A/N: Here's the next chapter, as promised. Consider it a late Christmas / early New Year present if you will. Reports on any flaws or OOC are appreciated as always.
WARNING: From now and on, there will be DH spoilers!
Chapter 5: Losses and Gains
He cautiously approached the iron-wrought gates and was already rising his hand to pass through when suddenly a short figure in hooded grey cloak separated from the hedge and silently made a move towards him.
In an instant, his wand was drawn as he quickly hissed the spell…
"Stupefy!"
"Expelliarmus!"
The figure narrowly dodged the Stunner, catching his wand at the same time.
"Quiet, Draco Malfoy," the person whispered, raising a hand in stopping gesture. "We have already little time, no need to draw extra attention."
The voice sounded slightly familiar, though Draco couldn't place it yet.
"Who are you?" He hissed, trying to subtly close the distance enough to lunge for his wand.
"Shh. Not now," the other whispered then unexpectedly tossed his wand back to him. "You have to return as quickly as possible. Bellatrix Lestrange will come back sooner than you think."
Malfoy had just picked up his wand from the ground and nearly dropped it again. "What do you know about it?" he carelessly raised his voice.
Without answering, the person suddenly stepped forward and gripped his arm, pulling him into a shadow. Draco gasped in pain when thin fingers accidentally touched his Dark Mark. However he put a hand to his mouth when a masked Death Eater appeared from the gates, looking for the source of noise. Although Malfoy was using the Disillusionment Charm, the way the cloaked person could see him before indicated it wasn't as good as he had hoped…
The Death Eater used a Lumos Spell, pointing his wand in several directions, but still didn't notice them. He shrugged and retreated inside.
"See? He almost caught you," the cloaked person whispered reproachfully. Draco noticed that the voice sounded feminine.
"Who are you? How did you learn about my plan? And Aunt Bella? And how did you get here at all?.." he began, trying to keep his voice down. At the same time he was forcefully rubbing his arm.
"It's strange you didn't guess, son of Lucifer," the female chuckled quietly.
Draco frowned at this, suspecting that she was mocking him. He made a move to take the hood off her face, however before he did, she gently took hold of his marked arm.
"So you have it already," she began thoughtfully. "I may not do much, but –"
She halted for a moment. "But I may make it come off in time". Draco looked at her incredulously. What was she talking about?
"It's going to hurt for a while, but I speculate you'll like the overall result," she said solemnly, placing her hand over the Mark. "Et libera nos a malo!"
This time Draco was ready the pain and wasn't disappointed in his expectations. It became searing, almost like when the Dark Lord summoned his minions. He had to bite his lip.
"What the –" he grunted, when she put a finger to his lips.
"Have patience. Now, if you don't go back, your absence will be noticed and you and your family will perish. You must wait. It's not the time yet to openly defy Riddle."
With these words, the mysterious lady stepped back, away from the drive-way. Just then, Draco heard a rustle somewhere nearby and promptly ducked, only to realize few moments later that it was an albino peacock inside the grounds.
He turned back to where his unexpected ally just stood only to see that she was gone. He didn't hear the steps or the crack of Disapparition.
However if what she said was true, he didn't have time to ponder this mystery. If she knew about Bellatrix being absent that night, he saw no reason for the girl to lie about her early return. It seems I'll have to wait for another chance, he thought miserably.
He quickly Disapparated, inwardly cursing his insane aunt.
For Harry, the rest of the evening was a blur. He was vaguely aware of the guests rapidly leaving to check on their families, and of Remus Lupin and Mr. Diggory disappearing with one of the new Order members to help Aurors deal with the consequences of attack. Bill wanted to go with them, however Fleur's vice-like grip and few French words quickly made him change his mind.
Then Mad-Eye Moody appeared out of nowhere, instantly taking charge of the situation at the Burrow. While Mr. Weasley, Bill and Charlie were casting additional protective charms by his order, 'just in case', Mrs. Weasley ushered Harry and his friends upstairs, telling them that there was nothing they could do, and it was the best for them to wait and call it a day. Ron however started arguing, while Neville flatly told his grandmother he was staying with his friends. Harry briefly noticed Luna and her father quietly talking about something when a silver lynx ran through the wall, stopping in front of Moody.
Mrs. Weasley then forcibly took them upstairs, but Harry still heard the Patronus speaking in Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice that the situation with attacks was getting under Aurors' control and Death Eaters had mostly retreated. Once his mother went back, Ron extracted an Extendable Ear out of his pocket, but Hermione gave him a strict 'no' glare.
Besides, Mrs. Weasley soon doubled back and they grudgingly had to go to their rooms, Neville having to share with Fred and George.
It took Harry some time to finally fall asleep, and not just because of the eventful day or Ron's angry muttering. His scar, rather predictably, started tingling. Naturally, when his tiredness got the better of him his dreams were disturbing to begin with, but at some point the dull pain became searing, and then Harry saw the image of a trembling kneeling man.
"Repeat it again!" he ordered in a high clear voice.
"M-my Lord," the Death Eater whimpered. "They've – the Ministry – appear to have caught Thicknesse in act…"
"Idiots!" His fury rose exponentially. "That was the worst possible time!"
"My Lord, how was I to know that Shamrock would throw off the Imperius Curse?" the Death Eater tried to defend himself. Wrong move.
"Crucio!"
The man screamed and fell on the floor, writhing in pain.
"If he was more resistant than the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, you should have dealt with him right away, Yaxley! Now you did not only compromise yourself but thrown the plan months back, and even the success of Dolohov and Rowle won't compensate that! You are extremely fortunate I've made a contingency plan."
He lowered his wand before looking right in his servant's terrified eyes.
"This Shamrock must be removed and replaced with someone else for a while. As soon as possible! Fail me again and it will be for the last time. Once it is done, Selwyn will try again. Runcorn and Umbridge won't hinder him, will they?"
"Certainly not, my Lord. Lucius had mentioned that their families are related," Yaxley piped up, clearly happy to be able to provide some information.
