Harry Potter and the Blessed Blood
Champion
***Despite my plans to eventually own things, Harry Potter will never be one of them. ***
§ParselTongue§
***HPBB***
He could see the green killing energy streak from the Dark Lord's wand towards his intended victim. Watched in horror as it impacted, and the boy's eyes became empty. Then the three champions were whisked away to safety, while the fourth one fell.
***HPBB***
The field surrounding the maze was filled with movement and commotion, after the champions had disappeared. Sirius had spent all of thirty seconds debating what to do next, before giving up and going with his gut instinct... thus charging towards the maze, shouting for his best friend to 'cover his six'.
He had almost made it too, before a barrier appeared to block his path. A shield created by the Headmaster.
"Dumbledore, I'm going to give you three seconds to drop this thing, before I drop you."
"I'm afraid it isn't that simple Sirius. The tournament is still in effect, if you intervene in any way then there is a chance for all the champions to lose their magic."
"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I GIVE A DAMN!? HARRY COULD BE..."
"Fighting for his life right now, as of this instance we have no way of locating him. All you would be doing is potentially putting his life in danger to achieve nothing. We need to find them first and foremost, then intervene."
Moony swore that for the briefest of seconds his friend looked ready to change shapes and simply rip the man's throat out, before he let out a defeated sigh and nodded his head. Sirius had rushed into action before, and last time he had ended up in Azkaban because of it.
Thus the various staff members began locator spells and dozens of other incantations to try and find the four lost students, and it was because of this that few noticed the slight sparks emanating from the maze several minutes later.
Every few moments they would appear at a different location, lighting up the sky just a bit more than normal.
Finally a half hour later three figures emerged, all leaning on each other just to stay upright and functional. Fleur in the middle, with Cedric on her left and Krum on the right. Only Krum had his wand out at this point, and as they cleared the maze he began to angrily fire the 'signals' into the sky.
"WHAT. DO. YOU. ASSHOLES. THINK. THAT. THIS. MEANS!?" Each shout was punctuated by another burst of sparks as time seemed to freeze for a moment. The collective adults merely stared, before rushing forward to provide aid.
Pomfrey began medical spells.
Snape had, reluctantly, prepared dozens of healing potions just in case.
The parents of the three were busy checking over their children.
Dumbledore finally managed to push through the mob, and gain the attention of Cedric, who had begun breaking down and shaking in his mother's arms.
"H-he's back Headmaster... The Dark Lord is back..." the boy practically sobbed.
"H-Harry?"
Fleur looked up to see the terrified face of Hermione Granger staring back at her, the look in the young girl's eyes bringing tears to the French witch's own. It was all she could do to shake her head in defeat.
The bookworm's heart broke as she fell to her knees. Vaguely she was aware of someone's screams of anguish and pain nearby.
Were they Luna's, or her own? At this point she couldn't actually tell.
***HPBB***
Tonks had arrived an hour later after hearing what had happened. Both Remus and Sirius were well aware that she had grown to like their godson, and the news of his death had devastated her just as much as it did them.
It had taken less than a half-hour after her arrival for the man posing as Mad-Eye-Moody to be unveiled and arrested, much to the embarrassment of the Hogwarts staff and Ministry.
The next day news of what occurred broke all over England, and then the world. Harry Potter had been entered by a Death Eater posing as a teacher, and the boy had been innocent of all that he had been accused of. The only reason that riots had not broken out across the magical England was the fact that Minister Fudge had declared a 'week of mourning' in honor of the young boy. Regardless tensions remained high.
The Minister had even attempted to do a bit of propaganda to help his image. Harry's wand was declared a 'historical artifact' and a vote was set to determine where it would finally end up. Most wanted it at the Ministry itself, while others demanded it be placed at the school that the boy had 'bravely given his life for'. Those closest to him wanted it given to his friends and family, but they were largely ignored. Finally it was decided that the decision would be made after the ending ceremonies for the Tri-Wizard Championship, there it would be shown one last time before put on display.
Worse still was the news that Voldemort had returned. Cornelius had tried to cover it up for a few hours, but trying to discredit three champions who had shown up beyond traumatized was a hopeless cause. Even more condemning was the fact that the ICW had taken immediate action and called for a joint session to discuss what this might entail for the rest of the magical world.
***HPBB***
Days passed without meaning for most of Hogwarts as they mourned for 'their champion'. Neville has promptly found an abandoned classroom, transported some necessary supplies to it, and then placed wards so that Hermione, Luna, Susan, and himself could all mourn in private.
"Two faced bastards" the boy snarled as he thought about all of the conversations he had overheard. All of the students who had claimed that they knew Harry had been innocent the entire time but cried about 'peer pressure' forcing them to act the way they had.
