Thanks, Scott and Lady Blazey, for your reviews! I really appreciate it. (smiling broadly).
Chapter 21
The Twin Pendants of Omerta
Hermione stood up from the floor, moved towards Harry, and clung unto him at the same time as Lucius and the Death Eaters looked upon them dangerously with mixed expressions. Some looked satisfied with their catch while the others were obviously angry with them.
"Let's kill them now!" Bellatrix Lestrange laughed, sounding much like a small girl. "Oh, they look sooo scared!"
"Not now, Bellatrix. You'll have your chance later on - I promise you that," Lucius replied to her, not taking his eyes off Harry. "But if they make a sudden move, you can do whatever you want with them."
Bellatrix cackled with delight. "Eenie, Meeny, Miney, Mo! Mo, Miney, Meeny, Weeny-Weeny!" she said, picking Harry, Hermione, Willard and Francs with her wand excitedly and hopped on her spot with glee.
Harry, Hermione, Willard, and Francs were outnumbered five to one in the gloomy pit. It was Harry's habit to often look for a way out of a bad situation - he observed that the only apparent exit was a small opening behind the Death Eaters that connected to a set of stairs going up. It was probably where the Death Eaters might have entered to the pit to wait for them to fall into their trap. He didn't know where it went to and he believed it was not worth the risk to try to break through the phalanx of Death Eaters. The one other exit in sight was the open trapdoor above them, but the imps made it an undesirable choice and climbing up there was not a good idea. They absolutely had nowhere to go now.
Since Harry and Hermione were rendered wandless, Lucius felt free to stroll around his prisoners. Hermione hid behind Harry and peeked over his shoulder to watch Lucius.
"You've caused so many problems for us already, Potter," Lucius said angrily. "The Dark Lord has never experienced this heavy of losses in terms of Death Eaters until now - quite unprecedented."
"They were so stupid anyway!" Harry spat bravely. "Like all Death Eaters…"
"Why, you're one bloody little pest…" McNair said, in the verge of cursing Harry. Lucius, however, grabbed McNair's hand to turn his aim away from Harry.
Hermione tugged down Harry's robes. "Harry, please don't…" she pleaded behind him.
"That'll do, McNair," Lucius said. He looked back at Harry and laughed in a single breath. "I see your little feat with the scientists has gone to your head, Potter," he sneered. "Still feeling brave, aren't you? Do you even think you can take on all of us yourself?"
"Just give me my wand back and you'll find out," Harry grunted.
The Death Eaters all hooted with laughter.
"Nice one, Potter," Lucius scoffed. "But we'll see how fearless you will be when you meet the Dark Lord again in a little while. He was quite happy that you went back to the dungeons instead of jumping over that portal for good. How stupid of you - but thanks to you, you've given us another shot on capturing you."
The rest of the Death Eaters around the pit laughed again. Harry and Hermione snatched glances to their faraway wands - attempting to retrieve them without being cursed was just next to impossible.
"Quite a day today was, wasn't it?" Lucius went on. "We underestimated how those nerdy scientists could fight against our Death Eaters. We have never imagined they'd take us on. They were very, very lucky to break through like that and killing every one of my men in the process - a very impressive accomplishment."
"Those scientists escaped what was supposed to be an inescapable fortress, so this proves Xanthius isn't what it's touted to be, is it?" Harry smirked in an attempt to get even with Lucius with his trash talk. "If I were your Dark Lord, I'd chomp all your hollow heads for that."
"Oh, you're quite mistaken. It now doesn't matter to any of us that they've escaped," Lucius replied. "We now have full knowledge on how to mass-produce the serum. They would be a liability after their work was done, anyway. Soon, we will have enough of the serum to create paranoia in the wizard world and force our new slaves to do our bidding. What's more, nobody will be sure who'll be their enemy anymore when the job is done. But that isn't the sole reason why we invented the serum in the first place. He has appreciated the fact that my little project provided the answer to his deepest desire, which he had worked hard to fulfill so many times but failed. You don't need to know about that, of course. Anyway, don't you worry about the escaped scientists, Potter. They're worthless to the Dark Lord now. The only person that he wants for now is you."
Harry glared at Lucius. "So if it's me that he only wants, why don't you let my friends go? They have no use to any of you…"
"You are in no position to dictate to us what you want, Potter," Lucius sneered. "Do you think we'll ever let them go? Your friends will do have some use to us. Wraskon and Girbeaux will be forced to make more of their concoctions. And your Mudblood friend, of course…you see, the Dark Lord is extra possessive of his slaves. He has recognized her huge potential as one of his offensive weapons, even though she's a Mudblood."
Hermione gasped; Harry pressed her more tightly behind his back.
Willard spoke up defiantly. "I'd rather kill myself than to do dirty work for you, Lucius!"
Lucius ignored him and kept talking to Harry. "If I had my way, Potter, I would've killed the Mudblood already. How despicable it is to have her filth pollute the Dark Fortress, but our master knows better than us and we will respect his wisdom. You, however, would be better off dead, as always. As much as possible, the Dark Lord wants to kill you personally. You don't seem to appreciate the value of the fact that the Boy-Who-Lived, who vanquished the Dark Lord once as a baby, will end up dead in his hands after all even if you have grown as a teenager and have learned some magic. That will destroy the myth that anyone can hurt the Dark Lord and get away with it, won't it?"
Bellatrix shrieked with laughter while Crabbe and Goyle chortled goofily. "But don't let that give you the idea we won't kill you when you make a bad move," Bellatrix cackled. "Master won't mind, will he, Lucius?"
Lucius nodded and sighed. "You should have accepted the Dark Lord's offer to join him, but you are too proud, you refused. You've done this upon yourself, Potter. You will die soon and you will surely turn on your grave with the suffering your friends will endure when they become slaves again."
Lucius turned around and called some of his Death Eaters. "Enough of this chit-chat…Molroney, go to the portal room and tell the people there to cut the portal at once. We've held it open for too long, but worth it.
Molrony nodded obediently. "Give me five minutes and the portal will be closed, Lucius," he said. The Death Eater went up the stairs and disappeared.
Cassius Wallace then spoke up. "Shall I go and inform the Dark Lord about Potter, Lucius?"
Lucius nodded. "Yes, thank you, Casius. Tell the Dark Lord that we have secured Potter and his friends. He has been waiting for this moment."
"So where's Voldemort now, Malfoy?" growled Harry. Most of the Death Eaters hissed loudly when they heard their master's name. "Is he hiding behind his throne while he lets you do all his dirty work for him?"
"How dare you speak his name, Half-blood!" Bellatrix screamed.
"Don't fret, Potter," Lucius said, looking back at him and ignoring Bellatrix's remark. "If it's the Dark Lord that you want, you will meet him soon enough. I know he's furious with you for what you've done with Nagini."
"He spoke the Dark Lord's name, Lucius!" Bellatrix reiterated. "This half-blood is so arrogant he needs to be cursed now!"
Lucius did not answer her.
"Let's curse him!!!" she demanded.
"Then go ahead, Bellatrix," Lucius sighed impatiently. "Curse him with your heart's desire if you really want to do it."
Bellatrix grinned and pointed her wand at Harry. She looked deranged, as if she was waiting for a chance to curse anyone - Harry knew what she had in mind, and it was obvious it was the Cruciatus Curse. Harry pushed Hermione back away from him as he braced for it.
WHUMP!
A loud sound, however, echoed somewhere up above them, which seem to have come from the ground floor. Everybody looked up.
"What was that?" Lucius said. "Penrose, investigate."
One of the Death Eaters turned on his heels and went up the stairs behind them.
The imps up above suddenly began to scream. A strong red shockwave thundered from the direction of the portal, hitting the imps and vanishing all that was washed away with the wave. All the remaining imps scuttled away in a panicked frenzy.
Lucius glared at Harry. "Is this one of your tricks, Potter?" he growled, pointing his wand at him. Harry shook his head apprehensively, stepped back, and hid Hermione away from Lucius' view very tightly.
"Crucio!" Bellatrix shouted, completing her desire to do the curse on Harry. Hermione flung backwards and landed painfully down on the floor as the Cruciatus Curse's outer shell removed her hold on him. Harry screamed in agony.
"Die with the curse!" Bellatrix shrieked. "Die with the curse, Potter!"
"Stop it! Stop it!" Hermione yelled from behind Harry.
