Chapter 7

The Memory Remains


Albus Albus burst into the hospital wing, startling Madame Pomfrey, who was standing near one of the beds.

"Professor Dumbledore," she said, her tone scolding. "Don't just barge in here like that. What would you have done if I was performing complicated healing magic on a patient?"

"My apologies, Poppy," Albus apologized, though his attention was focused mostly on the bed. "I do not believe that I am quite in my right mind at the moment." He walked up to the bed, upon which there lay a familiar boy with messy black hair and a thunderbolt scar. "How is he?"

"He is mostly fine, however, had Professor Lupin been even a second later, then Harry would be a body without a soul right now."

Dumbledore quelled the anger he felt. There was no sense in allowing his mind to become clouded. He needed to remain calm, to think about the situation logically, and to make the right choice—not the easy choice.

As his mind became unfogged, Albus realized that there was someone else within the room aside from him and Minerva, who'd followed closely behind him.

"Remus—or should I say, Professor Lupin," Albus greeted the man with a smile, extending his hand. "I wish the circumstances of our meeting were different, but thank you for coming."

"You and I are in the same boat, I'm afraid." Remus took Albus' hand a shook it firmly. "Thank you for having me." The slight smile that he wore left as his eyes strayed to Harry. "I still can't believe that Harry was attacked by dementors."

"It is possible that the dementors sensed Sirius Black's magic on him," Albus theorized. "As I told you in my letters, Sirius Black apparently found Harry during the summer, and they both vanished. If they have been with each other all this time, then it is likely that Harry is under his control through the use of charms. He might even be imperiused."

"I hate to destroy your theories, but I'm afraid that there are no signs of Mr. Potter being placed under any spells, nor does he appear to be under the effects of a potion," Madam Pomfrey informed them. "I've already done every standard examination spell, and even a few of the not-so-standard. He is as clean as they come."

Albus frowned. "You mean he's not been influenced at all?"

"Not one bit."

The frown deepened. The mere fact that Harry was alive was incredible. He would've thought that Sirius would want to finish the job that he started over a decade ago and end the Potter line. When that hadn't come to pass, and the monitors that let him know if Harry was alive or not remained active, he'd assumed that Harry was going to be used for something nefarious; he'd been anticipating it.

And now Madam Pomfrey was telling him that Harry was not under Black's control.

I am missing something.

There was a larger picture that he wasn't seeing, a piece to the puzzle that he didn't have. Albus glanced at Harry again. The boy lay there, still, unmoving. Were it not for his shallow breaths, Albus would have mistaken him for a corpse. Did he have the final piece that would help him understand this situation?

"Albus?" McGonagall asked behind him, her voice uncertain.

"Let's allow young Harry to get his rest," Albus said at last. "Professor Lupin, Minerva, if you two would follow me. There are many young children who're waiting to be sorted, and I am sure that the returning students are ravenous by now."

Much as he would've liked to stay and wait until Harry was awake, he had other obligations.

With nothing left to do here, Albus Dumbledore left the hospital wing with Minerva McGonagall and Remus Lupin in tow.

XoX

It was a somber crowd who sat at the Hufflepuff table.

Susan Bones, especially, was experiencing something very close to shock. She'd just witnessed her friend, Harry Potter, nearly getting his soul sucked out by a dementor.

Despite her aunt being the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Susan Bones had never seen, much less been near, a dementor. Her aunty did not like them. She'd once told Susan that dementors were the worst creature to have ever existed, and that just being near one was enough for normal people to lose their sanity. Having now seen one for herself, she could attest to that fact. Thank Merlin that Professor Lupin had been present to drive the dementors off.

"Hey, hey, Susan." Ernie Macmillon leaned over with an anxious and, dare she say it, excited expression on his face. "Is it true that Harry Potter was attacked by dementors on the train?"

While Hannah glared at Ernie for his crass question, Susan put on her best poker face and nodded. "It's true. When Hannah and I found him, he was on the verge of getting the dementor's kiss."

"Bloody hell," Justin Finch-Fletchly muttered, his eyes wide. "Never would've thought that The Harry Potter would be attacked by dementors."

Susan said nothing. She didn't want to talk about what happened right now, so she let the conversation die. The doors opening to admit Headmaster Dumbledore, and Professors McGonagall and Lupin, gave her the perfect excuse to turn her attention elsewhere.

As the two professors moved to their seats and Dumbledore took center stage, Susan Bones turned her thoughts to the young boy sleeping in the hospital wing.

Harry…

XoX

The sorting ceremony had been very subdued. Daphne didn't blame anyone for this. If anything, she was grateful for the somber atmosphere. It meant that she could be as moody as she wanted and not have to worry about what other people thought.

