Chapter 16: Chapter 16
At Voldemort's Mansion
It was about three days after the escape of Harry Potter but Voldemort was not thinking of him. He was very worried about Nagini as she had been unwell for the last few days. The last three days to be precise. She was not eating properly and she was beginning to reek of rotten and dead flesh. Voldemort not trusting anyone had brewed the necessary potions to heal his beloved familiar but to no avail. She was slipping away and that was that.
She was also a horcrux and that was another important reason why Voldemort had not entrusted her healing to anyone else. Now, it looked as if she would die soon. The last week had been terrible for Voldemort. He brewed as many potions as he thought would be necessary for Nagini but to no avail. Another week later the room where she was began to smell so badly that even Voldemort had to protect his head before entering to feed her potions and stuff.
The next week after that Nagini stopped eating and she could not even swallow the potions that Voldemort force fed her. His temper was short and many death eaters suffered the brunt of his anger and worry. The night Rabastan had been captured Nagini stopped breathing. Voldemort did not know of it as she died very, very early in the morning. The horcrux also died as it could not survive after the host had died. So the horcrux died with Nagini.
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One of the unspeakables who had questioned the death eaters had been Rookwood who worked at the Department of Mysteries as an unspeakable. The other who knew about the losses that Voldemort had suffered was Lucius Malfoy. Both of them knew about the fact that Rabastan was guarding a horcrux of Voldemort.
Lucius especially was terrified as he had without his knowledge destroyed a horcrux when he had placed the Diary into the Transfiguration book of Ginny Weasley and had almost been killed for it. While he did not care a whit about Ginny Weasley the destruction of the horcrux landed him in so much trouble with his Master.
Now to go and tell his Lord about the capture of all the six persons who were in charge of protecting another horcrux was bad. To say they were as good as dead was to invite a crucio if he was unlucky and a killing curse if he was lucky for if his Master were to remember his mistake with the Diary, Lucius knew that he would consider the killing curse the most merciful.
For that was what Voldemort would do. He would torture the messenger because he could not punish the actual people involved. Lucius Malfoy swallowed hard and did not notice his son who was looking at him in speculation from where he was hiding. Even if he had it was doubtful he would have cared at present.
With a final prayer he took a look around his elegant drawing room and hoped this would not be the last time he was looking at it and apparated to the mansion of his Lord and Master, Lord Voldemort.
Rookwood was also in a similar state as he stepped into the interrogating room along with the other unspeakables to check the captured death eaters. He had seen first hand the anger of Voldemort when Avery had been unable to get the Prophecy. Now as he tried all sorts on an un-responding Rabastan, he was very worried and very scared.
Malfoy had almost been killed and he was even now recovering from the cruel curses Voldemort had cast on him when he came to know that he had unknowingly handed over the horcrux to Ginny Weasley that had later been destroyed by the bloody Potter.
He trembled to think of his Lord's reaction to this latest crisis after the fiasco with Potter and before that the inability to get the Prophecy. He saw Malfoy and felt just a little better that he would be sharing his curses with Malfoy. He shuddered once again and tried all sorts of things, even Black magic, but nothing worked.
He sighed and went back to his rooms to change and leave for Voldemort's hideout if the huge mansion could be called that and explain. If he hid he might be punished more. He left his offices and went out knowing no one would ask questions as he had already established an eccentric routine over the years.
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Lucius Malfoy reached the mansion and walked into the wards not betraying the fear he was experiencing and swiftly walked inside. He went into the main chambers and not seeing anyone, it was still very early in the morning after all, he snapped his fingers.
The next second there was an elf standing before him. "Go and tell our Lord that I have come and I have some news of importance that our Lord should know. I will wait here for him."
The elf popped out and left Lucius standing there. In other circumstances he would have sat down, but not now. He stood there as if carved out of ice, like a statue waiting for Voldemort to appear.
Voldemort came striding in and he was not pleased to see Lucius Malfoy so early in the morning. He glared at him. Nagini was dying and he was totally frustrated. He did not know she was dead already, if he had the anger he would have unleashed would have killed Malfoy.
