The Jewel of Darkness

by KevinVoigt

COMPLETE Sequel to 'Amulet of Stone' A new darkness has been unleashed on the world and Harry doesn't know how to stop it or even what it truly is. They're only clues come from the strange string of circumstances that led to its escape.

10. Retribution

This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

---

CHAPTER 10

Retribution

---

Harry stared up at the pointed spires of Golakhov Castle while Josef and Valencia hastily tied the Demeter to the pier. He couldn't help but feel nervous at the sight of his surroundings. The tall brigantine which had passed by them earlier hung in the water on the opposite side of the pier with an imposing silence.

Lying all around the pier were dozens of corpses. If they had looked any differently, Harry might have felt a horrible sadness at the sight, but the bodies weren't normal at all. They were all old, pale, and gaunt with clouded eyes and rotting teeth, wearing a collection of tattered clothes that looked centuries old. They looked as though they should have been dead for many years at least, and yet they were lying along the pier and shore in a pattern that was impossible to ignore. The trail of bodies started at the bow of the brigantine and advanced along the pier to the shore, then up a stone path to the main gatehouse of the castle. It was the exact path they'd watched the cloaked wizard take when he reached the shore.

"Inferi," Valencia announced as she knelt down and lifted one of the corpses' heads to get a closer look. "That's what happens to everyone who comes to the island. They are turned into Inferi."

"What?" Ron choked. "But—"

"You have no reason to worry, Ron," Josef assured him. "That curse was broken the moment we destroyed the Veil in Romania. It's been replaced by a much more dangerous one, one which walks and capable of wielding this sort of power against dark magical creatures."

Looking up toward the castle, Lupin let out a resigned sigh. "Well, at least we won't have to fight the Inferi ourselves," he said. "And we've got a pretty good idea which direction he went. We should be able to follow the trail."

They did just that. Following the path of dead bodies up the gatehouse, they found a wide courtyard which seemed to be the scene of the worst attack, though it was difficult to know just who the aggressor had been.

"There's something wrong with this," Ron commented as he surveyed the paved area. "There must be a hundred of them, but they're all spread out and, well, unharmed. They're all dead, of course, but there's nothing that seems to have caused them to, er... stop doing what Inferi do. No cuts or burns or explosions. They didn't even trip over each other. It's almost as if they just fell over all at once. What sort of charm could do that?"

No one had any answers, but there was no point in trying to find them. They had come to the island to stop the cloaked wizard and the fallen Inferi would lead them to him. It didn't matter how they fell so long as they fought long enough to leave a trail.

They found the front gate of the castle propped open by yet another corpse. Inside, the entrance was empty, but in the distance, they spotted a pair of dark shapes slumped against a wide doorway. Beyond that they found another corridor and eventually more bodies. This pattern was repeated again and again, though each time, it became harder to find the trail. The Inferi were thinning out and Harry and the others were running out of time. Reaching the bottom of a short set of stairs, they heard a dull thud echoing down a nearby corridor.

They quickly ran to the arched entry to the corridor. Peering into the dim light, they spotted a number of upright shapes that were still moving. Instinctively, Harry and Ron raised their wands and prepared to defend themselves if they were suddenly spotted, but Josef stopped them with a quick gesture.

One of the shapes was slightly taller than the others, but only because he was walking with the upright posture of the living. Even from a distance, they managed to recognize the cloaked wizard in the center of a pack of Inferi who were approaching him with their mechanical gait.

Creeping forward, they watched as the cloaked wizard raised his hand toward one of the Inferi. It froze for a moment, then shuddered and dropped to the floor like the lifeless corpse nature always intended it to be. A small, dark mist rose from the fallen body which Harry first took to be nothing more than a cloud of disturbed dust. His opinion changed quickly as it curled slowly upward, then drifted into the cloaked wizard's hand. He then turned, held out his hand toward the next Inferius, and repeated the scene again.

"What is he doing?" Ron whispered. "Why is he killing them? I mean... wouldn't he want them to run off and kill us or something?" Harry admitted that he was just as confused, but Josef seemed to understand exactly what was happening.

"He's not killing them," he said in a low voice. "He'sharvesting them. It takes power to make an Inferius. He's taking it back."

This was a horrifying prospect. Whatever the cloaked wizard truly was, he was already shown himself to be far stronger than any normal wizard, and probably stronger even than Voldemort and Albus Dumbledore. Harry wondered just how much more power he could gain and how much it would take before there wouldn't be a wizard in the world who could stand against him. Perhaps it was already too late.

"We need to stop him," Harry hissed. "How do you kill an Inferius?"

"I believe that was a pretty effective demonstration, Potter," Valencia commented. "There are other equally effective ways, though few wizards will resort to such measures. The rest will be better served by fire or the rather messy alternative of explosions."

"Then there's no time to waste," he replied. Harry gritted his teeth, stood up and leveled his wand at the four remaining Inferi.

"Inflamare!" he shouted and was rewarded with the sight of bright orange flames engulfing the nearest Inferius. It didn't drop, however, and with a wave of his hand, the cloaked wizard quelled the fire and turned a pair of baleful green eyes on Harry.

"This is no time to hold back, Potter," Valencia snarled. She leaped from the wall and slammed into Harry, pushing him out of the middle of the corridor just as a bolt of red light shot past them.

On the other side of the passage, Josef was aiming his wand. "Reducto!"

The cloaked wizard leaped in the path of the hex and it bounced harmlessly off him, striking the wall instead and blocking part of the corridor with rubble.

"Enough of this!" yelled Valencia. Pulling her wand from her robes she strode forward, raised it to eye level and shouted in a harsh, dominating voice:

"Avada Kedavra!"

The words seemed to echo inside Harry's mind. They triggered so many horrible memories, yet he didn't want to look away. He needed to watch. With a flash of light and the sound of rushing wind, the curse sped down the corridor, missing an Inferius and slamming into the chest of the cloaked wizard.

Uncertainty seized Harry as he waited to see what would happen. Then, just as suddenly as the curse had been cast, the light in the wizard's eyes faded and Harry felt a strange flash of hope. There was no howls of agony or rage, no counterattacks or desperate attempts to flee. The wizard simply dropped to the ground, as lifeless as the Inferi around him. Harry struggled to suck in a breath. Was it possible? What had just happened?

"What— It can't be—" stammered Ron. "I mean, was it that simple?"

"No," Josef said, pointing down the corridor. A thick black mist had collected along the floor. "Harry, be careful. We don't know what—"

Harry spotted something moving in the mist. To his horror, one of the fallen Inferi sat up, then stood up with a measured, confident agility. The mist slowly contracted, thickening around the newly animated corpse which seemed to be absorbing it. Valencia raised her wand again.

"Avada—"

The corpse's eyes flashed with green flame and its arm slashed through the air before she could finish the curse. Her wand burst into blinding white flames and she dropped it with a shriek of pain. Within seconds, it was consumed, leaving Valencia staring down at small pile of white ash on the floor with a look of astonishment.

"How dare you use such things against me," the figure said, speaking with a voice Harry recognized well. It's features were already blurring, changing from the rotting, discolored flesh of the Inferius to the features of a young, pale-faced man. "Did you think you could vanquish me with one of my own spells? Did you think I would have taught them the tools to destroy me?"

He turned his back on them, showing how little he feared them, and waved his hands over the lifeless target of Valencia's curse. The body quickly vaporized into a thick, yellowish cloud, leaving nothing left but his cloak. Picking it up, he slipped it around his shoulders and turned toward the remaining Inferi, which had simply stood nearby, waiting for their master to command them.

Harry, Josef, and the others exchanged looks of dismay while the cloaked wizard finished what he had been doing with the Inferi. Even the Killing Curse couldn't stop him. Without any further acknowledgment of their presence, the cloaked wizard turned and walked away, disappearing into a dark room at the end of the corridor.

Without a plan or even any thought as to what he was doing, Harry ran after him. If only out of concern and fear for his safety the others followed as quickly as they could. At the end of the corridor, Harry found a wide hall with a broken table and the splintered remains of dozens of chairs. Lighting his wand, he cast it about the room, looking for some sign of his quarry, but there was nothing to be found.

"He's gone," Ron said, stating the obvious since Harry didn't seem to be willing to accept it.

"What do we do now?" Ginny asked.

Harry immediately turned toward Hermione, a questioning look in his eyes. She just shook her head. "He's nearby," she said, "but I can't tell you where. This whole castle— The Inferi— It's like he's everywhere at once."

"It doesn't matter," Harry announced as he passed the light from his wand across the walls of the room again. He was no longer looking for the cloaked wizard, but doorways. Picking the widest, he started walking toward it. "We don't need to find him," he explained. "We just need to find the Veil. That might be the only place we can stop him."

The largest corridor seemed to be the most likely place to start looking for the Veil Chamber. Assuming that Golakhov knew the Veil was there when he built the castle, he probably would have made it fairly easy to find. Of course, it was just as likely that he would have hidden the entrance, but Harry simply ignored this idea. If it was true, there was nothing they could do, and it didn't help to take such things into consideration.

