Harry Potter and the Black Secret

Chapter Nineteen

The Day we have been waiting for

Harry heard footsteps walking along the cold stone floor outside his cell. He recognised the clapping of her heels as she got closer and closer. The click of the key in the lock and the creak of the door as it swung inwards. He didn't need to look up to see her face.

"How're we feeling today sweetheart?" she cooed maliciously.

Harry didn't speak. Didn't raise his hanging head to meet her gaze.

"Oh don't be like that," she said and he knew she was pouting seductively as she squatted, knees spread in front of him, "I just want to talk to you. Promise."

Harry still didn't look up, but he could feel his tired muscles tensing and hear his breathing become shallower. He didn't know how long he'd been chained to this wall, time had lost its meaning. It felt like years since his last meal, but it was probably only twenty-four hours. He ached all over. He had cuts across his chest and bruises on his face. His glasses balanced on his face by sheer lack of capability to move.

All the questions that had been buzzing through his head seemed now to elude him. There was nothing except him and her, and what she was going to do to him this time. He hated that he was beginning to think of her as his captor, no longer his sister.

He felt her cold gloved hand stroke his face and gently raise his chin in her palm. He met her gaze for the first time now that her eyes were exposed, no longer shielded by dark shades. He wished he hadn't looked.

Her eyes were dead and cold. The sparkle of life that had made them dance ocean blue and green and glint in the sunlight had vanished. Her eyes were bright, vibrant even, but unnaturally so. They stood out against her sallow face and newly acquired raven hair, but there was no glint. No sparkle or shine. Dead.

He wanted to break her gaze but something kept him transfixed on her face, some hypnotic force that he had not the energy to fight.

She leaned in towards him and kissed him softly on the lips. He unwittingly kissed her back and felt her smile against him.

"Interesting conversation?" said an amused voice from the doorway. The spell broke and Harry pulled abruptly away feeling sick inside.

"They're so easy to manipulate," Kristine said zealously as her partner came and squatted next to her.

"You've really taken to this bloodlust thing haven't you?" Draco said smiling.

Kristine shrugged.

"It has its perks," she said, then she look back at Harry, "I don't think he likes it here much."

"He's not meant to like it here love, he's being detained until the time comes to bleed him dry," Draco said indifferently.

"Still," Kristine said, "there's no reason why he had to be miserable."

Draco gave Kristine a look of total bewilderment.

"Wouldn't you be miserable if you were in his position? If you knew you were going to die in a few hours?" he asked her.

"Not as miserable as you would be," she said grinning.

Draco smiled.

"You got that right," he said and kissed her avidly.

Harry was stuck, chained to the wall behind him with the girl he thought of a as a sister making out with one of the people Harry hated most in the world about two inches in front of him. They finally broke apart.

"Lets just save the kisses for me though shall we?" Draco said persuasively.

"He tastes like honey," Kristine said turning her attention back to Harry, "Have a taste."

Harry tried to block out the world around him, ignore all sound and close his eyes to the scene being played out, but his eyes sprung open as an unexpected finger stroked his lips and he was trapped once again.

His gaze was different to hers. With her he felt incapacitated of thought and desperate to comply with the voice that swept into the back of his head. Caught in her gaze he did whatever she wanted. Looking at the blonde he just felt frozen.

Unable to shift away from the numinous power of his gaze he remained paralysed as a pair of lips touched his. Draco's lips. The kiss was brief but left a lingering taste.

Draco licked his lips and looked pensive for a moment.

"That's blood your tasting love. He's cut his lip," Draco said.

"Actually, you cut his lip," Kristine corrected.

Harry didn't hear anything else as fatigue overtook him. His body was exhausted and his mind was drained, and he welcomed unconsciousness as it swept over him like a blanket.

*

Hermione sat next to Ron around a large table in the library; he was holding her hand on top of the table. There had been a time when if he had held her had around his family then it would be under the table, out of sight. There were several people sitting with them, some she knew well, some only by name, and one she couldn't recall at all.

The most prominent feature of the group was the amount of red heads. Along with Ron were Mr and Mrs Weasley and the rest of their children. Nine Weasley's in all. Professors McGonagall and Snape were also present, as were Lupin, Sirius, a woman called Tonks and the blonde woman Hermione had seen earlier. It was this woman that interested Hermione most. Who was she? Why did she look so familiar?

