Capítulo 234: HPWW35-40
Chapter 035
"I thought, if he heard me mention muggles and have Ginny mention Platform nine and three-quarters, it would attract him to us."
"And why didn't you cast a muggle Notice-Me-Not charm on yourself and the kids before you did that?" he pushed.
"I didn't think it would work!" she cried.
"It would have," he snapped back. "So, because Albus Bloody Dumbledore asked you to, you just decided to go ahead and breach the Statute of Secrecy, is that it?" he demanded.
"Albus said it would be alright and no harm would be done!" she wailed.
"He lied, you stupid woman!" he snapped. "No one, not even Albus Dumbledore, has the right to breach the Statute of Secrecy for something so inane as making it easy to have a little boy find them on a busy muggle train platform!"
He gave that a moment to sink in while his wife dropped into a kitchen chair and sobbed.
"It's not as if members of the Obliviation Squad could be brought in and fix it all up easy-peasy, either," he continued. "You were on a train station and trains are coming and going with great regularity. By the time Obliviators could get there to Obliviate everyone, hundreds would have already left either out the doors and away on foot, or in cars, buses or cabs, or on anywhere up to half a dozen different trains going in different directions. There is no possible way the Obliviators would have found them all!"
"That means, Molly, you are damned bloody lucky that
nothing about you yelling about 'all these muggles', or having Ginny yelling about 'Platform nine and three- quarters', made it out into the wider muggle world. If it had you would now not have a clue as to your real identity as you would have had your wand snapped, your magic bound, been obliviated of all knowledge of the magical world and been tossed out into the streets of muggle London!
"You know this! It's one of the founding laws of our world! There are not that many crimes that are more heavily dealt with; and that includes the Unforgivables!
"If word had gotten out from that station into the muggle world because of your actions, the kids would now not have a mother, Ginny would have been sent to Muriel's because I wouldn't have been able to look after her and a host of other things I don't want to think about.
"You should consider yourself damned lucky the only
punishment leveled against you is a hefty fine. A fine of such... volume... I'm going to have to approach as many family and friends as possible to accumulate enough money to pay it!"
"We don't take charity!" she wailed.
"Fine!" he glared back. "Then you'd best start showing me where everything is in this house for me to keep it clean and running. Because, if we don't seek help in paying your fine, we won't have enough. And that means... you are going to Azkaban for five years."
Molly burst into fresh wails and sobs. Arthur left her to it, not in the least interested at that time in providing her comfort.
"Next," he firmly said, "Tell me about the money that was being transferred from Lord Potter's vaults to one in your maiden name."
"I thought it was coming from Albus," she sobbed. "I
had no idea it was coming from young Harry's vaults."
"You just got through telling me we don't accept charity," he said. "So, what was he paying you for?"
"He told me the money was from a scholarship fund specifically set up for pureblood families," she explained. "However, it had to go into a vault under my maiden name because House Weasley due to House Weasley's... status... was not eligible to receive the funds."
"uh-huh!" he said, not sounding convinced. "I thought you just got through telling me we don't accept charity."
"It's not charity, it's a scholarship," she immediately disagreed.
"It's not a scholarship, it's theft!" he yelled.
That had Molly sobbing again. Whether it was because
she was truly sorry about what she'd done or because she was unhappy she'd been caught, Arthur did not know and also found himself not to care.
Not willing to belabour the point, Arthur dropped it and moved on. "The aurors have also ordered you... and, by extension, the rest of us Weasleys... not to have anything to do with Harry Potter, until further notice," he growled. "That means there will be no inviting him to stay with us, here; there will be no sending him Christmas or birthday presents; there will be no having the children do it for you; and, above all else but not limited to it, there will be no sending him any Howlers! Have I made myself perfectly clear to you, Molly Weasley?"
"Y-yes, Arthur," she sobbed.
"Now," he said much more calmly, "I have to go and write the children to let them know they are to stay away from Harry Potter, or else, for the foreseeable future. And that 'or else' will include being disowned
from this family.
"We'll wait until he deigns to contact us! That is, of course, if he ever does."
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
The day was not a short one for Amelia. Though she often worked back, just to get all the parchmentwork that would pile up completed while the department was otherwise cleared down to a skeleton watch crew, this would be one day when she would have to work back and day-to-day parchmentwork wasn't going to get done.
The interrogations and interviews were held and completed. Those interviewed and not facing charges were released. Those interrogated and charged, but weren't considered flight risks, were conditionally released. But Dumbledore and Snape, due to the
severity of the crimes they were facing, were taken down to the cells and incarcerated. So, too, were both Vernon and Petunia Dursley.
Once that was dealt with, aurors were sent out to confirm information the department had collected as a result of those interrogations and interviews. This would mean further interviews, but of people who would not necessarily be facing charges.
As they wanted to interview the rest of the staff of Hogwarts and there was quite a few of them, a small team of aurors went to the school with a couple of Dicta-quills. They then pulled each staff member not previously interviewed or interrogated aside and interviewed them as to what they knew of what Lord Potter had shared. Those interviews then led to a few more charges being filed against especially Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape.
The new problem was the 'clamouring' of the media. Within hours of starting the interrogations and
interviews the number of journalists all wanting to know the latest information began to build right outside the auror bullpen. Amelia had already had to detail two aurors off to ride shepherd on them to ensure they did not interfere in the work the rest of her aurors were madly working through. Just a little while ago, she had to detail yet another onto the task.