"What is it Lucius? Why have you come so early in the morning?" Lucius Malfoy bowed deep and stood up straight and proud. Sniveling in front of the Dark Lord or showing fear was one sure way to get the crucio on you for at least three minutes.
"I have been up even earlier Master. At around three in the morning Fudge called me at my Manor telling me that some death eaters were captured. As you know Master I have paid him enough money and have made him promise me that he would call on me day and night if any death eater were captured as I wanted to see them bound to make up for the ignominy I suffered at their supposed hands."
Voldemort nodded impatiently fingering his wand threateningly and Lucius Malfoy continued hurriedly.
"Today Fudge called me to say six of them had been captured and one of them was Rabastan Lestrange." After that Malfoy did not dare utter a word. He bowed his head and stood still and alert and slightly resigned to accept the inevitable crucio from his Master.
"And?" that one word came like a whip shot and Lucius Malfoy looked up and trembled at the rage that ran on his Lord's face. He wanted to hurry into speech to tell Voldemort everything he knew but he dared not be the one to tell his Lord to assume the horcrux was probably gone and his death eaters were to be put to death. So he trembled and tried to think of a way to express what he had seen but before that he was cursed in anger as Voldemort knew what the news would be if Rabastan was captured.
"Crucio!" Malfoy screamed under the curse that was cast with almost all of Voldemort's power thrown into it. Voldemort took it off after a minute and left Malfoy shivering on the floor.
He walked up to Malfoy who whimpered in fear and catching his left arm, pushed the robes up his arm and pressed the dark mark on his arm, thinking of the Inner Circle and the Outer Circle only. Not the new recruits or the children of the Inner and Outer Circle death eaters.
"Now tell me what happened." He said softly and Malfoy struggled to get up and stand in front of his Lord to speak to him.
"Master they were hit by some spell by ancient magic." Voldemort drew a sharp breath. Ancient magic! Who knew it? Most spells cast in their ancient language that was actually a chant of the Celts were not removable. Who knew it and how had they caught on to the horcruxes? He looked sharply at Malfoy, who continued shaking,
"Master, all the six of them was oblivated and the aurors had tried Severus's potion, but nothing worked and after that Bones called for the unspeakables. They worked on them for almost two hours before they determined that the death eaters had been removed of their magic and death would approach them very painfully and it would be charitable to kill them. Fudge has since signed the Order my Lord."
Voldemort glared at him malevolently as he started pacing thinking furiously.
In ten minutes all the death eaters of the fearful Inner Circle had assembled. Voldemort looked around and waited for another ten minutes and a figure came running. It was Rookwood.
Voldemort was waiting impatiently for Rookwood to take his place before he gave orders when an elf popped into the room. Voldemort was about to snarl at it when it spoke trembling, "Master Nagini is dead." Voldemort pointed his wand at it and blasted it off with so much power and rage behind his curse that the poor elf was burnt to a crisp in a minute.
Voldemort got up and went into the room where Nagini was kept and checked her thoroughly and found that she was indeed dead and the horcrux that was inside of her was also dead and he just could not extract it from her and he had tried very hard when she had became ill; had also died with her. Voldemort screamed in fury and all the death eaters who were in the main chamber shivered with fear.
Voldemort burnt her body in a fit of rage and bellowed for the elves to dispose off her remains and paced the floor not minding the stench that was still there. He was not aware when the shaking elves went away with the burnt remains of the huge snake and was not aware when a few minutes later the elves came back and cleaned the room of the horrible stench. He was pacing agitatedly around the room. In a space of a day he had lost two horcruxes.
What was happening here? No one apart from Lucius, Bellatrix, Rudolphus, Rookwood, Amyctus, Alecto and Rabastan knew about the horcruxes. He had not even told Snape, Arran, Avery and the others.
Now someone had come to know of not only about the existence of his horcruxes but also had the power to dismantle the wards and protections and his death eaters in charge of the horcrux. Rabastan was in a kissed state like a muggle, no worse than a muggle because he would not be able to live without his magic and he and the others were to be put down like rabid dogs.
His thoughts went to the other horcrux at Ravenclaw's castle and he stormed back inside. Amyctus was standing there and Voldemort breathed an invisible sigh of relief.
