The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
Trying Hard to Dodge My Destiny
The chapter title is from the song:
Younger Me – Brothers Osborne.
* - IMPORTANT NOTE - *
Please note, I had this story mapped out at least two years, if not longer, ago. The Statute Saboteurs were invented and fleshed out in a brainstorming session way back in March 2021, long before everything that happened in Ukraine. While a big chunk of the story regarding The Saboteurs does centre around Eastern Europe, I absolutely did not base any of it on real-life events.
I think, like everyone else, I'm horrified by what is happening out there right now and being based in Europe myself, I'm close to the cause. I have friends from Ukraine and I completely stand with Ukraine during this difficult time.
Side note: Kiev is spelt as so rather than the correct 'Kyiv' because I don't think the person who wrote it (in 2005) would have referred to it that way. I do know it's not the correct spelling, and in general everyday life, I do spell it correctly.
Blacknot Castle
Friday the 10th of September
Hermione stood for a minute too long in the kitchen. The calendar in front of her had never been foreboding before, but now she couldn't see anything but the number '21', circled in red with a note underneath in Sadie's neat writing – Mabon.
She had marked it up before they had any idea what that day meant.
"Stop looking at it," Sadie said when she stepped into the kitchen.
"Sadie's right," Theo's voice called. It was followed by a click and the thud of his cane as he rested it against the table.
Two arms wrapped themselves around Hermione's waist, and Draco murmured in her ear, "Staring at it isn't going to make it go away."
Hermione sighed and turned around in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
"Is there anything new?"
"Not yet," Draco replied. He gave her a sympathetic look, "But the Aurors are looking into Septimus's involvement and trying to work out who Lazarus is. They'll find something."
Hermione doubted that it would be enough, but she nodded all the same.
A tap sounded on the window, and Draco let go of Hermione to let the owl in. It flew over to Sadie and dropped a letter, then disappeared once more.
Sadie frowned and picked the letter up. She didn't recognise the handwriting straight away, but her eyes filled with tears when she opened the letter and scanned it.
"What's wrong?" Theo asked protectively.
Hermione forgot about her worries for a moment and sat down opposite Sadie at the table, "Is everything okay?"
Sadie nodded and cleared her throat. She held the letter up and said, "It's from Owen. His wife, Sarah, she had the baby last night. It was a little boy, and he's asking my permission to use a…name."
Draco frowned at that, but Hermione and Theo were more perceptive.
"That's sweet of him," Hermione said softly.
Theo grabbed Sadie's hand, "As long as you really aren't going to be bothered by that?"
Sadie shook her head, "It's not like we're having any more children, Theo."
"What about Oscar?" Hermione asked.
Sadie looked down at the letter once more, "No, I don't think Oscar will be upset either. He will want to use the name but as a middle name. He and Cassie already know what they would call a boy."
Draco's frown deepened, "What are we talking about?"
Hermione looked up at her husband, "Owen wants to call his son Sorenson."
"Oh," Draco said, his eyes widening in realisation.
"Soren, actually," Sadie said with a sad smile, "As a tribute to Sorenson. In his letter, Owen says he would probably be called Ren for short."
Theo understood that. He looked at her and said, "That's what you called him when you were little, right?"
Sadie's voice broke, but she nodded.
"Before I was able to say Sorenson, yeah."
"Come here, baby," Theo murmured.
Sadie bit back a sob and buried her head in Theo's chest.
Theo sighed and looked over Draco and Hermione's head at the calendar. He couldn't take his eyes off that date with the vivid red circle around it either.
He was just better at hiding it than Hermione was.
The Auror Office
Friday the 10th of September
When Ben called him into the Auror office, Harry knew it was doubtful that there was good news to be shared.
He steeled himself and stepped in, being entirely unsurprised to see Ben sitting behind his desk with his eyes fixed on something in front of him.
The Head Auror looked up when Harry came in, and then he ensured that the door was locked and a silencing charm was in place. That put Harry on edge a little, but he trusted Ben enough that he didn't reach for his wand.
"I'd suggest you sit down for this."
Harry had never heard Ben sound so severe, so he nodded and took a seat.
Ben sighed and tapped the file in front of him, "Organised Crimes findings on Lotus Cauldwell's whereabouts during the disappearances. I had to swear Almina Nott to secrecy, mind you. It's her grandmother we're investigating."
