Edited and reposted 1/9/07. If you find anymore errors in this chapter please let me know and I will correct them as I do the other chapters.
THE LORD OF AZKABAN
PART II
FALL OF THE MAGICAL WORLD
By
Padfootjr24
Albus Dumbledore stood on the shore as he gazed out over the black water towards the island fortress of Azkaban where Harry Potter now reigned. In all his long years he had never felt as old as he did at that moment. In his ignorance, pride and fear, he condemned a boy he once thought of as a grandson to a life of hell.
Harry Potter was once a young man that could always be counted on to do the right thing no matter how much danger it put himself in. He was the closest thing this world had to a true knight in shining armor. At times it was hard to believe that he was truly just a boy. But that boy was gone now. To be replaced with a man that seemed to feel nothing but hatred and contempt for the world outside of his fortress walls.
The most painful fact of the whole situation was that HE had caused this change. And as a result of his negligence the wizarding world was most likely doomed to be conquered by Lord Voldemort and the one person that could stop it had no reason or desire to do so. In fact Harry seemed to be anticipating it like any Quiditch fan would anticipate seeing their favorite team play in the World Cup. Turning his sorrowful eyes to his companions his heart wrenched as he saw young Mr. Weasley trying to console his sobbing wife as he tried to contain his own tears. Remus, though, appeared to be taking Harry's rejection the hardest.
Remus sat stone still in the bow of the small rickety boat with an empty look in his eyes as he played Harry's final words to him over and over again in his head. 'Harry was right.' He thought to himself with pain and sadness. 'Lily and James would be ashamed of me.' Of course thinking of his two deceased friends brought Sirius to mind as well. It did not take much thought for him to imagine what his old friend Padfoot would do to him if he were still alive.
The look in Harry's eyes each time he looked at him made the usually calm werewolf shudder even now. As painful as it was to think about, he wished that Harry truly was guilty of the crimes charged against him. If that were the case he would be able to push Harry from his mind as he had done these past seven years, only thinking of him with anger and disappointment. But now that he knew the truth he would not be able to forget and pushing it aside would be an impossibility for him.
The sense of betrayal he had felt when Sirius had been arrested and imprisoned was great and the anger he felt was immeasurable. But Sirius had received no trial so he never got the chance to confront the man he had thought of as a brother. When the truth was finally revealed and Sirius was proven innocent he had felt extremely guilty for ever believing him capable of such crimes but he was able to find solace in the fact that he had nothing to do with his friend's fate.
With Harry, however, it was different. Like with Sirius, he had truly believed in Harry's guilt but this time there was a trial and he was an instrumental part of the prosecutions case and had fought hard for a conviction. Not only had he been stupid enough to believe Harry to be a murderer but he had betrayed him by actively working against him. During the trial he, Ron and Hermione had no problem with telling the court and the whole of the wizarding world every last thing they knew about Harry's life with the Dursley's. Information he had told them in confidence and trusted them with. Information he tried to keep from everyone else. With his life seemingly under the microscope of the wizarding world he wanted to keep the true nature of his home life to himself and they had betrayed that trust in a matter of minutes.
What was left of the Marauder's legacy was now gone and he had been one of the ones to kill it. For he truly believed Harry Potter to be dead. He was now a stranger with no ties left in the outside world. At that moment Remus wanted nothing more than to kill himself for his stupidity. Only one thing kept him from doing so. It was not because he believed he could do some good against Voldemort or because he was frightened of death. On the contrary, he would welcome it. What he was afraid of was the afterlife, if such a thing really did exist. He was afraid of confronting his old friends again and facing their anger and disappointment for what he had done and what he had allowed to happen to Harry. And that was one meeting he was not looking forward to.
"Remus?" When the younger man did not respond for a third time Dumbledore climbed back into the boat and approached him while moving around the six released Death Eaters. "Remus?" He called again as he shook the man's shoulders. When Remus finally looked up he was not that surprised but a little worried to see blank almost unseeing eyes staring back at him. With a sigh he picked up one of the boat's ores and made a portkey from it. With the condition of the six Death Eaters and the possibility that Remus may be in shock, he set the portkey to take them directly to the hospital wing at Hogwarts. After several minutes of placing charms on it the portkey was finished and he waved Ron and a still sobbing Hermione over to him. It took a while but finally he managed to get everyone positioned to where they could all touch the portkey before he activated it.
From a few miles off shore a solitary man watched through a magical eye as the group vanished from the beach before he nodded in satisfaction and marched back up to the fortress of Azkaban.
XXX
As what little sun the cloud cover allowed too break through crept into the window and shined into the man's eyes, Severus Snape groaned loudly as a sharp pain ran through his head. Bringing his hands up he pressed them over his eyes while he tried to remember what had happened the night before. After a few moments of thought it all started to come back to him. Almost as fast as a bullet he sat straight up as the memories began flooding through his mind. He quickly regretted this when his head began pounding all the more furiously. 'No more fire whiskey for me.' He fell back against his pillow and damn near jumped out of his skin when he felt a slender arm drape over his bare chest. He swiftly stood up and turned to see who it was that was laying beside him but all he could see was a tangled mess of silver hair. Leaning over slowly he gently pulled the blankets down a bit as he tried to remember what he had done. He gasped loudly when he recognized the face of Narcissa Malfoy. However his shock did not last for long.
'Oh, now I remember.' He thought to himself with a self satisfying smirk. That smirk faded quickly as he thought about how he had ended up in his present location. He turned away from the sleeping woman and quietly walked over to the burning fire where he collapsed into a nearby chair and rested his head in his hands.
'What the hell have I done?' He asked himself. As Tonks had mentioned the night before, Dumbledore had gone out of his way, even broken several laws to protect him from the Ministry. And how did he repay him? He turned his back on him, that's how. Granted, his role as a spy in Voldemort's ranks had ended several years earlier but there were still some things he could do to help, wasn't there? With a heavy sigh Snape stood up and walked to the closet hoping to find something he could wear until he could find a way to get some of his own things.
When he opened the door he was greatly surprised to find all of his things that he had thought were stored in his quarters at Hogwarts. Shaking off this feeling he decided to ask Potter about it later and got dressed and took a pain relieving potion before silently leaving the room to wander around while he got his thoughts in order. Since he was pretty drunk the night before he obviously had other things on his mind other than his surroundings. But now that his head was clear he marveled at how similar the corridors of the fearsome prison were to those at Hogwarts.
Of all that was going through his mind there was one thing, or rather one person, on his mind. And that person was Harry Potter. The Harry Potter he knew when he was a student would have jumped at any opportunity to help even a complete stranger, no matter what the consequences were to himself. Now, however, he couldn't care less. For many years he believed that Potter was nothing more than some spoiled arrogant brat that simply loved all of the attention that was heaped upon him at such a young age. Now he knew better.
Even before his trial Snape knew that Potter could not possibly have committed such acts of violence. After hearing the testimony of his 'friends' and the truth about his life with his relatives, he was even more convinced while everyone else saw it as the perfect motive for murder. He was surprised to hear that this boy he had hated for many years was no spoiled prince at all but instead was raised in much the same fashion that he was.
Before he knew it he was pulled out of his thoughts as he found his way into the main hall where the party had been the night before. Looking around he was not surprised to find it nearly empty after all of the drinking that had gone on. In fact only one other person was present.
Harry Potter sat alone at one of the long dining tables as he sipped on a cup of steaming hot coffee and read from a newspaper while he occasionally scribbled something down on a stack of parchment beside him. Despite the amount of fire whiskey he consumed during Draco and Gabrielle's engagement party he seemed to be in perfect health as he lounged carelessly back in his chair with his feet propped up on the table. Unsure if Potter wanted to be alone or not Snape turned and prepared to leave when Harry spoke up without even looking up from his paper.
"You don't have to leave, Professor. You obviously have a lot on your mind to be up at this godforsaken hour so you might as well stay and have a cup of coffee." He said in a calm and neutral tone as he brought his cup to his lips. After thinking for a moment Snape decided that he had nothing better to do so he took a seat across from Harry. Almost instantly a hot cup of tea appeared in front of him.
"How…" Snape began to ask in surprise when Harry answered.
"The house elves that work here are very talented in knowing what each given person would want. Normally it would be just like Hogwarts and they would simply send up large amounts of different dishes but when there are relatively few people in here they like to be specific. I think that since they had only served 'real food' to a small amount of Aurors and prison staff for years they got accustomed to knowing what different people would want since those people changed regularly. But that's just my theory, I don't know how they do it and I don't really care. They seem very happy with the increased work since I took over and I guess that's all that matters." He explained in an off hand manner as he continued to read.
"Well you seem none the worse for ware after last night." Snape commented absentmindedly after several minutes of silence which brought a slight grin to Harry's face.
"That's probably because I haven't gone to sleep yet. I've been in here sucking down coffee for about three hours now." He said with a chuckle. As soon as he said that, he regretted it as Snape's eye went wide. Knowing what the man was probably thinking, Harry was quick to shoot the idea down. "No, no, no, not that. The girls spent the entire night talking like old girlfriends. I was greatly surprised to see how quick Ginny warmed up to Bella though, all things considered. No, I spent most of the night trying to duck the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan. After Ginny's 'greeting' last night they found yet another good reason to experiment. Despite my standing as the most powerful wizard in history," He said with sarcasm. "They still try to use me as their primary test subject for their new prank items and charms." He finished irritably which surprised the potions master.
"With the power you now have, you can't protect yourself from a few pranks?" He asked in surprise and amusement while at the same time he was shocked at the fact that he was having a completely civil conversation with the young man.
"Professor, despite my power or the knowledge I have acquired over the last five years, I still have no feel for pranks whatsoever. Sure I can appreciate a good joke or prank but when it comes to thinking them up, I'm lost. So if I have no idea what they could possibly come up with, how am I supposed to protect myself against it? For instance, last night alone I suddenly grew a four foot long tail, found myself with the teeth of a Saber-tooth tiger, feet the size of a troll's and covered in blue fur. Granted each time I had it gone within a few minutes but damn was that uncomfortable." Despite himself Snape could not help it when the corners of his mouth suddenly quirked up into a smirk. "But it's no matter. The three of them have had plenty of time to think over the error of their ways as they spent the rest of the night on top of the south tower. I havn't decided yet if I'll let them down or send breakfast up to them." With this statement the usually stern and sour professor could not help himself as a deep bellowing laugh burst forth from his mouth. Harry could not think if he should be surprised at this action or disturbed by the sound of it. In the end he decided on both.
"So, how is Narcissa this morning?" Harry asked in an innocent tone of voice that quickly pulled Snape out of his amusement. He merely ducked his head down and sipped his tea for a few moments before asking a question that he had been wondering about since the night before.
"Out of curiosity, is everyone here immortal like you, Tonks and Lestrange?" He asked in an offhand manner as if it did not matter much but Harry could clearly see that the man was dieing to know.
