Dark Lord Rising
Chapter 38: Opening Gambits.
It took Sirius a few minutes to compose himself after the emotional roller coaster that their questioning of Snape started. Blinking back the tears, he stood up, angrily strode over and yanked the Death Eater by his greasy hair so that they were face to face. In a menacing voice, he hissed, "What would you do if presented with the opportunity to harm Harry, Hermione, Remus, or myself?"
Compelled by the truth serum still flowing through his veins, Snape said, "I would not harm Potter but I would do my best to see the rest of you injured or dead."
Remus' head snapped up at hearing Severus' declaration and he bolted to his feet in a towering rage. His eyes had completely changed over to amber showing that the wolf was extremely close to the surface.
Looking into his friends face, Sirius quickly backed away at the sight of the amber eyes dilated in anger and the slight fangs poking out of Remus' mouth.
Even through his potion's induced haze, Snape realized that the man approaching him was partially transformed. Panicked, Severus was trying everything in his power to escape the bonds that held him securely to the chair. Shrieking in terror while he struggled fruitlessly against the restraints, he shouted, "Stay away from me you filthy werewolf!" As Remus continued towards him, he quickly glanced over at Black and bellowed, "Keep him away from me!"
Furious, Remus reached down, grasped the sides of Snape's head and lifted him clean off the floor until they were eye level. His voice was barely recognizable as he growled, "You will never get the chance to harm another innocent." Before Snape could respond, or Sirius recovered from his shock, Remus slammed Snape back onto the ground and gave a violent twist with his hands.
Snape's screams stopped abruptly with the ominous snapping noise as the angered werewolf broke the Death Eater's neck. With a howl of rage, Remus grabbed the dead spy and hurled him across the room and into the wall, shattering the chair that Snape was bound to in the process.
His mouth hanging open in shock, Sirius slowly approached his best friend with his palms open outwards. Quietly, he called, "Remus?" He watched his friend struggling for control of his emotions but was at a loss on how to help him.
Suddenly, Dora was there, wrapping her arms around the enraged man and whispering words of comfort in his ear. As she felt Remus begin to calm down, she pulled him down to the floor and continued to console him.
His amber eyes still sparkling, Remus looked up into Dora's face and saw understanding and acceptance rather than the revulsion he was expecting. "Why?" he rasped, his voice beginning to return to normal.
Stroking his cheek, Dora whispered, "Because you're a good man, Remus Lupin, and I couldn't give my heart to a monster." Before he could contradict her, she placed a finger over his mouth and said firmly, "You are not a monster." Waving her hand in the general direction of the cooling body in the corner, she said with conviction, "Snape was a monster and got everything he deserved."
"How much did you see and hear?" Remus asked quietly.
"All of it." Dora replied truthfully as she continued to stare into his amber eyes before leaning down and placing a loving kiss on his lips.
~AQ~
The unmistakable sound of the metal lock being slid back woke Draco with a start. He had been trying to avoid falling asleep but his need for rest finally overpowered his fear and he drifted off in a semi sitting position in the corner of his bunk. He tried to make himself as small as possible as the figure on the bunk above him grumbled at the disturbance.
"Come on Travis, we have to be on station in ten." shouted the auror from the door to the man on the top bunk who was in the process of climbing down.
"Keep your robes on, Hamish, I'm coming!" grumbled Travis as he sat down on the lower bunk to pull on his boots. With a leer, he turned to the corner where he knew the Malfoy boy was cowering and drawled, "Sleep well, Mr. Malfoy?"
Draco had frozen in fear when the man started climbing down so he missed the exchange between the two aurors. When the large man sat on his bed, he did something he hadn't done since he was five, he wet himself.
"Blimey!" Travis blurted when the stench hit him causing him to scramble off the bed and move towards the door. "He soiled himself!" he yelped to his partner in disgust.
The last thing Draco heard was the laughter of the two aurors as the door was sealed cutting off all noise from outside his cell.
~AQ~
Ted and Andromeda were down in the basement of headquarters finishing up the second round of Goyle's interrogation while Dora, Remus, and Sirius were talking about what to do with Snape's body. They were being just loud enough in their discussion that Goyle was able to hear everything.
Suddenly, Snape's lifeless body was dumped at the foot of the stairs right in Goyle's line of sight, causing the large mans anxiety levels to skyrocket. Seeing the fear on their prisoner's face, Andromeda drawled pleasantly, "Oh, don't you worry about Severus, dear. He's quite dead."