During the ceremony, Professor Dumbledore had confirmed that Harry had been attacked by dementors, and that he was currently recuperating. This had put an end to any speculation about what had happened. Daphne was grateful for that. She didn't like hearing the things that people had to say about her friend.

After his short speech about how they should all wish Harry a speedy recovery, the sorting had commenced. Daphne hadn't paid much attention to the sorting. The only person that she cared to know about was her sister. Incidentally, her sister had been sorted into, not Slytherin, but Gryffindor. Father wouldn't be pleased, but she hoped that her new friends could shield Stori from whatever retribution he might try to dish out.

After the sorting, dinner had commenced. Daphne barely paid attention to her meal. A glance at Tracey and Blaise revealed that they, too, were in a slump. Many conversations flowed around her, but she ignored them, especially because most of the conversation was about Harry Potter. Hearing about her friend made her moodier than she already was.

When dinner ended, everyone was gathered by the prefects, who led them to their respective dorms.

The Slytherin dorms were not what she would have called pleasant. Dark stone made everything feel eerie. The walls, floor, and ceiling were like obsidian, absorbing light and casting shadows. Despite this, the main room was well-lit, and the dark green couches were comfortable to sit on. While the fire crackling in the fireplace somehow seemed sinister, it gave off the warmth necessary to keep the room from becoming cold.

"It looks like the mighty has finally fallen," Draco Malfoy's voice penetrated the fog that had clouded Daphne's mind. "It's too bad it was a dementor that did Pothead in. I would've liked to lay him low myself."

"You're a fool if you think a dweeb like you could ever beat Harry," Tracey said, her voice thick with scorn. "A loser who's only in the middle of all his classes, who takes days to learn a single spell, wouldn't be able beat a hamster, much less Harry."

Draco Malfoy's face twisted into a sneer, even as his cheeks turned red. "You'd better watch what you say, filth!"

"The only one who needs to watch what he says is you!"

"You disgusting half-blood! I don't know what your father was thinking when he married your filthy mud-blood mother, but he was clearly-"

As Malfoy began spewing insults, Daphne decided that enough was enough. Quicker than anyone else could see, she whipped out her wand and pointed it at the boy.

There was no spell spoken, no incantations said. Light burst from her wand's tip. The light transformed into ropes, and the ropes quickly wrapped around Draco Malfoy, who, yelping as he lost his balance, fell to the floor with a thud.

Crabbe and Goyle reacted quickly to their master's plight, but Tracey and Blaize were quicker. Their wands were out and they'd already cast simultaneous stupefies before Crabbe and Goyle could even reach for their wands. The two ape-like students crumpled like marionettes without their puppet master.

Draco was screaming. "What do you think you're doing, wench?! When my father hears about this-"

He shut up when Daphne shoved the glowing tip of her wand under his face. "Listen to me and listen well, Draco Malfoy. I. Am. Not. In the mood. To listen to you. If I hear you badmouth Harry one more time, I will make sure that you regret ever uttering a single syllable from that foul mouth of yours, and neither you, nor your father, will be able to stop me. Have I made myself clear?"

Draco's eyes, while frightened, were still defiant. Daphne frowned. That would not do at all. While her father had been a terrible father, he'd taught her many important lessons. One of those lessons was that when people felt defiant, they were liable to retaliate.

Wanting to show Draco that she meant what she said, she placed the tip of her wand against his collarbone. A loud shriek akin to a dying animal erupted from his lips. Smoke rose from where the wand was pressed. Draco struggled, but she'd not only bound him in rope, she'd also cast an immobilization spell on him.

When she removed the wand, it revealed that there was no wound—not a burn, mark, or scar. The spell that she had used was one that she'd learned from having her father use it on her several times in the past. It was actually used as a method of punishment. Electricity was generated from the wand, then shoved into the victim. It was quite the shocking spell.

"Do. I. Make. My. Self. Clear?" she asked again.

Draco couldn't nod fast enough.

"Good."

Standing up, Daphne removed the binds and immobilization spell. As Draco slumped against the ground, quivering in defeat, Daphne stepped around him and walked toward the girl's room. Behind her, she could hear Tracey's, "remind me to never get on her bad side." Such words would have normally made her smile, but she did not smile this time.

The light from the lamps cast abominable shadows along the wall.

XoX

Harry Potter woke up to the clean scent of freshly laundered sheets and a familiar ceiling. Having already spent several nights in Hogwarts hospital wing, he knew that that was his current location, though he didn't know how he'd gotten there. The last thing that he recalled was…

"Why couldn't you protect me?"

Harry closed his eyes, as if doing so would block out the nightmare invading his mind. It wasn't real. This figment of his imagination was merely an illusion brought about by the dementors.

