The Mutt who Lived
by Teddylonglong
All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.
Lucius Malfoy slowly felt recovered enough from the three-year-long ordeal at the wizarding prison to leave the hideous house that was equipped with pink furniture and with plates of cat faces all over the walls. He did not even have his own room in the house, which was only the size of perhaps a tenth of Malfoy Manor.
However, he was uncertain what to do. On the one hand, he wanted nothing more than to take a handful of his best friends and – of course – servants, such as Crabbe and Goyle, with him and return to Malfoy Manor. On the other hand, however, he was uncertain if his wife would still be supporting him now that he was a convicted prisoner on the loose. 'Draco is already four, and I need to teach him his place in society,' he thought and decided that it was time to make a move, when a raven approached him. He recognised him as Barnabas, the family raven.
He quickly unfolded the parchment in excitement that quickly turned into disappointment upon seeing that it was not from his wife. Sighing, he read the short notice.
'Lord Malfoy,
where are you and the others? I heard of your lucky escape and made my way to the dungeons of Malfoy Manor, where I am waiting for you. Nobody seems to be living in the house at this time, and I hope you will return here soon. I shall be waiting for you.
Best regards,
your fellow Death Eater
Barty Crouch Junior'
"Crabbe, Goyle," he whispered to his closest allies, "let's leave."
To his relief, the hideous house was at least equipped with a fireplace, and he swiftly stepped in and travelled to his home, closely followed by the two monkeys, as he thought of Crabbe and Goyle. 'Once I've got used to being at home again, I'm going to invite Nott and the others,' he resolved.
HP
The first Dragonsedge day took place two days after Valentine's Day, and almost every teacher of the MAMA accompanied the group to the small town. However, just like during the previous weeks ever since the Azkaban escape, everything remained quiet.
"It's almost as if they fell off the face of the earth," James said to Lily, when they retired to the master bedroom late the same evening. "Perhaps they're still recovering from the influence of the Dementors though."
"Thank Merlin," Lily replied, giving her husband a sad smile. "I just hope that we'll be able to keep our children safe," she added, sighing.
"Have faith," James replied, honestly. "We have brilliant wards, made by the goblins, have taken all precautions, and above all, we have Inu, the mutt who lived. I'm sure the Death Eaters fear him. Merlin, even Dumbledore was afraid of him – according to Godric."
"That's true," Lily replied, already feeling very much consoled.
HP
Unfortunately, six months after their escape from Azkaban, the Death Eaters slowly began to attack the families of muggleborn children, causing everyone to wonder how they had received information, which was supposed to be safe in the book of magical children at Hogwarts – as well as in the illegal copy, which they kept at the MAMA. However, only the teachers knew about the copy, and Lily was confident that none of them was a traitor.
"Surely Umbridge," Amelia growled. "She probably made a copy of the book at Hogwarts as well and is leaking the information to the Death Eaters."
Even without any proof, Lily was certain that Amelia was right. Her only consolation was that Umbridge would receive a one-way ticket to Azkaban once she was captured.
'I only hope that it'll be soon,' she thought, while she absentmindedly taught Hermione and Christa how to change Charlus' nappy.
"Aunt Lily, are you all right?" Hermione enquired, giving her a concerned look that brought her back to reality.
"Of course, sorry dears," she replied, smiling at the five-year-olds.
Later the same evening, she spoke with James about her concerns.
"You're right," her husband said in understanding. "Let's ask Amelia for a Wizengamot meeting to determine that all already convicted Death Eaters, who will hopefully be captured son, will be put through the veil instead of having them sent back to Azkaban. They don't need another trial either. I'll also speak with Moody and ask him what precautions the Aurors have taken so far. I can't believe that they haven't captured as much as one single Death Eater so far."
HP
Efficient as Amelia was, the Wizengamot meeting took place a few days later, and the majority of the attendees voted in favour of James' suggestion. It was also decided that the Aurors should place wards on the fireplaces of convicted Death Eaters' homes, so that the Aurors would be alerted if a fireplace was used. Unfortunately, this would only be easy with homes, where no other family was residing, such as Malfoy Manor or Lestrange Manor.
To everyone's relief, they caught two Death Eaters, Crabbe and Goyle, within a month, when they travelled through the Floo from an unclosed location to Malfoy Manor.
The two Death Eaters were immediately taken to the ministry, where Moody questioned them under Veritaserum. Unfortunately, however, the two men, who according to Moody were absolute idiots, were unable to tell them much. According to them, Umbridge had freed them from the prison and taken them to her home. By now, there were around twenty Death Eaters staying at Malfoy Manor and another twenty at the Umbridge house. The Aurors, however, were unable to find any Death Eater at Malfoy Manor, nor could they locate the Umbridge house, which, according to Crabbe and Goyle, was situated in a small village near Hastings.
