Bab 43: Chapter 47: 3-4: Intrusion
Disclaimer: Being neither British nor Japanese, it should therefore come as no surprise that I own neither Harry Potter nor Naruto, nor anything from their respective franchises.
As the first Quidditch match of the season approached, the inhabitants of Hogwarts Castle received a clear lesson in why Scots Gaelic (the local regional language) had so many terms for inclement weather and its effects on people. That November was cold, dark, dreary, rainy, and just generally foul. It was worse than at any point since Iruka had arrived in Britain, and the prevailing theory in the castle was that the Dementors were at fault.
The weather was particularly nasty on the day of the game itself: A fierce thunderstorm was attempting to simultaneously blow away and drown anyone who dared step outside. Virtually everyone in the stands was, to use the local term, drookit. Even so, many of the students were still cheering and excited as the players zoomed through the rain and wind, the thrill of the game heightened by the millennium-old rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor.
It was as Harry was shooting after the elusive Snitch that Iruka realized that the everpresent pull on his mind and chakra from the Dementors was growing, and doing so alarmingly quickly. "Filius," he whisper-shouted to his colleague, grabbing the Charms Professor by the shoulder, "Dementors!"
The diminutive duelling champion frowned in confusion and concentration for a moment, before his eyes widened in horror. "Expecto Patronum!" he shouted, as a glowing silver weasel shot out of his wand. It was joined seconds later by a silvery phoenix, and several seconds after that by a several other ethereal animals.
All of these protector spirits were soon streaking down towards the pitch, where dozens of black-robed figures were gliding out into the stadium as the temperature plummeted. Even with multiple castings of the Patronus Charm active, there were too many Dementors and too many nearby people for the monsters' auras to be blocked completely. Iruka felt cold, weak, and miserable; the scars from Mizuki's blades began to ache, and he could almost hear the roar of a gigantic nine-tailed fox spirit. Thankfully the guards of Azkaban were soon driven into retreat, and their effects receded as they withdrew.
Madam Hooch, meanwhile, had blown her whistle and ordered a time-out before flying up to the faculty seats and speaking with Albus. After a brief discussion, she flew away as the Headmaster's magically-amplified voice boomed over the stadium: "Today's game will be halted until such time as we can guarantee that the Ministry's Dementors will not be making another appearance. Students, please exit the stands in an orderly fashion and follow the staff back to the castle; hot chocolate will be provided in the Great Hall, and Madam Pomfrey will wish to see anyone suffering from more severe Dementor exposure. I would also ask the Prefects and other upper-year students to assist their juniors with drying spells. Thank you all." Iruka was close enough to see the barely-restrained fury under his employer's gentle demeanor. He suspected that Minister Fudge and whoever was in charge of the Dementor deployment would be hearing from the Grand Sorcerer very soon...
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A badly shaken Harry had been dragged by his friends (and Sealing teacher) to see the school's resident Healer. "Dementors!" she ranted to nobody in particular, "As if Quidditch weren't dangerous enough, as if I didn't get enough students in here with concussions and broken bones and all manner of other injuries, now those fools at the Ministry have decided to add Dementors to the mix! If it weren't for my Healer's Oaths I'd be half-tempted to take my wand to whoever was supposed to be controlling those horrid creatures." After that point she settled down into angry grumbling while checking over those worst-affected by the intruders on the pitch.
"You too, Professor?" Madam Pomfrey asked as Iruka stepped up after all of the students had been checked over and pronounced fit enough to join their fellows in the Great Hall.
"I've never been that close to them before," he explained, "so I don't know if my experience was typical or a more severe case. Some old injuries that haven't hurt since before the current students were born started to ache, and I thought I heard something..."
The mediwitch tutted sympathetically. "I take it that these injuries and this sound are from particularly... unpleasant incidents in your past?" Iruka nodded. "Reminders of past trauma or other troubled memories are a common symptom of Dementor exposure. Those who have particularly bad experiences in their background tend to be more susceptible to those demons' aura. In cases of severe exposure, victims can be driven into a sort of fugue state, trapped in their worst memories; this usually only happens to prisoners in Azkaban's high security wing, but it can occur in other cases as well."
"The more I learn about those monsters, the more horrified I become that this country's government actually employs them," the chuunin said sourly.
"You'll hear no argument from me on that point."
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Given the lack of reporters at the Quidditch match, the lead story of the next morning's Daily Prophet came as something of a shock: 'MINISTRY DEMENTORS ATTACK HOGWARTS QUIDDITCH GAME!' screamed the headline, under which the subtitle stated, 'BOY-WHO-LIVED BADLY AFFECTED'. The article itself, penned by Rita Skeeter, was surprisingly accurate when discussing the Dementors themselves, describing how they had invaded the pitch despite being forbidden from entering Hogwarts' grounds.
