Chapter 8
Dumbledore's Mistake
"I want to know where it is, Wormtail."
Harry knew he was in some dark, tightly enclosed space. The walls were dripping with water that was falling rather sinisterly, like blood from a torn vein. The room had an eerie echo to it as well, one that made the voices vibrate with disturbing ferocity.
"Yes, my Lord, I understand completely," a small, fretful voice squeaked. "I've tried so very hard to get it's location, but no one seems to know where it is. No animal either. I'll keep looking for it, my Lord, until you know all that you want." Harry immediately recognized the voice as Peter Pettigrew's, the man who had deceived all of his friends and caused the death of Harry's parents. So that must have meant that the cold, sneering drawl was coming from the mouth of Lord Voldemort. But then where was Harry?
"I'm quite disappointed in you Wormtail," Harry felt himself say. Were the words really coming from his own lips? "But then again, this can only be expected. A man of your statue and standing can only do so much. Or should I say, so little. This means I'll have to employ the use of another of my servants. But this will be difficult for me. And so, you must suffer for the trouble this will cause for me."
"Master, no, I-I-I beg of you please,"
"Crucio!" Harry bellowed, pointing his wand at the man, and at once Wormtail was on the ground, writhing and screaming in pain. Harry heard the cold, vicious laugh escape from his mouth. He didn't raise the wand for several minutes, and when he did, Wormtail was gasping for breath, heaving with streams of tears falling down his face.
"Now listen to me Wormtail," Harry whispered softly, his voice a teasing, but deadly warning. "Do not tell me you will do tasks that you cannot complete. The next time, the punishment will be far more grave. I trust that you will learn from this experience, as you do from all the others. Now be gone, continue your work for me, gathering the information in whatever filthy-rat manner that you use."
Harry awoke with his scar searing in pain. His scar had not hurt him at all this summer, and some how, the pain was worse than he had ever remembered before. He got up and went to the mirror to examine his scar. It seemed to him that it was glowing a charred, red color. Harry knew that he was seeing things from Lord Voldemort's mind again.
Immediately Harry went out into the hall, his first thought being that he needed to find Dumbledore and tell him about the dream. After what had happened last year, it was deathly important that Dumbledore should know about this event, for he would now be sure to tell Harry everything he needed to know. Harry had just shut the door gently behind him when he heard a noise in coming from the room across the hall. Cordelia's room.
Harry froze in his tracks. After a few moments, when he was sure that the door was not going to open, Harry approached it and put an ear to the wood. There was moaning coming from the room. He heard her thrash wildly against the pillow. Harry heard a sharp intake of breath and then there was silence. After a few moments, Harry heard Cordelia's even breathing.
The reason behind Cordelia's restless sleep was lost to Harry. He put the thoughts in the back of his mind and continued down the stairs. Harry followed the voices down the corridor. They stopped right in the room Harry had seen Snape go into earlier. Harry saw that the door was open a crack. Rather than going in, he sat down outside the door and listened for a while. It seemed that a meeting of the Order was in session.
"Are they aware that she's left?" Harry heard a voice say. He was almost positive that it was Mr. Weasley's.
"I'm positive that they know, Arthur," Harry heard Dumbledore say heavily. "The chateau was ransacked. It's in utter ruin. It has to be reassembled and restored. The only thing left standing was the frame."
"But why would they do it?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Why now, when they haven't been focused on her for nearly 11 years. It doesn't make sense to me. You think it would have been easier to do it years ago, rather than go after her when every witch and wizard in the world is on edge."
"It would have been easier, Molly," Harry heard Kinglsey say. "But it wouldn't have been convenient. Madame Rousseau is dead now. It made Cordelia vulnerable, and we all know that Voldemort has a tendency to take advantage of the weakest of conditions. It was all about the right moment."
Harry heard a step behind him and turned. Ron was standing there, he obviously woken from a restless sleep as well. Harry didn't know how long he had been standing there, and Harry and Ron looked at one another, but dared not to speak.
"Why don't they just use MacNair?" Tonks asked. "Alastor and Darius Brown caught him, and Fudge puts him in custody to just let him sit? From what Arthur has told us, Fudge won't even let him be interrogated! The key to this great conundrum could be sitting in that damned cell and Fudge is too scared to use it!"
"You're right, Tonks. He's still scared of being overthrown. He's afraid that if ANY information on the Death Eaters gets out, and the wizarding world doesn't like the action he takes, he'll be overthrown or removed from office. That's why he won't take any major action. And that's why he's been going to Albus for advice, which I must say, is the smartest thing he's ever done."
"Even if he used MacNair, interrogating him would be of no use," Dumbledore said.