"Cowards is more like it" Hermione chimed in from nearby where she sat with Luna. The poor blonde hadn't slept since the end of the tournament, despite the fact that Hermione and her often held onto each other at night.
Outside a howl drifted on the wind.
"Almost sounds like the animal is mourning as well..." Susan muttered as she listened, the other three glanced at each other. Susan hadn't been told about Sirius Black and his alternative form. With her family in the DMLE they didn't want to risk putting her in a situation where she had to make a choice between friends and the law regarding Animagus forms.
"They sound more like cries of pain"
Susan turned towards the Ravenclaw, whose gaze was focused through the window and the wilderness beyond.
Miles from Hogwarts three figures were resting on a hill. Two adults had their arms wrapped around a large dog which sat between them, the canine itself howling loudly every few minutes.
In reality they were the sobs of a broken man. A man who had already lost, and failed, too much in his life.
***HPBB***
"Come on Minnie, you have to eat something."
The Transfiguration expert shot a half-hearted glare at her friend, before taking another shot of alcohol. "What's the point Poppy?"
"The point is that despite all we failed to do for that boy I do not believe that he would want you drowning yourself in booze."
"How would we know what he wants. Not like I ever bothered asking. Not like I ever did anything besides follow the old bastard's instructions. 'Oh don't worry about it Minerva I am sure he will be fine. It is for the greater good Minerva. He has to stay with his relatives Minerva, he is safe there." The woman spat at the last remark she made in her 'Dumbledore' tone. "Yes, because truly being stuck in an abusive household is the only alternative to keeping him safe. Not like we could have just kept him in Hogwarts year round."
"And how would that have worked Minnie?" The mediwitch piped in, not wanting to see the self-deprivation continue any further than it already had. "Who would have stayed with him?"
"I would have!" the woman snapped, before giving a whispered apology.
"We both made mistakes Minerva, we both chose to follow Dumbledore rather than our own hearts when it came to that boy."
McGonagall gave an empty chuckle, "funny how we were the ones who made mistakes... and yet he was the one who always paid for them..."
***HPBB***
"Do you remember the time that Malfoy was taunting Luna and Harry snuck up behind him?" Neville suddenly called out to the other three teenagers in the room. This, of course, earned a teary eyed giggle from Luna and a warm smile from the other two girls.
"Or when he pinned the prat to the table this year?"
The Longbottom heir began to chuckle at the memory. "That was great, too bad he didn't rip the bastard's arm off though."
"Harry is far too kind for that." The others nodded at Luna's assessment before she continued on. "I still think he is incapable of cruelty, no matter what he went out of his way to help people, even those he didn't know. Remember the end of last year?"
Neville nodded in remembrance, while Susan and Hermione just looked puzzled. "What do you mean the end of last year? What did he do back then?"
A sad smile crept onto the Ravenclaw's face as she gave a slight sigh. She had been hoping that Hermione would have figured it out on her own but now... it would just add more sorrow to the bushy-haired girl's spirit.
"The young Gryffindor girl whose marriage contract was purchased, Tonks arriving out of the blue, the Muggleborn adults who showed up at the end of second year..."
"I-it was Harry..." Hermione muttered out as fresh tears began to form.
Luna and Neville nodded sadly, "It was always him... even when you were fighting he only wanted to make you happy... all he ever wanted was for us to be happy and safe..."
A depressed silence fell over the room once again.
***HPBB***
With a groan Harry opened his eyes, observing the perfect sky above him. "Guess I'm not in Hell..."
Soft laughter from nearby immediately gained his attention, and forced him to, rather painfully, sit up.
A massive lake lay before him, spreading out as far as he could see with it's crystal blue waters softly reflecting the light from above. However, that was not what interested him at the moment. Far more astonishing was the woman, clad all in white, sitting on top of the water. Even more odd was the humorous way she stared at him.
"Feeling okay?"
Her voice was soft and musical.
"I suppose... for a dead man."
She chuckled again, "You aren't dead Harry... well not exactly."
"Ah, another confusing riddle?"
"Something like that, come over here and sit with me."
Normally he would be rather nervous about walking on water but for some reason those fears were pushed aside, and he casually made his way over to do as he was told.
"So what happened?"
"You were hit by the killing curse as you saved your friends. Quite noble of you by the way."
He shrugged, "They have far more people who need them than I do..."
"That isn't true."
Again a dismissive shrug, from what he could tell only Dobby and Hedwig would be truly affected by his passing. His godparents and friends would probably be better off in the long run without him being a massive target next to them..
