hpml311-320

Chapter 311

Lily shrugged. "I haven't explored much yet and honestly I hadn't spent much time here to

begin with before it was damaged. Snapfist was saying they kept most of the arrangements

the same in the reconstruction. Ragnok apparently got a kick out of the trophy room. The

way Snapfist tells it, the man seemed positively giddy that the old wyvern head survived."

She shook her head. "Men and their trophies. Honestly, I practically fainted when I walked

in here and saw this thing!" she gestured towards the slithering skeleton above. "I can't

believe Daphne and Harry fought this alone before hitting their teens! Daphne, you have

my respect and I seriously hope you have your parents' too. If not, bring them here and

take them through the front door," Lily said shuddering slightly.

Daphne blushed at the woman's praise. While she had told her father she wanted to make

a good impression she hadn't actually believed that she'd stand a chance of impressing

Harry's mother. Certainly not this quickly. That Lily was singing her praises without even

having gotten to know her beyond second hand stories…and especially after what her

father had said just a short while ago…Dammit she might not make it until the start of

September if this was the sort of in-law she could look forward to by dating Harry. "Thanks,

Lily," she finally managed to mumble.

"Let's go back to others," Harry said. He wrapped an arm around Hermione and tugged

gently. "Come on, Mione, we're hanging out in the library."

Daphne had to cover her mouth to stifle her laugh as the brunette's eyes widened and her

breathing picked up. Before any of the others could say anything, Hermione had started

walking at of the room at a pace that was practically dragging Harry behind her.

Lily watched their guests with a small smile as they explored the small library. Hermione

seemed to be a girl after her own heart, eagerly flitting from shelf to shelf and taking notes

on what she wanted to read and in which order. The brunette witch had barely paid any

attention at all to the other occupants beyond the initial pleasantries though she did still

surreptitiously glance at Harry whenever he fell too silent only returning to her books

when he started talking to the group again or made a small gesture that seemed to satisfy

Hermione.

Fleur was far more engaging now that she wasn't consumed with worrying about

her…partner. Lily suppressed a small grimace at that. The fact that her son was not only

dating, but dating all three girls at once was more than enough to spur a return of the

headache she'd woken up with. The French Veela certainly didn't make it easy to forget

that fact. She used almost any excuse to kiss or touch Harry and he tended to respond in

kind. Fleur seemed easy to like and she definitely had a healthy amount of respect for the

young woman's skills to have gotten through her own set of challenges last year even if the

details were still mostly clouded in shadow.

Daphne on the other hand was an enigma. To most appearances, Daphne Greengrass was

a typical Pureblood Princess with a haughty air and a superior attitude. When she engaged

with most she was brusque, but polite and knowing while still being respectful. However

near Harry her demeanor shifted quite largely. She was still thoughtful and careful, but it

was tempered with an obvious humor and exasperation. The effect was enough of a

difference that Lily was reminded strongly of Andromeda Tonks. One of the reasons she

had so adored Andi was because the woman was a perfect blend of the skills and

experience in purebloods coupled with the joy and openness in most Muggleborns.

Daphne seemed to be quite similar in that regard and it bode well for the girl's prospects in

whatever she aimed to achieve both personal and professional.

Tonks as a direct contrast was busy arguing with Dobby over what color the walls should

be painted. The little house elf was insisting that a gold and red scheme be used in the

majority of the manor while Tonks was trying to make a case for some Hufflepuff colors.

Her efforts to prove her point by standing against various walls and shifting her hair to

match her stated preferences was hilarious to watch. Completely unbecoming of proper

behavior, but that was a large part of what made it so much fun. Lily had almost fallen to

the floor in shock as she caught a quick glimpse of the goblin laughing at Tonks' antics!

That Harry had managed to get such good friends in spite of his…history…warmed Lily's

heart. It proved that Harry was still her sweet little boy even if that wasn't quite as literal

as it used to be.

A deep knock sounded throughout the hall followed by a pathetic little scream of terror.

Several heads turned to the door to the library while Lily just rolled her eyes. "We're in the

library, Sirius!" she yelled. "Stop playing with Skelly and come in!"

"Hey, that thing's scary!" Sirius pouted walking in with Remus following close behind.

While Sirius had obviously played it up, Moony was looking rather pale. Lily couldn't help

the twinge of satisfaction at making the man squirm a bit. Sure, he hadn't betrayed them –

Shiva had cleared that up – but he still hadn't even bothered to try and contact Harry

before the situation was forced onto him. While she respected that he'd made changes to

his life she wasn't going to give him a free pass until she made certain that he had earned

that pass.

"Was the hissing too much?" Harry asked innocently. Lily chuckled. Maybe some of the

others could tell if he was genuinely asking or teasing but she certainly couldn't. "I was

originally going to just have it hanging up there, but when the goblins mentioned they

could have it animated a bit I might have went a bit overboard with the effects."

Tonks' hair and most of her body turned green with her tongue flicking out and

lengthening into a split snake's tongue. "I sssink thisss big brothersssss of mine issssss

perfectssss."

Every single occupant of the house turned to stare at Tonks who just stared back at them

all. It took a full ten seconds before everyone was clutching their sides and wiping their

eyes from their laughter. Tonks grinned, bowed and morphed back to her normal form.

"Aww shucks folks. Thanks."

When people had finally calmed down Sirius moved to warmly embrace Lily. "It's good to

see you up and about, Lils. I missed you."

"Well, I wish I could say I missed you too but…" she said shrugging and giving him a small

smile in return.

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Chapter 312

"Yeah, I know. I talked with you friend earlier. I know the basics. Look on the bright side

though, Lils, at least you're still crazy young!"

She snorted and shook her head genially while Remus stepped forward with a sigh. "Sirius,

while that may be true, there's probably a far better way to put it. Hello, Lily. I'm pleased

to see you again as well. Also, I hope you'll accept my apologies for not doing more for

Harry while it would have counted. I was rather taken to task with my poor behavior – well

deservedly so – and while I can't change the past I can try to atone for it in the future."

Lily's eyes narrowed as she searched his features. He seemed genuine and that he'd freely

offered the sentiment before she'd even had the chance to tear into him was

something…Slowly she nodded and pulled him into a very brief hug. "Ensure you keep

doing right by my family in the future Remus and we're okay. Step out of line again though

and I will not be as nice."

Shiva groaned. "Ugh, Remus, don't piss her off. I had a hard enough time keeping her from

tearing off after Lockhart and Dumbledore. You might be a werewolf, but you're still a heck

of alot easier to find than those two."

"Actually, Flophart is easy to find. He's still in St. Mungos," Daphne said nonchalantly. "I

hear they've gotten him to the point of being able to ask for food and loo trips again. If Lily

wants to go torture him a bit I'm all for that. I can even show you his room."

Hermione paused in her inspection of one of the shelves and peered at Daphne curiously.

"Oh really? Daphne, have you paid visits to the man?"

"Well he may have developed some intense itching in rather uncomfortable places while I

was checking on some other patients. A few times. That he can't actually explain what the

problem is…was sadly unfortunate," the Slytherin said with a wicked grin. Hermione just

shook her head in exasperation though she didn't appear to have any actual issues with

her friend's actions.