"No, they aren't. A good many of them have had the opportunity to achieve it but they have all turned it down. Immortality is an overrated concept, really. If someone chooses such a gift, though many would call it a curse, they would be forced to watch all those around them, everyone they love and care about grow old and die. Given the choice the vast majority would choose a mortal life."
"Then why did you choose differently?"
"Because for the first time in my life I have a place where I can actually feel at home. The Dursleys certainly never made me feel welcome and wherever I went in the magical world I always felt like an outcast. I couldn't go anywhere without everyone staring and pointing at me because of some freak occurrence that happened long before I could remember. Here, on the other hand, if people look up to me, it is because I have earned their respect through my own actions and decisions. So I intend to stay here for as long as possible. I also have the people I love most, who were also treated as outcasts, for one reason or another, to share that time with. While it's true that I care for others here a great deal, I find the idea of spending a very long time with Bella and Tonks appealing, though they will probably drive me insane before long. And this way I will always be around to protect or guide my children when necessary."
"Well if you can give out immortality like that so easily couldn't you also take it away if someone chooses later on that they no longer want it?" Snape asked with genuine curiosity. He had no interest whatsoever in living forever but he found the very idea fascinating.
"I could, but there would be side effects. Lets say for example that you were to choose such a life. One hundred years from now you decide that you no longer want it so you ask me to remove it. The moment I did your body would rapidly age one hundred years and you would most likely die within minutes from the vast amounts of pain and the physical shock. With that in mind most people would prefer to age at a normal rate. So Professor, was there anything specific on your mind when you came down?" Harry asked casually as he once again began scribbling on his parchment. Snape glanced at it with curiosity and found it to be some long and complicated calculation. Putting the parchment out of his mind he decided to seize this opportunity to get some information.
"Why exactly are you doing this, Potter?" He asked seriously as he eyed the younger man in front of him.
"This? This, as in what, exactly?"
"Well for starters, why are you hiding away from the rest of the world when you could be out there saving lives?"
"For one, I am not hiding, I have simply found a place that I can call home, where I do not have people gawking at me wherever I go or point at me and whisper like I'm some sort of walking freak show. And two, I wish to teach the wizarding world a lesson. A lesson that is long overdue." He answered honestly. For a moment Snape was shocked by his bluntness but that shock quickly turned to anger.
"You are letting countless people die out of revenge." He yelled as he stood up but Harry remained calm.
"Revenge has nothing to do with it." Harry snapped before taking a few deep breaths to calm down before he started again. "The magical world has become too complacent, fat and lazy. They look to others to do everything for them when they should be doing it themselves. Back when Voldemort was first rising to power he could have been easily stopped if they had just stood up to him. But no, they put all of their faith in Dumbledore to do it for them, and he in turn, ignored the threat until it was to late.
"What the wizarding world needs to learn is that they cannot simply turn all their hopes to one person and expect them to do all the work for them. They need to see that they can not throw someone away over and over again and then expect them to come and pull their asses out of the fire whenever things get hot. The only reason Dumbledore, Fudge or anyone else cares about what happened to me is because of Voldemort. If it weren't for him they would all be happy to let me rot in prison till the end of days whether they found out I was innocent or not. The Ministry would surely have destroyed that evidence just to keep the public from seeing the mistakes they had made and I would have been left here. But now the situation is different. Voldemort keeps getting stronger and more and more people are joining his ranks. So what do they do, they come here to retrieve their weapon.
"Well this weapon is will decide when and where it is used. This world needs to grow up and stop acting like a bunch of children that need a parent to tell them what to do and when. Eventually, yes, I will take Voldemort out, but first the world has a few lessons to learn. And as a professor, you should know that tough lessons are often the most effective. It's sad that it has actually come to this but it is something that had to happen eventually." As Snape listened to Harry's explanation he wanted to deny many of the things that he had said but he knew that he was right. The magical world had a really bad habit of pinning all of its hopes on a select few no matter what the circumstances. And on many of those occasions it had met with disaster.
"Well not to rehash our discussion last night but what if the Dark Lord or even Dumbledore and the Ministry attack the island while you are not here?" Snape asked seriously. This topic had been brought up the night before but was interrupted when Ron Weasley mocked Bella's skills.
"Well like I said last night, with the new wards and fortifications this place is better protected than Hogwarts ten fold. Training is also a primary concern here. Until other 'modifications' are finished and operational we are still, theoretically, vulnerable. So everyone here is trained deeply in combat magic and defense. There are not that many people here really but by now they are without a doubt the most dangerous and vicious fighters in the magical world. So even if an attacker manages to the breach the defenses they will be quickly slaughtered once they get inside. Besides the Dementors are perfectly capable of neutralizing any army. Even an army of men like Dumbledore." Snape visibly shivered as he remembered the unnatural power he felt from the 'enhanced' Dementors.
"What are you working on?" Snape changed the subject as Harry began writing again. Harry looked up suddenly at the drastic change of subject before he shook off his surprise to answer.
"I'm working on a way to hide this island permanently from prying eyes."
"All that?" Snape gasped as he pointed to the large stack of parchment. He had seen his fair share of spell calculations, even written some of his own, but none of them were even half as long.
"No, not all of it." Harry chuckled. "Most of these are plans for 'remodeling' the island. The island itself is actually very large but most of it is extremely rocky and barren. I plan on changing that as well as separating the prison from the areas that we use. No matter how safe and secure it is you really don't want children living and playing this close to hardened criminals. So I'm planning on creating another smaller island a little off shore for the prisoners to be housed, but that project is far from complete. When I get these calculations right it should take the island outside of regular time."
"Excuse me?"
"Basically I'm making a reality parallel to this one but that's the easy part, similar things have been done by some of the ancient mages, just not on anything of this scale. What I'm having trouble with is making alterations to my original spell that would allow people to travel back and forth at their choosing while still keeping others out. Never mind, its confusing I know but like I said when I get finished this entire area will be perfectly hidden from the outside world." Harry explained in an excited tone that was actually quite disturbing when you thought of how cold and almost malicious he had been the night before.
"Why not just make it unplotable?" A new voice asked. Looking up both men saw Tonks, Bella and Ginny enter the hall side by side. Snape looked at the three women curiously before he answered Ginny's question himself.
"Making Azkaban unplotable would serve no real purpose. It would be easy enough for someone with Potter's power but since a good many people already know where it is it would not do much good. The Fedelius Charm is an option but that would make it obvious to everyone that something is going on here and they would certainly want to know what it was. If the Dark Lord emerges victorious he will turn all his attention to figuring out what happened to the Island and the Fedelius Charm does have several theoretical weaknesses that he could exploit." Snape explained politely which surprised all three women.
"So, Severus," Bella began with a mischievous smirk as they sat down. "How was your night?" She asked suggestively as she waggled her eyebrows. As an answer the most unlikely thing happened. Something you would never believe if you did not see it for yourself and even then you would question your own eyes. Snape blushed. "I thought as much. You two did always have a thing for each other." Bella giggled. Snape looked about ready to retort but could think of nothing to say so he just huffed in annoyance and sipped his tea.
"What are you reading?" Tonks asked Harry as he went back to reading his newspaper. As an answer he laid the paper down on the table where everyone could read it. It was a copy of the Daily Prophet.
Boy-Who-Lived Released From Azkaban and Disappears
Last night Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, traveled to Azkaban to release Harry Potter after new evidence was uncovered that proved our hero's innocence. As our readers will remember, Mr. Potter was found guilty of the brutal murders of his muggle relatives seven years ago and sentenced to life in the feared prison under the guard of the Dementors. However things did not go as planned.
While on the island, Headmaster Dumbledore made some very shocking discoveries. Five years ago when You-Know-Who attacked Azkaban, he was defeated by an unknown power and has since not returned to the island. The human guards at the prison and the investigators for the Ministry of Magic have been unable to solve this mysterious occurrence, until now. It is now known that it was Harry Potter himself that defeated You-Know-Who and a large portion of his Death Eaters single handedly.
Unfortunately, upon reaching the shore, Harry Potter told his former Headmaster and mentor to 'clean up his own mess' and promptly apperated away. It is unknown how he managed to learn to apperate while in prison much less drive off the Dark Lord five years ago from his prison cell but what is clear is that he has the power needed to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named for good and must return. As we speak the Ministry is organizing a massive search to locate young Mr. Potter and to bring him back to where he belongs. I pray that The-Boy-Who-Lived can find it in his heart to forgive those few that stood against him and help those who truly care for his wellbeing.
"Those insufferable gits." Tonks screamed as she pounded her fist on the table while Bella and Ginny nodded in agreement.
"You see Professor, this is a prime example of what I was talking about." Harry began as he waved towards the newspaper. "They want to get someone else to do their work for them, so what do they do? They take a bunch of people who would serve the people better fighting Death Eaters and they put them to work searching for someone else to do it for them. It's ridiculous really. But we're talking about Fudge here." He said in an offhand manner. As Snape read through the article he couldn't help but agree with Harry and the three women. Just a few short minutes ago he believed that Harry remaining on the sidelines until Voldemort came to him was a terrible idea but now he was not so sure.
"Well this article, although very annoying, does serve a fairly good purpose." Bella pointed out while the others nodded. Of the five of them Snape was the only one that did not see the point and he was greatly annoyed that even the 'Weasley girl' seemed to understand that cryptic statement while he did not.
"And how is that?" He asked irritably. The only purpose he could see the article serving is causing those few who were actually still resisting Voldemort to lose what little hope they had left.
"You see Snape; since Harry drove him off of this island five years ago, Voldemort has avoided it like the plague. He was terrified of whatever it was that was powerful enough to defeat him and his Death Eaters so easily. Now he knows what, or rather who, it was. He also now believes that Harry is gone and there is well over one thousand Death Eaters locked away in this prison. He is going to want them back. The only question is, when is he going to come? Before, or after he defeats Dumbledore and the Ministry?" Tonks explained as she dug into her plate of eggs and bacon that had suddenly appeared before her. With his hangover the very sight of food almost made Snape sick as he quickly diverted his eyes.
"I don't think he is going to come just yet." Harry said. "If he comes now he will need the bulk of his forces since he has been unable to gain the support of the Dementors. He will have to drastically cut down his attacks against the Aurors to make sure he has enough men available for the campaign. Which he can't do because it will give the Ministry time to regroup and plan defenses and counterattacks. But, this article here also shows how desperate the Ministry is. Voldemort smells blood and he won't let up, not for a bunch of Death Eaters who have been locked away with the Dementors for an extended period of time. They would be of no use to him for some time. He will either come after he has crushed the Ministry for more manpower for when he assaults Hogwarts, or he will come immediately after taking the school so he could use it as an example."
"What do you mean? And how do you know if he has people looking for you as well?" Ginny asked in confusion.
