บท 378: hpml111-120
Chapter 111
"How would you know safe houses if all you did was give Voldemort the Secret of the
Potters' address?" Daphne asked. Pettigrew's eyes widened and he tried to push back from
her.
"I...I..."
"Just how long were you working for them, Pettigrew?" Hermione asked scowling. She was
clutching Harry's hand so tight he could barely feel it anymore. He wasn't complaining
though as it gave him something to focus on beyond wanting to join his godfather and
teacher in murdering the rat.
"I don't know what you – "
"Answer her question or I will make sure you beg for the Dementors," Shiva said with a
scowl.
"Please...I can help you," Pettigrew sobbed. He was cut off from saying any more as a
"meow" sounded outside the door.
"Cat?" Sirius asked looking in the direction of the sound. "Wait, I know that meow..."
"Students! Students out of bed! Students in the corridors!" Filch charged into the
classroom with a mad grin on his face. The door banged against the wall and the man came
up short as he saw not just a group of students but two professors, two Aurors and an
escaped madman as well. His grin dropped and Mrs. Norris meowed again behind him.
The damage from the distraction had already been done. Before anyone could move,
Pettigrew changed from human to rat and back again. The change left the ropes slack
against the floor and he jumped at Luna. Wands turned to curse him but the man was
quicker than his stature implied. Pettigrew didn't even try to grab her wand, or use her as a
hostage. He just levered the small blonde's arm up, aimed it at the window and let her
reflexive spell shatter it. Neville just missed bowling Pettigrew over as the rat jumped to
the window changing in midair. Five spells crossed in the space he had been and the white
rat dropped out of sight.
"Damn it!" Amelia shouted at the same time as shouts of rage and frustration echoed from
nearly everyone else present. "After him! Quickly!"
Harry and the others barreled out of the classroom bowling over a still gawking Filch. They
charged down the stairs, Sirius having retaken his dog form and outpacing them though he
slowed as he charged around the corner of the entrance to sniff around below the blasted
open window.
Shifting back, Sirius shouted, "That way! Amelia, Remus, he went that way!"
Amelia turned to Tonks and Shiva barking orders, "Split up, and flank him. One group stays
behind to make certain the fugitive doesn't double back. Tonks, take Harry and Hermione.
Babbling, Luna and Neville. Remus, Daphne and Tracey. Susan and I'll stay with Sirius.
Move people!"
The group split, spreading out to run across the grounds towards the forest in the direction
that Sirius had indicated. Shiva, Luna and Neville stayed near the castle while Harry,
Hermione and Tonks took the left side with Remus, Daphne and Tracey on the right.
Amelia, Susan and Sirius were barreling down the center lane with Sirius periodically
shifting to Snuffles to regain the scent. The plan was good. Harry realized it had neglected
one major detail only after it was too late.
The air turned cold and his breath frosted. The phantom screams started playing in his
head. The horde of Dementors surrounding the school had converged en masse on the
separate groups, drawn by the commotion and Sirius' human presence.
"Everyone back! Back to the Entrance Hall!" Tonks yelled. Harry could barely hear her over
his mother's phantom screams. He stumbled and was only saved from falling by Hermione
grabbing his shoulders.
"Tonks! We need a Patronus!" Hermione yelled as she brought her own wand to bear.
Harry whimpered, the screams in his head growing louder. The Dementors were barely a
hundred feet away. There were more than had come to the Quidditch game. They seemed
to blackout the entire area.
"Expecto Patronum!" Twin shouts rang out behind him. Silver mist vaguely otter shaped
burst from Hermione's wand and a koala loped out of Tonks'. Their passage left Harry's
head slightly clearer. Enough for him to try his own spell. The Silver Spirit still didn't work
and he hadn't managed to get the spell itself clear yet. He had to try anyway.
"Expect – Expecto Patronum!" Harry yelled trying to clutch the memory of his first night at
Shiva's apartment. For the first time, his Patronus came out with a form. A large catlike
figure seeping silvery mist leaped forward towards the horde.
Finally able to think for a moment Harry risked a glance behind him towards the others.
Daphne, Tracey and Remus were surrounded with a silver Dire Wolf prancing around them,
but it was losing coherence rapidly. Susan was dragging Sirius back while her Aunt's silver
dog yapped at the Dementors coming closer. Shiva and Neville were back to back with a
silver wolf and bear holding off the Dementors nearest them, Luna huddled at their feet
holding her arms around herself and shaking.
Harry shuddered as Hermione's Patronus split up into mist and faded into the night. She
fell to the ground beside him and Harry's concentration wavered. His Patronus gave a last
yowl before also falling to the Dementors. Tonks held on only slightly longer. As her
defense died under the weight of the mass of Dementors, the screams started up again in
Harry's head. He managed to just barely hang onto consciousness. In the next few
moments, he almost wished he hadn't.
Tonks was knocked down and grappling with a Dementor while Hermione was pushed
down beside him with one on top of her as well. A third Dementor grabbed Harry and
started pulling him close, a horrible sucking void visible beneath its hood. Harry yelled and
struggled. He tried to force another Patronus but he knew his connection to the memory
wasn't strong enough since the Dementor was leaching that power just by being near.
'Connection. That's why the Silver Spirit doesn't work. It's not connected to the caster. Well
fat lot of good that does now.' If he and his friends weren't about to be de-souled, the
revelation of finally figuring out the problem inherent with his rune cluster would've had
him laughing. As it was, it only served to help the Dementors increase his sense of
uselessness and depression. The Dementor leaned close and all Harry could do was push
back his mum's screams and silently call for help in his mind.
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Chapter 112
A...presence…responded to his plea. It felt like a small puppy waking up and searching for
its master. Harry desperately traced the feeling to the source and pulled. With an
inarticulate yell, Harry yanked the presence to him and the Sword of Gryffindor
materialized in his right hand. Thrusting the Sword up into the Dementor, Harry yelled
louder and drew the blade up through the creature's chest into its face. A horrible
screeching cut through all other sounds in the area and the Dementor imploded. It folding
into itself, seeming to be sucked into the Sword. The screech cut off and the Dementor was
gone, leaving just a gleaming sword and a gaping teen behind.
Shaking his head, Harry pushed himself off the ground and turned to Hermione. He thrust
the Sword forward into the Dementor over her as well and a second screech shattered the
night. The blade thrummed in his hand and drank the Dementor into itself. The silencing of
the Dementor's screech let a scream from Tonks take its place. Harry panicked. He didn't
think and he didn't turn to his older friend. He dropped to his knees besides Hermione
who shakily clutched at him. Harry ignored her hands and grabbed the Time Turner
hanging free outside her robes. One more piercing screech rang out behind him as Harry
slipped an arm through the chain and twisted the little hourglass. Hermione cried out and
grabbed for his arm and the world spun around them.
