The Awakening of a Magus

The Awakening of a Magus
Chapter 54 - Thu, Aug 10 - Day 21

Aftermath and escalation

"Come on, Darius. I know you're waking up. It's me, Harry. Madam Pomfrey left me orders to get this chocolate into your system, and you know how she can get if a bloke doesn't follow her orders."

/- Tonks, I hope that's you, or my brain is in very bad shape, -/ Harry answered sluggishly.

/- Who else, laddio? We all decided to muddy the waters, making it look like Darius went to Hogsmeade disguised as Harry to trick the attackers, -/ answered the Metamorphmagus. /- One of the Canadian professors is, among other things, a Magus scholar. He says that what you produced has been called a Lightning Patronus or Electro-Patronus, and that only Darius and Merlin were ever able to cast one. -/ "Come on, Darius, chocolate," said Tonks/Harry2 waving the bars enticingly around with a sing-song voice. "Flitwick said you passed out before he could feed you any. Honeyduke himself sent over 10 cases of his best. Says his son was one of those revived when you blasted those Dementors. D'ya want light or dark chocolate?"

"Hmmm ... Dark? Light wizard, dark chocolate," he chuckled. "I supposed I'd better change back to Darius. Seeing double Harry Potters might be traumatic." Harry shifted shape to his Magus disguise as he reached for some of the tried-and-true remedy for Dementor exposure. "How long was I out? I'm still a bit wonky. What do you mean by 'revived'?"

"In order: Less than an hour; what else is new; and the only known cure for a Dementor's Kiss. That Patronus of yours, the special one at the end there, apparently can destroy a Dementor, releasing the souls it's taken. In most cases, the souls just pass on to the other side, but if the Kiss was recent, and the body is still alive, the soul can return. It's a slow process, but the person does recover eventually. I heard the night warden from Azkaban was still technically alive, and he's recovering now at St. Mungo's." Harry2 passed a large, partly unwrapped bar of dark chocolate to Darius.

As Darius reached out for the candy, he realized that his hands were lightly bandaged. "What happened here?" he asked.

Just then, a very tall, broad-shouldered blonde came over. "Ah, he wakes. Hi. I'm Doug Mason. My mother is one of the healers here, and I'm an unofficial apprentice whenever some extra help is needed on the ward. Your hands are still bandaged because your magical shields kept both Mom and Madam Pomfrey from healing the burns. They just applied some burn ointment and wrapped them in the interim. Based on what Professors Flitwick and Van Horn saw, that Electro-Patronus spell you used caused your wand to overload. What was it? A phoenix core of some sort? It apparently flamed and burned your wand to ash. Plus, the energy you were using was so strong it caused some generalized burns on both hands as well."

"I met Madam Mason in Hogsmeade," answered Darius. "I don't think I've met Van Horn ... any relation to the Van Horn that Dumbledore quotes in his Magus research?"

"That Van Horn, Damien, was a great-uncle, I think. This one is Jeremy Van Horn. I personally refer to him as a compulsive scholar." Doug laughed, thinking about his favorite teacher. "At the moment, he teaches Spell Development and Arithmancy and will be chairing that department this next year. He gets advanced degrees in something different every few years, whenever he gets bored. He has three Wizarding masteries and he has 2 Mundane PhDs and just started a Master's in Electrical Engineering. He's in seventh heaven at the thought of living to meet a Magus and working with Dumbledore to develop an updated edition of his book. You'll like him, I think. He's quirky."

While Doug was talking, Darius had eaten his chocolate bar, then vanished the bandages on his hands. Both hands, from the wrist out, looked badly sunburned, plus his right hand had a darker red streak just where his wand would have been touching. /- Well, that solves the 'brother wands' problem, I suppose, -/ he sent ruefully to the Circle link. He carefully focused healing energies to his hands, and the redness faded away in moments. As he began to get out of bed, both Harry2 and Doug moved to keep him from leaving.

"Oh no, you don't," warned Harry2. "You're not leaving us to deal with angry mediwitches," 'he' snapped, only half joking.

