Chapter 2: By Order of the Ministry

*I own nothing except Nolan.

Most of this work consists of raw chapters, suggestions and thoughts welcome!


From the first day after Dumbledore's visit his guardians told him stories of their wards, magical orphans found around the country and brought here for sanctuary. They helped him in coming to terms with his magic, reminding him of little instances of accidental magic they had witnessed, but never called his attention to throughout the years.

"Yes, child. Floated your stuffy right to your cribside, ye did!"

"Cleaned out all the brussel sprouts from the cold box after we made you try them. Just like that!" She snapped her fingers.

"Once we had a child, wee sprig of a boy, who refused to cut his hair. Wouldn't let Sister Magdelena near him either. One day, we cut just a bit, to keep out of his eyes, but the next day it was back to the same length, if not longer!"

Harry had grown more comfortable with the idea of magic after learning his guardians believed it to be not an abominable curse from Satan, but a gift from a loving God. He'd worried to the point of illness until Father MacDara found him sicking up the afternoon after their Diagon Alley trip, at which point they sat down to discuss the Oratory's positive outlook on magic.

Harry felt a lot better after that.

He was saddened immensely at the prospect of leaving, and especially at having to deal with the barmy old codger, Dumbledore. The old man tried to come off as a nice, grandfather type, but after living with Father MacDara he knew how to tell the difference between goodwill and manipulations.

Harry decided to give the Headmaster the benefit of the doubt, but not his trust. That was something that would be hard won, and unless he was sadly mistaken, Dumbledore would not have the right convictions for his tastes.


30 July 1995

Harry watched the owls flying in the distance. It was a tradition for him to wait up for his birthday gifts to arrive by post. He thought it ironic how the owls from all over Magical Britain were able to arrive at midnight exactly.

He watched the clock in his room count down the seconds until his birthday. He was ready to celebrate the first few hours in quiet peace before the Sisters and Father MacDara woke and began trying to spoil him.

3...

2...

1...

Tink. Tintink.

Harry opened the window and watched as the parliament of owls flew and hopped their way in. Pig zipped throughout the room, bouncing off the walls, while Hedwig flew to her perch quietly. Two unknown owls, one very exotic and one very stately looking flew in as well. Finally, the fifth owl simply flew in, dropped a rather ornately scribed envelope and left. Harry watched the odd owl grow smaller with the horizon and fade into the darkness, He shook his head. "What barmy animals they can be," he thought.

With a look, and recognizing the Ministry grade envelope, Harry tore open the letter with a feeling of trepidation. Using his middle finger he slipped under the envelope fold and tore, wincing with a small curse as he got a paper cut in the process. He finished opening the letter and watched with a sinking feeling as the paper glowed and returned to normal.

The sinkhole became a black hole as he read the missive.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Enclosed is a Decree from the Office of our esteemed Minister with collaboration from our erudite Wizengamot.

It is due to the increasingly widespread knowledge of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's Return. Not everyone is being told, but I thought you had the right to know, Harry.

Harry laughed at the written in text. He glanced down to see who the author was. Percy. Trust the Ministry Weasley to think of him in writing this particular letter. He shook his head and returned to the puzzling information.

Please keep in mind the time line given when making plans this summer.

Any bond created after the administration of Soul Bonding Agents must be registered at the Ministry within 30 days. As you are a current student of Hogwarts you and any bondmate will be allowed to cohabitate within Hogwarts. The Medi-Witch on site will care for any issues which may arise.

Hoping you are having a nice summer,

Percival Weasley

Assistant to the Head

Department of Units

Harry flipped to the second page that came with the missive, confused over some of the things Percy mentioned. His confusions only escalated as her read the second page.

BY DECREE OF THE MINISTRY

HEREBY on this, the 31st Day of July Nineteen-Ninety Five in the year of Merlin, the Ministry of Magic, by order of Minister Fudge, does decree that the ban on the Olde Ways be abolished forevermore.

HENCEFORTH all persons of school age and above, of whom are not paired by a current and active soulbond, will report to the Ministry Official to be given the Soul Bonding Agent(s) necessary to start the Unit Processing within 30 days of this missive.

OFFICIALS include those in the newly established Department of Units and Healers leveled IV and above at St. Mungo's Hospital for Wizarding Maladies.

