Chapter 20
Tuesday, 6 February 1996
Potter House, Pottershire
Auror Chief Attacked at Home!
By Cadmus Richardson
Last night, Death Eaters led by Bellatrix Black, previously Lady Bellatrix Lestrange, attacked the home of Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Bones first became aware of the attack when her alarm ward sounded at 1:12 this morning. Hurrying to respond, Bones and Auror Imogen Lewis, her protective detail, encountered three men around the house's ward stone. Bones and Lewis were able to subdue all three men, but not before one of the men brought down the wards. Moments later, the house was swarming with Death Eaters, including the infamous Black, who seemed to be leading them. Bones and Lewis withdrew to Bones' bedroom, where they made good their escape by unspecified means.
The quick response team from Specialist Command arrived on scene at the home at 1:21 to find the intruders apparating away. Five dead and one unconscious individual were left behind. Based on reports, the Death Eaters took at least four other casualties with them when they withdrew. The dead were identified as Stanislas Kowalski, 45, from Warsaw, Poland; Pyotr Malinkov, 33, from St. Petersburg, Russia; Joska Ory, 57, from Budapest, Hungary; John Selwyn, 20, from York, England; and David Yaxley, 22, from London, England. Captured alive, but unconscious, was Lord Amycus Carrow, 43, of Wiltshire, England. Carrow, Selwyn, and Yaxley all bore the Dark Mar, while the others, tentatively identified as mercenaries, did not.
"I'd like to thank Auror Lewis," Bones said during an interview shortly after the attack. "She saved my life tonight on at least two occasions. I'd be dead without her."
Bones refused to speculate as to a motive for the attack, as the investigation is still underway. Lord Carrow is scheduled to be interrogated today, before appearing before a judicial tribunal. He is expected to be sentenced to the veil sometime this afternoon or evening. A full report on the attack is expected sometime later this week.
"What a helluva way to wake up," Harry sighed as he put the paper down.
"Is Amelia OK?" Katie asked. Harry had shared the headline, but not the content of the article.
"Yeah," Harry informed her. "Probably escaped into her trunk. Amycus Carrow was found unconscious, but it doesn't say where. My money's on the bedroom, right next to the trunk."
"I wonder why they left him behind," George offered. With the advent of more people getting trunks, the number of people around the table had shrunk considerably. Ron, Susan, Hermione, Justin, Neville, and Hannah no longer slept at Potter House. The twins did, as did their girlfriends. So did Leanne and Lee. Those were the only ones around the table that morning.
"It says that they were leaving as the Aurors showed up," Harry reported. "Probably didn't have time to bring him along."
"I bet his sister's pissed," Angelina guessed.
"I wonder why Lestrange was leading the attack," Lee said.
"Black, now, according to the Prophet," Harry pointed out. "She's Voldemort's most capable attack dog. Though that might not be the only reason. I think I'm gonna check and see if she's OK. I'll be right back." Harry stood, and wasn't surprised when Katie joined him. After passing through the trunk entry hall and the trunk exchange, they were standing in Sirius' entry hall. "Sirius!" Harry called out.
"In here!" Sirius shouted back from the dining room. Harry pushed the door open, finding Sirius, Remus, Amelia, and Tonks.
"I thought I might find you here," Harry said to Amelia.
"Caught the Prophet, did you?" she replied.
"I did," Harry nodded. "I thought I'd make sure you were OK."
"I was OK the whole time," Amelia snorted. "I was sleeping here when the alarm ward at the manor went off. Two minutes later I was climbing out of the trunk and waking Auror Lewis, who was kipping in the master bedroom there. We found some mercs disabling the wards so the Death Eaters could get in without being rendered unconscious. Put paid to them when Bellatrix storms in shouting, 'Where's that bastard Black?'"
"So it wasn't retaliation for effective policing," Harry understood.
"Nah," Sirius informed him. "It's because she knew Amy and I were dating. Apparently, she's not too keen that I dissolved her marriage for breach of contract and then kicked her out of the family."
"I'd think getting kicked out of the Black family is par for the course," Harry pointed out.
"That's not the part that pissed her off," Sirius replied. "She's pissed about the marriage annulment."
"Why?" Katie asked, confused.
