Готовый перевод One Piece The Ship of Lust / Корабель хтивості: Возвращение Черного Дома

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Гарри Поттер

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Возвращение Черного Дома

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Fairywm

Устав от того, как обращаются с ним и его крестником, Сириус

занимает позицию и возвращает себе свой дом. Он больше не

позволит другим управлять его жизнью. Молли и другие получают

пощечину. Амбитч идет ко дну.

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Художественная литература T

- Английский - Драма/Дружба - Гарри П., Сириус Б. - Главы: 30 -

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01.10.2021, 07:21:36

- Опубликовано:

26.02.2016, 19:45:22

- Статус: Завершено - id: 11811498

10. Chapter 10 Helping Hands

Chapter 10 Helping Hands

I got a pm about 'ships'. So, I wanted to address that. At this moment in time,

there are no relationships planned. There weren't any for Harry in canon, just

his crush on Cho. I don't do romance often, and in my past stories, the reviews

let me know that that is a good thing.

However, if it comes to pass, it will be up to my muse. I never know who I'm

going to put Harry, or anyone else, with until I write it. So, asking me is futile.

There was something else, but I have forgotten. Oh, well, old age and all that.

Enjoy.

Hphphp

As Sirius stood in front of the Weasley's Floo, he leaned over, one person

at a time, and gave them the secret to his house, barring Tonks who

already knew. Each person nodded to him and stepped into the Floo.

Nymphadora first.

"Mum," Tonks said as she brushed the ashes off. She went to hug her

mother. The Floo flared again, making Andi jump a bit, especially when

Moody came out. Then flared more, letting the rest through.

"Nymphadora, I didn't expect you back so soon and with company. Sirius,

I thought you were keeping the house hidden from the Order," Andi said,

composing herself, and releasing the hug. She looked at Sirius with a

quirked eyebrow.

"Things got a bit out of hand," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his

neck.

"Yes, they tend to do that around you," she replied, then looked at the

rest of the group.

"Albus is being his usual self and not telling anyone anything," the dark-

haired man explained, huffing as he sat at the table. "You know how he

is. So, I kinda let them all know what we know. Then he tried to quash it,

so I asked these guys if they wanted to help," Padfoot defended himself as

he waved to the rest, who were settling at the table.

"I don't know how such a pacifist could try and lead a group of vigilantes.

Don't get me wrong, Albus is a good friend. But his don't kill orders are

annoying. Still, he was the only one trying to do anything," Moody said,

thumping down in a chair, letting his wooden leg slid forward. "Andi," he

greeted with a nod.

"Alastor, it's been a while," Mrs. Tonks said, with a return nod in her old

friend's direction. While they hadn't been in school together, they did

know each other from mutual friends. It had been a very long time since

she had seen him.

"Good to see you too," Alastor said, taking a seat as he looked around the

very tidy room. "Like what you did with the place," he said, glancing at

the many house elves standing around waiting for orders. He never really

trusted house elves. The ones he knew worked loopholes like pros. He

respected them for it, but it made him trust them a lot less. If house elves

could be sorted, most would go into Slytherin.

"Yes, it is homier now," Remus agreed, taking a seat next to Moody.

"I got some new house elves," Sirius said with a deep sigh. He hadn't

intended to hijack people from the Order, but Albus' brushoff was

grating. "Dinky, some tea, please," he called out as he sat at the head of

the table.

A few seconds later biscuits, rolls, some triangle sandwiches and tea

appeared. Many of the occupants reached for something and then settled

back.

"So, to repeat your earlier question," Bill said, snagging a biscuit from the

center of the table, "why are we here?"

"Hold on a moment, Bill," Sirius said, holding up his hand and turning to

his cousin. "Andi, can you keep the kids upstairs? As much as I hate to

keep things from them, this needs to be discussed first," he asked, taking

the teacup Dinky had just brought him. "Make sure the twins don't use

their extendable ears, please. As much as I love their inventions, this

needs to stay in this room. We'll suss out what to tell them later."

"Is it dangerous?" she asked, looking around like evil was going to pop up

any second. Her hand straying to her wand.

"Not at the moment," he answered with a shrug. "However, it can get that

way if the wrong people know about it," he finished, once again

shrugging.

Then he cringed a bit when Andi gave him a look. Her pureblood

upbringing made her want to chastise him. Purebloods don't shrug. He

just smirked at her, while Tonks giggled. It was a bad habit he picked up

in school. Something that made his mother furious. She hated his causal

ways and did her very best to beat it out of him. That was one of the

reasons he ran away.

"I'll do my best," she said with a sniff, glaring at her rebellious daughter,

who just smirked back.

Tonks took after her dad, who only had the minimal manners needed for

a lawyer. Which were high in the courtroom, or boardroom, but when at

home, he was more of a couch potato. It had infuriated her at first, but

after years of marriage, she just went with it. Still, her upbringing did

make her want to jinx those that knew better.

"That's all I can ask with that bunch," Sirius chuckled, and gave her a

wink. He knew she could keep the twins in line. She had Bellatrix as a

sister, and from what he heard, before she ran off and married Ted, Andi

was the one in charge. Sometimes he wondered if Bella went mad

because Andi left. Something he'd probably never know.

"You'll keep me, and Ted, informed?" she asked, looking back as she came

to the doorway.

"Yeah, just let us think up a plan," he answered, relaxing a bit more now

that he was doing something.

"Very well then. Nymphadora, come find me when this meeting is over,"

she said as she opened the door and went through. She locked and

warded the door and went to find the teens. She had a few ideas on how

to keep them occupied. Like maybe teaching them a few new spells for

everyday things.

After they felt the wards go up, everyone relaxed a bit.

"Okay, so we know Voldy has horcruxes," Bill started, leaning back in his

chair. "Do we know what any of them are?"

"I have one, possibly two," Sirius confessed, and called Kreacher.

"Kreacher," he said when the elf popped in, "get the iron box out of the

safe, please."

The elf popped away, and reappeared in a matter of seconds, box in

hand. "Does Master need Kreacher to open the box?" Kreacher asked,

holding the box out for Sirius to take.

"No, I spelled it to only open for me," Sirius said, taking the box and

putting it on the table. "Thanks, Kreacher, you can go."

The elf bowed and left.

"Kreacher brought this to me. Regulus, my brother, stole it from Tom. It

was his last act, defying Voldy," the man explained, bitterness tingeing

his voice. So much time lost with his brother. He sighed and put those

thoughts away for now.

"Open it up. Let's see what it is," Kingsley said, leaning forward to get a

good look at what old Tom might have used to make his horcrux.

Sirius waved his wand over the box and it snapped open. Evil permeated

the air, and everyone leaned back. They could almost taste the vileness

that came from the necklace. It made the air rank. Many screwed up their

noses and held their hands over their mouths. Sirius wondered why the

evil was more predominate than it had been but brushed it off as it being

locked up for a while. Maybe it was a bit sentient and was trying to

escape all this time. Who knew? It was part of a soul after all.

"Isn't that Slytherin's locket?" Moody asked, examining it with his magical

eye. The oppressiveness wore down, and everyone could breathe again. "I

know Tom said he was the heir, but I didn't know he found anything

belonging to the man," he finished, still looking over the evil thing.

"I don't know, probably," Sirius answered, pushing the box in the middle

of the table.

Bill stood up and came around the table and peered inside. He waved his

wand in an extraordinarily complex manner and said, "Socios inveniet".

When he finished, six beams of dark blue light flew from the necklace.

"Shite," he said, waving his wand again.

This time a piece of parchment popped up with a quill and inkpot. The

quill started writing for a few seconds, then disappeared along with the

inkpot. He snatched the parchment and started reading.

"Well, what does it say?" Moody asked, knowing just what Bill had done.

"There's five more. One in this house," he said, looking at Sirius. "The

sixth light was for Tom, himself."

"Harry," the man said, sadness laced his voice. "I brought you here, not

only to take out Voldy, but I need to save Harry," his tone was desperate.

He knew if anyone could save his godson, these people would, or at least

point him in the right direction.

Bill smiled, placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "We will," he said firmly.

"You know how?" The dogman perked up immediately.

"Of course. My time in Egypt taught me many things. One, is that these

vile pieces of dung are pretty much worthless. Sure, they keep you tied to

this plane, but they are easily dispelled. That and if left alone they will

only live a normal life span. The soul is finite, it has an expiration date.

The people who wrote the books on how to make one, were lying. They

don't make you live for ever. You're just harder to kill during your life

span.

"Oh, well I guess that explains why Herpo the Foul isn't around anymore,"

Tonks said, tapping her chin in thought.

"Exactly," Bill said triumphantly. "Now the one in Harry will be tricky.

We'll have to go to Gringotts to get it out, but it can be done," the

redhead explained, taking the seat next to Sirius.

"Where are the others, lad?" Moody asked again, putting aside the notion

that Potter was connected to Riddle. He'd have to keep an eye on the

teen, not out of mistrust, but to make sure the evil doesn't take over.

"Let's see, one is in a town called Little Hangleton. I've never heard of it,

so it must be a muggle town. Good thing the coordinates are here, we can

check it out when we're done here. Besides being warded by… Riddle, it

should be the easiest," he read off, squinting at the paper like the words

were small.

The others looked at each other and nodded.

"That sounds like a plan," Tonks said, smiling at Bill. She was

overwhelmingly happy that finally progress was being made to end this

war. She, like the rest here, had been frustrated at the lack of action in

the Order. Dumbledore for all his greatness, was not a fighter. Sure, he

had some tricks up his sleeve that she would probably never match, but

he believed that all life was sacred and should not be taken. She didn't

subscribe to that.

"There're two in Wiltshire, I think one is Tom. Its power signature is

higher than the rest. They are together, so it might not be as easy. I wish

this spell told me what the items were," the curse breaker grumbled. "The

next one, I'm going to have to speak to the goblins about. It's in London's

Gringotts," he sighed heavily, hoping that the goblins would help. They

were very much for staying out of wizarding conflicts, but they could be

bought. It would jus take a lot. Perhaps, he could get Sirius to part with

all the goblin made silver scattered about the place.

Then again, goblins took issue with soul magic. When they took Harry in,

he'd talk to Ragnok. If anyone could get this item, it would be him.

"And the last?" Kingsley asked, putting his biscuit down he had been

holding. The evil in the air made him lose his appetite.

"Hogwarts," was the answer. "But the wards are preventing me from

pinpointing it. Like the one in Gringotts. I know it's there, but not which

part of the castle."

"Is there a spell that will tell us when we are getting close? If we can

teach the kids, they might be able to look for it this coming school year,"

Sirius asked, thinking up plans to get what they needed.

"Yeah, I'll teach the twins. They're of age," the oldest Weasley said, still

glaring at the parchment like it was keeping secrets from him.

"Great, we have the directions," Kingsley said, leaning forward again to

get a good feel of the necklace. "I vote Bill, Remus and Moody do the

treasure hunting in Little Hangleton, while Tonks and I, do some recon at

Wiltshire. Malfoy lives there, and rumor has it so does Tom. I don't want

to pop up in that living room," he added, taking out his wand and waving

it over the necklace, doing the same spell as Bill.

"Do we want to get rid of them all at the same time, so that Tom doesn't

realize that we're trying to kill him?" Tonks asked, taking the parchment

from Kingsley and memorizing it.

"That's a good idea, Tonks," Sirius said, taking Bills parchment and

glancing over it. "There's no telling if he could feel their… deaths or not.

So, I'll find some more boxes, and we can keep them in my safe. Hey, Bill,

how will they get it out of Harry?"

"Well, I can't tell you that. It's a goblin secret. Only their most trusted

shaman knows," he answered, closing the box and making the last

feelings of evil dissipate.

"Right, so we have a plan," Moody said gruffly, standing and taking the

parchment from Tonks. "Let's put it into action."

With that the adults, bar Sirius, who wanted to put the necklace away

and talk to the kids, left via the front porch.

Sirius really hoped that it was all a simple as Bill said. He really hated

that Albus didn't do this ages ago. His godson was in danger, and that

man didn't even ask a curse breaker if he could help. Maybe, Albus was

going senile.

Sirius knew he was not an expert in dispelling curses like the rest. It had

been years since he was an Auror, so he'd let them handle it. Still, now

that he thought about it, he might want to brush up on fighting, maybe

teach the kids a thing or two. With that in mind, he headed up the stairs.

When he reached the top, he listened to where everyone was. He heard

chuckling and headed towards the twins' room, which was the biggest,

bar the master suite. Opening the door, he saw that everyone was sitting

on any available floor space and they were laughing and playing a card

game that seemed to be muggle.

Suddenly Fred called out, "Bullshit." And slammed a card down.

Harry groaned, and picked up the large pile in the middle.

"You need a better poker face, Harrykins," Fred said, cackling madly.

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," the Boy-Who-Lived grumbled.

Andi had to fight hard not to reprimand him. The first time was slightly

embarrassing. They explained the rules, and she settled down to watch.

Teens will be teens, after all.

"Language," Sirius said halfheartedly.

"Don't worry, Sirius, it's part of the game," Hermione said with a wrinkled

nose. She wasn't playing, card games never appealed to her. "I don't know

where Harry learned it from, but everyone else seems to be enjoying it."

"Dudley," came the succinct answer.

"Okay," the dogman said slowly, he thought Harry didn't get on with his

cousin. "Anyway, put the cards up for now. I have something I need to

talk to you all about."

"Sirius, are you sure you should be telling the Weasley children? They are

not your charges," Andi said with a good deal of worry as she smoothed

down her trousers in nervous habit.

"Even if I don't, Harry and his friends will just tell them anyway," he

replied with a shrug. He would just have to word it all to be kid, well

teen, friendly. Let them know that there is a danger, but not tell them the

whole of it. The adults were already working on stopping most of it

anyway. If worded carefully than they would at least know to be careful.

He explained that to Andi, but she still pursed her lips.

"That's not true," Hermione denied.

"Well, it is on my part," Harry rebutted. "And I'll thank you for not

putting words in my mouth," he snapped.

Hermione opened and closed her mouth a few times, but seeing Harry's

glare, she backed off for the moment. Changing one's attitude, was not

easy, but she really wanted to maintain her friendship with Harry and

Ron. Still, there was probably a good reason that some secrets should

remain secret.

"How about this? Hermione, Ginny, and Ron, you leave the room. Go do

your homework, or something. That way if Harry or the twins feel you

need to know, they can tell you," Sirius suggested rocking back on his

heels. He wanted to chastise Hermione, but it wasn't his place. Still, she

was working hard on curbing her pushy ways, so he had to give her

credit.

"Fine," she huffed and left the room. If it was important, then Harry

would tell her. Or at least tell her that he couldn't tell her. Either way,

she would do her best to help in anyway she could.

"Do I have too?" whinged Ron as he stood undecided. He knew that Harry

would tell him… hopefully. So why did he have to leave? He glanced at

his best mate, who shrugged and nodded his head. Ron's shoulders

slumped and he knew that this was an argument he would not win.

"I think it's for the best," Andi said, taking his and Ginny's arm and

leading them away. Ginny protesting quite loudly, while Ron dragged his

heels. "You two are minors, so it is not up to Sirius to go against your

mum. The twins, however, are adults. They can decide for themselves,"

they heard her say before the door closed.

"Don't worry, Harrykins," Fred said, grinning like a loon,

"Fred and I know how," George said with a matching grin,

"To protect our minds," they said together.

"We learned from the best," Fred stated, digging in his pocket.

"Yeah, the Marauders were very insistent about that," George said,

snatching the book that his brother produced.

"Said it was the only way they got away with their pranks," Fred added

with a wink.

"Like we said, the best," George agreed.

"This little gem will teach you all you need to know," Fred added, taking

the book back.

"We'd have given it to you sooner, but you're not really a prankster,"

George said, winking to his friend.

"What book is that?" Sirius asked, squinting his eyes to see the title of the

book. He had his suspicions, but he wanted to hear them say it. Harry

had told him last year that the twins had given his godson the Marauder's

map, so he knew they had heard of his little group, but how did they find

that book?

"This," Fred said, holding up a small green book.

"Found it after we got the map to work," George said, with a mischievous

smile.

"Merlin, I haven't seen this since sixth year," Sirius said, summoning the

book to his hands. "We wrote this and tucked it away in the library," he

mused, thumbing through the pages. "It was spelled so that only future

pranksters could find it and learn how to hide," he added, looking for

something in particular.

"You wrote this?!" Fred and George asked, standing and stepping forward.

"Yeah, me, Remus, James and the traitor," the dogman said distractedly,

finding what he was looking for. "Here, Harry, read up on this. It'll tell

you how to keep people out of your mind. This was one of Moony's

contributions. Basically, he tells how to set your mind up like a

werewolf's, making it dangerous for anyone to take a peek," he explained,

grinning evilly.

"It works too," Fred said, still looking at Padfoot.

"First time Snape tried after we got it, he was in the Hospital Wing for the

rest of the day," George said, he too was still looking at one of their idols.

"Not even Dumbledore can break this method," Sirius agreed, still looking

like he ate the canary.

Harry, who had been bouncing his head back and forth between the

three, took the book and skimmed the page. It didn't look hard, but he

could tell it might take a bit of meditation. Something he was very good

at. Being locked in a cupboard for his childhood had taught him how to

go into his mind for peace and calmness. But he was out of practice,

because Hogwarts had him running for his life every year, no time to

relax, but judging from what he was reading, it should take a week.

Thinking about that, he might want to practice meditating every night. It

might make Hogwarts easier. All those life-threatening situations might

be easier to handle if he could think clearly. Now that he thought about

it, it was strange that he never did that at school. Something he was

going to have to look into that later.

"Thanks," he said to all three. "I am going to share this with the others.

Maybe then we can tell them more," he said, still reading. "That is if what

you have to tell it us that classified, that is."

"Right, lets discuss that," Sirius said, then rubbed his chin. "What to tell

you first?" he muttered mostly to himself. "Harry, there's really no nice

way to put this, but there's some dark magic in your scar. I talked to Bill

and he said he can remove it," he added quickly, making calming motions

at his godson's horrified face.

"That's a relief," Harry sighed, slipping down his chair a bit. "Does this

mean I won't be seeing Tom in my dreams?" he asked hopefully. He hated

those visions.

"Well, I can't say you won't have nightmares, but any connection you

have to the Dark Idiot should disappear," his godfather stated, making

Harry slip down his chair further, like the world had been lifted off his

shoulders. "Still, practice this Occlumency and that'll stop anyway."

"Right, okay. Anything else?" he asked, sitting up again.

"Well, there's one thing, but I warn you, this is only conjecture, but there

might be a prophecy," Sirius said, watching the teen for his reaction.

"Now, I don't place much faith in prophecies, but it seems that Tom and

Albus are banking on what it says to see who wins the war."

"Well, that's just fucking dandy," Harry snarled, gripping the book tight,

and looking at the carpet like it had wronged him. It did make sense

though, why Dumbledore and Riddle were so fixated on him. He didn't

have to like for it to be true.

"Language," Fred said lightly, trying to lift the mood, finally looking away

from who he was sure was Padfoot.

"Yeah, mind your speech," George added jokingly, clapping a hand on

Harry's shoulder.

"Sod off," the dark-haired teen replied, but he did smile. Fred and George

had bigger potty mouths than he ever will. Comes from being repressed

all their childhood.

"Fret not, Harry. Doesn't Trelawney predict your death every day?" Fred

said, standing up and moving closer to Harry so they could boost his

spirits.

"And look, you're still here," George added, waving his hand up and down

to indicate that Harry was alive.

"Yeah, she does. However, my third year she gave a prophecy that

Scabbers/Wormtail/Peter would disappear and go find Tom. That came

true just like she said. So, I must believe that there are real prophecies,"

Harry said, putting his head in his hands.

"While that is true, I have a bit of a theory," Sirius said, scooting off the

desk and crouching down in front of the distraught teen.

"What?" Harry asked, picking his head up and looking at his godfather.

"You see, prophecies are tricky things," the older man said, peering into

his godson's eyes. They really did look like Lily's. "The more you try to

thwart them, the more Fate decides that they need to come to pass."

"That doesn't make me feel better, Padfoot," Harry said, glaring that the

man who was failing to make him feel better.

"No, see, what I'm trying to say is if you leave them alone, prophecies,

they just sit there," he said, once more trying to calm Harry.

"That doesn't make sense, we didn't try and stop that last one, and Peter

still got away," Harry said, wrinkling his brow as if trying to piece it

together.

"Yeah, but we actually did try and keep him from running off. I'm sure

that on a subconscious level you knew it was about the rat. So therefore,

you tried to stop it," Sirius tried to explain.

"Maybe," came the doubtful reply.

"Look, there are thousands upon thousands of prophecies in the DoM that

have never come to pass. They are all just sitting there in the room that

the Unspeakables set up. They keep them around to study them, but only

the person who heard the prophecy, or who it's about, can pick up the

globe," the older man tried again. "So, in this case, only you or Riddle can

hear the prophecy, if it is about you. Though, I'm sure Albus is the one

who heard it, but he would not need to hear it again."

"So only me or Tom can get it?" the wary teen asked, wondering if he

should go and take the damn thing.

"Yeah. Which is one of the reasons I told Dumbledore that guarding it

was futile. I mean only you, Tom, and probably Albus, can get it. And I

can tell you now that besides a very few members, no one in the Order

can stand up to Tom," Sirius said, with a sniff. "Me being one of them," he

added hauntingly.

The three teens snorted.

"How do you know this?" Fred asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"Oh, well, my great grandfather, Sirius the second, was an Unspeakable.

He broke his vows with some pretty dark magic, and he wrote all about

what they get up to down there. Well, during his time anyway," Sirius

explained, his eyes glazed a bit in remembrance of reading that diary.

"What do they do down there?" Fred and George asked, leaning around

Harry to peer at Sirius.

"Loads of stuff," Sirius answered, then waved it off. "I'll get you the diary

if you want. I'll have to copy it; the original is cursed. Anyway, Harry,

what I'm trying to say is, don't let this rule your life. Acknowledge it and

move on."

"Yeah, okay, I'll try," Harry said, sitting up straighter and putting the

forgotten book in his back pocket. It was small enough to just barely fit.

"Do I need to return this book?" he asked the other three.

"Nah," the twins said, "we have it memorized."

"I helped write it, I already know what it says," Sirius said with a shrug.

"However, when you've got it memorized, I'd like it if you put it back in

the library. It's written for future pranksters. If you're worried about

giving up something that belongs to you dad, I have a few things that I

can give you," he offered, thinking of the communication mirrors.

"Thanks, guys," Harry said, grinning at all of them. "I'll think about

putting it in the library. If we can make a permanent copy, that'd be

great."

"Sound like a plan. Let me brush up on my Runes and Transfiguration,"

his godfather replied. "Anyway, I'm going to do some training and you

guys, along with the other kids, are more than welcome to join me," the

older man said, clapping Harry's shoulder and standing up.

"I'm in," all three of them said, then chuckled at each other.

"You can decide what you tell people," Sirius said, sitting back on the

desk. "But I hope you understand that most of this can't get out. So,

choose carefully what you tell anyone, friends or not."

"I think, and I hope the twins agree, that we should only say that there's a

bit of a curse in my scar, and that Bill's going to remove it. I would feel

better if the prophecy theory didn't get out," Harry stated, looking to his

two friends. "When I'm done with this book, I'll teach them. It's better

that they can protect their minds, regardless."

"Sounds like a good plan. Why don't you stay here, read that book? If you

need help, come find me," Sirius said, getting off the desk and moving

towards the door.

The twins quickly got up and followed him. He just knew they were

going to pester him for tips, stories and such.

"Practice starts at seven. After dinner, so don't eat overly much," he said

to Harry, who waved that he heard, and then left, hoping to dodge the

twins until Moony got back, then he could foist them off on him.

On the other hand, maybe he should let them follow him to the den. He

needed to take his mind off what the others were doing.

Hphphp

Okay, so every time I tried to edit this it got longer. There might be some

errors, so for that I apologize. Feel free to point them out. I don't get offended

by that.

11. Chapter 11 My Way

Chapter 11 My Way

Okay, thanks for all the reviews. I mean that.

I did want to note that I am not getting notices that I have PMs. I note from

other authors that it's a ffn thing. So, if you are sending PMs then it might be a

moment before they are replied to.

Hphphp

Harry went back to his room and studied the book for hours. He had

heard many people try to call for him, but they all soon gave up when he

didn't answer. Regulus' room was great, only he and Sirius could enter it.

Well, and the house elves, but the others could not. They could come to

visit with him in the lead, but if he wasn't with them, then they didn't

even know where it was. Sirius had set it up the first day he was here.

After he had talked to Ron and Hermione, he told Sirius that he wanted a

place to hide. So, after Sirius had taken care of Buckbeak, he charmed the

room. Harry was grateful for that bit of spell work.

The book on Occlumency was amazing. The part he was reading was very

comprehensive. Thanks to Moony's personal insight on how his own mind

was protected. The basic principle was that you envisioned an animal,

like the werewolf, in your head. The creature would roam your mind in

miniature, then if someone breeched your mind it would expand to its

normal size. Imposing itself larger than life. Nothing but teeth and anger.

You can have a whole pack in there, wandering around. The main job

was to 'train' them to hurt or destroy anything that entered. That was the

hard part. Harry wasn't sure if that hurt the person in real life, but if it

kept Snape and Dumbledore out of his head, he could live with them

being scarred.

The book said that it was easier if you had an Animagus form, but if not,

than any dangerous animal you were familiar with would work. Harry,

who was a sadistic little prick when it came to protecting what was his,

decided that the alien, from the movie Alien, would work.

The only reason he knew the movie was because he had snuck into

hallway, out of sight from the living room, to sneak peeks at it. He had to

scurry back to his cupboard many times when Aunt Petunia got up to get

her 'men' their many snacks, but he still got to see the creature. He had

been fascinated with it since.

He knew loads of movies by doing this. His relatives thought he was so

cowed that they never even realized he was just plain sneaky. Stupid

fools. The hat wanted to put him in Slytherin for a reason.

After he would get these sneak peeks, he would then go to the library and

try to look up the book from of any movie that caught his interest. There

were tons of them, and most of the time they were better than the movie.

He had a lot of things he could add, Bigfoot, Freddy Krueger, Cujo, to

name a few, but he stuck with the alien for now. He could just imagine

what people would think if he put the whole of that American author,

Stephen King, in his head. He did a full body shudder from that thought,

perhaps not.

Settling on what he wanted, he sat on the bed and started to picture it in

his mind. It took the better part of an hour but soon there were a swarm

of aliens roaming around his head. Hissing, snarling, and sniffing around.

They were transparent at the moment, but, according to what Moony

wrote, with practice they would become more lifelike.

The book also said that you had to picture your mind, memories and

things you didn't want people to know, in some sort of structure. Either a

house, a dome, a cave system, or building of some sort. Harry thought

that his cupboard was a great place. It so unassuming that anyone who

didn't know his childhood, would never even glance at it. So, he put

everything precious thoughts and memories in there, and let all the bad

stuff hang around #4 Privet Dr.

If the alien didn't keep them out, meeting his relatives might. Vernon was

scary enough when he got to yelling. Even Snape didn't reach his uncle's

shade of purple. Sometimes, it looked like Vernon was an alien too. Only

more like Jabba the Hutt, or something.

He wasn't sure which was worst.

He hadn't quite gotten it all set up when he heard a knock on the door.

"Yeah," he called, stretching and cracking his back from sitting so long.

"Harry, come on, it's time for dinner," Sirius said, opening the door. "Have

you been at this the whole time? Harry, you don't need to get it right in

one go," he said, joining Harry on the bed.

"I know, but I've almost got it set up," Harry said, stretching his legs,

which had gone to sleep from sitting cross-legged for so long. "You

should see what I've got going on in there. Not yet, I've not set it up all

the way. But I will, you just watch."

"You've got time. It's still weeks before you head back to Hogwarts," his

godfather said, patting one of his legs.

"I was thinking about that," Harry hedged, swinging his legs to the side of

the bed and folding his hands between his knees. "I don't know if I want

to go back," he confessed, peeking to the side through his bangs.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, worried that Harry might have finally

had enough. Not that he was against it, just the opposite. He'd do

anything to spend more time with his godson.

"Well, every year something happens to me," Harry said, almost in a

whisper, like Sirius might not believe him. "Usually I face something,

every DADA professor, Moony included, had tried to do me in. If Ron's

right, then the Ministry is doing it this time. I don't want to go a whole

year looking over my shoulder. If my luck holds true, it'll be the new

DADA professor will be the culprit," the tired boy said, laying back on his

bed and staring at the canopy top. "My luck sucks," he sighed, putting his

arm over his eyes.

"I get that. Both Moony and Moody have told me about your run ins with

the past professors, and I'm still mad at Albus for letting all that shite

happen. But I have to know, are you sure? What about your friends?" the

dogman asked, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him up so they could

see one another.

"As much as I love my friends, they might be safer without me. I mean,

they don't get into trouble on their own. It's usually them following me

around that gets them hurt," the poor teen sighed, leaning his head on his

godfather's shoulder.

Sirius jerked up his shoulder, making Harry sit up straight so he could

read his face. "From what you and the others have told me about all your

near-death experiences, I have to confess I was thinking along the same

line. You not returning, I mean. However, you have to be really sure this

is what you want. If it is, you have my full support. Heck, I'll hire tutors.

Don't worry about your OWLs, we can get you passing those with straight

O's. I know Remus and Bill would help. Maybe even the rest of the group

I brought back. But, Harry, you have to be sure," he said, looking into the

boy's eyes. All he saw there was exhaustion.

"I'm 85% sure this is what I want," Harry said with conviction.

"Albus won't like it," came the necessary warning.

"He can bugger off. You're my guardian," was the reply.

"Okay, think about it for a few days. Talk to your friends," Sirius

suggested, giving him a one-armed hug. "I'll support you, no matter what

you decide."

"Yeah, okay. I guess I should get more opinions," Harry said with a sigh.

Then he stood up and started walking out the room. "Dinner?" he asked

as Sirius joined him.

"Dinner," the other man confirmed.

And the two went downstairs to join the rest of the house.

The group of treasure hunters hadn't returned yet and Sirius was getting

worried. He tried to hide it from the kids, but they could tell something

was up. They kept shooting looks at him. He would just smile at them

and then share a concerned look with Andi and Ted. They too were

worried about their daughter, but they didn't want the kids to know.

There was no need to let them know, right yet. It would be better if they

were told that it was all over, and they no longer had to worry about the

Dark Idiot. That's what they were shooting for anyway.

"Harry?" Ron asked between bites. "Can you tell us what you guys talked

about?"

"Really, Ronald, at the dinner table?" Andi scolded, snapping more than

she usually would. She would probably be tightly wound until

Nymphadora came back.

"Now, now, Andi," Ted said with a chuckle, keeping the mood light. "It's

normal to be curious," he finished, patting her hand.

"He can wait. There will be no discussion on the war, or anything related

to it, at the dinner table," she snapped, glaring at her husband.

"You heard the lady, keep those questions until dinner is done," Sirius

said, smiling at his cousin.

She harrumphed and went back to pushing food around her plate.

The conversation turned to Hogwarts, and Harry declined to make

comment. The main question for everyone there was who was going to be

the DADA professor. No one really knew and the letters hadn't come yet.

So that topic petered out and talks turned to Quidditch.

It was just as Kreacher served afters, that Bill, Remus, and Moody came

through the Floo. They looked like they had seen battle, with torn and

burnt clothes and ashes and dirt everywhere.

"Oh, Merlin, what happened?" Andi asked, getting up, pulling her wand,

and waving it at the trio.

The kids all scrambled to help, but they were shooed away by Andi. They

all stood by the doors and watched as she waved her wand over the tired

men. They were itching to ask questions but knew from prior experience

that those would go unanswered.

Even Moody was too tired to stop her, and he hated anyone pointing

their wand at him. They shuffled to empty chairs and collapsed.

"That was one well warded shack," Bill said, glancing at the kids.

"Did you get it?" Sirius wanted to know as he poured some firewhiskey

for them.

"Sirius wait until I'm done. They may need potions," Andi scolded,

waving her wand over Bill, who seemed the worse for wear.

"Fine, but they're there when you need them," the dogman said, putting

the glasses in the middle of the table. "So, did you get it?" he asked again.

Moody reached over and snagged a glass, waved his wand over it, and

then chugged it down. "Aye, we got it. Gives us a mo., and we'll take it to

your safe," he said after blowing flames from his mouth. That did the

trick.

The kids looked at each other, and as one, they turned and left the room.

They knew the adults wouldn't talk to them. They were almost to the

stairs when Hermione stopped and held Harry back.

"You guys go on," she said to the others, grabbing Harry's elbow. "I want

to talk to Harry," she finished, dragging the unresisting boy to the library.

Harry sighed in resignation and followed along.

"Tell me what Sirius told you," she all but demanded the minute the door

closed.

"No," was the curt answer.

"But, Harry, I need to know so I can tell you what to tell others," she said,

stomping her foot.

"No, you can hear what I'm going to tell everyone," Harry said, folding

his arms and glaring at her. "I don't like my friends demanding things

from me. I thought we talked about you trying to be my mum. My mum

is dead, and you are not her ghost."

"But…"

"No, that's final," he said, turning and walking from the room. He knew

that the information he was going to share had to be minimal, and that

anything that got out had to be stuff that he didn't care if Dumbledore

knew. And what he said was true, while he loved Hermione to death, she

could be quite pushy when she wanted information. She was just going to

have to learn to take no for an answer. He was in charge of what he told

anyone, not her.

He was glad he had sussed it out with the twins and Sirius beforehand.

He went up the stairs and joined the others in the twins' room. They were

chatting about Hogwarts and who the DADA teacher would be when

entered and he sat down on one of the beds, leaning against the wall and

tilting his head back to look at the ceiling like it had the answers.

Hermione came slinking in a few minutes later. It looked like she had

been slapped with a fish and she was thinking hard on what that meant.

It wasn't often that anyone denied her information. Especially not those

her age. Harry had always told her what was going on in his life, and she

was confused as to why he would hold back now. Was that she was

pushy? Or did he know something that might hurt her if she found out?

She didn't know, and there was no way to find out, and it was frustrating

her.

"Can you tell us now?" Ron asked, looking at the three in the know. "I

mean, if you can. I know that there are somethings that you guys might

not be able to tell us. Sirius did mention that there was harmful stuff in

what he told you guys. But I'd really like to help if I can," he added,

hoping that Harry wasn't in trouble again, but he'd be there if his best

mate needed him. He knew Hermione would be too, even if they didn't

have all the information.

Harry took a deep sigh and sat up straight. He looked at his friends and

smiled. He knew that even if they weren't on the same page, he could

count on everyone in this room.

"All I can tell you is that there's some dark magic in my scar, and Bill is

taking me to the goblins to get it removed," he answered as vaguely as he

could, while sounding like he was giving a secret.

"They didn't tell you what kind of magic?" Hermione asked, leaning

forward to make sure she heard every word. Her hands twitched like she

was dying to go and find out what could solve the problem.

"No, just that it's in my scar," the dark-haired teen answered with a shrug.

Come to think about it, Sirius didn't mention what it was. Harry wasn't

sure if he wanted to know. As long as, it was removed he really didn't

care.

"Why didn't Dumbledore know?" she inquired instead, biting her lip in

confusion.

"Bugger me if I know," Harry said with a bit of a scowl.

"I'll bet he did," said Ron, thinking hard on all he knew about the

Headmaster. "I mean, how could he not? He's always going on about

Harry having to be some sort of champion. Yeah, he knew," the redhead

finished, tapping his chin.

"I'll bet you're right," Harry sighed, then thought a moment. "Which is

why I'm thinking of dropping out of school," he said, taking in everyone's

reaction. "Well, one of the reasons."

"Harry, you can't…" Hermione started, only stop when Harry held up his

hand.

"And you can tell what I can and can't do, why?" he asked with a lifting

of his eyebrow. He wasn't being mean, but really, sometimes that girl.

"Oh, well, what I meant was, well, that you really shouldn't," she

stuttered out. "Education is really important, and you need your OWLs to

get a job."

"I know that, Hermione," he snapped at her. "I am not stupid you know.

Don't you think I talked this out with my godfather?" he asked with a bit

of scorn, then sighed. She was only trying to help. "Sorry, it's been a bad

day. Well, not totally bad, but with this news that there's something in

my scar… I'm just a bit short tempered."

"I'm sorry, I'm doing it again, aren't I? I didn't mean to sound bossy, I'm

just worried," she finished, reaching over and squeezing his hand. "I know

it must be difficult, but Harry, are you sure?"

"Hermione, I know you worry, but still…" he left it hanging. "Anyway,

like I told Sirius, I'm 85% sure that this is what I need to do. He told me

to discuss it with you guys, but unless you give me a really good

reason…" he trailed off again.

"I think you have the right idea," Ron said, thinking that maybe for once

his friend might have a good school year, even if he wasn't at Hogwarts.

Merlin knows, Harry never had one before. Every year Harry was there,

was a bloody nightmare.

"What about Quidditch?" Ginny asked, thinking hard on what Hogwarts

would be like without Harry. She wasn't sure she liked that picture, but if

it made Harry happy, then she'd support him. But she wanted to make

sure he really wanted that. "And the rest of us," she continued, pointing

her fingers at the youngest in the room.

"I was thinking on dropping that anyway, because like Hogwarts' DADA

teachers, Quidditch seems to want to do me in too," Harry replied with a

chuckle.

"True," she agreed with a small smile. "Well, I, like Ron, support you. You

might get a howler from Mum, though," she warned.

"I'll send one back if I do," he promised.

Hermione opened her mouth, then snapped it shut, thinking hard on

what she should or should not say. She had already blundered twice; she

would really be pushing the limits if she did it again.

"I wonder if," George started, looking to his twin,

"we should," Fred went next, sharing silent communication with his twin,

"drop out,"

"as well," they finished together.

"Think about it," George said, this time looking at his siblings.

"We can stay here," the other twin said, also gaging his brother and sister.

"with Harry,"

"help teach him,"

"And finish our educations too," they said together.

"Not to mention," one twin said, with a wicked grin,

"the wonderful,"

"amazing,"

"never beaten,"

"Marauders are here," they said with great praise.

"In my opinion, you two are adults, so you can do what ever you bloody

well please. However, I'd run that by Sirius first. It's his house," Harry

said, beaming at his lookalike friends.

Ron and Ginny slumped; they knew no matter how much they begged

they would not be able to stay. They shared a look and sighed.

"Harry, what about Dumbledore?" Hermione asked, once more biting her

lip.

"What about him? Sirius is free, and my legal guardian. I already talked

to him and he'll support what I want," the teen said smugly.

"He's the headmaster," she said a bit firmer.

"Yes, and if I drop out, he won't be mine," Harry stated, folding his arms.

"Tell me this, what has Dumbledore ever done for me? For all he goes on

about having my best interest at heart, he has never, and I do mean

never, stopped any of the rumors that have spread throughout school, or

the wizarding world. I mean, he could have, at any time, told everyone

that I did not put my name in the goblet, or that parseltongue was not

evil. He didn't, instead he let me suffer."

"I'm… I mean… well…" she stopped. Everything he said was true. The

Headmaster never once stopped Harry from being ridiculed. "You're right

of course," she conceded. "Like when Ron said the Ministry was trying to

kill you, I just wanted it not to be true. He's supposed to protect us. It's

his job to make sure the school is safe. It's not, and if I could, I'd stay too.

But, I think I'll stick with Ron and Ginny, because I know that their mum

won't let them stay." She nodded her head decisively, knowing that she

made the right choice.

"Thanks, Hermione. If Harry's not going to be there, we're going to have

to stick together. Can you imagine what Malfoy is going to say?" Ron

said, a look of disgust on his face as he pictured the blond harassing him

and his sister.

"Well," she huffed, folding her arms and sticking her nose in the air, "I'll

just have to sock him in his kisser again," she said.

The whole room broke out in laughter at the thought of Hermione

dropping Draco Malfoy like she had done in her third year. Talks turned

to other things, after they played with that image for a while.

Hphphp

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen. Andi had done all she could for the three

treasure hunters. They hadn't been as bad off as she first thought, but

there were many bruises and scratches that she healed.

"Andi, now that you've healed them, I have to talk to these guys. Can you

give us a few? I don't want to drag them to the study until they are a

bit… livelier," Sirius asked, still sitting at the head of the table.

"Okay," she said, tucking her wand in her sleeve. "Come, Ted, let's let

these men do what they must. Sirius, you will tell me as soon as

Nymphadora shows?" she asked, waiting for her husband to join her.

"I'll send her straight through," he promised.

The Tonkses left.

"It was a bitch," Bill said, answering the question before it was asked.

"How so?" Sirius asked, pushing the glasses of firewhiskey towards the

weary men.

"Tom is a marvelous curser. His knowledge of obscure dark curses is vast.

How do I know this?" Bill asked rhetorically. "The curse on the ring hasn't

been used in over five hundred years."

"What kind of curse?" the dogman asked, shooting back one last whiskey.

"A withering curse," Moody answered, while Moony put his head on the

table and closed his eyes. "Remus and Bill fought over who was going to

put on the ring. The compulsion charm on it was that strong. Good thing

I'm impervious to such curses. But it took a lot for me to separate these

two and bag the ring," he explained, then forgoing the whiskey Sirius

poured, he tipped his flask.

"I'm sure you did great," Sirius said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm not all there, body or mind. I got it done, though," the one-eyed man

mumbled, still sipping from his flask. He was too old for this shite.

Constant Vigilance was exhausting.

"He saved our lives," Bill said, thumping the older man on the back. "Put

a sticking charm on everyone's chair," he requested.

Moody didn't even bother to ask; he just waved his wand, and everyone

was stuck by the seat of their pants.

"Great, everyone hand Moody your wands," the redhead said, handing his

over.

Moony sat up, looked at Padfoot, then the two shrugged and handed the

one-eyed man their wands.

"Okay, thanks, now can you levitate the ring to the middle of the table?

Just out of reach," Bill inquired, twitching in his chair to see how stuck

he was.

Moody looked at him for a full minute, tucked everyone's wand away,

and then floated the bag with the ring to the center. Another flick of his

wand the bag fell open.

Everyone, bar Moody, leaned forward, so Mad-Eye stuck their shirts to

the back of the chairs.

Bill, fighting the compulsion now that he knew it was there, took a deep

breath and centered himself. He waved his hand over the ring, in many

different movements. These were spells that were required to learn

wandlessly by all curse-breakers that worked at Gringotts. If you couldn't

do them, you didn't get to go to sites that might have antique treasures.

You only got to work at the bank itself until you did learn them. If you

hadn't learned them by your second year, you were let go.

After five minutes of casting, the ring flared bright and the compulsion

was gone. Bill slumped in his chair. Sure, he knew how to do it, but

wandless casting took a lot out of him. He didn't bother with the

withering curse, now that the compulsion was gone, it could stay.

Though, he did want to study it.

Everyone sighed a huge sigh of relief.

"That was nasty," Moony said, once more trying to put his head on the

table, but his shirt was stuck fast. So, he leaned his head back instead.

"Yeah, it's shite like that why curse-breakers never, and I do mean never,

work alone," the oldest Weasley child said, waving his hand and putting

the bag back on the ring. It just folded up, like a Venomous Tentacula

over a bug. Then the cord wrapped around the top and they all relaxed.

"I didn't know you knew wandless magic," Sirius commented, wiggling

around in his chair. The sticking charm was prickly.

"Only a few things. The goblins insisted," Bill said with a sigh. "Box?"

"Kreacher," Sirius called. "Bring me a box, please," he requested when the

elf appeared.

With a snap Kreacher vanished, and an iron box appeared on the table.

Bill levitated the ring in it and closed the lid. "You can release us now,"

he said, turning towards Moody, whose wand never faltered.

A swish later they were all released from their chairs. Then without being

asked, he handed their wands back.

Just then the Floo flared, wands went up, and Tonks came out of the

flames. Kingsley followed her. They too looked like they had been

fighting.

"We've got a problem," they both said, falling into chairs.

Hphphp

I know the alien had been done, though I can't recall which stories I have read

it from, but I love that image.

12. Chapter 12 Compromises?

Chapter 12 Compromises?

Thanks again for the reviews. You guys offer some great insight. And there are

plot holes that you catch. Which means I can go back and fix them. One of the

reasons I love writing fanfiction. Your thoughts and hints help me to be a

better writer.

I am still an amateur, but I am quite okay with that.

