Disclaimer: What is JK Rowlings is JK Rowlings.
A/N: Hi all, first I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed there were some wonderful and well thought out reviews. Second I wanted to address a review by leukeR and maybe give everyone some insight into how I see Bella and Harry in this story and perhaps a little insight into Narcissa and Andromeda as well.
leukeR voiced a concern that I was making Bella too soft and that there should be some defining levels of certain characteristics or attributes that Bella should have. I'll take the second half first. Bella is a wonderful character to me because little is really known about her from the canon works before she became a death eater, so it opens up a whole world of possibilities only limited by the authors own creativity.
I see my Bella as a victim of circumstances that were out of her control. She was forced into a loveless marriage she didn't want, and she was controlled by magical means to do unspeakable things. I've written, perhaps too subtly, a little about her childhood.
She was an affectionate child and was fiercely loyal to her sisters (Bella standing up to her father in behalf of Andi.) I see her as a very passionate and driven person, her ability as a duelist and spell crafter and her protectiveness of Harry help demonstrate that level of passion.
So why is she so emotional at the moment? You have to remember that only seven days have passed from the time of Harry's near death and Bella's acquittal. And in that short space of time she has seen Harry nearly beaten to death, performed a ritual that could have caused her or Harry's death, found love, has been reunited with her sisters and has been acquitted of all past crimes. Anyone would be emotional after all that.
In regards to how fast the sisters came together, you have to remember that the Black Sisters were inculcated from birth that family was everything, and they were very close in their youth. That is why Andi decided to meet with Narcissa in the first place, that meeting was the catalyst that united the sisters once more.
The bond that Bella and Harry share also has affected not only her personality but his as well. Both were desperate to know real love and affection and over a space of about two years their relationship grew into a genuine friendship that led to the both of them falling in love. I see Bella approaching this as she has done everything in her life that she loves, with complete passion.
Harry being the Gryfindor that he is threw himself into the relationship once he understood what his feelings toward Bella were. As their bond continues to strengthen the unique personalities and characteristic of the two of them will begin to bleed over into one another.
Bella has only shown her softer side to Harry and her sisters, after all they are family. But in turning herself in to Amelia she was stoic and showed no fear or hesitation. In the courtroom scene Bella did not panic but was in control of her emotions and showed a cool head as she saved not only Tonk's life but Amelia's as well.
Bella is devoted completely to Harry even before the bond as evidenced by her attack on the Dursleys, she showed no mercy for those who would hurt 'her' Harry.
Bella soft? I don't think so. We will definitely see a stronger if not dangerous side of both Harry and Bella as the next few chapters change Harry from the naïve light sided hero to a powerful young man who is "gray with some dark edges." There have been several clues also given throughout the story on what is or will cause Harry's shift to the gray side.
So to sum up, I see my Bella as the classic anti-hero, yes she is flawed in some ways and has issues a plenty as does Harry. Her emotions and passion can make her unpredictable. But that makes her more human to me and gives her a more realistic view of life where things are not conveniently labeled as black or white.
Well I hope that clears things up a little bit. I will add that the three sisters will be heavily involved in Harry's life and will form the foundation of Harry's 'new' family.
Chapter 15
Amycus Carrow knew he was a dead man walking. The attempt to kidnap Bellatrix was a complete disaster. Not only did the attempt fail but Yaxley had been injured and most likely captured. This would be a huge blow to Voldemort's intelligence gathering within the DMLE.
Yaxley had been in a position close to the Minister; being captured and revealed as a Death Eater could have reaching implications within the ministries. There were bound to be investigations into all the various departments. This would set his master's plan for taking over the ministry back months if not years.
And on a personal note he had lost his wand the one thing a wizard should never be without. Fortunately he had his back-up wand; it was not as in tune with his magic as his primary but it would work in a pinch.
The dilemma he now faced was either go immediately to his lord and report, knowing that he would most likely be on the receiving end of a few of his master's nastier curses or; not return immediately sparing him a little pain now but would most likely receive much much worse for being seen as a coward.
With a sigh of determination Amycus Carrow apparated to the front gates of Riddle Manor. He made his way to the front doors where he passed two of his fellow Death Eaters posted as sentries. Slowly but determinedly he made his way to the main reception hall and stopped at the double wooden doors.
The double doors slowly opened revealing a large meeting hall. Amycus looked to the twenty or so Death Eaters already there. He turned his gaze to the back of the hall where he saw his master the Dark Lord Voldemort. He was sitting on an ornate throne similar to the one Albus Dumbledore used as his seat in the Great Hall of Hogwarts.
"Ah Amycusss…" Voldemort hissed. "Come in, come in, we are dying to hear of your successss at the ministry." Amycus gulped and stepped forward in to the room the heavy wooden doors slamming closed behind him.
oooOOOooo
It was a very happy group that apparated back to Black Manor. Bella had latched on to Harry's hand and refused to let go which was quite alright with Harry because he didn't want to be further away from her than absolutely necessary.
"Well I believe this victory deserves a toast." Narcissa announced. "Hermes!"
The ancient elf appeared with a swirl. "How is Hermes serving Mistress Narcee?"