Harry felt himself being pulled to the side as if he had been caught in a gigantic undertow.
His arm started slipping through the loop he had tried to form under the chain. Hermione's
grip tightened into a vice as she pulled his arm up, holding onto him amidst the torrent.
Harry's arm felt like it was going to be pulled out of its socket as the current tossed his
body around. He only barely managed to prevent the Sword from nicking either one of
them. Finally, the world slowed and the current died. Everything slotted into place around
him and Harry collapsed on top of Hermione panting and whimpering at the pain in his
head and arm.
Hermione wrapped her arms around him and started sobbing into his chest. "You idiot! I
can't believe you did that! I told you Time Turners were dangerous, Harry! I told you! You
could've been swept away and lost in the aether! Why would you do that?!"
"Sorry, Mione," Harry murmured. "I didn't exactly have much time to think about it, I
just...did it."
"You are in so much trouble!" Her tears were slowing but she was still holding him tight
enough that it was hard to breath. "I don't even – I am going to kill you if you ever do
something like that again, Harry James Potter!"
"Yes, Mione. Sorry, Mione."
Abruptly Hermione released him and pushed them both into a sitting position. "What
were you thinking? It doesn't even matter, Harry! Yes we're away from the Dementors but
everyone else is still going to lose their soul in – how many times did you turn it?"
"You have to specify how many times?" Harry's eyes widened and he looked at the little
hourglass and the falling sands in horror.
"Of course you have to specify how many times!" Her face was reddening not unlike a
Weasley's.
"I only flipped it once. I figured that would send us back six hours like you said..."
"One hour per turn, Harry," Hermione snarled. She took a breath and got her anger under
control. "But it doesn't matter anyway. We can't change anything. I told you this! You can't
change the past with a Time Turner without risking breaking physics!"
Harry's stare hardened. "Then we won't change anything," he said nodding to her.
"What?"
"We don't have to change a bloody thing, Mione. I figured out why the Silver Spirit doesn't
work just before I killed the Dementor. I was hoping to have six hours to make more but
with an hour I should be able to fix two, maybe three. The rune stones won't fail no matter
how many Dementors there are. We can use them to beat the creatures back and save
everyone."
"I just told you, Harry, we can't change anything," Hermione said slowly as if she was
speaking to a child.
"Hermione, we just have to wait until the instant before we leave. Shiva, Neville and Luna
were holding out fine, as were Amelia, Sirius and Susan. Daphne, Tracey and Remus were
in trouble and Tonks was struggling with her Dementor. We should have just enough time
to get to them all with at least two Silver Spirits."
"Harry, Tonks was..." Hermione choked off a sob and couldn't finish her sentence.
"You didn't see her lose her soul and neither did I, Mione! All we heard was a scream and
then another horrible screech. We didn't see her lose her soul so we can stop her being
hurt or de-souled because we aren't changing anything that happened. It can't have
happened if we didn't see it!" Harry said shaking his head defiantly.
"I...I don't know if that's the correct interpretation of the observer effect, Harry...or if it
even applies here..." She wasn't outright shooting down the idea but it did certainly sound
rather farfetched.
"It's magic. We routinely ignore the laws of thermodynamics and violate Newton's Laws all
the bloody time. We just have to be fast. I am not going to let Tonks lose her bloody soul!"
Slowly Hermione nodded. "Okay, Harry, we can try. But if we wind up scattered, into little
pieces across all of time and space don't come crying to me." She suddenly narrowed her
eyes at him and slugged his shoulder with her fist.
"Oww! What was that for?" Harry asked holding his shoulder.
"That, Mister Potter, was for nearly dying right next to me. Twice!" She then grabbed his
shirt in both hands, pulled him into her and kissed him. Harry's brain froze as her lips
smashed against his and her hands clung to his shirt. She pulled back after a few moments
breathing deeply. "And that, Mister Potter, was for saving my life. Again." Harry just
dumbly nodded. "Now, you said something about fixing the Silver Spirits?"
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Chapter 113
Harry nodded again finally kicking his brain into gear and standing up beside her pulling
her up with him. "Yeah. Right. It needs a connection to the caster. The Patronus works by
being powered by a powerful positive emotion right? Well I can't inject a memory into the
cluster; they don't work that way. But I can make it connect to who is using it and have it
search for a feeling, memory or emotion to use as the power source on its own."
"How?"
"I add in a Soul rune. Most Soul runes or runic clusters don't have any effect at all. They're
basically a completely useless branch because you can't manipulate a soul – unless you
happen to be a Dementor I guess. But I'm not going to use it to do anything beyond
facilitate the connection aspect."
"Well let's grab a side classroom and do it then. We have less than forty minutes for you to
get this right and test it." She started marching ahead of him. "Remember, don't be seen –
especially by your double. And what is with this 'Mione' thing?"
"I – ugh – err, sorry?" Harry stuttered.
"Whatever, you want a pet name for me? Fine. Use it. But only you and preferably when
we are either alone or with close friends. And if you shorten my name to 'Herms' or
'Hermi' I will castrate you Harry James Potter, and you don't you believe for a moment that
I don't mean that!"
"Yes, Mione," Harry dutifully replied. He smiled as she pulled open the door in front of
them. "You know you're really cute when you're annoyed?"
"I'm not going to dignify that with a response until after we have saved our friends' lives."
Her tone sounded disgruntled, but Harry caught the slight smile at the edge of her lips. He
had had his back luck for the evening it was time for his good luck to pop up.
"I can't believe that worked," Hermione whispered as she watched a glowing silver
panther prowl around the edges of the room before striding back over and nuzzling her
hand. "It feels solid. I didn't think Patroni were supposed to be solid…"
"It's not technically a Patronus," Harry said. He set aside the Silver Spirit, the panther
fading away as he let the cluster go. He moved to pick up his spare Silver Spirit and started
to modify that one the same way he had done to the first. "It's more connected to the
caster than a regular Patronus is. A regular one is just emotions forced through a wand.
This is more like part of the caster directed outward. I think. Soul runes are weird. I didn't
even think they existed at first."
"Is it tied to just you now? You'll have to tie the second one to me if it is," Hermione said
frowning. "We're going to need to split up to help both groups."
"It's open ended. Whoever picks it up will form the connection and only as long as they
have it activated," Harry sighed distractedly. "Good thing too. This is taking a lot longer
than I had hoped."
"We have less than ten minutes, Harry." Hermione twisted her hands and paced back to
the window looking out at the grounds. The tension was evident in the way her voice was
cracking. "Are you going to be able to finish it? We might be able to make do with just the
one…you could always use the Sword…you said the Dementors seemed to affect you less
while you were holding it?"
"I think so. At least after I killed that first one." He cast a quick glance at the Sword lying on
the table beside him. He could still feel its presence in the back of his mind. "I thought
Dementors weren't supposed to be killable?"
