It was now April and the cold weather that had been sweeping
across Britain for the past several months had started to lift and give
way to the spring. However the brightening and warmth of the
weather was not reflected within the castle at Hogwarts.
Since returning from the Christmas holidays the students had been
subject to even more strict and stringent measures, making it near
impossible for them to hold any further meetings and even when
they managed to come together as a group, it wasn't long before
they were broken up. Today was different though. After the news of
the mass breakout from Azkaban the members of the group knew
they had to meet, it was imperative.
After managing to create a big enough distraction in the Great Hall,
in the form of a very large loose bunch of pixies, provided by Luna,
the students had managed to secure a classroom on the sixth floor
to have a much needed meeting to discuss the events of the past
few months.
"It's really happening isn't it?" Lavender Brown spoke once they were
all present.
"It's been happening for months Brown" Daphne explained. "A few
shops have closed in the alley and are only operating an owl order
service. My mum was attacked by a Death Eater in January while my
dad was away" she added clearly still upset by what had happened.
There was a collective gasp from the rest of the students.
"Oh my god, is she ok? What Happened?" Hermione questioned
with concern.
"She got lucky" Daphne began. "She said that some young guy
saved her and kicked the Death Eaters' arse" she added with a grin.
"She said that he modified his memory when he was out cold and
put a portkey on him and he even paid for the damage in the shop"
She finished frowning thoughtfully.
"He must be really brave to take on a Death Eater" Parvati Patil
chimed in.
"Or a complete idiot" Ron added.
Hermione frowned at the red head. Ever since they had returned he
had been even more bitter and lazy. She thought that after his father
was attacked he would buck up his ideas and put more effort in to
his work but he instead did the opposite and often found himself in
trouble with the Professors for producing such poor work.
"Did she say who he was?" She asked the blonde Slytherin.
"She didn't get his name" Daphne explained shaking her head. "She
said he looked average but she thinks he was wearing a glamour
and the only unusual thing about him was his wand" She finished
shrugging.
"His wand?" Neville questioned.
"Yes, she said it was a white wood and black crystal wand, they were
woven together" She replied.
"He must have some very strange cores for it to be made that way"
Hermione mused thoughtfully.
"How so?" Neville asked.
"Well usually a wand is one wood with one or two cores that
complement each other" she began her explanation. "Crystals are
usually used only as focus points, different crystals have different
purposes" she added. "If his wand is a mixture of both then that
means he has cores that won't bind or will negate each other, he
must be a very unusual wizard for that to happen though" She
concluded with a shake of her head.
"How do you know that?" Daphne asked in surprise at the
knowledge the Gryffindor bookworm had.
"I asked Mr Olivander about the different types of wands and he told
me that wands like that are almost unheard of" she explained.
The rest of the students just shook their heads at the bushy haired
girl.
"Has anyone else heard anything?" Ginny asked expectantly.
When no one spoke Hermione decided it was probably best they end
the meeting so they didn't get caught.
"Are we going to train soon?" Luna asked hopefully.
"It's impossible to do it with Filch, the toad and her squad around"
Tracey cut in.
"We just have to practice on our own while we can for now"
Hermione said a little sadly. "And just hope we've done enough to
pass our OWLS" she added.
"What is Harry going to do about his OWLS, he's missed the whole
year" Neville asked. "If he is still alive of course" he added
sheepishly.
"I think if Potter is still alive, then OWLS are the least of his worries
Longbottom" Daphne sighed exasperatedly. "Has anyone even
heard from him? It's almost been a year now" She asked irritably.
"Not a word" Hermione said sadly.
"He's probably done a runner" Ron spat bitterly.
"He has not run Weasley" Neville retorted angrily.
The rest of the group looked at them clearly seeing that something
had happened or something was not being shared.
"What is it you know Longbottom?" Daphne asked with a raised
eyebrow.
Neville looked like a rabbit caught in headlights and looked at
Hermione, clearly wanting her help.
Hermione shrugged at him.
"You haven't heard from him since, have you?" she asked the very
nervous looking boy who shook his head in reply.
"Then I guess it doesn't matter if you say" Hermione shrugged again.
"What the hell is it Longbottom? Spit it out or I will hex you" Daphne
threatened, drawing her wand.
Neville huffed exasperatedly and held his hands up in defeat.
"I sent Harry a birthday present last year and he replied" Neville
explained.
"And you didn't think to tell us" Tracey cut in angrily. "When is his
birthday?" she asked clearly annoyed.
"I promised I wouldn't" Neville retorted firmly. "July 31st, a day after
mine" he sighed.
"So you" Daphne began prodding the Gryffindor. "Hear from him a
month after he disappeared and didn't tell us all year" she asked
dangerously.
"He asked me not to tell anyone" Neville replied, now getting
annoyed himself. "But he wouldn't run away, I'm not that close to him
but I know he's not like that, when have any of you known Harry to
quit?" he asked the group heatedly. "He never quit in second year
when you all thought he was the heir of slytherin and was attacking
us. He didn't quit when the dementors were here and they got to him
worse than anyone else and he didn't give up when you all thought
he put his name in the goblet of fire and he was pretty much
segregated by everyone for months" He finished feeling very angry.
The rest of the students looked embarrassed by the way they had
treated Potter.
"And even if he did run from it all would any of you really blame
him?" It's not like the wizarding world has been good to him, hell his
whole life has been a shit storm" he finished exiting the room and
slamming the door as he left.
"Who knew Neville had that in him?" Lavender asked in shock.
Suitably cowed the rest of the group departed for their own
dormitories. They were glad they got the chance to discuss at least a
few things of importance, even if it did end with them being
reprimanded by Longbottom.
(BREAK)
The mood of Lord Voldemort had not improved over the last few
months. Firstly, Lucius and Severus had failed in their investigation
to identify the young man who had thwarted Peter's attempt at
capturing the wife of Jean Delacour. Secondly, the Death Eaters he
had had under his command had been nothing but incompetent
having failed to carry out the most simple of orders, one of the
reasons he found himself liberating his more loyal and useful
followers much sooner than he had originally planned.
The Dark Lord was nothing if not meticulous in his planning and he
had spent many years as a younger man finding a way to secure his
place in this world in the form of his horcruxes, something
exceedingly difficult to create. Being the paranoid man he was, he
had been to check on the ones that he could currently access and
found himself in an uncontrollable rage from what he had
discovered. Discovering that Regulus had betrayed him had
surprised him but he had killed the man many years ago for his
actions. He discovered that the ring belonging to his paternal
Grandfather had also gone missing and that whoever took it had left
no trace of themselves behind. He concluded it must have been a
very gifted wizard to pull off a feat like this.
Upon questioning Lucius about the diary he had placed in his care,
the man went to pieces and had to be most severely punished for his
transgression against his master. He was very fortunate that he was
a very useful asset or he would most certainly have found himself
dead. The Dark Lord suspected that the man had wished for death
during the course of his punishment.
This led to him making the decision to free his followers prematurely
and risk coming out in the open, he needed to be sure of his other
items.
Bellatrix had one in her vault at his request and her connection to the
Black family and Regulus had him worried for the welfare of the cup.
Thus, this was the main the main reason for acting as he had. He
also required the services of the Dementors to offer a distraction
while Peter retrieved the final one he had placed at Hogwarts.
Usually he would simply ask Severus to retrieve it but with the man's
knowledge of the dark arts, it was very likely that he would recognise
what it was and he wanted to protect his secret as best he could and
keep it to himself unless it became entirely necessary.
