Heart of Kyber

February arrived with a terrible blizzard that slammed into Hogwarts. Professor Sprout appeared close to tears, for once more Herbology was canceled for a time. Edelweiss thought the weather appropriate for the icy mood suffocating the school. The mood came with the paper. A swarm of snow-burdened owls swooped into the Great Hall and delivered their wretched cargo. She only needed to glance at the front page of the Daily Prophet to know worse loomed in the future. It was as though Voldemort knew this storm would come. He struck at the most opportune moment possible. For on every paper, the massive headline declared:

MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN

She could barely stomach rereading the article. Voldemort had daringly struck Azkaban prison and liberated all locked up in his name. Those freed were those too loyal or too foolish to bribe their way out of a life sentence. Or so it should have been. Edelweiss had seen the records, back when Sirius broke out of Azkaban. Proof of membership as a Death Eater was a life sentence. No parole, yet unfortunately no capital punishment. She suspected in the rush to clean up the aftermath of the war, they had not bothered to eliminate the worst.

After all, who could have predicted the worst Dark Lord in Britain's history might find a way to escape death and return from the grave?

Dumbledore had, but then the old man had been made impotent even within the halls of Hogwarts. Edelweiss glanced to where he sat at the Head Table. It was rare these days to see him present. Whatever Order business he engaged with behind the scenes occupied enough time he rarely showed up for meals.

That or he had grown tired of Umbridge's perpetual glower. Edelweiss wondered if the woman understood what subtly meant. After the implementation of the Inquisitors, the clear answer was no. How she had gotten the Ministry to sign off on the name was something Edelweiss would love to know, for she had sworn that term retained a powerfully negative image in the wizarding psyche.

"This is terrible," whispered Hermione for the twelfth time. "So many escaped, and they're blaming it on Sirius."

"Keep your voice down," muttered Edelweiss mulishly. "Nobody is supposed to know about Snuffles. I don't know why you're so surprised the Ministry put forward this story. The only other option would be to admit that Dumbledore and I have been right this entire time." She sighed and shook her head. "If only they could know the truth."

"If only…" agreed Hermione, voice drifting off. She turned to Ron. "Say, are there any other magazines or newspapers? Beyond the Prophet and Witch Weekly, that is."

Ron looked up from his mountain of breakfast, blinking stupidly. "Others? Uh…" His lips twisted as he thought. His gaze drifted away from them. "You know, I think there is another one. The publisher even lives in the same area as my family."

"Who?" asked Edelweiss as Hermione asked, "Which?"

"The Lovegoods. They're the ones who publishing The Quibbler."

Edelweiss hummed thoughtfully, even as Hermione groaned. "That magazine? It's full of nonsense and conspiracies! You can't be serious that's it!"

Ron shrugged and returned to his breakfast. "It's the only one I can think of. There isn't much beyond the Prophet and Witch Weekly."

While Hermione descended into a mire of grumbling and frustration with magical Britain, Edelweiss thought about the other time she had heard the name 'Lovegood'. She glanced about the Great Hall before finding that Luna Lovegood girl at the Ravenclaw table. "Ron," she began before gesturing toward Luna. "Is that one of these Lovegoods? The ones who run the Quibbler?"

"Yeah. That's Looney—I mean, Luna," he said, a faint blush blotting out his freckles. "Her dad does it all, or so I hear. Dunno what happened to her mum other than she's dead. Ginny used to play with her, years ago."

Edelweiss nodded, rubbing her chin. "She could be useful," she murmured. "But we'll need someone to write up an article. Someone who'll write down my story."

Hermione paused. She looked uncomfortable with whatever was now on her mind. Edelweiss watched and waited. Seconds later, her friend gave in and muttered, "I think I know just the person, though you won't like it."

She was right. Edelweiss did not like whom Hermione offered. And yet, it was better than nothing at all.

"Next Hogsmeade weekend is Valentine's Day," Hermione added. "We could meet with her then. So many people will be distracted that—"

"Sounds like a plan," said Edelweiss. She looked across the Great Hall and found Luna once more. The odd blonde looked up from her breakfast. She smiled as their gazes met.

Odd indeed.

Edelweiss waited a few days before approaching Luna Lovegood. She sensed that the Inquisitors had increased the numbers trailing her throughout the day following her brief plotting session with Hermione. Nearly all of them were Ravenclaws, and she noticed the Hufflepuff was no longer among their number. She suspected whatever form of social warfare they engaged in had gotten to that Inquisitor. Still, she did find it amusing how few of the Slytherins bothered to follow her about. Malfoy's doing, no doubt.

