Severus stood in the room in the mostly empty west wing, arms folded and eyes narrow as he surveyed the work that he had accomplished. The room had been cleared completely of all furnishings or anything that could possibly be of a distraction; even the walls had been shaded to a quiet and rather drab pale brown. The bare floor, a dull grey now, had a pentagram inscribed upon in chalk and colored sands. He had spent an inordinate amount of time on laying out that blasted thing.
The creation of it required a wizard to use precise and exacting detail, which was why he suspected few ever bothered with this type of magic anymore. Luckily he had already known where to find the details to lay out this design; his many hours spent poring over old tomes had once again paid off. The details for this intricate design were located in a book that was over five hundred years old. He'd had to turn the pages with magic only; touching the book had crumbled the edges of the ancient parchment under his fingers. This magical circle one of the very few that were not designed to summon, to bind, nor to call or send; its purpose was simply to enhance whatever lay within its boundaries. And he had constructed the design to allow the center to be more than large enough for what he planned to place there.
He would perform this operation at precisely two in the afternoon; the early afternoon sunlight would at that time fall fully upon the carefully inscribed design upon the floor and prevent anything 'dark' from happening to the magic he would invest in it shortly.
He paced slowly about the circle, placing a white jasmine-scented candle in each of the plain unadorned circles left for them in the pattern. He paused before moving on from each, using his wand to magically inscribe a rune for protection upon each of the candles. Just a few more touches, reinforcing the layers of protective spells to prevent any harm from coming to his subject, and he would be ready to begin.
Snape heard someone enter the room and suspected from the light footfall that it was Lucius. He did not look round to see, rather he proceeded to ignore him completely as he continued his work and whispered the soft chant required.
Lucius waited in silence to allow him to complete what he was doing. He did not speak, watching until finally Severus turned to him with a questioning expression. "Are we almost ready to begin…?" He asked softly.
The dark-haired wizard eyed his handiwork with a critical gaze. "Nearly ready." He agreed. "We must wait half an hour more; I want the strength of pure sunlight to reinforce the casting." He explained.
"I do not really trust this type of magic, Severus." Lucius said quietly. "I don't know of many applications of it that are positive… This will not hurt the child, will it?" He asked, examining the circle with a frown.
"The only purpose of this circle is magnification." He answered. "The child will not be harmed in the slightest; in fact, he will be more protected within its boundaries than in that special bed you have him sleeping in." Severus stepped back carefully; he did not want to damage his handiwork.
Harry moved into his office to find the stack of folders exactly where Damitri said he would find them; right in the middle of his desk. He sat down paused a moment, looking at the names on the tabs. Shrugging, he opened the first folder.
He had looked through several of them with the same sorts of information. Lots of school, a couple with family abuse issues, some little petty crime information here and there but nothing that would catch the attention, nothing that would account for what had been happening at the clinic.
Then he opened the August Bebel's file was much thicker. Born and raised in Austria, he was been ostracized as a child due to his lack of magical ability. He was not sent to the schools set up by the wizarding world for squibs; instead he was made to attend muggle school while his magically talented siblings were cosseted and sent on to the schools of their choosing. His father and two of his siblings were currently in the German equivalent of Azkaban for crimes against the wizarding world. Only one of his siblings, a woman five years younger than Bebel, remained free as a recluse and part time teacher at the school.
His school records revealed constant clashing with the other juveniles all through his school years; constant fighting usually with children of other races. His early college years were spent in Germany and again, clashes with muggle police officers. He belonged to a group whose biggest focus was the need for humanity to return to the purity of the Aryan race. The clashes had to do with protesting churches that performed interracial marriages and clinics that assisted with helping interracial couples to have children. He spent a few years in prison before Parkinson's father had bailed him out, bringing him with him to England and putting him directly into college for genetic engineering. His grades in college had been quite impressive in the scientific realm, but the ones having anything to do with social studies or politics were poor and his college record was notated several times that he disrupted class often with his violent outbursts and opinions.
He had not completed all the classes required for the degree he had been pursuing; in fact he had been forced to transfer three times before no college would have him. Pansy's father hired him on personally ensuring that he got a position in the lab. His application for the job showed that he had two degrees when in fact he had none. His pay scale was atrociously high for the position as well, all things considered… a nice little position for someone doing the dirty work of the owner of the clinic.
Damitri had also done research on the background of Pansy's father, Malcom Parkinson. He had not been an active participant in the mess when Voldemort was in power, at least not that the Aurors had been able to detect. He had been a small but relatively successful businessman from a pureblood family, making his way in the wizarding world. He was caught up in the madness and controlled by the imperious spell for many years. When Voldemort was killed, Malcolm had spent over three years in a private ward in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, in the ward for those with mental injuries. Pansy had pulled him out of there despite the advice of doctors to leave him for more treatment.
Malcolm seemed to return to his normal life, sinking into mediocrity once more. The loss of his daughter's claim on the Malfoy heir had caused him to have a brief return to St. Mungo's, but once again Pansy pulled him out against the healer's advice. The notations in his medical file indicated that he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, and would quite easily become dangerous if provoked.
A month after his second release from St. Mungo's mental ward, his wife of twenty years, Nancy, had been found dead in their summer home where she had been staying separate from her daughter and husband. As she had been growing more and more ill over the months, it had not been deemed as suspicious and the body had been buried without any inquest. Immediately after her death, Mr. Parkinson had left the country and spirited Pansy away with him to Germany for a trip that lasted several months.