Following the corridor, Harry continued in what he felt seemed to be the most logical direction. They had walked down a few flights of stairs and passed by numerous narrow corridors and darkened halls. Finally, the corridor came to an end in a small chamber with no less than five other doorways leading away from it. Two led off to either side, one led to a cracked marble staircase leading upward, another was almost totally blocked by a cave-in, and the last led to a step set of spiral stairs which descended into a deep shaft.

"We go down," Harry said. The shaft looked far too similar to the one he'd seen under Knossos. He began to doubt that Golakhov had built the whole castle himself. Like the Minoans at Knossos, he may have built the castle on that spot knowing what lay in the caverns below.

They followed the stairs down wondering just how far they would go. Three times they found landings built into the staircase with doorways leading off in different directions, but Harry pressed them onward, continuing deeper into the bowels of the castle. The air became chilly and heavy with moisture.

The staircase ended abruptly in a small, circular room with a low domed ceiling and broken, uneven floor. The curved walls were lined with faint carvings which had faded and eroded over time. In quite a few places, large chunks of stone had broken away from the wall. Looking closer at a few of these pits, they realized that they had not been caused by stress or age, but by spells and sharp tools. They were evenly spaced around the room in an almost methodical pattern.

"Someone was looking for something," Lupin commented.

Harry understood immediately. "A doorway," he said. "It's hidden. We're not far from the chamber."

"A lot of good that does us," groaned Ron. "Whoever did this didn't find it. What makes you think we will?"

"Perhaps they did find it," Justinian announced. "After all, they stopped searching, didn't they? At least, they stopped searching the walls." He was kneeling near a large pit in the floor which stretched all the way to the wall. Holding his hand over it, he smiled. "Come here. There's a cool draft coming up."

Harry and the others rushed over and found that the large pit was actually the start of a cramped, unwelcoming tunnel. Justinian, who claimed to have some experience with tunnels, offered to investigate it. Only moments after his feet disappeared under the wall, they heard his voice calling back to them.

"It's much larger once you get through the first bit," he said. "Come on. The air is fresh. It must be coming from some other opening."

Though Ron and Hermione showed no excitement over the idea, they joined everyone else in following Justinian through the small opening. As he'd said, the tunnel widened dramatically after only a few feet. With wands lit, they could see that they were in some sort of old corridor. The walls were rough and unadorned and the floor was covered with a layer of dust. With only one direction to go they began walking.

After a few minutes, the narrow corridor began to shrink again, becoming a shaft with barely enough room for a single person to walk. Slowly, the floor pitched downward until they were pressing their hands against the walls to help them climb down. The heat was becoming more pronounced and Harry thought he could almost make out an odd green glow flickering off the stones ahead of him.

The tunnel ended abruptly with a large rough hole. After nearly falling through it, Harry crouched down to take a closer look. The hole itself was only a few feet deep, but it appeared that it broke through into a large chamber. The floor of the chamber looked to be twenty feet below them and bathed in disturbing green light.

"It's too far to jump," commented Harry, "and I don't think we'll find anything suitable to land on. Maybe with some rope, or—"

Pushing his way up to Harry, Ron peered over his shoulder. "Too slow, Harry," he said with a sigh. "It's not that far, though. Why not try the Spongiformus Charm? It worked well outside the twin's shop."

"This whole place is filled with charms, Ron," replied Harry. "If there is a protection charm we'll never know until—"

"Looks like the ceiling didn't have one," Ron commented as he tapped his foot on the broken edge of the hole. "It's worth a try," he said with a brave expression. "I'll let you know how it works."

Josef and Harry exchanged questioning looks. After a moment of silence, Josef shrugged and nodded. Harry agreed. It seemed the simplest solution. Picking up a loose chunk of stone he tossed it down through the hole and waited to see that no traps seemed to be waiting for them. Nothing happened and while this wasn't completely satisfying, it was the best he had. Aiming his wand down through the hole, Harry whispered: Spongify!.

With a nod and an uncertain smile, Ron slid off the edge of the opening and plummeted to the chamber below. Harry cringed at the grunt Ron let out as he struck the floor. His momentary worry disappeared a second later as Ron's body was tossed gently out of view with a faint groan.

"It worked," Ron shouted up to them. "Mostly."

Josef insisted on being next, and Harry followed quickly behind them. The landing wasn't nearly as soft as he would have liked, but Ron had been right: it was faster and they needed every second. After quickly checking everyone for broken bones, Harry forced them onward. There was no time to treat their scrapes and bruises.

The chamber they found themselves in was completely circular. Three rows of pale green flame encircled the perimeter, casting their light off the polished stone floor and giving the room an eerie atmosphere. The only breaks in the rings were two sets of doors at opposite ends of the chamber. One set was made of a dark stone, while the other glittered with carved gold.

"The gold ones," Harry said, pointing the way.

Everyone ran for the door. Harry ran through any number of things he might try to open the doors. He had no idea whether they would be locked or barred or charmed in some manner. As he approached them, he realized that he had worried needlessly. There were much more important things to worry about.

The golden doors had been left slightly ajar, leaving a narrow crack through which Harry could see more green light and the hint of another larger chamber. Running faster, Harry slammed his shoulder into the door, sending it swinging heavily into the next chamber. His wand was drawn and ready before he even reached the first step.

It was indeed another Veil chamber, though it was not at all like the others. Like the antechamber, it was lit by concentric ledges filled with flickering green flame. The raised platform at the very bottom of the chamber was surrounded by a large ring of gold, though one of the three silver spheres Harry expected to find had been removed and the gold band broken and bent. It looked as though it had been done quite some time ago.

The most striking feature, however, was the Veil itself. Harry felt encouraged that it had not been destroyed as the others had. At the same time, it was not at all like the one in London. There was no gauzy veil covering it. Instead, a dark cloud of blackness pulsed and swirled in the arch, blacking out everything behind it. The large stone arch framing it was shattered and crumbling at the very top, so that it looked as though it could not stand on its own. The only thing that seemed to keep it standing was a bizarre statue in the shape of a man. He was wearing a long cape and something that looked rather like a tall crown on his head. He was leaning forward with one hand on each post of the arch, as though pushing them into place. Harry didn't understand the purpose immediately, but he was more interested in the fact that the Veil was still intact.

His happiness was only temporary. The others had barely made it through the door before Harry felt pain building in his scar. "I think—" he began to say as it became a little more piercing. "We don't have long. Bar the door."

"No need for that," a voice called from the platform.

Everyone froze in place and looked toward the center of the chamber to find the cloaked wizard stepping out from behind the darkened arch. "Harry Potter, meet Zahari Golakhov," he said, motioning toward the blackened statue.

Ron and Ginny came to stop on either side of Harry and drew their wands. Though he couldn't see them, he knew that Simon and Tonks had walked off to either side of him, spreading out and making it harder for the cloaked wizard to attack them all at once.

"There's no need for wands," he said firmly. "I assure you that Zahari will not attack you."

Harry felt a slight tap on his shoulder and heard Josef whispering softly: "No spare bodies here." In an attempt to hide the hope he felt with this observation, Harry forced himself to scowl as he shouted down toward the platform: "What did you do to him? Did he try to stop you or did he just get in your way?"

"Do not pity him, Harry," the wizard replied casually as he walked to the edge of the platform. "Zahari was not a good man. His passion for dark magic was immeasurable. He reveled in it, surrounding himself with it and spending his every waking hour in search of it."

"Ah, so you killed because you didn't like the competition?" Harry said as he searched for anything that might be useful in the room. He needed something both lethal and quiet, something that the cloaked wizard wouldn't see coming.

"I thought you knew me better, Harry," the wizard said in a disappointed tone. "I have no love for the Dark Arts, neither do I hate them. I know the truth. There is only magic. The ideas of Light and Dark are simply reflections of our intent and desires."

"Your intentions look pretty dark to me."

"I'm not surprised," the wizard growled. "You only see the surface. You never look for the deeper answers. There is your villain," he said, pointing a pale finger toward the frozen statue. "In this castle, Zahari Golakhov performed rituals and experiments whose mere description would turn your stomach. It was he who performed the extensive experiments with Horcruxes that would later serve a young Tom Riddle so well. It was he who perfected methods of creating Inferi. Do you still pity this man?"

Harry remained silent, keeping his eyes on the cloaked wizard. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Lupin creeping over to Tonks' side.

"Knowing this, can you still feel any remorse for what transpired here?" the wizard continued. "I can, though it is not because I would have preferred him to live. If given the chance, I would have gladly subjected him to every agony he inflicted on his subjects. It was unfortunate that he, of all wizards, was the first person in centuries to be in a place to free me from my prison. I was not given a choice. Reluctantly, we agreed to an exchange."

"You taught him even more about the Dark Arts," Harry said scornfully. "For all that you just said about how horrible he was, you had no problem helping him hurt all of those people you pitied."

