Hogwarts
October 5, 2006 (~3 weeks earlier)
Voldemort smiled maniacally. "Rise." Draco obeyed, standing at full attention, his hands clasped behind his back and eyes focused on Voldemort's chest, unworthy of eye contact. "Have you ever heard of Albus Dumbledore?"
Draco frowned in thought. "I have read his name in the history books. He was responsible for defeating Gellert Grindelwald, I believe."
Voldemort nodded. "That is true. He was also once my greatest adversary."
Draco started, "I cannot believe you had an adversary, my lord. Your power is singular."
Voldemort smirked, "Of course. Perhaps 'adversary' is too strong a word. Maybe 'thorn in my side' is more accurate."
Draco chuckled, and Voldemort beamed at the young man – the perfect protégée.
"Do you know what happened to Albus Dumbledore?" Voldemort asked, pacing the former Headmaster's office he now claimed in Hogwarts.
Draco considered this. "I do not, my Lord. I presumed him dead."
Voldemort cocked his head to the side. "I assume the old man is still lurking; he's like a cockroach that way." He chuckled lightly at his own joke before continuing, "In 1981, he heard a prophecy – one that shook him so profoundly, he ran. Where he went, no one knows, but he has been missing ever since."
"I didn't know," Draco stated.
"Look me in the eye Draco," Voldemort ordered. Draco immediately complied. "What separates a great man from an ordinary one is their fortitude. Dumbledore heard the prophecy and went mad. I heard it, and my life was forever changed," Voldemort stated whimsically. "Would you like to hear it, Draco?"
Draco smiled, eager to hear the story. "Of course, sir."
"17 years past magic's great reveal,
In the land claimed by magic,
The chosen shall rise.
The chosen alone will have the power to choose,
To retrieve what was taken,
And restore what was lost,
Lest it be the end for us all."
Draco frowned as he mulled the passage in his mind.
"Do you understand what it means Draco?" Voldemort asked.
"I'm not sure. I would be honored to hear your interpretation, sir."
Voldemort beamed. "I believe there is a powerful person that has come to be who has the power to return us to what was.
"The Muggle world has corrupted the magical; it is why no more children are being born. This chosen one – I believe they will set things right. Restore wizarding might, and return the Muggles to the ignorance whence they came," Voldemort explained. "After the Event, I realized the Event was the moment this prophecy spoke of. It's why, rather than fight, I chose to consolidate our resources, build up our base. Here, we have thrived. But now, we must prepare for the Chosen.
"Draco," Voldemort continued, "I need you to go and find the chosen. Bring them to me,"
"Of course, my lord. It would be an honor." Draco bowed. "Who is it that I'm after?"
"A witch. Her name is Hermione Granger."
London October 26, 2006
Harry guided Daphne to the front door of the Greengrass Estate at the cusp of dawn. Astoria answered, pulling her sister into a bone crushing hug before leading them into the living room.
In spite of the early hour, the house was bustling. Astoria was the picture of poise, her face perfectly made up and dressed in a pair of deep green wizarding robes. A matching hat sat upon her shoulder length blonde hair. She appeared calm, serene almost.
Around them, the staff prepared; it seemed all of Astoria's things were going with her. One by one, cases were brought down and shrunk, before being consolidated into a brand new black trunk that sat to the right of the front door.
"Astoria, are you sure you want to do this?" Harry asked.
She nodded. "I'm sure. I know it's not... what I thought. I never imagined I'd have to leave my family and the WEA. But I'll get to see Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. I'll miss my cell phone and my friends, but I'll have the wizarding family I've always dreamed of." She smiled.
Harry thought her painfully naïve but knew he wouldn't be able to change her mind. So instead, he nodded and gave her a hug goodbye before leaving the siblings to have a moment alone.
He stood on the back porch, casting a light warming spell and smiling sadly as the sun rose towards the coming storm clouds.
"I heard they found your would-be killer." Anton came up beside him.
Anger filled every pore in Harry's body at the sight of the man; but he swallowed his rage and gave a false smile. "You know what I've always said – can't trust the French," Harry joked.
Anton gave a slight chuckle. "Well, I'm sure you're relieved."
"Of course," Harry confirmed. "Shouldn't you be saying goodbye to Astoria?"