But if that's the case, then why does it still haunt me?

Clearing his mind, Harry willfully pushed away the visions that lingered, locking them inside of a cage in the back of his mind.

"Oh!" a startled voice exclaimed. "I see you're finally awake."

"Madam Pomfrey," Harry mumbled , looking at the head of the hospital wing. She was an older woman with graying hair, dressed in the robes of a medic, and wearing a bonnet-like witches hat on her head.

"Don't try to get up," she told him. "Lie back down while I give you a check up."

Harry was too tired to argue with her, so he let the woman do as she pleased. Lying back on the bed, he observed his surroundings some more. Light streamed in through the window, letting him know that it was morning, which meant that he must have spent the entire night in this bed.

I missed the sorting ceremony.

It didn't really matter if he missed it or not, since he wasn't interested in learning about the new students. Still, knowing that he'd been out for an entire day bothered him.

Madam Pomfrey moved her wand over him. The glowing blue tip hovered around his head, chest, and legs. He didn't know which spell she was using, but he could tell from the flow of magic that it was more complicated than most medical spells. Was it a scanning spell of some kind?

"Well, it looks like you don't have any lingering side effects from nearly receiving a dementor's kiss." Huffing, the woman shook her head. "Honestly, just what was Minister Fudge thinking when he decided to use those horrible creatures."

Harry would have liked to know that too. Putting creatures that sucked out souls in a place filled with children didn't sound like one of the Minister's better ideas.

"When will I be able to leave?" asked Harry.

"Not until Professor Dumbledore has had a chance to speak with you," Madam Pomfrey said. "Now, please wait here while I inform him that you are awake."

Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to see the headmaster right then, but it wasn't like he was being give much of a choice either. As he watched Madam Pomfrey walk out, he settled back into the bed, knowing that he would be in for a long wait.

Outside of his window, the trees of the Forbidden Forest swayed an inexistent breeze.

XoX

Albus had waited until morning to floo call Cornelius Fudge. When the man in question answered, he was still wearing his pajamas and appeared to have just woken up.

"Albus? What is the meaning of calling me so early in the morning?"

"Cornelius Fudge." Albus's voice could've frozen lava. It certainly froze Fudge. "I doubt that you are aware of the incident that happened last night, so I wanted to inform you as a courtesy. Last night on the Hogwarts Express, Harry James Potter was attacked by dementors and almost received the dementor's kiss."

The Minister of Magic paled. "W-what—Harry Potter almost—impossible!"

"It is very possible," Albus said, his tone almost mockingly mild. "Had my newest defense professor been even a second slower, Harry Potter would no longer be with us. Now do you see why I told you that dementors should not be allowed at Hogwarts? They do not distinguish between criminals and civilians. You should remove the dementors from Hogwarts before more of our students are attacked."

Cornelius Fudge sputtered. "N-now see here, Dumbledore! I can't just send the dementors back to Azkaban! That would cause me to lose face!"

"Better to lose face than the lives of our students."

"Look, Dumbledore. I understand that you're worried, but I think you're overreacting here. I doubt the dementors are—"

"Overreacting?" Albus felt a cold chill spread through him. "You think I am overreacting? One of our students almost received the dementor's kiss, and you think I am overreacting?" Fudge fell silent. "You do not seem to be aware of the situation here, Cornelius. Harry Potter is currently in the hospital wing, lying unconscious in a bed, because of your decision."

"N-n-now Dumbledore, see reason. You can't pin this whole incident on me! There was no way that I could have known this would happen! Besides, I was only following Lucius's advice."

"Lucius Malfoy?" Albus frowned as an unpleasant sensation welled up inside of him. "I see. So, Lucius is the one who told you to let those wretched creatures into this place of learning. It seems that I will need to speak with him as well."

Albus tried for nearly fifteen more minutes to convince Fudge that he needed to pull the dementors back, but it was all for naught. It wasn't just that Fudge didn't want to pull them back. He also didn't to lose face. If he pulled them out now, it would be like admitting that he was wrong, which could result in him getting slandered in the Daily Prophet. Albus personally thought that Fudge should worry more about the students and less about his public image.

"I don't care what you say, Albus! I'm not going to call off the dementors and that's that!"

The call ended when Fudge became frustrated with him. Albus stared into the fireplace, which now had a normal fire merrily crackling away. He was frustrated by Fudge's inability to look past his own image, but there wasn't much he could do right now.

I'll need to think of a way to get the dementors out of Hogwarts… perhaps if I…

Albus's thoughts were interrupted by his wards going off. Someone was at the door. Judging from the feel of their magic, it was…

"Enter, Madam Pomfrey," he said before the woman could knock.

