Hi everyone! Happy Halloween!
Disclaimer:
I don't own this.
Enjoy
Harry and Hermione were studying in the library. Well, Hermione was studying while Harry stared blankly at a book about.... something. They heard someone clapping and looked up to see Malfoy.
"Congratulations, Potter. On getting the Weasel expelled. Even I couldn't do that—not that I didn't try."
"For your information, Malfoy, Ginny is a lying bitch and I didn't get Ron expelled. Ron got caught doing something extremely stupid, but I was in the area so obviously it's all my fault."
"Seriously? That's such a disappointment. I knew I shouldn't have believed anything Weaselette said."
"So sorry to disappoint you, Malfoy." Harry replied sarcastically.
"Come on, Harry. Let's just go to lunch." Hermione suggested trying to keep Harry out of as many fights as she could. As they walked into the Great Hall all eyes turned to Harry. Some in anger, some in suspicion, and others in confusion.
"Looks like Ginny has been busy. Feels just like second year or fourth year or fifth year. Wow. I haven't really had that many good years here have I?" Harry whispered to Hermione as they walked to the table.
"No, your school career has kind of sucked." She agreed. Harry started eating as fast as he could, wanting to leave quickly.
"So do you want to head to Transfiguration now?" Harry asked when the stares were starting to get to him.
"Harry, Transfiguration doesn't start for another twenty minutes."
"What's so wrong about wanting to be early for class?"
They sat in the empty classroom for fifteen minutes until Professor McGonagall came in.
"What are you two doing here so early?" She asked worried that they were up to something.
"I got tired of all the stares, so we left but we didn't have anywhere else to go."
"I guess that's alright then. Miss Weasley has been a bit of a gossip lately." They waited for the rest of the class to show up and McGonagall began the lesson.
"Today we will be discussing glamours." That was a subject Harry already knew about. He had done research when he got to school about glamours that could cover up his scars. But they were difficult to use and tiring when you used them for long periods of time, which is what he had wanted to do so he completely abandoned that attempt (1).
As they were about to try and perform the spell Professor Dumbledore entered the classroom.
"Excuse me Professor McGonagall, but I need Mr. Potter and Miss Granger to come with me to my office if it's not too much trouble."
"No, it's not too much trouble at all." She said before turning to Harry and Hermione. "You may both go."
They walk into the headmaster's office and glanced at the people in the room. 'Oh look it's the "I hate Harry Potter" convention!' Harry thought as he saw Lucius Malfoy, Percy and Ginny Weasley, Dolores Umbridge, and Cornelius Fudge. Off to the side he saw Remus standing next to two men who looked like Aurors.
"What's going on?" he demanded.
"Mr. Potter, last night I received a letter from my sister. Would you like to guess what the letter was about?" Percy asked arrogantly.
"Did she tell you she wanted to be a vindictive bitch, because I wouldn't date her?" he asked gaining several gasps.
"Language, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said.
"Ok. Well, that explains why you're here." He said pointing to Percy and Ginny. "And I have my suspicions about you." Gesturing to Fudge, Umbridge, and the Aurors. "But why are you here?" He asked Malfoy.
"I am on the Board of Governors and am overseeing a legal matter concerning a student."
"They let deatheaters on the Board? Why do I keep coming back here?" He asked himself more than anyone else.
"I'm not a deatheater, Mr. Potter."
"Ha! Prove it then." Instead of changing the subject like Harry had expected, he rolled up his left sleeve to show that he didn't have a dark mark.
Harry turned to Hermione. "Will you remind me to figure out how he did that later?" Hermione nodded.
"Can we please stick to the topic at hand? Mr. Potter, as you may or may not know, it is illegal to turn anyone into a dark creature against their will. And as such Mr. Lupin has broken the law and will have to go to Azkaban. Unfortunately, seeing as we have to keep this out of the papers we won't be able to give you a proper trial. It would be terrible for the Wizarding World to learn that their savior is a werewolf."
"But Remus didn't break the law." Harry stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Didn't you listen to a word I just said?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's illegal to turn someone against their will. But seeing as Remus hasn't turned anyone against their will, he hasn't broken the law."
"Do you mean to tell me that you wanted to become a werewolf?"
