Santa Paws
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to the disclaimer and warnings in chapter 1. The parts of the prophecy cited are from 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'.
In case you have not read yesterday's chapter yet, please go back and read chapter 27 first :)
Please note, this is strictly a fanfiction. There is no intention to demean any of the characters or persons mentioned in this story / chapter. It is strictly meant for entertainment purposes.
Sirius stormed into the room, shouting, "That's it. Tomorrow, we're finally going to have the Wizengamot meeting to kick Fudge out of his job."
"Why do you believe that it's going to work out this time?" Santa enquired, sounding doubtful.
"For two reasons," Sirius replied, grimly. "First of all, he denies that Voldemort is back in spite of all the evidence and the fact that Meli and I and a dozen Aurors saw him with our own eyes. Secondly, the Queen is going to officially take her seat on the Wizengamot tomorrow. Arthur already contacted her and received her approval to hold the meeting at ten o'clock tomorrow morning."
Turning to Harry, he said, "Harry, I suggest that you also claim the Potter seat, considering that magic recognises you as an adult."
"Wouldn't I have to go to Gringotts and accept the lordship first?" Harry enquired.
"That won't take much time, son," Santa assured him. "I can take you there first thing in the morning."
Turning to the screen, he looked for the headmistress' office at Hogwarts and addressed the headmistress. "Minerva, I'm sorry to disturb you, but I'd like to ask for a favour," he addressed the witch and explained about the Wizengamot meeting and that he would need to accompany Harry to Gringotts beforehand.
"All right," Minerva replied, smiling. "Just Harry, please come back right after the meeting. It's not safe for you with Voldemort around now. If you're going to spend the night at home, I'll send Malcolm to you with my voting slip. Please vote on my behalf."
Quickly casting the speaking charm at himself, Harry replied, "Professor, as much as it would be an honour to vote on your behalf, wouldn't it be better if you attended the meeting yourself? Perhaps Severus would be able to oversee your office. As the headmistress of Hogwarts, you're a capacity that should be present for the Wizengamot meeting that has the head of the minister of magic rolling."
"That would probably be possible, although we'd have to cancel his classes," McGonagall replied, pensively.
"Frank's classes have to be cancelled as well," Harry reminded her, and the headmistress decided to attend the Wizengamot meeting herself, provided that Severus would agree.
HP
After a short visit with Buckbean, where Harry had to make an oath on the Potter family to become the Lord Potter, the head of the ancient and noble house of Potter, Santa took him to the Ministry of Magic, where Harry was motioned to wait in a side room to the room, where the Wizengamot meeting was going to commence in ten minutes.
He found himself in a small yet comfortable room together with a witch, who greeted him, gently.
"I've heard many good things about you, Lord Potter," she addressed him, causing Harry to stare at her in disbelief, especially when Santa Paws went and greeted her like he used to meet people he approved of.
"This is Santa Paws, my familiar," he introduced the canine, causing the witch in front of him to smile.
"Hello Santa Paws, I am glad to meet you," she said to the dog, giving him a questioning look. "I suppose that you're one of Santa's puppies?"
"Excuse me, Madame," Harry spoke up, politely, "have we met before?"
"No, we haven't, but Mr. Weasley told me a lot about you. He sometimes visits me at Buckingham Palace."
Harry's eyes widened in shock. "You're the Queen?" he blurted out without even considering what to say.
"That I am," the witch admitted, "however, today, I'm merely here as a new member of the Wizengamot and the Lady Windsor. I suppose that you're waiting here with me because it's your first time on the Wizengamot as well?"
"Yes, it is," Harry confirmed, smiling.
All of a sudden, Mr. Weasley entered the room and motioned them to follow him. "The Wizengamot is now ready for you," he informed them.
Harry followed the Queen and Mr. Weasley in excitement with a now invisible Santa Paws closely behind him.
HP
"From today onwards, the Wizengamot has two new members," Sirius announced to the members, just when Mr. Weasley brought the Queen into the room followed by Harry. "I present to you the Queen and Lady of Windsor." Huge applause followed the introduction, however, Harry noticed that Fudge, who was – still – sitting in the minister's seat, paled visibly. "The Lady of Windsor is the head of the Windsor family, one of the old magical families," Sirius continued, as the Queen took her seat among the members around the table. "Our other new member is Lord Harry Potter, the head of the ancient and noble Potter family," Sirius introduced Harry, who then took his seat between the Queen and Frank Longbottom.
"We have gathered today," Amelia Bones opened the discussion on a nod from Sirius, "to have a vote of no confidence against the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge."
