POTTER RESURGENCE
Chapter 25
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to their respective owners.
-PRPRPRPRPR-
June 25th 1995
Headmaster Tower
Hogwarts
The atmosphere around the castle was somber as the death of Dumbledore weighed over everyone. In contrast to the people inside the castle, the weather outside was bright, as if mocking them. And from his vintage point, Harry could see the activity down on the grounds as they were prepared for the former Headmaster's funeral.
The ring he had received from the man weighed heavily on his finger but he had no other option but to wear it, not if he wanted to stand any chance at winning this war. He had been surprised by the explanation McGonagall had given him, an experience he was not used to but was becoming very common of late.
After Dumbledore's death, Sirius, Amelia and Moony had gone to help the Aurors still fighting while the teachers helped transport the body to the infirmary. Harry had been about to leave, already thinking of how to best counter Voldemort when McGonagall stopped him and told him of his new position.
When Dumbledore handed him the ring, he appointed him as his successor. Which meant that Harry was the current headmaster of Hogwarts, and that was why the wards had not fallen.
Had Dumbledore died without appointing his successor, that is exactly what would have happened as McGonagall as deputy would need the approval of the board of directors to take over as Headmistress given that she had not been specifically selected by the outgoing headteacher to replace him.
Harry had asked her why Dumbledore thought that the best person to replace him was a fifteen-year-old boy, McGonagall told him what Dumbledore had told her in their last meeting. He said that he, Dumbledore was ill-prepared to fight a war, he didn't have it in him to do what it takes, it would go against everything he stood for.
But Harry, young as he was could win it. He was smart and calculating, he was ruthless when he needed to be and at the same time knew the value of life. He had vision and if he wanted to get something, he would do everything in his power to archive it. That was the mindset that was needed to win a war and Harry was practically personified of it. But most importantly, he will need Hogwarts.
Harry had been touched by the old man's evaluation of him. It showed that the man had actually respected him, something Harry had always doubted given their not always being on the same wavelength. And so he had promised himself to win this war, and as the Headmaster of the school, the first thing he would make sure was keep every student in the castle alive untill the war was won.
His first action as Headmaster was to put the wards around Hogwarts at full strength. Anyone or anything that meant harm to any single person within the castle would die the moment he crossed the wards. Anyone bearing the Dark Mark that crossed the wards would be killed as well.
He had then sent letters to all parents that had children at the castle, telling them that were to remain there for their safety untill the war was over and that those that wished for protection were free to join their children so long as they did not bear the Dark Mark. Many had written back demanding for more information, they knew there had been an attack at Hogwarts but didn't know of any war.
Others had written back demanding for their children. Harry replied to neither, having moved onto other matters.
He went to the Daily Prophet offices in Diagon Alley and sat with Barnabas. Voldemort had either not considered the paper important or was going to use it later, either way, it gave Harry the chance to do some damage. The people at the Prophet were aware of the ministry falling and the attack at Hogwarts but no more. He told the man of Dumbledore's death and how the Prophet was going to be the one to break the news to the world and in which way they would do it.
He gave him the names of the Aurors who had been stationed and had died at the ministry thanks to Voldemort. And those that had fallen defending the castle full of children, all of them were declared martyrs. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were not going to have many sympathizers when Harry was done with him.
The two sat and thought, they reviewed and reviewed untill Harry felt that the whole paper was perfect. The entire edition was asking people to prepare, not to sit back while others died for them. The owls that deliver had been sent early that morning, all over England, wizards and witches saw the things Voldemort had done in one day. The sheep mindset of the magical world was being used to Harry's advantage.
That morning, a group of Death Eaters had shown up in Diagon Alley and tried to set the Daily Prophet offices on fire. The people who had been there, some still just reading about Dumbledore's death had not been amused. None of the ten Death Eaters had escaped with their lives. Voldemort, who Harry believed was holed at Malfoy Manor had not done anything in retribution. At least not yet.
Harry looked at the letter that had brought him the news and hummed in satisfaction. He was going to win this war, and he would do it with the entire Magical world behind him.
