Midnight Gold, The Rise Of The Forgotten Lord

by InheritanceConfessor2011

The chronicles of the rise of Lord Harry James Potter and his battle to rebuild the Potter family to its former glory, while working to prove himself worthy of the Potter name and its ancient legacy. Neville is true B-W-L, Rated M for mature themes, No slash. . Chapter 43 reposted - ON HOLD

38. Y2 Confrontation Pt 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters, those belong to J.K. Rowling.

Rated M.

"Spoken dialog."

'Thoughts' / internal thinking

Author Notes: I put time stamps in this chapter to help make it easier to follow. This chapter directly follows the previous one.

Midnight Gold, the Rise of the Forgotten Lord

Chapter 38 Confrontation Pt 2

12th September Posted 2013

Revised andBeta'd by the Magnificent Joe Lawyer

Madam Bones' Office - Tuesday Morning

"Lord Black, Mr. Potter, I was hoping to see you," Madam Bones announced with a hint of amusement in her voice and eyes. "But that can wait until later. What can I do for you two this morning? Does this meeting happen to have something to do with the fact that Mr. Potter is an animagus, by any chance?"

Letting a smile appear on his lips, he answered, "Let me guess, Susan told you?" Harry answered back from his padded chair, as he discreetly examined the rather spartan office, trying to get a read on the witch in front of him. He did notice a new looking, small picture frame carefully positioned on one side of the desk that caught his attention.

"Yes," the Head of Law Enforcement confirmed with a fond smile, before it slipped from her features. "I also heard from half a dozen other parents who heard similar rumours from their own children, all demanding that I immediately investigate the matter and arrest you if they were true. They've obviously forgotten that a witch or wizard has a week to register from the time of their first successful full transformation before it becomes an illegal act. After all, not everyone can instantly come to the Ministry to register their form."

He smiled back at this unpleasant, but not unexpected news, rather curious just who was calling for his arrest over such a trivial thing. "It's kind of funny how fast such news can spread," Harry observed with a sense of detached amusement, even as he noted the fact that Susan was Madam Bones' trusted eyes and ears within the school. 'I'll have to be more careful around Susan.'

"Indeed," Sirius seconded from his own chair, reminding them both of his presence in the room. "And yes, that's why we're here. I was hoping you would be agreeable to putting Harry's animagus status and details under a security level clearance, to prevent it from being used against him. But if this knowledge has spread so far already, there hardly seems a point to it now, since rumours would still remain at large."

"So now that our business seems moot, what is it you wished to speak to us about?" Sirius asked.

He watched as the experienced law enforcement officer composed herself by taking a deep calming breath before answering Sirius' question. "As you two already know from our earlier meetings, Mr. Pettigrew has confirmed that Lord Malfoy was behind both the attempts on Harry's life and the opening of the Chamber of Secrets within Hogwarts. Unfortunately, even with Mr. Pettigrew's willing assistance in our investigations, we have failed to find the hard evidence necessary to effectively prosecute him. The evidence we do have at the moment is weak at best and isn't enough to get a warrant issued for his arrest, much less questioning him under truth serum, not with his political connections within this government at least. And if brought to the courts it could simply be dismissed as slander and hearsay. If he's cleared of these charges it would make him immune to future prosecution. In short, Lucius has proven to be extremely skilled at covering his tracks," she lectured as Sirius gave an annoyed sigh.

"Regrettably, the one piece of hard evidence we could have used to potentially link all this back to Lord Malfoy had to be destroyed," she voiced, the tiger within him began to stir at this, his anger starting to boil over at this depressing news.

Despite his rising anger and the primal desire to lash out at something, anything, he reined his inner tiger in, pacifying it by plotting different ways to retaliate against the murderous Lord. This helped to quell the primal impulse to tear the man's throat out with his very jaws. However, his plans for death and dismemberment were interrupted as the head of magical law enforcement spoke up again.

"What was this evidence?" his godfather asked from beside him.

"A cursed diary, enchanted to bewitch its user into opening the Chamber of Secrets. Mr. Pettigrew admits to placing the dangerous artefact within the belongings of the Weasley's youngest daughter on Lord Malfoy's orders. Regrettably, during Miss Weasley's treatment the diary had to be destroyed to release her from the hold of its powerful dark magics," Madam Bones offered with a sad smile. "And Miss Weasley herself is in no state to provide any evidence."

"So the headmaster is involved then," Harry stated, trying to control his increasing anger at these unfortunate events.

"Yes, I approached him after Mr. Pettigrew explained his role in the Chamber of Secrets and the diary, hoping to acquire any evidence linking Malfoy to the case and to retrieve the cursed diary." Madam Bones explained, whilst giving Harry a curious look. "You don't seem surprised that Miss Weasley was involved."

"Who do you think helped the headmaster to catch her in the first place?" Harry stated with a small smile. Madam Bones blinked rapidly at this unexpected answer.

"You did? The headmaster didn't mention your involvement at all," Madam Bones stated. Sirius just gave him a look that clearly said, 'why am I not surprised.'

"Well, that's rather interesting, since there is meant to be a public reward ceremony for our efforts at the end of the year," Harry muttered, as he wondered what the headmaster's game was this time.

"Our efforts?" Madam Bones asked.

Letting a smile appear on his lips, he answered with a hint of smugness in his voice, "Me and a small group of talented associates investigated the matter ourselves when we saw how ineffectual the headmaster and his staff were at resolving the issue. We used a mixture of non-magical and magical investigative techniques to locate the probable entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. This ultimately led to my elder cousin Tonks and I confirming this idea for ourselves. She, by the way, has a desire to become an auror upon her graduation. However, our efforts were discovered by the headmaster, who unsurprisingly questioned us on the matter. We dutifully passed on the information, as well a list of our primary suspects, which notably included Miss Weasley as our prime suspect. A couple days later Miss Weasley went homesick on extended leave, thus confirming our suspicions of her guilt."

"So you know what the beast is within the Chamber of Secrets?" the seasoned law enforcement asked, with a hint of eagerness at finally getting this information.

"Of course, Madam Bones," he replied with a cocky grin that clearly said 'I know something that you don't know.'

"Care to share with the rest of us?" Sirius asked, beating Madam Bones to the question.

"A basilisk," he answered with an indifferent shrug, like they were discussing the weather, rather than a supremely deadly snake in a school full of children.

"A basilisk?! You have got to be kidding me!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I, too, find it hard to believe. A basilisk kills outright with their stares after all," Madam Bones seconded.

"Not if you see its eyes through a secondary medium Madame, say a magical eye that can see through walls?" Harry replied evenly with a sly smile. "Just like the other victims saw it through an additional medium. The only one that didn't was Myrtle, and she remembers seeing a big pair of yellow eyes before she immediately died and began her existence as a ghost," Sirius continued to look at him in sheer disbelief, before realization dawned in his eyes. He could already see his godfather beginning to connect the dots in his mind and ultimately what Harry was planning. "But I believe we're getting sidetracked. Why can't we simply use Peter's testimony? Surely his word is enough to warrant the mere questioning of Lord Malfoy?" He was desperately trying to move the discussion along before his godfather blurted out that he was a parselmouth in front of the law enforcement officer. That was information that didn't need to be spread about.

"Regrettably, Mr. Pettigrew himself can be easily discredited by even a moderately skilled lawyer, undermining his testimony and value as a witness in open court. Without additional hard evidence and witnesses of a more prominent nature, nothing he says alone will stick. More evidence and better witnesses are exactly what will be required now to ensure Lord Malfoy is prosecuted and convicted, it's also the reason why he hasn't even been arrested yet," she lectured, answering Harry's question as Sirius gave an exasperated sigh.

"But Mr. Pettigrew has confirmed that there were plans in place to kill Harry this upcoming Valentine's Day with poisoned chocolate frogs. Plans which Lord Malfoy was aware of and helped devise," the head of law enforcement explained to the two of them. "What I want to do is fake Harry's death within the school. Once your death is 'confirmed,' Mr. Pettigrew will meet with Lord Malfoy for his 'payment.' I'll have a dozen or so Aurors of unimpeachable character there at the ready to arrest him after witnessing the exchange, along with a Daily Prophet reporter or two as witnesses. In short, it'll be a trap; with Malfoy caught in the act there is no way that he will be able to escape justice."

"How utterly devious of you," Harry noted thoughtfully to himself, as his mind started to process the different possible scenarios and how best he could profit from this unique opportunity...

"I'm not the head of magical law enforcement for nothing," she defended, taking Harry's reply the wrong way.

"So what do you want us to agree to then? I'm certainly not going to agree to Harry being poisoned," Sirius expressed defensively.

"I have to admit, I'm not at all fond of that idea either," Harry said calmly.

"Of course not," Madam Bones defended. "What I propose is a body swap. An Auror will swap places with you at school, and will fake your death publicly in the great hall, whilst you will be safely hidden away somewhere else. As far as the rest of the world will be concerned you'll be dead... murdered while at school..."

"Won't you need the headmaster's assistance for this plot to take place and actually succeed?" Sirius probed, pointing out a possible flaw in the plan.

"He has already agreed to the idea," she voiced with a smug smirk.

"What about the bat?" Sirius asked.

"The bat? Oh, you mean Professor Snape," Madam Bones replied with a grin. "The headmaster and I have come up with plans to deal with Professor Snape."

"What type of plans? How is the headmaster going to ensure that Severus doesn't go running to Lucius with the truth?" Sirius asked.

Madam Bones' grin grew wider at the question, "By appealing to the man's self interest... Mr. Pettigrew told me quite a bit about Severus' time in the death eaters, enough to ensure a long prison sentence if he fails to cooperate. I also have a batch of polyjuice already brewed and an Auror willing to impersonate Professor Snape for a couple of weeks so that no questions are asked. If he refuses to accept the situation, I very much plan on questioning Snape at length and possibly finding more evidence of his guilt and any others that he's aware of."

"Sounds like a solid plan," Harry admitted after thinking over the many details.

"So, will you agree to the plan?" Madam Bones asked.

"As long as I'm in no real danger, I see no reason why I shouldn't agree. Lucius is a very real threat to me after all; if this plan brings him down, then I'll play my part, even if it does mess up my plans for Valentine's Day," he explained evenly, choosing to ignore Sirius' broad grin. Sometimes he really wondered between the two of them who the real child was.

