Harry Potter and the Guardians of Power
Disclaimer: I own nothing belonging to the Harry Potter Universe except the twisted plot, a few original characters, and a desire to share my weird obsession with others.
Summary: After being captured by Voldemort, Snape and Potter escape to … AU/Middle of 5th Year, No HBP Spoilers, NO Slash, and No Mary Sues.
AN: I will not respond to individual reviewers on this story site. If you really need a question answered please review and I will answer on my author's page. Please review and thanks for reading. Chapter 5 was revised, please reread if you have not. Also, please let me know if you want longer chapters or faster updates? Thanks.
Chapter 7: Meanwhile Back at the Ranch…Er, Castle
(Earlier in the evening that Harry and Severus disappear.)
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, sat at his desk with his head in his hands and thought of a deeply troubled 15 year old boy. Not just any boy, but Harry Potter, a boy that Albus was beginning to realize he loved as a grandson. Over the many long years of his tenure as Transfiguration Professor and then Headmaster, there were many students that he thought of with great fondness, but none had touched his ancient heart as much as one skinny, green-eyed, black haired stubborn boy.
Albus had always suspected that Harry's life at the Dursley's house had never been as idyllic as he had hoped it would be when he left the infant on their doorstep only hours after the murder of his parents. But he didn't know for sure because Harry stubbornly refused to tell anyone exactly what went on behind the closed doors of No.4 Privet Dr. And until Albus had something concrete to take to Wizarding Children's Services, the idiot Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, would not let them place Harry anywhere else.
And the Ministry kept such close tabs on Harry's magical signature that they would know if Harry was moved without their knowledge. Especially since that hag, Delores Umbridge had made it her personal vendetta to get Harry expelled and hopefully locked up. Albus didn't know why Umbridge hated Harry so, but he suspected that Tom Riddle was behind her in some way. She didn't bear a Dark Mark, but that didn't mean she didn't sympathize, especially with her unreasonable hatred of all muggle born and 'half breeds'.
Albus was particularly upset this evening because he had had to tell Harry that he must return to his Aunt's house for the Christmas holidays this year. Something the boy had never done and was very unwilling to do now. First he had begged to be allowed to spend the holidays at the Burrow with the Weasleys, and then he asked to spend it at Grimmald Place with his godfather, Sirius Black. Harry had in fact volunteered to be Argus Filch's unpaid helper in cleaning the castle if he didn't have to leave for the holidays. And that was something no sane child would ever do. But when Albus had pressed for details of his Aunt and Uncle's care, Harry had clammed up and refused to give specifics no matter how the Headmaster pressed. Dumbledore knew that if he had pressed further, Harry would be even angrier with him, if that was possible. Well, he had almost two more weeks; perhaps he could get the boy to open up before then. Or maybe he could convince Severus to transfer some of the boy's memories into a pensive so they could document Harry's treatment. Severus adamantly refused to admit the boy's upbringing was anything but pampered. How could his two boys be so stubborn? For Albus had grown to love the irascible, bitter Potion's Master like a son. He just didn't understand Severus' illogical hatred of Harry. Usually Severus kept his emotions under such tight control that it was difficult to ascertain exactly what he was feeling. But he had no control around Harry it seemed.
Albus looked at the clock on his mantle, 10 p.m., curfew. And he knew if he kept beating himself up over the treatment of the boy he would have a headache in addition to the heartache he already felt. Albus cleared his desk as he prepared to leave his office for the night. As he sighed in frustration again, a loud gong reverberated throughout the castle and he felt a deep, shuddering grind of stone on stone. Albus stopped for a moment as this sound had not been heard in years and it took him a moment to realize just what had happened. Someone had cast a dark curse, an unforgivable in the castle!
A quick glance at the wards' monitors as he rushed out the door showed that there were no intruders in the castle, and the curse had been cast in the dungeons only one corridor away from the potions master's office. On the landing outside his office door he shouted, "Potion's Master's corridor" and swept through the door that appeared on the wall next to the spiral staircase. He pushed through the back of a portrait, to be instantly standing outside Severus' office. He knew instantly something was dreadfully wrong! Severus Snape never, ever left his office door open! The man was paranoid about locking and warding his office before leaving, no matter how soon he expected to return. His long strides making him seem much younger, Albus rushed around the bend in the corridor, brushing aside the curious Slytherin students who had crowded out of their common room. The Headmaster stopped and surveyed the scene. The stone walls had swiveled and shut off access to the corridor, effectively trapping everyone involved inside. He knew the corridor walls on the other end had also swung shut awaiting the releasing password that only he alone or a combination of two Heads of House could give.
