Vionella's Note: Hi, everyone! This is Vionella and I want to apologize b'coz it's my fault this chapter was delayed. Leloup gave me this to type it up like about a month ago but I just wasn't in the mood so don't blame her. I'm very, very sorry. Erm… let's keep this as our little secret, shall we?
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Just a few characters and plot twists I've slipped in here and there. Hope you like them too, though. The rest comes from J.K.R.'s genius. ALL HAIL J.K.R.!!! ;;;
Spoilers: You'll know 'em when you see 'em! ov!!!
Author's Note: Enjoy!!!
Chapter Three: Lurking White Shadows…"Albus…"
Albus Dumbledore looked up from feeding Fawkes a piece of pomegranate when his potions master entered his office in a billow of black robes. The younger man looked angry and shocked and relatively scared. A not so usual occurrence from a usually tightly controlled man.
"Hello, Severus," the old Headmaster greeted the potions master with a twinkling smile. "Lemon drop?"
"Do stop that nonsense and explain to me what in the name of Paracelsus is the meaning of this?!" Snape growled in barely controlled fury as he slapped a copy of the Evening Prophet on the Headmaster's desk.
Fawkes shook his feathers in mild boredom, clearly used to the potions master's tantrums, and turned it's magnificently preened tail towards the noisy humans.
Dumbledore looked at the front page and saw what made Severus so angry. He raised his eyebrows in mild surprise before his face darkened and turned grim. "Me and Cornelius are going to have to talk about this the moment we have another chance."
"YOU HANDFASTED HARRY POTTER AND HERMIONE MALFOY WITHOUT MY NOTICE!" Snape roared. "You know that I am Vera's godfather! Everything that happens to her and her mother should be made known to me first! I could have done something to stop this piece of excrement from being published at the very least!"
Dumbledore was unfazed by Snape's rare outburst of fury. Instead of jumping or freezing in panic, as the students were wont to do when faced with the professor's murderous glare, the Headmaster only sat calmly down on his chair and popped a lemon drop in his mouth. The paintings of the former headmasters and headmistresses, however, were shamelessly eavesdropping. "Hmm… I knew I shouldn't have left the press conference in his charge. Silly me. But then, at least everyone in the wizarding world knows that Hermione and her daughter are not fugitives anymore… This puts a flaw in my plans though. Hermione will have to work hard for acceptance now…"
"ALBUS!" Snape roared, finally losing control of himself. "WILL YOU QUIT MUMBLING AND TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED?!"
"Calm down, dear boy, and have a seat." Dumbledore told his potions master with a benign smile. "I will explain everything as soon as Minerva gets here."
"What do you me—"
"ALBUS!" Professor McGonagall burst through the door to the Headmaster's office, waving her own copy of the Evening Prophet in her hand. "What in Circe's name have you done this time?! What do you mean Hermione and Harry are hand fasted?!"
"Hello, Minerva," Dumbledore greeted her cordially with a smile. "Lemon drop?"
"DO STOP THAT NONSENSE AND EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT IN THE NAME OF ATHENA IS THIS ABOUT OR I WILL ROLL UP THIS NEWSPAPER AND BONK YOU ON THE HEAD WITH IT!" she shrieked at him.
"You'll have to wait in line, Professor," Snape told her dryly, still glaring at the greatest wizard of the age and taking a seat in front of the desk. "I got here first."
"Please, both of you, sit down, before you both do me extreme bodily harm." Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "I will explain why and how this all happened."
"This had better be good." Snape muttered as he sat and crossed his arms over his chest and prepared to listen.
And so Dumbledore explained what happened a few hours before, with two of his Head of Houses' mouths gaping in a very unattractive way. From the moment Hermione was announced a fugitive until the moment Harry made her marry him to keep her baby safe. Both were furious the moment he was finished.
"Dear Merlin!" McGonagall gasped, her face white. "So that was why you suddenly went off to the Ministry in such a hurry!"