She easily lured Luna into one of Hogwarts' abandoned wings. The girl had no friends, so there were no presences around her that Edelweiss needed to worry about. Yes, some people might notice her random interaction with Luna "Loony" Lovegood. But when that encounter ended as quickly as it began, the interest of the gossipers and rumormongers flickered and died.

A shame that none bothered to consider that something of interest could occur during that brief encounter. They would be floored by the truth soon to be revealed. Her truth. The one the Ministry was hell-bent on keeping from the public.

And Edelweiss? She prepared for the inevitable attempt by Umbridge to silence her story. She had been a fool in September by allowing that woman a measure of power over her. She would avoid the fate of detention by any means necessary. Even if she had to leave Hogwarts temporarily. Exile was often ended by conquest and bloodshed.

Her Sith Masters had taught her that much.

Edelweiss entered a small, dusty room. Luna was on the far side, staring into a corner filled with cobwebs. Oddly, the room reminded Edelweiss of the one Dumbledore chose to hide the Mirror of Erised during the winter hols of her first year. That, she now knew, had been a manipulation on his part. Why else would he allow her to stumble upon the mirror than to prepare her for her inevitable confrontation with Voldemort before it?

She sighed and set aside that thought. Her sigh alerted Luna Lovegood, who turned to her with remarkable awareness. Edelweiss stopped near the room's center.

"Hello, Edelweiss Potter. Or may I call you Lord Gladiolus?"

"Not yet," she confessed almost bitterly. "But soon. You will know when the time comes. I am certain of that."

Luna hummed and then nodded. "Something like a wrackspurt has been flittering around you recently. It told me when and where you wished to meet."

"They serve you well." Edelweiss glanced about. She sensed nothing, but then Lovegood was probably Force-sensitive. She grasped the dark side, brushed her power against the girl's mind, and asked, "And 'wrackspurts'? Care to explain what those are?"

Luna's blue eyes lost that dazed, dreamy quality. "They're fae, invisible to most. They usually cause people's heads to go fuzzy." Her head tilted as she blinked. "You're immune to them. Or as immune as anyone can be."

Fae. Makes sense, really. There's all manner of faerie-like creatures and critters about the isles. Of course, some would be invisible to most.

"Oh? I am immune to them?"

Luna nodded. "There's something about you that protects your mind from them." She shrugged before adding, "I cannot say what it is. Maybe my father would know."

"He will not. I am the only one living who knows of this power." Edelweiss considered the possibilities before her. The Force showed her some things, and none appeared to lead her toward destruction or failure. And so she would take a risk. A leap of faith. This girl did know the name 'Darth Gladiolus'. "I believe you could be trained to wield this power. You appear sensitive to it. After all, that would be how you'd know to call me 'Lord Gladiolus'."

"How fascinating. So this is a power I could learn?"

"Perhaps in time. But that is not why we are gathered here. I have a proposition."

Luna's head tilted to her left. "A proposition?"

"I'd like to commission a story for your father's publication, The Quibbler." Edelweiss drew a few steps closer to Lovegood. "I've realized the need for the people of Britain to know the truth of what happened last June, along with the recent misconduct and failures of their Ministry. Would he be interested in a story like that?"

Luna grinned widely, as though Christmas had already come again. "I'll write Daddy. He'll be excited to publish anything that harms the reputation of Minister Fudge." Luna leaned in close and whispered, "There's all manner of secretive work going on within the Department of Mysteries. Weapons to control people. Strange spells that would change the world if they escaped."

Edelweiss felt her heart lurch. She had done her best to keep her strange, nighttime jaunts to the Department of Mysteries a secret. She had said nothing of it to her Sith masters yet. She dreaded telling them, for they would be furious she kept that incident from them for almost two months now. She hoped it was only a coincidence, but she quickly learned with this girl—and the Force at large—that there were no coincidences.

Luna must have noticed something, for she took a step back and smiled. "I'll be touch, Edelweiss Potter." She then skipped out of the room.

Edelweiss sat down and sighed, grinning as she luxuriated in her approaching victory. She doubted Hermione would have trouble with their reporter friend.

To think, she had been a bug during the prior year.