Hermione didn't get long to ponder this matter however as Snape called the meeting to order.

"Thank you all for coming amidst these grave circumstances. We don't have much time so I'm going to get right to the point. The Dark Lord is planning something that will no doubt doom the rest of the world, both Wizarding and Muggle. We don't know exactly what it is he is planning, but we know that it involves Potter, and they have him.

We have sat around and waited long enough, waiting for him to strike against us, well, now he has dealt us what he deems to be a fatal blow. Albus Dumbledore is no longer with us, he holds Harry Potter and they think that our link to powers has been severed," Snape said looking at Ron, "The Dark Lord expects us to fall apart. We are not going to do that. We will not sit back and watch him take over. We are going to strike now and end this war once and for all," he finished and nodded briefly towards Ron who stood up and looked around the table.

The faces of his family and friends stared back. He took a deep breath and told them the plan.

"Right. In order for this plan to work we all need to be one hundred percent on board. If anyone thinks they might back out leave now, I'd rather work this with a handful of committed people than a group of sceptics," he paused, and no one left the table, "Good."

Ron picked up his wand and muttered a spell over the table. Instantly a 3D map hovered in the centre of the group.

"We've managed to derive the information that Voldemort and his Death Eaters are holding up in Malfoy Mansion, which is located in the South of Wiltshire. Thanks to Professor Lupin, we also believe that we know the ritual that is being planned. It can't be a coincidence that activity has been increasing rapidly in the run up to the full moon, which is tomorrow night. I'm not going to go into details, but the fact is that we know the exact time and place where Harry and Voldemort will be. We cannot allow this ritual to take place," Ron said commandingly.

"Umm...Ron?" Ginny said tentatively, continuing when Ron nodded at her to continue, "What will happen if we're too late?"

"We're not going to be late Gin," Ron replied confidently.

"I know," Ginny said, "but what if we are. Please Ron, I think we deserve to know."

Ron took a deep breath and looked thoughtful for a moment before gesturing towards Professor Lupin, who stood up to address the group.

"From what Ron's told us from his vision, the approximate timing and location, we've managed to generate a list of the most likely rituals that could be being planned. However, when reading through the list, one stands out amongst the rest, requiring the blood of the lionhearted to be spilt at the crossroads on holy ground, on the night of the full moon. You all know by now that it has been brought to our attention that Harry is the heir to Gryffindor, and the fact that a church resides just outside of Malfoy Manor grounds does seem a little too coincidental.

This ritual will seal Voldemort's power, and it will kill Harry."

"But we're not going to be too late," Ginny said.

"We're not going to be late," Ron agreed.

"Can I just ask one small question?" Tonks said. Everyone turned to the woman who today sported short spiky blue hair and violet eyes. Tonks was a well known Auror and Metamorphmagus, meaning she could change her appearance at will. She was also renowned as more than a little clumsy. "If tomorrow night is the full moon, doesn't that sort of incapacitate old Remus here? And can I just include tonight for that matter? Won't you be sprouting hair and fangs any time now?"

Lupin raised his eyebrows, but smiled at the same time.

"It's true, but don't worry Nymphadora," he said, deliberately using Tonks's hated first name, "I've taken the Wolfsbane potion, I'm quite safe. As for tomorrow, I should think having a fully grown werewolf on you side would be an advantage," then seeing Mrs Weasley's horrified expression, "Relax Molly, I'll be myself, just a little more canine than usual. No one will be in danger...well, except maybe those Death Eaters."

Molly Weasley still looked anxious, but didn't speak up.

"Right," Ron said, taking back control of the meeting, "Here's the plan. Bill and Charlie, we need to set up three Portkeys. Out of the way, but close enough to escape quickly through if things go wrong. They have to be two way, we may need to get casualties back quickly."

Ron took his wand and pointed to three spots on the hologramatic map, leaving behind a glowing blue light.

"This is where they need to be. The first one," he said, and one of the spots glowed brightly, "needs to go to and from Hogwarts. The second," the first light died down and the next lit up, "St. Mungo's and the third," the final spot now brightening, "Phoenix Headquarters. All the Portkeys are to be in the form of a pocket watch, gold, not silver," he added looking at Lupin.

