Author Notes: Somehow, the story went mostly unnoticed. Only 40 views? Imagination got 3000. I'd understand negative reviews, or lack of them, because of a dark setting.
I assume that post-Hogwarts stories aren't very popular. I decided to post one more chapter, to see if that's the case. Doubt that there will be more soon.
TURNCOAT
by CreatorZorah
Chapter 2
"Stand up, you piece of shit."
That wasn't the best way to be woken up. The guards revived him, before dragging back to the cell, or as it turned out, to the dinning hall. It was the time for breakfast. All around him were people he had arrested, most of them were looking at him, but their eyes weren't full of hate as it had always been. They were just curious.
Before his death, Nott had said that everything went as planed. That meant that they knew about the ritual. But the only two who knew about it, were Luna and Croaker. How could that happen? Did Croaker betray him, or was it Luna? That was an utter crap. Luna wouldn't ever betray him, but Croaker couldn't do it either. Did someone else know about the ritual?
Luna was the one who developed it. She had worked on it for two years and conveniently finished it right after the Malfoy's capture. Furthermore he could remember her being nervous, unusual for Luna. The way she reacted when he complimented her on inventing the ritual. But this couldn't be truth, not Luna. Anyone, but Luna. She couldn't have done this to him... and to Ginny, to his daughter. 'No, don't think about it,' Harry told himself inwardly.
"Damn it!" he cried out unable to hold it inside anymore.
"Draco?"
Harry turned around an froze at the sight of Laurence Nott. He looked old, years in the prison changed the former Death Eater a lot. Long grey hair and sunken eyes spoke much about the time in Azkaban.
"Where is my son?" Laurence asked. "I was told he was dragged somewhere with you by the guards."
Harry hated both of them, Laurence and Theodore, both of them killed innocents, but it was still difficult to find some words to tell a father about his son's death. He knew how difficult it was to accept that one's child's death. Even after years he still couldn't.
"He... killed him," Harry answered.
Laurence grabbed him and demanded, "What? Who killed whom?"
Harry wanted to say Malfoy, but right now he was Malfoy and it would be incredibly stupid to say that. Laurence would either think that he'd gone completely mad, or had killed his son.
"Potter," he said. "Potter killed him right before my eyes, claiming that Theo tried to attack him."
Everyone in the dinning hall went silent at that looking at him and Laurence. Oh, they hated him and now they obviously had one more reason to hate the name Potter.
"No..." the former Death Eater uttered. "Fucking son of a mudblood whore!"
Harry clenched his fists, but didn't say anything. Perhaps he could rile them up and use the commotion to break out of the prison. He had to break out not for his own sake, but for everyone else. He had to save Ginny and Lily, he had to save the Ministry from that monster. He looked around. Among lots of unfamiliar wizards and witches, Kinfire and Dawlish were working as guards here. Dawlish was quite good, even if he had become a drunkard when his career had gone to hell. But Kinfire... Harry had a chance against him. Oh if only he had been as good as Hermione at wandless magic. But he wasn't a slouch either.
"I'm sorry," Harry said, speaking louder than before. "Theo didn't attack him and Potter's attack was completely unprovoked. He has just severed his head almost the same moment Theo entered the room."
Nott narrowed his eyes and leaned over to his ear. "I know what you are doing," he whispered. "It won't help us if you get yourself killed too."
"But that's the only chance to escape. Besides I'm proficient in wandless magic. And I have to escape, otherwise..." Harry hesitated for a moment. "Potter said that he'll lead a raid against the Blood Alliance. Without me and Theo they have no chance."
Harry could only hope that Nott knew what the Blood Alliance was. Harry had a little knowledge about it himself. The only thing he was sure of, the members of the Alliance were responsible for deaths of many wizards and witches occurred in the last fifteen years.
"This can't be allowed," Nott whispered. "They're the last hope for our world. How did that happen? My son said there was some plan."
"All plans went to hell the moment Theo was killed," Harry said wondering what Laurence meant about hope.
"But there is no chance to escape," the former Death Eater whispered. "Even if you reach the water, they'll get you."
"If I reach the water, I can use animagus transformation to get away."
Nott's eyes widened. "Good. There'll be enough chaos for you. Don't waste it." Then suddenly he spoke very loud, "You heard this. All of you heard this. Potter killed my son in cold blood! And now he targets the remains of the pure-blood culture, and some of your children. Greengrass, Parkinson, Ravensgard, Morgan and many others... Potter will kill your children too! The fool will destroy our world! Let's say our word, even if it will be the last one! Let them hear our voice! Let's show them that we do not fear death, that we won't rot here like fucking cowards!"
The guards clearly didn't expect something like this and didn't intervene in time to prevent the chaos. Of course they still had their wands and the prisoners normally wouldn't have a chance, as only the minority could use wandless magic. Dumbledore, Riddle, he, Snape, Hermione, Moody and Malfoy. Kinfire didn't expect to get hit with a wandless disarming charm. Harry was an expert of this particular spell and could execute it well in any condition. The charm executed without a wand wouldn't work against someone experienced like Dawlish, but Kinfire... how did he get this job?
