Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or its characters, I make no money from this story.
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Five days later on Thursday morning, Sebastian was standing outside of Courtroom Four waiting for his trial to begin. He wasn't supposed to have it this early. He was actually scheduled to be seen in six months, Dumbledore's doing no doubt, but he called in a few favors, bribed a few people, and had his trial changed to today. He had already been working to get the date moved up but he re-doubled his efforts when he received the Recording Quill from the excitable House Elf. He couldn't allow that piece of rubbish they called a Headmaster to force Harry back in a room with Snape.
He had treated people with Legilimency damage before and those that weren't just flat-out insane suffered from serious effects. Headaches were the least of it, victims could also be prone to blackouts, uncontrollable fits of rage, severe depression, the list goes on. Harry's mind was more protected than most because he had been diligently learning Occlumency but he was still a beginner and weekly deliberate attacks on his mind just couldn't be allowed to happen.
A courtroom attendant startled him out of his thoughts when he said, "Excuse me, sir. They are ready for you now." Courtroom attendants were a handy bunch, their job was to prepare the courtrooms for trials and hearings, check the books to make sure the Wizengamot was operating within the law, and they fetched suspects when it was their turn to be seen.
Sebastian waved at the attendant to say "after you" and then he followed him into the room. Courtroom Four was a bit different from Courtroom Ten because there was no chair with aggressive chains and the Minister didn't need to be present, but he still had to appear before a full Wizengamot.
Sebastian ambled over to his seat confidently and sat down. He smiled pleasantly at the people assembled above him.
"So begins the trial of Sebastian Conrad Dunham," Dumbledore said imperiously, "For the crime of Illegally Obtaining Guardianship and/or Advocacy of an Heir. I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, will be presiding over this case. Sebastian Conrad Dunham, how do you plead to this charge?"
Dumbledore stared down at him with a calculating gaze. Albus had personally set the trial date for months away so that he would have time to reverse the damaging influence that Sirius had had on Harry and so that he could ensure that Sebastian was never allowed near Harry again. Dumbledore preferred the long game, he liked plans with finesse, plans that had a lot more…planning. Bursting into Saint Mungos with a pair of Aurors was not how he liked to do things but he was forced to resort to desperate measures because he had no time for anything else.
That's why he tried to push back the trial date because even though he had a gut feeling that this Sebastian fellow was suspicious, there was still no evidence of wrongdoing. The next six months was time that he was going to use to find said evidence, or fabricate it if necessary. It was also time that he was going to use to bring Harry back into the fold and restore their relationship or at least restore Harry's blind faith in him. But there was no chance of doing all of that now, somehow Sebastian had pulled the wool over his eyes and got the trial moved and Dumbledore was loathe to admit that he had no idea how he had done it. There were whispers of bribes and some barely above board favors but not even with Legilimency could Albus find out who Sebastian had gotten to, which meant Dumbledore couldn't get to them himself.
Who was this man?! He had spent most of his life overseas. How did he know how to navigate the underbelly of the British Ministry? He was undoubtedly a pure-blood, pure-bloods exhibit an arrogance that just can't be hidden or replicated, but Dunham was still a common-name and Dumbledore was having a devil of a time getting anything concrete on Sebastian's family. Sebastian's parents had obviously been recluses, who then up and moved to Bulgaria with barely a trace. Family records were guarded by Gringotts and since Albus didn't have any clue which Dunham family Sebastian hailed from, he couldn't go snooping through the records until he did.
Dumbledore wasn't as confident about this trial as he would have liked, but there was nothing that he could do about it now; he just had to hope that the 'guilty even if proven innocent' trend that plagued the Wizengamot wouldn't let up now.
"I plead innocent to this charge." Dumbledore tuned back in to hear Sebastian say clearly.
"Very well," Albus intoned, "At this time the evidence against you will be explained by me, the Chief Warlock, for the benefit of the Wizengamot, and then you will be given the opportunity to refute the evidence. Do you understand what I have said to you?"
"I do, Chief Warlock, but there is a problem," Sebastian's eyes pierced into a member of the Wizengamot that looked as if she was trying to melt into her seat. Even twenty-two years later, Sebastian still recognized Margaret, there was no forgetting that pinched, wormy face. "Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that woman there, Margaret Bonham if I am not mistaken, is sitting in the House seat of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Bonham."
"Yes…she is?" Albus said hesitantly, genuinely confused by Sebastian's question and by Madam Margaret nervous, darting eyes. "Why is this any concern of yours?"
"It is a concern of mine because I was under the impression that House seats were supposed to be held in suspension unless the Head of the House was prepared to take their seat or personally name a proxy. It is a concern of mine because I am the Head of House Bonham and I have done neither of those things." The words were barely out before there was an uproar of epic proportions.
Who did this upstart Durmstrang turd think he was?! The audacity of him to falsely claim Headship of one of their Most Noble Houses and besmirch a members' reputation on top of it! At first, the members were annoyed to be dragged into another full body trial that had to do with the Potter brat, but now they could see what Albus had been trying to tell them! This rapscallion was madder than a sack of kneazles!
It was Albus's job to settle down the room but he didn't bother, he let the members whip themselves into a frenzy. Sebastian was turning the Wizengamot against him all on his own. There was no way he was the Head of the Bonham family, did he think he really could get away with that lie? Dumbledore knew the former Head of Bonham House personally and there was the fact that Sebastian didn't even have the same last name! Name changes have to be filed with the Ministry and Dumbledore would surely have stumbled across that information when he went digging for dirt on the man.
When the last curse had been hurled at a still calm-looking Sebastian, Dumbledore finally stepped in, "Mr. Dunham I don't know what you're trying to accomplish but unless you wish to add Attempting to Impersonate a Head of House to your charges, I suggest you let us get on with the trial."
Sebastian shrugged good-naturedly, and Dumbledore began giving his "evidence". He wove a tale about how nothing was known about Sebastian and there was no proof of his friendship with Sirius Black. Why did his family flee England? Why did he leave their great nation to wander the globe? Why had he suddenly come back just in time to claim guardianship of the famous Harry Potter? What were his motives? Was he responsible for the sudden disappearance of the Dursley family, Harry Potter's relatives, or the woman who worked for the Child Advocacy Department? How could they let such a suspicious man have control over an Heir of a Most Ancient and Most Noble House?!