"I agree as well. You have my permission as Harry's magical guardian to continue," Sirius voiced. "But I want to be kept fully informed about the situation."

"Of course, that's perfectly reasonable," she replied. She released a sigh of relief at their agreement with her plan, before looking back at the pair intently. "There is another important matter I wish to discuss with the pair of you."

"What would that be?" Sirius asked on their behalf.

"Ancient law states that in cases involving crimes of this magnitude, specifically the assassination or attempted assassination of the Lord and/or heir of an Ancient and Noble House, that the lands, titles and belongings of the aggressor and his co-conspirators can be seized in compensation for the crimes committed. If we are successful in bringing Lord Malfoy to justice, due to Harry's status as the dual heir of two Ancient and Noble Houses, up to 40% of the aggressor's wealth can be seized and given to him in compensation. The remaining 60% would then be auctioned off by the Ministry of Magic. The culpable party's family seats in the Wizengamot can also be taken by the victim," Madam Bones explained, sparking Harry's renewed interest. Sirius gave Harry a look as well.

"So what you are saying is that the Potter and Black families could become even wealthier," Sirius stated.

"Yes, but I did not tell you this to fill your heads with dreams of Malfoy gold. Your lawyers would have told you this eventually anyway. I told you this so that we could come to an agreement, before any of this became a reality," Madam Bones voiced formally.

"What type of deal?" Harry asked, butting in on his godfather.

"The Malfoy Dragon Reserve is the Ministry's sole supplier of dragon products, including dragon hide body armour, which is what my department is most concerned with. I would like you to consider taking the Malfoy Dragon Reserve as part of your compensation, on the understanding that you would give favourable rates to the Aurors after the change in ownership, rather than ridiculously overcharging the Ministry, like is being done right now. At the current price levels I simply can't afford to properly equip my people with the protective gear they need to survive an encounter with a dark wizard. And ultimately I want a reliable source of dragon hide, without having another family with possible dark leanings getting a hold of it who would use it as leverage with my department," Madam Bones explained.

"I don't understand. Why not just change suppliers?" Harry asked, since it was the easiest and simplest solution to the issue.

"Magically binding contract. If broken the Ministry of Magic has to pay Lord Malfoy compensation for the loss of business for the remainder of the contract, which would bankrupt the Ministry and likely result in my own dismissal; leaving the department open to some less capable and more flexible minded person to replace me, if you get my drift," she explained.

"Please don't take this wrong way, but why did you sign it then?" Harry asked.

"I didn't. One of Malfoy's bought and paid for stooges brokered the deal on the previous Minister's behalf," she explained with a hint of bitterness.

"I see no reason why we can't assist you in this. You are an ally after all," Sirius agreed with a carefree smile.

"I'm fine with it as well, including providing dragon hide armour to the department at more reasonable prices," Harry agreed easily, since it would keep him on good terms with the head of magical law enforcement and offer him greater influence within the Ministry as a whole for a long time to come. Those two things were incredibly valuable given his long-term goals. "Out of curiosity, what would the scale of compensation be if I was Lord Potter at the time this next assassination attempt took place? Sirius looked at him again in astonishment, "Rather than merely heir Potter?"

The look Sirius sent wasn't missed by Madam Bones, but she answered his question nonetheless. "Closer to 50% in that case, 20% for being the Heir of Black and 30% for being the Lord Potter, but you would have to be Lord Potter at the time of the attacks, not afterwards. If, however, you did become Lord Potter today, then by Thursday such an attack on your person could be seen as valid," she offered. "But you should ask Andy and Ted about the finer details; they are your lawyers after all."

"I think I'll do that Madame," Harry muttered, whilst pondering what the scale of compensation would be if he finally took up the title of Lord Potter and publically disclosed being the Lord Peverell on top of his other titles. In any case, if this worked out a lot of gold was coming his way. You could say a lot about the Malfoys but you couldn't deny the fact that they were obscenely rich and had a number of prime business assets to their name in Britain and abroad.

"Let's return to the matter at hand," Madam Bones offered. "You were here to register as an animagus, were you not?" This prompted the pair to nod back in confirmation. "So shouldn't you be registering with the Ministry's records office?"

"Of course. It slipped our minds with all the heavy discussion," Sirius offered back, as Sirius got out of his seat.

"So what type of tiger are you then, Mr. Potter? For identification purposes you are required to state what sub-species you believe you are on the paperwork, rather just something vague like 'a tiger,'" she enquired.

"I believe I am a Siberian tiger, that's what my gut is telling me anyways, but I haven't confirmed it yet," he voiced as his inner beast stirred in silent confirmation of the information.

Midnight Lord

Gringotts Bank – Tuesday Lunch Time

He watched with interest as his goblin account manager processed the information he had just been given and worked out the implications of the complex plan to fake his death in the coming days. The many details of the scheme were obviously being closely examined in the goblin's wicked mind. "I understand Lord Potter and, I'll play my part. As far as the Ministry and wizarding Britain will be concerned, you will be dead," Bloodmoon agreed with a scheming smile.

Sipping some of his coffee, "Good," Harry agreed with his own wicked smile matching the goblin's own. "Can you also watch out for anyone who tries to take advantage of my death? I would like to know which vultures try to pick my corpse clean..." the goblin's grin grew even wider.

"So you have more victims to bleed?" Bloodmoon asked in delight, as he drunk some of his own blood wine, again finding it a rare joy to work with this particularly goblin-like wizard. He was already the envy of all the other account managers, when this scheme was over and came to light within the bank he'd be even more envied at just how mercenary his client was.

"I just want to know who I should turn my... attentions... to next," Harry expressed with a wicked grin of his own. "I might as well use my 'fake death,' to my advantage, and help reveal possible enemies, those individuals that I need to watch out for in the future."

"Naturally," the goblin readily agreed. "It is always good to know who would slip a dagger in your back given the right opportunity, especially for someone in your position."

Neither of them needed to mention what Harry's position was. He was the last of the Potters, a rich orphan in a sea full of sharks that were constantly circling around him, looking for any sign of weakness, for any blood in the water to take advantage of. "Then we're of the same mind," Harry voiced with an amused smile, wondering if he wasn't a goblin in his past life.

"Would you like me to set aside some liquid assets to buy any of the Malfoy family's particularly choice assets which may come on the market following his trial? Or his co-conspirators holdings for that matter?" the goblin asked.

That was a very good question and he considered the question for a good couple of minutes as they sipped their drinks, "In general I'd say no, I'd rather focus my funds on developing the docks to their full potential," he voiced thoughtfully, knowing that the redevelopment was going to cost him around 8-11 million at initial estimates. The goblin gave him a curious look. He decided to elaborate as it was in his best interests for his account manager to understand his thinking on this point. "I'd rather not expand too fast and have issues with cash flow. It's the number one cause of new business failure after all. From my limited understanding of history, business empires, like kingdoms, that expand too fast, will often have weak foundations. I want my financial empire to have strong, deep roots that will last for many centuries to come," Bloodmoon nodded in understanding, clearly following his logic now. "I will also have the gold and assets I will absorb from the Malfoy family in compensation to work with, if something becomes available that I simply can't pass up. The Malfoy businesses will need to be integrated into my holdings as well, so I don't anticipate being all that interested in what goes up for auction."

"A wise choice," Bloodmoon commented.

"Thank you," Harry replied. "Plus it will help distract the circling vultures, as they fight over the Malfoy family's corpse and the other corpses that will inevitably follow in the man's wake... However, I believe my godfather, at my suggestion, will take the opportunity to help pick the bones clean, or even subtly encourage the inevitable bidding war to reach unhealthy prices and thus put some of our enemies in some untenable places in the future when they win at too high of a price." He chuckled evilly at his plan, at how his enemies' greed and their desire to one up their competitors would lead them to make some bad decisions that he could capitalize on later, at a significant discount of course. "I believe that the Black family vaults have the gold to spare for such a scheme," Bloodmoon nodded in agreement. Given the Potter/Black family's ongoing business partnership he had to be well aware of the state of the Black vaults and assets.

"On a side-note, would you be agreeable to providing me lessons this summer on magical finance and banking? For a fee, of course... I understand the basics and the underlying theory from the books you provided me with when we first met, but I lack the deeper knowledge. And I believe as a responsible Lord of my family, I should learn such things. As my account manager, my family's success is indirectly your success after all." Harry said.

"Why not ask your godfather?" Bloodmoon asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, Sirius could teach me some things, but he is not a goblin," Harry answered as Bloodmoon gave him another questioning look. He decided to explain further to put the goblin banker at ease, "We both know it's the goblin nation that controls the flow of gold in Britain, not wizards and witches, as much as they'd like to pretend. No matter how much we'd like to believe we do," an amused smile appeared on his lips at this.

"I'll consider it," the goblin replied evenly, giving no hint whether he would agree or not.

"Thank you."

Number 12

Adding another battered old magical tome to his growing pile of chosen texts, he went back to the bookshelves looking for additional tomes and texts to read. He had spent the last hour and half since returning from the bank searching the old wooden shelves for security wards and charms, specifically anything he could use to help better secure his dorm room from surveillance. However, one of the minor problems he was encountering was that the Black family clearly preferred security wards and charms that were often deadly, or dark in nature, hence unsuitable for use at Hogwarts.

He was a cold hearted bastard, but he wasn't that cold or heartless; he had no desire for someone to die just because they had attempted to open his dorm room door without his permission. However, while unsuitable for use at school, they were good pieces of magic to know and had a time and place to be used; he would study them when he had time. They might even save his life one day. Of course he would be hitting Hogwarts' own library in the foreseeable future, including its restricted section, for some actually usable texts on security and privacy wards for his room. After all, he was pretty sure that there would be no overly dark magic material there.

"Harry, we should really be getting you back to school now," Sirius voiced, with a hint of disapproval, as Harry continued to work his way through the Black family library looking for useful tomes. "You're going to miss your afternoon lessons and fall behind."

He resisted the urge to snort at that ridiculous statement; he would never fall behind based on missing one lesson. "Just give me ten more minutes please. I already know the material anyways. I'd have to miss a full year or more of lessons to actually fall behind Sirius," Harry expressed, as he opened the pages of yet another book, before immediately discarding it to one side since it was unusable.

"You asked me to wait ten more minutes a half hour ago," Sirius voiced in protest.

