Betrayal of the Best Kind
Grab
By Draco664
Grab
Harry stood, unmasked, next to five other young witches and wizards, in a room amost pitch black. Only the lit candles he and his companions carried gave off any light. He recognised only two of the other people from his time at Hogwarts, both of them witches who had been in Slytherin, a couple of years ahead of him. Arrayed around them in a circle was Voldemort's inner circle, his Death Eaters.
Harry had been surprised to discover that only Voldemort's most trusted servents had the dark mark burned into their arms. He had assumed that all the Dark Lord's minions had it. Not even Narcissa Malfoy had it on her arm.
His other companions were shifting nervously. Harry gave them a sneer.
There were still gaps in the ring of Death Eaters, Harry assumed that either they were yet to be replaced, or they were not all here yet.
As one, the Masked Death Eaters stood straight. Voldemort appeared at the edge of the circle. Striding in with the smooth grace of a snake, he looked at the nervous group holding candles. Only Harry's candle didn't waver, he wasn't shaking.
Harry's progress had surprised the Dark Lord in the last month. Not only had his skill with potions surpassed the expectations Voldemort set, his magic and non-magic combat skill growth had been impressive. But what stunned him the most was Harry's ability to create magical items. The few he had constructed in his room had without fail been useful, effective and safe. Not safe to create, that always carried a hint of risk, but safe to use.
In short, Voldemort was having second thoughts about his plans for Harry.
"I understand you suggested a change in the routine searchs for the manor grounds here tonight," he said to Harry.
Without blinking, Harry stepped forward and replied, "Yes. I heard a noise from the grounds. Our quick examination of the area revealed nothing, but I thought it best to be thorough."
Voldemort nodded. As he turned to speak to he Death Eaters, Harry's voice interrupted him.
"There's more."
Each of the Death Eaters visibly stiffened. Harry wryly thought that no one spoke without being spoken to more than once in Voldemort's presence.
"Go on," the Dark Lord said, threateningly.
"It may have been an animagus. If so we need to find out. I muttered softly the name of the tavern in Hogsmeade. If anyone turns up there tonight, then we need to set up the wards around here to detect animals too."
The piercing red eyes regarded him thoughtfully. "What makes you think an animagus would be here? They are very rare."
"They are not that rare. McGonagall is an animagus, so is Wormtail there," said Harry gesturing with contempt towards the short man with the silver hand. "Last night was the full moon, if Remus Lupin had taken the Wolfsbane potion, he'd have been capable of sneaking in as well."
"All of whom's whereabouts are documented."
"And of the illegal animagi?"
Voldemort smiled. He had been wondering how long it would take Harry to give up this information.
"Illegal animagi? Are there any?" He asked.
Harry snorted and replied, "Don't tell me Wormtail hasn't told you who helped him become an animagus?"
Voldemort looked slyly at Pettigrew. "No, he has not," he lied.
Harry wasn't fooled. "That rat couldn't work out how to transfigure a matchstick to a pin without help." Harry said. Nearly all the masked Death Eater's shoulders shook with surpressed laughter. Pettigrew shook with anger, but stayed silent. "My father and godfather had to help him. They were both illegal animagi before leaving school."
"But your godfather is in hiding, surely he couldn't be out there spying for the Ministry?"
Harry shrugged. "It was just an example of an illegal animagus. I was actually thinking of some of the current students. Granger, for example, was an excellent transfiguration student, and would be very capable of becoming an animagus with the right help. McGonagall is her head of house. If she was doing recconisance, you wouldn't know."
For the first time in the conversation, Voldemort actually looked interested. "Really? You think Dumbledore would allow a student to spy for him?"
Harry smiled evily. "I didn't say that she would have permission to do it. Granger tends to do things that she thinks need to be done."
"This is the girl you wouldn't mind entertaining?"
Harry's smile vanished. "No. That's Chang."
"I see," Voldemort nodded, and pondered Harry's suggestion. "You would like to go to Hogsmeade, instead of help attack the Ministry?"
Harry shrugged. "It makes no difference to me. I'll go where you order me. All I suggest is that someone stakes out the Three Broomsticks to see if anyone goes there tonight."
Voldemort nodded. "I will consider it. For now, we will continue with the ritual."
Harry bowed, and stepped back into place.
The four students waited patiently inside the Three Broomsticks. They each nursed a bottle of butterbeer, listening intently for a howl from outside. Madam Rosmerta had given them a look of concern, silently suggesting that they should be in school, but served them anyway.