The floo flared and Lily walked out, beautiful as ever even as she was weighed down by Dumbledore's death. Harry smiled at her as she walked over and hugged him.
"Was this your doing?" She asked gesturing at the paper lying on the huge desk.
"I had a couple of suggestions but it was the bright minds at the prophet that did most of work." He replied. "Not many people are thrilled with Tom and his friends. And it has already produced results."
"What do you mean?"
Rather than answering, Harry just handed her the letter he had been reading and walked around her to put on his dress robes.
"This is incredible!" She smiled. "The people are actually trying to stand up for themselves for the first time. If this continues, then Voldemort's strongest weapon, fear, will be useless."
"I plan on ending this war as fast as possible." Harry said. "Hopefully with as few innocents dying as possible."
"You don't have to do everything all by yourself, Harry, you know that right?" Lily said holding his hands. "I'm your mother, my job is to make life easier for you. I hate myself enough as it is that you two are involved in this war at all and there's not a bloody thing I can do about it."
"Language, mom!" Harry said and they laughed. The door to the Headmaster's office opened and Hardwin entered and found them laughing.
"What did I miss?"
"You missed hearing mom swear."
"Wait, really?" He asked, looking at her, when she didn't argue, his eyes grew wide, almost comically. "No way!"
"Yeah, I couldn't believe it my self." Harry laughed. "As a matter of fact, it has been happening quite frequently of late."
"Alright that's enough you two." Lily said while rolling her eyes. "Let's get down there, it's almost time for the ceremony to start. And as Headmaster, you have to be there."
The twins nodded and headed out of the office.
"I still can't believe you're the headmaster." Hardwin shook his head.
"Well, it was bound to happen at some point." Harry shrugged. "I'm just that awesome."
"And quite modest too." Hardwin retorted and Harry stopped.
"Hey, that's no way to speak to the Headmaster!" He told him sternly. "That will be ten points to Slytherin.!"
"Wha...that's not even how it works!"
"Do you dare to tell me how to do my job? Ten more points to Slytherin!"
"Are you serious, right now?"
"Oh, I'm Sirius alright. Fifteen points to_"
"If you two don't start walking right now_"
"Sorry, mom!" The twins replied in unison and continued walking, still arguing as Harry gave more points to his house.
Lily watched them turn around a corner with a smile equal parts proud and sad. It was refreshing to see them being children even for a moment, for that wouldn't last very long. Had it not been for those two, many people would have died last night. Herself included.
-PRPRPRPRPR-
A few hours later, Harry was once again staring down at the castle grounds from the window in the Headmaster's office. It was something he was probably going to miss when he handed the office to Professor McGonagall, but for the moment, he took in the peace on the grounds and let his thoughts free.
More people had been coming to the castle to seek sanctuary, mostly muggleborns and half-bloods but there were a few purebloods that were known to hate blood purists. People like the Weasleys that were known to be Dumbledore's people through and through had been some of the first to arrive.
And speaking of the man, he had been laid to rest no more than an hour ago in a simple ceremony. An extraordinary assortment of people had already settled into half of the chairs by the time Harry and Hardwin had arrived: shabby and smart, old and young. Harry recognized quite a number of them, some having met them in the Wizengamot while others he had only read about.
There were also members of the Order of the Phoenix: Kingsley Shacklebolt and Mad-Eye Moody who had somehow managed to escape when the ministry fell with a few Aurors. According to them those that remained had either turned coat or had been , her hair mousy and disheveled was seated next to her mentor.
Harry had not had any time to talk with her but he knew that she had been affected greatly by Dumbledore's death. A man she looked up to more than she did her parents. Somehow, Harry doubted she wanted anything to do with him right now, especially as she mourned Dumbledore's death. It however begged the question of where they stood in their relationship and what will happen to it once the war is over.
Mr and Mrs Weasley were already there seated with Charlie and Bill who seemed to have gotten the role of comforting Fleur. The French girl had been devasted when she came out of the maze to find her Headmistress dead. Madame Maxime along with Bagman and Karkaroff had died in the initial attack on the officials' platform.
The students from both schools had left with the bodies of their school heads early that morning. Fleur and Krum had however decided to stay, Harry had yet to personally speak with either of them. He had asked Lily to invite them to stay at Potter Manor if they wished while they were still in England.
