The Centaur's Shrine

Epilogue

Ministry of Magic,

Trevor Themis was lying on his bunk. The cell wasn't too uncomfortable, and at least they hadn't chained him to the wall or anything like that. He looked at the steel ring in the wall and wondered if he was getting some kind of preferential treatment.

It had been two full day since the events at Camelot, and he had received no news at all about what was happening outside. He wondered if Shrummer was imprisoned in cell close by, or if they were still fighting it out in the Wizengamot.

What's taking them so long?

There was the sound of a lock turning. A thrill of fear chilled him, like every time this happened. He looked up to see the door open, and one of his guards enter.

"Appointment for you," said the man.

Trevor rose and allowed himself to be led out of the cell. They passed several doors and corridors, and then he was asked to enter a normal looking room. He guessed that it was finally going to be interviewed by the authorities. He went inside. Percival Weasley was waiting, seated at a table, a thick folder in front of him. There was no one else.

"Good day, Trevor," said Percy.

"Percival."

He watched the younger wizard carefully. Shrummer had kept him as assistant, although of course he'd never trusted him as a real confident. Percy fitted the profile of the perfect civil servant. Loyal to the job before other personal allegiances, and totally devoid of imagination. Trevor imagined him opening the folder and starting at the first page. You were sorted into Slytherin in 1984, Mr. Themis, is that correct?

Percy gestured for Trevor to sit. He ignored the folder and looked at the other man with a neutral expression.

"I have been assigned as your ... counsel," he said.

"Oh?"

Trevor tensed. Wizards didn't go for long and procedural legal processes. The High Court passed swift judgments with no appeals. Defendants were sometimes allowed assistance, but only during the trial. Percy's assignment could only mean that they would be going into session in a few minutes. The Aurors hadn't even interrogated him. Did that imply a sham trial? Percy guessed at his thoughts and corrected him.

"It's not what you think. We haven't yet decided if there was going to be a trial."

"I don't understand."

"Septimus Shrummer is dead, as is Armand Thelas. The only other name we had, Sir Comil, has been proved innocent." I think that Ron was even more relieved for that than the man himself.

"What happened?"

"Officially they killed themselves." Percy showed indifference. "Some sort of compulsion apparently. Certainly no one attacked them."

"So everything's going to be hushed up?" said Trevor. What are they planning to do? Keep me locked up for the rest of my life?

"I don't think so. The Minister is anxious to account for all of these Circles, to make sure that they don't fall into the wrong hands, but for the long term, the consensus is that it is less dangerous to keep them under public guard, than to try to hide them again."

"What Minister? Amelia Bones?" Percy nodded.

"Yes. She was elected yesterday. The Goblin law was repealed, as well as all the ones Shrummer passed. The Wizengamot has confirmed the cession of Camelot to the Centaurs."

To Trevor, it felt like a bad dream. All that they had done was erased.

"So what about me? And what's your role as counsel?"

Percy looked a little embarrassed.

"I was chosen because of a ... similarity between us," he said. "I'm sure that you've heard the story."

He had, and he also thought that Percy's conversion had been short lived, but then this didn't really fit with what he was doing here, unless...

"You were a spy?" Percy nodded and showed a very thin smile. Trevor pursed his lips. "Good acting, Neither Shrummer nor I ever suspected anything." The other wizard shrugged.

"I disappointed my father once. When I had the chance to undo that, there was no question of repeating my mistake." He looked Trevor straight in the eye. "I admire him greatly, and his friends as well."

Trevor grimaced. Arthur Weasley was not the most comfortable subject for him. He and Shrummer had used the man in a very unsporting manner. First with the Goblins, and then for the election.

"I don't hate you," continued Percy.

Trevor acknowledged that. It didn't seem much, but somehow it helped to hear that, and he didn't hate them either. He could understand why Percy was here. He was probably the only one who could understand the choices he had made, even if it wasn't really the same thing. Trevor knew that it wouldn't be as easy for him to become honorable once more. He hadn't done any heroics, and there was no loving family to welcome him back. He shivered as he recalled that terrible day.

"Do you know what ... happened to Electra?" he asked.

Percy nodded grimly.

"I was there when professor Dumbledore spoke about it. When she killed that Unicorn, it was something similar to what happened with Harry's mother when, ah, Voldemort, killed her. Sacrifice magic. After that they were linked together, and with the Circle. When the boy used the horn, the life essence of the Unicorn somehow interfered with her, like a possession. They had to die together." He shrugged. "I don't pretend to understand it either."

Trevor reflected on that. It was a terrible fate. He had only known the woman a few days. What a bloody waste.

"Not my finest hour," he murmured.

"Dumbledore said that even if you had stopped the boy, it wouldn't have changed much for her," said Percy gently. "She was doomed."

Trevor closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about it anymore.

"But Ginny and the others would have been dead, if not for your decision," added Percy. "That gives you the right to another chance."

"Bah," Trevor was disgusted. "Another chance at what? I'm a pariah for both sides. I'll be glad not to rot in jail, but I'm not going to find much sympathy outside."

Percy looked at him calmly.

"I don't know about that. Very little of this has transpired. Only a few people know who Electra was. Certainly you were associated with Shrummer, but that can be to our advantage."