Ginny had finally got over her anger at the shock Sirius had given her. Ron and Hermione had given her a quick rundown of their adventures involving Harry and Sirius. Ron looked wistful at the thought of flying on a hippogriff, but Hermione looked ill at the memory.
Cho smiled and listened, she loved hearing about Harry's life, wishing that she had been a part of it earlier.
The long howl echoed through the tavern. The friends stood up and quickly said to the occupants, "We may be under attack by Death Eaters. Be ready," before running out.
Sirius had been padding around the Three Broomsticks for a couple of hours now, and he was glad that Albus had not split the defenses. Hogsmeade was just as quiet and still at this time as it normally was.
One more lap of the Three Broomsticks later, Sirius was starting to get worried. What if Harry had known that the attack was happening on the Ministry, and that he threw out this as a diversion to him? He shook his head to clear it of the disturbing thoughts. He would wait until he was back in human form before examining and forming conclusions from his thoughts.
A faint, familiar scent wafted in front of his nostrils. Sirius turned, and saw a short, robed figure heading towards the tavern with a person with an unfamiliar scent. He froze.
Did he silently attack, and rid the world of Wormtail once and for all? Or howl to warn the others, and perhaps lose his chance.
Sirius cursed to himself and raised his muzzel to howl. How could he think of not warning Harry's friends.
Wormtail and his companion looked at each other and froze. Looking around for the source of the howl, they didn't see a dark shape slink towards them, getting closer every second.
Harry listened to his godfather's howl with a grin. Wormtail was not happy at being put in charge of the diversion to Hogsmeade, what with the danger of meeting a vengful Mr. Padfoot. Harry grinned at the thought that the silver-handed wizard would be trembling the whole time.
The ritual that had occurred had been stomach turning. One of Harry's unmasked companions had been singled out by Voldemort for, according to him, not having enough loyalty. It seemed to Harry that the older Slyterin witch had simply not afforded the Dark Lord enough respect.
What happened next made Harry ill to think of it. The witch had been stripped, then repeatedly and violently violated. The poor girl had been humiliated and defiled, made to service each and every Death Eater in ways Harry couldn't even believe someone had thought up. She had been kicked and beaten. Clubbed and burned. In one final act of shocking psychological brutality, Voldemort had made the girl grovel naked in front of her torturers and thank them for punishing her, cleaning their shoes with her tongue.
Those who were not Death Eaters had not been asked to participate, for which Harry was grateful. He could not have done anything to help her, nor think of anything brutal enough to do to her to satisfy the Dark Lord. Harry shook his head. The witch had put her robes back on and was now participating in the attack on the ministry. Hopefully, she will be caught and removed from his awful control.
From his position, Harry watched four students run out of the front door of the Three Broomsticks. His eyes widened in shock. No, damn them. What the hell were they doing here? His friends moved as one, towards the howl. Harry crept along, watching them. Spells started going off, hitting near his friends and other patrons exiting the tavern. It would appear they had been warned of an attack, since the people exiting the tavern were ready for combat.
Harry watched them round the corner of the tavern and run towards his godfather's position. Harry then leapt down from the roof where he was keeping an eye on events. The four were shocked to hear someone land behind them, and Harry had stunned Ginny before the others had finished turning round.
Ron reacted first and raised his wand, but Harry didn't even bother with magic. His left fist connected sharply with the tip of Ron's chin, snapping his friend's head back. Ron's eyes rolled up in his head and he too slumped to the ground, out of the fight.
Both Hermione and Cho looked at him, both stunned and dismayed at his actions. Harry stood between them. "Get out of here!" he whispered sharply to them, looking in Cho's direction.
Harry heard Hermione's whispered "Stupefy" and ducked to the side. Her spell struck Cho on the arm, spinning the poor girl around, numbing the righthand side of her body. Harry spun, rolled and came to his feet casting "Expelliarmus!"
Hermione had been taken aback with Harry's agility and speed, and the spell struck her full on. Her wand flew out of her hand, straight to Harry, while she flew back and connected with the outer wall of the tavern with a heavy thud, then sank to the ground. Harry ran over and checked his friend. He sighed in relief, she was OK.
Harry dropped Hermione's wand at her feet, and walked over to Cho. His girlfriend was looking at him in terror. She had just watched him disable four people, who thought that they were alert and ready for anything, in less than five seconds. "Dammit, get out of here!" he whispered fiercly to her.