He knew Peter could get in to the castle as he had spent many years
there undetected in his rat form and he knew he was not versed
enough in magic to recognise what it was he was retrieving.
The last one of his creations was with him always in the form of his
familiar. He knew it had been a risk creating one from a live vessel
but he found upon doing it the snake became much more intelligent
and very resistant to magic. Overall he was content that this one was
at least safe. The thing that had him concerned the most was the
fact that he knew he wouldn't be able to create any more. The soul is
not an infinite source and he knew from the creation of the last one
that it would no longer be a viable option.
They pain had been unbearable and he had been out of sorts for
months. Perhaps creating the last one had been a mistake on his
part.
He was broken from his reverie by the arrival of Bellatrix who was
looking terrible, Azkaban had been terrible to her and she looked just
like an inferi. Her beauty had faded with her years spent in there and
what was left was a shadow of the vibrant woman she used to be.
Now she was nothing more than a psychopath but would certainly be
useful in a fight once she was a little healthier.
"My Lord" She began falling to her knees in front of her master. "The
goblins allowed me entry as you said they would" She explained.
"And what of my item?" the Dark Lord asked impatiently.
"My vault was empty my Lord, there was nothing in there" She
sputtered, quivering in fear. "The goblins said that the ministry seized
the contents" she added continuing to shake.
The Dark Lord growled in annoyance, but was hit by a realisation. If
the ministry had seized it then it is likely that all of the contents were
simply moved to a larger and much more protected vault of their
own.
Although that was likely he still did not want to risk his final one and
knew he needed Peter to be successful in his plan. If he wasn't then
so help the rat, he would die the most painful and humiliating death
the Dark Lord could devise.
"Very well Bella" He intoned neutrally, "go rest and eat I will have use
for you soon enough" he instructed.
"Yes my Lord, thank you" Bellatrix replied bowing, clearly relieved at
the mercy of her master. She left the room followed shortly by the
Dark Lord, who had a discussion with some Dementors to have.
(BREAK)
Harry Potter was currently sat in Diagon Alley eating ice cream
outside of Florean Fortescues' simply watching the crowd,
something he had been doing a lot recently particularly after the
incident in the apothecary a few months ago.
He had in the intervening months prevented a few other attempts at
intimidation and attacks from single Death Eaters and had
recommended that the owners run an owl service only business for
the time being which they had quickly listened to, having been
harshly made aware of the reality of the spreading rumours.
He had become adept at disguising himself but it was something he
did not enjoy doing, he did not feel himself in his various disguises
he had come up with, something he made sure he changed each
time he came here.
He had, as he promised himself, both changed and increased his
training, incorporating many new aspects to improve himself as
much as he could and as a result he knew now that he was better
than ever which was a relief to him, particularly after the breakout
from Azkaban and the subsequent reporting of the incident in the
Daily Prophet.
Clearly the minister had prevented any speculation or allusions to
the Dark Lord, blaming Sirius for helping the prisoners to escape as
he had done it himself before. Both Harry and Arcturus were
incensed by the article and it had taken them both a very long time to
calm down. Harry knew that it would have to be sooner rather than
later that he would have to bring the Dark Lord out in the open if
things continued the way they were but first and foremost he had to
catch the elusive rat to clear his Godfather's name.
The rat had yet to make any appearance that Harry had been aware
of. He had done as he previously had and spent times in various
hovels trying to catch even a whisper of the rat and his whereabouts
but to no avail. He had picked up a few names of Death Eaters and
made a mental note of them for future reference but other than that,
these efforts had been fruitless. It seemed that Pettigrew was
keeping a low profile and it infuriated Harry to no end but he knew he
would have to remain patient. He had tasked Dobby with searching
for the man also and much to the elf's disappointment, it had been a
dead avenue also.
The reason that Harry was here was that he simply needed some
fresh air. He and Arcturus had had a heated discussion about the
Azkaban escape and in particular Arcturus's granddaughter,
Bellatrix.
Arcturus insisted that although she was one of Riddle's top Death
Eaters, she was still his family and he would not allow Harry to kill
her if he came across her unless absolutely necessary.
Harry had countered the argument by pointing out that she had
tortured and murdered innocent people, but Arcturus would not
concede.
Eventually the argument got so heated that both men were no longer
making any sense and Harry had left not wanting to upset the man
further. Despite the fact that he was a cantankerous old git at the
best of times, Harry did care for him deeply and was grateful for what
he had done.
While sitting here he had decided that he would respect the man's
wishes but would not hold back if the deranged woman tried to
attack him or anyone else. He knew Arcturus would not be entirely
happy with his compromise but he would accept it.
Harry had been visiting his Godfather more regularly since he met
with Dumbledore and the rest of the order but had not attended any
more meetings with the group knowing he could trust the old man to
contact him with any important information.
He had received his OWL results in mid-February, much later than
he had expected to. The letter with the results had informed him that
there were difficulties in grading his work as he was clearly capable
way beyond the curriculum and there had been some considerable
debating between his two examiners which had caused the delay.
Overall he was very happy and very proud of what he had achieved
as was Arcturus who praised him for his efforts and ability in a rare
show of visual pride. He ensured Harry that his grandparents would
be extremely proud of him also. With his results he had been offered
a very rare opportunity and he was very much looking forward to it
when the time was right.
Harry continued watching the people in the alley that was definitely
much emptier today than it usually was; hardly surprising considering
the outbreak. He would spend the day here until darkness falls and
then he would head to Knockturn Alley and see if any information
could be gathered about the rat or even the escape from the
notorious prison.
(BREAK)
Peter Pettigrew had just been dismissed by the Dark Lord and he
was not comfortable with the mission he had been given to redeem
himself but knew he could not refuse his master. He knew he could
get in the castle without any problems it was getting out that worried
him. He was aware that as soon as the Dementors attacked then a
full alert would be implemented and the castle would be locked
down. The rat would be alone, something he did not like.
The only back up he had would be the distraction of the Dementors
and that made him very nervous. The one thing he was grateful was
that the Dark Lord had allowed him to wait until the next Hogsmeade
weekend meaning that the castle would be mostly empty, giving him
the only real advantage towards completing the task. He just hoped
that it would be enough and the plan would go off without a hitch.
(BREAK)
The day that the students of Hogwarts had been waiting for had
finally arrived; the last day of term before the Easter holidays. Today
was a Hogsmeade day and the students were grateful at the early
reprieve from the tyranny of the toad and her chosen cronies. Even
though they were leaving tomorrow, everyone in the castle who
could leave seem to have opted to do so for a few care free hours.
Hermione, Ron, Neville and Ginny had decided to go to the village
early as none of them had fully packed for the trip home the following
day and they were hoping that with the castle much emptier, they
would be able to get a little practical practice in without being
disturbed. Thus they were among the first students to leave the
castle hoping to return quickly.
They spent their time shopping for sweets in Honeydukes and at the
request of Hermione, went to Slug and Jiggers for a top up on her
potion ingredients knowing that Diagon Alley was not the most
desirable place to be at the moment in time.
With their shopping complete they had time for a quick butterbeer in
the Three Broomsticks before they headed back to the castle to pack
as they had planned. Ron complained loudly that his day in the
village was cut short but even he couldn't wait to get home for a
breather and to have some of his mothers' home cooking.
With their packing complete they made their way to the 6th floor
classroom they had used for the previous meeting and began
practicing the spell work they were not allowed to under normal
circumstances, completely unaware of anything that was happening
outside of the room they had warded and silenced accordingly.
