Please note that I do not own Dungeons and Dragons,their relevant editions, Pathfinder or Harry Potter. Dungeons and Dragons are owned by Wizards of the Coasts, Pathfinder is owned by Paizo and Harry Potter and its franchises are owned by JK Rowling. The following story is just for my enjoyment and hopefully yours as well.
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Chapter 7: Crouching Dog, Hidden Rat Part 1
Dressed in unassuming robes of a rich, silky brown, Ira looked like a classy monk. He had equipped himself with a variety of magical items, including no less than 6 magical rings. With a simulacrum to attend him personally through his Mirror, Ira wasn't about to take chances. The last time Ira had been called to Harry's side; there was a traitorous professor, not to mention last year with a haunted book and a giant snake. Ira stepped through the scene in the Mirror and into the snow.
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Harry had already thrown the cloak away, taken in hand by Hermione. He let out his tears and frustrations, shouting to the sky but trying to keep it all in at the same time. Draco, Ron and Hermione all looked at him with varying degrees of concern, wondering what they could do for their friend.
"He was their friend!" Harry hoarsely shouted at no one in particular, "they made him my godfather and he knew! He knew and he did nothing!" Harry sobbed and Professor Ira walked out of thin air.
They jumped at the sight of their professor appearing but quickly calmed down. With Professor Gold, there was little that the man did not know. He looked them all over with appraisal and nodded to each in turn. He turned to look at Harry who tried to bury the emotions bubbling out.
"Tell me," Ira simply said, with conviction in his tone. Slowly but surely, pieces of the story were assembled and Ira nodded as he digested it. He mentally probed his Hogwarts double and replied to the other copy watching through the Mirror. "Would they still be there? Professor McGonagall and the Minister?"
Harry slowly nodded, unsure about this line of questioning. "Come, all of you. We go to this Hogsmeade" The four looked like they were going to bolt but calmly followed and Ira asked Draco about the arm sling to which the blonde boy shyly smiled and said, "accident" and left it at that.
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"This is most incorrigible behaviour, Minerva! Students spying on the Ministry! Expulsion, excommunication and-" the Minister was blustering but Ira conjured a burst of light which quickly ended that.
"Peace, Minister. Professor McGonagall did not know and neither did I, but what's done is done. Frankly you can't accuse Harry or any student here on spying as it appears you came for a social visit, unless you must be the kind of Minister who likes to frequent pubs on official business with no guards whatsoever," Ira dryly replied.
Fudge looked like his head was about to pop, if his face did not stop reddening. In a private room in Hogsmeade, the same Harry had come into to spy, Minerva McGonagall too looked very livid.
"I understand your position Minister. I truly do and rest assured suitable punishments will be handed out to all parties involved," she turned to look at all of them, her gaze momentarily lingering on Draco, "regardless of House or other affiliations"
Minerva turned to Harry, "I understand you wanted to know the truth Potter, I do but this is not the way. This certainly is a new low even for you," she sighed, "especially for the four of you"
At that moment, Madam Rosmerta, the rather fiery innkeeper and landlady of Hogsmeade came in, the door opening by itself. She bore a tray of drinks and said to those in the room, "Right, if you lot want to punish the kids, the least you could do is give 'em some drinks. It won't hurt the punishments no matter how you give it" and handed out the drinks.
She handed a butter-beer to Ira and he nodded a sincere thanks. He had missed this beverage, somewhat and maybe with some ingenuity of his own, he could obtain the recipe and produce it within his tower but that was an idea for another time.
He turned towards the assembly, "However you want to deal with them, it will be as teachers dispensing discipline. However what worries me is this Black fellow. He is still on the run?" Ira pivoted towards Fudge.
The Minister of Magic for Magical Britain looked like he wanted nothing more than to put Ira in Azkaban but he did let out a small sigh, reducing the steam building inside, "Yes and despite the best efforts of our Aurors we cannot detect the murderer. However we will find him and he will be dealt with"
Fudge turned to Harry, who nursed his own butter-beer, "Potter, I am sorry for your loss. No one should have to go through what you did. But spying on officials and your teachers is not legal or the ethical thing to do! You should be lucky I am allowing McGonagall and Dumbledore to deal with the lot of you"
Harry nodded and said nothing. There was little emotion in him, maybe because on top of the impending punishments he would have to face, the news that his own godfather had betrayed his parents was a fatal blow to his spirit. Meanwhile Hermione looked relieved that she wasn't going to be dispelled but horrified at the same time on her coming punishments and Ron and Draco shared the same look of impending dread, since this incident was probably going to be communicated to their fathers.
