BOOK 2 OF THE NURMENGARD TRILOGY
BOOK 1: Harry Potter and the Fourth Tower
ID: 14010782
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I highly recommend reading Book 1 before reading Chapter 1 of Book 2, as already in the first chapter most of the big revelations at the end of Book 1 are looked backed on and reappraised.
TEASER / SUMMARY OF BOOK 1 without major spoilers: Voldemort's defeat was a great success, but in a global perspective, he was just one of many regional dark overlords... After a few peaceful months after Harry and his friends enter adulthood, they soon discover an international organisation of dark sorcerers, the „inner circle". Its existence is an open secret among the Ministries of Magic throughout the world and noone really bothers, as the organisation acts mostly in disguise, without openly pursuing their ambitions like the late self-proclaimed "Dark Lord". But that is about to change drastically, as a former master of Voldemort is about to step out of the shadows.
The appearance of a blue-skinned wizard immune to the death curse, seemingly working together with the inner circle, raises Harry's attention to this organization. What are they after? The unification of the Deathly Hallows? An even more powerful weapon? A series of murders of high officials shake up the wizarding world which makes Harry – now an Auror apprentice – investigate the inner circle. The evidence points at Durmstrang, a wizarding school with a history of favouring the Dark Arts. It seems that Grindelwald's former organization has continued operations after the defeat of its founder without the world knowing. When the inner circle manages to finally open the chest containing Grindelwald's forbidden experiments at Durmstrang, sealed away forever by Dumbledore himself, all hell breaks loose. Although Harry doesn't realise it at the time, it marks the beginning of the end of the wizarding world as he knows it...
Disclaimer: Translation of a fanfiction written in 2009 by Hungarian author Juhász Roland aka. Parselmouth Lion. Thus, none of the content created afterwards (e.g. Cursed Child or the Fantastic Beasts movies) is considered, this should be kept in mind while reading, but otherwise it follows the original books. Harry Potter and all associated characters and situations are property of J.K. Rowling. The story of the fanfiction is intellectual property of Juhász Roland. I make no claim to ownership.
- Chapter 1 -
The Last Death Eater
Mr Balordo was already ten minutes late for work, which is why he was dashing with his short legs. With one hand he dangled his buckled bag behind him, with the other he tried to keep his hat on his head as he made his way through the square, crowded with pigeons and tourists. Being it the middle of summer, every street corner and alleyway was crowded with people staring and taking pictures, not alone, but in groups of twenty or thirty.
Mr Balordo didn't like the tourists who thronged his beautiful city, moving through the centuries-old monuments as if they were looking at cheap exhibits.
'Hm, nice, really nice...' he heard nods like this and similar ones everywhere, usually followed by a selfie or two for the family album, and then a few hundred lira spent in the nearest souvenir shop. Mr Balordo would have bet his neck that tomorrow none of the tourists would remember the architect of the magnificent Pesaro Palace.
'Damn Muggles...' Balordo groaned, and slipping into a doorway opening onto a miraculously deserted alley, he wiped his sweating brow.
In the summer crowds, even a wizard had to walk to work, because the nearest place to apparate around, sheltered from Muggle eyes, was the garden of a building of the for witches and wizards exclusive Dionusos restaurant chain, at the other end of town. But the owner, for understandable reasons, did not take kindly to all the officials of the Council of Magical Affairs apparating around his guests, thus greatly detracting from the restaurant's comfort.
But there was nothing to be done, the meeting was about to begin and he had to be there... Mr Balordo put away his handkerchief, adjusted his trousers on his ample belly and cut through the ground floor of the building, which was condemned for demolition according to the warning sign, and which was ringing with emptiness. He moved about homely, and quickly found what he was looking for: a rotted door in one of the back rooms, littered with demolition debris. He pulled a thin wand from his satchel and tapped the door three times before it creaked open, revealing a large glass-walled elevator shaft.
'Bongiorno!'
Balordo, who was about to enter the lift, almost fell on his stomach when he heard the voice from behind and jumped with fright.
'Oh, I'm sorry to have frightened you,' said a girl in English, who almost gave the wizard a heart attack and came closer to him in the room. 'I'm looking for the building of the ICW, am I in the right place?'
