Bittersweet Symphony
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Harry Potter › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
5
Views:
1,427
Reviews:
3
Recommended:
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Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
5
Views:
1,427
Reviews:
3
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Ch 1 - Don't Panic
Anything you recognise belongs to J.K Rowling.
This was my response to a challenge set in hp_fqf.
(The Order and the Death Eaters have to work together to defeat something that threatens them all. Who are they fighting and why? Who has to work with whom? Are there any romantic liaisons during this time? Between who? What happens as a result?)
Thanks to Kaz, who came up with such an awesome challenge.
For Shadows_Zephyr, without whom, I would have given up.
CHAPTER ONE - DON\'T PANIC
Bones sinking like stones,
All that we\'ve fought for,
Homes, places we\'ve grown,
All of us are done for.
And we live in a beautiful world,
Yeah we do, yeah we do,
We live in a beautiful world.
Don\'t Panic - Coldplay
Hogwarts was silent. Even though it was the summer holidays and the students were long gone, there was usually always noise. But not tonight. It was as if the portraits, suits of armour, house elves and the very essence of the building realized the gravity of the situation. Come daybreak, a battle would commence which could change the wizarding world forever.
The boy who lived knew it, as he lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He turned to his once enemy who had awoken, and touched his face so their eyes met in unspoken conversation.
The head of Slytherin house knew it, as he sat at his desk, quill in hand and looked at his former student laying on his sofa reading. He watched her bite her bottom lip in concentration and he wondered if she knew how he really felt about her.
The wizened headmaster knew it, as he sat in an armchair by the window, drinking tea and looking out over the night sky with the deputy headmistress by his side watching him and worrying about what would become of them in the next twenty-four hours.
And the evil wizard knew it, as he sat in the chair he had brought with him to this place of learning, absently rubbing one long fingered hand across his chin while the other caressed the hair of the dark haired woman who sat at his feet gazing at him adoringly, and planning his next move carefully.
Yes, all these people and many more good and evil all under the one roof, preparing in their own way for a battle, but not the battle they had expected to come.
No, this was a battle in which they fought together on the same side against a common enemy. Man.
~*~
Six Months Earlier
The tension around the old scarred table in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place was palpable. Every person there stared at the tall, thin man who had just finished speaking.
"What do you mean it wasn't him?" asked Remus Lupin incredulously, as he pushed his hair, which had become a few shades greyer than sandy blonde over the last couple of years and quite a lot longer, out of his eyes.
"I mean, Lupin, that the Dark Lord and his army are not behind it," replied Severus Snape, as he slumped back in his chair, too exhausted to even sneer at one of his childhood nemeses.
"I think that Remus, like the rest of us, is having a hard time believing that three of our Order members have been missing for over a week and he isn't involved in any way, Severus," said Minerva McGonagall from the armchair by the fire. Her body still ached in the winter months from where Professor Umbridge and her squad attacked her on the school grounds, three years previously, but even the warmth from the fire couldn't ease the ache recently.
The war between the Light and Dark sides of the magical community had reached no conclusion after three years of battles, with severe casualties on both sides, but whereas in the past when Voldemort and his Death Eaters killed someone they proudly showed it off to the wizarding world, letting everyone know that they considered themselves to be the superior wizards, this time the missing Order members had disappeared from their homes or places of work without a trace.
"I need to see the last three meetings," said the man from the head of the table. He had said nothing while Severus has told his story, just stared into his mug of coffee. Now, he looked up and around the table at the Order of the Phoenix.
At first glance he, and the two people flanking him in the uncomfortable hard wooden chairs looked much the same as any eighteen year olds, dressed in t-shirts and jeans with their robes thrown over the backs of their chairs, but on closer inspection their faces were lined with a hardness that comes from years of darkness and fatigue aging them prematurely.
Ron Weasley, ex-school team Quidditch keeper, trainee auror and brother to one of the missing, was sitting back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. His red hair and freckles made his face seem paler than it was and his long, lean body was limp with exhaustion.
Hermione Granger, ex-head girl, trainee Potions Mistress, and on one drunken night, self-confessed know-it "“all, was sitting with her head propped up on one arm. Her unruly hair, once her defining feature had been cropped close to her head after it had fallen into one to many potions. There were small creases forming on her full heart shaped face from hours of screwing it up in concentration, like her companions there were dark circles under her eyes.
Harry Potter, half-blood, Parselmouth, "˜boy-who-lived' was sitting at the head of the table, his table in fact, as Sirius had left Grimmauld Place to him. His black hair still stuck out in all directions and his eyes were the same startling green behind his glasses that they had always been, but he held himself with the confidence of a leader and his face was sure and certain as he stared down his old teacher.
"Snape, I need to see the meetings," he repeated. Harry thought that maybe he was powerful enough to break into the older mans mind against his will but didn't want to do that if it could be avoided.
