A/N
Just quickly want to say this is the second chapter I uploaded this week. Y4C14 was uploaded yesterday. I'm not completely sure how the whole alerting thing works, but was just a bit worried some people might skip to the latest chapter update and miss out the previous one.
Chapter 15
The Cloak Unveiled
HELP ME CANT LEAVE BROKE WAND
HELP
HELP
HELP
HELP
...you are the only person that I would like to see again.
I love you Harry
Corinne Lansquenet
There was something wrong. Harry first realised that when he found himself with his cheek pressed against the floor. Admittedly, it wasn't that strange to find yourself in a collapsed heap on the ground after travelling via Portkey, but it was strange that he couldn't remember it happening. He also had a splitting headache, almost as bad as the one he suffered during his first year when he encountered Grindelwald. When the dark wizard had touched his flesh it had caused him enough pain to make him almost black out. He idly wondered if the Cruciatus Curse felt as bad as this, or if it was worse.
Then he gasped and tried to sit up. Grindelwald. Was he here? He wasn't tied down and he still had the invisibility cloak wrapped around him. He fumbled inside his pockets to find that his wand was still with him as well. He took it out, just in case. He had to blink several times, his vision was foggy and distorted. He thought he must have dropped his glasses but a quick check made him realise they were still on his face.
He stood up shakily and looked around. He was in a large and comfortable looking sitting room. There was a large plush sofa sitting opposite a television set. In the corner was a small bookcase packed with paperbacks. This was definitely a Muggle home. When he turned his head to look out the window, the sunlight streaming inside seemed to intensify, blinding him and he felt his skull trying to split open.
Harry took shallow little breaths. He didn't have time for this. He needed to find Corinne and get out of here. Whatever this headache was, he could deal with it later when they were back at Durmstrang.
It was incredibly slow going. Every step he took was accompanied by a blinding pain that blurred his vision. But he gritted his teeth and kept moving forwards, taking care not to look out of the windows again.
He managed to reach a set of stairs and put his foot on the first step but then he froze. The creak it let out made him cringe and he stood still for a minute. But nothing happened. No one turned up. It almost seemed like the house was empty. He skipped that step and reached for the next one. His progress was less walking and more clawing himself up by holding onto the bannister. When he reached the top, he was breathing heavily and sweat dripped down his back, a little from the exertion but more from the constant and never-ending dull ache in his head.
The landing was dim and he couldn't see that far ahead. Was it dark? What time was it? How long had he been unconscious before he woke up? He couldn't remember any of this but he quashed down the panic that was starting to creep up, he had to find Corinne.
He stepped in front of each of the doors and carefully put his ear against each of them, listening for anyone inside before slowly turning the handles. The doors opened to very uninteresting rooms you would find in any house, a few bedrooms and a bathroom, completely empty with no one inside. He went through each of them once more, this time not caring about making a little noise, he was confused but confident that the house was empty.
He dismissed the master bedroom immediately and considered the other smaller rooms. Corinne had never mentioned a sibling but then again by what she had told him, it seemed that her parents were more likely to keep her in the smallest one. Taking a chance he opened the door and walked inside. It was a little shabby but it was no worse or better than Harry's own room at Privet Drive, with a bed, a little desk and a wardrobe. There wasn't much else apart from that. No photos, or books or little trinkets that told you anything about the person that lived here. It was, Harry thought again bitterly, very much like his own room at Privet Drive. He thought he must have made a mistake and turned to check the other rooms when something caught his eye.
There was a single feather tucked into the corner, he recognised it as one from an owl. It was something that was very unusual unless you were a wizard or a witch, and received mail by owl post. Corinne had said her mother disliked owls in the house, but perhaps it was left over from earlier that year. If Beauxbatons was anything like Hogwarts, she must have received a letter from her school at the start of the year. He walked over to pick it up and after another flash of pain, saw that is was a murky grey, no slightly brownish maybe.
Despite the discovery, he was no where closer to finding Corinne. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, trying to remember any little bit of information that she had given him. He recalled her mentioning a cellar, one where her mother had stored her father's belongings after his death. Although he dreaded to imagine the possibility of her being trapped in there while her parents were seemingly gone, it felt believable. He could easily imagine his aunt and uncle doing it to him if there had been a cellar under Privet Drive. They had, after all, locked him in a cupboard until he was eleven.
