De-resurrection

CHAPTER ONE

Bones of the Fathers

'Stop grunting like that!' he hissed, looking around with his hands stuffed in his pockets. 'Someone's bound to hear you.'

'Shut up Malfoy,' Harry groaned, wiping the sweat off his forehead with a sleeve. 'Why aren't you helping, anyway? This is as much for you as it is for me!'

'It's also for Hermione and Weasley, but I don't see them here getting their hands dirty,' Draco sniffed, looking once more around the dark graveyard.

'You're so vain! You're just worried about your clothes, you don't even care about this!' bright spots of anger decorated Harry's tanned cheeks.

'Alright! Keep that mop you call hair on, Potter!' Draco said, raising his hands finally into the biting chill of the winter night in defeat. 'No, I don't want to get dirty. I mean, look at you! You always look as though you went through dense foliage on a mad, possessed quad-bike, plus the scratches and stains.'

'Help or bugger off,' Harry told him flatly, and the blond boy scooted off to the other end of the small cemetery, and stood there, grinning insolently.

Harry wiped his sweaty black hair out of his eyes and scraped the trowel across the earth in the hole one more time. This time he saw something.

'Hey, Malfoy! I think I've got it, but it looks huge, so you're helping now whether you want to or not,' he called quietly, and Draco trawled over, removing his hands from the pocket of his black wool overcoat and removing it to hang on a tree branch.

'Bout bloody time, too,' he whispered, and waved a hand regally over the box, it drifted up out of the earth, sprinkling dust on the indignant Harry. 'Just adding a little seasoning to your style, Potter,' he grinned, his teeth a white flash in the moonlight.

'Honestly! You're sixteen, Bloody grow up!' Hermione snorted, coming out of the shadows with her hands on her hips.

'Aren't we big enough for you already?' Draco asked her, patting her on the head as he did so.

She swatted his hand away angrily. 'Ron's got a broom to take it away on. He's just back here...' Hermione jerked a thumb over her shoulder, and led the two boys and the floating box out of the gate they had broken in through. Harry flicked his hand at the hole, and the dirt poured itself back in.

------

Ron stood with the broom in the dark street. He could hear Malfoy giggling, and Hermione sounding angry, then his friends and Malfoy emerged.

'Nothing like a little bit of grave-robbing to lift your spirits, eh, Harry?' he grinned.

'We weren't grave-robbing...' Harry began stiffly.

'The only thing about this that wasn't grave-robbing was that it wasn't in a grave,' Malfoy told him, strapping the chest to the back of the broom.

'I'll see you back at school, then?' Ron checked, pulling his cloak tight against the chill of the night..

'Yup, good luck!' Hermione said quietly, waving him off as he kicked off into the star studded sky.

'It's not like it wasn't ours in the first place!' she said defensively, looking at the guilty Harry and the devilishly happy Draco.

'No, no,' the silver-blond boy agreed. 'We definitely had reason to take it.' He said, eyes innocently wide, and nodding righteously.

'Just leave me alone.'

------

Ron knew how much trouble he'd be in when they got back to school. First, it was his brother's broom, not his. Second, they had sneaked off school grounds during term. Third they had spent the night digging up a cemetery, then stealing some of its contents. Hopefully the third one would go unnoticed. The others may not get in trouble for the second, he probably would. They would definitely not get in trouble for the second offence, because he was the only one who had ridden it.

He peeled himself off the stick as he reached the broomsheds behind the school, brushed his uniform down, and grabbed his bag from where he had hidden it before. He sprinted out and around the edge of the lake to the side door just as the bell rang.

-------

Hermione looked from the window at the end of the room where the sun just showed, to the dining hall doors anxiously all breakfast.

'He'll come,' Harry reassured her, through mouthfuls of toast. He never let fears like, he could have fallen off, or got caught, spoil his appetite.

Ron still hadn't come when the bell rang in the tower, and Draco sauntered over, his handsome features alight with amusement, from Slytherin table.

'Uh-oh. Wonder what's happened?' he grinned, straightening his loose tie and tucking his cheekbone length strands of hair behind his ears to pass the teacher at the door.

'Don't you even care?' Hermione hissed, wishing they had not had to involve Draco, as they started up the large staircase.

