Author Note: A rather bang up Christmas break. Things change the center cannot hold.
=====xxxxx====xxx
Dennisud: Yes there is a ward for bad intentions. It like a lot of the wards and spells in the books are not exactly described as to the way they work. So I go with the if you are truly capable of convincing yourself that you are saving them or your intentions are good you can overcome them. Any security system can be bypassed, overcome or broken. Sirius has some serious screws loose so emotional and intention based magics do not work very well on him.
====xxxxx=====xxx
At breakfast Augusta and Dumbledore chatted about the upcoming meetings of the Board. The kidnapping of Draco had put their vote on hold for right now.
Harry had been thinking of the problem of who to bring with him for the task Dumbledore was wanting to go on. He was in a quandary as he considered both girls too important to risk and yet he needed the minds of both girls for their problem solving skills. His method of problem solving leaning way too heavily towards stab it, blast it or punch it he had to admit if he was being self-reflective.
"Harry did you have another out of body experience?" He heard Luna say after pinching him on the arm.
"Sorry I was thinking. I was considering who to take with us today." Harry said looking at Dumbledore.
"Ahh yes well that is the question then isn't it?"
"I suppose Luna will be the one I'll bring."
"Why Luna?" Neville asked.
"Because I need you to take over if I die or something happens Nev. You'll need Hermione's help if anything happens to Luna. "
The tall brown haired boy nodded. "Okay."
Hermione looked grim but began to talk rapidly with Luna. Making plans and discussing contingencies.
===xxxx=====xxxx=====xxx====xx
Dumbledore created a portkey that took himself, Harry and Luna to a small crossroads in the country. The signpost said Little Hangleton was a mile one way and Greater Hangleton was a half mile the other.
"Sir where are we?"
"Yorkshire in the midlands. The Riddle home is not far away." He said setting off.
Harry and Luna followed him. It was a grey sort of overcast day so they did not encounter anyone else along the road.
"So what are we looking for here?"
"The Gaunt family ring should be hidden somewhere in their abode by Tom. He felt a closer kinship with his maternal bloodline than he did his paternal. Not the least of which was that they were direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin himself.
"Oh okay."
They came to a small wooded grove that had a dark dangerous feel to it.
"Ahh yes he used muggle repelling charms on it as well as a bit of fear glamours."
"I do believe it is working sir." Harry gulped.
"There is nothing to fear but that which we bring with us Harry. Be brave." Luna intoned as she took his hand. A calmness settled over Harry as she squeezed his hand gently.
Dumbledore walked back and forth a few times trying to find a path and when he did the shrubbery hissed and moved at him. Each branch of the bush a small snapping serpent.
"Oh my well. That is rather rude." Dumbledore tried to burn the bush or banish it but it grew back so rapidly that by the time he was done there were three times as many bushes as when he began and the path was completely obscured.
Harry let go of Luna's hand and drew his sword. "Perhaps this is what we need to do?"
"Yes. Perhaps." Dumbledore said stepping to the side giving Harry plenty of room to work.
As Harry began to slice and hack at the serpent bushes they shrieked and hissed as their blood ran in thick inky black torrents. Soon Harry had managed to work his way in several yards and the only way Luna and Dumbledore knew he was safe was the grunting and thwacking sound his blade made.
"We should follow him now that he has opened the path." Luna said moving to do so.
"Agreed just be careful of some of the shrubbery." Dumbledore said levitating a still wriggling branch out of the path and into the woods on the side.
Soon they had caught up to Harry as he had reached a clearing. The fact there were a few piles of ash along the trail was not unnoticed by either of his companions.
In the center of the clearing stood, more out of force of habit than any structural integrity, an ancient wooden shack. It might at one time have been a fine and sturdy home but the ravages of neglect and time had taken their toll.
The roof was partially caved in and though the door still stood it did so in a wall that leaned backwards.
"Well it would appear that the maintenance staff have been sacked."
Luna knelt down to examine the grass of the clearing. She looked across the grass to the shack. "Harry please gently poke the grass with your sword."
He softly did so only for the area around the place where he had poked it. The ankle high grass began to immediately writhe and whip back and forth. Except for the bit that was directly touching the sword blade. It shriveled and died with a high pitched whine.
"Like I thought this is deadly razersaw grass. Its been created and seeded here."
"Great which means what Luna?"
"Anything that disturbs it will be sliced into almost microscopic particles then absorbed. Theya re quite omnivorous."
"Great so can we fly over it?"
Dumbledore found a long stick and levitated it, once it was about a third of the way to the shack across the clearing it dropped to the ground and began to be disassembled. It took about ten seconds for the grass to destroy the stick.
"You would think he had some way to get back and get it." Harry pondered.
"Perhaps this one he did not desire anyone to ever reacquire." Luna said thoughtfully.
"That is a possibility. I doubt he ever expected to die or even be reduced to the state he finds himself within now."
"Great. You sure he didn't chuck any of these things into the ocean?"
"No not entirely but it does not fit with his obsession. He is a complete sociopath. Playing games and hiding things in plain sight, thinking he is so much more powerful and smarter than everyone else."
"There is probably one in the castle then." Luna observed looking at some of the nearby trees. "Sir one of these larger oak trees do you think you could drop it so that it lands near the door?"
"Possibly he did visit there once after he graduated before he began his open movement to take over the world. As for the tree I could but for what purpose?"
