I certainly have no rights to Harry Potter, but this won't stop me writing this story. However, you probably already know this. As it is my specialty, and as in my other big stories, this shows how things go if something went different right at the beginning. Please note that I'm not a fan of bashing and also don't expect the two main pairings to differ from canon. However, the path to them certainly will be quite different. I also want to try and subvert certain plots and things that became common in the fandom over the years.
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Chapter 78: The Burning, Part II - Destructive Truth
The green beam of death emerged from Voldemort's 'borrowed' wand, zooming towards Harry with every intention of snuffing out his life in an instant. Harry for his part only now seemed to start to understand what was happening, his eyes widening in terror at seen what he knew would be his death. No miracle this time to save him.
However, a miracle did happen.
The wand that had slipped out of Harry's hand suddenly jumped back into it and Harry gasped when an unseen power forced his arm up, just when bright golden flames erupted from his his wand, slamming head first into the green beam of death. The point where both spells collided erupted in a bright white sphere of light while both spells struggled against each other.
"What?! What is this?!" Voldemort cursed loudly, wondering why this was happening even though he was using Lucius' wand.
Harry for his part also was confused. Huh? But... I'm not doing anything?
For a moment, the point of impact wasn't moving, but after some seconds it slowly moved closer to Voldemort while getting brighter. Voldemort for his part did ground his teeth together, trying to hold firm onto the wand. The energies being released didn't seem to bother Harry, while he himself was feeling the effects, his clothes starting to emit smoke.
That is impossible! I'm not even using my real wand! Voldemort tried to understand what was going on.
Then, to Voldemort's horror, glowing cracks started to appear on the wand, which also started to become increasingly hot. Voldemort tried to hold onto it, but then it became too much. "Aaaarghhhh!" -Boooom- Letting go of his wand, the glowing sphere all of a sudden exploded violently, throwing everyone away, while again Harry didn't seem effected at all, apart from blinking due to the brightness. The dropped wand meanwhile erupted into bright flames.
"Now or never, get Harry!" Ron said, knowing they shouldn't waste time with wondering whatever had just happened.
Harry's friends wasted no time, since the Death Eaters would only be stunned for a short time and every second now counted. They thanked all the training they had received, allowing them to throw around spells while running at the same time. Interestingly, the non-verbal training was now paying off, even though they were not yet experienced enough to take full advantage of it.
"Guys?" Harry was still dazed and confused by all that had happened.
"Not now, Harry!" Ginny cut him off, before they all took hold of Harry and sprinted off with him to a more defensible position.
"Damn it! Damn them!" Voldemort cursed, still feeling the pain in his hand while pulling his own wand out of his robes. "Idiots, don't just stand there! Get me Potter! I no longer care how injured he is. Break all his bones if you want, but leave him alive enough that I can strangle him to death with my bare hands!"
"Oh-uh, he sounds really mad now," Neville gulped while they all took cover behind a burning building.
"That is little wonder," Luna reminded him, while managing to nail one of the attackers with a nasty curse.
"This doesn't look good good. We won't be able to hold out for long," Hermione realized, seeing that the odds were against them.
"We just have to hold out until reinforcements arrive." Though he didn't say so, Ron actually hoped that that would be the case. "Half of us into defense, the other half keeps them away!" They didn't question Ron's decision, since he honestly was good with such things - a fact he himself had not been aware of for quite some time.
They however had not expected Harry's face to harden at that point, his shock and confusion giving way to a grim determination.
"Don't hesitate, we are..." a Death Eater was calling to her companions until suddenly she got nailed with a curse that not only made her collapse screaming, but also caused her limbs to terribly cramp up, as if being given electric shocks.
"Harry, what the...?" Neville was astonished when seeing Harry start to throw curses non-verbally with a look on his face that honestly was kind of concerning. Neville then realized now was not the time and went back to shielding their group.
Harry for his part was channeling his growing rage - after finally having processed the terrible revelation - into beating back their attackers. He had no illusion that they could defeat a group of combat veterans on their own, but he sure as hell would make this as difficult as possible for them. He wanted to to live not only to see another day but also to find the confirmation to what Voldemort had told him.
The Death Eaters meanwhile were slowly advancing towards them, though that newest development had caught them by surprise.
Granted, they knew there would be losses, but their Master's word was law and they also knew this now was only a matter of time. After all, Potter or not, they were a bunch of battle-hardened adults against a bunch of teenagers, regardless how well-trained they were, meaning that the odds were seriously in their favor.
"I don't care what you do with the others, but don't kill Potter, or the Dark Lord will have your hide!" the senior Death Eater leading the charge warned the others. "We have the advantage and..."
-brroommmrmrmm- That sound stopped him. "What the...?"
Suddenly a horde of centaurs blasted into the burning village, shooting arrows while doing so! And it was not only that. Everyone knew that centaurs hated others riding on them, since that in their eyes was a massive insult by making them no better than a horse. Thus it came as a massive surprise that they were actually allowing Moody and his security force to rise on them, their wands already shooting spells and curses.
Screams of pain erupted from Death Eaters that got hit by spells or arrows. The leader of the attack against the teenagers cursed and tried to fight back, but... -Zzaaaap- He was felled when a spell hit him square into the chest, curtosy of Moody himself, who had seen the signs. The shock factor alone was causing chaos in the Death Eater ranks.
"My Lord, the tide is turning against us," Barty, who up until now had kept quiet, told Voldemort.
Voldemort was red with anger - something which rarely happened - but knew that Barty was right that the tide indeed had turned against them. "Very well..." he hissed in anger, before sending a bright spell into the sky to not only signal to all Death Eaters to retreat, but also to dissipate the anti-apparition ward they had set up. "You hear me, Potter!? You better believe I'm not done with you!" Voldemort then called in Harry's general direction.
That done, Voldemort left, and with him all the Death Eaters who could.
"It's over..." Ginny said carefully, all of them waiting for a moment, before realizing that there was no more danger.
"We actually managed to come out of this in one piece." Neville had difficulties to grasp what had happened. With shaky hands he looked at his watch, only for his eyes to widen. "What? It was less than fifteen minutes?"
Indeed, from when the bell at Hogwarts had gone off to now, less than fifteen minutes had passed. Everyone was astonished, since it had felt a lot longer. Speaking of Hogwarts, they finally had the time to look towards the castle, only to see it being fully intact with no damage at all, apart from some slowly dissipating smoke.
