Rating:
PG-13
House:
The Dark Arts
Characters:
Albus Dumbledore Harry Potter Remus Lupin Sirius Black Severus Snape
Genres:
Action Drama
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire
Stats:
Published: 01/12/2003
Updated: 05/03/2003
Words: 102,224
Chapters: 28
Hits: 39,099

Death Before Dishonor

RobinLady

Story Summary:
After being rescued from the Dursleys by Sirius, Harry finds that there ``are still plenty of ways for Voldemort to catch him--and that his life ``may have to be bought at a very high price. Set in fifth year and the ``summer before it.

Chapter 19

Chapter Summary:
After being rescued from the Dursleys by Sirius, Harry finds that there are still plenty of ways for Voldemort to catch him--and that his life may have to be bought at a very high price. Set in fifth year and the summer before it. {This Chapter: Dumbledore throws down the gauntlet and and the Wizarding World gears up for war.}
Posted:
03/24/2003
Hits:
1,032

DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR

Chapter Nineteen: Nightfall

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for coming to Hogwarts."

There was silence. Complete and utter silence; it would have been engrossing even if the tension in the room not been so high. As things stood, it was frightening, and the gathered reporters hardly dared to move. They only stared at the regal old man standing upon the Great Hall´s raised platform, barely daring to hope that he might have all of the answers. The tables had been swept aside for this press conference, and chairs had been placed on the floor to accommodate the guests, but the empty row in the front signified that the number of attendees had fallen short of expectations. Those seated behind this empty row held their breaths together, waiting for confirmation of the worst--or to learn that this had all been a dream, and the world was not really plunging back into war. Together, they prayed that the dark days had not returned.

"There is much to be said, but I fear we have little time," Albus Dumbledore finally continued. "What I must begin with, though, is the truth, and that is something that the public has been denied for far too long.

"Lord Voldemort has returned."

A gasp ran through the Great Hall. Some had suspected, and others had wondered, but none had wanted to believe. They had prayed this moment would never come. They had hoped that he was truly gone. Despite the recent attacks, all had wanted desperately to know that their children would never suffer through the same terrors and bloodbaths that they remembered all too well.

"Aided by loyal followers, Voldemort was resurrected on June 24th of this year. Certain members of the Ministry were notified, but they chose to keep quiet and refused to believe what had happened. Since that time, the Dark Lord has been gathering supporters to his side once more. Attacks by Death Eaters have increased to a level they have not seen since the end of the last war, and many have suffered because they did not know the truth. But now things have become even worse. Four days ago, Voldemort destroyed the Beauxbatons Academy. Yesterday, he attacked our own Ministry of Magic. And last night, he gained control of the Azkaban Fortress, bringing the Dementors to his side.

"We have also confirmed at least six separate Death Eater attacks that took place during the night, every one targeting a former or current Auror. I regret now to inform you of the deaths of Alastor Moody, Mundungus Fletcher, Amanda Bundy, and Eve and Malcolm Wood. Arabella Figg was the only one able to escape her attackers, and has only done so with grievous personal injury. I am afraid, however, that we have no time to mourn those who have been so cruelly taken from us. These attacks make one thing very clear: Voldemort will stop at nothing to regain his old power. We are at war again."

Dumbledore paused, his eyes sweeping over the crowd. Everyone now understood the row of empty seats: they represented the missing Aurors, men and women who would have been on the forefront of the fight against Darkness, but who were no longer alive to help. Still, though, there were no questions; the gathered press was still praying that Dumbledore could provide an answer. They hoped there was more than bad news, and several let out audible sighs of relief as the headmaster began to speak once more.

"There is one other thing you must understand. I come before you today without the Ministry of Magic´s consent. There are those who still wish to doubt the facts laid before them, and those men would willingly keep the truth from you. In the past, I have acquiesced to the Ministry´s wishes, but I can do so no longer. The world deserves to know. We are at war, and we are only as strong as we are united. Behind me stands the Order of the Phoenix, witches and witches who have dedicated their lives to opposing Voldemort. We stand together, and we will fight.