"Yo, Mom! Escapee warning!" called out Doug, laughing at the glare that Darius was sending his way.

Judy Mason pushed aside the curtain and shushed her son. "Keep your voice down, munchkin! Now then, Sir Magus, so this is your usual look. Thanks ... seeing two Harry Potters so close together was rather dizzying. I need to perform my obligatory checkup before you leave. Let's see ... hmmm ... burns healed ... your work?" At her patient's nod, she continued. "And your dose of chocolate?" He showed her the empty candy wrapper. "Good, good." She waved her wand quickly from head to toe, tilted her head as she seemed to perform a quick Scan with her healer's senses, then paused. "Physically and magically, you're fine. But there's something else there, not quite right, that I don't quite understand ..."

/- I have some idea, Ma'am, but it can wait. Maybe we can find time later to discuss it, -/ sent Darius.

/- Well, alright then, Darius ... they told me it's alright to call you that? Good. Albus said I'll be attending an Order meeting later this evening. Perhaps then? -/ conceded the mediwitch, then nodded. "You're good to go. However, we could use some help with a few of the injuries if you're willing. You certainly seem to be up to it." Looking over at her son, she said, "You too, Doug. Some of the Revived ones need regular Calming potions, and we need someone who can restrain the bigger men when they get agitated. How about you, Potter? You look like you can wrestle a potion into a patient."

Doug, Harry2, and Darius, looked at each other, grinning, came to attention, then saluted saying, "Yes Ma'am!"

As all four laughed and moved out through the Hospital Wing, Judy could be heard muttering, "Boys!"

"Crucio!"

Bellatrix Lestrange struggled, trying to suppress her need to scream, but her Master's Cruciatus Curse was so much more powerful than anything she had ever experienced, even those he himself had used on her years before ... the screams were torn out of her as the two minutes of punishment passed like hours.

Voldemort abruptly ended the curse, whirled about and stalked to the Serpent's Throne, trying to manage his rage. As he sat, he saw the Voice of the Dementors drifting past Bella's still-twitching body.

The rasping voice was agitated and fearful, both indignant and terrorized. The figure bent in a Dementor's version of a deep bow. "My Lord Voldemort, you sent my people against a Greater Magus. We have not experienced such loss to our race in over a dozen centuries!"

Voldemort waved his hand dismissively. "Though fairly rare, Dementors have been destroyed before by very powerful Patroni. What is your problem? What are you babbling about a Greater Magus?"

The Voice hesitated. To answer his ally's questions would be to reveal information that his race normally kept secret. But with a Greater Magus in the world ... the creature had no choice. "To explain, my Lord, I must begin with some of the secrets of my race's existence. You may know some of this, but I ask your indulgence and request a private audience." The Voice rose to stand straight, floating several inches above the floor, several feet in front of Voldemort's throne.

After a moment, Voldemort flicked his fingers, casting a privacy charm that separated them from the rest of those present. He nodded slightly, indicating the Voice should proceed.

"My kind feeds on emotions and on souls. Emotional fodder sustains an individual Dementor. Souls, however, sustain both the individual and the collective. The initial life force obtained during soul feeding is mostly used by the individual. The energy of the soul itself becomes a part of the collective, sustaining all. It is the soul energy shared by all Dementors that allows us to breed, that sustains the offspring until the offspring is able to feed as an individual." The Voice paused a moment to ensure his ally had no questions. At Voldemort's impatient gesture, he continued.

"Normally, when a Dementor is destroyed, any souls consumed by the individual during its existence remain in the collective. Only the energies of the individual are lost. But today ..." the Voice's voice trembled, something no one had ever heard. "I am told that some humans call it a Lightning Patronus or Electro-Patronus. My kind calls it a Destroyer. Those of my kind that encounter a Destroyer and survive are little more than offspring and must be fed by the collective until they recover enough to feed on their own. Those that are touched by the Destroyer, even fleetingly, are destroyed as individuals, and worse. Any soul they have ever consumed is released from the collective, lost forever to my kind. Most pass on to wherever souls normally go when their host no longer lives. A few, those recently consumed whose hosts have not yet lost all life, those few not only return to their hosts, but they can never be consumed again and are highly resistant even to emotional feeding. Today, nearly 50 individuals were destroyed, over 100 damaged. Thousands of souls have been lost to the collective." The Voice perceived that Voldemort had been shocked at this revelation. It finished with, "In all our history, only two beings have ever had the power to summon a Destroyer, those we call the Greater Magi, Darius and Merlin. And now, another Greater Magus lives."

