The Privy Councilors 19/33

[herumtreiber]

Title: The Privy Councilors 19/33
Chapter: Invisible touch
Author:herumtreiber 
Genre: AU to HBP, romance, adventure
Disclaimer:  I do not own Harry Potter or related characters. Nor do I make any money from the writing of these stories.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Epilogue compliant? No way!
Chapter length:  ~4,402 words
Summary: Draco/Harry, Luna/Neville, Ron/Hermione, Narcissa/???  Harry is about to be sent to Azkaban. The story explores  Wizengamot politics and the fight against evil Dumbledore -  where he gets vanquished early and does not prattle on and  on - but is he gone? Plus de-aging. Someone returns whose name begins with a S. (And my revenge on characters whose accents are hard to read – like Hagrid and Fleur ;-)


Table of contents


18. The wrath of Narcissa

She don't like losing, to her its still a game
And though she will mess up your life,
You'll want her just the same, and now I know
She has a built in ability
To take everything she sees
And now it seems I've fallen, fallen for her.
(Invisible touch, Phil Collins)

A week later, the Weasleys had a formal reunion in Gringott's offices. All  were present, even Charlie was taken from his beloved dragons.

Arthur looked shaken yet resolute. He pronounced the older Weasleys and Ginny to be outside the family now, along with Molly, who would take the name Prewett.

Ginny just looked like a zombie, all thoughts of vengeance flown from her, only despair and hard tears remained. Percy looked stunned and felt gnawing unease. Maybe he was thinking about his lost job in the Ministry and how much he had messed up.

Charlie was the most composed of the disowned Weasleys. He knew a moment such as this was bound to happen sooner or later. It was what he told his mother and the others and urged caution and neutrality. They didn't listen to him. He looked at his mother's distraught face and wished for a better solution.
Bill was still mad that the others had refused to admit Fleur to the reunion. They pointed out she was not part of the family yet. Even though Bill had some weight with the Goblins because he worked for them, everyone refused authorization for Miss Delacour to sit in. He was fuming!

The reunion ended and they left bewildered and bereft. Only Molly and Ron remained. He took out a small Gringotts key and gave it to her. "Take this, mother! It's a vault I arranged with the Goblins. I put the money I had saved through the years doing small jobs into it!"

Molly choked back a sob. "But I can't accept it, son! It's your hard work, and you're giving it to me?"

"To you and the others. You can use what you want when you need it. I just wish you had listened to the living words of your sons and not the cold words of a dead man."

"Mom, despite what transpired, you're my mother and will remain so."

And in that dark moment, the hopes of the Weasley family rested on Ron's shoulders, and he proved to be equal to the task, acting like a true Gryffindor, like a true human being.

oOoOo

Ron exited Gringott's and was walking on Diagon Alley when he felt an insistent pressure on his chest and a buzzing, disturbing sound. He realized it was the Selfon that Draco insisted he use to communicate.
Sure as rain, Ron flipped off the cover and took the call. A drawling voice asked mockingly, "I gather you are not in Gringott's anymore, Ron."

Ron took furtive looks around, looking for possible watchers. He replied, "No, I have just left. How do you know? Did you have me followed? Scried? What?"
The irritating voice said, "Oh ye suspicious weasel! I did not do such things. I would only do them if they were urgently needed, and they were not. The fact is that the Portkey you took to get there was clearly labeled Gringott's, and that's how I deduced where you were."

"Now you are probably in Diagon Alley, near the Quidditch store. If you walk for two blocks more you will see a small, dark restaurant with the name The Chat Noir. I will meet you there in 10 minutes and we'll have some drinks and we'll talk."

Ron made it to the restaurant in 12 minutes. He was taken to a private booth near the entrance to the kitchens. Draco proved to be a genial host and selected roast beef, and some pineapple confection. He also ordered two firewhiskeys.
Ron hadn't realized until this moment how hungry he was. He had just spent 18 hours without feeding, caught in the anxiety of his family's predicament.

He fell to with a vengeance, and displayed the usual Ron manners when eating, which is to say, very little. Draco rolled his eyes and managed to coax the story of the reunion out of Ron. At the end, Ron grudgingly told of his pitiful attempts – in his opinion – to help his mother and former siblings, by letting them use a small vault he'd arranged with the Goblins. They would have 3,230 Galleons to tide them over. He expected Draco to start laughing any minute or start taunting him.

