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Practice to Deceive	By : SailorSol Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 12424 -:- Recommendations : 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.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
Disclaimer: Any characters & situations you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. Any characters you don�t recognize belong to me. You can borrow them, but email me first and check on the characters.

Author�s Note: This story is AU after book 5. It contains NO REFERENCES to book 6 in any way, shape or form.

CHAPTER 2: THE TIES THAT BIND

2 July

Part 1: Close call

Voldemort woke with a start. For a moment, he did not understand what had broken his sleep. The chair he was in was comfortable enough, and his daughter was sleeping peacefully in her bed nearby. Her silver gilt hair was neatly braided and shone in the dim light. Her face was more peaceful than in her waking hours, but still bore the burden of losing her twin. She seemed to be in less pain when he was near her, and he felt more grounded with her at his side.

He looked around for the source of his disturbance and saw Bellatrix standing next to the door. She had his formal robes in her hands.

�My lord,� she said. �Some of our American brethren have requested an audience. They claim that they have your daughter.�

�We shall see,� Voldemort said, rising from the chair. �Send for Rudolphus. Someone must watch her, and I cannot trust Wormtail or Rabistan. You, I need with me.�

�Yes, My Lord,� Bellatrix said. She helped him into the robes and went in search of her husband.

***** *****

When Voldemort entered his audience chamber half an hour later, he knew immediately that something was wrong. The Americans who had come so far to see him were clustered together, muttering to one another. One of them was holding a bloody cloth to his nose.

When they realized that Voldemort had entered the room, they conferred for a moment, and then one of them stepped forward and knelt before the seated wizard.

�My Lord,� he said. �We came here to deliver your daughter to you. The problem is that she was under a mistaken impression regarding our intentions. As soon as we touched down here, she lashed out physically, transfigured herself into a unicorn, and ran off into the forest. We sent some people after her, and two of them have not returned.�

�Then return to me when they have returned,� Voldemort said. �When you have retrieved this girl, then we will discuss why she misunderstood you.�

He might have said more, but the door burst open, and Astrid came hurrying in, followed by Rudolphus Lestrange.

�Father!� she said. �My head doesn't hurt! That must mean that Lilith's alive! She's here! We have to find her right away!�

�She has run away,� Voldemort said. �These idiots did not inform her of their intentions, so she escaped at the first opportunity.�

�WHAT?!� Astrid whirled to face the clustered Death Eaters.

�Where did she go?� she demanded. �Which way?�

There was a babble of voices, and the general consensus was that she had run northwards. Astrid ran from the room, cursing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

9 August

Part 2: Chance Meeting

Harry Potter looked up from the book he was studying when one of his house elves came running into the library.

�Master Harry, sir!� the elf wailed. �There is strange creature wandering near the manor! We thinks it is a human, sir, but it is acting strangely! We doesn't know what to do about it!�

�I'd better check then, Helper,� Harry said to the elf. �I don't want any bloody Auror finding me before I'm ready to go.� He put a marker in the book and capped his inkwell. His robe was slung conveniently over a nearby chair, and his wand was in a holder at his waist. He followed the elf out of the rear entrance to the manor house, and then off of the grounds and into Sherwood Forest itself.

No one that knew him would have recognized the Boy-Who-Lived. His once rounded face and upturned nose had become more angular, and the nose was now positively Roman in its shape and size. His once-wild spiky black hair was now nearly shoulder length, silky, and baby fine in it's texture. The only features that remained unchanged were his green eyes, inherited from his mother, and the lightning bolt scar that marked him for life.

In one tangled area right behind the back gate, Harry saw bare footprints in the dirt. He followed the footprints to a hollow tree where he could hear a voice.

�Hello?� he said. �Who's there?�

There was shuffling inside the tree, and Harry stepped back in shock as a female lion came out of the tree, teeth bared. Behind her came a young woman who looked like a wood sprite. She had twigs and leaves in her tangled chestnut hair. Her face and arms were smudged with dirt, and she had a wild look about her. She was pointing the first two fingers at him as though they were her wand.

It was her eyes that stopped Harry in his tracks. Her eyes were just like his, although with a bit less sanity in them at the moment.

