Stepping into Gringotts, Harry was sure that while the goblins made no overt actions or behaved visibly different, it quickly became clear that the Snape-Urquart contingent had been significantly elevated in terms of client value. The sneers fell and a tone of respect was evident. Quite a few wizards glanced at the group, some eyeing the triplets with interest and some eyeing the goblins with surprise. It was rare that goblins were anything but nasty to wizards.
And they never addressed wizards by their given names.
"Harry, Hermione, Severus. Good morning. Heir Black, Professors McGonagall and Lupin. Cousin Filius." The goblin was recognised by a few, who thought he was a high-ranked manager.
"Bright day, Ragnok." The triplets answered.
"Greetings, Director." Minerva and Remus added.
"Salutations this day, Director." Sirius responded formally.
"Cousin." Filius grinned, bouncing on his toes.
Not a few jaws fell in reaction. But there were some that just nodded like it was expected. Alastor Moody, Geronimus Travers, Alexander Selwyn and Thorlay Rowle stood at different points within Gringotts, but all watched the goblin welcome the group and usher them away into the depths of the bank. Moody nodded to his Gringotts contact, as Selwyn and Rowle, separately, joined a queue to request a meeting with their account managers. Travers nodded to Moody and, taking into account the behaviour of the Snape-Urquart group, thanked his account manager and left the bank, clutching a copy of his updated Will.
All of them were, in one way or another, pleased with the last six weeks events, but not all for the same reason.
Moody had just been told that Voldemort was gone and was shown memories of his destruction. That was after Bogrod had laid out the details of Voldemort and his Horcruxes. Hearing that the monster had the stupidity to split his soul into seven pieces and that Dumbledore had known before the Potters died, Moody didn't know whether to curl up in a corner and rock back and forth or head for St Mungo's and curse Dumbledore into insensibility. Knowing that all seven pieces were now destroyed, he just wanted to find a bottle of fire-whiskey and get hammered. Hearing that the Snape-Urquart triplets were an instrumental part in not only his destruction but also Dumbledore's incarceration, simply cemented the impression that Minerva McGonagall, and her late husband, had chosen the right children to adopt.
Travers left the bank relieved that his older son was behind bars and that his second wife had birthed a healthy boy, changing his Will to disown his elder DarkMarked son might not be the safest thing to do, but it was the right thing to do. Harry Potter's death and Dumbledore's part in it, had made him step back and look at the destruction left in the wake of the fight for control of the Wizarding world. He didn't like what he had seen and decided he would no longer condone it.
Selwyn's thoughts weren't that dissimilar, at least as far as Harry Potter and Dumbledore were concerned, but he was also glad that his son wasn't old enough, even in Voldemort's twisted view, to be Marked. Like Travers, after Potter's death, he'd taken a good hard look at the Dark Lord's actions against the Light. The fact that Voldemort was prepared to kill an infant and expected his servants to hand over their barely-teenage children, for his perverted pleasures, didn't sit well with the Head of the Selwyn Family. After the Potter boy's death, he gave thanks to Lady Magic, that he'd listened to that odd Lipinsky fellow, all those years ago, when the boy had suggested 'Grey was better than Light or Dark'.
Thorlay Rowle was enjoying the fact that both of the sons he'd been forced to have, with the insipid bitch his father had allowed the Dark Lord to choose for him, were unstable. Yes, he knew that it had something to do with the Dark Lord as both idiots had squawked loudly about the DarkMark dissolving, but he refused to see that as the reason behind their instability, rather he blamed their mother and her family's preference for marrying in-House.
It also meant that, as Head of House Rowle, he was able to use that instability to declare he and his bitch of a wife, were incompatible and annul their marriage, thus disowning her sons. His mistress had given him a healthy son and two fine daughters, and with his marriage now ending, he would finally be free to marry her and claim the children. With no Dumbledore to speak against the annulment and subsequent disownment, he expected that by day's end, he'd be free to buy his mistress the engagement ring he'd always wanted to.
"Please have a seat, everyone." Ragnok waved towards a grouping of comfortable armchairs.
"Thank you, director." Sirius bowed his head in acknowledgement, as did everyone else.
Once everyone was seated and delicate cups were handed out for tea, Ragnok sat back and gestured for the wizards to start.
"Thank you, Ragnok." Harry beamed at him. "We watched your goblins'… excursion, this morning."
"Wonderful." Hermione added, with a smile.
"But we do have a minor question." Severus went on.
"The snake?" Harry asked.
"What will happen to it?" Hermione finished.
"Ah." The goblin huffed. "Well, we thought on that for a bit. As you may or may-not be aware from the memory sent to you, this snake is not the same one that your memories show as one he makes into a Horcruxe in 1994."
"No, it's different. Nagini wasn't a natural snake, she was a maledictus." Hermione answered.
"Indeed." Ragnok nodded. "However the snake in Albania was. A natural snake, I mean. We employed a local animal handler to see to it's capture and he informed us that it was that Dahl's Whip Snake, venomous but not lethal to humans. Not a rare snake, all."
"Probably the first Voldy came in contact with, though." Harry suggested.
"Quite likely. The handler removed the snake and said that when they were sure that it would suffer no side effects from Riddle's possession, they would release it back into the same area. Apparently they aren't terribly territorial but it would be less stressful on the animal if it didn't have to carve out a new range." Ragnok agreed.
"Fair enough." Hermione twitched her lips at the thought of releasing a Voldemort-possessed creature, but she knew that the goblins employed only those that experts in their fields.
"We would like…" Minerva trailed off. "No. Hogwarts. Hogwarts would like to show it's appreciation to the Horde." She looked to the four young men and each reached into a pocket and pulled out a small wooden box.
The boxes were placed on the floor and each was tapped with a wand, enlarging to be nearly the size of Ragnok's desk.
"Fair warning, cousin." Filius smirked. "Each trunk is internally expanded to be 20 times the exterior trunk's dimensions."
The part-goblin waved a hand and the lids of each trunk flipped open. Ragnok glanced at one trunk and froze, he gaze focused on the items visible above the open lip.
"These four trunks contain all the goblin made items found within a hidden room within Hogwarts' keep, we bring them here with the blessing of Hogwarts, herself. We know that there are many other goblin-made items throughout the castle and it's outbuildings and as Headmistress, I am able to pass along a formal request to the Horde, to attend Hogwarts to identify those items and negotiate for… if not ownership, then semi-permanent possession." Minerva made no acknowledgement of Ragnok's lack of attention.
