Chapter 7 - Revelations
As soon as they had reached Harry's room, Sirius made sure to check and double-check all the wards he had put up. Then when he was finally satisfied, he turned and spotted Harry watching him anxiously. In a few moments, thought Sirius sadly, the poor boy's life would be turned upside down.
He opened the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out a pensieve. Then he asked Harry to put in the memories of all the "adventures" he had experienced while at Hogwarts. And so it began.
Harry would put in a memory, they would watch it together (Sirius fast-forwarding the memory wherever necessary), and then Sirius after giving Harry some relevant information, would ask him a set of pointed questions.
"The Hogwarts wards are tied to the Headmaster. Why did he not notice the fact that Hagrid was illegally raising a dragon in his hut, let alone the facts that a Troll had entered the school or that the protections around the stone had been overcome?"
"The Hogwarts wards allow ghosts to reside in the school, but have protections in place to prevent any form of possession. You know who the wards alert in case of a violation. Why did Dumbledore not detect Ginny's possession by the diary, and Quirrel's possession the year before?"
"Dumbledore is a legilimens – what Muggles call a mind reader. Shouldn't he have been able to sense that Quirrel was being influenced by some external force, since he was a staff member who he was in daily contact with? Could he not have looked into the mind of the petrified victims and viewed the last thoughts they had before the attack?"
"Dumbledore and Moody have known each other for over 40 years now. If you knew someone that long, even if they were your enemy, would you not have noticed that he had been replaced by an imposter?"
"Before he was removed, Dumbledore was the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. The Chief Warlock is independent of the Ministry and has even been known in the past, to bring charges of corruption against incumbent Ministers. Why did he not provide me with a trial if he was convinced of my innocence?"
"There are several children attending Hogwarts, whose parents died during the First War, fighting for Dumbledore's side. Why has he not interfered with their living arrangements? Why is he still interfering with yours?"
The questions continued in the same vein for some time. At first, Harry attempted to defend Dumbledore, trying to justify his actions with excuses. But as the evidence (from his own memories) began to mount, he fell silent.
When they had covered all of Harry's memories of the Hogwarts' incidents, Sirius moved on to his own memories. He showed Harry the Order meetings that had taken place in the past and they watched as Dumbledore subtly manipulated people into doing what he wanted. They viewed memories of James, Lily, Dumbledore and Sirius talking about the need for protection and the benefits of the Fidelus. They watched Sirius' memory of finding Godric Hollow in ruins, and how Hagrid convinced him to hand over his godson because Dumbledore said so. With each memory, Sirius pointed out his observations of Dumbledore's failings.
Then, he pulled out memories of the recent Order meetings – meetings where Dumbledore seemed perfectly happy doing nothing. Harry watched, disgusted, as people fell over themselves, attempting to be part of the Boy-who-lived's Guard. His face fell as he watched his best friends agree to keep him in the dark. He watched as Molly screeched and badgered and finally convinced everyone that "Harry is only a boy! He needs to be protected. We shouldn't burden him with the pain of war."
It was three in the morning when they finally finished. Harry simply stared at Sirius pale-faced and tired. He had long since overcome the feelings of shock and betrayal. He looked so lost that Sirius didn't hesitate to pull him into a hug. He could feel Harry's shoulders' shaking with suppressed emotion.
"Why hasn't anyone noticed all this?" Harry croaked out, after pulling himself together.
"Some people have. They've tried to reveal Dumbledore's true nature to the world, but they stood no chance against Dumbledore's power. But in the international community he's very much a despised figure. They call him the Shadow Dictator or some such rot. I've heard that several ICW member countries were thrilled when he got kicked out last month", explained Sirius.
Harry nodded in understanding, but a frown marred his face. "Sirius", he asked fearfully, "What chance do we have against a man like Dumbledore?"
