Chapter Twenty-Six

“You look beautiful.” Albus manages to gulp as Peregrine settles herself across from him. She blushes deeply as she sets her books on the table, her hair turning pink before returning to blonde.

“Thank you” She says. She looks up at him, noticing that he seems particularly groomed tonight.

“Special occasion?” Albus shrugs and grabs his quill with a tremor in his hand. Peregrine reaches out and grabs his hand, stilling the shakes.

“What’s wrong Albus?” She asks gently. He gulps again and returns her hold, gripping her hand tightly in his. Was this how his dad felt when he first dated his mum?

“Peregrine, I’ve wanted to tell you something for a long while.” He starts. Peregrine’s eyes widen hopefully and her heart picks up. Was he going to say he loved her? Or ask her out? She preferred either.

“Peregrine, I—”

“Albus, Peregrine.” Lionel stumbles to a stop before them. Albus blows out an irritated breath and looks to his friend.

“Yeah?” Lionel smiles weakly as he notices what he interrupted.

“Sorry mate, but your dad and aunt have requested for us to meet them in the transfiguration classroom. Something to do with Savannah.”

“Tell me later?” Peregrine asks quietly as they gather their things. Albus bites his lip, his fleeting courage already long gone.

“I hope so.” She nods and walks ahead, hiding her disappointment. Lionel falls into step beside Albus.

“Tell her afterwards. We’ll lock you in the abandoned charms classroom.” Lionel promises. Albus groans.

“Please don’t.” Lionel nods unconvincingly.

“Sure, whatever you say.” They reach the classroom to find Rose and Scorpius already there. Harry, Hermione, Draco, and Ginny are there also. Along with Professor McGonagall and newly appointed Minister for Magic Ernie MacMillan. His wife was treating a bout of Pixie Cough among the second years and could not make it.

“Take a seat over there guys.” Harry asks them. There are a few chairs situated around a long table in the center of the room with a single chair in front of it. It faces away from the door. Another long table faces the other one, where the adults stand by.

“What’s going no mum? Dad?” Albus questions. Harry shakes his head, looking troubled. Albus takes Peregrine’s hand and sits next to her, situating himself by Scorpius while Lionel takes the seat by Peregrine. Rose moves to sit by him.

“Professor? You called for me?” If she was surprised, she did not show it as she closed the door behind her. Savannah took in everything with calm interest before looking at the seat in the middle of the room. “Am I under investigation or something?” She questions as she sits down. Ernie steps forward, hand extended.

“It’s good to meet you, Savannah. I’m Ernie MacMillan, the new Minister for Magic.” He greets her. She shakes his hand, smiling slightly.

“Congratulations on winning Minister.” He thanks her before stepping back and letting Draco come forward.

“Hello again, Mr. Malfoy.” Savannah says. Draco smiles slightly before taking a folder from his briefcase on the other table.

“I work for the Auror department, Savannah, did you know that?”

“Yes, Scorpius mentioned it. Why?”

“Well, a few weeks ago when Ernie was elected, I got orders to look into death eater attacks that occurred twelve years ago.” Savannah sharpens her gaze, her smile fading away.

“Whatever for?” Hermione moves forward.

“I was concerned, Savannah. Your mother, Penelope, went to school with us. She even dated Percy for a few years when they were at school.” She explains.

“That’s swell and all, but it didn’t appear that you all were close in the thirteen years that followed the war.”

“That’s true. You’re right, we weren’t very close. But we looked into it anyway, because we do happen to know you, Savannah, and we are concerned about your welfare.” Harry speaks up. Savannah nods.

“So what did you discover?” Draco shifts to get everyone’s attention and places the folder on the table, still closed.

“It appears that a team did investigate your summons, Savannah.” Savannah’s mouth opened in an ‘o’.

“That’s not possible. I remember, no one came. I got that reply!”

“It is probable that you repressed the memory. The team never noted that a child was at the scene, you were hidden somewhere possibly?” Savannah shook her head, her face hard. Draco opened the folder and placed a picture on the table.

“Are those your parents? Penelope and William Merlin?” Savannah slowly descends her head to look at it. She pushes it away and stands up.

“I’m not staying here for this.”

“Sit down, Miss Merlin. You must hear what we have to say.” Ernie orders. Savannah bites her lips and throws herself unhappily into the chair, purposely looking at the ceiling.

