ADVOCATUS DIABOLI
BOOK III: GHOSTS OF WIZARDING PAST
SUMMARY:
The Dark Lord's Inner Circle - The Ghosts of Silesia - have been released from Azkaban, and the stakes are higher than ever. Now, in Year 3, Harry Potter, Lily Evans, and all their allies must race against Time Himself to overcome the Death Eater Menace that threatens to plunge their world into never-ending darkness and chaos. For if they are to survive their present and salvage their futures, they cannot fall victim to the ghosts of wizarding past.
CHAPTER 1
Almost Fourteen Years Ago…
The steady drip drip drip of leaking water was a most welcome sound in the deepest dungeon of Castle Strange, like the remnants of a spring rain splattering gently against a bedroom window.
It was pleasant, soothing almost. A sharp contrast to the pained whimpers and groans that echoed throughout the oppressive dungeon that reeked of that most particular stench of excrement, blood, sweat, and fathomless despair.
The source of the sounds were a muggle family - a father, mother, and a teenage girl - magically chained to the east wall in painful 'X' formations. Rusted copper claws attached to their manacles - charmed to dig deeper into the flesh with any movement - were buried deeply within their skin as a consequence of jerking and screaming in pain to repeated exposure to the Cruciatus and other means of physical and magical maiming. Multiple rivulets of blood trickled down their faces and bodies, a steady stream of red that leaked onto the dirty stone floor below. Their faces were a motley of sickly yellow and deep purple bruises, occasionally offset by a series of bloodied cuts. The face of the muggle father hardly looked to be a face at all; eyes blackened shut, broken nose jutting sideways, lips split open across multiple points. His tongue had long-since been cut, placed on a silver platter on the middle table teeming with a variety of instruments, surgical and torturous alike.
Across from them was a captured Knight of Walpurgis, chained in a similar 'X' formation. It was uncertain whether the Knight was a wizard or a witch; the Glamour Charm he…or she…was utilizing to obscure their identity was as effective as it was Unbreakable. It hadn't budged an inch when said Knight's bleeding and battered face had been subject to a series of surgically applied Diffindos and Mactasses, nor had it moved when the Knight had been subject to a round of physical and magical beatings that would've felled a lesser man…or woman. The voice was also magically altered, a trichotomous blend of three simultaneously unique and nondescript tones that left its listener equally baffled and disconcerted.
The clothing said Knight wore also lent no clues; a skin-tight body suit of Acromantula silk reinforced with unique orichalcum-infused dragonhide scales, conferring near impervious protection and further obstruction of the Knight's body. Attempts to remove the clothing by magic had all failed, as had attempts to manually strip the body bare.
Suddenly, the father gave a great squelching cough, blood spraying macabrely across the room. A few drops landed on the Knight's face, who only blinked once in acknowledgement. He coughed for a few more moments, groaning in horrible pain as the manacles dug through to his bone due to the force of his movement. He continued coughing for a few more moments as blood-filled lungs attempted to clear themselves and an abused heart struggled to keep beating. Soon enough, he stopped making any sound as his head sagged downward. The mother at this point had just slipped past consciousness due to severe bodily trauma and blood loss. The daughter, by some great miracle (or terrible misfortune) was still awake, caught between the grips of her own terror and fearful concern for her parents.
"D-d-dad? D-dad! Please, p-p-please w-wake up!" Her desperation was palpable, amplified all the more by her terror. She begged and pleaded with her father and her mother to awaken, but it was to no avail. She started weeping in earnest, feeling that all was truly lost.
"Be calm." The girl started at the sound of the Knight's strange voice, slowly peeking through tear-soaked lashes.
"W-w-what?!" she shakingly whispered.
"Be calm." The Knight repeated the phrase, injecting a touch of psychic magic into their voice. It invoked just enough serenity in the muggle girl to quiet her cries and make her further focus on the oddly trichotomous sound and not on her own fear.
"What is your name?"
"M-my name is Izzy…short for Isabel."
"A pleasure to meet you Izzy."
"W-w-who are you?" The Knight gave a small smile.
"I'm a Knight of Walpurgis, a keeper of the Watchtower for any and all innocents who seek its sanctuary." Izzy blinked in confusion, wondering what the hell that could possibly mean.
"Is that…is that like the Knights of the Round Table? From Arthurian legends?"
"Yes…something to that effect."
"You…you can do… magic too, right? All…all of you can." A shiver ran through her unbidden as her mind and battered body recalled all of the horrible things magic had been used to do to her and her parents.