"You realize this is bound to escalate, right?"
Harry turned to look at his brother. He was holding the latest letter with the report from Diagon Alley that Harry had received after the funeral. Half a dozen Death Eaters had shown up in the middle of the day and had started cursing people in the hopes of causing some panic and fear. It had not gone so well and within minutes, they too were dead.
"I know it will." Harry replied. "They'll keep coming untill Voldemort decides to come by himself. And when he does, we shall be ready for him."
"What about the people in the Alley?"
"I have Lord Greengrass' friends there, subtly regulating who enters the Alley." Harry said. "I assure you, everyone who is the Alley right now can defend themselves."
"Even against Voldemort?"
"They won't have to, the moment he shows his face, we will be there." Harry assured him. "Against the two of us, he won't stand a chance."
"You know, you could beat him by yourself, right?" Hardwin said and Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "I saw it, it was amazing. The two of you were fast, and the power was ridiculous. It was close but at the end you had him lying at your feet dead."
"Really?" Harry hummed in thought. "And the horcruxes?"
"You killed Nagini right before the fight." Hardwin answered. "As for me, well...I had died much earlier than that."
"You died? How?"
"It doesn't matter_"
"You do realize that I could just pull it from your mind?"
"I do, and I'm still not sure why you haven't." Hardwin shook his head. "Aren't you the least bit interested in what I saw?"
"I am, but like you said, what you saw was just a possible timeline. One that was changed when you came back." He said. "I would rather live in the here and now, at least untill the Dark Lord has been dealt with. Then we can have a look at this Astral plane of yours."
"I see your point but it wouldn't hurt to take a look." Hardwin insisted. "I don't know, maybe you might see something that could help? Bloody hell, Harry you're supposed to be the one to even suggest this! What's going on with you?"
Harry turned to look out the window once again as he considered Hardwin's questions. His brother was right, normally he would have jumped at the chance to see what his brother had seen. Especially his fight with the Dark Lord, there was a lot he could learn from it. He could learn how the Dark Lord fought and would be prepared for when they met.
However, he had learned something of late. He had learned never to have preconceptions when it came to the Dark Lord. He had thought that he had figured him out and had almost lost everything he held dear. If he watched their fight, he was sure to see weaknesses, things he could exploit to win against the Dark Lord. And he didn't trust his brain not to get fixated on those weaknesses even at a subconscious level.
When he meets the Dark Lord, he will know instinctively what to do and he will go for them. However, in the event that those weaknesses don't bring down Voldemort, he will be left open, his brain already fixated on the weaknesses will need time to shift gears and any time lost in a fight, especially one with someone as dangerous as the Dark Lord can only mean death.
And that was not even considering what Hardwin saw before the fight.
"I don't want to be distracted." He finally said. "The things you've described, the Astral plane, Hardwin_your namesake, and everything there, they're amazing and I don't trust myself to not get lost in them. And right now, I need my head in the game, I can't afford any distractions, not if I wish to end this tonight."
"Is this where you tell me half the truth and leave out the most important reason?" Hardwin asked and Harry nodded cheerfully. "You can't even try to pretend otherwise?"
"Nope." He grinned. "And speaking of pretending, the first part of my plan is here. Do you want Draco dead?"
"He is your problem." Hardwin shrugged. "I mean it was you who trusted him, not me. I wouldn't have been up there with him in the first place if he wasn't friends with you so if anyone should be angry, it's you."
"Oh, I'm angry alright. And if it were upto me, I would have had the wards drain him of life the moment he stepped on the grounds." Harry replied. "But he can still be of some use to me before he receives the punishment he deserves."
"What do you have in mind?" He asked with a grin, as he came and stood next to him.
"Just stand there and look menacing." Hardwin grinned as he pulled himself to his full height, the office was suddenly filled with a heavy aura and the emeralds in his eyes became a shade deeper. Harry hummed in appreciation. "Perfect."
Right on cue, there was a knock on the door. Harry called for him to come in and Draco entered. It was obvious right away that the boy was scared out of his mind but was trying to look brave.