When he reached the ground floor again, he heard the first sound that indicated there might have been someone in the house with him. It wasn't a footstep or a small cough, it was a whimpered little sob that sent a chill down his spine. He swallowed nervously and tried to find the source of the noise. He turned back to look up the steps that he had just walked down, but no… It wasn't coming from up there, it was coming from…
Harry's breathing became louder as fear and rage flashed through him. He bounded towards the little door on the side of the stairs and crouched down, placing his ear against it. The sobs were louder, he was right, there was someone inside the cupboard. "Corinne?"
The sobbing stopped and there was a startled gasp, "Harry?"
"Oh Merlin, it's good to hear your voice..." he said, even though there was a renewed jolt of a headache in his temples.
"You got my message! Oh, they were reading everything I sent, so I couldn't..." she broke out into painful sobs again.
Harry gritted his teeth and looked at the door. There was a latch but also a padlock. "Don't worry, I'll get you out!"
"Don't use magic!" Corinne shrieked. "They'll be able to trace it back to you! They'll know you were here."
Harry grunted, he remembered Sirius mentioning something about the Trace. He also mentioned some way to get around it, but Remus had coughed rather loudly and gave the man a pointed look, stopping him from actually revealing what it was. He looked around for something he could use to smash the lock, while letting out a constant stream of muttering, "Damn… I didn't think anyone would… I mean, I know there are people who might lock up their… but I thought… Corinne, is anyone else home?"
"No. They've gone out. I think..." she sniffed. Harry grabbed a heavy looking metallic umbrella stand near the front door and tipped it's contents onto the floor. He shrugged off the hood of his cloak as he approached the cupboard under the stairs. He then proceeded to smash the lock. The lock didn't break, but the part of the door the padlock was attached to splintered and fell to the floor, along with the latch. He pulled the door open and then he squeezed his eyes shut and fell onto his knees as pain flooded his nerves. Corinne screamed, "Harry! Harry! Are you oka-"
The front door crashed open and there was a loud bellow. Harry's hands shot up to cover his ears, but the loud ringing noise seemed to be coming from inside his head. He caught the sounds of rapid fire French, but couldn't understand a single word, until the name 'Harry Potter' popped up.
"You!" a deep voiced guttural laugh came from the bullish looking man standing in front of him. "Harry Potter!"
Harry's eyes widened in horror as the man took out a wand from the pocket of his jacket and pointed it at Corinne. Corinne… It was the first he had seen her in months and past the greasy unwashed hair and cobwebs clinging to her clothes, he still thought that she was beautiful. Her face was etched with fear, but she stood in front of Harry, badly shaking but still trying to protect him. "B..but you're not… W..what… how are you…"
"My… friends saw how Potter threw himself into danger to protect you." he licked his lips as he stared down at them. "I wondered how far he was willing to go in order to protect you..."
"You're Corinne's stepfather? And a wizard?" Harry struggled onto his feet, his shaky hands brought out his wand and aimed it at the man, who simply stared at it without reaction. "You're one of the Zeugen!"
"Does my mothe-" Corinne swallowed the rest of her question as a demure little woman walked into the house and stood next to the man.
"They… offered a lot of money… for information about… Aurors..." Corinne's mother chewed her lips nervously. "Your father was… he wasn't..."
"Oh, she did as she was told..." the man guffawed. Then he cupped the woman's cheeks roughly with his hand. "One Muggle I won't be killing. I'd miss her. Well, certain parts of her- CRUCIO!"
The spell caught them by surprise and Corinne screamed as she was lifted up into the air and smashed in the bannister, the wood splintering against her body.
"S..s..stupefy!" Harry stuttered out a Stunning Charm, but he was aiming through squinted eyes and missed his mark by a mile.
The man smirked and lazily sent a dull orange hex at him. He didn't feel the physical force of the spell, but after a moment, he felt such agony in his head that he dropped his wand and fell to the floor. "My, my… Potter, what in Morgana's name is wrong with you?"
"You did this! What did you do!" Harry's voice was high with rage and panic.
The man laughed. "You break into my house, damage my property and now you blame me for some sort of illness you're suffering? What a terrible guest you are."
