Chapter 70 - The Price of Valor
The urge to leap out of his seat, grab Harry and shake him was almost overwhelming to Severus. And for once he suspected that he, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black were entirely of one mind.
His hands were clenched into knuckle-white fists as he watched Lucius Malfoy take a seat on the Wizengamot and be welcomed by a gently smiling Harry. Had the boy gone mad? They had all warned him - over and over again. Even Draco, he suspected, had warned him - Lucius Malfoy could not be trusted. He would promise them the moon with no intention of ever delivering it. He would lie, cheat, steal - do anything in his power to forward his own agenda. And if it served his gain, he would stab Harry in the back the first chance he got. Why would the boy offer him such an opportunity for mischief? Why wouldn't he simply order the Aurors in the room to take him away? With Harry's current position in the Wizarding World he could easily expose Lucius as the Death Eater he was and have him sent to Azkaban no questions asked.
Severus found himself glaring at Dumbledore, silently urging the old wizard to do something about this. Surely Harry would listen to reason if Dumbledore just spoke up. It was bad enough that Harry seemed to think that the Vampire sitting on the far side of the room was little more than a harmless victim of circumstances - at least Werewolves were only Dark Creatures for a single night out of the month. Vampires were dangerous every day. But that at least Severus could understand - a disease should not fate a person to a life of slavery.
Lucius, however, was a far different matter. Lucius had earned whatever fate befell him. He did not deserve a second chance - Harry truly didn't understand what the man was capable of doing. And if he honestly believed that anything in this world would make Lucius champion the cause of Vampire and Werewolf civil rights, he was completely deluded.
Despite the glare Severus was sending him, Dumbledore only had eyes for Harry, and while Severus could see some vague sense of disbelief in the man's twinkling eyes, it was overwhelmed by sheer amazement. Dumbledore believed in Harry - utterly. For whatever reason, Dumbledore was willing to give Harry his complete trust on this issue.
Merlin! Could none of them see the way Lucius was looking at Harry? Could they not see the lust in the man's eyes? Lucius was an extremely beautiful man, but surely Harry was not swayed by that! Severus' stomach twisted at the thought.
"Is there anything else, Headmaster?" Harry asked quietly as he stood in the center of the room.
Dumbledore looked momentarily startled by the question before glancing swiftly around at the rest of the Wizengamot. Many of them looked equally stunned by the display they had just witnessed. "Ah, yes," the old wizard remarked. "Perhaps an interim Minister?"
Harry did not seem particularly surprised at the request but Severus wanted to shout in protest yet again. What were they all doing? These decisions should not be put on Harry's shoulders. This was not his responsibility!
"Madame Bones will serve as interim Minister, if she pleases," Harry stated, nodding briefly toward the woman in question.
Amelia looked startled at his words, but before she could respond, Madame Umbridge leaped to her feet in protest. "But that will give her an unfair advantage in the election?"
Harry frowned at that, glancing briefly at Umbidge. "Perhaps," he agreed. "Or she may decide after a few weeks that she does not want the job at all. Considering the nonsense that goes on here, I can't say I would blame her." He glanced back at Amelia. "Will you accept?"
Amelia nodded her head in agreement, looking briefly toward Albus as if seeking his approval. The old man smiled at her in encouragement.
"Well, then that settles it," Dumbledore exclaimed. "Now I understand we have a large number of foreign heads of state and ambassadors who wish to speak with us as well as a few Muggle officials. We should proceed to the audience chamber and attend to them immediately. The sooner things can get back to normal around here, the better."
His words had a galvanizing effect on everyone, breaking the stillness as everyone began rising to their feet and talking all at once. The noise level in the chamber rose significantly, but Severus was far more focused on Harry who rejoined him and sank back down into the seat beside him. The boy looked tired, and completely lost in thought, and Severus didn't have the slightest idea what to say to him. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth he wouldn't be able to stop shouting. Indeed he suspected Black and Lupin felt the same way. He was extremely conscious of the fact that Lucius had not yet taken his eyes off the boy.
Dumbledore rejoined them a moment later, informing them that he, Alrik and Diana would remain with Harry as they went to speak with the foreign dignitaries. Sirius and Remus both needed to go Department of Bloodline Inheritance as soon as possible - if Sirius wanted to marry Remus he needed to change his Conscriptus, and by accepting the seat on the Wizengamot Remus has also accepted the role as Heir of the House of Volpine. That too would require formal acknowledgment. And while Severus desperately wanted to stay at Harry side, he had apparently promised to investigate Lord Aventine's potion dilemma - he needed to go to speak with the Guild Master and find out if there were any further research notes belonging to Silvius Ventus hidden away in the Guild archives.