"Really? I didn't notice," Harry idly observed as he quickly read through the contents' page of the newest book. "You know, you should really catalogue this library better. Half the books here are in totally the wrong sections! I would be done by now if this place was properly sorted," he griped, as he put the small book dedicated to sex magic back on the shelves in its proper place, whilst wondering how in the hell that got sorted next to books on wards, before finding a gruesome book on blood magic next to it. 'Perhaps there are potential uses for sex and/or blood magic in warding that I had no idea about? Weird...but fascinating.' A mental note was quickly made to explore this idea in the future.

"Why don't you do that this summer then?! Rather than moaning about it," Sirius countered quickly, as he put a book back on the shelf, before moving behind another bookcase. "And don't try to change the subject! We need to get you back to school."

"Just saying, no need to get snappy with me young man," Harry voiced whilst hiding his smirk behind a book, as he pulled his godfather's strings like a master. "I also have to find a book on the compensation laws Madam Bones mentioned during our meeting. I'm strongly considering revealing my full status and titles to the world, but only if the compensation is worth it."

Hogwarts

No sooner than he had stepped through the common room door, he found himself immediately intercepted by Terry, one of the few people he called a friend. "Harry! Roger has been looking all over for you. Where have you been?"

Mentally sighing at having to explain himself again, "At the Ministry of Magic, registering my animagus form, remember?" he replied plainly, as he turned to face the smaller boy. "Did he say what he wanted?"

"No, he just wanted to know whether I saw you or not," Terry replied, catching up to him so he was keeping in step with Harry.

"Probably Quidditch related then," Harry noted dryly, as he climbed the stairs to his dorm room.

Headmaster's Office - Tuesday Evening

The door to his office opened as Hogwarts' resident potions master silently glided into the room, his gloomy black robes billowing behind. His face twisted into an expression of annoyance as he sat down. "What is it you wished to speak to me about headmaster? Is this about my conduct in potions again? Or is this something to do with that idiot's Valentine's Day idea," Severus spat with annoyance, as he swallowed a cherry drop.

He chose to ignore Severus' unprofessional remarks about Professor Lockhart's ability to teach, no matter how true. It was time to address the issue of why Severus was here. "Something far more sobering, I'm afraid. It is time for you to act on the vow you made to me all those years ago to protect Lily's son," he took another slow sip of his homemade herbal tea, allowing Severus to stew on his words for a couple of long seconds. "What I'm about to say doesn't leave this room Severus, because if it does, you will be arrested on charges of interfering with an ongoing Auror operation," he stated firmly.

"What's going on, Albus?" Severus asked firmly, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Do you understand what I've just said?" Albus pushed, knowing that Madam Bones would have his ass if he screwed up her operation by misplacing his trust in Severus.

"Of course, I understand! I'm not an idiot," Severus spat back in annoyance.

"I'm sorry about this Severus, but it is necessary," he expressed whilst a tired sigh escaped him, even as his elderly features shifted into one of regret and remorse as he addressed the younger man. "It turns out that about a month ago Peter Pettigrew turned himself into the Aurors and made a deal with Madam Bones. Since then he has been spilling his secrets on everyone, including you, in exchange for a lesser punishment for his crimes." Realization started to dawn on Severus at this, as well as a cold, gripping fear. "So far he has named over 50 of your former comrades. Most of the people he named were never formally charged for treason at the end of the last war. His testimony and shared memories will allow the aurors to bring them in for questioning under veritaserum. Once they're interrogated and inevitably incriminate themselves, they'll be charged and arrested under the law for the crimes they committed over a decade ago. If I remember correctly, treason still carries the death penalty via the kiss or the veil," his words causing Severus to suddenly sit deathly still, clearly thinking about his own dark secrets that he still harboured, some of which might be known by Pettigrew.

Silently watching the younger man he called a friend, he didn't need to be a genius or a master legillimens to figure out what was going through Severus' mind. At the moment Severus was naturally trying to work out just what Peter knew, or had heard during his time as a death eater. He allowed the potions master to stew on his own fears a little longer. It wasn't due to him being spiteful, or sadistic, or taking a sick pleasure in Severus' worst fears coming true; he just knew from a lifetime of experience and political dealings that one's fears were oftentimes more terrible than the true consequences of them becoming reality. Remembering the words of his wise, but long dead father, 'There is nothing to fear but fear itself. Do not allow fear to cloud your judgement, to hold you back, otherwise fear wins the day. Most of the time fear itself is worse than the results.' He knew that first hand, he had been fearful of facing Gellert in battle and due to his inaction hundreds had died as a result. But the battle itself had been surprisingly easy.

Fears grew and festered over time; they became rooted in one's mind like stubborn weeds in a garden, their roots growing ever deeper into the soil and thus that much harder to remove. He allowed the man's fears to fester so that when he finally provided a solution to Severus' growing concerns the man would be far more eager to accept his offer of aid. 'It was for the greater good,' he told himself.

Yes, it was manipulative, but it had to be done, he told himself once again, as he calmly took another sip of his cooling tea.

Neville was the Boy-Who-Lived and therefore the one destined to beat Tom, if prophecy was to be believed. However, after seeing Harry's own academic prowess, the fact that the boy had accomplished the animagus transformation so young, as well as having the unique ability to speak parseltongue, he was strongly considering introducing the young Ravenclaw into his wider plans. After all, James and Lily's son had warned Filius last year of the dangers of Professor Quirrell, the lad had successful discovered the Chamber of Secrets before anyone else, even himself and Neville, and he had also been a candidate for the prophecy. So, logically, magic was clearly pulling him into the events, involving him for some reason known only to magic itself. Nevertheless, Harry could always act as a spare, a backup saviour in case Neville failed in his task, or was killed. And that meant Harry had to be protected as well.

That was another thing he had learnt over the course of his long life, redundancy was key. Always have backup plans for one's backup plans, then even more back up plans for good measure, even if they were of the extremely vague variety.

He allowed a couple more minutes to pass before he continued his pre-planned speech, "Madam Bones and a team of trusted, hand selected aurors have been investigating Peter's claims, finding buried and forgotten evidence such as missing bodies of victims and evidence of bribes paid during and after the war. They've even made deals with a number of lesser offenders in exchange for giving their evidence and testimony," the potions master shuffled uneasily again in his seat.

"Peter has also admitted to his own involvement in opening the Chamber of Secrets and has revealed to the aurors just who gave him the cursed diary in the first place, along with exactly who hired him to kill young Harry."

Allowing his words to hang in air for the moment, he continued, "I think you can easily guess who hired Peter?" the office fell into an uneasy silence once again.

He watched as the troubled young man in front of him sunk further into his chair, "Lucius," Severus voiced quietly, almost fearful of the truth.

"Correct," Albus replied soberly, while mightily resisting the urge to reward Severus house points for giving the right answer.

"Madame Bones has enough evidence to ensure that Lucius can be brought to trial for multiple murders and for his part in opening the Chamber of Secrets. I also believe that both Sirius and Harry now know that Lucius was the individual who hired Peter and opened the Chamber," this new bit of information caused Severus to look up, his eyes sharpening at seeing the potential danger. "I personally believe they are plotting some form of retaliation of their own, or discreetly gathering allies so that when Lucius is finally arrested and brought to trial he does not escape justice this time round. As you well know Severus, in the days following the end of the war people just wanted to move on and forget about the many horrors they had endured for so long. The Ministry effectively brushed everything aside in the end game, desperately wanting to distance themselves from their own failings. After all, the Ministry was effectively broken, on its last legs, almost certainly defeated at the end, its war chest was empty, its will to fight all but broken. I do not exaggerate in the slightest when I say the Ministry was days away from falling." He lectured, sadness and regret flowing into his voice. "No one wanted to truly deal with the aftermath of the war, they just wanted to forget and move on, so people were willing to buy into the imperius excuse and overlook the ridiculous amounts of gold trading hands, because no one wanted the war to continue any longer. But as you know all too well Severus, true justice was never dealt, even to many of those who were in Voldemort's inner circle and responsible for much of the horror. People who should have been behind bars, or worse, walked free, returning to their positions of wealth and influence in magical Britain. That has been a festering wound in the side of Britain. That demand for justice has been slowly brewing ever since; people want to know who killed their loved ones, they want to know their fates, they want to know what happened to them. They want answers Severus. Those same people then see individuals like Lucius and it just reminds them of all the wrongs and the many injustices that occurred after the war; it fuels this hidden, but brewing anger and rage in their hearts."

"The public rarely gets what it wants," Severus countered with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The rich, they get what they want; the masses get what the rich allows them to have. That's the natural order of things. The way it's always been and always will be."

"How true, but I think you actually mean the powerful get what they want," he corrected, going off his pre-planned scripted for a moment. "Tom wasn't rich, was he?" reminding Severus of the dark lord's humble roots.

"No, he wasn't," Severus offered in return, conceding the point with a slight bow of his head.

"I'm not rich either, am I? Yes, I have great personal wealth compared to others thanks to my early discoveries in life, but compared to many of the old pureblood families, my fortune is remarkably small and quite modest really," Albus expressed with a small smile. "But I'm the most powerful wizard in Britain and one of the most well respected in all of Europe."

"What about the Order's vaults then? Don't you count them as your own?" Severus challenged.

"Those are for the cause Severus; I don't touch them for personal matters," he defended, giving Severus a pointed look.

That was one of the few subjects they had never discussed over the long years, and he had no intention of changing that unless it was absolutely necessary. That was another lesson he had learnt from the last war, the need to have gold on hand, since one could not always rely on donations from one's followers to fund a war effort. Especially from the older pureblood families who perhaps rightly saw money as influence and expected favours and influence in return for their personal donations to the cause. Realising he was getting sidetracked, he refocused on the subject of the meeting.

Rearranging his features to give Severus a sterner look, he continued, "I plan on giving them the answers they want Severus," he voiced, declaring his position on the subject before sipping some more of his tea. He resisted the impulse to scowl as the cold herbal tea caused his tongue to rebel at the horrible taste; he discreetly cast another warming spell on the tea with a simple flick of his wand, reheating his cooling tea to a more enjoyable temperature. "With Peter being in the newspaper and Sirius being released from jail after falsely being imprisoned for over a decade, it has awoken the public's desire for justice, reminded people of old wounds and the many miscarriages of justice that occurred over a decade ago," he explained to the younger man, who had no real interest in politics. "To make matters more difficult, an Auror was attacked in this school. Not just any old auror mind you, but the Alastor Moody due to the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, ensuring that Madam Bones' attention is fully set on bringing the culprits to justice. And that has also been all over the paper. People want this school to be safe; they want their children to be safe; they want action and they want to know who is to blame."

