I know some of you are stuck in your homes like me. I hope you are less bored than me.
Those who answered da Vinci. You were right … in a way.
D's Prophecy
The next couple of days in Fort HQ7002 were quite busy. Harry finally managed to make his first prototype of indestructible leather. It wasn't indestructible by any means, but it was much more durable than ordinary leather or dragon hyde. Hermione and Ginny kept busy by making more potion supplies for Moriarty who in turn would send them to his unspeakables to participate in covert operations. They had the pleasure of speaking with Augustus Rookwood, a very quiet man who barely spoke if he did at all. Rookwood would respond only to Moriarty and Moriarty's orders. Filch had discovered him in Hogwarts and sent a report to the Department of Mysteries which in turn invited Augustus to work for them. This was how the Department operated. They chose who they wanted not the other way around.
Moriarty was busy tracking who Eve Morningstar was. The name could be made-up, but he thought there was a chance that there was a real Eve Morningstar who played a key role in the plans of the fake one.
However, there weren't any wizards named Morningstar and the muggles who were bearing that name had no unique capability or connections.
"There is a very good chance that she has used Fidelius Charm to hide the intricate details," said Mr. Stiltskin as Morriarty threw the files off his desk.
"That would not work, I could ask a Magi to take a look and you are… well…."
"I am a Magus, and I am very old. However, I couldn't tell you even if I had found out. I can circumvent the Charm you can't."
"I am sure that's not it because," Moriarty pointed his wand at the door and jittered it. "I am immune to the charm."
"You never cease to surprise me and I don't know how come I've never found out about it."
Moriarty smiled and said, "I've told you about it a dozen times in the last century alone. You keep forgetting."
The one who had messed with his brain had also put a few useful perks in place; being able to bypass the Fidelius Charm was one of such perks.
Moriarty would sometimes wonder why Yahweh had done this to him in particular. He was told that it was his punishment and he surely deserved it, but he always wished something less terrible was done to him. No curse could match immortality and not knowing yourself. Moriarty had lived for more than 6 millennia yet he had discovered his immunity on 13th February 1322 when he found out by accident that the resurrection stone was being kept in a church and went for it. Morningstar was shocked because she had used the Fidelius Charm to keep it a secret and thus Moriarty should not have been able to hear it even if those who knew the secret shouted atop a tower.
In that both he and Morningstar had found out about his ability. It was such a shame."
"You met That Guy a long time ago, didn't you?" he asked Stiltskin.
"I met the Mad Scientist in Avalon, around 500 millennia ago."
Moriarty shivered and looked up. Even though Yahweh had not been around for the last 6000 years or so, he still could hear them, didn't he? And Moriarty knew how vain he could be.
"How would you describe him?"
Stiltskin frowned, "When we met, I believe he had a fairly dark complexion, very short hair and was wearing Tegir, which is a traditional Magi costume. Why do you ask?"
"Uhm… I was asking about his personality," said Moriarty disappointedly.
"Ah, well… I suppose he was a terrible individual. He was a self-centered egomaniac bastard if you ask me."
"He did something to my brain, and after all these …. centuries I suppose, I haven't got the faintest clue what was actually done to me."
Stiltskin looked at Moriarty seriously. He hummed a bit and then tapped his fingers and the desk.
"My father hated him passionately, because the Mad Scientist was smarter than him. And my father is Toth. Trying to think about why or how the Mad Scientist does anything will give you nothing but a nasty headache."
Stiltskin stood up and put his hat on his head and wrapped his scarf around his neck.
"Uhm… where are you going exactly?" asked Moriarty.
"I can feel that Mr. D is very near. I can already smell the stench of Alcohol. I better not be around, you know. He has a bit of a trust issue."
Moriarty laughed nervously, "Ah yes. You are one of those older Magi he doesn't trust."
Stiltskin smiled tightly and adjusted his hat.
"If anyone asks, I'm in Germany. Tschüss."
He snapped his fingers and disappeared in a cloud of dust.
**HR***
Hermione was very surprised to see a strange young man come through the front door. His clothes consisted of a large bright yellow t-shirt, skinny jeans and pointy yellow shoes. His hair was curly and fair. His eyes, however, looked terrifyingly pink and red, as if he was hung over or had no sleep for more than a week. And of all things he could have, he had a long thyrsos on which Hermione could spot fresh grapes.
