Chapter 17: First Shot Fired
Thanks for the reviews. It might be a few days between updates. I won't complain about it, just state facts.
Hphphp
At the same time Amelia was visiting Azkaban, two men were meeting.
"Ah, Crabbe, you are here. Give me your arm," Tom said, in a demanding tone. He left a note for Crabbe to come back after lunch to get this done. This morning he had been tending to Lupin.
Now, he was intent on vanishing the mark from the inmates of Azkaban. Snape had reported that two Aurors were at the meeting last night and that they might tell Bones about his mark. It would not do if the marks were seen on the inmates.
He might have to do something to all the marks, a Fidelius or something. He would look into it. Then again, he was planning on killing off most of his followers, so there might not be a need.
"Yes, my lord," the portly man said, crossing the room, kneeling down and baring his arm to show the mark. He had been glad of the reprieve this morning, but he was fearful of what his master wanted now.
"Don't move," the Dark Lord warned him, grabbing the arm, and started hissing at the snake. This was going to take some finesse. He talked to the snake for a full minute, and it finally did as he bid and faded the marks on those that were inmates at Azkaban.
It wasn't that the snake didn't want to, it just took it that long to understand what he wanted. It was a good thing that magic was about intent. As soon as the mark understood his intent, it was done.
He did wonder how the Death Eaters there would react. They were his most loyal and they would feel the mark being removed. They would at the very least wonder why he had abandoned them. He did have a speech ready if needed, he was a Slytherin after all. He would tell them that it was a ploy to discredit Dumbledore. It was true enough.
"Go and find me Greyback, I have some things I need him to do," Voldemort told Crabbe as he released the arm. He hated to talk to the werewolf, he was an alpha, and two alphas in the same room had a hard time cooperating. Still, if Black was going to make him do his dirty work, then he was going to delegate.
"Yes, my lord," the man said, putting his sleeve to rights. He hurried out of the receiving room and went to do as bid. He knew the werewolf liked to hang out at a certain tavern in Knockturn Alley this time of day. It was there that Crabbe hurried off to. He only hoped that Fenrir was in a good mood today. He should be, the moon was close to being full. He was always in a better mood around that time.
Tom sat and waited. As he waited, he was going over all that had happened since he had been back. It had not gone the way he had pictured it when he had been a wraith. When he had been disembodied, he thought he'd come back to what he had left. He would take the world and watch it burn. Now though, it was the last thing he wanted to do.
No, now all he wanted was to make Harry Potter happy and to make sure he was safe. His safety even came first. Hence his reason for taking over the wizarding world here in Britain. Harry would never be safe in the current environment. He would always be ridiculed for being a half-blood, and that stupid moniker the Boy-Who-Lived. It would be too much to live up to for the boy.
These thoughts and those on how to take down Dumbledore, kept him occupied. Soon enough, Greyback came sauntering into the room. He was the alpha he claimed to be. He deferred to no one, not even Voldemort.
"Voldemort, I didn't even know you were back. You wanted something?" the werewolf asked the man on the throne like chair. He stopped before it, but he did not bow. He flexed his muscles in a show of strength. He knew that Voldemort could kill him, but he also knew that he would go down fighting. He knew this was Voldemort from the smell of him, though there was something off about it. It was Tom Riddle though.
"I would like you to bring me the Senior Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge," Tom said, his tone soft. He never raised his tone with those that were not in deference to him. Well, he only raised his voice when you pissed him off, and only when he needed to be heard over the screams. It was far more menacing to talk softly and carry a fast wand.
"That bitch? Why?" the werewolf asked, his tone bloodthirsty. "I'd rather just kill her," he added, baring his claws. He could partially change anytime he wanted; he was that close with his wolf. He was the only werewolf in Britain that could do so. He could change his face, his hands, and his feet. He could turn a person outside of the full moon too. Only if it was close to the full moon though. It was something he took great pride in.
"I was hoping you could infect her for me," Tom said, his voice like honey. He needed Greyback to think he was doing him a favor. That and he would be paid for doing his bidding for now.