"Headmaster of Hogwart's, Fawke's Flames" he stated quietly. At the proper identification and password, the stone walls ground slowly aside and allowed passage. Dumbledore threw a quick barricade behind him to prohibit students from following and strode forward to glare down at the three stunned students lying in the middle of the corridor, surrounded by the animated suits of armor the castle used to defend its students. All three had been stunned and were lying with their wandson the floor beside them, all facing the wall. The wall and floor were covered in blood spots and two bloody handprints had trailed down the wall in front of them. On the floor next to a frighteningly familiar wand was a cracked and shattered pair of equally familiar glasses. Albus felt his heart wrench with pain as a single tear slid down his aged cheek. The headmaster shook himself and forced his emotions deep into his mind to take control of the situation. He bent and pocketed the wand and glasses before turning to look at the three stunned students with a look of disgust. He knew who they were likely to be without even seeing their faces.
With a deep screech of stone on stone, the other end of the corridor opened in front of Professors McGonagall and Flitwick. Albus forced an expression of neutrality on his face and turned to face the two silent, shocked professors. Dumbledore just glanced at the two Heads of House, stopping for a moment to take notice of Professor Flitwick's yellow footed pajamas.
"My Goodness, Headmaster. What has happened?" Exclaimed Professor McGonagall, she pinched her thin lips together in an expression of distaste at the sight of the three unconscious boys. Her dark, green dressing gown billowed to show her sensible green tartan plaid flannel nightgown as she stalked down the corridor. She stopped at the sight of the blood pooling on the stone floor. With her hand coming up quickly to cover her mouth, she gasped before turning the three on the floor over to see who they were. "Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe, why am I not surprised? Albus, who did they attack? And where is he, he must be injured to have lost this much blood?" She gestured at the puddle of blood and the streaks down the castle's wall. She looked almost afraid to hear the answer. In her heart, she suspected who their target had been.
"I'm afraid, Minerva, that I have recovered Harry's wand and glasses from the floor. I have no doubt that it was Mr. Potter that was thrown against the wall. It appears he was attacked from behind."
Both Filius and Minerva looked distraught at this information. With a look of grim determination, the three Professors turned their attention back to the students splayed out in front of them.
"I was just about to revive these students and escort them to my office for questioning. The alarm means at least one of them has used an unforgivable within the castle, but I don't know yet the circumstances. Please help the students to return to their common rooms and do a head count to see if anyone is missing. Then join me in my office. I will need all the Heads of House to attend and I will need to contact two Auror's to witness and take the offenders into custody."
Flitwick looked around, "Where is Severus? All the Slytherins seem to be here but where is he?" It was a testament to the gravity of the situation that no one had mentioned anything about the child's bright yellow, footed pajamas that the tiny Charms professor wore.
"I don't know. His office was open and unwarded when I arrived so he would not have been 'called' and left. I admit I am very worried about his absence. He was closest so he should have been here before me. He could have heard the alarm and left his office to investigate without warding it in his hurry, but then where is he?" Dumbledore looked around and noticed Mr. Filch standing among the students. "Argus, will you see to the Slytherins and bring a head count of them to my office?"
"Certainly, Headmaster." Argus looked at the students with glee. They took one look and fled back to their common room without comment. No one wanted to give the bitter old caretaker reason to take notice of them.
After pocketing the three wands that he found near the students, Dumbledore conjured handcuffs on the three unmoving students and cast an enervate to revive them. He dismissed the armor and cast protective wards to keep everyone and everything, including Peeves, from the corridor until the aurors could investigate and collect any evidence needed.
"Ah, Misters Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Why am I not surprised? Please lead the way to my office." The Headmaster's voice was cold and the trademark twinkle was absent from his bright blue eyes. He walked behind the miscreants, holding a wand steadily on them the entire time.
