AN: Welcome to the next chapter!
Time for some more actions.
Enjoy!
The recognizable sections belong to JKR
Chapter 93
April 2nd, 1997
Everything looked pretty much the same as he remembered. The portraits of former headmasters and headmistresses acted like they were slumbering. Fawkes thrilled a faint song over in the corner. Weird-looking silver instruments, of which roughly half of them, Harry still knew nothing about their purpose, released low clicking noises as they spun around and emitted small puffs of smoke every so often. With a chuckle, Harry took a seat.
"Thank you for joining me on such short notice, my boy. I hope you are well?" Dumbledore greeted him and gestured for his bowl of sweets.
"As I have just finished most of my theoretical and practical NEWT exams, I'd say I am doing rather fine, sir. Actually, I was surprised that Slughorn allowed me to sit the exam in his subject so early in the first place. Only after promising him to still attend his classes for the remainder of this term, did he grant me my wish." Harry smirked as he took the offered lemon drop and enjoyed the bittersweetness of the candy.
"You must have put on quite a show, Harry. Griselda has been most impressed by your performance once more." Dumbledore chuckled: " Not to boast, but she kept on comparing you to me, as a matter of fact."
Harry knew that his results in most subjects would likely be on par with the headmaster's. Something quite amazing, considering that he was sitting those exams one year earlier than Dumbledore had. Then again, Dumbledore will almost certainly not have had a time turner and access to strictly forbidden knowledge as a student. He grinned "I could never hope to achieve results even rivaling those of the great Albus Wulfric Percival Dumbledore, Sir."
"You forgot Brian, Harry." the headmaster said in amusement: "And I am sure your results will count among the highest this school will have ever produced. You make me very proud, my boy."
"Thank you, Headmaster." Harry inclined his head: "How may I help you tonight, sir?"
Dumbledore sighed heavily and the twinkle vanished from his blue eyes: "As always, straight to the point I see…"
"Time is Galleons as my Account manager only recently reminded me about," Harry smirked.
Dumbledore shot him a faint smile, but it did not catch his eyes. "I was just informed by Severus of something that I had hoped to prevent for the last few months."
"What happened?" Harry inquired curiously, though he knew what it might be about.
"Lord Voldemort, in an outburst of rage as it seems, has rid himself of Draco Malfoy a few days ago already." Dumbledore explained with unshed tears: "I did my best to protect him from this future... Countless times I have offered him and his mother to find a safe and secure place for them to stay. Perhaps, somewhere on the continent, where Voldemort would not even consider wasting valuable resources to find them."
"I take it they refused?" Harry asked.
"Narcissa tried her best to convince her son, though she would never admit it in front of me. Draco, however, was consumed by revenge for his fallen father and aunt. You must understand, Harry... From his birth on, he was told that the Malfoy name was to be treated with the utmost respect. he was raised to perceive himself better than any of his peers. Watching his family's name fall to disgrace in the wizarding world and the ranks of the Dark Lord had pushed him on a desperate path."
"I know that he had been given a mission to kill me." Harry decided to at least admit this part: "I overheard Snape talking to him during Slughorn party. Right before he attempts to poison Fleur, which is why I find myself struggling to feel very sorry for him... no matter his upbringings..."
"I had advised Snape to keep a close eye on his godson. Alas, Draco must have found ways to deceive him... Something I did not think possible. You have my sincere apology for I was not able to stop what might have turned out a catastrophe if it was not for Fawkes."
The bird thrilled happily at the mention of his name... Harry shot him a small smile before he turned back to the headmaster.
"Well, I can ensure you that neither I nor Fleur had anything to do with his death." Harry lied: "Naturally, Fleur had taken the attack on her life rather seriously, however, there was pretty much no way we could have even gone anywhere near him here at Hogwarts. He was constantly surrounded by the other junior Death Eaters. As you know... of course..."
