In The Darkness

Chapter Five: Plots

'I haven't told any of you what's completely happened over the last fifteen years, what's happened to me, to Draco, to our world, to our friends…to our enemies.' The group had moved downstairs again, except for Ron who was checking on the children for Hermione, he still was unhappy with Harry's reappearance in their lives. 'For fifteen years I have lived with Draco beside the Leaky Cauldron, we used to go there using Glamour Charms to stay unnoticed, but the time we 'met' ourselves, well Seamus and Dean, that caused a few problems!' Harry smiled fondly. 'After Voldemort rose you all began to go home or to family at every holiday, I couldn't and that was when Draco first came to me, he'd left his family and was living in Hogwarts under Snape and Dumbledore's eyes.'

'For the first time I was happy,' Draco continued, 'away from my family and the threat of joining Voldemort's forces, I almost became a Death Eater, but my father couldn't complete the curse, this was the result:' he rolled up his right arm sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark burnt deeply into his arm. Turning to face Neville he continued, 'I feel them, that's what happened tonight, but I can't be summoned, my father did not realise the intricacies of Voldemort's spell. Anyway, after the End when you thought I died, I moved into the Muggle world, that was a shock, but for six years I prepared for Harry to join me, I would have liked longer but he thought that was the best time.'

'After five years having left Hogwarts I joined Draco because things were wrong,' Harry took up the thread again, 'I noticed things that I tried to tell others, only a few believed me but I don't know who I could tell now or even if some of them are alive.' At this point Ron re-entered and Harry moved from a hunched position to sitting up straight, 'I'm glad I can include you in that group, if anything had happened I would have come to you first, I would not want your children to grow up without their parents, although they would have had good friends like I did.'

'Anyway, things were wrong as Harry said, so he came to where we have lived in relative isolation,' Draco continued with a glance towards Hedwig who was perched behind Hermione, 'and we watched comings and goings. Over the past six months I've noticed two things about people going to Diagon, an increase in people I used to know, and a decrease in people you knew. Then Harry found out people have disappeared, like when Voldemort first rose,' he paused when Ron flinched slightly, 'shit…sorry Ron, I forgot…anyway we were worried so we tracked down people but they turned up dead, Neville was the first we found alive, and since then…'

'Wait,' Neville interrupted, 'what about that box, and Harry, you do…things. How the hell did you work that out?'

'He's a mage.' But it wasn't Harry who answered; it was Hermione's voice that they heard.

'You were always figuring things out, guessing Moony was a werewolf among others,' Harry said with a smile causing Ron to hug his wife proudly. 'Dumbledore told me the day we graduated from Hogwarts, it was weird to know…but somehow I'd always known. I remember when Hagrid first came to get me from the Dursleys and I told him I couldn't be a wizard. The first thing he said was, 'Never made things happen Harry, when you were scared?'…Well I had. And when I stopped the Killing Curse that Voldemort tried to put on Dumbledore…I used my hand. I was a mage, a natural wizard,' as if to prove it he clicked his fingers and a small purple flame leapt out of the palm of his hand, briefly lighting a tired face in the darkness.

'I have spent fifteen years doing more work than you could ever imagine, I know you two have become Animagi, but imagine trying to study a spell to become any Animagi, and to change anyone into any that you wanted. I can create a Protection Charm so strong it will deflect bullets, a Support Spell that will hold up a collapsing room, I can even levitate people with a single word. And Draco, well he's become quite the conjurer…'

'Imagine being introduced to a whole new world,' Draco began, 'the Muggle world was so totally amazing to me I became interested in everything even if I didn't know what it was. Twice in the first week after I moved into our…flat…I ekelectricuted,' he was cut off briefly by Harry's quiet laugh, glaring he continued, '…myself, thank goodness conducting magic is like conducting that stuff. Well when Harry turned up I was immersed in seeing how Muggle artefacts could be combined with magic to serve our purposes, sure we have self-pouring kettles, but that's just practical.' Reaching into his robes Draco withdrew the box Neville had seen earlier, 'this is one of my first inventories-'

'Inventions'

'…Inventions, and is also the one we relied on earlier, it's a Multi-Corona Apparater, it basically is an Apparation device for more than one person but it will take you anywhere, once we even managed to get into Hogwarts. I have other devices, a Time-Turner that works by minutes, hours, any sense of time, but it also can take you back to where you came from whenever you want, not like after a few hours, like the third year?' he asked the question of Hermione who smiled and nodded, remembering her disappearance acts in the corridors to avoid herself. 'Anyway, while Harry can now work magic from anything surrounding him, I can use magic to create a device capable of almost anything. So that's it, our life for fifteen years.'