"Hello?" said Hermione.
The man saw her and froze. His face lost quite a bit of colour and he let go of his staff.
"Uhm… what's your name?" he asked.
"Hermione Granger," said Hermione. She should have said Riddle but she could correct herself later. She would love to be called Granger even for a short period of time.
"Right … how old are you?" he asked.
"I have a boyfriend," said Hermione defensively. What was with all those questions.
"Oh… I'm … I'm sorry … I mistook you for someone else. Thank Shai that you are not her. That would have been a real bummer."
Hermione looked at the man skeptically.
"Is she your girlfriend or what?"
"Oh no. Please, don't even say it. That individual is … well, I hope you will never have to meet her. I'm Mr. D."
"Oh…" said Hermione. "You are Professor Moriarty's friend."
"You could say that. I need to see him."
Mr. D was strange indeed. He offered Sirius an endless supply of Vine for generations in place of his left eye which caused Lucinda to panic. Fortunately, Moriarty showed up soon and managed to wrap everything up and bring the odd man to the new kitchen peacefully, where Remus Lupin and Severus Snape were having breakfast. Mr. D leaned his staff to the wall and sat next to Lupin who was busy with a small marmalade sandwich. For a second Remus ignored him and suddenly he realised that he did not know the man next to him.
"I'm sorry, who are you?"
"You may call me D, Mr. Lupin."
"He's not John Dee, Remus. He is the guest we talked about. You aren't working with our enemy Mr. D, are you?" said Moriarty carefully.
"For such an insult I'd have killed you if it was just a century ago," said Mr. D humorously.
"Could you explain to my friends how you got in?" Moriarty asked him gently.
"Ah, please. Fidelius is a joke. Anyone worth their salt could break in."
Lupin and Snape just stared at D wildly as Moriarty smiled politely.
"I'm sure it's a joke to you, Mr. D, but most people in our community feel quite differently about the said spell."
"You mean feeble mortal… oh, damn!" said Mr. D as he jumped up and pulled out a pocket watch out of his pocket and put it on his chair. Suddenly instead of the watch there was a very disturbed man on the chair."
"Poor Leo! Did you forget that he was in your pocket, Mr. D?" said Moriarty incredulously.
"Nonsense, even if I had I would've remembered eventually."
"I'd hate to know when that 'eventually' would be," said Moriarty. "What is it that you require from me?"
"He wants to talk, that's all." said the man who was called Leo. He didn't seem to be English but his accent was impeccable. "Uhm. I forget to introduce myself. I'm Mr. D's assistant, Leonardo da Vinci."
"And apparently it's your full time job to defend him. I'm not surprised considering that you made a deal with him." said Moriarty cooly ignoring Hermione's surprise.
At that moment Argus Filch entered the kitchen with Harry.
"Sally!" said Mr. D enthusiastically.
"I didn't know you had arrived," said Filch in horror "And my name is not Sally!"
"I know, but made a vow to call you Sally, didn't I?" responded Mr. D cheerfully.
"That you did, Mr. D," said Moriarty. "Argus I thought I told Sirius to keep everyone away from the kitchen as humanly possible.
"I didn't see anyone. This place is huge, he probably got lost."
"Alright, please take Harry and Hermione, back to their rooms," said Moriarty
"Unacceptable! They must stay. Was it Harry, right?" asked D.
Harry nodded.
"And Hermione has introduced herself already," said D looking at her warily. Harry and Hermione both shook a bit, suddenly feeling a bit cold in the presence of Mr. D.
"Come on, you always know the name of the people you speak to." said Mr. Filch.
"Perhaps, I'm losing my touch." said D absent-mindedly.
"They can stay, Argus." said Moriarty begrudgingly.
Filch sat next to Moriarty. Mr. D summoned glasses of wine for everyone.
"I swear, if he babbles about me…" Filch whispered to Moriarty.
"Don't worry. He will not do that." Moriarty quietly assured Filch.
