Chapter twenty-eight: The Fallen and Fallout part 2
A famous Muggle once said; when angry count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred.
'Clearly the man had never met the likes of Albus 'I know what's best for everyone' Dumbledore.' A very annoyed and pissed off Harry James Potter thought. 'Because if he had then he would definitely know that would be hardly enough to calm down.'
Harry knew how to hold his calm; years of having lived the Dursleys had taught him enough discipline to at least keep visibly calm even though he inwardly did not feel that way. Admittedly there were people who knew how to push him to the point of losing control (Snape and Malfoy to name a few), but all things considered he was relatively well disciplined. After all who could boast never once having snapped (badly) at people when they keep gawking at you like you are some kind of exotic zoo animal?
Unfortunately today he had another encounter with someone who with words alone managed to push him so far that he wasn't sure which urge was stronger; to yell at that person, to curse them to Oblivion and back or to just simply hit him. That person was none other than the headmaster of Hogwarts; Albus Dumbledore.
Admittedly this was hardly the first time Harry had wanted to inflict grievous harm on the old man. Dumbledore was strong, incredibly strong, he was arguably one of the strongest wizards alive right now and that alone made him an ally Harry could not afford to lose, but by Merlin for all his strengths his personality was most vexing.
At the moment Harry really started to hate the position of power he was in. It was kind of ironic back when he had first arrived in this universe he had felt a similar urge to the one he was feeling right now and yet he could not act on it because he had little to no power in this universe, but now months later he had built himself quite a considerable powerbase and yet he still could not act upon his impulses. The reason for that was whether he liked it or not he had people who were following his orders and such he was responsible for them and unfortunately regardless how much he wanted to as responsible leader he could not afford to alienate such useful ally (yet).
Once more Harry realised that live as a team leader in the militia had been much simpler. Things were so much more straightforward back then; get orders, follow orders in such a way that his team did not die and don't piss of anyone who could make his (or his team) life difficult (healers, fellow team captains and those Elder Council guys who gave out the missions.)
Alas the time of him being able to let higher ups deal with the bigger problems had passed and right now it was up to him to make the decisions … and the consequences that came with those decisions.
Harry was brought out of his thoughts when he heard someone approach him. Turning his gaze to where he heard the footsteps come from he saw that it was another student approaching him from the other side of the corridor he was walking in. For a moment his eye sharpened and he got ready to draw his wand as he quickly assed her – Ravenclaw prefect – no wand in sight – doesn't seem to be able notice me due to the notice-me-not – not a threat.
Tension left him as the prefect drew closer and Harry had finished his initial assessment. It was then that Harry realised he recognised the girl although he couldn't place a name with the face. Her name he might not know, but Harry did know one thing and that was that he wouldn't forget her face any time soon. It wasn't because her face was particularly memorable or anything. In fact the girl was the type of person you could pass in a crowd and when later asked if you had seen her you would most likely be unable to answer. No that was not it what made Harry remember her visage however was the absolute look of betrayal her counterpart had worn when Harry had last seen her.
This was definitely not a person Harry wanted to see … especially not now. It reminded him way to much of his failures and his broken vows.
During the war he had made two major vows; vows which he had tried to live by, but considering how contradicting they were, he had failed more often than he had wanted to.
The first he had made when he was still at Hogwarts. It was shortly after the massacre of Hogsmeade. Things had changed back then … he had changed and one close to him had seen it and had him make a promise.
Promise me whatever choices you decide to make whatever path you decide to walk make sure that at the end you don't have any regrets.
It had been a rather vague promise; she hadn't asked him not to lower himself to level of his enemies; to only fight like a decent human should. No she hadn't asked him to make a promise she probably knew he wouldn't be able to keep. Instead she had asked him live his life without regrets. She had asked him to live his life in such way that at the end of the day he could look in the mirror and not by utterly disgusted at what he saw.
For a while he had been able to uphold that promise; even when he started to dabble in the dark arts he believed he was doing the right thing. As long as he didn't give in to the allure of the dark arts and it would allow him to prevent another massacre then would not regret his chosen path.
Unfortunately things changed when months later the one he had made that promise to had been killed and he in his pain and grief he had had tried to forget … to supress everything about her; including the promise he had made.
