Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except plotlines, clans and their members, and Grey Tower.
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Chapter Ten: Of Interrogations and Arguments
"-so I beat him. It was his fault; he made everything bad, the freak. I needed to punish him for all that he did." Vernon Dursley's eyes were blank and he answered every single question obediently. He had been taken under custody and was now being questioned under the truth potion, Veritaserum, about the abuse of one Harry Potter. The interrogators: the paranoid Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the levelheaded Kingsley Shacklebolt, and the seething former convict Sirius Black. The last of the three mentioned was barely keeping his control. His fists kept clenching and unclenching, as if wanted to pummel the life out of the man before him. He was not the only one, though: Moody's normal eye was twitching, which was not a good sign. Also he kept reaching for his wand, only just stopping himself from grasping it and cursing the 'disgusting piece of filth'. Shacklebolt looked appalled at what he was hearing, but needed to be calm so they could get all the information out of the muggle. That was probably the reason he was chosen to be here in this dingy interrogation room, since Moody and Sirius had enough experience at this already.
Shacklebolt asked, "What were Harry Potter's injuries the last time you saw him?" The quill and parchment lying on the table between all of those present was writing every single statement or phrase that was made. It was poised on its tip, ready to take notes.
"I don't know. Or care. As long as he suffered, I was happy. And he did, I made sure of that."
"Why did you continue to hurt Harry Potter if he was already grievously, possibly fatally, injured?"
"He didn't show any emotion. Never screamed or cried, just looked at me. I hurt him more, but he still didn't make a sound. I wanted him to scream, but the freak didn't!" Vernon's breathing rate was slowly, but steadily, increasing. The interrogators weren't paying much attention to that, though.
"What happened to Harry Potter's owl, Hedwig?"
"Killed her. He could've contacted the other freaks to get him. So could Petunia, she was feeling pity for her freakish sister's son. I needed to prevent that, so I strangled and burned it right in front of the freak's eyes. He attacked me, but I still killed it. Beat him even harder for daring to hurt me."
Control yourself. Don't lose it, Black. He might know where Harry is. We need him alive. Killing him won't help you or Harry. However, it was difficult for Sirius to not just beat the pulp out of the muggle who made his godson go through so much pain after what happened at the Triwizard Tournament. Shacklebolt, after checking that neither Sirius nor Moody were going to do anything drastic, continued with his questioning. It looked like he was also having problems from letting his temper fly loose as well. "Harry Potter disappeared from your household the night of July 28th. How did he vanish?"
"I don't know. He did something freakish and then he was gone."
"What do you know about Harry Potter's disappearance?"
"A whirlwind appeared in the house and he was in the middle of it. He was most likely the cause of it, too. When it was gone, so was he. I tried to run."
"Why did you attempt to run?"
"To get away from the Blue Eyes. A shadow woman with blue eyes, he brought her! Blasted freak cursed me! She stares at me, hating me, wanting me dead. They have the same look." Vernon's breaths came in sharp gasps and he was sweating profusely. His brown eyes lost their blank look and became dilated. Beads of sweat were fast forming on his head. He shouted at them, "I hope he's dead!" He then started to laugh hysterically.
Sirius had enough. Jumping out of his seat, he punched Vernon hard in the face. He would have done more, but Moody and Shacklebolt grasped both of his arms and were holding him back. But the insane fool continued to cackle maniacally, seeming not to notice the furious man being restrained from beating him to his own death.
"I can't believe this is happening." Remus Lupin said this to Severus Snape as they sat gazing at the dying embers of the fire. Number 12 Grimmauld Place had been full of mayhem since Snape had returned from Privet Drive without Harry. The ministry had been informed, but word of Harry's disappearance had not reached the ears of the press yet.
"As much as we don't want to think it is, it's happening. Don't blind yourself to the truth," tersely replied Snape. He was his usual condescending, uncomforting self.
Remus glared at him, gold-brown wolf eyes glinting dangerously. "You don't even care that Harry's out there, possibly dying, do you?"
"Yes, I have some pity and concern for Potter's well-being, but unlike some people," he returned with veiled anger. "I'm not letting it get to me. For one thing, brooding won't help the boy out and secondly, you don't risk your life going to Death Eater meetings."
