"I'm not exactly sure of its name." Harry replied, "I think I've seen this before in a book or something but I'm not really knowledgeable about muggle animals that aren't from around here."
"Describe the animal and what you did in your vision." Sirius nodded.
"I'm guessing less than a meter long, small mammal." he explained, "Brown fur, short legs and a pointed snout. In the vision I'm digging in a hole, drag out a long snake and kill it."
"Do you know what kind of snake?" he asked.
"I think it was a cobra." Harry offered.
Sirius raised his wand and a book came sailing at them. He grabbed it and open it on the table between them. He leafed through and suggested several animals before Harry found it.
"That one." he gasped as soon as he saw the picture, "A mongoose. Doesn't sound very impressive."
"An unimpressive name for a rather neat creature." Sirius was reading the description, "Predator, smart and some are snake killers. I'll have to think of a marauder name for you."
"When can we start the transfiguration?" Harry asked.
"I can transform you with a spell the first time. Then it's just learning how to do it without a wand." he shrugged, "You've done really well, we took almost a year to get to this point."
"I did my homework the first day back and then worked on this the rest of the time." Harry grinned, "I didn't leave my room except to use the loo."
"What about food and water?" he asked.
"I had the house elves pack me a basket and put a stasis charm on it." Harry waved him off, "Tap water from the bathroom into an old canteen of Dudley's kept me in water."
"How did you sneak in a basket of food?" he asked. "Or did they know you had it?"
Harry pulled the small black bag out of his pocket and held it out for his godfather to inspect, "This is my survival secret."
It wasn't until his arm was in the bag up to his elbow that he realized, "Undetectable extension charm. Who did it for you?"
"I did it." Harry grinned.
"Wow." Sirius looked the bag over, "That is quite impressive."
"I just did what I had to do." he shrugged.
"I wish I was half as smart as you." Sirius pulled him into a hug, "I will curse those muggles for making you learn survival tactics."
"Let's not talk about them." Harry pulled away with a grin, "I want to transform."
"Ok." Sirius let him go and pulled his wand, "Ready? Now concentrate on how this feels."
A few seconds later a mongoose was gamboling around the room. Sirius noted that while Harry was near the same size and color as the one described in the book he wasn't exact. Harry was larger than the animal described and had interesting markings along his coat. He dismissed the differences as a slight difference between animals.
Once Harry was back to his human form Sirius hugged him again, "You remind me of a story I once read for detention."
"You had to read for detention?" Harry asked.
"Your mother made me do it." He huffed good naturedly, "I was teasing her about always reading and she made me sit down and read parts of this really thick book. One little story was about a mongoose that killed a cobra and saved a whole family. His name was Rikki Tikki Tavi."
"I had to read that at muggle school." Harry grinned.
"So for your marauder name…" he began.
"I'm not going by Rikki." Harry interrupted.
"I wouldn't even suggest that." Sirius shuddered, "Horrible to name such a fine creature something that bad. I was thinking Hunter."
"That I think I can live with." Harry grinned, "Now how do I start changing myself?"
Harry spent the majority of his time with Sirius. When his friends pulled him aside to ask if he was mad at them he explained that in a few weeks he wouldn't see the man for more than three months. He really just wanted to get to know him. After that they felt better about his absence. During the last week of the holiday Harry finally managed to transform on his own. Remus was in the room with him when it happened.
"Sirius something's wrong with Harry." he exclaimed and tried to rush to the boy as he began to change.
"Stop." Sirius stopped him from getting up, "We've been working on this. Remember the book list you sent him."
"But he can't be there already." he gasped and collapsed back into his chair as a small mammal looked up at him from where Harry had been sitting.
"He basically did nothing but study and meditate over the summer." Sirius grinned, "Congratulations Harry. Now we need to work on speeding the transition up."
Harry slowly returned to human form and collapsed back, "That was brilliant."
***Morning September 1st Everyone***
By the time they were leaving for Hogwarts Harry was almost as fast at transforming as Sirius was. Remus pulled him into a hug first, "I'm so proud of you. Your parents would be ecstatic."
"Thanks." Harry mumbled back not sure how to respond.
"I'm still having trouble believing you finished so quickly." Sirius hugged him next, "I think you are probably the fastest to ever learn."
"I just did what I had to do." Harry shrugged after pulling out of the hug. It was time to leave so he waved at the two men, he didn't realize he'd shocked them.
The platform was a mad house as always and Harry made his way into a compartment. He tried to ignore the whispers and knowing glances. The articles in the Prophet yesterday had really blasted him. He had wondered if people were still believing the outlandish articles but one look at the crowd today had told him they did. He began to wonder, not for the first time, why exactly he needed to fight for these people. Then he reminded himself he wasn't doing it for them. He was doing it to avenge his parents.
"How was your summer?" Neville asked as he entered the compartment.
"Better than this year is going to be." he tried to ignore the laughing, whispering and pointing.
