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Edited by the amazing pazed!

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CHAPTER 8

Albus Dumbledore arrived at the Ministry of Magic building with a burst of green flames, as he walked out of the public floos, he fixed a smile on his face to hide his anger. He needed help and the closest help was here. From here he could put out feelers, and contact some of his trusted agents from the past. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts he did not even notice the building's workers were in an uproar as he walked to the office of the Chief Warlock.


Amelia Bones was angry, and now with the Potter will she had what she needed to get Sirius out PROOF! As she entered the offices of the DMLE she started barking orders.

"SHACKLEBOLT, MARTIN, DAVIS, with me keep up don't ask questions. I want you three to gather your partners and get Sirius Black from Azkaban and into St Mungo's under heavy guard in two hours. Give him every courtesy as head of the Ancient and Noble House Black. He is to get the best care available. If anything happens to him in your care I will personally kick your ass then take your badge. Understood?" She heard no answer so she stopped short and spun on her men. "UNDERSTOOD?"

"Yes" finally came from the three men.

"Good, Go. Everyone else find me the following people and files. Barty Crouch Sr., Albus Dumbledore, Minister Fudge, two court reporters, any files on Sirius Black, including the private files of Minister Bagnold, and every damn file in the entire building on Harold James Potter. Bring it all to conference room one. MOVE PEOPLE!" In seconds the offices of the DMLE looked like a ghost town. Every person there would rather face an angry dragon than Madam Bones in her fury.

She entered the conference room and walked to the far wall, pulled her wand out and made a duplicate of the Potter will, enlarged it till it would cover the majority of the wall showing the sections she wished and used a sticking charm to fix it to the wall. She then returned to the table in the middle of the room, and sat at the head of it facing the door.

"I was in no place to help you before Sirius, and to my shame I did not look deep enough later. Now I have proof of your innocence and I'm going to have answers!"

The first to arrive was the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, he was not used to being summoned, he did the summoning.

"Madam Bones what is the meaning of this?"

"Minister, read what is posted behind, that will start to get you caught up to where I am." She said smoothly, her eyes never left the door. "I'll explain more when the others and the information I requested arrive."

He turned to stare at the wall and started to read. "What is th- That... That's the Potter's will... Black... Oh God."

He sat heavily next to her; he did not speak to her but was working hard to figure out what had happened. The next to arrive was Barty Crouch Sr., along with a couple of Aurors, Barty quickly looked around the room his eyes moved over the document on the wall and he paled.

"Aurors please guard the door, we are getting to the bottom of this today. Barty sit."

The group with files started to come in and place them on the table. Finally a sheepish Auror entered.

"Madam Bones, Albus Dumbledore refuses, he said that he is doing something of high importance."

"I don't care we are not sitting here for our health. Take three teams with you, if he refuses again arrest him and bring him directly to me!"

He turned quickly and ran into the hall.

"I guess we will start with you, Barty. We all know the public story of Sirius Black, tell me what really happened. Why can I not find the trial paperwork?"

"I did nothing wrong, we were at war! He was found in that carnage saying that it was his fault, when he was brought in it was evident he did it, so under the War Powers Act he was sent to Azkaban. Case closed."

"Was it Barty? When was his trial? Even your son got one of those! And he was caught in the act! Who sat on the tribunal? Who was his advocate? Any witnesses?"

"It was the Potters, who else could have done it?"

"DID YOU NOT READ THAT? He wasn't the secret keeper! WHY would he try to kill his godson and heir? The family magic would not allow it! He is as much Black as Potter. Was he even questioned?"

"-"

"That would be NO then. Damn fine work, your zealotry may have cost that man ten years in hell. Jameson, go to records and have them pull every prisoner's file that is in Azkaban, make sure everyone that's in there has had a full trial."

She had his wand taken; he was arrested and moved to the prisoner holding cells. It was another twenty minutes till Dumbledore was escorted into the room.

"Amelia what is the meaning of this?" he asked shaking the hands of his escorting Aurors off his arms. "Minister Fudge, what's going on?"

"Look at the document behind me Dumbledore, then you try and tell me."

Albus adjusted his glasses, and looked up. A look of surprise crossed his face, then he paled.

"Where.. That's not possible. Where is he?"

"So I see what I found was true. Why did you stop this will from being registered with the Ministry?"

His eyes twinkled. "Oh so it's not the real will then, so it is of no matter"

"You're wrong Dumbledore, this will is legal and its execution was started, November 1, 1981, the day after the death of the Potters. Their will was closed with a blood seal, as per contract a copy is filed with the Ministry and oddly enough the muggle government. For those who don't know, the seal breaks on the death of the person and alerts the goblins as soon as possible and that moves it to the execution stage. What you filed to stop was really just the distribution of the estate. The will was already active."

"By what right did you try to stop the execution of the will?"

Albus stood there for a moment. "Harry needed to grow up away from the fame that his survival has brought. His parents would not have wanted him to be arrogant, or to feel that he was better than others."

"So you used Harry's own proxy to block his parents' will?"

"It was for the Greater Good."

"So who did he live with?" she asked.

