Chapter Fifteen

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The Prophecy of Four

The following two weeks passed in a blur. Ron and Hermione were spending more and more time together, doing `couple things'. Most nights they would sneak out of their common rooms and meet at Corvus Corax, where they would find a quiet corner to occupy themselves. Ginny was spending her days with Remus, as she didn't really get on well with anyone in her own House. Remus, she felt, understood her well. They had similar personalities, and while their relationship was entirely platonic, there was a lot of speculation around the school about how close they had become. Ginny had spent the last full moon with the werewolf, and found that her presence eased Remus' transformations as well as taming the wild beast he became. While it was never as fool proof as using the Wolfsbane potion, she managed to keep him under control to a certain extent.

The rest of the Marauders were spending all of their free time in the library researching their animagus forms. They knew from the time travellers that they would have to know everything they could about the animals they would become before they attempted the final transformation. Occasionally, they would take the time to organise a prank, usually on the Slytherins, much to Harry's annoyance. James and Sirius had also resumed their feud with Severus. Although the Gryffindors were always the ones to provoke the situation, Sev had now learned how to fight back, thanks to Harry's lessons.

Harry himself had been spending most of his time on work. In his free periods he would do his homework and do some extra reading from several books he brought from the library at Corvus Corax. In public, though, he only read up on Light magic topics. In the evenings, before dinner, he continued his studies of the Dark Arts. After dinner and before Sev came for his lessons, Harry continued with writing his book. He was currently working on a text describing many lost forms of the Dark Arts. Over the years since he had started this particular hobby, he had completed five books, all of which he intended to publish once he returned to his home time. It was the one thing he did in this time that he didn't share with Sev. Although he taught the younger boy wandless magic, an art which had been lost since the Middle Ages, as well as having given him the immunity necklace, he didn't teach any of the true ancient magics. Even ancient potions had been deemed off limits when he had discussed the issue with Hermione. In truth she didn't approve of his teaching the Slytherin anything as advanced as what he had covered already, but there was nothing she could do about it. Harry was his own person, and while he respected her opinion, he would not be swayed once he had made up his mind about something.

In the evenings, Harry continued with the lessons he had been giving Sev. The younger Slytherin was becoming quite adept at acting, a skill which would be most useful when lying to the Dark Lord. Harry had even disguised himself as Voldemort a few times for his friend to practice on, although every night after he did it he dreamed of what his arch nemesis was doing. It seemed that by the next day the link had closed itself fully, but for the first few hours he could see and hear a lot of interesting things. As well as teaching Sev to spy, Harry had also carried on with his other lessons. Sev was competent in his weapons training, and was very good at wandless magic, having reached a level close to Harry's. He still needed a wand for more complex spells, such as a Patronus, but anything covered in his year he found easy. Although he knew how to do things wandlessly, he did as instructed by his mentor and continued to use his wand in public. Harry had told him more than once that his new ability would be an advantage in battle, but only if the enemy didn't know about it. Sev had also been taught a lot of potions, and showed his passion for the subject on several occasions. With Harry's help, he was far beyond even seventh year level in his chosen field, and was quite proud of his skills. The one thing Sev had yet to master was the animagus transformation. As there was not much information to be found on velociraptors, he had to make do with what was available. He was having the same difficulties Harry had experienced when he first found out his form didn't exist. An extinct creature wasn't exactly the most convenient to have.

On the evening of the 18th February, Harry experienced a particularly disturbing dream. He had spent a good part of the evening as Voldemort, playing word games with his apprentice, trying to back the young spy into corners. Much to his relief, Sev was good at answering awkward questions without getting trapped in a lie. As he had been using the link for several hours, Harry's connection with the Dark Lord was wide open when he went to bed that night. The thing that made this one disturbing, though, was not the fact that there was a lot of bloodshed and violence, but rather that the person involved was someone Harry knew rather well…

As soon as Harry closed his eyes, he found himself in familiar study, with the same furniture as always, and the familiar figure bending over tomes and parchment. After a few minutes of the same scene, Harry started to wander around the room, finally settling for reading over the Dark Lord's shoulder. This turned out to be a bad idea when Voldemort suddenly pushed his chair back and through Harry, before standing and leaving the room. Once Harry recovered from the shock of having a chair in him, he quickly raced out of the door and followed the stalking figure through an endless network of stone tunnels. After what seemed like forever, the pair ended up in a large throne room, the walls lined with various torture devices and shackles. Several Death Eaters stood off to one side, their whispering trailing off at the entrance of their master. As Voldemort took his seat on his throne, one of them stepped forward.