A split second later, a bright beam from above crossed over the path of Bellatrix's own Cruciatus Curse's, making it bounce back on her to have a taste of it herself. Several people had jumped down from above and invaded the pit: Sirius Black, Tonks, Remus Lupin, Horace Whipple, and the two Aurors from the Burrow namely Sydney Nettleson and Trevor Colby. Lucius and his Death Eaters didn't have time to wonder how they had gotten to Xanthius; Sirius and the rest took no time to send their first wave of spells against them.
Hermione's spirits rose - they were not alone anymore! "Sirius!" she shouted, helping an aching Harry up from the floor.
"No time to talk yet, Hermione," Sirius grunted, flinging a spell against Lucius, who had pulled an unknown Death Eater to his front to be used for cover. The poor Death Eater shook uncontrollably when he absorbed Sirius' attack.
It became pretty violent and chaotic inside the relatively small pit. Curses were exchanged back and forth between the attackers and Death Eaters. Hermione ran towards her and Harry's wands, picked them up, and tossed Harry his to join the fray. Willard, meanwhile, covered Francs with his whole body, looking around apprehensively to avoid further injury.
A loud explosion cracked somewhere behind the Death Eater's zone, putting a few Death Eaters out of action. Nobody knew where that came from and who did it, but this helped Sirius and his side gain an even break in the first few critical seconds of the fight. The fighting has quickly boiled down into individual duels; Tonks dueled McNair, Sirius with Lucius, Lupin with Avery, Nettleson with Crabbe, and Whipple with Goyle. Hermione had chosen to fight Wormtail. Harry and Bellatrix were both still trying to recover with the effects of the same Cruciatus Curse and they raced for who's going to be the first one to stand up.
Lucius' maintained a threatening face while he struggled against Sirius. Neither one of them had gained an advantage against each other; they both seemed to have matched skills. Sirius had tried to strangle Lucius with a fiery whip, but Lucius conjured a large liquid-looking shield to dissipate the attack. Lucius had then retaliated by conjuring a large snake towards Sirius. It was about to pounce on Sirius when he quickly countered by summoning a wild hawk against it; it swooped down on the hapless snake in a split second and flew off with it. Now both of them turned their wands into blazing swords and they settled into a swordfight.
Bellatrix had beaten Harry upright, but Harry, fighting lingering pain throughout his body, had made the first move. "Petrificus Totalus!" A jet of blue light hurled towards Bellatrix and she suddenly dissapparated to avoid being hit. Over the next second she apparated right next to Harry and kicked him at the stomach. Harry fell down on the floor on all fours and wheezed out of breath. Bellatrix pointed her wand at his back at point blank range and said, "Cru…"
A stunning spell had hit her before she could finish the incantation and she fell down on the floor unconscious. Harry looked around to see who had saved him from further pain; he saw Hermione wink at him and then returned her attention back to dueling Wormtail. She seemed to be capable of handling Pettrigrew all by herself that Harry looked around for a Death Eater to fight. He found one in Nott, who had wiggled past many dueling wizards and was about to attack Sirius from behind!
"Expelliarmus!" Harry bellowed. Nott flew backwards and landed on Horace Whipple painfully, sending the wizard down to the floor.
Relieved from an opponent for a moment, Goyle turned to curse Harry. "Petrificus Totalus!" Goyle muttered.
For the first time in his life, Harry felt what it was like to be rendered paralyzed from head to foot. His body stiffened into full attention, and he fell down forward like a log. Harry could not even yell in pain when several feet of dueling wizards had stomped on him.
Tonks had seen what happened to Harry from afar, ran towards him and muttered, "Mobilus!" Harry felt as if his body was quickly turned into liquid and for a moment he had forgotten how to move his limbs. Tonks turned around and was hit by a stunning spell. She then slumped to the ground beside Bellatrix.
"Tonks!" Harry cried and he hastily fumbled for his wand to retaliate against whoever stunned Tonks. It was McNair. Luckily he didn't choose to engage Harry after taking care of Tonks and instead moved in to help Goyle and Nott who were now engaged in a brawl against the lone Whipple.
"Stupefy!" Harry bellowed and McNair was put out of action instantly. He would have stunned Goyle next if a large dog hadn't suddenly joined in the fight in the pit from above! The sight of the huge beast left Harry staring at it with his jaw dropped. The Hybrid growled at the center of the pit, trampling the auror Colby to the floor. Harry knew what the sudden intervention of this humongous dog would do - it would turn the tide against his side soon if he didn't do something. Sirius kept on dueling Lucius, but it was apparent he was beginning to get distracted by the threat of the dog. The dog had found Whipple, chomped on his foot, shook him high up in the air, and tossed him aside like a rag doll. Goyle and Nott had both cheered, but Harry knew better than to leave them unchallenged first.
"Lartigo!" Harry said, and an electrical whip from his wand wrapped around Goyle, jolting him out of consciousness. Lupin had already taken care of Avery and he concentrated on the huge dog in the middle of the pit. Harry and Lupin both sent stunning spells against it, but the beams of light from their wands only just bounced off the beast harmlessly. Lupin cursed loudly, and the dog picked him as the next target.
Lupin ran around the pit to dodge the dog's huge mouth as it snapped dangerously close to his back, even passing nearby Lucius Malfoy and Sirius Black, who were still busy dueling against each other. Harry attempted a few more stunning spells against it but it had absolutely no effect.
The dog had jumped toward Harry to try to stomp him; if Lupin had not anticipated it and hadn't tackled Harry to the side, he would have been squashed like an orange!
"Thanks!" Harry panted, but Lupin merely nodded at him and then desperately shot all kinds of curses against the dog, which was now gunning again for them. Harry now understood why the wizard world seemed to have been helpless against this creature during their raids. A single Hybrid dog was proving to be too difficult to fight, much more against a whole stampeding pack of them. Lupin and Harry scuttled just before a paw smashed them on the ground. However, the dog had snagged Harry by the back of his robes with his large jaw!
Harry yelled in fright as he rose up from the ground. He knew if he didn't try to do anything to get away from this humongous dog, he was a goner. Trying hard not to drop his wand, he hit the dog's nose with his elbow as hard and as much as he can, but he thought this didn't probably make any difference at all. Even flashing brilliant flashes of light against its eyes didn't do anything good. He was getting dizzy being waggled around violently, and it was only a matter of time he'd lose consciousness. He could hear Lupin shooting his spells against the dog in an attempt to save Harry.
Then he heard a very welcome voice he could recognize from anywhere shouting from down below.
"Pick somebody yer own size, yeh li'l mutt!" Hagrid growled at the oversized dog. Harry didn't know how Hagrid had gotten here, too, but he sure was late.
Harry felt the waggling stop and the dog yelped in pain. Hagrid had caught the dog in a head lock and tried to pry Harry off its mouth by his bare hands. Soon, Harry felt he'd come loose; he fell to the ground and Lupin caught him.
Fighting off dizziness, Harry looked up to watch Hagrid take on the dog. Hagrid clobbered his huge fists against the dog's head like a seasoned boxer, and the animal staggered backwards each time it absorbed the blows. It tried to jump forward to bite Hagrid, but it couldn't.
"Sorry fer being late, Harry," Hagrid said, swinging his arms and knocking the hapless dog with a series of punches. "I cudern't fit through the portal easily coz I was teh big!" Soon he wrestled with the dog like it was a cuddly little pooch.
"Aughhhh!" Sirius screamed. Harry and Lupin snapped their heads towards his direction and saw Lucius giving him the Cruciatus Curse.
"Sirius!" Harry yelled.
"Expelliarmus!" Lupin shouted, and Lucius' wand flew off, breaking his spell against Sirius. The Death Eater instinctively ran for his wand at once; Harry shot off a few spells against him but unfortunately missed. Lucius had just recovered his wand when Harry heard Hermione's scream.
"Harry!" she shrieked. Wormtail had Hermione, and he was dragging her up the stairs in the act of getting away!
"Oh, my god!" Harry said, his heart skipping a bit. "Hermione!"
"Infernus!" Lucius shot back, making his wand a small flamethrower. Harry and Lupin sought for cover but could not find any and Lupin's tattered robes had caught fire! Lucius laughed while Lupin frantically tried to kill the fire around him in panic that was dangerously growing. Harry knew Lupin needed his immediate help and attempted to conjure a spout of water to kill the fire, but he forgot how to.