"What's the matter Potter, still don't trust me?" sneered Severus
"I made a request Snape, I don't expect you to question it. I just expect you to open your mind so I can see the damn meetings," said Harry, his voice holding the sharp edge of impatience.
"Stop it both of you!" said Hermione, her head snapped up and she glared at them both, "I mean, is it any wonder that we haven't ended this war yet if all we do is fight among ourselves?" she turned to Harry, "You've never wanted to see any of the meetings before, why now?" She asked in a low voice. She and Ron were still the only people Harry totally trusted and because of that, when they spoke, he listened.
"I have my reasons, Hermione, which I will share with the Order once I've seen the meeting"¦Severus."
Everyone turned to the spy, who shot Hermione a nasty look before sighing "Fine." As he lifted his wand to his temple and removed the memories in their silvery forms to the black marble Pensieve, which had been placed in front of him.
He walked to the end of the table and put it down in front of the younger man. "I hope you enjoy it," he said without looking at him. "I'm going to take a shower so if you have any questions they will have to wait." Severus turned and left the room.
Harry didn't wait for anyone to speak; he just leant over Severus's memories and felt himself being pulled in.
~*~
Harry found himself standing in a large, dark hall and he knew instinctively he was inside the old Riddle house. He watched as the Death Eaters arrived one by one, walking past a long table and up two steps to where, on a large ornate chair Voldemort sat. They bowed and kissed the hem of his robes before moving to sit at the table until it was full apart from one space which none of the Death Eaters moved to close.
Voldemort stood and every masked face turned to him. "My Death Eaters, I have called you here tonight because one of our number has disappeared."
There was a slight murmur around the table and everyone there seemed to know who was missing from the empty space.
"Silence!" hissed Voldemort and the room fell deathly quiet as his gaze fell upon one of the crowd who was sitting at the opposite end of the table. "Tell us Severus, what has become of our brother?"
Every head turned to the other end of the table as Severus removed his hood and mask but kept his head bowed, "My Lord, I know nothing of what has happened to him and as far as I can tell nor do they."
Voldemort stood and looked down at the wizard. "Come now Severus, I know you do not expect me to believe that Harry Potter's precious "˜Order' has nothing to do with our missing member." He shook his head as he drew his wand and pointed it at Severus's chest, "I thought better of you than this. I thought that when you returned to me you had learned your lesson but it appears not. Crucio."
Harry flinched as Severus fell to the floor writhing in pain. Voldemort lifted the curse but before Severus had time to recover the dark wizard raised his wand again; "Legilimens," He hissed. After about a minute, Voldemort lifted the spell and dismissed his army.
Harry felt the room swim and come back into focus. The second meeting was much the same as the first, the only difference being that another Death Eater was missing. By the time they reached the third meeting Harry had a sick feeling in his stomach. When Voldemort finished his Occlumency on Severus yet continued to stare at him. Severus kept his head bowed but glanced up once feeling the weight of the dark wizards stare, "My Lord?" he asked quietly.
Voldemort sat back down in his own chair, "Tell me about the missing Order members." The Death Eaters looked from their master to Severus and Harry knew that beneath their masks there was confusion on their faces.
Harry watched Voldemort as Severus told them of the disappearances of Kingsley Shacklebolt, Luna Lovegood and finally Charlie Weasley.
Voldemort was silent for a full minute after Severus finished and then he spoke, "The Order believes that we have taken their people just as we believe they have ours, but you Severus, who it seems is once more playing both sides of the fence, believes that neither side has anything to do with either set of disappearances."
"That is correct my Lord, I honestly believe that the Order has no knowledge of the disappearances or whereabouts of Patricia Parkinson, Marcus Flint or Rodolphus Lestrange."
"Liar!" shouted a female voice from the top end of the table, and with a surge of hatred Harry watched as Bellatrix Lestrange pulled of her mask and hood and turned to Severus "Tell me where my husband is you blood traitor!" she shrieked pulling her wand out.
"Bella, Be still," said Voldemort looking down at her.
"He knows Master, he knows where they are," she hissed still staring at Severus.
"No, he does not," replied Voldemort, "he does not know, because the Order does not know, as I suspected." He looked around the room. "Cease all activity until further notice. You are all dismissed, all except you Bella," said Voldemort, and as the dark haired witch knelt before her master, Harry felt himself being pulled back out.
~*~
Hermione and Ron sat at the table watching him. "Now will you tell us why you had to see that?" asked Hermione,
"To have my suspicions confirmed and bring up more questions," said Harry, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes, "Voldemort and his Death Eaters didn't take our people, and we didn't take the three of his people that have also disappeared." He looked to Ron and then to Hermione, "So tell me why would someone kidnap three Order members and three Death Eaters?"
