WEREWOLF TERROR IN HOGSMEADE - PUREBLOOD ELITE MASSACRED
By Tabitha Bulstrode, Senior Correspondent
In a vicious and tragic attack that has rocked our nation's wizarding community, six upstanding pureblood gentlemen were savagely killed by what authorities are calling a "pack of rabid werewolves" in the Forbidden Forest on the outskirts of Hogsmeade village late last night.
The deceased have been identified as the Lestrange brothers Rodolphus and Rabastan, Theodore Nott, Thomas Avery, Corban Yaxley, and Walden Macnair - all proud members of the sacred twenty-eight pureblood families. Lucius Malfoy, who had been visiting Hogsmeade with the group, is still unaccounted for.
While little is yet known about the motivations behind this unspeakable act of brutality against wizards of the highest pedigree, the blatant anti-pureblood slant cannot be ignored. Is this the work of a radical faction aiming to eliminate the elite upperclass of our community? Were these fine upstanding citizens targeted for their unwavering stance against the eroding pureblood way of life? The possibility that this was a hate crime motivated by anti-pureblood bigotry and intolerance toward our customs must be investigated fully and fairly.
The utter savagery in which these men were torn limb from limb is a sight this reporter wishes could be unseen. Heir Rodolphus of House Lestrange was allegedly disemboweled, with his entrails scattered among the pine needles of the forest floor. His younger brother Rabastan was found with claw marks so deep they very nearly severed his head from his body. The other victims' remains were equally as gruesome – massacred in a vicious frenzy of tooth and nail one could scarcely imagine possible outside the deepest pits of Azkaban itself.
In my years reporting on the comings and goings of high society, rarely have I encountered a group as principled and charitable as Messrs. Lestrange, Nott, Avery, Yaxley, and Macnair – nor a pureblood patriarch as distinguished and benevolent as Lord Abraxas Malfoy. Should the worst be confirmed regarding his son's fate, the loss will be felt globally by all who admire his magnanimous leadership in reinforcing the traditions that remain the bedrock of our Wizarding Society.
At last, this reporter has to ask severe questions of those who govern us.
When even the most prominent wizarding families gather under moon's light and are not safe from such unthinkable violence, what hope is there for the rest of the wizarding populace?
The Ministry of Magic must take tangible action to protect those fortunate remaining houses with pureblood heritage before this escalates beyond repair. The authorities must wake up to the horrifying reality afoot before more are massacred. These killed tonight were of the highest lineage - but make no mistake, we are all next in the crosshairs. No witch or wizard is safe until adequate action is undertaken. No pureblood should ever again have to fear what stalks our forests at night.
"Well, she went for everyone's throats," Harry mused as he threw the Evening Prophet on the table and resumed his breakfast. "Who's she, by the way?"
"One of the Prophet's crime reporters," Narcissa replied. "The Bulstrode family is one of the Sacred Twenty-eight. The article reeks of pureblood agenda."
Harry nodded absentmindedly.
"I think they will begin cracking down on the werewolves after this," he mused thoughtfully. "Forcing them to register and imposing severe punishment if one doesn't."
Around him, his friends shared the same sentiment and Harry did not miss how Remus tensed slightly.
'Hopefully this should make the werewolves hate the pureblood supremacists even more. The fewer werewolves that join Tom's cause, the better it would be for everyone,' Harry thought to himself. A setback like this was tolerable if it meant reducing the number of those creatures in Voldemort's ranks, and if it happened to push over a few of those creatures to their side then it was a welcome bonus.
"Similar to the Animagus law, just… more oppressive," Narcissa nodded. Harry glanced over at James and the rest of the Marauders with pursed lips. They were taking a massive risk in this endeavor of theirs. He knew it was necessary because of the war but there was a risk nonetheless. One misstep on anyone's part and they all would find themselves in Azkaban—a fate he'd die before he let it happen.