Instead he started to live by another vow; a vow made just weeks after losing the only girl he could honestly say he had loved in a romantic way. It had been when he had first held the fragile form of little Teddy Tonks; he had vowed that he would make sure that innocents like him would grow up in a world peace … even if he had to turn into a monster to do it.
Harry inwardly snorted at his current thought process … a monster was not something he would ever call himself. He had done things he had regretted, done things that were more than a little morally questionable, but compared to the actions of the likes of Voldemort or even the despicable acts of the Elder council … no he was not a monster, but there were definitely regrets.
One of them involved that girl he had just passed; it was back when he had just started to do missions for the militia. He and his team and just finished a mission alongside a team that was led by Neville Longbottom. It had been a simple mission and no one on either team had gotten hurt, but then suddenly just before they were to return to HQ they were ambushed by a large group of Death Eaters including among them was the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange.
To Harry the situation was simple; they were outnumbered, horribly outmatched and he could sense no anti-Apparition wards. The only logical option was to retreat and live to fight another day. He was no coward, but you can´t win if you were dead and his first priority was the survival of his team something he knew definitely wouldn't happen if they were to fight there and then.
As such he had ordered a retreat unfortunately not everyone agreed with him; Longbottom the short-sighted fool that he was didn't want to leave until each and every Death Eater was dead. From the way he was staring at Lestrange Harry had figured he meant one specifically, but that did not matter. What mattered was that the fool was willing to lead his team to sudden death and Harry would have none of it.
What came out of his mouth next was an order for the sake of survival for both himself and the team he was responsible for. He was not proud of what he was going to say, but as a leader he had to make a decision.
´´We are leaving ignore the others.´´
Yes in hindsight he could have forced the other team to come with him, but as he had no idea just how willing they would have been to listen to their leader and every second diminished their chances of survival he had made a call. His team had complied immediately and the last thing Harry had seen before appearing away was the betrayed look on that girl´s face while the sound of spell fire had filled his ears.
He had known the moment he appeared on evection point B and no one from the other team had followed him that he had just condemned six people to their death due to an order given by him. It had been a hard lesson in what some called ´the weight of command´.
There were other times of course where he had put the needs of his own and his team before what was morally right like the time he had taken down Flitwick.
Harry sighed coming face to face with someone who for all intend and purposes was him clad in Death Eater garb and seeing the lifeless body of his former lover really brought back some thoughts he rather not think about. The war already caused him enough of a headache he really could do without any additional ones.
To make matters worse it wasn't even the war that was keeping his mind occupied. He hadn't been able to sleep a single wink as there was way too much to do and due to the fact that some of his actions weren't exactly what one could legal he couldn't delegate those things as regardless how loyal most of his workers were Harry felt it was pushing it a bit far if he asked them to commit crimes.
As such it was completely up to him to take care of a large number of things that couldn't wait. Luckily there were things that he could delegate; he had left John in Hogsmeade to round up their prisoners and keep the village secure in case of another attack. He had also left him in overall command of Hydra until he was done with his own errands. Harry had been really glad that the man hadn't asked any unnecessary questions when he had told him that.
Besides John he had also assigned the other high ranked members of Hydra Enterprise individual assignments. He had send John's wife, Dora Bell to his potions store in Diagon Alley as it was prime targets for attacks and he rather had someone competent standing by there.
Lastly he had send Ming Chang to the ministry with two simple objectives; gather information and buy time. It was more the later than the former as Harry was pretty sure the fact that there were two Harry Potter's running around would come out sooner than later and when it happened Harry was sure Fudge or any other politician would try and use him against him; perhaps even try to judge them as if they were the same person and as such were responsible for each crimes. Harry wasn't sure how he could counter that yet so he had send Ming to stall for time … time to interrogate his counterpart and find out how bad the damage was and time to think about what he could do against it.
Luckily for him that woman had a way with words few people could match and from what he heard from her this morning she had managed to buy him some time and after the hectic night he had had that was really news he could appreciate.
