The Prince

Chapter 2

The Revelation

All thirty rebels were dragged to the court. They had all been healed and enervated.

"Let them be unmasked one by one," said Harry softly. The guard tore off the mask from the first rebel. The whole court gasped, all except Harry. He had recognised the voice earlier.

"Draco Malfoy," he whispered softly. He was quiet for some time and a flicker of emotion passed through the emerald eyes on an otherwise impassive face. Malfoy looked up defiantly, grey eyes smouldering with rage.

"Why did you do it, Draco? Why did you betray me? You made me believe that you were my friend, and when I had placed my complete trust in you, you left me. Why, Draco?" asked the Prince, his voice very soft. No one except Remus could hear the pain in his voice as he uttered these words. To all others, his voice was calm and powerful.

Malfoy glared at the Prince and said nothing. Another wave of the gloved hand and the next rebel was unmasked. The Weasley Lords gasped. Lady Penelope Weasley, Lady Angelina Weasley and Lady Katie Weasley stood up abruptly.

"Ginny?" muttered Lord Fred, his voice trembling. When the next five faces were unmasked, it took Lord Fred, George and Percy all their strength not to faint, for the faces behind the masks were none other than Bill, Charlie, Ron, Molly and Arthur Weasley. The three Lords sank in their seats, while the Prince surveyed them with a grim smile.

"The only family I've ever known...dear me, I seem to be destined to be deprived of the joys of family life, don't I?" he said sarcastically and laughed bitterly. Duke Lupin glanced at him anxiously.

The eighth face turned out to be Neville Longbottom's. The Prince smiled again, a cold smile which sent shivers down everyone's spines. The guard proceeded to the next rebels. Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Terry Boot, Dean Thomas, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Padma Patil, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot and Milicent Bulstrode were the next faces. The twenty first face brought out a strangled cry from the Weasley twins and their wives.

"Lee?" gasped George. "Lee Jordan?"

The guard continued, revealing known faces. Collin and Dennis Creevy, Marcus Flint, Zacharias Smith, Luna Lovegood, Michael Corner, Alicia Spinnet and Oliver Wood stood unmasked. Only one rebel remained. The Prince crossed his fingers, hoping against hope that this would not be the person he feared it was. He watched, as if in slow motion, the guard tearing off the mask from the woman's face. It took him all his self control to keep his face impassive. The whole court had gone silent. It was Duke Lupin who found his voice first.

"Hermione Granger?" he said, his voice shaking. The person in question glared at him and then threw a hateful glance at the Prince. He recognised the robes. This had been the last rebel he had defeated. No wonder, he thought to himself.

"Put them in separate cells," he said quietly, "and make sure that they have no means of escape. We shall fix a trial date soon."

"We don't need a trial, you tyrant!" shouted Ron. "You'll kill us anyway. Why pretend to be just and fair?"

The Prince stood up and walked down to his former best friend.

"Traitor," he hissed. He turned and walked over to Hermione.

"Et tu, Brute?" he whispered, before walking back to his throne. Very few people understood his words. Those who did, cringed.

"Quite the day of betrayal, isn't it?" he said icily. "The people I would have trusted with my life are the ones to betray me. How ironic!"

Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing. Everyone was tempted to take a step back at the sound. It was a cold, dangerous laughter - they knew it well. Harry had laughed similarly after killing Voldemort and the other Dark Lords. Only Duke Lupin knew that this laughter was hysterical. He kept laughing till Remus put a hand on his shoulder and motioned for the guards to take the prisoners away. He gently led Harry away to his room. Harry sat on his bed, staring blankly ahead for a few minutes before tears ran down his cheeks. He was no longer the Prince. He was just Harry, a lonely boy, a boy who had suffered more than anyone should. Remus rubbed his back and let him cry.

"Why did they do it, Remus? Where did I go wrong? Why do they hate me so?" he cried.

Remus looked at him sadly.

"I don't know, Harry, I don't know," he said gently, not knowing what to do. This was the first time he had seen Harry so broken. He put a protective arm around his shoulder, wishing it was a nightmare.

Harry sat quietly for a long time. He looked up at the werewolf, whom he had come to love as a father over the years. After Sirius' death, it had been Remus' support that had saved him from insanity. He had taken over the duties of a Godfather.

"Thank you, Remus," he said softly, and stood up. Remus stood up next to him. On an impulse, Harry threw his arms around him and asked suddenly, "You won't betray me, will you, Remus?"

His broken voice stabbed at the heart of the werewolf.

"No, Harry. I would rather die. You have my loyalty, my child."