"There is a snakeskin nailed to the door. It should have rotted away by now which indicates it has been magically charmed."
"And you think if I run up on a tree and talk to it I can get the grass to go to sleep or something?"
"That is possible."
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes that might prove to be true. You will have to be quick Harry though. Even as thick as these trees are it might still prove to be wise to be expeditious."
"I understand."
Dumbledore did a few calculations and sliced a tree down causing it to fall so that the top of it was right by the door but had not hit the house. Harry scrambled along the fallen trunk, hearing the sawing chewing sounds of the grass working to reduce the log to dust.
He reached the door and started hissing commands to the snakeskin. He felt the log shift as some of the branches holding it up broke and collapsed due to their point touching the ground being destroyed.
Somehow he must have managed to find the right combination of words which caused the grass to fall into stillness.
Harry leaned against one of the branches resting while Luna and the headmaster came across carefully. Luna gliding along as if it was the great hall.
"Very good Harry. Now as for the door." Dumbledore indicated.
"Yes sir."
Harry tried various phrases similar to the one he had used on the chamber. Finally he hit the right one again and the door sullenly creaked open with a slow ponderousness.
Harry looked inside, poking the floor with his sword he jumped into the house and carefully made his way into the main room. A broken stone fireplace was at one end and the collapsed portion of the roof was sitting in the other end.
"Well hopefully it's in here and not under all that." He said to Luna and the Headmaster as they entered behind him.
Luna closed her eyes and stood quietly. She reached out her arm pointing at the fireplace. Harry followed the line and examined the stones. Dumbledore joined him as they worked carefully. Soon they found a small stone only a few inches across that looked slightly different than the others. Working to pull it out there was a hollow space of pitch blackness that light could not penetrate behind it.
Dumbledore grabbed Harry's wrist as he was about to place his hand in the alcove. "No Harry. We do not know what the field is. Light cannot penetrate it hand me the poker to your left."
Harry handed the cast iron tool to his former headmaster. He used it to reach into the alcove and pull out a small iron box. It looked like it had been melted or forged into one solid piece.
Giving an exasperated sigh Dumbledore used his wand to tap the box several times before he melted an end of the box off. Picking it up a ring fell out and skittered onto the floor.
Dumbledore made a soft whimpering noise as he reached for it only to have Luna shoulder block him shouting, "Destroy the ring Harry. Destroy it now!"
Harry drew his sword and swung it as hard as he could on the ring as the headmaster shouted "NOOO!"
As soon as Harry's basilisk envenomed blade sliced into the gold of the ring the stone shattered and a dark greenish black cloud hissed out of the residue. It dissipated after screaming and shouting at them.
Harry stood there for a moment then stepped back as Dumbledore fell to his knees picking up the pieces of the stone and ring while crying.
The house began to groan and shift. Pieces falling down. "Okay time to go guys." Harry said pulling Dumbledore to his feet.
"Its gone Harry. The stone is gone."
"Yessir and so should we."
Luna had already begun running down the tree like a little squirrel. Harry was following her and Dumbledore was regaining his composure as he followed Harry. The House had collapsed by the time they reached the end of the tree then the ground under it began to swallow itself. Luna and the two wizards followed her down the path as the ground slipped down beneath them in a growing crater. They dove across the ditch into the road as the last of the grove was swallowed. Soon a geyser of water began to shoot out of the center until a small lake had replaced the grove.
"I do believe there was a retributive curse on this place." Dumbledore mused picking himself out of the road.
Harry shook his head as Luna apologized, "I'm sorry sir but you looked like you were going to put the ring on."
"Probably because I was going to. You would have thought I would have learned my lesson after that last one and the volcano." He said dusting himself off and putting the pieces in his pocket with a sigh.
Harry briefly looked at Luna with a raised eyebrow as she shrugged.
"Sir are you alright?"
"Oh yes. Aside from a properly bruised ego. If I had been here alone I might have succumbed to the temptation. I must thank you Harry, Luna. Your actions were quite within the bounds of heroic."
"Uh thank you sir."
Luna shrugged but smiled at the compliment.
"Now while we are nearby we should check the Riddle estate. The Bones of the father ritual cannot be performed if there are no bones of the father in existence eh?"
"I'm with you sir."
===xxxxx====xxxx====xxxx====xx
It had begun to rain by the time they reached the nearby graveyard. It sat in a small dip below a large manor house that had faded over the decades. The graveyard itself was wildly overgrown with bare trees invading graves, stones having fallen over.
They found a large ornate stone with Victorian style carvings over it. Dumbledore pulled the skeleton of a man out of the ground before pulverizing it into dust. The dust he scattered to the winds with a few more flicks of his wand.
"And thus ashes to ashes dust to dust so we shall all become in the end." He said gravely.
"This is not a good place." Luna whispered huddled against Harry under his rain shield charm. "It has been forgotten long enough that darkness encroaches it."
Dumbledore looked around and felt a tingle on his hackles as well. Harry was gripping his sword with one hand and his wand with the other. Warily looking around.
"There are echos of sadness and pain here. The souls do not rest well indeed Miss Lovegood. We should remove ourselves lest we disturb any others."
The three living beings headed for the gate of the iron fence topped low stone wall. Moving quickly after their desecration of the grave they felt more than heard the whispered mutterings of things from beyond the land of the living.
Once through the leaning rusty gate the three of them began to feel less observed. "Professor what was that? I thought it was a muggle graveyard."
