Chapter XVIII: Reunion of the Order
(Dumbledore P.O.V)
Dumbledore's face had been dripping as he removed his head from the pensive, his mind whizzing with the speed of a tornado as he reflected upon the conversation he'd just witnessed. Seven, Dumbledore thought, his eyes widening, the light momentarily leaving his eyes, Including Harry, that makes eight. But to have split your soul, to split your magic so drastically, I understand now why he always fled from me. To others, he was powerful, but in comparison to me, he had no hopes of winning with his soul so split.
A sad smile formed against his lips, I understand, now I see why he's resorted to finding ulterior ways of killing me, he simply doesn't possess the magic to do it himself. Though, He thought looking down at his hands, I suppose now neither do I. He turned, gazing upon the boy at his side, his eyes still digesting the memory he saw, Once again, my hesitation failed you, I'm sorry Harry, forgive me.
Dumbledore shoved down his feelings, listening in on Harry as he muttered, "There's still four more, how could he have made so many, to split your magic so many times, how is that possible?"
"When one fears death," Dumbledore said, "Anything seems like a superior option, when in fact, in splitting his soul, Voldemort has risked a faith far worse than death should he be defeated."
"He'll be in limbo, unable to return or move on," Harry said, Dumbledore's jaw momentarily loosening at the boy's statement.
"That is correct," Dumbledore said, nodding gently, "Quite an astute deduction. Where do you learn that?"
"It's not important," Harry said deflecting the question, So that's what that feels like, Dumbledore thought to himself tepidly before Harry continued, "If he made seven, and we destroyed three, that means there are four more objects to destroy, but what are they." Dumbledore watched as the boy clenched his fist in frustration, "It simply doesn't make sense, this was supposed to be the missing piece of the puzzle, and yet we've learned none of the locations."
"Even if we assume, we're correct in our deduction that Hufflepuff's Cup and Ravenclaw's Diadem are two of the other pieces," Harry said, "We're nowhere close to understanding what the last one is besides Voldemort himself, or the locations of the ones we deduced."
"Patience, Harry," Dumbledore said, "There is much information from which we can piece together a hypothesis regarding the whereabouts of the other locations. For instance, it is my understanding that the Diary, prior to most, unfortunately, falling into the hands of Ginny Weasley, was in the possession of Lucius. Something that I'm certain your former mole can confirm." The boy gritted his teeth as Dumbledore smiled, "Narcissa's absence has been noted by the other Death Eaters, including Severus, he was the one who reported it to me. Connecting the dots from that point was easy, though worry not, as I've stated, with what is left of my life, there is little for me to lie about now."
The boy had looked far from relaxed, but he simply smiled continuing with vigor, "The ring was at the house of his mother, and was near to where Tom murdered his father and his family, which was a place of significance, and," Dumbledore said, his twinkling blue eyes looking at the boy who stood before him, "The locket, according to both you and Sirius was once in the possession of Regulus Black."
"So, what your prospecting is that the remaining objects are in locations that were important to Voldemort, or they are in the possession of his most loyal followers," Harry rubbed his chin, "So that leaves, Barty Crouch Jr., Jonathan Greengrass, or Bellatrix LeStrange."
"If I may interject," Dumbledore said politely, "I think there is apt reason to narrow your selection simply down to Bellatrix. Barty Crouch only rose to the rank of elite Death Eater due to his loyalty to Voldemort post his disappearance, and it is unlikely that Voldemort would have given a piece of his soul to a man who'd yet to prove himself. Jonathan is in a similar situation in which he is simply far too new to Voldemort's cause, but Bellatrix, she's been with Voldemort since the beginning, and is also the only Death Eater Severus has stated that Voldemort has ever shown concern over when missing."
"Concern is bred of love, and Voldemort only loves one thing, himself," Dumbledore said softly, "So if Voldemort is showing concern over Bellatrix, that means-"
"That Bellatrix being missing puts himself at risk," Harry said, "But why is Bellatrix missing?"
