Chapter 8 : The two sides' reactions
[Author note : Hey guys ! This is the second and last chapter I'll publish this week (the first was one of KoSP...). The conclusion of Ned's confrontation with the Dark Lord and his cohort. Hope you'll like it.
If you're interested in reading more, or just want to encourage me, please visit my Patréon https://www.patre*n.com/user?u=66371596 (just replace the * by a o) or search for Cathbel on their website !
KoSP : 2 advanced chapters
Squib who became Iron Lad in DC : 3 advanced chapters
Enjoy !]
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As Ned was egging the Dark Lord on, a woman's voice sounded next to Amelia Bones' ears, even though nobody was there :
« Please, pay attention to this conversation, Miss Bones. It could help right a wrong of the past… »
« Who… ? »
She turned her head, but indeed, nothing was there. What she didn't know was that another invisible sphere had been guarding her ever since Ned arrived. Mel had used its internal speakers to transmit a message from Ned.
Meanwhile, the conversation progressed, though not in the direction the Dark Lord would have liked :
« Did you know, Mr. Riddle ? The person you framed for the murder of Myrtle Warren is actually living where you hoped to be living… Another irony, isn't it ? Moreover, unlike you, he actually managed to become a professor there ! »
The mocking smirk could be heard distinctly, which infuriated Voldemort. However, he reined in his rage and spoke in a cold voice :
« It does not matter ! The half-breed, along with everyone of the old fool's people will die ! And so will you ! The death of the girl might have been an accident, but she, too, deserved death, as do all those mudbloods ! Now, be silent and die ! »
The self-proclaimed Lord aimed his wand at him again but before he could unleash another slew of deadly spells, two rifts swallowed the armored figure and Amelia Bones. Soon, silence covered the house of the DMLE head, before a rage-filled scream cut through it like a sword. Voldemort realized… that he'd been played !
The boy, as it was obvious how young the figure was, never intended to fight him. All he did was attack his forces morale and beliefs and unearth secrets he'd thought buried. Nevertheless, the boy was now at the top of his kill list !
« Find out who this boy was ! » He ordered angrily as he whirled toward his men and women. « I. Want. Him. Dead ! » A pause, then : « No… I want him brought to ME ! He doesn't deserve a painless death ! »
Bellatrix was the first to acknowledge his order, falling to her knees as she swore :
« Your will shall be done, my Lord ! We'll find him ! »
The others were slightly too slow to react and it angered Voldemort even more. He caressed his wand, wondering if he should punish them for their hesitation… When they voiced their agreement, it sounded hollow to the Dark Lord. He should really punish them, but…
« How did he know… ? » He whispered with a trembling voice.
Anger, uncertainty and confusion… Those were feelings he hated to feel. And usually, he'd torture someone to make himself feel better. Unfortunately, he needed to feel it right now… It would motivate him to find out how the boy knew !
The Dark Lord spoke up once more :
« The boy sounded American. Start with the sons of American immigrant to the UK. And relay my order to our spies in the ministry : discover whether or not a portkey's been used from the US recently… Include the date of the attack in the Department of Mysteries… »
« Yes, my Lord ! » Bellatrix excitedly answered.
* * * * *
Meanwhile, the head of the DMLE and Ned had been transported safely (and comfortably) through space to a deserted location. The young squib stayed silent for a while, since he was using his sphere-golem to monitor the situation with the Dark Lord and his cohort. Apparently, his secondary objective had mixed results… While he wanted to have the man's forces question their cause, it seemed their fear of the Dark Lord was much stronger than the doubts he'd planted.
It was understandable, of course, since the author of the original work had portrayed Voldemort like a lunatic who didn't shy away from punishing his so-called 'family' with one of the worst curse in existence (the Cruciatus). If he could do that then, he'd be able to do much worse ! In fact, the reminder of what he might do was probably still fresh in their minds with the escape attempt and subsequent capture of Igor Karkaroff, former headmaster of Durmstrang. He was a Death Eater who sold some of his 'friends' to the law in order to avoid being sent to Azkaban… And during Harry Potter's 4th year in Hogwarts, when he felt Voldemort's return through the Dark Mark, he'd fled…
Ned wasn't sure, but he remembered his death being alluded to in the books. Then again, if he were the Dark Lord, he'd use the Dark Mark as a way to monitor and track his forces somehow. Not only could he then make sure that his plans and orders were carried out well, he'd be able to intervene swiftly in case of failure or betrayal. His guess was that, once a Death Eater was marked, it was impossible to escape from Voldemort… And in fact, that's how the author explained the Death Eater's loyalty, even in the face of his unreasonable demands and treatments.