"Yes, I taught him," the cloaked wizard admitted with disdain. "I taught him powerful magic which the world had long forgotten. I showed him things beyond his comprehension and relied on his arrogance and ambition to keep him from sharing his newfound knowledge with the rest of the brutal world. A wizard like Zahari hoards his secrets and advantages. In exchange, he promised to release me from my prison. I made no promises about what might happen to him after that."

"Why not just overpower his mind and force him to destroy it?" Harry asked. "Why teach him at all if you disliked him so much?"

"Do you think I did not try? Zahari was not a foolish wizard and he was not a weak one. The same could be said of Grigore and he resisted me for nearly one hundred years. Zahari was wary of me and did not permit anyone else to approach the chamber. His mind was strong-willed and he would not suffer any damage to the ancient artifact he believed to be the source of so much invaluable knowledge. So I was forced to take a more subtle approach. I taught him the magics he would need to open the gate without destroying it.

"It took thirty long years to train him so he would not die halfway through the process. Finally, the day came for his debt to be paid. He planned some manner of celebration, permitting, for once, some of his closest allies to join him in the chamber. Perhaps he brought them as protection. Perhaps he simply wished others to witness how powerful he had become. It does not matter.

"He began the ritual by breaking the ring and I became immediately aware of the others. Their minds were weaker, easier to manipulate. While he began eroding the barrier between the two worlds, I reached out, seeking to ensure that I would not lose my chance. I acted too quickly," the cloaked wizard said, sounding for a moment almost human. "Zahari sensed the intrusion. He looked into the darkness and finally saw me. In that moment, as I stood on the threshold of my prison, I could feel the fear strangling him. In panic and folly, he abandoned the ritual, and instead poured all of his power —all the power I had helped him gain— into sealing the gateway.

"We fought, and for a while I had the upper hand. Our struggle overwhelmed the gateway," he said, pointing to the open space in the arch. "Then, in an act of uncharacteristic selflessness and all too characteristic malice, Zahari Golakhov rushed forward and bound himself to the Gate, sealing it beyond my power and condemning me to over four hundred more years of imprisonment."

"Sounds like he wasn't quite as evil as you hoped he would be," quipped Harry.

"Perhaps not," the wizard replied in a strained voice. "or perhaps he was far more ambitious than I believed. From the first moment he saw the Gate, he had been blinded by his lust for power. Like you, he only saw the surface. He had always perceived me as a subordinate, someone of weak will despite curiously vast knowledge. He had been researching ways to control and enslave me once I had been freed. When he saw me, he understood the true extent of my power and realized that it was he who would be the subordinate. Perhaps he even perceived the danger he was in. Fearing betrayal, he betrayed me first, and sacrificed himself to prevent me from fully passing through the gateway."

"So it was you who cursed the island," Harry said, trying to buy a little more time as Lupin and Tonks were whispering to each other frantically.

"Whatever would drive me to do that?" he replied, apparently oblivious to everyone but Harry. "It obviously has not served me well at all. I have no use for the mindless slaves who swarm the shores of this island. No, that was Zahari's work. I never taught him how to build or repair a Gate. It was something he had studied by himself, though not well." He waved a hand at the statue gripping the two columns and sneered. "This... clumsy attempt helped no one. His soul remains here to this day, trapped in a prison of his own making. It was sufficient to bar my crossing, but not complete enough to keep my power from seeping through. Across the ages, hundreds of wayward travelers happened upon the shore. The luckiest were killed instantly. The others absorbed power from this failed experiment, slowly siphoning my power yet binding it in this worthless, empty place."

Harry forced a crooked smile. "It sounds like justice, to me."

"Justice?" the cloaked wizard shouted. "You think that is justice?"

Harry gripped his wand, but kept it at his side. "He was a dark wizard; he got what he deserved. You meant to betray him and found yourself betrayed instead."

"What crime had I committed?" he asked in a booming voice. "What had I done to deserve this fate?"

"I don't know," replied Harry, "but I dare say you've committed them now."

"Am I not allowed vengeance?" the wizard roared. Hermione let out a shriek and clutched at her shoulder in pain. "Why am I imprisoned?" he continued, oblivious to her reaction. "Why are those who attacked me left unpunished, while I am forced to endure agony beyond all imagination?"

"Because you have shown your true intentions," Harry spat back at him. "Your vengeance has consumed you. You are every bit as evil and twisted as Golakhov. You have ravaged cities, destroyed thousands of lives and warped the minds of good wizards. Whatever was done cannot be fixed. Whoever attacked you is gone."

"No, Harry," the wizard said as his eyes flickered. "No, they are not."

A dull crack and rumble echoed through the chamber. Turning quickly, Harry found Tonks and Lupin with their wands raised to the ceiling. A second later, a huge chunk of stone dropped from the ceiling above the cloaked wizard. He leaped away at the last moment, dodging the block as it shattered into hundreds of pieces. Brilliant green light streamed from two points beneath his hood as he strode toward the broken arch.

"Be careful, Harry," he shouted. "Do not be foolish like Zahari, here. I have no desire to end your friends' lives, but I will if I am pressed." Standing a little straighter, he gripped the closest pillar with one hand. Faint green lines began to flow across the surface of the masonry as though they were following ancient cracks in the stone.

Harry raised his wand and prepared to do whatever it took to stop him.

"Yes, that is what I was talking about," the wizard said in a harsh tone. "Do not try to stop me. I have shown you mercy in the past. I would hope that we could agree that I have been exceedingly patient with you today."

Without a word, Harry's wand flicked quickly toward one of the larger chunks of stone, launching it toward the cloaked wizard. He raised a hand and deflected the worst of the blow, but was knocked backward and to his knees in the attempt. Harry had never really meant to kill him with the blow. He got precisely the outcome he'd wanted: the cloaked wizard was distracted and positioned dangerously close to the front of the arch. He seemed to be just sitting there seething with anger, no doubt unaware of the danger he was in. One simple Banishment Charm and the whole ordeal could be over.

"Depul—"

Harry stopped the incantation as Hermione stepped from out of nowhere to put itself between Harry and the cloaked wizard. Ready to shout at her for her ill-timed move, Harry quickly stepped to the side and raised his wand again, only to have her match his movement. He stared at her in frustrated rage but she only stared back at him with fear and confusion.

Slowly, she took a step backward, then another. Each time Harry tried to step to one side or the other, she mirrored him looking ever more distraught.

"I told you to be careful, Harry," the cloaked wizard snarled. "I did not want to be forced to do it this way, but you have given me no choice. I cannot stop your attempts, but I want you to know that if you continue it will cost you the life of your friend —and I know the two of you are very close."

At this, Hermione's eyes widened in panic. She seemed to be trying to stop herself, but she kept on slowly walking backward toward the broken arch. Fear gripped Harry as he considered the possibility that she might now stop. The same idea must have occurred to Ron as stepped forward, making Harry reach out to hold him back. At the center of the chamber, the cloaked wizard let out a soft, hissing laugh which only made Ron fight harder.

Harry told himself that the wizard had no intention of killing Hermione. He hadn't made any real attempt to kill them yet, and nothing they had done had warranted such a response. It was just another game. He only wanted to get a reaction out of them. And yet, in the back of his mind, his fear was growing. Pausing briefly as though struggling to pull her feet from the floor, Hermione stepped over the golden ring surrounding the center platform. Harry could see that she was fighting, but it wasn't working. She had to stop soon. If she didn't—

Harry saw a small shape rush past him and leap down the stairs with crimson hair flying over a billowing black cloak.

"Ginny, no!" he cried as he let go of Ron.

In an instant, Ginny reached the bottom of the stairs and dashed to the raised platform. Clutching at one of Hermione's arms, she pulled her to a standstill and refused to let her step any closer to the arch.

"I won't let you hurt her!" cried Ginny.

The cloaked wizard's eyes flared in rage. "If you knew all that I know, you would not be so loyal. Now stand back. I have a task which I will not suffer to be interrupted."

"If you kill her," Ginny said in a wavering voice, "I'll see that you never get what you want."

The cloaked wizard seemed to calm slightly as he stared at her. Then, with one hand he reached out and clutched at the pillar again, slowly filling the cracks and crevices with an emerald light. "If she dies, it will be on Potter's hands, not mine," he declared. "I only care about the Gate and its destruction. If you or Potter or any of your friends interfere, I cannot say what her fate will be." He turned to stare directly at her. "Her peril is a result of Harry's actions, not mine."

"Don't pretend like you had no choice in this. It's no accident that we're here," she snapped. "You were in Sofia for at least a week. You could have gotten the lantern yourself. Why?" she asked. "Why the deception?"

The wizard's eyes flared again. "Because I wanted to see what you were capable of?" he suggested. "Because it is simpler to let others do my work for me? Because now it is you who will be blamed for the theft? There are many possible reasons, but in the end, I'm afraid the truth is simply that it amused me."

