CHAPTER 20
Disc: Sue me if you really want to. All I own is a pair of old socks and copies of all four Harry Potter books.
Sirius flung himself down on his chair with a deep sigh. "A dead end, my friends. The necessary conditions for the Analogum will not come around for a long, long time. It seems that the night that the goddamned spell was cast, there was a lunar eclipse or something to that effect and it's almost impossible to replicate. It seems that this bastard, the Circle, knew about the Analogum spell, and went all out to make it really tough. So we're stuck, and Harry is in a shit load of danger."
Arabella ran a hand through her hair. "Snuffles, it's worse than you can possibly imagine. Now that the Coven is disbanded, there are no real leaders in this battle except Harry and Dumbledore, and Dumbledore is an old man. There is no telling how long he'll live. We have to get Harry out somehow."
Ron nodded. "We know that, Bella. Our problem is how!"
Draco stepped forward. "May I make a suggestion?"
Ron shot him an unfriendly glance, but refrained from comment. Snape nodded encouragingly and Draco continued, "Look, I don't like Potter. I never have. But it's obvious, even to me, that he's important to this fight. He's a natural leader. He's handsome, he's kind, and he's sensitive. People love him and they want to do things for him. Even a hardboiled, cynical, Slytherin sonofabitch like me can see that. So I'll do all I can to help. I have an idea, but I'm not sure it'll work. Will you hear me out?"
Ron's hard face softened somewhat, and Arabella calmly said, "I think I can speak for all of us here when I say that we don't doubt your motives, Draco. What's the plan?"
"Well, I think our only hope is to infiltrate the Circle's stronghold and attack from within rather than from without. I don't think anyone has cottoned on to the act that I'm a spy. If I pretend I'm visiting France purely because I want in on the action against Potter, it should be quite believable. Let me find out where he is, what kind of shape he's in and let me get the feel of the land. Then attack would be simpler."
Hermione shook her head. "Sorry, Malfoy." She said flatly. "I can't let even you go in there alone on a mission like this. It's too dangerous and we can't take wild risks. There has to be another idea."
Malfoy peered suspiciously at her, but his eyes fell on seeing the concern reflected on her face. Sirius however looked thoughtful. "I don't know, Herm. It seems like a good idea. And Harry must come first. I say we let him go. But let's be democratic. Let's put it to vote. All in favor of Malfoy going in say aye."
"Aye." Said Ron.
"Aye." murmured Blaise.
A very muffled "Aye" came from Arabella who had chosen just that minute to bite into a cream bun.
Snape bit his lip. "I don't know. I must agree with Miss Granger. It is a huge risk. But I suppose Potter is our first priority. So, Aye it is."
"Very well," said Sirius. "I'm sorry, Hermione, but the ayes have it. Draco you have the go ahead. Get them."
Hermione frowned. "At least send someone else with him. He can't go alone. He needs at least one back up. Can't someone go along?"
"I will." Came a voice from the door. The group turned as of a single accord and gaped at the tall dark figure that stood silhouetted against the door. For a minute there was complete silence and then Hermione threw herself at him, gasping out "Viktor!"
***********************
Raymond Ernest was engrossed in a copy of Citizen Kane when a staccato knock on the door drew him out of his reverie. He reluctantly got up and went to the door. He lived alone and didn't even allow himself the luxury of servants - human or elvish. As he opened the door on the stormy evening, he was glad, once more, of the privacy that the house gave him. On his doorstep, looking bedraggled and distraught, stood his star reporter. He glanced sharply into her eyes, which were wide with shock, and pulled her in after him. He closed the door and led the unresisting girl to the library where he gently ensconced her in a comfortable armchair. Then in a manner quite different from his usual terse style, he asked her, "What happened Ginny?"
The young reporter looked back at him and replied falteringly, "Dead. All dead."
Raymond stroked her wet hair softly and spoke to her as if she were a small child. "Come on, Gin, tell Ray. What did you see?" But the girl just closed her eyes and shivered, and the tears flowed down her cheeks and soundless sobs wracked her slim frame.
