Chapter 29: "And now . . . the rest of the story"
Harry stood and picked up a piece of parchment from the table. He looked down the page and took a deep breath before facing the four sitting in front of him, anxiously awaiting the 'new' history of the last sixteen years.
"Well, let's run over the winter and early spring events and then get to the Ministry bit, shall we?" Harry looked up and saw nods of agreement. He consulted the list one more time and then began.
"Okay. So, we came back here to school after the Christmas break. Dolores was still being a pain, but we let her think she was getting away with her little subversive activities. Severus and I started on my Occlumeny classes in earnest and I got fairly good, at a much faster pace than the first time through." He shot a glance at the Potions Master, who nodded, with a smirk on his lips.
"The Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban, but this time I knew what had happened, so my feeling Voldemort's happiness was easier to interpret and it made getting used to feeling his thoughts a bit easier, too.
"The dreams about the corridor in the Department of Mysteries started soon after and became nightly occurrences, but I could mostly ignore them. In February, I gave the interview to Rita Skeeter and we all know the Dung Bomb that turned into!"
There were snickers and smiles, as they all remembered Dolores Umbridge's apoplectic fit about the article in the Quibbler.
"Then Voldemort learned about the fact that only I could remove the Prophesy sphere, so his plans to lure me to the Ministry were formed and implemented, via my 'dreams'." Harry used his fingers to form quote marks and there were nods all around the room.
"Then Dolores fired Professor Trelawney and Albus hired Firenze, much to her displeasure. Meanwhile, since the holidays, Draco was leading the "Inquisitional Squad" on as many wild goose chases as he could, to keep them off the DA's back. The DA, meanwhile, were perfecting their 'Patronus Charms' plus Neville, Luna, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and I were getting a crash course in 'Apparating', which we would use at the Ministry."
Emma raised her hand and Dan smiled.
"Yes, Emma?"
"I thought it wasn't possible to "Apparate" inside of Hogwarts. However did you practice?"
"Good question. It seems the Room of Requirement can bend the rules if it feels the need," Harry explained.
"Ah, well, that is convenient," Rupert laughed.
"Blimey, Harry, when did you have time to do your regular studying?" asked Dan.
"Well, I didn't have Quidditch practice, being thrown off the team, so that gave me a extra couple of hours a week. We all just did what we had to do, when we got a spare minute." Harry shrugged. "Knew we had to . . . did what we needed to . . . to be ready."
Another quick glance at his list and Harry continued. "Then there was the big scene in the Headmaster's office after Millicent 'told all' to Dolores, and you know how that went."
"We sure do!" Rupert grinned. "And I bet Fred and George made their exit in true Weasley style the next day, am I right, guys?"
"AH, it was our crowning achievement, here at Hogwarts," agreed Fred.
"Made Dolores' first day as Headmistress one to remember, too," added George, as everyone laughed at the memory of their glorious departure.
The Headmaster stood at that point and Harry deferred to him, sitting down next to Ginny and their children.
"I would like to inject, at this point, a bit of what I got up to during my 'vacation' from my duties as Headmaster, if you don't mind, Harry?"
"Go right ahead, sir. It'll help them understand some things later in our story," Harry agreed.
X X X
"As suggested in our planning sessions, I had made contact, just after New Year's, with my brother, Aberforth and we worked through our relationship and made peace with our lives. So, I 'escaped' to Hogsmeade; just 'down the street' so to speak. Our sister's portrait became the portal to the Room of Requirement, a bit earlier in the whole scheme of things, but that way, I had access to the school and could give instruction on 'Apparation' to the 'Ministry Marauders' without Dolores having a clue I was anywhere near Hogwarts."
"Bravo!" "Brilliant!" "Excellent!" "Classic!"
Narcissa stood and walked forward, Albus sweeping his hand for her to take over the narrative.
"Thank you, Albus," she smiled at him, as he took his seat. Turning to the four actors, she picked up the story. "Meanwhile, back at Malfoy Manor, I was tasked with nursing Bella and her husband back to health as quickly as possible. Wormtail came and went with supplies and instructions from the Dark Lord and I was required to go to him once a week to report on their recovery. As soon as Bella and Rudolphus had recovered sufficiently, they moved into the manor house he was using for his headquarters."
