Chapter 88: Dealing with his return
“‘Ow are you feeling?”
Rose looked to Fleur who was laying on the bed beside her. They and Viktor who was on the bed on her other side, were in the infirmary. Fleur’s voice was still hoarse and her neck was still badly bruised. She also had her wand arm in a bandage. The Bulgarian’s head was wrapped in bandages too and his broken leg was still healing. A skele-gro pill may be more effective than the potion version but it still took time. Especially when the leg suffered a double open fracture and there were pieces of bones everywhere in his legs that had needed to be removed and delayed the taking of the pill. Out of the three he had spent the worst night.
“Honestly? Relieved. To be alive. That you two are alive. Otherwise… My nerves still hurt. I definitely don’t recommend being crucio-ed.”
Viktor snorted and held his head because of his headache. Fleur simply gave her an amused smile.
“Vhat a mess. Losing is not new to me. Losing because my best vasn’t enough is one thing. Losing because of outside sources is frustrating.”
“Oui.” Fleur agreed, limiting the use of her voice and throat.
“Lose? You didn’t lose because I don’t call it a win. If anything… we all lost. And I don’t care what the people say about it.”
“...I’m fine vith that.”
“Better, oui.”
“Technically, the two of you lost and I’m not saying that because Rose is my daughter.”
““Professor!”” / “Dad.” they all exclaimed when they heard Rick’s voice from the side. He was a few feet away and had silently entered the infirmary.
“The two of you went your own way before finishing the manticore and the acromantula. You let XXXXX creatures fight each other in a confined space and let your back wide open. What would have happened if they had stopped fighting or one had won?”
“Ambush.” Viktor realized.
“Yes. Now in open space that would have been fine. In the maze? Worst idea ever. In fact, it was Rose who encountered them both and finished the job. That’s why in my opinion she ‘won’. Otherwise, your performance was flawless.”
Rose felt a bit embarrassed to hear that her father considered her to have won while pointing out the glaring mistakes her competitors made. It made it easier to accept their defeat. They could have died and were just lucky.
“Were you awake the whole night? You looked dead tired.”
“I was. I had to deal with… Plenty of shit. First off: Viktor, I’m sorry to say but Karkaroff fled when the news of Voldemort being back reached his ears. Durmstrang is now without a Highmaster and students will have to stay a bit more at Hogwarts until someone back from the school comes here to take care of your return. That should take a few days for a message to reach the school wherever it is.
Dumbledore made arrangements, no students would be left to fend for themselves. As such, you and your schoolmates will have to temporarily move into the castle.”
“That is fine.”
“Second: You’ll soon… be interviewed by aurors about what happened last night. They need your testimonies to establish a precise timeline of events.”
“Wasn’t my testimony enough?” wondered Rose.
“... It is.”
“I hear a ‘but’ coming, dad.”
“Da”/ “Oui.”
“But… Fudge.”
Rose's eyes narrowed and her tone became angry. “What did that moron do this time?”
“Fudge doesn’t believe Voldemort is back for the simple reason that if he was, then he would be in deep shit. People would look to him to do something.”
“But he’s incompetent and would be ousted from the position. Does he realize that-”
“No, he’s too scared. The simple thought of Voldemort being back terrifies him. So he denies it and believes everything is fine. He’s already started a smear campaign against you, your mother and I. Not openly of course, not with the laws in place, but he plays on your age, on the traumatic events you experienced to say you’re delirious or lost your mind is a probability. That we may be lying to bolster our reputation since we haven’t been in the media since I retired and missed the ‘glory’. Your participation in the tournament being something your mother and I planned.”
“Задник.”
Everyone looked at Viktor who wasn’t very happy.
“From the tone and the fact you spoke in Bulgarian, I think that was an insult?” Rose ventured.
“Da.”
“What about Pettigrew? He was there, he was the one that-” turning to her father, she pointed out to the traitor.
“He was kissed last night when Fudge heard he was captured. The kiss on sight order was still in effect and after the fiasco of the third task the buffoon wanted to be seen as doing something and being competent. The information and confession that Sirius and James got from him was… Not done by the book and without any witness or record. As such it was officially dismissed.”
“... Incroyable.” Fleur was completely dumbfounded by what she was hearing. The more she learned about Fudge the more she wondered if Wizarding Britain as a whole wasn’t retarded for electing him.
“Dad! That’s… He needs to go! Voldemort is back and-”
“We’re working on it. Yes, we can’t have him as minister for the current times. The problem is that the Wizengamot is divided. Many of our allies are going to distance themselves. Voldemort left a headless body when your mother defeated him last time. As far as everyone knows he is dead for good. Whoever it is that you saw is at best just another dark wizard or a hallucination.
Our best way is to legally go after him for breaking the law. Pettigrew may have had a kiss on sight order but he needed to be interrogated to know how he escaped Azkaban and where Rookwood is. Fudge didn’t have the right to bypass the DMLE. We’re not sure it will work. Probably not. People will absolve him for getting rid of a Death Eater.”