"We are celebrating Lady Bella's acquittal." The Blonde haired Black sister stated with a large smile. "I believe the '47 Cheval Blanc will do nicely for such a momentous occasion."
"Very good choice mistress I's being getting it now." The elf bowed and in a swirl of smoke was gone.
The four then made their way into the study, Harry and Bella took a love seat and sat down together as if joined at the hip. Narcissa and Andromeda laughed at the young couple's antics. Hermes appeared with the dusty bottle of Cheval Blanc and a tray with four crystal wine glass. The cork was removed and the wine allowed to breathe for a moment.
Narcissa rose and poured a glass of the rare wine for everyone. They each stood and raised their glass.
"To Bella…" Andi began. "…may the life you lived stay buried in the past, may your life at present be full of happiness and joy and may your future be filled with the blessing of family."
"Here here!" said Narcissa and Harry and the four tapped their glasses together and then each took a sip of the golden nectar.
Bella squeezed Harry's hand as the two of them blushed at the thought of the children they would have in the future. Oh yes there would be children, each had always yearned to have a family and if Bella had her way she would have a house full of dark haired children.
oooOOOooo
Dumbledore was making preparation for the planned Death Eater attack this evening. He knew with Voldemort's failure this morning at the ministry he would be out for blood. He contacted the Weasleys first and told them that there were rumors that the Burrow would be attacked this evening and that they should prepare to make a quick getaway.
The Weasley's moved Ron and Ginny to Grimauld Place. The twins had already moved out of the Burrow and were living in a flat above a store they had just purchased. It would become the future home of Weasley Wizard Wheezes.
Bill and Arthur began to leave several nasty surprises around the Burrow. Bill, one of Gringotts top curse breakers was extremely skilled at making offensive wards and leaving curses. He first laid a moderately weak defensive ward that he knew would be fairly easily to overcome.
The object of this weak ward was to lull the would be attackers into a false sense of security. The secondary defense was lightning sand. The harmless looking sand could also be easily camouflaged with simple leaves or small twigs and branches. Once stepped on, the sand quickly sucks a person all the way under robbing them of precious air and immobilizing their arms and legs. Various pits were placed randomly around the house.
The third and final defense would be a terror curse. This was a particularly nasty curse that Bill picked up while exploring a crypt in Egypt. Once the attackers crossed the ward line of this curse the attacker's mind would be plunged into total darkness. Wailing and shouts of terror would fill their ears; the feeling of being stalked by something truly evil would be pressed upon their senses.
They would begin to sense something rapidly circling them and then feel an intense burning as they literally feel their flesh being ripped from their bones and smell the foul stench of burning flesh. It filled all the senses with such fear and terror that they become physically incapacitated.
With preparations made, Bill and Arthur remained in the house to give the Death Eaters bait to lure them in through the defenses. Dumbledore had stated that he would be there as well.
oooOOOooo
Next Dumbledore paid a visit to the Longbottom estate where Dumbledore tried to ingratiate himself to the Dowager Grand Lady. She immediately told Dumbledore that his presence and his help were not needed.
Dumbledore tried to convince the austere woman to at least allow him to take Neville. He promised to protect Neville from all harm and keep him safe. Unknown to Dumbledore, the Lady Longbottom and Minerva McGonagall were old friends.
Minerva had confided in the Grand Lady about Dumbledore's handling or mishandling of Harry Potter and of the abuse that Harry had suffered at the hands of his relatives. The very relatives Albus forced him to return to every summer until his untimely death.
With Minerva's information coupled with that of her grandson Neville's about how Dumbledore allowed a certain professor to mistreat students with no apparent fear of repercussions. He had also told her about all the misadventures that had occurred at the school since his first year.
Needless to say Augusta Longbottom had lost all confidence in the headmaster and she would not allow her fate or that of her grandson to be in the hands of such a man. The Longbottom wards were some of the best in the country and she felt confident that they would not be breached.
"I will not allow you to take my grandson Albus. You were the one in charge of protecting the Potter boy and we all know what happened to him." Augusta snarled.
Dumbledore sadly shook his head. "I'm sorry it must come to this… but it is for the greater good." Dumbledore sighed reaching for his wand.
He had barely begun to take out his wand when he found Augusta's wand pointed directly at his nose. "One more move, Albus, and I'll permanently remove that damn twinkle from your eyes!" The proper lady snarled. "Remove yourself at once or the aurors will be picking pieces of you off my lawn for weeks."
"I was just concerned for the boy Lady Longbottom." Albus placatingly offered removing his hand from his wand. After all it is your grandson that could very well be the savior of the Wizarding World." Albus stated cryptically.
"What are you on about Albus? Everyone knows that Harry Potter was the boy who lived." Augusta laughed mirthlessly.
"That is true." Albus sighed "But, he is not the boy who defeated." Albus stated looking at Augusta over the top of his half-moon spectacles.
"I have no time for your word games Albus. So, make your point or be gone."
"You see there was a prophecy made that a boy would be born as the seventh month dies that would have the power to vanquish the dark lord. I assumed it was Harry, but of course I now believe that it actually meant Neville the scion of a great and noble 'pureblood house." The headmaster said looking into Augusta's eyes his twinkle back in full force.
