Author's note: For some reason I've been having difficulty with the reviews actually being sent to my e-mail. Some have also been popping in and out of existence on the site itself. I try to respond to everyone, but if I missed you, it's because this website is screwing with me. Alternatively, if I responded to your review twice, I apologize. Technology hates me, and the feeling is mutual.
As much as I like writing this story for its own sake, reading your reviews is the highpoint of being an author. I love reading your thoughts, so please leave a review at the end after reading.
-o-o-
Chapter 7
Torture and tea.
-o-o-
"I see Potter." Mad-Eye said softly, and with a hint of confusion. He pointed straight down. "He's in the basement fighting with a girl. Looks like they're trying to cut each other to ribbons."
"He must have broken free of their control, we have to help him!" Remus exclaimed excitedly, and hurried toward the stairway down.
"Dammit Lupin, slow down it could be a trap!" Mad-Eye growled as he ran after him, his wooden leg thunking too loud for his liking. Casting a silencing spell on his leg, he picked up his pace so as not to get separated from the other wizard.
Being a werewolf, and far younger than Mad-Eye, Remus quickly outran the ex-auror despite the old wizard's best efforts. He'd lost nearly everyone he'd held dear, and he'd be damned before he'd lose Harry too.
Running heedless into the shadowy basement, he could feel the dark creatures all around, but he could also smell their fear. The creatures would not attack, they could clearly tell they were in the presence of a far more dangerous beast. He smiled darkly, normally that thought would depress him, but now all he cared about was saving Harry. His smile turned into a snarl as the scent of blood grew clear, Harry's blood.
There! Up ahead he could see Harry backed up against a wall, struggling for his life, straining against that bitch from before. She was slowly overpowering him, and pushing a knife closer to his face. His only thought was to get her away from him. As a result, he put too much power behind his banisher, and she was actually lifted up into the air as she was sent flying by his spell. A loud crash in the darkness told him she was likely out of the fight for now.
Remus skidded to a stop before Harry, and gripped the boy's shoulders. "Are you alright? Did she..."
He stopped mid-sentence, in shock, as Harry glowed red, and slumped to the ground. Mad-Eye hobbled over, slightly winded.
"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing Moody!?" Remus all but shouted in outrage.
With his electric blue eye spinning all around, he ignored the question. "Where's the girl?"
"Over there, I knocked her away a little roughly, she's not getting up anytime soon." Remus gestured vaguely into the darkness even as he glared menacingly at Mad-Eye for attacking Harry. "Why'd you stun him? He was clearly fighting for his life, he's no longer under their control."
Once again ignoring the question, Mad-Eye settled his magical eye on the area Remus was pointing at. "No she's not. Keep your wand at the ready because I can't find her." His eye once again began it's wild spinning.
Confused, Remus spun to look where he'd banished the pale girl. Nostrils flaring, he tried to find her by scent, but Harry's blood masked all other odors.
"Alright, stay close. Expect her to get the drop on us." Mad-Eye said calmly, as though he was merely talking about the weather. "When she strikes, whichever one of us she doesn't get will hit her hard. Don't hold back because she's a kid."
The two wizards slowly moved away from Harry, neither one noticing him twitch.
-o-o-
Wednesday was upset. She had been about to win their game, and she had felt Harry's arousal as she pressed up against him, slowly forcing her dagger toward his cheek. The next thing she knew, she was flying through the air, and crashing through some of the molding furniture that was being poorly stored in the damp basement.
Letting her anger cool into an icy resolve, she let herself become one with the shadows. Remembering the lesson Harry had taught her, she made certain to not completely hide her presence. Whoever this intruder was, she was not going to let him know where she was until she sank her dagger into his heart.
Another strange man appeared, and hit Harry with a flash of red light, causing her boyfriend to fall to the ground. Shifting her ire, she made the peg legged man her new target. Hurting Harry was her job, and she was not going to let anyone else get away with it.
