Snake and Skull
5th of August, 2000.
A growing pile of books lay on the small table between the two armchairs in the guest room. Theo was slowly reading through another book. An entire day had passed since he first woke up in this place, and no one had come to speak with him. He didn't know what to think. Was he a prisoner? Was this something else entirely? Why had they healed him? He was confused. In his world, no one ever did anything out of the kindness of their hearts. There was always an ulterior motive. So, why was he there?
The door opened and a man with curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes stepped into the room. His expression was stoic. Theo recognised him from the battle. He had been aiding the Aurors. Maybe this was a safe house then, but if that was the case why wasn't he in a holding cell? He was, after all, a Death Eater.
"Theodore Alexandros Nott, you were apprehended as you together with several other Death Eaters were causing havoc and taking lives in the non-magical world," the man said.
"Who cares about some filthy muggles? Theodore said with no real conviction.
"Let's turn that question," the man said. "Who cares about some stuck-up blood purist who doesn't contribute anything but pain and suffering?"
Theo lowered his eyes. He couldn't meet the man's burning blue gaze. There was so much power behind those eyes. "I never wanted to," he muttered.
"Yet you did," the man said. "Instead of reaching out and seeking help you stepped into the service of the Dark Lord."
"Not everyone can be Draco bloody Malfoy who gets everything handed to him on a silver platter," Theo spat. "He didn't have to worry for a moment before his father had his future handled for him."
Raiden sat down in a chair so he wouldn't loom over Theo. "You mean there was no one you could have turned to?" he asked. He reached into a pocket and took out the mended dwemer spider Theo had won. He held it out in the palm of his hand. "There was no one who would have listened?" The spider scurried down and headed straight for Theo who looked at him in amazement.
"How?" he asked.
"I know the man who makes them," Raiden said. "He looked it over and fixed it."
"He would have hurt her even more if I didn't agree," Theo said softly. He shook his head slowly. "It doesn't matter anymore. Once I was marked…" He fell silent. "There is no leaving the service of the Dark Lord."
"If there was, would you take the opportunity?" Raiden asked.
Theo shrugged. "What's the point," he said. "There is nothing left out there for me and don't tell me I'm young and have my entire life ahead of me." He huffed. "I know runes well enough to know that I'm screwed. Either the Dark Lord kills me for my failures or I die when he is killed. There is no happy ending for me."
"I see," Raiden said. He rose from his chair and headed for the door.
"What happens to me now?" Theo asked.
"Fate," Raiden said. He walked out the door and closed it tightly before apparating away. He had a meeting with Amelia that he needed to get to.
The Ministry was busy as always. People hurried back and forth and the gilded cages that acted as elevators gave Raiden the same feeling of dread as he always felt when stepping into one. He preferred the dwemer elevators in Skyrim to these despite the danger those provided. He stepped out, happy to be out of the cage and walked quickly over to the meeting room Amelia had told him to head for. He warded the room tightly and sat down to wait. He knew it could be a while since the Aurors were busy and Amelia had a lot to take care of. He brought out a book as he waited.
Roundabout fifteen or so minutes later the door opened and Dora walked inside. She smiled at Raiden, not that surprised at seeing him. She sat down. "So top secret," she said. "Feels strange to be the one people rely on for something so important."
"There are reasons for that, some of which will be clear once we're done," Raiden said. He looked over at the door as it opened and raised an eyebrow when Luke entered. So Amelia thought both these two needed to know. He was up for that; Luke was a good guy.
Only a few moments later Amelia herself stepped into the room. "Ready?" she asked while looking at Raiden.
Raiden activated the runes on the door and it shimmered. "No one in or out until you give the word ma'am," he said.
"Good," Amelia said. She looked at Dora and then at Luke. "As you both know we lost Alastor very recently," she said. "He left behind a lot of work that I had placed solely on his shoulders, least of which was being Raiden's contact."
Luke raised an eyebrow and looked across the table at Raiden. "Are you not his nephew?" he asked.
"No," Raiden said calmly.
"Then who the heck are you?" Luke asked.
Amelia placed a contract in front of him and walked over to Dora so she could get one as well. "The information you are about to learn is a tightly held secret," she said. "You will sign or the past half-hour will be wiped from your memory."
