Chapter 13- The Interfece Animum
May. 4th, 2009 10:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coyotegothAs previously noted, I’m posting installments from a story I’m writing, set in the Harry Potter universe; essentially, it’ll wind up being my version of Book Seven, if all goes well. (Also as previously noted, it’s set immediately after the events depicted in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; accordingly, it’s full of H-B P spoilers.)(Please note also that this series is not Deathly Hallows compliant in the least.)
Chapter 13- The Interfece Animum
Harry stared at the cup. "Is that it?" he blurted out.
"Aye," Moody said. "There was a Death Eater's house that was listed as empty- but I had a hunch." He indicated his bandaged arm. "Took some doing, too."
"I mean... hadn't we best be sure?"
"All right- there's a spell the Ministry's developed." Moody put the cup on the table, and backed away. He drew his wand, pointed it at the cup, and said, "Animus patesce!"
A roiling black cloud surrounded the cup; they all shivered, and backed away further. After a moment, Moody made a slashing gesture with his wand; the cloud vanished. There was a pause; Harry stared at the engraving of the badger on the cup. Voldemort is sitting on our kitchen table... in a badger he thought, and had to fight a mad urge to laugh.
"Err... now what?" Ron finally asked. Harry paused, and then looked over to Arthur.
"What... what do you think we should do?" Harry asked.
Arthur hesitated; the Ministry badge on his chest gleamed slightly as he looked at the cup. "I don't know," he said quietly.
"Kill it." The voice was Ginny's; she stood in the doorway to the kitchen, gaze fixed on the cup. "Destroy it, once and for all. We'll never be safe, with even one of those..." She broke off, and wrapped her arms around herself.
Ron shifted uneasily. "Don't you think... I mean, wouldn't Scrimgeour know what to...?"
Seeing Ginny's expression, he fell silent; Shacklebolt cleared his throat. "Whatever we're going to do," he said, "I suggest that we come to a decision. This isn't something we want sitting around, waiting for Death Eaters to come and claim it."
"Or Voldemort himself," Hermione said quietly. There was a pause.
"Well, even if we did want to hand it over to Scrimgeour, wouldn't the Vow make that impossible?" Ginny asked. "I mean- how would we tell him what it is?"
"Or explain my confiscating it, rather than bringing it straight to the Ministry," Moody added grimly. They all fell silent; Harry found himself thinking of the gleam of triumph in Scrimgeour's eyes when he had gotten Harry to help the Ministry, or of his action against the werewolves...
"No," Harry said. "We get rid of it ourselves, here and now. Besides, Ginny's right- the Vow would keep us from even talking to Scrimgeour about it."
"Well," Arthur said as he shifted uneasily, "do we have to- well, kill it? Perhaps if we were to bury it, or Transfigurate..."
"Too dangerous," Moody said, not taking his gaze from the cup. "This could potentially become a whole new Lord Voldemort."
"Well," Tonks said, "then how... how do we kill it? We don't have any basilisk fangs to hand, and going back to the Chamber of Secrets would take hours, even if it worked."
"Could- well, could we Transfigurate one of us into a basilisk?" Ron asked. "Maybe if we use an Imperius..."
"Too dangerous," Moody repeated; his mouth quirked. "Now, Mister Basilisk- keep your eyes shut, and open wide..."
"The Avada Kedavra might do it," Ginny said.
"It's worth a try," Tonks said finally. "It is still technically a human soul..."
After Moody gave the all clear, they silently walked out to the back yard. A chilly breeze blew; Harry shivered as he watched Moody set the cup on a tree stump about ten yards away. Moody drew his wand, then paused.
"Alastor...?" Shacklebolt murmured.
"No, I..." Moody shook his head. "In all the years I've hunted Dark wizards, I never had to- I never killed. I never gave him that."
Shacklebolt hesitated. "If you'd rather I did it..."
"No," Moody said after a moment. "I found it; I brought it here. I'll finish it." He drew his wand, and took a deep breath. "Avada Kedavra!"
A green glow surrounded the Horcrux for a moment, then faded. Harry could see the stump smoldering, as Shacklebolt drew his own wand: "Animus patesce!"
The same black miasma surrounded the cup; Harry backed away further at the sight.
"Something about the Horcrux spell must protect the soul," Hermione said quietly.
"Yeah," Moody said. "Well- now what?"
"I don't know, but we'd better think of something," Shacklebolt said. "The next shift of Aurors is due here in about ten minutes, and I'm supposed to be on patrol right now."
"Yeah, me too," Moody said. "Well, if we..."
