A fate worse than...
Chapter 1
Disclaimer? No...why should I? It's not like everyone doesn't already know I don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters I'm writing about...er, that was like a disclaimer wasn't it? Ooops.
A/N: Right I'm back. Obvious as that may seem. I will state simply that I am knackered, after working 80+ hours weeks for months on end. My finances still suck big time but the bank is happier with me now and I can go back to my normal work load. I won't explain how I got into this situation because it'll sound like a tale of sour grapes...and that's because, well it is. More than enough blame to go round, some of it is even mine...Nuff said. Before I work on 'Team 8' (Yes, I decided to keep the name since the other stories by that name are abandoned) I need to reread it and regain my enthusiasm. This may take some time, not to read it, but life's pretty flat and dull at the moment so enthusiasm may take some doing.
/ Chapter begin \
"Repeat that headmaster," Harry demanded in a dumbfounded tone. He'd admit that that was a phrase he'd never thought to hear, ever.
"I'm sorry that my news isn't better. I had hoped to defuse this situation before it could become a problem, but alas Minister Fudge has proven to be intractable in his decision. I'm afraid that the expulsion order has been pushed through, both the Wizengamot and the school board. I'm afraid that the three of you have been expelled from Hogwarts."
Hermione for the first time looked up from the piece of parchment in her hands, unshed tears in her eyes as she whispered, "But why? What did we do?"
"Your actions in the Department of Mysteries have given him enough leverage to sentence you in this manner. I was lucky that I could limit him to this as his first inclination was to have you all thrown in Azkaban without trial," Dumbledore answered wearily. For the first time in many years he felt every one of his hundred and three years. When he said he'd tried every avenue to influence the outcome of this decision he wasn't jesting in any way shape or form. He had spent a lot of his remaining political currency trying to have the charges quashed. The truth was that he had nothing left to fight with after this, he had no way to stop any of the machinations of the Death Eaters in positions of authority within the Ministry. At least until people realized that he wasn't the crackpot the papers had made him out to be over the last twelve months.
"Trial? That's right! We should at least get a trial…" Harry trailed off as he saw the headmaster shake his head once more.
"The Wizengamot cast a vote as to whether it would be necessary to hold a trial and found that with the evidence as presented there was little need as your actions spoke on your behalf. As such you were tried in absentia. Justice in the wizarding world is somewhat behind the muggle world, things like your motivation have no meaning in the course of defending your case. The law may seem draconian but it's effective and quick. Did you break school rules by leaving the grounds without permission? The answer is yes, therefore you were liable to being expelled. Did you travel across muggle England on the backs of Thestrals? Again the answer is yes and therefore you may well have broken the 'Statutes of secrecy'. Did you then break into the Ministry of Magic? You cannot deny that you did so, and thus you have broken the law. Once you broke in, did your running fight with the Death Eaters lead to destruction of Ministry property? The only real question that the Minister asked was how much it would cost to fix."
"But that's not fair!" Harry exclaimed causing the other occupant in the room to react for the first time.
"No, it's not fair Harry, but then what do you expect from a corrupt Minster for Magic?" Three pairs of eyes fixed upon the formerly silent party and watched as she drifted away once more into wherever her thoughts went.
"She's right, he's a corrupt bastard. Surely there's something we can do about that? There's gotta be something?" Harry was almost pleading as he looked to the man that he'd respected and looked up to for the last four years.
"I have already explained Harry that I've done all that I can to help and protect you…"
"…But you're the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and the Supreme Mugwump…" Harry trailed off as Dumbledore raised a hand to forestall his diatribe.
"I'm not sure if you're aware of how little those titles actually mean. The only true powers that being Chief Warlock gives me is an additional vote in the unlikely event of a hung Wizengamot," Dumbledore stopped speaking as he noted that Harry was thinking about a 'Hung' Wizengamot, and had to admit that there were times when he himself wished for that eventuality, "The only other thing I might have been able to do was introduce a motion of no confidence in the current minister…"
"Then why didn't you do that?"
"If I had thought things would go this far then I would have done so…by time I realized what Cornelius was truly trying to do it was too late for that measure. As it is the procedure for a vote of no confidence is to allow the entry of no new matters to the Wizengamot until such time as all current issues have been resolved. This allows the Minister a chance to show that he was working on the problems that were at the heart of the no confidence vote. Then once that has all been done then the Wizengamot examines the actions of the Minister and then if they deem the motion of no confidence to be valid they put it to a vote. Unfortunately Cornelius knew that there was a likelihood that he'd be issued such a vote and he along with his undersecretary entered so many pieces of new legislation, most of it controversial, that it could take a decade before the vote of no confidence could be acted upon. Normally that would mean that your expulsion would have been ratified some eight years after you graduated Hogwarts, making it a moot point whether they expelled you or not. Sadly the Minister has the authority to deal with the issues in whatever order of precedence that he feels necessary, and as you can imagine with his popularity flagging as it is he chose to take out as many political threats as he can with one stone."
"What about being Supreme Mugwump?"
"While the position does have much more influence, I'm afraid that it is only on a global scale. I can influence many decisions but cannot interfere in matters of local justice unless said matters stand to reveal the magical world to the muggles. Things would be very much worse for you if I had not suppressed knowledge of the charges against you. The fact that you may have broken the Statute of secrecy would have meant that the ICW would have levelled charges at you also. As it is, I've managed to limit your sentence to a national level rather than an international one." Dumbledore sat back in his seat looking inordinately pleased with himself. Again he'd traded heavily on his past accomplishments and lost much of his political clout in the process, but it was much better to have an avenue to complete Harry's training rather than have him be the equivalent of a squib due to his inability to utilize his magic. Harry looked blankly at him as he tried to work through the implications of what the old man had just said.
Hermione made the connection first though, even though she didn't seem to be paying attention to anything going on around her, "So it's not a total expulsion?"
