For a few moments James wondered what Harry would do, trapped between letting Draco run and facing Snape with a wand. To his surprise Harry didn’t even hesitate to lower his wand.
“Accio raven!”
The bird croaked feebly when Snape turned his wand on it. Having struggled against Harry’s summoning, the second spell hit him before he could change directions and he flew helplessly into Snape’s outstretched hand.
James stared in disbelief as Harry walked quickly up to Snape, putting his wand in his pocket.
“I guess you were wrong,” Lily said, not being able to stop herself. James frowned at her, but still looked on in interest as Snape pulled out a small vial from his pocket, using his teeth to pull the vial open.
“Will it work?” Harry asked, receiving a snort as only reply.
“Hold his neck,” Snape then hissed out, still holding the cork between his teeth. Harry immediately obeyed.
Holding the struggling bird’s neck steady and his beak open Harry watched alongside James and Lily as Snape poured the liquid into his mouth.
“Why doesn’t he transform?” Lily asked. “They would never be able to hold on to him if he did.”
“It’s not as easy as that,” James answered her, as the door to the Great Hall started to shake, affected by some spell or another from within. “Transforming takes power and energy. It’s hard. And Draco was already tired before he transformed. He’s probably too strained to be able to transform now.” Lily nodded as she continued to watch the bird struggle in vain to keep from swallowing the liquid.
Another tremble was heard from the Great Hall and the doors burst open just as Snape started taking the time for the potion to work.
“Stay back, and send someone to contact the ministry,” Harry said quickly, casting only a glance at Professor Flitwick and Dean who were standing, wands in hand, with the students behind their backs. Nodding Dean left as Professor Flitwick held back the students who were straining their neck to see what was going on.
“It’s ready,” Snape said, putting the vial back in his pocket and withdrawing his wand. Without talking, Harry did the same thing. Only moments later a flash of blue-white light, coming from both Snape’s and Harry’s wands surrounded the raven, now suspended in mid air, twitching and shaking.
Lily and James watched almost as intently as the students still straining their necks in the Great Hall or Millie and Lily sitting on the stairs, clutching each other tightly. Slowly the raven began transforming back to the man it had been only a short while ago.
Harry broke off the spell before Snape did, holding his wand ready for confronting Draco if necessary. It proved wise. Once the transformation was done and Draco was standing before them he was holding his wand raised, much as he had done when he transformed, ready to strike.
He didn’t have the time to use it. Even before Snape’s wand left him Harry had raised his.
“Expelliarmus!” he shouted and Draco’s wand soared into his waiting hand. Fury and hate filled Draco’s eyes, but moments later ropes shot from Harry’s wand knocking him down on the floor.
Seeing Draco fall, both Lily and Millie shot up from their position on the stair, running down into their father’s arms. Millie reached him first and a tormented wail escaped the shape of Draco’s body as Harry closed his arms around her, rocking her gently as she cried into his shoulder.
“What on earth were the two of you doing disobeying me like that?” Harry asked sternly when Lily reached them, holding them both so tight it almost looked painful. “Didn’t you understand that I needed you to be safe?”
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” Lily said faintly. “But we couldn’t leave you. What if we wouldn’t have seen you again?” Sighing Harry stroked her tear-drenched cheek, before he once more clutched them tight in his arms.
The students were now spilling out into the Entrance Hall, staring, pointing and whispering about what was going on. In spite of the small number of students left at the school for the holiday, the Entrance Hall was soon crowded and Eddy and Jordan had to use their elbows to get through, both of them making sure to bring Sirius along with them.
“Are you alright?” Eddy and Jordan asked in unison, although turning to different girls. Lily who had buried her head in her sister’s hair looked up and nodded slightly, but Millie kept her head on Harry’s shoulder, her whole body still shaking. Sirius was the only one that didn’t speak. Without saying anything he reached out for Millie’s hand and gave it a squeeze, not letting go until Harry told him to.
“Jordan, Sirius,” he said looking at the boys. “Take Lily back to the common room, I will be there in a short while.” Nodding, both boys did as they were told, only casting a few curious glances at Draco lying on the floor, guarded by Snape, still holding his wand.
“If I see one student that does not belong here in half a minute I’m going to take twenty points from what ever house he or she belongs to!” Harry shouted over the murmur of the students, making them start and make a run for their respective common room. Surprised James looked at his son. He was not one to take points lightly, and twenty points were a lot to take. Still he could see his reasons. It wasn’t as if Millie needed any more attention than the one she had already gotten over the past months and people staring and pointing was not doing her any good at the moment.
“Should I go too, Uncle Harry?” Eddy asked him hesitantly, but Harry shook his head.