"The law is already discriminatory enough, which is why werewolves are so disgruntled. This will worsen the situation and public opinion will be even more against them. Pureblood heirs have died. The Wizengamot won't like it and the lords will push for a change."
"Mass derision and brainwashing breeds radicals. We have enough of both in our society. The situation is going to worsen. I can tell you all that much," Bellatrix intoned with a casual shake of her hand.
Harry caught Remus' eyes and gave him a reassuring nod, silently asking him to keep calm. The boy, understandably nervous, gulped and nodded slowly.
-Break-
"Their corpses were found in the clearing. Evidence suggests that they were killed by the werewolves and the severity of injuries also pinpoint to this fact. It looks like an open and shut case," Kingsley Shacklebolt intoned solemnly.
His boss and the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch, perused through the report submitted to him, nodding.
"I'll be the one to decide that," Crouch replied curtly. "All the werewolves are accounted for?"
"Yes, sir," Kingsley nodded. "And all the missing students apart from Lucius Malfoy."
"Yeah, I gathered as much from that article," Crouch said with distaste. "Those bastards must have a mole in the department to get information so quickly."
Kingsley remained silent.
"Where is Alastor?" Crouch asked, not taking his eyes off the parchment unfurled in front of him.
"Here," a firm voice called out and finally, the man looked up to see the best auror in the department arrive.
"You reek, Alastor," Crouch remarked.
"Blame the dementors for that," Moody replied and threw a scroll on the desk.
"And what is this now?"
"All the evidence you need," Moody replied. "Blood reports from the DoM. Perfect match."
Crouch's eyes widened slightly as he read the report and he pursed his lips tightly.
"This definitely seals it," he nodded. The report corroborated the fact that the blood found on the clothes of those werewolves was indeed a perfect match with the blood of the deceased. "And those creatures haven't turned back yet?"
"I don't think they ever will," Moody replied. "Feral beasts. That's permanent transformation. Greyback's work."
Crouch wrinkled his nose in disgust and threw the scroll away.
"Send it all to Bagnold then. She can handle those pricks on her own."
"You know what this means, right?" Moody asked keenly, earning an exasperated look from his boss.
"It's unfair, yes. But there's nothing we can do about it."
Moody frowned but nodded, watching Shacklebolt as he collected the evidence and took his leave, leaving him with Crouch in the office.
"Sit, Alastor."
Alastor Moody complied, gazing at his boss with a raised eyebrow.
"Patrol and monitoring in remote areas will have to increase from now on. You know the legislation that's coming shortly. It would have serious consequences. There is no way those creatures would accept the law without protest."
Moody gave a curt nod.
"Nightly patrols are to be increased tenfold and keep a tight monitoring around known werewolf hotspots. I want eyes on them at all times."
"Training will have to increase," Moody replied. "The radicals can't be allowed to organize. We'll need to use overwhelming force to put down any signs of insurrection before it spreads beyond control."
"Precisely," Crouch nodded. "Our force is good but they need to firm their balls even more. The ambush last time worked thanks to Peverell but he won't be there all the time to give us the heads up. I don't have much quarrel with those beasts but if they show even a hint of rebelling, I want them crushed without mercy."
"Consider it done," Moody replied, a twisted smile crossing his face as he gripped his wand tightly. "I've had my sights set on a few select pups for a long time now. It'd be good for everyone if we finally have an excuse to put down rabid beasts like Greyback and his ilk for good."
-Break-
"Meet me outside the place in about half an hour," Harry told Narcissa whose eyes flashed. She nodded in understanding and walked away with Bellatrix, leaving Harry with the Marauders. He gestured for them to follow him and led the way toward the Gryffindor Common Room.
There was a stillness in the castle. A silence that was in no way oppressive or filled with sorrow. Instead, it was peaceful and tranquil. Students were indeed shocked with the news but barely anyone dwelled too much on it. Even if they did, sorrow was the furthest emotion they had on their minds.
Their walk to the common room was relatively uneventful if they ignored the gaggle of young students wandering the corridors excitedly.
