The Awakening of a Magus

The Awakening of a Magus
Chapter 31 - Mon, Jul 31 - Day 11
A time for tears, a time for joy

The members of the circle who weren't at the press conference had gathered back in the dining room, except for Molly Weasley, who was back at the Burrow, fussing over something. When Darius left the press conference, they were surprised that Harry didn't join them.

/* Thanks for standing by, Draco, */ Harry sent to the entire circle. /* We didn't need 'Harry' at the press conference after all. */ Then Harry neutralized the Polyserum, and Draco morphed back to his own form. /* I'm up in my room. I need to be alone for awhile ... I've put off assimilating Wormtail's memories too long. I don't know how long it will take. While I'm working on that, I'll be blocking off the mindspeech links to avoid distractions. */ Harry's mind voice conveyed the dread he felt at dealing with those memories ... memories that surely included his parents' death.

The professors dispersed to their offices, Remus decided to check on Sirius, and Ron, Hermione, and Draco decided to get better acquainted for Harry's sake.

"You know him better than I do," Draco said quietly. "Is he going to be ok?"

Hermione looked a bit worried, but said, "Eventually. He always comes through the rough times eventually. And Dumbledore said to give him time."

Ron decided to shift the conversation to a happier topic. "What did you think of the press conference? Darius was sure a crowd-pleaser, wasn't he?"

"I thought it was just perfect," Hermione put in. "But what I'd like to know is: who is that reporter that knows Sirius so well? Who is Addie Periwinkle? I wish Remus had stayed around ... he might have known who she is."

"I'll tell you what did surprise me, though it shouldn't have." Ron spoke quietly. "Did you hear Dad in his opening statement? He said it ... he really said V-v-Voldemort!" Ron had to force the name out. "We had a long talk last night after you and Ginny went to bed," he said to Hermione. "He said that he had a responsibility now, in his new position, not to be intimidated by superstition. That Dumbledore had been right all these years. Being afraid to name something or someone gave that thing power over you. He said he wouldn't hide behind 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-who-must-not-be-named' ever again. And that he hoped the rest of the family could do the same."

The three made small-talk for awhile, discussing Harry, Quidditch, the coming term, whatever. Then Professor McGonagall came over to talk to them. "It's good to see you three getting along. Harry will need your support." She paused for a moment, then continued. "The student letters will be going out tomorrow, but I'm going to tell you now ... all three of you are among the fifth-year prefects."

Ron was surprised. "Me? But I thought it would be Harry. Isn't he staying in school?"

The professor smiled. "Well, I suppose Harry does seem the obvious choice for the Gryffindor fifth-year boys, but, whether he continues as a student or not, he will have other responsibilities. And you were not chosen just because you are Harry's friend. You have matured a great deal recently, and we believe you will be the best choice for Gryffindor. We will be having a full roster of prefects this year ... one boy and one girl from each house in fifth, sixth, and seventh year, with Head Boy and Girl coming from the seventh year prefects."

McGonagall continued. "In addition, I have a special request for the three of you. We know that Harry has been sharing his advanced training with the two of you," she said, looking at Ron and Hermione, "and that you, Draco, have been progressing very well with Professor Snape's training. We believe that by the time the normal term starts, all of you will, in many areas, be a match for the seventh year students, and each of you has a relatively rare gift: mindspeech, scanning, and potential animagus. We will be having more intensive training this year than in the past, because of the Dark Lord's return. Until Harry reveals himself publicly, he, as Darius, will be conducting special training and we would like you to assist him, both during training, and as tutors."

All three were stunned, especially at McGonagall's statement that they would be performing at seventh-year levels soon. Draco looked at Ron and Hermione with interest. He hadn't yet done a scan on the two Gryffindors. "Well now! We know I'm the Scanner ... any objection to my checking out who goes with which gift?"

"Sure, go ahead, Malfoy," Ron said with a smile. "Tell us what you see."

So Draco shifted his perceptions to look at his fellow students' magic patterns, beginning with Ron. /* So, Weasley, you're the mindspeaker. Looks like you'll have quite a range, too. */ Draco sent to Ron, knowing that if Ron wasn't ready to hear non-speakers yet, the circle link he had with Harry and Snape would facilitate the contact.

