Chapter 52: Fudge's Gambit
November 10th, 1997
Hermione had tried to mediate the gulf between her two friends, only to discover it might be unbridgeable. The problem wasn't Ron. In fact Harry had told Ron in no uncertain terms that trying to help Tracey out in that department would be a disaster. The truth was that no one had really understood just how much Tracey had resented the way Daphne had treated her. This had just been the flashpoint.
Hermione knew that Daphne hadn't meant to do it, of course. But it didn't really matter what she had meant to do. The fact was that for years Daphne and Tracey's relationship had been based on a dynamic straight out of magical society's class struggle. And Tracey was fed up with it.
Luckily, Tracey wasn't forcing anyone to take sides. She didn't care that anyone else spent time with Daphne, she just didn't want to do it herself. Daphne, on the other hand, was completely shocked by what had happened. She kept trying to apologize to Tracey, but she kept trying to apologize for being jealous of her and Ron. Which was exactly the wrong thing to do! Tracey didn't actually mind that Daphne was jealous, what she minded was Daphne's sense of entitlement, casting Ron away at one moment and only getting upset when someone else went after him. When Tracey went after him.
It made Hermione's head hurt. Tracey had an absolute right to be mad about this, but Hermione wondered if she hadn't gone a bit too far. For all Daphne's faults, she had never shown an unwillingness to change when confronted with her own privilege. As far as Hermione could tell Tracey had never called Daphne out on her behavior. Hermione wondered if this could have been avoided if she had just confronted Daphne earlier.
Ginny had understood, of course. But she was from a poor family, so of course she would. Explaining this to Daphne was more fraught. If Daphne came to this conclusion on her own it would be a powerful message to Tracey that Daphne cared about and understood her. Hermione doubted it would happen though. Daphne had just a little too much spoiled rich girl left in her.
Hermione didn't know what to do. All she could do was hope that they sorted it out.
XXXXX
November, 15th 1997
Sirius made his way into Hogsmeade keeping an eye out for trouble. There shouldn't be any really. None of Clarise Zabini's men had been seen in the area for months now, Danny had clearly done a good job clearing them out. Still, Sirius had to be careful. He was undoubtedly high on Voldemort's hit list.
The Hog's Head was Old Danny's unofficial meeting place in Scotland. He wasn't here very often, but he was here tonight. And Bill Weasley was coming here. Sirius knew what he wanted. He didn't even disapprove, exactly. But Harry had given him strict instructions.
Sure enough, Bill was in the bar. He looked like he hadn't managed to speak to Danny yet. Well that made sense.
"Sirius!" said a surprised Bill, "What are you doing here?"
"I am also looking for Danny," said Sirius, "but unlike you, I have instructions."
"What does that mean?" asked Bill.
"I know you want to kill Snape," said Sirius, "And believe me, I'm sympathetic to that cause. But Harry wants Snape alive. He can go on trial for all he's done afterwards, but he put Ginny and Harry through hell, and they both want answers."
"As long as he pays," said Bill.
"Oh, trust me, I want him to pay almost as much as you do," said Sirius, "But neither of us is up to the task. I hate to admit it, but Snape is out of our league. Maybe if I hadn't been forced into a stint in Azkaban I'd equal him now, but as things are Snape would eat me alive. He'd do the same to you, at least alone."
"You volunteering to help?" asked Bill.
"Maybe," said Sirius, "If you encounter Draco Malfoy, by the way, Harry's orders are to defend yourself with all necessary force. Harry wants him brought in alive if possible, it's true, but he specified that no one is to put themselves in harms way to do it. If he threatens you or anyone else, kill him. That young man is both capable of and willing to kill, and for very little reason."
Bill turned towards the men posted at the foot of the stairs. "How long until Danny sees us?" he inquired.
"Oh, it'll only be a moment," said the guard in a sarcastic tone which gave Sirius no doubt that Danny intended to blow them off.
"Ah, my friend must have misspoken. We're here representing Harry Potter," said Sirius, "I am Sirius Black."
The guards both gave each other a startled look. And within moments one of them headed upstairs. Shortly afterwards, Bill and Sirius were both ushered upstairs.
