Disclaimer- I don't own HP.
A/N- After reading all those "after Voldemort" fics I just had to write one myself, and it was hard but now… Well let's see where this takes us eh? Oh, and there will be some slash since I can't stay away from the stuff… And if you see similarities between this and other stuff I've written, live with it, this story won't be the same. Take my word for it.
I am sorry if you read this and it didn't work, but I had some trouble with it only uploading like 100 words, when there are about 7000 here… Hope it works now!
BlindsideSpeed, surprise and violence of action, that is the motto of the HRT task force, Hostage Rescue Team, associated with the FBI. It could have been the motto for any number of similar highly trained lethal combat teams, but there was much more to killing someone than those three things. Something they didn't mention was silence. Silence was very important.
Remus Lupin was beyond skilled when it came to being silent.
The building was a triumph of modern engineering. It stretched up into the dark recesses of the sky, shouting out silently the triumph of man with glorious steel and concrete. The golden letters of it proclaimed it as the property of Donald Trump, and Remus was glad that his builders had left so many ledges.
On nights like this he could feel the wolf within him welling up, growing in strength. His sense of smell surpassed that of many humans and reached a canine level, his hearing was elevated as well. But most of all his strength shot through the roof. It was all because of the latest series of Werewolf treatments.
He now drank a potion the night before every full moon, it was difficult to explain what it did, but basically it took the wolf, and melded it with the man. Remus was now faster, stronger and far more aggressive when he let the wolf take control. If he even wanted to, he could transform into the wolf, but that held its own set of dangers, too much time as the wolf, and he wouldn't be able to change back…
The city echoed noisily with the sound of night-time dealings and revelry, shouts and laughter intermingled with other noises that could only be guessed at. It was 2:00 in the morning but that didn't mean the city stopped, but up here were the air was a little colder and the landscape was dominated with steel and stretched into a glowing infinity, it was almost quiet.
Remus crept softly along the edge of the building, fingers strong enough to bend steel clutching desperately at tiny ledges. His wand dug into his hip and he shifted it slightly. His clothes were tight fitting and dark. Not pure black, for pure black was easy to spot in the dark, the kind of people he was hunting looked not just for movement, but shadows as well.
Remus wasn't a shadow, he was the dark that created the shadow. And he couldn't believe he was doing this. Hanging 40 stories up in an American city… He growled and pulled himself up again. The building had a magic-nullifying charm on it, otherwise he could have definitely transfigured himself into a bird by now.
He gripped the concrete and pulled with his arms and chest. Superhuman strength made it easy to lift himself up, normal humans could do such things, a werewolf it was child's play. The window was cracked, just as it was supposed to be.
He eased it open and shivered as a breeze swept along next to him. He wanted to be done with this, heights didn't worry him so much, after all not much can kill a werewolf. But falling from this height… It would be chancy whether or not he would indeed survive the fall if he indeed fell.
But that's not going to happen he thought as he eased the window farther open before nimbly swinging into the room. It was a large sparsely decorated affair. The windows were bullet and sound proof, heavy, thick and tinted they would provide perfect protection to anyone within the room. If the threat was coming from the outside…
Remus grimaced as he took out the device in his pocket. It looked like an aeresol can, but when he pressed on the top and twisted it came apart to reveal something a little more sinister.
It looked like a series of spikes that centered around a thin tube, it was black and as Remus approached a desk he was careful to not jostle it too much. He leaned underneath the desk and took out a small tube of fast dry epoxy.
Putting a fairly generous amount on the base he affixed it to the recesses of the desk, putting it within the shadows so that it would fire the needle forward with enough force to pierce whatever clothes the bitch would be wearing. A fairly straightforward death, one that was elegant and quick.
The poison would cause a fairly painless death, despite what she deserved. Remus frowned bitterly, if what his superiors told him was true, and he had no reason to doubt them, this woman was a monster. But this was justice, pure and simple. Remus smiled as he leaned back and acknowledged his handy work.
And then it was time to go. He turned and surveyed the room. After making sure all traces of him were gone he turned to the window and neatly vaulted out and caught the ledge. He reached up and tapped the window shut before beginning to climb down the next 10 stories.
When he reached that point he tensed his muscles and pushed off with his legs, flipping backwards and landing neatly on the top of the adjacent building.
It was just another night in the life of Remus Lupin.
"Where are you Potter?"