In the final books, the Malfoy family in particular had seen their standing with the Dark Lord turn from decent, to bad, to worse… Voldemort, having no place to go after the 4th book, took residence in Malfoy manor, usurping the owner's power and authority in his own home. In the 5th, in order to have Malfoy senior answer for the destruction of his diary horcrux, and some other 'failures' on the man's part, he was ordered to go into the Ministry of Magic to obtain the Prophecy of Harry Potter and Voldemort… No matter the cost. When this failed, his son was branded a Death Eater and ordered to kill one of, if not, the most powerful Wizard of the time : Albus Dumbledore. In his twisted way, he was telling the Malfoy that he'd only accept success or their deaths by basically sacrificing Draco's life in this endeavor.
Still, the Malfoy stayed near the Dark Lord even in the final book when their standing was at its lowest. And Narcissa 'betrayed' the Dark Lord by not telling him that Harry was still alive only because he'd saved their son, and perhaps she hoped he'd defeat the madman…
Ned was brought out of his musings by the crisp and irritated voice of Amelia Bones :
« Hey ! Why did you take me here ? Why didn't we keep fighting ? My family demanded vengeance ! »
He sighed, hearing this. War, especially wars brought on by madmen and greedy bastards, always birthed hatred. Even someone as important as Amelia Bones wasn't exempt from such emotions…
« Because Miss Bones, my psychological attack would have soon run its course in the face of the Death Eaters' fear of their master. And once that happened… Well, our slim advantage would have evaporated. Although I'm confident in my work, this version of my armor is still in its beta-test, I'm not about to risk my life and yours because you're bloodthirsty ! »
Before she retorted, Ned remarked :
« Did you pay attention to the Dark Lord and I's conversation ? »
Frowning, she paused with her mouth open for a second before closing it and nodding her head stiffly :
« Yes… Tom Marvolo Riddle, murderer of Myrtle Warren in Hogwarts and someone who was framed, and probably convicted instead of the Dark Lord. I'll look into it… What did you hope to accomplish here ? Why even help me ? You're obviously American… The UK's business should have no incidence on you. However, now that you've crossed Voldemort, you put yourself and your family at risk. Why ? »
Ned shrugged :
« He can try and get to me all he wants. The US are closed to any and all UK wizards and witches by order of MACUSA. » What he didn't tell the woman, though she probably knew given her position, was that it was also forbidden to any magical citizen of the US to go there for any reason. « As for why… There are a lot of reasons. Test the armor being the main one. Prevent unnecessary deaths among wizards and witches considering how low our population already is, being another one… And saving your life, seemed like a good way to do that since you will lead the fight against these nut-jobs once you're Minister. I'd also hoped to diminish the Dark Lord's forces by sowing seeds of distrust but… They're too afraid of him. »
Despite the tough front he put on for the woman, Ned was thinking of contingencies for him and his family in case Voldemort discovered his identity. He cursed himself for exposing himself during the Ministry battle since now, too many people knew who he was, or at least had seen his face. Whether by use of Legilimency or the Imperius curse, he risked being exposed… And from there, either Voldemort himself or some of his politically powerful 'friends' could get to his family.
This reminded him of Tony Stark stupid taunt of the 'Mandarin' in the 3rd movie, where he gave his address on national news. Although he didn't do something so foolish, it was still a risk. One he wasn't comfortable with… He needed to get home !
« Now, if you'll excuse me, Miss, I have to get back to my country ! I hope you'll find a safe place. » He paused and added : « Please, don't try and get back to your house. At least, not alone. I haven't saved you for you to sacrifice yourself in a foolish attempt to avenge your family ! »
Gritting her teeth, the woman retorted :
« I did not ask you to save me ! Those monsters have killed my brother and sister-in-law ! They've killed Susan's parents ! »
He nodded :
« Yeah, but she's got you, doesn't she ? Don't make them your murderer, too, and leave her all alone. Anyway, stay well and maybe we'll see each other again in the future ! »
And with that, a portal swallowed his armored form.