He looked around at all of them and asked the Inner Circle to remain and the others to form groups and prepare for attacks all over Britain today at night.
"Go to the library. Severus, remain here with us. I will need you as well."
Severus who had been moving towards Avery and Nott to form a group came away.
"Sit down all of you." He hissed in frustration and anger. All of them sat down and waited for a minute before the chamber cleared and the doors closed.
"Severus," he hissed angrily, "I have to day made you members of the Inner Circle giving you great power." Snape stood up at once and went to bow to Voldemort and kissed the hem of his robes and thanked him profusely. "I will never let you down my Lord."
"See that you do not do anything that might just take away that position." The threat was apparent in his voice as he glared at Snape. Snape bowed his head and stood still in all humility. Taking away meant only one thing, a fate worse than death. Snape shuddered as he thought for a second of Regulus before he clamped down and steadied himself.
"Yes Master." Was all he said looking down in a gesture showing extreme respect?
Bellatrix then looked around and for the first time noticed that Rabastan was not there. She frowned and nudged her husband and indicated the empty seat next to him. Voldemort was watching this by-play between husband and wife as if it would reveal something to him.
Rudolphus was not perturbed as Rabastan was guarding the horcrux. "Bella he is in charge of that thing. He cannot come here now." Voldemort heard that and scowled. Bellatrix was frightened as she pointed out Amyctus who was very much in his place in the circle; and Rudolphus stared at him in shock.
He turned to look at Voldemort who glared at him in anger and still staring at him hissed to Lucius Malfoy, "Show us."
A big pensieve came into the room and Lucius Malfoy removed the memory and placed it into the basin. Voldemort hissed in Parseltongue and the memory started playing out. All the death eaters saw it and gaped, simply gaped.
"Amyctus, I hope for your sake the horcrux is right where I placed it." Voldemort said softly a sign he was ready to kill and kill indiscriminately.
Before he had vanished for thirteen years, Voldemort had not told anyone other than the Lestranges about horcruxes. Only Bella, Rudolphus, Rabastan and their parents knew. And even they did not know where he had concealed them. His parents were now very old and unable to attend meetings but they were his first death eaters and they had known and had in fact helped him to create the first ones.
But after Lucius without his knowledge had destroyed one and Regulus had already destroyed another Voldemort had decided to take his Inner Circle into confidence and had revealed to them about the existence of the remaining horcruxes so that if anything happened he would be resurrected with haste.
Now it looked that four of his horcruxes were already destroyed. Only two more were left and he dared not make some more as it would leave him even less of a human than he was now.
"I want all of us to go to the Castle of Ravenclaw and the island and check on the other two horcruxes and bring it back here with me until I can find a suitable hiding place for them. Come on." Snape stared for a second until Bellatrix hissed to him saying she would explain later and now would he move it. He moved it and soon all of them were gathered together.
Voldemort was watching Amyctus who was not worried as he conjured a long length of rope. Voldemort showed nothing on his face but was very relieved inside at the nonchalance of Amyctus.
They landed by the old oak tree and Voldemort felt the first stirrings of doubt. There was no magical activity. He looked around and found that all the death eaters were trying to feel the magical hum of the wards that were not there.
His face darkened as he flicked in rapid succession and his face slowly turned a pale white as he turned to Amyctus who was very bewildered and fired many spells at him. Voldemort could not discern anything. He strode to the tree and peered inside. There was nothing there and he turned and hissed very softly, "Avada Kedavra." And Ameyctus died his eyes open in shock underneath his death eater mask.
"What is happening here?" he hissed whirled around to look at the others who were trembling with fear.
Voldemort did not wait for an answer as he conjured another rope and all the others silently held on to it and were transported to a small island in the Outer Hebrides. Bellatrix was sweating profusely as this was under her charge. There was a run down cottage on that small island and Voldemort flicked his wand and found the spells intact. He broke them and went and fetched the horcrux and came back and apparated.
The death eaters looked at each other before Bellatrix apparated first and that started the general exodus. All of them assembled once again at the main chambers and waited anxiously for Voldemort to come.