Lupin was burning; Hermione was in trouble. Confusion reigned in on Harry. He danced on the spot not knowing what to do.
Fortunately Hagrid had tamed the huge dog, removed his mole skin coat, ran over towards Lupin, and covered him up with the coat to put out the fire just in time before Lupin got some serious burns. Harry then caught a glimpse of Lucius pointing his wand at them and he shouted, "Look out!"
Hagrid faced Lucius bravely and a few stunning spells bounced of his front. Harry thought the little giant was going to fall over them so he pulled Lupin away just in case. Hagrid, however, became even more furious with Lucius and he advanced towards him. Lucius looked extremely shocked upon seeing that his spells weren't having any effect against Hagrid, and he opted for his ultimate weapon. "Avada…"
Since the killing curse required him to say the incantation longer than usual, Lucius had no time to complete saying it. Hagrid had reached him, grabbed a wide-eyed and screaming Lucius by the neck with his left hand, and gave him a walloping uppercut with the other that sent him flying up and backwards. When Lucius landed on the floor, he was out cold.
"That'll teach yeh not teh piss me off!" Hagrid growled satisfactorily over the unconscious Malfoy. He then turned to Harry and said, "I've been wantin' teh do that fer a long time!"
"Harry, go after Wormtail - I-I can't!" Lupin told Harry, wincing in pain because of his burns.
Harry quickly nodded and ran towards the stairs. He knew that Hagrid could not fit into the stairway from the looks of it and Sirius was hurting from the Cruciatus Curse so bad. Harry was all to himself. He didn't care if he'd face Voldemort again - he didn't want to lose Hermione to the Death Eaters or him.
The stair was short and soon he had stepped on to the ground floor in a large room made of stone connected to the Main Hallway. Harry looked around with his wand out. There was a large doorway at a distance; finding there was no other way out of this room but the door, he concluded that it was where Wormtail may have gone to with Hermione and he ran nearer towards to cross it.
Before Harry entered the next room, he got to the side of the doorway and pressed himself against the wall. Wand extended, he peeked around the threshold for any signs of resistance. It was dark and spooky at the other room, which was identical to the area and height as the last one. A wide circular, mossy altar with a stone sculpture of a unicorn being attacked by dark creatures over a small pond was at the center, illuminated by a white eerie glow with no apparent source of light. Harry looked up and saw that the next room was bounded by narrow mezzanines and supported by many wide circular columns lining up at both sides. Harry suspected that the mezzanines were the perfect place for anyone who'd be waiting to ambush him and he was in constant anticipation for any form of attack.
Harry knew Wormtail had been gone for a long time and may have gained a comfortable head start, but he didn't want to walk into an ambush. Such cautiousness didn't serve him well for his part, but Harry had no choice but to be wary of being reckless or he'd never be able to save Hermione if somebody would succeed in taking him out. He didn't walk through the center of the room so he cautiously walked beside the walls. The only sound he could hear was the running water of the altar. There were no other doors in sight.
At the center far end of the room stood a thirty-foot stone sculpture of a beast he never seen before in his life. It had feet of a bull, a body of a lion with eight long protruding limbs of a spider, a hairy torso of a human like that of a centaur, but its head was the scariest thing he had seen in his life. It had seven red eyes, three horns, and a large mouth with the sharpest of fangs. Harry shuddered to think that something like that would be alive on this earth, and snatched his gaze away from it. The last thing that he noticed was an engraving on stone, which read: "Vahaul". He ignored it, not knowing what it was about, and turned his concentration back on his task ahead.
"Wormtail!" Harry called. His voice echoed around the large room but he got no answer. He kept walking along the walls and heightened his alertness.
Soon, he heard a low laugh. Harry looked around to see where it came from but he didn't see anyone.
"Who's there?" Harry shouted. "Show yourself."
"Do you really care for your Mudblood friend, Harry?" the voice echoed. Harry immediately recognized whose voice it was: Voldemort's.
Harry gripped his wand tighter. "Why??? Do you have her?" he said.
"Yes," Voldemort's voice replied. "And she's waiting for you…"
"Then I demand you release her to me!" Harry yelled.
Voldemort's laugh rang around the room and it was followed shortly by Wormtail's. A bright spotlight shined on one area near a faraway wall opposite the altar and Harry could see Voldemort standing beside an excited Wormtail. Harry walked a few steps nearer to them but stopped at a safe distance from them and just a few feet before the altar.
"I knew you'd come looking for her, Harry," Voldemort said. "It was the only way to bring you to me after being tried to be rescued by your other friends. Wormtail made a good decision after seeing my Death Eaters almost losing against your side to bring the Mudblood to me as bait. You've slipped away from me too many times, Harry. Tonight you won't survive this last meeting of ours, I will make sure of that."
Harry heard a very loud rattle from the direction of the doorway and thick steel grilles slammed down on the ground shut. That was apparently the only way out of this room and he was trapped. Harry glared back at Voldemort, faced him, and went into a ready posture to duel him. However, a spell had hit Harry from his side and he slumped on the floor with intense pain. He looked up and around from the floor. It neither came from Voldemort nor Wormtail who were laughing directly at his front. Harry glanced to his side and let out a sob when he learned Hermione was the one who cursed him.
"H-Hermione," Harry gasped. Voldemort had possessed her again, and Harry saw she had not worn her protective earmuffs that were supposed to block the words that activated the serum. He didn't even recall ever seeing her wear them at all when they joined the scientists in their dash to freedom.
Harry didn't want to fight her. If he would have it, he couldn't bring himself to hurt her with offensive spells. But what could he do when she wasn't herself and didn't mind at all to curse him? Harry picked up his wand and struggled to stand up, hoping that he didn't have to curse her. However, he knew he had to make a choice very soon.
Voldemort laughed. "She's mine, now, Harry," he said. "She will become wand fodder to this new war against my enemies as she's a Mudblood, an emotionless robot with no fear of injury or death. Such is the power of my serum and soon I'll have more servants like her who'll follow no one but Lord Voldemort! Attack him, Mudblood!"
"Expelliarmus!" Hermione shouted, and Harry flew back by the force of the disarmament spell, denying him of his wand. He landed painfully on the floor and gazed straightly at Hermione, who wore a very frightening face while keeping her wand pointed at him. Harry realized he didn't have to be a gentleman - he had to protect himself against her now. He hoped it didn't get to the point where he'd inadvertently kill or maim her.
"Petrificus…" Hermione started, but Harry had stood up quickly, fighting the pain throughout his body, and shoulder-rolled to the side to dodge the spell. Harry had gotten closer to his wand. He snatched it off the floor and pointed it back to Hermione.
"Petrificus Totalus!" he bellowed at once after he found his balance.
"Protego Tria!" Hermione had shouted at the same time.
Harry's curse bounced off Hermione's impenetrable shield. She released it and quickly yelled, "Lartigo!" The long electrical cord sprang from the tip of her wand; she spun her wand in one fluid motion and guided the glimmering whip to snap it towards Harry.
Harry scrambled for cover behind the altar; Hermione's whip caught the water spout, which was the unicorn's single horn, and shredding it to a thousand pieces.
"Impressive, Harry," Voldemort laughed. "We'll see who's going to prevail between the two of you. Do the unforgivable curses on Harry, Mudblood. I order you!"
Hermione nodded at the direction of Voldemort and returned her attention to Harry, who was bent low behind the altar away from her. Hermione narrowed her eyes with her wand pointed to the ground and walked around the altar to try to catch Harry out of cover. Harry had never seen her look this dangerous in his whole life, and it wasn't very comforting.
"Hermione! Please, it's me, Harry!" he said, attempting to talk her out of it even though he knew it was an exercise in futility. She just kept on hunting for him.
"That will not work, Harry," Voldemort reminded him. "She will only obey me…"
Hermione kept rounding the altar, and Harry knew if he kept on countering her he will expose his back to Voldemort in a short while. He had to do something fast! He didn't know what went into his mind, but he made a very hasty decision and he whipped around to run for a nearby pillar with his back to her. Hermione made a few sidesteps, aimed her wand carefully to the fleeing Harry, and shot a piece of shimmering rope to his feet. The rope caught him squarely around his ankles and he fell down forward on the floor painfully. His wand had rolled way ahead of him.
Voldemort laughed again. "Good move, Mudblood! How foolish of you to run away like that, Harry. Have your pathetic teachers ever taught you that you should never turn you back against your enemy when dueling?"