Luke looked at the paper and then back up and Raiden. "Sure why not," he said.
Dora played with her quill for a moment. This was information she would never be able to repeat to anyone. She lowered the quill and signed. If Alastor had known, she wanted to know too.
"Now that we have cleared that up," Raiden said as he took his glamour off. Green eyes looked straight at Dora. "It has been interesting getting to know you twice, you know," he said.
Dora looked mortified for a second before she burst out laughing. Meanwhile Luke looked like he wasn't picking up on what was going on. He looked from the laughing Dora to the guy sitting across from him and over to Amelia confused.
"Hi, Luke. I'm Harry James Potter also known as Kato Peverell," Harry said calmly. "I have been playing all sides of this war and would like to hand the Dark Lord over on a silver platter if you are so inclined."
"Rather you know how to kill him and we are making it happen," Amelia said.
Harry nodded slowly. "I need to get in my contact's good graces again, but I'm working on it and I have my own way in if he doesn't want to talk to me."
"We need a plan so I suggest you fill these two in on what you know," Amelia said.
Harry nodded slowly. He gathered his thoughts and then he started talking. He told the two Aurors about the layout of Malfoy Manor. He told them about the Dark Marks and how he would keep certain people from being affected. "Theo was forced into service by the way. I have a full report for you, but it sounds like his father was threatening someone else to get him to be compliant along with the torture he put the boy through for years."
"Remove it," Amelia said. "We'll figure out what to do with him later."
Luke looked down at the notes and floor plans and everything else that Harry had provided so far. "If Lord Malfoy doesn't let us in how do we even enter without taking the wards down? Those wards will be tough."
"His Heir can and will grant entry," Harry said. "Kato is his Master."
Dora nodded. "Draco holds no love for You-know-who," she said. "Harry is definitely right about that." She looked at everything laid out before them. "I guess we need a team and we need to keep it on the hush. Only Luke and I will know Raiden is involved."
"You two will lead the mission," Amelia said.
"I can get in ahead of time and act as a distraction," Harry said. "I also need to make sure his snake dies. I wish I could do something other than killing her, but we need to deal with this now."
"If I have to order you I will," Amelia said.
"No, I'm fine," Harry said.
Dora looked at the floor plan again. "What room does he hold the meetings in?" she asked. If you can get them in there for some reason that would be great."
"I should be able to manage that," Harry said. "Would you like me to separate Voldemort from the rest too?" he asked.
"That would be preferred," Luke said. "It will be easier to deal with them leaderless."
Harry nodded slowly. He had some plans he needed to work through on his own then. He knew he could manage though.
"When are we doing this?" Dora asked.
"As soon as possible," Amelia said.
"We'll let you know when we are ready," Luke said as he looked over at Harry.
"I'll let you know," Dora said.
"Good," Amelia said. "Deal with this. I expect a full report once this is over."
"Yes, ma'am," the three of them responded.
Amelia left and Luke followed not far behind her.
Dora stopped next to Raiden. "I guess we don't tell the Order," she said.
"No we don't," Harry said. "Dumbledore is just going to mutter about the Horcruxes and sorry, but I dealt with those already. Short of revealing everything to him we will not convince him we know what we are doing. He is a headmaster of a school, not a field marshal."
"I might feel differently if we didn't have this in hand," Dora said. "But I agree with you. I'll see you when I see you I guess."
Raiden nodded slowly. He headed home so he could get changed before the last meeting he had that day. This was it. He glanced at himself in the mirror before heading out again.
Severus preferred to spend his summers away from the bustle of Hogwarts. It was harder now that Albus wanted him to do things for the Order and the Dark Lord wanted things done for the cause, but every once in a while, he found a pocket of quiet happiness that no one else was privy to. When a knock on the door cut through that happiness it frustrated him immensely. He walked upstairs in his sparsely furnished house and opened the door. "Peverell," he said with a small nod of his head.
"I apologise for showing up like this," Kato said. "But I have something I wish to discuss with you."
"I see," Severus said. "I have potions brewing." He headed back down to his lab with Kato following closely behind him. Most people he wouldn't have brought along, but he knew from experience and talks with Draco which happened sporadically that Kato or Harry was very respectful of cauldrons and all that could be within them. He stirred a potion slowly once they had entered the lab.