“We recovered two bodies from the house that had been in pristine condition except for the living room. These are the pictures taken at the time.” Draco lays them out before her. She forces herself to look, forces her lungs to expand and shrink normally. There was her old living room, blackened by fire, blood still running down the walls. The mantel where her baby pictures had sat was half off the wall, the pictures in a broken mess on the floor. The couch where she had curled up many a day feeling sick with her new powers running through her body. The armchair where her mother had rocked her to sleep. The table where her father had taught her a semblance of control over her magic, where she learned to read from her mother. They had eaten family dinners on that table and sang along to the radio while they made shadows on the wall with a flashlight.

They were all ruined. Tainted. With her parents blood, with the fire that had destroyed the last traces of their life. Blackened and torn to pieces.

“Why are you showing me this?” Savannah asks in a small voice. Draco bends down slightly to catch her eyes.

“Because we may know the death eaters that did this. We can retry them on new counts and get them sentenced for everything that they have done.” He puts away the pictures and lays down four new ones. All of screaming, sneering death eaters in mug shot form.

“These are the known death eaters that were free during this time period.” Draco says stiffly. Scorpius tenses as he catches sight of them, while Rose and Albus throw him sympathetic looks and Lionel and Peregrine stay silent.

Among the four is convicted death eater, Lucius Malfoy. Along with Alecto Carrow, Adrian Hills, and Fowler Jillengs.

As she saw the four, Savannah braced her arms on her chair, biting her lip as her eyes flashed purple.

“It was them. All of them.” She whispers. Draco nods and goes to take them put Savannah stops him.

“Alecto desecrated my father, tortured him. Adrian and Fowler kept my mother behind the couch. And him…” Savannah trails off, shuddering.

“Savannah, stop. Before you begin the altered version of what happened.” Draco says directly. Savannah looks up with hate-filled eyes.

“What?”

“We used truth potion on all four of them and got their recounting of the night. We know what really happened.” He paused and touched her hand gently. “And I think you do too.” Savannah trembles, her mouth falling open again.

“I thought it had been a nightmare.” She pleads. Draco shakes his head. Savannah stands up again, holding her head in her hands and shaking it back and forth. Hermione approaches her gently.

“What really happened, Savannah? Tell us.” She implores in a soft voice. Savannah looks up, her eyes red and filled with tears.

“They came during dinner and my mum told me to run and hide. So I hide in the fireplace.” She looks at the pictures again and shudders.

“I watched as they were tortured and when they went to kill them, I ran out and begged them to stop.” She lets out a sob, covering her eyes and backing up until her back hits the wall.

“The blonde one grabbed me. He…he did things to me and made my parents watch.” Savannah hiccupped. Draco turns away and clenches his fist. Albus and Peregrine hug Scorpius tightly to them as he stiffens and digs his nails into his palms. Savannah, unaware of their reactions, looks up at the ceiling and closes her eyes, shuddering.

“I knew what was going to happen. My mother, she kept looking at me. Begging me to do it. And my father, when he could no longer scream at the blonde man to stop, just…just…” She bends over and breathes deeply, controlling her cries.

“What did he say, Savannah?” Harry asks, keeping his voice straight while Ginny held his hands tightly in hers. Savannah straightened and looked him straight in the eye, her own bright with tears.

“He whispered please. So I took one last look at them both and…and I shoved the blonde man away from me and I used my magic.” She breaks off and covers her mouth, her stomach convulsing. Hermione steps forward, touching her shoulder gently.

“Used it for what?” Savannah shook her head.

“Say it Savannah. The truth has to come out.” Ernie broke in. Savannah slides down the wall until she’s sitting, her knees to her chest.

“I killed them. I surrounded their hearts and I stopped them from beating. Then I attacked the death eaters with the little magic I had left and forced them to go. I hid from the ministry when they came, used my magic to make it appear like a one story and hid in my room.” She admits, her voice going lifeless as she covers her eyes. In her head, the screams of that night echoed around her. The pain from what Lucius Malfoy had done to her—

Malfoy?

She opens her eyes and looks at Draco as he is about to kneel before her.

“He was your father.” Draco trips and falls on his arse before getting to his feet quickly, paler than a ghost.

“He was.” He spits vehemently. Savannah nods and keeps staring at him.

“Is he dead?”

“Not yet” Savannah’s eyes flash purple again and she stands up quickly. The room begins to tremble slightly and a breeze pervades the air. She crosses over to the table where the pictures lie.

“Are any of them dead?” She demands. Hermione has pulled Draco over to the side of the room where everyone stands or sits.

