The Veiled Vestiges

Disclaimer – This is a work of purely speculative fiction. It is not intended to infringe on any rights by and of the companies and/or individuals involved in the production of any series mentioned here. The characters involved are the intellectual property of their respective authors/creators except for the ones that are listed as an OC, which are mine.

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Chapter 11

Of Choices and Prophets part-1

Shocked. Horrified. Outraged. Disgusted. She cycled between these emotions throughout the impromptu debriefing that her unexpected guest had taken upon himself to give her. And even then, these words couldn't quite capture the revulsion she felt as she heard Sirius methodically dismantle the cock n' bull story that the minister's office had weaved with whatever proof he had gathered already. Despite her inner turmoil, she was not completely unaware of his peaked intrigue and interest in Hogwarts' vaunted Headmaster ever since she had let slip that he was the one who had derailed her questioning and given her the political equivalent of 'shut it or lose it' spiel and or threat when she had attempted to continue her efforts but had ignored it for the time being.

The thing that had simultaneously raised her hatred and made her want to drown in her sorrow was that her suspicions about Robards' subterfuge seemed to have been on the mark if she were to believe the wizard in front of her, and she was getting increasingly convinced that he was telling the truth. To even imagine that she had let herself believe that the monsters who were responsible for the gruesome death of her brother had been given their just dues without even demanding any sort of proof had been a harsh truth to realise. One that had forced her to look at her recent actions with much the same revulsion aimed at herself as she was feeling after hearing the actions of the esteemed Minister. It was clear to her now that her complacency regarding her office and her stance, in general, had done nothing but increased her grief over the years.

She shook herself mentally to let go of the tangential thoughts of self-loathing and focused once more on the words that were spilling from Sirius' mouth giving her the much-needed information she had been unable to get by her usual channels. "...that's about all we have figured out yet. There is more, oh so much more, we know," he shook his head, "but what it is and the scope of what they are hoping to achieve with all this is still unclear to us." Sirius sighed resignedly.

Even with the emotional turmoil, she was going through, Amelia did not miss the connotations which spoke of the involvement of others in this little coup. She didn't even attempt to gather her running emotions having already breached the point of no return having bawled her eyes out in front of him. "Who are you working with Sirius?" she asked looking at him with her piercing gaze, wondering if she was pulling away from one ditch and falling into another. She did not know who the others were, but if they had the reach to, the inner workings of the minister's office then there was no telling how dangerous this little coalition could get.

Sirius looked at her gravely. His expression hadn't changed ever since he had begun his little debriefing session. An expression, she decided, she preferred over the ever dopey looking smirk he adorned usually. "I cannot tell you their names, Amelia." He motioned with his hands to stop her from interrupting. "Whether or not I trust my spells to hold is not the matter here. I have come to realise that the risks others have taken to protect their identities are extreme. You know as well as I do that the moment they are known, their lives, lives of their families will be threatened by the very people who were tasked with their protection. Hell, even I do not know anyone else in this soiree apart from the one person who saved me from a nasty end when they brought me out of Azkaban. So, no I cannot tell you who they are Amelia even if I wanted to."

She openly scowled at him letting him know of her displeasure at the thought of going somewhere with him without knowing who she would be meeting especially now when he had just explained to her how thoroughly she had been fooled by the very people she had been working with, no matter how thin that connection may have been. "You expect me to go with you, to what? Meet your benefactors? Then what? I may have been fooled once, Sirius, but I will not repeat that mistake again. I..." she stopped in the middle of her rant as Sirius stiffened a little and then relaxed, a lopsided smirk crept upon his face almost on its own.

"You were saying, Amelia?" he prompted.

"What was that?" she asked mildly alarmed that something had changed in body language that had caused some tension to leave his body.

Sirius showed a smile that was all teeth. "That...was a confirmation of your present, Madam Bones. But by all means, let's continue those most illuminating threats, I was honestly enjoying being able to inspire such paranoia in someone. I've never been able to do that before."

Amelia growled deep in her throat and glared at him half-heartedly. "And I can't bring a detail with me?" she asked hoping he would have changed his mind after hearing her side of things.

Sirius' eyes hardened back again. "Not if you wish to see them knocked out, their memories modified and sent back home packed with a nasty headache and most disturbing memories to go along with that." He shook his head a little. "My... benefactor, as you called him, he's not the most trusting sort you see... actually on second thought, I imagine you two would get along rather splendidly," he finished with a small twitch of his lips giving away his amusement.

She stayed silent as she eyed him speculatively for more than a few minutes and contemplated whether she should take a chance so soon after having been deceived by those she thought posed her no harm. It really was a no brainer at the moment. She didn't know anything apart from the fact that the minister had befuddled the masses with his latest stunt. What she needed now was information. Information that only Sirius could give her, well... him or his apparently paranoid benefactor. After a while, she sighed and decided to give the man some benefit of the doubt seeing as he had been the one to open her eyes to the truth. "Alright. I'll come with. But just a sign, just a one that you are deceiving me and you wouldn't have to worry about wooing your latest conquests anymore," she threatened with steel in her eyes.