Hogsmeade had been repainted pink for Valentine's Day. And then that morning was coated with a fresh layer of glistening white snow. Edelweiss saw couples coming and going from the various businesses spread throughout the small village near Hogwarts. An old want twisted in her gut. She suppressed the feeling. It was a distraction from her path forward. A Sith Lord could not afford the weakness of family and children. Those old wants of Edelweiss Potter had to be sacrificed so Darth Gladiolus could destroy their enemies.

"We could have come down earlier," grumbled Hermione as they trudged toward the Three Broomsticks. "I need to visit Scrivenshaft's and you know I always look around Tomes and Scrolls."

"You can do that afterward," Edelweiss said. "It's almost noon and I don't wish to keep our guests waiting."

They entered the Three Broomsticks as a pair of seething hags stormed out. Edelweiss paid them no heed as she entered the pub. The common room was packed and noisy, voices blending together into a cacophony. The proprietress, Madam Rosmerta, bustled about with frantic energy. She was a woman increasingly on the verge of going half mad, carrying several mugs of sloshing butterbeer in each hand.

"This way," murmured Hermione, heading toward the back stairwell. "I booked a private room upstairs. They should be waiting for us there."

Edelweiss nodded and followed her friend up the stairwell. The ruckus of the common room faded away quickly once they reached the crooked landing. They climbed another flight of steps and made their way down a small hallway with doors only on their left.

"Seven… Room Seven… Room Seven… Here!" said Hermione. They had stopped at a door with a large brass '7' nailed to the wood. Hermione did not bother knocking. She opened the door and entered the room. Edelweiss followed her in and found two others already awaiting them, sitting around a small table.

Luna Lovegood appeared as normal, dressed in her blue-and-bronze-lined school robe. She wore butterbeer cork earrings, held on lines of copper wire. Edelweiss raised a curious eyebrow at the sight, though she came up short when she finally came face to face with the journalist contracted by Hermione.

"Rita Skeeter. I'd say it's a pleasure, but after last year, you're lucky I'm not crushing you under my heel."

Rita Skeeter sneered. She looked run down: her blonde curls no longer bounced, her glasses lacked a few rhinestones, and she had even shorn down her nails to something realistic-looking. She held a notepad and a quill that was lacking the ostentatious appearance of the peacock-styled Quick-Quotes Quill the woman used during the Tournament.

"Let's get this over with," grumbled Rita, glowering at Hermione. "It's bad enough I struggle to get more than puff pieces for the Prophet these days. But writing for The Quibbler? You're lucky I didn't tell you to—"

"I'm certain the aurors would have enjoyed arresting you for being an illegal animagus," Hermione snipped. "I brought you in because your name, for some unfathomable reason, happens to carry weight with the public." She turned to Edelweiss. "I'll leave the rest up to you, Edie. This is your story."

Edelweiss nodded. She closed the door behind them and drew her wand. She embraced the dark side as she placed protections upon the door. Nobody would overhear their conversation. They would need to be patient for their chance to read her story. She joined the others around the table, sitting down directly across from Rita Skeeter.

"I assume Hermione told you the basics of what we were going to discuss?"

Rita nodded. "A little expose about whatever happened during the Third Task."

"Good. I thought of speaking about Albus Dumbledore and his questionable management of Hogwarts and my life as well, but that may distract from the narrative you'll certainly spin from my tale of that June night."

Rita froze, frowning, while Hermione stiffened beside Edelweiss. She could feel their confusion and uncertainty. Edelweiss rolled her eyes. "I have no love for Dumbledore. But for now, I must suffer him in my life."

"You understand the Ministry would use that as justification to try and remove him."

"They would need to go through the Board of Directors for it to stick," said Edelweiss with a toothy smile. "Should, say, Umbridge try to remove him herself with the Minister's backing, that can be spun as a usurpation of the school."

Rita Skeeter sighed. "So we'll stick to the night of the Third Task." She paused, lips twitching. "We can go over anything else once we're finished, should I have other questions."

"Fine. I can do that." Edelweiss breathed out slowly. "I'll begin with my encounter with Diggory and Krum. Krum was put under the Imperius Curse by the Death Eater installed within Hogwarts by Voldemort." Rita stiffened, face scrunching up. "Oh get over it!" Edelweiss snarled. "I'll say his name a dozen more times before we're finished. You and Lovegood can censor his bloody name, but I will not! He's a fucking halfblood, using his descent from Salazar Slytherin to mask the fact he was sired by a bloody muggle!"

"You know this for certain?" asked Rita with a breathy whisper. Her hand was hard at work, scratching down what Edelweiss was saying.

