Chapter 31: Do yourself a big favor . . .
Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks and Remus, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Arthur and Bill Weasley were each positioned next to one of the doors leading into the 'Veil Chamber'. They had 'Disillusioned' themselves, but the two boys sprinting down the hall toward them knew they were there.
Albus and Severus were skulking in the stairwell, as they planned to 'arrive on the scene' after everyone had entered the 'Veil Chamber'.
"How's it going, boys?" Remus called.
"So far, so good; they're confused, surprised, and a bit the worse for wear," answered Harry, as Neville and he went to their assigned doors. "Hey Tonks," he added, as a hand grasped his elbow.
"Wotcher, Harry," replied the young Auror.
"They are not happy campers, I'll tell you that," Neville said, as he stopped beside the next door. "Mad-Eye?'
"Right here, lad," growled the old man. "Ah, here come the others."
Luna, Ginny and Hermione were running toward them, with Ron bringing up the rear, giving them cover.
"They're going to be coming any second," Ron called, as he sprinted over to the door on the far left. 'Hey Remus!"
"Hey, Ron," came Lupin's disembodied voice. "How'd it go?"
"Bella is beyond pissed off, which means she's going to go wild when she gets here. Lucius, I think, is realizing something's not right, but has to keep trying to catch Harry and get the Sphere."
"Here they come . . . good luck!" whispered the werewolf, as the voices of the pursuing Death Eaters echoed from the hallway.
X X X
That group rounded the corner and saw the students entering the various doors to the 'Veil Chamber'.
"Why aren't they all going in there together?" wondered MacNair out loud, even as he ran forward with the others.
Lucius heard him and an alarm bell went off in his head.
"Stop! STOP!" he cried, even as he threw out his arms to slow the group.
"We have to follow them and catch them before they can get to the elevators!" Bella hissed. "Or do you want them to get away, Lucius? You failed to get the Prophesy, so is this your way of having an excuse, 'they got away' ", taunted the wild haired witch.
"Don't be foolish, Bella; they can't get away. But MacNair is right; if they were simply running away, they'd have all gone through the same door. They deliberately went through different doors . . . something's not right . . . it could be a trap." Lucius looked around, studying the hallway, listening for any sound that would give away approaching enemies.
"If it was a trap, the Dark Lord would know, he knows everything . . . "
"We're wasting time!" Avery growled, "And I have a score to settle with Potter," he added, as he wiped blood from his cheek.
"Potter is not to be harmed!" Lucius reminded him, even as he walked forward toward the doors to the 'Veil Chamber'. "Pick a door, two at each, then we'll see what little games these children have planned."
The Death Eaters spread out, pairing up and on Lucius' signal, burst through the doors.
X X X
Neville took a deep breath, as one of the Hogwarts House Elves handed him a goblet of pumpkin juice.
"Thanks, Tykey," Neville smiled down at the diminutive creature. "I was getting a bit parched."
"You is quite welcome, Professor Longbottom, sir."
'Pop'
"Professor?" Emma asked. "Really?"
Neville nodded. "Assistant Professor of Herbology. I teach the first through third years and Professor Sprout covers fourth through seventh years."
"That's splendid!" Dan said, smiling at Neville. "Actually, we forgot to ask what you all are doing now, we were so focused on hearing the story."
"Well, most of us wound up in the same jobs that you knew from the books, with a few exceptions."
Fred stood up, grinning. "I shamelessly took Ron's job, helping George make the store a success. So, Ron had to get a real job, not goof off playing with the merchandise, so to speak."
"Too right I got a real job, and goofing off is your specialty, Fred, so have at it!" shot back Ron. Turning to the visitors, he explained, "I'm an Auror, working in the division that searches for anyone smuggling restricted objects and artifacts. Watching Fred and George sneaking around all those years gives me an edge, you see."
"Hey!" George tried to look offended, but failed when Fred whispered something in his ear and they both exploded in laughter.
Mrs. Weasley just shook her head, even as she picked up her youngest grandchild and settled the toddler on her lap.
"I work in the Ministry, too, as you know." Draco stood. "But I think what my Father and Mother are doing will be of the greatest interest to you four."
Dan, Emma, Rupert and Tom all turned to look at the blond haired couple sitting to the side of the group. Dan's eyebrow went up in question and Cissa smiled as Lucius stood.
