Chapter Eleven of 'Intoxicate the Sun'- To the Death
Chapter Ten.
Title: Intoxicate the Sun (11/50)
Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling and associates own these characters; I am writing this for fun and not profit.
Warnings: Violence (lots of it), heavy angst, sex, references to torture and rape. Ignores the epilogue.
Pairings: Harry/Draco, Ron/Hermione, possibly other minor pairings that might crop up along the way.
Rating: R
Summary: Harry starts a revolution. A revolution with spies, disaffected Aurors, dragons, Azkaban escapees, joke shop owners turned war strategists, and magical theories. And Draco Malfoy is one of the spies--deciding whether he should betray Potter for the sake of his parents, or the other way around.
Author's Notes: This will be a long story, and at this point I don't know how many chapters it's likely to cover. A lot of the chapters include politics and philosophy as well as action, so be warned.
Chapter One.
Thank you again for all the reviews!
Chapter Eleven-To the Death
From a letter that Harry Potter sent to Hermione Granger on the same night as his raid on the Inferi:
…Please don’t worry, Hermione. We took care of all of them. Ron and Malfoy made sure that not a single necromancer got away, and we bound them, Obliviated them, and dumped them in a Muggle area, where it’ll take the Ministry ages to find them. All the Inferi are destroyed. Malfoy inspected all the summoning circles, because he knows spells to tell if they’ve been used recently. He couldn’t find any that had, which means the things that they tried to summon were either in the cave or hadn’t come through at all.
I wish we could meet in person. There’s all sorts of things that I still don’t feel comfortable committing to a letter.
But Ron is sending you a letter, too, and I think he’s better at encoding the truth than I am. I’ll speak with you soon.
Hermione Granger’s response to the last:
Harry, are you mad? Ron’s told me some of what happened, and some of what you intend otherwise, and it scares me. You know that I’ve been frightened since this began, so I’m afraid you’ll dismiss this now, too, but I’m serious. What kind of magic are you using? Do you know what it does? Do you know all the consequences of using it?
It’s hardly less disturbing that you let Malfoy come with you. I understand that he knows the spells, but you could have had him teach them to Ron, if you really had to handle the Inferi by yourself. Watch out that Malfoy doesn’t become too important to you. I know that he says he’s there to free his parents, but I highly doubt it.
I wish I could be there, too, to talk to you and stop you. But I wanted to tell you that I’m safe, despite the articles that you might see over the next few days. I could hardly hide that someone had visited the Inferi and got the pictures out to publish them, but I’ve laid down a false trail that amuses me greatly, and should confuse our enemies.
Stay as safe as you can. And the next letter I expect to get from you will, hopefully, be a little less mad.
From The Quibbler article published the next day:
…And in even more astonishing news than these pictures, the revelation has come to us that Judith Summers is the one we have to thank for the photos. Who else could have known where they were and used a wand to reach them? All the Aurors had their wands stolen a few days ago by Harry Potter, of course, but she was matched to one within two hours, thanks to Ministry priorities. Only a few other high-ranking Aurors have wands, as yet, and all of them report to her. So, if she didn’t go herself to the caves, she sent someone who was matched to a wand in indecent haste.
And why? It is not our place to speculate on the politics of the Ministry. We only report facts, such as that the Ministry is losing out in power while the revolution led by Harry Potter is growing.
Make your decision. There are people who lose and people who win, and in this particular contest, you can’t be on both sides at the same time.
A memo sent by Minister Gillian Clearwater to Head Auror Judith Summers:
You know what must have happened. Several of the guards on the Caves claimed that they saw Auror Desang come to them a few days ago. It’s unlikely that she did, but it’s the only lead we have. Pull her in and speak with her.
And then cast that spell that traces magical signatures on the ruins of the Caves. I don’t care how much time you have to spend casting it or how Dark it is. We need clues, and we won’t get them sitting here.
Private memo from Head Auror Judith Summers to Minister Gillian Clearwater:
It seems that neither nature (human nature, that is) nor magic are cooperating with us today, Minister.
I did pull in Desang, but I had to do it myself. The Aurors whom I first called upon cast me sidelong glances and obeyed my instructions so slowly it would have availed me more to try and empty the sea out with a bucket. I know that the Quibbler article has cast suspicion on me and my closest allies, but to have it confirmed from the look in their eyes is intolerable. Something must be done about this.
Desang, of course, protests that she did not do it and does not remember going to the Caves that evening. She could have been under Imperius, a likely possibility since we know from her initial training when she was admitted into the Auror ranks that she is not highly resistant to it. The questioning will continue this evening.