There was a cracking sound from in front of the house; even as they drew their wands, Moody held up a hand. "Back here, Abador!" he called. A moment later, Abador Brin came around the corner; when he saw the cup, he came to a halt, and then nodded.
"So, I take it we're not telling Scrimgeour?" he asked.
"No," Harry said. "We're going to get rid of it ourselves."
"We just tried the Avada Kedavra- no luck." Moody said; his gaze met Brin's. "I guess we'll have to try something else now."
"Something else...?" Harry asked, as Brin nodded, and drew his wand. Brin hesitated, and then met his gaze.
"Yes," Brin said. "There's a new spell the Ministry's developed- I'm pretty sure that it would work."
Harry hesitated. "You mean the one they used on the werewolves."
"Yes."
Harry's stomach roiled; he kept looking from Brin to the cup, and back again.
"Whatever we're going to do, we'd better do it now," Shacklebolt finally said. Harry looked over at Hermione and Ron, both of whom looked back at him helplessly.
"There's no other way?" he asked desperately.
"If there is, name it," Brin said. There was a long pause; Harry could hear a faint bird's chirp in the background. Finally, reluctantly, Harry nodded. Brin drew his wand, and seemed to steel himself. Finally, he waved his wand at the cup in a slashing motion. "Interfece Animum!"
The cup seemed to pulse; a keening noise filled the air, finally rising to a shriek, the cry of a lost soul. They all clapped their hands to their ears, but the scream kept on and on, cutting through them until the cup exploded into flame, burning with a miasmic black smoke until the stump was merely a charred ruin. Brin waited a moment, then walked over and prodded the ashes with a toe. Harry opened his mouth to say something, then the world seemed to tilt away from him, into nothingness.
*
"Harry...?" Ginny's voice; a moist cloth was gently pressed against his forehead. Harry realized that he was lying on the couch in the living room.
"Is..." He cleared his throat. "Is it...?"
Ginny put a finger against his lips, silencing him. "It's gone," she whispered. "You- you were ill; we brought you in here, and got you cleaned up. It's evening now." She leaned closer to whisper, “There are Aurors outside- not Order ones. Hermione is downstairs with Ron; now that you’re awake, we should get you down there.”
Harry nodded, and pushed himself up on one arm. After a moment, with Ginny’s support, he got to his feet, and started for the cellar door. The front door opened.
“Where are you taking him?” an Auror unfamiliar to Harry asked.
“I’m bringing him downstairs so that he can rest,” Ginny said.
The Auror nodded. “What happened to him?”
“Probably food poisoning. I work at St. Mungo’s; I’m going to brew him something for his nausea.”
“All right.” He turned to Harry. “Don’t leave the house without notifying one of us,” the Auror said. Harry nodded; they went downstairs. Ginny knocked on the door of the room Hermione shared with Ron. After a moment, Hermione opened the door.
“Oh, Harry- I’m glad you’re feeling better,” she said. “Here- come in and sit down.”
“Thanks,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Hey- where’s Ron?”
“He went to talk to his father for a minute,” Hermione said, looking away. There was a brief silence. “Oh- I’ve filed a request for documents, so that we can start drawing up that list of names you wanted- it’s mostly back numbers of the Prophet.”
“That won’t help much,” Ginny said. “Wizards don’t like to say when someone gets bitten by a werewolf- it’ll be ‘vanished after a mysterious illness’ or some such. St. Mungo’s would be a better place to start; I can help you there. The Ministry might have records, too.”
Hermione nodded. “Thank you.” There was an awkward pause.
"How's the Polyjuice Potion...?" Harry asked.
"It's nearly ready," Hermione said. "I keep worrying some Auror is going to find the cauldron, but with the Fidelius on it..."
“Right,” Harry said. “Okay- any other news? Any of that stuff we were talking about at the meeting?”
Hermione bit her lip. “I had Tonks bring a message to Professor Slughorn; I’m waiting to hear back. She’s coming here after her patrol.”
Harry nodded. “Did you ask him about Horcruxes?”
“No- I was afraid to mention those in a note, and Tonks said she wouldn’t have much time to talk to him. I asked him for some advice about potions- and about Grindelwald.”
Harry nodded. “Anything else?”
Hermione looked away, then back at him. “I... well, Ron has an idea, but... well, he should probably tell you.”
“It’s about Mundungus Fletcher,” Ginny said. “We were talking about him at the meeting, remember?” At Harry’s nod, she said, “Well, Ron got an idea for a lead to follow- it’s actually really clever. He...” The door opened; Ron stepped in. Seeing Harry there, he tensed.