"Corinne..." Harry whispered as he risked a glance back and saw her lying still, completely unconscious, but breathing. Her chest was moving up and down very slowly. He tried to discreetly put his hand into his pocket to grip the Portkey, then he started a jump towards Corinne. Harry heard a laugh, then he crumpled to the floor gripping his head. When he looked back up, Corinne seemed to be further away.
"Oh no, Potter. You won't be escaping. Not with her anyway." the man chuckled.
He needed to keep her safe. Harry grasped out for his wand and gripped it tightly in his hand. He stood up and used his spare hand to wiggle out of the invisibility cloak. He threw it backwards and it must have fell neatly over Corinne, when he glanced back he couldn't see her.
"STUPEFY! STUPEFY!" Harry cried out and the red flash streamed through the air but the man had disappeared. Laughter came from behind him and Harry spun on the spot, "STUPEFY! INCARCEROUS!"
It was like he was Disapparating and appearing again a few feet away. The man cackled as the conjured ropes uselessly hit the wall and fell to the floor. "Really, Potter? YOU'LL HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT!"
"Accio umbrellas!" Harry aimed his wand towards the three umbrellas he had thrown to the floor and they flew towards him. When they were close enough he turned slightly to the Witness and roared, "DURO! DEPULSO!"
They hardened umbrellas glided towards the man like three black darts but he smirked at Harry and waved his wand. They were transfigured into three crows, which immediately started shaking and dissipated into a whole mess of feathers. With another flick of his wand, he sent the knife-sharp feathers towards Harry.
"Impedimenta!" Harry quickly said, but they hardly slowed down, so he produced an invisible shield and most of the feathers battered against it and floated limply towards the ground. But a few passed underneath, slicing his legs and causing more pain in his head. As he was falling to his knees, he whipped his wand around and whispered, "Silencio."
The man didn't dodge this spell and it hit him in the chest. He stared down at himself and laughed, "Too weak, Potter. As for the umbrellas, inventive, but inadequate. All the time spent with the Aurors... Were they teaching you to fight or did you spend the whole time posing for photos for your fans?"
Harry snarled in frustration. He had never felt this helpless before. Nothing he was doing seemed to be working. Even though he was never alone during the previous encounters with the Zeugen or other dark wizards and witches, he had never been this useless.
"SERPENSORTIA!" a thick yellow-scaled snake emerged from the end of his wand and coiled threateningly. Then Harry let out a frantic hiss, "Attack him! Attack the man with the wand!"
The snake looked around as if confused. The Witness had a gleeful look in his eyes, "Now we're getting somewhere! Did your Professor Riddle teach you that?"
"Attack the man with the wand, damn it!" Harry repeated in Parseltongue, but for some reason the snake was completely ignoring him. The Witness didn't wait for him and aimed his wand at Harry. The tip started glowing a dangerous green.
"CONFRINGO!"Harry bellowed. The wall behind the Zeuge exploded in fire and rubble, but he had already Disapparated and appeared a few feet away from the radius of the explosion. "CONFRINGO! CONFRINGO! CONFRIGO!-"
He ran around the house, firing the destructive curse whenever he caught sight of the man with the smug, taunting look. He left the devastated kitchen and ran back towards the hallway. He wasn't there either. He tried to remember where he had left Corinne and blindly groped for her and the cloak.
There was a flash of movement from the corner of his eyes and he turned around with his wand raised. The man was standing right next to him. He leaned over and whispered right into Harry's ear, "It was fun… but I think it's time to end this."
He man didn't move an inch but Harry felt an explosion of pain in his side, as if a particularly aggressive Bludger had crashed into his ribs. He fell back, but he quickly turned himself and managed to land on his knees. He screamed in pain as he kicked out and immediately raised himself onto his feet. He was pointing his wand at the man with one had while clutching his broken ribs with his other.
There was a flash of pain that blinded Harry for a moment and when he opened his eyes Corinne was lying on top of the invisibility cloak, still unconscious, and her stepfather was hovering over her with a menacing grin on his face. "No! Leave her alone!"