Anton shook his head. "We had words earlier. She wishes to take her next steps on her own."
Harry frowned, wondering what was left unsaid.
Daphne came out, her face red and cheeks damp, and interrupted the awkward silence that had fallen between the men. "She's gone."
Harry opened his arms, and Daphne held on to him. Anton excused himself.
"Are you okay?"
"No," Daphne breathed, "but let's just get the rest of this morning over with."
He nodded and led her to the dining room, where Anton sat waiting for them. An assortment of breakfast foods lay in the center, though Harry wasn't sure he would be able to keep anything down.
The three ate in silence for a few minutes, Anton reading the morning papers, Harry nibbling on some rye toast, and Daphne sniffling into her orange juice.
"What is going on?" Anton asked finally, closing the paper and eyeing the pair with suspicion.
"Father," Daphne started, straining to sound poised amidst her grief, "we have something to tell you."
"What did you do?" Anton asked, his face growing red.
Harry and Daphne looked to one another, confused, before Daphne continued, "Harry and I - we have ended our engagement."
Silence filled the hall. Anton blinked. "Why?"
"We don't love each other as a husband and wife should," Daphne explained.
Anton laughed in disbelief. "And you think your mother and I did?" He looked at Daphne incredulously. "Marriage isn't about some elusive concept of love. It's about partnership and mutual respect. You would throw everything away for, what - hormones?"
Harry and Daphne looked at each other until finally, Harry responded, "Sir, it is our lives. This is what we've chosen."
"You children," Anton shook his head. "If you insist on this Daphne, then I will insist on finding you an appropriate marriage."
Harry's face grew red in anger. "What gives you the right?" he asked.
Daphne's eyes were watering, panic evident on her face.
"I'm her father," Anton said, before turning to Daphne. "I'll be leaving behind an empire. I can't just let you marry anyone."
"It's my life. You don't have a choice, father," Daphne said. Silent tears streamed down her face.
"We'll see about that," he threatened.
Harry and Daphne looked at each other, both unsure of what to do when Anton shook his head.
"I'm sorry," he started, surprising the pair. "I was taken by surprise is all. Daphne, all I want is for you to be successful."
"I know that father," Daphne said softly, though Harry was dubious.
"Just do me a favor," Anton asked. "Give me a few days to come to terms with your decision before you go public."
50 km west of Aberdeen
Hermione paced the living room, her small bag clacking against her belt buckle.
"You need to stop. You'll wear yourself out," Draco urged her.
"There are so many things that can go wrong."
"And we have discussed countless eventualities. You have proven yourself to be as adept a witch as you are a scientist. We will be fine!" he assured her, placing his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him curiously before nodding and checking the contents of her bag again.
They had spent the past two days preparing. The first part of the plan had been executed – she had manipulated her test results to indicate she suffered from long term acute radiation poisoning. When she had called to tell her CO about her predicament, he seemed genuinely supportive. Hermione found herself unwittingly feeling hopeful that any conspiracy against her was isolated to a few bad apples and not representative of the Corps as a whole.
Draco had shown her how to manipulate the small bag she was carrying to increase its volume and make it featherlight. She had since been packing and repacking it, ensuring they had sufficient non-perishable food, clothing, medical supplies, as well as a variety of books and her notes.
What she also packed, though she had not told Draco, was her 9mm handgun, standard issue for Corps officers. She hoped she wouldn't need it, but even with the knowledge that she was a witch, the weapon gave her a feeling of security.
What remaining time they had was dedicated to teaching Hermione magic. Draco reluctantly allowed her to use his wand and taught her spells ranging from levitation to stunning and even how to make and put out fires. She was a natural student, and Draco felt they were in as good a position as any to pull this off.
At 10 am, Hermione heard the familiar sound of a military tank pulling up to her cabin. Draco quickly cast a glamour on Hermione as they had discussed, painting her face with red flecks and tinting her eyes a jaundiced yellow – physical symptoms commonly associated with her false illness. They waited for the officers to enter, Hermione nervously counting how many sets of footsteps were present. She counted three sets – hopefully, the two typical officers and a wizard. One wizard is easier than two, she thought optimistically.
