Rosmerta received the owl from Harry saying he was fine and that Tom was receiving the best of care … and that Severus had been arrested at the same time that the Daily Prophet arrived. She was torn … whether to run to Harry and Tom’s side anyway or run to free Severus. She scanned the newspaper, hoping for clues and decided they knew nothing. Harry’s letter said that Dumbledore and Hugo intended to spring Severus and Lucius immediately. She clung to that idea frantically.

Surely by the time she arrived to Hogwarts or the Ministry the whole thing would have been solved.

Rosmerta grabbed a curious Beth’s hand and raced to the floo, arriving at Spinner’s End to find a bewildered Petunia trying to decipher a letter from an incoherently furious Draco. Rosmerta explained the situation to Petunia … at least what she could piece together from Harry and the Daily Prophet.

Petunia thought swiftly and decided that lawyers were called for – the entire Malfoy kennel plus whoever else they could dredge up – preferably the toughest, meanest, most likely to make an Auror cringe in terror lawyers available.

Petunia swiftly wrote out a note and sent an eager Dobby to fetch the legal bloodhounds. Soon there was a squad of briefcase – wielding lawyers baying for Auror blood. Forms were made out in automatic triplicate – making parchment and a battle plan was quickly made.

The lawyers and Petunia arrived after Albus – flanked by Hugo and Amelia had tried to reason with Rufus that morning – they had been given the same story the Minister, Amelia and Hugo had been given the evening before.

Amelia caught them in the hallway and told them about the ‘protection clause’ that Rufus was invoking. This caused a flutter among the lawyers who realized that most of their forms in triplicate – parchments were the wrong ones.

One of them opened a briefcase and a tall file cabinet popped up from it. Several of them crowded around the file cabinet and a loud discussion ensued about what forms they should throw at Scrimgeour. They settled on pulling every form even remotely pertaining to wrongful incarceration and denying access to prisoners.

The lawyers moved more slowly down the hall toward the holding cells. Dicta-quill feathers flapping frantically as the lawyer tried to augment their hoard of weapons with the other forms. Rosmerta and some enthusiastic looking reporters caught up with them as they entered the area where visitors would check in. Rosmerta quite rightly figured that the press would be useful.

Petunia, standing side by side with Rosmerta, led the charge. "We are here to see our husbands, Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape."

The intake clerk, a very elderly retired Auror who did a few hours a week ‘to get out of the house’, gaped nervously at the large group of grim – looking legal eagles swooping in behind two very angry looking women. To his relief Auror Roger Hopkirk stepped up and met the group.

Roger had heard the report Claudius Smith had given Scrimgeour regarding the interviews. He was fully in agreement that evidence of ‘He Who Must Not Be Named’ being reborn was inconclusive at best.

One witness was blind and had seen nothing; one had been knocked out after only seeing Pettigrew and a cloaked figure. The last – Harry Potter – was a traumatized teenager that had obviously seen something – but not the Dark Lord Voldemort. Likely a determined Death Eater had decided to take over as leader and had staged the whole thing.

Rufus had said he expected the Malfoy pack to be unleashed at some point. It was a surprise that the wife had gotten them here so very quickly, Rufus had thought she would not be quite so savvy – being a squib that was muggle – born and raised. Roger sent an aide to fetch Rufus and tried to assume an intimidating stance as the group stopped in front of him.

Roger was soon surrounded by lawyers who were waving parchments and burying the clerk under a mound of copies. Roger stood firm, stoutly repeating that Prisoners Snape and Malfoy could not have visitors on the orders of Auror Rufus Scrimgeour. To his relief, Rufus eventually appeared.

The reporters were writing with avid expressions and watched the action. Rufus braced himself while Angus Essex and Roger Eastlake broke from the pack and approached him.

"Whatever are you thinking, Scrimgeour?" Angus snapped. This little stunt of Rufus’ had really gone on far enough. "Keeping Lucius and Severus’ lawyers away from them? It will greatly weaken your case if they are coerced into confessions or denying proper representatives during questioning." Angus was trying a reasonable tone with Rufus … attempting intimidation would not work on the tough – minded Slytherin like it might on Hopkirk or one of the other more inexperienced Aurors.