Sirius was all smile at that. "Oh don't you worry about my conquests, dear lady. I think after you see what or rather who we have collected, you'd most likely change your tune."

She sighed, pushing down the uneasy feeling that she was suddenly feeling as she thought about what she would see when she got there. 'I suppose dinner plans with little Sussan would have to wait.'

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It was time. Everything was prepared for the final ritual. The others had been informed of the resurgence that would soon bring back their one chance at dealing with the nuisance that had dared to disrupt their mistress' weave. Great mother herself had given her blessings just last night when she had graced her dreams with her presence. It was time to let the heathen know that when you went against the great laid plans of their mother, you deserved nothing but the cruellest end you could imagine. And she had, painstakingly, made certain that the bastard would drown in his own blood by the hands of one he had come back to protect.

It had been difficult in the extreme to gain access to where the vessel spent most of her time. The mundanes were surprisingly difficult to befuddle even with the gifts great mother had blessed her with. She had had to resort to some other, more intrusive, methods to make sure that she was placed at a position where she could mould the vessel to what the great mother had decreed.

It had taken weeks, just to get the vessel to trust her. Apparently, her life hadn't been as good as it should have been for someone like her and thus the vessel had been cautious and had questioned her every step of the way even for her age. But it all had been worth it. She had been able to mark the vessel with great mother's insignia which would bind the vessel to her mistress' will. She had felt the connection snap into place the moment she had carved the last contour from the knife on the vessel's skin. It was only a matter of time now. Tonight in fact. Tonight, it would all turn back to the way it was supposed to be. It was risky, yes, but it was also the most gainful plot that she could devise given the warning from great mother that she would not be able to help her or the others apart from filling the vessel with its previous strength and even that was skirting very close to the edges of what she was allowed to do on mortal plain by intervening directly. And then there was the time constraint. The more time passed, the more things would deviate to favour the heathen. It could not be allowed to happen.

Yes, she was ready. The heathen would rue the day he had challenged the great mother's might. Tonight…it would all come to head.

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The first rays of the sun were just coming up on the horizon when he had reached to cottage safe-house with a thoroughly drugged and chained werewolf in tow. The sleeping potion with silver essence had done exactly what he had hoped it would and had kept Greyback as heavily sedated as a werewolf could be. That and the receding eclipse had made sure that when he offered the savage to Amelia, he would not be able to lift a finger much less do anything else to show his displeasure at being chained like the animal he was.

Presently he was sipping his first cup of tea of the morning as he contemplated on other plans that he had in motion. The suddenness of everything had taken its toll on every little thing he had planned. The shenanigans of the meddler, Sirius' rescue and now this. He was not exactly happy with how quickly he had had to move to capture Greyback to enlist Amelia to his cause when the three packs that answered to him in the isles could wreak havoc in his absence. While he was certain that not every weré in the packs would be as bloodthirsty as Greyback, he knew of many who were and had the inclination to follow into their leader's examples.

The consequences of removing 'the feral wolf of Leighpas' could be catastrophic to the already shaky werewolf-wizard relationship. The bigoted idiots in Wizengamot were already vying for a single chance to propel their anti-werewolf propaganda in the house. And if a single incident was registered that spoke of werewolf involvement, well…the only result would be the complete eradication of werewolves from the isles and a blood bath on the scale that hadn't been seen since the end of the First Wizarding War with Voldemort.

Harry shook those thoughts from his head and put his cup back on the table to take a moment to grasp at the wards of the cottage, checking his handy work. The wards he had designed had griped the stone quite firmly for how short while ago he had carved them. They responded to his askance and flared for a moment before settling down. If there was one thing he was sure of at this moment, it was this place. It truly was a safe house in every sense of the word. The wards he had put in place were brilliant in their complexity as well as being as tightly bound to his will as they could be. Just short of a Fidelius, it was the perfect spot for a command centre.

The world outside had forgotten House Kent for many decades. It had worked well for him these past weeks. Even though it had been a decision he had made simply because of its necessity, it had already paid dividends. It had provided him with a place that was well within the Ministry's trace net, but with no one having any indication nor the idea to search for him here (even if the searching parties were few and those who knew it was him were none still) it was a moot point. The cottage house had also given him a temporary stage for some of his seedier operations. He doubted that he could have found a place to interrogate Manair and Greyback much less one to keep them If he didn't have access to Kent's Cottage and the wards he had installed in it.

'I doubt Greyback would have lost touch with the death munchers after the fall of their master. It is likely that he had more than one way to stay in contact with them in case he got into trouble that he couldn't handle alone. And I can't force Amelia to see things my way if she doesn't already. Though I doubt it, but if she decided to put her faith in the 'Mot one more time just because of a nonsensical thing such as morality for a murderer, I'd have no recourse but to erase her memories. Especially the things she might have discovered on her own after she had her little talk with Sirius.

