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Chapter 50
"CRUCIO" Voldemort screamed. "What did I tell you Lucius; do not ruin my plans" he called before he spit on the form on the floor in front of him, which was distorted in pain.
"You assured me that your son was a useful asset for my purposes at Hogwarts and that he was willing to receive the Dark Mark as soon as he graduates, but now I have to hear, that his plans for the future are more trivial. Fortunately I have other sources, which have proven to be more reliable than your spawn."
"But don't worry my old friend" Voldemort spat those words with such venom that the tormented wizard already saw his end near. "I doubt that you will have to worry about your son's future very much. He did not only omit to inform me about the impending evacuation, but also did he waste the nightshadow stone for one of his silly pranks."
"My Lord I do apologize for my son's foolishness" Lucius whispered. The pain was becoming unbearable under the Dark Lord's favorite punishment.
Just when Lucius was about to pass out, he lifted the curse and two deatheaters pulled the tormented body of Lucius off the floor.
The dark wizard leaned close to his previous target and hissed "You will make sure that you will provide me with a new stone but also plan a new attack and present your plans before me. Until then, we will have to show my old teacher that his sorry tricks cannot stop Voldemort. Did your son not tell you that the students were not directly sent home?"
Lucius nodded mutely.
"Send your son to me instantly. I wish to question him personally"
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"Hellooo"
Ron jumped up from the armchair he had been dozing on and called "Fred and George" before he walked out into the entrance hall.
"What was all this about" Fred called when they followed Ron into the study.
"The whole school has been evacuated but nobody bothers to tell us why" George continued.
Hermione recalled everything that had happened that night while Harry remained asleep on the couch. The sudden attack on his mind by Voldemort's thought had drained him more than anybody imagined.
"Right after the feast ended, Lupin came into the common room. George and I had just given out some more butterbeer so that the party could continue, when he approached us and led us out through the portrait hole. There he handed us an old teapot and the next minute we were lying out there on the stone floor."
"I trust that Dumbledore will inform us as soon as there is anything new" Kayla said and stifled a yawn.
"It's almost two in the morning and I think we should find a place to sleep now." Just as Ginny finished her sentence, they heard a voice.
"Master Dumbledore wishes me to show Harry Potter and his friends rooms to sleep"
"Winky!" Hermione called out. "I had no idea you were working here now"
"Winky is faithful servant of master Professor Dumbledore, Miss and when master Professor Dumbledore left Hogwarts, Winky followed" the little house- elf stated simply.
Then Winky snapped her fingers and Harry rose from the couch and floated behind her when she left the study. Soon Winky had shown everyone where they were supposed to sleep and provided them with proper nightwear.
Dumbledore and the teachers were sitting in the staff room after the last group of Slytherins, with Malfoy among them, had left the castle.
"We avoided the worst for this time" Dumbledore sighed. "But I'm most certain that Tom will try it again very soon."
Snape was massaging his temple again, trying to get rid off the ever present headache that seemed to haunt him.
"I wish I could return to Voldemort and see what his plans are" he said.
"Severus, you know that this is out of question. Tom does not trust you any longer and I'm not going to sacrifice your life. You have done more than your share and all we know for now has to suffice"
"Tomorrow morning, we should see if the deatheaters have moved from their positions and then we're going to send the children home. I already re- scheduled the Hogwarts Express so that we can send the children to Hogsmead station in the morning of Christmas Eve. And I also informed Minister Fudge about the changed plans." McGonagall stated.
"I casted extra-charms on the train to make sure it is well protected" Flitwick assured before the meeting ended and the teachers returned to their quarters.
Severus was on his way to the dungeons when all of a sudden he stopped short.
"Merlin's beard! That's it now" he mumbled.
He quickened his pace and entered his quarters to submit to the inevitable.
Maybe, just maybe I can count on his stupidity once more, he mused. Even when I only get one last chance to get information that will ensure my daughter's safety, I will gladly give everything I have, even when it is my own life. I owe her that for leaving her alone all those years ago.
He grabbed his robes and left the castle. Just when he reached the spot from where he could disapparate, he thought: The old fool cannot sacrifice my life but I can do as I please. I have nothing left to lose.
With a plopped he was gone and he knew that he most likely would never return.
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It cost Lucius most of his remaining strength to apparate back to Malfoy manor. As soon as he crossed the threshold he collapsed and hit the floor with a thud.
A house-elf, who had recognized his master's presence, appeared instantly and levitated him over to his study. The servant had done this hundreds of times before and he knew exactly what to do.
He placed Lucius on the couch and went over to the shelf. A little bottle with an evil looking substance clutched in his hand, he returned to his masters and administered a few drops on the tongue. Lucius shuddered when he tasted the foul potion but knew it was necessary. He took several deep breaths to keep him from gagging and then he felt the pain lessen. As soon as he was sure he could stand on his own feet, he rose from the couch to get his useless son.