"Do you mean to tell me…" Snape said quietly after the old wizard's narration. "That that idiot Fudge almost threw my goddaughter to the DEMENTORS?!"
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. And if Harry didn't come to Hermione's rescue and married her, she would still be pursued by the authorities and killed right now. You know how fiercely protective she can be."
"She was treated like a helpless animal!" McGonagall gasped in outrage. "How dare they?! HOW DARE THEY?!"
"It is times such as this," Snape growled softly through gritted teeth. "…that I regret changing sides in the first place."
Both Dumbledore and McGonagall knew what he meant. As a Death Eater, he would have blasted Fudge into smithereens without compunction. Had he not pledged loyalty to Dumbledore, it would have been the first thing on his agenda the moment the Dark Lord came back. Through the years, Fudge had no idea how close he's been on the wrong side of Snape's wand. The former Death Eater had a murderous temper when filled to the brim.
"Poor, Harry…" McGonagall shook her head in dismay. "He's been through so much already. Now he had to sacrifice himself again to save her life."
"Poor HERMIONE!" Snape bit back. "The wizarding world's sympathy will surely be directed on Potter first, especially after an article like this. She will bear the brunt of their fury."
"Yes, I know this," Minerva sighed. "It's just that… I cannot fathom Harry gaining any happiness from this arrangement, that's all."
"For once, I agree with you, Minerva." Snape said with a smirk. "She would never love Potter back."
"Oh? Why is that, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, his interest peaked.
Snape scowled over at the Headmaster's interest and looked in the direction of the nearest window. "I have… seen her with young Malfoy. She may have never told him that she was spying for the Light, but she loved him deeply. If Potter is expecting more than a marriage in name only, then I would suggest he give it up now rather than later."
"I honestly will never understand what Hermione saw in Draco Malfoy." Minerva muttered out loud. "I mean… they hated each other here in school! He insulted her too many times and been the cause of most of her childhood pains… It is astonishing that she can love him after that. Are you sure it wasn't a love spell or potion, Severus?"
"I am sure, Minerva. And no, it's not Imperio either. No sane person can ever believe that anyone can spy for an enemy under the influence of an Unforgivable." Severus replied curtly. "She loved him. They may not have been totally honest with each other but that was because of the war. I've seen it in their eyes. If Potter is hoping for more then he is bound to fail miserably. Let us just be glad that he just sees her as a friend."
"I am not so sure of that." Dumbledore told the teachers. "Hermione was quite adamant about refusing him, but Harry was the one who insisted they get married. And while I was binding them… there was a strong emotion coming from his aura directed at Hermione. Harry has become a very serious young man, he will take this marriage earnestly. He might be able to win her yet."
"I wouldn't put my money on that." Snape sneered. "But he has to be informed that my goddaughter needs constant supervision. The remaining Death Eaters are sure to be after her. She has been coined as the Dark Lord's heir. An option for reincarnation once he is defeated. Such a thing is known only to a few in the inner circle. Vera has deep, powerful magic in her. The Dark Lord chose her as his next incarnation because of that. Fudge has a reason to fear her."
"Yes, I know. The name Vera Laila Malfoy-Potter is up on every magical registrar in every wizarding school in Europe. I have contacted Beauxbatons and Durmstrang and both schools confirmed it. I am sure Harry will see to her safety." Dumbledore said a bit grimly, fully realizing what was at stake now. "He will never let anything harm Hermione or Vera."
"Let's just hope no one hurts Potter in the process." Snape mumbled.
"Even if he knew the risks, he will not back away from the responsibility. We all know how he is." Dumbledore said seriously and with a hint of pride.
McGonagall was shaking her head in abject sadness. "When will that boy ever experience true happiness? Even after the war, his laughter seemed… tainted with sadness. It's as if… he was destined to hurt inside… Always destined to be alone…"
"He will be fine, Minerva," Dumbledore told her comfortingly, popping another lemon drop in his mouth. "I have a feeling Hermione is just what he needs to pull him out of the mire he is sinking into lately. She will heal him… We have to trust her."
