Harriet Potter and the Guardians of Atlantis Part 6: Harriet Potter and the Ancient Alchemist
Rated M for violence, language and sexual content.
Chapter 1: Summer Disasters
On the night of July 15th, 1995 there was no warning when the Death Eaters descended on Azkaban.
The outer defenses, which were undergoing renovations, but were still not properly defended, were overrun instantly, without the interference of any dementors. There was a quick struggle in the intake office, and three Aurors, two wizards and a witch, were killed quickly. However they did successfully sound the alarm. And the correct alarm at that. The witch had recognized that the attackers were led by none other than Lord Voldemort, and had sent out the disaster alarm. As a result, the dementors came, but no more aurors. The aurors would be fleeing to the emergency bunker.
Morgana thought this was just as well. She didn't want to kill anyone she didn't have to. Voldemort probably did, but his bloodthirstiness was not really her problem. The dementors would be challenge enough for her in any case.
As soon as Morgana met the first dementor, she felt the entire air of the fortress change. It had been rather forbidding before, but suddenly the dementors felt more… welcoming.
"Morgana," whispered the dementor.
"Call off your dementors mother," said Morgana, "Lord Voldemort is with me. I wish to meet."
The dementor seemed to turn, then moved a short distance. It stopped, waiting for her to follow.
"I have business with the dementors," said Morgana, "The way to your people is now open."
"Bellatrix, Barty, come with me," said Voldemort, his eyes suddenly alight with evil intent. It was just the four of them. More than enough really.
Some of the prisoners who were not servants of Voldemort were probably in for a bad time. Morgana felt that it was unfortunate, but she really didn't have time to intervene. She followed the dementor.
XXXXX
Barty Crouch Jr. strode onto the Maximum Security floor of Azkaban confidently, Bellatrix Lestrange at his side. With wands at the ready they threw open the cells to see who was within. The first cell was a nobody, some wizard neither of them recognized. Bellatrix grinned and cast a single spell. The man immediately began to deflate, his bones having melted in an instant. It wasn't long before his entire body was a pulsing mass of fleshy goo.
They continued down the cell block. The first Death Eater they freed was Rabastan Lestrange, Bellatrix's brother-in-law. The next cell contained an old woman with dead eyes. A single spell from Bellatrix and her belly split open and her guts spilled out. She screamed, still alive, desperately trying to gather up her own entrails. Bellatrix laughed.
And it was like this with everyone. One man was pinned to the ceiling with summoned stalagmites, and left to bleed out. Another Death Eater was freed. Another man had acidic goo summoned on his eyes, mouth and genitals.
At last they found Rudolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix's husband.
"My husband," said Bellatrix as she pulled him to his feet, "So good to see you." Nothing in her manner actually indicated that she felt anything stronger than politeness.
"Thank you my dear wife," said Rudolphus, "It is good to see you. I have not seen any woman in years."
"I should hope not," said Bellatrix, her tone suggesting violence.
"Oh, but there was a woman in the cell next to me," said Rudolphus, "The things she has said to me! Her mind is dirty, and she wanted me to help her "get her rocks off". But I resisted her charms."
Bellatrix immediately charged into the next cell. "Try to seduce my husband, will you?" she screamed.
"No, no!" said the woman, "Never! He tried to say filthy things to me. I rejected him every time!"
Barty stuck his head in the cell. It was a woman in her late 30's. Bellatrix had stripped her naked and was now menacing with her wand. Ah yes, it was Miss Mooridge, who had killed her ex-fiance when she discovered that he had only been marrying her for her money. Public opinion had been that she should receive a light sentence, but she had used the killing curse in her rage. Lifetime sentence mandatory. Barty clicked his tongue. She was still moderately attractive.
Well, not for much longer. Bellatrix began slashing her cheeks and cutting off fingers and toes.
"Do be quick, Bellatrix," said Crouch, "we do not have much time."
"Of course Barty," said Bellatrix warmly, "This one I'm not going to kill."
Crouch continued on as the unfortunate Miss Mooridge began screaming. The next door he opened and was suddenly rushed by a figure within.
"Master," said the now emaciated woman who now kneeled at his feet. It was Dolores Umbridge.
"Merlin," swore Crouch lightly, "are you still under my Imperius?"
"Always, master," said Umbridge.
Crouch kicked her in the gut. Hard. Umbridge fell backwards, but climbed back onto her knees.
"Oh my," said Crouch, "I overdid it, I think. Well on your feet Dolores. I'll find a use for you, even if it is just washing dishes or something. Stay with Bellatrix. Tell her I've Imperiused you."
Umbridge nodded and complied, heading back to the cell where screams were still coming from, as well as Bellatrix's laughs.
Near the end of the hall, Crouch found him. The man who was really the only person actually worth springing from this godforsaken hole. Augustus Rookwood. The former Unspeakable stood slowly as Crouch walked in.