Cho looked down at her paralysed side. "I-I can't," she slurred.
Harry cursed. At that moment, a short robed figure ran around the corner. "Let's go!" the figure shouted, panicking. Harry stood, looking at the man with contempt.
Wormtail looked down at the bodies of Harry's friends. "Oh. Is one of them the girl you want?"
Swallowing, Harry nodded, and pointed at Cho. Wormtail quickly stunned her.
"Well, grab her and let's go!" his father's betrayer said, taking out a portkey and tossing it to Harry. Harry caught it in one hand and grabbed a handful of Cho's hair. The tugging from behind the navel told him they were no longer in Hogsmeade.
Hermione woke a few seconds after Harry and Wormtail left with Cho. Shaking her head to stop the ringing in her ears, Hermione tried to stand on wobbly legs. Looking around, she saw Ron, lying on his back, mouth open. With a cry, she rushed over to him, and held him close.
That was how Sirius found them a few minutes later. After running at Wormtail, his companion had been ordered to attack Sirius. Wormtail would do anything to save his skin; but his companion had not lasted long against such a skilled wizard as Sirius.
Sirius knelt down and checked Ron. "He'll be fine," he told a distressed Hermione. "He's just out cold. If you throw some water on his face, he will wake up, with a headache mind you, but he will wake up."
Hermione could only smile at him in thanks, tears still streaming down her face. Sirius went over to Ginny, and cast "Ennervate!"
Ginny's brown eyes flickered open. She sat up and looked around fearfully. Sirius put his hands on her shoulders and said, "Don't worry, they are all gone. You are safe."
Ginny relaxed and nodded. "Where's Cho?" she asked looking around for her. Hermione also looked around with growing alarm.
"She was right there! With Harry. He told us to get out of here," Hermione said.
"Harry was here?" Ginny and Sirius asked together.
Hermione nodded. "He took all of us down without any trouble. I, I accidently hit Cho with a stunning spell and Harry disarmed me. He had already knocked out Ginny and Ron."
"Damn!" shouted Sirius. He looked up and saw some townsfolk coming over to the group. "There is a stunned wizard with black robes behind the pub. Make sure he is taken to Dumbledore and questioned. See you back at the Shack in the morning," he said before transforming.
Hermione and Ginny nodded, and turned to Ron, trying to wake him. Hermione was desperately hoping that Cho was OK.
Dumbledore was furious. He paced back and forth, almost sizzling with radient magical energy "How could you?" he thundered at Sirius.
Sirius paled but didn't have the chance to answer before the headmaster continued with his unusual outburst.
"You deliberately put four students in danger, allowed one of them to be kidnapped and two of the others to be put in the hospital wing!" the Headmaster continued. "They could have been killed! All for a boy who for all we know has sold us out!"
It was Sirius' turn to anger. "If he has sold us out, then he sure as hell got his money's worth! From the way you and everyone else has acted, I'm inclined to think we don't deserve loyalty!"
Dumbledore stared at him, breathing heavily in anger. With a mammoth effort, he regained his temper. "I would very much like to believe that Harry has not joined Voldemort willingly, but unfortunately, I have no choice, and I must act as though he has joined our enemy." Dumbledore ran his hand over his tired face. "Harry, why? This doesn't fix things for anyone."
Sirius looked at the headmaster with an indecipherable expression. "What did you say?"
Dumbledore sighed. "The last thing Harry said to me, before going with Voldemort."
Sirius nodded in encouragement. "Yes? What was it?"
"Harry said, 'This will fix things for everyone.'"
With a roar that Dumbledore was sure could be heard at the other edge of the forbidden forest, Sirius leapt up and grabbed Dumbledore by the front of his robes. Without apparent effort, Sirius lifted the most powerful wizard in the world and slammed him into one of the stone walls of Dumbledore's office.
"Why didn't you tell me he said that?" Sirius roared.
Albus Dumbledore, the only man Voldemort feared, the man who defeated the dark wizard Grindelwald was shaken around like a child's doll. "Sirius!" he croaked. "Calm yourself!"
Sirius slowly lowered the headmaster to the floor, but was still looking at him with anger.
"That means something to you, doesn't it?"
Sirius nodded and let go of Dumbledore's robes. "It only means that Harry has not joined Voldemort as a servent. It means he has not joined him because he thought that he didn't have a future with us. It means that he didn't join him because he was afraid of him. What it means is that Harry had decided to become a spy for us. He is going to help bring Voldemort down."
