Chapter 21: Pardoning, Planning and Caution
Harry woke slowly, having a slightly fuzzy feeling throughout his body from last night. He quickly noticed the bed was cold, indicating no Hermione.
"Mione?" He called, although, he was half asleep and it came out as "Mi-nee?"
Her head popped round the door to the bathroom, to see her beloved husband pat around the bed trying to locate her.
"Mmmm, Mi-nee?" She walked over to the bed and crawled in next to Harry to have his arms encircle her firmly.
"Love you, Mione," he murmured.
"I love you to, my sweet boy," she whispered back. Her only reply was for Harry to pull her closer.
They were asleep for another thirty minutes until they woke once more and washed, dressed and prepared for the day.
Harry smiled at his darling wife, "I'm sorry for what I said yesterday, Hermione."
"It's fine Harry. I'm sorry I reacted so strongly and pushed you away," Hermione replied, sadly.
"It was understandable, I re-opened old wounds,"
"Wounds that I should have told you about, so you would not have made that mistake," Hermione pursed her enticing lips. "I think we ought to be more open with one another, like have a good bit of pillow talk each night so we know each-other inside out."
"Great idea, love. Shall we begin tonight?"
"Yep!"
Downstairs in the Room of Requirement, Daphne and Tracey were waiting for Harry. They were ready to console him, to talk him into doing something so he wouldn't lose himself in his depression.
However when Hermione came down with Harry, and both sporting massive grins, there was an outburst from Tracey.
"Hermione Jane Pot-head! Do you know how much pain you caused Harry yesterday? He didn't EAT! He didn't TALK! He looked like someone who had been KISSED BY A DEMENTOR!" She took a breath. "He looked so lost without YOU by his side!"
Hermione closed her eyes and turned to Harry, her hands on her hips, "You didn't even eat or talk to our friends?" Her beautiful eyes softened. "I'm sorry."
"I am as well," Harry smiled. "Just promise me something."
"Anything."
"Don't do it again."
"I promise," Hermione swore.
Tracey opened her mouth again, thankfully Daphne Potter, formerly Greengrass, was there to hush her friend up before Tracey said something she would regret later on.
"Where's Neville?" Hermione asked, noting the lack of their final group member.
"I think he is-"
"I'm here!" Neville exclaimed, his brown hair ruffled slightly and the baby-blue eyes of his shining brightly.
"Hey Nev, how are you?"
"Fine thanks, Harry. Yourself?"
"Peckish," Harry laughed. The proof came seconds later when his stomach rumbled irritably from it's emptiness.
"Let's go down for breakfast," Daphne said, smiling at her new brother.
The boys glanced at eachother before bowing and Harry intoned, "Yes, oh wise one." before quickly getting out of the way of a playful slap his new sister sent his way.
"Twerp," she shouted after him, sporting a massive grin that lit up her beautiful face.
Harry barked out a laugh and went back to Hermione's side, slid an arm round his wife's tiny waist and led the way to the Great Hall.
Harry and the crew ate a very delicious breakfast, a full English was something anyone could appreciate.
An unrecognisable bird flew down to deliver a letter.
Taking the letter carefully from it's leg and feeding it a little bit of sausage, Harry opened it.
He read:
Harry,
How have you been, pup? Haven't heard from you since term started, you bloody better not have forgotten me.
Anyways, remember those two girls from Gringotts? Yeah well, I'm their designated (and unofficial, for now) uncle as per their request. I would love for you to meet them, I think they need to be round people their own age for a while.
Perhaps a weekend?
Reply,
Padfoot
p.s. The bird bites if you don't reward it.
"Ow!" Daphne yelped as the owl pecked her, Daphne quickly shoved a piece of bacon for it to munch on.
"Does anyone have a quill and some ink so I can reply?"
"No, but..." Hermione waved her hand, mumbled something and conjured a quill and an ink pot.
"Thanks, beautiful," Harry kissed her inviting lips lovingly. Pulling away, she gave a seductive smile... her eyes seemed to say, 'later.'
Padfoot,
Alright you old fart, I didn't forget you, I've just been busy is all. Sorry I haven't owled you. Sounds fantastic! I'd love to meet my godfathers would-be nieces, and I'd be interested to find out how you managed to fly that one by aunt Am.