When they returned they had August Bebel in tow, and Malcolm had returned to St. Mungo's for a checkup. The medi-wizards found no problem with him now and he had been released with a clean bill of health.
Malcolm Parkinson had convinced several other wizards to pool their money and establish the medical clinic. His showed absolutely no negative involvement in anything, clear of any black marks from that point on. All his activities seemed to have been legal including fund-raisers and work for the clinic he had started. He had even did volunteer work down at the ministry…
Harry frowned slightly. Could this mean… maybe… that there was someone at the ministry working with him? This entire plot was madness; obviously this man should have remained in that mental ward permanently. At this point in time he would believe nearly anything of that man.
Angel giggled as she ran after her Kneazle kit, romping through the flowers and the carefully tended beds of the garden. The kit was leading her on a merry chase over benches, under bushes and low hanging tree branches, and around the plant and flower beds. The girl doggedly followed the kit, which slowed and watched her progress before taking off again in a game of touch and chase.
Alerick sat on a bench at the edge of the expansive garden which was shaded by a tree with tiny apples on its branches. He had followed Angel outside, trying to do as Lord Father Malfoy had wished of him. He was supposed to allow this girl to teach him how to be a child, but… what did that mean? He sat watching her in almost complete befuddlement. Why would she run around and chase a kitten? He knew it was a kneazle, he had learned about those animals already in his studies. The kit was a baby, but it should be taught to protect and to hunt, not to chase about with no purpose whatsoever.
The girl broke off her chase of the kit and skipped over to him, her eyes bright and cheeks flushed. "You should come and play, Alerick!" she said breathlessly, jumping up onto the bench to take a seat beside him.
"Why?" he asked in a curious tone. "What do you learn from it?"
"You learn lots of things like how fast you can run and how high you can jump and how long you can do it." She answered. "You know what? I bet I can run faster than you can!" She challenged.
"Can not!" he frowned at her.
She giggled. "Sure I can. I run lots and you don't so I guess its not fair if I ask you to race is it?"
"I can too run." He said, getting to his feet. "Where do we run to?"
"To the greenhouse and back to here." She directed, and he took off running toward the greenhouse without waiting for her to finish her sentence. "Hey!" she laughed, taking off after him.
Lucius stepped out of the French doors to see his granddaughter and Alerick racing back from the greenhouse toward the bench. It was clear right away that Alerick was sorely outclassed, as Angel constantly was running and playing as any happy child should. Angel, however, held back and let Alerick stay very close to her without allowing him to win… then Lucius saw at the last moment she slowed quite a bit to allow him to pass her and to win.
He collapsed on the bench, panting and smiling at her as he fought to get his breath back. "Told you I can run."
"You sure can." She smiled back at him. "You wanna go play something else?"
"Not right now, Angel." Lucius spoke up. Alerick looked up and immediately sat up properly on the bench, trying not to look as if he had just been running and playing. "Come, Alerick; you will be needed for a few minutes."
"Of course, Lord Father Malfoy." He said, rising to his feet, his cheeks flushed.
"Will he be coming back out to play, Nonno…?" Angel asked, hands clasped behind her back. Her kitten Tia jumped up behind her, swatting at her fingers with her soft paws, claws retracted.
"He will return soon to play with you, my own." Lucius assured as Alerick fell into step behind him.
"Okay." She smiled, turning to pick up her kneazle cub. "I'll go see if Nona needs help with the kittens." She said with a giggle.
"Excellent idea, pet." He smiled at her, turning to lead the young boy back into the house.
Alerick followed him, curious but knowing better than to ask any questions of where they were going and what they were going to do. Perhaps it was time to begin his schooling for the day. He could show his grandfather exactly what he had learned, and how well he had studied his runes and his spells.
Severus looked over as the two entered the room. "Potter has not yet arrived; I will not wait for him Lucius. This spell must be activated the moment the sunlight highlights the entire circle." He grumbled.
"I have sent for my son's husband; if he wishes to be here he will arrive shortly." Lucius said, guiding Alerick to where Severus gestured in a chair beside the circle.
Alerick looked at the circle, then up at Lucius with a shadow of fear clear on his face. "Lord Father Malfoy? I must be tested again? I thought I had passed all my tests…" he murmured in a voice that clearly reflected fear.
"You were tested in a circle like this?" Lucius asked.
"Yes, Lord Father Malfoy." He looked down at his feet. "I am sorry. I should not fear; I am strong. I am the chosen consort. I am strong…" he recited, his voice trembling.
"There will be no testing done today, Alerick." Severus said immediately, intervening to try to alleviate the boy's worry.
Alerick looked at him, eyes full of doubt and fear.
"Have you studied runes? You told us you studied daily." Lucius asked.
"Yes, Lord Father…"
"Define this rune." Severus pointed to one of the candles.
Alerick gazed at it hesitantly, and then looked at the dark-haired wizard. "It means protection."
"Yes. This circle is for your protection only. Look carefully; you will see that rune all about this circle." He went on to explain, pausing to point out at least five times at each point of the star was again the rune for protection.
"It is not a test?"
"No test. All we want you to do is to focus upon your Dark Prince. We need to find him, Alerick. We need to ensure that he is safe from those who will harm him further and make him into someone that others will truly wish to harm." Lucius said.
"Just think of my Dark Prince? That's all?" he looked greatly relieved.
