Chapter Fourteen: Merry Bloody Christmas

"When?" Harry strode through the halls of the Ministry towards his office. The place was all but deserted, as it was Christmas Day.

"Early this morning," Bill replied, striding next to him.

Ron, on the other side, breathed out angrily. "It's bloody Christmas!"

"Probably why they chose to do it today," Harry said, taking the final turn down the hallway to his offices. "Fewer people about. Where is he being held?"

"I've got Shack holding him in the meeting room next to your office," Bill replied.

Harry opened the door to Meeting Room One with a blast of magic from his hand from eight feet away and kept walking, without pause, through the doorway. Ron and Bill glanced at each other. Harry angry wasn't a good thing. Harry angry and feeling betrayed was worse.

Harry glanced around the room. There was a single man sitting at the long conference table, his head resting on his folded arms on the tabletop. Standing about the room were four aurors, in addition to Kingsley Shacklebolt, who stood behind the slumped figure.

"Shack," Harry nodded his greeting.

"Merry bloody Christmas, Harry," Kingsley said, a humorless smile on his face. "Here to open your present?"

Harry smiled tiredly at the man. Shack had a rather odd sense of humor at times.

Sitting down across from the slumped figure, he took a deep breath.

"You have one way, and only one way, of saving your neck, so I suggest you start talking," he said.

The figure stiffened, but then straightened. The man was probably in his late twenties, unremarkable except for a long, thin scar running over his chin, down his neck and beneath the collar of his robes. He had dark eyes, and dark hair, and reminded Harry strangely of Tom Riddle.

"You think I'm stupid?" he asked. "Nothing you can do to me would compare to..."

"You need to rethink that," Harry interrupted him. "And remember that there has been a reinstatement of the High Treason laws."

The younger man's eyes showed alarm for a moment. Obviously he hadn't thought of that. But then, after a moment, his eyes glazed over again.

"Do your worst," he smiled at Harry. "You can't convict me of High Treason based on what you've got. I was just... in to work early this morning. I had some things to finish up. My dedication to my work should be admired."

Harry smiled. It wasn't a very nice smile, and the younger man swallowed nervously.

"You were in a restricted area, with no clearance, during off hours, and we have evidence you were attempting to access personal information from the voters lists. You were abusing your position at the Ministry to acquire information that you have no business with. And you attacked a Ministry guard who attempted to stop you. All of this was done, I may add, while wearing Death Eater robes and mask. That, my friend, gives us a strong case for treason."

Harry picked up a file from the tabletop, opening it and reading. "Michael Rooney. Twenty eight. Employed in the office of Muggle relations for the past three years. Worked under Kilborn. Interesting. Now, working with Donald Freeling. Very verbal about your... disagreement with the appointment of Marilyn Prewitt to the office of Minister. I wonder why? Father, Ryan Rooney, Death Eater under Voldemort, as I remember it..."

"So?"

"So?" Harry smiled. "This, in addition to your father's record, gives me everything I need to seize everything your family owns. Your father died in the final battle with Voldemort, but I see you have three sisters and your mother..."

Rooney swallowed.

"I hope that your Dark Lord is in a generous mood. For their sakes. I understand that finding employment can be an issue for the families of convicted Death Eaters," Harry's eyes lowered back down to the file. "Hogwarts. Slytherin. Big surprise there..."

The man was simmering, but remained silent.

"Let's cut the crap, shall we?" Harry closed the file and slammed it down on the table. His green eyes were piercing as they stared through the man seated across from him. "The issue here is that you were caught, red handed. We know who you are, and what you've been doing, but we're also aware that you're just a junior member of the club."

Harry stood and walked to the window, looking out on the overcast winter day.

"This is the deal," he turned quickly back, catching the man's eyes, unguarded, on him. "You have two choices. You can either tell me who the other two were and where they buggered off to, and any other names you know, in exchange for leniency, or you keep your mouth shut, allow that Dark bastard to dictate to you what you can and cannot do, and I will see to it that you are tried under the High Treason laws. If you are, and you are found guilty, sentencing ceases to be an issue."

"What?"

"A conviction of High Treason carries with it an automatic sentence of death," Harry informed him.

Got him, Harry thought, watching the younger man's eyes widen with alarm.

But then, Harry was shocked to see them harden again.

"Fine," the young man nodded. "Do your worst."

Harry glanced at Ron, then Bill. Both nodded. They had seen his hesitation.

"Rooney..." Harry sat again. "If you make this choice, once the wheels are in motion, there will be nothing I or anyone else can do for you. Do you understand that?"

His answer was to turn cold eyes on Harry. "You don't understand, do you?"

Harry looked at him, questioningly.

"I'm already dead," the younger man said simply, his eyes hard.

Harry took a deep breath. Well. That was now decided.

He stood, nodded once, then looked at Kingsley. "Shack, book him into a holding cell."