"Or what Potter? You have lost. You will be my little gift to the Crowking, but..." the man licked his lips. "I don't think he will mind if I enjoy myself with her. But then again, I do love watching you suffer. How loud will you scream when you watch her life extinguished before your very eyes? Avada-"
"NO!" Harry felt terrified. He also felt a boiling hatred, the likes of which he'd ever experienced. He pointed his shaking wand at the man and bellowed, "CRUCIO!"
"...Harry, no!..."
As bad as the pain in his head was, and it was bad, he knew that the Witness was suffering worse. He shrieked as he twitched on the floor, his limbs twisting into odd angles. He wanted to leave the man like this forever, but he finally flicked his wand and ended the spell when he noticed Corinne starting to stir awake. She let out a little moan of pain and Harry stepped towards her. He stopped when he saw movement from the man, no. It wasn't him. It was Corinne's mother who had thrown herself at her husband and was prising the wand out of his still twitching fingers.
"Avada-" Harry's eyes widened in confusion. She wasn't a witch, was she? But she was pointing the wand at Corinne and her mouth was already moving, slowly and clearly incanting the Killing Curse.
"CRUCIO!" the curse hit the woman and she fell to the floor screaming.
"...Harry, please! Stop!..."
Harry only held it for a second or two while he fumbled inside his robes for the Portkey. He ignored the pain in his ribs and ran for Corinne. She had stirred awake and was sitting up slightly. "Corinne! It's the Portkey, grab my hand!"
"Harry..." she beamed a smile at him. He was a few feet away and she stretched her arm towards him. Harry reached out, holding the Portkey in his palm. Their hands met. Then his hand passed through her. The smile never left her face as she dissipated into thin air, like a wisp of smoke.
Harry's hand shot out towards his head as he felt an explosion of pain. And as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone. His headache was completely gone. He flopped onto the floor like a puppet who's strings had been cut.
"GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!"
The sudden screaming from behind stirred him awake. He felt extremely weak and the pain in his ribs was definitely still there, but his vision felt completely clear. He felt so confused as he looked around for Corinne. He waved his hand in front of him, wondering if she had vanished under the cloak again. No, the cloak was right there in front of him. Harry pushed himself off the floor and turned towards the high pitched wailing.
"No..." Harry felt his mouth go dry. He felt like he couldn't breath. "No. No. No. No..."
"GET OUT! GET OUT!" Petunia Dursley screamed at him. She was clutching onto Vernon Dursley's half raised body. One of his eyes had a slightly glassy look and the other was wide and terrified. His body was twitching, but he held on tightly to a golf club, which was bent as if he had used it to hit something.
Harry looked around in horror. Even past the broken furniture, crumbling walls and the small fires burning patches in the carpet, he recognised the place. Four Privet Drive. He was in Four Privet Drive. "No. I'm not. It's not..."
"GET OUT! I DON'T CARE THAT YOU ARE MY SISTER'S SON. YOU ARE NO LONGER WELCOME HERE. GET OUT AND NEVER DARKEN OUR DOORSTEP AGAIN! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!" her angry shouts were accompanied by a thundering boom and as soon as the last words were out of her mouth, Harry thought he heard the sound of a thousand panes of glass shattering simultaneously.
"No… I… I didn't..." Harry wanted to explain. He needed to explain, but the words wouldn't come out. He was so out of his mind, that he didn't even think to protect himself as a vase, one that had miraculously survived all the destruction he had wrought, flew towards his head. He reflexively closed his eyes, but he remained still as it shattered against his face, the porcelain shards ripping his face into bloody tatters.
Aunt Petunia's eyes were wide and hysteric. There was terror in there, but there was something else Harry could see, something wild. As Harry watched her grab hold of the bent golf club from her husband's hands, he knew that if he stayed here she would kill him.
He turned and grabbed onto the invisibility cloak. He was already holding the Portkey, so he activated it with a hoarse whisper. When he opened his eyes, he stared dumbly around. He was back in his room. His and Cedric's, not Corinne's.
The nausea came so suddenly and he let out wave after wave of vomit onto the wooden floor, until his throat felt raw with acid. He stood up, stepping in the puddle of half digested food with his feet. Socked feet, no shoes. Where were his shoes? He sat on his bed and stared blankly ahead. He just couldn't wrap his head around what had just happened. What he had just done. If it wasn't for the pain in his ribs and on his face, he would have thought that is was some sort of horrible nightmare.
