Well, here's the next. Two major revelations are made. The first I don't think is much of a surprise, but the second…Enjoy.
Chapter Seven
Back to Hogwarts
When Rebecca dreamed, she dreamed of redemption, of the night she had redeemed herself to the last person she would have ever sought forgiveness from. She dreamed of the night she presented herself to him in secret, under the watchful gaze of Dumbledore and told him what and who she really was and what she had become. She dreamed of a prophecy made by her uncle's wife that would dictate the second coming of the Dark Lord Voldemort. She dreamed of pain, love, hate, forgiveness, of death. She knew what would await her in the end but she accepted it with the pride of a Slytherin with the blood of Grindelwald flowing through her veins.
She was the Death Eater, the mother, the heir and she knew none of it would or could save her in the end. She knew she would die before the Dark Lord was defeated and she accepted her fate. She would fall as the Lord Grindelwald had, strong and fighting.
She thought these things as she and Sirius made their way to the bookstore they'd left their charges in. She knew her death would come, but she wasn't going to allow it until the children were trained and so when she'd been hit in the back with a Cruciatus Curse, she was beyond angry. The curse itself hadn't hurt, but she had things to do and didn't have time for a petty little recruit hoping to gain the favour of his sponsor. She turned, ready to fight.
"You!" the Death Eater yelled, stepping back, almost tripping over his own robes.
Rebecca narrowed her eyes. She should've known. He always had been a simple little worm unable to fully battle with the strength needed to win. She blamed her brother for that. Perhaps if he had been stronger, things would have turned out differently.
"If you're going to curse," she said with a lazy tone, "you need to do it right."
"Crucio!" he yelled again.
She dodged with ease and came up with wand ready, hundreds of spells ready to use on the tip of her tongue. "Miromi," she cast on herself as well as a shield. She was going to make this little rat pay for his crimes and he would pay dearly. "Prototi calyps." He fell to the ground, screaming in pain. She circled his writhing form, not canceling the curse but making it stronger. He screamed himself hoarse but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Rebecca had never been one to bargain-that had been her brother's talent.
She stopped and leaned next to his still writhing form. "You betrayed my family. Why should I give you any mercy, Pettigrew?" Wandlessly, she cast Cruciatus, further intensifying his pain. His screams renewed, but Rebecca felt nothing for his pain. Once, she might have, but that was long ago, before Voldemort, before Lucius.
She looked up when she heard another voice screaming out in time to see Sirius fall to the ground. She cursed. She had really wanted to torture Pettigrew for his crimes, but he would have to wait. She needed Sirius alive and by the looks of it, Alecto wasn't going to let him live if she didn't have other plans for him.
Rebecca bound Pettigrew to the ground where he lay, still twitching. It was an Auror trick, one of the few things she learned -or rather cared to learn- from her father. Only Jonas would get the irony of it because only an Auror knew how to remove the spell.
She stayed in her position and sent a hex at Alecto's distracted form. The Death Eater turned and Rebecca stood up. She was being slow to give the other woman full use of the time. Alecto was intelligent; she'd been Head Girl of her year at Hogwarts, but she was also blinded by her own sense of superiority.
"Potter!"
"Insults don't become you, Carrows," Rebecca replied. She stepped over Pettigrew's unconscious form and walked to the other woman. She had trained the Carrows siblings. She knew their moves and how to counter them.
"I'm sure the Dark Lord will be happy with me for capturing you."
"Perhaps," Rebecca shrugged. She saw Sirius start to get up. He was watching them. Rebecca wanted to motion for him to go on into the shop but she didn't want to alert Alecto to his movements. She almost sighed in relief when he moved back to the door of the shop and disappeared behind it. Now she could fight with her former protégé.
Sirius hurt. He hadn't been hit with a Cruciatus Curse in a long time and even though he knew how to work through them combined with Imperious, he hadn't been able to fight. When he saw Rebecca and Carrows ready to face off, he knew it would be time to get far away from the two. He had battled Rebecca one when she was angry and he'd been in St. Mungo's for three days. Now his concern was protecting Harry and the others. He knew they didn't know enough to protect themselves against Death Eaters or –gods forbid- Voldemort. He hoped Ulrich would be able to do what he said he could and keep the monster distracted, but Sirius had doubts about the old man's abilities.
The shop was quiet and dark. Where would Harry and the others have hidden? Sirius hoped they hadn't gotten an idea to go out and try to help.
Sirius walked along the back wall of the shop looking down every visible aisle. He couldn't see anything because of the prevailing darkness. He transformed. Padfoot would have better luck.