"That's correct Miss Granger," once more he was surprised and pleased by the young witches thought processes, "The exact specifics of the sentence are that you are expelled from Hogwarts. You are further restricted from possessing a wand within the British Isles. There was no mention of restricting you from using other magical foci, or any of the other magical arts such as rune crafting or potion making. Nor are you restrained from travelling overseas to either continue your magical educations or to be able to obtain another wand for your use, though I would advise that you not attempt to bring it into Britain with you or you may face more criminal charges. On the other hand, one of the bonuses of your situation is that you have all been emancipated, that means that you can act in your own interests in regards to monetary matters, you may possess property and enter into business contracts. I would suggest that you undertake a course of instruction in either estate management or business finance before undertaking any such actions though." The information just imparted had all three youngsters at the table paying attention to him finally thought the gaze of the young lady at the far end of the table was slightly unnerving. Albus had the feeling that she was weighing him, and he feared that he was coming up short in whatever standard she was applying to him.
Hermione, now that she'd come out of her fugue was mentally firing on all cylinders and drew the conversation back to an earlier point that the headmaster had made, and had hoped had gone unnoticed.
"Hold on a second, you said we're being punished for our actions at the Ministry?"
"Is there a question in there Miss Granger?"
"Yes. If we're being punished, then why only us three?"
"Ah, I see you've finally realised what is going on. The problem is that neither you, nor Harry are full blooded, nor do you have the protection of a proper guardian. I can only act in a limited frame as your magical guardian. The Weasley children are protected from prosecution by their blood status, a highly biased system I know but it is all we have at present, that and the fact that Arthur Weasley is a respected member of the Ministry. Neville Longbottom on the other hand is protected by his grandmother. A more formidable woman has not served on the Wizengamot within my memory. No one in their right minds would engage her wrath if they threatened the last Longbottom heir."
"What about Luna, she's a pureblood?"
"Alas I can only say that her father is not as respected as he should be. While it is true he has influence, it is not the kind that those in the Wizengamot respect, in fact he has made enemies within that august body to the point that they are quite willing to do him harm through his daughter. While I personally find the Quibbler a fascinating read as the articles are well researched and factual to such a degree as most educated wizards may hope," he chose to ignore Hermione's snort of derision, "as I was saying it is not widely respected and its editor is unfortunately labelled as a kook by many," he truly sounded sincere and regretful as he made that admission.
Hermione who'd read the paper a few times while trying to be loyal to their friend couldn't let that one lie, "What do you mean factual or well researched? As far as I've been…"
"Hermione, might I ask a question of you?"
"Er, yes," Hermione said, totally nonplussed to have her diatribe cut short by their headmaster.
"If someone had told you, before you knew of Hogwarts and the magical world that unicorns and dragons existed what would you have said?"
"I would have…I would have laughed in their faces," Hermione admitted a little shamefaced, but wondering what his point was.
"And yet all it took was a little knowledge and a change in perspective for you to believe in them?"
Hermione looked stunned by the implications of what Albus Dumbledore was intimating.
"Are you saying that all those creatures actually exist?"
"Hmm, well there are far stranger things than those reported in the Quibbler alive in this world or just outside the borders of this reality Ms. Granger. Yes, those creatures, or at least many of them do exist. There are three different types of creature that share this plane of existence with us, the first are mundane, then you have magical creatures and lastly you have creatures of magic…"
"Aren't those last two the same thing?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
"No, magical creatures are flesh and blood, they have a physical form. On the other hand creatures of magic are created out of pure magic, they have an energy form that a rare few people are privileged to be able to see. The Lovegood family have many different forms of 'sight' and are numbered amongst those rare few people. Yes I know of your opinion of divination and while you are correct that it is a woolly subject that nonetheless does not mean that it is not a valid area of study for those with the gift.
Now, I feel we have diverged from our topic of conversation. We were discussing what the Wizengamot and the Ministry of Magic are doing to punish you. As I was about to say, I had to use up my influence in the Wizengamot to make sure you could only be tried as children. If they had managed to indict you as adults then I'm afraid you would all be spending the next fifty to sixty years in Azkaban which as I'm sure you can imagine would have been a disaster," the twinkle that had momentarily appeared in Dumbledore's eyes was absent as he continued explaining what had happened during the three weeks he'd managed to stall the Wizengamots deliberations.
"What more can they do to me? If I want to continue my education I have to leave the country, leave all my friends," though he'd be the first to admit they were a fickle bunch at the best of times. Right now he didn't want to guess what they'd be thinking about him.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news there Harry, you see the Minister proposed to regain some of the damages from the people who created said damage."
Hermione was suddenly horrified at the proposition that she'd have to explain all of this to her parents. It was going to be hard enough, what with them already being predisposed against her being in the magical world since they learned of the prejudices she would face. Not to mention the fact that they might ask certain people what had been happening during her time at Hogwarts and she didn't want to explain trolls, basilisks, escaped mass murderers(even if they were innocent), or the appearance of Lord Voldemort several times. It was bad enough they knew about the part she'd played in the Tri-Wizard cup. Something else that distressed her was even if she managed to convince her parents that she'd be perfectly safe overseas while she continued her education, with the way the ministry were angling to take Harry's trust fund it didn't look like he'd have the same opportunity.
"So after everything they've done to me they're going to take my trust fund as well?"
"No Harry, they're going to take your family vaults in their entirety, they also intend to confiscate any of the Potter properties and businesses they can. They were adamant that they take the Potter estate, they even made it part of a magically binding contract. I had to give in on this point as they offered something that you very much need at this time. I can not explain what it is at this point but believe me when I say it will make up for all that they've done to you so far. At present they are set in stone with the punishment and cannot further amend it in the future, no matter what happens. If they do then the Ministry will collapse. Literally. The building will fall and kill anyone inside it at the time. It would cost them much more than any single family has to rebuild from that, if they ever could."
