Harry Potter and the Peverell Legacy
Book Two of the Heritage Series
Chapter Fifty-One
Mourning Star
The desire and will to escape his cell burned through Harry in a frenzy it all other thoughts were pushed aside and he was focused on just that single aim. The old man had walked him through how to access magic through very precise mental commands and directness of thoughts.
His tone was harsh and his attitude abrasive but he knew what he was talking about but was not the best teacher. However, the method of magic was not unlike the magic used through staffs he learnt while at Durmstrang.
Six years of channeling magic through a wand made of specific woods and a magical fire made it difficult to manipulate magic in a different way. The staff magic had been difficult but it was still manipulating magic through a specific wood, wandless magic was different as you expelled your magic directly from your body and out but the lack of tools made it more difficult.
The similarities to the teachings of Durmstrangs martial magic had made Harry made the connection verbal and it had made the old man laugh ruefully.
"Durmstrang was always thorough with its education." He commented, "It teaches that all of its lessons can be adapted for further applications for at its core we all you do is manipulate your innate magic.
For three days Harry practiced the exercises the old man had taught him and it had been very frustrating but he was not deterred by his failures, the fire that burned through him propelled him through the hours and even helped him get through the sessions with Makos.
On the second day, he had managed to create a ball of fire in his hand but the moment he realised he had achieved the spell it had immediately snuffed itself out.
It was by no means perfected. But he had at least grasped the principles and could do some very basic things which he had achieved sporadically. His biggest hurdle was finding a way to get out of the cell. His restraints did not inhibit his magic any longer but they did keep him magically restrained.
Breaking the chains was beyond his meagre skills, and forcing Makos to release him was likewise impossible without his wand. So, Harry had to get creative and find a way to get himself out of the restraints so he could leave.
The door shimmered into existence and Makos stepped into the room but something was very different about him, one of his eyes was entirely black, and he placed his roll of tools on the table. And then placed his rings on the table and then to Harrys shock he pulled out his wand.
"I am sure you are thinking of ways you can overpower me to take back your wand." Makos said smirking, "But I am not going to get within reach of your hands." He then flicked his own wand at the chains that bound him and they shortened.
"Time is no longer a luxury that I have to extract every portion of fact from your mind, I have been ordered to get the answers I seek by any means and should I scramble your head then so be it." He continued but he didn't sound happy about it at all.
"What answers do you want?" Harry asked to buy himself some further time as he tried to think of a way to escape, he didn't think he could manage a disarming spell.
"This wand." Makos said holding up his Phoenix Wand. "Holly, Phoenix tail-feather…odd combination given their symbology, yet this wand is very powerful. We had thought you wielded the Elder wand but now we no better."
The wand was placed back on the table and he pointed at the rings on the table.
"Your rings, they belong to the House of Black and the House of Peverell." He said, "Your Black ring will make for a fitting tribute for us, but I have wondered if your family magic created the Hallows? What do you think?"
Harry was caught by surprise by that question, his knowledge of family magic was limited to what Sirius had told him but as far as he knew that wasn't possible but he also didn't want to say anything to Makos so he stayed silent.
His silence did nothing but illicit a sigh from Makos and he pulled out his needles from his tool kit, a lot more than he had used the other times. He knew that the pain would be unimaginable and he needed to escape now but he saw no way of doing so.
Disarming him was out of the question such a spell was beyond him as was anything defensive or offensive. He could start a fire but that would only make Makos put them out and then put suppression cuffs back on him.
Harry saw his wand laying on the table and knew he had only one way of getting out of there now.
A wand was pointed at him, Makos needed to immobilise him to insert the needles but had noticed Harry smirking and it caused him to pause curiously.
"What is funny?" Makos asked him tilting his head.
"Nothing." Harry said as he stilled his thoughts and took a calming breath knowing what he needed to do.
Makos frowned and his wand tip moved and he began to cast his spell but as he did Harry had already began used a mental incantation, forcing his magic to obey his will and pushing it out from him and down his arm which had raised in a gesture that had looked defensive as if he thought to defend himself from Makos's spell.
