Walking up to the younger woman intently studying in a secluded corner of the library on Saturday night, she saw how the girl's head was practically buried in the book. 'How sad,' she thought, causing her to shake her head in disapproval, not knowing or understanding why anyone would willingly lock themselves away, studying on the weekend, rather than relaxing.
Once again, she wondered whether it was a good idea to interfere in Harry and Penny's relationship, since it was hardly her business what had transpired between the two of them. But Harry was her cousin, her family, and whether Harry admitted it or not, he clearly missed the older Ravenclaw.
She was a Puff through and through, though, and loyalty was the keystone of their beliefs, so she'd do what she had to. She mentally sighed at the inevitable conversation to come. 'Time to play the role of big sister,' she observed, finding the situation funny in many ways, as she never expected to have to play that particular role, as she loudly sat down to attract Penny's attention.
This caused the Ravenclaw to look up from her studying in confusion. "Talk," she demanded simply and firmly, whilst discreetly waving her wand, casting a localized privacy charm to stop eavesdroppers.
"Pardon me?" Penny enquired, her face morphing into one of confusion, as she put her quill down to rest in the inkwell as she cast a privacy ward over them.
"What's up with you and my cousin?" Tonks asked, crossing her legs.
"Nothing's up," Penny offered with a tired shrug.
She frowned at the reply. "Really? So you're giving him the cold shoulder for no reason?" Tonks pushed, going into interrogation mode, whilst sending the younger woman a sharp look.
"I'm just busy and need to focus on my studies," Penny offered back.
"That's a feeble excuse," she countered with a good amount of anger. "I'm busy with my NEWTs, but I still make time to see my cousin, and Harry's ridiculously busy with all his studying and training and his hundred other projects, but still makes time for his friends, so you have got to do better than that."
"Just drop it, please, Tonks," Penny expressed, giving her a tired look. At this point, she noticed that Penny had lost some weight.
"No, now tell me what's going on," Tonks pushed, wanting to get to the bottom of this little drama.
She watched as Penny sighed, defeated. "I just realized that there are things about Harry that are darker than I originally thought," the Ravenclaw offered. "I'm just trying to wrap my head around it. It's difficult. I've always seen him as this genius, hard-working second year, who cares for his friends. But I've recently seen the darker side to him. How he doesn't care a whit for people outside his little circle, and then only really cares if it affects him or can somehow benefit from it. He's also extremely manipulative."
"All right, I'll drop it for now, but hiding here and ignoring him won't help matters," she offered. "Plus, with you avoiding him, it's up to me alone to help him with learning Legilimency, and trust me, the book really understates just how painful the headache you get afterwards is," giving Penny a sour look for abandoning her.
...
Hearing a firm knock on his dorm room door, he looked up from the homework he was dutifully completing for the next school day, despite it being boring beyond measure. Swinging his legs gracefully off his bed, he walked over to the door. "Who is it, Guardian?" he asked the magical portrait guardian, whilst he went about sorting himself out rather than look like a right mess for whoever he was unknowingly entertaining now.
"Professor Flitwick to see you; he seems quite unsettled," the door guardian answered, as Harry threw on his Hogwarts robe over the top of his T-shirt.
Considering the door guardian's remarks for a second, he wondered what the seemingly unflappable Charms Master—"Let him in," Harry instructed, as the magical door unlocked and swung open, allowing the Charms Master to enter his quarters.
"Good evening, Professor. Is there something you need of me?" Harry enquired immediately as the professor entered his room, not wanting the man in his personal space any longer than absolutely necessary. Not that he disliked the professor, but this was his refuge, the place where he could relax and be himself. It was private, and only his trusted friends would ever be able to see it.
"Yes, your presence is required," the professor stated whilst discreetly examining Harry's room. "I'm here to escort you."
"May I ask the nature of this meeting?" Harry voiced, whilst his mind went about working out what possible reasons he could have been summoned, whilst slipping his dragon-hide boots on.
