The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
There Were Times When It Looked Like Nothing Could Save Them
The chapter title is from the song:
99 Years – Josh Groban and Jennifer Nettles.
The Potter-Wolfe Residence
Saturday the 18th of September
8 pm
Almina was rushing around getting ready for work when the mirror on her bedside table buzzed. She grabbed it and murmured the incantation, then sat it upright against her dressing table.
"Hey Ells, I'm in a bit of a rush, sorry."
"It's okay," Ella said through the link, "Are you working tonight?"
"Yes," Almina replied; she was currently running a brush through her hair, "I am on the glorious 9 pm to 9 am shift."
"That sounds like great fun," Ella remarked sarcastically, "Can I trade you? I think I'd take that over all the lovey-dovey stuff going on here."
"Oh, Merlin – are Mum and Dad at it again? Or is it Mama and Pops this time?"
Ella groaned and held up her wine glass, "It's all of them. They went out riding earlier, and since they got back, they've been weirdly happy. I don't get it, they've been kind of miserable since Diagon Alley."
Almina nodded and kept her expression neutral. She knew what was going on because she knew about the prophecy and the Mabon link. But her parents hadn't told her younger siblings that, and Almina respected their decision, so she stayed quiet.
"Also, Cas outed Ada."
Almina looked at the mirror in alarm, "What?"
"Cas caught her kissing Laurel Longbottom in a greenhouse at the end of last year," Ella said with an amused smile, "Poor Ada was mortified when our parents found out. I could hear her yelling about it to Dora, and their bedrooms are two floors above mine."
"I don't blame her," Almina remarked, "I would have slapped Cas if I was there. Did you?"
"No, but I did tell him off, and I thrashed him at chess," Ella said with a smirk, "I miss Egypt though. It's too busy here, and there's too much love."
Almina laughed, "There's never too much of that."
"You would say that, you're in love," Elladora pointed out, "Personally, I think it's just a natural part of evolution that enables our species to carry on reproducing."
"Merlin, you sound cynical," Almina laughed, "And I mean, you don't have to be in love to reproduce. A lot of people aren't these days."
"I know," Ella muttered, "Andie was having sex with Frederick Wood for a month before they even got together, and she wondered why I couldn't be okay with that. It was totally meaningless sex!"
Almina snorted and replied sarcastically, "You're right, that sounds awful."
Ella rolled her eyes and glared at her sister through the mirror, "Shut up, Mina."
"You called me, remember?" Almina said, shooting Ella a smile.
Ella grumbled, and Almina continued, "And I'm not stupid. I know you did it so you could fill me in on the family gossip, which I'm grateful for, by the way."
Ella laughed, "I knew you would be."
"But," Almina cut in, "All of this 'love sucks' stuff? It's because you got your heart broken by Noah, and just hear me out here, Ells."
Ella gave her an exasperated look.
"All I'm going to say is that the most messed up thing that the universe can do is let you meet the right person at the wrong time," Almina said wisely.
"Maybe you'll work it out in a few years, or maybe you'll realise that he was never right for you. But right now, it just hurts, and you're bitter, which is fine, so long as you don't let it stop you from loving again."
"If you stop spouting Agony Aunt stuff at me, I'll promise to stop being bitter," Ella promised.
"Deal," Almina said cheerfully, "Now, do I have permission to tease Ada something rotten when we come over for her and Dora's birthday dinner?"
"If Nina lets you, yes – please do," Ella said with a grin, "And – oh here we go, Dad and Pops are making out. I swear, I can't even look out of my window without seeing love! I want to go back to Egypt."
Almina laughed, "You will, soon. Speak later, yeah?"
"Yeah, bye, Mina."
"Soldier on, Ella!"
Almina turned the mirror over and shook her head in amusement. Then she grabbed her red Auror robes and slung them on before jogging down the stairs to say goodbye to Teddy, Nick and Nina.
The Ministry of Magic
8.30 pm
"Nah, Sid, you're wrong."
"No, Bob, I'm right, and you're wrong."
The two security wizards guarding the entrance to the ministry were bickering, as they always did when they were on a late Saturday shift. By this time on a Saturday, they were well and truly ready to clock off. But they weren't allowed to do so until 9 pm when the night watch switched over with them.
"Harry Potter just ain't as powerful as Dumbledore, period," Bob said.
Sid scoffed, "Says who? He brought down all them wards on Diagon Alley."
"With help," Bob pointed out, "Who helped Dumbledore defeat Grindelwald?"
"Mr Newt Scamander, as a matter of fact. It takes an army, Bob."
Bob rolled his eyes, "Look, maybe Potter will get there one day, yeah? But I'm just saying him now is nothing on Dumbledore at his peak."
"Yeah, well - "
Sid cut himself off when someone stepped through the wards. He tipped his hat to the person, "Evening, Miss Almina, got the short straw this Saturday, did ya?"
"Absolutely, Sidney," Almina replied. She held out her wand, which Sid scanned.
"Ah, well I hope it's a quiet shift for you," Sid said, "You're good to go."
"Thanks," Almina returned politely, "Not long now guys, you only have - " she glanced at the large clock on the wall, " – half an hour to go, just hang in there."
"We will. You have a good night now, Miss Almina," Sid said.
He then turned back to Bob, "Now, what I was saying was it don't matter what Dumbledore did at his peak, does it? Potter defeated Voldemort when he was just a baby - "
"That don't count, Sid!" Bob exclaimed, "He didn't do nothing, he just didn't die. You can't go basing all your arguments on stupid facts like that."
