Authors Note: Sorry for the late upload of the chapter but I was out very late and after I still read over the chapter to fix some minor things I wanted to save and upload the chapter but right before I hit the save button my laptop crashed! I have no idea why it seams to be working fine now but I really just wasn't in any state of mind to try again last night and had a bit of rest first so sorry for the delay. And thanks for reading and so on my story even though I'm late. And thanks to all the lovely reviews I got.
Chapter 12
Lucius uses the floo to get straight to the Ministry and walks towards Madam Bones office in the hope to still catch her before she's off duty. He sees her locking her room ready to go and walks up to her saying "Miss Bones, I apologize for coming to you this late but I'll need your assistance. It's an emergency."
"I hope it's important." She replies, not really liking the man but since the Minister does she knows it's better to do as he pleases as long as it seems to be within reason. So she unlocks her office, lowers the protective wards in the room and enters again, followed by Lucius Malfoy. "What can I do for you?"
"Severus Snape asked me to get help while he's staying behind to protect a student from a fellow colleague who seems to torture a student with a blood quill. He's seen the scar and has no reason to lie about it so I believe him. The child has the words 'I must not tell lies' engraved in the back of his hand." Lucius says.
"That is a serious accusation you're making." She replies. "Do you fear the professor will try to use the instrument on the student again? Or why would you say this is an emergency?"
"The student is receiving a lot of detentions from said professor and it seems like the quill is used during at least most of those." Lucius replies, "The student also has a detention with the teacher this evening and is prepared to go to avoid causing trouble for Professor Snape."
"I'll just be getting two or three Aurors and will go to Hogwarts right away. Since you're the one bringing the accusation to our notice, you should go there as well. We'll meet in the entrance hall in about 20 minutes."
"That will be acceptable." Lucius replies and quickly returns to the floo system in the Ministry to floo to another old friend of his. Once there he says, "Miss Skeeter? What would you say if I told you about a story of a Professor using a blood quill on Hogwarts ground on one of the students and said teacher being sent there by the Ministry to 'reform' the school? It does make me wonder if Minister Fudge knew about this and permits it or if he is simply being fooled by his own employee and foolishly entrusts children to someone who isn't bothered to torture a child?"
"Well Lucius," Skeeter says cheerfully, grabbing a notepad and her favorite green quill just to be ready, "I'd just ask where you need me when to get the details?"
"At the entrance hall of Hogwarts right away if you please." Lucius replies. "The Aurors are on their way to clear this up."
A little later Lucius and Miss Skeeter are standing in the entrance hall when Miss Bones walks in with Shacklebolt, Tonks and Dawlish. "Why is Miss Skeeter here?" Miss Bones asks.
"I just thought that the public has a right to know when their children at Hogwarts are in danger of being tortured." Lucius replies. "Are you denying them that?"
Amelia Bones looks towards the reporter who looks eager to write just that but then grudgingly mumbles "Whatever." Before saying more clearly. "Instead of bickering about this we should get up to the Headmaster and sort this out anyway."
"I fully agree after you, Miss Bones." Lucius says as charmingly as usual and together they walk up towards the Headmaster.
It doesn't take them long to inform said man of the accusations and establish that the man isn't quiet as omnipotent as he'd like to seem since he clearly doesn't know what is going on in his school. At least not on this occasion. Next the Professor in question is summoned up and for obvious reasons claims innocence and even appears outraged that they dare to question her methods and would dare to say that she'd do something illegal like that. After all she is the first undersecretary of the Minister and she loudly proclaims that said minister will hear of this. A fact that Lucius has no doubt about since Miss Skeeter is present, Lucius just wonders if Fudge will dare to take her side when he's through with him. Threatening to take away his financial support usually gets Lucius Malfoy whatever he wants.
After that Miss Bones says, "I think we should see the scar and talk to the student you mentioned, Mister Malfoy. You said he's with Professor Snape who is to keep him safe until this is solved?"
"That's right." Lucius replies.
"I assume that it's a Slytherin we're talking about?" Dumbledore asks. "Since he told Severus."
"Actually, it's a Gryffindor." Lucius replies.
"Then we should call for Minerva as well." Dumbledore suggests. "I assume Severus noticed the scars, he does have very keen eyes, but most Gryffindors don't feel too comfortable around him and Minerva should be here if her house is involved."
"Fine by me." Miss Bones replies and Dumbledore sends a painting to each of the Professors to ask them to join him in his office and the one going to Severus to include the student that he's watching, according to Lucius.