Harry rolled upright and tried to remove the tight rope on his feet but it was firmly bounded by it. He couldn't find a way to take it off his legs. Harry then struggled to crawl towards his wand, which lay more than three yards away from him. Hermione walked casually towards him, her wand kept pointed.
"Do the curse, Mudblood!" growled Voldemort. "Make it nice and long!" Harry's eyes went wide, knowing what was coming.
"Crucio!" Hermione growled.
Harry had experienced too much of this curse but he couldn't help but yell in pain each time. He cried for Hermione's name, pleading in the name of Merlin to stop giving him the excruciating curse, but it fell on deaf ears. After a full minute, Hermione cut the curse, leaving Harry sobbing and groaning on the ground.
"Good work, my servant, I'll take it from here now," Voldemort told Hermione, and she backed up a couple of steps away from Harry. Voldemort strode slowly towards him.
Fighting intense lingering pain, Harry desperately crawled on forward for his wand. It was almost within his reach, but Voldemort brushed it further away from him with a flick of his wand. Harry looked back and stared up at him, looking defeated.
"You've irked me for too long, Harry," Voldemort said calmly. "Too long. I shall not spare you this time…you must die now…"
"And I won't spare you, too, if you'll go on to succeed killing my student, Tom," Dumbledore warned.
Voldemort snapped his head towards Dumbledore whose eyes was literally on fire. Wormtail shook upon the sight of him and hid behind his master.
"How did you get in here?" Voldemort snarled. It was the very first time Harry had seen fear drawn across his terrible face.
"It's not important how I got in here, Tom," Dumbledore replied, now raising his wand at him. "What is important is how you'll get off of my wrath unscathed!"
"Crucio!" Voldemort shouted, but at the same time Dumbledore had vanished, sending the curse off to the far wall. A split second later Dumbledore had reappeared behind Voldemort, caught him in a fiery whip from his wand, and hurled him across the room. Voldemort disapparated before he could land back on the floor from high up above. Dumbledore ignored Hermione, who was just staring forward listlessly.
Voldemort had apparated back in a new position at a distance behind Dumbledore sending a series of tiny lightning bolts against him in quick succession. Dumbledore calmly conjured a thin shield in front of him that deflected all the projectiles away.
"Is that the best you can do, Tom?" Dumbledore taunted him. He then waved his wand around the air, leaving a blistering red and sparkling light in its wake.
Voldemort may have known what Dumbledore was about to do because he backed away. "To my front, Mudblood!" he ordered Hermione.
Whatever it was he was doing, Dumbledore perhaps could not stop the spell because eyes had widened when he saw Hermione suddenly walking in the line of fire. With one more flick of his wand and changing its light from purple to blue, Dumbledore released his spell. A jet of bright blue beam zoomed out of his wand and hit Hermione squarely on her chest!
"NO!!!" Harry screamed when Dumbledore's spell enveloped Hermione with a brilliant blue force; she shook uncontrollably while several balls of light spun around her rapidly like electrons of an atom. Hermione was the nucleus and several rays of light shone out of her.
Voldemort laughed from behind Hermione, knowing that Dumbledore had killed her; Harry yelled her name while Dumbledore looked on at the spectacle in front of him very seriously.
"Headmaster, what did you just do?" Harry cried at him. "She's innocent!"
However, Dumbledore didn't listen to Harry. He raised his wand again and pointed it back to Hermione. With a mutter of another spell, Hermione's light connected with his wand and it seemed to absorb everything out from her. A bright ball of blue light lingered on the tip of Dumbledore's wand, becoming suddenly more intense. At the same time Hermione fell down to the floor, the bright blue ball of light went off like a bullet, crossed above Hermione's sprawled body, and slammed violently against a disbelieving Voldemort.
Harry rubbed his eyes to adjust with the now diffused surroundings. When he opened his eyes, there was no sign of Voldemort in the room anymore. The first thing he cared to do was to skip leg-locked towards Hermione, who was slumped on the floor immobile.
Wormtail shuddered upon realizing that his master wasn't around him anymore. Dumbledore snapped a dangerous look at him and he fled in panic instantly.
"H-Hermione, please don't be dead…speak to me, please!" Harry cried when he reached her, lifting her head up to rest on his lap. He then looked around for Dumbledore, who was walking calmly towards him. "WHAT DID YOU JUST DO, SIR?!?" he yelled the question a second time.
"She will be allright, Harry, I assure you," Dumbledore told him calmly, dropping down on one knee, and feeling Hermione's forehead. "I chose to use her reserve mana to magnify that spell against Lord Voldemort. I admit it's not a gentlemanly way to do so, but the spell needed the mana of another witch for it to be effective."
"Then she's not dead?" Harry breathed.
"No, Harry. She will be allright and will come to when she regains strength. I wouldn't want to use that spell if I knew it would hurt her so."
Harry blew out some air from his lungs, knowing that Dumbledore told him that with sincerity. "O-Okay, sir. What about Voldemort?" He said, looking around for him.
"I sent him in another dimension," Dumbledore replied. "Temporarily, at least, just enough time for us to vacate Xanthius."
"I wish you would have killed him then, sir…" Harry muttered.
Dumbledore just sighed and said, "If I was as evil as him, I would have killed him on the spot. But there are - valid reasons - why I can't. I will let you know in due time. Come - let's start evacuating this fortress before he returns…"
Harry nodded and started to carry Hermione by his arms, but Dumbledore squeezed Harry's forearm. "It's better if I do that…you're hurting and…Snipendo!" Dumbledore cut the tight rope around his legs with a zap of his wand.
"Th-Thank you, sir," Harry sighed. Dumbledore then bent down, lifted Hermione with his arms, and began walking out of the room. The steel grilled door was still shut, but when Dumbledore went near it, a large part of it went invisible.
So this was how the Headmaster had walked in the closed room undetected, Harry thought. It amazed him how simple it was for Dumbledore to think of things to go around obstacles. They walked through it like it wasn't there.
"Can we destroy Xanthius before we get out of here, Professor?" Harry hoped loudly while he walked alongside him.
"I wish, but that would take loads of time, Harry," Dumbledore replied when they went down the stairs leading to the pit. "There will be other opportunities to attempt that but I'm more concerned about your and the other's safety back at Hogwarts now. Hermione needs immediate medical care to ensure she's in good health, and Madam Pomfrey is standing by to accept her and the injured once we step back into Hogsmeade."
"Dumbledore, we need to get out of here now!" Sirius said when they met at the pit. "Ramius said he can only hold the portal in a short time."
Dumbledore nodded.
When Sirius and Harry saw each other, they hugged together very tightly. "I'm happy you're all right, Harry! I became worried when word flew you were kidnapped…"
"I'm glad you're all right, too, Sirius," Harry replied. "But I won't be until Hermione does…"
"Yes, I know how you love her…"
"Have the others gone through the portal, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked him.
"Yeah. All except for me, Nettleson, Hagrid, and his new pet. We were waiting for you to come back. Everybody else suffered some sort of injuries and they're being treated by Madam Pomfrey."
"Good. Where's Lucius?"
Sirius laughed a little. "Whipple insisted they be arrested, so we pushed them through the portal, too. We didn't get my `dear' cousin Bellatrix - she came back from dreamland quickly and dissaparated before we could catch her again."
"Bloody hell!" Harry cursed.
"The feeling's mutual, Harry," Sirius said, and he pursed his lips.
Just then, they all heard a howling sound echo throughout Xanthius.
"Voldemort's back, and he's angry - we must go," Dumbledore said calmly. Harry and Sirius knew they had to get out at once or else things would get nasty again.
They walked up a transparent stair leading up to the ground floor from the pit, and they met Hagrid and Nettleson anxiously waiting for them beside the glowing portal.
"Blimey! Wha' happened to little Hermione?" Hagrid howled. "Oh, I can' look at her…" he said, looking away.
"She'll be okay, Hagrid," Dumbledore assured him. "See you at the other side…"
"We'll be righ' behind yeh, Headmaster," he said, sobbing. "Harry…"
Harry just nodded at him, looking apprehensive about the possibility of Voldemort holding them up again. Sirius let him cross the portal first. When Harry emerged at the other side, there were many people shivering and waiting for them under the cold evening sky. Ron was one of them.