/* That's one, Malfoy, */ Ron answered so Draco, Hermione and McGonagall could hear. Then aloud, "So, by process of elimination that makes Hermione ..."

Then Draco shifted his focus to Hermione, and said, "That makes Granger the potential animagus ... it looks like a Black and White owl. " Then Draco looked at McGonagall. "Being a beastspeaker is pretty rare, too. Why didn't you mention that?"

Everyone looked at Draco in shock. "What do you mean beastspeaker?" Hermione whispered. "Harry never said anything about that."

Draco checked again. "Yes, I'm sure that pattern is part of the beastspeaker symbol I saw in Potter. His pattern is more complete, since he can speak to any animal. And yours doesn't match the portion that ... activated when he spoke to his owl, so yours isn't birds. But I'm sure it matches the beastspeaker template. I just don't know which animal group yet."

McGonagall stared at Draco, then said, "Yes, Draco, it would appear you will be extremely helpful in identifying special gifts in the students so they can receive the appropriate training. It is normally very difficult to identify gifts until one is much older, or unless it shows up prematurely, as your and Ron's gifts have." Then, looking at the three of them, she asked, "Can I count on you to help us? I realize that along with your prefect duties you will be quite busy. You would be able to earn course credit for the teaching assistant and tutoring duties in place of one of your electives."

The three looked at each other, realizing that this would also mean they would be working together a great deal. First Hermione, then Ron, and finally Draco gave a small nod to the others, then they turned to McGonagall and nodded to her. She gave a small sigh of relief, then stood up. "Thank you. I realize that you are going to be crossing House boundaries to work together on this project, and I appreciate the effort more than you know. I'll let you know when we have more details on the program. Keep up the hard work on your training."

Not long after McGonagall left, Molly Weasley apparated in, carrying a rather large birthday cake. "Well now, when is the birthday party starting? I know Arthur, Erasmus and Sylvia probably have work, and I'm thinking Sirius and his friend may be getting reacquainted, but when will the rest of the group be ready?"

"I suppose it all depends on Harry," Hermione said. She tried to mindspeak him, but there was no contact. "He's still blocked. It's been well over an hour. I hope he's alright."

"That long? Hmm. Ron, I want a relay to Albus, please." Molly's mothering instincts surged to the forefront. When Ron nodded, Molly sent, /* Albus, how is Harry doing? */

/* Harry is dealing with the results of the memory scan. */ Dumbledore, however, sounded a bit worried himself.

/* Heavens, how long should that take? From what I've seen and heard about, he should have assimilated all that in a few minutes. */ Molly made her decision. /* I'm coming up there, Albus. */

Harry just stared into the fire. The images from Wormtail's memories kept rushing through his mind, always returning to the scene where his parents died and Voldemort tried to kill him. The rebounding spell had blinded Pettigrew and a kind of magical shock wave had knocked him nearly unconscious, so he didn't see exactly what happened to Voldemort. He had stumbled away from the premises in a daze. But now, Harry had the images of the deaths of James and Lily Potter to go with the voices that came to him when a Dementor was near. He felt trapped by the memories, his own and the foreign memories ... and the grief and the pain and the loneliness.

"Harry, dear," he heard Molly Weasley at the door, "I've brought you some tea."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley, I really need to be alone ..."

"What? You can call everyone else by first name but me?" Molly pretended hurt and indignation.

Harry cracked a very small smile. "No, Molly. Of course that isn't it ..."

"That's better." She closed the door with one foot, and brought in a tea tray. "Here now. A cup of tea always helps." She poured the tea and held it in front of Harry until he reluctantly accepted it. Then she sat down on the edge of Harry's bed with her own cup of tea. "Now, dear. I know it's hard, but talking about it can help, you know. If you don't want to talk out loud, mindspeech should work as well."

Harry quietly shook his head, but began to sip his tea. They sat quietly for several minutes, drinking tea, saying nothing.

Molly finished her tea, set the cup on the tray, then went to stand next to Harry's chair, watching the fire as he did. Then she put one arm around his shoulders. After awhile, she began smoothing Harry's long dark hair with gentle fingers. After several minutes, Harry began to lean into Molly's quiet embrace. Finally, silently, the tears began to flow ... a lifetime of loneliness, grief, pain and burdens began to let go, given into the gentle loving care of the woman who stood for the mother he had never really known.