"How can you be such a cold-hearted git?!"
"I am not being 'cold-hearted' as you say, Lupin, so keep your temper. I believe it's called 'rational thinking'. The only people acting worse than you are Black, Granger, and the Weasleys. Running around without thinking won't get us anywhere."
"I believe that you should pay attention to what Severus says, Remus. He does have the right idea in mind." Dumbledore, looking especially old and wizened in the dim firelight, tiredly walked into the room. He practically collapsed in an armchair in between the two younger men. "There's been nothing. The Dursleys don't know anything."
Snape's smug smirk at being complimented by Dumbledore was wiped off his face. "What do you mean? According to Potter's cousin, the uncle was right there when he vanished."
"Mr. Dursley, under interrogation by Veritaserum, said that he didn't know what happened. He said that all of the sudden there was a whirlwind with Harry at the center of it. When it was gone, so was Harry."
Remus asked, "Wouldn't that qualify as accidental magic? Surely, that would have registered on the Ministry sensors. If what he says is true and there was a whirlwind, then something must have picked up a magic signal THAT big."
"I checked. Absolutely nothing turned up. I know it sounds impossible, but it's true."
Dumbledore sighed. It suddenly occurred to Snape that though Dumbledore was incredible and wise, even he was human. Humans make mistakes.
"He may have been lying. The potion could have been flawed," said Remus. It was obvious by the werewolf's tone of voice that he was just grasping at straws.
Snape was still offended. "Are you, Lupin, implying that my potions are defective?"
"Calm down, gentlemen!" Dumbledore didn't need a fight to break out; they had enough to worry about. "Severus, did Harry's cousin tell you anything else?"
"Well, he did say something extremely odd…he said he knew that Potter, wherever he was, was okay…" I'm not going to forget that conversation anytime soon.
()()()()()()()
Snape was waiting for a full ten minutes before Potter's cousin (Was it Dudley?) showed up at their agreed meeting place. He was annoyed at the boy's tardiness. The park was deserted and looked pretty run down. It was also concealed from view by a great deal of trees. No one in his or her right mind would come here. Nevertheless, he set up silencing charms to prevent eavesdropping. One never knew who was listing. Granted, he was scowling spectacularly when Dudley arrived. "You arranged the meeting place, so I expected you NOT to be late!"
"It took me longer than I thought, alright! My father wanted a whole description of you."
"Description?"
"Let's just say that you're now a small pushy man with a stutter wearing suspenders and a boater's hat, going door-to-door selling poor quality brushes." Dudley seemed mildly amused by this.
I'm not paid enough for this. "Well, despite the fact that I'm going to kill Potter when I see him because of this, where is he?" Seeing the teen's face turn resolutely set against saying anything, he sighed in frustration. "I was only joking. I'd probably just give him fifty detentions."
The adolescent stood up straighter. Obviously, the technique he used to scare so many of his wizarding students wasn't daunting this muggle. Okay, I've got to give more credit for to their kind for nerve, I guess. Dudley then said, "I hope you are, I'm not sending my cousin to someplace where he could get hurt even more. If I could anyway."
There were many things wrong with that sentence. "What do you mean 'where he could get hurt anymore'? Also care to explain what you mean by 'if I could'?"
"That's it. He's gone."
"What?!" Isn't this just a pretty kettle of fish?!
"Harry's been missing since the night of July 28th. Not to mention he was in pretty bad shape."
Potter's gone! He would make this difficult, the brat. Wait a minute. "Enlighten me on how he got to be in 'bad shape', Mr. Dursley."
"My father," Dudley answered. "He doesn't like magic or wizards at all. He thinks it's unnatural. Combine that with all the bad things that have happened over the past year-"
"I get the idea." The press is going to have a field day. "What did Potter do?"
The boy did some serious thinking. "Since I really didn't see him, I'm not all too sure. But my mother said that he had seemed to have given up on everything."
"Typical Potter."