"Despite all of this, I do think I can help with your little problem Minister. I will find you your fugitive and deliver him to you," Ira confidently said. Fudge looked like he was going to spit on his words but Ira continued, "but first, call your Aurors here. You did say they would deal with it, yes?"
Fudge nodded angrily but quickly left, no doubt to communicate through some method to bring in his Aurors. "Lord, but what will all this do, I wonder?" Rosmerta whispered to herself.
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Chief Auror Amelia Bones, Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, newly-minted Auror and Obliviator Arnold Peasegood –who was the only one who held such a dual position- and three other Aurors quickly Apparated to Hogsmeade. It was unusual that the Head of the DMLE would come herself but after receiving the message through the Floo Network, Bones decided to leave nothing to chance.
Ira greeted them all with civility and Bones quickly addressed him after talking with Fudge, "So Ira, you know where Black is?"
Ira smiled and slyly replied, "I will, in a moment" and sent his mind into that of his double.
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His double was gazing into one of his Mirror of Mental Prowess, with a scene playing within its frame. A large, black dog was slowly padding its way through the Forbidden Forest, carefully slinking. Through his True Seeing, which Ira brought to bear through his double's false eyes, Ira could see the man that was the dog.
It was like a double vision, watching the image of the dog give way to that of a shaggy haired man and watch as the image reversed itself. So his magic could detect shape-shifting eh? That was a bit of news and one more bit of information to file away, not to mention additional experiments to be had with Bellatrix.
The double became invisible and stepped through the Mirror, incanting a swift spell. The dog froze in mid-stride and the double removed a scroll from its grey robe-pocket. The scroll crumbled as the magic turned the dog to a quarter of its true size and the double lifted it with little difficulty.
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The assembled party in the private room did not jump or gasp as a hand appeared out of thin air dropping a small dog onto the floor. Ira mused that maybe seeing limbs appearing was nothing but a demon was like dropping an incendiary onto people's laps. Ira picked up the dog and placed in the centre of the room, which was cleared for this purpose.
"A dog," Fudge whispered, "an animagus!" he said much more loudly. Bones gave a grim nod, "Would explain why we couldn't find him. Unregistered animagus and we look like children hunting pixies," the Chief Auror smirked, "though pixies are easier"
The Aurors pointed their wands at the stilled dog and Ira nodded to them each in turn. When they were ready, Ira cast a Dimensional Anchor onto the dog, letting the green ray envelop it. Ira wondered whether it would work, and even as the Aurors did gasp at his spell, Ira willed the spells on Black away.
Black returned to his true size and got up on his feet. His gaze took everything in and he let his gaze rest on Harry. In those eyes, Ira saw a bit of madness, the same that Bellatrix had but there was life in those eyes as well.
The dog became a man and Bones shouted, "Incarcerous!" Thin cords shot out of the stick and enveloped the naked Black and he did not struggle. Rosmerta left the room, her shock chasing her but also the need for clothes as well. She came back quickly with a thick robe to cover the naked fugitive.
"Well, it looks like there won't be anything left to fear. Serial murderer caught and all is well," Fudge proudly proclaimed but Ira went to the fugitive. The hand appeared again and Ira took the scroll his double handed him.
"What are you doing, Ira?" Shacklebolt said but Ira put his hand up to calm them down. He read from the scroll and the Sanity spell washed over Black. The eyes showed clear understanding now and the scraggly bearded man looked much more calm, but the trauma in those eyes would be something that not even magic could take away.
"I wish to talk to him, not just for my sake but for Harry's as well. Don't worry, I have rendered him sane. His words will be as true as truth can be," and he motioned for Harry to come closer. At first Bones, looked like she did not want that but with several wizards and witches present, it looked like a bleak situation for Black anyway. Fudge looked like he would protest but at that moment, Snape, Dumbledore and Remus Lupin came in.
Snape goggled at Black and the attending party but quickly composed himself. Remus Lupin, the new DADA Professor –according to his double- looked at Black like he was being pulled in two different directions. Dumbledore took everything in his gaze and said, "No lemon cakes?"
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