Harry nodded, "She's a good Auror, Ben. If you've told her it's confidential, she won't tell anyone."
"Not even her family?" Ben questioned.
Harry shook his head, "She, Teddy and Nick, they have a pact. They don't talk about work, and it's not lying or withholding information. It's turning it off and focusing on themselves when they get home. That's something I wish I had been able to do when I was their age."
"You and me both," Ben admitted, "I can never turn it off. I see danger around every corner."
Harry smiled weakly, "Yeah, me too. What did they find?"
Ben flipped the file open, "Well, the Cauldwells are a wealthy family but so were the Lestrange's. When Rodolphus and Rabastan died, everything fell to Lotus. Of course, Lestrange Manor was seized and condemned by the ministry, but we couldn't do anything about the foreign properties."
Harry nodded and motioned for Ben to continue.
"Lareina's first suspicious disappearance was in 2005, like you said," Ben said, giving Harry a slight nod, "It was in November – a month after Lucia Cross killed herself. Lotus left the country for a week."
Ben pulled a form out and slid it across the table for Harry to read.
MINISTRY OF MAGIC
I declare to the Ministry of Magic that my reason for apparating internationally is:
Pleasure.
Please specify:
Visiting a family property for pleasure.
Location of intended travel:
Kiev, Ukraine.
DECLARATION:
I declare that the information I have supplied the Ministry with is true. I understand that if I am found to have given false information and/or have left the country for illegal means, I may be fined, forcibly returned home or prosecuted in my country of travel and/or my home country.
SIGNED - DATED
Rohana Lotus Cauldwell - 19th November 2005
Harry looked up from the form to Ben, "Ukraine…pretty close to Russia, isn't it?"
"Yes," Ben said with a tired sigh, "Records show that Lotus does have a family property in Kyiv through the Lestrange's. However, Staluk in Russia is just over the border, and that is where Katerina and Isaak went missing after their parent's deaths on the 21st of November, 2005."
"But how did she cross the border into Russia without authorities noticing?"
"Quite easily," Ben admitted, "Once she was in Ukraine, she just had to tell the Russian ministry that she was visiting family in Russia, and she passed through the wards – no paperwork."
Harry shook his head irritably.
"But the interesting thing here is that Organised Crime did some digging, and Lotus does have family in Russia. The Lestrange's were like a horde of locusts; they spread to more countries than I can count. Although the main branch here died out, there are Lestrange's everywhere," Ben said with a wave of his hand.
Harry leant forward, "And?"
"The Russian branch live near Murmansk in the far north of the country," Ben said triumphantly.
Harry's eyes widened with realisation, "And we suspect Septimus's lab of being in the Siberian tundra."
Ben bowed his head, "Which Murmansk is very close to. That's how he did it, Harry. He set up the lab using his wife's connections."
Harry nodded, and Ben continued, "I'm in the process of putting a task force together to do some scouting now we have a better idea of where his base might be. But there's more on Lotus, first."
"Of course there is," Harry muttered as Ben slid another form across the desk for him to read.
MINISTRY OF MAGIC
I declare to the Ministry of Magic that my reason for apparating internationally is:
Pleasure.
Please specify:
Visiting my cousin, Lina Lestrange.
Location of intended travel:
Vienna, Austria.
DECLARATION:
I declare that the information I have supplied the Ministry with is true. I understand that if I am found to have given false information and/or have left the country for illegal means, I may be fined, forcibly returned home or prosecuted in my country of travel and/or my home country.
SIGNED - DATED
Rohana Lotus Cauldwell - 6th July 2007
"Lotus did have a cousin called Lina Lestrange, and she did live in Vienna," Ben remarked, "But Lina died in suspicious circumstances in 2011."
That caught Harry's attention, "Suspicious, how?"
"Austrian Aurors arrested her on suspicion of murder," Ben replied. He looked up at Harry, "Her husband's murder. All the evidence was stacked up against her, but she killed herself in police custody."
"Let me guess," Harry said dryly, "With a cyanide capsule?"
"Got it in one," Ben nodded, "Exactly the same way Lucia killed herself, but we didn't connect the two because it happened in a different country, and you know as well as I do how good the ICW are at communicating."
"Yeah, those idiots couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery," Harry agreed.
Ben snorted in amusement, then nodded.