He stepped off his bed and shakily made his way towards his trunk. He kneeled on the floor and opened it. It bumped against the camera that was still hanging around his neck and jolted into his ribs. He took it off and placed it inside. He paused for a moment before opening the secret compartment. He ripped open the envelopes and pulled out Corinne's letters to him. They were blank. Every single one of them. He shut his eyes, willing the words to appear. Nothing happened and he threw them back inside. After a moment he stuffed the invisibility cloak in there as well.
He then suddenly thought of something else. Harry frantically tore through his belonging, pulling out books, clothes, the camera he had just placed inside and everything else, including the Sneakoscope he had never gotten around to fixing. At the bottom, wrapped in one of Uncle Vernon's old socks was a box. He opened it slowly with shaky hands, only to find it empty. It was where he had kept the Portkey, knowing he'd never consider using it.
He let out an anguished cry as he threw it across the room. A loud popping noise from behind him made him turn around. "Mr. Harry Po- Your face? Oh sir, what has happended to yours face?"
"What?" Harry winced as he touched his cheeks, forgetting for a moment about his wounds.
"I will finds the Headmaster!" the elf squeaked in agitation.
"Dibbler, no!" Harry shouted and when the elf hesitated, Harry didn't. "Stupefy!"
No. Not yet. He couldn't face Professor Riddle just yet. He had to think. He looked down at the elf, unconscious but wide eyed with surprise. He couldn't stop a hysteric giggle imagining what Hermione would do to him when she found out he had knocked out a house elf. That breathy giggle quickly turned to a hiss of pain down his side. He had somehow managed to come this far with what he was sure was a couple of broken ribs, but he didn't think he could move another inch. He awkwardly tried to aim his wand at the injury.
"Episkey..." as soon as the word left his mouth, he clamped his teeth down over his lower lip to prevent the scream he was sure to make. He groaned miserably as he felt a white hot sensation, followed by a sudden chill. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes and gave his chest a tentative touch. He winced. Harry had practised the spell a few times when he was with the Aurors, but it wasn't easy. Minor breaks and fractures weren't that common, especially when you had two excellent Aurors like Moody and Sirius. Also, it wasn't just that he lacked the practice to use it effectively, he was sure his own injures were too severe for the most basic of healing spells. Even so, his breathing was a little easier and he could almost ignore the pain as he moved about.
He left his room and stalked down the corridor. He slowed as he neared the stairs and from the top he could see the other elf humming to herself as she cleaned up the mess that the students had left from the afternoon. Harry aimed his wand carefully and whispered another Stunning Charm. It hit her and she collapsed face first, along with half a dozen teacups she had been levitating at the time.
He left the Hogwarts Express and stumbled onto the grass. He looked around but the grounds were empty. From the sounds of cheering and chanting he was hearing in the distance, the final task must still be taking place. How long had he been gone?
"DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!" he cursed into the air. He took several deep breaths. "I just need to think..."
He started walking with no clear destination in his mind, but his mind working furiously. Where was Corinne? Someone had obviously sent the letters to him to try and lure him out. They had expected him to use Corinne's Portkey and so replaced it with Harry's. Was there someone amongst the Durmstrang students or staff that could have done it? Or maybe someone from the Beauxbatons delegation? He couldn't imagine it being any of his own friends from Hogwarts and… Corinne Lansquenet, could she have been her? Had she been planning this since their first meeting on Halloween? The thought was unbearable. Just imagining the betrayal tore his heart apart. No. He couldn't think that right now. He had to believe that the past few months had meant something to her. She must have been captured or something and others had just used their relationship.
And he had used… an Unforgivable Curse. What had Sirius said about them? That he'd be spending the rest of his life in prison? Aurors were allowed to use them, but only against Zeugen. Would they believe him if he told them he thought they were Grindelwald's fanatics? Harry let out a disbelieving laugh that turned to a sob. It wasn't exactly a secret that he had no love for his aunt and uncle.
Maybe he should try running, steal a broomstick and fly as far as he could. Should he contact Sirius or Remus? Would they understand? "...we'll be here for you, whatever you need, whenever you need it. You just have to come and ask." That's what they had said to Harry when he had been feeling depressed after the incident at the Broom Race.