"Today I call for support in the battle against the Dark Lord. I firmly believe that all is not lost, and we can win this war, but only if we stand together. The Ministry may have decided to abandon you, but I will not. Today, I intend to bring the war back to Voldemort."

Witches and wizards started arriving within an hour after Dumbledore´s announcement had gone out on the WNN. Some left again almost immediately, having shown up to either confirm their support for the Headmaster or to receive instructions of some sort or another. Others, however, remained longer, and it wasn´t long before Harry found himself surrounded by the entire Weasley family--Ron had dragged him and Hermione along, claiming that he couldn´t face his mother alone. They´d laughed, and accompanied him; besides, Harry was always glad to see his best friend´s family again, even though it meant enduring the same barrage of questions as Ron did, just so Mrs. Weasley could make sure they really were all right.

Laughing, Ron replied, "Really, Mum, we haven´t gotten into much trouble this year at all! The worst of it was Fred and George, who almost got into a prank war with Professor Lupin and Professor Black, but other than that, even they haven´t done anything."

Molly Weasley turned on her twins, eyebrows high. "I´m beginning to worry about you two," she said. "I haven´t gotten nearly as many owls about you as I usually do."

"Well, Mum," Fred began with a grin, "we could say that we´ve simply been outclassed by the superior prank-making skills of Professor Black--"

"Since neither of us is, after all, an illegal animagus who can chase Professor McGonagall around the castle--" George added.

Fred smiled. "But the truth is, we´ve been studying."

"Studying?" Arthur Weasley looked strangely at his sons.

"The two of you?" Mrs. Weasley demanded. Clearly, she was suspicious, but Harry had noticed that the twins had been abnormally subdued all term long--and strangely shut up in books, too.

"Well, we´re not stupid, Mum," George replied. "And we do realize that we have to pass our N.E.W.T.s this year."

"After all, although opening a joke shop would be fun, this isn´t the right time," Fred concluded, making everyone else in the room stare at him. Confused, Harry pulled off his glasses and wiped them off on his robes before putting them back on. Was this really Fred and George Weasley talking? Had they gone mad?

"So we´re studying," George continued into the silence. "We´ll never make you another pair of Head Boys, Mum--"

"It´s too late for that, anyway," Fred interjected.

"But we´re not going to waste our brains, either."

"Besides, we have to score well on our N.E.W.T.s."

Mrs. Weasley stared at them as if she expected one of them to burst out laughing any second. But neither twin did any such thing; in fact, to Harry´s eyes, they seemed more serious than they´d ever been about anything (not that he´d ever really seen the twins serious before, but he could imagine). They looked back at their mother calmly, waiting for her to say something. But it was Ginny who spoke.

"Why do you have to do well on your N.E.W.T.s?" she asked. "You´ve never cared before."

"That was before we looked at the DMLE guidelines," Fred replied promptly.

"The what?" Ginny asked.

"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement," George answered with a serious expression. "We want to be Aurors."

All five adult Weasleys in the room exploded, especially Percy and Mrs. Weasley. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, on the other hand, just stared at the twins, unable to believe their ears. Fred and George as Aurors? Impossible...or was it? They had been paying an awful lot of attention to Defense Against the Dark Arts this year, but Harry had thought that was only because they respected Sirius as a prankster. He´d thought they might be afraid that Sirius would try something drastic to get their attention...but maybe not. They definitely looked serious.

"You cannot be serious," Percy finally managed to say, right as Mrs. Weasley asked,

"Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"So´s living, Mum." Fred shrugged.

"Be realistic about this, you two!"

"We are, Mum," George answered.

Mr. Weasley cut his wife off by placing a hand on her shoulder. "It´s their choice, Molly," he said quietly. Mrs. Weasley looked as if she was going to say more, but she nodded reluctantly.