See yah soon!
Harry.
Harry whistled, calling the owl over. With the piece of bacon still hanging from it's mouth, it hopped over to him and held out a leg for him to tie the letter to, while it continued munching on the juicy bacon.
Harry finished tying the knot quickly and the owl finished the last piece of it's bacon. The bird took off and left the Great Hall.
No-one noticed the sausage in it's talons.
Harry looked at Tracey, "So... Pot-head?"
She frowned at him, grinning, "It was short notice alright?"
Harry and the others laughed. Soon other students began arriving until the Hall was bustling with the morning breakfast.
At 10:15, when everyone had eaten their fill, Mcgonagall rose from her usual chair at the staff table; clearly she was going to-
"I have an announcement to make, a few things that need to be addressed." Mcgonagall started.
"With the departure of headmaster Dumbledore and Severus Snape, Hogwarts is lacking two members of staff."
"Potions will be cancelled until next Monday, pending the arrival or our new potions master, someone many of you will be familiar with; the world-renowned teacher, Jonathan Harper."
"With that sorted, the problem of the headmaster position remains."
A student called out, "You, professor!"
"That's very kind of you, but I rather think-"
Someone else shouted, "You, professor!" The school followed and soon most of Hogwarts' student body was calling for her to be Headmistress.
"Calm down!" When they quietened she continued, "Now, I'll take your choice of my being headmistress and send it off the the School Governors to decide. Thank you."
Harry smiled at his friends, "How about that, eh? Mcgonagall for Head, seems like a pretty smart choice to me."
"Indeed."
"Yeah, does sound rather interesting."
Grindelwald had located him. Located the one who called himself 'Lord Voldemort,' and was silently keeping record of the house.
It hadn't been easy, the multiple layers of warding around this Manor, which one was it again? He silently questioned, the multiple layers from the many wizards who visited the place made it a very tough nut to crack.
But he had cracked it, at least for now; they could add more wards he'd need to get through. He had managed to key himself into the wards without having to take the Dark Mark.
He quietly began planning his course of action.
Grindelwald sent a pulse of magic throughout a ten mile radius, reaching out for any serious potential threats.
He found a cluster of magic users slowly making their way closer; two of their number caught his attention.
One had some sort of beast locked inside him that was itching to be released, and the other had so much dark magic embedded in his skin that he was darker than most death eaters.
There were a few in the Manor, but they could be dealt with. They wouldn't be to much for someone like him to handle.
He wondered how his Dragon Tamers were doing.
"SHIT! Mind that fire," one screamed.
"FUCK, it almost got me! Dumb beast!" Another shouted, fear lacing his voice.
"Ughh, we had to get involved didn't we?" Someone else grumbled.
"Look on the bright side, with us in control of these Dragons, we can bring them to that tri-wizard tournament over at Hogwarts. It would be a good opportunity to cause damage and wreck havoc." A six foot four inches, bald-headed man said.
"Woo hoo," One man replied enthusiastically.
"Then the relations between the British Wizarding World and the Romanian Wizarding World will collapse in a heap, and governments will have to take sides." Another guy laughed.
"And that's when it really begins."
"Careful lads, that Weasel is coming back." He laughed suddenly.
"What is it?"
"Never mind."
Remus Lupin, who had been searching for Lucius Malfoy for nearly two days, was getting tired. It was gruelling having to work himself so hard, even with the strength and stamina that came with the infected werewolf.
He hadn't slept, eaten or drank in the past days. It was ridiculous, stupid, of him to push himself so hard. But he had found Alastor Moody, an old friend and a mentor to anyone who he saw promise in, and a group of aurors.
Who were also trying to locate the elusive Mr Malfoy, and doing as well as he was- not too good.
Failing miserably, they were, but no-one had ever accused Alastor of being a quitter. It was said that sometime during the First Blood War he hunted half a dozen death eaters for six months until he finally caught and killed them. Perseverance and determination in it's prime.
Moody wouldn't have changed a bit, not in the slightest. It was ingrained in the Master auror, the will to continue and battle through the odds.
He had been doing this since he was twenty, he was now sixty five- a prime age for wizards and witches alike. But the scars and injuries were beginning to add up; he'd lost half his face, his leg, he had numerous scars adorning his body from torture or random spellfire, he had metal plates in his arm and neck. The skele-grow hadn't worked due to the dark magic, so the healers had tried something else.
