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Weapon
(Possession Chapter LX)
Chapter IX -Where Will You Stand?
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Sirius paced back and forth in his chambers. Harry was currently closeted with Dumbledore and he'd left the two of them alone so that neither of them would feel hindered by his presence. Harry could ask whatever he wanted and he fully expected that there were things the Headmaster only wanted to reveal to Harry.
He wasn't overly worried. His Godson had gotten through the Initiation without revealing himself, a simple conversation should be easy.
No, he was more worried about the Dark Lord himself...
Harry was so sure.
That was the problem.
Sirius could see it in his eyes, well hidden but there, the soft open love for the man, the quiet acceptance of everything the serpent represented.
He was slightly bothered by the intensity of the feeling but what bothered him more was the unknown. Harry assured him that the Dark Lord... Heh! Some Godfather I am, I can't even think his name... that the Dark Lord Voldemort returned his feelings. Now I can't even think the word. The shadows had assured him of the Dark Lord's love but he had yet to see it for himself.
That's what was bothering him.
Of all the things he knew should have been bothering him about the situation - like the entire situation itself - it was the fact that he had yet to see Voldemort demonstrate his affection towards his Godchild that was bothering him the most.
The torture of the Muggles who had hurt Harry came close, but that could be passed off as the desire for revenge and was... well... it was impersonal, it was something he would have done himself if he hadn't already been beaten to the Muggles.
No, he wanted to see something only the Dark Lord could do, something only the Serpent Lord could do to prove that he loved Harry, something personal... But he wasn't sure what.
He wanted to talk to someone about it, darn it, but he knew he couldn't. There was no one who would understand his concerns because there was no one who would entertain the possibility of Harry and the Dark Lord being anything other than enemies. Truth be told, he wasn't sure he was ready for that possibility... And if anyone ever did know...
That would be a disaster all in itself.
He sighed again. If Harry was so sure then there wasn't much he could do about it besides stay by his Godson's side. If he stayed there long enough, and he intended to stay there forever in an effort to make up for his past lack of attention, he would get his proof.
-In time, the whole world will have your proof.-
Heh! Sirius grinned as he recognised the voice. If that's what it takes... He shrugged as he felt the chill of the shadows against his skin and was comforted.
If that's what it took then that's what it took and he would abide by Harry's choice.
But if Voldemort hurt him... He would sacrifice what ever it took, give the shadows everything if that's what they needed.
-He will answer to us!-
---
Draco gnawed on one nail as he looked down at the transfiguration square before him. His family had connections so he was not concerned about his results from the upcoming OWLs, but as the heir to the Malfoy line he still had to know things, and had to be proficient in magic, so as annoying as it was, he did study. It was his responsibility especially now that his Father was occupied. He would have to fend for himself, for a while, but it was nothing the Heir of the Dark Lord couldn't manage.
But right at the moment he couldn't focus his attention on the archaic words. The sight that had greeted him at breakfast just would not leave his head - the Gryffindork, Harry Potter sitting happily at the table surrounded by the pathetic Weasels and the Mudblood. With a small sigh he pushed the parchment away.
When Dumbledore had relayed information of Potter's kidnapping not death, he'd known something was wrong, that the Headmaster was trying some scheme although why the ancient wizard would be doing that was questionable.
Still he admitted to a small start of surprise this morning because he, Draco Malfoy knew what he was seeing just wasn't possible.
The Gryffindork was dead.
-Of course he is.-
He'd felt the shock of impact from the force of the curse himself. He knew the chill in his soul, the absolute feeling of power that came from the success of the Avada Kedrava curse. He knew that Potter was dead.
-You killed him yourself.-
Exactly!
-So how could he be there at breakfast?-
That was the question.
What was Dumbledore playing at that he would even use the image of the de...?
Draco suppressed a chuckle. That was it.
Potter was dead. He knew that but the whole point to killing the Gryffindork had been to eliminate the possibility of hope for the masses and Dumbledore was crafty enough to know that and he was sly enough that he wasn't going to allow it without a fight. Hadn't his father constantly complained about the ruthlessness of the Headmaster and why no one would see it for what it was?
