A tentative knock echoed around the silent Headmaster's office, and then Severus Snape strode into the room holding out his left hand, when he realized that the Headmaster was looking intently at a picture frame and hadn't even realized that he had entered the room.
Bowing his head he cleared his throat and once the electric blue eyes of the Headmaster was focused on him he held out his left hand.
"Albus, what's going on? I was at a meeting tonight with to discuss a secret plan when all of a sudden a bright flash appeared and seemed to knock everyone out, when I came to about an hour later practically everyone was dead with the exception of the few spies which had either been planted there."
Prof. Dumbledore sighed and asked, "Severus, what we have actively been fighting for has been finally achieved at last but at a great price…The lives of two students hang in the balance, for they have used an ancient spell that in return for their memories they would be able to access their deepest resources to defeat Voldemort.
Now it is up to me the decision of what to do now."
Snape for once lost his expressionless mask and asked, "Two? Albus, I know one of them has to be Potter but wasn't he the only one who walked out to face his fate?"
The answer that came shocked him into a stupor,
"No, Severus the other who was born to accompany Harry was Draco Malfoy, the two using their combined power managed to punch through the wards and deliver the message at a great price to themselves, they have exhausted themselves immensely and there may be a chance that they will never wake."
With that Albus handed him the letter which Harry had written.
It was a while before any sign of activity could be heard coming from the Headmaster's quarters leaving the entirety of the school guessing as to what was going on in the outside world.
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In the Gryffindor Common Room there was a lively atmosphere considering that the teachers had dismissed all afternoon classes, there was some speculation as to who those two men were from the Great Hall. But other than that everyone was glad to get out of classes, especially those that would have had Potions later than afternoon.
About an hour later the coins from the DA started to heat up and a new meeting was to be set in half an hour in the Room of Requirement, without blinking an eye the DA members inconspicuously slipped out of the Common Room heading for the meeting place, it didn't hurt to try to find answers a little earlier than planned. Entering the room it seemed as though everyone had the same idea for the entirety of the DA had arrived before the Gryffindors.
Nervous chatter broke out when Neville Longbottom walked onto the podium,
"I'm sorry for the short notification in calling you all here, but we have news on what is going on in the outside world, with out contacts in the organization dedicated to fighting evil, it seems as those all known Deatheaters are dead or unconscious, the only ones that seem to still be alive are those who were planted as spies within their organization.
It also seems that the Dark Mark was not necessary to tie a person's power to Voldemort; rather all it took was a simple oath that created a link between them. It also turns out that there were many people within the Ministry's highest departments that suddenly collapsed and later pronounced dead as Deatheaters. Now I could not find out anything else concerning Harry and Draco but as far as we know the Deatheaters have been decimated to the point of no return we can only hope that this means what I know all of us are subconsciously hoping.
With that being said Neville stepped off the podium and joined the rest of the chattering crowd on the floor, when suddenly a rather unexpected person walked in the door, Ronald Weasley, causing the entire room to fall silent. He walked over to the podium and stood before the silent DA,
"Something's happened to Harry and Draco; the objects attuned to their magic just collapsed about a moment ago, the scrying devices can't find their location so either they are blocked or something has happened to them."
Then another person ran into the room,
"The two mysterious people in the Hospital Wing are still an enigma, since I was at the Hospital Wing delivering some supplies so I saw the two mystery people but for some reason there was a haze covering them and any time I tried to concentrate on seeing them my eyes started to hurt and then my eyes would be diverted elsewhere."
Neville sighed and walked to the podium,
"Alright everyone, this is just as Harry taught us, and there are two unidentified perhaps unconscious people in the school, who may or may not be a threat. So we need to set up surveillance, who here has mastered the disillusionment spell?
Okay, then Blaise and Terry you two set various charms to try to find out who they are. Padma and Dean you are to set up surveillance charms around the Hospital Wing, Lavender and Morag you two are to find out any information that is going around the school.
And the rest of you, keep your eyes and ears open for any news whatsoever; along with keeping everyone safe in your Common Room, any prefects here need to help ensure the younger kids are safe. Now you are all dismissed, set up surveillance and listening charms around the halls and Common Rooms as well as the classrooms.
When everyone has filed out Neville collapsed in the chair the Room provided holding his head in his hands,
"Harry, come back soon, this should be you in charge of the class not me, this is not what I am meant to do. I will never equal what you have done with the school. Just come back soon."
Ginny sat on the chair next to him and rubbed his back,
"Don't worry Harry will come back and he will say that he gave the job to the right person, true you aren't like Harry, but we don't want you to be Harry we want you to be Neville and do what you think is right for the way things are going. Never think that you are not good enough because you are, most definitely I mean the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor for a reason right?"