"Excuse me," Hermione interrupted, "But what was that about an inheritance? I thought Harry only had the trust vault?"
That got Harry thinking as well, he thought back over the years and tried to remember anytime that the headmaster might have mentioned that he had anything other than his trust fund to carry him through school, and he couldn't. "So when were you going to tell me about this 'inheritance'?" he demanded. He'd leave being nice about things to Hermione, for his part he was reaching the end of his patience.
The old man looked like he'd rather not answer that question but knew that Harry wasn't going to leave it alone, "I'm afraid I wasn't going to tell you until you were graduating Hogwarts. I felt that you would concentrate on your studies better if you knew they would matter to your future…."
"…How dare you!" Harry cut in on Dumbledore's apology slash explanation. "Who gave you the right to mess with my life like that? Who gave you the right to mess with my life full stop?" The only thing that stopped him from rising to continue his rant was the arm of his friend resting atop his arm.
"Harry there are things happening that you don't understand…"
"I don't understand them because you won't explain what's going on! Then you act all disappointed when I act on the only information I've got and make mistakes or…" Harry stopped, unable or unwilling to continue.
"I'm sorry Harry but I thought it was best…You're a child for such a short time and you should be able to enjoy it."
"You could have told me and let me make a decision on it. You left me in the dark and I've wasted all this time that I could have been preparing to face him."
"Harry?" Hermione queried.
"Oh, didn't I tell you? There's a prophecy about me…"
"Harry I must insist that you don't share that information even with your friends," Albus spoke sternly.
"Demand and be damned! It's my prophecy, it's about me! You had no right to hide that from me. And for what, so that I could have some childhood? Yeah, like that ever happened, the Dursley's saw to that."
"Now Harry, it isn't polite to speak badly of those not present to defend themselves," Dumbledore admonished.
"Here, there, it doesn't matter where they are. I'll speak of them any which way I want to, I have the right. It's not like they could defend their actions if they were here in any case so it's probably lucky they aren't here. It'll save them a hexing if you kept them well away from me, though I wouldn't make any bets on it. I don't know if you were paying attention Dumbledore," Harry ignored Hermione's indrawn breath at his cavalier tone when addressing their headmaster, "But I've been emancipated. That means I don't have to listen to a word you say. As for following your sage advice, yeah, uh-huh, that's going to happen…because it's done me so much bloody good in the past."
"Harry!" Hermione reprimanded him sharply, though if she was honest with herself Harry was right. The headmaster of Hogwarts might be a great wizard but over the last five years he'd very rarely been any actual use in their varied adventures. He always seemed to be called away right at the critical time only to reappear just after Harry had sorted everything out. He had yet to back them against Draco Malfoy or Severus Snape in any of the their confrontations, or to be honest, anyone they should be able to expect some form of protection from.
"No, Hermione, I'm done talking about this. So we're expelled, wandless, soon to be penniless and hunted by death eaters. Did I miss anything?" he asked sarcastically, "And yet you expect me to depend on Dumbledore's protection? Have you actually been paying attention to the scrapes we've gotten through in the past five years? Name one time Hermione, just one time where the old man was there to protect us. He arrived after I'd defeated Quirrel, in Hogwarts. He didn't even know Voldemort was in the castle and you've told me how good the dark arts detection wards are for Hogwarts. Same thing with the diary in second year, and don't get me started on not knowing what the monster was.
I mean how many magical monsters are capable of petrifying their victims? Cross that list with those with a long enough lifespan to actually be Slytherin's monster and there are only three and two of them were Greek demigods. I don't care how powerful Salazar Slytherin was there was no way having either of the Gorgons as his monster was a credible possibility. That only left the basilisk and let's face it, with Slytherin's snake motif it should have been pretty damn obvious, and yet even with roosters being killed and spiders fleeing the grounds, a hundred and fifty year old wizard of Albus Dumbledore's standing and knowledge couldn't figure it out? The only other option is that he did know and left us to deal with it. The question is why? The only thing that makes sense is that you were testing us. Add second year to the fact the traps in our first year could be defeated by a determined bunch of first years and it starts to look real suspicious doesn't it?"
"Harry I assure you…"
"Haven't you figured it out 'Sir'?" Harry returned snidely, "I don't care about your assurances. I've had enough…" Having decided on a course of action Harry arose from his chair and stormed out of the room leaving two stunned people behind and another who had missed the whole conversation due to a close up examination of the Nargle nest in the corner of the room. Nargles were after all such interesting creatures.
/ Later \
"Harry are you all right?" Hermione asked cautiously as she peered around the door. She'd finally tracked him down to perhaps the first place she should have looked if she'd been thinking straight. The problem was that she wasn't thinking straight at the moment and thus she'd checked every other room in the house before finally coming to the library. Knowing how Ron and Harry had actively, unless she'd managed to drag them, avoided the school library, she could be forgiven for assuming that he'd have been anywhere else.
Harry turned from his contemplation of the fire in the great hearth and looked up at his best friend. Many would have asked about that and wondered why Ronald Weasley wasn't his best friend and the answer would be that Ron hadn't been there as a friend when the chips were down. When public opinion was against Harry then Harry could never find Ron unless he was one of the people casting aspersions. Yet when it was proven that Harry wasn't the heir of Slytherin or didn't cheat his way into the Tri-Wizard tournament he'd assumed that a half arsed 'Sorry' would make things right again, and to be honest he'd let things return to normal because he had so little experience with those mythical beasts that others called friends.
Hermione on the other hand had never turned her back on him when he needed her. Oh, she'd turned his Firebolt in behind his back but now, years later he'd admit that she'd done it with the best of intentions and nothing really bad had come from it. She harped on about how they should do their homework or study and again he'd admit that she was trying to be as helpful as she knew how. It didn't always work out as she planned but that could be put down to the fact that she had no real experience with friends and how to treat them either. One thing Harry had figured out was that she always did what she thought was best for her friends as the best way to show them that she cared.
