Disclaimer: Part three of 'The Meaning of Fear' and I still maintain that part two's title was not a 'Dark Wing Duck' ref.
In Terrorem
"Looky," Luna called out as she bounced across the Great Hall to the Head Table. "Looky, Looky, Looky." She held out her hand proudly to present her find to Harry.
"Nice looking spoon," Harry said approvingly, "where did you find it?"
"It was under the slate roof of the unused north tower," Luna replied. She cradled the Rune Spoon of Antioch close to her chest.
"Would you like to try it out?"
"Yes please," Luna said eagerly.
"After we get done with classes," Harry said indulgently.
"Yay."
To the consternation of most of the Professors and the amusement of the students, Luna climbed over the table and flopped into Harry's lap.
IIIIIIIIII
Luna had a look of profound serenity on her face as she stalked towards the bound woman. Harry had picked their next victim with cunning and care. They wanted to find someone that could be used to send a message to the community of 'ex' Death Eaters and sympathisers that infested the British Islands.
"You did a very naughty thing," Luna purred, "people who do naughty things must be punished."
"Please no," she whimpered, "please."
"Did your victims beg for mercy?" Luna asked intently.
"I . . ."
"How about I give you as much mercy as they got," Luna asked, "that sounds fair doesn't it?"
"No . . . NO . . . AHHHHHHARG."
Luna's rabit punch to the throat silenced her victim and the blond went back to her task. After she'd finished, Luna skipped back to Harry to present her prize.
"Very nice Luna," Harry praised the girl. He ignored the moaning woman tied to the chair in the middle of the room. "Look what I've got for you."
"A jar?" Luna asked, she blinked in confusion.
"Not just a jar," Harry said, "it's more about what's in it."
"What's in it?" Luna asked obediently.
"A very mysterious liquid." He grabbed the girl around the waist and pulled her close. "One that hardens when exposed to air."
"So that I can make myself a unique and tasteful paperweight." Luna squealed. "Oh Harry, thank you."
"Only the best for my girl," Harry said fondly.
"But who was she and what did she do?" Luna asked.
"Does it matter?"
"No," Luna said, "not unless you say it does."
"She was an alibi," Harry explained, "for hire. Several Death Eaters escaped prison because of her."
"Oh."
"She had a line that she was fond of using," Harry continued, "she used to tell the court that the defendant couldn't possibly have committed the crimes that they were accused of because 'she had her eyes on them the whole time.' I thought she was an appropriate test of that new spoon of yours."
"Mmmmm." Luna rubbed her cheek on his chest.
IIIIIIIIII
Harry's first class of the day was the quietest and best behaved class seen by any Hogwarts Professor in a number of years. The news of how Harry had set Snape up for death had quickly spread throughout the school and the rumors of what secrets lurked in their Professor's past was more then enough to keep the peace.
After class, Hermione nervously approached the Professor and his assistant who were both waiting by the door to field any questions.
"Professor . . . um . . ." Hermione just couldn't bring herself to address a Professor by his first name. She also couldn't bring herself to look anywhere near his desk after accidently meeting the gaze of his assistant's new paperweight.
"Yes," Harry replied. His eyes were the only thing that didn't show utter calm, they reflected loss.
"I was just wondering why you had an assistant."
"And you wanted to know how you could become one of the other Professor's assistants, yes?"
"Yes," Hermione admitted with a blush.
"Luna is a special case. She's . . . she's like a second pair of hands," Harry explained.
"I'm very good at any type of job for Harry that requires hands," Luna chirped, "Harry gives me lots of practice."
"Uh . . ." To be honest, Hermione wasn't quite sure how to take that.
"But to answer your real question, I'd advise you to ask Professor McGonagall or Professor Flitwick if they would like a bit of help."
"Thank you Professor," Hermione squeaked.
The two killers watched as the girl with their deceased friend's face skipped out of the room. Niether of them spoke, what could they have possibly said.
IIIIIIIIII
Luna woke up when the warm spot that signified Harry to her sleeping mind disappeared. Her eyes opened slowly to see the one man that ment everything to her looking down with a smile on his face.
"Do you know what day it is Luna?" Harry asked as the sleepy blond rubbed her eyes.
"No Harry."
"It's our anniversary," Harry said grandly, "the day you swore yourself to me."
"But I thought that it was not for another six months," Luna said in confusion. She was perfectly prepared to trust Harry's word of course, but a girl liked to know why sometimes.
"Check the calender," Harry said with a smile, "there seem to be a bit of a time differential between here and our world, but we can have another celebration later if you like."