(BREAK)
Daphne, Astoria and Tracey had decided that they would pack
before heading to the village knowing that most of the students
would be getting the carriages at the earliest possible opportunity to
spend as much time out of the castle as they could.
It was around 11:30 by the time they had finished their packing and
made their way to the entrance hall to be checked out by Filch who
was clearly in a sour mood.
The castle was silent as the trio had expected as clearly the students
had acted as they had predicted. After being jabbed and prodded
unnecessarily by the caretaker they caught a carriage and made
their way in to the very busy village.
"So much for it being quieter later" Tracey grumbled agitatedly.
"I didn't say it would be quieter" Daphne pointed out. "I just said it
would be better to pack earlier and avoid the rush for the first
carriages" she explained to her friend.
"Let's just be grateful we get to leave" Astoria chimed in. "I can't
stand Malfoy leering at everyone and strutting around the common
room like a peacock, I just want to hex the bastard every time I see
him" she said with a cruel smirk.
"Yes, well we get two weeks away from the ferret, he's been much
worse since Potter has been away and not embarrassed him all
year" Tracey added in disgust. "I wish he would come back even just
to put Malfoy in his place" She finished thoughtfully.
"Draco is just a ponce" Daphne proclaimed. "He will get what's
coming to him eventually" she concluded.
The trio made their way to the Three Broomsticks to get some lunch
as it had taken them a reasonable amount of time to make their way
through the crowds. They managed to find a table in the busy pub
and ordered their food.
When they finished eating the left the pub and re-joined the crowd in
the busy street.
"What do you need to get?" Tracey asked the sisters trying to avoid
being bustled around too much.
"I need potions ingredients" Astoria replied.
"I was only planning on getting some sweets and going to zonkos' to
get a surprise for our resident fifth year prefects" Daphne responded
looking mischievous.
Tracey shook her head at her friend. She knew Daphne had quite a
mean streak but she had been terrorising Pansy a lot recently and
now seemed to be ready to turn her attention to Malfoy.
"Well why don't you do that and I will go with Tori, I need to get a new
cauldron and we can meet you here in half an hour" Tracey
suggested.
Daphne knowing that it made no sense for all three of them to try
and make their way through the crowds to the different shops agreed
and went on her way. Zonkos was not far from the apothecary so
she went to Honeydukes first, thinking she would catch her friend
and sister as they were finishing their shopping.
Things were going according to plan. She had gotten her sweets and
exited the shop to make her final stop. It was then that things went
horribly wrong. She could feel a slight chill in the air and could hear
screams coming from the other side of the village.
She withdrew her wand and made her way towards the screams
filled with dread. It was then she realised what was happening.
"Oh Shit" she cursed.
She had been practicing tirelessly ever since Granger had spoken of
the difficulty of it, but she was not ready for this.
(BREAK)
Arcturus was sat in his office poring over the map he had borrowed
from Potter that his moron of a grandson and his friends had made
at school. He was loathe to admit it, but it was quite an extraordinary
item and one that he was sure would be able to help him find what
he was looking for.
He was sure that Riddle had left one of his abominations in the
castle, he was cocksure enough to do it, that was for certain.
He had waited for today to look over the map after he discovered it
would be a Hogsmeade day and he could look at it without being
distracted by the moving dots of the students. He had already
discovered that there were many rooms and tunnels around the
castle that he had never been aware of and according to Potter,
there were even more.
The boy had pointed out that the chamber of secrets wasn't marked
on the map so the chances of there being other hidden rooms was
quite high. But Arcturus knew that learning as much as he could from
the map was a good start and he could at least garner some idea
where it could be hidden. He would have Potter check the chamber
when the time was right and any other room he found of interest on
the map.
He knew Potter could get in and out of the castle with his cloak and
the map undetected so had already began to put a plan in place to
have him search but that meant he would need to include the boy on
all the details, something he wasn't ready to share yet unless he was
completely sure of a firm location he had confidence in.
As he was looking the map over he noticed an isolated dot located in
the Shrieking Shack that made him stiffen and had him hurrying
quickly from the room with a cruel yet triumphant grin on his face.
(BREAK)
Harry had just finished dressing after his post-workout shower and
was preparing to make his way to the alley to see if he could gather
anything from listening to the crowds. He was about to begin
applying his glamour when his door burst open and Arcturus charged
in clutching the map looking gleeful.
"The rat is at the Shrieking Shack" he spoke breathlessly handing
the parchment to the teen, evidently the older man had ran to the
room.
Harry looked at the map and grinned. He was about to disapparate
when a pop sounded and a frantic Dobby appeared in the room
looking very fearful.
"Harry Potter sir the Dementies are attacking the students' sir" he
shouted in a panic.
Harry grabbed the elf to calm him and addressed him as quickly and
controlled as he could.
"Go and tell Dumbledore" he instructed the elf.
"Professor Whiskers is already there Harry Potter sir" the elf
explained. "Professor Whiskers and the other Professors is there sir
but they is too many Dementies" he explained panicking more.
"Get the rat first Potter" Arcturus said. "Dumbledore can at least hold
them off until you or the aurors get there" he said confidently.
Harry nodded and disappeared, appearing outside the shack. He
checked the map and saw that Peter was just inside. Harry
disillusioned himself and silenced his feet before entering.
Seeing the door opening that rat squeaked and made a break for the
stairs that led to the tunnel that would bring him the base of the
Whomping Willow. It did not take long for him to locate the rat who
was making his way through the tunnel. Harry saw a glint of silver in
the darkness and fired a well-aimed stunner at the traitor, catching
the rat on its flank.
He summoned the rat and stunned it again, for good measure.
"Where were you going Peter, we have a lot of catching up to do" he
spoke to unconscious vermin with a twisted smile.
He quickly remembered the Dementors that were plaguing the
village and quickly made his way to help. He exited the shack and
walked straight in to a scene of complete panic and chaos.
The Dementors were spread out and not attacking in a concentrated
fashion as they usually would, making it much more difficult to
combat the creatures. Harry charged forward and quickly saw a
blonde student attempting a patronus charm that was just not strong
enough to fight of the Dementor that had accosted her. He watched
in horror as her weak shield fell and the beast approached her.
" Expecto Patronum" he said casually, knowing he had to remain
calm.
His Thestral erupted from the end of his wand and galloped audibly
into the Dementor causing it to flee with a loud screech of fury into
the air, which his patronus followed and began flying at every one of
the creatures it came to. Harry noticed the girl was about to keel over
and apparated to her side and managed to catch the near
unconscious blonde in his arms before she hit the floor.
(BREAK)
The sheer number of Dementors that were attacking had Albus
Dumbledore worried. He was very adept with the Patronus charm
but the way the creatures were scattered made it difficult even for his
powerful phoenix to combat.
He had sent word to the auror office but they were notoriously slow
at responding so for the time being it was only himself, Minerva and
Filius who were able to produce the charm powerful enough to be of
any use.
The cold was truly settling in on him now and he began to feel the
effects which made it difficult to maintain the spell. He could see that
his colleagues were fairing no better but he would not give in though.
He steeled himself and pushed as hard as he could with his magic.
His phoenix grew brighter but he knew it would not be enough to put
the odds in his favour.
He was beginning to lose hope when he suddenly heard a screech
of rage from one of the beasts and looked up to see a huge Thestral
Patronus ploughing through the air, beating its powerful wings and
defending the village without abandon.
Albus Dumbledore smiled as he felt the warmth and hope fill him,
there was only one young man capable of such a feat; Harry Potter
had come to their aide.
