The Awakening of a Magus

The Awakening of a Magus
Chapter 33 - Mon, Jul 31 - Day 11
Death to Death Eaters

Stretched out in his favorite chair, legs propped up before the fireplace, savoring a snifter of his finest brandy, Lucius Malfoy pondered his situation. He had just spent several hours carefully preparing the Vita Veritas potion. By adding hairs from Wormtail's comb that Voldemort had provided just before his departure from the hidden encampment, the potion was keyed to the life force of Peter Pettigrew. The thick, milky liquid had turned to a thin, iridescent green, and would stay that way while the Death Eater lived. It would turn a thick, tar-like black when Wormtail was dead. In this way, Voldemort and Malfoy would know when the first mission had been accomplished. Lucius had already delivered a vial of the potion to his master, and had sent a summons to one of his Ministry spies, Gridley Stump.

He would give an extra vial of the Vita Veritas to Stump, along with two vials of what were supposed to contain a potion that enabled a person to resist Veritaserum. In reality, those two vials of dull blue liquid contained a complex poison that remained unnoticed for a time, then, suddenly caused the most excruciating pain before killing the victim. He would use an Imperius curse on Stump, send him to Wormtail, and have him give Wormtail the 'resistance' potion. Stump would be instructed that, if he was in danger of being discovered, he should take the contents of the second vial. If the Vita Veritas turned black, Stump would abort the assignment. Hmm. ... he should also key a vial of Vita Veritas to Stump, so he would know if something went wrong. Lucius just had to wait for Stump to slip away to fire-call, then floo to the mansion to receive his instructions.

The other two tasks from Voldemort were more complex: the fall of Azkaban, and the fall of Durmstrang. He would need to take along some of his more complex Dark Arts references when he went to meet Voldemort for an extended time. Perhaps he would even check Draco's library. Narcissa's step-father had given the boy several interesting volumes ... before he'd killed himself with a botched Dark ritual. What a fool his father-in-law had been! Narcissa wasn't much better, but the marriage had been good political sense ... at the time.

Lucius hadn't decided yet if he would return to Voldemort immediately, or wait for morning. He had a feeling that he should be prepared to leave quickly, not knowing how much the Ministry might learn from Wormtail before Stump could get rid of him.

He would be very pleased to be rid of the rat.

The celebration was breaking up, and Dumbledore was heading up to his office for his 3 o'clock staff meeting with the newly arrived members of the Hogwarts 'family'. Nearly everyone that didn't live at the school had left, even Ron with the rest of the Weasleys. But Hermione called Harry over to a quiet corner of the room.

"Harry, why didn't you tell me I was a beastspeaker?" she finally asked bluntly.

"You are? Great! How did you find out?" Harry was truly happy for her.

This startled her. "You didn't know? But Draco ..."

"Oh, that explains it," Harry answered, then sent to the young Slytherin, /* Draco? Do you have a minute? I need to know what you discovered about Hermione. */

/* Oh, all right. I'm coming, Potter. What's the matter with Granger now? */ Draco sent, grumbling. It seemed that after giving Harry a birthday present, he regretted getting too friendly and was putting a bit of distance between himself and the Gryffindors.

/* Nothing wrong ... just wanted to learn what I missed, Malfoy, */ Harry sent back with some amusement. Then Harry sent to Hermione, /* I think Draco wants to keep a bit of distance from us 'disgusting Gryffindors'. We should go back to being a bit less personal with him, unless he changes his mind. It wouldn't do for us to get in the habit around outsiders, anyway. */

Hermione sniggered. /* After all the trouble I went through to start thinking of him as 'Draco', and now I need to go back to 'Malfoy'? Well, at least I'll try not to call him a slimy Slytherin ... unless he starts calling me a mudblood again. */

Once Draco showed up, Harry had him go over the Scan of Hermione, describing what signs had told him about her talents. "You identified her form as a Black-and-White owl? I didn't get that much detail ... just that it was an owl," Harry admitted.

Draco seemed exasperated. "You're the Magus, Potter. How can I see more than you can?"

Harry leaned back in the chair with a smirk. "Time for 'The Nature of Magic 101', my friends ... well, friend and colleague. I'll condense several conversations I've had with our illustrious headmaster."

"There are several aspects of magic: strength, stamina, variety and complexity. There is 'regular' magic ... the ability to do spells, usually with a wand as a focus, and talent, the ability to perform tasks with the mind. Some things are a bit of both magic and talent, like apparating and being an animagus," Harry began. "A Magus has a lot of strength, stamina and variety, and some complexity. And it's in both magic and talent. The strength is how much energy can be put into play. The stamina is how long the energy can be maintained, and the time it takes to recover. The variety is how many different things one is capable of doing. The complexity is how skillfully those things can be done. Follow me so far?"

Draco had at first stared blankly at Harry-as-lecturer, but soon paid close attention, trying to match it to what his Scanner senses had been telling him. Hermione, as the ultimate student she was, hung on every word, her quick mind associating this information with what she already knew and had experienced. They both nodded for Harry to continue.

"Now," Harry continued, "let's use the Scanner talent as an example. I have a very wide variety of abilities, I can put a lot of raw power into them, and, once I fully adjust to being a Magus, I'll be able to keep it going almost indefinitely, with no recovery time to speak of. From what I've read, and what Albus has told me, my Scanning ability is of moderate complexity ... in the case of Scanning, it's sometimes called discernment. It means, how much information with how much detail am I able to sense. It doesn't require an extreme amount of strength or stamina, though it does require above-average power."

"As I'm sure you would agree, Malfoy, you are a wizard of above-average power overall. However, your Scanning ability is of very great complexity. You sense more, you sense it more clearly and easily, and your mind has even come up with an organized system of symbols to describe what you sense. I can sense your symbols when you show me, but I can't see them for myself. Now that I know 'Mione is a beastspeaker, and you've shown me your Scan results, I think I can find the general beastspeaker talent in her power center, but I don't have any other information. Just as I didn't know what kind of owl her animagus form would be." Harry paused, with a grin. "Now don't let it go completely to your head, Malfoy. You're arrogant enough as it is."

About that time, Hedwig and Fawkes flew into the room, interrupting whatever wisecrack Draco intended as an answer. Dumbledore had sent them with a message for Harry, asking him to join the staff meeting in Dumbledore's office. They had decided not to tell everyone on the staff everything about Harry. For now, they wouldn't even admit Harry was in the Magus circle, which was why Albus didn't just mindspeak him with the message.

As Hedwig landed, presenting the message, she said, /* Hello, my Harry-wizard! Headmaster sends Hedwig with a message. It confuses ... why not just speak? */

Fawkes put in, /* Silly Hedwig. You forget there are secrets within secrets. Others don't know about the speaking. */

Hermione giggled just then. When Harry and Draco looked at her questioningly, and Hedwig nipped at Fawkes for calling her silly, Hermione said, "Fawkes is a bit condescending, isn't he?"