The Wizengamot was nodding and murmuring along in complete agreement Sebastian could tell that almost every one of them had determined him guilty. When it was his turn to speak he stood up and cleared his throat, "First, I would like to claim the right to a trial by Veritaserum."
"Mr. Dunham your claim is denied. You only have the right to Veritaserum in trials that involve murder, in other cases, you may ask for it, but we have the right to deny you. You can't have been expected to know this, of course, you have been away from England for quite some time." Sebastian got a few disgusted glares at that. This really was the most racist, xenophobic bunch.
"My mistake, Chief Warlock, in Bulgaria you are allowed the use of Veritaserum at every trial. I just assumed it would be the same here." Sebastian assumed no such thing, he knew that he couldn't receive Veritaserum but the fact that he asked for it would make the members think twice. He was willing to take Veritaserum so he had to be telling the truth, right?
"Well, I'll start from the beginning. I was born to Edmund and Dahlia Bonham," There was grumbling at this but he had a right to tell his side of the story with no interruptions so the protests were swallowed, "Before I was born my parents had a lot of difficulties conceiving and the few times they did my mother miscarried. Usually, there is a big to-do when a pure-blood couple is expecting a child but my mother was so scared that she might lose me as well, that she stayed home on bed rest and told no one outside of the family that she was carrying."
"My parents had moved back into Bonham Manor when my mother was a few months pregnant with me. The signs were pointing to a successful pregnancy and my grandfather wanted my father close so that he could properly train him to become the next Head of House Bonham. My father was the first born and set to inherit the title, but with all the troubles my parents were having producing an Heir, my grandfather threatened to give the title to his second son, my Uncle Robert, if my father didn't have an Heir by the time he turned thirty-five."
"But everything had worked out. My father was thirty-four with a beautiful wife, a healthy new-born son and he was set to inherit the Headship of a Most Noble family. My father had everything, or at least he did in the eyes of Uncle Robert. My Uncle burned with jealousy, he was bitter about the Headship being stolen from him at the last possible second, he was upset that my father had married the woman he had pined for almost all of his life. Robert had refused to pursue other women after my father married my mother and fed up with his whining, my grandparents arranged for him to marry the only other eligible pure-blood woman left. Unfortunately, there was a reason she was the only one left, she was a …unpleasant woman, to be honest, you couldn't get a kind word out of Aunt Prudence for all the Galleons in Gringotts."
You could hear a Quill drop everyone was so silent; they were mesmerized by Sebastian's words, "Robert and Prudence had two children both older than me by a few years, named Tobias and Margaret. We all lived in Bonham Manor together and we seemed the happy family but nothing was further from the truth. I always thought my cousins were strange because they never wanted to play. They were always studying, or reading, or attending lessons. They were so boring and rigid and I always thought there was something wrong with them. Until one day…Tobias had spilled juice on his robes at the dinner table. He was bustled away but he looked so terrified for some reason that a six-year-old me ran after him to make sure that he was okay. I…I finally found him in one of the guest rooms. His parents had left the door ajar. My Uncle was…using spells on him that should have been outlawed along with the Cruciatus Curse, while my Aunt just stood there."
"I was frightened, so I ran to tell my parents what I saw. They freaked out and they told my grandparents right away. They all confronted my Aunt and Uncle. My grandfather was horrified. He had a very strange sense of honor, he felt that there was a certain duty that one had to their family, like producing heirs, giving those heirs the best possible training, and never raising a hand or wand to those heirs. Even though my grandfather was willing to strip my father of his inheritance without blinking, he would never have condoned child abuse. My grandfather tore into his son for hours and extracted dozens of promises from Robert about never doing it again."
"The situation seemed settled, but my parents couldn't stand to live in the Manor anymore. Robert had exposed a hideous, brutal side to him and they had no interest in their son residing under the same roof as him. They made plans to leave, plans that unfortunately…my Uncle got wind of. I'm not sure when it happened but somewhere along the way my Uncle…snapped. He got it into his head that everything had gone wrong in his life because Dahlia, my mother, had married my father instead of him. He hated his wife because she wasn't her. He hated his kids because they weren't Dahlia's kids. He hated my father for stealing her, he…well he pretty much hated everyone and everything, except for Dahlia."
"So when he found out that his precious Dahlia was leaving, he got it into his head that his brother was forcing her to leave because he was jealous of their 'love'. His mentally ill mind had invented an illicit relationship between the two. So he went to my mother, frantic, saying that they should run away together and escape my father and my grandfather, escape everyone. Confused and frightened, my mother repeatedly pushed him away from her but he only got more rough and insistent. Finally having enough, she went for her wand to defend herself. Seeing this act as a betrayal, Robert flew into a rage and violently disarmed her. She flew back and hit her head on the side table in her chambers. Taking advantage of my mother's groggy state, Robert…forced himself on her and…" Sebastian choked up at this. He lowered his head and took a minute to compose himself, so he didn't notice all the eyes turn away from him and focus on his cousin Margaret.
Margaret was as still as stone, she looked straight ahead and refused to meet anyone's eyes, but she kept a mocking smirk on her lips as if everything she was hearing was just a ridiculous fairy tale. Sebastian hadn't taken any Veritaserum so it was just his word against hers and she was a well-known and respected member of the Wizengamot. So she wouldn't bother to dignify his words with an angry retort, she would let him finish, and then just calmly dismiss everything he said as lies.
Sebastian gathered himself and continued. "My father found my mother alone awhile later. He and I had gone out to Diagon Alley to get me some new robes. My mother told my father what happened but she begged him to do nothing and to just take us both away from that place immediately. We were packed and gone within the hour with no explanation, just a note saying that we were leaving. My mother wouldn't press charges, and if he couldn't kill him, then my father wanted to be as far away from his brother as possible."
"But since we left with no explanation, my grandfather was furious. He went to Gringotts and got my father cut off, he had his loot box recalled, closed all Bonham family properties to him, forbade all Bonham House Elves from serving him, and told everyone with ears that my father was the worst kind of traitor, a Blood-Traitor, one that abandoned his family and responsibilities. He thought that this would force his son to run back home, but it didn't work."
"My father, and my mother by association were blacklisted in the Wizarding World. They lost all of their friends, were shunned and tormented, they had nowhere to turn. My mother's family, although pure-blood, weren't rich by any means. They had rejoiced when she married above her means, but they shunned her along with everyone else when she was dubbed a Blood-Traitor."
