Chapter 64 - The Rest of the World
A knock at the door drew Severus' attention away from the front page of the paper. He wasn't really ready to face the rest of the world - he felt raw inside, and strangely vulnerable. And if he were honest with himself, he didn't want Harry to face the rest of the world either - far better to remain locked up in their quarters where nothing could touch them.
The knock sounded again, and Severus sighed - ready or not, the rest of the world was not going to go away. Taking a deep breath, he crossed the room and opened the door. Sirius and Remus were waiting in the hall, and he motioned them inside quickly before closing the portrait door once more.
"Where's Harry?" Sirius asked immediately.
"Shower," Severus answered. Remus, he noticed, was clutching a copy of the Daily Prophet in his hands.
"Albus should be down in a few minutes," Remus informed him as they all moved to sit in front of the fire. "He's gathering some of the international papers, and I think he wanted to find out what was going on with the Ministry."
Sirius glanced toward the closed bedroom door, his eyes filled with concern. "How is he?" he asked, and Severus didn't have to ask who he meant.
Unfortunately Severus also didn't really have a good response. He just shrugged somewhat helplessly. "Confused, but managing. Just like always." Harry always seemed to pull through these things no matter what happened - he shouldered burdens no one else would, and seemed to accept them as his due.
"Why weren't you there last night?" Sirius asked then, catching Severus off guard. He stared at the man in shock, wondering how he could have known...and then it hit him. Black had been Called. Of course, Black had been Called - and he had been able to go, unlike Severus.
Seeing the look of shock on Severus' face, Sirius just shrugged. "You and I have hexed each other enough to know exactly how strong the other is. If I was Called, you were Called."
"The Dark Mark," Severus replied bitterly. "It prevented me from answering the Call. The Dark Lord holds my place, and my power." There was no point in sugar-coating the truth. Black and the others would need to know where things stood.
For a long moment Sirius just stared hard at him, and then a look of realization washed over his face. "All those empty places," he hissed. "They weren't empty. They were all Death Eaters. I had wondered why Lucius Malfoy and my cousin Bellatrix were not there."
"How many?" Remus asked. "How many of the places were empty?"
"Nearly half," Sirius replied, and Severus found himself paling at the realization. Half! Half of the most powerful Wizards and Witches in the world had taken the Dark Mark.
"Merlin!" Remus exclaimed. "And that's what we are up against? That's what Harry is up against?"
"Did you know?" Sirius asked Severus accusingly.
Severus glared at him. "Of course I didn't know!" he protested. "None of us did! Do you think any of us would have taken the Mark if we'd known? Can you imagine Lucius Malfoy giving up such a position? And the last thing I ever wanted to do was aid Voldemort."
"Then there's bound to be a whole lot of angry people out there today," Black replied.
"I don't think the Dark Lord cares," Severus replied. "If he's gotten to the point where he's summoning elder demons, he's not even remotely sane any more."
The fire flared suddenly and a moment later Dumbledore flooed through - stepping out of the fireplace with a stack of newspapers in his hands. The old man looked tired, and Severus couldn't help but wonder how much sleep he might have gotten the night before. He greeted them all and then held out his tin of potion-laced lemon drops in offering. All three of them declined.
"Well," Albus began as he sat down in the armchair opposite Severus. "The whole world is stirred up over these events, and I'm afraid things are not good in the Ministry." He tossed the newspapers down onto the coffee table, and the three of them rifled through them, looking at the various front pages.
Severus paused when he found one of the French papers - Albus had brought both a French Wizarding Paper as well as a Muggle one. The Muggle papers spoke of a terrorist attack in a major shopping center in the city of Montpellier in the south of France. Along with the destruction of several buildings, and numerous Muggle deaths, the paper also spoke of a nerve gas that had caused mass hallucinations. The French Wizarding paper, however, described the elder demon who had appeared suddenly in the middle of the Muggle shopping center before vanishing again just as suddenly, leaving destruction behind it - from the description it was the same creature that had appeared in the Quidditch Pitch of Hogwarts.
"The creature appeared all over the world," Albus explained when he noticed Severus' attention to the story. "There are reports of its appearance on every major continent on the planet - though it only stayed for brief moments in each location. Hogwarts was apparently its finally destination which is why it did not leave on its own."
"It was looking for something?" Remus suggested.
Albus shrugged. "Perhaps. Regardless, the world is terrified. The world governments are demanding full access to Harry. They say if another one of these things appears, they need to know that Harry will come to their countries immediately to stop it."
