Elixir for Christmas - My Advent's Calendar story 2015
by Healer Pomfrey
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
COMPLETELY AU! Partly OOC.
It is my story, and I intend to write it the way I want it.
If you don't like it, go and find something else to read or write your own story to your liking!
21 December (1997)
Over the following months, Nicholas and Harry researched the Dark Mark with Severus' help, who allowed them to inspect the one on his arm and even cast one or the other spell at it just to figure out how it worked.
It was completely unexpected that one evening, after Nicholas had once again cast a spell at Severus' arm, the snake from within the Dark Mark began to come to life and hiss in apparent annoyance.
"What are you doingssss?"
"Oh sorry," Harry apologized. "Are you the keeper of the Dark Mark?"
"Yessss little sspeaker," the snake replied, suddenly sounding much friendlier.
"We'd like to make some changesss to it," Harry said, carefully eyeing the snake.
"What changesss?" it enquired.
"How many people have your mark?" Harry returned a question.
"Seventy-sixxx," the snake replied, looking proud.
"Can you display the marks on their facess instead of their armsss please and then vanish from thisss arm?" Harry requested.
"I don't know if my master will like that, but I like you and you're a sspeaker, ssso for once I will lisssten to you," the snake hissed.
For an instant, Severus' face turned black, while his arm became white, before the Dark Mark completely vanished again from his face.
"Thank Merlin," Harry blurted out and let out the air he hadn't even noticed he was keeping in suspense. He sighed in relief. "All right now, all Death Eaters should be wearing their marks on their faces now," he then explained. "Maybe we should contact Amelia, so that the Aurors can go after the Death Eaters as quickly as possible. I'm sure that if Voldemort finds out about it, he'll ask the snake to move the marks back."
メリークリスマス
A couple of days later, the headline of the Daily Prophet screamed 'Death Eaters wearing their Dark Mark on their faces - 50 captured'. The second headline claimed 'Minister Fudge a Death Eater!'
'Minister Fudge, who has to this day denied that You-Know-Who has returned, is a Death Eater! Due to an unknown reason, the Death Eaters' Dark Mark has suddenly become visible on their faces, which allowed it the Aurors to capture 50 of them including the Minister. Since the Ministry has lost control over the Dementors at Azkaban, all Death Eaters have been put through the Veil instantly.'
'Fifty out of seventy-five,' Harry thought, contentedly, even if he was unsure if he wouldn't have preferred the Death Eaters being locked away instead of having been put through the Veil. 'So by now, he has still twenty-five followers.'
"The headmaster believes that Voldemort might want to attack Hogwarts quite soon, before he loses more of his followers," Severus said, when he entered the founders' living room shortly before curfew.
"I'll be ready," Harry replied. "The Longbottoms have done a great job teaching us, and I'm still taking the elixir from the Protection stone regularly. As he knows about the prophecy, he won't attack others but concentrate on me, so I think everything should be all right. In fact, it would be nice if he did it quickly, before our seventh year begins and we have to concentrate on studying for the NEWTs."
メリークリスマス
Unfortunately, his wish did not fulfil itself, and Voldemort remained quiet - apart from one or the other attack on the families of muggleborn students, which caused Harry to contact all muggleborn students and offered them to move to Hogwarts together with their families for the time being.
"You better inform the headmaster about this," Severus said, smirking, after Harry had sent out fifty-seven letters.
"Yes, I'll do that right away," Harry said in determination, giving Daphne a questioning look.
"Of course I'll accompany you," his girlfriend reassured him, and the two soon-to-be seventh-years made their way into the castle and to the headmaster's office.
As soon as they approached the gargoyle, it automatically jumped aside to give Hogwarts' owner and his lady access.
"Harry, I believe that we have other problems to worry about," Dumbledore replied on Harry's announcement. Turning to Daphne, he asked, "Would you please allow me to speak with Harry in private for a moment?"
"No sir," Harry contradicted in a firm voice. "Daphne will soon be my wife, and I don't have and am not willing to keep any secrets from her."
"Harry, first of all," Dumbledore continued in apparent defeat, "there's a prophecy about you and Voldemort. It..."
"We know that, sir," Harry interrupted the old wizard. "Anything else?"
"Yes," Dumbledore replied in a grave voice. "You won't be able to just kill Voldemort. He has made six or seven Horcruxes, which are..."
"We know that, sir, and we've already destroyed all of them," Harry once again fell into the headmaster's word.
"You what?" Dumbledore exclaimed in clear disbelief, before adding, "That's not possible my boy."
"Of course, sir, that's why I gave them to Hogwarts to display them for everyone to see. We also got rid of the Horcrux in his snake and behind my scar as well as the diary almost five years ago. I'm sure that there aren't any other Horcruxes left."
"It's all right, Harry. You may go," Dumbledore replied, suddenly looking very old. "Will you see to the living quarters for the refugees?"
"I will," Harry reassured the old wizard, before he pulled Daphne out of the office. "Daphne, let's go and send McGonagall to him. He looks as if he needed some assistance."
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The deputy headmistress shook her head in apparent annoyance. "It's his own fault," she then spoke up. "As the prophecy concerns you, he should have spoken with you about all of this years ago. However, he tries to keep all information to himself. Oh well, I'll go and look after him. By the way," she added, and her lips stretched to a rare smile, "I've put the two of you for this year's head girl and head boy. Is that all right with you?"
Harry and Daphne exchanged a surprised look, before Daphne replied, "Of course Professor. If you deem us adequate for the position, we'll gladly accept it."
"You'll do well," McGonagall assured them, "and I appreciate having a Slytherin head girl and a Slytherin head boy for once. This has not happened since I can remember."
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It was during the Halloween feast that Hogwarts sent Lisa to Harry with the information that Voldemort was outside on the grounds together with two dozen followers.
Harry calmly rose from his chair, casting a Sonorus charm at himself.
"All students from first to fifth year, follow Astoria Greengrass. Astoria, lead them all to the founders' living room. Voldemort doesn't know these quarters. Please also inform Nicholas that Voldemort is trying to attack Hogwarts with a little more than twenty Death Eaters. All sixth and seventh years plus teachers who are willing to fight Voldemort, please follow me out onto the grounds. Everyone else go with Astoria. Dad, please go and inform the Aurors."
With that he left the Great Hall, feeling utterly relieved that he had made Daphne drink the elixir from the Protection stone just a few days ago when he had taken his own dose.
"Tom," he addressed the evil wizard who was already in a short distance to the entrance doors. "How nice to come and see me with your remaining handful of followers."
"Give me my wand back," Voldemort demanded, causing Harry to chuckle.
"You'd think that you could have made yourself a new wand by now," he replied, however, pulled Voldemort's wand out of his inner robe pocket and threw it at his nemesis.
"Thank you Harry. Cruicio," Voldemort cast, as soon as he held his old wand in his hand.
"Tough luck Tom," Harry replied, calmly, noticing from the corner of his eyes that the older students or teachers had already stunned most of the Death Eaters.
"What did you do to my wand?" Voldemort hissed.
"Nothing Tom. Maybe try the Lumos charm?" Harry suggested, chuckling.
"Lumos," Voldemort incantated, only to realise that it worked. "Adavra Kedavra," he cast with his wand pointed at Harry. The spell shot through his chest, however, nothing happened."
"Pity Tom," Harry replied, before he pulled a small phial out of his robe pocket and spelled the content straight into Tom's system.
"It's the antidote to the Elixir of Life," he explained, smirking. "It'll give you a few more seconds to live before it takes effect. Good bye Tom. It was nice to meet you."
tbc...
Thank you very much for your kind comments on the previous chapter!