"I hope you know what you´re getting into, boys," she said quietly, sighing. "Well, Ginny, why don´t you tell us about your year..."

That night, they knew sleep would not come easily. Although happy to see the Weasleys, who would be staying at the school for a few weeks (except for Mr. Weasley who was going to return to the Ministry and see who would openly support Dumbledore there), Harry had also seen Mrs. Figg. It was odd to think of his long time neighbor as a witch, but ever since the day Voldemort had risen, Harry had wondered if "Arabella Figg" was the same woman who lived on Privet Drive and baby-sat him from time to time for the Dursleys. One look at her had told him that he was right, even though the steely-eyed woman he meet at Hogwarts resembled his cat-loving neighbor in very few ways. The ugly purple bruise on her face made her seem even more foreign, and although she had smiled at him, Mrs. Figg had a haunted and pained look to her that Harry had never seen from her before.

Even though he didn´t want to admit it, that spooked him. The thought of Death Eaters invading Privet Drive was almost more than he could bear--and he couldn´t help but wondering if the Dursleys were all right. He hated them with every fiber in his body, but the Dursleys, as horrible as they treated them, were his family. Sometimes, Harry wondered if Voldemort would target them simply because the Dursleys were his kin, and that thought worried him. Even the Dursleys didn´t deserve to die just because Voldemort hated him... Harry pushed the thought out of his mind as Ron spoke.

"Geez..." his friend mumbled. "Can you believe the woman? I hope she doesn´t react like that when I say the same thing in a few years."

Harry rolled over to face Ron. "Are you still thinking about it, then?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Definitely," Harry replied.

"Have you talked to Sirius about it yet?" Ron asked.

"No, not yet." It should have been simple to talk to his godfather about becoming an Auror--which was something he and Ron had actually been discussing since the year before--but he kept on finding reasons to put the conversation off. The problem wasn´t trusting Sirius with his dreams--it was more the fact that Sirius was an Auror. Or had been, anyway, and he seemed to be doing awfully Auror-like things lately, too. What would Sirius say? Would he help Harry, or try to talk him out of it? Harry sighed. "I´m not sure what he´ll say."

"You´ll never know until you try."

Harry snorted. "Well, if you want to look at it that way, Ron, you ought to go tell your Mum right now and get it over with."

"No thanks," Ron grunted. "I´ll wait."

"Me, too...for at least awhile," Harry admitted. "Besides, who knows what will happen? The war could end tomorrow."

"Not likely."

"True. But by the time we graduate, maybe Voldemort will be gone," Harry said wistfully. "I´d gladly pick something else to do with my life if that meant he was defeated."

"Yeah," Ron agreed. "You know, you could always do something else. You don´t have to fight him, Harry. You´ve certainly done your part all ready. Why not just play Quidditch professionally? You´re good enough, you know."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I just feel I have to, Ron," he said quietly. "I feel like I have to. And I´m sick of having people protect me. I want to do something."

"Tell me about it."

Others also found it hard to sleep.

Footsteps ringing loudly as he went, Percy Weasley roamed the halls of a school he once dreaded but had come to love. His years at Hogwarts had become the best of his life, and it was hard to imagine that the school might be in danger. That it might someday cease to exist. It was hard to think that Hogwarts was the last bastion of defense against Voldemort, and yet still remember the castle as a place of so many happy memories. The danger of the present and the carefree nature of the past just did not jell. The memories were still too recent.

He could still look around the hallways and think, That´s where Penelope and I met, or That´s the girl´s bathroom that I caught Ron in once (I still wonder what trouble he was getting into in there. I´m sure it was something stupid)... Before the Dark Lord had risen again, Percy had been on track for a perfect life, just like he had always dreamed of. He had a good job--heck, it was a great job, a place in the world where he could make a difference. He had a great girl--she was beyond great, really, but there weren´t proper words in the English language to describe Penelope. And he had a wonderful and loving family, too, even if they could all be a bit much at times. All in all, it could have been perfect--if not for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Because of him, they were at war. People were dying, and the Ministry might as well have been destroyed. Had his future gone down with it?