Dumbledore frowned: "I know it must be difficult for you to understand, but I truly think that keeping them here in the castle, where I can follow their every move, is better than having them accompany Voldemort on his scavenges and massacring innocent muggles."
"I understand the rationale, however, you will really have to do better in the future, sir. The moment another student is being put at risk, like Katie Bell, is the moment you should have interfered already... How could you live with yourself, if she had died, knowing that you could have prevented it by simply taking the threat more seriously..."
"You are right, Harry." Dumbledore nodded gravely: "Perhaps the times of being lenient are truly over. I can promise you that I will act harsher from here onwards. No matter what happens outside these walls, I will not allow aspiring Death Eaters to spread their propaganda or torment innocent students."
"I am glad to hear that, sir." Harry nodded happily: "Did Snape, by chance, learn why Malfoy was killed in the first place?"
"He should not have learned about it all, I am afraid." Dumbledore explained: "However, he came across Narcissa who notified him that the Malfoy tapestry was showing young Draco as deceased when moments before he had been summoned to Tom. While Severus risks more than you might think each day, his sense for self-preservation was strong enough not to ask Voldemort about the incident. I guess he does value his own life after all."
"A smart choice..." Harry nodded: "Well, if there is nothing more, then I will be on my way."
"Of course, Harry." Dumbledore said in his grandfatherly voice: "Make sure to come by tomorrow again to pick up your Portkey. It seems Gellert grew quite fond of you over the last few weeks."
April 7th, 1997
Harry sat at the Ravenclaw table, enjoying his breakfast when a rather ordinary school owl approached him and held up its leg. Harry frowned. He had not expected mail from anyone. Dobby and Kreacher usually checked his mail and sorted out any fan mail, marriage proposals, or envelopes that contained something potentially dangerous and harmful. The fact that the letter was passed through indicated that it did not fall into either of those categories.
Curiously, he untied the envelope from the bird's leg and sliced it open with a flick of his wand. Expensive parchment revealed elegant handwriting in dark blue ink:
To Harry Potter,
just as you would have likely never expected to receive a letter from me, I would have never thought myself in a position desperate enough to write to you of all people. I only wish for you to give me a chance and read this missive. The odds are high it will be intercepted and I will be dead before you even got the chance to open my envelope.
I write you as a broken woman, who lost everything. I was a wife once and carried the name of one of the most prestigious houses in the wizarding world. I was a sibling once and loved my sister very dearly. I was a mother not long ago and no matter how many mistakes my son might have made, I always loved him and only wished the best for him, as would any mother in this world.
I was robbed of all three of those titles within the last year. Whereas it might seem easy to put the blame on you, as the people closest to you have taken my husband and sister, I now realized that the true cause for their deaths is this cursed war. I don't intend on fighting it any longer.
This war was not started by you, Harry Potter, you were merely born into it and suffered perhaps the most from its tragedies. However, I regard you as the one person, who might be able to stop this war before it becomes even worse. Perhaps, thanks to you, there will be fewer siblings who lose their sisters, fewer wives, whose beds remain empty and cold, and fewer mothers, forced to bury their own sons if they even get the chance for that.
I am willing to do everything to stop the monster that started this war. I doubt it will make things any better for me. Nevertheless, even if it only grants me the smallest bit of peace and comfort, I am still willing to endure it.
Together with my sister Andromeda and my cousin Sirius, you are the only distant family I have left. All I ask in exchange for my help is the protection of house Black, which I still consider myself to be a part of, even if my surname might have changed. I believe it might be in your power to convince your godfather of the same.
Naturally, you have no reason to trust me or any of these words. After all, they are just ink on parchment. I know that and I am willing to earn that trust. Should you decide to reply, I shall pass on the first bit of information that might swing the war in your favor.
Owls addressed to Lady Malfoy or Narcissa will reach me.
I urge you to at least consider it.
You have nothing to lose, but everything to gain.
Narcissa Malfoy ne Black,
Lady of House Malfoy
"What can you tell me about your cousin Narcissa, Sirius?" Harry asked later that day via the two-way mirror.