"The castle already looks a much livelier place now with that lot gone," Sirius commented as another group of firsties rushed past them. "Fair play to those werewolves, I say."
"Padfoot…" Remus sighed.
"You know I didn't mean it like that, Moony," Sirius replied quickly as they entered the common room. "But just look around you. Tell me it's not better that those lot have kicked the bucket. I can't imagine anything good happening with them around anyone."
"On point, Padfoot," James nodded his agreement. "Now if only the rest of their sorry lot could leave permanently then it'd be great, thank you."
As they took their seats near the fireplace, Harry quickly cast a privacy charm around them and spied Lily staring at James with a frown. Their eyes met and the girl quickly averted her eyes, looking at Alice who she was sitting with.
"Marlene's still not spending time with Lily, it seems," he remarked. James pursed his lips and pointedly stared at the fire. "Any idea about that, Sirius?"
"Why're you asking me?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow.
Harry sighed and shook his head. "Forget it. That's not why I asked you all here anyway."
Turning to Remus, Harry smiled sympathetically.
"You shouldn't worry about anything happening to you, Remus. We're all with you, no matter what happens."
Immediately, everyone sobered up and nodded toward Remus who let out a resigned sigh.
"Me being here is already pushing it a lot. If what you all were saying does happen then there's no way I can stay in the castle. You all know that."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," James asserted firmly. "You better quit moping about it already. For all we know, nothing like that might happen."
"You really believe that?" Remus asked with a rueful chuckle. "Let's face it, James. The bigots on the Wizengamot have been looking for a reason to go after the werewolves. It's what they do and believe is right. To them, good werewolves don't exist. I'm sure they must've been wanting to do something about it. Well, now they've got the perfect excuse to bring those creatures under their boot."
There was a perverse silence as everyone stared at the floor, aware that the boy was speaking nothing but the truth.
"In a way, I understand them. Pick ten werewolves and at least six would be evil bastards who deserve to be put down. But what about the rest? They're victims! They don't deserve to be marginalized, or be treated like criminals even when they've done nothing," Remus continued. He never raised his voice or expressed the anger they knew he was feeling inside. His voice was grave, almost resigned, as if he had accepted what he was saying a long time ago.
"Nevermind," he sighed. "Nothing's gonna change. They finally have the opportunity to make permanent enemies of all the werewolves and nothing will stop them."
'And that's exactly what this was for,' Harry thought to himself as he pursed his lips. 'They must hate pureblood supremacists with every fiber of their being. Every prospective supporter of Voldemort will agree with this legislation if it is proposed. That's a guarantee.'
"Listen, Moony, and listen well," James began firmly. "No matter what happens, nothing's happening to you. You hear me?"
Remus simply shook his head with a rueful chuckle.
"We'll just have to see, won't we?"
"We will," Harry nodded firmly. "And there's something I want to talk to you guys about. Something important."
He shared pointed looks with James and Sirius whose eyes widened a bit.
"What is it?" Remus asked curiously.
Harry pursed his lips as he looked around, watching the crowd of students around them.
"It's a bit serious, so not here," he replied. "Let me get the others as well and meet me in the abandoned corridor to the north end of the castle. Fourth floor."
"The only corridor beyond the portrait of that bloodied knight?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded as he stood up. "Get Frank and the twins, will you? I'll meet you all there in half an hour."
Everyone watched Harry as he dispelled the privacy charm and walked out of the common room.
"What's he being so secretive about?" Remus mused aloud. James and Sirius shared a look and nodded. It seemed Harry had decided to bring everyone into the fold.
-Break-
The whoosh of the broomstick indicated the displaced air as they descended together down the tunnel and in no time, the threesome landed in front of the massive metal door depicting serpents for a hand.
"For a sec, I thought that broom would break," Harry remarked, chuckling when he was swatted on either arm by the two girls.
"You ever insinuate we're fat again and it'll be even harder," Narcissa said curtly, turning away from him.
