Chapter Two
Disc: If I owned Harry potter, I wouldn't be begging for reviews, and I wouldn't be labeling it fanfiction. So go figure.
Dear Snuffles
I had a dream last night. One of my 'dreams.' Voldemort was killing someone in it. I think it was Lucius Malfoy. I'm not very sure, but I think Narcissa Malfoy betrayed him. Draco escaped. Voldemort was after his life too, for reasons beyond my comprehension. It seems that Lucius was an agent for the light side. Why else would Voldemort want to kill him? Voldemort also mentioned somebody called the Golden Magid or the Golden Savior. He said that the Magid would bring chaos in his wake. If you can make head or tail of that, it's more than I can do. I'm afraid I can't remember the dream very clearly, but I do know that Voldemort was furious. My scar was burning rather badly. Please convey this to Dumbledore. I hope you're ok. Take care.
Love,
Harry.
Harry signed the letter with a flourish, put it in an envelope, sealed it and went to Hedwig's cage. He opened it and gentle tickled the sleeping bird on the neck. She drowsily nipped his finger and he smiled. "Wake up sleepyhead," he said affectionately. "I want you to take this to Sirius." Hedwig stretched her wings, took the letter and flew out of the window. Harry's eyes wistfully followed her, as she soared across the dark sky. Then, with a sigh, he returned to bed.
******************
While Harry was writing to Sirius, Draco Malfoy was creeping quietly down the alleys of muggle London, assuming correctly that Soho was the last place Voldemorts goons would be looking for him. Unfortunately his knowledge of the area was also negligible and he was blindly walking around, desperately hoping for a miracle. Then, as it happens so rarely, the much longed for miracle did happen. A familiar voice said acerbically, "Mr. Malfoy, may I ask what you are doing here. With a gasp of relief Draco flung himself at Severus Snape. Snape distastefully disentangled himself, and looked down at the younger man, who seemed on the verge of collapse. Draco stood a good four inches shorter than Snape's 6'1 and was lightly built to boot. Snape half dragged, half carried him to a corner.
"Come with me, Mr. Malfoy." Said Snape, his eyes scanning the area skillfully for any sign of danger. Finding none, he dragged Draco down a thin corridor of darkness, which was invisible to the ordinary muggle eye. He reached, what seemed to be, an ordinary brick wall. In Morse code, he quickly tapped SOS, and after a pregnant pause, a door swung open. Remus Lupin stared at his old enemy's face, and with fluid gesture ushered them in. Once inside, Snape loosened his grip and Draco slid to the ground, completely spent, while Remus and Snape gazed down at him, both their faces mirroring an identical expression of anxiety.
"What happened, Severus?" asked Remus, his eyes shadowed.
Snape shrugged. "I'll be damned if I know. I was returning from Knock' turn Alley, where I had been buying some Potions ingredients, and I turned into a lane. I caught sight of a glint of blonde hair, was immediately wary, went closer and found it was Malfoy. When I spoke to him, he seemed to be very glad to see me, but he was in no fit state to talk. He couldn't tell me anything. It took me all my strength to bring him this far. He was absolutely battle weary. It was awful. I've seen it in horses, Remus, but I've never seen it in a human being."
Remus bit his lip. "I'm worried, Severus. I am very worried. Why is one of the Protectors running for his life in Muggle London? Where is Lucius? What's going on?"
"I think I might be able to help." Came a voice from the kitchen door.
Remus whipped around. "Sirius, what do you mean you might be able to help? You don't even know what's going on?"
Sirius Black stepped into the room and grinned at his friend. "Azkaban is supposed to make you go mad, not stupid. I've spent the last year in this dump of yours. I've heard your conversations with Grease-ball here, and Dumbledore. I think I have a pretty good idea about what's going on. It's about Harry being the Magid and the Malfoy's being the protectors, isn't it?
Remus made a mental note to lecture Sirius about the ills of eavesdropping, but this was not the time. They had more pressing matters at hand. "But I still don't see what you mean? How can you know what's going on?"
Sirius held up a letter. "Harry and his hotline to You-know-Who's brain. He saw the entire thing. Fortunately he does not have a complete memory of the dream, so he hasn't flown off the hook about being the Magid yet. But he can give us the bare bones of what happened to young Malfoy here."