"It is. But once the muggles stop visiting or caring about it the power of their love and memories fade. Allowing darker things to settle into the soil. When I pulled the bones out it caused them to stir. If we had lingered or done more we could have awakened something foul."
"That's not a good thing." Harry observed.
"Yes and what is more the muggles do not have any idea. They can sense it sometimes when it gets bad enough, by then it is usually too late. The ministry used to send people out to take care of such places but over the last few years it seems as they do not have the time or energy to do so."
"I would like to return to Potterplace now. I need some hot chocolate and snuggles." Luna said clinging to Harry.
"Yes or course that sounds like an excellent course of action."
=====xxxxx======xxx
Hermione was pacing talking to herself as Lavender and Neville played a game of chess. Veronica was watching a football game on the television with Ginny comparing the game to Quidditch. Ginny was bored out of her skull by the sports but humored Veronica.
"Hermione they'll be fine." Lavender tried to calm her partner down but she appeared not to hear her.
When Harry and Luna walked in Hermione sprang on them both with tight hugs. "Harry, Luna. Oh my I was worried. Are you okay? Did you get it?"
"Yes and yes. We are fine Mione. Luna just needs some hot coca and to snuggle on the couch."
"Well what happened?"
"Well Miss Granger I had the idea since we were in the neighborhood we would pay our respects to Tom Riddle Senior."
"Oh. And as for the Horcrux?"
Dumbledore pulled the pieces out of his pocket and placed them on the table. "The Ring of House Gaunt."
Hermione looked at them before sweeping them into a jar. "Well that's good. So there should only be the one in Harry, and another one."
"Perhaps. As I told you last year I believe the one in Harry was an accident. So that would leave two more." Dumbledore said sitting down.
"But if he has an 8 part soul isn't that dangerous?"
"Mostly for him. His soul is not stable, which is why he probably is not operating as mentally stable or capable as he was before his dissolution at the hands of Lily."
"We need more information." Hermione spoke for all of them as they looked at their former headmaster.
"I know. I am prepared to spend most of this break, aside form the usual ball of course and teach you all I know of the life and psychological pattern of Tom Marvolo Riddle. The time for secrets has passed, now is the time to prepare for war."
===xxxx===xxxx====xxxx===xx
Lucius walked into Amelia Bones office unannounced or invited. "Amelia where is my son?"
"If I knew that Lucius he would be recovered already. We are dealing with someone who is skilled, capable and motivated."
"Alas that the Ministry does not have such people working for it."
"We are constrained by the secrecy act among other laws we have to obey Lord Malfoy. Once we as the moral guardians begin to stop following our own laws then we lose all respect."
"I do not care if you are respected or not. I care if my son is returned to me unharmed. If he is not then heads will roll. This was not a random event. As he was the only child taken this was a targeted crime. Or do you claim otherwise?"
Sighing deeply she pursed her lips before answering, "No it would appear that for some reason your son Draco was chosen. I am curious as to why though?"
Scoffing Malfoy glared at her, "Is it not obvious Amelia. I am a powerful, rich man. I have powerful friends and associates. I have also been malignantly smeared by a horrible rumor that I served the dark lord willingly. That I am somehow a servant of darkness to this day. The slander that I must suffer from those such as the former headmaster of Hogwarts does not become you."
"If it is slander you have done very little to punish those spreading it."
"I am a peaceful man who desires to avoid conflict unless I have to. Those who spread their little tales will receive karmic retribution in good time."
"I am certain. We are doing the best we can Lord Malfoy."
"Yes that is what I am afraid of."
======xxxxx=======xxxxx======xxx
Sirius tucked the last one of the sticks of TNT into the vest he was making. A sort of welcome home gift for Draco to wear. Sirius was trying to remember exactly what his buddy in the IRA told him to do to make it even more trouble. The looping wires and steel ball bearings. Maybe Draco shouldn't have been so rude and upsetting when Sirius tried to read his mind.
"Yeah really. I know James. One Malfoy is pretty much the same as another. heheheeh"
Kreacher watched the master working on the thing. His hair tied back loosely while he spoke to people he could only see. Kreacher did not understand the thing the Master was making but he did need to understand only to obey.
"Oh I know Lils. I know. Draco insulted Harry's girls though, wanted to hurt them and do bad naughty things to them against their will. You heard what was in his head...I know. But we have to do this. You're the one that made me his godfather. You know? I'm just taking care of him. Better late than never right James?" He turned his head to his right to to talk to Lily then the left to talk to James. Kreacher sat behind him staring coldly.
"Oh of course. I know. Remmie's been taken care of. I got him a bunch of money set up. Been hoping that cute niece of mine falls for the old wolf. Yeah I know Lils I'm a dirty old man. But she's a metamorph. A metamorph. Remmie will be in heaven..."
Sirius' hands wove wires into the vest with a deftness that his mind lacked.
"Oh don't look at me like that Lily. No. I know. Hey Dora and Remmie will be good for each other. HE deserves to be happy." He said closing his eyes and squeezing them shut with the balls of his hands. Blinking them open several times he shook his head. "NO. NO James No. We will get this done. Now where did I put the jar of nails?" The sad man shook as he hunted for the shrapnel.
===xxxx====xxxxx======xxxx======xx
Draco was sitting on the edge of his bed glumly looking around the room. A simple windowless cell that had only one door is where he found himself. At least he thought this was where he was. He had been suffering multiple nightmarish locations for who knows how long before waking up to this room. So far it hadn't shifted again but then he hadn't gone to sleep yet.