"No," she replied flatly. "I don't believe that. There's something more. You wanted us to be here. You had no problem destroying any of the other Veils. You had plenty of time here and yet this Veil remains. You got here long before we did but you waited. You wanted the confrontation, but why? What would make you want that?"

"You," he growled in response. "You need to see. You need to understand."

"Understand what?"

"You need to understand what you have started. Your betrayal was only the beginning, a single act which has created an avalanche beyond anything you could have seen."

"Then why is it my fault?" she shouted. "Why am I held responsible for actions that I have not caused? It wasn't even me! I don't even know what you're talking about! You're searching for revenge against someone who simply doesn't exist!"

He held up his free hand and it glowed with a dark red light. "Perhaps she doesn't," he said with finality. "We will see. Now step away before you are injured yet again."

"No!" Ginny shouted defiantly.

"You will step away," he repeated in a firmer voice. The entire arch was now vibrating and pulsing with green light. The darkness inside it was swirling so that its edges seemed to fade. The cloaked wizard then held his other hand up to the dark portal and closed his eyes, leaving his hood in dark shadows.

For a moment, Harry entertained the idea of trying one last attack. He might not get another opportunity for quite some time. However, before he could even raise his wand, a blinding flash of red light filled the chamber. Squinting against the light, he saw wisps of darkness spinning wildly about the arch as the green cracks in it grew brighter and brighter.

Ginny was trying frantically to pull Hermione from the platform, but she seemed frozen where she was. Ron, unwilling to stand by any longer rushed forward. Harry tried to call out to him, but at that instant, the darkness within the arch collapsed and the chamber was filled with an oppressive silence as light burst from the center of the platform.

Time seemed to flow like tar. Free of her invisible bonds, Hermione was slowly tumbling backward even as Ron hung in the air on his way toward her. The cloaked wizard, moving far faster than anyone else, released the pillar with one hand and in the same motion splayed his bony fingers like a shield between him and it. His other arm shot out like an arrow, with a single finger aimed directly at Ginny. Terror shot through Harry's veins.

An ear shattering explosion rocked the chamber and suddenly every thought, fear, and plan Harry had was washed away in a blast of sound and force which threw him and everyone else to the floor. With his ears still ringing, Harry tried to push himself up. Every inch of his body hurt and he couldn't seem to figure out just which direction was up. He found the floor and pushed against it.

Through the haze in his eyes, he saw the cloaked wizard walking calmly toward him. Only then did he realize that he didn't have his wand. He quickly rolled onto his side and flailed his arms in a frantic attempt to find it, but it was too late. The wizard's boots came to a halt just in front of Harry.

"I am done here," he announced coldly. "You should see to your friend." Harry flinched as a sharp noise broke through the buzzing in his ears. When he looked to see what it was, he saw his wand clattering across the floor while the cloaked wizard turned and walked away.

Slowly, Harry recovered his senses and managed to stand up, though somewhat unsteadily. Everyone else in the chamber was doing the same thing, except for Hermione.

"Harry!" Ginny wailed from the bottom of the chamber. She was limping, but she was on her feet. Hermione, on the other hand, was strewn across the lowest steps and had not moved at all. Racing to her side, Ginny crouched down to try and pick her up. With a gasp, she recoiled almost immediately, staring in horror at her hands. One of Ginny's hands was covered in a dark red liquid which Harry recognized too well. The other, however, was streaked with what looked like black oil. Stumbling backward, Ginny tripped over the broken ring and fell onto the stone platform. Her eyes were locked on her black-stained hand as she held it as far away from herself as possible.

"Scourgify!" Josef shouted as he bounded down the stairs. The dark oil evaporated quickly leaving Ginny with one hand covered in blood and the other completely clean, though it didn't seem to give her any more comfort. While everyone rushed down to Hermione, she sat on the edge of the platform staring at her immaculate hand and trembling in shock.

Despite his desire to run to Ginny's side, Harry forced himself to stop near Hermione. Lupin and Valencia rushed toward her as well while Tonks was searching the pockets of her robes for something. A quick look at Hermione was every bit as disturbing as Harry expected. Dozens of cuts could be seen all across her body and while none of them were obviously fatal, it was clear that she didn't have much more blood to lose. Even more frightening was the sight of her left arm. In a number of places, her sleek, satin gloves had been sliced open revealing deep wounds. However, the blood flowing from them was exceptionally dark and thick and swirls of black could be seen in the growing pool of it under her arm.

Tonks had retrieved a thick salve and Lupin was already applying it to the deeper cuts. Valencia and Simon had taken other potions and were furiously working on her other injuries while Justinian used his wand to conjure up a large pile of bandages. Small streams of blood were dribbling down and gathering on the steps where the dark blood mixed with the brighter variety.

"We need to move her!" Harry called out over all of them.

Lupin responded without looking up. "Harry, she's in no condition to—"

"She can't stay there, Remus!" Harry shouted, pointing at the collecting blood. "Keep the blood from her arm away from everything," he urged. "Don't let it touch her and don't let anyone else touch it."

Without an explanation for the request, Lupin and the others were now a little more willing to obey. They quickly picked her up, stripped off her cloak and began bandaging quickly, starting with the left arm and using only wands to do it. Harry barely had time to go see Ginny before he heard Lupin's voice calling out to him.

"We need to get her to a Healer, Harry!" he said. "We've fixed as much as we can, but it will only last so long. I don't know how much time we've got."

"Disapparation won't work," Justinian commented distractedly as he began wrapping another layer of bandages around a particularly bloody wound on Hermione's shoulder. "Not in the castle, at least," he added.

The decision to wake Hermione was made quickly and after a few more bandages and as many potions as Tonks could fetch from her robes, Hermione's eyes finally blinked open. With help from Ron and Justinian, she managed to stand up while Simon wrapped a spare cloak around her to conceal the worst of the bandages. Though she looked alert enough and insisted that she could make it out of the castle, Harry could see the pain she was in. At the time, getting her back to London as quickly as possible seemed to be the very best plan.

From the antechamber, Harry led everyone through the other set of doors and found an old dusty corridor which led neither up nor down. Ron and Simon carried Hermione more than supported her, and with everyone else keeping up their brisk pace, it didn't take them long before the sound of crashing waves could be heard through the walls. Finally, in a design strangely similar to the one in Orasul-de-jos, they found themselves passing through a barred and hidden doorway before climbing a stone stairway into the gatehouse courtyard. Passing quickly through the massive gates, they all came to an abrupt stop at the scene before them.

The Demeter, still tied up at the pier, was ablaze with huge flames. Its white sails were little more than charred remnant clinging to smoking timbers. The light from the inferno played across the tips of the waves and made the distant fog glow ominously. Sitting silently in the water halfway between the pier and fog, was the brigantine sailed by the cloaked wizard. Almost as though it had been waiting for them to finally escape, the ship turned slowly and sped up. Silhouetted against the fog, Harry watched as its bow dipped into the sea and the entire ship dove under the waves and disappeared completely.

"It doesn't matter," Josef reminded them. "We have no time for ships. We need to Disapparate. Harry, can you take Hermione?"

Harry nodded, ignoring Hermione's slurred protests that she would be more than able if someone would just give her a wand. Ron accepted this without complaint and even offered to take Valencia with him. She seemed more inclined to give Lupin that honor, but Tonks seemed to disagree.

Such details were unimportant. Josef and Ron offered to leave first and ensure the way was safe. They opted to meet back at the pub North of Varna. From there, they would take the Floo from fireplace to fireplace across Europe until they managed to make it back to London.

While Apparation with a weakened Hermione was more difficult, it didn't present nearly the troubles that using the Floo Network did. Harry, Ron, and Lupin took turns transporting Hermione. Though she made no complaints throughout the journey, Harry could see that it was wearing on her. They had replaced a number of bandages on the way and her eyes were beginning to move even more sluggishly until she could barely keep them open. He felt immense relief at the sight of Ron helping her into the very last fireplace in Marseilles. It would take them back to London and from there they would be only minutes from St. Mungo's.

The moment Harry tumbled out of the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron he knew something didn't feel right. It was well-known for its ability to gather a crowd at any time of day, but it was well past midnight and yet only a few tables sat empty. As Lupin arrived behind him, Harry helped Ron pull Hermione to her feet and quickly adjusted her cloak to cover her bandages.

"Well, hello there," an old man called out boisterously. He tottered closer, giving them a wide smile and brandishing a half-empty bottle of what looked to be whisky. Something about him looked oddly familiar, but it was impossible to recognize him in the dim light.

"Any of you lot in the mood for a bit of refreshment?" he asked, clearly offering the contents of the bottle.

"No, thanks," Ron replied impatiently. Tonks appeared with a puff of soot and quickly joined the others.

"Ah, well that's very friendly of you," the old man said gruffly. "How about this lovely lady? Surely she can speak for herself."

Ron glared at him. "She doesn't want any either."

"Oh, I don't know about that," the man said as he swayed back and forth trying to match Hermione's empty gaze. "Though she looks like she's already had more than her share. She's your wife then?"

"No," Ron replied, getting more annoyed every second.

