Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or make any money from this story.
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"Mister Dumbledore…" Sebastian said coolly, not letting the surprise show on his face. He made his way back to his desk. "What brings you here?" He sat down and smiled at him. "Please, please sit down."
Albus Dumbledore strolled in in all his glory, sporting robes even more ostentatious than usual and his bright jovial smile. "Why thank you, Master Bonham," Dumbledore replied kindly as though they had no bitter history between them and were just sitting down for a friendly chat. "I hope this is a convenient time. I was hoping that we could speak candidly for a moment."
Sebastian leaned back in the chair with his mind racing but his face giving nothing away. "What about?"
Dumbledore gave him an amused look over his glasses, "About Harry Potter of course."
Sebastian just looked at him, not knowing how to respond. But Dumbledore wasn't looking for a response; he took a deep breath and launched into his tale. "It all started when I went to interview a potential new Divination Professor…" Albus began.
At first, Sebastian listened silently with his face still a blank mask but as Dumbledore went on that mask started to crack. Dumbledore told him everything. He told him about the prophecy, about him deciding Harry must be the one it referred to. He told him about the night Harry was orphaned and placing him with his relatives. He told him about the Horcrux and what must happen in the Final Battle. He told him about the plans he had made for Harry and the things he had done to see those plans through. He told him everything.
When he was done he sat back and they both just stared at each other for a moment.
"Why have you told me all of this?" Sebastian said in a measured voice.
"It's pretty clear where the wind is blowing. You are set to become the next Minister for Magic and you have the trust of the most important person in this War. I thought it right that we clear the air, so to speak."
Sebastian eyed him carefully, "I too would like things to be clear. For example, I would like some clarity on why you let Harry be abused by his relatives? Why you put your entire student body at risk with all the stupid tests for him? Like the bit with the Stone and the Chamber. Why did you keep him in the dark about his fate? Why did you decide that you were the only one capable of making decisions to save our world instead of fighting to give our people the tools to save themselves, something that as Headmaster and Chief Warlock you had the power to do?"
That last question made Albus clench his jaw in anger but he proceeded to answer him calmly. "It was regrettable what Harry went through with his relatives, but there was nothing I could do. He was safe behind the Blood Wards. If a few chores and missed meals meant that he would live to fulfill his destiny, then that was the price I was willing to pay."
"But it wasn't you who paid the price." Sebastian hissed. "It was Harry. And what if Harry had missed more than a 'few' meals and ended up starving to death? What if he had been attacked outside of the Blood Wards? I mean, they only protect the house and it's not like Harry spent every moment inside. But I suspect you had already thought of all of this. I suspect that you knew exactly what would happen when you placed Harry with Lily's magic-hating sister. I suspect that as Headmaster you were quite aware of how desperate for affection and attention a young victim of abuse could be and you were hoping to use that to your advantage. I suspect…that you have very few regrets."
Dumbledore just looked at him over steepled fingers. "Master Bonham, why ask me these questions if you will not accept my answer?"
Sebastian raised a brow at him before inclining his head; he motioned for him to continue.
"As for the tests, I was trying to prepare Harry for his impending battle with Voldemort. I wanted him to learn firsthand the way he fights and the kind of tactics he employs, and every time Harry rose to the challenge. As for the students, they were never in any real danger."
Sebastian fought to bite back a retort to that idiotic drivel. A basilisk was frolicking freely through the school but the students were never in danger?!
"I kept Harry in the dark about all this," the fool went on as Sebastian fumed, "because he was not ready to shoulder this burden. There's no doubt that you found the Horcrux that resides in Harry's scar, and you know what that means. You know that he must die…but I expect you haven't told him…just like I wasn't able to."
"Do not compare yourself to me!" Sebastian spat. "He knows about the Horcrux, but I haven't told him that he will die because he won't! Because, unlike you, I am doing everything possible to save him!"
Albus just smiled at him, "As am I." He said simply.