"H-Harry!" he yelled, running over towards him and embraced him. "You okay?" he said. Madam Pomfrey, however, broke them up, pushed Harry down on an empty chair, covered him up with a thick blanket, and began examining him without saying anything.
"Yeah, I'm okay Ron, thanks," Harry replied to him, looking over Madam Pomfrey's shoulders. "But Hermione needs medical attention - she's hurt…"
Ron grabbed his own head with both hands and he looked extremely worried. Dumbledore then appeared at the portal, carrying Hermione over his arms. "Madam Pomfrey," he called, "I'll bring Harry to the hospital wing personally - Hermione needs the most urgent attention."
Madam Pomfrey placed a hand over her aching chest and conjured a floating stretcher instantly. She didn't wait a second too long to rush Hermione towards the hospital wing when Dumbledore had place her on top of the stretcher.
"What happened to her, Harry?" Ron asked him, still awfully worried.
"Loads," Harry simply answered him, looking pale.
"You both look really beat up back there," Ron said. "I got really very worried when you and Hermione both disappeared through that portal with the Death Eaters after that dog stampede…Arghhhh!!!"
Hagrid and his new pet, the Hybrid dog that joined in the fray at the pit back in Xanthius, squeezed out of the portal. It wasn't only Ron who screamed, but most of the people around, too.
"Oh, I see you've met my new pet, Garth!" Hagrid said brightly to everyone. "Don't be afraid, he's one li'l gentle pooch, he is. Look at him!"
Garth panted in front of Hagrid excitedly.
"Gentle?" Whipple said incredulously, who was lying on a stretcher on the ground behind the wall of people. They stepped to the side to allow him to see Hagrid. "Gentle? He almost trampled poor Trevor Colby to death and bit my leg off and you say he's tender?!?"
"Well, that was before I tamed him," Hagrid shrugged. Garth sat down beside him and licked his hair, leaving a big blob of saliva all over him. "Ain't you cute you li'l mongrel?" he cooed at him.
"Headmaster," Harry said, standing up from his chair when Dumbledore went over to him with Sirius (he had changed into a black dog before crossing over the portal). "I-I just remembered Hermione's still under the influence of the serum - we need a real Death Eater to say the counter-phrase…"
"I've already arranged for that, Harry," Dumbledore smiled, lifting a gentle hand towards him. "We've got just the right man to do that…"
"Who?" Harry asked, bewildered. He gazed over to Lucius Malfoy and several of Voldemort's top henchmen who were still out cold and bounded on the snow. Harry looked back at Dumbledore, doubting if they will ever cooperate with them. "Them, sir?"
Dumbledore shook his head and whispered to Harry beside his ear, "Professor Snape." Dumbledore drew back and winked at him.
Harry exhaled and nodded at him. He hoped Hermione would soon snap out of her mesmerized state and they will be reunited as soon as possible.
"Harry, you need to report to Madam Pomfrey at the hospital wing as soon as possible to clear you for injuries," Dumbledore told him. "Snuffles will escort you back to Hogwarts…and Ron, too."
Ron smiled at Dumbledore, and Harry grinned at him gratefully.
"And after you're finished being treated, I'm going to have to ask you to go to my office immediately. We need to talk about your experience with some people who're waiting for you there. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir," he replied.
"Right, then, a carriage is waiting to take you to Hogwarts," he said. "People, let us through please, medical emergency," he told the curious crowd milling around them. "You will learn about what happened the next morning, I promise, so good night."
Ron led Harry and Sirius through the groaning crowd towards a waiting carriage pulled by what Harry described as a skeletal horse that he had seen for the first time. When he stepped inside the carriage, he heard a whooshing sound. He looked back, and didn't longer see the portal where it was standing anymore. The gates to Xanthius had been closed, hopefully for good. Harry, however, had a strong feeling that he had not seen the last of it.
Ron was the last to get in the carriage. He sat in front of Harry and Sirius then closed the small door and the carriage jolted in motion. Harry looked out and he caught a glimpse of Lupin being loaded on a stretcher and waving at him. Harry smiled slightly, nodded at him, and waved back at him as a sign of thanks for helping bail him out of Xanthius. Harry breathed, leaned back on his seat, and opened his eyes to see a concerned Ron staring at him.
"I'm all right, Ron," he said softly, smiling.
Ron nodded slowly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you and Hermione, Harry," he said apologetically. "I wish I would've suffered along with you - I'm such a bad friend."
"Oh, please don't think about that, Ron," Harry said gently with no air of bad feelings in his voice. "I'm glad you didn't, because it would've been hard to see you suffer, too. That doesn't make you a bad friend like you think…the Death Eaters just got me and Hermione and it wasn't your fault."
"I should've tried harder to take you back before you crossed that portal to You-Know-What…" he moaned.
"No matter how much you tried, Ron, we were already through it and the Death Eaters made sure you couldn't stop them," Harry smiled. "But thanks for trying to save us back there…there were lesser Death Eaters to reckon with back at Xanthius because of it and it made a huge difference for us."
Sirius panted with agreement.
"You're welcome," Ron grinned. "Next time, I'll be around for the trio for sure. I won't be a prat anymore to you. You can count on that!"
Harry grinned at what Ron told him, but it then flickered when the carriage passed by Hallen Rodd's lifeless body, which was on top of a cart pulled by a horse and covered in part by a canvass. Harry pulled out his wand slowly and sadly, and raised it high to his front as a sign of respect and tribute to him.
"Goodbye and thank you for everything, Hal," Harry muttered.
-o0o-
When Harry, Ron, Sirius, and Dumbledore stepped foot inside the hospital wing, Hermione was already awake. The moaning Auror Trevor Colby had been wrapped by casts from head to foot and Tonks was sitting up on her hospital bed.
"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks said. "You okay?"
Harry smiled back at her, nodding his head. "I hope you are, too," he said.
Hermione had heard Harry's name being mentioned, turned her head over her pillow to look at him and smiled though she looked very sleepy. "Hi, Harry," she said weakly, "Don't worry, it's me now…"
Harry went over to her bedside, squeezed her hand, proceeded to place his head gently on top of her forehead and kissed her. "How're you feeling, love?"
"Groggy," she replied, grinning. "Hi, Ron!"
"H-Hi!" he said.
"I'm very glad we're back in Hogwarts safely, Harry," Hermione sighed, "after that terrible nightmare with Voldemort...I'm sure I'll never forget it as long as I live…"
"I know the feeling," Ron commented.
"I know. The last thing I remember before I saw Snape scowling down over me was Wormtail throwing me to the ground and hearing Voldemort's voice…" she added with a breaking voice. "I know he controlled me again - what I don't know is what I did…"
Ron looked visibly confused. "What's she talking about, Harry?"
"I-I'll explain everything to you later, Ron, I promise," Harry replied. "It's a long story, but you do need to know about it." Harry then returned his attention back to Hermione. "We dueled," Harry told her mildly. "You gave me such a nasty Cruciatus Curse but I know I can't blame you."
Hermione grimaced, feeling guilty again. (Ron said "Whoa!")
"What else? Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry for everything!"
"Loads, but what's done is done, Hermione. What matters is we're back safely - especially you - and we're far away from Voldemort's influence for now…"
Hermione nodded but she knew she had not seen the last of Voldemort. He may be planning something more sinister to do next against them as they spoke. "How did we even get away with him?"
Harry told her how Dumbledore saved them from Voldemort's clutches and what he did to her before banishing Voldemort to another dimension temporarily. Hermione understood at once what spell Dumbledore used against her and Voldemort because she had naturally read about it.
"Talk about hitting two birds with one stone," Hermione said, nodding her head in comprehension. "Brilliant move, Dumbledore did."
"But he attacked you, didn't he?" Harry said.
"Not really," Hermione replied, making a lot of effort to push herself upright on her bed. "It looked like an attack on me but it wasn't. He used the Phantom Charm - wizards sometimes use it, but most of the time it's a desperate move to get out of a duel. You use another wizard or witch's mana to make it as powerful as you can make it to send your enemy to another magical dimension - for a limited time, that is - to give you time to escape. Of course, I lost consciousness and Dumbledore rendered me harmless without hurting me. The only problem is I just need to recharge my mana for a couple of days, but I don't mind, really. I approve of what he did…"
"Cool," Ron said. "Stunning would be a little offensive, you know, and it sometimes hurts to so it makes sense. Dumbledore didn't want to think he did something to hurt any one of you. But one thing that still amazes me, Hermione, is how you could still explain things clearly like a teacher even if you look like you're stoned…"
What Ron said gave Hermione a reason to smile.