Dumbledore cocked his head in confusion, "You truly don't know?" He whispered, "Bellatrix, she was captured by the Order, I was certain you'd have known." Dumbledore stared at the boy before him, Harry clutching his jeans through gritted teeth. "Harry, as someone who has made the mistake of leaving you in the dark many times, I can promise you that I understand your anger. But you need to understand, Sirius is not like me, if he didn't tell you something, it's because he thought it was best to keep the word from spreading. He-"
"I know," Harry said with a sigh, "I get that we have enemies everywhere, I get that we can't afford to be playing telephone all the time, and risk getting messages intercepted it's just-," Harry's fist balled tightly as he looked up at Dumbledore, "How the hell am I supposed to replace you as the figurehead of the light if I never know what's going on!"
Dumbledore smiled sadly, "Harry," He whispered, placing his hand atop the boy's shoulder, "As I am going to be dead by the end of this year, the idea that this school will be a safe place for students to be will fade, and I fear, that with my death, war will enter full swing. Years ago, Sirius asked me to advise you, so I hope I'm not too late to offer you some," He watched as the boy's eyes, the eyes that reminded him so much of young Lily looked up at him, "This should be your final year at Hogwarts, there's nothing more for you to learn here once I'm gone and your efforts could be much better spent elsewhere, like leading the Order."
Dumbledore's eyes wrinkled in his stare, tightening his grasp upon the boy, "You've been through quite a lot my boy, much of it was by my hands. For that, I apologize, but you can't allow anger or stress to take hold of you. You've only a little further to march, and then, this war will be over." He watched as the boy nodded softly, "I'm going to be traveling this holiday, looking into leads regarding the final Horcrux we are missing, in the meantime, inquire from Bellatrix the location of the Horcrux we believe her to have. That's what I would do If I were in your shoes, at least."
Once more, Harry nodded, bringing a smile to Dumbledore's face, "Professor," Harry whispered, "If I may offer you some advice as well, when war comes, I'll need powerful soldiers. Part of me, while I hate to admit it, relied on your strength to be there when the time came," Dumbledore felt his eyes sink as Harry continued, "I won't have that security now, but when I was at the Hogshead, I met your brother, he may not be as strong as you, but he's not weak. I'm asking you to make peace with him, for your sake and mine before it's too late."
"With the things I've done to them," Dumbledore said, his voice feeble and tired, "There is no forgiveness."
"You don't know that, sir," Harry said, "You two are family, the only family each of you have. You don't know that you're the one who killed your sister. Even if you did it's not your fault-"
"It's not about Ariana," He whispered softly.
"Then what is it?" Harry pressed.
"It's that the smoke was right," Dumbledore said, his shoulders falling in desperation, "The smoke was right when it accused me of loving my dreams and Grindelwald more than them. It was right when it said there was nothing that I wanted more than to walk away from them and live my life. They depended on me, and I wanted nothing more than to leave them behind. For a while, I wanted nothing more than for both of them to die."
"You were young and powerful," Harry said firmly, "And you saw them as a burden, but being selfish is part of being young. To tell you the truth Professor, I would rather be doing anything other than going on this hunt for Voldemort right now, but I don't think that makes me a bad person, and I don't think you wanting to chase your dreams made you a bad one either." Dumbledore fought the mist in his eyes as Harry continued, "You always ask for others to forgive you, Professor, but you never find the time to try and forgive yourself. Give it a try, Professor, you may learn something that even surprises you."
Dumbledore watched as the young man rose, "It's getting late, Professor, and I fear that Sirius will only be keeping the Floo to Grimmauld Place open a little longer, so I have to go, but consider this. You're about to experience your last Christmas, are you sure you want to spend it all alone?" Dumbledore watched as the man turned, exiting his office as Dumbledore moved his working hand towards his right drawer, pulling it to find his treasure, a photo of his family, before everything had gone so wrong, Perhaps you are right, Harry. Perhaps we've all been running for far too long.