Harry sighed and looked at the Head Auror, "So you're running with the theory that Lina Lestrange was capable of helping Lotus kidnap and experiment on children because her murder of her husband paints her to be immoral?"
"Precisely," Ben replied, "It's also not a coincidence that Vienna is pretty close to the border with Slovakia. Lotus travelled to Vienna on the 6th of July, and there was a fatal explosion at an orphanage in Vovka, just over the border in Slovakia only a few days later."
Harry nodded, "That's when Jelena Levitsky went missing, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but there were three others who were unaccounted for after the explosion. The Muggle authorities put it down to not being able to find remains and declared them dead," Ben explained, "The chances are that Jelena was the only one to survive the experiments."
Harry swallowed and nodded, "Can we link Lotus to any other disappearances in Eastern Europe?"
Ben shrugged, "This isn't a disappearance, as such, but we can link her to Katrin Luther. All we know about her is that she's in the wind, and she's good at that. She was born in Regensburg, Germany, in 1994. Her parents were wealthy; they sent Katrin to the private school set up in the former prison at Nurmengard."
Harry nodded as Ben continued, "It's a boarding school, like Hogwarts, so she spent most of the year in the Austrian Alps. But during the summer of her fourteenth birthday, her parents were killed in what we thought was an anti-magic attack by the Muggles."
Harry frowned, "Now you're not sure?"
Ben shook his head, "Faye Avery, one of the Juniors in Organised Crime, provided us with a gem of information. She said she had heard the name Luther before, and that was because she was sure it was a German variation on Lestrange."
Harry nodded slowly, "Faye would know. The Avery and Lestrange families intermarried for a long time, didn't they?"
"They did," Ben agreed, "So we did some more digging with that knowledge, and it turns out that Lotus Cauldwell just happened to be in Germany when Katrin's parents died."
He slid the third form across the table to Harry.
MINISTRY OF MAGIC
I declare to the Ministry of Magic that my reason for apparating internationally is:
Pleasure.
Please specify:
Attending a family event.
Location of intended travel:
Nuremberg, Germany.
DECLARATION:
I declare that the information I have supplied the Ministry with is true. I understand that if I am found to have given false information and/or have left the country for illegal means, I may be fined, forcibly returned home or prosecuted in my country of travel and/or my home country.
SIGNED - DATED
Rohana Lotus Cauldwell - 12th August 2008
Ben waited for Harry to scan the form, then he said.
"The family event isn't specified, but Katrin Luther turned 14 the day after Lotus arrived in the country."
"Fucking hell," Harry muttered, "How didn't I link this before?"
"Because you weren't looking for it," Ben replied honestly, "None of us were. Harry, someone like Lotus Cauldwell, fills out on average ten to fifteen on these a year. Every time you travel via the apparition centre, you have to state why you are doing so. Think how many times a year your wife fills these out for work trips or holidays in Paris."
Harry sighed, "Still…have we worked out how Katrin and Lotus are connected?"
Ben nodded and showed Harry a family tree, "Distantly, to put it bluntly. As I said, there are a lot of branches of the Lestrange's, which is quite impressive when you consider that they spent decades marrying their cousins."
Harry made a face but nodded.
"In the 1870s, Manon Lestrange married a man whose surname was Perrot, in Paris," Ben explained, "They had three daughters, and the middle child, Laurelle, had a son out of wedlock in 1905 with a German wizard she had met. He was mysteriously killed, most likely by Laurelle's mother, and she ran away to Germany with her baby."
"Who she gave the surname 'Luther' to because it's a German variant of Lestrange," Harry said with a nod.
"Exactly," Ben agreed, "If you want to get technical about it, Lotus and Katrin are fourth cousins."
"But they're linked, and that's enough," Harry said with a nod. He rose to his feet and added, "She's linked to the disappearance of three children, and all of them were orphaned in suspicious circumstances. Oddly enough, all involving suspicious explosions or fires like the ones in Diagon Alley."
Ben nodded and got to his feet, "I'll issue a warrant for her arrest."
Harry nodded too, his eyes dark and his voice quieter than usual.
"Do it quietly."
"Yes, sir."
Potter Manor
Friday the 10th of September
By the time Harry got home on Friday evening, he was wound up, and he knew Lilly and Neville would notice the minute they saw him. It would take them less than half an hour to draw the whole truth out of him, but he hadn't even told Draco yet.