Albus thought to play on the vanity of the Dowager grand lady and her pride of House. To have her believe that it was her line that would vanquish the greatest dark lord since Grindlewald and be seen as the heroes of the wizarding world.
Dumbledore would be sadly mistaken, the Lady Longbottom had spent more than half a century in the shark invested waters of politics and knew a snow job when she heard one.
A chuckle sprung to life deep within the grand lady, it got louder and louder till it burst out of her mouth. "You are as mad as the papers made you out to be if you believe for one minute, one minute that I would buy into your tripe!" Augusta stated between chuckles of incredulity.
"I don't know what your game is Albus Dumbledore but I guarantee you that it will NOT involve my grandson. If I hear a whisper of you trying to fill his head with this nonsense I will personally end you! Do I make myself perfectly clear Albus?" Augusta stated with steel and finality in her voice which left no room for argument.
"If that is your wish…" Albus began before being cut off.
"It is! Good day sir!" And with that final statement Albus was forcibly thrown out by the wards of Longbottom Estate.
Augusta Longbottom called a meeting of the Longbottom house elves and began preparations to defend against a siege against her ancestral home.
And if by some twist of fate the wards were breached they would still be given enough warning of an imminent collapse to make an escape. Unlike most of wizarding Britain, Augusta believed Harry when he had claimed the Dark Lord had returned, and since then had made additions and adjustments to the estates defenses. She had also updated her will just in case the unthinkable happened.
oooOOOooo
Luna Lovegood was wading through the pond next to her home enjoying the late afternoon sun as it began to dip into the western skies. She was reflecting on the adventure that she had earlier in the day at the ministry.
Her father Xenophilius Lovegood as a member of the press corp had been invited to the hearing of a suspected Death Eater. Having nothing better to do since the crumpled horned snorkacks were in hibernation for the summer she decided to tag along.
The press box was located just to the left and above the defendants table where she had an excellent view of where the defendant would sit. She was sitting serenely watching as the various people began to wander in and take their seats, it was during this time when she had an odd sensation as a man with sandy brown hair and gray-blue eyes walked passed her.
It wasn't his appearance that caught her attention but the aura of his magic. Luna had a sensitivity toward magic; she could distinguish the magical signatures from one witch or wizard to another just by their mere presence. And no two signatures were ever alike.
She had felt this particular signature before but at the same time it was off somehow subtly different. It was like he had a mix of two signatures instead of one. But that was impossible even a soul bonded couple would have a distinct magical signature. 'How odd.' Luna thought to herself.
When the defendant was brought in Luna received her second surprise of the day when she felt the same exact mix of two signatures in none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. Luna had little time to work out the puzzle when all of a sudden the courtroom fell into chaos.
It was when the sandy brown haired man had cast a most marvelous wandless spell that she received the biggest shock off all. With the increase in magical output from the man, his signature became clearer to read and Luna recognized it.
It was her dear friend Harry Potter! And more amazing still was that somehow his magical core and that of Bellatrix Lestrange's were somehow fused together. 'Aahhh how sweet!' The blonde Ravenclaw thought as she watched Harry protect Bellatrix from the nasty auror.
Luna was disappointed that she was not able to speak with Harry; she had lost him in the crowd of people that were trying to flee the courtroom. She was most interested in asking him how he came back from the dead. It was sure to be a most riveting story. But she had a feeling that she would see him again soon, either that or the nargles were planning a suicide run at her last bowl of pudding.
oooOOOooo
Hermione Granger was a rational person and knew that there was always a logical explanation for almost anything you could think of. However today she found herself wanting to believe the unbelievable.
Just yesterday afternoon she had been curled into a ball on her bed crying over the loss of her best friend. Wishing she could talk to him, and have him hold her, and comfort her. It was during this moment of complete sorrow that she felt the most wonderful peace come over her.
It was as if Harry himself had come and wrapped her in his arms and whispered comforting words into her ear. It felt so real and her heart was telling her that it was indeed Harry but her mind new that it could not have been. After all she knew that Harry was… Even now her heart wouldn't let her say the words.
She had tried several more times to get that feeling back and every time she came up empty. But her heart refused to let her mind rationalize away the moment as nothing more than a figment of her imagination.
Finally she decided to let her heart win this round, her mind conceded defeat and allowed herself to believe that somehow Harry had reached out from beyond the grave to comfort her. Logic would just have to take one for the team this time.
Dan and Emma Granger sat in their family room with their daughter who had been so distraught over the loss of her closest and dearest friend. So in an effort to cheer her up they decided to stay in tonight as a family and have a movie night.
They rented some of Hermione's favorite films and had purchased several quarts of rocky road ice cream Hermione's favorite. They watched their young daughter as she mindlessly twirled a golden medallion in her fingers. Ever since she had learned of her friend's death she had refused to remove it from around her neck.
She always wore it next to her skin on her chest. She had told them that it was her way of always having a reminder of her first real friend. Emma and Dan had wanted to tell her that holding on to someone that way was not healthy but they could not bring themselves to do so. Maybe after she had a little more time to grieve they would approach the sensitive subject.
