Disclaimer: I will only state this once for the entirety of the tale, as such, it applies for all consecutive chapters: I do not, have not, and never will own anything to do with the Harry Potter series. It is all owned by J. K. Rowling and will remain that way, and I will never and have never made any profits from this.
Warnings: Rated M, for violence, gore, language, and potential romance, among other things.
A/N: I decided to start this story on a mere whim, so it may be strange and a little choppy, but hey, oh well. Please read and review. I need some positive and negative feedback, and also I would like suggestions on whether or not to implement any pairings.
PLEASE NOTE: That the likely hood of there being Yaoi is high!
Chapter I – Lucis Vinco
Green eyes blinked open, slowly and with great, almost dazed, effort. Colors blurred momentarily before clearing to allow green eyes to stare into the first thing they ever saw; eyes as green as his own. "Oh!" The green eyed woman gasped in awe with a tired smile as a bead of sweat dripped down her cheek. "James! He has my eyes!" She stated with tears of joy as she held the small baby boy gently in her arms softly rocking him back and forth.
"He has my hair Lils!" A male voice stated as rich and warm hazel eyes came into view of the babe. "He's perfect." He added before he leaned in and kissed his wife on the forehead, his eyes never once leaving his newly born son. "Our son is perfect." He said softly as he tapped his newborn son on his nose with care, earning him a gurgling sound as a hand moved out from the folds of a rich green blanket and latched onto the hand that had tenderly tapped his nose.
"What should we name him?" Lily questioned her husband thoughtfully as she cooed at the gurgling baby.
"James junior!" The man automatically suggested with his mischievous grin, earning him an incredulous look from his wife.
"Not on your life! I have enough trouble with just one James." The woman said teasingly as she stuck her tongue out at James. The man turned his eyes from his son and pouted at his wife as though she had just denied him a treat.
"How about James as a middle name then?" He asked, pushing with luck while using his most charming smile.
"Fine." Lily stated with a roll of her emerald eyes before she looked back into the eyes of her son. She smiled softly as James merely waggled his index finger, making their son gurgle again as the babe's hand was tugged delicately from side to side. "What about Harry?" She suggested thoughtfully.
"Harry James Potter." James said considerately before he nodded. "I like the sound of that." He concluded before he looked up at the medi-witch that was standing to the side, holding a clipboard.
With a smile, the woman wrote the child's name upon the birth certificate she had before handing it over to James who smiled his thanks. "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Potter." The woman said before she quietly left the newly enlarged family alone.
"You are amazing Lily." James whispered softly to his wife just as the door to the room reopened and two men walked in with giddy smiles on their faces.
"Where is he?" The taller of the two asked as he stood bouncing on the balls of his feet, his bright blue eyes shimmering with excitement before he rushed over to the bedside and peered down over his best friend's shoulder followed closely by an auburn haired man with golden honey eyes who looked happy yet tired.
"Sirius! Remus!" James greeted cheerfully as he looked back at two of his closest and not to mention, most dear, friends. "Meet your Godson, Harry James Potter." James stated with pride as he looked down upon his son with a grin that just would not leave his face.
"James, he is going to be a heartbreaker when he is older." Sirius stated with a toothy grin. "Just like us." He added as he looked closely at his godson, nodding to himself.
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"Sirius Black!" Lily yelled; her cheeks a shade of crimson that matched her hair. "You put my son down!" She cried out as she worriedly watched her husband's best and most mischievous friend twirl her baby around, the two laughing, or in Harry's case, giggling in happiness.
One year had already long since passed since her son was born, and it had been the best year of her life, even with a few minor mishaps and trials. Not too mention the news that Dumbledore brought last week alone. Green eyes turned sad as she watched her son. 'Nether can live while the other survives…' Echoed mercilessly through her mind causing tears to well up in her eyes.
"Lily?" Remus questioned softly, his hand moving to her shoulder as he noticed his distraught friend. "Are you alright?"
"Hmm?" Lily said as she tore her eyes away from her son and her thoughts of dark things. "Yeah, I'm fine Remus. I was just thinking." She added by means of explanation as she looked at her honey eyed friend with a false smile.
Remus opened his mouth only to be interrupted as a knock rang on the door. "I've got it!" James called out as he moved to the doorway. "Peter!" James exclaimed enthusiastically. "You're late! We were beginning to think you wouldn't make it." He stated as he pulled his long time friend into his home, closing the door behind him.
"Sorry James, I was a bit busy with work." Peter answered nervously as he regarded the room with his beady eyes. "Been hectic, reports have been coming in left, right and center." Peter said as he fidgeted absently with his sleeves.
"Gosh Pete! Here we were thinking you wouldn't make it in time to go Trick or Treating with us!" Sirius said cheerfully as he jumped over to the door, holding Harry in his little rabbit Halloween costume. "This muggle holiday is going to be awesome!" Sirius said as he blew a raspberry on Harry's cheek.
Harry giggled excitedly, as he squirmed away from Sirius' slobbery attack. "Hello Harry!" Peter greeted as he reached down towards the boy, causing Harry to stop his giggling and to frown. Tears welled up in Harry's eyes.
"Aw! Hey!" Sirius exclaimed. "What's wrong Harry? Hungry? Did you go potty?" He questioned as he bounced the wailing Harry in his arms. "Come on pup!" Sirius began as he started making strange faces at his sobbing godson.
"Oh come to mommy." Lily said in exasperation, as she took her son from Sirius. This happened every time, for some reason Harry just did not like Peter. Lily gently cooed her son calming his tears softly.
"I'm sorry Lily, James. I should have known not to come." Peter stated as he shifted uneasily from foot to foot.
"Hey!" Sirius began as he clapped his hand forcefully onto Peter's back, causing the man to stumble forward. "Harry just doesn't like your ghastly mug old boy!" Sirius said teasingly with a barking laugh that James joined in on.
"No, no, Sirius." Peter said as he fumbled with his hands. "I am really sorry James, Lily, Sirius, Remus." The man said as he looked down. "But," he restarted as he reached a trembling hand into his pocket, "I brought along a surprise. Maybe, Harry won't mind me so much then."
"Oh, Peter, no need to spoil Harry." Lily said with a frown as she rocked her son.
"No, I… I must do this." Peter said as he suddenly wiped out his wand. "Accio wands!" He shouted out, and immediately all the wands of his friends flew into his free hand and the man stepped back.
"Peter?" James frowned as he smirked. "I can't believe it! Pranked by Wormtail!" James stated while Sirius stared on at the smaller, mousy man with shock as Remus shifted with unease.
"This is no prank." Wormtail stated before he flicked his wand at the door and it shot open. "The Dark Lord has come!" Peter exclaimed before he aimed his wand at Sirius. "Stupefy!" He shouted, the stunner smashing into an astonished Black before he was flung back unconscious just as the crimson eyed Voldemort stepped through the doorway of the Potter house.
"Give me the boy." Voldemort hissed, a cruel sneer directed at the muggle born witch.
James, pale as ever whether at the prospect of his once dear friend's betrayal or at the monster that stood in his home no one knew, moved between the Dark Lord and his wife, shielding his small family with his body.
"Stupefy!" Peter shouted, as he knocked James out of the way just as Remus lunged at Peter in a tackle, knocking the traitor to the floor.
"Run Lily!" Remus cried before he was struck down by a stunner due to shifted attentions, courtesy of Wormtail.
Lily, with one glance at her stunned husband, turned and ran into the living room and up the stairs, Harry wailing in her arms. "Hush sweetie, Daddy will be okay." She whispered into his ear as she raced up the stairs and down the hallway. She bolted into the Nursery and slammed the door shut behind her. With haste she set her son into his crib and withdrew a card from her pocket.
"We are under attack!" Lily yelled into the card, her voice causing Harry to stop crying and to regard his mother with watery eyes just as the nursery door was blown open and in marched Voldemort, robes billowing and the traitor on his heels.
"Give me the boy Mudblood!" Voldemort hissed darkly, his eyes narrowed on the defiant woman.
"Never!" Lily growled as she blocked Harry from view. "You will not touch my son!" She said firmly Lily.
"Lily… I'd do what he says." Peter offered quietly from behind the menacing dark lord.
"Shut up! Traitor!" Lily growled as she glared at the man that she once proudly called friend.
"Stupefy!" Wormtail yelled out just as Voldemort began to raise his wand.