Voldemort dismissed the Voice beyond the bounds of the privacy spell. "Nagini," he hissed, summoning his devoted snake from behind the throne. "There are only two possibilities facing us. Either the Magus was at Hogsmeade disguised as Harry Potter so that my servants would underestimate him, or Harry Potter himself is the Magus. In either case, he is among the most powerful of the Magi, and I have underestimated him, misreading his caution for lack of ability. If Potter truly is the Magus, he must have the potential to be the most powerful in history, since he is little more than a child."

Nagini hissed in answer, "My Lord, I ask you to remember that you were not much older when you opened the Chamber, commanding one of the greatest serpents in the world, an elder Basilisk. You were no child then, and Potter is no child now as you learned at your rebirth. He is young in years, and if he is of the Magi, he must be the greatest of them. Magus or no, do not, I beg you, judge him as a child, for your own preservation, my dearest Master."

Voldemort would have never tolerated such bold speech from a servant, but Nagini was much more to him. If he had the capacity for love, he would have loved his serpentine companion. Nagini didn't speak often, but when she did, he listened. Without realizing, he gently stroked Nagini's head as he thought. "We will speak more of this later, dear one," he hissed. "For now, I must deal with tonight's events and my next move."

The privacy spell dispersed as Voldemort's attention returned to his terrified servants. Bellatrix had recovered somewhat and was standing weakly beside her husband, Rodolphus. "Bella," he summoned. When she had stepped forward, kneeling the required distance from the Serpent's Throne, he snapped, "You assured me that the recruits were ready. I gave you command of a force of 40 Death Eaters, 30 recruits and 10 veterans. You have returned with 13 recruits and 7 veterans ... half of the force I entrusted to you. Of the 20 missing, 5 are dead and the others captured by the Order and the Ministry, many with severe injuries. I watched. Your recruits were adequate when torturing weak and unarmed villagers, old ones and children. Any challenge, however, and they fell apart in panic, nothing but sloppy spell work and carelessness."

Bellatrix looked at her master with tears in her eyes. "My Lord, I ... we ..." Then her voice grew harsh, "The Dementors, My Lord, ..."

"Silence! Your responsibility was my force of Death Eaters. The Dementors were not your concern, except insofar as the Death Eaters should take advantage of any disruption they provided. Your force was not prepared for serious opposition. It was your responsibility to take into account that Hogwarts would send defenders, some quite powerful defenders such as the Muggle-loving headmaster. It was you who kept begging to lead a show of force, a show of force that has cost me the service of 20 servants and the life force of four of those. There was time to drain only one of my dying servants."

He then commanded the other six long-time servants who had returned from the Hogsmeade debacle to come forward: the Lestrange brothers, Dolohov, Rookwood, Yaxley, and Kiraly. "You are among my most experienced servants, yet you failed dismally today. For now, I will leave my captured servants alive so that I may have their services again in the future. And I have decided to allow you to live, as well. However, as you should have been able to perform much better than the recruits, much better than you did, your punishment will be greater than theirs. You, Bella, as their leader, will be the first. Come forward and lay your hand on my Mark," he demanded. He was pleased with the terror in her eyes. After the incident with Malfoy when he learned how this linking of Marks could amplify his powers, he had discovered it could also be used as an exquisitely painful punishment, especially because the subject was forced to cooperate in their own punishment. Bellatrix laid a shaking right hand on her master's left forearm, then hesitantly began to extend her own left arm toward Voldemort, Mark facing up. Impatiently, he reached out to tug her arm towards him, harshly grabbing her arm, covering her Dark Mark. He invoked the linkage and she convulsed in a pain beyond Crucio as he tore the very magic from her being. He released her in moments, since he meant to keep her alive, but she sagged to the floor, deeply unconscious.