Lily chuckled and eyed the girl appreciatively. Daphne certainly had a vindictive side to her.

"Well, that certainly helps diminish my need for justice. Though I may have to pay some

visits and try out some of my more experimental potions on him." She grinned widely.

Snapfist stood and looked at her flashing a toothy smile. "I see why you have a good

reputation with the Nation, Mrs. Potter. If we aren't waiting on more perhaps we should

start the tour?"

"Sure. Lead on, Account Manager."

The group passed through the entrance hall again as they moved to the East Wing when

the basilisk skeleton started hissing at the door and chime sounded. Harry gave an

annoyed sigh. "That's the signal that someone is approaching who doesn't have hostile

intent against any of the people keyed into the wards. Give me a second to see who it is."

Daphne gave an annoyed huff and moved to follow him. "It's quite possible it's my father.

He was rather…forward this morning and it would certainly be in character for him to drop

by, introduce himself and see how things were going. I'll get rid of him if it is."

Harry pulled the door open and blinked in surprise at two Aurors just stepping up to the

door. "Err, hello?" He recognized Dawlish, but while the other one seemed vaguely familiar

he couldn't place a name to the face.

"Mr. Potter," Dawlish said with his face set firmly into an expression caught between

disgust and fear, "we're here for the abomination. Please stand aside."

"Abomination?" Harry asked looking to Daphne who just shrugged mirroring his confusion.

"Uh, I know the skeleton might be a bit much, but I wouldn't call it an abomination. That

seems rather harsh."

The second Auror stepped frowned. "Skeleton? So you've already killed it!?"

"Yeeeaaaah," Harry said slowly as if speaking to children. "This was really big news over

two years ago…Daphne and I killed the basilisk and it's hanging here…what skeleton did

you think I meant?"

"Harry? Either invite them in or lock them out. I want to see the rest of this place," Lily

called.

Both Aurors froze. "It's alive!" Dawlish yelled. "Savage, protect the kids I'll get the

creature!" Dawlish and Savage whipped out their wands and had time to take a single step

forward before staring dumbly ahead.

Harry and Daphne were back to back in front of the two Aurors blocking the door. Both

teens had their wands out pointed at one Auror each. Harry had his left hand pulled back

with his palm extended, the Knockback tattoo glowing slightly which matched the

Boomstone tattoo glowing on his hand clutching his wand. Daphne in turn had pulled a

Freezer rune stone from somewhere and was clutching it in her off hand. Harry was

carefully positioned so that the skin on his right hand was brushing against Daphne's left in

case he had to use the Boomstone. To helpfully increase their image of unstoppable

badasses Skelly leaned her head down behind them and unhinged her toothy jaw letting

out a very loud hiss.

"Put your wands down and step back from the door," Harry said remarkably calmly

considering how badly he wanted to curse these two idiots.

"There is no necromantic abomination present in this household, Aurors," Daphne said all

joking gone and steel edging her voice. "I kindly recommend you take your leave

immediately before a misunderstanding occurs. You are in the process of invading a Lord's

manor with faulty justification. You are not here under orders. Director Amelia Bones

would have nipped that right in the bud. Head Auror Scrimgeour has also already been

informed of Lily Potter's return to health so he has not authorized this either."

The corner of Harry's lip twitched as he saw Dawlish visibly gulp. Savage just sneered. "Out

of the way children. You've obviously been confounded by someone."

Harry growled and Daphne's eyes narrowed to slits. Before either could act the rest of the

group stepped up behind them with Lily in the front. "I'm a necromantic abomination now?

Well, I suppose I shouldn't really be too surprised about that. Am I supposed to be

decaying and putrid too? Do I eat brains?"

Dawlish gaped at the sarcastic comments, his wand lowering slightly. Savage however

shifted his aim to point over Harry's shoulder. His lips moved to start casting a spell when

he was thrown off his feet. Harry's disarming charm hit the man at the same time that his

Knockback blast slammed into his chest. Daphne's body bind jinx hit him barely half a

second afterwards. Both teens turned their wands on Dawlish not even bothering to notice

who had raised a shield behind them. "Your move, Auror Dawlish," Harry said quietly.

Dawlish slowly held up one hand and lowered his wand though he didn't sheathe it. "I

have to take…it into custody, Lord Potter. Necromancy is the only explanation here. I don't

know how it's tricking you or who's controlling it, but I promise you we will find out and

hunt them down."

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Chapter 313

Harry heard the sound of a hand slapping a face behind him though he just groaned. "Have

you listened to a single thing we've said? Did you even bothering to read the article in the

paper or did you just run off half-cocked after catching a glimpse of the headline?"

The guilty expression on the Auror's face was answer enough. Daphne glared at him.

"Allow me to summarize for you in that case. Lily Potter was in a state of deep enchanted

sleep while augmenting Harry Potter's protection. As the specific requirements to break

this enchantment were previously unfulfilled thanks to an ignored will only recently was

the spell broken. Lily Potter never died; she simply slept. Her status was confirmed by two

separate licensed Healers, three Heads of Ancient Houses and the Director of the

Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"Now get your partner and get the hell off my property!" Harry finished shouting.

"I'll take it from here, Lord Potter," Amelia Bones said as she walked up the path. "Tonks,

thank you for calling. I see we have a bit of trouble here." She paused as she stopped by

Savage. A flick of her wand had the man standing in front of her next to Dawlish though

still frozen by the body bind. "Dawlish, explain."

Dawlish's face paled even further as he stumbled over his words. "Ma'am, Savage and I

saw the article in the Quibbler on Proudfoot's desk this morning. We…well it's only natural

to assume necromancy or other Dark Magic when dealing with a reanimation! We didn't

want to waste any time since who knows what someone without any morals like that

would do with their creation left near Harry Potter…"

Lily held up her hand from beyond Harry and Daphne. "They did sound like they tried to

protect the teens. Sort of at least," she said jovially. Harry wanted to be frustrated with her

for joking under these circumstances, but if she was anything like him he knew she was

probably doing it in a deliberate effort to avoid going for her own wand.

"What am I going to do with you two?" Bones sighed. "Unpaid leave for one week. Paid

leave for another week after that. Both of you are then going back through the last three

months of the Auror Training Program. Savage, while this is technically your first offense

your general attitude has been severely lacking especially concerning safety and procedure.

Dawlish…goddammit Dawlish! You are a good Auror when you can pull head out of your

arse and we need good Aurors now more than ever! Initiative is fine and commendable

even, but we check facts first for a reason!" She waved her wand again and the spell

holding Savage dropped. He proceeded to drop his head in shame. "Get out of here both of

you."

The two Aurors hurried off the property and Bones turned to the group with a sigh. "I

apologize for that. Lily…ugh I'll talk to my department immediately to make sure this

doesn't happen again. It was scheduled for before everyone went home for the day

originally. I'm sorry for the disruption." She started to turn, but stopped and gave a small

amused shake of her head at Harry and Daphne who had finally holstered their wands and

moved slightly apart. "I've seen Dawlish go up against a werewolf while transformed and

not break a sweat. I don't know what you people did to him, but I sincerely hope you join

our ranks when you graduate. Good day, everyone."