"Ah, our not so useful friend, Lucius…" Harry said coldly. "I hope he won't be too disappointed if I don't hurry with liberating him. There are more useful people locked in Azkaban, yet…"
Just then, the door opened and a disheveled dark-haired woman entered the room, followed by angry Nagini who was hissing obscenities about impatient sluts. He frowned in displeasure as Bellatrix Lestrange knelt before him.
"Master," she began with a crazed expression on her face. "Forgive me… it's extremely urgent!"
He could sense her hidden fear as well as impatience and anger, too.
"Off you go, Yaxley," he dismissed the other Death Eater with a wave of his hand. "Count yourself lucky the punishment won't be immediate. But don't think I will forget about that."
The man quickly left the room, immensely relieved.
"My Lord," Bellatrix whispered, not daring to look up in his eyes. "The locket is gone! I've searched the whole cave, I swear it just wasn't there! Someone stole it!"
A surge of rage rose within him, mixed with a tinge of panic. Nagini quickly slithered under the cupboard, sensing his anger, and he hardly subdued the impulse to cast the Killing Curse on his servant.How it was possible?! Nobody knew where his Horcrux was hidden except for Bellatrix and himself! Could it be that –
"Master," she dared to interrupt his thoughts. "Has anybody alive been there other than you and I? Did you show anyone else…?"
"Certainly not!" he spat in fury, rising his wand. "Unless it has been the nosy old coot!.."
Dumbledore could've found out about his past, located the cave and got inside, and might've sacrificed someone to temporarily remove the potion…
"Please, Master, do not hurry to assume the worst," Bellatrix's tone changed from scared to uncharacteristically caring, which disturbed him somehow. "There is still hope –"
Then she suddenly gasped, clutching her hand as if something burnt it. Nagini hid deeper under the cupboard and hissed something like "fire".
"What's this, Bella?" he asked coldly, his interest slightly piqued, despite her shocking news.
"M-master," she grunted in pain, rapidly pulling a simple ring with ruby off her finger. "I've… made a mistake…
"This little item was supposed to be my gift to you, for freeing us from Azkaban back then… But I was so happy to be back at your service again that I have forgotten about it until this night. I'll accept whatever punishment –"
"Later, Bella," he replied impatiently, angry at the distraction. "Finding whoever took the locket is much more important! Nobody steals from Lord Voldemort!"
He couldn't tell her the truth about the Horcrux; it was enough that she had another one hidden in her family vault…
"My Lord," Bellatrix once again risked her master's wrath. "Could whoever was used to place it in there –"
Her question momentarily caught him off guard.
"Of course not!" he sneered at her stupidity. "Inferi had seen to it. No house-elf could have lasted for long."
Lestrange's eyes narrowed. "And whose elf was that?"
"Your family's," his temper flared in disgust. "That ungrateful traitor Regulus gave it to me, running off not so long after that –"
He stopped as a terrible suspicion began to form.
"Kreacher?" her eyes widened. "But last year he looked perfectly fine…"
The wave of fury that followed this revelation was so excruciatingly painful that Harry woke up.
"Harry?" he distantly heard Ron's worried voice. "Are you alright, mate?"
He opened his eyes to see the blurred face of his best friend. Pushing away the head-splitting pain, he quickly put on his glasses and got up.
"Is it You-Know-Who?" Ron whispered. "Did you see something?"
"He knows," Harry said hoarsely, pressing his hand to the forehead. "That locket's gone missing. He's going to find out who took it."
Ron paled.
"And he's planning to kill someone. Someone important in the Ministry…" Harry took out the Pensieve and quickly placed his fading nightmare into the basin, feeling slight relief.
"Should we get someone –?"
"In the morning," Harry replied. He hoped it wouldn't be too late by then, there wasn't much he could do right at the moment…
The dawn found its way into the suburbs of a small town. The birds greeted the sunrise with chirping and several sparrows flew away from their perching place on a cornice, scared by a big crow. The black bird flew past the inconspicuous old door in a deserted yard and landed right in front of it.
Next moment, the bird vanished to be replaced by a formidable-looking woman with long black hair. She raised her hand and knocked the door several times.
For a minute there was no indication that anybody heard her. Then she spoke sharply:
"I know you are here. Open up!"
Few moments later, the door creaked and opened slightly, showing a glimpse of a dark, dirty room. The dim light made it impossible to see if anyone was there inside, but the woman still addressed someone unseen.
"Let me in and do the check inside. There might be people looking."
With it, she entered the room. The door closed behind her, several locks clicking ominously.
She didn't try to reach for her wand when an old thin man appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
"Identify yourself," he said hoarsely. The woman spoke up.
"I am Florence Fiona Fortescue, crow Animagus, sister of Florean Fenix Fortescue, daughter of the wizard Fernand Fortescue and Muggle Fiona Smitley who were killed by Death Eaters in 1978…"
The old wizard shook his head. "Not quite good enough. Too many people know this."
"…shortly before our gethering," Florence added pointedly, intentionally mispronouncing the word.
The wizard stared at her with his almost transparent wide eyes for a few seconds.
"So… Good love –"
"– is light sky," Florence promptly finished. "And happiness is a Swedish sunset. It's me, Orson, it's really me." (8)
She then raised her right hand palm forward and then placed it to a chest. The ring she was wearing glinted in the shadows. The old man relaxed, but apparently a bit too soon. Next moment, Florence's wand was pointed at his head.
"Not so fast, Orson," she said snidely. "Now it's your turn."
The man sighed deeply and mirrored her gestures.
"I am Orson Onyx Ollivander, professional wandmaker, son of Onyx and Aurora Ollivanders, Orville's older brother…"
"Not quite good enough. Too many people know this," Florence smirked.
"I remember every single wand I've ever made," Ollivander continued. "Yours for example, is chestnut and dragon heartstring, ten and a quarter inches, feisty and promising."
Florence relaxed slightly, but didn't lower her wand yet.
"And during your Animagus training you were assisted by –"
"Enough! I believe you," she interrupted, finally replacing her wand. "I had to make sure, though. You've been missing for almost a year."
"In fact," Ollivander chuckled bitterly, "I barely avoided being captured right in my shop. Thanks Light I had the cloak with me that night... But they are still after me. And every time I move, it takes them less and less time to pick the trail in spite of all the protective charms I use."
