The Kemmynadow Betrayal
by Jardyn39
Chapter 1 - Introduction and Character Profiles
Summary
"He was a great wizard, Harry. I've always said so. The Kemmynadow curse is an ancient magic. There is no way I could defend myself against it and keep the bequest from you," said Voldemort lightly, "unless," he added in barely a whisper, "I somehow got you to betray it first. Oh, but Harry," he added with mock concern, "I'm keeping you from your friends."
This quote was abridged to make the Summary work!
Introduction
This is a new story continuing after the events in The Deceiver's Distillation that began a few days after Dumbledore's funeral.
It is not at all necessary to have read that story first, but a summary of the major events is given below. There are unfortunately a few spoilers below.
Readers may find the brief character profiles in this Chapter a little more helpful than the summary that follows.
These are all events occurring before Harry sets out in his hunt for the remaining Horcruxes.
Character Profiles
Knowing the story so far probably isn't as important as knowing a little of the new characters that were introduced in The Deceiver's Distillation.
More or less in order of importance:-
Sergeant John Bateman. Nicknamed "Bear," he is the leader of the Muggle Special Forces team assigned to Harry. He is physically imposing, fit, strong and quite a bit older than his charges. He was attacked by Hagrid when he failed to heed his warnings concerning Hermione's treatment. His best friend, also a veteran solder, died shortly after being rescued from the Arena. Trusted and respected by Harry, Bateman is experienced, clever and very skilled at what he does.
Bateman leads his usual team consisting of Duke, Carlyle, Hagland and Smith. Hope and Careem are recent additions from other duties.
Duke. Second in command. Likes to tell jokes and show off. Loves being in a fight and appears to have caught Bateman's enthusiasm for teaching those under his command. Scornful of Officers, he has been known to speak out of turn occasionally. Assigned to Harry for close personal protection.
Careem. Weapons and explosives specialist. Clever but physically slight compared to the others. Assigned to Harry for close personal protection. Was the first to (jokingly) suggest they bayonet Ron.
Terri Hope. Only female member of the team. Assigned to Hermione for close personal protection. Disobeyed direct order to follow Hermione into the camp when she gave them the slip.
Carlyle. Assigned to Hermione for close personal protection.
Hagland. Recognised the Prime Minister from the television but thought he was a football manager. Assigned to Ron for close personal protection. Suspected to have knocked Ron out on their way to attacking the Arena camp.
Smith. Still thinks a football manager gave them their mission orders. Assigned to Ron for close personal protection.
Jack Gurnet. Died shortly after Arena rescue. Soldier. Best friend of John Bateman. Captured and tortured in the false belief that he had Bateman's mission to protect Harry. Suffered mutilating surgery at the hands of the Healer along with Alison Weston. Made to fight in the Arena.
Alison Weston. Civilian casualty nurse. Died shortly after Arena rescue.
The Healer. Harry and Hermione saw Ollivander kill the Healer's nurse during the battle. Just before she died, Alison Weston appeared to identify Ollivander as the surgeon who mutilated them. Harry was the only witness to this and only he saw Ollivander grab Hermione. It is not known whether Ollivander was falsely identified as the Healer or if he was acting under another's influence. Harry is convinced that Ollivander is indeed the Healer.
The Deceiver's Distillation
The Deceiver's Distillation is a potion believed to be impossible to make in modern times. It has a number of properties, including the ability to force any person in disguise to revert to their original form.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were each tested and cleared.
During the testing, Harry had to decide whether or not he really trusted his friends. He had concerns about both of them, but particularly needed to hear Hermione confess about something that happened during their last year at school.
Harry reviewed a collection of memories left by Dumbledore. He did not find anything useful but several memory phials had been broken.
Hermione's parents went into hiding but were concerned enough to relate their suspicions about Hermione's unusual behaviour directly to Harry. She admits to being able to "read" Harry's emotions and claims Dumbledore knew she could do this. He is sceptical.
Hermione ended things with Ron, although he is still hopeful that they will get back together.
During the final stages of testing, Harry exhibited an alarming reaction. On just one occasion, Voldemort became so distracted that he dropped his Occlumency mask. This gave Harry a direct view of his Death Eaters celebrating.
The Prime Minister has insisted upon joining the fight against Voldemort and began by sending a team of Special Forces to protect Harry and his friends. Together they attacked and took one of Voldemort's encampments where an Arena had been erected. Few survived the gladiatorial combats, but some had been horribly disfigured by the experimentation done by The Healer.
Fred and George's inventions were much appreciated.
The wand maker Ollivander was rescued from the camp but appeared to be confused and befuddled by his experiences. Later, he was identified to Harry as the Healer and kidnapped Hermione as he escaped. Harry got to her just in time to be Disapparated away.
Harry and Hermione woke as captives in a tower but escaped just in time to avoid providing an entertainment in a new, smaller Arena. They arrived back at the Burrow but soon departed again in order to resolve a few things in private. They are slowly growing closer but Harry, certainly, is becoming more aware of his feelings.
Harry punched Ron but later apologised when they thought Hermione wasn't listening.
A side effect of the Deceiver's Distillation potion is that any person attempting to impersonate them will be mentally impaired. The impostor Hermione could only say, "I like homework," over and over.
The events that happened at the Arena were publicised, but there is no proof that Ollivander really was The Healer.
The Room of Requirement has been sealed to everybody except Harry, Ron and Hermione. They alone can now enter Hogwarts through the Floo network. Harry can restrict Ron and Hermione's access as well as enter through the Hogwarts grounds if he needs to.
Professor McGonagall was confirmed by the Hogwarts Governors as the new Headmistress, but the start of term is still to come and Voldemort is still expected to want his own candidate installed.
The celebration that followed marked the end of the initial association between Bateman's team and Harry and his friends.
The Kemmynadow Betrayal story begins immediately after. It is not yet September….