(BREAK)
Daphne Greengrass knew that she was at her limit and was feeling
the last of her magical reserves leaving her body in her attempt at
repelling the Dementor that had attacked her. Upon realising what
had happened she had tried to hurry to find her sister and best friend
when she encountered the creature. She had been working on her
patronus for months and had only been able to produce a silvery
misty shield at best which was much harder in the moment when it
mattered.
She felt her shield fail and knew that this was it; she was going to be
killed before she had even left school. She felt disorientated and
slightly delirious from the effort it had taken to even fight as well as
she had. She thought she could hear the galloping of hooves
followed by a terrifying screech, She felt as though she had been
hoisted from the ground then she knew no more.
She came to her senses feeling very light and warm as though she
was in a gentle and comfortable embrace; if this was heaven then
she would be content with this feeling eternally.
She could still hear the screams and was confused as to why she
could still hear the happenings of the village in the afterlife. She
opened her eyes and found that she was in the arms and pulled
gently against the muscular chest of a young man.
The first thing she noticed as she looked up was a bright emerald fire
in his eyes, beautiful emerald eyes that were radiating a power, but it
was not a power that made her shudder in apprehension. On the
contrary it was a power that made her feel safe and added to her
already comfortable state.
"You have very beautiful eyes" She murmured in her delirium and
pulled herself closer to the young man instinctively and nestled her
head deeper in his chest.
She felt the man chuckle and shake his head.
"Thank you miss" the man replied in obvious amusement.
"Am I in heaven?" she mumbled, causing him to chuckle again.
"If you are then I am honoured that I am your idea of a suitable
afterlife my lady" he responded sounding even more amused.
It was then that Daphne realised she was in fact not dead as she
heard the voice of Astoria cut in to her bliss.
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing with my sister?" she
heard her question the young man angrily.
"Calm down Miss" he replied quietly. "Your sister was being attacked
by a Dementor, I helped her and she passed out" he explained.
"Yes well you can put her down now" She retorted clearly annoyed to
find her sister in the arms of a man.
She felt him shrug before he addressed her.
"Are you ok to stand Miss?" he asked.
Daphne nodded reluctantly and felt herself being placed gently on
her feet. She shot her sister a look to express her annoyance before
turning to face the man.
He was tall and muscular with short dark hair and was well groomed.
He had the brightest green eyes she had ever seen that were still
simmering with the undercurrent of power she could see there but
the eyes looking back on her were now looking at her with concern in
them. She could get lost in those eyes and she wouldn't even care.
She shook her head. Daphne Greengrass did not fawn over boys. It
was then that she saw the wand that he was holding and her eyes
widened in shock.
"It was you" She stammered pointing at him.
"Me?" he questioned looking confused, clearly thinking that she was
still delirious.
"Yes, it was you, you saved my mother" she explained looking at
Tracey and Astoria who by now had also noticed his wand.
"I did?" he asked again.
"Yes the apothecary in Diagon Alley, all she could remember was
how unique your wand was" she explained getting a little frustrated.
"Ahh" he replied in realisation. "The beautiful blonde lady who looks
much like yourself and your sister" he realised indicating the sisters.
Daphne flushed at the compliment that didn't go unnoticed by her
friend who raised her eyebrow at her.
"Thank you, for saving her" Astoria cut in no longer annoyed at the
mystery man.
"Yes, thank you" Daphne echoed her sisters' sentiments. "And thank
you for saving me" She said shyly. "It looks like my family owe you"
she added.
The young man shook his head.
"You don't owe me anything" he intoned. "I just did what I knew was
the right thing" he explained.
Strangely, he then removed a rat with a silver paw from his pocket
and sighed in relief.
"Now if you ladies will excuse me, I have to go and clear my
godfathers name" he declared placing the rat in his pocket and
nodding to someone behind the trio of girls.
"Wait.." Daphne shouted, but it was too late, the young man had
disappeared without a sound.
The group turned to see Professor Dumbledore watching them with
his eyes twinkling madly.
"Professor, do you know who he was?" Daphne asked the
headmaster.
"Yes, he is the young man who prevented a lot of loss and heartache
today" the old man replied cryptically.
"I meant his name sir" Daphne responded.
"Ahh, he did not give you one?" he asked the girl clearly amused.
"No sir" Daphne replied. "But he saved mine and my mothers' life
and I wanted to be able to thank him properly" she explained.
Even though the young man had insisted she nor her mother owed
him anything, she at least wanted to show her gratitude and
appreciation to him. There are not many who would intervene the
way he had, and to do so twice was certainly something.
"Yes he is a rather special young man isn't he" the headmaster
mused. "But if he did not give you a name then it is not my place to"
he explained firmly. "I'm sure all will be revealed soon enough" he
added knowingly with an amused twinkle in his eyes.
With that the trio left the company of the headmaster and made their
way back to the castle, grateful that they had managed to survive an
encounter with the now former guards of Azkaban.
"He was gorgeous wasn't he?" Tracey broke the silence dreamily.
"Daphne thought so" Astoria replied with a hint of mischief in her
voice.
"Oh shut up Tori" her sister retorted and moved ahead of the other
two who seemed intent on teasing her because of her lapse in
coherency in a moment of weakness.
They made their way in to the entrance hall and were stopped by
Granger, Longbottom and the two youngest Weasleys.
"What happened?" Granger asked having seen the state of some of
the returning students.
"Dementors" Tracey replied shaking her head.
"Oh my god" Hermione replied with wide eyes. "Is everyone ok?" she
asked clearly concerned.
"Dumbledore seems to think so" Tracey answered the Gryffindor
who breathed a sigh of relief.
"It was close to ending badly though" Astoria cut in. "If it wasn't for
that guy turning up with his patronus it would have been bad" She
surmised.
"What guy?" Hermione asked with a frown.
"Ask Daphne" Tracey responded, her eyes full of mirth. "She was the
one who was in his arms" she added laughing at her friends look of
betrayal.
"Shut up Tracey" Daphne hissed at her friend.
"What happened?" Hermione asked ignoring the teasing from
Tracey.
"I don't really know" Daphne admitted. "I was trying to fight off a
Dementor and I passed out. I woke up and this guy was holding me"
she explained.
"Things were going bad" Astoria cut in. "They were everywhere and
the Professors couldn't stop them" she continued shaking her head.
"Then there was this loud screech and a really big patronus came
out of nowhere and chased them all away".
"What was the patronus?" the bushy haired girl questioned the
younger blonde.
"I don't know I've never seen a creature like it. but it was like a really
big horse with wings and it looked wrinkly, oh and it had a pointed tail
and a weird face" she explained her face screwed up in thought.
"A Thestral" Hermione breathed.
"A what?" the rest of the group asked in unison.
"You can only see them if you have seen death" she explained.
"They are supposed to be really bad luck because of it but they are
amazing creatures and very powerful and intelligent. They are really
protective of their young and vulnerable members of the herd. If that
guys has that as his patronus he must be quite something" she
finished thoughtfully.
"And he is gorgeous isn't he Daphne" Tracey asked nudging her
friend with her elbow who just growled in response.
"He was the one who saved our mum" Astoria explained. "He had
the wand".
Hermione frowned.
"Was there anything else about him?" she asked.
"Well he is tall and muscly and gorgeous" Tracey started listing off
but was elbowed by Daphne who was clearly getting irritated by her
friend.
"Green eyes" Daphne said quietly. "He had really bright green eyes"
she said again a little shyly.
"Oh and he left without even giving a name" Tracey added. "He had
a dead rat with him and said something about clearing his
Godfather" she finished.
