Chapter 5
twilliams1797
Harry, Hermione and Daphne were spending some quiet time in speedtime. Pansy was off giving the bodyguards lessons in etiquette and proper behavior, assisted by Philip and Estelle Greengrass.. Astoria was being watched over by Tinky, her elf. "Boys, remember, you are to blend into the background when in public, but be available when your primary is in need, that is to say, when the person you are protecting is in need.. a good disillusionment charm is helpful, or a notice me not, Harry has some amulets that you can wear that do the job nicely, you wear it on your lapel and tap it to activate it.. like this" she tapped the pin on her collar that showed the Potter coat of arms. This was a symbol of the protection that she had under the Noble house of Potter. Normally she would have worn the symbol of the Parkinson clan, but the Potter clan outranked all but one Family, and Harry controlled that family also, the Black clan. with a tap of her finger, she rippled into an almost invisibility and then the notice-me-not kicked in, the two bodyguards looked hard and were hard put to tell where she was, and they were fighting to keep their eyes focused on the spot they knew she was..
They had some training by this point in seeing through spells and invisibility charms, and Vincent, they found , was in need of glasses. Once they found this, they got him some with all the appropriate charms and enchantments to see through invisibility and occlusion charms. Vincent gestured to Greg, They moved out across the room, scanning back and forth, trying to detect Pansy. They ghosted through the obstacles, trying to maintain cover, and still search to detect their prey. Greg pointed toward an obelisk and Vincent squinted his eyes a bit, triggering the enchanted glasses. Subtly he drew his wand and with his off hand gestured 'three' Their prey started to move, and Vincent's wand tracked,, Greg followed, because if he did it correctly, he could see a ripple in the air. One finger at a time..one..two..three...They both fired a paint marking charm, Vincent getting a direct hit, Greg's a graze. "Gotcha" they hooted as Pansy faded back into vision, grinning at her charges. "Very good, you did well" she vanished the paint markings "Now, you two need to learn how to move while under the enchantments..here's the badges, put them on your lapel like this.."
A/N
Most writers see Daphne as a blonde, I doo not. I have always seen her as a brunette, tall, very pretty. A good example would be Camilla Belle.
Daphne sat quietly with her hands between her knees, not wanting them to escape her control.. she spent much of her public life, keeping herself under control, to the point that she was considered the 'Ice Queen" of Slytherin. Sure she was ambitious, but she certainly wasn't a pureblood bigot, like some had been.. but for safety's sake, she kept it under wraps, not letting anyone know her true ideas or intentions. Between the machinations of Malfoy and his sycophants, and the methods and betrayal of their now missing head of house, Daphne was fully prepared to leave Hogwarts in order to protect herself, but now, with the intervention of Lord Potter-Black, she had a new outlook and surprisingly , enough, Hope.
"Daphne, are you all right, can I get you anything?" Hermione laid a gentle hand on the taller girl's shoulder. Shall I call your mother in, or maybe Tracy?", I know she's your good friend, and I am sure Harry would never want to come between you and your friend.." Daphne looked to Hermione.
"Would you?, I mean, it's not that I don't trust you, but, I hardly know you, and Tracy has been my best friend since we were six.." Hermione smiled and used her thumbs to wipe away the tears " Harry and I will always respect your wishes and privacy, and we will never question who your friends are, so, lets contact Tracy right now, ok?" Daphne nodded and dabbed at her eyes and then leaned into the hug that Hermione had for her.
"Harry, we need to go back to realtime for a while, Daphne needs to talk to Tracy, ok?" "That's fine, Hermione, I will go and help Pansy with the guy's training, see you in a week sweets."
"I love you Harry, a week. bye" Hermione took Daphne's hand and they stepped to the transition room, and made sure their clothes were appropriate, that is the same they were before their jump into speedtime. A pop and they were back in normal time, They had to sidestep a group of elves bringing in several days' meals at once.
"Dobby" the head elf popped into view "Yes Mistress Hermione?" "Mistress Daphne needs to find her friend Tracy Davis, can you have someone find her and bring her to the come and go room?" They talked and cried, They were left alone for a while by Hermione, but the older girl was soon invited into their confidence.. This Hermione was actually two years older than the other girls, thanks to her time in the DoM level, under the speedtime charm. She was understanding and helpful in calming Daphne's fears.. Daphne knew she wanted to be betrothed to Harry, but was scared as to what he would expect of her, and how far she could or would go to fulfill those requirements. Hermione calmed those fears by explaining her own situation.