Seeing his panicked eyes dart between the dead body of his comrade and his captors, Ted asked, "Is there anything else you would like to tell us that could prevent you ending up like him?" while his thumb pointed in the general direction of the crumpled body on the floor.
Being under the effects of the truth potion still, Goyle's addled mind took that request literally and he began a lengthy tale of every wrong doing that he was ever a part of or had heard of. By the time the potion wore off, Goyle was exhausted and Ted and Andromeda had fifty pages of very disturbing notes.
Disgusted with the man in front of them, Ted stepped forward and said coldly, "I promised that we wouldn't kill you and we won't." Seeing Goyle sag slightly in relief, he continued, "However, we can't just let you go either." Taking aim, he pointed his wand at Goyle's face and said, "Obliviate!" while concentrating on the desire to erase everything back to the level of a baby.
~AQ~
Albus Dumbledore sat alone in his office in the highest tower of Hogwarts. The only noises were the occasional whirring and puffing of various magical trinkets scattered about the room. His gaze was unfocused while he tapped his finger tips together in front of his lips.
He knew without a doubt that Snape was dead. The life stone that Severus had given him hung from his pinkies on a fine golden chain. Instead of its usual vibrant white, it dangled there, blackened and cracked; the ultimate proof that his primary spy within Voldemort's ranks was lost forever.
The burning question in his mind was, `Which side did the deed?' Dumbledore knew that Severus was only tolerated because of his support. Part of him hoped that it was someone from the Order that got him because the thought of Voldemort questioning Snape would be devastating on many different levels.
Resigned, Albus sighed softly before opening the top drawer of his desk and gently setting the stone inside then slowly closing the drawer. It was as close to a proper burial he could give his dead spy unless the body was actually found.
Going on the assumption that Snape was compromised before he died, Dumbledore began mentally going through his plans that would have to be altered. Fortunately, he didn't really trust Severus with too much information because of his proximity to very dangerous people so not much would have to be changed.
Struggling up from his chair, he shuffled over to his lab and retrieved the vial of the Elixir of Life. Swirling the liquid slowly, Dumbledore admired the shifting shades of red as the firelight illuminated the bottle. Gathering up his courage, he pulled the stopper and downed the contents in one quick gulp.
Nicholas had once described how if felt when you drank the Elixir of Life but until you experience it for yourself, words didn't do it justice. Dumbledore's veins burned with a liquid fire as the Elixir did its work. The pain was excruciating, causing Albus to cry out as he fell to his knees as the empty vial slipped from his fingers and shattered on the stone floor.
Another wave of pain seared through him, causing Dumbledore to fall forward. He barely got his hands out in time to prevent banging his head on the stone floor. The agony was so great, that the cuts from the glass embedded into his hands barely registered.
Fifteen agonizing minutes later, the pain subsided and Albus struggled to his feet and staggered towards his private chambers. Head swimming from the Elixir, he barely made it to his bed before collapsing unconscious face down.
~AQ~
Watching his cousin comfort his best friend, Sirius sighed in relief before silently levitating Snape's lifeless body up the stairs before returning for the mindless Goyle, Sr. Once he had both of them in the parlor, he tied them together and called, "Dobby!"
There was a slight pop when Dobby appeared in the room and said politely, "How may I help, Master Sirius?"
Sirius waited for Dobby to realize that there were two other bodies in the room before saying, "We need these two to be found in Knockturn Alley in the morning. Can you arrange for that without being discovered?"
Ears back at the slight on being seen, Dobby coolly replied, "Of course, sir. I will take care of that immediately." Without waiting for any other commands, Dobby stepped over and grabbed a hold of both bodies and disappeared with a much louder than normal crack.
Wiping the sweat off his brow, Sirius mumbled, "Note to self, don't make the elf angry." Shaking his head ruefully, he left the parlor to search for some liquid medicine of the alcoholic variety for everyone.
~AQ~
Harry wandered downstairs to stretch his legs and fetch a glass of water. In his hands was one of his books on occlumency. He was so engrossed in the text that he didn't notice Hermione's parents leaning against the counter and talking quietly amongst themselves.
When John and Annabelle saw Harry walk in, they noticed how immersed he was in his book so they continued talking quietly. Their smiles grew larger as Harry moved around the room on autopilot as he gathered his drink and left the room without ever noticing that he wasn't alone. It was something that they had seen Hermione do hundreds of times in their old home and it filled them with joy to see how comfortable Harry had become in the house.
