p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemLondon/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"It was nightfall on December twentieth. Ein stood in front of one of two thirty man teams, all under disillusionment charms less than a hundred feet from the back entrance of the target mansion./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""How are thing?" Cal asks over their communicator./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""We're set." She answers, "We just need your go ahead."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Wards are down in ten minutes. Make sure everyone's have their weapons out." Cal instructs, "These guards aren't amateurs, and the fewer of our guys we leave behind the better."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Right." Ein sighs, and then turns to her force, "Weapons free. Everyone get ready. We strike in ten minutes."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Despite the invisibility, she could hear them fidgeting with their guns and loading the ammo. 'Here we go.' She thinks as she checks her own./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; border: none; padding: 0in;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongBones family manor, London/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strong /strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Raymond…" Amelia mutters as she looks over the interrogation records of the members of Inferno they'd captured in their most recent raids, "The safe house was owned by someone named Raymond. Could he be the boss? These men were pretty high ranking members. Before, they said it was McGuire from Columbia… could they be the same person?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Madam Bones?" Kingsley Shacklebolt says while walking into the room, "Have you found anything?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Possible. Get our aurors in Columbia to investigate anyone named Raymond McGuire." She answers, "And you guys should take the night off. Nothing's going to happen."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""No can do, ma'am." He shakes his head, "It's the minister's order."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Stubborn fool." She mutters, "Well, delver those orders."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yes ma'am." He nods, stepping into the fire and vanishing. Almost as soon as he disappears, the instruments on her desk start going haywire. The green flames in her fireplace turn grey as the Floo network is taken down. Every ward around the house was systematically crushed in an instant. As soon as their down, gunshots echo on the grounds, followed closely by explosions and the cries of various spells./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Grabbing her wand, she rushes outside to find her aurors overrun five to one by an unknown force. Acting quickly, she begins striking with her strongest spells, sending the attackers crashing backwards./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"As soon as she appears, two more people appear out of the house, guns trained on her, "Hello, Madam Bones." The blond smiles, "Are you ready to die?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Inferno…" she growls as she looks back at them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Who else?" she smirks, pointing her Sig at the Director, "You really should have kept your nose out of other people's business."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Where is Astoria!?" she shouts, wand trained on the blond. The small one in the mask hadn't moved an inch since she arrived./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Don't know what you're talking about." Cal smirks, shooting eight bullets towards her. She rolls away to dodge, but to her horror, the bullets strike her aurors that had been coming to assist her, "Let's go, Ein. Finish the job."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Understood." The masked girl says in a familiar voice as she raises her wand and gun. With one movement, a jet of green light exploded from the tip of her wand, signaling instant death for anything in its way. It took nearly all of her concentration to jump aside, dodging death by the skin of her teeth. Unfortunately, she walks right into Cal's line of sight, and takes two bullets to the gut courtesy of the phantom./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Reducto!" she gasps, sending the blast of red light flying towards them, though they dodge without even trying. Taking advantage of their movement, she rushes into the house, and blasts the ceiling behind her, collapsing it in their path. Placing her wand at the two wound, she hisses in pain as her summoning charm drags the bullets out, sighing in relief as the healing spell closes the wound./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"'Nothing to be done about the blood I already lost though.' She thinks as she tries to find someplace to hide. 'By now, they've likely destroyed the auror force stationed here. And with the anti-apparition and portkey wards in place, I'm not getting out without a fight. Kingsley should be at the mission center by now. Once he discovers what's happening, he'll be back with reinforcements. I've got to hold out until then.'/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Conjuring a mirror to look around corners, she works her way into the basement, which no one but her, Susan, and the Greengrasses knew about. Once there, she wouldn't have any trouble barricading the door, and even if they torched the house, she'd escape unharmed. Judging by the echoing in the halls, they were destroying the other side of the mansion, meaning that they'd already gone to the other side. 'If I don't make it soon…' she glares as she crept around another corner, finally making it to the sitting room./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Quickly moving aside the portrait of Spenser Bones, first head of the Bones family, she places a hand on the wall, which moves aside at her touch and reveals a staircase. With a wave of her wand, the wall and portrait reset themselves, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe for now./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Damn it." Cal growls as she punches a wall, "Where the hell is she?!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Ein looks over the area in confusion. Everything was so familiar. Sure she'd been staking out this place for the last four months. But she'd never been inside before. Despite that, she wouldn't have any problem walking through the halls with her eyes closed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What do you think, Ein?" Cal glares./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I know where she is…?" Ein says quietly, walking towards the back door. Behind her, Cal was following intently. It wasn't long before she walked into the stepped into the Sitting room./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Suddenly, she remembers something. emShe was running throughout the house, looking for her sister and Susan while Harry and Sirius went somewhere. Daphne was obvious, hiding behind the hedges in the garden, but Susan was nowhere to be found./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em"Looking for someone?" Amelia smiles from her chair in the sitting room./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em"Yeah! But Susan's missing!" she giggles./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"emAmelia grins, and puts a finger to her lip, walking silently over to the largest portrait in the room. With one hand on the front, she pivots her hand and the painting slides up the wall. Pushing slightly into the wall, it opens to reveal a staircase downstairs./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em"You didn't hear it from me." She whispers, returning to her chair./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What is it?" Cal asks sharply./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""She's in here." Ein mutters, placing a hand on the portrait that glares down at her and sliding it. After pushing in, the staircase reveals itself./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Good work." Cal smirks, cocking her gun, "Let's finish this before reinforcements get here."/p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Damn it." Amelia growls as an alarm goes off that tells her someone had opened the portrait, "How the hell did they find it?" regardless of how they did it, now was the time to fight. Wand out, she waits. On the other side, she hears someone stepping, along with hushed voices. From the little she could hear of their conversation, she sidesteps to the wall just as a blasting curse sends the door crashing in./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Diffindo!" she shouts, and the white light flies toward the short girl. Taking her by surprise, she doesn't have time to dodge completely as it slices her mask in half. The face that greeted her was the last thing she expected, "No way… Tori…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"With the surprise obvious on her, Cal fires six shots at her. Two into each arm, one into each leg. As she screams on the floor, Cal steps forward and snaps her wand with a kick, "This is your kill, Ein. Finish it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Tori, please…" she groans as the daughter of one of her closest friends raises her wand./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Avada Kedavra." She whispers and the green light hit Amelia square in the chest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The very last thing she saw was the slightest of tears falling from the eye of her black haired killer./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Good work." Cal smiles as the body stops moving, "Let's go." With a flick of her wrist, the wards they'd placed disappeared. Above them, they heard dozens of voices shouting, along with explosions, "Damn. Looks like reinforcements arrived faster than we thought. Best leave now. Too bad about the others, but such is life. " For some reason, Ein was shaking worse than even when she killed Zane. Handing her a broken bottle, she sighs, "Just go. I'll clean up here."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The bottle flashed blue and she disappears into a flash of light. "Now then…" she smirks, walking back up the stairs. There were already aurors in the sitting room when the door was opened, but she made quick work of them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Infernum Super Terram!" she roars ,and Fiendfyre erupts from her wand. As whatever aurors outside realized that there was a fire, she smirks, and flicks her wrist to shatter the apparition wards, disappearing from the burning house./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemHead's office/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemHogwarts/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Minerva McGonagall was calmly looking over a few incident reports that prefects had given her regarding Professor Snape, insisting that he be removed for his behavior. While she didn't particularly like the man, he was a very competent teacher, given the right motivation, though this was more obvious with his NEWTs classes. Also, since taking this job, she is forced to reassess her opinion of the man. While he was clearly biased towards Slytherin house, it was not nearly to the extreme that the students seemed to believe. In fact, aside from the occasional point deduction for a minor incident, he has remained mostly impartial. Certainly not more than any other head of house, herself included, of course./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"She was jarred from her mental job performance review of the potions master when the Wards alerted her to someone entering the grounds. While not a rare thing, it was, when the vast majority of students are gone and there are no classes, something that warranted investigation. In more so when Harry Potter is still in the Castle and Peter Pettigrew is nearby. So, without further ado, she apparates herself to the entrance hall (Being headmistress has its perks after all) and out the large double doors. On the opposite side she was greeted by a solemn looking Auror and a couple crying behind him that she recognized as Cyrus and Morgan Greengrass./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Headmistress." Kingsley says sadly, "I must talk with Susan Bones."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What about?" she asks politely, "Surely her aunt wou-" the answer hit her like a ton of bricks, "Good heavens, not Amelia!?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"He nods sadly, and she forces back her tears as she motions them in and to the dungeons. She knocks lightly on the Potions master's door, though it still echoed in the hall, and he opens almost instantly, "Headmistress, how may I assist you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""We must speak with Susan Bones immediately." She says gravely./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"One look at her told him all he needed to know, and he swept past them. At the entrance he says, "Forked-tongue." the statue jumped aside and the five walk into the common room. It was still early in the morning, but one person was up. Daphne was stirring a cauldron in the corner and turned to see them come in./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"'Mom! Dad!" she smiles, running over to give them a hug, but stopping when she sees their faces./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Ms. Greengrass, please go and wake Ms. Bones." Snape says calmly, and Daphne simply nods and rushes to get her friend./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"She returns a moment later with a confused Susan, who looks to each of them frantically, hoping for something./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Ms. Bones…" Kingsley says sadly, "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but last night, your aunt was killed in an attack on your house…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Beside her, Daphne gasps in horror. Susan doesn't even realize that she was crying at first, but before long she just couldn't stop them. Morgan and Daphne were each giving her a comforting hug, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay. Snape, meanwhile, went to wake Harry./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Harry, contrary to his usual shoot first ask questions later mentality, went first to Susan to help the others before going to Kingsley and demanding answers, which he provided as best he could, which wasn't much. That said, Harry asked enough seemingly worthless questions to piece together the puzzle./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The vast majority of the attackers were killed, and those that weren't escaped. There were muggle firearms as well as wands found on some of the dead, implying that inferno was at least partially responsible. However, the house was engulfed in Fiendfyre before they were able to find out anything, so they couldn't be sure. There wasn't a trace of the mansion left except for the basement where they found Amelia's body./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"With most of his questions answered, Harry returns to Susan's side, offering what support he can./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemSomewhere in Germany/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongem5 Star Hotel, Penthouse suite/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Damn it." Reiji growls as he looks at the front page of the Daily Prophet, "Well, I found out what Scythe's plan was."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What's that?" Eren asks while making their breakfast./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Amelia Bones was killed last night." He sighs, "Her house was burned to the ground, and her entire protective detail was killed."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Sounds like the work of an Inferno strike team." She nods, "It really is unfortunate. What about Susan? Shouldn't she have been home for the holidays?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""According to the paper, she stayed at Hogwarts." He replies, "This sucks. I wish that I'd known. I might have been able to warn them."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""There is no way you could have known." Eren says soothingly, "What do we do about the others? Your plan hinges on the kids joining Inferno."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""It's not going to be easy." He sighs, "But I'm almost certain that Scythe is planning to recruit them. He wouldn't have gone after her unless he knew that he could work it to his advantage. For now, we'll let him handle it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You trust scythe for this?" she smirks./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You know as well as I do that he doesn't stop until he gets what he wants. We'll leave it to him and then take control." He shrugs, "It'll take some doing, but with me in Inferno, I've got a chance."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Alright." She sighs, "Then I'll leave it to you. What do you think of the security?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, we'll have some trouble, but I doubt that it'll be a major problem." He nods, "So, are you ready?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yeah." She answers, "We'll proceed as planned. Escape route?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Mio's handling it." He replies, "We get in, and then meet with Shiiga on the south end of town, where our target will be disguised and escorted to safety."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Good. Everything's ready."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""We'll add Amelia to the list of reason we're doing this." Reiji sighs, "Rest in peace."