Draco looked at her, startled. "You heard him?" he said, as he shifted his perceptions. "Potter, have them both say something else."

Hermione paled a bit. "You mean you weren't relaying, Harry?"

Her friend shook his head, and asked, "Did you hear Hedwig, Fawkes, or both?"

"Hedwig? No, I just heard Fawkes call her 'silly' and talk about secrets," she said quietly, but with growing excitement. "That doesn't make sense. They're both birds. Why can I hear one, but not the other?"

Hedwig said, /* Does Hermione know owl-speak? */ but the witch didn't react.

Then Fawkes said, /* It is obvious she does not hear a mere owl. But *I* am a magical creature! */

Hermione replied, indignantly, "Hedwig is not a mere anything, Fawkes. You apologize to her!" Then she said, "Oh my, I did hear Fawkes. Is he right? Is it because he's a magical creature I can hear him?" She looked at Harry, then Draco, who now shifted his attention to Harry.

"Potter, say something to Hedwig only, then to Fawkes only." Draco focused on the beastspeaker-symbol within the Magus. As Harry complied, Draco saw that there was an overlap between the activated areas. One part appeared to be bird-speak, one part magical-creature-speak and the overlapping area magical-bird-speak. "Now, you again, Granger. Try to say something to each of them mentally." This time, the bird-speak section remained inactive, but the entire magical-creature section came brightly to life.

"It's magical creatures. It shouldn't be limited to magical birds but any magical creature. Interesting. It cuts across all types of animals, leaving out the non-magical species." Draco was talking aloud, but mostly to himself at this point. Noticing Hermione listening raptly, he finished with, "Well, Potter. You need to take her to the Forbidden Forest and introduce her to some of the more interesting life forms there."

"Oh, Harry, when can we start?" Hermione squealed with excitement, to Draco's mock-disgust (appearances, you know ... though he was actually curious himself).

Harry shook his head. "It'll have to be later, 'Mione. You forget why Hedwig and Fawkes came over. I'll call when I'm free, ok?" As soon as he had her reluctant agreement, he apparated to the gargoyle at the foot of the Headmaster's Tower, gave the current password, and went up the spiral staircase.

Just before entering the headmaster's office, he sent, /*Oh Malfoy, do me a favor and give 'Mione a lift to the Burrow? */ and he sent the visualization needed for Draco to apparate to an unfamiliar location.

The staff meeting in the Headmaster's Tower office was a bit crowded. Besides Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape, the newly arrived personnel were also there: Filch and Mrs. Norris, Poppy Pomfrey, Sibyll Trelawney, plus Professor Flitwick and Madame Pince, who had arrived just as the party was winding down.

Dumbledore had taken care of routine school business, then, he explained the public version of the story of the Magus. He told how Harry was living at Hogwarts and receiving training from Snape and Darius, as were Draco, and indirectly Hermione and Ron. Since it was to be publicized soon, he told them how the four students had excelled in their training and that each had strong, early-developing talents, in Healing, Scanning, Beastspeaking and Mindspeech respectively. They were told that there would be people coming and going for whom there would be little or no explanation (something that Filch was decidedly unhappy about). And they were told that Harry had the freedom of the castle and would be involved in secret matters involving the Magus and the unexplained visitors (something that Filch was positively furious about). He told them only part of the composition of the Magus circle: himself, McGonagall, Snape, Arthur, Erasmus and Sylvia, adding that since Sirius Black was joining Arthur's department, it 'would make sense' for him to be a part of the Circle as well.

The newcomers looked at Snape, expecting his usual reactions to any special treatment for Harry Potter, and were astounded to see him agreeing with the arrangements. The only thing that shocked them more about Snape was the news that he had finally been granted the DADA position.

Sibyll Trelawney was getting impatient to settle into her misty tower. "Albus, I don't see why my Inner Eye must be further cluttered with these details."

"Patience, Sibyll," Dumbledore soothed. "I've asked Harry to join us here before we disburse. Though most of you saw him at the party, I believe it important you meet him briefly. The Boy-Who-Lived has come into his own, and you need to meet the gifted young man he has become." Granted, this came perilously close to revealing him as the Magus, but Dumbledore felt that if they could adjust to the changes in Harry now, it would be easier for them to ignore those changes around outsiders. He sensed Harry just outside the door as Harry's hand was poised to knock. "Come join us, Mr. Potter."

As Harry came in, he addressed everyone with a quiet, "Good afternoon, everyone." He walked smoothly over to the door of his room, reached in for the desk chair, and began to sit down in it facing the others in the room. Just then, a strange sound came from Sibyll. Poppy and Madame Pince had a disgusted look on their faces, and Filch was about to say something rude, when Harry stepped forward, hand up, to stand before the usually-fraudulent Divination teacher. Strangely, all quieted at his signal.

"The dragon rises ..." she said in a dull, harsh whisper, rising from her seat, staring at the young wizard. As some were about to comment again, Dumbledore shook his head, staring at Harry and Sibyll.

"The imperial dragon rises
from the blood of the griffin
to challenge the basilisk.

The sons of the snake
and the children of the lion
will stand together against all odds.

Generations will pass
before the dragon
finds his soul,

but the black will fall
before the purple
if the time is right."

Harry stared at the woman, who was uttering what was only the third true prophecy of her life. She shivered, then, began to collapse. Harry caught her in his arms, glanced at Dumbledore, then, carried her to his own bed in the next room.

His hands drifted over her body without touching. Poppy had followed them, and watched, sensing his healing magic. She also had the Healer talent (not all mediwitches and mediwizards did), and could tell Harry had a stronger gift, though not how much.

When Harry finished, he stepped back to invite the mediwitch to make her own examination, but she declined. "I don't need to repeat what you've already done. She's just fainted?"

Harry nodded. "I think she should sleep for a bit, though. May I?" he said, asking if she would approve of him using a sleeping spell.

"I agree. You know the spell, I take it. You've learned a great deal in a short time." Poppy's curiosity was nearly killing her, but she didn't ask outright.

"Blame that on Darius," which was essentially the truth, but implied the Magus had given Harry intensive training. Harry had to remember to pretend to use his wand, though he didn't actually. Focusing his magic through his wand would have been very tricky, as powerful as he had become, and the wand would probably have shattered.

They returned to Dumbledore's office, softly closing the door to the bedroom. Everyone was trying to talk at once, as Dumbledore assured them that they had witnessed a true prophecy. "Some of what was said I know the meaning of, but I cannot speak of it at this time. I can say that the last, 'the black will fall before the purple', refers to Voldemort and the Magus. I have no doubt whatsoever. I believe that the time being right refers to the proper training of the Magus, which is at a delicate phase right now."

