CHAPTER 86: Life Sentence (Part 1)

Department of Magical Law Enforcement

2:05 a.m.

Hermione knew she should be asleep. She was tired, or at least her body was, but her mind kept running at top speed. It was all a mess, a blur of a million thoughts, emotions, and helplessness that forced her to burn herself out before she was allowed to sleep.

It had been a little over a week and a half since she'd been brought into the DMLE. And in just that little time, her entire view of the world had crashed and toppled over at such speed it gave her whiplash. She had thought she was smart. She had thought she had everything figured out. That she wasn't just a kid anymore. That she had something to bring to the table and could actually solve grown-up problems. But she'd been naive. From the start, she had made mistake after mistake, and now it had finally caught up with her.

Her parents had been brought in, and she had never been happier to see them. They weren't wizards, nor did they have much say in the wizarding world, but that didn't matter. They were smart people, and more importantly, they had been there to calm her down and promise that everything would be alright. It was mostly to reassure her, Hermione could tell, but she had decided to ignore that and allowed herself to believe it.

"You're a smart girl, Hermione," Scrimgeour had told her on her first day in the interrogation room. "More than that, you're a good person. You're not who we want."

"So I'm not in trouble?" She asked.

"Not if you tell us everything you know. And I mean everything. I'll know if you're lying."

"I…" Hermione trailed off. There were so many things she couldn't say simply because of the Secrecy ritual Dumbledore had made her undergo. And she couldn't just say she had made up what she had told him about Harry at the New Year's Ball, he would see right through her. "I can't."

Maybe if she actually knew anything of note about Harry, she would have considered talking. But she hadn't been able to read through all of Rita's research before it had been yanked out of her hands by Scrimgeour. They knew everything she knew about Harry. And they never bothered with hiding it.

"Look," Scrimgeour told her one day. "I can see where you're coming from. I understand. I read the files. It's easy to feel pity for him, because all that happened… it was unjust. It should have never happened. And I'm going to use this file to make sure the people responsible are held accountable for it. But Potter… he's out there on a murder spree. Maybe once… he was a sweet, innocent lad who you'd want to protect. But right now, the Wizarding World needs protection from him."

"It's not that," Hermione said, pushing through the topic, so she wouldn't have to say anything about it. "It's…"

"Twenty-three people, Hermione. That's how many people he's murdered over the past three months. Twenty-three people. And if Potter actually killed Montague like the report states he did, then it implies he set up Tracey Davis to go to Azkaban. And I think we both know what happened to her after Black and the other Death Eaters besieged it. So that's twenty-four people. How many more have to die before you realise Harry Potter needs to be stopped?"

On and on it went. She'd lost track of how much time she had actually spent inside the interrogation room. How many questions she'd answered. Her own views started getting distorted with every prodding from Scrimgeour and Bones.

They didn't want to charge her, but with every day they continued to hold her she became more afraid they actually would. She had tried to blackmail the Head Auror by trying to force him to include her in the investigation, otherwise, she wouldn't reveal Harry's location to him. That was blackmail and maybe even obstruction of justice right there. With Harry's case being the highest priority, one that Minister Fudge himself was pushing to be solved immediately, the Aurors had told her they could keep her for two weeks at most before having to charge her.

She could still remember her first night in the DMLE, when Scrimgeour had walked her down to the cell block. She remembered how small she felt, how her heart pounded faster and more forcefully with every step she took. Her hands were shaking even as she tried to maintain a strong face. And when the door slammed shut onto the bars, the shriek echoed in her head over and over again, all night. She hadn't been able to sleep at all then. And tonight wasn't any different.

Scrimgeour had had her in the interrogation room for hours. He and Madam Bones had taken turns with her, going over the same questions, trying to prod her into giving them more information. Even told her they would have to charge her soon, and once they did, they weren't going to give her any plea deals. Hermione had felt as if the room was slowly shrinking around her. She was barely able to breathe straight before Kingsley came into the room and whispered something into Scrimgeour's ear that led to the two Aurors all but bolting out of the room.

