Headmaster Dumbledore prowled his office restlessly. Anger bubbled gently just out of reach of his mental fingers and he did not know why. Fawkes had vanished to heavens only knew where the previous night, he'd broken his favourite tea cup and the damage was apparently resistant to reparo charms, and now he was plagued by a sense of anger he did not understand. Something ground underfoot and Dumbledore almost swore when he realised that he'd just ground a couple of lemondrops into his rather priceless carpet...that was going to be hard to clean up if there was still the same problem.
"Bee in your bonnet, Headmaster?" The Sorting Hat stirred on its shelf, disrupting a little bit of dust which spilled through a finger of sunlight which was playing across the spines of some ancient books. "Perhaps a wasp under your wig?"
"Sorting Hat, are you trying to be helpful?"
"Depends on the definition of helpful...but for what it's worth I can reassure you that the anger you feel is not your own."
"What..." Dumbledore abruptly did swear as he leapt across to his desk and a large leather bound volume which always sat there. It took him a matter of seconds to find the page which kept track of the House points...and all four houses were rapidly approaching zero. The detentions page was alarming in the extreme. It seemed that all four houses were brawling between and even in classes. Was the school going insane?
"School-wide, this little anger problem isn't it?" The Hat wasn't really asking and Dumbledore wasn't about to answer as he touched his wand to his throat.
"ALL STUDENTS ARE TO RETURN TO THEIR DORMITORIES! ALL PREFECTS ARE TO TAKE A ROLE CALL AND REPORT TO THEIR HEAD OF HOUSE. THE HEADS OF HOUSE ARE TO REPORT TO THE HEADMASTER'S OFFICE WHEN THEY HAVE VERIFIED ALL STUDENTS ARE IN THEIR DORMITORIES. REMAINING STAFF ARE TO GO TO THEIR OWN ROOMS AND ACTIVATE THEIR ACCOUNTABILITY WARD."
"Prompt and will satisfactorily remove two of the five reasons the students have been fighting." The Hat shuffled again. "But what of young Malfoy and Potter, they're both still in isolation."
"Pomfrey?" Dumbledore had his head in the floo a second later.
"Headmaster?" Pompfrey's expression was serene as she knelt beside the fire.
"Mr Malfoy and Potter?"
"Still in isolation for another three hours, I've just notified Severus where they are."
"Thankyou, Poppy, we should have more information for you soon." Dumbledore withdrew his head from the fire and listened to the noise down below.
It was forty minutes later when Severus Snape finally reached the Headmaster's office and he was a seriously unhappy man. Hogwarts was clearly furious about something, for the students were behaving as if they were sleep-deprived and high on sugar. The staff were minimally better and Snape's only bit of peace was the fact that Malfoy and Potter were both behind isolation wards that he himself had cast. No one, not even Pompfrey could reach those two boys without his specific permission...and he hadn't given it.
"Finally." McGongall huffed her displeasure as Snape swept into the office. "What is the emergency, Albus?"
"My Ravenclaws seem to think it's a Death Eater attack." Flitwick was resting on a nearby stool and bouncing restlessly.
"For a Death Eater attack to occur there is first a requirement for a Dark Lord...we're a little short of Dark Lord's at the present moment."
"But..."
"An eleven year-old?" Snape's brows rose in disbelief. "I knew the students were that stupid...obviously I was wrong in thinking that the staff were any wiser. I can promise you there is currently no Dark Lord in any condition to take charge of the Death Eaters."
"But..."
"Tell me, Flitwick, would you associate with the beings who murdered your parents in front of you and condemned you to living hell in the Muggle World?"
"The Muggle world is not living hell." McGonagall snorted in disgust. "Honestly, your prejudice is beyond belief."
"My prejudice is non-existant, I grew up in the muggle world." Snape sneered back. "The Muggle world is little different from the wizarding world...unless you happen to be forcibly inflicted upon a couple of magic-phobic muggles."
"Umm." Sprout was frowning.
"How does the majority of our world view squibs?"
"Not too well."
"Reverse the mentality and you've got living hell in the muggle world." Snape sank back with a soft growl. "Not even magic can protect you from hate while you're a minor."
"There has been no attack at all." It was the Sorting Hat who interrupted what was promising to be a first class row. "The Headmaster is simply taking action to minimise the effects of the Castle's current mood."