"Now, I'm not here to waste my time on idle chit chat. I'm here to warn you about a prophecy, Iacomus." said Mr. D loudly.
Moriarty's face became dangerously pale, while Lupin smirked involuntarily .
"I … I'm all ears."
Mr. D emptied his glass and puffed in it. In less than a second it was filled with vine once more.
"I have noticed that our oldest enemy has acquired a certain … object, that could potentially threaten the status quo. That was a couple of months ago. Then a few hours ago my spies in Gringotts told me that she had come for a visit to the … the Lestrange vault to acquire … a tiny cup? Now why would she want that?"
"How on Earth did they recognise her?" said Moriarty.
"She had her wand on herself." said Mr. D, "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I want to see if you have a plan to stop her. Because when I received this prophecy through my father and saw it, it managed to disturb me."
"Niccolo always has a plan," said da Vinci nervously. Hermione had always seen pictures of him being old, but as a young man he looked very good.
"Leo please call me, Jim," said Moriarty.
"No, that's not the name I got to know you with." said Leo stubbornly.
"Aren't you just like your master?" said Filch.
"Would you like to introduce us, Professor?" said Snape, finally losing his patience for being left out of the conversation.
"There's hardly any need. You're Severus Snape and this young wolf here is Remus Lupin." Mr. D said with a disturbing smile. "People call me D, like the letter."
His nasty smile managed to disturb Moriarty.
"May we ask what's your real name then?" asked Harry casually.
"Harry!" Moriarty shrieked.
"Of course, you may, child. My name is Dionysus. Now be a dear and tell your last name Harry."
Snape jumped upright, eyes bulging out and fisting his hand tightly. Lupin tried to move his seat away from Mr. D and Hermione whispered a few incoherent words.
"You told him your name!" exclaimed Filch. "But You were banned from doing that to humans!"
"Oh, Sally dear, that is if a human asks my name, on the other hand if another Magi asked… You know if they really wanted to know..."
Moriarty and da Vinci dropped their glasses. They did not remove their gaze from Harry despite the sound of shattering glass.
"You're surely jesting;" said Leo.
"I don't joke, Mr. da Vinci. It's not a habit of mine to do jokes." said Dionysus with a serious face.
"You did that apple thing," said Filch carefully. "With Aphrodite, Hera and Athena."
"That, my dear Sadly, was a prank. I do those quite regularly."
"Thanks for clarifying that, Mr. D, but I still cannot believe your claim," said Moriarty.
"I don't need you to. Magic allowed me to introduce myself, and that is all I need."
"The boy is barely a decent wizard, you're expecting us to believe he is a Magi?" said Filch.
"Why not? He seems good enough. He feels like my kind."
"So is Harry … is he a god?" asked Hermione.
"You could call him that, if you want. But these days, we don't call ourselves gods. That is unless we're talking about that stupid hermit, the Mad Scientist." said Dionysus airily. "But technically, yes, you're both gods. If you are into that sort of stuff. Then again our race is over with playing gods for mankind, except the Mad Scientist. I'm not sure about him."
Leonardo looked at the roof as if it could fall on them any minute.
"Oh, He won't kill you for just hearing my words." said Dionysus with a smirk. "And he probably can't hear you." He faced Leonardo and continued, "Now, Mr. da Vinci, could you be a dear and fetch the orb of Ozzá?"
"Right away, sir."
"Is he really the Leonardo da Vinci?!" asked Hermione, "I didn't know he had been a wizard?"
"Well, I wasn't, my lady." said da Vinci respectfully. "Mr. D granted me magic and immortality."
"My lady?" said Hermione.
"Hold your horses, Leo. I'm not certain she's what Dionysus claims her to be." said Moriarty.
"You are as skeptical as the Scientist. Must've been the time you spent with him." said Dionysus.
"You speak ill of him, yet you dare not name him." said Filch.
"Yahweh! Here satisfied, Sally? I called him." said D almost hoping that something would happen, and of course nothing did. "He… he has forgotten us. Leo! the Orb!"
"Mr. D used to fight for That Guy." said Moriarty to the confused people around him.
"That doesn't help very much." said Snape.
"I'll explain later, I promise." said Moriarty apologetically.