"Why not?" Remus asked, turning to face him.
"Because he'd be dead before he uttered the words," Snape interrupted, speaking for the first time. "Lord Voldemort has many different ways of keeping his various entanglements secret. Information as precious as this would be protected with a Betrayal Curse. So even if MacNair knew all that we need to know, which I doubt he does, not being one of the highestly held Death Eaters, I'm sure that he wouldn't have the chance to tell us anything."
"How can you be so sure that the Consequence of the curse would be death? I'm sure there are worse things Voldemort could do," Remus said.
"Oh, there are. But believe me," -Snape looked darkly around the table, his sneer showing a subtle hint of some other emotion, and spoke the next words softly- "there would be nothing else."
The table was quiet for a long moment. Then a new voice spoke.
"I still don't know if it's a good idea to have her anywhere around headquarters," Mad-Eye Moody said. "I think it would be better to get rid of the threat, rather than to harbor it."
"Alastor! How could you say something like that! She's a sixteen year-old girl, and her grandmother just died." Mrs. Weasley looked at Mad- Eye as if he were demented.
"I'm aware Molly. I'm just wondering exactly how aware each of you are."
"Excuse me?" Mr. Weasley said, raising an eyebrow at Moody. "Just what are you getting at?"
"All I'm saying," Moody replied, taking a long drink from his hip flask, "is that I for one, am against having someone who could so easily destroy our operation live under the roof of headquarters." Moody's magical eye rolled swiftly around in its socket and rested its gaze on the inside of the door, exactly opposite where Harry and Ron were sitting. Knowing that they'd been caught, Ron cursed silently and started heading up the stairs noiselessly. Harry had begun to follow until another voice spoke.
"Why don't you just say what you're hinting at for wizard's sake," Mrs. Weasley said exasperatedly.
"Oh you didn't know?" Moody savored the next words as he spoke them, as though they were some delectable morsel of news. "Cordelia's mum, Rellivia? We believe that she's a Death Eater."
Authors Note: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for reading my little fanfic, I'm so happy you enjoy it! I didn't want to put too much out there in the beginning, but the answers to all of the questions that you left me are coming up very soon. And just to say, some of you may think Cordelia might ruin the good things going on between Harry, Ron and Hermione, but let me say, she's going to add to the story, and make things far more interesting. With that note, enjoy!
"I want to know where it is, Wormtail."
Harry knew he was in some dark, tightly enclosed space. The walls were dripping with water that was falling rather sinisterly, like blood from a torn vein. The room had an eerie echo to it as well, one that made the voices vibrate with disturbing ferocity.
"Yes, my Lord, I understand completely," a small, fretful voice squeaked. "I've tried so very hard to get it's location, but no one seems to know where it is. No animal either. I'll keep looking for it, my Lord, until you know all that you want." Harry immediately recognized the voice as Peter Pettigrew's, the man who had deceived all of his friends and caused the death of Harry's parents. So that must have meant that the cold, sneering drawl was coming from the mouth of Lord Voldemort. But then where was Harry?
"I'm quite disappointed in you Wormtail," Harry felt himself say. Were the words really coming from his own lips? "But then again, this can only be expected. A man of your statue and standing can only do so much. Or should I say, so little. This means I'll have to employ the use of another of my servants. But this will be difficult for me. And so, you must suffer for the trouble this will cause for me."
"Master, no, I-I-I beg of you please,"
"Crucio!" Harry bellowed, pointing his wand at the man, and at once Wormtail was on the ground, writhing and screaming in pain. Harry heard the cold, vicious laugh escape from his mouth. He didn't raise the wand for several minutes, and when he did, Wormtail was gasping for breath, heaving with streams of tears falling down his face.
"Now listen to me Wormtail," Harry whispered softly, his voice a teasing, but deadly warning. "Do not tell me you will do tasks that you cannot complete. The next time, the punishment will be far more grave. I trust that you will learn from this experience, as you do from all the others. Now be gone, continue your work for me, gathering the information in whatever filthy-rat manner that you use."
Harry awoke with his scar searing in pain. His scar had not hurt him at all this summer, and some how, the pain was worse than he had ever remembered before. He got up and went to the mirror to examine his scar. It seemed to him that it was glowing a charred, red color. Harry knew that he was seeing things from Lord Voldemort's mind again.
Immediately Harry went out into the hall, his first thought being that he needed to find Dumbledore and tell him about the dream. After what had happened last year, it was deathly important that Dumbledore should know about this event, for he would now be sure to tell Harry everything he needed to know. Harry had just shut the door gently behind him when he heard a noise in coming from the room across the hall. Cordelia's room.