Thinking on it like that led Harry to a sinking sensation in his heart. While he called her friend and had about as much experience with friends as she did he realized that he'd been taking advantage of her friendship for years. Even if she didn't see it that way, he'd used her to help get him by in his courses while he played around with Ron. It was only with hindsight and the knowledge of the prophecy that he knew, without a doubt in his mind that he'd been wasting the many opportunities he'd been given to learn. He could blame Albus Dumbledore all he wanted for not telling him about the prophecy, but he knew that it was really up to him to make the most of his learning experience at Hogwarts. Hermione had always been their trump card when they needed that critical piece of information to solve the latest mystery. Now? Well now it was all over, all of his chances were gone, and if Voldemort had his way then so to would Harry be finished.
Still, to ask him if he was alright after he'd just been handed a death sentence by the headmaster of the school? He raised an eyebrow in silent query. His bushy haired friend didn't miss the implied question, 'What do you think?'
"Oh right, silly question really," she admitted with a faint blush, "What I really should have asked is, what now?"
"What do you mean, 'What now'?"
"Well where are we going to go to school? It's obvious we can't stay in England."
"What do you mean 'We' Hermione? Didn't you hear him, they're going to take everything I own. It's not like I can flap my arms and fly to another country. Besides, haven't I done enough to you?"
"To me?" Hermione asked incredulously, "I'll have you know Harry that I wouldn't trade any of the last five years of my life and the friends I've made for anything."
"Polyjuice potion?" he reminded her of her disastrous run in with the advanced potion in their second year.
"Well maybe that, but definitely nothing else. Not even being petrified by the basilisk. So don't think that just because we've been dealt a blow I'm going to throw our friendship away. Even if you're broke, I happen to know that my parents would help you out. Especially since they know how many times you've saved my life, not to mention the school."
"But…"
"No buts Harry. I'd suggest that we at least try to get some sleep tonight since I'm sure it'll be a busy day tomorrow. While you're with Dumbledore at the bank tomorrow I'll have a talk with my mum and dad and see what we can arrange. Once I've spoken with them we can plan what to do," Hermione trailed off as she realized she'd run out of ideas for the moment. Well not really, it was just that everything hinged on other things. They could plan for hours and have it all come unstuck in the bright light of tomorrows reality.
"I know it sounds futile Harry, but try not to worry. I won't say everything will be better tomorrow but at least we'll know where we stand and can do something about it. I'll, I'll see you in the morning then?" she really didn't want to leave him here but she felt that if she led by example then he might follow.
"Yeah, 'Mione, I'll see you in the morning," Harry gave her a weak smile as she started to turn reluctantly away and headed for the door. Harry didn't wait to hear the click of the door closing before he turned back to the flames to ponder his life and future. It would be a long, sleepless night for several people, and Harry wouldn't even pretend that he was going to get any. There were too many things that he needed to decide and too little time to do so.
/ Ministers office, Ministry of Magic \
Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic for the last thirteen years, was just this side of gloating and it would take a very observant witness to figure out which side of gloating that was. He'd finally managed to do something he'd been attempting off and on for the last three years, he'd managed to totally discredit the Potter brat. Discredit? No, he'd destroyed the boy and with him any power he might wield.
At one time he'd feared that the lad would eclipse him politically, if he ever decided to use that celebrity status of his, but now it was all a moot point. The department that dealt with underage magic had given the boy a warning at the start of his second year, followed at the beginning of his fifth year with an actual court case that while it went nowhere had brought the situation to the minds of many of the more conservative members of the Wizengamot.
This latest outburst of underage magic was beyond the pale though, and no one could deny that breaking into the Department of Mysteries was a serious breach of the law, as an added bonus he'd been able to use it to weaken other of his political adversaries such as the Weasleys and Longbottoms not to mention the fact that Albus Dumbledore had lost an awful lot of esteem due to this fiasco. It hadn't been as damaging as he'd first hoped but they had definitely taken hits to their influence within the Ministry.
The downside of course was that he could no longer deny the return of Voldemort since he'd seen the monster with his own two eyes. While Albus Dumbledore had certainly lost some of his sway due to the Boy-who-lived leaving both school grounds during the school year and entering the DoM, he was also about to regain much of the prestige he'd lost due to the Prophets smear campaign over the last eight months, and maybe just a little more due to his staunch support of the unpopular belief that the Dark Lord had returned.
On the same night he'd seen Dumbledore duelling Voldemort he'd called for an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot. Not for the fact that he'd seen Voldemort as some might surmise, but for the fact he now had enough ammunition to throw at Potter and make it stick. No more would he be able to make the minister of magic out to be a laughingstock. The motion to have Harry James Potter expelled from school and his wand snapped had been voted on after an hour of the most obtuse hyperbole and much to his delight had carried with more than sixty percent of the Wizengamots approval. He was pretty sure it had more to do with the late hour and the fact that if the vote didn't carry then he was more than happy to continue lambasting them with the crimes of Potter, both real and imagined. Dumbledore had managed to stall the sentencing phase of the case for three weeks, but finally he'd managed to outmanoeuvre the old fool and his stall tactics had collapsed under the pressure to resolve the matter.
The only downside was that even though the outcome had been somewhat satisfactory, he was annoyed that he wasn't allowed to ask for any of the more potent punishments that he could mete out as Minister of Magic. He felt that a couple of years in Azkaban would do the brat, 'A world of good'. The motion to have the properties and vaults of the Potter family confiscated in reparation for damages done to the Ministry had met with the first recorded unanimous decision reached by the Wizengamot, and that unfortunately was to thwart his demand.