'I'm just happy all of you have led normal lives,' Harry continued, 'you two getting married was great, I knew you would end up together some day, and you have children,' he looked up and Hermione and Ron saw the joy in his face, 'I would have given anything to do that, but I couldn't ever let anyone grow up like I did, and now I'm afraid that it's going to happen anyway…'

*              *              *

'They are alive.'

'No…it isn't possible.'

'IT IS POSSIBLE, AND IT IS AS I HAVE SAID.'

'The house collapsed…they were under…they must be dead Master.'

'You know the price of failure,' in the darkness there was the swish of a blade followed by a short gasp, the sound of a body falling to the floor. A blade was sheathed before the Master resumed speaking, 'Malfoy has mastered Mechanics Charms, if they were dead I would know, he got them out.'

'But where did they go Master? How can we defeat them if what you say is true?'

'They have gone to the Weasleys, that is obvious to me, but how to destroy them…well the answer is simple, we must first destroy what is dear to them.'

*              *              *

'The dark forces have risen again, at first Neville's lot were containing them but then…'

'Then they started to kill my people,' Neville said, his throat dry, 'but it was disguised, they made it look like Muggle attacks, it's been happening up and down the country.'

'And no one knows?' Hermione asked, 'what about Cho? Have you told her?'

'I've sent memos,' Neville replied guiltily, 'but she pretty much gives my department all the leeway I need…Harry what about the rest of my department?'

'I've sent them messages through owls, but I don't know who would believe me, I've been gone so long.'

'That won't matter,' Neville said, smiling deviously, 'we have a file on you Harry and anyone who's read it knows to trust anything that comes from you, I expected to hear from you again, it was prudent to assume you could contact anyone else.'

'So the Ministry has been informed?' Ron asked, speaking for the first time in a while, avoiding Harry's eyes but instead directing the question to Neville.

'Yes,' Draco answered for everyone, 'but that isn't going to solve our problem, right now we have to get out of here…all of us.'

'What?!' Ron exclaimed, 'you want us to leave our home?' Standing up he moved back into the doorway.

'Ron, it's for your safety,' Harry began but a finger in his direction silenced him.

'No, you know I can't leave here Harry, this is my home, not some two-bit flat.'

'The flat!' Draco almost yelled, 'we can go there, no one knows.'

'Did you hear me or not?' Ron snapped, 'I am not leaving my home.'

'Ron,' Neville cut in, 'what if your home leaves you? They tore my house down around us, do you want that to happen to you? Or your kids?'

'No, but it won't.'

'Why?' this time it was Hermione who snapped, 'Ron if they have Harry on the run then what can you do? We have to go… I don't want to leave the Burrow either, but what choice do we have now?' Standing up she pulled her husband's head close to hers, 'If not for us, then for the kids.' Taking his face between her hands she looked into his eyes and kissed him gently on the forehead, 'I'll get Minerva and Philip, you get some stuff together.' Leaving one hand touching his cheek, she lingered before disappearing through the door that led to the stairs, Ron stood in the centre of the room, his hand covering his cheek.

Sighing he turned to Harry and uttered the words he dreaded; 'we're leaving, can you two help Hermione pack.' with this Neville and Draco stood, left the two old friends in the room.

'She cares for you a great deal.'

'She cares for all of us a great deal, she's a wonderful mother.'

'Ron…thank you for going on with your life…I was frightened you two would just keep after me and not actually live your own lives…'

'Fifteen years Harry…'

'I know…' Harry stood and grasped Ron's shoulder firmly, 'and I'm sorry, but I hope you can see why I did what I did.' Sighing he removed his hand and made to leave the room.

'Thank you…for protecting us…' Ron whispered as he left, outside Hedwig flew from The Burrow, winging towards London, into the darkness…

A/N: Well, hopefully that's finally cleared up the past unless I think of something else to include later, please read and review! Next will be chapter 6: back to the world.