Kingsley nodded, and Harry, without looking at anyone else, turned and strode from the room.

"Harry..." Ron followed him into his office, closely followed by Bill.

"He's made his choice," Harry said, moving over the his desk. "Bill, can you make the formal charges, and see to setting up a quick trial? I want this over as quickly as possible."

"Harry..." Ron tried again.

"We can't turn him, Ron, so the next best thing is making an example of the son of a bitch," Harry said. "Now, I'm going home to my family. I'll see both of you there."

And with that, he disapparated with a pop.

"Someday, I want to know how the hell he disapparates out of a warded building," Bill said. "At least he could pretend that we aren't all so bloody average next to him, couldn't he?"

"Harry doesn't pretend about anything," Ron said quietly. "Least of all, anything to do with magic."

Harry and the others tried to keep up a cheerful attitude for the remainder of the day, but it was difficult. Harry had returned and brooded in his office for an hour before Ron and Bill returned, just in time for a hasty Christmas dinner before retreating to the war room where the Order was due to congregate within the hour.

Ginny retreated with the children, and then reappeared at the last minute before Harry called the meeting to order.

"Okay?" he asked her.

"David and Susan are asleep. Meg is going to bunk in with them tonight, in case they wake up and are frightened. She's up there now, reading. Maddy and Mary are in their room. Mary is going to keep an eye on the twins."

"Good," Harry nodded. "Amelia and Anna are around, too?"

"Yes," Ginny confirmed. "Amelia said she'd keep an eye on things. She was putting the boys to bed when I came down."

"Let's get this show on the road, then, huh?" he smiled.

"Harry?" Ginny looked up at him.

"What, love?"

"You're not shouldering this alone."

"I know," Harry glanced around the room. It was full of able and loyal witches and wizards. "I do know."

Ginny sat in the chair to Harry's right, and watched as Harry took a breath, then knocked on the tabletop.

"Everyone? Attention, please?"

The room quieted.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your Christmas celebrations, but I think you'll understand when you hear what I have to say."

"No apology is necessary, Harry," Neville said from the other end of the table. "We know that you wouldn't call us for no reason."

"Yes," Harry nodded. "Well, you're right, Nev. This isn't for no reason. As a matter of fact, I have two. Firstly, you need to be made aware that three spies were found in the Ministry early this morning. Apparently, they were caught trying to access voting records."

"What?" Katie Bell-Wood spoke. "What could they want with those?"

"It's assumed that they were under the impression that voter records held more... personal information than they actually do."

"So what has happened to them?" Oliver Wood asked.

"Two, unfortunately, escaped..."

"Escaped!" There were general cries of disbelief.

"They were happened upon by a single guard. Not even a fully trained auror, just a student auror who has taken on the job over the holidays for some extra money. The young guard was lucky to escape with his life, but managed to stun one of them before the other two overwhelmed him. We can only assume that the third was either considered too junior to bother taking with them, or they were too distracted to notice he wasn't with them. Aurors responded to the spell alarms and found the young guard and the Death Eater both stunned."

"The captured spy was one Michael Rooney... worked for the Department of Muggle Relations..."

There were gasps around the room.

"He is... disinclined to cooperate with us. Despite having the situation laid out for him, and the consequences he would be facing, he has chosen to not cooperate and face the charges alone."

"What charges, Harry?" Neville again spoke.

"He will be the first to stand trial under the reinstated High Treason Laws," Harry said quietly.

This time, there were no gasps of disbelief, or any sound whatsoever. The entire room was silent. They all knew what this meant.

"He has made his choice," Harry rubbed a hand across his eyes. "He'll stand trial by the end of the week. However, that is only the first order of business tonight, I'm afraid. The second order of business, and perhaps more importantly, is the fact that we may have a line on the Dark Lord's base of operations."

Again, gasps about the room.

"As some of you know, I took my family today to visit with my cousin and his family," Harry ignored the response that this got. "While there, it came to our attention that my cousin's son, who attends a muggle boarding school, had seen Death Eaters on the grounds of his school."

"But, Harry! A child..." Snape spoke out.

"Hold up, Sev..." Harry continued. "Upon further questioning, it was discovered that, not only is the headmaster one Wilfred Nott..."

Gasps again.

"...but the chemistry teacher is rumored, amongst the students, to be an evil witch," Harry couldn't help but smile. "Who brews potions in the cellars."

"Harry..." Snape began.

"Her name is Goyle. Millicent Goyle."

While the response of others in the room ranged from confusion to surprise, Severus Snape burst out laughing.

"Millicent Goyle?"

"Gregory Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode were both in our years, Sev. Many of us knew them, even then, to be followers of both Malfoy and the Dark arts."

"Yes, Harry, I'm sure you're right," Severus said, his amusement still clear.

