Author's Note: I know, I know, I left you hanging with a major cliffie there and then left you for a month. I am really sorry, but recovery has been harder than I thought that it would be. I am back, and I promise the issue from the end of the last chapter has been resolved. I am writing again, so the chapters should come faster, and there are only six more in this story, so the quicker I can get them written and edited, the faster you can get them all. I am also starting my next story, my first Harry and Ginny story, called "Continuum". Look for it sometime in the spring. I am going to finish, or be closed to finished before I start publishing. Thanks to my beta, HGRH35, for her quick turn around on this chapter. And now, enjoy, and don't let the title frighten you. MNF

Chapter 14:

Ancient Greek Death

January 18, 1994

Ellie Potter paced the floor in the lounge of her home. Her husband, son, best friends, Queen Maeve and several princesses watched her. It was finally Harry that broke the silence.

"Mama, please. You're the only one who I trust," the thirteen year old pleaded with his adoptive mother.

"Harry, you have no idea what you're asking. If I don't do this right, if something goes wrong...Harry, I would never, ever forgive myself," Ellie tried to explain.

"Ellie, honey, we've been over this. No one has any other idea of how to do excise that thing inside of him. I know that you've brewed it before..." Sirius tried to calm his wife, but she cut him off.

"Sirius, I brewed these potions when I was working on my Potions Master. It was a controlled setting, and we only had to test them on a plant and a rat. The worst thing that could happen was that I killed a rat -- and believe me, the symbolism there hasn't been lost on me. It is a very different thing to give a potion to a small rodent than to give it to a wizard, much less my own child."

"Is there anyone else that you would trust to brew it with you, or for you?" Grace asked. "Maybe someone from your old job?" Ellie shook her head vehemently at the notion.

"They'd sooner collect dragon eggs than to brew this potion, trust me. I would be the one that was called upon to do it," Ellie explained. "The only person I would have even considered doing this with was Lily. Of course, if Lily were here, all of this would be moot," Ellie said with a sigh as she slumped down in the oversized chair by the fireplace, running her hands through her hair as a muffled sob escaped her.

"Eleanor," Queen Maeve started, and Ellie knew that she was about to get a bit of a tongue lashing. Ellie looked up at the matriarch of her line, struggling to make eye contact. "I know that you're scared, but this must be done. There is no other way to get the Horcrux without killing Harry. We've discussed this for six months, it has to be this way. I promise you, you will not be alone while you do this."

"How do you even know that it will work? How do we know that thing will emerge when we give Harry the potion? What if it attacks Harry while his soul is out of his body? How are we going to keep him safe then?" Ellie peppered her with questions.

"We don't know that it will work, but Eleanor, we've had some of the best minds working on this; your sister princesses agree that this is the only viable way, as do the Hogwarts founders. You have to trust that all of these learned minds have Harry's best interest at heart," she explained in a calm and even tone.

"As for keeping Harry safe," Gormlaith started speaking, "as soon as his spirit emerges, we will surround him. You need to trust that we will keep Harry safe. His grandmother will be there to comfort him and care for him, and the rest of us will fight with all we have, if that's necessary."

"As for the bit of Voldemort," Queen Maeve started talking again, "leave that to me. Professor Slytherin and I have come up with a way to take care of him."

Ellie rubbed her face with her hands, and then again through her hair, parting it and putting it in a loose braid. Sirius could tell that she was thinking, the answers she had been given were too logical, she was breaking. They just needed to continue to give her rational answers to combat her fear.

"If I agree to do this," Ellie started, emphasizing the word if, "there are some very odd ingredients that I will need to get my hands on. Honestly, Opium and Fluxweed are going to be hard enough, but we need a few drops of the Elixir of Life, and there is only one person I know who can brew it, and well, it's not like I can waltz up to Nicolas Flamel and just ask him for it. The minute we do that, Dumbledore is going to know that we're up to something, and I'd rather we keep this from him."

"Ellie, there are others in the world who can brew the Elixir of Life, leave the procurement of that to me," Queen Maeve said cryptically. "As for the other two items, I think that you are married to a man who is more than capable of manipulating the perception of the apothecary to get what you need."

Neither Ellie or Sirius liked the idea of playing with the memories or manipulating a fellow witch or wizard into doing what they wanted, but this was a dire situation.