"I have been appointed Magical Ambassador to the Northeast Region of America. We have a lovely house on the outskirts of Salem, Massachusetts and we are enjoying ourselves, traveling around the country and as is the custom for Magical folk in the United States, we live freely among the Muggles . . . I even have a drivers license!"
"You . . . DRIVE?" Rupert gasped. "But Americans drive on the wrong side of the road, mate! Driving is hard enough without that to deal with!"
"Not a problem, Rupert," explained Lucius. "I learned to drive over there, so it was easy to get used to. When we're here at home, we 'Apparate', so it isn't a concern."
"Oh, by the way, Daniel," injected Narcissa. "We saw you in your play, "How to Succeed in Business". It was quite entertaining!"
"REALLY! and you didn't come backstage . . . . oh, right . . . that wouldn't have worked at all, would it?" Dan shook his head.
"We were in our usual disguises, as we knew people would stare at us, even if they thought we were only there in 'costume'," Narcissa added. "We change our appearance, when we are over in the States, as Muggles are so aware of the whole Harry Potter world. Lucius has short black hair and wears glasses. I change my hair color to auburn and shorten it just a bit."
"That's bloody brilliant!" laughed Dan.
"Lucius and Narcissa are suburbanites!" gasped Tom, before catching Draco's eye and dissolving in giggles.
"It's worse than that, Tom," stage whispered Draco, leaning forward, hand cupped by his mouth. "They even go caravanning!"
That did it . . . the whole room full of people exploded in laughter, including Lucius and Narcissa, who nodded that it was indeed the truth, when the four Muggles looked to her for confirmation. After they all calmed down, Narcissa stood to explain further.
"We're getting a little ahead of ourselves in the story," Cissa started, "but this bit does need some details, so you'll understand. Part of Lucius' s "re-education" was learning to deal, one-on-one, with Muggles. So, where better to send us than the States. They actually did need to fill the position of Ambassador and that solved two issues at once. We not only changed our appearance, but may I introduce Louis Mallard, trade envoy for the Foreign Office."
Lucius stood and bowed, to a smattering of applause and giggles. Putting his arm around Cissa's waist, he added, "And this is my wife Cynthia, who goes by a childhood nickname of Cissa." She did a fair imitation of the 'royal' wave, then they both sat down.
"Right," Dan said, smiling. "I'm sure we'll hear more about that later. So, where were we? The 'Veil Room' I believe?"
Remus stood and walked forward to continue the narrative of the battle.
"As soon as the Death Eaters followed Harry and the rest through the doors, we 'Re-illusioned' ourselves and got ready to follow.
X X X
As the Death Eaters surged into the room they saw the six teenagers standing calmly in front of the stone platform, upon which stood the granite arch with its fluttering, tattered curtain. Skidding to a halt, they saw that each of the students was wearing a gold mesh bag, hanging on a leather thong, in which rested a Prophesy Sphere. Six Prophesy Spheres! Which one was the real one? Did Potter still have it or had he handed it off to one of his friends? They were almost paralyzed by the thought that if they hit the Sphere and destroyed it, the Dark Lord would surely kill them. They turned to Lucius, questions evident on their faces . . . . NOW WHAT?
"Ah, very clever of you, Potter," Lucius drawled, even as he started slowly down the stairs toward them. "But, I know enough about you to realize you wouldn't let that Prophesy out of your grasp, so to speak."
" 'ACCIO SPHERE'!" screamed Bella, pointing her wand at Harry. The golden bag barely quivered.
"It's not going to be that easy, Bella, old girl," muttered Neville, which caused Ron to snort derisively and the girls to smile.
"Blood Traitor brats!" Bella snarled, but Rudolphus grabbed her wand hand before she could hex Neville or Ron.
"Wait!" he hissed, even as he, too, started slowly descending the long row of steps toward the bottom of the viewing gallery, dragging Bella with him. Harry and the others stood watching, wands at the ready, but seemingly unconcerned.
Lucius stopped halfway to the bottom, frown on his face, alarm bells ringing in his brain, but the overriding purpose of this mission brushed caution to the side. He and Harry stood facing each other, eyes locked. Suddenly, Lucius realized that he could hear Harry talking to him, inside his head. "Merlin! He's using 'Legilimency' on me!" His shock was evident on his face, but Harry's expression never changed.
