Harry Potter: Divergent Paths
Chapter 26 – Bonding and Bones
Disclaimer: Boop! That was not an onomatopoeia for the sound of me owning Harry Potter, therefore, I still don't own it!
It felt strange, being hopelessly awake at this time of night. Something made her feel absolutely restless, an occurrence that had only happened once or twice before. She couldn't help the feeling that Adrian was up to something at Hogwarts whenever this happened. She sighed and brushed some hair off of her face, reading her potions book quietly underneath the lamp light of her desk.
After the children had departed for Hogwarts, she and Andi decided to return to individual rooms. While they were rather reluctant to do so, they felt as if it would be more productive to separate. It proved to be true considering that the two women followed different internal clocks, though it had been nice sharing a few months together relaxing. She was altogether thankful that they had made the decision considering the current situation, as she would have hated disturbing her sister with her insomnia.
A sound reverberated through the house as the grandfather clock marked midnight. A light breeze rustled her nightdress and elicited goose bumps, startling her slightly. She turned around rapidly and drew her wand in a fluid motion as she did, aiming towards a spot instinctively. The familiar face instantly dispelled her wariness and a soft smile replaced her formerly guarded expression.
"What are you doing here at this time of night? You shouldn't be breaking curfew on your first year…" Narcissa chimed, her delight overshadowing her half-hearted scolding.
Adrian shrugged and walked towards her. "Well, I never did like following the rules, but I had some news to bring along," he smiled, "and I thought it'd be nice to see you. It's been over a month now–"
He didn't finish his sentence before Narcissa laughed and dragged him into a hug, seating him on her lap. Adrian relaxed into her embrace, perhaps his first time truly relaxing in quite some time. The two sat in a comfortable silence for some time, their breathing soft, synchronized, and barely audible.
"Have you been taking it easier like I asked?" Narcissa asked softly, fixing Adrian's messy hair. "You can avoid the topic by letter, but not while you're right here in front of me..."
Adrian chuckled. "If we're speaking relatively, then yes. I have to make sure everybody has their foundations laid solidly, after all."
"If that's what it takes for you to lighten the load on yourself," she said with a nod of acceptance. Better than nothing. "I missed you. Harry and Iris too."
"And I you," he replied, looking into her eyes. He cracked a smirk. "They would get mad at me if I told them that I came back without bringing them along."
Narcissa smiled. "Well, you won't need to, will you? Thank you for coming back to visit sooner than planned…" she whispered. "Really."
"Why would you need to thank me for that?" Adrian smiled. "This isn't just nice for you, you know…do you know how many men would kill to be where I am right now?" he teased jokingly.
Narcissa laughed and simply hugged him tighter in response, before smirking. "Well, I wouldn't prefer anyone over you, so rest assured in that… Who could beat out these?" she asked, suddenly pinching him on one of his cheeks.
Both of them laughed at the silly moment, just enjoying their time leisurely. It wasn't an entirely noticeable feeling whenever the other was gone, but being together just felt that much better as they spent more and more time just basking in the other's presence.
"So, what news did you bring?" Narcissa eventually asked.
Adrian sighed in relief and looked upwards. "We finally caught Pettigrew."
Narcissa went silent, turning to look directly at Adrian. He gave her a few seconds to consider the implications before continuing.
"Once Pettigrew is interviewed under Veritaserum in trial at the Wizengamot, the pieces will come together. With the files that Andromeda put together with your help, we can lead it right back to Lucius. Sirius will be free soon…and you'll have Draco back by Christmas."
She opened her mouth, as if to speak, but no words came out. Even after the severing of the bond between her and House Malfoy and even after the safety ensured to her by staying within the Vulpis Manor … She still never felt fully un-chained. Not because of Lucius still roaming as a free man. He had become a figure of small significance to her once Adrian helped her settle everything. It was because of her son.
The joy she felt with every letter Adrian sent in return to her during the past weeks only increased when she learned of how her little dragon was doing. The diminishing hope she'd held in recovering her son had rekindled immensely following his first response and assessment of the blond boy. It filled her with happiness to read about the potential that Draco held. It only saddened her more when she thought of the fact that she might never be able to have him back. It worried her when she thought of him returning to Malfoy Manor, with no telling how Lucius might have changed in her absence.
It had been the lingering fear that had always held a place in her heart even after everything that had changed. He would never be safe if he was to return to Hogwarts for schooling while under the legal guardianship of Lucius. She would never have the chance to have Draco back completely. The relief she felt because of this overpowered even her relief that Sirius would finally be free of Azkaban.
She slumped in her seat, suddenly drained of energy from her internal emotional shifts. Her eyes drooped as exhaustion hit her. Narcissa vaguely felt herself moved through the air and tucked into bed by Adrian's warm magic. She felt his small hand cup her cheek for a moment before it pulled itself away. She slowly reached out towards it and latched her hands on.