"Because when I had her marriage annulled, I reclaimed the dowry she brought into the marriage, which had been supplied by House Black. It was something in the range of a million galleons, which was a substantial part of their wealth. There was just barely enough in the Lestrange vault to settle the debt. They actually didn't have enough cash on hand, so I ended up with some of the family jewels as well as some other odds and ends."
"I can see why she'd be pissed off about that," Katie allowed.
"I did the same thing to her sister," Sirius revealed. "Narcissa's no longer a Malfoy or a Black, and her dowry was a bit more substantial, a million and a half galleons."
"Will that put the squeeze on Malfoy?" Harry asked. It didn't sound like it would.
"Some, but not enough," Sirius shrugged. "A million and a half'll make a dent, but not a big one, in Lucy's portfolio. The real issue for him is that his son's now legally a bastard, and there's not much he can do about it since he can't go to the Ministry."
"I'm glad you're safe," Harry said, turning back to Amelia. "Is the house OK?"
"It will be once I get the wards back online," Amelia replied. "Bellatrix was confused by Carrow being knocked out by the trunk, and everyone was focused on trying to revive him, so they didn't have time for property damage before the response team showed up."
"I'm surprised Alecto Carrow didn't try to rescue Amycus," Sirius said. Apparently, they hadn't talked about this before Harry had arrived.
"She was the last one to leave," Amelia told them. "She tried like hell to get to his body when the Aurors arrived, but there were too many spells being cast, and the rest of the assault team was busy apparating away. By the time she had anything like a clear path to him it was one against ten, and they were casting to kill. She tried, but she couldn't get to him."
"I bet she's mad," Harry commented. Amelia nodded.
"Shacklebolt said she was furious right before she left," Amelia smiled.
"We should go back and let everyone know Amelia's OK," Katie reminded Harry.
"Right," Harry said, waving to the four adults.
"Say hello to Susan for me," Amelia said lightly.
"Oh, Susan's not staying at Potter House anymore," Harry let her know.
"Oh, really?" Amelia said as though she'd just discovered something interesting. "In that case, I think I'll have to track her down and have a brief discussion with her soon." It sounded to Harry like that wasn't going to be a discussion he wanted to be associated with in any way.
"I think she's probably staying in her dorm again, since Ron's not staying at Potter House anymore either," Harry said, trying to cast Susan in a better light.
"We'll see," Amelia said. Harry shuddered and turned to go.
"Oh, Harry," Sirius called as he reached the door. "Be available tonight after dinner. We're talking to Dumbledore at Hogwarts."
"Right," Harry nodded. The come to Jesus meeting they'd planned on had taken longer to organize than Harry had anticipated. As he left, he idly wondered why that was.
-oooo-
When Harry arrived at the Headmaster's office at seven that evening, he found a large group waiting. Sirius, Amelia, and Remus were there. So was McGonagall, Flitwick, and, surprisingly, Snape. Rounding out the contingent were Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, Moody, and Minister Ogden.
"Went a little overboard, did you, Sirius?" Harry asked lightly.
"When you go to war, you want to have enough reinforcements," Sirius replied with a grin. McGonagall rolled her eyes.
"Are we all here, Sirius?" she asked. Sirius nodded in reply and she turned to the gargoyle. "Allsorts." Harry pulled a face. He hated liquorice allsorts. The gargoyle, however, leapt aside anyway. A moment later, the ten concerned citizens were crowded into Dumbledore's office with the man himself seated behind his desk.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Dumbledore asked after greetings were dispensed with. He looked to the Minister, but it was Sirius who spoke up.
"We're concerned you're missing the big picture," Sirius began.
"Oh?" Dumbledore replied, interest piqued.
"How would you categorize Death Eaters?" Sirius asked.
"Ah," Dumbledore said, nodding. "I see. What do you want to happen here tonight?" Harry was confused, he didn't see at all.
"Albus, you're being obtuse," Sirius countered. "You seem to think the Death Eaters are misled school children, who, if only they could be shown the right way, they'd come back to the light! If you were writing the book, you'd describe their attacks as little more than pranks and criminal mischief."
"I suppose you would know the difference," Dumbledore smiled, a twinkle in his eye.
"Don't patronize me," Sirius snapped. "Calling Death Eaters criminals instead of soldiers is a negligent mischaracterization. The Death Eaters and the Ministry are at war with each other, and you don't seem to understand that!" Dumbledore sighed and looked at the other nine people in the room.
"Is it wrong to want to save people who might not be lost to us?" Dumbledore asked.