“They’re serving their life sentences out in Azkaban.” The wind picks up in speed, throwing around the papers that had been lying on the desks, shaking the candles and the desks to move slightly. Savannah stares down at the pictures, her face contorted with rage and grief. Her eyes are no longer blue.

“They weren’t sentenced to death? They had not been given the Kiss?” She questions. She turns and looks to the others. The adults had placed shield charms around themselves and the students, to protect them from the gale.

“I think she’s lost control.” Albus says worriedly. Harry looks back and nods.

“This isn’t good at all.” Hermione frets.

“Insanity! A world where murderers and rapists are coddled.” Savannah rants while touching each of the pictures, her body shaking and her eyes almost spark with violet. The wind is now a gale, the room growing foggy with a purple tinge as her power takes its rage and hurt out upon it.

“We have to get out of here or shut her down.” Ernie yells to the others above the storm. Ginny breaks in.

“If we attack her in this state, she will retaliate and probably kill us all. We’ll have to get out.”

“We can’t even move, Ginny!” Draco counters. McGonagall purses her lips. This is exactly what she had been afraid of. Suddenly, Scorpius stands.

“Let me go to her.” He reasons.

“No way”

“Absolutely not.” His parents say immediately. Scorpius growls and begins to argue with them as it begins to rain in the room. The pictures on the desk are smoking as they curl up in flames. Savannah is staring at them, the force of her stare being the source of their fire.

Without warning, the door to the room bangs open and then shut. A figure runs into view, his arms at his sides as he walks towards Savannah. A green tinge surrounds him.

“Stop!” He yells at her. Savannah turns and laughs, an echoing sound.

“Knew you would come back, Morgan. Here to try again?” Savannah’s voice is enriched with power, tinted with rage. Morgan shakes his head, his own eyes reflecting green. He holds his hand up, a spark of green fire glinting between his fingers.

“Calm down, Merlin.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down!”

“Calm down, calm down, calm down!” Morgan yells before throwing the fire. Immediately, a purple cloud surrounds her, almost invisible, and absorbs the fire. A thick wall of the purple smoke flies at Morgan, but he flicks it aside with ease. He walks closer.

“They’re dead, Merlin. They’re dead and gone.” Savannah shakes her head, wiping her cheeks to get rid of the flowing tears. Her magic sends another flare of power at him.

“Mine are too! Dead and gone and never coming back. But we’re not! Merlin, look at me!” Morgan reaches out to grab her shoulder and she twists around, knocking him forward and holding her hands out in front of her, purple lightening flickering across her skin.

“You’ve lost the privilege, Morgan. You go too far!”

“Don’t let him in, Savannah.” Savannah’s eyes flicker back to blue for the briefest second. Morgan reaches out again.

“I’m not.” She snaps.

“You are! Look at you! Look at your hands and this room. Hell, look at your eyes. You’re letting him in; you are letting him take over. Don’t let that happen, Savannah. Don’t let him steal you away.” Savannah shudders and lets him pull her into his arms. She reaches up and grips his shoulders, sobbing into his chest.

Slowly, the rain fades away, the fog dissipates, and the wind dies down. The shield charms are hesitantly dropped. Savannah’s friends are about to run to her when she lifts her head, staring in shock at Morgan.

“Did you think this would work?” She asks heatedly. Morgan backs away, shrugging.

“I had hoped.”

“It’s because of her that I can’t let him in! She twisted him, made him into a monster! You did this to me.” Savannah pauses and shakes her head before pointing at him again.

“She did this to him! I will not fall for it as he did. You will not triumph, Morgan.” Savannah promises. The green surrounding him pulses suddenly, a faint shadow reminiscent of a coiled snake appears in the mist. Morgan stalks until he is standing just before her, his face inches from hers. When he speaks, only she can hear.

“You will be by my side when I am victorious. Not only will I triumph, but so will you. I will not make the same mistakes as she did, Merlin. I will not shirk what makes me stronger because of jealousy. I will not run from the power that is our birthright.” He snaps his eyes around the room.

“If others knew, think of what their reactions would be. You would be cast out again, alone and unloved. Come with me, and we shall take them by surprise, already united and strong. Come with me, and I will give you eternity.” He whispers. Savannah glares at him, her body humming with his promises.

“You possess the power to cloud my body with your tricks, Morgan, as she did to him. But my mind is my own and I am the stronger of us both. I do not need you.” She spat through clenched teeth. He sneers before straightening.