"Regardless, you aren't going to die, not yet at least. You see Voldemort cheated in obtaining his immortality, using a method which does not sit well with the higher ups. Because of that they have allowed my own intervention to sort of... redirect his curse to somewhere far more practical."
"I don't think I under..."
The woman gently pushed the hair from his face, and traced the scar, which began to fade shortly afterwards. "The scar you bore contained a fragment of the Dark Lord's soul. It was a relatively simple method to force it to be destroyed rather than your own."
"Thank you for that."
Her grin brightened even further before a look of recollection crossed her beautiful face. "I almost forgot, I have something for you. Something we have been trying to deliver for many years now, always when you needed it most. Quite frankly we are a bit tired of it being turned away by others."
A package shimmered into existence in her arms, and she held it out to him.
"It is yours"
He gently took it from her, before opening it and gazing inside, his eyes widening as he looked back at her smile and nod of acknowledgment. "It is exactly what you think."
"Why me..."
"It chose you Harry. We all chose you. Courage, determination, bravery, kindness, self-sacrifice, compassion, a willingness to stand for what you believe, the ability to bring out the best in others... who else could it choose?"
As he reached for it his hand paused, as if considering something. "This is a bribe... isn't it?"
"If it helps your decision..."
A silence fell between them as Harry gazed out over the water once more, "you want me to go back"
It wasn't a question, and she could hear the hurt in his tone.
"I know that they hurt you Harry, I know better than anyone else how much their betrayal damaged you but..." here she paused, before gently lifting her delicate hands to his face. "Will you let me show you?"
He nodded hesitantly a second later.
***HPBB***
Hogwarts burned
The boy slowly made his way inside, careful not to step upon any of the bodies which covered the entrance way. Corpses of adults, of monsters, and of children lay strung about. Some the victims of curses, and others killed by more... savage means...
Inside he could hear fighting in the far off corridors, of spells being flung to and fro, yet he paid that no mind. There was something drawing him on, a task he needed to complete, a scene he needed to behold.
In the next room McGonagall's body lay, covering the bodies of several students. It had been her last act, the final attempt to save precious lives, and perhaps redeem her own failures.
In the next chamber he found the corpse of his godfathers. Sirius had not gone down quietly, and quite a few Death Eaters lay dead at his feet.
Remus was partially transformed next to that of his best friend, and it looked as though he had given into his rage in his last moments as his body was covered in the hundreds of wounds that it took to finally slay him.
Nearby Tonks' body was discarded across the broken floor, her eyes dull and lifeless.
Still he continued on.
In the final room he found what he was looking for. A young bushy-haired witch lay trapped by a partially collapsed ceiling, fires raging around her.
A blonde boy tried desperately to free her, to pry the burning boards and rock that kept her trapped, ignoring the scars that his hands now bore from the heat.
"N-Neville g-go on. G-get Luna a-and S-Susan. Get out of here!"
"I told you Hermione, I am not leaving you. We are going to get out of here, we are going to be okay. You are going to be okay."
The pain in his eyes were obvious. As the green-eyed boy observed the mangled and twisted bodies of the remaining two girls nearby.
Susan had been torn apart by what appeared to be a werewolf.
Luna... he didn't want to try and guess at the cause of her death.
"P-please Neville! S-save yourself!"
"I am not..."
Anything else was interrupted as the remaining roof collapsed, causing a horrific scream of pain and a shout of agony.
***HPBB***
Harry fell back out of the woman's gentle grasp, before turning and emptying his stomach onto the water, which cleaned itself seconds later. As he slowly turned to look up at her, his eyes full of tears, his mind came to its conclusion. "I-if I l-leave... Th-that is what happens if V-Voldemort wins... "
Her expression broke whatever remained of his heart.
"No Harry... if you leave that future is what occurs should Voldemort lose. That is the best case scenario... you do not want to see the worst."
He could only stare in horror, before he managed to gather his determination and harden his mind, "what can I do?"
"Become who you were born to be! Stop Voldemort, save the country, and the world. Protect those who you care about most."
***HPBB***
"Ladies and gentlemen, despite everything that has occurred in the past week we have gathered here today to witness the crowning of our newest Tri-Wizard Champion!"
The few grunts and half-hearted claps were all the response the Prime Minster received, before he cleared his throat and continued on.
'The Championship claims lives every time, people should learn to get over these things.' he mused before turning to the Goblet. "Of those four who entered only one can be the true champion. The judges have pushed aside their sorrows and made their decision... THE TRI-WIZARD CHAMPION IS... VICTOR KRUM!"
A few cheers sounded, but otherwise no one else seemed to care about what had just been announced.