Lily was flung backwards, unconscious. "I never told you to stun her." Voldemort hissed at Wormtail before he pointed his wand at the man. "Crucio!" He muttered and with his curse, Peter fell to the ground and writhed and screamed in pain and anguish as what felt to be thousands of knives flowed through his bloodstream.
Voldemort held his curse for several seconds that felt like an eternity to the sobbing man, before the Dark Lord turned away from his whimpering servant. Slowly, Voldemort stepped forward, his wand leveled at the child in the crib, sitting there and looking at him with stunning green eyes.
"Harry Potter." Voldemort stated as he nodded his head at the child in his crib. "We meet at last…" He declared with a cruel smirk. "The 'chosen one'. You are supposedly the only threat to my supreme reign over this pathetic world." Voldemort concluded as he leveled his wand at the child. "Wormtail leave here at once!" The man ordered his slave, and with haste the bawling man scrambled from the room, clunking his way out of the house.
Crimson eyes stared into emerald green. "Good bye, Harry Potter. Avada Kedavra!" He hissed as green light dominated the room causing the room to crumble down violently moments after the Dark Lord apparated out.
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Lily sat on the living room all alone. It was quiet; the only sound was the gentle crackle of the fire in the hearth. A tear trickled down her pale cheek as she stared down at the photograph in her trembling hands. There in the photo, stood both James and her, and in her own arms sat the giggling Harry. "Harry…" Lily whispered as she closed her eyes. "Oh my Harry…" She cried out as she set the picture down, unable to look at it any longer.
It was Halloween, one year after that fateful night; the night that Peter had betrayed them all and the night of Harry's death.
The nursery had been utterly destroyed that night, and the fires, which she had barely managed to be rescued from, had easily burned the room to ashes, taking the body of her baby with it. The aftershock of the killing curse that had killed her son, also took away almost all evidence of the boy even existing beyond a singed ear of the rabbit costume he had been wearing... It had left Lily and James crushed.
Sirius and Remus were not too much better off after that night, the night that had ruined all of them. With a chocked sob, Lily placed her hand over her swollen belly. "Harry, you are going to have twin siblings…" She whispered quietly as she swallowed a lump in her throat.
"Lily?" James asked softly as he peered into the room and saw his distressed wife. With great speed, the man moved over to his crying wife and pulled her lovingly into her arms. "Oh Lily…" He whispered sadly. "Please don't cry…"
"James… What if… what if he comes… for these babies of ours as well?" Lily cried her concern. "I don't want to loose another child…." She whimpered as she buried her face into her husband's chest.
"I won't let it happen Lily…" James promised as he kissed her fiery hair. "I won't fail again…" He vowed quietly, his eyes like steel.
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13 Years Later
Voldemort rigidly sat upon his elegant black onyx throne, garbed richly in flowing black robes, his reign of terror still ravaging the world in a seemingly endless barrage. Soon both the Wizarding and the Muggle worlds would be his to control. Though at present, he was not pleased with the progress of things and his displeasure easily showed.
Crimson eyes shone with annoyance as he listened to the stuttering fool in front of him. "Crucio." Voldemort muttered in an uninterested fashion as he absently flicked his wand at the idiot before him. The Dark Lord relished deeply in the cries of suffering coming from his useless follower. "Nott," The darkest wizard began as he lifted the spell, "I have no care for the trivial nonsense that you have in regards to what the rumor miles carry. I want fact, not fiction!" He finished with an enraged hiss.
"My Lord! Forgive me!" Nott whimpered as he shakily scrambled to his feet, trembling the whole way, his torso bent in an inelegant bow, his breathing ragged.
"You have angered me greatly." Voldemort began just as the door to his dark stone reception chamber slammed open causing all eyes of the masked Death Eaters to turn sharply towards the open doorway. "Valdere, you are late." Voldemort said conversationally as a man dressed from head to toe in black combat robes appeared in the door way. The man smirked, his lips forming a jagged expression that shone in his obsidian eyes as a gentle breeze tugged short raven locks in front of those haunting eyes.
"Late? My lord you merely gave me a date, not a time." The man named Valdere stated primly as he moved his hair out of his eyes as crimson stared into his own. He stood there unfazed…
"Insolence!" A female voice hissed from her spot beside the throne, her sultry face tight with dark displeasure at the disrespect shown to her beloved Lord.
"Bella." The dark lord said as he raised his hand to halt the woman as she inched forward wand raised to punish one so arrogant as to oppose the Dark Lord so openly.
"Valdere, have you accomplished your mission?" Voldemort questioned as he rose from his dark throne, red eyes glittering with an unknown light. A nod was the man's answer.
The Death Easters watched on, several lower ranking ones exchanging whispered words, wondering what exactly was happening, and just who this dark man was to speak so casually to their leader. The Inner Circle, more intelligent then to voice their opinions shared discreet looks, all of which were blank saying silently that none knew this man that had boldly entered into their meeting.
"Yes My Lord." Valdere said with a slight bow of his head. "Your weapon is ready, and is far greater then I had anticipated."
"Well?" Voldemort questioned as he pointed a narrowed glare at the man. Annoyed that his weapon was no where to be seen. He was not a patient man.
"My Lord, your newest weapon: Lucis Vinco." Valdere stated as he motioned towards something. From the doorway a new figure emerged. A small figure, one that stood just taller then five feet; swathed from head to toe in a dark cloak that seemed to merge with the very shadows around him. "Come." The man stated as he beckoned forth the small person.
Without a sound, the figure stepped forward, moving until Lord Voldemort was but a meter away. "My Lord, meet your new weapon." Valdere said with a smirk as he motioned to the new comer.
"I trust you have done well, Valdere. You are dismissed." Voldemort said, his eyes focused only on the small figure before him. Without a second glance, the older man left, moving swiftly from the now eerily silent hall. "Welcome Lucis," The Dark Lord greeted, "Tell me, who do you serve?"
"You, my Lord." The figure spoke up his voice rich. "I am yours to command as you will." The figure said as he dropped down to his knees gracefully, his hooded head lowered in submission.
"Good. My Death Eaters, you are the first to witness the existence of my weapon, Lucis! Now leave us!" The soulless man commanded and with a flourish of robes his minions did just that, and left with all haste though they did not forget to bow to their master upon their hasty retreat.
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"That's preposterous!" Frank Longbottom exclaimed with a dark frown as he glanced around the room, taking in all the pale features of all the other order members. "There is no way You-Know-Who has a new weapon!" He stated as he fidgeted, eyes looking to his wife for reassurance, and there he received none.
"It is true." Severus stated, his black eyes boring into the man who dare questioned his word. "Valdere, a man I have never heard of, brought in a small figure, male by the sound of his voice. They called him Lucis, and I have only ever seen the Dark Lord himself move as he did. But still, it was different, more elegant and perfected." The potion master concluded as he slumped down into a chair. "More like the deathly grace of a Dementor…"
"Lucis… Do you know anything of him?" James Potter questioned.
"No… The Dark Lord has never mentioned him…" Severus muttered as he focused his eyes into the hazel of his boyhood rival. "But… I have never seen him looked as pleased as this… Not even after he had acquired the Philosophers stone and slaughtered both Nicklaus and his wife in cold blood…"
"Albus! What can we do?" Molly demanded, not wanting to remember the tragedy that had been the loss of such powerful and influential members in their Order. "If he has some weapon, a person, what can we do?!" The matriarch of the Weasley family stated.
"Do not give up hope." Albus stated as he stood up, his clear blue eyes looking into the eyes of all those gathered. "What we must do is to find out the identity of this 'weapon'." He began as he walked towards Severus and set a firm hand upon the dark wizard's shoulder. "And once we do, we will remove him from the hands of Voldemort. A weapon is only a threat in the hands of its wielder.
"I can not guess as to what this human weapon can or will do. I can not tell you his strengths or his weaknesses. All I can offer to you all is words of caution. This man isn't likely to be normal, nor will he likely be a push-over. He may be cunning, and he is likely powerful. No doubt he is a threat to existence as bleak as it may seem." The old wizard said with calm clarity.
"James, Sirius, Kingsley and Shacklebolt, I'll trust you to be my eyes and ears within the Auror division. I'll need you four to keep a weathered eye out for any mention of our mysterious weapon." Dumbledore ordered as he regarded the four while peering over his moon shaped spectacles. "I believe we will hear evidence of his existence shortly."