They were the only ones he could turn to right now. Whatever happened, he trusted them to do whatever was best for him and right now he felt couldn't trust his own judgement. He took in his surroundings for the first time since leaving the Hogwarts Express and it took him a moment to work out where he was. He broke into a light run, a full sprint was impossible because of still sore ribs, and headed back towards the train.
Turning a corner, he saw someone pop into existence. Someone arriving by Portkey. It was Sirius Black. Harry was about to cry out and run towards him when another person arrived. Then a dozen more afterwards. Harry backtracked into the shadow cast by the building, and peered at the new arrivals. Sirius was ashen faced and the rest were no better. Their expressions were an array of confusion, disbelief and one or two of anger, none of them encouraging Harry to leave his hiding place and walk over to them.
The Aurors, that's what Harry thought they were anyway, looked towards Sirius since he'd already been here once and they split up. Sirius led half of them towards the train and the others headed to the bridge, beyond that they would presumably follow the sound of the crowds to look for Professor Riddle.
Harry turned around and ran. He had never seen Sirius look like that, not even when he had blown up Aunt Marge.. It terrified Harry and he felt lost and alone with no idea what to do or where to go. He didn't consider where he was going and his cold feet led him down the path he had already taken so many times this year, to the concealed door in the outer walls. He entered through it and opened the secret passageway Corinne had shown him, and before it had even fully opened, he stepped inside.
There was a dim glow just bright enough that he could move forwards without bumping into the walls as he followed the narrow passageway. The smell of damp and dust filled his nose, it was evident that this passageway hadn't been used for a long time. Harry walked as if he was in a trance. The memory of what had happened replaying over and over again in his mind, and then the strangest thing started to happen.
Instead of the sneering follower of Grindelwald, he remembered his frightened uncle and the short older woman with a passing resemblance to Corinne, slowly transformed to the tall blonde figure of his aunt. The first glance he made outside the window showed the quiet suburban neighbourhood he had lived for over a decade and he couldn't recall hearing any sobs when he pressed his ear against the door underneath the stairs.
He eventually reached the end of the passageway where strands of light from the setting sun peered through thick strands of ivy. He pulled apart the green curtain and stepped through, shrugging them off as the tendrils clung on to his robes. He could still hear sounds of the Triwizard Tournament spectators, but it was much further away. Harry absently thought he must have somehow ended up walking the complete length of the island and out on the other side.
The weariness hit him suddenly, like a blow to the head, and he dropped to the ground. With his forehead on his knees, he curled into a tight ball and closed his eyes. What was he going to do?
Harry wasn't sure how long had passed when he heard the soft sounds of footsteps on the grass. He sighed and let out a resigned sob. He couldn't run. He was hurt and stuck on top of a mountain which was, by all accounts, almost a day's journey from the nearest human settlement, Muggle or magical. Harry slowly raised his head to face the judging looks of anger. Harry was slightly taken aback at the person who stopped a few feet away from him and stared down at the mess of a boy.
"So… It has come to this." Kendra Dumbledore said quietly. Her face was unreadable, but there was a slight coldness to it that Harry had never seen before. In the few instances Harry had met the woman, he never considered her a warm or overly friendly person, but he still found a slight reassurance from her. He thought of her along the same lines as someone like Professor McGonagall or Percy Weasley. Someone who you definitely would not want around if you were planning a prank or ignoring unfinished homework for a game of Exploding Snap. But when he had been wronged she had offered her help, even if it meant going against her own father.
"Kendra… please..." Harry croaked, but for what he did not know. Help? Punishment? Forgiveness?
"So… It has come to this." she repeated, ignoring his pleading tone. "The prophecy has come to pass..."
"The prophecy!" Harry clambered onto his feet and faced her. "It's not true! It won't happen! This was just a mistake, it wasn't my fault! I didn't mean to do this!"
"You know of the prophecy?" she asked. "Riddle told you of it?"
"No… Not exactly..." Harry admitted. "But I found out... And it can't be true! I would never kill anyone! I wouldn't harm anyone!"
"Then do you deny the accusations your uncle and aunt are levelling against you?" Kendra demanded.
