The Aftermath
The morning after the events at the Department of Mysteries, Draco Malfoy couldn't stop the gasp that escaped him when he saw the copy of the Prophet that landed in front of Blaise. He grabbed it, ignoring the indignant "Hey!" from Blaise himself as Draco stared in shock at the headline.
ATTACK AT DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES!
DEATH EATER RAID FOILED BY THE MINISTRY!
HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED HAS RETURNED!
HARRY POTTER VINDICATED!
Then it showed the bruised faces of several Death Eaters who had been arrested, and Draco gasped once more as he saw his father's face staring back at him, along with a few others. Draco quickly skimmed the article. Fortunately, Dumbledore had been able to suppress certain facts of what actually happened, including the fact that several Hogwarts students had been involved.
The paper blurred before Draco's eyes as tears clouded his vision. He swiped angrily at them with the back of his hand and refused to let them return. There was a gentle touch on his forearm, and he glanced sharply to his right. Astoria sat beside him touching him tenderly, looking at him with a solemn expression, and tears in the corners of her own eyes as well. Draco was taken aback by her gesture and looked away.
"I'm sorry, Draco," she murmured so only Draco could hear it. Draco was about to snap at her about how he didn't need her pity when he looked into her eyes again and saw not pity, but concern. Astoria's eyes reflected genuine concern, and it was concern for him. And again Draco felt inexplicably drawn to the younger Greengrass girl. She always seemed to know what he needed when he needed it, and gave of herself with no expectation of anything from him in return.
Draco gave the girl a small smile. "Thanks, Astoria." He felt warmth spread inside him when he saw the bright smile spread across her face at his words. Astoria stared intensely at Draco for a moment before she blushed and ducked her head, returning her attention to her breakfast.
Draco couldn't help but smirk. Then his mind returned to the fact that his father had been thrown into prison, which meant that his mother was alone and probably frantic with worry. Draco's mind burned with thoughts of revenge…revenge against Harry Potter. And all thoughts of anything else were swept from his mind as the rage took hold. Except for a tiny voice, deep inside his mind that asked what Astoria would think if she could read his mind. Ignoring the intrusive thought as best he could, Draco gave a frustrated sigh and went to find his godfather.
Draco skipped his History of Magic class to floo call his mother in Snape's office. His head of House had not only okayed it, but had been the one to suggest that Draco contact his mother and check on her. And once Draco was certain his mother was alright, he began to think of ways to get back at Potter for causing his father to be locked up.
He said as much to Astoria that evening in the common room. The girl had stuck close to Draco most of the day, doing what she could to comfort him. And when Draco's ranting had become increasingly dark toward Harry, Astoria once again placed a gentle hand on Draco's arm. "But Draco, isn't it really the Dark Lord who's to blame?"
Draco spun toward her, about to respond in anger, when he saw Astoria flinch away from him because of the angry look on his face. Draco's gut twisted with guilt. He sighed and swiped his hand across his face. "I'm sorry, Astoria. I'm just upset. It's not your fault." And you know she's right, too, whispered that annoying voice inside his head. Your father is much too wrapped up in that psychopath's inner circle to listen to reason. But you aren't, Draco. You should listen to little Astoria. SHE actually cares about you, unlike your father.
Draco, much too fatigued to argue with himself, sighed and stood up. "I'm going to bed. I am so over this day. Good night, Astoria." Draco gestured to Crabbe and Goyle, who lumbered after him towards the dormitories.
Astoria sighed and stared longingly after Draco.
And across the room, Pansy narrowed her eyes and frowned at Astoria.
(XXX)
The meeting of the Order of the Phoenix that evening was loud and long and very acrimonious. Kingsley and Remus explained as calmly as possible what had happened at the Department of Mysteries. Most had contemplative expressions on their faces—Sirius face was sullen yet brooding, not understanding why his crazy cousin, of all people, would have saved his life. He wouldn't have believed it at all if Harry hadn't been so adamant about what happened.
