Chapter 85 - Erasures
Severus smiled inwardly as he went over Albus' calculations for the third time. The old coot, for all his lemon drops and twinkly-eyed interactions with staff and students, was one smart wizard. He had done an excellent job deconstructing the Dark Mark. As Harry had thought, Voldemort's approach in creating his Mark was based entirely on the work he found preserved in Salazar Slytherin's Dark notebooks. Every element of the ritual associated with taking the Mark was accounted for in these notebooks. He and Harry had reviewed all the notebooks and created a small index of the subjects covered, and then Harry had obligingly translated all that seemed to have even tangential relevance to the Dark Mark and its ritual. This morning, after Albus had spent what might have been all night working with the material, he'd sat with Harry for a further few hours to metculously review each translation, looking for any obscure nuance that might have escaped them.
Once again, Severus was surprised by Harry's response to that, although by now, truth be told, it should not have been a surprise. Harry's bias toward action over reflection pretty much assured that he would never be one of the towering intellects of their daymm but he could focus when necessary. He did not chafe or bristle under the Headmaster's questioning, but took them all through the source material almost word by word. Albus led the questioning, but he and Miss Granger had the chance to listen and ask their own questions. It was only once each of the three was satisfied that every iota of meaning had been wrested from the ancient notebooks that the three began to discuss Albus' late night work on ways to counter the magic behind the Dark Mark. At this point, Harry had gotten predictably bored and antsy, and it wasn't too long thereafter that he went off to visit Neville.
Albus had devised several theories about countering the magic of the Dark Mark, drawn primarily from the translation of the material in the Light notebook and several of the books that Lucius Malfoy had assembled (and hidden) in his very private library. All agreed that the source material was on point, and that directionally, Albus' work was solid, but he and Hermione had spotted a few areas where some tweaking appeared to be in order.
By the early afternoon, all their hard work had produced a spell which all agreed seemed reasonably likely to counter the Dark Mark. Albus felt that the spell would sever the connection between a wizard and Voldemort, rendering it useless as a way for Voldemort to reach out and summon his Death Eaters, or for him to draw power from them. Hermione agreed with that, but her interpretation of the magic that affixed the Dark Mark caused her to think that the Mark itself would dissipate when its bindings were removed. Severus declined to take a position on that, not really sure if his desperate hope to be rid of thie cursed Mark would blind him to errors in the scholarship that led to that conclusion.
Practce castings by Hermione were analyzed by Albus and Severus, and they concluded that the spell would not injure the caster or the one to whom it was directed, although there was some concern that they could not predict exactly how the Dark Mark itself would respond to the spell as its magic was neutralized. Lots of theory, lots of speculation, but it was now time to test it all out.
Severus went to unbutton his jacket to bare his forearm, but Albus stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm. "No, my boy. Your Mark is warded as it is, and we will need to undo that warding first before we could attempt to use this spell on you. I don't want to leave you exposed, especially if we need to do further work on the spell. Once we know that we have a viable spell, we will take the chance to unward your Mark."
The younger man looked a bit put out by that, but had to agree that he enjoyed a measure of protection in the warded coils, and it would be wasteful of the time it took to provide that protection to simply remove it for a test that might not work. "We do have two students here who bear the Mark, and I believe that there are 40 or 50 Death Eaters now at Malfoy Manor for treatment as Lucius' guests. Perhaps one of them would be willing to volunteer?"
"I would prefer that we not test a spell on a student at this school. It would be best to use an adult wizard who has volunteered. I know that there are Death Eaters at Lucius' home, but I do not want to take the risk of disclosing to them the connection between his home and this office by bringing them here, let alone inviting known Death Eaters who might still be loyal to Voldemort to Hogwarts. Might we go there?"
"We can floo to the library there and invite volunteers to join us in the library to test the spell. I'm sure Lucius will not mind, and expect there will be no shortage of willing volunteers."
Albus tried to discourage Hermione from going to Malfoy Manor, but as she cheekily pointed out, she was the fresher between him and her, as she'd gotten sleep while the Headmaster was up all night, and they did not want Professor Snape to participate in the casting lest his own Dark Mark interefere. She was clearly not going to be left behind, and on reflection, it was actually quite necessary that she go with them.
When the three had settled into the front of the Library, Severus went to the ballroom that was now the infirmary to ask the mediwizards to identify those among their charges who were in good enough condition to make an informed decision to volunteer to be the subject of an experimental spell casting. Several had already recovered to the extent that they had relocated to various guest rooms in the Manor, and a house elf gathered Lucius and these other wizards to meet with Severus to discuss what was needed. All of them were most enthusiastic and willing to participate, but Lucius claimed the honor of being the first test subject, insisting that as he was the most recovered of the group, he was best able to take the risk of the first casting of a new spell. Severus thought, but wisely did not say, that this also enabled Lucius to be the first to be free of the burden of the Mark, as well. Severus was also looking forward to seeing the look on Lucius' face when he found out that the person who was to cast this most awaited of spells was none other than Miss Granger. He led Lucius and two of the mediwizards, who asked to observe, off to the library.