And what a hectic night it was; first off he had to run considerable damage control for Daphne. Merlin that had been a couple of nerve wrecking hours he had spent in the castle; it really had been a race against the clock as he had to alter and plant evidence before the official investigation could start.
Luckily Daphne showing that she was quite like Harry's former teammate Astoria had besides a similar ruthless streak also seemingly the ability to make pretty solid plans in little time.
Due to this and a short conversation he had with her using his communication mirror Harry was able to use her plan and adjust it in such a way that not only Daphne should no longer be a suspect, but also one of his enemies would probably take the fall for it.
A memory charm here, some planted evidence there … it was almost ridicule how easy it was to frame someone else with magic, but then again he already knew this considering what had happened to his godfather. Of course he was aware his actions weren't exactly fool proof; he was not an Auror and as such was not aware how exactly they investigated, but he was pretty sure most of the tracks were covered.
After his time in the castle he was really starting to feel the mental strain and if possible he would find the nearest place that was secure and sleep, but he knew he still had other things to do. One of them was retaliation against Voldemort. While he couldn't do anything elaborate against the dark lord at such short notice he could at least show the lower tier Death Eaters why it was such a bad idea to follow the man.
As such he had donned his persona of lord Riddle again and hit another Death Eater home he knew off. Harry knew that sooner or later he would need to strike a more significant target or otherwise whatever reputation as lord Riddle he had built would diminish, but he had no time for that last night nor had he time for subtlety. No, last night job hadn't been a time for stealth; in this case shock and awe would do better for his reputation then just another example of the-man-who-can-bypass-any-wards.
Despite his current mood a small smile graced his face as he thought back to yesterday's attack on the Death Eater home. He was pretty sure he had managed to pull the whole 'shock and awe' angle pretty well … singlehandedly obliterating the wards and then tracking down the owner of the home and finally hitting him with a flesh rotting hex … yeah that will definitely make an impact on whoever came to investigate and that was not even mentioning the rumours that would no doubt originate from the DMLE.
For good measure Harry had also left another message to be found. On his way out he had spelled out a message on one the home's walls.
Here lies a servant of the false heir, murderer of children, ally of beasts, enemy of all that is pure
He did not heed my warning and has paid the price
After that was done and he had apparited to safety it was already nearing five in the morning and Harry hoped that after going through the reports of those he had left in charge he could at least get a couple of hours of sleep, but as usual it was not to be.
Even now Harry wasn't sure what the hell had happened when he arrived back at HQ. One moment he was about to enter the wards and the next … well he wasn't sure what had happened he had felt like his magic for lack of better words was being tugged into two different directions; on toward the wing were prisoners were temporary secured and one … toward the basement where he worked on his runic array home.
Needless to say he didn't get any sleep that night and the only way things could have gone worse was if the Goblins decided to rebel … yeah he probably shouldn't tempt Fate, the bitch seem to amuse herself by screwing with his life.
Harry was brought out of his thoughts again when he noticed he had arrived in front of the entrance to the Room of Requirements and without even realising it he had already summoned the door to the room like he had done so often before.
As he entered through the door he spotted both Rose and Alex sitting on what was most likely a couch summoned by the magic of the room. He had to admit he felt rather relieved to see them at least physically well.
It was also rather amusing to see them look in his direction in both confusion and concentration. His notice-me-not charm forced their mind to ignore him as if he wasn't there, but by opening the door their mind also knew someone had opened the door. It was at times like this that those with the more disciplined minds could ignore what magic was influencing their mind to think and realise what was really happening.
''Harry?''
A hint of genuine approval passed through his mind as he heard his name hesitatingly being called. Seeing trough a notice-me-not charm is not something many could do unless the one with the charm directly interacted with the person. Hell until he learned to sense active magic he too usually had some serious trouble seeing trough them … come to think of it that should probably be something he should start to teach soon.
Harry briefly mused how he should teach that; his own training in sensing magic had been less than pleasant and it was one of the main reasons why he hadn't even considered teaching it to anyone else despite how useful an ability it was.
Harry mentally shook his head and decided to discard any plans for future training sessions. There were already enough things on his mind he did not need to add anymore especially if it was not relevant right now.