"Fine, even if we get the ingredients, and I am actually able to brew both the ´ypno thanátou potion and the x´ypnima thanátou potion, what are we going to about testing it. I mean we have a whole farm worth of plants and animals that it can be tested on, but I am NOT giving it to my son without knowing what it will do to him. We're talking about a several thousand year old potion that isn't used anymore, for a reason," Ellie demanded. The potion was used often in ancient Greece, so that people could communicate with the gods and goddesses. You died, and those around you had one hour to administer the antidote potion, which had to be brewed fresh. The pair were abandoned, however, because sometimes people didn't really come back right. Their minds sustained too much time without proper functioning and they were caught between the two worlds, not really alive, not really dead.

"Test it on me," a voice said and Ellie turned her head to look at Remus. As Ellie stared at him, she was slack jawed and shaking her head.

"What? Are you crazy? Gracie, talk some sense into your husband!"

"We've already discussed this. We both believe in your potions making ability, and if it's a human that you want to test it on, then we were will to let you use one of us. We tossed a coin, and Remus won," Grace responded.

"You call that winning?" Ellie retorted with a snort and Remus walked over to her, kneeling down in front of her and putting his hands on her knees.

"You and I have been through a lot over the years, but I have absolute trust in your abilities. You gave me back my life, let me show you that this is safe for Harry. I know that you're afraid, but Ellie, this really is the only way," Remus said so honestly and with such genuine trust that Ellie couldn't say anything. Instead, she just reached forward and hugged her friend.

"Fine," she said as she pulled away, making eye contact with everyone in the room, "but, we test it repeatedly on other things before I give it to Remus and then Harry."

"Lolly love, no one here doubted that it would be any other way," Sirius said as he replaced Remus in front of his wife. "I promise I will be with you through all of this, and you'll see, Harry will be fine and the Horcrux will be gone."

"Sirius, sweetheart, you had better be right," Ellie said solemnly as she fell into her husband's embrace.

It took two weeks for all of the ingredients to be gathered. Some were easy to come by: Belladonna and dried Mandrake leaves were common items, included in every Potion Masters kit. Foxglove, Oleander and Cecropia were common enough at the Apothecary, and Ellie's status made them easy for her to procure. The Potter-Black's quickly planted Rhubarb in their greenhouse and they had it come to maturity within weeks, sped along with a little spell work from Sirius wand.

Sirius, Grace and Ellie decided to go to France to get the tightly regulated items, rather than trying to buy them near their home. The distance would give them greater anonymity, and they chose a moderate sized town so that they could blend in, but not so large that they would likely to be recognized, or that someone might see them pulling one over on the shopkeeper.

Just like in the Muggle world, Opium was tightly regulated in the Wizarding one -- wizards can get addicted just the same. Fluxweed was regulated due to its power of reversing the any potions already in someone's body. Both were generally used only in controlled medicinal settings by Healers.

Grace flirted with the apothecary while Sirius put a mild Confundus charm on the poor man. Ellie was able to produce a blank sheet of parchment that to the addled shopkeeper appeared to be a legitimate request for the items. Ellie made sure she had enough for four batches of the potions, just in case.

Ellie brewed the first batch shortly after they arrived home, and immediately had Sirius select several plant specimens from their greenhouse. To make sure that the potion and it's reversal potion were working, they chose plants that were in several stages of growth. The plants all were revived, and a few even grew from their initial state. Being bolstered on by this success, Sirius brought Ellie a mouse that they had caught in the barn. Again, the potion worked without any problems.

A few days later, a second batch was brewed. Ellie was still quite cautious, and this one would be another test run on some of the larger animals on their farm. Grace and Remus took all of the children into town, so that none of them had to witness their favorite chicken or goat being tested on. The animals were all revived, although it took a little extra potion to bring the goat back completely. Sirius thought that they should test it on the cow, but Ellie laid her foot down.

"You just don't like the cow because she kicks you when you try to milk her," Ellie teased.

"It's not just that, Lolly. She gives me the evil eye when I walk by," Sirius told her, and Ellie burst out laughing.

"The cow gives you an evil eye? Really? Sirius, that has to be one of the dumbest things that I have ever heard you say. Go on now, the children will be back soon, and I need to adjust a few of these amounts here on the restoration potion, to accommodate for the fact that Harry and Remus are both larger than a goat," Ellie said, picking up her parchment and heading for the desk at the far side of her potions lab. Sirius started herding the goats out, and just opened the door and let the chickens walk out free. The children could gather them up later.

