Part Four
An hour later, after Matron Pomfrey had revived Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall had given up her seat at the head table to both Mrs Potter and her son (going to sit at the table with her House), and Headmaster Dumbledore had been reminded (twice) to start the feast, there was a commotion at the door of the Great Hall.
Harry looked up and saw Cornelius Fudge step out from behind the homemade fitting room. He immediately stood up, drew his wand, and shouted "Patronus!" The members of the unofficial defence group that Harry had formed the year before had kept their eyes on their leader and immediately repeated his actions.
The Minister of Magic, therefore, walked into the great hall of Hogwarts to the sight of two dozen misty white shapes, ranging from the firm-edged Potter's Stag and Longbottom's Hare down to six non-corporeal clouds, all facing him and preparing for battle. Wisely he didn't say anything immediately, although he did freeze in place. Wisely because there was still the table of reporters in the corner of the room, all shouting 'Accio Quill'.
Albus Dumbledore, however, did open his mouth. "Potter!" he roared, "Have you gone bonkers?"
In the deathly silent room, all ears tuned in to hear the response. The Patroni never as much as twitched as their summoners waited for Harry's orders to attack. Lily Potter just stood behind her son with her hands on his shoulders, as she had not had time to acquire a wand.
"Minister Fudge!" Harry said in a voice amplified with the Sonorus spell. "Look at your legacy. A generation of witches and wizards who grab their wands to defend themselves at the first sign of the Minister of Magic. And not just any defence; they call Patroni to defend themselves from the Dark creatures you surround yourself with." With that the only sound in the room was the scratching of the quills at the reporters' table.
The Minister nervously responded, "I don't have any creatures with me, Dark or otherwise."
"Then this is the first time I have seen you at Hogwarts without at least two Dementors. Three years ago a prisoner escaped from Azkaban and you sent thirty soul suckers to attack the school train. Those same creatures fouled the air of the school grounds for the entire year, including their attack on a Quidditch game. The following year you brought them to the Triwizard Tournament, where they Kissed someone everyone believed to be a school instructor without his even getting a trial. You have shown up for meetings with our Headmaster, the Supreme Mugwump Dumbledore, with two or three of them in tow, trying to intimidate him into curtailing the classes the students are permitted to take."
Minister Fudge took two steps backwards.
Harry then sneered and turned to the reporters in the corner. "It is my opinion that any Ministry official that feels the necessity of using Dark and Restricted creatures as bodyguards does not have the best wishes of the Wizarding world on his agenda, let alone at the top of the list." Harry then sat back down, although his Stag remained in front of the Head Table.
Fudge finally found his voice. "Dumbledore! How dare you let that boy claim I'm in league with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"
"Cornelius, while young Potter most certainly did NOT hint, claim or accuse you of any such association, I see you are not disputing his facts about the number of times you have brought my students into contact with Dementors, intentionally or otherwise. As for permitting him to speak, that was implied when I asked him to explain his use of the Patronus spell, even if the request was in a lot fewer words than that."
At Fudge's distressed look, the headmaster continued. "Now why have you decided to grace us with your unannounced presence during our Sorting Feast?"
The Minister slipped into his smooth condescending manner that he used in meetings with annoying groups that he needed on his side even if he couldn't stand them. "I came to discuss the security measures for the school year. I wanted to make sure they were all to your satisfaction, Headmaster."
Harry whispered to his mother, conveniently 'forgetting' that he still had the Sonorus charm on his voice, "He's bonkers if he expects us to believe that; he'd have gone straight to the Professor's office if that was the case, instead of heading straight to the room where the reporters are expected to be at."
"Members of the media; please remember my no harassment order from earlier and specifically who I said was covered by it. Mr Potter, please cancel your Sonorus and Patronus spells. I'll protect the students just as I defeated Grindelwald. That goes for the rest of you students, too."
Headmaster Dumbledore hustled the Minister of Magic and at least half of the reporters into one of the rooms off of the Great Hall. It was most definitely not the room the Champions were instructed in during the Triwizard Tournament of a few years back. From his viewpoint at the head table Harry saw that instead of cases full of trophies this room had shelves full of knickknacks; he figured they were most likely the 'best-of-the-best' of students' transfiguration projects.
After another half hour the Heads of Houses started ushering the students back to their dorms for the evening. Most of the students were reluctant to go, too entranced by the sight of an ecstatic Harry Potter glowing brightly at the top table next to his (previously thought) dead mother.
The last stragglers were even more reluctant when Harry suggested the reporters gather at the ends of the house tables for an informal interview. The flying instructor, Madam Hooch, escorted Lily to 'powder their noses', leaving Harry virtually unattended for his interview. When Dumbledore discovered this later, he muttered under his breath that the whole school had gone bonkers over the summer.
Some of Harry's quotes included:
Voldemort couldn't even research his intended victims correctly. If he had, he would have known that both my parents were Animagi, and adjusted his attack accordingly. - Quoted by WWN
Of course I wasn't at the minister's house this summer. The Dark Lord knows as well as everybody else that the minister's mansion is one of the most warded places there is. Only a fool would believe that everything one sees printed in a paper or overhears is absolutely true. Always get confirmation of your facts before you act. - Quoted by The Quibbler
Why yes I do think my mother looks stunning in that dress. Why? Did you want to try it on sir? - Quoted by The Daily Prophet
Where will my mother live now? Well, since the Minister managed to survive three separate attacks in his mansion in the last two weeks, I think that would be the perfect place. But I doubt the Minister would move out just for her. I'll just guess that she'll be escorted to Diagon Alley by Unspeakables in the morning, get a new wand at Ollivander's, and then go to Gringotts. I hear they have a fantastic real estate section where she'll buy a new house to live in, since the Ministry refused my request to rebuild our own home in Godric's Hollow as memorial to their sacrifice. - Quoted by Hogwarts School Newspaper, First and Only Edition, Photographer, Reporter and Editor Colin Creevey
Oh no, we haven't told Mom's sister yet. We're saving that for a face-to-face surprise! - Quoted by Professor Vectra, in the Staff Lounge