(Sirius P.O.V)
Sirius paced the carpet that rested before the fireplace which connected the floo network, the cooing of his young son in his arms acting as his only comfort as he awaited the rather large arrival of students incoming. It wasn't just Harry, and the Greengrass girls with Michael and Neville. He'd managed to handle that easily. It was the addition of the Weasley's along with Davis and her boyfriend due to their house already being previously attacked that worried him about the space.
Eventually, he'd come to the conclusions that shared space was the only answer, with rooms being set up for the Weasleys, The Girls, and one for Michael, Blaise, and Neville. He knew that Daphne and Harry weren't exactly about to start complaining over sharing a room, he just hoped his other guests would be as gracious. "Don't look so nervous," Emmeline whispered, "Harry's a smart man, he'll understand why you've been keeping our operations under wraps. Sending words, it's just all too risky."
"I hope so," Sirius said with a sigh, "Dumbledore spent the better part of two years keeping secrets from him and I promised I'd never do the same. Though I wasn't expecting that Umbridge of all people would gain the authority of inspecting all posts." Sirius had no sooner finished his thought before a plume of green fire lit up the fireplace. A wide grin forming on his face as he watched Harry poke his head out, though that grin faded rather quickly upon seeing the bags under Harry's eyes, his emerald-green pools looking duller than ever.
Shortly after Harry, emerged Daphne, then Astoria, followed by Neville, Michael, Claire, The Weasleys, Blaise, and Tracey. Full house, Sirius said, shaking his head as he once again caught Harry's eyes, the boy smiling as his focus fell upon James, "You know, Padfoot," Harry said in a whisper, "I would give you a hug, but it seems your hands are currently quite full."
Sirius smiled, softly handing off James to Emmeline before, like a collision, the two slammed into each other, with his hand wrapping around the back of his Godson's head, "It's good to see you again Harry, you look well."
"Tired, but otherwise, I'm okay," Harry said, the two breaking apart as his Godson turned to face James, "So that's the heir of House Black, huh?" Sirius smiled watching as Emmeline turned James around to face Harry, "Man you are an even cuter baby in person, you know that?"
"Do you want to hold him?" Emmeline whispered, with Harry eagerly nodding, the baby transferring hands once more, Harry's hands now occupied with his nephew. Soft cooing left James' lips, the boy falling asleep almost instantly upon entering Harry's grasp. "He must like you," Emmeline said softly, "He fell asleep instantly."
"Well of course he does," Harry said with a chuckle, "I mean, what's not to like?"
"Humble as ever, aren't you, Flyboy," Daphne whispered from behind his Godson, "Though you are right, he is a cute baby, those eyes are infectious."
"Yeah he's going to be a lady killer, just like his dad and uncle," Harry said, earning a laugh from Sirius, both of whom were cut off by a stiff pulling of their ear from Daphne and Emmeline, respectively.
"Alright, 'killer'," The two girls said in unison before Emmeline continued on, "I'm sure we all have much to discuss, but it is getting late and I'm sure you are all starving. Ron, Fred, and George, your mom, and Bill are waiting for you in the kitchen, the rest of you follow me to the dining room."
"What about Percy? Or Dad and Charlie?" Ron asked calmly.
"From what I've heard, Percy wants nothing to do with the Order, think he's living in a flat of his own now," Sirius said, "As for Charlie and your father, they are out on Order Business, they should be back tomorrow." The boys nodded forming a line behind Emmeline and moving.
Sirius nodded, following after his wife and the gaggle of students, though his walk hadn't lasted long before he was pulled aside by Harry, "Is it true," Harry whispered, "Did you really capture Bellatrix?" Sirius went cold for a moment before nodding. "I'm not mad, I know there is a reason that stopped you from telling me, you're not Dumbledore, after all," The boy paused for a moment a grim look overtaking his face, "I just need to know if she's told you anything, she has important information regarding the anchors I wrote to you about."
"We've had her for a month," Sirius whispered, "We haven't even been able to get her to eat, let alone talk."
"Let me see her and I'll get her to sing," Harry said, a coldness Sirius had felt unfamiliar with looming in his words.
"We don't torture people, Harry," Sirius said gripping the boy's shoulders, "We're better than them."