***HPBB***
"Bunch of bloody bullshit if you ask me..." Cedric muttered gloomily from the 'champion's table'. The other two could only nod in agreement. "We all know who the real champion is... and he's the only one not here..."
"The boy who sacrificed himself, yet again, for us..." Fleur spoke, her eyes red with tears.
"A true warrior and champion if ever there was one. I don't even want the damn victory..." Krum finished, a touch of anger obvious in his tone.
***HPBB***
Sirius Black angrily glared at the judges table, why in the hell had Dumbledore insist upon him and Moony being here? It's not like they were doing anything, and if anything he would much rather be anywhere else instead of watching a bunch of self-righteous bastards celebrate his godson's death.
But no, the old man had sent them a message explaining that he had some sort of 'incredibly important news' to share after the ceremony. Personally the Black Lord didn't give two shits at this point. Harry was dead, what did it matter anymore?
Did anything matter anymore?
***HPBB***
"Now then if the Champion would please make his way up to..." A burst of flames silenced the hall, as the Goblet of Fire lit and spat out a column of flames into the air. Moments later the inferno rearranged itself into letters.
Tri-Wizard Champion: Harry Potter
"Wh-what is this nonsense!?"
"Looks like your stupid cup is smarter than you are Minister."
"Now now Sirius, there is no reason to..."
"Course there is" a voice interrupted as the room observed the true Mad-Eye-Moody slowly enter and make his way forward. "You all seem to have forgotten that the Goblet is the one who chooses the champions, not you. Thus it is the Goblet who chooses the victor, not you."
"Ridiculous! It is a magical artifact that..."
"That is the reason we have a championship!" Moody interrupted Fudge once more, earning him a glare from the bureaucrat. "Normally the victor chosen by the judges aligns with the Goblet, this time it didn't and thus we have this situation. None of you bother reading up on the tournament I see..."
"Potter scored the lowest!" a pink clad woman shrieked, earning a wince from those in the great hall. "How can he be champion!?"
"Simply put toad, he is the one who scored highest in what counts. What was the purpose of the first task?"
"To steal the egg of course!" Fudge exclaimed loudly, earning slight nods from the other judges.
"WRONG! The purpose was to 'defeat an unknown enemy'. So tell me... how many of you defeated the dragon hm? None of ya? Didn't think so. More importantly how many of you were given knowledge beforehand? I seem to have heard that everyone but Potter was. Thus he was the only one who scored."
"B-but surely the Ministry..."
"The Ministry" Moody replied with a mocking tone "Aint got shit to do with the tournament. Potter also saved a life during the second task, thus completing the purpose of it, and did the best during the gauntlet. Finally he embodied 'self-sacrifice'. Not the most commonly exhibited trait in the tournament but one that usually scores the highest. Fact of the matter is he was the only one who deserved to win. If he wasn't dead I would be looking into him as an apprentice as we speak."
***HPBB***
"Regardless of the Goblet's wishes I am afraid that we must overrule it. A deceased individual cannot be made champion." Dumbledore called out over the whispers of the various schools. "Now then we shall begin the 'crowning ceremony'. Mr. Krum, would you kindly approach the judges."
Despite the, fairly loud, protests the Bulgarian gave a sigh before rising.
None noticed the main doors opening, as a single individual, with a snow white owl on his shoulder, strode into the room.
"Victor Krum, by the power invested in me, and with the agreement of all other judges..."
Fudge did notice that the room had grown quieter in the last few moments, and continued to do so. Glancing to his right in order to see what the big fuss was about his thought processes stopped.
There, walking down the aisle with his eyes practically glowing, was a very annoyed Harry Potter.
***HPBB***
"I can't believe this Padfoot, all of the crap he went through and... Padfoot? What are you..." Remus halted as he followed Sirius' line of sight, and spotted his godson across the room.
"P-p-pup?"
Their whisper was either ignored, or went unheard as the boy-who-lived marched up to the judges table, and stood in front of Umbridge.
"My wand"
"Wh-what?" the woman stuttered out, her brain trying desperately to catch up with what she knew was impossible.
"The Tournament is over, return my wand... now!"
"Uh um er here..." she managed, retrieving the stick from it's case, before the object was ripped from her hand.
The boy gave a nod, before calling out to the room. "Dobby"
A soft pop was heard before a cry of relief from a sobbing House-Elf filled the chamber.
Meanwhile everyone else was silently staring in shock.
"M-M-Master Harry Potter! Oh you are okay! Dobby was so upset that you might have... But Dobby should have known better. Dobby should have known the Great Master Harry Potter would not be defeated so easily. Master Harry Potter survived before, and he has survived again!"