"You'd know if it worked or not if you tested it on the cow," he threw back as he left the lab out the back door. Ellie just shook her head at her husband.

After another week of calculations and revisions, Ellie was ready to make the potion for Remus. If she was able to revive him immediately, then Harry would be done, post haste, as she would be able to use the remaining ingredients from Remus' potion for Harry. That would leave her one batch worth of supplies, should something go wrong.

The princesses were gathered, some were visible, some were not. The best assumption that they could work on is that the disembodied soul would present itself in the astral world, rather than the corporeal one. Both contingents, however, were ready to do battle when the time came. Ellie had never asked what it was that Queen Maeve and the Founders had created for the Horcrux that would leave Harry. Part of her didn't want to know, as she had seen what damage was done to the inanimate objects, and how the soul parts had squealed and cried out when they were destroyed. She just hoped that her sons soul and body would fare better.

Ellie sat alone in her lab, going over the entire potion in her mind, again and again. She used to watch Jamie do this before a Quidditch match, especially when he was captain. She never thought that she would be doing it over a potion. She felt her ring spin on her finger and then a rough pair of hands massaging her shoulders and neck. Sirius was here with her, just like he had promised he would be, to give her support through this. Ellie silently wondered how she ever would have lived her life without him and his love.

"Lolly love, are you ready?"

"I am," she said with a nod. "Let's get the first potion ready, and then I'll start the second, and leave it in stasis until we're ready for it. Remember, I am only going to finish off half of each of these now, and if it works on Remus, we'll do the rest for..." Ellie stopped, and took a shuttering breath. "I can't believe I am actually going to purposefully give my friend and my son a potion called the Greek Death Sleep. I am a horrible mother."

Sirius forcefully turned her chair around and took her face in his hands, his thumbs running over her cheekbones. "You are not a horrible mother," he told her sternly. "You are saving your child, our child. Lolly, stop beating yourself up about this. Do you know how lucky we are that you can do this? Can you only imagine if we'd had to find someone else to brew it, or even explain to them why we wanted to? Harry would be livid if he heard you calling yourself horrible, he's scared enough; don't make him feel worse." It was a command from Sirius, something he rarely did. Ellie's surprise at hearing him talk this way was enough to shake her free from her doubts, and get one with the work at hand.

A little over an hour later, Ellie walked into the house holding a phial with a deep red potion inside. She was still wearing her dragon hide gloves, as the potion could indeed burn through skin if it came into contact with it. Sirius was following her watching the path that she was walking so he could clear obstacles that might be there.

Molly had come to watch the younger three, and they were all happily in the Lupin's house next door, making homemade dolls or something. She knew that it had something to do with Harry and Voldemort, and asked to be told nothing more than that. Apparently, Professor Dumbledore had been questioning Molly and Arthur about the Potter-Black's and if Ginny would be returning to Hogwarts. The Weasley's had decided that the less they knew, the better.

Remus was sitting on the sofa, Grace next to him, their hands entwined so tightly that their knuckles were white. Harry and Ginny were sitting at the kitchen table, a clear view of what would happen. Harry had begged that Ginny be allowed to stay with him, and after much deliberation, it was decided that both she and Ainsley would be with the family. Many of the princesses wanted them there, as they were both strong in their witchcraft, and Harry had ties with his younger sister and his best friend that could be useful.

Ellie came close and stood in front of her friend. "You're sure about this," she said slowly, enunciating every word.

"I told you I was. How long are you planning on leaving me..." Remus struggled for the right word, "...under?"

"You've got to be, under," she said, repeating his word as if it were a hiccup escaping her, "for at least twenty minutes, then I can administer the antidote. Remember, you should be able to see the princesses on the other side, Collinda will be looking for you, to act as your guide."

"Got it," he said with a nod. "Any other words of wisdom before I drink this down?"

"Don't spill it, because the antidote doesn't work as a topical reversal and this can really burn," Ellie said and for the first time all day, Remus cracked a smile.

"Now you tell me that it could burn away my skin, geesh Ellie, it would have been better if you'd given me all of the side effects before I agreed," Remus dead-paned and the tension was lightened from the room.

"Okay, Sirius, the mug, please," Ellie said, and Sirius reached onto the coffee table for the enchanted mug that would hold the potion. As she took the mug and started pouring it in, Sirius pulled his wand and looked at his old friend.