"So he wasn't at Riddle House?" Tom asked.
"No," Remus answered. "Since Harry survived the graveyard confrontation, he thought it prudent to move elsewhere, as he knew the Aurors would be all over Little Hangelton and Riddle House, if they thought Harry was telling the truth about his return."
Tom nodded. "Oh . . . sorry to interrupt, Cissa!"
"Quite alright, Tom. Anyway, this gave me a bit of time to learn the layout of the house and also Wormtail got used to seeing me there. This helped immensely with our plans to catch Peter. I even started bringing small treats, dead rabbits I caught in the gardens, for Nagini. Voldemort was a bit suspicious at first, until he looked into my mind and saw how I loathed them ruining my emerging spring flowers."
"You knew he was rummaging around in your thoughts?" Dan asked.
"Yes, Voldemort isn't subtle, if he's just checking to see if you're lying to him. It was easy enough to concentrate on the gardens and how I was always after the little pests. He even taunted Bella about not having a green thumb, which infuriated her. But then I reminded him that she was devoted to serving him, at his side again, while my duties lay with relaying messages from Draco. That seemed to calm her down a bit, but I made sure I always had fresh cut flowers on the tables at the Manor, for when she'd pop in."
"That's what we love about you, Cissa, you're SO Slytherin, but in such a classy, elegant way," Emma giggled, which caused Cissa to bow and give Emma a wink. Draco ducked his head to hide his smile.
"Thank you, Emma. Well, back to Harry's part of the story." Narcissa returned to her seat, smiling at Lucius and patting him on his thigh. "It's going well, don't you think?"
"So far, my dear," he whispered back, taking her hand in his.
X X X
"Meanwhile. Sirius had Crookshanks at Grimmauld Place, for a couple of visits, to not only allow Hermione's pet get used to him in his Animagus form but, while transformed, Sirius found he could communicate exactly what the plans were. He said Crookshanks was looking forward, gleefully, to having another go at 'Scabbers', as he'd known Peter only as Ron's pet rat." Harry related.
Rupert grinned and shot Ron a look and wink. Ron nodded and smothered a bark of laughter with a cough. Hermione looked between the two of them and rolled her eyes.
"So, the day finally came and the whole scene in Dolores office went almost word for word as in the book, except that Draco was carrying our vials of 'Felix Felicis'. After Dolores left with Hermione and me to the Forbidden Forest, the D.A. easily overcame the 'Squad' members. They left them, with Draco playing along as a member of the I.S., after he'd handed out the vials and Severus had done a 'Memory Charm' on the other Slytherins. That way, Draco was still able to continue on his way to our sixth year without drawing undue attention."
Severus stood and Harry bowed him forward to continue.
"I was to meet up with Harry and Hermione when they returned to the castle, while Luna, Neville, Ron and Hermione went to fetch the Thestrals for the trip to London. Albus was in touch with the other Order members and they were just awaiting our arrival to make our way to the Ministry. We all had vials of the 'Felix Felicis' potions which we would take prior to entering the Ministry." Severus stood for a moment, thinking, then nodded and continued. "I had been bringing as much information about Voldemort's hiding place as I could glean during my infrequent trips there and Cissa had provided other details, so we were confident that the plan to capture Peter would be successful. However, I also made sure everyone in that group also had a vial with them." Turning, he swept his arm, indicating that it was Sirius' turn to narrate the story.
Sirius stood and walked forward. "Thanks, mate,' he said, clapping Severus on the shoulder as he passed, which brought smiles to most of the adult faces. Severus shook his head and sat down.
"Well, this is the new part, so pay attention, you lot!" he started, rubbing his hands together. "As soon as Severus and Albus alerted us to the fracas in old Dolores' office and Harry and Hermione's return from the Forbidden Forest, Minerva, with Crookshanks and I, 'Apparated' to a spot not far from Voldemort's hideout. We'd been there before, scouting out the surrounding territory and knew we would be undetected. We waited, well Minerva and I waited, as our friend Crookshanks patrolled the immediate area, and we waited for Narcissa to arrive. It wasn't long after we saw a large group 'Apparate' away on their way to the Ministry, that she showed up with a basket for the 'celebration' that would be taking place when Voldemort returned. Minerva and I changed and started stalking closer to the manor house, waiting for the signal to enter."
