And Back! Due to several messages, I have now decided any Pairing votes in Reviews will no longer count, unless as previously mentioned you are a Guest, otherwise the same person could technically cast two votes for the same person.
On with the chapter!
Chapter Three: The Dark Allies
Harry Sat back in bed and watched as Carionax drew his wand, whispering silently before flicking his wrist around, "Expecto Patronum" with that two dozen balls of light burst from his wand and shot out like cannonballs, flying into the darkness of night, nodding to himself, he flicked his wand again and a large chair appeared in which he sat, his eyes watching the fireplace carefully.
Silence engulfed the room, as Harry too confused to ask questions sat in silence and Carionax attention fixed of the flames, after ten minutes, Harry saw the fires turn green and a plethora of people step out into his room, Harry's eyes went wide as their faces came into view and many were all too familiar with,
Leading the group was the pale figure of Cullen Malfoy, right behind him was Lucius and his wife Narcissa, each looking around before stepping to the side, allowing Professor's Snape, McGonagall and Flitwick to step in behind, each in their night things. Following this group limpted Mad-Eye Moody, keeping his back to the wall.
Right behind them came Amelia Bones and Rufus Scrimgeor, both looking calm, then a group of people Harry didn't recognise, one was a women with jet black hair, she had calm eyes but the light of the fire blocked their colour from sight, she wore black night ware and had her hair tied in a messy bun atop her head.
The next figure was tall and broad, his shoulders back, he to wore night clothes, but his head shone with the light of the fire, his eyes hidden by the flames he looked an imposing figure. The man next to him too was tall, but his figure was slimmer, his short brown hair covered very little of his face, but his brown eyes held Harry in their gaze,
The semifinal figure was of medium build, and had long black hair, with brilliant topaz eyes, like his fellows, he wore black nightware, and a semi-permanent scowl. The final figure was much shorter than any of the others, she had long brown hair and brilliant blue eyes, she wore emerald robes and looked around, "Well this is new"
Each of them nodded to Carionax who nodded back, and then the fire lit once again, and this time Harry felt his jaw drop, Sirus and Remus climbed out of the flames and looked at the assembled witches and Wizards,
"As you're here as Carionax's guest Black, and the recent word that has reached my ear, I will not arrest you on sight, but should you do anything to harm.." Amelia began before Carionax raised his hand and cut through the air with it, as Hyacinth walked in,
"Well it has been a while since we were all together like this" Hyacinth said brightly, as Carionax stood up and vanished the chair,
"Indeed, however I would have preferred better circumstances" Carionax scowled, "As we know there were seven parts hidden around Britain, we believed they were all hidden in ancient Magical items, mainly those owned by any of the four Hogwarts founders, the Locket of Salazar Slytherin, the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff among them, however I believe I have found another..."
"Where?" Snape asked,
"Mr Potter's scar, he was pained by it earlier, and when I cast my diagnostic spells I discovered the traces of the same magic we found on those items" Carionax replied, "Harry, I swear upon my magic we will help and not harm you"
"What do you believe is wrong?" Harry asked,
"Harry Lad, there are some dark magic's in the world, some of which can save you from death, but only a few, truly mad humans would opt to take the route, they split their soul and place it in containers, and even if their body is destroyed, part of their soul lives on, and after a ceremony is performed, the wizard can come back" Sirius replied,
"These items are called Horcrux's, and ever since we discovered Voldemort had created them, we have worked to destroy them all, all seven of them" Narcissa Malfoy replied, when Amelia looked over at her she shrugged, "I grew up in the Black family, we're taught about Horcurx's when we are 8"
"Of course, Malfoy's are taught at 6… or my father taught me about them at 6… Draco will not hear about them from me" Lucius replied, Harry watched as the pair seemed to be sizing each other up for an argument before Carionax cut in,
"Enough…" Carionax called, "No pointless arguing between us, we're worse now than when we were at Hogwarts"
"That's because we weren't all at Hogwarts at the same time… imagine the chaos we'd all cause…" Amelia pointed out, "Albus would lose all his hair"
"He did that once… or James caused him too… right after it turned neon pink!" Sirius put in, "We didn't see the hair loss warning… went round looking like a large house elf in posh robes for a month before he figured out a counter charm"
"I recall that" Carionax replied, before shaking his head, "Still we cause massive waves when we want to… but back to the task at hand, would someone confirm my theory?"