"If he comes after taking Hogwarts, he will likely make some big show of it since he was defeated here. He believes that I am no longer here so he will think he will have an easy time of it since he has gone through many dark rituals over the last few years to increase his power. He is now nearly fifty percent stronger than he was five years ago and he is getting stronger everyday. He thinks he will be able to just walk in and free his captured servants. He will probably make a few speeches and then have the entire fortress destroyed to show that none can stand against him. And if Voldemort is looking for me as well it isn't because he wants to kill me, well not at first. He will most likely try to recruit me and attempt to find out how I beat him before he disposes of me."
XXX
It had been nearly two weeks since his journey to Azkaban and Albus Dumbledore had still not recovered from the verbal assault that Harry had heaped upon him. Throughout his life he had always had enemies, had always had those that would attack him from every foreseeable angle. But never had the truth been used against him in such a way. Even now Harry's words still echoed inside his head as he tried to concentrate on his duties. Despite all that had been said that night Dumbledore was still a scholar and could not help but wonder how Harry had prevented them from revealing what had really gone on that night. To say that Minister Fudge was outraged at Harry's refusal to help and disappearance was a supreme understatement. Immediately after learning that he had left, Fudge ordered a massive manhunt for the young man, an action that Dumbledore was firmly against. But Fudge, ever the self preservationist, would hear none of it. He demanded that Harry be found immediately and forced to face Voldemort.
Due to the rising tensions and the mounting threats he was forced to send his students home and close the school until the conflict was resolved one way or the other. He wasn't deluded enough to believe that he could stand against Lord Voldemort's power. There was only one that could and he made it abundantly clear that he would not help in any way. He briefly entertained the idea of tricking Voldemort into attacking Azkaban as soon as possible just to make Harry confront him but he quickly shot the idea down. If Harry learned that he had purposely put those he cared about in danger he may very well kill Voldemort only to take his place.
Glancing over the many articles the Daily Prophet had printed in the last weeks he could only feel a sense of anger toward himself and the rest of the world. Numerous articles that portrayed Harry as some sniveling coward that would let the rest of the world suffer because of his own childish sense of betrayal. The more he read the more he came to realize that Harry's decisions were justified even though he secretly harbored some of the same thoughts viewed by the press. What right did they have to ask him for help? He was pulled out of his thoughts however when his office door burst open and a frantic Professor McGonagall burst into the room.
"What has happened?" He asked quickly as he shot out of his chair. McGonagall looked about ready to hyperventilate as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Its, its… Remus." She finally chocked out as the damn busted and tears began to stream down her flushed cheeks. Dumbledore instantly went pale and left his office at a run as he headed to the hospital wing. Many professors and Order members alike were forced to literally dive out of his way as he nearly flew down the corridors. When he finally reached his destination the hospital wing doors slammed open and he was greeted with the sorrowful red face of Madam Pomfrey.
"I'm sorry Headmaster, there was nothing I could do." She sniffed as she quickly bustled her way into her office. Dumbledore's breath caught in his throat as he slowly made his way over to the bed where the body of Remus Lupin lay motionless.
"What happened?" He asked Professor McGonagall quietly when she entered the room behind him as he looked down at the pained expression that was etched into his pale face.
"He overdosed on dreamless sleep potion." She cried as she sat down heavily into a chair on the opposite side of the bed. "I knew he took Mr. Potter's rejection hard, but I didn't think he would go this far." Dumbledore could only nod in agreement as he too sat down. As they sat in silence he tried many times to tell his deputy what had truly happened at Azkaban but every time he tried to speak nothing would come out so he simply sat there in a mournful silence.
After leaving the hospital wing, Professor Dumbledore wandered the halls of the ancient school of magic for hours as he pondered the current situation. For the first time he was forced to think that the war with Voldemort was futile. With his almost constant gain in magical power and acquisition of new allies there was no enemy that he could not crush under his boot. But Hogwarts had never fallen, and he would be damned if he would allow it to happen while he was Headmaster. For some reason he himself could not explain, he truly believed that Harry would never let Voldemort take Hogwarts.
'He will come.' He thought to himself with certainty.
Word spread quickly throughout the castle about Remus' death and everyone was in a somber mood. When he eventually made it back to his office he was mildly surprised to find Ron and Hermione waiting for him. Since they had returned from Azkaban Hermione had not left their quarters and Ron was seldom seen himself. He shook off his surprise however and went to sit behind his desk.
"Was there anything that I could do for you?" He asked tiredly as he surveyed his two former students who looked tired and old beyond their years.
"We just got back from the hospital wing," Ron began sadly as Hermione sniffed quietly. Dumbledore nodded mournfully and prompted Ron to continue. "With everything that has been happening we have not had the opportunity to speak in private and we were wondering if you could tell us if you knew how Harry has prevented us from speaking of what happened and if there was anyway around it." He finished quickly. Upon hearing Ron's words Dumbledore's head shot up as he stared at the two young people in shock. For two full weeks now he has been trying to tell someone, anyone, what really happened but every time he tried to bring the subject up different words formed on his lips.
"How…"
"A couple of days ago Hermione discovered that we can discuss the matter between others that were present. But if anyone else is within earshot we can not. We even tried writing it down, using a recording charm and extracting the memory into a pensive to tell others, but none of them worked." He explained quickly.
"Harry thought of everything, didn't he?" Dumbledore mumbled quietly to himself. "To be honest, I have not the slightest clue how he managed such a feat. Even the most powerful security charms are nowhere near as effective. Even if I knew how he had achieved this, I would doubt seriously that even I could overcome his power."
"Why is he doing this?" Hermione cried loudly as she stood up and began pacing.
"Because he's acting like a spoiled brat." Ron said through clenched teeth. "He's probably waiting for us to come crawling on our knees, begging for his help as if he were some kind of god."
"And what would you do if you were in his position, Mr. Weasley?" Dumbledore asked calmly as he looked over the rims of his half moon glasses. "Rest assured that even if we had gone, crawling on our knees, as you put it, he would probably still have done nothing different. Everyone in the magical world turned against him, even his closest and most trusted friends. Then, only when things get too out of hand, we go looking for him to protect us and fight for us. When he was on trial we were all so convinced of his guilt that we purposely over looked some of our own laws and procedures because we thought they were a waste of time and money. According to the law, no minor may be convicted of such a crime without the verification that only the questioning under Veritaserum could provide. Something that could have proven his innocence was ignored simply because we did not feel like taking the time to go through set procedures that were established centuries ago.
"Since entering the magical world it seems that we have brought him nothing but pain and suffering. So, to use his own words, 'what right do we have to ask him for help?' I do not like the situation any more than either of you but you must realize that the old adage, 'forgive and forget', only extends so far." He paused for a moment as he put his head in his hands and rubbed his face. "Harry was right, I do bare a large portion of responsibility for the troubles our world has today. For sixty years now I have done my best to deny that fact by telling myself that Voldemort chose his own path and chose what to do with his life. But it was his experiences as a child that led him astray and I am the one responsible for allowing it to happen. Soon, I'm sure, I will have to face that child again and I do not expect to survive the encounter.
"Harry grew up in much the same situation and once again I was aware of the abuse that was heaped upon him each time I sent him home for the summer. I justified this with the knowledge that while in the Dursley's care he was protected from Voldemort and his Death Eaters. I did this so that he could one day grow to rival Voldemort and destroy him. Until the Dursley's murders I didn't even think I had been making the same mistake again. But in the end I made an even greater one. The whole of the wizarding world believes Harry to be a coward or some twisted individual that is looking on with some sick pleasure as the world is destroying itself. They don't realize that the world has been burning for seven years now. Ever since we betrayed our only hope." He finished quietly as tears formed in his eyes. Ron and Hermione stood in shocked silence as they looked at their former Headmaster with dumbfounded expressions. Never once had they even heard of the powerful wizard speaking in such a hopeless manner. Given the state of things, that was not very reassuring. After several minutes Ron and Hermione shook themselves out of their stupor and returned to their chairs. Before any of them had a chance to speak up once more the fire crackling in the fireplace turned a bright neon green and Arthur Weasley tumbled out and laid face down on the carpeted floor. Ron and Hermione were on their feet immediately and rushed to his side with Dumbledore right behind them.
Turning the man over all three gasped in shock at the sight before them. The front of the Weasley patriarch's robes were scorched and covered in blood as they hung off the man in tatters. His face and arms were covered in small cuts, bruises and burns as he lay unconscious while breathing in ragged breaths.
"Come, we must get him to the hospital wing." Dumbledore said urgently as he placed a levitation charm on the man and left his office at a run with Ron and Hermione right on his heals.
"POPPY, POPPY!" Dumbledore called out loudly as he crashed through the double doors and rushed Mr. Weasley to the nearest bed. As he gently laid the man down Madam Pomfrey's office door was yanked open and the red faced nurse bustled out. It was clear from her complexion and the look in her eyes that Remus' suicide had affected her greatly, but now was not the time for such matters. Despite her grief the moment she saw Arthur she was looking every bit like the professional healer she was.
"What happened to him?" She asked urgently as she ran her wand over the prone man's body.
"We don't know. He just fell out of my office fireplace a moment ago." Dumbledore answered as he moved out of the woman's way. For nearly an hour she cast charm after charm and force fed him numerous potions that looked and smelled like they were made from some disgusting rotting plants. Ron stood off to the side holding his crying wife as he looked at his father with fear in his heart. Like everyone else that was there that fateful night, Harry's words still echoed within his mind. It was true, the Weasley family wasn't as close as it used to be. In fact it was pretty much nonexistent. There was no sense of unity and everyone seemed to want to keep to themselves. But he vowed right there that if his father made it through he would work to his dieing day if necessary to repair the damage he had helped cause.
After healing all of his major wounds Madam Pomfrey began to fix the numerous minor cuts that seemed to be all over the man's body. Over each of the cuts she smeared an orange colored cream that both Ron and Hermione recognized as the same stuff she used when healing Harry's injuries after the first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament over eight years before.
"Is he going to be alright?" Ron asked in a strained voice.
"Yes Mr. Weasley, I daresay he will be just fine after a little rest. He will probably sleep for a few hours but I want him to remain here for at least two days for observation." She finished in a tone that left no room for arguments before making her way back too her office, leaving the others in silence.
"I had better contact Molly and apprise her of the situation. If you will excuse me." Dumbledore said as he left the room to head back to his office. Ron sat at his father's bedside with his wife in his arms as he thought of his mother's reaction to such news.
Due to the almost constant arguments with Ron and Percy over the question of Harry's guilt or innocence a great deal of tension built up in all of the Weasleys over the years. As a result the famous Weasley temper was running on high and for peace and quiet, if not safety, they stayed away from each other. For the most part the only time you saw more than one of them in a room at the same time was during meals and those were usually rushed. When the twins had disappeared after the failed attempt to free Harry things only got worse. In the end Charlie went back to Romania and Bill asked Gringotts for a transfer back to Egypt. Ginny was the only one of seven children that visited the Burrow on a regular basis but that was probably because she was ostracized by the rest of the wizarding world, thanks to Ron, and had very few friends.
