Disclaimer: I alas do not own Harry Potter I wish I did but I don't. All I own is this computer I'm working on and a few other items in this room of mine.
A/N: Hi people sorry this is late but I only just got it back from being cheeked over. Hope you like and so you know if you have anything to say feel free to say it I don't mind.
Chapter 10: Breaking the Ministry of Magic.
/ Telepathic /
09 August 1996 09:00 AM A.D
Tonks opened her eyes to the light flowing in from the window and looked around her to see Harry asleep under her as she was using his shoulder as a pillow. She smiled at this seeing that Harry had been truthful to her in everything he had done over the course of the previous day.
Tonks looked up at Harry and started to run a hand through his hair lightly so as not to wake him. Just then the door opened and Silvenestri walked in, dressed in a blue dress and black hair tie with out batting an eyelash at the two of them in one bed. "Silvenestri I don't know how it was done over 2000 years ago but now a days most people knock before entering a room. Anyway what do you what sweetie?" Tonks said getting off Harry and pulling on Harry's shirt from last night over the light silk nightgown she wore.
Silvenestri looked at Tonks and then said with total innocence, "Why? I mean I know what you two were doing last night or what you were building up to do so why bother knocking?"
"Its just polite to do it first, regardless. How did you sleep?" Tonks said looking for any of her cloths before looking at Silvenestri and indicating that she should be quiet and let Harry continue to sleep.
Silvenestri nodded lowered her voice. "Ok, I'll try to remember that and I had a fine night but I miss having Harry sleeping next to me." A glint appeared in the child's eyes. "Where's the meat? I'm hungry."
Tonks looked at Silvenestri and considered the dragon turned child for a long moment. "Can you eat anything other than meat?" Motioning for Silvanestri to follow her she led the way out of the room.
"Oh, I CAN eat human food if I have to but…" silver blue eyes seemed to grow as big as saucers and pale lashes fluttered endearingly. "I got to have some nice raw meat, nicely bloody and juicy, still warm from the kill. I am a growing dragon after all." Silvenestri settled her neat little rump into one of the chairs in front of the fire with a sweet smile.
Tonks stared at the child, a faint green tinge colouring normally pale skin and sank into another chair her thoughts frantically flitting over ways to feed Silvenestri without killing the local cats and dogs.
"Ah, I think that some bacon and eggs will have to do for breakfast this morning, maybe with extra bacon for you. At least until Harry wakes up." Tonks said after a while settling for the safer options and standing she offered a hand to Silvenestri. "Won't that do for now?"
Silvenestri smiled at Tonks. "Okay." She chirped brightly and taking her hand accompanied her downstairs.
Tonks almost hesitated on entering the kitchen and finding Petunia making breakfast for Dudley and Vernon who were at the table talking about Dudley and his boxing training. Taking a deep breath and promising herself she would not turn all three into wall hangings reading 'Idiot abound!' she led the child into the room.
Petunia glanced over her shoulder at Tonks and Silvenestri hearing them enter the room and immediately went back to the eggs she was cooking until what she saw actually registered. With a hiss she spun to face Tonks. "What the hell are you warring?" she demanded and reached to clip Dudley under the ears on noticing that his jaw was hanging almost to his knees at the amount of leg Tonks was showing for all the world to see.
Refusing to wince or run for the bedroom Tonks headed into the kitchen and toward the workbench. "I am wearing a shirt that belongs to your nephew who is still asleep and I am intending to see about breakfast. Now if you are done with asking questions to which the answer is patently obvious I have to feed little Silvenestri here." Tonks slipped by Petunia and started to make enough bacon and eggs for Harry, Silvenestri and herself while trying not to think of what Dudley must be thinking judging from the amount of drool forming at his feet.
Petunia hissed her displeasure but aware that she had a fully trained witch who was not banned from using magic quickly got out of the way and served her son and husband their breakfast. With a furious look at her son she made certain to stand between him and Tonks, scowling at the boy as he tried to peer around her for another look at Tonks.
Silvenestri was sitting on a stool in front of the main counter watching as Tonks cooked the bacon and eggs on the stove while humming some song she could recall Harry humming while he had been busy with making his armour and weapon. She scowled as she watched the bacon crisping in the pan, thinking why did humans have this nasty habit of cooking perfectly good meat? They took all of the lovely juices and gamy flavour out by heating it beyond its natural living temperature.
Tonks had just finished cooking their breakfast when Harry walked into the room wearing just his pants since Tonks had taken his only good shirt. "Well that is something I could get use to waking up to." Harry said kissing Silvenestri on the head and then Tonks on the cheek.