"Are you saying my cousin is weak?!" Apparently, Dudley Dursley didn't want to hear that coming from a person who was supposed to help. "He's been through a whole lot, but still remained a good person, when a majority of people would have become nothing more than uncaring trash! You've seen what he's done, tell me that he's a coward!"
Snape took a few surprised steps back at this angry outburst. Then he regained his self-composure when he realized that a muggle was yelling at him. "How dare you raise your voice at me…"
'I dare because I don't care that you're a wizard. Just because you have magic DOESN'T MEAN I'M SCARED OF YOU!" His blue eyes were blazing with rage as he roared this at the shocked potions master.
()()()()()()()
"My estimation of muggles has gone up quite bit after that," commented Snape lightly. "But I still dislike them."
Dumbledore nodded while Remus held his head in his hands. That's right. Hide yourself from the collapsing world. That'll help Potter. "You said that after he told you everything he knew about what happened, he said that he was sure that Harry was alright and safe."
"Right, Headmaster. He said something about a 'Shadow Goddess' watching over Potter. The cousin thought that whoever this was helped him out of the house. I really don't know what to think about that."
A small smile formed on the elder wizard's face. "Truly? Here I thought you would just dismiss that as nothing."
It is unlike me, isn't it? "Potter's cousin said he was dying from a heart condition while this was all happening. He couldn't even leave his bed."
"That doesn't make sense," came the muffled response from Remus. "If he was bed-ridden and dying, what was he doing up talking to you?"
"Glad you're joining the conversation, Lupin," sneered Snape, but he stopped his baiting because of a stern look from Dumbledore. "That 'Shadow Goddess' gave him a second chance at life, he said, as well as promising Potter's well-being. He described her as a woman made up entirely of shadows and darkness, with striking blue eyes."
Dumbledore looked extremely intrigued by this. "Those were his exact words?"
"Yes. Most likely it is some ridiculous notion of the boy's. I'm sorry I brought it up."
"It is alright, Severus, but this interests me. I have a copy of the report from the interrogation of Vernon Dursley. He said the 'Blue Eyes' followed him and that Harry brought her upon him. The description of father and son were the same: a shadow woman with blue eyes. I don't think it is coincidence, since we do know that Harry is alive."
Remus' head shot up from his scrutiny of the aged carpet. "How do you-'
Dumbledore held up a small green crystal in his wrinkled hand. It had a light within it, burning strong. "James and Lily created this for Harry before they died. This is a maryoku crystal and they are both extremely rare and difficult to create. It is like a status signal for a wizard, in this case Harry's. As you can see the light inside is bright. That indicates that Harry is alive and relatively well. It could also track him-"
"What are we waiting for then?!" Remus sprang out of his seat in his excitement. "Let's use it to find him!"
"I thought the same thing when I remembered this was in the Potter vault. However," Dumbledore continued, examining the small gem. "Something is preventing it from doing so. I don't know why that is happening, maryoku crystals are tamperproof."
Snape contemplated the fire. "You're kidding. I know maryoku crystals can't be changed to reflect something else. It's imposs-"
"Severus, know that there are other magicks out there and never overlook them. Be aware that greater beings than we humans watch over our short lives. Grandson, be careful in your life for demons walk among us and live within our very hearts…"
"What was that, Severus?"
"What?" Snape looked sharply at the headmaster, who was observing him with curiosity evident in his eyes.
"What did you say? About magicks, greater beings, demons, and such?"
"Oh." He hated being caught like this. Did I really say that out loud? Apparently. 'They were my grandmother's last words before she died. I…I don't know where that came from. She died years ago."
What Severus Snape didn't like about this was the feeling of hidden meaning beneath his grandmother's last words. There was more to what she said to him on her deathbed when he was six, but he couldn't recall them straight away.
"Do you think Harry's alright, Ron?" Hermione was looking worriedly out the window, as though her missing friend would suddenly appear outside on their doorstep.
Ron, lying on his back on his bed and staring blankly at the ceiling, started at her question. They had been in silence, lost in their own thoughts, for quite a while. "I'm sure he is, Hermione. He does have the devil's own luck. Harry's the Boy-Who-Lived, he'll come back."