/p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemBones Family Crypt/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemJust Outside of Manchester/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Harry stood in silence along with his friends and a number of people that he'd never even seen before, though to his disgust, all three Malfoy's were in attendance. The preacher, who was a squib, spoke sadly of Amelia's life and words of comfort to those who were left behind. Since the morning before, Susan hadn't shed a tear, though everyone could tell it was all an act. She looked even worse than Daphne after Hogsmeade the year before. Tori might still be found. Amelia isn't coming back./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Half way through the service, it started to snow, blanketing the field in white. After an hour of lamenting and many people sharing their memories, Amelia bones was put to rest inside the Bones family Crypt, alongside her brother, sister-in-law and nephew. The crowd slowly dispersed, though most offered Susan their sympathies. Of course, the Malfoy's weren't among them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Time to go back." Cyrus sighs after they'd been standing there for a while, "Amelia wouldn't want you catching a cold."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I know." Susan mutters, "Let's go."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Cyrus and Morgan take a hold of one of the girls, "I'll be right back, Harry." Morgan says before she and Cyrus disapparate./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"As he waits, he looks back towards Amelia's grave, and is surprised to see someone standing over it. He only got a quick look at the red haired man who was looking down at the grave before Morgan returns, drawing his attention./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What's wrong?" she asks./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Nothing." He says, taking her hand and returning to Hogwarts./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemNurmengard prison/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemGermany/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongem /em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Reiji, are you in position?" Eren asks while she aims down her sight. There were ten guards in her line of sight. All ten had to die before Reiji could make his move. If even one escapes, the entire fortress would be locked down long before they get inside./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'm ready. The wards are in place, though they won't notice until after the attack has started." Reiji answers over his communicator./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Alright. Get ready. I'll start the mission in ten seconds."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Roger." He relies, "Eren… Don't die."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You too." She smiles before pulling the trigger. The forty-five millimeter bullet fired through the suppresser and lodged itself into the first guard's skull. Moving to her next target, she fires just as the first's body hit the ground. By then, the men had realized that they were under attack, and were searching for the enemy. A fatal mistake for the next three guards, who were taken out before the ever found her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"With five guards down, they'd realized where she was, and that they couldn't reach her, so the first tried to call in reinforcements. Judging from the look on his face, Reiji's spells were working wonders. There were two more shots, and three guards remained. They split up, two heading towards the edge of the wards, while the other made a break for the entrance to the prison. One bullet put an end to that ambition./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"It was hit or miss for this last part. Each guard was going for a different side, and if she timed it wrong, they'd break free. Switching to her Magic rifle, she aims and fires a piercing hex that blasted a hole through the first's chest. Turning towards the other, she launches a killing curse, which collides just before he passes the wards. With all the guards down, she apparates to Reiji./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well done." He nods./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""It's not over yet. We've got at least a dozen more bodies to drop before we get out." She says as she takes the revolver from the bag of supplies, and with it a bullet conjurer, "I'll take the locks, you work your way into the prison."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Right." He nods and they split up./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Eren crept through the halls, knife in one hand, gun in the other, searching for the control room. Nurmengard had been designed as a magical prison, but had since been renovated with the most effect locks and systems in both the magical and muggle worlds. The cell block they needed to get into was the most heavily protected. Both the key code and the manual lock had to be done at exactly the same time or else the cell block would lock down completely. The walls were impenetrable even to their magic once that happened, so they had to be careful./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"When she turned around the first corner after splitting with Reiji, she ran into two guards. After a moment of surprise by both sides, the guards had their wands drawn. Despite that, her knife still found its mark on the first guard's throat, leaving him in a pool of blood. The second gasps in fear, giving her the opportunity to slice his wand in two. Dropping the knife, she points her wand at him, 'Silenco.' She thinks, silencing him before he can scream, "Just shut up, and lower your mental barriers." She whispers, "And I might let you live."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"He nods weakly, and she points the wand at his head, "Legilimens." She's instantly bombarded by images of his daily routine, including checking into work at the control room. "Thank you." She says calmly, "Avada Kedavra." The green light illuminates the shocked look on his face as he hits the ground, "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed to live once they've seen us." She says after a silent prayer and rushes towards the control room./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; border: none; padding: 0in;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Reiji wasn't having nearly the same amount of trouble. Sure, he was running into more guards, but that was a good thing. Even more so when he started passing occupied prison cells. The inmates started yelling for him to let them go, but he ignored them, moving further and further into the prison. It wasn't long after that he found his checkpoint. Cellblock G. rather than killing the guards outright, he stuns them both and gets the answers from Legilimency. Finally, he ended their lives with the killing curse./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Ein, I'm ready when you are." He says into the communicator. They'd opted to use their number for this job, as the medallions Eren had made blocked them from the sight of the Surveillance camera, but not the audio recording devices./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'll be just a minute." She answers, "I've got to get the code from a very uncooperative guard."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Alight. I'll hold on." He nods, and listens intently./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I've got it." She says after a few moments, "DO you have yours?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Ready to go." He answers./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""On three then." She replies./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""One."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Two."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Three." On three, both of them hit enter onto the keypad. The heavy bolted doors grind open, and he quickly passes inside. It wasn't hard at all to find him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Hello." Reiji smiles, "Father."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Father?" the almost skeletal man chuckles, "Wasn't aware I had any kids. And I definitely ain't a preacher."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Marian Azuma." Reiji replies and he gasps, "She's my mother. She was pregnant when you left, and she never heard form you again."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I had no idea…" he mutters, "Well, what are you here for? To kill me for abandoning her?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""No." he smirks, "I have no right to kill you over that, since I did the same. We've got a lot to talk to you about, but for now let's go."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You're going to break me out?" he laughs, "and why would you do that?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Because I need your help, Null."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"At this, he growls, "Don't call me by that name!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I feel the same way as you." He replies, "I'm Zwei. Another of Scythe's lackeys. Or former lackey I should say."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What does that have to do with me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I've got a plan, but I need your help for it." Reiji answers, unlocking the door with a key he stole off a guard's body./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Details?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Not here. I'm invisible, but they might still be able to hear us." He replies, unlocking the shackles, "Come on."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"He struggles to his feet and laughs, "Well, I suppose I'll trust my son, even if you don't look a thing like me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Then take this." Reiji says as he hands him a wand, "There'll be guards on the way, so you might as well make yourself useful. Assuming you still know what you're doing, of course."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Who do you think you're talking to, Boy?" He laughs, taking the wand and casting a complex spell. Suddenly, his body started changing, becoming far healthier looking. Putting on some weight and he regrew the teeth he had lost. His hair, which had been snow white, regained a streak of gold. Now, this man looked closer to a man of forty than over a hundred, "I am Gellert Grindelwald! I will not yield so easily."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Then let's go." Reiji says as the two step out to the horror of the assembled guards./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongem Hogwarts, Great Hall/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongem /em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Susan remained distant after the funeral. All of them were careful to give her her space. Daphne in particular almost seemed to be avoiding her. When Harry confronted her about this, she answers, "Susan gave me the time to sort things out for myself after Tori. I'll give her the same."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"With that attitude, she redoubled her efforts in brewing whatever potion she created, insisting that it had to be done by Christmas. Not that she would tell Harry anyway./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"On the morning of the twenty-third, Susan came to the great hall for the first time since Amelia's death. She didn't say anything, but she was there and that was an improvement. When the mail arrived, every voice in the hall gasps at once. One only had to read the headline to discover why./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongGellert Grindelwald Escaped/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongem /em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em Late last night, a force of unknown origin, possibly the remnants of Grindelwald's army, believed to have been defeated almost fifty years ago, launched an assault on the prison of Nurmengard. Of the seventy personnel in the prison, only eight survived, and none of them saw the forces./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em"This crime is believed to have been perpetrated by a group of considerable size and ability, as by all accounts the battle was over in left than half an hour." A spokesmen for the Germany ministry has said, "Every law enforcement officer in the ministry is looking for Grindelwald, and urge all countries to do the same. Grindelwald is a menace that must be stopped before he regains his power."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"emOur own Ministry has warns that Gellert Grindelwald is incredibly dangerous, and should not be approached. If sighted, alert the ministry immediately./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"emAlbus Dumbledore, who was hailed for defeating Grindelwald he first time could not be reached for comment, but the ministry assures us that they have been in contact with him, and he has promised to assist in any way he can./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""This week just goes from bad to worse…" Daphne shudders./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""We just can't catch a break, can we?" Harry sighs, "well, at least Grindelwald isn't after me. That's got to count for something."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I have a feeling this day isn't about to improve." Daphne says as she turns to the door to the Great Hall./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"McGonagall was coming in, followed closely by a smirking Lucius and Draco Malfoy, and all three were coming towards the Slytherin table./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Ms. Bones…." McGonagall sighs, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to come with me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Why?" Susan asks./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Your legal guardian has removed you from Hogwarts." She answers./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What!?" Harry roars, and the entire hall ran to leave./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Shut up, potter." Lucius growls, "It is my choice what I do with my own charge."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Malfoy can't be her legal Guardian!" Daphne shouts./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""My mother was Arianna Bones." He smirks, "Which makes me the oldest living Bones, and thus, it is my duty to do as I feel best. Susan, my dear, you shall be home schooled by myself and my wife to ensure that you properly overcome your grief."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Bastard…" Harry says angrily, hand inching towards his wand, a movement not missed by the eldest Malfoy./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Oh, are you going to fight me?" he laughs, "You should learn your place, boy. Just as she shall learn hers. I'm sure that Draco is more than capable of teaching his wife some manners."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'll die before a marry that snob." Susan spits in Draco's face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You bitch!" he shouts, wrapping a hand around her neck until Harry's wand is an inch form his eye./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Let go." Harry growls, "Or loss your head right now. You have three seconds."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Release her ,Draco." Lucius smiles, "Potter won't always be there to protect her."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yes he will." A rough voice says from the doorway, and all of them turn to see who it was. Sirius was glaring viciously at Malfoy, who glares right back, ignoring the goblin who was smiling brightly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What are you talking about?" Malfoy hisses./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""My name is Slintok, I am the account manager for the Bones account." The goblin says formally, bowing slightly to all of them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You are not!" Malfoy growls, "The bones account manager is Racset, who I spoke with just this morning!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Lord Racset was removed from his position fifteen minutes ago." Slintok says pleasantly, ignoring Malfoy's outburst, "He made an understandable mistake, but regardless, he has been dealt with. You see, Racset informed you that you were next in line to become head of the house of Bones by virtue of your mother. This is wrong."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What!?" Lucius spits./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Lord Racset knew that he was supposed to wait seven days before informing you of your ascension, but as you arrived early, he informed you early." Slintok explains, "No less than twenty minutes after you left, another came and claimed true leadership of the House of Bones."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What fool would dare to claim what is mine?!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Before the goblin could answer, Daphne gasps, pointing towards the ceiling. A silver shape floated down towards them, landing squarely in front of Malfoy./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"It looked to be a large cat, a leopard perhaps, only it towered above them, so much so that even Hagrid was a few inches shorter. From its mouth full of sharp teeth, a silver mist billowed, filling everything with a sense of goodness./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"It spoke in a deep, firm voice, "I am alive, Lucius Malfoy."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Malfoy pales in terror even as Susan looks in disbelief. The cat continues however, "Never would I allow the murderer of my parents to claim the house of Bones. And least of all, my sister. You and I will meet soon enough. When we do, I'll deal with you myself. Amelia wanted to bring you to justice. I want to send you to hell."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"As the silver cat disappears, Malfoy was doing is best impression of a pale goldfish, while Draco was looking at him, as if expecting him to explain what was going on. Susan was truly smiling for the first time since Amelia's death with tears around her eyes./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yes, well, as I was saying, Lord Michael Bones has full right to the title. Far more than you, anyway, and has taken up that mantle." Slintok grins, "As per his decision, you and your son are cast from the house of bones and cut from the line of succession."