"That is all that we require of you." Severus assured. "Although we may need to activate your dark mark to ensure that we can find him."
"I don't mind that; its been done before by Lord Father McNair to ensure that it worked right." Alerick said, looking much happier about being here now.
Severus glanced at the door, then at the circle. The sun from the windows just spread far enough to light up the last of the circle upon the floor. He murmured the final words to activate it and the entire circle began to glow.
"All right, Alerick. Now is the time. Take off your robes. I will place you within the circle and then we can begin…" Severus instructed.
The boy looked to Lucius, who nodded to confirm he wished him to do as instructed. Alerick undid his robe and sat back down in the chair, folding his legs up under him. Once he was settled, Severus used the levitation charm to move both child and chair into the exact center of the circle. Severus walked slowly about the circle, using a charm to light each candle as he passed it.
Harry moved into the room as the last candle was lit, and Lucius gestured him both to silence and that he should move to his side. Harry complied with both; he had never seen magic done this way. He'd only read about it in old magical tomes or seen it on cheesy muggle movies. He didn't know what would happen if he were to interrupt Severus' concentration, but he really didn't want to find out. It could be bad for the boy if he did.
Severus stood at the north end of the circle and it glowed brighter. Alerick, in his chair in the center, looked completely calm now. He watched the wizard activate the circle with complete curiosity. Severus met the boy's eyes with his own. "Focus on your Dark Prince, Alerick. Concentrate with everything you have upon him, upon reaching him through your mark and your bond." He instructed. "Do not allow anything else to intrude upon your concentration."
Alerick took a deep breath and his eyes drifted closed. He slowly released the breath, his face peaceful as he concentrated as instructed. He really did want to see his Dark Prince, to see for himself that he had not been taken and was not in danger. A soft smile touched his lips as he thought of the last time he had seen his Prince, about three weeks ago. The Prince had mastered walking and now was all over the house he lived in, and he and the prince had spent many hours together.
Severus moved to the table where very large book lay closed. He opened it, murmuring softly, lifting a dagger into the air holding it above the book. He scowled; this wasn't enough. They would have to use the Mark, though he would prefer that they did not. "Lucius, I need you to activate the mark." He said quietly.
Lucius stepped into the circle and to the boy's side, using special care not to smudge any of the circle's markings. He then drew his wand and touched it to the Dark Mark upon the boy's shoulder. Alerick's eyes shot open and his mouth opened wide. His eyes were unfocused as he stared up toward the ceiling.
"Perfect." Severus said, feeling the dagger in his hand vibrate wildly now. He spoke the incantation a second time and the book lifted into the air, cover whipping open and pages flying as something unseen flipped through and searched. The dagger plunged down and slammed the book to the table, nailing itself to a page. Snape gazed down to see a map of Romania, the dagger stuck on a countryside area outside a small town. He smiled. They had him! Lucius slipped his wand away, taking that smile as success.
Alerick blinked groggily, looking over at Severus. "Are we done, sir…?" He asked softly. Snape nodded, studying the page.
"Yes, Alerick; you have done fantastically. Thank you, lad." He said in warm praise. Alerick glowed with pride, sitting perfectly still to allow them to do whatever it is they needed to.
"What was all that?" Harry asked.
"A location spell, Potter." Severus rolled his eyes. "Why else would I have a map book out?"
"I've just never seen anything like this before."
"It's old magic; it's simply not used often because setting this mess up took the good part of several hours." Severus sighed softly.
"And cost quite a few galleons to procure everything required to cast." Lucius added.
"Alerick should leave now." Severus said dismissively, putting out the candles with a gesture of his wand.
The boy got carefully out of the chair and picked his way across the lines of the circle without smudging a single line or rune. He picked up his robes and Lucius knelt once more to help the boy don them properly. "You go on and play, back out in the yard with Angel. The others should be up from their naps soon and will be out to play as well." Lucius instructed.
"Yes, Lord Father Malfoy." Alerick said, bowing to his grandfather. He turned and quietly walked out of the room.
Harry watched him go, and then walked around the circle to join Severus in looking at the map book. "Romania… so when do we go?" he asked.
"We…? No, Potter. You aren't going."
"Bullshit. I'm going. I have as much invested in this as you do, Lucius…! More! That boy, Dark Prince or not, could be one of my direct offspring and as you reminded me earlier this week, he is my responsibility. I WILL be going!"
"And what of my son and his peace of mind? He needs to know that you are safe as well!" Lucius shot back.
"Enough!" Severus interrupted, glaring at them both. "Lucius, use your head. They're not going to have this Dark Prince out in the middle of a field for us to simply pluck up and waltz away with…!"
"Of course they won't!" He snapped back, then calmed a bit. "He'll be well guarded and most likely protected by a Fidelius Charm…"
"And without the secret-keeper…?" Severus prompted. Gads. He felt like he was back at school…
"Probably that bastard Malcolm Parkinson…" Harry growled.
"…we'll never find the child." Lucius finished, scowling but not yelling anymore. "So how do you propose we get around that?"
"We use a decoy." Severus answered.
"Decoy…? No! I will not have Alerick risked in such a way!"
Severus smirked at him. "Again, you're not thinking… I think Potter's rubbing off on you." He commented, earning black looks from both Potter and Malfoy for that statement.
"Shut up and explain yourself." Lucius growled.