However, she was finally ready to deal with them.
Walking out to the bullpen, as soon as the journalists saw her they began yelling questions at her. Used to the effect, she calmly walked to her podium she had aurors set up for her earlier and waited until the noise died down again.
Those journalists experienced with dealing with her knew she would say nothing until the questions and shouting died off; and quickly let their younger and newer fellows know it.
Once the noise died off she began. "Good evening,"
she said. "At approximately ten a.m. this morning, Mister Harry Potter stepped into the arena of the first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was the fourth and final competitor to do so.
"It was expected he would simply complete the task, irrespective of how difficult it was, just as the competitors before him did. However, Lord Potter entered the arena with his own intentions in mind."
She then covered exactly what Harry did and how he did it. And then told them why.
Then she explained the actions she and her aurors took based on the information Harry had provided, together with who was taken into custody and who was, eventually, released.
And, finally, she told them the information relating to the charges and against whom they were filed was now subject to an information blackout 'to protect the
reputations of both the witnesses and the accused'.
"Then what information can you tell us?" demanded one miffed reporter.
"I've just spent half an hour providing you that information," she snapped back. "Were you not listening?"
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Chapter 036
The journalist looked away and scowled as the next quickly got their question in. "Madam Bones, is it fair to target Albus Dumbledore when he helped rid us of the Dark Lord?"
"We are a society of law," she replied. "And no one,
no matter what they've accomplished in the past, is excused from obeying those laws.
"I allege that Albus Dumbledore has broken so many laws that Lord Potter helped bring to light, I have no choice but to hold him in custody until he faces justice in the form of a full sitting of the Wizengamot. It will then be up to the Wizengamot on what penalty or penalties he shall face. It is not for anyone bar the full sitting of the Wizengamot to determine whether or not he is guilty of some or all of the charges he faces."
"As you've arrested both the Chief Warlock and the Minister," called another, "Are you looking to clear the way for your own ascension into the top tiers of our government?"
"That question is so stupid it does not even deserve a response," she flatly retorted. "However, I know you'd take that as affirmation.
"I have already told you that we are a society of law that not even Albus Dumbledore, no matter what hat he's currently wearing, job he's currently doing or his history is exempt from. The same also applies to the Minister.
"Further, I am the Regent of the Noble and Ancient House of Bones and the Director of the DMLE. That's more than enough of a job for anyone, including me."
Another journalist immediately piped up. "Madam Bones, do you believe you'll successfully prosecute these cases?"
"The prosecutor will likely be Rufus Scrimgeour," she replied. "And, before you ask, I will not be adjudicating the trials. The Chief Adjudicator has already been notified of the cases that will be brought before her. And preparatory documents for all the trials will be sent to her in advance."
"And what will your role be?" he immediately asked.
"Whatever the Chief Adjudicator tasks of me," she replied. "If and when necessary I will otherwise provide aid to Prosecutor Scrimgeour."
"Can you give us any specifics on the charges filed against any of them?" asked a rather earnest appearing female journalist.
Instead of shooting the young woman down, as was her first instinct, Amelia instead thought about it and replied, "It is both against DMLE policy and a breach of privacy to tell you specifics. However, if you were at the first task of the Tournament you'd have a pretty good idea what many of those charges will be."
Shifting her attention from the one young woman to the gaggle at large she said, "Now, you'll need to excuse me. While my aurors and I have completed the initial interviews and interrogations there is still a great deal more work to do. And I need to get back to it."
Without waiting to see if the journalists would allow her to leave, and knowing they otherwise wouldn't, she turned and walked back to her office. Those who hadn't had time to get in their questions tried shouting them to her as she left, without success.
They knew they wouldn't get their answers, as she never answered any question once she determined the doorstop 'interview' was over, but they always tried anyway.
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
At Hogwarts, Hermione Granger was having her own issues. The first was discovering that her favourite professor, Minerva McGonagall, and the man she near-idolised, Albus Dumbledore, were not deserving of her favouritism or idolisation after all. And the second was being forcefully informed, by the boy
himself, that he, Harry Potter, was not the boy she thought he was, either. It had all been a carefully crafted persona the boy wore to hide the truth about himself.
That he did it, not to hide from her but from Albus Dumbledore, was beside the point. She knew she shouldn't take it as a personal affront as she fully understood why he did it, but it still hurt a little. The Harry Potter she thought she knew wasn't real; just as the Harry Potter that was supposedly written about in those fanciful tales about his childhood wasn't real either.
That had been well-driven home when she tried to convince him that house elves were, in fact, slaves. That he then coldly informed her that she had no idea what she was talking about and then directed her to go to the library to learn the truth for herself, had also hurt. When she then tried to trick him into freeing the elves he'd bound into slavery once she read the truth and would inform him of such, he dismissively told
her she would find no such thing and, therefore, her demand was pointless.
Of course, she immediately went to her 'haven', the library, and used her research knowledge to find all the information the library contained on the little creatures. She was determined to prove Harry wrong.
However, what she found astounded her. Harry was right. The elves weren't so much slaves as they were a symbiotic creature that shared of a witch's or wizard's magic to sustain themselves and, in return, provided services to the witch or wizard. And, further, the house elves could not take that magic unless a minor bonding ritual was completed first. If Harry, as she had demanded, released the elf, the elf would be unable to access that life sustaining magic and would slowly wither away and die after first going insane. She was horrified to realise she'd practically ordered Harry to kill the elf, Dobby.