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""This is impossible!" Lucius says, regaining his cool, "Michael Bones is dead. He has been for years."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""That reminds me…" Harry smiles, "When Professor Lupin told us that story, he said that they never found the body."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, that's not all that Lord Bones did, but that is all that concerns you, Lord Malfoy." Slintok says dismissively, "Lord Potter, Lord Black, Lady Bones, please come with me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Now see here-!" Lucius glares, drawing his wand from his snakehead cane./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Don't even think about it." Sirius growls, "You know as well as I do that you can't beat me in a duel, and we outnumber you five to two."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""This isn't over!" Malfoy shouts as he stomps out of the room. Draco glares daggers at Daphne while Harry and Susan follow the goblin and Sirius. McGonagall smiles and takes her seat at the head table. Even if most of the students ran away, someone had to keep the peace between those two./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Moony says that we can use his office." Sirius says, opening the door to the office and conjuring two more chairs. He sits to the left while Harry takes the center and Susan sits to his right. Slintok sat in the professor's chair across from them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Now then, Lord Bones did very little when I met with him this morning." He begins, "Aside from exiling the Malfoys, he completed one piece of outstanding Business that Madam Bones had hoped to address, assigned custody of his sister, and named his heir."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""First, the outstanding business." He says as he takes a sheet of parchment from his briefcase and sliding it to Harry, "A marriage contract Between Lord Potter and Lady Bones, to be completed at the time of her seventeenth Birthday. Signed By Lord Sirius Black and Lord Michael Bones. He also assigned custody to her betrothed and named her betrothed as his heir."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Wait, what?" Harry stares./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Apparently, we're engaged…" Susan says as she reads the contract./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""And Harry has custody." Sirius nods./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""And in the unlikely event that something happens to lord Bones, the title will fall on you." Slintok adds./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Can my life get any more complicated?" Harry groans, "And what about Daphne? How's she going to react?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Tell her it was either you or Malfoy." Sirius shrugs./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I know who I'd pick." Susan smiles./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I think I would to." Harry jokes, "Hell, if given the choice between marrying a basilisk and Malfoy, I'd pick the basilisk."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Same." Susan and Sirius grin, making them laugh./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Now, Lord Potter, I need you to sign these." Slintok says before they go any further, "The first confirms that you will take custody of your Betrothed, and the second will verify that you agree to become lord Bones' heir."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"After signing the two papers, Slintok stood up, "It was nice to meet you, and I pray that our business will be most profitable in the future."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""My thanks for everything, Lord Slintok. " Harry bows./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; border: none; padding: 0in;""If you require anything further, please let me know." He bows back before stepping into Lupin's fire and returning to Gringotts./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Daphne was waiting anxiously in the common room when they found her. The moment she saw them, she threw her arms around them both, "Are you alright? What happened?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well…" Harry sighs, "I'm engaged again."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Come again?" Daphne stares and Susan giggles slightly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, apparently, I'm engaged to Susan too." Harry says, trying to gauge her reaction./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Daphne looks at him, then Susan, and nods, "Well, better than the alternative. Welcome to the family, Susan."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""That was easy." Harry sighs in relief, "I was afraid that you'd be angry."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'm not strongreally /strongangry." She corrects, "I'd have liked to have you all to myself, but Susan deserves way better than a swine like Malfoy!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""HEY!" Malfoy growls from the doorway, stomping over to Susan and grabbing her arm, roughly yanking her away, "Potter, stay the hell away from my woman!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Harry looks him in the eye, and draws his wand, "BACK OFF!" he shouts, and glaring at him with every ounce of intensity he had./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The temperature in the room plummeted, Malfoy lets go of Susan before struggling to find some way out. Unfortunately, Susan had been looking for an outlet to vent her anger since Amelia's death, and Malfoy just volunteered. Slipping a hand inside of her robe, she withdraw the knives that she carried with her everywhere and stabs one into Malfoy's shoulder, causing him to scream loudly. Without missing a beat, Susan yanks the knife out of his bleeding wound and bashes his skull in with the hilt, knocking him to the ground./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The door flies open and Snape runs in, Wand drawn and a curse on his lips, as if expecting Pettigrew to be trying something. Instead, he finds the room a good thirty degrees colder than it should have been and Draco Malfoy bleeding on the ground, moaning in pain, "What happened here?" he asks, kneeling beside Draco and fixing his shoulder./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Malfoy assaulted Susan." Daphne growls, "And Susan responded in self-defense."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Lies…" Malfoy groans./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Try looking at my arm than." Susan spits, ripping her sleeve up to show a slight bruise where Malfoy had grabbed her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Did it to herself…" Malfoy mutters./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Your knife, Ms. Bones." Snape says, holding out his hand, which Susan hands him the still blood knife, "I have to take Draco up to the hospital wing. None of you are to leave the room until I return." Conjuring a stretcher for him, Snape scowls as he leaves the three alone in the common room./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I can't believe him." Daphne roars, "I wish you had killed him, Susan."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I was about to." She admits, "But Snape interrupted me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""If you didn't, I would have." Harry growls, "Bastard."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, there's always next time." Daphne sighs, turning back to her simmering potion, "It should be ready in just a little bit…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What are you doing?" Harry asks for the hundredth time./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""It's a surprise." Daphne says blandly, stirring the now silver potion, "I just hope that I can get permission to leave school to deliver it…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""To who?" Susan asks intrigued./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Neville, actually." Daphne grins, "I'm sure he'll never forget this Christmas."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Okay, now you're just teasing us." Harry huffs, "Tell us already!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Nope." She smirks, "You'll find out eventually."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"At that moment, the door opens again, and Snape walks back in, "Well, he'll live." He says when he sees them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""A shame." Harry sighs, "Should've aimed for the neck."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'll do better next time." Susan shrugs, "So, you going to ask your questions?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""No need. I have Draco's memory of the encounter." Snape replies, conjuring some drinks, "Normally, simply grabbing your arm would not have been sufficient for such force, but as it turns out, he hadn't intended to stop there. Suffice it to say that his true intentions were far more sinister."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Daphne is the first to realize what he was talking about, "That son of a bitch…!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Indeed." Snape growls, "Well, I will be moving for the headmaster to expel him, but until then, he's locked in the hospital wing."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I swear that I'm going to kill him one of these days…" Harry mutters, gripping the handle of his wand tightly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'll pretend that I didn't hear that." Snape smirks, "After all, that could be taken as a threat, Mr. Potter."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Not a threat, Professor." Harry grins, "Not a threat."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, I hope that you enjoy the remainder of your break." Snape nods, "I have some paperwork to fill out, so if you'll excuse me…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Harry, can you stir this for a little bit?" Daphne asks, before Snape can leave, "Professor, I wanted to know if I could talk to you about something…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Fine, but you have to tell us what this thing is!" Harry huffs, taking the spoon from her as she and Snape leave the common room./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""She's not going to tell us, is she?" Susan asks after a moment./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Never." Harry nods and both laugh./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The next morning, Snape came back to the common room, this time to get Daphne and her mystery potion. Apparently, it wasn't so secret that she couldn't tell Snape. Daphne packs up the finished steel grey potion, gives them each a hug, and runs off with Snape to deliver this 'present' to Neville./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"What had seemed boring the week before suddenly made Harry nervous as he realizes that there were only two days left until the Disposal team arrives for the basilisk. Susan did her best to reassure him, but it still didn't do much good. Before he even realized it, he'd spent the entire day on the twenty-fourth training. Whatever creatures lived in the lake likely weren't very happy about that, as this training included a huge span with Eren's spell. The lake must have dropped a foot before he'd finally put out the fire. By the end, he thought he'd cooked the giant squid before in swam to the deepest part of the lake to hide./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Finally done?" Susan grins, walking over to him once the fires were out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""For now." He replies, "What have you been doing?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Same as you." She answers, pointing towards the forest, where there were about thirty dead acromantula, "It's funny, but one concussion charm and the all come charging out. I never even had to enter the forest. Didn't Giuseppe say not to use those spells?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""At the dueling club." Harry reminds her, "I'd rather not get eaten by the Basilisk tomorrow because I was worried about hurting it. If it comes near me, I'll kill it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Good." She smiles, "Because if you die, Malfoy gets another chance, and that isn't going to happen."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Agreed." Harry nods, "Malfoy isn't ever going to hurt you again, I promise."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Thanks Harry." She smiles./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"After a moment of silence, Harry asks the question he'd wanted to ask yesterday, "Are you relieved?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""About what?" she asks./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Your brother." He answers./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"It was a moment before she answered him, but finally, she says, "I don't know. All these years I've thought he was dead. But he wasn't. He's been alive for so long, I didn't know. I haven't seen him since I was just a little girl…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I think I might have seen him." Harry sighs, "The day of Amelia's funeral. After Cyrus took you and Daphne back, there was someone at Amelia's grave. A man with short read hair."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""That does sound like him." She smiles, "Well, I'm glad. Maybe I'll see him soon."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'm sure you will." Harry says as they start walking back towards the school, "I wonder if Daphne's back yet…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I wonder if she'll finally tell us what that damn potion was…" Susan grins./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"As one, they smirk, "Nope."/p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Finally, the day arrived. December Twenty-sixth. As they had predicted, Daphne still refused to tell them what the hell that potion was. She did, however, remind Harry that the Basilisk was a snake, so he really didn't have anything to fear from it. AS a parseltongue, he could control snakes. With that thought in mind, Harry spent the last day before the operation laughing with the girls in the library while dodging glares from the stern librarian Madam Prince. After opening his presents, of course./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The Dursleys decided he was worth a loose bit of string, which helped a bit, as he added it to the fire when he contacted the Greengrasses to wish them a Merry Christmas. The Greengrasses themselves had put together an album of photos about his parents, with a bit of help from all their other friends. Snape gave him an advanced dueling guide, complete with detailed instructions for tactics and complex combat spells. Remus gave him a book on dark creatures and strategies against them. Naturally, Harry turned to straight to the section on Basilisks. It wasn't very helpful, as it amounted to "Don't look them in the eye, avoid the fangs, and then kill it.", but at least he could claim, however falsely, that he knew more about basilisks than he did the day before./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Sirius, it seemed, decided to outdo himself again, sending Harry, what according to the card, was the fastest broom in the world, the firebolt. Everything was looking up, if Harry could just deal with that damn snake. That was Harry's thought as he went to sleep on the twenty-fifth./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"After lunch, McGonagall strides down to the Slytherin table, "Mr. Potter, please come with me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"None of them had to ask what it was about, and Harry wordlessly stands, after receiving two hugs from the girls, and follows the headmistress out of the great hall and up to her office. Inside, there were twenty people in crimson robes, each with the logo for the committee for the disposal of dangerous creatures./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""This the boy?" the oldest, most experienced looking man, probably the leader, asks. He wore the same crimson robes as the others, and he had a scrubby brown beard, and was also a bit on the tall side./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""That's correct." McGonagall nods./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""This boy nearly killed a thousand year old basilisk?" he snorts, "I'm not buying it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Harry lifts his robe sleeve to show where the fang had pierced his arm, "I've got the scars to prove it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""we'll see." He snorts again. /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yes we will." Harry growls./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Now then, as each of you knows, the target is a thousand year old basilisk that has been living inside of the chamber of secrets since the school was founded." McGonagall says calmly, "This beast possess a very real danger to the students, and it was only because Mr. Potter Blinded it, thereby robbing it of its most powerful weapon, combined with the incredibly powerful wards found to block the entrance to the chamber that I allowed the school to reopen this year. That said, we cannot allow it to survive. I've been told that all of you have fought against basilisks before?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Aye." The old man nods, "Nearly killed me about twenty years ago, and that was only fifteen years old. It was tough as nail and this one is going to be worse. Much, much worse. I've never heard of a basilisk living so long. We'd best be ready for anything."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, the beast is still inside the chamber, which is located in the second floors' girls restroom." McGonagall nods, "If everyone understands what's going on, I'll order the students back to their common rooms, and as soon as we've received word that everyone is safe, we'll get started."