Eleven p.m. rolled around and the Grangers decided to call it an evening. Hermione had not really even watched the movies but had sat in relative silence the whole time just rubbing her thumb around the edges of the galleon in her hand.
Hermione retired to her bedroom and hoped that she would feel Harry's presence again. She needed to know that her 'brother' was somehow watching over her and ready to comfort her against the grief she knew would surely come again.
oooOOOooo
Lord Voldemort had not been pleased with Carrow's report. The kidnapping attempt of Bellatrix failed miserably, neither had Amelia Bones been killed. And to add insult to injury it had been Bellatrix who had saved the new Minister for Magic's life.
Yaxley was another huge blow. He had been well placed within the ministry and had been his main source of information on the comings and goings of various ministry officials and auror deployments. It would take time to replace him, time he did not want to spend.
Voldemort worried about what information the ministry was able to obtain. Had he revealed their plans for tonight's activities? Would his Death Eaters be walking into traps? These questions had plagued him most of the day and had put him in a foul mood.
Most of his Death Eaters knew not to approach him when he was irritable; however, the occasional new recruit who had not experienced their lord angry before became the unwitting focus of their lord's ire and cruciatus curse.
In the end Voldemort decided to move forward with his plans. He would send in scouts first to make sure all was clear and upon receiving the all clear signal the rest of the strike teams would enter and then rain down punishment on the unsuspecting filth.
Because of Yaxley's capture Amycus Carrow was given a chance to redeem himself by taking Yaxley's place and leading the assault on the Longbottom Estate. Carrow knew that failure was not an option this time. To fail again would mean certain death. He had received ten lash of the Dark Lords fire whip for his failure earlier. He could still smell the singed and burnt flesh on his back it was a sensory reminder.
oooOOOooo
Harry and Bella had turned in early to their bedroom. They were anxious to start their own private celebration; they needed to feel the intimate touch of one another to reassure themselves that everything that happened today was real.
Bella was now free to rejoin society; she was free to start her life with Harry and to not be afraid of being sent back to Azkaban. It was an amazing feeling of freedom that she no longer would be hunted ever again. In her mind Bellatrix Lestrange was well and truly dead and only Bella Potter remained.
It was just past midnight and a very content and sated Harry Potter was lying on his back in the warm bed he shared with his beautiful wife. Bella's left arm and leg were draped over Harry's body, her head on his chest.
He was completely relaxed his eyes were closed and his mind open and exploring his connection with Bella's. He was reliving one of Bella's early childhood memories. An eight year old Bella was riding on the back of her older cousin Sirius. She was laughing and giggling as he pretended to be a hippogryph flying around the back garden.
Sirius then pretended to fall and fell to his hands and knees and rolled over smooshing the giggling girl he turned and began to tickle her she was laughing so…the bright light of spells flew through the home crashing into the staircase a girl with bushy brown hair tumbled head over heels and was stopped at the bottom of the stairs. The girl screamed as she looked into the dying eyes of her father, his neck had been cut open and life giving blood poured out.
"HERMIONE!" Harry bolted straight up almost tossing Bella off the bed. Harry was pale and sweating he was breathing so hard and fast that he was almost hyperventilating.
"Harry! Whats wrong?" A worried Bella asked seeing the look of panic on her husband's face.
"Hermione…she's being attacked her…her father might be dead. I've got to go to her Bella I've got to go!"
"Okay love, I'll come with you." The two Potters sprang from their bed and quickly threw on some cloths and grabbed their cloaks. Bella grabbed Harry's hand and turned to face him.
"Harry do you know where she is do you know how to get there?" A worried Bella asked.
Harry not giving a response simply threw his arm around her waist; his only thought was to get to Hermione. With Hermione's face firmly in his mind he spun on the spot and with a loud pop they were gone.
oooOOOooo
Peter Pettigrew slowly made his way through the woods near his target. His contact assured him that there were no wards that he could detect. Pettigrew, also known as wormtail, had been told to capture the Lovegood girl alive if possible but to kill anyone else that happened to be there especially the father.
Xenophilius Lovegood was the editor of that rag called the Quibbler. He had printed the Potter brat's interview exposing the return of the Dark Lord and for that he and the paper itself would be destroyed.
Wormtail and his companions, two recent graduates of Hogwarts; Terence Higgs and Marcus Flint and an experienced Death Eater by the name of Jonas Thicknesse his brother Pius worked at the Ministry of Magic and was one of the Dark Lord's hidden agents. The group came to the edge of the woods and looked at the home which looked like the rook from a chess board.
There were no lights on inside the home and nothing appeared to be out an about. It was about sixty yards from the tree line to the house. The moon was high in the sky with no clouds in sight. This caused the open area around the house to be brightly bathed in moonlight.
The group of Death Eaters would be quite visible once they left the sheltered safety of the trees. With a final nod to his co-conspirators, Wormtail and the three others quickly made their way to the house.
Luna Lovegood was quite happy; she had been waiting for a cloudless night for over a week now. Only the full rays of the moon at midnight would allow the moon-roses that were just on the other side of the pond to blossom. The pond was about a half mile from her house but the walk in the warm night air had been invigorating.