"He was right!" she whispered to herself, appalled.
"Oh, Gods! He was right!"
She needed to track him down and immediately apologise.
Once she'd reached her decision she quickly put all the books she'd taken off the shelves back in their rightful places on those shelves before hurrying off. She was in a hurry to apologise, but that did not mean she would not see to the rightful re-shelving of 'her' precious books first.
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
What Hermione didn't know was that Harry was under his invisibility cloak and was watching her. He even heard her whisper to herself before she hurriedly starting putting books back onto their rightful places on the shelves.
As the cloak was able to be folded up into a very small package, Harry kept it on his person at all times ever since he'd once caught Weasley going into his trunk and taking things.
He'd also figured out that the cloak was also the third Deathly Hallow and knew the story. As Death was unable to find the third brother until he'd removed the cloak from himself, he knew Dumbledore had to have done something to it to allow the old man to see through it; as he clearly did the night he was under it in Hagrid's cabin when Fudge and Malfoy turned up to arrest the big oaf.
As soon as he'd figured that out, and after binding Dobby to himself, he'd had the elf inspect it. Dobby had found a few charms on it anchored to new stitching.
Having the little elf unravel the stitching, Harry had taken to carrying that thread around, so the old man would not know it had been discovered.
Once he'd discovered, or Dobby had discovered, that particular tracker-come-beacon, he had the little elf scan the rest of his property. And what a veritable panoply of charms the little elf found. Mail redirection, anti-scry, listening, confounding and anti-muggle notice-me-not jinxes; trackers; beacons; blood-based magics and others even Dobby did not recognise. After having Dobby muffle the listening charms, Harry then explained what he needed the elf to do.
Everything, except the anti-scry charm, was removed from Harry's personal property and transferred to a few inanimate objects Harry had then taken to carrying about on himself. He'd already figured out that, if he appeared to be free of them, the Headmaster would both want to try and figure out why and replace them. However, moving them to inanimate objects, meant he was able to leave them behind when he wanted to accomplish something without the old man knowing he had 'slipped his leash'.
One of those occasions was when Harry visited the goblins between second and third year. He'd left those objects back in his room in the Leaky Cauldron to ensure Dumbledore thought he'd not been in to see them.
Now he'd done the 'Big Reveal', as he called it, he'd watched Hermione head for the library and, while she was otherwise busy, headed out to the lake edge and banished those objects as far out into the water as he could. The only one he'd retained was the anti-scry ward; as Dobby had assured him it stopped everyone, including Dumbledore, from scrying his location. He wondered if the old man had stopped to think if it would or not.
It wasn't until a few moments after tossing them into the lake he realised he should have kept them and handed them over to Madam Bones. They were, after all, evidence of one of the 'crimes' of which he believed the old man guilty.
'Oh, well,' he had thought to himself with a mental sigh. 'She has more than enough to convict the old bastard, as it is.'
Now he watched as Hermione, his real best friend, discovered he was right and began to pack up. Knowing she would immediately seek him out, he beat a hasty but silent retreat back to the Gryffindor common room. He also knew the aurors would have already figured out he hadn't gone for a 'lie down' as he'd told them and were currently scouring the castle looking for him. He needed to get back to the common room and give them time to tell him off for disappearing on them before Hermione returned.
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
Making it back to the common room, and getting told off by the aurors as he thought he would, it was less than ten seconds later that Hermione entered and, as
soon as she saw him on 'their' couch, headed to join him.
Sitting down she only glanced at him before averting her eyes downward and saying, "Sorry, Harry."
"Alright," he said. "What are you sorry for?"
"You were right about the house elves. They're not slaves," she quietly replied.
"Uh-huh," he quietly agreed. "No 'I told you so's?" she asked. "Nope," he replied. "No need."
She seemed to think for a long few moments before she almost plaintively asked, "Have I always been that bad?"
"Yes," he immediately replied.
When she winced he added, "You have this bad habit of accepting things as fact based on what you know from the muggle world. The magical world is not the muggle world, Hermione. There are many things in the wizarding world that have no contemporary in the muggle world. The issue of house elves and how they're symbiotic creatures is just one of those."
"But, it just seems so wrong!" she practically whined.
"It would be, if it weren't for the need of house elves to bond to stay alive," he said. "Plus, you also need to stop thinking of house elves as people. They're not."
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Chapter 037
"They might not be human, Harry," she argued; "But they are people. They're just a different sort of people to humans."
"Yes; different," he shot back. "As in not the same."
"But, they are a people," she said. "They're intelligent. They can speak. We can speak with them. They're capable of higher thought."
"And where do you draw the line regarding intelligence, Hermione?" he asked. "If not at house elves, what about: goblins, trolls, giants, centaurs, chimpanzees, bears or even dolphins? Where do you draw the line at what constitutes 'speak'?"
"I..." she stuttered, "I - don't know."
"Look," he said, trying to explain. "You were raised with wholesome Christian values in a modern British society - a modern muggle British society. In that society the next creature down on the list of
intelligence is dolphins, followed by chimpanzees. And no one considers them people."
With a sigh he added, "This is not modern muggle British society; this is wizarding Britain. And it is effectively ruled by those whose understanding of muggle British Society is what they've seen out the front windows of the Leaky Cauldron, or what they've seen at Kings Cross Station, or what they've seen out the windows of the Hogwarts Express. Even then there are a great many who've not even seen that.
