a/n: Updated 22 Oct with corrections and a major addition that explains a few things I forgot while writing. Be warned there is a major character death but from the books not this story.

Chapter Seven

Hogwarts - Late Evening - News From Azkaban

1985, 8 August

A very mentally exhausted, old wizard returned to Hogwarts from the Floo at the Leaky Cauldron. He had been to #4 Privet Drive to confirm to himself that the Boy-Who-Lived no longer was alive. He had been momentarily startled by the rune Eihwaz across the heavyset Vernon Dursley's forehead. He knew at once that it was not some scar the Muggle had received in an accident; a wizard had placed the mark in such a manner as to declare to anyone that understood runes that this man was a murderer. Petunia had tried to screech at him but her voice was no more than a whisper.

Albus had Legilimensed Vernon Dursley and discovered that any and all knowledge of Harry Potter had been brutally scrubbed from his memories. Yet, the Muggle had been punished with nightmares in which the fat Muggle became the child he had so physically injured. The rune. Albus nodded in understanding. It had grown from the nightmares.

He then looked into Petunia Dursley's mind and found the answers he sought. Severus Snape had left the signature of his magic.

The Headmaster had then sent the Dursleys to their rooms as he went to the place where he had seen in Petunia Dursley's mind where her husband had buried the body of Harry Potter. He was not surprised by the obvious turmoil of dirt and grass that had erupted days earlier when the Potions Master had Summoned the body to his arms.

"Severus," he whispered to the empty grave. "What have you done?" His Gryffindor imagination immediately thought the worst.

As it was, when Albus returned to Hogwarts he learned that his Potions Master was in some sort of healing sleep. It was the Grey Lady who insisted the Headmaster not bother the sleeping man. The Grey Lady had then settled into the window seat in the circular Headmaster's office to read. A few minutes later the Bloody Baron arrived. Albus listened, nearly breathless, as the ghost related to him of the arrival of the Spirit, the gathering of the remains, and the Spiritus Vitae.

"Harry Potter lives," breathed Albus in wonder. He would see this child and make sure that the Prophecy...

"Harry is in a healing sleep, Albus," interjected the Grey Lady interrupting the old man's thoughts. "The Spiritus Vitae is finishing while he sleeps by stabilising his physical body and the magical core within."

"And, Severus?" queried Albus. "I do not understand why he sleeps."

"The brewer of the Spiritus Vitae must take the last of the potion…" began the Grey Lady.

"Seven drops to heal any Darkness his body is Marked by," interrupted the Bloody Baron.

The Grey Lady frowned at the Slytherin ghost and he quickly thinned his lips; he would not speak again. The Ravenclaw ghost continued with her explanation, "Master Snape would have died as all the others Marked did if he had not used the potion on his Dark Mark."

"Died?" Albus eyes flew open in horrified understanding. "Are you implying that all of the Death Eaters in Azkaban...? ...are..."

"Dead!" the Bloody Baron announced with a bit of fiendish relish.

Albus couldn't stay in his office chair anymore. With a bit more speed than usual he threw a Cushion Charm at the hearth of the Floo and then threw Floo powder into the yellow and red flames. He shouted, "Kingsley Shacklebolt!"

Expecting an instant reply to his curt summons, it worried him that it was several more minutes before the head of the Aurory replied.

"Albus," came the slightly harried, deep voice of the young wizard. "Is there something you need me for? We've just had… the last 48 hours… and, and... what is it you need, Albus?"

"I believe I may have some inkling as to what you are dealing with, Kingsley," sighed Albus as he ran a worried hand through his beard. "I just need confirmation." There was no reply even though Albus had paused. "The Death Eaters… are they all dead?"

For a moment there was a heavy silence then Kingsley spoke, "I will not ask how you know, Albus, but yes. Every Death Eater but one is dead. Gruesomely."

Albus frowned at two of the statements the auror made. "Tell me how they died, please."