"Hello, Draco." Harry drawled, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Come to stab me in the back, literally this time?"
"Look, I know you're angry_"
"You think?" Harry spat. "The only reason I haven't killed you already is because I think you still have some use to me. As it stands, you have ten seconds to convince me of what that use will be."
"I can tell you the Dark Lord's plans, what he's upto. I can tell you where his army is and_"
"You don't need to tell me anything you know, Draco." Harry interrupted. Releasing a little of his magic as well. "I'm going to rip it out of your mind right before I slit your throat."
"Granger!" Draco choked out. "They're going after her parents!"
Hardwin had crossed the room in an instant and had Draco up by the throat. "What do you mean!"
"Easy, brother." Harry said, appearing at his brother's side. "He can't tell us much if he's dead."
Hardwin put him down but still glared at the scared blond.
"Is that what the Dark Lord is planning?" Harry asked but he shook his head.
"No it's the Death Eaters, the inner-circle." Draco said. "They wanted a way to lure the both of you out of the castle and Snape suggested they use Granger's parents."
Harry exchanged a look with Hardwin, clearly thinking the same thing. Snape surely would have known that Harry would take precautions with Hermione's parents given the fact that she was close to Hardwin which made her parents prime targets. Unless the man was hoping to lead then into a trap which was exactly what they would be walking into.
The older Grangers were already at Potter Manor. Harry had picked them before going to the Daily Prophet offices last night. He had then sent Bill and his team to their house to leave a little surprise for anyone that came looking for them.
"And Voldemort?" Hardwin asked and Draco flinched at the name.
"He...he is out of the country."
Now that was news to Harry. "Why?"
"I don't know." Draco shook his head. "Neither does father, all he told me was that the Dark Lord had gone out of the country to seek for an ally."
Harry and Hardwin exchanged another look, both thinking the same thing. This was troubling news indeed.
"Wait, your father knows that you're here?" Hardwin asked and Draco nodded.
"Yes. I told him I want nothing to do with the Dark Lord and that I would rather stand by Harry's side and fight against him." He looked at Harry. "I know I lost that chance and I'm ready to die for it. But please, spare my parents, all they have done was for mine and their safety."
"If they stand against me, I will kill them." Harry said without hesitation.
"They won't." Draco assured. "Father told me he remembers your meeting and the promise he made you at the start of the year."
"What does that mean?" Hardwin asked.
Harry hummed in thought before looking at Draco. "The Dark Lord has a pet snake. Did he go with it?"
Draco shuddered. "No, it's there in father's study."
"I see." He nodded. "And are you aware of any orders he left behind before leaving?"
"No." He shook his head. "He told them to stay put untill he came back."
"What about the attacks in Diagon Alley?" Hardwin asked.
"They were ordered by my aunt."
"So all Death Eaters that he has in his army are at you house then?" Hardwin asked but Draco shook his head.
"Not all of them. Some are at the ministry while the creatures are camped somewhere on the other side of the forbidden forest."
The twins were quiet as they considered all that they had heard before Harry reached within his robes and pulled out a stone similar to the one he had given Bill and handed it to Draco.
"What's this?"
"Your chance at redemption." He answered. "Take it with you to Malfoy Manor and place it within five meters of the central wardstone."
"What does it do?"
"None of your business." Hardwin retorted and Harry barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes.
"Just do as you're told." Harry said. "And perhaps then I'll consider not killing you when this is all over."
Draco took the stone and nodded firmly. "Thank you, Harry."
"Don't thank me yet, Draco." Harry told him. "Just remember that none of this would be happening if you hadn't delivered my brother to the Dark Lord. I may forgive you, however unlikely that is, but the entire world won't."
Draco bowed his head and left the office. They waited for a few seconds just to make sure that he wasn't coming back before they spoke again.
"I don't trust him." Hardwin shook his head. "I think he was lying."
"No, he wasn't." Harry said. "Which begs the question of who this ally is supposed to be."
"Could it be Grindelwald?" Harry stared at Hardwin with his mouth open. "What?"