The biggest change, and the hardest to handle, was the relationship between his parents. Gone was the fun loving couple that wore their love and affection for each other on their sleeves and in their place was a shadow of what they once were. Since every conversation eventually drifted towards their children and the problems that came with them, they had given up speaking to each other almost entirely.
He was pulled back to the present when Madam Pomfrey returned to check on Arthur's progress. After running several quick observational spells she turned to Ron with a ghost of a smile.
"He should wake soon. When he does I would normally suggest that you not push him for information and give him time to regain some of his strength but taking into account the way he arrived I believe that that will be impossible, so I ask only that you ask few questions and not push to hard. Do you understand?" She explained in a stern voice just as Molly Weasley came crashing through the doors with a stricken look on her red face as she rushed to her husbands side. Upon seeing Arthur's battered and bruised face she broke down in to tears as she collapsed into a nearby chair and took his hand in her's.
XXX
Harry Potter marched through the dark corridors that made up the bowels of the Azkaban fortress in an annoyed mood. Clutched in his hand, he carried a letter from his contact in Hogwarts and it wasn't the news he wanted. The last few years he prided himself on being able to predict how the war was going to go and what moves the different players would make. He was always right, until now. It had become a game for some of those that lived on the island, to see if they could beat him and the stakes always seemed to get stranger every time until on unspoken agreement everyone just decided that the 'winner' would simply get whatever they asked for. He wasn't annoyed that he lost or that he now had an obligation to fill, it was that this particular bet should have been easy for him to win, but no, he just had to go with the simple and direct action and now they will never let him live it down.
As he passed by cell after cell, glancing in to find Bella, an ear shattering scream echoed through the halls. Opening his mind to find the source of the screaming he was not surprised to learn who it was coming from. A prisoner who is actually one of the Dementors' favorites. Changing his direction he made his way to the cell that was currently occupied by both Bella and a prisoner that he had yet to speak with, though he had been there for several months now. For the most part Harry hadn't given the man much thought since he had little to say to him, but his confrontation with Dumbledore gave him a good idea. When he arrived he opened the cell door to find exactly what he expected. Bella standing over the beaten figure of a Death Eater. A Death Eater that happened to have a silver hand.
"Bella," He spoke up to stop her from casting another curse. "He's nearly dead already, my dear, we don't want to kill him just yet." He said in a calm voice as if he were merely reprimanding a young child for not eating all of her vegetables. Bella huffed in annoyance and moved to lean against the wall. "Besides, I have a few words for him." He continued in a cold voice that seemed to perk Bella's spirits back up almost instantly. She watched eagerly as Harry approached Peter Pettigrew and held both hands just inches above the man's body. His hands began pulsing with a yellowish glow and Wormtail's ragged breaths slowed and came easier. After a few moments Harry stood again and stepped back as his eyes fluttered open.
"Good morning Peter." Harry said in a sickeningly sweet voice that nearly made Bella burst out in giggles. Peter shot up off the floor and looked around frantically for any possible way to escape. But he was shocked to find the only exit blocked by none other than the son of the friend he betrayed. Glancing fearfully at Bella he quickly dropped to his knees and crawled over to Harry. Obviously he thought that Harry had somehow 'saved' him from 'Lestrange'.
"Harry, thank goodness you're here. We must get out of here; we must escape before the Dark Lord comes." He whined in a pathetic voice that just grated on Harry's nerves.
"Now why would I want to do that? If I let you leave, then Bella will lose one of her playthings. I don't think I could put her through such a traumatic experience." Harry replied innocently. Peter's face now showed confusion, shock and fear, a combination that Harry didn't think anyone could pull off and he had to admit that it was quite humorous but he managed to keep a straight face. Bella, on the other hand, could no longer contain herself and nearly fell to the floor in a fit of laughter.
"You see, Peter, I now control Azkaban, so I just thought that I would pop in and say hi." He said with a sadistic grin as he squatted down to get to eye level with the rat faced man. "And don't you worry about your precious Dark Lord. I'm sure you were here last time Voldemort came for a visit, he left suddenly for some damn reason." Harry chuckled as Bellatrix smirked at the now terrified rat. This was clearly not the same Harry Potter he had contact with in the past and the look in Harry's eye terrified him more than Voldemort ever could.
"That was you?" He asked in a shaky voice. "Are you going to kill me?"
"No, I'm not going to kill you," Harry answered flatly and Peter heaved a big sigh of relief. But his relief was short lived. "I prefer to have you suffer. So I am going to keep you alive for as long as possible. As I'm sure you know, Bella here has forgotten more about dispensing pain than you or I will ever know. I've seen her work, the Cruciatus curse is child's play and I want you to experience everything she can think up. Every time she breaks you, every time your little mind snaps, I am simply going to heal you so that she can start all over again. Well, I must be going now." For a moment Peter's face showed absolute shock, whether it was because of what Harry had said or because he was allied with Bellatrix Lestrange, Harry did not know, nor did he care. His shock however quickly gave way to despair and he broke down and was basically face down on the ground blubbering like a little girl. Harry chuckled lightly to himself before standing back up and walking over to Bella. He took her by the arm and led her out of the cell but before closing the door behind him he turned back to Wormtail. "Oh, Peter, do try to enjoy yourself while you are here." He gave Peter one last smirk before leaving.
"Any particular reason why you came and interrupted my fun? Although I have to admit that what you said to him, and the fact that it was you that said it, had more of an impact than I could have hoped for." As an answer Harry merely held up the parchment that he had clutched in his hand. Bella's violet eyes immediately brightened.
"Well, what does it say?" She asked impatiently causing Harry to smirk.
"The Ministry has surrendered."
"No shit. We all knew they would, but how did it happen?"
"Well, let's see, where to begin?" He was instantly rewarded with a slap to the back of his head.
"Don't be an ass." Bella nearly shouted in frustration.
"Fine, earlier this evening Fudge called a meeting with the Wizengamot, the heads of all departments, sub-departments and their respective underlings where he outlined a proposal for peace that was offered by Voldemort. Suprisingly, Dumbledore was the only no show. Apparently Lupin killed himself so they were not able to contact him before the meeting began. Anyway, they would all keep their lives and be able to conduct business as usual if they submit to him and fight for him should the need arise. Naturally many were not in favor of such a deal."
"But…" Bella prompted.
"But if they were to refuse, every one of them would die. They immediately took a vote and they agreed to his terms 189-57. As soon as the vote was finished Death Eaters literally flooded into the meeting hall. All of those that voted against them were executed." Harry explained in a tone that clearly said that he did not care. However, Bella did not seem satisfied with this explanation.
"How were they executed?" She asked in annoyance that seemed to amuse Harry.
"Oh, is that what you wanted to know?" He asked mockingly. When Bella glared at him with a look that clearly promised pain he continued. "As a show of loyalty, the Death Eaters had them execute the others themselves. From what I understand Mr. Weasley managed to escape, but all others are now dead."
"Out of curiosity, who was executed?"
"Most notably were Amelia Bones and most of her top Aurors, Amos Diggory, Croaker of the Department of Mysteries as well as ALL of the Unspeakables, and surprisingly Ludo Bagman of Magical Games and Sports. I would have expected him to run and hide like he did when the goblins were after him but what the hell, I guess anyone can surprise you if you wait long enough."
"HA, I told you he would make them kill each other, but no, you thought he would let his Death Eaters have all the fun." Bella cheered. "So I win."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. So what is it you want?" Harry asked irritably. As an answer Bella suddenly pushed Harry against the wall and literally slammed her lips into his. Momentarily surprised by her sudden action Harry stood completely still. He was able to shake off his shock pretty quickly however and returned her affections just as deeply and with as much passion. After several moments Bella broke off the kiss and took a few steps back as she surveyed Harry hungrily.
"You know Bella, we do this quite a lot," Harry began with amusement. "So why waste your winning bet on this?"
"I simply enjoy thinking of new reasons to do it." She shrugged before turning back to him. "So where were we?"
"POTTER!" The unmistakable voice of Severus Snape echoed down the corridors. Harry and Bella looked up to see the fuming potions master stalking towards them as he awkwardly carried what appeared to be a fake leg by the knee. The two looked at each other in confusion for a moment before turning their attention back to Snape who had just reached them.
"Why do you have a fake leg?" Bella asked with curiosity. Snape glared at her before answering.
"IT ISN'T FAKE!" He bellowed as he let go of it and it fell to its place between his two 'original' legs. Harry could only think of how uncomfortable that must be, given the human anatomy in the region, if you know what I mean. Bella on the other hand could not hind her amusement and laughed hysterically at his predicament.
"Jesus Christ!" Harry swore under his breath. "Why the hell would you give yourself a third leg?" Harry asked in disguised confusion as he waited for the explanation he knew was coming.
"I DIDN'T DO THIS." He roared. "Those two beasts you call children did this to me."
"Why don't you just get rid of it?" Harry asked innocently as he ignored the barb at his children.
"Why didn't I think of that, why don't I just cut it off?" Snape asked with sarcasm while he glared at a giggling Bella. "Quiet Lestrange." This comment silenced Bella as she glared coldly at Snape, the look in her eyes clearly told him that he made a mistake.
"Don't ever call me by that name again."
"Then what do I call you?" He asked more boldly than he actually felt. "There are enough Potters running around as it is."
"Both of you knock it off!" Harry shouted before the situation escalated and he was forced to explain to Draco that his wife had killed his godfather. His raised voice had the desired effect and both lapsed into silence but still glared at each other. Looking at Snape's new leg carefully Harry was able to determine what spells and charms were used to create it. Even with his knowledge of how extraordinary his daughters were he was still astonished and felt a great deal of pride that they could accomplish such a feat and their young age. They would have to be punished, sure, but he was still proud nonetheless. In a matter of moments Harry had removed all magic involved and Snape, who was still glaring at Bella, almost fell on his face with the sudden shift of balance with the removal of the extra support.
After regaining his balance, Snape merely nodded stiffly at Harry and with one last look at Bella he turned and stalked back down the corridor. Bella stared after him for a moment before turning and doing the same in the opposite direction.
Harry stood there for a few moments longer before leaning back against the wall behind him and rubbing the bridge of his nose as he felt a sudden headache coming on.
"Ah shit." He sighed before straightening up and leaving the dungeons himself with his informant's letter still clutched in his hand. He needed to seriously think about all that was going on before he could reply to her and offer advice on what she should do now that Hogwarts was sure to be attacked next. Advice she will probably ignore but he should send it all the same.
