Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to HP. It all belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros., and any other entities involved.
Severus Snape stared intently at the sight of his godson kissing a Weasley of all people. Even in his distraught state, there was only so much he could take, he coughed.
Draco was thus distracted from the pleasurable task of kissing Ginny. He stopped the kiss and looked up to the older man. Snape had been his beacon, often the only solace he could find. His quiet demeanor and cunning had left an indelible imprint on his soul. He was delighted to have his godfather near him and he could hardly wait until he told him and his mother about Ginevra. Then he remembered his mother dying and his spirits sunk.
He'd only had a few days of liberty with his mother before she was rudely taken away. All the ungiven caresses and unspoken words weighed heavily on his mind. For so long he had looked at his mother as if he were sailing away and she receded in the distance. He dared not show his feelings towards her, for he knew Lucius would pounce on them like the heartless bastard that he was, twist them and force him to do evil things.
Then these few days spent without Lucius's shadow, he'd watch his mother look and act younger than she had ever done before. She had let her hair down and truly enjoyed having the Tonks around and his friends.
He composed himself, letting the Malfoy mask fall into place, the only thing he could thank his father for. Hoping to ease his godfather's pain, he softly said, "Sev, I know Mother died, could you tell me how it happened?"
Severus, visibly drawing strength from his taciturn persona, said, "It appears that your mother did a spell or something that drained her magic core. As she was going outside Hogwarts, she was so weak she fell off the stairs. Your house-elf Proxy caught her, but not without her breaking some bones and her spinal chord."
Severus shuddered and continued, "She was taken to the Infirmary. Poppy diagnosed her and tried to have her moved here. Apparently that would have given her some strength. However McGonagall and later the Headmaster refused this, adducing the staff had other tasks."
"Proxy later sought me and told me the story. I raced to the Infirmary, but when I got there, Poppy told me that Cissy had just died."
Draco was incensed, how dare the Headmaster refuse treatment to his mother? He would make sure they paid for what they had done. He stared at Severus and noted the fatigue and the grief threatening to take over. He sought to distract Severus.
Draco commented, "I wonder how they managed to get through the wards. I did them just as you told me, Sev, and I even added some variations I found in a book in the library."
Ginny interrupted, "I can tell you how, Draco. The beasts had collars around their necks; I did a spell and found that they contained your blood. With that they were able to bypass the wards. I think the helicopter crew must have also had collars."
Draco kissed Ginny's cheek and entwined his fingers with hers. "Thank you, Ginny. I was a fool to underestimate Voldemort. I'll try not to do it in the future. What about your brothers?"
Ginny shrugged and replied, "Ron went to the Ministry and he told us that they were under Imperio cast by Moody. I can hardly believe the damage that old man has caused us, and no one suspected him."
"He is a smart man, Ginny, and knew well how to cover his tracks. I'm sorry about your brothers. Although they have continually attacked me and I have defended myself, I can see how they were used. Do not worry, they will not be sent to Azkaban and they will recover. I will not press charges against them."
Ginny leaned towards Draco, sat on his lap and kissed him, while the Potions Master grumbled and muttered about unseemly alliances.
Just then, the door was opened and Hermione, Ron and Harry walked in. When they saw them entwined, Ron blushed, and it looked as if he would blow his top, when he suddenly calmed himself.
On the other hand, Harry looked at them, blushed and looked at the floor. He stepped back to the door, as if he didn't want to be there and was looking for an excuse to go out.
Hermione was surprised, narrowing her eyes and looking calculatingly at Ginny.
Draco observed this, and he thought, "Damn, the Beaver is looking predatorily at Ginevra. I bet she wants to slip her some of her potion and order her to go back to Harry. I must hurry and ensure that Ginevra takes some of the antidote potion to prevent that."
Ron was swearing under his breath, about having a talk with his sister and telling her about the perils of dating ferrets, and sitting on ferrets' laps. He broke the uncomfortable silence saying, "Draco, there are about thirty tanks patrolling the outskirts of the Manor grounds. We have no idea what is going on."
Ginny got up from Draco's lap and sat on a wingback chair. Draco Summoned a vial of Pepper-up and strengthening potion. He downed them, and then sat up.
He said, "Ron, do you have any idea if they follow any pattern?"
"I don't think so, Draco. I've watched some of them come straight at the Manor, and at the last minute they abruptly veer off. The Manor is unplottable, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is unplottable, Ron. Obviously they must have followed the helicopter and when it vanished from their screen, they noted the place and sent units to investigate. The strong anti-Muggle wards increase in power as they near the Manor. When they approach it too much, they unconsciously change direction."