"Morning Harry. I was going to give you breakfast in bed but seeing that you're here we might as well stay here to eat." Tonks placed the plates in front of Harry and Silvenestri before getting her own and sitting down next to Harry, one hand quickly gripping his in a tight squeeze under the table and beginning to eat her breakfast with one hand while Harry squeezed back quickly and did the same.
Harry smiled and looked at Silvenestri who was staring at the crispy bacon with a look he knew very well indeed. He decided it would be good to distract her from her complaints about overcooked food. "So how was your night, my dear?"
Before Silvenestri could answer Vernon Dursley exploded. "BOY! Aren't the cloths we give you good enough for you now? Must you go around naked?" he growled like one of Aunt Marge's Bulldogs.
Harry looked down at himself then at Tonks and back to his Uncle who seemed to be having trouble taking his eyes off Tonks enough to glare at Harry. Seeing that look and the puddle of drool Dudley was creating Harry sniffed his eyes behind his glasses glinting dangerously.
"You mean the hand me downs you have been giving me for the past 15 years? Well the only really good shirt I have at the moment that is not dirty is the one Tonks now has on but if it bothers you so much… Tonks would you mind awfully giving me the shirt for breakfast? I wasn't going to ask since it could be a bit embarrassing for you…" Harry held a hand out toward Tonks.
"Vernon shut up!" screeched Petunia and reached out to twist Dudley's ear, forcing his head down to his breakfast plate. "Don't come to the kitchen or anywhere in the house without being dressed appropriately in future." She hissed at Harry and Tonks and glared at Vernon until he tore his eyes away from Tonks and attended to his own breakfast.
"Yes, Aunt Petunia." Harry mildly returned and returned his attention to his meal and began to plan his day with Silvenestri and Tonks.
Silvanestri watched the entire play with wide eyes and enough interest to give no further thought to hideously overcooked food and wondered why the fat boy had a face like raw meat. Such a becoming colour and she could just hear the blood thumping through his body. 'Humans.' It made her quite hungry.
Later in his room Harry settled to talk to Tonks in his living room. He had a plan for what must be done but he needed help to carry it out. "Tonks I need a favour. I made a deal with Death that I need to honour and to do that I need to get to the portal Sirius fell through in the Ministry. I have to close it but to do that I need to get Silvenestri in there." Harry drew Tonks onto his lap.
A little later that morning saw Silvenestri in her true form curled fast asleep in one corner of the magically enlarged room with a powerful locking charm placed on the door by Tonks to ensure that no one could enter.
"Now, Harry. Everyone who enters the Ministry needs to be identified. Before you can enter the room with the Gate how do you plan on even entering that place how do you plan on getting into the Ministry your self much less with Silvenestri?" Tonks queried, leaning her head on Harry's shoulder.
"Oh I have away to get by their wards and charms but it well only work on me, not Silvanestri. That is why I need the favour from you. You see Silvenestri must get to that gate at the exact same time as I do so that we can close the gate together." Harry ran a hand through Tonks's hair, smiling at the scent of the apricot shampoo Tonks had used in her hair that morning. It was a scent he was rather partial to.
"Well I suppose that I could pass her off as a friends daughter and say that I was asked to look after her for the day. That should work, but how do you plan on getting yourself in. If you don't mind telling me, of course?" Tonks turned her attention to the sleeping dragon before nuzzling her nose into Harry's neck.
Harry sighed and reached to pull his cloak off the chair next to him. "This is more than just a piece of cloth, Tonks. It not only protects me from low powered spells and physical attacks but it also allows the wearer to change their appearance by adding years to them. I'll just age myself a few years with this and no one will be able to tell its me." He smiled at the look on Tonks's face.
She looked at the cloak and then back to Harry. "Could you make me one of those cloaks?" Tonks ran a hand through his hair, a small innocent smile on her face.
Harry looked at Tonks and raised an eyebrow at her before looking at Silvenestri and then examining her wings. "Well, you will have to wait for her to grow a little more. When she starts shedding again I will have the materials, but I don't see why I can't. I will need a blacksmith shop of course and a few other things." He grinned and then with Tonks still in his arms, held bridal style he pushed to his feet, planted a kiss on her lips and set her down gently.
Tonks returned his smile and while Harry went off to get a shower and get ready for the nights raid she moved to Silvanestri and started to run a hand alone her jaw, amazed at the warmth that emanated from the dragon.
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09 August 1996 20:00 PM A.D
The night watchman was sitting in his booth outside of the main elevator of the Ministry with a bored look on his face. He was young, fresh out of the academy for Auror training and being the new guy he had naturally been stuck with night watch, the most boring duty at the ministry. His light brown hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail while his dark blue eyes where fighting to stay open. He had had little sleep over the past couple of days and he was longing for his watch to be over.