-o-o-
Harry felt himself get excited despite being about to lose spectacularly to Wednesday, again. He still pushed as hard as he could, trying to delay the inevitable as her blade crept ever closer, but he knew what her victory would lead to, and he was eager to let her claim her reward.
Suddenly, she was violently thrown off of him, and in her place, Remus Lupin gripped his shoulders. Frustrated, he couldn't be bothered with whatever the man was saying. He was about to start yelling at him, when he felt his muscles go slack, and the floor rushed up to meet him.
He could hear Professor Lupin arguing with... Mad-Eye Moody? He couldn't quite tell, everything was hazy. It was as if he was in a dense fog, and drugged as well. His body felt weighed down, and even thinking was difficult.
With what felt like a herculean effort, he grasped his wand, and managed to point it at himself. "Rinnvate..." He slurred, then tried again. "Rennvate..." Closing his eyes in frustration, he tried one last time. "Rennervate."
Energy rushed into him, and Harry felt fully awake and mobile once more. He saw Lupin and Mad-Eye in front of him. They were looking around, likely for Wednesday, and not paying attention to him.
He flung his wand up, and before he could say the incantation, a shield glowed brightly around the two wizards as Moody spun around. Harry grinned.
"Crucio!"
A jagged beam of light passed through Mad-Eye's shield as if it wasn't there, and struck the ex-auror full on in the chest.
Remus couldn't believe what he was seeing as Mad-Eye convulsed on the floor next to him. "Harry, no!" He shouted, realizing he had been wrong about James' son not being controlled any longer.
Remus raised his wand to re-stun Harry, when a delicate hand gripped his wrist with an unearthly strength. Ripping his arm free, he batted the girl away with his other arm. She was deceptively strong, but he was stronger. He turned his attention back to Harry in time to see a flash of red, then everything went black.
Having been released from the cruciatus, Mad-Eye tried to pick up his wand with a trembling hand, only to have a fresh spasm of pain course through his body. Through the pain, he saw the girl pick up his wand, and stare at it curiously.
"Snap it." Harry said, as he relented his torture.
If it weren't for the fire that danced across every one of his nerves, Mad-Eye would have grinned. He wasn't stupid enough to only carry one wand. Breathing heavily, he reached for his spare, only to feel the ground rush away from him, as he was sent tumbling across the floor.
"Constant vigilance." Harry said mockingly. "Isn't that what you always say? I'm not about to think you're harmless, not until your corpse has been cool for an hour. Even then, I think I'd dismember you just to be safe."
Keeping his wand trained on the no doubt still dangerous wizard, Harry watched as Wednesday approached Moody with a rusted chain she had found among the detritus. She expertly bound his arms and legs, then hoisted him up into a still sturdy oak chair she had also brought over. Using more of the chain to secure him to the chair, she nodded professionally, and moved on to tie up Lupin as well.
-o-o-
"My dear Bella, I have a question for you regarding your Aunt Walburga's home." Voldemort said, as he strode into the holding cell where she and Asclepius were playing with one of the new recruits. The unfortunate neophyte had refused to torture a muggle child during his initiation.
Both of his most loyal servants stopped what they were doing, and gave him their full attention. The distracting moans of the man who was chained to the wall were silenced as Asclepius jammed a filthy rag into his mouth.
Nodding his thanks at Asclepius with a thin smile, Voldemort gave some explanation before he asked his real question. "Intent based wards by nature require an incredible amount of power to work properly. It is my understanding that your aunt's home has such wards. The easiest way to reliably make intent based wards is to use blood as the base." He looked Bellatrix in the eyes. "Do you know if that is how your family erected them?"
"I-I do not know master." Bellatrix said, ashamed that she was unable to give him the answer he desired. "But I do know that I was never added to the house's wards. The wards never stopped me in any way. Not even when I visited just to curse my cousin." She remembered taking revenge on her blood-traitor cousin Sirius, for pranking Cissa and herself.
"It is likely then, that they are blood wards. Blood wards that will allow anyone with Black blood to enter regardless of intent." Voldemort said with a pleased smile.
