A/N : Another chapter, I hope you enjoy it. Beta's as per by the lovely OrnateDragon. Drop a review :)
Lord Potter - "I AM GRAY!"
By Rita Skeeter
In an argument in the Great Hall of Hogwarts with Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Lord Harry declared himself 'Gray.' The announcement came after a shocking accusation of bullying was made against him by Headmaster Dumbledore, in front of the entire school. The Headmaster laid a claim that Lord Harry was behind Miss Granger, one of Harry's former best friends, being ostracized by the entirety of Gryffindor House. Lord Potter answered the claim calmly, explaining to all those listening that the reason he no longer counted Miss Granger among his friends was because she was spying on him for the Headmaster.
Headmaster Dumbledore claimed that he had Miss Granger watching out for Harry for his own good, that they were making sure he stayed Light and didn't stray into Dark magic. Lord Potter lost his temper at this point with the Headmaster, declaring himself no longer Light, but certainly not Dark. In a statement to the press late last night, he explained the reasons behind his words.
'I apologise for causing anybody any alarm with my words. I lost my temper with the latest of a long string of manipulations attempted by the Headmaster. When I declared myself Gray, I did not intend to cause any panic. I will not stand for being used as a puppet, as the Headmaster wishes, and as he is the self-appointed leader of the Light, I feel I can no longer be counted in association with that. As I have never and will never contemplate turning Dark, I, with a lot of input from a number of more talented and experienced people, have decided to sit in the middle. Hence the term Gray.
I hope to offer help and receive help from those many people who don't agree with either side of the current war, working towards a better future of equality for all. That is the difference that matters.
The Light side offers equality for all, but what that really means is that they are offering equality for the people who side with them and no one else. The Dark side, in comparison, offers equality to pure-bloods only, with half-bloods, Muggle-borns, and magical creatures all being targeted as unworthy.
My opinion, one shared by my friends and advisers, is that every human, creature or animal life is worth saving, regardless of bloodline, gender, nationality, race, or anything else that makes everyone an individual. I make the offer to anyone with the same views, to contact me via my account manager at Gringott's bank. If you want protection, I will do my utmost to provide it. If you want to help us, then it will be greatly appreciated.
Please, do not take this on lightly. There will be various security tests to ensure you are truly on our side and will not betray us.
I thank you all for taking the time to read my message.'
Impressive, no? So, to reiterate Lord Potter's message, there is now a third side to our war, one that the Ministry gives its full backing to according to a brief statement from Minister Fudge.
'Lord Potter is a very mature young man, and he takes the opinions of those around him very seriously. I believe he will be the one to truly end this war, and I and my Ministry stand behind him entirely.'
I want to take the opportunity to thank Lord Potter and Minister Fudge for their statements, and I am sure all of my readers will agree with me that this refreshing new vision of keeping the public aware of the happenings of our most prominent figures is greatly appreciated.
Xxxx
Harry had been hoping he could avoid breakfast in the Great Hall the next day, but heard the truth in Alex's words when he said that hiding from people after a statement of such magnitude could do some serious damage. As he walked into the Hall, Ron and Neville flanking him, many people turned to look at him, some sending smiles, others with narrowed eyes, and others still with pure curiosity.
Knowing the Prophet would be delivered shortly, the three boys began to eat as soon as they took their seats. Harry had told Severus to be ready for an explosion of impressive fury to come from Dumbledore, and he was sure they wouldn't be disappointed. Harry and Neville, unbeknownst to anyone else, had their trunks shrunk and in their pockets, just in case Harry had to leave. Neville had already informed Harry that if he left, Neville would be going with him.
Harry had explained the situation quickly to Ron and Ginny, telling them he would make sure to send for them and their family as soon as he could. He knew they would be safe here though, Dumbledore couldn't do anything to them with the eyes of everyone in the wizarding world scrutinising him, as they surely would be doing after the article.
Harry decided he liked being on the good side of the press, the preview of the article allowing him to prepare for anything Dumbledore might throw at him. As owls began to swoop around the hall, Harry took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be pretty.
Xxxx
Albus sat in his throne-like chair at breakfast, feeling rather cheerful. After thinking it over last night, he was quite sure that Harry had done enough damage to his image with his tantrum in the hall, that he would be begging Dumbledore to save him before the day was out. Albus had even begun to plan his statement to the press, telling of a young boy with a heavy burden to bare, rebelling against the people who knew best. He was quite sure that the Prophet delivery, due imminently, would surely cause another situation where Harry was an outcast, the fear of him going Dark from his fellow students enough to bring him back to heel.