"The Castle's current mood?" McGonagall lifted an eyebrow. "Are you telling me that this entire day has been because Hogwarts is throwing a temper tantrum?"
"Hogwarts is a little annoyed at present." Snape spoke quietly from his shadowed corner. "I, quite frankly, don't blame her at all since the Staff's behaviour, as a whole, has been abysmal this year."
"You..." McGonagall stopped with a glare.
"Hat." Snape turned to face the artifact. "Mr Potter was only injured by the troll because his attention was distracted by Mr Weasley...correct?"
"Correct."
"The collapsed hallway?"
"Mr Malfoy had control of the Troll's Club, but lost it when Mr Weasley attacked Mr Potter."
"Am I correct in assuming that it was that particular incident which has upset Hogwarts?"
"You are." The Hat was sounding tired. "I wouldn't bother though, Potion's Master, you'll never persuade them that they are in error."
"Hat." It was Sprout who spoke up. "Could you please explain?"
"Hogwarts takes care of all children and protects them to the best of her ability. She relies somewhat heavily on the staff to help her with that endeavour. It is unfortunate that this year the staff has failed her. For now, a little patience until Hogwarts recovers her equanimity."
"Hogwarts is blaming us because a damn-fool Slytherin decided to fight a Mountain Troll and lost?"
"No, Head of House Gryffindor. Hogwarts is angry because one of her charges has been grievously injured through the negligence of the staff she trusts. That troll did not enter this school of its own accord, it was brought in by a member of staff. Mr Potter did not leave his House group willingly...and not even the Headmaster bothered to ask Hogwarts what had happened before believing the story of one student for no other reason than because of which House he had been sorted into. Mr Potter was abducted. Mr Malfoy was loose only to retrieve his friend...if possible. Mr Weasley was loose because he thought it would be...wicked, to see a Mountain Troll. Hogwarts is not happy that the staff she trusts condones the torment of a first year for no other reason than because he wasn't sorted into the house they thought he should be." The Hat fell silent for a moment. "Go deal with your Houses, Hogwarts just needs a little time."
"Severus." Dumbledore spoke quietly into the scuffle of departing staff and Snape subsided back into his seat with a tired sigh.
"Headmaster."
"Has Mr Potter told you that his existence is...living hell?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Snape snorted in disgust.
"Then how...?"
"I know Petunia Evans." Snape shifted. "Permission to depart?"
"Very well." Dumbledore sighed tiredly as he endeavoured to separate the castle's anger from his own emotions. Would Petunia Evans Dursley really hold a grudge through generations? Severus had to be wrong. If Petunia Dursley disliked her nephew, then Harry must have done something to earn it.
XXXXXX
Lucius Malfoy was scowling thoughtfully as he followed the Auror up the gravelled path. This day had started early supposedly over the question of who was guardian of the Black Estates given that the Head of the House was currently a resident of Azkaban. It had quickly proven, as Lucius had known well in advance, that Sirius Black was not only the Head of House Black, he was infact the only person who stood between that family and non-existance. Much like House Potter, the reign of Voldemort had wreaked havoc on the longevity of the house. Six hours of negotiating and arguing had finally produced the information that Black could not even assign a guardian to those aspects of the Black Estate which had not been seized in his arrest. Four more hours and Lucius Malfoy had official permission to torture Black for information. Now he followed an Auror, who clearly disliked him, up a gravel path to the most forbidding and escape proof prison in the world. He had no illusions, that Auror would consider himself in heaven if he'd been delivering Malfoy to a cell.
"Thankyou." Lucius twitched a smile at the Auror as he stepped into the guard house, where he would have his wand tagged and be notified of where he was to go for his interrogation.
"B17." Dull words and Lucius actually winced for he knew of that room. It was the most heavily warded room which was not actually a cell.
"Thankyou." Lucius twitched his smile again before following a guard down the dank corridors. Room B17 was a ghastly hole and it was with some skepticism that he took the seat on his side of the ward which split the room 1/4 to 3/4. Now all he had to do was wait until Black arrived...and then hopefully he could verify the Minister had not been lying about Black's sanity.
"Malfoy?" Black's hoarse whisper was one of incredulous disbelief as he sank onto the floor on his side of the ward..