"The castle is intact?" Hermione had honestly not expected that. "But how?"
Luna would have loved to clean her glasses before looking again, but holding her wand in one hand prevented her from doing so. "It must have been an illusion; a trick to lure away the guards. And it worked."
"All of you, secure the village... or what's left of it anyway," Moody commanded his forces while carefully getting off the centaur he had ridden, who was no one less than Celestra herself. "Must have been really hard for you to offer us to ride down here, saving us a lot of time. I know you hate doing that."
Celestra for her part didn't exactly look happy about it, but nodded nonetheless. "It did hurt our dignity, but in times of need, we all have to make sacrifices in one way or another. We knew what the stars showed us and our feelings have to take a back seat to what has to be done."
Moody then looked to where the teenagers were emerging from their cover, wands still at the ready. "Speaking of which... Come out here, lads. I see you do have taken my lessons to heart. Constant vigilance. Don't relax until we have secured the place."
"Thank all goodness this is over..." Ginny then looked to Harry and saw his expression. "Harry, what is wrong?"
Harry however said nothing and only shook his head, indicating that he didn't want to talk about it. If anything, that only made Ginny more concerned, since such behavior was highly unusual for Harry. It made her wonder what the hell Voldemort had told Harry.
"All of you are unharmed," Firenze, who also had been part of the charge, said, while still holding his bow at the ready. "However, while I see your bodies were not harmed, the pain went elsewhere."
That caused his friends to again look to Harry, whose mood by now had become concerning. Whatever Voldemort had told him, it had quite the impact on Harry. That he wasn't telling them and even stayed silent entirely did speak volumes.
Moody meanwhile approached the Death Eater he had felled and took off the mask. Taking a good look at the man's face, he couldn't help but to chuckle humorlessly. "Look who we have here: Nott Sr. This was long in the coming, but you can't weasel out of this one. You scum are finally shown as what you really are."
It was a small consolation in light of the destruction surrounding them.
...a little later in the Riddle House...
-CRASH!- That was Voldemort throwing an inkwell against the wall with such force that it shattered into tiny pieces, splattering the wall with ink. Voldemort was red with anger - a rarity due to his normally good emotional control. The events at Hogsmeade had not at all gone according to plan. While Hogsmeade itself was basically flattened to the ground, his fight against Potter had gone sideways and he also had lost several of his troops, including Nott.
"How?! HOW?!" Voldemort ranted still in disbelief at the events that led to Potter's survival. "I had him at my mercy! He had dropped his wand! And suddenly his wand jumped back into his hand and spat those golden flames that brunt Lucius' wand to a cinder!"
Nagini watched Voldemort's anger. "Throwing a tantrum won't help you solve that mystery. Better calm down before you try to find an answer," she reminded him.
Voldemort was still incredibly angry, but the outside signs started to disappear. Internalizing his anger to fuel his drive, he calmed down. "Yes, you are right, Nagini." While still trembling slightly in anger, he tried to look at the issue more rationally. "I was using a different wand, but that clearly was not enough..."
"Could it be that Malfoy's wand was just as pitiful as its former owner?" Nagini wondered sarcastically.
To Voldemort and his way of thinking the idea had merit. "Yes... Yes. It was an error to put my trust into such a random wand. If I want to make sure there's no repeat, I have to ensure to get myself one that overpowers the effects. It seems to linger even if I use a different wand."
Nagini watched him starting to pace in his room while he was calming down further. "Do you actually have the time to be on the lookout for such a powerful wand... if it even exists?"
Voldemort for his part looked determined. "I will make the time, Nagini. Also, I have one special wand in mind... I heard of the story back in my youth and gathered information on the topic while working at Borgin & Burkes, which proves it is real. I only have to find out where the wand in question has gone and that mean locating its former owners."
"As long as you are not searching for the needle in a haystack..." Nagini didn't sound very convinced, but knew it was not her station to question him on that.
"I know I won't." Voldemort sounded quite determined, having a good idea about a former owner that was still alive, but he wouldn't have the time for that until getting a decisive victory.
"Wouldn't it be easier to just destroy or steal Potter's wand?" Nagini then asked Voldemort.
Voldemort stopped for a moment, not having thought about that simple solution. "You are onto something. I will still do my research to find the other wand, but it always is good to have more than just one plan."
-toc toc toc- Voldemort heard knocking from the door. "That must be Bellatrix. Only she is allowed to knock on my door. That means Severus has arrived."
That was something he had ordered as soon as they had retreated. He wanted Snape here as soon as possible for the big revelation. He had forgotten about it moments later when letting out his anger in the privacy of his sanctum, but now he remembered. He also remembered the special orders and now would see if they had been followed.
Now seemingly calm, Voldemort opened the door and indeed saw Bellatrix standing there. "My Lord, Snape has arrived, and we have brought the two snots here as well, as you ordered in advance."
"Ah yes... I forgot for a moment." Voldemort no longer showed the anger he had felt only minutes ago. "Let them in as soon as I am seated."
Voldemort wanted to give the correct theatrics for the upcoming revelation, something he was very much insistent on. A trait from his youth that still influenced his decisions quite a lot - not that he minded that fact at all. Sitting in his throne with Nagini at his side, he then watched the doors open.
Snape for his part seemed unable to appear as calm as normal, something clearly being on his mind. Voldemort knew what it was - after all he himself had made the revelation to Potter and Snape must have had a good idea what had happened. Voldemort had the consolation prize that he was damn sure Harry and his friends would soon enough despise Snape.
Snape for his part had to be surprised to be called to his Master directly after the burning of Hogsmeade and Voldemort liked keeping up the suspense. Following Snape were Draco and Pansy. Both teenagers looked like they were walking to their own execution. The amusing part to Voldemort was, that under normal circumstances that would have been the case. However, things were different and both of them would get quite the surprise.
He waited until all three of them were kneeling before him, before he spoke up. "Surely, you wonder why I have called for all three of you to appear before me? Isn't that the case, Severus?"
"Yes, my Lord. The call came very fast after Hogsmeade was razed to the ground." Snape honestly was confused, and he had the growing suspicion that Voldemort could have revealed the big secret to Potter. "I also am confused why the three of us are to appear before you, and not just me."