Severus felt his heart clench at that - he knew of course that the international claim was coming, but to hear Albus say it, made it sound so final. "What was the Ministry's response?" He couldn't imagine the British Ministry willing to give up what little control they did have over Harry. King or not, Savior or not, Harry was still a British citizen.
Albus sighed at that, and tugged on his beard. "I'm afraid we have some problems of our own. There's a bit of a coup going on in the Ministry at the moment."
Severus, Sirius and Remus stared at Albus in shock. Severus knew that Fudge would be facing some difficult times ahead of him - but the idea that there might be an actual disruption to the government had not occurred to him.
"Who..." Remus sputtered, only to shake his head as he tried to formulate an appropriate question.
"Who isn't!" Albus stated. "Everyone is clamoring for Fudge's resignation - and failing that, there is also a group suggesting that he simply be tried and executed for crimes against the state. The Wizengamot is trying to retain order, but the Aurors, in mass, openly defied Fudge - which is the equivalent of a no-confidence vote and temporarily removes him from office. They are also reluctant to listen to the Wizengamot without a proper Minister to head it."
"What precipitated this?" Severus asked in amazement. He could tell yesterday that Stark and his men had not been happy with Fudge, but they had still largely been following his orders as they pertained to restoring order after the attack. And the current leader of the Aurors, Maxwell Darmut, was a law-and-order traditionalist. Something must have happened to cause such a reaction.
Albus gave a rather uncharacteristic eye-roll, as if he too could not believe the way things had spiraled out of control. "Fudge decided to issue an arrest order for Harry, claiming he was a threat to our way of life. Then Fudge had to compound his troubles by attempting to bring in Muggle authorities to regain order - apparently he's got some deal already set up with the Muggle government. The Muggle Prime Minister has also ordered Harry's arrest - claiming he's a threat to national security, and has called out their military to seize the Ministry."
"The Muggles seized the Ministry?" Sirius exclaimed in shock. All three men were looking at Albus in disbelief.
But Albus shook his head. "No, the Wizengamot immediately put the Ministry into a state of lock-down - no one can get in or out of the building at the moment, and the Muggles can't even find the building. Needless to say the streets around the Ministry building are flooded with Muggle soldiers looking for something to seize. But that's not actually the real problem."
"There's more?" Remus asked. All of them looked horrified.
Albus just nodded. "When the Ministry building went into lock-down there were a number of people of note inside it - among them was Lucius Malfoy who seems to have gone a bit mad. Upon realizing that he'd been locked in, he began formally challenging people to duels. There is a little known clause in our law books that states that since there is technically no Minister currently in office, our legal system immediately reverts back to the Feudal Order that places each member of the Wizengamot as sheriff of a specific province of Brittan. This was meant to insure that order was maintained in the event of an assassination of one or more of our leaders."
"That means they hold their positions by Right of Magic, rather than electoral vote," Remus exclaimed in shock - and Severus found himself equally uneasy. Only the members of the International Confederation of Wizards held their places by Right of Magic - and they had little to do with the daily governing of the world. All the Wizengamot positions were elected positions and with a few exceptions, Albus the most noted, most of them were politicians instead of magically strong Wizards and Witches.
"The Wizengamot should have cleared the Ministry building before locking it down under these circumstances - unfortunately the sudden appearance of Muggle soldiers forced their hand. This morning Lucius Malfoy has already dueled five wizards, taken five wands, and now legally holds five positions on the Wizengamot. By this afternoon he'll likely hold several more. He is effectively dissolving our government as it exists today," Albus explained. An odd look crossed his face. "On a curious note, however, he hasn't actually killed anyone."
"What?" Severus asked in surprise. He'd seen Lucius duel many times before. He always went for the kill, and never showed mercy.
Albus just shrugged. "The five wizards he's dueled are all still alive. He stunned them. I can't help but think he is plotting something else we don't know about."
Severus felt stunned. "You think he wants an alliance with Harry?"
The old man's eyes twinkled suddenly. "I think it's a distinct possibility. I don't think he was happy about the events of yesterday and last night. The Wizards he's dueled are the ones most likely to cause trouble for Harry - and those who openly supported Fudge."
"We can't trust him," Severus warned.
"I'm well aware of that," Albus nodded in agreement. "But until we know exactly what he's up to, we can't do anything about it."