A wide grin spread across the man's face. "Perfect," he laughed. "That's just how I like my witches: drunk and unwed." Ron opened his mouth to protest, but the wizard leaned forward suddenly, placing a hand on Ron's shoulder. "Say, I have a room upstairs. Already paid for. I'll take her off your, er... shoulders, I guess, and let you go and do what young wizards do, eh?"

"No, you won't," Ron shouted. "You'll leave while you've still got all your limbs!"

The wizard's smile disappeared. "I see. The protective type," he muttered. "Well perhaps then you might like the room. I'll offer it to you. No charge, of course. I insist."

"Shove off!" snapped Ron as he pulled his wand. "I insist." Frowning and looking around the room, the old man shook his head and reluctantly walked off, leaving Ron with a look of surprised satisfaction.

Ginny walked up from behind Harry. "What's going on, Harry?" she asked. "Why was Ron yelling at Albert?"

Suddenly, Harry realized where he'd seen the old man before. His feeling of foreboding intensified. Another Brotherhood member was alive and he was just trying to talk with Ron. He had a room. He had offered it to them for protection.

Josef tumbled out of the fireplace and stood up. Even before Harry could reach him, his eyes had surveyed the room and he was pulling his wand out. "This was a mistake, Harry," he hissed. "We need to get them all out of here now!"

It was too late. A dozen wizards around the room stood up from their chairs and aimed their wands at Harry and the others. Lamps flared to life, filling the room with light and identifying the wizards surrounding them as Aurors. For a moment, Harry was confused. Why were Aurors waiting for them? Why had their drawn their wands as if they were prepared for a fight?

"Harry Potter..." one of the Aurors called out over the din, "...Ginevra Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger and all those found traveling with them are under to be held under suspicion for an organized attack on the Bulgarian Ministry."

"By whose authority?" demanded Harry.

"By my authority," announced another wizard as he stepped out from the far corner of the room. With his white hair gleaming in the lamplight and a look of satisfaction in his eyes, Auguste Reynard weaved through the tables to stand in front of Harry.

From his days with the Brotherhood, Harry knew exactly what Reynard was allowed to do. "We didn't attack anyone at the Ministry and even if we did, you'd have no authority to punish us for that."

"I might not be able to hold you or Mr. Weasley," Reynard replied with a sly grin, "but Miss Granger and Miss Weasley are official Ministry employees. Their involvement in such matters is far more serious and well within the Ministry's authority. Until a full explanation is provided, I have no choice but to put them under arrest."

Beside Harry, Ginny only clenched her jaw and glared at Reynard. "Hermione is hurt," Harry said. "She needs a Healer."

"There are a number of Healers at Azkaban Prison," Reynard said with a mocking smile. "Of course they are fond of their sleep. It's not urgent, is it?"

"This is serious," Harry growled. "I don't have time for your power hungry games."

"This isn't a game, Potter," Reynard replied with a quick signal to the Aurors. "Take them," he said. "We'll see how cooperative they feel after a few days in Azkaban." Stepping next to Ginny, he stared down at her face with a look of condescending pity. "It's tragic. Such a pretty face. You would be appalled at what even a week in Azkaban can do. So many witches have lost their beauty to that dreadful place."

A number of Aurors struggled to separate Ron from Hermione while another pair grabbed Ginny by the shoulders and began walking her to the door. She looked over her shoulder as she went, staring at Harry with an expression meant to show bravery, though her eyes betrayed her, revealing her fear.

"They didn't do anything!" Harry shouted. "Stop this, now!"

"You wish it to stop, Harry?" Reynard asked smoothly. "Then tell me about the attack. Prove to me that they had no part in it. I have no desire to imprison a pair of young, attractive witches who will no doubt force themselves to waste away before they are finally broken. I don't even care about them. I'm only interested in the one responsible."

"Then take me," announced Josef, surprising everyone in the room. "I am the one responsible for attacking the guards in the vaults under Sofia."

Reynard was livid. "You will remain silent!" he shouted. "

"You have no more reason or right to arrest those witches," Josef declared. "They played no part in the attack. They did not even know that it happened until it was over. I gave them no suggestion that I had even planned to do it."

"You lie!" Reynard snarled threateningly. Around him, the Aurors were standing and casting uncertain glances at each other.

"I am not lying," Josef said calmly. "I am telling the truth and I will agree to provide enough information to prove this to your Minister."

"The Minister!" the older wizard scoffed. "You'll go straight to Azkaban!"

Josef's expression hardened and he stepped closer to Reynard. "No, I won't. Neither will Ginny or Hermione. They have done nothing wrong and the actions of a Romanian wizard in Bulgaria are certainly not the business of the British Ministry."

"We will see," growled Reynard. "Arrest this man," he commanded. "I believe him to be involved in the attack on the Ministry last July. Release Miss Weasley"

"What about Hermione?" Ginny objected as she pulled herself away from the Aurors and strode across the room toward him. "You can't take her. She's innocent."

"Are you blind, girl?" Reynard said in a condescending tone. "Miss Granger is seriously injured. She can barely stand."

"We were taking her to St. Mungo's before you tried to arrest us!"

"Nonsense," he replied. Brushing Ginny aside, Reynard grabbed Hermione by her shoulder and began walking her toward the doorway to Diagon Alley. "We have Healers in the Department of Mysteries who are much more experienced with this sort of thing."

Ron and Ginny rushed forward in a futile attempt to stop him, but the rest of the Aurors quickly stepped in front of them while Josef and Hermione were spirited away.

Both of them were rather upset and it took quite some time for Harry to calm them down. Though Hermione's fate was a little more troubling, he knew that Reynard had been speaking the truth. The wizards in the Department of Mysteries would be even better suited to help Hermione than your average Healer at St. Mungo's. There was still the worry about what she might go through after she was healed, but it couldn't be any worse than the alternative.

Josef was a different matter. Ginny was positively distraught at the sacrifice he'd made for her but Harry understood the truth. He'd known very well what he was doing. As he said, Reynard couldn't very well punish him for crimes he'd committed elsewhere and since he truly had been the one who'd attacked the guards, the Ministry couldn't try to blame anyone else. It seemed like a perfect plan, yet Harry found Reynard's reaction somewhat less encouraging. Though he didn't speak of it to Ginny, he wondered if Josef's history with the Brotherhood might complicate matters.

Tonks and Lupin tried to reassure Ron that Hermione would be alright. He nodded his head in a way that said he hadn't even been listening to them. With nothing more to do, Lupin, Tonks, Simon and Valencia all made their way back to Hogwarts. Only Justinian remained behind, explaining that he'd told McGonagall he wouldn't be back until the next morning. Instead he sat at the bar and waved to them as the left.

---

The next morning, Ginny and Harry reported to the Ministry with the hope of hearing something about Hermione's condition. Instead, they got only confused looks. It was clear that Reynard was keeping Hermione's situation a complete secret. Not even Harrington and Mrs. Reading were able to find any information about her. Carmilla, the receptionist, promised that she would try to see what rumors she might hear, but beyond that, there was nothing at all to hear.

Josef was less of a secret, as Reynard had been forced —rather reluctantly it was said— to hand him over to the Aurors. They were busy investigating a huge list of claims Reynard made. Harry and Ginny were ordered to stay well away from any of the Aurors who might be involved.

The next day passed without any news and the day after was no different. Harry was becoming rather anxious but there was little he could do. There had been a time when he might have been able to turn to the Brotherhood, and now that they were gone, he began to see just why they had banded together in the first place. No matter how much influence Harry might have had, there was simply nothing one wizard could do to help his friends.

The first sign of news came at the end of the week. Carmilla sent an owl to Harry saying that the house-elves had been ordered to start bringing meals to one of the interrogation rooms in the Department of Mysteries. It could almost be believed that it was for Josef, but it was accompanied by reports that Josef had been scheduled for a trial in front of the Wizengamot the following Wednesday. Until then, he was being held in a cell near the Auror Office. This meant that the one being interrogated must be Hermione and she must have been healthy enough to eat.

Ron and Ginny were relieved and upset at the same time. It seemed obvious that even though Hermione was mostly healed, she was still not being released. Ron took it upon himself to see that this would be changed as soon as possible. Ginny would have helped him, but she was forced to travel to Germany over the weekend to prepare for yet another round of World Cup matches. Harry decided it would be best for everyone if he simply remained quiet.

The days until Josef's trial crawled along. Following his decided strategy, Harry stayed at Grimmauld Place the entire day, knowing that someone would send word of the final decision. As expected, Harry heard a knock at his door late that morning. When he opened the door he found Josef himself standing on the threshold. After delivering the somewhat surprising news that the trial had been canceled after Reynard refused to present any evidence at all for his claims, Josef immediately asked to speak with Hermione.

He was quite upset when Harry told him that Hermione still hadn't been released. He chastised Harry, saying that Ron had the right idea from the start and that Harry should have spent his days trying to help as much as he could. He ranted and paced around the kitchen for ten minutes before stopping so he could start giving Harry orders.