As the tears finally stopped some time later, Molly gave Harry a hankie without a word. Then, quietly, while still looking into the fire, Harry began to speak about what he had seen in Wormtail's memories. Then, other things slipped out, things he had never told anyone: his nightmares and visions; the Dursleys; trying to be 'just Harry' instead of 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'. Molly listened without a word, just offering quiet comfort and sending her affection for this almost-son along the mindspeech link.

As Harry ran out of things to say, and the silence stretched for several minutes, Molly finally said, "I'd like you to put all this behind the Sodalis, dear. No one else needs to know any of this, so I'd rather not take any chances."

Harry looked up at Molly, then he stood up and gently hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. "What would I do without you, Molly? I hope I don't have to find out for a very long time." He finally was able to give her a genuine smile.

"Come along, dear. I don't want your birthday cake to dry out, assuming the others haven't already stolen a few pieces." Molly smiled and headed for the door. "Albus, leave that work for later. The party is about to begin."

When Darius left, most of the reporters drifted out of the room, but not Addie Periwinkle. Sirius looked at her in something of a daze. She had been a rather plain, quiet girl in school, though a good friend. She hadn't been first in her class academically, but she was never less than third or fourth in their year group. Though she didn't join the Marauders in their adventures, she had been Lily's friend, and though a Hufflepuff, had more than once helped to cover up for the Gryffindor Marauders' mischief. She seemed different somehow, and not just because of the years that had passed since he had last seen her.

"Minister Fudge, you've forgotten something," Addie insisted. "At least two things, in fact. Sirius needs that pardon in writing. Plus, since he was imprisoned without a proper trial, he is entitled to compensation for unjust imprisonment."

Sirius didn't know she could be so strong-willed and aggressive. He began to look at her, really look at her. She hadn't moved from his side since he had apparated in. There was a sense of possessiveness about her, and he realized that the years had not only been kind to her, but that she was now a decidedly attractive, independent woman. Had she changed so much, or had he, or both? He forced his attention back to what Fudge was saying.

"Well now, Miss Periwinkle. Things have to go through channels. And there is still the issue of Black escaping from Azkaban ..." Fudge didn't like to be put on the spot, and he had been counting on talking to Lucius Malfoy, but Malfoy had disappeared.

"Actually, there are no issues, Minister," put in Arthur Weasley. "Your statement, before the entire Press Corps, and recorded in various ways, said, I quote, 'declare you pardoned and exonerated of all charges against you to this date.' All charges to this date." Fudge had never heard Weasley be so assertive, either. He was quite irritated ... and trapped.

"Here, Minister. I can have my recorder print two copies of your statement in a moment: one for Sirius and one for the public record." Addie's green-gray eyes were intense as she used the charm to do just that. "You can use my quill."

Fudge hated it, but had to go through with it. Maybe they would drop the issue of compensation. After all, he had been partly involved in Black's capture and subsequent 'railroading' to Azkaban. He signed and sealed both parchments, handing one to Black, and the other to Weasley. "Fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I have ..."

"You have the matter of compensation to deal with." Arthur and Addie spoke at the same time, smiled fleetingly at each other, then returned their glare to Fudge. Addie continued. "Think of the good publicity it will bring your administration ... 'Justice at last!', etc, etc."

Fudge looked from Weasley to Periwinkle to Black. "Just what do you have in mind?"

"As I recall", Addie said coldly, "all of his possessions and funds were confiscated by the Ministry. There should be a record of exactly how much that was. I propose that Mr. Black," she gave him a small smile, "be granted compensation in the amount of ... say ... three, no, five times what was taken from him, plus a position in the Ministry. He was set to join the Aurors when everything happened."

Arthur had a gleam in his eye, "Or, perhaps he could take a position in my department. He has shown himself highly skilled at avoiding capture. He could be helpful in tracking down fugitives." Sirius couldn't help but smile at that.

"Th-three t-times?" Fudge stuttered.