"Not having another choice, my father was forced to search for work in the Muggle World. He found a job in a manufacturing plant and my mother began working for an older woman who was the last of her line and living all alone in her Manor. My mother would tidy up a bit, help around her home, and run some errands. In all honesty, they were jobs that could have been performed for free by a House Elf but I think that this woman just couldn't bear to see how my parents were struggling. Her kindness was confirmed when she died three months later and in her will she gave her entire estate to my parents. Her name was Felicia, Felicia Dunham."
Dumbledore gritted his teeth. Felicia Dunham was a name that he had thought of and promptly dismissed because he knew that she had died with no family or children. What he had been looking for was right under his crooked nose the entire time! It vexed him to admit but this story was sounding less and less far-fetched. He did know the grandfather of this story, Rupert Bonham, and Rupert had once introduced him to his two sons. But he would never have made that connection to Sebastian because there was barely a resemblance there. All they shared was their height and dark hair and both were common enough. He had never met the man's wife or child, but he did get an earful about them from Rupert when they turned Blood-Traitor. Rupert had been livid, clearly not knowing the circumstances, but Dumbledore had not paid his rants any mind at the time. So some spoiled brat ran off, why should that concern the Great Albus Dumbledore? Oh, how wrong he was.
Sebastian continued on, "We moved into-…we moved into our new home right away."
Sebastian hoped nobody noticed that slip. He had just been about to say the address but for some reason, most likely magical, something stopped him. "We pretty much became recluses. We had money and House Elves now so there was no reason to leave. Not only that but my mother didn't want to risk being seen by the wrong person and of course, father wouldn't leave her alone. You see…my mother was pregnant. Robert's assault had left her with child. But despite how the child was conceived, my parents prepared lovingly for her arrival. They built a nursery and they sat me down and explained to me all the responsibilities that I had as a big brother."
"Many probably wouldn't understand the love that my mother had for my sister but I think that something she told me once during her pregnancy sums it up, 'A lot had been taken from me, my love, but I won't allow anyone to take away the joy I feel at being a mother.' So deep down, I think we all saw my little sister as a new beginning, a chance to start over but…it didn't quite work out that way. It didn't work out because my sister…she was born a Squib."
A Squib?! There was a collective intake of breath. Sebastian ignored this, "My parents were the most loving and compassionate people that you could ever find but they were still purebloods. They had grown up hearing the things that were said about Squibs and witnessing how they were treated by the Wizarding World. Not to mention the reaction it caused when a Squib was even brought up." Sebastian gave the members a meaningful look and a few shifted uncomfortably. "My parents were convinced that they had to do something to protect her. I was locked up in that house with them but at least I would leave for school in a few years, my sister would never have that chance. She would be forced to live out her life confined in the Manor to escape ridicule, surrounded by magic that she would never be able to perform. My parents couldn't stand for her to live that way so my father tracked down the friends that he had made in the Muggle World."
"There was a man that had worked in the plant that he had become quite close with. A man that had kindly and patiently took the time to help out a poor clueless pure-blood who had no idea how to work any of the things around him. That man was given my sister, Sabrina, and I never saw her again," Sebastian took another moment to collect himself. He knew that telling his tale was necessary but it didn't mean that it was easy.
"With…with everything that had happened with my sister, my parents began thinking that maybe they were harming me by keeping tucked away too. I was seven-years-old, they were only trying to protect me of course, they didn't want me to face the discrimination they did, but it still killed them to see me always alone and playing by myself. So they started letting me spend more time outside with a House Elf to guard me at all times. It was during one of my daily outdoor excursions that I finally met my neighbor, Sirius Black."
"There was a small grassy, wooded area in front of our homes, and he literally tripped over me while I was lounging under a tree reading. He was running around playing a game with his brother and he invited me to join them. We were instant friends. Instant but secret, pure-bloods all know each other and Sirius's parents would undoubtedly have known that mine were pariahs and forbade him from seeing me. We had never run into them before because Walburga and Orion were recluses themselves, and unfriendly ones. I doubt they even knew their previous neighbor had passed away, but still, they would have recognized us."
"But to get back on track, Sirius and Regulus never told anyone else about me and whenever the Black boys were thrown out of the house for "free time", we would laugh and run around, and…and just pretend that we had different lives. My parents knew about my friends of course, but we were able to keep our friendship a secret from everyone else for years. Those were some of the happiest years of my life, and I thought things would only get better when we all went to Hogwarts together. But…that didn't happen."
"What did happen was that my parents sat me down one day when I was eleven and told me that I wouldn't be going to Hogwarts that year with Sirius. They told me that they had applied for asylum and citizenship in Bulgaria when I was eight and it had finally gone through. They told me that after everything, being shunned, losing their family and friends and giving up Sabrina, they wanted out of England. We were moving in a week and changing our names to Dunham. They wanted to leave the Bonham name behind and Felicia had given them the means and a new name to do it. We could finally have a new life."
"As you can imagine, I wasn't as happy about it as they were. I was angry that they never told me, angry about leaving behind my friends. I kept putting it off, but finally, the day before I was leaving, I told Sirius and Regulus that I was moving to Bulgaria and going to Durmstrang. Regulus, ever the proper pure-blood, wished me good luck and said that it had been a pleasure, but Sirius's goodbye wasn't as cordial. He ranted and raved about how unfair it was and how sudden and what a bloody pillock I was for waiting so long to tell him, and then just like that, he spun on his heels and stomped back into his house."
"And well…there isn't much to say about my Durmstrang years. I entered school when I was eleven and graduated several years later. My parents died in an accident when I was sixteen. Leaving Britain had given them a new zeal for life and they were frequently traveling and going on adventures, and it was on one of those adventures that they lost their lives. Forgive me for not going into detail, but eleven years later and talking about their death is still hard for me."
"So there I was a year later, seventeen years old and all alone. I had just graduated top of my class with a few Masteries in Healing, Charms, and Potions. I was what one would call a prodigy." Sebastian said this matter-of-factly, no trace of bragging in his voice, "And I was prepared to start my life as a Healer and Researcher. Despite having a talent for many things, I had chosen this path as a homage to my parents and my sister. I wanted to understand magic and the human body. Why was my sister born a Squib when she had two magical parents? And reversely, how was it that magicals could be born to muggles? Was it all just random? Why did my mother have so much trouble with her pregnancies and with conceiving? Why didn't being a witch make the process easier? Why was this same problem plaguing not just her, but many other pure-blood couples? Why-?"