"You must have seen it last in Florence, Iacomus, since it used to be with your old pals, the Medici."
Moriarty huffed to show his dissatisfaction. Suddenly an old memory and a historical fact sparked in Hermione's mind.
"I can't believe I didn't notice before. of course. Chang knew!" she said.
"Knew what?" asked Harry.
"Last time we were in Burrow, Harry when Moriarty asked me why I was upset that I … that I wasn't caught, Chang accused him of being Machiavellian. I didn't think much of it then, but Mr. da Vinci keeps calling him Niccolo and Mr. D says he used to be a good friend of Medici. Well, I don't know if you understand where I'm getting to."
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what a Machiavellian is." said Harry.
Snape barked a laughter as Hermione just stared at Harry.
"You … you don't know who Niccolo Machiavelli is? Haven't you ever heard of the book The Prince?"
"The very best book he has ever written!" said da Vinci.
"It was not The Price!" exclaimed Moriarty, "And it wasn't my first book. It was… Well, I didn't have a title for it! Anyway, an idiot …" he pointed at da Vinci. "Decided to make the title De Principatibus and somehow they decided that it should be called The Prince! The most stupid name possible for the book!"
"In which you said the aim justifies the means!" said Hermione.
"No!" said da Vinci.
"Actually, I don't remember ever saying that. And that's quite untrue." said Moriarty.
"Oh, but you did." said D, "Not in a book, though. You said, 'Sadly in the land of heartless men, the end justifies the means'."
"I did?"
"Yes, but context matters. You said that when Romans killed Yeshu."
Hermione sat next to Snape who was quite pale like her.
"Don't you mean Yeshua?" asked Snape carefully.
"No, I'm sure my brother is Yeshu." said Mr. D.
"Please, you're driving them mad," said Moriarty.
"Please tell me we're not discussing Jesus Christ!" said Snape.
"I hate it when wizards read the bible!" said Moriarty. "I TOLD YOU! Forget that book. It's loads of nonsense."
"Isn't he the same Yeshu that Morningstar got killed?" said Harry.
"You are correct, Harry," said Moriarty unwillingly.
Hermione and Snape face palmed.
"Our enemy killed Jesus?" said Lupin.
"You, too?!" exclaimed Moriarty.
"My mother used to be a nun," said Lupin.
"My Father was a muggle and very religious." said Snape sourly.
"Well, I'm very sorry for the pain you two had to endure." said Dionysus. "Where's the damn orb, Leonardo?"
da Vinci looked at his master hopelessly.
"It's not here, sir," said da Vinci as he showed him a mountain of junk next to a small backpack nobody had seen on either Dionysus or da Vinci.
"Hermes!" cried Mr. D.
**RW**
"Hi."
Ron jumped away as he heard a voice behind himself.
"Uh-" Ron was speechless. He didn't know what to say to this new stranger.
"Henry Mercury. Nice to meet you."
The man seemed harmless, but Ronald had learnt that people here in Nurmengard were not.
"I'm here to see Eve." said the man amicably.
"I'm here, Henry." said another voice. Ron looked at her worriedly.
"Calm down, Ron. Henry is an old friend."
"I should... I should go then." said Ron nervously.
The man's blue eyes scanned Ron quickly.
"No need, young man. I've brought you guys something Eve had asked for."
He opened his fist and in it was an orb the size of a golf ball.
"The Orb of Uzzá! You found it." said Morningstar.
"Yes, it was with D and his servant Leonardo. It was really easy to snatch it."
Mercury put the orb in Morningstar awaiting palm. To Ron it seemed like an ordinary piece of glass.
"It looks so plain and normal, yet it's an extraordinary piece of work." said Morningstar to Ron. "Come, I'll show you."
Morningstar took Ron and Henry Mercury to a balcony.
"Here we witness light." she whispered to the orb and threw it in the air. The Orb went up and came down stopping only an inch from the ground.
Ron was amazed when their environment changed. They were moving yet everything was clear. All the buildings and towers. in the middle of a large jungle.
"This is how it used to be, and how it will be," said Morningstar.
The world felt cleaner and more pristine.
"Look at the world as it could be, young Weasley." said Morningstar. "Look at the world as it was meant to be."