Harry quietly put in, seating himself where Sibyll had been, "I think part about the sons of the snake standing with the children of the lion could refer to the ... well ... uneasy truce between Draco Malfoy, and Ron, Hermione and myself ... Slytherin and Gryffindor."

"I would go so far," said Snape, "as to place myself with Mr. Malfoy as a son of Slytherin in this context. I have reluctantly begun to have some respect for the Gryffindor Trio. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that we might all work together against Voldemort."

Snape knew that they didn't dare reveal just yet the meaning of the first stanza. Harry Magus was 'the imperial dragon' ... meaning his form as an Emperor Horntail dragon. And the 'blood of the griffin' indicated he was a descendent of Godric Gryffindor. Dumbledore had revealed to Snape and McGonagall that he (Dumbledore) and Harry were probably the last males of Gryffindor's line. And the basilisk ... would be Voldemort, as well as the actual basilisk that Tom Riddle had commanded and Harry had killed over two years earlier. Also Snape believed that the third stanza, the generations passing, referred to Harry's long wait for a soulmate, who apparently hadn't even been born yet.

The members of the circle exchanged quick thoughts, including reassurance to Erasmus that his sister would be her usual self in a short time. Those not of the circle looked at Harry in varying degrees of surprise and curiosity. His manner was not that of a 15-year-old, but of a confident adult, secure in his abilities. There was no arrogance, but a quiet assurance that strangely had a comforting effect on those around him.

Mrs. Norris jumped off Filch's lap, stared at Harry, who stared back (they actually were conversing mentally), then rubbed against Harry's leg, demanding a petting. Filch looked betrayed. Harry murmured some phrases about what a fine lady Norrie was, stroked her back, then, sent her back to Filch with a thought. Poppy was whispering to Flitwick and Pince about how effectively Darius had trained Harry as a Healer.

McGonagall decided to steer the conversation back to where it had been before the rare oracular pronouncement. "The four students that have been receiving training from Severus and Darius will, among other duties, be tutors and teaching assistants. As Harry's talent for healing has already been demonstrated, I hope, Poppy, that you will take him on as an assistant. Harry, I meant to ask, has Miss Granger's beastspeaking been identified?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry confirmed. "When Hedwig and Fawkes came by with Professor Dumbledore's message, she was able to communicate with Fawkes, but not with Hedwig. Draco, with some help from Darius, confirmed that she can speak with any magical creature. She could be a big help to Hagrid."

"Excellent!" Dumbledore was pleased, as were the rest of the staff. Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class sometimes got out of hand. "I believe Mr. Malfoy will be useful in several classes, helping identify potential talents, and analyzing problems for students having difficulty with a particular discipline. Though I haven't identified a particular classroom situation for Mr. Weasley yet, I believe it could be very useful, in these dangerous times, for him to become familiar with the thought patterns of all the staff and the prefects so that any emergency activities can be better coordinated. He has already had some practice relaying messages to me from Molly."

Professor Flitwick then asked, "Albus, when can we meet the Magus? This is truly an amazing time we live in! Can we observe any of the training?" The small but talented wizard was extremely excited about the prospect.

Dumbledore smiled at his colleague. "I'll find out, if you'll wait a moment, Filius." Again, making it seem more difficult than it was, Dumbledore sent a message to the Magus, speaking aloud for the benefit of his audience. "Darius, will you be available to meet some of the staff?" Along the mindspeech link, he said /* Well, Harry. I believe an in-person meeting should be another day, but perhaps Darius could speak with them? */

In answer, the mental voice of Darius was heard by those in the room, with Harry pretending to hear as well. /* I'm sorry that I'm not at a point where I can interrupt what I'm working on. I hope to meet all of you in the next day or two, perhaps during a mealtime. Some days that's the only time I come up for air. Oh, excuse me. I have to go ... */ The mindvoice of the Magus had a definite chuckle in it, just before it faded out.

Filius Flitwick had a blissful look on his face. Poppy and Irma Pince looked at each other, then at McGonagall, smiling. Filch actually looked frightened. Harry tried to look innocent, and Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore tried not to laugh.

Dumbledore prepared to close the meeting. "Well, then. That is all I had planned, and more. Harry, will Sibyll be asleep for long?"

"No more than another hour, Professor," assured Harry. "Should someone sit with her until then?"

Just then, Erasmus came into Dumbledore's office. "I'll take care of her, Harry. Thanks. And I'll let you know when you can have your room back." He smiled at that, as did Harry.

As everyone began leaving the headmaster's office, Poppy stopped Harry. "Well, Harry Potter, since I've got you for an assistant, you can come down to the hospital wing with me and help me check my potions inventory."

Harry rolled his eyes, grinned, came to attention with a salute and said, "Yes, Ma'am!"

Under the Imperius Curse cast by Lucius Malfoy, Gridley Stump could think of nothing but completing his task properly. He had the vials in his pocket, a pile of obscure forms in his hands, and the location of Peter Pettigrew's cell in his limited thoughts. Seeing an Auror in the area, looking at him with a bit of suspicion, he muttered, "There's always more paperwork. It's never done." The Auror grimaced and turned her attention elsewhere.

But this incident was enough to trigger a part of the Imperius ... If you are in danger of discovery, take one of the resistance potions ... Gridley slipped into an unoccupied office, checked the green vial to be sure it was still green, and swallowed the contents of one of the blue vials. Mechanically, he put the empty vial back in his pocket, and continued to the detention area. He found a guard near the cell in question, but after showing his ID and muttering again about the endless paperwork, he was ushered in to the cell and left there alone with the prisoner.

Pettigrew looked up from the cot he was laying on, with mad-looking eyes and a strange grin. "So, a visitor. More questions, questions, questions! You want me to tell secrets, secrets, secrets." His voice had tapered off to a whisper. Then he sat up, and in a vicious tone of voice demanded, "Who sent you?"

Since they were alone, Gridley was permitted to answer, "My master, Lucius Malfoy, has sent me to give you this potion to protect you against Veritaserum," he said without emotion, holding out the vial.

"Malfoy? Why should he want to help me? Why should I trust what he sends me?" Pettigrew was insane, but he was also justly paranoid where Lucius Malfoy was concerned.

"I myself took a dose of the potion a short time ago. It has caused no harm. I have been sent to help you." The clerk still had not felt the effects of the poison.

This seemed to be enough for Wormtail. "Ah! My Dark Lord regrets wanting to kill me. He knows how valuable I am, so he has Malfoy send me assistance. Give me the potion, now!" And he drank the poison that Malfoy's tool handed him.