"We are, however, quite happy to wait until the Horde have identified and assessed the items returned today. Perhaps Yule holidays would suit?" Filius' smirk grew even larger at his cousin's lapse.
Ragnok shook himself and forced his attention away from the trunks.
"Do you…? Do you have any idea? Any idea what you've done?" His voice was barely more than a whisper. "Returning so many items… the Horde…" He took a deep breath and released it. "The Horde thanks Hogwarts and the Snape-Urquart family for the return of our lost heritage. Your names will be spoken with great respect and you will be treated with the highest honour we can show a non-goblin. And I will personally inform the goblin King, Splitblade, of your actions." He stood an bowed deeply and formally to the six humans. "Filius, your part in this will see you re-instated, as head of the Flitwick clan. Welcome home, cousin."
Filius blinked. "That's not why we did this, Ragnok." Filius objected.
Harry, Hermione and Severus exchanged looks and as one stood, Hermione curtsied while her brothers bowed deeply back to Ragnok, with Remus and Sirius, a bare half-second behind them.
Minerva stood and curtsied. "We are honoured by your offer, but we sought only to return treasured possessions to their makers." She added her objection to Filius'.
"I am aware… and that is why it is offered." Ragnok was firm.
"Well then, we thank the Horde and accept it graciously." Minerva spoke for them all.
"Good. Now shut those lids, before I forget my position and dive into one of those trunks." Ragnok touched a button on his desk. "I think we deserve a fresh pot of tea, don't you? Sit and tell me… are you ready? Is Hogwarts ready for the school year to begin? And what else do you have planned?" The director chirped like an excited child waiting for story-time.
"Well…" Harry drawled.
Hermione reached over and smacked his shoulder.
"Behave, Harry." She warned.
He dropped his chin and pouted. "You're spoiling my fun, Mione." He pouted.
"Ragnok is a friend, Harry. Tormenting Dumbledore is fun, tormenting Ragnok is mean. We aren't mean to our friends, Harry." She lectured.
He heaved a sigh. "Yes, Mione." He looked over at Ragnok. "Sorry about that, Ragnok."
"No offense taken, Harry… not if you tell me, what else is planned." Paused before added the last part.
"Well… When we leave here, we're going to St Mungo's. After talks with healers Stout, Delving and the Wizengamot, it's been decided that Dumbledore needs to know exactly where he screwed up. And how. He's to be told who he adversely affected and how. He's to be told who died as a result of his actions, inactions and decisions. And how. Plus how his actions, inactions and decisions almost destroyed the Wizarding world and how." Harry was only just holding his smirk back from being a sneer.
"And you've been chosen to tell him?" Ragnok asked.
"Me and a number of others." Here Harry's expression became vicious. "I volunteered to tell him about the dead on his hands."
"Ooh…" Ragnok breathed out. "Can I see a memory later, please?" The goblin leaned forward in his seat. "Please?" He almost begged.
"Of course, my friend." Harry grinned widely.
"And after that?"
"After that, I'm trusting to others. As we've noted a number of times and various members of the board had said, the Statute of Secrecy is in a fragile state, right now. This school year is going to be an eye-opener for a lot of students and some of it won't be pleasant. The new Law and Admin class is going to be like a blast of an icy-cold augamenti to quite a few students, pair that with mandatory Muggle Studies and Wizarding Customs…? It's going to be a rude shock for some purebloods and just as rude a shock for some muggleborns." Harry warned.
"In this instance, the half-bloods are the best off. With a muggle or Muggleborn parent, they've likely had some muggle schooling, but they've also likely had contact with the Wizarding world." Hermione added.
"They're more likely to understand the more severe repercussions that can happen in the Wizarding world." Severus continued.
"And my case would have brought that to the front page of the Prophet." Sirius smirked.
"So, it's more likely that a halfblood has heard of Azkaban and of muggle prisons, like Bellmarsh, Maghaberry or Corton Vale." Hermione said.
"This is going to be paired with muggle scientific advances and muggle history." Harry added.
"Which is going remind our students that muggles like Hitler and Freud experimented on humans, just to learn how they worked." Severus said.
"And that people who didn't like how their children acted, would send them to 'camps' to 'unlearn' behaviours that are a physical part of a child." Remus joined in.
"Not mention that there's an entire week covering psychological treatments, including electro-shock therapy." Hermione finished.
"That seems a little… extreme…?" Ragnok replied hesitantly.
"Ragnok, if the Statute falls today, muggles will outnumber us by over four thousand to one. They-" Harry began, only to be cut off.
"What!?" The goblin screeched.
"Four thousand muggles for every witch or wizard alive." Harry said again. "Four thousand, Ragnok. If they decided that they didn't want to share their planet with us, they would wipe us out by sheer numbers alone, not even thinking about their weapons."
"Weapons?" Ragnok asks.
"Muggles have weapons that could remove Diagon Alley from the face of the Earth, along with any Wizarding village or settlement, all without leaving their comfortable little offices." Hermione answered.
"Hell, they have weapons that can wipe out the population of the entire planet, forget about the Wizarding world." Harry snorted.
"But our shields? Our Wards?"
"Useless." Hermione replied. "Completely useless. The thing with wards and shields is that they are only calibrated to detect living beings or things made with intent. Correct?"
"Yes…"
"But the muggles no longer make their weapons by hand, a machine makes them and that machine has no intent. It's a machine, it does what is was built to do… make weapons. It had no understanding that the weapons it makes are deadly." Hermione went on.
"But…"
"Does a cauldron know what the potion brewed in it does? Possibly. Does is understand? No. Does it care? No. Muggle machines are the same, they do the job they were created for. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Oh sweet Gods above. What do we do? What can we do?" The goblin whispered.
"There's a spell…" Hermione started.
"There's a runic spell, but unfortunately as yet, we only have part of it the way we want it." Harry muttered.
"A spell?" Minerva asked, this was the first she'd heard of this.
"Yes, a spell. It's a… time-distortion runic spell. It's where I got the idea for the time-twisting mindscape thing, but… It's a little different. Because we're missing part of the runic array, we're having to reverse-engineer it. What the spell does is create and activate a time-stone, like a ward-stone, but it throws time out of alignment, fractionally." Harry answered. "From what we've read, the time-stone creates a bubble, of a set size that is just slightly out off alignment to the time outside the bubble. The problem is, that we don't want the bubble to be out of alignment, we want it to be out of phase. Instead of being half a second in behind the muggle world, we want to create a parallel time, one second sideways from the muggle world."