'Not slightly. I hate that freckly imitation of a bonfire'

'It's more of a scarlet,' Harry said with a wry smile.

'Granted,' Draco nodded.

'What? Granted a promise you won't hit me?' Harry grinned.

'You know, taking things literally is a sign of madness and stupidity. My, my. You do have a lot going for you today, Potter.'

'Shut up,' Harry snapped.

Hermione was slightly frightened by the friendship appearing between the two of them. It was never anything major, but these two were old enemies. Since Draco had been helping them with this project Sirius had convinced them to do, he and Harry had really got on. There was still much bickering, however.

There was a thunder of footsteps behind them on the stone staircase and Ron came up, panting wildly.

'Oh, god! I was so worried you wouldn't come!' Hermione cried, throwing her arms around Ron's waist, which was all she could reach, since Ron had shot up.

'To History?' Ron demanded incredulously.

'No, you silly... to school! I thought you'd died, or something!'

'Nice to see you weeping for me,' Ron noted.

'Oh, you know! I thought something bad had happened!'

Draco was sneering at Ron, and spun to walk over to the knot of Slytherins waiting to go into the next classroom. He began his usual gesturing and laughing in their direction, and, much as she hated him, Hermione preferred it when he was with them, because then he was only mean to Ron. She felt a twinge of guilt at that thought.

'Come in, settle down and get your pads out,' Professor Binns said hoarsely, sticking his head through the door.

With a huge sigh, the group flowed into the classroom, and let their minds drift in the silence.

---------

'I still don't get why you hang around with them so much, now,' Pansy sniffed.

'I reckon he fancies the mudblood,' Goyle grunted.

'Shut up, Goyle. Your brain isn't big enough to reckon anything valid. I was trying to get the dirt on Potter and pals.' Draco leaned against the wall indolently.

Goyle closed his mouth and stood, his eyes unfocused, attempting to decipher the meaning of what Draco had said.

The truth was, he wanted to. Oddly enough, what they were doing caused them to need him, and that was a new thing, really. His mum needed him, sure, and his father, well, everyone needs something to get their anger out on, right? He had to face it, he had no real purpose in the world. As a matter of fact, Goyle was not too far off. He did not like Goofy-girl, but he did like Ginny Weasley. The fact that she hated him so much was fun, it made it more of a challenge. Draco did not know the last thing about her, but she was pretty, and he loved challenges.

---------

Ginny pushed the cards across the table back to Professor Trelawney.

'I can't do it, they don't mean anything.' She pushed her hair behind her ears in frustration.

'They always mean something, dear,' the bug-eyed woman insisted. 'Look again.'

Ginny sighed and stared down at the three cards in front of her. The meaning she had got from the book was -'at every corner is a street-trader. You may buy your wares wherever. Bone of the fathers.'

The first bit was simple, it meant -do it as you go along --, but the last bit... She had heard it before, but she could not place where. She was immensely relieved when the bell rang and they were allowed out. She resolved to go to Hermione at break.

---------

'Boring,' Harry groaned, pretending to stagger out of the classroom. 'So- boring, need- fun... dying!'

Hermione laughed and elbowed him in the ribs. Ron wiped his face and helped the winded Harry stagger to the library. Hermione snatched several books off the shelf and began to do her homework. Harry and Ron had a break time of sleep planned, but Hermione shoved several books across the desk to them.

'You can look into those legends Sirius mentioned,' she snapped.

Pouting and whining, the two boys grabbed a book each and began to read. They had found very little when Ginny marched in, and stood across the desk from Hermione.

'What's "The Bones of the Fathers?"' she asked. They all slammed their books shut and dropped their mouths open. How could she know what they were doing?

'It's, uh, meant to be a powerful agent in a spell,' Hermione told her, truthfully.

'Oh. Okay. It's just, we did tarot again, and I got this perfectly Tarot statement, with that just plonked on the end. I wanted to know what it was,' she explained, sitting down.

Harry and the others regained their composure, gradually, and had just settled down again, when Harry felt a sharp pain in his forehead. Instinctively, his hand went to his scar, and found a paper aeroplane trapped between his fingers.

Draco, who had come in unnoticed, was bent double with laughter. 'Priceless!' he wept. 'Harry Potter feels a pain in his scar whenever evil's about!'