We tried the spell you recommended on the ruins of the Caves. Minister, a fire so intense and so magical burned there that it covered up any traces of other signatures that might have been planted there within the last four days. Even the signatures of the guards and the spells used to create the summoning circles were unrecoverable. I know only one person with the power to cast a fire like this, and I fear him.
Private entry from Gillian Clearwater’s diary:
I feel as though I know what I have to do next. No Minister has ever been responsible for a series of political upsets like this, especially not so soon into her term. This is not the war with You-Know-Who, but Potter burns with a fire that might consume more of us in the end, because he is so self-righteous that he can convince others to follow him in the cause of “doing good.”
I know what I have to do.
But it would make this war real. I don’t know if I can commit myself that far yet. For now, I’ll wait.
From the Daily Prophet article, “Some Statistics,” published two days after the revelation of the Inferi and the destruction of the Caves:
…Approximately 20% of the Aurors are now gone. They have either retired, left the country, or fled to join Potter. We respectfully suggest that this is not a good record for the Ministry, if they have Aurors who can be so easily frightened by having their wands taken away and a few smears based on dark photographs that no one yet has admitted to actually seeing Inferi in.
We appeal to Mr. Potter. What do you gain from prolonging this war? You divide the wizarding world, which we suppose is your goal. But you make good people miserable, you lessen the force that we have to cope with Dark wizards, and you render the wizarding population more torn than it has been at any time since the ending of the last war with You-Know-Who.
Some 10% of Hit Wizards have been affected in the same way. Our last Head Auror is Minister, because Mr. Potter killed the Minister before that, and now Mr. Potter has conspired to smear the new Head Auror. How are we to stay safe, if the Ministry is decimated by rumors and anger before it can begin to function?...
From the second letter sent by Draco Malfoy to the Ministry:
…Potter is coming up with a plan based on outmoded magical theories that he thinks will work. I wonder. I believe madness is consuming him; one can see it in his eyes, the way he gestures, the way that he tries to force actions on his followers and then is surprised when they resent his presumption.
This plan assumes that he can force the magical wheel of Fortuna to turn so that it grants him new magic and takes away old spells from his enemies. I assumed that most of those around him would be against it, and they are. For the moment, Potter has managed to triumph over their reluctance with dazzling words and the impression that his plans will hurt no one permanently, but I do not expect that to last.
Potter’s wild magic is also increasing of late. It always takes the form of fire, and it strengthens my conviction of his madness. No one would willingly play with such power unless he believed that he could control it, but the definition of wild magic is that it cannot be controlled. Potter seems to have forgotten this…
From the private diary of Minister Gillian Clearwater:
I know what I have to do. It’s the only sensible course, and Judith suggested it to me today in between the numerous people suggesting that I arrest her, that it’s the only sensible thing to do to pander to popular prejudice.
I don’t want to do it.
Is that enough reason to hold back?
I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore. I wish that Duplais was still alive, and Potter back with the Ministry.
From a letter written by Auror Andrea Desang to her sister, Mara Constante:
…They held me for three days and then let me go, Mara. I think I understand why, now. They know that someone impersonated me at the Caves, but they don’t know who. And they questioned me for no good reason, delayed me getting my wand for no good reason, except these stupid unsubstantiated suspicions that mean they’re further away from the truth than ever, now. I only got rematched with a wand today, and I can already tell that it’ll never feel as comfortable in my hand as the old one did.
Damn Potter, anyway. I wish this war had never started, and I could have stayed the friend and opponent to him that I was, trying to teach him something about the reality of life in the Aurors before he destroyed himself.
I wanted to warn you, though. I have an idea about who impersonated me, and what I’m going to do about it. If you don’t hear from me for a little while, don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about anything, and don’t believe anything the Ministry says, unless you’re called in to identify a body. I’m going to try something.
From the desk of Heather Caudill, Unspeakable, to the desk of Minister Gillian Clearwater, for her eyes only:
Yes, Minister, the artifacts you requisitioned are all out of the Department. I do not know who could have taken the following, which are not with any Aurors that I know of and which the Hit Wizards would not have been permitted to borrow:
A small silver ball wreathed about with bronze garlands. We have studied this artifact for a number of years, and we are still not entirely certain what it does, except that several of the Unspeakables who studied it have been stricken with incurable blindness. We would not have allowed it out under any circumstances.
A silver cup with several runes inscribed on the sides. Two of the runes are readable; one is “winter” and the other is “call.” We cannot read the other three, though they are similar to the runes that coded communications during a war with a Dark Lord several centuries ago were written in. Holding the cup cramps the holder’s fingers with a chill, but we have not been able to make it work.