"Luckily, Voldemort didn't see it coming," Harry added. "Sometimes I think it's his weakness - he gets so smug about everything that it gives his opponents a rare chance to outmaneuver him with a simple spell."
Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and walked towards Harry. Without saying any word she suddenly grabbed Harry, shoved him over to another bed beside Hermione's, and pried his mouth open to examine his throat even though she had already done this back at Hogsmeade.
"I-I think I'm okay, Madam Pomfrey…" Harry said stuffily.
"I say you're not!" she yelled. "Not until I say so otherwise…you stay on the bed while I grab a few potions for you to drink." She whipped around and walked hurriedly to her storage room.
Harry sighed deeply and Ron sat down at his bedside, patting his arm. "What else did Madam Pomfrey tell you what to do, Hermione?" Harry groaned.
"Bed rest," she simply replied. "Just a few little bruises all over, but no serious damage, fortunately." Hermione looked around like what she was going to say was a big secret and said quietly to Harry "Did Francs make it here alive?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded. "But I don't know where he is and Willard."
"I met Willard out of the portal," Ron told them. "We talked for a while but then they asked Snape and some Aurors to escort them to Hogwarts immediately. I don't know why."
"Maybe they didn't want to lose time starting to produce an anti-Serum," Harry hoped. "Amazing Snape didn't shun them."
"I'd like to think Dumbledore told him not to refuse them," Hermione grinned. "Or else…"
"Oh, well," Ron shrugged. "I've been hearing you talk a lot about some kind of a serum but I still don't have a clue what the bloody hell it is, but I'll just wait to hear your story soon, Harry."
"Remind me sometime…"
"Then that means I still have it," Hermione moaned. "I hope they'll discover an anti-serum soon and I'll roll up my sleeve at once for it…"
"Not until it's proven safe, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said, walking over to her from the door. Remus Lupin went in by stretcher next, and he looked like he was in extreme pain because of his burns. Several students were peeking curiously right through the doorway and Dumbledore closed it with a wave of his wand.
"Oh, don't worry about Professor Lupin," Dumbledore said. "Essence of Murtlap will do the trick in no time - how're you feeling, Hermione?"
"Fine, but a little flimsy, thanks," she smiled.
"Mr. Wraskon and Dr. Girbeaux have immediately started toiling away to produce the antidote for Voldemort's terrible serum," Dumbledore announced. "I've been in the potions lab and they are very confident they will perfect it within a week after doing a series of tests to ensure it will be safe to administer to victims."
"A week?" Harry and Hermione moaned.
"Yes, unfortunately, but they're happy they have identified the last ingredient already. At the meantime, you must remember, Hermione, that you still have the potential to be possessed by any Death Eater until you take the antidote. However, I will ensure that no more Death Eater will ever infiltrate Hogwarts ever again. It's high time we review the magic around Hogwarts - the last time it was overhauled was during the time of Headmaster Dippet. Nevertheless, as long as you're here, you're safe and you can forget about what's running in your veins."
"That'll be a little hard to do, sir, but I trust you," Hermione said.
"Oh, I have something for you."
Hermione wondered what Dumbledore had for her. The Headmaster took out a long box from his robe pocket and handed it to her.
"Oh, Headmaster, you didn't have to buy me a new wand…" she said, blushing.
Dumbledore merely smiled at her and said, "Just open it…"
Hermione's draw dropped.
"What is it?" Harry asked, craning his neck to see what was inside from his bed.
"I don't believe it!" she said hoarsely. "It's my wand!"
"Are you sure?" Harry asked her. "But you left it in the throne room…"
"I'm positive…Headmaster, where did you find this?"
"From Cassius Wallace," Dumbledore replied.
"Wallace? The Death Eater?" Hermione frowned.
"Actually, Ramius Palkov," Dumbledore chuckled. "He's an animorphagus and took on the identity of Cassius to infiltrate Xanthius. He's our only agent there and we're happy his real identity has not been compromised despite all what happened there. We still have the real Cassius Wallace with us, and thanks to Olga, they've squeezed a lot of juice from him in her hideout. I must ask you to keep this as our deep secret - after how you were involved with Xanthius, I felt you deserved to know what we're doing against Voldemort." He winked and Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded.
"Hear that, Tonks?" Remus yelled from his bed.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll watch my mouth from now on," she said impatiently, scratching her head.
"So, it was actually Ramius," Harry said slowly. "But why didn't he help us - I saw Wallace when we were brought to the throne room…"
Dumbledore nodded. "Well, his orders were to keep his identity secret at all times and ignore anything he saw that would compromise him. He's the only mole we have in Xanthius, but he couldn't ignore you at all when he saw you were captured by Lord Voldemort. He risked everything to hold the portal open and informed us he had you. I was just in Hogsmeade with Remus Lupin all the time, at the Hogshead cellar where Sirius stays when he visits Hogwarts. Remus is a difficult man to control sometimes, but he often has good judgment and we're lucky that he did this time though I already asked him not to do it again. He even went into a little adventure on his own in Xanthius and helped the scientists plan to escape."
"I should have known it was him, but of course, how could I? I really didn't have a clue anyway!" Harry laughed, and then he sighed.
"Something bothering you, Harry?"
He sighed again and nodded. "Sir, I just thought…I'm very sorry for goofing again this time - if I had been extra careful we wouldn't have been brought to Xanthius…"
"Me, too," Hermione added. "I got caught off guard…I shouldn't have let them inject that serum into me at the first place."
Dumbledore smiled slightly, looking back and forth between Harry and Hermione who looked visibly ashamed at him. "If those are the reasons why you're both feeling that you've put yourselves, me, and all of the people that care for you down, it might surprise you that I say they're not really valid enough reasons to feel bad about."
Harry and Hermione looked at Dumbledore at the same time.
"First of all," Dumbledore went on, walking in between Harry and Hermione's bed, "Voldemort and his henchmen are the only ones to blame for everything bad that happened to you both lately. They willed this to happen, Harry, to bring you to Xanthius with any means necessary. In this case, they did think of something wicked and novel to make that a reality and they went into lengths to abduct many good scientists to produce their serum. Whatever precautionary measures you and I were taking, especially when we're clueless about their plans, they will make sure they succeeded. So, Harry, please don't keep on thinking that you could have prevented your abduction in Xanthius if you have just been extra careful. Didn't I tell you before that even the wisest wizard can be hoodwinked by Voldemort?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, sir. I understand."
"Hermione, it's not your fault if the Death Eaters invaded you house in the dead of the night to inject you with the serum. They caught you while you were sleeping peacefully, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. Henry Seymour talked about everything after he was arrested via Veritaserum. He told us everything, including how they succeeded in possessing you. I am really shocked about them doing that - it's a despicable act invading your privacy, much more administering some drug to you against your will. So, please, don't ever think that whatever happened to you recently you will be responsible. Victims can't choose what their victimizers would do to them."
"Okay, thank you, Headmaster," Hermione said, and Dumbledore smiled at Harry and her broadly.
"To make feel better further, and I tell you this in truth, that in my opinion despite the terrible things that you have both experienced under Lord Voldemort's captivity, this recent adventure of yours did do something good for our side."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at Dumbledore, bewildered. "What could anything be good about it, sir?" Harry asked.
"I wish you went through everything with no injury - both physical and emotional - but I know that's impossible when you come face to face with Lord Voldemort. But Willard Wraskon told me what you did back there. I felt very proud after hearing his story. Thanks to your efforts, several of the scientists, and most importantly Francs Girbeaux, have succeeded in escaping Xanthius. They were woefully unmatched against the Death Eaters with their spears and clubs. You supported their escape with magic, and that made a huge difference. If not for you, they would have all been slaughtered. If that happened we will never know how to counter Lord Voldemort's serum. We will all have lost against his new weapon. The likelihood of the serum to take control of the whole wizard world is not farfetched. I cannot imagine then how we would ever defeat that threat…"
"But the anti-serum hadn't been discovered yet, Professor," Harry told him. "What we did might not have any significance then."
"Mr. Wraskon and Dr. Girbeaux know that they've done it, Harry," Dumbledore smiled. "The only thing that they will do now is to ensure it won't create negative side effects, but that's only a very minor thing according to them. We will have our safe antidote in a week and Hermione will be treated with it soon."