As Amelia walked back down the driveway Harry slammed the front door and scowled.

"They obviously had hostile intent to…Lily at least. Why the hell didn't the wards trigger?"

he asked aloud frowning down at the floor.

Shiva laid a soft hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "She's not entered into them, kid. We

were going to do that when we got to the Anchor. Nobody expected an attack in the half

hour we've been here."

Harry's scowl deepened further but Hermione moved forward to kiss his cheek before he

could say anything. "That was quite impressive, Harry. I believe I told you once before that

Daphne was a good second for you and an equal in battle. There's all the proof you need."

Tonks gave them a thumbs up with her hair a mix between emerald green and scarlet red.

Harry, suitably distracted just ran a hand through his hair and huffed.

"I am so glad I came to this personally!" Snapfist said clapping his hands together and

smiling. "Come, let's go to that Ward Anchor first."

As the group moved to follow Snapfist, Harry noticed Lily eyeing Daphne and giving the girl

a very affirming nod of acknowledgement.

Shortly after the Manor tour ended the group had had dinner together with everyone

departing except for Hermione, Fleur and Tonks. Lily found it somewhat hard to ignore that

all three girls were bunking in her son's bedroom. No matter how many assurances she'd

received that this wasn't something new it didn't change that he seemed far too young.

Leaning back against the wall behind her she used her butterbeer to salute a picture of a

young black haired girl on the end table nearby. "Quite the hypocrite I'm being huh,

Marlene? I was sleeping with you at 15 and now I'm getting angry with my son for doing

the same thing. I guess it's different when they're our own children." Lily scowled and

drained her drink. Marlene had died only a few weeks before Lily and James had gone into

hiding. While their fling hadn't lasted long they'd stayed friends ever since and her death

had hurt quite a lot. That Marlene's entire family had been wiped out at the same time

just made it even worse.

Lily turned from the picture and walked back towards her room. Harry had offered the

master bedroom but she'd turned him down. That room was supposed to be for the lord of

the manor and she didn't really qualify for that position anymore. Granted, she'd actually

never qualified for the position. James' parents had died in the same attack that destroyed

the Manor so she'd never even set foot in the room before this morning. It was easy to let

Harry have that area. The larger quarters would at least make things simpler for his

sleeping arrangements.

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Chapter 314

The hallway split and instead of turning towards her bedroom, Lily found herself going to

other way. She stopped in front of James' old room. Slowly, with a slight tremble Lily

pushed the door open and walked inside. The goblins had indeed been thorough. If

nothing else in the house had made that clear this room did. There were still some of the

pictures and posters that James had decorated hanging in the same spots. Her old attempt

at knitting a blanket was draped across the back of the chair just like she'd left it. The bed's

sheets had that same eye-watering combination of brilliant red, blazing gold and fluttering

snitches.

Lily sat down on the bed and pulled a small bear from the side table. She'd bought that as

soon as she found out she was pregnant. Every kid liked bears and while stuffed dragons

were largely the preferred option among magical families she'd wanted her child to grow

up with a connection to the Muggle world. Harry had grown up with that connection. He'd

grown up with Petunia. With the same woman who'd stated multiple times he should die

before even being born. With the aunt who'd stuffed him in a cupboard because he was

special and she wasn't. Her son had grown up completely alone because she and James

had been too busy arguing to bother telling people how her research was progressing.

Everything she'd ruthlessly pushed down since first opening her eyes and seeing a coffin

bubbled up to the surface. Lily clutched the bear to her chest, squeezed her eyes shut and

started sobbing. Her breath hitched and her arms trembled. She couldn't fix this. She

couldn't fix anything. She'd damned her son to hell while trying to save him. How was she

supposed to justify that?

Lily barely even registered when a soft arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her

head down to rest on a shoulder. She could only cry harder and squeeze the bear tighter.

"Shh, it's okay," a quiet voice said. Lily shook her head and kept crying. "Let it out. Harry

does the same thing. You can't keep this shite bottled up because it just gets worse and

worse."

At the mention of her son Lily's breath hitched again. She tried to pull back vigorously

shaking her head. "I left him alone!" she shouted. "I left him alone for years!"

"You saved him." Lily finally managed to pull enough coherent thought together to

recognize that Shiva was the one holding her and trying to calm her down. "Did he end up

having a shitty childhood? Yeah. That's not on you, Lily. We read your will and your

husband's. Harry doesn't blame you at all for being stuck with the Dursleys. You had no

way of knowing that your wishes would be completely ignored."

"It doesn't matter! I should have known! I knew what bigoted arses the wizarding world

created. I ranted about them enough to realize that it was likely to happen! I should have

told someone about what I was trying to do! If I had told someone than I could've raised

him!" Lily gave up trying to move away and collapsed back down into Shiva's embrace. "I

was too busy trying to make James understand why I was so determined. Why I was set on

that course. Why I couldn't afford to do any other research. Why I wasn't trying to be a

Merlin-be-damned martyr! We gave up understanding each other's positions! I ignored

everything except finishing it! I didn't explain anything!"

"I'm glad you didn't," Shiva said quietly. The complete incongruity of that statement jolted

Lily out of her sobs. She pulled back to stare wide eyed at the other woman. "I don't mean

that I'm glad Harry grew up the way he did or that you got trapped in stasis for a decade. I

mean, I'm glad you got it working in time. If you hadn't been so focused your son would've

died, Lily. You saved him. You gave him a chance. I've patched over his wounds, but I never

would have even met him if you hadn't saved him to begin with." Shiva smiled and hugged

Lily. This time instead of a comforting embrace, it was a thankful one. "I love that boy like

he was my own flesh and blood and I can't thank you enough for letting him live long

enough that I could meet him."

Lily started crying again at that and she clung to Shiva tighter. She hadn't looked at it from

that angle before, but the professor was right. If she had stopped working, there was a

good chance she wouldn't have been ready for when Voldemort showed up on their

doorstep. Harry's life had been hard…but Shiva was right. He was alive. And she could start

doing everything in her power to make sure that she made up for all the years she had

missed with him.

Severus Snape sat down to his breakfast and morning tea without his usual sneer.

Dumbledore had been removed long enough that Snape was beginning to see the benefits

of having one of his masters gone for good. Bones a hardass bitch who made no secret of

disliking him, but she was fair and forthright with her explanations and orders; two things

that Dumbledore had never been. To make matters even better, the idiot Lucius had

managed to let Narcissa walk away from him! While she was unable to make a deep dent

in the man's finances the money she had taken was rather impressive and rumors were

running rampant that Black was going to file for a divorce on her behalf on 'breach of

contract' grounds reclaiming a sizable dowry. The Dark Lord's displeasure was firmly

centered onto Lucius leaving Severus free to do whatever he wanted in the meantime. All

in all, it was an excellent start to the summer months.

He opened yesterday's papers to see what amusing anecdote the insane Lovegoods had

come up with this time. Reading the article on Voldemort's return was rather anticlimactic

as there were no embellishments or conspiracy theories. Moving on he flipped to read

below the fold. The headline of the article barely registered on his first pass.