Gridley spent a few minutes on paperwork for his cover story. Then they heard the guard outside say, "Minister Fudge! Mr. Avery! I wasn't expecting you yet. Ms. Forester should be here shortly."

Wormtail grinned, saying, "Just in time! Now we shall see how effective this potion is, how little they can force me to say about ... " He was cut off by an agonized scream from Gridley Stump, who collapsed on the floor in the throes of a seizure.

Wormtail then realized that both of them had been betrayed. He knew his life was short, and he knew that Malfoy would not have done this without Voldemort's knowledge. He must have his revenge. "Come in, come in!" he shouted over Gridley's screams. "There isn't much time and I have much to tell!"

As the Minister and Avery entered the cell, Avery looked very worried. He wasn't there by choice, and he had assumed that Pettigrew would at least try to keep the Death Eaters' secrets. But it didn't sound like that. And who was the man who had just stopped screaming on the floor? He looked dead. The guard knelt beside the body, trying to determine what was wrong.

"Ah, Avery! Good to see a fellow Death Eater. You see before you evidence of how little we mean to the Dark Lord and Malfoy." Wormtail looked back and forth between the Minister (who was cowering near the door) and Avery. "Lucius sent this fool to kill me, and he has. I took the same potion that he did. But I will have my revenge before I die." Wormtail then lunged forward, grabbing Avery around the neck with his silver hand. "See, Avery! The hand our master gave me will be your downfall. You see, Fudge, Avery has been a Death Eater for many, many years. He fooled you all into thinking he was a poor victim of the nasty Voldemort." He said the last in a high sing-song voice.

Avery was gasping for air, Wormtail was cackling, and Fudge was in terror, his voice cracking as he yelled at the guard, "Help! Murder! Do something, you fool!" The guard pulled out his wand, raising it from where he knelt, hitting Wormtail with a spell that dislodged his hand from Avery's throat.

"Well, perhaps I can't take you with me, Avery," Wormtail snarled, gasping in pain from the guard's attack, "but you'll see the inside of Azkaban before long. Fudge, I can tell you about a fair number of Death Eaters, though no one but the Dark Lord knows them all. There's Avery here, Macnair, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, Devereaux, and your dear friend Lucius Malfoy, who put you under an Imperius Curse and has managed to kill me while I'm here 'safe' in the Ministry's custody. Let's see ... who else ... there's ... ARGGH!" Wormtail screamed as the poison suddenly took effect.

Just then, Sylvia came running down the hall, following the screaming. As soon as she saw an apparently dead body and a dying prisoner in the cell, she shouted and sent, "Darius! I need you ... now!" Just then, Avery screamed, holding his arm, and collapsed.

The Magus apparated to the cell a few moments later, kneeling beside Wormtail, but the Death Eater had breathed his last, his face with an expression of grim satisfaction. He then looked at Avery, pushing the sleeve up to display the Dark Mark, burned deeply in from the final power drain Voldemort had performed.

"Well, do something, Darius. We need more information from these men. Revive them, just ..." Fudge's demands were interrupted by an angry Magus.

"Minister, I cannot raise the dead. There is nothing more to do." Darius stood, looking at Sylvia who had pushed the guard away and was searching Gridley's body. She had found the poison vial and the Vita Veritas potion ... black now that Peter Pettigrew was truly dead. "Sylvia, how much do you know?"

At this, Sylvia sent her memories of the last few moments. "I don't know very much. You'll have to read them for more information." She sent a dark look at Fudge and the guard.

The guard knew he was in big trouble, with three dead bodies on his watch and the Minister of Magic endangered. He looked nervously at the Magus. "Well, I guess you should check me out. I'm the duty guard." He bravely braced for the pain he expected.

"Don't worry," the Magus said soothingly. "My version of the spell doesn't hurt. Just relax. Think back to when you came on duty. I'll only look at memories relevant to the prisoner." It only took a moment to read and assimilate. "So, you left Stump in here alone with him?"

The guard knew in hindsight that he shouldn't have left them alone, but at the time ... "He's ... well, he was a Ministry employee. He had a valid ID and paperwork to do. I suppose I assumed he had been sent to take care of things for the Minister before the interrogation."

"Well, you're half right," Sylvia said glumly. "He was sent to take care of things for Voldemort." The guard and Fudge cringed at the name.

Fudge was staring at Avery's body, at the symbol burned into his arm, realizing that the man hadn't denied the prisoner's accusations. "It can't be true. Avery ... Macnair ... Lucius Malfoy!" He looked at the Magus, as though to beg him for reassurance.

"Harry Potter tried to tell you. And I can confirm it." The Magus's voice was cool. "You see, I did a very deep memory scan on Pettigrew before I delivered him to your custody, just in case. I don't know enough about the wizarding legal system to know if the results of my scan are admissible as evidence, but, from Sirius Black's history, legalities aren't always necessary, are they, Minister Fudge?" Then he turned to his Auror friend. "Sylvia, what have you come up with?"

"This vial of black potion is probably Vita Veritas. I would guess it was keyed to the prisoner. Whoever sent this fellow," she glanced at Gridley's body, "probably knows that he succeeded. The other vial has a drop of blue potion left in it. We can have it analyzed, but it looks the same as the vial on the prisoner's cot and is evidently some kind of poison. Can you tell who prepared it?" she asked the Magus.

"Yes," he said, looking at Fudge. "It's the same person who placed an Imperius Curse on the Minister, a wizard I can now identify without a doubt: Lucius Malfoy."

"Minister, there are some arrests to be made." Arthur Weasley had just arrived, with several Aurors in his wake.

Fudge was shaken, almost a broken man, his trust betrayed by Malfoy. "Just take care of it, Weasley," he said quietly but harshly, staring into space. "Take them all."

After exchanging looks and thoughts with Harry and Sylvia, Arthur instructed the guard to escort the Minister back to his office and to summon a mediwizard. To the Aurors, he said, "Arrest all members of the following families that bear the Dark Mark," he declared, pointing at Avery's arm. "Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Macnair, Nott, Devereaux, and check Avery's family as well. Any adults that do not wear a Dark Mark will be placed under protective custody until we can determine if they knew enough to be arrested as well. Any minors ..." Arthur wasn't sure what to do here.