It was surprising that he doesn't constantly set off the Dark Magic Detectors in the Ministry, what with all the curses and crap that had been heaped on him. But they all knew it was Moody, no-one had gotten the drop on him since he was thirty-five.
Which was why when he felt a powerful wave of magic pulse around him, he felt it and the others barely noticed it. It seemed to single out himself and the werewolf, Remus Lupin- a former pupil of his. They were both the most dangerous of the group of aurors. Lupin's stamina gave him a huge advantage in battle; when others would collapse in exhaustion, he would have barely broken a sweat.
Thing was he recognised the magical signature; someone from a very long time ago. Almost to old for him to remember, since he had only come into contact with the man once and it was when he was at the tender age of... can't remember, he thought. At the tender age of ten to fifteen. It had been brief, but hell did it open his eyes to the power and possibilities that the one man had.
It was the same man Dumbledore had defeated, a victory that had Dumbledore on top of the Wizarding World for decades afterwards.
Grindelwald, and the thing is, is that Moody could track him.
"Lupin, did you feel that?"
The younger man laughed, "How could I not? Everyone could feel it." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the group of aurors who currently had their wands in their hand looked ready to do battle.
"What was that, sir?" One of them asked, Dylan was his name if Moody wasn't mistaken.
"That was what is called a Magical Pulse. A magic user, if powerful enough, can send a wave of their magic to encompass an area of their choice and be able to... sense any other beings in the vicinity. It can, again if the user is strong enough and their intent is to find out, judge the threat levels of said people. There is a side effect that few know of, however, and that is if the people inside the wave of magic can sense it and in rare cases, track it."
"So basically, if you're on the receiving end you can track it?"
"Yes, but only few can master it?"
Remus looked at Alastor funny, "Have you?" He questioned.
Moody smirked, "No, but I have enough knowledge of its use to track it back to the source. The years of using it on Death Eaters come in handy."
Another auror, one Mr. Davies inquired, "Did you track it?"
"I did." Moody confirmed.
"Who is it?"
An internal conflict emerged in the old Master auror, he could tell them; in which case there would be an outpouring of rejection to the idea that one of the most powerful Dark Lords in history had indeed returned. Or he could not and let them go in unprepared, but they could see first hand without him saying. Then there was the option of telling most the truth, just not revealing it all.
It was, he decided, the best course. "I can't quite be certain of the Signature, but I can say that it is old, , powerful and, most importantly, dark."
Remus could feel that Moody knew more than he was letting on, but felt positive that if Alastor didn't want to say it; it was for a good reason. "Should we go after it?"
Moody made a face conflicting with indecision, "I am unsure. On one hand, if we extinguish the threat it is one less thing for us to worry about. But we are likely to lose many of our number in the process, I'm not sure if one life is worth what may be more than two dozen of ours."
"How powerful can one person be?"
"He is not one to be trifled with, judging by the strength he emitted."
"Could he beat all of us? There are many of us and only one of him."
A cloaked, wraith-like figure emerged from the forest, "Why don't you ask me, yourself?" Everyone tensed.
Chapter 22: The Return of the Dark Lord
Well?" He waited for a reply. "You all seemed pretty eager earlier, where has all that gusto gone? Did it run away, like your courage?" He mocked them.
It was clear by the faces of the aurors that his words were effecting them; irritating them to no end. However, no-one spoke up.
Moody, however, took no slight against his courage and growled out, "What do you want here?"
Grindelwald laughed, "I'm after Voldemort, the insect has been alive far too long for my liking." He paused. "It was amusing at first, watching him butcher you and your aurors. But Horcruxes? That's too Dark, even for me."
"We share a common goal then, to eliminate Voldemort and his followers."
"Not quite. While I have a personal vendetta with Voldemort, his followers are for little or no concern to me; thugs and thieves. Hired muscle." He snorted. "They are pathetic, inept and unworthy of a Dark Lord- even one as deformed and deranged as Voldemort."
"They do present a problem; they have numbers." Moody grunted. "It does not take much power to use the Unforgivables, which make us wary of engagement."
"Then why not give them some of their own medicine? Is it too much for you to take a life of a man trying to kill you?"