'Lucius! Listen to me! You are not getting the Sphere. I already know the Prophesy, so I can smash it at any time. Your only hope for surviving this is to surrender.'
"Potter has the real Sphere!" shouted Lucius, as he raised his wand.
A blaze of spells flooded the room with flashes of color and shouts from both sides of the battle. What the Death Eaters failed to notice, in the first roar of noise, was the members of the Order coming through the doors behind them. Suddenly, the Death Eaters realized they were caught in a crossfire. Quickly getting themselves positioned back to back, they continued to fight in both directions, and the battle intensified.
Even when the Death Eaters started 'Apparating' around the vast chamber, to get into a better position higher up on the rows of stone benches, the members of the Order stood in front of the doors, cutting off any escape . . . except . . . there was one door on the far wall and Bella, seeing it was unguarded, went streaking toward it. As she landed, she took one look over her shoulder and then reached for the handle.
"Leaving so soon, Auntie? And without Uncle . . tsk, tsk!" Tonks had appeared on her right, wand leveled at Bella.
"You think you can stop me?" hissed Bella, as she started to duel with her niece.
As the two witches traded spells and hexes, the battle raged around the room, with shouts and cries of pain heard from both sides. Tonks suddenly looked past Bella and smiled, dropping her guard just enough for Bella to hit her with a spell that blasted Tonks backward to land, crumpled and bleeding, on the top row of benches, several yards away. Spinning, Bella saw Severus Snape level his wand. Her look of disbelief turned to understanding as he winked at her and hit her with a mild hex. She threw herself down as if hit hard and crawled away, only to have Severus yank her to her feet and hiss in her ear.
"Act wounded, and then we'll duel. I'll retreat until you can get safely thru the door," he instructed, even as she yanked away from him and raised her wand.
"Why are you here?" she growled, disbelief at his motives evident in her tone.
"I was brought along . . . " Severus started to reply, just as Albus stepped through the door behind him and proceeded to walk calmly down the stairs.
"How did? We've been betrayed!" hissed Bella, as Severus and she dueled along the top row. "YOU!"
"I knew nothing until the Headmaster ordered me to accompany him here! I'm trying to save you, Bella! I would have saved whomever I encountered first, when I came through that door! Someone has to go and warn the Dark Lord!" replied Snape, as he knocked Bella down again with a well aimed hex.
"But the Prophesy!" she screamed, trying to be heard over the shouts and screams.
"You need to get Potter alone to get the Sphere . . . . Knock me over and then leave . . . I believe Potter will follow you . . . he has an overblown sense of nobility . . . always the hero!" Severus hissed, trading a few more spells with Bella, who could see her cohorts starting to fall.
Turning once more to the Potions Master, she threw a spell which lifted Severus off his feet and sent him crashing down, a few rows away, with a sickening thump.
"That's in case you're lying, Severus," she muttered, making for the open door.
As she passed into the hallway, she took the time to cast a glance over her shoulder. Harry was racing up to check on Severus, and then turn toward her with a murderous look in his eye. Cackling madly, she slammed the door shut and went streaking down the hall towards the room where the elevators were located.
X X X
As Harry tore open the gates to the lift and ran forward, he could just make out Bella's echoing footfalls as she raced toward the telephone lift. Sprinting around the corner, he just had time to change course and dive behind the Fountain of Magical Brethren to avoid the spell streaking at him from Bella's wand.
"Thought you had me trapped, didn't you, little bitty Potter?" Bella teased him in her irritating baby voice. "Well, I'm not about to let some snot-nosed student stop me!"
Turning she stepped into the lift and was about to take off when she saw the Prophesy Sphere rolling across the marble floor. Leaping forward she pointed her wand at the glass globe.
"Accio Sph . . . " But before she could finish, the grayish ball exploded into a thousand shards, smoke drifting upward, a faint voice whispering on the breeze.
"NNNNOOOOOOOOOO!" Bella shrieked, throwing herself on the floor, sobbing, her face hidden under her arms. "MASTER . . . .PLEASE DON'T PUNISH ME. . . .I TRIED. . . IT WAS A TRAP. . . MERCY, MASTER. . . . "
Harry knew Voldemort had arrived, so he waited for a second or two, then walked out from behind the fountain to face the Dark Lord.