“ What is it, Snape?”

“ We have the girl. She was hard to get, as she is an Order of the Phoenix member, but we got to her in the end.”

“ Very good, Satanus. Bring her in.”

“ Yes, my Lord.”

Harry looked at the retreating figure of Satanus Snape in puzzlement. What girl? How did they know she was an Order member? How did they get her? Why her? These were just some of the questions swirling through his mind as Voldemort started drumming his fingers in the arms of his throne in impatience. After a few minutes, Satanus and Caligula Malfoy came back into the room, dragging an unconscious woman. Harry's heart sank as he realised who it was. He did indeed know her, which made him feel all the worse. As the young woman was dumped in front of the Dark Lord, the two Death Eaters melted back into the shadows, leaving their captive in their master's capable hands. Harry flinched in anticipation when his enemy drew his wand and pointed it at the prisoner.

Slowly, she stirred, eventually sitting up and looking around in confusion. When her eyes landed on the creature before her, she paled significantly and started to shake in fear. Voldemort simply smirked at her.

“ Hello, my dear. I suppose you're wondering why you're here.”

“ Well, let me tell you a story. Thirty years ago, when my old mentor Grindelwald was in power, he had two main opponents. One, as you surely know, was that Muggle loving old fool Albus Dumbledore. The other was but a child. A powerful child, yes, but a child none the less. Now, on the day of Grindelwald's defeat, this particular boy dared to challenge me, and through a stroke of luck, he won. Now, this boy disappeared soon afterwards, but I never forgot about him. The day my mentor fell, I vowed I would have revenge on the one who managed to defeat me. I searched for years, but to no avail. He was gone. Vanished. No more. I never solved the mystery. Now, at the battle at St Mungo's, I felt something I hadn't felt for years. Not since the little pest went missing. The brat has surfaced again, and this time I will have my vengeance. Do you know why I have told you this?”

“ You are my only link to him.”

“ His name was Harry. Harry Evans.”

Heather Evans gasped. This was not what she had been expecting, but she simply looked back at the Dark Lord in confusion.

“ W-what makes you think I would have anything t-to do with him?”

“ Because you and your sister are the only Evans' with magical blood. You must in some way be related.”

“ But my family are all Muggles…”

“ I doubt that. He was an Evans, and so are you. Now, tell me where he is.”

“ I-I don't know!”

“ Not good enough. Crucio!”

Harry turned away as his aunt was tortured, silent tears coursing down his face. He looked back only once the curse was lifted.

“ Tell me, little Mudblood, where can I find Harry Evans?”

“ I don't know who you're talking about!”

“ You do. Crucio!”

“ I don't believe you.”

Lifting the curse after several minutes, Voldemort gave her an assessing look before snapping his fingers. Seconds later, Satanus was at his side.

“ I much prefer to torture information out of my victims, but I am losing patience with this one. Bring me the Veritaserum.”

“ Yes, my Lord.”

A few moments later, Satanus returned with a vial of the familiar clear potion. Harry watched as he poured some down Heather's throat and her eyes turned glassy. Voldemort smirked and started the questioning.

“ What is your name?”

“ Heather Marie Evans.”

“ Are you of any relation to Harry Evans.”

“ I may be, but I have no knowledge of the fact.”

Voldemort scowled. This was not the answer he wanted. He decided to try again.

“ Do you know the whereabouts of Harry Evans?”

“ Are you sure?”

Heather screamed as the curse hit her, and Harry flinched away. Guilt was starting to eat at him. This was all about him. It was his fault she was being tortured.

“ Caligula! Administer the counter potion. I want her lucid when I dole out her punishment.”

“ Yes, my Lord.”

Once the counter potion had taken effect, the poor woman looked up into the red eyes in defiance, looking as brave as she could, despite Voldemort's angry glare.

“ You may not know where I can find him, but you will still serve a purpose. If I can't hurt him directly, then I'll do it indirectly. I wonder what the Dark Avenger, Hope for the Light will say when his own relative is one of my Death Eaters. I can even have my very own spy in Dumbledore's ranks!”

“ I WILL NEVER JOIN YOU!”

“ Who said you had a choice in the matter? Imperio!”