"Now to think of it," he glanced shrewdly at the woman. "How did you find me? What did I miss?"
"His techniques," Florence said solemnly. "I've got a lock on your eidos and followed the trace."
Ollivander's eyebrows shot up.
"Where are my manners, let's come in, there is no need keep standing next to the door."
As they entered the tiny cupboard-sized bedroom, Orson patted Florence's shoulder.
"You're more accomplished than I've thought," he said admiringly. "To locate the soul of a person you haven't seen in ages…"
"I've been stimulated," she replied mysteriously. "After several failed attempts."
Old wandmaker gestured her to sit down, taking place next to her.
"Now that we have settled the matter of identities, may I hear the reason behind your unexpected visit? Not that I mind, quite opposite in fact, but you wouldn't have sought me out of sudden if something important wasn't going on."
"Indeed," the woman said dryly. "You've missed quite a lot, hiding in this…"
She halted, catching herself.
"I see," Ollivander said tiredly. "You appear to think that I'm cowardly dodging the war and running for my life. Believe me, if only I had the power of my father Onyx or grandmother Justicia, I wouldn't have had to leave Diagon Alley. But as it turned out, my strength is waning. If it wasn't for Commander's warning –"
Florence gasped.
"Did you just say what I thought I heard, or was I bitten by a Wrackspurt?"
Old wizard again raised his eyebrows. "I think you've heard me perfectly."
"I've seen him last a year before You-Know-Who's return," he added, guessing her next question.
She let out a breath.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?" she quietly asked no one in particular, sounding hurt. "Have I done anything to question my loyalty?"
The wandmaker flinched.
"He must've had his reasons," he answered uneasily. "I can only speculate…"
"Answer me now!" she ordered, raising her voice.
"Don't take it badly, Fortescue," Orson began cautiously. "But it does seem possible to me that all these losses – and yes, about Florean I know – might have driven you slightly… well, unstable…"
The woman jerked for a moment before sitting back. Ollivander pretended he didn't notice tears welling up in her chestnut-brown eyes.
She blinked several times and forcefully rubbed the ring with emerald on her finger.
"Servo fidem," she whispered at last. (9)
He put his hand to her shoulder. "I only did what he requested of me. I'm sorry –"
"It's not your fault," Florence interrupted, quickly regaining external confidence. "So did I. Now, I have received a message for you from the Conclave…"
Ollivander gave her a sharp look.
"I didn't initiate the contact, if that's what you fear. But they knew we were friends before and expected me to know where to find you. Actually Ian hinted that Viktor told him discreetly that Timur decided to keep the whole thing down, so it's rather unofficial."
She paused. Ollivander's face remained calm as he waited for the message itself.
"Apparently You-Know-Who tried to open a dimensional portal few weeks ago, fortunately without success. The Conclave was very disturbed, but the majority decided to abstain from interference. But some of them think that all twelve members should have voted… or at least known about it," Florence finished.
Orson frowned. "I think I can see why Timur kept it secret… And I'm not sure if we should carry on this request, though the situation is serious indeed. Something needs to be done but alas, there isn't much we can do…"
"Unless the prophecy comes true," Florence intoned dramatically.
He looked up at her.
"There is one more thing, Orson. Last night… it has awakened!" she slowly raised her hand with the ring. The emerald glittered, catching a rogue sunbeam.
He sighed. "Do you still wear it all the time? Not even Annabelle –"
"I won't remove it. And won't let anyone else to. You know well enough that this is the Ring of Faith!"
Ollivander shook his head in exasperation. "You've got faith enough for four as it is. Sometimes I think you should've been in Hufflepuff House."
"Sometimes I think so too!" she snapped. "I believe Commander was right and shall do whatever is necessary to speed up the coming of what was predicted! Even if I have to summon him to me!"
"Your faith alone can't do this," the wandmaker noticed.
"I know it," Florence replied, a bit downcast. "But if I collect all rings…"
"And even if you had all four, then what? I myself wonder who had started this myth. You, or was it Annabelle's idea? No magic of yours can force him to do anything let alone come from wherever he is. You'd sooner raise Lady Scarlett herself!"
"You didn't create the rings!" she snarled. "You don't know what they can do in the right hands!"
She breathed deeply to calm down. "There is more to them than just their singular unique properties. I should know…"
She halted for a few moments before quoting quietly:
"Ring of Light – to plastic Water, To banish shadow and cool anger,
Ring of Faith – to stout Earth, To uphold through all the hardships,
Ring of Hope – to burning Fire, To root out the despair,
Ring of Love – to sweet Air, To warm hardened hearts of people…"
"Assuming you are right," Orson began, deciding to stop the argument, "how do you plan to find the missing ones?"
Florence stared at the emerald for several seconds, before muttering thoughtfully. "The Hope is in Lestrange's possession. Must have been since that attack… I'll have to track her down somehow. And I'm unsure where the Love is. I think I've sensed it only once since the backlash on that Halloween…"
Then her face brightened. "Perhaps Annabelle's ring might help to find the others."
Ollivander cringed. Here went his hopes to take her off the unlikely track…
"Do you really want to involve her?" he asked imploringly. "She is underage yet."
"If she has donned the ring, probably the time has come," Florence replied confidently.
"It's dangerous," Orson insisted. "For her, and for you."
"The goal is worth the risk. I'll have to go there anyway."
He turned away. Too late. She has switched to her 'adamant' mode…
"If it helps, I'll do all the risky part. She would remain safe… as safe as possible in the current circumstances," Florence added.
"But you're the last of the group. If you pass away too –"
"You could live with a bit more faith," she noticed with a small smile, so rare on her face these days.
The wandmaker made up his mind. He reached for his trunk and took out some package.
"Here. I can't convince you to change your mind, but I can help you to protect yourself."
Florence looked at him incredulously.
"But you need it to hide from Death Eaters…"
"I'm old, you're young," Ollivander smiled feebly. "Knowing you, you'll need it more than I."
She still looked unconvinced. He nodded.