That final piece of information had the Gryffindors' sharing knowing
looks of shock and realisation.
"Harry" Hermione said breathily.
"Huh?" Tracey questioned.
"It was Harry, the rat must have been Pettigrew" she exclaimed.
"But Harrys' patronus is a stag" Ginny pointed out.
"It can change" Hermione said dismissively.
"Potter?" Astoria chimed in. "You're saying that was Potter" she said
looking amused.
"Definitely" Hermione replied clearly thinking.
"Oh this is great" Tracey suddenly cut in laughing and pointing at
Daphne. "You were saved by the golden boy and were melting in to
him, don't even deny it I saw that look you gave him" she added
gleefully.
"Shut up Tracey" Daphne hissed again, cursing herself for the way
she had acted. "Like I would be interested in Potter" she finished
unconvincingly.
"Just as well" Ron piped up angrily. "Harry wouldn't date a snake
anyway, he hates all of you" he spat and had a bitter grin on his face.
The three Slytherins knowing that Weasley would be on a rant for a
while decided to make their excuses and leave and go back to their
common room.
Daphne quickly made further excuses so she could be alone for a
while citing that she was tired.
She sat on her bed in her dormitory lost in thought. She couldn't
believe that she had been saved by Potter. Not that she had
anything against him personally but if word got out about the way
she acted then it would be a nightmare for her. She was grateful that
tomorrow was the start of the holidays and that this could all just
blow over. She would have to have a word with her sister and so
called best friend to ensure they kept their mouths shut.
(BREAK)
Harry arrived back in the drawing room to an expectant Arcturus,
who just looked at the boy with an impatient expression marring his
face.
"Well?" he questioned when Harry said nothing.
Harry reached into his pocket and removed the still stunned
animagus and dangled him in front of the older man, his face splitting
into a triumphant grin.
"Good work Potter" Arcturus praised. "Now we can get that idiot
grandson of mine free finally".
Harry nodded in reply.
"I will let Sirius know we have him" he replied.
"Good, and make sure you take the rat directly to Amelia Bones,
she's a fair woman and will do what is right. If she doesn't then do
whatever you have to do to make sure that Sirius gets his trial,
understood?" he finished questioningly.
"I'll take the rat, but first me and Peter have a little catching up to do"
he replied with a cruel smile.
Arcturus shook his head at the boy.
"I understand" he began. "But do not kill him" he instructed firmly.
"We need him alive and don't you forget it" he finished sternly.
He knew Potter would want to confront the man hell, he had more
right than any. He just wanted to make sure the boy didn't forget
what was at stake here and make the same mistake his moronic
grandson made.
"I won't kill him" Harry promised. "But he might just wish I had" he
added with malice and clear intentions.
With that Harry left the drawing room and took the rat to the training
room. He conjured a chair and placed Pettigrew on it and pointed his
wand at the traitor. He flicked his wand at the rat and it slowly
changed in to the man he had met almost two years ago, the man
that was responsible for the death of his parents and the man that
was the cause of the second rise of the Dark Lord.
Harry looked at the man with disgust, just his breathing offended him
and made him feel a hatred he had never felt before. He flicked his
wand towards the man and bound him to the chair.
" Ennervate" he muttered, causing the rat to stir.
Peter Pettigrew awoke in an unfamiliar room and immediately saw
that he was being watched by a young man, a young man with eerily
green eyes that instantly put him on edge and feel a trickle of fear
seep into his very being. He realised he was bound to a chair and
despite his efforts, he could not transform.
"The Dark Lord will kill you for interfering in his plan" he explained to
the young man who just narrowed his eyes.
"Oh I hope he tries" the man replied laughing.
It was not a joyous laugh, but a cold one that truly dared the ire of
the Dark Lord to turn to him and it made Peter very uncomfortable.
"You managed to escape me in France you fucking traitor but I knew
I would get you in the end" the man spat and snarled at Peter.
A sudden realisation hit him and the animagus began to tremble
uncontrollably. This was the man he had seen destroy his entire
team.
Peter knew he was truly in trouble now.
"Whatever I did I'm sorry" he tried pleadingly. "I don't even know who
you are" he finished lamely.
The man just raised an eyebrow at him and continued to stare. It
was several moments before he spoke again.
"So you don't recognise the son of your so called friends?" he asked.
"The friends you sold out to Voldemort, you cowardly shit" he roared,
his eyes flaring even brighter in anger.
It was then that Peter realised who this was. But how could it be? He
had seen the Dark Lord kill him. He remembered the boy from 2
years ago, the small underfed boy who had pleaded with Black and
Lupin to spare him. He felt a brief moment of hope that he would be
spared again but catching the young mans' eyes, he knew that
would not be the case.
"Ha.. Harry?" he asked disbelievingly.
"So you finally see it do you" Harry replied coldly.
"You're not going to kill me, you're not like them" Peter managed to
reply unconvincingly and sweating profusely from the nervousness
he was feeling.
"You're right Peter, I won't kill you" the teen replied much to the relief
of the other man. "But I am going to make you suffer, cause you a
fraction of the pain you caused me, Sirius and Remus" he added icily
and began to walk towards the shaking man.
"Wh.. What are you doing?" the rat stammered out, clearly terrified.
Harry looked at the rat calculatingly before giving a single word
answer.
"Justice" he replied callously.
The next several hours would be the worst of Peter Pettigrews' life.
Many times he wished that the teen would just kill him but it was not
to be. By the end of his ordeal he had screamed his vocal chords
raw and he had, and was, experiencing a pain he never thought
possible. He found himself looking forward to being handed over to
the aurors, at least there he would be safe from Harry Potter.
(BREAK)
Platform 9 ¾ the next day was filled with worried and frantic parents
waiting for their children arrive for the Easter Holidays. They had of
course been informed of the attack in Hogsmeade yesterday and
now almost every parent of the students seemed to be waiting to
make sure that no harm had come to them personally.
One such couple were the Greengrass parents.
Ophelia and Jonathan were waiting with Davis family, having spent a
restless night and day for the moment their children would be safely
back with them. Jonathan in particular had not slept. Ever since his
wife had been attacked he had not been able to relax and had been
very on edge. Finding out that his two daughters had been in such
danger had pushed him over that edge and he just wanted them with
him so he could hold them in his arms and see that they were truly
ok.
After what seemed like an eternity the train pulled into the station
and the students slowly began to exit the train. Tense eyes scanned
each child as they left impatiently, slowly turning into relief when the
recognition of their child registered, others continuing the tense
search seeking that same relief.
Eventually the tension subsided and each parent and child were
reunited, they were safe, miraculously they were all safe.
Jonathan pulled his daughters in to his arms and held them for
everything he was worth. He was not usually an overtly emotional
man and it was not often that he would be seen giving public
displays of affection such as this but today was different, today he
was a father first and foremost, his reputation be damned.
"Are you girls ok?" he asked the trio when has was satisfied they
were physically well.
"Fine dad" Daphne replied quietly.
"All thanks to your hero" Tracey chimed in, feigning a swoon that
caused Astoria to laugh.
"Hero?" Jonathan asked with a frown.
"Yep" Astoria responded looking mischievous before her sister could.
"The same boy who helped mum, the one with the wand" She added
turning to her mother.
This peaked Jonathan's interest greatly.
"Is that so"? he asked with a raised eyebrow. "And did you happen to
catch the name of this mystery wizard?" he added.
He himself was keen to track the young man down. He had spent the
last few months making discreet inquiries but to no avail. The man
had saved his wife and now had seemingly come to his daughter's
aide also. He wanted to show the young man his gratitude for
rescuing the most important thing to him, and now it seemed he truly
owed the wizard.