While Severus was sure that he saw a flicker of some very negative emotion cross Lucius' face when Albus stepped aside and it became clear that Hermione was going to cast the spell, the man's impressive sang froid won out and he maintained his haughty manner as he bared his forearm for her. For her part, Hermione was oblivious to everything but the complicated spell she was to cast, using all her power and focus. Severus and Albus took up positions on both sides, as she faced Lucius, who held out his arm. The mediwizards stood off to the sides, looking on with interest.
Long moments passed as Hermione wove her wand in the air above Lucius' arm in an extraordinarily complicated pattern, while intoning the spell that the three of them had devised. As she concluded the incantation, she pointed her wand at the Dark Mark and focused all of her power there. Slowly, a thread of light snaked from her wand to the Mark, and as she held her wand steady, the light grew brigher, finally gleaming brightest white. To those who had viewed the ritual that created the Dark Mark, it was an interesting counterpoint, because in the process of affixing the Mark, a very similar set of intricate wand movements, followed by a similar focus of magical energy was used, although instead of bright, white light, a jet of blackness appeared. The light from the spell that Hermione cast glowed white for a full minute before it began to slowly fade away.
When she lowered her wand at the end of the casting, all five wizards leaned forward to inspect Lucius' forearm. The Mark was still in place, although it had already faded significantly and seemed to be lightening further as the moments passed. One of the mediwizards began casting his own diagnostic spells at Lucius, who looked uncommonly pale, even by the standards that applied to the etherial Malfoys. All his vital signs seemed fine, but at the moment the the Mark faded into oblivion on his arm, he passed out. Severus and Albus caught him, and lowered him into a chair. While the mediwizards attended to him, Albus cast diagnostic spells of his own, and just as Lucius' ice-blue eyes flickered open a few moments later, he pronounced that the magical bond between Lucius and Voldemort had been severed. "Congratulations, Miss Granger! You did it! Lucius, your Dark Mark is gone, as is the connection it created between you and Voldemmort."
Lucius could not help but flinch when Albus used the name, but an enormous smile that looked shockingly genuine graced his face. On slightly wobbly legs, he stood up as he continued to admire his now-unblemished forearm, and took a deep, centering breath. He had dreamed of this moment for years now. While he did subscribe to most of the Dark Lord's original agenda, at least in the past, he had always bristled at the manner it was used to summon him like a servant to the Dark Lord's side, and he had never imagined that it might be used to drain his power. How bizarre that this outcome was achieved at the hand of a mudblood. Reminding himself that the world had changed drastically in the past several months, he concluded that it wasn't bizarre at all. Swallowing back his pride, and with a slight bow in her direction, Lucius finally said "Thank you, Miss Granger."
He was escorted out by the mediwizards as Severus, Albus and Hermione took seats at a small table and erupted in an analysis of how the spell had worked, what might be done differently, and why did Lucius faint at the end. They eventually moved on to a discussion of whether it would be possible to perform this spell to removed the Marks of more than one Death Eater at a time. After nearly an hour of vigorous debate and several practice castings to review the technique, several tweaks had been made. Severus went to gather two Death Eaters from the group waiting with the mediwizards in the infirmary. They were asked to sit at the table, rather than stand, in case the solution for the fainting was not right yet. This time, Albus was going to do the casting. He took aim at their extended arms, sweeping rather than pointing his wand at their arms. The same white light poured out of his wand to their arms. Neither wizard lost consciousness as the spell progressed, although the fading took a bit longer. At the end, though, the mediwizards were able to confirm their satisfactory health and Albus, the end of their connection to Voldemort.
A further conversation ensued as those two Death Eaters were escorted out, with still more refinements and suggestions made. As Severus stood to fetch more Death Eaters for the next casting, Hermione reached out her hand and took his arm. "Professor, I think it is time that we dealt with your Mark." Recognizing a protest beginning to form on his lips, she quickly went on "We need you to cast the spell, and your own Mark might interfere with that. Please, allow me to remove your Mark, and perhaps we can try some joint castings next."
Severus had indeed been about to insist that they not dawdle with his Mark, which after all, was warded and blocked to a certain degree. However, he had to acknowledge that this was a powerful spell and was no doubt draining on her power, and Hermione had already cast it once, as had Albus. It might not be possible to do this without him. It would also help in the refinements, he was sure, if they had input from three people who had cast the spell who could compare notes on their experiences. He was persuading himself that it did make sense for him to allow her to remove his Mark next when it occurred to him that this was a surprisingly Slytherin manoeuver for a Gryffindor. Once again, he wished someone had issued a manual on Gryffindors, as at least the ones he was with seemed to have no end of surprises for him.
He removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeve of his white linen shirt, baring his forearm, which he stretched on the table. The silver coils gleamed in the light and obscured the Mark beneath them. Albus cast several spells to remove the ward first, and then a spell to remove the coils. Almost as if it resented the indignity of its impotence under the ward and coils, Severus' Mark looked raw and inflamed, and the flesh around it was puffy. Hermione was glad that this was to be a straightforward casting with nothing new, because from the looks of things there, it would need all her focus and power.
It did.
This time, the light from her wand to the Mark built up very slowly, taking nearly twice as long as the others did to get to the same level of brightness, but it did not stop there. The light continued to build until it was almost blinding, and then it lasted for over a minute until it finally faded.
Severus did not faint, but he sagged in his chair as he felt something change in his magic. It was an odd feeling, but after it passed, he felt a surge within himself, a new or maybe just remembered strength. He did not dare to look at his arm yet. He looked instead at Albus, who was busy casting his various spells. Finally, the old wizard returned Severus' look, his face beaming. It was only then that Severus dared to steal a glance at his forearm, now gloriously free of the hated Mark. He stared for a long moment in wonder.
"Thank you, both of you. Of everything I've done in my life, accepting that Mark was the thing I regretted the most. I am glad to be rid of it."
It was nearing dinnertime. "I think it would be a good idea to go back to Hogwarts for dinner. We can brief Harry after dinner and then all return here. We need to see which of us can cast this spell as well as Miss Granger, and then consider various possibilities to help us broadcast it, maybe even tonight."
X X X X X X X X X X
Harry had eventually returned to his offices after lunch, since everyone else was busy. Whether the others were there or not, he wanted to translate the volumes that they'd gotten from Malfoy Manor. He knew that would have to be returned, and while he wasn't sure what was in all those notebooks, this seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime chance to collect the knowledge that Salazar Slytherin had put into his writings. It had to be worth the effort. The dictation spell that Severus had come up with was aces, as far as Harry was concerned, as he thought back to how long it had taken him to translate the book he'd given Severus for Christmas.
He started when the floo in the room activated, as Hermione, followed by the Headmaster and then Severus returned. Harry noticed Hermione's eyes shining, and fearing that those were unshed tears, he braced himself for bad news.
"Ah, my boy, good to see you here! We have had a most productive day, and I hope we have an even more productive night. Our spell worked! Miss Granger and I both cast it successfully at Malfoy Manor."
Harry's neutral expression gave way to a big, excited grin. His eyes sought out Severus' with the question clear in them – is your Mark gone? The smile on Severus' face gave him his answer. With a whoop, Harry launched himself into Severus' arms, and for a brief moment, Albus and Hermione were treated to the most unusual sight of Severus twirling his giggling bondmate around the room in a hug. Eventually, one of them remembered that they had an audience, and they broke apart. Severus tried to regain his dignity by straightening his jacket and adjusting his cuffs, but Harry was still celebrating. He immediately grabbed Hermione in a hug, which she returned enthusiastically.
The Headmaster had glanced at the parchments accumulating on the table as Harry worked on his translations, but then turned his attention back to the others, and he was practically clapping with glee at the sight of all this celebrating. Patting Harry and Hermione on the back, he said "It's such a rare treat to see a celebration like this these days – Well done all around!" He put his arms around their shoulders and begn to walk them to the door, trusting that Severus would follow. "I think we should take a break for some refreshment, and return here after dinner. We still need to work out logistics for casting this spell on a broader basis, and we need to be rested and fresh for that."
Dinner was delayed for the group. Out on the landing between the Headmaster's and Harry's offices, they found Minister Bones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, along with Ron, Remus and Sirius. The Minister had a stern look on her face, which made Harry feel very uneasy, although he did not see corresponding guilty expressions on the faces of the others, so maybe this was not too bad.
"May we have a word with you, Albus? All of you, I suppose?"
