Weapon

Everyone give thanks to Hooked on FFN and teamedward240 who have been kind enough to beta this chapter.

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Weapon (Possession Chapter XCIII)
Chapter XLII - Status Quo
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"They're efficient, aren't they?" Kisha asked, watching the scene play out on the battle table, the little illusions showing everything that had transpired at one of the Dark Lord's supposed safe places.

"After the scare I gave them, they have plenty of incentive," the Dark Lord Voldemort replied in an offhand manner, but she was astute enough to pick up the hint of an edge in his voice.

He might be pretending that his last attack was not for real but that defeat had cost dearly and rankled deeply. "This will affect morale," she said, skirting the issue.

"It will, they all do." Again the Dark Lord showed surprising candour in his response. "But this won't cost as much as the Atrium, and while that was a defeat in that I did not win the Ministry, I won something far more valuable there."

"Oh, what?" Kisha giggled internally. While this Dark Lord was interesting and was slightly different from those of the past, he still said much the same lines as they all did and trying to pass off a defeat as a victory was just one of them, no matter how close that defeat had been.

"You," Voldemort replied, smiling through the lie, as he sensed Kisha's true thoughts. Vampire Elder she might be, controlled as she might be, but some things she broadcast to the world to see, once you knew how to read her. And while she had centuries to learn to control herself, she hadn't had much need to practice while he had decades of study in reading people, decades in which his ability had to be perfect or he risked destruction.

She preened under the flattery. Despite everything, she was still female and while she didn't believe the flattery, his response was believable when examined from her point of view. She assumed he'd had his alliance with the shadows cemented much earlier. She assumed a lot of things she should be checking but didn't.

"Shall I tell you my counter to the Order's little skirmishes?"

"Please do," Kisha purred, as Voldemort flicked his wand through a small series of turns, changing the display on the tactical table to his next intended target and the vectors of attack he had determined to be optimal for his objective.

"Oh my," she whispered almost reverentially.

"Indeed," he smiled, "And while it would be a nice opportunity to reveal you, my dear, I do believe it's too early so I'm going to insist that you watch but don't play this time. I don't expect many vampires to be present anyway."

Kisha laughed a little, watching the scenario play through again. This attack wasn't about domination or slaughter or gaining ground, it was about propaganda, presence and destroying Ministry morale while raising the Dark Forces and it would accomplish those goals admirably. She would of course warn Xeoaph, but as the first real attack plans the Dark Lord had included her on, this attack could not fail, not completely, not unless something truly unexpected happened. That would make the battle that much more tense but it would also make the outcome that much more satisfying.

"So then, the initial attack will be head on and even if the Order is expecting it, the two flanking squads can rally to ensure the first attack succeeds. Once that happens I expect a few minutes of confusion before we start taking return fire..." The Dark Lord paused, the images he was manipulating freezing mid attack as he turned to face the Death Eater who had apparated into the room.

Kisha thought for a moment that the Dark Lord would strike at the intruder, but a moment later she noticed him relax as he took in the subtle markings on the robes. Only a few Death Eater's had the authority and the audacity to dare to interrupt their Master and only a few had the ability and the appropriate clearances enter this room uninvited but even so she doubted that the Dark Lord appreciated the interruption or the potential leak in plans.

"What is it, Bonning?"

The Death Eater stirred, rising slightly from the kneeling position they had taken upon entering the room but never rising to their feet. "My Lord, we have confirmed that Gideon Prayleor has been taken into custody."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, my Lord. The Prophet will bear the news tomorrow, declaring him to be a werewolf Death Eater, loyal unto death to you. He did not go willingly."

Voldemort nodded, eyes narrowed as he considered the implications. In terms of him recruiting the werewolves this was not a bad thing, though in terms of security it was not a good thing. Gideon had missed several meetings of his cell without notification, without cause, thus the order had been given to find him. Given that the Ministry had to know that revealing Gideon as a werewolf Death Eater would practically guarantee him the werewolves loyalty, especially with the Order's dealings with the vampires, it was a safe assumption that this wasn't a play or a betrayal. The mere report that he did not go willingly was never enough to convince the Dark Lord. "They are keeping him in a standard anti-werewolf cell?"

"Yes, my Lord," Bonning's voice remained neutral but he was calmed by his Master's calm acceptance of the situation.

"Then I will speak with Gideon later to let him know how he may still serve," the Dark Lord said confidently, dismissing the importance of the matter in his subordinates mind, creating that air of calm assurance that was necessary to lead. "What further news do you bring?"