Molly Weasley, predictably, went ballistic. "I KNEW IT! I KNEWIT! I said all along that William Greengrass had that psychotic woman hidden there at his house! But would any one of you listen? Oh nooo, of course not! And now we have proof! I say we go get her and drag her out of that house by her hair!" Then she went off on a tangent about how they had to get Neville away from Daphne's clutches now more than ever.
"Oh be quiet for once, woman!" Sirius snapped, in no mood to hear more anti-Greengrass ramblings from the Weasely matriarch.
Remus sighed and put his head in his hands, awaiting the inevitable retort from Molly. And he didn't have to wait long.
"And what's THAT supposed to mean, Sirius?!" Molly hollered, her face almost as red as her hair.
Sirius muttered something under his breath and looked away.
Moody groused about owing Bellatrix a life debt.
Molly shot him a sharp look. "You too, Alastor, of all people? You're taking her side too?"
"Well of course I'm not taking that Death Eater's side, but it's true! That lowlife Greengrass was going to kill me and she told him not to. She said it would be wrong for him to just kill an unarmed man who was at his mercy. And like a fool Greengrass listened to her!"
"Bellatrix Lestrange saying it would be wrong to kill an unarmed man?" Minerva repeated, her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline. "That's certainly…uncharacteristic of her.
"And what, you wanted to die, Moody?" Tonks snapped at him.
"That's what I asked him at the time," Kingsley replied, shaking his head at Moody.
"Better than owe a filthy Death Eater a life debt!" Moody shot back.
"And why would Will want to kill you in the first place?" Tonks yelled. "Hmmm, could it be because you've threatened to kill him and harm his family multiple times in the past?"
Sirius shot a glare of his own at Moody when he heard that. "Really, Moody? Will just happens to be my cousin, you know! And Tonks' too!"
"Yeah? Well so is Bellatrix!" Moody shot back.
And now, according to what Harry said, I guess I owe Bella a life debt myself. Sirius' frown deepened. He shook his head and sighed. How on earth did Will even get her out of Azkaban? And on top of that, somehow manage to heal her mind as well? Sirius thought he might have to pop over to Will's later just to ask that, since Will had given him a standing invitation to visit. When he had first escaped Azkaban. Sirius wasn't sure if he wanted to see Bella quite yet though.
Dumbledore sat listening silently, stroking his beard, a slight frown on his face as the discussion raged around the table. For a moment he tuned out the arguments raging back and forth across the room, and ruminated over a few things.
He was happy that many prominent Death Eaters, including Lucius Malfoy, were now sitting in Azkaban. That should at least temporarily stall Tom's plans. He was happy that no one in either the Order or the DA had been seriously injured or killed. He was pleased that they now had proof that it was indeed William Greengrass who had broken Bellatrix out of Azkaban…however, the means by which he had done so remained a mystery that Dumbledore would like to discover. The fact that Lord Greengrass appeared to possess the Staff of Taliesin was a bit problematic, but not altogether disastrous. Nor was it surprising, the old man supposed. The Greengrasses were a very old family, and said to have descended from the Lady of the Lake.
Dumbledore's frown deepened somewhat. The Lady of the Lake. Viviane, one of the most powerful enchantresses the world had ever known. Strong enough to ensnare Merlin himself for a time, before letting him go. But Viviane…she was not someone to be trifled with. And if she were still alive—as Dumbledore reluctantly decided she probably was—and if she was still supporting the Greengrass family (which again Dumbledore had to reluctantly decide was most likely true), then an attack on Greengrass manor would be not only foolhardy, it would most likely be an absolute disaster.
He shook his head again. Even if Viviane isn't protecting Greengrass manor, the wards there are much too strong to breach. An attack would leave far too many dead, both in the Order and the DMLE. Our manpower would be terribly depleted, allowing the Death Eaters almost unhindered movement to spread their terror. I cannot allow Tom to have such an advantage. Not only that, but if Viviane is indeed active once more, then we definitely do not want to get on her bad side. Not that I think she'd side with Tom, but we don't need an enchantress fighting against us along with Tom. Two front wars always end in failure.