This didn't calm the intelligent witch at all. "I hope so. It is awful knowing what happened to him. And we couldn't do anything to help him."
"I know. Sirius is taking it pretty hard and so is Remus. They really had their hopes up."
"Ginny is still crying?"
"Yep. It doesn't look like she's going to stop soon either. Do you think that You-Know-Who is behind all this?"
"No. Professor Snape would have let us know if he were. Also Voldemort would have told everyone by now if he did. He'd flaunt that he had the savior of the wizarding world in his hands."
Ron looked at her, horrified. He hissed, "You said his name!"
Hermione turned him, her expression determined. "I know and I'll say it again if I have to. Harry was afraid to and then neither will I. We have to be strong. For his sake."
"What do you mean he's gone?!"
Voldemort visibly trembled under the wrathful ire of the deity. He could dimly see her image in the seeing pool she used to communicate with him. The glassy surface had a disconcerting red tint to it. "My lady, I am sorry. But Potter isn't really a threat to our plan so it is no matter."
The next thing he knew he was thrown violently into the chamber's stone wall. "Silence, fool! As long as Potter exists he is a risk to our plans and though Riddle has been incapacitated, so is he!"
"I'm sorry, Lady. I wasn't thinking."
"No, you weren't! If you don't shape up, we'll never open the Dark Gateway of Tartarus!"
"Yes, of course, Lady. Forgive me."
"By opening the Dark Gateway, I'll finally be able to exact my revenge. Potter's disappearance is important. It means that Melania is back and trying to stop me. We must tread cautiously."
"But Lady, what can Melania do? She is just the goddess of darkness. Heaven will not take her side if she goes against your greatness."
"Not necessarily. Melania has much more influence over matters concerning the immortals than you think. But attacking openly now would only work to her disadvantage. That is why she's doing so indirectly. Both Tom Riddle and Harry Potter are the keys to her victory and our defeat, so she will make sure that they aren't harmed. The fact that she cares for them deeply gives them even greater defenses." She paused. "I must go. Remember to keep your demon identity a secret. Those Death Eaters would leave you immediately if they found out. That would not be good for our plans."
"Of course, Lady."
"Don't fail me again, Voldemort. What I give I can take away just as quickly." The image vanished from the seeing pool. The demon fell to his knees when he was sure that she was gone. She was always difficult to deal with.
***
Thanks for reading and please review. I'm sorry I didn't update on the 2nd! I hope you forgive me. I hate not accomplishing things I feel need to be done.
Too bad that Moody and Shacklebolt were there, and then Sirius probably would've killed Vernon. Dumbledore probably foresaw that and that's why they were there to begin with. As you can see this hit Remus and Sirius pretty hard. They promised to take care of Harry and look what happens. The Weasleys and Hermione are not doing so well either. Wait until the Daily Prophet comes in. What Severus' grandmother said is very important as well as who she is.
We also get a glimpse of who is actually pulling the strings on the whole Voldemort situation. Melania and Thanatos referred to her as 'she' or 'her' in Chapter Nine. Voldemort is pretty scared of her, huh? The Dark Gateway is why Tartarus is so important in the storyline. And she knows that both Tom and Harry can stop her. But Melania prevented her from getting Harry and though she couldn't save Tom's body, she saved his soul.
Next chapter might be up by Monday, August 4th. As I said before: no guarantees since I'm writing longer chapters. I hope I do manage it though. It should be about Harry, Zylle, Number 14 Zephyrus Court, and the most exhausting sport in the world: shopping. A vampire will feature here, a very fashion-savvy one. Wish me luck!
-Raven Dragonclaw
Reviewers:
visbond: Thank you.
GrimmyD: Thanks for reading!
Slim: Thanks.
Christina: I'm glad that you enjoy the story so much!
Wolfmoon: Thanks for reading! You're my 100th reviewer! Kudos! We get a quick look at Tartarus while we're here and rest assured, the Dark Gateway is very important. There's a reason why Melania (the Dark Lady) does not want that thing open. Needless to say, it's good one. I chose it for both its meanings actually. In Greek myth, Tartarus was the lowest level of the underworld and where all the souls of the wicked ended up. These souls were to be forever tortured endlessly for their crimes. It was a plus that it meant "Hell" in Latin, too. I hoped you liked this chapter!