Harry froze in his tracks. After a few moments, when he was sure that the door was not going to open, Harry approached it and put an ear to the wood. There was moaning coming from the room. He heard her thrash wildly against the pillow. Harry heard a sharp intake of breath and then there was silence. After a few moments, Harry heard Cordelia's even breathing.
The reason behind Cordelia's restless sleep was lost to Harry. He put the thoughts in the back of his mind and continued down the stairs. Harry followed the voices down the corridor. They stopped right in the room Harry had seen Snape go into earlier. Harry saw that the door was open a crack. Rather than going in, he sat down outside the door and listened for a while. It seemed that a meeting of the Order was in session.
"Are they aware that she's left?" Harry heard a voice say. He was almost positive that it was Mr. Weasley's.
"I'm positive that they know, Arthur," Harry heard Dumbledore say heavily. "The chateau was ransacked. It's in utter ruin. It has to be reassembled and restored. The only thing left standing was the frame."
"But why would they do it?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "Why now, when they haven't been focused on her for nearly 11 years. It doesn't make sense to me. You think it would have been easier to do it years ago, rather than go after her when every witch and wizard in the world is on edge."
"It would have been easier, Molly," Harry heard Kinglsey say. "But it wouldn't have been convenient. Madame Rousseau is dead now. It made Cordelia vulnerable, and we all know that Voldemort has a tendency to take advantage of the weakest of conditions. It was all about the right moment."
Harry heard a step behind him and turned. Ron was standing there, he obviously woken from a restless sleep as well. Harry didn't know how long he had been standing there, and Harry and Ron looked at one another, but dared not to speak.
"Why don't they just use MacNair?" Tonks asked. "Alastor and Darius Brown caught him, and Fudge puts him in custody to just let him sit? From what Arthur has told us, Fudge won't even let him be interrogated! The key to this great conundrum could be sitting in that damned cell and Fudge is too scared to use it!"
"You're right, Tonks. He's still scared of being overthrown. He's afraid that if ANY information on the Death Eaters gets out, and the wizarding world doesn't like the action he takes, he'll be overthrown or removed from office. That's why he won't take any major action. And that's why he's been going to Albus for advice, which I must say, is the smartest thing he's ever done."
"Even if he used MacNair, interrogating him would be of no use," Dumbledore said.
"Why not?" Remus asked, turning to face him.
"Because he'd be dead before he uttered the words," Snape interrupted, speaking for the first time. "Lord Voldemort has many different ways of keeping his various entanglements secret. Information as precious as this would be protected with a Betrayal Curse. So even if MacNair knew all that we need to know, which I doubt he does, not being one of the highestly held Death Eaters, I'm sure that he wouldn't have the chance to tell us anything."
"How can you be so sure that the Consequence of the curse would be death? I'm sure there are worse things Voldemort could do," Remus said.
"Oh, there are. But believe me," -Snape looked darkly around the table, his sneer showing a subtle hint of some other emotion, and spoke the next words softly- "there would be nothing else."
The table was quiet for a long moment. Then a new voice spoke.
"I still don't know if it's a good idea to have her anywhere around headquarters," Mad-Eye Moody said. "I think it would be better to get rid of the threat, rather than to harbor it."
"Alastor! How could you say something like that! She's a sixteen year-old girl, and her grandmother just died." Mrs. Weasley looked at Mad- Eye as if he were demented.
"I'm aware Molly. I'm just wondering exactly how aware each of you are."
"Excuse me?" Mr. Weasley said, raising an eyebrow at Moody. "Just what are you getting at?"
"All I'm saying," Moody replied, taking a long drink from his hip flask, "is that I for one, am against having someone who could so easily destroy our operation live under the roof of headquarters." Moody's magical eye rolled swiftly around in its socket and rested its gaze on the inside of the door, exactly opposite where Harry and Ron were sitting. Knowing that they'd been caught, Ron cursed silently and started heading up the stairs noiselessly. Harry had begun to follow until another voice spoke.
"Why don't you just say what you're hinting at for wizard's sake," Mrs. Weasley said exasperatedly.
"Oh you didn't know?" Moody savored the next words as he spoke them, as though they were some delectable morsel of news. "Cordelia's mum, Rellivia? We believe that she's a Death Eater."
Authors Note: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for reading my little fanfic, I'm so happy you enjoy it! I didn't want to put too much out there in the beginning, but the answers to all of the questions that you left me are coming up very soon. And just to say, some of you may think Cordelia might ruin the good things going on between Harry, Ron and Hermione, but let me say, she's going to add to the story, and make things far more interesting. With that note, enjoy!