"To what purpose?" the other man wanted to know. That didn't make sense, unless Voldy wanted to torture the bitch. Which was alright by him, but he didn't want to dirty his mouth on that filth. That and he only liked to turn children. It was a sense of pride to him.
"Payback for all those laws she had passed in my absence," Voldemort said, his voice turning menacing. "They are not going to help my cause." He had always said that the werewolves would be treated better under his regime. He had lied, but this werewolf didn't know that. Now though, the werewolves might be treated better, again Greyback didn't need to know.
"I see," Greyback said, thinking that it was a good thing that the Dark Lord was going to keep his promises from before. "I will bring you the bitch and turn her for you," he promised. This he could get behind.
"Do it tonight," was the order, though it was given as a suggestion.
"Why so soon?" Greyback asked, not liking the time crunch. He worked better when he had time to plan. A snatch-and-grab was easier when he had more people to work with. He didn't have time to gather such a team. He would have to do this one solo.
"I have an appointment tomorrow, and I need her out of the way before said appointment. Do you think you can do it, or do I need to get someone else?" Tom said, a bit of condescension in his tone.
"I'll get it done. You just keep your promises," Fenrir said, turning and leaving the room, growling at Draco as he left the house.
"My lord," the blond teen said from the doorway of the receiving room, "may I have a word?" He could see the man was alone and hopefully in a good mood.
"A quick one," Tom said, wondering what the brat wanted, but having nothing better to do. He had cleared all his appointments for the day. He was going to let Lupin alone for a few days. All he had to do was wait for Greyback to return.
"I was wondering, my lord, could you find out who took my heritage?" Draco asked, his head bowed in respect. He wanted to stand proud, but his father had told him never to do so in front of Voldemort. He had already felt the pain curse once, he didn't want to it feel again so soon.
"If I find time, I am busy trying to control the wizarding world," Tom said, some amusement lacing his tone.
"Of course, my lord," the teen said, his voice tight with anger. He bowed his way out of the room, and he made his way to the manor's library. He would research on his own.
Hphphp
"I wonder if Tom is going to take care of Umbridge soon too," Harry asked as they were preparing for dinner. He and Sirius were setting the table. They were having some roast pork with mashed potatoes and gravy, and broccoli with cheese. Harry had talked to Dobby and his meal would be sans gravy and cheese. He was really scared of turning into Vernon or Dudley.
"Hopefully," Sirius said, making shushing motions, and jerking his head to the staircase. "Let's talk about something else."
"Yes, wouldn't want the Auror to overhear you talking about illegal things," Tonks said as she came into the room. She took the plates from Harry and started putting them on the table. One at the head, one to the right, one to the left.
"We're not doing anything illegal, per se," Harry stammered, looking like a deer in the headlights. "At least I don't think so. Best be safe and talk about something else," he added with a quick nod. He grabbed some glasses and put them where Tonks had put the plates.
"Bones was pissed today," the pink and blue-haired girl said, her hair remaining the same from this afternoon. "Though she wouldn't tell me why. I know it had to do with her niece," she said, taking a seat and waiting for dinner to be served. "I really wish I knew what was going on," she stated, glaring at Sirius.
"I wish I could tell you," he said, putting the silverware on the table. He called for Dobby to serve the food and they all sat.
"I wish that I knew what the Order talked about. It looks like we all have things we wish would happen," Harry said, taking the plain food that Dobby had prepared for him.
"You know why you can't know that," Tonks said, looking at him with no regrets.
"The same goes for you," he snapped back. He shook his head when she frowned and continued to season his bland food.
They were still serving themselves and were starting to get comfortable and start another conversation, when the floo flared. A foot appeared.
"Hello, Black? Are you there?" a gruff voice called, making Sirius twirl around and answer.
"Come on through, Moody," the dogman said, then told Dobby, "Set another place."
Dobby snapped his fingers, and another plate and silverware was set up next to Tonks.
Moody came stomping in. "I wasn't expecting dinner," he protested, standing just short of the table. He was not comfortable eating at others' tables. His facial disfigurements caused others to lose their appetites.
"We have plenty," Sirius said, waving him to sit. "I might be a hardass to Dumbles, but I'm a good host," he said, giving the man a pointed look. He didn't care what Moody looked like when he ate, and he knew Tonks and Harry didn't either. They could look at their own plates if it bothered them. They wouldn't be rude about it.