Cullen and Snape stepped forward waiving their wands and muttering under their breaths before after a minute both stood up and nodded, "defiantly a Horcrux"
"Dam" Carionax growled, "Severus, Lucius, Remus, we need a spell to remove it without killing Mr Potter, I want you to design and create it… Narcissa, Rufus, Sirius, check the library, top section, furthest bookcase, I want to know more about Horcurx's in living beings, the rest of you, do whatever you can to help, go!"
With that everyone rose and rushed to their tasks, Harry saw his room expand and now a large oak table appeared, where parchments were soon flung and Harry watched as complex diagrams were drawn, erased and redrawn, Snape seeming to do the most with Remus adding in details occasionally and Lucius scribing on separate paper,
"What are they doing?" Harry asked,
"Hmm?" Carionax replied, "Oh they're spellcrafting, its something rather interesting powerful wizards such as Severus, Lucius and Remus can get into once they pass NEWT'S, course they have created some powerful and sometimes lethal spells between them, but they are experts in spell weaving"
"Do you create spells?" Harry asked,
"A couple for personal use, but mainly no, I could if I so wished, but I think it is far too time consuming to create a spell that no-one may ever use" Carionax replied, "However they have created many good spells"
Harry nodded and watched as they buzzed around, occasionally someone else walked inside and handed Carionax a book which he sat reading, his eyes tracing the knowledge, silently scribbling on a piece of parchment, occasionally looking up and narrowing his eyes at the window, before returning to work.
Watching the diagrams, Harry felt tired and lay back down, falling into an uneasy sleep.
After ten minute of Harry falling asleep, Snape looked up, "I Hear you are looking to reform Dawn"
"Of course Severus" Carionax replied, "I trust I can count on you to help"
"But of course, if I retain my position" Severus smirked, "Playing both Voldemort and Dumbledore for fools is most enjoyable"
"Indeed, I find it amusing to think he trusts all three of us impeccably" Lucius smirked,
"Remus?" Carionax asked,
"It won't be the same without James or Lily, but Cullen and Ruby both seem like they will add a degree of power to the council of 16" Remus replied, "And Sirius will re-join too, as long as you can clear his name"
"Amelia is working on it for me" Carionax replied, "And Rufus is gathering our case against Fudge, soon we'll be able to make our move and have Amelia placed in the top job, Rufus will become head of Magical Law… and Alastor will return as Head Auror"
"You've worked this out?" Lucius asked
"Indeed" Carionax replied, "I also know you plan to buy the last of the stock you need to take the press, Cullen is soon to become head of St. Mungos… and Hyacinth and Narcissa are the bells of the Pureblood circles, we'll have the whole world under our control till the threat ends, then we can all resume normal life again"
"Really think it will be that easy?" Remus asked,
"Doubtful, but the toughness is what makes it fun" Carionax grinned, "How is the Order of the Burning Turkey taking Harry's departure?"