Lily Potter's Miraculous Revival! A Strengthening Ritual Gone Wrong Thanks to

Wizengamot Mismanagement

Written by: Luna Lovegood

Many of you may think a joke article. As was stated in the first section, it is not. You read

that correctly. Lily Potter has regained consciousness after remaining in an enchanted sleep

for nearly fourteen years. She –

Snape spit out the tea he was drinking as he stared at the paper in front of him. Moving so

quickly the table bounced backwards, he lunged forwards and gripped the Quibbler like his

very life depended on it. Hurriedly he started reading the entire thing.

She was initially forced into the magical slumber during the night of Voldemort's attack on

the Potter household in Godric's Hollow. The Dark Lord unknowingly completed the final

component of an ancient ritual that allowed Mrs. Potter to strengthen her son's natural

defenses. This is what led directly to Voldemort's initial defeat. The final segment after the

danger had passed was for the young Harry Potter to come into contact with his

slumbering mother passing back the enhancement and allowing her to wake.

In a tragic series of events, this never came to pass. The Chief Warlock of the time, Albus

Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore sealed the wills that explained this step of the ritual

thereby refusing to permit it to be performed. It is unknown whether Dumbledore took

this step knowing the true ramifications or not, but the fact remains that he vastly

overstepped his bounds in this instance. By ignoring the final stipulations of James and Lily

Potter, Albus Dumbledore led to the burying alive of a healthy if unresponsive woman for

over a decade.

Upon the recent completion of the Triwizard Tournament and with the return of Tom

Riddle, Harry Potter felt it was appropriate to follow the last wishes of his parents. Upon

paying his respects, Mr. Potter and all others present were quite surprised to observe the

long overdue completion of the original ritual and the revival of Lily Potter. She has since

been examined by several certified Healers and pronounced in perfect health. The Director

of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has also signed off on Mrs. Potter's status

saying, "There is no evidence of Dark Magic here at all. While Mrs. Potter does not

remember the exact ritual she used, it's evident that this was family magic and likely is

unable to be spoken of with outsiders to begin with. Mrs. Potter's survival is certainly

unexpected, but rare and unusual Light magic should not be mistaken for Dark."

Mrs. Potter is currently recovering from her lost time with her remaining family. Any

inquiries into her current health and status are authorized to be directed through either

Quibbler staff or Madame Bones.

Snape's hands shook as he finished the article. "It's a trick. It has to be a trick. I held her

body. She was dead. I know she was dead!" He stood up so quickly that the kitchen table

flipped over on its side. Running to the door, Snape took just enough time to grab his

jacket before rushing far enough off his property to apparate. He didn't notice at all when

he arrived at the Dursley household missing a bit of hair above his left ear. Moving to the

door he knocked twice. He waited for a moment and knocked again. He waited less than a

second and proceeded to knock again. And again. And again. His hand was raised for

another knock when the door opened and Snape's fist nearly collided with the horse-faced

woman instead of the wood.

Rearing back and resisting the supreme urge to curse Petunia Dursley née Evans out, Snape

took a shuddering breath. "Is she here? I need to see her."

"I know you…" Petunia said her eyes narrowing. Her lips twisted into a grimace a few

moments later. "Snake something. Snape, that was it. Snake Snape. What do you want?

The boy hasn't been here since the beginning of summer last year. He'll never be back now

and thank goodness for that. We want nothing more to do with your kind!"

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Chapter 315

Snape's fists clenched and he only barely managed to not draw his wand on the obstinate

bitch who was every bit as horrible as he remembered. "I don't care about Harry Potter! I

want to see Lily you imbecilic woman!"

Petunia snorted and moved to close the door. "Try the graveyard then. In case you haven't

heard, that woman died fourteen years ago. If you people even use graveyards." The door

slammed shut.

Snape growled and twisted on the spot apparating away. He landed in the alley near

Babbling's flat minus more hair a bit of his right shoe. He knew his colleague's address

through the benefit of working at the school not to mention her recent status regarding

the Potter spawn. Never as grateful for that as right now Snape charged around the corner

and up the steps tripping ever so slightly at his unbalanced right leg. Snape scowled at the

delay. He'd been stupid to try Petunia first. Of course Lily would never go back that woman!

She'd have gone to her son.

He pulled up outside the door and started knocking continuously. When no one responded

after nearly thirty seconds he was about to start banging and casting spells at the door.

Before he could start on that though, the flat across the hall opened at an annoyed man

poked his head out. "Will you keep that racket down! Some of us are trying to sleep in you

know."

"I need to get into this flat. It is extremely urgent," Snape snarled.

"Well unless it's burning down come back when they're home, idiot."

Snape froze. "You know they are gone? Where did they go?"

"How the hell should I know? We're not friends. I just saw the women and her kid heading

out yesterday morning with their friend and they never came back. Now stop knocking on

the bloody door and go the hell away before I call the police on the disturbance you're

making!"

Another door slammed in Snape's face and his lips lifted in a snarl. Where would they have

– Potter Manor.

Snape ran down to the alleyway tripping over more stairs on the way and apparated again.

This time he lost a bit of the end of his robes as well as more hair from above his left ear.

He didn't bother slowing down and ran full tilt to the front door of the manor. A dim

hissing sounded beyond the barrier to his progress but he paid it no mind. He started

banging incessantly on the door. His jacket was only half put on still and it flapped hard

enough to slam into the door with dull thuds after his fists landed. Finally after what

seemed like an eternity, the door opened and the Potter spawn stared out at him.

"Snape?" Potter asked in confusion. He rubbed his eyes and yawned. "This is weird

dream."

"You are not dreaming you dunderhead," Snape growled. "Where is she? I need to see her.

Is she here?!"

Potter frowned and stood straighter, most of the tiredness in his gaze swapping for

annoyance. "Oh, of course you're here for my mother. Finally got around to reading the

paper huh, Snape?" Potter scowled and glared at him. "She's sleeping right now. Come

back at a decent hour."

"Let me see her now," Snape snarled.

Potter's scowl turned into a wry grin. "Sucks being on the other side of things doesn't it?"

The boy's gaze took in Snape's appearance and he groaned. "Luckily I'm not as cruel as you

are. Wait in the lobby. I'll go see if she's awake and interested in talking to you right now. If

not you have to promise to leave and let her be the first one to contact you. Deal?"

Snape's lips curled, but he gave a curt nod. It would at least get him into the Manor. He

knew she'd be willing to speak with him. It was Lily. Lily was always willing to listen.

Potter pulled the door wide and gestured him inside. Snape took a single step beyond the

threshold and froze solid as a giant skeletal snake head settled in his path hissing with its

jaw hinged wide. Potter's snickering followed shortly after. Snape turned to glare at the

boy's back as he left the room while the basilisk skeleton drifted back up to slither nearer

to the ceiling.

Snape looked down at his clothes and for the first time noticed his lack of decorum. With a

wince he finished pulling his jacket onto his other arm and tied the laces on his left shoe

before tucking in his shirt. He was still trying to figure out what he could do with his right

shoe when footsteps sounded in the hall. Abandoning his current attempts at damage

control, he turned his eyes upwards.