From there, the facts began to thin out and the insinuations started to take over, as it noted that the school's Charms teacher had cast the first Patronus, rather than its Headmaster or Defense teacher, and questioned how it was that someone of Albus Dumbledore's abilities was not the first to recognize the threat to his students. Skeeter had somehow discovered that Harry had been among those worst-affected, despite being relatively far from the Dementors, and even mentioned hearing that he'd 'fainted in fright' when one invaded his compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Her description of these events painted the third-year as delicate, almost tragic. Iruka could already see several Slytherin students pointing to the article, looking over at his pupil, and snickering, while a number of girls throughout the Great Hall were sighing dramatically and casting sympathetic looks towards the boy. Given what the chuunin had seen of fangirls in the past, it wouldn't surprise him if one or two offered to 'comfort' the young Gryffindor.
While the article as a whole was mostly decrying Ministry incompetence, reading 'underneath the underneath" highlighted the more subtle (by Wizarding standards) digs at Harry and Albus. Of course, complaining about government incompetence was so common that those aspects would soon fade from many people's minds, leaving only the quieter messages they concealed.
Iruka just hoped that the initial public outrage might help the Headmaster gain some traction with Fudge on the Dementor issue.
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At their next private session, Harry confessed a somewhat confused set of emotions towards the Dementors. He was still very much afraid of them, and hated what they did to him and to others, but that was now tinged with a slight desire to return to that state. Apparently, during the attack at the Quidditch match, he'd nearly passed out again from the creatures' auras, and again had heard a woman's screaming voice as they approached. This time, however, the screams had been slightly clearer, and the words he'd been able to make out (combined with what Madam Pomfrey had said about Dementors dredging up bad memories) led him to realize that he was actually hearing his mother's last moments. On one side, it was a horrific way to remember one's parents, and a terrible method of accessing that memory; on the other, it was the only memory he had of his mother's voice, his only direct connection to either of his parents.
By the time Harry headed out, Iruka knew the boy was still conflicted in his feelings, but at least they'd gotten to the point where he had a clearer understanding of what he felt and why. Given the Dementors' strong influence on them (and a couple of other S.E.N. members), the chuunin resolved to ask Professor Lupin about supplementary lessons.
The Defense Professor agreed to meet with Iruka and his students and begin teaching them about the Patronus charm, though he didn't think they'd be able to get far before winter hols. "Even then," he warned, "there's no guarantee that any of you will be able to cast a corporeal Patronus. It's a difficult spell, at least N.E.W.T.-level, and even some Aurors can't pull it off reliably. Perversely enough, it's even harder to cast in the presence of Dementors, exactly when you need it most. Second- and third-year students, even gifted ones, aren't likely to be able to produce more than a misty shield."
"Even that," Iruka replied, "even if only one of them can cast it, is more of a defense than they have now. I'm especially worried about Harry; those Dementors seem to take a disturbing interest in him, and with his sensitivity to them..." Lupin nodded soberly.
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November turned to December and the temperature outside the castle (and inside, in many places) continued to fall. As the fall term was coming to an end, Iruka found himself wandering through Hogsmeade while chatting with several of his colleagues. Their pleasant mood was somewhat soured when they ran into Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge.
"Why Deputy Headmistress," the portly wizard called, "what a pleasure to see you today!" As he greeted Minerva with the bland congeniality employed by politicians everywhere, his eyes flicked to the others. Though Filius's presence brought a brief look of recognition, the Minister's gaze slid past Hagrid as though he weren't even there (which was actually somewhat impressive, given how hard it was to not notice Rubeus Hagrid) before touching on Iruka with a slight spark of well-hidden disgust.
"Minister," Minerva nodded with a tight smile. "What brings you to Hogsmeade today?"
"Oh, I just felt like checking up on a few things personally," the Minister replied pleasantly, "the hunt for Black, mostly, though I was about to check up on a tipple to warm up at the Three Broomsticks before heading up to take lunch with Dumbledore." His face brightened, as if he'd just had an idea. "Why don't you come and join me? My treat!"
A brief round of looks passed between the group of teachers before Minerva gave another polite smile. "We'd be delighted, Minister."
Soon enough the five of them were seated at the nicer of the two pubs in Hogsmeade. Iruka's attention was immediately drawn when one of the decorated trees floated into a new position, and he saw it moving to hide a table at which Neville and Hermione sat with a conspicuous Harry-sized gap between them. It was a decent bit of improvisation, even if it was a little clumsy in execution - he'd have to give them some pointers later.
The chuunin's attention was drawn back to his own table as their drinks arrived: Minerva and Filius had chosen non-alcoholic beverages, not wanting to drink in front of the students, and Iruka had followed suit with a hot chocolate. Hagrid's order of four pints of ale had caused Fudge's expression to tighten slightly, but it was probably because of the expense rather than the choice of beverage considering he himself selected rum. The Minister ended up inviting Madam Rosmerta to join them at the table as well, though Iruka wondered whether his reasons were social, political, or related to her low-cut top.
In the conversation that followed, the pub's proprietor made some pointed comments regarding the Dementors' effect on her business and the townspeople. Fudge's reply that the monsters were angry over being barred from Hogwarts' grounds didn't win him any sympathy from those present. Proving that he had at least some skills as a politician, the man quickly pivoted the discussion onto the topic of Sirius Black. When they reached the topic of the Fidelius Charm, Iruka spoke up.