Bellatrix's eyes widened in understanding. "Then I could just walk right in at any time."
Voldemort nodded. "Precisely, as well as Narcissa and Draco for that matter. Young mister Black has invited me to tea, and I intend to accept. I would like you to join me Bella. I need to make sure I have absolutely no intention of harming him, but you will have no such problem."
"Then we are eliminating him master?" Bellatrix asked to be certain.
"No, at least not yet." He explained. "I merely want you there as a precaution. If he is being truthful with me, then I see no reason why we shouldn't be allies."
With that, Voldemort turned to leave. He stopped briefly at the door. "Be ready to leave tomorrow afternoon." He thought for a moment. "When you two finish, hang this one's corpse where the new recruits will see it, as a warning for those less dedicated than their peers."
-o-o-
"Since you're here, I have a few questions I'd like answered." Harry said as he stood in front of Mad-Eye. "I'd rather ask Dumbledore, but I'm sure you'll know the answers."
Mad-Eye spat his defiance at Harry, who tilted his head to avoid the wad of bloody sputum. The feel of the butterbeer cap portkey that he'd spello-taped to his thigh was tempting him, but he would tough it out as long as he could to try and get more information out of Potter. Maybe even stall long enough for the werewolf to escape as well.
"Why don't you let Lupin go?" The chained man growled. "He still thinks you're being controlled. No reason to let him know just how dark you've become."
"Really? You spit at me, and now you want me to do you a favor?" Harry swung his fist down hard into Mad-Eye's jaw, then looked at his hand which felt as if he'd nearly broken it.
"Seriously Harry?" Wednesday said in disappointment as she took his hand and curled it into a proper fist. "Keep it tight, and make sure your wrist is straight. Like this." She demonstrated by slamming her own fist into Mad-Eye's gut, causing him to gasp and spit up blood.
Harry slowly tested out Wednesday's advice on the bound man's sides. Gaining confidence, he hammered Mad-Eye's ribs with increasing force. "Thanks, that's much better."
"Maybe, but you should stick with a knife." She said critically. "You hit like a girl."
He looked at her with an eyebrow raised. His eyes lingered over her more feminine attributes to make his point.
Wednesday rolled her eyes. "I am a girl, but I hit like a sledgehammer. You're a boy, and you hit like a little girl. Stick with the knife."
Harry huffed in annoyance, but decided to leave it for now. He moved to be eye to eye with the ex-auror. "I should have taken this first thing." He said as he ripped away the magic eye. "There, now you can't see me when I use my cloak."
"If you're through with your lover's spat, care to tell me why you've gotten all chummy with Death Eaters all of a sudden?" Moody inwardly cursed at the loss of his eye. That thing was ridiculously expensive, and commissioning a new one will take months. "It doesn't matter how dark you are, Voldemort will still want you dead."
All emotion left Harry's features, and he stared into the man's remaining eye. "At least Voldemort is honest about what he wants. I'd rather be tortured for months, and finally put to death after being reduced to a rotting shell of a man; than spend one more day as Harry Potter, Dumbledore's puppet, the fucking Boy-Who-Lived."
Wednesday placed a slender hand on Harry's shoulder, and leaned over so that her lips brushed against his ear. "Don't you dare let Voldemort do that to you." She lightly ran her tongue along his earlobe. "If anyone is going to torture you like that, it's going to be me."
Harry closed his eyes and shivered in delight at that thought. It took a great deal of effort to bring himself back to the task at hand.
Meanwhile, Wednesday took hold of Moody's wooden leg, and tore it free. She handed Harry the leg. "I've always wanted to see a man beaten to death with his own leg."
Laughing, Harry hefted the prosthetic. "Don't worry, I won't kill you. Not today anyway." He swung the leg down onto Mad-Eye's shoulder, causing the man to grunt in pain. "I want you to tell Dumbledore that if he sends people after me again, I'll send them right back to him, in several small boxes."
Harry whipped the leg around, and smiled as he heard the satisfying crack of the man's ribs giving way. "Then again, I only really need one of you to send a message to Dumbledore."