"Wait?!" A voice suddenly broke the silence, "Those questions, have you found answers to them?!"
Sebastian looked around but he couldn't tell who spoke, "Well, yes," he said simply, "I believe I have."
Again, there was immediate pandemonium. "What?! What have you discovered?!" "Why would being a witch make pregnancy easier?!" "Why are the pure-bloods being overrun by mudbloods?!" "Why haven't you published your findings?!" These questions were all shouted at Sebastian at once. He couldn't get a word out to answer one before he was pelted with another.
Dumbledore was forced to intervene. He used what he liked to call the "Boom" spell and shot off a noise like a cannon blast. The room slowly quieted, "Now ladies and gentleman, I am sure you all remember that questions must be saved until after the accused gives testimony. A long and fanciful tale though it may be, we have procedures to adhere to."
Dumbledore indicated for Sebastian to carry on, so he picked up where he left off on his 'long and fanciful tale'. "As I was saying, to understand magic and how it relates to the human body was my life goal. It was a goal that I was prepared to undertake undisturbed until a few weeks after my graduation when I received a letter. It was a letter from my grandfather and in it, he apologized. He told me that after he found out that my parents had left for Bulgaria, he didn't bother to officially cast my father from the family. He just started telling everyone that he, my mother and I were dead. He was content to never think about us again, until an incident that had happened a few months before. My Uncle, already unstable, had had a psychotic break and made a spectacle of himself in Gringotts, ranting, and raving. Luckily there weren't many people there at the time, and Goblins don't gossip, so the whole episode was swept under the rug. But even so, my grandfather brought in as many Mind Healers as he could to find out what was wrong with him."
"They very quickly found out that there was quite a lot wrong with him and they started different courses of treatment. The treatments weren't meant to cure him, it was too late for that, they were just looking for a way to keep him calm and harmless. But it's the side effect of one that is relevant to this story because it was while he was on one treatment that he developed this compulsion to write, to write down everything and anything that had happened in his life, everything that he had done. And when he finished this memoir…" Sebastian paused, the whole room leaned in, "he killed himself, hung himself in his room."
'Or at least that was how it was meant to look.' Sebastian thought, eyes flashing with something that disappeared as quickly as it came.
"Anyway, years after his suicide, my grandfather worked up the strength to read those accounts and he finally understood. He knew now why my parents had fled and he was overcome with guilt and shame for adding to their hardships and for not doing more to protect his family from Robert. My parents had already passed by the time he found out. He said that he had struggled with it for a long time and wrote many letters to me that he had never sent. Finally, he had worked up the courage to send me this one, and in it, he said that he was leaving the Headship of the Bonham Family to me."
"I'll be honest, I was an angry, sullen kid and I completely ignored his letter. I just wanted to get on with my life, and even though I was moving back to England to become a Saint Mungo's Healer, I was a Dunham now and I didn't care to have anything to do with the Bonhams. In any case, I was looking forward to returning home, but imagine my surprise when I let go of the Portkey and found myself in the middle of a War. Word coming out of Britain was that there were just some minor scuffles with a group of terrorists, not a full-blown War. I immediately volunteered to work at one of the clinics that were opened to relieve some of the pressure on Saint Mungo's and deal with the injured. It was while I was working at this clinic that I ran into my childhood friend, Sirius Black. He was all banged up, from a run-in with a werewolf it looked like, and I was so surprised to walk in and find him in my clinic that I let out an expletive that immediately got me fired. Sirius, naturally, found this hilarious and laughed himself sick at my expense and just like that we were friends again."
"It was like nothing had changed, we were laughing and joking…and still a secret. This time though, it wasn't because I was hiding from the rest of the Wizarding World, no one was likely to recognize me as Sebastian Bonham, it was because I was hiding from my grandparents. Now that they both knew I wasn't Blood-Traitor spawn they were bound and determined to welcome me back into the family, and I wasn't having it. And again, Sirius respected my wishes and kept my identity to himself."
"So to make a long story short because I have been talking for quite a bit, I ended up meeting someone during my brief time back and fell for them," Sebastian wasn't stupid enough to say that person was Sirius. Homosexuality was not widely accepted in Wizarding Britain, pure-bloods were in power and they valued the continuation of their lines above all else, so until two men could reproduce, they would condemn homosexuality if it was the last thing they did.
"They were very heavily involved in the war effort and I worried about them every second of every day. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore and I told them to back down and leave the fighting to people I wasn't in love with. I stupidly asked them to choose and…they didn't choose me." At this point, Sebastian had already won over half the women in the room with his devilishly handsome face and woe-be-gone story, so they choked back gasps of horror to hear their poor boy had had his heart broken! He had been through so much already, to have some floozy trample all over his feelings! It was a travesty!
Sebastian bit back a smirk at seeing all the rheumy, doleful eyes feasting on him, even as a gay man the effect he had on women did tend to come in handy. "So…I left. I ran away with my little-broken heart and decided to pursue my goals abroad, studying different kinds of Healing practices. It wasn't until a couple years ago that I really started to let go of what happened." As in when Sirius came to see him in the tropics, "And finally decided to move back. It took a while but I was ready to grow up and stop running away. I had never gotten the chance to make up with my grandparents before they passed away but I wanted to honor their wishes and take over as Head of the Family."
"I still had a few things to wrap up, patients that I wanted to see through until the end of their treatments, but during those last two years I sent my dear Cousin Margaret, the last member of my family, multiple letters telling her of my return and intention of taking up the Headship of the Family. Poor Cousin Tobias died from the same mysterious illness that took my grandparents, so it's just the two of us now. But I'm sure she didn't intentionally ignore my letter, it must have just been a lapse, as is her presence here today, sitting in my rightful seat."
All the people who had jumped to her defense at the beginning of the trial were now looking at Margaret like she was the worst possible scum. Her grandparents and brother had died of the same illness within a few weeks of each other but others had gotten sick of the same thing as well. They had all just chalked it up to a small outbreak and assumed that Margaret was just really unlucky to lose her whole family but if dear sweet Sebastian was insinuating what they thought he was insinuating…
"So to continue, when I returned a few months ago I was getting my affairs in order, applying for a job at Saint Mungo's, acclimating myself, and reconnecting with a few contacts, one of those contacts being, who else, but Sirius Black. Again we ran into each other and again we struck up a friendship, as to why he told no one about me this time, I have no idea. Maybe it was just habit at this point, but either way that is a question to ask Sirius when he wakes up, and not something I should be held responsible for. As for Harry's guardianship, we had been friends for a long time and he trusted me. He knew I would do right by Harry, and I have done and will continue to do so."