No one on the Wizengamot had wanted to set a precedent for the ministry being able to confiscate their estates on any old trumped up charges. It'd only taken him a short time to wheedle his way around that and they had no objection to him levying unspecified fines against the Potter fortunes. They knew as well as he did that it would be an absolute coincidence when the valuation of the damage to the Ministry happened to match the exact amount that the Potter family was worth.
Once all of the wrangling had been finalized he'd had the pleasure of seeing a thoroughly defeated Dumbledore slump in his seat. In the end he'd gotten more than he'd dreamed of and after a while Dumbledore had offered to stop fighting him if he would give a few minor concessions that wouldn't impinge on the penalties to be placed on Harry James Potter in any way. The first had been that Harry and the others who'd be expelled from school were to be considered emancipated minors. That didn't phase him at all since it would mean that the next time he had Harry Potter arrested he could try him as an adult and give him all the sentences he hadn't been allowed to do this time. He'd conceded the demand with a smug feeling deep down in his soul.
The next was also easy to accept since it locked the sentence as a Ministry Edict rather than a Wizengamot criminal sentence. That would mean that no one, not even he himself could undo this sentence at any point in the future, well not unless the Ministry completely ceased to exist. The problem was that he also couldn't add to the sentence once the case was finalized, a thought that didn't exactly make him feel easy. Albus Dumbledore had given in too easy, he could feel it in his bones that somehow the ancient light wizard had managed to get one over on him but for the life of him he couldn't see where. The thing was even if he gave in on that point it wouldn't stop him from having Harry Potter arrested for another crime and sentencing him harshly for that now would it?
So here he sat sipping at a fine vintage from the south of France as he contemplated just how rich he'd be this time tomorrow. Being the minister had its rewards after all and he'd claim a small percentage of the proceeds, which actually meant that he'd pay for the damages at the going rate and then claim the remainder for his personal use. Ah yes life was certainly looking up he thought as he sniffed the delicate bouquet of his wine.
/ Next morning, Gringotts Bank \
Harry Potter was a sullen teen the next morning when he entered the foyer of Gringotts bank with Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore by his side. Seeing the rotund figure of the Minister of Magic standing there smiling didn't do anything to improve it either.
"Ah Albus what a wonderful day."
"I'm sure you feel that way Cornelius," Albus sighed as Harry didn't even bother to acknowledge that the man was there.
"That's Minister Fudge," Percy Weasley spoke up from just behind the minister.
"Now Weatherby, there's no need to be so abrupt. Though he does raise a valid point Albus, I am after all the Minister for Magic."
"Of course how remiss of me, and thank you Weatherby for pointing it out to me. Now if we could continue with the reason we are here?" Albus said in an unusually cold voice that had Percy flinching, even though he 'knew' he had the full backing of the Minister.
"So be it Albus…"
"I would like to point out that if we are to be formal, as you've requested, then the correct form of address is Supreme Mugwump as it is the highest title that I possess. Foregoing that you could use Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. I suppose that is a tad long though isn't it?"
Cornelius Fudge suddenly looked like he'd taken to sucking on the sourest lemons he'd had the misfortune to find.
"Quite…Well shall we?" Cornelius blustered trying to reassert his authority on the proceedings.
"Assuredly Minister Fudge, will you then read out the charges and decision of the Wizengamot?"
"I hardly think there's a need for that Alb…er, Supreme Mugwump, it's already a matter of public record…"
"In other words Minister Fudge, you do not wish to inform the public of your recent actions on their behalf. You wouldn't happen to be feeling the shame of your decision now would you, or maybe you know how the public will react to this latest action of yours. It matters not though, I, in my position of Supreme Mugwump must insist that you relay this to the public."
"Here?" Fudge squeaked out past a suddenly constricted throat.
"Yes here, and I must insist it be done before we continue carrying out your sentence. I distinctly remember warning you when you brought this before the Wizengamot that you would regret your actions. I fear that regret is only just beginning…Your decision will have far more reaching effects than to just remove a political thorn from your side."
"You have, you," Cornelius spluttered incoherently for a moment before regaining control, "You don't know what you're talking about Albus…"
"I find I no longer care what you think, or what your troubles are Cornelius," Albus said. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Percy Weasley begin to puff up with indignation that his previous order had been disregarded. He was about to reprimand the old man once more when Albus turned a quelling look upon him. He hadn't been a headmaster for forty years without learning certain survival skills and one of those was to puncture self important toadies at whim. Percy deflated as if he'd been pricked with a pin, "Now I'd appreciate it if you'd stop stalling and get on with it. The time is getting later and soon the bank will be even fuller than it currently is which will mean a larger crowd to hear your proclamation."
Cornelius paled as for the first time he took note that they were indeed the centre of attention for just about everyone in the bank. Even the Goblins were glaring at him, though there wasn't anything unusual about that, they glared at everyone. While there were currently only thirty or so people in the foyer, he knew that that would change soon as the populace at large began to wake and begin their days.
"Right, right you are Albus," he yelped in compliance. He surreptitiously urged Percy to take out the scroll they'd prepared for a private reading, right before he, no, the Ministry took charge of the Potter vaults. Now, well now everything was going to be so messy.
The middle son of the Weasley clan, due to the fact that they counted the twins as a single entity most of the time, stepped to the forefront of the group feeling inordinately pleased that he'd have this chance to bask in the limelight. Taking the scroll from his inside robe pocket he broke the wax seal and unrolled it to the pertinent section.
"Ah-hem, ah-hem," he cleared his throat, as if the audience could possibly be paying anymore attention to him since you'd normally have to pay for this kind of entertainment. "Oh hear ye, oh hear ye! On this, the eighteenth day of August in the year nineteen ninety-six the Ministry of Magic declares the lawful penance of the miscreant Harry James Potter. To whit, count one, the repeated and malicious use of underage magic while in the vicinity of muggles. On the second count, the endangerment of the Statute of Secrecy by flying across the breadth of England aback a Thestral. On the third count, breaking into and entering into wanton destruction upon the Ministry of Magic.