"Black." Lucius carefully laid his wand in the appropriate slot before he calmly watched the guard depart. "Sane, I see."
"Depressingly so." Black scowled and slumped slightly. "What do you want?"
"Officially, I require your signature on some papers regarding one of the properties Narcissa brought to the alter." Lucius slid the page through the ward which separated them.
"Emory Farm...oh." Black gave a sudden snort and signed the page with a flourish of a gashed finger and a bloody fingerprint before pushing it back. "I presume you actually did that years ago and needed an excuse for your unofficial reason for a visit."
"Correct." Lucius' mouth twitched into a genuine grin for half a second. "No one would argue against my reasoning for the move if I'd been caught out...and now it's legal so there's no worry." Lucius pocketed the page again.
"Unofficial reason for a visit?"
"Potter."
"What about the boy?" Black straightened up and Lucius couldn't prevent the rise of his brows at the speakingness of that move.
"He's been sorted into Slytherin."
"Oh lord!" Black slumped back in his seat. "Please tell me he's not one of the minority."
"The boy is not evil, if that is your concern." Lucius' mouth tightened. "A Slytherin to the bone and considered the next Dark Lord for no other reason."
"What?"
"Apparently Dumbledore's expression was that of stunned horror when the boy was sorted. They are running scared of him and the student body is responding in kind."
"Bloody Dumbledore." Sirius rubbed his face wearily. "Can you help the boy?"
"Even if I could, I won't." Lucius scowled. "I think my lawyer could spring you though."
"Get out." Black's expression was disbelieving.
"You were never convicted...infact you were never even given a trial and it has been ten years. No evidence was admitted at the time of your incarceration and any evidence is now inadmissable so they won't be able to convict you. Fudge won't dare not release you."
"I won't join the Dark Lord if he successfully returns, Lucius."
"I wouldn't expect it of you." Malfoy snorted. "I'm doing this because Draco asked me to do something about Potter's home life...please do not descend to Gryffindor idiocies now that I've almost managed to decide that you actually have some brains."
"Why me?"
"You are the boy's godfather and that gives you a legal and magical precedence over any legal, or magical, guardian who has been appointed since. In the tongue of Gryffindor, this means your right to custody is uncontestable. I can get you out, which removes this whole venture from the fanciful and wishful thinking. The last, and most critical point, is the fact that you can live with the fallout of this whole mess and still keep your head...sort of." Lucius' expression was grim. "Do not agree without fully understanding the price of this little negotiation, Black. You will be considered worse than a Death Eater who plead Imperius. You will be the mass murderer who escaped punishment because of a rich brother-in-law. You will hold custody of a boy who is considered to be the next Dark Lord...and you'll have gained that custody by the old laws of blood and bondage. Understand me Black, this is not a joke and the price will be very high for all of us."
"Who is the boy with currently?"
"Apparently some Muggle relatives...and there are a couple of reports which were magically lost while he attended Muggle Primary School. I don't think the abuse was serious, but they certainly dislike the boy and fear his magic."
"Petunia." Sirius swore under his breath and then sighed tiredly. "Get me out of here, even living with me would be better than those muggles."
"I firmly agree." Lucius rose to his feet, spoke a couple words of standard truth and then departed, he was going to have to move fast, if he moved at all, the sanity of Black might go at any moment...and the life of Potter was even more perilously in jeopardy.
XXXXXX
Minerva McGonagal was confused and uncertain. Everything was wrong this year. Potter was meant to be a Gryffindor, Granger should have ended up in Ravenclaw...and by no stretch of the imagination could she figure out why the first year Slytherins were displaying all the traits of Hufflepuff. The year travelled in a clump. The year sat in a clump. The year studied in a clump and never spoke to anyone outside of their clump. This simply was not the behaviour of Slytherin first years. The only thing which made any sense at all was that this was the effect of a Potter in Slytherin. The worst of all was that the Sorting Hat and Hogwarts were condoning the entire situation. Why has the world so insane? What had they done to deserve it?
"Minerva?" Sinistra had opened her door in surprise in response to the knock, but her surprise was nothing to Minerva McGonagal's when she realised that she had walked clean across the school and knocked without having noticed a thing...even the fact that she was knocking on a door.
"Oh." McGonagal blinked and then shook her head. "You have a moment?"
