herumtreiber

Title: The Lord Appellant 36/37
Chapter: The eternal Horcrux
Author:

herumtreiber
Genre: Slash, romance, adventure, dark!fic
Pairing: Draco/Blaise, one sided Harry/Draco
Rating: R
Warnings for the fic: It's a dark fic, rape is mentioned several times. Dementors appear and not for show. Character death (not Harry, Draco or Blaise). Evil!Ron, powerful Hermione, Pansy and Bellatrix. Sympathetic to Slytherins.
Epilogue compliant? No
Chapter length: ~5,329 words
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or related characters. Nor do I make any money from writing these stories.
Summary: After the events of HBP, the Minister of Magic wants to finish the Malfoys but Draco uses a Wizengamot procedure to fight back. Veelas and Siddhe appear in the story as Draco uses political means to contest the pureblood's allegiance to Voldemort.
Notes: I wrote this before DH was published, so please no picayune comments about canon.

Table of contents

35. Dealing with Dark Twits - part 2

The next three days were a time of public rejoicing: the Wizarding World was free of Voldemort's yoke. Families joined together to celebrate their deliverance at the hands of the Boys-who-Lived and the Girl-who-Lived. True to his word, Draco had given a press conference where he explained how Ginny had held the fate of the world in her hands, and had fulfilled her duties superbly. There was only one fly in the ointment, Snape had seemingly disappeared. No word reached anyone about the former Potions Master.

During the same conference, Draco announced harsh measures against the persons responsible for the sneak edition of the Daily Prophet, and also the definitive closing of the newspaper. The Enquirer was given free reign. The participants of the conference looked at Draco a little askance, as well they might. It seemed Draco had gone on a Lucius fix: he'd dressed like Lucius, talked like him, acted like him. It was highly uncanny.

When they were back at the Manor, things were heating up. Even a reluctant Harry Potter was persuaded – or ambushed might be a more honest word – to help. Harry had felt the tension mount and decided to await developments at Black House. As he was going out of the house, he triggered wards sneakily put by Blaise, and soon found his way blocked by Hermione and Pansy. Soon he was in a room with them, the Black Sisters, Tonks, Susan and Luna.

Pansy and Hermione took it upon themselves to make clear to Harry that they needed him to explain to Draco that he had to end his Lucius kick. Harry wasn't sure about the success of this idea at all, but he knew better than to go against these two women, especially when they worked together.

However, Luna and Susan raised interesting objections, Susan said "I don't think it will work like you want it to. Harry has always caused strong emotions in Draco. If he were calm and content, a voice of reason, then we'd be all set." Luna continued, "But Harry is nervous. It's quite likely he won't calm Draco, and instead fight bitterly with him. Our advice would be: if you want to increase the pitch of Draco's emotions, send Harry; if you want to calm him down, send someone who knows him better, like Blaise."

Pansy called for Dobby, and asked him to get Blaise. Presently Blaise entered the room. Pansy asked him if he could speak with Draco and jolt him out of his Lucius-inspired demeanor. Blaise answered affirmatively and left.

He made his way to Draco's. When he entered, he saw that Draco was in front of the window, leaning on his cane, looking out.

Blaise knew that deep down, Draco didn't like being ruthless. Oh, make no mistake, he loved it when he was seeking retribution. In the heat of the battle or seeking revenge, he was ruthless and he enjoyed it. But afterwards, he was sated and hated to cause more pain than necessary. Yet for the future it was important that he rule with an iron hand. He'd acted harshly against the three Wizengamot conspirators because they deserved it, but past a certain point, he had to force himself to act the harsh part, to act like his father.

Maybe Draco behaved so much like Lucius so people would be afraid of him and leave him alone, and he wouldn't have to hurt them so much. Maybe to remind him of how much like his father he was, and he wasn't, simultaneously.

Blaise started with, "People are worried about you, Draco, and your sudden shift into Lucius. You've not only copied his mannerisms, but are treating people like he treated them. Yesterday you snarled at your mother and didn't see as she made her way out of the room, no doubt to cry. You snark with the best of them, but there is a new cruel cutting edge to your sarcasm where it had abated considerably. You also made Dobby cry when you were so unfailingly, coolly and infuriatingly polite to the little elf!"