Harry growled at him angrily, and unfolded the plane. On it was a letter from Sirius.

Dear Harry,

Thought you might want a little more help on this PROJECT I've stuck you on. I know you know what you're doing, but I'm staying with Remus, and he's a nerd, so he knows stuff. You understand what this is for, right? I think it could be the way to get rid of Mouldy Voldy once and for all. You know how the bone of his father raised him again? Well, I was thinking we could use the bone of someone else, another father, to kill him. Have you opened the chest yet? You need to do it soon. Try an opening charm with two people, or similar. I think that was where James put the book we found. I'm sorry to do this to you Harry, but it could be the only way.

Sirius

'Anything?' Ron asked, reading over his shoulder.

'Yup, well, kind of. Malfoy, do you know any strong busting-open charms or hexes we could use to get the chest open?' Harry inquired, thoughtful.

'Well, yes, but it would set off dark detectors all over the school.'

'A naughty one, then?'

'You know me, Potter.'

'To my lasting regret.'

Instead of looking put-out, Draco looked pleased. 'Good one,' he grinned.

Harry was totally thrown, then his face took on a sour look. 'It's just impossible to insult you, isn't it, you nasty little snob.'

Draco grinned even wider. 'So what do you vote we take it into Hogsmeade and open it there?' he continued, ignoring Harry.

'Excuse me, what?' Ginny said, puzzled. They had forgotten she was there. 'What chest? What plan? What on earth is wrong with Harry, being nice to Malfoy?'

'A completely unimportant chest, with no magic book inside, that we dug up in a graveyard, no plan to kill the big nasty red skinned buy with slit eyes, and nobody used any love potions in Harry's drink, did they darling?' Draco said, with a totally straight face, turning to Harry for the last bit.

Ginny was trying not to smile, but she knew it was hopeless. Her face broke into a grin as Draco moved to kiss Harry's cheek, and the black-haired boy fended him off desperately.

'Don't you love me?' Draco howled, then cried out as his chair slipped out from under him and he landed on top of a very disgruntled Harry. The two began to wrestle, Draco still pretending to attempt to kiss Harry, and Harry trying to get away. They were laughing like hyenas, when Madam Pince stormed over and hissed at them. Hermione slammed her book on the table as the two of them got back into their chairs, looking down at their hands, and flicking their hair out of their eyes.

'Are you two quite done?' she asked them waspishly. 'Should I start arranging flowers and booking caterers?'

'Can I be your bridesmaid?' Ginny asked Draco, her eyes wide with mirth.

'Now, now,' Draco chided her gently. 'Potter should have first pick at which one he wants to be.'

Harry smacked the back of Draco's head, although he was grinning.

'Well, congratulations Draco, you've managed to avoid telling Ginny anything by putting her right off the scent and telling her everything,' Harry said, rifling through another book and chucking it to Ginny. 'If you know you can help out.'

Reluctantly she took the book from the air and opened it. They all fell into silence as they began to study.

--------

Sirius strolled out into the garden, where Lupin sat, gazing at the sky.

'Am I interrupting something?' he grinned.

'Oh, no.' Lupin moved along the bench slightly, making space for his old friend.

'Thanks. Did you find out any more on this spell?'

'Not exactly, I was going to contact the Werewolves' Guild but then I got an owl from Dumbledore, and I got distracted.'

In his surprise, Sirius totally forgot to ask about the letter. 'There's a Guild of Werewolves?' he demanded incredulously.

'Yes. There's an Animagi Guild.'

'League,' Sirius corrected absently.

'Whatever. Dumbledore approves of the plan, but he isn't sure about Harry doing it.'

'Why not?' Sirius asked, frowning. 'He's always been able to do it before, and it is four of them.'

'I suspect it will be five. Ginny Weasley won't stay out of it for long. I don't know why. We should wait until we get word from Harry about the chest before we write back to Dumbledore.'

'Yeah. Did you tell him what to do?'

'Yup.'

'Well, let's hope he does that and not something Harry-brained.'

--------

'I don't think we should do it how Sirius says,' Harry told them, looking at the chest balanced on his bed.

They had hung back from a Hogsmeade visit to get the common room and dormitory to themselves, so they could sneak Draco in. He kept staring around him, and not paying attention.