Sirius grinned so wide, that Harry looked thoroughly startled. "I'm glad you asked, Harry. Put yourself in Dumbledore's shoes for a moment okay? Do you think, after all the games he's played, he'd be sleeping peacefully at night? He's bound to know that sooner or later, someone will come along and challenge his authority, or worse – reveal every single manipulation his done. He's constantly alert and afraid of when that day will arrive."
Sirius paused to gather his thoughts. "So he observes everyone he considers a threat, even lets some of them aim a few blows at him. Then, when he's finally sure that he's got his prey trapped, he strikes so hard that they have no hope of ever recovering. If anyone else is watching, they'll learn too – it doesn't pay to mess with Dumbledore. So he's managed to eliminate a few threats, but this is a never-ending game. He can't afford to stop and rest, for fear of when the next attack will come."
Harry was listening closely to everything he said, but obviously wondering where this was going.
"Now consider this. Dumbledore held nearly every important position of power. Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot? Check. Chairman of the ICW? Check. Head of the Order of Phoenix? Check. Headmaster of Hogwarts? Check. He was practically ordering the Minister of Magic to do his bidding. Now, Dumbledore is a strong wizard, and a smart man, but even he knows that it's not possible to keep watch on everything that's happening at once. So what does he do? He considers who is most likely opposition will be." Sirius looked at Harry, and asked,"So who do you think that is?"
"Every Death Eater who escaped imprisonment." Harry answered promptly.
"That's right. How many Death Eaters were active during the first war? About two hundred. Thirty are now dead. Forty are still in prison today. How many potential threats does that leave? A hundred and thirty"
Harry's mouth dropped open at that bit of spectacular math.
"And we're only talking about marked Death Eaters here. Voldemort had a sizeable number of unmarked supporters as well. Many of them belonging to the old pureblood families. Now some of them might believe that Voldemort is dead, but what they were actually supporting was his agenda. Should another leader come by, holding the same beliefs that they do, they would be happy to throw all of their political influence behind him."
Harry was speechless.
"So we've come to the conclusion that the Death Eaters still have plenty of clout to keep Dumbledore on his toes. Then he has to worry about well-meaning citizens, who may have observed some of his shady deeds, but not really realized their significance, talking to someone who might be able to connect the dots. He also spends a lot of effort trying to block all the negative stories going around in the international community, from ever reaching Britain. He does all this in the middle of balancing all the paper work that his position brings him. He may have lost some of his many positions, but any time saved, is now spent wondering how to combat Voldemort – his biggest threat." explained Sirius.
"Do you think he'd consider a brooding old ex-convict and a clueless teenager, as high on his list of potential threats? Especially if we do nothing that attracts his attention?" Sirius asked, grinning slyly.
"Sirius – you're a genius!" Harry laughed happily, giving him a huge hug, and ignoring the fact that his godfather had basically insulted him.
Sirius happily returned the hug and then stood up, tugging his hand. "Come on! I've been dying to show you all the preparations I've made."
"Uh Sirius – why are we heading towards the bathroom?" Harry asked, looking like he was considering withdrawing the "genius" remark.
Sirius ignored the question, pulled Harry in and shut the bathroom door. A full-length mirror hung on the other side of the door. Sirius pressed a tiny rune etched on top right corner.
Suddenly colors began to swirl in the mirror, and then the mirror yawned.
"What the …!" Harry's eyes were popping open.
Where there was glass earlier, a set of staircases had formed. Sirius dragged Harry up the stairs, not-so-quietly repeating Harry's earlier sentence, in a high-pitched voice that strangely resembled Celestina Warbeck. "Why are we heading towards the bathroom, Sirius? Oh no, Sirius! We're heading towards the bathroom. The room of doom!" He'd have continued in this vein for some time, if Harry had not smacked him hard on his shoulder.
By the time he had finished rubbing his bruised shoulder, they reached a wall that was bare except for a small door knocker. Sirius lifted it and knocked in a specific way.
"Memorise the pattern", he told Harry, as the wall simply melted into thin air. They stepped in and Harry gasped.