Bonning was a squad captain, which meant he oversaw several cells and reported their actions back to his Master. He was like most of the other squad captains. He was senior within the ranks of Voldemort's regular Death Eaters, though his name was one that was being considered for promotion to his elite. Bonning knew that though because he knew the privileges he had; however he did not truly appreciate how far down the ranking scale it was. He would, once he became Elite and he would renew his loyalty with fervour when he realised that his Master had trusted him enough to make him Elite. Bonning's cells though contained most of the werewolves that had pledged their loyalty to Voldemort and Bonning was one of the few wizards who saw their ability as a strength rather than a weakness, a strength he could exploit in battle to further his position. The werewolves accepted that, but what made Bonning useful was that the werewolves also reported that he did not treat them as animals and that made them loyal to Bonning, as well as loyal to the Dark Lord, especially after Voldemort had made sure that the werewolves were aware that his inclination was to treat them as wizards but as wizards with great combat potential, which meant better rewards. Gideon had been in one of Bonning's cells.

"It's been confirmed, my Lord, there will be a full Gathering after the next moon."

"A Gathering?" Voldemort asked.

Bonning stirred, glancing between the Dark Lord and the vampire elder that watched on silently and Voldemort smiled to himself when Bonning spoke again, his loyalty to the Dark Lord stronger than his loyalty to his soldiers. He would be rewarded for that and soon.

"The werewolves told me that a Gathering is when their pack leaders meet to decide what path the werewolves should take. They are not held often as there is seldom a need for a decision that affects all of them and they were reluctant to hold one as the last one saw the death of most of the pack leaders when it was ambushed by Ministry forces. You might recall, my Lord that the werewolves openly supported Grindlewald. That was a result of the last Gathering," Bonning gave the explanation and history he had been given.

"They have group leaders?" Kisha breathed, intrigued. Werewolves were so fragmented and shunned that she didn't think they would have been able to maintain any sort of structure.

"Not many," Bonning replied after Voldemort gestured that he should answer. "And none with the authority to do more than strongly suggest, though what the Gathering decides, most werewolves will follow."

"Will those who report to you follow the Gathering?" The Dark Lord asked pointedly.

Beneath the mask, Voldemort felt Bonning smirk. "No, they assured me they would remain loyal to you, no matter what the Gathering decided."

The response was firm and sure and the Dark Lord smiled. "You may give them surety about Gideon. None of my servants are forgotten. Should I go?" Voldemort added the question, half musing to himself.

"My Lord?"

"Should I attend this Gathering?"

Bonning considered it, aware that his Master had most likely already come to a decision and that he was being tested. "No, my Lord, I don't think so," he said slowly. "While the personal touch is appreciated for some, I think in this case, with Gideon being captured and revealed, the werewolves would take your presence as being too eager, and they would be reminded of their past. While foolish, I believe they may then shy away from serving you."

Voldemort nodded his agreement with Bonning's assessment, ignoring the way the man relaxed. "Get in contact with Gideon's brother, see if we can recruit him. Send Muraan, do it just after the moon so we can know if Gideon bit his brother. Either way it matters not, see if he can be recruited. Tell all the werewolves that none of my servants are forgotten and I will be speaking with Gideon personally to ascertain his desires. It may be useful for us to have a prisoner who can observe, for a time at least. Until I have further instructions, continue as you have been. Watching, observing and training. When the day comes to strike, it will be swift."

Bonning nodded, before lowering his head in servitude and vanishing.

Kisha looked at the place he had been before turning back to the Dark Lord. "That was interesting," she said, tactfully understating the situation.

"Very interesting," he replied before turning back to the attack. "But it changes nothing. Or rather it means that I need to speak to my werewolves personally to find out more about their structure. If it's as loose as indicated, it's useless, but if it can be manipulated, or made more binding... then that would be much more useful to me."

-And much more dangerous to my kind,- Kisha thought, forcing herself to calm. The Dark Lord saw only the moment, he didn't think about one hundred years hence, when an organised pack of werewolves could wreck havoc on the vampires on a full moon, or the Ministry or whatever they perceived to be a threat. Though it strengthened her desire and gave her a new goal. Werewolves, while good nourishment, if allowed to continue would one day develop their governance themselves and that had to be stopped. No matter which side they supported, they had renewed the enmity of the Vampires, who had been content to let them exist.

Now they would be exterminated.

---

Dumbledore stood still, Xeoaph beside him as they watched their combined task force rip into the building that was formerly a safe house for Voldemort's forces. They were becoming very efficient but still needed a little bit of work as they'd failed to get the net up before a few Death Eaters had apparated, taking with them any useful information. A few lower level Death Eaters remained and while they would be questioned, it was doubtful they would have anything useful to say. They'd be handed over to the Aurors to be paraded around like that Werewolf as evidence of the Ministry's continued war against the Dark Lord. It mattered little that the Ministry had yet to successfully mount an assault against a squad of Voldemort's troops... had yet to find a squad to mount any assault on. Albus suppressed a smirk at that, the expression not his usual one but his attempt was noticed.