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Aye, ma'am." The group leader nods./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"With that confirmation, McGonagall points her wand to her throat, "Sonorous." There was a slight trickle of magic from the tip to her throat and she says in a loud, echoing voice, "All heads are to escort their houses to the dormitories immediately. All other teachers are to report to my office at once! Dormitories are to be locked down the moment all students are inside!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"As soon as she finished, the greyed out Hogwarts logo on the wall behind her desk suddenly had the Slytherin crest lite up. "Good, so Severus has escorted everyone already…" McGonagall says after she'd canceled her charm. Soon after, the other three houses had lite up as well, leaving the crest fully illuminated, "Gentlemen, you will follow Mr. Potter to the second floor at once."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Fine. Let's get this damn job over with." The man grumbles and Harry leads the large group out of the office./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Five minutes later, they were crowded into the girl's bathroom and Harry stood in front of the sink. When everyone was ready, Harry hisses, $Open$. The sinks sink into the floor, revealing the massive hole behind it. Somewhere deep inside of the hole, they could hear something slithering./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'll go first." The leader orders, "After that, one at a time in thirty second intervals. Kid, you're last. With any luck, we won't need to involve you at all, but we might need your ability to open some of the doors down there."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"With that, he jumps down the massive slide. Thirty seconds later, the man behind him jumps, followed shortly by the others. Finally, thirty seconds after the last man, Harry slides down himself./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The chamber was as filthy as ever. Discarded basilisk skin in various stages of decay were scattered everywhere. The sounds of the beast moving around were far louder than they had been at the top of the Shute, but they echoed and that made it next to impossible to discern where it was./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Everyone, teams of two." The leader orders, "Boy, stay here. If we can't find anything we'll come back. If you see that snake, close your eyes. These things have incredibly potent regenerative powers. There's no telling whether it might have grown its eyes back. Start shooting off concussion charms at it. We shouldn't be too far away, so we'll take it from there. Once it's been found, you get out of here."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Harry nods as the men spilt up, leaving him alone in the chamber of secrets. Ten minutes later, the sounds of the beast got closer, and Harry had his wand out, ready for it to come out at him from behind one of the walls. Behind him, something crashes to the ground./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; border: none; padding: 0in;"With all of this instincts honed from his Quidditch practice, he turns around, and wand tip glowing black as he prepares to burn the basilisk to a crisp. At the last second before the curse flies, he sees that it's not the sickly green basilisk, but something wearing black with platinum blond hair./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What the bloody hell is going on?" Malfoy asks as Pompfrey runs from the room without answering. Taking this opportunity, he grabs his wand and casts a blasting hex at the chains Snape had used to chain him to the bed. Creeping out, he hides behind a suit of armor. As it had been for the entire break, the halls were empty. 'I've got to get out of here.' He thinks as he creeps down to the third floor, 'that bastard took my memory, meaning that he know what I planned to do to that bones bitch. I'll be expelled for sure, so I have to be sure that I don't get arrested too.'/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"He moves slowly, to make sure that no one saw him. Three times, he had to hide and wait for a teacher to rush past, and a few more minutes to be sure they were gone. 'Probably Pettigrew broke in.' Malfoy decides as he makes it down to the second floor, 'Nothing to worry about. If I see him, he'd probably help me in exchange for father's protection.'/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The second floor, the coast was clear. Not even a ghost to get in his way. Running across, he looks to the left just in time to see Potter standing in front of a huge hole in the girl's bathroom. 'What's he doing here?' he thought as he watches from the door. 'That couldn't be… the chamber of secrets!' he grins, 'this is perfect! That old hag wouldn't dare to expel me if I brought in the heir of Slytherin! I knew that bastard couldn't kill a basilisk!' just as he was about to jump out and attack, potter jumps into the hole./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"'Damn.' Malfoy says as he walks in, ignoring that creepy ghost that whined at him, 'the only way I'm surprising him is to wait. I'll give him ten minutes to get away, and then I'll lie in wait for him back at the entrance.' Smirking, Malfoy cast a quick tempus and waited./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Finally ten minutes later, he stands and slides down the chute. Ignoring the twists and turns, he crashes to the ground at the bottom. When he looks up, he found Potter's wand pointed at him with a black glow of magic at the tip./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; border: none; padding: 0in;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Malfoy!" Harry growls quietly, "What are you doing here!?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What about you, Potter!" he smirks, "I knew it was you. You're the heir of Slytherin. Gonna set you monster on the school again?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Get out of here!" Harry almost hisses as the sound grows even closer, "You're going to get yourself killed!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'd like to see…" Malfoy grins, but stops when the great snake slithers into the chamber./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Malfoys face was frozen in fright as Harry briefly places himself between them, until he remembers. Remembers what happened to Susan, and what Daphne had told him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"$You're the speaker.$ the basilisk hisses as it slithers closer to them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"$I am.$ Harry answers, $ And you serve me now.$/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"$as you command.$ it replies./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""$Kill this boy.$ Harry hisses with a smile as the basilisk rears up to attack Malfoy. "Look out Malfoy!" Harry shouts loudly to be sure that the others heard him. Firing off a few concussion charms that missed the snake by a mile, Malfoy screams and tries to run back up the slippery slide that he came down. Harry just smiles as the beast inches closer to him, 'That's what you get.' Harry thinks as the basilisk opens its jaws just as the others rush back into the room, 'If you want to rape my friend, I'll kill you. Maybe you can learn that lesson the hard way.'/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Potter, get down!" The leader of the group orders as he and his men start casting curses. Harry obliges, but the Basilisk doesn't flinch, it continues with its mission despite their curses and Malfoy's screams. Finally, with Malfoy completely backed into a corner, and chomps down and the screams stop. It turns back towards the ones cursing it and all of them saw Draco Malfoy impaled on its razor sharp teeth, eyes wide in terror as he died./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The intensity of their curses increases, but the basilisk ignores them still, and throws its head back, swallowing Malfoy's body whole. Deciding that Malfoy was dead enough, Harry stands up and shouts, "Sectumsempra!" adding as an afterthought, she hisses, $don't move.$ with the snake bound by his words, the curse strikes on the already destroyed eyes. this time, there was no question of whether or not the curse struck deep enough, as it sliced clean through, takin the top of its skull off in one blow. It collapsed dead instantly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Damn…" the old man mutters, "You've got to be kidding me…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I told you." Harry growls, "Now, someone get in there and see if my friends still alive."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'll go." One of the shorter men nods, wrenching the beasts mouth open with a spell./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Don't get your hopes up." The old man sighs, "He already had the venom in his system before he got eaten. Even if the puncture wounds didn't kill him, it's already passed the point where he'd have died."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I know." Harry mutters, "I felt that same venom. But I'd still rather he not die. Sure we had our disagreements, but I never wanted him dead. I tried to stop it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I know." He says, placing a hand on his shoulder, "WE all heard you. Wish we could have been faster. What did you say to it at the end?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Burn in hell." Harry grins, and the old guy laughs./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well said! You're alright, Potter. I'm Amos, Amos Diggory." He nods, "Technically, I'm in charge of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, but before that I was the most effective creature killer there was." He says, extending his hand, which Harry shook, "Sorry about earlier. You didn't really look the part of the hero the way that you'd expect someone who fought off a basilisk to look."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""It's fine." Harry chuckles, "SO, are you related to Cedric?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""My son." He smiles proudly, "I am quite happy to say there isn't a finer boy anywhere! I hear that the two of you played Quidditch last month?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yeah, but the dementors got in the way." Harry shrugs, "I'm hoping for a rematch some time. I could say that it was because the match didn't have a clear ending, but it's mostly because I just can't stand losing."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Same with the rest of us." Amos smirks, "That said, this kill is entirely yours, my young friend."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, this should add to my bank account." Harry grins as the man came back out, clutching a smoking body./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""No good, boss. Looks like he died instantly. One of the fangs pierced his skull." He sighs, placing Draco's body down./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, at least he didn't suffer." Harry mutters, "Sometimes, I can still feel that thing's venom eating away me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Basilisk venom doesn't go away." Amos nods, "Even phoenix tears don't stop it completely. Over time though, it'll actually make you stronger. Put up with it for a few more years and you'll start to see the difference."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, that's good, at least." Harry sighs, "Let's get out of year."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"One thing before we go through." Amos smirks, and waves his wand at the basilisk corpse. A sudden chill covers them, and it almost looks like the corpse was surrounded by a thin silver bubble, "Stasis charm. The headmistress probably won't like you dragging out your trophy during the school year, so this should hold until the summer."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Thanks, Amos." Harry smiles, "Give Cedric my regards and tell him he owes me a match once I get a new broom."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You've got it. I'll have to come see this one." Amos laughs, "What kind are you getting?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Haven't decided, but It'll be fast." Harry shrugs, "After all, I'm the kind of guy that improves with each loss. I lost my Nimbus, so I'll get something better. Maybe that Firebolt I've heard so much about…" he adds with a grin./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, you'll certainly have the money with this bad boy." He smirks pointing towards the corpse, "Let's get out of here before the smell kills someone."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Great." Harry says as he steps onto the lift that one of the men conjured while they were talking, and the twenty one people rose out of the chamber of secrets, bringing with them the body of Draco Malfoy./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"That night, at dinner, it was announced that Peter Pettigrew had infiltrated the school, and killed Draco Malfoy as he lay in the hospital wing. McGonagall purposed a toast to his memory, which was halfheartedly acknowledged by all. Susan and Daphne, and Snape, it seemed, hadn't bought his story about trying to save Draco, but none of them pursued the issue and further. Draco was dead, the basilisk was dead, and Pettigrew gets blamed for the kill, backing him even further into a corner./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"And it meant they got to see Lucius Malfoy's livid face, accompanied by his Wife Narcissa, who was the only person in the school crying for Draco, when they came to collect the body. The glare he cast at Harry told him that he fully thought that Harry was in some way responsible, but he couldn't prove it. After all these years of escaping from justice due to lack of evidence, his son's killers getting the same. Karma's a bitch./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Once Hogwarts was a Malfoy free zone, Harry and the girls partied, under the guise of a Christmas party, all night long./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The next morning, in Hogsmeade, Madam Rosemerta threw down a copy of the prophet, killing a bug on the floor of her pub. When she turned her back, she never saw the rat looking at the front page, at the article about Lucius Malfoy's son being killed by Peter Pettigrew. With a sequel the rat ran back to the shrieking shack, where it cowered in fear. Now Malfoy would never help him. Meaning that if he failed… the only person left was the dark lord…/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; border: none; padding: 0in;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Onto our next piece of business." McGuire says calmly as he continues with Inferno's quarterly meeting, "Scythe, what are your thoughts about Grindelwald's escape?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The pale man nods, "it is quite the troublesome affair. We must find some way to deal with this quickly. After years of imprisonment, Null will not be at his full strength. If we allow him to recover, our only option will be to rely on Dumbledore again. And this time, Dumbledore may not succeed. As much as I wish it were otherwise, Dumbledore has grown old. He may be the same age as Grindelwald, but I would wager that there is a definite difference in their powers."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What of Phantom?" one of the executives asks./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Phantom, as powerful as she is, is still lacking in terms of raw power. With her straight forward style of attacking, she would never have a chance."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""But she beat Dumbledore." The same executive pointed out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""She tied Dumbledore." Scythe corrects, "And as I already pointed out, Dumbledore is slipping. When I fought alongside him the first time, at Nurmengard in nineteen forty-five, he displayed power that Grindelwald could only match with the elder wand, yet now he was defeated even with the elder wand. If he were forced to fight against Grindelwald for a second time, I cannot say that he would be victorious. If Phantom and Grindelwald fight, it won't be about skill. Power will clash with power. And if he's allowed to recover, Null will win. Phantom cannot compete against him in her current state."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What about the other two?" McGuire asks, "Ein and Zwei, I mean."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Ein has suffered a tremendous injury during the operation to eliminate Amelia Bones." Scythe sighs, "It will be at least another week before she can resume training at her full strength. I can't give you an estimate until then."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Reiji is a different matter." Mio says from the opposite side form the table, "He's already looking over the information you provided us with when he first escaped. If we can find him, Reiji in confident he can get the job done."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I wouldn't expect anything less." McGuire nods, "So, any foreign contacts are to report any confirmed sightings to Ms. Godoh. I trust you can handle this?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Naturally." She nods, "However, Scythe Master." She says to the pale man, "Reiji expressed an interest in training Ein. AS you know, it would be best to have a second in case Reiji does fall. Ein seems the most apparate to take that position."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I agree." Scythe smiles, "Then I shall leave instruct Phantom to deliver her to you as soon as she is recovered."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Good." McGuire smiles, "Then I believe that sorts out that. Scythe, Ms. Godoh, I look forward to reading your reports on this operation. Until further notice, the elimination of Null is to be treated as your highest priorities."