Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter!

In which Rita shows that she is very, very good at what she does.

Interlude: The Daily Prophet, August 5th, 1996

The Daily Prophet August 5th, 1996

INTERVIEW OF THE DAY:

HARRY VATES: LEADER OF THE ALLIANCE OF SUN AND SHADOW

By: Rita Skeeter

In a startling development, Harry, the vates by his own choice, the Boy-Who-Lived by virtue of his having toppled You-Know-Who from power in the First War, the legal heir of the Black line by the choice of Regulus Black, and the Young Hero by popular acclaim, has not only returned to the wizarding world, but granted this reporter an exclusive interview today, in which he revealed his future plans for the war against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

We met in the corridor of the Ministry of Magic which leads to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement—rather a fitting place, given the aura of justice that surrounded Harry as he strode to take his seat. He has just turned sixteen; his birthday is the thirty-first of July. But he wears the expression of a wizard much more mature than his years, as well as stronger and more confident.

Even more surprisingly, he chose to conduct this interview entirely under Veritaserum. He wished the wizarding world to know that what he said today was the absolute truth, he explained.

I thanked him for his courtesy in allowing me to interview him, and led off with a question emphasizing the curiosity of our readers as to his whereabouts for the last month. He wore a faint smile when he regarded me, and answered—truthfully, of course.

He said that he had been at a Sanctuary of Seers who can see the present and souls. Rather a frightening place to this reporter, but he spoke as if he went there daily. In Harry's words, he "finally decided to accept the invitation."

Since the last story of the Young Hero's whereabouts involved him going to train and learn how to defeat You-Know-Who, I asked him about that. Harry's response was frank and cordial.

"I researched various kinds of magic that will be useful in the war. And I worked on myself as hard as I could. When I went to the Sanctuary, I was in no fit state to defend the wizarding world. Now, I hope I can safely say I am."

Given that the vates has already flown against dragons and stopped them from attacking students in the school, freed South African hive cobras and centaurs from their wrongfully imposed webs, helped in the deposing of former Minister Cornelius Fudge, lost his left hand in You-Know-Who's return, battled the wild Dark at Midwinter last year—at the cost of his own bonded phoenix—freed Durmstrang from the mad hold of Bellatrix Lestrange, held a vernal equinox alliance meeting for anyone interested in seeing and assessing him, lured You-Know-Who into a trap that wound up cutting a hole in his magical core, and planned and led the Battle of Hogwarts, this reporter had to wonder what state he thought would be a fit one in which to defend the wizarding world.

"Now, can you tell us what that magic is?" I asked, even mindful of the informed curiosity of Prophet readers. "Or would it be too dangerous to say?"

Harry demurred on that one, indicating that the danger factor was indeed high. Besides, he added, "And the details would probably be boring to anyone who wasn't studying it. I've got a bit of the Ravenclaw in me, I'm afraid."

It is this reporter's opinion that he has more than a bit of every House in him, if his genius for battle, his loyalty to his allies, and his courage under curses are all observed. And, of course, there is the fact that he has the Malfoy magical heir, son of a very old Slytherin pureblood family and his joined partner-to-be, constantly at his side. Young Draco stood behind his chair, and observed me in ways that I don't mind saying sent shivers up his spine. Merciless grace is in him already, if I may be permitted to quote my own description of Lucius Malfoy from more than a decade ago.

Of course, inevitably, less pleasant matters came up. I had to ask him about the rumors of his murdering a dozen children in the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry's answer was flavored with both Veritaserum and his own bitter regret.

"I mercy-killed them," he said, in a voice with the strain and the grief obvious. "You-Know-Who he of course used his name, but this reporter understands the true sensitivities of Prophet readers had them in a Life-Web. That spell constrains the victims to obey the holder in whatever way he commands. He can make them die, commit suicide, murder others, become wounded. And he can stop the effects of any spell on them, once he notices it."

Independent research on the Life-Web done by this reporter corroborates Harry's words. In fact, the Life-Web can also be used to drive its victims insane. It gives its caster absolute control over the victims' lives and minds. And it cannot be broken by anyone but the caster.