As soon as the tumultuous reactions to her announcement had ebbed down, she explained, "Yesterday, You-Know-Who AKA Lord Voldemort was resurrected in a dark ritual. Lord Black and I, among several of our Aurors, witnessed the scene where he spoke with a dozen of his Death Eaters and consecutively duelled Albus Dumbledore. However, when we showed Minister Fudge our evidence, demanding that he should raise the financial means of the Auror department, the minister simply denied the possibility that Voldemort could be back. We saw him with our own eyes, and he definitely is back. In the very near future, we need a minister who works in favour of the magical world, or we'll all be involved in another war."
To Harry's surprise, the Queen was the next to raise her hand to speak and was called about.
"I completely agree. Whilst I have not witnessed the evil wizard's rebirth, I agree that Minister Fudge is completely inactive and needs to be replaced quickly."
With that, she sat down again, and Harry cast her a small smile.
"I second the motion," he spoke up, just like he had heard people do in an earlier Wizengamot meeting that he had witnessed.
"Me too," McGonagall quickly joined in.
Just a few minutes later, Sirius asked everyone to vote. Even if Harry had been sure that Fudge would be kicked out of his office, he had not expected the vote to be unanimous. The minister was voted out without any dissenting votes.
"Very well," Sirius took over again. "Mr. Fudge, please vacate the minister's seat as well as your office and leave this Wizengamot meeting immediately," he addressed the former minister.
Fudge slowly rose from his chair, apparently realising that there was nothing that he could do against the decision of the Wizengamot. He left the room wearing a furious expression.
Looking around, Sirius enquired, "I suggest that we decide today on an interim's minister and vote for the permanent minister on the first of August at the latest."
Everyone agreed, and Sirius enquired, "Do you have any suggestions?"
To Harry's surprise, the Queen was the first to speak up. "Arthur Weasley."
He hesitantly raised his hand and, on Sirius' nod, suggested, "Amelia Bones." As his godfather and the witch had begun dating again recently, he had met her a few times in private and found her to not only be extremely competent in her job but also a very amiable lady.
The following discussion was short and precise, and in the end, Amelia Bones became the new interim minister until the election of the new minister on August 1.
"Thanks for suggesting Meli," Sirius whispered to Harry, when they were on their way out of the ministry after the meeting.
"You're welcome," Harry replied, smirking.
HP
During the following weeks before the beginning of the summer holidays, Dumbledore and Voldemort remained quiet, and Harry had no clue what had happened to them. The only thing he knew was that neither of them had been arrested.
The Death Eaters, whom the Aurors had captured on the cemetery, each received a trial, however, on Amelia Bones' orders, were questioned under Veritaserum and given one-way tickets to Azkaban. Moreover, it was decided that – in case Voldemort managed to somehow break them out of Azkaban, which seemed impossible, but one never knew – if they would be arrested again, they would be put through the veil in the death chamber of the ministry without another trial.
Barty Crouch Junior, who had been responsible for Voldemort's resurrection and had already received a life sentence at Azkaban before, was sent to the veil.
HP
Like during the previous summer, Severus and McGonagall took turns looking after Hogwarts and spending their free time on the North Pole.
As usual, Harry and Santa Paws were extremely happy to be back at home and spent much time playing in the snow together with the other puppies.
One evening, however, Santa told him in a grave voice, "Harry, I believe that there is something less pleasant, which we should do as soon as possible.
Inwardly sighing, Harry cast his father a surprised look. "And what might that be?" he enquired, glancing at his mother.
"Have you ever head of the Hall of Prophecies?" Santa asked, causing Harry to shake his head.
"The ministry of magic has a room full of prophecies," his father began to explain, "and as Severus told me, Voldemort only knows the first half of the prophecy between you and him."
"Exactly," Severus confirmed, wearing a grim expression.
"Therefore, I believe that we should go and either destroy the prophecy or change its content," Santa continued, and Harry nodded readily.
"Okay," he agreed, inwardly groaning.
"I have contacted Unspeakable Ra," Santa informed him, "and he's going to take you to the Hall of Prophecies tomorrow morning. He will also help you to either destroy the prophecy or change its content."
=I can change it,= Santa Paws spoke up, and Harry translated quickly.
"Very well," Santa nodded in understanding. "Please discuss what to do and how to do it with Arcturus. He knows better than me."
"Arcturus?" Sirius spoke up in a sharp voice. "Who is Arcturus?"
Santa let out a small groan, before he replied, "Sorry, forget what I said. Unspeakable Ra."
"Santa?" Sirius enquired in a dangerously quiet voice, his eyes blazing with anger. "Who is Arcturus?"
"Sirius, please calm down," Santa replied, firmly. "Who do you believe saw to it that your mother was unable to kick you out of the family and that you were able to become the Lord Black?"
"My grandfather," Sirius mumbled in understanding. "He's alive."
Santa quietly turned to the screen, casting two spells, before he said, "Unspeakable Ra, I am sorry, I accidentally spoke about you by your given name, and now your grandson wishes to speak with you. Would you mind coming here, together with Unspeakable Raros if he doesn't mind?"