"Let me charm your mouth and tongue, so that you don't get burned from the stuff," Sirius directed, and Remus opened his mouth. When he was done, Sirius backed away, and Ellie handed Remus the mug.

"Remember, it acts quickly, so we'll need to lower him on his back once it hits. Sirius, get behind him to watch his head please. Ainsley, as soon as he starts drinking, please start the timer, and when it reaches fifteen minutes, let me know so I can go and get the antidote finished," Ellie directed her daughter.

"Got it, Mama," Ainsley replied. She was time keeper as she seemed to be the least emotionally involved in all of this.

A final look passed between Remus and his friends and then he looked at Grace.

"Don't give me that look," she said to Remus, "I'll be right here when you wake up from your nap. You're not getting rid of me this easily."

"I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," she replied. "Now, bottoms up there dear."

Remus drank the potion, and before all of it could have hit his stomach, he fell backward into Sirius waiting hands. Grace slid off the couch and helped Sirius position Remus into a prone position, while Ellie grabbed the empty mug and began a cleansing spell on it, using an already prepared pouch she had waiting on the coffee table.

"Timer is going, Mama," Ainsley told her, and Ellie nodded. When she looked across the room, she could see Harry was now as white as a sheet, and Ginny had her right arm around his shoulders and her left one in his hands. As she looked at them, she was reminded of how she was with Sirius when they were young. They weren't much older than the pair when they began dating, she wondered how long it would be before Harry and Ginny were doing the same.

After all of the cleaning and comforting tasks were done, everyone sat and began their vigil. It felt like time had stood still, there was no movement in the room and the only sound was the ticking of the timer. Sirius knew not to say anything else to Ellie, he would simply twist his wedding ring every few minutes, to let her know that he was still with her.

After about ten minutes, Queen Maeve announced that Remus was well, and that there were no problems on the other side. He was however, having a very interesting conversation.

"Who is he talking to?" Grace asked.

"It's his story to tell," Maeve explained, and then she disappeared.

Ellie wasn't even sure how to respond to that, so she just looked at Sirius and shook her head.

Time continued to crawl, until the timer chimed that it had been fifteen minutes. With that, Ellie got up and went back to work.

The Potter-Black's all stood in the foyer of the Potter family home in England. This was Harry's house now, technically, but it wasn't like they were going to let him live alone at the ripe old age of fourteen. In fact, they wouldn't be living here at all, the Potter-Black's, the Lupin's and Ginny were all planning on moving back to the UK if everything went well today. The Lupin family had purchased a smaller house down the lane from the estate that Ellie had purchased through the goblins. Potter house would empty, until Harry was ready to live in it someday -- at least that was the plan.

Everyone was gathered here today to get dressed. The outfit that Ellie needed was housed in the closet here, as she'd only seen her mother wear it once. Harry was in his official Potter family Wizengamot robes, as was Sirius in his Black family ones. Ellie was wearing her dress that signified her as of the line of Queen Maeve, complete with a crown and a diadem. Her outfit was even more important than her plum Hightower robes. This proved that her lineage was older than the Ministry of Magic, and it demanded a level of respect that not even the Chief Warlock had.

Remus and Grace were dressed as well, both in new sets of professional robes. Ginny and Ainsley would be accompanying the group today. Ainsley wore a small tiara on her head, letting people know that she was the future of the line, as well as the Hightower crest, as she would be the one to take on the family seat in the future. Ginny wore a set of pretty green robes that made her look much more mature than her near thirteen years. Quinn was at Devon's house, with him there as her protection. She was too young to accompany them, and it was too dangerous to leave her without qualified supervision. Her future was still just a dark void. Ellie and Sirius had vowed that it would be the next problem that they tackled. The Lupin children had been dropped off in France to visit their grandmother this week.

"Is everyone ready?" Ellie asked as she straightened the bodice of the gown again. It was a much fussier dress than she would have ever picked out for herself, but it was THE gown that she had to wear.

"As much as we were when you asked us three minutes ago," Sirius told her. "Now, stop playing with the dress, you look beautiful and powerful in it. They are not going to know what hit them."

"Thank you, love. Do we have everything?" She asked as she pecked him on the cheek.

"It's all in here, as you talk, I will make sure that you have the things you need. We should be going, the Wizengamot goes into session in ten minutes. We don't want to arrive too early, but we also can't be late," he responded.

