Hey everyone,
WOW! Just WOW! This chapter is going to be HUGE! I can't say how long it will be, if it will be one of the longest of this story or anything of the sort, but I can promise this. I will do my VERY BEST to make this chapter as great as possible. At first this whole story came about because I just didn't want Harry to face Voldemort – or write a scene of ANYONE facing Voldemort – but I have been building this up for TOOOOOOOOOO long.
So, here you go,
Venquine1990
PS. Christmas in 1995 fell on a Monday. I made the last Hogsmeade weekend before then fall on the 16th and 17th of December and had all kids leave the following Monday, on the 18th. Therefore, this chapter will take place on the 14th. I have my reasons.
Chapter 35
Happy Early Christmas – Part 01
14th of December 1995
Malfoy Manor, England
Lucius' POV
It's been a month since Lord Black left for Radiant Garden with his two sons, a month since my own son got called home for his disgraceful behavior during the first Quidditch match of the season and a month since I had a horribly dangerous spell removed from my Dark Mark and vowed to spy on Voldemort for the DoM in return for this. Draco is still home, though the reason behind this has changed since he saw the Unspeakable do her work.
When he heard that I would spy on the Dark Lord, he had been stunned, only to actually throw a temper tantrum after she left, calling me all kinds of names that I instantly recognized as ones that Snape always called James Potter and Lord Black. He had even dared to call me a traitor, but I had shouted at him: "I would rather be a traitor to death than to my own family." And the boy had instantly been silenced at this.
I had sat him down and given the full explanation behind why I always taught him what I did and treated him the way I did. "It's to survive, Draco. We've been living in a very unstable community for the past 14 years. I grew up in the Dark Lord's services; I've seen what he does to those not loyal to him or those who failed him. He's ruthless and so are lots of his minions. By making it look as if I was ruling over them, as if I was the Dark Lord's right hand man, I protected you.
I reeled in the violent tendencies that they were forced to hide from plain sight when the Dark Lord vanished. Draco, I – I almost lost you – even before you were born. The Dark Lord cared nothing about the fact that your mother was pregnant of you, he cared nothing about the idea that any of his followers were pregnant. If they didn't show when he called on them, they betrayed him and they would die most horrific deaths.
And even when your mother did show to the meetings, she would be tortured and punished, because her pregnant state made it so she could almost contribute nothing to our cause. After one of these sessions, I took her to our professional private Healer and he told me that your mother had almost miscarried from the pain he had put her under, that we were lucky he had ended his curse when he did. I hated and wanted to defy him over this, but couldn't bare to take such a risk.
Then it happened. Potter ended the Dark Lord's reign. I, like everyone else, felt free, Draco. It wasn't just his victims and the public in general who had been afraid of him at the time. Your mother and I and all other followers who hadn't been tortured and punished to insanity by him felt the same way. But when I started to notice that the Aurors were just incapable of capturing monsters like Greyback and others, fear struck at me again.
That's why I pleaded for the Imperius, why I almost drained our Vaults to ensure that I could stay out of Azkaban, why I took Crouch's deal. I did all of that as well as assert myself above all other Purebloods and made myself as popular in the higher circles as I am these days, for you. To give you the safe, warm, loving environment that was provided to me the night Potter ended that reign of fright and terror and pain. To make sure you would never feel the pain I did.
I know I taught you that the Dark Lord was great, that he would return and lead us and whatnot. But I did that to protect you. That's how Death Eaters as crazy as your aunt, Snape and Greyback think. Because you spew that dogma as well, they spare you, they respect you, they treat you kindly instead of spiting and wanting to hurt you. I know I should have told you all this sooner, but I didn't want to take the risk. He was out there and I didn't know who to trust with this information."
"Then why tell me now?" Draco had asked and I had answered: "Because if there is any source I can be more afraid of or respect more deeply than Voldemort – it's the Unspeakables. And if that one that cleansed my mark says that they have such a high chance of taking him out, I believe her." Draco had nodded and looked thoughtful at this before he said: "Father, I wish to remain home. At least until the Dark Lord – until he – is no more. In the meantime I need your help. I want to return to Hogwarts a new – no, a better – person."
I had beamed at my boy and we have been working hard on the lesson plan that we developed for this alongside his mother. There had been a total of three times since then that Voldemort called me to him and I had taken on the persona that I had been building for this ever since my Mark was cleansed. And while I really didn't like it, did I come home to Draco and Narcissa a pained and nervous wreck each time, having fallen victim to his torment.