"Yes, I do have a bad feeling about it, but honestly, it's only the matter of time before I make some mistake that lands me in their clutches… No shield is perfect. Your visit today is yet another proof of that."
"You can't take such risk!" her voice became stern. "Imagine what they can torture out of you!"
"Not much, really," the old man shrugged. Since they got Florean already.
"Alright, if you insist, I'll move to Wales today," he added at her deathly glare. "But you're still taking it."
He untied the package and extracted an old grey cloak with hood. "It was one of my father's," he noticed.
Florence took it very reluctantly but didn't argue aloud.
"Oh, and you have my permission," Orson added. "Not that you care about it, but the Conclave might."
She snorted.
When the Animagus was leaving the place after having a bite of breakfast, she had no idea that it won't be so simple to reach her destination, nor that she wasn't the only one after it…
One of the first things Harry did in the morning was go looking for Hermione to tell her about the last night's vision. His dream was already turning into a hazy memory, so he was glad he placed it into the Pensieve.
He dragged Ron to the girls' room, wanting to deal with it immediately, however Hermione and Ginny had already gone downstairs. And to boot, the boys encountered Mad-Eye on the way down, whose last name was speaking volumes at that particular moment.
"What do you think you are doing?!" He barked, causing Ron to jump in shock. "How do you expect to win the war if you don't even care for elementary wand-safety!"
It was then that Harry realized he had accidentally put his wand into the back pocket of his jeans.
"For Merlin's socks, do you need a spare eye to keep on the basic things?" Moody continued his rant. "If you've got no better place for your wand, then tuck it behind your ear so at least your opponent gets hurt instead of you!"
He limped upstairs, still muttering something disapproving about teenagers.
"Well, that was rough," Ron snorted nervously. "You'd think if you don't follow all his precautions, you'll snuff it before the daylight is out."
Harry just shrugged. The last night's Giant attack was bound to raise Moody's 'constant vigilance' to an all-time high.
They found Hermione in a conversation with Fleur, who was wearing an apron, apparently just shushed out of the kitchen by Molly Weasley.
" – Viktor waz very sorry he could not attend ze wedding because of zat Quidditch match versus Australia. He wishes you ze best and 'opes to see you soon…"
Harry glanced at Ron, whose face reddened slightly.
"Morning, Hermione," he interrupted the conversation.
"Oh, good morning, Harry, Ron," she turned to face them as Fleur smiled and said good morning.
"Have you seen Neville?" Harry asked. "There's –"
"Good morning to you," Luna drifted into the room with a usual dreamy expression on her face. Harry smiled at her.
"My pleasure," Fleur smiled at her too.
"You look worried, Harry," Luna faced him. "Did you see a Boggart in your dreams?"
"No, I've seen something else," Harry emphasized the last words, glancing at Hermione, who frowned instantly, because of getting Harry's meaning or of Luna's suggestion, it was hard to tell.
"Well, Boggarts sometimes may sneak into human dreams," Luna continued, "My grandmother Leia Skylight said –"
"Excuze me," Fleur interrupted her suddenly. "Deed you just say Leia Skylight? I 'ope zis eesn't ze Skylight woman who seduced Great Uncle Luc many years ago? Papa said –"
"Actually, it was a different way around," Luna lost her dreamy look. Harry and his friends just stared at her.
"Papa said she left him after zeir first –"
"It wasn't like that!" Luna replied with conviction. "She had left to rescue Miss LeRean and he –"
"– and he got into trouble becauze of 'er!" Fleur's voice was rising, her previous attitude towards Luna gone. "She deedn't want him –"
"It's not true!" Luna's voice sharpened, "Grandfather was badly wounded during the attack at research lab and –"
She suddenly stopped. Next moment, the kitchen door burst open and worried Mrs. Weasley came out to see the source of noise.
"I'm sorry, but you've got it rather wrong." Luna said to Fleur quietly. "Good morning, Mrs. Weasley."
"Morning," she said guardedly, eyeing everyone present. Her suspicious look lightened when she saw Harry.
"Oh, you're a bit early, Harry, dear. Come on, the breakfast is almost ready."
Harry excused himself for a minute, hearing the voice of Mr. Weasley near the door. He didn't yet tell any of his friends except Ron about his nightmare, but felt it necessary to make sure that the man from the Ministry whom Voldemort was after was warned.
He found Mr. Weasley at the front door getting ready to go to work, while Remus Lupin was telling him some details of the attacks.
"– and in Dorset they were repelled even before the arrival of Aurors. Young Rolf Scamander did it, imagine…"
"An unexpected feat, yes. Those in Somerset weren't so lucky… Harry!" Mr. Weasley noticed him.
"Are you alright?" Remus asked him in concern, seeing dark shadows under his eyes.
"Well, it is something I meant to talk about," Harry began uncomfortably. "I had a Voldemort vision last night."
In an instant Lupin was at his side.
"Did you see Voldemort?" he asked in strained voice.
Harry nodded. "He was angry at one of his Death Eaters because his Imperius Curse failed. He couldn't control someone called Shamrock and blew up the cover of their spy in the Ministry."
Mr. Weasley and Lupin exchanged grim looks.
"The spy part is true," Remus said slowly. "We have received a message from Kingsley yesterday that the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Pius Thicknesse, turned out to be under the Imperius Curse. Scrimgeour was in the right state. Everyone is being checked now."
"It's the part about Shamrock that worries me," Harry said. "Voldemort seemed determined to replace him with one of his men. And I think he also mentioned something about the plans of breakout from Azkaban…"
"We are using every thread of influence in the Ministry to enforce a better defense at the Azkaban isle," Mr. Weasley replied.
"Though I think Scrimgeour should be more willing now. But the mention of Edmund does surprise me. Edmund Shamrock," he inquired, "has been the Head of the Department of Mysteries for the last ten years. I've met him in the Ministry occasionally but he doesn't strike me as a type to become You-Know-Who's important target. I'll pass him a warning, still... Don't worry, not a word about you."
After he left, Harry turned to Lupin; the opportunity to hear more details was just too good to miss.
"The last night was rough?" he asked with trepidation.