The clock had just gone 8:00 pm when the fireplace on the other side of four recently repaired statues flared and a young woman and a child stepped out and started to walk over toward the guard.
"May I help you, Miss?" the man said getting up out of his chair and walking over to the woman with the stunningly pink hair and the dark haired child who clung to her hand and looked around with wide eyed interest.
"Yes. I am Nymphadora Tonks." The woman made a face at her first name but kept on talking. "I have been out of town for the past week and when I returned a while ago a massage was waiting for me to tell me that I needed to finish all of the paper work that had been growing on my desk. Some of it appears to be needed sooner than I had thought. I had nothing better to do now so… here I am." She flashed him a charming smile.
The guard looked at Tonks and after a moment held out his hand for her wand and looked at the little girl. "This is your daughter?" he queried leading the way to the booth.
Tonks looked at Silvenestri and smiled. "She is a friends daughter and I was asked to look after her for tonight. Since she appears to be a bit of a night owl and would not settle down I decided why scream at her to go to bed? I have work to do and if she will not sleep she may as well find out what grown ups do at night and when she finds out that it is sooo boring maybe then she will give in and sleep."
The guard nodded and ran the necessary test on Tonks's wand. "All done. Have a good night Miss." The guard said handing Tonks her wand and after a few more questions he produced a nametag for Silvenestri who was going under the name of Rose Even, pinning it to her dress.
The dragon flashed him a winning innocent little smile and batted her eyelids at him, fingering the name tag for a moment and with a disgustingly sweet display hugged Tonks's hand to her breast. "Look what I have." She thrust her chest out toward Tonks and grinned happily.
Tonks smiled, looking slightly strained at this display but nodded to the guard and walked by with Silvenestri holding her hand. "Yes, dear. It suits you. Come along now. I have work to do."
Moving quickly she led her charge to the elevator and pressed down, watching as the guard settled back into his chair. Safely in the lift and taking the elevator down to the bottom floor she wondered how long it would be before Harry joined them and if Harry could get past the guard and into the Ministry proper.
The guard had just settled back to think about the attractive young woman when the Muggle entrance opened and a cloak man walked out of the booth and looked around. "Can I help you, Sir?" the guard unobtrusively pulled his wand out using the table as a cover for his actions. 'What is it, late night at the Ministry tonight?' He thought. 'Usually this place is dead at this hour.'
"Yes, I would like to get to the gate room in the lower levels and I came to get my wand checked first." The man handed over the wand, his face still hidden by his cloak.
The guard took the wand while keeping a wary eye on the man whose face was hidden from sight. To his test the wand checked out as not being owned by any known Death Eater but still, this man said he wanted to get to the lower levels of the Ministry. That was restricted. "Well, you check out so I'll have someone take you down there. If you don't mind what do you plan on doing down there?" he queried offering the man his wand back.
"Oh sorry. I apologise, I am a bit absent minded. I'm a bit of an archaeologist and I heard about the gate and come to take a looked at it. I need to determine how old it is and what it does. Curiosity has always been my downfall and I just arrived from a very long port key. I absolutely had to come and see it right away. If that is all may I go through now?" The man retrieved his wand and looked at the guard, the shadows of the cowl still hiding his face.
The guard nodded and watched as the man left and headed down to the lower levels, absently wondering who he was. He yawned, settling back into his chair and looking about him with eyelids growing heavy. He did not notice the fine silver mist that hung about the hand he had been holding the wand in and his eyes drifted shut.
With a start he snapped erect in his chair, blinking furiously and glanced about quickly to make certain that no one had noticed him drift off. With a sigh he rubbed at his face and wished that the night watch was not so boring. It was rare that anyone ever came to the Ministry at this hour and he was bored. He wondered if it was against the rules for him to read a book while on duty. Gradually his eyes drifted shut and he began to dream. In the morning, when questioned he would tell them about the three masked intruders who had knocked him out after a short and vicious exchange of dodging stunning curses. It had been a quiet night until the intruders had come.
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"Harry?" Tonks queried as the tall cloaked stranger stepped from the elevator. Silvanestri did not seem alarmed at all as the robed stranger approached.
Harry tilted the cowl of the robe back and flashed a grin at Tonks who looked immensely relieved at seeing him and noted that Silvenestri looked bored and brightened at the prospect of some action now that he had arrived. Tonks lightly touched his cheek, admiring the older Harry before forcing herself to attend to business.
"Hey there. Well that was the easy part done. Now comes the hard part." Harry said giving Tonks a kiss and Silvenestri a hug.