The door opened and Draco stood up. If he was going to die he would at least do so on his feet. Slytherin's were many things but they were not cowards.
In strode a tall black haired man. Draco thought he recognized him from the papers and if it was him then he would be in trouble. "I am Draco Malfoy son of Lucius Malfoy. I sincerely hope you understand the mistake you have made."
"My apologies for the way you were brought here, I wasn't sure you'd accept a formal invitation." The man smiled and said politely with a half bow. His wild looking eyes that gleamed with madness never leaving Draco's
"Never the less. Now that I am here what are your plans for me?"
"Plans? Plans? OHHH little dragon I have glorious fun plans. The things you will do. The places you will go. Ohhh there is fun to be done." The man gave a little dance as he said that in a sing song voice.
Draco was properly horrified. This was a lack of sanity that made that stupid Lovegood girl seem like the most stable rock. He tried to hide his fear as the man stood there staring at him like a strange dog. "So. Okay. That sounds nice. Shall we discus what sort of plans I'd like to have?" Draco was trying to speak softly and calmly. If he was going to act like a mad dog Draco was going to treat him like one.
"No. No I really don't care a hang about what your plans were. This is all about. About what I have to do. You see. You see you hurt someone." Sirius leaned in so that his face was inches from Draco's making him flinch as he gestured with his hand. "Someone I swore an oath to protect and care about. I failed that oath and have a lot of work to do to make up for it. And you're going to help me."
"Help you. Not a chance in all the layers of Hades realms."
Sirius struck out and gripped Draco by the throat. Lifting him off his feet he snarled, "You'll see Hades soon enough little dragon. Just give it a little bit okay? So shut your pie hole up right now." He then tossed Draco against the wall like a rag doll.
Draco groaned then picked himself up. "Fine. I see how this goes. You like it a bit rough eh?"
"What. What are you..Oh you are just wrong in the head little dragon. I mean. I mean I'm crazy. At least I'm not sick. Some sick twisted little fuck like you."
Draco narrowed his eyes looking at the open door and wondering if he could shove past his abductor and flee.
"Oh and don't even think about trying to escape. The doors are blood warded to me, there are no windows, we are 100 feet underground in an old WWII bunker they repurposed for the atomic bomb you know. Oh and Anti-apparate wards. So yeah even if I let you walk out of this room it's not like you'll be going anywhere else."
"So what do you want from me? Why did you even kidnap me? Ransom? Father has plenty of money. He will pay you handsomely. To prove that you could do it. He would be happy to hire you for our organization. So yeah. Let's just calm down now and go to the Manor."
"Oh sure. No problem. You're going to be going home. I heard that Goyle is going to be getting married this afternoon. SO you'll be taking a gift for him from me. Cause YOUR boss is going to be there. You know. The big V himself. I see you took the mark. So sorry kid but you gotta die now. Really. But you know what its gonna be a good death. There won't be any shame in this. You'll die well and it'll be all gone. All this pain will go away."
"I'm not the one in pain mister." Draco sneered.
"No, but you will be. Imperio.."
====xxxxx=====xxxx====xxx=====xx
Sirius finished sealing the vest of explosive sticks around Draco. Using a sticking charm to make sure his flesh bonded with the back of the vest then wiring it so that if it was pulled apart it would detonate. Another detonator was wired to Draco's wrist so that he would reach under his robe and pull the activation cord. Sirius briefly debated adding a timer but he didn't have any handy. Then he remembered an old trick James had taught him about decaying runes. They had used that a few times to set a time-delay on a few of their more explosive jokes.
"Good one James. Good one indeed." He said carefully inscribing the detonation runes and timer runes in the best way to give him an hour.
"Okay Draco. Repeat back you mission."
"I am to convince my father that I escaped from your clutches. That I have information for the dark lord that I need to give him. Then I am to detonate the bomb when I reach him. If I am delayed or they attempt to question me I am to detonate in such a manner as to hurt as many of them as I can." Draco recited by rote.
"YepA that's it. Be a good boy for daddy now. Okay?" He said patting Draco on the cheek. Then he activated the timer rune.
"Of course father." Draco's eyes were slightly defocused and not quite making eye contact as he spoke then he blinked "What are you doing. What's going on?"
"Nothing kid. Kreacher?"
"Yes master. Kreacher comes to obey."
"I think our guest should be taken home. We don't want him to overstay his welcome."
"For some reason the Malfoy house is closed to elves. Their elves do not allow others to enter."
"Hunh. Oh well drop him at the gates and then get back here."
"Yes master. Come little one. Kreacher will take you home."
===xxxx=====xxx=====xx
It was afternoon at Malfoy Manor. And the celebration of Goyle and his new bride was underway. The happy couple dancing in front of their fellow Death Eaters.
"She appears to be taking this much better than Selwyn thought she would." Lucius remarked to Alecto.
"Well a little love potion greases the wheels quite a bit." She smugly replied.
"WHAT did you say." Their dark lord hissed walking behind them holding a glass of champagne.
"My mY LORd?" Alecto suddenly had a very unpleasant sensation cross her causing her voice to quaver and crack.
"Did I hear you correctly say that you gave her a love potion? That she is not happy to serve?"
"Ye-yes my lord." Alecto said noticing that Lucius had stepped away from her. "She was threatening to kill herself rather than go to his bed."
