A/N: Hello guys, welcome to the 5th chapter of "Dark is all that's left!".
Interviews done, so I'm in a particularly happy mood, although how long that lasts are really something I don't know.
Disclaimer: I don't own the HP universe, if I did, there'd be no Weasels at the end, and we'd live happily ever after.
Chapter Warnings: Graphic Torture and strong language. Reader discretion advised. Although you really should expect this from now on.
Notes at the end of the chapter.
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Later that night
In a wisp of black smoke, the dark with apparated to the eastern cliffs of Dover. Transfiguring few pieces of rocks into a pyre, she cremated the remains of her parents. She sat there watching the fire rise and fall, burning away bit by bit, until there was nothing but smoking embers and ashes. Only upon the first rays of the morning did she look away from the ashes, eyes puffed and red due to exhaustion. This was the final thread that tied her to her happy old life. The fire burnt it off and now she would shed no more tears. The only ones who deserved her tears, her mourning, have been put to rest, honorably this time. With a wave of her palm the ashes rose up and let it fill up a small wooden urn. She dug a deep pit and buried the urn. A stone marker placed at the head of the pit, she carved a family of 3 otters. With a final look, she warded the place to repel muggles and other wizards, and disapparated back leaving behind a bouquet of Daisy and White Carnations at the foot of the marker stone.
11th September, 1997
It was a fairly slow evening in Diagon Alley with very few people bustling around considering it was mid-week and hardly any children around with Hogwarts already in-session. Around 8PM, 3 hooded cloaks entered Diagon Alley from where Knockturn Alley begins and started vandalizing the property and stores. Pandemonium ensued as bystanders panicked and tried to rush towards safety. Another hooded figure watched the attack from the shadows, as a few wizards decided to fight back. However, light curses and hexes could only do so much as slow them down. The Death eaters had no qualms using darker and potentially fatal curses. Once, the death eaters were sure they had inflicted enough damage and left few people injured and unconscious, they fled towards Knockturn Alley. A wizard with ginger hair and blood-soaked robes followed and before the last of the death eater could apparate, hit him with a stunner. Unaware of the other presence, he limped towards the fallen death eater only to be stunned and incarcerated. The hooded figure stepped out of the shadows, picked the fallen wand whose handle resembled a pine cone.
"Interesting! Let's see if it can do some real magic." a deep muffled voice that belonged to a female muttered as she twirled the wand around. Handing both the fallen wizards the ends of a rope lying about, she created a portkey to her safe house, "PORTUS!", The rope glowed blue for a moment and with another wave of the wand she activated the portkey that whisked both of her prisoners away. Putting on a silver mask and disguising her voice, she went back to Diagon Alley's entrance.
"Now, I'll show you what real carnage means!" she spoke aloud as few wizards picking up the injured looked at her resembling a version of Death eater.
"FIENDFYRE!" she roared, as a semi-sentient beast of fire shot towards the alley blazing through anything and everything in its way. Within minutes the entire alley was burning with the dark fire as it molded from a serpent of sorts to a lion. Most people fled through the Leaky Cauldron, as she made her exit and apparated to her safe house. Shortly after, members of the Order apparated to the scene along with a furious Dumbledore who used his elder wand to contain and douse the cursed fire before it reached Ollivanders. All the members helped the injured and rushed the wounded to St. Mungo's for healing. Those that died had no way to identify as the cursed fire engulfed them completely leaving behind nothing but ashes. The auror with pink hair and the newest member of the Order found singed remains of a wand at the entrance to Knockturn Alley.
Having doused the fire and investigated the damage, Dumbledore moved towards the auror, "Miss Tonks, did you find anything of the perpetrators?" The auror sighed, "Sadly, no, all we know is 3 masked Death eaters entered the alley, vandalized few stores and hexed few people and left. Although, few moments later another entered, and used a dark curse to burn the alley. A few speculate that it could be Bellatrix, although they say it was a garbled voice and nothing, but a silver mask was visible."
"Miss Tonks, Fred Weasley was taken. I presume he went after them into Knockturn alley where he was likely captured. The wand that you hold belongs to young Mr. Weasley. It could have been to retaliate against the Death eaters for injuring his twin brother. You better inform Amelia about the attack. Remus will let you know about the next meeting. I have to inform Arthur and Molly about this."
11.30PM, Hogwarts
Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall waiting to be addressed by the Headmaster, with professors Flitwick, Sprout and Headmistress McGonagall standing solemnly at the head table. As the doors to the Hall swung open, the headmaster strode in followed by a grave looking Snape. The headmaster approached the lectern and called for silence, "Students! A terrible tragedy has struck the wizarding world. This evening, there was an attack on Diagon Alley by Death Eaters. Many shops were burnt, few people injured, and few others lost their lives. Classes for the week have been cancelled. Students whose family members were injured or lost their lives are allowed to return home. You shall be contacted by your respective heads. You may now return to your dorms. Prefects!"