Trevor looked up suddenly. The Gryffindor was going to propose him a deal. He wondered what it could be. There was one obvious answer of course, but it was completely crazy.

"We've gone over Alan Boocrat's house, and the others'. It will take years to sort through all the documentation. A lot of it was destroyed, but we now know a few things about their organization. They call themselves the Blood Brotherhood, a reference to 'pureblood' values of course. They usually work in the background, and they have a ruling council, all sworn to loyalty toward the group. We think that's why they committed suicide. To keep the secrets."

Trevor listened carefully. Electra had said that she was going to invite him to join a special group. That must have been it.

"Go on."

"What remains of them can't be too pleased with what Bones is going to push through, but some of their ideas have a lot of supporters in the old families. Professor Dumbledore doesn't think we can just hunt them all down, and they're not all Dark Wizards. So we've got to find another way."

Trevor waited for him to say it. He was sure that he knew what the plan of the old professor was.

"It would be best if the debate was out in the open," continued Percy, "and a strong minority in the opposition is always a good thing for a government."

"And maybe it could be the same thing," completed Trevor.

"I see that you understand. Would you like to take care of it?"

Trevor was amazed. They were asking him to go back to the Brotherhood, and work to transform it into a declared movement in the Wizengamot. He could see the logic behind it of course. Better have your enemy in full sight than hidden.

"I do not believe that you are going to let me go without some kind of string attached."

Percy nodded.

"Just one actually."

"I'm not going to play the spy," said Trevor immediately.

"Nothing so gross," corrected Percy with a smug smile. It was interesting to talk with people such as Trevor or Draco. He was learning. The trick was to always have some ammunition ready. If they caught you naked, you were cold meat. "We just want to setup some ground rules."

Trevor frowned. If the deck was stacked, then the game wasn't worth playing.

"Nothing you shouldn't agree to," clarified Percy. "No killing and no mental manipulation. Basically it means respecting the spirit of the ban against the Unforgivables."

Trevor thought about it. He had seen enough death to last him a lifetime, but he wouldn't be alone.

"There will always be some who will want to," he said.

"Certainly," replied Percy. "But the Brotherhood isn't a bunch of Death Eaters. Mostly they want to influence society. What happened was a perversion."

Trevor certainly agreed with that. It would certainly be easy enough to argue that Electra's policies had been a bad idea, and that they had cost the organization a lot. The Brotherhood was greatly weakened, but it made the opportunity all the more interesting. He could already see several possibilities.

"We could win you know," he said.

Percy smiled. It was going to be a fine thing to watch. Trevor and his former friends on one side, Dumbledore, Bones and the Six on the other.

"That's the point of course," he said. "We prefer that those people fight for influence in the High Court under their true colors, rather than have them conspire to overthrow the government, but my money is on Harry and his friends," he added.

The Slytherin wizard suddenly felt hope returning. The logic was twisted for sure, but it gave him a future, and he wasn't going to repeat Electra's mistake.

"Deal."

- - -

Forbidden Forest, Centaurs' camp,

They were all seated around the campfire. The Centaurs had invited all those who had participated in the saving of the Shrine. A feast of sort had been prepared. It would be a mixed menu. Flitz and the trio had discussed and sampled each other's food to identify what could be shared. Some of the Centaur cooking was ... interesting.

Dobby and Winky represented the House Elves. Several Unicorns were present. They wouldn't eat anything of course. Hermione had also proposed that representatives from the Goblins be invited. It had been agreed upon, and so Gauldbag and a few others were here as well. They and the Centaurs had eyed each other warily at first, but Dumbledore's friendly charm was acting to warm the ice. Of all things, he had suggested that they trade stories about their battles with humans. Gauldbag and Bane had exchanged a long glance, and then the Goblin had asked the Centaur if he too thought that wizards were crazy, with some more so than others.

Remus and Tonks were sitting together, next to Severus and Helen. There had been talks about a double wedding and buying a small house in Hogsmeade, although Tonks wasn't totally committed to leaving the London life yet. Ron wondered how the Parker twins felt about having professor Snape as their new father. They didn't seem to mind. Harry had explained that like him, they probably felt that they were part of larger informal family. Stepfathers, uncles, older friends. It all tended to merge together.

They had brought back Lyman's bow and Laurell's horn. Bane had told Helen and Richard that it would be fitting for the humans to keep them and cherish the memories of their former owners.

Molly and Arthur were there, with Silena huddled against her adopted mother. There had been a great teary scene when Arthur had brought them all back to the Burrow. Draco had gritted his teeth and taken it like a Weasley, under Ron's amused gaze. Ron was on a cloud. The contract with Sir Comil had been confirmed. Next week end, with Silena and the Parkers, they had an appointment at Nimbus Flyware to select the racing brooms that Harry had promised.

Hermione considered the peaceful scene. She reflected that it would make a proper replacement to that hypocritical fountain in Ministry's Hall. The real thing instead of a fake dream. There was no one to take a picture, but perhaps professor Dumbledore could take a pensieve memory and turn it into something similar, or maybe they could get an artist to make an enchanted painting.

In the meantime she would appreciate it with her eyes. It was a fitting end and new beginning.

THE END

Epilogue 5