"Madam Bones wishes to see you," the Charms Master offered as they left the tower and walked through the common room, attracting curious looks from the other Ravenclaw students. As soon as they left the common room, the professor spoke again. "I believe there might have been a break in the case against Peter. He may have even been captured." Harry's mind jumped into overdrive at the possibility.
"That's good to hear," Harry agreed with a genuine smile, before he saw a flaw in the professor's argument. "Has my godfather, Lord Black, been informed and his presence requested? I doubt Madam Bones came all this way just to tell me that Pettigrew had been caught."
"No, not to my knowledge, but you are likely correct in your assessment," the Charms Master offered as they walked down the corridor. "You would have to ask Madam Bones yourself," as they climbed down another set of stairs to the professor's office. Entering the professor's office, he was greeted by the sight of the ever formidable Madam Bones, her one uncovered eye locking onto him immediately.
"Madam Bones, what can I do for you? Do I need to contact my godfather, the Lord Black? Or perhaps my lawyers?" he enquired evenly, privately wondering what the Head of Magical Law Enforcement wanted with him at this time of night, as the stern witch sat down opposite him, giving him a serious look, whilst another taller, darker-skinned Auror stood silently by the door like a grim-faced statue. Madam Bones then pulled up a chair and sat down.
"No, you don't need your godfather, nor your lawyers, at least not today," the Head of Law Enforcement replied with a small smile, before she turned to his Head of House. "You can leave us; this is a private matter."
"I'll wait outside," the Charms Master responded, accepting the dismissal, before quickly leaving the room.
"A couple of nights ago, Peter Pettigrew made contact with me for the purpose of making a deal. He is offering to provide full testimony to the courts on several Death Eater crimes committed during the last war, as well as supporting evidence, and even the locations of the bodies of several missing persons. He will also provide evidence concerning the opening of the Chamber of Secrets and who hired him to kill you.
All this in exchange for a pardon and self-agreed exile from Britain, on penalty of lifetime imprisonment if he ever returns," Madam Bones listed dispassionately as his anger and magic started to flare at the idea of Pettigrew escaping justice through this deal.
"His evidence, if it's as good as he says it is—and I have no reason to doubt that it will be—will bring down several high-ranking Lords who escaped justice following Lord Voldemort's downfall. As Head of the DMLE, I've decided to accept the deal. In the grand scheme, it's one ultimately low-ranking Death Eater, in exchange for a couple dozen others who remain in positions of significant power and influence in our society to this day."
Nodding his head in understanding, he sat down on one of the chairs and remained silent, even if on an emotional level he utterly hated the idea of Pettigrew going free. Thankfully, he didn't allow his emotions to cloud his mind or good judgement. "What does this have to do with me, Madam Bones?" he asked emotionlessly.
"Well, Peter's crimes are mainly against you and your family; his betrayal is well known," Madam Bones explained with a sad smile. "A Ministry pardon would never be allowed by the Wizengamot unless it had your backing, your approval."
He quickly caught on to why exactly she was here now. "So the only way you can get this deal approved is if I effectively drop the charges against him," Harry stated, rather than it merely being a question. His immediate answer was a firm no, before he valiantly tried to examine the situation with a clear mind. Despite his herculean efforts to think about this dispassionately, his emotions were swirling like an angry vortex.
"In simple terms, yes," Madam Bones stated with a firm nod. "I know Peter has done a lot against you and your family, but please think of the bigger picture. This is one in exchange for many," she stressed.
Thinking over the statement, his mind was telling him to agree, but his heart was screaming at him to tell this woman to 'go to hell.' "I'm trying quite seriously to think about it that way, Madam," he offered back with a sigh.
"But a lot of the hardships in my life—some would even call them true horrors—can be laid almost solely at that man's feet. Even with my mind totally agreeing with you on an intellectual level, my heart and gut are urging me to tell you 'to go to hell' and take your deal with you."
"Please think about it," the Head of Law Enforcement pleaded. "Remember, it wasn't just your family that suffered; almost everyone in Britain knew someone who died during the war."
...
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