Harry continued with his harrowing account of what it was like during the moments when You-Know-Who held the battle—not the Battle of Hogwarts, but the assault made thirteen days previous, on the eighth of June—in suspense. "The Life-Web was to make me give up my own life. I hung there, suspended between the screams of the dying behind me and the screams of the wounded in front of me, and he told me that if I came to him and surrendered, then he would free them."

He chuckled then, but it was obvious to this reporter that he found no humor in the statements. "Not true, of course. He has lied every time he's faced me. He had no reason to let them go. And so, because I was pressed for time and I couldn't think of any better course, I used a heart attack spell on the children. You-Know-Who was so sure that I'd ultimately have to sacrifice my life—after some pleasurable moments for him, of course—that he didn't think I'd kill them, and he didn't notice the spell in time to stop it. They died, and then I was free to go and help the others."

That is the truth that every Prophet reader has been wanting to know for the last month: harsh, bare, unadorned.

Of course, a grieving parent could not be expected to accept this, and one of them did not. Philip Willoughby, 34, the Muggle father of the first-year Ravenclaw Alexandra Willoughby, one of Harry's victims, appeared then, and accused Harry of telling a "pretty story."

Harry admitted to suffering guilt, no matter how necessary his decision may have been. "I regret it every day," he told Mr. Willoughby. He even talked about being willing to commit suicide during the siege. He concluded that, "Ultimately, I chose the living over the dead."

Mr. Willoughby, understandably, was less than impressed with this, and a brief argument followed, with both debaters staunchly defending their own positions. Then there came an attempt on Harry's life. Wooden coins with time-delayed spells on them were flung at both Harry, the two women who had come with him, and his partner Draco Malfoy by attackers unknown.

Harry raised a Shield Charm to link with his partner's coolly and confidently. It's obvious that he's weathered assassination attempts like this before. With the coins destroyed, the attackers fled. One of Harry's allies moved to go after the threat to her vates, springing over the heads of those present with more-than-mortal grace and speed. As it turned out, she is a werewolf, but perfectly obedient to Harry, part of the newly-organized Alliance of Sun and Shadow.

Two members of the Department for the Control and Suppression of Deadly Beasts, however, cast a werewolf-finding spell on Harry's ally and attempted to take her into custody. This prevented her from finding and dragging back the attackers. It is possible that the Department witches feared for the lives of the attackers, but this reporter wonders why they did not seem to fear for the innocent lives that the attackers could have cost when they launched their offensive.

Harry coldly forbade them to take his ally into custody. As she had bitten no one, and it is not near the full moon, he maintained, there was no danger from her.

And it was then that he revealed his new alliance, which, for the first time, has a formal oath and a name, and has granted him another title.

"This is an alliance that anyone can join, if they will come to me and promise to swear its oath and obey its principles. We welcome anyone who wishes to join—Muggleborn, Squib, centaur, merfolk, pureblood, Dark wizard, Light wizard, werewolf" With these words, he nodded to both his companions, making it obvious that both of them were werewolves, and had behaved themselves perfectly until the assassination attempt. "And we require our members to think past their fear, rather than stop someone going in pursuit of would-be assassins." A bit of a slap at the Department, there, but his anger was up and surging, his magic filling the corridor, and of course our Boy-Who-Lived has always been a bit angry when someone attacks his allies.

"You may also tell your readers," he continued, "that Loki, the werewolf leader who was sending threatening letters to Wizengamot Elders and attacking them, has now given his pack into my protection. These are two members of it, Camellia and Rose. They will not be attacking anyone any more. Loki has gone rogue, and may, but his pack has sworn peace with anyone who swears peace with them. They will defend me, however, as I will defend them."

He turned and left then, seeming oblivious to how changed the world is in his wake. But then, another defining trait of the Young Hero so far has been his modesty.

Harry vates has returned to the wizarding world with a vengeance, but his mission is guided by a sense of justice, an alliance devoted to inclusion, and principles that seem to rely on rising above fear. I trust that all Prophet readers are looking forward to what will happen now as much as I am, and are as thankful to have such a brave, determined young man dedicated to protecting us from You-Know-Who.