"I would hardly be prowling around the castle at night if I were you, Mr. Weasley," a soft voice suddenly purred from close behind him.

Percy jumped and wheeled around, startled. "Professor Snape!" Then he forced steel into his voice. After all, he was hardly a student anymore. "I could say the same about you."

Snape snorted. "Unlike you, young man, I happen to be a professor at this school."

"One who even the students know has an unnatural fascination with the Dark Arts," Percy shot back. Snape had always given him the creeps, had always angered him by favoring Slytherin even when Gryffindor did everything right--maybe it was childish, but it felt good to stand up to the slimy Potions master.

"Unnatural?" Snape repeated casually. "I would hardly think so. I have, in fact, very little liking for the Dark Arts--I simply have much knowledge in the field."

Percy stared. Was Snape saying what he thought he was? He replied, trying to keep his voice from wavering, "I would hardly call that a good thing."

"I find myself, Weasley, in agreement with you on that point," the Potions master replied with a slight sneer. His slimy voice still gave Percy the chills. "However surprising that may be. Regardless, this is hardly the time for you to be wandering around the castle. I suggest you return to bed."

"And why should I?" Percy challenged. He was an adult. There were no rules against him wandering around, no matter what time it was. He was a guest in the castle. He didn´t have to listen to Snape anymore.

"It´s midnight." Snape´s eyebrows rose slightly, and his dark eyes glittered. "Hardly an auspicious hour, wouldn´t you say? Midnight..." he purred. "The time the Death Eaters come out to play."

"Not at Hogwarts." Percy was dismayed to find his voice shaking. The look Snape was giving him was highly unnerving. He can´t be saying... The former Head Boy gulped. But it all fits, doesn´t it? Percy tensed, glancing around the empty corridor, but his wanderings had taken him far from any safe havens, and Snape was still staring menacingly at him.

One eyebrow rose further than the other. "Not yet."

"What do you mean, yet?" He wished his voice wouldn´t tremble so. But what if Snape is a Death Eater? He had to get to Dumbledore, had to let him know...

"Traumatizing the children again, Severus?" Another voice came from the direction Percy had previously been heading, which was now behind him. This one was lighter than Snape´s, and held a trace of mockery that Percy could not recognize. Curious, he turned to face a man around Professor Snape´s age. The other´s hair was as black as the Potions master´s, but his was fuller and cleaner, and his eyes were a pale color of blue. A moment passed before Percy recognized the face from the front page of so many issues of the Daily Prophet, and he gave a slight start. Even though he knew Sirius Black was innocent, it was a bit unsettling to see the wizard for the first time.

"Black," Snape growled. Well, they don´t seem to get along, do they?

But the other wizard´s eyes were on him. Black held out a hand. "You must be Percy Weasley," he said politely. "I am Sirius Black."

Percy took the offered hand warily; it was hard to decide what to think of the young looking man before him. On one hand, there was the professor who his younger siblings couldn´t stop prattling on about, and on the other, there the only convict to ever escape Azkaban and elude the Ministry for two years. Then there was the former Auror who all the papers had suddenly decided was a hero. The handshake was strong but brief, and told him very little about the man. Percy remembered himself soon enough to reply, "Nice to meet you."

"I´m sure." A slight smile flickered on the other´s face, and Percy suddenly got a feeling that this was one professor even Fred and George couldn´t fool. Serves them right. But Black turned to Snape once more, continuing, "Couldn´t sleep?"

"You would know," the Potions professor snapped.

Black´s eyes flashed, and Percy saw him struggle with temper for a moment. His reply was soft and very controlled. "That was low."