Draco was aghast, "I didn't know, Blaise. People should have told me and I would have stopped. I just wanted to be safe for a while. The worst is yet to come, and I'm weary, Blaise, I'm so weary and I want out." "Pretending to be Lucius is a nice game, because there are no challenges. I can do what I want, not take into account anything. But I've also realized is very empty, and non fulfilling. I'm ready to return, and will put the cane in its hiding place."

On Wednesday morning Harry felt a strong, burning desire to see Hogwarts again and maybe even talk to Dumbledore's portrait. He grabbed the Hat and made his way out of the Manor to Apparate to Hogsmeade. He didn't think about Draco's desire to see him with a sizeable escort, or letting them know where he was going. He just felt the compulsion to go, and surrendered to it.

So he made his way through the village, and after a leisurely stroll was at the gates of Hogwarts. The castle slumbered, but it was home to Harry. A place to learn, to live, to enjoy friends, everything that Privet Drive wasn't, again his perspicacity was dulled, his self-preservation smothered by calls of home.

He made his way to the Headmaster's office. Although he didn't know the password, the gargoyle immediately opened the door. Soon he was inside, marveling at how it hadn't changed at all. He put the Sorting Hat where it belonged, and the voice of Albus Dumbledore ran out, "Would you like a sherbet lemon, Harry?"

Harry replied dazedly, "No, I'm fine, sir."

Dumbledore's portrait answered, "As you like, Harry. We'll soon be joined by others."

The portrait added in a loud voice, "Come in!"

The door opened, and Severus Snape strode in, looking harried and stressed.

Harry gaped openly, which didn't help him to defend himself at all. Dumbledore said, "Immobilize him!"

Snape cast Immobulus on him and left him reclining on the chair. The portrait ordered Severus, "Now get the other one and proceed with the ritual!"

Severus left, and Harry was alone, pondering this new twist in his fate. Presently he heard the door open and Severus came in, trailing a suspended Draco Malfoy, who'd also been put in Immobulus. Harry felt the beginnings of blind panic grip him. Even after Snape had cursed him, he'd had a little hope that Draco would rescue him, as he had done before. Always Malfoy seemed to have a plan, and it usually worked and got them free. Now those ideas were dashed, as they were both in the unknown power of Dumbledore and Snape.

Snape got out and returned with a big cauldron and two daggers. He was about to begin the ritual when Dumbledore stopped him saying, "Wait, Severus! I know my Harry and this is him, but how do we know this is Draco Malfoy and not someone under polyjuice?"

Snape said tiredly, "Look at the Black ring. Only a Black can wear such a ring and survive. You ought to conserve your force for the ritual." Dumbledore nodded and Snape continued, "The blood of the Child of Light." He cut Harry's wrist and gathered the liquid in a plate he'd put under his hand. After he had enough, he healed Harry.

"The blood of the Child of Dark." He repeated the same with Draco, also healing him. When he added the two liquids, the cauldron started to shine, alternating between lightning and darkness. Snape took a huge tray from the desk, opened it and dumped the contents, which appeared to be ashes, into the cauldron, saying, "The ashes of the phoenix, the symbol of immortality, the eternal horcrux."

For Harry, there was a maelstrom of sights, sounds, smells, magic. He bitterly reflected that he should be used to watching people resurrect, as he'd seen Voldemort being reincarnated.

However, soon Harry was able to see better, and he caught Snape as he hurriedly put a robe over someone who had stepped out of the cauldron. Someone with brown hair, a long beard, an aquiline nose, approximately 50 years old. He'd be instantly identifiable due to his twinkling eyes, though now, for Harry, they shined more in sadistic glee than anything else.

The young, undeniable physical Dumbledore looked at Harry. He said, "What, Harry, surprised? Who do you think told Tom all about horcruxes if not me? Of course I had to obliviate him, and that fool Slughorn babbled about what should have been better guarded."