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yes sir." Both nod as the meeting continues./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"It was nightfall on December twentieth. Ein stood in front of one of two thirty man teams, all under disillusionment charms less than a hundred feet from the back entrance of the target mansion./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""How are thing?" Cal asks over their communicator./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""We're set." She answers, "We just need your go ahead."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Wards are down in ten minutes. Make sure everyone's have their weapons out." Cal instructs, "These guards aren't amateurs, and the fewer of our guys we leave behind the better."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Right." Ein sighs, and then turns to her force, "Weapons free. Everyone get ready. We strike in ten minutes."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Despite the invisibility, she could hear them fidgeting with their guns and loading the ammo. 'Here we go.' She thinks as she checks her own./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; border: none; padding: 0in;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongBones family manor, London/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strong /strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Raymond…" Amelia mutters as she looks over the interrogation records of the members of Inferno they'd captured in their most recent raids, "The safe house was owned by someone named Raymond. Could he be the boss? These men were pretty high ranking members. Before, they said it was McGuire from Columbia… could they be the same person?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Madam Bones?" Kingsley Shacklebolt says while walking into the room, "Have you found anything?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Possible. Get our aurors in Columbia to investigate anyone named Raymond McGuire." She answers, "And you guys should take the night off. Nothing's going to happen."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""No can do, ma'am." He shakes his head, "It's the minister's order."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Stubborn fool." She mutters, "Well, delver those orders."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yes ma'am." He nods, stepping into the fire and vanishing. Almost as soon as he disappears, the instruments on her desk start going haywire. The green flames in her fireplace turn grey as the Floo network is taken down. Every ward around the house was systematically crushed in an instant. As soon as their down, gunshots echo on the grounds, followed closely by explosions and the cries of various spells./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Grabbing her wand, she rushes outside to find her aurors overrun five to one by an unknown force. Acting quickly, she begins striking with her strongest spells, sending the attackers crashing backwards./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"As soon as she appears, two more people appear out of the house, guns trained on her, "Hello, Madam Bones." The blond smiles, "Are you ready to die?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Inferno…" she growls as she looks back at them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Who else?" she smirks, pointing her Sig at the Director, "You really should have kept your nose out of other people's business."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Where is Astoria!?" she shouts, wand trained on the blond. The small one in the mask hadn't moved an inch since she arrived./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Don't know what you're talking about." Cal smirks, shooting eight bullets towards her. She rolls away to dodge, but to her horror, the bullets strike her aurors that had been coming to assist her, "Let's go, Ein. Finish the job."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Understood." The masked girl says in a familiar voice as she raises her wand and gun. With one movement, a jet of green light exploded from the tip of her wand, signaling instant death for anything in its way. It took nearly all of her concentration to jump aside, dodging death by the skin of her teeth. Unfortunately, she walks right into Cal's line of sight, and takes two bullets to the gut courtesy of the phantom./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Reducto!" she gasps, sending the blast of red light flying towards them, though they dodge without even trying. Taking advantage of their movement, she rushes into the house, and blasts the ceiling behind her, collapsing it in their path. Placing her wand at the two wound, she hisses in pain as her summoning charm drags the bullets out, sighing in relief as the healing spell closes the wound./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"'Nothing to be done about the blood I already lost though.' She thinks as she tries to find someplace to hide. 'By now, they've likely destroyed the auror force stationed here. And with the anti-apparition and portkey wards in place, I'm not getting out without a fight. Kingsley should be at the mission center by now. Once he discovers what's happening, he'll be back with reinforcements. I've got to hold out until then.'/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Conjuring a mirror to look around corners, she works her way into the basement, which no one but her, Susan, and the Greengrasses knew about. Once there, she wouldn't have any trouble barricading the door, and even if they torched the house, she'd escape unharmed. Judging by the echoing in the halls, they were destroying the other side of the mansion, meaning that they'd already gone to the other side. 'If I don't make it soon…' she glares as she crept around another corner, finally making it to the sitting room./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Quickly moving aside the portrait of Spenser Bones, first head of the Bones family, she places a hand on the wall, which moves aside at her touch and reveals a staircase. With a wave of her wand, the wall and portrait reset themselves, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe for now./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Damn it." Cal growls as she punches a wall, "Where the hell is she?!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Ein looks over the area in confusion. Everything was so familiar. Sure she'd been staking out this place for the last four months. But she'd never been inside before. Despite that, she wouldn't have any problem walking through the halls with her eyes closed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What do you think, Ein?" Cal glares./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I know where she is…?" Ein says quietly, walking towards the back door. Behind her, Cal was following intently. It wasn't long before she walked into the stepped into the Sitting room./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Suddenly, she remembers something. emShe was running throughout the house, looking for her sister and Susan while Harry and Sirius went somewhere. Daphne was obvious, hiding behind the hedges in the garden, but Susan was nowhere to be found./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em"Looking for someone?" Amelia smiles from her chair in the sitting room./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em"Yeah! But Susan's missing!" she giggles./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"emAmelia grins, and puts a finger to her lip, walking silently over to the largest portrait in the room. With one hand on the front, she pivots her hand and the painting slides up the wall. Pushing slightly into the wall, it opens to reveal a staircase downstairs./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em"You didn't hear it from me." She whispers, returning to her chair./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What is it?" Cal asks sharply./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""She's in here." Ein mutters, placing a hand on the portrait that glares down at her and sliding it. After pushing in, the staircase reveals itself./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Good work." Cal smirks, cocking her gun, "Let's finish this before reinforcements get here."/p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Damn it." Amelia growls as an alarm goes off that tells her someone had opened the portrait, "How the hell did they find it?" regardless of how they did it, now was the time to fight. Wand out, she waits. On the other side, she hears someone stepping, along with hushed voices. From the little she could hear of their conversation, she sidesteps to the wall just as a blasting curse sends the door crashing in./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Diffindo!" she shouts, and the white light flies toward the short girl. Taking her by surprise, she doesn't have time to dodge completely as it slices her mask in half. The face that greeted her was the last thing she expected, "No way… Tori…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"With the surprise obvious on her, Cal fires six shots at her. Two into each arm, one into each leg. As she screams on the floor, Cal steps forward and snaps her wand with a kick, "This is your kill, Ein. Finish it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Tori, please…" she groans as the daughter of one of her closest friends raises her wand./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Avada Kedavra." She whispers and the green light hit Amelia square in the chest./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The very last thing she saw was the slightest of tears falling from the eye of her black haired killer./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Good work." Cal smiles as the body stops moving, "Let's go." With a flick of her wrist, the wards they'd placed disappeared. Above them, they heard dozens of voices shouting, along with explosions, "Damn. Looks like reinforcements arrived faster than we thought. Best leave now. Too bad about the others, but such is life. " For some reason, Ein was shaking worse than even when she killed Zane. Handing her a broken bottle, she sighs, "Just go. I'll clean up here."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The bottle flashed blue and she disappears into a flash of light. "Now then…" she smirks, walking back up the stairs. There were already aurors in the sitting room when the door was opened, but she made quick work of them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Infernum Super Terram!" she roars ,and Fiendfyre erupts from her wand. As whatever aurors outside realized that there was a fire, she smirks, and flicks her wrist to shatter the apparition wards, disappearing from the burning house./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemHead's office/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemHogwarts/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Minerva McGonagall was calmly looking over a few incident reports that prefects had given her regarding Professor Snape, insisting that he be removed for his behavior. While she didn't particularly like the man, he was a very competent teacher, given the right motivation, though this was more obvious with his NEWTs classes. Also, since taking this job, she is forced to reassess her opinion of the man. While he was clearly biased towards Slytherin house, it was not nearly to the extreme that the students seemed to believe. In fact, aside from the occasional point deduction for a minor incident, he has remained mostly impartial. Certainly not more than any other head of house, herself included, of course./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"She was jarred from her mental job performance review of the potions master when the Wards alerted her to someone entering the grounds. While not a rare thing, it was, when the vast majority of students are gone and there are no classes, something that warranted investigation. In more so when Harry Potter is still in the Castle and Peter Pettigrew is nearby. So, without further ado, she apparates herself to the entrance hall (Being headmistress has its perks after all) and out the large double doors. On the opposite side she was greeted by a solemn looking Auror and a couple crying behind him that she recognized as Cyrus and Morgan Greengrass./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Headmistress." Kingsley says sadly, "I must talk with Susan Bones."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What about?" she asks politely, "Surely her aunt wou-" the answer hit her like a ton of bricks, "Good heavens, not Amelia!?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"He nods sadly, and she forces back her tears as she motions them in and to the dungeons. She knocks lightly on the Potions master's door, though it still echoed in the hall, and he opens almost instantly, "Headmistress, how may I assist you?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""We must speak with Susan Bones immediately." She says gravely./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"One look at her told him all he needed to know, and he swept past them. At the entrance he says, "Forked-tongue." the statue jumped aside and the five walk into the common room. It was still early in the morning, but one person was up. Daphne was stirring a cauldron in the corner and turned to see them come in./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"'Mom! Dad!" she smiles, running over to give them a hug, but stopping when she sees their faces./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Ms. Greengrass, please go and wake Ms. Bones." Snape says calmly, and Daphne simply nods and rushes to get her friend./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"She returns a moment later with a confused Susan, who looks to each of them frantically, hoping for something./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Ms. Bones…" Kingsley says sadly, "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but last night, your aunt was killed in an attack on your house…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Beside her, Daphne gasps in horror. Susan doesn't even realize that she was crying at first, but before long she just couldn't stop them. Morgan and Daphne were each giving her a comforting hug, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay. Snape, meanwhile, went to wake Harry./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Harry, contrary to his usual shoot first ask questions later mentality, went first to Susan to help the others before going to Kingsley and demanding answers, which he provided as best he could, which wasn't much. That said, Harry asked enough seemingly worthless questions to piece together the puzzle./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The vast majority of the attackers were killed, and those that weren't escaped. There were muggle firearms as well as wands found on some of the dead, implying that inferno was at least partially responsible. However, the house was engulfed in Fiendfyre before they were able to find out anything, so they couldn't be sure. There wasn't a trace of the mansion left except for the basement where they found Amelia's body./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"With most of his questions answered, Harry returns to Susan's side, offering what support he can./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemSomewhere in Germany/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongem5 Star Hotel, Penthouse suite/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Damn it." Reiji growls as he looks at the front page of the Daily Prophet, "Well, I found out what Scythe's plan was."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What's that?" Eren asks while making their breakfast./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Amelia Bones was killed last night." He sighs, "Her house was burned to the ground, and her entire protective detail was killed."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Sounds like the work of an Inferno strike team." She nods, "It really is unfortunate. What about Susan? Shouldn't she have been home for the holidays?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""According to the paper, she stayed at Hogwarts." He replies, "This sucks. I wish that I'd known. I might have been able to warn them."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""There is no way you could have known." Eren says soothingly, "What do we do about the others? Your plan hinges on the kids joining Inferno."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""It's not going to be easy." He sighs, "But I'm almost certain that Scythe is planning to recruit them. He wouldn't have gone after her unless he knew that he could work it to his advantage. For now, we'll let him handle it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You trust scythe for this?" she smirks./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You know as well as I do that he doesn't stop until he gets what he wants. We'll leave it to him and then take control." He shrugs, "It'll take some doing, but with me in Inferno, I've got a chance."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Alright." She sighs, "Then I'll leave it to you. What do you think of the security?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, we'll have some trouble, but I doubt that it'll be a major problem." He nods, "So, are you ready?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yeah." She answers, "We'll proceed as planned. Escape route?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Mio's handling it." He replies, "We get in, and then meet with Shiiga on the south end of town, where our target will be disguised and escorted to safety."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Good. Everything's ready."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""We'll add Amelia to the list of reason we're doing this." Reiji sighs, "Rest in peace."