The first time had been over the fact that Severus had been caught by the Unspeakables when trying to retrieve the orb for our master, in an attempt to make up for his mistake of all those years ago. This had been the excuse that Pomfrey had discussed with me several times before I had been called and every Death Eater that had been present that night had gone home in the same state that I returned home in, shuddering, twitching and bleeding from several points. Draco had been horrified to see me and I had been horrified at the fact that he had seen me like this.
The second time had been slightly more pleasant, but no less painful. Apparently the Dark Lord had given me and some others instructions while putting us under various torture curses and thanks to the pain we had been under, none of us had any recollection of hearing them. For this we had been punished, yet Voldemort had been lenient and told us that the punishment would remain light as he called it.
Yet he had also send us of with the threat of a true punishment if we didn't come to his next calling with results from the orders we had been given. And the order I had been given had made me feel only all the happier that I am now spying on him for the Unspeakables as I had been ordered to use the Minister to free Severus for him. Instead of this, I had inquired about the filthy bastard with Pomfrey, who had actually shown me a picture of Snape's current state. The man looked worse than Black did after years of being in Azkaban and the sight delighted me.
In the week that followed, I had worked my hardest to alter the memory, making it look different yet not in a way that would alert anyone to the changes, making sure that Voldemort would not be able to detect the lie from the truth if he were to try and rape my mind for information. I had, after this, returned, a look of regret and grief on my face as I had whispered: "My Lord, I'm sorry. I – I was – too late." And even the Cruciatus that I received as answer had not hurt as bad as usual.
Yet over the weeks, I have also taken on another role, besides teaching Draco and spying on that monster. Every time Pomfrey and the other Unspeakables managed to have Snape repair the damage he had caused, the woman would send me the item in question and I would contact either Lupin or Pomfrey, depending on who of the two would be in our world at the time. Potter had even decided to help in this and, to Draco's shock, lent us his owl.
I myself had been shocked and slightly wary of the strange device that the owl was carrying with her alongside a note that apparently had instructions on how to use it. The instructions had been simple enough, though the words yeah, this works even inside Hogwarts had confused me at first. I had followed the instructions and had yelped in shock at seeing Lupin's face appearing on the strange device in my hand.
"What? How? What is this magic?" I had asked and Lupin had grinned and said: "Not magic, Lucius. Technology." And instantly I had understood Potter's mysterious message and thought: "This thing works – on elesissy?" And while Draco had tried to spew insults at the Muggle device, Lupin had said: "Not Muggle, Draco. This is a device from Lea's world. It's used all over the universe here." And this knowledge had turned Draco's disgust into intrigue.
Ever since I have been using the Gummi phone – as Lupin called it – to call on either him or Pomfrey and we had discussed various disguises for the snowy owl, to make sure no one would spot her and think Potter was back when it was really just his owl being used for top-secret business. Draco even got a bit of a deal of his own out of it as it allowed him to start corresponding with the Chasers from the Gryffindor team.
At first the boy had been reluctant with this desire, fearing that he would be called a traitor by the other Snakes, but Narcissa had been the one to encourage him and said: "You have Sirius' bravery, Draco. And he was brave and strong enough to end up in Gryffindor and make a great life for himself. You might be a Snake, but that doesn't mean you can't make a difference there the same way he did inside House Black."
Draco had written this in one of his first letters to the girls and it had been the Johnson girl who had written back, telling us how she reluctantly agreed and was willing to give the new Draco a chance. Though she also added quite a few imaginative threats for if Draco was either deceiving or tricking her or if he ever felt like reverting back to his old self. "I can see why those Weasley twins have a thing for her." Draco has whispered breathlessly as he read this. And now, the day of reckoning has finally arrived – and I am ready to do my part.
Narcissa's POV
I've been dreading today ever since Unspeakable Pomfrey told us the date that she and her team would take out the monster that has been installing fear in the hearts of so many of my people. Lucius has done an amazing job over the last month, proving once and for all that he really is a better spy than Snape ever could even dream to be and working around the Dark Lord like a pro. I myself have been doing my part to help as well.
On request of the Unspeakables, I have been arranging meetings with the Ladies of various Houses, of which the Lords were all in service of that monster. I invite them over, have Pomfrey stand guard in a corner for me and tell them what was in the marks on their husbands arms. All of them would then take the Unspeakable with them and Pomfrey would remove this spell with each of their husband's before coming back to thank me for my warning. I had told them all the same thing: "I'm a mother." And they had all agreed with me.
But now those words sound hollow, painful and horrible as another sentence keeps trying to add itself to it in my mind over and over and I try with every bit of mental strength that I have to keep that line away from it. Soon to be a single mom. Keeps trying to push itself to the front of my mind, but I fight it, silently telling myself: "No, Lucius will live. He has been working too hard to be a solid part of Draco's life, he won't fail us, not now, not ever." Yet even my faith in my husband feels like it wavers in the presence of my fear for his life.