A heavy red leather book with two sheets of cream-colored parchment fastened to the binding. The book is much heavier than it should be given its size and lack of pages, but multiple attempts to determine the cause have revealed nothing. One of our researchers did claim that he saw a woman standing beside the book one night, a woman in golden robes with white hair who faded at his approach, but if so, we have not been able to duplicate his sighting. We are worried what the theft of this book implies about the thief rather than the disappearance of the book itself, but of course any artifact vanishing from our care is a cause of concern.
I will continue to go through the archives and let you know if anything else is missing. Good luck in the war against Potter.
From the front-page article of The Quibbler, four days after the destruction of the Deep Caves and the Inferi:
…We notice that the Ministry has not, as yet, arrested Head Auror Judith Summers or banned her from active participation in duty. It seems that the Ministry is content to ignore evidence when the heavy hand of that evidence would fall on someone it likes.
Or perhaps the Ministry is more liberal and tolerant than we expected. Perhaps there are people in the Ministry who don’t believe the nonsense that the Minister herself expresses when she talks about Harry Potter; they believe the creation of Inferi to be evil, and they accept that the older moral standards are not suggestions to be transgressed but rules to be respected.
Or so we would think, were it not for an attack in the early morning today that made us have to move our presses.
No, we will think that the Ministry is committed to suppressing and ignoring the truth until we receive some evidence otherwise.
Letter from Hermione Granger to Harry Potter:
First of all, Harry, will you tell Ron to quit worrying so ridiculously much? I know he’s concerned, but his note doesn’t say anything about how he’s doing or what he’s worried about in his life, it’s all about me and how he’s afraid I’ll get caught. Of course that’s a risk, but one I think I can handle.
And now I have to tell you what the Ministry is buzzing about. It seems someone stole several artifacts from the Department of Mysteries. Some were already gone with Aurors-and I haven’t been able to find out any information about where they are or what they’re training to do, sorry!-but these are ones that weren’t supposed to be lent out, either because they’re too dangerous for the common Auror or because they’re simply not well enough understood. I think someone is planning to use them against you (I know you would have told me if you had planned to steal them yourself). I can’t gain a good idea of what powers they might have right now, but I’ll keep listening and looking.
If anyone suspects me of impersonating Desang at the Caves and sending those photographs to Luna, I haven’t heard about it yet. I’ve kept my head down the last few days, though, and acted as if nothing was more important to me than my job, and the suspicions and rumors might have passed me by.
There’s a new lead that I intend to pursue. The Minister has a task force picking through your background, looking at your past for weaknesses that they think they can exploit to destroy you. I’ve offered my “expertise,” and that means I can direct their endeavors and, even better, give them the truth while sending them off into tailspins about what it means! Again, you can tell Ron-and you can be assured-that I’ll be careful, but I have to do this.
If there’s anything that you especially don’t want me to mention, then send me word. I think you have to accept that they’ll find out about the Dursleys, and the trouble you got into at school, and something about the Horcrux quest-the normal things that everyone knows about, such as breaking out of Gringotts on a dragon and using Unforgivable Curses on people. But even those things, I can throw off-track or exaggerate so that they don’t see the true importance of them.
Love,
Hermione.
From a private diary entry of Gillian Clearwater:
The stolen artifacts haven’t come to light. And now Morgan and Greywood, the pair of Aurors I sent out with legitimately lent artifacts from the Department of Mysteries, have gone silent. I fear they may have been killed for what they carried.
The Aurors have lost their wands. More and more of them every day look haunted, hunted. The Hit Wizards are slightly better, but then, none of them knew Potter as well, and they are depressed and frightened by the loss of their comrades. If those losses continue to increase, then I’m not sure what will happen next.
Probably the same thing that happened today. The Wizengamot summoned me and demanded to know why I hadn’t made “more progress” on the Potter case. I attempted to explain that I was trying and that such things took time, but they looked through me. I’m not sure they heard my voice in the way that I needed them to hear it.
I know the decision I have to make. Everything else is treading water now, putting the final, inevitable moment off.
I wish Duplais had lived.
From the Daily Prophet article, MYSTERIOUS BREAK-IN AT ST. MUNGO’S:
…It seems as though the notorious Harry Potter has struck again, as the Healers report that their attempts to track the magical signatures of the attackers met with failure. The records taken are those that relate to the final days of Minister Duplais and his tragic ending.
“Potter probably wanted to see what went wrong with his fire, so that it wouldn’t happen the next time he tried to roast a victim,” said the Healer, Jacqueline Thompson, whom we spoke to this morning. Her eyes were red with the stress of a weary night, and she bore a hunted expression on her face that our readers will well understand, as they lie in their beds worrying about the fate that might befall them if Mr. Potter wins the war. “The records have all been removed, and there’s a lot of scorching in the room around them, though we think the fire was lit at least partially to cover the magical signatures of those involved rather than to destroy anything. So far as we can tell, none of the other records are missing.”