"Dobby, could you get my things please? Since the school year is over I am ready to leave."
"Of course!"
The small creature disappeared once more with a snap of his fingers.
"H-Harry... you survived..."
The boy ignored Dumbledore as he walked over to the other champions.
"You are all okay?"
"Wh-what?" This time it was Cedric who stuttered out.
"You are okay? I was afraid that something would go wrong and you would..."
"You stupid jackass of course we are fine! YOU are the one who died!"
Shockingly it was Krum who was shouting.
"I wasn't really dead... just sort of."
"How can you be sort of dead!?"
"Not really sure, I wasn't too concerned about getting an answer to that one."
***HPBB***
Hermione Granger was ashamed. Not because of something she had done but rather something she had failed to do.
Harry had strolled into the room like a king entering his court. He was, for lack of better terms, beautiful in every way shape and form... and she had simply stared. She hadn't rushed forward, hadn't wept tears of joy while clinging to him, hadn't begged him never to leave her again.
Instead she had acted like everyone else... and simply stared in shock. A week of mourning him had dulled her senses and her mind. If the blonde Ravenclaw's expression was any indication then Luna was in the same boat as her. Frozen in a mixture of shock, disbelief, and joy.
Finally, it was Neville who stabilized first and in true Gryffindor fashion decided to state the obvious rather than make a heart felt emotional recovery, "Harry, what's with the sword?" drawing attention to the weapon strapped to the boy's hip.
"A gift Neville" the boy-who-lived replied, "when I came to I was sitting on a beautiful lake where a woman gave it to me."
"Damn pup, you sure do have some crazy adventures... so was she hot?" this question earned a head slap from Tonks as Neville continued to stare, his mind reaching a conclusion that left his jaw hanging out.
"Wait! You said a woman on a lake gave it to you?"
"Yes"
"B-but that means..."
Sirius recovered, his eyes widening as well. "You don't think that..."
"Why not?" the Longbottom heir almost laughed, it was too good not to be true at this point. "Magical history and Muggle legend often intertwine. What they think of as myth we know has roots in our past, and there is only one instance that I can think of in either in which a Lady in a Lake gave a man a sword and his name was Arthur... which MEANS that the weapon is..."
"Excalibur" Sirius whispered out as he stared at the object.
***HPBB***
Harry stared back at Neville for a moment, before giving the slightest of shrugs, "that's because it is Excalibur." he confirmed in a nonchalant way.
Everyone stared, until Sirius began a slow chuckle, which slowly escalated into a full on laugh until he was rolling on the floor.
"O-o-oh man pup... o-o-only you..." finally the man calmed himself before standing back up and giving an explanation to the confused students. "You see pup, all magical items are given a rating, everything from a Class one, which are items that just work even if they shouldn't, such as a quill, to a Class five which are items so powerful that they shape history and are said to defy the laws of magic itself. Care to guess on which of these the sword is?"
"It is a Class five then?" Hermione inquired from nearby, adding that information to her memory in an instant.
Sirius nodded, "yep as far as we know, course we aren't sure exactly what it does."
"I do" Harry replied, before narrowing his eyes at his godfather, "and I am aware of how magical artifacts work, I researched them last year. I am not as stupid as you all seem to think I am."
"I... I didn't mean..."
Harry turned, ignoring any further comments by the man. He hadn't come back to be talked down to after all.
Sirius' head dropped as his shoulders sagged, he just couldn't seem to figure out the correct thing to say to the boy.
"So Harry..."
"Buddy"
"Pall"
"Best Friend"
"Amigo"
"I do not forgive either of you." Harry interrupted, giving the two twins a glare.
"Uh right..."
"We just wanted"
"To know if"
"You are now"
"King of England"
"And if you are"
"If you might"
"See it in your"
"Heart to"
"Help a fella out"
"Two fellas actually"
"With a business permit"
Harry's glare never wavered, "Excalibur does not make me the King of England, King Arthur was by blood and deed, not by a magical sword. It does make me the heir of some place called Avalon but other than that nothing."
This conversation finally snapped both Hermione and Luna from their daze, and as both stood to rush forward they were halted by a slight shake from the boy's head and a knowing glance that seemed to say 'later, in private'.
He wanted their reunion, possibly the one he cared about most, to be away from prying eyes, away from those who did not deserve his forgiveness.
***HPBB***
Fleur Delacour calmly stood and strode up to the boy who had saved her, and her younger sister, before putting a hand behind his neck and forcing him into a very deep kiss. His own shock allowed her tongue the access it was looking for as she snogged the boy's brains out, only letting him up for air a minute later.
Sirius gave a whoop of joy.