'We don't get velvet hangings,' he noted. 'Ours are silk. This must be much warmer.'

'Shut up. What do you think we should do instead?' Ron said, looking at Harry.

'Well, if Herm could find out a stronger charm, or we could get it to Hogsmeade and do it there, then Draco could do it.'

'Why me?' Draco asked blankly.

'Your dad's been making you do big strong bad spells all your life. You're better at them than we are,' Ginny told him, blushing as she always did when she spoke to him now.

'I do love to be appreciated,' Draco gloated.

'You're not appreciated on this spot of bedcover,' Ron snapped irritably.

'Ron,' Ginny hissed, putting a hand on his arm.

'Shut up. Just 'cos you fancy him, Gin. Hermione's still on my side, right Herm?'

'RON!' Ginny was outraged, Draco looked mildly curious.

'Should I be listening intently and standing up for one of you or pretending I didn't hear?' he asked.

'Standing up for me!' Ginny begged.

'Okay then. You can't blame her Weasley. It's understandable. I am drop-dead gorgeous after all-'

'NOT what I meant!' Ginny blushed, hitting him lightly on the arm. He cried out and collapsed backwards off the bed, grabbing her sleeve and Hermione's tie as he went. The two of them landed on top of him, as he whimpered and rubbed his 'injured' arm.

'Can we PLEASE get back to the point at hand?' Harry asked pointedly.

'Sure,' Draco said, unruffled climbing back onto the bed. He laid a hand on top of the chest, muttered a few words, and it sprung open.

'Wawasat?' Harry snapped, listening out for alarms.

'I requested very politely that the dark lord open this box because I can't do it myself. I opened it, dipstick.'

'What spell?' Harry demanded tersely.

'Alohomora.'

Harry still didn't look sure, but he lifted the lid of the chest, to find a mouldy book and a few chains with charms on. Hermione dived her hand in and pulled everything out. She scanned the book and found the spell in no time.

'It says that you need five people, one physically strong, one mentally strong, one magically strong, one morally strong, and one with strong caring qualities. We have all of them, they have to wear these charms. Then the spell will draw our power and prepare for when we use the spell,' she explained.

'So who's who?' Ron asked her.

'Well, you're morally strong. Ginny's nice, I'm the clever one, then it's just between Harry and Draco for the last two. Who's the stronger out of you two?' she asked. They both pointed at the other person. 'Okay, you'll have to wrestle.'

'What?' Harry cried.

'To see who is the strongest.'

'Harry is,' Draco moved away.

'No, I'm not. You always beat me!'

'That's cause I'm cleverer than you are!'

'OKAY! Why don't we get some weights and see who can lift the most?' she suggested.

'Okay. I've got some in my room,' Draco told them, sliding off the bed. 'But I think we all need to go, 'cos I can't get back in here myself. Everybody in Slytherin went, and the younger ones are at a meeting with the teachers.'

Ron looked horrified at the thought of going into Malfoy's room, but he followed them. They twisted down the corridors, coming onto the landing above the entrance hall. Draco went to the edge of the red carpeted platform and swung himself down over the wooden balustrade, dropping like a cat onto the ground of the entrance hall.

The others ran own the stairs while he waited impatiently.

'Why didn't you do it?' he asked them, looking sullen. 'It would have been great to see Potter and Weasel hurt themselves.'

'What about us?' Ginny snapped.

'Oh, I don't know. I reckon you two could have done that fine, and I could have caught you anyway.'

Ginny looked at him, appraising him through his school shirt as he walked. He could have caught her. He had his sleeves rolled up, and although he was slim, his arms and chest were quite muscular. (Uh-oh. Ginny appears to be spitting at long lived hatred, and getting a crush.)

'Here we are,' Draco told them, stopping quickly and running his hands over the wood of a door. With a whispering noise, it slid open, and they followed Draco curiously inside. The silver-blond boy flicked a hand at the torches set in the walls, and they flickered into life.

'You have your own room?' Harry gawped, staring around him.

'Great, isn't it? And they say money can't buy you happiness. Bollocks,' Draco grinned, flinging himself into a chair and putting his hands behind his head, his legs stretched out in front of him.