Albus genially proposed that they step into his office, observing that the group had been working in Harry's offices and were just taking a break for dinner, so there was a bit of a mess in there. He was actually thinking of Harry's translations of the Dark notebook that were sitting on the table. Even from the very quick glance he'd had of the material, it was clear to him that the magic of which Salazar wrote in his Dark notebooks was the darkest he'd seen in his long life. A small internal debate was underway. Ought he simply burn those books and ask Harry to stop translating them, hoping that the darkness they contained would vanish in the flames? Or was that unreasonable – maybe someone else knew some of that magic, and this information might someday be needed by those of Light to counter an evil wizard? Would it taint Harry in some way to even do the translations? Maybe keep the books in their original Parseltongue and burn the translations? But presumably there would be another Parselmouth in the future, and maybe it would not be good to keep this knowledge for their exclusive use, if no one else could read it. Or, maybe put both the Parseltongue books and the English translations down in the Chamber of Secrets? Wherever he eventually came out on this issue, right now, it was clear that there were several scrolls of parchment on that table, in very clear English and in a legible hand, that discussed some of the most shockingly dark magic that had ever been committed to parchment. The LAST thing Albus wanted to do was to explain that to the Minister of Magic and one of her Aurors.
The group settled into the chairs and sofas around the fireplace in the Headmaster's office, with Albus and Madam Bones occupying the comfortable chairs at hearthside, and the others perched on assorted sofas and occassional chairs. "Professor Dumbledore, I understand that Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black chose not to join in the Ministry's Operation Safe Harbor today, but went on their own to central London." That did not surprise anyone in the room. Remus might have gone along with something that tame, but the name of the operation alone virtually guaranteed that Sirius would refuse to participate. "While there, they encountered You Know Who, who apparently was out and about inspecting his handiwork. You Know Who ventured into the muggles' Piccadilly Underground station, to which we had dispatched one of our Ministry teams. Mr. Lupin's quick intervention enabled the Ministry team to escape detection by posing as sleeping muggles about to be bitten by a werewolf. When they got back to the Ministry, Mr. Black alerted the leaders of Operation Safe Harbor, and we were able to recall all our teams without incident. Unfortunately [and here Severus smirked – with the mongrel, an "unfortunately" was almost a given in any story] there was an Auror on the Ministry team, a good man but very "by the book," if you know what I mean, who thought he'd overheard Mr. Black say something that caused him to believe that Mr. Black had been in animagus form, as he knew Mr. Lupin had been. He checked the Ministry registry and did not see Mr. Black's name, and he arrested him for being an unregistered animagus. Mr. Shacklebolt learned of this, and alerted me. We have ascertained that the Auror never actually saw Mr. Black in other than his human form, but was acting based on what he thought he overheard, so we were able to have the charges dropped in their entirety."
Sirius looked inordinately pleased with himself at the telling of the story and Remus looked thoroughly annoyed with Sirius.
"If there is a need to register anyone here as an animagus, Mr. Shacklebolt reminded me of a process for a sealed registration. Normally, the registration would be filed with the Ministry and warded against being available to anyone but the Minister of Magic. I realize that recent incumbents in this office might make one wonder about the confidentiality of that process. However, given Mr. Potter's unique status, we think a sealed registration could be placed on file with him, and should we at the Ministry ever have need of it, we would request it. Just a thought. And, should you need it, here is the paperwork that should be prepared and placed under ward." With a flick of her wand, the woman caused a pile of six parchment scrolls to materialize before them, and she gently levitated them over to Sirius, who at least had the grace to thank her for the excellent suggestion. Her official business thus concluded, the Minister stood and with a nod to Albus, and a wink directed to Harry, she proceded back to the Ministry via floo.
All eyes went to Sirius. Severus suspected that he and Lupin were sharing the same thought – how the dog loved to be the center of attention! Sirius told the story of falling in with Voldemort as he and his nasty snake were strolling along in Piccadilly Circus, admiring automobile wrecks and mangled bodies. He explained that Voldemort mistook him for the Grim, and boasted of the new world he was in the process of creating. To his credit, Sirius did return from this foolhardy adventure with news that helped his friends – Voldemort had not yet realized that everyone with magic was already awake, and that those without magic were sleeping under a stasis spell. He seemed to expect the deaths to occur starting in a day or two, maybe a bit longer for witches and wizards. Hopefully, with the withdrawal of the Ministry teams from the field as soon as Sirius had warned the Ministry leaders, he remained unaware for enough time now for his power source to be totally disrupted.
Hermione looked at Ron. "How were you involved here?" The redhead was another who craved attention, although he tended to get far less than the engaging Sirius. "I was on the Ministry team that was collecting the muggles from underground stations. We'd just brought three muggles to the platform when Remus signalled us to be quiet, lie down next to the muggles, and pretend that we were sleeping, too. I gather that Remus transfigured into Mooney, because we could hear growling above us and a very strange voice, very "hissy", talking to him, about not denying him a meal. Then the voice spoke to someone else, calling him 'my friend,' and a few minutes later, we were told it was all clear and we got up. Remus and Sirius told us that had been You Know Who who'd come into the station."
Hermione looked absolutely horrified that Ron had been in such danger, but he seemed to relish the story he could tell as a result.