Rachel A. Prongs: I'm sorry that confused you. What happened was the Melania (the Dark Lady) had closed the doors to her castle because she was out helping Harry in the mortal realm. The souls that needed to be judged were waiting outside. She needed to get back to work. Black Wolf is the annoying voice of reason and as a statue stuck to a banister: he gets bored. He was in a high position in Tartarus before Erebus, Melania's father, got annoyed with him and tried to destroy him. Nyx, Melania's mother, saved the statue and gave him to her. That's why Black Wolf holds 'Lady Nyx' in such high regard. Thanatos is Melania's older brother, otherwise known as the Grim Reaper. He's Death, but he likes to have fun. The reapers are his underlings. Even Death needs help. I hoped that helped you. Harry might get over his blocks. It all depends on his training. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter!
Zaz: Thanks for reading! Glad to know you liked it.
Prd2bAmerican18: Thank you!
maria rosenfire: Don't worry, I'm not offended! Constructive criticism is a good thing. The plot does seem disjointed, but everything fits together. It's just that we're skimming the surface of the plot. Thanks for reviewing and telling me it's overall good, though!
Unclear-Destiny: I doubt I'm as good as a professional writer, but thank you nonetheless! I'm glad the grammar is okay in this: I've never paid much attention to it in my boring English class. But grammar is important in a story: I'll have to agree with you there. More characters are going to be introduced, A LOT of them! I'm glad you like the names, even if they are sort of weird. Thanks for reading and I'm happy to know that you love the story!
azntgr01: Thanks for reading! I haven't taken the SATs yet, but my brother has. He said they're horrible and considering that he usually finds tests easy, I believe him. Harry will get more difficult tests though i.e. through Sarah (be afraid here) and also when he goes to school (which is going to pretty far off, but he's going to school in Grey Tower).
Temporary Insanity: I'm trying to make the chapters longer since things are becoming more complicated. I put the different points of view together, so that we get a well-rounded view of what's going on in the minds of several people at the same time. It is cliché, but though Harry has the potential to use all the elements at a high level, he has several blocks that prevent him from doing so. I wasn't trying to make a Gary Stu. Harry does have his faults and his powers are limited in certain ways, but we haven't seen these limitations yet. It's good to know that you like the story and the plot, though.
fanfictionfanatic: Thanks for reviewing again! I'm glad to know that the chapter was cool.
Queen Seta/Remmy the Insane: My name is also normal (well, sort of. It's not spelled in the conventional way), but my mother did this because she has a very weird first name of her own. My mother, being very practical, hates this so gave me a normal name. I'm glad to know that you agree with me on the romance tangent. Thanks for reviewing!
Liedral: I included that in for a reason. It amused me to think that there would be someone who keeps getting killed in every lifetime by his vengeful wife's soul. This was to show that the reapers were going to be important to this. Such as Annie Kentworth, the blonde reaper we saw. As we will soon see, life in Number 14 Zephyrus Court is very chaotic, but Zylle will be happy that Harry's there.
Savi2070: That is one of the reasons I like to update fast. I know of several good fics that haven't updated in a long time (one in over a year!) and I don't want that to happen to Elemental Genesis. Thanks for reading and it's good to know you liked the chapter!
Tanya Dinocrisis01: Thanks!
fullsailnate: Thanks for your compliments! It does wonder for my self-esteem. And my self-esteem is what keeps this fic going. I'm glad to know you like the plot and the characters. Since there are going to be many new characters, it's good to know the few I've introduced are okay. I'm happy to answer your questions! Thanks keep up with this!
Arsenal: Thanks for reading! Yes, Vernon has cracked and now current events are probably not helping him any. Too much detail can be as disastrous as not enough, so it's good to hear that. To answer the question that you asked in your e-mail, Harry isn't in another reality. The elemental community was as you said, cut off from the wizarding and muggle worlds. But they might see more of a connection between muggles, since intermarriage between them is a common thing. I hope that answered your question. Thank you for reading and for giving me your input. It's good to know I have a fan!