Dumbledore, who had been 'watching' matters since Harry had left Hogwarts, offered, /* Unless the minors are Marked, send them here. Many of them are students here and it will be a familiar place during a stressful time. */

Harry sent, /* Draco, we're going to need your help here ... */ and he sent a summary of what had happened. /* Some of the minors involved are Slytherins, and you know Malvina Devereaux. On the surface, you'll have to be under protective custody as well. And, well, I'm sorry it came to this. Your family ... I ... */

Draco answered quietly. /* It's not your fault, Harry. I'll do what I can, though having Malvina around will be a pain in the arse. */ He paused. /* Knowing Father, he's probably left already, and without warning Mother. If they need any help searching the estate for Dark Arts evidence, you can read what you want from me. I ... oh never mind. I'll be ready for the Slytherins, but I want to move to my prefect's quarters first. I'll get Dobby to help. Go do your work, Potter, and I'll do mine. */

Chapter 34 - Mon, Jul 31 - Fri, Aug 4 - Day 11 - 15
The War Begins

Voldemort stared at the vial of green liquid, angered that he had to let others deal with disposing of his captured servant. Damn the Magus to eternal perdition for interfering! "Nagini," he said to the great snake, "you are the only one I can count on. Humans fail me or betray me. Even the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets fell to a child with a sword."

He paced the length and breadth of his large camp tent. "The dark potions I have made with your venom and blood have allowed me to endure until I have become the most powerful wizard in history. If only the Fates hadn't decreed the awakening of a true Magus to oppose me! Decades I have worked to change myself, to simulate a Magus awakening in myself. And this ... person ... has it handed to him without his effort or even knowledge. All he has to do is learn to control it. While I ..." he nearly shouted, "I have had to laboriously alter my very being with dangerous and painful spells and potions. I have to steal my power from my Death Eaters, while he just draws his power from the cosmos. There is no justice, Nagini. I deserve to be a Magus, the greatest of all time!"

He stopped pacing as he felt the call of a Death Mark. Extending his senses, he realized it was Lucius Malfoy. He looked again at the vial ... still green. "Now what has gone wrong! I am served by idiots!" He touched his own Mark, focusing on Malfoy so that the Death Eater could follow the beacon to his master's presence.

Lucius appeared with his baggage before Voldemort in ordinary clothing (not masked and cloaked) and bowed before his Lord. "Forgive my early arrival, my Lord, I beg you." He was nervous, which did not please the dark wizard. "Something unexpected has occurred and I knew that I must report it immediately. The man I sent to Wormtail is dead ... before Wormtail. He either took the second vial of poison thinking to protect himself, or was killed in another manner. We won't know for up to a quarter-hour whether he completed his assignment before his death or not."

"It has been reported to me by another informant at the Ministry that Avery may be accompanying Fudge to Wormtail's interrogation." Malfoy hoped this information might help redeem what could be a disaster. "Perhaps my Lord can use him to observe the questioning. If Wormtail betrays you, there could be time to summon your servants to safety ... if you choose, of course."

Voldemort considered this, then he focused on Avery through his Mark. He made contact with his servant's senses, but both sight and sound were very unclear. "Lucius, come here!" he demanded. "Since it is your tool who may have failed, you will have the privilege of participating in an experiment. Come here, I said!" Voldemort reached out with his claw-like hand, grabbing Malfoy's right hand and placing it on his own Mark. Then he reached out his right hand to clutch Malfoy's Mark. He muttered a spell too low to hear. Energies swirled about them both, flowing through the connections formed by their hands on the other's Dark Mark. Voldemort seemed to glow with power, his face reflecting a kind of ecstasy. Suddenly, both of them clearly saw and heard what Avery saw and heard.

Sure enough, Avery was standing in a crowded cell beside Cornelius Fudge, clutching at his bruised neck, looking with horror at Wormtail, who was revealing the names of several Death Eaters, including Lucius Malfoy. Just then, Wormtail began to scream in agony. A woman ... that niece of Dumbledore's came running in. They heard her summon Darius, the Magus. "NO!" Voldemort screamed. "That Magus will not rob me of another servant's power."

Lucius was growing weak and dizzy from the power passing through him. Then he felt a burning even worse than the Cruciatus throughout his body as Voldemort drained the power and life force from Avery. As Avery died, the flow of power stopped, and Lucius Malfoy collapsed, unconscious.

Voldemort gazed, satisfied, at the vial of tarry-black potion. Then, he stared dispassionately at Malfoy, crumpled on the ground. "Interesting effect from that spell. I'll have to try it again, soon. Well, at least I salvaged something out of this fiasco. Come, Nagini." And he left his unconscious servant to recover alone as best he could, as he absent-mindedly summoned those Death Eaters who had been named by a dying rat.

It was long after normal dinner time. Harry was emotionally exhausted, though physically he showed little sign of wear. Luckily he had been with Severus checking Poppy's inventory and shopping list against the Potions Master's stock when Sylvia had called, and he didn't need to make excuses to the mediwitch.

Just before the Aurors left to carry out Arthur's instructions, he had asked Harry to set up a temporary mindspeech link among them. There were four Aurors who had arrived with Arthur, and another came up as the orders had been finalized. Add to them Sylvia and Sirius and they had the seven needed to deal with the seven Death Eater households. Arthur had wanted to go, Harry could sense it clearly, but the elder Weasley knew he was an administrator, not a warrior.

The named Death Eaters themselves had disappeared, Macnair running from his office to reach an area of the Ministry free of anti-apparition spells just in time to escape. Their relatives had been caught unawares ... the Death Eaters didn't know why they had been summoned, so they had no warnings to convey to their families. As each group of people was secured, the Auror in charge waited for Darius/Harry to arrive to confirm whether the adults qualified for arrest or protective custody. Harry would then take any children, with minimal baggage, to Hogwarts.

Avery's son and daughter-in-law were both arrested after a scuffle, and their twin sons, age 6, and a 4 year old daughter, were taken to Hogwarts. Harry took them directly to Poppy since they seemed to be in shock from news of their grandfather's death and their parents' arrest. The little girl didn't really understand what was happening.

Crabbe and Goyle Junior came together (the Crabbes had been visiting the Goyles), and both their mothers went to protective custody. Surprisingly, Goyle had a rather witty little sister, who was to be a first-year at Hogwarts. Harry privately suspected she was a changeling, since she seemed to have more brains than the rest of her family combined.

Macnair's daughter and her husband were arrested, as was their 17 year old son, who had been Marked just a few weeks before, at the start of his summer break from Durmstrang. Macnair's 12 year old granddaughter Michaela was taken to Hogwarts. Both Narcissa Malfoy and Desiree Devereaux went to protective custody (though it was a close call), and Harry delivered Malvina to Draco with a very sympathetic look. Nott's wife attacked the Aurors and was arrested as soon as she regained consciousness. Their 13 year old son, Trevor was a Slytherin, and a 15 year old nephew, Barry was placed in Slytherin Dungeon, though he was a Durmstrang student.