"I intend to keep the prisoners alive for questioning … that is what I am thinking." Rufus answered loftily. "There is obviously ‘Dark’ activity occurring and were have had a resurgence of Death Eaters – as demonstrated at the Quidditch World Cup. I intend to investigate without having to worry about assassination attempts on my prisoners."

"So Mr. Malfoy and Professor Snape have been charged? What are their charges?" Angus leaped on the term ‘prisoners’. "They cannot be ‘prisoners’ unless charges are brought … in which case I want an immediate hearing before the Wizengamot to judge the validity of the charges."

Rufus glared at Angus. Without charges, holding the pair was difficult … he could have gotten away with it for a time if there wasn’t a crowd of angry lawyers and family members banging down the doors – with the drooling reporters looking on.

The backlash would have been minimal if they had had enough time … time for the dementors to break Malfoy and Snape – rendering the both of them no threat. When they were released the lawyers and families could yell all they wished. By that time Rufus would have achieved his aims – one of which was to seize the Potter boy at the most opportune time.

"We are considering charging them with conspiring with Barty Crouch Jr to kidnap three people … in an apparent attempt to assist in some dark ritual." Rufus intoned ominously.

"So Professor Snape is being charged with kidnapping his own adopted sons?" Angus asked with incredulity. The reporters scribbled furiously, nearly drooling in anticipation.

Rufus glared and answered. "Cedric Diggory is not related to him … and those ‘sons’ described a dark ritual – which Snape and Malfoy likely assisted with."

Angus was one and a half inches taller than Rufus – and managed to put that to good use, looking down his nose at Rufus. "Well, if you truly intend to deny Mr Malfoy and Professor Snape their legal rights to counsel … the least you can do is allow their wives and daughters to see them – even briefly."

Tori and Beth were only six, and didn’t truly understand what was happening … they just knew that somehow they were being kept from their beloved dads. However there were few six year old girls more aware of what emotional blackmail was … and how to use it. Perhaps it was a legacy of a year or two in an orphanage, or perhaps natural talent.

None the less Beth felt this was her cue and took a half step forward, still clutching Rosmerta’s hand. "I want to see my daddy!" She yelped in a quavering voice, tears springing into her eyes right on cue. The humming from reporters murmuring to their dictaquills grew in intensity and a few flashes from cameras flared.

Rufus was briefly flummoxed. None of the scenarios he’d planned for had involved the daughters … other than to take them – or threaten to take them - as well to control the wives. Now this little imp with the tear – stained eyes was throwing a spanner in the already gummed up works.

"Rosmerta Snape is a witch with a fair amount of power … and as the owner of a pub that has seen a fair share of brawls … she likely has a good number of possibly fatal curses in her arsenal." Rufus answered Angus, ignoring Beth. "She could be threatened into killing her husband … or even imperioused … not to mention she might just be fed up with being married to a Death Eater." Rufus went on the offensive.

"Severus was cleared … proven to be a spy by Albus Dumbledore." Rosmerta ground out, incensed. "… and I would never harm him."

Petunia took up the offense and came up to Rosmerta’s side. "If you fear that one witch or a pair of six year olds will overcome your guards and kill your prisoners …" Petunia paused for a moment to allow snickering to break out. "… perhaps you will allow an unarmed squib to see them …?" Petunia locked eyes with the now uncertain Rufus. What excuse could he use now?

"I cannot make an exception … not even for a squib, Mrs Malfoy." Rufus managed to grit out. He winced, hearing the uncertainty in his own tone of voice. This interview had gone on for too long already, and he’d lost control of it early on. He spun and waved a hand at the waiting Aurors who herded the entire bunch out.

There were token protests from lawyers and the reporters; however the reporters, at least quickly turned their attention to Tori and Beth who threw some very heartrending tantrums for the reporters. They sobbed with great effect and their moms spoke about the girls’ devotion to their fathers, and how Severus and Lucius doted on the girls. Eventually everyone ran out of subjects for the reporters to demonize the Aurors over and they went their separate ways.

Petunia and Rosmerta went straight to the Hogwarts infirmary to report to Harry and Tom. They’d sent a message to the boys, letting them know the plan, such as it was.

Tom was disgruntled, Albus had seemed so sure that he would have the pair sprung from the holding cells in no time. Harry glowered with arms crossed in front of him. All this was far too well planned. He wasn’t quite fifteen years old, but he knew that events were in play that he was going to have to deal with whether he was ready for it or not.