"Cissy?" The man frowned: "Not much since she married that slimy git. I used to get along with her and Andy rather fine when I was younger. She was a few years above me and your dad at Hogwarts and of course in Slytherin, so we did not have much contact then. She was an excellent student and a very gifted witch, who dreamed of becoming a professional healer.
However, that all changed when my uncle married her off to the Malfoys like some piece of cattle. I am not sure how much she knew of Lucius' involvement with the Death Eaters in the beginning. She is not marked herself and I doubt she would ever support Voldemort with anything besides the Malfoy fortune... It's truly a shame what happened to her..."
"She contacted me," Harry explained.
"Did she now?" Sirius' eyebrows narrowed: "Be careful, Harry. She might not be as crazy and fanatic as Bellatrix, but she was always cunning."
"She has nothing to fight for and even less to lose, Sirius..." Harry replied: "This might be exactly what we need. A spy within Voldemort circle who is not bound to only reveal what is strictly necessary. Any news from her might make the difference. She is willing to already provide information if I only decide to reply to her."
"Let me guess..." Sirius rolled his eyes: "She wants the protection of House Black as soon as the war is over?"
"She did say so, yes," Harry admitted.
"Just promise me to be careful, Harry." Sirius replied sincerely: "With the death of her son, it might seem like she has nothing to lose, but a Slytherin will still always try to save its own skin."
"I understand." Harry nodded his agreement: "I will let you know should I discover anything noteworthy."
That same evening, Harry drafted a letter:
To the Lady Narcissa Malfoy,
I decided to give you this chance and not outright dismiss your unexpected proposal. I can't say that you have my condolences for either of your losses, but perhaps you are right in commenting that others can be prevented from suffering a similar fate such as yours.
The protection house Black might offer you will depend greatly on how valuable your information will be for our side. If your position does not turn out advantageous for us and you become no longer an asset, there will be very little House Black can do for you.
At last, a word of cautious... It might seem like you have nothing left to lose, but don't expect me to show you any sort of mercy should you backstab me. Should I find out that this is an attempt to trap me, then nothing will keep you safe from my wrath. Think of my reaction to a betrayal similar to how the Dark Lord should react, shall he find your last letter.
I await the promised information in your next reply. In case it's missing, this correspondence will end immediately.
Harry James Potter
April 15th, 1997
It was a week later, that Harry finally received a reply. He had already expected that the first letter could have either been fake or a trap by Voldemort, sine nothing followed. However, when the reply finally came, it was very promising
To Harry Potter,
I write to you again, with the promised information, knowing it shall be of value to you.
The Dark Lord's focus has shifted from conquering magical Britain to defeating you by any means possible. His obsession with you is unlike anything I have seen before.
Before the sweep in the Ministry, he had learned from a spy about the home address of your muggle relatives. I overheard him consulting with his Death Eaters about it. Whereas Severus tried to convince the Dark Lord that a strike against those muggles would not even bother you, since there was no love lost between you and them, the Dark Lord is convinced that he could portray it as a personal victory in his crusade against you.
He is smitten with taking everything from you and no matter how much you might dislike your blood relatives, they seemed destined to be the first on his endeavor.
Fenrir Greyback has been ordered to remain on standby and attack the location with half of his pack during the next full moon. If not to defend your family, you may at least use this opportunity to deal a heavy blow against the Dark Lord's forces.
In high hopes to have proven my worth as an asset,
Narcissa Malfoy
Lady of House Malfoy
"What do you think?" Harry asked, handing the letter over to his girlfriend.
Fleur's large blue eyes flickered over the parchment.
"You know very well what I think." She huffed: "I think you should be careful... I think this might be a trap...And I don't trust this woman."