He watched as Harry entered the hall, Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley either side of him in a show of solidarity for their friend, with his head down. Albus smiled to himself as he saw how fast Harry was eating, clearly wanting to leave the Hall before the arrival of the paper. As the owls swooped overhead, Albus could barely restrain himself from rubbing his hands together in glee. This would secure his place as Harry's most trusted adviser and everything would return to the way it should be.
How wrong could one man be?
Xxxx
Harry watched as the Headmaster read the paper, hiding a grin as he watched his complexion turn a rainbow of different colors. Looking along the table, he could see the other teachers reading with interest. McGonagall especially was looking very thoughtful, and Harry wondered if he had a possible ally in her. Professor Sprout and Flitwick were both staring between the Headmaster and Harry, waiting for the fireworks that were sure to come. Severus looked slightly smug, with a tint of amusement thrown in for good measure.
Harry looked over the students, trying to gauge the initial reaction. He was pleased by what he saw. His eyes moved first to Draco, who was smirking at some of his housemates. Harry wondered how many of them would be contacting Bludaxe to keep them safe. The majority of the Hufflepuffs were smiling at him, some of them giving him thumbs up, others nodding their heads. The Ravenclaw students still looked a little unsure of themselves, though Harry wondered if the article due out about Tom Riddle would possibly sway some of them.
Gryffindor table was the loudest as usual, a lot of the students shouting down the table that they were with Harry all the way, or some variation of the same sentiment. Harry chanced a glance at Hermione, and rolled his eyes when he saw her with her head buried in yet another book, apparently not interested in what was happening around her. Harry hoped that she did stay out of the war, in a way. After them being friends for so long, regardless of her betrayal, he would hate to have to take her out during battle.
"HARRY POTTER! MY OFFICE. NOW!"
Apparently, Dumbledore had finished the article. Harry stood up, staring at the enraged Headmaster.
"Why, sir?" he asked respectfully, making sure to mind his tone.
"Do Not Talk Back To Me, Go To MY OFFICE!" Dumbledore roared. The first year students around the Hall looked rather frightened.
"Why, sir?" Harry asked again.
"You are going to draft another statement to the Daily Prophet, retracting this nonsense." Dumbledore said, walking toward Harry. He took hold of Harry's arm, intent on pulling him through the school if he had to do so. As soon as he touched Harry, he felt an electric shock run up his arm, making him drop his hand quickly.
"I have no intention of printing a retraction of my statement, Headmaster, and I have no idea why you think you can force me to. You are beginning to get ideas above your station there, Albus."
The second sentence was spoken quietly, so only the Headmaster could hear him.
"You are hereby suspended for a week. Please collect your belongings, and vacate the school grounds in a timely fashion." Dumbledore said, calming his voice.
Harry grinned. "No problem, sir, see you around." he said cheerfully, waving to the Headmaster as he walked toward the main doors.
"Excuse me Mr Potter, what do you mean, 'see you around', I will see you a week from today in my office where we will discuss exactly why you have been suspended and make sure such a thing doesn't happen again."
"Actually you won't. I'm done here, I think. I can't be bothered dealing with your mood swings anymore sir. As I am no longer a student, you will now address me by my proper title. Of course, we will still see each other, there is a Wizengamot meeting on Saturday after all. Bye guys, I'll write to you." he called to his friends.
The doors swung shut, just before Harry reached them. Harry turned to find Dumbledore looking smugly at him. Apparently the old man thought he had Harry trapped. Two could play the power game though. Letting his wand slip down his sleeve, he cast a blasting curse at the middle of the door. They swung open with such force it sounded like a canon had gone off.
"Have you finished with your games Headmaster?" he asked coolly, stowing his wand away again.
"You cannot simply decide you are no longer going to attend school." Dumbledore replied, looking slightly shocked that Harry had managed to overcome his charm.
"You are the one that told me to vacate the premises, Headmaster. Lift the suspension, which by the way, you had no grounds to serve me with, and I'll stay."
"Fine. Suspension lifted." Dumbledore sighed, knowing he had been beaten, publicly, by Harry yet again. Looking around at the gossiping students, he shouted, "Haven't you all got classes to go to?" as he stormed out of the hall.
Calmly taking his seat again, Harry resumed eating, not reacting outwardly to what had happened. Inside though, he was doing a happy dance that he had won yet another round with the manipulative Headmaster. He couldn't wait to show Sirius the memory.