“Glad you’re feeling better,” he finally said.
“Thanks,” Harry replied. “I...”
“I was just telling Harry that you had a really good idea about Mundungus Fletcher,” Ginny said. “You should tell him about it.”
Ron shot Ginny a glance. “Yeah, okay,” he muttered. “It... well, you know how Mung is in Azkaban now, for impersonating an Inferus?”
“Yeah?”
“Well- I figured, we could go there and ask him about it. I know he’s been through it with the Ministry already, but I don’t think he’s told them anything; even Abador says that he hasn’t heard about the locket turning up. I figured- well, everyone says that Dumbledore helped him out of a tight spot once; maybe that involved a life debt. If so, maybe he’ll tell us about it, if we remind him.”
Harry nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe. You really think Scrimgeour is going to let us go to Azkaban to check, though? It’s pretty dangerous, with all the breakouts...”
“Well,” Hermione said reluctantly, “not all of us, Harry.”
“Yeah,” Ron said, looking as though he expected an argument. “The idea is, Hermione’ll go out there to go through the prison’s records; that place is a thousand years old, and they aren’t exactly spotlessly organized, you know? I figure she’ll be used to that after all the rubbish she’s gone through at Hogwarts- and so I filed a petition, Charlie brought it to one of Scrimgeour’s aides, and he okayed it. So, she goes to check out the records; the rules say she needs an Auror to go with her, so I go, disguised with the Polyjuice Potion Hermione's brewed- Abador said he could get me a badge- but they'd miss you; you’re too much of the poster boy.”
Harry nodded. “I get it.” He forced a smile, and said, “I think it’s brilliant, Ron- you two’ll do great at it.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, Harry,” Hermione said. “We were worried about...”
Harry gave a small smile. “About my ‘saving-people thing'?”
She blushed; even Ron smiled briefly. Suddenly, there was a hooting noise, and a beating of wings; the door opened, and Arthur Weasley walked in, carrying Hermione’s cage.
“Hey, brilliant - Tonks gave her back?” Harry asked. Arthur opened his mouth to answer, then snagged his toe on the carpet. “Oh- hi, Tonks.”
Arthur scrunched up his face in thought, and then resumed the appearance of Nymphadora Tonks. “Hello, Harry,” she said, handing him the cage. “This was the best way to get past those Aurors without being recognized.” She handed Hermione a flask. “Professor Slughorn said to give you this, in case yours wasn't ready.”
“Did you ask him about Grindelwald?” Harry asked; at the question, Tonks looked upset. “I tried to,” she said. “He got upset- insisted that I leave at once. It was all I could do to get him to give me the flask; he just kept saying, “Don’t ask me about that- I took the Vow! Don’t ask me!”
“Vow...?” Harry frowned. “I don’t know; maybe I should ask him myself.”
“Get him drunk first,” Ron muttered; Ginny kicked him in the shin.
“I have to go,” Tonks said. “Take care.”
In the silence following her departure, Hermione finally asked, “Are you all right now, Harry?”
“Yeah,” Harry said. In his mind, he heard the cry that had emanated from the Horcrux; he shivered, and took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you one thing, though- I’m never using that Interfe... you know. That. It’s like... it’s like murder.” Hermione and Ron nodded agreement.
“I’d kill to get rid of those,” Ginny murmured; they all fell silent.
*
Later at night, when the Aurors had changed to the next shift, Hermione opened the back door, and stepped outside. Harry stepped outside, pulling off his invisibility cloak; he was holding Hedwig's cage. Harry undid the cage door (receiving several reproachful nips as he did so), and let Hedwig out.
“Here,” Hermione said; she cast a Disilliusionment Charm on Hedwig, who faded from sight.
“Okay,” Harry said, “go and take care of Hagrid, all right? I can’t use you to deliver mail right now- it’s illegal, and who knows what the Ministry would do if they caught you.”
Hedwig hooted quietly as he stroked her feathers; then, she flew off into the night. Harry stood listening until her wingbeats had faded away. “Good,” he said. “She shouldn’t be trapped in a cage.”
“No, she- Crookshanks!” Harry watched as Hermione’s cat limped up to the door. He was thinner than Harry had ever seen him; there was an odd scorch mark marring one side of his fur. He bumped against Harry’s ankle for a moment, and then allowed Hermione to pick him up, and carry him into the kitchen. He devoured the tuna and milk she laid out, as Harry and Hermione looked him over.
"Thank goodness he's all right," Hermione said, scritching him behind the ear. "I haven't seen him since Hogwarts; I thought something had happened..."