"Then you should have let her and found another., You have two daughters do you not?"
"My Lord they have not had their first bleed yet."
"It matters not. They would have served better than allowing a love potion be administered." The way the dark lord hissed the word love potion made several Death Eaters lower their heads in mourning for Alecto. Her husband Amycus frowned at her.
"My apologies my lord. I made a mistake." She said dropping to her knees in a submissive pose.
"Yesss you ssertainly did. Let it be known that you have sserved me loyally and that is the only reasson that you sstill live."
"Thank you my lord. I live to serve."
"Yess. However you musst be reminded of your missstake. Ssso that you do not repeat it." His hissing had lowered into a mere whisper but as silent as the room was everyone, even in the furthest corner heard him.
"Crucio!" He said putting his finer into her forehead.
The dumpy woman seized as every muscle tensed, every organ burned. The pain crescendoed across every receptor in her body. She lost all track of time as he held her under the spell forever it felt like.
A mere second later the dark lord removed his finger from the twitching drooling soiled woman. He sneered at her then quietly called out, "Amycus."
The tall cruel looking man stepped forward, "Yes my lord." He knelt in submission quickly and without hesitation.
"Take your wife and leave usss. Do not enter our ssight again until called for."
"Yes my lord." Amycus said standing and taking his sister in his arms. Her eyes still unfocused and walked her out past the anti-apparate wards, mostly carrying her as her legs still buckled and wobbled.
"Lucius."
"Yes My lord." He said saluting his lord. One of the few that did not have to kneel at every command.
"I will go rest. Go and bring Severus. I am in need of some of his concoctions."
"Yes my lord. And as for the girl?"
"Let him keep her but do not dose her any further, and allow no others to do so."
"Yes my lord. By your command."
===xxxxx====xxx====xxx=====xx
The Carrows had just left the gates of the Manor House when Draco appeared in the walkway. He was hurrying towards them with a scowl on his face. As they did not want any more trouble they stepped aside and let him pass.
Draco flung open the great doors of the manor and sighed as he felt the welcome of his home. He had a strange tickle in the back of his head and had to find his master to report. He heard voices coming from the formal dining hall so headed that way.
===xxxx====xxxx====xxx
Entering the hall Draco saw there was some sort of party going on. He did not see his father or any sign of the dark lord. Not that he was sure what body the dark spirit was inhabiting. He did see the rat man though and crossing to him called out, "Pettigrew Where is my father or his Lordship?"
"His Lordship is resting and wishes to be undisturbed, your father is undertaking a task for him. Welcome home though."
"Yes I barely escaped and have much to report. Although what is going on here?"
"A celebration. Goyle and his new bride?"
"Gregory got married?"
"No his father. Gregory was buried yesterday."
"Oh." Draco stumbled off to the center of the room. Looking around he saw that most of the Death eaters that he knew of were in this room. A large number of them. The tickle in his brain started becoming an itch then a pain. He had to do something. He had to reach for something to take care of it. He knew he had to do it.
====xxxxx=====xxxx====xxx=====xxx
Lucius and Snape had reached the gates when the west end of the Manor exploded in a fireball. Bodies came flying out of the windows into the yard and the entire west wing started to collapse in on itself.
Lucius froze in horror as that was the location of the dining hall. The place were the dinner was on going. His lordship's quarters were also on the floors above in the west wing.
Snape stopped and raised his eyebrow. Wondering how Black had managed this one then realized in horror what it meant. He had to have used the Malfoy boy to sneak some kind of bomb into the Manor. Past the wards which meant that who knows how many Death Eater shad been destroyed in one fell swoop.
They ran forward and found several people crawling away from the building. Manfred Bulstrode was cradling his wife who had a sucking chest wound. Hugo Fassbender had pieces of the table embedded in his back while Peter Pettigrew was missing a few more fingers and had burns and wounds across his body.
"Are those roofing nails?" Lucius asked in distaste.
"I believe so."
"Take him to Parkinson. Get him healed. I need to know what happened."
"By your command." Snape said levitating the screaming crying man and headed for the gates.
"Oh stop being such a big girl's blouse." Snape snarled at him.
====xxxxx======xxxxx=====xxx
Amelia Bones was in her office standing looking out the magical window that showed dawn rising over the city of London. She sighed as she had been in her office now for almost two days now dealing with the Malfoy crisis as Fudge wanted to call it.
Late last night though it definitely became a crisis as half of Malfoy manor along with the dinner guests within it went up in a ball of flame before collapsing. Most of the manor had burned with very interesting purplish black or sickly green flames.
Moody came stumping in and collapsed in the chair and put his foot up on her desk. She didn't bother to correct him as after this it was probably not going to be her desk much longer anyways about it.
"So?" She said not turning from her window.
"Nine dead. 14 wounded in ways from minor outpatient to they will be in Mungo's for a few days."
"Forensics?"
"Well the explosive used was an Erumpent infused TNT. According to the postcogs and the memories recovered from some of the survivors Draco must have been wearing a vest like those muggles in the middle east have done."
"He wouldn't have done that on his own."
"Well considering how there isn't enough left of Draco to put in house elf's thimble gonna be rough to ask him. But yeah I'd say as much."
"Too bad the resurrection stone is just a child's story."
"Yeah and if wishes were horses we'd all be eating steak. Can't do much about that Melia."