Danny was sitting at the table in one of the rooms. Sirius had never met him before, but he had heard plenty about him. He wasn't a man to be trifled with.
"So, what do my allies in the battle against Voldemort need?" asked Danny.
"We're looking to reel in Severus Snape," said Sirius.
"Ah, I heard about what he did to your fiance, Mr. Weasley," said Danny, "My condolences. So I trust you want help finding him?"
Sirius nodded. "He's a tricky one, and he's proven dangerous to us before. Harry wants him removed from the board. Clarise Zabini also needs to go, but Harry doesn't want to step on your toes."
"Kind of him," said Danny, "Well I'll admit it, I'm not up to date on Snape's movements. Still, I do have people watching for him, so I can probably help you out here."
"We can pay…" started Bill but Danny waved him off.
"Dealing with Snape is helpful to me as well," said Danny, "and I have to admit, I am curious as to what he's been up to. In any case, I have a bit of a grudge against anyone who's been taking advantage of young girls. I used to neuter men for less."
"If you want, we could arrange for you to have a meeting with Snape after we catch him," said Bill agreeably.
Danny laughed. "A tempting offer. But those days are long gone. I'll get you everything I can find about Snape. We may not know where he lives, but I do think we have a lead on where he is getting potions ingredients."
Sirius grinned. This would seem to have been a good idea after all.
XXXXX
November 17th, 1997
Percy watched as Dolores Umbridge continued her latest rant against Harry Potter. She had been pushing for decisive action against him ever since she'd come back. But apparently she thought she had a winning strategy with blaming Pansy Parkinson's death on Harry.
Percy had to admit, at first glance it could be made to look like Harry had been more involved in Pansy's death than he was. But this was way beyond that. She seemed to be suggesting that Harry was the one who killed Pansy!
"And let us be clear, Mr. Potter was obscured from sight by the wall of earth his girlfriend summoned. Can we be sure he was merely a victim here? Consider his story! The idea that Draco Malfoy would kill his girlfriend just because it would hurt Harry Potter is ridiculous!"
Umbridge finished her tirade with a rather emphatic placing of her hands on her hips. It emphasized how toadlike she was in Percy's opinion.
"Have you brought these concerns to Amelia?" asked Percy. He was actually rather divided here. His sister had witnessed the incident, so there was no doubt in Percy's mind that it had gone down exactly as Harry had said. But bringing that up might be counterproductive. He needed to appear neutral and disinterested. So he had to play this very carefully.
"Amelia has refused to reopen the investigation," said Umbridge.
"Then I am afraid my hands are tied," said Fudge, "Believe me Dolores, if we had anything solid to take down Harry Potter, I'd be the first to celebrate. But until we do things are tricky. I need Amelia to sign off on an arrest warrant."
"Not necessarily," said Umbridge, "The Wizengamot could do it."
"But they won't," said Fudge, now sounding annoyed.
But Percy had followed her line of thought. "She means after the fact," he said, suddenly understanding what was happening here, "She thinks we should have aurors arrest Potter, immediately put him on trial and have the Wizengamot legalize what we did afterwards." Percy was actually impressed by the audacity of the plan. It wouldn't work, but it was incredibly brazen.
"Dumbledore would never allow that," said Fudge, "I do wish I had managed to drive him out of the Chief Warlock's seat."
Umbridge grinned. "Actually, Dumbledore has already agreed to help. With the Chief Warlock on our side, we'll be able to control the debate. Potter will be ours!"
"Hmmm," said Fudge, suddenly considering this course of action.
"That does make a difference," said Percy, "I still suggest caution though. A single misstep in a plan like this could undo us. If we're going to do this, and I would suggest that we not, we have to have every eventuality planned for."
"A good point," acknowledged Umbridge, "I will draft up a plan of action and have it ready for you by the end of the week."
"Good," said Fudge.
After the meeting, Fudge turned to Percy. "You think Umbridge is getting ahead of things here?" he asked.
"Possibly," said Percy, "Just be careful, Minister. Her hatred of Harry Potter isn't entirely rational. Her plan may or may not be good, but I'm not sure that this won't backfire."
Fudge nodded. "Point taken," he said simply.
Percy suddenly realized that this was a perfect opportunity for him to finally do something he'd meant to do for some time.