"Looks like something did," Harry said, looking at the burn mark on his fur. “Where've you been, boy?” A rumbling purr was his only answer.
*
“Yes, Severus- I want you to bring Harry Potter to me, and then kill him,” Voldemort repeated. There was a brief pause, as the other Death Eaters watched this exchange.
“Nothing to say, Snape?” Bellatrix finally said. “Have you gone soft...?”
“Peace, Bellatrix,” Voldemort said, holding up one white hand; she immediately fell silent. “Severus is merely overwhelmed by my generosity, and is searching for the proper words with which to acknowledge it- aren’t you, Severus?”
“I live only to serve you, Lord,” Snape replied, bowing again. Voldemort nodded, and made a motion with his hand; the Death Eaters departed, until only Snape, Voldemort, Bellatrix, and Bellatrix’s husband Rodolphus were left.
“You have heard, Severus, of the Ministry’s action against the werewolves?” Voldemort asked.
“I have, my Lord,” Snape replied. “I confess, I did not foresee this type of response on their part.”
Voldemort nodded. “Fudge would never have done such a thing- he was a cringing dog,” he said, as if to himself. “Scrimgeour is a wolf.” He looked back to Snape. “Does this render your plan inoperable?”
“It is difficult to say, my Lord, until we can determine who, if anyone, may have survived,” he replied. “If we can salvage one such, the plan can still go forward.”
“This will greatly further my plans for Hogwarts,” Voldemort murmured. "What of your notes? I hear the Ministry has confiscated them."
"I have placed a curse on them," Snape replied. "A particularly convoluted one- without the proper countercurse, they will simply read as gibberish to any Ministry employee who tries to decipher them."
Voldemort nodded. “I am pleased," he said. "With me, Bellatrix.” Voldemort and Bellatrix departed; there was a brief pause.
"I am going to step outside for a moment," Snape finally said to Rodolphus. "Would you care to accompany me?"
*
The night was cool and quiet; in the distance, a river glittered in the moonlight, as the two men looked out at it.
“The Dark Lord has given you a great honor,” Rodolphus finally said.
Snape nodded. “The greatest.”
Rodolphus nodded in turn. “I’m sorry about Bella,” he said after a moment. “She- since Azkaban, she hasn’t been the same.”
“I am well aware of it; the Black blood always has run wild in her,” Snape said; he turned his head to regard his companion. “You seem to have done a better job of fending off the effects of Azkaban, I am pleased to see.”
Rodolphus nodded. “She likes to say that I lacked the imagination to provide proper sport for the Dementors,” he replied, looking upset for a moment.
“Yes, Bellatrix has always had an ungenerous tongue- and yet, you certainly showed no lack of imagination in the old days.” Snape’s eyes glinted in the darkness. “I must say, I find myself surprised at your relatively passive role in the Dark Lord’s activities of late. That seems out of character for you.”
Rodolphus looked upset again. “Bella’s doing,” he replied. “Every time I attempt to volunteer for a mission, or to make a suggestion, she constantly cuts me off, or else takes my ideas to the Dark Lord herself. Why, last week, she took an idea I had for a raid on the Ministry’s main storage facility, and presented it to Lord Voldemort as though the idea had been hers!”
“Frustrating,” Snape murmured. “And yet- forgive me, but was that raid not unsuccessful?”
“Well, if she’d only listened to me- of course Scrimgeour was going to have Aurors waiting! The man has eyes in the back of his head! If they’d only planned a feint, to draw out his forces, instead of following her in a blind straightforward attack... I can’t see why the Dark Lord listens to her at all!”
Snape lifted a hand. “Caution, please- there are many ears listening.”
Rodolphus started pacing back and forth. “It could have worked, though! Had I been there, and led the forces myself- Severus, I struck down Gideon Prewitt! I know I could...” He broke off at the sound of approaching footsteps.
“It may well be that you will get your chance,” Snape said softly. “A chance to show the Dark Lord your true capabilities. We shall talk later.”
“What in Merlin’s name are you doing out here?” Bellatrix demanded of Rodolphus. “We have work to do- why are you standing here talking? The Dark Lord’s will must be fulfilled!”
Rodolphus shot Snape a look, and then turned, and walked back into the cave. Bellatrix turned to face Snape.
“As for you, Snape- you may have won the trust of the Dark Lord, but not mine; if you so much as...”
“Peace, Bellatrix,” Snape murmured. “You are still recovering from the effects of Azkaban, after all. Perhaps you should lie down for a while.”