As arranged with Amelia and her friend, Kingsley, the family would be using a semi-private floo that lead to the Auror offices. From there, Kingsley would escort them down to the court room where the Wizengamot was meeting. Amelia would already be in place, but she knew that they were coming. Molly and Arthur would be there as well, but would not be able to greet their daughter until everything was over. Intimidation was part of the plan today.

Two by two, the family went through the floo, Grace taking Ginny, Remus taking Ainsley, Sirius taking Harry and then finally, Ellie going through on her own. She wasn't surprised to find Collinda and Agatha there waiting for her, talking with the rest of her family.

"You're ready," Agatha told her. "We've gone over this, and your argument is sound and quite reasonable. Just go and do what we've discussed. Don't worry, we'll be there to help you, should you need it." Ellie nodded at the reassurance. It was good to know that the historian of the princesses would be there to give her help and reference, if necessary.

"It's three minutes to ten, we should be on the move," Kingsley said in his booming baritone. The Lupin's took the girls with them, and Ellie moved to stand between her husband and her son. She wanted both of them to be treated with the respect and honor due to them as her consort and her child.

When they all stepped off the lift, there were whispers and staring looks. No one had seen any of them in years, and there was no rumor that they had returned. Ellie and Sirius had been voting by proxy since their move, and to have them appear today, in person took everyone by surprise. It was then that they realized that Ellie was dressed in her lineage clothing, and heads were bowed as she passed. Ellie took particular delight to see people who had tormented and teased her for all of the years that she was apart from Sirius having to lower their heads and eyes from them. Ellie couldn't help but to have a slight smirk on her face, which didn't escape her husband.

"Don't gloat," he whispered, "too much," he added with his own grin.

As they entered the courtroom, Remus and Grace took the girls over to where Molly and Arthur were waiting for them. Ginny sat between her father and Remus very quiet and stoic, and before Molly could start coddling her, Arthur laid and gentle hand on her lap and shook his head slightly, letting her know this wasn't the time.

The clock struck ten as Sirius, Ellie and Harry entered, and the entire courtroom stopped what they were doing and stared at the trio. Ellie walked to the center of the room, and stared at the raised seat of the Chief Warlock. Albus Dumbledore stared back at her. He'd never been forced to acquiesce to a descendant of Maeve before, but he knew that he must.

Ellie stood quietly, her head held high, and waited for the floor to be given to her, which she knew he would have to do as soon as the court was called to session. She quickly made eye contact with Amelia, who smiled at her friend. Ellie couldn't return it, but she did close and then open her eyes slowly, acknowledging the support of her companion in this small coup that was about to take place.

Dumbledore stood and cleared his throat. "As Chief Warlock, I call this session of the Wizengamot to order," he commanded and the whispering stopped, and people settled into their seats. No one was looking at the old man, they were all looking at the trio standing in the front of the crowd.

"As due to her lineage and as the direct descendant of Queen Maeve, the first in the line of royalty that protected and promoted witchcraft and wizardry in all of these islands that now make up the United Kingdom and Ireland, I welcome Eleanor Hightower Potter-Black. She is accompanied by her husband, Sirius James Black, head of the most ancient and noble house of Black and her," the old man stopped, let out a small sigh and then continued, "her son, Harry James Potter, head of the most ancient and noble house of Potter. Princess Eleanor, you have the floor," he said through almost clenched teeth.

"Thank you Chief Warlock Dumbledore," Ellie said with a poise and presence that no one was used to seeing from her. Sirius couldn't help but smile at his wife, she was truly living up to what was required of her, and he swelled with pride at being married to her. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wizengamot, I am here to tell you about threat to our way of life, nay, our very existence." There were murmurs in the courtroom, and Ellie let them die down before speaking.

"Nearly thirteen years ago, something happened, and Tom Riddle, the man who became the monster of Lord Voldemort; became a shell of himself. Many believed that he had been killed, but having seen the thing that he became on the night of March twenty-sixth, Nineteen Eighty-Three, I knew that wasn't the case," Ellie explained. There were protestations beginning to be heard in the courtroom, people who didn't want to believe that any part of Voldemort had survived. Ellie knew this would happen, and silently she pulled the memory from her mind and let it swirl in the basin that was in the center of the circular room. Sirius tapped it three times, and a three-dimensional loop of Ellie's memory from that night began to play. It only showed the small, whitish-grayish, shriveled body squirming on the ground near the cauldron; having chosen to leave the memories of Sirius trying to curse her out of public display of these memories. The memory also showed the Death Eaters that were there that night, fighting to protect the thing, and calling it "Master", "The Dark Lord" and "Voldemort".