"Wizarding Britain, as a society, is closer to... say... Iran. Except, instead of it being a theocracy, as it is there, it's a... magi-ocracy. At least, that's the closest I could come to as an example. Those who have had magic in their families the longest, rule. Understand?"
Though she looked almost stunned at Harry's explanation, she replied, "Errr... yes; I think so."
"Good," he firmly stated with a short nod of his head.
"Because, your oft-times negative attitude to certain 'traditions' of the magical world offends those raised in this world. And, it's not that they don't know any better, either. It's that they detest someone, like you, coming into their world and trying to force them to change. That attitude is no different than Muslims coming to Britain and trying to force everyone to start obeying Sharia law."
She thought about that for a few long seconds before she adopted a glum expression and asked, "Is that why some, like Malfoy, treat me so horribly?"
"That's part of it, yes," he replied. "But, Malfoy would still hate you, anyway. They've been raised on stories of muggleborns having somehow figured out how to steal magic from purebloods. Losing their magic scares the Hell out of them, so they hate muggleborns."
"But, that's just stupid," she frowned. "Where's their evidence?"
"No one ever said it was logical," he shrugged. "People hate what they fear, Hermione. The only way to fight that is to prove that muggles can't steal magic."
"That's impossible," she firmly stated. "You can't prove a negative."
"I know," he smiled. "That's why the issue has never been resolved."
She thought about that for a few moments before she sighed, "But, still... I almost forced you to kill Dobby by accident."
"No, you didn't," he disagreed.
She frowned and said, "But, Harry; you just got through convincing me that, if you'd freed Dobby, it would have led to him dying. And I almost forced you to free him."
"Yes, to the first part; no to the second," he replied. "You would have tried to force me to free to Dobby. But, there's no way I'd have done that."
Turning more fully to her he continued, "I knew the truth, Hermione. You might have continued to try to force me to release him; however, you'd have not succeeded. Actually, the only thing you would have succeeded in doing is, by pushing too hard, leading me to decide our friendship wasn't worth it and immediately terminating it."
Hermione looked back in near heart-stricken shock, unable to verbally form a word in response.
More softly he added, "I know it's going to take you a little while to come to grips with the new reality of just who 'Harry Potter' is, Hermione. And, I'm prepared to give you that little while. However... once again... I am not the Harry Potter you thought me to be. The quicker you come to an understanding of that the less
problems you're going to face coming to an acceptance of that."
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
It was while Fudge was ordering the last of the packing during the early hours of the morning he was alerted by ward alarm to the attempted unauthorised entry of one Walden MacNair. Knowing the man was both a 'reformed' Death Eater and also on the 'payroll' of one Lucius Malfoy, Fudge was fully aware of what the very likely reason was of MacNair attempting to enter his, for the moment, home; especially during the early hours of the morning.
Against DMLE orders to remain under house arrest he immediately grabbed his secret and illegal portkey to his bolt hole, and portkeyed away. He'd much rather be a wanted man than a dead man.
Once he was at his bolt-hole home he'd owl 'that blasted Bones woman' why he took what action he did and hoped by Merlin she'd not charge him any further for it. At least, if she accepted his excuse, he'd at least not get the 'Wanted' tag applied to his name. He knew his order to have any escaped prisoners of Azkaban 'Kissed on Sight' was still on the books and he didn't want it to apply to him.
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
Dumbledore had spent the night in the DMLE holding cells 'knowing' he'd lost everything. He was so depressed over the whole incident he hadn't even thought to call his 'friend', Fawkes, to rescue him. He also had no idea his 'resident' spy and potions master was in the cell two down from him and also bemoaning his fate.
From what the boy had caused to be made public,
besides him losing everything, apparently the goblins had discovered the truth about the monies and artefacts he'd removed from the boy's vault and had already recovered it all. His 'retirement fund' would have been stripped bare, as he knew there was less in it than the total he'd taken from the boy. It took a lot of money to bribe members of the School Board and the Wizengamot to make sure he stayed on as Headmaster, Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump. Through Fudge, Malfoy had been trying to wrestle those positions out of his grasp since that man ascended to the Head of House Malfoy on the (very suspicious) death of his father.
Now, even if he still had the gold available to him, he knew he'd not be keeping those positions. He'd now be Mister Dumbledore, once more. He'd not been Mister Dumbledore since well before the war with Grindelwald. Since the late 1920s he'd been at least Professor Dumbledore. And that was seventy years ago.
There was nothing he could do about that. Young Harry had well and truly fooled him these past few years and, as attested by the questions the Bones woman had asked him during his second interrogation, had provided her even more evidence of his illegal acts through those blasted memories of his. He'd used his best skills at dissembling interlocution and she'd fallen for none of it. Every time he tried to lead her away from the truth by leading her to make false assumptions, his usual method, she'd simply demanded he directly answer her question or be ready to be dosed with Veritaserum. She allowed him no 'wiggle' room, whatsoever.
He'd miscalculated when he'd demanded to be released or charged, because she did just that - charged him. It was only a couple hours earlier when she'd informed him his trial was already being arranged and he would not be released until that trial and, even then, only if they somehow found him innocent of all charges. Even he knew the chances of that currently rated at 'highly unlikely'.
In order to try and get some level of control of 'the message', he needed out and to be in contact with the media. That, though, was not going to happen. While he was being held in isolation people, especially the media, were in control of the information and were acting both without his guidance and ability to get ahead of things. As such he could not offer rebuttal.