She'd lost track of how many hours had gone by since then. And though her body was tired enough that she could have thrown herself to the ground and gone to sleep, her mind was still racing. And just as her eyelids were about to give in to the fatigue and let her drift to sleep, she heard footsteps hurrying to the interrogation room.

"Getoff me!" A voice slurred from outside.

"You have the right to remain silent, Mister Potter," Scrimgeour said. "I recommend you use it."

"Go fuck yourself!"

The door suddenly opened and Harry was pushed inside. Hermione couldn't help but stare at how horrible he looked. His hair was all over the place, and there was this manic look in his bloodshot eyes. Both his hands and feet were handcuffed, and his shirt was torn in all sorts of places. There were even some bloodstains on them, though he didn't seem to be hurt anymore. And when his eyes landed on hers, he immediately scowled.

"What is she doing here?" His voice was groggy and slurred, the words nearly tripping over each other.

"Oh, Miss Granger. I forgot you were here. I'll have an Auror take you back to your cell as soon as possible. Mister Potter, you, on the other hand, should make yourself comfortable. We're in for a long night."

"Take these chains off, and I'll make it short, you fat motherfucker." Harry snarled, throwing himself into the other chair and turning his back to Scrimgeour.

Scrimgeour didn't retort, only shutting the door behind him, and silence began to suffocate the room. Harry sat with his hands on his head, muttering threats and promises - sometimes burping in between. She should have been scared. Maybe if she hadn't known everything from Rita's report, she would have been. But as she looked at Harry, she couldn't help but think how small he looked. He didn't look threatening, he was more akin to a cornered animal. The crazed look in his eye wasn't a reflection of a murderer's remorseless rage, but a scared, desperate attempt to look strong. Just looking at him, knowing what she knew, felt like a violation. As if she'd put on new glasses that allowed her to see a million different colours she never knew existed. And she hated it… but at the same time… she couldn't bring herself to look away from it.

"What!?" He suddenly snapped, and Hermione realised he knew she had been staring. "What the hell are you doing here? What the fuck do you want?"

"I- I…" She stammered. "I don't want anyth-"

"Bullshit!" He screamed, and though there was nothing but hatred in his eyes. She never felt like he was going to suddenly lunge at her. "You've done nothing but harassing me ever since Christmas. Following me around. Spying on me. And now you're here and- what, exactly? Am I supposed to believe that this was all just a big coincidence?"

"I didn-"

"Just tell me what the fuck you want!"

"I don't wan-"

"Then leave me the fuck alone!"

"I know about Montague," Hermione shouted, the words coming from her very soul that it took her a moment to realise what she had said. The simple phrase stopped Harry in his tracks, all the anger had been suddenly flushed from his face, leaving him looking as if she had just slapped him. "I know, Harry… I know about… everything."

"Everything…" He echoed.

"I… yes. Everything. Before Hogwarts… during Hogwarts… and… now. I… I know."

"You know," his voice was almost hollow.

"I… I'm sorry. I… I was just so confused. I didn't know what to think. And it was driving me insane, you know? Especially after what happened to you at Grimmauld. What Sirius did. What I… I needed answers. And when you weren't giving them to me, I couldn't take it. So I told Rita… I- I forced her to look into you. To learn everything about you and tell me."

Harry's face slowly lost expression, degrading into a distant look that was instantly more terrifying than any other reaction he could have had. She felt like she'd just dropped a nuclear bomb, and it hadn't gone off. Or maybe it had, and she just couldn't see it yet.

"Harry, please say something."

"You… you forced Rita Skeeter to investigate me. To delve into… into my life. My private stuff. And tell you… just for kicks?"

"It- it wasn't for kicks."

"Then what the fuck was it for, Hermione!" He snarled, leaping from his chair in a move that made Hermione flinch and push her chair back. Not that Harry noticed, turning and kicking his own chair so hard it flew across the room and hit the wall. And before Hermione could begin to process just how painful that must have been, Harry turned back to her. "Who gave you the right to pry into my life? Don't tell me. You did it for the Greater good. You did it to stop the big bad wolf. The monster of Britain. You were doing the country a service, right?"