"The Dark Lord has come, I see," said Rookwood.
If Bellatrix was the most loyal Death Eater, Rookwood had lost the most from joining the Death Eaters. He had been a senior Unspeakable, and he had abandoned the certain power and influence that would guarantee him for service to the Dark Lord. He had also lost his family, who had left him after he turned traitor. He had killed them, of course. No loose ends.
"You do not seem surprised," said Barty.
"I am not," said Rookwood, "I know what the Dark Lord did. He is immortal."
"Yes, I am," said the Dark Lord. He had entered the cell behind Crouch.
"My Lord," said Rookwood, who kneeled before the Dark Lord.
"Rise, Augustus," said the Dark Lord.
As Rookwood stood, Crouch helped him to his feet. "I have most of your things," said Crouch, "I took them from the Ministry. They were most useful."
"Good," said Rookwood slowly, "The dementors are gathering. Strange."
"Come with me Augustus," said the Dark Lord, "I will introduce you to Morgana. Barty, go help Bellatrix."
Crouch nodded, then headed back to the cell where Bellatrix was still torturing Miss Mooridge. Her hands and feet had all been severed, one of her eyes had been poked out, and there was a red thing next to her that Crouch realised was her tongue. She had the word 'whore' carved multiple places into her body.
"You know, I think your husband just made up his accusation," said Crouch.
"Probably," admitted Bellatrix, "But I have to mark my territory. I honestly don't mind if Rudolphus sleeps around, but I do make sure to… correct whoever he does it with. Eventually. He wanted to sleep with this one. Close enough."
"It's your marriage," said Crouch with a shrug, "Anyway, the Dark Lord wants us to pull everyone out of here."
Bellatrix giggled. Time to make themselves scarce. Though Crouch did wonder what Morgana was doing.
XXXXX
Morgana walked carefully up to the edge of the chasm. She was deep in the dungeons of Azkaban. There was no light, save the small point at the tip of her wand. But she kept the light low, so that the light did not blind her to the things lurking in the shadows. Below, down a steep slope, were the dementor warrens. No witch or wizard had ever gone into this pit and lived, at least not without a whole host of patronuses backing them up.
There was a brazier at the edge of the chasm. Morgana lit it, and waited. Slowly other braziers lit around the massive cavern. She could now see a whole host of dementors rising out of the abyss. No light touched that darkness below. It was a domain of darkness.
Finally a nude woman was raised from the depths. She had the ethereal and dead beauty that Morgana had seen before at Hogwarts. Yet here, in the darkness, under the torchlight, Igraine was a fearsome sight. The flames made it seem as if her body was bathed in blood, and her eyes made it clear that such a bath would not bother her in the least.
"I long have waited for this," said Igraine, "I knew you would not fail me."
"I am not doing this for you," said Morgana, "You are not my mother."
"Of course I am," said Igraine, "That was the essential part of it. That I was the wife of Uther, and I loved him. And as long as he lived, I did as he wished. But in truth, after his death, I grew weary. My purpose is long gone. My purpose was for him. And without him, I only wish to rest. But I cannot. So I have taken other hobbies. Watching the dementors work is fascinating."
"In truth, I thought I was without hope," admitted Igraine, "And then I saw you were back. You who I have given the power to release me. The last who performed the ritual of the wizard Listarx. You can free me. And in doing so, you will become a terror to your enemies."
"Yet, I hesitate," said Igraine, "You are still my daughter. And once this is done, it will not be undone. The Darkness will claim you. And you will live or die by The Darkness."
"I know," said Morgana, "But it must be done."
Morgana heard approaching footsteps. Voldemort and Rookwood, she guessed.
"Enough of this," said Morgana.
"I love you Morgana," said Igraine, "No matter what has happened, I do love you."
Morgana's eyes softened as she looked at this horrible creature. Whatever it was now, it had once been her mother. She reached out her arms and placed a hand above each of Igraine's ears. She pulled her mother's head close, and kissed her on the forehead.
And as she did this, the power of her mother moved, out of this horrible undead thing, and into Morgana. As Morgana let go of the creature, it's beauty faded, turning momentarily back into the withered wraith she had also seen back at Hogwarts. But only momentarily. The body fell into the abyss, but as it fell, it faded to dust.
"Dementors," said Morgana, "Attend me."
And from the Darkness they came, a thousand strong. They thronged about her, completely under her thrall. Morgana reached out, and one dementor came forward. She grabbed it out of the air, then drew it close and kissed it on the lips.
The dementor was immediately consumed. And for the first time, the craving for Dark Magic Morgana had felt was sated.
"You will have to teach me how to do that," said Voldemort.
"That would be interesting," said Morgana, "I can't recommend it though. It wouldn't end well for you."
"What do you mean?" demanded Voldemort.
"It would kill you," said Rookwood, "Regardless of any soul anchors. A soul anchor keeps your soul from passing on, but does not prevent damaging your soul. The Darkness would absolutely destroy your soul. Your horcruxes might still be used to resuscitate some version of you, but you, the soul in this body, would die."