"Yes, pretty eventful," Remus chuckled mirthlessly as they both walked to the sitting room. "Fifty attacks! Death Eaters must've been planning it for a while…"
Harry's insides froze. "So the losses were great?" he asked, trying to sound calm.
"Not as bad as could have been," Lupin admitted. "Surprising it may be, many people do know how to protect their homes."
He sighed deeply. "It's Muggles and Muggleborns who took the worst."
Harry looked up at him, silently urging him to continue. No matter how bad the things were, he had to know.
"Sit down, Harry," Lupin said gently. Harry really didn't like his tone.
"I'm not happy with breaking this to you… but you're bound to find out sooner or later. Your relatives' place has been attacked."
Harry felt himself strange. It wasn't sorrow and pain like he felt when Sirius had died; it wasn't the emptiness he felt at Dumbledore's demise, either. The Dursleys had never been the true family for him, yet he was sorry for them… Too bad they didn't take seriously his several warnings about Voldemort.
"We don't know for sure if the Dursleys are dead," Lupin quickly added. "We didn't find the bodies yet. We didn't find Arabella Figg either, though her house was left in ruins. There was the Dark Mark above the town, but since there are Muggle survivors, it is possible that they had avoided capture or worse."
Personally, Harry doubted whether the 'worse' was just that. Even trying to imagine someone of his friends in Death Eaters' clutches made him shudder.
"And I regret to tell you that the family of Dean Thomas also went missing. Ted said there was no Dark Mark, though… And… the Creeveys were also attacked."
Harry's stomach churned. The faces of his school friends swam in front of his eyes. Unknowingly for him, his hand reached for his wand. His blood was boiling and he vaguely heard Lupin's next words.
"…has found Colin's body. Dennis told us he tried to divert their attention and it worked…"
Harry turned away, fighting the tears of anger. Voldemort, Snape and their minions will pay dearly for this! For every single death they caused!
"…fortunately the Grangers didn't suffer. The attack in the vicinity was repelled early.
"The Daily Prophet has printed a full report of the attacks. We feared they might try to hush it, but with such a major event not even Cuffe can omit it, Ministry's pressure or not. But perhaps the worst effect of the attack is that people have been very scared. Some already started talking about surrender."
"They didn't!" Harry was aghast. At such rate the Wizarding world wouldn't hold on much longer…
"But there is also a number of those who demand to take any necessary measures to prevent Death Eaters from setting more such attacks," Lupin replied darkly. "It's hard to say, however, that this is very good for us. The Minister is likely to tighten the control any time now. And given the situation, I don't think people will object…"
Harry understood. Scrimgeour was already showing signs of acting like Barty Crouch Sr., but now he would certainly get an ironclad backup.
His musings were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a silver cat with strange markings around eyes.
"We have just found Seamus Finnigan in Hogsmeade," the Patronus spoke in McGonagall's voice. "He is in Hospital Wing now, and Poppy is doing everything in her power. He's badly wounded, but has a chance."
It was strange to feel a relief after hearing such terrible news, but the thought of even one person freed from Voldemort's captivity ignited hope in Harry's heart. At least Seamus is alive…
"Harry? Did you forget about the breakfast?" Mrs. Weasley came looking for him, shooting a disapproving look at Lupin.
After the breakfast Hermione pulled Harry and Ron upstairs, followed by Luna, Ginny and Neville.
Having set up the Muffliato spell, Harry retold his nightmare to the Core members.
Neville fiercely glared into space upon hearing that it was Lestrange who broke the news to Voldemort, and Hermione was very angry that Harry "didn't try to clear his mind at all" and worried that Voldemort learnt about the locket. Though she wasn't inclined to trust these visions much, not missing the chance to remind Harry of the disaster in the Department of Mysteries. In his turn, Harry suggested her to get the Pensieve and see the memory for herself, so no potentially important details would be omitted.
After observing it, Hermione's anger switched to Voldemort for abusing house-elves, and she insisted that Harry should act nice to Kreacher next time he sees him.
In fact the only thing that prevented Harry from summoning the house-elf right to the Burrow, was the risk of the Order finding out. With all the protective spells and Moody's eye, they needed a more private place.
"We cannot just call him in here," he explained to displeased Ron. "The chance of them not noticing is the same as of your mother becoming a Defense teacher at school."
"Actually," Ron gave him an overly thoughtful look, "it's not a bad idea. Mate, you are a genius!"
Ginny snickered. "Just imagine Mum assigning detentions and taking points off Slytherins! And the faces of Fred and George when they hear about it."
Harry looked at them incredulously. "Are you two off your rocker?"
"Never misjudge Mum," Ron noticed expertly. "Who do you think taught Ginny the Bat Bogey Hex?"
Ginny beamed proudly.
"That's not what I meant," Harry rolled his eyes. "The job is cursed!"
"Oh," Ron's smile faded.
"I was worried about this Shamrock person they mentioned," Harry returned to the previous topic. "So I told Professor Lupin and your father, and asked to warn him when they meet in the Ministry."
"Edmund Shamrock is a nice man," Luna interrupted out of sudden. "He and Mum were co-workers in the Department of Mysteries. And he stood up for me when I was nine."
Apart from Harry, nobody seemed to understand the underlying meaning to the last statement. And even he wondered why someone needed to stand for Luna. It wasn't as if her mother had died because of her…
"And Lupin confirmed the part about the spy being discovered in the Ministry," he shot a victorious look at Hermione, who scowled at this. His momentary satisfaction instantly faded however, when he remembered the next part of the conversation.
"Lupin also told me more about the yesterday attacks," he continued heavily. "Apparently the Dursleys and Mrs. Figg got caught. Dean Thomas is missing too, and Colin…" he broke off and turned away, unable to continue.
Hermione was mortified. The others were stunned too.
"Your parents are okay," he quickly reassured her. "They –"
"I know they are fine!" Hermione exclaimed shrilly. "I've seen to it before even coming here! But the others… Your Aunt, Uncle and cousin… Dean and Colin… Just where were these Aurors looking?!"
"There were fifty attacks at least," he muttered quietly. "They couldn't have known where to go first."