Minerva reaches them first and with as little words as possibly is informed of why they are there. She's outraged at what she hears and insists that all the students that had a detention with her are questioned and Miss Bones agrees that should this be proven that they should make sure to find out exactly how many children have been harmed. Umbridge is of course still denying to have done anything wrong ad furious about being accused at all.
When Severus arrives with no one else than Harry Potter everyone is quiet for a moment and staring at the child, to Harry's surprise even Lucius does that. Harry looks around for a moment and sees who's there and that the only two empty seats are on either side of the people already sitting, leaving one empty next to Professor McGonagall and one next to Professor Umbridge. With a sigh Harry starts to walk towards the one next to Professor McGonagall but doesn't get very far since Hercules moves his tail around Professor Snape's upper arm a few times and pulls him closer. Since the front of him is still around Harry and the back around Severus' arm keeping a bit of distance possible but not much there definitely no option for both of them too sit the way the chairs are arranged.
Severus just puts a hand on Harry's shoulder and moves him towards the chair he had been walking to and summons the other one close to Harry's to sit down there. The whole time Hercules is hissing about killing the toad woman, even ignoring the presence of Dumbledore who comes a roaring second for killing Harry's minder when he was an infant and taking the boy with the others. Drawing blood from Harry himself is clearly the bigger offence in the snake's mind.
"What is he hissing?" Miss Bones asks, already having heard about Harry's ability and surprised about the action of the snake.
"He doesn't like Professor Umbridge very much." Harry just replies.
"No surprise." Umbridge says, "You're always hissing to that thing around you during the detentions. Probably telling it all sort of lies to try and make it kill me."
"I doubt that was what he said." Severus drawls. "It is proven that a snake familiar will always attack if a parselmouth master is ordering such. I is also a very well known fact that if a non parselmouth master is wounded and blood is drawn even if by accident a snake familiar will attack to kill the offender. That is why usually snakes aren't allowed as a pet in this school unless the master is a parselmouth and able to stop the snake from acting on it's instinct. Which must be the case since no one died when Mister Potter was forced to write with his own blood."
"Is that what you said during those detentions?" Madam Bones questions.
"Yes." Harry just says looking towards the ground. "I don't want Hercules to bite anyone and he always asks me if he can make an exception for her. I had him promise to never bite unless I tell him to, which is why he only asks for permission. But occasionally he tried to use the fact that I didn't reply and said that unless I tell him not to bite her he's going to take my silence as permission, so I had to tell him not to."
"May I see the scar I've heard about?" Madam Bones asks, "The one on your hand?" She ads after seeing Miss Skeeters eyes going towards Harry's forehead and noticing that it might be misunderstood.
Harry looks towards Snape who nods slightly and then is about to stand and walk over when madam Bones stands and walks towards him saying, "It doesn't seem like Hercules will let you get away from the added protection of Professor Snape."
"I mentioned to him that I was to stay close, because he didn't want to let me go to another detention with Professor Umbridge and I guess Hercules still fears that I'll have to go to that if I leave his side." Harry explains holding out the scared hand.
"I understand." Madam Bones says with a frown while looking at the scar. "You must have written those words very often and probably not only on one occasion."
"That's correct." Harry confirms. "I always had to write that line during a detention with Professor Umbridge."
"He's lying." Umbridge insists hardly letting Harry finish her name."
"Always?" Madam Bones asks ignoring the lady in pink for now. "How many detentions have you had this year?"
"I lost count." Harry says. "About three to four a week though."
"All of them were more then deserved." Umbridge insists puffed up and still appears to be angry about this whole thing.
"Why, Professor Umbridge, did you give him this many detentions? " Amelia Bones asks, looking angrily towards the woman. The words are by far to delicate and need to be from a knife or any other method she can think of apart from the blood quill, even with Harry's handwriting not being the best she's seen by far, and why should anyone lie about who made him write with it? It also doesn't go well with Miss Bones that Professor Umbridge only seems to care about her own indignation of being accused rather then a child having been tortured. If it wasn't her, she should at least try and find out who it was to help a boy in her care.
"Always the same offend." The so called Professor states. "He just doesn't learn not to tell lies and constantly claims silly things like the dark Lords return."
"And what did you have him do during those detentions?" Madam Bones questions further, even more upset that the words on the child's hand seem to fit the so called crime. But a lie hardly seems worthy of such a punishment. Not that anything the boy could have done would excuse the use of a blood quill.
"He just had to write lines." Dolores Umbridge says. "With a perfectly normal quill of course. Who do you believe more? Me, the first undersecretary of the Minister himself, or that delinquent?"
"Professor Snape?" Harry asks, "Is it possible for you to silence me if necessary?"
"I fail to see the necessity, considering that you can just watch what you say." Snape drawls "But yes, in theory I could."