There was a moment's pause, then the door opened to reveal Hogwarts' resident mediwitch. Madam Pomfrey did not enter the room. She merely stood by the doorway and said, "I thought I would let you know that Harry Potter is awake, Headmaster."

Albus was out of his seat and moving toward to door before the healer could even finish. He moved past the woman, who followed after him, keeping up with his longer stride by taking faster steps.

"How is he?"

"He seems to be in good health," she said. "There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with him. He was perfectly capable of recognition and speech upon waking up."

Albus nodded as he and Madam Pomfrey entered the hospital. Harry was awake and sitting up in bed. He looked to be deep in thought. He didn't even react to them until they were standing next to his bed.

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry greeted, his tone absent minded, as if he was thinking of other things.

"Mr. Potter, I'm glad to see that you're awake. You gave us all quite the scare."

"I apologize for that."

"No, no. It is nothing that you need to apologize for," Albus said easily. "None of this is your fault. What happened on that train was something would have never happened under normal circumstances. I am merely glad to see that you are all right."

"That's kind of you to say, sir."

Albus felt a sense of unease as he spoke with Harry. The young boy sitting on the bed gave no indication that anything was wrong. He was perfectly polite, just like he always was, and yet everything about him felt off somehow. It felt like Albus was looking at Harry through distorted glass.

"I'd like to let you get a little more rest," Albus started again, "but before that, would you mind if I asked you some questions?"

"Not at all. Ask away."

"What have you been up to this summer?"

"Up to?" Offering a quizzical tilt of his head, Harry sent him a confused glance. "I'm not sure what you mean by that. I've not been up to anything that I know of."

"Nothing? Surely, you've been doing something…"

Harry shook his head. "The last thing that I remember was coming home to Aunt Petunia's and Uncle Vernon's, then I was getting on the Hogwarts express."

That can't be right.

"Are you saying that you have no memories of what happened this summer?"

"It would appear so, Professor."

Albus stroked his beard, more to calm himself down than for any other reason. It seemed as if Harry Potter did not have any memories of this summer at all. There was the possibility that he was lying, of course, but there was no way for Albus to confirm that right now—unless he decided to legilimency. However, he didn't want to invade Harry's mind.

"I see," he sighed. "In that case, Mr. Potter, would you mind if I asked you to get some rest here for a while?"

"Not at all."

"Good. And also, I'll grab some forms that I need you to fill out. Our owls couldn't find you this summer, so we never learned what electives you wish to take."

"Understood. Thank you, sir."

"You're most welcome."

Albus left Harry Potter and traveled up to his office. There, he threw some floo powder into the file and called out the name of the person that he wished to speak with.

"Amelia Bones."

The flames turned bright green, shifting to form the familiar face of the Head of Law Enforcement.

"Albus? It's rare for you to call me. Is there something you needed?"

"Yes… I'd like you to come with some aurors as soon as possible," Dumbledore said. "There is something of an emergency situation here right now."

"I've heard. My niece told me." Amelia's disembodied head shook. "Harry Potter attacked by dementors. The news is going to have a field day if this gets out."

"I intend on letting the public know exactly what happened," Albus said. "For now, however, there is something else that I need your help with."

Amelia hesitated before speaking. "I can be there later today. I'll bring Shacklebolt and Tonks with me. Should I bring anything else?"

"If possible, I'd like you to bring some veritaserum."

Amelia's eyebrows rose past her hairline. "Are you sure that's necessary?"

Albus deliberated before nodding. "Yes. Given the present situation, I do believe that it is necessary."

"Very well. I'll be there soon."

"I'll be expecting you."

As the floo cut off, Albus grabbed some more powder. He had one more call to make.

XoX

The morning air was mild.

Susan Bones and Daphne Greengrass jogged side by side. Despite the fact that Harry was not there, they'd decided to continue exercising, if only because it was something that everyone in their group now did.

"You have a lot more endurance than before," Daphne commented as they wound around the Black Lake. The others were also running, though Tracey was lagging way behind. The poor girl looked about ready to keel over.

"I've… been running… during the summer…" Susan huffed. Daphne enviously eyed the way her friend's chest bounced. Someone her age shouldn't have breasts like that.

"I never saw you run."

"It… it was… in… the morning…"

Which meant that Susan had done her exercise before everyone woke up. She wondered if the others had thought of exercising during the summer, but she immediately dismissed the notion. Of course they hadn't. Otherwise, they would have followed Susan's example.

"You seem really dedicated," Daphne said.

Susan, her cheeks red from her exertions, smiled. "I… I want… to help… Harry…"

Daphne sobered. That's what it always came to. Harry. He was the one who'd brought them together, but now he felt so far from them.