"We need a decoy. Potter, you will not be coming along with us as yourself." He said, holding up one open hand to forestall the protest he knew was coming. "If you showed up they'd certainly spirit the boy off somewhere before we could even dream of getting him out of there safely. But we've activated his Dark Mark; if Alerick showed up they may simply open it all up and enable him to come inside. After all, the boy has already undergone training. He might be resourceful enough to find a way out if he was unhappy with his lot where he was kept. It's not unreasonable to believe that he would find a way to get to his Dark Prince."
"Potter will be the decoy, disguised as Alerick…?" Lucius asked, following the thread of thought.
"Precisely; using a polyjuice potion we can ensure that there is no chance that he will be discovered as a fake." Severus agreed.
"Brilliant. I'm in." Harry said simply.
Lucius frowned. "And how do we ensure that they do not take our little decoy inside and vanish from our sight and ability to reach him as the charm reactivates? Its not as if Harry can just look at the address of the place and share that with us. The secret keeper must share the location with him directly!"
"I'm aware of that." Severus returned, rolling his eyes. "But if he did not go alone…"
Lucius quieted now, thinking. "I can go with him." He said thoughtfully.
"You? You've rarely associated with any death eaters lately. How could you convince them you are serious?"
"I've associated more than you have, Severus, and not intentionally. One approached me in the pet store just a day or two ago…" he said, glancing at Harry, who clearly remembered his father-in-law's rage over the situation.
"Who?" Severus asked.
"Thorfin Rowle." He responded.
"I thought he died." Snape said, looking disgusted.
"No… he's scarred, but quite alive and free to walk about on his own. He thinks that I purchased Angel from Parkinson. He told me he wanted to have the power of the Potter line infused into his line by her little baby-implantation program. They all know that Alerick is of the Malfoy blood; it is simple logic that I will be given custody of the boy as all of the children were returned to the biological heads of family."
"And you're sure Rowle is still involved with them?" Harry asked.
"One way to find out. Rowle was always a coward; that's how he managed to survive that final battle. He ran like the yellow-spine bastard he was when the Dark Lord was defeated." Lucius confirmed. "Let me pay Rowle a visit and I will see exactly how much he knows."
Thorfin Rowle looked up from his paperwork with a scowl; he wasn't expecting anyone to come visiting today… he pushed away from his desk. Maybe it was his bride-to-be… she was supposed to come by with that easily influenced fool of a father of hers today and settle the final details of his wedding to this girl who was three times younger than he.
He stood and walked to the door as the bell sounded once again. Who the bloody hell…? He yanked open the door, ready to bellow at the person there and froze.
Lucius Malfoy stood on the stoop of his home, resplendent in his black and silver formal robe, his silver tipped cane in hand, his hair groomed impeccably, eyes narrow as he glared right back at Rowle.
"I've no time for visitors right now, Lucius." He said, starting to close the door.
Lucius reached out and stopped the door with the snake head of his walking cane, the metal scraping on the wood of the door. "Oh, yes you do, Rowle. You have time for me. And you will give me as much time as I demand of you." He growled.
Rowle narrowed his eyes. "Why would I do that?"
"Because, Thorfin." Lucius paced forward and the scar-faced man fell back a step. "You know that I can ruin your happy little existence here in our world. You know that I hold evidence that could easily put you into Azkaban if I so see fit."
"You haven't done it before now. Why would you do it now?" he scowled.
"My reason is quite simple. The Parkinsons have involved my FAMILY. And NO ONE fucks with my family!" He growled, stepping forward again, forcing Rowle backwards into his house to keep from colliding with the far more charismatic blonde wizard.
"I don't know anything…!"
"Do you think me a fool, Rowle?" Lucius asked, glancing about the place with a look of extreme distaste. Not only was it badly furnished, but it was far from any semblance of clean. "Did you kill your house elf?" he asked bluntly.
"Don't have one." He growled, stomping into the living room to take a seat. "Those bastard friends of yours down at the ministry say I'm not fit to have one… any wizard should be able to have a damned house elf!" he growled.
"Not if you continue to kill them, Thorfin. I told you that years ago." He said quietly.
"That useless thing they sent me did nothing but whine; I tried to replace it. What else was I to do? I couldn't stand the thing."
"Precisely why you wouldn't be a good owner of a new house elf." Lucius watched the man take a seat but did not deign to sit himself. He would not soil his robes sitting on any of this furniture. "But we both know that I'm not here to discuss house elves."
"I haven't the foggiest idea why you're here, Lucius. I haven't laid eyes on you three times since the Dark Lord passed."
"And do you associate often with the others? We have all gone our own ways." He returned.
"Not all of us have given up on the Dark Lord's ways…"
"Where is he, Thorfin?" he cut off the sentence, asking the question bluntly.
"What? Where is who?"
Lucius paced away a few steps, never once taking his hand off his cane which concealed his wand. He turned back, expression showing pure confidence in the words he spoke. "The Dark Prince, of course."
Rowle lost a shade of color off his already pale scarred face. "The… the what…?" he attempted.
"Innocence…?" Lucius almost laughed. "Playing stupid suits you perfectly, but don't try to use that shit on me." His eyes narrowed as he went on, voice changing to a dangerous growl. "I know about the Dark Prince and the Inner Circle! I have the consort in my home, under my PERSONAL protection!" He took a step toward Thorfin and felt great satisfaction at seeing the man flinch away though he was seated. "You of all people should know that NO ONE fucks with the Malfoy family!"
"You have him? He's safe?" he asked.