"Aye. I'll get to that when it comes up." She huffed loudly. "Back to my story. Krum was put under the Imperius. Diggory and I took him down and then split ways. We reunited at the Triwizard Cup, where I decided to be a chivalrous fool and argue with him over the bloody thing. We were both injured and tired, and I had taken to heart the anger over my unwanted position in the Tournament. Had I done as my instincts suggested, I would have taken the Cup once ensuring he was stable enough that Madam Pomfrey could handle him.

"And that means he would be alive. The Cup turned out to be a portkey. It took us to a graveyard near a muggle town called Little Hangleton. We bumbled around for a few minutes before a voice called out, 'Kill the spare'." She sighed and shook her head. "A moment later, Cedric Diggory was struck down by the Killing Curse. I was stunned and strung up, tied to one of the graves."

Edelweiss paused, allowing Rita Skeeter to finish writing down what had been said. She waited until the woman looked up before continuing on. "I awoke to find the sole Death Eater with Voldemort present, preparing a ritual of restoration."

"Restoration?" asked Rita Skeeter.

She nodded. "Voldemort never died after that night thirteen years ago. He was stripped of his physical form and sent into exile. He returned to Britain, for a time, when he possessed Professor Quirrell three years ago." Her hands flexed, remembering how his face burned under her touch. "I dealt with him then and sent Voldemort back into exile. There he remained until the summer of '94, when a servant of his finally returned to him."

"Sirius Black."

"Wrong. Sirius never bowed to Voldemort, nor did he betray my parents. That was all Peter Pettigrew, who hid as a common rat for twelve years in the Weasley household."

Rita paused in her writing. She blinked, once while staring at her notepad and then again when she looked up. "He hid as an animal with the Weasleys?"

"Yes. He likely hid with them due to their connection to Dumbledore and their poor position in regular society. Harder to be found out, yet close enough to hear whispers and rumors of his master." She sighed. "Events conspired against me at the end of my third year. Pettigrew escaped Hogwarts and the grasp of justice. Sirius remains in hiding, ever my faithful godfather."

"You know people will call you mad. Everyone knows that Sirius Black—"

"What they know is a lie," said Edelweiss. She felt the cold touch of the dark side cloaked around her. "I may sit down for an interview concerning him another time, Skeeter, but he is not our focus today."

Rita Skeeter nodded. Her face was pale and her lips only possessed color thanks to her lipstick. "So, the ritual. What are you willing to share about it, for I suspect it was an act of dark magic."

"Indeed. It required sacrifices, one that came from his dead muggle father. All the public needs to know is that he returned to his full powers that night. He summoned his free Death Eaters and taunted me, seemingly at his mercy."

"And these Death Eaters," continued Rita Skeeter. "Who are they?"

"Those left free following Voldemort's fall," said Edelweiss. The shocks and gasps in response to her uttering the false Dark Lord's name were fewer, though she knew it would take an excessive amount of time to break them out of their habit. "I'd reckon there were two or three dozen present. Some of the names you can guess: Malfoy, Nott, and Mulciber were ones that stood out." She leaned toward Rita and added darkly, "If you were to draft a list of every 'Death Eater' who got out of Azkaban by claiming the Imperius defense, you would have the names of nearly all who were there that night. They all lied to protect themselves.

"Still"—and here she leaned back to her normal posture—"those who remained free following Voldemort's fall came back to him, crawling in the filth like animals. It was very pathetic, though seeing him torture his followers was oddly… amusing." Edelweiss's face smoothed when Skeeter's eyes bugged out wide. "No comments about possible madness or delight in cruelty, Rita. This article should only reflect what I tell you about that night. Not your opinions."

"Yes, yes," Rita grumbled. "You're trying to salvage your reputation, not sink it completely."

Edelweiss tried to not feel too annoyed that her interview was being termed 'salvage' for her 'reputation', even if in a way that was accurate. She needed to find a way to eliminate her irritation before she returned to the castle. It would be bad for people to think something might be off with Edelweiss Potter.

"However, not all of the freed Death Eaters returned to him that night. There were three absent. One whom he called a traitor and a coward. I suspect that was the Headmaster of Durmstrang. Plenty gossiped about him having been a Death Eater back during the war."

Rita nodded and mentioned, "He was allowed to go free because he betrayed others."