"How can it be that you can do it, but I cannot?" demanded Voldemort.
"Listarx's ritual allows me to use the power of The Darkness," said Morgana, "But it requires you to actually make contact with The Darkness itself. Since Merlin sealed it away, that is no longer possible. Simply put, you cannot perform that ritual anymore."
"How did you do it?" demanded Rookwood.
"I was alive before the ban, performed the ritual, and then reincarnated in this body after I died," explained Morgana, "Morgana Pendragon, at your service."
"Aaaaaah," said Rookwood, "That makes sense. Yes…"
"We must go," said Morgana, "Leave this place, dementors. I will call when I need you."
The dementors began flying away.
"You wanted control of the dementors," said Voldemort, suddenly understanding what had happened.
"They will be useful… eventually," said Morgana.
"Eventually?" asked Voldemort.
Morgana grinned. She had no intention of letting him know what she had planned for them. If he knew the full truth, he would know how she intended to betray him. Let him hope for now.
"Time to go," said Morgana.
XXXXX
Sirius Black threw his copy of the Daily Prophet on his desk. He sat down and threw his head back. "What the fuck is Greengrass' problem?" he asked idly.
"He is the opposition," said Cornelius Fudge, who was sitting across from Sirius.
"Yeah, but I have been at the head of the movement to get rid of the dementors in Azkaban for years. And he opposed it!" Sirius stood again and began pacing back and forth.
"It is a little galling that he blames you for not taking action," agreed Fudge.
"Put out a statement," said Sirius, "We were in the process of removing the dementors from control of Azkaban, something which should have been done years ago, but was not, thanks to Bryant Greegrass' opposition. Say that we cannot fix in a few weeks, the obstruction of over a decade."
"Nice," said Fudge, "Greengrass is just mixing it up really. Trying to score a few free points while we're distracted. If we bloody his nose a few times he'll probably stop."
A elderly witch, Mrs. Carmichael, poked her head in the door. She was Sirius' new personal assistant. "Your Security Advisors are here Minister Black."
"Send them in," said Sirius immediately.
In this case, the Security advisors included Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Rufus Scrimgoeur, the Head Auror, and Vera Halston, one of the senior Unspeakables. Sirius had expected the Unspeakables to send Saul Croaker, who was by far the most prominent senior Unspeakable (at least outside the Department of Mysteries), so Vera's assignment to his council was odd. She was fairly young for a Senior Unspeakable, only three years older than Sirius.
"So, anything new?" asked Sirius.
"Aurors have completed a full search of all dementor warrens," said Scrimgoeur, "They're empty."
"Unspeakable Croaker did find the remains of Control," said Vera.
"You mean Igraine?" insisted Sirius.
"That is actually probably more accurate," admitted Vera, "We think that Morgana absorbed the Control powers from Igraine. So we think that she controls the dementors."
"Just how bad is that?" asked Amelia, clearly annoyed that she had to do so. She wasn't an expert on either dementors or Morgana, but she felt that Morgana was something she should have known about.
"In the long term it is very bad," said Sirius, "In the short term it might actually be good. Morgana won't commit extensive dementor resources to activities that only benefit Voldemort, so until she achieves one of her early goals she is unlikely to use them. Oh, we may see a few scattered dementor attacks, but nothing concerted."
"And her early goals will be?" asked Vera.
"Probably to take over the Death Eaters," explained Sirius, "That or take down Merlin's wards on the Hogwarts keystone."
"Why didn't she do that at Hogwarts?" asked Scrimgoeur.
"The keystone chamber is not easily breached," said Amelia, "Even for Morgana. Apparition just flat doesn't work in there because of the keystone. It isn't warded, it is just impossible. The door is powerfully warded as well. If you have access, you can get in, but access is limited. Even Dumbledore can't get in unless someone opens the door."
"The rules of magic in the immediate vicinity of an Atlantean Keystone allow for some otherwise impossible defences," said Vera, "There is a reason we are willing to keep the Olympus stone openly in the British museum. It can't easily be stolen."
"I would put Anti-Dementor measures on our list of eventual projects, but not at the top," said Sirius.
"A good idea," said Amelia.
"News hasn't yet leaked about poor Miss Mooridge yet," said Sirius, "Do we have a full report on her condition?"
"Healers managed to regrow her tongue. So she can speak at least," said Scrimgoeur, "Kingsley interviewed her."
"Bellatrix?" asked Sirius.
"Bellatrix," confirmed Scrimgoeur, "Apparently Miss Mooridge had refused to soothe Rudolphus Lestrange's sexual tensions, so he accused her of seducing him. Bellatrix…"
"Reacted predictably," said Sirius, "Bellatrix, poor Bellatrix, she was never quite right. If you thought my father was bad? Cygnus was a monster. Abusive towards his daughters. Andromeda says that Bellatrix, as the oldest, always took the brunt of his rages. Sometimes she would goad him into them deliberately. By the time she entered Hogwarts, she was already dangerous. Waiting to be turned into a weapon."