Winter blew softly in between the green grass of Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy stood on the balcony, watching the snow blur the landscape, his fine features held still by a will strong and unyielding as an iron pine. He fingered his wand gently, feeling the wood in his hand, a new wand. Lucius had gotten him-
His grip tightened at the thought of Lucius and then he relaxed and smiled tightly if bitterly. His slim frame held a silken robe that swept around him in small circles, night blue that was accented by silver blond hair. Lucius had been killed by those he despised most, not mudbloods, not Muggles, but by those purebloods who were below him. Draco could remember the look of surprise on Lucius's face as Ron Weasley cast Avada Kedavra, the green light illuminating and warping his features one last time.
The wind swept up and blew a grating cold into Draco, who took no notice of it. Inside he heard a small cheep and hurried through the door into his office. He smiled and gently cupped the young bird that lay in its broken nest. It was an ugly blotchy thing, but Draco knew that Fawkes would always become as beautiful as before.
Draco had been very surprised when Fawkes had attached himself to Draco at- his throat swelled and he choked at the thought of Dumbledore's death. The room spun into silver-green circles for a minute before Draco regained iron control and gently placed the phoenix back within its next. A house-elf would be along soon to feed it.
"Draco?" A voice entered the fog that was Draco contemplating something and he turned to look at the fireplace. His lip twitched into an almost smile.
"Mother." Narcissa didn't smile but her eyes showed approval. Hr hair was lying flat today, a shimmering frozen waterfall. Much as her cold beauty was her hair cold, it looked like ice, her face an almost pinched expression. But her eyes held hidden warmth, hidden but there. Draco knew she had had to hide much in her life…
"Hello Draco, I was just going to give you a heads up that another- body has come in." Draco's eyes widened, if his mother was calling him-
"Who?" He asked harshly, perhaps more harshly than he intended. His mother winced slightly.
"Pansy Parkinson." And Draco snorted.
"She was a foolish girl, what did she do?" Narcissa sighed.
"Toyed with Muggles, broke their minds, and-" She paused and then shook her head. "Her body was very bad, not nearly as bad as Pettigrew's but- still you can tell she was broken well before she died." Draco nodded and exhaled.
"It was to be expected, anything on a happier note?" Narccisa's head shook and then looked away.
"I have to go Draco, Percy is calling about something trivial again. Why can't he be like his father and just slack off a little!" She rolled her eyes. "Weasleys Draco, how did we wind up with them?" Draco smiled softly.
"I don't know mother, it's a good question." Narcissa nodded, and she grinned in her eyes, Narcissa for "I love you Draco and take care." She had long ago gotten adept at not showing emotion of any sort.
Draco turned away and stalked down the stair-case and into the castle. Time to visit Severus…
He swept down and out the gargoyle that guarded his office and into the hallway. His feet carried him through the castle, he didn't need to look to where he was going, he knew it by touch and feel. His feet padded softly down the hall, supple but strong dragon hide, these were very well made boots.
He continued on, the silence around him making him feel uncomfortable, Hogwarts always felt so empty without children in it…A Hogsmeade weekend ensured that nearly all the students were gone. He smiled briefly as a pair of 1st years ran up the hall towards him before stopping and staring at him in awe. Draco permitted himself a chuckle before breezing onward.
They were all in a mixture of awe and fear of him, awe because of his vaunted magical strength, and fear because of his past… Still, no one could deny that the Sorting Hat had elected him as the headmaster of Hogwarts, not even the minister of Magic could.
Although I highly doubt mother would have objected, Fudge definitely tried. Draco shuddered suddenly, thinking of Fudge made him think of how Fudge died at Harry's hands… Still nothing compared to Pettigrew's death, but…
Draco shrugged it off and continued down into the dungeons. He needed to talk to Severus.
"Hello Draco." A voice floated up to him and Draco smiled as he opened the door, Severus was never caught off guard. The potions master looked up at him with a real smile, something he hadn't permitted himself before Voldemort's defeat… Draco frowned, the most pressing reason why they needed to find Potter.
Only he had been at Voldemort's "defeat," him and Dumbledore and Dumbledore had died at it. Draco let nothing of his thoughts flow onto his face. He didn't need to remind Severus of what had happened, the man already knew only to well and blamed himself for just as much.
"Hello Severus, how are you?" Draco asked politely and Severus shrugged.
"Living, correcting the mistakes of fools." Draco smiled.
"You mean students." Severus shrugged.