Instead of continuing plans for the future he mentally cancelled his now useless notice-me-not charm and with another mental command he used the room to summon a comfortable armchair directly in front of the couch where the girls were sitting.
It took him only a few second to bridge the distance and allow himself to drop down on the chair. For a brief moment Harry closed his eyes and enjoyed the first time he could sit down in what felt like days. Of course it really hadn't been that long, but by Merlin so many things had happened in the last twenty-four hours that it was hard to believe that only a single day had passed.
After a moment Harry slowly opened his eyes again and gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile as he took a moment to observe both the girl's expression.
Relief, fear, anger, and annoyance; all emotions he expected to see (although the latest was probably more because he knew the person and not because it was expected behaviour). There was also something else something he couldn't identify; it was akin to the relief, but it was something more … something Harry knew had seen before, but he couldn't place it right now.
After a few moments Harry decided to let it drop maybe he would figure it out after a good night rest. He then decided to break the silence by saying, ''It's good to see both off you okay.''
Rose smiled somewhat tiredly at him in reply and even without saying a word Harry could clearly see the message it conveyed. Alex's face too softened for a moment and again Harry saw that look in her eyes that his sleep deprived mind could not decipher. Then it was gone and was replaced with a fierce scowl and it look that clearly stated she was both annoyed and making her way to anger.
''Just what the hell is going on! Why is no one telling us anything?''
Harry sighed, this meeting would probably go a lot faster if everyone remained calm, but considering just what had happened that was probably asking for a bit too much.
''You are going to need to be more specific. A lot has happened and I have no idea what you have been told.''
Upon hearing his reply she immediately opened her mouth to say something, but then seem to reconsider as her angry expression changed into something else and after a moment of silence she asked. '' Do you know where Astoria is and is she okay?''
''She is fine and safe with her sister,'' Harry replied after a brief moment of thought on how to answer the question.
Apparently he hadn't hidden his hesitation well enough as instead of being relieved Alex frowned and Harry noted that Rose too seemed displeased with his answer.
''And where is that?''
Harry shrugged and rattled of a sentence that seemed almost rehearsed, ''Daphne Greengrass as head of house of Greengrass deemed Hogwarts an unsafe place to be for members of her house. Therefore she decided to withdraw all members of her house from the school and move to a safer place. Although I am aware where that is it is not my place to tell others where that is considering the circumstances.''
While not exactly happy Rose seemed to be relieved by his words, but the opposite seemed to be true for her fellow prefect as if possible the Black girl's scowl became even more pronounced. ''What circumstances?'' She nearly growled. ''Does it have to do with the Slytherin incident?''
Harry actually blinked at hearing that, '' They haven't even told you what happened there?''
The look on both fifth years made it clear that they hadn't been told anything and Harry could already feel the headache coming as he realised this would probably take a while longer than originally expected.
''There are still some pieces of information I am missing, but from what I am to gather Death Eaters in Slytherin or at least those who are loyal to the Death Eater cause received orders of some kind to attack the inhabitants of the castle while the professors attention was diverted to the village due to the attack happening there. ''
''What happened?'' Rose asked after a moment of silence.
Again Harry had to think for a moment how to formulate his words, ''They were stopped before they could even exit their dorm.'' Harry said before adding, ''They were stopped permanently.''
Looks of realisation passed through both girls' faces and Harry only had to wait a couple of moments before the inevitable question was asked. ''Who?''
''Who what?'' Harry asked trough he had a pretty good idea what was being asked.
''Who were involved in all this? Who was going to attack everyone and clearly had known about the attack on the village? Who stopped them?''
Harry thought about it for a moment before answering the first question by rattling off a list of varies fifth, sixth and seventh years Slytherins.
An almost deafening silence followed after had told them the last name. Harry knew it was probably not an easy pill to swallow that so many of their peers would be capable of what they were planning to do if they hadn't been stopped.
''… and they are all dead?''
Harry almost visibly winced at hearing Rose say that. To be honest to Harry they were just more people that had to die because they were on the opposite side, but to someone like Rose who was far more innocent and probably only started to grasp the horrors of war they were people who had been just like her; fellow students who should have nothing to do with the war.