"We need to release as much information about this as quickly as we can," said Sirius finally, "I need reports immediately."
Sirius' information plan was simple, release as much as he could up front to avoid prolonging the crisis. Simply put, everyone would blame Barty Crouch Sr. for this catastrophe, so long as the scandal didn't stretch too far into Sirius' administration.
"Have you looked at the Official Security Act for us yet Amelia?" asked Fudge.
Sirius nodded. So far, Harriet had not been to Grimmauld Place this summer, mostly because of Narcissa Malfoy. Sirius had asked her to formally renounce any family interest she had in the Black family home, and she had refused. In peacetime Sirius could have accepted Narcissa having access to his home, but now he needed it to be secure. She had challenged his authority to remove her in court, as he was doing so as property owner, not as head of the family. This had essentially prevented Sirius from seeing Harriet since she had returned from Hogwarts.
"You could use the Official Security Act to dismiss her challenge," said Amelia, "But it would be far simpler to simply use your authority as head of the Black family to expel her from the family."
"Ugh, I hate those old pureblood family laws," said Sirius angrily, "Nobody ever uses them properly. I nearly had them used on me. No, if I can use real law to do it, I will."
"Any luck tracking down the escapees?" asked Fudge.
"We'd have led with that if there was any," said Scrimgoeur.
"I would suggest you authorize kill on sight orders for all the Death Eater escapees," said Amelia.
"Especially Rookwood," said Vera, "He is more dangerous than any other Death Eater, save You-Know-Who or Morgana."
"His name is Voldemort," said Sirius, "You're an adult and a Senior Unspeakable. There is no reason to not say it."
Amelia and Scrimgoeur nodded and left, but Vera remained for a moment. "If Rookwood is captured, by some chance…"
"You want him?" asked Sirius, "Going to kill him?"
"One way or another Minister Black, he has to die," said Vera, "If we kill him, it makes some of the later things we have to do easier. That being said, I'd prefer him safely dead and our attempts to recruit a new seventh Senior Unspeakable complicated, than him alive and us stuck with six Senior Unspeakables."
"So you can't recruit another Senior Unspeakable until he dies," guessed Sirius.
"Quite correct Minister," said Vera.
She turned and left, leaving Sirius looking after her.
"What did you think of that?" asked Sirius.
"The Unspeakables are hiding something," said Fudge, "It is also a day with a name that ends in 'y.'"
"Yeah," said Sirius, "What else is new?"
XXXXX
Draco was sitting in the back garden of his home with Blaise Zabini. Malfoy Manor was in Kent, and the gardens there were exceptionally well tended. By a hired service of course, though Narcissa sometimes oversaw them. Still, Draco was happy for the solitude that the gardens provided. He didn't want to be overheard.
"The truth is, both Astoria and Daphne think that their father doesn't have a clue how to deal with Minister Black," explained Blaise, "His latest attack only opened Bryant himself up to more criticism. Both Astoria and Daphne think he is about to pivot towards a less antagonistic stance, at least for a while, but it is clear he still wants to be 'the Opposition.' He's going to keep looking for opportunities."
Draco wished he could go and visit Astoria and Daphne himself, but currently it just wasn't possible. It was unlikely that Bryant Greengrass would let him through the door, and if he did, Draco would be expected to send a report to the Dark Lord. No, best to stay away for the time being. Draco's goal was neutrality, though in the long run he knew it wasn't tenable.
"Good," said Draco, "I don't want Astoria turning into a target. If Bryant gets too close to cousin Sirius, she might become one."
"You know that isn't what Astoria wants," noted Blaise.
"Astoria is very brave," said Draco, "But too much bravery right now is dangerous."
"Astoria has had to be brave for her entire life," said Blaise, "What with her condition and all."
"Condition, what condition?" demanded Draco.
"Nothing, I shouldn't have said anything," said Blaise.
Draco narrowed his eyes. Blaise had long been a friend to Daphne Greengrass. He probably knew a lot of the Greengrass' secrets. This though… Draco had his own suspicions about Astoria. He resolved to ask her this next year.
"Your mother?" asked Draco.
"Plotting," said Blaise, "Probably giving money to the Dark Lord. Trying to look normal though. Independent. She isn't a joiner. She might do some small mischief for the Dark Lord though."
Draco scowled. It was all too vague for his liking.
"Are you having any problems?" asked Draco.
"My mother wants me to ask Daphne out," said Blaise.
Draco nodded. They'd never spoken about it, but Draco was perfectly aware that Blaise was gay. His close friendship with Daphne had long deflected attention from that, but Draco guessed that wouldn't last much longer.
"Daphne is willing to pose as my girlfriend," admitted Blaise, "But that isn't really fair to her."