'While Sirius isn't all that bad at dissembling, she isn't the Director of DMLE for shits and giggles. She was a sharp enough witch to get the job and no matter her complacency, she'd been able to stick to it without much trouble coming her way. And as it is I'm not sure I'd be able to do a good enough job considering I do not wish her any harm. Despite my proficiency with the mind arts, the branch is more of an art form than a discipline. Her psyche would undoubtedly be strong enough to make her realise the changes I would have to do within.' Harry groused.

He shook his head ridding himself of the what-ifs. He would have to play it by the ear in this case. He already had done everything he could to get her to side with him. Everything else would just depend on her. As it was, his guests were sleeping off their beatdown downstairs having no idea as to how soon their judgement would be upon them.

Harry stiffened slightly as the fake galleon in his pocket vibrated and grew hot all of a sudden. It was the signal he and Sirius had decided for when he was ready to bring Amelia with him back to the cottage.'Well…moment of truth I suppose.' He stood up from his seat on the couch and strode towards the basement.

He had some preparations to make before Sirius brought his guest to their little soiree.

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Amelia saw Sirius bring out a galleon from his pocket and tap it with his wand as she collected her robes from her chair. If she hadn't been in her current line of work, she would have disregarded the action as trivial considering people did use many such methods to keep track of the gold in their pocket, but as it was, she quirked an eyebrow at him in a way that posed her query quite clearly.

Sirius simply chuckled at her expression. "Nothing really. Just letting our host know that we are on our way. I hadn't realised that it would take us the whole night to discuss things at length but I suppose its better this way. He would have had plenty of time to arrange things to your liking."

Amelia merely grunted in response ignoring the similarity of the action with that of her Auror's badges. She was getting really annoyed with his subtle wordplay whenever the topic of her supposed present came up. She just knew it would bring nothing but more trouble to her already troubled life.

Sirius cast a disillusionment charm on himself and it was early in the morning when he and Amelia left the ministry from the lesser-used 'Feletone Booth' entrance. Once outside, Sirius grabbed hold of her arm and when he saw her nod at where she thought he was, activated the portkey Harold had given him with a whispered, 'Portus Clavis.'

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Harry saw them arrive in the usual swirl of the incoming portkey as they walked few feet above the air to settle their momentum from the ride. Though he had seen her before this, he was still a little impressed with the way she held herself as she landed on her feet. Her wand was in her hand in a second and holding it by her side, ready to strike at the first sign of trouble. Her rigid stance and steely eyes were clear for him to see even if she couldn't see him.

He had mapped their portkey to the small space just outside the basement that he had enlarged just recently. He had also employed the same method of concealment on himself when he had brought Stubby Boardman for questioning. While he was sure he would have to meet her in the near future, he had no doubt in his mind that if he showed up in front of her looking like a six-year-old and wielding magic with ease, she would have questions that he would have to answer considering it was him who needed her aid in his plans.

And it was this reason that he was hiding within the shadows of inky black smoke in one corner which he had already warded with the runic equivalent of a disillusionment charm with a light bending spell on himself that worked similar to said charm.

It was sufficed to say, he was not taking any chances.

He knew she was capable enough to disrupt the magic of the temporary ward and was quick enough with her wand to do said disruption.

And now, if she did do such a thing, he would have just enough time to make his escape within the smoke without letting her confirm his presence or identity. He could have used the wards to ensure her obedience, but that would just piss her off and would make this get together a little bit hostile in nature. A situation that would do nothing but make her unreceptive to what he wished for her to know. He needed her as receptive as he could make her and if she did see him before he had given her sufficient proof of his capabilities, that would never happen.

Despite it all, he knew, things for him were never as simple as that. His plans had the tendency to go awry. It was almost a certainty after all these years. And after having dealt with the consequences of all the bad calls and schemes blowing up in his face he had developed a sort of sixth sense for these kinds of things. And thus, always prepared accordingly.

Come hell or high water, he would convince her to see his way.

Amelia eyed the place uneasily as she looked around for any sign of trouble. Just because she had placed her trust, no matter however little, in Sirius, did not mean that she would follow his lead blindly into a place she hadn't ever been before. "A little less showy for your tastes, Sirius, isn't it?" she asked fishing for some information regarding his connection to the place.

Sirius chuckled. "I assure you, Amelia, I have nothing to do with the decorations," he said eyeing the bare floor and ceiling with mock contempt. "But I am told it would do for what we have planned for today."

"And that would be?" she asked pointedly.

Harry decided to introduce himself before Sirius got bored with the postering and decided to revert to his usual jesting self. With a quick spell to disguise his voice, he replied, "Something that should have been done years ago, Madam Bones."

