Harry and the Pirates, Chapter 63

Dark, Deep-laid Plans

by Technomad

A few days later, Professor Lupin called Harry, Dudley and their friends in. "You remember our attempt to teach you to deal with Dementors?" he asked. "We were working on trying to get you to cast the Patronus Charm, even though it's quite advanced."

Along with the others, Harry nodded. He remembered his encounters with Dementors, and he was quite eager to have a way to repel the awful things. He thought he had enough happy memories to be going on with, and he was eager to get back to learning the Patronus Charm.

Hermione had found some books in the library that spoke about the Patronus, and they had proven to be interesting reading. When they'd had some privacy over the Christmas holidays, Harry, Dudley and Hermione had all practiced the wand movements and incantation, and they were all seeing results.

They had written Balalaika about Dementors, and explained what they were doing, and had got a reply back: "This sounds like it would be very useful. Dementors, as you describe them, are quite common in Russia, I regret to say. It is a pity that we 'Muggles' are unable to perceive their presence, although we do feel their effects." From what Balalaika and the other members of Hotel Moscow had said, Dementors probably swarmed in Russia. Harry figured that if that were true, the vodka distillers probably put out Dementor bait to keep them around, since he was sure that Dementor presence meant soaring vodka sales. At least, he figured that was what he would do if he were a vodka distiller.

"Well, let's see what you can do. I've got a faux-Dementor here, the sort of thing that Aurors use to practice on at the Auror Academy." Relieved that they wouldn't be facing a real Dementor, even an immature one, Harry and his friends lined up and took out their wands.

One at a time, they were called up to the front of the room, and Professor Lupin activated the faux-Dementor. Harry had to admit that it was very like the real thing, and the aura of magical fear it cast, even though it was not as bad as a real Dementor, was quite bad enough to be going on with.

Harry's first attempt got him a silvery mist, and Professor Lupin said "Good, but we're going to keep working on this. I think all of you can learn to cast this spell, and with Dementors around this school, you never know but that you'll need it."

After Harry, Dudley took a turn, and for a second, the silvery mist he conjured looked very like one of Balalaika's men, standing protectively in front of Dudley. Harry wasn't surprised. Both of them associated Hotel Moscow's men with safety. They knew that the Russians would protect them, with their very lives, if need be. The Patronus dissipated, but Dudley looked very proud of himself as Professor Lupin clapped him on the shoulder. "You'll have to tell me who that is, one of these days!" their teacher said.

When Hermione got her chance, everybody gasped at the sight of the silvery otter that leaped from the end of her wand and sped around the room. Professor Lupin cried out in wonder. "Excellent, Miss Granger! You've done better than some full-grown witches! Can you share how you did it with the others who're still having difficulties?"

"Of course, Professor! That's how we do it in Slytherin, you know! Those of us who can help those who can't!" And that was nothing but the simple truth. Without help from their brighter classmates, Harry privately thought that Crabbe and Goyle would have flunked out of school long since. They tried…oh, how they tried! But they just didn't seem to have the intellect to get their minds around the principles involved in magic.

When Ron took a turn, to everybody's surprise, he produced a corporeal Patronus. His Patronus, a medium-sized dog, pranced up and barked silently at the faux-Dementor, and everybody applauded loudly. As his Patronus disappeared, Ron turned and took a bow, his face wreathed in a grin that lit up the room. "Excellent, Mr. Weasley! You're doing very well! Ten points to Slytherin!"

As Ron rejoined the others, he was so clearly happy that everybody felt it. Hermione ran up and gave him a hard hug. "You've got to tell us how you did that, Ron!" she murmured, not loud, but loudly enough for Harry to overhear.

"Yeah, mate," Dudley said. "What one of us knows, all of us need to know." Harry nodded, agreeing. PD Enterprises was not just some school stunt, at least not in Harry's mind. He had plans, plans for after school, and he wanted a tight organization to work with.

Every one of his friends had strengths and knowledge that was useful, in one way or another. Ron and Ginny knew the British magical world intimately, as intimately, if not more so, than Harry and Dudley knew Roanapur. Harry knew that would come in very handy some day, probably when they were figuring out more ways to separate British wizards and witches from the crushing responsibility of owning money, so it could go into better, safer hands…namely, his and Dudley's. And their friends', of course.