Bellatrix snarled incoherently. “I’ll be keeping a close watch on you, Snape- and at the first sign of treachery or failure, I’ll come for you myself!” With that, she turned, and stormed back into the cave. Snape watched her go, then turned back to the night.
***
A/N: Special thanks toladyofthelog and sykii for their help with Latin spell names for this chapter.
Chapter 13- The Interfece Animum
Harry stared at the cup. "Is that it?" he blurted out.
"Aye," Moody said. "There was a Death Eater's house that was listed as empty- but I had a hunch." He indicated his bandaged arm. "Took some doing, too."
"I mean... hadn't we best be sure?"
"All right- there's a spell the Ministry's developed." Moody put the cup on the table, and backed away. He drew his wand, pointed it at the cup, and said, "Animus patesce!"
A roiling black cloud surrounded the cup; they all shivered, and backed away further. After a moment, Moody made a slashing gesture with his wand; the cloud vanished. There was a pause; Harry stared at the engraving of the badger on the cup. Voldemort is sitting on our kitchen table... in a badger he thought, and had to fight a mad urge to laugh.
"Err... now what?" Ron finally asked. Harry paused, and then looked over to Arthur.
"What... what do you think we should do?" Harry asked.
Arthur hesitated; the Ministry badge on his chest gleamed slightly as he looked at the cup. "I don't know," he said quietly.
"Kill it." The voice was Ginny's; she stood in the doorway to the kitchen, gaze fixed on the cup. "Destroy it, once and for all. We'll never be safe, with even one of those..." She broke off, and wrapped her arms around herself.
Ron shifted uneasily. "Don't you think... I mean, wouldn't Scrimgeour know what to...?"
Seeing Ginny's expression, he fell silent; Shacklebolt cleared his throat. "Whatever we're going to do," he said, "I suggest that we come to a decision. This isn't something we want sitting around, waiting for Death Eaters to come and claim it."
"Or Voldemort himself," Hermione said quietly. There was a pause.
"Well, even if we did want to hand it over to Scrimgeour, wouldn't the Vow make that impossible?" Ginny asked. "I mean- how would we tell him what it is?"
"Or explain my confiscating it, rather than bringing it straight to the Ministry," Moody added grimly. They all fell silent; Harry found himself thinking of the gleam of triumph in Scrimgeour's eyes when he had gotten Harry to help the Ministry, or of his action against the werewolves...
"No," Harry said. "We get rid of it ourselves, here and now. Besides, Ginny's right- the Vow would keep us from even talking to Scrimgeour about it."
"Well," Arthur said as he shifted uneasily, "do we have to- well, kill it? Perhaps if we were to bury it, or Transfigurate..."
"Too dangerous," Moody said, not taking his gaze from the cup. "This could potentially become a whole new Lord Voldemort."
"Well," Tonks said, "then how... how do we kill it? We don't have any basilisk fangs to hand, and going back to the Chamber of Secrets would take hours, even if it worked."
"Could- well, could we Transfigurate one of us into a basilisk?" Ron asked. "Maybe if we use an Imperius..."
"Too dangerous," Moody repeated; his mouth quirked. "Now, Mister Basilisk- keep your eyes shut, and open wide..."
"The Avada Kedavra might do it," Ginny said.
"It's worth a try," Tonks said finally. "It is still technically a human soul..."
After Moody gave the all clear, they silently walked out to the back yard. A chilly breeze blew; Harry shivered as he watched Moody set the cup on a tree stump about ten yards away. Moody drew his wand, then paused.
"Alastor...?" Shacklebolt murmured.
"No, I..." Moody shook his head. "In all the years I've hunted Dark wizards, I never had to- I never killed. I never gave him that."
Shacklebolt hesitated. "If you'd rather I did it..."
"No," Moody said after a moment. "I found it; I brought it here. I'll finish it." He drew his wand, and took a deep breath. "Avada Kedavra!"
A green glow surrounded the Horcrux for a moment, then faded. Harry could see the stump smoldering, as Shacklebolt drew his own wand: "Animus patesce!"
The same black miasma surrounded the cup; Harry backed away further at the sight.
"Something about the Horcrux spell must protect the soul," Hermione said quietly.
"Yeah," Moody said. "Well- now what?"
"I don't know, but we'd better think of something," Shacklebolt said. "The next shift of Aurors is due here in about ten minutes, and I'm supposed to be on patrol right now."
"Yeah, me too," Moody said. "Well, if we..."
There was a cracking sound from in front of the house; even as they drew their wands, Moody held up a hand. "Back here, Abador!" he called. A moment later, Abador Brin came around the corner; when he saw the cup, he came to a halt, and then nodded.