Amelia, startled at the sound of a disembodied voice, looked around suddenly and raised her wand to defend herself.

"That would not be necessary, Madam Bones. I assure you, you have not been brought here as a prisoner. In fact, you can leave anytime you wish. I have disabled the anti-portkey and apparition wards for your peace of mind. As you can tell, I'm sure," he added placatingly.

Amelia had, in fact, noticed the absence of the telltale signs of a small pressure on her core that spoke of the anti-apparition wards but the suddenness of another presence without her notice had startled her somewhat. She chided herself internally for losing her calm and took a breath to gather her bearings and lowered her wand. "And I suppose you would be the one I have to thank for the dispensation of information about our Minister's recent machinations."

Harry scoffed at that. "Hardly, Madam Bones. I simply gave you enough bread crumbs to follow. I am sure you would have gotten to the bottom of it yourself…eventually. What you should be thanking me for though, is saving you the trouble of getting your hands dirty while following the trail, as it were. And I am sure you can understand, our Minister had gotten sanguine enough to have you silenced if he thought you were getting too close to the truth."

She frowned. While it did seem that Fudge was getting bolder, she doubted that he had the guts to do what Sirius' mysterious benefactor was suggesting. Instead of contradicting him at the point though, she changed the topic altogether. "And the purpose of this clandestine visit was to what? Make certain that I knew your role in this? Have a chit you could call upon when you got into trouble?"

"I doubt I could call a 'chit' for the kind of troubles I do get into, Madam Bones. However, you are correct I did want to let you know of my involvement in the matter. Though not for the reasons you thought." he replied.

"Oh?" she raised her brows. "And I suppose it's these reasons that have you hiding your presence from me?" she asked.

He paused for quite a few seconds before replying, "Partly... You see, I have a healthy respect for your capabilities and given such I know when to keep my cards close to the vest." When he saw her about to form another question, he decided to derail her attempts at fishing for information regarding his identity by giving her something else to target. "In any case, I believe it's time we got to the reason for your visit." He waved his wand and the door to the basement proper swung away with nary a sound. "But before you go in there, I think there are some things, old and new, that you should be made aware of."

Amelia arched her brows and tensed a little looking at Sirius. He too had coiled himself a little as he stared at her grimly having possibly decerned what the disembodied voice was talking about.

Harry brought out a parchment from his pocket and continued as if he hadn't noticed the change in her. "…the body of the victim, age 28, a witch, found in advance stages of desecration (possibly with a dark curse) with distension of the whole body, protrusion of tongue, softening of the right eyeball, post mortem peeling of cuticles, marbling, Purging. The body was soiled with blood and semen. Scalp hairs were easily pluckable and the face was marred with cuts ranging from 5 to 15mm in depth. All examinations point to a sexual assault before she was killed with what the arithmancers have analysed to be the Killing Curse. The victim was identified as Sylvia Bones, Lady of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Bones."

Amelia resolutely glared at the spot she could hear his voice coming from as her knuckles turning white as she gripped her slightly singing and sparkling wand in hand. It would have taken a moment, just one to tear apart the ward that was hiding the voice which had dared to pick at her old wounds which such callousness, but she had weighed her options despite her overwhelming fury telling her to eradicate the holder of voice with extreme prejudice.

Sirius, on the other hand, scowled at where he knew Harold to be hiding. He had never agreed with him on this part of the plan. To him, it had seemed cruel and almost unnecessary for what they were here to do. Harold had, of course, disagreed which was clear by his almost clinal tone as he narrated the findings of the healers that had examined the remains of the deceased Lord Bones and his family.

"…the victim, male, age 30, a wizard, found with extreme blunt force trauma ranging from head to almost every other extremity. The head is found to have right periorbital contusion and subjunctive haemorrhage along with contusions on the right of the face and nose. Parietal subgaleal and temporalis muscle contusions, The torso is found to be intact with six broken ribs causing torn muscles and lungs. There are anterior and posterior chest wall and sternum contusions. Left and Right arms have been burned to some degree with magical fire and removed from the torso with every finger having been broken and torn off by simple cutting curses. The legs have been amputated at the knee while the region above is found to have traces of a curse that is responsible for the slow degradation of nerve endings, possibly Cruciatus? The cause of death is found to have been the Killing Curse. The victim was identified as Edgar Bones, Lord of Noble and Most Ancient House of Bones." Harry continued, taking care to look at where she was standing to avoid getting blindsided when she reached her limits. He had already sensed a subtle magical tendril that had attached to the only visible ward stone at his front.

It was cruel, he knew and he hated himself for having to do this to her in such a manner. But he needed her to remember what the monsters inside had done to her family. What they had wrought when they had assaulted her brother, his wife and their two children. These butchers did not deserve to have a trial in front of a bought and corrupt tribunal. They deserved the same pain that they had brought to their victims and their loved ones. They deserved to feel every single thing that their victims had felt when they had begged and pleaded for mercy. He wanted her to realise that the time for justice had long since passed.