"Your real friends are still behind you." Neville stated as he put his trunk away and sat, "Where is everyone else?"
"Ron and Hermione are prefects." he offered.
"Ron is? Really?" Neville looked skeptical, "That's… odd."
"I thought they'd give it to someone who is less trouble." Harry chuckled, "Like you or Dean."
"I thought they'd give it to you." Neville replied with a grin, "However I can see how your list of detentions might have counteracted that."
"Thanks." he replied wryly.
The rest of the ride was fairly quiet. Ron and Hermione found them and a few people stopped by to visit. Malfoy made his annual visit but didn't really do much of anything but sneer. None of them noticed how quickly he left so they were caught off guard when they reached the platform and saw spellfire. Harry had his wand out and was waiting at the door when the train stopped.
The fighting stopped when Harry left the train. He soon realized that had been a mistake, "Mr. Potter. How nicccce to sssseeee you."
"Tom." Harry greeted the madman.
"Don't use that name." he hissed back.
"Right I forgot, you prefer your made up name of Voldemort." Harry snarked, "But we've met so many times now that I'm just going to give you a nickname. How about snake face."
A green spell ripped from a wand next to Voldemort but Harry stepped out of its way. It was then that Tom spoke again "Ssssstop, I want him alive. Bring him along."
Harry shielded but twenty stunners couldn't all be held back. He was summoned away from the train and the crowd disbursed with a series of pops. The only sound on the train was from a few younger students who were crying. After a few moments Professor Grubbly-Plank stumbled down the side of the train giving instructions.
"Stay on the train. Don't get off." she repeated as she moved down the platform.
Within a few moments Dumbledore and a contingent of teachers arrived, "What is going on?"
The Care of Magical Creatures professor nearly collapsed before she spoke, "You Know Who kidnapped Harry."
Dumbledore grabbed the woman and stared into her eyes for a moment, "Minerva get Moody here. Attention students. You will be exiting the train now but I want you to stay away from the door Mr. Potter left from. I would like the head girl and boy to meet with me."
By the time they all made it to the Great Hall it was rather late. After a quiet dinner Albus stood, "We will make the beginning of term announcements tomorrow at breakfast. Good night."
"Hmm, hmm." a voice behind Dumbledore made them all turn.
"Professor Dumbledore surely…" she didn't get anywhere because Moody took that moment to enter.
"Albus, we found a rat on the train." he held up the limp rat.
"It's him." Ron quietly offered to Moody as he passed by.
Moody gave a slight nod but didn't acknowledge him in any other way instead he began to speak again, "We know it's an animagus and we don't have a rat on file. We'll need a trial tomorrow. I'm taking him to the cells for the night."
"Defense classes will be cancelled for tomorrow." Dumbledore announced.
"Excuse me!" the woman from before demanded.
"You don't want to miss the trial do you Delores?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly, "Off to bed everyone."
The Weasleys, Hermione, Neville and Luna tried to stay but were sent off with a promise that when they found any facts that they would be informed. They trudged off and the group made sure Luna was safe in her tower before they headed to Gryffindor. As Luna was the last person in the Ravenclaw door the rest of the room looked at her.
She looked calm but when she spoke they could hear her cracking, "Things just got… complicated."
"Did they tell you anything?" Padma was the most tolerant of the Ravenclaw girls.
"Only that they'll tell us when they know something." she shrugged and turned to go up to her dorm. Everyone could see the tears making their way down her cheeks.
Once she was gone Padma turned to the group, "Leave her alone."
"I agree." several others joined in.
"This is a bad time to be… funny." Cho agreed.
When the Gryffindor group made it back they found a somber group waiting. Many looked up as they walked in but the despondent faces told them everything they needed to know. The room was silent as the group made their way to the fire; somehow no one had taken the couch and chairs closest to the fire. The first noise to break the silence was when Seamus ran up the stairs to the dorms.
"I think it was just a setup to try and make people believe…" Cormac started but ended on the floor after Fred punched him.
"If anyone else doesn't believe then step right up." Fred stated but everyone in their group looked ready to fight, "You all just saw Harry get taken by twenty some odd death eaters and You Know Who. How can you not believe him?"
Seamus returned with a piece of parchment, quill and ink as he was talking. He took one of the nearby tables and began to write.
"What are you doing?" Dean asked.
"I'm sending me Mam a letter." Seamus began to write, "She needs to know what happened on the platform in case the Prophet screws it up."
A stampede followed his words and soon the room was nearly empty as people began to gather their supplies for letters. By the time the other houses had letters to deliver they found the owlry was empty of school owls and a good number of private owls were gone too.
***Morning Septerber 2nd Hogwarts/Ministry***
The next morning when the mail arrived they were all shocked at the headlines on the paper. It was still about Harry but it seemed like the paper was changing its tune. The headline said simply "Harry Potter Kidnapped!" the article explained that with all the bad talk about Potter and Dumbledore the Prophet wanted to see the boy's first public appearance since the tournament. They had thought they'd be giving a scathing report of a liar and attention seeker. Instead they got a front row seat to see a brave boy try to protect a train full of children and then get kidnapped by You Know Who himself, who was obviously back as both Potter and Dumbledore had been claiming.