Just as Harrys magic left his hand, Makos's had hit him in the chest and rendered him immobile, but in the same instance there was a clatter of wood and Makos's face went from expressing confusion to terror.
Harry didn't notice the change in Makos, he watched as he wand rolled across the floor and saw what would be his only chance of escape literally roll across the floor. It was then that he looked to Makos to watch him place the needles in him only to see him stuck to the spot much like he was himself.
Whatever was happening to him caused both of Makos's eyes to go black and blood leaked from them and his nose. The skin around his eyes began to blacken too which slowly spreads across his body. He looked like he was dedicating in front of Harrys eyes and he was beginning to look like a corpse.
Harry watched as Makos was slowly transformed in front of him, it was equally fascinating and horrifying to see. Glowing green eyes watched as Makos's moody withered and died and then began to take on a charred appearance, yet no noise could be heard in the room. Makos was silent no doubt due to whatever was happening as if he could control his tongue he would have been screaming in unimaginable pain as it looked like his body had been cursed.
But after a few minutes Harry fell forwards, the magic keeping him frozen broke, and then the chains that bound him glowed showing their runic magic flowing over them briefly before they released him and fell to the floor with a clatter.
Shakily Harry moved towards the burnt-out husk that had previously been Makos that now resembled something closer to a large human sculpture made of carbon, it still wore his clothes and his wand was still in his hand.
Bending down Harry picked up his wand with a shaking hand, it felt good to have it in his hand again and as if it agreed with his thought it sent out a cascade of gold and red sparks. He moved around Makos and went to pick up his rings from the table but they were gone.
Frowning he looked on the floor and couldn't see them, and then he looked at Makos and saw that imbedded in his neck were his rings, his Potter ring glowed ominously. He must have not only summoned his wand from the table but his rings too, Harry realised with horror.
Sirius had told him more than once that should someone touch one of the rings and they were not bound to it by blood then they would be severely punished for their transgression, only family could touch their ring or its wearer touch other people with it.
The ring had a curse attached to it. What curse, Harry didn't know but given the time it took to kill Makos and the way it happened it was both as powerful as it was old. '
"I am sorry, you shouldn't have died like this." Harry said remorsefully. Gingerly he extracted his rings from his remains and they were warm to the touch and when he placed them back on his finger he felt the connection to the family magic grow stronger.
"Your free?" Said the old man sounding elated, "Good. Now you need to get through the door and release me so we can both leave this place."
The doorway was opened as he approached it, and he stepped through to find himself in a brighter lit corridor. On a table outside were the clothes he had been wearing when he had been taken from London, his shoes, and his wrist cuff.
He quickly got dressed, conscious to the fact he was very exposed in the corridor and he needed to leave. Being dressed in his own clothes once again with his wrist cuff and wand attached to his arm made him feel safer but he knew he needed to leave quickly Makos was not alone in this wretched place.
There was only one thing left to do he approached the door to the cell next to his own and opened the door and saw a man sitting up on a bed wearing heavy metal manacles or each wrist, ankle and round his neck but he was not chains as Harry had been.
The man was incredibly thin, and looked half starved and malnourished, his hair was wispy and pure white and he had a light beard, his brows rose when he saw Harry perhaps shocked by his appearance of his age and then he smiled and Harry noticed that they were yellow and several of them were missing.
"I had not thought you would succeed." He said looking at him most curiously, "What did you do to Makos?"
"He will not be a problem anymore." Harry told him, there was something about the man that was familiar yet he couldn't place why, he had never seen this man before but it was like he had.
He was old, older than Harry had thought hearing his voice perhaps as old as Dumbledore but he looked older than his old headmaster, although his face had always been hidden by his thick white hair and beard.
His eyes were a dark blue yet there was a yellow colour around them instead of white, but his gaze was sharp and despite his advanced age he still had his wits.
"If you would be so kind as to release me from my bonds." He said kindly, "I cannot do it myself as my magic is still being surpassed by the magic in this cell."
Nodding Harry stepped forward and clasped the manacle on his left wrist, they glowed immediately as if sensing his intention and he felt their magic radiating from them metal as if to warn him off.