"I'm looking forward to it, sir," Hermione grinned. She yawned and sank deeper down her bed. "I feel itchy each I remember I still have it. So, what do we do now?"
"I say you rest," Madam Pomfrey said, bringing over some flasks of greenish-blue potions. She gave Harry and Hermione each. "Except for Hermione, Harry can drink the potion and he can leave the hospital wing. Exertion and stress can exacerbate some relatively harmless effects brought by the Phantom Charm - but they're effects nonetheless and I don't like discharging Hermione from my hospital wing until I'm satisfied she has a clean bill of health!"
"That means don't try to argue with Madam Pomfrey, Hermione," Dumbledore winked at her. "It's stress, too."
Hermione arched her lips and blew up a few strands of her bangs.
"As far as I'm concerned Hermione's problem with her amnesia attacks had been gone for ages," Madam Pomfrey added. "Quite unfortunate it coincided with the effects of this serum and we thought she still had her amnesia attacks…drink up, Potter!"
Harry swallowed his potion and coughed because it was extremely bitter.
"Can I now bring Harry to my office, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked. "Cornelius Fudge is waiting for him there."
"Fudge?" Harry repeated.
"He asked for a chance to interview you about your experience in Xanthius. After the fortress revealed itself to everyone, he had no more excuse to deny its existence."
"I see there's no reason to keep Harry here much longer," Madam Pomfrey. "He can go, Headmaster."
"Thank you," Dumbledore said. "Come, Harry, I'll escort you to my office." They both began to walk out of the hospital wing.
"See you around Harry," Ron and Hermione both said at the same time.
Dumbledore stopped and looked at Ron. "Do you want to go with your best friend, Ronald?" he asked, his eyes twinking.
Ron stood up from his seat at once. "You bet!"
"Just tell me what you talked about there, guys," Hermione told them disappointedly.
"Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said after glancing at a sad-faced Hermione. "It's okay…"
Ron knew at once what Dumbledore meant. He dug up half of his Extended Ear and placed it on Hermione's night table. "You won't miss out with the discussion with this," he grinned.
Hermione smiled back at him from ear to ear.
-o0o-
"Hello, Harry," Cornelius Fudge greeted him humbly when he went inside the Headmaster's office with Dumbledore and Ron. "I hope you are well…"
"Good evening, Minister," Harry said, picking up a chair to sit upon Dumbledore's signal. "I'm fine now, thank you."
Aside from Fudge, his administrator Horace Whipple (who was sporting a large cast from elbow to wrist on his right arm and standing on a crutch on the other side), Minerva McGonagall, Snuffles (Sirius' alias when he became a dog), and a shamefaced Percy Weasley were present in the office (much to Ron's extreme annoyance).
"After all I did for this school, the employees of the Ministry, and the public in general," Fudge said, "it's difficult for me to admit I made a very costly mistake on how to treat the - warnings - of You-Know-Who's return and the existence of his fortress. I should have not denied anything and rejected your story about it. I know I made things very difficult for an undetermined number of people. For this, I offer you my sincerest apology for ever doubting you, Harry."
Harry glanced at Dumbledore who was now seated behind his desk. Dumbledore gave him a curt nod and big smile.
"I accept your apology, Minister," Harry said sincerely. "But, really, I understand how hard it was to accept the fact that Lord - I mean, You-Know-Who - had really come back."
"Yes, yes, that's right," Fudge muttered, and he looked grateful after Harry accepted his apology. "But it does not justify the confusion and hardship I caused for the wizard world by killing the - rumors as I've called them. What's worse, I didn't know I assisted the Death Eaters, especially Lucius - damn that traitor - in paving the way to you. How stupid of me of letting myself get used for their sinister plans." He shook his head with real disappointment.
Harry just kept silent.
"Where's Malfoy, now, anyway?" Fudge asked Percy.
"Mr. Malfoy is being transported back to London for interrogation, Minister," Percy replied.
"Good, good," Fudge said. "I'll have a word with him - I'll give all his bribes to the Ministry to charity - won't say who's money it is."
"That would be a good idea, Cornelius," Dumbledore said.
Fudge grunted and nodded. "The ominous appearance of You-Know-What for all to see just this afternoon was indisputable proof of You-Know-Who's return. His voice was heard all over the wizard world in Britain…"
"How're the people taking it, Minister?" Harry asked.
"Not well, I'm afraid," he replied gloomily. "We're helping mobilize the volunteers who want to fight You-Know-Who, but to me not everyone wants to risk being identified as part of the effort to defeat him. They're still scared of retribution from the Death Eaters. Not until everyone's convinced we could fight against You-Know-Who will they consider it bravely. There's a looming new war and the Ministry is working overtime to counter the terror of You-Know-Who."
"Does this mean school's closed?" Ron asked Fudge hopefully.
"In your dreams, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall replied for Fudge. "Classes will go on and you will have your OWLs as scheduled at the end of the year."
Ron groaned but then shrugged it off.
"Harry," Fudge said, "could you please testify to us what happened back at You-Know-What the first and second time? If it's okay…"
Harry looked at Dumbledore for guidance, and he got another nod. Harry knew it was a long story, but it seemed they had all the time in the world to hear his story. It was refreshing for Harry to talk about his experiences with the wizard world's elected leader, the Minister of Magic, who now was ready to believe what he was going to tell him. Before this, the Minister's mind was closed to any suggestions of Voldemort's return, but many things happened in a short span of time for everyone to see that he could no longer keep denying it. Harry knew they were allies now, not enemies.
Harry talked about everything in vivid detail to Fudge, including how the Death Eaters had infiltrated Hogwarts and how they led Harry and Hermione to Xanthius. Fudge was very attentive, and he kept nodding while Harry told him his story. After almost an hour, Harry had finished.
Fudge took off his glasses, wiped the lenses with a soft cloth, and sighed deeply. "Your story jibes with Henry Seymour's confession through Veritaserum about his activities and his information about the names of other Death Eaters in the Ministry, Harry. Oh, Williby, did you take down everything Harry said?"
"Yes, Minister," Percy replied very slowly.
Fudge nodded. "Good," he said, facing Harry again. "Harry, don't you know Seymour told us he was the one who murdered Professor Russelpunk?"
Harry breathed. He was afraid it was Hermione who murdered Russelpunk under the influence of the serum from the way she talked about it back in Hogsmeade, and he was relieved she didn't have blood in her hands. He had a strong suspicion it was Seymour or Burton, but he didn't have any proof then.
"No, sir," Harry replied.
"Seymour confessed that he killed Russelpunk because he found out the professor took out his Death Eater paraphernalia in the trunk at his office," Fudge explained. "We don't know how Russelpunk knew that Seymour was a Death Eater, but he seemed to have been obsessed with stealing some kind of a souvenir and Seymour wanted it back fearing that he will be unmasked as a Death Eater. What's strange is Seymour told us that Russelpunk expected Seymour to kill him and he didn't do anything to defend himself, thus, he was murdered."
Harry thought that was indeed strange. Did Russelpunk have some kind of a death wish? But this proved one thing, though. Russelpunk was no Death Eater after all.
"Then does this mean Professor Dumbledore's cleared, sir?" Harry asked.
"With the confession of Seymour, Albus was innocent all along," Fudge confirmed to Harry. "I was bent on pinning you with the murder I refused to believe otherwise. Seymour made me dance on his palm - I'm awed by Albus' sacrifice to own up to the crime just to save you, Harry. How stupid of me for being too hard to all of you. I'm so sorry."
"Minister," Percy said, "I think you have already apologized once too many…"
"Leave me alone, Weatherbee!" Fudge snapped at him. Percy hid behind his notebook quickly and returned to recording the minutes of the meeting. Ron laughed quietly.
"There are still other disturbing developments happening around the wizard world," Fudge continued. "The Dementors of Azkaban have abandoned their posts just after the fortress emerged from obscurity and it is very likely they have joined up with You-Know-Who. Several imprisoned Death Eaters have escaped, including the Lestranges."
"I've been Bellatrix in You-Know-What, Minister," Harry told him. "But I didn't see any Dementors there yet."
"Yes, I expected her to return to You-Know-Who," Fudge nodded. "The Dementors have been wreaking havoc already, sucking souls along the way with the Kiss. Additionally Several murders have taken place under the Dark Mark, and there are reports of Muggle Borns helping the Death Eaters with security while they do their dirty work. You-Know-Who's forces are getting more bold and dangerous…"
"The serum's proliferating," Dumbledore suggested.