�I'm not going to hurt you,� Harry said softly, lowering his wand. �Look, I'll prove it.�

He put his wand away and rolled up his shirt sleeves. When they reached his elbow, she lowered her hands.

�You're not one of them,� she said hesitantly. �You're not a Death Eater.� She winced and brought one of her hands to the side of her head.

�You're hurt!� Harry said. �Let me help you.� He began to step forward, and then looked at the lioness. The big cat sat down and made a sound that was somewhere the wining Sirius used to do as Snuffles, and a meow. Harry took that as a request for help and he finished his movement forward to take the girl's hand.

�Come with me,� he said. �I can get you cleaned up, get you something to eat, and then we'll see what else I can do to help.�

�My familiars,� she said, gesturing.

�They can come, too,� Harry said. �I've got a huge house, and it's just me, and three house elves. There's plenty of room, and this will give them something to do besides taking care of my non-existent needs.�

�Okay,� she said, distracted by the pain in her head. Harry carefully led her away from the tree, conscious of the lion following them. He was a bit startled when a snake's head poked out of her wild mop of hair, but he was able to reassure the serpent quickly as it raised up and spread it's hood.

//I am helping your mistress,// he told it. //No harm to you or to your companions.//

//Mistress needs nestmate,// the snake said plaintively. //Have not seen nestmate since learning-place. Nestmate taken away by dark-robe white-faces.//

//I will help your mistress,// Harry reassured it. //I will find a way to help her find her nestmate.//

//Thank you, Speaker,// the snake said. //Mistress must have nestmate, or not wake up after sleeping one day.//

Harry led the girl back to the manor. He set the house elves to cleaning her up and getting food and water for her animals. They turned out to be not only the lioness and the cobra, but an iguana, an eagle owl, a black cat, a strange stork, a black smooth-coated dog, a jackal, and a phoenix.

While the house elves were busy, he went to a fireplace and flooed the Weasley twins at their shop.

�Harry!� Fred cried. �Boy, mate . . . . �

� . . . the Order's been. . . .�

� . . . going crazy. . . .�

�looking for you!� the two of them finished together.

�Don't tell anyone you've heard from me guys,� Harry said. �I just need some information. What happens when one of a pair of twins dies?�

�It depends, mate,� George said. �Sometimes nothing, if they're antagonistic or neutral.�

�If they're complimentary,� Fred said. �Like us, then the survivor'll go nuts.�

�Like as not,� George finished. �The survivor dies soon after that, completely out of their mind. Anyone that gets in their way is asking for it. They've got no control over their magic.�

�And twins are almost always more powerful,� Fred interjected. �So them being out of control is worse than average.�

�What can I do to stop it?� Harry asked.

�There's a rumor,� Fred answered.

�If you find another witch or wizard that's strong enough,� George interjected.

�You blood bind them together,� Fred finished. �It's supposed to help, at least some.�

�Thanks, guys,� Harry said. �It's not like I have a long life expectancy, anyway.� He withdrew from the fire before they could protest the implications of his comment.

Harry hurried to his library, knowing that he didn't have much time. Helper, Jewel, and Trinket were efficient house elves, and they would have finished with the girl in a short time. He had to find a binding spell, and then assemble the necessary implements before then.

He found a strong binding spell that could be performed in a short amount of time. The necessary potion was composed of fairly common ingredients and would take only fifteen minutes to brew. The actual charm and transfiguration were easy to memorize. Harry headed down to the potions laboratory in the basement.

When he came back up twenty-five minutes later, Helper was waiting for him at the top of the stairs.

�She is all cleaned and hairbrushed, Master Harry,� Helper said. �Jewel and Trinket took her to the study, Master. She is sleeping on the sofa by the fire, Master.�

�Thank you, Helper,� Harry said. �Are her familiars taken care of?�

�Yes, Master,� Helper said. �The animals is in the sitting room, mostly sleeping. The owl went to the owlrey, and the stork is out in the garden pond, catching frogs.�

�Thank you,� Harry said. �I need two foot long strips of undyed linen, Helper. I will be in the study with her.�

�Yes, Master.�

Harry entered the study quietly. He had the phial in his hand with the Binding potion in it, and a clean knife in his other hand. He knelt down next to the sofa, and watched the sleeping girl for a few moments.