Feeling that magic caused Harry to suck in a breath and step away from the old man and he raised his wand wide eyed, the power and complexity of the magic on those restraints alarmed Harry and there was something else too something that made him extremely hesitant now.
"I helped you, in exchange you will release me from my cell so I can escape the Sect, I have no wish to be their prisoner." The man said as if it so simple. "Wont you help an old man?"
"No." Harry said stepped backwards towards the door, he was trying to look past the beard, to see past his advanced age. The man and the magic restraining him were familiar to him but it escaped him,
Looking at the man now Harry knew he had seen him before, he had looked into those clever dark blue eyes, but those eyes had been framed with blonde curled hair and immortalised in marble in the lowest level of Durmstrangs Library.
Then there was the magic, it was familiar to him. Incredibly powerful and complex. The word of a powerful wizard and one well versed in runes.
Harrys eyes narrowed as he looked at the man then, it was impossible yet he was sitting in front of him. He knew just who had been helping him and it made him shudder.
"You should be dead." Harry said.
o-HP-o
Sirius was hopeful, Hermione had pointed out a strange number of occurrences where the Incals of House Potter mysteriously died with unexplainable magic left on their bodies. He wondered at it, could they be Harry but why would he kill harmless creatures, let alone how had he done it.
Hagrid had confirmed what Hermione had said earlier than day when Sirius had been in the castle finishing off some work and meeting with the Salvatore brothers as their company had finally finished the extensive survey of the school.
They had handed him a very large crate filled with leather bound books of parchment that were filled with their notes and the results of the survey. Each book contained details of parts of the school, from floor plans, technical drawings to proposals. There were pages and pages of work that needed to be carried out around the school, and numerous pages devoted to various restorations that needed to be done within the next half century and they had also included two books of upgrades that could be installed."
The cost was jaw droopingly high, the House of Black and Potter together wouldn't have been able to cover the costs for the materials, labour, equipment, and all other costs to carry the work out.
He hadn't read the entire report, that would take three months to do. But the summary sheets he had been given told him that this would be the work of two generations of skilled labour and it needed to be done if they wanted the school to stand for another thousand years and not to become a ruin.
But that was a problem for another day, today he needed to get the school closed for the summer so he could devote time to finding Harry.
Remus and gone to Northern Europe to meet with some of Viktor's contacts to see if he could find a lead on Harry, Tonks hadn't been happy with his assignment but Remus said it was for Harry and she relented immediately.
He was just finishing a letter to Susan Bones regarding her wizengamot seat offering her his support in future sessions when he gasped. He felt a surge of magic from his Head of House ring, reaching out to the magic in the rings stone he felt his family connected as they were through blood and magic, and his connection to Harry had gotten slightly stronger.
It was still feint but it was definitely stronger than it had been, what it meant Sirius didn't know but it reassured him that Harry was still alive.
Smiling to himself as he finished writing his letter to Miss Bones, an owl interrupted him by tapping on the window.
Surprised that a message would come now of all times he picked up his wand from the table and flicked it at the window which opened and the owl flew in and landed on his desk and presented its leg.
Deftly he untied the letter and the owl took flight again and left him alone again, he looked down at the letter and saw it was addressed to him so he opened it.
Sirius,
You are needed urgently in the Ministry.
The Minister of Magic is calling for an urgent session of the Wizengamot to elect the new head of the Department of Magical Law enforcement in the wake of the death of Amelia Bones.
We need you here to help mitigate the situation, Scrimgeour is doing well these last few days but losing the support of Amelia has taken its toll. The Death Eaters will no doubt want to use this situation for their own ends.
Jacob
Sirius read the letter twice before screwing it up and throwing it into the fire angrily. So far no one had put their name forward for the job, after all whoever took it would be a target for the Death Eaters or would immediately be suspected of being a Death Eater if they were left untouched.
Growling with frustration and wondered not for the first time why he had kept on with the politics when he had returned to society. He hated them, he hated that people only sought to further their own ends and damned the country.
He walked into his personal rooms and opened his packed trunk to find his Wizengamot robes for the session he would undoubtedly be late for.