"Did you hear that?" Hermione asked, referring to the creak of a door opening. Harry nodded and motioned for everyone to be quiet. When the attack had started, he and Ginny had been looking at defense books with Remus who'd told them to stay put. Harry hadn't wanted to listen, but the fierce look in the werewolf's eyes convinced him. They had soon been joined by Ron and the twins and then Hermione and Malfoy who had his wand out and ready. Harry was surprised the Malfoy heir didn't go out and join his father's friends. Neville Longbottom had been in the store with his uncle who'd left to help fight. Neville had sought them out and now hid with them.
Harry had his own wand in hand and peeked out behind a nearby shelf. A large black form was moving towards them. Harry readied his wand and noticed Malfoy doing the same, but the black form shifted. Harry breathed out a sigh of relief as his godfather came into view.
"Sirius-"
"Quiet," Sirius said in a harsh whisper. "Good, you're all here. We don't have much time."
"What is going on?" Harry asked. Sirius looked tired and like he'd been dueling. What was going on outside?
The front wall of the store shook with an explosion. Sirius cast up a shield to deflect the flying glass. Harry could see people walking into the store. He turned to his godfather. Sirius was already standing, wand ready. Harry felt his scar begin to burn. He held fast though, and stood right behind Sirius with Ron and the twins at his side. Malfoy and Neville were on the other. Seven Death Eaters had entered. Voldemort stood behind them. Harry's scar burned more than ever with the Dark Lord's fierce anger. He felt like he was going to collapse under the strain.
Jonas hadn't known what to expect when he Flooed to Knockturn Alley. He'd been met by his former classmate's daughter and was told of the situation in Diagon Alley in more detail than had been in the original call. Things were dire. He knew the path she was supposed to take them on, having grown up in Knockturn Alley as well, and led the first team through to the attack.
When he came through the passage he saw curses and hexes being thrown without concern for where they landed. It was chaos. Kallie had told him Rebecca would be heading for the bookstore with Sirius Black. Jonas would make that his first stop, but he'd have to make it across the street. His wand was ready and he left the shadows throwing curses at any person in Death Eater robes. Many hit and the attackers fell, but he had drawn attention to himself.
"Stupefy!"
"Crucio!"
"Avada Kedavra!" He only barely missed all three, but saw Rebecca in a side alley near Flourish and Blotts battling a Death Eater with another on the ground nearby.
The force of the spell caused Rebecca to hit the wall. She hadn't been expecting such strength from her former student. This was starting to get out of hand. She felt the Dark Lord's presence nearby and she knew where he would go. Even if he only knew of the one prophecy…they would all be in danger.
She raised her wand. "Avada…"
"Stupefy!"
"Jonas, you idiot."
But Jonas wasn't listening. He threw himself at her causing them both to fall to the ground.
"What in the bloody-"
Jonas rolled off her, coming up in a crouch but their supposed attacker lay either unconscious or dead atop Alecto. Ulrich stood near the bodies, wand ready, as always.
"Come," he said. Jonas pulled Rebecca to her feet and they followed the old man to the ruined front of the store. Rebecca counted seven Death Eaters and then there was the Dark Lord himself. She hadn't faced him since he had been told of her betrayal.
"Now, now, I think we can do better than this," Ulrich said. The Dark Lord and his followers turned. Rebecca could feel the anger.
"And who are you to interfere, old man?"
"I would be one of those you can't kill."
"Do you think you're a challenge for me? An old man, an Auror, and…Rebecca Potter."
"Heyla, Tom," she said with a joyless smile. She felt him trying to invade her mind and threw up her Occlumency shields. "Now, now, that's not very nice. Invading someone's mind without their permission. Someone could get hurt."
"Rebecca Ann, do be nice," Ulrich said. She shot him an annoyed grin. "We're not here to kill anyone, yet."
"Take my fun."
"Enough!"
"Oh, are we boring you, m'lord?" Rebecca asked. "So, so sorry." Jonas snorted.
"We're here to deliver a message," Ulrich said. "It's quite simple, even your half Muggle mind could understand."
Ouch, Rebecca thought. She was vaguely aware that the fighting outside had slowed as people were pooling around the blown out wall to watch the exchange between the two Dark Wizards.
"My family is under my protection and will remain so. If harm comes to any of them by your wand or that of one of your followers, you will face the wrath of my past."
"I will not take orders from-"
"You will follow these orders, or you will suffer a worse fate than that of your predecessor, Merlin Grindelwald."
Rebecca stared at her uncle. This was crazy. An ultimatum like he was making would ensure all their deaths. What was he trying to accomplish? She glanced at Sirius and the children. He was looking at her but the children were looking at the exchange between the two wizards-except for Harry. She met his gaze and could feel the questions burning behind his eyes. Hell.