"No, I corrected that to five times ... the economics have changed significantly over the past 14 years." Addie wasn't going to budge. "I may only work for Witch Weekly, but I have a good reputation among my colleagues. How do you want me to cover this ... situation?"

Sirius was filled with shock and respect. Meek little Addie Periwinkle was effectively threatening and blackmailing the Minister of Magic on his behalf. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice behind them.

"I think I'd agree to whatever Miss Periwinkle wants, Minister," commented Remus Lupin. "People often underestimate her at first, but never twice." To Sirius, he sent /* I've followed her career. She's actually quite a talented and ... strong-willed woman. Go along with wherever she leads. */ Remus smirked a bit at the double meaning that statement could have.

/* What do you know that I don't, Mooney? */ Sirius sent suspiciously.

Remus grinned, almost evilly. /* That's for me to know and you to find out, Padfoot, if she's willing to tell you. */ Remus and James Potter had long ago promised Addie that they wouldn't tell Sirius how she really felt about him. She had insisted that, if he couldn't see it, if they had to tell him, then she could never trust how he really felt. She could handle knowing they were only friends, but couldn't handle wondering (if he was told how she felt) if he loved her or felt sorry for her because she loved him. Their occasional friendly 'dates' to some of the Hogwarts balls had to be enough, even if he had used her as a shield against some of his less interesting 'admirers'.

Fudge caved in completely, writing up a directive: that the records be researched, and that compensation for one Sirius Black would be provided by the Ministry in the amount of five times his previously confiscated property; plus a job in Arthur Weasley's department would be offered for a minimum of six months at entry-level Auror's standard pay.

Arthur drew his wand and duplicated the document, got Fudge to sign and seal both, then handed one to Sirius and kept the other. "I'll see that both of these documents are filed immediately, Minister."

Fudge just grumbled and stalked off to his office.

Sirius looked at Addie in something like awe, then grabbed her, spun her around laughing, and placed a quick kiss on her smiling mouth. Then he stopped, set her down carefully, took her in his arms, and did a much better job.

Arthur, looking at Remus, said quietly, "I'll file these immediately. Then as soon as Sylvia and Erasmus can break away, we're taking a long lunch. There's a birthday party I want to attend. Suppose you go ahead and see if you can clear things so Addie can come, too," he said, looking at the pole-axed look in the eyes of Sirius Black ... a suddenly free man who suddenly realized he just might have missed something all those years ago ...

Chapter 32 - Mon, Jul 31 - Day 11
An Emotional Day

As Harry, Molly and Dumbledore rode down the spiral stairs in the Headmaster's Tower, Dumbledore commented, "Harry, I forgot to mention, with all the activity this morning, that you had best avoid your real form outside of restricted areas. The rest of the staff begins to return to Hogwarts today, and now that Darius has made a public appearance, I expect we may have unexpected visitors more often. "

Harry sighed, and shifted to his ordinary-Harry form, which after 10 days had progressed about one quarter of the way from his old look to the new look he had that first day. "You're right, of course, Albus ... Professor. I've been wondering, though. My current form has changed since I set up this slow shapeshift. Should I keep the same timetable and increase the rate of change so I reach whatever is 'current' when school starts, or should I use the same rate of change and take longer?"

"Well," Molly interjected, "if my opinion matters, dear, I think you should just get it over with. Be yourself when school starts so you have one less thing to remember. What about you, Albus?"

Dumbledore smiled at the way Molly seemed to have completed her 'adoption' of Harry. Just what the boy needs ... and none of the rest of us could have done it, he thought to himself. "Heaven knows you'll have enough on your mind, Harry. In fact, I suggest you accelerate the shift, making the timetable shorter. You have one month before the rest of the students arrive. Accelerate the process to at most two weeks. We should have the physical training equipment later this week, so that will justify some of the changes. Besides, everyone is used to expecting the unexpected from Harry Potter." Dumbledore, the Mentor, enjoyed teasing his Magus to help keep him from getting too serious. "Oh, did I mention that there are already some visitors downstairs? Since we are celebrating several events today, it appears the other Weasleys, some of the Order, and Miss Periwinkle are joining us for the party."

"As long as Fudge doesn't come ..." Harry began.

Molly laughed. "After the way Arthur and Addie railroaded Fudge just now, I doubt he wants to be around any of us any time soon."