"Kreacher!" Sirius called loudly.
The old elf appeared immediately at his masters summons and bowed "Master Black calls for Kreacher, Kreacher comes."
Sirius pointed to his trunk "Take all of my trunks to Black House, I won't be needing these here until the next school year. If Harry returns while I am gone tell Remus to contact me immediately."
"Yes, Master Black, Kreacher will be getting dinner ready for Masters return to Black House." the elf said and he grasped hold of the trunks handle and disappeared with a crack.
Nodding to himself that everything was in order he tidied up the parchments that he had been reading, Minerva said she would go through them and begin to arrange the high priority work. Sighing he picked up his mirror and left his office at a quick pace.
He had made it to the Gates quickly thanks to Padfoots four legs, he only transformed back as he needed to open the enchanted gates which took him a few minutes. However once out of the school grounds Padfoot set off again and sprinted through the village much to some of the villager's shock having not seen the dog for a few years.
Once on the outskirts of the village he transformed back into himself and while doing so twisted on the spot in a seemly transition and disapparated.
There was a quietness to the atrium that greatly unsettled Sirius, it was so unusual for the normal hustle and bustle of the heart of the wizarding government to be done so silently, he stepped out of the apparition spot and strode purposefully towards the golden gates of the lifts.
If Hogwarts needed reform then so did the Ministry, Sirius thought to himself as he walked looking around. It was antiquated in many of its practices and laws but changing this institution felt beyond him.
His own power as Lord Black was tied to this place, for it was the houses that had created the Ministry and it was by Ministry law that they kept their power.
Yet despite the power of the Ancient Houses and the family Magic they each held he had been unable to find the one person who was the most important person in to him in the country.
As he walked he stood tall and with great purpose and his face was the mask that he had expertly mastered over the last two years, the face that inspired both fear and trust in people, the mask of the Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.
His leg ached painfully after his run as Padfoot and he regretted leaving his cane in his office as he could walk unassisted now but he knew that he would be using it for another week if the pain was anything to go by.
Those in his path scarpered quickly and would seemingly melt into the background, no matter what he did the reputation of his family still terrified people, in his time as Lord Black he had done nothing to give people reason to fear him, but they still did.
He often wondered if it was just because of his family name and reputation, of if people still believed that he could have killed those muggles and betrayed his best friend secretly and just chose to cling to the previous perception of him.
Although it that didn't stop him from using the dark perception to his advantage, it had allowed him to get things done quicker and intimidate some people more than once, something he hated to use but needs must.
In the two years, he had been in the battle arena that was the Ministry he had made only a few true allies. Amelia, Arthur, Croaker and Robards. He had used their support to spearhead the war and now with the death of Amelia he had not only lost his ally in the Ministry but a key member of his Wizengamot alliance within the Ancient Houses.
Removing Amelia was a bold move yet it was strategic. She was incredibly well respected, most thought she should be the next Minister and should replace Rufus. She had the support of the Ministry and the people and had the support of numerous people should she wish to take office.
Sirius had his supports and allies but Amelia had brought a lot more of them to the table, he might have been the leader in the fight against the terror of Voldemort but Amelia had been there keeping everything legal and on the right track.
Sirius reached the golden lifts and waited patiently, it did not do well to show up anxious he truly felt about what was happening, and if he showed that he was nervous it could spread panic to the public.
Something itched at the very edge of his mind as he waited, his body tingled all over like it was expecting something but as he looked around he couldn't see anything amiss and he put it down to the impact of Amelia's death in this very room had on his nerves.
o-0-o
Tonks was annoyed, she had been put on Ministry guard duty after the attack in the Ministry Atrium and the death of Amelia Bones. It had been a sad day in the auror office when they had found out that their boss had been killed, Scrimgeour had come down personally and all but bellowed at their incompetence and inability to protect someone in the same building that they worked out of, the Minister had even pulled out his wand and looked like was about to curse everyone until he was taken aside by Gawain.