Harry grimaced. Fleur had not liked the idea of him communicating with the Malfoy matriarch. The Veela had gotten her revenge on the boy, but she would never forget what that family had tried to do to her: "Shouldn't we at least consider it? Narcissa is right... I could not care less if Voldemort killed the Dursleys, but the public will view it differently. They will see it as a major strike against me and a failure on my part. If Harry Potter cannot even keep his own family safe, how is he supposed to save anyone else?"
"They are not your family, my love." Fleur's eyes narrowed dangerously: "And since when do you want to play the hero and save everyone?"
"You know that I don't consider them family either, but the public will think differently." Harry sighed: "And it's all about simply portraying the perfect hero... The beacon of hope... The stronger my position, the fewer people are likely to support Voldemort. I cannot risk a heavy blow such as the one Narcissa described."
Fleur bit her bottom lip and bounced on her heels. Her thoughts were racing behind her large blue eyes. Harry had to hide his amusement since she looked incredibly cute doing so.
"Fine..." She huffed and placed her arms around Harry's neck, pulling him into a hug: "We will go there during the next full moon. But if we even smell the hint of a trap, I want us gone. I don't care what happens to those petty, abusive muggles."
"The Order will want to know how we learned of the attack." Harry mused: "Let us only take Sirius with us. He knows about my correspondence with his cousin anyways. The three of us should be able to deal with some furry animals..." His lip twisted into a grin.
"Voldemort mentioned this Fenrir Greyback to me." Fleur's eyes turned a shade darker. "Apparently, he has promised me to them as a reward..."
"Never." Harry whispered dangerously as his hold on her waist become more possessive: "They will die... All of them."
"What can you tell me about Fenrir Greyback?" Fleur inquired and trialed soft circles over Harry's chest until the emerald fire in his eyes lessened.
"He is the most notorious werewolf in all of Europe..." Harry stated: "He has turned hundreds of people already... They say he bites them when they are young, takes them from their parents, and raises them to hate wizards. He wants to create an army big enough to overthrow the entire wizarding world. During the first war, Voldemort often used him as a weapon to intimidate his enemies."
"He is their alpha... So, he must die..." Fleur announced with a nod.
"Yes... He must die." Harry approved and pressed a kiss to her forehead: "And he will die during the next full moon.
April 22nd, 1997 (Day of the Full-Moon)
It has been many years since he had been here the last time. Whereas Harry was no longer the weak small boy but had grown into a man, Privet Drive had remained largely unchanged. The houses looked as neat as ever... So did Number Four and Petunia's flower bed.
Harry grimaced at the memory of a frail, skinny boy, with unkempt black hair, working like a slave underneath the brutal sun and replotting flowers for hours without as much as a water break. He certainly would not care if they were damaged during the fighting that would evidently take place tonight.
He looked up to the sky. The full moon was completely covered by thick clouds. With a flick of his wand, he distinguished the few street lanterns until they were swallowed in absolute darkness.
At the other side of the street, Harry recognized Mr. Figg's house. The corner of his lips tucked upwards. That was where it all began... during a simple afternoon jog, when he overheard patches of a conversation, he was not supposed to...
The voice of his godfather beside him interrupted his musings: "I never understood how somehow as passionate as Lily could ever be related to that hag of a sister." The man shook his head and gestured for the well-trimmed hedges and perfectly cut grass of Number Four.
"I am just glad I pretty much ran away from here as soon as possible." Harry chuckled.
Fleur stirred beside him at those words and her knuckles tightened around her rosewood wand.
"It's okay." Harry took her other hand and squeezed affectionately: "My current living arrangements are much better." He smirked and gave her a kiss.
"As interesting as that sounds, you guys might want to discuss it at a later point in time." Sirius frowned and flicked his wand into his palm.
Harry and Fleur mirrored the stance he took in front of Privet Drive and looked around expectantly. Then, a howl sounded from the far end of the street, followed by an answer from the opposite end. Sirius' superior sense of smell had spotted them first...
"They have surrounded us." Harry commented and moved to stand with his back to Fleur, each facing one end of the street: "Sirius, support Fleur's side. Keep them at a good distance. And remember... use silver!"