The heavy silence settled while everyone digested this terrible news. Voldemort was getting serious in his attempts to take over. Who knew what else he had in store?
Ron and Neville looked particularly grim. With Dean gone, it left them and Harry the only inhabitants of their dorm in the Gryffindor Tower…
"On the brighter side, they've found Seamus, McGonagall sent a Patronus message just before the breakfast. Madam Pomphrey is doing her best and would surely fix him before long. Maybe he'll even be able to tell us something about their plans," Harry tried to lighten the mood. "And Lupin also said that many wizarding families were able to defend their homes from the Giants, like Scamanders for instance…"
"Thanks Highmaster," Luna whispered. Harry slightly raised his eyebrows. He wasn't the only one at that.
"Sorry, thanks who?" Hermione asked slowly.
Luna's wide protuberant eyes widened even more.
"But how can you not know? I thought it was the common knowledge in the Muggle world! Highmaster is the reflection of Generic Omnipotent Deity, or, for short –"
"Oh, Luna…" Hermione's exasperated tone was a clear sign of an ensuing argument about the things one party believed and the other didn't. Not happy at the prospect, Harry started sidestepping out of the room, Neville and Ron noticing and following suit. As Luna started gesturing in agitation, he noticed a tiny ring on her left hand, which clearly wasn't there yesterday…
Same time, about twenty miles away
The forest near the village of Ottery St. Catchpole was quiet as always but its wild denizens were on guard, sensing the hostile presence.
A middle-aged couple was trespassing through the forest, and at a first glance their backpacks could lead one into thinking that they were tourists on a hike.
A tall, tanned man with sharp, carved face and red hair was following a blonde woman in a semi-military suit who kept glaring to the sides, occasionally sniffing the air.
At last she stopped and put her backpack down, extracting the map with hand-made markings. The man didn't hurry to unpack, knowing it wasn't a full halt.
"We arre close," the woman spoke, her voice sounding like a quiet growl. "We'll get zere today."
"I still don't like this plan, Xavia," her companion replied. She looked up at him. Her chocolate-brown eyes with an unusual amber-gold tinge gave her a slightly lupine appearance.
"Too late to back away, Keesh, it's now or neverr! If ze Conclave comes to dead end, Timurr will have to summon Queen Scarlett, and she will support us!"
"And you know that how?" Keesh inquired slightly skeptically.
"I just do!" she snapped in irritation.
"And do you also realize we may be kicked out from the Conclave if we're caught?" he spoke calmly. "Defying the Conclave's decision is a grave offence, even for the greater good. And White Buffalo and Xeno can cover our Muggle-style trip only for so long."
She folded her arms and glared like she always did when felt uncomfortable. The number, once tattooed on her wrist, was long since gone but the habit to hide it remained.
"It's been th'rree weeks alrready. We must do it." She said stubbornly. Keesh looked aside, having to listen to it twice a day for the last week of their quest. Sometimes his friend could be unbearable.
"Just what's wrong with you? It's yet two weeks before your time of month," he murmured inaudibly.
"I heard that!" Xavia snarled, baring her teeth. Keesh bit his tongue, belatedly remembering about her sharp hearing, and glanced at the holster of her army knife. Such comments were off limits and he knew it well.
"Let's move and get done with it," he quickly suggested. "It wouldn't do to knock at the door at midnight. We might give the wrong impression."
She snorted before packing the map and picking up the backpack. "We'rre doing ze rright th'ing," she said contentedly. "I know it. If I am mistaken, you may send me to a silverr mine."
Keesh subdued the urge to roll his eyes when she wasn't looking. Ancestors won't approve.
Alastor Moody returned to the Headquarters, having checked the detection charms for the third time. Weary from the lack of sleep, he automatically scanned the insides of the Burrow with his eye, just in case, but his thoughts were rather far away.
The absence of attack at Ottery St. Catchpole and the full strike elsewhere was a smart move on Death Eaters' part, he had to admit. They were having a field day, while the Order of the Phoenix (and could they even call themselves that now?) was sitting in an ambush, waiting for the assault that never came.
Then his thoughts returned to the things he confided to Remus Lupin the other day. Maybe it wasn't a prudent idea, but if something does happen to him…
He himself had heard the children's tale about Ethereals at the age of three. When he was an Auror trainee, his very old mentor Sir Richard Skylight let him know that it was based on a real facts, known to his timid wife Helatha. Later, Dumbledore told him the true story in much greater detail, making it clear that the information was top-secret and available only to a few Ministry officials.
The ancient and noble race of Ethereals, or Etherei, the mysterious energy beings believed to having inhabited Atlantis along with many other species, had once peacefully coexisted with the humans for many millennia... Until they had been declared a threat to humanity and exterminated mercilessly worldwide several centuries before, after one Chief of the Wizard's Council discovered that they were the natural enemies of Dementors, on which he relied too much. Where they had come originally from or why were so hostile to Dementors, it was impossible to tell any more. Anyway, they were considered the most mysterious creatures on the planet even in the ancient times.
The error of that judgement was quickly realized but the damage had already been done. The consequent execution of the initiator didn't bring back these enigmatic creatures of light.
The other high-ranked wizarding politicians were so ashamed of that foul genocide act that they decided to gloss the history and omit it from all records except for top-secret. As a result, after several generations most people considered Ethereals some sort of mythical creatures like those Crumple-Horned Snorkacks from The Quibbler tabloid. While being the Supreme Mugwump of International Confederation of Wizards, Dumbledore tried to lift the secrecy around that historical fact but unsuccessfully, for too many influential wizards in different countries feared mass discontent.
Moody always wondered how it was possible that the entire race, even not numerous, was wiped out so easily. The Ethereals supposedly weren't violent and mostly kept to themselves, rarely interacting with wizards and even rarer with Muggles, especially since the nasty incident with their leader a couple thousand years ago, but they were by no means weak. The Patronus Charm, originally created by their priests several thousand years before to help the human race, was a mere shadow of what a full-fledged Ethereal could do against the enemy, since a Patronus was an Ethereal drone generated by human's positive memories and emotions. The remaining top-secret documents also implied that apart from the Killing Curse no spells seemed to affect them at all. By the time of the slaughter however, most of the old pureblood wizarding families in Europe were quite distrustful towards Ethereals, with the few exceptions of the wise Dumbledores, courageous Fortescues, wandmakers Ollivanders, open-minded Weasleys and the reclusive Caelumens, who originally came from Central Europe and remained nomadic for many generations...