"They're not. You can starve them if you can lock one away for long enough, but no one
has ever directly killed one before. You really are making a habit of performing impossible
deeds, Harry."
"Yeah, well bending Time over my knee will just get added to the list then yeah?" He let
out a sigh and picked up the rune cluster blowing off the stone dust from the pattern.
"Here, try this out, Mione." Harry handed her the stone and she studied it for a moment
before holding it up.
"Is there an activation phrase?" she asked.
"No, figured these should be able to be used as quickly as possible. Just channel a bit of
magic into it."
Hermione nodded and furrowed her brow in concentration. An instant later, an otter flew
from the stone and floated around the room. It was just as substantial as Harry's panther
had been. With a smile Hermione let the magic flow cut out and the otter vanished.
"Sweet!" Harry pumped his fist into the air. "I wish we had time for more but we've got to
go. Neither of us was looking to Entrance Hall so we don't have to use the Ninjas. We'll just
run through. You go towards Daphne, Tracey and Lupin. I'll get Tonks. If Amelia, Susan and
Sirius need help than I'll send my Spirit towards them and hold off the Dementors with the
Sword."
"Agreed." Hermione turned to him and pulled him into another kiss. This time Harry's
brain didn't switch off and he leaned into her, returning the kiss. He felt his face grow a
little hot as her arms wrapped around his neck and his around her waist. All too soon, they
parted casting soft smiles at each other. "Don't you dare die on me, Harry. You've already
used up your quota for near death experiences this night. And I want to be able to kiss you
more in the future."
"Yes, Mione," Harry replied smirking. "Come on. Let's go save our friends."
If someone had told Neville three years ago that he would be back to back with a Professor
in the middle of the night surrounding by over a hundred Dementors watching some of his
best friends probably lose their souls while he held off a group of the demons with a giant
bear Patronus he probably would've told them to head to St. Mungo's. And yet that was
exactly what he was doing right now. Luna was whimpering beside him and Shiva was
pushed up against his back. Both his bear and her wolf were still holding against the
onslaught, but once the others fell he knew that would change.
He could barely even see his friends. The Dementors had practically formed a wall around
both Harry's group and Daphne's. Lupin's wolf Patronus had pushed them back enough
that he could catch a fleeting glimpse of Tracey curled into a ball on the ground while
Daphne tried to help Remus though her Patronus kept failing after barely a second each
time she managed to recast it. Tonks' koala died after Hermione's and Harry's failed. There
were just too many of the creatures clustered for her to hold off on her own. Neville felt
tears falling from his eyes as he saw the three brought to the ground. He couldn't even try
to send his bear towards them because then Shiva and Luna would be overwhelmed by the
ones around them. At least Susan was being protected by her Aunt. Amelia seemed to be
managing to hold them off well enough for his girlfriend to drag Sirius back towards Neville
and Shiva.
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Chapter 114
A horrible screech split the air. Neville grimaced and held his free hand against his ear. It
sounded as if the very night itself was screaming bloody murder. The Dementors all
stopped and turned towards the sound of the screeches. It was like someone hit pause on
the battle for survival. Abruptly the sound cut off, only to be replaced by a second screech
a moment later. Neville followed the gaze of the demons and saw one of the creatures
draped over Hermione folding into itself. There was a glint of metal and a brief view of
Harry standing over her. Before Neville could do more than stare in astonishment, a second
Harry and Hermione flew out of the castle doors. Harry charged towards his double while
Hermione sprinted past Neville and aimed for Daphne.
Both raised their arms and glowing Patroni leaped out. Harry's panther was beautiful and
strong and it leaped toward the Dementor holding onto Tonks. The cat's mouth opened in
a silent roar and then closed onto the throat of the Dementor. A third horrid screech filled
the night as the versions of Harry and Hermione lying on the ground vanished into thin air
and the Dementor caught by the panther was torn to shreds leaving just a fluttering robe
behind and a bit of sticky black residue on the ground around it and Tonks.
Hermione's otter was just a hair slower, but no less effective. It charged at the group
around Daphne but they seemed to take heed from their fellows and parted letting the
otter sail through almost unmolested. One Dementor wasn't quite fast enough and got
caught by a tail whip by the otter. A screech resounded and that Dementor was left as just
a fluttering cloak. "Daphne!" Hermione shouted. "Catch!" Neville watched her pull her arm
back and saw a small stone sail through the air. Daphne jumped and caught the stone, an
instant later a silver hedgehog charged out of her hand and slammed into two of the
surrounding Dementors sending more dying screeches reverberating through the night.
Neville twisted back to Harry and saw his panther leaping from Dementor to Dementor
while Harry swung the Sword of Gryffindor in his other arm at one that strayed too close
to Tonks' prone body. Less than a minute after Harry and Hermione had ran out of the
Entrance Hall every Dementor in the vicinity was running. Or floating. Or whatever they
did, in retreat. Neville just gaped at the Dementors high tailing it away from the silver
Patroni like bats out of hell. He lowered his wand and let his bear fade as he felt Shiva
behind him also drop her wand and step to his side.
"Did you just see Harry and Hermione in two places at once?" Shiva asked.
"Oh good, that wasn't just me," Neville replied a little dumbstruck.
"Did they just kill Dementors?"
"With a sword, first. Did you catch that?" Neville asked.
"Must have missed that part. Luna you alright?" Shiva looked down at the blonde who
nodded up at them. "Cool. Neville stay with her. Excuse me while I go check on my ward."
She started numbly walking towards Harry and Tonks.
Neville leaned down and helped Luna to her feet. She looked over at Harry then Hermione
and Daphne. "I think I have new material for the next Quibbler article now…"
"Tonks…Tonks…Tonks!" Tonks could hear someone shouting and holding her shoulders.
Blinking, she tried to focus. Harry's messy hair, lightning bolt scar and bright green eyes
swam into view above her. Dimly she realized that her head was lying in his lap and his
hands were on her shoulders.
"Harry?" Tonks groaned. "Where's the fire?"
"Tonks!" Harry's eyes widened and stopped shaking her. Instead the teenager pulled her
up into a bone-crushing hug. "Thank god, I thought I was too late for a minute! Are you
okay?"
"Besides you bruising my ribs I'm okay, squirt." Harry let her go and Tonks shook her head
trying to clear the cobwebs. "There were Dementors here weren't there? What happened
to the Dementors? I thought getting my soul eaten would hurt a bit more…"
"I killed a few, Hermione killed a few, Daphne killed a few, they ran," Harry said shrugging.
"I think we scared them off."
"You killed a few." Tonks nodded like that made any kind of sense at all.
"He's not lying, Tonks," Shiva said walking up to the two. She knelt down and pointed to
some black ichor on Tonk's robes. "That's Dementor goo. Its cloak is over there. Harry, you
okay?"