Harry let out a sob as the memories flashed again in his mind. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia screaming in pain as they writhed helplessly on the floor. "It..it wasn't… I was trying to help a friend…"
"A friend?" she said after a moment.
"Yes!" he reached out imploringly and spoke quickly. "My f..friend, Corinne. She returned home a few months ago and she wrote to me. She said she was in danger so I sneaked into her room and used the Portkey, the ones the Ministry gave us for the Christmas holidays, and I thought it would take me to her home. But someone swapped the Portkeys! And… it… and wh..when I got there, I thought I was seeing… I can't explain it, I couldn't tell it was my aunt and uncle, they looked like Corinne's parents! I couldn't tell I was back at Privet Drive! I thought they were Zeugen and they were trying to kill us, both of us!"
She listened quietly, but her face grew harder with each passing second. "A friend in danger, swapped Portkeys and an inability to identify your surroundings? Mr. Potter, do you realised how convoluted your story sounds? Is there any proof of this? You say she sent letters asking for help?"
"Yes! They're… they're..." he suddenly remembered the blank sheets of paper. "The words… disappeared somehow… I don't kno-"
"Then were you seen going into this 'friend's' room, someone who has witnessed from where you left?" she questioned sharply.
"N..n..no… I..I was hiding under… an invisibility cloak..." Harry whispered hoarsely.
Kendra Dumbledore scoffed disbelievingly. "Now there is an invisibility cloak involved as well?"
"It's true! I can show you!" Harry cried in desperation. "It wasn't my fault, someone… tricked me into this..."
"Mr. Potter, why in Merlin's name would anyone want you to torture your aunt and uncle?" Kendra asked in disbelief. "Or rather, why would anyone other than yourself want to see your aunt and uncle tortured?"
Harry was breathing raggedly and was on the verge of tears. "It… I… It must be Grindelwald! He… it's something… he's behind it!"
She stared at him for a long time, then she slowly shook her head. "I am aware you have had encounters with his followers during your little trips with the Aurors. His followers still exist, but Gellert Grindelwald, the King of Crows, is dead. Gone. There is no hidden adversary directing your actions. There is only you taking your first steps down a path from which there is no returning."
"It's not true… It's not true..." Harry whimpered miserably.
"There will be those that would believe you," Kendra said in a whisper. "and there are even those that would like to sweep this whole mess under the rug to keep your reputation intact. My father included. He would spin a tale of how you were tricked, or perhaps he would paint your guardians as monsters, deserving of what you have done to them. They are, after all, only Muggles. To many, you are far too valuable to rot in the likes of Azkaban..."
A hopeful light entered Harry's eyes. "Then… I'm… not…? You're not going to…?"
"My father controls the British Ministry. He has enough friends in governments world wide. For you, Mr. Potter, even the Unforgivable would be forgiveable." she let out a long breath and pulled out her wand. She aimed it at his heart. "Then what would become of you? When you bring about darkness, leaving death in your wake? How could I live with myself, if I walked away from the one chance I have to stop all that from happening? I cannot turn a blind eye when countless lives and the very future of the wizarding world hangs in the balance."
Harry took a step back. "No… No… please..."
"To coin a very dark phrase, Mr. Potter, it's for the greater good. I hope you understand." Kendra Dumbledore said. "Avada Kedavra!"
A/N
Wow, 9 reviews for this chapter, well 7 if you don't count the reviews from the same person. Not that I mind. =D
In the immortal words of Albus F F Rowling . net "Reviews will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." =p
Well, I promised so here you go. A few days earlier than I had originally planned.
Oh yeah, just in case anyone is still confused by how 'secret' message in the letters works, it's the first letter of each sentence, ignoring Corinne's name. That's why I had horribly long sentences that sounded really awkward.
Whew... sorry I left it at another cliffhanger. It's finally happened, what I'd been planning since I started the story. I hope it wasn't too predictable. I was dropping hints, while trying to throw you off the scent as well...
Okay, so once more I will shamelessly throw myself into asking for reviews! I'm a bit busy so I don't think I'll be able to get the final chapter up tomorrow. I had a quick skim through what I've written and there's quite a lot I want to double check before I upload it. But I will try and get it up as quickly as possible. Reviews will certainly help me along! So, I had 7(9) for this chapter, can we push it into double digits? Pretty please? =)