Standing in the middle of one of the hallways was a vision of beauty. Her red hair framed

her face just as he remembered it. Her clothes were the same style she always preferred,

toeing the line between magical and Muggle. Her arms were crossed in the typical manner

she always reserved for when she was annoyed with someone and her face was set in the

careful mask that he had never quite been able to read. It was true…Lily Potter was alive!

"Lily…" Snape said stepping forward, his voice thick with emotion.

Lily's eyes narrowed and the edge of her mouth twitched. The voice that issued out of

those perfect lips was cold and laced with disgust. "Severus. You have a lot of nerve

showing up here like this. Just what do you want?"

Paracela Fulcanelli stood up from her weekly chat with Albus Dumbledore all smiles.

"Well," she said, "thanks for finally telling us about that thing with the ring. I don't get why

you're obsessed with that at all. You realize what I'm missing by talking to you for so long

about this don't you? I missed three different autograph sessions to have this chat!" Albus

scowled and tried to respond. The frustrating woman had silenced him as soon as she

stood though so nothing came out. "Whatever, you deserve a reward for finishing up your

tale I suppose. How about a paper, Al? Don't worry, it's enchanted so that it just looked

like one of the Muggle tabloids if anyone non-magical looks at it. Well, Squibs too. You're

excepted thanks to a bit of sympathetic magic. Enjoy. I particularly enjoyed the second

article on the front page." Paracela gave an evil little grin that set Albus' hairs on end. She

left the paper and walked out laughing to herself.

Albus frowned and picked up the copy of the Quibbler to see what could be so ill boding

that Perenelle would think it fit to torture him with. He skimmed the article regarding

Voldemort. Unsurprising and matching mostly what Harry had previously stated with a few

additional details. Getting to the second article caused every muscle in Albus' body to

freeze.

Lily Potter was alive.

He reread the article.

He reread the article a third time.

All color drained out of Albus' face. "He's finally done it," Albus whispered dimly noting

that he had use of his voice again. "Harry has broken the boundaries that even Voldemort

feared to tread. I knew he needed to be stopped before the worst could happen and

now…this?! The sheep believe it to be a good thing too?! Harry was masterful in his

acquisition of such a powerful spinster so early in his rise…To reanimate his mother into a

nefarious Dark Creature…I must get out! I must stop him! The boy will be the end of us

all!"

Albus clutched the paper like a lifeline and ran to the door leading into the courtyard. He

wasn't as spry as he used to be but he could still force the gate with a long enough lever.

The pool skimmer might work. He'd just managed to get the skimmer lodged into the gate

hinge when one of the orderlies came over and gently put his hands over Albus'. "What

seems to be the problem, Mr. Brian?"

"I must leave! It is urgent! Look!" Albus thrust the Quibbler into the man's hands. "You see?

They believe he's justified in what does! They believe her reanimation is good when all it

proves is that Harry has fallen to depths not seen since the times of Egypt and Atlantis! I

have to get back and save them from him before his evil can spread across the globe!"

The orderly examined the paper carefully nodding slowly. For a brief moment, Albus' eyes

shown with righteous promise and hope. "Al, I can understand why you would think that

the alien bringing someone back from the dead would be a bad thing, but you have to

remember that tabloids doctor these types of photos all the time. It's not real, it's a just a

fake. Nobody is going to corrupt the world with alien resurrection machines or Atlantean

death beams."

Albus tore the paper out of the man's hand and scowled. "You fool. It's not aliens or death

beams! It's MAGIC!"

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Chapter 316

Harry walked towards' Lily's room trying to decide exactly how he felt about waking her up

to go talk to Snape. On the one hand, supposedly they were friends when they were kids.

On the other hand…she'd seemed pretty ready to go beat the snot out of him when the

man's name came up by chance yesterday. That and the fire in her eyes at the time had

been what convinced him to let Snape in the house – he really wanted to watch her tear

into his most hated professor. Maybe Daphne and Tracey were rubbing off on him…

Harry knocked softly and pushed her door open only to frown in confusion. It looked like

the bed hadn't even been touched. "If she didn't sleep here then where did she sleep?"

"Master Harry, Sir?" Dobby said popping in behind him. "Your mother is being in James

Potter's old room."

Harry blinked and turned to look at the elf. "Thanks, Dobby. You didn't have to get up. It's

still super early."

Dobby rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "It's Dobby's job to get up to help Master.

Dobby would've opened the door and told Greasy to leave but Master Harry didn't let

Dobby make him wait long enough."

Harry suppressed a chuckle. "Great minds think alike, Dobby. I've got it from here, mate.

You can go back to sleep."

Dobby huffed and turned to walk down the hall muttering. "Dobby just has coffee and

Master says to go to sleep. Dobby get pictures of Greasy beating first then sleep."

Harry rubbed his eyes at his friend's antics and moved to the other wing to find his mother.

He shouldn't have been surprised that she slept there. He just hoped that she hadn't had

too many problems last night being here. If things were weird for him…he could barely

even imagine how overwhelming everything was being for her. Coming up on the door, he

set his shoulders and schooled his features before softly knocking again and entering. Once

the door was open though he could only blink in surprise as he looked at the bed.

Lily and Shiva were both on top of the mattress covers fully clothed. Shiva was sprawled

out on the far side while Lily was curled up with a small stuffed bear clutched to her chest

and one leg hanging off the bed. "Damn. Guess that answers whether she had a good

night," Harry sighed. It was great that Lily and Shiva were apparently getting along but that

things had apparently been bad enough that both fell asleep before even pulling back the

covers wasn't exactly comforting.

He walked closer and gently laid a hand on Lily's shoulder. "Lily," he said softly. "Lily,

someone's here to see you."

Blearily Lily reached an arm up and swatted in front of her. "Five minutes," she mumbled.

"Lily, wake up. You need to at least be conscious enough to tell me whether to send him

packing or not."

Shiva groaned and turned her head into the pillow. "Tell them to go 'way," she said not

quite awake. "Sleeping here."

"It's, Snape," Harry said.

Lily went to bat his hand away again but her movement froze mid-gesture. Her eyes

fluttered open and after a moment focused on Harry. "What? Harry? What were you

saying?"

He shrugged and moved back a bit to give her room to sit up. "Snape just showed up

demanding to see you. I left him in the entrance hall. Do you want me to tell him to take a

hike or do you want to talk to him?"

Her eyes narrowed and she growled. "Severus is here? That miserable git…give me a

second to wake up and – " she cut off as a glass of tea appeared on the table next to her.

"You seriously have the best friends, son. That elf of yours is amazing." She took a quick

gulp of the tea and shifted to kick her legs over the side and stretch. Shiva just clutched her

pillow tighter. "Let's let Shiva sleep. We had a bit of a long night."

Harry grimaced. "Sorry."

"Not your fault, Harry, so don't apologize," Lily said softly smiling up at him. "Like I said,

you have good friends. Shiva kicked me out of a self-induced guilt trip. We talked and cried

a lot later than I had intended."