"No, I wasn-"

"Or maybe you were just helping the Order out. Finding out everything you could to justify what Black did to me. How the entire Order treated me before they even laid eyes on me."

"Harry, that wasn'-"

"Then why did you do it?"

"I did it for me, okay!" Hermione shouted, standing up herself. "I did it because I was selfish. Because I was stupid. Because I didn't think it through. I just focused on myself and didn't think how it would impact you. About what I would find." Hermione felt a weight lift from her heart as she said it. As if her ribcage that had been choking it just a few moments ago finally gave it space to breathe. "And I'm sorry."

She dropped onto her chair and stared at the ground.

"I just… with everything that happened. Everything I said to you… how I just stood there and let Sirius… do what he did. I couldn't help the feeling that I… that something was wrong with me. That I'd done the wrong thing. And I needed to prove to myself that I didn't. I needed to do it so badly. I… deep down I wanted to believe you were a monster. That you deserved… everything. That I was right. That I had done the right thing." She sighed. "But I was wrong. God, I was so wrong. What happened to you… everything that was done… you didn't deserve that-"

"Stop," Harry said through gritted teeth. "Just don't."

Hermione opened her mouth but stopped as she saw the look on his face. It wasn't a threat or a warning… it was a plea. She dropped her head. "I just… I wanted to know if I was doing the right thing. I wanted to make sure I was going down the right path. Please… just…" Try to understand, what she wanted to say. But after what she did to him, she couldn't ask that of him. So she closed her eyes and felt her heart begin to suffocate again. "I'm sorry."

Parkinson Cottage

9:40 a.m.

As Theo and Pansy treaded up the beaten path, having long ago left the boundaries of Hogsmeade, the small, battered shack that was Parkinson Cottage loomed above them. It had been months since Theo had been there. After the winter break, Bedivere had opted for a less hands-on approach with the two of them, probably because Harry was no longer at Hogwarts, so what little he knew about what they were doing often came through Pansy retelling her grandfather's letters. They were always small and vague updates, never anything about Harry or anything truly crucial. It was always just the same phrase over and over again.

The search is still ongoing.

Maybe this was the reason why that small shack looked so tall to Theo. They wouldn't be here if something hadn't gone horribly wrong. "He's going to be alright, right?" He couldn't help but say. "That dumbarse didn't go and blow himself up, did he?"

"Merlin, Theo, calm down," Pansy rolled her eyes, and Theo remembered this hadn't been the first time he'd asked that since they had left the Great Hall. "Potter's too stubborn to die. You know that already."

"He's also petty enough to get himself killed before we get the chance to curse him for throwing us out of the room." He still hadn't forgiven his friend for that. And even some nights, he couldn't help but ponder how long he would curse the moron before he finally did.

Pansy sighed as they reached the shack. "I don't know any more about this than you do. Let's just see what news grandfather has, and we can talk about it after."

Theo nodded, though it didn't make him feel any better.

When they stepped inside, Bedivere and Kieran were already there. But there was no sign of Harry or Yaxley or even their missing teacher - that Carrow woman. But there was someone else. A man standing at the corner, his back to the wall, so engrossed in his thoughts he almost seemed to have forgotten there were other people in the room. Bedivere didn't look thrilled. He wasn't really agitated or angry, but there was a certain stiffness in his posture that betrayed the calmness he was trying to portray. Kieran didn't look any better, his face identical to one of Hagrid's small creatures whenever the half-giant chastised them for being bad.

The two of them exchanged a few pleasantries with the other Parkinsons before sitting down, and Bedivere immediately got right to it. He explained their progress with the search more thoroughly, finally giving the details he couldn't risk through the letters. Unfortunately, the story didn't end with a new Horcrux being found - besides the one Harry somehow got while staying at the Longbottoms (he would need Pansy to explain that to him later) - but with Harry disappearing and the Aurors showing up in the town where Kieran and Harry had been looking for one of the Horcruxes.

"How did you let that happen?" Pansy immediately snapped at her brother.

"It's not like I did it on purpose."

"He was with you. How can you just suddenly lose him?"