"Headmaster," Harry said, cutting Sirius off. "Would you rather Sirius live, or Lucius Malfoy?"
"I'd hope for a world where both could live," Dumbledore answered placidly.
"No," Harry said firmly. "This is a binary choice. You must choose Sirius or Malfoy. Me or Voldemort, if you'd prefer, or Professor McGonagall or Bellatrix Lestrange… Black. I don't care. Is our side more important to you, or are they?" Dumbledore remained silent and looked at his hands. If one side has to live, who do you want it to be?" Harry pressed. Dumbledore closed his eyes and sighed. "Answer me!" Harry shouted, his frustration boiling over.
"This shouldn't be that hard of a question," Amelia said slightly quieter. "They're coming at us with killing curses. I dodged a fair few last night. Would you really prefer that we counter with stunners?"
"They can be saved!" Dumbledore finally said in a strangled voice.
"They cannot," Snape said softly in the silence that followed. To Harry he looked calmer and more reasonable than he ever had before. "I do not agree with Black or Potter on much, but I do on this. Malfoy, Lestrange, and the rest do not want forgiveness. They do not want to be turned back to the light. I do not think it possible. They seek only the overthrow of the government and the elevation of the Dark Lord as a dictator. I've warned you before that your measures would not be enough. I despise the man, but given the choice between Black and Lestrange, I would choose Black." To his credit, Sirius stayed quiet.
"You're hurting us and our cause," Shacklebolt said, speaking up. "People look to you as the leader of the light, but you're not giving us viable solutions, and you're standing in the way of serious progress. When people see you challenge Madam Bones, or Lord Black, or Lord Potter, they see us divided."
"Shack's right," Moody harrumphed. "If you can't see clear to supporting an all-out effort to eliminate the bastards, then I'd appreciate it if you at least stayed quiet and let us do what's necessary." Dumbledore looked hurt that Moody had sided with them instead of him. "You're a great wizard, but this fight doesn't need a great wizard, it needs wizards who're willing to do what it takes to make sure that as many good wizards survive, regardless of how many bad wizards have to go down in the process."
"We don't have the numbers to fight with one hand tied behind our backs," Remus tried. "It frustrated me to no end in the last war when we'd stun them and then, not two minutes later, they'd be back up and in the fight. We lost so many because of that stupid stun-only rule…"
"We need only hold out until Voldemort is dealt with," Dumbledore tried.
"Then what?" Harry asked. "We can go back to business as usual, where bastards like Malfoy can get away with whatever they want because they have money and power?"
"That is what happened last time," Flitwick pointed out. "When Voldemort was beaten, the Ministry fell all over itself to ignore the evidence and pardon as many Death Eaters as they could. We all knew back then that you needed to want to take the Dark Mark, but the Ministry chose to look the other way because so many of the Death Eaters were 'fine and upstanding members of society'.
"Did you know Lucius Malfoy was a major importer of illegal drugs, not just in Wizarding Britain, but in muggle Britain as well?" Amelia asked. Dumbledore looked down at his lap. "Did you know he was abducting underage muggle girls and keeping them in a dungeon at his home so he could rape them whenever he wanted? Did you know he then killed them when they got too old?"
"We found out today that Amycus and Alecto Carrow are lovers in addition to being siblings," Shacklebolt said, shocking everyone. "Flora and Hestia Carrow are products of their incestuous love. Amycus has been sleeping with them as well for most of the last year. They're eleven." McGonagall looked like she might lose her dinner, and even Snape was turning a bit green.
"For the love of Merlin, Albus," Minister Ogden gasped, having been silent until that point. "There's no redemption for men like that. They're rotten to the core."
"Every last Death Eater we had in custody has said that the Dark Mark must be taken wilfully, and requires an act of pure evil to earn," Amelia related before Dumbledore could speak. "These people aren't worthy of your solicitude, yet you'd throw our friends, our co-workers, our families away so that these unsalvageable people might be rehabilitated."
"When you say you want to save them, you're spitting in our eye," Sirius finished. "When you do that, you're giving every Death Eater out there free rein to do as they will, and damn the consequences, because you'll just help free them later. If you can't see how your actions look to us, to the Death Eaters, and to the public at large, then I don't know if I can trust you enough to call you my friend anymore."