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Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, sat at his desk; dark eyes watching as the Unspeakables hurriedly replaced the sword in its security field. The sword was not just any sword; it was the sword that belonged to Godric Gryffindor himself. But that was not the only thing that the sword was. No, such an extraordinarily old and not to mention highly valuable artifact was also a Horcrux; one belonging to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
Ministry Aurors had managed to acquire the sword on a Death Eater raid, and since that night well over two months ago, the Unspeakables have been working diligently on trying to find a means to destroy it; all their attempts had thus far ended in failure. Also, since that raid, the sword had remained locked and guarded in Fudge's office whenever it was not being worked on.
Fudge was deeply afraid of that artifact. After all, he knew that You-Know-Who would want that back, hence the tighter then average security around not only his office, but also within the entirety of the Ministry. But the threat of Him reclaiming the weapon didn't frighten the Minister as much as his mentor's belief that this Horcrux was not the only one. Dumbledore had implied in a meeting they had shortly after the recovery of the blade, that he believed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named created not one or two, but multiple Horcruxes.
The man sighed as he rested his face in his hands and stared down at his rich mahogany desk, eyes staring blankly at all the little grains while his mind ran over all things going wrong in the world, and the for the most part, he could tell the cause of all the disturbances.
"Minister?" A female voice inquired. "Are you unwell? Would you like for me to send for a medi-witch?" The unspeakable inquired as she finished the last of her charms to protect the blade, her back to the man she had questioned.
"I'm fine." The man answered as he sat up straight and regarded the two silver robes individuals. "Any luck?" He questioned as he eyed them finish their enchantments before they stepped back.
"None." The male Unspeakable stated as he shook his silver masked head. "I'm beginning to doubt being able to destroy the soul if we want to keep the blade in tact. I'm certain that Fiend Fire would do the trick of destroying the soul, but it too would destroy the blade.
"No, we must not destroy or even put a scratch on that artifact. It is worth more then this entire building is." Cornelius stated as he walked over and stared at the blade set upon its pedestal. "It is too valuable to destroy…" He muttered before he motioned for the two to leave the room.
With a swish of their cloaks and a quiet click of the door, the Minister was left alone in his large office. "Merlin save us all." He whispered to himself before he moved to his cabinet and poured himself a tall glass of Fire Whiskey and downed it all in one go.
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"Morning Potter, Black." A man greeted as he waved at the two Aurors that just stepped into the Department of Law and Justice inside the Ministry building via the lift.
"Morning Kingsley." The two Aurors greeted as they both regarded their comrade in arms and secret ally through means of the Order.
"Ah! Just the two I was looking for." A female cut off the conversation as she beckoned for Kingsley to leave the three of them. "Potter, Black, you are on Guard duty today." She stated before handing James a file folder. "Sorry to spring this on you, but Kane and Richmond are ill." The woman explained with a sigh. "Anyway, the details of the assignments are in that folder. Good luck." She concluded before she turned on heel, her crimson robes twirling sharply behind her.
James and Sirius exchanged a glance before they flipped open the folder. "Ah crap…" Sirius cursed under his breath. "Guard duty for the sword." He muttered as he glared at the folder. "How boring can it get?" He asked as James flipped the folder shut and offered a half glare at his dearest friend.
"Hey you never know, it may be the most exciting assignment of our lives." James said with a mock smile.
"Right… Who in their right mind would break into the ministry?" Sirius questioned as he crossed his arms and gave James a look that expressed his doubt. "I mean, they have a shit load of people and spells and wards and Merlin knows what else to get passed just to reach the Minister's office." The man explained as the two hopped back onto the lift and touched the key that indicated the top floor.
"Hey, I'm pretty sure someone will come after that thing at some point in time." James stated with a smirk. "And once they get to us, then we will have a blast in more ways then one." He added, earning a grin from his best friend.
"Sounds like it would be fun. Bagging the bad guys always makes me feel like I've had a good day." Sirius said in all seriousness as the lift pinged and opened, revealing the long hallway that lead to the Minister's office.
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The sky was bright blue and sunny. The street below was packed full of ordinary muggles rushing to and fro on foot and in colorful cars. It was a typical day with nice warm weather for all those present. Though, in the beautiful sunlit street, there was something amiss. A figure stood cloaked in black robes that swirled around him on a breeze that did not exist. The Muggles walked past the stationary figure not seeing him in the least. He was invisible to them, though they unconsciously moved to the side whenever they got close too him so as to inadvertently avoid a collision.
The figure was swathed in dark robes from head to foot, nothing distinguishable beyond his height as he stood, staring unmoving across the busy muggle street. On the other sidewalk where his gaze seemed to be focus, sat a brilliant painted red phone booth that no muggle ever used for some unknown reason to them.
He stood there unmoving, unnoticed and unseen, watching as muggles skipped on their oblivious merry-little way, observing as Wizards moved in and out of the phone booth, going unseen by the magic-less folk.
The figure stood there for well over an hour, moving not a single muscle, almost as though a statue stood rigid below those flowing dark robes. Had anyone seen him, they would have been highly unnerved and most suspicious, but they remained happily ignorant.
Suddenly he moved forward, and stepped upon the asphalt of the road, moving at a relaxed pace across the street, the cars and the drivers, unaware of his presence, missed him narrowly, though it did not faze him in the least. Slowly, the figure reached the opposite sidewalk and moved towards the red phone booth. Leisurely he slid open the door and walked into the narrow stand sliding the door closed behind him.
A pale hand rose and slowly dialed a six, a two, a four, another four, and then a two with such a nature that it would have seemed he had done this many times before. The dial hummed and a cool sounding female voice spoke out. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic, please state your name and purpose." She stated in a friendly tone.
"Lucis." The figure stated clearly. "I am here to retrieve the Sword of Godric Gryffindor." He finished and a silver badge shot out of the machine and was taken by Lucis. It read: Lucis, Sword retrieval.
"Thank you. Visitors are asked to please take the badge and attached it to their robes. Also, you are required to submit your wand and register at the security desk which is located at the far end of the Atrium." The female voice added just as the booth's floor quivered before going downwards.
Within a moment, the moving booth was surrounded on all sides by earth as he descended lower and lower into the ground. A minute passed before light spilled in from just above the floor and slowly the little booth was lit up as it arrived in a busy Atrium. With a soft ding, the door opened and Lucis disembarked from the booth as unnoticed as before.
Lucis picked up his pace and moved swiftly and silently through the noisy and crowded Atrium. He moved towards a door that had the image of a staircase on it and he faded through the door and reappeared on the other side. "For such dangerous times, security is lax." The cloaked man stated emotionlessly as he raised his hand causing his robes to shimmer momentarily as he canceled his notice-me-not charms and his invisibility charms, rendering him visible once again.
He was standing within a dimly lit stairwell that had stairs spiraling up and down. It was empty and silent. With magic, who would ever use the stairs? Silently Lucis began ascending the dark iron steps, making not a sound. He moved fluidly up the stairs, not tiring nor changing the pace of this breath and within several minutes he came to the top of the stairs and was faced with a tall dark door with a small window to the hall beyond.
Lucis moved towards the door and glanced through the glass doors. He looked for but a second, nevertheless, he managed to scope it out in its entirety. On the right wall was the golden gated lift, across from the door was a rich looking wall, and to the left the hall stretched down quite a ways before a rich mahogany door stood. Posted on either side of the door was two Aurors.
His cloak shimmered as he became invisible and unnoticeable once again before he faded through the door, coming out the other side unseen. Soundlessly he stalked forward and was upon the chatting Aurors in no time, and yet, they still did not detect him. Using the same trick as before, he faded through the door and came upon the richly decorated office of the Minister of Magic.
The room was empty; the only movement within was the dancing flames in the hearth crackling away merrily. Though Lucis saw the décor, he ignored it as it was irrelevant to his purpose. His focus was solely upon the shimmering blade propped up upon its pedestal, a dome of blue circling it. Cautiously, Lucis canceled the spells upon himself as he moved forward to inspect the barrier.
Cautiously, he brought his hand up and gently tapped a small pale finger delicately against the barrier, causing the blue to flash slightly before settling as he withdrew his hand, his finger tingling slightly. Lucis sighed before he reached up behind him and pulled a sword swiftly from its concealed sheath on his back. He whispered quietly under his breath as he ran two black glowing fingers down the left side of the blade causing his sword to glow an eerie black, matching the glow that had previously been upon his fingers.