"Then there was that unfortunate quidditch incident with young Neville that has ruffled some very old feathers, to the point that Lady Longbottom is up in arms about the matter. What do you think will happen when it comes out that it was a Malfoy family house elf that was responsible for the attacks on her grandson?" he asked. "Do you think anyone would believe that the house elf was acting alone? Independently? Or will they believe it was only carrying out its master's will?"

"No, no one would believe that the house elf was acting independently," Severus voiced firmly with a disappointed shake of his head. "House elves always obey their master's will. Even if the house elf said otherwise, people would just assume that its master had ordered it to say that and it was merely obeying his or her orders to give a false confession."

He decided to list Lucius' crimes to Severus to help the potion's master understand the true extent of Lucius' criminal dealings in order to help Severus make the correct choice. "So that's two attempted murders of innocent schoolchildren from ancient and noble households, both war orphans, one a national hero and the other one a rising star. Then there is also the opening of the Chamber of Secrets to consider, that is another two attempted murders, if not an act of terrorism against the whole of magical Britain who have their children here," he gave Severus a piercing look to help emphasize the seriousness of these crimes. "Then we have assaulting an auror to add to the list and dealing in Class 5 Dark Arts artefacts. Finally, we now know that Lucius has been assisting a wanted criminal for several months now. Did you know Lucius met Peter at Christmas? Did he tell you that? How the pair of them discussed the best way to murder Lily's child?" Albus asked the utterly silent man who appeared to be in a state of shock.

"Poisoned chocolate candy Severus... it was meant to happen this coming Thursday," he added grimly. "What would have happened if Harry had offered to share those sweets with his friends and classmates? How many innocent people would have died along with Lily's only child?" once again mentioning Severus' first and only love to drive the point home.

"Lucius has to be stopped my friend, he's gone too far now," he stated firmly, his voice as hard as tempered goblin steel.

"Why are you telling me all this? Are you not worried that I'll run off and tell Lucius?" Severus challenged.

"I admit, I strongly considered keeping you out of the loop on this matter and very much in the dark for your own good," he voiced, believing that it was for the best to be honest with Severus. "But I knew that after the events had happened, you would have demanded an explanation as to why I didn't tell you. You would mistakenly think I didn't trust you and you would be resentful. And that wound would fester and grow between us," he stated.

"I know that you are a good man at heart Severus; you risked your life to protect Lily from Tom," once again using Lily's name and memory in the hope that it would make Severus do the right thing. "Events are in motion now and have been for some time, and unfortunately they cannot be stopped, even if I wanted them to. By the end of the week Lucius will be arrested and the world will know of his many heinous crimes. We need to decide how best to protect you and your godson Draco from the inevitable fallout of this," Severus seemed to refocus on him at this dose of hard reality.

"How bad do you think the fallout will be for Draco?" Severus asked. "He's only a child, not his father."

He took a moment to seriously consider the question, as several different scenarios and outcomes went through his sharp mind. "Very bad my friend, worse than even what happened to the Lestrange family after the war," he offered soberly. "People will want blood after hearing of Lucius' many crimes and the Ministry will want to make an example of him and his family. The Minister, despite his long personal friendship with Lucius, will be forced to take a hard line on the matter if he has any hope at all to hold onto his office. Otherwise people will assume he is defending his friend and long-time political benefactor... All it would take would be one piece of evidence, no matter how tenuous, showing a possible bribe between the two to reach the papers and he would be forced to step down in disgrace, all the while being investigated for corruption."

"Fudge will save his own ass then," Severus muttered quietly.

Ignoring Severus remark, he continued, "Just shows that gold doesn't buy reliable loyalty, my friend. The Prophet will naturally stoke the flames, driving up the public's fury, as the Malfoy name is dragged through the dirt. People like Rita Skeeter will encourage people's anger and disgust to last as long as it can. I personally expect that the Malfoy family will lose nearly everything, especially with Lucius having so many of his own powerful enemies wielding their influence to help destroy his family for good. You know as well as I do that Lucius has enough enemies to last ten lifetimes; there will be calls for him to be given the kiss or the veil in the courts. Lady Malfoy will also be questioned, after all, how can a wife not know of her husband's dirty dealings? She will be questioned, interrogated might be the better word, and anything she was even remotely involved in will stick."

"To make the situation worse, due to Lucius' reckless actions, he has even alienated Narcissa's own birth family, a powerful family who could have possibly sheltered her and Draco from the full political fallout. I seriously doubt Sirius will lift a finger on their behalf now. And whatever personal favours Narcissa has gathered will be essentially worthless as people will avoid her like Dragon Pox. After all, no one will risk openly supporting them in case the aurors decide to investigate them too. Then add into the equation that other people will inevitably be put on trial. If they're fighting for their lives as well they will not want to risk being seen as connected with the Malfoys," he explained soberly. "Not to mention as soon as Veritaserum touches Lucius' lips I doubt Madam Bones will stop her questioning of him until she knows every dirty little secret he has ever been privy too."

"I see." Severus expressed, his face turning even paler.

"I thought you might," he offered as he sipped some more of his reheated tea, before putting the teacup back on its saucer. "The more the Aurors dig, the more dirt they'll find on everyone, allowing for more arrests, more questions, and more interrogations. The Aurors will have more than enough cause to even look at the Malfoy vaults, all its transactions reaching back to the beginning of the war and that will lead to fines. This will of course mean the vaults will be frozen during the court case, meaning no gold to hire lawyers or make bribes. Also there will be no money to support his family either, unless Narcissa has her own private vault, but I doubt that will be of much help. I expect the Malfoy family will be financially crippled from the fallout of Lucius' actions. You know the Ministry will take any chance they get to plunder some vaults and claim liquid assets for themselves. But we also have to deal with your own investigation."

"You don't want me anywhere near Veritaserum either, I know too much." Snape stated. "So what is your plan? How do we stop this from happening?" and thus Severus fell to his carefully crafted trap.

"We can't stop it from happening. Like I said, the ball is already rolling, the spell has left the wand, all that's left now is damage control," he offered soberly. "If Lucius isn't arrested, how long do you think it will be until Sirius takes his own justice? His time in jail has hardened him; the only purpose he has left is to protect his godson and heir. Do you think he would hesitate to kill Lucius? A mass murderer who tried to kill his godson? The only connection he has left to his friends? To James and Lily?" intentionally using Lily's name again for maximum effect.

"I have already spoken to Madam Bones on your behalf. She has said that she would be willing to ignore your past in exchange for sharing everything you know about your former friends in the death eaters," Albus expressed.

"That will put a price on my head Albus," Severus voiced; his voice cold, but with an undercurrent of panic. "Not exactly one of your best ideas."

He raised a hand to stop Severus from panicking. "I know my dear boy, but there will never be an official interview on the record. You'll just sit down with Madam Bones and answer some questions, no Veritaserum involved. Name some names; tell her who did what crimes and where the evidence can be found, i.e. who killed her brothers. Do that and she would be willing to buy into the idea that you were just a spy, working on my behalf," he offered to the head of Slytherin. "Give her enough and you will escape this purge."

"That's awfully vague," the head of Slytherin house voiced.

"We can always go over together what secrets you will share beforehand and work out how to spin them to the greatest effect," he offered with a grandfatherly smile. "It also gives me an excuse to start getting involved on your behalf and indirectly Draco's and his mother's. Need I remind you that some people may take the chance to kill young Draco and end the Malfoy line while it's particularly vulnerable, in order to take its wealth for themselves."

"What type of influence would you bring to bear? What would you be willing to do?" Severus asked, starting to buy into his masterful plan.

"The same as I did for you, my friend," he offered easily from his chair. "I'll place them under my protection and use my influence to ensure than the Malfoy house endures in some capacity. It will take some hits, but it will last. I'd even feel obligated to allow Draco to continue to attend Hogwarts, despite his father's many crimes against the school; however, it may be better for the lad if he got a fresh start elsewhere. But that will depend on his guardian's judgement."

"You mean Narcissa's judgement?" the potions master corrected.

"Only if she is not in Azkaban, Severus," he countered, as he took another sip of his tea.

"Like I said earlier, the Ministry will want to make an example of her. Draco's guardianship will likely fall to you my friend, along with the responsibility of overseeing Draco's affairs. Draco respects you and he is going to need a guardian who's capable of defending him and guiding him down a more moderate view of the world. Of course, with my help, the house of Malfoy will still have some influence left; that's influence that you could discreetly wield to increase your own standing in the world," he expressed, holding out the proverbial carrot. "You would be the de facto head of the Malfoy family for the next half decade, probably longer as Draco seems like an individual that is all too easy to control," he observed.

"And you would get control of the Malfoy household through me," Severus opined.

"Not control Severus, just influence," he corrected. "It would benefit the Malfoy household greatly if you publicly sided with me, after such a public fallout. Then I could introduce you to some business people that would tie Draco's remaining business interests into our own, keeping him within our control and firmly within the light," giving Severus an overview of his plan.

"Clever," Severus muttered thoughtfully.

"Thank you, I try my best," he offered with a grandfatherly smile, allowing the younger man a few moments to think over the proposal.

"Still sounds too good to be true," the potion's master expressed after several long minutes, clearly not trusting his plan.

"Naturally, your own improved position would depend upon Lady Malfoy being arrested and imprisoned, friendless and unprotected, along with Lucius' will naming you as his guardian of choice in case Narcissa is dead or unavailable. But I believe that the odds would be in your favour. Madam Bones could always offer Narcissa a deal... Sell out her husband in exchange for a lesser punishment. I believe Narcissa would take the chance if it was offered rather than risk imprisonment in Azkaban. However, that would risk alienating her son and we both know Draco worshiped his father, so such actions could be seen as a betrayal, destroying their relationship forever. I expect she will keep quiet rather than risk this happening," he explained.

"And if she does make a deal? Even if her son comes to hate her, she still keeps custody of Draco," Severus asked.

"Lady Malfoy is hardly Lucius. As Draco's godfather I'm sure your advice and guidance will be valued, and more importantly, trusted. She can hardly fault you for making a deal if she herself makes one. Draco will also need a male role model in his life, that's something that you can provide," Albus declared confidently.

