Chapter Fifteen – Dangerous Interludes

Penelope Clearwater was beside herself with worry. She hadn't heard from her boyfriend, Percy Weasley, in days and he hadn't been to their home since his father had been named Minister of Magic. Penelope was marginally aware of the events of that day, having heard enough gossip and read between the lines in the articles of the Daily Prophet, and she knew that Percy would have taken that day badly.

Penelope had never really understood why Percy and his family stopped talking. Despite her tremendous love for Percy, she did realize that he could be a little rigid and that he took rules and authority very, very seriously. Despite her love for him, however, she had become increasingly concerned over the past year when Percy delved further and further into Cornelius Fudge's confidence.

Percy had been so pleased when Dolores Umbridge was sent to Hogwart's and then was promoted to work in even closer contact with Fudge. His days became longer and longer, until it felt like she forgot what he looked like. When she did see him he was often exhausted or surly. He would rant about various injustices; perceived or real, she could never tell.

But his admiration of Cornelius Fudge was boundless. Percy believed everything that Fudge ever told him and was firmly convinced that Fudge was all that was keeping the magical world safe and running in an orderly manner.

When Arthur Weasley was attacked at the Ministry last year, Penelope was horrified. Convinced that the tragic event could help pave the way for some form of reconciliation between Percy and his family, she had attempted to start the process by drafting a short note to attach to flowers. But Percy went into such a terrible rage over the whole ordeal when he came home, screaming about traitors and foul plots, that she quickly burned her note before he saw it.

And then it happened. That awful night at the Ministry where Fudge was finally convinced that the Dark Lord had returned. Penelope, being a former Ravenclaw, was too intelligent not to have her doubts about the Ministry's denials ever since Dumbledore had made his own announcement about the foul creature's return. Of course that evil man had returned; it was the only explanation for all of the evil events in the wizarding world over the past year. And who would ever dare doubt Albus Dumbledore?

Penelope hoped that this might finally be the precipitating action that would force her beloved into accepting that Dumbledore was right, that his parents were right, and that the Ministry needed to prepare and stand ready to face the onslaught that she knew from history was coming.

But again Penelope was disappointed. Percy and Fudge tried to salvage the Ministry's floundering reputation. Fudge tried to pretend he had a plan, and Percy was sucked deeper and deeper into the flailing chaos that was Fudge's Ministry.

And now, several days after Fudge was justifiably removed and Percy's father (what a surprise that was!) was named the Minister, her boyfriend, her partner, her soul mate still had not come home.

It was with this sense of desperation, and her love for Percy, that she finally reached out for help. She wrote a brief note to her former professors, the head of her old House and the head of Percy's. She hoped that they might be able to help find Percy, or maybe they could have Dumbledore help. Penelope neither wondered what Percy would say, nor did she particularly care at this point. She would take any scolding, any temper tantrum, any cold shoulder he would throw at her, just so long as she knew that he was safe. That was paramount in her mind.

As she waited for her two favorite professors to arrive she paced back and forth in the tiny living room in their apartment. Percy's family was unaware that they were living together, in fact she wasn't even sure if Percy's family even really knew that they were still dating.

"That insufferable, red-headed fool," she grumbled to herself as she continued pacing back and forth. Finally the appointed hour arrived and she heard two loud pops as Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonnagal appeared.

"Professors, oh, thank you for coming," she exclaimed. "I really do appreciate your coming."

XXX

"Malfoy, tomorrow is the day. We'll be rid of you for good," the Auror sneered at him. Tossing a platter of food at the disheveled Death Eater, the Auror quickly turned around in disgust and walked away. He understood the need for Aurors to guard over these loyal followers of the Dark Lord, he sighed and shook his head at the inability to call him by name, despite the urging of Harry Potter. Some habits were too hard to break. But he understood why Azkaban wasn't safe any more, despite the fact that he still felt like his talents were being wasted.

But great changes were happening in the ranks of the Aurors, and the Ministry, and everyone knew not to argue with Kingsley Shacklebolt. Ever since the Minister Weasley had promoted Kingsley, the Aurors knew changes were going to happen. Plans were being made to bring the war to the enemy. They wouldn't sit back and wait for events to unfold any longer. Now the Aurors were finally going to be able to be more than the mop-up crew for a geriatric wizard (though powerful indeed) and his motley crew of has-beens and children.