"I figured out how to fix the Mark," Kato said after a while. "I would like to modify yours."
Severus nodded slowly. "Will it take long?" he asked.
"It shouldn't, but I can't guarantee your vitality straight after," Kato said. "I don't know how this will affect you, but I will do my best to leave as small an impact as I can."
"It will have to wait then," Severus said.
"I'm not leaving until this is dealt with," Kato said with determination.
Severus paused for only a moment before he fetched a cutting board. "Draco tells me you know how to follow instructions," he said. "With your score, you should know far more than that."
Kato didn't respond. Instead, he took his overrobe off so his sleeves wouldn't get in the way. He was given ingredients and prepared them as instructed. One by one the potions were taken off the heat and bottled until the cauldrons were all empty.
Severus rolled his left sleeve up and held his arm out to Kato. "Get it over and done with," he said.
Kato nodded slowly as he pulled his wand and pressed it against the mark. The snake hissed and Kato hissed back glad that the magic laid in parcel-tongue wasn't locked to the Dark Lord. He could tell that what he was doing hurt Severus. He did his best to ease the pain as he worked. Since this was the first mark he dealt with it took a little bit of time to get it right. He needed to speed the process up.
Severus sank down on a stool as Kato finally finished what he was doing. He opened and closed his hand several times to get the blood flowing back into his fingers. The mark looked no different from before. Hopefully, the Dark Lord wouldn't notice anything either. "Thank you," he said.
"Thank me when we are done," Kato said. "I will see you again soon." He bowed. "Have a good evening Master Snape." Then he was gone.
6th of August, 2000.
Heracles flew in through Harry's open study window and puffed up.
"He's in a bad mood, is he?" Harry asked. "He needs to learn to trust that we know what we're doing." He cast several detection and cancelling spells at the envelope before opening it. Lucius was not happy with him. Unfortunately, the whole idea had been his, to begin with so he really couldn't blame Harry for using it nor could he do anything about it. They had signed and the contract was airtight. Harry walked out of the study and down the stairs to the Potions Lab. He opened the door and stepped inside. "Your father hates me," he said calmly.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Father is dramatic," he said.
"Can you help Dora with your manor wards?" Harry said. "Lucius quite clearly isn't going to help out."
"Only if I'm left out of it until the last second," Draco said.
"Speak to Dora," Harry said. "She is coordinating. You can handle your part in this from here until she needs you."
"Leave it to me," Draco said. He met Harry's eyes. "It is all over soon, right?" he asked.
"Yes," Harry said.
"And then you are kicking me out?"
"Not until you're ready," Harry said. "You have very little left to learn, but you can stay until you feel it's time."
Draco nodded slowly. "I'll think about it," he said. "Now get out of my lab so I can finish these potions."
Harry chuckled as he left. He had barely made it outside when another owl landed on his shoulder and offered him a letter. It was a summons to Alastor's will reading. He took a deep breath. Right, that was a thing that would happen. He looked at the date. A week from now. He walked out to where Remus and Charlie were sitting with the children and sat down next to his husband. He wasn't sure how to feel about Alastor. It was strange. They hadn't known each other that well yet Alastor had known him better than most. He handed the letter over to Charlie who looked through it. "I'll be there if you need me," he said.
Harry nodded slowly. He wasn't sure what to do or what he needed. The rest of the day he spent close to Keyara. He played with her and read to her before bedtime.
Once Keyara had been put to bed, Raiden headed over to the guest rooms and walked inside. Theo was sitting by the window looking out.
Raiden didn't say anything. He just walked up to the boy and grabbed his arm before dispelling the magic leech part of his dark mark. He healed what he could before walking back out again. He could hear Theo shouting after him, but he wasn't listening. He could remove the mark faster than he had done with Severus. That was good to know. He headed downstairs and froze. "What has happened Dora?" he asked as he saw her. She looked like she had been through hell and back.
"The Ministry has fallen," Dora said. "Our people are safe and we can still go through with our plans, but the Death Eaters run the Ministry. They moved in this evening. I had no idea they had gotten that far. They run everything but the auror office and Amelia still has a job because she isn't making waves. I heard talk of taking Hogwarts too."
"Good thing we are ready to act," Harry said. "Are people hurt?"
"Muggleborns are being captured," Dora said. "We have to do something before they have a chance to hurt them."