"Is there any other way to stop this?" Severus asked. "Some way that the House of Malfoy comes out intact?"

He considered the question for a good two minutes before answering, "Madam Bones' case is air tight, but it is solely against Lucius; he is the necessary link in the chain. If he were to die before trial there would be no charges against his family, no fines, no investigation, just nothing. Sirius would have no case. The Chamber of Secrets mess couldn't be proven and the elf's actions would be forgotten."

"I can't believe what you're suggesting Albus!" Severus exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I suggested nothing; I don't approve of murder Severus, you should know that by now," he scolded firmly whilst giving the potion's master a sharp look. "You asked me, how to save the Malfoy family... Lucius is the only link to all the crimes. He is also a very real danger to Lily's son, one that has to be dealt with, that's either with life imprisonment and the dismantling of his house, or his death prior to trial. On another note, with the dark mark still visible and pulsing it proves that Lord Voldemort is still out there, despite the destruction of the horcrux in the diary. That means he either has a new body, or a new shell to anchor him, or that there is an additional horcrux or horcruxes still in existence that need to be destroyed. In either case, Lord Malfoy is one of Lord Voldemort's most capable and deadly servants; his removal now will severely weaken Lord Voldemort and his cause when he inevitably returns."

"You're asking me to betray one of my oldest friends," Severus voiced in protest.

"If that is truly distasteful to you, then do nothing and just keep your mouth shut. If you can't do that I'll just obliviate you here and now, for the greater good," he stated regrettably, but firmly, his wand already hidden in his lap, as Severus gave him a heated look at the threat. "However, if I do that, then you'll unfortunately have no knowledge of this plot against the Malfoys and thus little chance of dealing with it. That means you'll be in an even worse position to help yourself and your godson when the Aurors are on the march," their eyes met at this. He effortlessly batted away Severus' legilimency probe, before countering with his own. His mighty mental presence assaulted Severus' own defences as he destroyed the first layer of mental defences like a tidal wave crashing against a shore line, before pulling away, rather than diving deeper into the potion master's mind. He could have easily made the probe like a finely honed scalpel and cut through the defences with minimal intrusion, but a point needed to be made, hence the brute force method that would leave the man with a headache for hours.

"Want to try that again Severus?" he asked with an amused smile, hoping that Severus would just accept the point and stop these childish games. That was one of the worst traits Severus had, he was often a bully when threatened or feeling petulant, so every once in a while he had to be truly reminded of his place in the grand scheme of things, and that there were bigger fishes in the sea, who despite his great skill and power, could swallow him whole.

"You wouldn't dare obliviate me," Severus challenged, but refusing to meet his eyes.

He gave the potions master a disappointed smile before his wand, already in hand, rose like a striking cobra and shot a binding spell towards the potion master. Magical blue coils of thick energy wrapped around the man, holding him still in his seat. The magical blue coils of energy then pulsed to life, as they started sucking out Severus' magic to prevent the binding from being broken. He then causally summoned Severus' wand from his hoister to his open hand, as another spell silenced the man. "I would Severus, believe me when I say that I will obliviate you. You may be my friend, but I've lost many good friends and many good students fighting this war. I've watched good people die fighting a war with little true purpose. I've walked down burnt out streets to find the bodies of gruesomely murdered children. I've walked into crime scenes just to see the dismembered limbs of raped wives and daughters. I don't plan on letting that happen again Severus, especially not for your murderous friend and his family who squandered every chance to repent." He lectured, as he walked over to his window and looked out over the grounds. The magical coils pulsed to life again as the potion master flexed his magic, struggling pointlessly against the spell while actually strengthening its hold on him.

Looking casually over his shoulder towards the struggling potion's master, the pulsating magical coils grew thicker and stronger as they firmly held Severus in place, absorbing more and more magical energy from the potion master's own core. "Don't bother struggling my friend. I created that spell for a wizard far stronger than you will ever be. For Lord Voldemort actually, if I ever got the chance to truly capture him," he offered with a proud smile, watching as the spell ran its course.

Turning back to look out the window, he silently watched the cloudless night and how the moonlight played across the Black Lake's water, whilst periodically looking at Severus in the reflection of the glass. The man continued to pointlessly try to fight the spell. "You are a valuable ally Severus and a good adviser to me, but you are not irreplaceable. Don't think for one moment that I won't do what needs to be done. I strongly suggest instead of struggling futilely, that you actually think about the bigger picture here."

Several long minutes passed as he watched Severus' reflection in the window, before he gave a disappointed sigh... Severus had obviously decided to be stubborn; it was time to deploy one of his backup plans.

Sitting back down at his desk, he quickly composed a note to Madam Bones explaining Severus' resistance to their plan. Fawkes appeared in mid air, clearly sensing his desire for the letter to be delivered. "Take this to Madam Bones please," he gently instructed, as his familiar snatched the letter out of his hand. Severus gave him a sharp look at where this was leading.

He gave his old friend a disappointed look, one that he commonly used with misbehaving students. "Plans were created in case you refused to assist us in doing your civic duty my friend; you will now be spending the next couple of days in witness protection, under the care of the Aurors," Albus stated. "Since you have refused Madam Bones' rather generous deal, I expect you'll be questioned as well, since you have now thrown doubt on yourself as to whether you were really my spy in the death eaters ranks." Realizing that Severus may have something valuable to say, he ended the silencing charm with a flick of his wand.

"You don't think Lucius will notice my disappearance?" Severus sneered.

Smiling back at the bound man, "That is what polyjuice is for my friend," he answered with a smirk. "As far as the rest of the world will be concerned, you are still busy teaching potions. Fortunately for us, due to your bachelor status and your lack of popularity amongst the students and staff, no one will notice the switch, not even Draco," the burning anger disappeared from Severus' eyes at the realization that he truly had no one who would notice. "I strongly suggest you use your upcoming free time to think about your life my friend. If you had accepted my offer I would have made sure that you and Draco were kept safe, that your position and rank rose whilst under my protection and guidance. I ask you this; do you think Lucius would sacrifice himself for you? Do you think he would show you even a shred of the loyalty you believe you're acting on for him?"

He spent the next couple of minutes silently watching Severus wrestle with his hidden emotions. "He didn't even tell you of his plot in the first place. You, my friend, are acting like a stubborn Gryffindor, rather than a cunning and ambitious Slytherin. Lucius is as good as caught, that is a fact," Fawkes reappeared with a puff of flames, a note carefully held within its talons.

Quickly reading the note, he shared what it said, "Madam Bones will be here in a couple of minutes to take you into protective custody for your own good."

"Say whatever you want Albus. Whatever allows you to sleep better at night," the potions master spat back.

He smiled at this simple act of defiance, so out of character for the man, much like a stubborn child refusing to apologise for obviously misbehaving. "If you really must know about my sleeping habits Severus, I sleep perfectly sound, despite the many horrors I've seen in my long life... Ah, they're here," he stated, feeling the school's protective wards notifying him of expected visitors. He stood up to meet the new arrivals.

"For fuck's sake Albus, are you trying to get me killed!" Severus exclaimed, struggling again against the magical bindings, as he casually sent another silencing spell at the restrained potions master, muting him.

Moments later his fireplace sprang to life, as the first law enforcement officer stepped out of the magical green flames, his blood red robes marking him as an Auror. Another two followed through the fireplace in quick succession, in matching uniforms.

"Good evening, I assume you have been briefed on your assignment," he asked the trio.

"Yes Headmaster," they replied, as he recognised them as his own former students, causing him to smile proudly.

"I'll be the one replacing Professor Snape," the elder auror declared, as he recognised the former Hufflepuff students.

He smiled back at his former charge, standing there proudly in his uniform, his back straight, his eyes alert and eager. This was why he loved being the headmaster of Hogwarts, how his guidance helped shape the next generation of witches and wizards. As he looked over his former students, he saw the inner confidence the trio had. "Very good Daniel, do you believe that you can successfully replace Severus here?" he asked, as he made eye contact with the auror, a mental probe effortlessly breaking through the natural surface barriers undetected to find the truth. At first he felt nervousness from the auror, before courage swelled in Daniel's heart. He already knew the Auror's likely reply.

"Yes headmaster, I believe I can," Daniel voiced confidently.

"Very well then," he declared, as he turned to look at the other two aurors. "Miss Chambers, Mr. Roles, please escort Severus into protective custody."

"One minute headmaster, I need to collect some hair samples," Daniel declared, as he moved to the potion master's side, the former Hufflepuff student giving Severus an evil smirk. "Please remain still Professor Snape; you wouldn't want me to miss with the cutting charm now would you."

"I would just use a shaving charm Daniel," Miss Chamber suggested off-handed, the former Gryffindor student giving her former potion's professor a predatory smile. "That way we have plenty to use; don't want to run out half way through the assignment now do we?" Severus shot him a pleading look to intervene. However, before he could, a white light he recognised as a standard shaving charm taught in charms by Filius, hit Severus squarely in the forehead, causing all of Severus' dark hair to fall out.

Fighting the urge to chuckle at the sight of a bald Severus, he schooled his features into a look of mild disapproval at the Aurors' unnecessary antics. "I believe that is enough teasing of Severus."

"Of course, headmaster," Daniel quickly agreed, before gathering the dark hair with a summoning charm and storing it in a makeshift brown bag.

"Oh, whilst I remember, the silver ring on Severus' left hand, middle finger actually, is a port-key to a safe house," Severus shot him another look at this seeming betrayal, clearly wondering how he knew of the ring's function. "We wouldn't want Severus here escaping your care now would we?"

Midnight Lord

He couldn't help but smile as he sat back down on his comfortable bed, as he bit into rich green apple, the sweet, but slightly sour juices running over his highly sensitive tongue.

He looked over the student questionnaire/survey form he had just written, re-reading the couple dozen elegantly written questions upon the tanned parchment. The questions were on a good mix of subject contents, things like teaching style, favourite subject, worst subject, best teacher, worst teacher and so forth. This was the start of how he was going to get back at the manipulative headmaster for revealing his animagus form to virtually the entire British magical community.