She stood and followed Harry out of the door. He glanced down and smiled at the bear still

in her hand. "That's an adorable bear. Was it yours or my dad's beforehand? I would've

thought he'd have a dog or a dragon or something."

Lily's smile grew and she held the stuffed animal out to him. "It was supposed to be for

you actually…You really think it's cute?"

Harry nodded and took the offering grinning down at it. "Yeah, I do. Look, it has a tuft of

hair right here that doesn't stay straight just like mine," he said pointing to a section just

behind the right ear. He continued softly, "Thanks, Mum."

Lily caught Harry's murmured thanks and her smile grew so wide she felt like it would split

her face. This may not have been the way she thought things would be with having a child,

but it was certainly something she could work with. Her mood darkened slightly as they

got closer to the entrance hall and she remembered why they were awake. "So…Severus is

here?"

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Chapter 317

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I'm a little curious if he realized yet that his coat was only half on or

that he was missing most of one shoe…"

Lily's eyebrows rose at that. "Too bad you didn't get pictures…I certainly don't condone

cruel pranks, but private viewing later on is a bit different. And after what I've been told of

how he's treated you I certainly wouldn't blame you, Harry."

He snorted. "10 galleons says Dobby got some. Actually, Dobby? Could you take this back

to my room please?" Harry asked holding up the bear. A short pop later, Dobby appeared

with a camera around his neck and calmly took the bear.

"Dobby takes it back. Also, Master Harry is correct. Dobby has evidence of Greasy being in

too large a hurry. If Greasy didn't want evidence he should have dressed prior to leaving

his house." Dobby popped away with a grin of such superiority that Lily couldn't help but

laugh.

She paused before stepping into the entrance hall to call up sufficient amounts of

annoyance and frustration. Walking out and laying eyes on Snape her eyes narrowed, the

edge of her mouth twitched and her nostrils flared. Her attempt at working up a head of

steam was utterly pointless. All she could think about while looking at the man who used

to be her friend were the things he'd done – everything from telling Voldemort about the

prophecy to abusing students to mentally torturing her son. The voice that issued out of

her lips was cold and laced with disgust. "Severus. You have a lot of nerve showing up here

like this. Just what do you want?"

Snape rocked back on his one and a half shoes blinking like she'd just slapped him. Good.

Her lips curled and she had to resist the impulse to stalk forward and actually slap him.

What kind of role model would she be for Harry if she didn't at least try to maintain some

restraint in front of him?

"Lily?" Snape asked looked utterly confused. He reached out halfway towards her before

his hand fell though he took a step forward. "You really are alive…I thought…I held

you…after…"

"After what, Severus? After your master slaughtered my family?" Lily snarled. "After

Voldemort himself broke down my door looking to kill my son?"

Snape gulped. "I never meant for that to happen…Lily I asked – no I begged – him to leave

you alone! To save you! I begged for him to not hurt you!"

Lily clenched her hands tight enough for her nails to dig into her skin while she heard a

snort of derision from the wall near where she knew Harry was. "I heard all about that,

Severus. The people interrogating Dumbledore have been sharing some rather interesting

facts with us. I heard about how you were perfectly willing to let my husband and son be

murdered like dogs as long as I was left alive. What did you think, old friend? That I would

just leap into your arms after that? That I would hail you as my savior? That you'd become

my entire world after I learned you let my family be killed? How did you think I'd react,

Severus?!" she yelled. Her hand drifted down to her wand and she clutched it like a lifeline

sparks shooting out and singing the floor.

Snape shook his head back and forth and took another few steps forward. "I'm sorry.

That's…I wasn't thinking back then. I just panicked. I never should have…I went to

Dumbledore! I told him everything! I begged him to help as well!"

Lily snorted and her stare drilled holes into him. "You went to him only because Voldemort

couldn't be trusted to keep his promise. What would you have done if I wasn't the family

being targeted, Severus?" she asked. Cocking her head to the side she drilled the point

home. "You never bothered to ask about the Longbottoms. Alice and Frank were only ever

nice to you. If I remember correctly both even kept talking with you long after I broke off

contact with the 'Mudblood' incident. Did you even bother to stop and think about them?

What if it had been some random Muggleborn family? Did anything matter to you besides

me?"

"The only thing I've ever cared about was you, Lily," Snape said softly. He took another

step though his head was down. He had covered almost half the distance between them

now.

Lily's scowl deepened and she barked a harsh laugh. "You know, most Muggles would term

that an obsession, Severus. Generally that's considered rather unhealthy. But you know

this isn't even the worst of it. Tell me the truth, Severus, for old times' sake: did you

honestly believe that Voldemort would come back before Harry ran into his shade his first

year?"

"No," Snape's voice was barely audible but the excellent acoustics in the entrance hall

carried the word to her ears with little difficulty.

"That's what I thought. So," she said tapping her wand against her leg, "you proceeded to

torment, belittle, ignore, unjustly punish and hate children for over a decade! Why? It

couldn't have been because you were maintaining a 'character' in case he came back. Why

then?" It was a rhetorical question and Snape just shuffled his feet, cringing. "That's what I

thought. You did it because you are a miserable, hateful human being who failed to protect

the object of his obsession and you took out your self-hatred on preteens! What in god's

name were you thinking?! Is that supposed to endear me to you? Am I just supposed to

ignore that you've single handedly been responsible for a massive drop in jobs ranging

from Healer to Auror to Apothecary? Britain used to be the second leading nation in

Potions O.W.L.s, N.E.W.T.s and Masteries under Slughorn. In the time that you've taken

over, we've dropped to 36!" She scowled. "I looked it up. I didn't want to believe you could

be quite as petty and vindictive as I was told, but no, if anything they didn't embellish it

enough."

Snape shook his head in denial and scowled over her shoulder. She knew he was looking at

Harry and her opinion of him dropped even lower. Before she could continue berating him

Snape spoke. "I can't help that the quality of students have gone down while you were

gone. The dunderheads have no idea how to behave in a classroom and they have no

concept of the art required to make a proper potion."

"Maybe if you bothered to actually teach," Harry muttered.

Lily snapped her fingers to draw Snape's attention back to her. "Severus," she said lowly in

a danger laced tone. "Did you know that I've asked Harry to brew some potions over the

past few days? He's rather good at it actually. Not excellent, but he's still above average.

Apparently, he and Neville have learned more from tutoring themselves and with their

classmates' assistance during study hours than they have in four years under your tutelage.

Do not make the mistake of blaming a child for the adult's failure."

His eyes narrowed and she stalked forward breathing hard pointing at him with her wand

which started sparking again. "Even if I disregarded everything else there remains one

rather large fact." Her eyes narrowed to slits and her voice dropped several decibels.

"You've been essentially mentally and emotionally abusing my son for four years."

He looked chagrined momentarily before rallying. "I saved the boy's life during his first

Quidditch match. Did he bother to tell you that, Lily?" he scoffed.

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Chapter 318

She chuckled darkly. "One good deed does not make up for years worth of hatred, Severus.

Points and detentions for no reason. Debasing his efforts in class. Knowingly allowing for

sabotage of his work and punishing him for it. Humiliating him both in and out of class.

Refusing to curb or punish your House members for acts against Harry or his House.