"Certainly." Sinistra twisted to look into the room. "Potter! Tell Snape he needs to cover the rest of your detention."
"Yes, Professor." There was a shuffle of paper and the boy slipped silently out of Sinistra's office, vanishing down the corridor in a manner which was vaguely unsettling.
"You had Potter for detention?" McGonagal stepped into the office with its leather bound volumes and sank into the available seat.
"Severus has his own detentions to oversee on many nights, Potter's here two or three nights of the week." Sinistra dropped into her usual chair and produced a cup of tea which she drifted over to McGonagal. "He's a quiet one and very reliable. Infinitely prefer having him here than young Malfoy."
"What is it with that group?" McGonagal found herself talking and decided that she actually wanted the answers sufficiently badly to risk the Arithmancy Professor's sarcasm.
"Which group?" Sinistra was blinking in bewilderment.
"Potter, Malfoy...the first year Slytherins."
"Your question says it all." Sinistra smiled almost sadly. "Those two boys are the most charismatic and courageous Slytherins that this school has seen in many decades. Those two boys, without even trying or wanting to, are going to revolutionise the reputation of Slytherin. They were fighting, but they've been forced into an alliance by the staff and student of this school. Now they've brought the rest of their year into line and that effect is only going to expand."
"Do you think...do you think he's evil?"
"Evil?" Sinistra snorted. "He's an eleven year-old boy, be reasonable."
"But..."
"Yes, the boy seems to have some freaky side-talent which makes him absorb magic...but really, there's got to be something a bit odd about him, he survived the Killing Curse at fifteen months. Otherwise...he's a bit of a bookworm, got a promising talent for potions and a talent and a half for theoretical charms...Severus is of the view that when the magic absorbancy thing is sorted out he'll also have a talent for practical charms. Layoff the boy, Minerva, or you will force both of them to go where none of us want them to go."
"Fine." McGonagal's mouth pursed. "I'll try to get the others to lay off him...if for no other reason than I'm tired with the fights in the staff room."
"Thankyou...but in truth I honestly think that no one ever should have had to ask you to be reasonable." Sinistra finished her tea and then sighed. "What are you going to do about stopping your upper years from picking on the boys?"
"What is it with you Slytherins and blaming the upper years for everything."
"Minerva I have not blamed your upper years of anything except for beating up the first-year Slytherins...and I do that because they are beating up the first year Slytherins. They seem to think that Malfoy and Potter need to learn their 'place' in the school...and courtesy of the Staff at this school they seem to have decided their 'place' is slightly below Filch and the House Elves...and you can bet that Lucius Malfoy will not stand for this situation much longer without bringing his political power to bear on this school...and I REALLY do not want to see what happens when Lucius Malfoy brings his full political power to bear on this school."
"Why hasn't anyone said anything?"
"Minerva, we've done nothing but scream this information at you nearly every night of this year...for whatever reason you decided to listen tonight."
"Oh." McGonagal rose to her feet with a thoughtful expression. "If you don't mind I probably should get back to my office and talk to some of the Gryffindors."
"Thankyou." Sinistra smiled before she closed the door behind Minerva and threw a handful of floo powder into her fire. "Severus Snape!"
XXXXXX
The office of Cornelius Fudge was opulent and decorated with the most execrable taste. Lucius Malfoy considered that room alone sufficient punishment for any act he committed in this life and the next. The Minister was minimally better as he stuttered and stumbled around his uncertainties.
"You imprisoned the head of my wife's family without even putting him to trial?" Lucius scowled even more darkly, pondering if the Minister would ever realise that the man in question was Sirius Black.
"The facts were irrefutable." Fudge stumbled and almost sobbed. Lucius was delighted that his skill for intimidation was as good as ever.
"The facts have nothing to do with anything, Fudge." Lucius gave a small sniff of disgust. "No trial means no conviction. No conviction means that his assets have not and cannot be frozen...hence my recent discovery of why family tax was still being extracted from my wife's properties. No conviction means he can counter sue...or to be more precise he can order me to counter sue. Ten years means the ministry has no admissable evidence and you will have to release him."
"Ten years?" It was almost a scream and Lucius sneered to see the man finally realise who they were talking about. "No!"
"Minister."
"I won't have it. The scandal would be dreadful."
"He is the Head of the Black Family." Lucius spoke softly.