"If we can get it right… and I'm getting close, I know it! Then all we need is portals that are only accessible to magicals, in large cities. And we'll have complete security from muggle intervention." Hermione said.
"Muggleborns?" Minerva asked, not sure how she meant the question.
"Muggleborns would be located at birth and their parents approached. We know there's always going to be people that will happily give away a child that is 'different', just as we know that there are those that will treasure those children. Luna, Draco and Neville convinced Kingsley that each muggleborn should be assessed, to ensure their safety from their families, you understand. Any child that was deemed at risk of abuse, and yes there were some, were removed and golems left in their place to 'die'." Hermione answered.
"In a few cases, a parent or sibling was removed alongside the child, as their lives were at just as much risk as the child's." Harry grimaced.
"And the children not at risk?" Filius asked.
"Parents will be given the option of fostering their child in the Wizarding world, of keeping their child with them in the muggle world or entering the Wizarding world with their child."
"But…?" Ragnok frowned. "They're muggles, how are they supposed to live in our world?"
"Exactly the same as a squib does. Each of them would be given a cuff, ankle or wrist, their choice. That cuff would enable them to interact with the Wizarding world in exactly the same way a squib does."
"I don't think the purebloods would like that." Remus warned.
"Nope. They won't. But… muggleborns aren't technically muggleborns." Harry started.
"What do you mean?" Filius asked.
"What happens to squibs?" Hermione asked.
"What do you mean? In what way?" Filius tilted his head.
"When a squib is disowned, what happens to them?" The young witch asked.
"Ah… most of them are left here, for a fee we close out their vault and create a muggle identity for them, see to re-educating them, they take a vow to never reveal our world and they move out into the muggle world. Why?" Ragnok answered.
"What happens when a squib marries? What are the chances that their child is a squib?"
"I've no idea." The goblin shrugged.
"It takes a couple of generations, but eventually magic is re-sparked and a squib that leaves the magical world may find themselves with a magical grandchild or great grandchild, but that vow they took here, means they can't acknowledge where they came from, so the child, and it's parents, believe the child is a muggleborn."
"Oh my word." Minerva whispered.
"If you were to test every muggleborn scheduled to start at Hogwarts tomorrow and create a family tree for them, one that went back four or five generations, you'd find a few shocks. Every one of those muggleborns has a magical ancestor or two, as squibs do tend to inter-marry."
The goblin and the part-goblin spluttered and swore in Gobbledegook.
"Yeah…" Harry sighed.
"But if I can get this spell finished, it won't be a problem." Hermione assured them earnestly.
"Alright, say you get the spell right, what then? How are you going to get it accepted?" Remus wanted to know.
"Dumbledore." Harry stated.
"Dumbledore?" Remus blinked.
"Yeah, we'll provide Gringotts with enough information for them to do a study on the spell and create the time-stones. At the same time, we let the students take home what they've learned about the muggle world and how close to collapse the Statute is, thanks to Dumbledore's inactions. Then when it's brought to the Wizengamot or the Board of Governors, we can point them in the direction of Gringotts. With the reputation of Gringotts in relation to security…?" Harry grinned, as he trailed off.
"It will be accepted as a well-researched and reputed alternative." Ragnok grinned in reply.
"Exactly." Harry's grin became a smirk.
"And we'll be able to remove existing structures and create a more natural environment, that won't have any bearing on the current muggle world and it's structures." Hermione added.
"Because we're a second sideways, not behind or in front. Time-wise." Minerva cheered.
"Exactly." Harry nodded.
"But… how many stones are needed to cover a space? Say something the size of Hogwarts?" Minerva asked.
"We believe that we can alter the existing spell runes so that each individual stone can cover an area of an approximate 100 mile radius. Hermione biggest issue at our last discussion, which I might add was before we were time-travelled." Harry shook his head. "Anyway, Hermione's biggest struggle was linking the stones together. At present we have completed time-stones, small ones, but we haven't linked them together to form a larger space. Currently one stone will cover Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, just. We-"
"What about Diagon Alley?" Ragnok asked.
"We'd start with an even smaller set, slowly increase the area, when we can be fairly certain there are no muggles in the vicinity. Join smaller stones together until they cover the same space as a larger stone, then we swap out the smaller sets for larger single stones and continue doing so, until we are using one size, all across the country. In the cases where we need to phase an area that contains muggles, we'll just have to use a portable time-stabilizing portal to drop those muggles back into their time-phase. If needed, a small memory charm can be used to make them think it was simply their imagination. Probably do it overnight, that might be easiest." Harry replied.
"What if someone walks into or out of a phased area?" Sirius wanted to know.
"They can't. It'll be like walking into a ward or shield." Hermione answered.
"Hmm… I think, my dears, that you had best pull up any and all memories of this spell and the time-stones and put them in a pensieve projector. That was the rest of us can provide input if needed." Minerva said.
"If I may? I'd suggest pulling up the memories and letting Gringotts copy them for you. That way, my goblins can be getting started while you are finalizing other details." Ragnok offered.
"I think that's a very good idea, Ragnok. Thank you." Harry nodded. "I'm more than happy to leave the issue with Gringotts. I think I'm going to be way too busy for the next few years to spend much time on the spell and runic array."
"Yes, same here, Harry. I'll happily hand over everything to Gringotts and it's goblins." Hermione nodded eagerly.
"Gringotts' goblins would glad of the challenge, it's rare that our Rune-Masters get a real challenge. And this sounds like one." Ragnok grinned in reply.
"Oh, it is. If you don't mind, we'll forward all our information to you by tomorrow evening?" Harry asked.
"Not at all, Harry. I'll see it's copied and the originals are stored in your vaults, shall I?"
"Yes, please, Ragnok." The wizard answered.
"Now… are you staying for lunch or…?" The goblin tilted his head and trailed off.
"Ah, no, thank you for the offer though, Ragnok. Hermione and Remus are going to have lunch with the Lovegoods, while Máthair attends to some estate maintenance at Altnam bro-taigh (altman house) and Filius plans to lunch with Tinrilla, assuming she has no emergencies." Harry diplomatically explained their refusal. "Sirius and Severus have decided that they won't let me se the old goat without their support."