Harry watched in despair as Heather's eyes glazed over and she moved towards Voldemort, lifting out her left arm. With a smirk of triumph, the Dark Lord pointed his wand at the revealed flesh.

Harry woke up with a start, letting out a hiss of pain as his scar throbbed. As soon as his vision cleared and the pain subsided, he leapt out of bed and threw on a dark green robe before running out of the door. As he headed for Dumbledore's office, he sent out a call for all of the Order Council, the leaders of the Order, to meet as soon as possible. He met Dumbledore at the gargoyle, and created a door to his room without waiting. The headmaster gave him a curious look before heading through the door and starting a fire. While the professor was busy, Harry held open the door and was frantically sending mental messages to anyone at Hogwarts who had been called, including the teachers, the time travellers and Severus.

~All Order members, meet at the entrance to the headmaster's office to access the floo network~

Within minutes some of the teachers started to arrive, each one sending him a questioning look before running into the room and flooing to Corvus Corax. When Sev came pelting down the corridor with Ron, Hermione and Ginny hot on his heels, he started to slow when he saw his friend in the doorway.

“ Harry,” he panted, “ What's going on? Who called the meeting?”

“ I did. I'll explain when we get there.”

The five, being the last to arrive, went through the door, letting it close behind them. As soon as they reached Corvus Corax, Harry could see that the rest of the council was already there, Dumbledore trying to calm them down. The room fell into silence when Harry sent up blue sparks, and everyone took their seats, watching the seventeen year old intently. With a sigh, Harry addressed the Order.

“ I'm sorry to call you all at three in the morning, but I assure you, it's important. Voldemort has captured Heather Evans.”

As soon as he said it, Harry felt a wave of guilt flow over him. It wasn't helped by the astonished gasps of the other Order members. Looking around, he could see the horror and sadness on everyone's face. Heather was well liked, and something like this was not taken lightly. Harry gave everyone a minute or two to absorb the news before continuing.

“ I'm sorry to tell you, but it gets worse. She was captured and tortured for information, before being given veritaserum to ensure she was telling the truth. I am proud to say that she did not give anything away under torture, and the only time she gave answers was under the truth potion. The secrecy spell prevented her from giving away any Order secrets, but I must warn you all. Voldemort has placed her under the Imperius curse, and has marked her as a Death Eater.”

This news startled everyone so much, that they started to frantically whisper amongst themselves. Harry had to send up more sparks before he could get everyone's attention.

“ She refused to join him at first, hence the Imperius, but the fact remains that she is still marked. Voldemort intends to use her to spy on the Order. As you will notice, she is not here, despite the call I sent out. Domus Corvus Corax is warded against anyone who is a Death Eater, whether loyal or not. If someone bears the Dark Mark, they cannot enter the grounds. The one exception is Severus Snape, who I took into consideration when I created the wards. Anyone else to be marked, in this case it is Heather, cannot set foot within five miles of the castle. This is a security measure that may cause problems in this situation. Heather is not loyal to the Dark Lord. If it is discovered that she cannot come to meetings, and therefore cannot gather information, then she might be seen as expendable and killed. I'm sure none of you would like that. I therefore have an idea that will keep Heather alive long enough for us to capture her, as well as secure Severus' position in the Death Eaters.”

“ What do you suggest, Harry?” Dumbledore asked.

“ I suggest we give her information outside of meetings. As Voldemort doesn't know how we operate, due to the secrecy spell, he doesn't know that we have meetings. We could have several people feeding her false information, laced with enough truth for it to be believable, which she will then report to Voldemort. If we tell Sev to pass on the same things, he will trust him more, as his information will correspond with what his `spy' is telling him. Therefore, when we manage to free Heather, Sev will be highly trusted and will be able to pass on more to us.”

“ And you're sure this will work?”

“ I am, Professor Dumbledore. It's the only logical solution for the time being.”

“ Very well, then. Thank you for passing that on, Harry, I'm sure we can do a lot with it. Order dismissed.”

When Harry got back to his room at Hogwarts, he flopped down in an armchair in front of the fire. As expected, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Dumbledore joined him, the headmaster conjuring up tea and scones and placing them on a table in front of them. After a few minutes, Harry couldn't bear the silence any more and thought it best to get the conversation over with.

“ He took her because of me.”

“ What do you mean, Harry?” Ginny asked him.