Once the blade was coated in the glowing light, Lucis removed his fingers and the glow vanished from his hand yet remained on the blade. A sigh escaped the cloaked figure as he grabbed the hilt of his katana in both hands and brought it up above his head before swiftly bringing it down and plunging the tip directly through the blue barrier shattering it instantly; the shield fragments falling to the floor like tinted glass before vanishing.
Lucis stepped forward his sword leveled at the pedestal which was covered in a pale pink shield similar to the blue one, except this one was far smaller and less transparent. With a rush of wind, Lucis jabbed his sword against the barrier, a tinkling sound rose up and barrier remained in tact, unscratched by the figure's sword. A soft chuckled escaped him as he re-sheathed his weapon, the katana and its sheath vanishing from sight.
The cloaked human-weapon stepped forward and placed his index finger against the barrier before he ran his finger along the smooth surface in a pattern before he whispered a word causing the trail he had traced to glow blue before the barrier crumbled into shimmering dust that vanished before it hit the ground. With slight hesitation, the young figure hovered his pale hand over the sword before he easily plucked it off its pedestal and placed the badge he had acquired in the phone booth in its place.
After the deed was done he raised the sword up to eye level and regarded it slowly, just as the door behind the Minister's desk opened and a man stumbled in holding a pile of papers that tittered well over his head. "Johnson… get me this file, organize that! Oh where is my coffee?" The man muttered darkly as he lugged his heavy load of paperwork over to the great desk.
Lucis blinked, utterly amused at the man's antics. "You should be more cautious of what you say, someone may hear you." He voiced without expression causing the man to jump up in surprise, his papers scattering to the floor as brown eyes landed upon the small dark figure. Darkly tanned skin turned ghastly white as brown eyes widened at the blade he spotted in the stranger's hand.
"Help! Intruder! Thief!" He shouted before he sprinted to the door he had just emerged from moments before the door behind Lucis flew open with a resounding bang. James Potter and Sirius Black barged into the office, wands drawn and pointed steadily at the intruder just as loud wailing and red lights began to flash over the entirety of the Ministry of Magic building.
"Hold!" Auror Black growled, his sapphire eyes narrowed dangerously, his crimson robes flared out behind him as he and his partner wearily eyed the small figure. "Surrender the sword and things will be much easier on you." He order sharply as the golden lift at the end of the hall sprung open, allowing twenty more people dressed in crimson robes to sprint down the hall towards them.
"Stand and surrender, or flee with my prize. What amazing options I have." The voice said coldly, sending chills up the spins of Black and Potter just as the reinforcements arrived, their wands likewise pointed at the figure. "I seem to be drastically out numbered." He added with a slight hiss, causing a few Aurors to pale, thinking that the cloaked figure might just be He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
"Stupefy!" A pale Auror suddenly shouted nervously, her red stunner soaring proud and true, and just before it hit the figure a silver shield was erected and easily reflected the spell into the Minister's alcohol cabinet easily smashing the shelves and the bottles. Booze poured out and soaked the ground, yet neither the Aurors nor their target moved.
"A little antsy…" He muttered.
"Who are you?" Kingsley demanded sharply.
"Your worst nightmare…." The figure responded as he suddenly raised his sword carrying hand, causing the Aurors to tense. "But you can call me… Lucis…" He added causing James and Sirius to exchange a brief look. "Lumos Maximus!" Lucis muttered softly and a blindingly bright flash lit up both the office and the hall, causing all the wizards and witches present to shield their eyes.
As the light vanished, James spotted the cloaked figure move through the door behind the minister's desk and quickly sprinted after their fleeing foe, his best friend right on his heels.
Thundering feet followed after the two Aurors. James fired a stunner at the back of Lucis, who moved behind a tall filing cabinet to avoid the spell, before he leapt onto the desk of a startled ministry worker and leapt over the divider of his stall and into his co-workers stall just as a stunner hit the desk he had leapt from.
With a shout from the Aurors, the stall wall was spelled down and James led the way after the cloaked figure. "Stupefy!" Sirius shouted, causing Lucis to leap up, his hand on the desk as he propelled himself over the spell, before rolling on top of the desk and behind it, missing several Reducto curses that caused the filing cabinets to explode in a fiery rain of papers and metal.
Suddenly, the fire system kicked in, and rain clouds covered the ceiling, blocking out all but the light that came in through the few magical windows. Water began pouring down, causing many of the Aurors to slip and crash into solid surfaces or fall to the ground. Lucis chuckled softly at the Aurors as he slid on the drenched floor through a door and into a stairwell. Cloak and robes saturated with water did nothing to weigh him down as he leapt over the railing and plummeted down the center of the spiraling stairs, using shields to avoid all the stunners and curses sent at him by the Aurors that had made it to the stairs and were trying to race after him.
Aiming a cushioning charm at the ground, Lucis landed smoothly, uninjured and in the position of a cat before he looked up to the Aurors racing down the stairs and still tossing spells at him. With an unseen roll of his eyes, Lucis stood and raced out of targeting range and line of sight before he reapplied his concealment spells and dried his robes. He then phased through the door and placed a powerful locking charm on it before he moved through the much emptier Atrium, wearily eying the nervous looking Aurors that stood around with their wands raised.
With a sigh he slipped into the phone booth and back up to the surface unseen and unnoticed. "That was too easy…" He muttered as he exited the red booth and apparated without a sound from the muggle sidewalk.
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That night another meeting for the Order of the Phoenix gathered in the kitchen of Sirius' home. "As you all have heard, this morning the Ministry of Magic was invaded by one man." Albus stated as he looked gravely around the room. "We all know that the Ministry is where the Sword of Godric Gryffindor was located, and that it is one of Voldemort's," he ignored the shudders at the name, "Horcrux." He added.
"James, Sirius, would you two care to share what happened?" He asked kindly as he sat down in his chair looking every bit his old age.
James sighed as he ran his hand through his messy locks, a habit he had had since childhood, as his hazel eyes scanned the faces of all those watching him. "Well… This morning at the Ministry, Sirius and I were placed on guard duty for the sword as many of us Aurors have been since the retrieval of it from Lestrange Manor.
"Things were quiet and uneventful as ever, before a cry for help behind the door we were guarding alerted us to something being wrong. We both slammed open the door and spotted a figure standing, holding the Horcrux in hand. Alarms went of quickly, and within minutes a squadron of Aurors were behind us, yet the cloaked figure was unwavering."
"We ordered his surrender, but he had no intentions of surrendering. One of the jumpy new recruits fired a stunner at him, and he countered with a shield that reflected the spell into the Minister's booze cabinet." Sirius added with an amused smirk before continuing. "He then did a super bright Lumos spell, startling us, and fled as we all shielded our eyes. He moved through the back door in the minister's office and we all hastily followed him. He easily dodged every single spell without once looking back at us. Some idiot then fired a Reducto curse, causing a few filing cabinets to explode, resulting in the fire system activating to rain down buckets of icy water on us…" He added with a note of annoyance in his voice.
"The majority of us slid and sloshed around, disoriented by the darkness and the water, stumbling over our own feet, but he managed to use the slippery ground to his advantage, and slid right past a bunch of curses and into the stairwell and proceeded to jump over the railing." A few wide-eyed expressions met him as he ran a hand through his hair again. "Sirius and I raced down the stairs as fast as we could, aiming spell after curse at him, but gravity was faster then us and he landed smoothly before moving out of our sight. By the time we reached the bottom he was gone and the door was locked. Took both of our most powerful Reducto curses to blow the door down and when we raced out it was at wand point."
"The Aurors stationed in the Atrium all looked at us puzzled, and claimed that no one opened that door. I'm almost beginning to think he must have apparated out, seeing as he vanished into thin air." James muttered in annoyance as he slumped back into his seat, the day had been a hectic one to say the very least.
"Do we know who this Death Eater is?" Lily questioned softly as she grabbed her husband's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
Kingsley then stood. "I know who did this, on the pedestal that once held the sword I found this." He stated as he reached into his pocket and retrieved a small silver badge and handed it to Dumbledore who regarded it with a frown.
Slowly, the old wizard looked up at the curious eyes on himself. "It reads: 'Lucis, Sword retrieval.'" He stated with a thoughtful expression.