"Is there anyone else she is interested in?" asked Draco.
"Nah," said Blaise, "Too many of the other boys in Slytherin are huge bigots, and she is very afraid to date outside of Slytherin right now."
"Blaise, I don't want to tell you how to handle this," said Draco, "But your mother is notoriously intolerant of… certain things. I would feel a lot safer if you at least had the cover of a fake relationship. If Daphne is willing, let her protect you."
"I appreciate the concern," said Blaise, "I really do. I will discuss it with Daphne."
"And if your mother discovers that you are… gay, come to me. I will make sure you are protected," said Draco.
"Can you?" asked Blaise, "Will your parents allow it?"
"I was thinking of my aunt Andromeda, actually," said Draco, "Her husband is a law-wizard and her daughter is an auror."
"Will they take me in?" asked Blaise.
"Yes," said Draco, "My cousin Nymphadora is a Metamorphagus, and as such… well her sexuality is a bit fluid."
"I will keep it in mind," said Blaise, "I have to go."
"I know," said Draco, "Stay safe."
"You too, Draco," said Blaise.
Draco led Blaise back into the kitchen, where Blaise used the floo to head home. As soon as he left, Draco's father appeared.
Typical, thought Draco.
"Any information?" asked Lucius.
"Nothing exceptional," said Draco, "Greengrass is apparently at a loss as to what to do."
"Is Astoria giving you accounts of her father?" asked Lucius.
"Somewhat," said Draco.
"Very good," said Lucius, "Does she understand the implications of that?"
"She is attempting to convince him to take a more… courageous stand. She keeps me up to date in case I can help," explained Draco. His father didn't need to know that the courageous stand he referred to was against the Dark Lord.
"Are they having success?" asked Lucius.
"No," said Draco simply.
"Have you given any thought as to what you intend to do this year at Hogwarts?" asked Lucius.
"I intend to keep a low profile," said Draco, "I will, quietly, begin organizing a group that shares my particular sympathies for the Dark Lord. And we will await any orders from him."
"Very good. Very good," said Lucius approvingly, "Some might advocate more active measures, but slow and steady is better."
"I also want to insulate the younger Slytherins as much as I can," said Draco, "During the last war many of them openly antagonized members of the other houses. It led to some rather infamous behavior on the part of the Gryffindors. But it also meant that in the end, we received very little sympathy. James Potter was well liked in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, despite his treatment of Severus Snape. And why was this? Because Snape was openly friends with people who openly supported the Dark Lord. All Slytherins were in the same bucket. However good that was for recruitment, it was extremely bad for the safety and well-being of our people."
"You think Potter will rally people against Slytherin?" asked Lucius.
"She could," said Draco slowly, "We don't have a lot of friends right now. I intend to not give her a target. If first or second year Slytherins openly start advocating Death Eater policy, I think Potter will take action. And uh, that is bad. We need to stay under her radar, until we strike, at least."
"Yes. Potter is dangerous," said Lucius. He had never told Draco what had happened in the graveyard, and by his almost complete silence it must have been mortifying for the Dark Lord.
"Also, similarly, I wonder if we should just ask Mother to drop her challenge to maintain her rights of access to the Black family home," suggested Draco, "It's just drawing unwanted attention to us, and it won't work in the long run."
"There are reasons we are continuing that," said Lucius.
Well that was that. Clearly Voldemort had ordered them to take that action. And it was highly suggestive to Draco. Voldemort was about to take another tilt at Harriet. He hoped she was ready. He wished he could warn her. He really did. But no, he had to stay out of it. No matter how much of a shitheel it made him feel.
XXXXX
Hermione had been looking for a segue since she returned from Hogwarts this summer. Simply put, she had never really discussed the idea of same-sex sexual attraction with her parents. Her simply announcing that she was bisexual would consequently be fraught with a certain degree of peril. Oh, not that she actually feared any real danger, but if she didn't have her mother's approval, the next couple of years would be difficult. And the fact that she was bi would mean her mother wouldn't feel even slightly bothered by parading a conga line of boys for Hermione to date.
But it was all hypothetical. The truth was that her parents were, in general, fairly progressive. Yet even many progressives of a certain age and up did not support same sex relationships, and many younger conservatives did. The emerging battle would be fought along the age line, and Hermione suspected that both sides of the political spectrum would be currying for those younger votes eventually.
The magical world was far behind of course, but not as far behind as many people imagined. Among older magicals revulsion at same sex relationships was common, but it was mostly based on old pureblood ideas about continuing family lines. The last 15 years or so had finally seen most non purebloods put those ideas to bed. Hell, outside of the Sacred Twenty-eight, those values had become increasingly uncommon. The revelation that Slytherin had never been a pureblood supremacist had been the final deathknell, at least among the younger witches and wizards who weren't as set in their ways. Which had caused all the students at Hogwarts to begin asking which of those rules had been bullshit from the very beginning. And most of them had looked on the suppression of gay and lesbian relationships as one of the most obvious examples.