Once the announcement was done, the prefects began leading their houses back to the common rooms. "Harry, Mister Weasley and Miss Weasley, please come to my office." requested the old headmaster. Few moments later, all 3 students stood in front of the gargoyle protecting the office along with the headmistress. "Sugar Quills!" the headmistress spoke the password with a slight distaste and frown. They entered the office and were immediately met with bone crushing hugs from the overbearing cow Molly Weasley. Arthur hung back with his head bowed in mourning for his twin kids, as one battled his life at St. Mungo's and the other captured likely by the dark side.
"Ron, Ginny, George has been injured heavily in the attack on Diagon alley, and the Death eaters have captured Fred" spoke Molly as sent a pointed glare at the dark-haired DADA professor. Snape bit back a retort as Dumbledore interrupted "And we have decided to give you 3 the week off to spend some time with family. It's dark times these, you may want to visit young Mr. Weasley at the hospital. We will do our very best to locate Fred. Severus hasn't received any information regarding a capture, although he did find out that Avery was missing return from the Diagon Alley attack. It's very possible that Avery has taken Fred."
"Professor! Is it really that Snape is working for the light? He could have informed about the attack and saved lives. Yet, he's no useful, I bet he's spying our details to Voldemort." spoke Harry for the first time since the announcement. But before he could continue, the headmistress chastised Harry,"Mr. Potter that will be 5 points from Gryffindor for showing lack of respect to a staff and another teacher." "I'm sorry professor, but this could have been avoided, It's HIS bloody fault that Fred was captured" retorted Harry. "You insolent little Brat! I knew you were worse than your bloody father! Arrogant pompous little prick!" lashed out Snape as his voice grew with each word. However, before things got messy, Dumbledore intervened, "Enough! Severus! Harry, I can assure you Severus is and has always been working for the light! I won't divulge his reasons, but trust an old man for his judgement, please. Now, Arthur, why don't we call it a night. You can use the floo in my office."
"Yes, Of course Albus. Children, come along, Molly you go first, I come up the rear." spoke the Weasley patriarch as he got up from his chair. Molly nodded and vanished into green flames at the fireplace, followed by Ron and Ginny. Harry turned around to speak with Dumbledore "But, professor! What about our little expeditions?" With a twinkle in his eyes, the old man replied "It's almost done, we just have two more outings, once you're back we can talk. Now, take care Harry"
With a look around the office, Harry turned around and went through the flames to The Burrow, followed by Arthur.
"Now, children we'll visit George tomorrow morning, so why don't you rest a bit. Molly has your rooms ready as usual. Good Night, then!" instructed Arthur as he missed the worried look on Ginny's face ever since she learnt of the Death Eater escape.
It wasn't the death eaters that worried her more than the extra prisoner that they freed. 'Why couldn't they just leave the Mudblood back! Anyways, Harry's mine now completely, and Granger has a Dementor's Kiss on Sight order.' mused Ginny in her thoughts as the worried frown upturned into a smirk. She had won and had nothing to worry, afterall what could a now half deranged witch do with an incomplete education. In a fit of anger, she had tortured Luna, used multiple bone-breaker curses, but it all turned in her favor, as the airy head Loony Lovegood couldn't stop admiring the beautiful couple that Harry and Hermione would make, it was all too much for Ginny to see her potential husband and gold mine slipping away into the prim and perfect Hermione's claws. Once she realized that she had tortured her it was necessary to remove Loony and what perfect opportunity, as Hermione was skipping down the stairs as the stairs turned towards the 3rd floor. She hid in an alcove and screamed for help. As a prefect, Hermione had to respond, and reached the end of the corridor, where she saw Luna's unconscious and tortured body. Just as she bent down, unaware of the presence behind her, a stunner hit her in the back. Ginny picked the fallen wand and used it to fire a Diffindo at Luna's neck. Although she knew it was wrong to take a life, she couldn't let her dreams be shattered because of a Muggleborn upstart. And then it was her life or Luna's, she chose her own, so Luna had to go, if it took Hermione out of the equation, all the better. She placed the wand back and then ran back to McGonagall with her sob story. And then everything fell into place. Slowly, comforting Harry and poisoning his mind against her, she clawed her way into his affections and pretty much secured the title of Lady Potter for herself.
Indeed, life was turning up good but these rotten death eaters had to ruin everything for her. Broke out her nemesis, injured and took her brothers. Harry did say she might have been recruited by old snake face. Maybe it's her coming after them? Maybe not, HE hates mudbloods too, why would he recruit her. No one's seen her since, maybe she was tortured and fed to old snake face's snake. Yes, that was likely true. It might not be so bad afterall. She finished her musings as she went to bed with happier thoughts of becoming the Lady Potter, unaware of the fates she condemned her family, herself and possibly the entire wizarding world.
A/N: This chapter probably wasn't much in terms of torture or gore, but it was an important one to take the story forward. Hope you like it, I'd love to hear if you felt it had something good or lacking. Please read and review.
Also, the expedition Harry mentions is the horcrux hunt and there are 2 remaining currently, Hufflepuff's cup and the snake. Harry isn't a horcrux in this fic and so he won't need to sacrifice himself to the Dark Lord.
If you have any dark fic ideas you want me to explore, please drop a PM, I always try to respond within a day max.
Cheers!