"That was Lucis!" Many people shouted as loud conversations broke out everywhere in the room. Albus set down the badge. "Not one spell hit him?" He questioned over the voices, causing everyone to grow silent.
"Not one." James added as he looked into his beloved wife's emerald eyes.
Silence echoed throughout the room, broken only by the door opening, and an exhausted looking Severus Snape entering. "The Dark Lord has his sword back." He stated, causing many fearful looks to be exchanged.
"This is bad." Someone uttered softly.
"Albus what will we do? Voldemort has already gotten two of his Horcruxes back now. Well, at least to our knowledge…" Minerva stated sharply. "First the ring then the sword, we need to figure out what the rest are, and get them before the ministry or he does." She stated, earning much agreement from the Order members.
"Well… I have a lead on the next Horcrux." Albus stated as he stood once more. "But it will be beyond our reach. I believe that Voldemort's familiar, Nagini, is one of his seven." He concluded gravely.
"He has three then!" Frank exclaimed in anger. "What the hell are we supposed to do? If he gets all seven of them back, he will practically be untouchable! We need to raid his hideout and steal all three back quickly, before the Ministry tries." He added, earning several sounds of agreement from his peers.
"His location is unknown to us and even our spies. Severus may be able to go to and from the place, but he couldn't take us there." Dumbledore stated sagely, crushing the attack plan instantly.
"Then we are royally fucked." Sirius muttered darkly, many people silently agreed with him.
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"Astounding is it not?" Voldemort voiced as he stood before his dark throne, arms spread wide and a nasty smirk plastered upon his pale lips. "Several of you fools have been working on ways into the ministry to get my sword back for months, and in less then an hour, Lucis here not only managed to get in and out, but also managed to retrieve my sword." He stated loudly to the crowd of gathered Death Eaters, before looking to his right where his new and most impressive weapon knelt, holding the sword hilt up for when Voldemort wished to take it.
"He passed his test well." The Dark Lord added smugly before taking the sword from his most powerful servant and holding it up high. "The sword of my ancestor's enemy!" He exclaimed loudly, and his Death Eaters cheered. "This is a great cause for celebration!" He added darkly, crimson eyes surveying the room, "come my Inner Circle, we shall feast. The rest of you, go out and wreak havoc!" He ordered with a terrifying cackle before the lower ranking witches and wizards fled the meeting hall, and the Inner Circle followed the Dark Lord to the banquet room where a great feast was lain out upon a dark black table.
Voldemort took large strides to the head of the table and sat, and his strongest followed hastily, Lucius sitting to his right with an arrogant smirk as he eyed the others race for the best places. Just as Bellatrix was about to sit to his left, Voldemort held up his hand to stop her. "No my dear Bella, that place is reserved tonight for our newest member, Lucis." He stated with a hiss, causing a dark look to cover her face as the cloaked figure sat down in what was meant to be her place. With a quiet growl she sat down next to the Dark Lord newest toy, tossing the young man dark looks.
"Eat!" Voldemort ordered and everyone hastened to obey, the only person who took his time was Lucis, as he seemed to not fear his Lord. Several of the Inner Circle eyed the small figure, annoyed that he was eating without uncovering his face. They all itched to know who he was.
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Fires flared up as hundreds of black cloaked, white masked Death Eaters stormed through a small Muggle village on the coastline. Colors shot out, flashing like a dance light through the night air as spells flew each and every direction doing a great number of things to people and objects. It was mayhem.
Terrified screams of fruitlessly fleeing Muggles echoed through the blood covered streets, as the Wizards shot spell and hex, after curse upon anyone not wearing a cloak and mask of death. Many of them laughed at the pitiful attempt to stop them made by the Muggle police with their steel wands, but their attempts were fruitless. It was hopeless.
"Crucio!" Echoed loudly, followed by pain filled screeches, hysteric sobs, and people begging for mercy. Laughter rang out clearly, as the Death Eaters toyed sickly with their prey, cursing them to do horrible deeds or suffer great things. Corpses littered the streets and homes, the stench of burnt flesh and hair and sex reeked and ravaged the victims' noses. Blood covered everything with a metallic scent.
They were ruthless, toying, torturing, raping and they enjoyed every single moment of it. Help did not come for this group, for no one was aware of the attack. By the rising of the sun, the villains had finally departed, leaving not a soul alive. Homes and shops were either still burning, or already a pile of burnt remains or rubble. Where a proud yet small village once stood, laid a desolate bunch of ruins that served as a tomb of sorts to all the murdered souls…
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"My loyal followers!" Voldemort began as he sat regally upon his dark stone throne, crimson eyes gazing coldly upon his minions. "Though we have worked hard to make it to where we are; we still have much left to do before this world is under our complete control!" Many of the Death Eaters cheered in anticipation, causing the Dark Lord to smirk cynically at having been interrupted.
"So tonight my loyal subjects, we will raid Godric's Hollow. Let us annihilate the town of the foolish Gryffindor ancestry and its Muggle and filthy blood traitor inhabitants too!" He hissed with glee as a chorus of excited shouts echoed through his meeting chamber. "Have fun, do as you please, but if the Order turns up, remember, Dumbledore is mine!" He ordered sharply, narrowing his eyes to express his point. Only he would have the satisfaction of killing the man that had been a thorn in his side since before the beginning of his reign of terror.
"Go forth my loyal Death Eaters!" He shouted, and with gleeful haste the mob of cloaked and mask people raced excitedly from the hall, eager to go out a second night in a row to desecrate a worthless town and to show their loyalty and worth to their master who would soon rule the world.
"Now Lucis…" The dark wizard turned and regarded the standing figure located to the left of his throne. "I have a great mission for you tonight. This raid is to be more of a… diversion then anything." He stated, causing the young weapon to tilt his head to the side, as if urging the man to continue. "Valdere told you of Horcruxes, and you even retrieved one of mine, but I think it dangerously Gryffindorish to think I can keep them all in the same place." He paused, frowning momentarily. "I want you to take this," He restarted as he pulled out a dark ring. "And place it in the grave of the youngest of the Prewett brothers'." He explained as he handed the ring to his young servant who took it without hesitation.
"Also, I would like you to place these curses upon the grave so that no one manages to accidentally stumble upon it." He concluded as he held out a roll of parchment towards the young weapon. "After you are completed this task you will join myself and my Death Eaters in the raid." He stated before he spun around and stalked gracefully from the hall, leaving Lucis alone.
Silence beat down around the young cloaked man, as he stared studiously at the ring in his hand before he flicked upon the parchment of curses and wards he had been asked to place before letting out a low whistle at what he saw. "This looks like overkill…" He muttered before he shrugged, rolled up the parchment and placed them hidden within his robes.
Without another word he vanished from the chamber without a single sound and reappeared at the black wrought iron gates of the cemetery. He peered around cautiously, yet saw no one, and he knew that the raid hadn't quite begun yet, but it was only a matter of time before the sound level would rise and the chance of being spotted would become more likely. With a sigh, he gently pushed open the squeaking gates and strode in onto the cobblestone path that led windingly around gravestones and trees.
Quietly, he followed the path, eyes glancing at every stone and reading the names upon them. He had no clue as to the location of the grave he was after, and he continued on, ignoring the cracking of twigs under his boots. No one would hear him. Quietly he moved until he located the first of the Prewett graves, though it dated back many hundreds of years ago.
Silently he moved off the path and approached the stone, before walking past it and regarding all the names of the long dead line until he came upon the last two. 'Here lies Gideon Lawrence Prewett', the first read, while the second read. 'Here lies Fabian Arthur Prewett'. With a sigh he moved to the grave he had been ordered to bury the ring in and squatted down to read the stone.
"Are you a relative?" An elderly voice asked, causing the cloaked man to peer over his shoulder.
"No." Lucis answered truthfully after he eyed the portly man who likely tended to the gravesite.
"An old friend then?" The man asked as he hobbled forward, leaning lightly on his cane.
"No." Lucis answered again before he stood and turned to face the man.
"Hmm… I suppose not, you sound quite young, too young to have been around during even the time that those two were killed at." The older man stated as he moved forwards to peer down at the grave marker thoughtfully.