The shift in magical society since Hermione had joined it was enormous. And soon it would get another kick in the pants. A team of historians had finished studying Rowena Ravenclaw's memories. They were publishing a paper on it, a lengthy paper, and already had a three volume book deal. Hermione sighed. If she hadn't still been in school, that could have been her.
Combined with the previous month's publishing of The Founders' Wars, Magical society was now quite aware of how hollow all the claims of some deep past for pureblood supremacism were. Still, this meant little to Hermione's parents. So she really did need a a segue.
But today same sex marriage was being discussed on the telly, which was tuned to the news. It was not a particular likely thing to pass anytime soon, but there was some discussion of how the next election mighr change things. Her father was reading the paper, and her mother was reading a book. But the telly was discussing an activist group demanding equal rights for same sex relationships.
"Do you think there is any chance of the government recognizing same sex relationships?" asked Hermione.
"I hope not," said Helen Granger, "Do we really want the Tories taking credit for that sort of thing?"
Hermione's heart fell, but she didn't quite give up hope. After all, her mother's opposition had been largely practical, not moral.
"That's a bit cynical dear," said Robert.
"I would think that righting a wrong like that would be a non-partisan issue," said Hermione carefully.
"But everything is partisan," said Helen, "The Tories know that everyone thinks they're out of touch, so they love when they have an unimportant social issue to champion so that they can distract from their disastrous economic policies."
Hermione groaned. Technically, she agreed with her mother's analysis. The Tories did often use social issues to distract from their bad policy in other areas. But hearing her own concerns being dismissed as unimportant was extremely disheartening.
"I wouldn't call it unimportant," chided Robert, "To the people involved those rights are very important."
"There is no irreparable harm in waiting for a Labour administration to fix those sorts of things," said Helen.
"Fuck that," said Hermione, which provoked a rebuke from her mother, but Hermione did not stop speaking, "How long has it been since Thatcher took power? How many people have died in that time?"
"To be fair, Thatcher wouldn't have approved same sex marriage in any event," said Robert, "If the polls turn the right way, John Major might."
"All the more reason to push now," said Hermione, who highly doubted that John Major would do any such thing. Sometimes her parents really could delude themselves. But that wasn't the point!
"It isn't likely to happen," said Helen, "There just isn't enough public support. I suppose I should be grateful for that."
Hermione briefly wanted to strangle her mother. "I can't believe you are okay with this." And she stormed upstairs to her room.
XXXXX
Robert groaned as his daughter stormed away. His wife could not have handled that worse. It was clear that Hermione had taken up gay rights as her latest crusade, and Helen had been rather dismissive.
"That wasn't some idle topic of conversation," said Robert, "That was important to Hermione, and you just treated it extremely dismissively."
"Damn," said Helen, "Another of her causes. I should have seen it. You don't think…"
Robert considered. Hermione had written to them about her date with that Viktor Krum, and she was quite clearly attracted to other boys as well. The idea that she might be bisexual never crossed his mind.
"She does seem to like boys," he said, "Probably one of her friends."
"Lavender and Parvati seem rather close, from what she says," said Helen.
"That does make sense," agreed Robert, "Still, it wouldn't hurt to be more sensitive in future. You can be a bit blunt sometimes. I think that Hermione has the impression that you don't approve of gay people."
"I'll try," said Helen.
And both of them promptly forgot that the conversation ever happened.
XXXXX
Harriet was lying on Dudley's weight bench, and trying to finish her last set of bench presses. This last set was the most difficult, of course, as she was already worn down from previous sets. It wasn't exceptionally difficult though, and even if she did fail, Dudley was spotting her.
"Ten!" she said roughly as she extended her arms away from her chest, pushing the weight away from her. She gently set it down on the bracket above her, then slid out from under it and sat up.
It was just the last step of a whole workout Dudley had worked up for her. Usually when Harriet exercised, she concentrated on aerobic exercise, but Dudley was the expert on strength training. Though Harriet had come to believe that he could use a bit more of her type of exercise; he was still a bit heavy. But that was his choice.
Harriet fanned herself. Even with athletic shorts and a sports bra on, it was a hot day. She grabbed her water from beside the weight bench. Warm. Damn it.
"Good job," said Dudley, "You're in better overall shape than I am, really. Are you looking to punch harder or something?"
"Don't tell your mother, but yeah, I absolutely want to hit people harder," said Harriet, with a grin.
Dudley made a zipping motion across his lips, which were smiling. "Too bad mum won't let us spar anymore. It would be an interesting fight."
"We're in different weight classes now anyway," said Harriet, "I'm not saying I couldn't beat you, I'm just saying it isn't fair, according to the book at least."
"I could get us an appointment at the gym," said Dudley.
"How far is it?" asked Harriet.
"Oh, damn, right," said Dudley, "Forgot you couldn't go more than a mile from this house."