Luna was returning to her house with some freshly cut moon-roses when she noticed an orange and yellow glow coming from the direction of her house. She began to run towards the glow and then saw a streak of light race into the sky and the next moment a huge skull with a snake slithering out of it mouth illuminated the sky and ground below.
Her chest tightened and her heart began to race as the appearance of the Dark Mark in the sky meant one thing. Someone had been murdered. Panic set in on the young witch as she ran faster than she ever had before. Her mother had been taken from her when she was at the tender age of nine and now at the age a fifteen she feared that her last remaining relative, her father, had been taken from her as well.
She arrived at the burning house and began a desperate search for her father. She heard multiple pops as a half a dozen men in blood red auror robes appeared. Luna screamed at the men to help her find her father.
Auror Captain Gawain Robards approached the hysterical girl and knelt in front of her. "What's your name miss?
"L…L…Luna Lovegood." She gasped out tears flowing down her face.
"Miss Lovegood, can you tell me what happened?" The auror asked gently.
Luna shook her head and pointed away from the house to the south. "I was p..picking flowers and then saw the fire and then the mark in the sk…sky." Luna managed to say, her voice cracking and lips trembling.
Auror Robards slowly nodded his head. "Captain…we found something." Another auror said cautiously as he approached his commanding officer and the young girl.
Auror Robards stood up and began to accompany his subordinate followed by Luna. "Uhm…Sir it might not be a good idea for the girl to see this." The auror gave his captain a meaningful look.
"Right…Miss Lovegood…Luna. Why don't you wait for me here. I'll be right back, I promise." The kind auror told her.
Luna shook her head tears falling down her face. "No." she said. "If you found my father I want to see him." She whispered through her tears.
"Believe me Luna you don't want to see this." The young auror said in his most sympathetic voice. Gerry Dunegan had graduated from Hogwarts three years ago. He had been a Ravenclaw and knew who Luna was. Although he had never teased her he had always felt a since of shame for never sticking up for her.
The blonde witch just stared at the auror, her pained but inquisitive eyes burrowing into his. "please sir…let me see my father." Her voice was soft but carried a huge weight behind it.
The young auror looked at his captain who gave him a reluctant nod. The three of them went to the back of the house. Mr. Lovegoods body had been covered by a sheet. Even in the darkness she could see the stains of blood covering the white sheet.
Luna unconsciously took Gerry's hand and approached her father's body. Gerry knelt down with Luna at his side. He slowly removed the sheet from her father's form. She gasped and buried her face in the young aurors shoulder and began to sob.
Gerry pulled the girl tightly against his side and let her cry. Mr. Lovegoods eyes had been cut from his sockets his hands had both been severed. Apparently he had been tortured prior to being killed by a blood boiling curse. It was an extremely painful way to die.
"Miss Lovegood, do you have any relatives you can go to? Robards asked kindly
The blonde shook her head which was still buried in Auror Dunegan's shoulder. Robards nodded grimly. He then looked at his subordinate.
"Gerry, why don't you take Miss Lovegood to headquarters and take her statement? We can decide what we can do for her later." Robards gently ordered.
"Yes sir. Luna, would you be willing to come with me back to the ministry?" The young Irishman asked. Luna did not know why, but she felt safe with the handsome young auror and slowly nodded her head against him.
They stood up from the ground together Luna never releasing his hand. Gerry Dunegan took out his emergency portkey and with the activation word disappeared with a flash with the distraught blonde.
oooOOOooo
A loud gong had awakened the occupants of Longbottom Estate. The warning gong meant that the wards were under attack. Augusta Longbottom was barking out orders to the Longbottom house elves like a Brigadier General.
A young elf popped in front of his mistress and reported about ten people dressed in black robes and masks were attempting to bring down the wards. Five of the ten were at the main gates while five others were making their way behind the property close to the greenhouses.
Augusta gave a wicked smile at the thought of what the Death Eaters would run into coming through the greenhouses.
"Jax!" The grand Lady called. A regal looking house elf with a blue toga with the Longbottom family crest appeared.
"Yous is calling for me mistress?"
"Yes Jax. It's time to execute operation decoy in the back garden. Make sure the ruffians follow you into greenhouse five. Is that understood?"
The elf snapped his feet together and gave a slight bow. "It shall be done mistress." The elf then popped to the back garden.
As planned the wards near the greenhouses were dropped. The surprised Death Eaters thought that they had gotten lucky and rushed on to the property. As soon as they had passed over the ward line the wards were re-established.
The Death Eaters were searching the area for any signs of life when they spotted a young man run into one of the greenhouses.
"It's the Longbottom boy!" One of the black cloaked men yelled. The five men all sprinted to the greenhouse. They threw the door opened and entered the dark humid greenhouse spreading out among the rows of miscellaneous plant life.
"Come out, come out. There's no place you can go. If you give up now we promise not to hurt you." The leader of the group called out. Two others snorted in amusement. The five men took a row each and slowly began to make their way toward the opposite end.
The greenhouse was uncomfortably warm and humid, there were tropical plants everywhere lining each row which obscured the view of the other rows and cutting off the Death Eaters from each other's view.