Motioning with her hands for John to keep quiet, Annabelle silently followed Harry up the steps towards the library. He was so engrossed in his reading that he didn't even notice his in-laws trailing half a landing behind him.
Harry flopped down next to Hermione and handed her his glass without even looking up from his book. On autopilot, Hermione had extended her hand at that exact moment and plucked the glass from his hand without tearing her gaze from her book either.
John and Annabelle stood in the doorway transfixed by the scene in front of them. The two teens were displaying a level of communication not achieved outside of couples that had been married for decades and sometimes not at all. They watched the silent interactions between Harry and Hermione for a few minutes in awe before Annabelle said softly, "It's getting late. Are you two going to turn in soon?"
Startled from their private thoughts, the two teens jumped slightly in their seats before Hermione squeaked happily, "Mum, Dad!" before hopping up and racing over to them to exchange hugs. Harry followed at a more sedate pace before exchanging his own hugs and pleasantries with the in-laws.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Granger. How was your dinner?" Harry asked politely when he stepped back from Annabelle's hug.
"It was enlightening. Dining in a magical house takes some getting used to." John smiled as he answered Harry's question.
Remembering fondly all of the meals he'd eaten during better times at the Burrow with the Weasleys made Harry smile in return before he answered knowingly, "Yes, it does. Doesn't it?"
"Why don't you two get ready for bed? We have a big day planned for tomorrow and we'll have to get started early." Annabelle said warmly as she steered the young couple towards their room.
~AQ~
With a soft pop, two aurors appeared in the alleyway directly across from the wand makers shop in Edinburgh, Scotland. Kingsley stood motionless, his cloak pulled closed against the slight chill in the air, as he searched the area for anything out of the ordinary.
Deciding that nothing was amiss, he gestured to his partner and they quickly crossed the street and opened the door to the shop with their wands at the ready. The bell above the door chimed as they entered causing Kinglsey to flinch at forgetting something so elementary.
The tinkling of the bells brought the shopkeeper out of his workshop to greet his visitors. Wiping his hands on his apron, Mr. Davidson noticed the drawn wands and auror badges and asked carefully, "How may I help you gentleman today?"
Having no easy way to break the news to the shop keep, Kinglsey motioned for his partner to stand guard by the door and said calmly, "We're here to escort you to a safe house. Mr. Ollivander was killed and turned into an inferious today."
Leaning against the counter for support, Armand took a few moments to gather himself before whispering, "Does this mean what I think it does?"
Looking the old man in the eyes, Shacklebolt answered, "It does. Now please gather up your things, time is of the essence. We think Voldemort is targeting all of the wand makers in Great Britain for some reason."
Just as Armand was beginning to gather his supplies, Shacklebolt's partner, barked out a harsh whisper, "Shite! We have company!" and began setting as many defensive spells on the front of the shop as he could. When he was done, Smyth turned to them and asked, "Is there a secret way out of here?"
The wand maker nodded and pointed behind the counter before moving over to it and undoing the concealing and locking spells. Once they were gone, he opened the door and motioned for the aurors to follow him.
Kinglsey was halfway down the trap door when he realized that his Smyth wasn't following him. With a questioning look on his face, he peered back at his partner.
"Go. I'll hold them off while you get Mr. Davidson to safety." Smyth said resolutely while looking Kinglsey in the eyes.
With a nod of understanding, Shacklebolt whispered, "God speed." before closing the hatch behind him. He felt the concealment charms go back up seconds before he heard the front door being blasted apart. Seeing the wand maker standing by the tunnel, he gently pushed him in the back and whispered, "Go. Smyth is going to buy us some time."
With a shocked nod of acceptance, Armand turned and began leading Kinglsey down the hidden passage to safety. At the end of the tunnel, there was a small, dimly lit, room with a ladder going up through another trap door.
Pointing to the hatch, Kinglsey asked, "Where does this lead?"
"The door leads to the basement of the pub on the street behind my shop." Mr. Davidson whispered before continuing, "It's owned by my cousin so we should be safe."
There was a loud blasting noise followed by a showering of dust from the carved ceiling. Eyes widening in horror, Kinglsey vanished the trap door and practically dragged the old wand maker up the ladder with him in his haste. Just as they cleared the trap door, a cloud of dust and debris blew upward.
"Damnation." Kinglsey muttered before turning to Mr. Davidson and saying solemnly, "Grab my arm, I'm going to apparate us to the safe house before I contact Madam Bones."