She would much rather be in Black House with Remus, he would be returning from Europe soon and she hoped that he found any sign of Harry. Her relationship with Remus was much happier now that he had finally accepted his feelings and the ring on her finger still made her smile and she couldn't wait for the wedding, small as it would be but they had both said they couldn't go through with it until Harry was found.
So instead of looking for Harry, or working with the Order or even doing true auror work she was stuck in the Ministry. Standing behind the security desk invisible watching everyone walk passed.
It was boring, and she just wanted her shift to end. With Harry gone the family was tearing themselves apart to find him, and the longer he was gone the more frantic they were getting. She was a little bit distracted and it took her a minute or two to noice the change in the atmosphere in the atrium.
People were moving very quickly out of the way of someone, and then she saw it was Sirius. She watched him stride through the crowds and across the hall with a stern mask that made his grey eyes look like an oncoming storm and admitted to herself that he was awe inspiring, not that she would tell him that.
Tonks wondered why Sirius would be in the ministry today of all days, she hoped it meant he was getting more Ministry help but knew they didn't want more attention brought to Harry's disappearance.
The family had planned a dinner, an act of solidarity in these awful times and they preferred to be together at the moment. Tonks thought her mother was trying to keep a close eye on Sirius, and knew she was just as worried about him as she was Harry.
Sirius was an important part of her life now. She had been worried that he would forbid her from pursuing Remus and had tried to hide it from him, but of course he had always known but remained silent. She had been elated to learn that Sirius had been pushing Remus towards her, and so happy that he didn't care about Remus's condition and that it didn't bring any sense of shame to the family.
She should have known that would be his reaction but with his position as head of the family she had been worried he might have had to prevent it, but of course Sirius didn't really care about such things he only wanted the family to be happy.
When she was a little girl she remembered Sirius and James visiting while training for the hit wizards and it had been her dream to follow the footsteps of her cousin, she had idolised him. A member of the Black family fighting against the dark and he was always so kind to her and sneaked her treats.
She remembered when the news had come that the Potters were dead, her mother had cried openly that day. Then they heard that it was Sirius who had betrayed them. Tonks had voiced that she would never allow a dark wizard to hurt her family and pursued a career in Law Enforcement from that very day.
The day that Sirius had turned up at her mum's house had been so surreal, she had actually tried to arrest him. He had come to personally explain everything and had recruited her into the Order which was reforming. Then Sirius had claimed his position of Lord of House Black recognising the Tonks family as full members and created their new family whom she loved.
Even now she was often inspired by Sirius, she believed entirely in what he tried to do to unify Britain and fight the dark. She had been ashamed last year that she had been caught by the Death Eaters and had been the reason Harry had gone to the DOM, but Sirius didn't blame her at all. Sirius had explained how he had been captured once and that it was Charlus who had saved him and James. Bad things happened, and when they did it was always good to have your family there to help you when you most have need of them.
Out of nowhere chaos exploded in the Atrium, people were screaming and rushing around and she could here the sound of a fight and the room shook. Her training kept Tonks cool, she had a job to do. She stepped out from under her charms with her wand raised at the ready.
"Stay here Derick" She said to the security wizard, "I need to find out what is happening."
She pushed her way through the crowds of people who were fleeing towards her making it difficult to reach the sight where she could see flashes of colour of different spells, she couldn't see who was fighting but she could feel the power of the magic.
As she neared she saw a flash of sickly green, a green that meant death and the screaming got louder and people pushed harder to get to the fires or apparition point. The alarm was sounding now but Tonks pushed her way through the crowd and saw that there was no sign of the duelist, only something crumpled on the floor next to a destroyed golden lift.
After what felt like twenty minutes she was able to get through to the lift area and when she did she gasped froze at the sight of the body but Dora couldn't move, her limbs felt like they were made of stone and her mind turned against her and refused to command her body at all.
All she could do was stand transfixed by the sight in front of her, a sight that her mind refused to acknowledge or contemplate. Yet her auror training which had been drummed into her in the Auror Academy and by Mad Eye Moody made her look at the scene and investigate and note the small details.