It was time to avenge their fallen.

But even he knew that her patience would only go so far.

And the next words from his lips held the capacity to tear down that wall of patience to spill forth the righteous anger of a woman wronged.

Pushing aside his own guilt at having to do this and steeling his heart to crush his hesitation, he began. "…the victims, age 8 and 9, a witch and a wizard respectively, found…" he had to pause in between as the ward that was hiding him vanished in an instant as the feeler she had sent earlier did its job and she moved with the speed that surprised him for a moment. A wide cutter left her wand forcing him to dodge wildly to his left before he hastily uprighted himself. Before she could banish to black smoke he had conjured, he disapparated with an almost silent crack.

She heard the words that had haunted her dreams for as long as she could remember. She hadn't been present when her brother had been killed and only had the reports from various examiners to tell her what the beasts had done to her brother and his family. She had read those words day and night drowning herself in her sorrow and searching every waking minute for the bastards who were capable of such abominable actions before she had given up.

Hearing the same words again had alit a fury within her that she hadn't felt for quite some time. Every fibre of her being was screaming at her to tear apart the savages who had hurt her dear brother with such viciousness. But the only one she could bring that fury upon at the moment was the man who had had the audacity to reopen her still green wounds.

And so she had struck. She triggered the tendril she had sent to break the ward with a basic ward breaking spell and sent a powerful cutter to a breadth wider than usual. Her fury escalated when she heard no sounds of impact with her target as the black smoke spilt forth from the warded area, disrupting her vision.

Just as she banished the inky black smoke with a snarl, she heard it. The slight crack.

The bastard had apparated out before she could tear him limb from limb. Remembering that she had come here with his acquaintance, she turned around to see Sirius holding out his wand upwards in a surrender looking at her with a sympathetic and pleading expression.

Amelia had an emotional control of an experienced fighter. She could control herself in the heat of battle and well afterwards. Everyone had a breaking point though. She had one too... Her family. At this moment, when she had been so painfully and callously reminded of the viciousness of the attack that had taken her brother, her niece and nephew from her, she was not in a forgiving mood.

Aiming her wand at Sirius, just as she was about to intone her strongest bludgeoner, she felt a tremendous force push her down into the black granite floor. The oppressive might of the wards fell on her shoulders...hard. She snarled and flared her magic as much as she could to rid herself of the impact and felt the force increase tenfold in response. She saw Sirius move in front of her to help her get up but before he could, a jet of buttery yellow spell impacted his side and he seized up in an instant, toppling to the ground with his eyes wide open.

Before she could wonder whether it all had been an elaborate ploy to fool both her and Sirius, she heard another soft crack as the man apparated back into her field of vision. But instead of anger or gloating words which she was honestly expecting to hear from the maniacal bastard, she thought she heard a tinge of sadness mixed with the resoluteness that she often heard in her own voice when he spoke his whispered words.

"Your first mistake, Madam Bones, was to let your curiosity get ahead of your considerably good judgement. I told you that I had disabled the wards for you. It did not mean I could not turn them back on if I so wished or that I was bound by such limitations same as you." He said as he stepped towards her, clouded in a similar cloud of black smoke that she had banished just a while ago.

"It tells me that you have become rusty and complacent. I have had discussions with Sirius at length with what I think happened to you. We both have different views on the matter. They really don't matter now but they did help me realise how to deal with you."

She spat at his feet as he got near enough for her to feel the smoke touch her skin even if she couldn't actually move herself to see him as the wards continued to push her down. She grunted and forced herself to look at the side he was standing. "And now what? ...You'll finish what your fiendish friends couldn't all these years? …slay me as your master intended? …You best be quick about it then, 'cuz I assure you if I figure a way out of this before you have killed me…you will not be alive to warn your death eater friends that I am coming for them," she huffed, panting with the effort she had to spent for even speaking to the man.

Instead of arrayed words listing her foolish bravado or leering at her like she thought he would do seeing her degraded down like she was, she heard a strange sound erupt from his throat. It started with a chuckle, a sound that confused her as much as it filled her with a little dread. Moments later he was laughing deep bellied laughs that she couldn't quite understand the reason for. As far as she had interpreted him from her conversation with Sirius and with what little face to face they had just now, he didn't seem like someone who had gone off the deep end even if some of his actions did tilt the weight to that edge.

As sudden as this change had been, his next action brought forth the dread that had started creeping up in her nerves after being captured in a way that she was. A smokey black tendril came forward with an agility of a cat and plucked her wand from her surprised hands and she saw her one chance at getting away from the seemingly manic wizard disappearing within the velvety darkness.