Kieran looked irritated but held his tongue. Perhaps Bedivere had told him off already, and with Pansy piling up against him, even Theo knew this was a battle Kieran wouldn't be able to win. "Potter told me he wanted some air. We had been looking for the Horcrux all week - non-stop. Researching. Doing stuff that a daft, impulsive twat like Potter would just hate. I thought he would be back later. And when he wasn't, I just assumed he'd gone back to his place. It wasn't until I saw the Aurors apparating all over town that I realised he'd done something to get himself caught."

"So he's at the DMLE?" Theo asked before they could get derailed with more family squabble. "That Flint guy. He's an Auror, isn't he? Have you talked to him?"

"We've made contact," Bedivere said. "Unfortunately, Harry wasn't taken into custody until late last night, so he wasn't part of the group of Aurors who were at the scene. And now that he's at the DMLE, Scrimgeour wants to make sure he stays there. He's limiting any access to Potter solely to him, and a few Aurors he trusts. Mister Flint, being a mere rookie, will not have that privilege."

"Well, what about you?" Theo said, before realising his tone was a little impertinent. "I mean… you're the Head of the Department of Mysteries. Can't you just say you want him… and… you get him?"

Bedivere gave him an amused, even if barely noticeable, smile. "Unfortunately, that's not how it works. Not all Unspeakable horror stories are true, Mister Nott."

"Most are," a voice spoke from behind him, and Theo realised he'd completely forgotten about the man that had been in the room with them. He hadn't said anything, hadn't even turned to look at them.

"Pansy, Mister Nott. This is Augustus Rookwood."

"The Augustus Rookwood? Weren't you-"

"At Azkaban. Yes." The man said, deadly serious.

"Another recruit?" Pansy asked her grandfather.

"Not quite. Not yet, anyway. However, Augustus has decided to humour me and attend this meeting."

Rookwood didn't say anything, once again fading back into his corner. His eyes were already a thousand miles away.

"So what are we going to do about Harry?" Pansy asked.

The room went quiet as everyone waited for Bedivere to respond. But when a few moments passed Theo realised what was happening.

"You're not going to do anything about him, are you?"

"No," he said calmly. "I'm afraid there are larger concerns at the moment."

The calmness in his voice pissed people off. He'd always known Bedivere hadn't taken Harry under his wing out of any kindness or regard. Harry was simply useful. But somehow, it almost seemed unexpected. And though Theo would never be able to muster up the courage (or stupidity) to outright insult Pansy's grandfather, the Head of the Department of Mysteries and a wizard who almost vibrated with power, he was tempted. "If Harry really is the person the prophecy refers to - which I know you do believe - what use will he have if he's locked up at the DMLE? You've seen the Prophet. I'm sure Flint has even told you all about the investigation. Scrimgeour's going to eat him alive. He won't let this go. What could be more important than this?"

"Yaxley," Kieran scoffed. "We can't find him."

"What do you mean you can't find him?" Pansy asked.

"He's not in any of his safehouses. Letters won't reach him. He isn't answering our calls. It's like he vanished from the face of the earth."

"Given his role in the damage Harry did to the Knights of Walpurgis, there is a very real possibility that they have him," Bedivere said gravely. "But it's not just he that is missing. Corban had the locket Horcrux. More than that, he was working on a map to find all the Dark Lord's Horcruxes. If the Knights decide to show that to the Dark Lord, or if by whatever means he finds out, this would all be for nothing. It wouldn't matter if Potter or Longbottom or some arbitrary boy from a Ministry school is the one the prophecy speaks of. With the Horcruxes still out there, there is no defeating the Dark Lord."

"So if you two are going to search for the locket-" Pansy started, only to be interrupted by Rookwood.

"Three," he said.

"If you three are going to search for the locket," she glared at Rookwood. "What do you want us to do? You didn't just call us here to have a little catch-up session, did you?"

"No," Bedivere confessed. "And as much as I'm sure you two would like to help in the Potter matter, that wasn't the reason I called you here."

"Then what is it?" Theo asked.

"The Dark Lord is making his next move soon."

"How soon?" Pansy asked.