Five minutes later Voldemort strode in looking furious. "Four horcruxes! Four!" he shouted as all of them collectively winced and trembled.
"Rabastan worse than dead and Amycus has let the horcrux slip by him. I want to have some answers. Now. Who is the traitor here among the death eaters?"
All the death eaters collectively flinched. Traitor? They looked at each other, not that they could see through the masks but they really did not know what else to do. Anything could get them killed and losing three horcruxes in the space of a night was a little too much to bear for a man who killed for fun and almost anything.
"Well it has to be a death eater who could walk through the dark barrier is it not?" he asked softly as the others gulped and realized the importance of what he was saying. "Well no matter I shall soon smoke them out just like I did with Peter and Regulus." Voldemort's face was glaring malevolently at everyone there. Suddenly he whirled towards Snape.
"Who has knowledge of the ancient magic Severus?" the last word came out as a hiss as Voldemort almost resorted to Parseltongue in his sheer fury.
"Master!" Snape trembled and Voldemort's anger diminished just a little once he saw the fear he could induce in his followers.
"Does anyone in the Order know the ancient language of our lands and the magic it teaches?"
"No my Lord. I can find out today as the old fool has called for an Order meeting at lunch; it is probably to discuss about what happened in the morning. He has also asked all of us to patrol various places magical and muggle looking for disturbances as he seems to think we may attack this week."
Voldemort scowled at that, he hated being predictable; so the old man thought he would attack would he? Well he was right and he would attack and today the world would know why they feared the great Lord Voldemort and why the Wizarding World shuddered to even speak his name. "Find out if they know of the horcruxes as well Severus and come and report to me whatever the time after Dumbledore finishes with you. You will not take part with us in the raids as I do not want any Order member to spot you."
Snape bowed low and sat down again. Voldemort looked viciously at all of them. "Today we will attack random places indiscriminate of magic or muggle and show the world we are a force to be reckoned with. Call the others."
Snape stood up and went to call the others who came scuttling in. Voldemort paced up and down still furious at the loss of his familiar and his horcruxes and started giving details of areas they should attack.
Around twenty places were chosen for attack, "Suggest other places to the old man Severus. Has he told you of specific places to guard?"
"No Master he has not. I presume he will today at lunch."
"Go now and come back and tell me the places they will be patrolling. Leave."
Snape left as he had a lot of work to do.
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At the cottage in the morning
Snape had woken by two messages. One had been the Patronus from Dumbledore asking him to come over to Grimmauld Place for lunch leaving Harry behind at the cottage. The other message that woke him up to receive the Patronus in the first place was the burning of the dark mark.
He took an alertness potion and a pepper up potion and left a message to Harry informing him about his message from Dumbledore and that he was leaving to go to Voldemort as his mark was burning and calling him. He also called Arran through the ring and spoke to him and told him to be on the alert and Arran on his part told him that Draco had just informed him about Lucius Malfoy leaving the Manor early in the morning coming back and leaving once again.
Snape had left and attended the meeting and on a stroke of brilliance had told Voldemort that Dumbledore was expecting Voldemort to strike in the coming week and had asked them all to patrol from today onwards. Dumbledore had not told him any such thing but Snape had said that to Voldemort to be able to inform Dumbledore about the raids. This way if attacked Voldemort would not be able to suspect him.
Snape had to be very careful now especially as he was in the Inner Circle. He would be privy to so much information and passing on all that would definitely make Voldemort suspicious of him as until now such information had not leaked out and he was the spy after all.
Snape opened the door of the cottage to see Harry and Hermione studying together. They were reading from Canogahn's books and Harry jumped up as he saw Snape and rushed to him.
"What happened? McGonagall has not come as yet."
"She would be at Grimmauld Place Harry, and I have come from the Dark Lord who has chosen twenty places to attack today both magical and muggle." And he proceeded to explain all that had happened there.
Severus that's great," Harry was delighted at the attacks that had Snape and Hermione frowning for a second until they heard him out and then they were all smiles. "We could reduce Voldemort's supporters as much as we can today. What do you think?"
Snape looked at him for a long moment. "How did you escape Slytherin my boy? You are one through and through." And smiled very disturbingly wholly unconvinced as Harry huffed and puffed and insisted he was pure Gryffindor.