~AQ~
Smyth ducked behind the one of the shelves containing wands when the door was blasted apart. Shrapnel peppered the wall and counter with lethal force making him glad he was lucky enough to get to safety. Before the dust settled, he fired two quick blasting hexes in the direction of the front door and dove behind the shopkeeper's counter.
Yaxley was climbing over the remains of the front door when the first curse struck his shoulder spinning him around in a shower of blood. He landed in a heap next the door frame where his partner, Gibbon calmly stepped over his bleeding body with a shield at the ready.
"Come out wand maker and I'll make your death quick." Gibbon hissed in anger. With a flick of his wand the dust in the air dissipated and he took stock of the situation. There were dozens of wands scattered about from where he had blown in the door but no sign of the wizard that owned the shop.
Smyth knew he only had moments until his hiding spot was located and he would be forced to fight for his life. He knew that he needed to give Kingsley more time to get the old man to safety so he crept to the edge of the counter and held up a transfigured mirror inches from the floor.
He could see a black robed figure just inside the hole in the front of the shop and the feet of another lying in a pool of rapidly spreading blood. Steadying himself, he rolled clear of the counter and barked, "Avada Kedavra!"
Gibbon saw the movement out of the corner of his eye and instinctively yelled, "Avada Kedavra!" at the unidentified person.
The two killing curses struck each other and the magical explosion that followed ripped apart a good portion of the shop. Gibbon's last thought as he was sent flying through the air was of his family before his neck was snapped by the force of the impact with the stone wall.
Nigel's eyes widened briefly in surprise before he was blasted backwards into the base of the shelves behind the sales counter. The shelf teetered for a moment before it came crashing down onto the counter burying the injured auror under hundreds of wands.
Moving slowly to protect his injured ribs and hip, Smyth poked his head up to assess the situation. Before he could move any further, the shelf above him gave an ominous creaking noise and split in half and his world exploded in pain before he blacked out.
~AQ~
The explosion sent the residents both scurrying for cover and peering from their windows to see the commotion. Once the smoke cleared, some people ran forward to see if they could help Mr. Davidson while others flooded the floo network with calls to the Ministry of Magic for help.
The auror on duty, the freshly demoted Dawlish, sent a flying memo to his superior and went back to reading Rita Skeeter's recent article about the disaster in Hogwarts and grumbling about a lack of respect.
Fifteen minutes later, the desk sergeant received the vague memo and dispatched an auror to Edinburgh's version of Diagon Alley to investigate. He then sent a memo to Amelia Bones letting her know what happened and what action was taken before returning to his mountain of parchment work.
Amelia was sitting in her favorite chair by the fire in the den of her row house not far from the Prime Minister's residence when a lynx patronus burst through her living room wall and began to speak with Kinglsey's voice.
"The wand maker is secure but we ran into trouble. Smyth held them off while we got out." The lynx finished speaking and faded from existence, its purpose fulfilled.
"Damn." Amelia muttered as she rose from her seat and headed for the floo, her tea and book forgotten on the end table.
As she stepped out of the fireplace into her office, she noticed a memo floating around the room. Snatching the annoying piece of flying parchment out of the air, she ripped it open and read the missive. She checked the time on the memo before tossing it down on her desk and heading for the duty sergeant.
"Masterson!" Amelia barked when she rounded the corner into the greeting area where the desk sergeant's desk was located. "Gather up a full squad with a healer and send them to Mr. Davidson's wand shop in Edinburgh. Tell them that we may have a man down and I'll meet them there in thirty minutes." Without another word, Amelia strode out of the office to the apparition point in the atrium before vanishing with a soft pop.
She reappeared outside a non-descript farming village in Wales before disillusioning herself and heading towards a rundown farm house overlooking a small stream. Once she reached the door, Amelia knocked twice, paused, knocked four more times and stepped back a foot from the door.
Kinglsey heard the code being knocked and hoped that it was his boss at the door. Motioning to Mr. Davidson to stay quiet and to cover him, he cautiously opened the door with his wand drawn. After confirming that the person at the door was indeed his superior, he waved her inside and began casting wards around the door for some added safety.
The small safe house had that faint musty smell that often resides in homes that don't see enough use. The inside was much nicer than the exterior due to a liberal amount of magic in use but it wasn't opulent by any stretch of the imagination.