Harry was curious, asking "Sirius, what on earth possessed you to approach Voldemort at all?" "Padfoot does look quite a bit like the Grim, you know, and he was certain as soon as he saw me that I was the Grim come to revel in all the death. He seems to like dogs. Even if he didn't, or if he suspected that I was something other than a Grim, Padfoot is very strong and nimble, and I was very sure I could dodge anything he tried to throw at me." Pretty much everyone in the room was giving him a strange look. That was enormously risky, and just to see if he could pull it off? He had no idea if he'd learn anything useful, and he could have been killed.
Harry then asked Remus about his role. "When I saw Padfoot romping along with Voldemort, I transfigured into Mooney and showed myself. Sirius could have chased after me; I figured that Voldemort would expect that sort of behavior from a Grim and not give it further thought. After all, a werewolf wandering among all those sleeping muggles would be spreading death at a quick clip. When he didn't come to me, I figured he felt safe doing what he was doing and wanted to continue, so I just fell back to stay out of sight, but stayed as Mooney so I could hear better. When I heard Voldemort say he was going to look into the subway, I bolted down another entrance to check if there were Ministry teams working there, and I did find one. I wasn't sure if Voldemort would challenge a werewolf, but he seemed captivated by the havoc that I could be wreaking on top of the mess he'd made, and he was almost pleased to see Mooney crouching over the sleeping bodies. The appearance of the Grim behind him on the stairs seemed to reinforce his perception, and he was very pleased with the world when he flew out of the station."
"So you're sure Voldemort doesn't realize I've woken everyone with magic, and we've got all the sleeping muggles under a stasis spell?" Harry asked.
"I don't think the old buzzard had a clue when I saw him. The only risk is that he might have gone somewhere after he left us, where he might have seen wizards and witches going about their business. Have you felt his anger?" Sirius replied.
"No. And I expect Voldemort will be plenty angry when he finds out. So – we have to act tonight. We can't risk him taking another trip tomorrow and seeing someone awake."
Remus looked puzzled. "What action are you talking about, Harry?"
Albus beamed at everyone in the room. "We have developed a spell that will remove the Dark Mark from the Death Eaters. Obviously, there are some who are very glad to be rid of it, and I assume others will be angry to discover that their connection to their Dark Lord has been severed. But the one who will most feel this loss is Voldemort. He'll no longer have access to any magical power but his own."
Sirius was looking at Severus, the big question clear on his face. Severus pondered just ignoring the dog, but finally nodded. "Yes, Black, my Mark is now gone." Sirius had an odd look on his face, like he could not decide if he was pleased or not, but Remus had no such inner misgivings, and warmly congratulated Severus on his Mark-free state.
Albus interrupted to shoo everyone off to dinner. "We all need a break and some refreshment. There is much to do tonight, and we will need our energy. I suggest that we meet here right after dinner. We need to see who else among us besides me and Miss Granger can cast this spell, and then work out the logistics for broadcasting the spell tonight."
When the group reassembled after dinner, it had grown by two: Ron invited Charlie to come along, and that of course meant that Draco was there as well. Hermione demonstrated the spell several times for the group. Severus had been working with her on it, so he stood and cast the spell, and was very pleased that it worked for him on the first go. Harry, despite his best efforts on half a dozen attempts, could not get the incantation and the wand movement synchronized right, and the spell failed every time. Sirius, Remus, Ron, Kingsley and Charlie passed on the invitation that they give it a try, but Draco was willing to attempt it. Despite his best efforts and ten attempts, the same synchonization problems that Harry had affected him as well, and he was not able to do it. He was clearly put out.
Albus seemed very pleased with the results, however. "Before we do any broadcasting of the spell, I want to go back to Malfoy Manor and see if we can accomplish anything in group casting. Do you remember when we cast the stasis spell, we had several of us casting an Iunctus spell to join all the casters together? I can show the rest of you the Iunctus spell, and you can use it to join and amplify our casting."
The mediwizards were pleased to see Albus, Severus and Hermione back, as once word got around their charges that the Hogwarts team had come up with a way to remove the Dark Mark, the excitement and tension in the Manor had reached a fever pitch. Albus briefed them on the plans to attempt a group casting from another room, and they got everyone seated in chairs or in their beds. The group from Hogwarts remained in the library, as Albus arranged all the casters in the appropriate places and gave instructions as to timing. He verified that all those not casting the spell to remove the Dark Mark could properly cast the Iunctus spell, and arranged them as well. At his signal, the three casting the removal spell began the incantation, and the others had been told to cast the Iunctus as soon as white light began to stream from their wands.