At Harry's surprised look, Molly showed her memories of what she had seen through Arthur after Harry left. The more he 'saw', the harder he laughed. By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, he had to lean against the wall to try to breathe normally. He was shaking with giggles and gasping, "Oh! Oh, Arthur ... and Sirius ... Addie ... Fudge!" He finally caught his breath and was able to calm down. "Oh, did I ever need that, Molly! I haven't laughed so hard in ... I can't remember when, if ever. Thanks, Molly-mum!" Harry looked at Molly with tender gratitude, which in turn brought a shine to her eyes.

Once the others heard that Harry was on his way down, the party setup went into high gear. Dobby directed the other house elves like a little general, saying, "Everything must be wonderful for Mr. Harry Potter and his friends, everything!" Those that had gifts for Harry had already set them up near the fireplace.

When Harry reached the dining room, he found it had been decorated in Gryffindor and Magus colors: red and gold plus purple. There were more people than he had expected, but then this had become a combined celebration for him and Sirius, plus Arthur and his new department. Since there were a number of people who didn't know he was Darius, he expected someone would wonder why Darius didn't join them. He thought a bit about how he would cover if the subject came up.

"Ooo! Ickle-Harry's got a berfday!" crowed the Weasley twins. And they proceeded to begin singing an off-key, out of sync version of Happy Birthday (well, Harpy Berfday). Before they had gone a few measures, Harry had his wand out, growling, and threatening to hex them if they didn't stop, in spite of Dumbledore standing behind him.

Harry went to the table where his birthday cake was sitting ... still intact. He decided that something was missing, so he carefully conjured another cake beside it, marked 'Welcome Home, Sirius!' in Magus Purple lettering, with a small 'D' in the corner ... a gift from Darius.

Addie happened to approach the table from the other side just as the cake appeared. "Where did that come from?" she asked, looking at Harry and some of the others nearby.

Harry answered, "It's from Darius," pointing to the small initial. "Since he can't make it to the party, I guess he decided to provide an extra cake for Sirius, and all the extra people who came for his celebration. By the way, Miss Periwinkle," Harry extended a hand to the reporter, "I'm ..."

Addie smiled, taking his hand, and finished, "Harry Potter. I'm so glad to see you again after all these years. I was at your naming day. And call me Addie, please. "

"Right." Harry smiled. "Remus said you knew the Marauders and friends. And I want to thank you, for myself and for Darius, for the professional articles you've written. It's been a relief to read someone's work that doesn't sensationalize the things that go on around here."

Draco came by just then, and smirked. "Wasn't Darius reading Witch Weekly when he made that comment about 'know thine enemy', Potter?"

"He was reading an article by Miss Periwinkle's colleague, Malfoy." Harry scowled.

Addie frowned. "You must be talking about Bertie ... Bertram Tuttle. I swear he should partner with Tammy Tattler at the Prophet. Thank the stars he's only temporary while Elvira Sheppard is out on maternity leave. On behalf of the rest of the staff, would you convey my apologies to Darius for that drivel?"

"May I have your attention, please?" Dumbledore began. "We are gathered here for several reasons. This was originally to be a small birthday party for Harry, but we have even more to celebrate than that. Today, Sirius Black is free and a blow has been struck against Voldemort with the capture of the Death Eater most responsible for his rebirth. Though he cannot be present at this celebration, I wish to offer a toast to my dear friend, the Magus." He raised a goblet of pumpkin juice as everyone in the room, including an embarrassed Harry, echoed, "The Magus!"

"Now, food and drink are at that table, and Harry's birthday presents are over near the fireplace. Dig in!" Dumbledore drifted over to where several of the returning staff members were looking around with a rather confused expression. "Welcome back, Poppy, Argus. Sibyll, your brother is around here somewhere. Enjoy, enjoy. You'll be brought up to date this afternoon, say, 3 o'clock in my office? Good." Dumbledore then went over for a piece of cake.