Of course, that motley crew had certainly done more than its fair share, he smiled ruefully to himself. To not even be sixteen years old and lead a group of friends, some even younger, well, that took a massive amount of courage. Nodding his head at a fellow Auror-turned-jailer, he sat down at the small table and sighed.

"Relax, it's almost over," his co-worker reassured him. "Kingsley told me this morning that after we deliver Malfoy to his punishment tomorrow, we can transport the rat to Hogwarts. Dumbledore thinks he can keep an eye on that weird orb thing the rat is trapped in, so we'll be free to get back to some real work."

"Thank Merlin. I was beginning to wonder why I spent the past five years working my way up through the ranks. I know it should be an honor to be guarding these two, considering how important they are, but it still feels like we're being punished."

The two Aurors nodded in commiseration at each other and began eating their meal in silence, neither of them registering the soft muttering coming from Malfoy's cell.

XXX

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you mean," Percy said with a plaintive voice. "You know I don't agree with my family, but there's nothing that can be done. The laws were followed quite closely and there's nothing we can do until the next election."

"Percy, my dear young man, you aren't getting the point," said Fudge with his greasy voice. "By then it will be too late. Your precious father will have cemented his power and he'll never give it up. I doubt he'd even stand for election; he'll just serve for as long as he wants. That has been done in the past you know."

"Yes, Minister, I do recall my history. Why you, yourself, were supposed to stand for election this winter, though, now that we are speaking of it I don't really recall you making any preparations for that..." Percy's face grew contorted as he thought about that.

"Never mind, Percy," snapped Fudge. "I was fairly certain that I would win, and didn't see the need to waste precious time fretting about it. Now, what are we to do about your father?"

"I honestly don't know, Minister. Perhaps the best bet is to wait for him to fail, and then we can point out that you would be the natural candidate to replace him. Surely by then the Ministry will be clamoring for your return, and the public will demand your restoration to deal with the crisis."

"I'm afraid we can not afford to wait for that eventuality. I must be restored to the Ministry, immediately," Fudge said with fervor.

"Minister, I don't understand," began Percy before being cut off by Fudge.

"You will, Percy. You will understand the appropriate use of power."

A look of confusion crossed Percy's face as he tried to understand what Cornelius Fudge was saying. The confused look quickly gave way to one of shock when he heard a door open behind him and a nauseatingly familiar voice shouted from the darkness.

"IMPERIO!" the high pitched feminine voice cried.

Percy tried, he really tried, to dodge the spell. But months, no years, of sitting at a desk and ignoring other pursuits outside of his job had taken their toll, even on the body of a young man. He wasn't fast enough to duck the spell and as its effects overwhelmed his mind, Percy thought he heard his own voice let out a whimpering cry in the recesses of his mind.

XXX

"Mother, would you please stop crying?" demanded Draco. "At least I had the foresight to transfer some of the family gold to my personal vault, so the Ministry couldn't legally touch it."

"But Draco," sobbed Narcissa. "What you transferred is barely enough to live on, our homes are being ransacked by those filthy Aurors, my friends won't talk to me, and we are not allowed to talk with your father. Of course I'm upset."

"Didn't father teach you anything?" spat Draco. "Never, ever, let the enemy see you rattled. I'll find a way out of this, as will father. It is only a matter of time before the Dark Lord frees him. Father is his most trusted and valued follower."

"Don't be stupid," Narcissa sneered. "Your father was only valuable to Him when he had his fortune. Now he's just another wizard, and after tomorrow, he won't even be that. And we can't even help him get out."

Narcissa started weeping again at the thought of her husband being reduced to the status of a mere muggle. It was too much for her. Damn that Harry Potter. Damn Albus Dumbledore!

"Not so, Narcissa. Not so at all."

It was a cold and cruel voice, one that Narcissa had feared she would hear this day, but even so her body shivered at the evil voice. She hadn't heard him appear, but a being of his power would most certainly be capable of masking the sounds of his own apparition. How he knew where the two of them were hiding, she did not know. Throwing a quick glance at her son, she realized that she didn't even want to think about how he might have known where they were. Quickly rubbing the tears out of her eyes and putting on her best subservient smile, she bowed low and kissed the hem of his robes.