Hermione, of course, was their "facts" person. Any time they needed knowledge, Hermione was the first person they turned to, particularly if the knowledge in question was to be found in books. When in pursuit of knowledge, Hermione was indefatigable, and often had to be coaxed away from her researches to eat and sleep and take care of herself. Her raw determination reminded both Harry and Dudley of Balalaika, and they could see what their idolized employer had seen in their friend.

Luna did not have her friends' strengths, but she was useful in her own way. Having grown up around her parents' business, the Quibbler magazine, she understood the wizarding press intimately. Her spacy façade concealed a high intelligence, and like Ron and Ginny, she knew the British wizarding society from the point of view of a lifelong insider. She was also one of the wisest people Harry had ever seen; he had been surprised and pleased with the utter aplomb with which Luna had taken the worst Roanapur could throw at her in stride. He knew that Balalaika thought highly of her, and Harry knew no better recommendation.

With his friends, and his cousin, Harry could see a future ahead for himself that glittered with wealth, whether he chose to use Roanapur as his headquarters, or relocated elsewhere. And he planned to make sure that his friends shared in the wealth. He was not a greedy person, and knew that if his associates felt they were well-treated and valued, they would be much more loyal.

Harry was startled out of his reverie by Professor Lupin calling Luna up to show what she could do. He was curious to see that himself; one quality Luna had was a capacity to produce the unexpected when it was needed.

Luna stepped up, bowed slightly to Professor Lupin, who returned the bow and released the faux-Dementor. Luna looked at it for a second, her eyes narrowed uncharacteristically, before she cried: "Expecto Patronum!" and waved her wand. Out of the end, a silvery hare leaped, throwing itself forward at the faux-Dementor and forcing it back, before returning to stand protectively before its mistress.

Professor Lupin applauded, and the others joined in. They all looked at Luna with awe. For a second-year student to produce a corporeal Patronus was all but unheard-of; nobody had really expected her to do more than make a silvery mist. "Miss Lovegood! That was wonderful! Twenty points to Slytherin! Would you share with us the happy thought you used to make such a wonderful Patronus?" asked Professor Lupin.

"Oh, it isn't as hard as you keep making it seem," Luna said, her tone as casual as though she were discussing what they were having for dinner that evening. "I got in a great deal of practice on my spells over the hols, at the Rookery. I know I'm not supposed to do magic out of school, but since Daddy's a wizard and our house is registered as a wizard's residence, nobody bothers me when I want to get in some practice."

"Ginny and I were practicing, too," Ron muttered to Harry. "Bill was home, and he gave us some good tips. He was pretty angry that the Ministry would place Dementors around Hogwarts, even to keep Sirius Black at a distance."

"Can we talk with him sometime?" Harry asked. He hadn't thought of tapping Bill Weasley's expertise before this, but now that he thought on it, he saw that it was an obvious thing to do. Gringotts' Bank did not hire any but the best curse-breakers, and a good curse-breaker would know a great deal about curses, if only to know how to defeat them.

"Don't see why not. Hold on…Ginny's up!" Sure enough, the youngest Weasley was stepping up to the plate, and the rest of the group went quiet, watching to see what she would do. She was less prone to out-of-left-field behavior than her lifelong best friend Luna, but she was definitely worth watching.

When Professor Lupin unleashed the faux-Dementor, Ginny cried: "Expecto Patronum!" but her best efforts were nothing but a silvery mist. Nonetheless, Professor Lupin seemed to be very pleased with her.

"All of you are doing much better than I'd have expected of wizards and witches of your age!" he said, giving them all a big smile. Unlike the unlamented Gilderoy Lockhart, his smile struck Harry as being sincere and unforced, and he found himself smiling back. "Keep on practicing! Even if you never have to deal with a real Dementor…which is how I hope things turn out…this skill will look very well indeed on your exams!"

"Well, we had a good teacher," Dudley said, striding forward to shake hands with their professor. "And believe me, we've all had enough encounters with those filthy Dementors to want to have a good way to get rid of them! You remember what we did on the Hogwarts Express, don't you?"