/p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemBones Family Crypt/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemJust Outside of Manchester/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Harry stood in silence along with his friends and a number of people that he'd never even seen before, though to his disgust, all three Malfoy's were in attendance. The preacher, who was a squib, spoke sadly of Amelia's life and words of comfort to those who were left behind. Since the morning before, Susan hadn't shed a tear, though everyone could tell it was all an act. She looked even worse than Daphne after Hogsmeade the year before. Tori might still be found. Amelia isn't coming back./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Half way through the service, it started to snow, blanketing the field in white. After an hour of lamenting and many people sharing their memories, Amelia bones was put to rest inside the Bones family Crypt, alongside her brother, sister-in-law and nephew. The crowd slowly dispersed, though most offered Susan their sympathies. Of course, the Malfoy's weren't among them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Time to go back." Cyrus sighs after they'd been standing there for a while, "Amelia wouldn't want you catching a cold."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I know." Susan mutters, "Let's go."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Cyrus and Morgan take a hold of one of the girls, "I'll be right back, Harry." Morgan says before she and Cyrus disapparate./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"As he waits, he looks back towards Amelia's grave, and is surprised to see someone standing over it. He only got a quick look at the red haired man who was looking down at the grave before Morgan returns, drawing his attention./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What's wrong?" she asks./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Nothing." He says, taking her hand and returning to Hogwarts./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemNurmengard prison/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongemGermany/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongem /em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Reiji, are you in position?" Eren asks while she aims down her sight. There were ten guards in her line of sight. All ten had to die before Reiji could make his move. If even one escapes, the entire fortress would be locked down long before they get inside./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'm ready. The wards are in place, though they won't notice until after the attack has started." Reiji answers over his communicator./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Alright. Get ready. I'll start the mission in ten seconds."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Roger." He relies, "Eren… Don't die."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You too." She smiles before pulling the trigger. The forty-five millimeter bullet fired through the suppresser and lodged itself into the first guard's skull. Moving to her next target, she fires just as the first's body hit the ground. By then, the men had realized that they were under attack, and were searching for the enemy. A fatal mistake for the next three guards, who were taken out before the ever found her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"With five guards down, they'd realized where she was, and that they couldn't reach her, so the first tried to call in reinforcements. Judging from the look on his face, Reiji's spells were working wonders. There were two more shots, and three guards remained. They split up, two heading towards the edge of the wards, while the other made a break for the entrance to the prison. One bullet put an end to that ambition./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"It was hit or miss for this last part. Each guard was going for a different side, and if she timed it wrong, they'd break free. Switching to her Magic rifle, she aims and fires a piercing hex that blasted a hole through the first's chest. Turning towards the other, she launches a killing curse, which collides just before he passes the wards. With all the guards down, she apparates to Reiji./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well done." He nods./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""It's not over yet. We've got at least a dozen more bodies to drop before we get out." She says as she takes the revolver from the bag of supplies, and with it a bullet conjurer, "I'll take the locks, you work your way into the prison."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Right." He nods and they split up./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Eren crept through the halls, knife in one hand, gun in the other, searching for the control room. Nurmengard had been designed as a magical prison, but had since been renovated with the most effect locks and systems in both the magical and muggle worlds. The cell block they needed to get into was the most heavily protected. Both the key code and the manual lock had to be done at exactly the same time or else the cell block would lock down completely. The walls were impenetrable even to their magic once that happened, so they had to be careful./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"When she turned around the first corner after splitting with Reiji, she ran into two guards. After a moment of surprise by both sides, the guards had their wands drawn. Despite that, her knife still found its mark on the first guard's throat, leaving him in a pool of blood. The second gasps in fear, giving her the opportunity to slice his wand in two. Dropping the knife, she points her wand at him, 'Silenco.' She thinks, silencing him before he can scream, "Just shut up, and lower your mental barriers." She whispers, "And I might let you live."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"He nods weakly, and she points the wand at his head, "Legilimens." She's instantly bombarded by images of his daily routine, including checking into work at the control room. "Thank you." She says calmly, "Avada Kedavra." The green light illuminates the shocked look on his face as he hits the ground, "I'm sorry, but no one is allowed to live once they've seen us." She says after a silent prayer and rushes towards the control room./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; border: none; padding: 0in;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Reiji wasn't having nearly the same amount of trouble. Sure, he was running into more guards, but that was a good thing. Even more so when he started passing occupied prison cells. The inmates started yelling for him to let them go, but he ignored them, moving further and further into the prison. It wasn't long after that he found his checkpoint. Cellblock G. rather than killing the guards outright, he stuns them both and gets the answers from Legilimency. Finally, he ended their lives with the killing curse./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Ein, I'm ready when you are." He says into the communicator. They'd opted to use their number for this job, as the medallions Eren had made blocked them from the sight of the Surveillance camera, but not the audio recording devices./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'll be just a minute." She answers, "I've got to get the code from a very uncooperative guard."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Alight. I'll hold on." He nods, and listens intently./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I've got it." She says after a few moments, "DO you have yours?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Ready to go." He answers./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""On three then." She replies./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""One."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Two."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Three." On three, both of them hit enter onto the keypad. The heavy bolted doors grind open, and he quickly passes inside. It wasn't hard at all to find him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Hello." Reiji smiles, "Father."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Father?" the almost skeletal man chuckles, "Wasn't aware I had any kids. And I definitely ain't a preacher."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Marian Azuma." Reiji replies and he gasps, "She's my mother. She was pregnant when you left, and she never heard form you again."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I had no idea…" he mutters, "Well, what are you here for? To kill me for abandoning her?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""No." he smirks, "I have no right to kill you over that, since I did the same. We've got a lot to talk to you about, but for now let's go."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You're going to break me out?" he laughs, "and why would you do that?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Because I need your help, Null."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"At this, he growls, "Don't call me by that name!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I feel the same way as you." He replies, "I'm Zwei. Another of Scythe's lackeys. Or former lackey I should say."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What does that have to do with me?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I've got a plan, but I need your help for it." Reiji answers, unlocking the door with a key he stole off a guard's body./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Details?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Not here. I'm invisible, but they might still be able to hear us." He replies, unlocking the shackles, "Come on."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"He struggles to his feet and laughs, "Well, I suppose I'll trust my son, even if you don't look a thing like me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Then take this." Reiji says as he hands him a wand, "There'll be guards on the way, so you might as well make yourself useful. Assuming you still know what you're doing, of course."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Who do you think you're talking to, Boy?" He laughs, taking the wand and casting a complex spell. Suddenly, his body started changing, becoming far healthier looking. Putting on some weight and he regrew the teeth he had lost. His hair, which had been snow white, regained a streak of gold. Now, this man looked closer to a man of forty than over a hundred, "I am Gellert Grindelwald! I will not yield so easily."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Then let's go." Reiji says as the two step out to the horror of the assembled guards./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongem Hogwarts, Great Hall/em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongem /em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Susan remained distant after the funeral. All of them were careful to give her her space. Daphne in particular almost seemed to be avoiding her. When Harry confronted her about this, she answers, "Susan gave me the time to sort things out for myself after Tori. I'll give her the same."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"With that attitude, she redoubled her efforts in brewing whatever potion she created, insisting that it had to be done by Christmas. Not that she would tell Harry anyway./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"On the morning of the twenty-third, Susan came to the great hall for the first time since Amelia's death. She didn't say anything, but she was there and that was an improvement. When the mail arrived, every voice in the hall gasps at once. One only had to read the headline to discover why./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongGellert Grindelwald Escaped/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"strongem /em/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em Late last night, a force of unknown origin, possibly the remnants of Grindelwald's army, believed to have been defeated almost fifty years ago, launched an assault on the prison of Nurmengard. Of the seventy personnel in the prison, only eight survived, and none of them saw the forces./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em"This crime is believed to have been perpetrated by a group of considerable size and ability, as by all accounts the battle was over in left than half an hour." A spokesmen for the Germany ministry has said, "Every law enforcement officer in the ministry is looking for Grindelwald, and urge all countries to do the same. Grindelwald is a menace that must be stopped before he regains his power."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"emOur own Ministry has warns that Gellert Grindelwald is incredibly dangerous, and should not be approached. If sighted, alert the ministry immediately./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"emAlbus Dumbledore, who was hailed for defeating Grindelwald he first time could not be reached for comment, but the ministry assures us that they have been in contact with him, and he has promised to assist in any way he can./em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"em /em/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""This week just goes from bad to worse…" Daphne shudders./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""We just can't catch a break, can we?" Harry sighs, "well, at least Grindelwald isn't after me. That's got to count for something."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I have a feeling this day isn't about to improve." Daphne says as she turns to the door to the Great Hall./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"McGonagall was coming in, followed closely by a smirking Lucius and Draco Malfoy, and all three were coming towards the Slytherin table./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Ms. Bones…." McGonagall sighs, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to come with me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Why?" Susan asks./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Your legal guardian has removed you from Hogwarts." She answers./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What!?" Harry roars, and the entire hall ran to leave./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Shut up, potter." Lucius growls, "It is my choice what I do with my own charge."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Malfoy can't be her legal Guardian!" Daphne shouts./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""My mother was Arianna Bones." He smirks, "Which makes me the oldest living Bones, and thus, it is my duty to do as I feel best. Susan, my dear, you shall be home schooled by myself and my wife to ensure that you properly overcome your grief."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Bastard…" Harry says angrily, hand inching towards his wand, a movement not missed by the eldest Malfoy./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Oh, are you going to fight me?" he laughs, "You should learn your place, boy. Just as she shall learn hers. I'm sure that Draco is more than capable of teaching his wife some manners."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'll die before a marry that snob." Susan spits in Draco's face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You bitch!" he shouts, wrapping a hand around her neck until Harry's wand is an inch form his eye./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Let go." Harry growls, "Or loss your head right now. You have three seconds."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Release her ,Draco." Lucius smiles, "Potter won't always be there to protect her."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yes he will." A rough voice says from the doorway, and all of them turn to see who it was. Sirius was glaring viciously at Malfoy, who glares right back, ignoring the goblin who was smiling brightly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What are you talking about?" Malfoy hisses./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""My name is Slintok, I am the account manager for the Bones account." The goblin says formally, bowing slightly to all of them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You are not!" Malfoy growls, "The bones account manager is Racset, who I spoke with just this morning!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Lord Racset was removed from his position fifteen minutes ago." Slintok says pleasantly, ignoring Malfoy's outburst, "He made an understandable mistake, but regardless, he has been dealt with. You see, Racset informed you that you were next in line to become head of the house of Bones by virtue of your mother. This is wrong."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What!?" Lucius spits./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Lord Racset knew that he was supposed to wait seven days before informing you of your ascension, but as you arrived early, he informed you early." Slintok explains, "No less than twenty minutes after you left, another came and claimed true leadership of the House of Bones."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What fool would dare to claim what is mine?!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Before the goblin could answer, Daphne gasps, pointing towards the ceiling. A silver shape floated down towards them, landing squarely in front of Malfoy./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"It looked to be a large cat, a leopard perhaps, only it towered above them, so much so that even Hagrid was a few inches shorter. From its mouth full of sharp teeth, a silver mist billowed, filling everything with a sense of goodness./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"It spoke in a deep, firm voice, "I am alive, Lucius Malfoy."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Malfoy pales in terror even as Susan looks in disbelief. The cat continues however, "Never would I allow the murderer of my parents to claim the house of Bones. And least of all, my sister. You and I will meet soon enough. When we do, I'll deal with you myself. Amelia wanted to bring you to justice. I want to send you to hell."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"As the silver cat disappears, Malfoy was doing is best impression of a pale goldfish, while Draco was looking at him, as if expecting him to explain what was going on. Susan was truly smiling for the first time since Amelia's death with tears around her eyes./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yes, well, as I was saying, Lord Michael Bones has full right to the title. Far more than you, anyway, and has taken up that mantle." Slintok grins, "As per his decision, you and your son are cast from the house of bones and cut from the line of succession."