"Fine, Shiva," Harry smiled at the woman. Tonks just poked a finger into the black ichor
with wide eyes.
"Being in two places at once is a new trick. That didn't hurt at all?" Shiva said. Tonks
caught a bit of a desperate laugh at the end of that deadpan question. She was too busy
trying to wrap her brain around a dead Dementor to care. And that fact that it had been
rather nice to wake up seeing Harry. She shut that part of her thoughts down fast and tried
to focus on the far more important issue of a dead Dementor. She darn near choked as
what Shiva had said finally registered. Two places at once?
"Nope, didn't hurt. A bit hard to get the timing right but both Hermione and I were really
distracted the first time around so it could've been a lot worse. I was mostly worried I
wasn't going to get to Tonks fast enough," Harry sounded far too cavalier for whatever
craziness had just happened.
"Someone – " Tonks asked but her voice cracked before she got further. Swallowing and
taking a deep breath she tried again, "Someone what to tell me what the hell I missed?"
"I think we'd all like to hear that story, Mr. Potter," Bonesy said sounding tired as she
walking up with the rest of the group in tow. Tracey looked to be clinging to Daphne's hand
with a death grip while Luna was doing the same to Hermione.
"Tonks was overwhelmed after Hermione and I lost control of our Patroni. I killed the
Dementor over me with the Sword of Gryffindor," Harry said waving to the sword off to
the side. "Then I killed the one over Hermione."
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Chapter 115
"Swords can't kill Dementors," Daphne said staring at the blade like it was going to get up
and start floating around in the air. A not entirely unreasonable assumption in Tonks'
humble opinion. "Not even goblin made swords."
"Hey I'm just telling you what happened not how it happened," Harry said shrugging.
Luna chuckled softly. "Daphne, you have been friends with Harry long enough that you
should know not to try and apply logic to events surrounding him. It seems to be worse
than trying to apply logic to me."
"Anyway," Hermione said shaking her head, "Harry then had the monumentally stupid
idea of trying to use my Time Turner to take us back. Don't look at me like that, I have
permission to use one from the Deputy Headmistress to attend my classes." Hermione
scowled at Shiva and Bonesy when they stared at her. "I've already berated him over it
several times. We arrived back an hour earlier, Harry fixed his Patronus rune cluster
alternative and we rushed back out to help with the defense." She paused and looked
embarrassed. "While we knew the Sword apparently killed Dementors – or absorbed them
I guess is more appropriate – we had no idea until a few minutes ago that the Silver Spirit
Patroni could do the same."
"Well I'm certainly not complaining," Neville said. "If they hadn't retreated we'd probably
all be de-souled."
"So let me get this straight, pup," Sirius said staring at Harry. "You killed a Dementor;
which is impossible. Made time your bitch; which is impossible. Made a rune cluster that
can also kill a Dementor; which is impossible. And scared over a hundred of the demons
off in under a minute with zero casualties?" He whistled and sat down. "Congratulations.
You're officially a Marauder Harry. Seven years we were here and the best we got was a
cool map, rumors of a haunting, excellent pranks and animagi. You've surpassed us in one
night."
"You should hear what the kid's done previously," Shiva muttered shaking her head.
"He'll need a name," Remus commented.
"Did anyone see what happened to Pettigrew?" Tracey asked finally letting go of Daphne's
hand.
"He's long gone by now," Bonesy sighed. "There's little point in searching the forest right
now with the Dementors still nearby. Even if they've been scared off for the moment,
there's no guarantee how long that will last. Let's go back inside and arrange to get you to
a trial Lord Black. We can use the memories of the previous conversation as evidence.
Harry, Hermione, considering the extreme circumstances of the past few minutes I'll…" she
trailed off, shook her head and sighed. "I don't even care anymore. Both of you swear
never to abuse a Time Turner again?" The two teens nodded. "Fine. Good job saving us.
Don't do it again. Warning delivered. Nobody mentions that part in official reports."
"Works for me, Boss," Tonks said. She turned to Harry and raised her eyebrows. He took
the cue and helped her to her feet. "To the Batcave."
"The Batcave?" a demure voice asked from behind the group. Harry groaned and Tonks felt
her hair shift to red before she forced it to a neutral black. She turned to see Headmaster
Dumbledore walking towards the group from the castle. He was far enough away that he
had probably only heard her final comment.
"Headmaster," Bonesy said, her voice coated in ice. "How nice of you to turn up after the
danger has long passed. I would've thought Argus would've informed you that Sirius Black
was located and that you might have hurried a bit."
"Sadly these old bones don't move as quickly as they used to, Amelia," Dumbledore
replied, his eyes twinkling. Tonks' snort was echoed by Shiva beside her. "I can't help but
notice that the fugitive is unrestrained and does not appear to have any wands covering
him."
"So, Dumbledore isn't in on the innocence thing then?" Sirius asked cocking a thumb at the
old man.
"No, Lord Black, the Headmaster was not to be brought into the fold until proof was
attained. Something which we only accomplished earlier tonight," Bonesy said. She walked
past Dumbledore aiming for the doors inside. "Let's move this inside in case those horrid
creatures decide to try their luck again." Dumbledore's flash of frustration was quickly
hidden though Tonks took note. She also saw Daphne and Tracey both quietly pocket some
of the Dementors' robes. That was an unpleasant reminder that she'd likely have to burn
her own robes. Dementor ichor was not something she wanted to leave bouncing around
her washing machine.
"Amelia, the Minister is en route. If you would please present your proof perhaps we can
resolve this before he arrives," Dumbledore said as everyone moved to sit down at the
table in the Great Hall. Most of the teens looked utterly exhausted. Tonks was pretty
wiped herself though she could at least use her abilities to avoid looking like she felt for
the most part.
"Ah so you had enough time to stop and run to Cornelius rather than checking on the
safety of your students. Good show, Albus," Amelia said raising her eyebrows. "I believe
we'll wait for the Minister to arrive himself before we start. I would rather not go through
this again. Your pensieve might be required as the court one can't be removed from the
Ministry."
"I'm sure that won't be necessary, Amelia," Dumbledore said. Tonks noted that the
customary twinkle in his eye had vanished. "Perhaps we could move this to my office."
"Here is fine. It's far easier for Cornelius to walk here than all the way up to your office,
Albus," Amelia replied with the ghost of a smile. Dumbledore just frowned at her.
The group sat in uneasy silence for the next few minutes. The only thing of note was
Harry's scabbard for his sword materializing on the table when he idly wondered about it.
Those house elves sure were prompt. Harry carefully put away his sword and everyone
went silent again. The quiet was broken rather abruptly as the Entrance Hall doors were
thrown open and the Minister strode in flanked by Scrimgeour and Dawlish. Tonks bit back
a groan as she saw both of them. Of course he had to bring those two.