**HR**
Hermione was confused, all of them were, but due to her muggle education, Hermione could actually comprehend how deep the hole was. Just two months ago, she would have never even thought about such madness. She wouldn't be able to fathom such an outcome. A god was having drinks with Sirius Black in a magical fort while Snape was explaining who the Greek gods were, and Moriarty correcting him every time he made a mistake.
"I'm not here to discuss history, Iacmus! I wanted to show you the future and how drastic it will be. I have to do a wine trick!" said Dionysus eventually.
"I hoped you wouldn't say that, Mr. D, your wine tricks often end badly; I do not wish to get brain damaged," said Moriarty, "But we don't have any other choice do we. The prophecy of Magi can't be put in a pensive."
"You will find the wine in this box," A box appeared on the table,"And now that you have the prophecy there is nothing I can do but leave." said Dionysus as he stood up.
"Hold on," said Moriarty. "Could I ask for a favor?"
"A favor of mine will cost you." said Dionysus.
"I need you to protect these children."
"No!" said Dionysus abruptly before walking away.
"I need someone who can hide their identities, so she won't find them."
Dionysus stopped dead right before opening the door.
"When you find the time right, use my staff to open a gate to the Lat."
Then he opened the door and left.
"What lot?" asked Hermione. Poor Hermione had not never known about a goddess called Al-Lat.
"Not a lot. The Lat as L-A-T. Sister of Uzzá and Manat. The unholy Trinity and ... daughters of That Guy."
"God has daughters?" asked Snape.
"Those three are his only and most disliked children." said Moriarty, "The good thing is that all three absolutely despise Morningstar. The bad news is that Lat might ask for something we cannot give."
"Let's not do it. Let's forget all about it." said Remus Lupin frantically. "Harry, Hermione, you don't have to get involved with all this."
"I agree. Going to unfriendly higher powers usually comes with a steep price." said Filch.
"One which none of us is willing to pay." said Moriarty as he grabbed the staff of Dionysus. "Let's keep this somewhere safe and out of reach so no one will accidentally activate it. We don't want to find ourselves in an endless vineyard."
Mr. Filch seemed surprised.
"Well, Dionysus doesn't know, but Lat hates me even more than Morningstar."
"Now, the world makes sense. I thought you listened to me for once," said Filch.
Moriarty didn't respond, instead he whispered something in an ancient language and the staff disappeared.
"I can summon it, if we really need it."
At that moment Dumbledore entered the kitchen.
"I came as soon as I could." said Dumbledore. "Why are Harry and Hermione here?"
"My mistake, I didn't know that pimp was here." said Filch.
"Argus, what happened? Sirius said someone had breached Fidelius."
Moriarty asked Dumbledore to sit and asked Lupin and Snape to tell him what had happened.
"I want to see if you understand what has transpired." he reasoned.
For some reason Snape, Lupin and Sirius did say anything to Dumbledore about Harry and Hermione being Magi. When the story was over Dumbledore simply stared at Moriarty.
"Jim, can Morningstar do the same thing Mr. D did?"
"The Magi who support her can, but just like Mr. D they cannot harm Harry. They can talk and interact, but the nature of Fidelius restricts them from harming us."
"So Harry is safe, as long as he's here."
Moriarty frowned and remained silent.
"Hogwarts will be safer, we are there and the school's ancient magic thwarts the Magi. We just have to make sure no one unsavory enters." said Filch.
"Well, there we have a problem;" said Dumbledore, "I need to hire a Potions master since Severus will be busy teaching Alchemy and Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Oh, I have someone perfect for that job, Albus. He's getting bored these days and needs a hobby." said Moriarty.
"Rookwood?" said Filch, "No. I don't think that's a good idea. He's brilliant, but I don't see him as a good teacher."
Moriarty walked around the table and picked up some bread and began to chew.
"Do you have someone better in mind?"
"Adriana Dumbledore." said Filch confidently.
"Uhm. Let's keep that in mind for now, and talk about another important issue." said Moriarty.
"What could be more important than gods entering the equation?" asked Snape.