Hphphp

"Merlin, what now?" Remus asked, his head landing on the table now that

the sticking charm was removed. He didn't know how much more he

could take. The full moon was in a few days, and the fight with Bill had

taken a bit out of him. He closed his eyes and listened, he didn't hold

much hope that he'd stay awake, but he was hoping that if he did fall

asleep, someone would fill him in in the morning.

"We Apparated about seventy-five feet from where the two horcruxes

were. It was a standard distance, that they taught us in Auror training.

I've used it hundreds of times. We thought it would be far enough that it

wouldn't trip any wards," Kingsley said, running a shaky hand down his

face.

"We were wrong," Tonks said, taking deep breaths. "We-"

"Tonks, before you say any more, send a Patronus to your mum," Sirius

suggested, holding his hand up. "I don't want her mad at me. She asked

that I tell you to let her know," he said, smiling to take any bite out of his

words. "You do know the charm, right?"

"Yeah, after we heard that a third-year student could cast it, all of the

Aurors learned it right quick. Madam Bones was very adamant about

that," she said, lifting her wand to cast the charm. "Mum, I'm home. I'm

safe. Let me get in my report and I'll find you when we're done," she said

to the chameleon mist.

When she was done, it nodded its head and flew through the wall.

"Right, you were saying," Sirius said, pouring her and Kingsley shots of

firewhiskey.

"Anyway, we landed right inside some sort of trip wards at Malfoy

Manor. I didn't feel anything, we didn't realize it until a whole shitload of

Death Eaters came pouring out of the house," Tonks said, her voice a bit

wobbly.

"It was daunting how many Death Eaters there were. I'd say between fifty

to a hundred. There must have been a meeting going on. At least I hope

that was all of them. We're in big trouble if there's more. Either way,

Dumbledore's information is grossly incorrect. I have to wonder if Snape

is giving true reports, or is the Headmaster withholding information,"

Kingsley said, looking at Moody, who knew the man better than anyone.

"Probably the latter, lad," the retired Auror grumbled. "I will be having

words with both of them to find out," he promised, his one good eye

narrowed at the thought that his friend of many years would go so low as

to not keep his comrades informed on what they were facing.

"What happened next?" Sirius asked, pouring everyone more alcohol. He

figured that one more shot should be fine. Any more than that, and

they'd be useless.

Moony didn't touch his glass and if they didn't know better, they would

have thought the man asleep. But his eyelids were roaming like he was

thinking.

Bill, on the other hand, took his but instead of downing it, he just sipped.

Little burst of smoke came from his mouth.

"We immediately took cover in the woods behind us and tried to port

away. We do have emergency portkeys, thanks to being Aurors," Kingsley

added, taking the glass of firewhiskey that Sirius handed him. "The

portkeys didn't work. I think some anti-travel wards popped up as soon as

we landed."

"Any idea why the 'trip' wards let you in?" Bill asked, putting his glass on

the table.

"No, I think it's a trap of some sort. I felt stronger wards further up, about

six feet or so," Kingsley stated, moving his head side to side, trying to

relieve some tension. "We're going to have to adjust accordingly. I'll have

to let Bones know as well."

"Anyway, the Death Eaters hadn't seen us right away, so we disillusioned

ourselves, and stuck around for a moment. We listened in, while trying to

make it to the ward line. Meanwhile, they looked for us using revealing

spells, and we heard them say that their master would not be happy if

they didn't find us," Tonks continued, she asked for water and Kreacher

complied.

"It was at that time You-Know… Riddle came out of the house," the dark

Auror said, still trying to relax a bit. "It was strange, while his minions

were running around shouting spells, he simply walked, easy as you

please, barefoot to boot, until he got to the woods. He then called those

looking for us fools, and then pinpointed where we were," he said, giving

up on trying to relax. "I think he caught our thoughts. I don't know about

Tonks, but I quickly threw up my Occlumency shields."

"I did as well, but not before he got in. Scariest fucking thing I ever saw,

or felt," Tonks said with a full body shudder.

"Too right," her partner agreed. "We exchanged spells for a moment, and

then this big ruddy snake come slithering into the fight. Riddle spoke to

it, and it came our way. We buggered out of there as fast as we could.

Riddle and his minions stood back and laughed at us as we ran."

"Stupid snake was quick too. We almost didn't make it," grumbled Tonks,

thumping her empty glass on the table in frustration.

"Anyway, as soon as I felt the end of the anti-travel wards, we ported to

the Auror Headquarters. Amelia was not happy when we told her what

we had been up to. We didn't tell of the horcruxes but did say we were

scouting things that keep Riddle in the here and now. There were too

many people around, to tell her everything, so I hinted that we needed to

talk later. She heard us out, and made comment that she wanted a full

report, off the record," Kingsley finished, leaning back in his chair and

pinching his nose.

"It would be good to have Amelia on our side. Now that you're free,

Black, she could be a great boon," Mad-Eye said, giving Sirius a

thoughtful look.

"I'll look into it," Black promised.

"Weird thing is, she wanted to know if we knew where Harry was. I think

Dumbledore has reported him missing, Sirius," the pink-haired woman

said, finally picking up the whiskey and shooting it down.

"That doesn't make sense, he knows exactly where Harry is. Well, he

knows he's with me," the dogman said, rubbing his forehead.

"I think he's trying to get you for kidnapping. You did take him from his

relatives' home," Kingsley added, furrowing he brow.

"Arsehole," Sirius muttered, pouring himself another shot. "To bad for

him, I've already covered that with my lawyers. I'll get your dad to go

with me to the Ministry tomorrow, Tonks. I'll bring Harry along, so they

know the full story. We still have to report the Dementors."

"What Dementors?" came the shout from all but Moony, who was lightly

snoring.

"Right, I didn't tell you guys. The reason I went to get Harry was because

he contacted me, via his house elf, that a pair of Dementors were near his

home. If it hadn't been for his house elf, he and his cousin could have

been Kissed. We're not sure if it was a set up to make him use magic, or

someone… else, is trying to kill him," Sirius explained with a deep sigh.

"Sounds like something Fudge, or his lot, would do," Mad-Eye said, his

eye roaming around the room like those foul demons would float in at

any moment.

"Yeah, that's why I want to take him with me. He can give his statement

to Amelia and we can brush our hands of it," the dogman said, then

cracked a huge yawn.

"Well, back to the report on Harry being kidnapped, I told her I haven't

seen Harry in a while, which is partially true. I haven't seen him since

yesterday," she said, grinning impishly. "I also implied that the address I

had seen him at couldn't be disclosed. She seemed to find that funny."

Her hair cycled in many bright colors, reflecting her mirth.

"I knew I could count on you," her cousin said, winking in her direction.

"So," Moody said, getting them back on track, "old Tom is at Malfoy

Manor. Did they recognize you two?" he asked the Aurors.

"I think Malfoy did, when our disillusions fell. He's at the Ministry often

enough," Kingsley reported, thinking back to the fight and going over

what might be spilled.

"How did they fall?" Bill asked, looking between the two.

"Some spell Riddle did. We need to watch out for that," Tonks answered,

asking for more water.

Kreacher snapped his fingers and her glass filled.

"Malfoy, or Riddle even, probably thinks your spying for Albus," Moody

said, sipping his flask.

"Probably," the other man agreed. "It's not like it's a secret that we fight

with the Order. Though, calling what the Order does as fighting is a bit of

a stretch. I mean, the only thing I've done for Albus is tell him who is get

arrested and why. I'm going to stop doing that since he can't do anything

for them anyway. What with him being kicked out of the Wizengamot,"

the tired man said, stifling a yawn.

"How far out were the wards?" Bill asked, conjuring up some parchment

and writing utensils.

"I'd say they are seventy-five feet from the house. Like I said, there are

trip wards about fifteen feet from the main wards. We landed six feet in,

so yeah, about fifteen feet. Remember that they activate some anti-

traveling wards. If you do plan on scouting, then shoot for one hundred

twenty feet away. That will put you in the woods, and you can figure

everything out from there," Kingsley said thoughtfully.

"Right," the curse-breaker said, jotting it all down. "Do you think old Tom

will move bases?"

"Probably not. Riddle is too full of himself, and if you're correct, he has

surrounded himself with enough people loyal to him to feel safe.

However, I think we should cast that spell again, to see if he, whatever

his horcrux is, and his snake have gone to ground," Moody said, thinking

over many scenarios that could help with this.

"Now that you mention that blasted snake, could it be a horcrux, like

Harry," Sirius speculated.

"Might be," Alastor said, thinking hard. "It does seem smart for a snake. If

it has got a bit of Riddle hiding in its head, then that would account for

that. Bill, if you get near the thing, kill it."

"I will," Bill said, taking all this in so he could tell his boss. "I'll be careful

about it. Because if you're right, that means I won't be dealing with a

simple snake. Though, maybe we should leave it there for now. That way

Riddle doesn't know we're on to him," he said, tapping his quill on the

parchment. Too deep in thought to realize he was making ink blots.

"That is a good idea," Kingsley said, looking around at everyone, who

were all nodding in agreement. Expect for Remus, who was still snoring.

"Anyway, Sirius, I think we should get Harry to Gringotts tomorrow, or

the next day," the younger man said. "The sooner we get that thing out of

his head, the better I'll feel."

"Let's shoot for the day after tomorrow. I have something planned for

tomorrow," the head of the house mentioned, trying to think of what he

needed to do over the next few days. First thing in the morning though,

he was making Harry part of the family. Dumbledore be damned.

"Oh?" came the questioning voice of everyone except the sleeping

werewolf.

"Don't you guys worry none. It's family stuff," he waved their questions

away.

At that moment Andi came in, and beelined to her daughter. "I waited

long enough, young lady. You've had ample time to give your report. You

should have let me check you the moment you returned," she scolded,

waving her wand over Tonks, who mumbled something about being

grown. "Nymphadora, you know better than to let things go untreated."

"I'm fine, Mum. I didn't get hit once, this is all from dodging," she said,

trying to bat her mum away.

"I'll be the judge of that," the older woman stated, still waving her wand.

"I'm going to put this away," Sirius said, picking up the iron box.

"Someone might want to wake the wolf. Carefully, he bites. Just kidding,

the most he'll do is growl at you," he said, laughing at their faces and

moving towards the door. "And you guys either go home or take one of

the empty rooms on any floor but the third. Either way, get some rest.

You all look like shite," he finished, hurrying out the door in case one of

them fired in retaliation.

A stinging hex hit the doorway, and he laughed his way to the study.

Tomorrow was going to mark a milestone in his and Harry's life. He only

hoped that it all worked out. These rituals could be deadly, if Magic

didn't agree with what you wanted. Very few people realized that Magic

was alive. One didn't interact with it, per se, but if you learned to feel it,

it would help you obtain what you needed. However, you have to really

need what you're asking for, or even if your wish was granted, there'd be

a price to pay. Hence the reason why Dark Magic was so costly. Usually

your sanity or your soul.

With those dark thoughts, he put the horcrux in his safe, and went to find

the kids.

Hphphp

While that was going on, the teens were still talking and playing Bullshit.

They had been playing for a while when Hermione spoke up.

"Harry, I have an idea. About you leaving Hogwarts, that it. Well, a

compromise, really," she said, leaning forward a bit. "I know you don't

want to go to Hogwarts because you think someone will try and kill you,

again, but hear me out."

"Okay, what are you thinking?" he asked, putting his cards down and

turning in her direction. It had better be good, his mind was pretty much

made up.

"Maybe, you can come anyway but have someone create an emergency

portkey for you. That way if someone does try to kill you, you can escape

and come here. I really will miss you if you are not in school," she added

shyly, blushing a bit at being emotional.

"I will miss you guys too," Harry said softly, looking at all his friends,

who all seemed to have different emotions playing across their faces.

"But, Hermione, I'd still be looking over my shoulder all the time," he

said, rubbing his scar in thought. "Even if I had one on me, how would it

get through the wards? Besides, don't you think Dumbledore would

prevent me from leaving if I were in the school? That man's interest in

me is sometimes downright creepy."

"Don't say those things about the Headmaster," Hermione said, trying not

to sound bossy while doing it, but failing miserably.

"Really? After everything I told you, you're going to defend him?" Harry

asked, miffed that she wasn't listening to his concerns.

"Right, Hermione, I get that you think the world of authority figures, but

Harry is right, Dumbledore is fixated on him. And if what I heard today is

anything to go by, I'd not want to be around that old man either," Fred

said, not breaking into twin-speak. His brother nodding along with him.

"I don't know what you guys learned today," she said, looking at the

serious faces of the three boys.

"I told you that there was a bit of dark magic in my scar. Well,

Dumbledore know it was there and he's done nothing to get rid of it,"

Harry said, still upset that she was taking the old man's side. Again.

"Oh, well, I mean…" was all she could get out.

"Think about that for a while," Harry said, picking up his cards again.

"Her suggestion isn't a bad one," Ginny ventured. "If we can get the

Headmaster to create you a portkey, or someone who can bypass the

wards, like Bill. Then you could come back and not miss being around

your friends."

"If you do that, I'll stick with you like glue, mate" Ron said, clapping his

hand on the other boy's shoulder. "We can get our other roommates to

stay with us. I know Neville would help. He might be shy, but he hates

all the crap you've been through," he added, nodding towards the twins

so they'd back him.

"It's true. I've heard him complaining many times that if your folks were

still alive, none of what happened to you would have," Ginny answered

instead. "It got a bit repetitive when we were at the ball, but I felt… I

don't know, like he was growing?" she finished in a questioning tone.

"I always knew there was a lion under that quiet demeanor," Harry said

with a beaming smile.

"If you come back, we'll make sure you're never alone. Even if you have

detention, we'll figure out a way for one of us to be there. Promise,"

George said, he too not going into twin-speak.

"But if you must run, we'll be right behind you. Covering your tracks, and

taking out whoever it after you," promised Fred.

"Alright, let me talk it over with Sirius and see what he says," Harry said.

It was a good compromise, and he could leave anytime he wanted. His

heart swelled with joy that his friends wanted to make such an effort to

be near him. Still, he could not shake the feeling that it might not be a

great idea.

The papers had stopped vilifying him, but they were still raking the old

man over the coals. His article must have touched a lot of people. He

wasn't getting any mail, but the reviews were good.

He wondered about the mail thing. It was weird that he hadn't heard

from anyone not in this house. On one hand, that was good. Too many

owls at the Dursleys would have caused problems. On the other hand, it

was just one more thing keeping him in the dark. Something to

investigate.

That and they could hide it from Dumbledore that he was not still

impressed with the old man. Now that he was learning that badass

Occlumency, he couldn't wait until someone tried peeking. He had some

awesome ideas.

One particular one came to mind. Chucky. He smirked as he thought of

the scenario.

He could just imagine the look on Dumbledore's or Snape's or Voldy's faces

when they open the door to his cupboard. They'd be all battered from fighting

the aliens and thinking that was all he had to protect his mind.

They'd open the door and see Chucky grinning at them.

"This is your final defense Potter/Harry? A doll? Pathetic/Disappointing.

Would you like some candy, my boy?" Pending on who said it.

Chucky would do his evil laugh, and spring into action.

"ARRGH, NO! PLEASE MERLIN NO! 'bloody gurgling'"...

...Chucky looks at his bloody knife as the intruder fades away, smiles, and

closes the cupboard door. Chuckling all the while.

His face broke out in a wicked grin as he pictured that. He might have to

let them through just to see that. He laughed out loud at those images

and waved the others away when they looked at him funny. He didn't

think that Hermione would appreciate the humor but vowed to explain it

to the others when she wasn't around. He didn't need the lecture.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. The teens jumped a bit, they

were all in deep thought over Hermione's suggestion. Except Harry, who

was still envisioning the demises via Chucky.

Hermione was also deep in thought, but her mind wasn't on a psycho

murdering doll. She was going over everything she learned this last week,

and she wasn't liking the conclusions she was coming up with. Maybe

Harry was right, maybe he should stay here.

"Yeah?" came the response from many teens.

Sirius walked in grinning like a fool. "I know it's later than I had planned,

but there's still a few hours left until I hit the hay. Anyone want to spar?"

he asked, looking around at the kids who all stood and moved as one

towards the door. "Guess that answers that," he said, leading the way.

They spent a few hours in the cellar, Sirius teaching them some down

and dirty tricks. When they had finished, they all went upstairs, except

Harry, who was being held back.

"What's up, Sirius?" the teen asked after the others had left.

"I want to do the adoption, either now, or in the morning. We both have

to leave the house tomorrow, and I don't want to take any chances that

Malfoy would try to bump me off. If that does happen, you would have a

clear shot to my fortune and title," his godfather said, leaning against the

wall.

Harry joined him there and thought a moment. "While I don't want you

to die, in any way shape or form, I think you may have a point. Question.

I'll still be a Potter, right?" he asked, turning his head towards Sirius.

"Yeah, no worries there. You will be like a first cousin or younger

brother. Maybe even a nephew. It'll be up to magic to decide," he said.

"What do you mean, magic to decide?" Harry asked, with a cock of his

head.

"You see, I'll be asking magic to make you family. It'll weigh you, your

blood, our relationship, and then decide how close we'll be. Magic hardly

ever makes one a progeny. There are darker rituals for that, but those

who do it can be accused of line theft, so they are banned. That and

there's a heavy price to pay. Still, I'll try and make you as close to me as

possible," he explained, hoping that Harry understood.

The boy was doing marvelous in all his training, and Sirius had no doubt

he could pass himself off as a snobby pureblood by the end of summer.

"Oh, okay, that's actually better. I don't know if I want to be considered a

son of a reprobate like you," Harry said, shoving the man in jest.

"Prat," Sirius growled playfully, "You take that back. I'll have you know

any offspring of mine would be thankful to have a handsome, charming,

rich man like me as a father." He put his nose in the air and sniffed

pompously.

"You keep telling yourself that," Harry said, shoving him again.

"Seriously, Sirius, I'm knackered. Can we do this in the morning?" he said

with a yawn. "I don't want to mess anything up, and I can't get my mind

to settle. Ask me tomorrow and I'll tell you why, but right now, it's all

crazy up there. Maybe after a good night's sleep, I can think clearer," he

added, not wanting Sirius to think he was putting him off for the wrong

reasons.

"Might be best. Alright, go to bed, but you'll need to get up bright and

early. Say around six. Have Dobby wake you," Sirius said, pushing

himself off the wall and headed out of the room. He was let down that it

couldn't be right now, but the boy was right, he needed a clear mind.

"Alright," Harry said, following the man up the stairs. His mind whirling

about what was going to take place in the morning.

"Don't worry, it's a simple piece of magic," his godfather said as the crest

the stairs.

"I'll try not to," was all the answer he got.

"Good night, Harry," Sirius said, sitting at the kitchen table and pouring

himself a glass of firewhiskey. Just one more, to calm his nerves. What he

was going to do tomorrow was risky. Not deadly so, but still…

"Good night, Sirius," the boy said, and headed to bed.

Sirius sat and looked at the amber liquid in his glass. He really had had

too much tonight as it was. But his thoughts were deep, and he was

concerned about all that was happening to his godson. He shrugged,

downed the liquor, and put his head in his hands. He could only pray to

the Powers-That-Be that he was doing the right thing.

He soon put his thoughts away and went to bed.

Hphphp

I can only say that there is a reason for my madness.

The Chucky scene was provided by BMS on ffn. With his consent. I

embellished them a bit, but there it is.

13. Chapter 13 Finally Family

Chapter 13 Finally Family

I did want to say that I write as a hobby, and like any other hobby I don't

write every day. If I do, I burn out. Then months, or years, go by where I don't

write at all. So, please, bear with the erratic update schedule.

Also, some have asked if I'm going to work on sequels to my other stories.

Granted some of them have open endings so if I want to do sequels I can.

However, there are no plans for any at this point in time. When I do pick up

one it will more than likely be Our Friend Millie.

However, I have to finish my incomplete stories first.

I leave an open invitation in my stories and on my profile. If anyone wants to

pick up, rewrite, or continue anything I've written, have at it. Just, give me due

credit, and drop me a link so I can tell others.

Thanks for all the reviews.

Hphphp

Bright and early the next morning found Sirius and Harry in the ritual

room behind the library. Harry's hair was still sticking up from bed, but

Sirius was nicely groomed. They stood on opposite sides of the pedestal.

Both were decked out in robes, Sirius' a bit more pressed than Harry's.

The boy looked like he slept in his.

The man made a mental note to get Harry kitted out. No relative of his

was going to wear rags. He had seen the stuff the Dursleys had giving

him and they were only fit to be burned.

He had tried getting Harry clothed better in the past, but with him being

housebound, and Harry at the Dursleys it just never happened. For now,

Regulus' stuff would do, even if they were a tad too big. A small bit of elf

magic, and they fit well enough. Say what you will about his late brother,

the man could dress.

That thought sent a pang of regret through him, but he shook it off and

focused on his soon to be new relative.

Just then Harry let out a huge yawn. He covered his mouth with his

forearm and forced his eyes open.

"Tired, Harry?" Sirius asked, grinning like a loon. "I thought you'd be

excited."

"Oh," yawn, "I am. I just had a lot on my mind last night. I don't think I

got to sleep until two this morning. Sorry," the teen said, stifling another

yawn.

"Well, we can hold it off again, if you're that tired," Sirius offered,

knowing that Harry hadn't wanted to do this last night because he was

sleepy.

"No, I'm awake, mostly," Harry protested, stifling another yawn. "My

mind is clear, it's my body that's all lazy," he added with a smirk.

"Don't worry about it. You don't need to be awake, just standing," his

godfather teased. "Though, I have to warn you the ritual itself might get

you going," he added, winking at the half-awake boy.

"Prat," Harry said, giving a tired smile.

"Alright, I'm going to put my hand on this spike. It'll make me bleed a bit.

Not much," Padfoot added at the boy's shocked look, "just enough to get

done what we need. It doesn't even hurt. It's spelled to be painless. So

don't freak out or anything. You're not one of those that pass out at the

sight of blood are you. Your dad did when you were born, it was funny as

hell."

"No, blood doesn't bother me," the boy said, perking up at that bit of info

on his dad. "Did he really pass out?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow,

thinking Sirius was pulling his leg.

"Twice," the older man laughed. "Right when Lily broke his hand, and

just after you crowned. I had to pick him off the floor both times."

"Right, well I should be okay, as long as there isn't' too much blood,"

Harry said, more awake now that they had that little chat.

"Most of it will stay in the bowl. It'll look like a lot, but it really isn't.

besides, I have a blood replenisher in waiting for me when we're done,"

his godfather assured him.

"Okay, that does make me feel a bit better," the teen said, still eyeing the

sharp spike with distaste. There was dried blood from past use matting

the barb. "Do I have to put my hand on it?" he asked, knowing that it was

unhygienic to share something like that.

"No. You are going to slice your palm and add your blood to mine. It will

mix with the potion I poured in," the other man explained, pointing to

the acid green potion in the basin around the spike.

"Eww, I don't have to drink any, do I?" the tired boy asked, his nose and

face scrunched up. Again, wavering over sharing blood.

"No, gross. Why would you even think that?" Sirius asked, his face just as

screwed up at Harry's.

"Don't know. Just a thought that popped in my head. I mean, how else

would your blood adopt me?" Harry inquired, staring in horror at the

pedestal. He had no idea where that thought came from, but the last

thing he wanted to do was drink blood. He would, but only if it were

entirely necessary.

"Um, magic," the dogman stated as if it were obvious.

"Right, remember I'm still relatively new to all this. And they don't teach

ritual stuff at Hogwarts," Harry said, almost snapping at his godfather.

"They don't?" his godfather asked, a bit perplexed. "It's a part of how

magicals work. Rituals are supposed to be the foundation of all magic,"

he explained at his godson's confused look.

"No, and I don't know why. How would I?" Harry answered with a shrug.

"Right, I'm going to ask Dumbledore about that. That's just not right. No

wonder the purebloods are up in arms," Sirius said, his face a mask of

determination. He'd have to talk to Remus, since the man had taught

there. Surely, the werewolf had asked the same question.

"You do that," Harry said, again shrugging. He didn't think it would do

any good, but now that Sirius was free, he could do whatever the hell he

wanted. If the man wanted to bang his head against a wall, who was

Harry to stop him.

"Right, okay, enough of that for now. Let's get to getting us related.

Anyway, I will put my hand here and you will slice your palm. When the

blood mixes with the potion, I will do an incantation. Hopefully, magic

will hear my call and we can finally be family," Sirius reiterated, moving

it along.

"What do I use to cut myself? I didn't know I'd need a knife," Harry

inquired, with a raised eyebrow.

Sirius reached into his robe and handed the teen a pocketknife. "You

don't have to cut much. Just enough for a bit of blood."

"Okay," Harry said, holding his left hand over the basin, knife in his right

hand. The blade ready to slice.

He wasn't looking forward to the pain, but he really wanted family, and

Sirius was the one he wanted to be related to the most. The man was

great. He was funny, smart and strong. All the things that Harry thought

a dad should be. Even though he wasn't going to be the man's son,

anything closer than godson was wonderful.

That and Harry loved the man, even in the short time he knew him,

Sirius was better than even his friends. At least he had kept him informed

of almost anything related to him. No one, not even Hermione had done

that. That and he told the best stories about his parents. Not even Remus

did that. It was like the werewolf wanted to leave the past in the past. It

was his prerogative, but sometimes it made talking to the man hard.

Sirius slammed his hand on the spike, breaking the boy out of his

thoughts, and nodded to Harry who quickly sliced his hand and let the

blood flow. Dark red mixed with acid green, making a weird gold color.

A few seconds later, the potions started smoking.

"Magic hear my call. I, Sirius Orion Black, as the Head of House of Black

do hereby claim this person, Harry James Potter, to be part of the Black

Family," Sirius intoned as the vapors rose. "I ask that you judge this fairly

and give us the family we both desire."

At the last word, magic swirled up from the basin, a dark golden mist. It

wrapped itself around the two men. A tingling came over both of them as

it hugged them tight. It was searching out any relation and weighing

what was needed.

They could feel it humming on their skin and seeping into their bodies.

Not literally, more like an invisible wave of electricity. It was like

standing in ozone. All their hair was standing on end, and a prickling

sensation caused goosebumps to cover their skin.

Then out of nowhere, Harry's scar burst open, black sludge poured down

his face, and he was letting out a quick pained yell. His face was screwed

up and his body was rigid. Sweat started pouring from his forehead.

Keeping his eyes closed, he silently yelled.

"Harry!" Sirius shouted, trying to remove his hand from the spike. It was

held fast by. Yanking it with all his might, he groaned when it stayed. His

free hand wrapped around the wrist of the impaled hand. "Harry, what is

happening? Don't worry, I'll get free and stop this," he said, then thought

quickly. "Magic hear…" was as far as he got when his godson's voice

stopped him.

"Stop," Harry said, holding up his good hand, eyes still closed against the

pain. "It said I can't be adopted as long as Riddle is in my head," he

rasped out, holding on to the basin with both hands. Grabbing it to help

steady him as whatever was happening worked its magic. It felt like a tug

a war was going on, on his forehead. Something was yanking something

from his head.

"Wait, what? Magic is talking to you?" Padfoot said, stopping his struggle.

That doesn't happen. Magic just does. Magic just is. It doesn't have a

voice, does it? Now that he thought about it, yeah, magic was an entity.

He would not have to call it to do spells or ask it to make things happen.

Like the ritual they were preforming now. But to hear that it was actually

talking, that was too weird, even for him.

"Yeah, kind of like a whisper in my mind," the teen said, still gripping the

pedestal. He could hear magic trying to calm him, and it was like wooly

cotton was rubbing against his brain. He really hoped it stopped soon.

Then he giggled.

"What?" Sirius asked, holding himself taunt, thinking he was going to

hear something bad.

"It likes my mind's landscape," Harry said, chuckling at the voice. "It says

the aliens are cute," he added with a small laugh.

"Only you, Harry." Sirius made a mental note to find out what 'aliens'

were, but not right now.

"Give me a minute," Harry said, trying to hear more.

"Fight," came the whispered words from all around him. "Use your mind,

and fight," it said again.

Hearing that, he went into his mindscape and ordered his aliens to him.

They all came at his call, snarling and hissing. They moved like spiders,

crawling, leaping and just sidling to where they needed to be. Their grey

skeletal bodies, were clambering on the ground, looking for their enemy.

The elongated heads, with no eyes, were moving back and forth,

searching for something to destroy. Rows of teeth were gnashing at the

air, showing their willingness to fight.

They flanked Harry like an army of demented beings. Which they were.

Hundreds of them all creeping around and waiting.

There was a man there; he looked like and older version of Tom Riddle.

"I'm going to kill you, boy," Tom said, warily watching the army of aliens.

He wasn't worried, they couldn't be worse than Inferi. "Your pets won't

stop me," he sneered, raising his wand.

"Okay, guys, sic 'im," Harry said, wondering if he should bring out more

defenses, but then brushed that thought aside. He really wanted to get

this done and over with. As funny as it would be to have Tom meet

Chucky, he didn't want to make any mistakes.

The aliens all converged on the entity, jumping and crawling towards the

invader.

Tom shot an Incendio spell, like he would with Inferi, but the creatures

just leaped out of the way. He ran towards them, firing off Killing Curses,

and other such deadly spells, but he never hit one.

Then the Dark Idiot retreated, moving as far away from the demons as

possible. Tom would move back, throwing the aliens off him, only to be

swarmed by twenty more. He screamed and fired off spells that were

ineffective. His clothes and skin were ripped and torn. Blood was

dripping from every part of his body, even his face was a mess.

The Xenomorphs leaped and grabbed, biting and tearing, and tore it to

shreds. Their mouths opened, and smaller heads darted out, each taking a

piece of the man. Blood and chunks of flesh flew everywhere.

"NO! This can't be happening. I am immortal! I will be back, Potter! I

have done more than anyone to obtain immortality! You won't stop me

with this!" the dying entity declared as he was buried under those grey

bodies.

"I will stop you. We will stop you. You are nothing," Harry declared

monotoned, watching it all in fascinated horror.

The aliens didn't stop until the man was completely eaten.

Harry wanted to be sick, but instead thanked each alien, petting them

like they were pets, before returning to reality.

As Tom disappeared, the tugging stopped. The teen's hands relaxed a bit,

but he didn't fall like he really wanted to. That took a lot out of him.

He didn't know if dying in someone else's mind killed you for real, but as

long as Tom wasn't in his head, he didn't care. He knew the adults were

doing their best to get rid of the man, and if this helped, he was all for it.

At least he wouldn't' have to go to the goblins now. He was sure that

what ever that was, was what Sirius had warned him about.

The teen was breathing hard, and there was still gunk on his face. It

seemed to be sticking to his like hardening glue. He was holding his eyes

closed, so that that stuff wouldn't get in there. It was nasty feeling. Like

some slime Dudley had dropped on him once when he was napping. Only

this stuff was solidifying, and all he wanted to do was wipe it off.

However, his hands were being used to keep him standing.

After taking a few deep breaths, Harry said, "Did it work? The adoption I

mean." He didn't even want to think about what had gone on in his head.

"Wait a second, Harry. I need to stop the magic," the worried man said,

his hand still impaled. "Magic, thank you for your gifts. I release you," he

said quickly. A down and dirty closing, but effective. He then removed

his hand from the spike when the mist vanished.

"Wow, that was rough," Harry said, cracking open one eye, the one free

of gunk. "Can I sit now?" he asked, still trying to keep himself erect.

"Yeah, here, I'll conjure a chair," the dogman said, doing just that, then

leading the teen to sit. "Don't open your eyes yet," he cautioned.

"Right, so, okay, it's done, right? It worked?" Harry asked again, leaning

his head back onto the chair.

"First, let me check your head," Sirius insisted, getting out his wand and

waving it over the teen's scar. He expelled a great sigh when he found it

clean. Waving his wand again, he put the sludge in a vial he conjured.

Once more the wand was in motion as he healed the wound. "You'll still

have a scar. Sorry, but it's still a curse scar. You did get hit with the

Killing Curse, so it's going to stay around," he said, taking a closer look.

"Is he gone?" the boy asked, raising his head and wiping his face with his

shirt. Even if most of the sludge was gone, his face felt like it would

never be clean.

"Yeah, he's gone," Sirius said, conjuring a wet cloth.

"Thanks," Harry said, cleaning his face. "What was that?" he asked. "I

mean, was it what we talked about the other day?" He didn't want to

relay what had happened in his head, not yet at least. When he wasn't so

traumatized from watching it, maybe.

"Yes, it was the dark magic I told you about," Padfoot said, peering at the

vial in his hand. He shuddered and put it in his robes. "With this out of

your head, we're one step closer to stopping him." He made a mental note

to add the vial to his safe. He had no idea if it still was a horcrux, and he

didn't want to take the chance. It was still emanating evil, so yeah, hiding

it was imperative.

"That was gross," complained the now wide-awake teen, handing the

cloth back.

"Yeah, I didn't know that would happen," Sirius confessed, as he banished

the rag. As he thought about it, it did make sense. He wasn't adopting

Tom Riddle, after all. "You need to tell me about what 'magic' said. But

that's for another time. I'm just glad that you don't have any part of Tom

inside you anymore."

"Yeah, me too. I'm glad this happened, one less thing to worry about.

So…?" He let the question fade away. He knew that Sirius knew what he

wanted to know.

Sirius smiled and waved his wand again. Words formed in the air,

showing a small family tree. Harry's name was right next to Regulus'. He

grinned and said, "Welcome to the family, little brother."

Harry whooped and threw himself at his god… brother. "I always wanted

a brother." His smile was so large that it almost split his face in half.

"Well, now that Regulus is gone, I can claim you as my heir," Sirius said

sadly and joyfully at the same time. He looked at the basin and seeing a

ring in there he pulled it out. "Wear this, just will it invisible for right

now."

Harry took the ring and slipped it on his finger. It was too big, but it

shrunk quickly enough. The ring itself was gold with a black and white

onyx stone that had words written on it. Toujours Pur. He knew that

meant Always Pure, but he wondered if it meant the same thing to Sirius

as it had to the rest of the Black family. He'd ask later.

"I'm sorry I never got to know Regulus. Will you tell me about him

sometime?" the teen asked softly. Even if the man was dead, he was now

family. Heck, he would even listen to stories about Walburga. He

shuddered, maybe not. Not Bellatrix either. No, most of the Black family

women were off limits for nighttime tales.

"Yeah," Sirius answered just as softly. Talking would be hard, now that he

knew the story of his little brother's death. But maybe it might make

things easier.

"Are there any special powers on this ring? Like shielding and stuff?"

Harry asked, peering at the ring again.

"No, it's just a ring. I mean, it will got invisible, and it will get you special

treatment at stores and such, and open the Black vaults, but, no, there are

no other spells on it," Sirius said, wondering where Harry came up with

this stuff. "Of course, if you really want, I can make into a portkey. That

might actually be a good idea," he mused softly to himself. With all the

trouble Harry got himself into that would make him, Sirius, feel loads

better.

"Okay, that sound good. Anyway, breakfast?" the teen said, smiling again.

"Come on, little brother, let's get Andi to check out your scar. I'm pretty

sure that I'm correct, but I'd like to have a second opinion," the older man

said, putting his arm over the shorter teen's shoulder and led him out of

the room.

"But I'm starving," the teen whinged, yet not resisting.

"She's probably in the kitchen anyway," was the reply.

"Should I tell anyone about this? Or did you want to keep it a secret? I

mean, you did say to hide the ring," Harry asked as they walked out of

the library.

"I'd like to keep it to just family right now. I don't want to paint a bigger

target on your back," Sirius said, thinking about all the people who would

use this to their advantage. "I know you trust your friends, but they can't

protect their minds, yet. Dumbledore is still trying to get you away from

me. I'd like to keep this an ace in the hole, at least until Riddle is gone for

good," he explained, seeing Harry's hurt look.

"Okay, but only until the war is over. After that, I'm shouting it to the

world," Harry said stubbornly. Then he glanced at the ring and willed it

invisible. He could still fell it on his hand, but…

"I'll be right there with you," agreed his new brother.

"Won't magic change all the paperwork?"

"No, well, only the stuff that will be filed hereafter. You will be known as

Potter-Black on any new documentation, but all the old stuff will stay the

same," was the answer. "Good thing you're not going back to Hogwarts."

"Umm, yeah, about that," Harry said, stopping in the middle of the hall.

"What? Did you change your mind?" Sirius asked, stopping with him. He

dropped his arm and moved to stand in front of Harry.

"Well, not really, but Hermione and the Weasleys want me to go. They

have this whole elaborate scheme planned out. With bodyguards,

portkeys, and a whole mess of other ideas. But I just can't drop the

feeling that it could go terribly wrong," Harry confessed, having had all

night to think about it.

"Really, now? I'm not sure that it is a good idea for you to return.

Especially, if your gut is telling you not to," Sirius said as he started

walking again. His mind going over arguments to keep Harry here.

"I'm going to have to really think on this some more," the teen sighed. He

did want to be with his friends, but he wanted to get to know his new big

brother as well. He just couldn't shake the feeling that nothing good

would come from him returning to school.

"You have a few weeks," Padfoot said, leading the way to the kitchen.

"Yeah," Harry sighed, following along.

"Look, Andi knows what we did this morning," the dogman said softly as

they came to the kitchen door. "She's family. What she knows, her family

knows. So, don't be surprised if they mention it when no one is around,"

he said, opening the door. "However, they know that I don't want anyone

else to know for now."

"That's a lot of knows," Harry joked, playfully pushing Sirius aside and

entering the kitchen.

Everyone was up and sitting at the table. The Weasleys, the Tonkses,

Remus, Bill, Alastor, and Kingsley. Most were eating, some were just

sipping hot drinks and reading either the newspaper or reports.

The head of the table chair was vacant, and the seat next to it as well.

The two men moved to sit, as Andi spoke up.

"Did it go well?" she asked, getting up and moving towards Harry. He still

had some stuff on his face, and she conjured a flannel to wipe the rest off.

"Your scar is smaller," she said when she finished cleaning his face. "What

did you boys get up too, with this gunk on your face?" she asked,

scrubbing harder.

Harry pouted at being treated like a kid, but he did want all that slime off

his face. Obviously, he hadn't done a good job.

"Yeah, about that, we had a bit of a surprise," Sirius confessed, looking at

all the treasure hunters. "Don't have to worry about the other one here

anymore," he said smugly.

It was after all a great relief. Now they didn't have to rely on the goblins,

who would have charged an arm and a leg. Not that he couldn't afford it,

but why spend money when he didn't have too.

"Really?" Bill asked, setting down his cup. "You're going to have to tell me

how you did that," he added, confused. He was certain that only the

goblins could rid a horcrux from a living being.

"Not really sure how it happened. It just… did," Sirius said with a shrug.

"But, if you wait until later this afternoon, Harry and I will tell you what

we know," he offered, cutting looks to the eager looking teens, who were

all leaning forward, as if to catch any tidbit of information. "Right,

Harry?"

"If I must," was the reluctant reply.

"I can wait," Bill said, picking his coffee cup back up.

The teens, bar Harry, groaned and complained, but the adults just

ignored them. Harry smiled at them reassuringly, he would just tell them

that he was free of dark magic, and that he felt better than he had in a

long time. It was like pressure had been removed from his brain.

"Right, Harry, when you're done eating, go get dressed in something

nicer," Sirius said, picking up his fork and scooping up some eggs. "Get

Kreacher to help you. He knows were all Regulus' clothes are. He also

knows what is appropriate."

"Why?" the teen asked, smiling at Andi, who was done examining him.

"We have to go to the Ministry," the man said when he finished

swallowing.

"Again, I say, why?"

"You'll find out when we get there," Sirius said, pointing his fork in

Harry's direction.

"Fine," Harry huffed and started eating.

"He's fine, Sirius," Andi said, sitting back down and resuming her meal.

"Good to know," the man said.

"Is anyone going to tell us what's going on?" Hermione asked, folding her

arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair.

"No," came the response from at least five adults.

Harry just shrugged at her and winked.

She harrumphed and started eating again. The Weasley children all

sighed exasperated and they too went back to breakfast.

14. Chapter 14 A Clash In

Cultures

Chapter 14 A Clash In Cultures

There's a small debate on religion, you can skip it if it offends. It kinda got

away from me.

Anyway, thanks for the reviews, and enjoy.

Hphphp

"Hey, Remus, I have a question," Sirius said, putting his fork down.

"When did Hogwarts drop rituals?"

"About the time we graduated," the werewolf answered, putting his cup

down. "I asked Albus, and he said that there were too many muggleborns

that didn't like rituals. He said it was like they thought it was summoning

evil or something. I really couldn't get a good answer out of him." The

man frowned at the vagueness of Dumbledore's reply. It smacked of lying

without lying. Something the Headmaster was good at.

"That's horrible," cried Andi, appalled at what she was hearing. "How

could he do something so monumental? Rituals are the backbone of this

culture," she hissed, extremely upset by this news. "Nymphadora, why

didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know it ever was a class," protested Tonks. "I thought it was a

family tradition. You know like the holidays and stuff."

"No, it most certainly is not," huffed Andi, looking at Remus for the

answer.

"Like I said, Albus blames it on the muggleborn. Well, not blames, per se,

but…" he shrugged. "That's his reason, like changing Samhain and Yule to

Halloween and Christmas," he offered as if that explained everything.

"Shite, no wonder the purebloods are up in arms," Sirius reiterated his

earlier comment. "We need to do something about that." He looked to all

the adults, who looked confused as to what happened to the class. They,

all but Tonks and Bill, had been taught rituals in school.

"Rituals?" Hermione asked, poising as if the answer was especially

important. "What are rituals? I mean, I know what they are, but why

would wizards need them?" she asked, thinking of the new age wiccans.

She had read a few of the books over the summer, but it all seemed like

hooey to her.

"Rituals are the bases of magic," Sirius repeated what he told Harry.

"They are performed when wands don't do what is needed. There are

many different types, but mostly it's used for family magic, nowadays.

That and various Sabbats," he added, thinking of all the past ones he

participated in.

"How?" she asked, not understanding how a summoning 'magic', was like

casting spells.

"Well, first of all, magic is alive," the older man answered, knowing that

more firmly after this morning's events. "I used it to reclaim my house. If

magic didn't feel I was up to the challenge, then I'd still be an ex-con with

no family."

"Honestly, magic is alive?" Hermione scoffed; her logical mind could not

comprehend that.

"It is," Harry insisted, "I felt it myself, jus this morning," he added,

frowning a bit at her.

"What did it feel like?" the bushy-haired girl asked, more than willing to

believe Harry.

"Like a mum's hug," he stated, his eyes getting vacant for a moment.

"That, and I've always thought Hogwarts was sentient," he said, shaking

the warm feeling away.

"Well," Hermione started, then thought about all the times that she had

simply found her way when lost in the castle, "I guess that does make a

bit of sense. Does that mean wandless magic is the same as wanded, just

more like praying?" she pondered.

"Not quite, but a bit like that, yeah. You see, wizards didn't always have

wands," Remus started, taking a sip of coffee. "They used rituals to do

their magic. Mostly, like Sirius said, for family magic and Sabbats.

Chanting and dancing to call upon magic to assist them in things like

crops, family, healing and other such things. When wands came about,

they just changed the rituals into words. When you cast a spell, you are

still calling on magic to do your deed. However, now you are doing it

quickly."

"However, there are still things that need to be done by ritual," Bill

added, looking at all the confused faces of the teens. "I use rituals a lot in

my line of work. The goblins more so. Using a ritual is, like Hermione

suggested, like saying a prayer, only instead of asking a deity, you're

asking an entity."

"What's the difference?" Harry asked, having finished it meal. He was that

hungry. Then a bit sheepishly, he scooped up some more eggs.

The Weasley children were hanging on every word of the conversation.

They too were taught a few rituals for the holidays. Small things. They

didn't, however, know that it had ever been a class. It made sense

though, those like Harry and Hermione wouldn't have anyone to teach

them.

"An entity is something has a distinct existence as an individual unit, like

ghosts, or magic. It usually doesn't have a solid physical form. While

deity is 'the state of being a god', 'a divine character', or a 'being of

omnipresence'," the curse breaker said, leaning back in his chair. This was

magic 101 to him. He thought it was taught in Magical Theory class. He

wondered if that had been cut too. He voiced that question.

"No, we don't have a Magical Theory class, but McGonagall and Flitwick

teach us the basics in first year," Ron answered, wondering just how

messed up Hogwarts was.