By order of the Wizengamot, by order of the Ministry of Magic, it is decreed that penance shall be met. To whit the immediate expulsion of one Harry James Potter from the hallowed halls of Hogwarts, his wand, to be taken from him and snapped that he might never perpetrate such crimes again. Further, in accordance with the order of the Wizengamot, Harry James Potter shall forfeit all monies and properties to the control of the Ministry until such time as all expenses of reconstruction, and recompense for all Ministerial resources have been met," Percy took a deep breath before completing the statement, "So mote it be! By order of Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge." Percy finished with a smug little grin which he turned on the thoroughly cowed figure of Harry Potter who'd remained immobile and unresponsive throughout the proceedings so far.
Harry who'd been listening to everything that was going on around him with a sense of surreal displacement could almost feel the smug little creeps attention as he turned it on him. That was when he looked up for the first time since Fudge and Albus had began speaking and Percy took an involuntary step back as those green eyes, seemingly lit from within locked on him. He'd never seen Harry's eyes like that, there were so many emotions there that it was hard to catalogue them, there was fear and the wanted humiliation, but there was also an incandescent fury hidden in their depths that caused a shiver to run down the older boys spine as he wondered for the first time in years if he'd picked the right side in this conflict. He quickly dismissed that thought as there really wasn't any other side than the ministry that mattered, not in his humble opinion at least.
"There, are you satisfied?" the petulant tones of the minister broke the silence and then the crowd erupted into a cacophonous roar of questions. The minister was startled when twenty or so mail owls left the crowd that was suddenly beginning to press forward towards a suddenly sweating Minister of Magic. Someone produced a camera and took a picture of the tableau of the Minister standing over an apparently cowed Harry Potter.
"What's the meaning of this?" Cornelius almost screamed out his demand.
"Ah, Cornelius…Did I forget to mention that I'd called a press conference?"
The minister almost smirked at that knowing as he did that the Daily Prophet would never print a word of this, or if they did it would be so biased that it wouldn't do Potter of Dumbledore any good. He was about to respond when Albus spoke again.
"An international press conference," he smiled benignly as he continued; "Now I do believe that penance was called for?" Albus withdrew a slender piece of wood from his robes and Harry couldn't help but have his eyes latch on the familiar object. How could he not since he'd felt the lack of it all of the previous night. He'd never spent any appreciable time away from his wand since he'd bought it in Ollivander's. Sure he'd had to go without using it over summer holidays but it had always been there. Watching carefully as Albus offered the wand to a suddenly reluctant Cornelius Fudge, he knew he wasn't going to get it back this time, at least not in one piece.
Cornelius was having a rather bad day, nothing seemed to be going right for him. He'd arranged for this to be a nice quiet affair to dispose of one of the greatest threats to his position as Minister of Magic. The problem was that if the press were present and willing to report accurately what happened here then there was no way there wouldn't be a backlash from the people. The Prophet was not going to be a problem, they would print what they were told to, it was the continental papers that had free access to the British market that would upset the apple cart. For the first time he realized that he couldn't be seen to be a part of this…
"Well Minister, surely you wish to be the one to see justice done?" Dumbledore asked mildly. It didn't matter how he said the words, everyone present could hear the sarcasm, and feel the scorn the Minister was held in by the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.
"Weatherby, carry out the sentence," Fudge said while mopping his brow. If he was lucky he could dodge this curse and the young fool would take the blame. As it was the young man took the wand hesitantly as he inspected the small shaft of wood in his hands and felt the room hush expectantly. At that moment he realized that this would be a historic moment and he as the centre of it would garner himself much notoriety. Unfortunately for Percy Weasley his ability to judge situations was unchanged.
"In the name of the ministry, in accordance with the sentence handed down I hereby carry out your sentence," Percy allowed his hands to slide down the shaft carefully before applying pressure. The only thing keeping Harry from making a mad lunge towards the arsehole that had left his family a year ago was the grip Albus Dumbledore had on his shoulder.
"Now is not the time Harry," he said gently even as a sharp cracking sound echoed in the chamber. The flash of photographers capturing the snapping of his wand blinded the small group of ministry officials once more. Cornelius cringed within at the blinding light as he knew this was going to haunt his career for as long as it lasted. The problem now was that he'd issued not a Wizengamot criminal sentence but an actual Ministerial Edict. It being an actual magical contract. If he failed to carry out any part of the penance he'd declared then he'd be in breach of said contract and would face the penalties. He could only imagine the amount of time he'd have to regret the deaths of the nearly five hundred pure-bloods that worked in the ministry on a daily basis, and knew that it would be measured in years of suffering if the families could manage to keep him alive that long. Azkabahn would seem as a holiday beside his fate if the ministry fell...
"Shall we get on with this?" he growled at the grimly smiling Mugwump.
"Yes...let's," Dumbledore agreed amiably as he gestured towards the vault entrance.
The goblins standing guard watched their approach contemptuously even if the bearded wizard had explained what had been done in the past few weeks. Goblin justice was much more direct, the accused had several rights to face his accuser in either a court of law or in the battle arena. Both were equally brutal forms of justice in their own way, making sure that neither party would bring it to either recourse unless they'd already exhausted any chance of a peaceful resolution.
Goblins tended to have few altercations with the law. That wasn't to say there wasn't corruption and graft in the goblin nations. There was, and the people who usually suffered it were the wizards they supposedly served. Humans tended to think this made them untrustworthy, and simply forgot that trust was earned and wizard-kind had done little to earn that trust over the last twelve hundred years. The last human that had earned the title of goblin friend had been Lord Gryffindor.
