Chapter 23

The castle dungeon was damp and stinking of rust. James and Albus had been separated, though their cells were not far from each other. The magic sealing chains were still around their necks and now fastened to the wall. Lord Slytherin had not been kind to either of them, and their punishments were only just beginning, according to two former Death Eaters turned guards who slid them their paltry meals.

Both men had been stripped and sliced at numerous times with daggers before being given torn rags to wear. They were kicked, beaten, and stomped on, just like James had done to Severus. Then they were left in their cells with just enough food given to keep them alive while Lord Slytherin decided their fate.

James shuddered when the metal door creaked open down the hall. He fully expected another round of punishments. Instead, his eyes widened when he saw Fleamont enter with those two guards following close behind. His son stopped in front of his cell, though instead of worry for his father, he looked angry.

"You got five minutes, Potter," One guard, James, now recognized him... Avery stated coldly.

James watched ss the guards stepped back towards the doorway, but didn't leave the hall itself. "You fucking berk!" Fleamont nearly shouted. "How could you?!"

"My dear boy, we tried for the Greater Good. It's-Shut it!" Fleamont interrupted his old Headmaster's spiel. "I'm not talking about your foolish plan! I'm talking about James here, putting Mother in the hospital!"

"Lily? What?!" James's eyes widened as his son used his first name. Fleamont never used his first name.

"I DIDN'T!" James shouted as he tried to turn towards the bars, but the chain around his neck only allowed for minimal movement.

"Cut the crap," Fleamont's voice was cold as ice. James actually gulped as he knew how much his son cared for his mother. "You were at the Summer home in Cornwall. You weren't supposed to go here anymore. It was willed to me," Fleamont stated. "If I hadn't given mother control of the wards for her own feeling of security, I'd have kicked you out the second you dropped in there. But you never thought of that house as mine did you? I had to blackmail you with your own affair to get you to back off from contesting grandfather's will."

"But now, mother is in the hospital because of you!"

"I never laid a hand on your mother!" James protested.

"You Imperioed her," Fleamont said flatly. "You didn't need to lay your hands on her to cause her harm."

"What was it you ordered mother to do again?" Fleamont asked flatly with a raised brow. "Oh, right, stay there, out of our way," he continued. "Well, she stayed there all right. Never moving, but you didn't notice, did you?. She was still standing, with glassy eyes, in that same spot when the Aurors raided the cottage looking for more evidence against you. FOUR DAYS! SHE STOOD THERE FOR FOUR DAYS WITHOUT EATING OR DRINKING! How the fucking hell were you so absorbed in that foolish plan of yours to not notice the woman you married suffering?!"

James shook his head violently. "I... I didn't mean..."

"Casting Imperio implies intent," Fleamont's voice echoed through the dungeon. "Either way, you will get what is coming to you. Your fate has already been decided, though I am not going to tell you what it is. Stew in uncertainty."

"Fleamont... anger will not heal Lily. Nor will it undo what's been done." Albus's voice came from the cell next door.

Fleamont turned sharply, his glare cutting into the old Headmaster. "And you, don't think I've forgotten your part in all this. Mother was right to become distrustful of you. Who can sit there at our dining table looking so grandfatherly when they were so willing to sacrifice a child?" Albus's eyes widened, and he sputtered.

"Yeah, I know about Harry," Fleamont confessed.

"HOW?!"

"Oh, well, who do you think leaked all your plans for Order raids during Lord Slytherin's first years on the throne?" Fleamont tilted his head. "Who do you think dismantled the Order until you were just pockets of rebellion that attacked with plush toys?"

"WHY?!" Albus's voice was hoarse now as he shouted that.

"My help and my memories back in exchange for an immunity deal for mom," Fleamont stated. "I'm not stupid. Lord Slytherin was going to do to her what he is doing to you. Mother had her own failings, especially with how I remember her treating my brother, but at least I know she loved me for me." Fleamont then pointed at his father. "To you, I was your heir, your firstborn you could show off." Then he pointed at Albus, "To you, I was this so-called Chosen One. I played my part, and I played it well. Really, I deserve an Oscar for this performance."

"I actually only ended up confessing my whole involvement with Lord Slytherin when I asked her to move to the Summer home. Mother had already figured out that I knew about Harry, though not the full extent of my involvement as a spy. Now that was an awkward conversation to have."

"Listen to me, Fleamont! You can't trust Lord Slytherin! He's Harry! HARRY! You hear."

"I know," Fleamont deadpanned. "He was quite brutally honest with me as I was throwing up my guts into a toilet after I got my memories back. Granted, I was a spoiled brat when I was a kid, but realizing that your parents not only yanked out the heart of their perfectly healthy son to transplant it into me, but that my own father erased every speck of my brother from my mind? I grew up thinking I was an only child."

The guards shifted at the doorway, Avery smirking at the spectacle. "Time's up," he drawled.

Fleamont turned and walked out after he'd said his piece. As he climbed up from the dungeon, he came face to face with Lord Slytherin, who was casually leaning against the wall.

"Have you gotten that off your chest?" Harry asked, not moving from his spot. Fleamont nodded.

"Our deal?" he then asked.

"It stands," Harry nodded. Dismantling the Order had been his priority after all, as he was securing his reign in the first two years. In his former reality, they had been a thorn in his side, wanting to return him to the Muggles as if that got them to leave the Magical communities alone. "Once she's discharged, I expect Lily Potter never to set foot on British soil ever again," Harry stated while folding his arms. "Our deal is void if she appears before me again."

"Understood," Fleamont stated before walking away.