The tremendous force that was keeping her down suddenly lifted itself, confusing her again when it suddenly returned with a vengeance pushing her completely down on the floor even as she saw Sirius struggling with his binds, trying and failing to help her get away from what she thought was her last stand. The dark obscuring smoke came near her with slow deliberate movement and as it enveloped her head within, she felt the warm breath of someone just above her ear whispering with what she would later realise to be a cold, controlled and a leashed fury that spoke of a pain she hadn't thought she could feel in a voice.

"You think I am of them? That I am one of those vile creatures who spill blood in the name of a farcical cause and a master who murdered his own kin?" His whispers grew harsher by every word that he spat in her ears. "You think I am capable of the carnage they had wrought as they burned the world and butchered every single person I cared about? That I could even compare with the savages and the heinous crimes they committed while serving their half-blood master who would rather see them grovelling at his feet and pilfering their legacy for his maniacal fetishes?" he hissed in her ears.

A second passed as she looked at the smoke with wide eyes and not a little fear feeling the oppressiveness of his magic fighting her own in a clash that happened when two magicals were flared their magic in as close proximity as they were. Though she was not aware of her observations at the moment, she would soon realise that this moment told her more about the man than any conversation ever could.

His magic was, surprisingly, not as dark oriented as she thought it would be. It gave a sensation of being tightly controlled, flowing beatifically like a raging river. The power behind his magic, while nothing to scoff at, was well within the parameters of what she had felt before. Any witch or wizard who had spent fighting the dark wizards as she had, had the capability to sense the aura of another magical when in a clash of wills as she was right now. It was simply a skill that came with the experience rather than something that could be taught. It told her many things…things that she would later review when in the safety of her home. But right now, at this moment, she knew none of it, knew nothing more than the fact that the man was churning with a fury that he was controlling with a will that was stronger than steel.

Just when she thought she would lose and it would her end, he hissed. "You know nothing!" and the pressure that had her driven her to the ground eased off and she felt herself being levitated off the floor. Just as she felt her feet touch the ground, the feeling of the oppressive wards went away apart from the small pressure on her core which told her that the anti-apparition wards had been reasserted as the inky black smoke receded to the corner it had been when she first came in.

Knowing that she had no way of escaping even if she wanted to, she gathered what strength she could to hold herself upright and looked at the now unbound and unsilenced form of Sirius who was glaring daggers at the receding form of his acquaintance. Before she could bring herself to say anything, Sirius exploded. "That was unnecessary, Harold! You didn't have to do this! I told you picking at her wounds would get you nothing but contempt from her! I told you! And now this…this…"

"If it bothers you so much, you can leave, Sirius," Harry interrupted in a cold uncaring tone. "You know where the door is."

"And leave her with you?" Sirius spat. "To what end? So you could torture her with her past as you please. You told me it would give her closure. You said it is the only way to get her to understand…to…" He shook his head looking at where he knew Harold was standing. "I am disappointed in you, Harold. What you did, what you are doing brings you dangerously close to becoming one of those you are so hell-bent on hunting!"

Amelia saw the exchange with as much curiosity as she could muster after being tossed about like a doll. With what little she knew of him, Sirius wasn't this good of an actor that he could fool her and act being this upset. It was clear to her that he had been surprised by the actions of this 'Harold' and had certainly not expected this turn of events.

Harry attempted to control his seething fury he had been feeling ever since Amelia had suggested his connection with those who had ravaged his world taking away everything he had ever held dear. It was difficult from him to hear such things from Amelia, but to hear Sirius say something similar had brought some feelings that he hadn't felt since so long ago. It took a while before he thought he could reply to either of them during which time he saw Amelia looking confusedly at Sirius as he avoided her gaze like a worried chihuahua.

The comparison did as much to bring him some much-needed calm as the reminder for the reason he had actually brought her here.

Amelia, looking at the worried expression on Sirius' face and having realised what Sirius had just let slip, asked something that was niggling the back of her head incessantly. "That I would understand what, Sirius? Closure from what?"

Sirius looked away not completely sure how to bring up the reason for her invitation after the debacle that the meeting had become.

Seeing his godfather fumble in his response, Harry answered instead. "Contrary to what Sirius and perhaps even you believe, I did not ask him to bring you here to reopen old wounds or to harm you as I inadvertently have done." The slightly softer tone and a sigh escaping his lips were the only signs of his regret at his behaviour. "There was a reason why I brought up those reports that seem to haunt you so much."

When he saw her stiffen again, he hurried to explain his reasons. "How many nights did you spent wide awake churning in the guilt that you could do nothing as those savages who butchered your family got away without being punished? How many days did you spend chasing shadows and the slightest hints of someone who could point you to those ravagers? I can promise you, Madam Bones, those days and nights cannot compare to how long I had wished to get my hands on those who took everything away from me." A sudden spike of her magic that clued him in that he had hit a nerve in her. "I am not saying this to demean your loss, Amelia. I can very well imagine the pain you must have gone through and probably still feel when you think of your brother. I too share your pain. And I am saying this because of that pain that even now, even today…I envy you."