"Well, he defeated him as a teenager then," Sid argued.
Bob rolled his eyes again. Then another person stepped through the wards.
Sid tipped his hat to her, "Evening, Miss Regina, didn't know you was on night duty this week."
Regina Rowle smiled politely and held her wand out to Sid, "I'm not, but duty calls, unfortunately. Working in the Department of Mysteries is a far cry away from a Monday to Friday job."
"Oh, course not," Sid nodded as he checked her wand, "Lot of responsibility, working down there."
"Indeed it is," Regina agreed.
"Well, you're good to go," Sid said. He handed Regina her wand back, "You have a good night now, Miss Regina."
Regina sighed and twirled her wand in her hand, "Oh, I'm sure I will. I'm terribly sorry boys, but needs must."
Sid frowned, and Bob reached for his wand. But before he got a chance, Regina thrust her wand downwards and said, "Orbis!"
The ground opened up, sucking both the security wizards and the table in-between them into it. There was a strange belching noise, and then the ground closed up once more.
Regina glanced around to make sure nobody had seen her. Then she slipped her wand back into her pocket and headed over to the fireplaces, where she waited for a few minutes until one activated.
A man in official Ministry dress, who looked rather non-descript, stepped through. After this, a woman followed, and finally, a shorter man joined them.
"Is it done?"
Regina bowed her head, "The atrium is secure, and I can grant you entry to the Department of Mysteries."
The tall man bowed his head, "There is one other thing I must do first…."
The Auror Office
"Good evening, Faye."
Faye groaned and didn't lift her head from her desk, "It is not a good evening, Almina. It's a Saturday night, and we are stuck in this godforsaken hole until 9 am tomorrow."
Almina smiled slightly and placed a cardboard cup of coffee in front of Faye, "I'm sure that will improve your mood."
Faye grunted in response, "Why are you so cheerful anyway? It's like you like night shift."
"It's an evening away from Nina and the constant retching," Almina said. She made a face and shook her head, "Remind me never to have babies."
Faye chuckled, "Everyone says that, but they all change their mind one day."
Almina frowned slightly and turned her back on Faye, "Yeah, pretty sure I won't," she muttered as she clocked in.
Faye sipped her coffee, "You really never want them? I mean, I don't think I do either, but my mother said that too, and she had three."
Almina smiled in amusement and turned around to look at her friend. Faye was the middle child, her older sister, Elvi, was a midwifery Healer who worked in Lilly's hospital, and her younger brother, Swann, was a Herbologist who lived in Brazil.
Faye leant back in her chair and kicked her feet up onto the desk, "And I think my parents are pinning their hopes on me being the one to give them a grandkid. Elvi is all," she put on a high-pitched voice, "I want to be just like my hero, Lilly Longbottom before I put a stop to my career and have kids!"
Almina snorted at Faye's relatively accurate impression of her ambitious older sister.
"And Swann isn't having babies unless he adopts them," Faye finished with an amused look at Almina, "Did you hear that he's got a new boyfriend?"
"No," Almina chuckled, "Did he meet someone in Brazil?"
"No," Faye said with a smirk, "He met someone at a Herbology convention here in the UK. I reckon you'll know his new catch, actually."
"Oh yeah?" Almina asked curiously.
"Uh-huh," Faye said with a grin, "Alastor 'freakin' Potter."
Almina laughed out loud, "Al, seriously? Well, at least he's a nice guy."
"Yeah, even if he is the saviour's kid," Faye said with a roll of her eyes.
"Hey, I'm the Minister's kid, and I'm your Auror partner. It doesn't get much worse than that, does it?"
Faye made a face, "No, it really doesn't, you're right. I'll put in a placement request as soon as all of this is over, find myself a more suitable partner."
Almina shot her an amused look, "Shut up."
Faye grinned in response, then a file flew through the door and dropped onto the desk in-between them.
A sticky note on the front said,
"Tonight's work, enjoy! – Lots of love, Kyler."
Faye groaned, "I hate him."
Almina opened the file and sighed, "Paperwork, seriously?"
"I really hope we get a call out," Faye grumbled.
Almina sighed and was about to sit down and start sifting through the file when a bang distracted them.
Smoke flooded the department, and when it hit them, Almina instantly felt woozy. She saw a shadowy figure step into the office, then Faye cried, "Almina!"
After that, everything went black.
Blacknot Castle
9.30 pm
Since her mirror-call with Almina, Ella had stayed upstairs in her bedroom, and Cas was minding his own business too. Ada was still sulking over Cas's 'outing' of her, and Dora was keeping her company in her misery.
Draco and Theo were playing chess over whiskey in the drawing-room, and Hermione was sipping a glass of wine as she thumbed through a book.
Sadie was drinking tea and watching the flames dance in the fire absentmindedly. She felt anxious, but she couldn't pinpoint why.
"Sure it wasn't something you ate?" Theo had asked.
Hermione had shrugged and reminded Theo, "We all ate the same thing today."
So Sadie sipped her tea, then they got talking about the kids.
"Do you think we should talk to Ada or not?" Draco asked.
Hermione looked up, "Not now. She's still angry at Cas, and she would only take that out on us if we spoke to her before she had a chance to calm down."
"Hermione's right," Sadie mused, "And since Ada has her temper, we should probably listen to her."