"Daphne, you know I am betrothed to Harry, I have his Potter Engagement ring right here, see? The dark haired girl nodded, while clutching her friend's hands. "Harry and I have spent almost two years together and he has NEVER gone beyond the point that I have let him, and he made a statement that he would like to remain virgin until he is married...and we have decided that we will not marry until Voldemort is dead, or graduation from Hogwarts, whichever is first..Now trust me, he wants to be with me, and I want to be with him, but we have decided that for the propriety of the Noble House of Potter, we will abide by our word."
"Daphne, I believe that Harry will give you the same respect he gives me, and truly, I believe that he has enough love in him to love you just as much as I know he loves me..so sweetie, There is nothing to be afraid of." She kissed the Slytherin girl on her forehead. "Not even me, You will be my sister-wife and I will love you however much or little as you wish, I will not make demands on you or abuse you in any way, in fact as the Lady Black, you have just a little bit of 'social seniority' on me." she grinned at this disclosure.
Daphne sniffled at this statement, and wiped her eyes,and blew her nose, then she smiled and took Hermione's hand and held it to her cheek, and kissed her palm. "I will swear fealty to you as my sister wife as well, Hermione, and we will work together to make Harry's vision for the world come to pass.."
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They all sat back on the couches and smiled and talked about many things, Tracy brought up the subject of Pansy. ""What's with you two, anyway, you seem to be inseparable, and where is she now?" Hermione took a drink of her butterbeer. "Pansy has been through a trauma, a severe trauma, and I was there when she was in need of healing.. and somehow she imprinted on me, I care for her deeply and want the best for her, and we have a fairly close relationship."
Daphne eyed the older girl, her eyes asking a question. "I admit it's a semi-sexual relationship, and we do take comfort in each other, but I am primarily Heterosexual." "Pansy is also, but she was tortured sexually, and wants nothing to do with a male at this time..and rightly so.. In time this may change, and Harry and I will be there for her." she took a drink. "If Pansy wants to leave the House of Potter and go and find a mate elsewhere, we will provide a dowry for her, over and above what her own father provides, we will protect her and defend her as long as she lives..name notwithstanding, Pansy is a Potter and will be for the rest of her life." "If she decides to never go back to the possibility of finding a male that she trusts, she will always be welcome with Harry and I. or just myself, we love her, and want her happy, you see."
Daphne and Tracy pondered the statement for a while. Tracy began.."but last year, she was on the Inquisitorial squad, and was always insulting you and Harry.." Hermione shook her head. "Do you know what Lucius Malfoy did?" the girls responded in the negative. "The Parkinson lands and businesses are quite extensive, I dare say worth almost as much as, say 20 percent of Harry's worth.."
The girls were awestruck, they had a pretty good idea what Harry was worth. "Lucius Imperio'd the Parkinsons and made them sign a betrothal agreement, that bound Pansy to Draco, and she had to obey his every wish.. the plan was to have the Parkinson's give their daughter everything when and if they died, leaving her heir to all things Parkinson..money, land, business.."
" Now, Draco, was greedy and wanted his betrothed now, so he took his two new buttboys, Pucey and Flint and they were 'consummating' the marriage, but Draco couldn't get it up without help, he blamed Pansy for not being sexy enough.. so he crucio'd her, once he had enhancement potions to get it up, he raped her and crucio'd her at the same time...lovely guy, that Draco..real romantic.." she snorted.
"Harry stumbled upon their "love tryst" in a back alley and rescued Pansy, destroyed Pucey and Flint, and captured Draco.. we then healed Pansy and offered her our protection..since she was scheduled to suffer an unfortunate death once she had produced the Malfoy heir..and providing her grieving husband with all her worldly goods, that is to say, all things Parkinson."
She stood. "A love tale to be remembered, I am sure.." Hermione smiled "And then the end of this lovely tale..Harry, as The Lord Black, rescued Narcy Black from a unloving marriage, served papers demanding payment of many loans and debts on The Malfoy, and then had him executed, casting Praeda Bellacia, the Spoils of War on the Lesser House of Malfoy, bringing that Line to it's final end."
She looked at the girls perkily. "Now isn't that a lovely bedtime story?" The girls were speechless at the evil that was spoken of so blithely, and it was a moment or two before Daphne asked. "Malfoy is captured..is he still alive?" Hermione nodded "C'mon, I'll show you." The girls popped away, silently and appeared in a great hall, a bowl shaped hall, with seats in a circular setup..an arena. There in the center of the arena was an Iron post, with a figure chained to the post. The figure could not go more than four feet in any direction. There sat beside him a self cleaning chamberpot, and a water bottle, nothing else. The light shone down brightly in the center of the ring. the seats and the edge of the arena were in shadow. "He can't hear us, unless you want to question him, use a sonorus if so."