Severus glared in silent fury as Dumbledore ushered Harry from the room, followed swiftly by Amelia Bones and Lucius Malfoy. Several other members of the Wizengamot followed after them. As Darmut passed by him, Severus caught hold of the man's arm, startling him. "Under no circumstances is Harry to be left alone in Malfoy's company," he hissed at the Auror.
Darmut's eyes narrowed sharply. "Understood," he agreed, and Severus could tell by the tone of his voice that he did indeed understand fully.
As the room began clearing out, Sirius and Remus finally spoke up. "What in hell was that?" Sirius exclaimed under his breath. He waved his hand in a vague manner toward the floor of the chamber indicating that he meant the whole incident with Harry.
"It's your decision, Harry," Severus mimicked the words Sirius had spoken to Harry before they had left Hogwarts that day. "Whatever you decide, we'll stand by you - THAT is what that was, Black!" He glared at the Gryffindor, who looked rather appalled at the reminder.
"But why would Harry trust Malfoy?" Sirius demanded. "It doesn't make any sense."
"The most respected and revered member of our world just asked a sixteen year old boy to solve all the problems of our government, and you're shocked that something doesn't make sense?" Severus snarled. "We're lucky the boy didn't remove everyone from office and replace all of them with his school chums. Under the circumstances I'm beginning to think they might do a better job."
"You might be right," Remus agreed in a subdued voice. "Considering our former Minster plotted to enslave the entire Wizarding population without anyone noticing."
Severus had no idea how to respond to that - the reality was just too unbelievable to process. He'd known Fudge was an idiot - but to learn that he'd also hidden a darker side was a real kick in the teeth. The corruption that must exist in the Wizengamot was too horrific to contemplate.
"It would seem Lucius Malfoy has done as all a good turn," a voice interrupted the three of them. They turned to stare in shock at Merik Volpine. Standing beside him was Lord Aventine, his red eyes gleaming with amusement. Severus suppressed a shudder and his natural instinct to back away from the Vampire.
"I don't understand," Remus replied, staring hard at the old werewolf. "Surely you know what Malfoy is capable of? That he has been one of the most outspoken against anyone whose blood is not pure. It was because of him I was subjected to an Euthanasia Inquiry."
"I know his past," Volpine nodded. "I also know that he has singlehandedly just removed the most corrupt members of this council."
"And replaced them with himself," Sirius protested. "And he's ten times worse than all of them put together. I see no improvement. He can't be trusted. He won't change!"
"Are you so certain of that?" Aventine asked quietly. "Do you not recognize a geis when you hear one?"
All three of them frowned and stared at the Vampire in disbelief. A geis, Severus thought. What on earth was he talking about? Harry had not tasked with Malfoy with anything - not really - save for some vague reference that he would not step off some path. And Malfoy certainly had not sworn any oath or vow - not unless simply accepting the seat was considered an oath.
Aventine just smiled, exchanging a brief look with an equally amused Volpine. "It is not so easy to go against the will of a king, and for whatever else Harry Potter is, he is our king. Two nights ago, the entire world changed - it is changing still. Faced with that, it is not so hard to believe that one man can also change - even Lucius Malfoy."
Severus found himself completely at a loss for words - how could these two Dark Creatures possibly believe that Lucius Malfoy could be trusted? They had more to lose than any of them. But then perhaps it was not Lucius they were trusting - but Harry instead. It had not escaped his notice that Harry had recognized both men - had met them both at the Calling the other night. If he had been allowed to go, perhaps he too would understand the working of things. And yet Black seemed equally baffled.
"Silvius Ventus' notes," Aventine said suddenly, holding out a thick leather-bound book to Severus. "I look forward to hearing your assessment of the research."
Frowning, Severus took the book from him, nodding in silent acknowledgment. The Vampire inclined his head to all of them, and then turned with a flare of his cloak and strode from the room. His aid, Valerian Ventus, swiftly followed.
Sighing, Severus glanced at Sirius and Remus. "I need to go speak with Master Dorester in the Guild Hall."
"We'll meet you on the fifth level when we're done," Black told him. "Dumbledore will keep an eye on Harry, I'm sure."