Sebastian had a few choice comments in response to that but he held back. Something wasn't right with any of this. He didn't think Dumbledore was lying, on the contrary, he had a feeling that Albus was being completely sincere, but something still wasn't right. Why tell him all of this? What was he trying to gain? Sebastian thought back to something he had said to Lucius after his Hearing…about the best lies being the truth. Sometimes you didn't need to weave a fancy tale to manipulate people into doing something. Sometimes the truth did the job just fine. But what exactly was it that Dumbledore was trying to get from him…?
Sebastian began, "Dumbledore, I don't know what you hope to-"
BANG!
The door to his office suddenly burst open!
"Sebastian! You must come now! It's-!" Blossom cut herself off when she saw that Sebastian wasn't alone. She had a look in her eyes that told Sebastian that something had gone very, very wrong. "You must come now!" She repeated insistently. "HURRY!" She cried before running off down the hall. Sebastian wasted no time in following her, not bothering to waste a good-bye on Albus Dumbledore.
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Sirius stood there in shock after Harry blinked out of existence, his mind not being able to comprehend what just happened.
"Harry…" He said in a broken whisper.
There was a hush over everyone as if the world had stopped moving. Then suddenly a terrible screech was wrenched from Hedwig's beak and the spell was broken. It was complete pandemonium. The owls were circling wildly in search. Everyone was frantic trying to find someone they had no idea how to find. Head Auror Codwell was barking orders left and right trying to get his best trackers mobilized. Harry's friends threw secrecy to the wind and called all of Harry's House Elves trying to get them to locate him. People that had been working together harmoniously before became frightened and suspicious of every unknown face, fearful that they would disappear next. And while the situation descended into chaos, the Death Eaters that were still conscious or coming out of their stupors took the chance to silently active their own hidden portkeys and quietly slip away.
But Sirius Black paid all this no mind. His eyes searched the panicking crowd for a specific person. When their eyes met, he slowly made his way over to them.
"Benson," Sirius said to the man Polyjuiced to look like his best friend, Remus Lupin. "I'm going to need your help with something."
Benson looked back at him with borrowed eyes, eyes that even with the mask of Polyjuice still held a look that said that he had seen and done horrible things. Benson nodded once without speaking, and followed a determined Sirius Black back to the gates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
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Sebastian practically flew through the halls after Blossom. He caught up with her just as she closed her office window behind her owl, Edwin. She spun around and slashed her wand at him and he felt a privacy spell envelop them as the door to her office slammed shut.
"What is it?!" He cried. "What happened?"
Blossom spoke rapidly as she shed her professional office clothes and got dressed in her full Auror regalia.
"Your intel was good. There was an attack at Hogsmeade. I sent two of my Aurors to patrol and report back immediately if they saw any suspicious activity. They have been partners for years and have worked well together, not to mention one of them is a member of the Organization and my team. My agent was ready to leave for patrol but her partner was nowhere to be found. She went looking and found a letter of resignation on her partner's desk stating that she refused to take orders from a Mudblood. By the time my agent was able find backup, they arrived to find the battle underway. They called for more reinforcements but for some reason they were delayed in arriving. When they got there all that was left to do was clean-up and collect statements." She paused to yank her shirt over her head and Sebastian exploded with impatience.
"SKIP THE BACKSTORY JUST TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!"
She took no offense at his tone, as she hurried into her robe she said, "Everyone thought the battle was over and they let their guard down." Finally dressed she stopped to give him a look he had never received from her before, a look of sympathy. "Potter's gone, Sebastian. Someone got close enough to get a portkey on him. We don't know who it was or where he is. He's gone."
Sebastian barely heard anything she said. His mind had completely shut down. He didn't even register what his body was doing anymore, all of a sudden he was just in the fireplace screaming, "Three Broomsticks!" as Blossom followed behind.
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Benson calmly but quickly followed Sirius Black out the secret passage and found himself in the Sixth-Year Gryffindor girl's dormitory bathroom. He gave no thought to how four teenage boys were able to find this secret passage, he just watched as the toilet slid back over the hole they had come out of.
Sirius rushed towards the door and ran blindly into the dorm, not bothering with a concealment spell. This act was met by the terrified screams of one of the Sixth-Year girls who had decided to skip the Hogsmeade visit. Sirius paid her shrieks no mind though and went tearing for the door to the common room. Benson did not make the same mistake though. He silently Disillusioned himself before stepping into the room and spelling the noisy child asleep as she scrambled for her wand, with that taken care of he followed behind Sirius Black.