"Not here" Daphne growled in an annoyed tone to her best friend
and sister, turning and walking towards the barrier.
"What's wrong with her?" Ophelia asked the other two teens.
"She's been in a bad mood all day" Astoria responded, "I think she's
embarrassed" she finished with a shrug.
"Embarassed? Are you going to explain what happened?" She
questioned the two impatiently.
"Yes but Daphne is right, not here" Astoria replied, indicating the
large crowd.
"Back home it is then, are you coming Robert, Susan?" Jonathan
asked Tracey's parents.
"We are just as keen to get to the bottom of this as you are" Robert
responded eliciting a nod of agreement from his wife. "Lead the way"
he shrugged.
The group made their way to the apparition point where Daphne was
waiting for them looking impatient.
The parents apparated the teens to the Greengrass home where
they could talk more privately. Jonathan led them to the lounge area
and gestured for everyone to take a seat, Daphne did so reluctantly.
"So what happened yesterday?" Jonathan asked. "We were told it
was a Dementor attack but we didn't get any details" he explained.
"The village was busy" Tracey began. "So we split up. Me and Tori
needed some things from the potion shop and Daphne went to
Honeydukes. We heard screaming but didn't pay any attention to it at
first. When we went outside it was really cold and they were
everywhere" she explained with a shudder. "The professors were
trying to fight them but there were too many".
"How many?" Robert cut in.
"Easily over a hundred" Tracey replied to which Astoria nodded.
"Well out of nowhere we heard one of them screech and we saw a
huge patronus fly in and sent them off" She continued.
"A Thestral" Astoria piped up. "It sent them all away with
Dumbledore, McGonagall and Flitwicks' help" she explained.
"We went looking for Daphne and saw her in his arms, it was his
patronus" Tracey finished.
"Daphne?" her mother questioned.
Daphne sighed in resignation but knew her mother would want to
know.
"I came out of Honeydukes and heard the screams and could feel
the cold. I tried to find those two and was attacked by a Dementor"
she continued quietly. "I tried to fight it off but my patronus isn't
strong enough" she explained disappointedly. "I felt myself getting
weak and then my spell failed and I woke up in his arms. But I think I
heard hooves and the Dementor screech and he caught me before I
fell" She finished.
"Well just the fact you can produce any kind of patronus is a hell of a
feat and you should be very proud" Her father praised. "What
happened next?" he asked further.
Daphne turned red at the question not wanting to answer.
"Well we came over and Daphne looked very happy in his arms"
Tracey cut in, her eyes full of mirth. "What was he laughing at by the
way?, you didn't tell us" she asked her friend.
"Shut up Tracey, I thought I was dead" Daphne retorted heatedly
turning red further.
"Daphne?" her mother questioned.
"I told him he had beautiful eyes alright, can you just drop it now" she
responded irritably. "And if you tell anyone I will kill you" she
threatened the two teens.
Tracey and Astoria burst out laughing to the point they had tears in
their eyes. It was the fact that Daphne had even said it that amused
them so much, it was so out of character to the point of hilarity.
After the two had composed themselves it was Tracey who
attempted to come to her friends rescue.
"You are right though, everything about him is beautiful" Tracey
intoned dreamily.
"Oh Shut up" Daphne replied simply.
"You still haven't told us who he is?" Jonathan interrupted.
"Oh that is the best bit" Tracey replied instantly looking very amused
again. "It was Potter, Daphne was happily in the golden boy's arms"
she added with a grin.
"Potter? As in Harry Potter?" Jonathan asked clearly surprised.
"The one and only" Tracey responded.
"So he's been found then?" Robert asked.
"Not exactly" Tracey replied. "He didn't tell us his name it was his
friends that worked it out. Dumbledore saw him and wouldn't give us
his name either" she explained further.
"Not that it matters anyway" Daphne cut in after finally composing
herself.
"What do you mean?" Jonathan asked.
"Well I explained that he had saved mum, which he remembered,
and when I said that our family owes him he just shrugged it off and
said we didn't owe him anything and that he was just doing the right
thing" Daphne explained.
"And he said you were beautiful, just like your mother" Tracey added
much to the chagrin of the blonde.
"Shut up Tracey or so help me I will hex you" Daphne threatened.
"Well the boy clearly has good taste in women" Jonathan added
receiving a slap to the shoulder from his wife who had turned red.
"Be that as it may" Ophelia began. "I would like to thank him in some
way, I guess none of you know how to contact him?" she asked the
teens.
"Actually Longbottom sent him an owl and he replied last year"
Tracey answered, remembering the previous meeting they had. "And
I'm guessing Dumbledore knows how to contact him too" she added.
Ophelia nodded.
"Then we shall invite him for dinner" she stated, gaining different
reactions from those assembled.
"Oh please mum no" Daphne pleaded. "It's embarrassing enough"
she moaned.
"Oh I have to be here for that" Tracey demanded, her eyes alight
with amusement once again.
"It's the least we can do Daphne" her mother replied firmly.
"Don't worry Daphne" Astoria chirped. "You get to tell him how pretty
his eyes are again" She finished causing everyone except her sister
to laugh.
Daphne half growled, half screeched and left the room in a huff.
"She's been like that since she found out it was Potter who saved
her" Astoria pointed out.
"Ahh" Ophelia intoned. "She's torn" she concluded, getting a nod
from Susan.
"Torn?" Tracey questioned with a frown.
"Clearly she likes the boy" her mother explained. "But because of
who it is she won't admit it" she explained knowingly.
"Oh" Tracey whispered in understanding. "And there was me thinking
she swung the other way" she added.
"Tracey!" her mother reprimanded.
"Well she's almost sixteen and up until yesterday she had never
shown any interest in boys, what was I supposed to think?" she
asked rhetorically.
"There was no need to be so crass about it" her mother reprimanded
her again.
"I guess it didn't help with what that prat Weasley said" Astoria spoke
up.
"Weasley? What did he say?" Ophelia asked with a frown.
"He's one of Potter's friends and he said that Daphne wouldn't stand
a chance with him" she shrugged.
"He is probably right though" Tracey added. "Pretty much everyone
in our house has given Potter grief, he has no reason to like any of
us" she pointed out.
"You mean Malfoy and the idiots he hangs around with, and the
qudditch team" Astoria interjected.
"Yeah well Potter does have a tendency to embarrass them all"
Tracey replied. "But Daphne hasn't ever spoken to him apart from
yesterday" she mused.
"Doesn't matter, she's still one of us" Astoria shrugged.
"Yes well, I'm going to write to the boy, he might not even respond"
Ophelia cut in.
"Yes, Tracey say goodbye to Astoria and Daphne it is time for us to
head home" Robert addressed his daughter.
"Ohh if he does reply I want to be there" Tracey requested.
"Yes Tracey" Ophelia replied, shaking her head.
With that she left the room to write a letter to the Potter boy. Never in
a million years would she have guessed it was him that had saved
her that day.
(BREAK)
Harry went to the drawing for breakfast and was confronted with an
annoyed looking Arcturus who just stared at the teen with a
penetrating gaze.
"Feel better now?" he questioned neutrally.
"It wasn't about making me feel better" Harry replied taking a seat.
"There is nothing that can make me feel better about losing my
parents or the fact that Sirius spent 12 years in Azkaban and that I
had to grow up with those bastards" he explained. "I did what I did
because that's what he deserved. He doesn't deserve to just be
handed to the aurors and get a cell in Azkaban away from the war. If
I didn't need him to clear Sirius then I would have killed him slowly,
because that is what he deserves, no other reason" he finished a
little heatedly.