'Ahem,' Hermione cleared her throat pointedly. 'Did we forget why we're here?'

'Oh, right.' Draco and Harry stood in the centre of the room. Hermione and Ginny fetched the weights from beside Draco's black-covered bed. Typical, thought Ginny, Malfoy's just the sort to have weights. Pays off, though.

Hermione struggled to lift one of the weights, and plonked it heavily in Draco's hand. With amusement twinkling in his grey eyes, he sighed theatrically and hooked two fingers around it, lifting it over his head. He passed it to Harry, who slowly pushed it into the air. He gave it back to Draco, who held it while Hermione strained and heaved two more discs onto each end. Draco's hold on it did not falter, nor did his hand drop slightly. Harry peered at it closely and shook his head.

'I'm not even going to try,' he said, and Draco threw the weight into the corner as though it were a tennis ball. It clanged loudly and struck sparks off the stone wall. He flung himself back down in the chair. Ginny sat at his desk, and the other three perched on his bed, Ron was making a face.

'Alright, Weasley. I can see that sitting on my bed is distressing you.' Draco stood up to let Ron sit in the armchair, and went over to his wardrobe. He began sorting through his expensive-looking clothes.

'Okay. I think those ones are about right,' Hermione mused, looking through the charms. Malfoy's room wasn't big enough to be too far away from anywhere, and Ginny could clearly see the charms on the bed.

There was a disc of purple glass with little silver stars set into it, and a wand right in the middle. Hermione handed it to Harry, who muttered something before pulling it over his head. Hermione picked up a perfect miniature silver book on a blue disc, and clipped it around her neck, tucking it inside her shirt. To Ron she gave a set of scales on a background of the Yin-Yang design. Draco took a charm of crossed silver swords on red glass that looked like it was filled with blood, and left Ginny with a green charm, ornamented only with a little silver bird, its wings outspread. She hung it around her neck, and it felt like a dead weight, pulling her to the floor, it was horribly cold, but it warmed almost instantly on touching her. She dropped it inside her shirt, and they all looked at Hermione for instructions.

'Well, we need to give it a while to build up, then we need more power. We could go to Stonehenge, or something, or we could go to where two ley lines cross.'

'Ley lines?' Ron frowned.

'Yes, energy lines,' Hermione nodded.

'That means...' Ginny trailed off, her heart sinking at the thought.

'Yup, we go dowsing.'

---------

Lupin sucked in a deep breath, and knocked. The sound echoed through the corridors in the building beyond, and he waited, rubbing his arms to try and warm up. The cold night was very bright, and he glanced up to check the moon. He had chosen to travel on the new moon. As far away from full as possible. He had begun to walk away when the door opened. A tall man poked his head out and looked at Lupin closely.

'Name?'

'Remus Lupin.'

'Age?'

'Thirty-five.'

'Occupation?'

'Teacher.'

'Lycanthe?' the man snapped unexpectedly. Lupin howled as the word scraped across his mind, hurting him deeply. He raised his arms to cover his head. 'Welcome, friend,' the man said, opening the door fully and beckoning Lupin through.

'What was that for?' Lupin panted, pressing a hand to his chest.

'Best quick checker,' the man explained. 'Can't really afford other checks.'

Lupin nodded, and followed him into the building. 'So, how can we help you, Lupin? Great name, by the way.'

'Thanks, I like it. I was wondering if I might pick the brains of the werewolves?'

'Well, sure,' the dark haired werewolf seemed happy. 'We'd love to help. What can we do?'

'I'm into this project at the school, how to kill the risen dead. I know you guys stay locked away in here with that massive library, and...'

The man frowned. 'You'll have to ask around, but I think it depends on the raising.'

'Bone of the father, blood of the foe, flesh of the servant?'

'In that order?'

'Not entirely sure, sorry.'

'Right, well, I think I might know. Do love to be helpful. I'll just pop to the library.' He indicated a door to the left. 'Go in there and ask around. I'll come back when I find anything.'

'Thanks.' Lupin pushed the door open and went inside. There appeared to be a sort of lounge inside. Many men and women, some with children, sat inside. They all looked up when Lupin came in, and many hurried over to greet him.

'Good god! Remus?'

Lupin's head snapped up, and he looked full into the face of his father.