Lupin grinned ruefully. "I certainly do! I was told that you and Mr. Potter grew up in a pirate port, and I believe it." For a second, he looked sad, as his eyes focused on something far away. "Mr. Potter's father would have been so envious! He rather fancied the idea of himself as a jolly pirate, sailing the seven seas with a crew of scalawags, with a hold full of treasure and a wench in every port!"

Harry and Dudley exchanged smiles. "It's not as romantic as people think, sir," Harry said. "There are people in our hometown who do practice piracy," he continued, thinking of the Black Lagoon crew, "but even for them, it's a sideline. There's not a lot of jolly 'yo-ho-ho'-ing…"

"But rum does flow like water!" Dudley put in. Harry knew that his cousin was picturing Revy Two-Hands, whose taste for Bacardi was equal only to her taste for violent solutions to problems. "If anything, the powers-that-be in Roanapur discourage open violence. They prefer things to be quiet, and for the money to keep flowing."

"Maybe sometime I can come and see your hometown for myself. In the meantime, I've a class to get ready for. Dismissed!" With that benediction, the friends left, returning to Slytherin territory. Once they were there, Hermione called them aside.

In a low voice, despite the fact that they had the common-room almost completely to themselves, Hermione muttered: "I've been giving our problem with Mr. Malfoy-the-elder some thought, and I've had a few ideas."

"What have you come up with?" Harry was very interested, and he knew the others were, too. If Abraxas Malfoy was the true center of power in the Malfoy clan, getting rid of him was a good idea in itself. Not having to re-cure Draco of his asinine notions after every holiday would be a very nice bonus. Like it or not, they had to live with Draco Malfoy, and if he was more bearable, that was one headache the less.

"It occurs to me that both Malfoys, Abraxas and Lucius, were declared to be under the Imperius Curse awfully quickly," Hermione said, her voice low as the others leaned in to hear what she was saying. "That has been ascribed to bribery, and while I'm quite sure that money changed hands, there are other possible explanations. Explanations that their dear, dear Death Eater chums who didn't get let off, and their families, would be very interested to have brought to their attention."

"Such as?" That was Ginny. Her eyes sparkled with pleasure at the thought of bringing down the Malfoy clan's patriarch. Harry knew that the Malfoys and Weasleys had long been on bad terms, and the recent Death Eater ructions had merely been icing on the cake.

"How do you think the other Death Eaters would react to the idea that Abraxas Malfoy bought his exoneration, and his son's, by shopping a bunch of the others? There were quite a few people exposed as Death Eaters at that time, including people whom nobody would have thought were in the organization before the telltale tattoos on their arms came to light."

"Like Sirius Black?"

Hermione looked troubled. "You know, I've researched and researched, and the more I look at things, the less sure I am about Sirius Black," she said slowly. Harry raised an eyebrow. If Hermione, the person he depended on more than anybody for calm, thoughtful analysis, was not sure about Sirius Black's guilt…was it possible that he'd been the victim of a frame-up or a terrible mistake? Or was Hermione mistaken? She had been wrong before, not often, but she was not infallible by any means.

"To get this back on topic," Ginny said, "it does seem to me that if the surviving Death Eaters who're still at large, or the families of those who were imprisoned or killed, got the idea that dear Abraxas bought his freedom at the cost of their friends' lives and freedom, they might be irritated enough to do something about it."

"Precisely!" Hermione gave them one of her swift, flashing smiles. "If we can make them angry enough, either they'll take Abraxas Malfoy out themselves, or provide enough evidence for even those slowcoaches at the Ministry to have to imprison him!"

"And if we do this right, not a trace of blame will attach to us!" Harry was agog at the brilliance of this plan. "Hermione…all I can say is that Balalaika herself would be in awe! This plan is worthy of her!"

Hermione's grin was wonderfully evil.

They approached "Operation Golden Apple," as they christened their project, with great caution. The merest whiff of a deliberate attempt to "cast aspersions on a prominent member of a prominent magical family" would not only foil their plans, but provide the Malfoys in general with all the excuse they needed to retaliate against them, individually and as a group. And even Harry's fame as "The Boy who Lived" would not necessarily protect him. The others lacked even that modicum of immunity. Accordingly, they planned as carefully as though they were plotting an overthrow of the Ministry of Magic, or a raid on Gringotts' vaults.