“No, I need you to wait over there,” he said nodding his head in the direction to the stairs. “I’m not going to be able to walk Millie back to the common room once your uncle Percy and the Aurors come.” Eddy nodded and walked over to the stairs to where Harry had pointed. Sitting down on the step he waited, looking anxiously in Harry’s and Millie’s direction.
“Millie, are you going to be alright,” Harry asked her softly, taking her face in his hands, drying her tears. Still holding on to him, Millie shook her head.
“No!” she said faintly. Stroking her hair Harry tried soothing her, telling her that he needed her to be strong just for a little while longer. That he would be there for her, that they all would, if she would just hold on for a short while more.
When they heard footsteps in the stairway, Harry looked up at Snape for the first time.
“Severus, the potion!” he said holding out his hand. Snape frowned but nevertheless removed the potion from his pocket and tossed it to Harry, who placed it in his own pocket and signalled to Millie to stay quiet.
Percy came down the stairs in the company of Professor McGonagall and three Aurors, of which James and Lily only recognised Kingsley. Dean followed shortly after, a bit of soot still lingering in his hair from using the floo-network. Taking in the scene in front of him Percy scowled and pushed his glasses up higher on the ridge of his nose.
“And what exactly has been happening here?” he asked with a very displeased look on his face.
“I’d say that was fairly obvious, Mr Weasley,” Snape snarled in response, his wand still pointing at the tied up Draco, lying on the floor his eyes fixed on Harry and Millie. Lily shivered. The look in those eyes was not a pleasant one, hatred and madness filling them to the brink. Somehow she doubted that anyone could spend ten years in Azkaban without losing some of their mind. It made her wonder how much of his mind Sirius had lost. He had after all, if she understood correctly, been a very heavily guarded prisoner.
“I was thinking about the details, Professor,” Percy answered. “Like how could Mr Malfoy enter Hogwarts ground unseen? How could he enter the school? What then happened to render him in this state?”
“I think the answer to your first two questions would be because you didn’t put any Aurors at Hogwarts,” Harry said sharply. Percy however pretended not to hear him.
“Well, Professor?” he said turning to Snape.
“Mr Malfoy is, or should I say was, an Animagus. A raven in fact,” Snape answered.
“Ridiculous!” Percy interrupted him. “We test all prisoners before they enter Azkaban. Malfoy is not an Animagus.”
“No, he is not. He was however,” Snape answered coldly. “We administered a potion to make sure he’d lose his ability to transform again.” Snape added. Percy didn’t look impressed.
“And what happened in between?” he asked simply.
“Does it matter? You have your prisoner, Mr Weasley. I’d thought you’d settle for that,” Snape answered tiredly. With a poignant look at Percy and his Aurors, Snape then put away his wand and turned to leave. “If you’ll need me I’ll be in my office,” he said while making his way across the Entrance Hall, his black robes billowing out behind him as he went.
“Well then,” Percy said, once again acting as if he hadn’t just been dismissed. “Carson, Brown, take him to the Dementors while I…”
“No!” Harry’s words surprised not only Percy, but James and Lily as well. Shocked they looked at him, still standing with his arms around Millie, who was now so stunned that she too was staring at him. “If you have waited this long, Percy, you can wait a bit longer. I need to speak with my daughter first.”
“Nonsense! There is absolutely no need to wait, and you are just stalling! No, I do believe I will take him now.” Percy answered beckoning two of the Aurors towards Draco.
“Mr Weasley!” Professor McGonagall said crisply. “I admit I do not fully understand, Professor Potter’s request, but seeing that he was the one to capture your prisoner, I do believe it would be very rude of you not to comply:” Percy snorted and scowled, but as Shacklebolt laid his hand on the arms of his fellow Aurors it became clear that neither would take Draco anywhere at the moment. Clenching his jaw in frustration, Percy gave Harry a piercing glare.
“Make it quick,” he snapped. “You have fifteen minutes.” Harry frowned. It didn’t take a genius to see that he thought the time too short. Still there was obviously nothing to be done about that. With a sigh Harry took Millie to the stairs where Eddy was still waiting, watching his girlfriend with concern. He wasn’t the only one watching. Draco still followed every move they made, a deep moan filling his throat as Harry pulled Millie tighter into his embrace. Trying to ignore his angry stare James and Lily pulled closer, wanting to hear what Harry had to say. Apparently they weren’t the only ones.
“Why didn’t you want them to take him away?” Millie asked as soon as they reached the stairs. Harry made no rush to answer her in spite of the little time they had.
“Because I need you to understand what is going to happen, and to make a decision,” Harry said calmly.
“What do you mean?” Millie asked, looking confused and scared.
“When someone escapes from Azkaban, they are punished with a Dementor’s kiss. That means that the moment Percy takes Draco out of here, he is going to lose his soul. Draco, such as he has been until now, will not exist anymore.” Harry watched his daughter. Waiting to see that the information sunk in, that she really understood.