"So it was you who trained my former Second," Voldemort said. Rebecca looked into his read eyes. There wasn't hate in his gaze like she had expected but rather something else, something less tangible.
"My niece, my heir, and the heir to the power of the Dark Lord," Ulrich said.
"This is far from over, old man."
"I'm sure."
The Dark Lord Disapparated and the Death Eaters followed. Those remaining in the street were quickly captured by the Aurors who were now free to Apparate.
"That was enlightening," Ulrich said.
"Indeed," Rebecca and Jonas replied.
"I don't see how," Sirius replied.
"You wouldn't," Jonas said. "But I think I know why you two came back now."
"It has been my experience that it takes a Dark Lord to defeat a Dark Lord. It will take much time for Riddle to gain the status he needs, but we will make that time useful."
"What are you talking about?" Sirius demanded.
"I think we'd better get to the castle, Uncle. This is not the place to discuss the dealings of Dark Lords."
"Yes, child, I believe you're right." He picked up a book from the floor and pointed his wand at it. "Portus."
Harry was bored and by the looks of it so was everyone else in the room. Ron and Ginny were playing chess in one corner, but that was the extent of any activity. Malfoy was in another corner looking out the window. Hermione and Ginny were reading on the sofa and Fred and George were talking business in the farthest section of the room. Harry and Neville were sitting in chairs by the fireplace just looking into the flames.
When they had arrived at Hogwarts, Mrs. Weasley had ushered them all into a room near Dumbledore's office. She had refused to answer questions as to what was going on and Harry was starting to get angry about being left in the dark again. He wanted to know if what Voldemort had said in the bookstore was true. He had called Rebecca Potter. What was that supposed to mean? Was she some lost cousin or something? Or had it been a mistake? He wanted to know. If he had any family at all, he had to know. Rebecca had come into their lives without any warning it seemed and no one was telling Harry anything about who she was. Why had Sirius lied about her identity if she was a Potter?
"You are going to lose the game," Malfoy said. Harry looked up. Malfoyhad moved from his place at the window and was now standing behind Ginny looking over her shoulder at the chess board. Harry stood up and walked to that corner of the room. Neville followed.
"Move your queen here, end in a draw," Malfoy continued.
"She doesn't need your help, Malfoy," Ron said.
Malfoy shrugged. "You say so only because you wish to win." Malfoy smirked and walked back to the window. Harry watched him, curious. The bland ad changed in the weeks since fourth year had ended. He hadn't tried to cause fights and hadn't insulted anyone. In all the years Harry and Malfoy had been enemies, the other boy always had something to say. Harry was too absorbed in his thoughts about Malfoy to see the door of the room opening. When he did look up Sirius, Remus, and Rebecca had walked in and closed the door behind them.
"No fighting, I hope?" Remus said.
"None," Hermione answered. The three adults shared a look. Rebecca left the others and walked over to Malfoy at the window.
"Given today's events," Remus began. "The Headmaster wishes all of you to stay here for the remainder of the holiday to receive some special training with us and Rebecca."
"Why?" Fred asked.
"With Ulrich's actions today," Sirius said, "the Order has officially declared its existence and war on Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Each of you, in one way or another, has a part to play in the coming war and you will need to be trained to deal with it. Rooms are being prepared for you now."
"You protected Granger."
Draco shrugged. "She was going to get us both killed."
"Still," Rebecca said. "You kept her from getting killed and even if you had selfish reasons for doing it, you did something few others would do."
"Gryffindors would."
"Perhaps some, but not all. Do you want to be in the classes with the others?"
"What kind of classes?"
"Sirius will be teaching Auror defense and Remus will be teaching other defenses."
"And you?"
"Dark Arts and protections against them as they were taught to me by my uncle."
"Will Dumbledore allow that?"
"We haven't left him another choice, Draco. Do you want to be involved?"
"Yes," he answered after a minute's hesitation.
She nodded and smiled encouragingly at him. When Remus had told her that he'd saved the Granger girl she'd been surprised. She hadn't thought he'd had it in him to help others, let alone a Muggle-born. She was proud of him for it and she wanted to make sure he understood that because she was going to do everything in her power to save him. She knew all to well what would await him if he entered the Dark Lord's service. She didn't want it to happen.
"Come on, Draco. We'll go to the kitchens for an early dinner and then we'll talk."