"Ah yes, I knew you would ask about that." Voldemort waited for a moment for the effect. "Your curiosity will be satisfied in a moment. First off, Severus, I'm sure little Harry will have an... interesting conversation with you, once you return to the school."
He actually did it. He told Potter of my role regarding the prophecy. Snape did not look forward to that confrontation.
Snape showed no outward sign, but Voldemort nonetheless noticed and was pleased, allowing himself a small smirk of satisfaction at this consolation prize. "While it is... regrettable that Potter escaped my wrath once more, everything else has gone according to my plan."
That statement caught all three of them by surprise, since in their mind nothing had gone according to plan.
"Ahh, I see you are confused by my statement." It seemed to Voldemort was milking this for all it was worth to improve his mood. "Yes, indeed, my plan. Surely, you are now wondering what my plan was, don't you?"
"Master, can you impart that wisdom on us?" Snape asked, now genuinely wondering what this all was about.
Voldemort saw that while Draco and Pansy didn't dare to say anything, their expression spoke volumes. "Surely you have wondered, why I gave you, Malfoy and Parkinson, that particular task? Yes, Lord Voldemort can see it in your eyes, you are confused why no punishment is forthcoming. Failure or success was never of any relevance."
"W-why?" Draco stammered, forgetting himself for a short moment.
"The task was irrelevant. I have countless other ways to damage Hogwarts. Did you honestly think the two of you would make such a big difference?" Voldemort enjoyed the shocked looks the teenagers were giving him. "I knew right from the start that the teachers would watch you like hawks. Lord Voldemort is many things, but naive is not one of them."
"My Lord, if you knew the task was doomed right from the start, then why...?" Snape honestly wondered. The question had been burning under his nails for all of the school year.
"It never was about the task. No, the actual target of the whole exercise was you, Severus." Again, Voldemort enjoyed the confusion on their faces. "All of it was a huge test of your loyalty to Lord Voldemort. I held no doubt that despite all the training my dear Bellatrix would impart on both of them, they would bumble it and need someone else to pull them out of trouble."
"Master, you expected...?" Pansy didn't dare to finish.
"Yes, indeed. It was my full expectation that Severus, in his servitude to Lord Voldemort, would come to your rescue. That Narcissa actually approached you, Severus, and made you promise to help was a fortunate bonus. Multiple times you have proven your worth and dedication, Severus, and passed your test to my satisfaction." If anything Voldemort sounded like a teacher lecturing his students.
"Master, that all was a test of my loyalty to you?" Snape was floored at not only the fact that it all had been a test for him, but also the sheer level of cruelty such a test required.
"Yes, and now I am sure where your loyalties are, considering all of the effort you put into it. Very soon you will advance into the inner circle." Voldemort then looked to Draco and Pansy. "Lord Voldemort does reward good service to him. Both of you have fulfilled the roles I assigned to you. There will be no punishment as a reward. Instead, Bellatrix will now ensure you will be truly productive members for the cause - now that you can give it your undivided attention."
"Oh yes, and as pitiful as both of you still are right now... That will change soon enough," Bellatrix told them with a sadistic grin that promised nothing but pain and horror.
As devastated as Draco and Pansy had been when realizing they had been mere pawns in a game where Voldemort was testing Snape's true loyalties - which told them how little worth they held compared to Snape - they grew outright horrified when being told that they again would be subjected to Bellatrix' nasty training methods.
Snape for his part kept on his mask, but deep inside he also was disturbed.
This all was just one giant test of my loyalty for almost an entire year... Snape knew what Voldemort was capable of, but this was a reminder of the sheer level of cruelty he could go to.
If anything, this was a very harsh reminder for Draco and Pansy of what the Dark Lord truly thought of them and their worth to him, as well as what the true cause was.
...at the same time...
When the fires had finally been extinguished, there was not much left of Hogsmeade. The charred and blackened ruins looked like a town that had gone through World War II, appearing like hollowed out rotten teeth defiantly still standing. However, the truth couldn't be denied, that Hogmeade how it used to be was no more.
The air still was heavy with smoke while those people the Ministry could spare were working together with the security of Hogwarts and several of the teachers to get order into the chaos. The now homeless inhabitants of Hogsmeade needed to be taken care of. Students needed to be taken account of to see if anyone was missing. The injured were going through treatment. And of course there were the grim tasks collecting the dead - thankfully no actually dead students - and guarding the captured Death Eaters.
Several students were just about to be escorted back to the castle when Theodore Nott noticed something. "Professor, I..."
The teacher in question was Professor Sinistra, and she realized right away why Nott was hesitating, as the teenager was looking to the group of captured Death Eaters. One of them was Nott Sr. Being a Slytherin herself, she knew what the situation was. "All of you, wait for a moment." She then escorted Theo over to the guards, having a short conversation with them, before they took hold of Nott Sr. and brought him over.
The old man looked at his son with contempt. "Ah, so now you feel powerful, while before your courage didn't go beyond sending me a letter to tell me you want nothing to do with me," he spat, now having nothing to lose.
"I felt you are not worth more than a letter. You wanted to force me into the Dark Lord's ranks against my wishes. That alone already was reason enough to cut you out of my life, though you being a crappy father, when you actually bothered to be one, would have been enough reason as well." Theo gave his father a cold look.
"Is that all?" Nott Sr. clearly didn't want to talk with his son.
"There is one last thing. Why did you even have me? You made it clear over the years you hate any kind of family life. Was it just so that the line doesn't die with you?" Theo had always wondered about that.
"You were always intended to be nothing more than a replacement part. My brother had been dumb enough to get killed before he could marry, so I had to provide an heir to continue the line," Nott Sr. replied coldly.
"I understand..." Theo then looked to Sinistra. "We are done here."
Dudley and Daphne were in the group as well, and while they were being marched back to the castle, they couldn't help but to talk about that confrontation.
"So that's Nott's father. What a nice chap..." Dudley said with a shudder, making no secret at how disturbing he'd found that short conversation between father and son. "No wonder Nott disowned him, apart from the whole Death Eater issue."
"When it comes to those supporting Voldemort, Nott Sr. is on the more extreme end of the spectrum. Theo is doing well to cut him out of his life" Daphne then shook her head. "Today was horrible. I know Millie will hug you half to death once she gets her hands on you."
