Disclaimer: I own nothing and this is not for profit.
Author's Note: Thanks for the quick reviews! I hope I can attract more and keep you guys hooked. My ultimate dream is to be added to the "Independent or Dark or Powerful Harry" community…that would be awesome (whimsical look). Anyways, my original plan for this was to mimic a lot of the scenes in "The Dark Knight" with HP characters, and I'm probably still going to do that. However, don't think you know what's going to happen. I already have a ship in mind and some of you will probably figure it out soon enough, but I'm still hoping for a surprise. Bah! On to the story!
Chapter 2: Scars…
Draco Malfoy was pacing outside of the Azkaban portkey room in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He had expected Dumbledore and his group to retrieve Potter within the hour, but they had already been gone three and he was getting nervous.
Draco was also excited to say the least. This was a huge day for him. He had spent the last nine years as a Ministry prosecutor trying to repair the reputation being the son of Lucius Malfoy burdened him with, and he knew that finally exposing the innocence of Harry "The-Boy-Who-Lived" Potter would show the Wizarding World that he truly was not his father's son. Furthermore, he knew it would be a tremendous morale boost in the war against Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
Still, he had a much more personal reason to finally save Potter from the hell of Azkaban. A smile creased his face as he imagined the absolute joy in her eyes when he would tell her. She would throw herself into his arms and he would bury his face in her hair, that brilliant red hair that he loved so much.
Draco hoped this would also finally settle the small feud that still raged between him and Ginny's family. Ron was the worst. In the beginning he had outright refused to even be in the same room as Draco and had tried to convince Ginny to get a different job at the Ministry. When he discovered they were dating, the two actually came to blows. It didn't help much that one of Draco's duties as a prosecutor for the Ministry included rooting out corruption and spies in the Aurors. Needless to say, more than a few of Ron's friends had been shipped off to Azkaban because of Draco's work.
But all of that would change today. Draco Malfoy had saved Harry Potter, and the Weasleys would love him for it. If it hadn't been for Malfoy's work on a modified Priori Incantatem spell, it never would have come out that Potter's wand had never cast the Killing Curse. It was proof positive that he had given a false confession at his trial.
Beyond his own selfish reasoning, Draco knew Potter's return was important for the war. The content of the so-called "Trelawney Prophecy" became mainstream news after Rita Skeeter leaked it in the Daily Prophet three years ago. The article had been an expose' on the return of Neville Longbottom after his seven year vacation across the world.
Longbottom, Draco thought, what a disappointment. He felt bad for the guy, sure, especially after the '96 St. Mungo's fire that finally killed his parents, even more so when he learned that his own aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange, had caused it. Couple that with the simultaneous loss of his grandmother and Draco could perfectly understand how Neville would need to get away for awhile. But seven years? And then just to come home and flaunt the Longbottom fortune like some playboy. Draco was surprised anyone could possibly believe that Neville would defeat Voldemort.
Still, on another level he knew his dislike for Longbottom went beyond his disapproval of his social habits. He knew Ginny still had a soft spot for him. The relationship they had beginning with the Yule Ball his fourth year had continued throughout their stay at Hogwarts. Draco didn't like the look in her eyes when he came back three years ago. Lucky for him, Ginny didn't seem to approve of his social habits either. Now with Potter back, Longbottom would finally be out of the picture for good. Or so he thought.
Draco heard the roar of wind that signaled the arrival of the portkey inside the room. He stopped his pacing at once and looked at the door expectantly. He, like everyone, had been worried about Harry's condition, but for some reason he just kept telling himself that Potter would be fine. After all, he always seemed to come out all right on the other end with all the things he had been through over the years. Why should this time be any different?
The door opened and Draco was confronted by his old Potions Master, Head of House, and godfather: Severus Snape. Snape narrowed his eyes at Draco and immediately shut the door behind him before Draco could spot what was inside.
"The meeting with the Minister will need to be postponed, Draco," Snape began as he tried to avoid the gray eyes of his godson.
"What?!" Draco yelped in surprise. "It can't be! Fudge is anxious enough as it is! Merlin, he'll probably send the aurors after us if he doesn't get his meeting with Potter."
Fudge had been forced to resign after the fiasco of a trial all those years ago, but all of his subsequent replacements had not faired much better. He had returned to office on a platform that promised a return to the times of peace that had marked the beginning of his first administration.
"Draco…" Snape hesitated and began to fidget with his hands. "You don't understand," he looked back at the door he had just come through, "it's far worse than we feared."