Back in primary school his teachers would often ask the class how they would rate the module, so that they could improve the material for next year's class. Hogwarts on the other hand didn't do this, in any form, so either they just didn't care about what their students thought of their subjects or the school in general, or perhaps they just arrogantly assumed that they knew better than their charges or even worse, just assuming they were the best and would always remain that way... Snape, for example, probably thought that. Or perhaps the idea just never occurred to them to ask their students, with their unique perspective, what they thought. It also probably didn't occur to them that different students learned in different ways and that one singular uniform approach to teaching did not and would not get the best results for everyone. Whilst this was a simple scheme to get a modicum of payback, there were several alternate reasons behind it, beyond just simple revenge and his personal need to get even with the manipulative old bastard.

On a personal level, he was bored, very bored. His lessons were no longer challenging, in some cases the lessons were so utterly worthless to him that he actively skipped the classes, actually preferring the inevitable detention with his head of house rather than listening to the fool drone on. This latest scheme of his would hopefully force a change. He didn't want to be held back from reaching his potential by attending classes that merely wasted his limited and valuable time via unchallenging work. He wanted to climb to the top, to be pushed, to be challenged to grow and excel beyond his current limits and skills. He simply wanted to learn more, to improve his understanding of magic so that he could fulfil the promise he made to himself before joining Hogwarts, to make his dead parents proud. Hogwarts' vaunted reputation for excellence was looking like complete and utter fucking bullshit at the moment, or perhaps was only true a long, long time ago. The alternative made him shudder; if Hogwarts really was the premier magical learning institution in all of Europe, he didn't even want to know how bad the rest were.

The by product of this scheme would also have the effect of improving the standard of teaching for everyone; well, he hoped it would, otherwise he would be giving serious consideration to transferring to another school. The Potter family's wealth and power had always been based in Britain and thus attending Hogwarts was both a long tradition as well as a good idea to make contacts and be visible to the who's who of magical Britain. However, there was a point of diminishing returns. If Hogwarts was holding him back from reaching his true potential, it wouldn't matter how many contacts he made in Britain, he'd be impaired for life.

After the student survey was completed the second part of his plan would begin. The gathered results would be processed and then sent off to Rita so that she could write up a startling article on the state of the Hogwarts education system, backed up with historical and publically available (but hard to find) exam results to show the many failing areas of the school's curriculum. This, combined with both Sirius' formal complaint and the upcoming Triwizard Tournament, would hopefully rouse the ire of the sheep-like British magicals, creating quite a headache for the headmaster to handle. And with the headmaster's currently weakened position his plan's degree of effectiveness would increase greatly, helping to make bigger waves and hopefully trigger a positive change to the school.

Putting the draft questionnaire to one side, he still had to decide how to effectively and stealthily deploy the survey around the school and collect the results without being detected by either the headmaster or the staff members. Seeing no immediate solution to the dilemma, he decided to do something else with his remaining evening and think on the matter later.

Lazily flicking his wand to summon his fourth year charms book to his bedside, he turned to the bookmarked page. Once again he was reading about a fascinating piece of magic called animation charms, and their inner workings.

Animation magic actually encompassed an entire subset of varying magic in the charms field, and was one of the most difficult types of charms to master. They required a clear and specific intent, a great deal of concentration and an intimate understanding of both the magic at work and the desired outcome. The user had to be able to visualize and understand every aspect of the movement. At first glance that seemed easy, but imagine, for example, all the unconscious pieces involved in successfully walking or running or doing any complex action. Most of the time we do these things unconsciously without giving much thought to the individual pieces and parts. You couldn't do that with animation charms. In time, a skilled practitioner could do most of that unconsciously, but like a child learning to walk, there was a great deal of practice required. The magic also required just the right amount of power behind the spell, too much power would destabilize the spell matrix causing the object to explode, not enough power and the object would fail to animate properly. You also had to take into account the object's size, and the material that it was made out of before casting the spell as some materials were more magically resistant than others. Bronze, for instance, was an incredibly magic resistant material to apply external magic to.

So in essence, it was one big balancing act, with many individual parts that all needed to come together perfectly to work properly. The mind arts would prove a huge help. One of the easiest objects to animate was human shaped statues. Unless handicapped from birth everyone had a bit of unconscious knowledge on how a person should move correctly in the back of their minds.

The problem he was currently facing, as he looked around his Spartan room, was that he had nothing human-like in shape to animate.

For any other use, he could just transfigure some objects into human -like shapes and statues, but the transfiguration magic, at his absolutely beginner level, would create interference with the animation charms, making it even more difficult to achieve the correct balance needed for the charms to work properly as two different types of magic were forced to coexist in a single vessel. A skilled wizard with a great deal of experience in animation magic could unconsciously take that into account and adjust accordingly within moments, but he was a long, long way from that level of proficiency. Considering the problem for a second, he decided to take the safer option and give his cousin a visit to see if he couldn't temporarily borrow a couple of her teddy's for some experimentation, rather than risk making the task more difficult and more dangerous by combining two different brands of magic together at his current novice level.

After all, he was a Ravenclaw; he wasn't some reckless Gryffindor who charged blindly into dangerous situations and merely hoped for the best. He was just fine with slow and steady progress in this case.

Wednesday

He didn't let his sour mood show as he moved about the hidden safe house completing his morning activities. The Aurors carefully watched his movements, like hawks watching a potential meal.

Despite only being in their presence for a couple of hours, it was already clear to him by the looks they discreetly sent his way that this small band of aurors knew about his shadier past. And naturally, like true professionals, they were not taking any chances with him as they carefully shadowed his every move. This was despite the fact that they had already placed upon him a pair of magical handcuffs, specifically charmed to allow him the free use of his hands, but otherwise prevented him from leaving the building by his own free will. Years of watching different groups of people from the shadows in the service of Lord Voldemort taught him how to read people. He could tell his watchers were more than capable, as he noted the small tell-tale signs of capable professionals on the job.

That meant that his chances of successfully escaping this 'protective custody' were at an all time low, especially with no wand of his own to use. In short, he was trapped, with limited options available to him.

Sitting down silently at the plain, wooden breakfast table, he considered his options, but regrettably found that they were extremely limited without outside help. His only hope of warning Lucius was in Draco noticing that something was wrong with his 'double.' Whilst his pride as a godfather hoped his godson would notice that he had been replaced with an imposter, a small, but growing voice in the back of his mind whispered otherwise, filling him with doubts. Unfortunately for him, Draco was very much a hothead and very self absorbed with his notions of personal superiority. He'd likely only notice the swap if it was patently obvious to all and sundry... That was one of Draco's many weaknesses, the inability to notice the little details that were often necessary for a good plan to succeed.

To add more salt to the open wound that was his damaged pride, the Gryffindors would surely notice the change, even more than his own Slytherins. He could already predict that Longbottom and his know-it-all sidekick Granger would investigate the matter. That was truly a sobering thought, the idea that the Gryffindors were far more likely to notice his replacement than his own godson or his Slytherin students. He made a mental note to instruct Draco, upon his return to freedom of course, on how to identify polyjuiced agents and imposters.

"Professor Snape would you like some breakfast?" a house elf asked politely, with a hint of eagerness that was so common for their race.

Looking down at the creature before him dressed in a neat uniform, he answered, "Just tea," he replied emotionlessly, suppressing the dark remarks that were ever on his tongue. The house elf disappeared immediately to complete his task with joy.

"You should eat something," one of his watchers unnecessarily suggested.

"I am not hungry. I suppose that is what happens when you have just been kidnapped against your will and then locked in a house," he sneered back, letting some of his anger vent as the house elf returned and served his tea, as well as giving him the morning paper.

The auror just shrugged off the remarks, making it clear that his words had no effect on him, "Suit yourself. Madam Bones will be around shortly to talk with you. I believe she has a lot of questions to ask," he sipped his drink in silence at that, trying desperately to keep his panic from showing all the while trying to come up with a makeshift plan to deal with the Head of Law enforcement.

'I should have taken Albus' offer,' he groused.

Number 12

Since his meeting with Madam Bones there had been only one name running through his mind, one singular person that brought forth all his anger and hatred, 'Lucius.' He once again considered his old enemy, who had managed to escape justice following the end of the last war whilst he, an innocent man, had suffered in Azkaban for over a decade. Not even spending the morning with his godson Harry had brought a respite from his all encompassing rage he was feeling at the injustice, the unfairness of it all.

Naturally, he was extremely proud of his godson who was proving to be far more driven and talented than he ever was at the age of 12, but was perhaps a tad too serious. However, he was patiently working on getting Harry to loosen up and act his age a bit. He personally thought that Harry just needed a good caring family that he could learn to trust and who never failed that trust. Progress was being made on that front, after all Harry was already opening up to him and Tonks. And in due course he would find a girlfriend that he trusted as well, further drawing him out of his hardened shell. That was one of the reasons why he baited Harry into taking up those 'challenges.' He could get his godson to loosen up through those outlandish tasks. Add in the prize his godson saw as valuable and desirable and he knew Harry would give it his all, no matter his personal feelings.

Speaking of giving his all... He had been rendered near speechless when he first heard of his godson's success in becoming an animagus at such a young age; however, he was even more impressed with Harry's animal counterpart, even if it was just an overgrown cat... Well, that was what his inner dog was telling him anyways, but the part of him that was a human wizard knew that the Tiger was not just an overgrown housecat that he could chase around for his own amusement.

Nevertheless, he needed to start rallying support to confront his old enemy, to start putting friends in place to cause Lord Malfoy the most trouble when Madam Bones' scheme hopefully succeeded. He was in a rather unique position actually. With his foreknowledge of the rare opportunity to do some damage to the slippery snake, he could marshal his resources long ahead of time.

Throwing on his best set of silk robes, he tried to tame his wild black hair for his upcoming meeting with Nicholas. While he was naturally wary of getting Nicholas and his house involved in their private matters, he was well aware that the Greengrass household held considerably more pull and influence with the elite of magical Britain than his own house did at the moment. Regrettably, he also knew that there would be a price to be paid for the family's assistance; after all, there was nothing truly free in the world of politics. Hopefully the cost could be minimized if Nicholas saw that his own household could profit from assisting him, and indirectly Harry, against Lord Malfoy.

He would also have to pay a formal visit to Lady Longbottom and see if she would agree to render assistance in the coming weeks as well. He was pretty sure that the Lady Longbottom would readily agree to assist him in this matter, since it would be in her own house's interest to help cripple the Malfoy family. He expected that the old battle axe would demand something for her help as well, if only on principle.