"It doesn't matter, you're the only person who knows this and I know you won..."
"Minister." Lucius abruptly stood up. "As a connection of the Black Family I, like many others, am under an Unbreakable Vow to support the Black Family. Unfortunately I now know that Black can be released, and supporting that family also means ensuring it doesn't die out...which is guaranteed if Black is not released soon." Lucius did enjoy snarling at terrified fools, their terror was almost tangible. "I will not sacrifice my life so you can hide from a stupid mistake you made a decade ago." Lucius stepped back and gentled his tone. "I'm doing all I can so you can hush it up, but I can't let you continue to incarcerate him because it will cost me my life to do so...it will also cost my son his life since I mentioned the matter to him without even realising the import of the matter. I've already spent days trying to deal with this situation." Lucius rubbed his forehead and mentally refrained from noting that the days had been spent briefing his solicitors and preparing the case. "Say he's released on good behaviour, having successfully been cleared of mental disturbance by St Mungos. Muggles apparently do it all the time."
"But it's Sirius Black!"
"So what?" Lucius made a wearied noise. "You stuffed up, you got found out and it's fairly safe to say that he will never do anything except sit around where ever he decides to live and curses the world. His name alone guarantees that he'll never do anything."
"But..."
"And while I think of it, there had better not be any 'accidents' before he departs from the Ministry as a free man...if you cause the death of myself and my son I can promise you that you will discover Narcissa to be more than capable to avenge us...and she'll have the Black Estate as well as the Malfoy Estate at her disposal." Lucius Malfoy was silent for a moment. "All things considered I think she'd actually have more assets at her disposal that the Ministry, even if you could engage in unrestricted asset disposal to protect yourself...and as a member of the Wizengamot, I feel quite confident that Narcissa will make quite sure that you do not get unlimitted asset disposal permission."
"That's...that's..." Fudge was spluttering.
When Lucius Malfoy managed to finish the paperwork and get out of the Ministry of Magic three hours later Minister Fudge was still spluttering unintelligibly. When Lucius Malfoy finished with his lawyers two days later he was quietly confident that Minister Fudge was still spluttering unintelligibly. When Lucius Malfoy had verified with Madam Bones that all was proceeding as was appropriate in the reopening of the Black case he detoured via the Minister's Office both ways and was satisfied that his presence brought Fudge back to a good boil of unintelligible spluttering...the man had looked like he might recover.
Lucius Malfoy sank wearily onto the edge of the bed, his hand reaching automatically to find one of Narcissa's plaits. She looked like a young girl when she slept. Such innocence was hard to find in the current corrupt world. Lucius wound the plait around his fingers and hoped that he would have no cause to regret the past couple of days in the future. He pitched over onto his pillow with a soft groan, he just wanted to sleep.
"Lucius."
"Mm." Lucius cracked an eye open and blinked blearily as he tried to think of a satisfactory excuse to explain why he was trying to sleep on top of the covers and still fully attired, even including his boots.
"Up." Narcissa slipped easily from the bed and pulled Lucius onto his feet.
"But..."
"Shower." Narcissa pushed him into the bathroom and quickly spelled the lights on and the water to run.
"But..."
"You stink, dear husband, of Azkeban."
"Oh." Lucius considered the matter for a moment and then scowled. "I have bathed three times since I left Azkeban and changed my clothes completely on all three occasions. I can promise I do not stink of Azkeban."
"Shall I get a House Elf to bathe you?" Narcissa's expression was nothing short of angelic and it caused Lucius to mutter under his breath before he quickly stripped and ducked into the recess which contained the shower. He'd never admit it, but when Lucius emerged from the shower almost an hour later he was thankful for his wife's insistence. It did make a difference. Admittedly he was going to have to bathe again before he left his rooms, and he'd definitely check what he grabbed before he used it, but for now sleep was far more demanding of his attention than the fact that his hair smelt of orchard blossom. If nothing else, Narcissa had earned a laugh at his expense for he'd been an utter bear for the last couple of weeks working on this mess concerning Potter.
XXXXXX
A/N: Thankyou very much to the kindly soul who notified me that I never went back to correct the filler names I used when I forgot who Bulstrode and Davis were...and if anyone was curious, those two names were two Polish Mathematicians from between the wars. I have now corrected that post, so if you want, go back and read it :)