"Same thing." The potions master was wearing his customary black robes with his customary permanent sneer and greasy hair. Draco couldn't help but think the man needed to enjoy a little sun and wash his hair and he'd be fit to do dirt things with- and then winced. It would be like fucking a really close uncle, talk about dirty.
"Well then, I have a request Severus, I need a certain potion brewed." Severus perked up and was all ears. Draco smiled softly to himself, having the man around was fantastic, he could brew any potion you wanted.
"Are you familiar with the draught of change?" Draco asked and Severus's eyes widened.
"Of course, but it hasn't been successfully created since 1403 when Kelpus Indigna did something to the original recipe which caused it to work." Severus rattled off and Draco was vaguely impressed that the man could have such arcane knowledge on the tip of his tongue without even thinking about it. Draco had had to read the sort of books that even Granger would fall asleep reading out of to find that out.
"Right, do you want to know what he did?" Severus nodded.
"It really is fairly simple, he added the blood of a Changeling to it." Severus nodded and then thought about it.
"Simple, very simple but it makes perfect sense…" He trailed off. Draco grinned.
"I need a batch."
"Minister I truly-" Percy began but Narcissa cut him off with an eyebrow.
"Percy, I honestly don't see why we should up the punishment for this particular brand of law breaking, a swift fine and poof it's over." Percy looked at her.
"Do you know what the fine is?" He asked quietly and Narcissa looked at him, what did he think she was? She read every single- ok every single important bit of information that crossed her desk, but she knew this.
"Yes, 5 galleons a cauldron, and any and all damages that can be sued for if they can be linked with the thickness or lack thereof." Percy's eyes widened.
"What- but the fine law is for a sickle!" Narcissa looked blankly at him and then nodded, her face emotionless, a blank slate on which nothing could be written.
"It shall be fixed then." She said softly and Percy shivered, Narcissa was not someone you wanted to be on the bad side of when she was quiet. Then he shifted awkwardly in his chair and Narcissa knew he was going to ask her something- dare she even think it- that bordered on personal life. She smirked inwardly, the poor boy was dreadfully uptight, she needed to have Draco take him clubbing, but then again Draco's job didn't exactly allow him much free time…
"About the latest victim, where was it found?" Narcissa nodded, she had expected this at some point. Ron Weasley was one of the finer Aurors they had, and he was on extended sabbatical. Meaning he could hunt down Harry Potter and not have the ministry sully its fingers.
"Acarataca, a city in Columbia. Their magic official detected a sudden burst of curse magic they claimed. We think that the fact a gigantic Skull Mark appeared was the tip off." Harry's personal signature, the leaving of a skull illusion that was split by a bleeding lightning bolt, left at the scene of every murder the man had made.
"And- are we any closer to catching him?" Percy asked cautiously. Narcissa shook her head.
"No, no closer than we were when the War ended." Percy sighed and fiddled with his glasses before Narcissa waved him out.
"You have other things you obviously need to do Percy, don't worry about me, I'll take care of that cauldron mess." Percy smiled thankfully and left as briskly as he came. Narcissa sighed and finger-combed her long elegant hair.
A knock on the door made her start, because it was coming from her office and there was supposed to be no one in there- She smiled when Sirius Black stepped through the door.
"Well hello Sirius." She cooed and Sirius grinned roguishly, hard to do, but he did manage quite well. Then he became far more sober as business took precedence over pleasure. Narcissa reformatted every aspect of her body language and poster to receive news of any sort.
"We- we almost had Harry." Sirius said softly and Narcissa sighed in regret, she knew how hard it was for Sirius to have Harry running from those who were trying to help him. To heal him…
"I am truly sorry Sirius…" She trailed off and Sirius slammed a fist into the wall.
"Damn Ron!" He snarled. "And damn Hermione!" He thundered and slammed his fist against the wall, ignoring the sickening thunk and crack of breaking flesh and bone. Narcissa put a restraining hand on his shoulder and her cool hands touched his gingerly. With a whispered word and a touch of her wand his hands were healed.
"You can't let that anger rule you Sirius, they have repented, they are sorry-" Sirius growled deep in his throat.
"I know and that makes it even harder- why can't he come home 'Cissa?" He asked plaintively, and he reminded her of Draco when he was a young boy, asking why everything couldn't be all right, hoping that his mother could make it so… Narcissa enveloped one of the strongest men she knew in a hug and held him tight.
"He'll come 'round, he just needs to be found, and we are close. No one knows him better than Ron, he knows more about Harry than Harry does." And she spoke the truth, Ron had been inside Harry's very mind, and knew the darkest things that had never seen the light of day which resided in his dearest friend's head.