It was maddening!
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
Over at Riddle Manor, the current hiding place of the recently 'partially reborn' Dark Lord Voldemort, said Dark Lord was trying to use his very undersized and weak arms to read that morning's copy of the Daily Prophet.
He had seen what was reported about the Potter boy's
'play' of the first task and couldn't make heads or tails of why he did it. It confused him as to the boy's motives and that was a situation he was uncomfortable with.
From the articles, the way Potter went about it demonstrated a very cunning Slytherin mindset. He had a firmly captive audience and, apparently, no time limit. And then used both that captive audience and unlimited time to utterly destroy the reputations of the senior staff of Hogwarts - especially that of that muggle-loving fool, Dumbledore - the Minister of Magic himself, plus two Directors of Ministry departments.
The only thing he couldn't figure out was why. Nor did he know what the boy's actions would mean for his plan to have him at the graveyard the following June. For now, he'd wait and see what the fallout was going to be from the boy's actions; then make what changes to his plans he needed.
The paper already told him he'd lost young Barty as his on-the-scene spy. That meant Barty would also not be in a position to replace the portkey on the Cup to whisk the boy away from under the very crooked nose of Dumbledore, let alone organise for the boy to be the first to reach the cup. However, the end result did not actually need the boy to be taken at the completion of the third task; he just found the almost poetic justice of the concept had appealed to him.
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Chapter 038
Barty wasn't that much of a loss as, due to the inherent danger of his task, the information about why he was at Hogwarts was protected by both a Fidelius and a compulsion charm. No, young Barty would not be 'tattle-telling' anyone his true mission. Instead, he'd
be telling them about how he was the sole planner and instigator of the Potter boy's name being submitted. He'd be telling anyone who pressed him for information he'd done it in order to see the boy killed through not being skilled or powerful enough to survive.
However, if they forced on him Veritaserum or some other truth telling potion or compulsion charm, the Fidelius and Veritaserum would conflict and cause young Barty to lose his life. They might suspect more to the story, but would not have the evidence to act. Instead, how he managed to get free of the prison in the first place would be promoted. In that way, Voldemort hoped the DMLE would be... misdirected... into investigating only that and not the plan for Potter now they had a 'red herring' to follow.
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
At Hogwarts Minerva McGonagall had spent the time since her return to the castle, including deep into the night, in personal reflection.
After taking her breakfast in her rooms the next morning she finally decided she now needed to speak to someone and used her floo to contact her best friend and fellow professor, Filius Flitwick.
Taking a deep breath to steel her fortitude she dashed a pinch of floo powder into the fireplace. "Hogwarts, Charms Office," she firmly called.
Kneeling as soon the flames turned green and sticking her head within, she tentatively called, "Filius? Are you there?"
Stepping into sight from the side, Flitwick quietly but firmly said, "Step through, Minerva." The way he worded it sound almost like an order. However, with her mind elsewhere, McGonagall didn't recognise it and simply stepped through.
Almost relieved she stepped in and almost immediately stepped out into her friend's office. "Thank you for seeing me, Filius," she said.
As she was talking, Flitwick was walking around his desk to sit in his elevated office chair. Then gestured to one of the chairs opposite and said, "Take a seat, Minerva." Again, he used that flat commanding voice.
As she was already moving in that direction, unconsciously led by Flitwick heading for his desk chair, McGonagall again didn't recognise the lack of warmth in her friend's voice.
"I need... we need... to apologise to Mister Potter, Filius," she began. "I hadn't seen just how bad we've let that boy down until it was all laid in front of me by Amelia's aurors―"
"Stop, Minerva!" Flitwick snapped out, raising his off hand in the international accepted stop gesture of a
flat hand with fingers together raised vertically with the palm facing out.
It immediately silenced McGonagall, who stared back in shock.
Knowing he now had her full attention, Flitwick continued to stare at her for a moment longer before, still using the same quiet but firm voice, said, "You do not need to apologise to Mister Potter, Minerva; you just want to apologise to Lord Potter. And, even then, it's for selfish reasons."
When McGonagall looked to be about to respond in defiance with hackles almost visibly raised, Flitwick's expression hardened and almost appeared as if he was going to growl back. Finally recognising the expression for what it was, McGonagall's whole attitude immediately changed and she almost cowered back into her seat in fear. "F-Filius?" she plaintively asked.
"The entire staff of this school have failed that boy, Minerva," he said, returning to the same flat commanding voice. It was a voice McGonagall now recognised as issuing from someone who had their occlumency shields at maximum in order to control their emotions. Once she recognised it, it was then easy to deduce that the emotion her long-time friend was trying to control was anger.
Continuing, he said, "For some - such as Bat and Septima, who have no direct contact with the boy - it was because they weren't carefully watching. And no one could, or should, expect them to given that there were other staff in more direct contact.
"For others - such as me, who does interact with the boy as one of his teachers - we weren't watching and were not alert for anything wrong, as we bloody well should have been.
"Then there's you," he snapped, with his anger starting to again bleed through his barriers. "You were
supposed to be the boy's Head of House. Let alone also being the Deputy Headmistress it was your responsibility to ensure the boy, as with all other students, was safe. You failed!