Adrian smiled softly as Narcissa grabbed onto his hand. He conjured a comfier chair to her bedside and seated himself, clasping his other hand together onto hers. He closed his eyes and relaxed into his seat. He wouldn't rather be anywhere else anyway.
…..
Amelia rubbed her forehead in pain. She'd received her fair share of anonymous tips in her time in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but this one took the cake. It wasn't even as much of a tip as it was flat-out instructions.
Something about that ticked her off internally, but she was a mature woman. And with her logical thinking, she could see that what she had been sent by the mysterious Lord Slytherin was perhaps one of the gravest miscarriages of justice she'd ever seen.
"Handle with discretion, indeed…" she muttered as she stared at the note in her hands. Her gaze shifted to the other things that came along with it.
The first object of interest was the cage with a single, Stunned rat held captive within it. Closer inspection by experts would reveal that the cage was locked by a ward that was keyed specifically to Amelia and that the rat had a small pair of handcuffs holding its front paws together. Further inspection would reveal that the handcuffs were re-sizable, magic nullifying, and prevented the wearer from changing back and forth from their Animagus form without external assistance, meaning that while Amelia or anybody else was fully capable of reversing the Animagus transfiguration, the wearer was not able to morph into their Animagus form or human form freely.
And Amelia had already verified that the rat within the cage was indeed an unregistered Animagus, which fell in line with the claims that Lord Slytherin had left within his accompanying letter. Upon first receiving the package of materials and reading through the letter, she had secretly accessed the records of Sirius Black's arrest, the surrounding crime scene report, and searched for the existence of his subsequent trial. She found that the former corresponded with the claim that the rat was Peter Pettigrew, as the rat was indeed missing a finger, and that the latter did not exist.
While she could not be sure of the rat's identity until actually performing the Animagus reversal spell, she was already beginning to believe the claims based purely on the strange circumstances surrounding Sirius Black. It wasn't as if the woman hadn't known the man herself after all, but those days had been left far behind, on the day that most of magical Britain celebrated…and a select few mourned.
Nonetheless, she was patiently waiting for the two guests she would need to properly handle this matter. And as if on cue, the Floo in her office activated. As promised, the first was the one and only Albus Dumbledore. Amelia could already feel a difference in the old wizard from his somber demeanor and the lack of the strange aura that usually accompanied the man as he interacted with people.
"Amelia," Dumbledore greeted with a nod. "A pleasure to see you again, though the circumstances could be more cheerful."
"Albus," Amelia returned with a stern look and a hint of shock. It was the first time he'd ever addressed her as such. "From your words, I presume you understand what the issue is?"
"Yes, as the greatest fault lies in my hands for allowing such an injustice to occur," he replied in remorse. "Peter Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper of the Potters, and the one who betrayed them. It was originally to be Sirius Black, however the Potters put their faith in Mister Pettigrew and performed a switch." Dumbledore gazed at the unconscious rat in the cage. "Their faith was betrayed, obviously. And I did nothing to protect Mister Black."
Amelia clenched her fists tightly as she stared at the old wizard across for her. "Why!?" she demanded.
"…Because of my foolishness. Because of a plan that I had and the belief that I was infallible."
Dumbledore's answer was sincere and honest. The man had even been perfectly willing to turn himself into the Ministry and be imprisoned for the crimes he'd committed. In the end however, even Andromeda, Narcissa, and Harry, who had been done the most wrong by the old wizard in the group, were accepting of the fact that the man could make up for his mistakes much better on the outside than inside a cell accomplishing nothing.
Regardless of any of those sentiments, however, his answer only served to anger Amelia further. She couldn't understand the implications behind that statement with only the information she knew, so the cryptic answer only irritated her. Before the situation could escalate any further, the Floo activated again. Both pairs of eyes directed themselves to the portal as a figure stepped through.
Dumbledore shivered as a pair of eyes that still promised pain settled themselves on him before shifting quickly to her main target of the visit.
"Amelia…it's been a while," she greeted with a smile.
The witch allowed an expression of confusion and shock to show on her face. "Andromeda? You're the second person I was waiting for? How are you related to this new Lord Slytherin?"
"I'll explain later. I'd like to get Sirius out of Azkaban as fast as I possibly can. I'm sure you would too, now that we have the chance to finally prove him innocent," Andromeda replied.
…..
The last couple of weeks had been rather awful for one Cornelius Fudge. Since the beginning of his tenure of his career as Minister for Magic, he had been rather dependent on advice from people more capable than he. At first, he had been consulting Dumbledore for advice towards what he should be doing, but that soon stopped with the influence of Lucius Malfoy.
Through the Malfoy patriarch's proficient silver tongue and use of bribes, Fudge began to heed the words of the Pureblood Supremacist faction for the most part. He wasn't fully in the camp, but it was the camp he favored due in part to the fear instilled within him by Lucius Malfoy that Dumbledore was aiming for his job and being perfectly willing to allow others to dictate policies for him, as long as he kept his job.