Then there was the case of the old apocryphal prophecy made once upon a time by Cassandra Trelawney about Etherei Renaissance, which according to Dumbledore was stolen from the Ministry of Magic a week after being classified. The daring thief, self-proclaimed Lady Scar, the infamous sorceress of immense magical prowess, had infiltrated the Ministry with disturbing ease and had never been captured so the Ministry's fears of potential leak of information were never alleviated. The Ministry's Aurors have even been retelling that tale for a few generations behind their superiors' backs. The exact content of the prophecy never surfaced though, but there were rumors that the ancient race was supposed to come back and take over the world just when the last of their descendants would fall...
He stowed his thoughts away, noticing Lupin descending to the cellar.
"Anything new?" Alastor asked grumpily when the werewolf entered the Headquarters.
He coughed. "There is one thing I didn't have time to tell you yesterday with the attacks and all. It concerns Dumbledore's will."
Both Moody's eyes fixed him with a glare.
"It seems he accidentally or intentionally lost one last part. Minerva just found it in his office."
"Excellent," Moody growled angrily. "Perfect. First suggesting this Guy-Enigma for the D.A.D.A. position, and now this. Just what game Albus was playing at?"
"What was in that part?" he asked impatiently.
"He made a few personal bequests. And apparently it confirms that he indeed left some sort of task for Harry and his friends. I think it might have involved this Commander too…"
"So-called Commander. For all we know he might be as much of a one as You-Know-Who of the Lord."
"We need to decide what to do with it. If the Ministry learns, they would seek to confiscate the items in question, there's no doubt. But if we don't tell them…" Remus gave Alastor a pointed look.
"I know!" the ex-Auror barked. "But it might be worth the risk. Anyway, I need to know the exact contents."
He yawned. "I could live with a little distraction if you keep up the shields till Jones returns."
"Do we really need to increase the security now?" Lupin asked in doubt. "The Giants ravaged half of the country but didn't touch Devon."
"So they did. But it doesn't mean they won't pay their next visit here. Though on the bright side, it could mean that they had no information on the new Headquarters' location. Suspicions at most. And they didn't use the Dementors either, probably had too few thanks to Guy-Enigma."
"Now you think it was him?"
"Possibly… looks like he could've wielded a Patronus like that," Moody said cautiously. "He seems to be one of those few who know more about the Ethereal magic."
Lupin shrugged. "Now when you told me, I remembered those fairytales about Ethereals my late mother told me when I was little..."
Lupette Bode, Alastor thought grimly. Such a promising witch she was, before Greyback's attack on her son broke her heart…
"…I also remembered that according to them, the magic of Ethereals was supposed to be deadly for all Dark creatures... including werewolves," he added in discomfort.
Mad-Eye openly laughed. "Now that's a fairytale if I ever heard one. If they were really that powerful, the Dementor-lover would've never defeated them!"
He was still chuckling while examining the sheet of paper Remus handed him.
Harry sneaked to the bedroom, away from Hermione's fruitless attempts to convince Luna that she was wrong. While he and Neville managed to leave the room without being noticed, Ron wasn't so lucky, and apparently Ginny didn't want to be the only mediator and peacekeeper this time.
"Galleon on Luna," Neville whispered. "You'd think Hermione should have learnt her lesson by now."
Harry privately thought that eventually both of them would calm down but keep their precious opinions. Hermione was a devoted follower of logic, and Luna… well, she might have had her own logic, too.
While looking through his things and trying to decide what would he need on the search for Horcruxes, he noticed Luna's notebook she left there yesterday. Out of curiosity, he took it, carefully browsing the damaged pages, and read the basics of what was described. Originally it might have been the list of spells with brief description of their effects and conditions of application (though only a very few remained), and some pages contained theoretical reference to some Arcane Magic and Formulas of Light, completely unfamiliar area for Harry. He'd have to ask Hermione later.
Finishing the overview, he noticed that one of the last less damaged pages contained a pencil note written in the margins, just beside some incantation "Electronumus" which, incidentally, had no description left.
He squinted, trying to decipher the miniscule words.
"Eth Eru Est," he inadvertently read it aloud. Next moment, he felt the surge of energy, hope and confidence running through his veins like electricity. It lasted only for a second, but the grief and uncertainty he was feeling in abundance after Lupin's news were almost entirely washed away. He blinked several times, trying to understand what had just happened.
"Harry? Are you alright?" Neville asked him in concern. "What did you say?"
"Nothing," Harry lied automatically. "Just a… just got lost in a thought."
Neville looked at him for a moment before shrugging and sitting back. Harry felt slightly uneasy. Lying to his friends wasn't a good beginning.
Then the noise from Hedwig's cage attracted his attention. He glanced at his owl, who had already returned from the nightly hunt and was trying to have some sleep. Pigwidgeon was more awake and at the moment was zooming around and hooting excitedly, apparently inviting her to come out and have a flight too, which greatly annoyed the snowy owl. Harry couldn't blame her. He himself would be annoyed.
She finally lost her patience when the tiny owl accidentally collided with her cage in excitement. Hooting angrily, she took off and pounced at him, clearly determined to teach him some respect.
Neville ducked to avoid the fighting birds when the door opened and –
"Hedwig, stop it," Luna said reproachfully.
The owls left each other. Hedwig hooted disapprovingly while Pig hid in the opposite corner of the room.
"Behave yourself," Luna lectured Harry's owl. "He is little and smaller than you. If you start hurting little ones, your feathers will turn dark."
Hedwig made an indignant sound, clearly revolted by the idea. Neville chuckled.
"Hey, Luna," Harry said. "Did you and Hermione finish already? I thought it was going to take a while."