"That is for saving my sister Harry... as for saving me... well we will have to wait until we have a little more privacy before I reward you for that." Fleur huskily whispered out, although with the silence in the room no one failed to hear it.
The growls from Luna and Hermione were also heard by everyone present.
***HPBB***
"Mr. Potter, we will need to discuss your educational arrangements for next year. Obviously you will need to do some catch up early on if..."
"I thought that I had already told you... I am not coming back to this school. You kicked me out remember?"
"My boy I assure you that it was merely a misunderstanding. You were never officially exiled."
Harry stared back at the man, his gaze cold with an underlying rage. "Is that so?"
"Indeed, so if we can put this unpleasantness behind..."
"Tonks."
The woman perked up, at this point she was just happy that he was speaking to her, considering the way their last conversation went.
"Yes Harry?"
"I want Albus Dumbledore arrested."
Everyone gaped at this. Why would the boy be demanding that?
"Uhm... on what charge?"
"According to the Hogwarts charter 'all students must be given adequate housing with their peers, unless they are a danger to others, as well as access to study material, nourishment, and attention. Failure to do so will be considered a breach in the ethics clause and result in charges being placed against the Headmaster.' Dumbledore exiled me from Gryffindor and the castle. If what he claims is true then he is in direct violation. I want to press charges."
The Auror grinned, about time someone stood up to the faculty.
"Of course Harry"
"Now now my boy, surely such actions are not necessary."
"I suppose, if you were originally correct and I was officially removed from Hogwarts then I would have no grounds for this... of course that also means that I would not be an official student, and I am not your 'boy'."
One did not have to be Albus Dumbledore to read between the lines and see the ultimatum being presented. With a heavy sigh, and his mind working furiously on a way to entrap the boy back to where he could be monitored, the Headmaster gave a sad nod.
"Very well... the initial banishment will be recognized..."
"Ah, then it appears I do not have to attend your school."
"You need a magical education Harry..." Minerva whispered out, her heart breaking at the thought of never seeing the boy again.
"Excuse me, Mr. Potter? My name is Madame Olympe Maxime, Headmistress of Beauxbaton. I believe I have a solution for you. After the second task one of my students approached me about having you enroll in our school. I have drawn up the paperwork, and all it requires is your signature."
Fudge and Dumbledore's faces fell.
"H-he can't! He is a legal resident of England and thus..."
"Oh do not worry about such trivial things Minister. I have already filled out the paperwork for him to become a dual citizen, after all he wasn't a citizen of your country at the time. I am sure that a certain... French witch wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of you..." The woman hinted, giving a slight glance over to Fleur.
"Utter nonsense, the boy will be attending Durmstrang. Beauxbaton and Hogwarts are too passive for a warrior of his talents. We teach dueling and combat above all else!" The Headmaster of the other European school declared, further paling the two English leaders.
It was already bad enough when the truth had come out about Harry... if the magical community heard that the Heir of Excalibur left for another magical school because of them... their political careers wouldn't last long enough to resign.
"Aurors arrest him!"
The whispers of the room fell silent once more, as everyone slowly turned towards the pink clad woman.
"He stole Ministry property which was never released back to him, he has also been seen in the presence of the Dark Lord and survived where it was presumed he died. Clearly he is in league with him."
The guards that had arrived with the Minister glanced between each other, and also took notice that the Fudge himself made no move to stop them, either too shocked to do so or too inept to figure out how, before one let out a sigh and began walking forward.
"Sorry Potter, hands behind your back and..."
The group found themselves with half a dozen wands pointed at them.
***HPBB***
Sirius grinned
He had to admit that although Remus, Tonks, and himself were a bit faster, the other three champions wand draws had been quite impressive as well.
A second later Neville, Luna, Hermione, and Susan had joined them.
The room froze, as if there was a bubbling cauldron and no one was quite sure whether it would explode or merely puff in smoke.
Then a redheaded girl stood up, and drew her own wand.
Ginny Weasley had been rescued by the boy in her first year... and then she had stood by and let them expel him without so much as an objection.
Not this time.
Fred and George joined her moments later, followed by the rest of Gryffindor.
Then Hufflepuff joined Cedric's example.
Ravenclaw stood an instance later, followed by a large portion of Slytherin.
Sirius' grin grew wider.
***HPBB***
"Now, now everyone please sit back down, there is no reason to..."
"Can it Albus, I am not going to stand by and let Mr... Harry be subjected to yet another miscarriage of justice." The Deputy Headmistress growled out, her own wand joining the others moments after Ginny's.