Hermione, with Ron tagging behind, came over to Harry. In a low voice, she said, "Let's do your presents now while everyone is occupied with the food. I think some of them are, well ..." She shifted to mindspeech. /* Some of them are as much for Darius as for Harry, if you get my meaning. */

"I understand. Let's do those first, with a bit of a Keep-Away Charm, then we can do the others. Ginny and the twins would hate to be left out." As Harry headed for the fireplace area, Ron sent to the circle, /* Anyone who got Harry something that shouldn't be seen by outsiders, come on over now. Then, we'll do the rest after that. */

Harry set up the mild charm, keying it not to affect the circle, then sat down. Draco handed his package to Harry first. "Here, Potter. Let's get this over with, so it doesn't look so odd that I'm over here." Draco had an odd grin. "Before you open it, though, I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. This is for Darius, under the heading of 'know thine enemy."

Harry gave Draco a puzzled look, then, opened the package, which was obviously some sort of book. A very old, rare-looking book, titled 'An Advanced Grimoire for the Dark Arts' by Simon Barabbas. "It's actually written in ancient Arabic, but there's a rather good translation spell on it. My grandfather gave it to me years ago, but I thought you might find it useful." Draco said this quickly and quietly, then stood and said, "Well, you probably want to hide that for now. I'm going for something to eat." And he slipped away toward the food table without a backward glance.

Dumbledore and McGonagall leaned forward to see the book, and both gasped. Harry was about to defend Draco if necessary, when Dumbledore said in a reverent whisper, "Best not let Madame Pince see that, Harry. She would be green with envy. May I see it a moment?" Dumbledore examined the book and the translation spell. "This is one of the five original copies penned by Barabbas himself. Three are known to be destroyed, and a fourth assumed destroyed. This is likely the only surviving copy. In fact, Voldemort himself would covet this volume. This is a priceless gift, Harry, but even more so because of the giver and the reason for the gift." Dumbledore handed the book back to Harry, who used a spell to transport it safely to his room in the Headmaster's Tower.

Harry tried to send a thank you message, but Draco interrupted him, sending back, /*Never mind, Potter, alright? It would ruin my reputation! */

Two other gifts were opened then. Hermione's gift was a small figure of an Emperor Horntail dragon, and a set of peacock quills with ink the exact shade of Magus purple. Erasmus and Sylvia had given Harry a set of instructor's robes similar in design to the 'Magus uniform' that Darius wore for when the Magus (whether Darius or Harry) conducted special training classes. Harry was still uncomfortable about the idea of being an instructor of any kind, but Minerva and Albus had insisted that his calendar age didn't matter in this case. After hiding those away in his room as well, Harry dropped the Keep-Away charm and several people drifted over to join them.

The Weasley family had the usual 'care package' for Harry; Fred and George (under the name of Gred and Forge) had an assortment of their new inventory of prank supplies; Ron, Sirius and Remus had all gotten Quidditch-related items. Just as Harry thought he was done, Hedwig flew into the room with a small package from Hagrid and a note:

(-letter-)

Harry,

Sorry I didn't make it back in time for your birthday. I'm not where I can make some of my usual treats for you. I saw in the paper where there's a Magus over there, so I guess things are getting exciting. I found this buried in a junk shop and cleaned it up. I think it'll remind you of someone.

Hope to be back in a week or so. Take care of yourself.

Hagrid

Harry grinned at Ron and Hermione. "Is it terrible that I'm grateful he couldn't make any treats this year?" There was a good deal of laughter from most of the people associated with Hogwarts who had experienced Hagrid's cooking.

Then he opened the package, which was wrapped in an old copy of the Daily Prophet. Inside was a small figurine of a hippogriff that looked just like Buckbeak, the hippogriff that had been rescued from execution and which then helped rescue Sirius over a year ago. Even though one foot was broken and inexpertly repaired, Harry thought it was wonderful. He grinned up at Sirius, who was also looking at the figure fondly, remembering the night Harry and Hermione and Buckbeak saved him from the Dementor's Kiss.

Setting the figure on the mantle for the time being, Harry turned to the others. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I have a craving for birthday cake. Let's see if Draco left us any."

When Lucius arrived at his master's encampment, he saw a display of fury greater than any he had witnessed before. Voldemort was pacing wildly. Every few steps, he would blast a tree or boulder near him. Lucius stood quietly for about ten minutes before Voldemort finally noticed him.