"Do you think he's avoiding us?" Daphne wondered out loud.

"W-why… do you think that?"

Daphne slowed her jog to a trot. On the other side of the lake, Neville and Blaize were finishing their laps, and Terry wasn't far behind them. "During the summer after our first year, Harry would diligently send letters to everyone, right? He even planned our shopping trip and made it possible for myself and my sister to go out. This summer, none of us have received so much as a single letter."

"T-that is true… it does sound like he's distancing himself from us, but why would he do that?" Now that they were moving more slowly, Susan's breathing evened out, allowing her to speak normally.

Why indeed. Daphne thought about that same thing, and she only only come up to a single conclusion. "If he is avoiding us, then it's likely because of Hermione."

Last year, Hermione Granger had been killed. It had been quick, decisive. They hadn't even known that she was dead until well after her body had been found.

Her death had hurt everyone, but she imagined that Harry was the worst off. She'd already gotten a good grasp of his personality. He took looking after them very seriously. When one of them was being picked on, he'd find whoever was bullying them and take revenge. When one of them was in trouble, he'd bend over backwards to lend them a hand. Daphne actually had the sense that Harry was doing this out of feelings of obligation. If that was the case, then failing to do what he saw as his duty was likely eating him up inside.

"People deal with grief differently," Daphne said at last. "Maybe he's the kind of person who deals with it alone."

"B-but that would mean that he doesn't have anyone to support him!" Susan appeared befuddled. "I would have been completely lost without all of you supporting me. Why wouldn't he want to surround himself with people who can help him?"

"I'm afraid the only way to know that would be to ask Harry himself." Daphne's smile was rather mirthless. "And I'm not sure if he's going to be willing to speak with us right now."

XoX

Amelia Bones arrived in Hogwarts nearly an hour after the students had breakfast. Most of the students were wandering the castle. There were no classes that day, since they had arrived on Wednesday night. Classes would start next week.

She arrived by floo. Exiting the large fireplace in Albus Dumbledore's office. As she stepped out of the fireplace, Nymphadora Tonks and Kinglsey Shacklebolt appeared seconds later.

"Thank you for coming," Dumbledore greeted her and the others.

She shook the hand that Dumbledore offered. "Considering what you told me, I could do nothing less. Where is he?"

"In the hospital wing."

Amelia followed Dumbledore as he led her to the hospital wing. Walking through the olden corridors, with their moving suits of armor and many paintings, gave her a nostalgic feeling. It had been a long time since she'd been a student here. She even remembered how Dumbledore, then a teacher, had been one of her favorites.

When they reached the hospital, it was to find all of Harry's friends standing outside of the door. It looked like they were arguing with Madam Pomfrey.

"Can't we just see him for a little bit?" asked Hannah.

"No means no. Mr. Potter needs his rest, and he won't get it if you bother him," Madam Pomfrey said.

"But—"

"No buts."

"I'm assuming all of you are here to see Harry?" Dumbledore said, causing the children's attention to snap over to him.

"Professor Dumbledore," Daphne greeted courteously. The others followed her example—except for Tracey.

"You bet we're here to see Harry, so why don't you convince this old bat to let us in?"

"O-old bat?!" an indignant Madam Pomfrey huffed.

Dumbledore chortled. "I wouldn't mind letting you all see Mr. Potter, however, I'd like to ask that you please wait until after we've had a chance to speak with him."

"We?" Tracey asked.

Amelia almost grinned when Susan finally noticed her presence. At her shout of "aunty!" the others also noticed her, Tonks, and Shacklebolt.

"Hello, Susan."

"What are you doing here?"

"Since Mr. Potter has been missing for so long, there's a few question that we would like to ask him."

"I see."

"Why don't you all go out and enjoy the sunshine for a little while," Dumbledore suggested. "Madam Bones and I have some things that we must discuss with Mr. Potter, and it will likely take several hours. You can visit him later."

The group of youngsters deliberated amongst each other. Dumbledore watched them with a sense of pride. It did his heart good to see them so worried for Harry.

"All right. Fine." Tracey appeared to be their spokesperson for the day. "We'll leave, but we're coming back soon. Got it?"

"Smooth moves there, Trace. Have you ever thought of being a diplomat?" Daphne asked.

"Shut it, Daph. I'm being serious."

"So am I."

The group of youngsters walked away. Amelia listened to their conversation, which she could hear even as they got further away.

"I agree with Daphne," Terry said.

"Can it, Boot."

"You really should be a little more polite."

"Not you too, Lisa!"

"It's always nice to see how well they get along," Amelia said as the group disappeared around a corner.