Harry activated his earring and spoke into it calling all of them at one go.
"Hey are all of you where you can talk?" he asked softly.
Arran, Ria, Draco, Pansy and Blaise replied in the affirmative while there was no answer except an hmmm from McGonagall, that meant she was with the others. The beauty of these earrings was that not only were they invisible but even if Harry shrieked into them no one other than those who were wearing it and whose names among those who were wearing it he had called. They had been charmed with ancient magic and were very powerful.
So Snape and Hermione were hearing Harry directly and not through the earrings as he had not called their names along with the password, that was 'Slytherin Rules' in retaliation for saying Sirius's name when he had to use the ring to talk to Arran.
Though now Snape mostly used only the earring which Harry thought was not fair. But that was Snape and fair was a word not in his vocabulary when it came to Gryffindors Harry had thought rather sulkily when Snape had smirked and told him the password and refused to change it. Even McGonagall had tried but Snape had only smirked more. As it had some ancient magic woven into it McGonagall could not even tell him she would do the damn things.
Harry had been so impressed by the ancient magic that seemed so powerful that he had wanted to learn it and Snape and Arran had promised to teach him once he had advanced a bit in the dark arts and blood magic. Arran had also promised to teach him Black magic as that would help Harry not only to recognize it if it were cast but also remove it by knowing the counter spells as well.
But as that would come only later Harry was now studying the ancient magic from Canogahn's books. The magic was very simple though very powerful and it needed knowledge of the language of their forefathers and the chants for specifics as well. But the most important aspect was the ability to control one's magic to such an extent that one could with the ancient language almost cast anything and lock it into place.
As ancient magic recognized only the magical signature of the person who cast the spell or chant, it could never be removed by anyone else as there were no known counters unlike in the case of later spells. If ancient magic was to be removed by another person he would simply have to have the knowledge and power and strength of mind that was very much stronger than the caster who had originally cast the spells.
This was what Harry had understood and it exited him greatly. Only the most powerful could even think of casting spells and Harry thought that that alone said so much about Arran and Snape. Not even Dumbledore or Voldemort could do this. That made Harry even more determined to learn as this could be the power the Dark Lord knows not.
Arran, Draco, Blaise, Pansy and Ria came in almost at once. They had not been called today and Ria was looking very pale and her eyes were red as if she had been crying hard, which she probably had been as her father was now dead, Harry thought uncomfortably as he looked at her. He did not know if he should offer condolences as that would look hypocritical or as if he was making fun of her.
The other Slytherins and Arran too, looked a tad angry, helplessly angry as they did not even have the luxury of grieving, Harry realized belatedly. He looked at Ria who was being held very protectively by Draco, something there Harry thought as Ria leaned into him and smiled a little.
"Do not worry Harry. We made up our minds and were sure about what we wanted and Ria feels for her father not the death eater whom all of us have sworn to destroy. And do not forget it was I who oblivated him along with Severus and Ria agreed to send him to the Ministry to die as we all knew what the implications of such a spell would be."
Ria also nodded her head sadly, "Yes Harry, you saw the way he spoke." She trembled as Draco held her more protectively. "He had no remorse and he was not willing to listen to me and Arran and on top of that he was shouting that we his blood would be killed and destroyed. What kind of a living is that when you can wish for your closest blood to die a horrible death because we chose differently?" she turned away as tears broke her self control and poured down her cheeks.
"And what kind of a man is he whom we following who does not even want to acknowledge her father's contribution and it had been a lot Potter. Spending thirteen years in Azkaban for the sake of the insane maniac and cursing his only daughter and nephew to die by Voldemort's hands the moment he realized they had chosen a different path?" Draco asked furiously as he hugged her even closer as he shoulders shook and he led her to Harry's bed and looked for a moment at Harry asking permission with his eyes. The moment Harry nodded he drew the curtains around them.
Snape had been watching all this silently until now came forward, "Arran I do not think Ria should be out today and nor should Hermione." as she started to protest he held up a hand as he continued, "No, hear me fully before you object. This time today I will not be with you and Arran will apparate the moment the Dark Lord calls him and that could be at any point tonight.