Things always seemed to happen faster when Josef was involved. In a week, Ron hadn't been able to do much more than meet with the Head of the Aurors. In just one day, Josef had arranged a meeting with Scrimgeour and a number of other influential witches and wizards. Ron nearly hugged him when he found out what he'd done.

The next day Harry returned to the Ministry for the first time in a week and found a large group of people waiting for him. Standing at the forefront was Ferdinand Harrington and Professor McGonagall. Arthur Weasley and Remus Lupin stood nearby along with a Healer from St. Mungo's. With Ron and Ginny following close behind him, Harry led the group of them into the Minister's office.

The meeting was both quicker and more encouraging than Harry had expected. Presented with such an array of supporters, Scrimgeour had trouble ignoring their pleas and became concerned when Harrington and Mr. Weasley reported that there was still no explanation given for Hermione's disappearance. When he heard about Reynard's personal involvement, his expression soured. He stood up and gestured toward the door, making Harry fear the worst. Instead, the truth was quite the opposite. In a voice strained by anger, he promised that Reynard would be reminded of his duties and that Hermione would be released immediately.

The next day, Ginny fabricated an excuse to leave the office and wait for Hermione with Ron and Harry. Together, they sat at the fountain in the Ministry Atrium watching the security gate. Shortly after the morning rush of employees had subsided, Ron spotted Hermione stepping from one of the lifts, flanked by a pair of serious-looking wizards. She looked hardly any happier than they did, but after walking through the gate and spotting them, she flashed a weak smile.

Ron rushed to her and they embraced, though it was clear that something still troubled Hermione.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I— I don't want you to think I'm not thankful —I really am— but... Reynard is really angry. I refused to talk and then... then he had to let Josef and and when Scrimgeour found out what he was doing...

"What is it, Hermione?" Harry asked. "What's happened?"

"I've been sacked," she announced.

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad," Ron said slowly. "Reynard was an arrogant berk. Why would you want to work for a wizard like him?"

"It's not just that," she said. "They took all my things. All my books and everything I've worked on. I can never work for the Ministry again. I had to agree to it or they'd... send me to Azkaban for submitting false reports." She wiped a tear from her eye. "They're even kicking me out of my flat."

"It will be alright," Ginny said comfortingly. "There's plenty of room at Number Twelve. You and Ron can have the entire third floor."

At first this didn't seem to comfort Hermione all that much, but she didn't protest or suggest any alternatives. Without further delay, they all returned to Grimmauld Place where Josef was waiting for them. After pacing about impatiently while Harry tracked down Kreacher and had him tidy one of the rooms on the third floor, Josef pulled Hermione aside to ask her what Reynard had been questioning her about. They spoke quietly in a corner while Ron and Ginny worked in the kitchen. When lunch was finished, Josef seemed more relaxed, though he brushed aside all of Harry's attempts to find out what he'd learned.

The next day, the five of them met at the Leaky Cauldron shortly after noon. The Ministry had graciously decided to allow her a whole day to remove anything she cared about from her old flat. The furniture had been removed already, taken in the night by Ministry house-elves. Harry suggested that the Hogwarts house-elves might help with the rest, but Hermione would have none of it. Instead, Harry had managed to get a collection of old trunks from the goblins at Gringotts. They planned to fill them and take them back to the mansion on Grimmauld Place all at once rather than making dozens of trips throughout the afternoon.

At the start, they moved with rapid efficiency, loading each trunk and walking it down to the lobby three floors below. Within an hour, their pace had slacked off and their work became a little more haphazard. There was nothing happy about the atmosphere and it was clear that the other occupants of the building had been told to keep well clear of them. When everything was packed, they each grabbed a trunk and Disapparated. It took a second trip to transport the rest of them, and after that Hermione said she wanted to go back one last time to see that she had not left anything important.

Wearily, they returned to the street outside the flat and began climbing the stairs one last time. Upon reaching the landing, Hermione suddenly froze, forcing Harry to nearly fall back down the last flight of stairs in his attempt to avoid knocking her over. He was about to complain when he noticed her staring at the door to her flat with a look of fear.

He reacted immediately and without even thinking. In a second his wand was out and he had crossed the landing to her door. Ron, Josef and Ginny were running up the steps behind him. Without waiting for them, he flicked his wand at the door handle. With a sharp click it flew open and he dashed through.

He was prepared for some sort of ambush but found nothing at all. The flat was quiet and empty, just as they had left it. Ron and Josef walked up behind him holding their wands at the ready. Ginny hung back a little further, apparently not wanting to abandon Hermione, who refused to step beyond the doorway.

As they crept past the kitchen and toward the main room, Harry could feel his scar beginning to throb. A quick glance at Ron and Josef warned them about his feeling. Stopping briefly at the final corner before entering the room, Harry prepared himself. With a deep breath and a quick moment of concentration, he jumped around the corner, with Ron and Josef not far behind them. The afternoon sun filtered through a pair of large windows, tossing two shafts of warm light against the far wall. Searching the room, Harry's eyes quickly picked out a pale shape hiding in a dim corner opposite the windows. For a moment, he almost thought it was a ghost.

"Put your wands away," a woman's voice softly commanded them.

As his eyes adjusted to the shadows, Harry could see the small figure of a woman crouching against the wall, her hands and arms curled against her chest. As Harry inched closer, he saw that she was barefoot and wearing a gown of some light, flimsy material which blended into the sickly pallor of her skin. She was hunched over and staring down at the floor, her face hidden behind a matted curtain of copper hair.

"Please, lower your wands," she repeated. "I don't want to attack you." Her voice was stern but quiet, with a faint quaver as though she were trembling. "I'm tired of fighting," she said.

Josef lowered his wand and began walking toward her. For once, it was Harry who was thinking clearly. He quickly reached out to grab Josef before he could get any closer. He glared angrily at Harry.

"We need to be careful," cautioned Harry. "She's not herself."

Lucy's hair swayed slightly as she chuckled softly. "If only that were true," she said remorsefully. "I think I'm tired of being myself as well. I'm tired of my thoughts and my fears. I'm tired of my actions and having to feel the consequences."

"Why should we trust you?" asked Harry.

"I never said you should," she replied heavily. "You were right to point your wands at me. I would if I were in your position, and if you were in mine, you would tell me there was no point and that you would do the same if our positions were reversed. And so, we would come full circle, leaving us in a room with you pointing a wand at someone who has no will to fight back."

Lowering his wand slowly, Harry tried to understand what it all meant. She looked sickly and weak, but her behavior was strangely cold and defensive. "Why are you here?"

"I told you I would come," she droned. "I said that if I ever needed to find you, then I would. So here I am."

"I came looking for you, but you were gone." Josef asked as he slowly approached her. "I did everything I could think of to contact you. There were no messages, no clues."

"I've been busy," she replied flatly.

"Where were you?"

"All I wanted was happiness," she whimpered. "Was that so much to ask? No one else seems to have trouble finding it, but I've felt so little of it that I don't even know where to look. What crime am I guilty of? What have I done to deserve this life? I didn't ask for everything. I just wanted this one thing. All I had to give was patience and loyalty. I waited... Harry left and I waited for..."

"I came back as quickly as I could," Josef said.

"Not quick enough," she whispered. She stopped shivering and her voice became a little clearer. "I know I wasn't supposed to know about them, but I did. I knew about the others you saved. I knew that they helped you, and some of them knew about me. A few of us had started exchanging message. After Harry left, I sent messages out telling them what I'd learned, but no replies ever came back. It was too late for them. It was too late for all of us."

Looking a little closer at Lucy, Harry could see that the nightgown she was wearing was made of white silk. It's color was dulled in many places by dust or dirt and its clean, elegant design marred by a multitude of darker spots scattered all over the gown. Harry inched a little to one side to get a better look and found a large, dark red smear along her hip. It looked like blood.

"Lucy, are you hurt?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she shot back with a hard edge to her voice.

Josef seemed to have noticed it as well. "Lucy," he began in calming tons. "You've got blood on your nightgown. If you've been injured we should have a Healer take a look at it." He began walking forward to inspect her.

"It's not a mortal wound, I assure you," she replied.

Josef continued toward her. "Please, let me take a look—"

"Stay back!" she shouted, throwing her head back and glaring at both of them from behind colorless eyes. "Don't— Don't touch me! Don't come any closer," she growled. Harry could see the muscles in her arms and legs tightening as though she was preparing to pounce. Harry held out his hands in a sign of submission and stepped away. Josef simply stopped where he stood and crouched down to try and look at her.

"What happened, Lucy?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Terrible things," she whispered. "I left Athens. I— Something bad happened. I began searching for the rest of them."

"Have you been hiding all this time?"

"No," she said, shaking her head weakly. "I kept moving, kept searching. A week ago I arrived in Paris," she continued in a faint whisper. "I went to look for Catherine. She was the only one left. I went to the usual meeting spot, but she wasn't there. She knew... what was coming. She was hiding. It took me a week... a week to find her. It was just he two of us. Th-then... there was a... an attack... a horrible attack."