"The dead are to be respected; their lives paved our present, just as ours will pave the future." The man stated. "I have cared for this graveyard for the last forty years, and it is saddening to see the dead so utterly forgotten here rotting in this cold unforgiving earth." He stated as he looked up at the night sky. "People may come to the little church for prayers, but they rarely wonder back here to visit the resting place of the departed." He paused sadly as he looked down at the smaller figure whose face he could not see.
"Tell me young man, what reason do you have to wonder the pathways of the death, when you are no relative or friend to the corpses whose markers you were staring so intently at." The man stated more then questioned.
"I was ordered to come here and place an object within a grave to keep it safe. None would dare dishonor the dead by digging up their resting place." Lucis stated, causing the man to frown.
"You would be desecrating the grave just by digging it up to hide something." The man said sharply, he would not allow and harm to come to his carefully tended graves.
"I realize that… and I do not agree with that which I was ordered to do." Lucis stated honestly as reached into his pocket and retrieved a ring. "Tell me, within this gravesite is there a place not traveled and well hidden in which I can hide this?" He questioned as he showed the silver and black ring to the old man.
"Yes…" He stated as he stared at the simple ring. "But why hide it?" He questioned.
"It is the key to the Dark Lord's success; he does not want it easily jeopardized." Lucis said with a shrug, before the old man shrugged at the funny terms the young man used and beckoned for him to follow him. Slowly, they moved deeper into the massive graveyard, until they came upon a wide and tall tree that stood easily two hundred feet over their head and would take six men, hand and hand to wrap around the trunk.
"Those bushes at the base there have a hole behind them, leading to a large cave. The entrance is small, I wouldn't fit through, but there you can hide that ring from this 'dark lord' of yours." He stated with a smile.
"Thank you… Though I'm afraid I can't have you remembering this encounter, Obliviate." He whispered softly, causing the old man's eyes to glaze over and Lucis quickly made himself invisible as the old man returned to his senses and looked around in confusion.
"How in the blazes did I end up way out here?" The elderly man questioned as he scratched his balding head and stared at the old tree thoughtfully. "I guess I shouldn't be drinking coffee so late at night in my old age, back to tea then." He added as he turned on heel and made his way out of Lucis' sight.
The cloaked young man watched humorously as the muttering old man walked off, and he waited patiently for him to be gone from sight before he moved over to the tree and stepped into the bushes, moving until he found the aforementioned hole. With a glance behind him, he slipped through, and crawled down a dirt path that had small roots dangling down. Within moments he came upon a large dark cave and gently cast a Lumos spell.
It was big, and smelt much like dirt and clay. Massive and small roots alike covered the ceiling and wall of the earthly cave. With a nod of satisfaction, he tossed the ring into the air and silently cast a spell to keep it hovering. Next he placed a complex curse upon the ring, followed by a glowing sickly green shield and another curse. From that, Lucis began casting the protection spells on the list around the cave, so that they would act as booby traps, he even added a few spells of his own before he sat down, somewhat exhausted from his handy work. Cautiously he eyed his set up; he needed to ensure that the ring was well protected after all.
After resting a decent amount, he crawled back through the small path, casting more spells to hinder any who would consider entering, and once he pulled himself out, his hands dark with dirt, he cast a spell to conceal the hole so that only someone of magic who knew it to be there would find it. "That's done." He muttered as he turned towards the path that was headed towards the graveyard entrance, wiping his dirty hands on his cloak to clean them as he wearily eyed the blazing sky ahead that was likely the town.
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Albus Dumbledore was seated in his office at Hogwarts, immersed in a very amusing book of Muggle fairy tales, chuckling every once and a while, much to the annoyance of some of the more strict portraits lining the wall behind the old man's desk. Fawkes made a cooing sound as he tilted his head to regard the old headmaster thoughtfully. "Ah, my dear Fawkes, it is quite a humorous tale I must admit." He stated cheerfully as he nibbled on a Lemon Drop.
The fire in his fireplace suddenly turned green, pulling the elderly wizard's attention away from his most interesting book to the head that appeared in the flames looking anxious. All amusement vanished from Albus' face as he looked at the panicked face of one of his Order members. "What is it Arthur?" He questioned.
"Bad news Dumbledore, Godric's Hallow is under Death Eater attack!" The red haired man said, as he locked eyes with Dumbledore. "The Ministry has already dispatched Aurors Kingsley, James and Sirius, but it looks like all the Death Eaters from new recruits to the Inner Circle are there including Vol… Vol…Voldemort." He stuttered the name though got his point across.
"I will dispatch the Order immediately." Dumbledore said gravely as he picked up a Chocolate Frog Card and tapped his wand to it just as the Weasley patriarch vanished from the hearth of his fireplace. "Attention all available Order Members," He stated clearly, talking to the card. "Godric's Hallow is currently under siege. Please make haste. Be careful and let the Light always guide you." He finished before he too made for his fireplace and Flooed out.
Dumbledore arrived in one of the homes of an Order member that lived in Godric's Hallow, and hastily made his way through the smashed front door and out onto the ragged streets where people in black, crimson, and white robes clashed with spells. Fires raged. Corpses and blood were flung everywhere. Albus paled at so much death and destruction happening so quickly before he aimed his wand and stunned a near by Death Eater who was about to cast the killing curse at the back of one of the Aurors.
Quickly he jumped into the fray…
James ducked under another slashing hex, as he sent off a Reducto curse at the Death Eater, blowing off the man's wand arm, though he had no chance to cheer as a Reducto curse hit the ground right next to him, sending him skidding painfully across rough pavement, burning his cheek. He turned it into a roll, effectively putting out the fire at the hem of his robes as he retook his footing right beside Sirius who tossed a shield spell to protect his friend as he regained his footing. "All right there Prongs?" He questioned loudly as he shot off a stunning, knocking a Death Eater out.
"Naturally Padfoot!" James exclaimed with a grin at his best friend as he shot a round of arrows from his wand, hitting several Death Eaters who turned their focus onto him. A great creaking sound echoed, and both the Aurors looked up before throwing themselves to the side as a great sign fell down where they had been standing last, leaving a deep hole in the asphalt.
"Depulso!" Sirius shouted as he banished the ruined sign, sending it barreling towards a group of Death Eater that had ganged up on Kingsley, squishing a couple of them instantly, and distracting the rest easily, giving their fellow Auror and Order member a chance to get the upper hand.
A slashing hex hit Sirius on the shoulder, causing him to grimace as he grasped his aching and heavily bleeding left shoulder. James tossed a Reducto at the Death Eater that had cast the curse upon his best mate. "Confringo!" James muttered as he pointed his wand at a charging group of Death Eaters, exploding the ground with a rain of pavement, dirt, and blood. Screams and sounds of utter destruction seemed to reign the night.
"Avada Kedavra!" A voice shouted, causing Sirius to whip around in time to see a large piece of debris levitated in front of James, taking the full blast of the killing curse, causing it to explodes, shooting both of the Aurors skidding backwards, landing on the corpse of some unfortunate Muggle.
"Sorry mate." Sirius muttered as he hastily hoped back to his feet as he spotted Moody binding the man that had caused them to get knocked so far back.
"Constant Vigilance!" Moody shouted at Sirius and James, before he cackled manically and leapt bodily upon some Death Eater with his back turned, dragging him to the ground and stunning him.
"Bloody show-off." James muttered with a grin as he tossed a stunner at another Death Eater.
The Aurors were hastily pushing back the Death Eaters with the back up of white robed Order members. And soon, it looked like victory would be theirs.
"Fools!" An enraged voice hissed out, causing many people to flinch as Voldemort strived from behind his forces, wand raised as he began to attack with great vigor, easily slaughtering five Aurors with a wave of his wand. The arrival of their leader seemed to rekindle the Death Eaters' strength, and they began to resume the battle full force, but the Aurors and Order were no pushovers, and with haste, Dumbledore engaged Voldemort in a duel, leaving the not so magically powerful free to fight the rest sans fear of utter annihilation at the hands of the powerful Dark Lord.
Dirt and debris rained down upon them as fires broke out and things exploded. Screams seemed louder yet, and many corpses littered the ground, tripping any who was not aware of their surroundings. The Light side was pushing back the Dark side without too much difficulty until a bright flame in the shape of a dragon soared in, blowing a block worth of the Light forces to smithereens. "You are late!" Voldemort hissed over the silent crowd of combatants that had paused in their duels to try and spot where that dragon had come from.