"All of the Order member will have their own Apparation points around here," Ron continued, and a ring of red spots appeared at the edge of the churchyard, "but the exact points will be decided amongst the order themselves.

What's important is that we get to Harry.

Ginny, now, I know you're not going to like this, but you're staying here, like it or not. You are not combat ready," Ron said.

"Hey!" Ginny exclaimed, "Don't you give me that crap! I'm not staying back here while you lot go off and rescue my boyfriend. I'm just as 'combat ready' as the you are Ron Weasley, and I'm coming with you like it or not."

Ron smiled.

"I thought you might say that, but I just thought I'd check that you're sure."

"I'm sure," she said.

"Then you're coming with me and Hermione. We're going to Floo to a point in the village near Malfoy Mansion, its all been arranged, and go the rest of the way by foot so as not to be detected. We need to get as close to Harry, Kristine and Draco as we can. Hopefully they'll be close together, but if not, then we'll have to cover one of them each."

"Hang on," Mrs Weasley said, "I'm not sure I like this. Why do you three have to go right into the middle of the fight? Shouldn't someone else go, someone older, more experienced."

"I'm sorry Mum, but it has to be us," Ron said empathetically, "I know what to do and I can't risk someone else getting it wrong, and I need people I can trust with me. I trust Hermione and Ginny to do the right thing please don't try and change my mind. This is the right choice, I know it is."

Mrs Weasley looked at her youngest son with a mixture of pride and fear, but she didn't contradict him.

"We can't plan our actions until we see what we're up against, but our priority is to free Harry and hopefully he'll be strong enough to fight, if not, then we need to get him out of there, fast."

Ron looked at Sirius. He didn't know how to explain the next bit, but he had to say it.

"Hermione and I have been researching for hours. We know what has happened to Kristine and to Draco. They are under the influence of the Ateranima potion. It draws upon the demonic side of their composition. With Kristine, her Vampire qualities and with Draco, Veela. From what we can gather, Kristine has probably adopted the hypnotic powers of a Vampire and we should assume she has gained their speed and agility, although she doesn't seem to possess the bloodlust. Draco, as we've seem can conjure and manipulate fire magic, and he probably also has a limited hypnotic power.

We don't know how to reverse the spell," Ron finished desolately.

Sirius didn't react outwardly, but the pain he was feeling was clear in his eyes. The woman who sat on his left however had silent tears trickling down her face. Sirius put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned against him.

"We'll do our best to bring them back with us, but I can't promise that they won't be hurt. They're powerful, and I won't risk loosing anyone for two people who we may never be able to save. If it comes down to it, I'm prepared to kill them."

The reactions to this statement were mixed. Hermione felt as resolute as Ron. Mrs Weasley and Lupin in particular looked shocked. Snape too looked surprised, but Hermione assumed it was because he thought he would have to convince Ron to take this course of action. The others, including Sirius and the blonde woman, looked saddened, but appeared to understand. Bill was the big surprise.

"If they're under a spell then it's not their fault," he said, struggling to contain his anger, "You can't kill them for something over which they have no control!"

"It's a war Bill. People are going to die. I love Kristine, but I love Harry too and she's trying to kill him. I know it's not her fault, but I've got to play with cards I was dealt here. If you can't go into this battle with your eyes wide open then stay behind and help the casualties. You're no good to me if you aren't detached," Ron said.

"I can't let you go in there prepared to kill her! I know her, its not right," Bill exclaimed.

"Calm down Bill," Charlie said to his brother sternly, "she's not the person you knew."

Hermione looked at the eldest Weasley perplexed. To her knowledge Bill had only met Kristine that one time over Christmas. They had gotten along well, but Bill's outburst seemed to stem from something more than a general liking for the girl.

"I know, it's not right and it's not fair, but that's the way it is. What's it going to be?" Ron said looking Bill squarely in the eye.

"I'll stand by you every step of the way Ron, you know I will, but I'm not going to kill two innocent people. If I end up facing one of them, I'll die before I hurt them."

"If everything goes according to plan, then you won't be facing them. I will," Ron said.

"We don't have long," Lupin said changing the flow of the discussion, "We need to alert the rest of the Order."