All went as planned. The white lights grew in intensity as they were joined and amplified, until there was a flash of white light that lingered for a minute or so and then slowly faded out. Everyone took a breath, and it was just moments later that a mediwitzard joined them with the happy news that every Dark Mark in the Manor had faded out with that casting. The group could not know, but actually, every Dark Mark in the county faded with that casting. The few wizards who bore the Mark but were not known to the other Death Eaters felt a bit lightheaded for a few minutes, but since their arms were encased in long sleeves, they were not aware that their forearms had been glowing with white light. More than a few were absolutely astonished when they prepared themselves for bed that night to see that for some reason the Dark Mark was no longer on their skin, and they were afraid that this signalled that they had somehow lost the favor of their Dark Lord, or that he abandoned them. Not everyone was completely pleased with the removal of the Dark Mark, after all.
The group returned to Hogwarts giddy with success and a feeling of accomplishment. Quite by accident, the fact that not all of them could master the intricate spell to remove the Mark had been a good thing, because some very strong wizards were then tasked with casting the Iunctus spell. With that level of power amplifying the very impressive strength of the casters, an amazingly strong spell was produced. Albus knew that the combination and strength of the magic with which he was working here was like nothing he'd ever encountered in his life, and his prior experiences with casting the Iunctus spell could not predict the power that would be generated here. He almost wished that there was not such urgency and pressure, because he would love to analyze and study this phenomena in a more leisurely manner. As it was, he made a quick bee-line to the parchments with Harry's translations of the Dark notebook and dispatched them and the notebooks to the warded cabinet in his office with a wave of his wand, before anyone had a chance to look them over or comment on his action.
As everyone took seats at the table, Harry summoned a house elf and requested tea, pumpkin juice and chocolate, for quick magical replenishment. Albus wondered aloud if it would be better to wait another hour or two, until midnight or later, to broadcast the spell, on the expectation that bearers of the Mark were likely to still be tired and most likely to be sleeping then. There was some argument back and forth, as some wanted to do it now, when they were fresher. Severus ended the discussion when he shared a comment that one of the mediwizards at Malfoy Manor had made to him. "The mediwizards told me that they had never seen such thorough depletion of magic as they had when working with the people at Malfoy Manor. They were weakened profoundly on a physical, as well as magical level. In all likelihood, the Marked Death Eaters are still sleeping twelve to fifteen hours a day, so the chances that one is up right now is small."
Albus nodded at that. "Let me work out some logistics and plans here, then, and we'll ask the warriors from the Winter Lands to accompany us outside the wards of the castle. Harry, I assume the same site we used to cast the stasis spell will be an appropriate entry into the ley lines for this spell?"
"I have to imagine that spot will be fine, Headmaster. That was clearly the place where the most ley lines intersected. I don't think ley lines move about, do you?" Albus had not ever considered that, but it seemed unlikely, and with a shrug, he shook his head. "Well, when we get down there, I'll check, and if we have to move a bit, we can."
It took Albus just a short while to devise his plan, and the group now walked through the silent castle, and out by the camp of the warriors. The warriors had begun to rotate in and out of Hogwarts, so some could tend to matters at home while others provided protection to the wizards at Hogwarts. The acting chief of the encampment now was a massive warrior nearly seven feet tall, with a broad, ruddy face, full beard, and thick golden hair plaited down the back. He welcomed Harry with much enthusiasm and warmth, and surprised the others with how much he knew of each of them. Special recognition was given to Charlie, as the warriors had heard that he was a dragon-tamer,. The warriors agreed that it was hard to imagine a more noble, dangerous and magical calling than to tame dragons. Charlie was never the sort to boast or seek recognition, but the sincerity of the respect shown by these fierce and talented warriors clearly moved him. When Albus asked the acting chief to assist them in another casting into the ley lines beyond the castle wards, every single warrior in the camp wanted to go to protect their king, and his biggest challenge was selecting the few who would have to remain behind and protect their camp.
Harry spent a few minutes walking around the area where they had done the prior casting to verify for himself that the spot he'd identified before remained the place that they wanted to cast, and when he was satisfied that it was, Sirius cast a charm to create a lflame at the spot toward which they should all aim.