"Fair enough. In that case, ladies, gentlemen, I bid you good day and shall leave Bogrod to oversee your accounts and to be your liaison, I'm sure he will inform if my attention is required." With that the director rose to his feet and bowed to each person, before leaving the room.
"That's his room?" Harry asked, looking at the unremarkable door.
"Yes, sir." The trainee healer nodded.
"Tell me, what can I expect?" Harry turned his attention to the young man who'd answered his question.
"We, Harry. What can we expect?" Severus corrected.
Harry smiled. "Sorry, brother. What can we expect?"
The young healer looked from Harry to Severus and back, having to take a deep breath before answering.
"Well…" He stopped and licked his lips before continuing. "The outer door isn't locked. There's a charmed area of approximately ten foot square inside the door that the patient cannot access, either personally or by pushing items into it. The rest of the space is divided into three sections. A bathroom. A sleeping area. And a main space where he spends the daylight hours. We've been working hard to try and create a routine for the patient, but so far he's been quite oblivious. Healer Delving notes that the patient is exhibiting a type of depressive state, but felt that treating the patient with magical means would only induce a short-term result. So, we are trying to use a more natural or non-magical means, to cheer the patient."
"Non-magical? Do you mean muggle orientated?" Severus asked.
"No, sir. By non-magical or natural, we mean exactly that. Colours, scents, animals, foods. That type of thing. We've had a reasonable success with foods. The patient was introduced to a muggle sweet, a fizzy lemon flavoured treat. The Lemon Sherbet."
Harry said nothing, but snorted internally, he remembered the man's obsession with the yellow candy.
"For the moment, we're allowing the patient an almost unlimited access to the treat, but that much sugar is not good for a body, any body, let alone one his age."
"Have you thought about a puffskein?" Harry asked. "They're small, harmless and easy to care for."
"And apparently take a colour charm really well." Sirius had thought he'd seen some odd things, but a house-elf with a violently blue and orange striped puffskein riding on it's head, like a hat, was not something that was easily forgotten.
"Really?" The trainee leant forward in interest. "Male or female?"
"Both do." Harry explained. "Males take a softer colour while the females tend to absorb the brighter colours easier."
The trainee pulled out a clipboard and pencil and hastily scribbled down a note.
"Oh, and they breed true. So, unless you want a bunch of brightly coloured puffs floating around, I suggest you stick to just one gender." Harry smirked.
"Ah, yes, that might be a good idea." The trainee replied.
"Anything else we should know?" Severus nodded towards the door.
"There's a seating inside the door, it's clearly marked on the floor. Neither patient nor visitors can cross the division. Visitors can request tea and treats for both themselves and the patient, but nothing can pass to the patient without it being passed by either Healer Delving or Head Healer Stout, unless it's something they've approved in advance." They were warned.
"We understand that he's quite an accomplished Legilimens." Sirius stated.
"Yes, so I understand. But with his magic bound, he's unable to use legilimency, occlumency yes, but not legilimency."
"Fair enough." Sirius nodded, a twist to his lips.
"What about us? Can we use legilimency or reverse-legilimency on him?" Severus asked.
"Out notes show that Healer Stout had approved the use of such, but only by Master Henrick Snape-Urquart. But we do suggest that you at least try and get his permission before you try it. He still has formidable shields."
"Ah… I was thinking that I would use reverse legilimency, it would be easier to show him his victims as opposed to telling him. We wouldn't want him to just get up and walk away now would we?" Harry shrugged.
"It wouldn't do his recovery any good, no." The trainee agreed.
"Anything else?" Harry asked.
The trainee hummed and studied his clipboard.
"No, I don't think so, but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to come and ask." The man said.
"Thank you." Severus and Harry spoke as one.
The trainee blinked and shook his head as he wandered off down the hall.
"Ready for this?" Harry asked his brother before turning to his husband.
Sirius just shrugged, but Severus shook his head.
"No, brother, but I doubt that I ever will be." The eldest triplet said.
"Let's just get it over with, yeah? We've far more important things to think about than Dumbledore." Sirius responded.
The three approached the door and after a deep breath, Harry pushed the door open. On the far side of the room, Albus too-many-names Dumbledore looked up from the day's Daily Prophet to see who had entered his sitting room.
"Henrick!" He called silently, his face lighting up in pleasure as Harry entered the room. "Severus, my dear boy." Severus followed on Harry's heels and Sirius stepped out from behind Severus to stand beside Harry. "Sirius?" While the words may have been silent, the question was clear.
"Mister Dumbledore." The three men replied almost at the same time.
"Have you come to fetch me out of here?" Dumbledore mouthed.
"No, none of us have that authority." Harry didn't say that even if they had, they still wouldn't do it. "I've been allowed to visit to give you some information, Albus."
Albus tilted his head in question.
"It would be far easier, not to mention quicker, if I were able to show you. will you allow me to use reverse-legilimency?"
The old wizard looked the three men, his faces showing he was confused at seeing the three together. Who knew what was running through the manipulative man's mind?
He nodded and stood, crossing the room to take a seat, he gestured to his visitors to join him.
Harry and Sirius sat on a love-seat while Severus took an armchair beside them.
"Ready?" Harry asked and Dumbledore nodded.
"Legilimens novi.(reverse Legilimens)" Harry said clearly.
The arches of the Entrance Courtyard formed around Albus , stones bleeding into being. He took a deep breath and revelled in the joy of being back in school.
At least, at first.
He looked around, just to reassert his possession of the school, but the longer he looked and the more he saw, the more confused he became.
"Henrick?" He called, ever so glad he had his voice back. "There's something wrong here, my boy."
"No, Albus. Best come through, it'll make more sense if I show you, then if we've time you can ask questions. Come along." With that the younger man climbed the steps to the Chamber of Reception.
Inside the Chamber, Albus paused, the windows were wrong and why were there names on the stone under them? But Henrick kept walking. Through the Chamber and into the Great Hall.
Even that felt a little off.
What was going on?
"Have a seat, Albus." Henrick pointed to the Gryffindor table where a jug and bowl sat.
Albus sat, his mind racing, trying to figure out what it was that confused him.
"Before we begin, I need to tell you that what you learn here today is held under a type of Fidelius." Albus blinked in surprise, but Henrick continued. "Anything you learn here, inside my mindscape, anything that you didn't already know, you won't be able to discuss with anyone else, in any way shape or form."