Mr Balordo just blinked – the girl who had scared him was stunningly beautiful. He had noticed this when she caught his eye at Dionusos. Then he passed the girl sipping dandelion juice at the bar to get a better view of her curves under her linen dress.
'Er... yes... this is the... Er... Where would you like to go, dear?' he finally groaned as soon as he managed to tear his gaze away from her snow-white cleavage.
'I'm here for the hearing – I understand it's about to start. I brought some documents for Mr Modesto concerning the...' here she mysteriously lowered her voice '... Durmstrang incident.'
Balordo gave another sheepish look. The events at the Durmstrang Academy two months ago had ruffled some feathers in the wizarding community internationally. During the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, mysterious black sorcerers massacred most of the school's faculty and many of the invited guests perished. The Norwegian Ministry of Magic authorities have classified all information about the case as confidential, but even so, it has not been possible to prevent some naughty rumours from spreading. It was rumoured that the halfblood headmaster of Durmstrang, Maude Moloh, was responsible for the incident, who had given a black sorcerer free access to the school to jointly get their hands on the dark objects locked away there. The school's students were unanimous in their testimonies that only the courageous action of Ursula Ulatov, former deputy director and current headmistress, prevented a greater disaster.
'Sir? Sir, are you all right?' the girl called out.
Mr Balordo recovered and quickly got himself together. Again he found himself staring at the shapely thighs peeking out of her linen summer dress.
'Um... of course, it's just... you know, the heat,' he muttered, wiping his sweating forehead again.
'Yes, it's sweltering, isn't it?' she fanned herself. 'We'd better get down to the cool basement quickly...'
Balordo was immediately struck by the subtle hint, and glancing at his watch, he realised that he should have been there fifteen minutes ago, and that the hearing was due to start in less than five minutes.
'Merlin's beard, we're late! This way, miss,' Balordo gallantly showed her the way, not without some ulterior motive. As the girl stepped into the lift in front of him, he got a good look at her from the back. 'My name is Luciano Balordo, by the way, but you can call me Lucio.'
'It's a pleasure to meet you, Lucio,' she offered him her hand. 'Ginevra Weasley.'
'Well well, a Weasley!' thought Balordo. He had heard of this family of wizards from England who had been so instrumental in defeating the black sorcerer who called himself the Dark Lord. He remembered that one of the sons of the family was one of the youngest wizards in history to receive a First Class Order of Merlin...
A monotonous informative tone rang out in the lift:
'Welcome to Building B of the Council of Magical Affairs of the ICW. Please undergo the security check...'
Which consisted of the two passengers standing still while a golden glow filled the cabin, which seemed to come from the mirrors.
'Thank you. Please be informed that during your visit to Building B of the Council of Magical Affairs of the IWC, a trail will be kept of your whereabouts and your magical activities. Smoking is prohibited in the building, as is the practice of any fire-related magic. Thank you for your understanding.'
Mr Balordo drummed impatiently with the sole of his shoe, but the red-haired girl kept a calm, even serene face despite the delay.
'Please press the button for the desired floor. First floor – Office of International Magical Coordination. Second floor – '
Mr Balordo did not wait for the briefing to finish, he immediately pressed the button with the number seven on it. The lift started noiselessly, and soon a bell signaled their arrival.
'Level 7 – International Court of Justice, courtrooms,' announced the voice.
The door slid open and the redheaded girl stepped out through it, followed by Mr Balordo, who was still focused on her swaying hips and dancing hair instead of his work. For this reason, he did not notice at first the many witches and wizards in the corridor, and walked into the back of his superior, who began to shout at him. By the time he had handed him the papers in the satchel, amidst a flurry of apologies, the girl had disappeared into the crowd and he was covered in sweat again, which his superior had not forgotten to remind him of, along with the pungent armpit odour. So Balordo took himself off to the nearest washroom to patch-up his battered appearance...
Ginny pushed her way through the throng of people towards a wizard with silver hair along his temples and a goatee, standing in the middle of a large group of people in his elegant robes, with a walking stick in hand. Ginny could hear their Italian chatter, of which she didn't understand a word, but she trusted she could make herself understood by the Supreme Mugwump.
The ICW, or the International Confederation of Wizards, was a body of the leaders of magical governmental bodies of all countries, currently chaired by the Italian Minister for Magic, Benedetto Modesto. Ginny had learned this from none other than her former teacher at Hogwarts, John Eakle, who had himself worked extensively under Mr Modesto.