"I honestly can't wait for that to happen." The day had been horrible enough, thus Dudley was actually looking forward to his girlfriend needing lots of closeness.
Both of you don't know how lucky you are to have found each other. And that you have it easy. I know they will restrict us to our dorms and I can't meet Justin for the time being, Daphne thought.
o
The atmosphere in the crowded Headmaster's office was highly explosive. That was little wonder when Dumbledore and McGonagall were being confronted with the parents and guardians of the Six, as well as Sirius. All of them looked in equal parts steaming mad and horrified over the recent events.
They had been called as soon as the whole thing was over, while other parents would have to wait until enough security was available for them to come to Hogwarts. The whole thing was sure to cause lots of angry reactions, though nothing probably would reach the level of intensity the parents and guardians of the Six were showing.
The Six themselves looked strangely calm, despite the wringer they had been forced through. They actually were disturbed at how calm they were despite wht had happened; worried that this was a rather bad sign about the state of their psyche. Harry however was most worrisome, since he hadn't said a single word ever since the battle had ended, calmly waiting for something. Looking a bit closer however did reveal that the calmness was only a front, under which a growing anger was brewing.
"We don't care about the details!" Ian Granger did feel his time in the military bleed through, the learned discipline helping him to not be even harsher than he already was. "What we care about is, that this was allowed to happen in the first place!"
"Mr. Granger, calm down! Shouting at us won't solve anything!" McGonagall reminded him in a stern voice.
"Ian, we all are angry, but that won't help," Jean reminded her husband, herself also having to work hard to hold down her anger.
"As soon as we heard of this, Diane confiscated my wand. She said she has a feeling I would be tempted to do something stupid..." Sirius took a deep breath, the only outside sign of his own anger and worry. "My wife knows me too well."
The Six for their part were relieved that all the fussing over them was already done, thus the adults were now venting their anger and worry over what had happened. Though Thomas and Veronica were still giving Harry concerned looks, not liking that he had not said anything to them yet, and they watched with worry how some kind of deep anger was festering within him. Raising him, they knew his tells all too well and that it would be a fearsome sight once his anger would erupt.
"Harry, please..." Veronica gently told him. Harry did look to her and his expression softened for a moment. He then shook his head and returned to what he was doing.
I've never before seen him this bad. The sheer amount of anger in him must be incredible and he still hasn't said anything about what this is about, Veronica worried, giving her husband a helpless look.
"I have a feeling we'll learn soon enough what this is about," Thomas told his wife, having a feeling they would have to hold back Harry once that happened.
Meanwhile, Molly Weasley had gotten to asking harsh questions. "You allowed those two to stay at the school, and you hinted they set the whole disaster in motion. How?!"
Dumbledore knew he deserved every bit of their anger, as these events would never have happened like this without Malfoy and Parkinson being at the school. "As far as we already know, they somehow hid a connected vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement and smuggled in their items that way. They also used it to flee the castle after setting off the device that caused the illusion."
"Albus Dumbledore... What were you thinking to even allow this to go on this long?! You assured us you know what you are doing, and now this!" It seemed Molly was close to doing something. Good thing all of them had been told to leave their wands in the anteroom, otherwise this by now would have escalated.
"I have no excuse. Even when Severus told me that his idea is not as good as it first sounded..." Dumbledore started to explain. Harry suddenly gave the Headmaster a harsh glare at the mention of Snape, surprising everyone. However, he still wasn't saying anything.
"Ah yes, that originally was his idea..." Normally, Alice Longbottom was the nicest woman you could imagine, but right now she looked a bit scary. "Just wait until he's here. That whole plan was bull and that nice Dark Mark on their arms would have been reason enough to arrest them, since there is only one man who can put that on others. We should have not went along with you."
As if that was his cue, the door opened and Snape walked in. "Headmaster, why did your secretary take away my... wand." Snape then saw who all were in the room. "Perhaps I should return later?"
"Severus, I..." That was all Dumbledore could say before Harry suddenly stood up and faced Snape.
Snape couldn't help but to feel intimidated. Those green eyes - so much like Lily's - radiated anger, coldness and hurt, staring at him without Harry blinking even once. Snape did have a good idea what this was about, but that foreknowledge didn't help at all with it. Instead, it only helped to make him feel at a loss how to react.
"Is it true?" That was all Harry asked Snape coldly.
"You have to be more specific about..." Snape tried with his usual personality.
However, Harry wouldn't have any of it. "Don't try that shit with me; you know what I mean. Is it true?!" No one dared to tell Harry not to talk like that to a teacher, being confused what this was about.
"Yes, I did it. The Dark Lord told you, didn't he?" Snape saw no way around admitting it.
"You better believe he did." By now everyone apart from Dumbledore, who now became very concerned, was confused what this could be about.. Harry's stare however only got colder at that admission. "So Voldemort has told me the truth. It was you who reported the incomplete prophecy to Voldemort all those years ago."
Those simple words ignited a firestorm.
Shouts of anger and hurt erupted while Sirius jumped up, all of the pain over the loss of James and Lily coming back to the surface when hearing how it was Snape who had set the events into motion that caused their death and overshadowed basically all of Harry's life.
"You damn little fuck!" Sirius snarled and it took several of the less angry adults to stop him from ripping Snape into bloody pieces with his bare hands. "Let go of me, he deserves everything that comes to him!"
"We are not doing that for him!" Arthur told Sirius while struggling with holding him back.
Snape for his part tried to look unaffected, but he was completely incapable of finding one of his usual responses when being confronted with such a raw display of hurt and anger. Snape would never admit it, but seeing Black radiate such raw hurt and anger - anger with a promise a horrible violence directed at him - did intimidate him severely, since the man now looked down and ready to murder him with bare hands.
Harry for his part looked to Dumbledore. "And you... You knew as well but did nothing with it, instead washed him clean of all of his crimes and gave him a job in a school of all things." While Harry said that, his anger came closer to the surface, him now straining to not lose it.
Dumbledore saw that suddenly all the attention was on him and that any kind of denial was futile. "Yes... I knew."
"Tell me you are joking..." Alice Longbottom said slowly, but only got silence as an answer. "You are serious. Albus Dumbledore, have you gone COMPLETELY DAFT?!"
"I've had my reasons..." Dumbledore knew this was a weak defense.