"Also, Hermione, Harry, we may say thanks to Merlin a lot, or even curse

by him, but we don't really consider him a god," Remus explained.

"Religion is not a big deal to wizards. Not when we can make miracles

happen every day," he added.

"Isn't that blasphemy?" a confused Hermione asked, wondering when this

dipped into religion. She wasn't a devout follower, but she did say her

prayers every night.

"But wait," Harry said, his brow bunched in confusion, stopping anyone

from answering Hermione's accusation for a moment, "don't you call

upon magic, like Bill said, in a prayer like fashion?" His thoughts on what

Sirius has done just this morning

"Yes, but magic is not a god. It's a source. To use it, you should call upon

it," Remus tried to explain. "It more like asking for something to help you

do what you can do naturally. Praying is more like asking for miracles

that are out of your hands. We magical folk have magic given to us at

birth. A core, if you will. If our core gets depleted, via spell casting,

natural magic replenishes it. So, when we want something done, we ask

our magic to touch natures magic to help us manifest what we need."

"This is confusing," murmured Harry, going back to his food. He knew

that the voice he heard was magic. So, if it had a voice had a presence,

didn't that make it a deity? He was going to have to do some research on

that. Maybe he'd ask the entity, for guidance. Now that he thought about

it, ghosts talk and mixed with the living, as if they were still thinking

beings. Maybe he'd ask them.

"So, you're saying that the magical world doesn't believe in God?"

Hermione said, thinking if she had ever heard anyone say that out loud.

"How can we worship a deity that says witchcraft is evil?" Harry asked,

thinking hard on all he knew about the Christian religion. "I know my

aunt and her family attend church every Sunday. They never took me,

something about being evil as well as a freak."

"that is not a very Christian thing to say," she said, placing a hand on his

arm.

"Well, their bigotry turned me off religion. I mean what if all churches

subscribe to this belief?" Harry said, giving her a lopsided smile.

"No, not all of them do," protested Hermione, giving his arm and squeeze

then turning to the older people at the table. "I mean, there are some

churches that don't discriminate," she added.

"Let me stop this conversation right now. This has gone beyond magical

theory. Religion is not to be discussed at the table," Andromeda said

sharply. In her belief, religion and politics were not discussed while

eating. Too much tension, made for a foul-tasting meal. "You have your

beliefs, we have ours. It is not your place to tell us we are wrong," she

kindly said to Hermione, who nodded firmly once.

"You're right," she said, softly. "My parents taught me better than that. I

will stick to my beliefs, and not insult yours." The more she tried to

understand and embrace the wizarding culture, the more confused she

got. Was she supposed to suspend her beliefs, and embrace theirs? She

wasn't sure she could do that.

"It's alright, Hermione. This debate is ongoing, and has been for

thousands of years," Ted said, kindly, putting his hand on his wife's

shoulder. "It is up to you who you pray to. I would suggest that you read

a few books on magical theory, and make up your own mind, okay?" he

said gently. After all, he had once been in her shoes.

She nodded and looked to Sirius, who nodded to her that 'yes, she would

find them in the library'. She smiled and hurried to finish her meal.

"Back to rituals," Sirius said, looking at everyone seeing if they had

dropped religion for now. "We need to get that back on the curriculum. I

will teach anyone here what I know, but it needs to be taught at

Hogwarts," he said firmly.

"You younger Weasleys need to ask your parents if that is okay. Though, I

don't see why it wouldn't be, but that is not our call," Andi said, dropping

her fork on her plate, finished with her meal.

"I tried to get him to see reason, when I was there, Sirius. Albus is firm in

his resolve. I don't know how that will change," Remus said, shaking his

head.

"Well, I know it wasn't taught to me," Bill added, rubbing his forehead in

thought. "The goblins, like Sirius, are very upset that that those courses

were dropped. They have to teach all new curse breakers. It's frustrating

to them." He sat back a moment and pondered. "I know Mum might have

something to say about you four learning more than you already know,

but Dad will give his okay. So next time you check in, ask him."

"We will," the twins said, glancing around at all the stubborn faces.

"You need to ask your parents too, Hermione," Ted said, looking at the

girl who was bouncing at learning something new.

Even if she didn't entirely approve, she still wanted to learn. Until she

did, she couldn't make a decision. Mr. Tonks was right; she'd have to

clear it with her folks. She resolved to write them after breakfast and ask

Harry if she could use Hedwig. She could still read on magical theory

though, that should be safe enough.

"I'll look into it, everyone," Sirius said, finishing off his eggs. "Kreacher,"

he called.

"Master calls," the elf said, popping next to the man.

"Yeah, can you get the book I loaned Hermione. I need to check some

things," he ordered the elf.

"Yes, Master," Kreacher said, popping away. A few seconds later the book

was on the table.

"You could have asked," Hermione stated, folding her arms. "I wasn't

finished with that," the girl complained, putout that the house elf could

just take anything from her room. Even if it was Sirius' to begin with.

"I'll let you use it again, later. I need it right now for my duties as a Lord.

If I want things to change in Hogwarts, I need this information to get

people on my side. I might not have to bribe for this, though," he

chastised, though he really should have told her he was claiming it back.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"No, you're right, I could have asked, and I apologize for that. Still, I

might copy it for you, if you ask politely," Sirius said with a wink to show

he was just joshing. He then picked up the book and thumbing through

the first few pages. "Not right now though. Harry, can you go and get

dressed?" he asked, not looking up.

"Yeah, sure," the teen said, moving to do just that.

The rest of breakfast passed in quiet whispers, with Bill and Remus

explaining what they could. Moody was just watching everyone, thinking

of the things he was going to ask Albus. Something wasn't right at

Hogwarts. Andi and Ted had left to get ready for the day. Kingsley and

Tonks were sipping their cups, waiting for the time to leave for work.

Harry soon came down, dressed in nice green day-robes. "I'm ready," he

said to Sirius, who looked up from his reading.

He saw Harry, closed his book, put it in his pocket and stood. "We're

going to head to the Ministry," he said to the table. "Bill, we'll have that

talk later. Moody, Moony, maybe you two can go to Wiltshire and look

around. Don't try and get into the house and remember the wards."

"Did you teach your grandmum to suck eggs too?" Moody grumbled,

getting up from the table.

"Right, sorry," Sirius said, rubbing the back of his head.

"We'll be careful," Remus said, joining Alastor.

"We have to go to work," Kingsley said, making his way to the Floo.

Tonks joined him.

"We'll see you there," Sirius said to the two Aurors.

Everyone split-up to do their thing. The teens still discussing what they

learned that morning. The Weasleys imparting what they had been

taught by their parents. Since it was so little, they were sure it would be

okay to let Hermione know.

Harry and Sirius used the Floo and were soon in the atrium of the

Ministry of Magic.

"Oh my, what is that thing?" Harry asked, looking aghast at The Fountain

of Magical Brethren. It was appalling. The only house elf he had ever

seen with that look was Dobby. But Dobby was a special case. That elf

was batshit crazy, in a good way.

"Yeah, ignore that," Sirius said, curling his lip at the depiction of magical

creatures worshipping wizards. If he had his way, he and a few others

would come when the place was closed and melt the damn thing.

"Not a problem," Harry said, shaking his head in disgust.

They made their way to the elevators and Sirius pressed the button for

the DMLE.

"Why are we going there?" the teen asked, ducking the paper airplanes

that were flying around the lift.

"We need to talk to Amelia Bones, then I need to register," his brother

explained, reading the floor numbers, and listening to the voice telling

them which floor was which.

"Who is she?" the boy asked, thinking of Susan Bones.

"The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Sirius said,

looking at the ceiling, like he was trying to read the memos.

They came to their floor and stepped out with about five others. Sirius

led the way to Amelia's office. The Aurors were giving him dark looks.

They didn't like that he had gotten off on a technicality. They would have

felt better if he had had a trial. Still, he was a free man and they could do

nothing about it.

Sirius stopped at the secretary's desk. "I'd like to speak to Madam Bones,

please."

"Is she expecting you?" the woman asked, charming her long shapely

nails different colors.

"She told me to drop by," the dogman lied, slightly. She had told Ted she

wanted to talk to him.

"Who shall I tell her is calling?" the woman asked, finally settling on lime

green nails.

"Black, Lord Sirius Black," he said, his eyes boring into hers, now that she

deemed to look up.

"Shite," the woman softly swore. "I'll let her know," she said, getting up

quickly and waving them to chairs.

It only took a minute, they hadn't even sat down, before the woman came

out and waved them over.

"She'll see you now," the secretary said, her voice quivered a bit as she

held open the door.

"Thanks," Harry said when Sirius just moved past her.

"Oh, my word, you're Harry Potter," the woman exclaimed. She had been

so nervous being around the alleged ex-con that she hadn't even

registered the teen.

"Yeah, uh, thanks again," Harry said and hurried to enter the room.

Sirius was sitting in a chair in front of the large desk that was covered

with piles of parchment. Harry moved to sit next to him.

"You wanted to see me, Lord Black?" the woman with a monocle asked,

leaning back in her chair.

"Yes, Madam Bones. I wanted to register my Animagus form. And I

needed to talk to you about a few things that should not leave this room.

Unless the person you tell takes an oath. I mean, not even Dumbledore…

well, he knows what I'm going to tell you, but he doesn't know that I am

going to tell you," Sirius explained, making the poor woman confused for

a second, until understanding lit her face.

"Hmmm," she murmured, tapping her chin in indecision. "Very well,

follow me," she said standing and leading them to a door at the back of

the room.

Once they entered all the background noise seemed to vanish.

"Wow, what is this place?" Harry asked, extremely impressed.

"A room the Unspeakables dreamed up. No one can hear us, and we can

hear no one. There's an alarm on my office door that lets me know if

someone comes in. Most just think this is the loo," she explained with a

smirk. then her face firmed.

"Wicked," Harry said with awe. "I love magic," he added with a grin.

"It is something, isn't it," she agreed with him. "So, what did you need to

tell me?" she looked at the two males, wondering if this had to do with

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"What do you know of horcruxes?" Sirius asked, conjuring three chairs.

"Vile things," Bones spat. Then again, realizations came over her. "You

were telling the truth," she said to Harry in a mere whisper. She sat

heavily on her chair and put her face in her hands. She didn't need this.

Not with the crap Fudge had been saying about the teen over the

summer. If it got back to him that he had been wrong, then all sorts of

things could happen. Fudge did not like to be proven wrong. People

disappeared when that happened.

"I can relieve some of your worries," Sirius said, taking a parchment out

of his robes. "This is the last test run, by a curse-breaker. We have two

dealt with. The two in Wiltshire, are still there and we think one is the

self-proclaimed Dark Lord. We're not sure what the other one is, but we

think it might be his snake. I'll deal with the one at Gringotts, tomorrow.

I hope," he mumbled under his breath.

"And the one at Hogwarts?" she inquired, looking over the list.

"We don't really have a plan for that one," the dogman confessed.

"However, there might be a way," he added thoughtfully. "Let me think

on it a few days," he offered.

She scrunched her forehead in deep thought, then realizing she could do

nothing about Hogwarts. Not while Dumbledore rul... was headmaster.

So, nodding her head she gave her agreement. "Keep me informed

please," she said to the ex-con.

"I will," he promised. "We also got the one in Little Hangleton," Sirius

said, grimacing at the reminder that they almost lost two of their people.

"That's good to know. What was it?" Amelia asked, looking up from the

paper. She wasn't sure if she completely believed them. They weren't

showing her proof, but they didn't come off as lying either. So, for now

she'd give them the benefit of the doubt.

"A ring," was all the answer he would give. "It's safe," he assured her.

"I should send a team to Wiltshire though. That is something I can do,"

she said, standing from her chair. It was her job after all, but she wasn't

sure if her Aurors could handle it. Not with all the budget cuts over the

years.

"Wait," Sirius said, holding up his hands. "We have someone on it. I know

it's your job, but do you really think that Fudge would let you raid

Malfoy's home?" he added, stressing where the horcrux might be.

"Shite," she said, slumping back in her seat. "Are you sure?" she asked,

hoping for a negative answer.

"Yeah, a few of mine were there yesterday. They have some impressive

wards," he answered, cutting a look to Harry, who looked like he was

putting pieces of a puzzle together while the corners were missing.

"I'll let you deal with that then, but I want regular updates," she said

harshly. Not that she was angry at Black, more like she was upset that

her hands were tied.

"That's why I wanted to see you," Sirius said, pulling another parchment

out of his robe. "This is my address," he said, handing it to her.

"Fidelius?" she asked once the knowledge came to her mind.

"Yeah, things got a bit hectic and I had to hide from Dumbledore, and a

few others," Sirius said, taking the parchment back.

At those words, her brow furrowed. "The last I heard, you and Albus were

on good terms."

"Let's just say we don't play well together anymore. I, and a few others,

don't think that a pacifist should be leading us," was the answer,

accompanied with a wink.

"I can agree with you there," she said with a nodded, then narrowed her

eyes at him. "Don't do anything I have to arrest you for."

Sirius just gave her a wolfish grin.

"Why are you hiding from him though?" she asked instead.

"You know he was asking about Harry. Well he knew where Harry was

the whole time. Well, he knew he was with me under the charm. He had

no reason to be asking. I am the boy's guardian," Sirius puffed up

importantly.

"I'd like to hear more on that, but we need to exit this room before

someone comes in," she said, standing and going to the door.

"Right," Sirius said, following her, while Harry trailed him.

"Wait, we have to tell her about the Dementors," Harry said, right before

they left the room.

"What Dementors?" Amelia asked, her eyes narrowed.

"The ones that almost killed me and my cousin," the teen said, backing up

a bit from the angry woman.

"When did this happen?" she asked, pulling out a small notebook and

pen.

"Um, about a week ago," Harry hedged, he wasn't quite sure the exact

date. It felt like forever agon. "If my house elf, Dobby, hadn't popped us

away, me and my cousin would've been Kissed."

"I'll look into it," she stated firmly, snapping her notebook shut. With that

she turned on her heels and left the room.

Sirius and Harry shared a glance and followed.

"You cannot register here, you need to go to the Department of Magical

Creatures," she said, moving her head back and forth to try crack her

neck, and ward off the headache she felt coming.

"Why there?" Harry asked, confused.

"When a wizard becomes an Animagus, he is classified as a magical

creature. That's why they must register," Bones answered, distractedly.

She was pulling parchments towards her, making plans that would help

the two in front of her.

"Oh," was all the boy said. He didn't agree, but then again, he didn't agree

with a lot of what the Ministry does.

"One question. Why did you bring this to me if you are handling it?" she

asked, looking up from her papers.

"Just because we get the 'things' doesn't mean he'll disappear," Sirius

explained. Looking to Harry to see if he clued in.

Harry's face as a mass of emotions. He didn't know what a horcrux was.

Only that it was vile, and that it kept Tom here. And now that he thought

about it, there had been on in his head. He wasn't sure if he wanted the

definition of the word. Or if he should just be happy that he was no

longer one.

Amelia sighed. "You're right, I'm going to have to beef up my people," she

said, thinking on how she could do that on the sly.

"You might want to keep a few handy around you too. You are a threat to

'him'," Sirius suggested, thinking that she was high-profile.

"You are correct again. I'll deal with my department. You go and register.

Oh, and you might want to take a walk down to the DoM, I'm sure you

know why. James was your best friend after all," she said, thinking of the

prophecy, and what it meant to the boy sitting quietly.

"Will do," the dogman said cheerfully. In all reality, he had forgotten he

told Harry there might be one. Now was as good a time as any. "Come

on, Harry, let's leave Madam Bones to her work," he said, standing and

bowing to the head of the DMLE.

"Yes, you've given me enough to worry about. Off with you," she said,

grumbling under breath over the vast conundrum they had landed in her

lap.

"It was nice to meet you, Madam Bones," Harry said as he was pulled out

the door.

"Oh, um, yes, nice to meet you too, Mr. Potter," she said, just realizing

that she had only spoken a few words with the boy. Well, she could be

forgiven, after all, Black hadn't introduced him.

"I guess, we'll be staying here a bit longer," Sirius said, heading to the

lifts. "We really need to see if there's one of those 'things' about you," he

added, looking around to make sure they weren't heard. Other than the

glares they were receiving, no one was paying too much attention to

them.

"'Things?'" Harry asked, thinking hard on what Sirius had told him this

summer. Then he remembered what the DoM was. "Shite," he swore, "I

really hope you're wrong," he whispered. "The last thing I need is the

public tagging me with the title 'The-Chosen-One'," he hissed, just

picturing the sheep doing just that.

"Well, if there is one, then I would seriously contemplate staying with me

for your schooling. Can you imagine what would happen at Hogwarts if

that got out?" he said, softly as they stood in the back of the lift.

"Yeah," Harry said, very much imagining that happening.

Just then Tonks came in and saw them hiding in the back. She moved

towards them, pushing people out of her way. "We have a problem," she

hissed in Sirius' ear.

"What, again?" was all he could say.

15. Chapter 15 Encounters

Chapter 15 Encounters

Also, I don't know if 'lay it on me' is a British term. Well, I know it started in

America, but maybe it made its way across the pond. If not, can someone give

me an alternative.

Hphphp

"Yes, again," Tonks said, angrily.

"Why is it you that always brings me bad news?" Sirius asked softly,

making her glare at him. "Okay, lay it on me," he said resigned.

"Just lucky, I guess," Tonks sniffed irritably. "I can't tell you here, but I

can give you a clue," she said, glancing at all the people who were

listening, but trying to look like they weren't. She leaned again so she

was right next to his ear. She had to stand tippy-toes, and he leaned

down a bit. "Umbridge," she hissed.

"Shite," Sirius grumbled. "Okay, we'll talk when you get home. Around

six, right?" he asked as casually as he could.

"Yeah," she mumbled, her hair turning bright orange.

"Okay, Harry and I have a few things to do, but we'll be home by then.

Meet us in the drawing room? I'll make sure everyone else is there," he

said, patting her on the shoulder, trying to relax her a bit. "Actually, can

you get Madam Bones to come? I've already told her where I live," he

asked, shifting his eyes to the eavesdroppers.

"Fine, yeah, I'll ask," she said, and fell silent.

Floor after floor was stopped at. People got off, people got on, most of

them sent terrified looks at Sirius. Like he was going to lose it right then

and there and kill them all. He just smirked at them. Except those that

were making faces at Harry; them, he growled at. They would quickly

look away. There were a few sympathetic looks peppered in there. One

person even cried, and thanked Harry for the eulogy.

Speaking of eulogies, it was on the fifth floor that Mr. Diggory came in.

The poor man looked like he hadn't slept in days. His haggard expression

broke Harry heart. He took one look at Harry and closed the space

between them.

"Mr. Potter," he sobbed, giving Harry a hug that was very tight, "I want to

thank you for what you said about Cedric. They tried to tell me that you

had killed him, but I didn't believe it for a minute. Your words in the

paper, have given me some closure. And for that, I want to thank you,"

the sobbing man said, pulling away from the teen and holding him at

arm's length.

"You're welcome, Mr. Diggory," Harry said, tears in his eyes. This was a

sense of closure for him as well. To be forgiven by Cedric's dad, was

something he never thought would happen.

"I believe you, Harry. I know everything you've said since you came back

with Cedric's… body was the truth. I know, he's back, and I'll do my best

to make sure everyone I know, knows it too," Amos said, looking at

Sirius.

"Thank you, Amos," Sirius said, gently taking Harry away from the man.

"Not a problem, Lord Black. I need to…" was all he said as the lift doors

opened, and he hurried out.

"Was this even his floor?" Harry wondered.

"Does it matter?" Sirius answered, giving his brother a handkerchief.

Harry quickly wiped his eyes and replied, "No, I guess not." He handed

the cloth back, and stood leaning against the wall, closing his eyes to

control his emotions, and waiting for Sirius to tell him when they

reached the correct floor.

Soon, it was only him and his new brother in the lift and it was going

straight down. When it finally stopped, they got out and went to the

middle of the circular room. There were doors everywhere. All of them

unmarked.

"What are we waiting for?" the teen asked, looking at all the doors.

"They know we're here, so someone should show up in a moment," the

dogman explained, rocking back and forth on his feet. His hands in the

pockets of his robe, the right one, clutching his wand. Not even as a Hit

Wizard had he ever liked being here. The Unspeakables were downright

creepy. It was very disconcerting not to be able to identify who you were

talking to.

"Oh," Harry said, still peering around like he was trying to predict which

door would open.

Soon enough, a man showed up. He came from behind and not one of the

doors, making both men jump a bit. Sirius almost pulled his wand, but

seeing who it was, didn't.

The man's dark brown robes were hooded and pulled up over his head.

His entire identity was concealed. The only reason they knew it was a

man, was because of the lack of female parts on his chest. "Ah, Mr.

Potter, Lord Black, we've been expecting you," the man said, walking to

them.

"Yeah, right," Sirius muttered under his breath. He was sure the man was

just saying that to seem omnipresent. He cleared his throat. "Harry here

wants to check out the Hall of Prophecies."

"Of course, right this way," the man said, leading them to a door on the

right.

When they opened the door, a long hallway appeared. It too was lined

with doors. There, in the middle, leaning against the wall, looking bored

out of his mind, was Arthur Weasley.

"Weasley," the man barked, making Arthur jump a mile, "what are you

doing here? And how did you escape notice?" he demanded. This was an

extreme security breach. No one was supposed to come down here

without being detected.

"Oh, um, well, you see… I was just wandering around. I wanted to see

the Time Room to check on something for work. No one came to get me,

so I tried a few doors, and got lost here," he stuttered out, lying badly. A

bit of sweat forming on his upper lip.

"And you avoided detection, how?" the man demanded, not believing the

Ministry worker for one moment.

"I honestly have no idea," Arthur said, this time telling the truth. He

knew that Albus had done something but didn't know what it was.

The man went to the main door, held it open and said, "Leave. If you

come back and I, or another Unspeakable, catches you down here, you

will be fired. I'll make sure of it," he spat.

"Right, um, sorry," Mr. Weasley said, hurrying to the door, giving wary

glances to Harry and Sirius. He was going to have to tell Albus that he

could no longer watch this hall. He knew the headmaster would try to get

him to continue, but his job was not worth risk.

"Arthur," Sirius called, halting his progress.

"Yes?" the redhead asked, as he stood poised to leave.

"Not a word, okay?" the dogman pleaded without pleading.

"Sure, Sirius. I won't tell anyone," Arthur said with a smile and then

scurried away.

"Fucking Dumbledore," the Unspeakable hissed, spitting on the floor.

Harry and Sirius shared a look. They too knew it was Albus, and they

both found it funny that the Headmaster wasn't as covert as he thought

he was. Not that they were going to tell him.

"Right," Sirius agreed with a hidden cough chuckle. "So, prophecy?"

"Come on," the man said, leading them to the Room of Prophecies.

When they entered, Harry looked around in awe. Sirius was right, there

were thousands of these things. Shelves upon shelves of glowing or dark

orbs filled the room. They were the only light in the room, and it was

eerie.

If he figured it right, the glowing ones were still active, and the dark ones

were complete. Add to the fact that there's no way they all came true. He

wondered how that worked. He knew from Divination, that prophecies

were touchy, tricky things. But why would anyone make one that never

came to pass? Did someone deliberately change the predictions and

invalidate them? Or was it the other way around?

He knew what a self-fulfilling prophecy was, but the details on how those

came to pass were muddled. Something like the butterfly effect. One

movement could force a prophecy to come true or defunct it.

For five minutes they quietly walked through the rows of glowing, or

dark, orbs. Finally, they came to where the one that was supposed to be

about Harry was.

The Unspeakable pointed it out, and the two men came closer to look at

it. It was glowing and there was a tag on it to indicate that it was about a

Dark Lord, and that it might be about Harry. It also listed the initials of

Trelawney and Dumbledore.

"Why is there a question mark after my name?" the teen asked, pointing

to the tag.

"Which Dark Lord?" was Sirius' question.

"We don't know for sure, that's why the Dark Lord in question is not

named, and why Mr. Potter's name is only guessed," the man said, his

arms folded in a resigned fashion. He whole body was slumped, like he

knew they were going to ask those questions, and he didn't have the

answers they wanted. "We're only going one what was happening at the

time it was made."

"How do we find out?" Harry asked, leaning closer to the orb as if it

would clear things up.

"There is one way to tell," the Unspeakable said, unfolding his arms, and

waving towards Harry.

"How?" Sirius asked, not liking that Harry might have to do something.

"If he can pick it up, then it's about him. But if it's not, then he needs to

drop it immediately. Or it will cause him to go crazy," the man said,

making sure they knew the danger.

"Right, um, I just need to pick it up?" the teen asked a nervous quaver in

his voice. His hand inched forward, shakily.

"You don't have to, Harry. We can wait to see of ole Tom comes and gets

it," Sirius offered, putting his hands on the teen's shoulder. He really

didn't want to take the chance. "Do you know what it says?" he asked the

covered man.

"Only the gist," was his answer.

"Give us that, and we'll decide what to do," the dogman said, subtly

pulling Harry away from the orb.

"We know it's about a boy who would was born 'as the seventh month

dies'. And we know that boy will be 'marked as his equal'. We also know

that it will be a kill or be killed situation," the man replied, shrugging his

shoulders. "Dumbledore was the one who pointed the finger at you, Mr.

Potter. After the death of your parents."

That was all they could get out of the people that had heard the

prophecy. Snape, before Albus got his hands on him, and Aberforth, who

only heard one line. Not Dumbledore, though, that man kept his lips

sealed. Trelawney, of course, didn't remember giving it.

"Well, shite," both Sirius and Harry said, glaring at the orb like it was its

fault.

"Well…" Harry started, reaching up a hand and rubbing his thinner scar.

"I think we should just leave it. We know it's here, and we know vaguely

what it says. I think that's enough for now," he explained. While his

Occlumency was good, it wasn't perfect. So, they'd just leave it here for

now.

"It's your call. If you want to leave it be, then we will. I'm not going to try

and influence you in any way. You know my thoughts about these

things," his brother said, still holding on to his shoulders, but giving them

a reassuring squeeze.

"Right, let's get you registered and leave this place. I don't like hanging

around here. It's unnerving," Harry said, turning towards the exit.

"You got it," was the reply as the other two men followed. They left the

DoM and were just heading for the DMC, but before they could get there,

they were stopped by none other than Minister Fudge and he pink lackey.

"Fudge," Sirius said curtly, "what can I help you with?" he asked, pulling

Harry to his side, keeping his arm over the boy's shoulder.

"Ah, Lord Black, I heard you were in the Ministry today," the pudgy man

said, holding out his hand. "I was just wondering why you were here," he

added, after they shook hands.

Sirius nodded to Umbridge, and answered, "Just registering my Animagus

form." He still held Harry close. His other hand closing around his wand.

"Hem, hem, and for that you needed to bring Potter?" the pink toad

asked, batting her eye at him like a smitten schoolgirl.

"That's Mr. Potter to you, Umbridge," Sirius snapped, making her cringe a

bit.

"Mr. Potter then," she said, simpering.

"Besides, he's been indoors most of the summer," Black said, trying to

keep his voice even, already regretting snapping at her. He wanted to

wait until he had more dirt on her to confront her. "I thought he could do

with a day out." He steeled his nerves not to shudder at her cloyish eyes

and voice. It would be a cold day in Hades before he even thought of her

in any way but vile. Years of abstinence be damned.

"Surly, the… child would have preferred somewhere more exciting than

here," she simpered. Her eyes hardened when she saw the boy give her a

funny look.

Harry felt a tickle of fear run through him. He in no way shape or form

liked this woman.

"We're going to do other things, Ms. Umbridge. Now if you'll excuse us,

we need to hurry," Sirius said, leading Harry away, or trying to.

"I was wondering," Fudge said, holding his hand up to stop them leaving,

"if you could find the time to speak about your lawsuits." He put on his

most charming smile, which made the other two men cringe.

"You will have to speak to my lawyer," Sirius said, pushing Harry past the

two blocking their way.

"Surely, you can see reason not to sue the Ministry," Dolores said,

reaching out to grab Sirius' arm.

"I'll thank you not to touch me," the dogman growled, snatching said

appendage from her grip. "I have no plans to stopping the suit. If you

want to speak more on it, talk to my lawyer," he spat and stormed off,

Harry in tow.

The two ministry workers moved aside, trying not to be slammed against

the wall from Sirius' pushing. Both shooting glares at Harry and Sirius.

"Shite, I hate those two. Now I'm really worried about what Tonks has to

tell me," Sirius grumbled as they turned a corner. "You okay?" he asked

his little brother, stopping to make sure no spells were cast on either of

them. Not that he thought they were, they were in the Ministry, but

better safe than sorry.

"Yeah, that Umbridge woman is creepy," Harry answered with a shiver as

Padfoot passed his wand over both of them.

"Yeah, stay out of her way if you can. She's behind most of the oppressive

laws from the last few years. I'll be making plans to stop her and overturn

some of them," Black said, tucking his wand away. "She also delusional.

She thinks that muggleborns steal magic from purebloods. She has no

proof, but that is what she truly believes."

"That's crazy," Harry said loudly, then got a sheepish expression and

lowered his voice. "I mean, why would she even come up with that?"

"I don't know, but I have an ace in my sleeve about her. If she causes any

trouble, I'll bury her," Sirius said, thinking on his aunt's blackmail book.

"Good, can we get out of here now?" the boy asked, looking around as if

the pink monster would jump out at any moment.

"Yeah, let's go," his big brother said as he moved on.

Once more they made it to the lifts and went to the Department of

Magical Creatures. Sirius registered and he wrote a quick note to Bones

to make sure that she told Dumbledore that Harry was fine where he was.

Not trusting the memo system, he called one of his house elves, after

asking permission, and gave the note to Dinky, who then disappeared as

ordered.

"Come on, let's go," he snarled at the fact that his nice day was now

ruined.

"Sure," was all Harry said, and they finally left the building.

"How about some tea?" Sirius asked, seeing a teashop a few doors down.

He wanted to relax a bit before heading home. While Molly was gone and

the house was quieter, there were still a lot of people there.

"Sure," Harry agreed, he rarely went out to eat, so this could be fun.

They made their way there and were soon settled at a small iron table,

with matching chairs.

"Hey, Sirius, why didn't we go into the Ministry all stealthily?" the boy

asked, looking around then picking up the paper menu.

"What? Like hide under your cloak, or something? Why would we do

that?" the man really wanted to know. Was Harry hanging out with

Moody too much?

"Well, yeah, I mean, you had all those people glaring at you, and you

think Malfoy might be trying to do you in. That and Ron still thinks the

same about the Ministry out to get me. And, we could have avoided all

that shite with Fudge and his toad crony," Harry stated, looking over the

menu. He wasn't going to mention Diggory. That, while sad, was a

highlight of their visit.

"Well, it's the Ministry," Sirius said like it was the answer to everything.

"Which might be trying to kill me," the boy rebutted. "And from the looks

on that pink woman's face, I'll lay bets it's her trying it." He pondered that

for a moment and thought maybe he was jumping to conclusions. Maybe

not, she was a sinister bint.

"Okay, I get that. And you're right, I could have done without the

disgusting, yet dastardly duo. But, during the day there are more people

there. I felt it was safe enough for us to go. And," he added, holding up a

finger, "I had my wand in my hand most of the time. It was just in my

pocket."

"Wait, you used that in the building, but didn't you give it to the guard?"

Harry asked confused, knowing that Sirius had given something to the

security officer.

"No that was my grandfather's wand," the man explained. "The one I have

in my pocket is mine. Ted got it back when Waters got me off."

"Oh, okay. Still…"

"Look we couldn't sneak in the DMLE, or the DoM," Sirius said, trying to

make the boy see reason. "They would have caught us right way. And

don't ask," he said seeing Harry open his mouth, "no, house elves can only

come into the building if you have permission to call them. They could

not have just 'popped' us there."

"Fine, but still, shouldn't we have kept a lower profile," the teen asked,

setting his menu down.

"We could have, but again I ask why? I mean we're going to have to face

them some time, why not now?" the older man said, he too setting his

menu down and waving the waitress.

"I guess," Harry pouted, not liking facing the public.

"That and I wanted to make sure that they all know I have nothing to

hide," Sirius said, watching the waitress come their way. He had been in

prison and on the run for quite some time. So, yeah, he was going to

look. "The more I'm out and about, the less people will be afraid of me. I

mean, come on, Malfoy is a Death Eater, and he has them all eating out of

his hand. Why should I hide? I've had enough hiding to last me a

lifetime," he added with a great deal of frustration, finally tearing his

eyes away from the nice-looking woman.

"Okay, but I'm still uncomfortable with going there," Harry said with a

sigh.

"Harry, your uncomfortable everywhere you go," his brother pointed out.

"Yeah but the Ministry holds a higher creep factor for me. I thought

someone was going to curse me from behind the whole time we were

there," the teen complained.

"Don't worry, we won't be going back anytime soon," Sirius said, looking

over the menu and smiling at the waitress as she made her way to their

table.

"Thank Merlin for that," Harry sighed, as he put his menu down.

"If what Tonks said about a problem was true, which wasn't much, then

we must worry about Umbridge," Sirius said, clinching his hands into fist.

At that moment, their waitress appeared, and they ordered some tea and

cakes.

"Why?" the teen asked when the woman left. "I mean, I know you said

that she believes some pretty out there shite, but why do we need to

worry about her now?"

"I'll tell you later," his brother stated, looking around the tea shop.

Soon enough, tea came, and they talked of unimportant happier things.

With full tummies, and brighter attitudes, the two went home.

"We'll see about getting you kitted out tomorrow, after Gringotts," Sirius

said, going up the stairs to change.

"Do we have too?" the boy whinged. He didn't really like shopping.

"You can't keep wearing Reggie's stuff," the man said, stopping on the

stairs.

"Why not? It's only going to go to waste if I don't," Harry disagreed. He

had no problems with hand-me-downs. He had worn them all his life.

These at least fit. "Dobby can adjust them to fit, and they aren't

completely out of style. It's not like the wizarding world changes fashions

that often."

"Well…" Sirius started, looking at his brother's determined face. "I guess if

you're okay with it, you can have Reggie's stuff, but you are getting your

own undergarments and socks," he stated, pointing a finger at the teen.

"Sure, I won't say no to new pants," Harry agreed with a shrug, then

finished going to his room.

"Glad we could work that out," Sirius mumbled to himself and he too

went to his room. He really wanted to get into something more

comfortable.

16. Chapter 16 The Mutual 'We

Hate Umbridge'

Chapter 16 The Mutual 'We Hate Umbridge' Society

So, I started this chapter thinking I was going to cover more, but it like every

other chapter, got away from me. Also, I had it mostly written when we had a

bad thunderstorm. The lights flickered, and I lost it. I had to start over, then

Word retrieved the other one, and I combined the two.

Thanks for all the reviews.

Hphphp

After showering and changing into casual clothes the two met on the

stairs. They both went towards the kitchen and chatted about their day.

No one else was around, probably hidden in one of the bedrooms. After

all, they had learned a bit these last few days.

Harry was just worried that they were plotting on his return to Hogwarts.

He'd pretty much made up his mind about that. He was just unsure how

his friends would take it. Still, he was going to stand by his decision.

They'd just have to accept that.

Making to the kitchen, they spotted Bill pouring over some documents.

"What's up, Bill?" Harry asked, sitting at the table.

"Just going over some stuff for work. Just because I took a bit of time off

my regular job, doesn't mean the goblins won't give me busy work," the

redhead said, tucking the parchment in his robes. "How was the

ministry?" he asked, reaching over and getting some tea.

"Informative," Sirius answered, pouring his own tea. "Met a few people

we needed to, and a few we didn't," he said, taking a sip. He added a bit

more milk and tried again. Better.

"Yeah, there was the Minster and his toady," Harry grumbled, grabbing a

biscuit. "Merlin, she gives me the creeps. All that pink, and that face,

worse is her voice," he added, shaking his arms, like trying to rid it of

spiders. "She sounds like Micky Mouse on helium."

"What?" the other two men said.

"Never mind," Harry sighed, vowing to take Sirius out to see a few

movies, or something.

Bill did a full body shudder. He too, didn't like that Umbridge woman.

"Damn, sorry you had to meet her. She's crazy, that one. She tried to get

Gringotts closed, stupid woman. She almost started a rebellion," he said,

glancing at Sirius.

"If she tries that shite again, I'll be there to stop her. That book has a lot

of blackmail material, and I can't wait to use it on that toad," Sirius said

with an evil smirk.

"Good for you," Harry stated, matching his brother's evil grin.

"Care to share?" Bill said, leaning forward a bit.

"Nay, I think I'll keep it for a moment. I'll let you all know at the meeting,

then you can use it at your leisure," the dogman stated, giving them a

wink.

"Sound good," Bill said, sitting back in his chair.

"Can I tell the others?" Harry asked, a hopeful look on his face.

"If they need it, then tell them. Until then, lets keep to us," Sirius said

with another wink.

"Alright, but if they need it, I'm spilling," the teen stated, folding his

arms.

"You do that," his brother said with a nod.

"I'll use it for the goblins. They would love to have dirt on her," Bill

stated, almost clapping with glee.

"Anyway, Bill, there's a meeting tonight," Sirius said, looking at Bill. "We

have some things to go over. Tonks says it's about Umbridge, speak of the

devil, so we might be using that blackmail material sooner than I

thought."

"Everyone?" the man asked, quirking his eyes.

"Not Ron or Ginny," Sirius said thoughtfully, rubbing his goatee.

"Hermione either, come to think about it. Remind me to remind her to

write her parents. Actually, I need to write them as well. Or maybe, Andi

can take her home and explain what's going on," he said thoughtfully,

then shook his head.

The Grangers weren't a problem, but he felt that maybe he could get Andi

to have them leave the country for a few years. They should be back from

their vacation in a week or so. He would see what they could do then.

"The twins should come if they want. They'll just listen anyway. This way

you can control the information," Harry added, looking towards Bill.

"Sounds about right," Bill said, examining Harry for a moment. "You guys

want to tell me what happened this morning?" he asked, peering at

Harry's diminish scar.

"Yeah, but let's go to the study, I have better wards there," Sirius said,

picking up his cup and leading the way.

They could hold the meeting there, but it just wasn't big enough. Then

again, he could put the same wards on the kitchen, but that would

interfere with the Floo. On the other hand, he could put temporary wards

up. Yeah, he'd do that. Now that he had a wand that was compatible with

him.

Both Bill and Harry grabbed refreshments and followed. They made it to

the study unmolested and took seats facing each other.

"Keep this under your hat, yeah? We did an adoption ritual this morning,"

Sirius started, knowing Bill would keep this secret. The redhead was an

honorable man, and he worked at the bank. So yeah, he could keep it to

himself. "Anyway, Harry here, said that 'magic' told him we couldn't do it

with Riddle in his head," he finished, picking up his cup.

Harry squirmed in his seat and tried looking elsewhere but Bill, who was

staring at him with a bit of awe. Then the teen firmed his jaw and glared

back. "It's not like I ask 'magic' to talk to me," he said gruffly.

"Magic… talked... I mean, why?" the confused redhead asked, never

having heard of such a thing.

"I just told you, I don't know," Harry snapped, still glaring at the confused

man.

"Can you explain what you were feeling at the time?"

"At first, it was like there was an argument in my head. 'Magic' was

fighting with Tom, and then I felt… I don't know, like I should just stop

them both. Then the voice said, that if I wanted to be related to Sirius, I

needed to let it do its work," Harry explained, scrunching his brow trying

to remember it all. "Then when Sirius was going to end the spell, it

warned me not to let him. Then it told me to fight. Like I would help it

end the battle faster," he finished, looking at both men to see if they

understood. "Right before it all ended, I felt like someone was hugging

me. Like I was loved," he added with a bit of a smile.

The other two were both in deep thought over what they heard. Each had

a look of deep contemplation, and their eyes were moving back and

forth, like they were reading over all the material that they had ever read

on magic, but not getting the answers they wanted.

"Right, well, that's different," Bill said, pulling himself together. "Did

anything else happen?" he asked, turning his attention to Sirius.

Sirius got up and got the vial from his safe. "This came from his scar. I

don't know if it's a horcrux or just dark magic," he said, handing the

container to the curse-breaker. "It still feels evil," he said, glaring at the

vial like it should spontaneously combust. How dare that be in Harry's

head.

Bill took it, placed it on a table, waved his wand over it and then sighed.

"It's not a horcrux anymore, but there's malevolent magic in there. Better

destroy it with the rest." He picked it back up and handed it to Sirius,

who put it back in the safe.

"There was a question I wanted to ask," Harry said, watching Sirius sit

back down. "I told Sirius a bit, but something strange happened while

'magic' was fighting the horcrux," he said and then went on to explain the

battle that had happened in his mind.

"That is strange," Sirius said, thinking about what he knew from Remus'

Occlumency.

"What was your question?" Bill asked, pondering over that form of mind

protection, over the one the goblins used. Maybe he could read the book

and then offer to teach the goblins. That might get him promoted. Or at

least a bit of gold. Not that he was greedy, but with a poor family like

his, every bit helped.

He'd have to ask Remus first. It was the man's invention. Oh, maybe

Remus could get some gold too. He really needed it now that Umbridge

had passed those werewolf laws. He'd have the man talk to the goblins to

see if they could get a ghostwriter for that book. That would be helpful to

everyone. Heck, he'd even volunteer.

"If someone dies in my head, do they die in real life?" Harry asked,

bringing Bill out of his thoughts. Harry was worried about that. What if

Snape or Dumbledore tried to read his mind and had to fight his aliens?

He didn't want to kill someone just because they were a snoop.

"That's a very good question," Sirius said, looking to Bill to see if he could

answer it.

"Yeah, really good. The problem is, I don't know that form of

Occlumency, so I can't answer it. I know it's thought that if you die in

your sleep, you might die for real. But that has never been proven. I

mean, how could it? You can't access someone's mind once they are dead

to find out what they dreamed of. Still, I wouldn't take any chances. If

someone comes into your mind, scare the ever-loving crap out of them

and get them out of there as soon as possible," Bill explained the best he

could.

"I know what you described to me, has me quaking in my boots. I don't

want to meet what's in your head," Sirius said, leaning over and mussing

up Harry's hair to lighten the mood. "Good job, Harry. You've thought of

something even Albus would pause at."

"Yeah, if I was going back to Hogwarts, I'd use it on Snape and

Dumbledore," Harry smirked, his eyes glazed at the image of Snape

running down the hall, screaming like a little girl. Then the picture

flipped to the Headmaster offering the aliens some candy and losing a

hand and then running like a girl. Well, that wasn't particularly funny,

but still, he chuckled.

"So, you've decided?" his new brother asked, leaning forward a bit to look

in Harry's eyes. He wanted to make sure that it was what Harry wanted.

"Yeah, with the prophecy and all, I think it's best to be trained by the

best. Maybe, I can catch up on a few of my non-magical studies too. I feel

like a right idiot when I talk to Dudley. And if you knew just how dumb

Dudley is, you would understand my pain," Harry said, giving a huge sigh

of relief, knowing he was making the right decision.

"We can do that," Sirius said seriously, leaning back in his chair. "If

Remus and Bill can't get you caught up, I'll hire a muggleborn, or

something."

"I can help with math," Bill offered, grinning at the teen. "Believe it or

not, it's mandatory to have at least your A levels to be a curse-breaker.

The goblins give you one year to get there. If you can't then you can't

work for them."

"Wow, I didn't know that," Harry said, thinking of his future. Curse

breaking sounded like something he could do.

"We'll set up a schedule with all those that are going to tutor you," Sirius

said, going over who he was going to ask. Bill and Remus for certain, but

would Moody and Andi want to help? Ted could give a few lessons on the

government, and Andi could keep teaching protocol. The problem was all

but Mad-Eye worked, and he wasn't sure if the one-eyed man would want

to come out of retirement, especially after what he had suffered last year.

"Good. But not until after the rest go back to school, okay?" Harry said,

not wanting to give up his summer.

"Okay, I'll get with everyone during the meeting tonight," Sirius agreed,

then shooed Harry out of the room with hand gestures.

"Bill, the twins want to stay here too. I told them they had to ask Sirius,

but I think they should g back to school. You know, to protect Ron and

Ginny. I can imagine Malfoy taking potshots at them," Harry said, looking

back and forth between the two men.