Ron looked at him, confusion on his face, "More to the point, who would have that sort of power?\"
(If you like it please review!!)
This was my response to a challenge set in hp_fqf.
(The Order and the Death Eaters have to work together to defeat something that threatens them all. Who are they fighting and why? Who has to work with whom? Are there any romantic liaisons during this time? Between who? What happens as a result?)
Thanks to Kaz, who came up with such an awesome challenge.
For Shadows_Zephyr, without whom, I would have given up.
CHAPTER ONE - DON\'T PANIC
Bones sinking like stones,
All that we\'ve fought for,
Homes, places we\'ve grown,
All of us are done for.
And we live in a beautiful world,
Yeah we do, yeah we do,
We live in a beautiful world.
Don\'t Panic - Coldplay
Hogwarts was silent. Even though it was the summer holidays and the students were long gone, there was usually always noise. But not tonight. It was as if the portraits, suits of armour, house elves and the very essence of the building realized the gravity of the situation. Come daybreak, a battle would commence which could change the wizarding world forever.
The boy who lived knew it, as he lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He turned to his once enemy who had awoken, and touched his face so their eyes met in unspoken conversation.
The head of Slytherin house knew it, as he sat at his desk, quill in hand and looked at his former student laying on his sofa reading. He watched her bite her bottom lip in concentration and he wondered if she knew how he really felt about her.
The wizened headmaster knew it, as he sat in an armchair by the window, drinking tea and looking out over the night sky with the deputy headmistress by his side watching him and worrying about what would become of them in the next twenty-four hours.
And the evil wizard knew it, as he sat in the chair he had brought with him to this place of learning, absently rubbing one long fingered hand across his chin while the other caressed the hair of the dark haired woman who sat at his feet gazing at him adoringly, and planning his next move carefully.
Yes, all these people and many more good and evil all under the one roof, preparing in their own way for a battle, but not the battle they had expected to come.
No, this was a battle in which they fought together on the same side against a common enemy. Man.
~*~
Six Months Earlier
The tension around the old scarred table in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place was palpable. Every person there stared at the tall, thin man who had just finished speaking.
"What do you mean it wasn't him?" asked Remus Lupin incredulously, as he pushed his hair, which had become a few shades greyer than sandy blonde over the last couple of years and quite a lot longer, out of his eyes.
"I mean, Lupin, that the Dark Lord and his army are not behind it," replied Severus Snape, as he slumped back in his chair, too exhausted to even sneer at one of his childhood nemeses.
"I think that Remus, like the rest of us, is having a hard time believing that three of our Order members have been missing for over a week and he isn't involved in any way, Severus," said Minerva McGonagall from the armchair by the fire. Her body still ached in the winter months from where Professor Umbridge and her squad attacked her on the school grounds, three years previously, but even the warmth from the fire couldn't ease the ache recently.
The war between the Light and Dark sides of the magical community had reached no conclusion after three years of battles, with severe casualties on both sides, but whereas in the past when Voldemort and his Death Eaters killed someone they proudly showed it off to the wizarding world, letting everyone know that they considered themselves to be the superior wizards, this time the missing Order members had disappeared from their homes or places of work without a trace.
"I need to see the last three meetings," said the man from the head of the table. He had said nothing while Severus has told his story, just stared into his mug of coffee. Now, he looked up and around the table at the Order of the Phoenix.
At first glance he, and the two people flanking him in the uncomfortable hard wooden chairs looked much the same as any eighteen year olds, dressed in t-shirts and jeans with their robes thrown over the backs of their chairs, but on closer inspection their faces were lined with a hardness that comes from years of darkness and fatigue aging them prematurely.
Ron Weasley, ex-school team Quidditch keeper, trainee auror and brother to one of the missing, was sitting back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. His red hair and freckles made his face seem paler than it was and his long, lean body was limp with exhaustion.
Hermione Granger, ex-head girl, trainee Potions Mistress, and on one drunken night, self-confessed know-it "“all, was sitting with her head propped up on one arm. Her unruly hair, once her defining feature had been cropped close to her head after it had fallen into one to many potions. There were small creases forming on her full heart shaped face from hours of screwing it up in concentration, like her companions there were dark circles under her eyes.
Harry Potter, half-blood, Parselmouth, "˜boy-who-lived' was sitting at the head of the table, his table in fact, as Sirius had left Grimmauld Place to him. His black hair still stuck out in all directions and his eyes were the same startling green behind his glasses that they had always been, but he held himself with the confidence of a leader and his face was sure and certain as he stared down his old teacher.
"Snape, I need to see the meetings," he repeated. Harry thought that maybe he was powerful enough to break into the older mans mind against his will but didn't want to do that if it could be avoided.