Insulting his friends. Denigrating the name of people he is close to as well as his father.

Should I go on?"

Snape looked at the floor and sighed in defeat. "You seem to have already made up your

mind. You've gotten a very one-sided view of me and it's colored you. I admit I'm slightly

biased against him, but he is just like – " Snape cut off abruptly as Lily's hand lashed out

and slapped him so hard that his head snapped to the side and a handprint was left

outlined in bright red on his face.

"Just like who? Like James, Severus?" she snarled lowering her hand. "The only thing of

James in him that I've seen is his looks and his tendency to attract trouble. You bigoted

arse! You see my son's face and that's it! His temper is like me. His focus and obsessions

are like me. His love of magic is like me. He has friends in each House like me. You see his

face and ignore everything else! How dare you try to preach to me that I've gotten the

biased explanations! How you heard anything I've said?! Have you, Severus?!"

His mouth stayed shut though she saw a wet sheen cover his eyes as he brought a hand to

his face. Her wand sparked again she had to fight to avoid cursing him. "Get out," she said

so quietly that the sound barely carried even in this room.

"Lily, I…I'm sorry…I just…"

"Get. Out. Now!" Lily snarled. Her wand leaped up and spat a small gout of flame at him

causing the man to jump back to avoid it. "Get out of my house!" She launched another

spell at him that had his jacket twist and start tightening around him. "Get out!" Snape

hurriedly nodded as her wand glowed again and he stumbled towards the door fighting to

get the jacket off. She watched him cast a cutting curse at one sleeve before he stumbled

outside and the door slammed shut behind him.

Breathing heavily Lily turned to see Harry only a few paced behind her with wide eyes. Her

face reddened and she hurriedly holstered her wand. "Harry. I – um – I uh, forgot you were

here for a minute. I uh, that was…um…"

"That," he said a smile spreading across his face, "was awesome."

Julian Woodman was having a thoroughly typical evening. Normally, drawing the late shift

with watching prisoners wasn't such a bad deal. Drunks and shoplifters didn't really tend

to make a fuss so it was relatively easy to sit back and just read or play a card game.

Unfortunately, ever since that arse Barty Crouch Junior was tossed in his holding cells his

nights had been exceedingly annoying. Waiting for the bastard's trial was taking so bloody

long. Even a blind man could see that money had to be exchanging hands to have delayed

for this long with such a clear cut case! Crouch certainly wasn't making things easy on

them either; the man loved to chatter on and on and he always interrupted the good bits

of whatever form of entertainment Julian brought.

Tonight was no different. The monotony and frustration of the evening was finally broken

when one of the newbies walked into his hall looking lost beyond belief. "Hey, Rook!"

Julian called out. "Yeah, you trainee. You're not supposed to be down here until you pass

Basic."

"Where is here? I got turned around…is the cafeteria nearby? I was looking for a snack,"

the guy said looking around.

Julian shook his head. The kid couldn't be more than 17. They sure were recruiting young

these days. "This is the detention hall, rook. You're in the completely opposite direction.

Come on, I'll show you how to get there." He walked past and started to raise his hand to

point out the correct section to go down when a warm blissful feeling invaded his mind.

Julian felt like he should be remembering something, but the calm and happiness quickly

washed it away.

"Wow that was easier than I thought!" the voice of his master said. "I knew those Muggle

whores were easy but I figured it would take some actual effort for a wizard. You're

pathetic! Get your keys and open the cell."

Julian turned to obey his master and quickly opened Crouch's bars. A quick twinge felt

some satisfaction that finally the annoying bastard would be gone for good. "Nice job,

kid," Crouch said nodding to his master. "Don't suppose you smuggled my wand out of the

evidence room too by any chance?"

"Yes. Here."

Crouch caught the piece of wood and grinned wider. "Excellent. What's your name, kid?"

"Flint. Marcus Flint. My father's joined up too. He's with the others at Azkaban. The Dark

Lord wanted to make sure that you were freed at the same time too," his master said

beaming with pride.

"Well you've done pretty good. Azkaban eh? Well then this place is going to be damn near

empty while they rush about…let's take care of a little side mission while we're here.

Guaranteed to bump you up in favor if it works."

His master smiled and laughed. "Do we get to kill anyone? I've only got a Mudblood so far.

Love to get a few Blood Traitors while we're here…I could even have some fun with this

idiot and watch him kill his friends…"

Crouch shook his head. "Like the enthusiasm but nah. Not yet. You got to be smart and

pick your battles. Stealth, Flint. Stealth. Department of Mysteries for us. Shame

Rookwood's not here. He'd be able to hit the right door first bat. We're just going to have

to try a few first off."

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Chapter 319

"What's in the Department of Mysteries?" his master asked as Julian let them out of the

detention block and down the hall towards the round room. A small section of his mind

started saying that this was a bad idea and that that room was totally off limits but again

the bliss just washed that voice away.

"Tons of crazy shit. Time room is massively booby trapped though so unfortunately we

can't go for the Time Turners. Rookwood never had clearance for that one. You'd have to

have the luck of a Felix Felicis potion to get into that section without setting off any traps

or blaring every alarm in the building. No, we're just going for the Prophecy room. They

don't even bother to alarm that one because you'd have to be crazy to steal a prophecy."

His master narrowed his gaze at Crouch as the doors spun around them. "Oh, why?"

"Cause, Flint, unless you're the subject of the prophecy you can't pick it up off the shelf

without going insane," Crouch said offhandedly as he walked to one of the doors and

threw it open. "Oh wow, that was lucky! Death Room. Come on, the Hall of Prophecy is

just a few doors down from here."

Julian followed behind his master as the young man glared at Crouch's back. "So just how

are we supposed to steal this thing for the Dark Lord then?"

Crouch barked out a laugh. "I take back my praise of your intelligence. You're toting a

Blood Traitor. Take a wild guess how we're getting it."

Julian's inner voice started gibbering before quieting down again and his master just

cocked his head to the side. They had just stepped through into a room filled with glowing

balls of mist as Flint's face widened into a grin again and he chuckled. "Ah. I get it. What if

he can't get it off the shelf though?"

Crouch shrugged. "Then we go to Plan B and cut the section of the shelf and drop the

prophecy into a bag. I have a Plan C if that doesn't work."

"What's Plan C? And how are we supposed to find this prophecy? There's got to be

thousands in here!"

"Tens of thousands," Crouch said completely unconcerned. "They're arranged by date. The

one we want is probably somewhere between rows 95 and 102. Depends on how many

Seers got their 'Inner Eye' working right back in '80. You check 95, have the Blood Traitor

check 96 and I'll go for 97. Look for the initials for Dumbledore. He's the one who heard it."

"How am I supposed to know Dumbledore's initials?" his master asked annoyed.