"Has he issued a challenge to you?" Severus asked curiously, thinking it unlikely that Lucius would risk that. Albus was one of the few members of the Wizengamot who could hold his place by Right of Magic - he was one of the few members of the Wizengamot that was also in the International Confederation of Wizards.
Albus shook his head in response, though Severus thought the man looked rather intrigued by the idea. He had not dueled in a long while - at least not that Severus knew about. Perhaps he was eager to try his hand against the younger crop of Wizards.
"What about the other Minister candidates?" Remus asked. "Madam Bones is on the Wizengamot. I don't think I've ever seen her duel."
"She's the one who contacted me this morning to tell me what was going on," Albus admitted. "She was fine a half hour ago, and she promised to keep us updated. She has to relay messages through portraits however so there is a bit of delay in the information."
"You said 'a number of people of note'," Severus mused thoughtfully and then frowned when he saw the look on Albus' face. "There's been other duels! Who else was there?"
"A Wizard by then name Valerian Ventus claimed a seat in the name of the Vampire Lord Aventine," Albus replied. "Curiously they took back the seat they lost 400 years ago when the Anti-Vampire legislation was passed. There was also a man by the name of Merik Volpine who has claimed a seat in the name of Remus Lupin."
"What?" Remus exclaimed in shock. Severus just stared, having a hard time believing all he was hearing.
"Volpine is a member of the International Confederation of Wizards, but has never had any interest in government," Albus told Lupin. "He's also a werewolf. Because of his condition he's never had children, and has been looking for an heir for a long time. He's had his eyes on you for a number of years. After your cure was publicized, he decided you were worthy of his title. He's publicly proclaimed you his heir and has claimed the seat in your name since he still has no desire to rule. He feels you are the one who can restore equal rights to werewolves."
Remus looked stunned, and Sirius reached out and took hold of his hand in comfort. "But none of this is legal," Remus protested with a shake of his head. "You can't just take seats on the Wizengamot by force!"
"I'm afraid at this moment in time, it is all very legal," Albus replied. "Lucius knows Wizarding Law as well anyone. The only thing they are all lacking at the moment is some means of enforcing their will on the rest of the country. The Aurors are refusing to listen to anyone except Stark and Darmut - and they're both no longer willing to take orders from anyone in the Ministry until they find out who has the actual legal authority."
"Lack of enforcement won't last for long," Severus pointed out. "Lucius has the money to hire an army of mercenaries if he has to - and Lord Aventine has all the Vampire clans at his disposal. I don't suppose the goblins have taken sides?"
"No," Albus looked amused at that. "It's business as usual at Gringotts."
"Anyone else we should know about?" Severus asked.
"Ah, yes," Albus nodded. "One more you might find interesting, Severus. Your sister Diana Snape Brand has claimed a seat in the name of the Winter Lands - which sets a whole new precedent since they are now considered a foreign nation. Technically her actions constitutes an invasion - but so far no one has shown any interest in calling her on it. Even Lucius has steered clear of her. And speaking of armies, there's a troop of five hundred Viking warriors camped outside of Hogwarts ready to take up arms to defend their King. They have promised more if we need them."
Severus groaned in shock. How much more insanity could they stand - things were spinning completely out of control.
"Albus, what are we going to . . ." Remus began, only to fall silent when the bedroom door opened and Harry emerged, freshly showered and dressed.
All four of them immediately stood to their feet, and Severus saw an odd expression move across Harry's face at their actions. It gave Severus a moment of pause and he glanced at the other three men - instinct had driven them to their feet, and by the looks of sheepishness on the other men's faces, they became aware of that fact at the same time. Harry did not seem particularly happy by this display, and deliberately walked in silence across the room to the side table and the tea service Severus kept near the fireplace.
The four men exchanged bewildered glances at Harry's uncharacteristic silence, and sat down uncomfortably, while Harry prepared his morning tea. The boy whispered something, and Dobby instantly appeared beside him, handing him several more cups to place on the tea tray before vanishing again.
A few moments later Harry carried the tray over to the coffee table and knelt down in front of it. They all watched in silence as Harry prepared five cups - two strong, black coffees which he set in front of Severus and Sirius. A cup of tea with milk and three sugars which he set in front of Albus, and two more cups of tea with milk and one sugar, one of which he set in front of Remus. He took the other for his own, and then rose, moving around the table to sit between Sirius and Remus on the couch. Without words, they all got the message he was conveying loud and clear - he was the same person today as he had been yesterday morning. The rest of the world would be hard enough to deal with - he wouldn't be able to handle things if his friends and family began treating him any differently.