"Where is he?!" Fudge shouted. "Where is the madman? Where are the Dementors?! Has
he already been Kissed?"
"Calm yourself, Minister, before you give yourself a heart attack," Amelia commented dryly.
"Lord Sirius Black is right here." She waved her hand and Sirius flashed the man a grin and
gave a little wave from his spot at the table beside Remus.
"Ah!" Fudge proved his intelligence by screaming and jumping back. It was all Tonks could
do to not slam her head into the table. She couldn't believe this man had ever been
elected. "Aurors! It's Black! Kill him, quickly!"
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Chapter 116
"Really, Cornelius?" Amelia groaned and shook her head. "Drop your wand, Dawlish. Stop
being an idiot. If Lord Black was going to injury anyone don't you think he would've done
so long before you arrived? Scrimgeour wipe that scowl off your face!"
"Madame Bones, I don't know what Auror Tonks has told you or how she convinced you of
the filing error but we need to take that man into custody to deliver the Kiss immediately."
"This, Harry," Sirius said with a shrug, "is why I didn't tell you sooner who I was. Nothing
much has changed since they tossed me away and I rather like having my soul."
"Give Amelia a chance, Sirius," Harry said giving him a tired grin. "She and Tonks are good
at their jobs at least."
"Thanks, squirt," Tonks said. She leaned over to ruffle his hair earning an annoyed glare
from Harry and a snort of amusement from Shiva and Daphne.
"Head Auror Scrimgeour," Amelia said drawing herself up. The woman may not have been
tall, but she was certainly intimidating. "The situation is under control. Auror Tonks
informed me of your lack of investigation into the 'filing error'. A 'filing error' that would
have proven impossible to occur had you taken the five minutes required to talk to
personnel in either the Wizengamot or Hall of Records. Be that as it may, I and these
witnesses – with the exception of Albus Dumbledore – personally all heard the testimony
of Peter Pettigrew earlier tonight."
"That's impossible!" Fudge shouted turning an impressive shade of red. Tonks only
managed that color when she was using her powers.
"Mr. Pettigrew is very much alive, Minister. Or we have a worrying case of a new breed of
Inferi that can talk. I prefer the former don't you?" her smile was all teeth. "Pettigrew
informed us that he was the one who betrayed James and Lily Potter as well as being the
actual culprit behind the murders of the Muggles on that street. Lord Black was falsely
accused."
"There is no proof of that," Fudge snarled. Scrimgeour at least appeared to be cowed as he
sighed and hung his head. Dawlish simply nodded along with Fudge.
"Pettigrew did escape during the confusion of the mass Dementor attack. I will be bringing
up the lack of oversight of those creatures with you later by the way. That the Quidditch
incident wasn't enough for you; now you nearly had seven soulless students, two soulless
professors and two soulless Aurors to explain," Amelia snarled. Tonks shifted back slightly.
This was the first time she had actually seen her boss lose her temper. "But that
conversation is for later. In private. For the moment, I assure you we all have memories of
the confession which we are able to submit either upon return to the Ministry with the use
of the court pensieve or right here borrowing Headmaster Dumbledore's."
"Impossible!" Fudge scoffed. "He's obviously confounded you all. Scrimgeour, Dawlish,
arrest Black and stun the others until the curse can be lifted from them." Tonks gaped at
the man. Did he honestly believe that or did he just not care?
Before anyone could react to Fudge's order, seven wands were pointing at the three men.
All the school students were on their feet with wands in hand. Tonks' eyes widened, Harry
had been right when he told her off months ago – these teens were not kids. "Madam
Bones," Harry said his voice quiet but dangerous, "we've tried your way. Would you let me
try mine?"
Amelia sighed. "Please don't hex the Minister of Magic, Mr. Potter. I can't overlook an
attack like that."
"I have no intention of starting a fight, Madam Bones," Harry replied.
"Your actions are pointing to the contrary, Harry," Dumbledore said as if he was
commenting on the weather.
Harry completely ignored Dumbledore and made to step forward. Shiva laid a hand on his
shoulder. "Harry, don't get yourself arrested."
"Like, I said, Shiva," Harry said, "none of us intend to start a fight. Only if we are attacked
first will we start sending spells back." She let go of his shoulder and Harry stepped
forward. Daphne fell into place on his right, while the others took up offset positions in
formation behind them. The Auror in Tonks was impressed. It was a good battlefield
formation, able to provide both cover and support as needed.
"Minister Fudge," Harry said, "Sirius Black is my sworn godfather. He is the Lord Black. We
have both circumstantial evidence and physical proof in the form of memories and/or
veritaserum testimony to his innocence. On top of that we have proof from the Ministry
itself that he received no trial and has been unlawfully held in Azkaban for the past 12
years. I don't know why you are unwilling to admit to this error and I don't particularly
care."
Harry shrugged nonchalantly and grinned at Fudge. Tonks was glad that grin wasn't
directed at her. It sent shivers down her spine. "I am Harry James Potter. I am
The-Boy-Who-Lived. I am Heir to House Potter. I am allies with House Longbottom, House
Greengrass, House Davis, House Bones, House Lovegood, House Abbott, House Patil,
House Li. I have the backing of the Heir Zabini, Heir Bulstrode and Heir Brown. I call several
of House Weasley friends and allies. If you truly wish to bury my godfather for crimes he is
innocent of then I will call on my allies and bury you for crimes you are guilty of."
"I am the Minister for Magic boy!"
"Crimes such as," Harry continued completely ignoring Fudge, "abuse of power, subversion
of justice, attempted murder of a Lord, attempted Line Theft…should I go on?"
"How dare you," Fudge was practically spitting at this point. Scrimgeour had subtly moved
to the side, separating himself from the man. Dawlish on the other hand only scowled and
tightened his grip on his wand. Everyone else just watched.
Daphne smiled at the man and took up where Harry had left off. "Even if only one or two
of the charges stick, Minister, your career will be over. We aren't asking for much. We're
simply asking that you finally see justice done," she said shrugging. Then she held up the
carrot in place of the stick. "After all, this miscarriage of justice certainly wasn't done on
your watch was it? All you've been doing was pursuing an assumed madman, an escaped
fugitive. Now that you know the truth of the matter…well it would certainly reflect well on
you to have righted such an old wrong. A wrong perpetrated against a Noble House at that!
You aren't the responsible party here; that would be former Minister Millicent Bagnold
and former DLME Head Bartemius Crouch."
Fudge stopped sputtering and looked at the girl. He started twirling his bowler hat in his
hands and narrowed his eyes. "Yes, yes it was them wasn't it…" he muttered. "Amelia, you
are certain, Black is innocent?"