She rubbed the back of her neck before coming back to sit behind her desk.
"Does Malfoy know?"
"Yeah he was hovering around the place like a vulture. His wife showed up a few minutes later and went to wailing bout her poor son. Pretty good acting job I gotta say."
"So looks like the oldest Malfoy bastard is going to be legitimized?"
Moody shrugged, "Well if they are they'll be inheriting a broken burned out shell of a manor house. There were things in there that when they burned bad stuff got released. I'dve but the clinch on Malfoy but there wasn't any evidence. It had all gone up in smoke."
"So where are they now?"
"He said they'd be at their townhouse in Mayfair."
"Posh of course."
"Yeah, reminded me to wear a tie if I should come to visit. Wouldn't mind giving him a hemp tie."
"So what we have is Draco came back home, blew up the manor house and no other evidence or reason for it than Sirius Black was probably involved."
"Well there ain't rightly any evidence he's involved either."
"Plenty of circumstantial. He was seen by multiple witnesses including Harry Potter, kidnapping Draco."
"Okay. I admit it don't look good but at least this time he kept the collateral damage out of the muggle areas."
"One way to look at the bright side of things I suppose."
====xxxx====xxxxx=====xxxx=====xxx
Breakfast at Potter Place saw the Daily Prophet delivered by the house elf from the gate house where the mail was gathered.
"Thank you."
Harry gasped when he saw the headline. Laying the paper out in the middle of the table he almost knocked over the jam.
"Look at this. Someone blew up Malfoy Manor!" Harry pointed out with a alrge picture of the flaming structure on the front page under a banner headline declaring what he just said. Reading the article did not make them comfortable.
"Malfoy Manor attacked and destroyed by mysterious forces. Heir and Scion to the Malfoy fortune Draco Malfoy was killed during the raid as were nine other upstanding members of the wizarding community."
"Upstanding my left nut." Neville felt comfortable saying as it was just their small group of friends.
"Don't dear you'll need that eventually." Luna side whispered.
Harry glanced at them in annoyance before continuing, "It is not known what sort of spell or potion was used to create the explosion however the devastation was immense. The motivation for this attack is not known at this time."
Molly Weasley came into the dining room with a scowl. "What's all the commotion?"
"Sorry mom but Harry was reading the paper about the Malfoy's getting attacked." veronica explained.
"The Malfoy's got attacked?"
"Yes ma'am. Apparently their manor house was destroyed, Draco and several others killed and their reduced to living in their London townhouse."
"Oh such a pity for them."
"Master Harry sir Professor Dumbledore and Madam Longbottom seeks entrance and Mister Lupin is in the Floo." His head house elf stated.
"Oh let them in if they want."
"As you wish."
A few moments later the adults had gathered and were talking with the teens.
"Well we found out why Sirius took Draco now." Remus declared.
"Yes so it would seem. He has begun to cross too many lines."
"Yes sir but why?" Harry was confused by this.
"I can only guess but would surmise revenge. Revenge upon those who killed James and Lily. Revenge upon those who hurt you."
Remus nodded, "Harry Sirius is your godfather. He in his own twisted way may feel he is upholding his vow to Lily. His oath to you."
"I thought you said that wasn't a compulsion?"
"No Hermione it is not. However Sirius is not in his right mind. His time in Azkaban, plus well to be perfectly honest even before then the Black family had a tendency to descend into madness, so he may not be able to differentiate right from wrong any more. He seems to be becoming obsessed with upholding his oath."
"Oh." She said with great concern.
"I doubt he will become a threat to you or anyone Harry holds dear but if someone has hurt Harry or one of you they suffer."
Augusta sighed, "Well then he needs to come to one of the Board meetings. It looks like Reginald Nott will be confirmed. We've managed to shove the vote until after Christmas but we just can't get enough support for Minerva."
"Is that going to be very bad?"
"Well Miss Granger I would have to describe Reginald Nott as a traditionalist. Very anti-muggle in his views."
"So the school will be going backwards with things?" Hermione groaned in disgust.
"No doubt. We will do what we can but the Board really is there only to let the Ministry feel like it has some say. The Headmaster really runs the place for the most part."
"Great news. I'm so happy. Just what we need."
"Well Harry it could be a lot worse I guess."
"When I say he is a traditionalist I mean it. He feels that the wizarding world should not use anything muggle if at all possible, plus he is a staunch Merlinist."
"Sir? Why didn't professor McGonnegal get the confirmation?"
"I'll answer for the headmaster. Anyone that is too closely tied to him is tainted. After what happened there is just no way. Even the Diggorys are not supporting Minerva." Augusta said shaking her head. "Lucius and his snake tongue managed to taint things way too much."
"That is so disgusting." Lavender huffed.
"Well it is the way things go in the adult world sometimes." Dumbledore shrugged.
"So is there anything that can be done?" Hermione spoke in annoyance.
"Endure it. Otherwise, I am certain Minerva and the others will do all they can to make the best of a bad situation."
"Well that is good advice for anything else. As for good news the ball will go on as normal. So we will still have that." Augusta confirmed.
Lavender and the others sighed, "Well at least there is that."
"Yes we will maintain as normal of a life as we can for as long as we can."
"Ahh normality I heard of that once." Albus joked.