"From the boy's memories I also came to the realisation you were partially responsible for the boy being placed into the supposed care of abusive muggles. That makes you guilty of child endangerment and child abuse by proxy. That you did it in collusion with Albus Dumbledore and Rubeus Hagrid adds the charge of conspiracy. And that was all within hours of the boy becoming an orphan.
"That you did it while Deputy Headmistress, irrespective of whether you were acting in that role at the time or not and that it was crimes against a child, makes you now ineligible to hold a position of authority over any child, let alone as a professor over students at this school.
"Until I was made aware of the level of abuse that's
been hurled at the boy, even before he entered Hogwarts and was systematically abused here, I held both you and Dumbledore in high trust. Obviously, I was a fool to do so. My trust in either of you became less than floating dust in the shaft as of the moment I learned of it."
Lifting a finger into the air and pointing it at her to highlight his point, he continued, "Have no doubt, Minerva McGonagall, you failed that boy and, in the process, failed yourself. From that I firmly believe you're going to lose your job because of it. Then, because of my clearly misplaced trust in you and the old man, I believe I'll be losing my position as well.
"At the very least we're both going to be reduced to only professors. I already know I'm going to be losing Head of House status; and you're going to be losing both your Head of House status and Deputy Head positions."
Dropping her eyes as they began to moisten with
unshed tears, McGonagall softly asked, "Perhaps if I can talk to him and apologise?"
Flitwick immediately replied, "Before you managed to say more than one word you'd be arrested again and charged with witness tampering. Then you'd lose your professorship, as well... if that's still on the table."
As McGonagall hung her head further in shame, Flitwick sighed and more softly said, "Actually, Minerva, I don't know if you're going to survive this, let alone remain a teacher.
"From what I've learned you were with Dumbledore and Hagrid when young Harry was pretty much literally dumped on the doorstep of his muggle magic- hating relatives. That, on the death of his father only a few hours earlier, he became the titular Head of a Noble and Most Ancient House at the time... as Dumbledore had no right to take the boy away from his rightful guardian... means you were an accomplice in the kidnapping of such a Head. And that could
easily mean - should you be found guilty, of course - you're bound for a trip through the Veil or a kissing date with a dementor."
That she hadn't even twitched at mention of being executed, though she did squirm a little, meant McGonagall also realised the chance of her being executed was quite possible.
Finally, she looked back at her old friend with an almost pleading look on her face. She was wearing her heart on her sleeve.
"What do I need to do?" she practically begged. "What can I do? I'd hoped that... by at least apologising to the boy... it probably won't stop me being sentenced... but, it's still the right thing to do."
"That may be," he replied with a single nod back. "However, this has all now become an ongoing DMLE investigation. And that means you are not permitted to approach him in any way, shape or form. I've no doubt
that, like me, you were warned not to do that by the aurors."
She nodded back.
"Then you cannot approach him to even apologise," the half-goblin firmly stated. "If you do, you harm your own defence. And that means any possibility of you escaping execution is reduced."
"I need him to know," she softly but just as firmly stated.
"Then, we shall raise it with the aurors and ask them first," he returned. "We will not, however, approach him directly."
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Chapter 039
That morning during the mail bomb, Harry received a letter from Amelia Bones informing him of the punishment levied against Molly Weasley for her 'egregious breach of the Statute of Secrecy' back on the first of September, 1991, at Kings Cross Train Station.
When he saw the amount of the fine he let out a low whistle. That was a lot of galleons. He just hoped Arthur could afford it, or raise enough money to pay it. If he didn't, Molly was heading for Azkaban until he either could pay it or she'd served at least twelve months of incarceration.
The letter also informed him that, if any of the Weasleys gave him a hard time about it and an auror wasn't nearby to witness it, he was to immediately report it to her or one of her aurors. And it would be dealt with.
He gave a sigh, folded it up and put it in his pocket. Though it would have been something he'd have done in his fake persona, he knew it wasn't his place to inform the Weasleys of the DMLE order.
"Who's the letter from, Harry?" asked Hermione.
"The DMLE and it's none of your concern," he replied, before turning to her. "Please, don't ask."
Hermione gave her own sigh, looked down to her plate and nodded.
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
After he felt he'd finally gotten through to Hermione about the house elves - he hoped - the previous night, Harry went in search of Neville. He found the boy in the House common room reading a book on, it appeared, plants of the Mediterranean.
"Neville," he called, getting the other boy's attention.
"Yeah, Harry?" asked the other boy, setting his book aside.
"You and I need to talk," he replied. He gestured to the common room door and said, "Mind stepping outside with me and going for a walk?"
Giving a firm nod back, the other boy said, "Sure, Harry." And set his book onto the alongside side table and stood; heading over.
Leading the way outside and down the corridor a bit, Neville followed and remained silent until Harry began to speak quite a few dozen feet away from the common room entrance. "Neville, I need you to answer some questions I have, honestly and without quibble. I do not need nor want excuses, just explanations. Can you do that for me?"
The only thing that made Neville pause before giving an automatic response was the intensity of his friend's questions and the look of seriousness on the other boy's face. He was a moment before he firmly stated back, "Yes, Harry."
Harry only gave a firm nod before he turned to look more directly at his dorm mate's face. "Both of us have been at this school, as dorm mates, for a little over three years now. In that time you could not help but notice I have been dressed in little more than hand-me-down rags, I've been clearly undernourished and I have scars on my body a normal child, wizard or muggle, should never have.
"The Houses of Longbottom and Potter are supposed to be allied. So, my question is, why have you never said anything about that? Why have you not at least raised it with me?"