Sirius turned to Narcissa and stage-whispered, "You're on, cuz!"
Narcissa rose, to a smattering of applause, which she acknowledged with a wave, and smacked Sirius as she walked past him.
"Ow!"
"As my dear, deranged cousin indicated, I was, indeed, in the manor house doing a bit of 'misdirection' for Peter's benefit. I'd brought some fine, expensive wines and special party dishes, which I proceeded to arrange on the table in the main room. Peter was drooling, but as he reached for a sample, I smacked his hand and reprimanded him for daring to disturb my display. He started to berate me as high-handed, but I stopped him by showing him a separate basket with more of the same food."
X X X
"I brought extra, so you and I could nibble while we wait for the Dark Lord's triumphant return. That way, the table looks splendid and we don't have grumbling stomachs!"
"Why Narcissa, what a thoughtful gesture," Peter replied, looking at the smaller basket, licking his lips. "I'm sorry if I sounded abrupt, just then, but it has been a bit stressful around here, getting ready for our Master's invasion of the Ministry . . . you understand."
"Of course. Lucius has been going over and over the plan for several weeks. I hope they are successful, without too much trouble, I mean . . . of course it will be a success, but if that foolish boy should put up any resistance . . . well." Narcissa shrugged.
"Feeling sorry for Potter, are you?" Wormtail asked, spinning to stare at her.
"You misunderstand me, Pete. I was concerned for the safety of our group, not Potter's worthless carcass," Narcissa answered, hand on her chest, in mock surprise. "Try the pate, won't you? I had it sent from my favorite store in Paris," she continued, pulling a box out and opening it.
Peter's nose twitched as Narcissa waved the open box in front of him.
"Here, let me get you a cracker." Setting the box down, she pulled a small tin and knife from the basket, and opening the tin, placed it next to the box of pate, handing Peter the knife so he could sample the delicacy.
Just then, Nagini slithered into the room and reared up to survey the table. Turning her head, she nodded at Narcissa in greeting.
"And I haven't forgotten you, either, Nagini," purred Cissa, going over to a large bag and removing a brace of dead rabbits. "Fresh this evening, the little blighters," she laughed, which elicited a snicker from Peter. He dared not laugh out loud, for fear of spraying cracker crumbs on the floor from his overstuffed mouth. Narcissa ignored him and laid two of the rabbits on the floor for the huge snake to swallow. She hung the remaining rabbits on a wall sconce and wagged a finger at Nagini. "Just two for now, don't want to spoil your appetite; the Dark Lord may be bringing you something special, you never know."
"This is marvelous, Narcissa!" gushed Peter. "What else did you bring?" he asked, as he peeked deeper into the basket.
"Well," Narcissa started to rummage around, then looked up frowning. "Is it hot in here, or is it just me, as I have been running around getting this feast set up?!" She stood fanning herself, then went over and opened a window, took a deep breath of night air and turned back, smiling. "Ah, that's much better. Now, where was I? Oh, yes, the next item on our menu." She smiled as she extracted another wrapped surprise.
X X X
Minerva and Sirius saw Narcissa fling open the window and knew Peter and she were definitely in the main room . . . where Nagini was, they'd have to see. Crookshanks joined them and then meowed softly for them to follow. Close by the side of the manor house stood a old oak tree, whose branches spread out in a tremendous canopy, some of them almost touching the ground, but even more important, some were close to the windows of the room where Narcissa and Peter were at that moment. Minerva took one leap and landed on a low hanging branch, and with amazing agility, ran out almost to the end and then crouched, peering in the window.
Sirius and Crookshanks waited patiently until Minerva returned, then the three of them worked their way to the back of the building. Sirius whined as Minerva changed back into her human form, but seconds later Sirius stood there, too.
"Is Nagini there?" Sirius whispered.