"I know, I know, but it doesn't make this any easier." Sirius whispered into her hair.
Damn it Harry, why can't I find you! Ron twitched with barely controlled anger as he surveyed the city before him.
"Are you even listening Mr. Weasley?" The woman behind him asked irritably. Ron turned to her with a murderous look in his eyes and she took an involuntary mental step back as she quailed in her seat.
"Señora, I need to find my friend. I do not care what excuses you come up with, tell me where he is now!" Ron thundered and drew his wand. Immediately the woman's two bodyguards grabbed their wands but Ron was faster, far faster.
"Petrificus Totalus Omnis!" He shouted and they fell to the floor with a dull clunk. The woman was frozen with fear and then galvanized into action. She grabbed her own wand and gun, swing both around to incapacitate the man when a soft female voice yelled something out.
"Imperio!" Hermione said and slid out from under the invisibility cloak. Ron grinned at her.
"Thanks 'Mione." He said softly and she nodded, her eyes tightened with analyzing the situation. "Care to do the honors?" She smirked tightly.
"Of course. Ms. Ramirez, where is Harry Potter?" Hermione asked sharply, apprehension and hope tingeing her voice. The woman stared blankly for a second, almost resisting. Before giving in.
"He is-" She started and then her eyes widened.
"NO!" She screamed in horror and then her eyes rolled up back into her head and her nose began to bleed. Her body convulsed briefly before she fell limply to the floor, dead. Hermione stared at the body a minute before cursing fluently in a mixture of English, Spanish and Mandarin. Ron clutched his hands in intense anger, and barely stopped himself from crushing his wand in his fist.
"How can he do this?" Ron muttered to himself and Hermione just sighed.
"We can assume she isn't an innocent, he doesn't kill-" She stopped, that was wrong, very wrong. Harry had killed an innocent, the most innocent of all. She didn't dare look at Ron, but she couldn't help it.
"No Hermione, he doesn't, does he?" Ron asked softly and Hermione winced in pain, remorse coursing through her veins. Her once frizzy hair was now sleek and straight, a beautiful rich wood color. Her light trendy robes were snug against her body, but flowing all the same. Ron was a definite contrast to her, his frayed and patched robes were slightly ragged all around, although he could easily afford new ones, he just didn't care.
A ringing awoke both of them to reality and Hermione cautiously picked up the phone on the desk.
"Hermione Granger?" A voice asked pleasantly on the other end of the line. Hermione gasped in shock but Ron shot into action. Grabbing Hermione he whipped his wand around in a circle and Apparated the two of them to a distant pre-determined location just outside the town. From their vantage point on the hill they watched the Villa they had just been at explode in a cacophony of fire and light.
"Fuck." Ron said. And Hermione whole-heartedly agreed with him.
Remus grimaced as he stepped in something that definitely shouldn't be mentioned. This was not a good part of town. His trenchcoat with its upturned collar looked a little out of place amongst the "gangsta" quality of clothing most of the denizens of the neighborhood wore.
The street was littered in trash and the building next to him stank of fecal matter and composting food. And maybe other things… He looked up in disgust as he saw a boy that couldn't have been more than twelve posing, offering himself up to whatever sick fuck wanted him so that he could buy more heroin, as demonstrated by the bruises on his arm.
Remus's heart reached out and he couldn't help his hand from rising slightly, and stopped.
You can't save the world Lupin. He told himself, but when he looked at the boy… The youth turned and saw him eyeing him, mistaking his glance for something else he licked his lips provocatively, but his eyes showed something that made Remus's heart spasm. Remus strode forward with determination. He couldn't save the world, but he could save this boy.
The mission forgotten he walked across the street.
Neville leaned forward on the desk and clasped his hands together. His well-groomed fingernails were perfectly edged and his hands were the kind that looked very soft to hold. His robes were obviously of high quality material and his kind brown eyes held a great deal of warmth in them.
The desk itself was quite beautiful, aged mahogany carved simplistically yet exquisitely, it was a great antique that had seen much use in the past few centuries. It held within it no less than 29 secret compartments, all of them containing a trap that could instantly kill the person opening them if they didn't know what they were doing.
It was a little much Neville thought personally. But then again it had been in the family quite some time he reflected, and somewhere in his family line had been a need for such a thing-
"Professor?" A young man asked and Neville looked up wearily.