"They're probably hiding in the dungeons of the manor," Narcissa told her colleagues, but if Lucius doesn't want to be found, they won't be able to find the entrance."
"Would you be able to guide the Aurors?" Sirius enquired, giving his cousin a sharp look.
"I don't think so," Narcissa replied, thoughtfully. "I can try, but I don't think that I'll be able to find the dungeons, especially as I don't even belong to the family anymore," she added, sighing, "and Draco is too small. He hasn't even seen the dungeons before coming here."
HP
First thing the following morning, Narcissa led Aurors Moody, Shacklebolt and Scrimgeour to Malfoy Manor, glad when Dobby agreed to accompany her. Together with the three Aurors and Dobby, she searched her former residence; however, nothing seemed to be out of the normal, and – just as she had expected – they neither met any Death Eaters nor did they find the entrance to the dungeons.
"I'm sorry," she apologized to the Aurors. "If Arcturus hadn't annulled our wedding and brought me back into the Black family, perhaps Lucius would have trusted me enough for me to spy on them. Unfortunately, I'm not able to help you capture the Death Eaters."
"That's all right," Moody said in a for the old Auror relatively gentle voice. "It's good that you separated from him in any case. He's not a good man. With Severus, you're much better off."
Narcissa cast the old Auror an incredulous look, unable to prevent herself from blushing. 'I didn't think that our relationship was so well known in the ministry,' she thought in surprise.
HP
The Aurors kept Crabbe and Goyle in a ministry cell for a week, so that they would be able to further question them if the need arose. Then however, the two Death Eaters were pushed through the veil without another trial or further questioning, as decided in the Wizengamot meeting. Lily observed five-year-old Vincent and Gregory, who were now in the Lynx class together with her trio, in concern; however, neither of the boys showed any reaction during the following days, so that she assumed that they were not aware that their fathers had fled Azkaban and had been re-captured and killed. 'It's still strange that Crabbe and Goyle Senior never returned home to meet their wives and children,' she thought in disbelief.
'Oh well, the children are only five just like ours,' she thought, sighing, feeling very happy for her own children to have siblings, parents as well as uncles and aunts, many friends and even their own familiars. 'Thank Merlin they're really lucky,' she thought in relief.
HP
Unfortunately, not all children were going to remain equally happy. It was shortly after Hermione' sixth birthday in September that the Grangers were attacked by Death Eaters. They survived, however, were badly injured.
To Lily's great relief, she and Poppy had decided to keep Hermione at the MAMA the previous day, when the girl came down with the wizard's flu, instead of sending her home and possibly endangering her parents with a magical illness.
'Thank Merlin we kept Hermione here last night,' Lily blurted out, when Moody came to tell Minerva and her the news.
"It probably saved the girl's life," Moody agreed. "They burnt down the whole place by fiendfyre, and only because we had an Auror watch the place allowed him to rescue them on time."
During the remainder of the day, while Hermione was still recovering in the hospital room, the extended family pondered what to do. Hermione was not the first pupil, whose parents had been injured during the last few months; however, the other students so far had been taken in by either magical or muggle relatives until their parents' recovery. Lily knew, however, that Hermione greatly disliked her aunt, uncle and cousin, who in turn seemed to despise her because of being magical.
"We'll ask Hermione what she wants, however, if she doesn't want to be taken in by her relatives, we're going to just keep her here until her parents will be out of the hospital," Lily informed the extended family, however, decided to only speak with Hermione after her recovery.
"Minerva," she turned to the headmistress, "will you please accompany me to speak with Regina Lestrange and her husband tonight? I want to suggest for them to come and live here with us, at least until her brothers and sister-in-law have been captured. I believe that they're not safe."
"A good idea, and of course I'll accompany you," Minerva promised, warmly.
HP
While Regina was a professor of Biology at a muggle university, her husband was a computer specialist at the same institution.
"I've no idea what they could do at the MAMA, but let's suggest it to them anyway," Minerva said, when they travelled see Christa's parents, glad that the girl was at the school playing with the trio, Susan and Draco.
"Professors McGonagall and Potter," Regina greeted them in apparent shock. "Did something happen to Christa?"
"No," Minerva replied in a soothing voice. "Everything is all right. However, we'd like to speak with you about something."
Only when they were seated in the living room, Lily explained how Death Eaters were attacking the families of muggleborn students.