"And what reasons are those...?" Frank gave Dumbledore a hard look, which was little wonder considering the damage the reveal of the partial prophecy had done to the Potters and to his own family.
"No, I can't reveal that. It is a matter of absolute trust between me and Severus. I know however, that Severus would never betray me. " Dumbledore also knew that this would, if anything, only make the fires grow hotter.
"Unbelievable!" It seemed that the trust that Frank had given Dumbledore had just gotten severely damaged.
Harry for his part already ignored Dumbledore, again concentrating on Snape. "Oh yes, Voldemort told me that you gleefully reported your findings to him. But that changed really fast once it turned out that I became Voldemort's target and that also meant my Mum. You petitioned him to spare her while being all too happy that Dad and me would bite wanted her all for yourself and didn't care who dies! Did you think that would have made her run back to you?! Delusional monster!"
By the end of it Harry was indeed shouting, his anger having broken lose. Snape knew this was a battle he couldn't win. "I make no excuse and I have since then worked hard to repent."
"Well, I don't care! Your presence alone makes me sick now!" Harry turned to Dumbledore and McGonagall. "Effective immediately I'm out of Defense and Potions and quit the Dueling Club. I no longer want to be anywhere near that person!"
"I quit all of those things as well!" Ginny said, standing up. "I stand by Harry!"
"Count me out of those as well!" Ron called, standing up as well. "Harry, one for all and all for one!"
"I don't care how it looks on paper, I join their decision!" For Hermione, that was highly unusual. "Friends stand together!"
"No way I stay in Defense or the Club!" That was Neville joining them. "I would never feel safe there again."
"And I do so as well." While Luna was calmer, even she was showing obvious signs of anger. "And that is final."
Together, the Six walked out of the room, all of them no longer wanting to be in Snape's presence. They not only did it for Harry, but also out of disgust that Dumbledore had not only helped Snape to avoid Azkaban but actually employed him in a school of all places. They all felt betrayed and needed time to deal with the wounds this had caused.
"Now... now you understand why I feel we need to do something instead of just sitting at school," Harry said to his friends while they walked through the chaos in the castle.
"Before, I would have scolded you; told you that school is important. But now..." Hermione, who normally was the strongest advocate for education, sounded shaken.
Harry understood her. "It's nothing we can't catch up with later, but it looks so pointless right now. We are needed out there and not in here. What will happen next time, now that Voldemort has already burnt Hogsmeade down?"
His friends understood and then moved closer to Harry to show their support.
Harry held Ginny the closest and noticed her trembling. He knew that she was well aware how her age would be a huge stumbling block. The same went for Luna. Should Voldemort really take over the Ministry, both girls would be especially vulnerable. Today had driven that danger home to them.
He gave his girlfriend's shoulder a gentle squeeze to show her that he wouldn't allow anyone to harm her. Ginny knew that it wouldn't mean him thinking any less about her ability to defend herself.
...at the evening...
The teachers of Hogwarts - and those who used to be or had been filling in until the end of the school year - had gathered inside the teacher's lounge. The room had been made secure so no one could listen in while Alastor Moody gave his report to the faculty. Snape however was notably absent while the Headmaster was treated more formally than normal.
The news about the confrontation in the Headmaster's office had spread quickly through the faculty, and it was causing no small amount of anger. Dumbledore knew that even though most of the faculty was lacking the exact context, they knew enough to have puzzled together that the Potters got killed due to a prophecy that Snape had reported to Voldemort. They were astonished in the negative sense that Dumbledore even after that had worked really hard to wash all his crimes off Snape.
Dumbledore winced a bit when seeing the look Moody was giving him. While the man hadn't said it yet, the message of 'I told you so!' was very clear.
Moody however stayed professional while starting his report. "Most of you already know parts of it, but I'll now give you the complete picture of how this disaster did happen."
With a wave of his wand, the strange orb that Dolohov had thrown out of the Room of Requirement, only now being covered with smoke stains, hovered onto the table in the center. "I observed Malfoy and Parkinson making a run for the castle under invisibility cloaks and started the chase. Due to me being slow, I warned the faculty. They entered the room of Requirement, and less than two minutes later, this was thrown out of the open door."
"On the behest of Mr. Moody, I did an analysis," Professor Flitwick told everyone. "Inside this orb, a complicated spell matrix was created. It would create a highly realistic illusion of the castle being under attack and on fire, while producing great amounts of smoke to not only make the effect more real, but also conceal the weaknesses in the illusion."
"Since the door was still open, we did discover how those two junior Death Eaters managed to smuggle items into the school. A pair of connected vanishing cabinets which can circumvent even the best defenses," Moody said, sounding disappointed with himself.
"We thought of every way but that one..." Professor Sprout said aloud what the whole faculty thought. They had all failed to think about that possibility.
"A bit too late for us to kick ourselves," Moody said with a snort, feeling insulted that those two greenhorn teenagers had managed to fool all of them. "Of course we checked the other side, but the building there was empty and of course there are no records who it belongs to. The only thing besides the cabinet itself was a mocking message from that scum Dolohov."
"What about the attack on Hogsmeade?" McGonagall dreaded that part of the report.
"Well, the village itself is a complete loss. It has to be built completely anew." Moody let that sink in, before he continued "No dead students, but there are losses among the populace of the village - over twenty dead. Could have been worse, if not for the defense group that Potter and his friends created when that toad was in the school. Instead of running away, they took the fight to the enemy."
"And they were lucky there are no deaths among their ranks. Some of the injuries they suffered are severe and will leave lasting scars. Students fighting in a war, that is what it now has come to..." Professor Rogers had listened to Madam Pomfrey about the injured and those who had needed more serious treatment.
"You can't however deny the results." Moody would not say so openly, but he was impressed what the Six had managed to create with the Defenders of Hogwarts. Where others would have run away in terror, they had taken up the fight.
The faculty honestly didn't know how to feel about that, since the idea of their students going into battle was something none of them wanted to imagine
"The one thing I could not find out was whatever had happened that Potter was not killed by Voldemort." Moody was not mentioning the elephant in the room on purpose, since the teachers had already argued enough about the issue.
"Actually, he did tell us, though it is weird." That was Dora, who despite resigning from her post was still living in the castle since her husband could only leave once him filling in for the Defense position was over. Their baby was currently sleeping and she had a charm set that would call her, should he wake up.