He was swaying slightly and grabbed the armrest of the couch.
"Get your hands off of me you filthy scum. Nobody ordered you to touch me" he yelled when he felt the house-elf's hand steady him.
He pulled his robes tight around his body and rushed out of the study.
Lucius banged the door open to his son's bedroom and walked up to his bed.
"Get up son", he hissed. Draco's eyes popped open instantly. He knew when his father talked to him like that he was in big trouble.
His eyes met his father's and he shivered. The only emotion he saw was pure hatred.
Then Lucius grabbed his son's hair and dragged him out of the bed. Draco didn't dare to whimper although the pain on his scalp was breath taking. When his father was in such a foul mood, the worst thing he could do was show any kind of fear or weakness. Lucius had almost nearly killed him before and only the intervention of Severus Snape had saved him then.
Fortunately the room was still dimly lit, so Lucius couldn't see the tears brimming in his son's eyes. He dropped his son in front of the closet and called "GET DRESSED NOW. YOU'RE IN BIG TROUBLE YOU ... YOU"
Draco flinched and reached for one of his black pants.
At this moment he felt his head hitting the door frame and knew that his skin had been busted. He wiped the blood out of his face with the sleeve of his pyjama and waited for another blow.
Then he felt his father's hands at his throat. "Not that muggle clothes you insist to wear when you're not at school" Lucius spat. "You already embarrassed me enough in front of my master today. I insist that you wear appropriate attire when you face the Dark Lord now"
Draco paled even more. If the Dark Lord only knew half of what happened since the beginning of the term, he was as good as dead.
He reached into the closet once more and seized a set of black robes, similar to the once he wore at school.
The robes were embroidered with images of the Dark Mark along the hem, the collar and the sleeves and had been especially made when he was going to meet the Dark Lord before he was a real deatheater.
He went into the bathroom and brushed his hair and cleaned up the gash he had on his forehead. If this is going to leave a scar I will look like Potter, he thought angrily.
"Hurry boy! The master is waiting" his father called from outside the bathroom door.
Draco made sure that he looked as presentable as possible and prayed that he would be able to walk up to the Dark Lord without the wretched pelvic thrust.
When he opened the door he felt his father's palm collide with his cheek and a venomous voice whispered in his ear "When you embarrass me just one more time tonight or disgrace my name in any way, the Dark Lord won't have to bother to get rid of you. I will make sure that you die of my own hands and it will be painful and, I swear, definitely it won't be quick.
You better behave like the pureblood you are and if you believe that the fact that you're my only son and so my only heir gives you some sort of protection and security, then trust me you are very wrong. I have no problem to end your life here and now when you prove to be a threat to the Dark Lord or our plans. I can have other heirs but I'm not going to lose my reputation because of you."
Draco swallowed hard and followed his father out of the door.
He spotted his mother in the door frame of his parents' bedroom when he went down the long hallway.
If he wouldn't have known before that his parents didn't feel any love for him, then he definitely would have known it now.
His mother's face was distorted in disgust and she was giving him the look that she normally reserved for mudbloods.
He had to make sure not to mess things up even more.
I'm not going to be here forever. One time I'll be free and my parents will pay, he thought when they reached the entrance hall.
His father grabbed his cloak from a house-elf and they disapparated.
"Oh how lovely to see you my little prince" the icy voice of the Dark Lord pierced his brain, when he entered the sitting room, that was used for the meetings.
"I have a few questions and I hope you don't mind to answer them"
Draco felt his knees almost giving away. When the Dark Lord appeared friendly t was even worse than he ever feared. He bent his knee in front of the man in the scarlet robes and lowered his head. "How can I serve you my Lord and master?" he said humbly, preparing himself for the worst.
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Kelsey was up early the next morning. Ron had been snoring so loudly that he couldn't stand it any longer and so he decided to see if he could find anything for breakfast. When he entered the kitchen, Hermione was already sitting at the table, enjoying a cup of tea.
"Morning, Hermione" he said and stifled a yawn. "Morning, Kelsey"
"I wonder when Dumbledore or any of the other teachers will show up here" he asked.
"Yes, I'm dying to know if everybody made it out of the castle safe"
Hermione got up from her chair and walked over to the countertop to get a cup for Kelsey and the tea pot.
On her way back to the table she turned the radio on and music filled the room.
Kelsey sipped his tea and sighed. "I wish we could have finished the potion before we had to go"
Hermione smiled knowingly and chuckled.
"I don't think this is funny" Kelsey scolded. "We were so close"
The Gryffindor perfect reached in her pocket and retrieved a little vial.
"Is this what I think it is" Kelsey gasped.
Hermione nodded and handed the vial over to the boy.