She saw a fallen wand a foot away from the fallen persons open hand, it was odd looking wand, almost unique in its design. It was made of dogwood, fifteen inches and contained a dragon heart string, the design of the wand was twisted and engraved over the wand were runes.
The robes the person wore were made of the finest material, black Acromantula silk, and cut to resemble duelling robes and embroidered with a silver raven and griffin and two crests.
The person had long black wavy hair that reached their shoulders and she saw that it was a man lying there, he was handsome and had high cheekbones but his face looked tired and there were lines around his eyes, eyes that resembled storm clouds, eyes that were grey and haunted.
The mans outstretched hand glinted in the torchlight, the fires reflected by the silver ring that the man wore, it was rather large and contained a black stone and was etched with a design that Dora couldn't recognise, but it was like what was on his robes.
Dora's sight began blur and she managed to move her hand to her face where she felt the tears that she was shedding, but why was she crying? She didn't know this man, she just couldn't understand what her body was doing.
She felt like the world had been pulled out from under her and someone had punched her hard in the stomach, and she sank to the floor unable to support herself as her legs returned to flesh.
"Auror Tonks what happen…" said a stern voice from behind her.
She turned and managed to see Dawlish standing there looking horrified, she sniffed trying to gather herself and managed to stand back up.
"Sorry sir, must have been a residual effect of some spell, but someone has been murdered in the ministry." She reported "I have been unable to identify the man, but he is dead sir."
Dawlish looked at her oddly and was about to open his mouth to speak when he stopped at the sound of a repetitive clunking noise.
"Get out of the way!" a gruff voice ordered "Move before I curse you out of my way!"
Alastor Moody had arrived his magical eye spinning around erratically, but his good eye was fixed on Tonks, and she saw that his scared face showed an expression she had never seen before.
"Dawlish!" Alastor all but shouted "Stop standing there gawking, secure this area, detain these people they have witnessed a murder!"
"Mad Eye that is..." Dawlish began to say but he was cut off by Moody.
"MOVE NOW!" he ordered.
"Mad Eye?" Tonks asked shocked but his abruptness "What are my orders?"
Mad Eye looked at her carefully and shook his head "What do you see?" he asked pointing gesturing with his hand at the scene in front of them.
"A dead man." Tonks said simply, "he was murdered."
"What else? Describe what you can see?" he asked softly.
Tonks described what she had seen earlier and Moody nodded as she spoke but the look he gave her was almost pitying, something she had never seen him express before.
"And what does that tell you Nymphadora?" he asked quietly, "Who do you know that wears the crest and incal of the Raven and the Griffin, who wears the ring of the Lord of an Ancient family, who had those stormy grey eyes and whose wand are you describing, a dogwood wand, the wand of the dog and the wand of the mischievous."
"I don't know!" Dora shouted shocking herself and her tears flowed faster and she began to fall only to be caught by Mad Eye.
"Yes you do. Think!" Moody said sternly "You know who he is, you just won't allow yourself to believe or recognise it."
Dora sobbed, she didn't know what Mad Eye was talking about, he was losing it after all, the rumours of his paranoia and mental decay were true.
"I need to go." She said suddenly, wiping away her tears and turning away from the body, "I have to get home, Sirius invited me to dinner, I can't be late, mum and dad will be there, so will Remus. I can't be late, Sirius is never late for family."
"Tonks!" Mad Eye yelled but she ignored him.
"It's the first family dinner we have had in a year, and it's a special occasion, I have news to tell my family, I think Sirius will be thrilled." She said and she laughed, it was a mad laugh that several of the people who arrived on the scene flinched away from.
"Sir what is wrong with her?" Reynolds, Tonk's fellow auror asked Moody. "She must know? Why is she laughing like that?"
"Madness in the blood." Moody muttered, "he did the same when he grieved for his friends."
Dora tried to walk away but she was grabbed from behind and turned to face the man on the floor, and she looked at him again and she again felt another great punch in the stomach and she clutched it protectively.
"Who is that?" Moody asked urgently in her ear, "Tell me who he is."
"No!" Tonks shouted desperately, as her mind began to connect the dots, "LET GO OF ME!"