Draco chuckled at that and was elbowed in the ribs by Hermione as a result.
Theo smiled and opened his mouth to say something, then he winced and gripped his left arm tightly.
"What's wrong?" The others chorused.
"I don't know," Theo admitted, "It just felt like I had burned my arm on something."
He pulled his sleeve up and paled significantly when he saw the old outline of his dark mark, which had been covered with a tattoo for years, burning bright red like somebody had just stamped a hot poker into his skin.
"If you want to see your daughter again, come to the Department of Mysteries. I think we are long overdue a catch-up, son."
The voice filled the air, and then the mark stopped glowing, leaving a small outline of scar tissue instead.
Theo looked up at the others, his eyes wide with fear.
"It can't be tonight; it's not Mabon."
"Then…we got the date wrong," Hermione said, panic filling her voice.
"And he has Almina," Sadie said, her voice hoarse.
Theo got to his feet instantly, "I have to go."
"He's luring you there, Theo," Hermione said, getting to her feet too,
"I know, but she's my daughter. I have to go!" Theo snapped.
"She's our daughter," Sadie said fiercely, "You are not doing this on your own."
"You need us, Theo," Hermione agreed.
Draco swallowed, then said, "Wait, there's something you all need to know."
All three of them turned to look at him, and Draco let out a breath.
"I was going to tell you tomorrow night, I just wanted one last weekend of normalcy," He shook his head, "We searched your mother's memories, Sadie. We know what Alfred wants."
"What?" Sadie and Hermione asked in unison.
"He's had the Statute Saboteurs break into ministries across Europe because he was looking for a veil, but none of the ones he found in Europe worked, so he's come here," Draco explained, "To use the one in our Department of Mysteries."
"And my parents are helping him," Sadie finished.
Draco nodded, "They have been from the beginning. I'm sorry, Sadie."
Sadie shook her head and grabbed Theo's hand, "Let's just put a stop to this, right now."
Theo looked from Sadie to Hermione and Draco, "I don't want you to get hurt, any of you."
"Tough luck," Hermione said firmly, "We're a family, Theo – we are in this together, and we always have been."
Draco met Theo's eye and nodded.
"And besides, do you really think you can get in there without me?" Sadie asked; she sounded more like Hermione than ever.
"Some of the rooms in the Department of Mysteries require three-factor verification, which only a former Unspeakable would be able to get around."
Theo swallowed, then nodded.
"Let's go then."
The Department of Mysteries
When Almina woke up, she was in an eerily quiet, cavernous room. It was dimly lit and at its centre was an archway perched atop a rock. A tattered old curtain was draped over it and swayed in an invisible breeze.
Just looking at it made the hairs on the back of Almina's neck stand up.
Three people watched her from that rock – one had dark hair, flecked with grey and looked very similar to her father; they shared the same shade of brown hair, face shape and eye colour. Almina could only deduce that he was Alfred Nott.
Next to him was a slightly shorter man. He had grey stubble and messy grey hair that seemed to have once been blonde.
The third person was a girl; Almina recognised Katrin Luther from the wanted posters all over the ministry; she had pure white hair and ice-blue eyes.
"Care to introduce yourselves? I assume this isn't just a family catch up because then you wouldn't have had to kidnap me."
"Ah, the little princess is awake," Katrin said disdainfully.
Alfred raised a hand to silence her.
"You know who I am?"
Almina fixed him with a cold glare, "Yes, I know who you are. You see, my parents actually talk to me, so when my evil grandfather comes back to life, I tend to hear about it."
"Evil," Alfred said with a laugh, "That is exactly the sort of thing that Theodore would say about me. He always was too brash and judgemental to be in Slytherin."
Almina kept her eyes on Alfred; she was wary of him.
"You're right," She agreed with a nod, "He always was too much of a good man to be in Slytherin. Although, in saying that, bad men and women come from every house."
She looked over at the other man and narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't they?"
His eyes widened, "You know who I am?"
"I've seen pictures of you in my Grandmothers house," Almina replied disdainfully, "Of course I know who you are. Why do the bad guys always assume the girl they kidnap is stupid?"
"No, no," Alfred said; he shook his head, "We do not think you are stupid, not by any means. You were in Ravenclaw at school and Head Girl too. You take after your namesake, in that respect."
Almina made a face, "Firstly, that's just creepy, and secondly, didn't my grandmother have to leave school to marry you? Therefore never getting to formally finish her education, or in fact, having the chance to become Head Girl?"
Alfred chuckled lowly, "If you are trying to anger me into giving you information, it will not work. I am not like Lord Voldemort. I do not let my anger consume me."
Almina raised an eyebrow, "I see. Do I at least get to know why you kidnapped me, of all people?"
Alfred bowed his head, "I have been observing you and your family for quite some time now. The most vital thing I learned was that your father would do anything for his children."
"Including running right into your trap," Almina said with a sigh, "You're right; he should have been in Gryffindor."
Alfred didn't say anything further, so Almina pushed.
"Still, why me? Why not my brother?" She asked, "Or my older sister?"
Alfred frowned, "Your older sister?"
Almina looked up at him, "My older sister, Lacey."
Alfred laughed bitterly at that, "Is that what Theodore has tried to do? Has he really tried to supplant me in every way?"
"He stepped up and became the father that she needed," Almina said firmly, "And the father that you never were. He and my mother were so young when they had Charlus and me, but they managed, and I saw Lacey all of the time. When I was little, I used to look forward to the summer so much because she would spend half of it with us and half of it with my Grandma Sally, so I don't think you can judge him for that."