"Innocent people's lives are at stake, Sirius, why is her life more precious than theirs?" Harry spat, "She has knowledge that could lead me to being able to kill Voldemort. If she doesn't want to part with the information willingly, I'll get it by force."
"She's family," Sirius whispered, "I know it's stupid, but if there's even a chance I don't have to kill her, I want to try."
"She doesn't deserve the mercy," Harry growled, "Alice and Frank, they were your family too, and that deranged bitch tortured the two of them to a state worse than death. Why does a woman like that deserve pity?" Harry's fist tightened as the boy let out a long breath, "I'm trying, so hard to be a forgiving person, when I entered Hogwarts, I wanted to kill every last one of them, but I'm trying not to become a monster like them. Still, when I see the image of Frank and Alice laying there, their brains so twisted they don't even recognize their own son, when I remember the way Cedric screamed under that bitch's curse, I just want to kill her myself."
Sirius watched the boy's chest heave with pain as Harry looked up at him, "I'll explain the situation at dinner. Then, I'll give you two days to get it your way, if that fails, then we don't have any other choice." Harry released a heavy sigh, "Does Neville know?"
"Augusta does," Sirius said with a nod, "I suggest that we wait for her to tell him. I know you care about Neville, but for them, this is a family member, friend or not, it's better for you to stay out of it. He and Augusta will be absent from the meeting, everyone else will be informed after dinner."
Sirius watched as Harry looked down at his son, "Sorry, I'm not one for ultimatums, I just- I want to make the right choices. The more people that die, the heavier it gets, I know you'll tell me it's not my fault, but…" Harry fell silent for a moment, "The sooner this war is over, the better."
"That we can agree on," Sirius said with a nod, wrapping his arm around his Godson, "Come on, let's eat dinner, the rest can wait, for now. I think we'll all have a bit to talk about."
Dinner had gone smoothly, with each of the students able to get their fill thanks to the Weasley matriarch's hard work at the kitchen, though as dinner began to wrap up, Sirius had felt his pulse begin to rise once more. "Neville," Augusta Longbottom said, her voice softer than Sirius had ever heard before, "Please come with me, I have something important to discuss with you."
"What?" Neville said in confusion, stilling rising at his Grandmother's instructions, "Is everything alright, Gran?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Augusta said, "I just need to discuss a few family matters with you in private is all. Now come along, pip pip." Sirius swallowed, watching as Augusta cleared the room with her grandson.
The room had grown suddenly somber, Sirius only momentarily locking eyes with Harry before looking around the table at the conglomerate of faces. "Alright," Sirius called out, "Now that everyone's bellies are full, and those who were summoned are in attendance, I believe it's time to state the docket," The Head of House Black Stood firm, "First, I would like to update everyone on the situation regarding the removal of Minister Fudge. It is my pleasure to announce that the plan is now a go, as Amelia Bones has accepted our offer to take up the post of Minister for Magic should she get chosen. Which is why we are now moving into phase two," Sirius looked down at his Godson sitting beside him, "Harry, I know that you hate using your fame, but with Fudge's idiotic move of placing Umbridge as DMLE, we don't have any other options, he has to go."
"You want me to push an agenda in the media, motioning for Fudge to step down, right?" Harry muttered out, earning a nod before growing quite, "It's not that I don't want to. Personally, I think Fudge is being an idiot. But we need a reason for me to push, for as idiotic as it seems, a large section of the population does agree with Umbridge's views. If I'm going to make a push that goes beyond a simple, 'I don't like her' statement, I'm going to need some dirt."
"We're looking into that," A voice called out from the hall, causing both Sirius and Harry to turn, a bright grin growing across his Godson's face, "Unfortunately, the bitch's files are locked tighter than her lips."
"Moody!" Harry said with excitement, "Tonks!" Sirius smiled watching as Harry walked up towards the two, with Moody simply sending him a nod and Tonks wrapping him up in a tight hug.
"How have you been, kid?" Tonks said with a smile.
"Alright," Harry said with a nod, "Tired, but alright."