Harry slowly pushed the end of the wooden leg into the ribs he'd just broken. Moody grimaced and hissed, but refused to scream. No matter, if he couldn't find a way to make the man scream, Wednesday surely could.
Nothing more could be gained by staying. Moody drew in a breath to activate his portkey, but was forced to endure one final blow as his own leg smashed into his face. Spitting out a tooth, he wearily said, "Egress." He was most likely dooming Lupin to die, but he'd just add him to the long list of those that he hadn't been able to save.
"Huh, guess he had a portkey on him the entire time." Harry said, letting the now bloody prosthetic fall to the floor. "Lupin probably has one too."
"What does a portkey look like?" Wednesday asked as she started digging through the unconscious werewolf's pockets. "If I'm going to teach you how to beat someone properly, we have to make sure he can't escape."
Harry looked offended. "I didn't do that bad did I?"
She dropped the contents of Lupin's pockets onto the chair that once held Moody. "Maybe I'll chain you down, and really show you how it's done. We can have fun later though, what does a portkey look like?"
"Unfortunately, anything can be made into a portkey." He said, eying the odd assortment of junk from the man's pockets.
"I'm not stripping him naked." She said flatly. "Either you do it, or we just risk him escaping."
Harry did not look happy about that thought. "Ugh, I think I have a better idea. Kreacher!"
The elf popped into existence in front of his master. "Master calls for Kreacher?"
"You could tell that the letters this morning were portkeys. Can you tell me if any of this stuff is a portkey, or if he has one on him?" Harry asked, pointing first to the pile from Lupin's pockets, and then to the man himself.
The aged house elf leaned over the loose items, and pointed to a butterbeer cap. "That feels the same to Kreacher." He reluctantly moved to search the werewolf. "The filthy halfbreed has no portkey."
"Thank you Kreacher. Go back to helping Luna." Harry said as he dragged the entire chair further away from Remus, so the werewolf couldn't easily reach for it should he escape his bonds.
Kreacher vanished with a pop.
-o-o-
Despite her rather vocal objections, Madam Pomfrey revived Moody after only healing the life threatening wounds that the man had received.
"Thank you Poppy. Now I must ask you to give the two of us privacy for the moment." Dumbledore said with uncharacteristic sternness.
"Albus, he needs rest, you need rest. I should force you both to drink dreamless sleep potions, not let you overexcite each other." The matron exclaimed. She had half a mind to stun the both of them for their own good.
Moody spoke up, biting back a hiss of pain as he realized that his ribs were still broken. "This is important. Albus needs to hear my report."
"Very well, but If you cast anything more powerful than privacy charms, I'm locking your wand up until you've made a full recovery." Pomfrey said while pointing an accusing finger to Dumbledore.
"I wouldn't dream of it." Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.
With a harrumph, she closed privacy curtains around the two stubborn wizards, and left them alone.
After ensuring their privacy with several charms, Dumbledore's features grew serious. "Is there any chance Remus can escape?"
"I doubt it. He was stunned when I got out." Moody said plainly. "I'm sure Potter is smart enough to make sure Lupin can't follow my example."
Dumbledore closed his eyes. Regret and pain evident on his face. "We were woefully unprepared for the capabilities of this Addams family. Do you have any suggestion on where we go from here?"
"Short of torching the whole bloody building with fiendfire, and writing off the lovegood girl as an acceptable loss... no." Moody fixed his remaining eye on his old friend. "Not that it matters anymore, but what was your theory about Potter and his cloak? The boy didn't know that I can't see through it anymore. The Addams girl was able to hide from me as well, she probably was using that damn thing."
"This information is dangerous my friend, and no one must know. It is especially important that Harry not find out now." Knowing that the ex-auror would guard the knowledge, Dumbledore continued without any prompting. "I have very good reason to believe that Harry's cloak is in fact the invisibility cloak from the legend of the three brothers. It is the cloak of true invisibility."