Jacob Willowby was sweating profusely as he made his way down his row. He was on the far left of his compatriots. As he made his way down, the heavy foliage began to block out all light. He knew that if he lit his wand he would expose his position to his prey, but the darkness was closing in on him.
Willowby was getting an uneasy feeling and could swear that something was watching him…something was following him. Willowby opened his mouth to scream as vines shot out from both sides of him.
They wrapped around his neck and quickly closed off his air supply. The vines lifted him off the ground and like snapping a bull whip the man was snapped and his neck was cleanly and quickly broken. The limp body was then pulled in to the vines were it was wrapped up like fly in a spiders web.
Jax the house elf stood outside of greenhouse five after ending the Neville illusion. He listened to the screams of terror as each of the men who entered was attacked by the man-eating plants that were growing there.
The deadly plants were a gift to Neville from his uncle Algie who worked in the Department of Mysteries. Algie had told him that the plants had been used to protect an old Olmec tomb in South America.
Jax smiled as the last scream of the fifth man echoed briefly and was then silenced. The mistress would be most pleased. Jax then disappeared to report the success of his mistress' plan.
Amycus Carrow was becoming frustrated; they had been working on the wards for the past ten minutes. The wards shouldn't have been this difficult to bring down. The last intelligence on the wards surrounding the Longbottom home was that they were strong but not this bloody strong!
He had already lost one member of his team when an animated stone gargoyle which was a gate guardian had run him through with a pike. The gargoyle had then begun to attack another of his team when it was hit with three simultaneous reducto curses shattering the stone demon in to dozens of small pieces.
Team two had not contacted him yet either. They should have contacted him five minutes ago whether they had successfully got through the wards or not. This was definitely not going as planned. He was about to order a retreat when the wards finally came down with a loud crash.
The four remaining Death Eaters began the long walk up to the main house. They encountered various transfigured and animated animals that would attack the murderous group as they approached. The four men were successfully able to destroy the onslaught of guardians and now were within about 30 yards from the house.
Unexpectedly the Lady of the house walked calmly out of the front door and glared at the four men. "You men are trespassing on Longbottom lands and have attacked the ancestral home of an Ancient and Noble House. Remove yourselves or join your five friends in death." The stern faced woman declared.
'She knows about the other five' Amycus thought to himself. That means that they were most likely dead as she had stated. How could he salvage this and get to the boy. He knew the other three men with him were all upper level Death Eaters and were experienced duelers.
But how did she kill the other five. He hated not having all the answers and the Lady Longbottom was known for her dueling skills in the last war. She had personally sent many Death Eaters to the next great adventure. Amycus had no illusions of an easy fight with her. There only advantage on taking her was the element of surprise, but that had been lost with the failure to bring down the wards quickly.
Amycus found himself between a rock and a hard place. If he retreated the Dark Lord would not take his second failure well. If he attacked there was no guarantee that he would survive a confrontation with the dangerous old lady. She scared him almost as much as Dumbledore.
While he weighed his options the decision was yanked from him when one of his comrades fired a killing curse at the woman. She transfigured a slab of marble which took the hit. The marble shattered but successfully stopped the curse.
Augusta with flawless technique banished the chunks of marble at the group; she followed it up smoothly by transfiguring a piece of the flying marble into a steel spike that found its way into the skull of the Death Eater that had sent the killing curse.
The Death Eater dropped to the ground dead before he hit dirt. The other two Death Eaters began hurling curses at the elderly woman who moved with the grace of a dancer as she deflected curse after curse.
A well placed reducto curse blew off the wand arm of the largest of the three Death Eaters. Blood began to pour from the man's shoulder. In a flash of light the wounded man had portkeyed away.
Amycus and the other remaining Death Eater realized that they would not be able to beat the woman in a wand to wand fight and activated their respective portkeys and escaped the area.
Augusta reentered her home and immediately collapsed in the entry way from exhaustion. A worried Neville called for Jax who grabbed his mistress's hand and popped her to her bedroom. Neville then began to help restore the wards that had collapsed with the help of Jax the Longbottom's head elf.
Neville, as the man of the house, had to make things ready should there be a follow up attack. And he would not let his Grandmother down.
oooOOOooo
Voldemort and five of his followers were on the outskirts of the wards of the Weasley property. Voldemort waved his wand in a few intricate patterns to detect the strength and composition of the wards. He sneered to himself at the pathetic ward scheme the Weasley's had placed around their home.
They would soon know the price for their loyalty to that muggle loving fool. With a few swishes of his wand a bright purple spell shot forth and disintegrated the main ward stone anchoring the protective wards. The wards crashed silently.
"Forward my soldiers those who bring me the heads of our enemy will be rewarded and find favor in my sight. But do not kill the youngest two; they are mine to play with." The Dark Lord Commanded.
The five masked Death Eaters ran toward the house, each wanting to make the first kill and earn favor with their Lord. The anxious men were within a curses throw of the house when the two Death Eaters in front of the group disappeared in a puff of sand.
The other three stopped immediately and looked around. "Lightning sand!" One of the more knowledgeable of the group yelled out. "Don't step anywhere you see sand! It will drag you down faster than you can get a spell out."
The other two nodded and at a slower pace made their way toward the house. The three remaining men passed the last of the sand traps and were about to breathe a sigh of relief when one of their party left out a bloody curdling scream.