Harry was tasked with casting the spell to invoke entry into the ley lines, and the original plan was for him to cast Regius Procuratio Per Obis Terrarum, and then step back and join the others behind the three casting the spell to remove the Dark Marks, to cast the Iunctus spell. On the first attempt, this did not work. The earth did not accept the spell as directed, which puzzled Severus, as the earth had obeyed Harry before. The white light from their wands simply hovered and disappated after a few seconds. After some further discussion, it was concluded that as Harry was not going to be casting the spell to remove the Dark Marks, he would continue casting the command to the earth while the others cast that spell. Albus rearranged the casters, placing Harry off to the side, and placing the others behind him, Severus and Hermione. Once everyone was in place, a second attempt was made. This time, the white light from the wands of the casters obliterated the flame with its brightness, and at the point that the light was so bright that it was painful to look at, it was sucked right down into the ley lines and dispersed. The only problem was that it appeared that this spell had a directional element to it. By their calculation, only about one eighth of the full circle of the globe received the casting; it did not broadcast any wider than that. Albus simply pivoted everyone around the circle, and kept exhorting them to keep at it, as they proceed to do the entire casting seven more times, sending the spell into the ley lines so that the entire globe was covered. They were all totally spent from the experience. After the first and second castings, it was still exciting and their adrenaline levels were high. By the time they got to the fifth and sixth castings, they were exhaused and wondering if it would be possible to do this even one more time, and by the eighth casting, they were all reaching inside for reserves none of them really expected that they had. The warriors each took a wizard or witch by the arm and assisted them back into the castle, where house elves hastily assembled some chairs and a goodly supply of chocolate to restore the magic of the group.
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In the headmaster's bedroom at Durmstrang Institute, Igor Karkaroff's sleep was so deep that it was not interrupted at all when a glow appeared to hover over his marked forearm, and then to slowly sink into it. His snoring was a bit uneven as his Mark faded out, with a rather sharp snort accompanying the point that it disappeared entirely. When the event was over, he rolled over onto his side, and sank further into his down bed, snoring a bit more softly laying on his side.
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The general noise of those already insane and those well on their way to insanity never really abated as Azkaban Prison out in the North Sea. To the wails and screams of the inmates was added the incessant pounding of massive waves against the rocky outcroping, which kept up day and night. This night, the noise reached unprecedented levels, as light appeared over the left forearms of dozens of inmates, scaring those with enough wits about them to recognize that emotion, and giving others something new, if not understood, to scream about. The noise level remained at his very high level for the entire time that the light appeared, but once the light faded from view, the attention of the inmates went elsewhere. Very few of them were focused enough to realize that the Marks on their forearms had disappeared. They might one day realize that something was different, but such a fine detail was largely beyond their comprehenision at this point. Dementors cannot see or hear wizards, and the noise did not really create more misery for anyone, so this event was never noticed by them. The wizard guards at Azkaban who administered the prison did not spend the night there, so they did not know of the light, or the noise, and it would be a long, long time before any of them got close enough to a prisoner to notice that some Dark Marks were gone.
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A light broke the darkness in Riddle Manor in Voldemort's bedroom. As was the case with others who were asleep when the light appeared, he was not awakened by it. In this case, the light did not have any impact on the Dark Mark on Voldemort's arm. The light faded away, leaving an unchanged Mark. The magic that Voldemort had used to create his own Mark was very different from magic invoked to place the Marks that he subsequently affixed to his Death Eaters' arms, and the spell that had been cast on the grounds just outside of Hogwarts was designed to address that other spell. Voldemort did not even stir as the darkness in his room was momentarily interrupted.
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As the group sitting in the foyer at Hogwarts gradually recovered from its gruelling casting work, Albus was already making plans to contact the Ministry. "Kingsley, if you are up to it, might you be able to get word to the Ministry that we've cast a spell to remove the Dark Mark from the arms of Death Eaters? Voldemort will not be able to call his Death Eaters, nor will he be able to draw on their power any longer. It might hasten his awareness that his plan was not successful, but it will also prevent him from recasting the sleeping spell as soon as he inevitably figures out what has happened. This is probably something that should be shared with other Ministries around the world, although that of course is for the Minister to decide." Kingsley was able to stand, albeit slowly, so he nodded to the others as he ambled off to the Ministry office across the lobby, where a floo was connected to the Ministry that would bring him to the night staff there.
Charlie also stood, and he reached out a hand to help Draco up, and the two of them bid the group good evening as they headed off to Charlie's rooms. Ron and Hermione joined them, trudging up to Gryffindor tower. Remus got to his feet, and pulled Sirius off the sofa where he was nearly sound asleep. He growled to the smaller man "I'll deal with you tomorrow – I am too tired tonight" as they walked off to their rooms.
Severus and Harry looked with some concern at the Headmaster, who was looking every single day of his hundred and fifty plus years. "Albus, might we summon Poppy to assist you? Or help you to your quarters?" As much as Albus was a proud and very independent man, he was also smart enough to realize that he was totally exhaused and truly in need of help to get upstairs. "A bit of a hand in getting to my quarters would not be amiss, Severus. I suggest that we use the floo in the Hufflepuff Common Room. It's a big floo, we can all go through together."
Severus took one of Albus' arms and Harry the other, as they slowly proceed down a few corridor to the entrance to the Hufflepuff quarters. The door opened immediately when the portrait recognized the Headmaster, and the group moved very quietly through the large room over to the fireplace. A few of the squibs from the dormitories were sitting at a table playing cards, and they looked up briefly at the sight of the three wizards using the floo. The wizards never looked over at them, but one recognized Harry and Severus and snorted derisively, followed by a hiccup.