Looking at Dumbledore like the older wizard had finally lost his sense, Moody pointed out the obvious. "If it's one of the deathly hallows from the fairy tale, then why could I see through it before?"
"I believe the hallows are individually powerful, but only together become as perfect as they are rumored to be." He unconsciously rubbed his thumb along his wand. "Since they came from Death, they would likely grow in power as one becomes closer to death. Of course it is unlikely that Death is a real entity. I find it more believable that the three hallows merely were meant to work together, and thus augment each others power."
"You think he has another hallow?" Moody actually looked frightened for a moment. "You think he has the Elder wand."
With a soft smile Dumbledore shook his head. "No, I believe he has found the resurrection stone. I do not think he would hide behind the walls of Grimmauld place if he had that kind of power at his fingertips."
Moody blanched. "I think that's even worse. He's darker than you thought Albus. He used the cruciatus on me, and the look on his face... If that stone really exists, and he has it... He would draw back a man from the beyond just to make him suffer."
"All the more reason for us to reach Mister Potter one way or the other." Weary, he leaned his head back. "What about the rest of the Order? Should we maintain the illusion that he is being controlled, or shall we reveal the painful truth?"
"He may be dark, but he's being controlled too. That Addams girl has him wrapped around her little finger. He'd gladly cut off his own arm just for the chance to lick her boots." Moody mentioned with disgust. "We can decide later. I need to rest. I haven't felt this bad since I lost my real leg."
-o-o-
Remus awoke to see Harry sitting across from him. Harry was putting away his wand, and staring him right in the eyes.
"Alright, I have some questions I'd like answered. Hopefully you'll be more cooperative than Moody was." Harry said with a smile. "Otherwise I'll let Wednesday use you to teach me how to properly beat a man within an inch of his life."
Remus just past Harry to see the girl examining Mad-Eye Moody's magical eye. "Merlin Harry, what have they done to you?"
"I'll even answer your questions too, just to keep things pleasant. 'They' haven't done anything to me. Unless you count accepting the real me with open arms." Harry's smile grew wider. "Now then. What has Dumbledore been telling the Order about me? The information I have is second hand at best."
"You're being controlled by them Harry, it's obvious to anyone who knows you. Fight it! You're stronger than they are Harry, don't let them use you." Remus encouraged passionately.
Harry laughed and shook his head. "That's the exact opposite of the truth. Dumbledore was the one who was controlling me. I'm finally free now, this is the real me. Nobody is controlling me anymore."
"Oh? I'm not sure I would phrase it that way." Wednesday said, abandoning her interest in the magical eye. She walked up behind Harry, and whispered into his ear."
Harry's face turned bright red, and he gulped. "That is not what I mean, and you know it." He said, clearly flustered.
This didn't make any sense to Remus. He knew he had to be missing something. Earlier, the girl had been trying her hardest to kill Harry, but now they acted as if they were a couple, a very close couple.
"Harry, help me understand then." Remus pleaded. "All I want is to keep you safe, and I know I saw her trying to kill you earlier. What is going on?"
"She wasn't trying to kill me... well not seriously anyway. It was a game, um..." Harry started to explain.
Wednesday interrupted, knowing Harry was still too shy to get to the point. "It was foreplay."
"What?" Remus asked, confused.
Harry was glad that he couldn't blush any more at this point anyway.
"Foreplay." Wednesday repeated. "If you had shown up a couple minutes later we would have been having sex."
"Wednesday!" Harry cried out in embarrassment.
"You didn't think our game was going end any other way did you?" She asked. She needed to work on his shyness. Maybe mother would have some ideas.
"No, but... you don't have to... I mean..." Harry floundered for a bit.
Harry certainly didn't seem to have any of the signs of being controlled magically, and these Addams didn't really seem as dark as he had believed. Remus thought back to earlier, the large man in the foyer hadn't been aggressive at all. If he hadn't seen harry use the cruciatus on Moody then he would... but wait. Harry had used that unforgivable before. Remus' eye's widened as he remembered. One particular memory flooded back in an instant.