"That's actually a brilliant deduction." Harry siad. "I imagine Riddle is insane enough to try to recruit Grindelwald. Not to mention he has enough power to break into Nurmengard. And now that Dumbledore is dead, whatever spells he put in place to hold his friend are likely to be weak."
"What are we going to do, Harry?" Hardwin was on the verge of a panick attack. "One Dark Lord, we can handle, but two?!"
"You said it yourself, I beat Voldemort by myself." Harry reminded him. "If I can do it, so can you. We'll just have to deal with them both."
"Harry_"
"Trust me, Hardwin." He assured him. "But before we worry about Grindelwald, first we need to be sure that that's where he actually is."
"How?"
"Through your link." Harry said. "You have been accessing it subconsciously, now I want you to try to actively open it. Don't worry, I'll be with you every step of the way."
"Alright." Hardwin took in a deep breath. "If this blows up in our faces, you'll be responsible."
-PRPRPRPRPR-
Sirius blinked his eyes sleepily. After the funeral, he and the rest of the order members had gone to Potter Manor for a meeting, not only to pick a new leader but also to determine how to move forward without the man who had brought all of them together. It had been almost two hours now and they weren't any closer to archieving that.
Moody who was still recovering from the injuries he sustained while defending the ministry had been the obvious choice but the man had outright refused the position. He said that Dumbledore was the one who held the Order together and without him, the Order was nothing. Anyone who wanted to fight Voldemort was welcome to join him but as far as Moody was concerned, the Order of Phoenix had died along with Dumbledore.
That had sparked an argument that had lasted for thirty minutes between those that agreed with Moody and those that thought he was being stupid. It had been put to an end by Molly who had given them all a tongue lashing that they were going to remember for some time. She reminded them how disappointed Dumbledore would be if he saw them. Sirius didn't hear much as the entire time he was exchanging amused glances with Tonks and Remus.
Once she was done, they sat down to deliberate on Dumbledore's successor. That took over thirty minutes and by the time they settled on Shacklebolt, Sirius was half-asleep. Talking about their next order of business and how they will be fighting the war took over an hour and by this point, Tonks was openly snoring and Sirius was barely keeping himself from doing the same. Mostly because Lily kept nudging him awake every few minutes.
Which was why he could be excused when he jumped and fell out of his chair when the phone Harry had given him suddenly started ringing from his pocket. Cursing under his breath, he scrambled to get up while the others snickered at him. He glared at them and pushed himself back into his seat.
"Aren't you going to answer it?" Lily asked in amusement.
"Right." He pulled out the phone and pressed the receive button. "Padfoot here."
"Put him on loudspeaker." Lily instructed and Sirius stared at her.
"Put him on the loud-what, now?"
She huffed and grabbed the phone from him. "You've been with this for almost a year now and you don't know how to put someone on loudspeaker."
"Oh, hey mom!" Harry's voice called loudly from the phone. The rest of the Order members were looking at the phone curiously. Arthur looked seconds away from ripping it into pieces to see how it worked. "I see you're with Sirius."
"Great observation skills, son." Lily replied, the sarcasm clear in her voice. "I wonder which of your parents you got it from."
They could all hear snickering in the background and Sirius could almost see Harry rolling his eyes at Lily and his brother.
"Thanks for noticing, I've been practicing." The sarcasm in Harry's voice was even more apparent. "I'm not sure but if I'm to hazard a guess I think I got it from my father."
"Harry get to the point." Hardwin's voice butted in.
"Right, how many people are in your Order, Padfoot?"
"Uh, currently fifteen." Sirius answered. "Why do you ask?"
"And how many Aurors do you still have under your command?"
"About twenty." He answered. "What are you planning, Harry."
"The Dark Lord is out of the country and according to my source, he's looking for an ally." Harry said prompting murmuring from the Order members. "If he's successful, then any chance of winning this war that we had will be lost."
"Are you absolutely sure about this, Harry."
"Positive." Harry replied without missing a beat. "We need to act now before they come back."
"Who is this person that has spooked even you, Harry?" Lily asked.
There was a pause on the other end, Sirius suspected for dramatic effort as he knew Harry never stood up a chance for dramatics.