Instead Draco had a solemn mien. "Well thought out, Ron! It's a very noble gesture, and it is something I would expect from you. However, we need to flesh out the situation more."

After ordering a second round of firewhiskeys, Draco took out his phone and used it to call someone at Gringotts. He demanded to talk with Ashbolt, "No, moron, I can not send you a drop of blood because I am using the celliphane. It won't accept it, I've tried! You will get me Ashbolt or the wrath of Malfoy will reach you."
Eventually Draco got to talking with Ashbolt, he commented, "Ron Weasley has opened a vault for the use of part of his family. I want to add to it, in the proportion 50 to 1, from my vaults. That is, for every 1,000 he used, I will add 50,000."

Ron sputtered and coughed, he started to deny that help. Draco continued nonchalantly, "From Ron's reaction beside me, he appears to be offended I would use such an amount. Maybe he is right. Make it a 100 to 1. For every 1,000, deposit 100,000 from me to this account. This is to remain a confidential secret, to be revealed by Ron when/if he wants."

A Goblin privacy bubble was erected as Draco gave his password and authorization codes for the Malfoy vaults.

Ron glared balefully at Draco.

Draco noticed this and sighed, saying, "I'm sorry you think I am jostling around, Ron, but I think you do not realize the amount of help your family will need."

"Ginny needs a good defense. That she is a minor offers some succor from the accusations. Still, she tried to be an accessory in the possible murder of Harry. She needs solicitors, private investigators maybe, at any rate, she needs a lot of help to keep her out of Azkaban, and that help is not free. There are many people who would love to make an example of the Weasleys, proud followers of Dumbledore, Purebloods, happy. Take your pick, they would all use their sharpened knives on her if they get the chance. Why would they care that she is a girl when they so blithely sentenced their Savior to Azkaban just because the Secret Muggle or Secret Maggotwump or whatever ordered it?"

Ron stared defiantly at the blond. "We will manage!"

"Percy needs to reintegrate himself into the world, do what he wants to do, not what his father and mother wanted him to do. To be free to explore, he needs some space, again, that needs money to be maintained. Charlie is a hidden factor. He acts sometimes so Slytherin, it is uncanny. Maybe it's because he has tried so hard working with dragons."

Ron stared morosely at the window. "I agree, Percy needs to do something with his life."

"Bill is so frustrating, if only he used his intellect! But he appears to be besotted with the Delacour Veela. As a matter of fact, I will insert a proviso in my instructions to the Goblins that no money from the fund be used for Fleur Delacour. It would not surprise me if she insisted on Bill buying her an outrageously expensive dress, not caring that it left his family with no funds."

The redhead shook his head, wondering. "Ginny didn't like Fleur, funny it turned out like this."

"As you can see, Ron, the needs of your former siblings and mother will weigh heavily on the monetary scale. Life has a habit of throwing us into unexpected conundrums. If all the members of your family should need to use the funds, it would not be enough with 3,320 Galleons. It's a sublime gesture, Ron! Let me help you so it becomes a reality! As for your pride, it is a noble and fitting thing to have, but it can also stunt your growth. Do you think my family was always rich and powerful?"

Ron growled. "The way you used to act at school, I always supposed so!"

"They were decidedly not. Sometimes they were helped out by the King or other powerful families, and they slowly grew strong and rich. It didn't come from the heavens, they worked for it. They knew when to accept the kindness of strangers."

The part of Ron that caused him to become a Chess Master, the part that explored and weighed carefully before deciding, listened to Draco's words with rapt attention. He recognized the harsh kernel of truth in them and was grateful for the help offered by the blond.

Ron knew that the money he had left in the vault would not help that long, but it was all he had. He could not just walk away from his family and leave them alone to brave the storm. He had to try.

He stopped glaring and pounced on Draco. The blond had not foreseen this attack and tried to move away, unsuccessfully. Ron hugged him tightly and said, "I accept! Thank you, Draco! You're more than I ever thought."

Draco forcibly bit back some caustic comments and returned the hug fiercely. However, just at this point, they felt a buzzing sensation in their chests and a calling noise.

Ron said, "It's your selfonnie, Draco!"