The man unbeknownst to the others had just passed a secondary ward that triggered the Terror Curse. The affected man began throwing curses wildly around trying to kill whatever was attacking him. Suddenly the front door to the Burrow opened up as spells erupted from the wands of Arthur and Bill Weasley.
The curses were fast and furious as the redheaded men squared off with the two remaining Death Eaters. Neither set of men seemed to get the advantage. The Death Eaters knew they could not go back the way they came or they would face the lightning sand and they could not move forward because of the unknown curse that was driving the third member of their group insane. They were stuck and needed to kill these men so they could escape.
Voldemort watched the scene unfold in front of him and bile rose in his throat as he watched his followers be picked off. It was time to end this. Voldemort apparated in between his two men and took aim.
The surprised looks on the two Weasley men's faces was suddenly left on one face, while horror replaced surprise on the other. The acid green color of the killing curse from Voldemort's wand quickly ended the life of one of the redheaded men.
Voldemort's wand turned to the remaining redhead the same sickly green curse flying toward him. A marble slab suddenly appeared intercepting the spell of death and shattered it to bits of rubble.
"That will be enough killing tonight Tom." The voice of Dumbledore floated through the cloudy debris.
"Come to join our little get together Albus." The snake like man hissed. "How's our dear little Harry? Is he feeling alright? Oh! I'm sorry, he can't feel anything can he, that's because…he's dead." Voldemort chuckled condescendingly.
"And so will become anyone who opposes me!" Voldemort snarled with no trace of amusement in his voice.
"Tom, Tom, Tom. The light will always be victorious over dark. In the end you will be defeated as was every supposed Dark Lord before you." Albus said in a grandfatherly voice.
"And your one to talk of the light Albus, I've seen some of your works, I know the lengths you have gone to stop me. Tut tut Albus," Voldemort said condescendingly. "You're as much a light wizard as Genghis Khan was a humanitarian. I know your secrets. Our goals are almost identical just we use different means to achieve them." The Dark Lord smirked.
"You delude yourself Tom, I work for the greater good of wizard kind and you sow only destruction. I see no similarities between us." Dumbledore replied with a hint of defensiveness.
"Now who's deluding themselves Albus? You cannot win. Your savior is dead, the people are divided, I will continue to divide this country and I will conquer! One piece at a time if I have to. My numbers are added to everyday, can you say the same?"
With a sneer Voldemort took hold of his two remaining followers who were still standing and apparated away. The third Death Eater had taken his own life to escape the terror of Bill's curse.
Dumbledore turned around and saw Bill Weasley holding tight to his father's lifeless form. He cradled his body to him and gently rocked back and forth. Bill had seen death before as colleagues in the field had carelessly let their guards down while exploring cursed tombs.
But this was his father, his mentor and his hero. Why had Dumbledore arrived so late why wasn't he here just a moment sooner! Bill's grief began to surface and came forth as a flood of expletives left his mouth and found their way to Dumbledore's ears.
"You son of a bitch! Where were you! You were supposed to be here! How could you have let this happen!" Bill raged at the bearded old man.
Dumbledore seemed nonplused and shook his head sadly at the younger Weasley. "All things happen for a reason Bill." He began. "But believe me his sacrifice was for the greater good. His death will undoubtedly rally more people to our cause."
Bill was stunned speechless. The old man was actually going to use his father's death as a recruiting tool. He had known for some time that Albus Dumbledore was cracked somehow, but his family had always been loyal to him and overlooked many of the old man's faults and foibles.
Bill knew that they would never beat Voldemort if they continued to play by Albus's rulebook. Bill vowed to himself right there and then that he would kill any Voldemort supporter on sight, rules be damned. This was a war and he was damn well gonna fight it as one. The Weasley honor demanded nothing less.
It was time to contact the twins. They had been disillusioned with Dumbledore for some time now. Maybe a new faction needed to get in this war and he knew the perfect two troublemakers to help him get it started.
oooOOOooo
Severus Snape and two new recruits' eager to earn their marks apparated into a quite upscale neighborhood. Their object was the last house on the private drive. The three cloaked men slowly made their way up to the front door of the Granger residence.
As Snape suspected there were no wards of any kind on the home. He turned to his two companions and sneered at the two.
"Remember do NOT kill the girl! The parents have no such variance kill them by any means you may find interesting." The greasy haired potions master instructed. The two recently graduated Hogwarts students nodded eagerly.
"Alohamora." Snape whispered. The lock on the Granger's front door disengaged and the door slowly opened. The three men entered looking around at the beautifully decorated home. Jacob Morley heard a beeping coming from behind him.
"Oi, professor, what is this thing on the wall?" Morley asked. The three men looked at the flashing alarm panel not knowing what it was or it's purpose.
"And I would know what muggles have in their homes how?" Snape asked with condescension dripping from his lips.
Emma Granger had just finished making herself a cup of chamomile tea in the kitchen. She had been worrying about Hermione and sleep had refused to come. She began to make her way back upstairs when she heard the phone ring.
Dan Granger had awoken to the sound of the phone on his night stand next to his bed ringing. "Granger residence." Dan stated.