“Remember to breathe deeply when you feel yourself lose control Savannah. It helps. See you around.” He says pleasantly, walking out without another word. Savannah yells after him.

“Liar!” She falls into her chair, snapping her fingers and restoring the room to order. It’s quiet for a long time as she covers her eyes with her hand and shakes silently.

A hand rests on her shoulder, so familiar that it is like her own. She grips it with hers and allows him to pull her into a hug, almost holding her off the ground as he pressed his face into her hair.

“What did he do to you?” Scorpius demands. Savannah shakes her head.

“He made me see that I had lost control and allowed me to regain it.”

“I saw that part. Afterwards, what did he do afterwards?” Savannah holds him tightly and feels another four pairs of arms surround them.

“He lectured me about controlling my magic. I only lost control for a few minutes.” Savannah lies. The others chuckle weakly.

“The professors aren’t very happy.” Savannah opens her eyes to see them in an argument, the minister adding his comments every now and then. Savannah breaks away from their group and approaches the adults.

“Professor Potter, Professor Malfoy, Headmistress, Minister, Mrs. Potter and Mr. Malfoy?” She says quietly. They all look up and quiet down.

“I’m sorry for losing control. That hasn’t happened in many years. Realizing the truth of what had really happened…it was such a shock. I’m sorry if I hurt any of you and I can promise that it won’t happen again.” Savannah swears. Professor Malfoy smiles gently at her, giving her a small hug.

“The circumstances would expect you to lose control Savannah. You did incredibly and exceedingly brave things that night. I am proud of you and if you ever need to talk, I am always here.”

“As am I” Harry broke in. Savannah smiles slightly before looking at her Headmistress. Her mouth is pursed but she nods her head.

“You did nothing wrong. Go back to your dorm and get some sleep. Do not dwell upon what happened here.” Savannah nods and grabs her bag, letting herself be surrounded by her friends as they leave.

“We must take a closer look at Mister Fray, I believe.” Ginny speaks up.

“I’ll look into it.” Draco replies. Hermione takes his hand.

“You will not feel guilty for what your father did. You had no control over it.” She says fiercely. Draco shakes his head.

“If I had not hesitated to kill him when we chased after him when they escaped, then it would not have happened.” He argues. Harry claps his shoulder roughly.

“It’s a regret, Draco. Accept it and move on. For Savannah’s sake, if nothing else. Besides, I believe that they will be served their justice very soon.” Harry nods towards the table. Ernie is already there and the others join him.

“What do they mean?” Draco questions. Strange symbols are carved into the pictures of the death eaters with flames, looking menacing and lethal. Hermione gasps and looks at Ernie in shock.

“They can’t be…” Ernie nods.

“They are ancient curses, from the druid ages. If one had been carved into a likeness of someone, the curse would come within twenty-four hours.” Ernie explains.

“What do they mean?” Harry questions.

“This one on Alecto means torture. It will only lift when the one who cast it destroys the mark on this picture. On Fowler and Adrian, it is the feeling of being burned alive from the inside out.” Hermione pauses with a wary glance at Draco.

“Tell me. What does this one do?” He demands. Hermione winces but points to Lucius’ elaborate one.

“He will slowly freeze to death. First, each of his fingers and toes will blacken and fall off. His hair will shrivel to nothing, he will be able to get only the barest nourishment and to slake his thirst just enough so that he will not die. Each of his organs will shut down one by one until he can no longer function, but he will stay alive by the curse’s will, feeling every single ounce of pain, until he says the words, ‘I’m sorry’. Only then will the curse kill him by making his heart explode.” Hermione finishes. Ginny is hiding her face in Harry’s shoulder while McGonagall is covering her mouth to hide her shock. Ernie shakes his head.

“They are getting the true sentence they deserve. I shall have the four moved to private cells and say that they merely died of a contagious disease. I will not press any charges.” Draco nods in agreement.

“He deserves every single moment of it.” He snaps. Hermione takes his hand.

“I’ll take the day off tomorrow.” She tells Minerva as she leads him out. Minerva nods in agreement. She turns to Harry and Ginny while Ernie gathers up the photos.

“Perhaps in a few days, I will ask Savannah to stop the curse on Alecto.” He comments as he leaves.

“This will get out to no one.” Minerva tells the Potters before she too takes her leave. Ginny looks up at Harry.

“And we thought our childhood was bad.” She jokes weakly. Harry nods grimly.

“If only.”

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Disclaimer: All of Harry Potter, besides the extras from this plot, belong to J.K.R.