She was only a few people away from the wizard when, bypassing the German consul and his assistant, who were deep in conversation, someone grabbed her by the arm.
'Ginny, what on earth are you doing here?' Kingsley Shacklebolt looked at her suspiciously.
She glared back at the British Minister for Magic with a defiantly angry expression. She made no secret of the fact that she didn't like him at all.
'What do you think I'm doing?' she retorted peppery, and pulled her arm out of his grasp. 'I'm trying to do something since you're not doing anything!'
'What do you mean, I'm not doing anything?' Kingsley was uncomfortable with her tone as she spoke to him. 'Why do you think I'm here?'
She sighed heavily and pushed her red hair out of her face.
'You are here because Benedetto ordered you here,' she said, stating the obvious truth. She knew full well that Shacklebolt hadn't lifted a finger to find Harry, Ron or Hermione, or even John Dawlish, who hadn't been seen since the Durmstrang incident.
Her boyfriend, brother and best friend have secretly gone to the third task of Triwizard Tournament to retrieve the invisibility cloak that was stolen from them by mysterious masked men, and stolen was understatement. The home where she grew up, where she spent her childhood, was no more, was reduced to rubble during the heist...
Ginny knew that the three good friends were not only interested in retrieving the cloak, or the case of the missing Diggory boy, which was Harry and Ron's very first Auror case, but that revenge also played a big part in them breaking a few laws to get to Durmstrang Academy. What exactly happened during the tournament, no one could say. The survivors were held in protective custody for almost a month by the Norwegian magical authorities for questioning, but when they finally returned home, all they could say was that all their memories had been erased by those who had committed the horrific massacre. Ginny even went to see Dennis Creevey herself, but he was unable to help with the whereabouts of Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Then, towards the end of June, things got heated up again: they found Professor McGonagall in the middle of the Sahara – alive. The Hogwarts headmistress was in a terrible state, unconscious, emaciated and in a badly dehydrated condition, and was brought to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in London, where she has been nursed ever since. Ginny visited her several times, keeping vigil at her bedside, but despite the best efforts of the famous healers, McGonagall has never woken up.
These, and the inaction of the Norwegian and German authorities, prompted Ginny to take drastic action. She told John Eakle all about what had happened, including the fact that Harry had gone to the Triwizard Tournament in his guise. The professor did not throw a tantrum, on the contrary, he helpfully prepared Ginny to pursue the investigation into the Durmstrang incident at the highest level possible, the Council of Magical Affairs of the ICW.
Kingsley took a deep breath in anger and straightened himself in a huff.
'I did all I can for Harry, but Durmstrang is not my jurisdiction,' he said quietly, then looked around above Ginny's head. 'Professor Ulatov is here as well. This is actually her hearing...'
Ginny knew very well what today's meeting was about – what Kingsley didn't know was that it was thanks to Professor Eakle that the Magical Council had convened the concerned ministers.
'Ginny...' Kingsley said as the wizards began to file into the room, but before the Minister could finish, she was gone.
Ginny quickly caught up with Mr Modesto, who stayed behind to chat with a tiny old woman – whom Ginny knew to be none other than Professor Ulatov, the new headmistress of Durmstrang – and stomped confidently in front of him as he was about to leave.
'Excuse me, Mr Modesto, can I interrupt you for a moment?' she said with a charming smile on her face.
'I'm sorry, miss, but the hearing is about to begin, and...'
'It really won't take long,' she said boldly, which Modesto rewarded with a rude look. 'John Eakle sends his regards!'
Modesto's furrowed brow immediately smoothed at the mention of Eakle's name, and he looked much more forthcoming as he took the folder from Ginny.
'Of course, of course... John wrote that you would come,' the wizard muttered. 'But may I ask how this is connected with the Durmstrang incident?'
Ginny leaned close to him in confidence.
'In everything, sir. It's all written down here about an organisation who call themselves the Circle of the Fourth Tower. My brother and my friends were involved in the Durmstrang incident because of them, and their disappearances and murders are linked to this group.'
Modesto stared at Ginny for a moment, then looked at the file. Professor Ulatov watched with interest a few steps away.