"So Williamson" The Lord Black called out to the head Auror with a grin, "looks to me like you are outnumbered... by a lot. Although even if we weren't you would be trying to arrest my godson with what, five Aurors? My godson who walked through Dragon Fire, who tossed a creature weighing over two tons a hundred feet, beat a stone giant in a fist fight, and proceeded to survive the Killing Curse again... so I want you to think long and hard and ask yourself, did you bring enough men?"
The man paused, glancing over at the Aurors who stood beside him, most of whom looked fairly fragile to begin with, and then back at the boy who stared defiantly back at him, with arguably the most powerful artifact in the world strapped to his waist.
No, he definitely did not bring enough men. Hell he wasn't sure if the entire DMLE would be enough to bring the boy in at this point. Not to mention that if he had been reading between the lines thus far doing anything to this boy would be political suicide at this point.
"Sorry Madam Umbridge, but we have no grounds to arrest him on."
Might as well try and save what little of his pride he had left.
"W-W-WHAT!? You will regret this, I am the Senior Undersecretary to..."
By this point the Minister had finally decided to do something, and stealthily made his way to the woman and whispered into her ear, "Madam Umbridge please try and calm yourself the situation is still salvageable. We can deal with Potter later after the political climate calms down."
The woman bit back a screeching reply before nodding.
One catastrophe thus averted the Minister turned back towards Dumbledore, "fix this" he hissed, before gesturing towards the boy.
***HPBB***
"Harry my..."
"If I have to remind you that I am not your boy one more time..."
The elder wizard raised his hands in a placating manner, "of course, my apologies. I was just hoping to speak with you and your godparents in private for a moment."
Harry's eyes narrowed, he had no interest in speaking with the man before him.
"Whatever it is Dumbledore..." Sirius growled from nearby.
"I can assure you that it is imperative that we speak about this. Mr. Potter's safety is my primary concern after all."
Harry didn't even bother to hold back a snort. But followed with Remus and Sirius into a side room anyway.
"I understand that you wish to take custody of Harry this summer Sirius..."
"No, I am going to take custody of Harry. I did your stupid errand old man and now..."
"We found her."
Sirius faltered, what the hell was the old man rambling about now?
"Nagini" Remus whispered out from the side, earning a nod from the Headmaster.
"Indeed, we located her the day before the final task. We need to dispose of her in the next day or two at most. Currently she is being held under powerful wards but I have no doubt that Voldemort will manage to rescue her in the next few days. This is the last Hocrux. If we can destroy it then he will be vulnerable once more."
"So destroy it. We got rid of the other ones, what is the big deal?"
"The others did not try and tear throats out while the basilisk venom was administered."
Padfoot clamped his jaw shut, that was a good point...
"However, I believe with Mr. Potter's aide we can destroy it once and for all. If we can borrow the sword for a mere day then it should be more than enough to dispose of the creature."
"Why in the bloody hell would you think I am going to just give you..."
"Pup... as pissed as I am with the old man right now... he has a point. This might be the only time we can remove the remaining defenses around the 'immortal' bastard. Besides..."
"Besides what?"
The two godfathers glanced at each other, not knowing quite how to address this. Luckily Albus interrupted. "You cannot take the sword into the Muggle world Harry. We have no idea how powerful it is or how much it might influence the inhabitants. That is why artifacts of that magnitude are forbidden from being in long term exposure to Muggles."
"Don't worry about this pup, we will get rid of the snake, clear up the Black mansion and then you can move in... give me a week tops and you will be living with Remus and I."
Harry's eyes narrowed, he had heard this bullshit before. Empty promises being made to him every year. Yet every year they were broken.
His friends
His teachers
His godparents
It didn't matter who said what, the point was that Harry had little reason to trust anyone of authority at this point.
"Mr. Potter... with your dramatic return I have no doubt that Voldemort will learn of your survival within the day. We need to ensure his defeat early on to save lives in the future..."
Let no one say that Albus Dumbledore was not a master manipulator. He knew exactly where to apply pressure in order to achieve what he wanted, through any means necessary.
All for the 'greater good'.
"Fine"
***HPBB***
"Fleur"
The French witch nodded as she approached Harry's two female friends. "I wish to speak with the two of you."
"I am afraid that the cure for wrackspurt infestation in females is far more difficult than with men, perhaps they will have a cure for you back in France... or as far away from Harry as possible."
The older girl rolled her eyes, before sitting down next to the two girls. "Actually Harry is what I wanted to talk about."
"What a surprise, we were just going to speak with you as well."
Fleur nodded, "I know that the two of you are close to him, and have been for several years."
"Very close" the younger blonde noted, a spark of warning in her eyes directed at the half-veela.
Again she nodded, "then I suppose the only fair to give you a year."
"Excuse me?"