The fact that the ministry of magic had chosen to abuse the last heir to that goblin friend was cause for a great deal of animosity and the only reason that Gringotts hadn't closed its doors to the wizarding world was the manner in which Dumbledore had manipulated the situation. It was with a great deal of glee that Ragnok, Chieftain of the Goblin nations stood near the vault cart entrance. He fully intended to watch the fireworks from the best vantage point possible.
"You!" Cornelius spat at the goblin standing near the cart and sneered when the creature pointed a clawed finger at himself.
"Yes, you! Well get a move on with that cart, we're here on important ministry business," Cornelius finished with what he thought of as a superior tone while looking down his nose at the goblin he was berating. It would have been more impressive if he'd been taller than the goblin by a significant margin, but as it was the minister had to crane his neck back a little to actually accomplish looking down his nose.
Albus cringed internally at the infantile display, not because Cornelius was proving himself to be a fool, but rather for the fact that the goblins skin had darkened around his cheekbones and brow. A sure sign that the goblin in question was not just annoyed but was approaching the end of his tether.
"Gral'nuK C'Vaer!" the goblin barked out harshly. Cornelius didn't know what the creature had just said but it hadn't sounded nice and thought it was provably aimed at him.
"I say, speak so that civilised people can understand you goblin!" he demanded and then cringed away from the dark skinned goblin as it bared rather impressive teeth towards the minister. The unnerving fact was it was smiling and it was as intimidating as hell.
Albus having already examined the area knew that there were warriors who were not only capable of standing in plain sight while remaining invisible and wondered who they belonged to. Upon closer examination he discovered that it wasn't a disillusionment spell as he'd first thought, their aura's were all wrong for that. The fact that the goblins were capable of magic on this order was a nasty surprise because one of the only advantages the wizards had had in the last several goblin rebellions was the fact that the goblins had never used magic against them. It lead the ministry to believe they had no magic. He was about to warn the minister that he was in danger when the goblin shook its head slightly towards him and he noted for the first time the clan markings on the armour the goblin was wearing.
"Come then human..." the goblin beckoned as he lead the way towards the mine cart. Albus swallowed hard as the eight goblin warriors vanished again from his 'sight'. The evil grin the goblin gave him showed that he knew that the ancient wizard had lost sight of his bodyguard and that it had unnerved him even further.
"Get a move on Potter..." Cornelius called out with a smug smile. Everything hadn't gone as he wanted but it would end alright. After all if he'd learned anything over the last twenty years as a politician it was that gold made everything right. A few notes to the Prophet and a little gold and they'd spin this anyway he liked just as they had throughout the year when he'd needed Potter and Dumbledore discredited.
"I hardly think it's necessary to drag Harry down to watch you take his inheritance," Albus protested knowing that it would make the scheming bastard even hotter to make sure that Harry was there to see him steal his vaults. He'd always known that Fudge was a petty man, it was one of the reasons he'd been so easy to manipulate for the years he'd been minister. It was only since he'd gained the backing of Lucius Malfoy that the man had grown a bit of a backbone. It had given him a false sense of his own invincibility.
"The boy should see the repercussions of his actions Albus...Surely you agree that it's part of the punishment. It would hardly be an effective punishment if he doesn't even know what he's lost now would it?"
"Come along Harry, I fear the minister is adamant that he will humiliate you on top of confiscating the inheritance that should have been yours..." the elderly man trailed off as Harry finally made eye contact with him. The same unholy light that had made Percy back away was now fully focused on Dumbledore.
"And what inheritance would that be Dumbledore? The inheritance you never even bothered to tell me about?" Harry had the satisfaction of watching the headmaster wince at the loudly proclaimed accusation. The news reporters were still present and that admission wasn't going to help him in the coming months. It was a small price to pay though for what he'd allowed to happen throughout Harry's life.
Nothing more was said as the small group made their way into the cart with the goblin guide.
"Take the slow way Goblin..." Cornelius demanded as the cart began to move.
The goblin grinned momentarily before replying, "There is no slow way human..." the klickety clack as the wheels passed over the rails picked up speed as they approached a darkness that Harry had never seen before. Not that he'd been to his family vault since he hadn't even known it existed. He did note that the room they'd entered to get to the cart was the same one he'd entered all those years ago, it was just that the sole track wasn't the same. The darkness was almost upon them when he noted that the track just seemed to drop away and then with a dizzying sense of vertigo the world tilted ninety degrees and the sound of screaming filled his ears as the minister gave vent to his fear. The wind whipping past Harrys face stung his cheeks and regardless of the situation he felt a grin settle over his lips as he felt for the first time the sensation of a world class rollercoaster when there was an absence of a broom beneath him.
The passengers noted that the temperature of the air was rising as they approached an orange glow far beneath them and suddenly they burst out of the darkened tunnel into a cavern and they could see the river of molten rock beneath them as they continued to drop towards the superheated liquid and suddenly they were rising towards the roof and the river was over their heads before the world righted itself and Harry realized that the rickety looking mine cart had looped the loop and was heading towards a curve as they tilted to the left then the right as the cart changed direction without losing any speed. By this point Cornelius was almost the same green as his suit, a bright lurid pea green colour that really didn't suit the man in either clothes or features. With a blink the world went black again as their track merged with another and headed back into the rock-face and the cart started to slow down.
With the slower speed Harry felt he could look around and noted that the track split many times to either side of the main line and in the distance he could see what he thought were vault doors. The cart switched onto one of those lines on the left side of the track and began to coast to a halt as they approached a massive door.
"The Potter vault," the goblin announced.
"Finally," a woozy minister said as he panted trying to keep his stomach contents where they were supposed to be.
"If you vomit in the cart human you'll be fined a hundred galleons," the goblin said coldly as he watched the rotund man carefully. That was more than enough for Cornelius who had a rather weak constitution as he staggered out of the cart and threw up on the stone platform. "And you'll be fined five hundred if you throw up on the platform," he said as he smiled maliciously.