"That's not up to me."
The Dark Lord chuckled, "Then why don't you ask the people who give you the directions a chance at risking their lives on the field? You and the auror corps are always using non-lethal magic to try and defeat the Dark at the command of your so-called superiors. Where, in reality, you need to use those curses so they don't just get back up."
"It's not that easy."
"Bullshit, are you Alastor Moody or not? The man who was the reason why I received countless casualty reports all these years? You've been putting Death Eaters down left, right and centre the majority of your life. When have you ever cared about what you need to do as long as you get the job done?"
Moody rubbed his forehead, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but- but- your right."
"I know I am."
Moody turned from the Dark Lord to the aurors, who were still standing; watching the cloaked man carefully- their wands at their sides. "Lads, I propose a new plan. We use any curse we can think of, the legality of it doesn't matter; the priority is the destruction of Voldemort and his men." He glanced back at Grindelwald, who was standing motionlessly. "Would you mind assisting us?"
"I wouldn't mind getting my hands on Tom Riddle, but as soon as that is done I am gone; I do have better things to do."
Ten minutes later, it was settled. Grindelwald would lead them to the Manor where Voldemort resided and make a very distracting entrance, within the confusion Moody and the aurors dash in, do their work while Grindelwald contested with Voldemort.
In what was sure to be the collision of the 20th century. With the possible exclusion of the Dumbledore versus Grindelwald.
The entire group moved in slowly, many barely breathing; not wanting to alert the opposition to their presence. Despite the distance separating them.
Grindelwald signaled a halt, which the aurors complied with after Moody gave his confirmation. As per the plan, Grindelwald's main task was to cause chaos and eliminate Voldemort.
Grindelwald closed his eyes, focusing his magical core, before silently casting an extremely powerful blasting hex along with Muggle-repelling and not-notice-me charms. It was so strong that when it collided with the structure, it sent a small shockwave throughout the area, and blasted away almost a quarter of the Manor.
Rubble, dust and falling materials were a very dangerous hazard for the aurors and Moody as they moved in slowly- disillusioned.
The Death Eaters that hadn't been killed by the rubble were in a state of complete anarchy, not having a clue what was going on- which made them easier for the aurors to pick them off.
Blasting hexes, piercing charms, cutting curses and many more Dark magic was flung from both sides- the aurors aiming to injure or main but not kill.
Upstairs Grindelwald was having the time of his life, again, throwing whatever magic came to mind. Banishing hexes at people, cutting charms that slit people in half, piercing charms at heads... until the rooms and hallways he walked down were painted in the blood of his victims.
He could feel he was nearing his target, the unmistakeable magical signature and Dark power radiating from Voldemort, assured the true Dark Lord of whom was at the end of this corridor.
There was someone else as well, just around the corner, who was worthy of note; dangerous to whoever was around them. Except... something seemed off about that someone- like the mind wasn't what it should be.
Bellatrix Lestrange knew her opponent was powerful, even stronger than her master- which in itself was a feat. She would quench the threat, even if it cost her her life. Which it, in all likeliness, would.
Taking a deep breathe, she jumped from around the corner to find it empty; confusion swept through her. Where was the person? The Dark presence she felt?
A tingling on her senses alerted her to danger, she lunged out of the way- barely avoiding the piercing hex that blasted a hole through the wall. It was a narrow call.
She began throwing every Dark spell in her impressive arsenal, chucking in a few Cruicios's and AK's for good measure. But nothing she tried came close to hitting her foe, which grated on her already frayed nerves.
When a prickling sensation overcame her senses, she felt a change in her perception; her views and standpoint. It was like her mind had been swept of the insanity that once gripped it, freeing her from the unique imprisonment.
For the first time since her marriage to Rodulphus Lestrange, almost two decades ago, she felt alive. Felt the way she did all those years ago when she graduated from Hogwarts believing that she could achieve anything, until her perverted and contracted wedding with the Lestrange Family.
She hadn't been told of the plan to marry her off until it was too late; when her parents had laid down the law for one of their children.
She began sobbing into the wrecked floor, crying for what she might've had and what she could not have now.
One thought, one person could change that. Narcissa. Bellatrix apparated away.