"Assuming he hasn't lost what's left of his marbles," Severus grumbled before turning and striding from the room. He muttered under his breath as he made his way down the stone corridor toward the elevators. "I've got to stop making those blasted lemon drops for him. I think they've finally damaged his mind."
Despite his hurry and his desire to get back to Harry as soon as possible, it took nearly an hour before Severus managed to track down the Guild records he was looking for. The Guild Ministry offices were kept on level three of the Ministry Building near the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. As luck would have it most of the Potion Masters who held Ministry positions were still in the process of brewing potions for St. Mungos and the victims of the attack on the Quidditch Pitch. Nonetheless there were still enough Guild Members who recognized Severus the moment he walked into the office to swarm him and pepper him with questions on everything from the Lycanthropy potion to what it was like being married to Harry Potter.
In the end it took the intervention of Master Dorester himself to get Severus past the gauntlet of questions and down into the archive of records so he could search for the necessary scrolls and papers. While the Guild kept meticulous notes, he knew the actual details of the research would be in the book that Aventine had given him. But there were bound to be various dissertations on Ventus' work that could prove invaluable for Severus' research.
Searching through the dark narrow corridors of bookshelves in the archive, he found the stack of scrolls he was looking for buried beneath four hundred years of dust. He shrunk the pile and slipped it all into an inner pocket of his cloak next to the Parseltongue book. Then he purposely slipped out through a little used back hallway and left the Guild offices unseen. As he headed once again toward the elevators he shuddered in irritation as he remembered the questions he'd been asked by his peers. The prurient interest the world seemed to have in his private life was rather disturbing.
Knowing that Harry and Albus would be somewhere in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, he punched the elevator button for the fifth level. He'd been gone longer than he'd wanted to be and he was nervous about getting back to Harry's side. He didn't think Dumbledore or Alrik would let Harry out of his sight, but all the same he'd feel a lot better if he were with him. He also was nervous about who it was who might have been waiting for Harry. According to the papers the Pharaoh of Egypt was caught up in her own political intrigues so he doubted she'd be present, but there were others Severus worried might approach Harry if he was left unattended.
It wasn't even so much that he worried that Harry would leave him - Harry had sworn to him that he would not. And Gryffindors if nothing else were trustworthy when their promises were given. But the idea that ate at Severus was that Harry might one day open his eyes and see what else he might have had and regret his promise. He wasn't certain he would be able to stand it if Harry ever gazed at him with regret in his eyes - or even worse what if that regret one day turned to disgust or hatred? What would Severus do then?
The elevator door slid open and Severus stepped into the hallway - despite the fact that there were supposedly numerous foreign delegates visiting the Ministry, the torch-lit hallways were deserted. No doubt everyone was gathered in the main chamber - which was probably a good thing. Harry would be surrounded by people and in full view of the public.
Heading directly toward the chamber in question, he rounded a corner and stopped short, noting two figures waiting in the wide but dimly lit corridor up ahead. Both men were tall and well-dressed, sporting the more stylized doublets favored in France. Severus was quick to note the longswords each wore strapped to their belts. The taller of the two, a blond man with thin goatee also held one leather gauntlet in his hand. He still wore his sword-hand gauntlet on his left hand, and the symbolism was not lost on Severus. Two men, armed with swords, waiting for him, one bearing his wand-hand gauntlet in his grasp - Severus allowed no expression to cross his face as the gauntlet was tossed at his feet. He'd been in enough duels to understand the situation clearly.
"Your name, sir?" he demanded of the man. It was the other man who stepped forward - no doubt he would be serving as the Second.
"Allow me to present Monsieur Philip Clovis," the man replied with flourish. His French accent was unmistakable.
Severus suppressed the urge to groan. He'd heard of Clovis - anyone who'd ever studied the sword knew of the man. He was considered one of the top duelers in France. He was also a distant cousin of the current king of France, Louis the XXIII - though rumor was the ruling House of Bourbon tended to distance themselves from the man because of his involvement in so many duels. He suspected the Second was probably Jacques Bernard - also a well-known dueler and Clovis' preferred Second.
"And your grievance with me?" Severus asked, making no move to pick up the gauntlet. He could hardly refuse - he knew that. He was honor bound to accept the duel. But until he retrieved the gauntlet Clovis would not attack. Clovis might not have been a Slytherin, but the rules of dueling amongst the European nations were fairly standard.
Clovis smiled at his question, his blue eyes glinting in the dim corridor. "I have no grievance with you," he said simply, his accent equally heavy. "But there are certain people who would be pleased if you were out of the picture."