In less than 30 minutes, all of Hogwart's Heads of House were present except for Severus Snape. There were four students missing, the three sitting in front of the headmaster's desk, bound and awaiting the arrival of ministry aurors, and Harry Potter. Apparently Delores Umbridge was also missing and could not be found.
With a green flash of floo powder, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks appeared in Dumbledore's office fireplace, followed by a St. Mungo's healer and a ministry clerk with a recording quill and parchment clutched in his nervous fingers.
The clerk sat at Dumbledore's desk, if anything looking more nervous at sitting at the great man's desk than recording the interrogations. At a nod from the clerk, Dumbledore began.
"The proceedings of December 10, 1996 may begin. Present are Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster; Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress, representing Gryffindor House; Professors Flitwick and Sprout representing Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Houses. Missing from these proceedings is Professor Severus Snape; Head of Slytherin House, who is also missing from the castle."
"At 10 pm this evening, the castle alarm signifying the casting of at least one Unforgivable Curse was sounded. The castle's protections caused the corridor on either end of the incident to automatically seal and they remained sealed until the proper passwords were given. I was in the corridor outside Professor Snape's office, which was uncharacteristically open and unwarded; when I entered the next corridor I was blocked by the castle. Upon giving the password, the corridor opened and I found three students, stunned and surrounded by three wands. The corridor had blood on the wall and the floor, including two bloody handprints that looked like whoever made them was sliding face first down the wall. I also found a pair of shattered glasses, a wand, and a pool of blood on the corridor floor." He looked at the aurors and said, "Professor Snape's office and the corridor have been sealed. All of the students have been sealed into their respective common rooms, the head count was completed and the only ones missing from the castle are Professors Snape and Umbridge, and…Harry Potter. The wand and the glasses have both been positively identified by all present members of the staff as belonging to said Harry Potter. No trace of either Mr. Potter or Professor Snape has been found."
Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick verified that they had also witnessed the scene, though from the other end of the corridor. Tonks inspected each of the four confiscated wands to verify ownership and then cast priori incantatem to show any spells cast in the last 4 hours.
"Harry Potter's wand shows no spells cast, Draco Malfoy's shows an expelliarmus, a reducto, a stunner, and 2 crucio's. Vincent Crabbe's shows a cutting curse and a crucio. Gregory Goyle's wand shows a single crucio and a bone breaking curse." Intoned Tonks for the record. Everyone present showed various expressions of horror and shock, that students of Hogwarts could be so cruel to another student, no matter how much they disliked each other. The order of spells cast proved that Draco had cast crucios on Harry while he was already gravely injured and stunned. Harry had been totally helpless since the first expelliarmus had thrown him face first into the unforgiving stone of the old castle walls. The attack had been not only vicious, but cowardly.
Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped forward. "Since Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle are both 16 years old we will lawfully administer one drop of Veritaserum. The casting of an unforgivable makes the mandatory sentencing guideline life in Azkaban; thereby giving the Ministry the duty to administer the truth serum. Mister Crabbe being 15 will not receive any, but he will have a truth spell cast upon him before he testifies, and will be removed from the premises to await further questioning. Professor Flitwick, if you will escort Mr.Crabbe into the antechamber until we call him back?"
He called the healer forward to administer the potion to Malfoy first since he had cast the most curses. After the single drop, Malfoy's eyes glazed over and Shacklebolt began questioning him.
"Your name and age?"
"Draco Lucius Malfoy, age 16"
"Explain what happened tonight beginning at 9:00 pm."
"Crabbe, Goyle and I saw Potter going down to Professor Snape's office. He looked upset and didn't even notice us so we followed him. He was only in Professor Snape's office for about 10 minutes when he ran out, leaving the door open. Professor Snape yelled at him to stop but he didn't. When he ran past us, I hit him with an expelliarmus and a reducto; he hit the wall face first, really hard. Goyle and Crabbe also hit him with spells and then I stunned him. We had all hit him with crucio's when Professor Snape ran around the corner. He had just rolled him over when I threw a portkey onto Potter's chest. They both disappeared and then somehow we were stunned. I woke up with Dumbledore standing over me." He spoke with a flat, emotionless inflection.
"Where did the portkey take them? Where did you get it?"