"I can judge him for whatever I like, my dear," Alfred replied calmly, "I am his father, after all. It would not surprise me if he tried to take my place in his stepmother's bed after everything he got up to in his final year of school."
Almina laughed, "I assume you're talking about what my Mum calls his Seventh Year Hit List?"
Alfred's eyes flashed, and Almina smirked, "Yes, I know about that. My father is very honest about his past mistakes. He shares his failures with us because that's how he teaches us to learn from ours. I know what you're trying to do here because you are Alfred Nott, the man who manipulated plenty of good men and women into joining Lord Voldemort. But your tricks won't work on me because you made the mistake of assuming my father is as bad to me as you were to him, and he isn't."
Alfred turned away from her but said nothing.
Almina added, "And for the record, my father hated his stepmother after you died. It took a long time for him to trust her and let her in, and now she loves him like the mother he never had despite you, or maybe in spite of you."
Alfred laughed humourlessly and turned around to look at Almina, "I never loved Salvadora. I married her because she was convenient, and when she failed me by giving birth to a daughter, she had served her purpose."
"Wow," Almina remarked dryly, "You really are as awful as my father says you are. Do you not even care about what that daughter is doing now?"
"No," Alfred replied, "I do not. I never wanted another child, but I needed an heir to supplant Theodore because, by that point, it was clear that he was a lost cause."
Almina laughed, "The Headmaster of a ground-breaking wizarding primary school, with a Second Class Order of Merlin to his name? Well, if that's your idea of a lost cause, I'm glad I never had to grow up with your expectations hanging over me."
Alfred scoffed, and Almina looked around.
"Where are we, anyway?"
"The Department of Mysteries," Katrin replied from where she was pacing up and down close to the stone archway.
Almina narrowed her eyes at the girl, "And how did you get in here?"
"We had a little help," Katrin said. She shot a smirk in Alfred's direction.
Alfred looked up and smiled, "Your father may be Merlin's gift to this earth in your eyes. But your mother made herself plenty of enemies when she stepped into this department and took over."
Almina frowned, "What do you mean?"
"She became an Unspeakable in her 20s after she had children," Septimus said quietly, "People who had been working here since they left school were, understandably, angry when she beat them to Head of the Department."
"So some bitter Unspeakable let you in here because of a grudge against my mother?" Almina asked in disbelief, "I thought they swore an Unbreakable Vow to protect the department and its secrets?"
"Unbreakable vows are rarely watertight, especially when one knows how they were worded," Alfred said smoothly.
Almina scoffed, "To selfish people, maybe that's so. But some people have the decency to care about their family more than vows."
Alfred laughed, "And yet look at your family, Almina. Your grandparents brought your other grandfather back to life. Your grandmother, she lied to all of you for years."
"What do you mean?"
Alfred smirked and conjured up a stool. He sat down on it and looked Almina directly in the eye, "Ah, not so smart now, are we?"
Almina narrowed her eyes, "Well, first of all, you're going to have to tell me what grandmother you're talking about? I do have four."
Alfred looked at her disdainfully, "If we elect to ignore the sordid arrangement that your parents got themselves into, then you only have one grandmother."
"No, I would still have two," Almina said matter of factly, "Because whether you loved Salvadora or not is irrelevant. She is my grandmother."
Alfred sighed and threw a hex at Almina. The minute it hit her, she winced because she recognised it from Auror training. It was a continuous stinging hex, making it feel like the caster was being stung by a whole horde of wasps at the same time.
"A little pain is a good teacher, or so I found with your father, for a time," Alfred said calmly, "Eventually even that did not deter him from answering back or betraying me."
He looked down at Almina, "Lotus Cauldwell brought me back with some help from her spineless husband."
Septimus cast his gaze down shamefully.
"And Lotus Cauldwell," Alfred smirked, "Well, she decided to help Lucia Cross get a little rebellion moving along. I thought you might find that interesting, considering what Lucia did to your father."
Almina's eyes flashed, and Alfred chuckled, "Ah, now we are getting somewhere. You see – the one thing Lotus did not consider when she helped Lucia was how much I hated that girl's very existence. She would have been first on my hit list when I came back because she was a constant reminder of the betrayal that led to my wife's death."
Alfred shrugged and carried on, "As it so happened, Lucia died before I had the chance to kill her. If that had not been the case, Lotus would not have been so lucky. She claims, of course, that she had no idea who Lucia was, but I do find that people lie when they fear for their life."
He took a step away from Almina, "Still – despite her shortcomings, Lotus Cauldwell has proven herself very useful to me and regrettably, she will likely die before I can reward her. I would have rewarded you in her stead, but you are as stubborn as your father."
Almina resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "And you're stalling. All of this is just you stalling until he gets here."
Alfred smiled slightly,
"So why?" Almina asked, "What do you want with him?"
"As it so happens, in a dreadful twist of fate, I need your father's help," Alfred remarked dryly.
"So that's why you need me," Almina realised, "I'm your leverage."
Alfred smirked, but a loud buzzing noise filled the chamber before he could confirm her suspicions.
Behind Almina, a door opened, and heels clicked across the stone floor. When the figure passed Almina to stop before Alfred, she narrowed her eyes and tried to place how she knew her.