Hermione turned and smirked Harry. "You owe me a galleon."
"Nuh uh! That was in the form of a question and so doesn't count."
"What does that being in the form of a question have to do with anything?"
"He doesn't even know if he's right or not if he has to ask."
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO GOING ON ABOUT?" Fudge yelled irritated.
"You see, me and 'Mione have a bet going. One day she made a comment, well it was something about you being as dumb as you look. I disagreed; I've always said you were dumber than you look. And well we're still trying to figure out who won."
"Answer the question! Did you or did you not want to become a werewolf?"
"I did. I asked Remus."
"What possible reason would you have to want to be a werewolf?"
"I wanted to go live with Remus and get away from my muggle relatives."
"What they didn't spoil you enough?"
Harry had had it! He was sick of people assuming that he was spoiled. "My relatives almost killed me. I'd be dead and you'd be stuck trying to find a way to defeat Voldemort without me if it wasn't for him."
"I'm sure this is a wonderful story you've come up with but-"
Harry pulled off his shirt revealing his scars once again. "You caught me! It was all just a story to keep me and Remus out of trouble!" Harry said with annoyance. "The next thing you're going to say is that I carved words in to my skin and threw myself in a fireplace just to make it more believable." He said showing the words on his back and the burns on his left side.
"Well, if he did turn you on your request then he is still responsible for keeping you under control and stopping you from attacking people and you attacked two just last night." Fudge said still trying to put Remus and any other dark creature behind bars and prove to the people he could still be useful.
"YOU KNOW WHAT? NO! I DON'T CARE WHAT REASON YOU'RE TRYING TO USE TO ARREST REMUS! LEAVE HIM ALONE OR ELSE!"
"OR ELSE? OR ELSE WHAT?"
'Quick, think of something. Think like a Slytherin. Think like a Slytherin. Think like a Slytherin' Harry chanted to himself. 'There's got to be something I can do to stop him from hurting Remus. What would hurt him the most? That's it!'
"You think I'm going to tell you? Did you know waiting for something to happen, when you don't even know what that something is, is often the worst part?"
"Are you saying that you would harm or possibly kill the minister?" Umbridge asked.
"I wasn't, but do you think I could get away with it?"
"Potter, let's face it all you have is an empty threat. Mr. Lupin will still be sentenced to Azkaban." Harry watched as the Auror lead Remus away. He turned back to Fudge.
"You're going to regret that." He said before he stormed off.
--
Harry practically ran his way to the Room of Requirement. He needed help and he needed it now. He walked into the room which as usually was already equipped for his needs. Unlike before however, the room was not set up for practicing defense. This time the room was nearly empty and contained nothing but a fireplace and a pot of floo powder and he knew exactly where he needed to go. He stepped in and shouted his destination.
He tumbled out of a different fireplace seconds later and looked around the lobby of the Daily Prophet's office building. He walked up to the receptionist who looked up as he walked toward her.
"Oh Merlin, you're Harry Potter! Well, what brings you to the Daily Prophet today? Is there anything at all I can help you with?" For the first time in his life he was happy to run into one of his fangirls. He put on one of his biggest smiles.
"Yes, I was wondering if Rita Skeeter is in."
"I'm sorry, but no. She stepped out of her office a little while ago but she should be back soon."
"Do you think that I could maybe wait in her office until she gets back?"
"Well, I'm not really supposed to let people into any of the reporters' offices when they're not here… but I guess that I could make any exception. Her office is down the hall, the third door on the left."
"Thank you. Oh, and can you not tell her I'm here? I want it to be a surprise."
"No problem. I'm sure she'll enjoy it."
He went down the hall to Skeeter's office and walked in. He walked around the desk and sat down in Rita's chair. If he was going to wait, he at least wanted to be comfortable. He saw today's addition of the Daily Prophet and looked for something to read. He was scanning page six when he saw an obituary that caught his attention. Apparently Mundungus Fletcher had been killed in Knockturn Alley. He heard the door open and Rita walk in.
"And who are you and what are you doing in my office?"
Harry lowered the paper. "You already know who I am and I happen to be waiting for you."
"And why would you be waiting for me?"
"I'm here to make a deal with you."
"… I'm listening."
1. I thought about it and that would just fix things way too easily.
