Here's the next chapter of this little story. I hope you enjoy it.

Harry Potter: Junior Inquisitor

Chapter 10: The Contract of Employment

There was a knock at the door of his office, interrupting his studying of the immensely dull paperwork before him. Thankful for the excuse to turn his attention to something else for a bit, the Minister for Magic called out "Come in."

The door opened and a woman came in. She was short, with a wide face and very little in the way of a neck.

She was wearing her usual pink cardigan, and as was normal she had a small black bow in her hair.

"Ah, Dolores," exclaimed Fudge "I trust you are all set to go for our meeting with young Harry Potter this afternoon?"

"Indeed I am, Minister," Dolores Umbridge replied in her simpering, girlish voice "However, I once again find it necessary to ask why you feel that this needs to happen. Do you really trust my abilities so little that you would charge a student who has yet to take his O.W.L. examinations with overseeing me in my duties?"

Cornelius shook his head and replied "My dear Dolores, that is not what is happening at all. As I have already told you several times before now, I have every confidence in your abilities to bring order back to the running of Hogwarts School. Young Mr Potter is going to be acting in a different role to you. In some ways he will be your assistant, helping out with certain tasks that you find you require assistance in. But he will also act as a barrier between you and the students.

"The purpose of this plan, as I have already told up, is to restore order to the school and, naturally, complaints of the students must be listened to and considered as a part of that– it is the place where they are educated and their home for the majority of the year, after all. With your teaching post and your job sorting out the staff and curriculum you will be busy enough without having to endure being disturbed at all hours by any student who has a minor complaint. Mr Potter will be the one to listen to their complaints and anything inconsequential he will ignore, anything that he can handle himself he will and anything that you will need to know about he will inform you of."

Dolores nodded her head. The Minister could tell that she wasn't happy about it, but was accepting of it. However she continued to talk.

"But why Harry Potter, of all people?" she asked "Just a few short weeks ago the Ministry of Magic was going out of its way to discredit the boy, and now you are offering such an important role to him."

"It turns out that we were wrong about young Mr Potter, Dolores. The boy was tricked by Dumbledore into taking part in a plan that would have overthrown the Ministry had it succeeded. When the plan failed, Dumbledore abandoned it but left Harry to take the blame for it. Mr Potter realised this and has since apologised. He whole heartedly approves of the Ministry's new stance on Hogwarts, and wishes to support our efforts in any way that he can."

"But why use him for this?" asked Umbridge "Surely there are better candidates? Why not Lucius Malfoy's son? He's respectable lad from a respectable family."

Fudge shook his head and replied "I am afraid, Dolores, that it is not that simple. Yes my first thought was to enlist young Draco Malfoy for the role, but since then I have learnt that the boy was given the role of prefect for his house and year group."

"And why should that stop him being a viable candidate for the role?" questioned Umbridge.

"Because a candidate for the position of prefect is nominated by his or her head of house and is then either approved or rejected by the Headmaster. And the last person we want in this vitally important role is someone with Dumbledore's approval as that casts doubt on our ability to rely on them."

Seeing that his senior undersecretary still did not look happy, the Minister continued "Look at it this way, Dolores. We will have someone on our side who is already not happy with Albus Dumbledore, and who is not in his debt. Harry Potter will be able to look at things in a way that most students will not. He no longer has the rose tinted vision of Dumbledore that the old man likes to ensure that everyone has."

And then he added "And on top of all that, the Ministry's actions will get the endorsement of the Boy Who Lived. It is a win-win situation for use, Dolores."

Though still frowning, the woman nodded her head and said "Very well. I shall trust that you know what you are doing, Minister."

She got up to leave. At the door she turned and asked "Will the boy be getting paid for his role, Minister?"

Fudge looked momentarily surprised by the question before replying "Of course. The amount will be arranged between myself and Mr Potter after the main meeting this afternoon."

