Chapter 16
"You are not the only one who noticed that a lot of the Slytherin students had disappeared from the school." Susan Bones stated as she approached and sat down next to Ava at the Griffindoor table joining our conversation.
"The most notable for me was Theodore Nott." I added in a fairly cheerful tone.
"Yes Susan it's nice to know that we are not going to be bothered by his slimy attitude. He is still the heads on favorite along with Snape for doing the AK on Dumbledore." Ava replied.
"As far as I am concerned this should be considered a gain rather than a loss." I smiled at the two ladies.
While my classes kept me busy I was still studying my butt off learning new spells and curses. I really wanted to put Voldemort away permanently but the jerk kept coming back. I wanted to see if there was some way I could pour salt on his tail, or find a spell or just send them all to Hell.
You had to wonder some times over the sanity of the magical world. The school board approved the visit. The ministry insisted they would have more than enough Aurors present for the next Hogsmeade weekend for the students of Hogwarts. What smelled was the insistence of the ministry that I be one of the professors in the village for that weekend. It seemed that rumors were circulating that I was now the only person that the Dark Lord feared. With all that was going on, what marveled me, was the mass of students flooding out the front doors on the way to Hogsmeade village. I took Ava home and told her to stay there until I returned, she was not happy.
/Scene Break/
Actually monitoring the students in Hogsmeade village was a boring job. Very few of the students let house rivalries end in spells or curses. The few that did, like Draco Malfoy or Theodore Nott, were now absent. So maybe in my stroll around the village I wasn't paying all that much attention. I just passed one of the many alleyways when I heard a familiar voice yell...Avada Kedvra!
Instantly a green light surrounded my back causing me to stumble. I spun around pulling out my wand in a reflex action only to come face-to-face with Draco Malfoy. He was standing not five feet from me with his jaw hanging open and a surprised look on his face. Not that my brain wasn't trying to catch up as a couple of curses from Crab and Goyle got my attention, I raised a shield. The next Avada Kedavra curse from Draco caught me full in the chest.
/Scene Break/
"Hello Harry, been having a good time?" Evelyn asked.
I appeared to be in the dining room of the castle where I received all of my training. This only helped make me feel more like an idiot jerk. This led to a intelligent question... "What happened?"
"You have no idea what's going on do you?"
"Apparently I don't!" I could feel my anger increasing but I pushed it back for the moment.
Sit back and relax Harry as I'm going to explain a few different areas. This should only take a few milliseconds in real-time. Let's start with Dumbledore's assertion that your cursed scar is a Horcrux. A Horcrux can survive only in an inanimate object. While that inanimate object may be put into a living being a Horcrux cannot survive on its own in a human being. Using a human body as a host will result in the Horcrux taking over the host. When that happens the Horcrux changes thus defeating its original purpose. When we mostly removed your cursed scar it was only for cosmetic purposes. Have you ever read the tale of the three brothers?"
"Sorry I don't know what you talking about." What was she trying to hide now? That was another quick change of subjects.
"When you have a chance you can read the children's book but now I will tell you some interesting facts. Yes there were three brothers, and each had a special item but what happened to them is different from what you will read in the children's book. The brother who had the stone killed himself to join his dead love. The stone was actually left with the brother with the cloak. The brother with the cloak finally quit hiding from death, removed the cloak and met death with open arms. The cloak remained in your family's possession. Dumbledore was well aware of this and was actively seeking them as he believed it would confer immortality.. Now that you have control over all three items you are now considered the Master of Death."
"What? When? What? I have a cloak and that stupid stone the goblins gave me but I don't have the third item! Besides, if Dumbledore knew all of this why did he give clone Harry the cloak?"
"The wand of destiny and its control is a long tale unto itself but when you disarmed Dumbledore in his office that one day you gain control of that exact wand. Technically it's called allegiance or when the wand bonds to its new owner. Control of the wand does not mean in your possession. Draco Malfoy took possession of the wand when he killed Dumbledore but he does not control the wands allegiance, you do. When Voldemort killed Draco he took possession of the wand but he does not control the wand's allegiance . Only you control that wand. Dumbledore made a unbreakable oath to return the cloak to your family after he examined the cloak. Your father did not know about the hollows he only knew there was something unusual about the cloak.
"What? When? How long have I been here?"
"You will only be gone for about two milliseconds your time. But you will have a lot of questions when you get back. Just tell them it was some other stupid curse that was green. However, right now you have to recognize some things. Just because you did not die from the AK curse does not mean that any other wand can and will end your life. The wand of destiny will not kill its own owner and that's the one that Draco used and that is what Voldemort now has, so keep all this in mind."
As usual I got no chance to ask any pertinent questions as I found myself walking out of the alley into absolute bedlam. Not to mention my mind spinning upon itself with a million questions that I had no way to answer. Besides there was a million questions from the Aurors, reporters, along with students and civilians all pressing in to take a view of what was going on and Draco's dead body. After a free escort to the ministry to answer more questions I got a basic feel what took place after I got hit with the green curse.
"So where did you go after you got hit with the killing curses?" Auror one asked.
"First off I was hit with a Green curse but I don't think it was the killing curses as I'm still here. With all the curses flying I was basically forced into the alley or get hit with curses flying in all directions."
"Lord Potter the alarms went off in the Ministry telling us that the killing curses was being used in the village so don't tell us differently."
"Again all I am saying is that I was hit with a green colored curse and since I am still here and alive it logically means it could not have been the killing curse. Furthermore I know nothing of Voldemort's arrival nor the death of Draco Malfoy."
"Eyewitnesses state that after Voldemort used the AK on Draco Malfoy he took Malfoy's wand. Do you have any idea why he took Malfoy's wand?" Auror number two asked.