"Do have any veritaserum with you?" Harry asks. "And I think that question explains the necessity. I'm afraid Miss Skeeter will be tempted to ask unrelated questions that I normally would refuse to answer when I'm under the influence of veritaserum."
Everyone stares at Harry. "So you're willing to make your accusation about the quill under veritaserum?" Miss Bones asks surprised. She hardly finds it necessary since the scare itself is prof that it was used on him and most people are too worried about someone asking unrelated questions to offer such a thing. There seems to be much more trust from the boy to Professor Snape then Dumbledore has expected from any Gryffindor.
"Not just that." Harry replies "I also want to make sure that there is no doubt left how Cedric died."
Everyone stares at him until Severus Snape pulls out a small vile with clear liquid and shows it to Miss Skeeter for confirmation that it doesn't appear to be tampered with. He had heard that she is rather familiar with the potion and secretly tries to sneak it into someones tee before questioning them for interviews. Lucky for her that was never proven. "Three drops." Severus reminds him after Miss Skeeter says that it seems to be genuine and Harry wordlessly takes it himself. "Did Dolores Umbridge force you to use a blood quill?" Severus asks.
"I don't know the name of the quill she gave me." Harry replies in a monotonous voice.
"What did the quill look like, how did it work and what did she make you write with it?" Amelia Bones asks.
Dolores Umbridge is about to complain but Tonks silences her with a spell and binds her when she tries to stand up and interrupt the questioning, while Harry answers. "The quill is a dark red and when I asked for ink she said I would not need any. She instructed me to write 'I must not tell lies' and when I asked how often, she replied until it sinks in. When I wrote the words were blood red and my hand hurt and soon was bleeding, the words being scratched into the skin."
Everyone glares at Umbridge who still tries to deny everything but isn't heard thanks to Tonks' spell. "Harry, my boy." Dumbledore asks "Did you see Lord Voldemort rise again at the end of last year?"
"Yes." Harry just says, still in the same monotonous voice.
"Did he order Cedric's death?" Dumbledore questions further.
"Yes." Harry replies again.
"If he ordered," Madam Bones asks, "Then who was it that cast the killing curse at Cedric?"
"Peter Pettigrew." Harry replies.
"Pettigrew?" Amelia Bones says surprised. "I thought he is dead."
"He's not." Harry simply says.
"Did you see Pettigrew before that day?" Tonks asks hoping to get the questioning in the right direction to help Sirius with this.
"Yes." Harry replies.
"When was that?" Madam Bones asks.
"The day I met my godfather and they tried to give him the Dementors kiss, even though I tried to tell them that he's innocent. "
"Was he the secret keeper of your parents?" Dumbledore asks.
"No." Harry replies since Sirius most certainly was never asked to be a secret keeper by either of his fathers.
"Who was the Potters secret keeper?" Severus Snape asks, using the Potters name in the question to make a truthful answer possible without giving away that the Potters aren't Harry's real parents.
"Peter Pettigrew." Harry replies.
"Who was the person or the persons who told you this?" Madam Bones asks to make sure Harry wasn't mislead.
"Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin." Harry says.
"I believe he gave enough evidence under veritaserum and I assume it's going to stop working soon." Severus Snape states. "I'm sure he has proven that he never lied about the dark Lord or the blood quill and can be trusted to give the details truthfully as well."
"Who do you love?" Rita Skeeter quickly asks but Snape can place a spell on Harry before he replies. Much to Miss Skeeter's disappointment.
"I think it might be for the best to get Mister Potter to a safe location." Minerva says with a glare towards the journalist.
"I'll take him." Severus drawls. "It doesn't seem like Hercules will allow anything else until Umbridge is gone and Hercules is actually told to remove himself from my person."
"I'm afraid that seems to be the case." Dumbledore replies.
"I assume that Madam Umbridge will be removed from her position at the very least?" Lucius asks.
"We will take her with us until all students that had a detention with her are questioned." Amelia Bones replies. "I'd be grateful if the Professors could provide me with a list of those. But I doubt that Miss Skeeter will leave it possible for Fudge to keep Umbridge in Hogwarts, especially since it's clear that neither Professor Dumbledore nor Mister Potter said anything but the truth. And I assume Miss Skeeters article will inform the world of that."
"I'm sure it will be." Lucius replies, sounding a little less pleased with himself as some might have thought since he brought her but this way Dumbledore might assume that he had no idea who said student was and that he wouldn't have helped the Potter boy had he known. Better to keep the old fool in the dark.