Once Shacklebolt was finished with his defensive spell casting, Amelia waved both men over to the seats in front of the fire so they could discuss a few things. Clearing her throat, she said warmly, "I'm glad to see that you both made it out alive. I have a team on the way to Edinburgh to see if Smyth is okay as well."
"Thank you, Director. I hope he made it. The tunnel collapsed just as we were climbing out." the large auror replied in his surprisingly alto voice.
Climbing to her feet, Amelia said seriously, "I'm not going to tell anyone that you are here. If someone comes to collect Mr. Davidson in my name, escape if you can. If not, kill them before they can return the favor."
Mr. Davidson bobbed his head jerkily in understanding as he tried to process all of the shocking things that had been thrown at him today.
Kingsley nodded once in acceptance with a hard look on his face before saying, "If we don't hear from you in two days, we'll move to the backup safe house and I'll try to find someone I can trust to contact."
"Find Auror Tonks." Amelia replied immediately. Seeing Shacklebolt's frown, she said, "She's deeper in this mess than you are and knows a great deal about what is going on. She also has the resources available to help or to hide Mr. Davidson if things go pear shaped."
Intrigued, Kingsley said cautiously, "I promise that I'll do that if it comes to it. Good luck, ma'am."
"Thank you, Kingsley." Amelia said somberly before heading out, hoping that Smyth was still alive.
~AQ~
The last three days had been some of the longest, and loneliest, of Ron's short life so far. The reality of what he had thrown away in his jealousy and fits of temper really hit home on the ride to Kings Cross Station at the end of the term.
He spent the bulk of the time talking with Ginny and Neville about his feelings and the events of the year after he had apologized again. Following their advice, he had been trying to write an apology to Harry and Hermione but they just didn't sound right when put on paper. The evidence of his frustration was littered all over the floor of his bedroom.
Sighing in frustration, he crumpled up his current attempt and hurled the ball of parchment at the bin in the corner. Not knowing what else to do, he stood up from his desk and began pacing his room while muttering to himself.
Charlie had filled his parents in on what he had learned at Hogwarts about Ron and his actions. Molly had wanted to send a howler at first but her husband had put his foot down and said that they would speak with their youngest son when he returned home for the summer holidays.
She was carrying Ron's laundry up to his room when she heard him muttering under his breath. Deciding that this would be a good time to broach some of the issues from the school year, she knocked lightly and opened the door.
"Ron?" Molly called softly as she watched her son pace the room.
Startled by his mum's voice, Ron jumped a little then blurted, "Mum! Knock or make some noise next time!"
Chuckling at her son's antics, she smiled and warmly said, "I did knock. You were so lost in your thoughts that you didn't hear it so I opened the door." Watching Ron blush slightly reminded her of how young he really was. After closing the door softly, she sat on the bed and patted the spot next to her.
When Ron finally sat down, she pulled him into a one armed hug and asked, "Have you been thinking about what happened between you and Harry and Hermione this year, dear?"
With an audible sigh, Ron slouched down and put his head in his hands. A few seconds later, he mumbled, "I really messed up and I don't think that they are going to forgive me this time."
Before Molly could respond to Ron's outburst, she realized that he was sobbing silently. Shocked because he hadn't cried in front of her in a few years, Molly did what came natural to her, she pulled her youngest son into a hug and whispered words of comfort to him while trying to figure out what to do.
~AQ~
Voldemort stood alone in the cemetery in Godric's Hollow looking down at the tombstone of Ariana Dumbledore. His visit with Grindlewald had proved very enlightening and he planned to use every tool at his disposal in his quest to bring Dumbledore down.
With a casual flick of his wand, the earth parted and a casket gently rose out of the ground. It was in remarkably good shape considering how long it had been buried. Another swish and the lid vanished, revealing the perfectly preserved body of Albus Dumbledore's younger sister.
With a maniacal grin on his heavily disguised face, Voldemort began the process of turning Arianna into an inferius. Once he was done, he admired his handiwork momentarily before grabbing the animated corpse and apparating to Hogsmeade.
The unusual pair appeared with a pop in the alley behind the Three Broomsticks. Seeing no one around, he quietly opened the back door to the tavern and turned back to his newest minion and whispered, "Kill everyone in the pub!"
Once Arianna the Inferius was inside, he closed the door behind her and magically sealed the door. Moving to the front of the tavern, he began to magically seal the windows too. By the time he vanished from Hogsmeade in search of a new building to set up as his base of operations the screaming had already started from inside the Three Broomsticks.
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