Harry wasn't sure what to say; his outlook was born from experience and it was not something you could get just by being told and to be honest while her viewpoint was naïve it was also somewhat of a relief to see that someone could still think like that even after being involved with at least two battles where people had died.
Luckily he didn't have to come up with anything to fill up the silence as Alex took that moment to speak, ''So … who stopped them?''
Harry frowned for a moment at hearing those words; both due the question and the seemingly indifference to the death of her former schoolmates. Harry knew from experience that the Black girl had quite a bit of steel in her spine, but to be able to put the death of her former peers aside like that was not something he expected yet; not after how hard she took her first kill. Perhaps he should take about it in private later?
For now trough he had an answer he needed to formulate and to be honest he wasn't sure how he wasn't going to answer this one. It was not like he thought they didn't deserve or couldn't handle the truth, but considering how badly things could escalate if the truth came out it was probably best if the truth was known to as few people as possible. On the other hand he absolutely loathed having people withholding information from him and he rather not do that to people he was rather fond off. After a moment of thought Harry decided to be somewhat honest.
''You have to understand what I am going to tell is not known to many people,'' he began hoping that if they were told that they knew more of the truth then most people they would make the matter drop.
After receiving nods of understanding that they understood the unspoken message that they should keep what they learned to themselves, Harry continued. ''Officially the witnesses will no doubt say that it was professor Umbridge who did it. If the Aurors search her room in the castle they will proof that she is pureblood supremacist. They will also find out that the professor has been researching one half-blood by the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle and has come to the conclusion that that person and Voldemort are really one and the same person. Finally when questioned under truth serum the Aurors will find out that the professor found out about the plans of the Slytherins and has decided to stop them from sullying their 'noble family history' by doing the service of a half-blood imposter at any cost.''
By the time he was finished he had bewildered looks directed toward him. Harry could not really blame them; no doubt this was not what they had expected to hear. Harry knew it was this was risky, but he could not deny that he trusted the two in front of him … or at least trusted them enough to know part of the truth.
''Officially … so does that mean she is being framed?''
Harry shrugged, ''For that specific crime yes, but just because she is being framed does not mean she isn't a criminal and the only reason why she isn't in Azkaban right now is due to the protection she receives from Fudge, but even he can't protect when comes to crimes like this.''
''B-but that is wrong,'' Rose began before Harry cut her off.
´´ Dolores Umbridge is too dangerous to remain in the castle in such influential position. She is without a doubt a Death Eater sympathizer and would most likely aid them if the fight ever came to Hogwarts. She is also still openly sabotaging your DADA education even now when Voldemort has openly returned.''
Harry sighed when the younger Potter still did not look completely convinced, ''Rose … this war is not good versus evil. It is not the morally righteous versus the wicked. I understand this might go against your sense of right and wrong, but the truth is at the end of the war what or more precisely who determined who is just and who is not is the victor.''
Again Harry knew this was not something you learned by being told, but he felt it was necessary to be said right now. Maybe she was not yet capable of grasping the full message, but the first seeds in her mind where there.
After a few moments seemingly in thought the girl nodded her head seemingly in acceptance, but Harry knew better; no one would suddenly shift their views like that, but if the girl wanted to let the matter rest for now than so be it; after all there was still more to discussed.
''So who really stopped them?''
''Let's just say it was an inter-house matter and leave it at that shall we?''
''But ..''
''We leave it at that.'' Harry said now more firmly, ''You two already know more than most and I think you deserve to know the truth, but if anyone ever forces truth serum on you two then at worst you can prove Umbridge is innocent and the fact I know who the real culprit is, but if you know the full truth then the repercussion can be far more severe.''
Neither girl seem to particularly like his words, but both accepted it after several moments of silence (although one considerably more begrudgingly than the other). The silence did not last long however as the next question was already being asked.
''What about the village? What happened there? Werewolves during the day, you and … Potter … what happened?''
''Honestly?'' Harry began suddenly sounding almost as tired as he felt. ''I probably have more questions than you have regarding that attack.''
Apparently not only his tone of speech had changed because going by the worried looks Alex and Rose exchanged and directed to him he had also let the control over his facial expression slip.
''Uh … Harry are you okay?''