At a house on a quiet London street, gained a new visitor. The Black Family magic had allowed Bellatrix to find her sister, Narcissa. Bellatrix instinctively knew which house belonged to her sister, and made her way quickly towards it.
She knocked on the door several times, before waiting.
Finally the door opened for her to see her sister. Narcissa looked fantastic, the years hadn't done much to her.
"S-S-S-Sissy?" Bellatrix stuttered.
Narcissa frowned, "What is it, sister of mine?"
"I'm sorry." The world darkened; she fell unconscious.
Grindelwald smirked at his handy work, releasing the witch from that which bound her had been almost too easy. After he dealt with Voldemort, the aurors were next.
He blasted apart the door with a simple bludgeoning hex, blowing the door clean off its hinges and sending pieces of the door in all directions. He noticed the jet of green light speeding towards him, forcing him to shift quickly out of the way to avoid it. He rolled back into a standing position.
For the next few minutes a light show like none other was on display in Riddle Manor. The room, and many surrounding it, were wrecked. Remains of Fiendfyre danced at the walls, holes in the walls were visible from the spells that had missed, dodged or reflected. Grindelwald had to admit that his opponent was very good at what he did, powerful and quick both with a wand and his mind.
Voldemort, he had decided, was worth the recognition he got. He would make an excellent second-in-command- to betray at a later time of course.
"Tom Riddle, what say you to becoming a part of my organization?" Grindelwald inquired, after missing a particularly nasty spell- the erupting-entrails hex.
"My answer? My answer would be... Avada Kedavara!" Baby Voldemort shouted.
Almost too shocked to respond, Grindelwald dodged with centimetres left. "What do you mean, 'no,'?"
"Exactly what I meant. I'll see you again at a later time." Voldemort apparated away- to Nott Manor, though the contesting Dark Lord would not realise that.
Grindelwald roared his frustration- unable to contemplate the idiocy of both himself and the auror group for not putting up anti-apparation and anti-portkey wards. He stalked down the hall with murderous intent when he couldn't track Voldemort's magical signature. He remembered to set up the wards this time.
Moody, Remus and the auror group shot down their last death eater with a barrage of magical spells- all designed with the intent to destroy or kill. That was when they sensed a powerful signature pulse throughout the house.
Moody and Remus glanced at one another- both were easily the two most experienced in the group and could only imagine the destruction that would soon follow.
"Everyone out of here now!" Moody bellowed. "Out! Out! Out!" They scrambled out the building to escape the magic that was itching for their destruction.
Hearing Moody's voice made the aged Dark Lord smile. He still had the ability to strike fear into anybody's heart, and man was he going to show those fools why. He jumped from what remained of the floor on this level to the one below. He caught sight of the aurors running away, which set his bloodlust sky high. Deciding on the classical Killing curse, he shot five of them at their retreating forms.
Moody turned to see the emerald curses flying towards them. He quickly conjured a gigantic shield, which absorbed the blow albeit with dents. Grindelwald transfigured it into a spear which launched itself at the aged auror- Remus intercepted it with a well-aimed vanishing charm.
Grindelwald narrowed his eyes, apparently these two were going to put up a fight.
He threw two more killing curses at the pair, who dodged them both before sending back cutting curses forcing Grindelwald to conjure a two foot thick slab of concrete to take the shot, before promptly banishing it toward the pair. Both Remus and Moody sent exploding hexes at it, shattering the stone into a thousand pieces; Moody raised the remains only to shoot them back at Grindelwald who was forced to call in the wind to sweep the oncoming debris.
Grindelwald shot lightning from his hand, a trick few knew, at Remus whilst accio-ing a tree from behind Moody- intending for it to hit the old auror in the back and do some serious damage.
Remus tensed, bracing himself when dodging or blocking the lightning became a lost option, seconds later he felt the searing heat impact on his skin and was lifted off his feet to fly back a dozen feet. He landed on the ground, barely conscious.
Moody, however, ducked under the oncoming tree and transfigured it into a few dozen spears- which continued their accio-ed journey towards Grindelwald- who was forced to use a disintegration charm to halt the advances. With Remus more or less out of the equation, the Dark Lord had an easier time dealing with one opponent.
Moody, however, stood tall against the onslaught of Dark magic that was speeding towards him- countering each move as fast as he could. It wasn't easy holding his own against this man, but he was doing his job. If one or two lives were sacrificed to save the entire group then it was deemed to be worth it.