Tonks smiled at Harry and lead the way through the hall of doors and then chose one after they had finished moving. They found themselves in the room where the prophecies were stored and Harry glanced quickly around trying to see if he could find the door leading to the gate room. He ignored the racks full of small golden globes though he felt a shiver run up his spine at the thought of what might lie there. Perhaps amid the prophecies there was something about what he was about to do?
"Tonks do you know you're way around here or do we need to get Silvenestri to show use the way?" Harry queried after looking around the room and firmly telling himself to mind his business and get on with the task at hand.
Tonks looked at Silvenestri and then at Harry. "Well, I've never actually been here before not even to save you a few months ago. Silvanestri has never been here either so how will she be able to find it for us?" she looked at the little girl in Harry's arms.
Harry smiled and looked fondly at Silvenestri. "My dear, I need you to use your power to find the gate." he said putting her down on the ground and then stepping back to stand next to Tonks.
Silvenestri took a step away from Harry and closed her eyes but Tonks could plainly see that a low glow of light come from under her lids as she started to walk down one of the halls. Harry nodded slightly and took Tonks by the hand, following a step or two behind the dragon.
It was a half-hour later before Silvenestri stopped in front of a wooden door with a gold handle and tilted her head. After a moment she nodded decisively. "It should be through here, Harry."
With a small sigh Harry nodded his thanks and opened the door to show. The room was dominated by the gate which was draped with a blood red cloth covering its sinister form.
"That's it. Good job, Dear Heart." Harry murmured, kissing Silvenestri on the head. "We must waist no time and close it quickly. Tonks watch the doors leading out of this room as best you can. Silvenestri you should hide behind the gate as you did before, just in case we have trouble." He squared his shoulders and strode down the dark isles of the gate chamber.
Tonks and Silvenestri glanced at each other and nodded once, firmly as Harry walked in front of the gate then Tonks vanished into the gloom of the room and Silvenestri scampered into the room and behind the gate to wait out of sight for Harry to give the signal.
Harry looked at the draping vale covering the gate and with a deep breath grasped the cloth and with one sharp tug pulled it off to reveal the familiar black shimmering and stone arch. It brought back so many unpleasant memories.
"I'm sorry, Sirius. I'm so sorry. I know that I promised I would find a way to get you back but… I have no other choice. I must close this now to keep my agreement with Death and to keep Silvenestri with me. I… I hope that you can understand. I'm sorry and now…" he drew a deep breath. "Its good-bye, Sirius."
Forcing the raging guilt down that he was leaving his godfather in the realm of the dead Harry composed himself and brought to mind the chant and the symbols he would need. When he was convinced that he could recite the chant exactly as it was needed and not falter at the thought of abandoning Sirius to his fate he lifted his head and began to chant. It was the same spell that he had cast over 2000 years ago to seal the gate in that far away time. Even as the first words rolled from his tongue his eyes closed against the tears that wanted to roll down his face at what he was about to do. What he had to do. He would not permit his grief to distract him.
Holding firmly to the rhythm and cadence of the chant Harry forced himself to steady and had just started the first of the runes, tracing them in the air when he heard the sound of running feet. Five Auror's came running into the room from a door to the side of the one Harry and his friends had entered by and he cursed that there were so many doors in this chamber.
"Don't move Mister. You're under arrest for trespassing and unauthorised spell casting in a restricted area. Now are you going to come quietly or do we have to use force?" The leader had his wand pointed at Harry while the other four were looking around the room trying to find the other two intruders that the alarm wards set around this chamber had detected.
Harry kept his hooded pulled up and looked at the team of Auror's wondering where he had missed an alarm but it could not be helped. There were three men and two women in the team all of them dressed in Auror robes of light blue. The two women were looking close to where he knew Tonks was hiding while the others started to walk down to Harry with their wands trained on him and a hard light in their eyes.
"Gentlemen I have no other choice but to be here. I will give you one change to leave now. I advise that you take the chance." Harry kept one hand under his cloak as he set the major spell in stasis to await the moment when he could complete the casting of it. 'Why does it seem as though history is repeating itself? This is just about the same place in the casting when I was interrupted before.' He mused. His hidden hand already was tracing one rune getting ready for any fighting that might happen. He did not believe for an instant that they would quietly walk away.
The leader looked at the cloaked man before him sensing a danger there that he had not felt before. This man was dangerous and must not be taken lightly. "And what are you doing here might I ask?" He said noting one of his men edging around the back of the gate while the two women searching the upper seating area for the other intruders.
The fifth Auror stood to one side watching Harry watching events closely, studying the intruder and trying to catch a glimpse of a wand. The instant he saw a wand he was going to strike.