"Listen, I think things are getting hectic again," said Percy, "and I'm wondering how much we can trust Amelia, all things considered."
"It is a worry," admitted Fudge.
"So, I had a little failsafe made here," said Percy. He handed the Minister a coin.
"Anything you say while holding this coin will be relayed directly to me," said Percy, "And it will let me know if something happens to you while you are using it, just in case."
Fudge nodded, his face wearing a grateful smile. "Thank you Percy, I hope I never need it," he said.
Percy nodded. But he knew Fudge's moods. Fudge was now determined to go after Harry. So Harry would need to find some way to beat this.
Percy was already planning out his letter.
XXXXX
November 18th, 1997
Ginny wanted to say the information that Fudge was going to try to illegally arrest Harry was a shock, but honestly, she couldn't. It was exactly in character for him. Still, it was the sort of news that had a tendency to put her whole day off.
And that was before she saw Nott heading towards her. She really didn't want to deal with him right now. To all observers it did look like he'd stopped pursuing her, but Ginny was aware that appearances could be deceptive. Nott had been raised in a Death Eater family, a rich and powerful family of privilege. He wasn't used to not getting his way. And he'd betrayed his family for her. She wasn't stupid, he'd done it for her, not for any cause, though she admitted he might have developed some sympathy for the cause in the process. Ginny wasn't sure that he had received the message that no matter what he did, she wasn't interested in him.
Still Ginny couldn't very well ignore him. Much as Harry had tried to protect her by warning him away from her, Ginny knew that she had to interact with him. They needed Nott, and his information. And what he wanted was clearly Ginny, possibly without him fully realizing it himself anymore. She wasn't going to jump into bed with him, but she could at least be civil. But she wasn't going to pretend that there was any hope for them either.
"Hey Ginny, can I talk with you?" Nott asked. His voice sounded casual. Good. If he had seemed agitated, Ginny would have said no. She didn't need some desperate declaration of love right now.
"Sure Theo," said Ginny.
"So I've been thinking a lot about what you and Harry told me, about me having unrealistic expectations about you. And with what happened with Malfoy I've been looking at my behavior more carefully," Nott paused uncomfortably, "I just want to say that I'm sorry. I kind of was treating you like an object. I was acting like I was entitled to you, and I was wrong."
Well, that was the last thing she expected him to say. "Thank you Theo," said Ginny, "that's a good perspective to have."
"The way Malfoy treated Pansy, well, it was terrifying to me," admitted Nott, "That could have been me! All she was to him was a tool to slake his lust, and when he didn't have any more use for her he discarded her in the most brutal way possible. But that is how pureblood men of a certain status are brought up, to see everything in terms of how it strengthens them or their bloodlines. It could have been me. And that is terrifying."
"Well it isn't you," said Ginny, "You are better than Malfoy has become, that is for sure."
"Thanks," said Nott, "it means a lot to hear you say that."
Ginny sighed internally. For one moment she had thought that Nott was giving up the chase. She should have known better.
XXXXX
November 19th, 1997
"He hasn't given up," said Ginny as she lay on her side on top of the blankets she and Justin were using as a cushion. They were in a corner of one of the greenhouses. Justin had been helping out Professor Sprout recently, and he had cleared the spot out just for this.
"Nott?" asked Justin, "Well you are quite a catch." And then Justin rather tenderly kissed her neck. It sent a thrill through Ginny, and she almost dropped the subject right then and there.
"He was so close to being over me though," said Ginny.
"Well, maybe he is close," said Justin, "Yes, this could be a continuation of his creepy fixation on you. But it could also be a coping strategy."
"He's clearly still thinking if things between us don't work out that maybe he has a shot with me," said Ginny.
"Yeah, but Nott gave up everything for you: his family, his heritage. The moment they find out what he has done to betray them, he loses all of that," Justin shook his head, "It has to be for something, but he hasn't found that something yet. If we end up defeating the Death Eaters he'll probably say it is that. But until then, all he has is the terrible reason he did it in the first place. But he has to know it isn't going to happen. You aren't going to be his. So he puts you in the 'maybe if' category, knowing it won't happen. He can't give you up entirely until he finds something else to give his actions meaning. But pining over you is destructive. So he puts you in the back of his mind. It's a good move for him as long as he isn't obsessing over you, because it helps him move away from pureblood supremacism."