"Sirius, can I talk to you?" Harry asked. Sirius looked at his godson. Ever since the events in the bookstore, he knew Harry would want to talk-need to talk, but there had been some things mentioned that he really didn't want to explain. He wasn't sure he was the person who would be able to explain them. The truth he had been trying to hide from Harry had come out and in such a brutal way.
"What about, Harry?" Sirius asked, guiding the boy to the far corner of the room where they could talk without being interrupted. He saw Rebecca leaving the room with the Malfoy heir. Perhaps there was hope for that kid too.
"Today, in the bookstore…Voldemort when he saw…" Harry trailed off but Sirius knew where the conversation was going.
"You want to know if he meant what he called Rebecca," Sirius stated simply then sighed. "Yes." He conjured two chairs. "Sit Harry, this is complicated and it will take some time."
"How?"
"How is she related to you? Your father's older sister. James and Rebecca had never been close. She had started taking lessons in Dark Arts from her uncle when he was only a few months old. This, of course outraged your grandfather, Christopher. No one in the Potter family had ever studied Dark Arts, let alone practice them and when he discovered she was a Parselmouth as well…" Sirius trailed off. He hadn't known much about the Potters before he'd met James at school, but he remembered hearing Rebecca's stories about Christopher's cold cruelty as she had told them to his parents.
"That runs in my family?" Harry asked.
"In the Gregor side, yes. I don't know if Alesandra had the ability, but Rebecca has it and she passed it on to Kallie. No matter what Dumbledore says, your ability did not come only from Voldemort. One of the things Rebecca wants to teach you is how to…use Parseltongue. I don't understand it, but I do know she uses serpents as spies.
"I'm not explaining this very well, at all, am I?" Sirius asked rhetorically. "I'm not sure what prompted Rebecca to leave the Potters. You'd have to ask her about that."
"Why do you hate her so much?"
It was a question Sirius had hoped he would never have to answer. He hadn't hated Rebecca because she took the Dark Mark, he had actually been amused by it even though her doing so had destroyed the Potter's marriage. When he and James had returned to school they had still been in contact with Rebecca, unknowingly passing along information about Christopher's work at DMLE. No, Sirius' hatred for Voldemort's favourite Death Eater had come late in 1980 when he found his brother's body, pale and lifeless. Regulus had been Rebecca's recruit. She was responsible for everything he did, and so if he was dead by Voldemort's command, she had to have been the one who killed him.
"She killed someone I cared about," Sirius finally answered. "I know you're going to want to talk to her, but still, be careful. I know her loyalties are no longer to Voldemort, but there is a reason she came back here to fight in this war and until I know why, I'm not giving her my full trust."
"Uncle."
"Rebecca."
"How long are you staying here?"
"Long enough," Ulrich said, lighting candles with a wave of his hand. Rebecca sighed, but settled herself into the plush chair he had conjured for her. It was the finer comforts she had missed when she left England for Spain. Being raised in a family known for its wealth and prestige, she had grown used to the material items although Ulrich had never let her once forget that everything could be taken away in seconds once her betrayals were known to Voldemort.
"What does that mean?"
"Dumbledore believes in a prophecy made by some nutty seer he has in his employ here."
"Are you saying he is wrong?"
"Not entirely. But you remember Patricia's words."
"Yes, but to whom do they apply? I have not been able to discern their meaning since she told me."
"Your intuition fails you, my child."
"So you know."
"Yes."
"And?"
"I do not believe in coincidences, you know this."
"Of course."
"Fate plays too big a role in our lives. Do you not think it convenient that it was those children who found themselves alone in a bookstore today?"
"Are you trying to say…" she trailed off and thought about the words of the prophecy her aunt had made all those years ago. She remembered the words well. Could it be that this was what Patricia had been referring to?
"Dragon, of course, refers to your godson," Ulrich said. "Lion of Tainted Blood, is Granger, I believe."
"The child of Pure and Taint…The Purest Voice of Lion?"
"Longbottom. He has a hidden power which will only be tapped by someone who understands him."
"Who?"
"The Light of Moon whom I have yet to discover," he said. "The Fire of the Serpent is Miss Weasley."
"You're sure? Then that means-"
"Yes, the one we seek, the chimera, half lion, half serpent is Harry."
"And Gemini are the Weasley twins."
"You must train them all, Rebecca." Ulrich stood and walked to the window. Rebecca stayed where she was at, thinking. The prophecy had been made when Voldemort was in his first rise to power. She had hoped it would never come to pass but Patricia had been a true and powerful Seer. Rebecca had come back to England upon hearing of the Dark Lord's return because of her fear that the prophecy would come to pass. Now it seemed it would and they were not prepared.