"Do not make mistakes because we're in a hurry," Harry said. "Is anyone telling the Order they might have to move in and defend Hogwarts."
"Kingsley went," Dora said. She buried her face in her hands. "I need to check in with Luke and we have to make sure we can trust the people we are bringing all without alerting anyone to what we're doing."
"Lean on the anti-Dumbledore ideas we used to create the Brigade," Harry said.
"Will do," Dora said before heading out.
8th of August, 2000.
The dawn was quiet and calm. Rain fell slowly in a soft grey mist over the land. Keyara was still sleeping and would sleep for several more minutes. Charlie and Harry were standing by their window looking out at the rain. They weren't talking, just observing. Selkies popped their heads out of the water and splashed around down in the lake. These were their lands. This was their world and everything they had both worked hard to build over the past few years.
Slowly, tired feet thumped on the floor as a big purple blanket dragged along the carpet. A yawn sounded as Keyara made her way to her fathers. She hugged Harry's leg tightly. "Up!" she demanded.
Harry smiled as he bent down and picked her up. "Good morning, sun flare," he said.
"Mornin," Keyara responded as she rubbed her eyes. "Rye read?" she said.
"I can read to you," Harry said. He moved away from the window slowly and smiled at Charlie. "What do you want me to read?" he asked.
"Dunno," Keyara said while swinging her feet.
"You better go find something then," Harry said. He placed her down and watched as she ran over to the bookcase so she could grab a book while he sat down on the couch. Keyara came back with a book called A Box of Kittens. Harry chuckled as he took the book and opened it up.
Charlie walked over and moved Harry's legs so he could sit down. A part of him wished this could be the rest of their lives. He didn't want to think about what the afternoon might bring. He wished he could be there, but he wouldn't get in Harry's way. He played with the hem of Harry's pants while listening to his husband read about the abandoned kittens that went on to find new homes.
Winky called them down for breakfast and they headed downstairs slowly. Harry pulled out Keyara's chair before walking around the table. He leaned down and hugged Charlie. They would have made plans if it was guaranteed that Harry would still be there tomorrow. Neither of them wanted to talk about it, but both were well aware of how badly things could go.
Remus and Leoline came over once they had eaten breakfast and they all ended up in the living room, not really talking but watching the children play. Sadness hung in the air like a thin veil. Trepidation kept them from joking or laughing. Still, soft smiles were offered to the excited children.
After lunch, Harry headed back upstairs. He walked into the bedroom and opened a closet he seldom used. His armour stood before him. Slowly, he made sure everything was in order as he put the pieces on. He pulled the hood up and weaved an illusion showing him in a long black cloak. He put his glamour on and Kato headed back downstairs slowly.
Dora had arrived and Draco stood with her. "You better make it back," Draco said.
"I will do my best," Kato said. He teleported away.
The gates before Malfoy Manor were high and uninviting. The gruesome faces that looked down upon the visitor were cold and unseeing. Kato pushed the gates open slowly and walked inside. Despite Lucius' current dislike for him, the wards were still happy to have him back. Some said old family magic had a life of its own. Maybe that was true. If that was the case the magic knew he had done nothing to harm Draco. He walked into the mansion. Lucius had to know he was there. An elf appeared and showed him the way to the meeting room which was a small ballroom. Exactly, where they wanted them.
Kato stopped by the door for a moment as the elf disappeared. He hid his arms in the illusion of the black cloak he wore and pushed the doors open with his magic. The Death Eaters turned and looked at him. It was clear that they had been celebrating before he showed up. They were happy about their latest accomplishments, and Kato could see some of the entertainment lying against a wall. Most of them seemed to still be breathing.
"Give them way," the Dark Lord said from his throne.
The crowd parted as Kato walked forward. He stooped just as he reached the Dark Lord and knelt before him. "My Lord," he said respectfully.
"Rise and show yourself," Voldemort said.
The hood of Kato's cloak fell as he rose to his feet. He sent a burst of magicka at Lucius and spun around as a beam of magic came sailing his way.
"You dare lay your hand on my son," Lucius exclaimed as he poised and threw off another curse at Kato.
Kato looked to the Dark Lord who motioned for him to go ahead. He moved past the spells sent his way and drew his wand. He grabbed Lucius' left arm and disarmed him.