"Why, my boy? Is it that important?" Should Albus be alarmed?
"It is."
"I see. Very well." Albus nodded.
"Good." Henrick reached across the table and picked up the jug, he lifted it and began to pour the golden liquid into the long shallow bowl.
The liquid then did something that Albus thought impossible, even with magic. It began to flow upwards. Slowly the trickles blended together and formed a single sheet of liquid, two foot high by three foot across.
A woman's face came into focus.
"Now, Albus, watch the life of one Harry James Potter." Henrick took a few steps down the table and sat, he picked up a book that suddenly appeared and began to read.
What seemed like an hours later, Henrick re-joined Albus and watched the last few minutes, that of Henrick's destruction of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Albus sat back in thought.
"Now, Albus, come along." Henrick lead Albus back into the Chamber of Reception. "See that?" He asked, pointing at the brickwork. "That is a memorial to our dead. Every person that died as a result of you allowing Tom Riddle to become Voldemort. 1519 magical people died or went missing during Voldemort's reigns, both the first and second wars. Another 9000-odd muggles and about 3000 non-human magical creatures. And you could have stopped it. You-"
"The prophecy. It-"
"Was fake, Albus. You know that. But even if it wasn't? If it was real?" Henrick, Harry he was Harry, Harry Potter. Harry asked. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..' Let's break it down, shall?" Harry asked.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... What power? Unknown. Approaches? How? Being born is only one option. What about moving to Britain? Didn't think of that? 'Born to those who have thrice defied him.' Thrice defied? How many bloody Aurors defied Voldy on a regular basis? Dozens of them, I'm sure. 'born as the seventh month dies...' Seventh month? Which calendar? There are more than 80 different, known calendars. Which one? The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal. Yes, Harry Potter had a scar. So what? How many people did Voldemort attack, how many of them were scarred as a result? Moody? Snape? Slughorn, you, Hagrid, Kingsley, Sirius, just to name a few. How in hell did you come to the conclusion that it meant Harry Potter? But he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... Again, not helpful. But you, old man? After deciding it meant Harry Potter you made no attempt get him, your weapon for the Light, training of any type. And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...That's pretty clear cut. But with no training, Harry Potter would stand little chance of vanquishing the Dark Lord, now would he? Was that your intended plan? That Voldy would kill Harry and you would step forward as the reluctant hero and avenge your slain student, is that it? But that brings me to another point. What make you think it was Voldemort? Given your actions over the years, it could just as easily meant you!"
Albus' eye widened in shock.
"Me! I'm the Leader of the Light, the destroyer of Grindelwald. How dare you-"
"Destroyer, my ass. Gellert Grindelwald was your lover. And he's still very much alive. Isn't he? Locked up in Nurmengard Castle, where you left him to rot. Some lover you are. Didn't even have the decency to duel him, personally, did you? Shame, Albus, shame on you." Harry's voice was soft and gentle, but there was something in it that Albus had never heard before.
Harry lead the way back out of the Chamber and down the steps to the Courtyard. He turned to face Albus.
"I was born Henry James Potter. I am the child of murdered parents, left to the abuse of muggles. Brought to Hogwarts to be groomed as a sacrifice, but instead I became a warrior. I first killed a man when I was 11 years old, but I was given not further training. I killed a basilisk when I was 12 years old, but still received no training. At 13, I fought off a hundred plus dementors, but…? Still no training. At 14, I was entered against my will into a deadly tournament, forced to complete against adults. And still no training. At 15, I watched one of the only two adults that cared about me, not he boy-who-lived, I watched him die, killed by his own blood. And guess what? Yes, that's right… Still no training. At 16 I trusted you and as a result was forced to battle inferi, to save your life, just to watch you beg a spy to kill you. At 17? I did the job you were too incompetent to do. I killed Voldemort. I watched over a hundred people, students and teachers die that day. And where were you? Cold and rotting in your grave, that's where."
Henrick turned from Dumbledore to face the castle.
"And even then, I'd still had no training. Until that day, only three people had taught me something that wasn't taught to the entire school. Remus Lupin taught me the Partonus charm when I was 13, with it I defended myself and my innocent godfather from over a hundred dementors. Sirius Black taught me a variant of the disarming charm, I used that against Voldemort. Yes, that was enough to kill him, the wand he was using saw me as it's owner and turned his Killing Curse back on him, rather than let the curse hit it's master. And lastly Severus Snape. Snape taught me occlumency and legilimency, but that wasn't all I learned from him. I learned honour, love and bravery. He was one of the bravest men I have ever had the privilege to know."
"He-" Albus started, only to be cut off.
"More than 10,000 beings died during the entirety of Voldemort's reign and the blood of every one of those is on your hands, old man. Every single one would have lived, if you'd done your job. Tom Riddle included. You were the one that made Voldemort, you made him into the Dark Lord and you left it to an untrained teenager to fix your mistakes." Henrick sighed. "And you wonder why they've shut you up in St Mungo's. Do you know, there was a strong opposition? There was. But they wanted you dead. Kissed for the lives you've destroyed, Albus. Consider yourself lucky and accept that you will never leave St Mungo's, ever. If the unthinkable happens and you do leave, know that the Wizengamot is three votes away from having you declared a Dark Lord and if they do, it will be my sincere pleasure, to hunt you down and drag you back to be Kissed."
Albus drew in a breath, he didn't know whether it was to curse or cry. But it was Harry… No, he wasn't Harry Potter. Harry Potter was dead. Henrick was the man in front of him, the warrior in front of him. It was Henrick that spoke.
"It's up to you, now. Live a quiet life in St Mungo's, or be a hunted criminal. Think on it. It's time to go. Look me in the eye, Albus." When Albus met Henrick's gaze he flinched back, at the sheer conviction he saw there. "Relinquo."(release)
Everything went black.
Albus heard Henrick snort. "Open your eyes, Albus." The young man said.
The old wizard opened his eyes to see Henrick leaning back against Sirius. Without even a glance at Albus, Sirius rested his hand on the side of Henrick's head and the other man leant into it. The two men leant close together and ignored Albus as he studied them, when had they become so close?
"You're wondering aren't you?" Severus said. "About them?" He dipped his head in the direction of his brother.
Albus turned his gaze to Severus and nodded slowly.