"Yes I can. But not the magic of the monsters who took you." Izzy frowned in spite of herself.
"R-really? W-w-what kind of magic can you do?" The Knight smiled while providing the relevant (if not heavily redacted) answers, pleased that Izzy was distracted enough to maintain a singular focus on their discussion and not on the table in front of them where the Knight's wand lay. Because slowly crawling its way towards the wand was a tiny golden snake, more light and spellstuff than actual matter. It was completely undetectable to the naked eye save the Knight's own, a unique feature of the parselmagic used to create it. With delicate deliberation it gently lifted the wand into its tiny maw, before slowly and precisely beginning its trek back to its Knight, who continued small conversation with Izzy to keep her conscious and focused. It was critical to all their survival.
BANG!
Izzy screamed in primordial fear at the newcomer who'd slammed the dungeon door open. A moment passed, before he entered the dungeon proper and shut the massive iron door, activating its in-built Colloportus Trimendium locks.
It was Mr. Warden, unmasked.
A Ghost of Silesia, the Jailor and Janitor of the Dark Lord's prisoners. The very few who survived his less than tender mercies all wished they'd perished in Death's cold embrace.
"Well well," he mockingly said in his scratchy timbre. "Look who's still awake." He smiled cruelly, revealing filthy yellow and overly sharp canine teeth. He turned to Izzy, his back completely to the Knight. "Surprised you lasted this long…most would've passed out or died by now. Filthy lowly muggles that you are!" He poked viciously at Izzy's parents with his wand, a gnarled 9 ½ inch hornbeam with dragon heartstring.
"DON'T YOU TOUCH THEM!" With renewed vigor Izzy snarled and hissed like a cat, fighting against her restraints though they dug deeper into her skin. She bled terribly, and in spite of her adrenaline burst, her unhealed injuries coupled with her rapidly increasing blood loss would soon find the muggle girl unconscious.
"Oooh, feisty!" Mr. Warden cackled as Izzy continued her raging, back still turned to the Knight, too busy basking in his own cruelty. "I wonder what will happen…if I do this! EXVISCERA DUO!" With two vicious slashes the entrails of Izzy's parents spilled out of their bodies, falling to a bloody and squelching heap on the filthy floor beneath them. Sprays of blood macabrely splashed against all their faces as the uniquely pungent aroma of human offal and copper filled the already stale air. Izzy could only scream in grief-filled horror at the sight of her butchered parents as Mr. Warden laughed boisterously in fiendish delight.
The Death Eater was so busy gloating he didn't notice that anything was awry. He didn't notice the tiny snake carrying a wand shimmy its way up the Knight's right leg. He didn't notice the serpent guide the wand into the Knight's right hand before slithering to resume its inert position on an unseen magical cuff. A cuff that, unbeknownst to Mr. Warden, had been emitting an undetectable SOS beacon to its counterparts, providing the approximate geomagical whereabouts of the Knight in spite of their current location being Unplottable.
"You see," said a still-laughing Mr. Warden, "you filthy muggles are truly made of weaker stuff! Complete heathens!" Izzy hissed in equal parts fear and fury, still struggling against her bonds in a feeble attempt to rip the monster in front of her apart. Chortling, the Death Eater turned to mockingly address the Knight before freezing.
Because in that moment, he realized that the Knight (somehow) had reclaimed their wand and gotten free of their restraints, standing at complete and unmoving attention. And, to Mr. Warden's mounting horror, was staring directly in his eyes with an expression that promised nothing but violent retribution for his actions.
Mr. Warden's wand flashed in a panic. "DIFFINDO!"
The Knight was faster.
THUMP.
An impossibly fast parry sent the Slashing Spell straight back at the Death Eater, cutting off his wand arm at the elbow as his wand was summoned and summarily snapped in half. Two following slashes decapitated both arms from the screaming man's body as he collapsed to the ground, screaming all the more as Incendio cauterized the bleeding stumps that were once his arms. Stupefy ensured he would remain silent.
A shocked and stuttering Izzy could only watch as the Knight freed her and her parents, before she knew no more as all three muggles were transfigured into marbles that floated to rest in a bottomless pocket on the Knight's bodysuit. A sharp twirl over the Knight's mouth created a unique distortion field that obscured the movement of their lips to any onlookers, preventing their vocalized spells from being heard or recognized. A well-aimed "BOMBARDA MAXxXIMA!" blew the dungeon doors to smithereens as the Knight made a quick exit.