"Staying out of too much trouble I hope," Moody said with a wink that made Sirius roll his eyes, before directing the new arrivals towards their spots. "Anyway, if your plan is to expose Fudge through Umbridge, it may be harder than you think."
"Well," Sirius said, "I suppose that means we either have to wait for Umbridge to slip or see if we can find something on Fudge himself." Sirius rubbed his chin, "Either way, we can't allow for Umbridge to stay with a hold over Auror Department, if we do, this war is over before it even starts."
The room nodded in agreement before Sirius sighed, "Which leads us to our next order of business. A few weeks ago, Narcissa brought to our attention the existence of a prophecy, a prophecy that while I, Remus, and Harry have known of for quite some time, has garnered the attention of the Dark Lord."
"The one that talks about me either killing or being killed by Voldemort," Harry said, earning a gasp from the room around him.
Sirius nodded, "Yeah, for those of you unfamiliar, Harry and Voldemort have intertwined fates, 'Neither can live while the other survives,' that line is the crux of that prophecy, and it has been brought to our attention that Voldemort became interested in it following Harry's escape at the graveyard." The room fell silent as Sirius continued, "As Prophecy can only be retrieved by whom they are about, it means that Harry and Voldemort are the only two whom can receive this prophecy, it also means that Voldemort will be doing whatever he can to have Harry pick it up for him."
"The good news is that we have the information, and he doesn't, which means there is no reason as to why Harry would ever need to get the prophecy in the first place," Sirius said, "The bad news is, Voldemort may get desperate, and start killing innocents to lure Harry out should he decide he wants to get it himself. The choices are now simple, either we wait and bait Voldemort to come to get the Prophecy, with Harry killing him then, or we destroy the prophecy by sneaking in there and blowing it up."
"Blow it up," Harry said in a low whisper, "Even if we ambushed him, we wouldn't be able to kill him."
"He's strong," Doge said in shock, "But surely if the likes of Moody and Dumbledore coordinate an attack with you then-"
"It wouldn't matter," Harry repeated, "At least, not yet." A lock of confusion overtook the table as Harry continued, "I've been researching, about Voldemort with Dumbledore, and I learned that he left behind something, something we have to destroy before we kill him."
"The Anchors?" Bill called out.
Harry nodded, "Yes, but they are more than just anchors, they are something darker, much darker. Voldemort, he called them Horcruxes, and he made seven of them."
"Horcruxes," Daphne whispered, gaining the attention of the room, "That's what you said, right?" Harry nodded as Daphne's chest began to grow cold, "You're certain that's what you heard in Slughorn's memory?"
"Yeah, no mistake," Harry whispered, "Tom approached Slughorn asking about Horcruxes. He implied that he was going to make seven of them. They are supposed to be really obscure magic," His brow wrinkled, "Why do you know about them?"
"It was in that book," Daphne whispered, "The one we were looking for last year." She watched Harry's brow furrowed, "You said he made seven of them?"
"That's what Dumbledore and I think," Harry said softly.
"It would make sense," Michael said, even his practice indifference failing him slightly, "Seven is said to be the most powerful magical number."
"You're right, but that's hardly the point," Daphne whispered, "A Horcruxes was described as the art of splitting one's soul through murder, though the idea of it truly being a piece of his soul is unlikely as he is placing it in inanimate objects. What I suspect is that he's leaving behind his magical core in each object. But that means, at least in theory, that if you remove a piece of your magic and place it into something else, that means you don't currently have access to it, right? Then again, it could operate on a proximity basis, or even working with the restriction that he still has access to his magic so long as the Horcrux isn't destroyed, there are simply just too many variables."
"Which means he has the potential to be far stronger than he was when I fought in the Graveyard," Harry said, "If he somehow regained his magic core, he could become exponentially more powerful. Then the only shred of good news is that we have managed to destroy three of them, so he'll only be at 4/7th of his full power at max."