"So that is my defense, I have told you everything, my entire life story to explain to you why I am not 'suspicious', how I knew Sirius, why he never told anyone about me, why I left England twice, and why I returned. I don't know why Sirius was injured; I don't know what happened to the poor woman down in the Advocacy office or why she disappeared, and I certainly don't know what happened to that muggle family, the Durnsleys did you say? I know nothing about any of those things and I'm willing to do what I must to prove it, take Veritaserum if necessary." Well, he did know a bit about some of those things, but they weren't likely to call his bluff.
"And honestly, I believe the real question is, if I am not behind these series of shady events, including this attempt to get me arrested on false charges, then who is behind it, and what are they trying to gain by ridding Harry Potter of his guardians."
And now it was time to step in. Dumbledore hurriedly cut Sebastian off before he could say any more, "Thank you, Mister Dunham, you have given us a lot to think about. As is customary at this time, the Wizengamot has the right to question your testimony. All questions relating to your testimony must be answered and after questioning has been completed, we will vote on your guilt or innocence. Now, who would like to begin the questioning?" Almost every hand went up.
Dumbledore chose someone and indicated for them to speak, "Thank you, Chief Warlock. It is a bit unorthodox to direct a question at another member, but since it directly relates to the testimony." Augusta Longbottom turned her stern gaze on Margaret. "Madam Bonham, is what Mr. Dunham said true? Have you falsely laid claim to the family seat? Is he truly a member of your family, your first cousin no less!?"
Margaret stood up with a look of offended dignity. "For years I have served on this body with an unblemished reputation. I have devoted my life to the Wizarding World and upholding its laws, and now I am being interrogated on the word of some baby-faced ragamuffin?!"
'Baby-faced ragamuffin?!' Sebastian thought scandalized. He didn't have a baby face! He was ruggedly handsome! If he thought that woman might be rotten before, he had no doubt about it now!
"I shouldn't have to say this but I will so that there is no misunderstanding! Every word out of his mouth has been nothing but lies! I have never met him before in my life and he is no relation of mine! My father was a fine, upstanding man and I am the Head of the Bonham Family!"
She delivered her speech with so much conviction that it seemed like she actually believed it, but Sebastian was going to settle this once and for all. He smiled disarmingly and said "I would be happy to contact Gringotts and prove my claim. They will have a copy of the Bonham Family Tree along with my birth records to support my identity. Naturally, they will also have a copy of my grandfather's will, where he named me his Heir." Sebastian raised an eyebrow at her as if to say, 'Your move."
Margaret's eye twitched. She had nothing. She would have to play this off and get the hell out of there. Falsely claiming a Seat meant a little stay in Azkaban. She would have disappeared earlier but she had no idea the little runt was back in England and she certainly didn't know this trial was for him! She never got involved in Ministry gossip, she just showed up when they summoned her! "I will not stand for this or further defend myself to this body or that...man!" She stood up, and in a never done before move, she stomped out and left right in the middle of a trial.
"Well," Augusta harrumphed, "That answers that question."
'I bet she's going to run,' Sebastian mused as he watched Margaret stalk out of the room. He wasn't too worried though, she wouldn't get far.
"I would very much like to see those records, Mister Dunham," Dumbledore chimed in, "so that we can put this unfortunate situation to bed." Dumbledore was resigned, he had lost this one and he knew it. With a sob story like that there was no one in the world who would convict him. Sebastian was sure to get guardianship of Harry back. It was a setback but he wasn't out of the game yet, he was Albus Dumbledore, he didn't have a few tricks up his sleeve, he had hundreds. "Next question, please."
Dumbledore chose Master Embry, a known blood-purist. "Thank you, Chief Warlock," Embry had a high, nasal voice that grated on the ears but Sebastian didn't let the smile leave his face, "Mister Dunham, the questions that you said were the basis of your Healing career, what are the answers that you found to those questions?" All eyes fixed on Sebastian, this was what they really cared about, the man could have Harry Potter, the kid was nothing but a troublemaker, but if he had truly discovered why the pure-blood birth rate had been declining, then they needed to know.
It was customary for pure-blood couples to have at least two children so that if something happened to the Heir or if they were unsuitable, there would be a replacement. But traditions aside, most of these couples just wanted to have more children and they simply couldn't. They suffered much the same as Sebastian's parents had suffered, and no one understood why.
Dumbledore broke in again. "That question has nothing to do with the charges, Master Embry. Let's stick to queries of relevance."
Dumbledore sat back as if the matter was settled, but Embry and everyone else in the room weren't going to have it. "Excuse me, Chief Warlock, but I believe we have the right to question everything he said in his testimony, not just what relates to the charges, besides it will prove his veracity. If he can't give satisfactory answers, then we will know we are dealing with a charlatan who most certainly cannot be granted guardianship of an Heir."
Dumbledore face tightened, the gall of that man, but he said nothing. There was nothing he could say because Embry was right, so he just indicated for Sebastian to get on with it.
Sebastian nodded and began his explanation, "Well, the answers are a bit in-depth but here goes. Not much is known about this because people think that magic is just magic, you either have it or you don't, but it is a bit more complex than that. What many don't know is that in the very first stage of reproduction, when the sperm makes its way to the egg, is where things tend to get hinky. This doesn't apply in all cases but the fastest sperm will make its way to the egg and when it reaches its destination, the mother's magic will…analyze the fertilized egg and will immediately reject it if it determines the child won't be healthy enough, this is an extra mechanism that witches have to ensure healthy offspring. This tends to be the culprit when it comes to trouble conceiving, or what seems like trouble conceiving, it is spontaneous miscarriages that the mother was never even aware of."
Sebastian had the whole Wizengamot full attention. "Now if the child is initially determined to be healthy, then, of course, the magic will leave the baby alone, at first. In the first few weeks, the child doesn't have any magic of their own. It depends on the child but it can take between four weeks to thirteen weeks for the baby to develop their own magic, this is where another problem may arise. Sometimes, for whatever reason, the baby's magic is not compatible with the parents and again this will lead to a miscarriage. Mistaking the poor thing for a threat, the mother's magic will reject the child. Now, you'll note before that I said 'parent's' magic because at times the father's magic can negatively affect the baby as well, and this is almost always seen in Dark Magic users."