Despite herself, despite her confusion at his statement, Amelia's eyes softened somewhat as she recognised the hurt that he couldn't quite hide in his tone. And she forced herself to listen to his explanation even after all that had happened between them just now. And it was fortunate that she did. Because the next words she heard changed everything for her.

"Edgar Bones, the previous Lord Bones was having dinner with his family at Bones Manor on the eve of Coll, when he felt the wards on the outer perimeter of the manor shatter with an exceptional force. Before he could relay the power back to the hearthstone, he felt the whole manor get waylayed by some external wards that had been erected just before the Manor's own wards had been broken into. To his astonishment, he found that he could neither apparate nor use any of his emergency portkeys that he had prepared for an occasion just as this.

"When he attempted to use the floo to get Lady Bones and their children away from what he now knew to be an attack on the manor, he found it blocked from access. Knowing that every precaution he had taken to assure himself of his and his family's safety had been compromised, he decided to do the only thing he could. He made his last stand.

"Hiding his wife and children in a room in the basement, he warded it with all his capability as the Master of the House, which with the wards down as they were, did not mean much when it came to those who would soon come knocking at his doors. Nevertheless, he prepared traps where he could and used the house-elves to make sure that nothing happened to his family even if he fell at the hands of the enemy.

"The force, however, was even larger than he had anticipated. His involvement with the Order of the phoenix, the vigilante group that worked as resistance, opposing the dark forces of Lord Voldemort, and his skills with the wand had been noticed by the enemy and they had come prepared. Even with twenty death eaters against him, Edger Bones slew two death eaters and held his own against the others for as long as he could before the overpowered him with sheer numbers. He was bound and beaten to an inch of his life, only kept alive to witness what happened to those who stood up against their master.

"The ravagers, in their search for his family, at last, noticed the warded basement and after eviscerating the little creatures who had dared to stand against them broke through, dragging Lady Bones and the children towards their fellows where they all enjoyed the spoils of war in front of the dying Lord," he relayed to her what he had obtained from the memories of the two prisoners he had stowed just behind the open doors.

She stood there. Listening. Hearing the detailed accounts of the incident that had changed her life. Silent tears dripped down her chin as she heard, at last, what had happened to her loving brother and his family in their last moments. She seethed openly as he finished and was just short of frothing at the mouth when he derailed her again with what he said next.

"And there were two among the force who actually killed your brother, those who ripped his body limb from limb and those who despoiled his family with their heinous actions in front of his eyes, those who did not even spare the children as they did the unthinkable. The ones Ifound so you could finally get what I couldn't and would never get to have."

He waved his wand and the chairs holding the unconscious forms of Macnair and Greyback became visible inside the room. Their arms were bereft of any cloth, the faded dark mark on their forearms clear for her to see.

"Revenge."

Amelia looked at his smokey form with her eyes wide open as every coherent thought left her being. She saw everything and yet nothing. She heard everything yet nothing. Every word he had spoken kept ringing in her ears as she realised what he had said.

Years that she had spent searching for them kept flashing before her eyes as did the years of frustration that she had buried deep down. And for once she felt her magic rise well above of what Harold had shown himself capable of.

"You will not live to see another day if this is a lie," she said as she turned to look at his form, her eyes carrying within them a raging inferno.

Harry simply waved his wand and levitated a small vial of clear liquid to her. "Find the truth for yourself then, Amelia. I will be waiting here when you do. What you do with them afterwards, well…that would decide where we go from there," he replied forming a small black tendril that carried her wand back to her.

With nary a word, she grabbed her wand and the vial stepped inside the room, locking it with a sound resembling a thunderclap.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Sirius watched Amelia grab her wand and the vial of what he knew to be Harold's last stock of Veritaserum as she strode towards the room which housed quite possibly Britain's two most prolific serial killers and sighed.

It was all coming to head. He hadn't really thought they'd be able to do it without resorting to the methods that Harold had suggested, but somehow, they had prevailed. He heaved another shaky breath and felt a breeze pass through the space near him. "You owe me ten galleons," he remarked knowing that Harold would hear him as he was standing right beside him.

Harry dispelled the disillusionment charm from himself and smirked at his godfather. "Well, you can certainly pull it off when you want to, Sirius. Gotta give you that. But I seem to remember that the bet involved her actually agreeing with us. She hadn't even decided yet," he replied.

Sirius rolled his eyes at that. "Oh please. You have given her what she had wanted for years on a silver platter with a nice pink bow attached at the top. There is no way she'd just arrest both of them when you went out of your way to remind her of what they had done to her brother. I still don't think it was a good idea though."