XXX
Minerva McGonagall walked quickly through the deserted corridors of Hogwarts as she made her way to the Headmaster's office. She had just been going over some correspondence when Albus sent word that he needed to see her and she had a pretty good idea what that meeting would cover. Since Arthur Weasley showed up two days before she and everyone else had been literally begging Dumbledore to send everyone out of the castle so that they could try to undermine Voldemort's influence from among the general population where they could move about and operate with greater success. A plan that Dumbledore, in all his infinite wisdom, shot down. No, instead he seemed to prefer gathering all of his forces behind these walls for some sort of great last stand. For it would be just that. What everyone knew was coming was a fight that they could not possibly hope to win without the support of the Ministry which was now nearly powerless and in Voldemort's hands. So needless to say McGonagall was in a bit of a snit as she climbed the stairs to her boss' office and knocked on the door.
"Come in." The old man said from the other side of the door. When she entered she noticed that despite the situation her long time friend and colleague looked pretty sure of himself, like he knew something everyone else had overlooked.
"Minerva, thank you for coming. We must begin immediately to finalize our plans." He began as he started sifting through the papers he had scattered about on his desk. McGonagall sighed before taking a seat in front of his massive claw footed desk.
"Now, with the three hundred capable fighters we have here and with Hogwarts' strong defenses we should have no problem protecting the school for a short time. However with Voldemort's power and numbers he will eventually overwhelm us. But I think that if we can hold on for at least a few days we may have a chance."
"How do you figure that?" McGonagall asked wearily.
"Voldemort will want to crush Hogwarts as soon as possible so he will probably try to throw everything at us at once. I'm hoping that the longer the fight goes on many more people will join our cause." Normally McGonagall was the very picture of respect and cool logic when it came to speaking to her employer but at the moment his words were doing nothing but bring out her hotheaded Gryffindor qualities and she could not stand to listen to another word.
"For Merlin's sake Albus," She began screaming. "We cannot win no matter how long the fight goes on. And those people you're HOPING will come to help fight have already shown us what they intend to do. NOTHING! Only a fool would plan a defense based around the support they are hoping to get. We can't win this fight, plain and simple. Hogwarts WILL fall. The only thing that is left to be decided is if we are going to fall with it."
"Hogwarts has never fallen." Dumbledore stated firmly as he gazed at his subordinate intently. "And it never will. He won't allow it." This final statement confused McGonagall to no end and she was starting to have her doubts about the man's sanity. 'He won't allow it.' 'What the hell is that supposed to mean?' She thought to herself for a moment before the answer came to her.
"He's not coming, Albus. I think he already made that abundantly clear when he turned his back on you." She sighed.
"HE WILL." He yelled out as if trying to let everyone in the area know. "He will not let this school fall into the hands of the man that killed his parents."
"He will not. This place no longer holds any meaning to him, if it ever truly did. The only thing that concerns him now is the wellbeing of everyone on Azkaban." She shot back and waited to see Albus' reaction. He looked as though he were about to continue arguing like a child when his voice suddenly caught in his throat and he looked at his deputy in shock.
"What did you say?" He gasped. He stared at McGonagall in shock for some time but the hard expression on her face did not change. This entire time Dumbledore's thoughts were a literal whirlwind as he tried to piece together how she could possibly know that Harry had not truly left Azkaban. He did not seem to notice her statement that alluded to the possibility that there were many others in residence as well or he simply thought she was referring to only Tonks, Bellatrix and Snape. After several moments the answer came to him and his shock wore off enough to speak.
"That is why you backed off, then!" He said plainly as he looked at her with sad eyes.
"Of course." She snapped in response. "In all the time that we have worked together, have you ever known me to simply back down and let someone else force their beliefs upon me. Why would this situation be any different?" Of all the chaos that came out of Harry's imprisonment, none was more shocking and more disturbing than the rift it created between Dumbledore and McGonagall, who always seemed to see eye to eye on everything. The tension between the two grew to such a point that it was clear wands would soon be needed to settle the situation, but suddenly, and unexpectedly, McGonagall stepped back. The very few people that believed in Harry's innocence felt a great sense of betrayal when the most prominent witch that shared their beliefs decided to remain quiet.
"That is how Harry got all of his information, you were sending it to him." He stated the now obvious fact as he looked upon his friend in an accusatory way. She simply rolled her eyes at his tone but answered nonetheless.
"Yes, I was. Surprisingly, Mr. Potter would probably have approached Severus instead of me if it were not for the fact that he was in contact with You-Know-Who on a routine basis. The Dark Lord is more than capable of breaking through anyone's mental shields and Potter had not yet developed full control over his powers to place charms such as the ones that are muddling up your mind as we speak."
"Why did you not simply tell me? All of this could have been corrected long ago."
"No it couldn't." She stated coldly. "Situations such as these can never be corrected. No matter how much time and effort you put into it, it will always be there. Under normal circumstances I probably would have brought this to your attention immediately but he came to me about a week after he discovered that you had killed Hagrid. If that had not happened, then I believe he would have helped us no matter what horrors he suffered in there. But as it is, he will not. If I had told you one of three things would have happened. One, when you showed up to speak with him, he would have killed you on the spot. Two; he would have thrown you into a cell. Or three, and the most disturbing, you would have had a confrontation such as the one you had recently and you would have immediately begun working on plans to retake Azkaban by force. At the time both the Order and the Ministry were at their strongest and you would have had no problem ignoring You-Know-Who for a short time and countless lives would have been lost. Either killed by Potter or in attacks by the Dark Lord while your attention was elsewhere. That is why I did not tell you, or anyone else. He had already come to the decision to stay out of this conflict and no force on earth was going to change his mind. Exposing him would only serve to cost needless lives. Lives that will still be lost if you insist upon remaining here." She finished strongly as she stared into Dumbledore's clear blue eyes. Almost immediately she could tell the man had no intention of listening to reason. In a desperate attempt to get through to the man McGonagall took out the letter that Harry had sent her earlier that afternoon and threw it down on the Headmaster's desk.
"Read that!" She snapped loudly causing Dumbledore to actually jump a little bit before his eyes rested on the single piece of parchment. He merely stared at it for several moments as if he were afraid of what he may find if he picked it up. "READ IT!" She screamed again in anger. Obviously unnerved by his colleague's uncharacteristic outburst, Dumbledore quickly snatched the parchment up. After taking a deep breath he looked down at the parchment and began reading.
Minerva
Thank you for the information, Ginny, Fred and George are immensely relieved that Arthur managed to escape.
Dumbledore's head shot up immediately upon reading the names of the three Weasley children. The Weasley twins had been on the run for many years now and it was unknown how they had managed to evade the Ministry for so long. It seems that he now had the answer. When McGonagall did nothing but gaze at him with a cool look in her eyes he lowered his gaze and continued reading.
Since the Ministry was basically crushed with no losses to his forces Voldemort's next target is sure to be Hogwarts. The Death Eaters I currently hold will be of no use to him for some time and he will want to destroy the school as soon as possible so that Dumbledore will not have time to properly prepare for him. He is likely to attack within a few days. Despite his overwhelming advantage in power and numbers he will likely try to take the school by subterfuge and stealth rather than a full frontal assault.
If I know the old man as well as I think I do, I believe he is currently gathering what is left of his allies for what will certainly be a hopeless battle. My advice to you is to get clear of Dumbledore. He will not hesitate to sacrifice every one of you for his own ends. Voldemort will take Hogwarts, it is unavoidable, and he will perish with it. Don't let him take you with him.
As I have stated before, you and Luna will always be welcome here and I encourage you to come now instead of later as you originally planned. That said, I'm sure you will ignore my advice so I know I speak for everyone else when I say that we hope we will see you when this is finished.
Harry
After reading the letter Dumbledore placed the parchment down and looked up at his deputy. Much to her annoyance he still had a great deal of determination in his eyes. Despite the obvious, he still clearly believed that Harry would come to fight. For a few moments at the beginning of their 'discussion' she began to have her doubts about the man's sanity, but now all doubts were cast aside.
"And Miss Lovegood?" He asked with a sigh.
"She knows nothing of this. She is simply one of the very few of his friends that have stood by him all this time. I am begging you Albus, do not stay here. You will only meet your doom." By this time the man completely refused to meet her eyes and she knew that it was a lost cause. The man was obviously completely gone if he believed that they could still win. This only made her next move all the more easy.
"As you can see, Potter obviously knows you quite well, but he was wrong about me. When I first began here I took an oath to protect the students of this school, with my life if necessary. But as you know, the students are no longer here. I am not about to throw my life away because you are too stubborn to face the facts. If you wish to die, that's your business, but you are not taking me with you." She said coolly before snatching the letter back up and incinerating it. She stared at him with hard eyes before she turned and stormed out of the office with Dumbledore's almost blank gaze following her every step of the way.
XXX
McGonagall was in a very foul mood as she stalked her way towards the hospital wing. She had just come from meeting the other Hogwarts professors. She did not give them any information about Harry's whereabouts but she urged them to join her in leaving the school. Though they shared her view that the upcoming fight was hopeless they felt that their place was at the Headmaster's side and they would not abandon him at such a perilous time.
'FOOLS!' She thought to herself in anger. She simply could not understand why these people were willing to throw their lives away when it would serve no purpose. She knew deep down that if Hogwarts was taken and its professors killed, Dumbledore believed they would become martyrs and hopefully inspire many others to take up the fight. However, she was not so certain. With the vast majority of the magical world doing all they can to stay out of Voldemort's way, the destruction of Hogwarts and the deaths of the light side's most powerful witches and wizards will only serve to give the public more reason to follow the Dark Lord's orders. The capitulation of the Ministry certainly did nothing to help the matter any. After the impromptu staff meeting she went and picked up Luna at her quarters and made her way to the domain of Madam Pomfrey. Every one of her colleagues ignored her pleas for them to leave but there were others that she would not give a choice. They will go willingly or she will force them.
When she reached the large double doors leading in to the hospital wing she made no pretense what so ever of being the calm voice of reason. When Hermione and Ron looked up from their spots around Arthur's bed, they could immediately tell that she was there for an important and specific reason and she would not accept anything less than absolute acceptance of whatever terms she chose to lay down. Mrs. Weasley seemed to take no notice of her entrance as she continued to watch over her sleeping husband.
"Mr. Weasley, you are to take your wife, mother and father and leave this school immediately. Take them someplace that will be safe for at least a short time." She began in a firm voice, making it clear that this was no request after the young couple joined her on the other side of the room.
"Professor Dumbledore has ordered an evacuation?" Hermione asked in a very surprised tone of voice. It was obvious that Ron shared her reaction as well. McGonagall pursed her lips in annoyance for a moment before answering.
"No, he has not. He made it quite clear that he will never simply walk away from this school. He and the other professors are remaining here. No amount of reason can convince them otherwise."
"Well then I will remain as well." Ron spoke up stubbornly. His former transfiguration professor glared at him with hard eyes for several moments, making him extremely uncomfortable, before replying with the one thing she believed would get through to even the most determined Weasley.