Draco's eyes widened in horror. Oh Merlin! He's a vegetable! he thought to himself. This complicated things. The joy he had anticipated in the return of Harry Potter would surely turn to mass depression. Well, he thought to himself, he'll just have to get better, won't he? Nothing some of Mrs. Weasley's cooking couldn't fix I imagine! Draco had developed a fondness for the woman over the years as she was one of the few members of the family that accepted his relationship with Ginny.
Snape grabbed Draco's arm and began to lead him away. "Hey," Draco was shocked at his godfather's reaction, "I think I have a right to see him!"
"No one sees him like this, Draco, do you understand?" Snape's eyes were stony.
Draco gave an incredulous look. How were his friends supposed to help him if they couldn't see him? Something wasn't adding up here.
"Prof…" Draco caught himself, rolling his eyes, "Severus, how in the world do you expect him to come to the Burrow tonight if no one is allowed to see him?"
"He's not going to the Burrow," Snape said as he led them towards the elevator, "we're taking him back to Headquarters for the time being."
Draco's eyes widened even further. "Severus, he should see his friends! No one even knows that he's out yet! If it's safety you're worried about I could ask…"
"Draco!" Severus fixed another cold glare on his godson. "No one sees him like this!"
Draco had enough. He shook his arms away from his godfather's grasp and stood to his full height. He was an adult now, he wasn't about to be intimidated like one of Snape's students. "Severus, not only do I have the right to see him, but as part of my duties as a prosecutor for the Ministry of Magic, I must see him! Now tell me what is going on!"
Snape sighed and looked away, he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted when the door he had left moments earlier burst open with incredible force. Draco's jaw dropped open when he saw a man in Azkaban robes walk out, a man with long black hair streaked with green, and man with a crudely painted face, a man with the most horrific scars Draco had ever seen.
Harry's head was drooped and his eyes darted around like a predator searching for prey. He licked his lips and swung his arms slightly. He hummed a little as he casually walked around a bit. Soon his eyes found Snape and Malfoy standing near the elevators. Harry saw the horrified look on Draco's face. He smiled widely, his tongue running over his yellow teeth. This should be fun…
He walked slowly towards the two men. Snape noted the rest of the Azkaban rescue party quickly filing out of the portkey room, looks of apprehension and regret on their faces. They had clearly tried their best to delay Harry, but we're obviously unsuccessful. Harry continued to swing his arms and hum as his eyes locked onto to Draco's.
Draco noted the stiffness in his Harry's legs. It almost looked like he was trying to force himself not to skip.
As he got closer, Harry raised both his hands and did something none of them were expecting: he started clapping. Loud, strong claps that saw his arms extended out quite far. He continued clapping until he was nearly face to face with Draco. The smile never leaving his face.
Harry stopped clapping and just stared at Draco. Draco was in complete and utter shock. If he hadn't known beforehand who would be walking out of the room in Azkaban robes, he never would have guessed that the man…the thing standing in front of him was Harry Potter. Draco swallowed heavily and managed to croak out in a small voice: "Harry?"
The reaction was immediate. He barked. He barked loud and hard in Draco's face, making everyone jump. When Harry saw this, he started to giggle before promptly swinging his arms again and calling for the elevator.
As the doors opened, Harry sauntered inside and squinted at the buttons. "Now let's see, let's see, let's see, let's see, ssssssssss…" Harry said to himself as he wiggled his fingers in front of the buttons. "Aha! There you are, my Mini-Mini-Minister!"
Harry pushed the button while simultaneously slamming his left hand on the doors of the elevator, keeping them open. He did it with so much force, however, the bang caused the assembled witnesses to jump once again. Harry stuck his head back out of the elevator again and seemed to have an innocent look on his face, as innocent a look as a face like his could allow. "Anybody going up?"
Quickly, the rest of Azkaban party and Draco filed into the elevator. Snape began whispering with Dumbledore, but the aged Headmaster just raised his hand in a gesture that clearly said "Not now." A few enchanted memos in the form of paper airplanes quickly darted into the elevator with them. Harry jumped and snatched one out of the air and unfolded it. He let out a bark of laughter before quickly crushing the paper in his hands and throwing it over his shoulder. No one questioned this.
As the elevator doors closed, Harry began humming again, rocking back and forth on his feet. No one spoke or dared to move. The tension was thick. Harry's humming was getting louder. Soon, he started playing air drums and the humming transitioned to something resembling scat. He was almost yelling. Pomfrey was shaking. Sirius wiped away a few more tears. Dumbledore closed his eyes.