Out of the picture - that one phrase told Severus far more than he wanted to know. Clovis did not mean to simply win a duel - he meant to kill him. He had thought that when the world eventually moved against him, they would simply seek to invalidate his marriage to Harry. But perhaps that was more trouble than it was worth - it would be far easier to simply kill him and remove him from the equation entirely. It would certainly make things easier for everyone involved - no need to prove grounds for an annulment. If Severus was dead, so was the marriage regardless of whether or not it had ever been consummated. He supposed he should be grateful that they had not simply sent assassins after him - at lest this way he had a chance to defend himself.
He couldn't help but wonder though who had sent Clovis - he doubted the man had come on his own. The most likely person was Louis XXIII himself - the man had seven children, all currently unmarried. He could imagine how pleased they would all be if Harry were suddenly single.
Severus frowned - he was certainly magically stronger than Clovis, but in a duel that didn't necessarily mean victory. And Clovis had a Second - if he were to defeat Clovis, the other man could challenge him immediately afterwards without giving Severus the opportunity to rest. Without a Second of his own, he would be at an extreme disadvantage.
He silently mourned his lack of Slytherin friends - not one of the men or women he'd grown up with and learned to duel with would ever volunteer to Second him. As it stood his closest potential ally in this situation was Lucius Malfoy himself - and Severus knew better than to ever accept that man's aid.
He was on his own today. He would face them both down or die trying.
Draw his wand he summoned the gauntlet to him, refusing to bend down in front of the two men. He sneered at them as they smiled in acknowledgment.
"Severus!" Sirius Black's voice startled all three of them and they turned to see Black and Remus Lupin hurrying down the hallway toward them. Clovis and Bernard stepped aside as they passed, making no move to attack immediately despite the acceptance of the challenge.
Black took one look at the gauntlet in Severus' hand and shot a dark glare at the two Frenchmen. "I'll Second you, Severus," he said immediately, and Severus felt a shock of surprise go through him. Had the world truly changed so much that Sirius Black would jump to his defense? He wasn't certain what to feel about that.
"And you are?" Clovis demanded.
"Sirius Black," the Gryffindor responded, grinning wolfishly at the two of them. The two Frenchmen exchanged an odd look, and Bernard did not look nearly so confident now.
"According to the papers, you are supposed to be insane," Clovis remarked with a flippant sneer of his lips.
"Yes," Sirius agreed cheerfully. "That is what they say."
"I'll referee, shall I?" Remus remarked pleasantly smiling at all four of them as if about to watch a Quidditch match. A moment later his entire body seemed to shift and melt away, leaving an enormous Hellhound in his place. Clovis and Bernard took several steps back at that, alarm clear on their faces.
"Hellhound," Sirius explained to them with a grin. "They make excellent referees. Legend says that if you cheat beneath the eyes of a Hell-spawn, you lose your soul."
Though keeping a wary eye on Remus, Clovis still managed to look indignant. "You dare suggest I would cheat?"
"Insane, remember?" Sirius rolled his eyes. "You can hardly hold it against me."
More times than he liked Severus had been on the receiving end of the Marauders' outrageous impudence - he never thought the day would come that he would be grateful for it. Sirius caught his eye as he moved behind him to take up his position as Second. "Don't waste time, Severus," he whispered. "Put him down quickly, kill him if you have to. He won't be the last. They need to know there is a consequence if you hope to deter any of them."
Severus had already reached the same conclusion himself, though he was surprised to hear it echoed by Black. It was also strangely gratifying to know Black had such faith in his abilities. There was just one small problem with the whole thing. "And how am I to explain to Harry why I killed when Lucius Malfoy would not?" he asked quietly.
"I think Harry would prefer to have you alive," Sirius said simply as Clovis drew his sword in one hand and his wand in the other.
Frowning, wand already brandished, Severus drew his own sword and stepped forward to meet his opponent. This was not how he'd hoped to spend his day.
They studied each other briefly, both men noting the way each held their sword and wand and how their weight was placed, their bodies poised. While Severus knew the French court favored the rapier, Clovis was armed with a traditional longsword to match his own - he would have been at a disadvantage with a lighter blade. And then as if responding to some hidden signal the two of them attacked.