His boss had assigned him the task of disguising himself as the werewolf while said werewolf was on a separate mission. He was to work with Black to prevent casualties in today's impending attack on Hogsmeade. They had been successful in preventing such causalities but then the Potter child had been taken. He did not have orders to retrieve the Potter child but he knew his boss to be fond of the young one and assumed he would approve of him joining Black on a mission to rescue him.
Benson glanced at Black as he dropped the concealment spell. Although he had no idea how breaking into the boy's dorm would further the mission. He slowly climbed the stairs to aid him.
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Sirius muttered frantically to himself as he threw spell after spell at the door to Harry's dorm. He knew that Harry had added extra protection to their dorm after the attack on Neville and Hermione but he didn't remember what the countercurses were. Just as he was about to blow the door to bits, Benson did it for him.
A silent Reducto reduced the door to rubble. Sirius threw a thank you at him as he rushed through the door way. He wasted no time and immediately set upon Harry's trunk, throwing it open and painstakingly started to take down all the wards he had taught Harry to protect the books. He had to find Harry, he had to!
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Sebastian barreled out of the fireplace and through the Three Broomsticks so fast he was practically a blur. He shot out of the door in time to see a previously unconscious Death Eater shakily force himself in a sitting position, wandlessly unbound himself, reach into his robes and disappear before his very eyes.
Blossom's eyes bugged out in disbelief as she watched a prime suspect get away in the presence of dozens of Aurors. A red mist descended over her eyes and Sebastian was quick to move away before-
BOOM!
Blossom shot off a boom spell so loud that she almost knocked herself off her own feet. The panicking crowd froze in bewilderment. "THAT IS ENOUGH! NOW YOU LISTEN TO ME! I WANT RED TEAM TO SECURE THE SUSPECTS NOW! CHECK THEM FOR PORTKEYS, WANDS OR ANY OTHER SUCH ARTIFACTS!" She bellowed. "AURORS ARNOLD AND MAGIN, YOU ARE TO COMMENCE THE SEARCH FOR HARRY POTTER IMMEDIATELY! AURORS MCRORY AND TONKS YOU ARE TO DO THE SAME FOR THE SUSPECTS THAT YOU ALL FOOLISHLY LET ESCAPE! GREEN TEAM YOU ARE TO BEGIN QUESTIONING THE WITNESSES AND PURPLE TEAM YOU ARE TO PATROL AND MAKE SURE THE AREA IS SECURE!" Everyone was still blinking at her stupidly, so she roared, "NOW!"
And there was an immediate flurry of motion. Aurors were running all over the place trying to carry out her orders and Sebastian was quickly on the move again. His eyes scanned all over looking for Sirius but he couldn't find him. He suddenly saw a flash of red duck behind a tree and he hurried over.
Harry's friends jumped ten feet into the air when Sebastian suddenly came crashing in.
"What happened?!" He cried, not bothering with any chit chat.
Ron's face was pale and drawn. "Harry…he just…he just disappeared…" He trailed off.
Hermione's face was streak with tears and she pleaded with Dobby, Sobby, Winky, Sully and Cully. "You have to find him, please!" They just looked back at her helplessly.
"Dobby try, Master's Grangy." Dobby said softly. "Dobby…can't…"
"YOU HAVE TO!" She screamed and Sebastian stepped between them.
"They can't," said Sebastian. "There must be a ward against Elves. There's nothing they can do, we have to find him on our own. Now give me details! Did anyone see who took him? How did they get so close? And where's Sirius?!"
They all looked back at him in shame; nobody had anything of use to share. Hermione had been the closest but she had been distracted by a celebratory hug from a classmate at the same moment the person had approached Harry.
Dean shook his head, "I'm sorry, none of us saw who took Harry, but I did see Sirius. He and Professor Lupin left right after Harry was taken. I saw them heading for the Castle."
Sebastian didn't waste any more time. "I have to go find him. You guys stay together and keep each other safe. Don't worry, if it's the last thing I do, I will find Harry."