Neville, Heir Longbottom, knew to his very bones this was a very important question and required a very
well-considered response. He knew this question would come one day and knew the alliance would hinge on his answer. Therefore, above any other questions that might one day be asked of him, he had thought long and hard about how he would answer this one.
With conviction, he looked his mate directly in the eye and firmly but quietly replied, "The day I first saw you once you'd returned to wizarding world, the first of September 1991, I knew something was wrong concerning you. Yes, I noticed you were scrawny and appeared underfed. I also noticed your clothing appeared oversized and, as you put it, hand-me- downs. That, alone, worried me.
"That night I wrote to my Gran about you and what I noticed. I sought her advice. However, before she replied back and that very night, I then saw you for the first time in only your briefs and noticed the scarring; so I sent a second letter the very next morning about that, too.
"Less than an hour later I received a letter from Gran at breakfast, answering the first letter, where she told me I was not to do or say anything unless you directly asked. She told me it was not my place to do so."
Neville turned to look away, clearly ashamed at that, and sighed. "I was angry when I read that."
Turning to look back with an expression of both remembered anger and frustration he continued, "But I was hoping her response to my second letter would change her instruction. It didn't.
"Her response to my second letter arrived the next morning during the normal owl delivery time. I'd eagerly opened it, expecting just such a change. However, she again instructed me to do and say nothing."
Neville had stopped walking at that point. His eyes had lost focus, staring at the floor a dozen feet ahead
of him; his whole body stood tense with fists clenched as his magic began to manifest in a slight aura about himself.
Harry stood a few feet away to the side and carefully watched his friend. He now knew it was not his friend's fault he'd never spoken up when he knew he should have. But he also knew the other boy had to work his way through it on his own.
"I couldn't believe, she told me that," Neville almost spat. "I tried, again and again, to convince her I had to step in and talk to you about it, or at least coming and talking to you about it herself; but she kept telling me to stay out of it. Eventually, after about our tenth time of me writing her and begging her to let me step in she wrote and told me 'No' and that I was to immediately drop the subject.
"I was furious, but she's Regent and I couldn't go against her. However, I definitely gave her a serve about it at Yule that first year. Even then, though, she
wasn't moved. She just dug her heels in, refused to discuss it any more and told me the matter was closed until you raised it."
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Chapter 040
Harry thought about that for quite a while before he gave a nod to himself and said, "Then, please inform your grandmother, Regent Augusta Longbottom of Longbottom, that I, Lord Harrison James Potter of Potter and rightful Head of the House of Potter, hereby inform her that as long as she remains Regent of the House of Longbottom the long-standing alliance between our houses is hereby suspended for cause. And that said cause is a direct result of her failure to act when informed of obvious problems relating to then-Heir Potter by Heir Longbottom and when
repeatedly encouraged to do so by Heir Longbottom.
"Lord Potter considers her lack of action as a direct betrayal of the principles of the alliance, if not the actual wording. And, therefore, sees her lack of action as a betrayal of the House of Potter."
Neville froze in place and stared at Harry in shock. "You... you―"
"Yes, me, Neville," said Harry. He hadn't raised his voice. He'd just spoken in a quiet voice without much inflection and without even anger or vindictiveness. His voice was just firm.
"Gran's going to kill me," Neville near-moaned.
"The fault does not lie with you, Heir Longbottom," Harry disagreed. "The fault lies entirely with her. She did not act as she should have done; as you tried to get her to allow you to do.
"What you tried to do was the right thing; what she did was not. She should be thankful that, due to your response to my question, I did not dissolve the alliance completely; only suspended it."
"She's not going to see it that way," Neville shook his head and sighed.
"Then send her to me and I'll deal with her," said Harry. "You honoured the alliance by letting me know as soon as you could; at the earliest you were restricted to by your Regent. That is, you told me as soon as I asked you about it. And you were straightforward and honest with me.
"Your Regent... your Gran... is the one entirely at fault. As I've now explained, if I had thought you had somehow or for some reason decided to keep me ignorant, I would have immediately terminated the alliance in its entirety. She should be thankful that, by your words and actions, I have only suspended it. And then, I've only suspended it until such time as she is
no longer your Regent.
"If she wants me to remove the suspension she'll need to step down as your Regent and allow you to take up the Headship of your House. I will not remove it until then."
"Oh, Merlin!" the other boy moaned. Suddenly he squared his shoulders and looked more fully into Harry's eyes. "I shall contact Regent Longbottom at my earliest opportunity and ensure she is informed of your decision."
Harry smiled back and said, "Good man! And, if you need my help in writing down exactly what words you should use, find me and I'll help.
"After all, we definitely do not want her to have the wrong impression, do we?"
"No, we do not," replied Neville, a lot more serious about it than Harry was about asking it.
_ ̳_ ―==(oIo)==― ˇ
Heading for lunch, as soon as Harry walked into the Great Hall he noticed there were a couple of new faces sitting at the head table. They seemed to be waiting and watching for something.
As soon as it appeared pretty much all students were sitting at the House tables, quietly eating and or discussing who was sitting at the head table among themselves, one of the two, an older gentleman, rose from his chair and made his way to the lectern Dumbledore often used for his announcements.
By the time he arrived behind it and looked about the Hall, most students had quietened right down, with only a low murmuring coming from those still softly talking between themselves while keeping an eye on him.
