Days of the conflicts you've been in
Traces of conscience you don't want to hear
You hear it now
You listen, you hear a sound
You missed it
dSz
He's back. Those words run through my mind again and again as I clutch the Tri-wizard cup in one hand and Cedric's arm in the other. Voldemort is back. I can hear screaming all around as Dumbledore rushes towards me. He's saying something but I can't make it out in all the noise.
Are those screams coming from the witches and wizards surrounding me or are they in my head?
Someone's pulling me away from Cedric. I hold on tight for a moment. He told me to take his body back. I don't want to let go. He slips from my grasp and I'm moving backwards now.
"He's back," I shout to the world, "Voldemort's back!" I should have died. It shouldn't have been Cedric, it should have been me. For the second time in my life I cheated death. But did I really? The first time death took my parents, and now Cedric.
I am beginning to see how it works. If I don't pay, someone else must.
January 4, 2019 11:45 AM, Sunday
Ivory Manor, USA
"Stupify!" I shouted loudly as I pointed at the young witch standing only a few feet in front of me. She flinched slightly, expecting the spell to hit her at any moment.
A few seconds passed before she realized that there was no spell. She frowned in confusion before lifting her wand. My eyes widened in surprise as Draco suddenly pushed me out of the way.
"Stupify!" he shouted quickly and the witch went down without realizing what had hit her.
"Thanks," I mumbled embarrassedly as I picked myself up off the ground.
"Your magic?" Draco inquired worriedly.
"I don't know what's wrong," I responded as I studied my hands warily, "It just suddenly stopped working."
"Stay behind Draco and I," Khalida commanded, "Without your magic you're a sitting duck."
Spells were flying through the air all around us as vampires relentlessly attacked the AWG's auror teams. The Dementors still had not arrived but I could feel them getting closer by the minute. In my head I silently urged them to hurry along. Whispers of "Master" began to echo through my mind. The snakes were definitely doing their part to help but a large number of them had been destroyed.
A loud cracking sounded through the field, followed by many more identical noises. Khalida, Draco and I all turned in alarm to see a large group of AWG soldiers had just apparated. The AWG had already sent for their backup and ours hadn't even arrived yet.
"I think we're in trouble," Draco commented nervously.
"We just need to hold on for a little while longer," I stated, "The Dementors will be here soon and then we'll have the upper hand."
Khalida nodded in agreement. "Even if all of the AWG's soldiers cast Patronuses it would give us enough time to escape."
"Let's hope they get here soon," Wilkes added as he shot one of the soldiers in the hand, causing the soldier to drop his wand.
"Nice shot," Draco commented.
"Thanks," Wilkes responded, "I figure if they can't fire then they can't fight. No reason to take things any farther than that." As Wilkes was speaking he failed to notice the wounded soldier picking up his wand with his other hand. In seconds Khalida was on top of the soldier who was quickly relieved of his blood.
"Wizards are just like muggles," Khalida stated as she wiped a small drop of blood from her bottom lip, "No matter how well you think you've incapacitated them, they're still dangerous."
"I'll have to remember that," grumbled Wilkes.
Suddenly a scream tore through the group of wizards and witches. The vampires stopped in their tracks, each with a confused look upon their face. For some reason the soldiers that were fighting so viciously began running toward the mansion. A look of understanding passed through the group as a mass of black cloaks floated across the lawn.
There was a loud thump behind me as Officer Wilkes fell to the ground. It wasn't surprising. He is a muggle after all so the Dementors would affect him more than wizards. Draco wasn't doing much better. The expression on his face was one of pure terror but I suspected it was more psychological than physical.
"Master, what would you have us do?" a voice questioned inside my head.
"Keep them busy until we've all escaped," I stated silently, and then added, "but leave as many alive as you can." We didn't need to fan the flames anymore than we already had.
"As you wish," the voice replied.
We continued to fight our way across the lawn. After we were done fighting, we flew. The battle was over…for now.
January 4, 2019 9:00 PM, Sunday
Vampire Council's Mansion, England
Sleep. That's what I did once we made it to the vampire council's mansion. I was so tired that I could hardly bring myself to look around the place before being shown to a beautifully decorated bedroom and promptly diving into the large, luxurious bed. Now that I was awake once again, I wandered the mansion, soaking in the mysterious energy that was infused into the ancient dwelling.
Every curtain, rug, and piece of furniture was bathed in deep reds, greens, golds and silvers, and each seemed to have a life of its own. The whole place seemed to breathe. The more hallways I walked down, the more it reminded me of Hogwarts. There were portraits of great and powerful vampires lining the walls. As I studied every room they would speak to me, recounting their histories with a fierce passion.