“Idiots. Les Anglais sont des idiots.”
““You have no idea.”” Father and daughter answered the french witch.
“Anyway…”
Rick looked around to see if Madame Pomfrey was there and saw she wasn’t. He pulled out a basket from the inside pocket of his coat and opened it to reveal food.
“Bacon, strawberry jam, toast - the french kind - and some fruits. If you get caught with it, I was never here.”
The three champions shared a smile, Rose even laughed. She got a kiss on her head and Rick left them having breakfast. Exiting the infirmary he made a bee line for Albus’ office. There, besides the man, was Amelia, Moody, Lily and Bella.
“Ah! Rick, how is Rose doing?”
“The same way I was when I was crucio-ed. She took everything in stride, already looking forward to the future. Not happy about Fudge and agrees he needs to go.”
“Difficult. The man had received so many bribes that people wouldn't want him out of office since he’s so easy to sway. Even if I arrest him for breaking the law he wouldn’t be convicted and I would lose my job.”
“Which cannot happen, Amelia. No matter what. And even if he was arrested, getting you into the Minister’s seat at the current moment would be difficult too.”
“We can only hope Cornelius sees reason.” There wasn’t much conviction in Abus’ voice. More like resignation.
“Yeah well… It took two ministers last time before we got Bagnold who finally started to do something. I won’t wait for that again. In a few months people will begin to disappear. Neutral or from our side and soon enough we’ll be infiltrated and surrounded. The munchers at Azkaban won’t be there for long. I say we put the Fidelius back on our own prison and be ready to accept tenants.”
“Sure, Alastor, keep talking about illegal activities in front of me won’t you?” replied Amelia.
“As if you didn’t know.”
“I know about the last war. I don’t know anything about the current one. The less I know about your activities, the better for when we have to rebuild and purge the corruption in the ministry. Plausible deniability.”
“She has a point, Moody but so do you. Let’s talk about it another time. Any news from Severus?” Rick said.
“Not yet.” Lily answered to his surprise. She was worried.
Albus shared a bit more. “He hasn’t contacted me yet but I have faith he’s still alive. His position is too valuable to Voldemort to get rid of him. I’m sure Severus will spin a tale about how he continued the mission he received to spy on me.”
“Are you sure we can trust him, Albus?” Moody questioned.
“Yes. I trust him as much as I trust anyone in this room.”
“Me included?” wondered Bella aloud.
“Of course.” The headmaster replied with a genuine kind smile.
That took Bella aback a bit but she said nothing about it. It was obvious she was pleased however.
Rick turned to Amelia. “What is the DMLE doing?”
“Officially we’re investigating a dark ritual that took place in Little Hangleton’s graveyard which necessitated Rose’s kidnapping. Something Rookwood masterminded since Pettigrew was there. As a former unspeakable, him being the chief of whatever happened makes more sense. We sent what was left of the cauldron’s content to the DOM and also Rose’s memory of the event. It’s too soon to have any result. Now if you’d excuse me, I have a department to run, Aurors to shape properly and all with a reduced budget.”
She gave everyone a salute and left through the floo, Moody right behind her.
“What’s the plan, Albus?” Lily asked.
“I’m reforming the order.”
“You do know-”
“Yes. Things will be different. I thought long and hard about my mistakes and what I could have done better. The prison was a good idea. I will not condone the loss of life. I never will but in a life or death situation I would understand if the answer is… lethal. I don’t like it but I understand. Looking back I’m sure some of our friends would still be present today if I hadn’t forbidden it. Fabian and Gideon first and foremost. I’ll also think of a way to communicate discreetly. The patronus is useful but sometimes ill adapted to deliver messages.”
“My work on the mirror took a step back with my job as a Professor and stopped with Rose being part of the tournament. I know I’m close to making unlimited the number we can reach.”
“That would be wonderful, Lily. I’ll search for a quick way in the meantime.”
“Am I part of the club this time?”
It was Bella that cut in the conversation. Last time she had been all alone deep undercover. She obviously couldn’t do that anymore. The choice she had was to either be a bystander in the war to come or be part of the order. Bella being Bella she chose the latter of course and her question was her way to get herself in it.
Albus nodded. “Of course. In fact I already have a job for you.”
“What is it?”
“Professor of Defense against the Dark Arts.”
“...” Bella gave Rick a look but he just shrugged his shoulders.
“I was thinking of Rick replacing Bathsheda in teaching runes. What happened last night affected her greatly and she doesn’t feel like she should stay as an instructor anymore.”
“That’s a bit… quick to make a decision.” remarked Lily.
“I agree but she did not want to hear anything. With classes already over, she will be leaving tomorrow if not tonight.”
“I have no problem with it. I wanted the job to begin with.”
“I had an inkling about it.” the amused reply went along with a familiar twinkling in Albus’ eyes. “The order needs a headquarters, a more central one than last time, any ideas you’d like to share?”