"However, if there are dozens of tanks coming towards us at the same time, the wards might not be powerful enough to stop them. We need to find out what is happening in the Muggle world, and I have just the tool for it."
He went to his desk, opened a drawer, took out a CD and popped it into the computer tower. He said, "One of the companies I've financed, Spelltronics, specializes in Magical Software."
"You know what software is, right?" Hermione and Harry nodded; Ginny and Ron just looked confused. Hermione murmured, "I'll explain it to you later."
Draco continued, "This company weaves spells into the computer code. The programmer must infuse some of their magic into the software, but once they do that, the magic remains. The spell must be congruent with the code and the architecture, or it won't work."
Hermione interrupted, "Magical programs, how is that possible?"
Draco assured her, "Magic is all about the words and intent. The spells are coded and the intent is carefully mapped out into the code. This requires advanced Arithmancy and computer knowledge. Few wizards master those arts."
"If you consider it carefully, if - then loops could be considered magic; a retrieval program functions similarly to the Accio spell. And Ginevra, this builds on the kind of statements employed to construct the conditional mines used on the Manor. It's just more advanced."
"To me the working of the computer is pure magic. The programs are just the icing in the cake."
"Recently they finished a spy program and shipped it to me," he gestured towards the computer. "What the program should do is infiltrate intelligence offices, record what telephone calls have been made, correlate their importance, date and content so as to provide me with an awareness of how the Muggles perceive the Manor or the Wizarding World."
Hermione said, "So this is like a Trojan horse, right?"
"Yes, except it is almost sentient, and will provide us with only the relevant facts to our search, including who made the calls, their position, intent and future actions." He was typing as he spoke, connecting to the Government offices and uploading the program.
When he finished he reclined on his chair, yawned and said, "That's all. The report will be ready in ten minutes. Meanwhile let's browse." He navigated to a news page, and as he read the headline, he paled considerably. He murmured, "Oh sweet Merlin, this is the end, oh bloody hell no!!"
Hermione noticed his preoccupation and she stooped to read over his shoulder, what she read made her stagger backwards and she would have fallen if Ron hadn't supported her.
The three remaining Hogwarts students approached the screen and read what was in it, innocuous pixels that seemed to mock them as they shattered their world:
Mystery in Wiltshire
Yesterday a combat helicopter was being tracked and its signal was lost when it was 14 miles west of Salisbury, UK. Immediately an investigative team was sent to try to get the helicopter crew or their remains. What the team encountered instead is incredible and is the subject of heated international discussions with Britain's allies.
The wreckage was found within a one mile radius. What made this different from other accidents is that witnesses - including three M.P.s and one NATO general - swear they saw the machine disappear in mid-air.
Also a strange winged animal was seen and killed in the vicinity. Reports indicate that its taxonomy is unlike any other, scientists speak of a missing link to the dinosaurs.
Units have been sent to cordon off the area and curfew and quarantine was imposed.
What is more worrying is that there are reports of strange occurrences around the world. How they tie with the Wiltshire happenings remains to be seen.
Draco was the first one to recover from the shock. In fact he had foreseen this moment long ago, but the combined loss of his mother, the attack and its aftermath, threatened to push him over the edge. He felt himself nearing a nervous breakdown. He reminded himself that Ginevra and Harry were in danger, in fact all the Wizarding World was in danger, and they needed him.
To get out of his stupor, he drew on his interactions with the only person that would undoubtedly cause a bitter reaction. He mentally constructed an image of his father, including malevolent sneer and cane. His father berated him, saying, "I knew this would happen, the Mudbloods would destroy us. We should have killed them long ago; you should have helped me kill them off. Because of your betrayal, your kind is doomed, even the whores Potter and Weasley. How will you feel knowing that it was because of you they died? You worthless shirt-lifter, you piece of carrion, I should have never let you live!"
The vitriol sounded exactly like Lucius, and it did what he wanted, made him rebellious and defiant, looking forward to tackling this problem, as he had resolved endless problems with the shadow of Lucius spurning him.
Nevertheless, he sighed and wished that the last two days had never happened; if only he could do that. Suddenly he realized what he could do and a complete plan sprung from his mind. He knew the key to solving this issue. Now he only needed the details to finesse the plan.
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Voldemort had been enraged. After AK'ing the unfortunate Death Eater who had the thankless task of informing their master that his cunning plan had failed, the Dark Lord brooded.
Later he cackled and motioned for his supporters to approach him. "It doesn't matter. The other details of the plan will keep the Muggle lovers quite busy."
tbc