Draco took out his phone and  listened. "It's your cellophane, Weasley!"

What the two proud Purebloods did not know was the sheer amount of merriment derived by Hermione and Harry from their frequent wrong words about the Muggle World. Often after an outing there, Hermione and Harry would excuse themselves and go to a room and guffaw loudly. In fact, Hermione had been the driving force behind Ron getting his cell phone. She just loved to hear Ron and Draco expound on the virtues of their respective devices.

Unsurprisingly, Hermione turned out to be the one calling, she said, "Where are you, Ron?"

Ron replied smugly, "I'm at The Chat Noir, hugging Draco."

Hermione replied woozily, "What?" While a voice nearby screeched, "You're what with Draco?"

Draco took out the phone from Weasley and replied, "Ron and I are at that restaurant that I'm sure you've read about, Hermione. I helped him with some plan and he hugged me, big deal! You should've listened to yourselves, you sounded like startled zebras! As a matter of fact, why don't you come on over and join us?"

Draco said to Ron, "You surprised them, Ron. They thought that maybe there was something between us."
Ron guffawed, and after a moment, Draco joined him.

The Purebloods fell to talking about one of their favorite pastimes, Quidditch, the League and the Cannons' chances this year. They started to voice ludicrous ideas to help the team.

Draco suggested that the orange color of the Cannons be changed to Green. Ron adamantly refused, and there appeared to be a confrontation. They were about to hex each other when stentorian voices shouted "Stupefy! Stupefy!" They were led to their seats by a stern Hermione.

She applied the counter-charm and prepared to lay the law to the wayward students. Then she noticed that they were glaring daggers at her, not at each other. She was confused, as was Harry.
Harry had been concerned by the safety of his best friend and his… boyfriend. It seemed they were about to start flinging hexes at each other. He and Hermione reacted by reflex and shot the Stupefy hexes to both of them.

Draco said in a voice full of scorn, "Hermione, Harry, why did you hex us? Do you think it is the first time that this has happened?"

Hermione crossed her arms. "You mean, you did it on purpose?"

"When you are angry and confused, Granger, you submerge yourself in your books and research, and find some solace there. When it happens to you, Harry, you jump on a broom and fly for hours."

Draco motioned to Weasley. "When it happens to Ron or me, we need to blow off steam in a controlled, yet free way. We discovered that dueling each other allowed us to reach a higher place, to let go of the anger and become whole. Make no mistake, we duel ferociously, but we take great care not to hurt the other one. It's become the way we sometimes deal with stress. Maybe it has to do with all the years we spent as enemies and trying to pound each other."

Hermione asked Ron, "Is this true?"

He replied haughtily, "Yes, it is, Mione. Maybe it is because of my older brothers when I was growing up. As the younger male in a house full of children, I learned to react to attacks by attacking. With time, I sensed that my brothers paid me more attention when I proved to be more able to defend myself. With Draco I'm able to let go and attack with as much ferocity as I can muster, being assured that he'll also put me through my paces, and he will look out for me. We've been doing this for some weeks now."

It was then that Ron and Draco noticed the presence of the wily Twins. The redheads had quietly observed all the trouble that occurred around Ron because it was a fun thing to do, and they also didn't want to get hexed by an irate Ron or Draco.

They sauntered to the formerly stupefied students and said, "Doesn't surprise us, Ronniekins.."

"… you were always a stalwart warrior, except for spiders, of course…"

"… we're glad you and Malfoy are looking out for each other."

The Twins smirked, and Ron felt cold dread when he realized that his plans to get the Twins hooked on life again could result in catastrophic prank wars.

Ron told them about the vault and the money he first put there. Then he informed them of Draco's contribution and his words.

Harry immediately piped up, "They might have betrayed me, but for a long time, they were my family. I cannot help but hope that there is a way to sever their ties with evil. I also do it for you, Ron. Many things you do have the grace and intent of a good education behind them. I know who gave it to you."

He touched Ron's shoulder. "Knowing you, they cannot be all bad!"

The Twins also said that they wanted to put money in the vault, too. In fact, they sounded almost indignant about it, as if there were people keeping them from doing that.