====xxxxx=======xxxx======xx
Amelia received a summons to Fudge's office in the middle of the morning. She had been going over the forensics report of the Malfoy attack. Witness memories and verbal testimony. By all appearances Draco had exploded. That set fire to things as the lanterns and candles had been knocked over and ignited carpets and curtains. Fire suppression wards were overwhelmed with the sheer force of the explosion and with the structural damage it caused the wing of the house to collapse.
Physical injuries were caused by blast, fire, structural collapse but also ball bearings and nails were part of the bomb. She shook her head at the sheer violence of the design. Sirius had not wanted anyone to survive this.
Walking into Fudge's office she was not surprised to find Pius Thicknesse sitting in the other chair in front of Fudge. Albert Runcorn was standing behind the desk with Fudge.
"Ahh Amelia please have a seat." Fudge said politely but without his usual cheeriness.
"I think I would rather face the firing squad standing sir."
"Ahh yes well at least you are not going to cause a scene about this? You understand that your failure to find Black led directly to this."
"Sir. I have only so much manpower. I did not have adequate numbers to...
"I don't care. We have been buried under an avalanche of your inadequacies Amelia!"
Realizing that this was the chopping block and no explanation would suffice she sighed, "Very well sir. Am I to understand that I am being relieved of duty?"
"Yes Amelia. You will take Pius and brief him on everything you have been doing then turn your credentials and the office over to him."
"Yes sir." She said with as much frost as she could put into her voice. She would have preferred to hand it over to Moody but he was not political enough to handle this. Scrimgeour would have been better but he was dead.
Pius Thicknesse stood up. His slicked down long hair and cheesy chin hair made Amelia think of a goat. A very annoying and disgusting goat. Plus his taste in clothes made a seventies pimp seem stylish. "Well shall we Ms Bones?"
"Very well you know the way. I would like to speak with Minister Fudge for a few moments please gentlemen."
"If you are going to beg for your job Amelia it is far too late." Cornelius Fudge said sadly.
"No I understand that I was going to ask you your plans from here."
"As you are no longer employed by the ministry you are not cleared for private information of that nature." Runcorn declared in his cold gravel voice.
Amelia smiled and nodded as she turned and strode out of the office for her own. Making Pius who was a brace of inches shorter than her struggle to keep up.
===xxxx=====xxxx====xx
Narcissa Malfoy was pacing in a livid rage. She had already smashed several vases and slashed paintings. Lucius stood in the doorway waiting for his wife to vent her temper on the inanimate objects lest she take it out on him. Her choice of words intrigued Lucius as always, how a lady to the manor born learned to swear like a common street walker always made him amused. Although with the death of his legitimate heir that was proving difficult. He supposed he had a couple of bastards he could 'discover' at some point after an appropriate time for mourning. He noticed it had grown quiet so roused himself from his musings to notice that Narcissa was standing in the middle of the room, her hair undone, her eyes red with tears.
"Cissa my dear?"
"Oh Lucius. I am going to dice my dear cousin into cubes to be fed to the dogs for what he has done. The Grangers can wait. I will find Sirius and I will hURt him." The way she said that made even Lucius nervous.
"I know. But we must focus on our duty to the dark lord. We must help him procure another body."
She frowned but nodded after a few moments. "Yes I know. We swore our oaths. But my poor Draco must be avenged. His killer must pay for that."
"HE shall my dear. He shall. We must let him think we have retreated into mourning."
"NO! NO! I will have blood. And I will have it now. Harry Potter will suffer." The glint in her eyes had ignited into a maelstrom of flame.
"Cissa his lordship has declared Potter and his minions as untouchable for now. You must be patient."
She shoved him back hard enough to knock him on his backside then reached out and lifted him against the wall. "My son was murdered by Potter's godfather. I will defy Baphomet himself to see Harry Potter suffer."
====xxxxx======xxxxx=====xxx
Snape was actually hoping Sirius would turn up to visit him. Then he could hand his annoying house guest over to him and wash his hands. Peter Pettigrew had survived the explosion by being far enough away although being blown through a leaded glass window at high velocity had not been pleasant Snape was certain.
Fortunately his skills as a brewer of healing potions as well as some of the related anatomy and other complimentary skills resulted in him being able to work as a healer if he desired.
His floo chimed to reveal Narcissa. Hoping that she was there to remove the annoyance from his presence he permitted her to come through.
"Severus. I need you to tell me something which of Potter's friends would be the most painful for him to watch die."
"Excuse me?"
She ran her finger up his chest. "Draco is dead. One of Potter's must die now. A life for a life."
Snape nodded, "His greatest love is the Granger girl. If she died he would burn the Earth in vengeance."
"So it would make him turn to the darkness? It would destroy him."
"Yes. It most likely would."
"Good then let us find a way to make that happen. You help me with this and you will have proven your worth."
====xxxxx======xxxx======xx
The precautions Augusta was taking with the ball would be pushing the statute of secrecy since it was open to the villagers once again. The fact that she was calling it a fairy winterland ball this year helped as it let the magicals keep their wands and other items closer at hand. Plus she could skirt the edge of some of the decorations. She had invited many of the professors from Hogwarts as well as Amelia Bones to the ball. Minerva showing up in her finest tartan dress.
"Xenophilus how wonderful for you to come and this lovely lady is?"
"Mary Wellston. A very close personal friend of mine."
"Ahh good to see." Augusta smiled as they entered the receiving line.
Luna saw her father and the woman from the pub in the village together and gave a ghost of a smile. Apparently her father and this woman had become very close. He had still not revealed the magical world to her fortunately, or at least not openly. She greeted her and wondered how she would be as a step-mother.