And truth be told, he didn't know how to. Ben was holding a meeting on Monday which Draco would be at, so Harry had to tell him before then, but how did you tell one of your best friends that the prophecy they were worried about didn't just involve them but the parents of the people they loved?
It was driving him to the edge of his sanity, and that was saying something.
But when he stepped into the drawing-room and saw Daphne sporting a fresh tan and smiling as she spoke to Lilly, he felt a little lighter.
"Daphne! You're home."
Daphne turned to look at him, "Surprise!"
Harry laughed weakly and crossed the room to hug her, but she ducked her head and kissed him. When she drew back, she narrowed her eyes and said.
"Something's wrong."
Harry looked at her in disbelief, "You got that from a kiss?"
"No, I got that from the fact you went for a hug," Daphne said matter of factly, "What's going on?"
Harry sighed a ran a hand through his hair, "A lot, honestly. I'm sitting on something pretty big here."
"You and me both," Lilly muttered.
Daphne raised an eyebrow and looked between, "Oh, just you wait until you hear what I discovered in France. But you go first."
Harry and Lilly looked at each other, and Harry gave her a nudge, "You first then."
Lilly leant back in her armchair, "Aurora Sinistra is Oscar Cauldwell's mother."
Lilly hadn't shared this news with any of them yet, so all of their eyes widened in disbelief.
"What?" Neville remarked.
"When she was his teacher?" Harry added.
Daphne whistled, "No wonder Sorenson never told anyone….does Sadie know?"
"Uh-huh," Lilly replied, "Susan worked it out and told Aurora she couldn't work at HGS anymore, so she handed her notice in. Clara knows too. Sorenson told her and Oscar about it through letters and memories."
"Holy shit," Neville muttered.
"Still, what Harry knows is bigger," Lilly admitted with a shrug.
Neville nodded his agreement, and Daphne narrowed her eyes.
"Wait…you both know, and none of you bothered to tell me?"
"We couldn't. No channel is secure on an international level, especially not right now," Harry replied calmly.
Daphne crossed her arms, "Yes, but you could have told me to come home if it was so urgent."
"We only just worked it out," Harry said honestly, "I know who Lazarus is, and I know how he did it."
Daphne's eyes widened slightly, "Who?"
"Alfred Nott," Harry replied, without missing a beat, "Septimus Cauldwell brought him back, using the same ritual that Voldemort used in our fourth year because Alfred Nott had a Horcrux."
Daphne didn't gasp or look at him with comically wide eyes. She just sat down and said with conviction…
"Fuck."
"Yeah, I don't think I could sum it up better myself, to be honest," Harry agreed. He leant by the fireplace and looked down at his wife.
"And what's more, Lotus Cauldwell helped. She orchestrated the whole damn thing. She was behind the Lucia Cross attacks, and she was the one who kidnapped Katerina, Isaak and Jelena. She's connected to Katrin Luther, too."
Daphne sighed again, "Has she been arrested yet?"
"No, but it's only a matter of time. Ben's putting a warrant out for her arrest right now," Harry replied with a shake of his head.
Daphne cursed again, then asked, "How has Sadie taken it?"
Harry rubbed his eyes and admitted, "She doesn't know."
Daphne narrowed her eyes at Harry again, "How has Theo taken it?"
Harry looked at his wife cautiously, "He doesn't know."
She was on the verge of losing her temper now, and Harry could see that.
"How has Draco taken it?" She asked evenly.
"He…doesn't know," Harry admitted.
"Damnit, Harry, he's the Minister for Magic!" Daphne snapped, "He needs to know, and yes, it's personal, and by Merlin, it's going to hurt. But he has to know, and he has to hear it from you, or this will be the end of your friendship."
"I know," Harry groaned, "I just….I don't know how to tell him. He's one of my best friends, Daphne."
Daphne stood up and grabbed Harry's hands, "I know, Harry. That's why it matters so much that he hears the truth from you now."
With a sigh, Harry nodded.
"I'll tell him tomorrow."
Daphne let out a relieved breath and nodded.
The air felt tense until Lily broke the tension by asking, "What was your big news anyway, Daphne?"
Daphne looked confused for a second, then realisation dawned on her, "Oh, I had a half-sister that I never knew about. My mother had a baby when she was 17, with Evan Rosier of all people."
"What?"
Daphne nodded and sat back in her armchair, "I know. Crazy, right?"