"Seven days. He's making a move for the prophecy. Zeus - Lucius Malfoy - will lead a group of Death Eaters into the Department of Mysteries to retrieve the prophecy. There's nothing I can do to stop it without risking my position, as would be the case for Corban if he were here. But you can."

Theo turned to Pansy, trying to see if she was as confused as he was before Kieran voiced his concern. "You want them to go to the Department of Mysteries… and stop the Death Eaters?"

Bedivere didn't react negatively, at least not outwardly, but Theo got the sense the old man was questioning Kieran's relation to him. Rookwood, on the other hand, did nothing to hide his distaste. Scoffing with such pompousness, it could have rivalled both Malfoys combined. "He wants them to make sure Longbottom stays at Hogwarts."

What for? Theo was tempted to ask, but he didn't make it a habit to ask his stupid questions when there were other people around to take the fall for him.

"What for?" Kieran asked.

"Prophecies, and their full contents, are a closely guarded secret in the Department of Mysteries. Only a select few Unspeakables are allowed to even listen to the prophecies, with many not even knowing of their existence. And once the orb has been placed in its secure location with all the other cardinal prophecies, it is protected by safeguards that no one - not even the Head of the Department of Mysteries - has the ability to surpass. It can only be retrieved from its place by an individual who is connected to that prophecy and will be able to hear the actual wording of it. If anyone else were to grab it, they would face a fate worse than death."

"But you said Harry was the subject of the prophecy," Pansy pointed out.

"Prophecies are finicky things, Miss Parkinson," Rookwood said. "They're never cemented until they happen, a subject could be anyone who fits the criteria and who has been chosen by Fate. And Mister Longbottom, having been the one who vanquished the Dark Lord and did the unthinkable by surviving the killing curse, certainly meets the criteria. Much more than Mister Potter."

"Augustus," Bedivere said, a hint of a warning concealed by his calmness. Rookwood seemed to want to say more but abstained himself, and Bedivere continued. "The Dark Lord will try to lure Longbottom in. I'm not sure by what means, but he will. You'll need to make sure he doesn't leave the castle."

"How?" Pansy asked.

"Follow him. Surveil him. Stop him. Use any means necessary."

"And what of Yaxley?" Theo asked. "How are you going to find him?"

"The Knights pride themselves on their secrecy," Bedivere said. "They believe they are the ones handling Britain's future without anyone the wiser. We'll have to rid them of their delusions."

Some Dark And Filthy Dungeon

2:30 p.m.

Corban's eyes fluttered, the dim light of the room somehow blinding. Every movement was hell, his wrist flaring up with white-hot pain from every flinch of his body. They were pulling him up, forcing him to stand on his toes as he had been since he arrived. He'd lost track of time. Track of his own words. At times, he'd even forgotten his own name.

Bile surged up his throat, and before he knew it, he was vomiting all over the floor. A red, bloodied mess. There was something else there too, bits of solid scattered all over the gory pile. But his stomach felt so empty, he could feel it eating at his body, he doubted that it was anything he ate. Blood and vomit trickled down his mouth, he was breathing hard. And when the door opened and more light blasted into the room, he knew his day was only getting started.

A short figure stood at the doorway, his face covered by the shadows of the room. But Corban immediately recognised the man. He was wheezing, taking deep long breaths as if this one would be his last one. His walk was slow and uneven. He looked like his whole body was about to crumble in on itself, like a small gust of wind could blow him away. Any other person would have thought nothing of the man in front of him. But Corban tugged at his chain, pulled himself back as far as he could, and pushed through the blinding pain just for a chance to get away. A feeble whimper left his mouth as he did.

He didn't want to think how pathetic he looked.

Mister Snyde wasn't troubled by his outburst. Wasn't even phased. It was as if Corban wasn't even in the room. He walked over to the small chair before him and carefully set himself in it. Corban kept pulling, using all his body weight to yank at his chain. His heart was speeding, pounding, he feared it would suddenly stop from overuse.

"Stop," Mister Snyde said, the very words rippled with so much magic that Corban felt as if his entire body just shut down, leaving him with his wrist hanging by the chain.