"Something interesting?" Xeoaph asked.

"Just thinking that the Ministry would love to be the architects of this but then we'd be up to our ears in media."

The vampires eyes sparkled slightly and he saw the joke. "True," he replied softly, flicking a finger towards one of his subordinates who had approached for instruction. The younger vampire nodded at the unspoken message before he turned away to continue moving with his squad of Order members. "When will young Harry be ready?"

"Soon," Albus replied, "very soon. I am very pleased with his progress."

"Yet he has yet to master the animagus transformation, and has done himself damage attempting it."

This time Albus did smirk and the vampire stirred at the expression.

"Something has changed?"

"Oh yes, something has more than changed."

Xeoaph didn't question though his expression showed his curiosity.

"It's a surprise," the Headmaster said quietly, though with a definite note of pleasure in his voice. "You'll find out soon anyway, and I don't want to spoil the surprise, for you or for anyone."

The vampire elder sighed with an obscure sense of loss. "I should have taken him when I had the chance," he said under his breath before looking back to his ally. "He's something special?"

Albus chuckled as Fawkes came to land on his shoulder, the phoenix's head turning from side to side as he examined the now burning building. "He is very special," he said with a small shake of his head.

:I will teach him to fly,: Fawkes added as the squads of Vampires and Order members formed up, their job complete as they waited for orders.

Xeoaph's pale blue eyes widened slightly as he considered if the phoenix meant that figuratively or literally. Either way, Albus was right, Harry was something special and not taking him would be a regret for a very long time... assuming that the Shadow Lord was strong enough to do what was necessary. If not, Xeoaph was certain he'd get over it.

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Snape looked at the bubbling potion before him. It wasn't a difficult one, it was one he'd brewed almost countless times before, it was one he schooled the various brats in throughout the year but today he was shaking so hard that he just had not been able to brew it at all. Every single time he tried it turned from a beautiful lavender blue, to an atrocious sickly pink or a bright red that was almost as bad, or a green that just refused to bubble... or any number of other colours that were just not the right colour for this potion.

He snarled, looking down at his hands as he attempted to vanish yet another batch of it. It was just a sleeping potion, something he'd been needing more and more frequently lately as the whispers continued, invading his dreams, invading any moment he wasn't on guard. Yet he couldn't hold his hands steady enough to even brew a first year potion. Some master he was.

Things were happening, too many things were happening that he didn't know about and could be called into question about. Things that he should know about, things that he wanted to know about and things that he would need to know about if he was to attempt to avoid raising the Dark Lord's ire. About the only good news was that Potter had almost finished what training he needed and could now begin being trained in mastering his servants. When that happened, they could be called to heel.

:You can't ask him though, you won't ask him though. We know you Severus, you would never bow so far as to ask Harry to call us into check.:

The shadow voice almost seemed to laugh and for a moment Snape was tempted to prove them wrong, was tempted to march straight into the infirmary and demand that Harry order his pets to heel, order them to stay away from him. But the shadow voice was also correct. He wouldn't. He couldn't. He could never lower himself that much.

Which now left him shaking, barely able to wield his wand and barely able to brew a potion.

:That's assuming of course that he can call us... that he does have power over us.:

Snape snarled. He didn't need the reminder. Yet the voice that whispered, that purred, that said the most uncomfortable things always knew exactly what to say to put him on edge and while it felt like a shadow or shadows... he wasn't yet sure that it was the same shadow that was referred to as Potter's supposed power. Though even if they were he didn't believe that one man, one boy could control the shadows, not against something they wanted, and apparently they wanted him.

:Not really Snape, we don't want you in any way you think we do. We just want you to be happy and we are the only ones who can make you happy.:

He ran a hand through his hair and stalked out of the room, heading towards his quarters. The shadows wouldn't bother him there, they couldn't really bother him there as he'd set up so many lights that every shadow was illuminated and with the darkness reduced, so was their voice. It was a petty thing but it was the only defence he had which perversely, seemed to amuse them even more.

:Of course it does. Amuse us that is,: the shadow's echoing voice whispered to him just as he reached the door to his rooms.

"Why?" he asked tightly. He always asked one question before entering his room. It was the only time he acknowledged them, the only time he admitted that their voice was real.