"Was that THE Prophesy . . . Harry?" Voldemort asked, in a chillingly calm voice, turning to face the boy walking toward him.
"Yes, it was . . . Tom . . . slipped out of my hand . . .sorry," Harry shrugged, smiling with an lopsided grin.
"No matter, there are other ways to find out the contents," Voldemort replied, even as he flicked his hand and Harry found himself writhing on the floor, the "Cruciatus Curse" making him scream from the intense pain. He was, however, very aware of the fact the Dark Lord was invading his mind in order to extract the Prophesy. He concentrated with all his mental strength and slammed the door on that compartment of his mind where he put that bit of knowledge. Suddenly, the pain stopped. Harry became aware of voices and realized Albus had arrived in the Atrium.
Propping himself up against the wall, Harry watched as the two Wizards dueled. But, from the corner of his eye, he saw Bella backing toward one of the fireplaces, in order to Floo away to safety.
'Oh, no you don't!' thought Harry, even as he shot magical ropes from his wand that wound around Bella's arms and legs, her screams of rage adding to the roaring sound of Wizards duel taking place. Glancing toward Albus, he saw the old Wizard throw out his hand, stopping Harry from rising.
"Don't move Harry," gasped Dumbledore.
Almost in the same moment, Harry felt Voldemort enter his body, but then, instead of using Harry to tempt Albus, Harry felt a stab of pain . . . but it wasn't his, it was Voldemort who was gasping in agony. Then he was gone, to reappear in front of them both. He looked startled, disoriented, and then almost frantic.
Suddenly the fireplaces started spitting out members of the Ministry, led by the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, who spotted Voldemort and gasped, pointing.
"He's back!"
Voldemort had staggered over to Bella, who he grabbed by the hair and then the two 'Apparated' away, leaving a confused, babbling crowd of Ministry officials with the proof of the Dark Lord's return undeniable.
Harry stood as Albus came over to him, both checking that the other was none the worse for wear. Before Albus turned to deal with Fudge, Harry confirmed with him that Voldemort had, indeed, felt Nagini's death.
"That's two Horcruxes down," Harry grinned, then sobered as he added. "I've got to get back downstairs, before the Aurors get to Lucius, sir."
Albus patted Harry on the shoulder, then turned to the crowd approaching him.
"Ah, well, one must take the bitter with the sweet, I suppose," sighed Albus, twinkle in his eye, as he faced the blubbering Minister.
X X X
The Death Eaters were trussed and Harry noticed, with some amusement, that wide strips of duct tape were across their mouths. As he stood there, grinning, Arthur Weasley stepped up, showing him a roll of the silver tape.
"Marvelous stuff, ducky tape, Harry!" Arthur informed him, grinning.
"So I see, Mr. Weasley. But it's called duct tape, D-U-C-T, as in heating duct, which are big, hollow pipes used by Muggles to send heat to different parts of their houses. The tape is for closing gaps or leaking seams," Harry explained as simply as he could, knowing he'd have to tell Arthur more later.
"Really!? Oh, that's splendid . . . but what . . .?" Arthur started to ask.
"I'll tell you all about it, when we get finished here, sir, but right now I have to talk to Lucius . . .in private, if it can be arranged."
"Right, well, let me talk to Kingsley. . . . Oh, did Voldemort show up?"
"He did and he left, abruptly, with Bella in tow. . . I know he felt Nagini die, so I hope Sirius, Minerva and," Harry leaned closer, "Narcissa, got away in time, with Peter," he whispered.
Arthur nodded, patted Harry on the shoulder and went to talk to Kingsley. Ron, Ginny and Hermione were sitting on a bench off to the side, while Neville and Luna were being checked out by Madam Pomfrey, who had just 'Flooed' in from Hogwarts to help the injured. Tonks was lying on the floor, her head resting on Remus' lap, arm bandaged. Everyone was sporting a minor scrape or bruise but for the most part had come through the battle unscathed.
Kingsley approached with a group of Aurors in tow. He spoke briefly to Arthur and Bill, who had been guarding the Death eaters, who were then taken away, into separate rooms, to be interrogated. Lucius Malfoy was the last one standing there in the hall and looked slightly startled when Harry approached and took him by the elbow and ushered him into an adjacent room. Silently indicating one of the two chairs in the otherwise bare room, Harry closed the door as Lucius sat down.