"I have no issue either way. If they want to stay here, if it's okay with

Sirius, they can. However, I do see your point. Still, Ron and Ginny are

good with a wand, so they might not be needed there," Bill said, going

over the many different scenarios.

"I'll talk it over with them," Sirius offered. "I don't have an issue either,

but I want to make sure that they know what they're doing. Besides,

didn't you want them to hunt the horcrux?" he said, looking at the oldest

Weasley child.

"Yeah, I kinda forgot about that," Bill said, rubbing his neck. "I'll talk to

them then. I really need someone of age there."

"Settled then, after the meeting tonight, you can use this room to talk to

them," Sirius said, clapping his hands to his knees and standing up to get

a butterbeer from the bar. It was too early to drink.

"Wait, why are we going to Gringotts tomorrow?" the teen asked,

standing up and then pilfering some cookies for him and his friends.

Sirius reached over and grabbed one for himself, then settled in his chair.

He took a bite before answering. "I have to grab something there, and

you need to look over your finances. I'm sure you haven't done that yet,"

he said, taking another bite of the chocolatey goodness.

"Am I going to be there for tonight's meeting?" the teen asked, wondering

to himself it this adult would treat him right.

"It's about you, so yes, you're going to be there," his brother said, nodding

his head. "Go on, find your friends and let them know you're staying

here. Better to get it over with now," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"Let the twins know that Bill wants to talk to them after dinner."

"Okay. I'm going," Harry said, hiding his treats in a napkin. Then shoving

the bundle in the crook of his arm.

"You can tell them what you wish, remember they're not Occlumens," he

reiterated, picking up his still hot tea. Magic was wonderful.

"I'll remember," Harry said and left the room. He wandered up the stairs

to the twins' room, which is where he thought everyone would be. They

were.

"Hey, Harry," came the greeting from most of them.

"What's up, guys?" he asked as he took a seat on the bed next to Ron. He

laid out the biscuits on the bed and gestured for everyone to grab one.

"Nothing much," Ron said with a shrug, snatching up a cookie. "It's dead

boring around here, now that Mum isn't making us clean. I've even

finished my summer homework," the boy grumbled, shooting a glare at

the twins when they started to chuckle. "Right funny you are. You've

finished yours too," he said to his lookalike brothers.

They just laughed harder and each reached over and snagged a treat.

Ginny just smiled and ate her biscuit. "I finished mine at the beginning of

the summer," she mockingly sniffed.

Harry reached over and put his hand on his best friend's forehead. "Are

you sick?" he asked, grinning like a loon. "Your homework is done, and it

isn't the end of August?"

"Leave off," the redhead said, pushing the other boy's hand away.

"Did you need help with your homework, Harry?" Hermione asked,

reaching and taking her share of the treats.

"Nah, I got it done a few days ago. Andi insisted," Harry said, leaning

against the bedpost.

"Well, that's good. Now none of us will be going back to Hogwarts

unprepared," Hermione said with a big smile.

"Yeah, about that," Harry said with a grimace. "I'm not going back," he

said firmly. "I don't feel right returning, and I can't shake the feeling that

it would be the worse year of my life if I did."

"Damn," came the joint reply. With only Hermione saying, "Really?"

"Yeah, Sirius and I ran into this woman at the Ministry, and she is

downright creepy. Her name is Dolores Umbridge. She dresses like a pink

toad, and it's gross to look at. But, when she looked at me, I felt worse

that when even Aunt Petunia does. Like she wants me dead," Harry

explained, making sure they knew to watch out for that witch.

"Yeah, Dad has talked about her," Ron said, sitting up straight and

looking at his siblings. They were all nodding in agreement. "He said we

were to stay away from her. Do you think she's going to be at Hogwarts?"

he asked in horror.

"I don't know for sure, but there might be a chance she is," Harry said

with trepidation. Maybe he should go to protect his friends.

His face took a downward thoughtful cast. His mind wandered on that,

while the rest were telling Hermione about Umbridge. He heard snatches

of conversation, but they were saying pretty much what Bill and Sirius

had said.

Ron smacked him in the head, bringing him back to reality. "I know what

you're thinking," his friend said, then narrowed his eyes at him and

pointed a finger. "Don't," he demanded.

"But…" was as far as he got when George butt in.

"No," the twin said, also pointing his finger in Harry's direction. "We'll go

back for our last year, and we'll watch out for these three," he said,

glaring at anyone to defy that statement.

"Too right," Fred agreed. "You're not responsible for the wellbeing of us,

or our family," he stated harshly.

"You're right. I know you're right," Harry said with a sigh. "It's just…" he

left it hanging.

"It's your 'saving people thing'," Hermione said with a smile. "We'll be

alright. I have a plan," she said conspiratorially. "You were part of it, but

if you're not coming back, I can pick someone else," she added

reassuringly.

"Leave it to you to make a plan," Harry teased. "Did you make a schedule

too?" he asked with a wide grin.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did. Thank you very much," she said faux

snottily, sticking her nose in the air.

"Only you, Hermione," Ron said, nudging her with his foot.

"Don't worry, Hermione, we understand," the twins said, patting her

shoulders, a bit roughly, until she shooed their hands away.

"Yeah, you're the smartest witch I know," Ginny said, giving her friend a

smile. She really hadn't said much this summer. It wasn't that she was

shy. No, far from it. However, she learned in her first year, that being

silent makes people forget you're there. Then you learn more because

they talk more. Tom may have messed with her head, but the teen had

taught her some good stuff.

Not that she'd ever tell this bunch.

The therapy that she got because of Bill when they were in Egypt, helped

a lot. At first her mum and dad didn't want him to spend that kind of

money on her. Dumbledore had told them that she was fine. But Bill, the

moment he heard what had happened, he whisked her to the bank and

put her in front of a wizard healer. After an examination, the man

declared her possession free, but she needed a mind healer. So, Bill got

her one. She still wrote the man monthly.

She made a vow to herself that she was going to pay her brother back.

Still, she felt loved at his gesture. She was miffed at her parents, but they

worshipped the Headmaster. A bit too much, if you asked her. That could

be a bit of Tom talking, but it made sense to her. She hated that her mum

thought the man hung the moon. Her dad wasn't that bad, but he was

cowed by her mum.

"Still, it's good that you have a plan. I know we've had our share of bad

DADA professors. I hope your plan can help with that," Harry said,

getting serious. He really couldn't shake the thought that it was going to

be a bad year for everyone. He wondered if he could enlist the house

elves to keep an eye on the students. He'd ask Dobby later.

"It will," she replied, beaming at his confidence. Then she mumbled to

herself, "I hope."

"I believe in you, Hermione," Ron said, giving her an encouraging smile.

"Thanks, Ron, that means a lot," she replied, looking around the room for

something else to talk about. If Harry wasn't going to go back to

Hogwarts, then she needed to reevaluate her plan before she told them

what it was. "There is one thing you three can help me with," she said,

pointing to the twins and Harry.

"What?" all three of them said, then chuckled.

"I need a room. A hidden room," she stated, thinking over her plan.

"There are lots of rooms, but I don't know of any hidden ones," Harry

said, rubbing his chin in thought.

"We don't either. Like Harry said, there are tons of rooms, but hidden, not

so much," George offered.

"Hey, Harry," Ron said, making the other teen turn his way. "Call Dobby,"

he said, waving his hand like Dobby would appear.

"Sure, I have to ask him something anyway," Harry agreed, and called the

elf. Once they greeted each other, which caused everyone to laugh at

Dobby exuberance, he waved to Ron.

"Hey, Dobby, you worked at Hogwarts for a year or two, right?" the

redhead asked, smiling at the little guy.

"Yes, Dobby did," the elf replied, puffing out his chest.

"Do you know of any secret rooms?" he asked the question that was on

everyone's mind.

"Ohhh, Dobby knows a secret, secret room," the little guy enthused.

"Can you tell us where it is?" Ginny asked, smiling at everyone, just

happy that that was taken care of.

"Oh, yes, Miss Wheezy, Dobby can. It is being on the seventh floor, across

from a tapestry of a man trying to teach trolls to be dancing," Dobby said,

bouncing up and down like he was the happiest he'd ever been. Well,

except when Harry Potter had taken him as his elf.

"I think I know the one you're talking about," Fred said, picturing it in his

mind.

"Didn't we hide there once?" George asked, looking at his twin who

nodded. "I don't think it is big enough for what Hermione wants, Dobby,"

he said to the elf.

"Oh, no, Mr. Wheezy, it is being as big as you needs," Dobby disagreed.

"How?" Harry asked, he too remembering a room on that floor and the

Headmaster once told him of a disappearing loo.

"Yous needs to be walking back and forth three times, thinkings on whats

you needs. And the room will be appearing," Dobby said, still bouncing.

"Oh," was the collective response.

"Thanks, Dobby. I have another question for you. Can the elves at

Hogwarts keep an eye on the students? I have a bad feel about the new

DADA teacher, and I'd feel better if they could help," Harry inquired,

hoping beyond hope that they could.

"Dobby wills be asking thems. I is being knowing that they is being

limited on whats they can be doing. But Dobby will ask them to at least

tell a teacher if they is being seeing anything that needs to bes reported,"

the elf said thoughtfully, rubbing his large ears.

"That's great, Dobby. Thanks," Harry said, squeezing his elf's shoulder.

"Thanks, Dobby," the rest of the group added, all clapping the elf on the

back.

"Dobby must be going now," the prideful, yet embarrassed, elf said and

disappeared.

"Was that what you were looking for?" Harry asked, turning to his female

friend.

"That's exactly what I need," she gushed, still reevaluating her plans. With

this room, and the help of the elves they might just get through whatever

had Harry spooked.

"I'm glad," Harry said, then looking at his watch. It was three hours

before the meeting, so he said, "There's a meeting tonight at six, George,

Fred. You guys are invited, but the rest of you can't come," he added, to

the other three. "Bill said he wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh?" they asked.

"He said after the meeting, but maybe he'll let the others know too. I'm

not sure how much is being shared, but Sirius is pretty good at not hiding

things," Harry said with a shrug.

"We'll ask him," Fred said, finishing off his cookie.

"before the meeting," George said, swiping another biscuit.

"What will you guys be doing?" Harry asked the other three.

"We can go over my plan," Hermione said with a shrug. There was no use

crying over spilt potion.

"Yeah," said the two gloomy youngest Weasley's.

"Buck up, guys. I will tell you what I can. However, you need to read this

book I have when I'm done with it. It'll protect your mind, then you can

know more," Harry said, trying to cheer them up.

"We can actually teach them," Fred said, hugging his little sister with one

arm.

"Yeah, they might learn better with verbal instructions," George said,

doing the same to his little brother.

"Great," Harry stated, rubbing his hands together. "So, what do we do in

the meantime?" he asked everyone.

"Lunch," Ron said, getting up from the bed.

"It's three in the afternoon," Hermione stated, aghast that they had missed

a meal.

"To the kitchen," the twins crowed, and grabbed arms and pulled those

still sitting up and dragged them out of the room.

"To the kitchen," Harry and Ginny agreed, letting themselves be pulled

along.

They made a lot of noise going down the stairs, but that was okay, they

were all happy. The ominous feeling Harry had forgotten, for now.

17. Chapter 17 Another Boring

Meeting

Chapter 17 Another Boring Meeting

Hphphp

An hour later Moody and Remus came through the Floo. Harry and the

other kids were still sitting at the table, just messing around. Harry and

Ron were playing chess. Hermione and Ginny were going over Ginny's

next year's DADA studies. The twins were watching the boys and giving

Harry some really bad advice, just to see if he'd take it. He didn't.

The two men staggered in looking like they needed a nap. Their clothes

were rumpled, and there was dirt on their face and in their hair, not to

mention on their robes. There were even bits of branches sticking out of

their hair.

"Harry, where's Sirius?" Moony asked, wiping the dirt and ash off his

shoulders, and looking around the room like the man he was asking

about was in the cupboards. You never knew with that prankster.

"In the study with Bill, last I looked," the teen answered, giving him a

quizzical look. "Are you two okay? You look like you fought with a tree

and lost," he said, smirking a bit when Moody glared at him.

"No, this is just from staking out a certain place. We found something,"

Remus said, still brushing off his clothes. Then he looked up and the

worried faces and added with a grin, "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. It

might actually be good news."

"Come on, Lupin, let's check in," the retired Auror said, stomping out of

the room. He had already cleaned his clothes and wanted to get the

report in so he could wash his hands and face.

Remus just shrugged, cast a cleaning charm, then waved to the kids and

followed.

They two came to the study and entered the open door. Alastor made

sure to close it behind them. He felt the wards on the room and added a

few of his own. Not that the news they brought back was overly

classified, but it needed to be talked out first.

"Well, we've got the lay of the land and it's good news," the one-eyed man

said, taking a seat across from Bill.

"That's good," Sirius said, releasing his tense shoulders. He had been

tensed for a while now, these two should have been back ages ago.

"We've enough bad news today," he added, waving them to continue.

"Right, so, we landed outside the trip zone, and cased the area. It's all

open area, except in the back, where there's an ornamental garden, with

topiary. A lot of topiary," Remus began, looking to Moody to continue.

"Malfoy being a bit of a showoff can work to our advantage. We also

confirmed that old Voldy is there as well and his horcrux. It seems he's

keeping his Death Eaters there as well. I think we might have made him a

bit paranoid, not that that was hard to do. Riddle has always thought the

world was out to get him," Alastor said, leaning back in his chair to

indicate that he was done.

"All good news, but what about the wards?" Bill asked, since it would be

him to bring them down. "Did you get the schematics down?"

"Yeah, that part was easy. It's the standard Malfoy Family Wards, with

the trip ward. If we can bring the trip ward down, it should be a matter

of an hour for you to bring down the major ones," Moody said, taking out

a piece of paper that he had made notes on.

"Wouldn't Riddle put up some of his own?" Sirius asked, thinking that's

what he'd do.

"No, it'll leave a signature and he's hiding at the moment. Fudge burying

his head in the sand is working to Riddle's advantage. The less people

think he around, the more he has the element of surprise," Moody

explained.

"How far do the main wards go again?" Bill asked, looking at the paper

he was just handed.

"Seventy-five feet out from the house. Then the trip wards end fifteen feet

beyond that," was the answer.

"These notes are really good, Alastor," the curse-breaker said, still going

over them. They were very concise, and he should have no problem bring

both wards down.

"There's a meeting in two hours," Sirius said, looking at his watch. "You

two might want to go and clean up, take a nap, get something to eat. I'm

not sure which, but take the time to relax," he added with a smile.

"Who's going to be here?" Moody asked, getting up from his chair. He

could use something to eat.

"Me, you, Remus, Bill, Tonks, Kingsley, Harry, the twins, and possible

Amelia," the dogman answered, picking up his tea and taking a sip.

House elves are wonderful creatures, they can keep your teacup full and

at just the right temperature. "Andi and Ted don't want to join us. Andi

said that if there was something they needed to know; Tonks would tell

them. They are just here to help with the kids."

"Good, I like the fact that Bones might be here. We could use her help on

a few things. She's got some influence that we don't. Not even you, with

all your money," the old man said, stretching out some kinks in his back.

He was far too old to be casting houses but needs must.

"Yeah, I have a feeling she and I are going to be working hand in hand.

I've got blackmail, and money. She's got political pull," Sirius agreed,

raising his cup up in an agreeing gesture.

"Too right," Moody said, and then left the room. The first thing he did

was hit the loo. Using the little sink, he cleaned up as best he could. Then

he wandered around looking for somewhere to settle his old bones. He

needed to eat and then grab a quick nap. He headed to one of the lady's

parlors, that no one used, called an elf, got food, then kicked back on a

fainting couch.

Back in the study, Remus got up too. "I'm going to talk to the kids. I want

to see what they've been up to. We haven't had much time to catch up,"

the ex-professor said, then putting words to action, he too left.

"Are those notes going to do you any good?" Sirius asked, putting his cup

down and standing. He wanted to walk around a bit. His legs were

asleep. He and Bill had been sitting too long, going over strategies. Like

what to do about Umbridge.

"Oh, yeah, like I told Alastor, they are very good," Bill said, folding the

paper and putting it in his pocket.

"Great, I'm going to join Moony in the kitchen, feel free to hit the library.

I'll tell an elf to open it for you. Who knows, you might find something to

make your easy job easier," Sirius said, heading for the door.

"I'll do that," Bill said, joining him.

Sirius did call Kreacher and had him let Bill in the library, then he joined

the teens and his friend. They spent the next two hours going over pranks

and Quidditch. Everyone was comparing notes, even Hermione. They had

thought up some elaborate schemes, that the twins couldn't wait to enact.

Dinner was served right before the meeting, those that were going to be

in the meeting Flooed in and sat drinking tea or coffee, whichever they

preferred. When dinner was over the kids, bar Harry and the twins, left.

But not without a lot of grumbling. Andi made sure they all headed

upstairs and got ready for bed. Not that they had a curfew, but at least

they were staying out of trouble.

Everyone that was going to the meeting was there in the kitchen. Sirius

and Alastor both put up some impressive wards. Amelia wanted to add a

few of her own, but trusted Moody to plug up any holes.

"Great," Sirius said, sitting at the head of the table, "everyone is here.

Does everyone know everyone else?" he asked, looking around to see if

they did.

There were nods all around. Even the twins knew everyone since their

dad work with most here.

"Amy, glad you could come," Sirius said, giving her a winning grin.

"Don't call me Amy," she snapped. "I happen to like my name, unlike

others." She mock glared at Tonks.

Tonks saw her look and shrugged. She made no qualms about telling

anybody and everybody that she detested her name.

"Sorry, sorry," Sirius said, not looking sorry at all. "Okay, Moody and

Moony have figured out that Riddle is hiding out at Malfoy Manor.

They've given the ward plans to Bill here. We're going to take our time

and suss it all out."

"I looked up a few things in the library," Bill said, pulling out Moody's

notes. "I am positive that I can circumvent them with little problem," he

added smugly.

"Who is this Riddle person, and why is he hiding? I thought you said

Voldemort was hiding there? Oh," Amelia said, as it dawned on her that

it might be Voldemort's real name.

She didn't like that they were working as vigilantes. However, they

couldn't work with the Aurors because Fudge was in denial. Damn that

man anyway. He tied her hands at every effort she made to fight a war.

Since Harry and Sirius had come to her office, she had been putting

things into motion, on the sly. But like she said, her hands were tied, so

she couldn't do much. Stupid politics.

"Yeah, we found out how Riddle, or Voldy as you know him, is still

among us," Sirius answered, pulling out the vial if stuff that came out of

Harry. He leaned over and handed it to her. "Like is said earlier, he made

horcruxes."

"And this is one of them" she asked, eyeballing the vial.

"It's the remains of one," Bill explained, watching her face to see her

reaction.

"Oh, dear Merlin, and you just handed it to me?" she gasped, dropping

the vial on the table.

"We've destroyed two, accidently, there are two here. The rest as you see

are going to be hard to get," Moody said, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes, Sirius told me this morning that they had been destroyed," she

agreed, knowing that if anyone could help, it would be Mad-Eye Moody.

"I looked over the list he gave me, and if you're right and they are in

Malfoy Manor, then yes, they will be hard to get to. Especially if… Riddle

is there," she said, adjusting her monocle.

"We're making a plan," Bill assured her. "Plausible deniability on your

part," he hinted, giving her a wink, when made her frown.

"I see," was all she said.

"Until then, Tonks, you had news," Sirius said, directing his and everyone

else's attention to the Metamorphmagus.

"Yeah, I heard a rumor that I'm sure is 100% true," the young woman

said, her hair turning a bright blue. "It's been bandied about the Ministry

that Umbridge is the one who sent the Dementors after Harry," she said

anger in her voice.

"Is there proof?" Amelia asked instantly, writing that down on her

notebook. She hadn't had time to look into it after they had left.

Honestly, she was more worried about Riddle. Now that Tonks was

offering her a lead, she might just be able to finally put that pink

monstrosity in prison.

"No," was the frustrated answer, making many of them frown. "What the

rumors says, is that she had orders from Fudge to silence Harry. Unless

she slipped up and left a written order, I'm not sure how you can pin it

on her."

"Wait, she wanted to kill me?" Harry asked angrily. "I don't even know

the woman. I've only met her once, and I can tell you that, yeah, come to

think of it, she seems the type."

"It's worse," Amelia said, putting her notepad down. "She's going to be

teaching at Hogwarts," she dropped that bombshell.

"Fuck," Harry said, throwing himself back in his chair.

"I'd say 'language', but I happen to agree. Whose bright idea was that…

never mind, Fudge, right?" Sirius said, his hands clenching in rage.

"Got it in one. From what I understand, Malfoy has been whispering in

his ear that Dumbledore wants his job and is forming an army of students

to get it from him. Nothing will sway him from this," Bones said, shaking

her head at the Minster's stupidity.

Everyone knows Dumbledore doesn't want that position. He had been

content with the three he had. He had lost two, due to Fudge, but Amelia

would bet her pension that those would be handed back to the man the

second that Voldemort was declared alive. She also knew that there was

no way to stop it.

In her opinion that was too much power for one man.

"Good thing I'm not going back to Hogwarts, but what of my friends. If

she's out to 'silence' me then she might use them," Harry said, a great deal

of defeat in his voice.

"Hey, Tonks, can you get some time off, say, I don't know, about a year.

Maybe, talk to your boss, Amelia *hint, hint*," Sirius asked, making

everyone perk up.

"I'm not changing my naughty bits," the Metamorphmagus stated firmly,

making quite a few of them chuckle. "I also don't think I want to spend a

year in the boys' dormitory," she added, huffing a bit.

"Yeah, that might be a problem," Alastor agreed.

"Well, what if you slept somewhere else?" Harry asked, thinking of the

room Dobby told them about.

"What do you mean?" Tonks inquired, lifting an eyebrow in question.

"Well, Dobby, my house elf friend, told me that there was a room on the

seventh floor that can turn into anything you wanted. So, you could have

it turn into a flat, or something, then you wouldn't have to sleep with

blokes," the teen said, tapping is finger on the table.

"Why have I never heard of the room?" asked both Remus and Sirius.

"Well, from what Dobby told me, it's a blank wall until you call it," Harry

tried to explain. "That's pretty much all I know about it. You'd have to

talk to Dobby to find out more."

"That's a great idea, but how would she get around the bed checks?" Bill

asked, remembering all the times he got caught sneaking around the

castle.

"McGonagall doesn't do bed checks," Fred said, wondering when that

changed.

"Yeah, she's never done one while we've been there," George agreed,

looking confused.

"Still, we might want to bring her in on this part of our plan. That way

she can run interference with Albus, and Umbridge," Moody said, adding

his two knuts worth.

"Good idea. No reason to bring her all the way in, but that might work,"

Sirius agreed. "Still, a vow would not go amiss. I know she's tight with

Albus, so I want some insurance that she won't go running to him," he

added.

"That would make it better, but I'm not sure I can pull being you off very

well," Tonks said, going over what she knew about the teen in her mind.

"If I put you on undercover duty, you can start tonight, that way you can

spend the next few weeks shadowing him, and get some of his quirks

down," Amelia said, liking the idea that one of her Auror would be in the

castle where her niece slept.

"I think," started Remus, "that you might not be there that long." He

rubbed his chin in thought.

"Why do you say that?" Kingsley asked, pulling out his own notepad.

"I think that Umbridge will break the law sooner, rather than later. When

she does, Tonks here can arrest her," the werewolf said, winking at

Tonks.

"Oh, I like how you think," the currently blue-haired woman said,

winking back.

"While you guys scheme this up. I'm going to pay a visit to the toad

tomorrow," Sirius said, his face set in granite.

"Don't go doing anything I'd have to arrest you for. You know that there

are quite a few people looking for a reason to get you tossed back in

Azkaban. Dumbledore being on the forefront," Amelia said, cleaning her

eyepiece. "Well, not really, but he does seem to be paying extra special

attention to you and Harry."

"What are we going to do about Dumbledore?" the dogman asked

exasperated.

"You leave Albus to me," Moody answered, his electric blue eye swirling

around in its socket. "I've known him longer than all of you, so I'll tend to

him and his pet Death Eater."

"Tonks," Amelia said, "while you're there, keep an eye on Snape."

"You bet," the Auror replied with a wicked grin. Payback is a bitch.

"What do you want us to do?" Fred asked, reminding everyone that they

were there.

"Yeah, besides watching out for the others, is there something we can

do?" George concurred.

"I have a spell I want to teach you two. There's a horcrux at the school

that needs finding," Bill said, pulling out a piece of parchment and asking

Amelia for her pen. "I was going to talk to you after the meeting, but…

well, see me then and I'll teach it to you, and you too, Tonks," he said,

reaching across the table for the writing implement.

Bones handed it to him, and he wrote the spell down, copied it twice and

hand it to the three. He then gave Amelia back her pen.

"Good idea," Remus said, nodding in agreement.

"Come see me tomorrow, Tonks. I want to talk to my brothers tonight,"

Bill stated, seeing they were reading the spell, "and I'll make sure you get

it down. If you find what we're looking for, just leave it there and call us.

I'm sure we can sneak into the castle to retrieve it," he added, glaring at

the twins.

"We will, no worries," Fred said, looking at the spell. It didn't seem hard.

"Yeah, if it's to do with Riddle, I don't want to touch it," George said, also

reading the spell.

"I've got some two-way mirrors I need to dig up. I've only got two, so you

two will have to share," Sirius said, going over in his mind where he last

left them.

"I can make more," Remus offered.

"We share everything," the twins said haughtily.

"Everything?" both Tonks and Harry teased.

"Yes, take that as you will," they replied, going cross-eyed at the teasing

pair.

"Just joking," Fred said, laughing at the looks on everyone's face.

"Yeah, we keep the naughty bits separate," George stated, he too

laughing.

"Thank Merlin," Bill grumbled, needing to bleach his brain on that one.

"Bill," Kingsley said, grabbing the curse-breakers attention, "what about

the one at Gringotts. You are our only lead there."

"I'm going to talk to my boss tomorrow. If I tell him what it is, who it

belongs to, I'm sure that there must be a way to get it," Bill replied,

rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn't positive that that would be the

outcome, but he had to try.

"That might work," Kingsley said, making a note.

"Sirius," the redhead said, bringing the other man's attention away from

teasing the twins, "it might help if you came with me," he said, looking

toward the older man. "I'm pretty sure someone in your family, or

connected to your family, is hiding it in their vault," he added, giving

him an inquiring look.

"I was going there anyway," the dogman replied with a shrug.

"Am I still coming?" Harry wanted to know.

"Why wouldn't you be?" was the rejoinder.

"Well if that… woman is out to kill me, aren't you going to keep me

here?" the teen asked, knowing that's what the Headmaster would have

done.

"Harry, you are fifteen years old, I think you can handle yourself with us

around. All you would have to do if trouble started was to get out of the

way," his brother told him. "I know Albus wanted to wrap you up in

cotton, but that's not the way life works. Hiding didn't help your parents,

or the Longbottoms. I don't mean to be tactless, but it is the truth," Sirius

said with a sigh.

"Alright, and thanks," Harry said, happy that he wasn't going to be

confined to this house. The thought of his parents was a bit of a downer,

but he could see the wisdom in those words.

"Anything else to discuss?" Sirius asked, looking around the room.

"Yeah, I have something," Tonks said, perking up a bit. "Mum wants to

know why you are still letting Malfoy have you seat on the Board of

Governors, and the Wizengamot."

"That slimy bastard has been sitting in my seat?" Sirius said, slamming his

hand on the table. "Whose bright idea… Fudge. I'm going to bury that

man, you just wait and see if I don't," he promised, angry and hating that

so much had gone wrong due to his illegal incarceration.

"Not that it helps, but those seats are entailed, so there might be a

precedent. You'd have to look, and talk to your lawyer," Kingsley stated,

going over what he knew about that type of stuff.

"You bet, I'm talking to Waters first thing in the morning," Sirius said, still

seething. "Actually, I'll Floo him when we're done."

"Hey, I thought Malfoy was kicked off the Board?" Harry said,

remembering what Dumbledore had told him. Well, not to him, but at

Malfoy.

"He bought his way back on," grumbled Tonks. "I'm sure he used

persuasion too."

"Oh, yeah, he's a bastard," Harry said, watching his new brother's face get

redder.

"I'm going to kill him," Sirius stated, still fuming. Who knows what laws

that Dark wizard passed using his vote? Or what he did under the Black

name to the school. Well, he'd find out and fix it, that's for sure.

"Go to the Ministry tomorrow, you were planning to anyway, and claim

them back. You might even be able to impose a penalty for the slight.

Like Shacklebolt said, talk to your lawyer," Amelia stated, reaching over

and covering his hand. They didn't need him going off half-cocked.

Sirius took a deep breath, once, twice, three times. He relaxed a bit and

looked at Amelia. "Thanks, I needed that. Well, that and a shot of

firewhiskey," he said, settling back in his chair.

"Good, now that that is over, I think we've done all we can for the night. I

have to get home, I don't want Susan alone longer than necessary," Bones

said, standing up and putting her notebook away.

Thanks to Harry's warning, she had beefed up her wards. Still, wards fall,

and Susan was there alone. If she continued to come to these meetings,

then she'd have to ask if her niece could come too.

"Yeah, I'm knackered," Remus said, giving out a jaw breaking yawn, "so

I'm headed to bed."

"Okay, meeting over. You can use the same rooms you did last night,"

Sirius said, everyone standing at his words. "Harry, Fred, George, you can

tell the others about Umbridge, but nothing else, okay?" he looked at the

teens.

"Not a problem," Harry said as the twins nodded.

"Maybe, we can have Hermione tell us more about her plan. She's going

to need to know what's happening on that front," Fred said, started to

leave.

"Can we tell them about Tonks?" George asked, putting a hand on his

twin's shoulder, making his brother stop for a moment.

"Yeah, that too, I guess. It's not like we can hide it," Sirius agreed, putting

his arm over Harry's shoulder and keeping him there while everyone else

left.

The twins nodded and left to talk to Bill, then they'd hunt the rest down

and tell them what they could.

"Are you sure you want to stay here?" Sirius asked one more time, after

everyone else left the room.

"Yeah, especially since that woman is going to be at Hogwarts. Are you

going to reclaim your seats?" the teen asked stifling a yawn.

"You bet your arse I am. And I'm going to make quite a few people's lives

a living hell," the dogman said maliciously.

"Good," was all the answer needed.

They headed out of the kitchen when a voice drew them back.

"Sirius, are you there?"

18. Chapter 18 Plans in Motion

Chapter 18 Plans in Motion

Thanks for all the reviews. I very much enjoy them.

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Harry and Sirius turned around and looked at the fireplace. There in the

flames, was the head of Arthur Weasley. The man looked like he was

contemplating something. The two looked at each other, shrugged and

turned back to the fireplace.

"What's up, Arthur?" Sirius asked, making the other man's face jerk up.

"We just finished an Order meeting," Mr. Weasley said, making Sirius

scoff at the fact that none that were in Grimmuald Place had been called.

"There was a lot discussed, we settled on a few things, but I can't tell you

about them," he said, sheepishly, knowing that it was one of the reasons

the others had left, and all this secret keeping was making him wary of

Albus too.

"Figures," Sirius said, scoffing once more.

"Yes, well," the other man said. "I wanted first to make sure the kids were

okay," Arthur said, looking at the man he had entrusted his children too.

"Yeah, they're good. We just finished a meeting ourselves. Don't worry,"

Sirius said quickly, "the younger kids weren't there, just Bill and the

twins. Right now, I'm sure they are all either in bed, or heading to it," he

stated with a grin. "Andi is keeping a good eye on them," he finished with

a wink.

"Good, good. I'm happy to hear that. They aren't causing you any trouble,

are they?" the worried father asked.

"No, they're all good kids," the dogman answered.

"Great, thanks. I'll make sure Molly knows that they are in good hands,"

Mr. Weasley said with a grin. "Right now, though, Albus asked me to get

in touch with you," the redhead said, again looking like he was mulling

something over.

"Oh, what does he want?" Black asked, trying to think of any reason the

Headmaster would need him, when he made it clear he wasn't going to

follow him anymore.

"Well, I must confess, it's Harry he wants to talk to," Arthur stated,

glancing at said boy, who just looked confused.

"Me? What does he want from me?" Harry asked, shocked. Well, he could

think of many things the old man might want, actually. Like sending him

back to the Dursleys. That was not going to happen. Sirius' actions in

making him his brother, would cause any plans the Headmaster had to

fail.

"He wants Severus to teach you Occlumency," was the shocking answer.

"Oh, oh, I have to do this," Harry said, almost bouncing with excitement,

grabbing Sirius' arm, yanking on the man's sleeve and making Arthur give

him a queer look. "Come on, Sirius, this is going to be epic," the teen said,

pulling his new brother's arm and almost dragging him to the fireplace.

"Settle down, Harry, they're not going anywhere. That and I have to tell

Andi I'm leaving. Give me a moment, yeah," the other man said, pulling

his arm free. He then called Kreacher and told him to tell Andi where

they were going and that he'd be back soon.

With that done, the two went to the fireplace and Flooed to the Burrow.

They stepped into the living room. Well, Harry tumbled, but righted

himself as soon as he could. He glared at Sirius when the man laughed

and looked around the familiar room. There they saw that Albus and

Snape were waiting for them.

Arthur went and joined his wife on the other sofa, holding her arm to

prevent her from going to the two men. He didn't like the look on her

face and wanted to avoid an argument. She gave him a look and then

settled to watch. They had had many long talks since they left Head

Quarters, and she was put in her place by her husband. Still, she was a

middle-aged woman, who had been running a household with an iron fist

for an awfully long time. It would take a miracle to change her attitude

completely.

"Headmaster," Harry said politely with a curt nod. "Mr. and Mrs.

Weasley," he added, also nodding to them. "Snape," he said, trying to be

outwardly respectful, but inside he was grinning like a loon. He couldn't

wait to see their reaction.

Sirius followed suit, then stood by Harry.

"Harry, my boy, it is so good to see you," the old man said, his eyes

twinkling, like always. "I see that living with Sirius has done you some

good. I still feel…"

"Albus, not going to happen," was Sirius' immediate rebuttal,

accompanied with a hard stare.

"Very well," the old man sighed.

"What did you want from me, Headmaster? Besides, trying to send me

back to Durzkaban?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes at the old man.

"Harry, I hope one day that you will trust me again. I am only looking

out for you best interest," Albus stated, his eyes twinkling again.

"We'll see," the boy said, still watching the man's eyes twinkle, without

actually looking in them. He wondered about that weird phenomenon.

He didn't know anyone else's eyes that sparkled like that. Not even

Dudley getting presents.

"Potter," Snape barked, getting up from the sofa he had be sitting on. He

stalked towards the teen, stopping a few feet away, when Sirius imposed

himself in front of his younger brother. "The Headmaster has decreed that

I must teach you Occlumency. Much as I am loath to be around you for

any period of time, I do agree that this is a must. You will do as I sa…"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I don't need lessons," Harry said, not sorry at

all. He hated it when the man went on tirades. "Sirius taught me," he

added with a smirk.

"Like this mangy mutt could teach anything," the greasy-haired man

sneered, making Sirius glare.

Then that glare turned into to a smirk. "You can test them if you want,"

Sirius said, winking to Harry, who started choking, like he was holding a

laugh.

"Yeah, I think I've got a grip on it. Sure, why not, go ahead," the teen

said, after calming down, then looking the Potions Master in the eye.

Not hesitating for a moment, Snape lifted his wand, and snapped off the

charm, then delved into Harry's mind.

This time Harry had one xenomorph larger than the rest of them; the

others scurrying around like ants. With that larger one, as soon as he felt

the intrusion, he had it superimpose itself over the whole of his mind.

Making it look like it swallowed the sky. Then the image loomed over the

very pale man.

The alien opened its mouth and a tinier head came shooting out. Snape,

not expecting that, fell on his arse, and crab walked backwards out of the

thing's way. His wand firmly grasped in his hand, but for the life of him,

pun intended, he couldn't think of a single spell that would hurt… that.

He didn't even think the Killing Curse would be effective.

Then the little head opened its mouth and screeched. The whole of

Harry's mind shook with the sound. Snape felt the vibrations in his bones.

Like getting hit with an over-powered tickling charm. Terrified, he

dropped his wand and actually fainted, making Harry laugh in real life.

Snape was in the brat's mind for merely a second, that felt like hours, and

then he woke up on the floor, shaking. Every muscle in his body was

tensed in fight or flight mode. It took him a few seconds to realize he was

not about to be eaten.

"Severus, are you okay?" Albus asked, as he and Molly helped the shaken

man off the floor. "You just fell limp. Did something happen?" the old

man asked as they guided Snape back to the sofa.

"I've never seen anything like what is in Potter's mind," Snape said in a

shaky voice, rubbing his hand down his sweaty face. "It's is a creature

that would terrorize anyone. Even the Dark Lord," he added as an

afterthought. "I have no doubt the boy's mind is well protected."

"What creature?" Albus asked, thinking on what the man might have

possibly seen that would have rattled him so.

"I have never seen anything more terrifying in my life. And I have come

face to face with a werewolf," Snape answered. "I will reiterate, the boy's

mind is protected."

"Are you sure?" Dumbledore asked, hoping that wasn't true. While he did

need Harry to protect his mind, the insight given to the teen, judging

from the few times Harry had dreamed/envisioned the scenes from Tom's

eyes, were immeasurable.

Those gave them awareness on what Tom was thinking and doing. He

was hoping that Severus could train the boy to block Tom yet see into the

other man's mind. If the boy's mind was that well protected, then it was

all for naught. Perhaps not, maybe he could still get Harry to spy on Tom.

"Harry, while I'm sure that you have strong protections, perhaps you

could still attend these lessons," the old man asked, looking over his

glasses with wise eyes.

"Not a bloody chance in hell," Harry said, shaking his head at the obvious

ploy.

"Albus, I'm telling you that I can teach him nothing. I can't penetrate even

surface memories. If you don't believe me, then check for yourself," Snape

snapped, waving to Harry in a curt manner, as if daring the older man

too. There was a small part of him that wanted to see what Albus would

do when faced with that creature.

"No, I believe you, my boy, but there are still aspects of Occlumency that

I'm sure young Harry does not realize," Dumbledore pressed.

"No, I'm not letting Snape get in my mind again," Harry said firmly,

though he was still elated on Snape's reaction to his pets.

"Harry, you must realize that this is imperative…"

"No," was the answer, this time harsher.

"Why are you so keen on having Harry taught by Snape?" Sirius asked,

both he and Harry still standing by the fireplace. They weren't staying

long.

"Alas, it is not something I can reveal right now," Dumbledore said with a

sigh. He knew that Sirius was very protective of the teen. He would not

put it past the man to keep Harry as far away from Severus as possible.

"There are simply some things that must remain secret. Harry is not old

enough to understand."

"Then tell me," Sirius demanded, daring the man to say something stupid.

"I do not feel that you are emotionally stable enough," was the answer

that they knew was coming. "After your childish behavior these last few

days, I do not think that you can be trusted with vital information." The

old man was shaking his head, like he was so disappointed in the other

man.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Harry, you done?" the dogman asked,

looking at the younger man.

"Oh, yeah, that was great. I never have to worry about this slimy git

getting into my mind ever again. Take that as a warning to you too, old

man," Harry said, his grin wide enough to split his face. "For all you say

you care, the shite that you just spouted makes me think much less of

you. So much for gaining my trust," he said with a derisive snort.

"Do not disrespect the Headmaster in my house," Molly shouted. She had

been against Sirius coming here, but Albus insisted. For all their talks,

she was still upset that Arthur wanted the children to stay at the man's

house. And nothing she said would dissuade him.

"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley. I'll wait until he's not here, and then… talk to him,"

Harry said with a shrug.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Sirius said, grabbing some Floo powder.

"Arthur, Molly, Albus, Snape," he said, nodding to each. Then he threw

the powder in the fireplace and all but shoved Harry through, calling out

the address. He wasn't worried about yelling it out, anyone who didn't

know wouldn't hear. It was the nature of the charm to prevent that.

When they emerged, Harry fell to the floor laughing his arse off. He held

his stomach and curled into a ball; he was laughing so hard. Tears were

pouring down his face as he fought for breath. He couldn't wait until

someone did that again. Maybe he'd set up a few different scenarios.

"Come on, chuckles, let's get you to bed. We have a lot to do tomorrow

morning. I want to leave when Bill does. After Gringotts, you can come

back here. I don't need you at the Ministry. Maybe you can ask Tonks to

take you kids to a movie. I'm sure the Weasleys would enjoy that," Sirius

said, pulling Harry off the floor, who had finally gotten control over

himself.

"That sound good. I didn't think I'd be leaving the house the whole

summer," the teen said, still giggling, but starting towards his room. The

image of Snape fainting was just too funny.

"Yeah, just make sure you grab some money while we're at the bank. I

don't want you stuck in London, or somewhere, without a way back.

While I'm sure Tonks can Apparate you guys one at a time, it would be

too risky," the other man said, following his brother up the stairs.

"I will," was all Harry said.

They finished the journey to their rooms, and both did their nightly

routines, and quickly fell asleep. Harry with a huge grin, remembering

what he had done to Snape. The man was sure to have nightmares, unless

he took Dreamless Sleep.

The next morning saw everyone at the kitchen table discussing what was

going to happen that day. Sirius and Harry took great pleasure on

relating what had gone on at the Burrow, which caused almost every to

break out in laughter. Harry didn't go into detail about what was in his

head, but he did say that it was protected and once the twins taught them

the Occlumency they could compare notes.

Then they told the other kids what they had discuss last night, getting

approval from everyone seventeen and under, as well as Tonks. The

Weasleys were ecstatic about going to muggle London to see a movie.

They knew what they were, other muggleborns talked about them all the

time, but they had never seen one.

Sirius got up to Floo his lawyer and get some advice. He made sure to tell

Harry to get ready to leave in a half an hour. He had planned on calling

him last night, but the… request from Albus delayed that.

Ted and Andi got up to go to their jobs, and Tonks stayed with the teens.

Remus headed to the library, which Sirius opened to everyone, to see if

he could find a different way to kill horcruxes. Not that he didn't trust

Bill's way, but more options were better.

Moody decided it was time to face Albus and Snape. Harry had regaled

them about what he had done the night before, and Alastor wanted to get

the talk out of the way. He really didn't like what those two were up to.

There was no good reason for the old man to insist that Harry learn

something he already knew.

Sirius finished with his call and came back to the kitchen. Seeing that

Harry was ready, he and Bill went to the Floo. Harry followed, dragging

his feet. While he wanted to get out of the house, he really didn't want to

talk to the goblins. He wasn't even sure why he was tagging along. Sirius

was his guardian; he should be handling this.

"Come on, Harry, don't dawdle. We need to go," Sirius said, grabbing his

arm and dragging him the rest of the way. "You really do need to be

there," he finished, throwing the Floo powder in the flames.

"Fine," Harry said, then called out the address to the Leaky Cauldron and

stepped in. He, as usual, came out arse over teakettle. Bill just laughed,

and picked him up

"I'm going to get Andi to teach you how to Floo," Sirius said, stepping out

of the fireplace.

Harry just grumbled under his breath. Something about it not being his

fault.

"Alright, off we go," Sirius said, ignoring the nasty looks he was getting,

while Harry paid no attention to the contemplative looks thrown at him.

He knew the article would stir things up a bit, and now people were

confused about what to believe. He toyed with the thought of doing

another one, but other than Riddle being back, he wasn't sure what topic

to discuss.

Bill was looking at the two, back at the crowds, and marveling about how

they could ignore all the looks directed at them. The three made their

way to the bank and were soon climbing the marble step. Other than the

looks the trio were receiving, they made it to their destination

unmolested.

The goblins at the doors bowed to the group and soon they were inside.

Bill broke off from the two and headed to talk to his boss. He really

hoped that the goblin could help them. He had brought the vial as proof,

with Sirius' permission. He even was giving the go-ahead to tell his boss

where it came from.

Making his way to the back of the bank, he came to the correct door, and

knocked on it.

"Enter," came the answer from inside.

Bill opened the door and came inside. He made it way to the front of the

metal desk and stood at quasi-attention.

"What can I do for you today, Curse-Breaker Weasley?" the goblin asked,

setting down his quill. He waved his hand for the man in front of him to

take a seat. "I thought you were on light duty until the war was over."

"I am, but I found out something that Gringotts needs to know," Bill said,

rubbing his sweaty hands on his pants. Not that he was scared of his boss,

but he didn't know how the goblin would react to what he found.