She was remarkably pretty, without being a stunning beauty that would stop traffic. She reminded Harry of pictures he had seen of his mother, and of the memory he had seen in Snape's pensieve the year before. She was curled up underneath a quilt like a small child. There were wrinkles near her eyes and mouth, and one between her eyebrows, that spoke volumes of the pain and stress she had borne from losing her twin.

Without dwelling on it further, Harry used the knife to prick his finger and let three drops of blood fall into the phial in his hand. He gently took the girl's hand and carefully pricked her finger to draw three drops from her.

He felt Helper pop in next to him and held out his hand for the linen.

�Tie one around her wrist, Helper,� Harry said, tying one of the strips around his own wrist. �Then tie these two together. After you're done, you can go. Make sure that Jewel and Trinket take the animals and her into account when they prepare dinner.�

�Yes, Master,� Helper said. His clever fingers tied the two strips together quickly, effectively joining Harry with the mystery girl.

After Helper had gone, Harry cast a stirring spell on the phial, cast the charm on the linen, and then poured the contents of the phial over the linen strips and the hands they were tied around. The girl woke up when the potion hit her skin and watched without much comprehension as Harry dropped the phial and picked up his wand.

�It's all right,� he told her reassuringly. �You won't be alone much longer. Then, maybe you can help me with my problem, so we can both die happy.�

Harry steeled himself for the pain that the book had said was coming, and then he performed the transfiguration over the potion-soaked linen.

The book had not misrepresented the amount of pain that the binding caused. Harry screamed at what seemed to last forever. What it had not mentioned was the assault of information that accompanied the pain. It seemed to take forever, while Harry was filled with the knowledge and experiences of a lifetime, from a female perspective.

Harry Potter was experiencing the greatest amount of pain that he had ever felt in his mere sixteen years. Granted, what with all the trouble that managed to find him in his short life, and the depredations of the only family he had known he was no stranger to pain, but the agony that coursed through him now made all of the others combined pale in comparison. Adding in the fact that it was all being channeled through his right wrist made it seem even more. And along with the intense pain came memories � memories that were not his own.

* * *

He was just a little over three years old, and had just caught Astrid in a place where she didn�t belong.

�Daddy�s gonna be mad!� he yelled from the doorway at his twin sister who was standing on a stepstool in the lavatory, taking all the stinky things that Daddy liked to put on his face and mixing them up into something else. Granted he didn�t like the way any of those things smelled when Daddy wore them, but that was no reason for Astrid to go messing with them.

�No, he won�t.� his silver-gold haired sister looked down at him with eyes that were exactly like his. �Daddy�ll love it. You�ll see.�

He wasn�t so sure, but whenever Astrid mixed something, Daddy always praised her, and in a way, he was jealous. She had a real gift for it, but he preferred to take it a little slower and not make any mistakes. But Daddy did praise him every time he made his cornflakes or toast dance around on the table. Mama, on the other hand, always looked at both of them like they were something she would rather sweep under the rug.

He never understood that part. What had he ever done to make Mama hate him like that? And what about Astrid? Why did Mama hate her too?

True to what she had said, Daddy had loved the new smelly stuff, and swore he would wear no other. He even had to admit it to himself, it really did make Daddy smell real good. But Daddy ALWAYS smelled good, �specially after he had been mixing things, and that reminded him of something else, but he couldn�t remember what it was at the moment.

* * *

He was nearly four years old and the two of them had found a baby snake that had been dropped by a passing predatory bird. They had checked it out and found out that it was a boy snake and wasn�t hurt, just frightened by the ride he had taken. Now Astrid was teaching him to talk to the snake like she could. He could make lizards understand, but snakes were a little bit different.

�It goes �Sssaaii hhhaaassssiiieth�.� Astrid told him again as they both pet the small Diamondback Rattlesnake she held in her hands. �It means �Don�t bite�. Ya gotta get all the essses in the right place or Buzz ain�t gonna unnerstand.�

He repeated it again, and this time the tiny reptile looked at him and actually nodded. The snake hissed back that it would obey his mistresses and not bite unless they said he could, no matter what happened. But all he really wanted to do right then was to lay on a rock in the warm sun and sleep.