The article even included the information sent by the Minister and his undersecretary. They stated that he was pulling a publicity stunt and had gotten his friends to say he had been kidnapped so he wouldn't need to go to school. The reporter though stated clearly that the Death eaters arrived before the train and that all the people known as his friends were present and distraught. The reporter then suggested that the liars and attentions seekers seemed to be in the Ministry instead of at Hogwarts. It also had a small blurb about an animagus rat found on the train.
Delores Umbridge was in a rage as she read the paper at her desk in the Ministry. It was blatantly accusing the Ministry and her specifically as liars. She was fuming when her door was opened by a pair of aurors.
"What?" she growled.
"I'm sorry Madam Umbridge but we are here to take you to the Wizengamot chambers." Kingsley instructed, "We don't believe it's safe for you to be wondering the corridors just now."
"I will be perfectly fine on my own." she glared as she stood and grabbed her robes for the trial.
"No you won't." Kingsley offered, "The paper has stirred the cauldron and the Atrium is full of disgruntled people. We would hate it if one of them got past security and was able to get their hands on you."
"Very well." she agreed and walked out behind the other man and Kingsley followed them.
She was shocked speechless when she walked in to find Dumbledore back in the seat as Head of the Wizengamot. She was further shocked when she was sat in the defense section with Fudge rather than in the Wizengamot. Kingsley took the robes from her hands effectively waking her up.
"What are you doing?" she screeched.
"If you are found innocent you will get the robes back." he offered with a smile.
"Very well." she groused and immediately made plans to blame everything on Fudge.
"Delores, please step to the witness stand." Dumbledore ordered. She complied and only realized how much trouble she was in when he went further in his instructions, "Administer the Veritaserum."
"What? Why?" She asked as she began to panic.
"Well obviously you've been lying so we want to make sure you tell the truth now." Dumbledore smiled in a grandfatherly way.
She began to splutter and deny but the aurors were already there and had the truth serum in her mouth. What followed was very enlightening. Her plan was to first take over the school and then the Ministry. She was going to get rid of the muggleborns and halfbreeds and then go after the halfbloods. However before all that she was going to get rid of Harry Potter. The punishments she had planned to use on any students that stepped a toe out of line were medieval, not to mention illegal. By the time they had finished both Umbridge and Fudge were sentenced to several years in Azkaban.
Peter's trial was next and they found that he was the secret keeper for the Potters. That he was a death eater and Sirius was innocent. Also he was in on the plot to kidnap Harry by putting a compulsion charm on him to leave the train if he didn't do so on his own. He did not know where they planned on holding him; but he did know that the plan was to torture and kill him.
Sirius was next. His testimony was that as soon as he'd read the paper that morning stating the rat had been found he'd turned himself in to Moody. They didn't mention it was because the man was sitting on the other side of the table eating breakfast after a night of investigating the train and platform. He solidified his own innocence in the Potter and other murders and was found to be an illegal animagus but decided he had already served the sentence for that. When asked why he hadn't escaped before and why he did it now he cried. He felt he needed to be punished for letting them die. But when he realized the rat was in the same dorm at Hogwarts as Harry he had to make sure Peter didn't hurt him.
After the trials were over Albus returned to Hogwarts with Sirius, "I need you to take over teaching Defense."
"I need to be looking for Harry." he argued.
"Severus has already been called and we've agreed that he should blow his cover and get Harry." Albus shook his head, "I think we'll have him back very soon."
"If not I'm going after him." Sirius stated hotly.
"We both will, along with many other people." Albus agreed, "For now I'm going to put you in a different office and classroom. Umbridge has all her things in the defense office and the aurors will be going through that. I doubt those rooms will be free before the year is out."
"Fine." he agreed, "I want the full moon and day after off every month."
"Remus is coming as extra security. He'll be patrolling halls all night." Albus instructed, "You are to be with him so we have evidence that he is leaving the school every full moon night. Aurors will take his place those evenings."
"Ok." he sagged in his seat.
"Sirius go get Remus and your belongings. He'll be staying in your rooms." Albus ordered and the man took the floo home.
He had only been gone a few moments when the fire flared and Severus returned with a panicked look, "He's gone."
"What?" Albus asked trying to stay calm.
"They threw him in the dungeon at Malfoy manor." Severus explained, "When they went back to get him he was already dead. They said there was a pool of blood."
"Did they have the body?" Albus asked.
"They did but the Dark Lord burned it in his rage." he collapsed in a seat, "Goyle was also killed. He was the one that brought the body up. Mulciber is also dead but we aren't sure why yet."
"Keep this to yourself." Albus instructed, "We can't let anyone know yet."