"I've heard of that spell," he ventured, "but the way the Potters used it left me a bit confused. Why couldn't James or Lily Potter have been the Secret Keeper, and who actually cast the charm?"
Filius's eyes glinted with his enthusiasm at imparting knowledge. "Second question first, I can only assume it was Lily who cast the Fidelius; it's a tricky spell, close to if not Mastery-level, but she was easily one of the most brilliant Charms students it's been my pleasure to teach. It had to be her or James, in any case, because part of the casting involves giving the secret over, so it has to be a secret that belongs at least in part to the caster. I could place the charm upon my own office, for example, but not yours. As for being their own Secret Keeper, well, that's one of the real limitations of the Fidelius Charm: If the Secret Keeper is hidden by the spell, it puts a growing strain on the magic. They can stay for brief periods, but the longer they remain hidden the greater the strain, to the point where it will eventually overcome the caster's skill and power and the concealment will fall completely. As tragic as the results were in this case, it's likely for the best - imagine someone being able to totally hide their existence from everyone, the ways that could be abused..." Everyone at the table shuddered at the thought.
Shaking his head to clear it, the tiny Professor continued. "Regardless, those are two of the main limitations on the Fidelius charm, the third being that the power required to cast it successfully rises with several factors - how obvious the secret is, the size of the object or area being hidden, the number of people who already know the secret prior to its being hidden, and their familiarity with it. Even Merlin couldn't have hidden a large public location like Hogwarts or the Ministry. Other factors can complicate it further, of course, but those are the major ones. It's really a pity that it's such a difficult charm, since I'm sure everyone would like to be able to keep at least a small hiding spot for things like valuables or important documents."
The Minister's eyes briefly glazed over at Filius's last thought, before he picked his narrative back up. Iruka couldn't help but scowl at the recounting of Black's treachery, knowing all too well the pain (emotional and physical) of such a betrayal. Hagrid's rant brought up some questions that the chuunin resolved to ask Albus about later, but for now he was focused on absorbing the first-hand account. It seemed a bit odd that Black would be helpful and not even attempt some sort of sabotage or sneak attack, especially given Hagrid's lack of a wand, but then again giants were quite resistant to magic. For a wizard, picking a fight with a half-giant at close range would be practically suicide. Beyond that, shock and madness both tended to make people act less predictably.
Peter Pettigrew's demise highlighted just how dangerous a magic-user Black could be, prompting another question from Iruka. "Excuse me, Minister, but is there any indication of whether or not Black might have a wand? Any reports from someone that their wand's gone missing, or a sighting of him using magic?"
Fudge shook his head. "No, thank Merlin, so far there's been no reports suggesting that he's gotten his hands on a wand. I think I may put out an announcement in tomorrow's Prophet reminding people to report missing wands to the DMLE, though, just to be safe."
As the story wound down, the group departed and went their separate ways. On his way out, Iruka gave a meaningful glance at Hermione and Neville, both of whom looked a bit sheepish under his gaze.
A/N: If I got the term correct (and please correct me if I didn't), "drookit" means "soaked to the skin" in Scots Gaelic (or Scottish, or whatever else you want to call it). It's a useful word, and one I wish English had picked up as a loanword.
Also yes, that's right, Rita's buzzing around. What, you thought that anti-fuuinjutsu bill was Lucius's only play?
My original plan had been for Harry to fall from his broom as in canon, and Iruka to take advantage of the heavy rain to cushion his landing with a water jutsu, in the process showing ninjutsu to everyone. However, no plan survives first contact with the characters, and I realized that Iruka would act as something of a Dementor canary: He's got enough bad experiences to be more strongly affected than most, plus his mental discipline (especially monitoring himself for genjutsu and the like) lets him note a more subtle level of effect that others would miss, and long-ingrained shinobi practice means he's particularly aware of sudden, anomalous changes (since for ninja, these usually mean someone's about to try and kill you). Detecting the Dementors' approach in advance meant Patronus charms being cast early, which blunted and shortened the attack. On top of this, Harry is slightly more Dementor-resistant than in canon because of his training with Iruka; it's not enough to keep him from passing out on the Express, but here when combined with the earlier and stronger Patronus response it meant that he managed to stay on his broom, even if he's still badly affected.
The limitations stated above for the Fidelius Charm are my own invention, designed to make sense of how it is (and isn't) used in canon. For example, only the Flamels could have cast it to hide the Philosopher's Stone, and neither of them had the raw power necessary to conceal such a famous and magically potent item. Iruka's experience with Mizuki makes him much less skeptical of the idea that Sirius betrayed the Potters, given the parallels between the two cases.
A question for my readers, since I'm honestly a bit stumped: How do you investigate a crime when the only available expert on key evidence is a suspect because they're an expert on said evidence? Madam Bones would really like some ideas. Edited to add: This is actually not Sirius-related.
Fic Recommendation: "One Small Kindness" by DigitalTart - Uchiha Mikoto helps young Naruto, and the course of events changes drastically.
Posted 16 December 2018
Edited 16 December 2018: Tweaked the A/N to more clearly explain a couple of points.
Current WIP Chapter: 69
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