"I would say that having a lot of horcruxes is inefficient as you have discovered, Harry. Possessing one is easier to guard and hide, and if your horcrux is a phoenix, you're all set. Right, Harry? Sorry about Mr. Weasley. He was lamentably unbalanced, but he was important for your well-being, so I couldn't punish him, I just had to direct his anger away from you, which was harder than it sounds."

Dumbledore stopped his tirade, and threw a cold look towards Draco, saying to Snape, "The usefulness of Mr. Malfoy is at an end. Dispose of him, Severus!"

Snape snarled and answered full of contempt, "You promised! You said that if I followed your orders you would let him live! Fulfill your end of the bargain!"

Dumbledore answered with cold hauteur, "Severus, the geas forces you to obey my will. If you don't kill him, you'll die and I'll kill him then, he is done for. Don't you want to survive?"

Snape answered tiredly, "I care not for you or geas, but for my godson's life." Saying that, he had taken the dagger and was thrusting it directly to his own heart. Before the dagger could pierce the skin, though, Severus was hit by a Stupefy spell, and as the former Potions Master fell, Harry could see his form disappearing, but not at once, rather sequentially, like it was being covered by an Invisibility Cloak.

This thought gave him hope, that someone he knew very well had indeed plans within plans. This was strengthened by the slight shimmer he saw around himself and Draco, indicating a shielding of some type.

Dumbledore was surprised by developments and tried to curse Harry, but the curse rebounded.

Suddenly there was a multicolored flash in the room, and another Draco appeared. He was smirking widely, and without further ado, battle was joined. It was a struggle to the death, no quarter was given or asked. Again, Harry compared it to the stately pavane danced by Voldemort and Dumbledore in the Ministry, where they had the leisure to use statues to stop curses, even then it should have been plain to see that their fight was not completely real.

Dumbledore at 50 had very good reflexes, and an enormous repertoire of magic, both Light and Dark. He sent volleys of hexes without becoming weak, and forced Draco to deflect them en masse. Again he sent a stream, this time of dark curses, including Crucio and Sectumsempra, forming a sheaf of spells, in such a way that to defend against the bottom curse the top one had to be resolved first. This with a depth of 4 levels became highly problematic.

At one point Dumbledore had Draco trapped under Cruciatus, his limbs held by malicious pieces of furniture. Dumbledore smirked menacingly and advanced, ready to give Draco the coup de grace.

Harry observed this and felt himself die a little. He remembered the other time he'd witnessed something similar, in the Astronomy tower, and how that had turned out. He was confused, but he knew Dumbledore was more, much more malign than he appeared, but he had faith in Draco. Even here, with Draco cowering under the effects of the curse, Harry relied completely on his magic, his craftiness, his Slytheriness to pull them through. He would hold to that faith until the bitter end, if need be.

Just as Dumbledore was about to utter Avada Kedavra, Draco summoned his inner magic to briefly throw the Cruciatus. He held his Bridges, shining as diamonds, in his mind, and chose the one which would take him to the exit, he briefly flashed in multicolored hues and disappeared. Immediately the colors reformed behind Dumbledore and then Draco reappeared, the Road having fulfilled its duty. He concentrated further, and then: "Imperio! Give me your wand."

Dumbledore obediently followed the Imperio only he could hear. He tried to fight against it, but found the sheer energy behind the curse staggering. After he gave Draco his wand, he tried to regain some ground.

Dumbledore said, "I order you to release me and follow all my orders!"

Draco drawled amusedly, "Under what authority must I obey your rules? Let's avoid games, Silencio!"

Draco turned to Harry, "Observe this carefully, Potter. Dumbledore and I fought an epic battle, and yet at the end he expects me to obey him blindly. Is he mad or does he know something else?"

Then Draco said, apparently into thin air, "I'm Draco Malfoy, the Siddhe Lord, and require urgently Shadows from the realms. Send me your best guardians, that they satisfy tradition and force, for I fear the integrity of it all if this entity be left unchecked any longer."

Suddenly there was a flurry of rainbow apparitions, and Harry could almost see, if he squinted enough, those shadows. They took positions around Dumbledore and formed an effective shield against him.