Raymond Ernest had not been the finest human-interest writer for the Daily Prophet in a century for nothing. He had a natural empathy which he normally reserved for his articles. Now he called upon it to help the girl he had come to consider as his protégé in many ways. He sat down facing her, and in his most persuasive voice he said, "Ginny, you have to tell me what happened in Atlantis. If we are to help Dumbledore, we have to know everything that's been happening. Pull yourself together, child." Then he played a calculated stroke, "For Harry."
He knew he had done the right thing. The sobs shuddered to a stop and the amber eyes lifted to his own were no longer frenzied. "I'm sorry Ray, I shouldn't have acted like such a baby. It's just that in all my years as a journalist I've never seen such senseless carnage. And Harry…" here her voice choked.
"What's happened to Harry, Virginia?" the question was curtly snapped at her. She bit her lip, but continued, "Dumbledore was there, in the Atlantis building. Hermione and Sirius Black were with him. He said Harry had been kidnapped, that Harry's life was in danger. He also called Harry by a name. Something rather unusual! Moody also said it before he died. I think they called Harry 'The Phoenix' or something like that. They also talked about…" she found that Ernest was no longer listening to her and fell silent.
Ernest stared into the fire for a long minute, his lips pursed into a soundless whistle. Then he inhaled sharply and spoke in a half whisper, almost to himself, "Harry Potter, the Phoenix! Who would have thought it?" In a louder voice he said, "Virginia, did they mention who they suspected of masterminding the kidnapping?" Ginny knitted her brows in concentration, and then shook her head.
"They didn't mention the leaders, but Moody did say that the Death Eaters who attacked the Atlantis were led by Roger McNair and Amy Lestrange. I don't know if that's any help…"
Ernest cut her off sharply, "It is, thank you, Virginia. Now I want you to go home and stay there. I believe your parents have gone on some diplomatic mission, so go stay with one of your brothers. Owl me your article on the Atlantis incident, but keep it strictly descriptive. I don't want you to tell anybody about Harry's kidnapping. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Ginny nodded dumbly and finally Ernest allowed himself to relax into a smile. "And Ginny, try to calm down. Nothing is going to happen to Harry Potter. I'm pretty sure of that."
**********************
Angelina Weasely looked up with a smile at Jacqueline Murray, as she stormed into her office. "Hi Jackie, how can I help you?"
The auburn haired woman flung herself into a seat and glared at the younger woman across the desk. "Angelina, I am furious. No I'm more than furious, I'm enraged. How do you stay married to a Quidditch Player? If you ask me, the whole damn lot should be stuffed into gunny bags and tossed into the Thames. The world would be a kinder, saner place. Or perhaps we could stand them shoulder-to-shoulder and see how many we could kill with a single Avada Kedavra spell. Or perhaps we could hang them upside down by their intestines and get magic ravens to peck their eyes out. Wouldn't that be just retribution?"
Angelina listened to this diatribe with a twinkle in her eyes. When Jackie was through, she calmly interjected, "Jackie, how can I help you?"
The captain of the Montrose Magpies looked a little discomfited. "Sorry for the temper tantrum, Angelina. But right now I'm under a lot of stress. You know the play offs will be starting any day and we've already started rigorous practices. Unfortunately practices are of very little use with our best player missing."
Angelina looked surprised, "You mean Harry!"
"Of course, I mean Harry. The last time I saw him was in France. He told me he was staying on a few days. Now he seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. We need him to win the Quidditch cup, and he's nowhere to be found."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"Well as the second in command in the Ministry of Magical Games, I want you to pull rank, and find that sonofabitch for me. Then I can tear him to pieces. Would you try?"
Angelina gave a cautious nod. "I can't make any promises, but yes I'll try."
Jackie flashed her a brilliant smile. "Thanks Angelina, I owe you. I'll be in touch." She strode out with the lithe, athletic stride of the natural flier and Angelina looked thoughtfully at her retreating figure.
Thanks go to:
Miriam: My most loyal reviewer. If it wasn't for you I'd have given up on this damn mess a long time ago.
Magicalmischiefmaker: Glad you enjoyed it. hope you like this one too.
Moselle: Sorry, but I just didn't feel like writing abotu Gabrielle in this chapter. Keeping everyone on their toes
Sarah: Thank you. About Ginny, it's because she's a conscientous journalist and her first duty is towards the paper. About Gabrielle, well wait and watch.