"He's here. Sadie Nott's magical signature was just used to gain entry into the Department of Mysteries."
"Thank you, Regina. Have you done as we agreed?" Alfred asked.
Regina bowed her head, "I have."
Alfred looked at the archway above and smirked, "Excellent. Then, I think it's time to begin."
"With what?" Almina asked, "What the hell are you going to use that thing for?"
"It's original purpose," Alfred replied calmly, "Regina, explain to the girl."
"Regina," Almina repeated. She looked at the dark-haired woman, "How could you do this? You worked with my mother. You were her friend!"
Regina looked down at Almina, "Your mother was never my friend. She was someone I tolerated because I had no other choice. I spent years training to be an Unspeakable and when I finally had a chance to make it to the Head of the Department, they asked her instead because they didn't trust a Rowle with the dangers underneath the ministry, but they trusted her because she was the department's golden girl."
Almina shook her head in disbelief, "To be fair, they were right not to trust you, weren't they? My mother would never do this, and you know it."
Regina smirked, "Your mother is not as perfect as you believe. She studied the veil, and she travelled through it. She used dark, forbidden magic to do that."
Almina faltered slightly, "The…the veil?"
Regina sighed and looked Almina in the eye, "You have no idea what that is, do you?"
Almina looked at the veil once more and raised an eyebrow, "An arch?"
Regina scoffed, "It is much more than an arch. It is a portal to another world."
Almina laughed, "Okay…what's the punch-line?"
"There is no punch-line," Alfred said calmly. He had opened another door and was shepherding in children and young adults, ranging from 12 to their early 20s.
"Gateways to other worlds have always existed, Almina. In every country where ancient wizards lived, you can find one," Alfred continued, "And I have been searching for one that works for a very long time."
"These gateways are highly desirable," Regina added, "They are all protected, or have been destroyed, or stolen."
"The Gateway to the Gods in Peru, for example," Septimus added, "Stolen by the Hungarian explorers who first realised what it could do. Legend had it that it could only be opened with a ritual and a key-shaped like a golden disc. The Swiss stole it and hid it in a research facility. It is protected by the full might of the International Confederation of Wizards, so that site truly is impenetrable."
Almina's frown deepened, but she didn't say anything.
"The Swedish Ministry stole a similar gateway from Bolivia," Septimus said, "But they lost stones in transport, rendering it useless. The Italians claimed to have stolen a gateway from Egypt, but it was a fake."
Regina looked at the archway in front of them, "But that? It is the real thing, taken from the doorway to Helena Ravenclaw's tomb and sculpted by Rowena Ravenclaw herself. It is a gateway to the other side."
THROUGH THE SPIRITS DOOR
"The other side?" Almina echoed, "You mean…hell?"
"And The Land of Eternal Summer," Alfred said, "If you know the correct ritual to open it."
Almina's frown deepened, she had heard of the Land of Eternal Summer, but she thought it was a myth, just like she didn't really believe in hell either. Or she hadn't five minutes ago, anyway.
"And it requires an immense amount of magical power to open," Regina said. She motioned up at the roof, which showed a perfect mirror of the night sky.
"The Harvest Moon appears full for a few days before Mabon, making this the perfect time to harness its energy," Regina added, "But that won't be enough."
"Which is where they come in," Alfred said. He nudged his head in the direction of the children, who all appeared brainwashed. They were staring straight ahead through glassy eyes.
Alfred raised his wand, and in unison, all of the children raised wands to mirror him. Almina watched in horror as they all pointed their wands at the arch and spoke together.
"Aperta ianua spiritus regni."
Almina didn't know what she expected to happen, but her eyes widened when the tattered old curtain was swept to the side where it stilled for the first time.
WHERE THE BREEZE BREAKS
A loud whooshing sound was emitted from within the gateway, and the empty space behind it became a swirling blue and white portal.
Alfred looked at the portal as if it were his saviour – with no regard for the children who were now passing out all over the room, from magical exhaustion, no doubt.
"Those kids!" Almina exclaimed.
Alfred laughed humourlessly, "They did not matter – they are Muggles, imbued with magic thanks to a special serum Septimus developed for me over the years. Little more than magic reservoirs, really."
At this, Septimus hung his head in shame.
Alfred looked away from Almina to focus on the portal once more.
"What is that?" Almina asked quietly.
"A portal to the other side," Alfred said, his longing gaze lingering on the veil.
Potter Manor
In Harry's now 'not-so-secret' underground basement, the Potters and Longbottoms were unwinding as they would on any other Saturday night.
Daphne and Lilly were drinking wine while Lilly waved a hand around as she talked about a new medical technique. Daphne was nodding and listening, occasionally putting forward her thoughts.
Harry and Neville were sitting at either side of a table bickering. Magical discs were floating around in front of them, which they kept re-arranging into a table of different subjects as they tried to sort out Hogwarts' sparse staffing arrangements in the wake of the Diagon Alley attack.
"No, she can't do that, Neville," Harry muttered, "She's already teaching two subjects."
Daphne rolled her eyes at Lilly, who snorted in amusement.
Before Neville could present his counter-argument, a large silver dragon bounded into the room and crouched in front of Harry.
"Harry, we got it wrong. It's happening now, he has Almina, and we're going to the ministry."
"Shit!" Harry exclaimed. He jumped to his feet and grabbed his wand before he even had to think about it.
"Harry," Lilly cut in, "What the hell are you going to do? Barge into the ministry and get into a fistfight with destiny?"