Lilly blew out a breath, "Jesus, does nobody around here not have skeletons in their bloody Manors?"
Daphne sighed and shook her head, "When you come from pureblood stock, it's hardly surprising."
"Still," Harry frowned, "How are you taking that? Because you said had, like she wasn't around anymore."
Daphne sat down again and nodded, "Because she isn't. Have you heard of a forget-me-not charm?"
Lilly's eyes widened, "Yes, but that's very old, very dark magic."
"Not to mention very illegal magic," Harry cut in, his weary eyes still on Daphne.
"You never had to meet my Grandfather, Harry," Daphne remarked dryly, "The law was something he was above, as far as he was concerned."
Neville frowned, "Is a forget-me-not charm the same as a forget-me-not potion, then?"
"No," Lilly replied with a shake of her head, "A forget-me-not potion takes specific memories away, but a forget-me-not charm is person-specific. If I cast it on you right now, I could make you forget that I had ever existed."
Neville's eyes widened, and Daphne nodded, "That was what my grandfather did to my mother. He made her forget her daughter's existence, and a forget-me-not charm isn't tied to the caster like several other memory-related ones; that's what makes it so dark. It's tied to the subject, so my mother had no idea who her daughter was until she died."
"Jesus," Lilly muttered, "That's dark."
"That's the Crouch family for you," Daphne said with a sigh.
"Sorry, Daphne," Harry murmured, "I can't imagine that was an easy story to listen to."
Daphne shrugged but said nothing.
"You could still look for her," Neville pointed out, "Finding a grave and having somewhere to lay flowers might help you find a sense of closure."
"I wouldn't even know where to start," Daphne admitted, "All I know is her name and that she was born in January 1978."
"What was her name?" Harry asked curiously.
"Lydia," Daphne replied, "Crouch, I think. I had a great uncle who was a squib. He got cast out when he was 11, and he grew up on the streets until he joined the Muggle army and got himself a life. They gave Lydia to him because he and his wife couldn't have children. So Silas and Victoria raised her, and she grew up in the Muggle world. It sounds like she had a pretty good upbringing, and then she went to Hogwarts and was sorted into Slytherin. That's really all that I know, though."
Harry smiled and grabbed her hand, "We can work with that."
"I'm sure that we can," Daphne agreed, "But right, there are much more pressing matters, don't you think?"
The others all nodded their agreement. Lazarus was undoubtedly the most pressing of matters to contend with. Everything else could wait.
Blacknot Castle
Saturday the 12th of September
Harry waited by the gate with his thick winter cloak slung over his shoulders. It was cold this far north in September. He remembered well enough from his years at Hogwarts.
A click and a whoosh sounded, and the gates swung open. Draco stepped out wearing a deep green trenchcoat and riding boots.
Harry shook his head and remarked, "Who would have thought you would be the one dressing like a Muggle while I dress like a wizard?"
Draco shot him an amused look, "A fashionable Muggle, please."
Harry laughed, and they fell into step together along the gravel path that rarely got used. Charlus had Draco's old bike, but the Black-Notts didn't use vehicles other than that.
"Besides, Headmaster," Draco added, "Don't you have to look the part?"
That made Harry smile slightly, "I'll dress like Dumbledore did in his 40's, Draco, not how he did in his 90's."
Draco smirked, "Three-piece suits all the way, then?"
"Exactly," Harry remarked.
They fell silent for a moment, then Draco pointed out the obvious.
"I doubt you asked me if I fancied a walk just so we could critique each other's fashion sense, mind you."
It was said dryly, but Harry knew Draco well enough to understand that didn't mean he was angry; it was just the way he tended to speak more often than not.
"No," Harry sighed, "I wish it were just for a catch-up, then a coffee at "Estella's", but it isn't."
Draco nodded and looked up. They had just stepped into the thick foliage. The path wound its way through mountainous woods towards Hogsmeade. It was a half an hour walk, give or take a few minutes.
"How bad is it then?"
"It's bad," Harry admitted. He kept his gaze down when he asked, "How much do you know about Voldemort's return?"
There was a beat that passed, then…
"A fair amount."
"Do you know how he did it?" Harry asked, chancing a glance up at Draco.
He had paled slightly, but he bowed his head, "Like the rest of the nation, I know that Horcruxes were involved. Unlike the rest of the nation, I also know that there was a dark ritual, but please, Harry, don't tell me that he's back."