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Chapter 117
"As I have repeatedly said over the past several months: yes," Amelia said, her voice
strained. Tonks was surprised the woman wasn't hitting someone at this point. Hell, if she
hadn't been so drained, Tonks would probably have been hitting someone – or at least
standing up with Harry and his group.
"Hmm, well it appears that the Ministry of Magic owes you an apology then, Lord Black.
An official pardon – "
"Dropping of charges," Daphne cut in.
"Excuse me?" Fudge asked looking affronted.
"He was never convicted so there is no need for a pardon. You officially drop all charges,
Minister."
Fudge scowled at the correction but nodded. "The Ministry officially drops all charges by
my order. The paperwork will be filed post haste. I will contact you with the date for the
apology ceremony," Fudge said nodding to Sirius.
Sirius just raised his eyebrows. "Thanks, Minister. I look forward to your owl. I'd appreciate
the Dementors being called off too. And, you know, an article in the Prophet first thing so
that people don't keep trying to kill me or turn me in for a reward."
"Actually," Shiva said speaking up, "shouldn't Harry and his friends get that reward anyway
for finding you?"
"Of course, of course. I'll have the galleons deposited in Mr. Potter's vaults," Fudge said
waving the issue away. "If there is nothing else pressing I must leave and begin this work."
"The Dementors, Minister," Amelia said glaring at him. "Remove those abominable things
first. I don't appreciate them attempting to eat the souls of those under my protection and
care."
With an annoyed nod, Fudge turned and practically ran from the room, Dawlish hurrying
to keep up. Scrimgeour turned to Tonks before following. "Auror Tonks, come with me. We
have…much to discuss."
Tonks closed her eyes, trying to get her brain in gear enough to think. Was it worth it? Was
there really any point anymore? She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see
Harry's green eyes staring down at her in concern. Tonks smirked at him and switched her
hair to pink. "Nah, I don't think so."
"That was not a request, Auror," Scrimgeour glared at her. Tonks considered flipping him
off but figured it was too much effort.
"Consider this my resignation, boss," Tonks said firmly.
"Auro – Tonks," Amelia said turning to look at her. "Are you certain about this?"
"Been thinking about it for a while, ma'am," Tonks patted Harry's hand and smiled at her
mentor. "Being an Auror is not what I thought it would be and the others only seem to care
about my abilities not me or my skills or my brain or my opinions. I think I can do more
good elsewhere."
"I understand. It's a shame to see you go, but I understand." Bonesy looked genuinely sad,
which was nice. Mad-Eye was going to kill her. Or buy her a firewhiskey and salute her
bravery. She never could tell with that crazy old guy.
"Your badge, then," Scrimgeour said, his scowl firmly set. She tossed it to him. "Good
evening to you all." And just like that, he turned and walked out.
Tonks slumped in her seat. "Well I don't know about you all, but this metamorphmagus is
utterly knackered and seeing as I'm now jobless I need to take a nap or something and find
a new prospect in the morning."
"Well cousin, I've been out of the game for a decade or so. If you're interested, I could use
someone to help me clean up the old house from whatever horrible little beasties and
curses Mother left behind. I can make the pay pretty good if you're willing to bring me up
to speed," Sirius said.
"You want to hire me as a maid?" Tonks asked completely deadpan.
"Yup!" Sirius' smile stretched from ear to ear. "Only the best for my cousin! I'll even throw
in being welcomed back into the Black fold for you and Andi! Since I'm apparently the Lord
Black now and all."
"Can we just throw him back in prison?" Tonks whined. Everyone but Dumbledore started
laughing. The old man just scowled, staring daggers at Sirius.
The next day, Harry was meeting up with his friends again in the seventh floor room. It
seemed comfier than normal. The customary table was surrounded by armchairs and
couches this time rather than the stiff backed chairs. Harry frowned as he walked in. "This
definitely wasn't here last time. Hermione, we're going to have to experiment with this
room I think."
"I agree, it is most unusual," his girlfriend nodded.
"Do you think it can provide us with the vista of a snorkack's natural habitat?" Luna asked.
"Somehow I doubt it works that way, Luna. But sure if you want to try for a snorkack
habitat, feel free next time. Just please have one of us with you just in case it actually
works, okay?" Harry said chuckling at his friend.
"I promise, Harry. Hello, Tracey. How are you today?"
"Better than last night," Tracey said shrugging. "You feel better, Luna? Neither of us
managed to get back at those arseholes like the others did."
"True, but I am satisfied to still have my soul and not having to remember that day with
mum," Luna said losing a bit of her levity. She perked back up almost immediately. "It was
quite entertaining to see the Dementors splattered, mauled and beaten. Daphne, your
hedgehog had very impressive aim and was quite adorable as it went bowling for
Dementors."
Daphne blushed, "Err, thanks, Luna. I'm not sure whether to be embarrassed by the
hedgehog thing or not."
"I think it's perfect for you," Tracey said grinning and kissing her on the cheek. "Prickly on
the outside, soft and cuddly on the inside."
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Chapter 118
"Technically it's soft and cuddly on the bottom," Hermione commented.
"She's soft down there too I imagine." Gasps sounded at Tracey's comment followed
quickly by laughter though it had at last successfully succeeded in driving Daphne
speechless for the first time that Harry could remember.
"So, Harry," Neville said as they settled into the circle. "Have you figured out how the
Sword was able to kill the Dementors?"
"Remus said that it was probably something involving the basilisk venom, the goblin steel,
and whatever else the Sword has imbibed over the centuries. We'll probably never know
for sure. And now the thing can probably suck souls too so there's that. That's one scary
sword. Hell, I'm almost afraid to touch the darn thing now!"
"Being able to summon it whenever you want is useful though."
"Still a scary sword," Harry muttered. Hermione patted his arm in commiseration.
The door to the Room opened again and Sirius and Shiva walked in. Shiva frowned at the
couches surrounding the table but moved to sit beside Harry and kicked her feet up. Sirius
was wearing a grin large enough to split his face in half and handed the Daily Prophet to
Harry before claiming his own armchair.
The front page story was: Sirius Black proven innocent! Mass murderer and master
manipulator Peter Pettigrew still at large!
" 'Master manipulator'?" Harry commented raising his eyebrow. "Yeah he pulled one good
trick, but I hardly think that counts as a master manipulator. He wouldn't have had to hide
as a rat for 12 years if that was true."
"That's Rita Skeeter for you," Neville said shaking his head. "The woman's a menace but
she sells papers well."
"I really don't care what they say, I'm just happy to be free," Sirius said not dropping his
grin.
"Lord Black, may I get an interview with you for the Quibbler?" Luna asked him flashing
him with puppy dog eyes even better than Sirius' actual dog eyes when he was Snuffles.
"Well…" Sirius tapped his chin, "I don't know…I make it a policy not to talk to reporters
after all…" the gleam in his eye belied his teasing.
