Chapter 260: The dead don't lie

Disclaimer: 

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 260: The dead don't lie

A large amount of green smoke manifested over the corpse of the werewolf master. The visage of Fenrir began to form.

"What is…am I alive?" The spectral figure moved its head around in a confused manner.

"No, you are very much dead. Didn't even put up a proper fight," Harry told him.

"You!" Fenrir's eyes locked on Harry's. "You killed my pack! I'll make you pay for this!"

"You don't seem to understand your situation… I suppose that dying doesn't improve one's intelligence." Harry shrugged. "But unlike yours, my time is valuable, so let's get to the point. Who hired you?"

"Anthony Dolohov," Fenrir answered without hesitation.

"Dolohov…so it wasn't Parkinson directly. But he is one of his men if I recall correctly," Harry muttered.

"Wait! Why did I say that?! I never meant to…" Fenrir was more than confused. Why did he even answer his question at all?

"Did you have contact with any other Death Eater?"

"I only spoke with Dolohov until today when we were joined by some new recruits… What is going on?! I can't keep my mouth shut," Fenrir shouted.

"You don't have a mouth, and spirits cannot lie to me. Next question…what was your mission?" Harry asked.

"To kill Neville Longbottom and Harry Potter. To inflict as much chaos as possible in Hogwarts and to avoid a confrontation with Dumbledore if possible."

"Why?" Harry knew Parkinson would want him dead, but this was a terrible way to accomplish that. As for killing Neville… well, he is the Boy Who Lived, so it would probably help Parkinson to have him gone.

Even if Neville didn't ask for it, his name carries a lot of weight, and in the future, he could easily become an influential figure who could oppose Parkinson and take his position as Minister.

"They pay me well. I didn't ask why…stop this! Release me of…whatever this magic is!" Fenrir answered. He still did not seem to understand he was dead.

"One last question. Where can I find Anthony Dolohov?" This man was just a hired hand. If Harry wanted to know more about Parkinson's plans, he would have to ask Dolohov.

"I don't know…" Fenrir clenched his teeth but still answered.

"How did he contact you?"

"Through a common acquaintance. We would arrange our meetings in some abandoned old house."

"Tell me about this acquaintance of yours."

"Damn it, Potter!... His name is Marcus. He is the owner of a tavern in Knockturn Alley, called Macabre Concoctions…"

Harry remained silent for a moment, considering all the information he had received. It was at least enough to continue his search.

Fenrir shouted slurs at him when he finally realized he could not escape either.

Harry merely waved his hand. "Go back." And the spirit disappeared.

<><><><><><><><>

He left the Room of Requirements but only found his mother waiting for him.

"I told them to go directly to the infirmary," Lily informed him.

"Did anyone get badly hurt?" He needed to check everyone properly.

"No, but Ginny had a few burns that will need to be looked at," Lily said. "And before you say anything…it's not your fault."

"I promised to protect them…they could have died because I—"

"The ones responsible are already dead. Aren't they?" Lily interrupted him.

"Not all of them…I know who hired them," Harry said.

"Then tell your father and have him arrested," Lily suggested.

"My father is being suppressed by Lord Parkinson, he won't be able to arrest anyone…much less one of his associates."

"Associates?...so he was behind this." Lily already suspected it but did not want to say it out loud.

"Yes, who else would be behind a plan like this? My father can't do anything in this case, his hands are tied…but mine aren't."

Lily frowned. "Harry, you can't fight everyone by yourself. At least speak with the Headmaster about this. The Order is also trying to put a stop to him, but things are complicated at the moment…"

"I know…politics. I'm tired of them. Maybe I should just go to Parkinson and have a private conversation with him…he is still in the Great Hall, isn't he?" Harry began to walk away.

"Harry! Have you gone mad?! He is the Minister of Magic. Do you have any idea what would happen if you even aimed your wand in his general direction?" Lily was not sure how serious her son was about this.

He opened the doors of the Great Hall and walked inside, with Lily following close behind him.

The Hall appeared to be in commotion. The music had stopped, and all the professors were close together, discussing something with worried expressions.

When they heard the doors open, most of the people inside turned to the noise and saw him and his mother enter.

Dumbledore and McGonagall stood up from their seats and went to meet them.

"Mister Potter…what is the situation?" The Headmaster waited until he was close enough to avoid raising the volume of his voice.

"Lily! Did you find the missing students?" McGonagall asked with concern.

She gave her a warm smile. "Yes, everything is fine. The students are in the infirmary, but they have no serious injuries."

"The situation has been resolved." Harry glanced at Dumbledore. "The intruders are…'gone.' Where is our beloved Minister of Magic? I would like a word with him." Harry scanned the Hall but could not find the man in question.

Dumbledore gave a sigh of relief. "That's good to know. But the Minister left in a hurry, along with his full entourage and the Aurors he brought with him. It was around ten minutes ago. What did you want to speak with him about?..." He had a bad feeling.

"We better discuss this later," said Harry.

"Shall we end this party then? The students are anxious to return to their dorms, I believe," McGonagall suggested.

"It would be best to wait ten to fifteen more minutes. Give the elves a chance to…clean first," Harry told her.

"Oh…" Dumbledore muttered. Knowing Harry as he did...he had a good idea what they were cleaning.

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