"Indeed," Dumbledore agred. "They embody the sort of unity that I hope all of Hogwarts will someday have. Thanks to them and Harry, our school is well on our way towards becoming truly unified." He paused to regain his wits. "Come, let's see how Mr. Potter is doing."

"Agreed," Amelia said.

"Don't stay too long," Madam Pomfrey warned. "Mr. Potter still needs his rest."

"Of course, Poppy."

Amelia followed Dumbledore into the hospital wing. There, they found Harry, sitting up on his bed, his eyes closed and his posture straight. He looked like he was meditating.

"Professor Dumbledore." Harry opened his eyes, and Amelia was taken aback by how blank they were. His eyes were always cool and composed, but these looked… dead.

"Good morning, Harry. I hope you're doing well."

"I am fine. Thank you. I see you've brought company this morning. Madam Bones, Tonks, it's a pleasure to see you two again."

"Hey there, Harry!" Tonks greeted in an enthusiastic voice.

Harry nodded at Tonks, then looked at the large man standing next to her. Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped forward and offered his hand.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Potter," Kingsley said.

"Likewise." Harry shook Kingsley's hand. "I remember how you replaced Lockheart last year. I was impressed with the breadth and depth of knowledge you have."

Kingsley smiled. "Thank you."

Deciding that this was good enough for introductions and greetings, Amelia stepped forward. "Harry, we'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."

Tilting his head at just the right angle, Harry presented her with an almost perfect mask of quizzicality. "I don't mind answering some questions."

"And if I said that I wanted you to answer those questions under veritaserum, would you consent?" she asked. This was the big issue. Because Harry Potter was a minor, they couldn't force him to answer under veritaserum. If he said no, then they would have to ask questions the normal way.

"I don't mind," Harry said.

Amelia breathed a sigh of relief, but she was also frowning. Surely, he'd seen Shacklebolt and Tonks barge into his hideout just before he escaped. He must have known that they knew some of what he'd been up to, just as they also knew that he'd been with Sirius Black this whole time.

"Let it stand for the record that I, Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Law Enforcement, have been given permission to administer veritaserum to Harry James Potter, the heir apparent to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. Albus Brian Wolfric Percival Dumbledore, will you stand as my witness?"

"I will."

"Then let's administer the veritaserum."

After administering the veritaserum, placing two drops on Harry's tongue, and watching his eyes glaze over, Amelia began her questioning.

"What is your name?"

"Harry James Potter."

"When were you born?"

"July thirty-first, 1990."

"What were you doing on the twentieth of june?"

"I went home."

"And what did you do after that?"

"…"

"Harry?"

"… I don't know."

She frowned. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean that I do not know. I have no recollection of what I did after going home."

Amelia shared a startled look with Dumbledore. She could tell that Harry was not resisting the potion—not like there was a way to resist a potion as strong as veritaserum. Of course, this meant that everything that he said was true, which also meant that Harry Potter was missing three months worth of memories. She asked him a few more questions, trying to make them roundabout questions of what he did during the summer, but every answer was the same. He didn't know—rather, he couldn't remember.

Realizing that further questioning would be a lost cause, she administered the antidote. Harry blinked several times, his mind coming to, then looked at her.

"Did I answer your questions in a satisfactory manner?"

She answered him with a pained smile. "As satisfactory as you could, given the circumstances."

Since Harry had answered all of her questions, there was no need to stick around. After saying farewell, she, Albus, Tonks, and Shacklebolt, left the room and traveled back up to Albus Dumbledore's office.

"That could have gone better," Amelia said.

"Indeed," Albus agreed.

"I'm not sure I understand what's going on," Tonks admitted. "What just happened?"

"It seems like Harry's memory has been erased," Shacklebolt said in a grave voice.

"Erased?! How?!" Tonks squawked.

"There are any number of methods for erasing one's memory." Dumbledore sat behind his desk and steepled his fingers together. "Obliviation, potions, charms… even blunt force trauma can serve to erase memories."

"Do you think Harry's memories were obliviated?" Amelia asked.

"Madam Pomfrey did check to see if he was under the affects of magic," Dumbledore said. "However, an oblivation spell does not leave any traces. I would say that it's perfectly possible that Sirius Black erased Harry's memory."

Amelia could only agree, even though she did not like the implications. "If Black did erase Harry's memory, then it's logical to assume that he has a reason for letting Harry live."

"That is my belief as well," Dumbledore confirmed. "However, as of right now, we have nothing concrete to go off of. Without any evidence, we can't do anything—and Sirius Black is still missing."

"What do you think we should do?"

Dumbledore paused. Amelia assumed rightly that he was thinking. "I'll inform my teachers of what's happened to Harry and ask them to keep on eye on any suspicious movements from him. That's about the only thing that we can do."