Harry sighed. "Yes. You made it clear enough when you were performing your bit there. I told you, she needed a push. And I needed to be the one to give it to her. She doesn't know me, even tangentially. She knows you. She has seen you side with her. She will share with you more than she would have ever shared with me. It couldn't be avoided. For the time being, I need her to be as confused about her feelings for me as I can possibly make her. And when she does break the mould she had settled herself in, well…I am certain, it will be a sight to behold, Sirius."

"She already is, Harold. She already is." Sirius spoke with something other than his usual lecherous sentiment.

"…"

"What?" Sirius asked dubiously.

Harry looked at Sirius was an amused expression as he imagined what his godfather might be feeling when it came to the delectable Madam Bones. "Nothing. Let's go upstairs. I have a feeling she might take a while."

A howl filled with agony rang in the air before it abruptly ended. Sirius had turned to object leaving Amelia alone with their two prisoners before he heard the sound. "Yeah. Lets," he replied instead.

Harry merely nodded and led the way. The meeting could not have gone any better than that.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"…afíste tin psychí na entachtheí s 'aftó to skáfos kathós i megáli mitéra dioikeí."

(let the soul join the vessel as the great mother commands)

"…afíste to skáfos na kratísei tin apelefthérosi tis alithinís dikaiosýnis tis megális mitéras."

(let the vessel hold the deliverance of great mother's true justice)

"…emeís oi profítes tou manteíou ton delfón dínoume ton eaftó tis se aftín…"

"…emeís oi profítes tou manteíou ton delfón dínoume ton eaftó tis se aftín…"

"…emeís oi profítes tou manteíou ton delfón dínoume ton eaftó tis se aftín…"

The chanting increased in tempo as six prophets standing inside the inner pentagram intoned the words of power spilling forth their life-blood into the carefully carved runes as the golden marks of Ankh on their forearms glowed it golden hue ominously. The others who stood on the outer ridges, stood silently, watching with bated breath, the rebirth of the vessel.

She looked at her chanting brothers and sisters, her blue eyes glittering with happiness as she held the sleeping form of the vessel in her arms. It had taken her hours to get the runes exactly as the great mother had shown her in her dreams and even more, to mark the vessel with her mistress' mark which had for some bizarre reason fought her until she had borrowed some of the power that great mother had blessed her with and dipped the carving knife in her own blood.

It was only a matter of seconds before the great mother opened the gates and poured the soul that would be their weapon against the heathen.

The chanting grew bolder and bolder in the background and she stood with the vessel in her arms. She knew instinctively that salvation was just a few moments away, that any moment now the heavenly doors would open bring forth the might of her mistress.

A piercing light burst forth from the ground as the pentagram carved into the floor flared bright golden. The six prophets standing above cried in pleasure as they felt, for the first time, the presence of the great mother in their midst. The euphoric feeling knew no bounds as their hearts soared new heights making them capable of achieving things they had thought to be unachievable. As suddenly as it had come, the feeling dissipated. A second passed and an instant later, all six prophets convulsed, their mouths open in a silent scream as the blood in their veins forcefully ejected into the runic array that had already tasted their essence, leaving their bodies a drying husk.

The bright golden glow dimmed to a shimmering silver and a white sphere of pure essence burst forth from within, hovering over the vessel even as it resisted the ritual in short jerky movements. The Ankh on the vessel's forearm surged awake and the resistance of the essence stopped abruptly as it descended into the centre of the vessel's chest.

For a moment everything stood still and she thought she had failed. The others looked on holding their breath as the vessel stopped all its movements. The rhythmic rise and fall of her chest that showed her to be among the living ceased. Two heartbeats later when she was just about to give up hope, the vessel started thrashing and kicking her legs every which way. She called upon her brothers and sisters to hold down her legs while she attempted to stop the vessel's hands from flailing.

With an abruptness, the thrashing stopped and she cleared pushed back her golden locks to see the face of the vessel. Vessel's brown hair that she had braided for the ceremony were flowing around her face having burst from their confinement. Her face was glowing as the body merged the essence with the soul and the rebirth reached its conclusion.

She traced the mark on the vessel's forearm idly as she waited for the process to finish. The great mother had warned her of the possible delay. Even with her mark inhibiting the natural defences of the essence, it was still remarkably stronger than many others. Just as she was about to ask one of her sisters to bring forth the chalice they had used in the ritual, the vessel's eyes opened on their own and she jubilated.

The brown eyes looked around in a mechanical fashion until they connected with her blue ones.

"Welcome Theïkóplo. We, the prophets of the great mother welcome you to the world of the living once more. Do you know what it is our mistress wishes you to do?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Yes," the vessel replied in a small conflicting voice.

Her small smile turned into a wide grin as she looked at the confused visage of the vessel. While the essence was strong, it could do nothing with her mistress' will inhibiting most of her thoughts. And when the brown eyes lifted to meet her own blues, she couldn't help but feel the satisfaction of a job well done.

'Ironic Justice indeed, mistress.'

-x-x-x-x-x-

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