A piercing scream startled all of them, and Buzz nearly bit in reflex, but he rolled to the ground, coiled up and buzzed his tail rather than hurt either of them. He and his twin sister looked up to see the furious face of their mother. Though they both had her eyes, the resemblance ended there. The aged harridan that literally ran at them, brandishing her broom, shrieking at the top of her lungs looked nothing like either of them, no matter what Daddy said. The screaming woman started hitting at the small reptile, and Astrid scooped him up to protect him.

�It�s okay, Mama.� He said, getting in between Mama and his beloved sister. �Buzz won�t hurt nobody! He promised! An� Astrid�s gonna help me talk to �im!�

�You little Monsters!!� the elderly woman shrieked, hitting them both with the broom. �You�re just like HIM!!! You evil little monsters! I just knew that you�d both turn out to be like this! Now, get rid of that ugly slimy thing, and never bring it back to this house again, do you understand me? And go straightaway to your room!�

�But Mama,� Astrid said in a tiny voice, putting Buzz back on the ground. �Buzz won�t bite nobody.�

�Shut up!� Mama screamed at her, looking down at her like she was the most loathsome thing in the world. �I don�t ever want to hear about that thing again, do I make myself clear? Now you take your sister upstairs and go directly to your room!!�

He reached out and took his twin�s hand, straightened his little skirt and they went to their room together, crying on each other�s shoulders when they got there as they lay on the bed they had always shared.

* * *

He was four and a half years old and walking back home from their Pre-school down the street, holding his sister�s hand, as always. It was only four houses away from where their Mama and Daddy had the store that they lived on top of.

They both hated the place they had just left, but Mama said they had to go, and Daddy agreed, telling them that it would be good experience for them. But instead of making friends, like Daddy said was supposed to happen, all the other kids teased them unmercifully about everything. But their favorite topic was the age of their parents, and their favorite part of that was constantly asking why they were living with their grandparents. Maybe their real Mother abandoned them and left them with the old people. Obviously they weren�t good enough for their Mama to keep.

Knowing that their Mama thought they were monsters was painful enough, but this was just one thing too much, and tears started to fall from his eyes. Astrid saw it, gave him a warm hug, and told him that it was going to be alright. Then, hand in hand, they turned to face the kids that persecuted them.

�You guys take that back!� Astrid shouted at the trio of boys who were the worst of the problem.

�Won�t!� one of them yelled back, then stuck out his tongue while he waggled both hands on either side of his head. �And you can�t make me!�

�I wish you get chicken pops!� the girl with the silver-gilt hair called back at the triad of youngsters.

�Yeah!� he added his support to what she had said. �Great big purple ones!� He liked purple, and everything had to be that color, but Astrid preferred greens. If he hadn�t said his color, they would be green, and he thought green spots were yucky.

Neither one of them knew that they had just conjured a new mundane virus into being, one that would eventually become known as �Turkey Pox�, or the fact that it would only strike non-magical folk.

* * *

He was almost nine years old and all alone for the first time he could ever remember. Even when he had been hit with that rock and had a concussion and had to spend the night in the hospital, they let Astrid stay. But not this time.

They had been accepted into Mistland Magickal Acadamie at the tender age of eight, but he and his twin would turn nine in October, he on the twenty-second, and she on the twenty third � he was ten minutes older than her. Now they were going to learn how to control the powers they had for so long, but he was alone now. That stupid hunk of talking wood put him into the Orca Lodge, and then Astrid got sent to the Mountain Lion Lodge.

He cried his eyes out for a time, then he went out in search of her. He found the Lodge with very little problem, but he couldn�t get past the locked door. How could he be whole without his other half? He curled up by the door and cried himself to sleep knowing that she was locked up inside there, but he was unable to reach her. This was as close as he could get.

* * *

He was eleven, and they were both having a very hard time at the moment. They had no idea that what burned through them was a side effect of the potion they had brewed in secret in Astrid�s Dorm room, but they had both wanted to get the enhanced senses that Cassidor promised.

The fact that it was also a powerful aphrodisiac was not mentioned in the book he had found for Astrid. Nor did it say anywhere that all of the formulae listed therein were in a concentrated form, nor that the dosages suggested were double, or even triple the recommended amount.