Even though she agreed with Dumbledore's assessment of their situation, she still didn't like it. Not one bit. Still, she nodded. "Yes, I suppose it is."

XoX

Harry sighed as he finally made it to the Gryffindor Tower. After being interrogated by Amelia Bones, he'd used a subtle charm on Madam Pomfrey that made her think he was fine and let him go. After that, he'd hid from everybody with prodigious use of concealment charms. He knew that his friends had wanted to see him, but he did not want to see them.

That's right. I have no friends. They're a burden.

It was late at night when Harry arrived in the dorm. He'd managed to steal the password to get into the Gryffindor tower from the mind of a wandering prefect. When entered his dorm, everyone else was already asleep. He crept over to his bed, being careful to remain silent.

His trunk was already there, as expected. The house elves had likely brought it in. Opening it up, Harry slowly entered his trunk. There, he found several objects of interest; a bookshelf, a table, and a penseive sitting in the corner. It was the pensieve that he went over to.

Several ethereal strands were already swirling around inside, memories that he'd taken out of his head before even hopping on the Hogwarts Express. Harry didn't hesitate to return the memories to his mind. He grabbed each strand with his wand, then slowly put them to his head. As the memories leaked in, images appeared before him, of the time he'd spent at his hideout, of Sirius Black, and of his plan to capture Pettigrew.

Harry had known that if he showed up at Hogwarts, questions would be asked. He'd already predicted that Dumbledore would call the auror department. He'd also predicted the use of veritaserum, which was why he'd rid himself of the memories and placed them in a pensieve. If he didn't have the memories, then they didn't exist, and he wouldn't give himself away.

Of course, storing his memories was a double-edged sword. Had they asked him why he didn't have his memories, Harry would have been forced to let them know that, due to his eidetic memory, he knew that his memories had not been erased but stored in a pensieve. Fortunately, they hadn't asked. More than likely, they believed him to be nothing but a mere child who was being used by Sirius Black for some nefarious purpose.

If only they knew the truth.

Exiting the trunk, Harry pulled out his wand and waved it, causing the entire object to levitate. He waved his wand again. Materializing from thin air was another trunk, exactly the same as the one hovering over the ground.

A conjured trunk isn't going to last. I need something more permanent.

Waving his hand caused the real trunk's lid to pop open and a calligraphy pen to fly into his hand. After inscribing the seal for longevity in ancient Egyptian onto the conjured trunk, he stepped back and left the room, then exited the Gryffindor tower entirely.

Wandering the halls, Harry silently crept along the darkened corridors, being careful to avoid being spotted by the portraits. He'd cast a disillusionment charm over himself, and he'd thrown his invisibility cloak on for good measure. None of the portraits called out as he passed them. Even the suits of armor remained silent.

It didn't take long for Harry to reach the girl's bathroom on the second floor. Without hesitation, he walked inside, his footsteps completely silent due to the muffling spell that he'd placed on them.

As he entered, Harry heard the sound of sobbing coming from one of the stalls. That must have been Myrtle, the girl's bathroom's resident ghost. He ignored the sound and walked up to the sink.

"Open."

The words, hissed in a language that no one but himself and Voldemort could understand, caused the entire sink to collapse in on itself, revealing a large hole like the gaping maw of a massive predator.

"Who's there?!"

Moaning Myrtle floated out of her stall to take a look around. She saw the hole that was now in the bathroom and gaped at it. Harry, not wanting her to tell anyone about what happened, waved his wand at her, casting a silent forgetfulness charm that he'd devised specifically for ghosts. The translucent being before him went still. Harry saw her eyes glaze over, informing him that his spell had been successful. Myrtle wouldn't be bothering him for a while now.

I'll have to see if there's another method of entering the Chamber of Secrets from now on. I don't want to erase her memory every time it happsn.

Making sure that the entrance closed behind him, Harry slid down the passage that led into the Chamber of Secrets.

The place looked just as he remembered. The stone floor was grimy and covered in dust. The ancient walls appeared unstable. Statues of Salazar Slytherin lined either side of the chamber. Lying in the very heart of the chamber was the basilisk, it's cold corpse somehow pristine despite how much time had passed since Harry had killed it.

It must be the remnants of magic that I can feel coming from this creature.

Basilisks were insanely powerful magical creatures. Of the many magical creatures in the world, they were ranked near the top in terms of capacity and potency. Only Griffins, Phoenixes, and certain types of dragons were said to have more magic than basilisks.

I wonder if I can extract parts of the basilisk to use in my potions.