"Really, so you would prefer to have your defenseless father remain here to be killed in his bed. You would prefer for your wife to die here when your son is just months away from birth. More than likely, everyone here will die. Will you allow your parents, wife and child to die with them?" For a few long moments Ron's face drained of all color as he thought about the absolute joy he had felt when Hermione told him that she was pregnant. The mere thought of losing her filled him with a deep cold in the very center of him that was hard to shake off. He looked over at his wife for a moment to see her eyes welling up with tears and it was surprisingly easy for him to change his mind. He nodded in resignation as he thought of the many people in the castle that he had gotten close to over the years and the fact that he most likely would never see them alive again.
"I take it you are leaving as well?" Hermione asked, speaking up for the first time. Her old professor simply nodded. "Where will you go?"
"I am going to pick up my grandchildren, then I am going to go stay with Severus." McGonagall's husband had died even before Harry and his friends had arrived at Hogwarts but her son and daughter-in-law were killed just a few years ago in an attack on Diagon Ally. Since then she has had custody of her three grandchildren.
Like she had done with Dumbledore, she merely stood back waited to see their reactions to her comment. Though they were deeply hurt and angered by Harry's words and actions they could not help but be impressed and admire the planning he had put into his own cover up. When answering questions for the Ministry regarding their 'visit' to Azkaban they were deeply surprised at the uncanny detail he had put into the false memories he basically forced them to tell. However the detail that shocked them the most was concerning the apparent disappearance of Severus Snape.
During their questioning they were compelled to tell the Ministry that after Harry had disappeared Snape left as well, apparently to find Harry and bring him back. Now this simple explanation is nothing spectacular except for the fact that Harry could not have possibly known that Snape would have taken him up on his offer. So he had to alter an already staggeringly complicated spell on the spot. He had done this and cast it without even Dumbledore noticing that anything was wrong. While Ron did not know the significance of this feat and Remus was to wrapped up in self pity to care, Hermione and Dumbledore were greatly disturbed that anyone had enough power to accomplish such a task on even a very small scale, much less on the level Harry had produced.
So according to public record and knowledge, Professor Snape is out running around looking for any sign of Harry but to hear McGonagall say that she was going to go stay with him made it sound as if he were remaining in one place. But how could she possible know that he wasn't on the move and more importantly, how could she know where he was.
"How…?" Hermione couldn't even get her entire question out before she choked on her own words and lapsed back in to silence. For nearly ten minutes Ron and Hermione looked back and forth between each other and their old professor with wide shocked eyes as they tried to find the words to ask the relevant question. Finally, after a great deal of silence, McGonagall became irritated and decided to answer the unasked question, at least to an extent.
"Yes, I know about Potter and where he really is. I have actually known for a number of years now." She informed her two shocked former students a bit smugly. She could not help but rub it in their faces that she had been right and knew the truth for a great deal of time before she turned and left the hospital wing with a confused Luna at her side. As they were walking through the doors Ron and Hermione could hear McGonagall quietly telling Luna where they would be going and who would also be there.
XXX
"Now tell me, why the hell are we here?" Draco whispered to Harry quietly as they crept down an empty corridor. Harry looked at his companion in amusement for a moment before asking a question of his own.
"Why are you so nervous?" He asked with a grin. Draco obviously didn't find Harry all that funny.
"The fact that one of the most powerful wizards in the world will probably kill me on sight if he finds us here usually has that effect on most people. Couldn't you simply do this on your own instead of the two of us sneaking around like a couple of thieves?"
"Where would the fun be in that? And I don't like thinking of us as thieves, I prefer, conservationists." Harry replied with a grin after a moment's thought.
"Conservationists?" Draco asked as he stopped for a moment to think about it. "Yes, I like that much better."
"And here we are." Harry said happily as he stopped outside a pair of double doors. "I hope Madam Pince isn't expecting anyone." And with that Harry and Draco pulled the hoods of their cloaks up and stepped into the library of Hogwarts.
"Who are you?" A suspicious voice whispered as soon as they entered. Harry looked at the woman in surprise for a moment before he shook it off. Leave it to the old librarian to whisper even when there was no one else present and the possibility for attack was hanging over the whole school.
"I am who I am and I apologize for our unexpected arrival, madam, but we have come to collect a few of your lovely books." Harry said in a formal tone with an exaggerated bow that left Draco rolling his eyes. Madam Pince never took her eyes off the two men standing before her but for a moment she was having James Potter flashbacks.
"And just what books were you looking for?" It was quite clear that she had no intention of letting these men take any of her precious books unless she started getting answers and a good way of finding out at least who they were affiliated with was to find out what books they needed. For example a Death Eater would certainly want to find a book on the darks arts.
"Actually, we were intending to borrow all of them." Draco responded in a flat tone. Madam Pince looked shocked for a moment at their audacity before she came to the conclusion that they were clearly there for dark purposes before she swiftly pulled her wand and leveled it at her two visitors. Before she could blink however, Harry, with a mere twitch of his finger, summoned her wand to him.
"Now that is no way to behave in a library. I am afraid I'm going to have to deduct points." Harry immediately flinched back a bit as Draco nudged his elbow into his ribs.
"Knock it off will you." He said in annoyance as he looked back at the door behind them. He was obviously a bit nervous that Dumbledore would come in at any minute.
"You're no fun, you know that." He said to his former schoolboy enemy before turning back to the Hogwarts librarian. "I'm sure you are aware that this school will be attacked relatively soon. Unfortunately, for you and everyone else, Dumbledore is ignoring all advice and is refusing to order an evacuation."
"What does that have to do with you being here?" The old woman snapped, probably the first time she even raised her voice in the library.
"It has everything to do with it. Voldemort will take this school and crush Dumbledore under his boot. Even the old man knows this. After he does this, he will certainly tear this place apart looking for any manuscripts that could be useful to him, all others will likely be destroyed. What we have here is the largest collection of magical knowledge in the world. It will all be gone in a few days, unless I take it. In my possession they will be kept safe and returned too this very library the same day that Voldemort is defeated." Harry explained calmly as he watched Madam Pince intently. It was quite obvious that she knew what he was saying was true. Voldemort had no use for books and knowledge that did not help him gain more power. However she was not about to hand anything over to some unknown wizard and she certainly would not do it without Dumbledore's approval.
"And how do I know that you are not working for the Dark Lord?"
"A very good question." He said simply before he reached up and lowered his hood. Pince's eyes went wide for a brief moment before rolling to the back of her head as she passed out. Harry looked surprised for a moment before he turned to Draco. "Well, this certainly makes things much easier. We won't have anyone asking anymore irritating questions. Lets get started, this should take awhile." Draco nodded before walking over to a nearby table and pulling a small bag off of his belt. Harry did the same and the two emptied the bags that seemed to be filled with small wooden cubes. Draco grabbed a few of them and placed the on the floor near the potions section and with a flick of his wrist and a short incantation each cube was enlarged several times over until four rather large trunks lay at his feet. Opening one up he looked inside and nodded when he saw what appeared to be a large empty room.
"I can't believe I'm robbing Hogwarts." He sighed. "That should look good on a job résumé." He chuckled to himself before waving his wand and a small row of books flew off the shelf and into the first trunk.
XXX
Snape could not believe that he found himself running through the corridors of Azkaban. Normally, from what he had heard anyway, they knew in advance when someone would be visiting the island. However a boat was about to land on the eastern shore and Potter was off the island so he could not alter the memories of those visitors and any normal memory charm could be easily detected by either Dumbledore or Voldemort. And with the fall of the Ministry it was obvious that one of those two had sent these people. Either Dumbledore to try to talk Harry into helping or Voldemort to gain the support of the Dementors in advance of an attack on Hogwarts. Their only option was to stun them and then old them until Harry returned.
As he ran past the Dementors and out the front gate he was joined by Bellatrix and the Weasley twins. Not the normal company he would prefer but he had to admit that they were well trained in the dueling arts. As they made their way to the shore line they could see the small boat approaching from the distance and they quickly took cover behind some of the large rocks that littered the beach where 'Mad eye' Moody was already positioned.
"Can you see who they are?" Bella asked the old Auror after she had caught her breath.
"No, they're wearing cloaks."
"Can't you see through cloaks and such?" Fred asked in confusion.
"Only at close range. They will be on the beach before I can make a positive identification." He growled in annoyance at the questions. "Just keep quiet." Normally Snape would get into an argument with the old man for speaking to him in such a way and Belle would have certainly tried to push his buttons for her own amusement, but now wasn't the time. So the five sat in silence as the boat was slowly pushed across the black water towards them. The five minutes they waited felt like an eternity until the boat finally settled on the shore and five figures began to climb out onto the beach about thirty feet from their position. Of the five, two appeared to be about average height while one was quite a bit taller. Two, however, looked to be fairly short. This confused Snape and the others because neither Voldemort nor Dumbledore was allied with the Goblins and there was nobody in the outside world that would bring children to Azkaban.
"Has Tonks said anything about bringing anyone else here recently?" Moody asked Bella in a fierce whisper. Bella however was at a loss as well as she silently shook her head in confusion. As the five unknown figures walked up the beach Moody looked at each one intently as his magical eye began picking up details through their cloaks. At first it was just faint outlines. Then he started seeing colors. But when the tallest of the group turned their head as if looking around at their surroundings Moody discovered exactly who it was.
"Potter lost two bets in two weeks." Moody chuckled to himself confusing the others even more. The others simply looked at the man as if he were insane.
"What the hell are you talking about? Who is it?" Snape asked in annoyance.
"It's Minerva." He said simply and chuckled again at their surprised looks.
"She left Dumbledore when Voldemort could attack at anytime?" Fred asked in surprise. "So who won?" He asked suddenly. Everyone stopped to think for a moment before Snape came up with the answer.
"Nobody did. Everyone thought that she would ignore Potter's advice and stay."
"Damn. For now on I'm betting against Harry on everything. I'll lose most of the time but occasionally I'll win and it will be sweet." George stated with a grin.
"Well now that I think about it I should have bet the other way as well. She has always been fiercely loyal to Albus but you have to remember that now she has the wellbeing of her grandchildren to think about." Moody said as he began to stand up. He was about to step out from behind the rock when he suddenly looked back at Bella.
"You might want to go on back to the fortress. Remember she has no idea exactly who is here. If she sees you she is likely to start throwing curses."
"Ah. Maybe you're right. I'll go ahead and have Bob take his men off the gates until you get them inside." She said before running back up the beach towards the front gate.
"Bob?" Snape asked in confusion.
"Yes, well, since Dementors can't speak English and no human can speak their language we have to give each other names to simplify it. She decided to call the clan leader Bob. From what I understand of their language they refer to Potter with the same word they use for father. Kind of disturbing if you ask me." Moody explained before turning and making his way towards McGonagall and the rest of her group. When they came out from behind the rock they saw that she was focusing on Bella's retreating form cautiously as she ran back to the front gates.