So, when they had decided to deliberately overdose by taking double the listed dose of a potion that was already triply strong, and the inscribed amount was double, each of them actually wound up taking twelve times the actual dosage. Now they burned with an internal fire that they simply could not quench no matter how hard they tried. What their hands and mouths could do was simply not enough.

Madame Emmaline Hendrix, the Potions Mistress, and Astrid�s favorite teacher, found them more than a day and a half later, still trying to ease the burning. Though the woman loved the twins as if they were her own daughters, she knew they needed to be taught a lesson. So, she bound each one of them to a chair, and let the potion burn its way out of their systems. Then, once that was over, she pulled out a quill and parchment, wrote down a formula, and made them brew a batch of Therac, the antidote.

* * *

They fought side-by-side, himself and Astrid, both to protect the retreat of the little ones to the lava tube caves on the north-western side of the Island, and to try and take down as many of those skull-masked, black-robed attackers as they could. He had lost his wand a short time ago and now he used his bare hands to fling curses at them. It was one of the many talents he shared with his twin sister.

He was nearly eighteen but he already had his NEWTs as well as his OWLs, fourteen of each, and all with the practically unknown grade of �Flawless� on them, but not even that had impressed Mamma. Now, he and Astrid were studying for their WARTs, the Wizarding Aptitude Reliability Tests, and if all went according to plan, they would get seven of them. They both needed the extra scores in order to be able to claim their triple Masteries, which they had passed over the Christmas break when they were just a little more than sixteen.

But nothing ever really went according to plan. The school was being attacked by Death Eaters, if you could believe that! Everyone believed them to be exclusive to Great Britain, but there they were, more than a hundred strong, and if it hadn�t been for the Dark Arts Society that he had started with his sister in their third year, they would be in Big trouble. As it was, they were having a hard time of things. There were just too many of them, and not enough of the defenders.

He heard Astrid scream, and then something hit him hard on the head, nearly knocking him out. But when he came fully back to himself, he knew that something was terribly wrong. Someone had grabbed him and he was being carried on the back of a broom. He wanted to escape, but he couldn�t move. Then he realized that there was probably a binding spell or something similar cast on him. And he simply couldn�t concentrate beyond everything else to counter it.

There was a fierce pain in his head from the blow he had received, and a gaping hole in his mind and heart where Astrid should be. She was gone, and he was truly alone. Even more alone than the few times they had deliberately separated to try and see how far they could go without piercing agony. That limit was five miles. But his beloved twin sister was gone, he couldn�t feel her anymore. She was dead, and he would be soon as well. But before that time came, he would go mad.

* * *

He knew spells and potions formulas that he had not yet been exposed to, and he knew that he could cast and brew them correctly. Foremost in the memories, though, was the shining image of a young woman with emerald eyes and silvergold hair. A lost loved one, a companion in life who was suddenly torn away, never to be seen again. He felt the tearing, burning pain of loss, and the despair that followed it during days locked in a room. He knew that with the first clear thought had come only the thought of escape. Revenge against the Death Eaters that had destroyed the school, killed the teachers, and stolen her other half would come later. . . if she recovered.

Harry opened his eyes to find his head pillowed on a female chest, a gentle hand smoothing his hair, and a voice assuring him that his uncle and cousin were going to pay for what they had done, that no one did something like that to someone she cared for and escaped unscathed. While she was talking, images were appearing in her head of what she wanted to do, and Harry found himself in complete agreement.

He looked up into the green eyes of the young woman who might as well be his sister.

�You're not alone anymore, Lilith,� he said. �I won't leave you, no matter what.�

�I know, Harry,� she replied, smiling. �I'm going to get your worthless family, though. They can't treat you that way. Astrid would not let them get away with it.�

�I know,� Harry said. �I swear, I know her as well as you do.�

�I know your friends as well as you do,� Lilith countered. �I'll know all of your friends by name as soon as I see them. By the way, your mother wasn't muggle born.�

�Sure she was,� Harry said. �Everybody knows that. Sirius, Remus, Professor Snape, they wouldn't lie to me.�

�I'm not saying that they lied, Harry,� Lilith said. Her fingers moved to stroke a tingling spot behind Harry's right ear.