Luckily, Arthur and Dumbledore thought to summon Molly to help deal with the younger children. Crabbe, Goyle, the Notts, Malvina, Michaela, and Savannah Goyle moved into the Slytherin dorm area. Draco, as threatened, had Dobby move him to a prefect's room off the common area. The 6 year old twins and their sister stayed with Molly in a 3 bedroom staff apartment. Snape took charge of the older boys and McGonagall the older girls. Dinner had been provided the students and children in Slytherin Dungeons and the apartment respectively.

Now, Harry was desperately grateful to be staying in one spot, alone, quiet. He was in his room, slouched in a chair by the fireplace. Dumbledore knocked softly on the door then opened it. He set a tray of sandwiches and a pitcher of ... surprise ... orange juice on the desk, then sat down. "Poppy was asking if you were alright. I told her you were busy helping people get settled. When you're ready, I suspect you two need to have a talk. She has never been one to take things at face value."

/* No, I don't Darius. */ Harry's head jerked toward the open door where Poppy Pomfrey stood, mentally calling out to the young man she had guessed, rightly, to be the Magus.

Dumbledore smiled, as Harry mentally confirmed his assumption that their school nurse had discovered their secret ... in a rather short time. "I'll leave you both to work this out." He closed the bedroom door behind him as Poppy sat down on the edge of Harry's bed and Harry slumped back into his chair with his head in his hand.

"I had worked it out, but I don't think I actually believed it." Poppy smiled then. "You needn't worry that it's that obvious. I had additional data that most others won't have. You see, I have some Healer talent and some usually unreliable empathy. Since Albus had said you had developed the healing gift, I paid particular attention when you took care of Sibyll. I've treated you in the hospital wing more times than I can count, Harry, and I know the sense of your body very well ... at least, I used to. The only thing that could account for the differences in what I sensed was a Magus transformation."

Harry looked over at her with a small smile. "I suppose that is information that most people wouldn't have. But there's more, isn't there." He reached for a sandwich and glass of juice, gesturing for her to join him, but she declined.

"Yes, there is more. Something you might not realize happens around you." This startled Harry, and he listened intently. "As I said, my empathy talent is usually unreliable and also fairly weak. When you came into the room, it was as strong as it ever gets, and felt very stable. I picked up signals I can't describe from Albus, Minerva, and Severus, as well as from you, that pointed to a shared secret. But you weren't named as a part of the Magus circle. Then, there was Sibyll." Poppy stood up, realized there was no room to pace, then sat down again, this time at the desk.

"You know how wretched Sibyll's talent really is. It's totally unreliable. Yet she has had three visions, one of them clairvoyant, and the others prophetic, and all involved in some way with one Harry Potter." Harry was staring at her in shock. He had never heard any details about the first vision. "When you walked in, her unreliable gift surged to full strength, so strong and sudden that she fainted from it. Your presence appears to stabilize unstable talent."

Harry was stunned. "You're right. I had no idea such a thing was happening. But how was Sibyll's first vision related to me?"

Poppy's voice became soft and gentle. "It was when your parents were killed, Harry. Lily had managed to break through the Fidelius wards to warn Albus just before she died, using the Quadralis mindspeech link. Yes, though I wasn't of the Order, I patched them up quite regularly. The problem was, since you still lived, the Fidelius spell prevented Albus from finding where you were. Apparently the power that saved you from the Killing Curse held tight to what was left of the Fidelius. Lily hadn't the time to tell him, and only someone told by the Secret Keeper could find you. He and Minerva tried to invoke some relevance spells to track you down, based on their connection with James and Lily, but they weren't having any luck. I was with Sibyll when she went into her trance, luckily, so I could relay the information. In summary, what she saw allowed Albus and Minerva to determine where you were before the enemy could return for you."

Harry stood up, wandered over to the window, and stared out at nothing. He suddenly realized it was still his birthday. So much had happened, so many memories to deal with.

"This should probably come from Albus, but I'll tell you anyway." Poppy had come up behind him, laying her hand on his shoulder gently. "The residual Fidelius was part of the reason you were sent to your aunt and uncle. Because of their blood connection and the residual magic, you were safer there, at least from harmful magic, than you would be anywhere but here. Over the years, even that residual faded."

After a few minutes of silence, Poppy said quietly, "Of course, I'll keep your secret as long as you ask. I may even be able to give you an alibi at times, since you're officially my assistant. Imagine ... a Magus for an assistant." She smiled as she left the room, closing the door quietly on the thoughtful young man.

(-Tue, Aug 1 - Fri, Aug 4 - Day 12 - 15-)

(-----The week in review ...-)

The last four days had been extremely hectic at Hogwarts, dealing with students and children whose fathers or grandfathers were wanted or already arrested (or in the case of Avery, deceased). Their mothers, those in protective custody, had been allowed to return home, to a kind of house arrest. Those arrested, male and female, had been delivered to Azkaban.

The rest of the current faculty and staff had returned, including Hagrid, with similar meetings to the one Monday afternoon (minus the prophecy, though). They planned to include Hagrid in on the secret in a few days, when matters had stabilized a bit.

Many parents contacted Dumbledore for reassurance about their children's safety for the coming term. The presence of the Magus was a comfort to most of them, especially those who met Darius. Harry was definitely having a bit of an identity crisis going back and forth between being Darius and being Harry.

There had been a great public outcry against any family of the 'Named Ones', as Tammy Tattler referred to the seven Death Eaters named by Wormtail. This was part of the reason for the protective custody. Arthur and his department and the Aurors were heroes, as was Darius.

Fudge got over some of his shock and, being the grand politician he was, did his best to take credit for everything. But the man was still haunted by Malfoy's betrayal and his own foolishness. In some ways, the man began to change. Though still a pompous politician, he began to make an attempt to understand exactly what was going on around him, and even, once in a while, had a useful suggestion to contribute. Arthur Weasley was now the one in shock.

(----And one scene in more detail ...-)

On Wednesday, Harry and Snape went in to London to pick up the equipment Amelia Crafter had ordered for the new Hogwarts physical training program. Snape had looked surprisingly good in a black t-shirt, black denim pants, boots, and his hair tied back by a strip of black silk. Being a master swordsman kept a person fit. And, though Harry would never mention it, it seemed Severus had finally discovered a spell or charm to keep his hair from getting greasy from potion fumes and damp dungeons. He actually got almost as many appreciative looks on the London streets as Harry did.

Harry got quite a lot of appreciation, even though he had chosen a loose, lightweight long-sleeve shirt for his pass through the Muggle world. As Dumbledore had said at the staff meeting, The-Boy-Who-Lived had come into his own. He was a charismatic, attractive young man, whose power and self-confidence lent him a conflicting aura of security and danger. The girls he passed on the streets couldn't keep their eyes off him, many giggling and whispering among themselves.