Harry was starting to get used to this. Once again he was being escorted through the Ministry by Madam Bones whilst under a disguise provided by a complex series of glamour charms, placed upon him by Madam Bones and Sarah Abbott.

On Sunday he had spent what little of the day that had remained after he had woken up resting in the bed provided to him by the Unspeakables in the Healing Room of the Department of Mysteries. Then, during the early hours of Monday morning the healer tending to him gave him the all clear to leave, and he was escorted from the Ministry building by Sarah Abbott before the majority of the employees began turning up. He had still been under glamour charms then as well however, even with there only being a few night duty staff knocking about the building at that time.

Shortly before he had left, however, Unspeakable Croaker had spoken with him once more, and informed him of a surprising titbit of information. Amongst the many prophecies that had been destroyed through his Voldemort induces rampage through the Department of Mysteries, there had been one that may or may not have connected Harry himself to Lord Voldemort.

Harry had been surprised to learn this at first, but with it destroyed, and no written record of it anywhere, he quickly came to see that there was no real reason to worry about it. It seemed that Voldemort did not know of the contents of this prophecy either, and Croaker had admitted that with neither party involved ever knowing the contents of the prophecy, it was highly unlikely at it would ever come true, as prophecies more often than not were self-fulfilling, meaning that knowing the prophecy usually meant that the one it applied to would follow it until the terms stated came to completion, even though they did not have to. A prophecy was a possibility, not an obligation, after all.

Harry had spent most of Monday following the orders of the healer by getting plenty of rest. He had talked to Susan during that time. She was very relieved to learn that the piece of Voldemort's soul that was lodged within his scar was gone.

-Flashback-

"Do you feel any different now that it has gone?" she asked him.

Harry pondered her question for a few moments before responding "I don't know. My thoughts seem a little clearer, if that makes any sense. And there used to be a kind of niggling sensation in my mind, but that has gone now. As to anything else, I couldn't really say. I don't feel any different physically. And I haven't been able to practice any magic yet, so I don't know if there has been any change there. I don't really feel any more powerful than I was."

Susan nodded, but replied "I expect you mind find a change. After all, your magic had been fighting that thing for a very long time."

"Yeah, maybe." replied Harry, thoughtfully "Either way, I'm just glad the wretched thing is gone. Ever since I was told what it was I felt dirty. Now that it's gone I feel clean."

-End Flashback-

Standing in the Ministry lift, Harry frowned slightly as he thought of the topic their conversation had eventually come to. They had been discussing the old families again, and during the discussions of wealth, Susan had grown concerned over something that she had considered a grievous error.

-Flashback-

"What do you mean you don't get account statements from Gringotts?" asked Susan.

Harry shrugged and replied "It's probably because I'm still underage or something."

Susan shook her head and said "Everyone who has an account at Gringotts should get regular statements informing you of the current status of your account. Even if you are under age. Okay, maybe you are not currently entitled to get statements for the entire Potter family fortune, but you do have a trust account don't you? Something set aside by your parents for your school years. Tuition fees, books, clothes and the like?"

When Harry gave a nod in reply she carried on "Then you should get statements for that. Something to let you know that your tuition has been paid in the correct amount, something to tell you how much you have left in the vault, something that informs you if anything is added to your trust vault from the family vaults. I get updates once a month regarding the money that my parents left for me in a trust fund."

She shook her head again and continued "I don't like this Harry. This is information that you really should be getting. Justin from my house at school gets monthly statements as well, and that's just for the few hundred pounds his parents converted to wizarding money and set aside for his future. If your trust fund is covering your tuition fees then it must have more money in it than Justin's, and yet you're not getting those statements while he is. I think we need to inform Aunty of this. Something is really wrong here."

-End Flashback-

Harry had not been sure just how to bring up such a problem as that with Madam Bones, but at dinner that night Susan had broached the topic of him having a bit of an issue, before giving him a pointed look that informed him that he should provide a full explanation.