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Dark forms scooted around in the shadows, the figure at the center cringed as some came close to his position. Daphne looked to Tracey, and shrugged. She lifted her wand like a microphone and cast the Sonorus charm.
"Draco Malfoy, who have you killed to take the Dark Mark?" The figure's head snapped up and stared into the dark. "Who's there?.. who's asking?.. you sound familiar." "I asked you a question" "I told you this before" "Tell me again" "Some mudblood girl, looked like Granger" "Who have you raped in Hogwarts?" "Who are you?" When my father.." Hermione answered this. "Your father has been executed, his head is on a pike in the Ministry " "What?" "All the Malfoy lands have been confiscated, all the monies are gone, the name Malfoy is now dead..Draco No-Name" "The Dark Lord.." "Is missing an arm and almost all his followers, and is hovering near death"
"Again, who have you raped in Hogwarts?" "umm..Perks..Mandy something.." "Brocklehurst?" "Yeah, her.." "Weasley" "Ginny?" "No, Ronnie".. "You go both ways?" "Sometimes..Ginny came to me, so that doesn't count.."
"You were with Gin Weasley voluntarily?" "She came to me, I said, you can't blame me that she's a freak.." "You had Snape's approval to rape these girls?" "He showed me the room to use, and how to obliviate them.." "Where is the room, and what's the password?" "I don't have to tell you" "You'd better, if you don't want the pain again" "No!..No!..not the pain..please" he fell to his knees and begged. "who else used the Room at Snape's permission?" "Flint, Pucey, Smith, that's all I know" "Not Crabbe and Goyle?" "No, they refused, that's why I dumped them." "I think you're lying about something" Hermione injected. A puff of mist came out of the iron post and enveloped the prisoner.
"Veritaserum and DMSO mist.. works on contact, as well as breathing in" she explained. "Have you or anyone you know ever touched or obliviated Greengrass or Davis?" "No, I could never get through their warding." "But you wanted to" "Fuck yeah, who wouldn't"
Hermione touched a button on the podium where the girls stood. Energy flowed through the chains that held the prisoner, enveloping him in various arcs of lightning, holding him in its grip, until she released the button. He fell to the floor of the arena panting in pain, trying to capture his breath.
"You are an evil person Draco No-Name, when the time comes you will be publicly executed for your crimes."
"Please...make it...soon"... he panted.
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They left the arena, and were walking through a hallway past some other rooms. they looked in a window and saw a cloaked figure speaking to a man chained to a chair. The shocking thing was the man in the chair was Snape. The girls stopped and looked to Hermione. "All right, but we will stay behind the one way glass, no one enters that room but the Inquisitor ." They nodded in agreement.
"...And who authorized you to use this procedure on Mr Potter?" The ex-potions master grimaced and tried to hold back the answer, but between the physical strain, the variety of potions and chemicals coursing through his system, he was forced to answer.
"D..Dumbl.."
"Albus Dumbledore authorized you to mind-rape Harry Potter, and open his mind to more access by Voldemort" "Ye..yss, he wan..wanted the b. pli..able..pliable.."
the inquisitor pushed a button on his podium, sending a jolt of pleasure through the man's bondings. "Very good, very good, answer the questions and you will be rewarded, lie and you will be punished.."
the greasy man spasmed and messed the front of his prison garb.
"We have some questions" Hermione spoke into the comm behind the glass. The inquisitor held a finger to his ear to activate the private commlink.
"Do tell?"
"We have just heard from Draco No-name that Snape approved of Rape games, and provided a room and obliviation training for this activity."
"Memory please?" Hermione pulled out a memory strand and put it in the commlink receiver. it sucked in and flew across the room, into the Inquisitor's ear.
"Hmm, all right, I shall follow up this line of thought and send you a report, will this be sufficient? "Yes, and get as many names as you can, since he has been a teacher at Hogwarts, the victims deserve justice"
"Will do, My Lady P"
They left and went back to the facility as the Inquisitor started a new line of questioning._
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Back at the facility and back in speedtime, Hermione settled down in the couches with Pansy, Daphne, Tracey and eventually Harry. Daphne brought it up
"How can you justify the torture and questioning that you are putting those prisoners through, after you made that speech about equality and justice for all the other day, you seemed like you really meant it, and here you are.. I don't know, it seems like a contradiction, doesn't it?.. Harry looked at his betrothed.. took a drink, and set the bottle down. He sighed and clasped his fingers together, his elbows on his knees and his head touching his fingers.