'What is this Fourth Tower?' the Supreme Mugwump murmured softly, and moved Ginny a little away from the people in the meeting room.
'A scientific society founded by Dumbledore together with Gellert Grindelwald. But Mr Eakle says Grindelwald took a different path after he and Dumbledore parted ways. According to Mr Eakle, it is possible that the Fourth Tower's Circle is nothing more than the inner circle itself.'
Modesto gaped in dismay.
'Why didn't you show all this to Kingsley Shacklebolt?' he asked in a more inquiring tone than an accusatory one.
'Because the Fourth Tower cannot be just one ministry's problem. They are a threat to everyone, as they proved at Durmstrang...'
Benedetto Modesto blew a worried breath and ran his fingers over his pointed beard. Finally he said to Ginny:
'You know what, miss? Wait here until the end of the hearing, and then we'll talk about this Fourth Tower. And I think I'll send an owl to John...'
The Supreme Mugwump thanked Ginny for the news and went into the meeting room, led by his advisors. Professor Ulatov entered last, the double-leaf oak door closing behind her. The corridor fell silent and Ginny looked anxiously at the closed doors.
She stood still for minutes, finally settling into one of the velvet chairs where the officials of the ICW used to rest between meetings. Ginny buried her face in her hands and leaned on her knees.
This nightmare has been going on for two months now. Two months of waiting in vain for Harry, Ron and Hermione to return. On the first day, she wasn't afraid, knowing that anything could have happened to make them late. She just kept Eakle asleep and waited patiently. Then the first news came: at Durmstrang, several people had been murdered by unknown assailants, and the stadium of the Triwizard Tournament had been destroyed. The newspapers carried the story on the front page, even though nothing was confirmed for weeks. Ginny felt like it was happening all over again... and it filled her with a fear she hadn't felt in a very long time.
And not just her; her mother had panic, anger and hysterical attacks in quick succession when she told him what the trio had done. Her father immediately summoned the rest of the Order of the Phoenix to begin an investigation into the three disappearances. Kingsley was just stunned, but as he said, he suspected that Harry had something like this in mind, and his two foolish friends would follow him anywhere... Ginny wanted to slap the Minister.
There was a squeak down the corridor and Ginny snapped her head up – the hearing can't be over already!
The men's room door opened and Luciano Balordo stumbled out into the corridor. Mr Balordo didn't look much better now than he had before he went in, but at least the sheepish expression was gone from his face, giving way to a sort of impassive blankness.
Balordo trotted in front of Ginny, and as he did, something fell out of his hand, straight down to the ground in front of her.
'Lucio, you dropped something,' Ginny said, but he ignored her and disappeared behind a door at the other end of the corridor.
Ginny blinked at him curiously, then picked up the thing from the floor; it was a paper slip, the kind students used to hand to each other in class when the teacher turned his back. She unfolded the paper, on which the following was written in scribbling handwriting:
If you want to know where your friends have gone, be at Margherita Pizzeria in half an hour.
Ginny jumped up from the chair, ran after Balordo with a pounding heart, and tore open the door behind which the wizard had disappeared. It was just another corridor, snaking along, with doors opening left and right. Ginny realised she wasn't going to find him here if he didn't want her to. She scanned the short note once more. Could it be a scam? A trap? Hermione would certainly advise caution, she could almost hear the voice in her head – "Our enemies know you're Harry Potter's girlfriend..." but to ignore such a hot lead when all hope seemed lost would be unworthy of a Weasley.
Five minutes later Ginny was back on the cobbled streets in the sweltering heat...
The pizzeria was at the busiest square in town, in an old but renovated tavern, packed with muggles. Ginny made her way across the square, trying to ignore the boys turning and whistling after her, bombarding her with who knew what kind of offers with their rolling tongues. Ginny took a seat at the only available table outside, ordered herself a glass of iced mineral water, and waited.
She arrived in Venice only yesterday, despite her parents' concerns, but she was already falling in love with the Mediterranean atmosphere. If she hadn't been here for such an important and disturbing errand, she would certainly have spent a good deal of time sightseeing and on the gondolas, like the Muggle tourists, but now she couldn't really appreciate the beauty of the Doge's Palace – her heart was still pounding in her throat when she thought of where Harry, Ron and Hermione were at this moment. Perhaps they were no longer alive...