Naturally, the explosion drew the attention of the thirteen Death Eaters within the castle, who all converged downward and upon the source.
The battle was on.
THUMP.
"EXPULSsSO MAXxXIMA!" A trio of attacking Death Eater foot soldiers were blasted apart in a burst of bright blue light, rendered into nothing more than a bloody cloud of flesh and sinew. A well-aimed Ventus propelled the chunks into the faces to provide suitable distraction as the Knight raced to their destination, sharply twisting and turning down the narrow maze-like corridors with impressive precision.
More followed.
THUMP.
"COLLOSsSHOO! BRACKIUM CONFRACTUSsS!" Twin screams sounded as the two Death Eaters found themselves stuck to the floor before their leg bones were painfully broken in a series of loud snaps. Two more fired off overpowered Bludgeoners, only to gawk as the Knight (without even turning around) rapidly parried them back and forced them to duck for cover. A nonverbal Flipendo Duo knocked them further back, creating a temporary bottleneck that allowed the Knight to continue their escape.
At this point, the SOS beacon on the cuff had ratcheted in frequency as it emitted a constant stream of beep-beep-beep only heard by the Knight. 'Rendezvous point is getting closer, better get ready.'
"CONFRINGO MAXIMA!" "BOMBARDA!" "FLAGRANTE FLAGELLUM!"
THUMP.
An impossibly fast pirouette-style twist saw the Knight dodge the first two spells, before cart-wheeling midair to avoid being struck by the ensuing debris. The tip of the Flame Whip Curse licked against the Knight's face and the side of their neck, eliciting a hiss of pain as the exposed bit of skin blackened and curled. "AVISsS OPPUGNO HORRIBILISsS!" A murder of crows with razor sharp beaks and talons charged at the Death Eaters, succeeding in ripping one to bloodied shreds while mauling the other two as they screamed in pained terror.
The Knight continued down the winding pathways following the ever-increasing tracking beeps of their cuff. A trio of Death Eaters converged ahead, not wasting time in casting Laceros, Diffindos, and Exviscera spells.
THUMP.
"CANUSsS FERUSsS TRIA!" Three maddened dogs burst from the Knight's wand and raced towards their targets, providing the perfect distraction. Three wordless Defodios struck true, gouging fist-sized holes through the screaming Death Eaters' wand arms as they were summarily mauled by the rabid conjured canines.
The Knight continued on, deftly twisting around a particularly tight hallway. The beeping had ratcheted once more in speed and volume, signaling that they were close.
Suddenly a ghost-like apparition flashed in, blocking the Knight's path. He bore a bone-white mask fashioned in a grotesque rendition of an anguished man whose face wept blood from a thousand cuts. He was partially phased, his physical body swirling with robes made of plumes of inky smoke that could blend into the blackest of night skies.
Mr. Tyrfing, the Lance of the Dark Lord.
"MALEDIGNIS!" Purple roiling flames of cursed fire raced towards the Knight, intent on consuming its target due to the malevolent nature of its semi-sentience.
THUMP.
There was less than a moment to react. Without any hesitation the Knight bent their body backwards until their back was practically parallel to the ground below, arms stretched straight backwards with knees tucked underneath and legs equally parallel to the ground. To a modern-day muggle, the Air Path Wu-Xi-Do move (formally known as Gliding-On-the-Breath-of-Zephyr) would look almost identical to a matrix lean. This allowed the Knight to slide underneath the roiling purple flames and smoothly propel their body right underneath Mr. Tyrfing to land on the opposite side.
THUMP.
A flick of the Knight's wand summoned several poisoned arrows that attempted to imbed themselves into Mr. Tyrfing, who managed to deflect some and parry a few back to the Knight, who winced as three glanced across their right shoulder and thigh and caused the skin to redden and bubble. "AQUA ORBISsS! BAUBILIOUSssS!" A powerful jet of water curled around him in a makeshift shell as the parsel-enhanced electricity spell followed, the effect instantaneous as Tyrfing screamed in agony. Three Bombardas struck the ceiling and the opposing walls, effectively burying the still-screaming Death Eater as he suffered through gruesome electrocution shocks.
The Knight continued to run until reaching the last corridor, which led to a dead end. Allowing the Dilation to lapse they took a deep breath before breaking into a dead sprint, dropping into a one-legged slide as they approached the wall. Their wand flashed with a Protego just as the wall exploded.