"So, I take it we're not telling Scrimgeour?" he asked.
"No," Harry said. "We're going to get rid of it ourselves."
"We just tried the Avada Kedavra- no luck." Moody said; his gaze met Brin's. "I guess we'll have to try something else now."
"Something else...?" Harry asked, as Brin nodded, and drew his wand. Brin hesitated, and then met his gaze.
"Yes," Brin said. "There's a new spell the Ministry's developed- I'm pretty sure that it would work."
Harry hesitated. "You mean the one they used on the werewolves."
"Yes."
Harry's stomach roiled; he kept looking from Brin to the cup, and back again.
"Whatever we're going to do, we'd better do it now," Shacklebolt finally said. Harry looked over at Hermione and Ron, both of whom looked back at him helplessly.
"There's no other way?" he asked desperately.
"If there is, name it," Brin said. There was a long pause; Harry could hear a faint bird's chirp in the background. Finally, reluctantly, Harry nodded. Brin drew his wand, and seemed to steel himself. Finally, he waved his wand at the cup in a slashing motion. "Interfece Animum!"
The cup seemed to pulse; a keening noise filled the air, finally rising to a shriek, the cry of a lost soul. They all clapped their hands to their ears, but the scream kept on and on, cutting through them until the cup exploded into flame, burning with a miasmic black smoke until the stump was merely a charred ruin. Brin waited a moment, then walked over and prodded the ashes with a toe. Harry opened his mouth to say something, then the world seemed to tilt away from him, into nothingness.
"Harry...?" Ginny's voice; a moist cloth was gently pressed against his forehead. Harry realized that he was lying on the couch in the living room.
"Is..." He cleared his throat. "Is it...?"
Ginny put a finger against his lips, silencing him. "It's gone," she whispered. "You- you were ill; we brought you in here, and got you cleaned up. It's evening now." She leaned closer to whisper, “There are Aurors outside- not Order ones. Hermione is downstairs with Ron; now that you’re awake, we should get you down there.”
Harry nodded, and pushed himself up on one arm. After a moment, with Ginny’s support, he got to his feet, and started for the cellar door. The front door opened.
“Where are you taking him?” an Auror unfamiliar to Harry asked.
“I’m bringing him downstairs so that he can rest,” Ginny said.
The Auror nodded. “What happened to him?”
“Probably food poisoning. I work at St. Mungo’s; I’m going to brew him something for his nausea.”
“All right.” He turned to Harry. “Don’t leave the house without notifying one of us,” the Auror said. Harry nodded; they went downstairs. Ginny knocked on the door of the room Hermione shared with Ron. After a moment, Hermione opened the door.
“Oh, Harry- I’m glad you’re feeling better,” she said. “Here- come in and sit down.”
“Thanks,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Hey- where’s Ron?”
“He went to talk to his father for a minute,” Hermione said, looking away. There was a brief silence. “Oh- I’ve filed a request for documents, so that we can start drawing up that list of names you wanted- it’s mostly back numbers of the Prophet.”
“That won’t help much,” Ginny said. “Wizards don’t like to say when someone gets bitten by a werewolf- it’ll be ‘vanished after a mysterious illness’ or some such. St. Mungo’s would be a better place to start; I can help you there. The Ministry might have records, too.”
Hermione nodded. “Thank you.” There was an awkward pause.
"How's the Polyjuice Potion...?" Harry asked.
"It's nearly ready," Hermione said. "I keep worrying some Auror is going to find the cauldron, but with the Fidelius on it..."
“Right,” Harry said. “Okay- any other news? Any of that stuff we were talking about at the meeting?”
Hermione bit her lip. “I had Tonks bring a message to Professor Slughorn; I’m waiting to hear back. She’s coming here after her patrol.”
Harry nodded. “Did you ask him about Horcruxes?”
“No- I was afraid to mention those in a note, and Tonks said she wouldn’t have much time to talk to him. I asked him for some advice about potions- and about Grindelwald.”
Harry nodded. “Anything else?”
Hermione looked away, then back at him. “I... well, Ron has an idea, but... well, he should probably tell you.”
“It’s about Mundungus Fletcher,” Ginny said. “We were talking about him at the meeting, remember?” At Harry’s nod, she said, “Well, Ron got an idea for a lead to follow- it’s actually really clever. He...” The door opened; Ron stepped in. Seeing Harry there, he tensed.
“Glad you’re feeling better,” he finally said.
“Thanks,” Harry replied. “I...”
“I was just telling Harry that you had a really good idea about Mundungus Fletcher,” Ginny said. “You should tell him about it.”