'Hello, Weasley!' a lazy voice called out.
Ginny looked up at the person in front of her – then rubbed her eyes. No, her eyes didn't play tricks on her, it was Draco Malfoy, with his pointy chin, white blond hair, and sly face.
'You?!' Ginny groaned in shock, and reached for her wand and her bag.
'Calm down...' Malfoy stopped her, pointing his wand hidden under the folds of the silk jacket over his arm. 'I didn't invite you here with a bunch of Muggles around to hurt you. I just don't want to be listened to.'
'Because you're the one who's going to tell me what happened to my friends, right?!' Ginny snapped, not caring that a few tourists had turned their way.
Malfoy didn't bat an eye, just sat down at the table opposite of her.
'Exactly, Weasley.'
'And what would make you do such a generous thing?' she continued to shout, which was beginning to catch the eye of more and more people.
The waitress also noticed that a new customer had arrived and started walking towards them. Malfoy pointed his wand at Ginny under the table and leaned back comfortably in the plastic chair.
'Not for your two pretty eyes, believe me. Not even for Potter – I'd already paid my debt to him when I brought him out of the fire. But the black sorcerer behind the murders is worse than the Dark Lord was... Get lost!' The boy shooed the Muggle waitress away, and she retreated in a huff.
Ginny thought over what she had just heard, then, tilting her head, she said to Malfoy:
'And why would that bother you?'
Malfoy replied with a deadly serious face.
'I don't want my parents, or even myself, to be the puppets of another insane madman,' he said matter-of-factly. 'Believe me, after the return of the Dark Lord, it was quite bad for us as well.'
'Oh, I feel so sorry for you...'
Malfoy let the comment slip past his ear.
'Unfortunately, my father was too careless and sold us to a black sorcerer again, so eager to get out of this "amazing new world" you and your kin are building. Before we knew it, we were back to doing the bidding of a madman, where failure or disobedience is not something you can do twice in a row...'
Malfoy paused, and Ginny didn't say anything to him this time, just continued to look at him as if he was dirt on the soles of her shoes.
'Your brother and Potter and Granger are alive,' Malfoy suddenly came to the point, 'they are being held captive in Nurmengard by a dark wizard known as the Nameless.'
Ginny just gaped. She knew what Nurmengard was, because she had heard stories of the infamous prison town that lay on a hidden continent far to the north in the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean... Her brother, lover and best friend had been languishing in that place for two whole months?
'Are you serious?' she finally groaned. Malfoy grinned and held up a finger.
'Wait, there's more,' he said, savouring the effect of his words, 'The Nameless is here, right now, in this city, and you've just met him...' Here he paused for a dramatic effect, then he finally blurted it out: 'It's the Durmstrang's headmaster, Ursula Ulatov...'
'Right!' exclaimed Ginny, almost spilling her mineral water.
Malfoy caught the glass and raised half an eyebrow.
'You don't believe me?'
'Of course I don't!' she said without thinking. 'You just put an Imperius curse on a poor wizard, throw me a paper note like a dog, drag me to a Muggle pizzeria, and try to convince me with all your nonsense that you've turned out to be a good guy, and that the nice old lady who saved Dennis Creevey's life is a rotten dark sorcerer!'
Malfoy, having rescued the glass of mineral water, forced it down his throat, put it down on the table with a thump and said:
'One: she didn't save the little Mudblood champion, Granger and Potter did. Two: she's not nice, and above all not a lady. Three, I never said I turned into a good guy... If in your dictionary being a good guy means to worship dirty Muggles and sit at the same table with house-elves like animals...'
Ginny was silent, though it was rare for her to be speechless. The whole situation was terribly bizarre: sitting here with none other than with Pure-bloodedness obsessed Draco Malfoy in a Muggle pizzeria in Venice, him pointing his wand at her under the table, talking about where Harry, Ron and Hermione had gone. If someone had told her that a month ago – hell, yesterday – she would probably have suggested that person to urgently seek a qualified healer.
Malfoy waited patiently, and would not take his eyes off her for a moment. But he didn't stare at her like the local youths loitering in the street, or even the smelly Mr Balordo, insolently eyeing her body... Malfoy looked at him like a predator watching a dangerous enemy.