Ruthlessness in a Gryffindor, it seemed, was viewed as single-minded determination to reach a goal.
Ruthlessness in a Slytherin was viewed as proof of their ability to betray anything, evidence of their sly, cold natures.
But in this case it was the Headmaster who was reflecting the Slytherins.
If the wizarding world was to lose hope now, there would be no stopping the Dark Lord and while Dumbledore was old, he was not senile. For the moment the Ministry couldn't afford Harry to die, so they simply weren't going to let him, hence the story about the kidnapping. What did it matter if he was dead, so long as no one believed it?
But since Harry couldn't be kidnapped forever, Dumbledore had to do something... It's been about a week or so... Draco considered. Not enough time for any normal wizard to brew a Poly Juice potion but it would probably be enough time, barely for a Potion Master... And Severus was looking rather tired.
Draco smiled. Yes. That made sense. It more than made sense no matter which way he looked at it.
-What about the Dog?-
Wait... that was true. The Dog just wouldn't allow his Godson's image to be used in such a manner...
On the other hand, the man was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. If Dumbledore had planned this, then he wouldn't have a choice. In fact, he probably was the one masquerading as Harry... It would be easy enough to find a real dog to act as him in his animagus form. That was about the only thing that made sense to him...
The younger Malfoy leaned back in his chair, absently brushing the tip of his quill over his lips as he once more reviewed the facts. Or what he thought were the facts.
The Gryffindork was dead.
The Light couldn't afford to have Potter die therefore they had said he was kidnapped.
Potter could not remain kidnapped forever so at some point he would have to be rescued and returned to Hogwarts which lead to the current situation.
Someone was masquerading as Harry, someone who knew him well enough to act out to his friends and the only some one who could possibly do that was the Dog, willingly or otherwise. After all, while Harry provided hope, there was no way anyone expected a sixteen year old to prevail against the Dark Lord so who ever it was camouflaged as him wouldn't have to do so in a combat situation. And with the lack of classes because of the study time in preparation for the OWLs, there would be no chance for anyone to examine the impostor's abilities against Potters. The situation would only become dangerous for the Light if they let it continue too long but...
In time, say over the summer, once the battle became more ingrained in the community, Draco was sure that 'Harry' would suffer some sort of heroic accident...
If such a thing was not so dangerous to his Dark Lord Father, Draco would have found the precarious situation of the Light amusing. Precarious though it was, it could still cause too much damage and he had to expose this false Harry as soon as possible.
"I suddenly find myself wanting to talk with a certain Gryffindor," he mused, as he looked back to the transfiguration parchment. "It should be interesting to see how deep they are digging their graves."
-Or how deep you're digging yours.-
---
Remus looked through narrowed eyes across the table at the man who sat before him.
This was not what he had been expecting.
"Are you certain?" He'd already asked once or twice before, but this was so unprecedented he wasn't sure what to think.
"It's come from a few Pack members," the other man responded evenly. He'd asked the same question himself. "As far as we can tell, it's genuine."
"But who?"
"That's the question."
"What do the others think?"
The man snorted as if the answer should have been obvious. "They're tentatively for it."
"What does the Pack think?"
"They're..." The man struggled for a bit. "They're hopeful but at the same time they aren't."
Remus smiled, nodding. "We're seen as animals that should be hunted down and destroyed, or we are seen as weapons that rip, claw and destroy, or worse, bite to swell our ranks. We are only ever rarely seen as human. They are wondering where the catch is, am I right?"
The man sighed. There was a reason Lupin, despite his seeming prominence in Wizarding Society was a pack leader. He understood and he could explain. "Yes," he agreed. "The Ministry would kill us, the Dark Lord would use us, and it's been that way for centuries. Now someone will see us as human? The Pack wants it to be true but they don't want to be betrayed."
"This could too easily be a trick."
"They know, that's why they are unsure."