He looked himself over in his special mirror, "Hey good looking," the mirror purred in approval, as Sirius examined himself critically.

'I need to get Harry one of these mirrors...' he noted with amusement, as the mirror continued to voice its approval for his outfit, as he checked himself over. 'Damn, I'm sexy.'

Hogwarts

Returning from his daily archery practice, rain dripped steadily from his soaked clothes, his yew short bow held lightly in his off hand as he silently moved through the empty halls up to his dorm room to shower and change, before starting his rather boring school day. His marksmanship skills were improving by leaps and bounds, his upper body growing more and more defined, muscular and powerful under the gruelling training regime he had been following since the start of his first year. Whilst it would still be a long time before he could call himself a 'master' archer, his skills were progressing nicely. With his ever increasing accuracy, he could now track and hit a moving target at a range of up to 150 yards. His stamina and rate of fire was also improving rapidly.

All in all, he was feeling quite happy with his progress, as he gracefully climbed another set of shifting stairs to his dorm room, the magical portraits beginning to stir from their sleep, their mighty yawns echoing around the empty halls. It was like a chain reaction as the loud yawns woke up their sleeping neighbours, which triggered yet more yawns. Even a bewitched set of plate armour stretched its metal joints before releasing a metallic sounding yawn, causing him to smile.

However, his amused smile didn't last long, as his mind turned back to more serious matters, such as Madam Bones' plot to catch Lucius Malfoy red handed. The plan seemed sound to his youthful and inexperienced mind. He privately acknowledged, though, that he was no tactical genius or expert in law enforcement tactics and methodology, so ultimately he felt he had no right to question the experienced auror on her plan of entrapment anyways. This was especially true when it became clear to him that she very much wanted Lucius caught and successfully jailed. He was uncertain whether to tell his friends and allies within the school about the plan though. Rationally he knew that the more people who knew, the greater the risk of the plan being compromised and thus failing; but if he didn't tell his friends then they would assume he didn't trust them and that would undermine their friendship and all his efforts to this point.

However, on a positive note, with his upcoming fake death, it meant that he no longer had to worry about asking anyone out on Valentine's Day, which lifted a small burden of decision from his shoulders. On the other hand, it would also prove to be a double edged sword, as he predicted that upon his return his fame and status, both within the school and the wider wizarding world, would further increase, making him an even more tempting target for girls like Lavender. He had to remind himself of the old saying that 'there was no such thing as bad publicity' while hoping to Merlin that that was true.

Approaching the common room door, the auror guard glanced over the top of her women's magazine as he walked up to the enchanted doorknob.

"Give me food and I will live; give me water and I will die. What am I?" the magical doorknob asked.

"Fire," he replied after a couple seconds thought. The common door silently swung open at his answer, revealing the empty Ravenclaw common room.

Greengrass Manor

"Good morning Nicholas; I trust you are well today?" Sirius greeted politely as the pair of Lords sat down in the living room to discuss upcoming business.

Smiling back at his friend and good natured political ally, he answered, "Yes, I'm quite well, thank you Sirius. Yourself?" he replied cheerfully, as he sipped on his extra strong morning tea.

"I can't truly complain," Sirius replied, as he helped himself to some of the tea on offer. "How is your family?"

Smiling back, "Astoria is excited about finally getting her wand, I'll tell you that! She has even stolen mine a few times to 'practice.' I'm considering getting her a couple of tutors to help prepare her for Hogwarts, just like I did with Daphne," he offered back fondly. "I heard about Harry successfully becoming an animagus. That is an amazing achievement for one so young. You must be very proud," paying Sirius' godson a genuine compliment.

"Indeed I am, although I too was rather surprised at his success so soon. In fact when he was just discovering his form, he told me he was 'just a cat.' You can imagine my shock and astonishment when I saw him transform into a several hundred pound tiger!" Sirius offered with a carefree chuckle, before his face turned serious.

Noticing the sudden earnestness in Sirius' posture, he realized that something was wrong and it was time to get down to business, "Something on your mind Sirius?" Nicholas asked.

Nodding, "Yes, a very serious matter," Sirius replied. His curiosity was stirred.

Putting his teacup down on the table, he put on his game face, "What's the serious matter you're talking about?" Nicholas asked.

"I just found out who hired Peter Pettigrew to kill Harry," Sirius voiced evenly, but coldly, an undercurrent of tightly controlled rage detectable in his voice.

"Peter was hired?" he questioned, wanting to confirm what he had just heard, since his own sources all indicated that Peter was acting alone.

"Indeed, I think you can guess who hired him," Sirius remarked, the silent challenge clear, as his mind jumped into gear.

A good couple of minutes passed before he hissed his answer to Sirius' question, "Lucius." Sirius nodded grimly in response, confirming his answer.

"Do you any evidence of this?"

"Yes, but it's weak. However, there are plans to change that," Sirius confirmed, with a hint of anger slipping into his rigid posture. "I have a plan in motion with Madam Bones. We intend to catch Lucius in the act. But you know as well as I do just how greasy Lucius is and how far his gold spreads within the Ministry. I would ask your help to ensure that when Lucius is finally caught and brought to trial that he receives true justice, rather than buying his freedom like he did before."

He didn't have to think long at all to know what his answer would be, after all, Lucius had been a thorn in his and his family's side for decades; this was a perfect opportunity to finally and permanently deal with the Malfoy family without any major risk to his own. It also had the side benefit of assuring a closer friendship, backed up by action rather than just words, with Sirius and indirectly Harry. With Harry a dual heir, as well as coming to be seen as a prodigy of magic, not to mention the boy's ambitious plans already in motion, this could lead to a powerful alliance stretching long into the future with an up and coming power broker of magical Britain. "I think I can do that," Nicholas readily agreed.

"Thank you," Sirius replied, his posture relaxing at the favourable answer.

"You're welcome, my friend. Lucius has been a thorn in my side for many years," he admitted freely, as he reached back for his teacup. "It would be wonderful to finally deal with him. So when does this plan take place?"

"Within the next couple of days..." Sirius replied, causing him to blink a few times in shock at how quickly things were moving.

He considered Sirius' shocking, but cryptic response, "I see. Is there anything else I should know?" he asked, wanting to get as many details as possible so that he could take proper advantage of the unfolding drama.

"We know that there is going to be an attack on Harry, to take place tomorrow. Harry is going to fake his death with the help of some polyjuiced aurors stationed within Hogwarts," Sirius offered, the pieces starting to fall into place.

"Ah, how very clever of you," he expressed, after some thought.

"Thank you," Sirius replied, giving a soft nod of his head.

He smiled back at Sirius. It was now time to ask his price; in other words what he wanted in exchange for his assistance in this matter. Considering their interests aligned so well, and both knew it, it would be imprudent to ask for too much. After all, there may come a time when he would need to ask Sirius and Harry for a favour and either believing they had been taken advantage of in the past would not serve his or his family's long-term interests. "When Lucius is finally removed and arrested his Hogwarts governor seat will be forfeit. It will need filling with a suitable candidate..." he said leadingly, Sirius nodding in understanding. "I trust that you will support my wife's bid for appointment to the school's Board of Governors?"

"Of course, my friend," Sirius replied with a smile. "I trust that you will keep what we have discussed to yourself."

"Naturally, there is no profit in it if it is shared around," he replied with a mischievous smile. Well pleased with the outcome of the conversation.

Hogwarts

He wasted no time as the pointless lesson finally ended, his textbooks quickly being thrown into his bag before he marched straight out of the history of magic classroom. He expertly and efficiently made his way towards the school library, with the goal of hopefully catching Penny there so that they could talk. While they were still on sour terms with each another after their falling out, with his fake death happening soon he was hastily taking steps to get his 'house' in order before he was gone. One such problem with his 'house' was Luna, as he thought about the bizarre first year Ravenclaw that he had successfully mentored for the last half a year. The first year Ravenclaw had been unofficially under his protection, under his proverbial wing as it were, and he wanted to make sure that there was another student in place to keep an eye on her and protect her whilst he was gone from Hogwarts. Given her number one ranking in her year, coupled with her at times off-putting demeanour, he wouldn't put it past the rank and file Ravenclaws to act against her out of jealousy when she didn't have a strong patron to look out for her.

"Slow down Harry," Padma requested, as his first friend struggled to keep up with his fast walking pace.

He forced himself to slow down, "Sorry, but I need to get quite a bit done today," he offered in explanation, as he navigated his way through the castle, before he quickly sidestepped another group of older students milling around.

She finally caught up with him, "What do you need to get done?" Padma asked.

"Homework, to start... I also have Quidditch practice after dinner as well as my normal training with Tonks," he offered back in hurried explanation, but at the same time making a concerted effort to avoid giving away any important details.

Accepting his explanation for what it was, they passed another group of students, "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Padma enquired.

He then saw where this conversation was actually going, "Besides avoiding Lavender? I don't know," he joked, an easy, but charming smile on his lips, hoping to distract his friend. "I'm skipping our DADA lesson; I don't want anything to do with what that idiotic fraud is planning for Valentine's Day."

"So you're not going to ask anyone out on a date?" Padma asked, he caught a hint of red on her cheeks.

"Nope," he replied firmly, knowing that it would be a major disappointment to Padma, since she clearly wanted him to ask her out. Unfortunately, he was faking his death tomorrow, so that was going to ruin the day anyway, so why bother?

He listened with some sympathy as Padma gave him a disappointed, "Oh," but continued to make his way up another flight of stairs. "I'm going to see if I can't find my sister," she said, before quickly running off.

Midnight Lord

Noticing a shadow hanging over her workspace that had broken her concentration from the important assignment she was working on, she looked up from her half completed essay, ready to quickly send away whichever individual had broken her concentration. However, her annoyance faded slightly at the sight of Harry waiting to speak with her. "Can I have a moment of your time Penny?" he enquired, as he looked over her half-written essay with a hint of genuine interest.

Her response was automatic, her tongue speaking for her despite her mind still thinking over how to answer the question. "Of course."

"Thank you. If I may ask, what are you working on?" Harry politely asked, as he took a free seat next to her.

"Charms essay on the bubble-head charm," she offered out of reflex considering how long she had mentored Harry, whilst placing her quill into the ink pot for safe keeping, rather than risking ink laden quill tainting her work.