"I was wondering about that," the one-eyed man said, his magical eye zooming around his head, making sure they were the only humans in the house. "Why are you so rude to Albus?" he asked, serving some of the roast to his plate. He waved his wand, and his hand over it. They all noticed the ring that detected potions.
"Because the way he's going about things is going to get us killed. It did in the last war, and it will again if there's another one," Sirius said, taking a vicious bite of his meat. He didn't take offence to Moody checking his food. He knew the grumpy old man was as paranoid as they came.
"I agree," Alastor said, looking to Harry as if expecting him to protest.
"What? I have my own issues with the old man," the teen said, putting some salt on his broccoli. He was regretting not having cheese on it. Still, broccoli was not bad, just tasted better with melted cheese. He did note that Moody was eating the plain food too. He wondered if that was because of age, or if he was watching his weight too.
"What would those issues be?" Moody asked, both his eyes trained on Harry. He thought the boy was a Dumbledore fan. He remembered Crouch Jr. talking about it when he was prisoner in his own trunk. That bastard would go on and on about how the kid was Dumbledore's apprentice or some such.
"I don't know you," the teen said, a slight quiver in his voice. The man was quite daunting. The way his scars stretched across his face, was scary. Not a scary as Voldemort rising from the cauldron, or a basilisk, or even a troll. Okay the guy wasn't scary at all, but he was intimidating.
"No, you don't. Smart kid," Alastor said, laughing and slapping the table. "I didn't even meet you before this moment. You only knew the impostor," he added, then turned his attention to Tonks. "I have you to thank for that," he said to her. "So, thanks," he finished gruffly.
"If it weren't for my clumsiness, then you might still be in that trunk," she said, not liking that it was her one fault that was the hero of the hour. She worked on her clumsiness all her life, and it was a sore spot for her. Nothing she tried helped, not even ballet lessons as a kid. That just caused her to be graceful in her falling over her own feet.
"Or dead," Moody said, taking a more realistic view. He knew Junior would kill him when he was done with him. That had never been in doubt.
"Or dead," she agreed, wrinkling her nose at the thought.
"So, what brings you by?" Sirius asked, bringing the conversation back to topic. He took his napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth. The gravy was great.
"I can't find Lupin. I've asked around and no one has seen him. No one is taking credit for his disappearance," the older man said, putting his silverware down for a moment while he talked.
"No one at all?" Tonks asked, her tone desperate. She had hoped that he would find something. The full moon was in a few days, and Remus would kill himself if he infected anyone. He had said it a million times, and she had no doubt that he would. She just hoped that he was secure.
"None, lassie," Alastor said, patting her on the shoulder.
"Have you heard anything about Voldemort?" Harry asked, not bothering with the hyphenated name. Most of them here used Voldy's name.
"Not even a whisper," the ex-Auror said, picking up his fork and spearing some broccoli. He had heard a few whispers, but he ignored them for now. They were from some unrelated people who had nothing to do with the Dark Lord. He was keeping his ears open though.
"That's good news, right?" the teen asked, looking around the table, but avoiding Sirius's gaze in case they gave each other away.
"I heard from Bones that the dark mark is gone," Tonks said as if that wasn't important news.
"Ay, I heard the same. Albus isn't going to like this news," Moody said, eating some mashed potatoes.
"Why? I don't understand that," Harry said, as he pushed his mostly empty plate away. "Does he want a war?" he asked, knowing the answer.
"Yes," came the answer from two people, Sirius and Alastor. Sirius waved to Alastor to explain.
Tonks just looked confused.
"I've lost faith in Albus," Moody said, still looking for spies or spying spells with his magical eye. "He knew I was in that trunk," he added, slamming his fist on the table making the cutlery jump and clatter. "He knew and left me there, just so that Harry would be kidnapped," he finished, once more putting both eyes on Harry.
"I thought as much," Sirius said, running his hand down his face. He looked to Harry who gave him a nod. He then told the other two adults about what they suspected about Dumbledore, still leaving Tom out, but including the potioning and Snape's involvement.