-o-o-
Remus felt his heart tear as the man he called brother, his best friend, was struck by the stunner. Sirius slowly fell through the veil, and vanished forever. His own pain was then shifted to the side as he heard Harry scream in primal agony at the loss of his godfather.
He was forced to hold Harry back, lest he follow Sirius through the veil. Eventually Harry relented, and slumped in defeat. The marauder let go, and tended to the Longbottom boy's injuries. Harry needed time more than anything now.
Terror gripped him as Harry leaped to his feet and ran after Bellatrix Lestrange. She'd defeated Shacklebolt as well, and was making good her escape. He screamed after harry to stop, but the rage fueled boy refused to listen. Cursing, he ran after the enraged boy.
Remus caught up to the two of them in time to see Harry holding Bellatrix under the cruciatus. A look of fury mixed with cruel enjoyment graced his features. Before he could react to the bizarre sight, Dumbledore appeared, and casually flung Bellatrix away from Harry's reach before stunning the boy. Then Voldemort showed up, and he could only watch in awe as the two titans battled in the ministry atrium.
After the battle ended, and Dumbledore once more patiently explained the return of Voldemort to a terrified Fudge, the old wizard portkeyed Harry away. Before leaving, the aged wizard approached him.
"I'm afraid Harry has had a trying experience tonight. Can I count on you to help me counsel him?"
Feeling numb, Remus nodded. "He used..."
"Yes, I know." Dumbledore interrupted. "Come, grasp my arm, and I'll pull you through the wards to my office. Harry is there now, and will need us."
They apparated in, and Dumbledore began talking as he put away various instruments on his desk, and replaced them with duplicates. "I'm sorry you had to see Harry like that. I've put in so much effort to prevent such things, but Harry does still have the occasional relapse."
Remus was completely confused. "Relapse? Sir, what are you talking about."
"Forgive an old man his ramblings." Dumbledore said as he replaced certain valuable books with copies as well. "Harry is... not well, and I need to ensure he is better before I can wake him up."
"I don't understand, you aren't making any sense." The old marauder tried to puzzle out what was going on, but the entire scenario was just too strange.
"I'm afraid you don't have to understand." Dumbledore said sadly as he pointed his wand at Remus. "Obliviate."
-o-o-
Putting all of the pieces together, Remus stared at Harry in shock. "You've always been like this... Merlin, what has Dumbledore done?"
Harry was shaken out of his embarrassed rambling. "He fucked with my mind, that's what he did."
Remus bowed his head. He had a hard decision to make. He owed Dumbledore so much, but Harry was the last family he had left. Then again, Dumbledore modified his memories of that terrible day. He couldn't trust the old man ever again. The choice wasn't really that hard after all.
"My name is Remus Lupin. I was a very close friend of your father. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for you as you grew up, but I'm here now." He looked up at Harry's now confused face. "I'd like to get to know the son of one of my closest friends."
"Not that I'm complaining, but um, why the sudden change of heart, and why the introduction? I know who you are." Harry asked, bewildered.
"You know me, but I clearly do not know you. A reintroduction seemed appropriate." The werewolf grimaced in pain and regret. "I believe yours isn't the only mind that Dumbledore has toyed with."
"I was not expecting this." Harry said as he turned to Wednesday. "Do you suppose your grandmother would mind mixing up another batch of whatever she gave me before?"
-o-o-
Wearily, Dumbledore made his way up the stairs behind the stone gargoyle. He'd convince Poppy after waking in the morning, that he could rest his magic just as easily in his office as he could in her infirmary.
There on his desk lay a single envelope with the word 'Headmaster' written in simple block letters.
He'd consented to allow Poppy to put a monitering charm on him, so he couldn't test it for curses himself. Considering he imagined it was a message from Harry, he wasn't about to open it without such testing. Sighing, he walked to his floo to see if Severus was awake yet.
Five minutes later, Snape walked through the flames to assist his employer.
"I doubt that even under the circumstances, Potter has the capability of thinking up such a deception. Even one as simple as this." Snape surmised with disdain.