She stood up and walked over to her uncle. He had been there for her since her birth and she owed him her life. He had saved her more than once from her father, the prejudiced man Christopher Potter had been. She remembered the harsh words and punishments that Christopher had meted out to her for some real or imagined infraction. Then the final event, the night she left the Potter family forever, the even that signed his own death warrant, she had abandoned the safe haven of Ulrich's shop for the Malfoy Manor. Ulrich hadn't questioned her about it, but she knew he had not been pleased she hadn't come to him first. The Malfoys had been able to help her more. She needed to disassociate herself from the Potters and legally taking the name Black had done that. Ulrich couldn't have helped her with the legal proceedings, but it was still a sore subject between them. Rebecca wondered what Ulrich would have done if Christopher hadn't already been dead when she told him about that night in her room.
"Uncle, how must we do this?"
"They'll need physical training as well. The boys have some from Quidditch but not enough. We'll have to fine tune their minds for battle. Legilimeny and Occlumency, of course. Defense, Dark Arts, defensive and offensive potions. For Harry, Parsel training-translations and spells. I'll get him a serpent to practice with. For Draco, I fear your first priority will be to turn him from the ideals of his father."
"The prophecy is only a guide-"
"This is more. If we do not follow this, Rebecca, the world will fall into darkness. We cannot allow that."
"Then we will begin tomorrow."
"Yes. Rebecca, child, there is something I must tell you."
"What?"
He looked at her and Rebecca knew he wanted to search her mind. She could feel him brushing her Occlumency shields. She lowered them, wondering what he wanted to know. She kept few secrets from him, but he couldn't possibly suspect any of those.
"I never told you about what occurred when Grindelwald was defeated, did I?" He left her mind and walked back to the darkened corner of the room. Rebecca stared after him for a long minute before following. It was an odd topic for conversation. She hadn't thought about the former Dark Lord's defeat although it had been Ulrich's favourite topic during many late night conversations and training sessions.
"Alesandra was but a girl when the grand army of Grindelwald was defeated. A Muggle I knew was also defeated around this time…Adolf, his name was. Very prejudiced man, even more so than Tom Riddle or your Lucius Malfoy. It was in April of 1945 when our plan came to fruition. I had been battling Dumbledore for days and I knew the time would come when I could no longer hold him off. This was when my parents were murdered." Rebecca's look of surprise must have shown, because Ulrich chuckled. She had never heard this story before.
"Yes, my parents were murdered and Alesandra was sent to me. I knew my enemies would take advantage of the situation, especially Dumbledore-he is ruthless on the battlefield when need arises. I decided the only way to protect my sister was to bind her in a magic that would make her unable to ever cast a Dark Arts spell. In doing so, I lost her to my teachings and she grew up into the knowledge that Merlin Grindelwald was my former master."
"You never told her the truth?"
"There wasn't a need. The binding also bound her to have a daughter before a son, thus giving me you to train as my heir."
"What did the magical binding give to you beside me?"
"Thus is the heart of the matter. Dumbledore's weakness is his love for his students. Alesandra, as such, under the Imperious, could convince him that I, her older brother, was not a threat-that I had jus been caught up in something beyond my control. Dumbledore had never seen Grindelwald's face in the duels. Dumbledore, fool that he often is, believed Alesandra. I staged Grindelwald's death and like the phoenix, was reborn again as Ulrich Gregor. My followers, Blacks, Malfoys, and the others knew not of this treachery, although I'm sure some suspected it.
"Five years later, a young man came before me asking for Alesandra's hand in marriage. A Potter and rising in the Auror program at the Ministry. Supposedly descended from Godric Gryffindor, of they only knew the truth, but I digress. Christopher wanted to marry Alesandra. I held him off for some time, wanting to allow her time to finish training at St. Mungo's before I give a positive answer. But defiance makes Dark Magic stronger as my father always told me. In March of 1952 Alesandra and Christopher married. The binding I'd cast on Alesandra grew stronger and soon she was pregnant."
Rebecca sat back. She hadn't thought Ulrich had been that cold and calculating in his manipulation of the events before her conception. It was unlike anything she had even heard from him. She knew he had loved his sister, but how did he justify doing what he did? Rebecca knew the true meaning of his words even if he hadn't said them. Ulrich had manipulated the events so perfectly as to guarantee he would have his Pureblood heir to train. The heir to Grindelwald was right indeed.
"You're feeling betrayed, I know."
"You know?" she demanded, standing up. "Oh, yes, you know. Tell me, Uncle, how would you know anything about how I feel right now? Everything I am is because of you."
"No, Rebecca, it is not and let me tell you how…"