Severus just stands and pulls Harry with him while the rest continues to discuss how to question the students and what to do about yet another defense teacher leaving the school, just this time in the middle of the year. On the way to the dungeons the veritaserum stops working. And Harry blinks a few times while being pushed forward and then asks, "Thanks for silencing me when Rita asked that dumb question."
"Wouldn't have mattered." Severus drawls. "I can read lips and apparently you're currently not in love with anyone."
"Really?" Harry asks, he had been so sure he'd say Cho Chang. He liked her, didn't he?
"I'm not really surprised since Miss Skeeter made the mistake to ask for love," Severus replies, "Not strong affection or attraction and most teens your age hardly know what true love is. So whoever you fancy yourself in love with will hardly be the love of your life and at least your subconscious is usually aware of that."
Harry frowns a little but only mumbles "I guess that also proves that Malfoy is only messing around."
"What do you mean?" Severus asks.
"Nothing important." Harry states, "He's just still getting on my nerves hitting on me."
"Do you want to return to your dorm now that the veritaserum has left your system?" Severus asks.
"Not really." Harry replies. "I'd rather have some peace and I'll never get it up there, since someone was bound to see one of those people going up there and you now how fast things get around school."
"As you please." Severus drawls, "But I doubt tomorrow will be much better unless Skeeter fails to make her deadline for tomorrows papers."
"How likely is that?" Harry questions.
"Bout as likely as you father going to a dance in a pink tutu with a muggle." Severus tells him getting a chuckle from his son. "But you know that you're welcome to stay a few more nights until it calms down up there."
"I know." Harry says and continues walking with Snape towards his private rooms, asking "How much longer do you think until someone sees me with you down here with you?"
"We can always try and claim that you're here for remedial Potions." Severus says with a slight grin. "You would need it nearly as much as your father."
They just entered the dungeon room a few moments ago when someone frantically knocks on the door. "What the hell happened now?" Severus grumbles and opens the portray just a little bit to make sure that whoever is outside won't see Harry with him. He lets the man in once he sees that it's only Lucius Malfoy. "What do you want now?"
Lucius looks at Severus and holds out a piece of parchment saying, "My house elf just passed this to me. Please help me."
Severus reads the parchment and says "I'll talk some sense into him."
"You still believe it possible?" Lucius states. "Because I don't think that he'll let Draco go until Potter talks to him."
"Don't call him Pot..." Severus starts to say but doesn't get to finish.
"What are you two talking about?" Harry asks curious and grabs the parchment from Snape's hands to read it.
'I ordered Draco to come to me and like a good little boy he reported to me. I don't feel like waiting for him to finally succeed and since you're currently in the school, you get one night to try and fix his mistakes. Get my son to come to me to the shrieking shack for a talk and I'll let your son go, fail and you might never see him again.'
The note isn't signed but Harry doesn't need that to know who wrote this. Harry just glares at the note and then says, "Oh, he get's his talk. And once I'm done with him he'll wish he hadn't."
Harry wants to move past Lucius when Severus grabs his arm and says, "And you really think that I'll just let you go there alone?"
"I'll take Hercules." Harry just says.
"No, you're staying and I'm going." Severus insists.
"What's the point?" Harry asks. "He wants to talk to me and it's not like anything you say is going to get through his thick scull, so I'm going to get it into his stupid head that I'll never accept a dark Lord as a father and that's my final word and he took Malfoy because of me, so I'm going to take him back too. I'll be damned before I let someone else get hurt because of me."
"I'm not going to let you go alone." Severus grumbles.
"I've got Hercules and thought you don't think that he'll kill me anyway." Harry says, "So why bother?"
"Because I might not think he will go that far." Severus grumbles, "But I'm not willing to actually bet your life on anything and I also used to trust him to keep you safe, which he didn't."
Harry just rolls his eyes and says, "Fine." Before he walks through the halls of Hogwarts and towards his father.
Authors Note: Before we think about what might be answered in the next chapter I'd like to point out to everyone who suggested that they'd catch Umbridge red handed in the detention with Potter that neither Snape nor Hercules are willing to let Harry even touch the quill again never mind having to write a single letter with it and how are the odds that they enter the room at the exact right second? Much to risky in Severus' opinion.
Now what will happen when Harry finally sees his real father...and knows it's his father? Will he get Draco out unharmed? Will his father manage to worm his way into Harry's good graces? Or will Voldy take his son with him to have more time to try and get him on his side? Will Severus be able to protect his son from his still Husband? Will the two of them end up kissing? Will Voldy get his potion to make that mental picture less discussing?
But what I'd really like to know is...How many of you are mad at me for ending this chapter where I did and are praying that my laptop won't crash on me again and course another delay in update?