"It is fortunate you had the wit to contact me when you learned the Magus would be present. At least you have learned to focus your attention so that I can observe more effectively. In this case, however, I must know everything you perceived." He raised his wand, his red, venomous eyes bored into those of his Death Eater. In his mind, Lucius heard, /* Show me what you saw ... */

This Memory Reading spell was normally used by Obliviators on Muggles who would need a memory adjustment. It was quite difficult to use on wizards, and very painful for the subject. Of course, Voldemort had more than enough power to read any wizard, and if he thought about the pain he caused, it was with satisfaction, not regret. It was nothing like the Memory Scan the Magus performed, which was painless, and based on his telepathic gifts, not spell-casting.

At length, Voldemort withdrew from Malfoy's mind and dismissed the spell. Lucius was shaking with reaction at the brutal assault on his mind, and struggled to recover as quickly as possible. Suddenly, Voldemort asked him sharply, "What of Wormtail's condition?"

"He appeared to be under a controlling spell, and there was a ... wildness about him, that I could see even across the room. Almost as though ..." Lucius trailed off.

"As though ... what?" Voldemort snapped.

"As though he were mad," Lucius concluded. "But mad or sane, they will use Veritaserum on him. What is your will, my Lord?"

Voldemort looked stonily at his servant. "He must die. That never-to-be-sufficiently-damned Magus interfered with his execution. Though Wormtail does not know all my plans, he can identify many of the higher-ranked Death Eaters, such as yourself. Also, he was captured at Beauxbatons, and knows I have a spy at Durmstrang. And of course, he knows of your son's true purpose at Hogwarts."

The Dark Lord seemed to stare into the distance. Actually, he was making another attempt to reestablish his link with Wormtail, especially the mindspeech link that had only succeeded with this one, pitiful Death Eater, and the power drain that he craved. But there was nothing.

He focused again on Malfoy. "Lucius, it falls to you to serve me in three important matters. First, I want you to prepare the Vita Veritas potion and key it to Wormtail. I must know whether he lives or dies. And I want you to contact my servants in the Ministry and have them find out all they can about Wormtail's imprisonment, so that one of you can dispose of him. Each one making the attempt must have a vial of the Vita Veritas, so all will know when one succeeds. And of course, I must have a vial as well."

"The other two matters you need to take charge of are Azkaban and Durmstrang." The Dark Lord's eyes almost glowed in anticipation. "It is almost time to summon the Dementors, and to release those of my servants who are still capable of serving me. And you will work with my spy in Durmstrang to steal several dark artifacts and ancient dark spell books that are hidden there. If necessary, Durmstrang must fall."

Voldemort prepared to dismiss his servant. "For now, go and prepare the potion, contact the other Death Eaters, and make arrangements to remain with me or be about my business for at least a week. Come to me no later than noon tomorrow. Go, and be grateful I do not take out my anger at the Magus on you ... this time. It would likely kill you, and I am not done with you ... yet."

Addie was standing alone at the party at the moment. She had been talking to Professor McGonagall, and Sirius was off talking to Arthur Weasley about his new job. She sensed someone behind her, and a soft voice she hadn't heard in years addressed her.

"Hello, Adelaide. You are looking well." Snape spoke quietly, unlike his usual manner of addressing people.

"Severus." Addie smiled, and though she would have liked to hug her school friend, she knew this was not Snape's way, and merely reached out for his hand, squeezing it gently. "Thank you. You are looking quite well yourself. Nothing like your reputation among the students would lead me to imagine."

Snape just looked at her, with a smirk. "I have a reputation to uphold, Adelaide. I can't have a student know that I'm human."

"Same barriers you always had, Severus. I always wondered how you could bear to be civil to a mere Hufflepuff; you, the Solitary Slytherin." Addie remembered their time at Hogwarts well.

"Perhaps it was because you were one of a handful of people in my lifetime who treated me as a human being, in spite of those 'barriers' you speak of." Severus relaxed with this quiet lady as he could with no other. "I suppose it was fortunate that you needed tutoring in Potions at the same time I needed assistance in Transfiguration. It was also lucky your Gryffindor friends didn't know. They would have tried even harder to get me killed, or rejected you, which would have been worse."