"Albus," Ogden said gently. "Your intransigence is making it extremely difficult for the rest of the Ministry and the Wizengamot to be effective against the Death Eaters. As Auror Shacklebolt said, you're the leader of the light, and the public looks to you for guidance and a moral compass. If you're not willing to fight, then neither are they. Right now the people are scared. It's been a month and a half since the breakout from Azkaban, Amelia's home's been attacked, and we only have a handful of Death Eaters to show for it. And they're not the ones who escaped from prison! You need to speak up. You need to give the people hope and stiffen their resolve. We need to present a united front, so we need you on board with our message. If you're unwilling to do what it takes, then perhaps we need a new Chief Warlock."
Dumbledore suddenly looked very tired. His eyes, which had been twinkling earlier in the evening were dull. Harry could see sadness on his face, betrayal almost, as he looked at each of his guests.
"You all feel this way?" he asked at last. Everyone nodded. "Then my way forward is clear. I will step down as Chief Warlock…" There was a collective gasp from those in attendance. Harry was shocked. How could Dumbledore be so rigid? How had the arguments not been persuasive? "I will resign at the beginning of the Spring Session, remaining long enough to oversee the selection of my replacement."
"You are so unwilling to see the error of your ways that you'd go so far as to resign?" McGonagall asked, astounded.
"Minerva," Dumbledore sighed. "I must do everything in my power to bring those fighting alongside Voldemort back to the light. At the same time, the Minister deserves someone who will help him carry out his vision. It's clear that I am not that person. I cannot abrogate my principles, and I will not waste my breath to convince you to change yours."
"Very well, Albus," McGonagall said sadly. She reached into her robes and pulled out a small pin, placed it on the desk and left without another word. Harry looked at the desk and saw a small golden pin in the shape of a phoenix. Harry's eyes went wide.
Sirius shook his head and tossed his own pin on the desk before walking out. Remus, Shacklebolt, and Moody followed suit. Amelia left after them. Harry decided it was also time to go. He shook his head in disappointment and went after the Ministry employees.
"I'm sorry to see you go," Harry heard Ogden say, as he too moved to leave. "But I think you're making the right choice."
Harry found Sirius and Remus waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. Amelia joined the three of them and they stared at each other in silent disbelief for several moments as Flitwick and Ogden passed. Snape was the last one to leave, as he passed, Harry stopped him.
"Professor Snape," he said. "Voldemort's not worth dying for. Neither is the Headmaster. Your life's worth more than that. When it comes to you or Umbridge, I'll pick you every time." Snape looked him in the eye for a moment, nodded sharply, and walked away.
-oooo-
"Alright team," Angelina growled out as the other players surrounded her in the changing room. "Are we ready to beat Hufflepuff?!"
"Yeah!" the rest of the team shouted.
"Yeah, we are!" Angelina grinned. "We've put away Slytherin. We're ready for Hufflepuff! George, Fred, keep the pressure on Smith and Cadwallader, they're their best players. Ron, watch for the left side pump-fake. Smith favours that move. He'll aim for the left and shoot for the right. Harry, Summerby'll probably try to follow you around like a lost puppy. Girls, you already know what's up. Guys," she said, turning to the reserves, "I know you're not playing, but I want you to watch and learn all you can. "Most of this team'll be returning next year. All in," she concluded, thrusting her hand out. Everyone added their hand. "Lions on three. One, two, three… LIONS!"
With a shout, everyone turned for the exit. This game wasn't a rivalry match like against Slytherin. It was supposed to be fun. Nobody hated the other team, but some did pity them. The Hufflepuffs had gone down hard against Ravenclaw back in December, and the Ravenclaw team wasn't as good as the Gryffindors. Regardless, when Harry followed the rest of his teammates onto the pitch he had a big smile on his face.
The teams were announced and Harry took his place. Across the pitch, Harry spotted his opponent, Summerby, a lanky blonde fourth-year with a large nose and high cheekbones. Harry thought he looked a bit like a blonde Snape without the grease.
Harry watched the snitch when it was released, tracking it as it rose into the sky. Before the quaffle was tossed out, the snitch disappeared behind Zacharias Smith. Regardless, once the quaffle was up, Harry flew towards where he'd last seen the tiny golden ball.
Once he'd crossed the middle of the pitch, he slowed and started scanning. This was complicated by the play in that portion of the field.