Harry told Madam Bones everything he could about his bank statements, or rather their mysterious absence, and the Head of the DMLE had liked this information even less than Susan had. Their half-eaten dinners were forgotten as she grabbed his arm and led him from the dining table and to a desk in her study where she had him write out a letter to Gringotts bank.

Hopefully this was just some massive oversight on the part of the Goblins of Gringotts. However, given how ignorant Harry had been left about his family, and the potions that Sarah Abbott had found in his system during her scans, Madam Bones smelled a conspiracy.

Harry was brought out of his reminiscing by the nasally female voice announcing "Level One. Minister for Magic and Support Staff."

Harry and Madam Bones both stepped out of the lift and made their way along the corridor to the Minister's office. Once inside, Harry was finally officially introduced to his soon to be co-worker.

"Harry Potter," said the Minister after thoroughly shaking his hand in greeting "this is Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, and future Professor of History of Magic and High Inquisitor at Hogwarts School." he gestured towards the flabby faced woman for Harry's benefit, not that he needed her pointed out to him as that hideous cardigan made her impossible to miss.

Fudge turned to the woman and said "Dolores, this is Harry Potter, who has been gracious enough to offer to assist us in our efforts at Hogwarts."

"A pleasure, Mr Potter." said Madam Umbridge, through a smile that failed to reach her cold, dark eyes. She held out a hand, the stubby fingers of which were covered in old and rather gaudy rings.

Swallowing forcefully against the bile that was trying to rise in his throat, Harry reached out and shook her hand before replying "The pleasure is mine."

He was going to have to ask Sarah for a bowl of disinfectant potion to bathe his hand in later, followed by a full scan for possible contamination.

The Minister and Madam Bones quickly exchanged a few pleasantries, which was followed by a very terse exchange of greeting between the two women in the room. Clearly Amelia Bones had no love for Dolores Umbridge, and it was just as clear that the feeling was mutual.

"Right then," said Fudge "down to business."

Harry wondered if perhaps the Minister sensed the tension in the air between the two women and was wisely changing the topic from that of greeting to why they were there. Or perhaps he was giving the man too much credit.

Either way, Harry snatched at the offered change with both hands and said "While I will agree with you Minister in saying that I will gladly assist the Ministry in any way I can as they make necessary reforms at Hogwarts, I do not see what I, specifically, could do."

There was no sense beating around the bush. Harry knew what the Minister wanted to ask of him, and he knew what his answer was going to be, so they might as well get straight to it.

"Well," began Fudge "I imagine that you recall our last meeting, in which you suggested that we appoint a student to assist Madam Umbridge in her work as well as act like a problem solver for other students."

Harry pretended to think for a short moment before giving a nod of his head and confirming "Yes, I do remember suggesting something like that, now that you mention it."

"Well we were hoping," the Minister continued "that you would be the one to accept this post."

He gave a pointed look to Umbridge as he said the word "we."

Harry feigned a look of surprise and asked "Me, Minister? Why me?"

"To put it simply, you are the best candidate that we could think of," replied the Minister "Every time I have spoken with you, you have shown yourself to be a very respectable individual who takes matters seriously."

Harry suspected that his status as "The-Boy-Who-Lived" played much more of a part in this decision that anything else, but wisely chose to not point that out.

Instead he feigned flattery and said "Why, I am honoured, Minister, that one of a station such as yours should think so highly of me."

The Minister and his Undersecretary both missed it, but that comment earned Harry a look from Madam Bones, one that said something that Harry privately agreed with. He was laying it on just a bit too thick.

But it was working, because Fudge commented "It is the truth, Mr Potter. And any other would be foolish to not see it."

"Thank you," said Harry "I must admit to being tempted by your offer, but I suppose it would be wise to enquire as to what my duties will entail, exactly."

"I'm glad you asked, Mr Potter." said the Minster "It would be prudent, however, to inform you first of the role which Madam Umbridge will be taking."

He opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a role of parchment, which he promptly unfurled and began going through it.

"Now, Madam Umbridge's primary reason for being stationed at Hogwarts School is to fill the post of Professor of History of Magic. In this capacity she will assess what needs to be done to bring the course up to speed as it has fallen dramatically behind international standards. She will advise the Ministry, particularly the wizarding examinations authority as well as myself, as to what needs to be done to put the course back on track."

"During this time the student assigned to assist her will settle into their capacity as the listener to students' problems,"

He addressed Harry directly at this point and said "I rather thought that "Student Advisor" would be an appropriate title for the role."

Harry gave a nod and replied "Sounds good to my ears, Minister."

"The Student Advisor will be charged with listening to the problems and complaints of his or her fellow students, and acting as they see fit, resolving what they can whilst reporting anything that they cannot deal with themselves. This includes dealing with any complaints against both staff and prefects. The Student Advisor will have the authority to question the decisions of the prefects, as well as reprimand them. The Student Advisor will also attend staff meetings in order to act as the voice of the students."

The Minister continued "After reviewing her own course, Madam Umbridge will be officially appointed to the role of Hogwarts High Inquisitor. In this role she will be charged with reviewing all courses provided by the school, as well as carrying out Ministry approved assessments of all staff, both academic and support, in order to determine their suitability to deliver what is required. During this she will also have the power to oversee disciplinary action against students, and adjust any given punishment as she sees fit. Also, in the event of the Headmaster being removed from the school by the Ministry, all staff not reviewed and approved by the High Inquisitor will be suspended without pay pending the results of further investigation. Also in that event the High Inquisitor will replace the Headmaster of the School."

"One the High Inquisitor is in place, the Student Advisor will be appointed as Junior Inquisitor. Alongside his or her previous duties, the Junior Inquisitor will now also be required to conduct reviews of the prefects of all houses as well as the head boy and girl in order to determine that they are suitable for the role they were given, and will be able to remove them from those posts should they are deemed to be inefficient. The Junior Inquisitor will be charged with reviewing all those involved with the school's inter-house Quidditch tournament, and will have the power to remove from the teams any player who either shows themselves to be undeserving of their position, or if the student in question is failing to keep up with their studies between training sessions and matches. The Junior Inquisitor will be able to assist members of staff in overseeing disciplinary action against students (observing detentions). The Junior Inquisitor, acting as the voice of the students, will also be granted a say in any and all future educational decrees considered by the Ministry of Magic. Also in the event of the High Inquisitor being unable to perform all of her duties the Junior Inquisitor shall deputise for her and carry out those duties to the best of their abilities."

Harry gaped slightly before commenting "Wow. That certainly is a lot to ask of one student."

"Afraid you're not up to the task, Mr Potter?" asked Madam Umbridge, her unpleasant smile genuine this time.

"Oh, I do not doubt that I could do this job," replied Harry "But there is a slight problem with how it might affect my own personal studies. There is also the question of how I am supposed to fit all of that work around my usual lesson plan."

Fudge looked down at the list on the parchment on the desk before him and frowned slightly "I suppose you are right."

"Perhaps," Harry offered "there might be a way around this issue. Once the Student Advisor is appointed to the role of Junior Inquisitor it would be prudent to appoint assistants."

"And how might we do such a thing?" asked Madam Umbridge.

Harry thought for a few moments before commenting "Prefects are selected by the staff and then pretty much forced upon their fellow students whether they like it or not. Perhaps it would pay to take the idea of a prefect but appoint them differently."

"How so?" asked the Minister.

"An election," replied Harry "You know, like how a new Minister is appointed. Various students could put themselves forward for consideration, and their fellow students vote. The winner gets the job of Assistant Student Advisor. I'm thinking we maybe do one per year group, although that might intimidate the first year and second year candidate, and there is the house rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin to consider…"

"There is an easy way around that," replied Madam Bones "One student, per house, per year. That way everyone gets a voice."