"Where is Catherine?" Josef asked gently.

"She's dead," Lucy said with a hollow voice.

Josef's head slumped a little, but he recovered quickly and continued his questioning. "Were you there? Did you see who did it?" Lucy nodded slowly. After glancing over at Harry for a moment, Josef turned his attention back to Lucy. "Were they wearing a dark, tattered cloak?" She shook her head. "Did you recognize them?" Lucy nodded again and slowly extended her arms, turning her palms out to Harry and Josef, showing them the fresh bloodstains which covered hands past her wrists.

"It was me," she said weakly. Slowly, she raised her head to stare at the two of them with nearly colorless eyes.

Josef recoiled instinctively and struggled to find a response. "You— but—" he stammered. "I don't understand, how could you..."

"I was taught well," Lucy announced with cheerless pride. "I tracked her down. I found her and ripped open her throat so no one would hear her scream when I tore her heart from her chest."

The sudden force of her words was horrifying and yet this was only the start. As she had spoken, her lips had curled back to reveal a set of gleaming fangs. Instantly, both Harry and Josef leaped away and reached for their wands. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Ginny running around the corner with her wand drawn as well.

Lucy paid no attention to any of them. She was staring at her hands again and trembling as if she were just as horrified by what she was saying. "She didn't even fight back," she continued. "She saw me and... she understood. She knew why I was there."

"The others—" prompted Josef. "Did you—"

"Every last one."

"W-Why?" Josef gasped.

"Because I saw them for what they really were!" she snapped. "After Harry left, I returned to Athens and I waited and then... a wizard in a dark cloak found me. He told me things. Heshowed me things, things no one could know, things that haven't even happened yet. He showed me the crimes they had committed and all the disgusting things they'd done. I couldn't—" he voice faltered for a moment, "—couldn't let them live. They had to pay."

She stared down at the floor as if afraid to look into Josef's eyes. "He showed me what they had done... and then he gave me the power to see that they paid for their actions. He said it was a gift. He said I should feel proud, but I only felt anger. I didn't care about anything but vengeance for what they had done."

"It wasn't you," Josef told her in an attempt to comfort her. "It was him. He made you do it."

"No," she replied. Her voice was cold and utterly without emotion or remorse. "He never told me what to do. He didn't tell me where to go. He didn't need to. I knew where to start looking. I knew what to do when I found them. The first one... was unlucky. The second chose to fight. By the twelfth, I no longer found pleasure in watching them die, but I knew it had to be done. Justice needed to be done, and it was my right to see that it was done swiftly."

Harry didn't know what to say. It was hard enough to accept that she had killed so many witches and wizards, but the idea that she'd done it willingly was incomprehensible. Josef seemed to be having even more trouble. He fell to his knees and just stared at Lucy in bewildered shock.

Harry finally managed to gather his thoughts. "What did he tell you?" he asked her. "What did they do to deserve it?"

"Why do you want to know?" she replied softly. "Perhaps you're wondering if you're guilty of similar crimes. Rest assured, Harry, you are not innocent." The sudden intensity in her voice was worrisome and without thinking, Harry found himself tightening his grip on his wand. She noticed and gave him a curious smile.

"Are you afraid of me now?" she asked in a frighteningly melodic tone. "I can remember a time when that wasn't true. Has your desire for me cooled in just two months?"

Harry glared at her, uncertain of what she was trying to do. "I never had any desire for you."

"Oh, come now, Harry" she purred. "We both know that's not true." Though she was facing Harry, her eyes slipped off to covertly watch Ginny's reaction. "You don't remember? You've already forgotten the touch of my lips, the heat of our breath mixing, the sound of my robes ripping. Have you forgotten the afternoon of passion we shared in my bedchamber?"

"That's not what happened!" he declared, feeling the glares of both Ginny and Josef.

Her eyes twitched mischievously. "Isn't it? You deny all of it? We never embraced? Your lips never pressed against mine?"

"We never spent the—"

"Then deny it, Harry!" she said in a commanding tone. She raised a bloody hand to point at Ginny. "Don't tell me. Tell her. If it is a lie, then look into her eyes and tell her that it never happened. Tell her that we have never kissed!"

Without thinking, Harry turned and found Ginny staring at him, fear and confusion swirling behind her eyes. His hesitation had already given her the answer.

"It was only an act," he offered in explanation.

"And a superb one at that," Lucy commented. "It was very convincing. So good that one might question just how many other times you have done it."

Harry scowled at her. "We kissed. It was nothing more than a way to distract the guards. The rest of it is all a lie," he announced.

"Just a kiss?" replied Lucy, A disturbing smile spread across her face as she turned toward Ginny. "Perhaps it was, but despite all his promises and assurances, you'll always wonder just how much of the truth he has told you. You must know that there are other things he doesn't tell you. He has just admitted to a kiss. How much more is he hiding? Ask him. See if his answers can convince you."

"Lucy, stop this," Josef commanded. "You've done enough."

"No! I haven't!" she snapped back at him. Her pale eyes narrowed on Harry as she leaned forward slightly.

"You wish to know why I am here?" she asked. "I came here to see her," she announced, pointing toward Ginny again. "I wanted to finally meet the one who has caused this world so much pain. I wanted to see her for myself. I hadn't imagined she would look so... weak," she said with a look of disgust. "I always assumed it would take amazing strength to commit such an atrocity."

"I haven't done anything," Ginny insisted. "This... cloaked wizard is wrong. He's convinced himself that I am someone I'm not."

"Can you trust her, Harry? Lucy asked. "You, who have hidden so much from her, can you believe her when you have been carrying the proof for so long. Open your eyes, Harry. She is the cause. She is the one who must pay," she said through clenched teeth, exposing her fangs. "She deserves death many times over for what she has done. To give her the same death Catherine received would be an act of supreme mercy and forgiveness, though I would gladly give it to her."

"But you can't," Josef said, breaking the silence he'd fallen into. "He won't let you, will he? You might have come here to see her, but it's more than that. You could have stayed in the shadows and watched us for weeks, satisfying whatever desires you had to see her.

"Perhaps I wished to see you again," she suggested.

"I wish that were true, but I doubt it. You are barely willing to look at me, and when you do, your eyes are filled with shame and fear. You didn't come here searching for happiness," he said heavily. "Neither were you searching for vengeance. You, too, are hiding the truth," he announced. "You wear your anger and hatred like a mask, obscuring the real reasons you came here, but why? You have not attacked any of us. You have made no demands. At worst, you have made a clumsy attempt to breed dissent among us." He paused and suddenly perked up.

"It isn't us whom you are hiding your intentions from," he announced, as though the thought surprised him as much as everyone else. "The cloaked wizard, he didn't tell you to find us. He doesn't want you here. You came here to... to try and help us understand."

Lucy shook her head dramatically. "I came here to teach Ginny the price for her betrayal! I came here to make her see what she has done."

"I haven't betrayed anyone," Ginny insisted yet again. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"It doesn't matter," Lucy replied stiffly. "You were there at the beginning. This is all your fault. You are the cause. Your betrayal has brought this upon us all. Was it worth it? Is your existence worth so much more than mine? Is it worth more than the hundreds who have died for your mistake?"

"How is that possible?" Josef prompted. "These things happened thousands of years ago."

Lucy swallowed and took a deep breath as though speaking was difficult. "She is different, but... it is still her," she said. "He recognized her. He hasn't forgotten... He can't forget. She was supposed to be pure and perfect. She was supposed to be a divine spirit, something to give him balance. Together, they would have brought peace to the world. Instead, she betrayed him."

"What are you talking about?" Josef continued pressing her. "When did this happen? What did she do to betray him? Where did she go?"

"We have no time for folktales," Harry interrupted. "Do you know anything about a jewel?"

A sour expression came across Lucy's face and she nodded slowly. "The Jewel of Darkness," she replied flatly. "He is looking for the Jewel of Darkness."

"What is it?" Ron asked. "Why does he want it so badly?"

Lucy shook her head slowly. "You're wrong. He doesn't want it at all."

Harry and the others exchanged confused looks. "If he doesn't want it, then why does he keep demanding that we give it to him?"

"He fears the Jewel, but not as much as he fears the Jewel in your hands. He seeks to—"

With a sudden gasp of pain, Lucy fell to her knees and clawed at the wooden floor. At Harry side, Josef seemed to be fighting the urge to leap to her side. With a faint, piteous wail, her neck curled back revealing a troubling sight. Her eyes were solid black and her teeth had already turned a smoky grey. After another shudder, she collapsed forward with a whimper. Still gasping for breath, she pushed herself back up and wiped away a thin trickle of darkened blood from under her nose.

"It doesn't matter why he wants the Jewel," she panted as her eyes faded back to their previous, disturbingly pale color. "You must give it to him. You have no choice." Everyone stood in stunned silence. Clutching her hands together to keep them from shaking, she stared up at Harry. "The consequences of are too... too horrific to imagine. He must have it."