Harry and Hermione were happily mingling. His arm around her waist. Neville and Lavender performing the same task once the receiving line duties to greet their guests had been completed.
Harry had been dancing with several of the girls in attendance and enjoying himself as per the rules of etiquette when he felt Neville tap him on the shoulder. Looking to see what his brother was staring at Harry froze as Narcissa Malfoy strode into the ballroom. Her red dress cut low enough that it would have been risque without a fischue of white lace covering her decolletage.
She waved off Augusta and the other adults who had begun to try and intercept her heading straight for Harry who had been dancing with Susan Bones at the moment. The music had stopped seeing the bright red clad woman cutting through the throngs of dancers like the Titanic on its fateful night.
"Ahh MR Potter. Perhaps you would do me the honor of allowing me to cut in?"
"Lady Malfoy, what brings you to our ball?"
"I thought it was a charity fund raiser for the local village? I bought my ticket. I am sorry I was late. Traffic from London was all backed up." She said waving the small piece of cardboard that they had printed.
"Yes it is. I presume there will be no trouble?"
"Oh of course not. I just wanted to spend a few moments forgetting about the pain that I have been undergoing. I only laugh but to cry."
"Yes well in the spirit of the season god bless you merry lady."
"And she bless you as well. Now Mr Potter if you are not otherwise predisposed shall I have the honor of this dance?"
"Uh certainly madam Malfoy."
Augusta nodded to the band which began a soft waltz. Harry took his hands and placed them in the proper safe spots. He felt a spell pass through them.
"Don't worry Potter. I just wanted to make sure that we were not going to be disturbed during our little conversation."
"Look I didn't have anything to do with what happened to Draco."
"I don't care. I don't give half a hump if you're innocent or not. I will make you hurt. I will make everyone associated with Sirius Black hurt, just to draw him out in the open so I can kill him slowly."
"Why are you telling me this? Wouldn't it be much better to just come out of nowhere and try to kill us?"
"Because I am not going to kill you. There are things far far worse than death. How would your pretty mudblood read her precious books with her eyes melted out of her skull."
Harry's grip on the older woman tightened as Harry felt a surge of rage run through him.
"Ohh. Keep that up and I might take you for a tumble. Show you what a truly experienced woman can do."
"I'm quite happy with the partners I have now."
"Ahh yes the happy little harem of Harry Potter. Do you know there are ways they can be crippled without hurting their ability to have sex. Removing their legs and arms would be quite effective."
Harry felt his anger welling up within himself.
"Ah ah ah. Better calm yourself Potter. There are muggles around and we wouldn't want to have a bit of accidental magic now do we? Especially as the DMLE is under new management and they are not as enamored of you."
"I'll try to remember that." He coldly whispered.
"It would be a good idea."
They finished the dance in silence as Harry did not trust himself to say anything and she seemed to have said what she wanted.
When it ended she smiled politely. "Escort a lady out?"
"I would gladly show you the exit." He said through clenched teeth.
As they traveled the hall from the ballroom to the front doors his friends fell in behind them as an escort. Retrieving her fur coat from the glamoured house elves she turned and laughed. "Oh all of you thinking you know how to play the game. How cute and precious. Hahaha. You think you can fight us with your fair play and rules. You got lucky in 81. That won't happen again." She hissed coldly as she turned and walked out into the night.
"What was that all about?" Neville asked as he was held back by Lavender's hand on his arm.
"She came here to threaten us. She wanted revenge for Draco's death."
"She blames us?" Lavender exclaimed.
"I don't think she cares."
"Well that will change things. Back on full security alert Harry."
"I know Mr Lupin sir. Just when is this all going to be over?"
"When you defeat him finally. Not until then."
======xxxx=====xxxxx=====xxx
The teens had tried to enjoy the rest of the night dealing with the people from the village and dancing. Pretending that everything was fine and normal. Soon Narcissa's performance was just gossip and an amusing highlight of the evening to most of the people. The magicals in the crowd though were tense and on edge.
Hermione and Luna tried to work the tension out of Harry but Hermione was worried and missing her parents too. Wondering if they were alright or in trouble. So the three of them wound up cuddling eventually.
Remus went back to Grimmould and sat quietly. He wondered if Sirius even realized what he had done. By killing Draco, by using him that way he had crossed the line and changed the entire dynamic of things. Narcissa was dangerous under normal circumstances, now she was far worse. She had a thin veneer of civility that had been stripped away by the death of her son. With nothing left to fear or lose Remus wasn't even sure her loyalty tot he dark lord would reign her in. Not if she walked straight into the heart of the light to threaten and provoke Harry. That was the only thing she could have been doing tonight. She had hoped to get one of them to break the secrecy act. Sighing he hoped that Sirius would contact him. Would talk to him. Maybe he could still get him to listen.
Amelia returned to her manor house. Alone as Susan was staying with Hannah. Making sure she didn't forget her humanity. She still held out hope her friend would return someday. Amelia was not feeling as much hope as she once had.
Minerva returned to the castle. Dark and quiet. Most of the staff gone, none of the students allowed to remain. She walked to her apartment quiet and alone. Even the ghosts did not bother her. Looking out her window she frowned into the starry sky that was presented, "The blood dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned. Oh why do you test and try the young lad?" The stars did not answer her so she slid off to bed shaking her head.