“Right now, no. Not Without discussing it as a family. We’ll keep you apprised.”
The most obvious choices were either Lions’ Pride or Potter Manor. The first was near Hogwarts, up North in nowhere, the later near London in the South. Rick didn’t want to use the former with the children there and he didn’t want to use the latter because of his father’s memory.
The meeting was cut short when a cat patronus came into the office to tell Albus that Severus was back and not in the greatest of shape. Lily went to her childhood friend’s quarters, knowing he would go there instead of the infirmary. Bella and Rick went back to her own quarters to take a bit of rest. Still clothed they went to lay on the bed.
Rick pulled Bella toward him and held her protectively and possessively. She wasn’t afraid of her situation. She wasn’t afraid of knowing that she was perhaps Voldemort’s prime target. She didn’t care. In her mind there was no one more powerful than her husband and master. Voldemort couldn’t compare. She knew that if anyone could defeat her former master, it was her current one, prophecy be damned.
Rick on the other hand, despite trying to ignore it and move forward with ideas and solutions, needed the comfort of his wife because he was afraid. She was perhaps in as much danger as Rose was.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Bella whispered.
She had been head against his chest until now, when she looked up to search for his eyes.
“You’re not, no. Not without my say so. That means not going out to look for a fight.”
“I think that’s why Dumbledore offered me your job. I’d be stuck in the castle under its wards.”
“Smart of him.”
She put her hand on his cheek lovingly. “But if he’s after me I could-”
“No.”
He shut her down on the spot. He knew what she was going to say. She wanted to be bait. There was no way he would let her. Not after the last time Voldemort was baited. Rick was tortured for nearly two hours and was it not for Lily, quickly visiting her sister, he would be dead and probably her too. There wouldn’t be any bait anymore.
“I'll chain you down if I have to. Feed you draught of the living dead even. But you’re not playing bait.”
She searched into his eyes for any possible weakness that would make him change his mind. She found none. She knew she would find none but still tried anyway. That pleased her greatly. The fact she mattered so much to him, that he was so possessive and firm in the way he handled her. It always sent her engine running. This time was no exception. She began purring, a playful and lustful smile on her face. She pushed Rick onto his back and mounted him. Supporting herself by putting her hands on his chest. She began to grind her ass against his groin.
“Really? Now?”
“It’s your fault, master. You always make me all hot and wet when you’re dominating like that.”
“I’m dead tired, Bella.”
“Even better. I’ll do all the work.”
“Nuh-uh. Why don’t you wait for Lily?”
“She doesn’t have your cock and no, transfiguring a dildo is not the same. That’s not even taking into account that Lily is not you. Polyjuice or not.”
“Bella… If I fall asleep, don’t take it personally?”
“It’s fine, the part of you I’m most interested in right now doesn’t follow your sleep schedule.”
She gave him a Cheshire grin and began to remove his clothes with her wand.
In the meantime, Lily was taking care of Severus, giving potions after potions to boost his healing and deal with the after effects of the cruciatus.
“One glass of Firewhisky, please.”
“Sev-” she wanted to protest but let it go. One glass wasn’t going to kill him. “Bottle is still in the bottom drawer of your desk?”
“Yes.”
Lily fetched it and was not surprised to see the content of the bottle was at the same level as the last time she had seen it, four years ago. She conjured a glass and gave him a good serving. He nearly tore it away from her hands and drank everything in one go. Grunting in pain and relief when he was done.
“It was that bad?”
“It could have gone better. He’s furious. Absolutely furious. His plan was to resurrect and kill Rose. Both to fulfill the prophecy and send you and Rick a message. Fortunately she got away but he was humiliated for failing to kill a child and a girl.”
“Of course he’s misogynistic. The full cliché of the sociopathic mass murdering man-child.” ‘Yet he chose her as his equal…’
“His servants… are not pleased with me either. For being so…”
“Light now?”
“Yes. I spinned a lie… How there were no degrading acts when serving the Dark Lord. If making friends and getting acquainted with muggle-borns and blood traitors was the way to maintain my cover until his return then…”
“He bought it?”
“I don’t know. The Dark Lord only trusts himself and I’m a spy so unless I do something to give him some kind of advantage he wouldn’t. I think he’s keeping me alive because I’m useful to him. To learn information from our side or misinform it.”
“We’re going to plan carefully, Sev. You’re going to get out of this alive.”
Severus said nothing but appreciated the sentiment.
“I’m Veronica’s godfather. It’s not common knowledge but enough people know. He will want information on your family through that connection. On Bellatrix too. She’s number one on his list, perhaps even more than Rose and you. She was his most faithful. His loyal dog. Her betrayal made him even more distrustful. At this point only the ones in Azkaban have a modicum of trust and the ones who are free are on their hands and knees to prove their loyalty. Lily… The odds of me making it out alive are…”
“Then defect.”
Severus shook his head and stood from his chair with a grunt. The conversation was over and he needed rest. Lily understood and helped him walk to his bed before leaving.