"Harry! Down!" shouted one of the twins. Harry executed a downward spiralling corkscrew and felt a bludger brush against his broom tail. He pulled up after a few feet, and was immediately distracted as Alicia flew right over him, passing the quaffle to Angelina. They formed up into an Arrowhead formation and raced toward the Hufflepuff hoops.
When the action had moved on, Harry started circling, looking everywhere without luck. He drifted slowly over toward where the chasers were hounding the Hufflepuff keeper to see if the snitch was tracking another player. He even glanced behind and under himself so as not to miss the golden orb. He heard Lee call out a Gryffindor goal, and watched as the Hufflepuffs took possession of the quaffle and strike out across the pitch. Harry tracked their brooms as they went, searching for the tell-tale glint of gold. He didn't see it.
Resigning himself to a long game, Harry put on a burst of speed and gained altitude, flying toward the middle of the pitch. He wasn't surprised when he pulled up, several dozen meters over the action at mid-pitch, and found Summerby right behind him. Harry ignored the younger boy and continued his search. Above the action, he flew in circles, small at first, but gradually gaining in radius until he was flying lazy laps just inside the perimeter of the playing field.
Below, the girls steadily racked up the points. It wasn't as quick as it'd been against Slytherin, and Ron had let one goal through, but on the whole, things were definitely going in Gryffindor's favour. Still, the snitch refused to make an appearance.
After ten minutes of searching, Harry decided to liven things up. Faking a snitch sighting, he turned his broom for the ground, keeping it slow at first, but gradually building up speed, urging Summerby to follow quicker. Harry even pulled one hand off the broom to further the illusion. He and the Hufflepuff raced toward the ground. Summerby actually pulled close to even at one point, so Harry put on more speed. The grass rushed up, until, at the last minute, Harry pulled up, barely avoiding a crash, even with his skill.
Behind him, Summerby wasn't so lucky. The younger boy slammed into the ground, his broom bouncing away from him as he rolled across the pitch. Fortunately, the boy and his broom seemed to be in one piece, and when he came to a halt he sat up, shook his head, and gingerly got to his feet. Harry was glad the Hufflepuff wasn't seriously injured. As he watched, Summerby gave him a good-natured two-finger salute, brushed off his battered knees, and limped off to find his broom.
Harry used his position near the ground to good effect. He put the sun to his back and looked up, hoping to see a glint of gold. He got lucky, spotting the speedy little ball hovering near the Gryffindor's right goal. Without another thought, Harry streaked off, barrel-rolling around the Gryffindor chasers en route. His eyes never left the shiny golden ball.
He closed in. The snitch realized it'd been spotted and was off like a shot, speeding towards the crowd. Right before it entered the stands it hove left, racing along just below the bottom railing. Harry followed, pressing his torso against the broomstick to reduce wind resistance. The snitch must've been an old one, because Harry gained on it quickly.
The noise of the crowd rose in screams, but to Harry it died away as his focus narrowed to just the snitch. At the last moment, it jinxed up, with Harry in immediate pursuit. The crowed gasped, but Harry ignored it, instead, following as the snitch snapped right and raced over the stands. Harry, closing on the ball, was mere meters over the spectators' heads. He noticed they were on their feet, pointing, but he ignored them, concentrating instead on the ball that was just outside his grasp. A second later, his fingers closed around the ball, and he pulled back on the broom to put space between himself and the crowd.
It was then that the noise of the crowd returned to him, but it wasn't cheers, it was cries. Then there was an explosion at the back of the stands. Below, people were running. They were running away from three men in the middle of one section. He stared at them, trying to make sense of things. A bright green killing curse sped towards him from one of the men. He evaded neatly on his broom, realizing that when he'd pulled up earlier, he'd avoided another of those curses, which had hit the back of the stands. Fortunately, no one was sitting where the curse had impacted.
Realizing he was in danger, Harry turned the broom away from the men and started jinxing as he raced away. Another green spell shot past him. When he was a hundred meters away, he looked back. Several Aurors who'd been in the stands had started fighting with the three men, distracting them. Harry took stock of the situation. The three men were now isolated on an empty section of raised stands, surrounded by four Aurors. The students, staff, and other spectators had managed to vacate the area safely, if the lack of bodies was anything to go by. The two teams had congregated below, out of the assailants' line of sight.