It was just that he’d expected to face these things with both his brother and his father at his side.

Albus had confessed that he and Hugo … even with the Minister and Madame Bones had failed in the rescue attempt … then the Headmaster had fled back to his office to plot, they assumed. Tori and Beth huddled next to Tom, muttering about the dire consequences that would occur to Rufus for withholding their fathers from them.

Tom, minus Dora at the time, clutched the two girls to his sides, leaning into their cheerful assumption that all would be put right in the end. Their bright energy was what he could see of them, nearly white in its purity and it warmed his own core of magic, soothing some of his anxiety. Rosmerta’s energy was a gentle gold with a core of scarlet – less amounts of energy than most, but he could see that Rosmerta had a good grasp on what power she had. Petunia – he could only see her as a shadow with a thin thread of light – a faint cord of scarlet and emerald twined together.

His blindness was still unnerving, though if they hadn’t been in danger he would have found looking at people’s magical energy interesting … even if everything else was inconsistently distorted shades of grey that made objects indistinct … and sometimes invisible to him.

Petunia sat in a chair, thinking hard while Rosmerta paced. "We need to be prepared … the best way to make us back off is to threaten our children …" Rosmerta stopped pacing to stare at Petunia’s words in horror. "Angus told me to start thinking of where I could hide out … or at least stash the children while we plead our cases before the Wizengamot."

"If Rufus does snatch Harry or Draco and Dudley … it will likely be on the train home. It would be unwise for him to enter Hogwarts and attempt to ‘rescue’ any of them from their horrid parents." Rosmerta shook her head. "We need to plan."

Scenarios and safehouses were discussed … after Tom had cast a strong silencing shield. It took Tom three tries before it was where they needed it, to his disgust. They had a few ideas by the time they left, but they knew that they likely would need some definite plans very soon. The way that Rufus and his Aurors were looking at them had been warning enough … the gloves were off and the fight had already begun.

Rosmerta left for the Dragon Reserve to shore up defenses at Dragonsrest and to warn Director Yuan about possible future intrusions from the ministry. Yuan took the warning to heart, although if British Aurors invaded an IFOW – run Dragon Reserve they had best be prepared for the international incident that would surely follow.

Petunia sat at Lucius’ desk, Tori sitting at her own small desk next to it, clutching her cat Freya and looking solemn. Dobby hovered nearby, sensing the undercurrents and wondering how to help.

"Can Dobby be bringing tea? … dinner is being ready soon, though." Dobby asked hesitantly. He was falling back on the house elf creed that food of some sort could fix anything.

"Oh, we’ll just wait for dinner … what I really need is a place where Aurors can’t reach us in case the whole world goes ‘round the twist in the near future." Petunia answered a bit sharply. She had acquired a few friends and even more acquaintances in the wizarding world, but the only ones she would willingly trust the safety of her children to were also at risk.

Dobby, though, took Petunia’s sarcastic answer at face value and answered with an idea that sprung to mind in answer to what she had asked. Petunia immediately brightened and relaxed. Tori relaxed as well … her Mum had a plan, now, and all would be well. Petunia wrote a quick note to Rosmerta and received a relieved affirmative from her … it was likely the best plan they would come up with.

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Lucius nodded his thanks to Ben and nibbled on the half a bar of chocolate he’d been given after the dementors departed from their latest visit. Ben had been giving out the chocolate after most of the dementor ‘visits’. He’d had to send for more after the first few attacks, but Lucius had urged him to get a large supply and promised reimbursement.

It was becoming difficult to awaken Severus enough to take the chocolate, though, and it was imperative he get it. Lucius reached through the bars and shook Severus’ shoulder, urging him to eat. Severus finally blinked and managed to eat rather mechanically while leaning heavily against the bars.

No amount of coaxing would get Severus to answer verbally, this time, after the night of attacks by the dementors. Even with Ben sneaking out with the bars of chocolate there was no real recovery for Severus.

Severus ate as the wizard in the next cell demanded, just wanting the noise to end. He was sure he knew the person, but the knowledge seemed distant – a half a world away. If he thought very hard he could remember the wizard’s name – after all he had many memories of the wizard hidden safely behind ‘the wall’.