“ He told her he had a grudge going back thirty years. A grudge against a certain Harry Evans. He assumed we were related and that she might be able to tell him where I was. He apparently looked for me after I defeated him in 1944, but gave up after a few years. When he felt his Dark Mark burn at the battle, he knew I was back. He's after me again, and he thought he could get to me through Heather. He said, before he put the Imperius on her, that if he couldn't hurt me physically, he would hurt me mentally, by getting to my family.”

“ And it's working, isn't it Harry?”

“ Yes, it is `Mione. If I had made different choices, such as using a different alias in the past, I could have prevented this.”

“ But you weren't to know,” Ron interjected, “ How were you to know that this would happen? You weren't! You cannot be judged, or judge yourself, for things that were done with the best of intentions!”

“ I chose to torment him! I chose to put the Dark Mark on him and snap his wand! If I had simply stunned him and left him, this may never have happened!”

“ Harry, you're wrong,” Dumbledore said, “ If you hadn't have tormented him, I agree that he may not have been as angry, but he would still have sought vengeance. If you had not put the Dark Mark on him, it could have had dire consequences. At the Battle for St Mungo's, I would have eventually lost the duel if he hadn't been distracted. It is also letting you see some of his plans, which are useful for the Order.”

“ And you have to remember, Harry, that if you hadn't snapped his wand, he would never have gotten the one he used at the Triwizard Tournament. Priori Incantatem wouldn't have happened, and you could have been killed. The Dark Mark may have been what saved you as a baby, as well.”

“ Hermione's right, Harry,” Ron continued, “ You being a parselmouth was a result of that spell backfiring. If you couldn't speak parseltongue, Ginny would have died in the Chamber of Secrets. You would also never have gotten Simbi and Nirah, and been able to read the power draining spell. Salazar Slytherin would have killed Lord Gryffindor!”

“ Don't punish yourself, Harry. Your friends are right. The decisions you have made have consequences which are entangled in time in a more complex fashion than those of others. This time, the consequence was bad. However, if you had done something different, it would have unravelled the very fabric of time, causing an inordinate number of unsolvable paradoxes,” the headmaster explained.

Harry sat in silence, processing all that he had been told. Guilt rested heavily in his stomach, but knew deep down that they were right. Although he had been acting more like himself recently, despite his bout of self pity, he was still dangerously depressed. He knew, though, that he had to put on a brave face if he was to eventually defeat Voldemort. Remus' words in the hospital had helped, allowing him to acknowledge the fact that he was depressed, and needed to get out of it. It allowed him to get on with his life, while hiding his problems from his friends. He had quietly been working through his issues by himself, and this new piece of information had been a major setback. He knew, deep down, that one more blow could shove him back under, and that thought frightened him more than anything.

The following night, after an extended lesson with Sev, Harry fell into bed knowing he would dream of Voldemort again. He had taken up his role as the Dark Lord for his friend to practice on, opening the link wide enough for him to have a vision. He wasn't looking forward to it, but from previous visions knew that Voldemort was close to finishing his translation of the prophecy. Harry had even begun studying the ancient Egyptian language in the hope that he could make a more accurate translation of it. The Dark Lord had been relying on literal translations, as he had no knowledge of the language itself. It was therefore likely that his interpretation would be sketchy at best. He couldn't understand why his nemesis didn't just use the translation spell he and his friends had used when they first met the founders. He figured that it was such a simple, and Light, spell that it simply hadn't occurred to the Dark wizard to use it.

As Harry closed his eyes and drifted off, he found himself in the study at Voldemort's headquarters. Much to his relief, the Dark Lord was doing little more than sitting in front of his desk reading over a tome full of interpretations of different hieroglyphic symbols. Harry took this opportunity to sneak a look at the scattered pieces of parchment lying on the desk, and gasped when he saw one with what must have been the translation so far. As he read over it, he muttered it to himself, trying to commit it to memory.

“ Line of the Basilisk and line of the Lion,

Forever locked in mortal toil,

Shall meet before the end of each millennium,

In a battle to the death,

The final fight shall come,

Ten thousand years from this day,

Where the Lion and the Snake will fight to the end,

The Snake, backed by darkness, shall fall to the Lion,

The Light will prevail,

The Healer, the Seer, the Lion and the Wise One,

The hope for all, the power of all, chosen by fate,

To serve the Light for all eternity.”