* * * * *
After the armored figure left, she was left alone on this deserted plateau. From the looks of it, she was probably in the Highlands, though she wasn't too sure. Since she still had her wand in hand, she waved it and cast a spell to contact her forces in the Ministry.
Soon, half a dozen aurors arrived at her location, with Head auror Scrimgeour leading them. The man's thick mane of hair was brushed by the winds of the highlands, and she noticed how he assessed his surroundings before speaking to her :
« Madam Bones… Why are you here ? And why did you call for us ? »
« I called you here because I've just been subjected to an attack from Voldemort and his Death Eaters in my own home… » She sighed before admitting : « I probably would have died if not for the mysterious 'Silver Lad' as the press called him. He used some kind of spell to open a portal despite the anti-apparating wards on my house… »
A young woman asked, worriedly :
« Are you okay, madam ? »
« I am fine, Auror Tonks. Only angry… » Then, she changed gears and started to issue orders : « Take a full contingent of aurors and hit wizards to my house ! If they're still there, I want them apprehended or killed ! I don't care what spells you used. You're even allowed the use of Unforgivable to accomplish your task ! »
« Right away, madam ! » Head auror Scrimgeour nodded and relayed a few directives of his own to his troops : « Auror Tonks : get back to the Ministry and ask for reinforcement. Dawlish, Shacklebolt : with me ! The rest of you, escort Madam Bones to safety ! »
« Sir ! Yes, sir ! »
As she was left with the two aurors, Amelia bones silently asked herself the questions she forgot to ask the armored figure.
« How did he even know about the attack ? »
In the following days, she'd direct a few of her trusted subordinates to find out more about the young man who saved her life…
* * * * *
Meanwhile, Ned exited the portal in his workshop with a content sigh.
« This is so much better than apparition ! »
The real difference between the two mode of transportation was that, it wasn't his body that was teleported or magically transported across space, two points were linked and he just… walked through. So his insides stayed in their place and he didn't feel constricted into some kind of tube before reappearing violently somewhere else. Frankly, in his mind, they were only pluses in this mode of transportation…
Mel reminded him, however, why it wouldn't be usable for anyone else. In fact, even with magic, he might not be able to use it :
« Without my calculations, you wouldn't go very far… Or you might even get stuck… What happens to someone who enters a portal but hasn't opened an exit ? »
« Huh ! That's… a very good question ! I have no idea… Let's alter the spell so that becomes impossible, shall we ? We'll figure out the answer to this question in the future… Make a note, please ! »
« Let's change the topic… What do you think about the MBC ? Did you feel any less in control ? »
« I do not have an opinion on the MBC. » Mel's voice was flat with a hint of sarcasm : « You didn't design me to have thoughts and opinions of my own, it seems. »
« Oh ! Come on~ ! I mean… Sure, with your processing power, my commands must appear slow and stupid, but you can't expect me to just… do nothing in these armors, right ? Otherwise, I might as well just let you operate them or create a robot for you to command. Is that what you want ? 'cause I've always wanted to give you a body of your own, you know ? »
Silence answered him as the armor was pried from his body by the mechanical arms of his workshop. A slight smile could be seen on his face as a thought struck him… Mel's reaction resembled that of a teenager : disagreeing for the sake of it, to show your independence… At least, that's how he saw it. Mel interrupted his musings (or rather, she changed the subject) :
« You might want to hurry if you don't want to miss your appointment ! »
With a wry smile, Ned said :
« Right ! »
* * * * *
An hour later, Ned found himself in his company's home office, in the business district of New York. It wasn't too far from his house or his university and thanks to New York's subway, he could go to and fro either destinations without much trouble.
The appointments Mel talked about were about his search for a secretary/assistant. Despite his brilliance, Ned couldn't be in two places at once… He couldn't revolutionize the magical and the tech world and run his company. He needed a 'Pepper Potts' of his own. For a while, he entertained the idea of having Mel, or another tech spirit to do it for him but… There was a social aspect they just could never do. Sure, they'd be able to navigate the politics and economics of it rather easily, but the interaction with the employees, investors and (when his company went public) the shareholders, they just couldn't manage those… Unless he designed a Life Model Decoy for them.
As he thought of this, the door to his office opened and a beautiful young blonde woman with a certain haughty bearing entered. Surprised at the arrival, Ned gazed intently at her :
« Well, now that's a surprise ! »
There was a distinct family resemblance here with someone he'd seen just a few weeks ago…