Ron shot Ginny a glance. “Yeah, okay,” he muttered. “It... well, you know how Mung is in Azkaban now, for impersonating an Inferus?”
“Yeah?”
“Well- I figured, we could go there and ask him about it. I know he’s been through it with the Ministry already, but I don’t think he’s told them anything; even Abador says that he hasn’t heard about the locket turning up. I figured- well, everyone says that Dumbledore helped him out of a tight spot once; maybe that involved a life debt. If so, maybe he’ll tell us about it, if we remind him.”
Harry nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe. You really think Scrimgeour is going to let us go to Azkaban to check, though? It’s pretty dangerous, with all the breakouts...”
“Well,” Hermione said reluctantly, “not all of us, Harry.”
“Yeah,” Ron said, looking as though he expected an argument. “The idea is, Hermione’ll go out there to go through the prison’s records; that place is a thousand years old, and they aren’t exactly spotlessly organized, you know? I figure she’ll be used to that after all the rubbish she’s gone through at Hogwarts- and so I filed a petition, Charlie brought it to one of Scrimgeour’s aides, and he okayed it. So, she goes to check out the records; the rules say she needs an Auror to go with her, so I go, disguised with the Polyjuice Potion Hermione's brewed- Abador said he could get me a badge- but they'd miss you; you’re too much of the poster boy.”
Harry nodded. “I get it.” He forced a smile, and said, “I think it’s brilliant, Ron- you two’ll do great at it.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that, Harry,” Hermione said. “We were worried about...”
Harry gave a small smile. “About my ‘saving-people thing'?”
She blushed; even Ron smiled briefly. Suddenly, there was a hooting noise, and a beating of wings; the door opened, and Arthur Weasley walked in, carrying Hermione’s cage.
“Hey, brilliant - Tonks gave her back?” Harry asked. Arthur opened his mouth to answer, then snagged his toe on the carpet. “Oh- hi, Tonks.”
Arthur scrunched up his face in thought, and then resumed the appearance of Nymphadora Tonks. “Hello, Harry,” she said, handing him the cage. “This was the best way to get past those Aurors without being recognized.” She handed Hermione a flask. “Professor Slughorn said to give you this, in case yours wasn't ready.”
“Did you ask him about Grindelwald?” Harry asked; at the question, Tonks looked upset. “I tried to,” she said. “He got upset- insisted that I leave at once. It was all I could do to get him to give me the flask; he just kept saying, “Don’t ask me about that- I took the Vow! Don’t ask me!”
“Vow...?” Harry frowned. “I don’t know; maybe I should ask him myself.”
“Get him drunk first,” Ron muttered; Ginny kicked him in the shin.
“I have to go,” Tonks said. “Take care.”
In the silence following her departure, Hermione finally asked, “Are you all right now, Harry?”
“Yeah,” Harry said. In his mind, he heard the cry that had emanated from the Horcrux; he shivered, and took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you one thing, though- I’m never using that Interfe... you know. That. It’s like... it’s like murder.” Hermione and Ron nodded agreement.
“I’d kill to get rid of those,” Ginny murmured; they all fell silent.
Later at night, when the Aurors had changed to the next shift, Hermione opened the back door, and stepped outside. Harry stepped outside, pulling off his invisibility cloak; he was holding Hedwig's cage. Harry undid the cage door (receiving several reproachful nips as he did so), and let Hedwig out.
“Here,” Hermione said; she cast a Disilliusionment Charm on Hedwig, who faded from sight.
“Okay,” Harry said, “go and take care of Hagrid, all right? I can’t use you to deliver mail right now- it’s illegal, and who knows what the Ministry would do if they caught you.”
Hedwig hooted quietly as he stroked her feathers; then, she flew off into the night. Harry stood listening until her wingbeats had faded away. “Good,” he said. “She shouldn’t be trapped in a cage.”
“No, she- Crookshanks!” Harry watched as Hermione’s cat limped up to the door. He was thinner than Harry had ever seen him; there was an odd scorch mark marring one side of his fur. He bumped against Harry’s ankle for a moment, and then allowed Hermione to pick him up, and carry him into the kitchen. He devoured the tuna and milk she laid out, as Harry and Hermione looked him over.
"Thank goodness he's all right," Hermione said, scritching him behind the ear. "I haven't seen him since Hogwarts; I thought something had happened..."
"Looks like something did," Harry said, looking at the burn mark on his fur. “Where've you been, boy?” A rumbling purr was his only answer.
“Yes, Severus- I want you to bring Harry Potter to me, and then kill him,” Voldemort repeated. There was a brief pause, as the other Death Eaters watched this exchange.
