Chapter 24.

The Search, Part II, Growing Up

7:06 am, June 28th, 1993

Severus' patronus woke everyone up in a jolt. In the ex-Head of Slytherin's smooth voice, the bright ball said, "I am still doing the headcount, but I am sure that quite a number of snakes went missing, especially the more powerful and venomous ones."

Harry rubbed his eyes, climbing up from his transfigured camp bed, and felt somewhat relieved: whoever the enemy is, he or she still needs more snakes to complete his or her mission, and the enemy or the enemy's paw was still in Hogwarts until the last several hours.

As Madam Bones sent out her patronus with a relieved smile, Harry thought of a certain powerful and venomous Blue Krait who was more intelligent and who might be able to provide more information than snakes with tracking spells. The problem was, Harry wasn't sure how Draco would take this.

Oh, haven't we done with useless qualms now? Remember the disastrous results of our other ethical qualms? Slytherin sneered. Just threaten the dementors properly, and dispatch them to prey on Voldemort the moment Lucius sends a mental call to the dementors. Do your multiplications and Imagine how much safer the world would be if this plan were successful.

But we don't want Draco to lose his father again. Hufflepuff said in a small voice. Especially, if the enemy is indeed Voldemort/Bellatrix, it is equal to handing "enemy's blood" to them.

We can let Lucius drink some interesting potions before we let him search the pipelines. Mad-Eye may know some. Slytherin said amidst horrified looks from all his other parts. Or, just a cube of ice transfigured from a liter of frozen sulfuric acid that due to last only forty-eight hours. This way, if Voldemort uses Lucius' blood to revive, we will see some quite interesting effects. And if Lucius comes back before that, the Stone can make sure that he wouldn't be hurt. Plus, we can make sure that Lucius wouldn't try to run away.

What would happen if Lucius was captured? Hufflepuff screamed at the top of his lungs. Lucius wouldn't have any brain left this time!

Remember that Dumbledore had sent our parents to die? It's probably the time for us to learn the same. Slytherin ignored the screams, and calmly suggested. We can revive Lucius after we figure out how to tear apart Reality and Time, right?

Harry didn't dare to look at Draco, whose face was turning whiter by the seconds.

A few seconds later, after Madam Bones signed some documents handed to her through the Floo, Mad-Eye Moody appeared in the fireplace with Lucius in full-body magical restraints.

Apparently, the old auror had made the difficult decision for Harry, again.

Lord Malfoy was allowed with his expensive and elegant robes, his hands were well manicured, and his long white mane was well groomed, for he was still Lord of a Noble and Most Ancient house, and he was not yet convicted. However, the unnatural paleness in his looks indicated something had already been taken care of.

Mad-Eye's lips twisted into a vicious smile, "Lucius has kindly offered to lead the search for the missing snakes. Haven't you, Lord Malfoy?"

Draco jumped up from his transfigured camp bed, reaching for his snake-headed wand, and only to be stopped by his father's stern stares. "Draco, the Department of Law Enforcement has agreed to drop some of the most baseless charges, and I might be able to have home visits for good behavior." Lucius' voice became a little softer. "Moreover, I am happy that I would be in your Adult Ceremony and to watch you become the next Lord Malfoy."

Then Lucius nodded to Madam Bones, "Madam Bones, would you please call for my wife Narcissa and Draco's godfather Severus here? The ceremony will be brief."

Harry could tell that Draco was fighting back his tears. Then, the blond boy began to quickly pluck protective magical artifacts out from his pouch and from his garments.

The senior Malfoy's voice cracked a little, with a bitter smile on his face. "Draco, Auror Moody already gave me the magical artifacts that I am allowed to use. You keep yours, and be safe yourself."

Draco's hand trembled, and his entire body tensed up.

From the hatred in the blond boy's eyes, Harry feared that Draco might be able to manage a killing curse toward Mad-Eye at this very moment. It was all good if your subordinates had some friendly rivalry, but mortal hatred was something Harry had to avoid. He needed to form a rescue plan, fast. "Ahh, Lord Malfoy, I think there is a highly useful charm that you may be able to learn now. With a few tricks, the Patronus charm can deliver messages and provide you with more protection."

The white-haired ex-Death Eater was unsure, "Lord Potter, I have tried after I know about Draco's, but -"

Harry eyed the old auror who was about to say something, and pleaded. "Privacy charms, please?"

Mad-Eye gave an angry grunt, and applied a number of privacy charms around Harry, Draco, Lucius and himself. As the outside became blurs, the old auror's magical eye was constantly on Lucius.

Then Harry spoke in Parseltongue. "There iss ssome trickss that Sseveruss can teach you, sso a killing cursse may not kill you insstantly. I am not ssure, I only tried it once."