Nevertheless, the potion master cast charm after charm to detect all manner of traps. From simple jinxes to incredibly dark curses, the letter was completely safe. It didn't even register as magic in any way, and no poison could be detected either. Upon closer examination, what they thought was parchment, was in fact very thick paper.
"Thank you Severus. One cannot be too careful in these dark times." Dumbledore said as he lifted the surprisingly heavy envelope.
Snape watched as the headmaster broke the wax seal, and gripped the message inside. As the contents were lifted out, a soft click was the only warning given.
Acting more on instinct, than any belief that there was a danger, Snape near simultaneously banished the letter out of Dumbledore's hands, and cast a shield around the two of them.
The explosion deafened them both, and Snape's hastily conjured shield buckled under the stress. Most of the heat and force was absorbed, but enough broke through to send Dumbledore sprawling to the ground, madly swatting at his beard which had caught fire.
Snape seemed to escape harm except for scorch marks on his fireproof robes. Robes which he had begun to wear after that incident back in '91 when his robes somehow caught fire while he was trying to keep that Potter brat from plummeting to his death.
-o-o-
"Harry tells us you've spent most of his life trying to kill him." Morticia said as she stirred several drops of cyanide into her tea.
The absurdity of the situation was not lost on the Dark Lord. There he sat with his most trusted lieutenant by his side, having afternoon tea with the boy in question, his girlfriend, and her parents.
"I can assure you that I would have succeeded, had I known the entirety of the prophecy." It had taken some time for him to understand how these Addamses thought, but once he understood their values, knowing the right things to say came easily to the consummate Slytherin.
Gomez nodded in understanding. "Bad information can cause the best of us to fall. I believe that's what finally did in Great Aunt Calpurnia. How was she to know that minister didn't like women?"
"Yes, such a shame. She would have set that entire town down a dark path of hellish enslavement." Morticia lamented.
Wednesday turned to Harry. "She was my hero you know, I always wanted to die like she did. Burned alive at the stake, the heat melting the flesh from your bones, I was so disappointed to learn you'd pass out from the smoke first."
"Yes, as pleasant as this train of thought is, I do have a purpose for being here beyond social niceties." Voldemort said as he took a sip of his own tea. The poisons actually made the tea quite delicious. His foresight saw that he'd put himself through several rituals, which among other benefits, made him immune to nearly all toxins. Bella had no such protection, but she was a big girl, she could fend for herself.
Setting his cup down, he turned to look at Harry with his crimson eyes bearing down on the boy. "I hope you understand my reluctance to simply trust that you've been entirely truthful with me."
"Ah, of course." Hary said, setting down the pastry he'd been about to bite. The treat tried to skitter away on unseen legs, until it was impaled by Wednesday's fork, and pinned to the table.
Harry looked deep into Voldemort's blood-red gaze, and smiled. "Go ahead, I won't stop you."
The others looked on in interest as both wizards froze. Neither moved for nearly a minute. The only sign that something was happening, was the blood that started to seep from the scar on Harry's forehead.
Releasing his grasp on Harry's mind, Voldemort closed his eyes and brought his long pale fingers up to massage his temples. "I see. Bella, there will be no need for you to kill him. I do believe he hates that old fool Dumbledore more than I do, and he has been completely honest with us."
"Since we're talking business now, can we talk about the rat?" Harry asked, all humor gone from his features.
"Wormtail?" Voldemort asked, remembering the postscript on Harry's last letter. "Might I ask what that sniveling coward has done to anger you so much?"
Harry pointed at the Dark Lord. "You killed my parents." He then pointed to Bellatrix. "And you killed my godfather, but both of you were straightforward and honest about it."
Harry's face darkened. "The rat Pettigrew was a marauder. He was family, and he betrayed us all. He didn't even have the decency to stab my father in the back himself."
Morticia looked affronted. "That's horrible."
Gomez held his wife's hand to comfort her. "What kind of a maniac doesn't hold the knife himself when he slits his own brother's throat?"
Voldemort thought carefully about what usefulness Wormtail still had.