Luna sighed disappointedly. "Hermione is more close-minded than I thought. It is going to take time…"
"I don't quite understand why does she always have to convince other people of her opinion instead of letting them be," Harry confessed. "She does turn out right most of time, but…" he hesitated.
"It annoys people," Luna suggested helpfully, once again unsettling Harry with her direct manner.
"Well, it might," he murmured.
"Are you still upset because of what Professor Lupin told you?" she unexpectedly changed the topic of conversation.
"Well, I…" Harry got lost momentarily. "It did come as a shock, I mean, what happened to Dean… and Creeveys…"
Luna stepped forward and took hold of his hand. Her gentle warm touch had strangely soothing effect on him. He found himself staring at the ring on her middle finger before lifting his head to see Luna's big silvery eyes so close.
"Mummy says that whatever we lose has a tendency to come back to us in the end…" She spoke quietly. "Though not always in a way we expect." (10)
Neville's cough interrupted them.
"Eh, guys," he said uncertainly. "Do you want me to go and check on Hermione and the others?"
"Yeah, thank you, Neville," Harry replied, barely paying attention. He just remembered about the memory in the Pensieve he wanted to tell Luna about. And he had a few other things to discuss with her…
After Neville left the room, Harry faced the blonde once more.
"Luna," he began seriously. "There are several things we need to talk about."
She nodded. "Yes, I feel so too."
He inhaled deeply before starting. "I have been noticing strange things about you recently. For example, you always talk about your mother in the present tense. I wanted to mention it several times but every time something interrupted us."
"But Harry, why should I speak otherwise? She is –"
"One more minute, Luna. I'll be most interested to listen to you but it isn't all. I also saw that Moody seems to dislike you for some reason I can't understand…"
She shrugged, her expression totally sincere.
"…and where this ring has come from? It wasn't there yesterday, I would have seen it."
"Daddy asked me to keep it," she explained calmly.
"Okay, but why were you so sure yesterday that there would be no Death Eater attack here?" Harry asked the more bothering question.
Luna simply stared at him.
"Did you know it for sure?"
She nodded. Harry's temper momentarily got the better of him.
"Then why didn't you tell someone?" he let his voice rise.
"Well, I tried. But the others didn't seem to believe me much," Luna said softly, looking straight at him. Harry wanted to bang his head on something. He himself had tried to convince Luna of the opposite. But why she didn't provide any logical arguments, instead of simply stating her opinion?
"Sometimes there are situations when you cannot give uncontroversial proof," Luna answered when he voiced his question. He thought back to his fifth year when nobody – no, almost nobody except for his friends – believed his claims of Voldemort's return.
He turned away, kneeling to reach the Pensieve, but then remembered it was still in the girls' room.
"Luna," he spoke uncertainly, not really knowing how to phrase what he wanted to say. "You said that your mother worked in the Department of Mysteries?"
"She used to," she confirmed.
"And did you know she wanted to work there since her time at school?"
Again she nodded. "Mummy has always been interested in Arcane Magic. It runs in the family."
"Well," he stammered, curious about this term, "Would you mind if I ask you what kind of magic is that? If you don't want to, I can ask Hermione –"
"No, it's okay. There are few people who really take interest in it, and most are working in the Ministry," Luna began to explain, brightening. "To put it simply, Arcane Magic as I understand it is the art of manipulating the subtle magical energies, inherent to the fabric of reality itself... They cannot be controlled, but one can learn how they work. And use this knowledge for the benefit of people."
Harry wasn't sure he fully understood the explanation but nodded anyway.
"I've seen the memory of Dumbledore talking to your mother when she was thirteen," he continued. "He gave her a Time-Turner then so she could attend all her electives, like Hermione."
Luna smiled. "Hermione is obsessed with knowledge. I'm not surprised she had chosen so much. I myself didn't have to take Muggle Studies since Daddy is Muggleborn, and Arithmancy didn't seem really interesting. Maybe I'll drop Divination this year, too. Professor Firenze tells us many interesting things – I still need to read his letter by the way – but Professor Trelawney is a little close-minded, though she used to serve some exquisite tea in her classes… The Care of Magical Creatures is fascinating though."
Harry smiled at the thought of Luna attending Divination just for tea and was a bit relieved that she found Hagrid's lessons interesting. At least for a change he will have one student in his N.E.W.T. classes…
"And when I talked to Professor Lupin, he told me that our mothers were good friends at school and shared their knowledge with each other. And I wondered… well… could it be…"
"That your mother used Arcane Magic to protect you?" Luna helped, giving him a sympathetic look. "Yes, I think so. Things couldn't have happened differently if she did. When a willing person takes the place of intended victim, the Death itself will work backwards. Almost like in the Deeper Magic from the Before the Dawn of Time, from 'Chronicles of Narnia'…"
Harry was too immersed in his thoughts to hear the last part. The magic that can even rein death… no, not quite, more like redirect it… Did Dumbledore know about it? Probably…
He wished he could've learned more from the old Headmaster. But you can't bring back the dead, Dumbledore himself told him… And Sir Nicholas also said that once one had gone on, there's no way back… Who would know better then them?
An uncertain thought tentatively crawled into his head. He turned to his friend who was looking at him expectantly.
"Luna, I just had a thought," he said, slightly embarrassed, "Do you have any ideas who can this Commander from Dumbledore's memories be?"
"Or perhaps, maybe you do know who he is but don't have the proof?" he added tentatively.
There was a very long pause. Then Luna spoke.
"Yes, I know who Commander is."
A/N: The last line was an intentional cliffhanger.
I'm trying to avoid LunaSue (or later, PowerfulHarry) and excessive OC interference. But the events already set in motion will have to take place. I do contemplate making Mrs. Weasley a D.A.D.A. teacher and temporary Head of Gryffindor House, considering her prowess in the DH, though it's not decided yet.
(8) Quote from michelle-31a.
(9) "I keep the faith" (Latin)
(10) Inaccurate quote from the OotP movieverse (as good as I can remember).
"Eth Eru Est" might be loosely translated as "Light is part of the God".
Electronumus spell belongs to michelle-31a.
The piece of poetry is mine. Possibly many would associate Love with Fire and Hope with Air, but I feel that in this case it works better this way.