"Can't even visit Hermione," said Harriet ruefully. She'd only seen Hermione once this summer. Hell, she was having a sleepover in a couple days and only Parvati was able to come. Harriet had invited all her roommates from Hogwarts, but Sally and Fay were both in America, and Lavender was somewhere on the continent. Helen Granger had given a rather lame excuse, so only Parvati was coming.
"Are the two of you…?" started Dudley, cautiously.
"How did you figure that out?" asked Harriet.
"Well you aren't being subtle about it," said Dudley, "Besides, one of my friends at schools is a bit of a poof. 'Sno big deal"
"Um, well I approve of your general attitude, but you probably could phrase things better," said Harriet.
"No problem," said Dudley, ignoring her criticism.
Harriet rolled her eyes, but decided that it wasn't worth it. Dudley didn't mean to be rude, he just was.
"Prob'ly shouldn't tell mum though," said Dudley, "Most likely she'd get all weird about it."
"My thought as well, Dudley," said Harriet, "And thanks. For… well you've been a big help to me."
"No problem cuz," said Dudley.
Harriet walked back to her room. It wouldn't be long before she turned 15. And thanks to Sirius, that would be significant. First, Sirius was now allowing any 15 year old to take the apparition test, a significant step. And second, any 15 year old who had passed either an O.W.L. or their apparition test could have the trace removed and be allowed to use magic outside of school. This was all done to allow students to defend themselves better, but was really the Progressives in the Wizengamot getting one of their long term goals completed. Sirius had been hard at work, Harriet just wished she could see him a bit more often.
Well, it would be fine. She didn't hate Privet Drive anymore. And it was safe. That counted for a lot.
XXXXX
Morgana apparated into the Castle, which was the code name for the current Death Eater base. Tintagel castle had long been hidden from muggles, and only recently had that spell begun to fray. The outside ruins were fakes of course, put there to make sure that no one from the muggle world wondered where all traces of the castle had gone.
Despite all this, the original owners of Tintagel had died during the Blitz, and it had remained empty ever since. Abraxas Malfoy had purchased the castle, but had never done anything with it. Lucius had sold the castle during the last war, but to a holding company that was actually secretly owned by Malfoy and Theodore Nott. It had never been used by Voldemort, which made it a perfect spot to run operations from.
Morgana hated Tintagel. She hated Cornwall. She hated Guinevere. She knew this wasn't the same castle that had been there during her previous life. Old Tintagel had been a wooden castle, and no trace of it was left. But this place reminded Morgana of her greatest failures. Just being in Cornwall reminded her of Guinevere.
Bellatrix was waiting in the Great Hall. She nearly growled when Morgana entered. Bellatrix was liking her less and less. Part of that was because Morgana was more powerful than Bellatrix, that was clear. But Morgana didn't think that Bellatrix was jealous of her power. No, it wasn't just that. There was something else going on here. Some undercurrent Morgana had missed. And only now was Morgana beginning to guess just what was wrong.
Rookwood, Crouch, and Lucius Malfoy entered on her heels. Of the closest of Voldemort's advisors, only Snape was absent. Rookwood was strange, knowledgeable, but a bit mad. He seemed to be aligned mostly with Bellatrix, though he was certainly not following her. His loyalty to Voldemort was extreme. The past few days had quickly established his brutal and sadistic preferences.
Malfoy on the other hand was a pragmatist, urging caution and concentrating on gathering resources. He had been made the treasurer of the Death Eaters, though he was in extreme disfavour right now, due to the incident with the diary. Snape often supported Malfoy, when he was present.
Barty Crouch Jr. was generally a swing vote. He was by far the cleverest of the Death Eaters in terms of his tactics and inventiveness. He was mostly a pragmatist, but he voted with Bellatrix and Rookwood enough in council that they saw him as an ally as well. He probably was actually a pragmatist, but he voted otherwise on occasion to maintain good relations with Bellatrix.
Not that the votes of the council mattered. They were a mere sounding board for Voldemort, giving their opinions on matters he had not yet decided. Morgana herself was the only person who Voldemort listened to with any degree of regularity. And even there, he was careful. He knew she had her own agenda, yet the power she had offered him was too great a prize for him to ignore.
"Where is your master?" demanded Morgana.
" The Dark Lord," emphasized Bellatrix, "is away. We are not required to give an account of his movements to you."
"Did he tell you not to tell me?" asked Morgana.
Bellatrix grinned smugly. "Yes, in fact, he did."
"So he's doing something foolish," said Morgana, "Wonderful. Idiot."
"Perhaps it is time we taught you some respect," snarled Bellatrix.
Rookwood laughed, the sound echoing hauntingly in the stone chamber. "Oh, count me out of that, Bella dear. I like living."
"She is under the Dark Lord's protection," said Lucius, "Do not presume to doubt him."
"And why has he given you, who abandoned him, a position of honour?" roared Bellatrix.
