhere and addressed them as a whole, "Mr. Potter has sustained some serious injuries. Five of his ribs were broken, with one piercing his lung. He has a large crack on the back of his skull and is suffering from massive internal bleeding. He is in critical condition, and will be until we can successful stop the bleeding and repair the damage to his lung. His skull has been healed, but he will probably suffer from headaches for several weeks, should he survive."

Everyone in the room visibly paled at this statement, and Ron's guilt was magnified tenfold. Now was not the time for that though, as his girls and family needed him to be strong right now. Harry needed him to be strong and take care of those he loved, and Ron will not disappoint his best mate and brother.

Before anything else could be said, a bright red flash filled the room. In seconds, the man who had deflected Harry's spell was standing there, a sword strapped to his back with his hands at his side. Kingsley moved swiftly and drew his wand as alarm and shock spread through the group. The man raised his hand with lightning speed and spoke clearly, "Still." At this, everyone in the room found that they were unable to leave their current positions. The man didn't even pause to acknowledge this fact as he snapped his fingers. A green flash lit the entire room, its occupant's eyes transfixed on the figure before them. When the flash faded, Harry's limp and paled form came into view. He was lying on a bed, barely moving, and the sight of him brought more tears to Hermione, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. The man made his way towards the side of Harry's bed.

Ron cried out in rage immediately, still finding that he was unable to move, "Get away from him!!"The man gazed at Ron, his icy blue eyes cutting into him. The man held the glare for several moments, not responding, until he turned back to Harry. The man reached into his cloak and drew an elegant dagger from it. It was at least 5 inches long, with intricate curves and divots all along the blade. Ignoring the cries of anger and the threats of death from those in the room and proceeded to cut a diagonal line into Harry's chest, right above his heart.

Ginny screamed in anguish and fury, as did the rest of the group, "STOP IT!!" Again, these cries were ignored as the man proceeded to cut a gash in the palm of his own hand. He then moved the bleeding wound over the cut he made in Harry's chest. Closing his eyes, he laid his hand on Harry's chest and focused, speaking one word clearly, "Live."A glow began to emit from the point where both wounds met, and a ring on the man's right hand began to glow and pulse with energy. The glow grew brighter and brighter until it suddenly faded. The man drew his hand away, and the wound on Harry's chest healed itself. The room was filled with silence.

The man turned slowly and gazed into the eyes of everyone in the room, breathing deeply and huffing as he struggled to stand, "I...do not...kill...innocents," was all he said before he drew a deep breath and closed his eyes in concentration. After a few moments his image faded away from the room. The moment he was gone, everyone found they were able to move and sprung up to rush to Harry's side. Ginny was there first, and she immediately flung her arms around Harry's body, clinging to him. To her surprise, she felt a pair of warm and strong arms circle her and grip her tightly. Raising her teary eyes, her heart melted in joy. There was Harry, full of color, staring right back at her with those stunningly emerald eyes.

Harry smiled at her warmly, "Hey there." Ginny was so overcome with joy that she began to cry as she smashed her lips to Harry's, letting her love, elation, and happiness flow through her. Harry responded in kind and gripped her waist as he pulled her fully on top of him, embracing her tightly. When they broke the kiss, Ginny looked into Harry's eyes with happy tears and then buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent and holding him tightly. One of Harry's arms rose to drape across her lower back while the other stroked her hair soothingly. He turned his head slightly and spoke softly so only she could hear, "I love you Ginerva Molly Weasley." At this, Ginny cried tears of happiness even harder and buried herself deeper into Harry's grip.

Harry finally looked up to see everyone surrounding his bed. Kingsley, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were smiling warmly at him, while Ron and Hermione were on the verge of tears, looking at him with mountains of love. He smiled at his best friends and reached out to grab Hermione's hand. She grasped it firmly and he brought it to his lips to kiss the back of her hand affectionately. She smiled at this and proceeded to brush some of his hair out of his face. Ron clasped a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed it, all the while smiling at his best friend. Harry smiled contently at the scene before him and pulled Ginny to him tighter. He then spoke up and addressed everyone, "Let's get out of here." They all nodded their consent as Ginny released Harry so he could get out of the bed. The moment he was standing she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest, refusing to let him go. Harry proceeded to wipe the tears from her cheeks and kissed her hair lightly. Ginny smiled into his chest as Harry looked around and nodded at the group.

"We're going to Grimmauld, I'll catch up with you later ok?" he asked the rest of his loved ones. Everyone nodded their consent as Mrs. Weasley and Hermione stepped forward. Mrs. Weasley spoke first, "If you need anything dear, just floo, and I expect to see you at the Burrow tomorrow." Harry smiled as she enveloped him in a hug and shook his head in acknowledgment. Hermione then approached Harry and leaned up to place a kiss on his forehead, "Take care of yourself, we'll see you tomorrow." Harry grinned at her, "I think I can manage that." She smacked his arm playfully then went to Ron's side to receive a kiss on the cheek and an arm around the shoulder from him.

Harry then gripped Ginny to him and Apparated them both to the doorstep of Grimmauld Place. He turned the doorknob and stepped inside. As soon as the door was shut Ginny ripped off Harry's shirt and began to examine his chest for any damage from the man's cut. Finding none, she began to kiss his entire chest, his nose, his forehead and finally his lips. Harry put his hands on her waist and lifted her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. The pair began to kiss passionately as their clothes began to pile on the floor, leaving a trail up to their bedroom. Once inside, Ginny threw Harry's naked body down onto the bed and straddled him as she continued kissing him furiously.

Breaking their kiss, Harry reached up to cup her succulent breasts, then proceeded to suck on her taught peaks with fervor. She moaned with pleasure as her hand slipped between their bodies to grip his hard member in her hands. Harry inhaled sharply as she began to pump her hand up and down his length. When he felt he couldn't hold it any longer, she suddenly let go of him and lowered her core onto him swiftly, enveloping him in tight, wet heat. Harry moaned and began to thrust into her slowly and sensuously, but Ginny put her hands on his chest to stop his movement. Harry looked up at her puzzled, which earned a seductive smile from her. She bent down to kiss his lips passionately as she gripped his large member with her inner muscles. Seeing Harry close his eyes in concentration gave her a tremendous feeling of control and she smiled.

She then stroked his face and coaxed his eyes open, "Seeing as you were in the hospital tonight, maybe I should do the work," she spoke softly.

Harry nodded and smiled as she began to move slowly and clench him within her. She could see Harry struggling to maintain control, holding out as long as he could. His hands were gripping her waist tightly, but were not interfering with her movements. Ginny was so tight and warm around him that he felt like he was in heaven. As she began to pick up speed, she began to get slicker and slicker, further speeding her grinding into him. He felt his release start to build, and let his thumb move over to the place where they were joined, rubbing her small nub of nerves. The moment he began to stroke and rub her clit Ginny began crying out in pleasure. Her own release was building fast and she knew she wouldn't be able to last much longer. She clenched around Harry hard and moved as fast as she could, pumping him with all of her might as she felt her climax over take her. Her internal clenching had the desired effect she felt Harry's release pour into her. She continued to milk him dry, and rested her forehead against his when she began to feel him soften inside her.

Harry laughed breathlessly and kissed her nose affectionately, "Bloody amazing."

Ginny laughed lightly and stroked Harry's hair as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself closer to him. She nipped and kissed his neck, "Now we sleep, then wake up and go again,"she replied.

Harry looked down at her, "You're insatiable!"

They both snuggled closer to each other as Harry summoned a blanket and covered them both in it. Harry began to let sleep take him over, Ginny still kissing his neck lovingly. Soon, they both drifted off into pleasant dreams.