The screams emitting from the Lord had Bellatrix giggling. She had never thought someone who seemed like a simple lap dog could be so cruel. Her grin widened as Kato dropped Lucius on the floor and left him there. His face was passive but there was a gleam in his eyes that sent shivers down their spines as it moved over the Death Eaters. "Malfoys do have such a lovely scream," he said as a matter of fact. "Though your son is far better at keeping it to himself." He turned back to Voldemort and bowed. "I came to inform you that Draco Malfoy's time with me is coming to an end."
"I see," Voldemort said. He rose from his throne slowly. "I have seen the effect your training has had on the boy and would like to see more of it."
"I would gladly take another apprentice," Kato said.
"I was thinking a few more than one," Voldemort said. "And I do ask something in return."
Kato bowed his head. "I'm sure we can come to a beneficial agreement, my Lord," he said. "In private perhaps." He let the question hang in the air between them. A hissing sound made several Death Eaters shift nervously. Kato turned slightly so he could look behind him. "Nagini my beautiful Lady," he hissed. "Come to me, my dear. What ails you?"
"The charmer is back," Nagini hissed as she reached him.
Kato's black cloak fell down on the floor to reveal the tight black clothes he wore underneath so Nagini could coil around him. He could see the terror in the eyes of the Death Eaters. He knew how poisonous Nagini was. She wasn't going to bite him though.
Voldemort looked around slowly. "You shall stay here awaiting your new brother," he said. "Join me, Kato." He moved towards the back of the room where a door separated a nearby room from the ballroom.
Kato followed the Dark Lord as he summoned Kali outside alerting Draco to his progress. Right now they had everyone exactly where they wanted them. He closed the door behind him and moved closer to Voldemort.
"The service you provide," Voldemort said. "Can it be done faster?"
"Of course," Kato said. "I took my time with Draco. If you want them to learn how to fight to further your goals that is much easier to do than all I have taught Draco."
Voldemort nodded slowly. "How many can you handle at a time?" he asked.
"Between three and five, it depends on how harsh you allow me to be," Kato said.
"You will do what needs to be done," Voldemort said. "Make sure they obey. Your work with young Malfoy is exemplary."
Kato bowed. "Certainly," he said.
Voldemort drew his wand. "Your arm," he said. He held his hand out.
Kato moved forward and made a show of rolling his sleeve up. His armour was still firmly in place under the illusion. He knelt in front of the Dark Lord. His magic worked in layers over his skin protecting him from Voldemort's magic. The wards shifted, but Voldemort was too busy to notice. His Death Eaters were trapped. Draco stayed behind as the Aurors moved in, but he sent Bellue with Dora. He guided them up around the ballroom. There were two doors apart from the one Kato and Voldemort had walked through.
"Wait," Dora said as she held her hand up to stop the rest of them.
Voldemort's eyes narrowed. His magic wasn't taking hold. "What is the meaning of this," he hissed angrily. He pointed his wand between Kato's eyes. "What are you playing at fool?"
Kato chuckled. "Oh I'm not playing," he said.
Voldemort turned his wand on Kato's arm and cast a dark-cutting curse. The curse shattered against the armour as the illusion ended. Kato pulled away and put his mask on. Dazzling green light filled the room like a lightning bolt that struck the ground. As the light died Nagini's lifeless body fell to the floor.
"You shall pay for her death," Voldemort growled. He didn't say anything else. Spells flew Kato's way quickly. A blue shimmering shield appeared in front of him. He pushed back with spells of his own. Fire raged between them and ice melted to water at their feet.
In the other room, Bella walked closer to the door. She thought she could hear something. She grabbed the handle. "My Lord!" she called out. The handle rattled loudly but the door didn't budge.
An explosion tore through the back of the room. Bellatrix turned towards the noise as red-clad Aurors flooded in. Spells flew everywhere. Bellatrix growled and cut down a Death Eater in her path so she could get to the intruders. She would kill them for their insolence. With Bellatrix leading them, the Death Eaters pushed the Aurors back against the wall. "Kill them. Do not let them escape," Bellatrix screeched. She caught sight of purple hair and turned to follow. "Little Nymphie, come to Auntie Bella," she called. She was led deeper into the heart of the Manor. She knew this house well. She would find the girl. A mad grin flashed over her face.