"Their left forearms exploded with such violence as their magic and life force were taken that the bones were no more than tiny splinters," Kingsley's voice clearly grimaced. "It's a mess, Albus." Whether the exhausted Auror meant that Azkaban was a mess or his office and the Ministry was. Perhaps it is all three, Albus groaned mentally.

The old man shook his head slowly. So many of those Death Eaters he had known as students… children he should have tried harder to save even though the majority were Slytherin. "Kingsley, you also said that only one Death Eater survived. Who was that?"

"Bellatrix LeStrange, Albus," there was a hitch in Kingsley voice before he finished, "And, she somehow escaped. The outside wall of her cell had exploded outward to free her, I suppose. Strengthen the wards around Hogwarts, Headmaster. I've no doubt the witch is coming your way."

"What makes you say that, Kingsley?"

"On a wall in Bellatrix's cell is Hogwarts scratched into the stone. Beside it are three names: Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, and Harry Potter."

For a moment Albus sat back upon his heels. Even with the Cushioning Charm his knees had begun to ache. Only for a moment did he hesitate in telling the Head Auror what he had learned. He decided not to give the man the knowledge that the Boy-Who-Lived was dead; and certainly not that he lived! "Thank you, Kingsley. I am sure you are a very busy man right now..."

Kingsley interrupted with a sigh, "Too right. G'bye, Albus!"

The green flames snapped back to orange and red. Albus resisted his initial desire to fall to his side and sleep. Carefully lifting himself up to his feet he walked over to Fawkes gingerly. He petted the bird's crest.

"My friend, please see what you can do to waken Severus..." Albus quickly found the gentle aspect of the Grey Lady between himself and Fawkes. The phoenix squawked indignantly as the chill of the ghost wafted over the fiery bird.

"You will not bother, Master Snape, Albus," she ordered firmly. "The Spiritus Vitae must be allowed to finish its task."

"I need to speak to Severus," Albus nearly whined.

"You need to sleep, Headmaster Dumbledore," the Grey Lady drifted aside. "Go to bed."

Albus wanted to protest further but he was prevented from doing so as a yawn wracked his body. The Grey Lady scooted the older man up the stairs without touching him. The Bloody Baron snickered to see the old Gryffindor put in his place by the Ravenclaw Grey Lady.

Albus shuffled into his bedroom with another yawn. Halfway undressed, though, he trotted back out to his office. "Baron! Are you there?"

The ghost rose up to where the Headmaster stood on the second floor balcony. "Yes, Albus?"

"Baron, please assemble all of the ghosts to patrol the grounds. Have Nick inform Hagrid that he is to go with Fang to safety. No refusals from the man."

"What of the portraits, Sir?" asked the Bloody Baron as the warrior he had once been emerged.

"The portraits are to watch all of the hidden entrances that we or they know of. They will report to…" he paused as he glanced down at the wall of Heads that rose to the highest part of the tower. A pair of deep, blue eyes glittered from a portrait that appeared three centuries ago at the man's death. "Phineas Nigellus Black, will you coordinate with the portraits?" Phineas had fought in one of the many Goblin Wars; as a General before becoming Headmaster of Hogwarts. He had led an army of 30,000 soldier, wizards and witches, against an unorganised hoard of Goblins.

"Consider it done, Albus," the portrait of Phineas Nigellus nodded his head sharply. "May I inquire, Sir, what is the danger we face?"

"Tom Riddle is returned," stated Albus. "And he has made a terrible mistake… hopefully, in our favor."

There were a dozen or more whispers and gasps of astonishment from the Gallery of Heads.

Albus nodded sagely, "Yes. Voldemort inhabits the body of Bellatrix LeStrange."

A ghostly laugh filled the Headmaster's office with the mirth of his deep voice. "That witch's mind was beyond insane when she was tucked into Azkaban," intoned the Bloody Baron as he exited the Headmaster's tower, "but now it is broken beyond repair!"

Albus smiled in at least managing that bit of strategy.

"Headmaster," insinuated the Grey Lady in a soft voice. "Bed."

Albus' smile dropped from his face as he looked at the Ravenclaw whose arms were crossed over her chest and one foot was tapping an unseen floor in warning.