"Really, he told you?" Professor Flitwick asked, wondering about that, since the Six had not been inclined to talk about whatever had happened.
Remus looked to Dumbledore, who still hadn't said a word ever since the meeting had started. "Yes. We were giving support, and Harry did tell us. Voldemort was using the wand of Lucius Malfoy to circumvent the law of brother wands. After Harry had dropped his wand and Voldemort did cast the Killing Curse, his wand somehow jumped back into his hand and produced golden flames which stopped the curse and destroyed Voldemort's temporary wand. Very mysterious..."
"No, it does fit." Him finally speaking up caused everyone to give Dumbledore their attention. "Voldemort tried to cheat the rule of brother wands by using a different wand. However, Harry's wand did recognize him and acted accordingly when Harry's life was in danger. Wand lore even now is still a field full of mysteries, after all."
"Ah. Well, better be glad for that, or Potter would have been dead meat," Moody reminded everyone.
Dumbledore knew that Moody hated if things were being left to coincidence. "As terrible as today's events are, we have to think about the consequences for the school."
"Oh dear, that indeed is true." Slughorn looked very unsettled about the day's events. "I've already heard multiple students say that they think their parents will pull them out. Not to speak of all the scared and concerned parents that have come to the school."
Oh, the teachers did remember the reaction of the parents. While they were scared for the safety of their children, a number of them had become quite vocal about the issue, with words that should not be repeated. Some had even openly declared to the faculty that their children would not return for the next school year. All in all, it was a massive mess.
"Hogwarts without students is pointless, and he knows it." That was Trelawney, who up until now had stayed silent. "Headmaster, what will happen now?"
Dumbledore sighed, knowing that the trust of the faculty in him had taken a serious hit. "I want to try to keep the school open, but we are sure to bleed students severely after today. However, another incident like this one - and next time it will be aimed at the school itself for sure - and I will close the school for the time being. I will not put the safety of our students at risk out of a sense of false pride, after all."
"Hogwarts, even if only temporarily, closing it's doors... The thought is surprisingly scary," Dora said, her imagination failing at the idea.
Everyone knew, that should Hogwarts truly be forced to temporarily close down, it would be seen as a terrifying sign of how far things had already fallen apart.
...Hogwarts, June 20th...
The leaving feast this year was a very somber affair. The only reason why students hadn't already been pulled out of the school was the fact, that the whole burning of Hogsmeade had happened so close to the end of the school year anyway. However, the signs were very obvious while the students gathered in the great hall, it being the conversation topic number one.
"And she really did it?" Parvati asked Lavender while they sat down at the table.
Lavender nodded, looking resigned. "My Mum did make it official. Once I leave Hogwarts tomorrow, I won't return. I know, I'm officially an adult, but she still holds the purse strings, so I have to comply."
"That sucks..." However, Parvati understood why Mrs. Brown had done so when looking over to her twin sister, remembering the injuries Padma had suffered and her own horror at all the blood on her sister.
Over at the Slytherin table, it was a similar thing.
"You won't return? Both of you?" Dudley wondered aloud.
"Yes, we both disowned our parent when we became adults. Considering that Theo's father is a high-ranking Death Eater and I'm very sure my mother has joined them as well, it's best to vanish from sight," Zabini explained why both of them would not return for their final year.
"Will be kind of weird to have the dorm room all to myself." Dudley found it interesting how at the start of his first year it had been six boys in the dorm room for his year, and next year it would be just him. Dwindling party indeed.
"I understand you, due to your murderous mother being free. But Nott Sr. got arrested days ago," Daphne wondered.
"The government is breaking down. He won't stay imprisoned for long, unless a permanent solution is being found." Everyone found it unsettling how coldly Zabini was talking about killing the man.
A different conversation was taking place at the Gryffindor table.
"This is all depressing..." Ginny said with a sigh while waiting for the Headmaster to arrive to speak to the students. "The school is starting to fall apart; being robbed of what is giving Hogwarts life."
"Yes..." Harry looked around. "This is no longer the place where we need to be."
"Yes, mate. Over the past days, all of us realized that." Ron then looked to the faculty table, seeing that besides the Headmaster, one teacher was missing from it. "He's not showing his face."
"Little wonder. While the students have no idea about the reason for it, they have learned that Snape has become controversial with the faculty," Hermione explained what she had heard. "The Headmaster's reputation has also taken a hit among the teachers."
"Who can blame them?" Neville knew that while the faculty didn't know the actual contents of the prophecy, the fact alone that Snape reporting it had put a death mark on the Potters, and that Dumbledore even then had legally washed him clean of his crimes, had caused significant doubts about Dumbledore to arise.
"It is like Voldemort has used that wedge on purpose. To weaken us further," Luna observed.
They all knew Luna was onto something there. While Voldemort might have originally intended to use the information to shock Harry to then kill him in battle, he must also have anticipated the effects, should he fail. Trust in Dumbledore had taken a serious hit and the issue had divided them when they needed to be unified.
They would not turn against each other, but the loss of trust was making things more difficult than they should have been.
They fell silent when the Headmaster arrived. Dumbledore looked more tired and his age than they had ever before seen him, as if he was feeling not only the wedge his decision regarding Snape had created, but also the terrible effects of the attack on Hogsmeade. Even though they weren't the man's biggest fans right now, they couldn't help but to feel compassion when seeing how all of this seemed to have attacked Dumbledore's substance.
Everyone was attentive when Dumbledore addressed them.
"I know my words will scare the younger of you, but concealing the truth from you would not do any good. Therefore my words are as frank and honest as possible." The Six wondered if that also played on his recent experiences on that. "As much as the faculty has tried to shield you from the war that is raging outside of these walls, the war instead has come to us."
Dumbledore saw that he had everyone's undivided attention. "The enemy struck the heart of Magical Britain. Not the Ministy - Hogwarts. In their unrelenting drive to enforce their will on everyone, they caused the village of Hogsmeade to be no more."
"As much as I want to tell all of you something different, the future now is more uncertain than ever. A number of you will not return for the next school year, and the fears of your parents are very understandable. Like Magical Britain is on the brink of a change, Hogwarts is on the brink of one as well. Though it is up to all of us, if said change is good or bad," Dumbledore continued.
"Never lose hope, because only when hope is lost, the darkness can win. We must stand united against the foe." Dumbledore looked around, seeing that his words had quite the impact. "And now I have taken up your time long enough."