Harry Potter might want to consider that his attempt to cover up his tracks has failed…
Harry Potter’s scribbled notes to himself, in the margins of several books that cover the existence and powers of Fortuna’s Wheel:
…not large enough. Can it be made large enough? D. know. Could know with experi. Have to let George know…
Useful for raid on Azkaban?
Need to get Malfoy to talk to me.
Indiv. attempts at wheel not useful. Large-scale attempts needed. Who has powerful enough magic? Ron, George, Catchers, Hermione. Hermione out for obvious reasons.
Malfoy…
Combine with techniques for the individual?
This could be useful with the right level of fire. But the fire needs to burn hotter, needs to turn and change.
Need to get Malfoy to talk to me.
Harry Potter’s letter to Hermione Granger, in answer to her last:
Dear Hermione,
Wonderful! You have my permission to tell this group anything you want to tell them, with a twist to make it extra-special and scary, of course. I don’t think there’s anything they can find or do that would hurt me, though of course I’m happy to know about it beforehand. If they send someone to interview the Dursleys, I don’t think they’ll get very far, anyway, since the Dursleys still hate magic, or at least Dudley said his parents did the last time I talked to him. They could offer them money, but they’d be reluctant to touch “freak” money, even, after the experiences they had during the war.
It is strange about the Ministry’s artifacts disappearing. I can tell you it wasn’t any of us. The Department of Mysteries makes me uneasy. And not just because of…you know, Sirius. There was something sinister about all those artifacts there that no one else even knew the Ministry had. I don’t think I’d touch them without a much better idea of what they did, and even then, we’d have to catch an Unspeakable to teach us how to use them, and Obliviate him afterwards. Much easier to get along without them, especially after all the interesting ideas that I’m finding old books. Why didn’t they have us read this stuff at Hogwarts?
Probably because they never expected any of us to be overthrowing the Ministry. I can see McGonagall now: “This lesson is to be used to increase the confidence of your friends and your personal skill at magic, and if I even think that you are considering rebelling against the lawful authorities, it’s detention for the rest of the year!”
I’ll do what I can about Ron, but telling him not to worry only seems to make him worry more. Just be careful, Hermione. I don’t know what we’d do if anything happened to you. And I don’t mean that in the context of, I don’t know what we would do without your information. I hope you know that.
Stay safe.
Love,
Harry.
From a private letter that Ron Weasley sent to Hermione Granger with Hector the post-pigeon:
…I don’t know what to do about him, Hermione. How do you tell your best friend that you think he’s succeeding too well in something that he originally envisioned as nothing more than something that would make the Ministry change its mind? How do you tell him that, yes, all right, he’s rediscovered old magic and got control of wild magic, and that’s enough?
He wouldn’t understand. And that’s not even the worst of it. If anyone could get control of accidental magic, it’s Harry. And I have to admit it’s not so bad that he wants to take the Imperius Curse from people who would just use it against us and to cover up crimes anyway. (The Memory Charm I’m not so sure about).
The worst of it is his bloody trust thing with Malfoy! They’re spending time together now. Malfoy offers him advice about the books he’s reading, and suggests more titles. He’s gone back to the Manor and got more of them, too. I warned Harry that the Ministry was probably watching Malfoy Manor, and Harry shrugged and said that they could have done something to intercept him and stop him fetching the books before now, if they wanted.
It’s as if he doesn’t care about stopping the Ministry sometimes, and other times it’s all he thinks about. I don’t understand, Hermione. I mean, I don’t think anyone who’s not Harry really understands Harry much right now, but I counted on being able to do more than other people. He’s only my bloody best friend!
I wish you were here.
From a private diary entry by Minister Gillian Clearwater:
They found Greywood this morning. He was half-hysterical with fright, and they couldn’t get any sense out of him for too long. And even when they did, it was unwelcome news tinged with uncertainty. He said that Morgan began using one of the artifacts too much, and then she listened to it-as far as I know, neither of the artifacts they took can speak; I don’t know what this means-and then she left him one morning. After uttering some threat that he still can’t tell us about.
This morning, word came that some of the Muggleborns who live on the edges of wizarding London are refusing to speak to Aurors who came to work cases in the area. And some Aurors have been attacked.
I was foolish. Potter’s example is spreading. He is not the main danger in and of himself; that he will show others the Ministry can be resisted is.
I have no choice.
Memo from Minister Gillian Clearwater to Heather Caudill, Unspeakable:
The fox is running. Blow the horn.
Chapter Twelve.
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