Kato threw Voldemort back with a shout only to be hit by a silencing spell. He had counted on that happening. Thu'um had its limitations. He had been here before though. Kali appeared behind Voldemort and lighting cloaked her body as she rammed into him.
Dora slammed against a wall. She hadn't meant to run away but she wasn't sure she could take Bellatrix on. She swallowed thickly.
"Bad time girl?"
Dora spun around and looked at the man in the painting behind her. He looked every bit a Malfoy. "Yes well, Bellatrix is after me," she said.
"Awful woman that," Malfoy said. "It is hard to believe that she is Narcissa's sister."
"She isn't much like mother either," Dora said.
"A Black are you girl?" Malfoy said. He raised a perfectly poised eyebrow as Dora's hair changed colour. "You carry the gift, how extraordinary."
"Yeah, sure doesn't help me now," Dora said.
"True," Malfoy said. "I'll see if I can't get you some help, girl." He disappeared down the corridor. Dora watches him go. She wasn't sure what a portrait might be able to do for her, but she didn't have time to think. Bellatrix rounded a corner and Dora threw a shield back before she started running again. She couldn't keep running. She had to stop and fight. Dora pushed her way into a room. It looked like a spare bedroom. She drew a deep breath. Moody and Ray had taught her better than to run. She laid rune traps and moved back.
"Comsie to Aunty Bella little Nymphie," Bella cooed disturbingly. She blasted doors open as she walked down the hall. "You cannot hide from me."
Dora whipped her wand throwing the door outwards. She could hear a pained yelp of surprise from Bellatrix. A smile spread over her face. The curse passing her lips was probably darker than it should have been, but she didn't care. This woman had killed Alastor.
Bellatrix met Dora in maddened glee. Her sisters were disappointments, but it seemed as if Andy's daughter might actually be worth her time if she twisted her enough. She met each dark curse with giggles of delight. It didn't matter if she was hit or not.
Sweat ran down Dora's face. She rolled as her shield broke. Her breath was knocked out of her and she drew a rattling breath before a harsh scream left her. Every nerve of her body was on fire. She couldn't move. She couldn't stop screaming. Her body jerked uncontrollably and the entire time Bellatrix was laughing madly. The pain was unbearable. Dora found herself wishing for it all to end. No matter how that end came about. The spell let up and she turned herself around.
"Will you be a good little bitch now niece?" Bella asked. "Or do I have to punish you again?"
"Screw you," Dora choked out. An ear-piercing scream left her as the curse hit once more. The thought passed her mind that if she went mad from this at least Harry could heal her. She fell into darkness. The pain was gone but she didn't have the energy to find out why. All she could do was breathe. Somewhere in the distance like a badly tuned radio she could hear two women speaking angrily. She hoped that Harry was still alive and fighting. It was up to him now.
Flashes of colour were the only light in the room. Fire danced in the curtains. The floor was wet and slippery. Kato rolled over a table and sent it flying towards Voldemort. His gems were slowly depleting as he kept up the fight. Pain flared up on the left side of his head and the hood fell back.
"Potter!" Voldemort spat.
"Who else did you think I was," Harry said. Golden lights covered the left side of his head as his ear healed. "The prophecy said I had to face you so here I am." He cast lightning from his hand and transfigured sharp needles from the splinters around the room sending them against the Dark Lord. Ropes of fire reached for him and he threw them back with a single word. He had already thrown off one silencing charm. It wouldn't be hard to throw off another.
"I'm impressed that you managed to fool Lucius," Voldemort said as he bombarded him with poisonous rain.
"Who said I fooled Lucius," Harry said. "He begged me to protect his son."
Voldemort's eyes narrowed as he realised how deep the betrayal went. "And you repaid him by turning his son into a sex slave?" he said humorously.
"Draco is an amazing actor," Harry said as he summoned a rain of fire. "We needed to fool Lucius to fool you and you swallowed it hook, line and sinker. So who is the fool here?" He shouted and ice spread over Voldemort's body.
Voldemort pulled away and glared at Harry, his red eyes catching the light of the falling fire. Spells passed between them again as they did their best to take their opponent down. Harry's shield shattered and a purple spell hit him square in the chest forcing him down on his knees in pain. His mind was invaded with thoughts not his own. He pushed back against them. Golden light surrounded him as Voldemort walked up to him slowly. "And so ends the life of the so called Chosen One," he said. "Such a pity. You had such potential."