It was telling that Dumbledore was skipping all the usual things that normally happened, like awarding students, due to the situation. It drove home that things were about to change and everyone knew it was only a matter of time when it would happen.
o
They should have known.
It was about an hour after the feast was over and the Six stood before the wall where entrance to the Room of Requirement would appear, looking rather awkward at each other. All three pairs essentially had the same idea and were now looking awkwardly at each other. After all, it was one thing to know the others were sexually active, but running into each other while obviously wanting to use the room to have undisturbed sex was something else.
Ginny especially was blushing, since her brother knew perfectly well what Harry and her wanted to use the room for. After all, it was the most private room in the castle. Even Luna was blushing like mad. While she was unfazed by many things, her friends knowing that Neville and her had come here to make love was not something she wanted them to know.
"Look, Ginny, I won't give you any grief for what you want to do in there. I would be a huge hypocrite if I do so. I simply could have lived without knowing for certain," Ron finally told his sister with a sigh.
Harry also sighed at the situation. Someone watching them would see a certain kind of humor in it, but for them it just was embarrassing. "All, right, it's pretty obvious what we all want to use the room for, so let's not spell it out, OK?"
"Works for me." After all, Ron had no wish to be told to the face that Harry was about to fuck his sister. "Doesn't solve our dilemma however."
"Uhmm, yes, so how do we do this?" Neville wondered.
"Oh, for Heaven's sake..." Hermione sighed, then walked up and down where the door was to appear. It then did appear, but only led to a short corridor with three more doors. "Here, that gives us privacy and I wanted the rooms to be soundproof. Also, what goes on in there, stays in there, all right?"
Not wanting to think about it any longer, they all nodded and then quickly moved into their separate rooms.
(This spicy part is only found on AO3, read there for the full scene)
o
"Let's hope we are not running into any teachers," Millicent said while her and Dudley made their way towards their goal.
"What do they want to do? Give us detention? No, considering how things are, they have better things to do." Dudley then shook his head. "Also, remember it was your idea."
Millicent didn't need a reminder. "Yes, and the anticipation is killing me..."
Both of them had decided to be quite naughty. They had scoped out a guest bedroom which was not in use - like so many of those - and decided to use the evening for something more productive than sitting on their already packed trunks. It had been Millicent who had breached the topic that considering what had happened, she didn't want to wait any longer.
To show Dudley that she would not chicken out, she had even shown him her bottle of pregnancy prevention potion and then in front of him taken a deep gulp of it (though the following belch had not been planned). Dudley had hugged and kissed her, saying she'd again shown him one of the reasons he did love her.
They were both almost at their goal, already seeing the door, when an unexpected obstacle arose. "What are the two of you doing out here?" They stopped when being confronted with the Bloody Baron of all people. The ghost didn't look particularly impressed with them, either, though not angry at all.
Knowing that lying was pointless with the Baron, Dudley decided to be blunt. "You can imagine what we want to do together. Can you honestly blame us after recent events?"
"No, I can't blame you." While the Baron did have a reputation, he also had observed countless generations of teenagers. "I do remember how soldiers after battle need to ground themselves and embrace still being with the living."
"So you won't report us?" Millicent asked.
"Indeed, I won't. In these times of war, certain allowances have to be made. I will look the other way and have seen nothing." That said, the Baron floated away.
Not losing anymore time, they quickly slipped into the bedroom and magically locked the door not double but triple.
Once that was done, things between them quickly evolved into a storm of kisses, hands touching and clothes flying left and right until both of them were being down to their underwear. They then both took in each other, though considering their sports training and the fact they already had been quite frisky with each other.
Millicent for her part couldn't help but to lick her lips. Most wizards and witches were, due to their habit of letting magic do all the heavy lifting, physical pushovers. Dudley on the other hand was showing that he was working out regularly. He was no bodybuilder - and Dudley even admitted he disliked those muscle mountains - but in her mind the muscles he did have made him a highly attractive man. She gave special notice to his well-defined abs, feeling the urge to feel them.
Dudley meanwhile saw once again that Millicent had grown into having the physique of an amazonian beauty. She was a strong girl but had stopped growing more of them before her muscles would have started to detract from her femininity. Her muscles blended perfectly with feminine softness - such as her abs not having hard edges - her hips were wide and she filled out very well in the ass and breasts department. She was his strong and beautiful Amazon.
"Let's take it all off?" Dudley asked after they both had looked enough.
(This spicy part is only found on AO3, read there for the full scene)
And it indeed was very memorable for them, though it also resulted in several hours later a poor house-elf shrieking in horror when seeing the condition of the bed.
...the following day...
Normally, the arrival of the students at King's Cross was a moment of joy for students and parents alike. However, this time things were very different. While no student had died, a number had to be treated for significant injuries - injuries they thankfully would fully recover from. However, equally as heavy laid the destruction in the belief on the security of Hogwarts on everyone. Voldemort and his Death Eaters razing Hogsmeade to the ground was a heavy blow indeed.
Thus this time when the Express arrived, the feeling was more one of relief that no one had died as well as the uneasy realization that it all felt like an era was coming to an end. There were numerous parents on the platform who made no secret of the fact that they felt they could no longer trust Hogwarts with the safety of their children - though they also knew perfectly well that in these times, no place was truly safe.
The Six already thanked all that's holy that due to their parents having arrived shortly after the attack, they now weren't being overbearing. Instead however, the mood was somber.
Not that Hermione's brother cared for that. "Hermy!"
Hermione by now had accepted that her brother would use that name for the time being. She vowed to never tell him that a giant was calling her that as well. "I know, I missed you as well." It felt strangely therapeutic to give her baby brother a hug.
It wasn't that they were the only ones getting greeted. Selene eagerly accepted being carried by her older sister and Luna had to be really careful that her long hair didn't get into reach of Selene's hands. Mark meanwhile was outright happy that he was back with his parents, due to his first year in Hogwarts having ended with the sacking of Hogsmeade.
As happy as those re-unions were, when they started to walk to the exit the somber mood caught up with them.
"The whole atmosphere on the platform was depressing. We've heard of parents pulling their children out of Hogwarts and it's hard to blame them after what had happened," Pandora explained, being careful that the two youngest children wouldn't catch on.