"What does it do?" Harry asked, as he tilted his head down, so that he could try to read her work.

Her inner teacher suddenly kicked in, "The spell creates a mostly transparent, flexible bubble around your head, trapping air in and separating out breathable air from water or purifying air as it passes through the bubble. It is mainly used for diving, when combating fires to avoid smoke inhalation, or when encountering poisonous clouds of air," she explained quickly, feeling slightly better with herself than she had for a while now.

"That's a rather useful spell," Harry stated, clearly noting down the spell in his mental notes for his own study and research at a later date.

"So what is it you want Harry?" she asked, wanting to get back to her work before she completely lost focus on what she was writing as she felt the words slipping from her mind.

His features suddenly turned serious, before offering a simple "One moment please," his wand suddenly jumping into his open hand, before he quickly erected a privacy spell around them. For an instant a dome of clear silver energy appeared over them, before it faded from sight.

"I have a small favour to ask," he said, before he carefully put his wand away.

"What type of favour? And why should I help you?" she asked sceptically, her mind, for once in this conversation, thankfully beating her mouth to an instant agreement. She wondered what Harry was up to and if this was some type of new scheme he had cooked up. She quickly corrected herself mentally, of course it was a scheme. Harry always had plans in motion of some type, usually with carefully hidden agendas.

"Can you keep an eye on Luna for me?" he asked. This unexpected request threw her completely off balance. "And why? First, I'd owe you one and you know that I always pay my debts. Second, you're not the type of person to allow someone to be bullied if you can stop it and Luna is often picked on."

She considered the request, but decided to ask for more information, rather than risk being artfully manipulated again by Harry. "Why do you need me to look out for her?"

"Simply put, I won't be in Hogwarts for the next couple of days, possibly longer," Harry offered in explanation, as well as creating more questions for her to ask.

Naturally, her curiosity kicked in, "Where are you going?"

Harry's serious features shifted, as he clearly weighed up his own response to her question, before providing her with a surprising answer. "Into hiding." She raised a questioning eyebrow, "There is going to be an attempt on my life tomorrow." She shifted uneasily in her seat, concern flooding her for Harry's safety as Harry added. "It has been decided that I should go into hiding until such time that Peter is finally dealt with, hence my death is going to be faked tomorrow with the assistance of the Aurors," he explained easily, without a hint of concern, just raw confidence. "This means that I could be out of school for a couple of days, or a couple of months, hence why I want to ensure that Luna is looked after in my absence. I also trust that you will keep this information between the two of us, otherwise these plans could be undermined."

She already knew her answer, "Yes, I'll keep an eye on Luna for you," she agreed, as she gave him a worried look. "Are you going to tell Tonks about this?"

Giving her a fond smile at her obvious worry, he replied, "Yeah, I'll tell Tonks this afternoon. How have you been by the way?"

"A bit under the weather Harry," she replied, her mouth betraying her once again.

"Oh? Nothing too serious, I hope?" he probed, showing signs of genuine concern.

"Nothing to be worried about," she offered back, feeling slightly better with herself.

"That's good. Has Percy or Reese asked you out yet for Valentine's Day?" he asked, as he eyed her books again with interest.

She smiled as she answered, "Percy did, but I declined. Reese hasn't asked me yet."

"His loss," Harry replied, causing her to send him an amused look.

"How would you know that Harry?" she asked, not knowing how the words got into her mouth, yet again.

A sad smile appeared on his features, "Because I lost you," Harry replied regretfully, his words pulling strongly on her heartstrings, before he left her alone to continue her work. Unfortunately for her, she was no longer in the mood for it.

Midnight Lord

Longbottom Manor – Mid-Day

Longbottom Manor was exactly the same as he remembered it; the halls were still sterile and lifeless, like a grand, but empty museum, with family portraits hanging from the highly decorative stone walls. He took them in as a house elf quickly lead him to his mistress. Entering the conservatory, the sunlight was flooding into the glass room. He fondly remembered Frank and Alice's wedding day, how the three of them had shared a toast together in this very room as the garden party unfolded outside. It was then that he noticed Lady Longbottom sitting silently in her Victorian style armchair reading the morning paper, before taking a careful sip of her tea, prior to finally registering his presence in the room.

He instinctively knew that it would be best for him to stay overly formal with the old bird that reminded him so much of Professor McGonagall and follow, to the letter, the age old traditions that had been ruthlessly drilled into him as a child by his mother. "Thank you for seeing me so soon, Lady Longbottom," he addressed formally, giving a slight bow as tradition demanded, his hand neatly folded behind his back.

"What can I and the Great House of Longbottom do for you today, Lord Black?" she enquired formally, with a hint of smugness in her aging voice, but each word carrying a hint of underlying bitterness. She then gestured to one of the free armchairs as she folded the paper in half, thus granting him permission to sit down in the free seat across from her.

"I request your assistance, Lady Longbottom, with a matter of great importance," Sirius asked formally, noticing Lady Longbottom shifting in her chair in interest.

"It depends on the matter at hand and ultimately whether it's in my family's best interests to help you," she stated clearly, as she flattened her traditional gown.

"Naturally," he replied, realistically expecting no less from her.

"So what is it that you are asking for?" she asked, getting straight down to business as her aging eyes met his own, seemingly to better read him and his intentions.

Choosing his words carefully, he made his pitch, "I'm sure that you are aware that there have been a number of attempts on my heir's life this past year," he offered, as she tilted her head in acknowledgement. "I received word from Madam Bones. She believes that Peter Pettigrew, the confirmed attempted assassin, is working for Lord Malfoy and at his behest; I would like to request your assistance in ensuring that both are suitably punished when the pair of them of them are brought to trial in the near future."

Several minutes passed as Lady Longbottom digested the news, before giving her answer, "I believe that I can be of assistance in this matter. Lord Malfoy is no friend of mine. Madam Bones also believes that Lord Malfoy is the one behind the attempts on my own grandson's life, as well as the one trying to besmirch my family's name with scandalous articles."

He smiled internally at the news, "So our interests are well aligned in this goal," he asked, wanting to confirm, without any doubt, that he had her assistance.

A sly smile appeared on her weathered lips, "For the moment our goals are the same, or at least until Lord Malfoy is properly dealt with," Lady Longbottom confirmed. "However, I expect a favour in return."

He knew how this game was played. "What do you require, my Lady?" he asked carefully, wanting to get a feel for what Lady Longbottom wanted in return.

"My grandson has expressed an interest in becoming an animagus, and I can see the benefits of having such a rare ability. I hope you would be agreeable to teaching him the skill," Lady Longbottom voiced, her eyes watching him.

Considering her request for a good minute while he delicately sipped his tea, he silently weighed up the pros and cons of her request, before a small confirming smile appeared on his lips, giving her his answer. "Whilst I have no issue with teaching your grandson the skill, it needs to be clear from the start that becoming an animagus is very much a self-driven skill, a journey of self-discovery that requires a great deal of time, skill and dedication to successfully achieve even if one uses the potion shortcut to discover one's animal form. No matter how skilled the teacher, success or failure is ultimately more in the student's hands than anyone else's. I can provide him with the guidance and direction needed to begin the journey, but it will be very much up to Neville whether he successfully learns the skill. It can take several years or more to learn."

Noticing a sudden shift in posture, the old witch's demeanour became more assertive, more defensive at this answer. "Your godson successfully learnt the skill. Are you implying that my grandson is not capable of the same feat?" she asked, with a hint of challenge.

"No, I am most certainly not implying that," he quickly replied, as he searched for the correct words to defuse the situation. "Harry is a very unique and driven individual in nature, especially so at his age. If he wants something, he will work ceaselessly for it, putting all his energy and drive into making it happen despite anything the world would say on the subject. If he wants to learn a new skill, he will, as failure simply isn't an option in his mind," he gave her a stern look to convey his seriousness, that he wasn't bullshitting her. "My intention is merely to make it clear that the skill cannot simply be taught like any ordinary spell, it's a very unique piece of magic after all. It requires a rare self-awareness and inner focus. I can give Neville the tools and the knowledge to set him on the path, but it will be very much up to him to unlock the ability, if he even has the potential for it. In fact, most of the work will be self-study."

"I'm sure Neville will be a satisfactory student," she voiced confidently, clearly disregarding his words and missing the whole point.

He decided to keep his peace on the subject until he met Alice and Frank's son for himself. "I'm sure he will be," he voiced, knowing that his deceased friend Frank had been a hardworking individual with an incredibly strong personal work ethic. That would be required for Neville to have any hope for success.

"I would also like to introduce Neville to some better company," she added, before sipping thoughtfully on her tea.

He considered the aging witch's words. They sounded suspiciously like his own mother's from way back when, but he still had no clue what she meant. "Better company?" he asked, hoping to show that he genuinely didn't understand.

"Yes, better company," she confirmed, rather unhelpfully.

"Is there something wrong with Neville's current company?" he asked, whilst trying to remember what Harry had told him of Neville and his friends.

"My grandson currently spends far too much of his time hanging around with the Weasley children. Whilst their family is upstanding and firmly in the light, their youngest son lacks any work ethic or drive, and is unfortunately dragging Neville down with him. I wish to correct that," Lady Longbottom voiced.

He immediately saw the potential political advantages of establishing closer relations with the Longbottom family, one of the most influential light side families in magical Britain. However, at the same time, he knew that Harry would not like being forced into associating with anyone unless it was his own personal choice. Unfortunately, he couldn't outright deny her request without insulting her and her house and possibly ending this temporary alliance before it even began. "I'll talk to Harry about it," he finally demurred.

"Talk?" she challenged. "A child does as his parent or guardian instructs. They do as their elders command."

Having some flashbacks to his own bitter, hate-filled mother at that moment did little to help his state of mind. "You haven't met my godson," he muttered unintentionally, beneath his breath, before quickly adding. "Harry is very independent and strong-willed, that's one of the very reasons why he was able to successfully become an animagus so young. I'll encourage him to talk to Neville, but he has his mother's stubbornness," he replied with a small, charming smile, which had absolutely no affect on the Lady Longbottom. He considered what his godson would do in retaliation if he actually tried to force Harry to do anything he didn't want to. He mightily resisted the shudder that went up his spine.

End of Chapter

Another Note: Sorry about the long waited update... but it been a sunny summer for once so I wanted to enjoy =) That said, enjoy the 18.1k update