"Then we'll have two anniversaries?" Luna asked hopefully.
Harry gave an indulgent nod.
"Yay."
"Come along," Harry commanded, "I have a lot of things planned."
"As you wish," Luna agreed.
IIIIIIIIII
The Potter twins frowned in confusion as they reread the note they'd received from their parents categorically forbidding prank, bother, or spend time alone with the mysterious new Defence Professor or his assistant.
"What do you think it means?" The 'slightly' older twin asked.
"I think it mean that we should find out more about our new professor," the other twin replied, "and about why Uncle Sirius and Remus sent notes of their own."
"Yeah."
IIIIIIIIII
"This house contains ten people," Harry lectured, "two Death Eaters and several sympathizers."
"May I pretty please kill them all," Luna begged, remembering what had happened to a second year Puff that Avery had grabbed for his initiation ceremony.
"Well . . . leave one alive to talk about what they saw."
"Yes Harry," Luna said with a disappointed pout.
"Alive doesn't mean not nailed to the front door," Harry told the girl, "or in good condition."
"And if they aren't strong enough to live through what I'm going to do to them, it's their problem."
"Not yours," Harry agreed, "have fun love."
Harry sat down to enjoy the sunshine as he waited for his minion to finish up the bloody work of exterminating the Avery family.
"Should have brought a book," he said to himself as the screams began, "ah well."
Harry got up two hours later when the screams stopped and walked towards the door. Luna was waiting for him when he arrived.
"Would you pretty please hold him up while I nail him to the door," Luna asked sweetly. The girl was literally covered in blood from head to toe, her eyes the only things not stained red.
"Of course Luna," Harry agreed. He grabbed the trembling man by the shoulders and pushed him into the door. "Anything for you."
Harry ignored the screams as Luna drove the first spike through the man's hand.
"You know better then that," he sighed, "you need to put them through the wrists to hold him up."
"I was going to do that next," Luna explained, "I found extra nails in the house."
"Never mind then," Harry said glibly, "I'm sorry I doubted you."
Luna giggled happily as she drove the next spike through the wrist and her giggles turned to laughter as she finished up her bloody work.
"And that is that," she said as she put the last nails through the man's feet. "Pity the door wasn't higher though."
"He's off the ground," Harry said calmly, "and that's all that matters."
"I suppose," Luna said critically, "but I really think that it would look prettier if we had him another six inches up."
"We can do that next time," Harry said indulgently.
"Yay," Luna cheered. She threw her arms around Harry, sending tiny droplets of blood flying everywhere and rubbed her cheek on his chest.
"Now let's go get you cleaned up," he continued, "can't have you looking like this when we get our lunch."
"Why not?"
"They frown on that sort of thing at the place I have reservations," Harry explained, "snooty."
"Formal?"
"Semi."
"Alright then," Luna said with a nod, "will you shower with me?"
"Of course."
IIIIIIIIII
Luna gazed at Harry across the table with a look of near worship on her face. What she felt for him went beyond meer love and loyalty, he was her everything and it was times like this, times when he went out of his way to arrange a special day that she remembered what had first drawn her to the Potter boy.
"How did you like our special day Luna?" Harry asked the girl.
"It was wonderful Harry," Luna gushed, "everything I could have hoped for and more."
"Day isn't over yet," Harry said with a smile, "I have one more event planned before the big finale."
"Does the big finale involve us getting some hot sticky personal fun?" Luna asked hopefully. "Of the bedroom sort," she added thinking of all the hot sticky sorts of fun that didn't involve things described in the Kama Sutra.
"Of course," Harry assured the girl, "but before that."
"Yes."
"I've arranged a little family reunion for you. Which one of your relatives was it that died before you had a chance to show them how you felt about them?"
"Truly," Luna squeaked.
"Truly," Harry confirmed.
IIIIIIIIII
Lucius Malfoy wasn't sure what had happened. The last thing he remembered, he was sitting in his study plotting ways to siphon funds out of one of the numerous charities that were under his control and now he appeared to be tied up and blindfolded.
"I don't know who you are," Lucius growled, "but you have no idea who you are messing with."
"On the contrary," a strange voice laughed, "I know exactly who you are."
Lucius blinked as the blindfold was roughly pulled off. He turned to regard his attacker and was not reassured when he made a tentative identification.
"You're the new Defense Professor at Hogwarts," Lucius accused, "you can't do this." Rumor of what the man had done in the past had reached Lucius. He hadn't thought it any cause for concern in the past, who was daft enough to challenge the might of the Malfoy family after all. Now though, now he wasn't so sure.