"I apologize." Snape grimaced, but he seemed to mean it. "And yes, it has been a rough night, if you must know."

"It´s burning again, isn´t it?"

"It´s a fucking cancer," Snape cursed, taking Percy aback with the emotion in his voice. "It doesn´t stop. This is going to drive me insane."

"Have you known anything like this to happen before?" Black wondered thoughtfully. Snape only snorted irritably, though. "I mean, has it happened with any other Death Eaters who have left the fold?"

"None of them have lived as long as I have," Snape snarled. "Nobody´s had the chance to find out."

Percy stared. Oh my god... Had he just heard what he thought he had?

"Anyway," Snape continued. "I was looking for Albus. Do you have any idea where he is? He´s not in his office."

"Staff room. With Fudge." Black´s sardonic smile was filled with distaste.

The Potions master rolled his eyes. "I still can´t believe you saved him," he commented. "What a waste."

"Perhaps." Black grinned wolfishly, and Snape turned to go, calling over his shoulder,

"No one ever said you were smart, Black."

"And no one ever said you were nice."

Snape swept around a corner, leaving Percy alone with Sirius Black. The young man looked at Hogwarts´ newest professor uneasily, unsure if he should go or not--Snape, after all, had been rather insistent that he should be in bed. However, he found himself coming dangerously close to staring at the older man rudely. Percy couldn´t help it; he was curious. All Fred and George had talked about, when he´d cornered them after they admitted wanting to become Aurors, had been Professor Black this, and Professor Black that. Now, while Percy knew his brothers well, he had never seen them idolize a professor, not even the false Moody. Eventually, even the "way cool" one-legged imposter had gotten old for the twins.

Yet they wouldn´t shut up about the former Auror who had become the latest in a string of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Percy couldn´t help being curious.

But before he could ask, the left side of Black´s robes began to move, and the professor swore (rather foully, in fact) as he grabbed his wand from inside his robes. It was dancing something madly. Without warning, Black bolted back three steps and through a door--which Percy belatedly recognized as the one to his office, which was where he must have come from earlier--and leaving it open behind him. Knowing that he probably shouldn´t, Percy peeked through the door as Black chucked a handful of powder into his office fireplace with one hand and grabbed a piece of parchment in the other.

"Remus!"

A split second later, Professor Lupin tumbled out of the fireplace, speaking before he´d even finished rolling to his feet. "Which one is it, Sirius?"

"Hogsmeade." Black was studying the parchment, his wand still twitching in his hand. After a second glance, Percy realized that Lupin´s wand, which he held carefully in hand, was shaking as well.

"Shit." Percy had never heard Professor Lupin swear.

Black´s head snapped up, his eyes frighteningly intense. "Get Severus and Arabella," he said quickly. "I´ll meet you in the Great Hall--and whatever he says, Dumbledore stays here. If this is some sort of distraction, we can´t afford him being away from Hogwarts."

Without a word, Lupin vanished back into the fire. Percy stared at Black, unnerved by the intense power that radiated from the former Auror, but was still finally unable to contain himself. "Excuse me, but what´s happening with Hogsmeade?"

"It´s under attack." Those frightening eyes zeroed in on him.

"Can I do anything?" He didn´t know why he asked. The question had just come out.

Fleetingly, Black smiled. Then he was in motion, gliding forward with long and purposeful strides. In the doorway, he paused. "You´d only get yourself killed, kid," he said evenly. "You´re not trained for this."

----------------------

Author´s Note: Here it goes... In case you haven´t noticed, the Eye of the Storm is the calm part right in the middle--the nice moment right before everything goes straight to hell. Thanks for reading, and for all those who are wondering how long the story is (yes, it is finished, except for editing), it´s 27 chapters, plus the prologue and the epilogue. So that´s 29 chapters overall...unless I add something, which I might. Regardless, stay tuned for the next chapter, "Midnight", in which the Death Eaters come out to play. Please review!