"Yes Mr. Ramkin?" The young man cleared his throat.
"What happens if the mushrooms are turning blue-" Neville didn't even let him finish.
"Everyone I want you to back away from Mr. Ramkin's mushrooms." All the students back up, they might ridicule the professor behind his back for being clumsy but in the greenhouse he was God. Neville swept forward and looked at the mushrooms. They were irritated in the sense of plants and he could feel the forces of growth running through them. Their magical nature was overpowering the natural way of things.
He gently stroked the tops of the mushrooms and let his peculiar brand of plant magery to flow into them. The students went silent as the professor began to glow blue and the mushrooms flashed green. Finally it stopped and Neville rubbed tired eyes.
"Class, I don't have the energy to deal with this right now. I declare a study-hall, please put away your mushrooms and don't wake me till it's time to go in for lunch." Neville said and went to his desk to lean over and sleep. The students quietly put their plants away and then started doing homework or gossiping.
"Did you see how his whole body glowed, was that incredible or what?" Asked Romany Weasley, his dad Bill was still working on curses but was now back in Europe dealing with some Norse tombs. His mom Anastasia was working with his dad and they wrote every weekend. During the summer Gringotts always gave them time off to spend with their families, something Romany- or Rom as his friends called him- was greatly appreciative of.
"Whatever Rom, he does it all the time and he is a buffoon the rest of the time." Damien remarked acidly. Beside him Harmony looked at Damien in shock.
"Damien! Professor Longbottom is a hero of the war!" Damien rolled his eyes.
"So is everyone and their mother- oh all right!" He snapped tiredly at the look Harmony gave him. Rom just snorted in amusement.
"Will the three of you just shut up, I'm trying to get some work done around here." Inserted the last part of their quartet, Jo. The young girl glared at them fiercely and then returned to her book and essay on it.
"Live a little wench whore." Damien told her and Harmony clapped a hand to her mouth. Jo just flipped the bird at him and Damien grinned suddenly.
"Anyways, isn't everyone from that class either a hero or villain of the war?" Damien asked. "It gets so tiring to listen to people talk about it sometimes…"
"That's because it must be remembered at all costs." Neville said softly and the group looked guiltily at their professor and Neville smiled.
"I couldn't nap, and I must admit that I don't feel like a "hero of the war" as you put it Mr. Dumbledore." Damien flushed. But Neville continued on. "How much do you know about the war? Does Binns talk about it?"
"He doesn't talk about anything that even resembles exciting or interesting-" Began one girl and stopped. Neville smiled.
"Oh don't worry, he's been boring students to tears since before my time. But seriously, how much do you know about the war?" A few students raised their hands and said they knew quite a bit while some of the Muggle born students shook their heads. Neville nodded.
"Well let's give you a crash course then, if you would care to meet me this afternoon down by the lake near that one weeping willow I'll tell you everything you could ever want to know, and some things you will definitely wish you didn't know. Everything, from the beginning when Tom Marvolo Riddle became Lord Voldemort to when he murdered the parents of Harry Potter to the final confrontation." Interest shone bright in the eyes of his second year students and Neville smiled softly to himself, a smile tinged with a sad bitterness.
"Oh yes, you shall learn much." He whispered under his breath.
"Don't you dare fuck with me like this Cassius." Ron snarled into the face of the man. Cassius de Martez merely looked dully back at the Ron. He was middle aged but in great shape, personal trainers can aid in that greatly and this man could have afforded a one on one with Richard Simmons if he wanted to.
"Fuck with you like what Ron?" Cassius returned amiably and Ron growled in rage. His face was red to the tips of his ears and Cassius reflected you could see steam rising out of the man's head.
"Mr. Martez, we know you can find where he's been-" Hermione began.
"No I cannot, if I could I would, quite honestly. I owe you two too much so please believe me when I say I have no idea were he is, and Hermione please call me Cassius." He beckoned the two of them forward on his great white yacht.
"Come with me, we shall have a delicious dinner with lobster and this one fantastic Chilean wine I picked up somewhere, I do not remember." Cassius waved them forward and they complied. The man had immense ties with all kinds of people, many of them quite shady enough for him to be arrested on many counts.
Sometimes it is very surprising the friends you make, Ron reflected. But they followed the ageing Costa Rican into the depths of his spacious and expensive ship.