"Potter has a darkness in him. I've seen it in his eyes before. He should be watched, just in case he strays." Snape told the two older wizards as though he were speaking from experience. "A breakout of that darkness is all we will need to make this situation worse."
Minerva glared at him. "Harry is a Gryffindor and he has seen what Dark magic can do. Seeing him go over to the Dark side is unthinkable, Severus. He'll never allow it to happen! He knows what is at stake!"
"Please do not be naïve, Professor McGonagall. May I remind you that Pettigrew was from Gryffindor also? I am not saying that the darkness will be something he could help or stop; nor am I saying that he will give in to it at the slightest urging." Snape told her, his gaze far away, as though looking at a distant horizon. "The darkness he's acquired from the war is now a part of him, much like Moody's paranoia and my temperament. Believe me… he will not be able to be sweet, innocent Harry Potter again. I've seen it in his eyes. It's there. It will be up to him what he will do with it from now on. Or what he will allow to trigger that darkness inside him. Too much has been placed on his shoulders. Responsibilities punctuated by death and madness. It is… fortunate that he has remained sane this long."
"The implications are endless…" Dumbledore said. "We have to watch out for the Ministry too. They will not be pleased with the meddling of a barmy, old codger like me. Especially when it comes to this."
"Has the werewolf been informed of this latest bit of news?" Snape asked Dumbledore with a scowl. He will never be friends with the damned werewolf who deprived him of his job yet again as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but he had developed a grudging respect for Lupin. It was much more than anybody else can claim from him. "We wouldn't want to see him howling like a loon and doing something he might later regret, would we?"
"I will inform him as soon as he comes back from his transformation for this month." Dumbledore said, his face grave. "It seems that his transformations are getting worse than usual. How is the improvement of the Wolfsbane Potion coming, Severus?"
"Not very promising. So far, I have only succeeded in making his transformations quicker to spare him some of the pain that goes with it. An Anti Lycanthropy potion has never been attempted yet, after all."
"So many problems…" Minerva sighed heavily. "And I thought the war was finally over."
"The war never stops, Minerva," Albus told the Gryffindor Head of House. "It's now only started in earnest. And it's the hardest part to boot. Our world is a constant battleground for right and wrong. It is one of the disadvantages of free will."
"And yet we wouldn't have it any other way." Snape muttered.
All of them sat quietly in the office for a few more moments. All of them lost in thoughts neither one were willing to share. There were some things in life, that did not need to be said or heard, after all…
"No… This cannot be…!"
A tall wizard's fist slammed on the wooden table being surrounded by a group of people in pure white robes that replicated his own attire, making most of them jump.
There were about twenty of them in the room. All of them wearing pure white robes with the mark of three swords made of light in front of a golden shield on their chests and shoulders. All of them had their hoods up, effectively hiding their faces from the torches that tried to light up the rest of the wide, dark room. None of them looked happy at the announcement that appeared on the Evening Prophet that night nor the confirmation of one of their comrades as to the authenticity of the article. It was the reason why the wizard on the podium in front of them, along with his fellows in rank that were seated on the table beside the podium, called for this meeting.
On the front page, standing a bit awkwardly and blinking out at its angry audience, was the picture of Harry Potter with his arm around Hermione Malfoy's waist. And she was holding onto a baby that was the focus of the group's hatred. The baby waved out at them happily, smiling innocently and charmingly while buried in the swaddling cloth that kept it warm, unknowingly mocking them in its happiness, while its mother's face, though tinged with sadness and fatigue, looked down at it with pure warmth and affection.
"THIS CANNOT BE!" the wizard yelled, staring at the headline like so much rubbish. "This just cannot be! How could Harry Potter taint himself with that… that!"