"I need to close this gate to the plane of the dead for reasons that at this time do not concern you. Now if you don't mind I have work to do and I do not need the distraction that you represent." With that Harry turned back to the gate even though he felt his back crawl expecting a spell to be flung at him and picked up the chant where he had left off, fingers flying through the shaping of the runes. He could only hope that he had cast the magic into his cloak in the making of it and that the cloak could take the spells they might cast. 'After all, magic has changed a great deal over time. The question is has it changed that much?' He thought his free hand tracing the ruins before him.
"Stop or I'll stun you!" The leader shouted.
There was a shout from the far side of the gate and after a moment the Auror emerged with Silvenestri in his arms trying to hold her while also avoid being bitten by her. "Who would bring a kid into a situation like this?"
Harry snarled as he suspended the spell once again on seeing Silvenestri in the man's arms. "Let her go now!" Harry glared at the man as one of the hunters in the upper stage area made a sound of triumph and from the corner of his eye Harry saw her vanish from sight.
"You will come with us or I can not guaranty the child's safety." the leader returned.
Harry's eyes flickered as he noted the second woman in the upper half of the room vanish and he forced himself not to react. He had every confidence in Tonks but they really needed to get their hands off Silvanestri.
"I'll tell you what. You let the girl go and let me finish what I have to do here and then you will never have to set eyes on me again." He said half turning to glare at the leader, shifting one hand so it was hidden but aimed at the leader.
"I will do no such thing. People in your position do not make bargains. Now come along."
The leader snarled, growing angry at what he saw as overconfident cheek from a man in no position to be confident. Before he could move another step toward Harry the man behind him was hit by a stunning charm in the back and for an instant he thought he saw the little girls eyes glow just as the Auror holding her stiffened, doing a fine imitation of a carved statue. Silvenestri crawled out of his arms and skipped over to Harry with an angelic smile.
Harry smiled down at the little girl and then glanced at the remaining Auror. "Now I really need to finish this spell and you need to take a nap." Harry said with a gentle smile, flicking a finger in the direction of the leader and his fingers writhed to inscribe an intricate rune as he initiated the key word to release the stunning charm. With a gasp the mans body became rigid and then toppled to the floor.
After the leader when down Tonks walked out of the shadows her hair now jet black as was her skin and only her eyes making her visible in the darkness. "Hurry up and finish it, Harry. There are at least another twenty guards on duty tonight and I really do not want them coming down here to look for the Auror team."
Joining Harry she took up a position next to him while Silvenestri walked back around the gate to where she had been before being drugged out.
Harry nodded and composed himself the launched himself into the concluding stages of the spell under Tonks's watchful eyes. He his eyes closed he forced down the surge of guilt that rose on facing the gate but he could not think of Sirius now.
It took an hour of complex chanting and intricate rune shaping before the black shimmering stopped and held motionless, like reflective black glass. For a moment the image of a white horse with a black robed rider was seen. The cowled form on the horse nodded once, a solemn bowing of the robed head and then the blackness shattered like a panel of glass showing Silvenestri standing on the other side.
"It's done." Harry whispered in a croak, his throat dry after the complex casting. "Silvenestri make sure that they never open this thing again." Harry moved away from the gate drawing Tonks with him and stood with his arm around her waist.
Tonks watched in silence as Silvenestri changed into her true form and rose up on her hind legs. Placing her front legs on the top of the gate she looked down at Harry and Tonks. Harry nodded solemnly and she pushing down on the stone arch with a grunt of effort. A groan of protest came from the structure before the dragon heaved again and the gate collapsed under her weight and strength creating a large dust cloud around her, blocking Harry and Tonks's vision for a moment.
When the dust had settled Silvenestri was had reverted to her human form and she walked over to Tonks and Harry eager to exit from the Ministry of Magic. Harry stared at the ruins for a moment and turned away from the scene to begin a night of celebration and mourning for the life and death of Sirius Black and to celebrate that Silvenestri had joining them in this time. He had no doubt that Death would keep his word.
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Thanks to the following reviews:
Digi Bonds, the Desert Fox, Nutty AL, athenakitty, gallandro-83, Treck, just wibble wobble wooble, uten, RS106, lone wolf blade, Wolflady, BreAkINgdARuLEs, Fire Gazer, Maxennce, grookill, Silver Butterfly 04, Heaven's Reaper, Blade-Claven, japanese-jew, Immortal-Dark-Butterfly, gunsniper-nightmare.
A/N: Also I would like to say to everyone that I am posting them as fast as I can write them so please don't kill me if it takes a while for the next chapter to get here.