BOOOOOOM!
The Knight was pelted with shattered bricks and masonry, thankfully unaffected due to their shield. Looking up, they smiled at seeing two of their fellow comrades-in-arms mounted on their brooms, their matching cuffs glowing with their respective symbols as they established an undetectable mind-link to think-speak freely.
Galahad: "Bradamante! Thank Circe you're alright!"
Bedivere: "Indeed, and no more worse for wear than normal." Bradamante rolled her eyes at his teasing tone.
Bradamante: "I could say the same for you lot, looks like you took quite the trashing." She mentally gestured towards their mottled faces, looking as though they'd taken turns with a troll's fist. "What happened?"
Bedivere: "Lestrange's accursed komodo dragons, those little beasties are bloody vicious. Ehm… no offense to you Bradamante." The witch mentally rolled her eyes. "We managed to take out four but there are still three murking about…somewhere. Thank Merlin we all took Cador's specialized antivenom potion before we came here, else we'd probably be dead."
Galahad: "Indeed. But enough of that. Was the recon successful?"
Bradamante: "In a manner of speaking." And with that Bradamante pointed her wand to her throat and cast an Amplification Charm, before hissing a sharp command. A few seconds later ten pythons came charging through the wreckage Bradamante had created, their bodies made entirely of spellstuff. All of them had midsections bulging with certain items they'd sequestered from the private laboratory of Boruslav Lestrange by swallowing them whole. One by one they quickly slithered up Bradamante's leg to land in a charmed bottomless pocket on her bodysuit, depositing their items before disappearing.
Bedivere: "I don't think I'll ever get over that." He gave the mental equivalent of a shudder as Bradamante snickered.
Cador: "Very sorry to interrupt, but we don't have the bloody time for this!"
Bradamante: "Cador?! Where the hell are you?!"
Cador: "Situated outside the outermost point on this Merlin-forsaken estate, about 500 meters away. Only feasible point of apparition per my calculations."
Gareth: "Indeed. I am loath to belabor the point, but we need to leave. I imagine competent backup is on the way, more than likely the lord of the manor. And to be quite frank, I am in no mood to reengage with Boruslav's little pet beasties."
Galahad: "We're done here, we leave now." And with that he tilted his broom slightly downward and allowed Bradamante to hop on before they all zoomed off. He passed her a few healing potions (including antivenom) and a Pepper-Up for which the Knight-witch was grateful.
It was the perfect time too, as spellfire splashed against their magically-shielded backs as reinforcements poured in. The Knights weren't idle, lashing back with lethal magicks of their own as they furiously rained down Laceros, Defodios, and Confrigos on their enemies. From their greater vantage they could see the remaining komodos - a feral group of three - hot on their tails. All were thankful that the ghastly creatures couldn't fly.
Soon they reached the apparition point where Cador and Gareth waited. Quickly landing they disembarked their brooms before shrinking them to slip in their respective pockets. More Death Eater foot soldiers approached and engaged them in spellfire, quickly and efficiently dispatched by the five Knights.
Gareth: "GALAHAD 2 O'CLOCK!"
THUMP.
"SsSECTUMSsEMPRA TRIA!" Katana-like blades of pure lethal magic rushed out of his yew wand, severing the leaping rabid komodos into ribbons of bloodied flesh. Two sharp flicks transfigured the remaining chunks into sharp spears that swiftly embedded themselves into their remaining enemies.
Cador: "Now, may we leave?" Bedivere mentally snickered at his comrade's sarcastically bland tone.
Galahad: "Not quite. We've acquired what we need from the laboratory. However, Lestrange has always been irritatingly…resilient. I shudder to think of how he will recover from this blow within the sanctuary of his estate." A few seconds ticked by in relative silence.
Bedivere: "Soooo…execute Fire Gopher?"
Galahad: "...Aye."
And with that the Five Knights got into position, arranging themselves about half a meter apart in a triangular formation. According to Cador's cartographical calculations, this particular point was the weakest in the three converging ley lines upon which the estate resided. As such, it made it the perfect point of successfully attacking the home from an exterior point.
Centering themselves, the Knights strengthened their mental link as their cuffs synced their thought processes to one, their respective symbols thrumming to their synchronized heartbeats.