Taking a deep breath, Harry approached Lucius, and reaching out, apologized, "Sorry, this is gonna hurt a bit." Not waiting, he took hold of a corner of the duct tape and yanked it off. Lucius gasped, but otherwise remained silent, glaring up at the young Wizard standing in front of him.
Harry positioned the other chair, facing the silent Death Eater.
"First, I want you to know that this was a futile effort on you and your friends part, as we've know about this 'plot' of Tom's for awhile." Harry sat down and continued. " Second, as far as the Prophesy is concerned, I've know what it contains for months, so I didn't blink when I destroyed it up in the Atrium. Bella, however, took it badly, but . . . she'll just have to get over it."
Lucius eyebrow shot up, but his mouth twitched, almost involuntarily, at the thought of his sister-on-law's distress. Then he took a deep breath and sat up straight, a bit of his usual persona attempting to surface from what he understood to be a tenuous, at best, position.
"I'm headed for Azkaban, I presume, Potter?"
"In reality, it'll be the safest place for you, for the next year. Old Tom is going to be in a towering rage for the next couple of months, so you're better off there, than within his sight," said Harry, nodding.
"What . . . how do you . . . no . . . I'd rather not know . . . then my denial of knowledge of events would prove my innocence," muttered Lucius. "What about my family? Are Narcissa and Draco in danger?"
"Yes, and no. Your Master will set a task for Draco, fully expecting him to fail, which, in his mind would be a fitting punishment for you. And he will make Malfoy Manor his Headquarters, thus keeping Narcissa under his and Bella's constant surveillance. That is, if Bella survives this night."
His curiosity getting the better of him, Lucius blurted, "Why, what happened?"
He blushed red when he realized how easily he'd let his guard drop, but Harry smiled at him and leaned forward to tell him the news. "Nagini is dead and Peter is missing from Tom's hideout."
"What? How do . . . " Lucius sat back, as it finally sank into his brain that this young Wizard was outmaneuvering the Dark Lord at every turn. Had the Prophesy told Harry Potter how to defeat the Dark Lord. Where did that leave him? What will happen to his family?"
Lucius' confusion was evident on his face, as Harry watched the emotions flash in the blue eyes of his 'enemy'.
"Listen, Lucius, I've only a few minutes to talk to you, but I want you to really hear and understand what I'm saying. You are going to stand trial and go to Azkaban. Narcissa and Draco are going to be living in constant danger, well, Draco will be at Hogwarts, so it's more your wife's problem to deal with on a daily basis, than his." Lucius hung his head, knowing this was all true.
Harry took a deep breath. "I do know what has to be done to kill Voldemort, and I will kill him, make no mistake."
Lucius jerked head up and he stared at Harry. What he saw in those green eyes shook him to his core. He nodded his head; he was listening.
Harry continued, knowing that Lucius, at last, believed him. "No matter how hard it is in Azkaban, you will be 'rescued' by Voldemort in about a year. He will be ensconced in your home; you will be under his thumb, humiliated and used, by him, as an example of what happens to his followers who fail him. Do yourself a favor; think long and hard about what will happen to your family when he is killed. But, don't do anything rash when you get back to Malfoy Manor . . . I will see to it that Narcissa, Draco and you are spared when he falls."
"Narcissa and Draco have turned against the Dark Lord?" Lucius was suddenly both angry and more frightened than he could remember, about his wife and son's involvement with this evenings events.
"Neither of them had anything to do with what happened here at the Ministry tonight, except Draco turning my friends and me over to Dolores Umbridge," Harry reassured the distraught Wizard, knowing he was bending the truth a bit, but it needed to be done. Lucius relaxed noticeably, so Harry continued. "But, they are going to bear the brunt of his anger at you and your partners for your failure tonight. And you will, too, eventually, but there is hope, Lucius. Just remember that.
The door opened and Kingsley stepped into the room.
"Harry, I'm here to take Malfoy."
"Right", said Harry, standing and moving his chair to the side.
Lucius stood, head held high, defiant in front of the Auror. As he walked past Harry he glanced at the young Wizard and nodded. Harry did the same and then followed Lucius out, to rejoin his friends for their trip back to Hogwarts.