Dumbledore looked more hopeful and excited than he had in months. "Are you sure?"
Sirius nodded. "Let's go down to the Shack. I'll explain on the way. It is almost time for the portkeys to activate, bringing the four of them back there."
"Portkeys?" Dumbledore asked.
Sirius chuckled. "Yes, portkeys. You think I'd let them out there without a portkey that would bring them home if they were captured?"
Dumbledore shook his ancient head. "No offense, Sirius, but the first thing they will do with a captive is remove all magical items."
Sirius just gave Dumbledore a grin the old wizard remembered too well from the Marauder's school days.
"You think I didn't know that?"
Sirius and Dumbledore sat in the Shrieking Shack, nervously waiting for the return of the four students. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were, as far as they knew, in the Hospital wing, Ron and Hermione having sustained blows to the head the previous evening.
Sirius had explained to Dumbledore that he and his godson had had a conversation about Harry being asked by the ministry to infiltrate Voldemort's Death Eaters. About how Harry had asked why he was fixing things for the people who turned their back on him, and how Sirius had said that it would fix things for everyone.
"So, Harry has simply used the apparent hatred the world has for him as a reason he will work for Voldemort. And that boy didn't think he belonged in Gryffindor," Dumbledore said.
Sirius looked up in surprise. "Why didn't Harry think he belonged in Gryffindor?"
"Apparently the Sorting Hat considered putting him in Slytherin. He certianly has the deviousness to be in that house."
Sirius smiled. "So did his father, but James was put in Gryffindor too."
With a sudden pop, Ron appeared horizontally in the Shack, dressed in a white hospital gown, about three feet above the ground.
He landed with a thud, at which both Sirius and Dumbledore winced, and continued to snore. Sirius looked at Dumbledore appologetically, picked Ron up, and lay him down on the dirty bed against the wall. Sirius then contritely moved a mattress a few feet to the left of where it had been waiting, to where Ron had landed.
"Good thing Mr. Weasley was the first to come. He didn't even wake up." Dumbledore remarked.
Sirius nodded.
A few moments later, Ginny landed on the mattress, looking around. She saw Sirius and the headmaster sitting at the small derelict table and gave them a small smile. "I didn't get to say sorry for last night," she appologised to Sirius.
Dumbledore looked from the red-haired student to Harry's godfather, and at the enormous black eye he sported. He had been too polite to enquire as to its origin before now, but now he felt no such inhibition.
"Let me guess, you were given that when you grabbed her to keep her quiet and she struggled?"
Sirius shook his head. "No, I'd let her go at that point."
"She gave it to you before you were able to introduce yourself properly to Miss. Weasley?" the headmaster guessed.
"No, he'd introduced himself by then," Ginny said.
"Then when?" Dumbledore asked Sirius.
Ginny answered stonily. "He made fun of my stammer."
Nothing could have prepared the pair for Dumbledore's belly laugh was. Neither of them had ever heard him laugh so hard.
"Let me get this straight," Dumbledore said around his laughter. "You hit the most wanted man in the wizarding world because he made fun of you stammer?"
Ginny blushed and nodded.
Dumbledore laughed harder. Sirius spoke up. "Shut up, Man! If the place was called the Laughing Shack, it wouldn't keep people away!"
It was at this point that Hermione appeared, also horizontal. Unlike Ron, she woke as she landed on the mattress. She looked up at the still chuckling headmaster, the sullen Sirius, and a blushing Ginny. "What did I miss?"
Dumbledore finally managed to get his laughter under control. "Later, Miss. Granger. First we must get you all back to the hospital wing, before Madam Pomfrey starts to think that has become kidnap central. Please each of you take one of Mr. Weasley's hands."
The pair of witches obeyed, and watched as Dumbledore placed a portkey on Ron's chest. The trio disappeared.
"I hope you have another one of those for Cho. I hate to think what she has been through."
Dumbledore immediately sobered, and nodded. "You never told me how you designed these portkeys."
"You swallow them. Your body's aura masks them, since because they are only one way, one shot portkeys, they don't have a large magical signature. They transport you twelve hours after activation, meaning that you take them before a mission, guaranteeing you will be sent back here afterwards."
"Ingenious. Perfectly ingenious. I must say, you hav-," Dumbledore stopped in shock.
Cho had appeared, also horizontal. Her nude, burned, battered and bloody body crashed into the mattress, shocking them into action.
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