Galahad: "On my mark, 3…2…1…"
"PERFODIO!" "CONFRINGO HORRIBILIS MAXIMA!" With that unified cry (two hissed in Parseltongue) the five Knights, as one, plunged their wands deep into the ground and released their combined spells. The effect was instantaneous; a massive groove dug itself into the earth and raced straight to Castle Strange proper. The combined modified Blasting Curse converged as one massive snake-like gout of flame and destructive force that raced through the created groove straight to the manor.
BOOOOOOOM!
The easternmost foundation of the manor exploded in an impossibly loud blast, releasing chunks of masonry and large clouds of ash and smoke into the air. The Knights cast the modified spell again, pouring more magic into the spell as it destroyed more of the home.
The manor slowly started to sink into the ground as its foundation was summarily destroyed, brick by perfidious brick. Screams of panicked terror could be heard as the reinforcements scrambled to apparate their way out.
Gareth: "Um…are there house elves in there?" The worry was palpable in his tone.
Galahad: "Worry not. Iolanthe Lestrange is currently in the family's holiday estate in Touraine, feeling exceptionally compelled to take a much needed weekend break accompanied by the family elves."
Bedivere: "...Compelled?" Galahad mentally smirked at his cheeky tone before giving a quick mental nod.
That exchange finished, the five continued their task, repeating the modified Blasting Curse and watching as Castle Strange crumbled to ash.
Bradamante, however, was not satisfied.
It wasn't enough to see the edifice explode and be brought to its knees. She wanted the very land it was built on to be destroyed, to never give rise to another wretched lair like Castle Strange ever again. Her rage, rigidly held at bay when she'd witnessed poor innocent Izzy and her poor innocent parents be gruesomely tortured bubbled to the surface, churning in its righteousness and desire to be ruthlessly unleashed upon those who'd stoked it. Unbidden, a particular spell she'd once read of in Salazar Slytherin's first volume of memoirs sprung to the forefront of her mind.
"SssSALTERRA!"
Bradamante twirled her wand (its tip still buried in the earth) in large circular motions, as though she were stirring a massive cauldron. Large salt rock formations sprung in the ground, following the magically-created burrow as they raced to the still crumbling manor. Galahad turned sharply to her but she did not acknowledge him, pouring more of her magic into the spell as she continued the stirring motion, her eyes flashing Killing Curse green. He established a separate mind-link with her, engaging in a seven-second conversation. Satisfied, he mimicked her movement with the spell.
More salt rock crystals formed as Gareth, Cador, and Bedivere watched with mental expressions of amazement as the entire ground magically transformed into salt, their impressive crystalline forms twinkling with an almost alien beauty under the light of the waxing gibbous moon. The manor continued to sink and melt into the ground below, slowly becoming one with the salt-covered earth as it met its timely end.
Soon, the last of the great manor was swallowed by the earth, and its place sprang a truly impressive salt rock formation, rising out of the wreckage like a reverse sword of Excalibur. It was a message to all who would come across the ruins, a living testament to let them know - made sure they understood - that evil could not, would not be allowed to triumph so long as good men and women stood and did something to stop it.
With collective satisfaction, the Knights re-holstered their wands and apparated away in a soft and synchronized pop.
At last, Castle Strange was no more.
Present Time…
With a sharp gasp Lily Evans awoke from her sleep, hand flying to her chest to soothe her racing heart.
It had been years since she'd dreamt of that particular night when she - allowing herself to be captured in a Death Eater raid - had successfully infiltrated Lord Lestrange's fortress and absconded with his critical research items. That she and her brothers-in-arms had killed Castle Strange's Death Eater Lord by blowing the hellhole to smithereens had been gratuitous. Lily couldn't help but grin in grim satisfaction at Boruslav Lestrange's very timely and deserved death. Her thoughts drifted to Izzy and her parents, and with a grimace she shook them off.
Still, she wondered what on earth could have inspired that memory to spring up in her dreams, as it was typically locked away in an impregnable alcove of her memory palace. Feeling the lightly raised scar on her chest, the witch groaned in understanding. Her Scarlet Letter Curse scar, now a pinkish-hued obvious letter 'A' stood out in sharp relief against her pale skin, a constant reminder of her ex-husband's enduringly callow cruelty. It itched constantly, an annoying and never-ending prickle under her skin. While her spell-casting ability remained the same, she'd noticed that it took her a little longer to recover from her training drills. That, coupled with her the extra effort she required to occlude, to maintain her bifurcated thoughtstreams, and to keep calm when provoked. 'Hope I don't have to deal with this bloody nonsense for much bloody longer.'