She heard the telltale 'woosh' indicative of a person coming through the decontamination area, and she smiled at the sight of the two familiar non-magical officers.
"Lieutenant Granger," Officer Raddick nodded at her, removing his head covering and tossing Hermione the bag he had on him. "Two suits – no waiting."
Behind the two non-magicals, Hermione saw someone she assumed was a witch. The woman took off her head covering and turned to Malfoy, looking wary. Hermione attempted to shake her head at Malfoy, to convey that she didn't recognize this woman.
"Mr. Malfoy," the witch started, not acknowledging Hermione at all, "I am Colonel Longbottom, and I will be accompanying you to Corps HQ in Aberdeen for an assessment."
Hermione's eyes went wide; they had not anticipated the Corps would send such a senior magical and, judging by Draco's facial expression, he had reached that conclusion as well. The witch looked older and had the lines and calluses indicative of a prolific military career. Her hair was short, a no-nonsense cut for someone who couldn't be bothered dealing with such trivial things as styling one's hair.
Hermione and Draco dutifully donned their suits, and Draco felt himself being scanned. He had just enough time to send a look of concern Hermione's way before Longbottom's wand pointed at Draco.
"I was told you had no magic," she said, her eyes narrowed at the man.
Hermione, acting on instinct, released Draco's wand from her bag and turned to Stupefy the witch - only for the woman to easily block the spell with a Protego.
Immediately, both Corps non-magical officers lifted their weapons, one aimed at Hermione and the other at Draco. Crap, she thought; she had hoped they would at least get to Aberdeen before the plan went to hell. Hermione looked to Draco and nodded, immediately throwing him his wand, then dropping to the ground and rolling to avoid the inevitable gun fire.
While the Colonel was a more senior officer and likely a formidable witch, Hermione was younger, stronger, and more agile. She could feel Draco's shield once it was up and covering her. Without pause, she kicked her leg out, tripping the older witch, who fell down in a heap of limbs, her wand clinking as it fell and rolled across the room. Hermione put the Colonel in a choke hold with her legs until she passed out.
"Hermione!" Draco called out. He was struggling to maintain his shield against the barrage of automatic weaponry. She reflexively grabbed his hand, and she felt him calm and his shield grow stronger. He looked at her wide eyed, but she hardly noticed as she continued to calculate their next steps.
She knew they only had minutes until the older witch awoke, and their best bet was to leave her there. Hermione would have left the officers, too, but she didn't know how to get to Aberdeen and did not want to be lost in the radioactive desert.
"Draco, can you Imperius one of them?" Hermione asked. Draco indicated he would try, and they counted to three, at which point Hermione held her hands up to maintain as much of the shield as possible. Her shield wasn't perfect, and she felt a slow-moving bullet crash into her shoulder, but she would survive. Hermione watched as Raddick succumbed to the curse and head butted his colleague, before turning to face Draco for instruction.
Hermione checked the unconscious officers' belongings, hoping neither of them had a hidden communications device, and snapped the witch's wand in half.
Draco, Hermione, and the imperiused officer put on their head coverings and headed to the tank, leaving the unconscious Corps members behind.
"Well," Hermione said as she got into the backseat of the tank. "Looks like our plan is working out."
London
Harry and Daphne returned home, emotionally spent and having every intention to take the rest of the day off, when Harry's phone went off. "Dad?" He frowned into the phone.
Daphne watched him walk into the kitchen to take the call, wondering what could possibly be happening now. They had purposefully chosen to wait to tell Harry's dad, and she found herself praying her father hadn't gone ahead and done so himself. But he asked us to wait to tell people, she reassured herself.
"I have to go in to the office. Apparently, Parkinson's convinced Fudge to add a provision to the upcoming tax legislation that would allow magical estates to be declared 'historical land' and tax exempt." He rolled his eyes.
"And you have to go now?" she asked.
He shrugged. "We need that tax bill to pass, without the provision. I'll be OK alone; you stay here, you had a tough day."
He headed to his car and, once again, his phone rang. He answered it without looking at the caller ID. "Yeah Dad, I'm on my way in."
Daphne was on the couch, pondering their morning, when she felt the living room shake.