Remus sighed. The news the Pack messenger brought was stunning. He needed time to think. "Do you need my answer now?"
"I need an answer now. I have to tell the others."
Lupin scratched between his eyes, feeling tired. "With everything else that's happening, this is going to require a Gathering."
"That will be dangerous."
"If this is true, then it will be worth it."
The other werewolf nodded, his eyes sombre. There hadn't been a Gathering of Pack Leaders for over fifty years because the last time, the Ministry had found out and had slaughtered them all, leading to the new young, inexperienced Pack Leaders siding with Grindlewald in retaliation. It was not something the Ministry was going to let them forget, despite their role in it.
"All right," Remus finally said, after thinking long and hard for a few moments. "Tell the others I need to know more before I make a decision. With the Dark Lord's re-emergence stronger than expected we can expect offers from both the Ministry and the Dark Lord. This, if true, might offer us an alternative, but only if they are allied with the winning side. Once we know more, we are going to have to risk a Gathering to decide either way."
The man nodded. He'd expected such a response but he had to be sure. "Where can I find you next, because I know I'll be doing messenger service for a while."
"I'll be at Hogwarts over the summer. After that, I'm not sure."
"There'll be answers before then."
Lupin nodded. "How are things generally?" He asked.
"Difficult. Barely enough of us can get any type of work to support the rest. We've tried doing Muggle jobs, you know, labouring and stuff like that, but the Ministry was on us in a flash sprouting some rubbish about magical creatures not being allowed to intermingle with Muggles. If we were truly that 'magical' we wouldn't be in this situation!"
Remus nodded again, his eyes wise. "Does anyone need special attention?"
"At the moment, thank god no! We couldn't afford it. We are so close to lost."
"Fudge was not easy."
"Fudge was easy," the man returned. "It was his helpers and their laws that are difficult."
"I'll see if I can't get Dumbledore to pressure for their retraction."
The werewolf's eyes opened wide. It was sometimes easy to forget who Remus had contacts with. "That would help, Pack Leader," he said formally. "That would help."
"I lead to serve," Remus said the ritual phrase.
"We follow to remember," the return phrase was uttered as the man rose.
"Try, please," he said softly, almost inaudibly. "If something's not done soon we will have a split in the Pack."
Lupin closed his eyes as the Pack messenger disappeared in the tavern, leaving to spread the news of this new offer and to speak with the other Pack Leaders. The warning didn't seem urgent, had anyone else heard it, but Remus knew that they, the Pack was almost at breaking point. They were so close to lost. The words were desperate and too true. The Ministry didn't know how close they were to destroying them. And faced with institutionalised destruction on one hand or the loss of humanity on the other, many Pack members, who had been told they were less than human for years, would take the only path for survival, because while it was destructive, it was still an affirmation of self that all living beings sought. And then the Ministry would just have further cause to hunt them, incapable of differentiating between those werewolves who had been pushed too far, and those who had tried to hold on to neutrality. Mercy was not something they believed in for mere animals.
The Dark Lord hadn't yet made his appeal for their support, but it was only a matter of time. Remus doubted they would be able to stall him as they had fifteen years ago but they'd be able to for a little while. Although with the strength of the attack he had launched, the Ministry would by force be looking for allies. Perhaps they could bargain to get laws that Fudge's administration had unfairly levelled against them revoked. Sort of as a good will gesture. And now there was a third option. One that didn't seem to come from either the Dark Lord or the Ministry and one that seemed too good to be true.
Until he knew more he didn't want to think about it.
Remus rose, leaving a knut on the table as payment for his drink. Dumbledore was expecting him soon, and as much as he respected the ancient wizard, he was not able to give the man an excuse to look into his travels.
It would be too dangerous for the Pack and when he had become a Leader he had sworn an oath in blood that he would die before he betrayed the Pack.
But on the other hand, his decision of seventeen years passed would stand. He would not condone a course of action that would ultimately lead to their extinction.
Leader or not, outcast or not, he knew where he stood.
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