Meeting the eyes of two of the recruits, he ordered, "Take her out of my sight," gesturing vaguely toward the chamber off to the side of the throne. He then punished each in turn, requiring the recruits to take their unconscious senior colleagues out of sight, knowing that seeing the results of the punishment close up would instill a terror in them. Terror is good, terror is my ally, he thought as the last recruit had to take Yaxley to the chamber without assistance due to the odd number of returning recruits. "You, Flint," snapped Voldemort to the last recruit. "After you have dealt with that, bring the other recruits back out for the rest of the ... audience."

The recently-graduated Slytherin nodded, his terror under better control than the other recruits. "As my Lord commands," he answered with only a slight waver in his voice.

Better than I expected from him. He has potential, thought Voldemort. When the 13 recruits returned to their places in the throne room, he said, "Flint. It will be your task to share the memory of the rest of this audience with those who are currently ... indisposed. They should regain consciousness sometime tomorrow. You will be provided a pensieve to conduct your briefing."

Flint was uncertain if this was good or bad, but just to be safe, he answered with a deep bow, "You honor me with this task, Master. As always, I am at my Lord's command."

"Of course you are," Voldemort commented with a smirk. He then reached over to the small table beside his throne for three scrolls. Malvina hadn't disappointed him. She had planned three different sorties, each with two different suggested teams to implement them. About an hour before the Hogsmeade attack, she had presented him with the plans, a product of natural strategic genius and a deliciously twisted soul. He had decided to keep secret for the moment that a 14 year old girl was the mastermind behind these plans, and had Obliviated the other teens who had been present earlier in the day when he had ordered the plans to be prepared. Even her parents would not know until after the missions.

"It is obvious that our forces are not yet prepared for large-scale assaults. I have decided that we will explore a different path, a path of subtlety and quiet terror. One of my servants has provided plans for three such attacks, that we may see how effective this path can be. It is my will that the planner remain anonymous at this time. The planner is not permitted to admit their part, and the rest of you are not permitted to seek the identity of the planner." Holding up the first scroll, he continued. "On these scrolls are detailed instructions for small sorties designed to take few resources, take few risks, yet sow the seeds that will yield a great harvest of fear and uncertainty. In each case, one target will be subjected to the Killing Curse, others will be captured, relatively uninjured, and confined here in my dungeons for various future use. Specific signs will be left behind ... you will -not- deviate in any way from the details specified for these signs. The scrolls describe both a scouting mission and the actual attack. One target is purely Muggle, highly visible in that world; one target is the family of a mudblood student at Hogwarts; and one target is a reclusive wizarding family known to be of repeatedly mixed blood for many generations, and strongly opposed to my rule. The planner has offered suggestions regarding the composition of each team. I tell the planner now that those suggestions would have been followed if today's mission had not lost us the services of several of those suggested."

Checking the scroll quickly to identify the target, he continued, "The wizarding target is assigned to Andre Devereaux, Olivia Carrow, and Gordon Yaxley, when he revives. The mudblood's family is assigned to Maximillian Carrow, Silvius Parkinson, and Marcus Flint." The young Slytherin's surprise amused the Dark Lord, but he showed no sign of noticing. "The Muggle target is assigned to Desiree Devereaux, Garth Goyle, Martin Bletchly, and Barry Nott." The assignment of one of the youngest Death Eaters was a surprise to all. Voldemort was secretly pleased that the young Nott reacted cautiously to the assignment, showing some intelligence, more than the elder Crabbe showed, though that wasn't hard to do. Malvina chose well, he mused. "You will not discuss your assignments outside your team. You are to conduct your scouting missions within 48 hours and execute your attack within 48 hours after the scouting mission. I will allow that there may be questions regarding the details of your instructions. There is a blank section at the bottom of each of your scrolls. It is enchanted to communicate with a book in the planner's possession. You will write any questions or reports on your scouting missions in this space. The planner's responses will appear in this same space. The planner's final decisions are to be considered as binding as my own orders and will be obeyed. The entire conversation will be preserved as the messages scroll upward out of sight, and past communications can be reviewed. The charm's invocations are listed on the scroll."