Fleur gave him a nod and swirled the rosewood wand through the air. Small orbs of silver, the size of a golf ball, appeared in a row in front of her, hovering in mid-air, ready to be transformed into whatever weapons might be best suited for the job.
The sound of tapping paws grew louder from each side. It was rather difficult to make out how many of the foul beasts had been assigned by Voldemort to the mission tonight. Harry glanced into the distance. If he was not mistaken, he could make out a pair of distinctive bright eyes all the way at the end of the street, glowing in a faint yellow. Soon, the two yellow flickers came closer, while the howling all around them rose in volume.
"Get ready!" Harry hissed and with a flick of his wand, he turned the street lantern back on, taking away the advantage of the wolves of fighting in complete darkness. The grip on the elder wood wand tightened when he saw what stood in front of him... He had seen an illustration of werewolves only recently in Snape's DADA class. However, none of them could compare to the monster, straight out of a muggle's nightmare, with wild yellow eyes that stood in front of him.
The werewolf was taller than all of those surrounding him. Fenrir Greyback stood at over three meters in height, with thick black fur, long sharp claws, and pointed thick fangs. Even though he was fully transformed, there was something frightening about his calm appearance and how he moved in a mixture between a human walk and a wolfish run.
Behind him, Fleur caught her breath and Harry felt the heat radiating from the Veela, while Sirius gulped heavily and readied himself. Harry cast a quick glance over his shoulder, to see that the other half of the pack approached them from that side, howling in triumph at having cornered their prey.
"I have not expected you to come, Potter." Greyback barked in a deep voice: "The Dark Lord wants you personally, but I think you will serve best as prey to us..."
"The only thing Voldemort will mourn and miss after tonight is a pack of wolves that overestimated themselves. You are hopelessly outmatched. And we did not come here to play fetch with you, trust me..." Harry grinned as his eyes flashed emerald, green.
The wand in his palm was calling to finally be used again... To finally unleash the power of its wielder on those opposing him... Tonight would be the time... Tonight, death would be harvesting souls...
"Let's see who outmatches who when we take that pretty halfbreed back with us tonight. Perhaps we will share the Veela and play fetch with her... I can feel the power in her... She will bear me and my pack strong cubs and increase our numbers until we grow tired of her."
The wolves around him howled in agreement as the air around Fleur started glimmering in the heat and magic radiating from her. Harry could tell she was very angry... Time to put it to good use...
"Now!" Harry yelled and jabbed his wand forwards. A bright stream of fire illuminated Privet Drive and the smell of burned fur saturated the air. To his surprise, Greyback showed extraordinary reflexes and jumped to the side to take cover behind a car. Harry poured more magic into the fire until the asphalt underneath the flames almost melted.
Behind him, Fleur was flicking her wand and transfigured the silver orbs into thin arrows, which Sirius propelled at the incoming werewolves. Howls of pain were shouted through the night, as countless beasts were impaled by the deadly weapons, designed to kill them.
On his side, Harry slashed his wand high into the air, and sharp spikes bust from the street, creating a physical barrier and tearing through the fur of the wolves as their attack was haltered.
An ear-shattering howl to his right caught his attention. With a massive jump, Greyback leaped over the car and landed a few meters in front of Harry. He barred his teeth and hurled onto his prey, who caught him with a knockback charm in the last possible second. Harry staggered backward and almost collided with his girlfriend, who was extremely busy herself, defending the other side.
The wolves spread out and tore down any of the street lanterns in an attempt to regain some advantage. Their superior sense of hearing and smell would come in handy in the complete darkness.
Harry conjured a ring of flames around them to serve as a source of light, as well as add an extra layer of protection. Simultaneously, he heard the Veela muttering in French behind as she fired her wand up into the air. Her manipulation of the Lumos charm rose from the tip of her wand, until it hovered a few meters above them, covering the entire street in a warm light.