"My Lord, I do not understand. How can we serve you?"

As Voldemort detailed his plot, Narcissa's eyes widened, first in fear, then in horror. She didn't see the slow, creeping smile flit across her son's mouth as the Dark Lord explained his plans to them. If she did, her level of concern would have increased tremendously.

XXX

"I thought you had a girlfriend," the girl said accusingly as she dug her feet into the sand.

"Well, she's not here now, is she?" the boy replied with a slick smile and mischievous look on his face. "It's not like either you or I want a relationship. It's just a summer fling, right?"

"I guess," the girl said. "And I am pretty lonely. Why don't you sit down here next to me? Where did you say you went to school again?"

"Oh, erm, it's a small private boarding school in Scotland."

"Didn't you say its name was 'Hogwarts' or something like that? Such an odd name, but I guess they have lots of odd names up there. Say, have you ever eaten haggis? It seems a little gross to me, but up there I bet they do a good job with it."

"Oh, erm, no, we just eat normal fare. Nothing too exotic," the boy said, sitting down next to her, taking her hand into his. "Say, why don't I put some more lotion on your back?" he asked with a smile.

"Sure," she replied. "And if you have nice hands, maybe you don't have to stop there."

The boy blushed at this, but eagerly poured out some suntan lotion onto his hands.

"Do you come here every summer?" she asked as he started rubbing her back with firm, strong strokes.

"Nope, this is my first time."

"Well, it's a great place. I just love this beach. That feels nice," she purred as he rubbed her back, "do my legs too, please."

The boy gulped, but continued rubbing lotion down her lithe body.

"Say, I don't think you told me your full name. I'm Amy. Amy Whitestone."

"Oh, erm, I'm-" the boy started to say his name when Amy started giggling as he caressed her feet.

"Oh that tickles. My turn."

With that, she grabbed the bottle of lotion and splashed some over his chest. Pushing him back on the blanket she crawled languidly on top of him, her hands rubbing the lotion into his chest as she rocked back and forth across his hips. She seemed unconcerned about the rather obvious effects her position had on the boy, and giggled at the blush that creeped up along his face.

"Oh, that feels nice," the boy moaned. "What was the name of this beach again?"

"Brighton Beach."

XXX

"S-Severus?" a pathetic man whimpered at the door, barely knocking on the dungeon's entrance.

The door flew open and the dark and brooding figure of Severus Snape stood glowering in the center. An eerie light was glowing in the background and the smell of several potions brewing was overwhelming.

"How dare you disturb me, and here of all places. Weren't you told never to come here?" Snape sneered at the man.

"Our-our Master ordered me here," he stuttered. "He knew Dumbledore would be gone at this moment and needed to give you some orders. He is most displeased with your failure to capture the boy and wonders about your loyalty."

"Our Master knows that I am loyal," Snape spat at the man. "And he knew the odds of actually capturing Potter were slight at best. He also knows that I must stay here to show my faithfulness to Dumbledore, else my cover is blown. Now tell me what the Master really said, or I'll feed you one of my more interesting potions."

Cowering in fear, the filthy wizard nodded his head. "You are to get free as soon as possible and return to his side. And you are to bring him some of Dumbledore's hair. He wants a polyjuice potion of Dumbledore for his plans."

Fortunately Severus Snape was a master at controlling his emotions. He simply nodded in affirmation at his orders.

"Leave, now, before Dumbledore returns. I will not be able to explain your presence."

The little man nodded his head and quickly turned around, stalking away from the dungeon. Fortunately he was walking quickly and the noise of his feet stomping on the cold stone masked the sound of the painful groan from behind the chamber door he had just left.

"Albus," said Snape in an agonized voice. "What can I do?"

XXX

The goblins in charge of security at Gringotts were getting worried. For the past several days the outer security wards were being probed for weakness in lightning fast strikes. When the goblins and their hired wizard curse breakers arrived at the sites of the latest attacks, there were no traces of the individuals responsible. While they were able to maintain the sanctity of their wards, a disturbing pattern was becoming more and more clear. Only the top leaders of the security forces, and their most trusted wizard curse breaker, were aware of the significance of the pattern taking shape in the well-designed attacks. Bill Weasley was the first individual to see an underlying pattern and once his suspicions were confirmed he immediately told his superiors. At first they were skeptical, goblins were proud creatures, but the fact that Bill had been able to predict the next three attacks had terrified the goblins. It was with this fear in mind that they had authorized an unprecedented level of cooperation with the Ministry and Albus Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix. Bill was the natural representative from both since his father was the new Minister and Bill was also a member of the Order.