Once in awhile a vampire would rush past me, offering a small nod in greeting. I began to realize that most vampires seemed to be very quiet and introverted, not like Khalida. I wondered where my vampire friend had gone off to. She seemed to disappear after we had arrived.
There was no need to look for Draco. I found him in the mansion's gigantic library sitting next to a long, wooden table with what appeared to be a pile of mail laid out in front of him. A newspaper was in front of his face and by the way he was gripping the edges I figured it wasn't good news.
"Draco?"
Suddenly he threw the paper across the table. I glanced at it worriedly before finally picking it up. It was a special edition Daily Prophet…not good.
TERROR AT IVORY MANOR
By Pansy Parkinson
Ivory Manor was nearly ripped apart as an army of vampires, Dementors and snakes attacked without warning. The leader of this dark army is reported to be none other than Jenny Riddle, daughter of Harry Potter and granddaughter of the Dark Lord, He Who Must Not Be Named.
The attack purportedly took place at 10 a.m. (U.S. Eastern Standard Time). A guard at the manor stated that a loud cracking noise from the direction of the front lawn caught his attention and he knew immediately that it was the sound of a wizard or witch apparating onto the grounds. The guard checked the security cameras and was shocked to see a young witch, a wizard (who is thought to be Draco Malfoy) and an army of dark creatures poised to take the manor by force.
A battle began soon after and President Curtis immediately called for help. Help was not soon enough to arrive though and fifty-three brave young aurors lost their lives while over two-hundred were wounded. Fifty are expected to make a full recovery while the rest will have a long road of magical therapy ahead of them.
The attack ended when the Dementors, which appeared to be under the control of Miss Riddle, appeared out of nowhere. One auror stated that Riddle gave an order to the Dementors to "suck them dry" before fleeing the ground with her army of renegade vampires. Luckily help arrived and the aurors were able to fend the monsters off before many more lives were lost.
In response to the attack President Curtis has asked to meet with the Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot, both groups have agreed to his request and offered their full support in tracking down Riddle, Draco Malfoy and any dark wizards or creatures who follow her.
The Daily Prophet first broke the news regarding the daughter of the famous Harry Potter and we, like all good-hearted witches and wizards, hoped that Miss Riddle would follow in her father's footsteps. But it seems by her actions such as, befriending Draco Malfoy (the son of You-Know-Who's right hand man), socializing with vampires and controlling Dementors that she will instead follow in the legacy left by her grandfather, or as most know him, Voldemort.
"Wow," I commented as I tossed the paper back down onto the table, "I'm surprised they printed his name."
"That bitch!" Draco snarled fiercely, "How dare she!"
I shrugged uncaringly. "She's a reporter. What do you expect?"
"So what now?" Draco questioned as he dropped his head into his hands.
The door suddenly swung open and Khalida glided in, her lips pinched together tightly in a concerned frown. "I've convinced the council to speak with us," she stated in a serious tone, "Or at least they've agreed to speak with you."
I gave her a questioning look. "Me?" Khalida nodded in reply.
A soft tapping at the library window echoed through the library. Draco hurriedly jumped to his feet to let in the small brown owl. Making a sound somewhere between a hoot and a sigh the bird quickly left after being freed of a plain looking manila envelope.
"Who's it from?" I asked curiously.
"Severus," Draco replied and my eyes widened in surprise. "And it's for you," he added while slowly handing the envelope over.
Dear JPR,
I am surprised. I never thought it would be possible for you to create more trouble for yourself, but I see that I was horribly mistaken. Considering who your father is, I suppose I shouldn't be too shocked by the current state of things.
The AWG is now out for your blood and the Ministry of Magic seems to be tagging along for the ride. The battle at Ivory Manor has sparked the same feverish spirit for revenge that existed before the Dark Lord was defeated. The Order has also jumped into action. Neither I, nor Dumbledore, believe Curtis' idiotic account of what happened but the pressure to catch you is great.
Jenny, please be careful. I'm afraid that the old fool's intention is to hide you away at Hogwarts. I hope you understand what that would mean for you. Most likely you would be trapped here forever and it's very interesting how well that scenario would work out for the Headmaster. What could make Hogwarts more powerful then having Harry Potter and Harry Potter's daughter both residing behind her walls?
If you are wondering why I am sending you this information it is not because I wish to assist Dumbledore or anyone else in your capture. This is not some trick or evil plan. The last thing I would wish for is to have two Potter brats to deal with on a daily basis.
I am a spy. It is what I have always been and the only thing I know how to be. I, Severus Snape, proudly offer my services to you. I make this offer not out of fear of punishment, anger or regret.
I make this offer because I have decided it is the right thing to do.
SS