“So?” she answered far colder in tone than James and Lily would have expected.
“Millie, he won’t be alive anymore! Not as he is today. He will be an empty shell, without any of his mind or personality left. There is nothing I can do to stop that,”
“Why would you?” Millie said still in the cold steel voice that didn’t sound like her at all. “If he doesn’t have a soul he cannot hurt us.”
“But you cannot talk to him either, Millie. You will after today never be able to ask why. You will never be able to ask him anything, about your childhood, about what he feels, not anything.” Looking at them, James and Lily could see how desperately Harry was trying to get through to Millie. He seemed worried. So were they. The girl sitting on the steps, staring straight ahead with cold eyes and a clenched jaw wasn’t the Millie they had gotten to know.
“There is nothing I want to ask him,” she said simply.
“Millie, you might regret this when you’re older;” Harry tried. But Millie just shook his head.
“I won’t!” she said as firm as ever. Frowning but still realising that she wouldn’t be changing her mind, Harry gave her a peck on the top of her head.
“Alright, I won’t force you,” he said soothingly. “How about you go back to Gryffindor tower with Eddy, and I’ll be there as soon as I can, ok?” Millie nodded and stood up. The stern expression only leaving her face momentarily when Harry stroked her hair. With her head on Eddy’s shoulder and his arms around hers, the two of them started to ascend the stairs. Harry however stayed behind, walking over to Percy and the Aurors, now prodding Draco up between them.
“Done?” Percy asked annoyed. Harry nodded. “And you will of course not bother to tell us what that was about?” Percy continued in the same haughty tone of voice. Harry looked at him.
“I would, but I doubt you’d understand it. You’ve never experienced putting someone else’s needs first after all,” Harry said with contempt. If Percy had looked hostile to his brother-in-law before, it was nothing against the expression he had now.
“Indulge me!” he spat. It was not a request. It was an order.
“I wanted to give Millie the possibility to talk to Draco, seeing that she will hardly be able to do so after today. She didn’t want to, but I still thought she ought to get the possibility,” Harry said simply. Percy snorted. Draco growled. Harry ignored them both.
Waving his hand dismissively to the Aurors signalling to them to take Draco away, Percy then demanded that Harry would give a full account of the events. With a sigh, Harry did as he was asked, answering every single one of Percy’s idiotic questions, but still withholding some information. He said nothing about the map. And he mentioned nothing about the Order meeting. Frowning in thought Lily wondered if Percy even knew about the Order. He didn’t seem to.
“And exactly how did you find out that your daughter and Miss Malfoy were in danger?” he asked. Clenching his fists Harry took a deep breath and pretended not to hear the insult that lay in the last part of that sentence. It was quite obvious that there were reasons for Percy to formulate the sentence in that manner.
“Peeves came and got me. Lily sent him,” he said so calmly that James and Lily both started at his ability to lie convincingly. His face didn’t reveal a trace of the lie.
“And the potion used?” Percy then asked. “It must be examined of course, so I will require you to hand it to me.”
“And since when would Snape trust me with one of his potions?” Harry asked simply, ignoring Percy’s stretched out hand and pretending not to have the potion in his pocket. “You will have to ask him for it. If there is anything left that is. It was a very small vial.” Percy stared at him for a while, before he decided the lie to be true and took off towards the dungeons and Snape’s office. Before heading after as he should Kingsley put his hand on Harry’s shoulder.
“Good job,” he said quietly making sure that Percy didn’t hear him. “And I suppose you’ll take the potion to Order headquarters.” Harry nodded and smiled before Kingsley took of after Percy.
“What if Snape tells him you have the vial?” asked Dean to James’s relief. He had been wondering the same thing.
“Snape knew why I wanted that vial,” Harry answered. “He may be many things, but stupid isn’t one of them.”
“So what do you suppose he’ll give Percy instead?”
“I don’t know, I don’t care and I hope it’s something that turns Percy’s hair purple as he comes in contract with it,” Harry said dully. “Unfortunately the latter would require a sense of humour from Snape’s part,” he finished. Dean sniggered. At the thought of Percy’s hair turning purple or Snape’s lack of humour James wasn’t sure. Harry however didn’t even smile. Instead he just turned to McGonagall.
“I’ll be taking my children home for the rest of the Easter break,” he informed her. “They need the rest.” McGonagall nodded. With a nod of his own Harry started to head up to the Gryffindor tower. He didn’t seem to have the urge to stay and wait for Percy’s return. James and Lily couldn’t blame him, only hope that Percy’s career wouldn’t survive his many mistakes. Right now, however, the children’s wellbeing had to come first.