Ginny gave a quiet 'hmph.' She hoped he was right.
Suddenly Justin's hand was on her side. It slid up under her arm, right next to her breast. She sighed. Justin had been notoriously shy about getting physical ever since their run in with her mother last winter.
"Justin, please just grab it," she said, "I don't mind. I want you to."
"Oh, all right," said Justin, moving his hand to a much more agreeable spot. He held her for a moment there, then moved his hand down to the hem of her shirt. Sliding his hand under her shirt, he moved it back up to her breast. She wasn't wearing a bra.
"Oh, that is very nice…" she started to say before she looked up to see her mother giving them an odd look.
Justin seemed to freeze, his hand still groping Ginny. "Professor Weasley!" he said fearfully.
Molly sighed. "Next time find a better hiding place. This one stinks," she said before turning away and leaving them, though not before pointedly looking at the place where Justin's hand was clearing bulging through Ginny's shirt.
Justin relaxed. Ginny realized that far from letting go of her, he'd actually been squeezing her all through the encounter. She began to laugh. Justin soon joined in when she explained her mirth. Shortly afterwards, they were of course going at it far more seriously. Ginny was just glad that Justin still had his pants on when her mother walked in.
XXXXX
November 20th, 1997
"Well what do you intend to do about it?" asked McGonagall. Harry and Hermione were closeted with the Headmistress as well as the Deputy Headmaster. Harry had just finished going over Percy's letter to Harry.
"I suppose I will have to leave beforehand," said Harry.
"But we don't know when they will come to get you," said Flitwick.
"If they don't have a legal warrant, we could deny them entry," said McGonagall.
"If they don't have a legal warrant they will force their way in," said Hermione, "They won't care about the niceties."
"They either want me under their control where they can potion me into a stupor and I can't defend myself, or they want me on the run," said Harry.
"If Harry is not able to effectively represent himself at the trial, Dumbledore can force the proceedings in directions that keeps Harry's allies on the Wizengamot away from questioning the legality of his arrest," said Hermione, "If only Dumbledore wasn't in on this."
"We might be able to swing that actually," said Sirius as he led Bill and Molly into the room.
"Do you have news?" asked Harry.
"Danny thinks he found where Snape is buying his potion ingredients. It is in Spinner's End, where Snape grew up. We know where his old house is. The Ministry checked it out, but there are indications that Snape has returned since. So we may have his location. We also have a list of the ingredients he is buying," said Bill.
"He has the reagents necessary to create a number of mind altering potions, including one that creates a confusing effect, leaving the recipient open to suggestion," said Molly, "I agree with you that he is using this on Albus. I believe he also has used these potions on me, the Grangers, and possibly at one point the Headmistress. He also could have brewed potions to make the recipient extremely hostile to everything a particular person told him."
"Can you counteract the process?" asked McGonagall.
"Yes," said Molly, "Both potions have a specific antidote. I will try to arrange a meeting with Albus shortly. If we can get him back on our side I would breathe easier."
"This would mean that Fudge's little gambit would backfire horribly!" said Flitwick, "So long as Dumbledore is Chief Warlock…"
"We could really turn the tables, but only if I'm not drugged out of my mind to say whatever Fudge wants," said Harry, "so I have to escape."
"But that means the Aurors will break through the wards while the children are here!" said Flitwick, "That will leave them vulnerable to Death Eaters! It will take days to get the wards back up."
McGonagall narrowed her eyes. "Then we evacuate the school," she said decisively.
"What?!" yelled everyone in the room at once.
"Harry and Hermione have a plan for evacuating the school, so we can evacuate until the wards are back up," said McGonagall, "I do have the authority to place the students under the care of the Head Boy and Girl in an emergency."
Harry wasn't even fazed by the fact that McGonagall knew their secret plan. He just expected it now.
"How would we feed them?" wondered Hermione.
"The Hogwarts house elves!" said Harry, "They could ferry food from Hogwarts."
"They would be glad to help you," said McGonagall, "you're both very popular with the house elves."