"Oh?" came the inquisitive reply. The still unnamed goblin leaned

forward on his desk and folded his hands together.

"Yeah, umm," the redhead replied, pulling the vial out of his pocket.

"Horcruxes, as in plural. This is a remnant of one that came out of Harry

Potter." He placed the vial on the desk and sat back.

Bill was not completely surprised at his boss's reaction. While he hadn't

been sure, he did know they hated soul magic.

The goblin stood up fast enough to knock his chair against the wall. The

goblin's face was twisted with a snarl as he glared at the vial on his desk.

"Whose?"

"Voldemort's."

"Why did you bring that evil to the bank?"

"I wanted proof of what I said. Like I said, this is just the leftovers of one.

However, judging from the spell on another one we have…," he paused,

took a deep breath and, "there's one here at the bank," Bill said as calmly

as he could, knowing that the first reaction was going to pale in

comparison to this one.

Next came a lot of cursing in gobbledegook, while the goblin threw

things around the room. None of them came close to hitting Bill, but the

man made sure to sit very still, just in case.

"Sharpclaw," Bill said, holding up his hands to try and calm his boss. "I

think that one of the Death Eaters has it in their vault. I know Sirius

Black is here, and he can get into any vault belonging to his family. We

have a plan to collect all of these… items and destroy them," he said,

quickly and calmly.

Sharpclaw came from around his desk and moved to the door. He opened

it and started shouting down the hall. A few heads popped out of other

offices and one goblin took off running. Sharpclaw shouted some more

and a few more goblins shot off the other direction. With that done,

Sharpclaw closed the door, with a loud bang, and went back to his chair.

"Even with Black here, we need to talk to Ragnok," the goblin said with a

sigh. He shouldn't have exploded like that, but to learn that something so

vile was in the bank… Anyway, they knew how to handle cases like

these, it just took a bit of work. And lots of paperwork, dammit.

"Okay," was all Bill said, as he settled in a chair.

Meanwhile, Sirius and Harry asked for Harry's account manager, while

also asking if the Black manager would join them. They were led to a

room, that had a dark wooden table with six chairs. They took two on the

right side and waited.

They didn't have to wait long until they were joined by two well-dressed

goblins. Each holding a ledger.

"Greetings, Lord Black, Mr. Potter," the first goblin said, sitting across

from them with the other goblins. "I am Spikepoint, I will be handling the

Potter account. With me is Sliphook, he, of course, will be handling the

Black account."

"What happened to my old account manager?" Sirius wanted to know.

"He's dead," was all the answer they got. Truthfully, he had been

executed for not getting Sirius a trial. The dead goblin had been taking

payments from Malfoy to keep evidence from the Ministry. Among other

things.

By doing this, it kept the vault from being used, and if found out then

Gringotts could be charged with accessory in Line Theft. No matter what

type of stealing was happening, the most goblins abhorred thieves. Sure,

every now and then a goblin would do something stupid, but they were

usually found out, and their whole family suffered for ages. After all, if

they bred one thief, who knows how many untrustworthy goblins came

from that clan.

"Okay, so how does my account look? I know it hasn't seen an activity

since Grandfather died," Sirius said, pulling the ledger to him, when the

goblin waved him to do so. "Wait, what in Merlin's name is this?" he

almost shouted, seeing many withdrawals from the last few years.

"It seems your late account manager was giving out… loans," Sliphook

said with a wary look. "We will be calling them all in, once you give us

the go-ahead."

"Hell yes, I want them called in," Sirius said, still looking over his

finances. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but there was about a

quarter of his wealth lent out to Death Eaters. Some as close as a month

ago. He closed the book and looked at Sliphook. "With penalties and

interest," he stated firmly.

"It will be done," the vicious goblin said, writing a note.

"Now that that's done, I want to write out a will," Lord Black stated, his

teeth clenched.

"Right away," the goblin agreed, tapping his long finger on the table,

making some parchment appear. "We can write it out here, but you will

need your lawyer to validate it," he said, poised to begin writing.

Sirius waved him off and started dictating what he wanted. He made sure

that Harry was the primary recipient, while leaving some to the others

that he trusted. He made sure that the adoption was well documented in

the will, with notations that proof could be found with his lawyer, and a

copy in his vault. He would take this and that proof with him when he

went to the ministry, where Waters would meet him.

Meanwhile, Harry and Spikepoint were going over his finances. There

was nothing unusual in his books, though there had been many attempts

over the years for people claiming to be a Potter to get control. There

were also quite a few inheritances, that Harry had no idea why. He didn't

know these people, so why did they leave him money and house and

stuff?

When he asked, it was explained to him that they left it to the Boy-Who-

Lived.

"Can you put all that in a separate vault?" Harry asked, making some

plans on what to do with that money.

"Not a problem," the goblin said, tapping his finger on the desk and

getting the correct forms.

They all went over everything, though Harry did try to protest that he

didn't need as much money as Sirius made him withdraw.

"Harry, you are taking six other people out for entertainment, you will

need all of that," Sirius said, pushing the bag to the teen. It was full of

galleons and pounds. They were standing in the lobby and were drawing

a bit of attention, not that either of them cared.

The reason Harry was protesting, was that it had come from Sirius' vault.

After a few minutes of pushing the bag back and forth, Harry finally

snatched it and shoved it in his pocket. "Fine," he snapped, glaring at his

brother's grin.

At that moment, a goblin came up to Sirius. "Lord Black, you are needed,"

he said.

"Right, give me a moment," the man said politely then turned back to

Harry. "Will you be okay getting back to the house?" he asked, only a tiny

bit worried. It was only to the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes," he said, once again glaring at the man.

"Okay, go straight to the Cauldron and Floo home. While I'm sure you

will be fine in muggle London, I'm not so sure here. Remember, there

have been a lot of rumors about you lately. And… someone is trying to

kill you. Make that two someone's," Sirius said, rubbing his goatee,

wondering if he should walk Harry to the Floo.

"He can use our Floo," the goblin said, looking at Harry. He didn't want to

wait while Lord Black escorted the boy to the pub.

"I can?" Harry said, surprised.

"Yes, so come this way," the goblin all but snarled at being questioned.

Then he turned sharply and led the way.

Once Harry was back home, Sirius followed the goblin to where the

others were meeting. He got to the room and noted Bill and two goblins.

One dressed like an adventurer, the other like royalty. He cautiously

made his way to Bill.

"Lord Black, be know to Ragnok, King of the Goblins," Sharpclaw said,

bowing to his king.

"Oh, um, greetings, Ragnok," Sirius said, sketching his own bow.

The king waved him off and gestured for him to sit next to Bill. "We only

need you to give us permission to search the vaults of all those in your

family," the king started, pulling out a parchment. "This is a contract,

stating that we will not take anything from the vaults unless it is what we

are searching for. I have already sighed it, it needs your signature," he

said, pushing the contract to Sirius.

Sirius took it and looked it over. It was a quite simple contract, saying

just what Ragnok said it would. Bellatrix's and Narcissa's personal vaults

would be searched. If the horcrux wasn't in those vaults, they'd have to

come up with another plan. Seeing that there was no fine print, he

grabbed a quill and signed it, then pushed it back.

"Good," the king said, then started shouting orders to those outside the

door. "We are finished, unless you two have something else to tell us," he

said, looking at the two humans.

"No, that's all we needed," Bill said, getting up and bowing, while Sirius

copied him.

"We will destroy any of the vile things we find. Good day," the king said

in obvious dismissal.

The two wasted no time in leaving, soon they were in the lobby of

Gringotts. Then the two men headed out of the bank.

"What are you going to do now?" Sirius asked Bill as they stood at the

bottom of the marble stairs. He was glancing around Diagon Alley, and

was just smiling at everyone, creeping them out.

"I'm going back to the house. I still have some research to do. You?" the

curse-breaker asked, heading towards the Cauldron.

"I'm going to the ministry to raise hell," Sirius answered with his bark-like

laugh.

"Have fun," Bill said, chuckling along with him.

"Oh, I will," the dogman said a wicked smile playing over his face.

To that, Bill had no doubt.

19. Chapter 19 Confrontations

Chapter 19 Confrontations

Hphphp

Around the time the trio left for the bank, Moody decided it was time to

face Albus and Snape. He went to the Floo and called the Burrow.

Sticking his foot in the fireplace, because he really couldn't get on the

floor with his peg leg, he waited for someone to answer. Soon enough he

heard Arthur say, "What can I do for you, Alastor?"

"Is Albus there?" the one-eyed man asked, leaning over a bit so his voice

would carry.

"No, I believe he's at Hogwarts," the redhead said, thought Moody

thought he hear a bit of humor in the other man's voice.

"Right, thanks," was all Moody said, pulling his foot out of the fire. He

then turned to the people still sitting at the table. "I'm heading out. Tell

Sirius I'll be back tonight," he stated, with a curt nod to the kids.

"Okay," came the answer of many.

He nodded again and stomped out. When he got to the front stoop, he

Disapparated. He appeared at the gates of Hogwarts. Grunting with

frustration on having to walk all the way to the castle, he started his

journey.

About ten minutes later, he was no spring chicken, he came to the doors.

Right as he was making his way up the steps, Albus opened the doors.

"Ah, Alastor, what can I do for you today?" the old man asked, waiting

for his friend to ascend the stairs.

"I need to talk to you and Snape," the ex-Auror said, coming to the top of

the steps.

"Whatever for?" Albus said, leading the way to his office.

"Order stuff," was all the answer he got.

Albus sighed and continued walking. He glanced at his old friend and

tried to read his face. Nothing. There simply was no indication about

what his friend wanted to talk about. So, he silently led the way to his

office. He knew nothing he said would change that. Alastor confirmed

that with his next words.

"Don't bother, you'll get nothing from me until we are all safely

ensconced into your office," Moody said as he continued walking. Years

of experience with Albus let Alastor know just what to do and say to

handle the old man.

Dumbledore just sighed again and led on. A few minutes later they were

at the gargoyle. Giving the password, Albus stepped onto the rotating

stairs. Moody joined him; thankful they were self-rising. They entered the

office, and Dumbledore went to the fireplace and called Snape.

"You seem upset today, my friend. Can you tell me what is bothering

you? I can assure you that anything you heard has a good reason," Albus

said, trying to feel out what was bothering his longtime friend.

"Albus, you've known me for a long time, why do you think I would fall

for your grandfather act?" Moody asked, his face getting grumpier. He

really hated that Dumbledore would try and treat him like a newbie.

"Alastor, I am appalled that you would think that. I am merely concerned

that something I have done has upset you," the old man said, a contrite

look on his face.

Moody grunted and held his tongue. About that time, Snape finally came

through the Floo.

"What is this about?" Snape snarled, glaring at Alastor. "I have potions

that need tended."

"Sit down, Snape," Moody growled, pointing to an empty chair. This man,

he hated. There weren't many he could say that about, but this one, just

rubbed him wrong. He didn't like that Albus let him get by with so much

that should have seen Snape in Azkaban. That and from what he heard

from the kids, well, seeing the end of this abuser would be a pleasure.

Now, it was up to him to see if he could put the fear of Mad-Eye Moody

into him.

Reluctantly and with a great deal of sneering, Severus complied.

"Now that we are all here, Alastor, what did you need to talk to us

about?" the Headmaster asked, folding his hands together and placing

them on his desk.

"I have a few things to tell you, and ask you, that I feel you should know.

I'm not breaking any confidentiality with tell you, but don't ask what I

won't tell," Alastor started off, giving them a gimlet eye. "We know about

the horcruxes, as you know. We've found them all and are in the process

of obtaining them. No, I'm not telling you where," he stated, folding his

arms, almost daring one of the two to try and breech his mind.

"If you will not tell us where, then why tell us at all?" Severus sneered,

looking down his long-hooked nose at the man.

"I'm only telling you, so you don't do something stupid," he sneered back

with just as much loathing. "Like you're doing at the Ministry, Albus. I

know Black told you that it was fruitless to be there, but as usual you are

not listening," he added, giving Dumbledore a disappointed look.

"What we are guarding at the Ministry is quite important. You would

know that if you had not left the Order," Dumbledore stated, folding his

hands on his desk.

"I've done more since I left the Order than I did the month I was there,"

Moody disagreed, glaring at his friend. "Take Black's advice and keep

your people out of the Ministry."

"I will think on it. Now, if you do indeed know where the horcruxes are,

would it not be imperative for you to tell me? After all the Order could

help," Albus asked, ignoring the advice, and sliding his hands into his lap

as he sat back.

"No, I don't think you would, or even could, help. I think that you'd try to

take over and botch it up," Moody said, keeping his magical eye on the

other man's hands.

"I am deeply offended that after years of friendship that you think so

little of me," Dumbledore said, truly upset that one of his dearest friends

would think him so tyrannical.

"It's your action this last year that have led me to my conclusions. For

example, if you hadn't kept everything close to your chest, then we could

have stopped that mad man from coming back. And don't even say

anything about the thrice dammed prophecy. Only a fool would put the

end results of a war on a teen's shoulder." He glared at his friend.

"You know the prophecy?" the aghast Headmaster asked, hoping that

wasn't true.

"That is why I told you to quit guarding it. Black told us there was one. I

even recall him telling me that Harry does too," he threw that tidbit in

there to see how the old man would react.

"Harry knows the prophecy?" Albus asked, his face taking on a fearful

look.

Alastor wondered about that. Did he think the boy would go and tell

everyone?

"Of course, the boy-wonder knows. I am sure that he has told his

sycophants as well," Snape sneered, snorting at the look Moody leveled

him.

"No, he doesn't know the whole of it. And I can tell you now that and

neither they nor I believe in such hooey anyway. I thought you didn't

either, Albus," Mad-Eye stated, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Whatever do you mean?" the old man inquired.

"I mean, that you never have believed in divination in the past. I

remember the many times you told me it was all misleading," the one-

eyed man stated, looking at the ever-paling faces of the men in front of

him. "Yet, here you are trying to mold one to work as you want it. I've

known you a long time, Albus, yet I never before took you for a fool."

"I expect that hearing one given has changed my perspective," the old

man said, slouching his shoulders.

"That doesn't give you cause to ruin a young man's life," Moody accused,

then looked to Snape. "You have no excuse either," he snarled.

"Potter is an arrogant toerag," the Potions Master sneered.

"Really, because I've spent quite a bit of time around the lad, and I find

him to be quite humble," was the rebuttal.

"All Potters are arrogant," Snape rebutted as if it were fact.

"Look here, Snape…" was as far as he got before Dumbledore stopped

them.

"Enough, our opinion of young Harry is not up for discussion right now.

What I want to know is why you are denying me information that I can

use to end the war," Albus said a bit harshly.

"Doesn't feel good, does it? Having the shoe on the other foot," Alastor

barked, laughing a bit as he rubbed his chin. "You've been denying us

information for ages. I don't think you've told us the whole truth since

you started the Order back in the first war."

"Alastor, how can you accuse me of such? You know as well as I that

some information must never get out," the Headmaster said, looking

intently at his friend.

"Albus, young Sirius gave us one word, and in the space of two days,

we've uncovered more that the weeks we spent under your… regime," the

other man said, still keeping he eyes on the both of them. "We know

what, who, why and where. That's three times as many things than you

told us."

"Alas, I am sorry you feel this way, my friend. Would it be at all possible

to tell us what you know?" he tried again.

"I did. What you need to know, is what I told you. Oh, and by the way,

Sirius knows what you tried to do, going to Bones to see if she'd press

charges for kidnapping. It backfired; he has had his lawyer on this from

the start. I would strongly suggest you not try again," Alastor stated, a

smug look on his face.

Albus just nodded, it was a longshot anyway.

"So, you are just going to let those still in the Order die?" was Snape's

question, bring the other man's attention back to him.

"No, I'm giving you all a warning. If you don't have all the information,

then leave it to those that do. That means, quit guarding the prophecy.

As I said, Harry knows about it, and he doesn't care. The Unspeakables

know you're sneaking around, so just stop before someone gets killed or

arrested. I mean, do you really think anyone you have standing down

there could take on a Death Eater, let alone, Riddle? Or that they are

going to be let go for trespassing? Get it together, Albus, or you're going

to get people killed," Mad-Eye said, living up to his name while his

magical eye went berserk.

"Tom must not know…"

"It's guarded, closer now that a few days ago. Let people do their jobs,

dammit."

"I will take that under advisement," the Headmaster sighed, thinking on

what he could do with the free time the Order had. Now that Harry was

with Sirius, there was no need to guard him. If the prophecy was indeed

watched, there was no need there either.

Maybe, he could get his people to spy on Sirius' group. That way he

would find out information that they knew. Perhaps, he could get

someone in the group, or sway one of the members to turn back to the

Order. Remus, Nymphadora, or even Andromeda. He'd have to think

about it. As it was, he was very put out that his longtime friend was

withholding information.

"There are few other things that have come up that I'd like some answers

too," Alastor said, relaxing, as much as he was able, in his chair. "When

we went to Wiltshire, we found that the information we had on the wards

and the number of Death Eaters, was vastly understated. Any idea why

that is, Snape?" he glared at the spy with both his magical and non-

magical eyes.

"I only reported what I was told I could," the man said, sniffing

importantly.

"By whom?" was the question.

"Albus, of course," came the reply.

"You told him to give us false information! Merlin dammit, Albus, why?"

Moody raised his voice.

"I was trying to keep morale up. If the others know just how strong

Voldemort has gotten, they will not wish to stand against him," the old

man reply, sinking further in his chair. He was so tired of being

questioned like an unruly school child.

"That is the lamest excuse I've heard yet. Keep up morale is all find and

good, but if you go into a fight expecting five opponents, and seeing ten,

then you are as good as dead," the other man snapped back.

"It was never my attention to have to Order fight, Alastor. You should

know that," the Headmaster said, straightening in his throne like chair.

"I know you never used what Snape told you, but I thought you would

have at least used us to protect the innocent, or assist in the final battle,"

Moody said, going over what all the Order had done since this all

restarted. Which wasn't a whole hell of a lot. In the last war, they did go

out and fight, so what changed? He voiced the question.

"I… well… I cannot give you an answer you would like," Albus hedged.

Truthfully, it was the prophecy, but he knew his friend wouldn't like that.

"I have to say, Albus, I am very disappointed in you. You are leading

people to their death. I know for a fact that you've let the curriculum of

this school fall so low, that everyone, and I do mean everyone, has to have

remedial classes when they graduate. If they want to be healers, Aurors,

or even Heads of Departments they need to be taught how. Things they

should have learned here. You care more about your pet Death Eater,

than you do about those you're supposed to care about," Moody stated,

waving at the sneering man with a look of disgust.

"Hogwarts is a top-notch school," the Headmaster denied.

"No, it is not," Alastor scoffed, pinning the old man with a disgusted look.

"I looked it up, it's a second-rate school. You are taking away what makes

us magical and trying to conform the new generation into something else.

Why else would you cancel the culture classes, the rituals, and the

account management?" the one-eyed man questioned. They had all been

classes when he went to school.

"The muggleborn…"

"No, they are not just muggleborn, they are wizards and witches. They

are coming into a new culture, they should adapt. We are not the same,

we didn't celebrate the Christian holidays, like Christmas, Halloween, or

Easter, or whatever other ones they have. We celebrated Yule, Samhain,

and Spring Equinox."

"They are the same thing," Albus said, looking confused.

"No they are not. There is no ritual in the Christian holidays, not ones

that touch magic. You know as well as everyone that magic is an entity.

That it needs to be thanked. You took that away from the children these

last few decades and now most of those that graduate will never reach

their full potential, unless they self-study, or get a family to teach them,"

Moody growled, leaning forward as if to intimidate his friend.

"The muggleborn are more comfortable with what they know,"

Dumbledore tried again.

"So those raised in the wizarding world mean less to you then those not?"

was the angry question.

"I do not want the muggleborn to leave when they've finished here," the

headmaster replied.

"So you will leave generations of magicals stunted, just for the sake of a

few wary feelings? Are you daft?" Moody yelled, getting very upset with

what he was here.

"Those rituals were not helpful to anyone," came the rebuttal. "I decided

to make the muggleborn more comfortable in their new environment," he

added firmly.

"That wasn't your call," Alastor snarled, thumping his hand on the desk in

front of him. "Those rituals are a part of our culture and you have denied

them to those who come to us. Now, I'm not saying that we should not

progress, we are a bit stagnant at the moment, but that is because your

'conforming' has had every grind to a halt."

"Explain what you mean," Snape said, very curious to what the ex-Auror

meant by that statement.

"Rituals are needed to move forward. It is only when we can ask magic to

assist us that we can learn more about it. If we don't then we will studder

and die," was an equally firm reply.

"Hogwash," Snape said, folding his arms. "I evented spells all the time in

my youth."

"Right, and since you left, how many have you created?" the one-eyed

man asked, lifting his right eyebrow in inquire.

Snape said nothing.

"You are half the problem," the other man stated, giving the younger man

a disdained look. "You refuse to teach and come down on anyone that

doesn't help your cover. And don't give me that bullshit that you must

maintain your act. I know for a fact that you do it for pleasure. If you

didn't you wouldn't have hurt the society the way you have." He glared at

the Potions Master.

"I am only…"

"Bullshit," Alastor stated, slamming his hand on the armrest of the chair.

"Alastor, Severus has my complete confidence," came the tired or refrain.

"Don't you see, Albus? The two of you are a major part of why we are

stuck in the 1400's. We can't move on, because the lack of education and

the lack of magical celebrations are pitting pure-bloods against

muggleborn. If you taught what they needed to know, then there would

be more comradery. Perhaps not pure peace, but they wouldn't lash out

at one another as often. You have tried so hard to appease everyone, that

you've hurt everyone," he finished, taking a few deep breaths to calm a

bit. He hadn't realized that this was true until he put it into words.

"What would you have me do, old friend?" the Headmaster questioned.

"Either fix your mistakes, like get rid Snape, or make him do his job," he

tried to assert some feelings into that, to make Albus listen. "Resume the

lost classes, and try to find a middle ground, instead of taking away the

magical culture."

"Severus is needed. I cannot know what Tom is up to, if he does not do

his job," the other man protested. He was quite used to people demeaning

Snape, and his teaching habits, or lack thereof. They just didn't

understand what was needed. "Those classes would require teachers, that

the school just can't afford."

"You've just proved my point," Moody pointed out, sighing in

disappointment. "You are lying through your teeth. I've seen the ledger. I

know that you could do a great deal more than you are. You are almost

as bad as Riddle; you're just going about it in a different way and at the

opposite end. Instead of repressing the muggleborn, you are repressing

everyone else."

The Headmaster opened his mouth to deny it, but Alastor just slashed his

hand at him. He was done talking.

"I'm glad you lost a few of your positions, Albus, and I will do everything

in my power to make sure you don't get them back," he threatened, then

sighed again. He knew Albus would keep his own counsel, and he was

wasting his breath trying to change his mind about Snape. "I don't know

what game you're playing, but you need to stop," Alastor stated, glaring

at the old man who used to be his friend.

"Harry…"

"No, the fate of the universe does not rest on that young man's shoulders.

What of the Death Eaters, the giants, the werewolves, the vampires, or

whatever else Riddle gets to fight for him? Is Potter supposed to fight

them all, on his own. Dammit, Dumbledore, what is going on in your

head?" the one-eyed man shouted, leaning forward in his chair.

"I'm only doing what I know best for the whole of Britain. I know you

don't see that, but I truly am trying to make our world great,"

Dumbledore said with a sigh.

"Your vaulted 'Greater Good', isn't helping anyone. Take my advice,

disband your Order, or someone is going to get killed. And if they do, I

will make sure that is all rest on your shoulders. Reel in your pet,

reinstate classes," Moody said, leveraging himself out of the chair. "Heed

my words, Albus, or you will die disappointed and a disappointment."

He had had enough with this disillusioned old man. He once thought of

him as a great leader, but now that those tinted glasses were gone… well,

he'd do his best to train those that needed it. Perhaps, he could get

Arthur to let the kids come back to Headquarters when they've done with

Umbridge. They would certainly learn more. He might get the word out

that Hogwarts was repressing their children, and see if they didn't pull

the students out.

Something to think about later.

"Alastor, try to understand," the old man pleaded. He truly didn't see why

his old friend could not see it his way. He needed all the people he could

get to help him when the war was over. All hands would be needed to

rebuild what Tom would tear down. It didn't even cross his mind to stop

that from happening. Only that he would lead the rebuilding.

"Nope, I've heard enough," Moody replied, opening the door. "Oh, and

leave the kid alone. He's got all the help he needs," were his final words

as he left.

He started towards Minerva's office. While he was here, he might as well

tell her of their plans. First, he had to convince her not to tell Albus.

Hopefully, that wouldn't be too hard.

Hphphp

Sirius was waiting in the atrium for his lawyer. He looked at that hideous

statue again, and his fingers itched to blow it to smithereens. The two

exchanged parchments when they met. Then Sirius headed towards the

Minster's office to… talk to a toad. His lawyer went to meet Bones, to

make sure everything was documented.

As he made his way to Umbridge, Sirius was laying out his discussion in

his head. He needed to make sure that that woman was well and truly

frightened of him, without out right threatening her. That probably won't

happen, she did seem full of herself. He was going to need to lay all his

cards on the table. Well, the trump cards anyway.

Upon reaching his destination, he stopped to blink his eyes a few times,

the office was pink. Completely and utterly pink. It made his head hurt.

Umbridge wasn't in the office, so he went to hunt her down.

He found her trying to intimidate one of her co-workers. That woman

seemed to think she was more important than she was. He knocked on

the doorframe to the office. "Umbridge, I want to talk to you," he stated

firmly, like a Lord should.

"Lord Black, have you come to drop your suit against the Ministry?" she

simpered, turning to meet the man face on. The one she was berating

could wait. If Black was going to drop the charges, Cornelius would be

happy.

"Let's talk in you… a meeting room," Sirius suggested, he didn't want to

have to be in that office if he could help it.

"Do I need to inform the Minster?" she asked, batting her eyelashes, like

she was flirting, which made Sirius do an internal full-body shudder.

"Why don't I tell you what I have to say, then you can decide," he hedged,

gesturing for her to lead the way.

"Of course,' she said cautiously. Nevertheless, she led the way to a small

meeting room.

The two entered and sat across from one another. Sirius took a piece of

parchment from his robe, laid it on the table and slid it over.

She looked confused, until she picked it up and read it. Then a look of

horror showed on her face, and she dropped the parchment like it had

stung her. The only thing written there was two words: Ellen Cracknell.

She looked warily at the man in front of her.

"What do you want?" she asked fearfully.

"Nothing much, just for you to do your job, and your job only. If I find

that you are interfering with me and mine again, this," he picked up the

parchment and waved it in her face, "will become public," he said, taking

the piece and putting it in his robes.

"I have always done my job," she protested, still staring at where the

parchment had been hidden.

"No, I think you do far beyond what is required for an Undersecretary,"

he rebutted, keeping his voice calm.

"I don't know what you mean," she denied.

"Listen to me, woman, I know what you did. I can't prove it, or you

would not be sitting here," Sirius stated, leaning into her personal space,

as much as the table would let him. "If I hear even a sliver or rumor that

you have overstepped yourself again, well, just take this as a friendly

reminder that you have skeletons in your cauldron, and leave me and

mine alone," he threatened.

"I will do what is necessary to protect the Ministry," she stated firmly. She

would not be threatened, she was stronger that that. Her position

protected her. On the other hand, if that name was made public, it might

just be the end of her career.

"Then I will bury you," came the reply. "Do you think this is all I have on

you? You must not know my family well if you think I came to you

without protection. Listen to me, you toad, don't hurt anyone I know,

Harry knows, or their families. Or I will pull your oversized ego off and

blast it with every blasting spell I know," he said, getting up from the

table, kinda hoping that she disregarded his warning. He would take

great pleasure in seeing her hang.

"Don't think to threaten me, Black. I know things about you as well. Your

family has done many shady dealings that I could bury you too," she

stood, putting her fist on the table, heaving herself up, and leaning

forward.

"Oh, you foolish woman, there is nothing in my tree that could hurt me

as much as I could you," Sirius said, barking with laughter. "Go ahead,

tell the world what they already know."

"I can go after Potter," she made her first mistake.

Sirius drew his wand and dug it into her many chins. "Then you will be

dead," he said, his voice like ice.

She looked into those icy grey eyes and panicked. Closing her eyes so she

didn't have to see her upcoming death, she took a breath. She was the

undersecretary; she would not be intimidated. "Fine, we shall see who

had the bigger wand," she said, backing away from the man.

He let her go, he had made his point. Now, it was up to her to see how

quickly and hard she fell. "Glad we understand one another," he said,

leaving the nervous woman in the room as he made his way to the

Minster's office. Not waiting for the secretary announce him, he opened

the door.

"Black," the portly man behind the desk uttered, off footed.

"Fudge, I am here to serve you these papers. Not only am I suing the

Ministry, but my ward, Harry Potter, is suing you, personally, for slander.

If you do not cease and desist, then we will make it a criminal matter.

Good luck with that. Oh, and my lawyer is good. You will be left

knutless," Sirius said all of this with a smile as he threw the parchments

on the desk. Then he faux tilted his hat and left. Leaving a stuttering man

behind him.

Now that he was done throwing his weight around, he felt good.

20. Chapter 20 Swapping Info

Chapter 20 Swapping Info

I'm receiving reviews that I'm either too hard on Hermione, or too soft. I've left

a rant on my ffn profile, so I don't take up much space here. This AN was left

on chapter 6 too.

Remember this is unbetaed, I do go over the chapters, but if you see anything,

let me know. I have no problem fixing mistakes.

Hphphp

Sirius entered Grimmuald Place the same time Alastor came through the

Floo. They both looked at each other across the kitchen and sighed.

"Fudge and Umbridge," Sirius said, sitting at the table and grabbing a

teacup that just appeared. "Thanks, Dinky," he called out. There was a

'Welcome, Master,' then a snap and they were alone again.

"Albus and Snape," Moody grunted as he too sat, but he pulled his flask,

and took a deep draw from it.

"Do you think yours went better than mine?" Black asked, pouring

himself some tea.

"Nope, I'm sure it was about the same," the other man grumbled.

"Damn," the younger man cursed. "So, neither one of us got what we

wanted," he guessed. He knew that the two he threatened today would

ignore him until he did what he said he would. They were politicians

after all, he was sure they got threatened on a daily basis. Still, he was a

Black, so that might make a difference.

"You're probably right, I know at least Albus will ignore half of what I

said. Not sure about Snape though," the older man said, rubbing his chin.

"Did you tell him we were hunting the horcruxes? Albus, I mean," Sirius

asked, sipping his still hot tea.

"Aye, I did. Though I didn't say what or where," Alastor said, slumping

down in his chair a bit. Arguing with Albus always took a lot out of him.

That and he wasn't getting any younger.

"Just to recap," Sirius said, putting his empty cup on the table, and

watching it refill while he talked, "we have a ring, a necklace, Harry, the

diary is gone, and the goblins are taking care of whatever is in the bank.

That's five, we know that there are three more, including Riddle, and

one's at Hogwarts. Do you think we should inform Albus?"

"Nah, if I thought that, I'd have told him while I was there. I did some

looking around, but without Bill's spell, I couldn't find anything. That and

I didn't want to stay too long, the old man would have gotten suspicious,"

Alastor said, giving and irritated huff.

"Probably for the best. I didn't tell Umbridge to stay away from Hogwarts.

Just to leave me and mine alone. I'm pretty sure that she's going to ignore

that, like I said, just to try and push me. With Tonks taking Harry's place,

I'm hoping she'll do something stupid and wind up in my old cell," Sirius

confessed with a malicious grin.

"Like you said, probably for the best. I'll have to grill Tonks on a few

things," Moody said, rubbing his stubbly chin. "We're going to have her

watch Snape too, right? Are we looking for blackmail, or expulsion?"

"Me, I'd like to never see that bastard again, preferably laying in a ditch

somewhere, but that's a pipe dream, so let's go with expulsion," Sirius

said, thinking hard on what Tonks could use to get this done. She had the

man for Potions years ago, so what could she use now, that she couldn't

use then.

"Why are you so hung up on Snape. I thought it was you that did him

wrong all those years agon," Moody said, his brow furrowed.

"Oh, I did, I'll never deny that I sent him to face a werewolf. But, let me

ask you this; if I told you that if you wanted to see a werewolf, and

where they were hidden, would you be stupid enough to go there? I

surely thought old Snivellus was smarter than to try and face Moony on

the night of the full moon. Yet, even though he was stupid enough to do

that, I was accused of attempted murder. I'd bet it is one of the reasons

everyone believed I betrayed James and Lily. So, no, I have no sympathy

for that man," Sirius said, his voice filled with anger and hate.

"Aye, but you got a slap on the hand, if I heard correctly," was the

rebuttal.

"It was still put on my school record as a prank gone bad. That and Albus

doesn't let a moment go by that he doesn't remind me that I could have

gone to Azkaban earlier, had he not intervened," the other man said, a

snarl on his face.

"Yes, Albus is prone to do that," agreed Alastor.

"Anyway, I'll have Tonks ask Amelia what to look for with Snape. Do you

think she can handle all of this?" Sirius asked, getting away from the sore

subject.

"Yeah, I trained her myself. Besides, I'm going to rely on the twins to get

the horcrux. According to them, and the other kids, they know the castle

better than anyone," the old Auror stated, his eyes gleaming with…

something. "I'll tell her to keep watch on the teachers. Snape especially."

"Did you let McGonagall know about Tonks?" he asked, he didn't want to

talk about Snape anymore. He really did hate that guy, and not just

because of childhood rivalries, but the man's treatment of his new baby

brother, along with all the other people he knew that had that man as a

professor. If you could even call him that.

"Yeah, she didn't like it at first, until I told her some things about what

the Order is and is not doing. She got in a right strop, and decided to

help us out," Alastor said, taking another swig of his hipflask. He'd let it

go. There was no need for him to get involved with those two men.

"How much did you tell her?"

"Only that Tonks was going to be posing as Harry, and that she was going

to keep an eye on the new DADA professor," was the casual answer.

"No, I mean about the Order," Sirius clarified.

"I know what you meant; I just chose not to answer you. There're some

things that I know that would make you more mad at Albus than you are

already. You would put the whole operation in danger if you go storming

off to mete out punishment," the older man practically snarled.

"Fine, I get that, but when this is all over, I want to know," the dogman

grumbled.

"We'll see," was the noncommittal answer.

Just then the kids and Tonks came home, making a lot of noise.

"How was the movie?" Sirius asked, letting them all sit down.

"That was the wickedest thing I've ever seen," George said, Fred nodding

along as they dazedly came into the room and just sat down stunned.

"How did they do that?" Ron asked, his eyes still wide with awe at what

he had seen. He had been asking since they left. Hermione had tried to

explain it, but they were surrounded by people, so she told him that she'd

tell him later.

"Please, don't answer that, Hermione," Harry begged, knowing it would

be a long discussion.

"I won't, not yet anyway," she agreed. She would take the Weasleys aside

later and tell them what she knew about movie making.

They all settled down and the kids told Sirius about their afternoon. The

Weasleys waxed poetic on the movie they saw. Which was The Mask.

They went on and on about how it must be magic and would not be told

otherwise. To them there was no other explanation. Harry was kinda

regretting that they didn't watch The Lion King. But then again, they

might think that was made with magic too.

He was glad they had gone to eat first. The magical raised, especially

Ron, loved the pizza and fizzy drinks. So, they at least got to enjoy that,

before their minds melted. Still, it was kinda funny, their reactions. He

couldn't wait for them to see Star Wars, or any of that story line. Right

now, he just smiled and sat back and watch Hermione explain once more

that the movie they saw was not made with magic.

Tonks and Sirius were getting kicks out of their reactions. Sirius wasn't

helping any by constantly stating that it was 'movie magic'. Hermione did

level him her best glare, not that it stopped the man, but it did make

Harry and Tonks laugh.

It was a good day.

Hphphp

While Moody and Padfoot were having their tête-à-tête, Snape was

harrowing Dumbledore. He had been dying to ask this question for a

while but had had little chance to catch the old man alone. So, he was

going to take advantage of the fact that they were here now.

"Why didn't you tell me about the horcruxes?" Severus asked, his voice

smooth as silk, hiding his anger at being denied like everyone else. "I

have been loyal to you and your cause for years. Did you think that I

would jump and do the same? Do you really think so little of me? You

know that I want the Dark Lord gone as much, even more so, than you

do," the greasy-haired man ended up snarling at his mentor.

"Now, Severus, you know I hold you in the deep confidence. I merely was

not putting temptation in your path," the Headmaster cajoled, moving his

hands in a calming gesture.

"How could something I already know about be tempting? If you had

merely asked me, I could have helped you hunt them down years ago.

When did you find out?" Snape snarled, getting up and pacing in front of

the old man's desk.

"I had my suspicions for years, but they were only confirmed during

Harry's second year," Albus sighed, rubbing his fingers down his nose,

hoping to prevent a headache from forming. He hated taking headache

relievers.

"That long?" the other man almost bellowed at him. "Why? Why did you

not inform those in your trust? Dammit, Albus, this must stop. No one is

going to trust you if you keep vital information from them. We are

putting our lives on the line for you, count!" he said, slamming his hands

down on the desk, making parchment, ink wells, and quills fly

everywhere.

"It was not my intention to cause discontent. I was merely trying to

prevent this news from leaking to outside sources. If Tom knows that I

know, he might take drastic measure to hide the ones that he has," the

Headmaster stated, now rubbing his temples. Yes, that headache did

appear.

"That is a load of hippogriff dung," the Potions Master snapped. "The

Dark Lord was not capable of doing anything until last year. This could

have been over before it started," he said, taking a deep breath and trying

to get his emotions under control. "There are spells that tell where these

vial things are hidden, and nothing the Dark Lord can do will stop that. It

is soul magic," he snarled, the look of loathing on his face.

"Do you know this spell?" the Headmaster inquired, intrigued that there

was such a thing. He had no knowledge on this. His eyes squinted a little

from the pain in his head. He really wish people would stop yelling at

him.

"I do not, however, I do know who does," Severus said, pinching his nose

in frustration. "I would have asked them immediately had I known."

"Will you ask this person now?"

"Oh, I would, but you drove him away with your need to keep secrets,"

Snape said, sneering at the old man with a great deal of disgust.

"All I can do is apologize," Albus said, giving up and retrieving a

headache potion from his desk.

"Fat lot of good that does. What else are you not telling me?" the younger

man asked, straightening his non-creased, robes.

Albus sighed again. He took the potion, closed his eyes and waited for

the pain to subside. He then glanced at the young man that he trusted,

mostly. "Harry Potter is a horcrux," he stated heavily.

"Merlin damn it, Albus," Snape said, losing control over his emotions

again. Occlumency be damned. "What have you done about it? Because

as far as I can see, you have done nothing," he added, fixing the other

man with an almost hateful glare.

"There is nothing for me to do. The prophecy says that only Tom can

vanquish Harry, or visa versa. The two of them must battle in the end,"

the old man explained, meeting Severus' eyes and not flinching once.

"You are a fool," was all Snape said as he twirled around, robes flaring,

and left, magically slamming the door behind him. He stormed through

the castle, heading straight to McGonagall. If anyone could get ahold of

the mutt, she could. He hoped.

The portraits gossiped as he passed, spreading the word that the Potions

Master was in a snit. They ran from frame to frame, giving out warning

to anyone in the halls. Soon enough, Severus was outside Minerva's door.

He knocked briskly twice and entered.

"Severus, what can I do for you?" she asked, primly, not getting up from

her desk where she was doing her never-ending paperwork.

"Can you get ahold of Black?" the dour man asked, settling in a chair,

watching her scribble away.

"I can," was all she said, though she did look up.

"There's something he needs to know. It's about Potter," he stated,

pinching his nose, for it was now he that was fighting off a headache.

Unlike Albus though, he reached into his robes and took the potion for it

right away.

"Let me see if I can call him," she offered, setting down her quill and

moving to the Floo. She threw the powder in, but Snape couldn't hear the

address. The only reason she knew it was because Sirius had given the

address to Moody, who gave it to her. With permission, of course.

She talked to whoever answered for a few moments, removed her head

from the fire and stepped back. Just a moment later, Moody stepped

through. After the talk he just had with Sirius there was no way he was

going to let these two men meet anytime soon.

"What do you need, Snape?" the grumpy man asked, sitting in a chair on

wall. One set aside for those serving detention.

"Where is Black?" was the reply.

"You don't want to be in the same room with him right now," was all the

old Auror said, stretching out his bad leg.

"Fine, Minerva, could we borrow your office for a few moments?" Snape

asked, his eyes never leaving the other man.

"If I must," she sniffed, and left.

"Potter is a horcrux," Severus said bluntly, because even if he were a nice

man, there is no good way to say that.

"We know, it's gone. Albus tell you?" Moody said, drinking from his

hipflask.

"Yes, how did you remove it? For the sake of curiosity," the younger man

asked, leaning forward as if to catch the words sooner.

"I don't know really. All I know is that it's gone," Moody said, shrugging

his shoulder. "You can tell Albus if you want. We're down two, but don't

tell him that," he said, giving the guy the benefit of the doubt. Not that

there was much the spy could do with that. "Well, three if you count

Riddle," he added with a shrug.

"You know where they are?" Snape had to confirm. He knew that this

man, and William Weasley could do the spell he mentioned to Albus. Oh,

he knew a few others, but they were the type that could tell the wrong

person, the Dark Lord, and he would be dead.

"Yep, should have them all before long. We'll leave the one around Riddle

till last," Moody said, giving him enough to hang himself if he turned spy.

He didn't think the man would. He knew that Riddle had killed the love

of his life, so… They might have use for him after all. He'd talk it over

with the others. "Do us a favor, Snape, leave the boy and his alone. They

are working on this for us."

"Do you require my help?" was the actually honest question.

"Best not, if you're to be around Riddle, then best keep you nose as clean

as it can get," Moody replied. "Though, it would be best if you kept this

entire conversation, bar that bit about Harry, to yourself."

"Fear not, I am not going to tell anyone, not even Albus, what you have

just told me. I would caution that Potter keep up on his Occlumency. His

defenses are solid, but if he relaxes them, he is an open book," the greasy-

haired man said, standing up and leaving the room.

"Right," Moody grumbled to himself and Minerva came back in.

"Did you learn what he wanted?" she asked, settling down at her desk

and picking up her quill.

"Yeah," he sighed, lumbering out of the chair. "I'd best get back. Black is

going to want to hear this." With that he Flooed to Sirius' house.

"What did Snivellus want?" Sirius asked, not really caring but curious.

"Albus told him about Harry," was the vague answer.

"What about me?" the boy in question asked as he friends all turned to

the ex-Auror.

"Never you mind that now. I'm sure if you think really hard you can

answer that question yourself," Alastor said, giving him a pointed look.

Harry blushed and it did only take him a second to figure it out. Now, he

had the gazes of everyone seventeen and under. He just smirked and

shrugged. They all sighed in frustration and went back to talking about

which movie they wanted to see next.

"Did you tell him?" Sirius asked, keeping is vague.

"Aye, I did. He deserved it, since he tried to warn us. We might want to

put whatever nefarious things you've got percolating in your head on the

backburner," Moody suggested, ending the topic.

"Right, fine, I'll leave the greasy git alone," the other man conceded.

Bill came in the house right then, nodded and winked to the older men

and winked at Tonks. So enough, everyone else was piling in the kitchen

and they all discussed their day. Most of the adults were smiling at the

Weasleys, they did enjoy it the first time an all magical family got

exposed to the cinema. It was always a treat how they reacted.

"There's a meeting after dessert," Sirius announced, watching Andi, Tonks

and Harry argue with the house elves about cooking dinner.

"Okay," was the reply of many adults.

"Harry, you don't need to be there," the dogman said, getting the boy's

attention. "You already know what it's about," he finished, nodding

towards him to see if he understood.

He broke away from his argument and nodded back.

The rest of the night, before the meeting was just one joyous family get

together.

Hphphp

Okay, short chapter. But you know me, I might come back and add to it. If I

do, I will make sure to let you know. It has been a minute, so I thought I'd get

this out to you.

21. Chapter 21 Making Plans

Chapter 21 Making Plans

I was going to say something here, and it was important. Oh well, it'll come to

me. Enjoy.