"Oh as well as can be expected, Sirius was overjoyed secretly that you have taken him under your wing… as was I, Alastor and Minerva were shocked but have since warmed to the idea, Rubeus said you were better than the Dursely's, the Weasley's and Dumbledore both furious though" Remus replied,
"No surprise there unfortunately Arthur and Molly are good people swayed too heavily by Dumbledore" Carionax replied, "I hear their eldest sons have broken away though, one a curse breaker with Gringotts and the other with Dragon's… maybe I should send him my notes… add a new agent"
"Don't bother, Dumbledore blocks all mail to the Weasley's and checks it himself." Sirius appeared from the doorway, "only way of getting it past him would be to deliver it yourself in person"
"Always wanted to go to Romania" Carionax mused before shaking his head, "No bad idea, but Hyacinth could…." Carionax voice drifted off before he shook his head again,
"Very bad, with Voldemort running around" Sirius replied, sitting down in the chair Carionax had conjured,
"Worse, Dumbledore is running around" Carionax replied,
"What's your issue with him?" Remus ask,
"He has a God complex and Is dangerous because of it" Carionax replied, "He'd rather save his name as a respected and beloved wizard than tell a difficult truth, even should It cost a thousand lives"
"Whereas you are the soul of honest" Lucius replied,
"I tell truths that need to be told, if it will cost lives not to, I tell, if it will cost lives to tell the truth, I keep it to myself" Carionax replied, "After all, I have her confidence in this"
"SHE trusts you that much?" Remus asked,
"Of course, SHE Does, my ancestor being who he was… and is…. SHE Cannot help but trust me, but that reminds me, I'm due a letter from him today… maybe I'll ask if they have learnt anything useful about Horcruxs" Carionax replied with a hum,
"I Very much doubt that" Severus replied, continuing to work, "From what you have told me about HIM, he seems an expert on Daemons and the criminal underworld, not the magical darkness"
"Still…" Carionax mused before everyone fell about their tasks again in silence,
(7 Am)
Harry awoke with a start, looking around the room, Sirius was asleep at the side of his bed, head leaning on the bed itself, while Snape, Carionax, Lucius, Remus and Hyacinth all discussed the far more complex diagram,
"I don't get this part, what would a tracer element do to help, it would make it far too strong for anyone to cast" Hyacinth asked,
"Hmm, I thought we could use it to track the last Horcrux, after all, with this one down, there is only one left…" Carionax replied,
"Really?" Lucius asked,
"Indeed, the Diary was destroyed by Mr Potter, the Locket was switched and destroyed by myself, the ring was switched and defeated by Cullen, the Diadem was switched and destroyed by Ruby, the Cup was switched and destroyed by Hyacinth" Carionax listed,
"That reminds me, where are all of them?" Remus asked,
"I have the Locket" Carionax replied, and withdrew a small emerald and silver locket, "Severus keeps the Ring, the Diadem is in Cullen's possession, the Diary is kept by Dumbledore and the Cup is with Pomona"
"Why not keep them all here?" Remus asked,
Carionax chuckled, before noticing Harry was awake he chose his words carefully, "It would be dangerous to keep several Hallowed objects together in one place, better to split them into three, one for each of the three biggest targets of Voldemort's, the true spy, the child who continues to live or the rival lord"
Harry frowned before Sirius awoke, "Harry lad, good to see you again"
Hearing this, all the adults turned to look at Harry before Lucius withdrew a pocket watch, "Hmm, seven fifteen, I think… time for some breakfast"
With that the adults each walked out of the room, "We'll see you in the dining room in fifteen minutes"
With that Harry was left alone, he could hear people walking in the hallway outside of his room before they fell away to silence, he quickly got dressed into a set of black robes, he washed and walked out his room, map in hand, before he stopped dead, down the long corridor in the Dementor wing as Carionax had called it was the Malfoy's, all four were walking down the corridor towards him,
Suddenly glad he had his wand, he made ready to draw should he need, however when they saw him, they inclined their heads, "Heading to Breakfast Mr Potter?" Narcissa asked, and Harry nodded once,
"Well, allow us to lead you, Carionax would hate for you to get lost" Lucius smiled, before walking past Harry, Draco following behind as Cullen shook his head,
"Forgive my younger brother, he is quite headstrong, and is a very good actor, his mask is flawless, and now he must get used to showing his true self to people" Cullen told him, "But that reminds me, we have yet to be formally introduced, I am Cullen Malfoy, patriarch of the Malfoy family, and Lucius' older brother and a former schoolmate of Carionax's"
Harry saw Cullen extend his hand and they shook, before Cullen gestured Harry to follow, "There are some things I need to tell you Harry, as you are no doubt aware with Voldemort back, Carionax will begin rearming a his forces called Dawn, it was what he used in the first war against Voldemort, only of age wizards can enter, so I cannot grant you entry, however be aware, those that are members of Dawn will act differently when in the public eye that in private either in order to keep their cover as spies or because it is expected of them"
Harry nodded, "Like Snape?"