"You dunderhead," the Unspeakable growled, however, agreed to board the sleigh that was going to pick him up in front of the ministry in fifteen minutes.
HP
"Why?" Sirius addressed the Unspeakables, once Santa had ushered them into their home. "Why did you feign your death?" Turning to the second Unspeakable, he added, "And who are you if I may ask?"
"You may only ask if you don't use that tone with us," Unspeakable Raros replied in a stern voice, before he pulled his hood off, causing Sirius to stare at the man in disbelief.
"Regulus?" he asked, incredulously.
Turning to Harry, he explained, "This is Arcturus Black, your great uncle. His sister Dorea was your grandmother, and this is Regulus, my younger brother."
"Hello Mr. Black, hello Regulus," Harry greeted the men, smiling. 'They seem nice, and I'm sure that they had their reasons for feigning their deaths,' he thought, smiling when Santa Paws greeted them with apparent pleasure.
"We've heard much about you, great nephew," Arcturus addressed him, "and I was going to ask you anyway if you'd perhaps like to join our Unspeakable team?"
Harry remained pensive for a moment, pondering the matter. 'It can't hurt, especially now with Voldemort back,' he thought.
'Do it. I shall be with you the whole time,' Santa Paws encouraged him, and Harry nodded in determination.
"Yes please," he replied to the Unspeakables, who suggested for him to come to the Unspeakables' office for training every morning during the holidays. "When school begins again, we can still meet during the weekends if you wish," Regulus informed him.
HP
Training with the Unspeakables was more fun than Harry had expected it to be, and he was glad that Santa Paws was allowed to accompany him, even if the dog was instructed to not interfere with Harry's training.
On the first day, Croaker, the head of the Unspeakables, greeted him and introduced him to Devil, the trainer. In spite of the name, the trainer found Santa Paws' approval, so that Harry automatically relaxed. Devil tested Harry's abilities for an hour, before he accepted Harry for the training, and Croaker then decided to place Harry with team 5, as Arcturus and Regulus had suggested.
Team 5 consisted of three wizards and one witch apart from Harry. Ra and Raros introduced him to Meta and Mento, who were both very friendly, even if Harry found it strange that he did not get to know their real identities.
"Give them a few days' time to get to trust you," Ra told him, when he led him into the Hall of Prophecies later the same day.
HP
Harry stared at the hundreds or even thousands of orbs with prophecies in amazement. 'Santa Paws, be careful that you don't break anything,' he warned the canine, as they followed his great uncle through the large room, which was equipped with countless shelves covered with dusty glass orbs.
To his relief, the prophecies were sorted in an alphabetic sequence, so that it did not take them long to find the one concerning him and Voldemort.
"Lift it up," Arcturus instructed him. "You and Voldemort are the only people who can lift it off the shelf. Apart from Croaker. As the head of the Unspeakables, he'd also be able to do it," he added as an afterthought.
When Harry obediently took the orb from the shelf, the prophecy began to play out automatically, and Harry recognised the voice of Professor Trelawney, even if it sounded very raspy.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..."
Harry listened to her voice with bewilderment. However, before he could do as much as think about what he had heard, he could feel Santa Paws' magic.
=Put it down once and let us hear it again,= the canine instructed him, and Harry automatically complied.
Trelawney's voice began to recite the prophecy again.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and neither must die at the hand of the other for neither can live when the other perishes...The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."
"Brilliant," Arcturus acknowledged, gently fondling the canine's ears.
"Thanks Santa Paws," Harry added, feeling slightly relieved at the change they made to the orb, as they replaced the orb and found their way out of the Hall of Prophecies.
'I really don't like that room,' he thought, 'even if I'm an Unspeakable in training now and it is part of the Department of Mysteries, which belong to the Unspeakables.'
HP
"Well done," Santa and Merlin commended Harry and Santa Paws, when they returned home late in the afternoon.
"How was training with the Unspeakables?" Claire enquired, giving Harry a questioning look.
"I liked it, my team colleagues are very nice, and it'll be good to have some training in case Voldemort decides to attack me," Harry replied, smiling. "Thanks, Dad, for arranging this for me."
HP
During the summer, neither Santa and the extended family on the North Pole nor the Unspeakables were able to find out the whereabouts of Voldemort. Whenever Santa searched on the screen, he could see Voldemort sitting in some kind of dungeon; however, he was not able to find out where it was. 'Somehow, this building has to be under special wards,' he mused in confusion.
Dumbledore was residing in his manor in Italy; however, since he was not outright evil like Voldemort, no one was specifically worried about him.
For the time being, both wizards were having their own problems, which they wished to resolve before going out into the open again. What both wizards had in common, however, was a grudge, which they were holding against Harry and Santa Paws, whom they blamed for their misery.
tbc...
Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome.
Next chapter: "The Minister of Magic".