"How refreshing," Albus mocked as he stood up and stepped from the cart avoiding the filth on the stone walk, "It's been many years since I've been this deep in the vaults. A most pleasant trip if I do say so myself."
Harry followed the goblin as it got out of the cart and walked towards the door at the far end of the platform. He examined them closely as he got closer and picked out the details on the coat of arms taking particular note of the almost lifelike gryphon that was carved out of the stone. Though he'd never seen it before he figured it had to be the coat of arms for the Potter family and with that realization he hungrily drank in every detail he could see. The sword clasped in the creatures upraised claw, with its tip buried in the ground looked very familiar though he couldn't place where he'd seen it before. Examining the creature Harry thought it was a Gryphon, though it hadn't been covered yet in their care of creatures classes. His examination was stalled when the Goblin that had escorted them stepped forward.
"Mr Potter, you should place your hand on the vault door. Note, that if you are not who you say you are then the vault will suck you inside where you will stay until the real Harry Potter comes to release you." The Goblin surprisingly enough didn't sneer when he said that and Harry wondered what it meant, though he was pretty sure it was redundant to tell him. After all who else would he be?
Stepping forward he placed his hands against the cold metal and steeled himself for whatever was about to happen. As soon as his skin made contact he heard a loud click followed by the staccato sound of more clicks in rapid succession, then there was a clang and with a hissing sound a crack appeared in the very centre of the vault door. Harry stepped back rapidly as the door began to open, though he wasn't moved in any other way. This would be the first and last time he saw his family inheritance, and it hurt in ways he was only just beginning to imagine. He'd never actually thought what it might be like to have a family legacy and then to find it was gone before he even had a chance to learn what it might be was...he didn't have words to express his emotions right then but Dumbledore shuddered as Harry met him eye to eye and he interpreted the promise held within those green depths.
Harry turned his face away from the silently opening doors not wanting to see what he was about to lose. The piles of gold he expected meant less than nothing to him, it was the possibility that he was losing his heritage and the family heirlooms that hurt. Cornelius's gasp of surprise made him wince and in the next moment he was swinging around.
"It's empty!" the minister of magic squeaked, "Empty! What's the meaning of this? The Potters are a wealthy family!"
"Oh?" Dumbledore enquired innocently, "Did if fail to mention that I made several donations on Mr Potters behalf."
"Who authorised that?" Fudge demanded indignantly.
"As Harry's magical guardian I may do as I deem fit, minister."
Harry stared at the headmaster and noted that his eyes that had been flat and almost lifeless before were suddenly twinkling furiously.
"I demand to know to whom you made these...donations." Cornelius said as he had visions of tracking the money and demanding the return of the gold.
"You demand?" Albus asked quietly and gazed intently at the minister until the short rotund man was almost squirming, "Very well...If you must know I donated everything to the Black family trust."
The minister went pale as he contemplated the battle he'd have trying to break the Black family trust, and knew that he was beaten as there was no chance he could legally confiscate that trust without bringing down the wrath of the pure blood families upon his head. Lucius Malfoy would be the most vociferous in calling for his entrails to be spilled since the will reading for Sirius Black had yet to take place and the platinum blonde had made several statements that lead people to believe that his son would be the only beneficiary since he was the only male member of the Black family still extant. He was just about to storm away when Dumbledore continued speaking.
"It is a shame however that you moved quicker than I'd like. Since the Potter properties could only be sold, and not donated. I had not deposited the princely sum I gained for them and certainly didn't have time to donate those monies yet. Though I have made promises to donate these funds as soon as I had them in my hand."
Cornelius turned away from the Gringotts cart and Harry could see the avarice light in the fat mans eyes as he contemplated the worth of the Potter lands.
"You can just forget any such promises you've made Dumbledore. Those funds are the property of the ministry until such time as full repairs are made to the ministry and the final cost is established."
"Well I don't think I could..."
"Don't attempt to prevaricate Albus, just hand those monies over," Cornelius said trying desperately to seem as if he was in control of the situation. Though if he were more astute he'd note that he'd been lead throughout the confrontation today.
"Well, if you insist," Albus said quietly as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a small sack. The minister didn't even bat an eyelid at the size of the sack as there were bottomless and expanded money bags that could take fortunes so he simply held out his hands to receive the small sack. In a lightning quick move Albus turned the sack over and poured the contents of the sack into the cupped hands of the minister.
Harry's eyes widened as the coins spilled out and almost just as suddenly stopped. Fudge, who'd been expecting to be inundated when the sack was over-turned, eyes bulged at the coins in his hands.
"What's this?"
"I told you, I got a good sum for the Potter lands and businesses. After all 30 sickles is about right wouldn't you say Minister?"
"Huh?"
"For betrayal. I believe the going rate is thirty pieces of silver? Or maybe that's a muggle thing? Ah well, as they say, this is not my problem now is it. I would like to point out that the people whom you'll need to bribe to stay in office will probably be expecting a great deal more than you seem to have..."
"But, I...but. This can't..." the man trailed off into stupefied silence as Dumbledore turned to Harry.
"Come along Harry, we have several other things to resolve today. Oh, and Minister," he waited for the man to meet his eyes, though it took half a minute for it to register that the headmaster had spoken to him. When he did Albus continued, "Have a nice day," and smiling he turned and stepped into the cart beside Harry. His merrily twinkling eyes met those of the ferociously grinning Goblin as the cart began to move away from the platform. He wondered how long it would take Cornelius to realise he was stranded in one of the lowest, most secure sections of Gringotts bank.
/ To be continued \
A/N: As always, reviews are much appreciated. I hope to update this story soon, though will admit number of reviews won't affect how soon. I won't blackmail my readers that way.