"I know what Harry showed you. We've talked about little else for the last few days. You kept him from having family. Just like you kept me from having one. And Sirius. And even Remus. But that's gone, now. Harry is my brother, he may not have been born a Snape, but Blood Adoptions are marvellous things." Albus' eyes blinked in surprise. "Yes, both my parents provided blood for and signed permissions for full Blood Adoptions. We have a family, now. A family we want, a family that we chose. Harry and Sirius are married, they've contracted to foster four children and plan to adopt more. They're both happy, right now and the rest of us refuse to let you drag them down into your pit of discontent. They deserve better and we will see that they get it."
"Thank you, Severus." Sirius offered up a small smile.
"Indeed, brother, thank you." Henrick reached out a hand and patted Severus' hand.
"Pardon me, gentlemen?" The young trainee entered the room. "I apologise for interrupting you, but Master Snape-Urquart? I had a word with Master-Healer Stout and he suggested a quick trip down to the potions labs. I spoke to a few of the brew-masters, before I found one that was prepared to part with a female. But… Here we are, Mr Dumbledore." The trainee held out a creamy ball of fluff.
Albus cocked an eyebrow and the trainee explained.
"Master Snape-Urquart suggested that you might like a companion and recommended a puffskein. Heir Black added that they accept a colouring charm quite well." The trainee offered over the Puff and placed a colour chart on the table. "If you'd like to pick out a colour, I've Healer Stout permission for you keep this little Miss."
Albus' eyes flicked back and forth between the colour chart and the Puff. Back and forth. Back and forth.
"Albus?" Henrick called for his attention. "You can always ask for a colour change, you know, anytime. Puffs take the charm exceptionally well and as I told Trainee Feldspar, they breed true to their new colour. And the reason that this is a female is that they respond better to the charm than the males do."
Albus gave a small smile in acknowledgement of the young wizard's words.
"And with that? Gentlemen, I think we need to make a move. We have business still to conduct today and a Board of Governors meeting this evening." Severus stood as he spoke.
Albus winced at the thought of the Board, he absolutely loathed dealing with them.
"With a dozen or more new classes and nearly 100 staff, keeping the Board up-to-date is essential if we want avoid misunderstandings.
Albus only heard half of what they were saying, his attention firmly fixed on the tiny ball of fluff that was edging it's way around the table.
"I wish you good luck with that, sirs, it's bad enough having to deal with St Mungo's assessment Board." The trainee gave a wave as the three men left the room. "Well, Mr Dumbledore? Have you decided on a colour?" Albus pointed to the colour chart. "Oh, my. Well, it's a good thing we can change it if you don't like it."
Hermione stepped into the trunk and walked quickly through the residential section to the library. Entering the room she saw Harry and Sirius curled together on a sofa, Remus and Severus sitting one on each side of a chess board, while Máthair and Filius watched on.
"Sorry I'm late, Abigail had a couple of questions." She said, as flopped down on the sofa beside Remus.
"You're not late, Mione." Harry assured her. "The painting might be out but we haven't woken them up yet."
"Severus is suggesting that he not be in the room and that Harry put up a glamour, at least until he tells James what's happened." Sirius whinged.
"Hmm…" Hermione hummed for a minute or so. "I know you're going for the shock value, but I think Sev might have the right idea. It's going to be hard enough to convince them as it is. I suppose it all depends on who did the painting and if they enchanted the pictures and how good a job they did of copying James and Lily's psyche essences."
"Well…" Sirius spoke up. "They went with a combined muggle and magic mix."
"How so?"
"They had a muggle artist, a Mr Raymond Skipp do the actual painting and they got Madam Laura Leigh-Scott out of retirement to do the enchanting." Sirius explained. "They wanted as realistic an essence-impression as they could get. Madam Leigh-Scott made them wear a goblin memory-crystal for a week and told them to do the same each year and showed them how to add the crystal's contents to the painting's main enchantment matrix."
"Hmm… Well, let's get going. Harry, Severus, if we're going to do this, we should get it started." Hermione's bossy nature came to the fore.
"Uh.."
"Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Do anyone know if you can place a memory into an existing portrait?"
"What? I'm not sure I understand." Hermione frowned in confusion.
"Look at the portrait, Mione. They're sitting on a sofa in a informal sitting room. But… look to the left of the sofa. That's a pensieve. Can I place a memory in the painting, that the portrait occupants can watch?"
"I… I don't-"
"Yes." Filius spoke up. "It's not quite the same, the memory only works if you're aware of it. Kind of like a temporary illusion charm, but you don't have to actually focus on it, just be aware that it still needs to be active. It creates an image like a projection pensieve does and the portrait's occupants watch that." The little charms professor explained.
"So…? I could place memories in and they could watch them?"
"Not really. You need to focus on the memories you want them to see, then use a variant of a memory charm. It's 'Pictura Visum Memorias' (painting view memories) And the wand movement is like… so…" Filius moved his wand in a gesture not that dissimilar to the twirling finger-to-temple, that people used to indicate mental instability, before flicking the tip of his wand towards the painting.
Harry thought hard and focused closely on a memory and with a twirl and a flick he watched the shape of a rotating apple appear beside his seemingly snoozing parents.
"Like that?" He asked.
"Exactly, Harry, and to cancel it, simple imagine the image collapsing back into the pensieve and repeat the wand motion." Filius chirped brightly.
"Cool." Harry took a deep breath and the apple faded away. "Alright. I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be." He turned to the picture and pulsed his magic into the tiny crystal-shape etched into the name-plate, attached to the simple timber frame. A few seconds passed and a ripple seemed to run through the paintwork and slowly the two figures began to twitch.
"I should leave." Severus made to stand, but Harry pushed and Remus pulled him back into his seat.
"You… are not going anywhere. No one is." Sirius added.
"Sirius?" Lily asked, her voice soft and slightly confused.
"Pads?" James was a bit firmer but no less confused.
"What?" Sirius asked in turn.
"Is that…" James trailed off.
"Severus…?" Lily whispered.
"Yep." Sirius answered and turned to Harry. "Wanna do the honours?"
"Who is that?" Lily asked.
"Who are you?" James wanted to know.
"Professor Flitwick provided a charm that will turn that pensieve beside you into a projection pensieve so that you can watch someone's memories. I'm going to show you mine. Will you watch?" Harry asked.
"Who are you?" James asked again.
Sirius smirked. "My husband."
James and Lily both spluttered.
"Married? Sirius got married?" James couldn't seem to believe it.