Inside it was an elegant if austere setting. However the thing that caught Hermione's eye was a painting- the Boulevard des Capucines and unless her eyes deceived her…
"Yes, it is Monet's original Hermione, and it cost a pretty penny as well." Cassius winked at them and Ron let out a low whistle. The room although sparse didn't feel all that cold, but if wasn't warm either. Cassius clapped his hands and music began to play.
"I do hope that neither of you mind Flamenco music, I am a great fan of Carlos Montoya." With that he brought them over to a wall and ran his finger down it. The wall seemed to morph and then turned into a bar. Ron raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you weren't a wizard Cassius?" Cassius grinned like a child with a secret.
"I'm not, I just bought a few."
Draco mixed his stew lazily with his spoon and sighed abruptly.
"Neville do you need any help talking to your students this afternoon?" He asked and Neville choked. Hagrid gingerly tapped him on the back and he stopped choking.
"Uhm, how did you know?" Neville asked breathlessly and Draco's lip twitched up.
"That would be telling." He said and Severus rolled his eyes.
"Shut up Draco." Draco grinned, he liked how loose and casual the teachers were with each other.
"Quiet Sevvy." Severus's face darkened and Draco laughed loudly at him. A number of younger students turned to look at the staff table but then turned back. The students were used to explosions of laughter from the staff table by now.
"Oh will you two hush up, my psychic eye is getting twanged by the ego emanations from your high headmaster-ness." Lavender Brown complained mockingly rubbing her temples and this time everyone had a laugh at Draco's expense.
"Har har har." Draco drawled, reverting to the Malfoy of the past. A tap on his shoulder made him turn around and looked at Damien.
"Yeah Damien?" Draco asked and Damien flushed at the attention the rest of the teachers were paying to him. He looked at Draco imploringly and Draco nodded.
"Arabella take over." He got up and left the table. Arabella, or rather professor Figg, grinned evilly and looked at the rest of the staff.
"Heh heh heh." She chuckled and rubbed her hands together.
"Dear god we're doomed." Moaned Severus. Neville grinned. They were all so radically different. Everyone had grown up, loosened up even. With You Know Who gone and the war over everyone could be just happy. And most of all free. It was a beautiful thing.
You enjoy it, you enjoy the killing and power, I know you do.
"Shut up."
You can't hide from yourself, you must accept it.
"You are a means to an end, nothing more, when I am done I shall rid everyone of your taint."
As if you could- I am you now.
"No, you were never me, and you never will be."
Think what you will, it makes no difference.
"You're wrong, it makes every difference."
"What did you want Damien?" Draco asked and Damien hesitated.
"Professor Longbottom is talking about the war dad, is it ok if I go?" Damien asked and Draco frowned.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Damien scuffed his foot against the ground. Being around Draco always made him feel really young and slightly stupid.
"Well it's just- you never talk about it and I-" Draco stopped his son from saying another thing.
"Damien, whatever happens it doesn't matter, I just- I should have told you about it earlier, you are plenty old enough to hear about the war. I am going to go talk with Neville to you guys down there. Now go and eat lunch with the rest of your friends." Draco ushered Damien out who smiled back at his father.
"Thanks dad." He said with a winning smile and hurried out. Draco frowned, the boy was ready to hear a lot, but he wasn't quite ready for the truth behind his existence.
Draco walked back into the hall in time to see everyone getting up from lunch and leaving. Damien hurried to rejoin his fellow Slytherins and Draco joined up with Neville.
"I'll be there, it's high time we told the truth about the war, just don't mention anything about Damien." Draco said and then strode off, leaving the bumbling but talented herbology teacher to return to his classes.
"I don't care how many people we need." Sirius snarled. Behind the desk Wesley Hogendobber sweated. Sirius Black was innocent, it had been proven by level A veritaserum and the capture of Peter Pettigrew, but his name could still evoke fear, especially when he was in your face and you were remembering that he had been one of the most powerful wizarding heroes in the war…
"I can't pull anyone off any of their cases-" Began Hogendobber and Sirius cut him off with a feral growl.
"Shut up and do it. They almost had Harry damn it!"
"I recognize that Mr. Black but- oh very well." Hogendobber said, in the face of an angry Sirius Black he acquiesced. Sirius grinned nastily.
"I knew you would see it my way, and by the way," He said on his way out. "Narcissa also wanted a squad assigned to help Hermione and Ron." Sirius left the fuming elderly wizard to curse at things in his office. That had been fun!
"Terrorizing the help Black?" Said a sardonic female voice from the shadows of a corridor to his left. Sirius looked over and smiled at the shapely figure of Alyssa Kitchen.