"My apologies, I had an unexpected visitor to take care of." A dark figure said, his cold eerie voice calling all attention to him, after all he held his smoking hand out, making it clear to many that he had been the one to cast the fiery dragon. "And you did not specify a time." He added cheekily, much like his master would have earning him a withering glare before he leapt into the battle field, and all battles recommenced.
Lucis raced through the combatants, tossing devastating spells in quick succession, immobilizing and making it impossible for many to continue fighting. He was a force to be reckoned with and soon, the Order and the Aurors began to go out of their way to avoid the cloaked figure as they transported their dead and injured out swiftly.
A killing curse flew at Dumbledore from behind, and much to the surprise of Voldemort, one of his own tossed a chunk of rubble in to black the attack. With a howl of furry, the Dark Lord raised his wand. "Sectumsempra!" He growled and his slashing curse easily hit his traitorous Death Eater in the torso, sending him flying backwards in a spray of crimson, his white mask slipping from his face. "Malfoy!" Voldemort hissed hastily before having to jump back and dodge a spell that Dumbledore had launched at him, distracting him long enough for the old man to port the injured traitor out.
"Retreat!" Voldemort snarled darkly as he cast the Dark Mark in the sky and Disparated out, his loyal followers following suite. Within a second all conscious and living Death Eaters vanished, leaving only one person left standing in black. Lucis blinked as all wands were pointed at him before he shrugged and vanished without a sound…
Dumbledore dropped his wand and surveyed the damage. "Everyone remove the injured and the dead. Take any stunned Death Eaters into custody. Also, put out these fires." He ordered sharply as he moved to help round up Death Eaters that had been captured.
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Voldemort hissed in furry as he cast the Cruciatus curse again and again on his lesser Death Eaters, venting his rage and hissing his dismay of the traitorous Malfoy Sr. "Fool! He was the spy all along!" He snarled as he released his latest victim from the Cruciatus curse and sat down on his throne, motioning for his lesser minions to leave.
His Inner Circle stood there, exchanging looks. No one spoke, after all, what does one say to discovering that their Leader's right hand man had been a traitorous spy the whole time. "He will suffer and die." Voldemort said with icy calmness as Lucis suddenly appeared beside him. "You are late once again." He sneered with narrowed eyes.
"And once again you never stated a time for my arrival." Lucis countered in an equally cold voice, earning a dark glare from Bellatrix. "I found out that the traitor has been sent to St. Mungos." He added after a moment's thought, causing the Dark Lord to smirk.
"Very good." He praised with a nod as his crimson eyes surveyed his most useful asset. "You may go rest now Lucis." He stated as he dismissed the young man, and waited until he vanished into the shadows before he regarded his closest and strongest with a thoughtful expression.
"Now… Our dear Lucius will likely be at St. Mungos for at least two weeks with that spell I hit him with… Meaning we have a two week margin to take him out before Dumbledore," he sneered darkly, eyes flashing with annoyance and hate, "moves him to his hide-out or Hogwarts." He stated.
"My Lord, if I might suggest something?" One of his loyal men questioned earning a nod to continue. "I was thinking that if we were to go after Malfoy, we might want to make something grand out of it to show the world what happens to those who dare cross your glorious path milord." He stated with a deep bow. "Perhaps we ought to take out the entirety of St. Mungos with Malfoy." He suggested boldly, before holding his breath in nervous anticipation for a response.
"Barty, that is a very clever idea. You and Bella will devise the plan for this attack, make it in eleven days." He stated before waving a dismissal to them. With haste they bowed and exited the chamber. "Lucius…" He hissed as he placed his hand upon his familiar's scaled head.
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A disheveled group of Order members were seated in the meeting room at number twelve Grimmauld Place. Most of them looking worse for wear, though many of them were absent. "Tonight we fought a great battle." Dumbledore started as he looked around the room. "You all fought valiantly, and your efforts were effective, we won this battle, but at a price." The man added somberly.
"Forty-nine Muggles were killed and another thirteen are presently at St. Mungos under intensive care." He paused. "The Auror division lost thirty-one brave men and women, and five are in the hospital as we speak. As for the Order, we suffered the least casualties, nineteen dead and twenty-four injured." He concluded, before meeting eyes with James. "And yes Sirius will be alright, Poppy is patching him up as we speak." He concluded the victims list.
"Over three-quarters of Godric's Hallow was destroyed, but the Ministry has sent several crews in to hastily rebuild it to hopefully keep the moral of both Aurors and citizens up." He added as he rubbed at his temples. "These are dark times… and it looks like Lucis is much more powerful then any of us anticipated." He stated as he glanced over at Severus. "He was responsible for the majority of the injured and the dead." He added quietly.
"How are we supposed to take him down?" A female questioned anxiously.
"I think we might have to trap him, take him on with great numbers. This is an endeavor that we will not plan yet. We do not at present have the numbers to capture him and still thwart Voldemort." He stated ignoring many of the people that flinched at the name. "Well… that is all for tonight. Go home, rest, and mourn our losses." He stated gravely as he stood, leaving the room followed closely by everyone save for the two Potters.
"Give me a minute Lily-love; I want to check up on Sirius." He whispered softly as he squeezed his wife's hand and the two made their way upstairs where Poppy had just finished up with Sirius. "How's it going Padfoot?" He questioned before his black haired best friend approached him with his roguish grin in place.
"Nothing can keep me down!" The sapphire eyed man exclaimed before his let out a bark-like laugh and wrapped one arm around James and one arm around Lily leading the two of them out, without noticing the medi-witch roll her eyes at his antics.
"But I will say one thing, the spell that little Lucis-brat hit me with hurt like hell." He admitted as he led them to the kitchen where he proceeded to get himself a glass of water.
"Is Padfoot admitting to being bested by a brat?" Remus asked from the doorway, causing the group to turn around and smile at him, save Sirius who gave the honey-eyed werewolf a childish pout.
"Moony, you wound me." He stated with a hurt look as he held a hand to his heart, causing James to burst out laughing, Lily to roll her eyes, and Remus to chuckle lightly.
"Well as lovely as this all is, James and I should be heading home to make sure the twins are in bed. They need to be up early tomorrow as do we, to get their school supplies." The ever level headed female of the group stated earning a pout from his husband. "Oh, honestly James." She said with an exasperated sigh. "Did you not want to come with Lucas, Jason and myself to get what they need for their third year at Hogwarts?" She asked as she placed her hands on her hips as directed her clearly not amused emerald eyes at her husband.
"Lily-flower, of course I want to go with you and our sons, but I barely get to see Remus and Sirius too!" He exclaimed like a child causing Lily to shake her head. "You see them every day." She deadpanned, causing Sirius to clap James on the back.
"She's got you there mate!" He stated loudly and Remus bid them goodnight, followed quickly by Sirius, leaving the couple alone in the kitchen.
"I guess home we go then." He said with a grin at his wife as he tugged her towards the fireplace in the living room, and they both Flooed back to Potter Manor.
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Severus Snape stalked quickly through the dark and filthy road of Knockturn Alley, a disgusted sneer upon his cold features. Hags and the likes stayed far away from the dark and imposing man as he moved around another corner, heading towards a shady potions supply shop that he often occupied. Entering the store he immediately moved to the back and collected a great amount of various supplies that were beyond illegal, and he moved quickly over to the counter where the owner was just handing a wrapped paper bag of ingredients to a tall man with short black hair. Severus, waited impatiently as the man before him finished his business, and just as he had finished he was a bout to step forwards but froze the moment he saw the man face.
The raven haired man swiftly swept from the store, and Severus snapped to his senses, hastily paid for his goods and moved out of the store, onyx eyes hastily searching for the person he saw. He was frowning, for the figure was no where in sight, and with a flaring of his black robes, he move from Knockturn Alley back to Diagon Alley, curious.
"Jason, wait up." A familiar voice stated, causing the dark wizard to look up at the white marble steps of Gringotts where a sheepish looking Jason Potter was looking up at his annoyed looking mother much to his snickering twin's delight. "You know better then to run off." Lily huffed in annoyance.
"But mom!" Jason countered, his mismatched green and hazel eyes locked on his mother. "There is this book at Flourish and Blott's that I absolutely need!" He exclaimed with a big pout that his brother hastily mirrored for added effect causing the woman to sigh.
Severus on the other hands simply rolled his eyes at the antics of the two young Ravenclaw students. They were too obsessed with their studies as were all members of that house, but that was beyond the point.