"Then that is what we will do," said Harry, "assuming you agree, of course Headmistress, I didn't mean to…"
McGonagall just laughed. "You've taken well to being a leader, Potter. Just do try to remember I am still in charge of Hogwarts, won't you?"
Harry laughed along with everyone else.
XXXXX
December 2nd, 1997
It was Cedric who broke the news. On December 2nd a message came from the intern in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
"Amelia knows what is happening, but she has agreed to not step in," said Hermione, "It wouldn't do any good anyway. The moment Fudge decided to use an invalid warrant he was committed to scorched earth. He'd fire her in a moment, and to hell with the consequences."
"Then we will prepare to meet our visitors," said McGonagall, "Tell the IUC to prepare to evacuate."
XXXXX
McGonagall walked down to the Main Gate alone. There was no point in putting anyone else's neck on the line. However as she reached the Entrance Hall she saw Theodore Nott standing around.
"Mr. Nott, you should be in your house right now," she said.
Nott shook his head. "Nah, I can't go to Harry's place. My father would try to use me to lead the Death Eaters there. So Harry and I staged a fight where he 'refused' to allow me to go to his safehouse."
Nott smiled, "Should earn me some Death Eater credibility to be honest," he admitted.
"So why are you here then?" asked McGonagall.
"I'm of age," insisted Nott, "I want to see the party."
"Very well," said McGonagall grudgingly. She couldn't deny that he was right. He was of age.
She continued on her way to the gate. Hagrid was there, and outside were at least ten Aurors, led by Rufus Scrimgoeur. More were probably hidden somewhere. McGonagall nodded to Hagrid and he opened the gate so that McGonagall could stride out.
"What brings so many Aurors to Hogwarts?" asked McGonagall, "Is there a problem?"
"We have an arrest warrant for Harry Potter," said Scrimgoeur.
"That is extremely serious!" said McGonagall sadly, "What did he do?"
"I can't talk about that," said Scrimgoeur, "Just let me at him."
"As soon as you show me a warrant," said McGonagall.
Scrimgoeur pulled out an official looking document. But it wasn't signed by Amelia. Which meant it wasn't valid.
"I am sorry, but this warrant is not actually valid," said McGonagall, "It doesn't have Amelia's signature on it."
"You have a responsibility to cooperate with the Aurors…" began Scrimgoeur.
"...in the execution of your legal duties," finished McGonagall, "That warrant is not legal. Therefore I will not admit you into Hogwarts."
"So you are not complying with my warrant?" asked Scrimgoeur.
For a moment, McGonagall felt sorry for Scrimgoeur. "Rufus," she began gently, "Fudge is going to lose this. That forgery will guarantee it. He's done. Don't take yourself down with him."
"If you will not hand Potter over, we will come in and take him by force," said Scrimgoeur, though he looked uneasy.
"I will defend every single student in this school to my last breath," said McGonagall, "I will not allow you entry."
And she took one leap backwards behind the gate. With a clang the gate slammed shut. Flitwick ran up beside her.
"What now?" asked the Deputy Headmaster.
"Now we wait for…" started McGonagall but she was interrupted by a boom from the gate. The Aurors were trying to break in!
"The school is under attack!" shouted McGonagall urgently, "Filius, give the order to evacuate the school!"
The order was actually ready. All it took was one sweep of Flitwick's wand and in all four houses students began filing into the Floo.
XXXXX
Tracey Davis stood guard outside the Slytherin common room with Millie. Funny thing was that they were the only Seventh Year Slytherins (aside from Nott) available to keep watch. Daphne and Blaise were overseeing the evacuation of the students, while Harry and Hermione had gone ahead to the safehouse to provide direction to the younger students.
Astoria came out of the common room.
"What are you doing here?" asked Tracey, "Fifth years will be going soon."
"Daphne told me I could keep watch with you," said Astoria, "She's worried about you two alone out here. We're the only house that has this few seventh years to keep watch. And given that Slytherin is likely to be the Aurors' main target…"
"So she sends an underage girl," said Tracey acidly.
"Tracey," said Millie in an annoyed voice, "Astoria is her sister. She trusts her. She would have come herself, but you know why she didn't."