"We still need to find a way to get to the hospital" Hermione stated. "I doubt that after what happened last night Dumbledore will let us go anywhere"
Then the music was suddenly interrupted and a newswizard started to speak.
Kelsey was still musing how to get the potion to Lilly, because it had to happen today during full moon, when Hermione suddenly screamed.
She jumped up from her chair, grabbed the radio and turned up the volume.
And then Kelsey could hear it too.
".... in the early morning hours. Members of the Magical Law Enforcement are already present and about to detect the damages. We still couldn't receive any new information if students have been hurt. The ministry of magic is denying any participation of deatheaters or You-know-who himself. I'm standing in front of the remains of the Hogwarts Express and the sight is harrowing...."
Then the program broke up and Hermione turned the radio off.
The two teenagers just sat there in shock. Now they needed to talk to someone even more.
At this moment they heard commotion from upstairs. Soon Ron, Harry, Kayla, Zara and Ginny joined them in the kitchen.
"What happened?" Ron asked when he recognized Hermione's deadly white face. He glanced at Kelsey but he looked just as terrified as the perfect.
"Kelsey didn't do anything, if you assume something like that" she called when she saw the glare Ron was giving the other boy.
"Then what happened" Ron asked once more.
"Voldemort attacked the Hogwarts Express. We just heard it on the news" Kelsey said, his voice sounding totally emotionless.
The next half hour Harry, Kelsey and Ron in turn tried desperately to get the news channel back on, but it was no use.
"If someone had been hurt, they would have informed us, wouldn't they?" Ginny asked hopefully.
"Dunno... depends on how busy they are to detect the damages" Harry answered in an uneasy voice.
"I need to find me something to do" Hermione stated. "or I'll go crazy"
Just at this moment they heard rapid footsteps coming across the entrance hall.
"Is everybody ok here?" Professor Lupin asked anxiously, as he entered the kitchen.
"What happened to the Hogwarts Express?" Harry called, totally ignoring the teacher's question.
"It seems that the deatheaters have launched some kind of explosive device on the train but fortunately we not many students have been on the train. Most parents have picked up the students at the safe locations and the Slytherins have been send straight home. The students on the train have mostly been 6 years Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, but fortunately no one got seriously injured"
The students stared at their teacher in shock.
"Voldemort has bombed the Hogwarts Express?" Kayla gasped. "I thought he and his minions despise everything that has anything to do with muggles"
"We assume that he wanted people to believe that it wasn't a deatheaters attack" Lupin explained.
"That's nonsense" Hermione exclaimed. "Muggles can't see the train and therefore they can't bomb it. Voldemort knows that too"
Lupin just shook his head and sighed. "We also fear that there is a spy amongst us"
"Who?" Zara called.
Ron leaned over to Harry and whispered "I bet it's Snape, the oversized bat."
Harry shook his head vehemently and said "No Ron. I doubt that very much. Snape is surely not my most favorite person in the world. He's just evil, but he's not a traitor"
"Professor Snape is missing as well. He disappeared after the staff meeting last night"
Ron gave Harry an I-told-you-so look and shuffled out of the kitchen.
"Where are Fred and George" the teacher inquired.
"They still must be sleep. We haven't seen them down here" Kelsey stated.
"I trust you're all well and everything is taken care of. Professor Dumbledore will return some time today and will give you more information" Professor Lupin said and left.
He's looking horrible, Kayla thought when she watched their head of house trudging out of the kitchen. It must be the full moon.
After that the students tried to find something to do. Hermione withdrew to Dumbledore's huge library, Ron and Harry played chess in the study, while Ginny was watching them.
Kelsey and Kayla decided to explore the house a little and so they started in the first floor.
Besides the bedrooms they had occupied for the night there was another large bedroom which had to be Dumbledore's.
The big four-poster bed was covered with midnight-blue curtains, next to it stood a huge nightstand with all kinds of muggle sweets.
"He even got Hershey kisses" Kayla whispered, as if she was afraid Dumbledore would jump out of a corner inquiring what they were doing in his bedroom.
They left the room and walked up a spiral staircase at the end of the corridor.
The chamber they entered was dark and dusty; so totally different in comparison to the light and airy rooms downstairs.
"Do you have a clue where we are?" Kayla asked.
Kelsey lit his wand and started to examine the environment a little closer.
One wall was covered with long, oak shelves, occupied by dusty leather- bound tomes.
They also recognized old, dingy furniture; an old coffee table with several chairs around. Although there was no window the whole room was glowing in a greenish gleam. "This is scary" Kayla shuddered. "I would have never thought that Dumbledore has something like this"
Kelsey gave her a questioning look and she pointed at a shrunken head on a cabinet next to her.
Then a shriek broke the silence and the two teenagers jumped back towards the staircase.
"What the bloody hell are those kids doing here" a hoarsely voice spoke.