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""This is impossible!" Lucius says, regaining his cool, "Michael Bones is dead. He has been for years."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""That reminds me…" Harry smiles, "When Professor Lupin told us that story, he said that they never found the body."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, that's not all that Lord Bones did, but that is all that concerns you, Lord Malfoy." Slintok says dismissively, "Lord Potter, Lord Black, Lady Bones, please come with me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Now see here-!" Lucius glares, drawing his wand from his snakehead cane./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Don't even think about it." Sirius growls, "You know as well as I do that you can't beat me in a duel, and we outnumber you five to two."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""This isn't over!" Malfoy shouts as he stomps out of the room. Draco glares daggers at Daphne while Harry and Susan follow the goblin and Sirius. McGonagall smiles and takes her seat at the head table. Even if most of the students ran away, someone had to keep the peace between those two./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Moony says that we can use his office." Sirius says, opening the door to the office and conjuring two more chairs. He sits to the left while Harry takes the center and Susan sits to his right. Slintok sat in the professor's chair across from them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Now then, Lord Bones did very little when I met with him this morning." He begins, "Aside from exiling the Malfoys, he completed one piece of outstanding Business that Madam Bones had hoped to address, assigned custody of his sister, and named his heir."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""First, the outstanding business." He says as he takes a sheet of parchment from his briefcase and sliding it to Harry, "A marriage contract Between Lord Potter and Lady Bones, to be completed at the time of her seventeenth Birthday. Signed By Lord Sirius Black and Lord Michael Bones. He also assigned custody to her betrothed and named her betrothed as his heir."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Wait, what?" Harry stares./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Apparently, we're engaged…" Susan says as she reads the contract./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""And Harry has custody." Sirius nods./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""And in the unlikely event that something happens to lord Bones, the title will fall on you." Slintok adds./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Can my life get any more complicated?" Harry groans, "And what about Daphne? How's she going to react?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Tell her it was either you or Malfoy." Sirius shrugs./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I know who I'd pick." Susan smiles./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I think I would to." Harry jokes, "Hell, if given the choice between marrying a basilisk and Malfoy, I'd pick the basilisk."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Same." Susan and Sirius grin, making them laugh./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Now, Lord Potter, I need you to sign these." Slintok says before they go any further, "The first confirms that you will take custody of your Betrothed, and the second will verify that you agree to become lord Bones' heir."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"After signing the two papers, Slintok stood up, "It was nice to meet you, and I pray that our business will be most profitable in the future."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""My thanks for everything, Lord Slintok. " Harry bows./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; border: none; padding: 0in;""If you require anything further, please let me know." He bows back before stepping into Lupin's fire and returning to Gringotts./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Daphne was waiting anxiously in the common room when they found her. The moment she saw them, she threw her arms around them both, "Are you alright? What happened?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well…" Harry sighs, "I'm engaged again."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Come again?" Daphne stares and Susan giggles slightly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, apparently, I'm engaged to Susan too." Harry says, trying to gauge her reaction./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Daphne looks at him, then Susan, and nods, "Well, better than the alternative. Welcome to the family, Susan."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""That was easy." Harry sighs in relief, "I was afraid that you'd be angry."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'm not strongreally /strongangry." She corrects, "I'd have liked to have you all to myself, but Susan deserves way better than a swine like Malfoy!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""HEY!" Malfoy growls from the doorway, stomping over to Susan and grabbing her arm, roughly yanking her away, "Potter, stay the hell away from my woman!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Harry looks him in the eye, and draws his wand, "BACK OFF!" he shouts, and glaring at him with every ounce of intensity he had./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The temperature in the room plummeted, Malfoy lets go of Susan before struggling to find some way out. Unfortunately, Susan had been looking for an outlet to vent her anger since Amelia's death, and Malfoy just volunteered. Slipping a hand inside of her robe, she withdraw the knives that she carried with her everywhere and stabs one into Malfoy's shoulder, causing him to scream loudly. Without missing a beat, Susan yanks the knife out of his bleeding wound and bashes his skull in with the hilt, knocking him to the ground./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The door flies open and Snape runs in, Wand drawn and a curse on his lips, as if expecting Pettigrew to be trying something. Instead, he finds the room a good thirty degrees colder than it should have been and Draco Malfoy bleeding on the ground, moaning in pain, "What happened here?" he asks, kneeling beside Draco and fixing his shoulder./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Malfoy assaulted Susan." Daphne growls, "And Susan responded in self-defense."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Lies…" Malfoy groans./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Try looking at my arm than." Susan spits, ripping her sleeve up to show a slight bruise where Malfoy had grabbed her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Did it to herself…" Malfoy mutters./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Your knife, Ms. Bones." Snape says, holding out his hand, which Susan hands him the still blood knife, "I have to take Draco up to the hospital wing. None of you are to leave the room until I return." Conjuring a stretcher for him, Snape scowls as he leaves the three alone in the common room./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I can't believe him." Daphne roars, "I wish you had killed him, Susan."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I was about to." She admits, "But Snape interrupted me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""If you didn't, I would have." Harry growls, "Bastard."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, there's always next time." Daphne sighs, turning back to her simmering potion, "It should be ready in just a little bit…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What are you doing?" Harry asks for the hundredth time./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""It's a surprise." Daphne says blandly, stirring the now silver potion, "I just hope that I can get permission to leave school to deliver it…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""To who?" Susan asks intrigued./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Neville, actually." Daphne grins, "I'm sure he'll never forget this Christmas."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Okay, now you're just teasing us." Harry huffs, "Tell us already!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Nope." She smirks, "You'll find out eventually."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"At that moment, the door opens again, and Snape walks back in, "Well, he'll live." He says when he sees them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""A shame." Harry sighs, "Should've aimed for the neck."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'll do better next time." Susan shrugs, "So, you going to ask your questions?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""No need. I have Draco's memory of the encounter." Snape replies, conjuring some drinks, "Normally, simply grabbing your arm would not have been sufficient for such force, but as it turns out, he hadn't intended to stop there. Suffice it to say that his true intentions were far more sinister."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Daphne is the first to realize what he was talking about, "That son of a bitch…!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Indeed." Snape growls, "Well, I will be moving for the headmaster to expel him, but until then, he's locked in the hospital wing."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I swear that I'm going to kill him one of these days…" Harry mutters, gripping the handle of his wand tightly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'll pretend that I didn't hear that." Snape smirks, "After all, that could be taken as a threat, Mr. Potter."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Not a threat, Professor." Harry grins, "Not a threat."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, I hope that you enjoy the remainder of your break." Snape nods, "I have some paperwork to fill out, so if you'll excuse me…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Harry, can you stir this for a little bit?" Daphne asks, before Snape can leave, "Professor, I wanted to know if I could talk to you about something…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Fine, but you have to tell us what this thing is!" Harry huffs, taking the spoon from her as she and Snape leave the common room./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""She's not going to tell us, is she?" Susan asks after a moment./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Never." Harry nods and both laugh./p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The next morning, Snape came back to the common room, this time to get Daphne and her mystery potion. Apparently, it wasn't so secret that she couldn't tell Snape. Daphne packs up the finished steel grey potion, gives them each a hug, and runs off with Snape to deliver this 'present' to Neville./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"What had seemed boring the week before suddenly made Harry nervous as he realizes that there were only two days left until the Disposal team arrives for the basilisk. Susan did her best to reassure him, but it still didn't do much good. Before he even realized it, he'd spent the entire day on the twenty-fourth training. Whatever creatures lived in the lake likely weren't very happy about that, as this training included a huge span with Eren's spell. The lake must have dropped a foot before he'd finally put out the fire. By the end, he thought he'd cooked the giant squid before in swam to the deepest part of the lake to hide./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Finally done?" Susan grins, walking over to him once the fires were out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""For now." He replies, "What have you been doing?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Same as you." She answers, pointing towards the forest, where there were about thirty dead acromantula, "It's funny, but one concussion charm and the all come charging out. I never even had to enter the forest. Didn't Giuseppe say not to use those spells?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""At the dueling club." Harry reminds her, "I'd rather not get eaten by the Basilisk tomorrow because I was worried about hurting it. If it comes near me, I'll kill it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Good." She smiles, "Because if you die, Malfoy gets another chance, and that isn't going to happen."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Agreed." Harry nods, "Malfoy isn't ever going to hurt you again, I promise."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Thanks Harry." She smiles./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"After a moment of silence, Harry asks the question he'd wanted to ask yesterday, "Are you relieved?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""About what?" she asks./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Your brother." He answers./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"It was a moment before she answered him, but finally, she says, "I don't know. All these years I've thought he was dead. But he wasn't. He's been alive for so long, I didn't know. I haven't seen him since I was just a little girl…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I think I might have seen him." Harry sighs, "The day of Amelia's funeral. After Cyrus took you and Daphne back, there was someone at Amelia's grave. A man with short read hair."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""That does sound like him." She smiles, "Well, I'm glad. Maybe I'll see him soon."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'm sure you will." Harry says as they start walking back towards the school, "I wonder if Daphne's back yet…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I wonder if she'll finally tell us what that damn potion was…" Susan grins./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"As one, they smirk, "Nope."/p
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;" /
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Finally, the day arrived. December Twenty-sixth. As they had predicted, Daphne still refused to tell them what the hell that potion was. She did, however, remind Harry that the Basilisk was a snake, so he really didn't have anything to fear from it. AS a parseltongue, he could control snakes. With that thought in mind, Harry spent the last day before the operation laughing with the girls in the library while dodging glares from the stern librarian Madam Prince. After opening his presents, of course./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The Dursleys decided he was worth a loose bit of string, which helped a bit, as he added it to the fire when he contacted the Greengrasses to wish them a Merry Christmas. The Greengrasses themselves had put together an album of photos about his parents, with a bit of help from all their other friends. Snape gave him an advanced dueling guide, complete with detailed instructions for tactics and complex combat spells. Remus gave him a book on dark creatures and strategies against them. Naturally, Harry turned to straight to the section on Basilisks. It wasn't very helpful, as it amounted to "Don't look them in the eye, avoid the fangs, and then kill it.", but at least he could claim, however falsely, that he knew more about basilisks than he did the day before./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Sirius, it seemed, decided to outdo himself again, sending Harry, what according to the card, was the fastest broom in the world, the firebolt. Everything was looking up, if Harry could just deal with that damn snake. That was Harry's thought as he went to sleep on the twenty-fifth./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"After lunch, McGonagall strides down to the Slytherin table, "Mr. Potter, please come with me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"None of them had to ask what it was about, and Harry wordlessly stands, after receiving two hugs from the girls, and follows the headmistress out of the great hall and up to her office. Inside, there were twenty people in crimson robes, each with the logo for the committee for the disposal of dangerous creatures./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""This the boy?" the oldest, most experienced looking man, probably the leader, asks. He wore the same crimson robes as the others, and he had a scrubby brown beard, and was also a bit on the tall side./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""That's correct." McGonagall nods./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""This boy nearly killed a thousand year old basilisk?" he snorts, "I'm not buying it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Harry lifts his robe sleeve to show where the fang had pierced his arm, "I've got the scars to prove it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""we'll see." He snorts again. /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yes we will." Harry growls./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Now then, as each of you knows, the target is a thousand year old basilisk that has been living inside of the chamber of secrets since the school was founded." McGonagall says calmly, "This beast possess a very real danger to the students, and it was only because Mr. Potter Blinded it, thereby robbing it of its most powerful weapon, combined with the incredibly powerful wards found to block the entrance to the chamber that I allowed the school to reopen this year. That said, we cannot allow it to survive. I've been told that all of you have fought against basilisks before?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Aye." The old man nods, "Nearly killed me about twenty years ago, and that was only fifteen years old. It was tough as nail and this one is going to be worse. Much, much worse. I've never heard of a basilisk living so long. We'd best be ready for anything."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, the beast is still inside the chamber, which is located in the second floors' girls restroom." McGonagall nods, "If everyone understands what's going on, I'll order the students back to their common rooms, and as soon as we've received word that everyone is safe, we'll get started."