The voices of argument around the room had grown to an almost deafening roar as the headmaster roused himself from his internal deliberations. Just in time for Molly to shriek, "THAT DEATH EATER BITCH MUST BE KILLED! AND THE GREENGRASS FAMILY AS WELL!"
Dumbledore decided to speak then, before things could get even more out of hand. "The Ministry will not be informed about the fact that Bellatrix Lestrange is at Greengrass manor. We shall not say a word about it. And your assessment of the Greengrass family is wrong and ill-advised, Molly. Daphne and Astoria have nothing to do with what their father does. And even what William Greengrass did was done out of love, and not with evil intentions."
Dumbledore cut Molly off as she opened her mouth to retort. "No, Molly. I mean it. Due to the current situation, if the Ministry were to be informed of these facts, they would attempt an all out assault on Greengrass manor. And that would be a complete and unmitigated disaster. The Greengrass ancestral home is too heavily warded, and most—if not all—of the people attacking it would be killed or seriously injured." He left out his thoughts about the Lady of the Lake for the time being. No need to cause a panic…and more unhinged ramblings from Molly Weasley.
Dumbledore sighed and addressed the group as a whole. "Remember—Lord Greengrass has shown just some of what he is capable of. He broke Bellatrix out of Azkaban and killed three dementors. He has the Staff of Taliesin. He also seems to have somehow managed to pull Bellatrix back from the insanity she had succumbed to after falling under the sway of Voldemort. And he has kept her contained at Greengrass manor since he released her from prison. Not only that, but we have eyewitness testimony, from people right here in this room, that not only did she fight against her former fellow death eaters, but she saved the lives of two of our Order members…whether they like it or not," he added with a chuckle after hearing both Sirius and Moody mumble under their breath.
"In short, you don't want us getting on Greengrass' bad side by turning him in… is that what you're getting at?' Kingsley asked.
The headmaster nodded. "Correct. We know that Daphne is on the side of both the Order and Harry's little group, and was indeed present with our side at the incident, fighting to protect her friends and classmates. I know that William Greengrass loves his daughters. We do not want yet another powerful enemy. And perhaps we can court William as a potential ally against the dark lord. Between young Mr. Longbottom and Daphne, we already have a potential way of doing that." He still did not bring up Viviane at that point, preferring to keep her in reserve as a strong argument to deter both Molly and Alastor should things get out of hand regarding William Greengrass.
Sirius snorted. "We definitely need allies."
Moody scoffed. "But do we need allies that are dark wizards and witches?" Moody saw the wisdom in Dimbledore's words, but wouldn't go down without grousing at least a bit.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Come now, Alastor. The Greengrasses are not a dark family. Being one of the oldest magical families in Britain, it's true that they are fierce in protecting their neutrality, but they aren't dark. If anything, call them grey."
Moody subsided into grumbles.
"But…but…but…" Molly spluttered, still angry and yet not wanting to contradict the headmaster.
Dumbledore chuckled, but Sirius felt the chuckle was a little forced. Sirius glanced at Tonks, and they shared a look. If it came down to it, they would both support Will, no matter what. After all, family was family.
"No, Molly. That is final. We will not report anything about either William Greengrass or Bellatrix Lestrgange. We can ill afford anymore losses to mar our united front against Voldemort and his forces. And now that he's back, and the public is aware of it, I fear his ranks will swell in size. No, if anything I will attempt to speak with William Greengrass and see if I can sway him from his staunch neutrality."
This time it was Sirius who scoffed. "Good luck with that! I doubt the Greengrasses will ever end their neutrality."
Dumbledore chuckled again, and this time it didn't seem as forced. "Well, at the very least I will attempt to convince him of the old adage 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'."
Sirius paused a moment. "Now that…that might actually work, at least a bit."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why do you think that, Sirius?"
Sirius glanced around the table. He cleared his throat. "Well, I've spent a little time with Will over the last few months, as some of you here know. And we've had some rather deep conversations. I know beyond a doubt that he hates the Dark Lord, but I also know he's not overfond of the Order either. Thinks the Order is just some kind of 'light side' equivalent of a death eater brigade."