Lucius looked at Harry in open shock. Slowly, he spoke with a frown, "that iss how… Oh. Ressurrection and killing cursse are opposite of each other? Sseveruss ssaid he ssacrificed ssome of hiss magic and life to bring me back, and he wanted me to live than to die…"

-Well, Lucius is smart, and his intuitions are good. He had thought that I was the Dark Lord after Hermione's trial, and in a sense, he was right.

"Auror Moody, would you free me for a while? I shall try as Lord Potter suggested." Lucius said, then turned to Harry and hissed. "No intention to hurt you or yourss, or to run away. Only tesst Patronuss charm."

Harry nodded to Mad-Eye. The old auror grudgingly removed some magical restrictions from Lucius, then aimed his wand at Lucius' chest, "should I trust your cunning, Malfoy?"

Lucius gave Mad-Eye a cold look, and accepted the snake-headed cane that Draco handed him. The ex-Death Eater took the stance, and twisted the wand precisely while looking at his son. "Expecto Patronum!"

A faint layer of bright silver smoke came out of the wand tip. Harry guessed that smoke might be able to hold-off dementors, but it was definitely not enough to block the killing curse.

Lucius looked at Harry, frowning. "Iss there ssomething that I have not guesssed out yet?"

Harry wasn't exactly sure how a Version 1.5 patronus worked, and as for more information…

Slytherin sneered, Lucius can't manage a truth patronus even if he is told the secrets, why are you hesitating whether to tell him the true secret?

Then Hufflepuff quietly suggested, although the true patronus may be hard for most people, but we should let Draco and Mad-Eye know the secrets of Severus' patronus. They are also in danger now, remember?

"Mr. Moody, is Professor Snape here yet? If so, could you let him in?" Harry asked.

A moment later, the unkempt ex-Potions master walked in with a strong smell of sewage, and his expensive robe - possibly given to him by Narcissa and Draco - was spotted with sludge and moss.

Before Severus and Mad-Eye could enter another round of stare contest, Harry quickly said, "Professor Snape, could you tell the secrets of your patronus to Draco, Lucius and Mr. Moody? My guesses are it can help to block the killing curse in case you absolutely can't dodge it. It may not stop the curse completely, but it may help to increase the chance of survival."

"What?" Both the normal eye and the magical eye of Alastor Moody became enlarged, then his face twisted. "Son, are you sure Snape should?"

Severus and Draco was quite shocked as well.

"I don't want any of you to encounter more danger than you absolutely have to." Harry said firmly, every part the Boy-Who-Lived that he was.

Severus slowly nodded, and said. "The emotion needed to fuel my patronus is not something traditional considered happy thoughts. I would imagine the grief and emotion of rejection as I heard the death of someone I cared, and I need to imagine how good it would be if the deceased could be alive. Some happy memories about that particular person would also help."

Draco, Lucius and Mad-Eye fell into silence for a while. Then Draco pulled out his old wand from his pouch, and took the stance. The blond boy looked at his revived father with tears glistening in his eyes, and shouted: "Expecto Patronum!"

A basketball-sized bright ball jumped out of Draco's wand tip.

Draco seemed to be surprised by his own patronus, then looked at his father, as if unsure of whether he should have done that.

Lucius smiled to his son with encouragement, proud and a hint of loss, "Draco, my son, you are truly an adult and a Lord Malfoy today." The blond man waved his snake-headed wand, and said, "Expecto Patronum."

A bright ball that was slightly smaller and fainter than Draco's exited the Malfoy family wand, and approached Draco's patronus. If light balls could hug, Harry would say that the two patronuses were hugging each other.

Lucius looked at the merging pure lights with some longing, as if hoping this moment could last forever, then asked, "Auror Moody, can we invite my wife Narcissa in for the ceremony?"

Mad-Eye ignored Lucius, deep in his own thoughts. Then the old auror snarled. "Damn it, too many have died! Expecto Patronum!"

A large aura of pure light left Moody's wand. For less than half a second, Harry thought he might have seen neck and shoulder, but the cloud consolidated into a large ball instead.

"I guess there is still some riddle that I need to solve." Mad-Eye twisted his wand back at Lucius.

"Believe me, you can't do it even if you have solved the riddle, so don't waste your time." Severus smirked. "And I gather neither you nor I has the need to kill dementors anyway, that is, of course, in case you can have the few reserved ones in check."

Mad-Eye gave Severus a suspicious look, grunted something, and started to wave his wand.

Harry looked at the smirking black-haired man in shock and admiration: Severus has solved the riddle?! He is surely sharper in magic than I thought. And a note to self: understanding the secrets of powerful magic, even the light ones, does not mean one can perform those, the same goes with Hermione's inability to cast the killing curse.

As Narcissa walked into the circle, the tall and slim witch held her wand tight, her eyes half on her husband and son, and half on Mad-Eye who was jabbing her with a number of charms and interesting looking magical devices. Narcissa was as elegantly dressed as her husband, but her blue eyes were blood-shot, puffy circles were visible through make-ups and beautification charms, and her cheeks were a bit shallower than Harry saw her last time.