�I'm talking about this,� she said. �I have this birthmark, and so did my sister. You got it from your mother, and I got it from mine.�

�Your mother told you about a cousin named Lily,� Harry said slowly, as acquired memories came to the front of his mind.

�Yes,� Lilith said. �Anyone familiar with Old Blood families would know what this birthmark means. That old man at Hogwarts is still lying to you.�

�Not surprising,� Harry said grimly. He would have said more, but his stomach growled.

�I think we should eat something,� Lilith said. Harry jumped up and held out a hand to her.

***** *****

15 August

Part 3: Retaliation

Privet Drive was quiet in the early evening when two figures abruptly appeared in front of Number 4. The quiet evening was broken only softly by the sounds of television shows, or music, or the laughter of children or adults.

Harry led Lilith to the front door of Number 4, and then stood aside while she straightened her hat and boldly knocked on the door.

The door opened to reveal Petunia Dursley, smiling in welcome to whoever was at the door. Her look turned to puzzlement, and then to horror as she recognized the boy standing on her doorstep.

She tried to slam the door in their faces, but a whispered 'Immobulous' kept her still. Lilith and Harry came into the house, closing the door behind them. Another whispered spell, 'Jussare', commanded her to precede them into the living room, where her husband and son were watching the television.

Lilith waited until both of the men had realized that they were in the room, and then aimed her new wand, purchased from Ollivancer's that morning, directly at Vernon.

�I know you,� she hissed at him. �I know all about you. You contemptible sorry excuse for a human being. You were supposed to help take care of your nephew, to protect him. Instead, you abused him in horrible ways. When your son followed in your footsteps, you REWARDED him! You're beyond contempt! The only way to punish you is to do the worst thing I can think of.�

Vernon cowered, blubbering. His son cried and wet himself in terror. Petunia wailed and covered her face, not wanting to see what horrible things were going to be done to her husband.

Lilith waved her wand in a lateral circular motion over Vernon's head.

�Pileus pigmentum azure,� she murmured. A sprinkling of light drifted down and touched the man's head, turning everything it touched blue. She smiled at the result and then turned her attention further down.

�Posteritus magicus eternam,� she intoned, pointing the wand directly at Vernon's genitals. A jet of purple light shot out and made the man's crotch briefly glow. Smiling cruelly, Lilith performed one final incantation.

�Virilitus.�

She turned towards Dudley to find that Harry had taken the initiative against one of his tormentors and copied her spells, turning Dudley's hair a bright emerald green. Satisfied, she turned to Petunia.

�You are just as bad as they are,� she told the woman. �You poor handicapped creature. You pathetic squib. You were so jealous of your sister being a witch, and how proud your parents were, that you took it out on her son, a child that never did anything wrong. You neglected him, you mistreated him, and you let your son use him as a punching bag while they were growing up. Then, you turned a blind eye when your husband raped him. You even helped your husband pick out a reward when your son started 'acting just like a man!' I know just what to do with you.�

With a few more waves of her wand, Lilith had turned Petunia's hair purple, and restored her fertility. The same spell was cast on her that was cast on her husband and son, assuring that any child she bore would possess the gift of magic. In mere minutes, Lilith and Harry had deprived the Dursley family of what they prized most: their normalcy, their very muggleness. They would never be 'normal' again.

Their work done, Harry put his hand in Liliths, and the two of them Apparated away, just before the arrival of the Order of the Phoenix, alerted by the use of magic inside the heavily warded house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

17 August

Part 4: Choosing Sides

Hermione Granger was on her way to her bedroom at Grimmauld Place when she heard a gasp of horror from Ginny's room.

She carefully opened the door, and found Ginny with her ear pressed to her bedpost, a look of horror on her face.

�Ginny!� Hermione cried in alarm. �What's wrong?�

Ginny jumped and then looked guilty. After a moment, though, she got up and beckoned Hermione over and pointed at a hole carved into the bedpost.

�Put your ear to that,� she said.

Hermione trusted Ginny, so she sat down where Ginny had been, and she put her ear against the hole.