"Ah… hm… well, goodnight."

1985, 9 August - Morning

Albus had slept well, he admitted to himself as he yawned and pushed himself out of bed. The moment he did so the business of the day crowded his mind. He took only a moment to order breakfast and have it delivered to his desk in his office. A house elf informed the Headmaster that both Harry and Severus were still asleep so there was nothing to be done with either of them for now.

As Albus drank his tea the owls began to arrive with various reports; some important, some not. Those that did not yet need his attention he put aside for later in the evening. The first report he read was one from one of his agents that he had sent to keep watch upon the old Riddle Manor. As he suspected Albus' agent had see light in the old manor; Bellatrix/Voldemort had gone home.

It was the afternoon as he sipped his tea and wrote a few letters that his unlit Floo whooshed into green. "Albus, may I come through?" The voice was that of a harried Head Auror.

"Come along, Kingsley!"

Kingsley came through the flames and they died away. The Head Auror Evanescoed the faint traces of soot from his clothing; the red Auror uniform but his was lined around the hem in thin stripes of green and silver.

Kingsley was a handsome, tall African man who had come to Britain with his parents when he had received a letter from Hogwarts. It wasn't often a Hogwarts letter went so far. Kingsley, though, at 11 years, proved to his teachers at Hogwarts that he was a child of exceptional ability.

The Head Auror was a natural Legilimens and a highly knowledgeable reader of the Language of the Body. He often spooked his colleagues with how well he was able to read those brought in for justice and those in training. Kingsley was awfully intelligent with an uncanny talent for detective work. It was no surprise he had been Sorted into Slytherin. He was also one of the few Slytherins that maintained friendships with students in other Houses.

"Hello, Kingsley. Come and sit down. Would you like some tea?"

Kingsley sat down with some of his indignity but then wiped it away with a hand that drifted down his face. Staring down at the floor a moment he lifted his head and spoke almost softly, "We got a call this morning from Arthur Weasley. His kids were playing Quidditch when one of them flew over that cornfield that separates the Burrow from a Muggle farm. Fred, I think it was, told his father that he'd found a dead body. Fred and his brother led Arthur to where the body was and we were contacted." He took the cup of tea Albus floated over to him and despite its heat he took a big, fortifying swallow. "I sent out two Aurors to investigate and they confirmed that the injuries were consistent with the Death Eater prisoners at Azkaban sustained. So, they brought the body in for identification."

Kingsley did not speak for the longest moment and just when Albus might say something, the Head Auror spoke, "It was Peter Pettigrew, Albus. We discovered that he had the signature of an Animagus. Pettigrew was not killed by Sirius Black. He was a Death Eater."

Albus seemed to age by a decade as he sank into his desk chair. "Terrible news, terrible, Kingsley."

The Auror nodded his agreement. "We need to speak to Sirius Black, Albus. I came here in the hopes you knew where he was."

Albus frowned and removed his spectacles. "Azkaban. He was tried with all of the other Death Eaters."

Kingsley slowly shook his head. "There is no paperwork that Sirius Black was ever tried and sentenced to Azkaban, Albus. I was hoping, as he had been one of your favorites, that you might be hiding him."

"I wish that I were, Kingsley, but it was Cornelius Fudge who assured me that Sirius was tried as a Death Eater," sighed Albus. He dropped his head into his hands. "God forgive me I took the idiot at his word. Kingsley, has anyone searched for Sirius at Azkaban?"

The green flames of the Floo whooshed into being and a voice came through. "Auror Kingsley, the aurors sent to Azkaban for the search have returned."

Kingsley pushed himself out of his chair and rushed over to the Floo where he dropped down onto his knees. He began to speak but Albus could not hear a thing; the conversation was between aurors. Albus waited but by no means what he relaxed.

Minutes later the green flames faded and Kingsley returned to his chair. He sat slowly and scrubbed his face with one hand.

"Kings, you are worrying me," began Albus.