Sirius cringed as soon as the words left his mouth, as both Moody and, of course, Molly began a scathing attack on Will and his family's character, which then caused Tonks to spring to the Greengrasses defense, with a loud exclamation of "Will was one of the few who supported my mum and dad even after most of the family turned their backs on her!" Sirius nodded in response, adding, "And he was one of the few who actually didn't believe I had anything to do with James and Lily's death! Not even everyone in this room can say the same!" Sirius shot a few glares around the table.
"That is enough!" Dumbledore had to raise his voice to be heard above the cacophony of overlapping voices once more filling the room. "I will see what can be done to at the very least make certain that William Greengrass does not fight against us. That is where the matter rests. No one is to say a word to anyone outside the Order about this matter, is that understood by all?"
There were various affirmative acknowledgements , some more enthusiastic than others. The most petulant being that of Molly Weasley, who might even have gone on arguing with Dumbledore if Arthur had not put his foot down, telling his wife in no uncertain terms that they would follow the headmaster's instructions.
Molly "humphed" and leaned back in her chair, scowling. Sirius narrowed his eyes at her. I've never understood that woman. She's supposed to be a paragon of the Light, but she hates with a level of intensity that would rival any Death Eater.
Snape had been sitting quietly the entire time, observing the reactions of the various Order members. And his thoughts on Molly Weasley echoed Sirius' own…I'd best warn Greengrass that the headmaster is going to try and recruit him. Or at the very least try and wrestle some sort of truece out of him. Not that it will do Dumbledore any good, if I know Greengrass. Snape bit back a cold sneer, wanting to go home and not have a half hour "spy talk" with the headmaster. As the meeting adjourned for the night, Snape was the first one to slip out.
(XXX)
William was scouring the Daily Prophet that had just arrived. A week had passed since he and Bella had shown up at the Ministry, and yet nothing had been said about them in the papers, much to his relief. The morning after the fight, he had gone and spoken to the Lady about what he and Bellatrix had done.
She pursed her lips. "Perhaps a bit foolhardy, in that something could easily have happened to one of you. But still very understandable, in light of our Daphne being directly involved. I approve of your actions, William."
"But they know about Bella being here now," Will had replied. "What if they come and try to get her?"
"Who, dear boy…the Order, the Ministry, or the other Death Eaters?" She smirked as she spoke.
"Any of them…all of them, I don't know!" A fierce scowl covered his face. "I won't let anyone take Bella!"
The Lady laughed. It was a musical and yet primal sound, the very air seemed to ring with it. "As I said before, on our lands we are invincible. All of nature would rise against the trespassers and utterly destroy them. So let them try! They would die here, leaving the road to the Ministry itself open to this dark lord!"
She laughed again, a cold, still very primal sound that sent a shiver down Will's spine. "It would then be a contest between this upstart 'dark lord' and I…I, Viviane, Lady of the Lake, enchantress of Britain! Even the Romans feared me…Merlin feared me…and this pathetic little fool would learn to fear my wrath as well! Does he think himself greater than Merlin? Ha! Impudent scum!"
Will breathed deeply, letting some of his fear subside. He knew the Lady wasn't making idle boasts.
The Lady paused a moment, She frowned off into the distance before giving a firm nod of her head. "Very well. The time has come for me to once more reveal myself to Magical Britain. But slowly, subtlety." She tilted her head as if listening, then smirked. "Starting now. I believe we are about to have guests, William."
Will turned and squinted in the direction the Lady was looking. "Who is it?" There was a hard edge to his voice.
The Lady chuckled. "No need to worry, William. It is your niece-to-be Nymphadora Tonks. And Sirius Black as well. I think I shall join in the conversation."
Will shot her a sharp glance. "And how would you like to be introduced?"
"Introduce me as Viviane, a distant relative, and see if they are smart enough to make the inference." The Lady smirked. She took Will's arm as the two made their way back to the house to meet their unlooked for, but not unexpected, guests.
A few moments after they arrived at the house, Lizzy announced that "the funny haired mistress and the grumpy cousin are here to sees Master."