"What's the matter Potter, still don't trust me?" sneered Severus
"I made a request Snape, I don't expect you to question it. I just expect you to open your mind so I can see the damn meetings," said Harry, his voice holding the sharp edge of impatience.
"Stop it both of you!" said Hermione, her head snapped up and she glared at them both, "I mean, is it any wonder that we haven't ended this war yet if all we do is fight among ourselves?" she turned to Harry, "You've never wanted to see any of the meetings before, why now?" She asked in a low voice. She and Ron were still the only people Harry totally trusted and because of that, when they spoke, he listened.
"I have my reasons, Hermione, which I will share with the Order once I've seen the meeting"¦Severus."
Everyone turned to the spy, who shot Hermione a nasty look before sighing "Fine." As he lifted his wand to his temple and removed the memories in their silvery forms to the black marble Pensieve, which had been placed in front of him.
He walked to the end of the table and put it down in front of the younger man. "I hope you enjoy it," he said without looking at him. "I'm going to take a shower so if you have any questions they will have to wait." Severus turned and left the room.
Harry didn't wait for anyone to speak; he just leant over Severus's memories and felt himself being pulled in.
~*~
Harry found himself standing in a large, dark hall and he knew instinctively he was inside the old Riddle house. He watched as the Death Eaters arrived one by one, walking past a long table and up two steps to where, on a large ornate chair Voldemort sat. They bowed and kissed the hem of his robes before moving to sit at the table until it was full apart from one space which none of the Death Eaters moved to close.
Voldemort stood and every masked face turned to him. "My Death Eaters, I have called you here tonight because one of our number has disappeared."
There was a slight murmur around the table and everyone there seemed to know who was missing from the empty space.
"Silence!" hissed Voldemort and the room fell deathly quiet as his gaze fell upon one of the crowd who was sitting at the opposite end of the table. "Tell us Severus, what has become of our brother?"
Every head turned to the other end of the table as Severus removed his hood and mask but kept his head bowed, "My Lord, I know nothing of what has happened to him and as far as I can tell nor do they."
Voldemort stood and looked down at the wizard. "Come now Severus, I know you do not expect me to believe that Harry Potter's precious "˜Order' has nothing to do with our missing member." He shook his head as he drew his wand and pointed it at Severus's chest, "I thought better of you than this. I thought that when you returned to me you had learned your lesson but it appears not. Crucio."
Harry flinched as Severus fell to the floor writhing in pain. Voldemort lifted the curse but before Severus had time to recover the dark wizard raised his wand again; "Legilimens," He hissed. After about a minute, Voldemort lifted the spell and dismissed his army.
Harry felt the room swim and come back into focus. The second meeting was much the same as the first, the only difference being that another Death Eater was missing. By the time they reached the third meeting Harry had a sick feeling in his stomach. When Voldemort finished his Occlumency on Severus yet continued to stare at him. Severus kept his head bowed but glanced up once feeling the weight of the dark wizards stare, "My Lord?" he asked quietly.
Voldemort sat back down in his own chair, "Tell me about the missing Order members." The Death Eaters looked from their master to Severus and Harry knew that beneath their masks there was confusion on their faces.
Harry watched Voldemort as Severus told them of the disappearances of Kingsley Shacklebolt, Luna Lovegood and finally Charlie Weasley.
Voldemort was silent for a full minute after Severus finished and then he spoke, "The Order believes that we have taken their people just as we believe they have ours, but you Severus, who it seems is once more playing both sides of the fence, believes that neither side has anything to do with either set of disappearances."
"That is correct my Lord, I honestly believe that the Order has no knowledge of the disappearances or whereabouts of Patricia Parkinson, Marcus Flint or Rodolphus Lestrange."
"Liar!" shouted a female voice from the top end of the table, and with a surge of hatred Harry watched as Bellatrix Lestrange pulled of her mask and hood and turned to Severus "Tell me where my husband is you blood traitor!" she shrieked pulling her wand out.
"Bella, Be still," said Voldemort looking down at her.
"He knows Master, he knows where they are," she hissed still staring at Severus.
"No, he does not," replied Voldemort, "he does not know, because the Order does not know, as I suspected." He looked around the room. "Cease all activity until further notice. You are all dismissed, all except you Bella," said Voldemort, and as the dark haired witch knelt before her master, Harry felt himself being pulled back out.
~*~
Hermione and Ron sat at the table watching him. "Now will you tell us why you had to see that?" asked Hermione,
"To have my suspicions confirmed and bring up more questions," said Harry, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes, "Voldemort and his Death Eaters didn't take our people, and we didn't take the three of his people that have also disappeared." He looked to Ron and then to Hermione, "So tell me why would someone kidnap three Order members and three Death Eaters?"
Ron looked at him, confusion on his face, "More to the point, who would have that sort of power?\"
(If you like it please review!!)