"Ah, then there is no problem," Luna smiled at him and made a grand flourish. "I am no
reporter, Lord Black. I am an explorer!"
Sirius burst out laughing. "Good for you, girl! Reporters are evil, explorers are fun. I'll
answer almost anything you want in a little bit. And no more of this Lord Black thing
everyone. It's Sirius. Or Padfoot if you want. I'll answer to Snuffles in dog form too I
suppose. But no more Lord Black. Before I was tossed onto that tropical island I was sure
my parents had disinherited anyway so I'm just as uncomfortable with the title as you
are."
"Tropical island?" Tracey asked wide eyed. "Wouldn't it make more sense to have Azkaban
on a cold, miserable spot not the tropics?"
"Nope, I was never in Azkaban. According to the Ministry I was 'unlawfully detained'. They
never specified where," Sirius said still holding his grin. "So since they didn't bother to
specify I can go along thinking I was having a prolonged vacation on a deserted tropical
island!"
"Ugh…" a few of the teens stared at the man blankly.
Sirius just sighed and shook his head. "You kids need to loosen up. It's a joke guys, I know I
was on Azkaban I just prefer not to remember that horrible little hell-hole."
"Were there snorkacks on the island?" Everyone turned to look at Luna who just stared
back with her head slightly sideways and a dreamy smile on her face. Laughter flowed out
of everyone and she just smiled back at them all far more lucid than her comment would
have made it seem.
"Sirius, you said Padfoot earlier and mentioned a map last night," Harry said as he calmed
down. He pulled out the Marauder's Map and held it up. "You wouldn't have happened to
be talking about this would you?"
"Hey so you do have it! I was worried that you didn't actually have it and never figured out
my message."
"What message?" Harry asked.
"My response when you sent the letter with Hedwig a few days ago," Sirius shrugged.
"It was a paw print, Sirius. A paw print. Do you know how annoying that was?" Harry
deadpanned. Hermione nodded along beside him and Daphne huffed her agreement.
"Well yeah, but the paw print wasn't all, pup. 'I solemnly swear' like with map? That's why
I signed Padfoot…you didn't figure that out?"
"I only got the damn map yesterday morning," Harry glowered at the man. "High marks for
security, but failing marks for assumptions."
"Oh. My bad. It was still pretty funny though yeah?" the former fugitive smiled at Harry
utterly ignoring the death stare from the teen.
"What map are we talking about?" Shiva asked holding up a hand. "Anyone care to share
with the class?"
"Yes, please do tell, Harry," Daphne said taking the blank paper.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," Sirius said reached over the girl and tapping the
parchment. The Map sprang to life and everyone crowded around to look at it.
"Wow," Shiva murmured. "That is impressive. Harry, this is how you found out about
Pettigrew I assume?"
Harry nodded. "Yeah, I was checking on everyone to make sure nobody was getting back
for the thing with Luna and I saw him with Ron. That's when I remember that Scabbers
looked like how Remus described Pettigrew and put two and two together. I take it he was
Wormtail, Sirius?"
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Chapter 119
"Yup, and Remus was Moony with your father rounding it out as Prongs." Sirius paused
and looked fondly at the Map. "It was a lot of fun running around and filling this thing in.
We thought we had found every room in the castle, but obviously we missed a few. Look,
this room apparently doesn't show."
"Neither does the Chamber," Daphne said nodding. "Harry, I think we should try to
improve on this next year."
Harry shrugged. "Sure, assuming no one tries to kill us again I'm all for improving it."
Hermione's eyes lit up and Harry could hear her breathing quicken slightly. "Mr. Black – "
"Sirius," he corrected.
"Sirius," Hermione quickly said, "can you tell us some of the charms you used to enchant it?
It seems quite advanced to be able to track people even in an animagus form."
"Well," he scratched his chin again, "I didn't really do much of the charm work. Remus did
some but Lily was really the genius when it came to charms. She was the one who ended
up doing most of the enchanting. I can pass along a few notes though to get you guys
started. You might want to start fresh though so you don't risk messing up this one."
"Oh," Hermione's dejected expression had Harry hugging her shoulders and promising to
let her check his mum's old notebook to see if she put anything about the Map in there.
"Actually, Harry…" Sirius shuffled around in his seat a bit before sighing and leaning
forward. "I wanted to talk to you and Shiva about this summer."
"What about it?" Harry asked. Beside him he saw Shiva tense slightly and drape a
protective arm around his shoulders.
"Uh, you sure you want to talk about this, you know, now?" he glanced at the others
causing Harry to sigh.
"I'm just going to tell them later anyway. Might as well skip the middleman as it is. What
did you want to say?"
Sirius sighed again and nodded at that. "Right. Okay. So look, you know I'm your godfather
right? Well, I kinda screwed that one up royally. I was supposed to take you in after…that
night. I saw a bit of what happened with the Dursleys during the summer and I was going
to offer to let you stay with me from now on. Now that I'm free and all." He held a hand to
ward of Shiva when she opened her mouth to say something. "I want you to know that my
home is always open to you. Well, when my home is habitable that is. I have very low
opinions of the old Black house, but that that's neither here nor there." He shrugged and
looked a bit sad. "I hung out with you guys as Padfoot long enough over the summer to
know that you're happy with Shiva so I understand if you want to stay with her. I wasn't
there for you; she was. Both of you are welcome to stay with me should you need a place
in the future."
Shiva smiled a bit and relaxed back into the couch. She batted her eyes playfully at the
man, "You're a little old for me, Sirius. Sorry old dog."
"Old?" he held a hand to his heart and Neville and Tracey shook their heads laughing. "Me?
Oh, you wound me woman!"
"Thanks for the offer, Sirius," Harry said grinning at the two. "We'll certainly come visit,
but yeah, I would like to stay with Shiva."
"I understand. I'm sorry for not being around when you needed me, pup. I'd still like to be
a part of your life though."
"You keep doing right by him and you will be," Shiva said all serious again. "But you
abandon Harry again to go off on another revenge quest and I neuter you."
"No you won't," Hermione commented. She shrugged at the raised eyebrows that
comment received and continued, "Simply because I will have done it first."
"You may be the girlfriend, Hermione, but remember that I am the Slytherin Slayer,"
Daphne said sitting up straight and thrusting her chest out pompously. That set off another
round of laughter. "Actually, Harry, speaking of that, do you and Shiva mind meeting me at
Gringotts sometime early this summer?"
"Sure. Why?" Harry asked.
Daphne just grinned evilly. "Well, I finally got a good idea of the going rates. I believe we
have a basilisk to render."
"That's...I can't believe I didn't think of that before..." Shiva said with a note of wonder in
her voice.
"Don't worry; I started looking into selling prices and commission fees as soon as we all left
the hospital wing last year. If we go with the goblins we should turn the highest profit.