"It could be less or more," Daphne whispered, garnering room's attention once more, "Your calculation assumes he split his soul evenly among each object, that may not be the case. Whichever his first Horcrux was held fifty-percent of his soul, as they are split evenly at the time of the murder, which means his second held twenty-five percent, his third would then hold twelve and a half percent, and so on. Truthfully, depending on which objects we destroy, it could severely hamper his chances of becoming an overwhelming force. The only problem is-"
"Is that we don't know exactly which order that Voldemort made his Horcruxes in." Harry twiddled his thumbs as he pressed deeper into his thoughts, "Either way, Voldemort getting any of his Horcruxes back into his possession makes our fight much harder. And given that we have no secure location regarding the others, it looks like we're going to have our hands full." Harry nodded softly, trying to recollect his composure, "It's fine, nothing has fundamentally changed about the mission. I'm going to find the rest of these Horcruxes before he does, and then put him down for good, no matter the odds, I won't fail."
Sirius nodded, the confidence in Harry's voice keeping the room from collapsing under the less than helpful news. "Hope isn't lost yet," Harry said, "I will keep fighting for as long as I breathe, and I beg you all to continue to do the same. I have made a deduction that another one of these Horcruxes may be in the possession of Bellatrix LeStrange who we just happen to have captive, no matter what happens, it is imperative I get the information I need."
"Bellatrix!" Michael shouted rising to his feet, before regaining composure. "The bitch that's responsible for messing with Neville's parent's heads." Sirius nodded answering the boy's question, "Where is she?"
"Michael, you need to calm down," Sirius whispered, "She's currently locked up at the Weasley's, it's the Reason that Arthur and Charlie aren't here, they're on guard duty tonight. She is a P.O.W. and we will follow proper P.O.W. procedure. If we have to resort to torture to get the information we need, we will, but I feel I've been making a breakthrough with Bellatrix, I think I can make her talk."
"Otherwise, I'll break her mind and get what I need by force," Harry said in a frighteningly calm tone. "My job is to protect those that fight for me, and those innocent in this war. Bellatrix's health is far from a priority to me."
The room grew quiet as Sirius nodded, "That's all the information we have to share tonight. We will have another meeting in a week's time. For now, get some rest, we'll contact you all directly with further updates."
Sirius watched as Doge and Diggory exited along with Moody, the rest remaining as residents of the house, "Moody I trust, but are you sure we can trust Diggory and Doge," Daphne whispered at his side.
"Both signed the unbreakable contract," Sirius said, lifting a paper that carried their signatures of all the order members, "Should they try to reveal the secrets, though I doubt they will, they'd die. Though Doge has put his life on the line for the order before, and Diggory," Sirius said with a tired sigh, "I'd dare to say he'd kill himself before helping out the group that killed his boy."
The crowd of young adults behind him nodded calmly as Sirius turned to face them, "It's getting late, so I suggest we call it a day, tomorrow is a fresh day, let's make the best of it."
(Daphne P.O.V)
Daphne emerged from Harry's bathroom after washing up finding a rather cute sight. Her boyfriend had been lying there, burrowed beneath the sheets to keep warm from the cold winter air that rapped against their bedroom window. Though his expression had almost grown unbearably cute, as his face had begun to glow red with her approaching the bed they were planning to share for the winter holiday in nothing but her underwear, and Harry's warm, wool jersey. "Like what you see?" Daphne taunted, slipping next to Harry beneath the sheets.
"Hard not to," Harry said, regaining his composure as pulled up beside her, inhaling her scent, his breath making Daphne chuckle from the sensation.
She smiled, turning to face him softly, as she leaned forward, planting a kiss on his lips, the two simply staring at one another in silence. "Harry, are you okay?" Harry blinked quickly as she wrapped her hand around his neck, the two somehow closing any space that rested between them as she continued, "Before I came out, you looked like you were spaced out. What were you thinking about?"
"I'd honestly rather talk about what I'm thinking about right now," Harry said with a soft smile.