In his days in Slytherin House, Severus had learned every nasty trick possible when it came to dueling and he employed them all now. His first spell was aimed at his own sword rather than his opponent, setting the Wizarding Steel of his blade alight with Living Fire. It was a spell only the most powerful Wizards could master - every hit of that sword would burn mercilessly.
His blade struck only a second behind that first spell, even as he cast a magical shield to block Clovis' initial magical attack - an Incendio that if it had hit would have lit his cloak on fire. After that Severus did not even attempt to hold back - sword and spell flew between the the two of them, scorching the walls and setting the corridor alight with flashes of light and shrieks of steel against steel, both of them moving with such speed the blows were impossible to track.
Clovis more than lived up to his reputation - the man's skill with the blade surpassed his own, and only his stronger shield kept him safe - though even still he felt more than one hit make it through to his flesh when he did not angle the shield in the right direction. The Frenchman was quick with his wand as well - though his choice of spells were predictable and relied more than once on verbal commands rather than the faster non-verbal ones Severus used.
Back and forth they moved, exchanging blow after blow, spells exploding between them, until Severus finally noted the hole in the man's defense. Clovis used his own magical shield to ward off Severus' sword alone, as if knowing it would not hold up long beneath the onslaught of magic. He instead relied on his extraordinary agility to avoid the spells coming toward them - throwing off Severus' aim with the use of his own sword.
After that Severus switched his spells to the cutting hex - sending long glowing rope-like streaks of light sweeping toward the man in such a way that he could not physically avoid all of them. Clovis had no choice but to maneuver his shield to ward off the spell and the moment his weight shifted Severus struck with his burning blade, slicing open a long swath of scorched flesh across the man's side. The Living Fire clung to his skin, eating into his body.
Screaming, Clovis fell backward, and Severus struck his shield one last time with a crushing hex, sending the man to the ground. He brought his boot down on the man's sword arm, his own blade poised to pierce the man directly through the chest. The Living Fire continued to burn.
"I yield!" Clovis shouted, releasing his grip on both his sword and his wand and staying Severus' hand. The scent of burning flesh hung thick in the air, and for one moment Severus was temped to take the man's life anyway. He was not immune to the adrenaline or rage that pumped through his veins - he was still a Slytherin after all.
But the thought of how Harry might look at him if he gave into his baser instincts was enough to force him back. He stepped away from Clovis, returning to Black's side, and allowed the man's Second to tend to the fallen man and extinguish the Living Fire that still ate at him. As it was he would bear that scar for life.
"Nice," Black remarked simply and Severus gave a brief grunt in acknowledgment. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he became aware of the pain in his own body. Clovis had struck him three times with his sword - once in the arm, and twice in the leg. He was bleed in all three places.
Bernard looked up a moment later, glaring at them, his eyes raking over Black as if debating whether or not he should issue the challenge. Severus knew he'd been right about the situation - if Black had not been there, he would have been challenged immediately despite being wounded.
"You're welcome to try it," Black told the man with a grin. "But I should probably warn you, after I beat you, I'm going to let him eat both of you. He hasn't been fed yet today." He motioned toward the nearby Hellhound who licked his chops on cue.
Gulping nervously, the man said nothing but instead helped Clovis to his feet. The French dueler inclined his head, his face still twisted in pain. "Well fought, Monsieur," he stated, and then allowed his companion to lead him away, disappearing down the long hallway.
Remus transformed a moment later, moving to Severus' side. "You're bleeding," he stated unnecessarily even as he drew his wand and began casting several spells to close the wounds. It would likely take Madam Pomfrey to heal them completely, but at least he could get the bleeding stopped and deal with the pain.
"Don't want to keep the scars as tokens?" Black asked with a touch of the old mockery in his voice - he might have been a Gryffindor but he'd been born into a Slytherin family. He knew all their customs.
"I think I have enough scars as it is," Severus replied, for once feeling no antagonism toward the man. The two of them may not like each other - but he could no longer deny that Black had been there when he needed him, behaving exactly the way a member of his family was supposed to behave.
"Come on," Remus urged the two of them when he'd closed the wounds as best he could. "Let's find Harry and Albus and get out of here. I think we've all had enough of the Ministry for one day."
Nodding in agreement, Severus fell into step beside the two of them, moving down the corridor once again toward the main hallway to the International Trade Chambers. They rounded the last corridor only to stop short once again.
Over twenty men were standing between them and the main doors to the Chambers - all of them standing in pairs, all of them armed with swords. In each pair, one man held his wand-hand gauntlet in his hand. All of them were staring at Severus.