� . . . seems to be the only way to make Harry come out from wherever he is hiding,� Dumbledore's voice was clear and recognizable. �Mr. Lupin is more of a liability than an asset, in any case. Alastor, you take care of it. Make sure that it is perfect in every detail.�

�Got it,� Moody's voice was just as recognizable as Dumbledore's was. �I won't deliberately kill the werewolf, I'll just make it look good.�

�Very well,� Dumbledore said. �Make certain that you are seen, though. This must be blamed on the Death Eaters. Try the polyjuice with Lucius Malfoy's hair. We have to make sure that Harry blames them.�

�Right,� Moody said. �I'll see you when I get back.� There was the sound of his uneven footsteps, and then a gagging sound, and then an even tread, the door opening, and the door closing.

�Albus,� a new voice, one Hermione had heard before but couldn't place precisely. �What are we going to do about the boy disappearing? We need someone to put him back on the right path.�

�We will have someone,� Dumbledore said. �I plan on recruiting young Mr. Weasley into the Inner Circle. Between him and our new Advanced Flight instructor, I believe Harry will be back on the path to his destiny.�

�What about the prophecy, Albus?� the other man said. �After that ceremony in the graveyard, if Potter kills Voldemort, he'll die. It'll be like he killed his own brother.�

�That is necessary,� Dumbledore said. �Young Mr. Potter will be a martyr for the Light. I never intended for him to survive the final battle with Tom.�

�All right, Albus,� the other man said. �I'll be going. When are you going to approach young Weasley?�

�Oh, in the next day or two,� was the reply. �It needs to be before the school year starts, or we won't be able to help steer Harry back. This interest that Harry is showing in Draco Malfoy, too, has to be nipped in the bud. I don't mind him being interested in males, you understand, but it has to be someone acceptable. If he spends too much time around young Malfoy, he could find out something damaging.�

�I'll leave that in your hands, Albus,� the man said. There was the scrape of a chair, footsteps, and then the door opening and closing.

Hermione jerked away from the bedpost to find Ginny with her ear pressed to another bedpost, her eyes wide.

�We have to do something, Ginny,� Hermione said. �Dumbledore knows Harry won't survive a battle with Voldemort, but he's not going to stop it.�

�I know what to do,� Ginny said. �I'm just afraid to do it.�

�What?� Hermione demanded, rising from the bed.

�Get dressed,� Ginny said, grabbing her own clothing from a nearby chair. �We've got to go see Tom.�

�Me?!� Hermione exclaimed, halfway to the door. �If I walk into his headquarters, I won't be walking out!�

�He isn't the monster that Dumbledore wants us to think,� Ginny said. �I don't believe that Tom will hurt us if we come to him with information.�

�All right,� Hermione said. �Don't do anything without me.�

***** *****

When the two girls came out of the floo they found themselves in a small room, facing three wands. They recognized both of the Lestrange brothers from the incident at the ministry. The third was Lucius Malfoy.

�Well, well,� Lucius said, lowering his wand. �Two brave little lions entering the serpent's lair. I think that My Lord will want to see you two.�

�That's precisely why we're here,� Hermione said. �You're about to be framed for trying to kill Remus Lupin.�

�Then you should definitely see him, Miss Granger,� Lucius said, taking her by the arm. �This way.�

Rabistan Lestrange grabbed Ginny by the arm and dragged her after Lucius and Hermione.

They reached Voldemort's study and were immediately met by not only Nagini, which both girls had expected, but another large snake of the same type, but considerably smaller than Nagini.

//We must speak with your master,// Ginny told Nagini. //We have information he must hear.//

Hermione stared at her friend in shock, as did most of the other occupants of the room.

�Lucius,� Voldemort said, sitting back in his chair. �Bring them here.�

Hermione was dragged over and stood in front of the Dark Lord's chair. Ginny was hauled over beside her.