"Yes, at great personal risk I might add!" he glared at the man. "Did you all think you would be better off without me and what I could contribute to the movement?"
"Great personal risk? Come off it, Malfoy! The Ministry saw a blonde boy with your features and called you in to take him! How is that a risk to you?"
"You are so simple, Rowle. It's amazing you don't muck everything up that is entrusted to you! You know nothing of the risk I place myself in every time I set foot into that ministry building!" He sneered at him, turning to glare momentarily out a window. "This plan has taken a long time to come to fruition…"
"What…?"
"You fool. I have been working with Parkinson to bring about this project. The only condition was that he was never to use my line. Obviously he has betrayed me; one glance at Alerick makes that very clear. I'm going to take over this little scheme of his. And you, Rowle, will be just the one to help me."
"How the bloody hell am I supposed to help? You think they included me in their little circle…?"
"I know they did." He growled at him, pacing closer. Rowle was staring up at him now through narrowed eyes. His posture gave it all away; Rowle knew more than he was admitting. "Have you heard from Parkinson lately…?" he asked acidly.
"No. Not in over a week…"
"How convenient for Parkinson. The Aurors are on the trail of these last children. McNair screwed up when he allowed Alerick to be taken, though I must admit that it was a brilliant move by Parkinson to place him that household. I would never have thought to look for Alerick there. I wouldn't think anything of such value would be safe a moment in that fool's hands… I certainly never would have left any child in the hands of that idiot."
"He died trying to keep them from taking the little sex slave…" he began.
"Crucio!" Lucius snarled, though he intentionally did not use the spell with full strength and allowed it to end after only a second or so. He watched impassively as Rowle writhed under the torture spell, and then sagged when the spell ended, nearly half out of his chair. Thorfin gazed at him with a shocked expression. There was no way in hell he would have done that unless indeed he was in with the rest as he had claimed. "NEVER speak of any of my kin with such foul words!" Lucius said, wand in hand, still leveled directly at Rowle's face.
"Oh… 'course not… sorry… it just… din't mean it that way…" he mumbled, trembling slightly with the aftereffects.
Lucius growled at him, eyes narrow. "I don't give a rat's bloody ass what McNair said about Alerick. You are to treat him with the respect that you treat me else you WILL suffer my wrath!"
"Yeah… yeah, okay…" he muttered, pushing himself upright in his chair again. "So how the hell am I to help you…?" he asked.
"Tell me where they have them. I told you. I WILL be taking control of the entire project."
"But Parkinson…"
"Is an absolute fool and is on the run from the Aurors! Haven't you been paying attention, Rowle?" he sneered. "Malcolm Parkinson is gone. He's probably fled the country by now, along with that leech of a daughter of his."
"She wouldn't be with him." He said, shaking his head. "she told me she was gonna tell him off."
"Did she now? Too bad for them. I honestly don't give a damn about either of them; and if I do see them I'll be sure to take them straight to the graveyard after our duel." He growled.
"You're gonna…?"
"Yes. I will kill Malcolm Parkinson if I ever see him. And I will do the same to that little bitch of a daughter of his."
"What about the project…?"
"Its mine, I tell you. I want those kids, Rowle. And if you want to keep your skin attached to your body, you will get me to them. Alerick is linked to them and I will not have him suffer from separation from the others." He growled, raising his wand again at the other wizard.
"I can't take you to them; the house is protected with the Fidelius Charm!"
"Of course it is." He rolled his eyes. "Only a fool would leave something so precious in a house that is plottable. But you will get me there nonetheless. And you do know who the secret-keeper is, don't you?" he smiled evilly.
Rowle hesitated, and then slowly nodded. "Yeh… I know who is. And… they took all the kids when Alerick was taken. They're all in the Safe House in Romania somewhere…" he said, deciding that pissing off Malcolm Parkinson was a hell of a lot safer than facing the wrath of Lucius Malfoy. "You'd be better off taking that little… um… taking the consort to join the rest of the kids." He said, careful not to use any sort of contemptuous word to describe Alerick. He didn't want to be subjected to another round of the Cruciatus curse for choosing the wrong word.
"And you know how to get past the wards to get us in safely?"
"Yeah… just can't find the place without Warrington…"
"Then you will get Warrington here immediately." Lucius ordered.
"I can owl him…"
"You will firecall him!" he corrected. I will have these children reunited by sunset!"
"I don't know, I… I don't think…"
"IMPERO!" Lucius snarled, using every ounce of strength he had to enforce the spell and impose his will over this weakling. "You leave me no choice, Rowle." He growled, the dazed wizard staring at him blankly.
Lucius summoned up his Patronus and sent an urgent message to Severus Snape; this weak fool needed to have his mind stripped of all useful knowledge as quickly as possible.
Severus lowered his wand, turning away from the now unconscious Rowle. He had spent the last two hours stripping the mind of the hapless man, completely removing the memories of the creation of the Dark Prince form the mind of the man under the watchful eye of Nymphadora, representing the Aurors.
"So what did you find?" she asked
"It might be better if the Aurors stay out of this, Dora." Severus said quietly. "And the entire Ministry, for that matter."
"They're just children, Severus…"
"No. Its much more than that. And if you find out all the details, you will be required to report it to your superiors." Severus said, not raising his tone at all. He knew that this would be difficult for her to accept. When she continued to remain, giving him a look of doubt and disbelief, he sighed. "Dora, please. If these children are to have any semblance of a life then you must know no more."