To Harry, it must have seemed as though they had stepped into another building. Sirius had made sure that the upper floors had modern spacious interiors, a sharp contrast to the rest of the house. The rooms had massive picture windows, polished wooden floors, and tasteful, comfortable furniture. Unlike the drab, dreary floors below them, this place seemed to exude a warm, homely appeal.
"What is this place?" Harry whispered.
"This Harry, is where we train"
Sirius smiled at Harry's look of awe. "This is your real room, where you'll have your lessons, read books, or finish your homework."
"Lessons?" asked Harry.
"Yup," answered Sirius. "See this case?" he said pointing to a set of shelves stacked with what looked like rows and rows of test-tubes. On closer inspection, each one appeared to contain some kind of silvery substance.
Sirius pulled out one of the test tubes and showed Harry the label - Theory of Magic: Volume I, Lesson 1. "Each one of these contains memories of lectures by leading subject-matter experts. Many scholars actually make a living by selling pensieve memories of their lectures. They're used extensively by home-schooled kids."
He headed to the pensieve stand in the center of the room and poured the swirling substance in. "Come on!" he said, pulling a startled Harry in with him.
They found themselves seated on a bench right in front of the rows of students that filled the class. A middle-aged man, with salt-and-pepper hair, stood in front of a large whiteboard.
"Good afternoon, everyone and welcome to the first lecture of the Theory of Magic. My name is Albert Latimer. Most of you have become familiar with learning to throw around spells, but in this class, we're going to understand what it is that actually gets magic to flow at will, the rules magic follows, and its limitations." He paused to drink a sip of water.
"To get started, we're first going to take a brief walk through history, and see what our forefathers theorized about magic. Magical theory has evolved over time, and varies rather dramatically from place to place." He waved his wand and a series of pictures appeared on the board.
"Let's look at the Celts first." One of the pictures zoomed into focus. "Descendants of Indo-Europeans, they practiced magic extensively – casting basic spells and making rudimentary potions. Unfortunately, very little written work about their beliefs has found their way into modern times. What we do know is that they believed that magic sprung forth from nature – not the core, as we know today. They considered trees to be sacred, particularly the oak tree, as they believed that they held the strongest connection to nature, and hence magic."
As he spoke, the pictures on the board moved to match his words. Sirius noticed Harry was paying rapt attention, despite the unearthly hour. They watched as the man took them through the theories of magical users around the world. At times, he would stop and play a video clipping of famous theorists, talking about their views, and other times, he would actually show them memories of certain magical communities using magic in their own unique way.
Sirius had only planned to spend ten minutes watching the lecture, but they ended up spending half an hour. He managed to convince a reluctant Harry to watch the rest of the lecture some other time, so that he could see the rest of Sirius' preparations.
"That was really good! Did you see the way that tribal elder did magic without a wand? And that crystal magic thing? That was amazing! Why can't Hogwarts lectures be like that?" Harry looked like he had thoroughly enjoyed the lesson.
"Tell me about it! The Hogwarts faculty has made no effort to improve. They don't bother finding out what's going on in the outside world and end up teaching you all sorts of outdated stuff" said Sirius, shaking his head with disgust.
Harry's expression mirrored his own. "Then what is the point of giving the OWLs and NEWTs? You're just going to have to relearn everything anyway."
"It doesn't matter if you're going to stay in the British wizarding world. Wizards here seem to be more than happy with mediocrity. But students, who choose to continue their studies or work abroad, find themselves way behind their peers. Which is why I don't want you to bother about your OWLs," said Sirius, waiting for Harry's reaction.
Harry was predictably shocked. "What happened to studying hard and excelling?"
Sirius grinned. "That plan is still on. Don't think you're off the hook. What I want you to do is take the ISEM exams instead." He walked up to one of the tables and handed Harry a sheaf of pamphlets. Harry settled himself on a couch, and Sirius sat next to him.
"The International Standard Examinations for Magical beings" Harry read out loud.
"The ISEM is of a much higher standard than the OWLs and NEWTs. You've got to give three levels before you graduate. Then you become eligible to apply for a Master's course anywhere in the world, unlike the NEWTs, which are only accepted in Britain. " explained Sirius.