Grindelwald groaned, his initial burst of power failing- his age catching up to him most unfortunately. It could not be helped however, his reflexes slowed down. When a weak cutting curse struck him, making a cut along the length of his forearm- about a centimetre deep, he knew it was time for him to leave.
"I'll be back," the Dark Lord hissed in his most menacing tone of voice, which had Moody shiver in fear. Grindelwald removed his wards halting the aurors escape, apparating away.
Moody sank to his knees, panting from exertion. He knew that he had one more job to do. He had noticed the blood that had cascaded from the incision he had made, he had to collect it; lest the fools at the ministry not believe him when he made his report. He conjured a vial and walked over to the spot where Grindelwald had stood.
He saw the pool of ruby-red blood, wasted no time in using magic to separate it from the dirt and pour it into the vial.
Moody left, helped Remus to his feet and let the were lean on his shoulder; catching up with the group. It took them no time at all, since the group had realised there was no pursuing Dark Lord.
"Let's get back to the Ministry, we have a report to hand in," Moody growled.
When the group of aurors returned to the Ministry, Moody went straight to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcements office to deliver a personal report on the situation.
Amelia was at her desk, sorting through countless files as Alastor barged in and sat down in the offered chair.
"Sit rep?" Amelia asked, cutting to the chase.
"Bluntly? We took down most of the Death Eater population, left them in a pool of their own blood- oh and Remus and myself fought against Grindelwald."
Astonishment didn't even come close to what Amelia felt right then; she now believed those rumours of Mad-eye going off the deep end.
"Uhh, sure Alastor. Why don't you have a rest and come back when you can really say what happened."
Moody narrowed his eyes at her condescending manner, "Don't harp on at me, Amelia. I was battling Death Eaters while you were sucking on your mama's titties." He paused. "I'm not lying- I have evidence of Grindelwald's survival and return." Alastor pulled over the vial, the blood inside. "Get someone up here to confirm it. This blood belonged to Grindelwald."
She frowned, "Impossible." Her manner did a 'one-eighty' and turned awed. If he had proof, then there was no reason to dispute him. "I'll call someone up after this. What happened?"
"We lost Lucius but found Remus, we spent the day recuperating when I felt a magical pulse sweep the area. I, having coming into contact with Grindelwald one before, recognised the Magical Signature. We were contemplating whether or not to do something about his presence, when he found us." Moody took a sip of the drink from his flask. "He convinced us we should work together- even if his only target was the opposing Dark Lord. We accepted."
"He blasted about a fifth of the building away, leaving wreckage and debris flying in every direction. We charged in, disillusioned, raining spell-fire at the surviving members of the Death Eaters, while he went to deal with Voldemort. A few minutes passed and we had done our job, that's when we heard a scream of rage. Me, Remus and the others promptly ran for our lives."
"Grindelwald came after us, however myself and Lupin tried to stop him. We were doing pretty well, I must admit, before he caught Lupin with some unknown spell; leaving it as a one-on-one duel. But after fighting Voldemort and going through however many there were on the upper level, he was drained of most his strength; his reflexes were slowing. I got a lucky hit with a cutting curse, before he apparated out. That's when I collected this blood."
"Alright then Moody, thank you for your time. We'll just need to wait until the confirmation comes in that you're telling the truth; if it's any consolation, I believe you. There's very few people who could pull a tale like that out of their arse."
They only had to wait a couple of minutes until a goblin came through the door.
"Right, let's get this done and dusted," The goblin said, clearly wanting to waste no time. "Give us the blood then! Hop to, c'mon!"
"Alright! Blimey," Moody handed over the blood vial.
The goblin cast a spell over it, which made glowing white letters come out from the vial. It was symbolised, but the goblins expression of fear told them all they needed to know.
"The Dark Lord has, indeed, returned," Amelia said gravely. I'll need to tell Sirius and the twins about this; make sure he's on alert and wary. Harry and Hermione too, especially those two. They'll need to inform the teachers at Hogwarts. If Fudge doesn't blow his nut he can send letters off to the French, German, Spanish and Belgian Ministries. Otherwise I'll have to do it myself- the risk of being fired is nothing compared to that of lack of preparation.
Endish