"Hey Alyssa, how are things?" The Unspeakable smiled.
"Oh you know, top secret this, top secret that." She said casually and Sirius grinned. Alyssa's blonde hair and light complexion didn't do well in sunlight but she was still a looker even if she was a little pale. Soft skin and a face that lit up when it smiled were great turn-ons to a man of Sirius's maturity- or lack-there-of even,
"I would ask you out to lunch as friends, but I believe that is the man's responsibility." Alyssa said and Sirius gave her a look.
"What ever are you talking about?" And then he smirked. "Whatever Alyssa, I'll ask and you pay." Alyssa sneered good-naturedly, something that was difficult to do but she pulled it off quite well.
"Where's his next target 'Mione?" Ron asked. The two sat in a small café eating some concoction or rice and beans. Cassius had been unhelpful even though he had tried. Hermione shook her hair out and fiddled with the camera around her neck. They were wearing quintessential tourist garb, Muggle tourist garb. Ron felt woefully out of place wearing the flamboyant Hawaiian shirt, but Hermione had insisted.
"It's like that old axiom Ron, if you want to hide something the best hide it in plain sight." She'd said. Well that was all well in good but Ron didn't understand the logic behind hiding something by making it overly conspicuous. Still he did what Hermione had said, she was right too often for him to ignore it.
"I don't know Ron, I honestly don't know. We're running out of names, to be blunt Harry has been very efficient these past few years." Hermione said. And she was right, Harry had killed more than 250 people in the past 12 years, some of them incidental, others of great consequence. And that was only how many they had confirmed as him being related to, for all they knew it could be twice that many.
Harry was a powerful wizard, extremely powerful. Hermione held the finesse of a witch three times her age and Ron was very quick with his draw, it doesn't matter how good a spell caster you are if your opponent is already saying "kedavra" by the time your wand is pointing at him.
But Harry was very powerful; a Stupefy from Harry's wand could kill if he put enough force behind it. He could cast countless dark and light spells that took wizards years to master. He had already surpassed Voldemort for strength and was nearing Dumbledore by the end of the war.
"He wants to go home Hermione." Ron said suddenly. Hermione looked at him.
"Ron?" He paused and drew a deep breath, raking his hair with his fingers. Hermione reflected that Ron was a very handsome man, although nothing had ever sparked between them despite Harry's urgings…
"I just- I just know 'Mione. He wants to go home, it's been so long 'Mione…" Ron whispered softly and Hermione nodded. Ron had a link to Harry, one that enabled emotion to flow down it sometimes, and vice-versa. Combine that with their intimate knowledge of each other, and it was no wonder that Ron and Hermione had actually kept up with Harry even if it had been damn close at times.
"Ok then, let's wait a couple days to give him the lead and then we cn go home Ron." She smiled sadly, oh it had indeed been a long time…
"Well, I hope that everyone who wants to be here is here." Neville said. "Because I'm starting now." Neville sat in a chair next to Draco while the students lounged on the grass. The offer had spread and the group was mixed from all the houses and grades.
"Well, it all starts a good 60 years ago. A young witch became pregnant off of a Muggle man named Thomas Riddle. However when he discovered that his wife was a witch, he left her, and she died giving birth to her son. But she did name him, Tom Marvolo Riddle was his name. She was related to Salazar Slytherin and so this boy was the last living heir of Salazar Slytherin." Neville paused and looked at Draco who took it up from there.
They told the story, from the boy's first day of school, to his opening of the Chamber of Secrets. They left out one key detail though, something that few people were ready to know and most likely never would.
But it was incidental, and they told of how Tom Marvolo Riddle anagrammed to I Am Lord Voldemort and how he rose in power, and up to his defeat at the hands of Harry Potter.
"And since Harry's parents were dead and his godfather Sirius Black was assumed to be a murderous traitor, he was sent to live with his magic hating Muggle relatives where he was kept in a cupboard for the first 10 years of his life." Draco said. Many of the children were staring in a mixture of awe and horror at the two teachers.
"So he was kept with no knowledge of who he was, that he was special, that he was The Boy Who Lived. In his mind he was only the boy that survived and was hated. He became self sufficient and strong at a young age, when he could have become masochistic or dangerously unstable he persevered. And then he met Hagrid and was taken to Diagon Alley where I first met him." Draco said. Then he smiled.