Ron looked at Sirius.

"Sirius, its up to you whether you go into the battle. Personally I think you should stay away, I want some good fighters here at Hogwarts in case of a surprise attack, but its up to you."

Sirius looked at the blonde woman whose tears had now dried.

"Do you want to go?" he asked her.

"I want to, but I don't think I should," she said, "He's right about needing to protect Hogwarts. I think we should stay, do what we can from here."

Sirius nodded.

"We'll stay here," he said.

"Good," Ron replied, "I think its time to start getting ready. Those of you going with the Order need to leave now, prepare yourselves. Fred and George. Go to Gryffindor Tower for now and gather up those older students who want to fight from Hogwarts. Bill and Charlie, you're going to have to go to the Ministry and set up the portkeys, maybe get some support. Any help from the Ministry should be sent to the Order. Percy, maybe you should go with them then head back to the Order.

Professor McGonagall, Hermione, Ginny and I need to finalize out attack plans here, so you're all free to go. We'll keep in contact via the mirrors that Sirius delegated earlier. Good Luck," Ron finished.

Everyone got up from the table and said their goodbyes. Mrs Weasley hugged the children she was leaving at Hogwarts, Hermione included.

"I'm very proud of you," she whispered in Ron's ear before she left quickly, no doubt to avoid making a scene.

As they all filed out, Ron remembered something.

"Percy!" he called, hurrying after his brother.

Percy stopped and turned back to Ron puzzled, the two brothers had never been particularly close. Ron waited until they were alone in the corner of the library before continuing.

"I have to tell you something. It doesn't make any sense to me and is going to sound really strange, but I promised I'd tell you, so here it goes," Ron said looking Percy in the face, "Never give up. There's a light at the end of the rainbow."

Percy looked stunned. He turned his head away from Ron, but then he smiled. Ron could see tears welling up in his eyes behind his glasses.

"And a pot of gold at the end of the tunnel," he said quietly.

Ron looked at his brother. Ron had gotten so used to the pompous, Head Boy, 'holier than thou' version of his brother that he had forgotten what he had been like before, but seeing the look on his face now, he remembered.

"You really miss her, don't you," Ron said.

"More than you know," Percy replied, "When she...after...it happened, it was like half of me was missing. She was my best friend in the whole world and suddenly she wasn't there any more. You have no idea how hard it was for me to watch Fred and George together all the time, I was so jealous. Then there was you and Ginny. I know you're not twins, but you're so close. Even Bill and Charlie to a certain extent. I felt so alone."

"I had no idea," Ron said feeling an overwhelming sensation of guilt, "I mean, I was so upset after the accident, we all were, I guess I just didn't think that you'd be suffering more than any of us."

"You were young," Percy said, "It was natural for you to only be able to focus on your own grief. You lost your sister."

"And you lost your twin."

They stood in silent reflection for a minute.

"Who gave you that message?" Percy asked eventually.

"I think you already know the answer to that question," Ron said.

Percy smiled again, a new look of determination on his face.

"When did you get so grown up little brother?" Percy said, and then he placed a hand on Ron's shoulder, "I'm so lucky to have you as my brother Ron. There's no one else in the world I'd want to follow into battle, I mean that," and with these parting words of loyalty Percy left the library.

Ron turned back to the table. They had work to do.

*

Ginny slipped out of the library behind everyone else. She stood just out of sight as the majority of the group threw Floo powder into the fire in Snape's office at headed for the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Soon there were only two people left, and she revealed herself.

"Ginny? Why aren't you with Ron?" Charlie said to his youngest sibling.

"I need to talk to Bill for a minute," she said, "In private."

Charlie looked at Bill who nodded at his brother.

"I'll follow on in a minute," he said, "Where's Percy got to anyway?" he added, and as if by magic the spectacled Weasley burst into the room.

"Sorry, I'm ready," he said breathing heavily after just running down to the dungeons, "Ginny? What are you doing here?"

"Percy, Charlie, go on. I won't be long," Bill said, and Charlie grabbed Percy's arm and dragged him over to the fireplace. Within three minutes they were gone.

"What's up Gin?" Bill asked.

"I just, I wanted to ask you something. About Kristine," Ginny said, and noted how her brother tensed.