"Without the backing of the Ministry of Magic…"
"We can find them. We can free them. We can allow them to simply be… children." Severus assured.
Dora gazed at him a long moment, then nodded. "All right. I'll get rid of Mr. Rowle here and let you two discuss what to do next. Two days, Severus; no more. After two days I have to step in and take over…"
"That will be sufficient." Severus nodded, and then watched as Nymphadora used her wand to levitate the prone form of the man and take him out of the room.
Severus apparated back to Malfoy Manor to discuss the next step with both Potter and Lucius; they were under a tight timeframe now and had to get these last four immediately. Dora was sticking her neck out, allowing them the 48 hours to find these children; he intended to take advantage of every moment he had.
Jerrod Warrington stood at the doorway of the house leading out to the expansive garden. Snow covered half the ground still, but the children had been bundled up and taken outside for their afternoon training. It was different for all of them. The little enchanter worked on her spells to bind and force others to her will. The guardians focused on offensive and defensive spells. The Dark Prince watched them and participated wherever and whenever he chose with his nanny and personal guardian for the time being always close behind him. Anton Karkaroff, bastard son of Igor Karkaroff, had moved in permanently as well and was seldom more than six feet away from the Dark Prince.
He turned from the scene and walked back inside, finding himself pacing again to the library and the fireplace that Malcolm Parkinson always used to get in. Of course, he wasn't there. He had heard from the other members of the Secret Dark Circle that Malcolm had not only been found out; that their Consort had been taken as well.
That damned fool McNair hadn't followed his orders, which were to just kill the boy so that their plan wouldn't be found out. They could have created another one, even though Alerick had been extremely bright and promising and fit the planned profile with gratifying perfection. He had sent out the order immediately to bring all the children together in one safe house and now this place was overflowing… you could almost feel the power as nearly all the children were together.
The problem of the consort would solve itself if they did not relocate him and reunite him with the Dark Prince by his thirteenth year. The boy would simply die; it was a condition that Malcolm had insisted be incorporated into the bond. Nothing would be able to save him. They'd put too much effort into raising that blonde brat to lose him now.
The Daily Prophet had reported that the clinic had been shut down and that there was a huge scandal and the children that Pansy had created had been found and returned to the heads of family. Stupid madcap harpy that she was, she had created more trouble for them than she had ever imagined. Damn her and her greed… she'd ruined everything.
The trouble for Jerrod was he couldn't depend on the Daily Prophet to be accurate about anything anymore. That paper had never recovered from the takeover over twenty years ago by those sympathetic to the Dark Lord. The fools only seemed to print trash anymore, or articles that were highly controversial. Nothing but a news rag anymore…
The paper and his contacts said nothing about the capture of either Pansy Parkinson or her father Malcolm, but that really didn't mean anything. They could be keeping it quiet if they were after these kids. It had been four days since he last heard from Parkinson; he had no idea what to do right now but he was about to take matters into his own hands.
He was tired of waiting.
There were vast expanses of empty land in other countries… he had been considering taking them away and doing away with everyone here he knew had any knowledge of the children. Memory charms were nice, but every time he tried to Obliviate someone he usually did irreparable harm to their memories. The trouble with that was the harm that was done did not get done to the memories he wanted to destroy most of the time. He sighed. He would have to kill the lot of them.
He'd need to go to town soon; the children certainly weren't suffering in their appetites. He would much rather go to the bar anyway… he moved to his own room and donned his winter cloak, bellowing for a house elf. He ordered the creature to go to town and resupply the house, deciding he needed some time away from the damned children and this house, no matter how huge it was.
He took a moment to cast a disillusionment charm about himself before he left the house, apparating to an area just beyond the village. He bowed his head against the wind from the north that had just blown into the town. That meant it would be hitting the complex within the next hour. The children had better have been put back inside… damn it all. He wasn't going to worry about it not for the next hour or two.
He scurried inside the shelter of the mud room, closing the south-facing door quickly to block out the bitter wind, taking a moment to shake the snow off his cape and cap. Another wave of snow-laden weather was coming, just when he had thought spring had finally arrived. Perhaps it was better that he needed to move the children; they would be safer where they would not suffer from frostbite simply by taking their lessons out-of-doors.
He turned inside, whispering a warming charm, and made his way to the bar as he glanced about at the other patrons. He felt his heart leap, then freeze. Alerick. Great Merlin… Alerick was here! And sitting beside him… oh fuck! The one person that Jerrod Warrington wanted nothing to do with more than any other wizard in the entire world.
Lucius Malfoy.
He considered turning and running. He considered apparating directly back to the house and taking only the children and leaving… but Lucius was simply having a meal with the lad in a booth. He did not seem to be hunting for anything…
Warrington slipped into the entry way and scowled. Did Parkinson send him? Lucius had been in the thick of things with the Dark Lord but he'd never been in on any of this… was it simply luck that had brought him here? Or had Alerick used his bond to find this place? There was really only one way to find out.
He released the disillusionment charm and moved quietly to the bar. The barkeep looked at him, and then gave a bit of a nod, moving to get this usual drink.
Lucius had positioned himself so that he had an eye on who came and went through the door. Severus had told him that this bar was one that was frequented by Warrington. Lucius himself would hardly know the wizard on sight, but Potter definitely would. He had gone to school with the boy and Potter and Draco had both told him that Warrington had been on that 'Inquisitorial Squad' that Dolores Umbridge had established in the fifth year. He glanced at his companion at the table. You would never know unless you had been there to watch the change that the delicate blonde little boy at his side was not Alerick, but truly was a polyjuiced Potter.