"I don't know where it took them. My father gave it to me and told me to throw it on him tonight, but not to be touching him when I did it or I would wind up somewhere I didn't want to be."
Malfoy kept answering questions and admitted his father was a Death Eater and an unregistered animagus. Everyone there snorted when he told them his father was a ferret. Malfoy had no idea where the Death Eaters were meeting and had only one more bit of information that was both surprising and very useful to the Order.
"Are you a Death Eater? Do you have the Dark Mark?" asked Tonks.
"Yes, and I have the new Dark Mark. You can't see it unless you cast a revealo on it."
Tonks pushed up his left sleeve to show his unmarked left arm and cast a revealo. Sure enough, the Dark Mark glowed for about 30 seconds and then disappeared back into his skin.
No further information was gleaned from the testimony of the two other boys. As expected, they had only followed Malfoy's lead and done as he had planned. It was a shame they were going to be spending the rest of their lives in Azkaban for simply being too stupid to think for themselves, but that fit the profile of many of Voldemort's followers. As the professors and the aurors were discussing the disappearance of Potter and Snape and how they might effect a rescue of the two, a portrait hanging on Dumbledore's office wall called to the Headmaster. He stepped over to the portrait and softly questioned the man portrayed within it. He smiled at Professor McGonagall and spoke softly to her.
"Apparently Mr. Malfoy is here to see his son. Would you bring him up here so that they can visit with each other?"
"Delighted to, Headmaster."
Dumbledore noticed the feral grin on Minerva's face and thought about how much she looked like a cat about to go eat a rodent, a ferret in fact.
Lucius Malfoy had disapperated from the Dark Lord's presence intent upon inflicting severe punishment upon his son, but the walk up from the main gate in the night's cold air had cooled his anger. Perhaps he could use this to usurp Snape's position next to the Dark Lord? Snape's usefulness as a potion's master made him indispensable to his Lord so Malfoy had to step carefully around him. But he was vulnerable; almost everyone was since the man was so paranoid after his resurrection only 6 month ago. If he could get Draco's treatment of Potter as somehow necessary and unavoidable because of the terrific battle that Potter had put up and Draco had managed to eventually overpower the brat, then he could explain… His musing and plotting was abruptly halted by the arrival of the stern, prudish McGonagall. 'The old witch hasn't changed any since I attended school, still cold and ruthless against Slytherins, the old bat.' He thought maliciously.
He thought he should lay it on a bit thick, "Professor McGonagall, excuse my late arrival at the castle, but Narcissa has taken ill, and only my promising to bring Draco home to her would soothe her. I am afraid I don't know how long I will have to keep him home. His mother is rather anxious to see him." He smiled his most endearing and gracious smile at the old bat.
Her smile back at him made him start in surprise. She looked delighted to see him. In fact, she looked like the proverbial cat that caught a rat. She nodded her head slightly in his direction. "We will need the Headmaster's permission, but I don't see why he won't let the two of you go together tonight. The two of you definitely need to be together. I am sure the Headmaster won't object to the two of you staying together and having a nice, long visit." She seemed to be accentuating the word 'together' but he was in too much of a hurry to return to Voldemort's side and explain his son's actions to notice. Lucius also failed to notice the evil glint that flashed in her eyes as she waved him up the spiral staircase in front of her to the Headmaster's office.
Lucius Malfoy was terribly surprised to be met with two aurors in the Headmaster's office where he was promptly arrested for the kidnapping of Harry Potter and Severus Snape. Yes, he and his son were going to be together for a nice long visit courtesy of the aurors and Azkaban.
The proceedings in Dumbledore's office, followed by inspections of Professor Snape's office and the corridor where the assault had taken place had taken all night. The students had been released from their dorms and most were heading into the Great Hall for breakfast when the Malfoys, junior and senior, Goyle, and Crabbe were escorted out the front doors in magical handcuffs by Aurors Tonks and Shacklebolt.
More than three-quarters of the students in the entrance corridor and the Great Hall cheered and clapped as the four were removed from the castle. Hermoine and Ron were too upset to cheer as they looked frantically through the crowd for their messy haired friend. Ron had told Hermoine that Harry's bed hadn't been slept in and no one had seen him since he had left to go to the Headmaster's office after dinner last night. They both knew he had 'detention' with Professor Snape after that and they were always worried about how angry and upset those lessons always made their friend.