"We believe he's looking to recruit Grindelwald."
That certainly got a reaction. There was a collective gasp from almost everyone in the room as they stared at the phone. "Harry, what makes you say that?"
"We have seen it, mom." Harry replied. "Now there's a possibility that he's there for something else but I can't think of many reasons why he would be visiting Nurmengard."
"How sure are you about this, lad?" Moody growled into the phone
"Absolutely sure, and even if he isn't there to recruit him, Grindelwald is a wards prodigy." Harry said. "If anyone can find a way around the wards at Hogwarts, it would be him. Either way, whatever reason he's there, it's bad news but it also gives us an opportunity."
"We could eliminate his army before he comes back." Moody said and Harry hummed in confirmation.
"And even if we can't, we should at least reduce on his power base." He added. "Especially if the ministry is out of his hands."
"I see what you mean, Mr. Potter." Kingsley said. "As a matter of fact, according my source at the ministry, if the Order and the available Aurors worked together, they could take it but there's the problem of the reinforcements at Malfoy Manor."
"Not to mention there's the problem of the wards." Moody added.
"The wards will not be a problem, I can take them down from where I'm seated, thanks to Bill."
"Really?" It was clear Kingsley didn't believe him. "And how do you plan to do that?"
"I have my ways, Shacklebolt." Harry replied mysteriously. "Have your people ready to attack. The wards will be down in ten minutes."
"Didn't you hear, boy?" Moody barked. "There are reinforcements at Malfoy Manor, we can't beat them all."
"Don't worry about the ones at Malfoy Manor, they'll have other things to worry about." Harry answered. "Just have your people ready."
"What are you planning, Harry?"
"To put an end to this war as early as possible." He replied. "We love you, mom. Please be careful."
"Harry wait!" Lily called but he had already hung up. She stood up.
"Wait, where are you going?" Sirius asked.
"To help my sons."
"Lily, your kids can wipe the floor with every single person in this room." Sirius said. "They can look after themselves, we need you here."
"And my sons need me as well." And with that she left the room.
Sirius turned around to see that Tonks had stood up as well. "You too?"
"I probably messed up with Harry but I'll not let him go into a fight by himself." She said. "Besides, if I'm going to die, which is very likely at this point, then I'd rather be by Harry's side when that happened."
Once she too had left, Sirius turned to the others. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
"Are you planning on fighting just because a fourteen-year-old boy told you to?" Moly shrieked. "Am I the only one left with any brains here?"
"Albus trusted Potter enought to appoint him as successor." Moody said, pushing himself to his feet. "I'm willing to trust his judgement and follow the boy's word like I would if Albus had said it himself."
Many nodded at that.
"Over the years, I have seen what Harry is capable of when he puts his mind to it." Remus said. "If he says it's time to fight, then I believe that it is."
"Well said, Moony." Sirius said. "I'm off to the ministry to kick some Death Eater ass, anyone who is interested is welcome to join me."
-PRPRPRPRPR-
June 25th 1995
Malfoy Manor
Lord's Study
Lucius watched his son pace from one end of the study to the other. Under normal circumstances, it would have been funny and a tad bit absurd to see someone, let alone his son being afraid of a fourteen-year-old boy over the Dark Lord. It wasn't like Draco didn't know what the Dark Lord was capable of, quite the opposite infact as Lucius had shown him memories of what the Dark Lord had been upto during his previous rise to power.
Even then, Draco was still more afraid of Harry Potter. He was convinced that the other boy was going to kill him, and that it was only a matter of time before he showed up at their house. Lucius doubted Potter was so stupid to walk into Malfoy Manor with the knowledge that the entire inner-circle was here.
Then again, there were two Potters and if the Gryffindor one decided to try and attack the Manor, the brother would come running after him. And if those two came, no matter how good everyone seemed to think they were, there was no way they would leave this place. Not with all the remaining thirteen members of the inner-circle here, along with twenty other low level Death Eaters.
Out of the seventeen that had been at the graveyard, Rookwood and Travers had been left behind with a few Death Eaters to guard Hardwin Potter and wait for Harry to arrive before they could bring both boys to the Dark Lord at the ministry. Lucius hadn't expected them to have much success and wasn't surprised when no word came from them.