They take a hefty margin but they also are the only ones to actually be interested in eating
the meat of the snake. They'll take most of the meat as acceptable payment so it works
out largely in our favor."
"Sounds good to me. We can negotiate terms there right?" Harry asked and she nodded.
"Okay then. Just let us know when."
Sirius looked between the group members like they had gone crazy but didn't find any
signs of pranking at all and his eyes widened. "I'm going to need that story, pup...One more
thing first though. I, err…may have gone to talk to Gringotts earlier…" he ran a hand
through his hair and shifted a bit in his seat. "And I…might have gone and made you my
Heir…"
Neville and Daphne's mouths dropped open and Tracey whistled. Luna just nodded as if
she had always expected this while Shiva groaned and shook her head ruefully. Tonks
leaned back into her seat with a large sigh. Hermione narrowed her gaze at Harry and fell
into her 'I'm deep in thought. Disturb me at your own peril.' look before eventually giving a
large sigh and nodding her assent. Harry felt like he was missing something that the rest of
the room got implicitly…
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Chapter 120
"Um, okay…thanks I guess?" Harry said fishing for more clarifying input.
"I got a quick checkup last night after the attack. Looks like my chances of having kids are
pretty low now after my island stay. So I figured the least I could do was give my House to
you. It will hopefully make up for some of the problems I caused." Then he grinned and
wiggled his eyebrows, "Also it should be bloody fun for you, pup."
Harry shook his head. "I really need to look up more things concerning pureblood politics
don't I?"
"Probably a good idea, Harry," Shiva said. "You do seem to be acquiring quite a bit of
power as the years progress, kid."
"Yeah about that," Sirius said with a snort. "Just how much of that thing with Fudge last
night was a bluff? That's quite a bit of pull you're starting to amass."
"Probably about half and half," Harry said shrugging.
Daphne picked up the conversation. "While all the families he mentioned are personal
friends, their parents may or may not actually go against the Minister if we asked. I know
my father would not – at least not unless he was offered a very good deal with very few
downsides. The Li's and Patil's would likely consider it repayment for their mistake with
Luna and reclaiming their honor, but…" she shrugged.
Neville took over. "Once we all actually take the Lordships we'll be able to make some real
changes. Until then, though, it mostly comes down to what we can convince our parents
and guardians to do. I'm a little surprised Fudge caved like that. You would think that a
politician would've been a bit savvier."
Tracey snorted. "I'm amazed the idiot manages to tie his own shoes in the morning. How
did he get elected?"
"Daddy blames the Rotfang Conspiracy," Luna said bobbing her head.
"Rotfang Conspiracy?" Sirius asked.
"Wake me when we return to sanity, Harry," Hermione groaned, laying her head against
Harry's shoulder. He smiled and patted her head as Luna launched into her explanation
about gum disease and the takeover of the Ministry.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile as he
leaned back in his office's chair. Harry was sitting across from him petting Fawkes who had
come over to perch on Harry's shoulder. Harry had thankfully missed the flash of
annoyance on Dumbledore's face as the familiar made his allegiances clear.
"Well it didn't particularly seem like I had a choice in the matter, Sir," Harry shrugged. "Is
this something I need to call Professor McGonagall or Professor Babbling for?"
"Of course not, Harry," Dumbledore replied with a twinkle in his eyes. He gave a
grandfatherly smile down at the boy. "I merely wished to inform you of some sad news."
He saw Harry's expression harden. "I know that Sirius Black is your godfather, Harry. I
understand he offered to let you live with him over the summer months as well."
Dumbledore paused as he saw Harry's expression lighten. He had to proceed carefully so
as not to lose the child completely. There was still a chance to salvage all this. "I am afraid
that at the last Wizengamot session, it was determined that Lord Black is not a suitable
guardian for you. His residency in Azkaban – unjust as it was – has affected him. He has
been directed to consult with Mind Healers before being allowed to accept any sort of
responsibility position for you. The period of adjustment is expected to take between two
to three years."
Harry's expression had gone from annoyed to entertained. That was not right. Not right at
all. The boy should be despondent and pleading. Begging for some sort of loophole.
Dumbledore frowned. He had missed something. "I am very sorry, Harry. But you must
return to the Dursleys again for the foreseeable future." Harry burst into laughter and
Fawkes trilled along with him. Dumbledore dropped the twinkle entirely and only barely
managed to prevent his confusion from showing.
"You think – you think I'm going to the Dursleys?" Harry wheezed out between his laughs.
"You seriously think I'm going to Dursleys? Wow, you have got to be the single worst
magical guardian in existence!"
Dumbledore had to bite his lip to avoid scowling at the child. "My boy, I assure you that it
is the safest place for you. Attempting to stay with Sirius would only see the man back in
trouble with the law. I will speak with the Weasleys and see if you can stay with them
towards the end of the summer." Harry's laughs only increased.
"Headmaster," Harry finally said after calming enough to speak, "you are an uninformed
idiot. I'm sorry, Sir, but seriously, either you just don't care or you are way too busy. The
Dursleys haven't been my legal guardians since two weeks into the summer!" He started
laughing again and Dumbledore frowned. The boy had to be bluffing. Surely no one
had…Babbling…what had that fool of a woman done now? "Even better, the Dursleys were
never really my guardians to begin with! They never filed any sort of paperwork for it and
they didn't bother trying to fight for it when it got challenged. The next time I see the
Dursleys will be in a courtroom or police station!"
Panicking slightly, Dumbledore glanced at one of the many instruments in his office. His
eyes widened as he saw that it had indeed stopped spinning. From the amount of dust on
it, it had probably stopped months ago! "Harry…who…why…?"
"Why?" Harry asked a note of frustration and anger creeping into his voice. "Seriously?
Let's see, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, some physical abuse, starvation,
isolation…so many reasons to choose from, Sir. The list goes on and on. Of course physical
proof is a little lackluster, so I can't quite bring them up on charges yet. But I'm sure you
get the picture. As to who, I'm surprised you don't know."
"Harry," Dumbledore implored the boy. "Professor Babbling is nowhere near old enough to
be a suitable guardian."
"And yet she's the first one who gave two wits about me in my entire remembered life.
And it's entirely legal so there is nothing you can do about it, Headmaster. No magic, no
bribes, no compulsions or trickery were involved. Just plain old solicitors. As soon as I can
manage it I'll be free of you as well. Sir." Dumbledore's scowl slipped across his features
before he could school it back into grandfatherly disapproval. He had to try one more time.
For the boy's late parents.
"Harry, I can understand your dislike of your family – "
"Oh no, Sir. I love my family," Harry said with a grin. "I just consider Professor Babbling to
be my family. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley are my relatives. Nothing more."
It took all he had to maintain the persona. "I can understand your dislike of your relatives,
Harry. But they were the safest place for you. With the blood wards intact you were safe
from Voldemort and his minions."
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