"That's him." Harry/Alerick murmured, pulling another of the hard candies out of his pocket and popping it into his mouth. Severus' contribution, these candies… polyjuice in a hard candy form so Harry could maintain his disguise much longer than a polyjuice potion usually lasted. It was about half a dose of potion encased in a hard candy shell and their testing of it had shown it lasted about half an hour with each one.
"Remember to stay in character." Lucius murmured a quiet reminder.
"Yes, Lord Father Malfoy." Harry/Alerick answered with a bit of a smirk that he fought to quell.
Lucius laughed softly, lifting his glass to take a drink. "Behave yourself, Alerick." He scolded with a smirk of his own.
"Of course, Lord Father Malfoy." He said, openly watching Warrington. He felt completely safe in doing so as Alerick was a curious boy and watched everyone and everything anyway. "Are you sure I shouldn't call you Granddad…?" he murmured teasingly, keeping his voice soft.
"Lord Father Malfoy will suffice." He answered, lips twitching a moment into a smile. "Eat your soup."
"I think I'm finished." He said, pushing the half-eaten plate back, letting his hands fall properly into his lap.
"It is rather tasteless and greasy, isn't it?" Lucius said, pushing his own back as well. "Must be considered the best available here, as this place gets very busy at lunchtime and dinner…" he glanced toward Warrington out of the corner of his eye. The man was still at the bar, and was frequently stealing glances at the two of them. "I would prefer to do this my way." He said quietly. He had told both Severus and Potter that he preferred to simply Imperious the fool and force him to take them into the protected house.
"He keeps looking over… I think he needs to drink himself a little courage before he comes to talk to us. He needed Draco to give him guidance in school, and he found another to follow now. Not to mention that you do cut a rather daunting figure, Lord Father Malfoy…" Harry/Alerick responded, picking up his drink to delicately sip at it, forcing the awful tasting candy down quickly. He wouldn't have to have another one for half an hour… he glanced at his watch then continued his monitoring of Warrington.
"That is by design and plan, Alerick." Lucius answered, seeming to completely ignore Warrington now. "Those who exude power and display that power for others to see are rarely those who are approached by fools."
Warrington put down his second empty glass and turned; he either had to get Alerick back or find out what the bloody hell that Malfoy wanted here. He didn't come to the outskirts of some tiny town in Romania to have one of their bread bowls filled with greasy lamb stew no matter what it looked like. He took a deep breath to build his courage and moved toward the table. Alerick kept staring right at him as he approached; it was clear the child recognized him but said nothing.
"Good afternoon, Warrington. A mite early to be drinking, isn't it?" Lucius asked quietly when he was nearly to the table, not even bothering to look about.
"Um… yeah. A little." He said quietly, moving into the range of Lucius' view. "Not exactly your area of the world here, is it Malfoy?" he asked quietly. His words were bold, but his tone was hesitant and unsure.
"No. I am here with my grandson here… you have something I want." He turned his steel-grey eyes on Warrington. "And you will give me what I want."
He shook his head. "I don't have anything you could want…"
"Is this the man, Alerick?" Lucius asked, not taking his eyes off the man.
"Yes, Lord Father Malfoy." Harry/Alerick answered in a confident, even tone.
"Sit down, Warrington. I'm not going to hex you right here in the middle of the bar, nor will I do such a thing in front of my grandson. Sit." Lucius waved at the third seat at the table.
Warrington hesitated, fighting the impulse to immediately comply. After a few moments he moved to the chair and sank into it. "What is it you want?"
"Not what, Warrington. Whom." Lucius corrected.
"Who…?" Warrington flushed. Damn it, he knew… his eyes shot to Alerick who sat looking at him with complete innocence.
"Parkinson hasn't been in contact with you, has he?" Lucius asked, picking up his drink, studying the liquid through the clear glass as he asked his question.
"How would you know…?"
"He's abandoned the project. I've already spoken with Rowle. I know about the Dark Circle. I know about the Prince."
Warrington felt his heart skip a beat and his blood run cold. Malfoy was getting involved… this was what Parkinson had warned him against. Malcolm had been very adamant that Lucius Malfoy was never to find out even one iota of what was going on… McNair. It all came back to McNair… if he hadn't been killed by the damned Aurors he'd hunt McNair down and kill him himself.
Lucius watched the emotions play across Jerrod's face, his own face in a soft knowing smirk. This man had no training in restraining his own emotions and allowed himself to be read like a book. Parkinson had probably stated he did not want Malfoy involved… well no wonder. There were probably lots of things that Parkinson did not share with Warrington as well… it was time to play the next card.
"He betrayed me, Warrington. Are you aware of that?" Lucius asked in a bland tone.
"Who did?" Jerrod asked. Lucius wasn't sure if the man was truly that stupid or just acting that way to try to cover up.
"Parkinson." He set his glass down, sitting up in his chair, eyes locked on Jerrod's. "He betrayed me. He told me he would not use my line for this. I was adamant on that subject when he began this project."
"So you turned him in?" Jerrod asked, jumping to the first and most obvious conclusion.
Lucius snorted. "I would not have been kind enough to have simply turned him over to the Aurors. His fool of a daughter accomplished that." He said, leaning on his elbows on the table. "Because he betrayed me, though, I will be taking over this project for myself."