"I…" started Tracey then she stopped herself. Millie had very much appreciated how much time Tracey had spent with her since Pansy's death. But she had insisted that Tracey needed to patch things up with Daphne. Tracey had been fighting that. After all Daphne had never really even tried to change the way she'd treated Tracey.
"You understand that Daphne didn't realize she was doing anything wrong," said Astoria quietly, "She was, but that was the way she was raised. She didn't know any better. She is sorry, you know. You're her best friend, and she loves you. She'd never willingly hurt you."
"Well then, why doesn't she…" Tracey started, but she shut herself up before she finished that thought. Daphne had tried to apologise. Repeatedly. Just for the wrong thing. If Tracey had told her what was going on she would have apologised ages ago.
Tracey shook her head. Time to think on that problem in a moment. She had to get out of this one now.
Ginny came out of the common room. "Astoria, you need to go through now, I'll hold the rear," she said. That made Tracey a bit more confident.
Tracey gave Ginny a shrewd look. "Did you send Astoria out here?" she asked.
"Maybe," said Ginny, "That's long enough. Most of the other Sixth Years are gonna be through soon. Let's head in and get out of here. The door will hold them off that long."
Tracey nodded. Well, at least Slytherin was evacuated!
XXXXX
Nott sat in the Entrance Hall watching. It was calm for the moment. But it wouldn't be for long. All the teachers had gathered in the hall. Except Molly. That was strange, thought Nott. Still, the Hogwarts wards weren't designed to keep out determined intruders for long. At least, not without augmentation. Nott was actually surprised that it had taken the aurors this long. But he supposed that Scrimgoeur had only been able to bring Aurors who didn't mind facing Amelia's wrath. So not the brightest of the bunch.
Flitwick suddenly stood straight up. "I have just been notified by the seventh year prefects that the school evacuation is complete," he said with a smile.
Which meant the seventh year prefects were flooing out as they spoke. It had been well done, Nott had to admit.
Suddenly, there was a shudder as something exploded outside. The Aurors were in and the wards were now down. Nott felt the ability to apparate return to him. He couldn't believe how dumb this was. He couldn't believe how dumb Scrimgoeur was!
Scrimgoeur marched into the Entrance Hall.
"Where's Potter?" he demanded.
"Gone," said McGonagall, "as are the rest of the students."
"There's a student right there!" said Scrimgoeur, pointing at Nott.
"I'm just here because I wouldn't agree to not give away the location of Potter's secret safehouse," said Nott, "Aside from a couple of Slytherin sixth years, I'm the only student left."
"We weren't after the other students," said Scrimgoeur.
"Of course you weren't, " said McGonagall, "But they could have gotten caught in the middle. Plus, you've just destroyed the Hogwarts defenses, the school won't be safe for the students for weeks. "
"But I was ordered to get Potter!" insisted Scrimgoeur.
"Too bad," said Flitwick, "he's gone."
"But why did you evacuate the entire school?" asked one of the Aurors.
"Don't you get it? Hogwarts is vulnerable to attack now! You destroyed the wards getting in here," said Nott derisively, "Congratulations, if they hadn't evacuated every child in Magical Britain would be completely open to Death Eater attacks, thanks to you."
XXXXX
"Thank you for coming, Albus," said Molly Weasley as she poured him some tea. Both of them were at the Burrow, as there wasn't much reason for Molly to stay at Hogwarts right now, with all the students evacuating. And ot wouldn'thave been the best scene for this. "I just didn't want to leave things as they were."
"I understand," said Dumbledore, "Have you come around on Harry?"
Molly bobbed her head from side to side noncommittally as she poured her tea. "Not so much. But I think there is something we failed to account for."
"Oh?" asked Dumbledore as he sipped his tea.
"Well we have had tea like this more than once before," said Molly, "Of course Severus brewed that tea. During the incident with the Chamber of Secrets. And right before we signed that stupid marriage contract."
"I remember," said Dumbledore truthfully.
"And did Severus give tea to the Grangers when he convinced them to take Hermione to Australia?" asked Molly
"He.. he did," said Dumbeldore
"In fact, I believe he's made you tea every time he's told you not to trust Harry Potter," said Molly.
"I…" started Dumbledore, "that is correct." Horror had begun to dawn on his face.