Harry nodded while reading the pamphlet intently. "It says here that I've got to take at least seven Magic-based subjects and three non-magical subjects for Level 1. Let's see …" he traced his finger down the long list of subject options.
"Sirius! What are these subjects? Warding. Spell crafting. Empathic and mind magic. Protective magic. I've never even heard of them! And the Muggle subjects? It's been ages since I touched upon them!" said Harry as he looked up, a trifle wide-eyed.
Sirius chuckled, and raised his hand in mock-surrender. "Hey, I don't expect you to be ready by the end of this year. But I definitely want you to give it a shot next year. Don't waste your time studying for the OWLs. Most of its syllabus is covered here anyway. This is a much better option, Harry. It'll give you a lot of opportunities."
Harry nodded, but still looked a bit overwhelmed.
"I made sure that I bought pensieve lessons for all of the subjects in the list. The lectures are by some of the best teachers in the world, so they will be interesting to look at, even if you don't end up taking those subjects", said Sirius.
"I'm guessing we won't be letting anyone else in on this plan?" Harry asked, and Sirius raised his eyebrow in a what-do-you-think expression.
"Right" Harry looked down at the pamphlets in his hand, a frown marring his face. "So what do I do if I have doubts? I can't ask the Hogwarts teachers, if it's stuff that's out of their syllabus, or they'll get suspicious. Will you be able to help me?"
Sirius treated Harry to one of his best Marauder smiles. "Come with me."
As they stepped out of the room, Harry asked, "Doesn't anyone in this house wonder what you're doing up here all day?"
"That's actually the first thing I took care of when I got this house" said Sirius, as they headed up the stairs. "To them it looks like there are only four floors in the house. That room on the third floor that I showed you is actually a decoy room. I've made one for myself at the other end of the corridor, next to the room I put Buckbeak in. I've got a secret passage just like yours, heading up to these floors. They think that I sit in my room all day, brooding about the past."
He gave Harry a mischievous grin and continued, "I've actually encouraged that view. I make sure that I show up sometimes for dinner, smelling strongly of Firewhiskey. Then I proceed to ramble about the good old days, and mutter not so quietly about the rat."
Harry laughed a bit at that. "The only thing we have to worry about is if one of my friends decides to walk in to my decoy room, and notice that I'm not there."
"Oh that reminds me!" said Sirius, and pulled out a box from his pocket. They stopped at the landing and Sirius handed it to Harry.
"A ring?" Harry was more than a bit perplexed after opening the box.
"The Black family heir ring." said Sirius quietly. Harry looked up sharply.
"You're …you're…" Harry seemed speechless.
"Yes Harry. If I could adopt you, I would. But for the time-being this is all I can do."
Harry's head was bowed and Sirius could see that he was clutching the box tightly.
"Harry …" he said, wondering if he had said the right thing.
Harry suddenly gave him a tight hug, one that conveyed all his happiness and frustration at the circumstances under which this was happening. Sirius smiled a bit sadly and wrapped his arms around him.
"Put it on, kiddo" he said, as they separated, his voice, a bit gruff. "Once you wear it, it'll turn invisible to everyone except the two of us. It has the added benefit of keying the wards to you, and giving your mind a certain degree of protection."
Harry carefully slipped the ring on his finger. The Black family crest, shone brightly for a moment. Harry shuddered.
"What was that?" he asked, startled.
"That's the feeling you get when the wards connect to you. Only the Lord of the family has the right to modify the wards, but other than that the wards will inform you (if you want it to) of the movements of people within the house. So you can ensure that you have sufficient warning if one of your friends begins to head towards your room. Even then, the wards won't allow them to enter unless you want it to" answered Sirius.
"That's one problem taken care off. What did you mean when you said that it will protect my mind?" Harry questioned.