The blond said, "As you can hear, the vault will be amply provided for by your brother, Harry and me. The need for money is not that intense. Of course you are welcome to contribute! First I would like you to do a five year plan, where you factor in the possible growth of your store, the possibility of opening other ones in Hogsmeade and Edinburgh, the possible liabilities or financial dangers you may face."

Draco advised them sternly. "You would soon have to do this plan for yourselves, anyway. After you factor all the contingencies and possibilities, then you can put the money that is left into the vault. It is not in anyone's interest that you give money you need urgently for other matters. When you finish the plan, the vault's number is 2330."

Hermione's face lit up as she asked, "Is that really the vault's number? May I ask how it was chosen?"

Ron replied, "Yes, that is the number. I just ordered the Goblins to open up a vault, they came up with the number that was randomly generated."

Hermione chided Draco, "Do you not remember our Arithmancy class two weeks ago?"

Draco would not blurt out to Hermione that he didn't pay attention because he had been thinking of a certain green-eyed boy. He just said curtly, "No, I don't remember, Mione!"

Hermione looked eerily like Crookshanks about to eat a mouse when she replied "The teacher made us discover the numerological properties of some words. It turns out that the word Hope can best be described by the number 2330. That it was chosen randomly makes it more interesting magically."

oOoOo

Two days later Draco was not a happy man.

The Quibbler had been allowed to continue publishing. It was put in the care of trustees that would manage the entire Lovegood holdings.
Draco grumbled as the heavy bag moved against his leg. Due to the delicate nature of the things inside, it could not be shrunk, nor suffer Wingardium leviosa. So it was left to him to carry the whole thing to Loonie's room.

Draco mused that it was providential that Blaise, Pansy and him would go to that Wizengamot session and observed the blatant attempts of the members to dissect the Lovegood fortune and grab as many pieces as they could. They were sonorously trounced, of course. The miscreants would-be thieves had to pay an extra tax for 10 years that was guaranteed to halve their estate.

Draco made it to the door and muttered the password he'd heard earlier while he was doing his rounds. On a whim, he took the Invisibility Cloak he had coaxed out of Harry and draped it around himself. He entered the Common Room.

He felt immediate alarm, all the students seemed to be stupefied. They didn't move at all. He put the bag on the floor and quickly made it to Luna's room. Near the door laid the prostrate body of Neville Longbottom. Draco felt anger and anxiety eating at him. He made it to Neville and was relieved to note he was still breathing strongly. He had apparently suffered the results of the Sectumsempra curse. Draco muttered the counter curse and left Neville seemingly in the same position. Left untended, he would have died soon.

Draco was about to enter when a figure opened the door and walked out. It was Theo Nott, and he had by his side the Gryffindor Andrew Kirke and the Slytherin Abraxas Saltwater. Nott was smirking at Luna as he said, "Your boyfriend put up a fight but he lost. He was too stupid to think that we would abide by any truce entered by us tonight. You will go to be prepared for our true lord's return. I pity you and what you will suffer. With time, you will see me as your savior and you will do whatever I ask. Great, isn't it, Loony?"

Despite her dismal mental conditions, Luna could not help but See. She Saw the ruthlessness, the will to power of Nott, the incipient craziness, the sadistic streak. She Saw the stolid physicality of the other two miscreants. There was no help to be gained there. She Saw the body of her boyfriend. Although he was supposedly in the last throes of life, the body looked fine enough.
Still, what she Saw led to the conclusion that all was lost, what waited for her was probably worse than death and torture.

Then it was as if a blindfold had been withdrawn. She Saw a pale hand with a wand, that she almost recognized, appear out of nowhere. He saw the undetected hand direct the wand toward the two bodyguards and heard the dreaded words, that were this time full of promise for her: Avada kedavra!"

She Observed as Draco appeared from beneath the Invisibility Cloak as he fired a rapid Stupefy at Nott. She Saw Draco levitating the body of Neville to the bed. He called out loud for a house-elf and told him to get a vial of potion on his night stand and carry it here.
Draco gave the potion to Neville and the color of the Gryffindor became normal once more, no more sickly pallor.

It hit Luna like a train, how she had only Observed exterior things. Many times they conveyed information about inside things. Still, many nuances could be lost by focusing only on appearances, on Seeing objects, and not considering about how they were interconnected. Just some minutes ago, she'd been facing death and had no hope of succor, except the one who was present there undetected, un-Seen!