“Nothing to say, Snape?” Bellatrix finally said. “Have you gone soft...?”
“Peace, Bellatrix,” Voldemort said, holding up one white hand; she immediately fell silent. “Severus is merely overwhelmed by my generosity, and is searching for the proper words with which to acknowledge it- aren’t you, Severus?”
“I live only to serve you, Lord,” Snape replied, bowing again. Voldemort nodded, and made a motion with his hand; the Death Eaters departed, until only Snape, Voldemort, Bellatrix, and Bellatrix’s husband Rodolphus were left.
“You have heard, Severus, of the Ministry’s action against the werewolves?” Voldemort asked.
“I have, my Lord,” Snape replied. “I confess, I did not foresee this type of response on their part.”
Voldemort nodded. “Fudge would never have done such a thing- he was a cringing dog,” he said, as if to himself. “Scrimgeour is a wolf.” He looked back to Snape. “Does this render your plan inoperable?”
“It is difficult to say, my Lord, until we can determine who, if anyone, may have survived,” he replied. “If we can salvage one such, the plan can still go forward.”
“This will greatly further my plans for Hogwarts,” Voldemort murmured. "What of your notes? I hear the Ministry has confiscated them."
"I have placed a curse on them," Snape replied. "A particularly convoluted one- without the proper countercurse, they will simply read as gibberish to any Ministry employee who tries to decipher them."
Voldemort nodded. “I am pleased," he said. "With me, Bellatrix.” Voldemort and Bellatrix departed; there was a brief pause.
"I am going to step outside for a moment," Snape finally said to Rodolphus. "Would you care to accompany me?"
The night was cool and quiet; in the distance, a river glittered in the moonlight, as the two men looked out at it.
“The Dark Lord has given you a great honor,” Rodolphus finally said.
Snape nodded. “The greatest.”
Rodolphus nodded in turn. “I’m sorry about Bella,” he said after a moment. “She- since Azkaban, she hasn’t been the same.”
“I am well aware of it; the Black blood always has run wild in her,” Snape said; he turned his head to regard his companion. “You seem to have done a better job of fending off the effects of Azkaban, I am pleased to see.”
Rodolphus nodded. “She likes to say that I lacked the imagination to provide proper sport for the Dementors,” he replied, looking upset for a moment.
“Yes, Bellatrix has always had an ungenerous tongue- and yet, you certainly showed no lack of imagination in the old days.” Snape’s eyes glinted in the darkness. “I must say, I find myself surprised at your relatively passive role in the Dark Lord’s activities of late. That seems out of character for you.”
Rodolphus looked upset again. “Bella’s doing,” he replied. “Every time I attempt to volunteer for a mission, or to make a suggestion, she constantly cuts me off, or else takes my ideas to the Dark Lord herself. Why, last week, she took an idea I had for a raid on the Ministry’s main storage facility, and presented it to Lord Voldemort as though the idea had been hers!”
“Frustrating,” Snape murmured. “And yet- forgive me, but was that raid not unsuccessful?”
“Well, if she’d only listened to me- of course Scrimgeour was going to have Aurors waiting! The man has eyes in the back of his head! If they’d only planned a feint, to draw out his forces, instead of following her in a blind straightforward attack... I can’t see why the Dark Lord listens to her at all!”
Snape lifted a hand. “Caution, please- there are many ears listening.”
Rodolphus started pacing back and forth. “It could have worked, though! Had I been there, and led the forces myself- Severus, I struck down Gideon Prewitt! I know I could...” He broke off at the sound of approaching footsteps.
“It may well be that you will get your chance,” Snape said softly. “A chance to show the Dark Lord your true capabilities. We shall talk later.”
“What in Merlin’s name are you doing out here?” Bellatrix demanded of Rodolphus. “We have work to do- why are you standing here talking? The Dark Lord’s will must be fulfilled!”
Rodolphus shot Snape a look, and then turned, and walked back into the cave. Bellatrix turned to face Snape.
“As for you, Snape- you may have won the trust of the Dark Lord, but not mine; if you so much as...”
“Peace, Bellatrix,” Snape murmured. “You are still recovering from the effects of Azkaban, after all. Perhaps you should lie down for a while.”
Bellatrix snarled incoherently. “I’ll be keeping a close watch on you, Snape- and at the first sign of treachery or failure, I’ll come for you myself!” With that, she turned, and stormed back into the cave. Snape watched her go, then turned back to the night.
A/N: Special thanks to
ladyofthelog and sykii for their help with Latin spell names for this chapter.