"Let them in, Lizzy, and bring us some refreshments," The Lady said. Lizzy gave a deep bow and popped back to the front door. The elves didn't really know who the Lady was as she was only an infrequent guest inside the manor. But they knew she was powerful, and that she was a Greengrass. And that was all they needed to know. She scared them, but not in an evil way. It was simply the power emanating from her that they picked up on.
Will was standing near the door while the Lady had seated herself on the couch across the room, when Lizzy opened the sitting room door and said, "Mr. Sirius Black and Missy Dora." Lizzy knew of Tonk's aversion to her name, and wisely used only her preferred nickname.
Tonks entered the room first, a lopsided ands somewhat nervous smile covering her face, followed by a slightly more…serious Sirius. Tonks walked right up to Will and engulfed him in a hug. He chuckled and returned the hug. Then Tonks stepped back and Will shook the hand that Sirius held out to him.
"Sirius, Dora. It's nice to see you both." Will paused and smirked at Sirius. "Especially you, Sirius. I'm glad to see you still in the land of the living. It was a near thing the other night, wasn't it?"
Sirius rolled his eyes. "What do you want me to say, Will? Fine, I owe Bella for saving my life. Happy now?" He frowned. "But what in Merlin's name is she even doing out of Azkaban, let alone here?"
Tonks glanced around. "Um, where is…Aunt Bellatrix?" Tonks voice was a curious mix of loathing and gratitude. As she glanced around looking for her aunt, she caught sight of the Lady, sitting on the couch across the room and smirking. Tonks inhaled sharply, causing Sirius to send his own glance in the direction Tonks was staring. And he frowned.
Will noticed the expressions on his guests' faces, and sighed. Sirius and Tonks both felt immense power radiating off the strange woman sitting on the couch. And to them both, she seemed somehow familiar.
Will went and stood beside the Lady. "Sirius, Dora, this is Viviane, a distant relative of mine." And of yours too, Will thought but didn't say out loud.
"Where did she come from?" Tonks blurted, then her face flushed with embarrassment.
The Lady laughed her musical laugh. "Why, my dear child, I have always been here." The smile that covered her face was enigmatic.
Sirius' frown deepened. There was something off about the mysterious woman…something dark…dark, yet not evil. And it confused him, because she looked maddeningly familiar yet he had no idea who she could be.
The Lady chuckled. Will cleared his throat. "To answer your earlier question, Dora, your aunt is upstairs resting. Now, what brings the two of you here this lovely afternoon? Come to arrest me and drag Bellatrix back to Azkaban, despite what we did for you the other night?" Will's voice rose in volume a bit, and took on a slightly manic tone.
"William," The Lady murmured, casting him a glance.
Will sighed again and ran a hand across his face.
Tonks sighed. "No, Will, we aren't here to arrest you, Nor to take…my aunt to Azkaban." Despite Dora knowing that her mother and her Aunt Bellatrix had patched things up between them, and even though she knew that Bellatrix had saved the lives of Sirius and Moody, she had lived with her mother's sorrow over how she had been treated by her family for marrying Dora's father her entire life, and wasn't quite ready to welcome her estranged Aunt with open arms.
"Yes, Dumbledore ordered everyone to keep quiet about you and Bella showing up the other night, Will," Sirius informed his cousin. Then he smirked. "Much to Molly's everlasting chagrin. She was so mad I thought she was about to breathe fire!"
Will scoffed. "I bet. I never have liked that woman."
Sirius laughed. "Well, at least it's mutual since she absolutely hates you!"
The Lady sniffed. "The Prewett's were always such a low class family."
Sirius snickered at that. Then he looked more closely at the Lady, his mind frantically trying to recall where he'd seen her before. But he couldn't.
Tonks was still staring at the Lady as well, and for the same reasons. I feel like I should know her, but I can't figure out why. She took in the mystery lady's outfit: a long, shimmery green dress, a wreath of water lilies sitting atop her long, wavy, chestnut colored hair. She was barefoot, which surprised Dora. A fancy lady like this should have had fancy shoes.
"Well, that is…kind of the headmaster, I suppose," Will said, causing Sirius to bark a laugh.