"Minerva." Snape called to his former colleague as they approached. With a witch as skilled as her, you don't want to risk sneaking up on her while she may already be on edge. And he was right. Despite the familiar voice and the lack of hostility in his tone both McGonagall and two of the others immediately turned swiftly in their direction with their wands drawn. Upon seeing Snape they quickly lowered their wands and McGonagall was about to speak when she locked eyes with Moody. Her jaw nearly dropped to the ground and she seemed incapable of rational thought. However one of her companions was not. Slowly Luna lowered her hood and looked at the men before them.
"Good evening Professor, Mr. Moody." She greeted the two men as if Moody had never 'died'.
"Does anything ever surprise that girl?" Fred asked his twin.
"Apparently not my esteemed brother."
"George, Fredrick." She greeted the twins. The two Weasleys looked at each other and decided to have a little fun. They approached the young woman and each took one of her hands and kissed it tenderly.
"We are always pleased to see you my dear."
"One as lovely as you is always welcome to our humble home."
"On this dreary island, we find in you its fairest flower."
"Oh, good line, brother mine."
"Thank you guys." Luna replied in her normal almost dreamy voice as a small smile lit up her face.
"Will the two of you knock it off? We do have other things to do tonight." Moody snapped as he cuffed both Fred and George on the sides of their heads.
"Damn, you didn't have to hit so hard." Fred complained as he rubbed his ear where Moody's blow had landed. At this point McGonagall seemed to come out of her shock and was now merely staring at Moody with suspicion.
"Now, Minerva, I'm sure you have an awful lot of questions but most of them are going to have to wait until Potter returns." Snape began.
"Potter isn't here?" She asked in confusion. She had been under the impression that he had no intention of leaving Azkaban.
"No, he isn't. He and Draco are out looting Hogwarts at the moment." Fred said with amusement. McGonagall seemed to take no notice of Draco's name for the time being and asked what the hell he intended to steal from Hogwarts. So they spent of few moments explaining that they had no idea and even speculated on what it might be. After making quick introductions to her three grandchildren they were on their way to the fortress.
(As you can see I gave no details about her grandchildren and I don't intend to. They will have no baring on the plot and no further parts in the story. They are merely a big factor in McGonagall leaving Hogwarts.)
"Minerva, before we go in we have to explain a few things. As you were with Moody, you will be greatly surprised by many of the people you will see here. A few others are thought to be dead and many others are people you would normally turn your wand on." Snape babbled on and it was clear that he was nervous about his colleague's reaction. After a few moments George got annoyed and spoke up.
"We have Death Eaters living here." He burst out in annoyance as he rolled his eyes at Snape. As they thought, she looked absolutely shocked.
"WHY WOULD POTTER ALLOW DEATH EATERS HERE?" She screamed making everyone, including Luna, flinch back.
"Well, considering that this is Azkaban, you would think that Death Eaters would be an absolute factor. But if you mean why he has accepted some of them here and protects them, it is because while he was a prisoner here he lost his prejudice against dark magic and those that use it. While he would never join Voldemort or commit the crimes he has, he has no problem taking in those that no longer wish to serve him, whatever their reason. What you must understand professor is that we are all here for a reason. We no longer wish to serve. Granted, there are some people here that have committed some very grievous crimes, but they no longer want to live that life."
"Be that as it may, they should still be held accountable for their actions and locked up." She said strongly.
"And what about me, Minerva?" Snape asked just as strongly. "I have committed many of those same crimes. Why am I any different? Because I turned spy? I hardly think that is enough to absolve me, yet you were willing to give me a chance. The bottom line is that though the Death Eaters may respect his power, those no longer wishing to side with Voldemort will not go to Dumbledore as I did. They don't trust him. He is not above using someone and then throwing them away when they are no longer useful to him, you know that. I respect the man and look up to him as a friend and mentor but those are the facts. Potter on the other hand is willing to give these men and women a fresh start at a peaceful life. Though I spent many years trying to get him out of this prison many good things came out of him being here. Before he was sent here he was your stereotypical Gryffindor, with all the prejudices that come with it. Now, however, he holds none of that baggage and is willing to live and work with people he would normally have stayed clear of before out of habit." By this time even Luna was looking at Snape in shock over what he was saying. As he spoke it was clear that he held a great deal of respect for Harry and it surprised everyone. Not just that he held that respect but that he was willing to show it. After a great deal more talking and arguing, McGonagall decided to wait until she spoke with Harry and try to give everyone a chance.
XXX
Harry and Draco stood in the center of the now empty Hogwarts library looking around.
"This just looks weird." Harry said as he looked at all the empty shelves that once held countless books and scrolls.
"It's a library; of course it would look weird with no books." Draco replied with a smirk. Harry shot him a dirty look but decided not to comment. After a few minutes the two had the many magical trunks shrunk down and placed back in their bags. After making sure that Madam Pince wasn't dead or something, the two crept back out into the corridor and slowly made their way towards the entrance hall.
"Can't you just apperate us out of here?" Draco asked for like the millionth time when they were passing the Great Hall. Harry sighed and was about to respond when he heard voices up ahead. Familiar voices. The two slowly approached and poked their heads around the corner. Standing in the entrance hall was Dumbledore as well as Hermione, Ron, Mrs. Weasley and a very beat up looking Mr. Weasley who was leaning on Ron for support.
"I wish I could stay, sir, but I must look after my family." Ron said quietly as he looked down at the floor as if he were afraid his former headmaster would be angry with his decision.
"I understand, Ronald. You must put your wife, and your child first." He said as he looked on at them with a kind smile. Harry and Draco looked at each other in surprise.
"Child." They both mouthed to each other before they both shuddered. That was a thought they did not need. "Granger must be pregnant." Draco concluded as they turned their attention back to the small gathering.
"This portkey will take you directly to the Burrow. Since it is still under the Fedelius charm it will be perfectly safe for you." He said as he handed Ron the portkey. Everyone gathered around as Dumbledore stepped back.
"Thank you, sir, for everything." Hermione said with tears in her eyes just before the portkey activated and they disappeared in a flash. Dumbledore sighed sadly to himself but made no indication that he planned on leaving anytime soon.
"Can't even leave like a normal thief!" Harry growled quietly in frustration.
"Conservationist!" Draco corrected without thought. Shooting the other man an annoyed glare, Harry placed a hand on his shoulder and the two vanished without a sound.
XXX
Harry and Draco suddenly reappeared in Harry's office and Draco quickly breathed a sigh of relief at getting away from Dumbledore. It was quite clear that he was afraid of the man. A fact Harry found almost laughable. Turning around Harry found that they were not alone.
"Good evening, Professor." He said happily as he saw Professor McGonagall though he was deeply shocked that she was here. She was currently seated beside Snape on a couch as they were obviously waiting for him to return. She however was paying him no attention as her eyes were locked on Draco. Though he looked calm and composed both Harry and Snape could tell he was nervous under her scrutiny. Seeing this Harry decided to enlighten her.
"Professor, as you know, Snape was Dumbledore's informant in Voldemort's ranks. Draco was mine." He said simply as he sat down opposite his two former instructors.
"Well, I'll be leaving now. I'm sure I have a very lovely evening of getting yelled at coming, so if you would excuse me." Draco said sarcastically as he bowed out of the room and made his way back to the quarters he shared with Gabrielle. Before leaving however he once again took the small bag off of his belt and tossed it to Harry who caught it easily and placed it on his desk with the one he had been carrying.
"What are those?" Snape asked suspiciously as he eyed the two bags.
"'Those', are the Hogwarts library." He answered simply with a grin. For a moment it appeared that Snape was about to swallow his tongue before he regained control over himself. McGonagall however was looking at him with a stern expression.
"And why, may I ask, did you take those books, Mr. Potter?" She asked stiffly as if she were speaking to a student that had just thrown dung bombs into the staff room.
"Would you prefer Voldemort take them?" That simple question seemed to change her whole demeanor but it was quite clear that she was still angry and Harry knew it had nothing to do with his recent trip to Hogwarts. For over an hour and a half he spoke to the two professors and afterwards McGonagall decided to stay despite the Death Eaters. She was deeply shocked, and almost had a stroke, when she learned that Bellatrix was there. Calming her down is what took up most of that time. In the end Harry had to bring Bella into the room and make both women swear a magical oath that they would stay away form each other and in no way try to harm the other. After McGonagall left, Snape showing her where she would be staying, Harry and Bella headed down to dinner.
XXX
Dumbledore wandered the halls aimlessly at night for several days in a row as he thought about recent events. He was greatly shocked when Madam Pince found him and told him that Harry Potter had been in the school. For a few short moments he had believed that his hopes had come true and Harry had arrived to fight with them. These hopes were quickly dashed when he learned exactly what he had been doing there. The disappearance of the entire Hogwarts library seemed to confirm what everyone had been trying to tell him for weeks now. However, he would not let his school go without a fight.
As he made his way down a particularly dark corridor he began to get a very bad feeling. He tried to shake it off but it wouldn't go away. He walked passed a statue of an old crone and the feeling seemed to get much stronger. He immediately stopped and began to look around. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary and he was prepared to continue his walk when he glanced at the statue beside him. He was surprised to see the hump on the crone's back had been moved. Taking a closer look he could see an empty space that appeared to lead down into a tunnel. It took him some time but he was able to figure out how to close and seal the tunnel and he immediately set out to find someone that may have known about the passage. For some reason, known only to him, he was convinced that it must have been Harry that had used the passage to get in and out of the castle without being detected. He would not even entertain the thought that it may have been someone with ill intent because if that were the case then the wards would have gone off. Unless, of course, the wards didn't extend into the tunnel and that was a possibility that he really didn't want to think about.
He moved swiftly though the winding corridors towards the teacher's quarters where he hoped to find some answers. As he made his way passed the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room he was stopped in his tracks at the sight of two motionless bodies lying in a heap on the cold stone floor. Approaching slowly he recognized one immediately as Kingsley Shacklebolt. Kneeling down to examine the bodies he realized the other was the body of Seamus Finnegan. A quick check for a pulse confirmed what he had already known. Standing up and leaving the bodies behind him Dumbledore continued his journey to the teacher's quarters at a much faster pace. They had to organize a search immediately to find those responsible and make sure that Hogwarts security had not been compromised any further.
XXX
Down in the Entrance Hall a pair of Death Eaters intended to do a hell of a lot more than merely breach Hogwarts' security. They gingerly stepped over the bodies of three members of the Order of the Phoenix as they made their way to the massive double doors that led out on to the grounds. As they pushed the doors open they saw nothing but the blackness of night but stepped back nonetheless as if letting someone pass.