Tonks screwed her eyes shut, she refused to accept what her mind was trying to tell her, anyone could have robes with a griffin and raven on, they were common creatures, the crests were just crests, easily confused with others.
The wand was not so unique, she had seen Professor Trelawney's wand at Hogwarts and even that looked similar. Rings were common in the wizarding world, most magical families had rings for the males and most looked similar.
But those eyes belong to only one man. Her mind said betraying her entirely, but Tonks ignored it, she had seen grey eyes before, her own eyes were grey, her mother's eyes were grey, even her cousins were grey, but they did not have the depth of those unseeing eyes, eyes that had seen loss and suffering.
Against her own will her eyes opened and she looked down at the man, and she felt sick.
"No!" she sobbed, "it can't be, not now!"
Alastor released her gently and Tonks fell to the floor and reached out to the man's body and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Sirius." She whispered and she cried unashamedly not carrying that glass cracked under her knee and drew blood.
"Aye kid," Moody said and he pulled Dora to her feet, "Lord Black is dead but you live, as does his killer, I fear what will come now."
o-HP-o
"What better way to remain hidden?" He laughed, "To be dead means that no one looks for you, you can go missing and no one would notice or investigate. Tell me how did you recognise me?"
"Your face is immortalised in a marble in the lowest level of the Durmstrang Library." Harry said tightly, "I know who placed those bindings on you when they defeated you all those years ago. Gellert Grindelwald. You know you are still feared across Europe like the bogeyman."
"A youthful dalliance with the darkness." Grindelwald shrugged, "I am not that the man I once was. It has been many years since my campaign and decades since Albus left me in my prison. You recognise his magic? So, you knew him?"
"He was my Headmaster." Harry told him, "He returned after defeating you and continued teaching up until the day he died."
"Albus is dead?" He said shocked, "I did not know this, how was he taken? He must be old like me did he die naturally?"
"He was killed by a curse placed on him by Voldemort." Harry answered, why did he care how Dumbledore had died they had been enemies, yet Harry thought he seemed genuinely curious.
"A shame that he is dead, I would have liked to see Albus once more." He said, "Now we had a deal, I would help you gain the means to escape and you would free me from my bindings."
"I am not going to release you from those bonds," Harry told him firmly, "You did a great deal of evil all of those years ago. You butchered families and spilt the blood of hundreds just to take over the world. You did such unspeakable things but rather than kill you Dumbledore kept you alive and made you a prisoner in your own prison, I will not break the bonds that he placed on you."
"You would leave me in the hands of the Sect?" He asked, "I know things about you that you would not wish them to know. There is so much you have yet to discover, things that I could teach you, would you spurn such an offer?"
"I do not care for the magic you can teach me." Harry said, a part of him liked the idea but the larger part of him wanted to run from him, "Saving me from the Sect does not undo everything you have ever done!"
"Then go boy" Grindelwald said to him sighing, "There is so much you are yet to understand, you should remember that the Legacy of the Peverell bloodline. Betrayal. Anguish. Regret. You are not the only descendant of the Peverells, your heritage is without question yet there is another with the blood."
"I am not beholden to my ancestor's fate." Harry said calmly, "I do not need to fear the legacy left through history by the elder wand, it is lost and I do not want it. I have larger concerns."
"That is your belief but I know otherwise. The wand is resurfacing after its long slumber, its loyalty is fickle but it can have only one master." He said quietly sounding tired now, "Even now the legacy of your blood affects you even if you do not know it. Go now Harrison Black-Potter, and prepare yourself for the battle that is to come."
o-HP-o
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So I imagine I will get a lot of angry reviews about this chapter and I will apologise now I have had the scene with Tonks and Sirius written for two years? I wrote it when I wrote the DOM battle in the last book when I realise that Sirius had to be taken out of the story for Book three.
Do not fear, you will see Sirius again, you have my word that he will reappear in book three.
How did I do with Tonks? I gave this to my old beta and they cried when they read it, to be honest I wasn't sure i believed them but that is what they said!
Have you got Twitter? follow me ( )jayanphoenix you will get updates on my writting on there :)
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