"Yes, Peter had his nose in a basket of food and Narcissa was giving Nagini a bowl of water, so she's fed that snake some rabbits already," Minerva softly replied.
"We'd better take our potion and then change back. Here, Crook, old boy," said Sirius, as he tipped a vial, allowing the cat to lick the small dose deemed right for an animal his size.
Standing, Sirius downed his own dose and pocketed the vial. Minerva had retrieved and re-enlarged a rat-trap, from her cloak pocket. Tapping it with her wand, she made it escape proof with 'Anti-Apparation', 'Unbreakable' and 'Strengthening' Spells.
"Right, I'm going to leave this right here, and we can 'Accio' the trap when we need it."
Sirius pulled the Sorting Hat our of his jacket pocket and held it in his hand.
"Ready?" Sirius looked between his two cohort, both nodded.
Sirius opened the small door set in the sidewall and then changed into the black dog that was his 'Animagus' form. The two cats entered first, then he padded softly into the darkened hallway that led into the depths of the manor house, Sorting Hat held in his mouth.
X X X
"Need a little something to wash that down, Peter?" Narcissa asked, holding a canapé in one hand, glass of wine in the other.
"Certainly, that would be lovely," Peter bowed, enjoying himself immensely. THIS is how it would be when the Dark Lord got rid of Harry Potter and then the Ministry fools and became the Wizarding World's leader. And HE would be right there by his side . . . HE who had helped bring the Dark Lord back . . HE who . .
"HIIIIIISSSSSSS' Nagini coiled up, hissing a warning, looking toward the door.
"What is it? What's going on?" Narcissa spun around, wand out.
"I don't know, but I'll find out," replied Wormtail, even as he changed into his rat form and scampered to the wall, edging along toward the door.
"Be careful, Peter!" Narcissa whispered, as she edged closer to Nagini, seeming to stand guard over the Dark Lord's pet. The rat looked back at her, nodding and then started out into the hall.
Suddenly, barking was heard, running, banging, a cat was yowling and spitting. Narcissa looked down at Nagini, who looked back and cocked her head as if to ask "What is going on?" Peter came flying back through the door and quickly changed back to his human form.
"What in the world . . . ?" Cissa started to ask, as Peter slammed the door shut.
"Somehow, a cat and dog got in and although I couldn't see them, they're running around downstairs . . . I didn't think showing up as a rat would be the smartest thing to do . . . " he gasped.
Cissa clamped her hand over her mouth and giggled, which made Peter smile, too.
"I should bloody well think not," she managed to say, before giving way to a small fit of laughter.
"Shhh!" Peter waved his hand to shush her. "They've stopped," Wormtail had his ear to the door, listening intently. "I don't hear anything, so you?"
Narcissa leaned against the door, brow furrowed. "No. . . perhaps he caught that poor cat . . . or they've gone back outside . . . I think it'd be safe for you to check now, don't you? We can't have that kind of noise going on when the Dark Lord gets back."
"Merlin, no! Right, well, you stay here with Nagini and I'll make sure they've gone, or I'll get rid of them," Peter said, as he grasped the doorknob.
"Wait! Better check out if they've gone first, in your other form, so you can sneak down the stairs without alarming them with your footsteps. If they're gone . . . secure the door . . . if not, change and chase them out!" Narcissa suggested.
"Good point. Close this door behind me, but if you hear me scratching, let me in quickly!" Peter ordered her.
"Of course," replied Cissa, as Peter changed and scurried out into the hall. She closed the door and turned to smile at the huge snake coiled up in the corner.
X X X
Wormtail scampered to the top of the grand staircase, and poked his head through the railing, trying to see into the lower hallway. He turned his ears this way and that, listening for any noise. From one of the rooms on the ground floor he heard the click, click, click of toenails, 'probably the dog sniffing around', he thought. 'I wonder if he killed the cat?'
His curiosity got the better of him, so he worked his way down the stairs to the landing, where he paused again. Peter could hear the dog panting . . . it was in the library, to the left at the bottom of the stairs. "Ah, well, I'll have a peek and decide what to do,' he told himself, working up his courage to continue down the stairs.