That being said, one could imagine how he felt when it seemed the Malfoy patriarch had fallen off the face of the earth. Despite however many times he had tried to contact his benefactor over the past month or so, he had received no response. Nothing significant had occurred in Lucius's absence, but the longer he went without his advisor, the more discomfort he felt.
"Minister, there are some guests for you!"
The nervous tone of his secretary's voice didn't calm him the least. Nor would the conversation that would quickly follow.
…..
"What?!" Fudge yelled. "What do you mean, Sirius Black may be innocent?! H-he personally confessed to killing the Potters and then blew up all of those Muggles in front of witnesses! How could he possibly be innocent?"
"I looked over the transcripts of Black's arrest and while his words were suspect at the time and in the moment, a different meaning can be interpreted if you think about it more clearly," Amelia explained. "In his shock from the explosion, his words were said due to the guilt he felt towards his indirect role in the deaths of the Potters, which was a very minor one."
"What does that matter?!" Fudge asked. "He was still the only one who could have –"
At this point, Amelia figured actions would speak louder than words. She unlocked the cage and tossed the rat onto the floor. She drew her wand, startling Fudge, and quickly performed the Animagus reversal spell on the offending animal. The Minister opened his mouth to reprimand Amelia for drawing her wand, but his words didn't make it out when he noticed the newly-appeared man on the ground in front of him. Amelia was in a similar state of minor shock, now completely believing in the innocence of Sirius with this final piece of proof.
She then explained the entirety of the situation and Peter Pettigrew's role in it all to the Minister. After she finished, Fudge started sweating and pacing around the office. He glanced at the three in front of him.
"I-I can't just let him free at this point… The Ministry will look weak…and I might get fired!" he said in a panic, before glaring suspiciously at them. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? You just want to get me out of the seat so one of you can replace me!"
Andromeda and Amelia resisted the urge to hex the idiotic Minister, but this was where Dumbledore specialized.
The old wizard shook his head calmly and smiled gently. "Cornelius, we are not after your job. Amelia is quite happy where she stands and would most likely hate to be stuck in the bureaucratic mire that would come along with being the Minister for Magic. I have enough responsibilities with the three positions that I do have and I believe Miss Tonks is quite happy where she is in life and working with who she is. On the contrary, can you not see the opportunity this gives you?
This injustice was committed before you became Minister for Magic, so revealing this issue would only benefit you. The public will see it as your pursuit of justice and truth, despite what the previous Minister and previous Head of the DMLE allowed to occur. You will also be setting free the last main branch member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, something that will no doubt be looked favorably upon by our fellows in the Wizengamot."
Finally, Andromeda spoke up to put the final nail in the coffin and tip over the last domino.
"And with the testimony from Peter Pettigrew under Veritaserum, who is no doubt from higher up in You-Know-Who's circle from his betrayal of the Potters and his commitment to hiding from the law, we can put to rest any doubts that the public and other members of the Wizengamot have of those who were Imperiused into committing acts under the name of the Death Eaters. We will have the tool necessary to definitively prove their innocence!"
Fudge's expression brightened almost immediately, as if he had experienced some sort of spiritual enlightenment as he considered the words they had just spoken. With all of these after-effects, then he may perhaps become the most publicly-approved Minister for Magic in the history of the Ministry of Magic!
He would fully gain the support he needed in the Wizengamot for his virtuous actions and aid in proving the innocence of his main supporters, even without the help of Lucius! With this single action, all of his problems could be solved! His eyes gleamed with excitement, but he couldn't help but have a bit more doubt in his mind. He looked to Andromeda.
"Do you really think this will be beneficial? What credibility do you lend to your words outside of being a very skilled and renowned prosecutor, Miss Tonks? You've never been politically active before, so how would you know?"
"I thought you'd never ask, Minister Fudge," Andromeda said with a smile. She lifted her hand up and revealed the rings she had been concealing from them, eliciting gasps of shock from Amelia and Fudge. "I am now the Regent for the Founding House of Slytherin and Noble and Most Ancient House of Vulpis."
She didn't need to say anything further as Fudge's mind ran away with the implications of such a status. Amelia, of course, realized that that fact still didn't give her any validity towards being politically savvy though she didn't doubt the woman's adaptability and skill, but that also wasn't the point. As long as they successfully baited Fudge into going along with putting Pettigrew on trial, the mission was complete.
The poor Minister would still have a month or two of calm before the trial could be set up and finally take place. They could only hope he did his best to enjoy that calm because not many people deserved the sort of chaos that was set to ensue soon. It would be quite the show, alright.
…..
A/N: Ah, that's the end of this one. I hope that first scene I had went rather well. I thought that it was about time for a decent bonding scene, but I'm not sure if I executed my mental image quite well enough. Tell me what you think! As for the rest, well, poor Fudge isn't going to get exactly what he bargained for.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Halloween should be up next, before we move into the trials, which will then be followed by Christmas~ Of course, that'll be over the course of the next few chapters. Cheers!