There was some shuffling and muttering that accompanied that statement, a voice sounded somewhere to Sebastian's left, "How do the Dark Arts play a role?"
Sebastian didn't bother to locate the speaker. "The Dark Arts are called dark for a reason, it very corrupting and it warps your magic and makes it something more…sinister. Most don't know that even though with training we can stop ourselves from involuntarily doing spells, we still 'leak' magic in a way, it's kind of like an aura. With Dark Magic users, the magic they give off is corrosive and while it won't be felt by anyone else, their constant presence will affect their growing child. If the woman is the one heavily involved in the Dark Arts, it will be near enough to impossible for her to have children, such pure innocence just can't survive in that environment."
A few specific individuals exchanged glances; irritatingly what this man was saying was making a lot of sense.
Augusta Longbottom raised her hand again when she was called on, she inquired, "And what about Squibs and Muggleborns? What have you learned about them?"
"Well, the full explanation involves a long discussion about genetics and traits but I won't get into that, the short version is that we all, muggles and magicals alike, carry what I call the magic gene and the no-magic gene. These genes don't follow conventional rules, they are just passed down when they are passed down. Of course, the magic gene is almost always passed down in magicals, and the no-magic gene is the same for muggles, but then there are the cases when things don't go to plan. In the case of muggles, the mother and the father just spontaneously happen to pass down the magic gene at the same time for that child. It's rare for this to happen, about less than a five percent chance, but there are billions of muggles so a five percent chance is still plenty when working with such a large population."
"Billions?!" Some pompous old man that was sitting next to Embry suddenly shouted.
"Yes," Sebastian said firmly, "Billions." A few people shifted agitatedly, since when were there so many of the beasts?! "Now as for magicals, when both parents, and it has to be both or the child will still have magic, pass down the gene for no-magic, you will obviously get a Squib. The interesting thing about that though is that as long as the child is healthy, these pregnancies tend to be the least risk. The baby has no magic to clash with the mother's, so the baby is almost always born with no problems."
"Now there was a time when having a Squib was rare. It also used to be rare for the mother's magic to be incompatible with the child's, and for there to be so many possibly unhealthy babies that would lead to miscarriages, it used to be rare but I don't have to tell anyone that isn't the case anymore and there is one big reason that is the explanation behind most of it: inbreeding."
If Sebastian was expecting another uproar at that he didn't get it, his audience was still riveted, so he went on, "You all may not want to hear this, but the practice of pure-bloods only marrying pure-bloods has led to these problems. This wouldn't have been an issue if there were more pure-bloods to go around, but the fact is that there isn't. Our population is shrinking and the gene pool is getting smaller, diseases and birth defects are getting more concentrated, our magic is getting so used to the lack of variation that it is starting to reject it. That is the reason for what had been dubbed the 'Pure-Blood Birth Problem'."
Lucius Malfoy, who had been completely silent up to this point, finally spoke up, "Okay, Master Dunham…what do you suggest we do to solve this problem then?"
The eyes that had finally started to soften, had turned hard on Sebastian. If he suggested that they started breeding with the muggles, then they would probably lynch him. Even those that weren't purists were a bit uncomfortable with the idea. The traditions and values that they always upheld were already being eroded away, mingling more muggles and half-bloods with their world would only speed up the process.
Sebastian was prepared for this question though. "I'm no fool, I know the solution isn't for pure-bloods to abandon their ways and start reproducing with muggles, at least that isn't a solution that anyone would accept. No, I knew that there had to be another way to address the problem so I have devised ways to combat it, and have been successful."
Now Sebastian got the uproar he had been waiting for. "Why haven't we heard of this?!" "Why haven't your findings been published?!" "Who are the success stories?!"
Once again, Dumbledore had to settle down the room before Sebastian could get a word in. When the noise was down to a dull roar Sebastian responded, "News of these modest successes haven't reached here yet because British Healers don't collaborate with foreign Healers and all of my research and testing has been overseas. I can't publish my findings in England until I have applied for a research license and have replicated my tests here, but I am in the process of obtaining my license and I will begin testing to prove the effectiveness of my treatment as soon as that happens. So I hope I have now proved that I am just a lowly Healer who has had some bad shakes in life, nothing more."
Sebastian hoped that they had grilled him enough because he felt like he had talked for hours. Dumbledore asked if there were any more questions and thankfully there were none. It all came down the fact that there was no evidence of wrong-doing on Sebastian's part. Usually, this didn't matter but like almost everyone who was in his presence for more than five minutes, they had developed a soft spot for Sebastian. He was clearly a smart, resourceful, charming man, everything a pure-blood should be, and he was going to save the pure-blood race! They wouldn't lock him up even if they had a confession and pensieve memory as proof.
It was no surprise to anyone that Sebastian wasn't found guilty. In actuality, only three people voted to convict. Sebastian knew that mentioning his research would ensure that they would never charge him. It all being true was just a bonus.
Sebastian couldn't wait to tell Harry. He was walking down the hallway towards the elevator when he heard someone call his name. He blinked, puzzled, and turned left down another corridor, searching for the speaker. Lucius Malfoy suddenly stepped out of an alcove directly in front of him.
They stared at each other for a moment and then Sebastian let out a hearty laugh and sprang forward. He enveloped the Death Eater in a warm hug, pounding him on the back.
Lucius chuckled. "Ah old friend, still a hugger I see." Even with that said, Lucius returned his hug. They broke apart and he said, "Very well played in there, but was it all true?"
Sebastian smirked. "Come now, you know the best lies are the truth."
Lucius smirked in return. "Well if that is the case, then I know how you can repay that little favor you owe me."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow at him. "I think I know where you going with this and that favor would be repaid in full with extra left over."
Lucius shrugged regally. "That should be more incentive. People have killed to be owed a favor from Lucius Malfoy."
Sebastian chuckled in response. "I don't doubt it."
They walked off together, not sensing the listening spell that had been placed near them by an old man with a much too long beard. "This is an interesting development." Dumbledore mused as he strode off in the opposite direction.
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Amelia Bones was still sitting in the spectator's section of Courtroom Four even though Sebastian Dunham's trial had just concluded. She had come to watch the trial as an act of defiance. To show that she would hold her head up high. The ambush at Riddle Manor had been a disaster. Of the thirty Aurors that she brought with her, only seventeen of them had come back alive with her and Kingsley.