"Lily-flower!" James' voice cut in as he raced up from the Quidditch supply shop a grin on his face. "I found a broom I want!" He exclaimed causing his wife to sigh as Severus approached the family.
"Hello Severus." Lily greeted her colleague and friend with a smile, which Severus nodded to.
"Hello Professor Snape." The twins stated politely in sync, their mismatched eyes focused on him as he looked at the two of them momentarily.
"Potter." He stated as he looked into hazel eyes. "What were you doing in Knockturn Alley?" He questioned sharply, a confused look going onto the Auror's face, and an annoyed one going onto his wife's.
"James Potter! What in the world were you doing in Knockturn Alley?" She asked as she put her hands upon her hips and gave him the look.
"I wasn't in the Alley, not since the raid on Burke's a month back." He stated with confusion.
"Nonsense, I saw you purchasing potion ingredients just a minute ago." Severus added as he looked into James eyes and the man shook his head. He was honest about not being there today, the Potions master realized with a shock. "If it was not you, then I think someone is going around disguised as you." He stated causing a worried look to cross Lily's face and a frown to over James.
"Who in their right mind would disguise themselves as dad?" Jason questioned with a thoughtful frown.
"Someone who doesn't know the value of a good disguise." Lucas answered with a shrug before Severus moved away from the Potter family; he needed to speak with Dumbledore about this whole thing.
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Sirius muttered darkly into his mug of steaming black coffee as he tossed obvious looks of dislike across the massive circular table he was sitting at, his sapphire eyes clashing with cold onyx. "Stupid bloody git… sitting in my house like he owns the place…" He grumbled to himself, though his two closest friends who were seated on either side of him grinned in amusement, hiding their glee behind their own mugs of coffee.
"Now, Severus has claimed to spot someone in the disguise of James roaming around Knockturn. This leaves me with the only possible conclusion that the Death Eaters are concealing themselves as us to go into places unstopped. This is a troubling thing. If Death Eaters can get into areas where a specific person can only enter, we are bound to fall from the inside." Dumbledore stated gravely as he peered over the rims of his moon shaped spectacles.
"We just need to be more thorough in our searches. Constant Vigilance!" Growled Moody, his magically eye swiveling all around the room, seemingly out of control.
Elvin Knight, a member of the Auror force frowned thoughtfully. "Perhaps this is how that… Lucis infiltrated the ministry so easily?" The tall man offered thoughtfully as he stroked his beard in thought, drawing many eyes to him.
"I doubt it." Percy Weasley added in as he leaned against the table. "You've all seen the security footage that maintenance provided. He simply vanished, he is likely too powerful to have merely put on a disguise and slip in. That would be too tedious." He said as he cast a sideways glance at the Auror that had just spoken. Their eyes locked momentarily, and with subtle, unnoticed nod from Percy, Elvin Knight stood and paced, his dark features and dark eyes thoughtful.
"Well don't you sound well informed…" Frank grumbled with a frown.
"Well…" Elvin Knight began as he stopped pacing and eyed the group of assembled Order members thoughtfully. "If a Death Eater were to disguise him or herself as one of us, there would be endless possibilities as to what they could do. How do we know there are no Death Eaters here beyond the obvious?" He questioned as he gestured at Severus.
"Disguises can't trick my eye boy." Moody added in, breaking down the nervous glances that had been exchanged after Knight's words.
"Are you sure that is effective?" Elvin questioned.
"Yes." Moody growled in annoyance, if he was proud of one thing it was always being prepared for enemy attacks and plots, so he always checked for threats.
"Arrogance is a dangerous thing Alastor." Knight commented with a pointed look before he smirked, causing a few people to squirm at his stranger then normal behavior. "It is that very arrogance that will not only be your undoing but that of this entire Order." Knight added softly before he cast a powerful blasting charm at the ceiling, causing great amounts of debris to tumble around the room and many people to scream as wands were hastily drawn.
"Traitor!" Moody hissed sharply as he used his magical eye to lock onto his foe through the dust.
"No I am no traitor; in fact I was quite loyal to you all until my least breath." Knight responded in his kind voice. "But I am not he." Knight stated, his voice a cold one.
"Lucis!" James shouted, instantly recognizing the voice of the man that had effortlessly infiltrated and stole the sword from the Ministry. Stunners were suddenly shouted out, and red beams of light flared across the room heading directly towards the intruder.
"How did you get in here?" Dumbledore questioned, his blue eyes steeled with a grave look.
Just as he had done in the Ministry, Lucis erected a shield and the spells reflected in all directions, knocking many an Order member out cold, while also adding more damage to the devastated room. "Simple… I had inside help." He answered honestly as he deflected another bout of curses just as a crashing sound echoed from the front door region of the house causing everyone there to pale
Explosions rocked the home, and Mrs. Black's screeches rose through the air as feet pounded in from the door and soon, Death Eaters poured into the room, casting nasty hex after curse. Bright lights and sound of destruction rang out through the air as Lucis's disguise vanished; leaving him standing there is his ever dark cloak. With a leap, he moved over the downed table and knocked a wand out of Frank's hand before spinning and delivering a swift kick to the back of the man's knees sending him plummeting. Lucis then turned to move but not before a green light crashed into the man he had just knocked down instantly killing him.
Lucis paused, eyes staring at unseeing ones before he shook out of his stupor and stunned some Auror, just as a cry of "Frank!!" rang out from a distraught sounding female. He looked at the witch that raced through the battlefield, heading towards her dead husband, but before she made it, Bellatrix saw an opening and cast the killing curse upon her. Alice crumbled, dead to the floor mere feet away from her equally dead husband, causing the cloaked figure to blink at the scene the two made as their corpses were ruthlessly trampled upon.
"Reducto!" Lucis ducked, causing the spell aimed at him to go through the far wall causing the entire house to shift as the remaining wards around the place crumbled. The ground began to shake, and with haste, the Death Eaters Apparated out with loud cracks, leaving the Order members to hastily grab their wounded, captured and dead and drag them out just prior to the collapse of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black.
The Order members all apparated out onto the street and stared on in shock at what once had been their safe meeting house. Sirius could only stare on, stunned that the home that he had always loathed had finally crumbled. A hand on his shoulder startled him from his observations before his blue eyes met comforting hazel. "You and Remus are free to crash at our place. The twins would love it." He said softly as he squeezed Sirius' shoulder in support as they all took their emergency portkeys out and headed either home or to Hogwarts, where the injured would be tended too.
The Potters with Remus and Sirius in tow arrived at Potter manor, and instantly Sirius found himself with an armful of excited twins. "Jason! Lucas! You two are supposed to be in bed!" Lily shouted as she frowned down at her twin sons, who then turned puppy dog expressions on their mother.
James, spotting what looked to be trouble. "Boys, Uncles Sirius and Remus will be staying with us for a while, why don't you drag them up to their usual room." He suggested with a grin, as his boys cheered and excitedly began to drag their uncles up the stairs, chattering excitedly about the books they had gotten yesterday in Diagon Alley.
"James?" Lily questioned with a frown as she regarded her husband who had just sunk down onto the living room sofa, his head in his heads. "What is it?" She asked softly as she knelt down in front of the man she loved and placed a comforting hand upon his legs, emerald eyes filled with concern.
"Frank and Alice didn't make it…" He said quietly, causing his wife so gasp. "They were killed…" He added as he looked up at his wife, feeling older then he had ever felt.
"We need to tell Augusta and Neville." Lily whispered as tears trickled softly out of her eyes. "I wish this war would end already… too many people have died…" She muttered brokenly, her lovely eyes reddening as they flickered over to the picture of her long dead son. "I don't know how many more deaths I can take… I don't know what I would do if I lost you, or the boys, or Sirius or Remus…" She sobbed and her husband quickly pulled his wife into his arms and muttered sweet nothings to calm her. Hazel eyes then flickered over to the same picture that his wife had peered at moments before. It was a photo of their first son, Harry. The baby in the picture was happily chewing on one of his toys, looking like he had not a care in the world.
"We won't be killed." He said firmly as he kissed his wife's head. "I will protect us all." He vowed softly as he helped Lily up to their room.
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That is all for the first chapter of this fanfiction. I thank you kindly for reading, and apologize for any and all spelling or grammatical errors you most likely found. Well, Adieu until the next chapter.