Harry looked at her, "I have to do something. I can't just stand on the sidelines."
"Yes, but rushing in like the headstrong Gryffindor you are, isn't always the best option," Daphne said gently, "That's what they have done - "
"So we have to be their backup!" Harry argued.
"And backup doesn't always mean running into a situation where you could get killed," Daphne remarked.
"Wait a minute," Neville said. He stepped forward, "We haven't considered that two lines in that prophecy could refer to Harry or Lilly – the golden one and the raven girl?"
"They could," Lilly agreed, "But I think it's abundantly clear that the prophecy refers to the Black-Notts. We're just the supporting cast in this one."
"That doesn't mean we can't make a difference," Harry said firmly, "So I'm going to the Ministry."
"I'll go with you," Neville said.
"We all will," Lilly added, "Because we didn't say you shouldn't go, Harry. Just that you shouldn't rush in."
Daphne got to her feet and looked at Lilly, "Although I don't think you should be going anywhere."
"I am fine," Lilly remarked, "I've been off my crutches for a week. Don't worry about me."
Daphne knew better than to argue with Lilly, so she sighed and turned to Harry.
"Lead the way then, wonder boy."
She hadn't called Harry that for years, and in other circumstances, he would have smiled.
But not tonight.
The Ministry of Magic
When Theo led the way into the Death Chamber of the Department of Mysteries, he had a fire burning in his eyes and more determination in his steps than he had for a very long time.
They hadn't barged in like headstrong Gryffindors; they had formulated a plan first. Theo would distract his father, and the other three would help Almina.
Theo didn't have to try very hard to play his part. His eyes locked onto his fathers, and he raised his hands, "Here I am, your prodigal son returned. If you have any decency whatsoever, you will let my daughter go."
"Always one for the amateur dramatics, Theodore," Alfred said with a sigh
Theo held his wand out towards his father, "I mean it. Do what you want with me, but let her go. This has nothing to do with her; it's between you and me."
A flash behind him caught Theo's attention, and he glanced over. Draco, Sadie and Hermione were locked into individual duels with Regina, Septimus and Katrin.
Theo held his wand out towards his father and realised that he had the moment he hadn't had during the Battle of Hogwarts. It was just the two of them up here; if Theo wanted to kill his father, he could.
"You could at least have the decency to pull your wand on me," Theo said, not taking his eyes off of his father.
Alfred smiled falsely, "And why would I do that to my own son and heir?"
"Because you hate me," Theo remarked bitterly, "You have always hated me."
"Hate is a strong word, Theodore," Alfred remarked coolly, "And it would imply that I actually cared about you."
Theo laughed bitterly, "Oh, don't try that, Father. I gave up on trying to win your approval a long time ago. I was about 8 when I realised that no matter how hard I tried, I would never get it."
Alfred seemed perfectly calm even when Theo took a step forward and pressed the tip of his wand against his neck.
"I could kill you, and you won't draw your wand."
Alfred smiled and pushed Theo's wand away, "You could kill me, that is true. But you won't, not while your daughter is in my grasp. You are many things, Theodore, but you have never been stupid."
"Father," Theo remarked sarcastically, "Was that almost a compliment?"
Alfred smirked, "Credit where credit is due, Theodore. You have faults, and they are many, but I did not raise you to be an idiot."
Theo laughed coolly, "You never raised me to be anything. You left that up to house-elves and your second - no, sorry, your third wife. I found the body of your first one and your original heir when I sold our Manor to the ministry."
Alfred raised an eyebrow at his son, "You ought to think yourself lucky that you did not meet the same sticky end that Nicomedes did. He betrayed me, just like you did, and he was as much a failure as you were."
Theo nodded sincerely, "Yes. I don't suppose you've ever considered that the problem may be you, Father?"
Alfred sighed, "I think it would be prudent at this point, Theodore, to make you aware of all the facts before you run that mouth any further. You are aware of how proximity charms work, are you not?"
Theo's face paled, and Alfred smirked, "Yes, of course you are. Lotus tells me you had a rather unfortunate close call with one some years back."
"You know all about that because she was behind it," Theo said through gritted teeth, "Which one was really your lap dog, huh? Septimus or Lotus?"
"While dear Septimus has his uses, although they are very few and far between," Alfred replied calmly, "I preferred Lotus's companionship. I am sure you understand. After all, they do say 'like mother, like daughter', don't they?"
He glanced over at Sadie, who was duelling her father, and Theo held his wand up to his father's neck again.
"You disgust me."
"Now, now, Theodore," Alfred remarked calmly, "If you harm a hair on my head, my hand might just slip in lovely Almina's direction. I trust you know what happens to the human body when a proximity charm detonates so close to it."
Theo swallowed and looked over at Almina. She was bound to a chair, and surely enough, he could see the faint glimmer of a proximity charm surrounding her.
"So in answer to the first question you asked me - no, Theodore, I don't think I will let my bargaining chip go just yet," Alfred mused, "It does appear to be the only way for you to keep a civil tongue in your mouth. I do wonder if you had so much to lose during the war, whether I may have convinced you to join me."
"I would never have joined you," Theo said firmly, "I would sooner have died."
"That can always be arranged," Alfred remarked, "Once you have served your purpose, of course."
He turned around and motioned at the unconscious children on the other side of the veil, "Like those Muggles. They have served their purpose, and now they can be disposed of."
"What did you do to them?" Theo asked quietly.