"I did not abandon him," snapped Lucius, "And the Dark Lord needs my services. I will not sit here and debate one who was caught uselessly torturing two purebloods even though they knew nothing! I at least have been active, fighting the fight of the purebloods!"
Lucius gave a huff of indignation, and stormed out.
"He tells a good lie that one," said Crouch, "The story he spun about hiring mercenaries to find the Dark Lord, and how they betrayed him, it is very good. The forged receipts are also quite skillful. Still, the reason he is treasurer and Nott isn't is simple. Nott sat passively, while Lucius tried to kill Potter and unseat Dumbledore."
"And in doing so got the Dark Lord's diary destroyed," objected Bellatrix.
"I played a hand in that as well," said Crouch, "But in truth we acted under orders from the diary. That means a version of the Dark Lord himself. As angry as he was, the Dark Lord agreed that we were bound to do as the diary commanded."
Morgana smiled slightly. She suspected Crouch had gone far past what the diary had demanded of him, but that wasn't really very important to her. What was important was that Crouch was apparently as good a liar as Lucius. Morgana doubted either of them had fooled Voldemort, but she guessed that Voldemort's true motivations were simple. He had not anticipated the diary being able to command his minions. Now that Voldemort had returned in a body, the last thing he needed was a horcrux that could actively ask his followers to restore it to life, creating a rival Dark Lord. The destruction of the diary was an annoyance to Voldemort, but it was ultimately too dangerous to be allowed to continued to exist. The other horcruxes did not present the same danger.
"Lucius showed initiative, which means that while his loyalty to your master is suspect, his dedication to the cause is not," said Morgana, "Lucius is ambitious, but he needs a firm hand. With that firm hand, his basic competencies come out. He is too much of a coward to ever really defy the Dark Lord. But he has just enough spine to speak his opinion."
"As servants of the Dark Lord, our duty is to root out disloyalty," objected Bellatrix.
"I am not one of his servants," said Morgana directly.
"One day I will make you pay for your insolence," cooed Bellatrix, clearly aflutter at the thought.
In truth, Morgana couldn't blame Bellatrix for being hostile. Bellatrix had been Voldemort's lover before, but Morgana suspected that he hadn't so much as touched her since returning to his body. And he wouldn't. Before, Bellatrix had interested him because she was the most powerful witch in Britian. Now that was no longer true. Not that he had shown any attraction to Morgana, which was a mercy, but Bellatrix, at least, clearly was no longer worthy of his attention. Once Bellatrix understood that Morgana was never going to so much as look at Voldemort sexually, she would probably calm down.
"In any event, I am guessing that your master is trying to get at Potter," suggested Morgana, "Am I warm?"
"Oh, he has a good plan this time," laughed Bellatrix.
"That's what I am afraid of," said Morgana.
XXXXX
Vernon Dursley sat on his bunk. He had the bottom bunk. His roommate, a small vicious man from South London, was sleeping above. Prison had not been kind to Vernon. He had lost a lot of weight, and he had only gained a little bit of muscle to compensate. He was not very well thought of by the other inmates. Luckily they didn't know he was here for child abuse. They thought he was an embezzler. One advantage of being tried in the magical justice system, he supposed.
The one thing that he did have to offer was that he was well educated. This had allowed him to work in the prison library, and his growing knowledge of where to find things there had led to him being at least mildly useful to everyone there. No one treated him well, but no one had reason to go after him.
Still, he had a lot of anger in him. The magical world had taken everything from him. Harriet Potter had taken everything from him. He would do anything to have revenge.
"Would you?" said a voice. The voice was soft, sibilant, like a snake's. Vernon nearly jumped when he saw the man it came out of. He certainly looked like a snake.
"Who are you?" demanded Vernon.
"My name is Lord Voldemort," said the snake man.
"You're the one who killed the freak's parents!" said Vernon in recognition.
"Yes, I am," said Voldemort, "I want to finish the job. But unfortunately, I cannot get close to your former niece. Luckily, there is one person we know for a fact can harm Harriet in that house."
"Me…" said Vernon, suddenly excited.
"Wha's going on?" asked Vernon's cellmate, sleepily.
" Avada Kedavra," said Voldemort, almost genially. There was a flash of green and Vernon's cellmate went still.
"Harriet was almost capable of fighting me off as a ten year old," said Vernon, "Her magic has surely gotten stronger since then."
"I don't expect you to take her in a duel," agreed Voldemort, "But once her magic is disabled, I think you will have little trouble strangling the life out of her."
The idea of putting his hands around Harriet's neck and squeezing until it snapped? Oh yes,l that appealed to Vernon.
"What do I need to do?" he said.
Author's Note: Whoops, uploaded the wrong version. This version has the rating.
Just an update for my longtime readers, finished a rough draft of part 8 and have started part 9. I may have some more news in the near future, as I have been developing some other story ideas as well.