"Taking over…? But… you weren't…"
"Do you really think that Parkinson came by a sudden fortune? How do you think he afforded to establish that clinic? Not all of his donors were publicly touted. Each piece of equipment in that clinic cost thousands of muggle dollars, and the work done there cost much more than that. Many of my 'charities' are very private and not advertised." Lucius said scornfully.
"He never mentioned…"
"Of course he didn't." Lucius said, clearly losing patience with the inane statements. "There were many things he didn't share with you, Warrington, because he did not plan to keep you around much longer."
"I was going to be around for quite a while." He countered. "I'm the one who came up with the idea of aging…"
Aging…? They were going to age the children? Lucius did not allow his surprise at the statement to show. "Are you? Or did he allow you to think you came up with it so that you felt important to the cause? You were nothing before, when the Dark Lord ruled. You were going to be nothing again when the Prince came to power."
Warrington looked dumbstruck. "He couldn't have dealt with them on his own."
"Perhaps not. And that is why he had others with strength and power in the wings, waiting to step in." Lucius said, clearly meaning himself. Warrington stared at him in silence for several long moments but said nothing. After a minute or so Lucius gestured to the barkeeper, who mixed another drink and brought it over to Warrington before bustling off again. Warrington took a deep drink. "Parkinson is gone. No one has heard from him in several days. He has been forced into fleeing, and forced into hiding. Both he and his daughter don't dare show their faces in the wizarding world right now." Lucius explained. "I happen to know that there are several wizards who have filed blood feud against the Parkinsons. They're sure to be killed by one wizard or another fairly soon. Then where will you be? You will be the one left holding the bag, as it were. Four children with no family hanging upon you for money and food… and our Prince will not appreciate any sort of deprivation. I know Alerick prefers the best of everything." He said, glancing at the childlike figure at his side.
"As it should be, Lord Father Malfoy." Harry/Alerick agreed quietly.
"You don't have the money to continue raising them as they should be raised, even if you take them to another country, do you?" He asked, eyeing the younger wizard, who flushed.
"I've done well enough…"
"With Parkinson's constant contributions, yes you have." Lucius agreed, working to get Warrington thinking along the lines he wished him to. "You may have done an excellent job up until now with what you have had. But these children will need proper wardrobes and proper instruction, as well as a much firmer hand to get them through their teenage years." He said in a calm tone, passing Harry/Alerick a napkin and the blonde boy dutifully dabbed at his mouth before sitting quietly to listen once more. "Do you have the desire to continue, to be the only one responsible for their upbringing? I think you're feeling rather overwhelmed right now, since all of them must be under one roof…"
"It is harder." He grumbled. "I can't stand little girls." He said.
"Then take me to them. I can ease your burden; get them proper nannies and instructors that Parkinson could never have afforded. They must have the proper education else their teenage years will drive you insane. Even then they can try your every last nerve and I ought to know; I have raised one myself."
Warrington again looked torn, turning his eyes to Alerick. "They have really special needs… and now that we have them together they refused to be separated. And I'm having a lot of problems with Eric…" he said, deciding. Let Lucius take command; he was much happier being a nobody within the framework, someone dependable to give continued support to the new Dark Prince.
"You have only to show me to where they are. I will get them all properly in line. No offense, Warrington, but you don't have a very dominant personality. I have plenty of experience dealing with powerful personalities. Just show me where they are."
Warrington took up the drink that Lucius had purchased for him and drank it down, coughing a bit at the strength but downing it nonetheless before he rose to his feet. "All right. Come on; I'll take you myself." He said quietly.
"Excellent choice." Lucius said, rising as well. "Come, Alerick. It is time for you to see your Dark Prince once more…"
Harry/Alerick smiled, rising to his feet. He tried to copy the expression of joy that he had seen every time the Dark Prince had been mentioned around the boy, but said nothing.
"You'd best bundle that boy up; it's quite a walk from here." He said, moving to the door. Lucius followed, and Harry/Alerick found it a relief that the boy he was pretending to be would not have held the older wizard's hand… it was weird enough having to call him 'Lord Father Malfoy' all the time.
The wind was bitter and laden with snow. Although it was not a hard blow yet, the dark clouds gathering in the north promised something much worse by nightfall. Harry/Alerick stayed as close behind Lucius as he dared; the cloak that he had brought didn't seem to be doing anything to stop the wind at all. He whispered a soft warming spell on the inside of his cloak as they trudged onward.
Jarred Warrington had not been exaggerating; the three were walking for nearly an hour down the hard-beaten dirt road before Warrington turned north toward a small sheltered valley. Harry had already ingested another of the polyjuice candies and knew he had about ten more minutes before he needed another one…
Warrington held out his hand to Lucius as they approached an empty field. Lucius wordlessly took the hand and took hold of Harry/Alerick's hand with his other. Jarred led them onward and when they rounded a copse of trees, he released their hands. "There it is…"
At the heart of the valley, sheltered by surrounding high hills from the worst of the biting winds was a grand little manor and grounds. It was clearly lit and occupied, had an east and west wing and expansive gardens out back of the house. It was completely fenced in, and highly secure.
"We didn't want to take any chances with the Dark Prince… he started walking so we had to put in fences to keep him from toddling off…" he said, moving to the tall wrought-iron gates to unlock them. There were inscriptions of the Dark Mark on both of the gates, and representations of the mark on the fences surrounding the property.