"It's an incredibly hard decision, Daphne, but it's a decision I had to make.. We are at war, even though the Ministry denies it, Dumbledore avoids it, and we, the public, suffer from it.." "We are combatants, however unwilling, and we need intel, we need knowledge, we need to take away the enemy's protections." "Every person that is currently being interrogated with harsh methods is a proven Death Eater.. We use different methods for unmarked sycophants and fellow travelers, and even simpler and painless methods for civilians and non-combatants.. " he paused "I agree, it's hypocritical of me to say one thing and do another, but to quote the old bastard, it's for the greater good.." he snarled.. "And if I ever capture and interrogate him, I would treat him as if he were a Death Eater also, because he has caused as much pain and grief as Tom ever has.." he took a drink and sat back heavily on the couch. Hermione took his hand and squeezed it.
"In World War two, you probably know it as Grindewald's war.. The mundanes were at war with each other, on two fronts, here in Europe, the allies, Britain and France and The US were fighting against the German armies.. literally millions of people were dying, entire cultures were being exterminated because of racism, the same kind of racism that the so-called purebloods have against the 'mudbloods' and the like.. a powerful few controlling an entire society against the thousands, no millions against them" " How many people are there in the magical world, do you think, Daphne, Tracey?, anyone?.. Hermione smirked but didn't answer.. "I'll tell you, as of the latest census, in England there are about 60 thousand witches and Wizards, and in the UK as a total, probably 150 thousand, all told." They looked at him , wondering where this was going.
"The student population of Hogwarts in any given year is about 400 students, maybe 450..did you know that the magical birth rate is such that there should be closer to fifteen hundred students?" they were shocked.. "Do you know where those students are?" no one had an answer. "Well, there are hedge wizards and those who homeschool, some never come out for various cultural or economic reasons, but the reason we are almost 1100 magical people short is because the bigots in our society are going out and killing people of magical birth and non magical parents... did you know that Hermione's father had a brother that just 'disappeared' when he was seven?" did you know that Dean Thomas had an older sister who was killed in a mysterious accident? did you know..." he couldn't speak any more, because the tears were flowing down his face and he was choked up..
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A few minutes as they digested this information.. and Harry resumed his commentary.. "The Americans were fighting a war on two fronts, they were helping us push back at the Nazis and freeing Europe from their aggression, but they were also fighting a war in the Pacific, they had been attacked by the Japanese who had the idea that America was weak and distracted in Europe, they were not protecting their own back door.. it took four years of hellacious fighting, Island hopping and one bloody hill at a time, but they did it.. They got to the point that they were poised to invade the Japanese mainland.. and came to the conclusion that they would probably lose a million plus men while doing that.. so they decided on a demonstration.. August 6, 1945 the Americans dropped one bomb on a city called Hiroshima. This one bomb directly killed 80,000 people, and over the next few months raised the total to about 140,000 people.. Many were incensed that the Americans would do such a thing, but the single bomb got Japan's attention.. and to make their point they did it again a few days later..on Nagasaki, Japan..killing another 100,000 plus people.. Japan signed surrender papers six days later.. America had sent a message to Japan that they would keep bombing the Japanese mainland until there were no people left, and it was time to lay down their arms and surrender."
He turned on them. "I have to end this war, by any means necessary, I have to do what needs to be done, and if that means torture a few known criminals, then so be it.. I will burn their bodies away inch by inch in order to keep more innocent children from being murdered, I will chop them into bits and feed them their own fingers if it means I get the information I need." And I will pay for those sins all the days of my life.. but I will still do what is needed to be done."
He looked down, his head hanging towards the floor. "Did you know that the total number of marked Death Eaters is less than 100, and the total number of fellow travelers and supporters are no more than 1000?" he stood and looked into each of their eyes.. "I am willing to make that sacrifice, to make them die for their beliefs of blood superiority, I am willing to be their atomic nightmare..and I intend to survive this war, and repopulate the Earth with Magical children who don't hate because a person is different." He looked at Hermione and Daphne. "I want you two to be the mothers of nations, the leaders, teaching the children the way of truth.. I want you to be my Queens, for I will have to be the Unwilling King, even if I don't want to be.. " he sighed. "I can't be just plain Harry, so I have to embrace the task and do it to the best of my ability."
"Ladies, will you join me?" Hermione took his right arm, and Daphne his left. Pansy attached herself to Hermione, and Tracey to Daphne. They all popped away to another place, leaving the room empty.