Thinking about it, the insides of a basilisk could probably be used for potion ingredients. He'd never read anything about basilisks being used in a potion, but that was likely because they were so rare that no one had ever been able to use them for potion ingredients. He would need to do some research to find out for sure whether basilisk parts made viable ingredients.

Either way, I can use the hide and bones.

Basilisk hide would likely fetch a hefty price, should he find the right person to sell it to. He could also make some clothing of his own from it. The hide of a basilisk was highly resistant to magic. It would make great armor.

After observing the chamber for several seconds longer, Harry decided that the Chamber of Secrets would make a perfect laboratory for his experiments. It was safe, secure, and no one but he could enter it.

That night, Harry Potter worked until the sun came up.


All right! I've finally got another chapter up, and things are going to start changing a bit. I'm not going to focus as much on Harry right now because he's being emo and I don't really like emo. While I'll have some scenes featuring him, my bigger focus in the coming chapters are going to be his friends. There will probably around 2 or 3 more chapters of emo Harry before the ball really gets rolling. I'm hoping to have this part over with soon.

Before I leave you all, I would like to make several announcements. First, book 4 of the American Kitsune series, A Fox's Family, is officially available for pre-order on Amazon in paperback and kindle. Anyone who's interested in supporting my dreams of becoming a full-time author can either go straight to Amazon and look up A Fox's Family, or they can go to my website www dot varnell - brandon dot com. To those of you who decide to support me, thank you very much. It's because of you that I can continue writing every day.

My second announcement is the republishing of book 1, A Fox's Love. The original book 1 was littered with mistakes and wasn't as good as the next books in the series. I've since fixed those mistakes, hired a professional editor to proofread my story, and added in-book manga-style illustrations. If you've already bought a copy, you can upgrade to your new copy for free. If bought it in paperback, then you can download the kindle version for free. If you decide to do this, I hope that you enjoy the new version.

For those of you who are curious to know what my published books are about, you can read the short description of them below.

A Fox's Love

The story of a boy, a fox, and a lot of fanservice…

Kevin Swift has the worst luck with women. It's not that he's unattractive or even unpopular. He just can't talk to them. He blames it on all of those shōnen love comedies that he enjoys watching. Fortunately, or unfortunately―depending on who's asking―Kevin's love life is about to start looking up.

After saving a fox, Kevin discovers that he actually rescued a kitsune, a shape-shifter capable of transforming into a beautiful girl who appears to have popped right out of the pages to a shōnen manga. Her name is Lilian, and she's decided that he's going to be her mate―whether he likes it or not!

Between dealing with an overly amorous vixen's zealous attempts at getting into his pants, his inability to talk to girls and school, Kevin is going to have his hands full.

A Fox's Tail

Life has finally settled down for Kevin Swift. Sure, he's still dealing with Lilian's zany antics, but that's alright, he's actually starting to enjoy the gorgeous Kitsune's continued presence. Too bad he's in denial. Unfortunately for him, life likes to throw fastballs when you least expect it to, and his life is about to get ecchi―I-I mean, ugly.

A tsundere dressed in gothic lolita fashion…

A boy whose hair is bigger than his brain…

A new enemy that makes Chris Fleischer look like a fifty pound weakling…

Trying to admit his feelings for a certain tomboy…

Not to mention Lilian herself. Yeah, Kevin's got problems, and life can only get more strenuous from here on out.

Oh, well. At least he hasn't been turned into a Harem Protagonist.

A Fox's Maid

The tail of a boy, a kitsune… and a maid?

Kevin Swift doesn't know what to think anymore. His love for Lindsay has dwindled, he's constantly plagued by thoughts of Lilian, and now he has to deal with his sexy housemate's maid: A kimono-clad, katana-wielding femme fatale who doesn't like him very much—and who has this weird tendency of adding Japanese suffixes to everyone's name for some reason. Go figure.

Now Kevin must make an irreversible choice: To become Lilian's mate or not. It's a life changing decision that no teenager should have to make. Unfortunately for him, Lilian's maid has basically threatened to clean out his entrails with her katana if he doesn't.

He used to think being a teenager sucked. Now he's realized that being a teenager is nothing compared to being the potential mate to a kitsune whose maid holds no moral compunctions about flaying him alive.

A Fox's Family

Two weeks have passed since Kevin Swift was kidnapped by spandex-clad secret agents, rescued by Lilian, and they were both subsequently saved by Lilian's faithful maid-slash-bodyguard. Since then, Kevin has nabbed himself a foxy girlfriend—pun very much intended—and a person willing to train him in the arts of badassery. Needless to say, life has been good.

Then Lilian's family decided to pay a visit.

And everything went to hell.

Sometimes, life gives you lemons. Other times… well, you get the picture.