This was the first time Harry had really been out in public since his transformation. He was in a daze for two reasons. One, the response of the females he passed on the street (of all ages) surprised him, particularly the thoughts and emotions they were broadcasting. Then, there was his reaction to all the pretty girls dressed in skimpy summer outfits ... hormonal high-tide! It took all his self control not to embarrass himself. But, oi, he loved the view around him! He thought back to what Hermione and Ron had said that day at the lake. He decided he was going to have fun this term, but he would do his best to avoid any heartbreak on all sides. He began to smile back at some of the girls, who would wave at him, or giggle more.

Snape and Harry finally arrived at their destination. To one side was a warehouse and sales office for fitness equipment; on the other was a combination fitness center and hard-core gym. Their target was the manager at the fitness center.

"Welcome, lads, welcome!" the big Irishman blustered. "Would you be wantin' a free visit before I sell ye a membership?" He reached out a large hand to shake with Snape, and surprisingly, didn't try a crusher grip as many a man his size might.

"No memberships today. Are you O'Banyon?" Snape's voice was clipped, and businesslike, but without what used to be his perpetual snarl. As the man nodded his head sharply, Snape continued. "We're here about an order placed by Amelia Crafter on our behalf. I'll be settling the bill. As I understand, the equipment is already loaded in a rental truck."

"Aye, lad. I have everythin' ready for ye. If you'd be followin' me, I have the paperwork right here." O'Banyon went behind the juice bar counter, digging through a box until he found the file he wanted. "Let's see now ... the bill shows the name 'HSWW', up Scotland way. Are ye driving the whole way, then?"

"No," Snape answered, as he dug out a wallet from his jeans and pulled out a plastic card. "We're just driving a short way to the final transportation." They planned to take the truck to a secluded spot and apparate the shipment, truck and all, to Hogwarts. After unloading, they would return the truck to the gym.

Snape was amused at Harry's surprise at his charge card. /* Actually, I'm told it's a debit card, set up by Gringotts. We turned over a rather large number of galleons to them, and they set up an account in Muggle funds so we could pay without any problems. */

/* But do you have a driver's license ... they won't let you take the truck without one. */ Harry pointed out. Snape nodded as he handed the cards to O'Banyon.

"Well, now, Mr. Snape, we have a bit o' paperwork to finish, insurance and such, y'know. Ricky!" O'Banyon called over to a young man around 20, with a build similar to Harry's. "Ricky, will ye be doin' me a favor, now? Take this young lad around to everything on this packing list and show him the basics on how the equipment is used. And here, lad, ye can't be trying out the equipment in that shirt." And O'Banyon tossed a tank top at Harry, black with the gym's name on it. The young man, Ricky, nodded in agreement, reaching out a hand to hold the tank top while Harry changed shirts.

With a sharp glance out of the corner of his eye, O'Banyon did a quick evaluation of Harry's physical appearance and probable condition, and was impressed. "Are ye upgrading your equipment, then? The Crafter lass said you represented a school up north."

"No, this is an entirely new project." Snape said absently as he read the forms carefully.

"Seein' the lad, I would think ye had a proper program already," offered O'Banyon, watching Ricky show Harry the controls on a hi-tech treadmill.

"Oh, Potter? No, he's what you might call a natural. Had a bit of gym experience when he was younger, but hasn't done a thing for, oh, four years now." Snape was trying to suppress a grin. He looked over to where Harry was trying out some equipment whose weight had been set fairly high ... picking up the correct form in moments with no physical strain at all.

Snape was nearly done, and Ricky was showing Harry a special piece of equipment. "You've been doing great, Harry," Ricky said with admiration. "This last piece is a special combination unit that has weight maximums at least double the standard equipment. It's usually reserved for 'the big boys' ... the bodybuilders, weight lifters, you know."

Harry looked over at a huge man coming toward them, looking angry. "Like him?" Harry asked.

"Oh, ruddy, bloody Hell. It's Burnett. He's going to kill me for being over here in 'big boy' territory." Ricky had paled. Harry could see why. This Burnett was probably half-again the body weight of either of them, all big, bulging muscle straining his one-piece training outfit. "Uh, hullo Mr. Burnett, sir. O'Banyon ordered me to show Harry how to use the equipment his school ordered. We'll be out of here in just a minute." Ricky, who was a very fit, confident young man otherwise, babbled nervously around this man-mountain. "Uh, Harry, this is Ben "The Body" Burnett. He's a professional body builder and power lifter."

"Sir." Harry replied curtly, recognizing in the big man the epitome of the bully.

Just then, Snape sent /* O'Banyon is telling me this fellow delights in intimidation and humiliation, but the owner of the facility won't allow him to interfere. */

/* No problem, Severus. I've dealt with bullies most of my life. At least now they can't hurt me. */ Harry's memories of being bullied and abused by Dudley and his friends came to the surface before he could stop them.

Severus was shocked at the intensity of the physical and emotional pain the boy was remembering. And I used to believe he was a pampered celebrity, a spoiled brat. I wonder how he has been able to forgive me. I wonder if I can forgive myself. He didn't realize that Harry had recognized this part of him, hidden though it was.

Burnett had decided that rather than chase the two away, he would set them up for some nice humiliation. "Well, Ricky, I suppose I can show your boyfriend here how this rig works." He proceeded to set the equipment up for his own brutal workouts, weights much heavier than even most other body builders could handle. He was physically gifted; if only he wasn't such an arse about it.

'The Body' proceeded to demonstrate one of the workouts responsible for his name, grueling even for him. As he finished with a satisfied grunt, he took a deep breath to steady himself. "Well, now. Your turn, Harry." He said this with a sneer.

Harry thought, Hmm, not as good a sneer as Severus, but not bad. Ricky was trying to discourage Harry, muttering how he was going to kill himself if he tried to accept Burnett's challenge. But Harry had decided from The Body's first words, from the first thoughts the man had been broadcasting, that he wasn't going to back down. This fellow needs a dose of his own medicine.

Snape, in the meantime, had to restrain O'Banyon from interfering. "Trust me. The boy can handle this. Burnett is the one who is going to taste of humiliation." O'Banyon was disbelieving, but stopped, watching the scene intently.

First, Harry just stood there, staring Burnett down. "Think perhaps you should call me Potter, Burnett," he said coldly. Then stepped forward to engage in the same workout he had just witnessed. After a few moments of settling his position, he slowly, but with little apparent effort, proceeded to duplicate The Body's killer workout.

With each rep, Burnett grew more pale and agitated. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. This pup was less than 2/3 his mass, yet he handled weights that mature athletes twice his size usually couldn't. Ricky, on the other hand, realized that for once, Burnett was going to know what it felt like to be seriously outperformed, though he could see that Harry wouldn't be vocal or cruel about it ... he was just letting his performance speak for itself.