"My suspicions, too," Fudge said darkly. "Furthermore, the top potions masters Becca Cunningham and Rudy Roberts are still unaccounted for. The surviving scientists swore that they had never seen them anywhere while they were held prisoners. I suspect You-Know-Who still has them and are using them to produce more of the serum, or worse, for other projects. I hope Wraskon and Dr. Girbeaux can make the anti-serum in time and we'll have to produce and stockpile some supplies."
"They're on to it, Cornelius," Dumbledore assured him.
Fudge sighed again and looked straight at Dumbledore. "After realizing how bad a job I did in my incumbency, I recognize the fact that I'm not a good Minister of Magic and I'm not up to the task in leading the war against You-Know-Who. There are other persons in the Ministry who are fit to lead us as Minister of Magic, so I'll be handing in my resignation to the Winzegamot tonight, Albus."
Everybody except Dumbledore and McGonagall looked surprised with his announcement.
"Are you sure what you're doing, Cornelius?" Dumbledore asked him gently.
Fudge glanced on the floor, straightened up, and nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I can no longer lead the people when my credibility is destroyed. Tomorrow we will have a new Minister of Magic, and I will humbly offer him my full support whoever he will be."
"It's a courageous thing that you're doing, Cornelius," Dumbledore said, standing up and offering him a handshake, which the Minister took. "Would you like for us to work together against Lord Voldemort? You have the wisdom and experience that we need."
Harry didn't know what Dumbledore meant about Fudge having great wisdom. For him he was a blunderer, but as always, Harry always believed Dumbledore knew better than him and he respected his opinion even how awkward it seemed at the surface.
"Thank you, Albus, but I'd rather fade into the back of controversy and I respectfully decline your offer."
"Very well, Cornelius, I understand," Dumbledore smiled. "I have no hard feelings for you - you were just misled. You were a just victim of Lord Voldemort's like the rest of us."
Fudge flinched finally, and smiled back at Dumbledore gratefully.
Whipple sighed. "I'm co-terminus with the Minister, so that means I'll be going back to a private life. It's been an honor working for you, Minister." Fudge nodded at him.
"Mr. Whipple," Dumbledore said after considering something for a long time. "We've lost another Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher five years in a row and I was wondering if you're interested with the job? You seem to be good with defensive magic."
Whipple bore it in mind for a moment and said, "Thank you, sir, I'll think about it. I'll inform you about my decision by tomorrow, is that fine by you?"
Dumbledore smiled and said, "I appreciate it."
"I'll just convince Horace the job's really not jinxed," Fudge offered. "To me all the teachers' bad luck for the last five years are purely coincidental."
"I'd rather die with a curse than an empty stomach if that's what you want to hear," Whipple said, winking.
Fudge said goodbye to everyone, especially to Harry, and they all started to leave.
"Harry, could you stay for a moment?" Dumbledore said to him. "Ronald, you may stay if you wish."
Harry looked at Ron, who merely shrugged at him.
"What is it, Professor?" Harry asked him gently.
"I have something to give you - a present from the recently deceased," Dumbledore said morbidly. He bent down from his chair, opened a drawer, took out a small maroon box, and placed it on top of his desk.
"From the deceased, sir?" said Harry, bewildered. "From who?"
"Professor Russelpunk."
Harry stared at him.
"He kept a journal of his own and wrote a small request to me that whatever might happen to him, he wanted you and Hermione to have his diary. He gave the note to me a few days before his death. I can't help but think he knew what would happen to him, because like Cornelius has said, Russelpunk waited for Seymour to go after him and didn't do anything to stop him from taking his life.
"He had always been interested on both of you from the very beginning, as he was always been asking me about you. You will find out why in a short while. The diary contains very useful techniques on how to fight the Dark Creatures after he spent years researching about the Dark Arts. I've read through it and I can attest to you that you will find it very useful. Even I am surprised of the many things I haven't learned yet. I hope you will be kind enough to share his legacy to the school."
Harry opened the thick book and saw many detailed notes about fighting the dark arts, their characteristics and weaknesses, and more. Harry didn't understand why Russelpunk never brought his knowledge up in his disastrous classes. They were very interesting subjects written in his diary and it could have been excellent for lessons.
"I don't get it - why would he specifically want me to inherit this book, sir?"
"Page 503, paragraph one," Dumbledore replied simply.
He opened the book to the specified page. The passage read:
I am fully convinced that these two students in my fifth year class are the gifted and chosen ones who will have the power to defeat the Dark Creature, a creature more terrible than the one that plagues the land the second time, as it was foreseen by our Fathers. They have shown and proven to me their qualities as heirs to the Twin Pendants of Omerta. As the Bringer of the Twin Pendants, declare that my mission is done and their destiny will soon be fulfilled.
A scribbled note in Russelpunk's handwriting at the left margin read:
*To Harry and Hermione, you are the heirs mentioned here, as I've judged. Search your inner self to learn how to use the Twin Pendants and please do use its powers wisely.
By the time you receive this I've already left and I will never come back again. I cannot avoid my fate. It has been written and it will have come to pass. My lifelong work is done with my discovery of you and it heralds the end for me. I am sorry I didn't introduce my true self to both of you fully. May the aura of Omerta be with you - always.
Harry didn't know what he and Hermione did to make Russelpunk conclude they were the ones who he had been looking for, for whatever it is they were expected to do. The message looked like it was incomplete. And what or who was Omerta?
Russelpunk never mentioned how the so-called pendants can be used and what they looked like. He didn't even expound on their so-called destiny. Additionally, it felt weird for Harry to picture Russelpunk as someone who was secretly in on a secret mission, a mission apparently so noble as it was written in this diary that it didn't fit the person he always portrayed out of his shell. Harry could not even help but think this was a sick joke from Russelpunk.
"Professor, is this some kind of a joke?" he said.
"To tell you the truth, Harry," Dumbledore said, looking uncertain, "I hope it isn't. I'm not aware of such prophecy - this is something very new to me and interests me the most. But perhaps this so-called destiny of yours is known only to a very secret society that we are meant to discover it only now. Some prophecies do fulfill themselves in their own way and maybe this is how it was meant to be. For the meantime, please allow me to help search for the answers for you and maybe we could find something out. I do have my sources to consult, and they may shed some light about Omerta. Omerta…I don't know, but I've got a feeling I stumbled on this name before."
"Okay, thank you, sir," Harry said. "We'll do our share…"
"My mind is buzzing…" Ron commented, putting a hand over his aching head.
"Did you take everything from the box?" Dumbledore asked Harry. "There are two smaller ones in it. I suggest you open it."
Harry took out two small boxes the size of a medal case. He could not open the first one no matter how much he tried, and he proceeded to the other. It opened easily with flash of light, and Harry saw a thin gold necklace with an elaborate pendant in half. Harry suspected that the other half of the pendant was inside the other box, and maybe it could be opened by somebody else. Perhaps, Hermione?
"Who do you think the Dark Creature is, Professor?" said Harry. "Voldemort?"
"If you read between the lines, it says a `creature more terrible than the one that plagues the land the second time'. The way I see it, Voldemort may be the lesser one. This is his second coming, and he plagues the wizard world with terror. There must be another one even more terrible than Lord Voldemort, but to tell you the truth, I find it unfathomable."
Harry found that hard to believe, too. What or who could be more terrible than Lord Voldemort?
"There's still one thing I think Professor Russelpunk wanted you to have." Dumbledore told Harry. He handed Harry a moving picture of Russelpunk with his arms around Harry and Hermione. On it, a phrase was written: "Shine radiantly, my special heroes."
"It is now my belief, Harry," Dumbledore said after a moment of silence, "that Professor Russelpunk was destined to meet you for some very special reason and he wasn't the person we all thought we knew at the surface. Because of this, I am convinced all of that you might find in his diary owes to be taken seriously. This may be the start of something magnificent and you need to prepare yourselves for your destiny, whatever it is. I will help you."
Harry nodded, and he felt extremely guilty for treating Russelpunk like a traitor before he died.
-o0o-
Next: Epilogue.
A/N: If you noticed, this chapter has something in common with Order of the Pheonix. I really liked that part in the book in the Department of Mysteries.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I will post the final chap very soon, just before the 30th of December. Thanks!
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