"As a guess I think that Voldemort might have taken it to cover up its use previously, its use on Dumbledore perchance?. It is rumored that Dumbledore had the fabled death stick as a wand." The Aurors was still laughing as they sent me on my way. Thankfully they did not believe me about the wand. After all it really was just the children's tale.
My first stop was to pick up Ava but of course explaining what transpired downtown got me an ear full of how dare I put myself in danger. Upon returning to Hogwarts we found that the classes would resume on Monday regardless of the problems in the village. One look at the Slytherin table had me shaking my head. I spent the majority of the day being questioned by the Ministry yet Crab and Goyle had beat me back to Hogwarts but also had a new allegiance. From what I could see they were now the bodyguards of Theodore Nott, everything was back to abnormally normal.
/Scene Break/
"Professor Potter is it true that you were hit with the killing curse again?"
"Miss Langford reading the Daily Profit will indeed give you no factual information. Had I been hit with the killing curse do believe I would be standing here teaching class?"
"Did you really fight Voldemort?"
"No Mr. Ogden. Voldemort was indeed there but I assure you I did not fight with him. Now I believe the class was last attempting a stronger shield charm when we last met."
/Scene Break/
The Headmistress and I were pleased with how classes were progressing. The ministry however had a surprise visitor in the Department of Mysteries. At the time I was enjoying a glass of wine in front of the fire place with my beautiful wife. The end of the year was approaching and after a short visit with Ava's parents we were headed off to our new island in the sun. The Daily Profit the next morning showed us what had transpired.
Voldemort had shown up at the Department of mysteries apparently in search of a prophecy. This is the second time he's gone after a prophecy and failed. After what I said at my trial there was no doubt that it was a prophecy over Voldemort and me. The only problem was that Voldemort ran into a number of Aurors and hit wizards which ensued into a large fight. Was this second attempt over another prophecy that included me? Maybe this was just so Voldemort could assassinate the Minister on one of the upper floors in his office. Again it seemed it was another deviation from the original timeline that Ava had shown me. Voldemort was not successful in obtaining this prophecy either and was driven from the ministry. We now had a new minister Scrimgeour. Ava and I had left on our summer vacation leaving the new minister to deal with his ministry and the distressed public.
/Scene Break/
Regardless of what I or Ava wanted we return to Hogwarts for the New Year. Voldemort had broken out his loyal followers from Azkaban and started on his mayhem once again. Most of his recent attacks had been the indoctrination of his new troops by attacking Muggle houses and villages. His older troops out of Azkaban were hardly in a shape to walk no less fight.
Ava and I had been back for about two weeks at Hogwarts when things started to get nasty. I was lucky that I had kept up on my training that Evelyn's group had provided. Nasty curses and spells and poisons are starting to show up where I normally sat or taught. Then as far as I was concerned who ever it was had stepped over the line, luckily I got a heads up.
As I was leaving the breakfast meal Daphne Greengrass bumped into me and gave me the Slytherin glare as if it was my fault and left with the best ice queen persona. As I was not supposed to I noticed she dropped an object in my pocket.
I entered the nearest empty room and levitated the item from my pocket only to find a piece of paper wrapped around a stone. The paper had the following words, Your wife, danger, tonight, Corridor to your quarters'.
Ava had already left for her class so I would catch up with her at the noontime meal which thankfully was nowhere close to that corridor.
/Scene Break/
As Ava approached the Great Hall for the noontime meal I intercepted her and dragged her into an empty classroom. "I need to take you home right now, you're in danger!" I know I was yelling but this was important.
"I'm going to finish my classes and then head to our quarters. I have learned a few spells more so than just cooking spells. I will have you know Mr. Potter I'm not a defenseless housewife!"
"Ava don't be stubborn this could be deadly serious. I have no idea what's going on and there could be twenty Death Eaters waiting for us."
"Honestly Harry you expect somebody to be throwing deadly curses here at Hogwarts? And I'm quite sure that you're going to be finding me after my last class and escorting me to our quarters."
Oh she was going to win but there definitely was going to be at minor discussion on who was the boss of this family. The sweet smiling young lady had been turning into the person in charge. While she got everything that she wished and she got her way in many areas I was still the head of this household. Well as much is any male is in charge.
I wasn't in the best of moods for the rest of the day. My time is not that free as I am training in the mornings and then my classes throughout the day. Then I have the time problem of grading student papers and if I have a moment a friendly sparring with Professor Flitwick. Then there is the look forward time alone with your spouse but all in all it was very full day.
Ava's last class was charms with Professor Flitwick one staircase away from the professors quarters in a corridor which was normally quite empty.
Stupid me had put an invisibility charm on myself and was following a ways back fuming. She didn't wait for me but stubbornly avoiding my warnings and proceeded on her own. I had not taken out my wand but was clinching and unclenching my hands, I was so mad.
Ava was about halfway down the corridor and I was ready to assume this was just a big joke from the Slytherin house. That's when I noticed Nott and two older students slipping out of alcove and following after Ava. My first thought was how did Nott get in the castle and where was Crabbe and Goyle? That's when Nott sent a stunning spell toward Ava. While she sensed the incoming spell and dodged it, still I yelled...
"Ava, run! Get out of here!" Ava just stupidly stood there and sent out a couple of stunning spell.
Needless to say the next's stunning spell hit her square in the face sending her to the floor and further pissing me off, if that was possible.
Of course my shout got them to start sending curses in my direction. What further pissed me off was all three curses were the AK unforgivable curse.
That was it, I totally lost it, I just yelled, "Avada Kedavta!"