"Tell me Lucius," Harry said in a pleasant tone, "have you ever heard of a blood eagle?"
"No," Lucius gasped, "you can't." One look at the man's face had debased Lucius of any notion that the whole thing was a pantomime of some sort.
"I can," Harry purred, "I think you meant to say 'you won't.' And if you did, then you are quite correct."
"Then . . ."
"Because she is going to do it for me," Harry said as Luna entered the room.
"Hello," Luna said with a serene look on her face, "it's been a while hasn't it Uncle Lucius?"
"You can't be," Lucius said, "you're dead . . . I arranged it myself."
"Good to know," Luna said cheerfully as she approached the bound man, "say goodbye uncle Lucius."
"No . . . . no . . . NOOOOOOOOOOOOO."
IIIIIIIIII
Amelia didn't bother looking towards the sound of one of her Aurors getting violently and messily sick. It was something she wished she'd been able to do herself, a luxury she wasn't permitted. The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had to set an example after all.
"Report," she barked.
"It's nasty Chief," the senior investigator on the scene said, "worse then anything I've ever seen the Death Eaters do before . . . and to some of their own too."
"We sure it was Death Eaters?"
"Who else could it be Chief?" The man asked. "We got one survivor who refuses to talk about who did this and why. No other group does things like this, I got nothing else."
"Survivor?"
"Poor bastard was nailed to the front door," the Auror said sickly, "his eyes were burned out and his genitalia was removed by some sort of blunt object."
"No Dark Mark?"
"None Chief."
"I know that a completely different thought occurs to me when I hear about a crime like this," Amelia said with a cold grin, "considering who the victims are and what their beliefs were."
"Can't say I don't follow your logic Chief," the Auror agreed quickly, "but we don't have any other suspects. Dumbledore's people wouldn't do something like this and I'm positive it wasn't done by one of ours."
"Why not?"
"Cause they didn't ask if I wanted in," the Auror admitted, "which they would have if it was some of our boys."
"Alright," Amelia agreed, "then what . . ."
"Then what we have is a fourth group," the Auror said, "off the record. On the record, I'm still going to blame the Death Eaters for this."
"So noted, I . . ."
"Got another one Chief," a young Auror called as she arrived, "this one's bad."
"How bad?"
"Like the sort of thing I read about in history books bad," the woman said breathlessly, "I think it's best if you were to see for yourself."
"Who's the vic?"
"Lucius Malfoy."
"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," Amelia said with a grin, "come on."
IIIIIIIIII
The matron of the Greengrass family allowed herself to raise an eyebrow in surprise when she identified the bedraggled person standing on her doorstep.
"Narcissa," she said with a cultured smile, "it's been too long."
"May I come in?" Narcissa asked formally.
"Of course," she agreed, "what can I do for you?"
"Thank you Madame Greengrass," Narcissa said woodenly, "I have a favor to ask of thee."
"Narcissa please, call me Nicole."
"Thank you . . . Nicole."
"Now what's this favor you've come to ask?"
"We'd like you to approach Dumbledore on our behalf to ask him what it will take to call off his dogs," Narcissa said with a shudder.
"Just who exactly is we?"
"Several people who have family that chose to enter the service of the Dark Lord."
"I see, what do you mean by dogs?"
"Something has been hunting Death Eaters and sympathisers," Narcissa explained, "and whatever it is doesn't seem to discriminate between active and passive supporters."
"Does Lucius know you're here?"
"Lucius is dead," Narcissa said flatly, "taken from our home and . . . and the Aurors told me what happened to him after that."
"I see."
"Please just pass on the message," Narcissa begged, "please."
"Of course Narcissa," Nicole agreed, "I'd be happy to help you in this matter."
"And I in turn will be happy to help you with another matter in the future."
"So mote it be."
AN: The blame for this part goes to meteoricshipyards. He made a comment that started the whole thing off. Polish by dogbertcarroll. On a personal note, I've arranged internet for my apartment and will (hopefully) start posting fics again.
Mini Omake by Ed Becerra
"Run, it's Harry Potter!"
"Why should I run, I'm no damned Death Eater?"
"Harry's been eating garlic cheddar cheese again!"
"AUUUUUGH! EVERYBODY RUN!"
snerk
And on Dumbledore's side of things:
"Garlic? In cheddar cheese? Obviously this store MUST somehow be part of a Dark-inspired plot. I must contact the American Department of Magic, as soon as possible. They must know of this threat..."