"No, he's not," Harry promised, "But someone else is. They recreated that ritual, and Draco, I know it's true. The body is missing, and so are bones from his father's tomb."
Draco paused and asked, "Who?"
There was no point in drawing it out.
"Alfred Nott," Harry replied.
Draco swallowed, then shook his head. He looked Harry dead in the eye and asked with the utmost conviction.
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"Completely," Harry promised him.
"How?" Draco asked curtly, "I know you said he recreated the ritual, but he has been dead for 23 years, so why now?"
Harry let out a breath, then replied, "Because Septimus Cauldwell is Peter Pettigrew if we're directly comparing this to Voldemort's return. When he went to prison, it delayed the plan to bring Alfred back by ten years."
Draco tried his best to keep his expression blank, but Harry knew him better than that. He could see the torment in the other man's eyes.
"Okay, so he's been back since 2008 and laying low then?" Draco asked.
"I don't know exactly when Septimus brought him back," Harry admitted, "I think maybe he doubted the plan when he first came out of prison, though. There was that brief time when he tried to reconcile with Sadie?"
"Then turned and fled because he couldn't handle our family arrangement," Draco said darkly, "So he ran straight to Alfred Nott, I presume?"
"He and his wife both did," Harry added, "Lotus was in on the plan all along, Draco. We have evidence that she was close enough to have committed the murders of Katerina, Isaak, and Jelena's parents and orchestrated their disappearances. She's also connected to Katrin Luther and was in Germany when the murder of Petra and Klaus Luther took place."
Draco turned around and swore loudly. Then he blasted a spell at a tree. Harry just stayed silent and didn't judge. He knew how much of a blow this would be, not just to Draco but to his entire family.
"There's more," Harry said when Draco stopped firing spells to rest his head against the tree trunk.
Draco scoffed and muttered dryly, "Of course there is."
"You will know as well as I do that Alfred Nott was a master manipulator," Harry said calmly, "So I imagine convincing the Cauldwells to do his bidding was quite easy. We know Septimus is weak-willed and happy to give his loyalty to the person most able to protect him. After a decade in Azkaban, I expect he felt more like that than ever and as for Lotus…I don't want to tar an entire family with the same brush, but she was a Lestrange."
Draco sighed and nodded, "You can tar them all with the same brush because they are all the same. They are only ever out for themselves, so if they decided to help Alfred, he must have offered them something big."
"Like control of a revolutionised Ministry of Magic?" Harry queried.
Draco looked at Harry in alarm, "What?"
"If the Saboteurs get their way, then all Ministries are going to have to work directly with the Muggles," Harry pointed out, "It's a revolution, and whoever would have to deal with that would be praised for bringing us into a bold new age. Just like they would have been if they had led us after the Lucia Cross attacks, had she been successful."
"No," Draco said darkly, "No, Harry. You're not saying what I think you are."
"We dug out the old case files to see if we had missed anything," Harry continued because he had to get this all out now, "And we did. It seems big now, but it wasn't something we were looking for at the time, so we didn't think anything of it."
Draco's expression was less blank now, "What was it?"
"We noticed that Lucia Cross had a Muggle bank account, but we didn't look into it because we already had enough to bring her down," Harry admitted.
"But after connecting Lotus to the murders on the continent, we decided to dig into her and Lucia's historical transactions on a hunch of mine, I'll be honest."
Draco nodded, "And?" he asked curtly.
Harry sighed, "Someone sent Lucia a significant amount of money each month. We were trying to figure out who when the goblins got back to us and told us that for several months in 2005, Lotus withdrew a large amount of money and had it converted into Muggle pounds sterling."
"For fuck's sake," Draco muttered, "She was funding Lucia's stupid movement?"
Harry nodded, "Which means…she's the one behind everything that happened to Theo."
Draco let out a low sound, somewhere between a growl and a groan. He was angrier than Harry thought he had ever seen him, but he was trying his best to contain it.
"He can't know, Harry."
Harry took a moment to compose himself, "Well…that's up to you at the end of the day, but it's not the choice that I would make if this were Neville and me."
"This isn't you and Neville," Draco said hotly, "It's Theo and me, and that's different from anything you've ever experienced. I don't mean to be rude and say you don't know what it's like, but - "
" - I don't," Harry finished with a nod.