"Maybe… Dawn was founded by 16 gifted and talented Wizards, each of them lead one portion of the forces, Carionax is the leader as he is the Light Lord, and people call Dawn his sword, which he uses to cut down any threats to a peaceful wizarding Britain" Cullen replied,
"So does Carionax rule with an Iron Fist?" Harry asked,
Cullen threw his head back and laughed, "No, nearly every important decision is handled by the council of 16, most of which are the founders of Dawn, he is the leader, but the council as a whole is what holds the power"
Harry nodded, "Seems diplomatic"
"Indeed, it was hoped to avoid a situation where any one person has too much power and unlike the Order of the Burning Chicken, we have both Light and Dark Witch's and Wizard's in a position of power " Cullen replied as they arrived at the dining hall, the door opened and Harry saw a large room which was pale white on the walls with a swirling golden pattern, there were four chandeliers the length of the room which cast a warm glow down upon them, the table was long and grand, taking an empty seat to Draco's left Harry saw Cullen sit next to Hyacinth who sat to Carionax's left.
Looking around Harry saw them all sitting as Snape walked in and took the seat to Carionax's right.
"As we're all here, let us being" Carionax spoke and Harry saw dozens of plates appear, jugs of milk, water, Pumpkin juice and Pots of tea and coffee, with a small pot of sugar nearby appeared in the centre and platers of sausages, bacon, small pancakes, beans, omelettes, croissants, toast with a verity of jams, marmalades and spreads, appeared surrounding them, and in the centre was a massive plate of a verity eggs, boiled, scrambled, poached and fried.
Everyone began to request food and the plates flew over to them, allowing them take what they wanted before it whizzed to the next person, Harry wasn't surprised where the drinks did the same, Harry helped himself to a small pile of food, noticing McGonagall, Carionax and Hyacinth watching to make sure he had enough, as Did Sirius who sat opposite.
As he ate, he noticed several people had brought books with them, and then that the plates all seemed to bare the Slytherin crest, before he reminded himself Caionax was the Lord Slytherin and this was Slytherin's manor before Carionax renamed it.
"So Harry, what are you plans for the day?" Carionax asked, "We have a full sized Quiddich pitch if you wish some flying, a large library for reading, a potions lab if you feel like testing your hand or many chessboards, if you wish it"
Harry thought for a moment before looking up, "I think, I'll go flying"
Carionax nodded, "I shall get someone to show you to the pitch"
The rest of the meal there was the occasional whisper across the table, but it was much quieter, then the plates vanished And several owls flew in, and landed in front of their owners, each bearing letters, Harry then saw a silver knife appear in front of them all, which watching people was used to open the letters, Harry noticed Hedwig bore several letters for him, he took them and picked up the knife, at which time the space where the knife appeared now a small pile of owl treats appeared instead which Hedwig pecked at happily.
Looking at the letters, he found three, one from Ron and Hermione, another from Dumbledore and one from one with handwriting he didn't recognise, on the envelope it simply read,
To Be Sent To Harry J. Potter, should he fall under the Magical Guardianship of Lord C. V. Greywalker
And done!
Who could the letter be sent by?
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Poll:
Colin Creevey: 3
Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy: 2
Ginny Weasley, Primrose Greywalker, Theodore Nott, Luna Lovegood: 1
Ron Weasley, Alistair Greywalker, Oliver Wood: 0
Next Chapter up soon!