�How did you become a parselmouth?� he asked Ginny. �Do not lie.�

�I don't have to,� Ginny said. �I became a parselmouth my first year, when Mr. Malfoy slipped your old diary into my books. With a memory of you running around in my mind, I learned a lot of things. I even learned that I shouldn't trust Dumbledore like my parents do.�

�We know what Dumbledore's really like, now,� Hermione cut in. �We managed to eavesdrop on him and some of his 'inner circle' while they were plotting to get Harry to come out of hiding.�

�The boy is too much like me,� Voldemort observed. �He will not come out of hiding until he is ready to.�

�He might,� Hermione said. �They're going after the only surrogate father he has left. He got really attached to Professor Lupin when he was teaching, and he's gotten more attached since . . . Sirius.�

�Yes,� Voldemort said. �A regrettable circumstance. What do you two want?�

�We can't trust Dumbledore,� Ginny said. �I know you're not the monster he paints you to be. I don't think you'll turn down a witch of Hermione's gifts, even if she is muggleborn.�

�Continue,� he said.

�Snape can't spy on what he doesn't know happens,� Hermione said. �There are meetings that he's not told about, because he's not part of this 'inner circle' of Dumbledore's. We have a way of spying on them that they can't detect.�

�What do you want?� Voldemort asked. �Most of my followers wish to gain something.�

�Take my family off of any list you may have,� Ginny said. �Except for my youngest brother. Ron is about to be recruited by Dumbledore. They want to keep Harry on the straight path to a battle with you, and his destruction. Harry won't survive killing you, and you won't survive killing him.�

�Why is that?� Voldemort asked.

�I did some research on that,� Hermione said. �After that ceremony in the graveyard, I investigated blood used in rituals, and came across something called the 'Kinship Curse.' The ritual you performed, where you and Harry share the same blood, made you brothers, magically speaking. All of the information I found on the Kinship Curse says if a member of a magical family kills someone related by blood, suffer a very painful death. The more closely related, the more quickly the curse takes effect. If you kill Harry, or Harry kills you, the victor dies anyway, due to the Kinship Curse.�

�Then why am I still alive?� Bellatrix asked.

�Perhaps the cause of death has to be direct,� Hermione said. �Strictly speaking, you didn't kill Sirius. You hit him with a stunning spell, and he fell through the Veil. You didn't kill him directly, so the Curse may not activate.�

�Or perhaps he's not dead,� another woman's voice interjected into the conversation. Bellatrix and Voldemort turned to look at a young woman dressed in green velvet. She had a large tome in her hands, and a quill and parchment nearby. She smiled at both of the girls, and then turned her attention to Bellatrix.

�You have to admit, Bella,� she said. �The only evidence we have for where that Veil leads is a bunch of idiots that couldn't keep you out of their most secure area. How do we know where it leads to?�

�Point taken, Astrid dear,� Bellatrix said.

�What do you think I should do?� Voldemort queried the girl. She set her book aside carefully and stood up. She walked over to where Hermione and Ginny were.

�Allies are always hard to come by in times of war, father,� she said. �If they've discovered Dumbledore's true nature, then it only stands to reason that you should accept them. They shouldn't be Marked, though. They will be under his scrutiny because they're Potter's friends.�

�Well said,� Voldemort said. He pulled his wand out and summoned a box off of a shelf. He reached into the box and withdrew two medallions on long chains.

�Wear these,� he said. �This will tell my allies that you are off limits. Your terms are acceptable, Miss Weasley. Miss Granger has yet to tell me what she wants.�

�I want Harry to be safe,� she said. �Ginny and I can talk to him on the train. We can make sure that he refuses to fight you when the time comes.�

�You are offering to hand me victory,� Voldemort said. �What you are asking is a small price. I will reward you in other ways, as well.�

The two girls nodded and took the medallions. They slipped them on and under their clothing.

�When they warm, you are either near one of my servants,� he said. �Or I have need of you. Grasp the medallion and say 'Morsmordre,' and you will be portkeyed to me.�

�What do we do for now?� Ginny asked.

�For now, watch and listen,� Voldemort said. �I will summon you once before the term starts, for one more report. Lucius will deal with the situation you reported to him.�

�I'll escort them back to the transport room, My Lord,� Rabistan said. Astrid turned to look at him, and then shook her head.

�No, you won't, uncle,� she said. �Lucius has to go that way, anyway. He can take them.�

�My Lord,� Rabistan said. �I did offer.�

�Your intentions are transparent, Rabistan,� Voldemort replied. �They are off-limits. If you disobey me, you will regret it.�

�Yes, My Lord,� Rabistan said, bowing.

TBC
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Practice to Deceive