Mister Snyde studied him, staring so intently into his eyes that Corban couldn't help but fear that the old man would suck out his soul like a dementor. He wanted to look away, tried everything to tear his eyes from the old man's cold gray gaze. But he couldn't even get himself to blink.

"Such a disappointment you turned out to be, Corban" Mister Snyde said, his voice distant and cold as usual. "Do you know why our families have survived for so long? How we've stayed relevant and powerful as others have come and gone. Because of our union. Even through our squabbles, as bloody as some have been, we have never lost sight of where we would be without each other. Never has there been a member with such… hubris, as yourself. Pity."

"Please," Corban croaked out, his own voice rasping against his throat. "Please. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," Mister Snyde said. "Not really. Not yet."

Mister Snyde reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver chain with a gold locket hanging onto it. "An impressive feat of magic," he said as he laid it on the small table beside him. "It has been over a century since I've seen anything this dark. Where did you get this?"

He wasn't supposed to say. It was the secret Bedivere had warned him never to reveal. But as he fought to keep himself breathing, barely standing, and with Mister Snyde only a few feet away from him, Bedivere didn't seem nearly as threatening. There was no hesitation in it, he opened his mouth and began blabbering. Except nothing came out. His eyes widened, and he began speaking more and more frantically.

But there was no voice. No words. Not even a small squeak escaped his mind.

Mister Snyde tilted his head. The look in his eyes sent shivers down Corban's spine. He was about to restart yanking at his chain before a simple look from Mister Snyde made his entire body go limp again.

"Interesting…" Mister Snyde trailed off, his eyes drifting away as they seemingly stared at something deep within Corban's eyes. Corban felt the urge to shiver, but his body stayed still. "It seems you have been rather busy. So many gaps in your mind. Tell me, Corban, what have you been doing with your nights lately?"

Once again, Corban tried to speak, but his body wouldn't cooperate. Mister Snyde didn't seem bothered by it. If anything, there was intrigue on his face. As if Corban had suddenly become a very interesting puzzle for him to solve.

"Please," he squeaked out. "Please. It was a mistake. I should have- I will not-"

"Oh, but it wasn't a mistake. It was a decision, Corban. You forgot your place. So blinded by the power you lusted for, you ignored our sacred laws. And someone like that is not worthy of being part of the Knights of Walpurgis."

"No," Yaxley cried out as strongly as he could, but it came out as just barely above a whisper. "Please. I'll- I'll do anything. Don't… just don't take away my seat. Don't exile me."

Mister Snyde gave a low chuckle - one that immediately led to a coughing fit - and suddenly, Corban's blood ran cold. Mister Snyde never smiled. He never laughed. And there was something incredibly unsettling about the amusement that shone from Mister Snyde's eyes even as he continued.

"The Dark Lord has returned. Britain will soon find itself at a tipping point, unlike anything we've seen before. The last war will become nothing more than a footnote in history after all this concludes. The time for exile has passed. When you took that seat, you took on the leadership of your family. Every word you said, every action you took… it stopped being simply yours a long time ago. And in such dire times, how can we allow your family to still hold their place in our order after its leader has proved himself to be unreliable? No, the Yaxley name has been removed from our ranks. We wish to avoid any unpleasantness. After all, having bitter former members spouting conspiracy theories to the public just will not do. Our teams are already on the way to contain the situation."

Corban nearly choked on his sob. He could feel his entire body shaking as unwilling images of the remains of his family began battering his mind. But that sadness soon faded as the sheer fear overtook him. And Mister Snyde all but read it straight from his face.

"You don't have to worry about yourself, Corban. We won't kill you. Not now. Not while you still have your uses."

That's it for this chapter, thank you all for reading!

Next chapter Albus holds an Order meeting and Rufus interrogates Harry. Be excited!

By the time I'm posting this, I'm ELEVEN chapters ahead, and I have just started writing the second arc of the THREE-ARC FINALE titled Children of Fate! If you are interested in learning how to get early access to them, join my discord server using the following link: discord . gg / jyPfbGqhJT

As always, thank you for reading, favouriting, and commenting! I appreciate all of you! :)