Just then, Sirius noticed who Addie was talking to, and he was instantly furious. He didn't realize he had suddenly become quite possessive of his school friend. He stomped over and growled, "What are you doing here, Snape? Leave Addie alone!"

"Black." Snape glared at his long-standing enemy. "I think I have a right to speak with my cousin."

"What?" Sirius was stunned, and looked at Addie.

Addie slowly answered, "Well, actually, we are distant cousins. I think the family trees connect four or five generations back." She looked at Severus for confirmation.

"Five. In addition, Adelaide was my Transfiguration tutor for several years, as I was her Potions tutor. But then, you wouldn't have noticed." Snape's old anger at Black and the Marauders began to fill him. "You only noticed me to try to get me killed."

"And all you tried to do was get us expelled," Sirius returned hotly.

Addie was frustrated. "Just like twenty years ago. And I had the misbegotten luck to become friends with both of you. When will you two let go of the past?"

"Adelaide, they harassed me merely because I was a Slytherin. They tried to get me killed. I ..." Snape tried to reach through his friend's anger.

"You deserved it, you greasy git," Black snarled. "When I think of all the things you Slytherins did ..."

"Stop right there, Sirius Black." Addie was out of patience. "He wasn't a part of either of the Slytherin factions in those days. You just lumped him in with the rest, just because of his house. And you, Severus," Addie rounded on her other friend. "You would have done better to ignore them, but you went out of your way to get them into trouble. He," nodding towards Sirius, "took advantage of that when he decided to prank you. But the others didn't know, I swear. And even Sirius didn't think how dangerous it was. He just wanted to give you a good scare. He'd gotten used to being around ... the danger, and didn't remember that sending a human in would be life-threatening. Be angry at his stupidity, but there was no true malice, and no conspiracy. James only discovered the danger by accident, and risked his life to save yours. Then he made this fool's life miserable for weeks. And so did Remus."

Both men looked at Addie, stunned at her outburst, and her arguments. They were painfully accurate observations. Then Severus said in a whisper. "I might forgive anything, but I can't forgive the way he broke your heart, Adelaide. Your spirit was broken for weeks after the 7^th year ball, when he used you to make that other ... female jealous, then left the ball without you."

"Severus! Don't!" Adelaide was shocked that Snape would reveal her secret.

"You may have sworn Potter and Lupin to secrecy, but I always swore to myself that someday this blind fool would pay for hurting you." Snape looked at Addie with concern, as though she were a beloved sister, then at Sirius, as though he were looking at a worm.

Sirius was struggling to put the pieces together, thinking about what had just been said, and implied, and thinking back to their days at Hogwarts. He finally came to the conclusion that he had two choices: kill Snape, or apologize to him. And he finally realized that he had two choices with Addie: apologize and leave her in peace, or take her in his arms and never let her go. In both cases, he decided on the second choice.

Dumbledore almost had to grab Harry to keep him away from the drama being played out on the other side of the room. "Harry, they have to settle this between them. Addie is probably the only person who can make this happen." Then Dumbledore sent Harry some of his memories of what he had observed those years that Addie, Severus, and the Marauders roamed the halls of Hogwarts.

"How could Sirius be like that?" Harry was outraged.

"Harry, your godfather was a particularly attractive young man. His years at Azkaban have blunted that, but think back to the pictures of your parents' wedding. The only thing he enjoyed as much as pranking was flirting. I'm afraid he was a bit shallow. And Addie was particularly adept at hiding her true feelings ... except with Severus. I believe their secret friendship may be the only reason either of them succeeded at Hogwarts so well." Dumbledore nodded in their direction. "Look, Harry. The impossible is happening." They both watched, rather stunned, as Snape and Black reluctantly shook hands beneath the penetrating gaze of Adelaide Periwinkle. "I must say, I never expected Addie to become so forceful. But she is pure Hufflepuff, fiercely loyal to both friends, even if they were deadly enemies to each other." After another few moments, when Addie was both laughing and crying in the arms of her secret love, Dumbledore said, "I think it's safe to go over there, now. Shall we? It may finally be time to complete the mindspeech links between them."

"And, just maybe, we should have Darius meet Addie a little later." Harry said, with a speculative look in his eye.

(continued)