"So it was justice?" the older man questioned.
"Yes, but I won't pretend that I'm not glad that it was me that got to
give it to him" Harry replied flatly.
The older man shook his head but he understood his reasoning.
"Just like your Grandfather would have done" he sighed. "Are you
planning to hand him over any time soon?" he asked.
"Today" Harry replied after finishing his mouthful of banana.
"Good" Arcturus responded. "The sooner we get him in the sooner
the idiot will be free" he explained.
"I'll take him after breakfast" Harry promised.
"Good" the older man responded again. "Did you get anything useful
from him?" he asked.
Harry grinned.
"I know why he was there, what he was after and exactly where it is"
he informed the man triumphantly.
Arcturus suddenly had a look of relief quickly followed by one of
amused anticipation.
"Finally" he said to himself.
(BREAK)
Amelia Bones was sat in her office going through the mountain of
paperwork that came with her job. The last 10 months had been
nothing but stressful for the head of the DMLE and it was only
getting worse.
The evidence that the Dark Lord had returned had been mounting
since June to a point she knew that even now it was going to be a
disastrous time when it was revealed. The breakout from Azkaban
had only added to her stress. Fudge had blamed Sirius Black but
Amelia knew otherwise, she knew that You-Know-Who was involved.
She was frustrated by how obvious it was and how Fudge was
blatantly ignoring everything she told him. Extortion and reports of
attacks had increased tenfold and she simply did not have the
manpower to increase patrols or even protect the publicly the way
she wanted to. Fudge was a moron and he was going to be
responsible for a lot of deaths. If anything, the idiot was making it
very easy for the Dark lord and Amelia was powerless to do a thing.
She shook her head in annoyance as she was pulled from her
thoughts by a knock at the door.
"Enter" She commanded irritably.
"Madame Bones, there is a young man here to see you" her
assistant spoke as she entered.
"Who is it?" She asked in annoyance.
"He didn't say Ma'am but he is insisting on seeing you and you only,
he says it is important" the assistant explained.
Amelia sighed.
"Send him in then" she said waving dismissively.
Shortly afterwards a tall and muscular young man entered dressed
casually in a white t-shirt and light jeans and boots.
'That's how my aurors should look' the older woman thought, taking
in the young mans' athletic appearance.
"How can I help you?" she asked shaking herself from her musings.
Instead of saying a word the young man removed a rat from his
pocket and placed it on the desk before taking a seat and folding his
arms.
Amelia raised an eyebrow at her guest.
"And what am I supposed to do with a rat?" she asked irritably.
"Oh that is no rat, that is the ticket to my godfather's freedom" was
the reply she got with an amused look.
"And who would your godfather be young man?" she asked getting
more annoyed by the minute.
"Sirius Black" he replied casually.
Amelia chocked and sputtered but quickly composed herself.
"Potter?" she asked looking at him critically who just nodded the
affirmative.
Amelia removed her wand and was about to lock her door when she
found herself staring at the tip of a wand mere inches from her face.
"I was just going to lock the door" she explained calmly raising her
free hand to placate the boy.
Harry nodded and replaced his wand back in its holster.
Amelia shook her head and locked the door with a flick of her wand.
"Damn your fast" She observed shaking her head again.
"I have to be" Harry replied shrugging.
"Care to explain?" She asked gesturing to the rat still sat limply on
her desk.
"Ahh, Madame Bones" Harry began. "Let me introduce you to Peter
Pettigrew, the traitorous bastard who betrayed my parents" he
finished coldly.
He then removed his wand and flicked it towards the rat. In a matter
of moments a short and squat man missing most of his right arm
now laid where the rat had been. He had certainly been through the
mill and was quite badly beaten, he was covered in various cuts and
bruises and the stump of his arm had been cauterized crudely.
"He put up a surprisingly good fight" the boy explained with a shrug.
"Hmm, I'm sure he did" Amelia replied choosing to ignore the
condition of the man. "It looks like I have more work to do" she
sighed.
"I just want Sirius to get a fair trial, he never had one before and I
know he is innocent" Harry explained. "It was the rat who was my
parents' secret keeper" he finished.
"Fudge won't allow it if he finds out, you've put me in quite the
position Potter" she explained.
"Then we have to be shrewd" Harry responded. "As the head of the
DMLE you have the power to call an emergency meeting of the
wizengamot I understand" Harry spoke in a questioning tone.
"I do" Amelia answered, seeing where this was going.
"Then you don't tell him and call an emergency meeting with an
impromptu trial then he won't be able to intervene" Harry explained.
"Sirius is a member of an ancient house and everyone on the
wizengamot will have to allow the trial if only to protect their own
rights" he finished knowingly.
"That might just work Potter" Amelia conceded thoughtfully. "But it
seems that I'm the one sticking my neck out here" she pointed out.
"True" Harry agreed. "If there is anything I can do for you then of
course I will" he offered.
Amelia thought for a moment before answering.
"I want you to be there" she requested with a nod. "It will offer your
godfather more credibility if you are there supporting him and it will
make Fudge look bad" she added with a smirk.
"I can make Fudge look bad if that's what you want. I told him almost
two years ago that Sirius was innocent and he ignored me and
wouldn't believe me about the rat" Harry explained. "And because of
him nothing is being done about Riddle" he stated with a raised
eyebrow towards the woman.
"My hands are tied" Amelia replied. "He won't listen and he's ignoring
everything" She continued frustrated. "I don't have the funds nor the
men to make any difference right now" she finished.
"Then Fudge needs a wake-up call or he needs to go" Harry
responded.
"And how would we achieve that?" she questioned the boy.
"I could kill him" Harry replied casually.
"You do realise I could arrest you for saying that" Amelia warned
raising her eyebrow at the boy.
"You could but you won't" Harry responded.
Amelia just shook her head.
"Malfoy is the real problem, he's got Fudge firmly wrapped around
his finger" she explained.
"Ahh, now Malfoy I can handle" Harry grinned, already formulating a
plan in his mind. "It will take a little time but I'm sure it will work" he
explained.
"Are you going to share your idea?" Amelia asked.
"The less you know the better Madame Bones" Harry answered.
"Plausible deniability and all that" he added with a grin that caused
Amelia to shake her head once more.
"Don't make me arrest you Potter" She pleaded "because I will deny
everything if you get caught" she warned.
"Funny that that's exactly what I am planning" Harry mused looking a
little smug.
"I really don't want to know" Amelia replied clearly flustered by the
apparent recklessness the boy was displaying. "I will call the
emergency meeting for the day after tomorrow in the morning" She
decided aloud. "It gives us a day to get ready, does he have a
representative?".
"He will have" Harry answered.
Amelia unlocked the door, opened it and gave some instructions to
her assistant.
"I just sent for some aurors to deal with him" she explained pointing
to Pettigrew. "Don't worry, I trust these men with my life" she added
when she saw Harry was about to protest.
Five minutes later there was a knock on the door and Mad-eye
Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt entered the room. Upon seeing the
unconscious form of Pettigrew on the desk and Harry in the room
Kingsleys' eyes widened and Moody roared in laughter, leaning
heavily on his staff.
"Got him then did you lad?" Moody growled in amusement.
"I didn't know you and Potter were acquainted Alastor" Amelia
interjected with a raised eyebrow.
"Aye Amelia, I duelled the lad for his OWL" Moody replied thinking
quickly and a little reluctantly.