"We did not make good first impressions." Draco mused and then remembered that the students were hanging on his every word. Then they were taken through the adventures with the philosopher's stone, the chamber of secrets, the escape of Sirius Black and the discovery of Peter Pettigrew. They told them about the Triwizard tournament and the rise of Voldemort, the battle of his fifth year and the assault of the Dementors, his sixth year when Harry killed his first death Eater, and finally, the seventh year.
"Voldemort had been gaining great power, he held sway over almost the entire European magical community. Nobody knew who to trust, the government was nearly dead and everyone was careful to cut their ties with those of Muggle blood. Only Hogwarts and the Aurors stood between Voldemort and domination of the European magical community." Draco said softly as memories began to come back.
"I fed them information as best I could, between myself and Professor Snape we prevented hundreds of Muggle and wizard deaths, and then Voldemort discovered us." Draco stopped and Neville took up where he left off.
"Voldemort himself went to deal with Snape, and sent Lucius to kill his own son. Narcissa Malfoy learned of his plans and left to warn Draco. Lucius caught up with Draco and Narcissa in Hogsmeade and annihilated about 10 people that had the bad fortune to be in his way. Narcissa dueled with him for a minute but 10 other Death Bringers appeared. The Death Bringers were the elite of Voldemort's army." Neville said quietly and Draco exercised his iron control to stop any emotion from showing on his face.
"Lucius caught my mother with Crucio and was prepared to kill me when Ron Weasley appeared out of nowhere. He didn't know that I was a spy within the ranks of the Death Eaters, didn't have any reason to save me except his own goodness. He killed Lucius then and there." Draco stopped.
"During this time Voldemort entered Hogwarts, he had a portkey that allowed him access to and from the castle. He went to the dungeons to fight Professor Snape, but Dumbledore knew he was there and set out to fight him. However, Harry knew he- he-" Neville choked and Draco took over again.
"What happened next is where the war ends, and the mystery begins. Dumbledore and Voldemort dueled with Snape out of commission. Then Harry appeared and Voldemort knew that he needed to get out of there. So as far as we know he disappeared somehow with Dumbledore and a potion that Snape had been ordered to brew for him." Neville paused.
"We assume that he left a portkey for Harry to follow him, and Harry did. Eventually we found the clearing where the war ended, it is in an unplottable location in Scotland. The landscape was ravaged by the intense battle of spells and in the middle of it all was a great cauldron." Draco paused, he needed to stop now, what had happened next was something that nobody needed to know.
"We don't know what Voldemort used the cauldron for." Draco lied. "But we did find Albus Dumbledore's dead body, and the body of Voldemort. We never found Harry's and it is assumed he fled the battle, to weak to think straight. He has been missing now for 12 years." Draco finished. "And that is the story of the War, and now it's time for dinner!" He clapped his hands eagerly together and stood up. The students were all staring at the two with awe and horror and no small amount of fear on their faces.
"That's horrible." A girl whispered and Draco smirked slightly.
"Indeed, which is why-" Draco's face hardened. "It must never happen again."
"Wow." Was all Rom could say. Damien gave him a look that said "You just made the understatement of the century."
"That's- it's beyond incredible, how could they do that?" Harmony asked in astonishment, her pretty face always looked a little confused and now it added incredulity to it as well. Her fiery red hair hung in neat waves around her expressive face. Jo shrugged in response.
"You do what you have to do, and they did just that." She said simply, flipping her blond hair back over her shoulder. Her sable eyes showed however that she was very impressed by the story they had told.
"Yeah, but still- I mean shit! That's just- aw Jesus." Rom said, like his father Bill he didn't mind a bit of expressive language, although his mother could out curse them both and still have enough left over to shock them into- well shock.
"Hey, who's table do we sit at tonight, I forget?" Harmony asked. Jo sighed exasperatedly.
"We sit at our table tonight Harmony." Harmony brightened.
"Oh goody!" And Jo shot her a disgusted look. Damien rolled his eyes and Rom shook his head good-naturedly.
"Harmony, you should have been born blond." Rom said and the four walked over to the Slytherin table to eat dinner. Draco watched them from the head table and allowed himself a satisfied smile. Raising Damien had been hard, but the boy was a good kid, smart and self-possessed if a tad arrogant. Draco liked him a lot.
But it would be a while before he could be allowed to know the truth about himself…
A Beginning…
A/N- This is just something to have some fun with while I'm working on other stuff, updates will be far apart, so sorry! Unless I get huge reviews… *wink wink nudge nudge*