The pair let the memory go on for a few more minutes, playing the loop a full three times. Sirius again tapped the basin and the memory floated back down. Ellie then raised her hand and pulled the memory back to her. Many were surprised to see her doing wandless magic. Ellie had done this display quite on purpose.

"We know that his closest followers believed that they had created a potion that would restore his body to him. As they held Harry and I, our captors were not afraid to blurt out their plans. It was with this understanding, and the imminent danger that both Harry and our daughter, Ainsley, were under that we chose to leave the U.K. and live in quiet obscurity. We feel compelled to return now, and alert everyone of what we have learned and to help our beloved homeland prepare for the conflict that is surely coming," Ellie explained. She wasn't mincing her words, or sugar-coating things. She had every intention of spelling this out, and hopefully getting the Wizengamot to begin to prepare.

"We kept our ears open, and maintained contacts throughout Europe, should Voldemort make his move. There was nothing until eighteen months ago, when we were called to Hogwarts because something was attacking young Ginevra Weasley," Ellie continued, and Ginny cringed at her mentor and second mother using her full name. "When we arrived, we found a diary that had been trying to seduce her, and take over her soul. The book had belonged to Tom Riddle as a student, and it had been slipped into the young woman's school supplies." As Ellie spoke, Sirius pulled the diary out, looking charred and deformed from the removal of the Horcrux from it, and held it high.

"As you can see, the diary has been damaged. It was mutilated when we removed a bit of Tom Riddle's soul from it. He had turned it into a Horcrux -- an inanimate object that contained a sentient part of the host soul. Tom Riddle had ripped his soul apart, and housed part of it in this diary. That part wanted to enslave Miss Weasley." Ellie stopped for a moment to let what she was saying sink in. She could see that there were questions brewing in several of the people. The most interesting look came from Lucius Malfoy, it was a mix of confidence and terror. Sirius was anxious to wipe the confidence from his face, and let him stew in his own stupidity. It was he that had given Ginny the diary.

"As horrifying as the knowledge that this item existed was, we were shocked to find out that there were more, many more of these Horcruxes," Ellie started. She went through one by one, explaining what they were and how they were destroyed. Finally, they got to the last one -- the bit that had been in her son. Doing her best to hold herself together, she explained how they had found out that Harry had a bit of old Voldy inside of him. She showed them the memory of giving Harry the potion, and the agonizing wait to be able to deliver the antidote. Sirius put a gentle hand on the small of Ellie's back to steady her as she watched; it was almost as if they were both reliving the awful day.

When the memory is over, Sirius removed the last item from the bag. It was a horrible thing to behold. Encased in an enchanted glass pot was the petrified remains of the last Horcrux, the one that had been in their son. It was dead, and then it was suspended in the essence of love, extracted from all of those who desperately loved Harry. There were sounds of shock and horror at the thing. Ellie raised her hands to quiet them down.

"I know that this is distressing and hard to see this, but we must move on from it. We need to prepare, because now that the man who was once Tom Riddle will know that his secret is out. We are here today to implore the Wizengamot to begin to take action. We must prepare. We must make sure that all of our world and the Muggle world is protected," Ellie said firmly.

An irritating cough-like sound came from within the plum robes, and Ellie looked over to her left and saw the round woman with a pink bow in her hair that looked awful with the robes. "Yes," Ellie acknowledged.

"How do we know that this is all true? How do we know this isn't just some strange delusion that your family has concocted? How do we know that you're not in league with Lord Voldemort?" The irritating woman asked, and Ellie's lips curled just a bit at the edges. She was actually thrilled with the questions.

"We aren't the only ones who have known about it. Since the night that my brother Jamie and his wife were murdered, there have been others who have known," Ellie responded.

"Oh, and who is it? Someone else who ran away, instead of staying within our borders?" Ellie wasn't surprised by the dig. She turned her head away from the woman, and made clear eye contact with Dumbledore. A wave of fear passed across his eyes without the rest of his face moving.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Wizengamot, the Chief Warlock and Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, has known since the very beginning." There was a shocked silence in the courtroom, and the Potter-Black's, Lupin's and Amelia knew that the pressure was off them. He was going to have some serious explaining to do.