Sirius placed his arm around his shoulders and kissed him lightly on the temple. "Sorry, kiddo," he apologized for all of them.
Harry just nodded, his expression understanding. He motioned towards the numerous papers scattered on the coffee table. "So what's the damage?" he asked reluctantly.
"Well," Sirius began with a quick wink at Remus. "Apparently everyone who was out on the field yesterday is getting their own Chocolate Frog Card. Of course I had one before, but now they have to move me out of the Dangerous Criminal category into the Hero category so they're going to reissue it. The other one is bound to become a collector's item, which is good because Remus owns seventeen of them."
At his words, Harry started to laugh, grinning in delight when he saw the embarrassed flush of color in Remus' cheeks.. Despite everything, Severus had to smile - though he tried to hide it from the others. Black knew exactly what to say to ease the tension in the room and set Harry at ease. He wished he had such an ability, but he supposed he'd just have to settle for his usual stoicism. Both had their places.
It took the four of them about twenty minutes to catch Harry up on the highlights of the news, including the news that the students of Hogwarts had only suffered a few minor injuries which had been taken care of immediately. While casualties due to the collapsed stands had been high - over two hundred people injured - the deaths had numbered only twenty-three. Of those twenty-three, fifteen had been eaten by the creature and left no body for burial. The look of grief and regret on Harry's face at the mention of those numbers, was one Severus did not want to see again. How Harry could shoulder such blame was beyond him - and all of them urged him to instead think of the numbers he had saved.
Harry studied the international papers while Albus explained about the other appearances of the creature - the French papers in particular caught his notice as he studied the unmoving Muggle photo of the damaged shopping mall. "It was marking a sigil on the ground," he told them all unexpectedly. "I don't know why, or what the sigil meant - I never got a good look at it. I don't think the creature knew what it was for either - only that Voldemort had ordered it done."
The four of them exchanged looks of unease at Harry's words. "The Ravens showed you this, Harry?" Albus asked with deceptive calmness.
"No," Harry began with a shake of his head, and then paused thoughtfully as if uncertain about something. "I don't know ... maybe. I just know that one moment I was watching the Quidditch players, and the next I was in Canada inside that creature's mind." He shuddered, and shook his head again, almost violently as if trying to shake off terrible memories. Remus and Sirius both reached out to grasp one of Harry's hands in comfort, and Severus had to restrain himself from moving to his side. He couldn't help but remember the state Harry had been in yesterday after the attack.
"The sigils might be transfer points," Remus suggested, glancing at Albus for confirmation.
"Transfer points?" Harry asked.
Remus nodded. "Arithmancy symbols are used to connect floos to the floo system, or to set up public apparation or portkey points. It connects two points together magically."
"So you think he's setting up launch points of attack?" Harry asked. "Places to apparate in Death Eaters?"
"The wards haven't been breached," Albus said with a shake of his head, his features set in a deep frown as he tried to work out the puzzle. "If he succeeded in setting up an apparation point on the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch, the wards would register it."
"Unless it's not Death Eaters he's planning on apparating in," Severus suggested and they all glanced at him in alarm. He just shrugged. "Lucius said he seems to have lost interest in his Death Eaters - that he keeps himself surrounded by creatures, new servants. What if he's not planning to use the Death Eaters to attack - what if he's raising a demonic army?"
He saw them all open their mouths to protest such a thing, only to shut them again when they realized that protesting would be pointless. Voldemort had already proven he had no sanity left when he'd raised the Elder Demon.
"There's something else we're not seeing," Harry informed them, his gaze focused on the flames of the fire. "He said he'd discovered a secret, a brilliant, terrible secret, and with it he will end the war. I don't think he was talking about an army."
Severus glanced over at Albus in alarm, remembering the conversation the two of them had had about the great secret that Grindelwald had sought - the secret that would let him rule the world. Albus looked as pale as Severus had ever seen him. "Harry," the old man caught all their attention. "This is important. Did he say he knew this secret - or that he was looking for it?"
Harry's green eyes looked haunted. "He knows it. He found it last Autumn. I remember dreaming about it - I remember because he was happy. It was something he discovered in Slytherin's books - the Dark ones."
"Then maybe there is an answer in the books you are translating," Albus suggested, looking hopeful.