Before Alfred could reply, a commotion from behind distracted them both. They spun around to see Draco disarm Katrin then blast her into the thick stone wall. He bound her and thrust his wand upwards, encasing her in a thick bubble that could not be easily penetrated.
Sadie looked from Draco to the veil. Her eyes widened when she saw the unconscious bodies of the children, and realisation began to dawn on her.
"Draco!" Sadie yelled, "Spell me out!"
Draco nodded and threw a curse at Septimus, directing his attention away from Sadie.
Sadie jogged up the steps on the platform where Alfred and Theo were talking. She held her wand out towards the older man and spoke with more conviction than Theo had heard for a long time.
"This is what the Statute Saboteurs were trying to stop. They broke away to stop you from hurting innocent children; that was why they wanted to expose you."
Alfred shrugged and smiled at Sadie, "They betrayed me, and yet, they failed."
"Those children are Muggles, aren't they?" Sadie asked, "That's why you had Jelena break into the Department of Mysteries to steal our research. You weren't trying to build a super-soldier. You were figuring out how to pass magical genetic traits to Muggles."
"Oh, almost there," Alfred said in a condescending tone, "Keep going."
Sadie narrowed her eyes at Alfred.
"You knew you didn't have the magical power to open the veil by yourself, even with the full moon. Someone as close-minded as you wouldn't have the capacity to magic-share, so you charged Muggles up like human batteries then used them to open the portal."
"Very good," Alfred said, "You married a smart one, Theodore. Septimus, it appears your daughter is more useful than you – I suppose she takes after her mother."
Theo glared at his father, and Sadie took a step closer to Alfred, "I hope you know, after everything you put Theo through, I won't think twice about killing you."
Alfred laughed, "Yes, you will. Tell her the awful truth of it, Theodore."
Theo glanced sidelong at his wife, "He has Almina under a proximity charm. If we try to hurt him, he'll trigger it."
Sadie's eyes darkened, "Your own granddaughter? Is that really how cold your heart is?"
Alfred looked Sadie directly in the eye, "I could trigger that curse with no remorse. I could turn around and fire a killing curse at my own son with no remorse, and it is not because making a Horcrux split my soul and made me into a tortured villain, not like the man that Tom Riddle claimed to be."
He shook his head and smirked, "No, Sadie. I feel no remorse because, like your mother, I am practical. I learned at a young age that when a branch of our family tree withers, we simply cut it off. There is no sense in letting the deadwood sap energy from the living."
"Your mother understood that," Alfred finished, "As proven by her part in the Diagon Alley attack."
Sadie's eyes bored into Alfred's, "I know exactly what you are trying to do here, Alfred. You are doing what you always do. You're trying to manipulate the situation; you want us to lose our temper and attack you so that the proximity charm triggers. But you underestimate my self-control; I will never give a piece of shit like you the satisfaction."
Theo almost smirked proudly, despite the dire straits they found themselves in right now. He glanced behind him at the two duels still going on, and he kept his father talking like they had planned.
"So all of this time, you've been alive? And you were running a base out of Russia to turn Muggles into batteries to open this damn thing? I mean, why? To bring Voldemort back, is that it?
Alfred laughed, "Voldemort? No, I have no wish to bring him back. He was a wonderful boy when we met at Hogwarts – smart, full of wonder, but the more he split his soul, the more unhinged he became. I lost faith in him long before he lost the war; that was why I asked your parents to resurrect me."
He nudged his head in Sadie's direction, then looked back to Theo.
"No, Theodore, that is not what this is about."
"Then what is it about?" Theo asked irritably.
Alfred looked at his son, "Our family was perfect. When I married your mother, I expected it to be like every other pureblood marriage – a farce, with a friendship between us at best. But I fell in love with your mother, and I would have stood by her regardless of her flaws."
Theo swallowed but kept his wand on his father.
"Then Lucius Malfoy took everything from me," Alfred said, his tone changing suddenly, "When I was brought back, I remembered everything that I had been obliviated to forget. Do you know that your best friend's father killed your mother?"
"Yes," Theo replied quietly, "An old friend searched through my repressed memories, and I realised that I had remembered it wrong for years to try and block out the trauma."
Alfred's eyes flashed with something akin to sympathy then.
"But I don't blame Draco for his father's sins, the same way that nobody blames me for yours," Theo said calmly, "He hated his father as much as I did."
"Nobody hated Lucius Malfoy as much as I do," Alfred hissed, "If I thought he had made it to the other side, I would bring him back just to kill him myself. He took the only woman I have ever loved from me, and then he made me believe that I had done it."
Theo's eyes widened, then the realisation hit him.
"You're bringing her back."
Alfred looked from Theo to the portal, "Yes, Theodore, we are."
Theo's eyes flashed, "We? No, I'm not going to help you do anything."
Alfred laughed lightly, "It amuses me that you think you have a choice. Do you have any idea how long I have been researching this? From the moment I saw it in the Battle that took place here – I knew what it did. When I saw it take Sirius Black, I knew it was a gateway. Ever since then, all I have wanted was to get her back."
Sadie shook her head, "But you can't. That's not how the veil works. You cannot bring someone back through it. It's ancient magic – a life for a life. If you bring her back, you die."
"And I somehow doubt the man who just used countless children has become self-sacrificing," Theo said bitterly.
Alfred smirked and shook his head at Sadie, "No, but it appears, my dear, that despite your intellect, I know more about this than you."