Snape extended his hand for the letter, but Remus stopped him. "Don't you think we should owl Dumbledore first?"
Sirius nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we can use Hedwig. She's still here and Harry won't mind."
"Fine. Do as you like. I'm going to see to Mr. Malfoy." Said Snape calmly. With Sirius's help, he carried the boy to the bedroom where they unceremoniously dumped him on the bed. Then they went out to join Lupin in the wait for Dumbledore.
Luckily for all of them, the wait was short. In less than an hour, with a sweep of his robes, Dumbledore strode in. "What's the matter? Why the urgency?"
By tacit consent Lupin spoke. "It's Draco Malfoy. He's here."
At this bald statement, Dumbledore's admirably balanced face showed surprise. "Mister Malfoy here? Why?"
Lupin continues. "It's Voldemort. He found out about Lucius and Draco, and we were right, he knows about Harry. Lucius is dead, but Draco got away. He managed to make it so far. Fortuitously Severus found him and brought him here. He's unconscious, naturally very exhausted. We got our information from Harry who had one of his dreams. We were about to go down to the Malfoy Manor, but I thought it was advisable to let you know first."
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed as Lupin wound up. "Do any of you realize what this means?"
Snape nodded, "Yes, the Protector is dead."
Dumbledore shook his head. "No Severus, it's more than that. The only man in the Wizard World with sufficient knowledge to train the young Magid is dead. Next year Harry will turn seventeen and there is no one to prepare him."
Lupin stared at Dumbledore. "What about Draco, Professor? He has the knowledge, doesn't he?"
Dumbledore looked sad. "Unfortunately Mister Malfoy does not know enough. After all he is only sixteen himself. Though he has prepared all his life for this, it just isn't enough. And no one else knows enough either. It isn't really a very common field of study. A lot of people believe Magids to be myths. After all, Harry is the first Magid since…" Dumbledore stopped short. "Of course! I should have thought of that earlier." He whispered to himself. He looked at the three men sitting in front of him. He had known them since their first year in Hogwarts, and knew that in their very different ways, they were fiercely loyal and committed. Remus sat quietly; his light brown eyes, flecked with gold, trained on his hands, which lay folded on his lap, thin, strong hands, hands of a healer. His hair was also brown, but streaked with premature gray. His lean, high-boned, ascetic face was tired and drawn, but gentle, the face of a monk. Remus was eminently reliable, quiet and perseverant.
On the other end of the couch sat Snape, equally still, but his silence had the tautness of a bowstring to it. Fathomless black eyes, blazing with years of anger. A shoulder length mop of black hair fell around an ivory white face, the features strong, self-willed and brooding.
Finally his eyes fell on Sirius, who was restlessly pacing the length of the room, and he smiled. Even when the boys had been in school, Sirius had been his favorite of the three. Tall, lean, with dark blue eyes and a head of dark hair, Sirius had the Irish good looks of his mothers family. He had also assimilated the not inconsiderably Irish charm. Even twelve long years in Azkaban had not completely dispelled the mischief in Sirius Black's eyes. But Sirius was not all charm. In crunch situations, Sirius was implacable. Brilliant, ruthless and absolutely fearless in war, Sirius was the perfect soldier.
So there you had them. Strategist, spy and warrior. Each performing their allotted tasks admirably! And now they were waiting for him to give them orders. He looked at Remus. "Remus, I want you to go and get Harry immediately. I will brook no delay. Severus, I want you to go to Malfoy Mansion. See if you can retrieve any of Lucius's notes. Sirius, I want you to alert Arthur Weasely and Arabella immediately. We reconvene in two hours at Hogwarts. All right?"
The three of them nodded. Dumbledore continued. "I myself have some people to meet. Remus, is Draco safe here?"
Remus nodded. "Yes, I gave him one of Severus's sleeping draughts. He should sleep for at least 17 more hours. There is also a locking charm on the room. I've activated it. He'll be fine."
Dumbledore nodded. "Very well then. Two hours."
A beam of moonlight shone on Soho and lit up an alley. Everything seemed to quiet, everyone asleep. But, as if from nowhere, three figures and a dog materialized and disappeared in different directions without exchanging a word. And then all was peaceful again.
O.K, it's really depressing not to get a single review, so please please review. Do you guys want me to beg? I can do that.