Harry dove, heading for the players. His wand was in his locker. He wouldn't make that mistake again. When he reached the ground, he handed the snitch to a scared and shocked Madam Hooch, then grabbed a beater's bat from one of the Hufflepuffs.
"Oi!" he called, "Fred! George! Jimmy!" When they looked over, he hefted his beater's bat. "What'd'ya say we work on some aiming drills?"
"No!" Madam Hooch cried as the other three boys mounted their brooms. "I can't allow that. It's my responsibility to keep you safe!" But Harry wasn't paying any attention. Instead, he released the bludgers from where Madam Hooch had just finished restraining them. The two iron balls shot into the sky. Harry and the others followed.
Harry was by no means an expert at beating. He'd done it enough to be familiar with the basics, but wasn't anywhere close to Fred and George, or even Jimmy. It didn't matter. Those three bastards had tried to kill him, and he wanted to voice his disapproval.
Mounted on his Firebolt, Harry reached altitude first, and with as mighty a swing as he could muster, he sent one of the balls into the middle of the three men. It slammed into the wooden seating, knocking two of the three men down. When the men fell it broke their concentration and one of the protego shields they'd been using failed. Taking the opportunity, an Auror shot a blue spell at the last man standing, hitting him in the back and sending him down hard.
Fred and George arrived next. Fred collected the other ball, passing it deftly to George. George lined up his shot and hit with all his might. On the stands, the other two men were standing up. One was concerned with their fallen comrade. The other was assessing the tactical situation. He was looking the wrong way, when the bludger hit him square in the back of the head. It was like hitting a watermelon with a beater's bat. The man's head splattered the last of the aggressors with gore. Shocked at the sudden turn, the last man didn't even see the spell that felled him.
With the action over, Harry flew over to the stands as the Aurors closed in on the trio.
"Good shot, Tonks," Harry called as she approached, wand trained on the dead men. Harry looked down. "Fuck me," he whispered. The two with heads he recognized. They were Graham Montague and Lucien Bole, both recent Slytherin graduates.
"Fuck," Tonks said, once she'd arrived. "I recognize them."
"Montague and Bole," Harry offered. "Former Slytherins on the quidditch team. Should probably check their arms." Tonks nodded as the other Aurors arrived. Harry greeted Aurors Shacklebolt and Hammer, and was introduced to Auror Martin Leslie.
"Shit," Tonks' voice broke up the introductions as the beaters arrived. "They've all got the Dark Mark."
"Well, regardless, we had 'em dead to rights on two instances of the killing curse before the end of the game, and thirteen after," Shacklebolt said.
"Two before?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Yes," Shacklebolt replied. "One you dodged when you turned to chase the snitch over the crowd, and the other you dodged when you pulled up to catch the snitch. You didn't know?"
"No, I was focused on the snitch," Harry admitted. "I didn't realize something was wrong until I heard the explosion."
"You hit the first bludger?" Auror Hammer asked, making notes on a pad of parchment.
"Yeah," Harry allowed. "I was pissed once I realized they'd shot a killing curse at me. Didn't know who they were, either."
"Which one of you hit the second one?" Hammer asked, turning to the twins.
"I did," one raised his hand. "Erm, George Weasley."
"That's a nice shot," Hammer commented, making a note.
"I should've let Fred take the other one," Harry said sheepishly. "I'm not really a beater."
"You did fine," Hammer replied. "Knocking them over really helped us out. It broke their concentration and let us slip in a few spells. The certainly weren't expecting that."
"Is everyone else OK?" Harry asked, looking around.
"It would seem so," Shacklebolt answered. "Based on the fact that you were the focus of the first few spells, I think you were the intended target." Harry shivered a bit at that.
It was then that teachers started arriving. Harry wasn't surprised to see that Sirius was the first, followed quickly by McGonagall. Handily enough, Sirius was accompanied by Amelia.
"Are you OK?" Sirius asked, worried. Behind him, Snape and Flitwick appeared, quickly followed by Sprout and Vector.
"Yeah," Harry answered. "They didn't manage to hit me." He turned to Amelia and jabbed his finger at the bodies. "All three of these fuckers has the Dark Mark. I don't care what the Headmaster says. I want Dark Mark wards covering Hogwarts by the end of the day tomorrow. Tell the old man I'll call for a special session of the Wizengamot if he balks. This is entirely his fault. He's endangered hundreds of lives to protect one for long enough. I'm sorry professor," He said, turning to Snape, "but this is barking mad."