Hermione was in charge of research, along with Luna, since that was their main strength. The girls spent hours of their free time reading every account they could find, both published and unpublished, of the latter parts of the war against Voldemort. Every Death Eater they could identify went onto a list, and later, onto a spreadsheet they had set up in an unused room they had warded so that people other than their group, or teachers, could not enter it. This was not an uncommon thing at Hogwarts; there were many rooms that were not currently in use, and had been taken over as study areas, or as venues for snog sessions, by older students.

Ron suggested that approaching Percy for help on this project might be useful. "He sure helped us out on dealing with the twins, didn't he?"

"Good point." While Harry was not normally inclined to trust any non-Slytherin too far, he knew that the Weasleys were all very much on the anti-Death-Eater side, and any of them would be trustworthy on this. "Matter of fact, would the twins be willing to help out as well?"

"I bet they would!" Ron smiled, rather evilly. "They were named for our Prewett uncles who were killed by the Death Eaters, and neither of them have any use for anybody with that tattoo on their arm."

"Is that why they're so down on Professor Snape?" Harry hadn't known that the twins had a personal reason to hate Death Eaters, but if they did, that was one good reason to enlist their assistance.

"It may well be, although they may just see him as an authority figure. To them, authority figures are generally there to be rebelled against." Ron looked very thoughtful. "I don't know if they know about Professor Snape's background or not."

"If we get them in on this, don't tell them about the professor's time in the Death Eaters," Harry directed. "Not that I don't think they're on our side, but I don't want them distracted."

"Got you, boss," Ron nodded. "I know them better than almost anyone, and you're right; they're prone to be distracted. That said, the prospect of taking down a 'pillar of the wizarding community' who is a real live, unrepentant Death Eater ought to be enough to concentrate their attention."

"Finding that Fred and George are going to be concentrating their attention on Abraxas Malfoy, I almost feel sorry for him," Ginny remarked. At their surprised looks, she clarified: "I said almost!"

Their lair was well-chosen, and competently warded. That said, the builders of Hogwarts had anticipated that the faculty would often need to gather information without letting their charges know that they were being monitored. There were secret passages that only the faculty knew about, with listening holes cunningly concealed in the décor of the rooms.

Snape had been overhearing their plans, and he was wondering just what to do. On the one hand, he was filled with pride. He had been sure that his current crop of Slytherins were House legends in the making, and this confirmed his earlier assessment. With a finely-tuned brain like Harry Potter's coming up with plans, backed up with Hermione Granger's talent for digging up information and the Weasleys' intimate knowledge of the magical world, not to mention Luna's acquaintance with the Wizarding press and how to manipulate it, they were already shaping up into people he would much prefer to have on his side.

At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if he was creating, or acquiescing in the creation, of a monster as bad as the Death Eaters' organization had ever been. So far, Harry and his associates had never done anything he didn't approve of. That provided no guarantees for the future, and Snape knew that Harry and Dudley had been mentored and taught by a woman who was at least as ruthless as the Dark Lord himself, Muggle or no.

He decided that he would help them out with this project, although his help would have to be less than overt. He couldn't afford to expose his true sympathies, not with so many unrepentant Death Eaters' children at the school and reporting to their parents. But he felt that he could quietly plant ideas in their heads that would prove fruitful.

One thing that Harry and his associates in PD Enterprises hadn't considered yet, to his knowledge, was that a lot of the Malfoys' influence was based in their wealth. Snape knew that the Dark Lord was out there, and would be coming back, and it was his considered opinion that the Death Eaters would have been much less dangerous without the Malfoys' fortune backing them. Without that, they'd have had a harder time bribing corruptible officials, or obtaining the rare potions ingredients they often needed for their more arcane mixtures.

Abraxas Malfoy was known to be a fairly easy target for get-rich-quick schemes. While he was already one of the wealthiest wizards in Britain, his attitude was that there was always room for more money. Snape decided that he'd direct the PD Enterprises group's attention to some books that he had around, about confidence schemes and things like that. Not all of them were applicable to the wizarding world, but some of them were. And if they could con the elder Malfoy out of a big portion of his wealth, he'd have a harder time defending himself, whether from the law or from his former comrades who'd been convinced that he'd bought his freedom with his comrades' blood.

END Chapter 63