"Do you, I mean, have you, did you know Kristine before she came at New Year?" Ginny asked.

Bill observed his sister for a minute before answering.

"Yes," he answered honestly, "I met her in America the summer before last."

"Why didn't you say something?" Ginny said, "Why didn't she say something?"

"It's complicated," Bill said feeling very uncomfortable.

Suddenly everything clicked into place and Ginny's eyes widened.

"You dated her didn't you," Ginny said amazed.

"I wouldn't exactly call it dating," Bill answered, wondering why he was telling his little sister this, "It was more of a casual meeting of two people...doing...stuff..."

"You slept with a sixteen-year-old girl!" Ginny exclaimed, "Bill, she's like, ten years younger than you!"

"Hey," Bill said getting defensive, "I didn't know she was sixteen, she didn't look sixteen. Plus, being in bar didn't help. How was I meant to know?"

Ginny shook her head.

"Well I guess that explains why you didn't tell mum and dad," Ginny said, "Does anyone else know?"

"Only Charlie," Bill said, "Look Gin, I really have to go," he added looking at his watch.

"Okay," Ginny said.

Bill opened his mouth to say something else, but Ginny predicted his concern.

"I won't say anything," she promised.

"Good Luck," Bill said hugging his sister.

"Good Luck," she replied, and then he was gone.

*

They had leave in half an hour. Where had all the time gone?

Hermione was sitting, waiting, in the library on her own, relaxing in her last few moments of solitude before Ron, Ginny and she left for a small village in Wiltshire. Hermione was dressed in her travelling cloak, her long hair tied back as tightly as she could manage. Like Hermione, both Ron and Ginny were dressed in black when she had left them. They didn't have an invisibility cloak, deciding against borrowing Harry's, but they could blend into the night.

She heard someone enter the library and Hermione looked up to see the blonde woman who had intrigued her earlier.

"Hello," Hermione said.

The other woman jumped, obviously having not spotted Hermione in the corner of the now dark library.

"I didn't see you there," she replied with a small smile.

"You came here with Sirius didn't you?" Hermione asked, "You look familiar but I can't seem to place you."

The woman sat down at the small round table opposite Hermione and held out her hand for Hermione to shake.

"Sarah Hilsea," she said, and noting the continuing lack of recognition from Hermione added, "You might know me better as Narcissa Malfoy."

Hermione's eyes widened in remembrance. Narcissa Malfoy. She had only seen the woman in real life once before, at the Quidditch World Cup, and at that time she had been wearing the expression of a woman who had a bug stuck up her nose. No wonder he didn't connect the two very different images of this woman.

"You're...but why are you...How...?" Hermione stammered, and then realisation dawned on her, "You're the one who told the us where Harry was being held."

Sarah looked at Hermione and smiled.

"Draco and Kristine always said you were sharp Hermione. I see now that their prise of you was well deserved. Yes, I'm the 'anonymous' source of information. I'm also the one who set up the safe house for you and your friends to Floo to in the village. Severus felt it would be better if most people didn't know that I'm the one who told him the location of the Dark Lord. You'd be amazed at how suspicious some people can be."

"Well they'd be right to be!" Hermione exclaimed, "You're the wife of Voldemort's right hand man and the mother of Harry's captor. Why should we trust you?"

"Because it's my son whose being used against his will to commit torture and murder against innocents," Sarah said, "I had to stay in that house knowing what Lucius was doing below stairs to two children, not being able to do anything to stop it without being killed myself.

I've lived my whole life just trying to stay out of his way, doing everything I could to keep Draco out of his way, to save him from becoming like Lucius. I'm not trying to deceive anyone, I just want my son back."

Hermione's head was spinning. This woman, Sarah, Narcissa, whatever her name had known where Kristine and Draco had been all summer. She knew Kristine? Draco had praised her? Kristine and Draco, together? Why had she come here now? If she was telling the truth, how had she escaped?

Hermione didn't have any answers, but for some unfathomable reason, she believed her.

Just then, Ron walked into the library, clad like Hermione in black.

"It's time to go," he said to Hermione.

Hermione nodded and stood up from the table. She was just about to walk away, but then she turned and walked back to stand at Sarah's side.

"We're going to bring them back," she said, and then strode out of the library after Ron.