Disc: Sue me if you really want to. All I own is a pair of old socks and copies of all four Harry Potter books.
Sirius flung himself down on his chair with a deep sigh. "A dead end, my friends. The necessary conditions for the Analogum will not come around for a long, long time. It seems that the night that the goddamned spell was cast, there was a lunar eclipse or something to that effect and it's almost impossible to replicate. It seems that this bastard, the Circle, knew about the Analogum spell, and went all out to make it really tough. So we're stuck, and Harry is in a shit load of danger."
Arabella ran a hand through her hair. "Snuffles, it's worse than you can possibly imagine. Now that the Coven is disbanded, there are no real leaders in this battle except Harry and Dumbledore, and Dumbledore is an old man. There is no telling how long he'll live. We have to get Harry out somehow."
Ron nodded. "We know that, Bella. Our problem is how!"
Draco stepped forward. "May I make a suggestion?"
Ron shot him an unfriendly glance, but refrained from comment. Snape nodded encouragingly and Draco continued, "Look, I don't like Potter. I never have. But it's obvious, even to me, that he's important to this fight. He's a natural leader. He's handsome, he's kind, and he's sensitive. People love him and they want to do things for him. Even a hardboiled, cynical, Slytherin sonofabitch like me can see that. So I'll do all I can to help. I have an idea, but I'm not sure it'll work. Will you hear me out?"
Ron's hard face softened somewhat, and Arabella calmly said, "I think I can speak for all of us here when I say that we don't doubt your motives, Draco. What's the plan?"
"Well, I think our only hope is to infiltrate the Circle's stronghold and attack from within rather than from without. I don't think anyone has cottoned on to the act that I'm a spy. If I pretend I'm visiting France purely because I want in on the action against Potter, it should be quite believable. Let me find out where he is, what kind of shape he's in and let me get the feel of the land. Then attack would be simpler."
Hermione shook her head. "Sorry, Malfoy." She said flatly. "I can't let even you go in there alone on a mission like this. It's too dangerous and we can't take wild risks. There has to be another idea."
Malfoy peered suspiciously at her, but his eyes fell on seeing the concern reflected on her face. Sirius however looked thoughtful. "I don't know, Herm. It seems like a good idea. And Harry must come first. I say we let him go. But let's be democratic. Let's put it to vote. All in favor of Malfoy going in say aye."
"Aye." Said Ron.
"Aye." murmured Blaise.
A very muffled "Aye" came from Arabella who had chosen just that minute to bite into a cream bun.
Snape bit his lip. "I don't know. I must agree with Miss Granger. It is a huge risk. But I suppose Potter is our first priority. So, Aye it is."
"Very well," said Sirius. "I'm sorry, Hermione, but the ayes have it. Draco you have the go ahead. Get them."
Hermione frowned. "At least send someone else with him. He can't go alone. He needs at least one back up. Can't someone go along?"
"I will." Came a voice from the door. The group turned as of a single accord and gaped at the tall dark figure that stood silhouetted against the door. For a minute there was complete silence and then Hermione threw herself at him, gasping out "Viktor!"
***********************
Raymond Ernest was engrossed in a copy of Citizen Kane when a staccato knock on the door drew him out of his reverie. He reluctantly got up and went to the door. He lived alone and didn't even allow himself the luxury of servants - human or elvish. As he opened the door on the stormy evening, he was glad, once more, of the privacy that the house gave him. On his doorstep, looking bedraggled and distraught, stood his star reporter. He glanced sharply into her eyes, which were wide with shock, and pulled her in after him. He closed the door and led the unresisting girl to the library where he gently ensconced her in a comfortable armchair. Then in a manner quite different from his usual terse style, he asked her, "What happened Ginny?"
The young reporter looked back at him and replied falteringly, "Dead. All dead."
Raymond stroked her wet hair softly and spoke to her as if she were a small child. "Come on, Gin, tell Ray. What did you see?" But the girl just closed her eyes and shivered, and the tears flowed down her cheeks and soundless sobs wracked her slim frame.
