Harry shook his head again. "That wasn't my intent at all. I know how worried she is about the house elves and wants them to have equal rights with wizards so I thought she would appreciate having these to take care of. Like I said, I know she is far more concerned with their welfare than with the welfare of her human friends. And after all the trouble I went to make sure they got there, she still didn't appreciate the gesture." He lowered his voice slightly as if he were sharing a secret. "I had to take a lot of care with the package before giving it to the postman, because he might not have delivered it, especially if he knew what was in it."
McGonagall realising she wasn't going to get anywhere else on this topic, returned to the reason she'd requested he join her. "What charges were brought against Professor Snape and the Headmaster?"
"Professor Snape was arrested on charges of mind rape and assault." Harry reported flatly. "Dumbledore was arrested as an accessory, probably because he allowed Snape to do what he wanted to me unmonitored, even though he knew the bastard hated me because of my father."
"Potter!" McGonagall snapped at him. "All of your teachers have told you they will not stand for you speaking about them and to them in such a disrespectful manner."
Harry's face was an expressionless mask. "And the last time you said that, I told you that the first time around my respect was freely given. This time it will have to be earned. Was there anything else ma'am ?"
"Yes, there is the matter of your detentions." McGonagall remembered the complaints from the teachers who had assigned him detention. "You haven't shown up for any but the first and after that one, Mr. Filch said he would not oversee any more of your detentions."
Harry smiled at the memory her words conjured up.
...
Flashback
Trophy Room
Filch and Ms. Norris were waiting for Professor McGonagall to bring Mr. Potter down for his detention. He had purposely allowed Peeves to mess up the room as long as nothing was irreparably damaged, just to give the arrogant brat some real work to do.
"Potter, you will be serving your detention with Mr. Filch." McGonagall told him as she left him at the doorway to the trophy room.
"Get in there, boy." Filch ordered, once the teacher was gone. "Your job is to clean this room until it is spotless, without using your wand to clean it. I'll be back in an hour, so you'd better get started."
Harry didn't move.
"Get a move on, boy," Filch ordered. "You have to have it all done by curfew and that's in an hour."
"It's already done." Harry countered, leaning back against the wall outside the doorway. "Hard work it was too."
Filch grabbed the young man by the arm and prepared to drag him into the trophy room only to stand there stunned in amazement as he looked at the now empty room.
"What did you do, boy?" the caretaker growled.
"I'm going to give you this warning only once, Filch." Harry told him, his eyes filled with icy fire. "Do not ever call me boy again. I promise, you will not like the results."
"What did you do?" Filch shrieked.
"Calm down, Filchie." Harry patted the man on the back. "I just did exactly what you told me to do. The room is now spotless. And I didn't use a wand to do it either."
"Put them back." Filch growled.
"Now why would you want me to do that?" Harry gave him a confused look. "I thought you'd be happy. Especially since I went to all the trouble of making sure you'll never have to clean this room again."
"Put everything back the way it was." Filch demanded. "Or I'll make sure you are expelled."
"You know Filchie, that threat only works if someone really cares about staying here." Harry told him. "Your threats are meaningless, because I really didn't want to come back here in the first place. You have no power over me because there is nothing you can threaten me with that will make me do what you want. Not to mention the fact that Dumbledore wants me here, so he won't expel me. If you want those stupid trinkets back, I suggested you ask me nicely ."
Looking at the implacable expression on the boy's face, Filch knew he had lost and that if he wanted the items he was responsible for back he was going to have to do what he really didn't want to do. "Please, Mr. Potter, put the trophies and their cases back where they belong."
Harry clapped the caretaker on the back. "See that wasn't so hard." He gestured toward the trophy room. "There they are and I even cleaned off what Peeves did to them." As he turned to leave, he added, "not very nice of you by the way allowing Peeves make an even bigger mess in there."
End Flashback
...
Pleased that Filch was still cowed by what he had done, Harry said, "So, I didn't ask to be given any of them any way."
"You earned those detentions by not being prepared or participating in class." McGonagall pointed out. "You are obligated to take the punishment you have earned."
"If I accepted those detentions, that would imply that I wanted to be here and that you had a right to punish me because of my failures. We both know that I don't want to be here." Harry countered.
"That's the second time you've said you didn't want to be here." McGonagall commented. "If that is the case, then why did you even bother to come?"
"To avoid being a victim of the Wizarding World's double standards… again." Harry told her stiffly.
"What double standard are you talking about?" McGonagall inquired.
"The Imperious Curse is an Unforgivable right?"
"Yes," she couldn't see where this was leading.
"And yet the adults of the wizarding world think nothing of subjecting their children to it." Harry told her.
McGonagall got to her feet and stiffly demanded. "What are you talking about? We have never used the Imperious curse on our children! That would be unthinkable!"
.....
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