Draco took a shaky breath and nodded, "I've known him all my life, and I love him in the same way that you love Daphne. Imagine that, but with all the history you have with Ron and Hermione."
Harry nodded, "It's intense between you two, I know."
Draco shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, "It's not just his body these days, Harry. He's been through hell…."
"He's strong enough to handle the truth," Harry argued.
Draco was steadfast on this one, though, "No, not telling him is safer for him."
"And what about Sadie?" Harry queried, "Doesn't she have a right to know that her parents are as involved in this as Theo's father is?"
"Sadie, Theo, and Hermione – they have enough to worry about right now," Draco said firmly, "The prophecy is edging closer, and they are terrified."
"And they have reason to be," Harry argued, "They deserve to know that."
"No," Draco said firmly, "My family, my choice. They are better off not knowing."
Harry pushed down the irritation that boiled to the surface then. He just took a step back and bowed his head, "Fine."
Draco sighed, "Thank you for telling me. I imagine the big meeting on Monday is about all of this?"
Harry nodded, "It is. I just thought, considering how long we've known each other, you ought to hear it from me. But for the record, Sadie is going to get suspicious when she finds out about her mother's arrest earlier today."
Draco's eyes flashed, "What?"
"She masterminded all of this, Draco. The evidence is stacked against her," Harry said with a shrug, "What other choice did Ben have?"
Draco swallowed, then nodded, "I understand."
Harry nodded too, "See you on Monday," he said before disappearing with a resounding crack.
The Ministry of Magic
Just before midday, Ben urgently called Harry into the Ministry of Magic. He rushed in, and Ben instantly ushered him into the Head Aurors office. As it had been last time, the door was locked and silenced the moment it closed.
"What is it?" Harry asked anxiously, "What did she tell you?"
"Nothing," Ben said irritably, "She smirked at us then bit down on something in her mouth."
"Fuck!" Harry cursed loudly, "She killed herself? Like Lucia did?"
"No, she tried to," Ben corrected, "Kyler realised what she was doing straight away. He said it made him think of a method the Death Eaters used when captured – they'd break a lead tooth and poison themselves."
Harry watched Ben anxiously.
"He knew a spell that put her in stasis," Ben added, "So she's alive but in a coma. The Healers at St Mungo's say it could be weeks before she wakes up if she ever does."
"Have the next of kin been informed?" Harry asked.
Ben sighed, "Clara Cauldwell treated her. She said she would tell Sadie herself. After all that's happened recently, she didn't want that news delivered via a Patronus."
Harry nodded in agreement.
"So we're back at square one," Ben said in disbelief.
"No, we're not," Harry reminded him, "At square one, we couldn't narrow Lazarus's whereabouts down, but now we have a region of Russia. We know how he came back. We know about Septimus and Lotus's involvement. We're not at square one, Ben – far from it."
Ben let out a breath and nodded, "Thanks, Harry. I needed to hear that today."
Harry nodded, "We all have cases like this, Ben. Cases we can't help but take home, that affect us far more than they ought to. For Jack, then John, and for me in a way, it was the Lucia Cross attacks. For you, it's the Statute Saboteurs. Sometimes you just need someone to remind you that you are making progress."
Ben rubbed his face then looked up at Harry with a more solemn expression on his face. He nodded and said, "We're gonna get this guy, aren't we?"
"Course we are," Harry said. He reached out and gripped Ben's shoulder, "We already have once."
Blacknot Castle
Draco had been quiet and distant all day. The others had noticed but hadn't questioned him on it, probably because they thought it was related to the prophecy. Still, no information had come in regarding Lotus's arrest, so that was something.
It was mid-afternoon when the floo went off, and Draco tensed because he instantly expected the worst. He half-expected Harry to step through that fireplace and tell everyone the truth. He didn't think he would ever forgive the other man if he did.
But Clara was the one who stepped out, and Draco let out a quiet breath of relief. She would be here to see Sadie. This couldn't have anything to do with Lotus.
"Clara," Sadie said politely, "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," Clara said, although the smile seemed forced.
Sadie could see that, but she didn't push the issue. Instead, she asked, "How are the girls doing? I know Oscar is coping in his own way. He comes around every so often with Sage."
Clara nodded and sighed, "Yeah, the girls aren't doing quite so well. Or maybe Oscar is masking it better than they are, I don't know. He learned that from his dad, Sorenson was always so good at covering up how he felt."
"I know," Sadie admitted.