Draco, who was in the back of the elevator, turned and laid the side of his head against the wall. This was obviously not the Harry he had been expecting. So much for a morale boost…
"Ba-na-na-na-Da-na-NA!" Harry's air drum and scat session quickly ceased as the enchanted voice of the elevator announced their destination. "Office of the Minister of Magic…"
Harry clapped twice and gave a little jump. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. Dumbledore's head lowered. He was not looking forward to this.
The doors opened and Harry actually did skip out this time. He then returned to his awkward stroll, his head hung low, eyes darting about.
Percy Weasley sat behind his desk in the antechamber of the Minister of Magic, scribbling away with his quill. He was the last of the Minister's secretaries to still be at the office this late at night. The Minister had asked him to stay, explaining to him that he had an important meeting later that he would need help with. Percy accepted this without question. It was a wonder he wasn't in Hufflepuff.
He heard the bell signaling the arrival of the elevator. He quickly finished the paragraph he was writing before he looked up. "Can I help…" was all he got out before he gasped and recoiled in his chair.
Harry gave another bark of laughter when he saw Percy's reaction to his presence. It transitioned to a giggle as he watched the redhead desperately struggle to get at his wand.
Draco rushed in. "Percy! I'm sure you were expecting us!" he said doing his best to try and defuse the situation. It would hardly look good for the Ministry if Harry was hexed by an employee after just being released from prison.
Percy looked at Draco, the terror still evident in his eyes. The face he had just seen was not something someone took well in seeing at 10:00 on a Wednesday night. He looked back at the man that had startled him only to be even more surprised as he watched him casually strolling around the room, fingering trinkets and quills on the other desks, humming.
"D-Draco," Percy visibly shuddered as he tried to collect himself. "N-nice to see you." His eyes quickly traversed over the rest of the group, widening further at the sight of Dumbledore. "The Minister is expecting you, of course."
Harry clapped again and smiled as he looked at the rest of the group. He was obviously anxious to see Fudge again.
Percy finally retrieved his wand with trembling hands and he sent a simple charm at the door to Fudge's office. A bell rang.
"Come in, come in!" responded the over-eager voice of Cornelius Fudge.
Before anyone could stop him or try and prepare Fudge, Harry immediately seized the doorhandle of Fudge's office and opened it. He walked with some speed.
Fudge was finishing up an article he was reading in the evening edition of the Daily Prophet. He folded the enchanted newspaper and tossed it on his desk as he took off his reading glasses and pinched his nose, the annoyance clearly written across his face. The Dark Knight…he thought, What nonsense…
He heard the footsteps approaching before he saw the figure that entered his office. His heart skipped a beat as he noted the speed of the footsteps. He quickly opened his eyes, gasped, and then let out a small yelp in fear.
Harry brought himself right up to the front of Fudge's desk and leaned over to look into the horror-filled eyes of the man that had sentenced him to Azkaban prison twelve years ago. He smirked, his gaze intense. It didn't need to be said. The message was clear. Look what you did…
Fudge could hardly breathe as he looked up into the horribly mangled face of the man that stood before him. He quickly noted the Azkaban robes and with increased horror, realized who the man was. Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, stood grinning before him. The paint, the scars, and the coldness in his eyes told him everything he needed to know.
Harry licked his lips and stood upright again, his head jerked from side to side as he scanned Fudge's office. His eyes rolled over his desk before he found the folded newspaper. It was upside down and hid the headline, but something in the enchanted photograph caught Harry's eye. Interesting…he though as he grabbed the newspaper and without being asked, took a seat in front of Fudge's desk.
Fudge's breathing was labored as he watched Harry sit down in front of his desk, his attention clearly focused on the newspaper clutched in his hands. With difficulty, he tore his gaze away from him and took note of the rest of the group that had entered his office.
"Minister," Draco began as he tried to match the swiftness of Harry's stride.
Fudge tried his best to calm down and focus. "Ah, D-Draco, good…good to see you my boy," Fudge didn't normally stutter. He looked over the rest of his guests and tried to calm down as much as possible. Things needed to be done here. Words had to be said.
"Cornelius," Dumbledore began as his eyes flickered over to take in Harry, enraptured by the Daily Prophet, "in light of the…circumstances," the tension in the air was thick as everyone desperately tried to keep their eyes off of Harry who read on oblivious, "I think it best if we kept today's proceedings from the public eye…for the time being," was the best Dumbledore could manage. Forever sounded in everyone's minds, though.
Fudge was having a hard time trying to concentrate. He needed to get a win out of this somehow. He looked over at Draco who had a hard look on his face. Stick to the plan, was clearly written across his features. Fudge tried desperately to shut out his emotions as he began to speak.