Harry didn't waste the time and rushed to the exit, disillusioning himself. The wand in his hand was doing a really bad job for him. It was almost incompatible, but it was still better than nothing. Behind him a spellfire has broken out. Someone apparently got his or her hands on another wand. Damn it, he didn't intend to cause a mass break out. Harry shook his head. No, they didn't have a chance. There were thirty wizards stationed here as guards. Using the riot, Harry could slip out, but others will be soon incapacitated. At least his break out will force the Ministry to upgrade the security.
A few minutes later, he got out. He was post the newly installed anti-animagus wards. He had barely used it and just like his father had decided to keep the skill secret. As a black crow he flew up and soon disappeared in the sky.
His first intention was to go home immediately, but he fought the urge to see his family. He needed a wand. He had no idea where his own wand was. For all he knew, Malfoy could have destroyed it. Harry knew of only one other wand that would work for him perfectly. The Elder Wand. The moment he landed and transformed back into his human form, he apparated to the forest close to Hogsmeade.
He hated doing it again, disturbing Dumbledore's tomb, but it had to be done. He wondered briefly if it was the wand's curse to never lose its power. The decoy and the wand were still there, not really surprising considering that no one, except Hermione and Ron knew what the wand was.
With the Death's stick in his hand he apparated to the Godric's Hollow, where he and Ginny had built a new house fifteen years ago. Harry disillusioned himself quickly and walked down the alley to his house. As he reached the wards he stopped. His house was warded. Even if Malfoy looked like him, the wards had to prevent him entering the grounds. If he had entered his home...
That meant that someone did that while Harry was unconscious. He doubted that Ron wouldn't notice it, so it was someone in the Ritual room. He closed his eyes and sighed. He couldn't believe that it was either Luna or Croaker. And considering that the later owed a huge life-debt to him, that unlike Luna's wasn't repaid... Bullshit! He could imagine anyone betraying him, even Ron and Ginny, but not Luna. That was bloody impossible.
If the wards were modified than another step would trigger the first layer. Aurors had informed the MInistry about the break out anyway by now, so he had nothing to lose. Harry stretched his hand, breaching the alarm ward... and it triggered the wards. Yes, the wards were modified. He refused to believe that it was Luna, so someone had to be in the same room that day. However, he had informed Ron that Luna would hand over Malfoy. If Luna was alive... Bullshit.
So, entering the house was impossible right now. How to inform Ginny about the situation? His eyes widened as he realized that he could just produce a Patronus to convince everyone.
"Expecto Patronum," he whispered and much to his surprise it didn't produce a corporeal Patronus.
He got the same result when he tried again. So, someone thought about it, but how did they suppress his ability to summon a corporeal Patronus? He didn't feel any less powerful and he used the same memories, the same feelings to conjure it. Dark Wizards had a difficulty with conjuring one, but he wasn't a Dark wizard. But that was the only explanation he had. He doubted that even Hermione would be able to give him another answer. Did they taint him with Dark Magic while he was unconscious? Perhaps the ritual itself was Dark, but Luna wouldn't suggest it then. Or would she, because she was a traitor? No, bullshit! Not Luna.
He shook his head and apparated to Ginny's amateur team's training facilities. Ever since she had retired from the professional quidditch she was still playing in an amateur one. She had to be here. If he couldn't convince her with a Patronus, he still had lots of memories they had shared together.
When he once again triggered the wards, this time at the training facilities, Harry froze. Not the wards were modified, his magical signature was. Was that the result of the ritual, or did they do this after the ritual? As he heard a noise of apparation, he was forced to disapparate again. He couldn't fight his own Aurors. It was a bad idea to fight with restrictions while they would answer with a deadly force. A single moment of hesitation, one mistake would lead to his death. And he couldn't risk it. Because that meant to allow Malfoy to do what he wanted.
It was utterly impossible for him to get near anyone because his signature would cause alarms almost everywhere. So, the only thing he was able to do was to meet Ginny, Hermione or Ron while they were outside of the wards. Harry knew that Malfoy would wait for him to come for Ginny and, of course, not alone, so all Harry's last actions were utterly useless. Contacting Hermione was an insane risk, because she was the only one in the Great Britain who could defeat him in a duel. But at the same time she would be the first to realize that something was fishy. Luna was probably dead and if not, she was a traitor, otherwise she would expose Malfoy. Hermione then.
Hermione had to be at Ministry and Harry didn't want to infiltrate the Ministry. After the war it was heavily warded and now he would be caught there before he would be able to make a single step. However, he knew that she would visit today a muggle bookshop. If she hadn't changed her schedule, this would be his chance.
A few hours later he entered Hermione's favourite bookshop. As predicted, Hermione was there, but the moment he made a step towards her, Harry felt as she erected an anti-disapparation ward. Now he didn't have time to explain. He couldn't allow the bookshop to become a battlefield, because it would endanger Hermione.
"Damn it, Hermione, what a moody situation," he said rushing away from the bookshop.
That was enough. He knew that she would understand what he meant. Malfoy would never call her Hermione, neither would he come for her alone. And the moody situation would finish the picture for her. The fact that she didn't try to take him down, told him that she was already on the way to understand everything. Malfoy, on the other hand, even if he decided to question the muggles wouldn't learn anything. As long as Malfoy believed that no one suspected anything, his family was relatively safe.