"That seems like a perfect idea, Madam Bones." said Fudge.

"There is just one problem though," said Harry, thoughtfully "What incentive do we give them to take on such a responsibility?"

"I would imagine," said Fudge "that like the position of prefect, Assistant Student Advisor would look good on one's résumé."

"Perhaps they should receive a Ministry recognised certificate of merit," said Harry "You know, something to prove that they held a position of responsibility that was approved by the Ministry of Magic itself."

Fudge clasped his hands together eagerly "A wonderful idea, Harry. Yes, a Ministry approved merit. Excellent thinking. I trust that that you will be taking the position then?"

"I believe I will," replied Harry "After all, if Assistant Student Advisor will look good on the résumé, I can only image how good Junior Inquisitor will look."

"Excellent," said the Minister "You will of course be rewarded for your efforts, the details of which we will discuss shortly."

"Of course," Harry continued "I will need to make a few arrangements. I will need to resign from the Gryffindor Quidditch team. In fact it would probably be best if I dropped Gryffindor house altogether. As I said the house rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin is going as strong as ever. My being associated with one particular house over another will make some students far less likely to approach me. I believe that I will have to appear neutral in all aspects."

"Good thinking," replied the Minister "I'm sure that the castle can provide you with private accommodation."

"What about contingency plans?" asked Madam Bones.

"What in the name of Merlin do you mean, Amelia?" asked Madam Umbridge.

"Contingency plans," repeated Madam Bones "You know, back up plans. We use them all the time within my department. Something to fall back on in case things go wrong."

Harry nodded and commented "Sounds smart, especially as we will be at Hogwarts, where all sorts of strange things happen."

Fudge had a thoughtful expression on his face as he asked "What kind of contingency plans might we need?"

"Well, there should always be something in place in case someone is compromised," replied Madam Bones "Suppose someone decided to stun Madam Umbridge here and replace her with another person who used Polyjuice potion to imitate her." Here Madam Umbridge visibly bristled, but Madam Bones went on unabated "What would happen then? I mean, there are not guarantees that we would find out right away, but when we eventually did so, what would need to happen."

The office was quiet for a moment before Harry offered "How about in the event of the High Inquisitor becoming compromised, all staff reviewed and approved by her will be suspended without pay pending the results of the ensuing investigation."

"Excellent," said Fudge "I can see that we certainly are going to benefit from having you on board, Mr Potter. Now then, for obvious reasons we are concerned that our upcoming actions may cause quite a stir. Usually I would not ask this of anyone, but do you think that you might do us the courtesy of providing an interview with the Daily Prophet? It could do a lot to assuage people's fears, especially as you yourself will have a key role in all of this. Both Dolores and I will be doing so as well."

Harry thought carefully for a few moments before replying.

"I suppose that it could not hurt to give them an interview. The world deserves to know the truth of what we are doing, after all. However, I will not be a Ministry mouthpiece, Minister. I will gladly tell them of anything that you are doing that I approve of, but I reserve the right to speak negatively about anything that I believe the Ministry to be doing wrong. I have to preserve my own reputation, after all."

"And is there anything that we are doing that you disapprove of?" asked Madam Umbridge with a dangerous edge to her voice.

"No, there isn't," lied Harry "And I hope that it remains that way. But as Madam Bones rightly pointed out, we have to have contingencies."

Fudge studied him for a few moments before giving a nod of his head and replying "Very well. All I can ask in return is that if we do run into such a problem down the line that we can discuss it in a proper and civilised manner before anyone talks to the Prophet."

"That's fine," replied Harry "Oh, and make sure that the reporter isn't Rita Skeeter. I simply cannot stand that woman."

Fudge looked surprised and said "Didn't you know, Mr Potter? Rita Skeeter no longer writes for the Daily Prophet. She disappeared for two weeks at the end of the last school year, turned up out of nowhere and handed her notice in. Said something about "learning her lesson"."