"Kind? He's just being pragmatic, Will! He knows that if you were attacked it would deplete so much manpower from the DMLE that the Dark Lord would be able to take the Ministry with ease."
The Lady humped. "Dark Lord indeed. We shall see how strong he is when the time comes. But your headmaster's words are correct. No one can touch us here. And even outside these grounds we are a formidable family to deal with."
Sirius frowned again. There was something about this mystery woman that reminded him of his mother, though not as cruel. Although, looking at her, Sirius had no doubt that the woman sitting in front of him could be cruel when she needed to be.
Tonks was growing more nervous the longer she was near the mystery woman, although she wasn't sure why. "Well, anyway, Will, we just wanted to let you know that your secret is safe with the Order. And…thanks for showing up when you did the other night. That could have gone bad very fast, if not for you and…and Aunt Bellatrix turning the tide against the Death Eaters."
Tonks smirked and elbowed Sirius. "And old Siri here isn't too thrilled with owning his cousin a life debt. But you should have seen Moody. He's practically ready to die so he won't be in her debt!"
Will scoffed. "Good! Let the old relic die for all I care! Save me the trouble of killing him myself."
Sirius muttered something under his breath. Tonks snickered and turned to Will. "See what I mean?"Will chuckled and escorted Sirius and Tonks to the door. As they left the room, the Lady called out, "It was nice meeting you children. I'll see you again. Perhaps soon."
Both Sirius and Tonks cast glances back at her, not certain what to make of her rather cryptic comment. The lady just smiled and waved her hand. Then they both looked at Will who merely shrugged. "Family, you know?"
Sirius and Tonks exchanged a glance and bid Will goodbye. After they left, Will let out a deep sigh and returned to the sitting room. The Lady stood and smiled. "Now we know we have at least a temporary reprieve. Provided this Prewett woman doesn't blab anyway. And their little Order of the Phoenix will have something else to occupy their minds as well…trying to figure out who I am." She laughed.
Will shook his head. "I'm sure Dumbledore will figure it out quickly enough. And I'm not certain how he'll react once he does find out.
"Pssh!" The Lady said with a wave of her hand. "I ensnared Merlin, and this Dumbledore person cannot possibly be as strong as Merlin was, before he went to the Undying Lands with Arthur." She paused, a soft smile gracing her ageless face as she remembered the past.
Lizzy popped in to announce that tea was ready. Will sent her to see if Bellatrix wished to join them as he and the Lady headed into the dining room…
(XXX)
After reporting back to Dumbledore and telling him of their visit, the headmaster seemed very interested in the mysterious woman who was with will at Greengrass manor, asking very specific and detailed questions as to her tone of voice, her mannerisms, her attire, what she said, anything and everything, in fact, that they could tell him about her. When he finally dismissed them, Tonks glanced back as she left the headmaster's office, noting the look of concentration and concern on Dumbledore's face as she closed the door behind her.
That night, before she went to bed, Tonks was looking through old books that she had had as a child, trying to find something about that mystery woman she had met that afternoon. As the pile of books on her floor grew, so did her frustration and determination.
She picked up an illustrated copy of "Le Morte d'Arthur" and began thumbing listlessly through it, not really looking at the pictures closely. Until about midway through the book, something caught her eye and she did a double take, inhaling sharply. There, staring out of the book at her was the very woman she had seen at Will's…down to the exact hair and eye color and attire. Everything matched exactly.
Glancing down at the caption beneath the picture. Tonks' eyes nearly bulged out of her head when she read the words: "Viviane, Lady of the Lake, guardian of Excalibur and bane of Merlin." Tonks gulped, wondering if she should tell anyone. Now she understood why Dumbledore had seemed so interested in the mystery woman…and now she understood why any attack on Greengrass manor would be doomed before it even started.
"The Lady of the Lake, here? Now?" Tonks shook her head. "I think things are about to get very interesting."
A/N: Well…..I'm not even going to point out how long it's been since I updated this story. Not even certain anyone will remember it. But at any rate, here you go…an incredibly long overdue update. Hope you enjoy it, if anyone actually sees it.