With that Ginny got up and walked out the door leaving a pensive Neville to turn over in his mind the words that Ginny had just told him, easing his mind from the insecurities that attacked him every time he got in front of the DA.
Ron and Hermione walked over and sat on each side of him, while Hermione whispered,
"You've done all you can and Harry would be proud of the lengths that you have driven the DA, so you won't be remembered as the boy who almost was the Chosen One but the one who trained the army of Hogwarts students so they would be aware and able to defend and fight off attacks from anyone, not necessarily the forces of evil but even those for self-defense.
It is due to this group that the interhouse rivalry is at its all time low, we have this group to trade off between the house and foster friendship not hatred. As much as what Harry is doing is important, what you are doing is also important." With that she fell silent next to him and just leaned into him offering her support and strength.
Ron started,
"Neville, I know that you haven't the highest opinion of yourself but Harry has always believed in what you can do, even when you have not. He chose you for a reason…"
His breath hitched at the thought of what made him choose Neville and not him, but he shook his head, now was not the time to be thinking morbid thoughts.
"…and even if you don't see it all of us do, you have done so much for this group to the point that maybe this brings out the true potential of what you can be, if you allow yourself to let go of the tight reins that you have over you power and mind."
Neville nodded at the two appreciatively for their help and support but before he could get a word out a loud echoing sounded throughout the castle, it was Prof. Dumbledore,
"STUDENTS ARE ALL TO REPORT TO THE GREAT HALL IMMEDIATELY FOR A MANDATORY SCHOOL ASSEMBLY, ALL THE DORMS AND CLASSROOMS WILL BE CLOSED FROM ENTRY TILL THE END OF THE ASSEMBLY."
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As Albus sat in a meeting with all his teachers, his mind couldn't help but wander to his two students still unconscious in the Hospital Wing, he trusted Harry's letter but was hoping against hope that he would not have to make a decision about what to do with the boys.
His mind wandered to what Severus told him about the potion Elixirus Reconvare, a potion to restore the body after the casting of the ancient spell Fosia Tsisre et Trobhre which forced the caster(s)' memories to wield their purest weapons from their own mind into something visible and tangible.
However, due to the fact that the caster(s) have taken a huge part of themselves out they have overloaded their own bodies and therefore fall into a coma that cannot be awakened from without external means of the potion.
The potion would restore the body as it was before the use of the spell but their memories would be erased about everything they had previously known and been familiar with. Although if two people cast the spell they would be the only thing they remembered, but the most amazing fact was that the two of them managed to defeat Voldemort, and punch through the wards in place around Hogwarts as those it were paper, deliver a message before succumbing to the coma.
"…Albus…Albus?"
With a slight unnoticed jerk Albus turned toward the questioner,
"Yes, Minerva, Severus is correct if we use the potion then everything the two had known before will be lost from their memory. It is not possible to wake from this kind of coma without external help, so basically this is a lose-lose situation and if and when they do wake up, we have to begin their lives over, but certain things they will still remember they will have if the same of perhaps greater understanding of magic and in terms of power theirs will increase by 10 fold, maybe even more.
They know basic necessities but there is nothing else they remember, their family, friends, rivals, affections, anything that has sentimental value to them was used to fuel the spell. It is because there is only a 25% chance of survival from casting the spell is that spell considered among the forgotten, I didn't even know that Harry and Draco had found the spell.
The last thing is that the potion is among the hardest in the world to complete for it requires the utmost concentration and everything is to be in their exact proportions for the ingredients used together are the most volatile ones in nature so any wrong move can cause the potion to blow up in your face or cause the wrong reaction. The potion has an even lower survival rate than the spell; it's only at 13%. That is a decision that I have to make, whether or not to administer it, for both are orphans and under care of the school….."
With that being said he trailed off before he stood up and wandered out of the room, ignoring the cries of the teachers. Once he turned the corner he faded away into the stonework of the castle to arrive in front of the Hospital Wing.
Walking in he walked to the two beds which contained the two boys, however he noticed something odd while standing before them, a slight haze veiled them. He was confused this should not happen, releasing his eyesight from its constraints he saw what people saw when they glanced over; two bodies were covered by a haze which distorted their body forms and identities.
Settling down he bowed his head as he thought of what to do, when he noticed a student loitering close by the beds before running full speed toward the Room of Requirement.
A grim smile flitted across the Headmaster's aged face before walking back to his office and verifying that all known and even unknown Deatheaters were either unconscious or dead, depending on their connection to Voldemort.
But most importantly the Dark Mark's fading to the grey tattoo helped the identification as well some form of a truth spell that forced them all to acknowledge that they did all their acts as Deatheaters without outside control like potions of spells.
Quickly getting up he waved his hand and projected his announcement to the school. It was the moment of truth and he had perhaps spent the last eighteen years preparing for this moment, it was finally time to take a stand.
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