"With regards to recent evidence," Fudge began, "the Ministry of Magic grants a full and unconditional pardon to one H-," his voice betrayed him as it broke, "Harry James Potter."
Everyone looked at the man in question. He seemed not to notice.
"Furthermore," Fudge seemed to be giving a rehearsed speech rather than having a conversation, "the Ministry, in light of the gross injustices suffered by the wizard in question, would like to offer in restitution a sum of no less than two million galleons…"
Everyone looked to Harry to see if this rather shocking revelation had any effect on him. He was in his own world.
The silence hung for a few moments. This was as far as their conversation could go before Harry's participation was warranted. Few seemed eager to proceed. Fudge closed his eyes and seemed to steel himself as he took in a deep breath.
"Mr. Potter?" the Minister asked, the authority in his voice sounded hollow.
Harry merely bent the corner of the newspaper enough that his eyes met Fudge's. No words were said. Dumbledore noticed how Harry's grip tightened to the point where it ripped the edges of the newspaper.
Fudge swallowed. "The Ministry of Magic would like to fully reinstate you as a citizen of Wizarding Britain…" he hesitated, his voice shaking, "a-and return your wand…"
Fudge's fingers trembled as he opened the drawer of his desk. His hand was sweaty and clammy as he gripped the cold wood of the wand that lay there. He looked back to Harry and noted that his gaze had never left him, the newspaper was still folded over in the exact same place.
With effort, Fudge shifted the wand in his hand in such a way that the hilt was pointed at the former Azkaban inmate who sat in front of him. Every natural instinct in his body told him to stop, to throw the offensive stick away; but some part of his mind took over and he seemed to act without thinking. He quickly and deliberately pushed the wand towards Harry.
Maybe it was because of the gravity of the moment, maybe it was because of how many of the assembled thought of Harry as a symbol of hope, maybe it was because they just wanted a release; but everyone present expected something to happen when Harry grasped his holly and phoenix feather wand for the first time in twelve years.
Needless to say, they were a bit disappointed when Harry simply snatched the wand out of the hand of Fudge and quickly returned to reading his paper. His demeanor unchanged.
Everyone sat in silence for a few moments. Was that all there was to say? Beads of sweat were clearly visible on several faces. This was perhaps the most uncomfortable moment many had ever been in.
"What happens now?" Pomfrey cut in. She didn't like awkward silences
Sirius wiped away a few more tears from his face before he said in a low voice, "Will there be an investigation?"
Suddenly, everyone in the room remembered their own agenda. The awkwardness was gone. The chess game had begun.
"An investigation, Auror Black?" Fudge asked, some of his confidence returning to his voice.
Sirius found the rage inside of himself and drew strength from it. "It's obvious now what happened…" to Dudley went unspoken. "Will there be an investigation into how two dementors found their way into Little Whinging?"
The tension immediately returned as a bark of laughter escaped Harry's throat. He had obviously read something he found amusing, that or he had been paying attention to the conversation and decided to interrupt.
Fudge's voice broke again, but he struggled through. "I assure you, Auror Black. E-everything that can be done to…discover the truth…behind this…incident…is being done."
A few jumped in their seats as Harry roughly turned the pages of the newspaper, grunting as he did so. Harry's eyes were intense. He seemed to smile and snarl at the same time as he read further.
Draco had been through enough trials to recognize a difficult moment when he saw one. He decided to let some air out of the balloon. "Minister, perhaps we should push back the press conference we had planned…"
Fudge's eyes snapped wide open as he understood Draco's words. "Y-yes, I agree my dear boy. Perhaps…" Fudge's eyes glazed over as he tried to think, "perhaps a week from now…," a quick glance at Harry, "…a few weeks from now…"
Dumbledore sighed. He decided that ignoring the pink elephant wouldn't help much. "This can't be swept under the rug, Cornelius."
Fudge glared at the old Headmaster and decided to take the bold approach. "Mr. Potter?"
Harry immediately jerked his head away from the paper and began searching the room. It was clearly exaggerated. Fake confusion showed on his face before he pointed a finger at himself and mouthed, "Me?"
This shook Fudge, but he decided he couldn't let Dumbledore win here. "Would you be willing to answer some questions from the press…in the near future?" Fudge remembered Harry's reluctance to deal with his fame in any way. He was banking on that now.
Harry looked up, seeming to consider this, before his eyes reconnected with Fudge. "How does one register as an animagus?" he asked, his voice low, his pronunciation exact and drawn out.
His voice made most shiver.
"W-what?" Fudge struggled. His voice cracked.