Fleur's eyes narrowed on the two girls, who glared back, "A year, if you have not claimed him by then I will return and do so myself, and if you get the silly idea that you two will 'win' because he can have you both..." this comment earned blushes from both younger teens, "I assure you that Gabrielle is quite accepting of him as well. I will, how you say, be in touch."
***HPBB***
"One more thing Harry" Dumbledore whispered as the two Marauders reentered the main hall. "I must insist you return to the Dursleys."
"And I must insist that you shove your wand where the sun doesn't shine. If you think I am going back to that hellhole..."
"You are safe there Harry. Voldemort cannot find you..."
"And I am abused there Headmaster... but you knew that already, in fact you have probably always known haven't you?"
The silence gave Harry his answer just as readily as any admission.
Still Dumbledore had an 'ace' to play.
"Once the Dark Lord learns of your return he will seek you out through any means necessary..."
The boy's eyes narrowed.
"It would be... quite unfortunate if he learned of your friend's locations. Mr. Longbottom might be safe, but Miss Lovegood is often on vacation in the wilderness with her father... and Miss Granger lives in Muggle society. If Voldemort finds out where they are..."
"If anything happens to them..."
"I give you my word nothing will... so long as you return to the wards. Once Sirius has fortified his home and calls for you then you may move out but until then..."
Harry's growl sounded more like an enraged animal than a human.
"I must insist... this is for everyone's best interest."
"Mark my words Headmaster... before this war is over, you are going to bleed."
***HPBB***
"Harry, are you really okay? What are you going to do about next year?"
The boy-who-lived gave a slight shrug, he had managed to slip out of the main hall under the pretense of 'wanting to recover' and was quickly joined by his three closest friends. After locating a private room they had simply come together in a group hug for what seemed to be over an hour, before settling down to simply talk and enjoy each others company for the first time in months. Later the conversation had turned to the future, and to be honest he had planned on figuring that out during the summer and was just focusing on living through the Tournament in the meantime. "I don't know, I just... after yet another year of this crap..."
"We understand Harry. Hell if I had been through half of the shit you have been..."
"Language Neville... what he is trying to say is that we want you to be safe and happy... no matter what but..."
"But you are staying here." Harry finished for the bookworm, causing her to look down at the floor in guilt.
"It isn't simple for us Harry, I checked before the third task and the laws state that we have to finish school where we began due to the curriculum being too different in other schools. We would love to go with you no matter what but unless we are expelled..."
"We could try murdering Snape, I bet that might get us expelled." Neville noted in a creepily serious tone.
"I doubt it, they would probably just blame the wrackspurts like always."
"Also we would end up in jail not expelled Neville." Hermione noted in annoyance.
"Eh same thing for you."
"Prat"
"Know it all"
"At least I know something"
"At least I can get a date"
"At least I can get into a dance without using Harry's fame"
"Yeah well... well... shut up"
Luna giggled happily as the two teenagers fell back into their typical bickering, a welcomed return to normalcy after everything that happened. Harry smiled as well, even as his thoughts drifted back to the decisions looming before him.
***HPBB***
"Harry, despite the fact that Fleur and Krum are leaving and I am graduating we just... well..."
"You always have a friend and ally to call upon from Durmstrang." Krum interrupted, while reaching out and earning a strong handshake from the boy.
"Indeed, and Beauxbaton will stand by you as well, along with the Delacours. Perhaps we will be seeing more of each other next year at this time." The implication that Fleur had made was subtle, the wink not so much.
"AND I will be in your corner no matter what Harry, despite these jerks who have lives and families elsewhere." Again his comment earned him a smack to the back of the head from the French witch.
"You three as well, if you ever need anything just call."
"Harry, you have done more than anyone could ever ask for... when the Dark Lord gathers his forces we will stand by you, even if that means we stand alone."
***HPBB***
Rather than riding the Hogwarts Express back with the rest of the students, Dumbledore had insisted that Harry be magically transported instead. If the Death Eaters knew where he would be then there could be collateral damage in any attempts to target him.
Despite the fact that Harry knew what the old man was doing, he couldn't help but see the slim logic in it. He had no desire to test his luck, and have anyone harmed in the crossfire. Thus when he appeared in an alley near his home and reached the property he gave one last snarl to the Headmaster, before watching the elder wizard vanish.
Vernon Dursley emerged moments later, having been informed of the boy's arrival.
"Get inside before someone sees you freak!"
Once more the strength left his body, but this time Harry refused to stumble, this time things would be different.
Seconds after the door closed, and the fat man struck him in the face, a young boy made up his mind with just how different things would be. For the first time in his life, Harry hit back.
***HPBB***