Bill had spent the past several hours with his supervisors trying to find new ways to blend some unique protective spells with the magic goblins used to protect their banks and treasures. While compatible, unless the spells were linked carefully, their effectiveness was vastly diminished. After many false leads, Bill thought he had figured out a new way to link the protective wards in a way that would make Gringotts second only to Hogwarts in overall security.

Convincing his goblin bosses, however, was a difficult thing to do. After an hour long meeting with various security goblins trying to poke holes in Bill's theory, Bill's patience was wearing thin. He could tolerate legitimate questions or doubts, but one of his questioners was obviously searching for highly improbable lines of attack, even for Voldemort and his forces. And Bill knew that there were more likely lines of attack that would severely compromise the wards. But he had been forbidden from talking about them because plans were already being made by a select few to strengthen those weaknesses.

"Ringhook, sir, while I do not doubt Voldemort's ability to rally dark creatures to his side," Bill sighed, "but I doubt even he could compel three dozen dragons to attack the same point of the ward shield while all of his Deatheaters attacked at an opposite point with an ancient spell that half of them don't have the power to perform."

"Aha!" shouted Ringhook. "So you admit to a flaw in the protection?"

"Yes," said Bill with a slump to his shoulders. "In the unlikely event that those events happen, and we are unable to disrupt them, then the new wards would fall. But I think that is a risk worth taking. By the time the attack got underway, we would take the offensive against them, as would the Ministry and the Order. There would be no way they could concentrate long enough to perform the necessary incantations."

"But it could happen," Ringhook snarled again. "Until you bring us a flawless defense, we can not risk making any changes."

Bill sighed and shook his head in despair. He knew, perhaps better than any one individual in the room, that Ringhook was the laziest goblin present. Bill also knew that Ringhook didn't like his father and had reacted quite badly upon hearing the news that Cornelius Fudge had been removed from his office. As Bill started to prepare another argument on his behalf, the head of security raised his gnarled hand in warning to both Bill and Ringhook.

"Enough arguing," the ancient goblin said in a tired voice. "Mr. Weasley, your idea is well researched and probably the best thing we can come up with in this short time. You are authorized to proceed immediately. Ringhook, your objections are noted, and possibly legitimate. You are authorized to continue researching flaws in Mr. Weasley's plans and bring them back for our review. This matter is closed."

With the finality in his voice the ancient goblin stood with great dignity and exited the room. His immediate deputies quietly followed suit and soon only Bill and Ringhook were left in the chamber. Casting a calm glance in the direction of his goblin opponent, Bill stood and extended his hand.

"Thank you for pointing out the flaw you discovered. I will try to find a way to eliminate that threat."

When the lazy goblin did not stand or reach for his hand, and instead just glared at Bill, Bill sighed and turned to leave. As he walked out of the room he did not hear the soft shuffling sound of a younger goblin entering the chamber from a side entrance.

"Well, what do we do now?" the young goblin asked.

"We let our contact know what spells are being used, and we try to get some of our friends onto the team that will work with Weasley, that way we can bring the wards down when necessary," said Ringhook.

"Won't he be expecting some form of treachery from you at this point?"

"Yes, but that's why I will recommend some of the names, but you will recommend those that we truly want. That way he'll find plausible reasons to reject mine and be stuck with yours."

"Excellent. And are we sure of our reward?"

"Yes, the guarantees are sufficient."

The two goblins smiled greedily at the thought of new riches at their disposal once this was all completed.

"Now, quickly, you must be back before Weasley gets suspicious. You need to tell our contact of our plans and outline the weaknesses we have found in the new wards. Especially those weaknesses we did not point out to Weasley. He is blind to his own power, like all wizards."

The younger goblin nodded his head fervently and quickly departed. Ringhook smiled at his young friend's eagerness and relished the idea of gaining power over all goblins and over all the gold. It was going to be a good day when it finally happened and he was finally in charge without having to convince his fellow goblins to cede power to him.