"It was depressing on the train as well. We've talked with a lot of students. Everyone is in turmoil and a number of students indeed already know their parents won't let them return to Hogwarts next year," Hermione explained what they had heard ever since the attack.
"Who can blame their parents? The destruction of Hogsmeade is a huge shock to everyone and destroyed any feeling of safety - just like Voldemort wanted." Ian was adding to his daughter's explanation. "He knew he couldn't attack Hogwarts heads-on, so he did it indirectly to sap the school of its lifeblood - its students."
"Yeah, it wasn't even just senseless destruction surrounding another of his attempts to murder me." Harry honestly had underestimated Voldemort, that even in a failed plan, he would profit. "That's what we got for underestimating Tom."
"Harry, it's understandable why you were busy with something else. That bit of cruelty he'd saved for you..." Veronica reminded Harry, thus giving context. "All of us also fully understand why you no longer want to be anywhere near Snape."
"None of us want to be near him anymore," Ginny added, remembering the scene in the Headmaster's office all too well.
"I honestly am surprised none of you have tried to kill him for it," Ron wondered.
"You remember how Diane took my wand before we were told? Had it been at hand, I probably would have killed him on the spot." Sirius still looked like he had not recovered from the gut punch that it was Snape who had reported the prophecy to Voldemort all those years ago, thus setting off the chain of events. "What's even worse is him having thought that Voldemort murdering you and your father would make Lily run back to him."
"And as Harry told Snape to the face, the mere idea had been utterly delusional," Luna added, remembering the confrontation in the Headmaster's office all too well, too.
Xenophilius meanwhile was pondering another question. "That Snape still is at the school does create the question what kind of hidden worth Snape has to Dumbledore. I can't see him giving someone like that a second chance under normal circumstances. There has to be a reason why he has not left him to his rightful fate."
"I honestly don't care what worth he has. To me he's just as much their murderer as Voldemort No way I can ever again trust him." Harry then looked more disappointed than angry. "And my trust in Dumbledore has taken a big hit as well."
"No wonder, since he refused to tell you why he's so sure why Snape would never betray him. I mean, is there an unbreakable vow in play or something like it? After all, I honestly doubt Dumbledore would have just believed that Snape regretted," Neville wondered.
"I think he only regretted because Lily was targeted and then got murdered as well. Had it just been James and Harry, he wouldn't have shed a single tear," Sirius said, sounding bitter.
"It's pointless to speculate, since they both will never tell us what happened between them," Ginny said with a resigned sigh. "I'm more concerned with what will happen this summer."
Everyone knew right away what Ginny was hinting at. After all, Harry would legally become an adult, as far as his magic was concerned, at the end of this July. That in turn would cause the protective magic over Little Whinging to evaporate. All of them knew perfectly well that Death Eaters - since Voldemort surely knew by now where Harry lived - would swarm the place as soon as that happened.
"We have already made plans for that... Even though I hate how this will uproot our lives," Thomas explained, having been involved in the actual planning. "Our plans have already advanced significantly."
"Yes, they did." Jean did look resigned at hearing that. "Since the Death Eaters probably will try to hurt us as well, we'll also move to a safe house. We've already closed the practice until further notice and packed up, sitting on our suitcases. We were only waiting for Hermione to return."
"I don't like how we are forced to give up our home..." Hermione had known this would upset her, but the bitterness she was feeling was stronger than expected.
"It won't be for forever." Ian's hands had turned into fists. "We'll come back and reclaim what's rightfully ours. They won't ruin our lives."
Seeing the Grangers having a family moment, Harry looked to Remus, who had walked with Dora - who was carrying baby Teddy - in silence. When they had kept them company on the train ride, they had been eager to talk with them, so the current silence was a bit strange.
"Uncle Remus, what about the preschool? Will that be closed as well?" Harry then wondered.
"It has to, since it would be too dangerous for the students once the protection is gone. Up until now the Death Eaters haven't cared about it. But that is not a risk we can take any longer.." Remus then looked to Dora. "As for ourselves, Dora and me, we agreed that it would be outright irresponsible of us to be out in the field for the time being. Right now our son needs us more."
"It was not an easy decision, but we were encouraged that it's not selfish of us," Dora added, giving her sleeping son a loving look.
Harry has to give it to those two that they had their priorities right.
As for himself and his friends, if not for Ginny and Luna still being under the trace once the summer was over, they would have already made the decision to quit Hogwarts altogether and concentrate on what was truly important. Alas, the girls would be unable to do magic freely - it would be detected - and they felt only together they could make such an important decision.
One for all and all for one, after all, also meant either all of them or none of them.
They all walked to the exit of the train station, feeling that soon enough the wind of change would turn into a storm and nothing would be the same again.
to be continued...
Next Episode:
"Lost Homes"
Notes:
Here the notes.
As said above, the story now is on hiatus until I've written enough chapters for the final year. That one is most difficult to write due to how different is will be from canon. Due to the notification system on again being broken, the safe option to be notified when the story continues is subscribing on AO3.
Essentially, the same thing as in canon book 7 happens in that Harry's wand realizes that Voldemort was trying to cheat the law of brother wands and reacts violently to that. I added a little flavor by having the wand jump back into his hand (like a broom does on command). Strange that only some of you guessed correctly.
I honestly was planning the centaur charge with allowing wizards to ride them for a long time. I know of the severe dislike centraurs have if they think someone treats them like a horse, thus I felt if the situation is serious enough they would still do it.
Oh boy, now Voldemort has the idea to look for the Elder Wand, but due to other factors he's postponing that search, since he has more important priorities first. However, I hope you appreciate how utterly EVIL Voldemort's true plan during that year was. Simply using Draco and Pansy like that, knowing perfectly well they would accomplish nothing, in order to test Snape? You have to be really twisted to do that.
I did bring the Nott issue to an end here, especially since Theo won't be present for the final year.
As you can see, the truth being revealed has quite severe consequences. This is only made worse by Dumbledore and Snape being unwilling to reveal what exactly happened between them that caused Snape to do as he does. It's only logical that the Six do not want to be in his presence any longer.
Also, the seeds now are planted with the Six feeling that staying at Hogwarts is becoming pointless and they could be more useful elsewhere. That will be a plot point in the final year.
You should have expected there will be lots of lovemaking in the wake of this. If you want the uncut version, that one is on AO3.