"I don't think you need to tell me that," She chuckled, feeling all of Harry pressed against her, "I'm not ready for that just yet though. But-"
"No it's okay," Harry said softly, his voice full of reassurance, "I don't think I'm ready yet either. It's just a natural biological reaction, I-"
"But if you want to do some exploring," Daphne whispered shyly, "I don't think that I'd be opposed." A nearly invisible grin grew across Daphne's face at the way Harry's eyes lit up, only to be suppressed by her continuing train of thought, "But maybe that needs to wait until after you tell me what's on your mind. Keeping things that bother you bottled up always ends badly, you and I both know this."
Daphne watched as her boyfriend turned, his back now against the mattress as he looked up at the fan that spun on the roof above, "I don't know if I'm doing the right thing," Harry said with a sigh, "Using Slughorn, Giving Bellatrix mercy, not letting Neville end the bitch that ruined his family," Harry's finger clenched against the sheets, "I feel like everything I need to do, and everything I want to do are at odds. I just-" Harry released his breath turning once more to face her, "What if I'm making all the wrong calls?"
"Nobody can make the right choice one-hundred percent of the time," Daphne whispered, laying her head upon Harry's chest, "But I'd say you're making more good choices than bad ones." She placed a soft kiss upon Harry's chest as she continued, "Despite what you may believe, inherently, you are a good person, and that's the reason you feel so conflicted with yourself, is because War is inherently evil. Some may say it is a necessary evil, but it is never good."
"The good news is," Daphne said, smiling as she looked up at Harry, "Madam Pomfrey said that Slughorn is slated to make a full recovery, and if you truly do feel guilty about using him, then apologize. He's not a bad man, Harry, he'll understand the circumstances."
Harry smiled softly, as Daphne looked into his eyes, "That's good, I'm glad to hear he's alright. I also saw that you got a letter from St. Mungos today, is it about Astoria?"
Daphne sighed, summoning the letter to her hand, opening it to read:
Daphne,
I do apologize for not writing an update sooner. The information you provided me was quite shocking in itself, and along with the rise of patients in need of treatment due to these blasted death eaters, opportunities to research were slow. From what I've gathered, blood-curse research is very slim, with most accounts deeming the disease as incurable. Some reports claim the curse can be lifted by a living family member of the curse, but as I already know, that doesn't happen to be an option for your situation.
I have been scouring through modern-research and I wish I had more promising news, but the fact of the matter is that research is at a stand-still in regards to your predicament, though, there are some 'non-tested' treatments currently in the works. One that claims to be delivering some result is micro-dosing of magic targeting toxins, though as you can imagine, willingly injecting venom is far from an ideal cure, and still leads to numerous patient deaths if the dose is even slightly off.
You're welcome to bring your sister in to run some tests, this would allow me to have access to her blood samples. However, and while I'd like to preface this by saying it is nothing more than theoretical ponderings, blood-curses tend to affect only the magic within the blood, thus creating a toxin that kills the person from the inside out. If one somehow removes the traces of magic from their blood, this, in theory, should stop the progression of the curse. Though currently, there is no method of implementing this theory, and if somehow done successfully, it would make the patient nothing more than a squib.
I do wish I had some more encouraging news, but I do promise to continue my research and keep you informed when time permits. I do hope you are staying safe at school. I've heard of all the horrid things that have been happening there, and I encourage you to keep your wits about you. It would, after all, be a shame to lose my pupil to such unfavorable circumstances.
-Abigail Thatcher
She turned towards Harry, gazing up numbly at him, "You okay?" Harry whispered, placing his palm atop her shoulder, her eyes finding themselves locked in Harry's emerald pool.
Daphne shook her head numbly, leaning her head atop Harry's shoulder, smiling slightly as he adjusted his arm for her to move down to his chest, before closing it around her once more. "No," Daphne muttered, her mind flooding with the image of her sister, "I'm trying to remain hopeful that I'm going to find something to save her, but I'm down to only two options right now, one involves micro-dosing her with poison, and the other is somehow removing the magic from her blood which isn't even currently possible."
Harry gripped her shoulder tightly as she whispered, "She's one of the best people I've ever met. She's kind, and caring, and stupidly self-sacrificing, in many ways she's a lot like you. She deserves a lot better than options like those."