"With any luck going back to Hogwarts next month will help them," Clara said with a shrug, "Or distract them from what they're feeling at the very least."
Sadie nodded absentmindedly, "What did you think of Owen and Sarah's news?"
Clara's smile was a tight one, "I was honoured that they wanted to honour Sorenson like that. Lilly delivered the baby, and she said that Sarah was the one who suggested it. Owen refused to let Lilly put the name on any official form until you and I had both said it was okay."
Sadie smiled slightly, "Well, he was a Hufflepuff, and he's incredibly loyal to our family considering how my father treated his father for marrying a Muggle."
"I know," Clara said with a nod, "Family is sort of the reason I'm here. I thought you ought to hear this from me, considering how much you've already lost this year."
Sadie's eyes darkened, and Draco's heart skipped a beat.
"What's wrong?"
"Your mother was admitted to hospital this afternoon," Clara admitted, "She's in a coma, and things are touch and go. We don't know if she's going to wake up."
Sadie's eyes widened, and a frown began to form across her face. Theo stepped up and wrapped his arms around his wife.
"A coma? How did that happen?"
Clara glanced from them to Draco, who was looking increasingly anxious.
"Aurors admitted her, and I had to induce the coma to let her body heal," Clara explained, "Her organs are shutting down; it's a side-effect of cyanide poisoning."
Sadie went on the defensive, but Theo's eyes darkened because he immediately thought of Lucia when he heard 'cyanide poisoning'.
"What? Does that mean someone tried to kill her?" Sadie remarked.
Clara bit her lip and said, "I'm sorry, Sadie. I don't know the circumstances. I only treated her with what I knew. The Aurors didn't say much."
Theo looked from Clara to Draco, and then he let go of Sadie.
"Care to explain why you look so suspicious, Draco?"
Hermione cast her gaze at her husband too. She narrowed her eyes and noted, "You're sweating."
Draco glanced between them then got to his feet, "I only found out this morning, and I didn't…I didn't know how to tell you."
"Find a way," Hermione said curtly. She crossed her arms over her chest, "Because this needs an explanation."
"And I suspect you have one," Theo said as he looked pointedly at the other man.
Draco sighed and walked over to the fireplace, "Harry spoke to me this morning. He told me about Lotus's impending arrest and that it was for….her involvement in the Diagon Alley and the Lucia Cross attacks."
Theo paled significantly, Sadie looked stunned, and Hermione hissed, "What?"
Draco scrubbed a hand through his hair, "He says they linked her to Lucia through money taken out of Lotus's bank account matching the amount of money paid into Lucia's. she funded Lucia's little rebellion, and…the Aurors found evidence that she was out of the country when three of the known Statute Saboteurs were kidnapped, and their parents murdered."
Sadie shook her head in disbelief, "Why? My father…I understand. He was always weak-minded, but why would my mother do this?"
"We think it was because the person she and your father are working for offered them a deal," Draco confessed, "Power, or control of some sort when they had revolutionised the Ministry."
Hermione was probably the most perceptive when it came to knowing what Draco was hiding from them. Theo had known him longer, but Hermione could pick up on his tells. She knew when he was holding something back.
"You know who Lazarus is, don't you?"
Draco swallowed and nodded.
"Yes. He used a dark ritual and a Horcrux to revive himself when we previously thought he was dead," Draco began quietly, "Harry had a hunch, so he exhumed the body, and it was missing, along with some of his father's bones which he would need for the ritual."
Theo set his jaw and looked Draco dead in the eye, "No. please tell me this isn't what I think it is Draco."
Draco shook his head and looked at Theo, "I can't, I'm sorry."
If Theo could beg with his eyes, he did just then.
Draco had to break eye contact before he could speak again.
"Lazarus is Alfred Nott."
Theo swore and threw his cane across the floor, and Sadie sat down in disbelief. Clara, the innocent bystander in all of this, sat down by her side and hugged the younger woman.
In true Hermione Granger fashion, Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "So what are we doing about this?"
Draco would have smiled in other circumstances, "There's a meeting on Monday. The Aurors have a plan, and I have faith in them, considering they're effectively being led by Harry right now."
Hermione nodded and took a step closer to Draco, "The prophecy then, it's about all of us if Alfred Nott is involved in this."
Draco nodded and pulled her into his arms, "Yes," he sighed, "I think so."
- TBC -