Hphphp

The meeting got underway as soon as the teens all trooped upstairs. Andi

and Ted, as usual, went with them. They felt that they would be better

served to tend the children, as well as keep up their jobs. Not that they

needed them, now that Sirius had brought them back into the family, but

still.

Sirius watched them leave and as soon as the doors sealed, he sat at the

head of the table wondering how he wound up with the leadership of this

unnamed group. "Alright, everyone, settle down. First, I have something

to say. I talked to Fudge and Umbitch, I did tell them to leave me and

mine alone, as well as a few other things, but I don't think they took me

seriously."

"What else did you do, besides threaten them? Which by the way, I'm

going to ignore," Amelia asked, hoping that she did not have to arrest this

man tonight.

"I served Fudge some papers," Black said with a shrug, then grimaced, "I

warned him to keep Harry away from his vitriol. He didn't listen. He'll

find out tomorrow that he is an idiot. There was an article that was

supposed to be printed in tomorrow's addition of the Prophet?"

"How did you find out? I mean if the paper doesn't come out until

tomorrow, how did you learn about it?" Tonks asked, grabbing some of

the leftover dessert.

"Oh, well, I have an in there," the dogman said, smugly, "and they sent it

to me. It looks like my warning made the man stupider that I thought he

was. Waters will be serving him papers in first thing in the morning.

Amelia, that means were making it criminal, so heads up on that."

Madam Bones, Head of the DMLE, looked like Yule had come early. "I

don't know whether to kiss you or hex you."

"Why would you want to hex me?" the confused man asked, knowing he

was handing her a criminal on a silver platter.

"Paperwork," was all the answer that was needed, making anyone who

had ever done paperwork, cringe, while the others laughed.

"Sorry," Sirius chuckled. "Also, I will be taking up my seat on the Board. I

sent my confirmation in earlier this week. I made sure to tell them that

Malfoy should have never sat in my chair. I let them know that I will be

there, and there will be a reckoning."

"What about the Wizengamot?" Kingsley asked, sipping some strong

coffee. His working with the group and doing his job was taking more of

his sleep time than he liked. But it was infinitely better that working with

Dumbledore had been. His vision was clear on that now. No more rose-

colored glasses for him. Albus was not the man he thought he was.

"The Wizengamot is not scheduled until after the kids go back to school.

So, I will take that seat back then. I'm done. Who else has news," he

asked, sipping some firewhiskey.

"We scouted Malfoy Manor," Kingsley said, pointing between him and

Bill. "There's no new news there."

"Damn," was the comment from quite a few.

"Alright, Tonks, how's your shadowing going?" Sirius asked his baby

cousin.

"Alright, I guess. It's different being a boy. Not that I'm changing

completely but being even half-male throws my balance off even more.

That and I can't fly as well as Harry, so I'm going to have to quit the

Quidditch team," she added, looking at the twins.

"We'll make up some excuse that Harry had a magical accident this

summer. We'll hash it out before we go back," Fred said, with George

nodding along. George was already writing down some scenarios on a

piece of parchment, with Fred leaning over and pointing at things to add

or change. "If need be, we'll even take the blame and call it a joke

product gone wrong."

"Let me see what you come up with before you implement anything,"

Moody said, leveling his good eye at the two teens.

"Sure," Fred said, nodding in his direction.

"No problem," George agreed, not looking up from his musing.

Remus looked up from what he could see of the parchment that the twins

were writing on. "Tonks, I think we can also come up with a few things to

help your balance. One, is take the same dance lessons that Harry is

taking. Or two, we can create some shoes that will keep you standing. Or

both," he said to the young woman with an encouraging smile.

"Both, I think," she answered, thoughtfully. Truth be told, her mum never

made her take lessons. It was always thought that she was too clumsy.

"Good, good," Sirius said, looking around the room. "Does anyone have

anything else?"

"Snape told me that Albus told him that Harry is a horcrux. I set him

straight, but the fact is that he came to me with that information. So,

while I still want you to watch him, Tonks, try and see if he's… I don't

know, changed, or no longer Albus' sycophant," Moody said, pinning her

with his magical eye.

"I can do that," she said slowly.

"Great," the leader of this band of vigilantes, "who has time to teach

Harry what he needs to know? Andi has etiquette," he added. "Ted is

going over laws and such."

"I do," said Bill, Remus, Shacklebolt, Alastor and strangely Amelia.

"Amelia?" Moody questioned.

"I can come in the evenings and teach him some Auror tricks. Not that

you can't, Alastor, just that I want to help," she said, shrugging her

shoulders. It would take a bit of her time, but she wanted to stay in the

loop.

"Alright, I think we've covered everything. Kings, you and Bill, keep a

lookout on the Manor. Report any illegal doings to Amelia. Remus, you

and Moody keep in contact with the underbelly, not Fletcher, see if you

can get any news on what's going on there. I don't want to be surprised if

Riddle gets up and army of… 'dark' creatures," Sirius said, handing out

assignments.

"What will you be doing, Black?" Moody asked.

"Amelia and I are going to keep an eye on the Ministry," he answered.

"We have a lot of people to keep an eye on. The place is crawling with

Death Eaters. Makes me what to test the field and see if I can… never

mind," he said when he spotted Amelia glaring at him. Then he got a

wicked idea. He looked at the twins, who uncannily looked up, he

nodded and winked.

They smiled.

"We're going to get some pranks together with Tonks here. We might

come up with some stuff that will be helpful in a fight," Fred said, folding

the parchment he and his brother had been working on. They played it

off like they hadn't just made a deal with the devil. That's alright, they

liked this devil.

"Yeah, with her input we could do some major damage," agreed George.

"We'll put our heads together tomorrow," Tonks said, nodding her

agreement.

"Let us know what you come up with at the next meeting. I know you

guys want to open a shop, and I'll help fund it. If you get good grades,

and help Harry, or Tonks in this case, at school," Sirius offered, thinking

on how smart these two kids were. They had to be geniuses, to do what

they do. Not even the Marauders had come up with some of the stuff they

did. Though, the Marauders were more charms and transfiguration, while

the twins were more potions and, if he had to guess, alchemy.

"Truly," Fred said, excitedly.

"That would be wicked," George agreed.

"I'll even pitch in," Alastor said, shocking everyone. "What, I have gold,

and I'm not betting on seeing the end of this war. I have no family, and

these kids are doing good. Why not?" he huffed.

"Right, that's it for tonight, we'll meet again in a few days. If something

comes up, just message one me or Alastor and we'll call another one. Not

that most of you aren't staying here anyway, but Amelia and Kingsley

need to be informed," Sirius said, standing and putting his glass in the

sink.

Hphphp

Time went on, and many things just kinda stood still. While the teens and

Tonks went out to see movies, after they all made sure that the summer

homework was done and checked. It was a good time for them, but not

such for the adults. The Weasleys were getting better about being in the

nonmagical world. They were seeing more and more why their dad was

fascinated with them. Though, they could also tell that their father was

completely clueless.

From what they were learning, their dad never really got out into this

world. It was more like he was learning by reading through a fishbowl or

something. The man didn't even get what they were telling him about

during their daily chats. It was kinda depressing. But they vowed to get

the poor man some educational literature. Maybe that would open his

eyes.

While the movies they watched were sometimes violent, Hermione and

Harry assured them that, no, muggles don't have spaceships that can

blow up the earth. That was a fun talk. Ron didn't sleep for days; he was

so worried. It took Harry taking him to the library, where they got on the

computer and Ron could read just how far every country was at in the

space race. So while he still fretted, it wasn't as bad.

Susan came along with her friend Hanna. They didn't want to be in the

manor when Amelia wasn't around. These two girls were more versed on

the nonmagical world than the Weasleys. Though, they too had a lot to

learn. Still, it was fun to have more people. That and the adults were

teaching them too get away if there was trouble.

They never left the house without at least one adult with them. Be it one

of the elder Tonkses, Tonks or Sirius. Amelia didn't go that often. She had

too much work to do.

The group was at an impasse on getting the horcruxes. While they knew

there were two at Malfoy Manor, including Riddle, the wards were just

too risky to break until they got the other horcrux. As it was, the adults

were making battle plans to storm the manor, for when the twins found

the one at Hogwarts.

Dobby helped immensely when Harry pointed out that he used to be

their elf. Sirius and Moody sat the elf down and drew up the blueprints of

the place. Dobby knew were every hidden nook and cranny was, and he

had no problem selling his old master out.

It was planned that when the look-a-like boys did find it, they would call

Kreacher and he would retrieve it for them. Then when the adults had it

in hand, they would then raid Malfoy Manor. Even Amelia was on board

with that. She couldn't join, but she was going to look the other way. She

warned Kinsley and Tonks not to get caught. She could not help them if

they were indicated in any way.

They agreed, though, Tonks pointed out that she was going to be at

Hogwarts. Probably, that all depended on how soon Umbridge messed

up. The wagers were ten to one that it would be the first week. If that

happened, then Tonks could leave. Which she would have to do anyway,

because she would be the arresting officer.

Andi and Ted would stay at Grimmuald Place and destroy the horcruxes

they had. As soon as they got a Patronus message to do so. There was a

fresh stock of Basilisk venom, which Dobby had got from the Chamber.

There was enough to do that job, and plans were made to see what could

be salvaged from the rest of the corpse. But that was for later.

The biggest debate right now was whether or not to bring Harry. Since he

wouldn't be in school, and they were going to do their best to train him.

It was an open suggestion that he should be there to fulfill the prophecy

that no one really believed it.

There were ideas, on how he could use his invisibility cloak to stay in the

background and kill the snake, which they were 85% sure was the last

horcrux. If he did, then anyone could kill the Dork Idiot. Since they didn't

know the wording of the prophecy, they figured it was close the heck

enough.

"I want to help," Harry said for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I know you do, and you will. But we've got to train you up a bit. Right

now, Riddle is laying low, and Dumbledore it being useless, so we will

use this time to get in some fighting lessons. None of the dueling shite,

real fighting. Moody and Moony are going to start those when the others

have gone off to Hogwarts," Sirius repeated for the millionth time. Yes,

they had this conversation before. It wasn't that they were being

obstinate, just that Harry wanted to get it over with now, while Sirius

wanted to be cautious. His days of running headlong into battle were

over.

"I know, you've said that, but I just feel like I'm wasting my time doing

nothing," the teen complained, being stubborn as usual. "Those tricks you

guys have been teaching us are only for getting away. I need to be able to

fight. I know I said I wanted to wait for the rest to leave, but can't we

start now?"

"Yes, we can," Sirius said, giving in, yet smirking. "Tonks!" he called up

the stairs.

"What's up, cousin?" the metamorphous asked as she descended the steps.

"Can you change into Harry? I know you've been following him around

for weeks now, but I want him to see what he'll look like when he learns

to fight," the dogman said, folding his arms that smirk still playing on his

lips.

"What? Sirius, you're not making sense," Tonks said, seeing the man was

up to something.

"No, no, go ahead, I just what him to see how far he has to go," Sirius

stated, waving his hand for her to get on with it.

"In the basement?" she asked, turning that direction.

"Yeah, that'll work," was the agreed answer.

The two men followed Tonks down the stairs, to a much-improved

basement. Gone were the implements of torture and cells. In their place

was a workout room, and a sparring room.

"How do you want to do this?" the metamorphmagus asked, changing

into Harry. They had been working on her balance for weeks, and it

showed. She no longer stubbled when she changed. And her dancing was

coming along great. She should have done this years ago.

"Just a bit of a spar for now. Nothing over fifth year stuff. Also, make him

dance," Sirius said, his grin never faltered, if anything it got bigger.

"Do you have any idea how weird it is to stare at yourself, knowing it's

not you?" Harry said as he crossed to room to stand opposite of his

double.

"Ask the twins," Sirius said, barking with laughter.

"Prat," Harry said, lifting his wand.

"Ready?" the not-Harry said, lifting her/his wand was well.

"Bring it," the Boy-Who-Lived said, getting into a fighting stance.

And she/he did.

Hphphp

Okay, another short chapter, but I felt it needed to stop there. Also, I have

obtained employment, so updates will be sporadic. My whole schedule will be

changing, so I don't know when I'll have time to write.

I have 30 stories on ffn, 15 on AO3, including this one. Go read them. Some

of them need loving. Poor Snape, no one cares who killed him. I feel sorry for

the poor man.

Anyway, I'll be back when I get back.

22. Chapter 22 You Have Much to

Learn

Chapter 22 You Have Much to Learn, Prongslet.

So that job fell through at the last moment. A bit of a bummer, that.

Anyway, the reason it has taken me so long to get this one out, is that I'm

fighting my muse. And she isn't happy. I have an idea for a Harry Potter/

Walking Dead story, and I've been putting ideas to 'paper' for days. So, getting

back to this one has been a battle. It takes every bit of will power I have to not

write that one running through my head.

Hphphp

Tonks wiped the floor with Harry. Well and truly. Harry hadn't lasted five

minutes, and she made him get up and try again. At least twenty times.

But now, he was wiped out. The poor boy was laying flat on his back,

arms spread to his sides, eyes closed and breathing hard. She was

ruthless, much like her mother, only with a wand and not a book, or

music.

She was also being mean and laughing at him. Twit.

"That's what you need to learn," Sirius said, leaning over the prone boy, a

smug smile on his face. "You will not learn it in a few weeks. It'll take

years to get as good as her. Decades to get as good and me, when I get

back up to speed, and Moony. Even longer for someone of Moody's

caliber. Old as he is, that man is a beast with a wand. I won't even touch

on Riddle or Dumbledore."

"How am I supposed to defeat—" Harry started, his arm over his eyes.

"You're not. We know that there's a prophecy that might state that it's

you, but Harry, we ignored that for a reason. You know all about self-

fulfilling prophecies. I know you learned at least that much in

Divinations. The others and I are doing our best to make sure that you

don't have to fight anyone," Sirius said seriously.

"Fine," Harry said, huffing out the word, uncovering his eyes and glaring

at the man. Not because he was angry, more because he was being put on

the sidelines. Ah, teenagers. Harry huffed again, and then tried to sit up,

but his body said 'no, rest, stupid', so he fell back down. "You will teach

me, right?" was the almost plea. He turned his head towards his brother

and smiled. "Even if I don't have to fight him, odds are that I will face

him in some capacity."

"I said I would, didn't I?" his brother answered, reaching down and

helping the teen sit up, then joining him on the floor. "If you find yourself

face to face with Riddle, I want to make sure you know enough to get

away."

"You're not bad for a going on fifth-year student," Tonks said, morphing

back to her original state. "You are actually pretty good, for a fifteen-

year-old. But, you need to learn to duck and dodge too. I'm not sure how

you survived Riddle five times, but it wasn't you dueling skills. If what

you believe will happen, happens, then yes, you need to be able to get

away," she added with a knowledgeable nod of her head.

"I know," Harry sighed, leaning against Sirius. "It was luck mostly."

"Potter Luck is legendary," his older brother agreed, nodding his head

sagely, though a grin split his face. "Your dad could get into the weirdest

shite. One time he found himself hanging from the Astronomy Tower. No

idea how he got there, but as luck would have it, pun intended, his

pajama pants were caught on a jutting brick. He was able to pull himself

up with little problem."

"Did you guys ever find out who did it?" Harry asked, feeling empathy

with his dad.

"No, but we narrowed it down to either Lily or Snivellus."

"Oh, why mum?" the tired boy asked, sitting up straight.

"Your mum hated your dad until sixth year. This was in our third. He

would constantly badger her for dates, or lay into her for being friends

with Snape," the dogman answered, with eyes misty from the memories.

"The arguments those two got into were legendary."

"Sounds like Ron and Hermione," Harry mused, wondering if would end

up married like his parents.

"Yeah, it does. I don't know how many times I've made that comparison,"

Sirius said with a chuckle.

"Wait, Snape was friends with my mum?" the boy exclaimed, falling

backwards to land on his elbows. That was a shocker. To think his mum

was nice to that… person.

"Yeah, didn't you know that?" was the question. "I would have thought

someone would have told you by now. Wasn't Remus your teacher for a

whole year?"

"Yeah, but I didn't find out his was my dad's friend until almost the

middle of the year," Harry explained.

"Hmmm, I'm going to have to ask him about that. I'm sure the answer

will start with 'Dumbledore said,'" Sirius said with a bitter bite to his

tone.

"Probably," Harry agreed. "Still he was friends with mum?"

"From before Hogwarts. Your dad on the other hand was hated enemy,

well, as much as an eleven-year-old can be. I have to say, the things we

did to Snape, looking back were pretty bad."

"Did you bully him?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I'd say we were tough on him. I would apologize to the man, but

there isn't anything I can say to him to change his mind. He's been

festering those feelings for years. I'm sure if James knew that he would

someday take it out on you, we would never had done what we did,"

Sirius said, hanging his head a bit. He still didn't like Snape, and the man

was a bastard of high caliber. But, they were out of line as teens.

"I guess that's why he hates me. I don't know whether to feel sorry for

him or pity the fact that he has become what he despises," Harry said,

thoughtfully, looking back on all his interaction with the Potions Master.

"You are a kid, it's his fault he's a right arse. Since you're not going back

you don't have to worry about him ever again," Sirius almost growled his

response.

"Hey, Sirius," Tonks interrupted, getting off the wall and sitting on the

floor next to Harry, "what ever happened to you two suing Fudge. I mean

that was weeks ago." She had been standing at the door to let the two

talk but decided that they needed to switch subjects.

"What article?" Harry asked, turning toward Tonks.

"The one that Fudge tried to have printed about Sirius here. Something

about him being to blame for all the shite that they've been saying about

you and the Headmaster," she explained, tapping her wand on her knee.

"He's was even going as far as to say that Sirius had confounded you in

your third year. So, it was plausible that he was doing the same now."

"Yeah, I tried to tell him that Sirius was innocent, but Snape told the man

we were confounded, and that Sirius has always been a bad apple," Harry

said, anger lacing his voice.

Now that he knew the history, somewhat, he could understand why the

Potions Master hated Sirius, but that didn't mean he liked the man. Or

that he would forgive him for not listening to him and his friends.

Because now that he thought about it, the man just wanted to see Sirius

dead. He didn't care if he was innocent.

"Right, well, it was all poised to get custody of you away from him. I'm

not 100% sure, but I'll lay bets that it was either Malfoy or Dumbledore is

behind it," she added thoughtfully.

"You're probably right. I got it stopped and put Waters on it, but the

stupid man got Lucy to pay others off. More than likely to cover his own

involvement. Fudge is on probation though, and it's going as evidence for

my lawsuit, which is still being stalled by red tape." Sirius was both smug

and upset.

"What red tape?" Harry asked.

"Bureaucratic bullshit, mostly," his brother said, sighing at the injustice of

it all.

"How did you stop the article?" Tonks asked, leaning forward and resting

her elbows on her knees.

"Well, I've purchased the Daily Prophet, so now there will be no more

articles that are defamatory," the older man said, twirling his wand with

his fingers. "Skeeter is a thing of the past. She will never print another

article in the Prophet, and if she's smart she'll go abroad."

"Wait, you bought the Prophet?" Harry asked, completely floored by that.

So many surprises in one night. At least this one was a good one.

"It wasn't easy. I had to use quite a bit of my aunt's book, but I got it

done," the dogman said, once more looking smug. "Didn't you notice all

that vitriol had stopped?"

"Yeah, I just thought they were tired of dragging my name through the

mud," the teen said, wiggling his shoulders to get the kinks out. He tilted

his head side to side, and heard his neck pop. Sighing in relief, he just

relaxed.

"Nope, I required them to take a vow," was the still smug reply. "Which is

why Skeeter is gone. She couldn't tell the truth if you Imperiused her."

"Ain't that the truth," Harry grumbled, rubbing his nose under his glasses.

"Don't let my mum hear you use that word. 'It's not proper'," Tonks said,

changing her face and voice to match her mum's.

"I wonder why the book list isn't here," Harry said, ignoring Tonks with

practiced ease. She had been trailing him for weeks now, and she was

getting pretty good at being him.

Sirius said he was trying to find a pensieve so they could see his reactions

to others, like Malfoy and his gang of thugs. Not to mention Snape. It

would all be for naught if that man got wind of what they were doing.

Sure, he told Moody something important, doesn't make him a good man.

"With Umbridge joining Hogwarts Merry band of professors, I'll bet it's

taken her this long to find a worthless book," Sirius said, standing up and

heading for the door. The other two joining him.

"Why do you think that?" Tonks asked, bringing up the rear.

"She's useless. Since she can't teach, she'll need something that will make

her look smart," the dogman said with shrug.

"Probably," the other two grumbled, walking up the stairs to the kitchen,

one dead tired, the other mildly winded.

"We need to get your stamina up. Knowing all the spells in the world

doesn't do a thing if you tire this quickly," Tonks said, putting her arm

around his waist, giving him something to lean on.

"One would think that all those stairs at Hogwarts would make the

students fitter. I mean, there's millions of them," Harry said, using her as

a crutch.

"Yeah, but you get used to them after first year, so you're not putting

anymore effort into exercising," she said, using her free hand to pat his

head.

"Fine," Harry grumbled and then went to his room. The other two did the

same.

Another week went by, with Harry training almost 24/7. Well, not quite,

but it felt like it. Seems the adults had taken him at his word and started

a harsh training regimen. The other teens joined in when they could,

which was often. Most of them were happy for something to do, but they

weren't sure if exercise was better.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny took to it at a slow pace. They had never done

anything like this in their lives. Hermione had always put the least

amount of effort in P.E. She was not an athlete, so did not consider it

something she should participate in. It was the only class she ever got

below a high score.

Still, they trudged on, and were getting better by the day.

The twins, on the other hand, took Tonks down two times out of five.

Their chaotic style was not something she had run across before. It was

like dueling monkeys on a sugar high. They were everywhere, and they

were noisy. Constantly taunting her and each other. It was… interesting,

to say the least.

Though, it did give her some practice for when she would have to fight

someone like her aunt, Bellatrix. Hopefully, that will never happen. That

woman was crazy before Azkaban.

During that week, Sirius did score a pensieve and he and Tonks got to

learn what the Golden Trio got up to their first four years. It was an eye-

opening experience. She would now know how to react to his teachers,

acquaintances, and enemies. She knew just what to do to trip Umbridge

up as well.

Harry had no filter on his mouth. If he thought it, nine times out of ten,

he said it. Since that woman was going to be there to catch Dumbledore

in the act, and debase Harry, so to speak, it should be easy to get in

trouble.

Finally, the book list showed. Sirius took one look at it and scoffed. "Like

I said, a useless book. You would do better buying a fifth-year defense

book and glamoring it to look like this trash," he said, throwing the list

on the table.

"Is it really that bad?" Hermione asked, studying the titles on her list to

see if she had any of them. She did, about five.

"It is," stated Tonks, reading Harry's list. This was going to be her first

foray into being Harry. She was going to do his shopping. He was going

under glamor, and not with the group. He would be with Remus, and

they would get the books needed for his tutoring.

"That book is all theory. There are no spells, or defensive moves. It's all

theoretical. It's like the Ministry doesn't want you guys to learn how to

defend yourselves. Remember, Umbridge is there to prevent Dumbledore

from forming an army," Sirius said, rolling his eyes at the stupidity of the

man.

"If Moody ever caught me reading that book, he'd burn it from my hands.

That's how bad it is. I have no idea how it even got published as a

schoolbook," Tonks said, putting the list on the table and watching their

reactions.

The twins' lips thinned; they would probably follow Sirius' advice.

Ron and Ginny were torn, they didn't want their family to spend money

on a worthless book, but they didn't want to get caught either. If that

woman was as bad as Tonks and Sirius said, then who knows what kind

of detention she would force them to do. And wasn't it sad that they

would fear punishment from their school.

Hermione looked like she was just going to grab every book in the store

that was associated with the OWLs. She wasn't going to let some faux

teacher ruin her perfect grades. She already had a plan in mind to help

those in her house, and maybe others as well.

"Well, not sense dillydallying, let's go to Diagon Alley," Sirius said,

hauling himself out of the chair. Then lifting an eyebrow that the others

were too slow in his opinion.

"Wait, we don't have any money. Dad was going to give us some after he

got off work," Ron said, looking around the room like his dad was going

to pop out of the fireplace.

"Don't worry, I've got you covered. Your dad can pay me back later,"

Sirius said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Are you sure?" Fred asked, giving him a hairy eyeball.

"You're not trying to give us charity, are you?" George asked, also

suspicious.

"No, I'll make sure that your dad knows how much he owes," the man

prevaricated. So, what if what Sirius thought the man owed, and what

the cost was, wasn't the same. Who would know?

"We're watching you," the twins threatened. Not that they were in any

way serious. After all, they could afford to buy their own stuff, what with

the profits they've had so far on their mail order joke products. The closer

it got time for school, the more orders they got. Sirius had let them be

added to the mail wards so they could make some money. Who was he to

stand in the way of budding entrepreneurs.

"Go on, get ready," Sirius said, ignoring them with practiced ease. He

waved his hands shooing the teens along. Harry and Remus weren't going

today, they would go when Hogwarts started, so Harry was a bit miffed

that he was staying put. But he did understand the need for Tonks to go.

He really hoped nothing happened.

Hphphp

Another short one, and mostly filler. But now we've led up to Hogwarts. If all

goes as planned, and my muse quits fighting me, there should be no more than

five more chapters.

23. Chapter 23 Not Quite As

Planned

Chapter 23: Not Quite As Planned

Okay, sorry it took a moment to get back to you guys. But I cut the tip of my

finger off and couldn't type. It's better now.

That and I really couldn't get the HP/WD story out of my mind. So, I put the

first two chapters up for that as a teaser. It's called Walking Dead Utopia.

I took two of my unfinished stories off my list. I have no idea when I will get

back to them. So, they are going in my archive until I get them started again.

It was not an easy decision to make, but I feel better not having them hang

there neglected. That and most of the reviews for them are about updating,

and that gets tedious after a while.

Okay, so here's the next chapter.

Hphphp

The gang all came down the stairs. Tonks dressed in some of Harry's

better clothes. She might have to pretend to be him, but she'd be damned

if she were going to dress in his cousin's old hand-me-downs. Though,

Harry now wore Regulus' stuff, they were trying to make it as believable

as possible, so some older stuff was called for.

When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she morphed into the Boy-Who-

Lived. These past weeks had made this a smooth process. The hardest

part of it all, was Harry's scar. It took days for her to get it right. Even

though the boy's scar was nothing but a white line now, no one outside

this house knew that.

"Looking good, Tonks," Harry said, teasingly.

"Don't you know it," she said back, winking at him.

"Wait, before you guys head out, who made prefect this year?" Harry

asked, a bit shocked that neither he nor Ron got a badge. He was

completely floored that Hermione didn't have one either. Even if she

wasn't the smartest girl, which she totally was, he didn't see either

Parvati or Lavender being responsible enough for that position.

"Oh my, with all that's happened, I forgot that that was this year for us,"

Hermione said, grabbing her letter out of her purse.

"Yeah, me too, until just now," Harry admitted.

Ron was looking at his letter as well. "Well, it's not me, I don't think," he

grumbled.

"Good job, that," the twins said, patting him on the back proudly.

"Bugger off," the youngest male snapped.

"Language," said the three females.

"Leave him alone, you two. It's not nice to rub it in like that," Ginny said,

standing up for her brother.

"We're just taking the mickey," Fred said, smiling and holding his hands

up in surrender.

"Yeah, just playing," his twin agreed, grinning like a fool.

"Oh, there's a postscript on the back. Professor McGonagall says that

there's a dispute about the Gryffindor fifth year male prefect, so it will be

announced at the feast," Hermione said, reading the small note.

"Probably because I told her what Tonks and we are up to," Sirius said

thoughtfully, rubbing his goatee.

"Oh, does that mean it would have been Harry," the bushy-haired girl

asked, her face brightening.

"Well, I don't want it, even if I was going back. The last thing I want is

that type of responsibility. I mean, I get enough crap from being on the

Quidditch team since first year," Harry groused, remembering all the flak

he got for being a teacher pet, or some shite. It wasn't like he asked to be

on the team. He didn't know anything about Quidditch then, only what

Ron had told him on the train. "Besides, I can see it now, 'he only got it

because Dumbledore believes his lies', or something along those lines," he

added, his face taking on a full scowl.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be that bad," Hermione said, biting her lower lip like

she didn't completely believe that. "I wonder who the fifth-year girl is,"

she said, looking around the room like the walls would have the answer.

"I'm sure you got the badge," Ron said, smiling at his best female friend.

"However, they're probably right, and it was Harry, until he went and

ruined it for them. So sad," he added, mockingly pouting at his other

friend.

"Too right," Harry said, nodding like it was not made in jest.

"Well, now that that's settled," Tonks said, giving a meaningful look to

Sirius, which looked strange since it was Harry's face.

"Right, let's get going," the dogman said, heading to the Floo.

A great deal of happy murmuring was heard as the teens, Sirius and

Tonks went the fireplace. It only took a matter of moments for the room

to be empty of all but Harry. Remus was in the library, and the other

members of the group were scattered about doing either their jobs or

watching Malfoy manor.

Harry sighed and went to join Remus. He thought again that he hoped

nothing happened.

Meanwhile the group of teens were chattering happily as they went about

getting their school supplies. They made a great game of testing Tonks in

her role. She did a great job of being Harry Potter. Right down to the

exasperation of those that either were staring at her like she was going to

go postal, or coming up to her telling her that they believed her and what

a nice 'boy' she was for saying those nice things about Cedric.

It was a trying time, they had to got through all that in every store they

entered. Tonks' acting skills were getting quite a workout. She was just

glad that Malfoy or his cronies weren't around. She wasn't sure if she

could stand up to that with this big of an audience. On the train it would

be different, the others would do more about taming the little git, then

she would. She was going to play wounded hero, and sulk most of the

trip.

They hurried as much as they were able, going in and out of each store as

quickly as they could. It made it easier that Sirius would tell each cashier

to charge it to his account. Putting his key on the receipt, and then

moving on.

Each of them took Sirius' advice and got the grade five defense book.

Hermione bought the other one, so she could read it and tell the others

what it said. Just in case there was a pop quiz, or something.

They were just finishing their purchases in Flourish and Blotts when it

got very cold. Sirius shivered, and huddled to the ground, until the twins

came to him and lifted him up. They stayed by his side giving him words

of encouragement, but he was completely blanked out, until Ron shoved

chocolate in his mouth. Then he shook his head and looked fearfully at

the window. It was dark, like clouds had come and covered the sun.

The teens, now that Sirius was feeling better, ran to the windows to see

what was happening. They knew what it was, by Sirius' reaction, but they

needed to know if anyone was stopping the Dementors from feeding.

There wasn't. some were trying, but not succeeding.

Tonks, still as Harry, was going to run outside to stop the Dementors that

she saw was about to kiss a man. The man next to him did get a mist

Patronus off, but it only held the creature back.

"Tonks, wait," Hermione hissed, while grabbing the metamorph's elbow,

making her glare at the younger girl. "Do you know the Patronus?" she

asked quickly.

"Yeah, Harry's been teaching me," the Auror said back, pulling herself out

of the other girl's grip.

"Is it a stag?" the bushy-haired girl asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"No," Tonks said slowly, then realized why Hermione asked. "Good call,"

she said as she rushed to the store's loo. She quickly transfigured her

clothes, morphed into herself, then ran out to go deal with the

Dementors.

Many people were running into the stores and only a few were trying to

keep the five creatures away. They were having some luck when Tonks

came to the scene. She immediately fired off her Patronus and soon had

them flying away. It was all over in less than five minutes, but she had to

stay until the on-duty Aurors showed up, so she could give her report.

The teens didn't join her, on the advice of Sirius. He held them back at

the store when they wanted to fight.

"No, there's too much political bullshit right now. If you guys get

involved, that will just make it harder for what you have to do at

Hogwarts. More people will be watching you and you wouldn't have time

to do what's needed. Remember, you're our eyes and ears at the school.

Don't go blowing it now for something Tonks can easily take care of," he

lectured, making sure they stayed put.

He was still shaking; he knew that he may never get over his fear of

Dementors. But, by Merlin, he was going to find out how the hell sent

them to Diagon Alley, when it was full of families. If he had it right, it

was that Umbridge bitch. He was going to gut her, and make it look like

and accident.

Well, probably not, but by Merlin if it was her, he was going to blow her

cover sky high. She would never live down the damage he was going to

do to her. Maybe, he could find out where her father was. It would be a

nice family reunion. But where… in the Great Hall, the atrium of the

Ministry, or even right here in Diagon Alley during the Yule/Christmas

shopping. Decisions, decisions.

The teens did stop and think, they hated to admit it, but he had a point.

They had no idea who would come to the scene. It could be someone in

Malfoy's, Fudge's, or Dumbledore's pocket. It was too big of a risk.

Sure enough, a few moments later, someone that was beholden to each of

those factions was there. Making a mess of the crime scene, and generally

be a nuisance of themselves. Tonks and Shacklebolt were having a rough

time getting the witness reports, with everyone trying to be more

important than they were.

Seeing that they weren't going to be asked anything the group finished

their shopping. Tonks, when she saw they were leaving, just gave a quick

nod to Sirius that she would fill them in later, and then she left with the

Aurors.

Back at the house, Harry was starting to get worried. He wondered if he

was going to feel like this the entire time the others were in school. He

knew that if something happened, he was going to blame himself for not

being there. It was one of his faults that he was working hard on

correcting, but after being blamed for everything that went wrong in the

Dursley's house all his life, it was going to be hard to kick.

"Harry, sit down and quit pacing," Remus said, putting the book he was

perusing. "They'll be fine. They've all gotten good enough to avoid

trouble. Besides, Tonks and Sirius are with them. If you were there, there

would be more issues. Tonks can duck out at any time. Don't worry about

her." He was one of those that was tasked in helping him get over his

'survivor's guilt' problem.

"I know, I just can't shake the feeling, is all," Harry said as he thumped

down into a chair. He grabbed a book, looked at the title then threw it

back on the pile. "I can't concentrate," he grumbled.

"Why don't you go down to the basement and do some spell work," the

werewolf suggested, picking up his cold tea and making a face when he

sipped it.

"Sirius and the others don't want me down there by myself," the boy

whined. It wasn't that they didn't trust him, it was the fact that he tended

to train himself incorrectly. Then they had to break him of the bad form

and retrain him. He didn't understand why that happened, but since it

did on a regular basis, he complied.

"I'll go with you. I've pretty much tapped out of what I can find here," the

other man said, putting the disgusting tea down and standing. He was

working on how to get into the Malfoy manor. They had plans to get to

the house, but they were working on what wards to throw up so that they

could trap those in the house. Bill had some great goblin wards, but was

barred from showing them, or even using them, under his employee

contract.

The Black wards tended to hurt the victim and the caster, since they

required some sort of sacrifice. That was not something any of them were

willing to do. However, they were hopeful that there was something in

this library that could be helpful.

Moody was going through all his old books and notes. He remembered

something, vaguely, and was trying to find it.

All in all, they were going to be prepared come hell or high water.

This was the Darkest of Dark Lord in centuries. They weren't going to

take any chances. When the kids were in bed at night, they all tended to

spar. The first time they did it, it was an eye-opening experience. Most of

them sucked, big time.

All but Kingsley and Tonks were out of practice. Him, because he never

thought he needed it. Sirius because of Azkaban. Moody, because he

spent a year in his trunk. Bill was okay, but he spent more time taking

down curses than fighting, so he needed it as well.

"Alright," Harry sighed, making the werewolf come back out of his

thoughts, putting his hands on his knees and standing as well. "I'm on

offensive stuff now," he added, a bit hopefully.

"What year?" the older man asked, leaving the room.

Harry followed right behind him. "Well, we're not really doing so much

as which year, cause we're starting from year one, but doing all the stuff

they don't teach at Hogwarts. So, I guess, maybe, year four," Harry said,

thinking hard on where he and Sirius and Tonks had stopped last night.

"I can work with that," Remus said, leading the way down the stairs. "I

talked with Sirius the other day. I owe you an apology," he said softly,

paying particular attention to a spot on the wall in front of him. Like he

didn't want to see the expression on Harry's face.

"About?" the boy asked, knowing what it might be, but wanting to make

sure.

"When I taught you in your third year, I was told by Dumbledore that you

had expressed your opinion that it hurt too much to talk about your

parents. I took him at his word. Even going so far as to ignore the way

your eyes lit up whenever I mentioned your dad," the werewolf sighed,

still looking at the wall as he walked.

"There are times I hate that man. I mean, who the hell does he think he

is, putting words in my mouth," Harry said, balling his hands into fist.

"I know, and I am sorry. I figured it was hard for me to talk about your

folks, so it was not out of the realm of possibilities that it was hard for

you as well," Remus explained, stopping at the bottom of the stairs and

turning to look at Harry.

"I guess I understand that. Sirius says it's hard for him too. He said, the

more he talks about them, the easier it is. But in the beginning it hurt,"

the teen said, looking at the floor.

Remus tilted his chin up and smiled. "Well, now that we know that, we'll

just have to talk about them more often, yeah?"

"Yeah," Harry said, a smile splitting his face.

24. Chapter 24 Hot Chocolate For

The Win

Chapter 24 Hot Chocolate For the Win

Okay, so I felt this chapter was too short, so I added a bit to it. I'm not up for

writing a full one. So, like the Walking Dead Utopia, this one is added too.

I hope you all are doing well. I want to thank those who wished me luck on

my surgery. Right now, it is scheduled for the beginning of Dec. I know, but I

live in a small town and the Doc is only here once a week. Anyway, I might be

a bit longer getting back.

There's a poll on my ffn profile. it has little to do with this story, just a

question that bugs me.

Hphphp

Harry heard the group Floo in, and he rushed up the stairs, taking them

two at a time. Remus was not far behind him. As he skidded into the

kitchen, he noted that they were all pale, pinch-faced and drawn. "What

happened?" he questioned, going to his brother, who looked the worse of

the bunch.

"Dementors," they all said, sitting in the nearest chairs. Sirius was shaking

still and ordered Kreacher to fetch some hot chocolate. After a moment

cups appeared around the table. Everyone grabbed one and started

sipping. Even Harry and Remus, who had been at the house. Hot

chocolate was a cure-all for everything, according to Remus.

"Shite," Harry cursed, picking up his cup, a frown marring his face.

"Where's Tonks?" he asked, looking around. He took a sip and glanced

around the table waiting for someone to answer.

The elves popped in and distributed more chocolate, liquid or otherwise.

Dobby was setting about refilling the hot cocoa, since Sirius and Ron

gulped theirs down, not caring how hot it was.

"She had to change into herself and fight the Dementors. Good thing you

helped her with that. Can you do that for the rest of us?" Hermione

asked, taking a small bite of some candy, closing her eyes at the feeling

of warmth that spread throughout her body.

"You leave tomorrow," Harry pointed out, rubbing his brother's back,

trying to snap the man out of the daze he seemed to be in.

"Right, I meant, when we are all together again," she said, still basking in

the warm feeling. "I know the basics, but I'm having a bit of difficulty

getting the memory right," she confessed.

"Yeah, I can do that. I know how hard it is to get the correct memory.

How about we communicate over the mirrors while you're at school?" he

offered, giving his friend a small smile.

"That would be wonderful, Harry. Thank you," she said, returning his

smile with a glowing grin.

"By the way, are you joining us for the Christmas holiday? I mean, aren't

your parents going to want you home. You've been here all summer,"

Harry inquired, realizing that her folks might be miffed that their

daughter was missing from their home for the better part of the year.

"I am going to see them the first week of break," she said, tapping her

chin in thought. "They're still out of the country, and Sirius said he can

get me a portkey to where they are. So, they're not as upset as you would

think. They know that they're in danger, and they have taken a… job, I

guess you can call it, overseas for the next five years. I had to promise to

spend more time with them once this whole war is over."

That bit of news had both Harry and Sirius sigh in relief. Hermione was

the only one who had parents that could not defend themselves. Well,

Neville's parents were pretty much in the same boat, but they were

protected in St. Mungo's. If all hell broke loose than his grandmother

could transport them to their manor. Thinking on that, Harry decided to

write Neville with that bit of advice.

"Oh, well, that's good, I reckon," the dark-haired teen said, nodding his

head in agreement that her parents were safer out of the country. "Why

did they decide to leave?" he asked, looking to his brother, who seem to

come out of his Dementor coma. "Did you have something to do with it?"

"I did help them," Sirius confessed, his face still pale but he was feeling

more like himself. "When they tried to stop my post to you, I got in touch

with the Drs. Granger, and gave them the news that Riddle was back and

that they might want to leave. At first, they were upset that their

daughter was in danger, still are I'm sure, then they realized it would

hamper Hermione for them to stay. So, they took a volunteer job in

Africa, I think," he added, taking a huge hip of his cocoa.

"And I, for one, will be ever so grateful to you for being one of the only

adults to think of my parents," Hermione said, grabbing ahold of his arm

and squeezing it. "Now that I know what you did, I feel like an idiot for

thinking that you only ever thought of yourself," she said, her eyes a bit

misty.

"It's alright, Hermione, I understand," the dogman said, finally getting

some color back in his face.

"Right, now that that is settled, what now?" Ron asked, eating a huge

chunk of chocolate, then talking with it still melting in his mouth.

Something, he never grew out of, no matter how many times he was

chastised. "We got all our books and stuff. And we have the house elves

to pack them, so what say we have a going away party tonight?" he

asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Who would we invite so last minute?" Ginny asked, after she slap his

head for talking with his mouth full.

"I guess, we can ask everyone who in the know about Harry's secret. I'm

sure they could use some down time too," the youngest male redhead

shrugged.

"I know I can," mumbled Sirius, then perked up a bit and left the room.

"Well, that seemed to bring him out of it. Thanks, mate," Harry said,

beaming a smile to his friend, only to cringe at the melted chocolate

around his mouth and down his chin. "Gross, Ron. Seriously, wipe you

mouth," he said, picking up the nearest piece of cloth and threw it in his

friends face.

The rest of the group laughed at the byplay.

Harry, who had always tried to find a way for Ron to stop eating with his

mouth full, got a sly grin on his face and said, "You know, Ron, you're

never going to get a girlfriend if you don't start using those manners that

I know your mum taught you. Birds don't like ill mannered people. That

and I'd hate to date one that does. Can you imagine that?" he said as he

shuddered at the thought.

"Too right," said Fred, clapping his younger brother on the back.

"Those hormones will be kicking in soon, if they haven't already, so you'd

better get a move on one cleaning up your manners," George added,

smirking at Ron.

"As I girl, I can say that they are right," Ginny added, grimacing at the

chocolate that still lined Ron's mouth. "Really, Ron, Mum taught you

better."

"Hmmm," was all the younger redhead had to say as he glanced at his

female friend, noting the look of disgust on her face. He quickly used the

cloth to wipe his face. Then Fred took pity on him and cleansed it with

magic.

Hermione agreed with the others. It was one of the things that she

disliked about the redhead, his lack of table manners. Nothing she or his

family did, or said, seemed to stop that. It was beyond frustrating.

Perhaps, Harry hit it on the nose, and this would help.

"Remus, can you tell us a bit more about the OWL requirements, so we

know what to study?" Hermione asked, changing the subject away from

the embarrassed boy.

"Well, if rumor is right and you get Umbridge, then you will need to self-

study. Even if it is for only a week or so," the werewolf said, grinning to

himself. "So, I would recommend reading the books you got today." He

shrugged, like it was obvious. "There are a few in the school library that

will give you extra insight. I'll write up a list tonight."

"That would be wonderful," the bushy-haired girl said, beaming at her ex-

professor.

"We can also use that room Dobby told us about. That way even if Tonks

gets rid of the Toad, then we can still have somewhere to practice.

Wouldn't want the junior Death Eaters to know we're practicing," Ron

said, finally swallowing before he talked.

"That's a marvelous idea," Hermione said, grinning at her friend. It fit

nicely with her plan anyway. Even if Harry was staying here, she could

still help her fellow year mates. This was one of the most important year

for them, and with the shoddy instructors they had, bar Remus, and if she

was reluctant to admit, the false Moody, they would need all the help

they can get. All she had to do was make so those forementioned Jr.

Death Eaters didn't crash the party. Something she was going to have to

think hard on.

"Yeah, it is," Harry agreed, glad they would have somewhere to do what

they needed.

"Okay, so, you lot, go upstairs and get your stuff put away, come back

down and we'll have a nice dinner. Sorry Ron, no party. Fidelius,

remember?" Sirius said, coming back to the room. "I did invite your

parents, but Molly started in on me the moment I Flooed, so you guys are

to go see her after dinner, alright?"