Wytil: I've hated that exact thing with how JKR described it as well. That's why we see elemental magic here, but that is also limited in some ways. Remember what Severus' grandmother said about different kinds of magic: there are also other kinds than elemental. They'll come in later though. Training is bound to be alternately intense and funny, since Harry is largely inexperienced, Zylle is very tough, and Sarah is Sarah. That is a wonderful song to go with 2 level 6 Wind elementals!
gaul: Good to know that your previous questions were answered and as you can see, the Death Eaters don't know that Voldemort is a demon. His plans would be ruined without them so he's keeping them in the dark. I'm glad to know that you liked the chapter.
Kalorna Enera: I'm sorry if the conversation confused you, but it's good to know that you got the main idea of it. I was unsure if people would find that part funny, but I'm happy that you did. It's to show that not everything is serious and grim around the deities, especially with Death. Don't you just wish that Moody and Shacklebolt weren't there? But at least he got a good hit there.
Jordan: I'm sorry to say that Harry isn't related to any of the elemental clans. He did get his power though from a very important relative. If you look back on Chapter Three, you notice that Tom says he and Harry are distantly related. It is this relative who is the one who has that power and they come in later. You're right again! Like Black Wolf, Hedwig was once "White Owl", part of the Throne of Tartarus. But since she didn't annoy the Dark Lady's father, he turned her into an animal. Thanks for reading!
crystal, lily, james, and sirius: I'm glad to know that you like the story! I don't mind questions; it just shows that you're interested! I hope you like this chapter
Sophie W: Thanks for reviewing and I'll try to update soon!
Gyr: Thanks for reading and I'm glad to know that you like my story. Dudley knows that his father was beating Harry and he was in pretty bad shape from his mother and deducing it on his own. About Harry disappearing in the whirlwind, he learned that from Petunia. Basically, Petunia tried to sugarcoat the situation so Dudley wouldn't be so upset, but in the end he knew what was happening by reading in-between the lines. Snape will lose the image of Harry's perfect home-life and show some pity, but not a lot. He will still dislike Harry.
The fact that everyone is reincarnated is extremely important. Though it does give us some insight into the afterlife, the unfulfilled destinies will affect Harry. I'm happy to know that you enjoy the Brian Jennings scene. That scene was also to hint on how the reapers, like Annie Kentworth, will be important.
You're right when you guessed that the elements are semi-sentient. Part of the element is controlled by the elemental and connected to them, but a part of it still remains tied to nature. At certain times, an elemental would not be able to call on their power at all. The sentient part of it would immediately halt any attempt at control if it felt that the elemental was doing something wrong. However, they don't have favorites. Sarah and Zylle will further explain this next chapter and when Harry's training begins. I know it seems sort of troublesome, which is why Harry tried to sway Mirabelle to a different name. Night will be his nickname here, but his formal name on papers would be Nuitari Hawking. Thanks for telling me my names were appropriate; I was sort of worried about that.
B0B: Thanks for showing interest in this story!
Ankalagon: I didn't know I had fans! I'll try not to keep them waiting.
Mira-chan: Thanks for reading again! Don't worry about it, we all forget. The clan names are Japanese (I hope my dictionary is correct on the meanings, it'd be embarrassing if it weren't). These are the meanings. Arashi-Tenku=Storm, Sky. Kiri-Kaminari=Mist, Thunder. Eikou-Taiyou=Glorious, Sun. Seijaku-Shinrin=Silent, Forest Rekka-Ki=Wildfire, Spirit.
There are other clans in England, but they aren't important to the story at the moment. I hoped that answered your question.
Tropic: Thanks for reading and reviewing again.
Renee Fay: I'm glad you liked the part about Brian Jennings (yes, you had his name right). I was thinking about making a little story about what's been happening to him, but I'm not sure whether to do it or not. Don't worry, Sirius is staying and not leaving! I love Padfoot and it upset me deeply when JK killed him off. But rest assured, he's staying alive in this! We get to see much more of Sarah next chapter and we will also meet the crazy neighbor, Hans!