"No," Harry declared firmly. "I'll never give him the Jewel."

"I believe you," she replied with a faint laugh. The laugh quickly became a hoarse cough and she doubled over again, coughing until blood was dripping from her lips. Though it horrified everyone else, she didn't seem to care. "He will have it. He cannot be denied. As you can see, his will is strong. Try to defy him all you like. You will fail."

"How can you know that?"

"Because you and I share something in common, Harry," she said, blood still dripping off her chin. "Of course, I was not as fortunate. I was cursed with these," she said, baring her long, pointed teeth again. "If I had been given a choice, I think I would have preferred the scar."

Harry stared at her for a moment, trying to ignore the tingling in his forehead. "No," he said defiantly. "That's not the same at all."

"Are you so sure? Voldemort is gone. How has your scar been feeling, Harry?"

Harry felt his heart pounding. "It's not possible. You're lying again. It's just a trick. He's afraid of me. He's just using this as way to make me fear him."

"No, Harry. You're the one who is wrong. You have no idea what you're facing. He is more than a wizard," she said in a more subdued voice. "He used to be a wizard once, the very first wizard." Harry perked up immediately and looked over toward Ron, Hermione and Ginny. They were equally shocked.

"He was there before any others, waiting for them. But he wasn't like them. When they found him, his power was already immense."

"It wasn't enough," commented Harry. "They found a way to stop him. Together, they were stronger than he was. That's why he's trying to drive us apart. He knows that it could happen again."

"No, Harry," she said again. "They didn't stop him. They couldn't. No one can."

"Then what does he have to fear?" replied Harry. "What use is secrecy to someone who cannot be defeated? He knows we are a danger to him. He fears what we might do with the Jewel of Darkness. I will find it."

"You cannot defeat him, Harry," she warned him with a grave expression. "The Jewel is even more of a threat to you than it is to him. You do not understand the danger it poses to you."

"Then help us," he begged her. "Help us find the Jewel. Help us defeat him. You know him. You can tell us how to stop him."

"And what if I do?" she replied. "Do you think he will let me? Do you think it is easy? Would you be able to trust me?"

"You can fight him," Harry said, sounding almost as if he were pleading with her. "You are strong. I've seen it. You can find a way. I know it."

Her eyes narrowed. "And, in the end, what would I get for my agony?"

"You get to live," he answered. "That is more than he will give you."

"Is this life?" she asked bitterly. "Is this what you're offering me? I should help you and in exchange, you will give me an eternity of the torturous existence he has brought to me. You would do his work for him, just as you always have. No. All I have is my hatred and desire for revenge. If you would succeed, you would take that as well."

"Will you get any better offer from him?" countered Harry. "You said you saw the things he'd done in the past. How many times has he shown mercy? What makes you think that you're any different?"

"He couldn't see it," she said in a controlled tone. "I'm nothing to him. I was nothing but a puppet, a plaything to use and manipulate and torture while he waited for the one he really wanted. With all his attention elsewhere, he didn't even realize what he'd missed."

"What didn't he see?" Harry asked, opting to keep the focus away from Ginny.

A shaky smile spread across her pale lips, revealing her dark fangs again. "I'm not one of them," she whispered. Her face was totally blank, but Harry could see a troubling excitement in her eyes. "I use to be weak. I used to let everyone control me. I'm stronger now. I'll never let that happen again. He thinks he has me, but he's wrong. He can't see it. He's blinded by her."

"What do you mean?" he pressed her. "What is he planning to do?"

Lucy ignored him. "You were right, Harry. I am strong. Stronger than he thought. Your battle is your own. I have already won mine." She shifted slightly so that she was crouching on her feet again and her eyes filled with a feral excitement.

"I was a slave once," she announced. "Never again."

In a single swift motion, she sprang forward. Panicked shouts filled the small flat and Harry twisted away, reaching for his wand to fend off the next attempt. However, instead of stopping and turning on him, Lucy continued on her path with frightening speed. Halfway across the room, a piercing shriek filled the small space as her legs seemed to buckle underneath her. She was stumbling, but it was too late. Her head and shoulders struck the window on the far side of the room, shattering it with an explosion of glass and splintered wood. An instant later, she disappeared, her bare feet sailing through the opening.

For a moment, the entire room was silent. They simply stood transfixed on the broken window as if wondering when the dream might end. Then a horrible, tortured wailing began drifting up from the street below. Running to the window, Harry leaned out to see what was happening. Josef was right behind him.

A wide opening had formed in the afternoon crowd walking down Diagon Alley. In its center was the shape of a small girl in a white nightgown. She was lying on her side and screaming in agony. A few brave wizards stepped forward to try and help her, but they quickly backed away as she began moving. Twitching and shaking in pain, she pushed herself onto her back and stared up into the afternoon sky.

Fresh screams erupted from her throat, but they were more shrill and raspy. Harry watched in disgust as her alabaster skin darkened to a sickening, blotchy red. Around her, the witches and wizards who had stopped to investigate were turning to flee. Slowly, her cries became more forced. Her skin turned from red to black and Harry almost thought he could hear her laughing through her screams. After only a few more seconds, her cries tapered off into a thin wail and disappeared, leaving the street in utter silence.

Harry turned away from the scene and found Ginny staring at him as if she were waiting for him to give some explanation of what he'd seen, but it was unnecessary.

"What just happened?" Ron asked. He was still clutching his wand in his hand, prepared for an attack that wouldn't come.

"She did it," Ginny replied. Though she made no attempt to walk toward the window and see for herself, her eyes remained locked on the broken frame. "She did what Mira couldn't. She found a way to kill herself. She knew she could do it because she'd seen the future and realized that she wasn't one of the people the cloaked wizard had claimed."

"She could have helped us," Harry said.

"Mira thought the same thing, Harry," Ginny said with a slight nod toward the spot where Josef had slumped against the wall. "We couldn't ask her to make that sacrifice. This was the best she could hope for. We should all be happy that she doesn't have to suffer any longer."

Taking the cue from Ginny, Harry looked over toward Josef and found him still slumped against the wall, his face pale and sickly with a hollow look in his eyes. Sitting completely still, he stared at the shadowy spot where Lucy had been only moments ago. There was something deeply troubling about his catatonic state.

"Josef?" Harry called gently. "Josef, are you alright?"

"No..." he whispered, barely moving his mouth. "No, I'm afraid I'm not alright, Harry."

"Is there anything we—"

"It must be stopped," he muttered, his eyes twitching from one spot on the floor to another. "There must be some way to stop it. This has to end. There must be an end. I can't... I can't believe this is how it's meant to go."

"It won't. We're not giving up," Harry told him. "We will do whatever it takes to see that he pays for what he's done."

Josef gave Harry an intense glare. "He knows us, Harry. He knows our fears. He knows how to hurt us. We can't fight him. He feeds off our fear and hatred. He knows our every move before we make it. It's not possible—" He buried his face in his hands. "We're missing something," he said in a louder voice. "There something we're not seeing. It's the one thing we need to stop him, but he's hiding it from us."

"We'll find it," Harry said. "Lucy has already pointed us in the right direction. We need to find the Jewel."

"The Jewel of Darkness," Josef whispered to himself. "She knew what it was. She knew too much about it, Harry. Something was wrong about the way she talked about it. It wasn't natural, it wasn't... her. Be careful, Harry. I fear what might happen if you continue looking for this Jewel."

"If he's afraid of us finding it, then that's just what I'm going to do."

"Then I wish you good luck," Josef said as he pushed himself onto his feet again. "It looks as if I have other business to attend to." With a cold, emotionless expression, he straightened his robes, placed his wand back in his pocket and walked toward the door with stiff, heavy strides.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked.

Josef stopped at the door, but refused to look at any of them. "I can't leave her lying in the street. Not like that."

"I'll help you," offered Harry. "We'll see that—"

"No. I'll do it alone," interrupted Josef. "I... think I need some time... to think," he said haltingly. "I think I need some time alone."

"What if we need to find you?" asked Harry. "What if something—"

"Look for me in Paris," Josef replied flatly. "I need to find Catherine as well. She still has family in Edinburgh. They deserve to know what has happened to their niece. After that... I don't know. I don't know what we can do. I suppose we wait for him to show himself again. All we can really do now is fight where we can and hope that the next to die isn't someone close to us."

As he opened the door and stepped out, Harry called out to him, trying to sound encouraging: "We'll find a way to stop him. I swear it."

Looking back over his shoulder one last time, Josef stared back at Harry with empty eyes and spoke in a voice weighed down with defeat: "I wish I had your optimism, Harry."

---

Author's Notes:

This chapters should have given some better information to all of you who wanted to learn a little more information about the villain. And Lucy came back, just like a promised people. Of course, it may not have been the way they wanted it, but sometimes these things simply must be done.

The next chapter is already well on its way. Everyone should enjoy it. It's got a decent amount of action, almost reminiscent of Chapter 8 of 'Ring of Gold'.