Edelweiss nodded, recalling Dumbledore's memory of that day and the names Karkaoff had betrayed in exchange for his freedom. Among them had been the four who had tortured the Longbottoms into insanity. She hoped to cross paths with the Lestranges; she had been prevented from handling Barty Crouch Junior. They would die by her hand.

"The second was one whose loyalty he doubts. That would be Professor Snape, who Dumbledore protected. Everyone in the castle knows. That is probably why he's stuck teaching." She leaned against the table and murmured; "I do not think he knows how to actually teach someone how to brew a simple potion without just showing them directions and stalking about, fuming."

Rita Skeeter choked on a laugh as her cheeks went bright pink. Hermione sighed loudly, aggrieved, while Luna Lovegood nodded in agreement.

"The last of their number was his agent, the Death Eater within the walls of Hogwarts." Edelweiss sighed and shook her head. "I was blind to that person and their presence. That nearly got me into trouble. But we haven't reached the point in my tale where I tell you who it was.

"Voldemort gave a speech, talking about how they were cowards and that the first faithful servant to come to him was Peter Pettigrew. He rewarded Pettigrew for his service, conjuring silver to replace his sacrifice. It was around that point he remembered I was present. He decided to duel me instead of just killing me while I was tied up."

Voldemort had stared down at her, slitted nostrils flaring. "Bow to Death, Edelweiss Potter," he had hissed, trying to firmly place her under the Imperius Curse. "Bow to Death."

"He had me to rights," she admitted. "He should have killed me in that graveyard. But I was saved by a coincidence or fate or pure stupid luck." Edelweiss grimaced, her hands drawing into tight, closed fists. "Our wands share a core. Something strange happened that night. It saved my life and allowed me to return to Hogwarts with Cedric's body."

Rita Skeeter raised an eyebrow. "Care to describe what happened, or do we want to leave that to reader speculation?"

Edelweiss had to stuff down her fury into the deepest, darkest part of her psyche before she could say something regrettable—or worse, do something regrettable. Already she could smell the faintest hint of ozone. No doubt that was coming from her. Her Force powers responded to her will—and sometimes that was a touch wild. Yet if she were to convince others, she needed to be honest where truth served her better than lies or secrecy.

"Dumbledore called what happened 'Priori Incantatem', after the reversing spell," Edelweiss began, slightly wary of what she might incidentally reveal. "Our wands linked, for their cores came from the same phoenix—Dumbledore's phoenix, as it turns out. The effects of our spells caused a chain reaction, creating a golden magical dome around where we dueled. The Death Eaters were driven back, forced to watch as I confronted their master alone.

"A ball of energy formed between us. It moved by willpower. I forced it toward his wand. That caused the spirits of those killed by Voldemort to appear. First came Cedric Diggory, freshly murdered. Then it was a muggle, who had probably worked in the area. After him came Bertha Jorkins—"

"She was murdered?" asked Rita Skeeter, sounding almost hysterical. "Everyone assumed she had vanished!"

"Vanished… Murdered… Are those truly any different when dealing with Voldemort?" Edelweiss smirked widely. She felt the discomfort of those around her, so she quickly moved on. "After her were my parents. First, my mother… and then my father. As I had known for years."

Rita paused, waiting for more.

Edelweiss took several seconds to center herself, the dark side shrouding her as it fed upon her pain, and whispered, "I heard them dying, whenever a dementor drew near." She was pleased she could say it without awakening those old longings that ran contrary to being a Sith.

"Oh."

"You can see why I quickly grew to hate you," Edelweiss confessed. "You trivialized the pain I feel having never known my parents, beyond stories and photos and the repressed memories of the night my life was ruined—and defined."

Rita Skeeter nodded. Remorse—legitimate remorse, at that—rippled off the woman in faint waves. Edelweiss schooled her features, else she reveal her surprise. She had hoped—expected even—for the woman to be pleased by the pain she caused. It was bizarre dealing with her as a human and not as a pest to crush under her heel.

"Eventually I was told I could not maintain the connection. I broke it. The spirits aided my flight. I retrieved both the Triwizard Cup and Cedric's body and returned to Hogwarts. From there, you know most of the rest. The only thing I can think of that has been kept secret from the public is that the Death Eater at Hogwarts, Barty Crouch Junior, never perished in Azkaban. It had been his terminal mother, polyjuiced to look like him. His father took him out of the prison and kept him as a slave in his house, held under the Imperius until the summer of the Quidditch World Cup. He was able to break away, disguise himself as Mad-Eye Moody, and interfere in the Tournament." She shrugged before muttering, "A real shame that Minister Fudge had the man Kissed before he could confess to all of his crimes. Along with what he did."