"You have done an excellent job, Weasley." A cold voice nearly hissed out seconds before Lord Voldemort seemingly appeared out of nowhere. One of the two Death Eaters bowed deeply before removing his hood to reveal the face of Percy Weasley.
"Thank you, My Lord." Voldemort and his two servants stepped over to the side of the hall where they remained in silence for a number of moments. After about five minutes Voldemort removed his wand from his robes and with a flick of his wrist hundreds of Death Eaters appeared as if they were hidden under a very powerful invisibility charm. The Dark Lord surveyed his minions through his red eyes for a moment before he spoke up in a quiet voice.
"I want the professors alive." He said in a tone that left no room for opposition. "Kill everyone else." With that said the Death Eaters broke off and headed into several different directions while Voldemort and twenty others headed directly for the teacher's quarters.
XXX
As Dumbledore was speaking with his fellow professors inside of Professor Flitwick's quarters the wards of Hogwarts, which were connected to the Headmaster, suddenly went off with such strength that it almost knocked him to the ground. Madam Pomfrey immediately rushed to the old man's side.
"Albus, are you alright?" She asked in concern as he looked back up with an almost frantic look in his eyes.
"Voldemort has breached the wards." He chocked out. Everyone present seemed to go pale almost immediately when they heard these words. Dumbledore quickly drew his wand and charged out of the room with the other eleven members of the staff right behind him.
XXX
All across the castle and its grounds small battles were taking place as Death Eaters swarmed over the strategic positions held by Aurors and Order members. They used surprise and vastly superior numbers to overwhelm their opponents and eventually crush them. The defenders had a great many skilled fighters and they gave as good as they got but the fight came down to simple numbers, they had more, many more. Eventually every position was taken and all the defenders were killed. A few had managed to use portkeys to escape but many others were trapped when an anti-portkey ward was suddenly erected so the vast majority fell.
The fighting itself had lasted for only a little over half an hour but in that short amount of time nearly eight hundred men and women had lost their lives. The fiercest fight was of course isolated near the teacher's quarters.
XXX
As Dumbledore and the others carefully made their way out of the long narrow corridor outside of Flitwick's quarters, they instantly came under fire as a barrage of powerful spells sped towards them at an alarming rate. Every one of them threw themselves to the ground or back around the corner just in time and the curses flew passed them and collided with a nearby wall, showering them with dust and bits of rock and rubble.
"Good evening, Albus," They heard the hissing voice of Lord Voldemort echo down the narrow corridor. "We have ourselves quite the situation, haven't we?" He said in a mocking tone as his Death Eaters snickered behind him. "Why don't you come out and play old man. If you do I will give you my word that your colleagues may live." He continued seriously yet all that answered him was silence. "This is a one time offer, you refuse it now and every one of you will die today."
Around the corner Dumbledore stood with his back to the wall with his head bowed and his eyes closed in thought. The foremost thought on his mind was that he should have listened to Minerva. He should have listened to everyone. This was a fight they had lost long ago. Seven years ago to be exact. Slowly he lifted his head and looked around at those surrounding him. He knew that every one of them would prefer to fight but if he could save them by giving up his life than he had no problem doing so. True, more than likely Voldemort would go back on his word, but there was still a fraction of a chance that he may honor it.
As he locked eyes with each of his subordinates they knew exactly what he was going to do but could not think of the proper words to object. So they all stood in silence looking back and forth at each other.
"Working with each and every one of you has been a pleasure, and it has been the greatest honor of my life to call you my friends." He seemed to choke out. "There are many adventures remaining after this life, so perhaps we shall meet again." Dumbledore said quietly as he straightened up and walked around the corner before anyone could object.
When he stepped out into the main corridor Voldemort's red eyes lit up with glee. Dumbledore however grew even more anxious. It was not really anything you could see, but rather feel. And he could feel that the Dark Lord was a great deal more powerful then he had been at there last encounter. Voldemort looked his longtime enemy over for a brief moment before sneering.
"This day has been a long time coming, Dumbledore. After I dispose of you there will be no one left to stand in my way."
"You may defeat me, Tom, but you cannot come close to matching the power Harry Potter possesses." The Headmaster replied in a calm and even voice though he was anything but calm on the inside. Instead of becoming enraged as he usually did when someone used his real name, or mentioned Harry, Voldemort simply chuckled.
"And where is your 'boy wonder' now Dumbledore? By sending him to Azkaban you doomed yourself, and all those around you. He may have somehow driven me off years ago but since then I have grown stronger. All things considering, he is more likely to join me than he would to help you, don't you think? But this is all speculative isn't it, because he is gone, and from what I understand, he has no intention of ever returning. Eventually, I will find him, and he will join me or die, just as you are about to."
"There are many that will not simply step aside for you, Tom. You will have Hogwarts, of that, I no longer have any doubt, but there are many symbols in this world that people think of and derive courage and determination from." Dumbledore said as he tried to stall their duel for as long as possible.
"I suspect you are referring to Azkaban. It stands to reason, after all, at no other time and place had I been defeated so quickly. But not to worry, soon that fortress will be nothing but dust and no one will dare question my power." It seemed that our 'esteemed' Dark Lord was about to go off onto some rant about how much better he was compared to everyone else when a Death Eater ran up from behind him and bowed low as he was gasping for breath.
"My Lord, the library is missing." The man spoke up in a shaky voice as if he were about to die, and it was quite possible that he was. Voldemort looked at the man sharply and regarded him as if he were an idiot.
"You fool, can't you find a simple room? Weasley, go with him!" He snapped and Dumbledore's eyes went wide in shock as Percy stepped forward and bowed. He knew that he had his differences with his family over the last few years, first over the fact that Voldemort had returned and then again over the guilt or innocence of Harry, but he had no idea that Percy would go as far as to join Voldemort.
"No, My Lord, it isn't that. I mean everything has been removed, nothing remains." The Death Eater explained and braced himself for his punishment. Voldemort's pale face went bright red with rage as he turned his head slowly towards Dumbledore with hatred and loathing in his eyes. Despite himself Dumbledore had a hard time preventing himself from shivering from the look in the other man's eyes. Without looking away from the aging headmaster, Voldemort raised his wand to his side and sent a killing curse at the kneeing Death Eater. Percy, who was standing right next to the man, smirked as he fell lifelessly to the floor.
"Weasley, take the other professors into custody."
"I knew you wouldn't keep your word." Dumbledore stated in a weary tone that made Voldemort smirk.
"No, I simply said that they would live, and they shall. But with the disappearance of all of those lovely manuscripts, they are much too valuable to simply let go. They will tell me what I want to know. After all, the human body can withstand only so much pain." He chuckled and immediately Dumbledore did something he had not done in well over a hundred years. He fired the first curse.
His curse sailed towards Voldemort at an alarming speed but the Dark Lord deflected it easily as he quickly sent three more of his own back at his adversary. As soon as this happened the other eleven Professors ran out from their place of cover and launched a torrent of spells and curses into the ranks of Death Eaters that were making their way down the corridor to apprehend them. Of all the professors the real surprises were from Flitwick and Professor Trelawney.
Professor Flitwick moved with a speed that one would not expect from a man twice his height. He weaved in between the Death Eaters so fast that a few of them had cursed their own comrades in an attempt to subdue the elusive charms master. As fast as he was, his wand was even faster, launching spell after spell in rapid secession and downing any Death Eater who was unlucky enough, or stupid enough, to get in his way. The fact that the Death Eaters were, on Voldemort's orders, purposely refraining from using any deadly curses was a disadvantage for them since the Hogwarts professors were not burdened by such restraints. On more than one occasion a professor would go down stunned only to be quickly revived by the others so the Death Eaters seemed to be making no progress, a fact that was clearly weighing on their minds causing them to make mistakes that Flitwick and the others were quick to exploit.
The normally airy, and sometimes just plain idiotic, Divination professor seemed more at home on a battlefield than she ever did in her perfume chocked tower where she 'attempted' to read the future. In this fight, however, she seemed to have at least some clairvoyance as she was able to read her opponents perfectly and predict their next moves flawlessly. But despite their obvious superior skills they were weighed down by numbers and were slowly losing ground.
While the Death Eaters had their hands full, Voldemort and Dumbledore were having an all out war of their own. Almost immediately after the fight had started, Dumbledore animated several statues that lined the walls, a tactic he found very effective over the years, only to have them blown apart with a simple wave of Voldemort's wand. The two fired curse after curse at one another but, like in the Department of Mysteries more than seven years before, Dumbledore moved with a speed and grace that was unthinkable for a man his age. As fast as he was, however, Voldemort was faster and more accurate.
The vast majority of Dumbledore's curses missed their target and those that found their way through Voldemort's shields did not cause enough damage to the powerful Dark Lord. Though he had several wounds, Voldemort was still going strong while Dumbledore was slowing and growing careless.
After twenty minutes of constant battle, the Headmaster was almost finished and for the following twenty Voldemort merely played with him. Every one of his fellow professors had been subdued and were now being restrained as the Death Eaters cheered on their master. Despite Voldemort's order, Professors Trelawney, Sinistra, and Sprout were killed in the fight while the others had been successfully taken down, though a few Death Eaters looked very uncomfortable knowing that they would be punished for the casualties.
"You are weak old man. I can feel your power leaving you." Voldemort cackled as he paced back and forth in front of Dumbledore as he tried to pick himself up off of the floor once again. He was wheezing hard and it was plainly obvious that he was very seriously hurt. He managed to pull himself up into a sitting position and leaned against the cold stone of the wall as Voldemort looked down at him with amusement.
"Hogwarts is mine. Now every major institution in the magical world is under my control, with one exception." He sneered to his wounded enemy. Dumbledore looked up with sagging eyes but did not speak. "It has reached my ears that some now view Azkaban in much the same light as they once did Hogwarts. Before it was discovered that Potter was responsible, many believed that Azkaban was impregnable, even some of my own Death Eaters. However, today that will change. When I free my imprisoned servants I will have enough men to launch my campaign against the muggle world. And I want you to witness this before I let you die. I want your failure to be complete." With that said Voldemort lazily flicked his wand and the Headmaster was bound with thick iron ropes that bit into his many wounds.
After a good deal more gloating Voldemort had his Death Eaters levitate Dumbledore and the others out of the castle behind him. When they reached the grounds Dumbledore fought down his pain enough to notice with despair the village of Hogsmeade going up in flames.
Leaving about one hundred and fifty Death Eaters behind to hold the school from any possible counter attack, Voldemort used some strange spell that even Albus had never heard before, to transport them all to the shoreline of northwestern Scotland. Upon arriving the Hogwarts professors noticed immediately that there were many times the amount of Death Eaters present than had been at Hogwarts. There must have been a few thousand. All ready for battle it seemed. They greeted their lord enthusiastically, though they looked very apprehensive when they turned their attention towards the sea in the direction that Azkaban rested, after all, many of their fellows had met their doom on that accursed island.
And soon so would they…
TBC