His outraged yells were met with grim nods from his companions. Some faces were solemn and some were glaring mad. Particularly a pair of dark, female eyes that flashed with pure venom and hissed, "There must be a way to end this union now!"
"No one but they alone can break the marriage. Their vows are true and absolute. The hand fasting was done by Dumbledore himself. The marriage is virtually unbreakable from the outside." One of the men said.
"Damn it! I thought getting rid of the Demon Spawn will be easy!" another one growled.
"What did you expect, with Hermione Granger for a mother?" asked another voice, this time tinged with admiration. "Have you forgotten how she came up with the way to defeat the Dark Lord in the first place? I was there, I saw myself how Potter followed her instructions and won!"
"Now is not the time to admire that traitorous slut!" scolded an elder sounding female voice. "We need to get rid of the Demon Spawn! We cannot risk endangering our world again. It must be destroyed."
"But with Harry Potter protecting the baby, we will not be able to touch the child that easily." A younger female voice protested.
"Then he must be placed out of the way." The first wizard said, almost thoughtfully. Looking at each of his companions in the eye.
"Harry Potter?! 'Placed out of the way'?! You're barking mad!" a small male voice from the group cried out. "Just how in the world do you mean to do that?!"
"And don't forget about Dumbledore!" another one added in disgust. "She has two of the greatest wizards of our time as her protectors! Practically has them wrapped around her little finger!"
"We will cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, let our cause be known. We shall begin spreading our noble intentions all throughout the wizarding world and start the dawning of this new era, where only the power of light shall rule! Let evil fall! Especially the evil that is trying to cloak itself in good."
The others murmured agreement.
"Have you completed the list yet?" asked the wizard.
"Almost. Here is the list of the Death Eaters who have escaped the purge." A high, girlish voice said as she handed a scroll over to him. "There may yet be more but I will continue to wait for more information."
"Excellent. We shall proceed with the plans at our earliest convenience. Be prepared once I summon you. For now, keep up your pretences." The tall wizard instructed them. "We must make sure that no dark wizard shall dare try to conquer the wizarding world ever again."
"We must not forget our prime target." A short witch with a high voice said from amongst the group.
"Yes. The girl must die if the wizarding world wants to have any hope of peace. We will deal with her… and her mother… all in due time…"
All of them nodded as one and Disapparated simultaneously…..
A/N Thank yous:
Thanks, you guys. I am so overwhelmed by your best wishes. You guys have no idea how encouraging you all were for me. I'm doing… well, not great but… adequately. Coping, as others might say. It isn't easy being the oldest but, hey, that's life. Thank you for all of your encouragement. Words won't be able to express how deeply touched I am by all your thoughtfulness and comments on this story. I have no idea anyone would like this. I am so happy.
As thanks to all my reviewers and well wishers, I give you a longer chapter. I've started taking a notebook when I go to all my jobs and I write during breaks. My friend, Vionella (waves at Vionella cheerfully), who owns this computer, encodes for me and I taught her how to upload. She also prints out your reviews to me so I can read them in between breaks at work. This isn't a promise that my updates are going to be regular, I'm sorry. But it does mean that I'll try my best to give you guys what you want and hope that's good enough.
fanjimmy: Nah… I think she's getting the better end of THIS deal. (chuckle)
fanjimmy: Gee, thanks! Extremely glad you like it v…
Merenwen Losshelin: Thank you so much! Here's another chapter and I'm sorry if I can't update fast enough.
Anarane Anwamane: Thank you… will do!
patagonia: Did I spell your name right? Oh well… Thank you so much… That was very sweet of you and, at the end of the day, that's all we can really do. Hang on, I guess. I'm glad I've updated too and I am very happy that this story has become one of your favorites. I hope I can live up to your expectations. I don't know about the excellent and creative writer bit, I've only started writing fanfiction recently, after all, but I really thank you for the compliment. Your sincerity is most heartfelt. Thank you ;". I wish you the best.
All my love and thanks,
leloupblanc