Parvati put her signature right below Seamus's on the courtship agreement, adding her promise to his. She'd read the whole thing, and her brother had been right, it wasn't something to hurt her, but to protect her. Some of it was a bit depressing, with what would happen in the event of her parents' deaths should the courtship agreement be still in effect, but her parents and his parents had lived through Voldemort. (Someday she'd shock her parents by using the name out loud.)
She looked over at her older brother and his wife, who stood as witnesses. She was fairly certain it was Parviz's idea. "Over protective older brothers" was a recent phrase added to her vocabulary. Back before she'd entered Hogwarts, before Parviz had entered his mandatory year of service in Magical British Kashmiri, her brother's protective streak hadn't been something she'd found to be against her. That was before her brother had found out about the kiss.
Maybe she could direct the over protective older brother thing over to Padma, now that she was protected by this agreement. She looked over at Parviz. He was whispering to Seamus, and Seamus was getting paler by the moment. Parvati handed the quill over to Madam Bones, who was serving as witness and rushed over to her courting wizard.
"Sorry, Parviz, I read the contract," Parvati said, with the biggest smile she could give. "You're not allowed to discourage Seamus from doing anything."
"Not anything," Parviz said, quietly. "I can still tell him not to do things too soon. I don't want you to turn up like Kaamilee is before you get your NEWTs."
"Like Kaamilee is ... big brother, it's only been a few weeks ... just how far along is my sister-in-law?" Parvati whispered in her brother's ear, his words having moved her from the suspicion that had been triggered while he was chaperoning her shopping to confirmation.
"Eleven weeks," Parviz whispered back. "Don't tell Padma. I'm not supposed to admit it to anyone, but that's how I got her out of India instead of her ending up being sold in to a multiple marriage by her uncle."
"Then don't do anything to Seamus, and I won't, but I bet she'll put one and two together once Kaamilee has the baby seven weeks before she should have," Parvati replied. "She's in Ravenclaw."
"Don't know how much that helps, I heard that Gryffindor and Ravenclaw switched places when it comes to smarts this year," Parviz said. "Sorry Seamus, I'll try to keep out of things. I know you both don't really want to go much further right now, and probably don't expect to end up married anyway, but it protects you both, especially given what you told me happened at Hogwarts last year. Stay close to Parvati. It will make me feel a lot better knowing just how Gryffindor bands together. And if you can watch out for Kaamilee, no matter what house she's sorted into, I'd appreciate it."
"We all will," Seamus said. "And you know, after last year, we know how to keep an eye on pregnant girls."
"Just don't make my little sister one anytime soon, please, Seamus," Parviz asked.
"No promises," Parvati shot in reply. "Come on, Seamus, they're putting out the food, and you promised to cover my sacred cow cravings."
"Cravings? Not you too ..." Parviz started to panic.
"Oh boy ... I'm going to have fun with this one," Parvati said, pulling Seamus away. Across the room she signaled with her secret twin hand signals exactly what to tease her older brother with. The next week and a half were going to be so fun, getting her older brother back for the trouble he'd caused her with this contract.
Lavender was quite surprised to meet up with her uncle again in Rome. She'd spent all of the last week at the beach in Southern Italy, since being dropped off following their adventure in Albania. It had been rather nice and relaxing. There was absolutely nothing to remind her of anything as she laid on the beach in the sun, not a care in the world, and much to her father's continued dismay, not a stitch on.
Now, though, she was in Rome, and her Uncle Charlie had turned up, dressed in full Royal Navy Uniform. It was the first time she'd really seen her uncle in the deep navy blue coat, with it's two rows of four buttons, four gold braids on the sleeves, and what she'd been already informed was a deliberately deceased array of ribbons, with permission. As a captain, even three rows of medal ribbons would draw unnecessary attention. She'd seen her uncle carefully choosing among them, making sure his Marksmanship, South Atlantic Medal, Queen's Gallantry Medal with silver rosette, and something called the DSO, were placed precisely in the right place. There were eight metal ribbons left in his case.
Dressed in her Hogwarts skirt, blouse, and tie, Lavender definitely felt underdressed next to her Uncle. Especially given where they were going. A school girl's outfit did not seem right to visit anything like Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio. True, they were not entering via the main entrance, of the Extra-territorial building of the Vatican adjoining the Paul VI Audience Hall, but through a much less grand door next to the parking lot. It was the Vatican though, and she was about to met a man who was one of the Princes of the Church.
It did not help that in Lavender's backpack was once again containing crystalized dark lord. She'd had it in her pack from Albania back to the Oracle, and the two mile nighttime underwater swim that it had taken to get there. Then she'd forgotten about it, mostly, until her uncle had slid it back into the pack. She'd been nervous all the way over in the Aston Martin.
They were let into the palazzo by a young priest, who escorted them to the open center of the building where a man in a black cassock wearing a brilliant scarlet zuchetto in his white hair. No introductions were given, as Lavender had been told earlier none would, though the Cardinal was quite well known. "You have the sundered soul?" the Cardinal asked.
"Yes, encased in crystal, as suggested," Uncle Charlie replied.
"Place it on the font, so we may determine just how sundered the soul is," the Cardinal ordered.
Lavender took off her back pack and carefully removed the crystal encased ruby of a soul. As she placed it in the notch on the edge of the font, the sun caught it, and the waters of the font were cast in deep red, almost the color of blood.
"This soul has been spilt as your government has suspected," the Cardinal said, examining the waters. "In seven parts it has been split. Two parts are no longer where the soul expects them. One lies deep under the earth, and another where it is required. The seventh lies within bounds of his ancestral home. The last of them was unintended, and must be carefully taken care of. The Church is aware of it, and shall arrange for its capture. We wish to borrow your young agent here to assist on seven nights hence in Saint Clementine in Godric's Hollow where the Chosen One will be freed from one of his burdens."