It appeared that Voldemort was about to conclude the audience, when it seemed he suddenly recalled something. He actually was playing with his followers, letting them think the punishments were concluded. "Ah yes, there is one more matter to deal with ... the recruits." Some grew weak with terror; Flint and some others fought to hide their weakness and thereby gained some redemption in the eyes of their master. "Stand forward." After watching them, silent, for almost a minute, observing them closely, he rapidly cast the Cruciatus on all 13 of them, holding the curse for a mere 30 seconds at about half the strength he had used on Bellatrix. Several were able to hold their screams as long as 10 seconds, which again gained them some small measure of favor. He abruptly released the recruits, then without a word, Disapparated with Nagini to his private chambers, mentally summoning Malvina to attend him as the teams began to review their mission instructions.

Darius, Harry2, and Doug Mason had been helping out in the Hospital Wing for almost an hour. There had been a tense moment when Harry2 had been tasked with some minor healing by Judy Mason, who had been told of Harry's healing gift. Tonks had sent a quick mental S.O.S. and luckily Darius wasn't too far away. Harry2 went through the motions, a fairly accurate act if truth be told, and Darius carefully caused a soft glow around Harry2's hands and the patient, healing the not-too-serious injuries from several beds away. Shortly after that, they were 'rescued' by Dumbledore.

"My dear ladies, I'm afraid I must steal away two of your assistants for other duties," he said, smiling at Poppy and Judy. "Darius, Harry, you are needed at a small meeting in the Magus Tower, please." Nodding again at the two mediwitches, he quietly disappeared. Making their own apologies, Darius and Harry followed moments later.

Appearing in his favorite chair beside the fireplace, Harry had reverted to his own form. Seeing that, Tonks released her Doppelganger form, taking on her usual eccentric appearance, this time with short, spiky, bubblegum-pink hair. "Merlin, that was close. It's a good thing you don't need physical contact for your healing powers to work," she sighed, plopping onto the couch closest to Harry.

"Actually, I was using your contact and partly channeling though you," Harry commented. "I think it only works because of the Doppelganger link, and because Harry2 is such a perfect physical copy." Looking over to where Dumbledore and Snape were sitting, drinking tea, he added, "It might work through the Mentor Bond, too. Another thing to put on the experimentation list, I suppose. So, Albus, were you just rescuing us, or is there something else?"

"We still have the Order meeting later tonight. I was hoping you would begin initiating us to the wards on the new Headquarters." Dumbledore's twinkle was a bit dimmer than usual, because of the attack, but they were all relieved that the casualties were far less than they might have been. "Also, I am concerned about you, Harry. I sense something within you that has been injured, but I don't understand the nature of the injury." He glanced at Severus.

"I sense something as well, but I have some ideas about the damage," answered Snape quietly. "You react badly to death, don't you? I don't mean emotionally ... that's a given for you," he smirked half-heartedly. "This is something deeper. Being near death hurts you, being a part of death harms you, I think. That odd Patronus of yours destroyed many Dementors ..."

"Somehow I'm not surprised it would be you that understood, Severus, and I don't mean it as an insult," Harry said quietly. "I didn't really understand the first time, at my Awakening, but the second time, when I shielded Draco from the Killing Curse, I realized that I'm particularly vulnerable to the soul-damage that occurs in a wizard that kills with magic, even indirectly." He then touched the minds of his Mentors and his Doppelganger to communicate everything he had observed and deduced about the situation.

After a few moments of absorbing the information, Tonks looked at Harry with tears in her eyes, almost angry. "Don't you dare believe you could possibly go Dark, Harry! You couldn't." Her voice trailed off to a whisper, "You'd die first."