Voldemort stumbled back.
"Rii Vaaz Sil," Harry growled as he twisted the sword into Voldemort's chest. "Severus made the same mistake fighting me," he said darkly as he fished the only soul gem he had brought from Nirn out of his pocket. The darkened depths were slowly filling with a twisted light. "I fight with both a wand and a sword. Your soul is forfeit. Have a fun time in the Soul Cairn." The soul gem grew brighter and brighter as Voldemort did his best to stay alive. He would not die to this child.
Harry pulled himself off the ground and drew his sword out of Voldemort's chest. He sliced Voldemort's head off in one fell swoop before reaching up and piercing his newly healed ear so he could put on his Raiden glamour. He walked out to the ballroom and looked around.
Luke rose from a body and headed his way. "They just collapsed," he said. "All of them except for those two." He pointed at Severus and Lucius.
"They are mine," Raiden said. "It's all part of my file."
Dora shifted and pushed herself off the ground. Her body was on fire and she felt like death warmed over. She sat up slowly and looked around. Narcissa was sitting slumped against a wall. Her blond hair was fanned out around her and on the floor in front of her lay Bellatrix. "Is…is she dead?" Dora managed to stutter out. Her throat felt as dry as sandpaper and her voice was raspy and raw.
"I think so," Narcissa answered softly. "Her mark started twisting and shaking. She was screaming and then she collapsed."
Dora nodded. She guessed things had gone the way Harry had expected. She wondered how many Death Eaters were dead and how many had just lost their magic. Were there Death Eaters out there who were fine not counting the three Harry had protected from that fate?
Narcissa stood up slowly. It was obvious that her sister had cursed her too, and Dora would be forever grateful to Lady Malfoy for saving her. She walked up to Dora and pulled her up on her feet. She called an elf and told them to bring Bellatrix's body outside. "Burn it," she said.
Together the two of them headed down the stairs and through several corridors before walking into the ballroom. Luke was slowly moving dead Aurors away from the collapsed Death Eaters. He looked up at Dora and smiled sadly. They had lost a lot of good people. Christina's lifeless eyes stared up at Dora before Raiden closed them. He lifted the boy and moved it over to the rest. Severus and Lucius were helping the Aurors slowly and Draco had made his way into the Mansion.
"They are all dead," Draco said as Dora approached him. "Everyone with a Dark Mark died."
"It was horrific," Matthew said. "It was as if their very life was sucked out of their bodies."
Draco raised his head. "Amelia Bones and Rufus Scrimgeour just arrived," he said. He sent an elf out to get them. "Where is Master Kato?" he asked.
"Hopefully he's dead," Lucius growled.
"Oh, hush father," Draco said. "That you haven't realised by now that it was all an act to get under Voldemort's skin is quite ludicrous. Master would never have let harm come to me let alone harm me."
Lucius was about to retort when Narcissa reached him. "That is enough," she said calmly. "Draco will explain later."
Draco nodded slowly as he continued walking around the Aurors.
Amelia walked into the room and looked around. "Report!" she said.
"Six dead on our end and we sent four more to St Mungo's with a couple of muggleborns. They will be out for count for a while as they heal," Luke said. "The rest of us have sustained minor inquiries. The Death Eaters all died. It all happened at once. We might have killed a few before then, but whatever happened with the Dark Lord must have caused the rest."
"The marked Death Eaters at the Ministry all collapsed as well," Rufus said calmly. "They are still alive, but our healers are saying something is wrong."
"Raiden, I want a memory from you," Amelia said. Her eyes narrowed as Raiden walked up closer to her. She cast a shield that would keep everyone else from hearing them. "You don't look good," she said.
"I was hit with a mind-terror curse," Raiden said softly. "I need to get out of here and call healers."
"Do so," Amelia said. "I will speak to you in a few days. Don't worry about your informants, their actions will be taken into account as we deal with this mess."
"Thank you," Raiden said. He walked out the door and disapparated. He landed heavily in the hallway at home. "Charlie!" he called. He grabbed onto his husband as he stopped in front of him. "Living room then get me Glint. Tell her it is a level seven mind-terror curse," he said. "She will know what to do."