The Weasley children all agreed that would be proper.

"Right, I forgot about that spell," the glum boy said, chugging down the

rest of his cup and wiping his mouth. If what Harry and the others said

was true, he would have to watch his p's and q's. It wasn't like he didn't

know them, he just never really cared before. But the birds would want

him to at least be neat, well, he could do that. Probably. He hoped. No,

he had a strong will. He was a Gryffindor after all.

They all went upstairs and put their things away. A few washed up and

changed into something more casual. Trooping back down, they gathered

for dinner.

Tonks showed up a bit later and told them that no one was in trouble for

the Dementors. The final record was that they went rogue. She did say

that Bones was going to be keeping a closer watch on the 'request' that

needed to be filled out to even think of 'recruiting' the demons.

While slightly good news, the kids were still pissed off that someone was

getting away with today's fiasco. No one had a clue as to why they were

there, but Tonks figured it was Umbridge trying to get Harry in trouble.

Since she had Harry's glass frames, with plain glass, they all thought that

maybe there was a tracking charm on them.

That said, Tonks and Remus fussed over said frames, and sure enough

there were three tracking spells. This caused a lot of cussing.

Sirius was the most pissed, berating himself for not checking in the first

place. The strange thing was, he had no clue how or when it had been

applied. He had gone over all Harry's stuff when he showed up. Was it

when they were in the Ministry? Possible. Now he felt like a right idiot

for now checking as soon as they came home.

Dinner that night was a boisterous affair. They all had a great time over

some Beef Wellington with the fixings, and a large chocolate cake for

afters. The Weasley kids all went home for a few hours to see if their

parents would be meeting them at the station, or did they want them to

just Floo over. It turned out that Molly had already packed lunches and

was only waiting for them to recognize her as their mother again.

They kids were unsure how to feel about that. They loved their mum, no

doubt, but to lay the guilt on them for staying safe, when it was their

dad's idea, well that just rubbed them wrong. Still, they gave her hugs

and told her they loved her. Then accepted the offer that they all meet at

the station in the morning.

The next morning was an orchestrated chaos. Everyone had their trunks

packed, but they all seemed to forget something, mostly pets. Ginny and

the twins sat on their trunks while they waited for Ron and Hermione to

say good-bye to Harry.

A few tearful minutes later the everyone but Harry and Sirius were gone.

The other adults accompanying the teens.

"Are you 100% sure this is what you want?" Sirius asked before it was too

late for Harry to change his mind.

"It is," the teen said with a firm nod.

"Okay, well let's get back to work," his brother said, putting a hand on the

other boy's shoulder and steering him to the dungeon where they

practiced. Harry looked at the cold Floo and then shook his head and let

himself be lead away.

Hphphp

The train ride was quiet, the group were sequestered in a compartment

with Neville and Luna, who everyone but Tonks and Hermione knew.

They talked of casual things, before the train left the station.

Malfoy made he yearly foray into the 'Potter' compartment, but Tonks

quick wit soon and a confused blonde almost running for the hills. Ginny

told the girl quietly that what she had done was not a 'Harry' thing.

Tonks thanked her and settled in to do a bit of meditation to get in

character. She made sure to put a brooding mask on, making it seem

more like Harry.

Several boring hours later they were at Hogwarts. Every Gryffindor was

sitting at their table waiting for the feast to start. Ron was even keeping

quiet and not whining about the sorting going slow.

When the food appeared, they all had their fill, and Dumbledore stood to

make a speech just as the pudding disappeared. When he introduced the

DADA professor, he was interrupted by an ugly woman dressed in pink,

the group paid attention. This was one of the reasons that Tonks was

here, to make sure that this woman didn't hurt anyone.

The speech the Toad gave was downright disgusting. Tonks, Ginny, and

Hermione, probably others as well, bristled at the blatant propaganda

and made note to find out how to stop this woman. If Tonks couldn't get

her out of the castle soon, Hermione's study group would have to be

formed as soon as possible. Not that she wasn't planning on it anyway,

but the damage might have to be mitigated right away.

McGonagall announced the prefects, which for Gryffindor fifth years

were Hermione and Neville, much to the shock of everyone. Tonks was

glad, but Ron was miffed. Until the Deputy Headmistress announced the

Quidditch Captains, who in this case was Katie. Ron was just glad it

wasn't 'Harry'.

There was a bit of an ordeal before the Gryffindor fifth year boys went to

bed. Tonks pulled off a Harry impersonation quite well. Self-righteous

anger was easy to do. Especially, when she agreed with the Boy-Who-

Lived about how their society treated him. She could see now that Harry

had the right of it. Good thing he wasn't coming back to this school. She

figured that she'd tell them to sod off far sooner that Harry had.

Ron was a lot of help, in that he threatened the Finnegan boy and stood

up for his best mate.

It could have been a lot worse, she supposed.

On the way to the Great Hall for breakfast, 'Harry' was stopped many

times by people telling 'him' they believed him. There were quite a few

Hufflepuffs that thanked him for the article. She noted they though they

were pleasant, they didn't apologize for their treatment the times they

weren't as pleasant. One more check mark for Harry never to return.

The schedules were handed out at breakfast and all the fifth years

groaned. It was a nightmare of a day. All the worst classes were at the

start of the week. Snape, Trelawney, Binns and Umbridge. Only

Hermione was exempt from Divination. For some reason all the fifth year

Gryffindors took that class. The females of that year actually enjoyed it.

"Think of it this way," Tonks said, putting the parchment in her history

book, and looking at Harry's friends, "you'll get the worst out of the way

sooner." She shrugged and finished her eggs.

"I guess that's one way to put it," Hermione agreed, drinking the last of

her pumpkin juice.

"Still," Ron countered, "it's going to be a bloody nightmare." He slammed

his head on the table and groaned. A few others looked like they wanted

to do the same.

Classes were going okay, though Tonks made note of how awful Snape

treated the students, sure she had had the man, but she could see the

difference on how he treated Hufflepuffs to Gryffindors. It was outright

abuse, and she had no clue why the man still held his station. She was

going to tell Bones what was going on. If the Ministry was going to

interfere, then they bloody well should do it right.

After three grueling, not to mention boring, classes, it was time for

DADA. They all filed in and took the seats they usually did. The pink

woman was at the front of the class, wearing a saccharine smile. Not one

single person believed she was as benevolent as she was trying to

portray. Still, they kept quiet and looked to the front.

When the bell rang and the door closed, Umbridge started her speech.

Hermione took exception the curriculum and called the woman out on it.

An argument soon began and for some reason only 'Harry' was given

detention. Not at all on purpose, no.

"Detention, with me, tonight, at seven, Potter," Umbridge said with a

vindictive smile on her face.

Tonks countered that smile with a Black Family Crazy Smile™, which

looked worse on Harry's face. "Perfect," she purred and left the room.

Umbridge felt a cold chill go down her back and wondered if she should

carry out with her plans.

Hphphp

Everything that was glossed over you can take that it was the same as canon.

I'm not going to rehash Rowling's story. Don't worry, it'll change soon enough.

25. Chapter 25 The Toad Bites the

Dust

Chapter 25: The Toad Bites the Dust

Okay, so the operation went well, I think. I've not had my postop checkup yet.

But, I'm feeling better. It still hurts to sit, but a bit at a time is not bad. This

chapter is short, I posted it to let you know that I'm back and that this story

will probably be done in an few more chapters. Then I can work on my

Walking Dead/Harry Potter crossover.

I didn't take the time to reread all the chapters, mostly because I do that at the

computer, and sitting through all 24 chapters is not something I can do right

now. So, if I messed up something, or forgot that I wrote a person out ages ago

and they show up now, could you please point that out to me, and I'll fix it.

Hphphp

That night, after dinner but before 'Harry's' detention, Tonks and the

twins did the spell to find the horcrux. It was something they wanted to

get over with as soon as possible. The sooner it was done, the sooner the

war would be over, hopefully.

The charm worked and they followed the beam of light, using the

Marauder's Map, that Harry had lent them. It wasn't far, it was even on

the same floor as them. Walking along, making sure no one was around

they soon came to an empty corridor. They located it on the seventh

floor, but there was no door to where it was pinging.

"This must be the room that Dobby was telling us about," Fred said,

waving to the tapestry of the dancing trolls.

"You may be right, my uglier twin," George agreed, he too looking at the

funny picture of trolls in tutus.

"Alright," Tonks said, nudging them out of the way. "I pace in front of the

wall three times, right?" she asked, still looking like Harry.

"You have to think about what you need while you're pacing," Fred said,

standing on the opposite wall, leaning back with his arms and ankles

crossed. His brother in the same pose.

"Okay, give me a moment, yeah?" she said, thinking hard on what they

wanted. 'I need the horcrux,' she thought over and over in her mind while

pacing.

Soon a door appeared and the trio of troublemakers when through,

wands drawn and ready. The room was bare, bar a pedestal. On the

marble column was a tiara, or maybe a diadem. It was a nice looking

one, though old and tarnish. It was silver, and there were wings of a bird,

that they thought was ravens, wrapped around to the back. Words were

written between the wings. 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.'

"Isn't that Rowena Ravenclaw's?" George asked, have seen in on the

statue in the Ravenclaw dorm. There wasn't anywhere in this castle that

he and his brother hadn't explored. Well, except this room and they were

going to abuse the hell out of it this year. If Sirius was serious about them

needing to have good grades to get their shop, then this room just

became the highest priority.

"Yeah, looks like it," Fred agreed, peering close at the words on the

crown.

"Kreacher," Tonks called, hoping the elf could get in this room that

seemed to be sort of an off to the side dimension. Like it was one step

away from reality.

A second later the old elf popped in with an iron box. "You is calling

Kreacher?" he asked, warily eyeing everyone. Sure, his life was better,

but he could not overcome a lifetime of prejudice. It had been drilled in

his head since birth that people like these three before him were less than

trash. To Mrs. Black, even he was higher on the totem pole than them.

Still, he had been given orders that even thought he thought it, he

couldn't express it.

"Yeah, I think this is it," Tonks said, still looking at the lost treasure and

very glad that it didn't have to be destroyed.

"Kreacher will be taking it to Master," the elf said, snapping his fingers

and floating the diadem into the box. The box snapped shut and the elf

sketched a small bow and left.

"Well," Tonks said, looking around the now empty room, "that's that, I

reckon. If I can get Umbitch to screw up right away, then I can be out of

here tonight," she finished smugly. Not that she didn't like posing as

Harry, but she wanted to be in on the takedown.

"Ah, does ickle Harrykins want to go home?" Fred teased, leading the

disguised woman out of the room.

"Stuff it," Tonks said playfully, shoving his hand away.

"Have fun torturing the toad," George said as the twins took off running

to make the tower before they were missed. Not that they were ever in

the dorms before curfew, but this night they wanted an alibi. You know,

just in case.

Tonks whistled as she moved toward the DADA room. She was happy

that everything got done in record time. She hoped that her boss would

let her go home. She wasn't lying when she said that she wanted to help

stop the war. With only two horcruxes left, that could be as soon as next

week. This put a bounce in her step as she thought up ways to 'torture

the toad', as George put it.

She showed up just in time for her detention. She was still wearing that

Black Family Crazy Smile, and it was still creepier on Harry's face,

because she wanted to put the woman off her groove. She took a seat and

stared at Umbridge, not blinking once. Her eyes were magnified by the

glass in her glasses. They did that so that no one could guess that they

were just glass.

"Potter," the woman started, getting out of her seat and walking towards

the boy. Her face was in her superior smile, like 'Harry' was a bug and

she was a foot.

"Mr. Potter," Tonks said, blinking owlishly.

"I beg your pardon?" Umbridge said, her smile dropped, and a look of

shock came over her face. She was completely affronted at being talked

back to by a teen. One she despised more than other teens. It upset her

plans that the little bastard didn't just die via Dementors like she wanted.

Nor did he use magic to get away. She had no idea how the boy did it,

but he didn't 'break' any laws doing it.

"My name, to you, is Mr. Potter," the metamorphmagus, stated, still

smiling. "We are not friends, I would hope we were not enemies, and you

are a teacher. Therefore, the professional way to address me in 'Mr.

Potter'." If anything, that smile got wider.

"Who do you think you are, you little ruffian? You have no right to talk

to me like that," the teacher said in a high shrilly voice.

"Sorry, Madam Umbridge, I know you're new to teaching, I was only

trying to help," Tonks said, in the most insincere way possible.

"Quit smiling at me, boy," the teacher demanded, sniffing the air like she

smelled something bad.

"No, I don't think I will," Tonks said with a shrug. "Detention?" she asked,

raising an eyebrow. Her hands were folded on the desk, for all she looked

like a proper schoolboy waiting for his teacher to get on with it.

"You will be writing lines," Dolores simpered, handing her a parchment

and a black quill. It was her smile that was now unnerving.

"Ink?" was the blunt inquiry.

"You won't need it," the toad said, still smiling, though it did get creepier.

"Oh, well, okay then," Tonks said, and then asked, "What am I to write,

and how many?"

"'I must not tell lies', and until it sinks in," was the answer as the fat

woman turned to go to her desk, making it look like she was doing

something besides planning torture.

"Okay," Tonks said slowly, putting quill to parchment and writing the

letter 'I'. She felt the pain in her hand, looked and saw a straight line,

trickling with blood. She slammed the quill down, stood from her desk,

putting her fist on said desk she leaned forward and looked the woman in

the eye with nothing but hatred showing.

"Something wrong, Mr. Potter," the pink woman asked, with a tone that

ice would melt in. As if she was daring the boy to make a big deal of it.

With all the things that happened to the child over the summer, she

really thought he would sit and take his punishment. She had had second

thoughts after Black threatened her, but her 'mother' was long dead now,

and he would have a hard time proving it. Though, her 'brother' was out

there somewhere. She couldn't find him to shut him up. It's a good thing

that she bribed, and threatened, her father to leave the Ministry. It would

do no good if people knew she was a half-blood. That and the man had

been a janitor of all things.

After Black had left that day, she and Cornelius had talked, and they

came to the conclusion that man was blowing hot air.

"You bitch," the disguised female snarled, still wearing Harry's face. To

hell with the plan. This was completely out of line and she wasn't going

to put herself in pain just so she could draw it out. She had no idea what

in Merlin's name this quill was, but the fact that it caused pain and drew

blood, which is a major taboo, was enough for her to arrest the woman.

Speaking of which, Tonks took the parchment and burned it right in front

of the woman. There was no way in hell that she was going to leave her

blood on anything.

"I beg your pardon?" Umbridge said, standing up to glare at the child.

Then she started giggling. It was disturbing. She figured that she had the

brat right where she wanted. He was about to attack a teacher. That was

reason for expulsion.

"You planned on torturing me? You unmitigated bitch," Tonks snarled,

putting the quill in her robe pocket and pulling her wand. "You, Dolores

Umbridge, are under arrest," she said, pointing her wand at the

flabbergasted woman.

"You can't arrest me, boy. You're not an Auror," she said, raising her

wand to the teen in front of her. This was not going as planned. He was

supposed to just sit and do what she told him too. She held the higher

ground here. She had power over him. He was a student; she was a

professor. Weren't they supposed to sit and take it?

"Think again," Tonks said, and fired a spell at the despicable woman.

Umbridge didn't even have time to point her wand correctly before she

fell face first on her desk. The loud crack that sounded when her head

hit, just made Tonks smile. The trickle of blood was nice too. Tonks lifted

the fat woman up in the air, settled her into the chair behind her, and

wrapped her up in rope.

She then went to the woman's office and Flooed her boss at home. Amelia

said that she would be up late for the next few weeks, waiting for Tonks

to call her. If she hadn't heard from her by then, she would come and see

what the hold up was.

"Madam Bones," Tonks called when the Floo connected.

"Tonks?" the monocled woman asked, turning in her chair to see.

"Already? You've only been there a day."

"What can I say, Harry is good at getting in trouble," Tonks said, waving

her boss through. "I expect Dumbledore will be here any minute. I'm sure

he has the Floos monitored," she added, taking her head out of the fire.

Amelia stepped through and the two women went to the classroom.

Umbridge was just starting to wake, since Tonks didn't hit her with a

powerful spell.

"Amelia, I want that boy arrested!" she shrieked, wiggling in her ropes.

"Do you see what he has done to me? You're going to pay for this,

Potter!"

Tonks just ignored the woman and pulled out the quill. She was still

wearing Harry's face and still trying to act accordingly. If Dumbledore

did show up, they didn't want him to know that she wasn't Harry. It

would make the man more relaxed if he thought that he could sway

Harry to come back to his way of thinking. They didn't think they could

arrest him, but if he slipped, which was unlikely, they could use it

against him.

"She wanted me to write with this," she informed her boss, handing the

quill over and showing the red mark on the back of her hand. "It draws

blood as it writes," she added, glaring at Umbridge through her fake

glasses. "I'd show you the parchment, but I followed protocol, and burned

it."

"Good job, not many would have thought of that," her boss said, giving

the metamorphmagus a nod. She then peered closer at the quill. "I've

heard of these," she said, looking the black quill over and waving her

wand over it to diagnose what it was.

"Really, I didn't receive anything about these," Tonks said, thinking that

there would have been a memo to be on the lookout for one. But then

again, Umbridge was in Fudge's bunch of brown-nosers, so it might be

only those at the top to know. She, for all she was good at her job, was

still a rookie.

"That woman," Bones explained, nodding her head in the tied-up woman's

direction, "has been rumored to be using this thing on underlings. There

was no proof, but now…" she trailed off, giving Umbridge a nasty smile.

"He planted it," the desperate woman said, glaring at the still disguised

Harry.

"She would not lie to me," countered Amelia, making Umbridge look at

her funny. "Tonks," was all the head of the DMLE said, not taking her

eyes off her prisoner.

Tonks morphed back into herself and said, "Got you." She morphed

quickly back and just sneered.

Umbridge shrieked and tried once more to get out of her bonds. It was

futile, and Amelia hit her with a stunner. Just then the door opened, and

in came Dumbledore.

"What, may I ask, is going on here?" the old man said, trying to take in

the scene. 'Harry' was standing next to Amelia, who was holding a dark

artifact in her hand. His DADA professor was knocked out, while tied up

to her chair. "Harry, my boy, whatever is the meaning of all of this?" he

inquired, looking over his glasses at the boy. Something seemed off about

Harry. Was it because he didn't trust Albus anymore, or was it something

else?

"She," 'Harry' said, pointing at the tied-up toad, "tried to torture me for

detention. Madam Bones told me this summer, that it my DADA teacher

tried to hurt me this year, like every year before, I was to call her." It was

the cover story that they had cooked up when this whole scenario was

being planned.

"I did not know you were in contact with the head of the DMLE,"

Dumbledore said, a twinkle in his eye. "Why did you not come to me?"

"You've never helped before, so why would I think you would now?"

'Harry' said, giving a careless shrug. "I mean, every year my DADA

professor has tried to do me in. You never stopped it, or Snape, come to

think of it. Not to mention the years of abuse, via students and professors

alike, that you just let play out. So why in all that holy would I come to

you?" she finished off, having got her jab in.

"I never knew until it was too late to help you, Harry. I tried my best to

make sure that you, and all the students in this school, were safe,"

Dumbledore said, genuinely believing what he was saying. He left the

abuse part alone. He knew he was in the wrong there, but he felt that it

would make Harry get thicker skin. One should not let the feeling of

others effect their actions. He knew Harry was going to be a hero. And if

the boy thought he had it bad now… well, time will tell.

"Not by my reckoning," the 'boy' said, once again shrugging. "Your past

actions have shown me that I cannot trust you, even with telling me the

correct time."

"I am terribly sorry that you no longer trust me, Harry. What can I do to

make it up to you?" the old man asked, sincere in his question. It was like

a blow to the gut to him that the boy would had once looked to him like

a grandfather, now looked at him with disdain.

"Don't interfere," was the casual reply.

"This is my school," the Headmaster said, "it is imperative that I know

what is going on."

"And you will," interrupted Amelia, who was waving her wand at the

woman tied to the chair. "After my investigation," she finished with a

note if finality. "After all, you let her in the castle with implements of

torture."

"I would never," the aghast man said, putting his hand to heart.

"This," the older woman said, holding up the quill, "was invented by her,"

she pointed to Umbridge, "with no other thought in mind but to torture.

It uses blood of the victim. I don't have to tell you that that is a capital

offense. She will not be walking away from this."

"That's good news," Tonks said, glad to hear that the bitch would die.

"Right," Amelia said, with a determined look, knowing that it was going

to be a battle to the end. However, she was up for it. "I've been looking

for evidence for ages, now that I have it, I'm not going to let you

interfere."

She stuffed the quill in an evidence bag, sealed it and put it in her

charmed pocket. Only she could get in that pocket, and only her death

would break the spell.

"I will do all I can to help," the Headmaster stated, hoping that his offer

would make Harry see that he was a good man.

"You want to help?" Amelia said, lifting the chair that housed the teacher

and making her way back to the office. "Don't" she finished as she made it

to the door.

"Do you need me anymore, Madam Bones?" 'Harry' asked, following to

the door, but going no further.

"No, go back to your dorm. Don't answer any questions on what went on

here. That means you too, Albus. This is now a criminal investigation,

Harry is not to talk about it, at all," the Head of the DMLE stated, putting

Floo powder in the fire and levitating the chair in. "Go on, Harry. I will

be with you either tomorrow, or the next day. No one, you hear. Not

even your friends," she leveled Tonks a look.

The 'boy' sighed and slouched out of the room. She had been hoping to

go home today, but there must be a reason Bones wanted her to stick

around for a while.

"Amelia," Albus started as he watched Harry leave.

"No, Albus, I will talk to you tomorrow," she said, whirling around and

entering the fire. "Department of Law Enforcement," she called, and

disappeared in green flames.

Dumbledore sighed and looked around the now empty classroom. Harry

wasn't wrong in that all the Defense Against the Dark Arts professors had

at one time or another tried to kill the boy. He just hoped whoever

replaced Umbridge would not do so. With another sigh he left the room.

He had work to do.

Hphphp

I've said it before, and I will explain it again. Dolores Umbridge was the

inventor of the Blood, or Black, Quill. She is a sadistic person, who should

have been killed off in the fifth book. She may not be magically powerful, but

evil people don't always need power to be evil, they just need a brain. She

would not have advanced as high as she did, posing as a pureblood, if she

didn't have one. She is evil.

26. Chapter 26 Burn, Bitch, Burn

Chapter 26: Burn, Bitch, Burn

I added a bit to the last chapter. Using someone's blood without their

permission is a capital offense. Umbridge will burn… lol. (insert evil laugh)

Once again, a reminder that this is unbetaed. I will, as usual, go over it again

tomorrow, or when I start the next chapter, and more than likely the errors

will be corrected.

Hphphp

The first thing Tonks did after reaching the dorms, besides waving away

the curious looks, was run up to Harry's bed. She wasn't going to sleep

here, but she had to wait until all the curtains were closed before she

snuck up to the Head Boy rooms. She whipped out a mirror and called,

"Padfoot."

The mirror glowed bright for a moment and then died down. It took a

minute or two for the man to answer.

"What's up, Harry?" Sirius asked, using his brother's name just in case

those not in the know showed up.

"You'd better get to the Ministry as soon as you can. I got Umbridge right

away. She tried to torture me using a quill that wrote with my blood.

Bones said that is a capital offense, but you know Fudge, and probably

Malfoy, are going to try and stop it," she said in a rush, throwing up a

silencing charm, which she knew she should have done at the start, but

had forgotten in her rush.

"What? Already? Damn, girl, you work fast," the flabbergasted man said,

though his smile was huge.

"Damn right, I do," she said with an impish grin. "Get going," she added

and disconnected.

Now that that was out of the way, she made her way downstairs to join

her friends. Well, Harry's friends, but they had been working together all

summer, and she was close to them as well. She reached the group of

people by the fire and was amused to see the Weasleys were all regaling

their dormmates with tales of the movies they saw all summer. The twins

were over at the other side of the common room, doing the same with

upperclassmen.

There was a great deal of denial shouting, along with just as much

laughter. As one group or another tried to get their voices heard. While

prejudice was not ramped in the Gryffindor dorms, there was still a huge

divide between muggles and magicals. So those that had never seen or

heard of a movie, were debating with those that had.

At the younger years side of the room, many of the muggle-born and

half-bloods were smiling indulgingly at Ron's and Ginny's enthusiasm.

They never thought to take their pureblood friends to see movies. But if

this was the result, maybe their summers just got busier. It would go a

long way to helping those not in the know understand half the stuff that

came out of the mouths of those who did. That divide would get smaller.

Now if only the muggleborn could learn of more of this culture… a

debate for another time.

"What's up, Harry?" Ginny asked, wondering why the 'boy' was here so

fast. Detention should last much longer than this.

"I can't talk about it, but, needless to say, there will be a new DADA

professor tomorrow. Or the class will be canceled," she said with a shrug.

There was a lot to impressed whistling, along with some cheering, at that

statement. The debate shelved for another time, while the Gryffindor's

celebrated the loss of the toad. No one liked the bitch.

Tonks just smiled and preened a bit at the attention. She felt good after

putting that toad in her place. It was good attention, for now. If she

learned anything this summer, while view Harry's memories, it was that

crowds can turn in an instant.

Hphphp

Meanwhile, at Grimmuald Place, Sirius was getting ready to head to the

Ministry. He had already called those who needed to know. He even

recruited the help of Madam Longbottom since she was on the school

board. They were all on standby, waiting to see if they needed to storm

the Ministry.

Since he took up his seat, it had been one political game after another,

but with her help, she and Sirius had cleared all the bad rubbish off said

board and were now working with those that weren't under either,

Fudge's, Malfoy's or Dumbledore's influence. It was a breath of fresh air.

Next week the board was going to go over the current curriculum and

overhaul it. Moody had been right, there were no classes that taught

wizarding customs or rituals. All the wizarding holidays had been erased

from the school. Sure, there was a magical theory class, for first years

only, but it was so incorrect that it made Sirius cringe.

Pushing it aside, not that he wasn't going to use this faux pas as an

excuse to bury both Fudge and Dumbledore, but he needed to get going.

Harry was in a daze. His eyes were staring blankly at a spot on the wall.

He was amazed and confused that Tonks had done what he didn't think

could. She stood up to, and took down, a teacher. Something he had been

dreaming of doing since he met Snape. Well, he did stand up to the

greasy git now and then, but it never got him anywhere but detention.

He learned after the first few times, that it was futile to argue.

Then again, Tonks was an adult. Maybe she possessed a demeanor that he

didn't have. She was a trained Auror, so maybe that was it. He didn't

know, but he felt all his past efforts to do the same as she did in one day

were lame in hindsight. He knew he had an anger problem, and Andi had

been working with him on that. His Occlumency was better, and it did

help a lot. But, he was still prone to jumping first and thinking second.

Still, even with all the training the Tonkses and his brother had given

him over the months, he had to wonder if he would have stopped

Umbridge from torturing him, or if he would have just sat there and did

the lines. It was a major blow to his confidence that the answer didn't

come right away.

He was extremely glad that he had at least made the right decision to not

go back to Hogwarts. Even when Tonks left, he was staying here.

McGonagall knew this, she wasn't happy, but he wasn't overjoyed with

her past performance either. So, she could suck it.

"Alright, Harry, I'm off to see that justice is served. Why don't you finish

that book Remus gave to you, and then head off to bed," Sirius said,

going to the fireplace and throwing in the powder.

"Um," Harry said, then he shook his head to clear the mental debate he

had going. "Alright, good luck," he finally said, then turning his attention

back to the DADA book in front of him, he tried to concentrate on

reading.

Sirius cut him a searching look, before he stepped into the flames. He

could see that this was a blow to Harry, and he told himself that he

would have a nice chat with the boy as soon as he got back. He sent

Harry a reassuring look and Flooed away.

Amelia had given their group permission, after a vow not to abuse it, to

Floo to her office. So, he did. When he stepped out and brushed the small

bit of ash off his shoulder, making a mental note to get the house elves to

clean it, he nodded to Bones.

"Amelia," he said regally, playing the part of Lord for now.

"Black," she said back, also nodding. She then waved for him to sit and

they waited. Amelia knew that the Ministry was not secure, there would

be no talks of clandestine meetings while in the building riddled with

spies.

It didn't take long before a portly man wearing a green bowler hat

showed up. He stormed through the door, marched right up to the desk,

put his fat fist on it and leaned over to get in the face of his Head of the

DMLE.

She simply smiled at him and pushed his forehead until he was a good

arm's length away.

"Amelia, what is the meaning of arresting my Undersecretary?" Fudge all

but bellowed, puffing up like a blowfish.

"Fudge," Black said menacingly, "shut it and sit."

The coward jumped, not having seen the man, and did just that. While he

might have sway over Bones, he was terrified of Black.

"Your Undersecretary was caught using a quill that drew blood. That is a

capital offense. She not only tried to get blood out of the heir to the Black

family, but he is a minor. If I could kill her twice, I would," Amelia said,

without an ounce of trepidation. She knew she had the upper hand here.

"And if you think for a moment you can hide her behind pureblood laws,

you are sadly mistaken," Sirius said, poised as a Lord should be.

"Madam Umbridge is a pureblood," Fudge sputtered out. He knew Amelia

had tried to lie about the woman's blood statis before, but he had asked

Dolores, and she assured her that she was indeed a pureblood.

Sirius smirked. He felt a little bad about not warning Umbridge's mother,

but he couldn't find her. However, when he did comb London's papers

and found that that evil woman had killed her mother, well, he couldn't

save the poor woman, but he did get the brother to run. But not before

he had cajoled the man into getting the police report, and Umbridge's

real birth certificate. Which he was currently pulling out of his pocket.

He didn't say anything, just handed them to Amelia, who took them and

looked them over. She smiled and handed them to Fudge. He took them,

glanced at the parents' names, paled considerably and sputtered. He

didn't say anything, instead he rose, gentle put the papers down and ran

from the room.

"You won't find her!" Amelia shouted after the fleeing man, making his

falter for a moment, then resume his running.

"As much as I hate the prejudice, it works here," Black said, wearing his

family's smile.

"Please, don't smile like that. You remind me of your late cousin," Bones

said, though she too was smiling.

"Fine," the dogman pouted. "Where did you hide her?" he asked instead.

"I'm not telling. Only I and one other person, knows where she it. All I

will tell you is that you have nothing to worry about, that woman is

going down," the Head of the DMLE said, picking up the papers that

Sirius gave her and giving them a once over.

"Good," was all Sirius said, straightening a nonexistent wrinkle in his

robes.

"You go home, and I'll get the Veritaserum, and get all I can from her. If

Fudge is smart, he's running for the hills," Bones said, shuffling the

parchment and papers on her desk. She needed to have all her ducks in a

row for this. There was a way to kill the woman twice. Once Kissed,

twice the Veil.

"I hope he's just stupid enough not to warn Malfoy. We needed that man

where he is. Of course, even if he is warned, he probably won't run. The

Dork Lord won't let him. Probably even torture him if he suggests it.

Voldy doesn't like cowards. However, if he does get a warning, he might

beef up security. Maybe we should set our sights on raiding tomorrow,"

he added thoughtfully, rubbing his goatee.

"No, I want Tonks in the school for at least another week. If I have it my

way, then Snape will disappear into my cells too," Bones said, closing the

folder she had been organizing.

"You know he did warn Moody about Harry's you know what," Sirius

reluctantly said.

"I know, but I want all he has to tell me about both sides of… well, you

know," she said, gathering everything she needed and stood. "You go

home, and tell everyone who needs to know, that Umbridge's hours are

numbered. There won't even need to be a trial, but I'll call an emergency

meeting. We'll get it done tonight," she finished as she made her way to

the door.

"Got it," was all Sirius said as he Flooed away. When he stepped into his

house, he noted that Harry hadn't moved the entire time he was gone.

Sighing, he sat across from his brother and took the book he wasn't

reading away. He closed it and set it aside. "Want to talk about it?" he

asked the younger boy.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I get that Tonks is older and smarter than me,

and that she's received training that I haven't, but I feel like everything

I've done in the past is just… I don't know, stupid," Harry said, putting

his head on his folded arms.

Sirius tapped the down head. When Harry looked up, he smiled. "It's all

part of growing up. Don't you think I didn't do some stupid shite when I

was younger. Merlin, the stuff we pulled at school would have gotten us

locked up, if Dumbledore weren't so prejudice against Slytherin. I mean,

for all the man talks about equality, he really is blind to his own faults,"

the dogman said, trying to cheer the boy up.

"I know, it was the same for me. But at least you didn't have a more

prejudice teacher to counteract all of Dumbledore's. I mean, Snape would

let his House get away with murder, probably try to blame the victim, if

it were self-defense," Harry said, both sad and angry.

"Oh, don't rule out or Slughorn, the man was a genius at potions, but he

was such a 'collector of people', that he let those he thought could further

his goals get away with a ton of shite," his brother countered. "I know he

taught Riddle, and that he told the boy more about the Dark Arts than

DADA ever did. Moody told me that Riddle was one of Sluggy's pet

projects. Remember, Moody went to school with our Dork Lord. He's

been going over his memories of that time, and there have been quite a

few insightful things."

"Really, like what?" Harry asked, his interest perked.

"Nothing you haven't already found out on your own, or that we don't

already know," the other man answered with a shrug. "That he's a half-

blood, that he's was Slytherin's heir, that he turned to the Dark Arts.

Though there was a bit about how he may have obtained, some of the

things he used a horcruxes. But that's all water out of the cauldron. The

information is of little to no use," Sirius said, waving his hand like it

wasn't a big deal.

"Oh," was the disappointed rejoinder. "I was hoping for something I could

use; you know, to taunt or something. You know, to stall or something,"

Harry said, thinking about all he knows about the evil man.

"You could still use it all, the man is a powder keg ready to blow. The

angrier you get him, the better. People mess up when they are angry.

Which is why me and Andi are trying to get yours under control," his

brother said, reaching over and ruffling his hair.

"Yeah, I've been mulling that over in my head since you left. I know

Tonks got to do what she did, because she doesn't jump ahead like I do,"

Harry said sullenly.

"Don't worry too much, you are getting much better," Sirius said, standing

from the table and jerking his head to the door. "Come on, we'll spar for

an hour or so, that'll get your mind of stuff," he suggested, making Harry

smile and get up too.

"Yeah, that might be just what I need," Harry said, following the other

man to the training room. "What's going to happen to Umbridge?" he

asked as he all but skipped down the stairs.

"That bitch is going to burn," Sirius said then laughed manically.

"Good," Harry said, thoughtfully. While he didn't know the woman,

rumor, and what happened tonight, showed that she was the one in the

Ministry trying to do him in. Ron was going to be a nightmare when he

found out that he had been right. It wasn't often he got one over

Hermione. With that thought he shrugged and felt okay about that. For

once, Ron could be the hero.

27. Chapter 27 After and Before

Chapter 27: After and Before

Okay, let's try this again. I'm pretty sure I'm all healed up, so hopefully I can

complete this soon. I do note, however, that I'm a bit impatient on my bad

typing, I blame dyslexia, so it might take a few days to finish a chapter.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. If you find that I've made a mistake or

forgotten that so-and-so did such-and-such, please let me know and I'll fix it.

Enjoy.

Hphphp

Harry went to bed feeling a lot better. He was glad that he had Sirius in

his life. The man was Merlin sent and made a great big brother. It was

with a clear mind that he dreamed of the future.

Sirius, unfortunately, could not retire for the evening. He had to get back

to Ministry to sit his and Harry's seats. The trial would probably be short

and sweet, since Umbridge could not use the pure-blood laws to protect

herself.

It was Karma really.

If the woman hadn't pushed Fudge so hard in passing all those laws that

protected the elite, then she would have stood a better chance of

defending herself. However, she was the one to push that all laws that

labeled non-purebloods, and creatures, or those with creature blood, to

be treated as lesser people.

'Sucks to be her,' Sirius thought as the listened to the woman spill all her

secrets.

The plethora of sins that came out of that woman's mouth was enough for

everyone in the room, be they pure-blood or not, to go green. Since most

of the Death Eaters that held seats were in hiding it was easy to see that

no one was swayed by her. Fudge was noticeably absent, and that was a

relief. If Sirius knew the man at all, he would have blustered until he was

put down, or fired. Well, more like voted out, but still.

The trial was as quick as he had thought it would be. There wasn't even a

need to debate. The woman was guilty of so many crimes that she was

Kissed and pushed through the Veil. The conclusion of the questioning

led to a lot of arrest and arrest warrants.

It was a tired man that fell into bed that night, but a satisfied one. He

couldn't wait for the paper tomorrow.

Hphphp

Tonks snuck back into the fifth-year boy's dorm at six in the morning.

Having already showered and changed in the en-suite of the Head Boy's

room, she just had to wait until at least one boy woke up and gave her an

alibi. Not that she was doing anything illegal, but she didn't want

Dumbledore to catch on.

She closed the curtains and waited for Ron to tell her that it was all clear.

The boys didn't get up for another hour, which she used to study a bit.

She wasn't long out of Hogwarts, but she didn't want to appear better

than Harry usually did. So, she read to see how much she would have to

dumb herself down.

Soon the boys started stirring and Ron gave the all-clear about ten

minutes later. They all trooped down to the common room where they

met up with Hermione.

"So, do you think that what you couldn't tell us will be in the paper this

morning?" Hermione asked, tucking the book she had been reading away

and following the 'boys' out of the common room.

"Probably," Tonks said with a shrug. "I mean, I can tell you that Bones,"

"Madam, Bones," Hermione chastised, only to be ignored.

"was here," the metamorph said, leading the way to the Great Hall.

The twins sidled up to her and tried to get more of a picture on what

happened. They knew that she had done something and were a bit cuffed

that she wasn't spilling.

Soon they were all sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast and

gossiping. There was wide speculation when it was noted that the pink

toad was absent. Everyone who had ever been around Harry in any way

was shooting glances at 'him'. They all knew that if there was something

happening in Hogwarts, that Harry was more than likely the one in the

middle.

Tonks was about to stand up and declare victory over the toad, when a

parliament of owls flew in carrying a copy of the Daily Prophet.

The headlines read. Umbridge Found Guilty: Fudge Disappears.

The article that followed said that she had been accused of Black Magic.

The quill that she had used was shown to the Wizengamot and declared a

Banned Item. It went on to tell how the Wizengamot had come to a

verdict so fast, that it beat any verdict on record. There were plenty of

comments on how the woman was universally hated at the Ministry. The

only person who tolerated the Undersecretary was Fudge. And they were

78% positive that it was because she was blackmailing him.

Most of the crimes that Fudge was accused of piggy backed Umbridge's

own crimes. They were all listed in chronological order. The bribes he

took, who he took them from, and why there were given in the first

place. That put the kneazles among the pigeons. Now there were people,

like the Malfoys, who were persona non grata at the Ministry. Bones was

noted to say that if these 'people of interest' did show, they would be

questioned thoroughly. Pure-blood or not.

The whole Wizengamot agreed, after seeing that the laws were pushed

due to bribery, that for this everyone would be held accountable. Well,

after Bones arrested quite a few of the men and women there, for the

same crimes as Fudge and Umbridge. A committee was set up to go over

the laws from the last six years. The time Fudge was in office.

At the moment, there was no Minster, and the article said that they had

picked the eldest Wizengamot member, a Lord Hartstein, to hold the spot

until the next election. They wanted to appoint Madam Marchbanks, but

she was not willing.

Upon reading this, there were cheers heard all over the Hall. The

teachers looked on with disapproval. Sure, they were glad the toad was

gone, but children should not celebrate the death of another human.

McGonagall looked over the student body and noted that not everyone

was cheering, only those that had family in the Ministry. She figured that

they must have heard about the vile woman from home. Still, death was

not a good cause to celebrate. Unless it was You-Know-Who's.

"Harry," Hermione hissed, "don't, please. It's just not right." She was very

uncomfortable with celebrating a death.

"I know, but I just can't help it. I mean, she was going to torture me,"

'Harry' said, settling down and giving 'his' friend a grin. "Thanks for

asking and not demanding," 'he' added, putting a comforting hand on her

arm.

"You're welcome," the bushy-haired girl said, her face still sober.

"Look at the Headmaster and Snape," Ron said, leaning over the table so

he could be heard without shouting.

"Damn, I haven't seen anyone's face that pale since I first met Malfoy the

younger," Tonks said, looking over at the Slytherin Table and seeing said

boy go just as pale as Snape. She then turned to look at Dumbledore.

The old man did not look happy, and she knew it was because he never

condoned the killing of people. In his eyes all were worthy of

redemption. Someone really needed to tell that man he was not God. Or

even Merlin. She paused at that thought, and really looked at what she

knew about Dumbledore. If you lined up what he had done for the last

ninety or so years, it really didn't add up to much. So why did people

believe that he was the second coming of Merlin?

Then she shrugged, it really didn't matter.

She heard some of the comments directed at 'Harry', and smirked. As she

listened, she started to eat her breakfast. The article didn't mention Harry

by name, only that a minor was the one who caught her. So, of course,

anyone who had been in the school for more than a year, knew it was all

Harry's fault.

Now all she had to do was get Snape. If what she had heard about the

man was true, that should be easy. While Harry was just learning to

protect his mind, though from what Sirius told her, Harry had the best

shields she had ever heard of. Anyway, she also had good shields, so the

first time that man even skimmed her mind, he was going down.

Hphphp

Meanwhile, Amelia was at Grimmuald Place talking to Sirius. Harry was

with Remus doing his own schoolwork. He planned on passing as many

OWLs as possible, and Remus was a great teacher.

"I thought about what you said," Bones started, sipping the tea that was

offered. "I think you're right. We need to move as soon as possible. I have

Kingsley and Moody standing by. We're just waiting on word of the

horcruxes. Once they are gathered, then we'll move," she finished, setting

her cup down.

"Alright, you'll be happy to know that the twins and Tonks found the last

one, bar the snake. If we're right on that. I know that I'll have to pay

special attention to that reptile," Sirius said, standing and putting the

empty cups in the sink.

"That's good to know," was all Amelia said, though her thoughts were

going wild.

"Yeah, I'll contact Bill when you leave, and we'll set it up. What I want to

do is, have Harry here to 'kill' the horcruxes, while we take out the rest of

the Dark Idiots. I know I want a piece of both Malfoy and Riddle," Sirius

said, settling back down at the table. He lifted his eyebrow questioningly.

As if to ask if she could work with that.

"Sounds like a plan I can get behind. Does he already know the spell?"

she asked, still planning how to pull off this attack.

"Yeah, Bill and Remus have been teaching it to him all summer. He wants

to go and fight, but he is just a kid. And as much as I hate to agree with

Molly, kids have no need to fight in wars," the dogman sighed, running a

hand down is face.

He just knew that he was going to have to fight with Harry about this,

again. But he was going to stand firm. Harry would be doing his part by

destroying the rest of Tom's soul. Even that was too much for Sirius to

feel comfortable with, but he compromised.

Tonks was supposed to be here with Harry, but if she were staying in the

school, he'd have to ask Andi. While his cousin didn't want to be involved

with the fighting, he was sure she would stand by Harry to see the deed

done.

"Why don't you call a meeting with all those in the know, while I get

some of my best people to be there. After all being a Dark Lord is a

crime, and so is siding with one. We will be making many arrests that

day," Amelia said with a satisfied smirk.

"Does that mean we need to use stunners?" Sirius asked, not sure how he

felt about that.

"If they fire killing spells, then by all means, retaliate in kind. I will make

sure that no one gets arrested for defending themselves. However, and I

can't stress this enough, if anyone is caught torturing someone, they will

face justice. There is no cause for that, at all," she said firmly.

"Don't worry, even if Snape is found there, or Pettigrew, I won't. I'll make

sure the others know as well," he said almost wistfully, like he had just

been denied a dream. "Oh, and I have a surprise for everyone. Thought

I'd let you know that I've found a way to make tonight a lot easier," he

added, a shite-eating grin on his face.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" she asked with a sigh.

"Nope, but I will reiterate that it will go a long way in getting us through

the wards," he answered, his smile getting wider.

"Fine," she huffed, getting up from the table, "keep your secrets," she

finished as she reached the Floo.

"I will, ta," was all Sirius said, also standing to get his part started.

"Pfft," she said, calling out to the Ministry and disappearing in the green

flames.