"She won't die," Harry whispered, "I don't care what it takes, we'll find a way to save her."
"I really admire your optimism sometimes, flyboy," Daphne said shaking her head, "I wish it came that easily to me."
"We've done the impossible before, Daphne," Harry said glancing down at the runic markings they shared, "We'll do it again. Astoria's my family too, I don't care what happens, she is not going to die." She smiled as she climbed atop Harry, taking his face into her hands before leaning down and meeting his lips, "What was that for?" Harry whispered.
"Thank you," Daphne whispered, "For helping to keep my hope alive."
"Always, Princess," Harry said, gently running his hands through her hands as the ringing of the grandfather clock permeated the halls, "It's officially Christmas Eve now, huh. Guess it's a bit too late to get you a Christmas Present."
"I have everything I need," Daphne whispered back, "Right here with me."
(? P.O.V)
When Lucius had arrived at the Manor with a woman dressed from head to toe in a ghastly pink, Voldemort had found it odd. But given the fact that he had made it quite clear to Lucius that he was on his last strike, Voldemort doubted the man's willingness to waste his time. It wasn't long after their appearance at the gate and Voldemort allowing them through the wards, did he find his now silver-handed servant and the current head of the DMLE bowing before him.
"Why have you brought this woman here, Lucius?" Voldemort hissed as the man cowered before him.
"She has news, my Lord," Lucius whispered, his voice trembling, "News regarding the whereabouts of Bellatrix."
Voldemort sat up at attention, it had been weighing heavily on him that Bellatrix, one of his most loyal and keeper of his precious cups had been captured, it seems the answer was finally upon him, "Does she?" Voldemort hissed standing from his throne as he approached the woman, "What is your name, woman?"
"Delores, my Lord," The woman said bowing deeply, "Delores Umbridge."
"And tell me, Delores, why it is that you wish to volunteer information that could be seen as treasonous to your Ministry?" Voldemort asked calmly.
"Because Fudge is a failure!" Delores roared, "Bowing many times to the whims of Blood Traitors, and Muggle-borns alike." Voldemort's head tilted as he looked down upon the woman, "I have little combative skill, but I have my position, a position that with your help I could rise from to help better serve you."
Foolish woman, Voldemort whispered in his mind, Should you reveal to me Bellatrix's location, the Order will Shortly Discover who could have betrayed them. You'll be seen as a treasonous criminal and put to death. A smile grew across his lips behind his unmoving facade, Though it seems your lust for authority makes you useful to me this once. "I see," Voldemort said calmly, "Very well then, tell me of where my servant is, and you shall be rewarded by being invited into my ranks, and I will work to see you become Minister for Magic."
"T-Truly?" Umbridge whispered, "Thank you, My Lord, Thank you!" Voldemort smiled sinisterly as he prompted the toad-faced woman to continue, "My Lord, upon taking my post, I've learned much about the Auror Movements, as well as the detected traces of your organization, but more than that, I have been consulted regarding many issues related to the law, one of which coming from my assistant, Percy Weasley."
"Get to the point," Voldemort hissed angrily.
"The Burrow, My Lord," Umbridge said with a lowly cower, "The Weasley Boy told me himself, Bellatrix is being held captive at the Burrow."
"Excellent," Voldemort said with a frightening grin, "You've served me well, Dolores. Leave me now, I have much to plan. I will have Lucius be in touch with you shortly."
"Yes, My Lord," Delores said hobbling out of sight as Voldemort turned to face Lucius.
"Did you mean what you said about rewarding her?" Lucius whispered, her voice trembling.
"No," Voldemort said calmly, "If the woman isn't dead by the end of the day following our assault, I'd like you to kill her yourself." Lucius bowed deeply as Voldemort nodded, "Well done, Lucius, perhaps you aren't as worthless as I originally thought. Now, come along, we have much to organize if we are to retrieve Bellatrix. I do hope Barty has found success with the obedience collars for our large and furry friends. I sense they will be of great use in the near future."