He and the others had been preparing to go to Hogwarts with the Dark Lord when Barty Crouch and a barely breathing Greyback had showed up. Apparently the Potter boys had come and saved the day, killing every single werewolf that had been on the grounds along with the remaining Death Eaters. Crouch and Greyback had barely managed to escape.
The Dark Lord had not been happy about losing the werewolves but the news of Dumbledore's death had swiftly changed his mood. At last, the path to his power was clear. No one could claim to be his equal any more, no one would stand in their way. And just like that, the Potter boys were forgotten, everyone seemed ready to disregard them due to their age and apparent inexperience.
Lucius knew better, which was why he was only mildly surprised when the news that Dumbledore had picked Potter as his successor came. He was not the least bit surprised when the news of the fortification of the Hogwarts wards came. He had expected nothing less from the boy. The Dark Lord had sobered up then, he had gone down to the department of Mysteries.
When he came back to the Minister's office where he had initially settled himself, there was something strange about him. He had looked... almost scared, whatever he had seen down there had certainly unnerved him. He had ordered his inner-circle to go to Malfoy Manor and 'stay put' untill he came back.
Walden Macnair was told to go to the forbidden forest to prepare the Creatures army to attack on a moment's notice while Yaxley was to stay with some Death Eaters and hold the Ministry in case Bones and Black tried to take it back however unlikely that was. The rest were to stay on alert in case those at the Ministry needed reinforcements. When Bellatrix, the only who could get away with it asked where he was going. The Dark Lord had simply told them that he was going to seek out an ally.
He had entrusted Lucius with Nagini. He was to keep the giant snake safe by all means necessary, and if anything happened to the snake, Lucius and his family would be held responsible. And he was to pick up the Diary from wherever he had kept it as the Dark Lord wanted it back on his return.
Lucius knew that he was done for. If the Diary had been as important to the Dark Lord as Potter had made it out to be, then he was going to be killed the moment the man came back and found out what happened to it. His family was likely going to follow swiftly after. The former was unavoidable, but he could prevent the latter. Or delay it at the very least.
"Draco." He called his son who stopped pacing and looked at him. "Go find your mother."
"What, why?"
"Just do as you're told, son."
Draco looked at his father in confusion before turning around and walking out of the study, leaving Lucius alone with Nagini who was curled up in the corner. As if sensing his attention on it, the big snake shifted, its head rising to stare at him. Its slitted eyes watched him, as if it could read his mind and tell what he was planning.
His fingers twitched. He knew he was fast, but was he fast enough to do what he wanted. The snake had an unusual intelligence, it was like the Dark Lord himself lived in it, which explained why Potter had wanted it dead. Nagini stared at him, it almost looked like the snake was daring him to go ahead.
Before he came to a decision, the floo flared from the other end of the study. He saw from the corner of his eye Yaxley's face in the fire. He however was still looking at Nagini whose head had turned to look at the floo.
"Malfoy! We are under attack!" Yaxley shouted. "We need reinforcements now! Black and his lot are trying to take back the_"
"Avada kedavra!"
Lucius has been casting the killing curse for longer than he could remember. It was so ingrained in his memory and instincts that if it was possible, he would have been able to cast it silently. By the time the giant snake realized its plight, it was too late. The spell hit with precision and Nagini's head fell down, it was dead.
"What have you done, Lucius." Yaxley asked quietly.
Lucius looked at the man's fiery face. Even in the fire, he could see the betrayal plastered on his face.
"A choice you're lucky you'll never have to make."
Any further conversation was cut off by a powerful flare of magic that seemed to engulf the entire Manor before exploding outwards. A piercing shriek that seemed to come from everywhere sounded throughout the house and Lucius hurried over to the window just in time to see the dome protecting the Manor collapse.
The wards had fallen, and Harry Potter had come for them all.
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AN: There we go with our latest chapter. I've been reading Whispers of the Raven by TheBlack'sResurgence a truly amazing piece of work. If you're interested in a powerful Harry going back in time to Voldemort's first rise to power, then this is the story for you.