"Students!" he quietly but firmly began, before pausing as the remaining noise dimmed down to almost silence. "Students. For those who do not know me, I am Bartwinkle Creston. And I am the Chair- wizard of the School Board of Governors."
He gave that a few moments to sink in before he continued. "Like the vast majority of you, I'm sure, I was shocked at the information Lord Potter brought to light during his attempt at the first task of the Tri- Wizard Tournament yesterday. There was so much information, in fact, that many of us, including myself, have not had time to... reconcile... what we learned with what we thought we knew. However, of what we've now come to know is true, it is sufficient for the Board to determine that we will be allowing, without dissent, the DMLE to complete their full and ongoing investigations before we reach a final determination as to what changes need to brought in here, at Hogwarts.
"However, that does not mean we are not going to act on what we already know.
"First, Madam Bones's assuming Acting Headmistress of Hogwarts for the duration of the investigation is supported by the Board, irrespective of her assuming control of the school and its grounds as part of her remit as senior investigator of the DMLE investigation of crime on the grounds. Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall are suspended as Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress, respectively.
"Second, all Head of House positions are suspended for the duration. And - until such time as we, the School Board, are satisfied - such positions will not exist. Even then, changes are very likely to occur.
"Third, all staff charged or otherwise under investigation by the DMLE have their positions as Professors of Hogwarts suspended until such time as they are cleared by the DMLE to resume their positions. Even then, as with the Head of House
positions, changes are likely to occur.
"Fourth, as many professors are currently under investigation - and as many are therefore suspended and, as a result, are not legally permitted to teach - all classes are hereby suspended until the Board gives the word they may recommence. Therefore, letters are being sent to your listed guardians asking if they would prefer you to be sent home for the duration; however long that may be. That period may be anywhere from a few days to a few months.
"For those guardians who would prefer you to be brought home, the School will be paying for portkeys for you to both be sent home and for you to be called back once classes recommence. We will not be using the Hogwarts Express for this."
The man then took on a pained countenance with his eyes closed for a few moments before he opened them and then directed his gaze towards the Gryffindor table. It was only a short moment before
his eyes laid upon those of Harry.
"Lord Potter," he solemnly said. "On behalf of the School Board of Governors you have my and their deepest apologies. We should have kept a better eye on the Headmaster and staff of the school and we did not. Like everyone else, we were swayed by the honeyed words of Albus Dumbledore not to take a closer look at what was going on. That ends now.
"From this moment forth the Board of Governors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be keeping a closer and constant watch over the school; to ensure for ourselves and the wizarding community at large that nothing like what has happened over the past three plus years - and even before that - will ever happen again. No longer will the Headmaster or Headmistress, whoever they may be, have... carte blanche... to act without all such actions being subject to Board overview or review. You have our word."
Harry thought about that for a few moments before he
gave the slightest of shrugs and a simple nod back. Creston seemed satisfied with that and turned back to the greater Hall.
"And, finally, on behalf of the Board of Governors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry I apologise to our visiting guests from Durmstrang Institute and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. You came for what should have been a friendly competition between our three schools. And, instead, have quickly found yourselves embroiled in what I believe would have to be the greatest scandal our school has seen in its entire one thousand year history.
"At this point I do not know if the Tournament will be allowed to continue 'as is', will be completely modified to get it over with as soon as possible - considering the binding magical contract enacted by the Goblet of Fire - will be deferred until a later date or will simply be cancelled outright. That decision has not been made and will not be made until we have further
information.
"Therefore, we must ask both schools' champions to remain at Hogwarts until that decision has been reached. Accordingly, both schools' other guests are also welcome to remain."
With what appeared to be a firm nod to himself, together with a clear relaxation of his shoulders of the stress he must've been under, Creston finally said, "That is all. Thank you." And stepped away from the podium. He returned to sit with the other adults at the head table.
Of course, that now became the topic of discussion among the students. Hermione wanted to speak about it with Harry, but he wasn't interested.
"But, Harry," she begged. "This is important."
"I agree," he replied. "However, you and I discussing it will make not a bit of difference in whether or not it
occurs. As such, I see it as a waste of time when I have other, more important, matters I need to deal with."
"Like what?" she asked.
Again, Harry could see she wasn't being nosy, just usually curious. So he didn't shut her down.
"I have House business to discuss with Neville and quite a few other students who are Heirs of other similar Houses," he replied. "And, no, it's not business I'll be discussing with you. This is business of the Houses of Potter and Black with their allies; and not for discussion by others not of those Houses or allied Houses. Sorry."
Again, Hermione seemed surprised by the answer and not a little disappointed. "This is yet another facet of the 'real' Harry Potter, isn't it?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied with a firm nod. "I am Harrison
James Potter, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter and named Heir Presumptive of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. As such there are certain alliances and business dealings of both Houses that are privy only to me, other Heads, Heirs or members of those Houses and our allies. I simply cannot discuss much of any of it with you without each of their approvals."
With another sigh of acceptance, she gave a nod and looked away. More and more it was becoming apparent her best friend, Harry, would be moving in wizarding social circles she, as a simple muggleborn, would not be able to join. That then had her thinking how Lily Potter, another famous muggleborn and the mother of her best friend, actually did move in those circles. And that was because she had married the Head of one of those ancient families. Which then led her to a subject she had spent only a little time upon before: Was her future to be the next, as she'd once thought, Missus Potter; and now knew to be Lady Potter?
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