Draco took Harry's and the other Draco's shield off, he took off the curses. He conjured a cup of coffee for Harry. He took the Black ring from the other Draco and put another ring on his finger, saying, "You did well, Tonks. You fooled them all, even Harry here. Now off you go to lay down in the Manor, Cousine." The portkey activated and Draco!Tonks was whisked away.

Draco tried to make Snape comfortable, but he didn't take his curse off.

He said, "I want you to imagine what it must be like to be Albus Dumbledore. You vanquish Grindelward, and everyone adores you and follows your indications. You find out that you can do a lot for the commonwealth, your advice is followed religiously. Things look up."

"But time flies, and soon they don't want to listen to you anymore. You have lots of good advice, but they are deaf and you are left alone to face the consequences of all those missed opportunities. If only they listened to you and did as you wanted, not all the time, but when important matters arise! You must see your country lurching around for lack of direction when it lies in your power to help them."

"Then you stumble upon the concept of geas. From Hermione:

"A geas is a vow or obligation placed upon a person (usually a hero). Traditionally, the doom of the hero occurs because he violates the geas (plural geasa) by accident or having many and being then in a position where he must violate one to uphold another."

"Later a geas took the aspect of a taboo or prohibition. A geas can also be compared to a curse or, paradoxically, a gift. If someone placed under a geas breaks it, the infractor will suffer dishonor and even death."

"It's simply a hugely powerful Obedience Vow."

"You decide to put British Wizards and Witches under a geas, so they will follow your orders. You would have done it for the world, but the energy was insufficient."

"Of course you haven't researched all the material yourself, you have to work, too. You had the convenient help of a former Hogwarts student named Tom Riddle. You have raised Riddle's leadership talents by teaching him some Dark Arts so he can command Slytherin and act as your counterweight, so this partnership feels right to you."

"It isn't until the geas is cast that you realize that Riddle is quite a sneaky Slytherin. He managed to twist the rituals so that you are under a geas of your own to him. You must protect his life, and as you effectively command British resources, Riddle can pretty much do what he wants."

"It's a dismal time for you. On the one hand, the geas ensures that everyone is honor bound to obey your wish stated as such, but this is marred by Riddle's continued existence and success."

"The prophecy offers a way out. You manage to contrive the confrontation Riddle-Harry and it goes as you planned. You put Potter in a loveless home, so that he looks up to magical things as an escape. You hope to make him more manageable than Tom ever was."

"It's important to note that the school severely lacked safety features. Harry was in constant danger here, and the Death Eaters and associates easily worked on Hogwarts's hallowed grounds, as if they were permitted to do so, which of course they were. You knew what was going on. You were aware of Quirrell, Ginny's strange behavior, fake Moody, and my plan." "When you came back maimed for Sixth Year, it wasn't caused by a horcrux. You disobeyed the geas, went against Riddle and fell victim to the curse. You were dying, and all the rest was just theater to get Harry and I to do what you wanted."

"The geas accounts also for so much equivocation, false starts, hyperbole in your explanations. You're constantly seeking to establish the permissible limits of the geas binding you to Riddle."

"So you staged your death to blame me and Severus. Surely you hoped that the purebloods would be finished by this. Your prophecies guided to this, and I'm sure you're just waiting for some third prophecy to kick in and save you."

"I hate to disappoint you, but I don't believe in them. We make our own future. You are bound, even more than by my Shadows, by the consequences of your actions."

"And yet here we stand and Voldemort is no more. You could have so much power without chains! But the first thing you do is try to kill me, or rather, have Severus kill me. Surely a test of his loyalties."

"I grow tired of loyalties. You will lift up the geas."

He motioned for the Shadows so he could see Dumbledore's face. It was set in a determined gesture. He answered, "No."

Draco said, "I know what you're thinking: You're remembering you own the phoenix, Fawkes, that he is the eternal horcrux, that you could well afford to have me kill you on the spot. Knowing that one week, one month, or one year hence one of your henchmen would perform the ritual again and you would be renewed, perhaps even stronger."

Dumbledore grimaced, and Draco knew that he had been right. He continued, "Well, you're wrong in one important thing, Dumbledore. Fawkes, is not free. Of course he was reconstituted at the same time you were, and had the bad manners to try to leave my presence. I of course was incensed with the animal and determined to teach him a lesson."