"I suppose that you heard that all Death Eaters broke out of Azkaban?" she enquired, giving the couple a sharp look.
Regina smiled in spite of the dire situation. "I've been reading the Daily Prophet ever since I realised that Christa was magical," she admitted. "Yes, I know about it, and I also know about the attacks."
"We believe that you might not be safe here," Lily said, bluntly, "and we'd like to suggest for the two of you to join Christa at our school. You could travel to and from the university by Portkey, so that wouldn't be a problem."
"Do you have so much space that you can take in all the parents of muggleborn students and Squibs?" Brian asked in apparent surprise.
"Unfortunately not," Minerva replied, sighing. "However, due to Regina being a Squib and the sister and sister-in-law of three of the most violent Death Eaters, we believe that you're in extreme danger, perhaps more than any other parents."
"I think you're right," Regina surprisingly quickly agreed, "and I'd feel safer if we could stay at your school until my brothers have been caught. If no one will mind us being there in spite of being a muggle and a Squib."
After a short discussion of convincing Christa's parents that it would be fully all right, Lily called Gina and Dobby and asked them to pack the family's belongings and put everything into an empty flight of rooms in the South wing, where all the private quarters were located.
As shocked as the children were to hear about the attack on the Grangers, they were extremely happy to have Hermione and Christa as more or less permanent resident at the MAMA.
"Don't be sad, Mione…"
"… We love to have you here," the twins told Hermione.
Three-year-old Dorea was excited to have her adored big sister staying with them for a longer time and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
HP
To everyone's shock, the house, in which the Lestrange-Blair family had lived until then, was destroyed by fiendfyre just a month later, and everyone felt extremely relieved that Christa and her parents had been safe at the school.
Unbeknownst to the residents of the MAMA, Aurors had taken shifts to observe the house, just like with the Granger residence, and – even if they could not prevent them from casting the horrible spell – they managed to capture Rabastan Lestrange and kill Rodolphus Lestrange. Only Bellatrix succeeded in apparating away, before the Aurors could stun or kill her.
"That was stupid. You should have set up Anti-Apparition wards," Moody scolded the Aurors on duty, before he commended them for getting the Lestrange brothers.
HP
"Thank Merlin my brothers are gone," Regina sobbed upon hearing the story from Amelia. "They were so evil."
"Nevertheless, they were your brothers," Amelia replied in a soothing voice. "Do you want me to send some Aurors to Lestrange Manor and clear it out for you, so that you'll eventually be able to live there again?"
"Is that even possible?" Regina asked, wide-eyed.
"Of course," Amelia replied, gently. "It's yours now. You're the heir of the family, even as a Squib, and your daughter is even a witch and will be able to take the Lestrange seat on the Wizengamot once she is of age."
HP
Hermione spent much time caring for Eagle. The Potters had become her guardians for the magical world, when her parents were taken into a muggle hospital, and apparently, their recovery would take months. Twice or even three times a week, Lily or Minerva took her to visit her parents. Hermione was eternally grateful that she did not have to live with her horrible aunt and uncle and her even worse cousin Melody but was allowed to remain at the MAMA and live in the Potters' quarters. Even if she missed her parents, she had always liked Lily and James, and Harry, Neville, Susan, Christa and Draco were her best friends. Even Inu was extremely friendly to her, and Dorea and Charlus felt like younger siblings to her. However, somehow, she had special feelings towards Eagle, and she often visited him and sat on the ground of the stable just chatting with the bird. She told him everything about her parents, her new family and that she loved to learn new things. The only sad thing in their relationship was that she could not understand the bird's trills.
One day, however, the situation changed. She suddenly felt incredibly happy, and when she was still wondering what had happened, Eagle spoke to her.
#I've just bonded with you, so you can understand my babbling,# he told her, causing Hermione to pull the bird into a bear's hug.
"Thank you, Eagle," she said, tears of happiness leaking from her eyes. "You made me very happy."
That evening, the bird followed her into her room – just like Lily had predicted a year ago – and Dobby saw to it that the house-elves placed a perch for Eagle as well as enough treats and water for the large bird into the girl's room.
HP
Regina and Brian often spent the evenings together with the extended family, and they seemed to quickly become used to living in the magical world without problems. One day, Regina spoke up in a soft voice.
"I have an idea, but I don't know if it's possible. Please hear me out."
"Of course," Lily was the first to reply in a soft voice, giving the Squib, who was of her own age and had become a good friend to her, an encouraging nod.
tbc...
Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. Apparently, you did not like the slightly darker chapter. I hope this one was better, and we will soon return to brighter scenes. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome.
Next chapter: "The Lestranges".