Ginny sighed heavily after thinking about what she had heard.
'If you are telling the truth, and this... Nameless is here, then we must tell Benedetto Modesto urgently...' (Malfoy shook his head even before she had finished her sentence.) 'Then Ulatov will be captured, and you and my friends will be free... What are you shaking your head for?'
'No way. Weasley, did you not understand anything I said?' the boy hissed. 'If the Nameless so much as suspects that he's been exposed, he'll create a bloodbath in front of everyone here, and he'll kill my parents.'
'Could he handle a bunch of wizards on his own?' Ginny asked doubtfully.
Malfoy spread his arms.
'Seems like the Battle of Hogwarts was a long time ago,' he sighed. 'Have you forgotten so much since then, Weasley?'
Ginny's face turned suddenly grim.
'I haven't forgotten anything.'
'Then you should know that it is not advisable to go toe-to-toe with the likes of the Dark Lord. Unless you have an army behind you...'
Malfoy gave a lazy grin as Ginny nodded in resignation.
'I would also ask you,' the boy continued, 'not to go back to the Council building, lest you run into the Nameless. If you so much as look her in the eye – and you certainly would – she would know in an instant that you had exposed her, and then bad things would happen.'
'So what do I do?' Ginny snarled, slamming the table in irritation. 'Sit at home on my bottom?'
Several guests tsked in annoyance at the noise. A portly tourist, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and fisherman's trousers, rose from a nearby table and stepped behind Malfoy's chair.
'Everything all right, miss?' he asked in his gravelly voice with a thick Texan accent. Ginny glanced at Malfoy. The boy was a statue of composure.
'Of course, everything's all right...' she finally muttered.
'Is this guy bothering you?' the big man looked down at the blond one.
'Wow', Ginny thought in surprise, 'even though she was the loud one, it was obvious to everyone that the quiet blonde young man was the harassing party.' For a moment it crossed her mind to say yes to the chivalrous tourist, just to get back at Malfoy for the burnt Burrow – she was sure Malfoy wouldn't dare use his wand in front of so many people.
Then he noticed the smug grin on the boy's face, and she wasn't so sure anymore. Could Malfoy really curse a Muggle in the open street in front of hundreds of people? Maybe she shouldn't try it...
'No, no problem,' she finally replied, but he refused to move from where he stood. 'Everything's fine. Thank you,' she added emphatically.
The tourist left, sat back down to his wife and children, and ignored his troublesome table neighbours.
'Well, Weasley, are you scared I'm going to blow up the place?' Malfoy snarled. He was clearly amused by the interlude.
'I could imagine it from you' Ginny said.
Malfoy theatrically put his hand to his heart.
'That hurt.' Then his face suddenly became serious again, the playful mockery disappeared and the predatory look returned. 'Getting back to the previous topic, before this grilled chicken muncher interrupted us... Weasley, do you understand what I said? You won't go back in that building, you won't tell anyone what I told you.'
He waited for Ginny to nod, then continued.
'This is about much more than Potter. If we don't do something urgently, the Nameless is going to become very powerful very quickly. We could be back to where we were during the Dark Lord's reign within a year...'
Ginny cut him off here:
'Tell me, why do you still call him "Dark Lord"?'
Malfoy was silent for a moment.
'I am the last Death Eater, Weasley. Granger reminded me of that the last time we met... I'll never be free of what he gave me.'
'What about your father?' Ginny asked, a bit puzzled about the answer.
'My father was disgraced. The Dark...' he paused for a moment, and swallowed before continuing. 'Voldemort took his wand and his mark. He was no longer a Death Eater... Perhaps that was why he was so eager to find the favour of another Lord. I warned him in vain...'
He cleared his throat, then stood up from the table, making sure his wand was hidden below his jacket.
'I'll see what I can do for Potter and the other two. If I think of anything, I'll let you know...' he reached into his pocket with his free hand and with a sloppy gesture, tossed a gold galleon on the table in front of Ginny. 'Here you go. I'll send you a message through this. If you value your brother and the others' lives, you'll do as I say. Now go home...'
Malfoy left without saying goodbye before Ginny could say another word. Soon he was swallowed up by the throng of tourists milling around the square, and Ginny was left alone with her empty mineral water glass, the glittering coin, and her confused thoughts.