They had Apparated in together well away from the Manor and its wards. Amelia had to personally lead each member of the team through the Confundus ward that surrounded the Manor a mile out, and when they had made it through, she spread out her team and got her best Warders working on inconspicuously putting up Anti-Apparition and Anti-Portkey wards. With that done they got to work and attacked and battered about a dozen wards to bits before they were finally through. As expected they were tied to someone in the Manor, someone who sent over forty masked individuals to meet them.
The battle was fought right there on the lawn. They tried to push forward into the Manor but they were continually shoved back. This was mostly due to the fact that her Aurors ignored her warning. In the end, they fell back on old faithful and resorted to Stunning their opponents, and predictably, this led to their defeat. Those that they thought had been downed only sprung back up, revived, to hit them in the back. Amelia and Kingsley were screaming at their team to stop, to break their wands, to do something other than put them down for a short nap! But it did no good, in the end, they had only taken out twelve of Voldemort's numbers and captured one prisoner for questioning before the wards they had put up were disabled and their opponents Port-Keyed away.
After they tended to their injured, Kingsley being among them, and secured the prisoner, they searched the Manor but they found nothing. There was no trace of illegal activity. After Amelia had arranged for the transport of the dead, she went back home to lick her wounds. The next morning, she went back to the office to face the music. There was no covering up what happened, too many lives had been lost, she would have to take responsibility for this.
But even though she was prepared for what was coming, she hadn't expected a fall-out quite this big. Everyone was clamoring for her removal as head of the DLME, some were even demanding her arrest. The prisoner that she had captured had turned out to be the son of a very influential member of the Wizengamot and the Heir of the Dunkirk Family. The fact that the Dunkirks were a part of the purist faction was no surprise to Amelia. Amelia's hands were tied, she couldn't say that she had attacked the Manor because she believed it was Voldemort's hideout, the Minister was still ardently denying his return. So all that she could say was that she was given a credible tip that it was the hideout of the people who had attacked the World Cup and that she received information that they planned to hit again and hard.
She wouldn't give any more information or name the tipster, so the Dunkirks and the family members of the other deceased Death Eaters all claimed that she had made a mistake and that she had really walked in on an innocent get-together. When she asked why they attacked them then, they said that they were just defending themselves. When she brought up the fact that they were in full Death Eater regalia like those at the World Cup, they shot back that it was all just circumstantial and that some dark robes and a two Sickle mask didn't make you a terrorist. The wealth of these families, coupled with Amelia's loss of standing following the death of thirteen of her Aurors, meant that her prisoner was set free and the case was officially closed.
The families of her fallen Aurors hadn't been going much easier on her either. She led them into this secret ambush so it was her fault that they were gone, and maybe it was. The longer you spent working for the Ministry, the easier you were corrupted. While she was going over records and doing background checks, she was forced to pass over older, more experienced Aurors because almost all of them had suspicious financial records that seemed to hint towards them taking bribes or having some assets that they shouldn't have been able to afford. She refused to involve anyone that was the least bit shady, so she was forced to consider some of the greener Aurors that hadn't as yet had a chance to get their noses dirty. She picked the best of course, those that excelled at their training but…it just wasn't enough, they weren't ready for the real thing, for standing in front of other human beings and having to take their life.
Now she was being 'investigated' to see if she was really fit for the job. Kingsley was on leave healing from his injuries at home. She had lost the element of surprise and now Voldemort knew that she at least was on to him. Her entire career had been dedicated to the DLME and making it an honest and effective department and now she knew that she had failed. In every way, she had failed.
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That night after dinner, Harry was walking down the hallway that led to Ron's room with his hands in his pockets. He hadn't heard from Sebastian yet or knew the outcome of the trial, but Ron had taken a turn for the worst this morning and Ron's parents had contacted Sebastian who agreed to come and check him over. So Harry would find out soon if Sebastian had gotten off and had custody of him again.
When Harry made it to his destination he tapped on the stones to reveal the doorway and stepped in. Ginny was sitting in the living room, she jumped up and gave Harry a hug when she saw him. They had made up and put things aside. Ron's situation made everything else seem small in comparison, and Ginny really didn't like being in a fight with Harry. He irritated her sure, but this was the same guy who charged off to save a person he didn't really know from a basilisk. He wasn't the kind of hero she thought he should be, but there was no denying that he was one.
"Hey Gin," Harry said softly, hands still stuffed in his pockets, "Where is everyone?"
"Mum, Bill, and Hermione are in with Ron. My Dad and Charlie are in the spare bedroom with McGonagall and Flitwick. They working on expanding the room so that there is more room for all of us to move in."
"All of you?" Harry said in surprise.
Ginny nodded. "Yes, all of us. Fred and George are packing their things right now, and I already have my stuff." She waved her hand at the bags in the corner that Harry hadn't noticed. "Bill and Charlie have to be here to help out with Ron while Mum and Dad are at work and my parents felt that no matter what Ron said, it wasn't right for them to not be here and to be leaving everything to my brothers. And Fred, George and I are here every day until curfew so it just makes more sense for us to all stay here."
Harry grinned, "Ron must hate all this fuss."
She snorted, "Oh yeah! But not in the way you think. The blasted boy is so bloody optimistic, keeps saying everything is going to be brilliant and there's no need for anyone to go to any trouble. I mean, who is that guy and what's happened to my brother?!" Harry laughed and Ginny's lips quirked up into a smile, "Well you're not here to see me, so go on in."
Harry chuckled but didn't waste any more time. He knocked on Ron's room door and let himself in. Ron was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, while Hermione sat next to him holding his hand. It seemed that this room had already been hit by Flitwick and McGonagall because it was twice the size it was yesterday, but it was still a simple space. There was the four-poster bed that Ron was lying in pressed against the wall and a wardrobe and dresser for his things. The only new additions to the room were two armchairs, of which Bill was sitting in one and reading, a small table that had been put in the corner next to Ron's bed and the walls were now painted a light orange instead of their previous beige.
"Hey, guys. Hello Mrs. Weasley," Harry said. Molly was bustling around, straightening this and putting away that, but she stopped to give Harry a strangling hug.