Draco cared for Neville like a brother, even when they hadn't been speaking lately. It seemed her ideas about Draco Malfoy were definitely wrong.

Luna said, "I'm sorry Draco. I'm sorry I thought those awful things about you, when it was your easy acceptance by the Trio that really bugged me. I'm sorry I betrayed you and Harry!"

Draco replied soothingly, "We will deal with that later, Luna. Right now, there's a villain to interrogate."

He took out a vial from his robe, enervated Nott and forced the vial of Veritaserum down his throat.

"Who do you serve?"
"Voldemort and my true master."
"Who is your true master?"
"I can't answer that."
"Why do you want Luna?"
"Voldemort wants her because she is close to Potter. The master of course wants her because she is a Seer. She can and will be put to good use."
"How did the Master know she is a Seer?"
"One of the other Seers must have told him, before they went crazy and ceased to think."

Draco took out another vial of liquid and urged its contents down Nott's throat. He said menacingly, "Theo, you will be interested to know that I have just dosed you with another Veritaserum formula I've been working on. This one uses the strange properties exhibited by the medit-sieves that Dumbledore put around the Burrow."

Nott entered into a more profound trance.

Draco wasted no time and asked the question upon which all events depended:

" Who is the true master?"
"The true master is Albus Dumbledore."
"You are waiting for his return?"
"He made provisions for many demises. He will not be vanquished so easily by inexperienced teenagers!"
"Who is Dumbledore's spy?"
"The true master is using…."

At this moment the magic of the Veritaserum fighting against the Vows and charms placed upon Nott by Dumbledore was stronger than the body itself, and he died.

Luna was dumbfounded by what she had heard, Dumbledore would come back? He wanted Luna because of her Seer features? Other Seers had been driven crazy by him?
Draco was not that surprised. He'd had the feeling they were not finished with the old man. Perhaps all those experiences with the book and music would provide a clue, though he doubted it.

He went to the Common Room and grabbed the bothersome papers, taking them to Luna, saying, "This is important for you. The Lovegood fortune has been put in a trust fund, where it will stay until you are 21 years old. Once you are that age you can do what you want with it. You will be provided with an ample allowance, sufficient for your needs. Though I know you don't care about money, if at any moment you want more, you can ask."

Luna fingered her necklace whilst she nodded.

"The Quibbler will still be published, and the Board of Trustees will go along with any judicious measure to increase the fortune, including personal projects you may have. As a matter of fact, a position of advisor to the Accounting Department has opened, and you could apply for it next summer and learn the business from all angles. It took a long battle to get you this, so I hope you enjoy it."

She said, "How did you come up with this?"

"Some greedy men thought they would use my absence from the Wizengamot to increase their fortune by meddling with the Lovegood wealth. Happy to say they were foiled and now are being heavily taxed due to their unwarranted interference."

Luna interjected, "But why did you help me?"

"I hated the fact that they would rob money from a classmate of mine. I'm also cognizant of the fact that it could well have been me the one who was being robbed. I would hope someone would try to put a stop to that."

Draco took out his wand and swished it elegantly as he enunciated clearly, "I, Draco Malfoy, hereby cancel the Vow made to me by Luna Lovegood, the binder agrees with that decision."

There was a quick flicker of magic around Luna and then she was left alone. She was stunned speechless.

Draco said, "You are free to vote your conscience. I will not speak of what you know, ever. If I may offer some advice: Life has a habit of making us uncover our secrets. Perhaps it would be better if you told him what happened first. I don't think he would be raging mad. But it's your life, so proceed as you want."

Draco made his way to the door, feeling enlightened, he picked up the Cloak. Luna asked pleadingly, "Why? Why trust me? Why did you save me?"

Draco turned around and replied, "Why not? I simply could not stand aside and see as they dragged you away to some tawdry Death Eater meeting, I could not just let my classmate go and do nothing. I had to act, and if one or both of us died, well, that is the nature of war. At least we'd die fighting."

The blond said hoarsely, "You ask, why do I trust you? There are no simple answers. I hope you can See things and learn to connect them. So you did some things wrong! Believe me I know how easy it is to just follow in some dark thought that inexorably leads to more. I hope you have the strength to stop, and the force to go on. I think I support the right person."

20. Prank wars 1