:Because, sooner or later, the Order or the Dark Lord will force you away from here and then where will you and your pretty lights be?: They laughed the reply ignoring the way he slammed the door on them, and drowned himself in the light. :And because our Master's light is so much more potent. When we can stand that, your little lights will be as starlight and then you will come to us.:

---

Sirius stalked down the road. He'd stomped earlier but all that had gotten him was sore feet, so stalking with a dark expression was the best he could manage at the current time. Things were happening, everything was happening - Harry had completed his Animagus transformation for the Order, the vampires and the Order had done multiple missions, so far successfully, some idiot at the Ministry had teamed with some reporter to reveal a Death eater Werewolf and the goblins had been offered true equality with wizards.

Everything was happening and he was stuck in the middle of no-where, in the dull countryside, looking for magical creatures, who for the most part did not want to be found, and who could be guaranteed, almost to a creature, did not want to get involved with the war. Those who did have an interest, were already committed. Those who didn't wanted to keep it that way. They didn't know who was going to win and they didn't want to piss off either side.

Besides, why join a side that treated non wizards as less than dirt? He hadn't been asked that yet, but he could see the question coming, he could see it all too clearly. Non human magical beasts were not stupid after all. They saw what was done to the werewolves, who were once human and they weren't about to make the same mistakes. Perhaps though the deal with the Goblins would warm things up but Sirius didn't think so. It would take more than the offer of equality to convince some of the non humans, it would take the reality and by then it would be too late.

Which was why he should be back with Re... at Hogwarts where he could do some good! He'd said as much to Dumbledore but the man hadn't budged with his insistence that he be the one to go out recruiting. Okay it was true, he was better equipped than most wizards to rough it, and it was also true that he had the notoriety and the education - curtesey of that Black upbringing - to actually get into contact with some of the non humans but that didn't mean he was the only wizard in the Order who could have done this. He was just the first wizard Albus had on hand.

And he definitely should be there while Harry was growing and while Remus was facing those accusations alone. Nothing much had been said in the Prophet recently but the accusation was there, that all werewolves were the Dark Lords and they should be... well it wasn't quite that they should be hunted down yet, but it was getting there. Certainly all known werewolves should be watched most closely for ties to the Dark Lord. Remus was under so much stress and he wasn't there.

:Oh it's not that bad!: The shadow's echoy voice chuckled. :Look, the gorse is in bloom.: A puff of wind shook one of the taller gorse bushes lining the laneway, sending a shower of fading gold petals into the air.

They were right, the bush was blooming but it was ending the main stay and most of the blooms were brown, turning into seed pods for when the weather here would get truly hot and allow them to break and scatter. If he'd been here earlier in the season then the bush would have looked yellow with flowers which in no way inhibited the plants ability to catch his clothes on the spine like leaves.

"Very pretty," he muttered as he continued walking. He had a few more miles to go today before he considered stopping for the night. He travelled on foot most days, casting a location charm every now and then to see if there was anything of interest in the area but he did a more specific divination each night once he'd stopped. That let him find those creatures that wanted to remain hidden. Of course, those who really wanted to hide, he wouldn't find but then probably neither would the Death eaters or the Ministry Aurors. So far he'd found a lot of non sentient magical creatures masquerading as something the Muggles wouldn't react to. Concealment charms on Hippogriffs for those wizards living near to Muggles in the cities was well and good but out here, it was every magical beast for himself and most had managed to blend quite well. It was only because Sirius knew they weren't what they were hiding as that he could even spot some of them. No matter. The non sentients weren't what he was looking for.

And the sentient ones that he was searching for knew better than to just let him find them.

:Well, perhaps we can give you something else to do today?: The shadows asked, flickering on the ground as he walked.

"Oh, you want me to go talk to another lot of things for you?"

:Not at all,: the shadows said. :Besides if we recruit everything Dumbledore will be suspicious if you don't talk to anyone. We want you to do something else this time, something that should help you alleviate some stress.:

"So what do you need?"

:The Ministry has something we want and we need it fetched from one of their buildings. Usually we'd just transport it ourselves but we figured it might be good to have you seen again, to establish your presence and credentials as they were.:

"To show that there is still a wild card in play?"

:Yes, a wild card that does what it wants, when it wants because it can.:

"All right," Sirius agreed easily more than happy for the opportunity to actually do something besides walk around in search of those who didn't really want to be found. "It would probably be good to be seen away from the Dark Lord as well since at least some of the Ministry will no doubt think I serve him. When do you want me to go?"

:Wait until you've set up for tonight and done the usual spells, just in case Fawkes checks in,: the shadows said in a pleased tone. He could tell they were pleased that he'd thought of the implication with the Serpent Lord, though they honestly weren't sure if that was the interpretation the Ministry would make. :After that, get ready and apparate, we'll make sure you get to the destination.:

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