Sometime during the night he’d known he was losing the fight against the dementors … soon they would break him and take the memories of what he loved most – and then he would truly be lost. If he ever got out of Azkaban – his family and friends would mostly be strangers to him – he might not even recognize them. The problem … one of many was that the wall might not be easily removed, and then he would have trouble remembering them anyway.

He’d then done what he’d been dreading. He’d dragged the memories of his family and closest friends behind the wall he’d been working on. Unfortunately to protect the wall he’d had to take his consciousness behind it as well. It wasn’t unpleasant back there … he wandered through his favorite memories quite happily. The problem, of course, was that there was no sense of time. He had no idea if he hid there an hour or a month.

Eventually, though, the blonde in the next cell would shout until he heard him even through the wall in his mind. He had to be careful – it took time to get in or out of the fortress in his mind and he did not want to get caught outside of it by the dementors.

After eating the chocolate he’d slowly gotten to his feet, joints stiff from the cold and he’d shuffled around the cell, using the toilet and washing in the freezing cold water in the small basin. At last he sat back on the pile of straw on the floor and realized the wizard was still yelling.

"Please, Severus, eat a little … you need your strength …" Severus frowned and looked at Ben, who was holding out a plate with some bread, cheese and some sliced meats. It was better food than prisoners usually got, but Ben was sharing some of his own stash with them … along with his Daily Prophets. Severus reluctantly took the plate and nibbled on the food while Ben slid a jar of quickly cooling tea at him.

Lucius watched with an unfamiliar sense of helplessness. At least they’d gotten him to eat. It seemed much longer than two days that they’d spent here. It had been a relief to read in the newspaper that the three abductees were home safely, though one reporter had a disturbing rumor that someone had been blinded.

There was mention that Igor Karkaroff was also missing … possibly dead, or perhaps he’d just run for it. Lucius looked over at Severus, who was now curled back up, only half the plate eaten. Ben glanced at Lucius in regret. He now believed that whatever was going on the Slytherins – for once – were definitely the victims.

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Rufus left the interrogation room housing Barty Crouch Jr after casting a silencing charm that only he could remove. The arrogant madman was grinning in triumph while Rufus left the room, seething. The Death Eater was adamant that they had resurrected Voldemort, making Rufus thankful that he’d decided to question him alone.

Under veritaserum Barty said that he’d been ‘rescued from his home’ … where his law-breaking father had been stashing him … by ‘the Dark Lord’. However he admitted the being looked nothing like he had before his ‘partial demise’. Barty ‘just knew it was him’ because ‘he knew things only the Dark Lord would know’. Barty had not been privy to the ritual that would be used … he’d only known he needed to get Harry Potter so his blood could be used for the ritual.

Rufus scowled … that was more telling – that this wizard had wanted to use Potter in the ritual, but anyone who was pretending to be Voldemort would also want to have destroyed Harry Potter – and to do so in a ritual would be doubly intimidating for the wizarding world.

Rufus shook his head. As far as he was concerned the fact that Harry Potter had survived the duel between he and this new ‘Dark Lord’ meant that it was not really Voldemort. Powerful as Potter might be … he could not have taken on Voldemort – even a newly resurrected Voldemort. It was just not possible.

A wild-eyed Auror raced up to Rufus just then.

"We found Barty Crouch Senior, sir!" He panted out. "He’s dead …"

Rufus sighed. Well, at least there was no one left to object when Barty Jr ‘died’.

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Pious Thicknesse – now the head of the Ministry Academy – read the Daily Prophet with interest. He could see through the open door to his receiving room - his personal assistant / secretary Dolores Umbridge was at her own desk reading the Prophet with a small, satisfied smirk.

Pious knew that Rufus and Dolores still conspired at times – or at least complained loudly to each other about the Malfoys and Snapes. Dolores likely was helping Rufus out.

Pious was fine with that, and having an assistant in the thick of this little skirmish – one that he could put a tracker and listening charm on – was advantageous. Pious had no personal grudges against Snape or his family … except for feeling a fine contempt for a houseful of half-bloods and possibly muggleborns. After all, who knew what breeding the littlest whelp had before she’d been adopted?