"If Snape is making Harry's potions, who is making the one for Hogwarts?" Tonks asked, not seeing why they wouldn't be coming from the potions master. "Bones told me about it," she said, at their confused looks. She then explained that she had lied to them earlier and what Bones thought was going on at Hogwarts.
"We don't know," Sirius said with a shrug. It didn't make sense to him either. They had tentatively crossed Molly off their list. "Maybe Dumbledore is making those himself, but wants Severus to make Harry's for some reason," he suggested.
"Maybe he's trying to get him to break his vow," Harry said, thinking that was the only thing that made sense.
"How do you figure?" Moody asked, trying to suss that one out.
"Snape made a vow to protect me. If he finds out that he's been dosing me to be loyal to my enemy then he has been hurting me," Harry said, looking at Sirius with horror. They had to get Snape to stop making those potions.
"I'll talk to him next time he's here," Sirius promised the teen. Now that Harry pointed it out, it did make some sense. Albus would do something like that if he thought he could hold it over Snape's head.
"So, are we still going to be going to the Order meetings?" Tonks wanted to know. She was unsure what they were going to be doing from here.
"Yes, nothing changes," Alastor said, he glared at her for even suggesting that they do anything different. "Albus can't know we know that he is less than light."
"I don't know if my acting is up to that," she confessed, looking to Harry who seemed to think the same. "Unless I'm flirting," she said, looking Harry up and down, and then winking at the teen causing him to blush.
"Then think of it as a big game," Sirius said, patting her on the arm. "You can do this. Treat it like an undercover mission for the Aurors," he suggested, thinking that that might just work.
"I can do that," she said, running a few scenarios through her head.
"You do that, girlie. I'm going to go and report to Albus," Moody said, wiping his mouth with his napkin and throwing it on his plate. "Thanks for the meal," he said and stomped his way to the floo.
"He's quite the character," Harry said once he was gone.
"You have no idea," Tonks said, putting her silverware on her plate now that she was done. "This was tame for him."
"I think that year in the trunk calmed him down a bit," Sirius said in agreement.
"Yeah," was all she could say to that.
Hphphp
Much like Remus Lupin, Dolores Umbridge woke up in a cell. Unlike Lupin, she didn't accept this circumstance at all. She started screaming at the top of her lungs, only to stop when she noted that she couldn't hear herself. Then she noticed that she was feeling a burning in her veins. Like a small fire was running through her body.
Her eyes got wide as she realized what was happening to her. It had been described to her many times. She knew the symptoms from those that she had condemned.
She had been bitten.
She started searching for the bite and found it on her left shoulder. It was huge, like a large dog with mostly human teeth had bitten her.
She fell to the floor and started screaming for a completely different reason. Wails were coming out of her mouth now. Her worst nightmare had come to pass. She, Dolores Umbridge, the Senior Undersecretary of the Minister was now a werewolf. Her life was over.
A man came just outside her cell, he sat there staring at her.
She was still having a nervous breakdown, so she didn't notice him. She was clawing her face and tears were flowing like rivers. She was rocking back and forth, in her own little world. She knew there was nothing left for her. She had seen to that herself. All the laws she had written now worked against her. Not even Cornelius could, or even would, help her.
She was damned.
Tom just watched the woman cry and throw her fit. He was dispassionate about it. She had brought it on herself. Those that yell the loudest, deserve to be caught in their own nets. It was one of the reasons he always talked softly.
He should just put her out of her misery, but he was getting a small kick out of her predicament. He didn't lie to Greyback. Her laws did set back his cause. He wondered what other punishments he should inflict upon her.
He could let her go on the full moon and have her be hunted by the Aurors. She was a new wolf; she would not know how to defend herself. He could promise her sanctuary, then deny it at the last minute. Nah, he liked to think he kept his promises. He did tell Harry he would kill her first.
He lifted his wand and shot the killing curse at her, and she fell dead to the floor. She never knew what hit her.
That was too bad, he would have had fun playing with her. He banished the body and now no one would ever know what happened to the Senior Undersecretary. Well, Greyback, but he would be dead soon too.
Now, the first shot had been fired in this war. He wondered what would happen from here.