"Did you know that a confusion and suggestion potion leaves the user with a lingering sense that they don't want to tell anyone what they did under the potion?" asked Molly, "So even after the potion wears off, the person affected still wants to cover it up."
Molly sipped her tea again, "Unless you drink the antidote I placed in your drink, that is."
Dumbledore's eyes went wide. But he wasn't angry at Molly.
"Confusion and suggestion potions?" asked Dumbledore, "Snape was feeding them to me? That means… oh Merlin, what have I done!"
Molly smiled. Her plan appeared to have worked. She fervently hoped that Dumbledore was back on their side.
XXXXX
December 3rd, 1997
Narcissa ran back into the dining room in Malfoy Manor. Nott Jr.'s imminent arrival had Draco upset, and Narcissa wasn't sure what was going to happen. She suspected that Draco hadn't been entirely honest about Pansy's death. Most of the Death Eaters were there, plus Nott Jr.
Draco had only just returned himself. His little stunt had forced everyone out of Malfoy Manor again. Draco himself had gone into hiding. Everyone was livid at Draco for nearly blowing their cover, everyone but the Dark Lord. He'd enjoyed the story of how Draco had defied Potter. Everyone had only returned here once Dolores had assured them that Amelia was done searching Malfoy Manor.
Nott Jr. was already giving Draco a suspicious look as he talked to his father. That didn't bode well. Narcissa knew they'd had a falling out. She wasn't sure what it was about though. But Nott had given that look when Draco had mentioned Potter's attack on him at Hogwarts.
Gilbert Parkinson was there as well. He was barely able to contain his fury against Draco. Narcissa couldn't blame him. Draco was responsible for her death in a way, though Draco's story indicated that Potter was more responsible for that than Draco.
"Done sucking up to Potter then?" mocked Draco. Not a good start, Narcissa knew. There was no reason to antagonize Nott. The Dark Lord grinned. He liked his minions snapping at each other.
"It's called espionage," said Nott, "you could have done some, but it was more important that you make half-baked attempts to kill Harry Potter. "
The Dark Lord's grin grew vicious. He liked this exchange.
"Is that why you turned your back on me?" demanded Draco.
"I switched rooms because you tried to offer Pansy to me for sexual favours, and I couldn't stomach the way you were treating her," said Nott, "A proper pureblood girl being used in the ways you were using her? Abominable. And then look at what happened to her."
"That was Potter's fault!" insisted Draco.
A spasm of rage passed over Nott's face. He took several moments to calm himself. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm and collected, but his eyes burned.
"Potter begged you not to kill her," said Nott, "If you had let her go, he would have let you go. You killed her solely because you knew it would upset Potter. Here's a question Draco, if I had stayed as your roommate, would you have killed me too? Or wouldn't it have been me in place of Pansy Parkinson? But you definitely killed Pansy, and you did it to piss off Potter."
Nott paused as everyone looked on in disgust, aside from the Dark Lord who was every bit as interested as he was before. He liked the excessive violence. Gilbert, on the other hand, was shaking with rage.
"And you know what the best thing is?" asked Nott dramatically, "It worked! If Potter runs across you again he will kill you. And you aren't a match for him Draco. When you killed Pansy, you signed your own death warrant."
The room exploded into shouts as everyone tried to talk at once. And the Dark Lord started to laugh.
That was the moment that Narcissa Malfoy decided to leave. Her son was what he was. There was no going back for him now. Now she had to think of her own survival.
XXXXX
Harry groaned as he looked over the lists Hermione had made. Getting everything set up had been a huge hassle. They'd set up sleeping spaces for all the students, and a latrine. Now Harry was watching as several other of age students constructed showers. Though where they were going to get the water from was a good question. Ernie assured Harry that he could deal with it though.
Hermione's lists were useful, but Harry knew that they would need more than just organization to pull this off. Initially Harry had worried that he would have to keep a close eye on the younger students. He had worried that if any of them used magic it would set off the Trace. Harry had actually also worried about even overage students setting off the underage student's Traces, but apparently this was considered a magic rich environment, so the Trace automatically deactivated when students entered it.