Crouch groaned and slapped a hand to his face. "How the hell did they let you come to get

me out?" Julian could hear him mutter. "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

Seriously, Flint, pick up a book sometime. Or a chocolate frog card. Merlin, each generation

gets stupider and stupider. The Dark Lord really needs to fix what causes this pattern after

he takes over…"

Julian started looking at the little plaques on each glowing ball for the next several minutes

before hearing a triumphant croon from Crouch and running over to meet up with him

along with his master. Crouch pointed to a ball labeled:

'S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D

Dark Lord

and (?) Harry Potter'

"Pick it up," his master said grinning widely. For a moment Julian hovered there with his

hands in the air halfway outstretched, his mind gibbering in fear. Flint aimed his wand at

Julian scowling. "I said…Pick. It. Up!"

Julian's mind quieted its protests under another wave of bliss and he finished reaching for

the ball. As soon as he grabbed it and tried to take it off of the little pedestal though the

bliss washed out his mind. It was replaced by a screaming sound inside his head and Julian

actually felt his mind shatter. He collapsed to the ground drooling and blinking while a

scream and random images kept looping over and over inside him. Bits and pieces of Julian

were aware that something was horribly, horribly wrong but he could barely even

remember that the sounds the people in front of him were making were words let alone

how to stand up and do something to quiet the screams.

"Damn. Well that sucks," the older man said. "Alright, try cutting the section around it,

Flint."

"Why do I have to do it?" the other man said holding a hand to his head and glaring. "That

bloody hurt!"

"You'll do it because I told you to," Crouch growled.

The other one scowled and held out his wand. Julian watched a pretty pink light come out

of the end of a stick in his hands though the light fizzled out as it touched the wood by the

scary balls. "Damn. Oh well, Plan C it is. Flint, I've have to silence you."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

The older man just smiled. "Well I could kill you instead. You did free me though so I figure

I owe you one. You're not remotely high enough yet to hear this." Julian watched the

trainee scowl and stalk back down the aisle with a silencing spell shooting after him and

another flaring to life around Crouch. A moment later, Crouch lifted his stick and shot a

spell at the scary glowing ball. The man leaned in and listened to the tiny figure that had

lived inside the ball and after a minute or so smiled and stood up straight with the figure

apparating away into the air.

"Got it! Come on, Flint. Let's get out of here before they cotton on."

The trainee came back down the aisle and jerked his head towards Julian. "What about the

Blood Traitor?"

The older man shrugged. "Leave him. They'll find the prophecy destroyed soon enough.

My jailer here can be a bit of a lesson with what happens to those who defy the Dark Lord.

It's always so much more fun when they're broken instead of dead after all!"

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Chapter 320

Julian heard the two laughing as they walked away leaving him curled up on the floor in a

growing puddle of his own spit and urine. Some tiny part of Julian screamed out

obscenities at the men. The rest of him went back to staring at the pretty glowing lights

around him.

Voldemort stared down at the little fortress of obsidian and steel with a scowl. He had

intended for only his followers to attack the prison yet it was looking like he would

personally have to take the field. It was…problematic. While the Ministry as a whole was

still denying his return he'd have an advantage. It was not an overly large advantage

considering how many departments, groups and individuals saw through Fudge's excuses,

but it was an advantage.

Now, with the utter failure he was watching from on high, he'd have to reveal himself far

sooner than he'd hoped. To publically announce himself in such a pathetic little backwater

like Azkaban though…Voldemort scowled, this was Lucius' fault for not being able to

control his pathetic bitch of a wife. Not only letting Narcissa leave, but letting her leave

with information was unacceptable. He'd have to come up with a suitable punishment for

the silver tongued fool if the man survived this night.

Sighing Voldemort took stock of the situation. The Dementors were beginning to scatter.

All had turned on the Ministry as soon as he'd arrived. They remembered the bounty of

harvests he'd given them during the last war and they required little persuasion – merely

opportunity. Unfortunately, it seemed that the rumors Potter had managed to create

something that could kill the beasts were true. Even worse, the boy had managed to sell

his idea to the Aurors who had obviously had a rare moment of sanity and outfitted their

small group on the island with the creations. There were only two Aurors present on

Azkaban initially. Voldemort had intended to have the Dementors suck the life from those

without any real threat to his followers.

It hadn't worked.

By the time he'd realized that the Aurors were able to kill Dementors, four of the creatures

had died and the rest had fallen back. The guards had been able to call for reinforcements

and his easy operation had suddenly become a pitched battle.

It still wasn't much of a battle. The Aurors only had about ten personnel here so far and

after he'd destroyed the Floo connection any remaining reinforcements were forced to

travel to the island via their tiny boat. Such a shame.

Voldemort's followers were not nearly so limited. With their portkey link, he'd be able to

recall them all through the outer wards at the same time. It was not so dissimilar to how

Potter had managed to escape him. It was simply one of the hazards of facing off against a

genius. Voldemort allowed himself a minor note of satisfaction before returning to his

scowl.

The reinforcements for the Aurors were annoying. They'd arrived with more of the

damnable creations to keep the Dementors at bay. A quick push by his followers had killed

three of the defenders though enough remained that the Dementors had decided

discretion was the better part of valor and took to the skies. Voldemort was frustrated, but

he couldn't call the creatures back. The Ministry was at least slightly prepared for this. It

would be better to save the survivors and use them in the future. Scare tactics or Muggle

raids would certainly be a better use for them. Not everyone could have one of those

infuriating rune clusters after all.

The end result was going to be the same and the longer he delayed the more annoying it

would be to rebuild afterwards. He touched the ring on his finger for a brief moment of

comfort and safety. Retrieving his Horcrux had been a necessary precaution. With Potter

powerful, Bones taking security measures and allies of the Light gathering…he hadn't felt

safe without at least one anchor close by. That Nagini was almost always nearby was a

large comfort – but the familiar was alive after all. Killing her would be difficult, but not

impossible for any attacking group. She would definitely be a target as she'd likely be

killing multiple personnel herself.

His ring though…well that was perfectly safe. Enough people believed – or at least were

interested in – the legend of the Deathly Hallows that someone would take note of the ring

if by some impossible circumstance he was slain. It would survive long enough for him to

regain a body again and take it back. Perhaps the fools would think he simply wished to

acquire the Hallows even! Ha! Ludicrous legends from yesteryear held no interest for him –

the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw aside – the Hallows did not exist. Even if they had the

Stone and the Cloak would be useless. The Wand would be…intoxicating, but it was not

necessary. True, Potter had managed to do something unusual in the graveyards several

weeks back, but Voldemort had no doubt his wand would still destroy the boy. There was

no need to waste time on tracking such a notoriously easily lost wand down through the

ages. The Deathstick never stayed with a master long.

His mouth lifted into a brief smile until another explosion below drew his attention.

Voldemort scowled and narrowed his eyes. The Auror reinforcements were only a few

minutes out by boat. It was time to end this and remove his followers from the field.

Streaking down to the ground, Voldemort landed amidst a torrent of spellfire. He brought

up a brief shield to batter the initial wave back and then strode forward. His wand flowed

and his magic roared. His every movement was death incarnate and his every spell struck

his targets. Within less than thirty seconds, 6 of the remaining defenders had fallen. The

final two ran. Voldemort picked off one of the runners though the second managed to peel

around a corner to safety before he could hit the large black man. Voldemort scowled

though he hid it before any of his followers could see. Let them think he'd allowed the

Auror to escape to carry the story of horror he'd seen.