"Oh, yeah." Remus grinned.
"Remus?" James tilted his head.
"Yes, James?" Remus sighed.
"Why is Sn- Snape here?"
"Long story. Watch our brother-in-law's memories. Then you'll understand, Prongs." Remus assured the painting.
James sighed. "Right. You, whatever your name is, Pad's husband. Show us."
Harry nodded and drew his ebony and Thunderbird feather wand, he twirled around his temple while he spoke. "Pictura Visum Memorias(painting view memories)." His voice clear and strong, as he flicked the wand-tip and watched the spell impact on the painting.
A smoky shadow settled on the painting's surface and colours began to bleed from the blackness. An image took shape.
Lily.
"We'll let you watch that and when it's finished we'll talk." Sirius told the painting's occupants.
Neither occupant replied, but James waved a hand in their direction, his attention already on the pensieve projection.
"Hey?" Hermione poked at Harry's leg. "How long does it take to run through that?" She nodded in the direction of the painting.
"Not real sure, Mione. About an hour, I'd say. Why?" Harry answered.
"I need a shower. Remus and I played tag with Luna for most of the afternoon and while cleaning and freshening charms go a long way, they're definitely are not the same as standing under running water." She replied.
"You should be right. Just don't… don't take forever, Mione." He warned.
"I won't." She said, already on her feet heading for her suite of rooms. "I'll be back in… maybe half an hour?"
"If they're finished before you get back, we'll try and get them to wait." Harry said, as she disappeared through her door. She waved a hand around the doorframe and was gone.
"If they're going to be an hour, you wanna have a run? Severus? Moony?" Sirius asked. "The healers finally gave me the okay for shifting." He finished with a beaming smile.
"Oh fabulous, Sirius." Minerva grinned. "Do you mind if I join you? Sitting through the Board's meeting has made me a little restless. A nice stretch before a cup of tea for supper would be lovely."
"Of course, Máthair. You're always welcome to join us." Sirius and Remus had taken to calling Minerva, Máthair in the privacy of their trunk residence.
"May I? I'm not an Animagi, but I don't mind a stroll through your trees." Filius commented. "I can keep Miss Luna company."
The younger men exchanged glances, shrugged and nodded.
"Sure." Answered Harry.
"I'll fetch Luna from her playroom and meet you there." Minerva offered.
With that the four wizards and one part-goblin headed back to the foyer-trunk and into the forest-trunk. The four wizards shook their shoulders and with a shared grin, they each shifted into their Animagus forms. Two panthers, a wolf and a Grimm stretched and took off across the grassed space, while Filius watched on and cheered their escapades.
A few minutes later Minerva and Luna entered through the small split barn-door. The girl tossing Filius a grin before heading off after the Animagi. Across the grass fielded area, she snuck, until she reached a clump of boulders, here she hid until the three Animagi came gambolling past. Sirius was her target tonight and she patiently waited for him to be in exactly the right position to spring her trap.
A yelp, followed by barking laughter told Minerva and Filius that the Grimm had fallen into that trap. Remus, Harry and Severus came to halt beside the tangle of grass and Grimm, the brothers exchanging looks before Harry, still in panther form, reached out and took hold of the Grimm's tail in his mouth and not-so-gently pulled, while Severus used his long lethally sharp claws to slice through the strands of grass until Sirius was able to scramble loose of Luna's trap. He shifted back into his human shape. Remus just sat and gave doggie-equivalent of laughter.
"Luna!" Sirius cried. "Luna! You… you…" His grin emerged. "You little Marauder, you. Come on, come here." He added when he spotted the blonde girl's hair amongst the rocks. "Come on, little moon, it's time for you to head for bed."
"Aww… Unca Siri… do I have to…?" She whined.
"Yes, little moon, you do. Tomorrow is September 1st and the students are arriving. It's going to be a busy day and you've got a trip to Diagon Alley with your mum and Mione early in the morning, don't forget." Sirius reminded.
Luna's pale blue yes lit up and she abandoned her rocks to sidle up to Sirius.
"Carry me?" She begged, using her big eyes to their full extent. Sirius sighed and caved.
"Firm as wet lettuce, you are, Sirius." Harry shook his head fondly, after regaining his human form.
"And your point, being?" Sirius grinned.
"Never mind. Take our wee moon and set her up for the night. After we've dealt with the painting, I'll come in and read you a story. Alright?" The first part was directed at Sirius while the later was said to Luna where she perched on Sirius' shoulders.
"Yes, Unca Harry." She chirped, happily.
The small group made their way back to the door and through to the residence, Sirius splitting off to take Luna to her room in the Snape-Black sub-section, while the other four headed for the library. Just as they reached the main living room, Hermione emerged from the hallway to her rooms.
"Have a good run?" She smirked.
"How'd you guess?" Harry grinned back.
"You've still got grass in your hair, Harry." She shook her head in amusement.
"Oh." He ran his fingers through his hair and shook out what seemed like half the field. "Damn it." He muttered.
"Never mind, Harry." Severus' lips twisted. "I can hear Lily and Pot-… James talking."
Harry took a deep breath. "Right." He straightened his shoulders and marched into the library.
The occupants of the painting turned as he neared the centre of the room. They looked as shaken as a painted face could.
"Ha-Harry?" Lily whispered.
"Yeah…" He sighed.
"My Harry." Lily said again.
"Yeah."
James looked from Harry to Severus and back again.
"I don't get it. I know why, but I still don't get it. Snape? Harry? Snape? You chose Snape for a brother?"
"I did." Harry answered. "Did you see what he did? He died to give me enough to kill Voldy. Severus Snape. The greasy bat of the dungeons, the students called him. But he put his life on the line nearly every single day. To keep a promise to a dead woman. To keep her son alive. The son of a man that tormented him. A man he hated. A man that hated him. To keep alive a child that had no concept of personal safety. And then Dumbles comes along and tells him that he's not keeping the child alive, he's only ensuring the boy is alive and ready die at the proper time, that the been boy's raised like a pig for slaughter."
James' pales and his jaw falls. Lily buries her head in his shoulder at Harry's flat tone.
"I… I…" James can't speak.
"And even knowing that, he still gave me everything. He didn't have to. He could have died without saying anything, but he made a promise." Harry stated bluntly.
"And Severus keeps his word." Lily whispered.