Malfoy, of course, Pious had always felt a bit jealous of. Abraxas had redoubled his fortune and become the Dark Lord’s right hand. Lucius had inherited all of that with little effort on his own part. Then Lucius had married into The Ancient and Noble House of Black … and had looked sulky at leap-frogging up the social ladder with the beautiful Narcissa Black on his arm.

Pious shook his head … even if Narcissa had turned into a hateful bitch with Death Eater ties, Lucius should have hung onto her – locked her in a tower, if he had needed to – but trading her for a muggle-born squib? Insanity, even if she was Harry Potter’s Aunt.

Pious supposed that if Lucius was sincere about making his image squeaky clean, this was perhaps the way to do it. Pious considered it very un-Slytherin … to give up such advantages just to ‘look good’ in the eyes of the wizarding world. Simply throwing more money around or silencing Narcissa would have achieved the same goal.

Pious was watching this skirmish with interest. If Rufus managed to destroy Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape it would be of help to Pious … and Pious’ own ambitions within the inner circle even now forming around Lord Voldemort.

Pious had managed to immediately ingratiate himself by showing up with his Uncle, who had been a death eater for decades. Pious had loudly excused Voldemort’s defeat on his resurrection only minutes before the battle having ‘tired’ the Dark Lord, and had speculated that this ‘Tom Riddle’ had taught Potter some form of arcane ‘dragon magic’.

Voldemort had relaxed a bit, to the other Death Eaters relief – though they had looked at him with a mix of suspicion, gratitude and a hint of jealousy. Voldemort was currently hiding out at a Black Manor – with Narcissa’s parents Cygnus and Druella. Narcissa had reached out to Blaise’s mother and they had been just waiting for this moment to finally happen.

Narcissa had offered the Black’s seaside resort in Cornwall where her parents had taken refuge after Cygnus had been released from Azkaban. Cygnus had been depressed and barmy after the five year stint with the dementors … with the Dark Lord moving in he was now raving and rather jubilant. Druella was a bit dismayed – mostly because her home was now Death Eater Central and she was well aware that their Gringotts vault was a bit lacking in funds – there was plenty for an older couple living quietly … there was not enough for assisting a Dark Lord in taking over the wizarding world.

Pious was aware of their financial tightrope – walking and had offered to assist with anything the ‘became too expensive’. Druella had been too relieved to be insulted, so Pious now had an ally among the Blacks.

Yes, Pious would soon be where he needed to be. In the meantime, Voldemort wanted to suppress any news of his resurrection … mostly because it would keep people from arming against him, but also to sow discord. The wizarding world would quickly break into factions squabbling over whether Voldemort was back or not.

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Fleur swept up the Tri-wizard Cup and was whisked away to the front of the maze, still clutching the smoldering Exploding Snap deck of cards in her hand. She’d won!

As agreed, while the reporters wrote briskly, she told how the three of them had worked together to get through the maze and then had decided the tournament with a game of cards.

"We are all just ‘appy to be alive … and we believe ‘arry when he says zat ‘He Who Must Not Be Named’ ‘as returned. We need to work together to win against ‘im as well." Fleur smiled widely at the slack – jawed reporters and left with her beaming Headmistress.

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Draco and Dudley clutched their portkeys and used them to go to Spinners End as soon as they left the gates of Hogwarts.

Tom, hand firmly on Harry’s shoulder, walked a bit further down the path toward the waiting carriages. Harry hissed "Aurors" after hearing a couple of ‘pops’.

Tom yelled for Hazelette and she crashed out of the nearby trees, happy to startle the scarlet – clad Roger Hopkirk and Claudius Smith. Tom and Harry climbed up on the cheerful Welsh Green and left to the applause of the rest of the school. As the dragon flipped her tail and roared as she flew out of sight, the other students glared at the Aurors, muttering loudly about ‘certain Aurors abusing their power’.

It had now been five days since the arrests … news coverage was not going well for Rufus. The Wizengamot had delivered an ultimatum, and he would soon have to produce Snape, Malfoy as well as Crouch Jr. He needed them all dead or too insane to testify.

At least he would have Potter … he was intending to get the boy on his side, willing or unwilling. With Snape out of the picture, threatening his now-blind ‘brother’ or Rosmerta and the ‘little sister’ would soon have a not – yet fifteen year old compliant.

Rufus heard footsteps and saw Hopkirk and Smith approaching … alone.

Dammit.

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