"I'll take over here," said Daphne, "You have a visitor," she pointed behind her. Albus Dumbledore was standing awkwardly near the gate.
Harry grinned. Apparently Molly had done her job. He waved Dumbledore over, while he started over towards the old man.
"Harry," started Dumbledore repentantly, "I am so sorry about my behavior."
"Molly told me what happened," said Harry, "It wasn't entirely your fault. Still, you made my life damned difficult."
"I know, I should have listened to you before," said Dumbledore, "Well, I am listening now."
"What is Fudge's full plan?" asked Harry.
Dumbledore quickly explained how Fudge planned to railroad Harry but none of that was new information. Percy had been very thorough.
There was one detail that intrigued Harry though. "So Umbridge has been the middle man for all of this?"
"It is a bit suspicious, isn't it?" agreed Dumbledore.
"This is so stupid though!" protested Harry, "What is her game? It's almost like she knew you were drugged."
Both Harry and Dumbledore stood silent for a moment as the reality of what Harry had said sunk in.
"So Dolores is working with the Death Eaters," guessed Dumbledore.
Harry wondered. He had a suspicion about Snape and why he might do something like this independent of the Death Eaters. But Harry suspected that Dumbledore was correct and that Snape had at least coordinated with Umbridge, even if he had his own goals.
"I suppose Riddle could be trying to topple Fudge," mused Harry, "but I don't see how that helps him. The most likely person to succeed Fudge is Amelia Bones. Scrimgoeur might have had a shot, but he's going to be tainted by his attempt to arrest me."
"It is possible that he has something else planned," guessed Dumbledore.
"I suppose Bryant might make a run at being Minister," mused Harry
"Harry, I don't wish to be overly critical," began Dumbledore, "but I do not trust Bryant Greengrass. He is not his daughter. He has been supportive of you solely for her sake, but once Fudge is out of office, it is likely that he will try to assert his independence. During the last war he did not take sides. He has been visibly annoyed with some of the actions you've pushed him into."
"He's right, Harry," said Daphne, looking up from counting the building materials that were going to make up the showerhouse, "my father is very annoyed with you. He won't actively attack you, but if he has a chance to do something you'd hate, he will."
"So some stupid petty law against muggleborns?" asked Harry
"I don't know, he isn't talking to me about it," said Daphne.
Harry turned back to Dumbledore. "We're going to have to act as if an attack on the Ministry is imminent then," said Harry, "even if we have no idea what it might be."
Dumbledore nodded.
Harry sighed. "Look, Professor, thank you for coming by. We really did need to get on the same wavelength. There is still a lot we need to discuss. But it will have to wait until we've replaced Fudge."
"Why didn't you destroy Fudge in your Fifth Year, Harry? You had enough to take him down," asked Dumbledore.
"I thought that keeping Fudge in would make people hungrier for real reform," said Harry, "That was a mistake. We get people to embrace reform by showing them it works, not by allowing a puppet like Fudge to run roughshod over them. But I was thinking like a Slytherin rather than thinking about what would be best for everyone."
"You needed guidance," said Dumbledore, "I should have provided it."
"No use moaning about it now," said Harry, "but this time we'll be taking Fudge down. And hopefully Riddle will follow soon after."
Author's Note: I thought about it and I realized that this is one of two chapters left, not counting the epilogue, that doesn't have a character die in it. So enjoy the respite. Mind you, most of the really significant character deaths are already accounted for, deaths from here on out are more plot based.
On the the matter of what Draco did in the previous chapter, I agree that I wasn't clear about what was going on. Why he burned himself is something I am going to go into later, but it isn't a secret. He just hates Harry so much that he will do anything, and I mean anything to keep hurting him. I did rewrite some things in this chapter just to make it clear: he did massively inconvenience the Death Eaters. The good question is "Why doesn't Voldemort care more?"
On the matter of the fight on the other hand, I have two points to bring up. Specifically, First Year Blaise Zabini vs. Barnabas Parkinson and Luna Lovegood vs Bellatrix Lestrange. Combat in this story is very punishing to people who don't take it seriously or get over confident. Harry walked into the situation with Pansy and Draco overconfident and disaster was the result.
Next Time: Harry's plan works flawlessly. Too bad that is exactly what Umbridge wants.