Sirius just shrugged and left. He figured he'd bother Harry for a minute,

then get started on what needed done before tonight. As it was, he was

going to have to visit a few people. So, yeah, a minute or two with his

little brother was what he needed to get started on the stressful things

with a calmer disposition.

Later that day, Sirius, and all those in the know, were sitting in the

kitchen of Grimmuald place. Harry was sitting to his left, while Amelia

was sitting to his right. The mirror was in the middle the table.

Suspended with a hovering charm. Tonks' normal face could be seen.

"Okay, we are happy to report that the twins and Tonks found the last

horcrux, barring the snake. So, it's just a matter of bringing down those

wards," Sirius said, giving everyone the smile, his family was famous, or

infamous, for.

"I don't like that look, Padfoot," Remus said, leaning away from his

friend, so he didn't get caught in the crossfire of whatever scheme the

man had up his sleeve.

"What? This look?" Sirius said, trying to look innocent.

"Yes," said half the table.

"Fine, spoil my fun," the poor picked on man said with a pout. It wasn't

there long, as the Black Family Crazy Smile™ made its debut. "I found

something in Regulus' room," he said, holding up a black disk. "Kreacher

had informed me not long ago, that there were things in that room that

my little brother was hiding. He said that most of it was to keep it out of

the hands of old Voldy. There were a few other things he hid from my

dear old mum," he added, his smile not waning in the least.

"Oh, what is it?" Harry asked, leaning forward a bit to look at the disk.

"This, my dear brother, is a ward scrambler," the older man said, holding

it out for everyone to see.

"What!?" was the exclamations around the table, bar Harry and Tonks.

"Yup," the dogman said. "As far as I know, there are only three in the

whole world. I have no idea how Reggie got ahold of one, though I would

bet half my vault that it was hidden in this house somewhere," he added,

flipping the disk like a coin. "Knowing my dearly departed parents, it

would not surprise me if they used this for some of the darker things my

family is infamous for," he added, putting the disk on the table.

"How do you know it works?" Tonks asked via the mirror.

"I went to visit the Dursley's," was the casual answer.

"I'm not going to have to arrest you, am I?" Amelia asked, not really

bothered it.

"Nay, there was no one there, but there were enough of the blood wards

that I could test this out. Harry, you will be happy to know that the

vaulted wards around the Dursley's house are no more," the older man

said, grinning like no tomorrow.

"Well, I wasn't planning on returning there anyway. Where were the

Dursley's, I wonder," the Boy-Who-Lived said, thinking hard on what

might have happened to them.

"Don't know," his brother answered. "For all I know, they were simply out

to dinner. I mean, does it really matter? You're shot of them," Sirius

finished, then looked around the table. "Bill, catch," he said, tossing the

disk to the curse-breaker.

"You know, I have been in this business a long time, and I would have

given my first year's pay to have one to these," the redhead said,

examining the disk to see if it was something that could be copied.

"It would have cost you first three year's pay," Moody said, looking over

the man's shoulder to see what's what.

"We really don't have time to debate all this," Bones stepped in. "We need

to get things set up so we can get this done fast. Harry, do you know the

spell to clear the horcruxes we have here?" the older woman asked,

turning to the boy who didn't want to be left behind. She could see that

much from the look on his face.

"Yeah," the teen said, folding his arms and slouching in his seat.

"Good, I want you to wait for my Patronus. When it shows, you will know

the snake is dead, do the spell as quickly as you can, and we can end this

war before it starts," she said in a no-nonsense voice, quite used to

despondent people. For all Aurors were grown people, they tended to

pout quite a bit.

"Fine," Harry huffed, knowing that even if he wanted to sit under the

Cloak, like they had planned from the start, he couldn't. Sirius had talked

it over with him many times, and he just wasn't prepared to fight a room

full of Death Eaters, and challenge Voldemort. As it was, the prophecy,

whatever it said, would probably come to pass when he 'killed' the

horcruxes.

"Good, and thank you," Bones said with a curt nod. "The rest of you know

what to do. The only reason we hadn't gone before was because we

couldn't plan around the taking down of the wards. Now that Black had

found this do-dad, we can get those wards down before the Death Eaters

can rise from kissing Riddle's robe," she finished, nodding to Bill

questioningly.

"Not a problem," the curse-breaker said, tucking the disk in his front

pocket.

"Good, then go home, kiss your loved ones, take a shower, spar, whatever

helps you relax. We leave at dusk," the Head of the DMLE said, getting up

to make her way home.

"I'll stay here and let you know if Snape leaves. I have Dobby keeping

tabs on him," Tonks said, nodding in Harry's direction, acknowledging

that he had given his elf permission to help her.

Not that it was something difficult to do. Even though Snape had warned

Moody about the horcrux, that didn't negate the years of horrible

treatment in the Potion Master's class. There would never be any reason

that Harry would drop that. Sirius had told him about the man's

obsession over his mum, but that was just creepy in his book. He did

wonder if it was Snape hanging around his mum when they were kids

was what made his aunt to hateful.

'Who knows?' was his final thought on that. Both those people had made

his life hell, and he wasn't going to waste any more time thinking about

them.

"Good," Sirius said, standing up and nudging Harry to do the same. "We're

going to practice that spell," he said, taking Harry elbow and leading him

out of the room.

"I can walk, you know," Harry said, taking his elbow back. "Why are we

going to practice that spell? I already know it," the boy complained.

"We're not," Sirius said, leading him to Reggie's old room.

"Then…?" the question was left hanging.

"You'll see," was all the answer he got.

"Sirius," Harry whinged.

"Just kidding. No, I found something else in here," he said, going towards

the wall with the bookcase.

"What?" Harry asked, following behind.

"This," Black said, holding up a book that had a red cover on it.

"What is it?"

"A Prankster's Guide to Pranking," Sirius said, handing the book over. "I

left it here when I ran away. I guess Reggie found it and hid it, so my

mum didn't burn it, or something," he finished, wandering back to the

bed and sitting down.

"You guys wrote this?" Harry asked, thumbing through the first few

pages.

"Yep, it took us most of fourth year, but we got it printed that summer.

Only five copies, one for each of us, and a master copy. We were going to

sell it, but the war started really revving up around then, so it got kinda

forgotten. What I want from you, it for you to read it and tell me if it's

sellable."

"Sure," Harry said absently as he continued to read.

"I'll come get you when it's time," his older brother said as he left the

room.

"Sure," was the vague answer.

"I think this will work great," Sirius said, smiling to himself as he all but

danced down the stairs. "Really, great," he said, giving himself a pat on

the back for getting his brother's mind off what was going to happen that

night.

Hphphp

The next chapter might be a minute. I seem to have developed Writer's Block.

I'm working on it.

28. Chapter 28 It's Begun

Chapter 28: It's Begun

I had a rant but, it was deleted. Suffice it to say, if you don't like what I've

done, go elsewhere. Also, if you're a guest and leave derogatory remarks, you

will be deleted.

You're probably not going to believe this, but I have been suffering from some

annoying ailments, again. I shouldn't say again, they are new things. It's like

one thing finishes and something new pops up.

Guys and gals, I am so tired of Fate shitting on me… never mind.

Let me just say this, if I haven't written in a week or so, them more than likely

something in my body is preventing me from doing so. Hopefully, I should be

done soon.

It's age, I reckon. Oh well, I'll do my best to keep up.

Hphphp

Hermione and Ron were sitting in the common room talking to Tonks.

"Harry," Hermione said, looking around making sure they were being

paid attention too, but casting a silence cone to be sure, "if you've done

your task, why are you still here?" she asked, hoping that it was

something to do with the group she was going to start.

Since there was no DADA teacher at this time, it would be imperative to

get something started so that everyone wouldn't fall behind. However,

Hermione was honest with herself enough to know that she knew more

than most, but the last four years told her she would be a terrible

teacher.

'Harry' leaned over just a bit, not worried about being overhear, but

making it look like 'he' was keeping secrets, which was a very 'Harry'

thing to do. "Snape," was all 'he' said.

"Oh, I thought he was on our side," the bushy-haired girl countered.

"He might be, or there might be another reason. All we know about the

man is that Dumbledore vouches for him. He had done nothing to prove

he leans either way. I think, for one, that he plays the devil's advocate,"

Tonks said, leaning back in her chair with a casualness that Harry rarely

pulled off. That boy was just to uptight.

"How will you find out?" Ron asked, hoping that they did catch his most

hated teacher. It wasn't so much that Snape was head of Slytherin, it was

the man was a right bastard.

"I'm hoping he does his little mind reading trick," Tonks said, then got a

thoughtful look. "Hey, did 'I' give you that book on Occlumency?" she

asked, not realizing that maybe Harry had given to his friends.

"Oh, yeah, we got that ages ago," Ron said, nodding along with his words.

"'You' gave it to us right after 'you' got it. We just didn't want my mum to

know. I know she wasn't at the house, but I wouldn't put it past her to

find us doing something she wouldn't like. It's a mum thing, I'm sure.

Also, the twins finished the book a while ago, so do don't worry about

them," he added, looking over at his mischievous look-a-like brothers.

"I wasn't," Tonks denied, casting a fleeting look at the twins.

"I found that book most useful," Hermione said, tapping her finger on the

chair with nervous pent-up energy. "The things I can do with my mind

now would boggle any pureblood that tried to read it," she said a bit

smug.

"I'm glad it worked for you guys. I read it myself and I can tell you it is

much easier to do than what they learn at the Academy. I had Remus

help me a bit," Tonks said, blushing at bit, which made Harry's pale skin

stand out.

"Um, Harry, you might want to tone it back a bit. You're blushing like a

girl," Ron said, noticing that they were attracting attention.

"Oh, right," Tonks said, getting back into character.

Hermione dropped the silence cone, and they talked about mundane

things until it was time for dinner.

They made their way downstairs and sat at their normal table. Tonks was

quick to note that Snape jerked as if hit. Then the man got up and went

to Dumbledore, then hurried out of the Great Hall. She exchanged looks

with Ron and Hermione, then looked back at the Headmaster, who was

all but staring at her.

"Cover for me later, yeah. If anyone asks, then tell them I'm off studying

somewhere, or, you know, trying to discover the secrets of the school, or

something," she said, in a whisper in Hermione's ear.

All Hermione did was nod once, then they resumed dinner.

Hphphp

Meanwhile outside the wards at Malfoy Manor, was a group of people

hoping to end a war. It was dark and clear out, so they were pretty well

hidden. There was no moon, which everyone was thankful for.

Each had a pair of spelled glasses, or goggles, to see in the dark with.

Getting them wasn't a problem, since the DMLE had those on hand.

Amelia had brought enough for everyone.

They were all sitting outside the outer ward, waiting on Bill to get the

scrambler working.

Bones, Shacklebolt, and a man named Proudfoot, were there to represent

the Ministry. Amelia didn't trust anyone else. She had been iffy on

Kingsley, but the man vowed to keep this night's activity to himself. They

all waited in the dark, back-to-back in triangle formations of three. Sirius

Alastor, and Remus were covering Bill. They were only the seven strong,

but they had surprise on their side, they hoped.

Bill was so focused on what he was doing, that he didn't even note the

people around him. He was completely absorbed in his task. The ward

scrambler wasn't difficult to use, but it was time consuming. Every step

had to be meticulously done, which was one of the reasons so few were

made. Most people wanted in and out in quickly. As it was, this took at

least five minutes to set up and activate. If you rushed it, the wards

would trip, and you'd be noticed.

"Amelia," Sirius whispered to the woman in charge.

"What?" she hissed back, making sure to show that she didn't like that he

was making noise. Sometimes she hated working with amateurs. Oh,

Sirius had been an Auror back before he went to prison, but it seemed

that he had forgotten everything taught to him.

"Did you tell Albus?" was the quiet question.

"No," was all she said, looking at him puzzled. Why in all that was holy

would she even think on telling the Headmaster?

"Oh, okay, good," Black sighed. He didn't really think she had, but it was

a tense moment, and he wasn't thinking completely straight.

This was the defining moment in keeping Harry out of this 'war'. Last

thing he needed was for Albus to come and try to stop them from doing

what needed to be done. He hadn't even thought anyone would tell the

man until now. He glanced questioningly at everyone else, getting shakes

of no in return.

"Quiet," hissed Moody, his eyes never leaving the manor in front of them.

No one said anything else.

"Got it," Bill said quietly as he stood. He brushed his hands on to his

trousers, standing and getting his wand out. He joined Amelia's group

and made ready.

"Go, go, go," Amelia said with urgent quietness, waving her hand in an

'get moving' motion, and rushing everyone forward.

Bill was in the lead, while he had taken his time with the outer ward, the

inner one was going down in a blaze of glory. They didn't need to be

stealthy for that one. Now that the trip ward was gone, Voldy and his

DE's would think they were further away.

BOOM! went the wards.

"Go," Amelia shouted, then called to the manor, "Tom Riddle, you and

yours are under arrest."

She knew it wouldn't help but one had to obey the law. Especially, if one

was the law.

A score of men and woman in black robes poured out of the house. Most

of them didn't have masks, so it was easy to identify them. Narcissa took

the lead, having learned of her sister's squibbing, had turned her to her

husband' cause. She had always believed in blood purity but was smart

enough to know that inbreeding was a thing. So, when she learned of

Bella's death, she wanted revenge. Anger drove her forward now, while

the others spread out.

Most of the Death Eaters were caught flatfooted, seeing that their

opposition was so close to the house.

All seven of the attackers sent a barrage of spells to the unsuspecting

'victims'. If you could call those like these people a victim. Not one of the

attackers had any sympathy as they mowed down half of Riddle's

minions, bar those like Narcissa and Greyback. For someone who had

thus far stayed out of the fight, Narcissa was one hell of a fighter.

Said woman avoided the first volley, sending deadly curses in return.

That was enough for the attackers to go lethal. The Death Eaters were not

expecting that. They were to use to the Order firing disabling spells. A

good half of the defenders were down before they could blink. Most of

them won't be getting back up.

Two of the Death Eaters had already broken off from the fight and ran

back into the house. Amelia let them go, figuring they going to do the

futile thing of warning their 'Lord'. Like the man didn't already know they

were there.

As fight raged on it was clear that Sirius and Amelia's people were

winning. Riddle had yet to come out of the house, neither had the two

Death Eaters. Which made Sirius concerned, so he whipped out Harry's

invisibility cloak and snuck past the fighting. He quietly crept toward

where he knew the ballroom was. Figuring that ole Tom would have set

up shop there. The man was pretentious enough.

He heard hissing and peeked around the doorway. It was a scene that

would have made him laugh any other time. Voldy was arguing with his

snake. At least that is what it looked like. That and it appeared that the

man was losing. The snake was coiled up in front of the Dork Lord, only

standing high enough to be in Tom's face. It was clear from the

expression on Riddle's face that they were fighting.

Sirius, instead of laughing, line up his wand and fired a cutting curse.

The curse hit true, and Nagini was dead before old Voldy could react.

Sirius fired off a few more shots, then ran to get to an empty room. He

quickly took out his mirror and called the house.

"Harry, it's done, your turn," was all he said in a hushed whisper. Then he

put the mirror away after disconnecting it.

Then he laid in wait, while the Dark 'Lord' moved around the house

casting a revealing spell in each room he entered. Sirius knew the Cloak

would hide him, but he needed to wait until the idiot was mortal. So,

after Tom left the room he was hiding in, he snuck behind him and

followed the frustrated man around the house. Any other time, Sirius

would have found this hilarious. Okay, he did think it was too funny, but

he had enough control not to laugh.

He was going to use the memory for his next Patronus.

He did wonder where those two Death Eaters went though. He really

hoped they weren't calling for back-up.

Hphphp

Earlier.

Harry had been waiting on pins and needles for the okay. His wand was

hovering over the items, and his face was so tense, Andi was afraid it

would break. The mirror was laying on the table in front of him, just

waiting for the signal. If Sirius got the snake, he'd use the mirror. If

Amelia did the deed, then she would send a Patronus.

"Calm down," Andi said softly, putting a hand on his arm. "If you make

your arm tired now, you will not be ready when it is time."

Harry took a deep breath and lowered his arm. She was right, it was

getting tired.

"Wotcher," came a voice from the doorway.

"Tonks, what are you doing here? I thought you were keeping an eye on

Snape," Harry said whirling around, almost falling in the process.

"He left," she answered with a shrug. "As far as I know, he's with Riddle,"

she added, going to give her mum a hug. "Since he's probably going to be

arrested, I figured I'd help here," she finished, taking a seat next to Harry.

"I've got the gang covering for me, just in case I'm wrong."

"Oh, okay," Harry said, not sure how he felt about Snape being in the

fight. Just because the man warned them about the horcrux, didn't make

him a nice man. For all Harry knew Snape might have made an oath

about making sure Harry survived, or some such rot.

"I, for one, am glad you are here," Andi said, getting up and heading

towards the door. "I did not like to be here," she said, stopping right

before leaving and turning to them she explained. "When I married your

father, I gave up 'dark magic'," she said, nodding to her daughter. "While

the spell that Harry is doing isn't 'dark,' per se, it isn't 'light'. It makes me

uncomfortable being around those objects as well. I don't know what

they are, but they give off an evil feel. So, no, I am glad you're back,

Nymphadora, so that I may remove myself."

"I get it, Mum," Tonks said. She knew that after the Blacks had kicked her

mum out, the older woman had sustained on only doing spells necessary

for her work and keeping house. It was kinda sad that so much was lost,

but even though her mum was now brought back into the family, she still

only wanted to be surrounded by 'light' magic.

"I don't get it, but it is your choice," Harry said, scratching his head.

"Thank you for almost going against your principles."

"You are more than welcome, Harry. I would do anything to prevent a

war, even bending my morals, if needs must. Those can be brought back,

the dead cannot," Andi said, giving the boy a small smile. Then she

nodded her head and left.

Harry turned towards Tonks and lifted an eyebrow.

"I'll explain another time," she said, shaking her head. "We need to be

ready for the signal," she added, moving so that she was next him.

"Right," was all he said.

They didn't really talk after that, but there were a few words of

encouragement from Tonks, here and there. Like 'any minute now,' or

'you can do it, Harry,' things like that. Every time Harry got antsy, Tonks

would try and sooth him. If she could, she would do the spell, but it was

decided that even though they don't know the exact words of the

prophecy, they wanted to make sure Harry had a part in Tom's demise.

Right when Harry was about to cry out in frustration, Sirius's call came

through. The message received; Harry cast the spell on each of the items.

One by one a ghostly image of Voldy appeared, screamed and died. It

was almost anti-climactic for Harry and Tonks, but at least now they

knew he was mortal. It had taken longer than anticipated because Harry

had to use Parseltongue on a few, like the locket.

"It done," the boy said, slouching in his chair. Tonks did the messenger

Patronus to give Sirius the go-ahead. "Do you think they are alright?"

Harry asked when she was done. He was glad she took that initiative

because he was beat.

"I'm sure they are. They've been training for this day for weeks now. Sure,

that's not terribly long, but they put their all into it. That and most of

them are veterans to war. I know all but Kingsley fought in the last one,"

she answered, trying to be reassuring. She, like Harry, wished she were

there as well. It was her job, however, to keep the teen here. For all he

too had been training, he was nowhere ready to face a man with decades

more experience.

"We can spar," Harry offered, knowing that there was no way he was just

going to sit and wait for them to return. Sparring would take his mind off

things. He had thought about reading the book that Sirius gave him last

night, but after about an hour reading it the night before, it didn't really

keep him distracted. He didn't let his brother know that though. It had

been a nice gesture.

Hphphp

I know it's a bit short, but my hand is in a brace, so yeah. Enjoy.

29. Chapter 29 So Long Tom

Chapter 29: So Long Tom

Oops, I put Bellatrix in the last chapter. Someone pointed out that I had

squibbed her in the beginning. So, I replaced her with Narcissa.

Hphphp

The battle was dying down. There were only two Death Eaters, and

Tommy boy, left to deal with. Voldy had yet to make an appearance

outside the house. Narcissa and Lucius were the only ones still fighting.

Lucius was fighting to kill, and his wife copied his moves. They may not

be in a love marriage, but both took family very seriously. Therefore,

they would win together, or die together.

Amelia did always admire that about purebloods. Her family was much

the same, having been raised on the same principle. Still, she wasn't

going to let their teamwork bring her down if she could help it. She could

see by the way the blond man was fighting that he had spent the last

decade or so just playing politics. During the last 'war' Lucius was a man

to fear, but now, his wife, who never fought before, was doing better

than him.

Kingsley was down. He was bleeding badly, but Remus was attending to

him, while Bill was keeping them covered. The man, Proudfoot was also

down, but he was just disabled. Moody and Amelia were fighting

Narcissa and Lucius.

Moody had just blasted Lucius in the leg and quickly tied him up. He

nodded to Amelia who was still fighting Narcissa. Seeing she didn't need

his help, he started gathering all the Death Eaters, be they dead or not,

and putting them in a group. He then had them sit side by side in a

circle, backs facing each other and made a huge rope to tie them

together.

Hphphp

Meanwhile, in the manor. Sirius was still sneaking around. Not that those

fighting knew that, but they were sure the man would not have left them

to fight if he were not busy doing something necessary. At the moment,

he was trying to find out what happen to the two Death Eaters that had

snuck away. He was peeping around corners, still staying with in cursing

distance of Tom.

Just then three things happened all at once. A Patronus flew in,

Dumbledore showed up, and Peter in rat form scurried to his master.

Sirius was about to throw off the cloak when Dumbledore decided that it

was time he talked to Tom.

Sirius stayed hidden, watching and waiting for his opening.

"Tom, tonight you will pay for your crimes. That is the Head of the DMLE

out there fighting your men. She will be arresting them shortly. You will

soon follow. Give up now, and perhaps she will be lenient on you," the

Headmaster said, like he was the one who planned the whole thing. The

old man had his wand pointed at the noseless man.

Riddle raised his wand and sneered. "Dumbledore, how kind of you to

present yourself to me. It saves me the trouble of tracking you down."

Both men were grandstanding, which they were both well known for.

Neither wanted to throw the first curse, since Voldy was known to fear

Dumbledore, and Albus was known for giving second, third, or however

many chances to the wrong people.

The fact that the Headmaster thought that this… being could be saved let

Sirius know that there was something terribly wrong with the old man.

Perhaps it was time he retired. Permanently.

Sirius scoffed and pulled out his mirror. He activated it on silence mode.

Which meant that those on the other side could hear it, but they couldn't

be heard. Right now, he was hoping Andromeda would be paying

attention. And that she would write down what was said, so her husband

would have evidence.

Little did he know that Tonks was doing just that, after she heard the last

sentence from old Voldy. She nodded to Harry to listen in, and they

leaned forward to hear everything.

The two men were still going back and forth, both saying nothing, while

incriminating themselves all the same.

"Tell me, Dumbledore, where is your hero? I hear that Harry Potter has

turned against you. Not that I blame him, you are an interfering old man.

Who doesn't know how to keep his big nose out of other people's

business," Voldy said, glaring at the man who had made his life

miserable, for as long as he could remember.

"Tom, why do you wish to know?" Albus asked, truly wondering what

Voldemort was thinking. Did the man know the full prophecy? He knew

that Sirius and Harry had listened to it. Did Voldemort learn it from

Harry's head? Was the boy still connected to Tom? Severus had said that

he was not, but if Harry had not died, then how was the horcrux

removed? He had a hard time believing that he had been wrong for so

many years.

"That is my business old man. Once again you are poking your nose in

where it doesn't belong," Voldy sneered, watching his sniveling underling

cower towards him. Like he'd protect the weakling.

Sirius looked to the side and saw Snape lurking in the shadows. That man

was very good at staying hidden until he wanted to be seen. If there was

one thing he could give the man credit for, it was that Snape was one of

the best spies Sirius had ever seen. None of the others, during the last

war, had lasted as long at Snivellus had. If nothing else, Sirius was

impressed with that.

Peter took that moment to fully change. "Master," the mousy man said,

finally getting the courage to speak, "we're losing."

"What?!" Voldemort exclaimed, not fathoming for a moment that his

people would lose to a bunch of tree huggers.

"They went lethal, Master. They are killing the others. We were not

prepared for that," Peter said, hiding behind his master, without

appearing to do so. Spineless man that he was.

"That's very unlikely, Peter. It Aurors are not allowed to kill," Albus said,

as if he was in control of the others. Severus had said they were fighting

back with force, but he knew that the Ministry would never condone

deadly force.

"Yet, they are," the ratman said, squeaking more than speaking. "I saw

them with my own eyes," he protested further, still hiding behind the

man who could care less if he died or not. "A good half of us were dead

before we could even fight back."

Sirius took the time to get behind Peter, so he would be in the position to

take him out the moment he transformed. There was no way he was

going to let his old friend escape this time.

"If they are fighting out there, why are you in here?" Tom asked, not

turning from the old man, but making it sound like a threat, just the

same.

"I came to protect you," Peter whimpered, unconvincingly.

"Leave, Wormtail. Leave now or die by my hand. You had better be going

to help your comrades, or I will find you and you will wish yourself

dead," the Dark 'Lord' said, making the coward cringe.

Peter transformed and was heading out to do as he was ordered, when

suddenly he couldn't move. Then for some unknown reason, he was being

dragged across the floor, though no one seemed to notice. Once he

reached the person capturing him, it went dark.

Sirius tucked the rat in his pocket. He spelled the opening shut, so that

there would be no accidental escape. Then he fired a stunning curse at

Snape, making the man fall to the ground. Both the men, who were still

facing off, looked at the down man, then back at each other, then

thinking they now had a common enemy, they both turned and started

casting revealing spells.

"Whoever you are, come out now and I will be lenient," Tom said,

peering at corners like they would reveal the culprit.

"Harry, my boy, how did you get here? Last I saw you were at school,"

Dumbledore said, correctly guessing that the Invisibility Cloak was at

play, but incorrectly guessing who was using it.

Sirius remained silent. They had made sure that the Cloak could not be

seen. Moody had found all the spells on it and removed them. Though he

was loathed to do so. It would now hide from anyone, including Moody,

which, as said, the man didn't like but agreed it was necessary.

Everyone jumped when there was a large explosion outside the room.

The windows lit up like it was morning. Then the light faded. They didn't

move from where they were, but they did look towards the wall the

sound came from. That was when Sirius took his shot. He fired a piercing

curse at Voldy and got him right between the eyes.

The Dark Lord dropped, never to get up again.

Dumbledore rushed to the man's side. Not believing for a moment that he

was dead. Unless he knew Harry had done it, then to him, it was not

over.

Sirius knew it was a cowardly move, but they also knew that if

Dumbledore knew who killed the man, then there was a good chance that

person would wind up in Azkaban. Well, maybe not, but having stayed at

that 'resort' once before, Sirius was not eager to take the chance.

As it was, had not the old man been here, he might have faced the Dark

'Lord' in combat. Perhaps it was better that it played out this way instead.

As much as he would have liked to duel the now dead man, he wasn't

sure he would win. After all, he had spent 12 years in the worst place on

earth. There wasn't much he could have done in there to stay in shape.

Not to mention that the Dementors would have never allowed it.

"Harry, I am so disappointed in you. You know that this is not the end,"

Albus said, rising from his inspection of Tom. "Tom will rise again. You

are only putting off the inevitable," the old man droned on.

Sirius decided not to engage in talk with the old man. Harry had an alibi,

so he wasn't worried about the Headmaster trying to make the boy out to

be 'dark', or some such rot. He didn't care what the old man said about

him, he had permission to go lethal from Bones. Still…

While the old man prattled on, Sirius was making his way towards the

door. Moving slowly as to not make a sound. He wanted to get to Amelia

before Albus did.

Speaking of Bones, she and Moody ran into the room right at that

moment. They both stopped short at seeing the dead man on the floor.

"Albus, what in the blazes are you doing here?" Moody asked, firing off a

spell that wrapped the dead guy in ropes. They weren't going to take any

chances until he was thrown through the Veil.

"Severus warned me that a group of people were trying to take down

Voldemort. I decided to come and lend a hand," the old man said.

"Did you kill, Riddle?" Amelia asked, roping up Snape for good measure.

"No, I do believe that young Harry is here," Dumbledore said, looking

around the room trying to locate the Cloak. He didn't understand, he had

spelled the cloak to always be visible to him. It was only practicing good

responsibility. He couldn't have a child running around the school

invisible.

"If you're looking for Harry, you won't find him here. He is at home

where he belongs," Bones said, floating the two tied up men in front of

her, while she made to leave the room. She knew it was Sirius, but there

was no way Dumbledore could prove it. That was the way they had it

planned. Whoever got the Dork Lord, would stay out of it.

Meanwhile Sirius had left the room and was now running back in it, like

he had been outside the whole time. "Sorry, I didn't come sooner. I found

the rat, and needed to capture him," he said, playing like he was out of

breath.

"Good, hand him over, and he can be tried with Snape," Bones said,

nodding to Moody to take over floating the two men.

Moody did, while Sirius undid his pocket and handed over the stunned

rat.

"Severus has my-" was all the Headmaster said, before he was

interrupted.

"I don't care," Amelia snapped. "You are not an Auror, or even a Ministry

worker anymore. Therefore, you have no say in the matter. I am not the

men of old that worship the ground you walk on, Albus Dumbledore. If

this man had committed crimes, he must pay for them," she stated firmly,

all but snarling in his face. "There is nothing you can do to stop that. No

man is above the law, not even you. Get that through your head." She

sniffed and folded her arms, as if daring the man to say different.

Albus pulled himself up to his impressive height, and he looked down his

nose at her. "I am Albus-" he said, before being interrupted again.

"We don't care," Sirius said this time, looking down his nose at the taller

man. "You were not part of the planning that went into tonight. You were

not invited, and you took no part in the fight. You have already said, it

wasn't your spell that killed Voldy, so you can just keep your mouth shut

and let us finish what we came here for," he said, before spinning around

and stomping out of the room. Much like a teen who was told to keep his

music down.

Amelia and Alastor followed behind, not giving Dumbledore any more of

their time. they had stuff to do tonight and fighting with Albus was not

part of that. The first thing they had to do was throw Tom Riddle, aka

Voldemort, through the Veil. There would be no chance of him

recovering from death this time.

Not that he could, but it paid to safe.

Dumbledore stood where they left him. His Machiavellian mind going a

thousand miles a minute. This was not the way it was supposed to end.

Harry was the one who was supposed to make the final blow that would

end the Dark 'Lord's' reign of terror. Albus had planned it for years. Every

step was important. How did it all go wrong?

He would never know.

Hphphp

Okay, another short one, but still messing with my hand. Hope you enjoyed.

Also, I want to thank each and everyone of you that took the time to review/

comment. My tablet won't let me reply, and the only time I'm on my computer

is when I'm writing. So, thanks from the bottom of my heart for all the support

you've given me throughout this story, and my others.

Also, I was asked if I say the Dork Lord on purpose. Yes, yes, I do. It is

demeaning and meant to point out that the man is not a Lord of anything.

30. Chapter 30 Is It Over?

Chapter 30: Is It Over?

Hphphp

Harry was pacing back and forth in front of the door of Grimmuald Place.

He was waiting anxiously for the team to return from the battle. The

mirror had cut off when Sirius went to the Ministry, at Amelia's request.

They had taken down every word, and they made sure that all three, that

were in the house, had a copy. They didn't want to take any chances of

someone, who will not be named, would make the evidence disappear.

They also stored with the documents, their memories of listening to the

byplay of Albus and Tom.

Harry's head was going a thousand miles a minute, waiting for some

news that everything was okay, and everybody was alright. Andi was by

his side also waiting for news for evidence to make sure everybody was

at least alive. Tonks had gone back to Hogwarts, to see if the Headmaster

said anything. She was sure the old man would pull her aside and

question her whereabouts. Good thing she had an excuse.

Suddenly the door opened, and Sirius and Remus walked in.

"Well?" Harry blurted out, not even giving them time to remove their

cloaks.

"You know Riddle is dead, what else do you need?" Sirius said, teasing

him a bit.

"Come on, Sirius, be serious," Harry said, giving him a cheeky grin.

"I'm never serious, yet I always am," the dogman laughed.

"Okay, you two, enough byplay," Andi said, walking towards the kitchen.

"I want to know what happened after you got to the Ministry," she added,

going to the stove and putting the kettle on.

"It was pretty dull, actually. We got there, scared the living crap out of

everyone, by floating the Dork Lord through the lobby. Bones made sure

that everyone present knew that the man was dead, and not coming back.

She claimed that she didn't know who killed him, but was positive that it

was not Harry," Remus explained, sitting at the table and resting he head

on his folded arms. It had been one hell of a night. "Everyone on our

team survived but only just," he added, as an afterthought.

"That is good to hear," Andi said, taking cups out of the cupboard with

her wand.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "What happened then?" he asked, turning back to

his brother.

"We took Voldy down to the Dept. of Mysteries and were met by the

Unspeakables. They showed us to the Veil Room, without us even asking,

mind you. Once we got there, Amelia just floated the boy through. It was

anticlimactic," the older man sighed.

"What did you expect to happen? Death to show up and thank you for

killing off the man who ran from him?" Harry asked, giving his brother a

queer look.

"Maybe," Sirius said, sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"What about Snape? I know you got him, so what happened to him?" the

teen asked, looking at Remus's head, then back to Sirius. His brother

looked just as tired as his wolfy friend, but he seemed more determined

to answer Harry's questions.

"He's locked up for the night. Amelia said she was too tired to play games

with him. That and time in the cell will make whatever he's taken, which

we are sure he has, time to weaken. There are potions that will counter

Veritaserum."

"Oh, I didn't know that." the boy said, thinking hard on what that would

take. Still, Snape was a master of potions.

"Anything else we should know?" Andi asked, bringing a tea service to

the table, with lots of sweets to boost their energy, if they could get up

enough to actually eat them.

"Malfoy's, the seniors, were the only ones left standing, and Moody got

them with a very powerful Lumos," Sirius explained, glad he knew were

that light had come from. For a while there he thought the muggles had

dropped a bomb. From what Lily had showed them once, in a book, it

looked pretty much like that.

"Oh," Harry said knowingly.

"The exploding sound you heard on the mirror, was Lucius's wand when

he tried to counter-curse blindly. His hand will never be the same. Not

that it mattered, he's going away for life. So's Narcissa. I was upset to

hear that. And now that I know she didn't carry the Dark Mark, but was

planning on it, I booted her out of the family. I don't know what to do

about Draco, but that's a problem for another time," Sirius finished, all

worn out now. He joined Moony with putting his head down too.

"Can't Draco live with Pansy? I mean, aren't they betrothed or

something?" Harry asked, sitting with his tea, not pouring Sirius or

Remus any. It looked like they could use a nap.

"Maybe, we don't know. Most of the Death Eaters that died have kids at

Hogwarts. There were a few still alive, and Remus ported them to St.

Mungo's," Sirius said, turning his head sideways so that he wasn't talking

to the table.

"But all of you are alright, right?" the teen asked again, just to make sure.

"Yeah, we're good," was the mumbled answer from both men, before they

started softly snoring.

"Shouldn't we make them go to bed?" Harry asked Andi, worried that

they might wake up with a crick in their necks.

"They'll be fine for a little while. Let's finish our tea, and if they have

roused by then, we'll float them upstairs," she said, looking fondly at the

two Marauders.

"If you say so," Harry said, picking up his cup and grabbing a pastry. His

eyes not quite leaving the two men.

Just then Moody Flooed in, he took one look at the sleeping men,

snorted, said "Later." Then he stomped upstairs.

"I guess we should leave the rest until morning," Andi said with a sigh,

then finished off her tea, nodded to Harry and levitated Remus up the

stairs. "Good night, Harry," she said as she left the room.

"Night, Andi," he answered, eating the rest of his pastry, and then doing

the same for Sirius. After tucking his brother into bed, he went to bed

himself. He was just glad it was over. It was, wasn't it?

Hphphp

Tonks made it back to the castle before Dumbledore. She quickly made to

the library, where Hermione was waiting for her.

"Quickly, take these," the bushy-haired witch said, shoving a pile of books

into 'Harry's' arms. She then grabbed 'his' elbow and started out of the

room. "Thank you, Madam Pince, we got what we were looking for," she

whispered quietly to the librarian as they passed the check out desk.

"Be sure you bring my books back unharmed," Pince said with a bit of

heat.

"Don't I always?" Hemione said with a huff. Five years she'd been coming

here, and no matter how gently she treated the books, this vile woman

reacted the same. It was almost a ritual, for her to keep her temper. She

had lost it a few times on the woman. She, of course was banned from

the library for a week, until she protested to a teacher, usually Flitwick,

and they reinstated her privileges.

"Come on, Hermione, let's get out of here. I'm beat with all the reading

you made me do," 'Harry' said in his typical fashion.

"Oh, alright," Hermione said, sweeping up the checked-out books and all

but stomping out of the library.

As the two were making their way up the stairs to Gryffindor tower, they

were stopped by the Headmaster. "Harry, my boy, after tomorrow's

breakfast hour, I would like to see you in my office," the old man said,

looking over his glasses in a knowing manner.

"Have I done something wrong?" 'Harry' asked, looking lost and confused.

"I mean, I've been in the library with Hemione all night," 'he' added,

pointing to 'his' best friend.

"Yes, we were studying DADA since we don't have a teacher at the

moment," Hermione added, lifting the books for Dumbledore to see. They

were, as noted, DADA books.

"Ah, the tenacious of the youth. Good show, to you both, and ten points

to Gryffindor for taking the initiative," the old man said, carefully looking

at the titles. "Nevertheless, in my office after breakfast. I find I like Sugar

Quills this month," Albus added, turning around to leave the area. He had

a bit to think about. He was sure the two were lying, but they had

rudimentary Occlumency shields. The like of which he had never come

across outside of a werewolf.

"Fine," 'Harry' huffed, and then stomped up the stairs. Hermione in 'his'

wake.

When they got to the common room, they both fell into chairs next to the

fireplace.

"Well?" Ron asked, picking up one of the books, noting the title and then

dropping it back on the table. He already had that one.

"As far as I know, it's over," Tonks said, with a huge grin.

"Really?" came the cautious question from three teens, who were all

leaning forward to hear what was to be said.

"Yes," she confirmed. Then she too leaned forward, Ginny, Ron,

Hermione, and Neville, were almost touching heads as they all met in the

center. "I heard the whole thing, Sirius was invisible, and while Riddle

and Dumbledore were being witty, he took a shot and bam, one dead

Dark Lord," she said, leaning back with a smile.

"Thank Merlin," Ginny sighed. Neville nodded in agreement.

"So, why does the Headmaster want to see you, if you weren't there?"

Hermione asked, picking up a book and skimming the pages. She was

trying to look normal.

"Like I said, he didn't see who did what, so he automatically assumed it

was 'me'," 'Harry' stated, shrugging a shoulder.

"Well, let's hope our alibi worked," Hermione said, closing the book and

standing. "I'm headed to bed. It's been a nerve-wracking night. Good

night, all."

"Night," came the acknowledgments of the rest of the group.

"I'm beat too," Tonks said, going up to the fifth-year boys' dorm. She

closed the curtains and waited until they all went to sleep. She hadn't

done much, but like Hermione said, it was nerve wracking to wait for

news. Once all the boys were out, she snuck to the Head girl's room. It

took all of five seconds for her to be in the land of Morpheus.

Hphphp

The next morning, at Grimmuald Place, everyone was in much better

spirits. They were eating a typical English Breakfast, when Tonks Flooed

in. She tripped as usual, but that didn't stop her from laughing.

"Nymphadora, what is so funny?" her mother asked, waving her wand

and cleaning up the juice the young woman had knocked over with

practiced ease.

"I just left Dumbledore's office, let's just say he is not happy with me,"

Tonks said with a grin, sitting next to Remus and filling up her plate.

"Caught you out, did he?" Moody asked, waving his wand over his food.

After all this time, no one took offence that he did so.

"Sorta, I mean, I did let him know who I was. After about an hour of him

accusing me of killing Riddle," she said, with a self-satisfied smirk.

"You let him go on for an hour?" Harry exclaimed, thinking of all the

times he folded within minutes of being in the old man's company.

"Trust me, he's got nothing on Moody here," she answered with a snort.

"So, what, you told him, and he booked you out?" Sirius asked, putting

his beans on his toast, making Andi sniff at his non-pureblood behavior.

"Actually, I had to run for it," she confessed sheepishly.

"Why?" was Harry's question.

"That old bastard tried to use Legilimency on me. He wanted to know

what I know about where you are," Tonks said, folding her arms at the

affront.

"Not that it would do him any good. This place is still hidden," Sirius

said, smugly. "He hasn't been able to find it since I booted him out ages

ago."

"I know, and I know it's protected, but it made me so mad at his casual

use of Legilimency," Tonks huffed. "So, when I say I had to run, it was

because I was so angry that I almost got into a duel. I had to hightail it

out of there before I could get myself into something, I knew I couldn't

win," she finished with finality.

"Have we heard from Amelia yet," Ted asked, speaking for the first time.

"No, and I don't expect to until she's finished questioning Snape," Moody

said, eating the last of his eggs.

"Oh, well, I guess we'll just have to wait," Harry said, drinking the rest of

his orange juice. He hated waiting.

"Don't worry, Harry, I'm sure news will come soon," Sirius said, knowing

that Amelia wanted it all in order as soon as possible.

"Sure, I get that," Harry said, picking up a scone and lathering it with

cream. "I just hate waiting," he added.

"I'll head to the Ministry," Moody said, standing to do just that. "I'll Floo

as soon as I know anything," he finished, then stomped to the Floo.

"Thanks, Moody," the teen said, stuffing the rest of his breakfast in his

mouth.

Hphphp

An hour later, Moody and Bones came through the Floo. Amelia made it

to the table first.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that Snape is going to be going away for

quite some time," she said, as she reached across the table, and grabbed a

cup of tea. It had been a long night and she wanted fortification.

"Really," Harry said, looking in her direction. "Why?"

"Well," the Head of the DMLE said, "I can't really tell you everything. It's

still an open investigation, but what I can tell you is that he has not been

completely honest with everybody for the last 10 years. While, what

Dumbledore said was true, Snape was a spy, he was a double spy." She

took a deep sip of her tea and sighed in satisfaction.

"Oh," the teen said, a confused look on his face.

"I always knew it," Sirius said, "That slimy bastard was always self-

centered. If there's one thing we learned, going to school with that man,

is that he will always look out for himself."

"I guess," Harry said, thinking about what he truly knew of Snape. All he

really knew that the Potions Master had once been friends with his

mother. He knew that they had gotten into a fight, and that they had

separated. he didn't know if they had ever made up after that, but it was

doubtful. He knew that his professor and his father, and friends, didn't

get along well. Above all, he knew that Snape was a bastard towards him

and his friends. Not much good could be said of the man.

"Wait, didn't he try to warn us?" Bill asked from his place by the fire.

"Yes," Bones answered with a nod. "I didn't say he was completely evil or

anything, but even good men break the law." She shrugged, like it was

just the way it was.

"Oh," was a collective answer.

"Don't think too hard on it, Harry. You'll just give yourself a headache,"

Remus added as he moved into the room.

"So, is that it? Does that mean it's all over?" Tonks asked, sitting next to

Remus.

"Let's see," Sirius said, lifting a finger, "One, the Dark Dick is dead for

good, all his little trinkets with him. Two, I'm free. Three, Harry is free.

Four, Snape it in jail. Five, all the Death Eaters are dead or in jail. Six,

Dumbledore is muzzled." He had lifted a finger for each point. And then,

he thought hard for a few minutes. And then added, "What else is

important?"

"Nothing that I can think of," Harry said, with a big smile.

"I think that covers all the important stuff," Remus said, giving Tonks a

knowing grin. Now that it was over, they could explore the feelings they

were having.

"It's all neat and tidy on my end. Umbridge dead. Fudge, like Dumbledore

is muzzled. All the bad guys we know about are, like Sirius said, dead or

in jail," Amelia said, finishing her tea.

"Thank Merlin," Harry said, heaving a huge sigh and then smiling bright

enough for everyone to feel his happiness.

"Yes, thank Merlin," his brother said, getting up and pulling Harry out of

his chair, where he proceeded to hug the stuffing out of him.

"It's done," Andi said, hugging her husband.

Hphphp

Okay, so this was a bitch to write, half dictated, half typed, because no matter

how good your program you still have to use you hands to get it right. Let me

know if I missed anything important. And I will endeavor to come back and

fix it.

Lame ending, I know, but with all the shit that my body is putting me

through…

I'm calling this complete.

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