Draco gloated, "Fawkes, come here and meet your horcrux-er!"

A perch appeared with Fawkes looking just as he usually did after he had been reborn, but there were thick strands of light all around him. It was plain to see that some strands were perilously close to cutting him, in fact some had already burnt his feathers and caused bleeding.

Draco continued nonchalantly, "I'm of a mind to find out if phoenixes are immortal. Dumbledore, do you think Fawkes could stand being thrown directly into the heart of a sun? Even the ashes would disintegrate then. Think it would remain a horcrux? Or what about in the heart of a star so big, that the weight of all its matter won't allow even light to escape the confines of the star. Could magic escape the event horizon of a black hole?"

Draco concentrated, and, just as he'd told them, opened a portal to the center of a black hole.

There was a huge space with subliminal lighting, the air visibly got colder near the space. It seemed to attract glances, which never reached the bottom. There was a small gravitational pull, as if all objects in the room had to accommodate the new constellation.

Draco said, "Say good-bye to Fawkes! He promises to send postcards from the Edge! Unless you lift the geas, in which case I will move you and Fawkes together on my word as a Malfoy."

Draco started to slide the perch toward the portal of the black hole. Within 5 seconds, Dumbledore caved and said he'd do it. Draco pretended he didn't hear it and kept pushing the perch, until Dumbledore screeched that he would do it.

Draco told him to get on with it then, whereupon Dumbledore started chanting in ancient Gaelic. A strange light issued from the environment, approached Dumbledore, was transmuted into white light and shot to the sky.

Draco insisted, "Order Harry to do something, and we will see." Dumbledore ordered him to curse Draco. Harry indignantly refused.

When the curse was taken off Severus, he was informed of the broad circumstances. He agreed that the compulsion he had been laboring under had been removed, and thanked Draco and surprisingly Harry.

Draco wanted to talk more with them, but first he had to take care of Dumbledore. He reminded him that he would be with Fawkes, and vanished with Dumbledore and the bound phoenix in a swirl of rainbows.

Harry had literally to bite his tongue to keep from blurting out, "Don't trust him!" But he knew that Draco was plenty devious and powerful.

Two minutes later, a rainbow appeared next to him which solidified in Draco Malfoy, who got an armful of Harry.

Draco hugged Harry back, and decided to address Severus first: "Sir, permission to speak candidly!"

Severus answered, "Permission granted as always, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco said, "You were less than Slytherin today, Sev. You were going to kill yourself. Only my quick reflexes saved the day. You should have played for time like a good Slyth."

Severus answered tiredly, "Play for time and kill you, or someone who looks like you? I would rather die first, and save the geas some work."

Draco realized that Severus had been run dry by the barmy villain Dumbledore, and said, "At any rate, you are invited to the Manor, for an extended stay. You have the portkey."

Severus growled at realizing he had been set up, and had to utter the password, he muttered low under his breath "Potter is hott." Harry heard him, though, and with eyes wide as saucers, turned to look at Draco's smirk.

Harry had some urgent questions, though. He asked, "What did you do with Dumbledore?"

Draco answered, "You know about the Siddhe Roads, which I call Bridges and how they connect different realms, at different locations and times. It becomes possible to travel across them and across time, too. Indeed I used this property to get rid of the menacing furniture pieces. Everything in the Realms is connected by Roads."

"Yet there are certain places that are unconnected to anything else. You cannot travel there. I was trapped once in such a Singularity, when I took the Avada Kedavra Weasley sent your way, only my mother saved me."

"Dumbledore and his phoenix are now in a Singularity, together as promised. I have no idea how much the Singularity will last. Maybe for days, or maybe for Eternity."

Harry continued asking, "Why did you allow him to be reborn? I'm guessing you were here all the time."

Draco answered, "Yes, I was. The answer to your question is that I wanted to see what he would do and also, he was much more powerful before he incarnated. When he was dead, any of his followers could have used the phoenix and the ritual to raise him, at any moment, at any place. This made him a problem impossible to surmount. I've suspected what he did for some time, but I always arrived at this impasse. To restrain him we needed to distill him from the multitude into a single individual, which is what he did. Now he is contained."