"Harry's safety is more important. If Harry goes back to school as Harry Potter safety will be more difficult to maintain. However, we need him to be in Hogwarts under supervision where Dumbledore and I will be present. So right now we need him to come back to Hogwarts as … well NOT himself."
"Harry cannot go as Draco. Lucius is sending him back, too." said Dumbledore.
"Then whose identity can we use?" said Filch.
"Why don't we introduce him as a new student?" said Lupin.
"A transfer student?" said Moriarty, "No, it's too easy to check. The enemy will know before the first week is over."
Filch sat down and began to think.
"Well, I think the best way is to pretend Mr. Potter is in his first year."
"It's impractical, and while Harry could assume other identities with the help of Polyjuice Potion, there are some physical limitations on the way." said Moriarty.
"I know he can't constantly turn 11, but I can concoct a potion, which will temporarily de-age him. He will have to take it only once a week."
"May I remind you that it will interfere with the Polyjuice!" said Snape.
"Oh, you're right." said Filch.
"He is, but…"
"You should go!" said Filch, knowing what Harry wanted to say.
"Harry won't need Polyjuice Potion." said Moriarty and Sirius nodded.
"Unless Potter is a metamorphmagus, he will need the Potion." said Snape.
"He is." said Moriarty.
Dumbledore looked at Sirius in a strange way. He seemed upset.
"Dumbledore, I trust you 100% but I had just found out and didn't get to tell you," said Sirius.
Dumbledore faced Harry and then Moriarty.
"So your experiments with Harry were all about his most recent ability, Professor. You covered your trail masterfully." said Dumbledore.
"Albus, I asked Harry to keep it between Argus, himself and me. No offense, but you do tend to trust the wrong people with the most sensitive information."
"Ah, here it goes again. My mistake regarding the Philosopher's Stone." said Dumbledore bitterly.
"I'm not blaming you, Albus. You did what you thought was right, and Morningstar would have eventually found a trace of her heart one way or another. She was never easily deterred. What I'm trying to do Albus is to keep the leak of information to a minimum."
"Of course. You understand such things much better than I, but I was hoping to be worthy of your trust."
"You are. You know things that I have told only a few. I didn't tell you this because it was Harry's secret. Now he wants to make it known and I wish to respect his request." said Moriarty calmly but there was a tiny trace of discontent in his voice.
Harry smiled uncomfortably.
"Now, who do you become, Mr. Black?" said Snape.
"A muggle-born, and from an ordinary family without any connection to us is the best option." said Filch.
"This will be easiest to do. And it requires only a few compromises. Harry knows muggles enough to imitate a muggle-born." agreed Moriarty.
"I'll work on the details, then." said Filch.
Moriarty nodded approvingly and then there was a talk about how to manage Slytherins this year now that Snape was no longer in Voldemort's favour. Harry was deep in his thoughts when Moriarty said the name Harry Black. It was as if someone had hit him with a shocker. He jumped up and landed his elbow in Argus Filch's stomach.
"Oh boy, that hurt." he said painfully.
"Harry, you will be hearing that name a lot and you must not, I repeat, you must not react in a way that gets people's attention. You know very little about Harry Potter after all and please try to act confused when people talk about how Harry Potter is actually Harry Black." said Moriarty softly.
"I already see our little plan as a failure." said Filch.
"We just have to keep it up for three months and then Morningstar will have to wait an entire year for her ritual," said Moriarty.
"This time she has a very good plan,"
"As she has always had, but we will stop her anyway." said Moriarty firmly.
He then gave Filch a goofy smile. Hermione shivered next to Harry.
"So Ginny and I will have to stay away from Harry." she said.
Moriarty confirmed and told her that it would be temporary. "You need to be careful, too. I'm not sure what Morningstar might want to do to you."
Dark thoughts shadowed Harry's mind. What he had ahead was three months of misery and loneliness. None of them could understand him. They were talking about it yet they couldn't truly understand what they were condemning Harry to.
Fortunately a desperately needed distraction came as Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen to make some dinner.
"The letters are automatically generated. We might have to fake the letters," said Dumbledore apologetically.
"I will handle the fake letters for our imposter muggle-borns." said Filch. "As a founder of Hogwarts…" everyone got chills from his hint toward his secret identity. "I could make one if I was in Hogwarts."