"But I never called you two fa—that!" Harry corrected himself hastily under their twin glares. "All right, fine. My fault."
Grumbling under his breath, he shrunk and put the broomstick away before approaching the door.
A whisper of Parseltongue took care of the enchantment and they watched as the snake slithered around the circular door. With a loud clang, it opened and Harry pulled the door.
"Let's get to it then," he muttered and stepped inside, followed by Bellatrix and Narcissa. They traversed through the dingy tunnels until they were in the chamber proper and not for the first time, they stopped to stare at the marvel that the Chamber of Secrets was.
"It's so magnificent. It's a shame this place is not reachable without a Parselmouth or more people don't know about it."
"Some things are better left forgotten, only to be mentioned in legends," Harry replied. "And magnificent ain't the world I'd use to describe this place. No offence."
"That's because you're a foolish lion who can't appreciate the beauty of snakes," Bellatrix replied haughtily. The girl suddenly yelped when she felt him pull her flush against him. Her eyes wide, she stared at him as he kept her firmly against his front.
"I wouldn't be here with you two if I couldn't appreciate just how beautiful my dear snakes are," he replied, planting a small kiss on her lips. Bellatrix flushed brilliantly as he released her before kissing Narcissa as well. Pulling back, he smirked at the look on the brunette's face before he turned to the far end of the chamber, his expression sobering.
"Now then, let's get to why we came here in the first place," he muttered. The twins quickly schooled their features and nodded, falling in step beside him as he led the way to the statue of Slytherin where the Basilisk's terrifying maw was magically held open right in front of Lucius Malfoy's face.
"It stinks here," Narcissa muttered distastefully, casting a freshening charm around their heads.
"No wonder it does," Harry replied, gesturing toward Malfoy. The two girls followed his gaze and grimaced. "He's pissed all over himself. Feeding Salazar's basilisk his urine. How brilliant."
"He's passed out as well," Narcissa said disgustedly. "Should I do the honors?"
"Be my guest, love," Harry nodded. He watched with Bellatrix as the blonde stepped forward, her wand held aloft, before she gave it a quick flick. A loud smack rang out as Malfoy's face was jolted to the side, a deepening red handprint appearing on his cheek. Narcissa flicked her wand a few more times in quick succession, delivering more slaps and watching disdainfully as the asshole gasped, his eyes shooting wide.
His body lurched against its bindings as he set his sight on the basilisk's gruesome mouth once again.
"You should get used to that sight by now, Malfoy," Harry called out without even an ounce of pity in his voice. This asshole deserved the worst for all he'd done and would have been doing if he'd not had his fangs yanked off.
Lucius could barely hear the voices over the ringing in his ears. He had been feeling lightheaded for hours now without any food, water, or clean air to breathe. That was not to mention that he'd been hanging upside down for Merlin knew how many hours now, or had it been days? He didn't know, but it had not been pleasant. All his blood had rushed to his head and had remained there, rendering him unconscious for the better part of his confinement here in this terrifying place and perhaps even sending him on the verge of death. It was a miracle he'd managed to survive for so long.
"We won't be long here, Lucius," Harry continued. "And as much as all three of us would like to put you out of your misery, you deserve to suffer until you die. It wouldn't have been like this, you know? I would've let you keep living your wretched life, but you had to make it personal, eh? Sucks to be you now, I guess. But at least I didn't leave you without any company here, right?"
Lucius simply hung limply against his binds, his eyes closed. He earned nothing but looks of disgust from all three of his enemies.
"There's something I'm looking for, Lucius. Something I believe you can give me. Don't worry though, I won't make you work for it. We all know you're a lazy son of a bitch who can't get anything done without your wretched father's help. Nah, man. I can get it done in no time."
Lucius Malfoy did not even react when Harry lifted his wand and forcefully intruded into his mind. His state was so vulnerable right now that his minuscule Occlumency defense had all but fractured, paving an easy path for Harry who discovered everything he wanted from him.