Meanwhile, Greyback had recovered from being blasted across the entire street. The wolf stood to his full height and threw his fury head back for a howl that made the hairs stand on Harry's arms and neck. Whatever his command may have been, the other wolves followed it. They regrouped towards Fleur's and Sirius's side and redoubled their efforts.
Harry grid his teeth. He knew that his girlfriend and godfather might need support but taking down Greyback was the focus of the mission for tonight. If the alpha was killed, Voldemort might lose support over whatever werewolves had remained with him tonight. Therefore, he could not allow the leader of the pack to escape...
His wand swirled through the air as he ripped a few branches from a nearby tree and transfigured them into long thin spears. With short stabs of his wand, he hurled the projectiles at Greyback who dodged them effortlessly.
Behind him, Sirius was digging deep into his repertoire of spells from the Black library while Fleur wielded a fiery whip and chopped off limbs and heads of any attacker who came to close. The smell of burned fur was almost unbearable at this point.
Harry slowly grew frustrated. Greyback was keeping his distance, simply distracting him so he could never fully commit to supporting the other side. He patiently waited until the Werewolf came close enough. Then, with a roar, he smashed both his hand together in front of his own chest.
The shockwave that he created, was strong enough to throw back any obstacle in his path, be it cars, garbage cans, the bodies of fallen wolves, or Greyback himself.
The Alpha was thrown a few meters through the air and landed heavily on his back. Even with the sounds of battle and dying and wincing wolves, Harry was certain to hear a few bones crack. Before Greyback could jump back on his feet, Harry caught him with a silver arrow and impaled his right leg. Greyback howled in pain and attempted to remove the projective. His long claws, however, were certainly unfit for the job and he only ended scratching himself.
Harry made good use of the werewolf's weakened state and fired a few more spells. Finally, the Prince's dark cutting curse connected with the man's shoulder, almost severing the entire arms. With a flick of his wand, Harry propelled another spear at Greyback. The man got impaled through his torso and literally pinned against a car behind him, unable to move or free himself.
Harry grinned in satisfaction. The wolves on Fleur's and Sirius's side howled aggressively and attempted to aid their alpha. However, Harry's companions did a formidable job at blocking their paths or killing anyone with furry skin that tried to cross over to Harry's side. Harry walked over to the wincing, bloodied form of Greyback. In his transformed state, there was no way the man could attempt to apparate away.
"I told you, you were outmatched, wolf." Harry smirked as he aimed the tip of his wand in between the man's yellow eyes: "Looks like playtime is over... But even dead, you will still have use for me."
The man's yellow eyes stared up at him. Blood leaked from his mouth, covering his sharp fangs, and dripped down the fur... He growled and winced pathetically...
"I am not talking about the few thousand galleons, the ICW has placed on your head, no..." Harry shook his head and his eyes flashed dangerously: "You will deliver another message to Voldemort."
Bothered by his wincing and not caring enough about his enemy's reply, Harry flicked his wand and severed the Werewolf's head with a clean cut. It dropped to the floor and rolled a few feet before it came to a rest in front of Harry.
All of the remaining wolves roared at the fall of their leader and abandoned their attack. The few remaining survivors ignored the injured or fallen members of their pack and hurried back into the night in defeat. Soon, the sounds of pawns subsided...
The battle was won...
Harry walked over to Sirius and Fleur and took a look at either of them. The Veela eyes roamed over him and checked for injuries. Relief spread across her face when she could not find anything. Harry brushed off any ash and patches of burned fur from his girlfriend's blonde head before taking her in a strong hug:
"Let's call the ministry..."
He glanced over his shoulder at the street and spotted a few muggles staring wide-eyed out of their windows.
"You're right... I would hate to be an Obliviator or part of the clean-up tonight..." Sirius chuckled. Yet, Harry did not miss the painful expression on his face... Neither did he miss the dark, wet patch over his robes that grew rapidly in size...