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you listening, Narcissa? Oh, he’ll try, I’m sure … the usual empty words, the usual slithering out of action … oh, on the Dark Lord’s orders, of course!’

      Snape did not look at Bellatrix. His black eyes were fixed upon Narcissa’s tear-filled blue ones as she continued to clutch his hand.

      ‘Certainly, Narcissa, I shall make the Unbreakable Vow,’ he said quietly. ‘Perhaps your sister will consent to be our Bonder.’

      Bellatrix’s mouth fell open. Snape lowered himself so that he was kneeling opposite Narcissa. Beneath Bellatrix’s astonished gaze, they grasped right hands.

      ‘You will need your wand, Bellatrix,’ said Snape coldly.

      She drew it, still looking astonished.

      ‘And you will need to move a little closer,’ he said.

      She stepped forwards so that she stood over them, and placed the tip of her wand on their linked hands.

      Narcissa spoke.

      ‘Will you, Severus, watch over my son Draco as he attempts to fulfil the Dark Lord’s wishes?’

      ‘I will,’ said Snape.

      A thin tongue of brilliant flame issued from the wand and wound its way around their hands like a red-hot wire.

      ‘And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from harm?’

      ‘I will,’ said Snape.

      A second tongue of flame shot from the wand and interlinked with the first, making a fine, glowing chain.

      ‘And, should it prove necessary … if it seems Draco will fail …’ whispered Narcissa (Snape’s hand twitched within hers, but he did not draw away), ‘will you carry out the deed that the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to perform?’

      There was a moment’s silence. Bellatrix watched, her wand upon their clasped hands, her eyes wide.

      ‘I will,’ said Snape.

      Bellatrix’s astounded face glowed red in the blaze of a third tongue of flame, which shot from the wand, twisted with the others and bound itself thickly around their clasped hands, like a rope, like a fiery snake.

      – CHAPTER THREE —

      Will and Won’t

      Harry Potter was snoring loudly. He had been sitting in a chair beside his bedroom window for the best part of four hours, staring out at the darkening street, and had finally fallen asleep with one side of his face pressed against the cold window-pane, his glasses askew and his mouth wide open. The misty fug his breath had left on the window sparkled in the orange glare of the street lamp outside, and the artificial light drained his face of all colour so that he looked ghostly beneath his shock of untidy black hair.

      The room was strewn with various possessions and a good smattering of rubbish. Owl feathers, apple cores and sweet wrappers littered the floor, a number of spellbooks lay higgledy-piggledy among the tangled robes on his bed, and a mess of newspapers sat in a puddle of light on his desk. The headline of one blared:

      HARRY POTTER: THE CHOSEN ONE?

      Rumours continue to fly about the mysterious recent disturbance at the Ministry of Magic, during which He Who Must Not Be Named was sighted once more.

      ‘We’re not allowed to talk about it, don’t ask me anything,’ said one agitated Obliviator, who refused to give his name as he left the Ministry last night.

      Nevertheless, highly placed sources within the Ministry have confirmed that the disturbance centred on the fabled Hall of Prophecy.

      Though Ministry spokeswizards have hitherto refused even to confirm the existence of such a place, a growing number of the wizarding community believe that the Death Eaters now serving sentences in Azkaban for trespass and attempted theft were attempting to steal a prophecy. The nature of that prophecy is unknown, although speculation is rife that it concerns Harry Potter, the only person ever known to have survived the Killing Curse, and who is also known to have been at the Ministry on the night in question. Some are going so far as to call Potter the ‘Chosen One’, believing that the prophecy names him as the only one who will be able to rid us of He Who Must Not Be Named.

      The current whereabouts of the prophecy, if it exists, are unknown, although (cont. page 2, column 5)

      A second newspaper lay beside the first. This one bore the headline:

      SCRIMGEOUR SUCCEEDS FUDGE

      Most of this front page was taken up with a large black-and-white picture of a man with a lionlike mane of thick hair and a rather ravaged face. The picture was moving – the man was waving at the ceiling.

      Rufus Scrimgeour, previously Head of the Auror Office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, has succeeded Cornelius Fudge as Minister for Magic. The appointment has largely been greeted with enthusiasm by the wizarding community, though rumours of a rift between the new Minister and Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, surfaced within hours of Scrimgeour taking office.

      Scrimgeour’s representatives admitted that he had met with Dumbledore at once upon taking possession of the top job, but refused to comment on the topics under discussion. Albus Dumbledore is known to (cont. page 3, column 2)

      To the left of this paper sat another, which had been folded so that a story bearing the title MINISTRY GUARANTEES STUDENTS’ SAFETY was visible.

      Newly appointed Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, spoke today of the tough new measures taken by his Ministry to ensure the safety of students returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this autumn.

      ‘For obvious reasons, the Ministry will not be going into detail about its stringent new security plans,’ said the Minister, although an insider confirmed that measures include defensive spells and charms, a complex array of counter-curses and a small task force of Aurors dedicated solely to the protection of Hogwarts School.

      Most seem reassured by the new Minister’s tough stand on student safety. Said Mrs Augusta Longbottom, ‘My grandson Neville – a good friend of Harry Potter’s, incidentally, who fought the Death Eaters alongside him at the Ministry in June and —

      But the rest of this story was obscured by the large birdcage standing on top of it. Inside it was a magnificent snowy owl. Her amber eyes surveyed the room imperiously, her head swivelling occasionally to gaze at her snoring master. Once or twice she clicked her beak impatiently, but Harry was too deeply asleep to hear her.

      A large trunk stood in the very middle of the room. Its lid was open: it looked expectant; yet it was almost empty but for a residue of old underwear, sweets, empty ink bottles and broken quills that coated the very bottom. Nearby, on the floor, lay a purple leaflet emblazoned with the words:

      Issued on Behalf of the Ministry of Magic

      PROTECTING YOUR HOME AND FAMILY AGAINST DARK FORCES

      The wizarding community is currently under threat from an organisation calling itself the Death Eaters. Observing the following simple security guidelines will help protect you, your family and your home from attack.

      1. You are advised not to leave the house alone.

      2. Particular care should be taken during the hours of darkness. Wherever possible, arrange to complete journeys before night has fallen.

      3. Review the security arrangements around your house, making sure that all family members are aware of emergency measures such as Shield and Disillusionment Charms and, in the case of under-age family members, Side-Along-Apparition.

      4. Agree security questions with close friends and family so as to detect Death Eaters masquerading as others by use of Polyjuice Potion (see page 2).

      5. Should you feel that a family member, colleague, friend or neighbour

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