At the end of the set, Harry performed the last rep as easily as those previous. After a deep breath, he patted the equipment like a favorite pet. "This is set at, what, about half its max capacity? I'm going to get very well acquainted with this baby. Thanks for the demo, Burnett. We have to be going now." And he walked away from the awe-struck, speechless figure without a backward glance.

(----And now to the present ...-)

Then, Friday morning, the first major attack by Voldemort and his Death Eaters occurred against Durmstrang Academy. It appeared the school defenses had been sabotaged by one of the faculty, who had disappeared. The new headmaster, Karol Caradja, who had offered alliance with Hogwarts, was killed. Many of the faculty and staff who had just returned to prepare for the new term were injured, some critically, and two had died a few hours later of their injuries. The Durmstrang Library, declared by all to house the most extensive collection on the Dark Arts in the world, had been ransacked and the remains leveled.

Once word reached Hogwarts, Poppy and Darius arrived to treat the others, and were able to save three who were close to death. Some who survived reported seeing Voldemort himself, and several dozen Death Eaters. One of the leaders had long silvery hair. The final destruction of the school was a display of incredible, frightening power at the hands of the Dark Lord, who laughed madly as he called down lightning, wind, and bolts of magical energy to level the centuries-old institution. Witnesses, some of whom had seen Voldemort in action 14 years earlier, insisted that he was far more powerful than ever ... impossibly powerful.

Dumbledore and Madame Maxime had immediately offered to accept unconditionally any Durmstrang students for the coming term, allowing them to come immediately if their families felt the need of protection for them. The surviving faculty and staff were also offered positions, especially since the increased student populations would call for increased staff.

The Magus had been recruited to assist in expanding the facilities both at Hogwarts and at Beauxbatons. Since this kind of work would be well thought out and organized, neither Harry nor Dumbledore felt there was a risk of burnout. He could work carefully at his own pace. They did not expect another attack very soon. Unless he seriously drained his followers, Voldemort would need a significant amount of time to recuperate, if even half the reports of his display of power were true. The remodeling projects would begin as soon as the plans were complete ... probably in a few days.

And Draco walked the fine line between what his friends thought he still was, and what he had become. Tonight, he would see if Voldemort would send anyone to take his report. He was frightened now. With the events of this week, the first battles had begun. Most of the Slytherin/Durmstrang students still thought it was glorious to be a Death Eater. Fools ... thought Draco.

Draco couldn't help wondering about his father and mother. Would he see them again? Did it matter? In spite of everything, it matters, Draco thought to himself.

As before, Snape and Harry followed Draco to his rendezvous in animagus form, though this time, Draco knew and was grateful for it. Entering the fringes of the Forbidden Forest, he heard a wolf howl. Harry sent that it was just one of the sentries, notifying them that his contact had just apparated in. So Draco wasn't surprised to see the figure come out of the darkness toward him. He was surprised to recognize him.

"Father? He sent you to meet me?" His voice came out harsh, but he immediately cleared his throat and put on his Malfoy mask. "I am relieved to see you are well after the news we received about Durmstrang."

Without preamble, Lucius came forward, reaching out to grasp Draco's arm. "You should feel honored. Our Dark Lord has decided you shall be Marked this very night. Come."

Pulling back from his father, before he could control himself, he said, in disgust, "No!"

"What do you mean, 'no', you little fool?" Lucius was angry and frightened. Voldemort was observing the scene closely. (He had chosen Nott tonight to participate in the enhancing ritual that had required two full days for Lucius to recover.) "What of your incessant nagging that I present your application to the Dark Lord? What are you, a traitor?" After a moment of looking closely at his son's face and into his eyes, he realized the truth ... Draco had sided with the opposition ... with the light. He had to capture the boy and hope he hadn't spilled all their secrets.

Suddenly, a masked Death Eater appeared beside the Malfoys. "You have lost control of the situation, Malfoy. Our Dark Lord sends me." The Death Eater raised his wand, pointing it at Draco. "Avada Kedavra!"

As Lucius screamed incoherently in denial, a great black wolf leapt in front of Draco, and a blinding purple light flared. The other Death Eater screamed in agony and fell before the rebounding curse. Somehow, Lucius had the energy and presence of mind to apparate back to the Dark Lord's encampment ... a bad choice, it turned out.

Voldemort was furious. "How dare you come back here with your failures? Your son a traitor, another Death Eater lost without my profiting from his life force. You have disappointed me for the last time, Lucius. You and your family will forfeit their very lives for your failures," he screamed at the kneeling figure before him. As Lucius looked up in horror at the inhuman face of his master and executioner, he saw a raised wand and felt the fire of his Dark Mark. "Die, fool!" Voldemort hissed, and took from his servant one last service ... his power and life force ... as the man screamed in agony.

Harry was kneeling beside Draco in the Forest, clutching the shoulder of the young man who had started to become his friend, who was wracked with dry sobs, while Snape checked on the fallen Death Eater.

"Macnair," he said curtly. "One more of the 'Named Ones' out of the way."

Suddenly Harry gave a choked gasp of pain and raised his hand to his scar. His eyes went vacant. Through the circle link, both Draco and Snape saw the vision of Voldemort that assaulted Harry ... including the dying Lucius Malfoy. He stood suddenly, in anger, glowing with his Magus power, ready to attack.

Snape knew there was little hope for Malfoy, and knew as well as Dumbledore that Harry would probably not survive a face-to-face battle with Voldemort yet, especially consumed by his rage. "No, Harry. It's too late for Lucius, and you're not ready!" In desperation, he said, "We need you. Don't make the same mistake Liam did!"

Harry's rage disappeared like an extinguished fire. Tears filling his eyes, he looked at Draco. "It's over" he whispered.

Draco looked up with his own tear-filled eyes. "It was only a matter of time. It was why I chose as I did ... I knew that Voldemort meant only death ... death to his enemies and death to his followers. But Powers Above, I wish things had been different with Father."

As Harry apparated, taking Draco back to the school, and Snape took Macnair's body to a storage area to await the Ministry, they didn't realize that matters weren't quite over.

Above the remains of Malfoy Manor, the Morsmordre hung in terrifying splendor, a sparkling green skull with a snake for a tongue. After several Death Eaters had recovered the most valuable Dark Arts paraphernalia that Lucius had left behind, there was the sound of explosions, lightning sizzled from the skies out of a Wizard Storm, and the Manor blazed, consumed by magical fire. Laying on the ground just out of range of the fire were two carefully arranged bodies, both with unearthly expressions of fear and pain on their still faces.

Draco and Harry now had something else in common ... their parents' deaths at the hand of a monster.

(continued)