With that he ran off down the path to Hogwarts, wondering what on Earth Sirius and Benson could possibly be getting up to in there when their boy was lost and in danger.
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Sirius was working urgently but it was taking longer than he thought to take down the wards. He didn't help that his magic still wasn't a hundred percent. It was a lot better but he wasn't yet running at full capacity.
"Come on!" He whispered desperately, when one of his spells failed a second time. "Come on!"
Benson watched his struggle silently. He was so still that Sirius had actually forgotten that he was in the room.
Benson heard footsteps coming up the stairs and soundlessly moved to the door. He stood in the doorway ready to face whoever it was approaching. The person topped the stairs and Benson found himself face-to-face with his boss.
"Benson!" His boss cried. "There you are! I used a Point-Me Spell to find Sirius and it led me here. What are you both doing up here? How will his dorm room help us find him?!"
Benson just smoothly stepped aside in answer and Sebastian was met with the vision of his love surrounded by the contents of Harry's trunk and holding up a book in triumph. He slowly approached him.
"Sirius…?" He said softly.
He turned on him with a wild look in his eye. "Sebastian! I got it! This is what we need! This will help us find, Harry!"
Sebastian glanced at the book in confusion. "Love…how is a chapter book going to help us find him?"
Sirius flipped through the pages roughly, "This isn't just any chapter book! This book tells the past, present and future! It will know exactly where he is!"
Sebastian just looked at him sadly, "I know you're scared." He began, "But I need you to stay with me. Think clearly, love. It's just a book, it can't-"
Sirius's face twisted in anger. "I'M NOT CRAZY! THIS BOOK IS MAGIC THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE! LOOK FOR YOURSELF!
Sirius shoved the book at him and Sebastian decided to indulge him if only to get him to calm down.
Sirius watched him carelessly skimming a few pages before his eyes caught something and he started slowing down and reading carefully. His bugged out in disbelief and he almost dropped the book in astonishment.
"How?" He whispered in shock.
Sirius shook his head. "We don't have time for that. We have to get to Harry. We know where he is now and we have to get to where we can Apparate."
Sebastian shook himself. Sirius was right, there would be time for questions later. He pocketed the book and he, Sirius and Benson took off running.
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Voldemort sat on his throne in silent contemplation. In front of him his Death Eaters scurried about like chickens with their heads cut off, the few who managed to escape that is. He had suffered the most humiliating defeat. A massive chunk of his force had been captured. Those that had been returned to him were all battered and wandless. His best fighter was a useless flop of skin and blood and none of the countercurses they used had any effect on her. And worst of all He, Lord Voldemort, had run away from a bunch of Blood Traitors and Mudbloods with his tail between his legs.
How could this have happened? How the Order gotten so organized? That fool Dumbledore has been on the run since his faithful servant, Severus returned to him. Dumbledore leaving should have been the end of them. The fool had only recently resurfaced. And the wand-breaking. Wizards didn't resort to breaking wands in battle. His Death Eaters weren't above it of course but this tactic had never been used against them before. Now most of his force was as good as Squibs. And even more troubling was the issue of them all standing up to him with no hesitation. The Order, townspeople, even students stood before him ready to fight instead of cowering. There was a time when wizards dare not even speak his name and now…
"This won't do." Voldemort said decisively. "This won't do at all."
He stood up from his throne and slowly the room fell silent. Everyone stopped moving, even Snape paused in his useless treatment of Bellatrix.
"Today," Voldemort began. "Today we suffered a huge defeat. And we did so for one simple reason." He stared them all down hard. "This World no longer fears me. They have found hope in the likes of the Potter brat and that putrid Order and they think they now have a chance to defeat me, to defeat us. They. Are. Mistaken." Voldemort was calm. His voice was soft but it carried throughout the whole room. "Friends, you and I will remind this world why my very name struck them with fear."
Before the last word left his lips, a thunderous roar drowned him out as his followers stomped, screamed and shouted in a murderous frenzy, eager to unleash the horror that Voldemort had planned for the Wizarding World.
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Thanks for Reading!