That questioned worried him what did she know? "That... should not be disclosed publicly. There may still be those who wish to do him harm."

"So you have been monitoring him?"

The room was silent, as Dumbledore tried to find an answer.

After a few seconds she spoke again. "Interesting. What if I told you I sat with him this very morning?"

"Where is he Amelia? He must be protected."

"What gives you the right to decide what is right for him? His PARENTS put that decision in their will, it was never YOUR choice. He was to be with Sirius Bla-"

"He's in Azkab-"

"Quiet! There was a list Frank and Alice Longbottom, Xeno and Selene Lovegood, ME!. What did you do? You dropped him on the doorstep of Lily's sister and her husband; you didn't even talk to them! Until a few days ago she didn't even know Lily and James were dead! She thought Harry's name was Barry for Merlin's sake SHE KNEW NOTHING! The woman was a shrew, and violent she called me a Freak just for being a witch and cursed out our world. There is a very good chance that if Harry had been there it would have been an abusive environment. She even tried to hit me with a frying pan!"

"He was found wandering the streets Dumbledore, an eighteen month old. Eighteen Months! Pulling a blanket with a note stuck to it. I quote-

Petunia,

I regret to inform you of the death of your sister Lily and her husband James. The Potters gave their lives last night to save young Harold James.

Protections have been put in place around your home that as long as Harry lives in your home you will be protected from those who sought to do your sister harm.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore

You left a toddler outside, in November, at Night, and did not even talk to the Dursley family face to face. On top of that you used a veiled threat to try to get them to take him in. You arranged to hold magical and physical guardianship yourself but force someone else to raise him. You make me sick."

"What protections were on the home Dumbledore?' the Mister finally asked the man slumping dejectedly in a chair.

"Very powerful wards, but if he was never there they never took hold."

Amelia sat up at that, she only knew of one type of ward that acted like that. "You didn't, please tell me you didn't. Did you use Blood Wards?

Dumbledore looked up. "Damn you Dumbledore, what were you thinking? Those are some of the most vile things. How much training have you had as a Curse Breaker? How did you come across those things?"

Dumbledore just looked at her with curiosity. "There was a book in headmaster Dippet's things; they were set to charge off the blood relation between Petunia and Harry. Their love for each other would have powered them easily."

Amelia's jaw dropped, he didn't know. "I think you have believed your own press too long."

"Amelia, Can you explain Blood Wards to me? I don't think I've heard of them?"

"Minister, while they are quite powerful they have an extreme down side, they use a wizard to power them. He sacrifices a part of his power to charge the wards, the longer you're there the more powerful, and as a last resort they will even drain the resident wizard to keep them up once the power stored is expended. After even a few years depending on the power of the wizard, the process of removing the wards will be fatal."

Dumbledore paled, "No, it didn't say anything like that in the texts."

"Yes, Dumbledore I saw them in action, in Egypt during my internship. They have been illegal here sense 962AD. You are lucky they seemed to have dissipated over the years, finding them now and removing them after ten years would have killed him."

"That brings us to the final thing; the marriage contract with Ginevra Weasley. It's null and void. You need to tell the Weasleys that and why."

"Dumbledore, it took a lot to get his father to let him even set foot in the wizard world in England. Even more to go to school here, Harry was a hairsbreadth from going to the Salem Academy." She paused for a moment to let it sink in. "They don't trust us Dumbledore, none of us. Because of what you did. The great hero of the wizarding world failed him, and we let you do it. We listened to you. What do you think of all this Minister?"

"I agree, we have failed him, but what do we do? If it gets out to the public what Albus has done, it will tear us apart."

"We start with Sirius Black, and find out if he is guilty or not. Next I think it is time for you Dumbledore to take a step back. It is probably too late for this year, but retire from Hogwarts, and stop being Chief Warlock, be an adviser, people will seek your counsel. I think you need to separate yourself from Lord Potter as much as possible."

"Lord Potter? He took up his lordship?" Albus asked

"Yes, he did! Mostly to void that stupid contract."

"I agree with her Albus, you can do it over the next couple of years but please do not have any contact with Lord Potter. I assume they know all of this?" Amelia nods. "We can not afford to lose ether one of you. You have made many mistakes with him Albus, if they gave their proof to the press it would destroy your legacy and so much more. If he just left after taking up the lordship they would never stop looking for reasons why."

"You've made your bed it's time for you to lie in it," added Amelia.

Albus nodded. "Please tell them I will retire at the end of the year, and we will hold the elections the next year, I will stay out of the way unless his schooling absolutely demands it, even then with his head of house present. I do have one thing that needs to be returned to Lord Potter, his father's invisibility cloak. It is a family heirloom; I was studying it when they were killed. I had thought to give it back this year perhaps as a Christmas gift."

"Please, give it to me and I will return it, he and his father do not wish to have contact with you. I am not happy with keeping this secret Albus and I expect that both the Minister and I have no respect any more for you. You're getting a chance to save your reputation take it."

Albus was fuming as he left the room, how dare they challenge him! He had time! He needed a plan and quickly! His plans for the wizarding world were for the Greater Good after all!