"If it helps, I'll tell you about the traitor you have in your own ranks." Harry offered.
"If you're referring to Severus, you are mistaken, I am his true master." Voldemort said with confidence.
Harry laughed. "I don't think he has a true master, but if you don't believe that he isn't working against you, then ask yourself this: Why did he alert the Order to what was happening at the ministry?" Harry asked with a smug grin. "If he had kept his mouth shut, they would have never shown up, and your Death Eaters would have eventually killed all of us. Well, I suppose they would have brought me to you alive, but my point stands. They only failed that night because Snape sent the Order to protect us."
Harry pressed on. "You can't even say he was trying to maintain his cover. If he never said anything, Dumbledore would have never known that Snape knew we had fallen into your trap. If he was truly your servant, he would have cheerfully seen us off, and claimed ignorance the next day."
Voldemort's eyes narrowed, but it was Bellatrix that responded, shaking with rage. "That greasy haired, two faced, half-blood piece of filth! I knew he couldn't be trusted!" She fell off of her chair to her knees, and begged. "Master please! Let me have him. Asclepius and I can keep him alive for weeks, screaming for a death that will not come."
Gomez and Mortica looked at each other, impressed. Even Wednesday had a touch of emotion on her face at the raw bloodthirsty display of mad zealotry.
"Regardless of your decision, I'd like to make another offer since you've brought my... cousin? I think?" Harry said as he watched Bellatrix beg for the opportunity to torture and maim the double agent.
Seeing the professional admiration in his family's eyes, Harry knew they would agree with his suggestion. "As I said before, I've given up the Potter name, and picked up the mantle of heir Black that my godfather passed on to me. That makes you family." He said looking at Bellatrix, who had paused to listen to his offer.
"I Imagine you've already learned that the wards here won't keep you out, but I'd like to make it official. You, your sister Narcissa, and your nephew Draco, are all welcome here. I also want to see if your sister Andromeda and her daughter Nymphadora would be interested. I know you've had your differences, but we're all family. I'd like us to all get to know one another, and if needed, you can kill each other right here."
Voldemort stood. "I think we have a great deal to think about now. Thank you for your hospitality, the lovely meal, and the stimulating conversation. Wormtail serves me out of fear, not loyalty. I see no real reason to protect him from you. Expect him soon, or perhaps Bella can bring him to you if she decides to take you up on your offer." He said, the polite and refined Tom Riddle showing through his inhuman visage. "Come Bella, we have plans to make now that we know Mister Black is no longer an enemy."
Bellatrix hurried after her master, and they both paused as Harry asked one last question.
"I nearly forgot. Can I ask a favor of you?" He asked hopefully. "Thanks to the Order, I've been forced to use my wand several times lately. I don't know why the ministry hasn't sent me an owl about it yet, but I'd like to know if there's a way to remove the trace before my seventeenth birthday?"
Bellatrix couldn't help herself, and laughed. "The trace only works in muggle areas, and it's on your wand. If you need to use magic out there, use a different one. I'm pretty sure Aunt Walburga kept a collection in her bedroom somewhere."
Harry looked to Voldemort for confirmation, and the Dark Lord simply nodded. "She's correct. I stole a wand in my second year, and used it all summer without consequence."
A pleased smile bloomed on Harry's face. "Thank you, that is very good to know."
-o-o-
Author's note: I've actually put quite a bit of thought on how the hallows work in this story. The only thing is, I'm not sure I can think of anything I actually want to do with them. I mainly just wanted an excuse for why Mad-Eye with his stupid magic eye couldn't find Harry when he was vulnerable early in the story. That being said, I have figured out how I want them to work if I do think up something good.
I wanted to get more into Lupin's fate, but I think the chapter would have wound up a bit long. I think I at least made it clear the direction I'm taking with him.
Am I being too mean to Dumbledore? I really am not intending this to be a Dumbledore bash, but it seems to just be happening that way.
To Mizu reviewing chapter 6: I hope Lupin's reactions haven't disappointed you.