"Hello, Harry dear," Molly said warmly. Ginny wasn't the only Weasley woman who had warmed back up to Harry, the worse that Ron got, the more it hit home to Molly how lucky she and her family was that Harry had been there to push Ron to go to Saint Mungo's. The more she thought about it she realized that she owed Harry for a lot more than this. For saving Ginny, for helping Ron, for giving her the chance to pay back what she owed him instead of having her arrested, and for giving the twins money to finance their dreams. Molly wasn't stupid, she knew that the twins couldn't have afforded to make all their new joke supplies unless someone had helped them, and Harry was the only one they knew with any money.
A month ago this would have enraged her, but she had taken a hard look at herself over the last few weeks and she didn't like what she saw. Ron said that he didn't tell them about his dyslexia because of money, but she couldn't help but think it was because she wasn't the type of mother her children could confide in anymore. Her oldest boys had jobs that took them far away from home and they barely visited. Her third oldest didn't even speak to her. Ginny had never told her about what a hard time she was having in her First Year and they had almost lost her because of it. The twins were to the point where they were hiding their dreams from her instead of sharing them, and Ron…
She had become exactly what she had never wanted to be: her mother. Her mother had been a harridan too. She was always screaming about what was expected of a Prewett and never listened to what Molly wanted. So fed up with having her life decided for her, she had run off and married the first guy she fell in love with right out of Hogwarts. Her mother had driven her away and she was doing the same with her kids. She had even turned that on Harry, trying to run his life even though she had no right to do so, and then filled with shame and embarrassment for being caught at helping herself to his Galleons, she had lashed out and verbally abused an already abused child. She had much to make up for.
Molly released Harry and said kindly, "Pull up a chair dear and talk with Ron for a bit, not too long though. It's getting late and he needs his rest. He has been having trouble sleeping." Molly looked sadly at her son and then went back to tidying and re-tidying the room.
Harry did as Molly said and pulled up a chair next to Ron. He smiled at Hermione, who smiled back, and whispered, "Is he sleeping?"
Ron's eyes snapped open and Harry leaped back. Ron grinned and said, "Nope, wide awake!"
"Geez, mate! Why were you pretending to be asleep?!"
"Didn't they tell you what happened?" Ron questioned. Harry grew worried when he noted that Hermione's grip on Ron's hand tightened. "I woke up and…I couldn't see. Everything was a blur and when I tried to get up and get into my wheelchair…I got really acquainted with the floor. That's why I wasn't in class today, and why they called Sebastian."
Harry let out a whoosh of breath and ran his hands restlessly through his already messy hair, "Oi mate, are you okay?!"
"Of course he's not okay!" Hermione suddenly burst out, "Didn't you hear him?! He can't see! He-"
"Hermione," Ron cut in gently, ending her tirade. Hermione huffed and turned away, Harry could see that her eyes were bright. Ron turned back to him, "I am okay, it's weird but…I can feel it…I can feel the potion moving through my body. It's moved away from my lungs now, that's why I'm breathing better. It's just working its way up to my eyes which means…no more dyslexia."
"You're doing great, Ron," Harry said seriously, "You're going to beat this."
Ron's eyes were focused somewhere above Harry's shoulder, "That's what I keeping saying but I must look pretty bad. People are bursting into tears at the sight of me!"
Harry tsked, "Well, I didn't want to say anything but…you look like death warmed over, mate!"
"Harry!" Molly and Hermione cried at the same time that Bill dropped his book and said, "Oi!", but Ron and Harry ignored them, too busy howling with laughter. Ron's a bit more subdued.
"Well, at least I don't smell like death warmed over!" Ron rebutted, "What, do you think bathing is optional now?!"
"Hey!" Harry gasped, offended, "I haven't had a shower yet today but I don't smell that bad!"
"It's the loss of his sight," Bill spoke as he walked over to the bed and sat Ron up to give him a sip of the water that he had just poured him. "It has enhanced his other senses and he's a lot more sensitive to smells and noises now."
Ron drank a bit, but Bill wouldn't let up until he drank the whole thing. It was important for Ron to stay hydrated because he was still having trouble keeping anything down. Knowing that his brother wouldn't stop pestering him, Ron drained the glass. His brother poured him some more and he drained that too. Satisfied, Bill sat down and went back to his reading.
"Thanks, Bill," Ron turned back to Harry and continued, "I'm picking up all sorts of smells now and trust me, you reek. This explains why the famous Harry Potter doesn't have girls hanging all over him. They can't stand the smell!"
Harry sniffed, "Huh, well who needs 'em!? I've always got Hermione! Right, Herms?"
Hermione was trying to give them both an exasperated look, but Harry could tell she was holding back giggles.
Ron laughed, "Oh yea, Harry. The smart and beautiful Hermione Granger, The Brightest Witch of her Age, with Harry Potter," Ron deadpanned, "The-Boy-Who-Stunk. Match made in heaven, that is!"
Harry should have been angry at being teased but, not even he could deny that that was funny. He and Ron were full-blown laughing, even Bill and Molly hid a chuckle. Hermione would have laughed too but she was stuck somewhere around "the smart and beautiful Hermione Granger".
Sebastian chose this moment to walk in, "Hello all! It's nice to see everyone in such a good mood! What's the joke?"
Ron tittered, "Harry's stench!"
"Ahh," Sebastian said somberly. He walked over and clasped a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I had been meaning to talk to you about that," he said with a straight face.
"Oi!" It was Harry's turn to shout that. Again everyone laughed at him, enjoying a funny, light moment.
That was until Arthur and Charlie walked into the room. Arthur gave everyone the tight smile he favored nowadays and said, "Harry, Hermione, thank you for stopping by but now that Healer Dunham is here you should be getting back to your dorms."
"Maybe they can stay, Dad," Ron said hopefully.
"No son," Arthur said gently, gently but firmly. "We have talked about this. Besides after Healer Dunham leaves you're going to bed, you need your rest." It was like Arthur was a whole different person now. He was still the same kind man he had always been, but now he was a little less jolly, and a little more authoritative.
"It's okay Ron," Harry quickly, "I should get back. Apparently, I need a shower."
Hermione reluctantly stood up as well. "I'll come back tomorrow, Ron, with your assignments. We can…work on them together?" For some reason, that small request made her blush.
Ron nodded, "Sounds good."
They made their way to the door and on the way, Harry gave Sebastian a questioning look. Sebastian smiled and gave him a thumb up, he had won his trial. Harry almost whooped, everything was working out perfectly!
He would soon find out how wrong he was.
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Thanks For Reading!