Thirty minutes earlier
Robards had only just entered their office when Fox came rushing in, his usually kempt hair disheveled and tie askew.
"We gotta go! Interview room C."
Robards, trusting Fox implicitly, ran after the man. "What's going on?" he asked.
"I – did something," Fox said with a slight smile as they rushed towards the interview room.
"Care to elaborate?"
"I got a notice this morning: we were approved to use Veritaserum on Pierre. Apparently there was some mix up, but I managed to grab him from holding. They're taking him to France this afternoon to face charges there. If we want to do this…"
Robards nodded, picking up his pace. "Good work, Fox."
As they entered interview room C, the one used exclusively for enhanced interrogations, Pierre looked substantially more shaken. Fox wasted no time. "Mr. Pierre, thank you for joining us. We will be conducting another interrogation with you using Veritaserum."
Pierre interrupted, "I do not consent."
"Your consent is not required; we have received a waiver from the Justice department." Fox turned to the nurse who stood off to the side. "Please begin." She nodded and immediately approached Pierre, successfully injecting the serum into the man's arm, in spite of his flailing.
"Mr. Pierre." Fox placed his hands on the table and stared directly at the prisoner. "Why did you attempt to kill Harry Potter."
Pierre twitched, obviously trying to avoid answering the question before he spat, "I vuz paid handsomely."
"Did you purposefully get caught?"
"Yes," he let out reluctantly.
"Who paid you?"
Pierre started slamming his forehead against the table.
"Fox," Robards said quickly, "I think he's under a spell; he won't answer."
"You don't have to answer that," Fox said quickly. Pierre stopped and looked visibly relieved. Fox considered now what he could ask.
"Do you believe Harry Potter's life is still in danger?" Fox asked.
Pierre smiled wickedly. "Yes."
"Are you aware of a specific attempt on Harry Potter's life?"
Pierre's smile faded. "Yes."
"When?"
Pierre immediately convulsed and pushed himself and his chair backwards against the wall, falling to the floor. Robards and the nurse rushed to his aid. The man was still conscious, blood oozing from his head, as he looked up at Robards and said softly, "You're too late."
"Medic!" Robards called, then turned to Fox. "Call Officer Weasley immediately. We need to get Potter into protective custody."
"Yeah dad, I'm on my way in."
"Harry! It's me Ginny."
"Ginny! It's – great to hear from you! I have-"
"Not now Harry. Are you at home?"
"Yes, I just got in my car, and I'm heading to the office."
"Harry-"
Moments later, a bomb went off in Harry's car – the explosion so intense that no amount of shielding would save anyone caught in the blast.
Chamonix, France
October 26, 2006 – later that afternoon
"We're coming to you live from Central London, where an explosion has killed Harry Potter. News reports just in suggest this was a non-magical plot against the young Representative. As you all remember, Harry Potter first came into the spotlight when his mother was killed protecting him and a group of non-magicals from isolationists in 1991.
"His mother's murder was the spark that led to the magical and non-magical communities' willingness to join forces and form the Western European Alliance. Since then, Mr. Potter has championed the cooperation of the two communities and, in particular, the Corps. Mr. Potter's murder has devastated England, and the magical community is up in arms. He leaves behind a fiancée, Daphne Greengrass, daughter of Magitech CEO, Anton Greengrass.
"In other news, we have been asked to put out an all points bulletin alert for two fugitives. Corps Lt. Hermione Granger and an unnamed wizard have escaped Corps custody. Both are armed and dangerous magic users. If you see them, do not engage but contact the local Corps authorit-"
The old man powered off the TV with a wave of his hand and ran his fingers through his long white beard, looking out at the endless pastures and mountains with a heavy sadness.
"Albus?"
Dumbledore turned away from the TV, smiling at his long time friend.
"Is it finally time?" his friend asked.
Albus Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. Go now – find him."
His friend nodded and left. Alone again, Albus stared out and watched as the storm clouds gathered. "It has begun."
End Part 1
A/N: Thank you to my amazing Beta, ElizColl.
The next chapter marks the beginning of Part 2 - Secrets...I'm very excited we finally made it!
As always, I love to hear from you all - any comments/feedback/emotions/theories are much appreciated.
I can also be found on Tumblr at canttouchthis87...