Charlie nodded. He was glad Keyara had already gone to bed. He saw Raiden remove his glamour before he headed out. Gringotts was surprisingly calm despite what had happened earlier that day. He made his way to Dumac's office and stepped inside. He repeated what Harry had told him and Dumac sent off a quick message to Glint and her healers. The response was immediate. A young healer showed up next to Charlie. "Master Glint is already at your residence," she said. "She needs you to stay calm and come with me." They walked down the corridor to an elevator and headed down. "Our daughter?" Charlie said.
"Will be brought by one of the healers," the Healer said. She led him through the village over to a big gilded building. If Charlie remembered correctly this was the hospital and magic research facility. He was led into a room with a viewing window. A small cot stood in there already. In it Keyara slept and next to her stood Winky. "Master Charlie," Winky said. "Is Master Harry badly hurt?"
"Physically he looked fine," Charlie said. He walked up to the window and looked inside the room. Harry was slowly taking his armour off until he was standing in just his underpants. He walked into the centre of a ritual circle and sat down. Dwemer walked up to him and said something Charlie couldn't hear. Shackles were attached to his wrists and neck with heavy chains. "What are mind-terror curses?" he asked softly.
"Level one to three induce nightmares and makes the victim unstable," the Healer said. They can be removed with a relatively simple cleansing ritual. Levels five and six are harder to remove and leave the victim aggressive to their environment. A victim of those two versions could hurt the people around them and will have a lasting effect on their psyche."
Charlie nodded slowly. He watched as the chains were pulled taunt and Harry was held in place. "And a level seven one?" he asked.
"Drives the victim mad," the Healer said. "Recorded victims of level seven mind-terror curses have always killed their families or friends. Anyone who might care for them and try to approach them without extreme caution. By that, I do not mean being careful, but rather they aren't forceful enough to stop the victim. A few Masters of Occlumency have pulled themselves into a catatonic state before hurting anyone. Their bodies usually give up and they die within a few months. There is no way to cleanse a level seven mind-terror curse. Very few even know there is a tier list of these curses or what curses go into which tier."
"But Harry does," Charlie said.
"He does," the Healer confirmed. "We are not giving up on our clan brother. He is different from anyone else who has ever been the victim of these curses. His dragon soul and the fact that he is a Master of the Mind allows us to hope that he will make it through this."
"But you chain him because of how dangerous he could become should you fail," Charlie said.
"He knows," the Healer said. "He asked for the chains knowing that you and your daughter would be here."
Harry finally opened his eyes and looked straight at Charlie. "I love you," he said before turning to Glint.
"We don't like doing this," Glint said.
"You know how dangerous I could be," Harry said. "You have to."
Glint smiled sadly as she placed a mask against Harry's face and spelled the straps to go as tight as they could. Harry couldn't open his mouth to speak anymore. He knew that if they had used spells to keep him silent he could have broken through those. They had to use physical implements.
"You work on keeping yourself awake," Glint said. "We will do everything else we can for you."
Harry nodded as best as he could. The curse was a slow-working one. It could take up to a day before it fully consumed the victim. Most people were hit and didn't realise anything was wrong. They went to sleep, but the person waking up was a twisted destructive version of themselves. No one knew exactly what the curses did since no one had lived to tell the tale. The few who didn't murder their own families had never woken back up.
That's why Harry was ordered to stay awake.
Charlie had tears in his eyes as he watched his husband. "Can he see me?" he asked.
"Yes."
Charlie wanted to go in there. He wanted them to say it would all work out and Harry would be alright. He knew they couldn't do any of those things. He looked down at the sleeping form of his daughter. He had to be strong for her and that meant leaving Harry behind. It meant going home so he could care for her. He looked back at Harry and banged on the glass. He caught Harry's eyes and Harry nodded gently. He understood what had to be done better than most.
"Can I come back here?" Charlie asked the Healer.
"Until we have to put him down or he is healed," the Healer said.
"I see," Charlie said. "Thank you."
Winky was crying as she looked up at her Master. She hadn't left so she had heard everything that had been said. "Winky will take little Keyara home," she said.
"Thank you Winky," Charlie said.
"We will be keeping him as healthy as we can," the Healer said.
"Thank you," Charlie said.