"But I need to avoid causing death with my powers, maybe even non-magically," insisted Harry. "Even when it's justified, like the Dementors, and has positive results, like the restored souls, it ... it hurts in a way I can't describe. It's a form of pain and loss that I don't think I can handle very long. I feel ... tainted right now. I didn't even destroy them intentionally; I only hoped to drive them away. I don't know what I'm going to do when I finally face Voldemort. I ... I don't think I can kill him, even if I have the power. There has to be some other way to defeat him without causing his death ... there just has to be," he finished in an agonized whisper.

Tonks had, without realizing it, joined Harry in his oversized chair, holding him tenderly, stroking his hair in wordless reassurance, then muttering, "We'll find a way, luv, we'll find a way." After a few minutes, Harry's distress seemed to pass, and with one last squeeze, Tonks moved back to her previous place.

Snape and Dumbledore did their best not to react to what should have been a private time between the two young people, though they exchanged a few observations mentally. /- This is something we will need to work on, but I must say I am grateful that Harry has someone like Dora to help him, -/ commented Dumbledore.

/- I have to say I'm a bit surprised that it wasn't one of his classmates that found a way into that sheltered heart of his, -/ commented Snape.

/- It doesn't really surprise me, Severus. You see, even before his transformation, Harry has always had an older soul than his peers did. He was forced to mature early, long before he first set foot in Hogwarts, and even more since then, contrary to your initial beliefs. He's had to face evil in person, realize his own mortality, and make hard, moral decisions long before any of his contemporaries. Though he and the students are still close friends, I have seen him growing up faster, growing away from them in some ways. He belongs among adults more, for such companionship, and I have seen his love for his friends shifting to that of an older brother rather than equal partners as in the past. His transformation only accelerated that shift. -/

"I was wondering, Harry," asked Dumbledore, when Harry seemed recovered. "Do you really have to perform each individual key-in to the wards yourself, or can Severus and I assist you once you key us in?"

Surprised, Harry reviewed the warding he had performed, reaching out his power to touch the castle wards, the Chamber wards, and the Mentor Bond. "I think it can work, Albus. The Mentor Bond lets you draw on my power a bit, so once you are keyed to the new wards, you should be able to key others in. That's actually a relief. I'd rather have three of us able to do that instead of just me."

Tonks was looking strangely at them during this conversation, then realized the implications. "You're both in the Mentor Bond? I didn't realize that was possible."

"I am very grateful that it is possible, my dear," chuckled Dumbledore. "This young man is more than I can handle alone. You might want to keep that in mind." Both Harry and Tonks blushed at that comment, surprised that the old headmaster had it in him, which is just what Dumbledore hoped for, to lighten up the mood. "Now then, Harry, 'tempus' is 'fugit'ing, and all that. Shall we begin?"

Harry first took Dumbledore, then Snape to the renovated Chamber of Secrets. Watching carefully, he let Dumbledore take Tonks, without a hitch. Then Snape went to fetch Draco and successfully brought his apprentice to the Chamber. After that, the three spent the next half-hour initiating the rest of that evening's attendees into the wards of their new headquarters. Some remained and explored the facilities, while others left again to finish Ministry or Order business before the meeting, especially in the aftermath of the Hogsmeade attack. Dobby and Winky were allowed in so that they could tidy up or restock the kitchen as needed. To Winky's ecstatic relief, Harry allowed her to bond with him, but as house-elf to the Order and the Magus Circle, rather than the Potter bloodline.

Judy Mason was one of those that remained behind. "Things are caught up in the Hospital Wing. Tell me straight, young man. I can tell from my healer-sight that you are the one who fought in Hogsmeade; I see that strange psychic injury. Are you Darius or are you Harry?"

"Yes," he answered with a smirk. With the glare she directed at him, he playfully ducked as though avoiding a blow. Then he grew more serious. "It's something you would have learned by being a member of the Order anyways. I am Harry Magus, Madame Mason."