In seeming response to her thoughts a tray teeming with her daily potions regimen popped in, quickly followed by a light but no less nutritious breakfast. "Thanks Mia!" She quickly downed her potions - various healing and rejuvenative concoctions of Severus' making - lip curling at the impossibly vile taste of a few. She made quick work of her breakfast, delighting in the extra veggie egg scramble Mia loved to make for her. Checking the time with a nonverbal Tempus, the witch made her way to the adjoining master suite bathroom to begin her morning routine.
About half an hour later Lily reemerged, refreshed and rejuvenated to begin her day. She quickly dressed, making sure to apply her Essence of Dittany balm to her scar, sighing in relief as the prickling settled down. She slipped her wand holster on, once more thanking Mia when a cup of steaming black coffee - two sugars no cream - appeared on her bedside table. Leaving her room she quickly stopped by Harry's, smiling at the sight of her sleeping son. He was comfortably tangled within his sheets, wavy locks creating a dark halo around his head. Nestled comfortably on his chest was Selma, who was equally fast asleep.
With quick footsteps she made her way to her personal study, pleased to see the myriad of security wards were readily active. Setting down her coffee cup Lily sat at her desk, a special posthumous gift from Lady Dorea Potter upon the younger witch's Hogwarts graduation. It was a masterfully crafted creation of rowan, willow, and crepe myrtle, inlaid with sinuous carvings of snakes as a nod to the younger witch's Slytherin sorting and heritage. Lily still couldn't figure out how Dorea had known to choose kraits for the table's legs, but she had been amused all the same.
Hissing a series of passwords, Lily watched in satisfaction as the desk's surface swirled like liquid mercury before solidifying into a projector screen. Said screen was magically linked to her five customized Eye-Spys currently kept in the Longbottom dungeons. It afforded her a panoramic view of each individual cell housing a specific prisoner they'd absconded from Azkaban Prison. They were each bound in full-body straitjackets and magically manacled to the walls, rendered comatose by a combination of parseltongue-enhanced Sleep Spell and extra-potent doses of Draught of Living Death.
Seated outside of the dungeon proper was Dobby the house elf, casually leaned back in a wooden rocking chair and skillfully plucking the notes of 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips' on a handmade banjo while chewing the stem-end of a bulrush weed. Lily couldn't help but chuckle at his antics, knowing very well that the elf's casually cheeky appearance was a clever and convincing facade for an exceptionally powerful and highly capable being.
Suddenly the small latch on her office door opened and a copy of the Daily Prophet slipped through. With a verbal 'thank you' to her dutiful elf Lily wordlessly summoned the newspaper, face twisting into a grimace as she read the front cover. 'Should have kept the blasted little insect in the bloody jar.'
22 June 1993
From the front page of the Daily Prophet
By Rita Skeeter
DISASTER STRIKES WIZARDING BRITAIN!
DEATH EATERS ESCAPE FROM AZKABAN!
BELLATRIX LESTRANGE! AUGUSTUS ROOKWOOD!
THE LESTRANGE BROTHERS! ANTONIN DOLOHOV!
THE DEATH EATER MENACE IS UPON US ALL!'
Ladies and gentle-wizards of England you read that correctly! Since their imprisonment almost twelve years prior, the Dark Lord's Inner Circle - The Ghosts of Silesia - have escaped from Azkaban Prison!
The most dangerous of our society have been rendered unbound from their prisons, and my fair readers I do believe we are to endure this disaster for the foreseeable future. Worse still, is that key members of our very law enforcement have been implicated in this madness! According to my top sources the entire Auror Department has been compromised, and the stench of corruption rises to the top! I cannot be certain if the Ministry of Magic is launching a formal investigation, but I am certain that the Lords and Ladies of the Wizengamot will be reconvening in an emergency session in the coming days to address the hysteria caused by the Death Eaters' escape!
As this riveting revelation readily unfurls, it is vital that we ask: If the Ghosts of our pasts are unleashed upon us, what hope can we have to survive our futures?
AN 1: And we're off! Just a bit of minor editing needed, but Book 3 is officially on the go. The chapter titles will be a touch more...creative since the entire theme of this book is 'action-packed adventure'. Should be fun.
AN 2: There will be plenty more scenes featuring the Knights of Walpurgis at fighting form (pre-Lily & Severus' inclusion) for you all to enjoy. The same for the Ghosts of Silesia, including who they are and how their creation came about, along with our Dark Lord(s) and a general bit of fun lore.