COURSES on the Olde Ways will be given in each county seat by Ministry Appointed Teachers. Students of teachable age will attend Hogwarts and learn in the newly adapted curriculum.

ANY persons not submitting to the Unit Processing will be fined and held in contempt of the Ministry, with punishments up to and including confinement in the Wizarding Prison Azkaban.

TO acknowledge your receipt of the letter please allow a small measure of blood to fall on the paper surface within the week.

BY order of the Ministry.

Minister Cornelius Fudge

Chief Warlock Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore


'Happy Birthday to me,' Harry thought as he sat and pondered the letter.

The decree itself was so busy and fancily worded that he couldn't figure out what actually made sense from what didn't in the damned thing. Soul bonds, Olde Ways, potions, Units, fighters...

Fighters?

Harry stopped and sat on his neatly made bed as a memory niggled in the back of his mind. 'Fighter...Fighter...Nolan'

He knew nothing would come of forcing the memory, and so resolved himself to ask Father MacDara in the morning until the name floated to the surface. Nolan Odom. Resident Gryffindor ghost.

He wasn't dead, but rarely spoke or freely interacted with anyone. He just existed most days, and it had been a puzzle for Harry for many years now. One he had always been distracted away from by Dumbledore's subtle, yet simultaneously unsubtle, manipulations.

From three-headed dogs and giant killing snakes to dementors and tournaments...not to mention he'd yet to have a defense teacher that didn't want him dead any any given time. But through it all he'd never been alone.

Father MacDara was his only adult confidante and knew of all his troubles thus far at Hogwarts. He was Harry's saving grace, keeping him sane as he traversed magic and new godfathers, death plots and, most recently the murder of his friend Cedric before his very eyes. It had been a very broken and depressed Harry who had returned to the The Oratory just a few weeks ago, but with the Father and Sisters' help he was getting back to a functioning state.

They were helping him come to terms with his grief and guilt, as well as his unchosen role in the return of the Dark Lord Voldemort. They were lucky that the Ministry and Father MacDara had taken Amos Diggory's demands for answers to what had happened to his son seriously. The Father had contacted one of his former wards and asked him what could be done. After being informed of Pensieve memory extractions and their uses in court he had escorted Harry directly to the Ministry and demanded that the evidence be taken and viewed by everyone in power who needed to know.

At first only Amos Diggory and Amelia Bones, the Director of Law Enforcement had watched, but soon after returning from the memories of that horrid night they called in the Minister with every ounce of power they possessed. After returning from the Pensieve and subsequent panic attack with the help of a Calming Draught, Minister Fudge had promptly fled the chamber and called a full meeting of the Wizengamot.

At the time, Harry hadn't cared. His passion over alerting the world to Voldemort's presences had faded after being placated, almost being killed again, and then being named a liar by the press. He'd simply sunk into his grief for a time and watched the hazy days fly past without recollection.

It was soon after the first memory viewing that Harry received a letter from the Diggory family thanking him for his service to their son in "bringing his body home from war" and acknowledging their debt to him should he have need of them.

Harry thought it ridiculous, but felt the odd phrasing "home from war" was something that helped him in coming back from his overwhelming guilt. War. He was in the midst of a war, and he needed to get his life together if he wanted to survive.

With a sigh Harry tossed the letter on his desk and began to open his presents. He knew he would have more tomorrow, but wanted to open the magical ones alone. He wasn't ashamed of his magic, but neither did he like to flaunt it, or have to explain every aspect of how a sugar quill was edible or a book moved on its own… And that wasn't even taking into account whatever Sirius had deigned to send him this year.

As he opened his gifts from his friends, the typical sweets from Ron and his Mum sent with Pig, a stack of scribble filled notebooks from Sirius and Remus with the exotic bird. That left the one unknown owl and Hedwig's gift. He retrieved the box from the stately owl, surprised to see a journal inside, but no name. He set it aside for later inspection and moved to Hedwig. She carried a box of two books, one on grief resolution, the other on turning defensive techniques into offensive strategies from Hermione.

Harry smiled and packed his books away and set out treats and water for the visiting birds before opening the window to allow them to return to their homes. Once that was done and Hedwig was once more settled in her cage he joined her and settled in his own bed. Both drifted off to the soft sounds of the city around them.