Dumbledore's POV
I have been waiting for fourteen years for this day. Waiting, planning, calculating – and making too many mistakes to count. All because I swore myself to believe in a bunch of words, a bunch of sentences that, to my desperate belief, could bring solace and peace to a war-torn world and country. Because I was a fool and believed that a prophesy could have only one meaning, even though the subject Divinations is the most mythical and obscure art of them all. And with that I made myself blind to millions of chances and opportunities, plans and options.
I have been cursing myself every day for several months now and blessing the fates and every other Power that Be and Is up there for the fact that they blessed Harry with a child. I have also been looking back at that day with a mixture of disgust and relief. Disgust over my own actions, beliefs and behavior of the day and relief over everything that happened because of it and that happened since then, both the good and the bad.
But while I know that the Unspeakables will be the ones to take out Voldemort and while I know that Harry is safely away in the Garden, have I not been sitting still this past month. I have been having many various meetings with the Order, some of its members annoyed and confused about why this was and me explaining. "There are two reasons. One, we need to make sure no one gets hurt when the Unspeakables take Tom to Hogsmeade. Two, we need to make sure this war doesn't end the same way the last one did."
And while I hadn't needed to do it, had I gazed across the table, over to the empty seat on the other side, where Sirius would have sat had he not been in the Garden with his kids. Everyone in the Order had understood exactly what I meant with that look and since then meetings had been ending with very positive and promising results each and every time. Kingsley and Tonks had had the most results as they had been slowly gaining ground in their own office.
"We're slowly but surely recruiting more and more Aurors and Hit-Wizards as well as other talented casters. There will be at least five of each in every other building in Hogsmeade on Thursday, Albus. I can already promise you that." The man had told me and when Tonks had suggested that they would try and make it every building, I had declined the offer. "You've done enough. Now make sure you and the others are prepared. There may be Death Eaters in Hogsmeade as well."
And thanks to Remus, and through him, Lucius, do I know this for certain, yet I also feel as if Lady Fate or Destiny is playing with us. "There is at least one Death Eater who is trying and has managed to gain access to every other building inside Hogsmeade, Albus. Lucius told me of it. Voldemort plans to wreck small bits of havoc across the weekend. Not enough to announce his return, but enough to make the villagers and the students terrified, to make them too afraid to leave the castle."
"How is it that they are infiltrating every building that the Order isn't working on?" I can't help but think as I gaze out of my window and over to where the small town looms in the distance. Already I know that Pepper is there and that Poppy is in her wing as she refused to let Remus have the shift today, as they have grown to call it. I also know that Pepper won't be in Hogsmeade much longer, but her next destination has me greatly worried.
"I wish you both the best of luck. And Lucius, I know I don't need to think or even say this, but – keep Draco safe." I think to myself before I turn to the room at large, which is filled to the point of bursting with Order members, Aurors, Hit-wizards and even several witches and wizards that Fleur managed to get from across the pond, most of them actually combat teachers at Beauxbattons. I turn to look at each of them and say:
"I might pray and hope that, at the end of all this, I will be able to see you all return to this office or even the Great Hall to celebrate, but I will not. I will not fool myself with such a notion and neither should any of you. You need to be ready. There are Death Eaters inside Hogsmeade and we don't know how many of them have turned like Lucius. We also can't rely on him as he will be the one to keep Voldemort busy and try to separate him from his snake, Nagini."
At this everyone in the room nods and I say: "I have one last update that was just recently given to me by Pepper. Voldemort will arrive in Hogsmeade, but he won't remain there for long. I don't know what Pepper meant with this and have already asked Poppy, who is also clueless. However, I do not believe Pepper meant Voldemort's physical form when she said he wouldn't be there for long. Her body language gave me a feeling that wasn't the case. So be prepared for anything."
Everyone nods again and Minerva takes over as she says: "These are the Unspeakables. Remember that and be on the lookout for anything that might make you think that's impossible. When it comes to this group, remember that nothing is impossible." And for some reason I get the feeling that she, I myself and a few others are going to receive evidence of this very soon, making me turn my head to look out the window yet again.
Sorry not sorry,
I had to. I had to create one last bit of build-up to all of this. But I promise that next chapter IT IS GOING DOWN! I have my drive back and wrote this whole thing, from the meeting between Poppy and Scrooge to this, in only a day's time. And now, I once more feel confident that I can bring this story to an end. Now part of me was thinking of adding Harry and the others – or at least one of their POV's – to this chapter as well, but that would have been too much.
Time to end it,
Venquine1990