After Mad-Eye reluctantly finished his checking, Narcissa smiled as if nothing bothersome had happened, and reached into her pouch. "Auror Moody, I was wholeheartedly delighted to hear that your colleagues have enjoyed my cookies, so I have prepared some more."

As the old auror's magical eye darted back and forth between the large luxuriously decorated box with snake ribbons and the innocent looking noblewoman, Harry could tell this was a deliberate move to create more work for the old auror who was constantly on guard.

Narcissa then turned to her husband who was smirking with proud and encouragement, "Lucius, my dear, I am so happy that you can be in Draco's ceremony today."

"Yes, my darling, our son is truly a grown man today." Lucius' smirk was replaced by a genuine smile as he pointed to the two hugging light balls, his head perceptibly higher, and spoke with a quiet pride, "and I am pleased that Draco has found broader light of life now."

Draco opened his mouth at this point, as if he wanted to say something to his father, but an assured smile from Lucius stopped him.

"That is -" Narcissa looked at the patronuses, a little unsure.

"Draco's patronus and mine; aren't they beautiful together?" Lucius reached out, and petted the brighter of the two hugging patronuses, while Draco blushed a little.

Mad-Eye's normal eye rolled, while his magical eye jumped all directions with some emphasis on the Malfoys as usual. "Be quick, you are wasting your own borrowed time!" He snarled.

Narcissa's eyes widened, then horrible apprehension began to appear on her face.

Lucius smiled to his wife, and then turned to Draco. The white-haired Malfoy patriarch put the snake-headed cane firmly into Draco's hand. His voice was smooth and unequivocal. "Draco Lucius Malfoy, my dear son, you are a true adult and a true Lord Malfoy today. "

Then Lucius took the three-snake ring handed to him by Narcissa, and put it on Draco's left middle finger. "Draco, bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh, may you have eternal health and happiness, may the world flourish because of you, and you will be the greatest Lord Malfoy that has yet lived."

As Lucius embraced Draco in his arms and kissed his forehead, Harry could tell that Draco was about to cry, but the new Lord Malfoy suppressed his emotions in front of Mad-Eye who was pointing his wand at them.

Then Narcissa also hugged Draco, and gave her blessings. "Draco, my son, fruit of my loins, may you have strength and wisdom, may you find love and marry a wonderful bride, and may you father many magical children."

Draco visibly blushed at his mother's blessings, and the fever became more heated when Narcissa kissed his forehead and cheeks.

Severus stepped in front of his new godson, and cleared his throat, some softness foreign to those black eyes took an effort to emerge. "Draco, my son in the eyes of the gods above and our ancestors in Atlantis, may you gain knowledge and powerful magic, -" the man stopped for a while, as if searching for words, "may you find true friendship." The black-haired man seemed to have fallen back to his comfort zone as he added his last sentence, "and I shall do my best to offer my protection and guidance."

When Severus wrapped his arms around his slender godson, the man was a bit stiff in his movements. Severus quickly brushed his lips on Draco's forehead, then patted Draco's shoulder.

"Alright, Lucius Malfoy, it's time for you to do your job now." Mad-Eye's words won him stares from Severus and the Malfoys.

"Emm, there's one more thing," Harry interjected, "I need to go and properly threaten the dementors the aurors brought here, so that they can respond to Lucius' mental calling if he encounters You-Know-Who."

Lucius raised one eyebrow, then nodded politely to Harry. "No words can describe my gratitude, Lord Potter."

Slytherin quietly said, well, Lucius knows dementors work by expectations anyway. And should we give us plus one point in manipulation for letting Mad-Eye be the bad guy and appearing benign ourselves?

Shut up.

Note:

In canon, Book 2, the young Tom Riddle had said in Parseltongue "Speak to me, Slytherin, the greatest of Hogwarts Four" to open the gate for Salazar's monster. Therefore, in canon, Parseltongue did contain names.

If we assume Salazar built Parseltongue based on his own knowledge, why would such a proud man who called himself "the greatest of Hogwarts Four" not include his own name in the language?

Moreover, making up translations of people's names can't be too different from making up nouns that describes magical items, such as horcrux. In the process of conjuring hundreds and thousands of nouns describing spells, rituals, and lore into Parseltongue, it was quite reasonable to include people's names, especially in the lore part.

Third, a lot of names in Harry Potter did exist in Salazar's time, and it is reasonable to believe he knew them. Lucius, Severus and Draco are relatively common names in ancient Rome; Hermione, Minerva are names of goddesses in Greek/Roman mythology; Harry/Henry/Harrold is a common English name since the Middle Ages. I assume Salazar should know these names from his Latin learning or pursuit of Greek/Roman lore or just by teaching in Hogwarts, though I admit Salazar might not know the names such as Xiaoguang Li or Padma Patil.

I am sorry that I need to postpone the next update, because I am waiting for my betas to give me feedback on my next chapter.