He motioned to the veil, "It is the original tool for necromancy, so long as one knows the ancient ritual."
Sadie's eyes widened, and behind them, Draco cast a spell. Theo saw the purple light heading for his father and threw a shield charm between him and Draco.
"Theo!" Draco yelled, "What the hell are you doing?"
"Stop!" Theo snapped. He turned to look at Hermione and Draco, "Just stop, okay? He has a proximity charm on Almina. We can't hurt him."
Draco's eyes widened in horror, and he lowered his wand. Septimus leant against the cold stone wall, sweating from the effort of the duel.
Regina smirked and lowered her wand. From the look on Hermione's face, she knew that the other woman sensed that there was no longer any point fighting.
Alfred smirked from his spot atop the podium, "For war heroes who are known across wizarding Britain, you are remarkably easy to play. For a moment, I thought this might be difficult."
Almina tried to shout something, but she was obviously under a silencing charm. Alfred took a step closer to the veil and said, "I knew you were foolish, Theodore. I knew that you thought with your heart and not your head. I had hoped that the lesson I taught you before your sixth year would be enough to teach you that attachment to another is foolish."
Theo frowned over at his father, "What…what lesson?"
Alfred smiled falsely, "Do you really think that Lord Voldemort marked Draco to punish his father? No, he had no need for a teenage Death Eater, but I convinced him that young Draco would be an asset."
"No," Theo said quietly. He looked over at Draco, who seemed just as horrified.
Theo shook his head, "No, you…you didn't do that."
Alfred smirked, "Oh, but I did. I hoped that Draco would fail, get himself killed, and you would learn not to fall in love the hard way. The only thing I hadn't counted on was Severus changing sides and spoiling the plan."
Theo swallowed and glanced at Draco, who was two shades paler for that revelation.
"That was for love too," Alfred remarked distastefully, "Irrespective of that, you did form attachments, and now, ironically enough, that makes you useful to me."
He turned and motioned to the veil, "I do not suppose you know that the ritual that rebirths someone if they have a Horcrux is a bastardisation of this ancient magic."
Sadie had an idea of where this was going because Theo could hear her heart-beating frantically from where he stood pressed against her side.
Alfred looked from the veil to the Black-Notts, "This magic is ancient and pure. Watch, and you will see."
They all watched in horror as Alfred paused at the portal.
"Bone of the ancestor, unknowingly taken, you will revive the body of your descendant."
Alfred threw a bone into the portal, and the shimmering blue flashed into white for a moment.
"Flesh of the faithful, willingly given, you will restore the soul of your beloved."
Alfred then held out his left hand and cast 'Diffindo' to slice off his pinky finger. He winced, then healed the wound and leant down to pick up the appendage, which he threw into the portal that flashed once more.
Alfred then looked Theo directly in the eye and said, "Only you can bring her back."
Theo looked at the swirling gateway, then back to his father, "How?"
"Blood of the offspring, generously gifted, you will reunite your family."
"Theo, don't," Sadie whispered from his side.
"What choice do I have?" Theo asked. He looked into her eyes searchingly, "I won't risk our daughter's life, Sadie."
"Theo," Hermione said, her voice caught in her throat, "If you help him, you don't know what kind of door you could be opening."
Theo glanced behind him at Hermione; she had tears in her eyes. Draco was holding onto her hand with a vice-like grip by her side.
Draco met Theo's eye, and for a moment, Theo didn't think he would say anything.
"He could be lying to you, Theo," Draco said quietly.
Theo took a breath and looked away from Draco, back to his father.
"You loved your mother, Theodore," Alfred spoke softly, "Wouldn't you like to speak with her? You know how accepting she was. You know that she would not judge you. You even named your eldest child after her."
Theo swallowed and looked back at Almina. She was shouting something at him through the silencing charm, and Theo knew she was probably telling him not to do the thing that was on his mind.
Theo sighed and turned back to his father, "Take the proximity charm off of her, and let Almina go, and I'll give you my blood willingly."
Alfred bowed his head, "Very well. He cast a charm in Almina's direction, and the proximity charm visibly fell.
Theo let out a breath, and Alfred nodded at the dark-haired woman down below, "Regina, if you please?"
Regina unbound Almina and grabbed her arm. She removed the silencing charm, and Almina shouted, "Pops, no! You can't do this!"
Theo smiled sadly at her, "I'll be okay. I love you, sweetheart."
Almina shook her head frantically, but Regina dragged her out of the room before she could say anything more.
Theo took a breath and looked briefly at the three people behind him. Hermione and Sadie had tears in their eyes, but Draco didn't. The blonde man swallowed and gave Theo a slight nod.
You did the right thing, he thought.
Theo just nodded in return, I'm sorry for what I'm about to do.
He didn't give Draco a chance to respond. Theo turned around and held his hand out to his father. Alfred gave him something that could almost pass as a proud smile then used a cutting charm to slice the palm of Theo's hand open.
He was so used to pain now that Theo didn't even wince.
Alfred bowed his head and said, "Offer your blood to her, and bring her back."
Theo's mouth felt dry, and the world spun around him. It wasn't related to blood loss but the shock of all of this. All the same, he stepped forward and pressed the palm of his hand against the stone archway. His blood seeped out into it, and the shimmering blue liquid within began to swirl and then glow.
Theo took a step back, then covered his eyes as a blinding light filled the room.
- TBC -