"Hello Mr. Granger, this is Alex from Brinks Security. We just received an intruder alarm from your residence is everything okay?"
Dan was about to answer when he heard Emma scream from down stairs. Dan jump out of his bed forgetting about the phone and the security company on the other line. Dan pulled a shotgun from his closet, racked a round in to the chamber and headed downstairs.
Emma had left the kitchen and was moving to the stairs that lead to the bedrooms. The phone had stopped ringing and Emma figured that Dan had answered it. She moved into the family room when she saw three men dressed in robes and masks.
Emma ran toward the stairs screaming for Dan. "Avada Kedavra!" Morley yelled out aiming at the running woman. Emma Granger never made the stairs as her limp and lifeless body skidded to a stop a few feet from the bottom stair.
The young Death Eater excited by his first kill never had the chance to look up as his face exploded as buckshot tore through him and blowing out the back of his head.
Hermione Granger who had been awake thinking about Harry at the time heard the screams of her mother from down stairs. Immediately a terrible feeling of dread seized her heart, she grabbed for her wand and had just thrown open her bedroom door when she heard the blast from her fathers shotgun.
Spells came fast and furious at Dan Granger, but due to his past military training he had the presence of mind to seek cover. Anger over took him as he saw the motionless body of his wife of seventeen years lying on the floor.
"Bombarda!" Snape incanted as the section of wall Dan had hid behind exploded knocking the man to the floor.
Snape calmly walked over to the prone man who was still trying to get his bearings and sneered at him and with a look of pure loathing.
"Foolish muggle, did you actually think you could defeat us?" Snape snarled. He then raised his wand at Dan Granger who looked back at Snape with defiant eyes. Snape only hesitated for a second.
"Difindo!" Snape moved his wand in a slashing motion. Dan Granger's throat was sliced opened and blood began to pour out.
A scream from behind caught the attention of the two remaining Death Eaters. The chest of the second recruit standing next to Severus exploded as Hermione Granger sent a rage fueled reducto curse at the masked figure.
Snape in rapid succession cast a disarming and banishing spell at Hermione. Her wand flew from her hand and she was thrown into the blood soaked form of her father.
"You filthy little mudblood!" Snape hissed. "How dare you raise a wand at me!"
Hermione Granger recognized the voice behind the mask immediately. She had taken his class for the last five years. Hermione began to recall all of Harry's accusations about the potions professor being loyal to Voldemort. She had not believed him until this very moment.
"P…p…professor w…why are you doing this?" she sobbed looking at the fading light in her father's eyes.
"Very good Granger." Snape said removing his mask. Snapes eyes were cold and black as he eyed the young muggleborn witch. "You are to be …a guest of the Dark Lord." Snape said without emotion.
"I thought you were on our side." Hermione cried.
"Foolish girl. The only side I am on is my own." Snape sneered.
"Dumbledore will figure out what you've done. You won't get away with this!" She yelled out.
Snape began to laugh, not a laugh of joy or happiness but one of mockery. "Professor Dumbledore knew of these attacks Ms. Granger."
"What?" She gasped.
"There were four attacks planned for tonight." Snape explained feeling confidant that the girl would not live long enough to tell anyone. Hermione stared at him in disbelief.
"I'm afraid you and Ms. Lovegood were to be sacrificed so that the Dark Lord would not get suspicious."
"Suspicious?" Hermione asked hoping to delay Snape from what ever he planned to do to her.
"Yes suspicious. Albus warned the other two families of the impending attacks so they would prepare themselves. But you were deemed unworthy of his intervention." Snape sneered.
Hermione's tears came in earnest as the betrayal of her family by the headmaster sunk in. How could the so called leader of the light do this to her? First Harry had been taken from her and now her family. She had no one left, she was all alone.
Hermione silently began to plead for help, she did not know what she expected, and there was no one that would come to her rescue.
"Well as fascinated as I am by this conversation you have an appointment with the Dark Lord." Snape drawled.
Hermione began to scoot herself away from Snape. "Please don't do this professor! I'll leave the country, I'll disappear, anything just please don't do this!" Hermione pleaded. She was crawling back when her hand came into contact with something hard and metallic. It was her father shotgun! Hermione grabbed the gun just as Snape lifted his wand and pointed it at the Hermione.
"Stupe…" 'BANG! Hermione hadn't even aimed the gun just pointed in Snape's direction. Snape was only about two feet from Hermione when the buckshot literally severed Snape's left leg from his body.
The impact of the shot knocked Snape off his remaining leg causing him to land face first into the floor. Hermione scrambled back and racked another round into the chamber. Before she could pull the trigger, Snape portkeyed away leaving his severed leg behind.
Hermione collapsed back to the ground she could feel herself slipping into shock. She heard a loud crack as two forms appeared next to her. She could not make out who they were her vision had started to blur. Then she heard a voice she thought she recognized but it seemed to echo in her head.
"Hermione…Hermione!…Hermio…" Darkness over took the bushy haired girl and she heard nothing more.
A/N2: I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter. It is my longest yet. A lot of things happened here including a few deaths and the introduction of a new character. Let me know what you think but please be kind.
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