Disc: If I owned Harry potter, I wouldn't be begging for reviews, and I wouldn't be labeling it fanfiction. So go figure.
Dear Snuffles
I had a dream last night. One of my 'dreams.' Voldemort was killing someone in it. I think it was Lucius Malfoy. I'm not very sure, but I think Narcissa Malfoy betrayed him. Draco escaped. Voldemort was after his life too, for reasons beyond my comprehension. It seems that Lucius was an agent for the light side. Why else would Voldemort want to kill him? Voldemort also mentioned somebody called the Golden Magid or the Golden Savior. He said that the Magid would bring chaos in his wake. If you can make head or tail of that, it's more than I can do. I'm afraid I can't remember the dream very clearly, but I do know that Voldemort was furious. My scar was burning rather badly. Please convey this to Dumbledore. I hope you're ok. Take care.
Love,
Harry.
Harry signed the letter with a flourish, put it in an envelope, sealed it and went to Hedwig's cage. He opened it and gentle tickled the sleeping bird on the neck. She drowsily nipped his finger and he smiled. "Wake up sleepyhead," he said affectionately. "I want you to take this to Sirius." Hedwig stretched her wings, took the letter and flew out of the window. Harry's eyes wistfully followed her, as she soared across the dark sky. Then, with a sigh, he returned to bed.
******************
While Harry was writing to Sirius, Draco Malfoy was creeping quietly down the alleys of muggle London, assuming correctly that Soho was the last place Voldemorts goons would be looking for him. Unfortunately his knowledge of the area was also negligible and he was blindly walking around, desperately hoping for a miracle. Then, as it happens so rarely, the much longed for miracle did happen. A familiar voice said acerbically, "Mr. Malfoy, may I ask what you are doing here. With a gasp of relief Draco flung himself at Severus Snape. Snape distastefully disentangled himself, and looked down at the younger man, who seemed on the verge of collapse. Draco stood a good four inches shorter than Snape's 6'1 and was lightly built to boot. Snape half dragged, half carried him to a corner.
"Come with me, Mr. Malfoy." Said Snape, his eyes scanning the area skillfully for any sign of danger. Finding none, he dragged Draco down a thin corridor of darkness, which was invisible to the ordinary muggle eye. He reached, what seemed to be, an ordinary brick wall. In Morse code, he quickly tapped SOS, and after a pregnant pause, a door swung open. Remus Lupin stared at his old enemy's face, and with fluid gesture ushered them in. Once inside, Snape loosened his grip and Draco slid to the ground, completely spent, while Remus and Snape gazed down at him, both their faces mirroring an identical expression of anxiety.
"What happened, Severus?" asked Remus, his eyes shadowed.
Snape shrugged. "I'll be damned if I know. I was returning from Knock' turn Alley, where I had been buying some Potions ingredients, and I turned into a lane. I caught sight of a glint of blonde hair, was immediately wary, went closer and found it was Malfoy. When I spoke to him, he seemed to be very glad to see me, but he was in no fit state to talk. He couldn't tell me anything. It took me all my strength to bring him this far. He was absolutely battle weary. It was awful. I've seen it in horses, Remus, but I've never seen it in a human being."
Remus bit his lip. "I'm worried, Severus. I am very worried. Why is one of the Protectors running for his life in Muggle London? Where is Lucius? What's going on?"
"I think I might be able to help." Came a voice from the kitchen door.
Remus whipped around. "Sirius, what do you mean you might be able to help? You don't even know what's going on?"
Sirius Black stepped into the room and grinned at his friend. "Azkaban is supposed to make you go mad, not stupid. I've spent the last year in this dump of yours. I've heard your conversations with Grease-ball here, and Dumbledore. I think I have a pretty good idea about what's going on. It's about Harry being the Magid and the Malfoy's being the protectors, isn't it?
Remus made a mental note to lecture Sirius about the ills of eavesdropping, but this was not the time. They had more pressing matters at hand. "But I still don't see what you mean? How can you know what's going on?"
Sirius held up a letter. "Harry and his hotline to You-know-Who's brain. He saw the entire thing. Fortunately he does not have a complete memory of the dream, so he hasn't flown off the hook about being the Magid yet. But he can give us the bare bones of what happened to young Malfoy here."