After a moment to absorb that, she realized he had implied as much when they had met in Hogsmeade, but was later confused by the charade in the Hospital Wing. "Who was the other Harry, then?"

"Have you met Nymphadora Tonks?" he asked.

"Yes, but a Metamorphmagus doesn't change so drastically that a deliberate examination using healer-sight can't catch the signs ... Oh, Lord! She's your Doppelganger, isn't she?"

"Got it in one, Ma'am."

"Oh, don't give me that. You call the others by name; mine is Judy, at least when the situation allows. Damn, I'm going to hate keeping this from Doug. I saw some of the students being brought in. Do they know about you?"

"Anyone you see down here knows who Darius really is. Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy are part of my Circle. Other students who know are all the other Weasleys, Neville Longbottom and Rachel Dragonrider. Anyone who was part of the Hogwarts staff before the merger came along knows who I am, plus others who are part of the Order. Now that includes you. It will probably include Doug, but give me a little more time to decide when."

"Good. Thanks. Now, you promised we could discuss that psychic injury I noticed," she said, stubbornly returning to the topic most on her mind at the moment. "You said you had some ideas." Harry obliged, by sharing the same information he had presented a short while ago in the Magus Tower. "Soul damage," she whispered. "Yes, it does look very much like that, and the odd taint could very well be the result of your odd link with ... him."

"Voldemort," he whispered with a small smile. "Go ahead and say it. That's a pet peeve that Albus and I share. It's just a name, a name he made up to make himself more sinister. He was born Tom Marvolo Riddle. If you can't say his made-up name, call him Riddle or Tom."

Steeling herself, she said, "V-Voldemort ... There, satisfied? I think I'll stick with Riddle if you don't mind. Even across the Atlantic, we still grew up afraid of that creature. I promise to work on it. Now stop distracting me. I need to do some research, but I have a few ideas on how to help you with your injuries. I'll try to make time to go through my healers' references on soul damage. Your Circle might be able to help as well."

"For research assistance, talk to Hermione. She's the smartest, most talented witch in Hogwarts, and a more relentless researcher you won't find. Also, if you need any information on the Circle linkages, check with Draco. He's a Master Scanner and can probably help to correlate the research with his knowledge of my magic and the Circle bond." Harry thought a moment. "I'm more than willing to let them help me with this, but only if it doesn't endanger them. I won't risk anyone in my Circle for my own benefit," he insisted.

"I never thought you would, Harry," she soothed. "I never thought you would."

Amelia Bones was the last to arrive, apologizing for being waylaid by a department head at the last minute. Dumbledore then stood silently, gathering everyone's attention as the chattering died out.

"Welcome everyone to the new headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," he said with a sweeping gesture. "For those of you who do not know exactly where we are, this is what was once known as the Chamber of Secrets, far below Hogwarts." He allowed the shocked murmurs for a few moments then continued. "I find it delightfully ironic that the former retreat of Salazar Slytherin should become the headquarters of a group opposed to the Dark Wizard who is Slytherin's Heir. I can assure you that this area is entirely safe, heavily warded by a Magus, all magical access restricted to those who have been keyed to those wards, all physical access blocked. It was renovated by the Magus while the more public renovations to Hogwarts were undertaken. This facility is meant to satisfy the Order's every need, from meeting and training facility, to research, living, and medical facilities."

Dumbledore waited a few moments as those present looked around again speculatively. "Though there are many topics we need to discuss, the first matter on the agenda must be the reestablishment of the Order Quadralis, to ensure our security." He signalled the new Quadralis members to take their places in the space that had been left open, some initial ritual markings on the floor at the cardinal compass points.