Mere seconds later, Lucius slumped over even further, succumbing to unconsciousness once again, and Harry lowered his wand, a look of resignation etched on his face.
"It is what it is then," he muttered. Turning around, he looked at Narcissa and Bellatrix and nodded. "I've got what I wanted. Let's go now."
"What about him?" Narcissa asked, glaring at the hanging figure. Harry glanced over his shoulders and pursed his lips.
"He'll die within a few hours, maybe even less. The lack of blood to his vitals has already started fatally affecting him and it'll be the point of no return soon. We can either leave him or get it done right now. Your choice."
Narcissa stared at Malfoy for a few seconds before she curled her lips in distaste. Her hands wrapped around his and Bellatrix's and she pulled them with her as she walked away.
"Let nature run its course then. We're done here."
-Break-
The Marauders found Frank with the Prewitt twins in no time and together, the seven made their way across the castle to the designated corridor where they found Harry waiting for them alongside Narcissa and Bellatrix. No one batted an eye at the presence of the two girls, fully aware of Harry's relationship with the former. The latter was her twin so her presence made perfect sense as well, even though she made a few of them uneasy with her spontaneous demeanor.
"Come on," Harry instructed them to follow and led them over to one of the classrooms at the end of the corridor. They stepped inside and Harry immediately conjured chairs for them all with a large table in the middle. "Sit down, guys."
"What's this all about, Harry?" Fabian asked, looking around.
"Is this about the deaths?" Frank enquired curiously.
"No need to be impatient, guys. I just wanted to have a little chat with you all," Harry replied. To their surprise, he pulled out a moleskin pouch from his pocket and pulled out a large bottle of butterbeer and mugs for them.
"Wine?"
"Now, before you guys get ahead of yourselves, this isn't to celebrate their deaths," Harry began. "I just thought we could have a pint or two while we talk."
"Won't find me complaining either way," Sirius chimed in as he reached forward and grabbed the bottle. In no time, everyone had a mug of butterbeer in front of them. "Cheers!"
Amused, Harry took a few large gulps and watched everyone follow suit.
"All right then, what'd you wanna talk about?" Gideon asked as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
Harry leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table, and looked around.
"A few of you know this already, but I think it's high time you all know this as well," he began. "I'm sure you all have heard about a certain pureblood movement slowly gaining traction in the society. Hate speech against muggles, muggleborns, and half-bloods has never been more fanatically motivated and rampant, and the number of bullying cases of certain individuals has been escalating rapidly."
"Are you mainly talking about Malfoy and his now dead pals?" Frank asked curiously. "They've been like that since they arrived here."
"I know. There's a section of our society who we call pureblood supremacists and they've always held on to their shitty beliefs, but in the past year or so, the situation has worsened. That is not to mention the talks of more repressive laws against muggleborns that are becoming more and more loud as time passes. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about."
"What is going on exactly, Harry?"
His lips pursed, Harry exchanged a look with James and Sirius and sighed.
"My parents were killed by a dark wizard when I was an infant," he began, ignoring how numerous eyes widened around the table. He continued to explain what was going on behind the scenes, what Voldemort's goals were, how he was influencing purebloods across the country, and who he believed were already in cohorts with him.
By the time he was done, the arms of multiple chairs were being gripped harshly, knuckles white. The expressions on several faces were of sharp focus. A few looked horrified as the sheer magnitude of what was unfolding behind the scenes dawned on them.
"In the end, all he wants is power for himself. This bullshit ideology of pureblood supremacy that he's using is nothing more than a tool for him to incite hatred and use it for his nefarious ends" Harry's turquoise eyes were flinty. "It all comes down to one thing. Fight. It's us or him. He won't hesitate from killing anyone who dares stand in his way, and as much as we might hate it, we'll have to make the decision. Fight, or be killed. Running isn't an option. Neutrality isn't an option. There is nothing we can do but fight this evil."