Harry gesticulated with his hand around the office, "I hardly want to give the Ministry another excuse to box me up again," Dumbledore was the only one who took note of the significance of the words. "I'm…wondering…" Harry lets his fingers crawl across the desk as if they were a spider, "how does one…register…as an a-ni-ma-gus…" each syllable was punctuated by another pronounced "step" of his fingers.
The coldness and exact pronunciation of his voice chilled many to the bone. It was inhumanly low. Was there even an accent anymore?
Fudge trembled and shuffled with some papers on his desk nervously. "Well, Mr. Potter," his eyes were turned so he failed to see the rage flash across Harry's features, "I'm sure we could take care of all of that for you…"
Sirius and Remus had sat in frozen shock as soon as the word "animagus" had passed through Harry's lips. What?! How?! Questions swam through their minds. Both understood the long and tortuous process that constituted the making of an animagus. How in the world had Harry accomplished that in Azkaban?
"I'll have…P-Percy…take care of the necessary paperwork," Fudge continued. He hesitated for a moment. A sudden fear gripped his heart. "You…you will have to tell us…what your form is…"
Harry smiled, his yellow teeth glistening in the light.
He stood from his chair and stiffly walked to a clearing in the room. He swung his arms a little and spun around, taking in everything. He turned back towards his audience and gave another bark of laughter.
Then, without any warning whatsoever, Harry transformed. He seemed to fall forward as the gray and black of his Azkaban robes transformed into a brown and black-spotted fur…Before anyone could understand what was happening, a large hyena stood before them.
His cackling laughter made them tremble.
Harry quickly transformed back and fixed his gaze on Sirius and Remus.
"Messrs. Padfoot and Moony," Harry spoke their secret names in a deep voice and exaggerated pronunciation, "the…Prongslet…stands before you requesting entrance into the Marauders…"
Several faces in the room betrayed looks of absolute confusion mixed with shock. Snape and Dumbledore, gave reserved looks of hope. Was this how they would reconnect with Harry? Was Harry extending a hand?
The look of absolute joy on the faces of Sirius and Remus spoke volumes. Finally, something of their old friend and his son had shown through the darkness, through the mask, through the scars. Each nodded his head vigorously, but it was Sirius that asked, "Has the Prongslet chosen a name?"
The slow rise of Harry's smile caught the breath of all that witnessed it. Harry's head cocked to the side, but his eyes looked up as if day-dreaming. "Joker…"
Another chill went through the room. Percy only now understood the significance of Harry's face-paint. Snape was unnerved by the renewed smile. The expressions on the faces of Sirius and Remus darkened. They understood what Harry was trying to say. Harry Potter was gone. The Joker was here to stay.
Dumbledore squeezed his hands into fists. He was the leader of the Order of the Phoenix. He had to take the lead here. "Cornelius, considering just how important Mr. Potter," he ignored the low growl this elicited from "The Joker", "is to our common cause, I would suggest we do our best to keep his public appearances to a bare minimum…"
Something danced across Harry's eyes. They saw the slightest bit of movement to his right…The twisted smile returned to his face.
"You know as well as I, Dumbledore, that something this…," Fudge's voice faultered, "important can't be tucked away. The press will find out one way or the other!"
As their argument continued, Harry began to slowly roll the copy of the evening edition of the Daily Prophet in his hands. He rolled it tight, his knuckles nearly cracking as squeezed.
"How long can we keep this a secret…too many lives at stake…Ministry secrets…prophecy…best hope…" bits of the argument that was now raging filtered through Harry's ears but he ignored it. He stood slowly, he fixed his gaze on a framed picture on one of the Minister's bookshelves. He shuffled towards it. He dropped his jaw and widened his eyes…someone watching his expression would have been held captive, waiting for some sort of revelation, some sort of sign…what was Harry Potter hiding under that…
WHACK!
Everyone in the room jumped as they jerked to see Harry slowly draw his rolled-up newspaper away from the window-sill. He had apparently just crushed a bug. A beetle it would seem. Harry was weird enough they reasoned, killing bugs hardly changed anything. They returned to their arguments.
Harry…"The Joker"…stared at the crushed and splattered remains of the animagus form of Rita Skeeter…smeared like butter over the headline of the evening edition of the Daily Prophet. Harry had just committed his first murder…and in the presence of no less than eight individuals who knew none the wiser…
The Dark Knight…he thought as he giggled out loud…Wait till they get a load of me…
I love the reviews guys! I'm glad to know I wasn't the only one thinking about this plot. I need to give a shout-out though to kateydidnt as her "Betrayed" story definitely gave me a lot of inspiration for the Azkaban story angle. I'll try to update soon. In the meantime, check out my favorites list, those guys are good.