"Huh," was Harry's very eloquent outward response, but on the inside he said "Well, at least that proved that Hermione is still good for something."

The conversation went on for a while longer, discussing a few finer points as well as what Harry would be getting paid for his role. They all agreed that it would be best to not tell the world of Harry's role yet. It would be better left secret until he was back at school, as this would make things a bit more difficult for Dumbledore.

The interview was scheduled to take place on the 1st of September at eight o'clock in the morning in the Minister's office. From there Harry would go directly to the Hogwarts Express. Once at Hogwarts, both Madam Umbridge and Harry would address the entire school during the welcoming speech, and the Prophet interview would be in the Prophet the following morning.

On the highest floor of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, in a large office there sat a stately looking Goblin behind a large mahogany desk.

He was furious, beyond anything that he had ever felt in his life before. In his hand he clutched a letter from one of the banks most important customers, a letter that provided damning evidence against many, ether wizard or goblin. Or perhaps even both.

It read

"To the Goblin Director of Gringotts Wizarding Bank,

My name is Harry James Potter and I should like to express a few grievances that I have had in the way that my accounts are being dealt with.

Until very recently I was unaware that I should be receiving monthly statements regarding my trust vault, provided to me by my parents in order to oversee my schooling as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The problem is that I have not been receiving those statements, and this has left me in doubt.

I am hoping that this was merely an oversight by the employees of Gringotts, and something that they will hasten to correct. The only other possibility is that there is a sinister plot afoot.

If it is the former, then please make the appropriate chances as soon as possible and start sending the statements for my trust fund directly to me. I would also request that all possible statements regarding the past of my trust be sent to me as well. Should this be done, then I will take no further action.

However, if there is something more sinister going on, please let me know as soon as possible. By all means investigate the issue, but please do nothing to tip off the guilty as there currently seems to be several attempts to manipulate me going on and we are trying to avoid them getting wind of current investigations into the matter. I request that any information that you might find be forwarded to Madam Bones of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of the Ministry of magic so that she might continue to build her case. Again please begin sending me statements from my trust fund, if it is possible to do so without alerting the guilty. And again please include copies of all previous statements.

I understand that Gringotts takes its security seriously, and so do I. As such I enclose three of my hairs and a blood sample to verify my identity. If this is not satisfactory, and you would prefer a meeting face to face, please contact either Madam Amelia Bones or Healer Sarah Abbott and they will make the necessary arrangements.

Yours in good faith,

Harry James Potter.

Ragnok the Goblin gripped the piece of parchment that the letter was written on so tightly that it crumpled up in his clawed hand. He did not need to meet the boy in person, as he had been advised correctly and the samples provided gave him all the information that he needed to know.

As the Goblin Director, he knew instinctively that this was no mere oversight on the part of his people. The employees of Gringotts Wizarding Bank did not make mistakes like this one. Like Madam Bones and Mr Potter, the Goblin Director smelled a conspiracy. And he knew exactly who the main culprit was. How many times had there been requests made to meet with the heir of the Potter family only for that man to decline on the boy's behalf, after ensuring them that he was acting in loco parentis?

Ragnok would do everything in his power to sort this out. Not only was one of Gringotts most important accounts at risk, but so was the bank itself as well as the entire Goblin nation. He would personally ensure that every scrap of information that they unearthed on this case was presented to the head of the DMLE.

The reputation of the nation depended upon it.

A/N: So how was that? I hope you enjoyed Harry playing with the Minister a little in this chapter. There should be enough foreshadowing here as well to be going on with. I'm thinking that the next chapter will contain a slight time-skip to September 1st with Harry boarding the train. Like here the important bits of what was skipped will be explained in flashbacks, and we will also get to see Harry in action and he makes his new position known the length of the Hogwarts Express.