After Severus lost an argument that he should summon Madam Pomfrey from the Infirmary immediately, he helped Albus into his bedroom and summoned Albus' favorite house elf to assit the old man in getting to bed. He collected Harry from the sitting room, and the two went by floo down to their quarters in the dungeons.
This was the first night since their bonding that Severus walked into his bedroom with Harry; had he not been so tired, he might have followed his usual practice of sitting by the fire for a bit to give Harry privacy as he prepared for bed. Harry did not offer any protest. Severus offered Harry the use of the bathroom first, and was surprised when the young man sat on the bed instead. His exhaustion was affecting him as would several large firewhiskeys, taking away inhibitions. "Severus, may I see your arm?" Slowly, and with no hesitation or modesty, Severus undid his robes and removed them, and then undid his linen shirt and removed it as well. Harry did take the offered arm and admire the unblemished skin, but then Harry's hands started exploring Severus' arm above the elbow, branching off to explore and massage the well-shaped shoulders and the muscles across his back and neck. Severus revelled in Harry's touch, and gave serious thought to giving himself over entirely to whatever Harry had in mind. As if hearing that thought, Harry explained "I've wanted to see your body for a long time now, Severus. I know, you've reminded me all week, that we have a date on Friday and don't want to get ahead of ourselves, we want to do it right this time. I understand that, but I want to see your body now. I don't want to wait any longer."
Severus considered. He was probably not as exhausted as the others, and he expected Harry was ithe same, because they'd experienced substantial magical drains in the past and their bodies were better able to deal with it than others who never encountered this before. That did not change the fact that he was still exhausted and he'd be asleep in minutes once he got into bed. He countered Harry's proposal. "We're both exhausted, so this would not be a good time for any sort of intimate activity. However, it would be a good time for a shower, together. To make sure neither of us falls and hits our head, of course. Join me?"
Normally, Harry would have been reluctant to strip in front of Severus, hearing in his head the continual statements of his aunt that he was an ugly little thing and assuming that to still be true. He was too tired for that right now. He followed Severus into the bathroom where Severus gently helped him out of his robes and shirt, and then removed his own trousers and pants before helping Harry out of his. Severus stood clearly admiring the slender form of his young bondmate. The boy had narrow but well-proportioned shoulders, just muscling out a bit, a small waist, and from the back, a very nicely-rounded and pert ass. Turing Harry to face him, he had to admire the taut abs, strong legs, and surprisingly large cock for such a small man. As Harry faced him, he had the chance to marvel at Severus' body. He'd already seen the man's broad shoulders and strong, lean upper body, on their very first night together, and from some of the times that Severus had held him, he imagined that he had strong, well proportioned legs, but he was vague about what he hoped to see when he finally got to see the man naked. It was everything he would have imagined, had he known that such as this existed. The legs were amazingly long, and so beautiful. The ass was perfect, and the sight of Severus' cock nearly took Harry's breath away. The dark hair in which the cock nested was as curly as the hair on his head was straight, and Harry loved the contrast. He'd seen the guys in the dorm naked before, and shared the shower room with them, but it was as if he was seeing the male form for the first time as he looked at Severus. His appreciation of the sight was completely evident on Harry's face, to Severus' relief. And Harry saw the same awe and appreciation on Severus' face as he looked at him. Harry had imagined that he would never be on the receiving end of such a blatantly lustful gaze. He could not imagine how he could have gotten so lucky, that a man as attractive as Severus could possibly find someone like him even remotely attractive!
Severus spelled the shower on to a comfortably warm temperature, and gently guided Harry under the spray. He soaped them both generously, giving extra and probably not entirely necessary attention to Harry's ass and then carefully soaping and fondling his balls and finally his cock. The young man was nearly asleep against Severus' chest as he was washed, but even in that exhausted state, his body managed to respond to Severus' ministrations, and Severus reward him for the lovely erection with a careful, firm hand job. As much as Severus might have wanted a more mutual experience, he was not a 16 year old, and this was going to be just for Harry.
Severus spelled off the shower and cast a quick drying charm. Harry had fallen asleep against him, standing up. He gently lifted Harry in his arms and carried him off to bed. Once under the covers, Harry scooted over to Severus' side and spooned into him. Severus welcomed the young man into his arms, and fell to sleep almost immediately.
As the two wizards slept with their bodies entwined, their magics reached out to each other as well, the magic of each seeking to wrap the other in a protective embrace. There was no contest of wills involved, just two individuals each intent upon securing the safety and well-being of the other. The magics simply folded around each other, and each wizard slept secure, feeling the protection of the other.