"…the Death Eater… was Kissed?" asked Rita, looking between her notebook and Edelweiss. "Why do you think Fudge had that done?"

"Fear, I imagine. The man is a coward. He thinks by denying the truth he can salvage his legacy." She nearly spat onto the table between them, earning shouts and glares. "Not that he will have much of one beyond his failures. Whoever picks up the pieces after him will be the one history remembers."

The conversation continued on with little else of interest to say. Edelweiss already felt her thoughts drifting, turning to matters concerning the dark side of the Force and her Sith studies. Her work here was finished. Complete.

When they parted ways twenty minutes later, Edelweiss couldn't help the toothy, sardonic grin that adorned her face. She could feel the future twisting into shape. A shape that suited her needs most excellently.

On the morning of the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch match, hundreds of owls stormed the Great Hall carrying copies of The Quibbler. They came late, close to when the Quidditch teams would depart for the pitch in advance of their adoring crowds. Edelweiss watched with barely concealed amusement as students and teachers alike stared at their unexpected gifts. She herself was pleased to see that there was a little note pinned inside the copy delivered to her by a contrite Hedwig.

"Sorry, girl," she whispered, allowing a few of her fingers to be nipped and nibbled on. "I'll make time for you soon."

Hedwig hooted loudly before stealing several chunks of bacon from the table's center and flying off. Edelweiss huffed and smiled fondly, even as she turned her attention to the note slipped into her copy. It was written in an odd, slanting hand:

'Miss Potter,

'Thank you for entrusting my daughter and I with your tale. We have long supported you and Dumbledore against the dark forces that be. Continue fighting, no matter what.

'Yours,

'Xenophilius Lovegood'

Her smile faded a touch being reminded of how others connected her to Dumbledore. Yet what should she have expected? Nobody knew of the crimes committed against her. She had only told Rita—and Luna, in turn—of what happened on that night. Yes, she had mentioned she held no love for the man, but there was a difference between being at odds and actively hating someone.

Though as she thought on the matter, Skeeter should be able to read between the lines. She should understand Dumbledore's failures on that night. Had he acted more prudently, Fudge would have been forced to tell the truth instead of attacking them with slander. Barty Crouch Junior would have been preserved long enough to inform the public the worst had come to pass.

Hindsight reminded her that she might not have been furious enough to grasp the dark side on that day and achieve resonance with the kyber crystal embedded into the seal over Ziost Hangar.

"Miss Potter, if I may have a moment."

Edelweiss turned to find Professor McGonagall looming over her. Umbridge gave her a withering glare from where she stood behind the Deputy Headmistress.

"Have I done something wrong?" she asked. Edelweiss slipped the hand holding Lovegood's note under the table. She channeled a flash of Force lightning and set the note alight. Smoke filtered up from beneath the table, faint that Professor McGonagall only twitched her nose with irritation.

"Just come with me," the woman said, exhausted and uninterested in arguing. After a moment of hesitation on Edelweiss's part, McGonagall barked, "Now, Miss Potter!"

Edelweiss sighed as she grabbed a few apples from the center of the table. "I only arrived for breakfast, Professor. Are you sure this cannot wait?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Potter. Not today." McGonagall leaned in close before hissing, "Minister Fudge is here. He is very, very furious! It appears The Quibbler reached London hours before Hogwarts."

Edelweiss nearly sighed. Instead, she took a large bite from one of the apples and chewed loudly. "Lead on, Professor."

They made their way up to the fifth floor where the Headmaster's office was. Edelweiss trailed after McGonagall, working through the fruit she took from the breakfast table. She tossed the inedible cores into dark corners wherever she could, confident the house elves of Hogwarts would whisk them away. It was callous, but she suspected McGonagall was unwilling to stop so Edelweiss could dispose of her trash.

By the time they reached the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office, Edelweiss began licking the juice from her fingers. Her hunger remained unsatiated, yet it was not a physical hunger. A dark craving existed in the back of her mind. But she had to ignore it for now.

But once the Minister's anger has been defused and the Quidditch match is won…

"I hope you have something planned for when the Minister threatens to have you expelled," hissed Professor McGonagall, breaking through Edelweiss's thoughts. Umbridge gave them a dismissive look. She clearly had her own idea of how events should play out.