Hermoine spotted Professor McGonagall in the crowd and hurried up to her, "Have you seen Harry this morning? No one has seen him since his detention with Professor Snape last night."
Ron added worriedly, "And his bed wasn't slept in either!"
McGonagall pursed her lips and waved the children aside, "Follow me, we can talk in Professor Firenze's classroom without others hearing."
Professor McGonagall drew the pair into Professor Firenze's classroom and told them the little that they knew about their friend's disappearance. Their Head of House swore the pair to secrecy before escorting them from the room. The pair clung to each other in shock as they were ushered to the hospital wing for a calming potion. Hermoine didn't even object to missing class.
Albus Dumbledore looked every one of his 150 plus years as he stood quietly at the staff table. His face looked grave and the twinkle was missing entirely from his clear blue eyes. The Great Hall fell silent without a word being spoken. Dumbledore spoke barely above a whisper but everyone in the Great Hall heard every word clearly.
"Last night in an unprovoked and cowardly attack, a fellow student was ambushed and gravely injured. Harry Potter was waylaid by Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe. Professor Snape was injured while trying to render assistance to Mr. Potter. The three students involved in the attack have been arrested after admitting to casting an Unforgivable curse on a fellow student. They are awaiting sentencing and are being held at the Ministry for Magic as is Mr. Malfoy's father who was also involved in the assault. Mr. Potter and Professor Snape have been removed from the castle to allow them to heal in a quieter location. We will let you know as any further information on Mr. Potter's and Professor Snape's condition is available. Classes are dismissed for the day. Please finish eating and return to your houses. Thank you."
Dumbledore asked Professor Umbridge to follow him to his office where they were met by the same two aurors. As a revealo cast by Shacklebolt revealed the new Dark Mark on her left arm, she was arrested as a conspirator to kidnapping and assault to commit murder. Her childish protests to her innocence fell on deaf ears. The others in the office were too worried about their missing student and colleague to stand for her babbling. They wanted answers now and quickly. Each minute that the two injured remained missing was another minute that the two were in grave danger and pain.
Kingsley Shacklebolt administered three drops of Veritaserum to the now bound, former Defense against the Dark Arts teacher and began the questioning in his deep bass voice.
"Name?"
"Delores Jane Umbridge"
"Are you a Death Eater?"
"Yes" she answered the questions in the same flat inflectionless voice that Draco Malfoy had used only a few hours before.
"Do you know who sent Dementors against Harry Potter and his cousin last summer?"
"Yes, I sent them."
Dumbledore had long suspected Umbridge but had been unable to prove it.
"Who told you to send them?" Everyone expected her to say Voldemort, but she surprised them, "Cornelius Fudge."
"Why did he send them?" was the startled question from Tonks.
"He's a Death Eater and our Lord told him to discredit or kill the boy. Potter has escaped him too many times and he wanted the boy locked up or destroyed. He also wanted his credibility destroyed in the public's mind to shore up support for Minister Fudge."
Umbridge went on to reveal several other top Ministry officials including the names of several aurors, none of which really surprised Shacklebolt or Tonks. She admitted the Ministry was riddled with Death Eaters in several crucial positions. Dumbledore quickly began notifying key members of the Order of the Phoenix to start investigating those named by Umbridge so they could begin arresting them quietly. Luckily Madame Bones, the head of Magical Law Enforcement was not named. And none of the top Unspeakables were named so they could be used to start purging the Ministry. This must be done as quickly and quietly as possible so the public didn't panic. And Harry Potter's and Severus Snape's disappearance must be kept quiet as long as possible. There were less than two weeks before the students left for the holidays, so that should give them some time before more questions about the two's disappearance were asked.
As Delores Umbridge was led out the front doors, the entire student body stood and saluted her as she left with a magnificent cheering roar and the tossing of hundreds of hats into the air. She was still raving about 'taking everyone else down with her' as she was dragged out the steps and across the grounds to an undisclosed location safe from the Ministry's meddling and corruption; where she would join the four arrested in the castle this morning. Dumbledore had been preparing a special place for captured Death Eaters that were too important to let stay at Azkaban. After all, how many times did he want to catch the same Death Eaters?