Raymond Ernest had not been the finest human-interest writer for the Daily Prophet in a century for nothing. He had a natural empathy which he normally reserved for his articles. Now he called upon it to help the girl he had come to consider as his protégé in many ways. He sat down facing her, and in his most persuasive voice he said, "Ginny, you have to tell me what happened in Atlantis. If we are to help Dumbledore, we have to know everything that's been happening. Pull yourself together, child." Then he played a calculated stroke, "For Harry."
He knew he had done the right thing. The sobs shuddered to a stop and the amber eyes lifted to his own were no longer frenzied. "I'm sorry Ray, I shouldn't have acted like such a baby. It's just that in all my years as a journalist I've never seen such senseless carnage. And Harry…" here her voice choked.
"What's happened to Harry, Virginia?" the question was curtly snapped at her. She bit her lip, but continued, "Dumbledore was there, in the Atlantis building. Hermione and Sirius Black were with him. He said Harry had been kidnapped, that Harry's life was in danger. He also called Harry by a name. Something rather unusual! Moody also said it before he died. I think they called Harry 'The Phoenix' or something like that. They also talked about…" she found that Ernest was no longer listening to her and fell silent.
Ernest stared into the fire for a long minute, his lips pursed into a soundless whistle. Then he inhaled sharply and spoke in a half whisper, almost to himself, "Harry Potter, the Phoenix! Who would have thought it?" In a louder voice he said, "Virginia, did they mention who they suspected of masterminding the kidnapping?" Ginny knitted her brows in concentration, and then shook her head.
"They didn't mention the leaders, but Moody did say that the Death Eaters who attacked the Atlantis were led by Roger McNair and Amy Lestrange. I don't know if that's any help…"
Ernest cut her off sharply, "It is, thank you, Virginia. Now I want you to go home and stay there. I believe your parents have gone on some diplomatic mission, so go stay with one of your brothers. Owl me your article on the Atlantis incident, but keep it strictly descriptive. I don't want you to tell anybody about Harry's kidnapping. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" Ginny nodded dumbly and finally Ernest allowed himself to relax into a smile. "And Ginny, try to calm down. Nothing is going to happen to Harry Potter. I'm pretty sure of that."
**********************
Angelina Weasely looked up with a smile at Jacqueline Murray, as she stormed into her office. "Hi Jackie, how can I help you?"
The auburn haired woman flung herself into a seat and glared at the younger woman across the desk. "Angelina, I am furious. No I'm more than furious, I'm enraged. How do you stay married to a Quidditch Player? If you ask me, the whole damn lot should be stuffed into gunny bags and tossed into the Thames. The world would be a kinder, saner place. Or perhaps we could stand them shoulder-to-shoulder and see how many we could kill with a single Avada Kedavra spell. Or perhaps we could hang them upside down by their intestines and get magic ravens to peck their eyes out. Wouldn't that be just retribution?"
Angelina listened to this diatribe with a twinkle in her eyes. When Jackie was through, she calmly interjected, "Jackie, how can I help you?"
The captain of the Montrose Magpies looked a little discomfited. "Sorry for the temper tantrum, Angelina. But right now I'm under a lot of stress. You know the play offs will be starting any day and we've already started rigorous practices. Unfortunately practices are of very little use with our best player missing."
Angelina looked surprised, "You mean Harry!"
"Of course, I mean Harry. The last time I saw him was in France. He told me he was staying on a few days. Now he seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth. We need him to win the Quidditch cup, and he's nowhere to be found."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"Well as the second in command in the Ministry of Magical Games, I want you to pull rank, and find that sonofabitch for me. Then I can tear him to pieces. Would you try?"
Angelina gave a cautious nod. "I can't make any promises, but yes I'll try."
Jackie flashed her a brilliant smile. "Thanks Angelina, I owe you. I'll be in touch." She strode out with the lithe, athletic stride of the natural flier and Angelina looked thoughtfully at her retreating figure.
Thanks go to:
Miriam: My most loyal reviewer. If it wasn't for you I'd have given up on this damn mess a long time ago.
Magicalmischiefmaker: Glad you enjoyed it. hope you like this one too.
Moselle: Sorry, but I just didn't feel like writing abotu Gabrielle in this chapter. Keeping everyone on their toes
Sarah: Thank you. About Ginny, it's because she's a conscientous journalist and her first duty is towards the paper. About Gabrielle, well wait and watch.