"Then I suppose Hogwarts is in need of its caretaker sooner than we thought." said Dumbledore.
"Oh god!" groaned Moriarty, realising that he had to take Harry and Hermione to the Diagon Alley not once but twice, and that would need a very good plan. "Then I have a lot of work to do."
He left the kitchen before Mrs. Weasley could ask him to stay for the meal.
*RW*
Ronald Weasley was sure of one thing; Nurmengard was most certainly designed for anything but prison. It had dungeons and they were horrible from what little Ron had seen, but most of the massive building was dedicated to other purposes. There were large greenhouses and large halls. There were many meeting rooms and this building had very well equipped bathrooms. Ronald had the pleasure of using them whenever he wanted without any disturbance. Yet Ron could not feel free. He was a prisoner in a place that couldn't be far from your conventional prison.
"You are thinking again," said a young man who he recognised as Grindelwald. "About good things I hope."
Ron gave the man a half smile. He had learned to avoid answering him just as he had learned to instantly reply to Lord Voldemort.
Voldemort wasn't a very patient man, and he wanted answers. He was eager to talk to him and he would ask Ronald's opinion. Grindelwald was not interested in answers but reactions. Ron had learned the hard way that he didn't like lies, and Ron would answer only when he had to because having a talk with him would give you nothing but a headache.
"Not answering like always? I like your tactic of avoiding conversations. It's so … simple."
Grindelwald laughed softly and patted on Ron's shoulder.
"You will feel free when your mind is free." he said before leaving Ron for good.
Ron went back to exploring Nurmengard. He had not found a way to escape yet and Morningstar had promised that if he found one he could go back to his friends. He froze when he saw Henry Mercury coming his way. He simply passed by his without saying any more than a mere hi.
After two hours of searching around Ronald decided to rest for a while.
"Ah, here you are." said a familiar voice.
It was her. Ron did not move. He just remained seated where he was without even moving a finger.
"I have your school letter." said Morningstar, "Stole it from Grimmauld Place."
Ron felt a flicker hope in his mind. Maybe someone had noticed that it was gone.
"My friends are going to come for me."
"Maybe you're right, Ronald? Or maybe not. No one knows really. I wouldn't stop looking for a way out if I were you."
She handed him the letter.
"I'll ask Orion to buy whatever you need."
Ron was surprised. Were they going to let him go back to his friends?
"You're letting me go back?" he said hopefully.
"Yes, I will send you back to Hogwarts to keep up with your education." said Morningstar with a charming smile.
"Look, why won't you let me go home now? I know you guys want to save the world and if you succeed I can see my uncles and Harry can see his father, but…"
"But Harry can already see his father," said Morningstar with a puzzled expression.
"What?" said Ron.
"Oh, didn't they tell you?" said Morningstar with genuine surprise.
"Didn't tell what?"
"They probably forgot. It's no matter, I will. Harry Potter is the son of Sirius Black, and his nephew, too."
Ron listened in horror as Morningstar told him how that could be. He shook his head and stood up.
"Please stop." said Ron, "Why are you doing this? Why are you playing with Harry's life? Why do you keep telling me these things?"
"I just want you to know that all this is more complicated than just right and wrong. It's more of a battle between the truth and lies. I will always tell you the truth while James Moriarty will only hide it."
"Will you tell me what's your plan?" asked Ron.
"I will do something better. I will tell you my story." replied Morningstar, "It will make sense to you why I'm doing all this."
Morningstar suddenly began to shine and change. She took various appearances; male and female, some of which Ron could recognise. She eventually took the shape of a tall and relatively beautiful middle aged woman with gold eyes and black hair and pitch garment she looked exactly like Hermione.
"I am Lilith," said the woman, "The Black lady, the ruler of the night, the Serpent, the great general and so many other things. But more important than all, I am the mother of mankind."
Ronald was getting Goosebumps. The woman in front of her was certainly unearthly. It was as if her eyes were two tiny suns and her skin was much tougher than human skin. Ron could feel the magical vibrations around her.
"Who are you? What are you?" Ronald cried.
"Please sit, Ronald. My story is quite long."