"He doesn't have support from the Board of Directors to do more than demand," replied Edelweiss. At McGonagall's surprised look, she added, "Snape has threatened to expel me enough times I checked the requirements for expulsion. You need to either be convicted of a crime that results in imprisonment in Azkaban or have all twelve members of the school board vote for expulsion. I have zero cause to believe he could gather more than five or six to support that demand."

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips. She did not share Edelweiss's confidence. She could not blame the professor for her belief. She only wondered how those in power in magical Britain could be so blind to what she knew was crystal clear.

The professor went to the gargoyle and spoke the password softly. It shifted aside. Edelweiss grimaced, having failed to catch the password. It mattered not. She knew should she truly require access to the Headmaster's office, she could always rattle off the names of every candy she knew of until the bloody thing moved. Dumbledore was predictable that way. She would not have it any other way.

Edelweiss took the lead, climbing the spiral staircase two steps at a time. She did not knock at the door, nor did she wait on his summons. She just pushed the door open—she had to stop herself from smirking at the soft sound of outrage from Professor McGonagall—and strode into the office as though it belonged to her. Nothing had changed since her little interrogation back in December, including their unpleasant guest.

"You!" shouted Minister Fudge almost immediately. His auror escort—Auror Robards, if she remembered right—grimaced. "You…! You!"

"Me what?" she asked with mock offense, pressing an open hand against her chest. "Have I done you some terrible wrong, Minister?"

Fudge stormed her way shaking a copy of the newest edition of The Quibbler at her. "This! Do you know what chaos this is already causing? I have had howlers in my office since five this morning! HOWLERS!"

Edelweiss stared at the cover. She regretted not looking it over earlier. It was a remarkably well-done painting of her dueling Voldemort in a graveyard with the golden dome of magic surrounding them. There were a few Death Eaters visible, but most were shades in the background. Her lips twitched as her gaze returned to Minister Fudge. "It's a lovely recreation of last June, Minister. You should know since I did tell you my story."

His face drew up in a disgusted look that wished to be a scowl, yet failed to reach that level of scorn. Umbridge cleared her throat with her obnoxious little "hem hem". McGonagall, who stood beside Edelweiss, grimaced.

"Miss Potter," began Umbridge in her sickly-sweet tone. "This article has been greatly disruptive to the social fabric of both Britain and Hogwarts."

"And that is not my fault. If Britain can be shaken by a single story, then perhaps the Ministry should change course. Or the Ministry could allow the Prophet to publish articles beyond whatever tripe gets pumped out of whichever office responsible for debasing the nation's paper." She sighed and shook her head. "To think that muggles can get being trustworthiness down better than wizards." Edelweiss fixed her gaze upon Fudge. She drew on the Force slightly. Too much and Umbridge would notice. Too little and her power would be ineffective. "Were I you, Minister, I would return to London, find out who clearly has failed the public, and fire them." She added a sweet smile for impact.

The looks of offense and fury that bloomed on their faces were glorious, especially for a seed was already implanted into his mind. Edelweiss held her sickly sweet smile, even as internally she cackled with victory. How had she ever allowed herself to be cowed by them? Had the Dursleys truly damaged her so terribly that it took her adoption of the dark side and the ways of the Sith to cast aside their influence?

"I would follow Miss Potter's advice, Cornelius," said Dumbledore. He had remained behind his desk, amused by the proceedings before him. "I do not fault you for your mistakes. I only wish for you to do better."

Edelweiss picked an impassive expression as she awaited Fudge's response. His face went puce, almost identical to a furious Uncle Vernon. She allowed him to believe in the image of the silly schoolgirl still firmly lodged in his mind. She wondered how he would react when Darth Gladiolus stared him down and demanded for him to kneel.

A glorious day that would be.

After several seconds, Fudge grumbled, "I guess I should take a tighter hand with the Prophet," with an expression of pure pain. He turned to an alarmed Umbridge. "Come along, Dolores. I believe we need to have a conversation about your work here at Hogwarts. You as well, Robards."

They departed, stepping around where Edelweiss stood. Umbridge was so shocked by Fudge's words that she did not even bother to glower as they went.

"You should go as well, Miss Potter," said Dumbledore. Edelweiss turned to face him and was surprised by his drawn severe expression. "I applaud your effort to circumvent the Ministry's attempts to hide the truth of Tom's return. However, this will cause greater trouble for us both here within the halls of Hogwarts.

"Plus, I believe you have a Quidditch match to win."