''I've been better,'' Harry admitted, actually he felt like shit, but anyone who knew him probably could already figure that out considering he didn't answer with the standard 'I am fine, ' answer. ''I just have a lot on my mind.''
That was putting it mildly besides all the things he knew had happened Harry also had the distinct impression there was a lot more to the two attacks yesterday than he realised. It just didn't make sense otherwise. Too many things just didn't add up.
The attacks for one; attacking from within Hogwarts while the staff was preoccupied with the village was a pretty good plan, but why were only the Slytherins involved. Harry knew for a fact that there should be Death Eaters and sympathizer in all four houses; if all of them attacked at the same time they could do considerable more damage.
The attack on the village was also strange. According to Dumbledore's Intel Voldemort should have far more people and creatures at his disposal then he showed at the village. Why didn't the man send more people? Arrogance perhaps? No that was rather unlikely, but then what was it? Low numbers were usual used for distraction, but as far as he knew only the Slytherin attempted to attack … surely that couldn't be the extent of the plan right?
No Harry knew there must be something more, but what was it? He was pretty sure his other self, the day walking werewolves and the Slytherin students were all pieces of the puzzle, but he just could not see how it all fitted together.
Harry was brought out of his thoughts when he heard another question being directed toward him, ''Was my brother really there?''
Harry winced, but still nodded his head that yes his counterpart of this universe had been there.
''And he fought for the Death Eaters?''
Another wince, more profound this time and another nod.
''He attacked you?''
'More like attempt to kill me,' Harry thought, but decided not to voice that thought and nodded one more time.
''Where is he now?''
''At Hydra Enterprise HQ he and the other Death Eaters we have captured are held there until we will handle them over to the ministry.''
''You are going to hand him over to the ministry?'' Alex asked as she opened up her mouth for the first while they were discussing the alternative Harry. ''They will just set him free like all those other Death Eaters.''
Harry sighed, it was not like he wanted to hand his counterpart over either, but his choices were rather limited. ''Unlike the illegal organisation you parents are part members of Hydra Enterprise aren't vigilantes and as such are bound by the law. The head of the DMLE gave us permission to capture Death Eaters for their bounties, but we are not allowed to play judge, jury and executioner. ''
If no one had seen him then he was sure he could have secured his counterpart somewhere, but that hope had died when had seen that picture in the paper … reporters how he loathed those vultures. Was there sole reason for existence making his life more difficult?
''D-do you know why he joined the Death Eaters?'' Rose asked.
''Do you honestly want to know?'' Harry asked. He knew the relationship between Rose and his counterpart wasn't the greatest, but he was still her brother and sometime ignorance was really an bliss.
Rose hesitated for a moment, and then she gave a brief jerky nod.
When it became clear to Harry that she really wanted to know why her brother joined the Death Eaters he decided to be just blunt about as there was really no easy way to say it. ''I do not know the exact reason as I have not been able to talk with him yet, but according to the healer who took a look at him he has suffered extensive physical torture and it seems they have attacked his mind.´´
´´What do you mean by that?'' A now distinctly pale Rose asked.
Harry wasn't sure if she really wanted to know or if she just asked so that she didn't have to think about the physical torture regardless he decided to answer her. ''The mental arts aren't exactly my speciality so I don't understand it completely, but from what I am told certain memories have been made stronger and will easier come to the forefront of the mind while others are more supressed. I am unsure what the purpose this serves.'' Harry said before adding, ''Also a thing to consider is that he still bear the cursed scar.''
Alex who had also turned somewhat pale at hearing the fate of the boy she honestly could say she loathed asked. ''What cursed scar are you talking about?''
In response Harry tapped the now normal scar on his forehead, ''One is not touched by the curse of Death without consequences. The scar is a link between the souls of Voldemort and the scar bearer and it causes immense pain when in the presence of him and when Voldemort feels strong emotions so does the bearer. It is possible that Voldemort managed to use that connection for other things I am not aware he was capable off.''
''… and you have that scar to?'' Asked Rose who by now looked so pale it was probably good she was sitting down.
Harry coughed somewhat uncomfortably at hearing that question, ''Eh … no, the link was purged from my body as a side-effect of a ritual I preformed back in my fifth year here at Hogwarts.''