"That's why you were looking worse than you usually do back in
January" Kingsley cut in. "Why didn't you say?".
"Aye we had a good fight" Moody replied. "I was asked to keep my
mouth shut about it, it's not anyone's' business the boy was doing his
OWLS" he added giving the other auror a stern glare.
Harry took the hint that he was not supposed to know these men and
stood to introduce him.
"Hello sir" he said to Kingsley. "I'm Harry Potter" he added extending
his hand to the man.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt" the man returned. "You've had us all rather
worried Mr Potter" he continued.
"Well as you can see auror Shacklebolt I'm quite alright" Harry
answered.
"What happened to his arm?" Moody suddenly cut in.
"Accident" Harry answered casually.
"You said he put up 'quite the fight'" Amelia added staring at the boy.
"Same thing" Harry shrugged.
"Aye got what he deserve if you ask me" Moody surmised.
"You recognise him then?" Amelia asked the heavily scarred man.
"Aye, Pettigrew, apparently killed by Black who was thrown straight
in Azkaban without a trial. We were told to keep quiet and that was
that" he finished with a shrug.
"I need you two to watch him, he will be going to trial the day after
tomorrow" she instructed. "Neither of you are to leave him and you
will not speak a word of this to anyone, understood?" she asked
firmly.
"Aye Ma'am" Moody replied.
"Yes Ma'am" Kingsley followed.
"Good, I'm relying on you both, now get him out of here" she
commanded.
The two men disillusioned the body and carried it between them.
They both gave Harry a nod before exiting, leaving the head of the
DMLE alone with the teen.
"He will get his trial Potter, make sure you're there" she pressed.
"I will be, I will bring him with me" Harry promised and left quickly to
give Arcturus and Sirius the good news.
Harry arrived home and sent Dobby to give Sirius the message to be
ready for him to collect. He would use the cloak to get him in
knowing it was the best way under the circumstances. He then sent
Dobby to Andromeda and Ted to inform them of the development.
Their reply stated that they would be ready and would see him there.
Harry made his way to the drawing room after he had finished his
correspondence to inform Arcturus of the plan.
"Good" Arcturus replied when Harry told him what had happened. "I
will be coming with you" he announced. "I don't trust Fudge and the
morons around him to not fuck this up in some way, my title will at
least give him some levity" he explained. "And with you getting the
last piece of information I need from the rat there is no need for me
to be inconspicuous anymore, I've grown weary and bored of the
shadows and I feel like kicking a few arses" he finished with a look of
cruel amusement.
"It looks like a few people are in for a rude awakening then" Harry
intoned.
Arcturus just nodded.
"This came for you earlier" he broke off suddenly handing Harry an
envelope.
Harry took the letter and read it with a confused expression. "The girl
must have worked out who I am" he said to himself with a frown.
"What girl?" Arcturus asked.
"Oh I helped a girl yesterday and apparently her mother in the alley a
few months ago" he explained. "What do you know about the
Greengrass family?" he asked the older man.
"Not much" he replied thoughtfully. "Old family and neutral" he added
with a shrug. "Why?" he questioned.
"They've invited me for dinner tomorrow" Harry replied.
"It might be worth going" Arcturus advised. "They have a seat on the
wizengamot and could be a difference maker if things go tits up" he
suggested. "And it doesn't hurt to make connections" he added. "You
never know when they could be useful".
Harry nodded.
"It couldn't hurt I guess" Harry responded and penned his reply. He
sent it off with Hedwig who was happy to finally have something to
do.
With that done Harry spent the rest of his day training and reading,
he still had improvements to make and he knew he would need to be
at his best soon if he was to put his plan into action.
(BREAK)
Daphne awoke, stretched and groaned at the thought of what was
happening today; Harry Potter was coming to dinner. She had hoped
that he would refuse the invitation sent by her mother but he had
surprisingly accepted.
The truth was that Daphne was a little embarrassed about what had
happened, even though she hated to admit it to herself. The thing
that bothered her about the entire situation was how vulnerable she
had made herself appear and that did not sit well with the blonde
teen. She had nothing against Potter hell, she had never spoken to
the boy but she knew there was no love lost between him and the
members of her house.
She had cursed herself repeatedly on her reaction upon waking and
finding herself in his arms. She had never looked at a boy and felt
that wow factor that she had read about as a little girl; that was until
that moment. It made her feel more vulnerable than she ever had
and it bothered her that she was not uncomfortable with the feeling,
it was the thought of the ease of comfort she felt that made her
uncomfortable. But the biggest problem of the entire situation was
the fact that the wow factor came to her with a boy who was
seemingly unattainable for her, especially if she went by what
Weasley had said, another thing that bothered her.
As much as she tried not to, she couldn't help but think of how nice it
felt to be in his arms, how nice it was to open her eyes and see that
emerald fire and how nice it felt to feel so safe despite the danger
that was around her.
She shook her head.
No. She would not allow herself to think about it no matter how much
she enjoyed it and wanted to feel it again. She would not allow
herself to appear so vulnerable the same way and she would not
allow herself to get lost in those desires the way she truly wanted to.
It was going to be a long evening, but she would keep her guard up
and not let it falter in front of Harry Potter.
(BREAK)
Harry had spent his day training and was just finishing getting
dressed for his dinner appointment with the Greengrass family. He
decided to forego the formality of wearing robes and decided to
dress in a white, fitted short sleeve shirt, tailored black trousers and
some stylish chocolate Chelsea boots. He topped off his look with a
black pea-coat keeping his dress smart but fairly casual. He made
his way to the drawing room to inform Arcturus that he was leaving
and to receive the no doubt last minute advice the man would give.
Upon entering he was given the nod of approval for his outfit and the
older man addressed him as expected.
"Remember your manners Potter" he began. "These people have
invited you in to their home and you will address them as Lord and
Lady Greengrass unless you are told otherwise, understood?" he
asked to ensure the teen was listening.
"Yes sir" Harry replied gratefully, knowing he was not well versed in
wizard etiquette as well as he should be.
"Good, then be off" Arcturus dismissed the teen.
Harry gave him an amused look.
"You seem keen to get rid of me, you wouldn't happen to have a hot
date would you?" he questioned cheekily before disapparating.
Arcturus growled.
"Fucking Potter" he mumbled. "I will curse that insolent little shit" he
vowed with a shake of his head.
(BREAK)
Harry appeared in front of a large set of gates as per the instructions
of the invitation. The house was very impressive; it was a massive
Victorian style building that one would read about if they cared to
browse classical literature. It was set on a slight hill and was made
from brick with heavy timber beams placed intravenously throughout
the architecture. The lawns were well kept and the entire property
was surrounded by high railings that matched the black and gold
gate. It was then that Harry realised he was dealing with a family of
class and suddenly felt a little underdressed. There was nothing he
could do now knowing that it would be much more rude to be late
than dressed the way he was.
He made his way to the door and composed himself, it was
important for him to show his independence and strength but to be
respectful and not intimidating. It was a delicate balance that had
been explained to him by Arcturus; he had to be strong but not come
across as though he felt he was better than them, they should be
treated as an equal.
He knocked on the door and waited to be admitted.
The door opened to reveal a young looking house-elf that was
dressed in a very clean, white apron with the family crest stitched
lovingly into the front of the garment.
"Master Harry Potter sir" the elf greeted him. "Please follow me and I
will takes you to my Master and Mistress" the elf instructed.
"Thank you…"
"Tilly sir" the elf responded blushing a little.
"Thank you Tilly" Harry said with a smile. "Please lead the way".
The