"You are not well versed in the Dark Arts Hermione and I was planning to put you, Pansy and Ria together. Now I feel Ria should be excused today, she has a lot on her mind; I wish you would agree to stay here with her. She would have guided you and helped you with the apparition had she come but now it is not safe. The killing curse will be thrown about all over the place and it is not wise, not this time, not today when the Dark Lord and his death eaters will be very vicious and eager for revenge."
Hermione nodded reluctantly. She knew a lot about the Dark Arts but it was not enough in return for the killing and the other equally terrible curses that would be thrown about carelessly by the death eaters in the night.
That decided Snape turned to Harry. "Harry, Draco, Pansy and you will be at two places; places that have the secondary death eaters and you will try and take them down," he paused here and looked at Harry deeply before continuing, "I want you to use as many dark curses as you can to make sure the death eaters will never harm anyone else ever again." He looked at Harry with hidden meaning in his eyes.
Harry gaped at him, "You meant try my best to kill them without actually using the Avada Kedavra? Oh Severus I couldn't." he said horrified.
"So you do think less of us; Severus and I because we killed, though in a different manner yesterday, the death eaters we had captures, is it not?" Arran asked him his expression unreadable.
Harry was taken aback and he did not answer at once. He thought for a while before he answered Arran who was watching him very intently as was Snape. Did he think less of Arran and Snape because they had killed? Harry knew he felt only admiration and affection for Snape and he was fast developing the same for the man who not only looked like Sirius but who was also a lot like him in other ways as well.
Surprised and mildly shocked that he never thought less of Snape or indeed anyone in that room and he knew apart from Hermione all of them had done a lot terrible things. But he had never thought of them as killers or evil doers or even death eaters that they were in reality.
"No I never have though that of Severus not after I came here," Harry added honestly. "And I have never thought that of any of you since I met you here at the cottage."
"But all of us and that include Severus and even Draco and Pansy have killed Harry." Arran said softly still watching him, not taking his eyes of Harry.
"Yeah, but you did not have a choice it was either you or them, Oh!" Harry's eyes widened as Arran smiled and nodded his head.
"You have to look at it in this way Harry," Snape told him softly, "You are not killing anyone, and all you are doing is making sure that those excuses for human beings will never harm any one magical or muggle just because they can cast the killing curse. They are bullies Harry and they want to rule the Wizarding World through terror and kill indiscriminately and also indulge in all kinds of orgies just because they can."
"While yes to take the law into our hands and tackle the killers is wrong, to sit back and allow the Ministry to continue its laid-back approach to this war is equally wrong in my eyes." Arran told him and Harry nodded his head as that was what the Order of the Phoenix also doing.
As if Snape knew exactly what he was thinking he said, "While yes that is what the Order is doing they don't solve the problem Harry as they only defend when they are pressed. Otherwise they are happy to let it be. Dumbledore knows about horcruxes that was why he did not kill the Dark Lord in the Department of Mysteries, but what steps have been taken to remove them in the thirteen years the Dark Lord has been absent?"
"He could have done so many things," Harry growled.
"But he didn't." Pansy answered. "He is responsible for so much, the way Slytherin is treated today, for allowing Voldemort to rise from the dead once again, for taking control of people who are not his to command, taking unilateral decisions and sacrificing anyone he thinks for the greater cause. What greater cause, his?" Pansy was scathing as she continued in the same vein.
"It must be for it certainly is not ours; Voldemort's or even the Wizarding World's. He sacrificed your parents, Black, the Longbottoms, Slytherin House, someone here and someone there, all for the greater good. Nothing good has really come out of that. On the other hand what we are doing is the greater good Harry. We have killed six persons yesterday but we have probably saved a hundred or more lives by that one act and I am not even talking about the horcruxes."
"Breathe Parkinson breathe." Hermione said smilingly and the mood was broken, though it gave Harry and Hermione a lot to think about.
Snape fell silent as he knew this was something Harry should work out on his own and soon Arran was talking to Pansy, Harry and Hermione about the Dark Arts waiting for Draco to come and joining them to plan out a strategy for the night.
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