''You underwent a ritual as a student?'' Alex asked in surprise and Harry could not blame her. Rituals were not something taught in Hogwarts as it was one branches of magic where if thing went wrong they went really wrong and was usually only performed by adults after months of study. The fact he was actually part of two rituals and was the result of a third was probably something for the history books.
''Ah,'' He said in agreement, ''The ritual strengthened my body to a level considerably above normal humans and strengthened the passive hearing factor of my magic to a considerable degree.''
''That sounds really helpful in a fight,'' commented Alex with a strange gleam in her eyes. ''Do you think I can do that ritual to?''
Another uncomfortable cough followed that question and despite the situation Harry felt his cheeks redden , ''Uh eh … well if you stayed true to your family motto then you should be able, but the ritual is part of a family Grimoire so I am not really supposed to talk about it.''
Alex's brow furrowed in confusion, ''Stay true to 'To prank is to live', what is that supposed to mean?''
All embarrassment disappeared at hearing that question and Harry had to resist the strong urge to face palm; leave it to Sirius Black to change a family motto hundreds years old into something like that.
''I was referring to your old family motto,'' He deadpanned; seriously he thought it had been Azkaban who had made Sirius into the man he had known, but it seems this version wasn't exactly the most mature one out there either.
'' Toujours Pur?'' Alex said sounding somewhere between a question and a statement. ''What does that pure-blood stuff have to do with a ritual?''
''Pure in this case does not refer to blood,'' Harry replied and before she could say anything in reply he added, ''And like I said the ritual was part of a family Grimoire and I am not going to betray the trust I was given when I allowed to participate in the ritual by telling others what it is.''
''Then can you tell us who told you about the ritual so we can ask him or her?''
Harry shook his head and had to take moment to control himself, ''That's not possible I am afraid. That last of that line died in yesterday's attack.''
''I am sorry to hear that.'' Rose stated and Harry gave her a confused look at hearing that remark causing her to elaborate. ''You must have been close to that family if they were willing to part with family secrets it must have been hard for you to see them die even if they aren't the exact same persons. ''
Harry gave the girl a soft smile before shaking his head sadly, ''I wasn't close to the family just one person, an orphan like me and I wasn't close to her in this world either. I thought she would survive if she didn't interacted with me; clearly I was wrong.´´
Neither girl seem sure on what to say to that, but then Rose, bless her soul, said, ''I am sure whoever she was she didn't die because her interaction with you. You aren't to blame for anything.
Harry smiled faintly at hearing that, but it was clear to see for both girls that his smile held no mirth. ''She died because she stabbed herself … right here,'' He said as he pointed in the general direction of his lower stomach, ''because she was given a revulsion potion keyed to me. She bled to dead alone and without being able to fight it. So believe me she definitely died because she interacted with me.''
''But revulsion potion doesn't work like that,'' Rose said as she tried to ignore the image her mind had conjured up. ''The drinker would ignore the one it was keyed to or if it was very strong maybe even attempt to do harm to those who they feel revulsion to, but the potion shouldn't cause them to harm themselves.''
Another mirthless smile followed that statement, ''If she had stabbed herself at any other place then where she did then you are probably right that the potion didn't work as it was supposed to, but considering where she stabber herself the potion did exactly what it was supposed to do.''
Having said that Harry stood up and said, ''As much as I love to stay and chat I still have a lot to do. Be careful while in the castle tension will no doubt rise after the attacks and there only need to be a small spark to ignite a fight.'' His smile turned a bit more genuine as he said his parting words. ''It really is good to see you two okay. I will probably be back tomorrow and will try to set up a secure line of communication with Astoria for you two.''
With those words and another smile he left the two girls; both had a lot on their minds, but glad to have received some news even if not all was good.
Author Notes:
Wow this turned out considerable longer than I originally thought it would. To think when I was writing last chapter I thought it would only take a 1k or 2k words after the ceremony to do the contents of above chapter, but clearly I was wrong and that is not even mention the things I decided to cut out of this chapter and move to the next.
Next chapter: Chapter twenty-nine: Ministry mayhem