"Headmaster, you have to understand the madhouse Azkaban was when the Death Eaters were killed. Guards rushing everywhere, aurors called for help, the Dementors…" Kingsley closed his eyes tightly and then opened them to face the older wizard. "The aurors just now learned that the Dementors Kissed 14 prisoners without orders."

"No. No, Kingsley," Albus shook his head; a tear slid down his cheek. "Please don't tell me…" his voice whispered.

"Such… such confusion," said Kingsley as his dark brown eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I'm sorry, Albus. Sirius Black was one of the prisoners Kissed."

1985, 10 August - Malfoy Manor - Noonish

Lucius Malfoy woke slowly, feeling heavy, as if he had slept in one of his father's dungeons. He turned and cried out suddenly as he moved his weight onto his left arm.

A house elf appeared with Narcissa Malfoy at its side. "Lucius! My sweetheart, you're awake!" Narcissa, wearing a blue silk dressing gown and her hair loose and falling in golden waves over her shoulders and back, had burst into the bedroom.

"Cissy, calm yourself," Lucius blinked his heavy eyes. "Of course I am awake."

"Luc, you've been asleep for two days!" Narcissa snapped. "I've had Healer Smethwyck here each day since Jirri found you in your study on the floor."

"Two days?" Narcissa plumped the pillows behind her husband so he was sitting up. "Cissy, did I fall on my left side? My arm…" he frowned as he tentatively touched his forearm. "My forearm feels like it's been… hit… bruised."

Narcissa shook her head. "I don't recall, my dear." Her hand hovered over his hand on his forearm.

"No...ohhh?" Lucius whispered to himself as he yanked the silk sleeve of his sleep shirt up. His mouth moved but no sound emanated. The Dark Mark he expected to see was gone. His skin was pristine. No scarring as if it might have been washed away.

"Lucius…" Narcissa whispered as her fingertips delicately brushed over the clean skin.

"Is it gone, Cissy?" Lucius asked worriedly. "I'm not hallucinating?"

Narcissa smiled and drew her husband in a careful embrace that would not add to the ache in his arm. She kissed Lucius and whispered in his ear, "It is truly gone, my love."

1985, 10 August - Early Evening

The Grey Lady was in Ravenclaw Tower in the hidden room that only the ghosts knew of. The room, almost Moroccan lush in its decor, had one wall lined with arched windows open to the summer weather. A warm breeze of the wended its way around the pillars of the windows and into the room. The Bloody Baron flew through one of the windows and alighted in front of the Grey Lady. "Lucius Malfoy awakened, my Lady."

"Was there doubt that he would?" asked the Grey Lady as she turned a page in her book.

The Bloody Baron lowered his proud head. There had been doubt. All of the ghosts of Hogwarts had a secret no human living would know of unless Death brought them to the castle, Hogwarts. These particular ghosts were in possession of magic put aside and/or forgotten throughout the Wizarding World. Not only were they caretakers of such magic, they were able to wield magic, if needed. The Grey Lady was the Stewardess of these magics and thus she had easily known of the Spiritus Vitae potion the little Spirit Harry had needed. She and the other House ghosts knew that Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy had forged a magical brotherhood as students. It was a brotherhood that had given Severus the courage he needed to return to the Light and it was a brotherhood that had kept Lucius from the worst of his father; even after the Dark Mark. Therefore, it had been the Grey Lady who had sent the other three House ghosts to Malfoy Manor.

"Such a simple spell to cleanse body and soul," mused the Bloody Baron. "Myself and Nicolas were both doubtful that the spell would work to the depths of the dark binding Voldemort had cast upon his followers."

"Yet it did work," the Grey Lady smiled serenely at the pages of her book. She had yet to look away.

"Aye," nodded the Bloody Baron. He chuckled softly, "It did leave a bit of bruising, though."

"The Darkness was eating at body and soul, my dear, Waldo," said the Grey Lady as her ghostly fingers touched his silvery cheek. "Even though the spell be simple it is not an easy thing when evil exits the soul." The ghost smiled and opened her book. "It shall remain a mystery, dear Waldo, and surely that is not a bad thing."