/- I just realized something, Albus, -/ sent McGonagall. /- You removed yourself from the Quadralis because of your Mentor Bond with Harry. But since Severus was added to that bond, doesn't that preclude him as well? -/

/- Actually, no, Minerva. You see, when he joined the Bond, he installed a very effective magical construct on the connection that provides control and prevents any involuntary power flow. And before you insist that I can now resume my place, I and Harry both feel that Severus belongs in that place. The composition of the ritual stands as decided earlier. -/

Glancing between her longtime friend and her younger colleague, she nodded slightly in acceptance and took her place opposite the anchor position. At first, Sirius took the position to her left, and Remus to her right. Then Severus closed his eyes a moment, shook his head, and indicated they should change places. After a moment of resistence, Sirius complied without comment and moved to the former-werewolf's position. Another moment with closed eyes, and Snape sighed, almost in relief, nodding slightly with a hint of a smile. He seemed oblivious to the shock of most of those present to see him in what they expected would be Dumbledore's place.

The four began to prepare themselves, gathering their powers so that their magical auras became visible. Minerva's aura again showed bright red. Severus showed an amazingly intense aura, shining a brilliant green, very similar to the emerald gaze of the Magus who observed the proceedings. Sirius had a deep blue aura, and Remus a tawny gold. In this Quadralis, there would be less matching and balancing, and more diversity. A different kind of strength would be apparent here, the strength found when differences, even past hostilities, are overcome and people come together for a common purpose.

Interesting, thought Minerva. That the colors of our two Marauders would combine to the color of their former adversary. And I am here to provide continuity. I should have realized that Albus and Harry would know best.

"I am Severus, I stand in the North, as anchor and protector. I am strength and foundation; power and shield. I stand ready. Quadralis."

"I am Minerva, I stand in the South, to comfort and nurture. I am emotion with restraint; endurance and flexibility. I stand ready. Quadralis."

"I am Sirius, I stand in the East, to guard and guide. I am defender or attacker, preserver or destroyer, whatever the threat to those that are mine. I stand ready. Quadralis."

"I am Remus, I stand in the West, to plan and to calm. I am the balancer, the peacemaker, the thinker, who restrains by understanding the unrestrained, tames by understanding wildness. I stand ready. Quadralis."

As their auras flared, and swirled around each participant, Severus gestured, causing the auras to swirl in circular motions around the four of them, both clockwise and counter-clockwise flows, the colors mingling in tangled threads. "We stand together, in a common cause, of different strengths and diverse personalities, reflecting the many needs of those present. Yet still we have balances. The power of the anchor balances the power of the three, and one Slytherin faces three Gryffindors. In counterpoint, three males of one generation join with a female of another generation. The auras of two mix to form the aura of a third, and the fourth is the link to the past. Unconventional balances, yet those gathered include the most unconventional beings in centuries, even in history, so what could be more fitting? Let the melding begin. Quadralis."

The tangled web of colorful energies became more organized, twining in obscure yet beautiful patterns, still circling the four, but now also crossing, linking them in a new way. The four became intimately aware of the powers of the others, and though the Gryffindors had been told of Snape's heritage and strength, the magnitude of his powers, and the echos of his link to Harry staggered them. They finally understood why Albus had relinquished his place to the younger man. As they again became aware of their surroundings, they turned to face the assembled Order. In unison, each reached toward the group with their empty right hands and said, "Sodalis!"

Each person present felt the power of this united group, working as one, a power second only to that which some had experienced from the Magus. Those who had been part of the original Order knew that the previous Quadralis had possessed only a fraction of this strength, this energy, this vitality. Each person's mind now held an impenetrable shelter which would secure their secrets from all enemies. Each person felt a quiet gratitude to have experienced this joining first-hand, something that could never adequately be described to those who joined the Order at a later time.

The four turned back to their positions in the ritual circle, raising their hands in the directions of their adjacent colleagues. A silver beam of light joined their hands, and drew in the multicolored threads. When nothing but the silver beams remained, Severus tilted his face upward, eyes closed, and his green aura flared around the circle, nearly blinding everyone present. Then all light faded and the Chamber was in darkness. Upon Harry's whispered invocation 'Luminis', the lights of the Chamber slowly returned to their earlier levels.

Sirius just stood there for long moments, still tingling with the residual of the power that had been summoned, staring at Snape. Finally, with a crooked smile he commented, "Bloody Hell, Severus, I am so grateful we called a truce."

(to be continued)