"It's too much coincidence that the headmaster of the school she's teaching at is named Nott, and that Theodore Nott's family is from the area..."

"Which is...?" began Neville.

"Potter," Severus Snape looked directly at him, while ignoring Neville. "I can see the correlation. However, Millicent Bulstrode teaching chemistry? The girl couldn't mix a milk shake! She failed Potions with even more regularity than Longbottom... and that is saying something. The girl blew up the potions lab once just by walking into it. I daresay she had some talent, but I assure you, it wasn't in potions, or muggle chemistry, either."

"I would imagine, Sev, that muggle schools have rather less stringent requirements than we would have at Hogwarts."

"Certainly," Snape agreed. "But the thought of Millicent Bulstrode... it boggles the mind."

"Harry?" Neville tried again. "Where is it?"

Harry turned to the group. "In the Cotswolds. About a fifteen minute walk from a village called Chipping Campden."

"And what are we going to do about this?" asked Lee Jordan. "We can hardly walk up to the school, knock on the door and say, 'Hello, are you harboring any Death Eaters here?', now can we?"

Harry couldn't help but smile. "No, Lee, we can't. However, we can investigate the area, make some observations, and tighten our magic wards around there. We can also evacuate any wizard families, should the need arise."

"And if the wizarding families that we evacuate are in league with Nott and the others?" Hermione asked.

Harry swallowed. He hadn't thought of that. "Point taken, Mione. Perhaps the best action would be observation and stationing aurors in and around the area. Until something happens, there is little we can do. However, if anyone sees Malfoy in the area, that will change things, remarkably. Tonks, I want a list of the wizarding families in the area, say, within twenty miles..."

"Harry, what about your cousin and his family?" Katie asked. "With their connections to you..."

"No one really knows that we have anything to do with each other. It's common knowledge that I wasn't happy there, and left as soon as I could, and that relations between us were stilted, at best. If anyone even remembers his name, I'd be surprised."

"But..."

"Steps are being taken to protect them, Katie. Thank you for asking," Harry nodded. "Now, going forward, we need people on the ground in Gloucestershire..."

It was late when Harry finally climbed the stairs, heading to bed. Ginny had gone up hours before, and he was glad. She tired so very easily when she was pregnant.

It was nearly two when he fell into bed beside her, and barely had time to register her curling in next to him before he slept. It certainly didn't feel like morning when he was shaken awake.

Which was because it wasn't. Harry looked blearily up at Ron, leaning over the bed, and Bill and Charlie standing by the door, then at the clock on the bedside table. Four thirty.

"What?" He asked, sitting up and reaching for his clothes.

"Harry..." Ron's eyes were sad. "There's been another attack... you need to come."

"Where?" Harry asked, pulling on his jeans.

"Surrey."

Ah.... I must say, my muse has been playing with me. I think I know the direction, then -- WHAM! Things change.

Shotgunn: In truth, I'm not sure about the length of this story. I know that I have about twenty chapters total planned, but I only had fifteen planned for HPPT... so, you see my dilemma. We'll see, I guess. As for the dreaming part... strange, I know. I've been having very odd dreams lately. Must be the caffeine!

Pdlegirl: The spies are... well, I'm not going to say they're immaterial, but it's more the fact of them and what Harry does about it. Remember, he's thinking he's going to die this time, and he's also trying to set up things so that people can live without daily fear...

Larna Mandrea: That's so sweet! You have no idea of the boost that gives me to hear that my story has drawn you in like that! Thank you!

Merlindamage: Marion is special... Malcolm needed someone like that, someone who cares for him to that degree, to change him from the spoiled little shite he was into the man he became. It was the only way that Harry would have anything to do with him, and Harry needed to put his past to rest.

SaerrySnape: You make me laugh. Is it possible to drown in suspense? We'll see, I guess, because things seem to be heating up a bit...

Elise: Quick updates are my style. When I get writing, I can't stop – then I'll have a dry spot for a couple of days, and you won't hear from me for a week.

CrazyPsychoBananaHead: Twists are my specialty!

GiGiFanfic: The whole situation makes me rather sick, too, Gigi, but unfortunately, it is the world we're living in. I comfort myself with the old proverb, "And this too shall pass", but I admit, it doesn't always work. When I began this story, with Power of Truth, I wanted to tell the story as though it was real, in OUR world... and that meant including current events. Obviously, if I was going to make it believable as something that was happening in our world, it had to be affected by our world. The war right now is a very big part of what is going on – and I couldn't ignore it. Also, the apparent disappearance of bin Laden intrigues me, and the shuffling of power and different factions ponying up to get their part of the action reminded me so much of JKR's Death Eaters, I had to draw the correlation. I try to not make the current situation in our world the MAIN idea in this story, but it is a big part of it. Call it hope. If the magical world DID exist, perhaps it would be our salvation, without our even knowing.

CQ