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Aye, ma'am." The group leader nods./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"With that confirmation, McGonagall points her wand to her throat, "Sonorous." There was a slight trickle of magic from the tip to her throat and she says in a loud, echoing voice, "All heads are to escort their houses to the dormitories immediately. All other teachers are to report to my office at once! Dormitories are to be locked down the moment all students are inside!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"As soon as she finished, the greyed out Hogwarts logo on the wall behind her desk suddenly had the Slytherin crest lite up. "Good, so Severus has escorted everyone already…" McGonagall says after she'd canceled her charm. Soon after, the other three houses had lite up as well, leaving the crest fully illuminated, "Gentlemen, you will follow Mr. Potter to the second floor at once."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Fine. Let's get this damn job over with." The man grumbles and Harry leads the large group out of the office./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Five minutes later, they were crowded into the girl's bathroom and Harry stood in front of the sink. When everyone was ready, Harry hisses, $Open$. The sinks sink into the floor, revealing the massive hole behind it. Somewhere deep inside of the hole, they could hear something slithering./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'll go first." The leader orders, "After that, one at a time in thirty second intervals. Kid, you're last. With any luck, we won't need to involve you at all, but we might need your ability to open some of the doors down there."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"With that, he jumps down the massive slide. Thirty seconds later, the man behind him jumps, followed shortly by the others. Finally, thirty seconds after the last man, Harry slides down himself./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The chamber was as filthy as ever. Discarded basilisk skin in various stages of decay were scattered everywhere. The sounds of the beast moving around were far louder than they had been at the top of the Shute, but they echoed and that made it next to impossible to discern where it was./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Everyone, teams of two." The leader orders, "Boy, stay here. If we can't find anything we'll come back. If you see that snake, close your eyes. These things have incredibly potent regenerative powers. There's no telling whether it might have grown its eyes back. Start shooting off concussion charms at it. We shouldn't be too far away, so we'll take it from there. Once it's been found, you get out of here."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Harry nods as the men spilt up, leaving him alone in the chamber of secrets. Ten minutes later, the sounds of the beast got closer, and Harry had his wand out, ready for it to come out at him from behind one of the walls. Behind him, something crashes to the ground./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; border: none; padding: 0in;"With all of this instincts honed from his Quidditch practice, he turns around, and wand tip glowing black as he prepares to burn the basilisk to a crisp. At the last second before the curse flies, he sees that it's not the sickly green basilisk, but something wearing black with platinum blond hair./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What the bloody hell is going on?" Malfoy asks as Pompfrey runs from the room without answering. Taking this opportunity, he grabs his wand and casts a blasting hex at the chains Snape had used to chain him to the bed. Creeping out, he hides behind a suit of armor. As it had been for the entire break, the halls were empty. 'I've got to get out of here.' He thinks as he creeps down to the third floor, 'that bastard took my memory, meaning that he know what I planned to do to that bones bitch. I'll be expelled for sure, so I have to be sure that I don't get arrested too.'/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"He moves slowly, to make sure that no one saw him. Three times, he had to hide and wait for a teacher to rush past, and a few more minutes to be sure they were gone. 'Probably Pettigrew broke in.' Malfoy decides as he makes it down to the second floor, 'Nothing to worry about. If I see him, he'd probably help me in exchange for father's protection.'/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The second floor, the coast was clear. Not even a ghost to get in his way. Running across, he looks to the left just in time to see Potter standing in front of a huge hole in the girl's bathroom. 'What's he doing here?' he thought as he watches from the door. 'That couldn't be… the chamber of secrets!' he grins, 'this is perfect! That old hag wouldn't dare to expel me if I brought in the heir of Slytherin! I knew that bastard couldn't kill a basilisk!' just as he was about to jump out and attack, potter jumps into the hole./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"'Damn.' Malfoy says as he walks in, ignoring that creepy ghost that whined at him, 'the only way I'm surprising him is to wait. I'll give him ten minutes to get away, and then I'll lie in wait for him back at the entrance.' Smirking, Malfoy cast a quick tempus and waited./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Finally ten minutes later, he stands and slides down the chute. Ignoring the twists and turns, he crashes to the ground at the bottom. When he looks up, he found Potter's wand pointed at him with a black glow of magic at the tip./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; border: none; padding: 0in;" /p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Malfoy!" Harry growls quietly, "What are you doing here!?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What about you, Potter!" he smirks, "I knew it was you. You're the heir of Slytherin. Gonna set you monster on the school again?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Get out of here!" Harry almost hisses as the sound grows even closer, "You're going to get yourself killed!"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'd like to see…" Malfoy grins, but stops when the great snake slithers into the chamber./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Malfoys face was frozen in fright as Harry briefly places himself between them, until he remembers. Remembers what happened to Susan, and what Daphne had told him./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"$You're the speaker.$ the basilisk hisses as it slithers closer to them./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"$I am.$ Harry answers, $ And you serve me now.$/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"$as you command.$ it replies./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""$Kill this boy.$ Harry hisses with a smile as the basilisk rears up to attack Malfoy. "Look out Malfoy!" Harry shouts loudly to be sure that the others heard him. Firing off a few concussion charms that missed the snake by a mile, Malfoy screams and tries to run back up the slippery slide that he came down. Harry just smiles as the beast inches closer to him, 'That's what you get.' Harry thinks as the basilisk opens its jaws just as the others rush back into the room, 'If you want to rape my friend, I'll kill you. Maybe you can learn that lesson the hard way.'/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Potter, get down!" The leader of the group orders as he and his men start casting curses. Harry obliges, but the Basilisk doesn't flinch, it continues with its mission despite their curses and Malfoy's screams. Finally, with Malfoy completely backed into a corner, and chomps down and the screams stop. It turns back towards the ones cursing it and all of them saw Draco Malfoy impaled on its razor sharp teeth, eyes wide in terror as he died./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The intensity of their curses increases, but the basilisk ignores them still, and throws its head back, swallowing Malfoy's body whole. Deciding that Malfoy was dead enough, Harry stands up and shouts, "Sectumsempra!" adding as an afterthought, she hisses, $don't move.$ with the snake bound by his words, the curse strikes on the already destroyed eyes. this time, there was no question of whether or not the curse struck deep enough, as it sliced clean through, takin the top of its skull off in one blow. It collapsed dead instantly./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Damn…" the old man mutters, "You've got to be kidding me…"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I told you." Harry growls, "Now, someone get in there and see if my friends still alive."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I'll go." One of the shorter men nods, wrenching the beasts mouth open with a spell./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Don't get your hopes up." The old man sighs, "He already had the venom in his system before he got eaten. Even if the puncture wounds didn't kill him, it's already passed the point where he'd have died."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I know." Harry mutters, "I felt that same venom. But I'd still rather he not die. Sure we had our disagreements, but I never wanted him dead. I tried to stop it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I know." He says, placing a hand on his shoulder, "WE all heard you. Wish we could have been faster. What did you say to it at the end?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Burn in hell." Harry grins, and the old guy laughs./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well said! You're alright, Potter. I'm Amos, Amos Diggory." He nods, "Technically, I'm in charge of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, but before that I was the most effective creature killer there was." He says, extending his hand, which Harry shook, "Sorry about earlier. You didn't really look the part of the hero the way that you'd expect someone who fought off a basilisk to look."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""It's fine." Harry chuckles, "SO, are you related to Cedric?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""My son." He smiles proudly, "I am quite happy to say there isn't a finer boy anywhere! I hear that the two of you played Quidditch last month?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yeah, but the dementors got in the way." Harry shrugs, "I'm hoping for a rematch some time. I could say that it was because the match didn't have a clear ending, but it's mostly because I just can't stand losing."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Same with the rest of us." Amos smirks, "That said, this kill is entirely yours, my young friend."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, this should add to my bank account." Harry grins as the man came back out, clutching a smoking body./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""No good, boss. Looks like he died instantly. One of the fangs pierced his skull." He sighs, placing Draco's body down./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, at least he didn't suffer." Harry mutters, "Sometimes, I can still feel that thing's venom eating away me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Basilisk venom doesn't go away." Amos nods, "Even phoenix tears don't stop it completely. Over time though, it'll actually make you stronger. Put up with it for a few more years and you'll start to see the difference."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, that's good, at least." Harry sighs, "Let's get out of year."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"One thing before we go through." Amos smirks, and waves his wand at the basilisk corpse. A sudden chill covers them, and it almost looks like the corpse was surrounded by a thin silver bubble, "Stasis charm. The headmistress probably won't like you dragging out your trophy during the school year, so this should hold until the summer."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Thanks, Amos." Harry smiles, "Give Cedric my regards and tell him he owes me a match once I get a new broom."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""You've got it. I'll have to come see this one." Amos laughs, "What kind are you getting?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Haven't decided, but It'll be fast." Harry shrugs, "After all, I'm the kind of guy that improves with each loss. I lost my Nimbus, so I'll get something better. Maybe that Firebolt I've heard so much about…" he adds with a grin./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Well, you'll certainly have the money with this bad boy." He smirks pointing towards the corpse, "Let's get out of here before the smell kills someone."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Great." Harry says as he steps onto the lift that one of the men conjured while they were talking, and the twenty one people rose out of the chamber of secrets, bringing with them the body of Draco Malfoy./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"That night, at dinner, it was announced that Peter Pettigrew had infiltrated the school, and killed Draco Malfoy as he lay in the hospital wing. McGonagall purposed a toast to his memory, which was halfheartedly acknowledged by all. Susan and Daphne, and Snape, it seemed, hadn't bought his story about trying to save Draco, but none of them pursued the issue and further. Draco was dead, the basilisk was dead, and Pettigrew gets blamed for the kill, backing him even further into a corner./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"And it meant they got to see Lucius Malfoy's livid face, accompanied by his Wife Narcissa, who was the only person in the school crying for Draco, when they came to collect the body. The glare he cast at Harry told him that he fully thought that Harry was in some way responsible, but he couldn't prove it. After all these years of escaping from justice due to lack of evidence, his son's killers getting the same. Karma's a bitch./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"Once Hogwarts was a Malfoy free zone, Harry and the girls partied, under the guise of a Christmas party, all night long./p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The next morning, in Hogsmeade, Madam Rosemerta threw down a copy of the prophet, killing a bug on the floor of her pub. When she turned her back, she never saw the rat looking at the front page, at the article about Lucius Malfoy's son being killed by Peter Pettigrew. With a sequel the rat ran back to the shrieking shack, where it cowered in fear. Now Malfoy would never help him. Meaning that if he failed… the only person left was the dark lord…/p
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p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Onto our next piece of business." McGuire says calmly as he continues with Inferno's quarterly meeting, "Scythe, what are your thoughts about Grindelwald's escape?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;"The pale man nods, "it is quite the troublesome affair. We must find some way to deal with this quickly. After years of imprisonment, Null will not be at his full strength. If we allow him to recover, our only option will be to rely on Dumbledore again. And this time, Dumbledore may not succeed. As much as I wish it were otherwise, Dumbledore has grown old. He may be the same age as Grindelwald, but I would wager that there is a definite difference in their powers."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What of Phantom?" one of the executives asks./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Phantom, as powerful as she is, is still lacking in terms of raw power. With her straight forward style of attacking, she would never have a chance."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""But she beat Dumbledore." The same executive pointed out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""She tied Dumbledore." Scythe corrects, "And as I already pointed out, Dumbledore is slipping. When I fought alongside him the first time, at Nurmengard in nineteen forty-five, he displayed power that Grindelwald could only match with the elder wand, yet now he was defeated even with the elder wand. If he were forced to fight against Grindelwald for a second time, I cannot say that he would be victorious. If Phantom and Grindelwald fight, it won't be about skill. Power will clash with power. And if he's allowed to recover, Null will win. Phantom cannot compete against him in her current state."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""What about the other two?" McGuire asks, "Ein and Zwei, I mean."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Ein has suffered a tremendous injury during the operation to eliminate Amelia Bones." Scythe sighs, "It will be at least another week before she can resume training at her full strength. I can't give you an estimate until then."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Reiji is a different matter." Mio says from the opposite side form the table, "He's already looking over the information you provided us with when he first escaped. If we can find him, Reiji in confident he can get the job done."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I wouldn't expect anything less." McGuire nods, "So, any foreign contacts are to report any confirmed sightings to Ms. Godoh. I trust you can handle this?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Naturally." She nods, "However, Scythe Master." She says to the pale man, "Reiji expressed an interest in training Ein. AS you know, it would be best to have a second in case Reiji does fall. Ein seems the most apparate to take that position."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""I agree." Scythe smiles, "Then I shall leave instruct Phantom to deliver her to you as soon as she is recovered."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Good." McGuire smiles, "Then I believe that sorts out that. Scythe, Ms. Godoh, I look forward to reading your reports on this operation. Until further notice, the elimination of Null is to be treated as your highest priorities."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px;""Yes sir." Both nod as the meeting continues./p
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