Edelweiss nodded and turned to Professor McGonagall. "You heard the Headmaster. I have to go soundly beat Hufflepuff."

She grinned at the amused huff she received in return.

As she told Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, Edelweiss won the Quidditch match. Between Ron's abysmal performance in their previous game against Slytherin and the Twins being replaced by a pair of boys she did not know, Edelweiss knew the wisest course of action was to swiftly catch the snitch and end the game. Perhaps it was unfair to the school, snatching the golden ball within five minutes of the game beginning, but she had to grab the snitch swiftly—and felt compelled to attend to another matter, deep within the castle.

Edelweiss made her excuses near the Great Hall and parted from the team. The dark side beckoned to her. She did not know what she was walking to, yet she knew something important and significant awaited her. The last time she had acted so—and after a Quidditch game—she had gone through with the cleansing ritual that freed her of Voldemort's taint and destroyed all that assured his immortality. What did this day have in store for her, to draw her away so early?

She came to the Chamber of Secrets and found the chamber awash with violent crimson. The kyber crystal that had first reached out to her back in June pulsed with dark side energies. She could feel the anger and hatred that had been poured into the crystal. Edelweiss reached inward and drew out those emotions from her heart. With them in her grasp, she met the kyber crystal as an equal—and then sought to force her will upon it.

The crystal drank greedily. The crimson darkened. Its great glow did not diminish. The colors changed, dyeing the Chamber of Secrets a bloody shade, just as her blood and the basilisk's had once been shed on its tiles.

Come to me! Edelweiss thought, focusing upon the crystal. Come to me and be mine! Together we shall rule all before us!

A resonance began to build between Sith and crystal. The dark side rang in her blood and bones. Edelweiss imagined if there were any sensitive to the currents of the Force beyond Luna Lovegood within the castle, they would now be staring down and wondering what the terrible, righteous cold they felt was.

The resonance grew, ringing in her ears. Edelweiss thought her veins might burst into flames as the kyber crystal's innate power rippled through her. She gasped and gritted her teeth. Her fear, her anger, her hatred—all of it sprung to life, fueling her with the power to overcome the crystal and force resonance upon it.

A wide, manic grin dominated her face as the kyber crystal finally embraced her power. They sang in tune, her and the crystal. It would be the heart of her lightsaber, the equal to her power in the Force. Woe to all who stood opposed to her, for if they managed to survive her Force powers, they would certainly perish upon the blade of her lightsaber. Edelweiss went to where the crystal awaited her and claimed it from its perch. Holding it carefully, she descended into Ziost Hangar. She went past Lord Salazar's solar, past the dueling chamber, and to a small room far from the rest, where parts and pieces for lightsabers waited.

Edelweiss scanned the chamber. For a moment, she began to think over what would make her weapon look best. And then came up short. She recalled something her master had mentioned during their training up in the Come-and-Go Room: "You must rely upon the Force when constructing your lightsaber. It will only serve you best if you construct it with only the Force as your guide."

With a sigh, she came forward to the room's center and kneeled. She closed her eyes and began to meditate upon the Force, focusing on the particular requirements of the lightsaber: the emitter and the casing, the end and the other little elements that brought it all together. She felt the parts move about, rising and falling, the Force and her growing connection to the dark side choosing from all Lord Salazar had gathered and prepared for his inevitable student.

Gathered and prepared for her, for Edelweiss Potter—for Darth Gladiolus.

Eventually, the chosen parts began to orbit around her. She released her hold on the kyber crystal. It rose and joined the rest. The parts slowly came together, guided as much by her conscious will as by the unconscious knowledge of the Force. She heard her weapon click together. Her eyes opened and a grand smile sprung to life.

Her lightsaber was complete. She was more complete. Edelweiss slowly rose to her feet before claiming her new weapon. She held it almost reverently in her hands, twisting it, feeling how it fit in her hands. The hilt was ovular, with two thick, grey serpents wrapped around a black core. At the end away from the emitter, she found that the serpents were bound, two heads of the same creature.

"How lovely," she whispered. Her thumb came up to the initiation trigger. She brushed over it a few times before finally pressing down. With a snap-hiss, a thrumming blade of red and white emerged from the hilt. She swung it lazily, enjoying how it hummed with every pass.

"What a beautiful weapon…"

Edelweiss deactivated her lightsaber and slipped it into her pocket. She would need to craft a proper belt, but for now, this would work. It was not as though she had much use for it at the present.

Nor could it ever be connected to Edelweiss Potter.