"Remember when I told you about Dumbledore being a legilimens?" Harry nodded. "Well, the art of protecting your mind is called Occlumency. That's something I'll be teaching you personally. It's part of the training every Heir undergoes. Until the Heir masters it, the ring is meant to protect family secrets from being leaked out. It doesn't form a barrier around the mind, but compels anyone looking into your mind to withdraw the intrusion. To them it simply feels as though they had voluntarily done so. But someone with really strong will-power can overcome this protection, so you need to learn Occlumency as soon as possible. This ring will only be able to hide a few very important secrets if your mind is attacked" Sirius said, as they came to stand in front of the doors of the library.
He pushed the doors open, and lights automatically flickered on. Harry stood spellbound (a reaction he had been displayed several times that night) as he looked at the massive library.
"Look at all those books! Hermione would kill to be here." He whispered.
Sirius laughed, and dragged Harry to a corner of the library. Pointing to a huge bookcase, he said, "Pick one."
He watched, as Harry carefully read the names printed on the thin book spines, before choosing "Transfiguration by Regina Cooper." He held it in his hands and looked at Sirius questioningly.
"Open it" said Sirius, gesturing impatiently.
Harry shot Sirius a baffled look, and proceeded to do so.
"Hello there!"
"AAAAAH", Harry screamed and flung the book aside. For a few moments, all that could be heard was Sirius' barking laughter, Harry's curses, and the book's grumbling.
"Well I never! How rude!" the painting in the book, was protesting loudly.
Sirius was still wiping the tears from his eyes, as he picked the book up. "Sorry about that. My godson didn't know what to expect."
He grinned madly as he turned to Harry. "Harry, this is the solution to your problem. You've seen the paintings in Hogwarts haven't you? They can talk and interact with students. The Headmaster's office also has paintings of all the previous headmasters of the school. The paintings are imprints of their real personalities. There's a well known spell that connects a person's memories to the painting."
Harry was still eyeing the book uncertainly. Sirius gestured towards the bookcase. "Each book here contains an interactive painting of the same set of teachers whose pensieve lectures I bought. They can teach you all the theory, solve your doubts, set homework and if you want to watch them cast spells you just need to view the relevant pensieve lesson." He looked down at the painting of Regina Cooper and gave her a charming smile. "Isn't that right, Professor Cooper?"
She smiled back prettily, her earlier irritation apparently gone. "Quite right, Mr.…?"
"Black. Sirius Black. And this young man here is my godson, Harry Potter."
Harry gave her a sheepish wave. "Sorry about that Professor. My godfather was playing a stupid prank on me."
She sniffed. "That's alright Mr. Potter. If I may ask, what level are you at?"
Sirius jumped in. "Actually Harry has been studying at Hogwarts for the past four years. He's aiming at sitting for the Level 1 exam next year. He's going to try and finish as much as he can this month and then study after classes once school starts."
"Difficult but manageable, if you work hard" Regina replied. "Once you decide what subjects you're taking, talk to the respective paintings and work out a schedule."
"Yes Professor" replied Harry, and Sirius shut the book and replaced it on the shelf.
He looked up at Harry and found him glaring at him. "What?" he asked, deciding to try the innocent act.
"I'm so getting you back for that", said Harry, giving him an evil grin.
Sirius gave him an unimpressed look. "I'm terrified." He stated plainly.
"You don't believe me?" asked Harry, raising one eyebrow.
"Oh I believe that you'll certainly try to get back at me. But whether you succeed or not is another question. It's impossible to prank a Marauder, you know."
Harry sniffed and raised his head. "We'll just have to wait and see."
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Authors' notes: (1) Whew! This chapter took me ages to finish, because it's linked so closely with future chapters. I can't afford to make any mistakes with this one or I'll write myself into a corner.
(2) Thank you for your reviews! I've received some great suggestions, that have got me thinking in a different direction.
(3) Some of you have wondered what role Ron and Hermione will be playing in this story. As far as I can see this story playing out, I believe that this story is primarily Harry- and Sirius-centric. Neither of Harry's friends are going to turn evil but Harry won't be as close to them as in Canon.