At the bottom, he took a deep breath and peeked around the door jam, into the library. The manor house had not been cleaned at all, except the rooms upstairs, used by the Dark Lord. Consequently, the library was dark, dusty, books all over the floor, chairs lying on their sides; a right mess. As he inched his way across the floor, he focused on the dark shape lying near the window . . . the dog. Looking around, Peter expected to see the cat lying dead, but there was no blood or body to be seen.
'Perhaps he killed the cat in a different room' thought Wormtail, pausing as he looked around.
The dog sneezed, blowing a small cloud of dust into the air. The huge black form sat up and shook its head, then slowly turned to face Wormtail, who froze in abject fear. It was Padfoot! With a squeal of terror, Wormtail whirled around to make a run for it, only to slam smack into Crookshanks flat face, who hissed and clamped a paw down on top of the rat, pinning him to the floor.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Minerva hit Peter with her spell. "Thank you, Crookshanks. That was masterfully done," she praised Hermione's pet, even as she reached down, picked up the stiffened form of the rat and plunked him, none too gently, into the magically re-enforced rat trap she had 'Accioed' just a moment before. "That should hold you, eh, Peter?"
X X X
Narcissa was still standing next to the door, listening, knowing Nagini was keeping a wary eye on her. She ignored the snake, but had the writhing form in her peripheral vision. Then she heard footsteps approaching. Narcissa straightened up and pointed her wand at the door. There was a knock, then a scratch. Smiling at the snake, she took hold of the ornate knob and opening the door wide, stepped back.
Sirius entered the room, followed by Minerva, carrying the cage in which Peter lay, immobile. Crookshanks entered last, and positioned himself next to Cissa, who bent down and petted the orange cat.
Nagini had raised herself into striking position the second she had seen these strangers enter. Both Minerva and Narcissa had their wands trained on the giant snake, who was hissing and starting to move out of the corner, obviously having realized that was a bad place for her to be if she had to fight these humans. Sirius pulled the Sorting Hat out of his jacket pocket and calmly reached into it, removing the Sword of Gryffindor, which gleamed in the light from the wall sconces and chandeliers.
Nagini immediately turned her focus on Sirius, ignoring the two witches; this wizard was the greater threat. She knew the witches spells would be deflected, as her Master had put protective charms on her long ago.
But Narcissa and Minerva then turned away and ignored the snake. They focused their attention on the furniture: Narcissa removing all traces of the food, wine, bag of rabbits and any other evidence that she'd been there, while Minerva proceeded to wreck the room, smashing tables and tossing chairs, not a few of which she gleefully bounced off of Nagini. As expected, that did no harm, physically, and the snake ignored the attempts at diverting her attention.
The center of the room was cleared as Sirius and Nagini began circling around, each looking for their chance to deliver a fatal blow to the other. Nagini tried a few thrusts to gauge Sirius' reach with the sword, but he would have none of it; just stepping back and continuing to sidestep to match the snakes movement, sword held high over his shoulder.
Suddenly, Crookshanks launched himself into the air and landed on the back of Nagini's neck, just below her head. The giant snake reared up to her full height, snapped her neck and head, flinging the yowling cat off, arms clawing the air, hissing, to land at Minerva's feet.
Just as Nagini turned to strike, Sirius swung the Sword of Gryffindor and cut off the snake's head. Black smoke poured forth, emitting a wailing shriek, even as the body crumbled to dust.
There was dead silence for a moment or two, as Minerva scooped up Crookshanks and checked that he was unhurt.
"Right," Sirius said, looking around. "One down, six to go. Ladies, I suggest we get the hell out of here."
"Don't have to tell us twice, cousin!" replied Narcissa, as she shrank her basket down and put it in her pocket."
"Come along, Crookshanks, I have a big surprise waiting for you back at Hogwarts," Minerva hugged the cat, who purred in her arms.
The two witches hurried out of the room and down the stairs.
Sirius picked up the cage containing his former classmate, and gazed through the bars at the petrified rat. He knew Peter could hear him and had seen what had just happened. Sirius turned the cage so the rat could see his face and smiled at him, as he, too, headed out the door.
"Well, Wormtail, this is the first day of the rest of your miserable life!"