Snape extended his hand for the letter, but Remus stopped him. "Don't you think we should owl Dumbledore first?"
Sirius nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we can use Hedwig. She's still here and Harry won't mind."
"Fine. Do as you like. I'm going to see to Mr. Malfoy." Said Snape calmly. With Sirius's help, he carried the boy to the bedroom where they unceremoniously dumped him on the bed. Then they went out to join Lupin in the wait for Dumbledore.
Luckily for all of them, the wait was short. In less than an hour, with a sweep of his robes, Dumbledore strode in. "What's the matter? Why the urgency?"
By tacit consent Lupin spoke. "It's Draco Malfoy. He's here."
At this bald statement, Dumbledore's admirably balanced face showed surprise. "Mister Malfoy here? Why?"
Lupin continues. "It's Voldemort. He found out about Lucius and Draco, and we were right, he knows about Harry. Lucius is dead, but Draco got away. He managed to make it so far. Fortuitously Severus found him and brought him here. He's unconscious, naturally very exhausted. We got our information from Harry who had one of his dreams. We were about to go down to the Malfoy Manor, but I thought it was advisable to let you know first."
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed as Lupin wound up. "Do any of you realize what this means?"
Snape nodded, "Yes, the Protector is dead."
Dumbledore shook his head. "No Severus, it's more than that. The only man in the Wizard World with sufficient knowledge to train the young Magid is dead. Next year Harry will turn seventeen and there is no one to prepare him."
Lupin stared at Dumbledore. "What about Draco, Professor? He has the knowledge, doesn't he?"
Dumbledore looked sad. "Unfortunately Mister Malfoy does not know enough. After all he is only sixteen himself. Though he has prepared all his life for this, it just isn't enough. And no one else knows enough either. It isn't really a very common field of study. A lot of people believe Magids to be myths. After all, Harry is the first Magid since…" Dumbledore stopped short. "Of course! I should have thought of that earlier." He whispered to himself. He looked at the three men sitting in front of him. He had known them since their first year in Hogwarts, and knew that in their very different ways, they were fiercely loyal and committed. Remus sat quietly; his light brown eyes, flecked with gold, trained on his hands, which lay folded on his lap, thin, strong hands, hands of a healer. His hair was also brown, but streaked with premature gray. His lean, high-boned, ascetic face was tired and drawn, but gentle, the face of a monk. Remus was eminently reliable, quiet and perseverant.
On the other end of the couch sat Snape, equally still, but his silence had the tautness of a bowstring to it. Fathomless black eyes, blazing with years of anger. A shoulder length mop of black hair fell around an ivory white face, the features strong, self-willed and brooding.
Finally his eyes fell on Sirius, who was restlessly pacing the length of the room, and he smiled. Even when the boys had been in school, Sirius had been his favorite of the three. Tall, lean, with dark blue eyes and a head of dark hair, Sirius had the Irish good looks of his mothers family. He had also assimilated the not inconsiderably Irish charm. Even twelve long years in Azkaban had not completely dispelled the mischief in Sirius Black's eyes. But Sirius was not all charm. In crunch situations, Sirius was implacable. Brilliant, ruthless and absolutely fearless in war, Sirius was the perfect soldier.
So there you had them. Strategist, spy and warrior. Each performing their allotted tasks admirably! And now they were waiting for him to give them orders. He looked at Remus. "Remus, I want you to go and get Harry immediately. I will brook no delay. Severus, I want you to go to Malfoy Mansion. See if you can retrieve any of Lucius's notes. Sirius, I want you to alert Arthur Weasely and Arabella immediately. We reconvene in two hours at Hogwarts. All right?"
The three of them nodded. Dumbledore continued. "I myself have some people to meet. Remus, is Draco safe here?"
Remus nodded. "Yes, I gave him one of Severus's sleeping draughts. He should sleep for at least 17 more hours. There is also a locking charm on the room. I've activated it. He'll be fine."
Dumbledore nodded. "Very well then. Two hours."
A beam of moonlight shone on Soho and lit up an alley. Everything seemed to quiet, everyone asleep. But, as if from nowhere, three figures and a dog materialized and disappeared in different directions without exchanging a word. And then all was peaceful again.
O.K, it's really depressing not to get a single review, so please please review. Do you guys want me to beg? I can do that.