"Yes." Harry said bluntly. "So, when I was given the chance to give him something, to give something back, I took it. Gryffindor to the end, I was. Then. Not anymore. With Severus, took a chance. I offered him something that I knew he wanted, but… it was also something I wanted. A brother. A family." Harry sighed again. "He is my brother. If you can't accept that? Well… I was good to meet you, but I won't have my family insulted, not even for you."
"Harry…" Severus said quietly.
"No, Sev. I don't know them, I don't remember them and I can't touch them. I know you, I remember you, the you here and the one there and I can reach out and touch you. They may have been my family, but they were taken away from me. You gave me a new family. No one insults my family. Ever."
"He's right. Only two men were ever stupid enough to insult Harry's family. One you visited today in the Janus Thickery ward and the other will spend the rest of his rather short life begging for mercy." Hermione said.
"Who were they?" James asked.
"Albus Dumbledore and Peter Pettigrew." Sirius said entering the library. "Luna's already crashed out, Harry. Barely got her into her Pj's and she was snoring like a niffler."
"Pads?"
"Prongs."
"You married my son?" James asked in a deceptively calm voice.
"Yep." Sirius popped the 'P'.
"When?"
"Fortnight ago, today."
"Why did you chose him?"
"I didn't. He chose me."
"Harry?" James turned to Harry. "Why Pads?"
"Why not?" Harry shrugged. "I only knew the other Sirius for three years, a little less. Well… when you take into account Hogwarts and Dumbles doing everything he could to keep us apart? I probably only had a few weeks with that Sirius, to get to know him, but never saw me. He only saw James, he only wanted to see James. His time in Azkaban, it damaged him and Dumbles saw to it that he couldn't get help. Saw to it that he never got a trial, not until it was too late. But for all that, Sirius was the singular most positive constant in my life. Him and the hope he'd given me, the hope for a family, at last. Arriving here and knowing that this Sirius was still alive, that this Sirius wasn't as damaged as that Sirius? I made plans early on to free him, but this Sirius isn't that Sirius. They are two very different people, the product of two different lives. That Sirius spent twelve years in Azkaban, he never got help, he never healed, he couldn't, or wouldn't, look past my surface looks and see me. This Sirius? Less than four years in Azkaban, mind-healers, healers, friends, family and even the ministry helping him? This Sirius isn't nearly as damaged, this Sirius watched my memories, he saw what I did, what I was forced to do. He see's me. He looks beyond the surface and see's the me inside." Harry stepped over to Sirius and raised a hand laid gently on Sirius' now wet cheek. "This Sirius loves, just like I love him. How could I not choose him?"
"Bugger." James pulled out a painted coin and flipped it over to Lily.
"Told you so." She smirked. "Now, tell me what else have you got planned? More revenge? Some teaching? Children? Matchmaking? Pranking?"
"Revenge is done. Teaching? Students arrive tomorrow. Harry and Sev are sharing the Potions and DADA positions. I'm doing Animagus and apparition, Mione has Magical Theory and Remus has History. Children are coming. We're fostering first, three Weasley's and Luna. Adopting later. Matchmaking? Yes, I'm sure Harry's got plans there, but he doesn't share the details well. Pranking? Always, Lils, always." Sirius summarised, knowing that Lily wouldn't like the abbreviated version.
"Sirius Orion Black, details please." The painted image of Lily frowned.
Remus and Sirius began to laugh.
"Harry? Give Pads a smack upside the head for us, will you?" James asked. "He knows better than to give Lily anything else than a half hour explanation."
"Severus? Are you happy?" Lily's question silenced the room.
"Yes, Lily, I do believe I am." The eldest of the triplets answered.
"Harry? are you happy?" Lily asked.
"Yeah…" He smiled.
"Then we're happy. That's all we ever wanted for you, love, was to be happy." Lily said, while James nodded.
"Oi. What about us? What about Remus and me?" Sirius demanded.
"Pads, you're a Marauder, you and Moony, you've got each other, you've always had each other. And you've already got my son. What more do you want?" James shook his head.
"Idiot." Lily agreed.
Harry put his arm around his husband and dragged him a sofa.
"You want the details? Are you sure?" He smirked at the painting.
"Harry's embraced his Slytherin side." Hermione warned.
"Oh, dear." Lily grimaced.
"But he was supposed to be a Gryffindor." James moaned.
"Oh, he was, he was. But that didn't stop him being Slytherin, he needed to be to outwit Dumbles." Hermione responded proudly.
James and Lily exchanged slightly worried looks.
"Yeah… I think we need the details." James nodded.
"All the details." Lily agreed.
Harry – silverclaw – Henrick Oakley Snape-Urquart, Lord Harrington-Peverell-Gryffindor-Slytherin, Heir McGonagall, panther
Severus – longfang – Severus Elphinstone Snape-Urquart, Lord Winterbourne, Heir Prince, panther
Hermione – Lady inkblot –Hermione granger, lady Ravenclaw-Enthwaite, panther
Minerva – Madame Thistle – Minerva Isobel McGonagall, Lady McGonagall, tabby cat
Remus – Mooney – Remus john lupin, ex-werewolf, silver wolf
Sirius – Padfoot – Sirius Orion Black, heir Black, grim
Charms,
Law & Administration. Muggle art,
Transfiguration, Wizarding Customs
Orchestra, Muggle Studies,
Alchemy, Ancient Runes,
Ancient Studies, Animagus Studies,
Apparition, Arithmancy,
Astronomy. Business Management,
CoMC, DADA,
Divination, Flying,
Ghoul Studies Healing,
Herbology, History of Magic
Ingredient Prep. Zylomancy."
Potions. Muggle music,
Academic Magics, Art Magics,
Curse-breaking, Magical Devices,
Spell Structure, Warding and
Wizengamot Protocol
Remember the womping willow. Ron crashed a car into it. - harry
What? How? - Sirius
It was a flying car. It didn't like us much after that. – harry
The car didn't like you? Or the Whomping Willow - Sirius
Neither. But the car ran away into the forbidden forest. -harry
It ran away? It was a car. Cars don't' run away. -Sirius
Yeah but didn't it rescue you from acromantula later? – Hermione
And as soon as we were out of the forest it dumped us at Hagrid's and disappeared back into the forest, I think it liked being a wild car. - harry
It was a car, cars don't do wild… do they? – Sirius
That one did. – harry
Minerva's house = 56°57'00.4"N 2°37'18.1"W