There was utter silence pervading the classroom and Harry watched his friends staring at him with nervous looks that slowly transformed into determination. He was glad to see all his friends were steeling themselves for what awaited them in the near future.
"So this is why you're so capable," Frank remarked gravely. "You've been preparing for the day you have to fight him."
"I can't rest knowing that my parents' killer is out there plotting mass genocide and untold amount of terrorism that could put Grindelwald's crusade to shame. If he's not stopped, he'll destroy it all. A madman's whims know no boundaries, and his cruelty is unmatched," Harry replied, smiling when he felt Narcissa and Bellatrix sitting on either side of him squeeze his thighs reassuringly.
"We'll need to start preparing for it then," Fabian intoned firmly. "Training, mastering lethal and protective spells, warding, the whole shebang."
"We will," Harry nodded. "James and Sirius have known about it since the summer. I met the Potters and shared with them what I knew. These two asked for some help to get started. I hope you two are keeping up with it all?"
He earned nods from the two boys, prompting him to let out a small smile.
"So that's what those spell practice sessions were about," Remus whispered in realization as he gazed at James who nodded.
"I told them not to share anything with anyone unless something significant happened," Harry said, staring at Remus. "Now that those assholes are dead, things might start to worsen. It's better now for you all to know so you can realize what's coming."
Although he didn't like being kept in the dark for so long, especially by those he considered his best friends, Remus did not pursue the matter any further. It was pointless to argue about the timing when they had much bigger concerns.
"We were going to try for auror school after Hogwarts anyway. Any advanced training would only help us out with our goal," Frank remarked, earning nods from the Prewitt twins.
Harry glanced at the Longbottom heir and nodded. The last time, he and his wife Alice had been tortured by the three Lestranges and Crouch Jr. for information on Voldemort's whereabouts. There was no way he would let the events play out in a similar fashion. He had already taken care of three culprits from back then, and there was nothing to fear from them anymore.
Bellatrix started slightly when she felt Harry take her hand under the table and she glanced at him. Her eyes softened when she saw the tender smile on his face and she squeezed back, a warm feeling pooling in her stomach.
Harry turned back to his friends and nodded resolutely.
"The authorities must be aware of what's coming. The signs are there for all to see and rumors are rampant within pureblood circles. With this recent werewolf attack, we'll see the legislature get involved more seriously than before, and it should trigger further actions. There is nothing we can do about any of that, so it's better we leave the aurors and the ministry to take care of matters on their end," he continued, and they all were hanging on to every word he was saying. "What we can do is work on our magic and combat skills as much as we can. We also need to get word out amongst the masses about what's coming so that more and more people can start getting prepared for it."
Resolute nods were exchanged around the table as Harry leaned back and took a sip of his butterbeer, relishing the taste of the beverage. He exchanged a look with James and Sirius who gazed back firmly. He smiled, knowing how motivated they all were.
However, there was something he believed was necessary for them to learn if they wanted to survive this war. They needed to be vigilant, and to realize the gravity of the situation before they were blindsided in the field of battle. He would've preferred to do it in some other way but both Bellatrix and Narcissa had agreed that it was better to just get it over with.
"Before we leave here," Harry began. "There are a few questions I want to ask someone here."
Curiosity was the most prominent feeling around the table as they stared at Harry who pivoted slightly to his left.
"Hello, Peter. You mind if I ask you something?"
Surprised, Peter stared at Harry who was gazing at him with a small smile. His eyes darted around, only to find everyone's eyes on him. He turned back to Harry and shook his head.
"Nice," Harry grinned, but Peter felt no mirth in those glowing eyes of his.
"Tell me, Peter. Have you been meeting anyone from Malfoy's group since this past summer?"
Alongside everyone apart from Harry, Narcissa, and Bellatrix, Peter's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the amused visage of Harry Peverell.
TBC.
Check out the link on my profile for early access and more of my work. Chapters 23, 24, and 25 are already up.
Thanks for reading.