Harry continued asking, "If this geas is so powerful, how come he ordered you to do something and you disobeyed?"

Draco answered, "The geas could be likened to a computer program, which follows the instructions literally. I'm guessing the geas insists that a British Witch or Wizard should obey Dumbledore when given a direct order, but the crux of the matter is that I am no longer a British Wizard. I own no land or estates here, my new estates are in France . I wanted to keep this secret from Dumbledore."

"Why?"

"Because Dumbledore is a very wily and smart person, he is highly intelligent. If he realized that's why I was free and that now I had estates in France , he might remember that there were parts of France subjected to the suzerainty of English kings hundreds of years ago. He might fashion an argument to convince the geas and still force me to obey him."

Then Draco said, "You realize of course that if we tell them what transpired, they'll cart us off to St. Mungo's. The sainted Dumbledore a criminal mastermind? We must keep this very secret."

Draco continued, "I was forgetting a small detail." He turned and pointed his wand to the wall, where Dumbledore's portrait was. Before Harry could react, he bellowed, "Avada Kedavra!" inthe picture, Dumbledore fell dead.

Draco commented, "His portraits are a menace because of what they know. From now on, wherever we find them, we eliminate them."

On Thursday morning, Ginny truculently announced she was planning on collecting on the bet she'd made with Draco concerning the Power of Three. She would get to order Draco around for three hours. She had conferred and arranged a suitable pay-off with Blaise. But that didn't mean that Draco was off the hook. Not at all. In fact, it soon became a game of making Draco squirm, and soon the other ladies joined in.

So for starters, everyone was looking pityingly at Draco, which unnerved him a lot, and almost had him Accio'ing the cane. Then Ginny announced that according to the terms of the bet, she'd order his movements for three hours. The women leered at him!

He turned towards Narcissa, hoping for succor, and found her eyeing Ginny respectfully.

The clincher was when Ginny announced that Blaise had been instrumental in arranging certain matters. They would visit an old London place that showed Muggle cinema. Now that was safe, right?

Ginny stood to speak and eyed them menacingly. She said, "I had a suggestion and implemented it thanks to Blaise. He's rented a cinema house to show two movies to all of us." She scowled ferociously at Draco, "Before you begin, yes, they are Muggle movies, but they are very good. They're Star Wars and its sequel "The Empire Strikes Back." I hope all of you enjoy them as much as I do."

After Ginny's posturing, Draco was glad that it was only movies they were watching. He said to Severus, "Do you think you'll like the show, Sev?"

Severus replied, "I won't go. I don't fancy being arrested and given the Kiss just because I wanted to see a movie!"

Draco gloated, "Oh ye of little faith!" A magnificent Eagle Owl approached them, and Draco said, "What do you have for us, Ham?" Whereupon the owl started to screech and hoot as if he was highly affronted, which he was. Draco tried to ruffle his feathers saying, "I didn't mean you, Hammersfall, I meant Ham and eggs. You know I like your name." The owl calmed down and Draco took off the parchment, read it and gave it to Severus, saying, "That's your plenary pardon for all past misdeeds committed, with the promise of an Order of Merlin First Class very soon."

Severus said, "I'm impressed, Draco. I didn't think they would do it, I thought they would just let me live. Order of Merlin?"

Draco said, "You deserve it because you've been in this war the longest, you and Lupin. I want both of you to be recognized for your endurance and grit. As for the Wizengamot, I just had to bonk some heads and shake some assumptions."

All of them had a great time at the movies. However, at the end, there was a small disagreement which escalated when two of them, Harry and Draco, fought about their favorite character.

Draco insisted that he was Luke Skywalker, pressed by Harry to answer why, he said they were both blonds. Harry wanted to be Luke too and travel all over. Surprisingly they agreed to everybody else, going even to suggest Dobby as R2D2. They got so into the movie that they started to duel, using magic masquerading as the Force. Nothing dangerous, just showy.

Their friends had to quickly repair any damage caused. Severus and the Black Sisters just smiled secretively that Draco was having a good time.

Epilogue: the importance of being serious