Harry just shrugged. "I haven't found anything like that. No reference to some great secret - no talk of war, or conquest, or battles. I haven't studied all of them in detail, but I have read them all." To date he'd only finished translating three of them, which Severus and Albus had both been pouring over. "I would have remembered if he'd spoken about some secret that could conquer the world."
"Then perhaps it's simply not spelled out as such," Albus mused. "Voldemort has had those books in his possession for over fifty years - he's bound to have read them over and over again. If he only just discovered this secret recently, then perhaps it's something hidden, something that is not obvious."
"Maybe it's something you have to be insane to understand," Harry replied. He reached out to pick up the Daily Prophet and stared down at the photo. A photographer had caught an image of the battle on the Quidditch Pitch - a moving account of the horror they had all faced yesterday, men and women caught in the very act of dying, the determination on Harry's face, the fear and resolve on the faces of all those who stood behind him and shielded him from the blows the creature had rained down upon them. It was a horrible picture - and one that would preserve that event for the history books. "Something worse than this," Harry whispered as he stared at the creature.
None of them knew how to respond to such a statement, and the last thing Severus wanted to imagine was something worse than the events they had faced yesterday. What could possibly be worse than unleashing an Elder Demon on the world?
With a sigh, Harry set the paper aside. "Headmaster," he asked hesitantly. "This whole nonsense about being king...it's like with the Winter Lands, right? It doesn't really mean anything, right?" They could all see the hope in his eyes as he asked this question, willing them to confirm his words. And Severus saw the regret in Albus' eyes as he sighed heavily.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Harry," he replied. "That gathering last night was in essence a coronation. The most powerful Wizards and Witches in the world gathered and confirmed your status - even Voldemort did not contest your position. While this does not effect the governments of the world, it does place you in a legal status above all of them."
"I don't understand," Harry said with a shake of his head.
"I explained some of this to you last Christmas," Remus reminded Harry. "The Ministry and the Wizengamot are responsible for the day to day running of our nation, just like the other countries of the world have their own forms of government. But the Old Laws of Magic - the ones that all the Wizarding World must follow are enforced by the International Confederation of Wizards."
"Everyone who was present last night in the circle is a potential member of the Confederation," Albus added, sending a rather pointed look to Sirius and Severus. Severus felt his heart twist at the thought - bound as he was to Voldemort, he could do nothing about claiming such an honor. Black looked startled by the mere suggestion. "Only the most powerful Wizards and Witches are eligible to serve. Not all of those there last night choose to participate, and many were probably unaware of their magical status - but any of them could claim a seat on the council."
"Even Voldemort?" Harry asked.
Albus nodded. "Even Voldemort - though I doubt he'd ever bother. He's more inclined to bypass legal authorities. Regardless, last night you in effect became the head of the Confederation. What level of influence you choose to exert is up to you. But there is an aspect of your status that will not be over looked. You have the authority to sit in judgment over any conflict or criminal case in any country of the world. Whether you like it or not, people all over the world will turn to you to resolve their conflicts."
"That means that world governments will do anything in their power to curry favor with you to sway your opinion," Severus added, wanting Harry to understand exactly what pressures he was likely to face.
"There are procedures set in place by the Confederation to deal with such things," Albus informed him. "But it is far easier to sway the opinion of one man, than the judgment of the entire Confederation. People will seek to bypass the Confederation and go directly to you."
Harry looked horrified. "But I don't want to sit in judgment of anyone!" he protested.
Albus gave him a gentle smile. "Then we'll do everything in our power to keep the world at bay for as long as possible."
"As long as possible?" Harry repeated. He turned those green eyes on Severus, his gaze so intense, Severus felt a shiver of awareness go through him. He was struck suddenly by a memory of last night, of lying in Harry's arms as he drifted under the influence of the potion Harry had poured down his throat. 'They're going to take you away from me,' he had said then, terrified of the thought of losing Harry after all they had been through together.
And Harry had denied it, had promised him that he would not let that happen. He could tell that Harry was remembering the same thing now, the fierce but haunted look in his eyes painful to see.
"I won't leave," Harry said now to all of them. "This is my home. You're my family. I won't leave." He was speaking to all of them, but Severus knew the words were meant specifically for him. His heart began pounding hard in his chest. He didn't know what the future held for any of them; he just knew he had to cling to Harry's promise. He had to believe in it utterly - because the alternative was unthinkable.