"I agree," Snape said solemnly, nodding. "I'll have my resignation on the Headmaster's desk by dinner."
"He won't be happy," McGonagall observed.
"He's already not happy," Snape said sharply. "No one is. It's the way of things now." With that parting word, Snape left.
The Aurors set to work securing the crime scene and interrogating witnesses. Harry and several others provided pensieve memories. The professors who remained corralled and calmed the students. It was all very orderly. It took an hour before Harry was able to go back to the dorms.
"What was the score?" Harry asked, realizing he'd never heard the final.
"Really?" Alicia asked, turning to look at him as they walked. "That's what you're worried about right now?" Harry shrugged.
"300 to 20," Katie told him.
"You know, I'm not really in the mood for a party," Harry said. "Wanna go back to Potter House and swim?"
"Pool or Resort?" George asked.
"Pool," Harry said quickly. "The resort's too far away."
"I'm in," Fred and George said together. The rest of the team signalled their assent, too, until it got to Ron.
"I think I'm gonna go find Susan," he said hesitantly.
"Bring her along," Harry urged.
"You're sure?" Ron asked, worried.
"Definitely" Harry nodded. "We just survived a fucking battle. We need our friends around us right now."
"Oh my God, are you alright?" Leanne asked, running up to Katie and hugging her. Lee was following close behind.
"I'm fine," Katie replied, returning the hug. "They were aiming for Harry. I was on the other side of the pitch."
"That was a wicked bit of flying, mate," Lee congratulated him. "We could see it from the announcer's box."
"Didn't know I was doing it," Harry shrugged. "Hey, we're gonna skip the party and go swimming at my pool. You wanna come?"
"And an invitation to a private after party?" Lee grinned. "Sure!"
By chance, Susan was waiting for Ron in the entry hall, and the thirteen of them used the Middleborough access trunk there to skip the Gryffindor common room entirely, transiting through the exchange to get to Potter House.
Harry wasn't surprised when Katie followed him into the men's side. The rest of the team followed suit, along with a nervous Ron and Susan and an excited Lee and Leanne. Without preamble, Harry started stripping, ignoring the lockers, he just dropped his quidditch gear on the floor. There were enough lockers, but Dobby or one of the other elves would just collect the dirty clothes and equipment as soon as they'd left, returning it all to the lockers in the quidditch changing rooms.
Without a second glace at the rest of them, Harry walked into the shower room nude. There were only six showers. Harry started them all and stepped under one as Katie, also nude joined him.
"Not going to worry about trunks today, huh?" she asked, grinning. No one had brought any, and it seemed as though no one was worrying about transfiguring any, either. The team members were used to nudity, and the others were just going with the flow.
"Nope," Harry replied, popping the 'p' and then submerging his face in the spray of one of the nozzles. When he turned about, brushing the water off his face, his four seventh year teammates had joined them. "It's just us. It's my bloody house, it's my bloody pool, and I was nearly bloody killed today. If anyone's got a problem with me skinny dipping in my own house, they can fuck right off."
"Agreed," Katie nodded. Katie left her shower and went over to Harry. She kissed him, then pulled his hand to follow her. He did so without hesitation. The showers were to wash off the sweat before getting in the pool, not about getting truly clean.
Lee and Leanne swooped in to take the showers they'd vacated. Before he passed into the pool area, Harry got a glimpse of them. Lee was a thin black boy with well-defined muscles. He looked like a Greek statue had been carved of a dark chocolate bar. He was apparently unused to all the nudity, because he was very aroused. Harry noticed he was big, too; at least seven inches. Leanne could also have passed for a Greek statue. She had more padding than Katie, but was definitely not what anyone could call fat. She had alabaster skin, with a light coating of freckles on her face and arms. Her breasts were D cups, with prominent pink nipples. Unlike the girls on the team, Leanne shaved her pubic region, so her vulva was on prominent display as she scampered past.
Harry then followed Katie out the door, and pulled up short. There, in the water, leaning against the side of the pool was Hermione, with Justin pressed against her. They were furiously making out, and totally oblivious to anything around them. Harry grinned at Katie and shrugged, then took a running leap and jumped over them into the pool. Harry could hear the shriek underwater. It was still echoing in the room when he broke surface.
"'Lo, Hermione, Justin," Harry said, grinning. "Don't let us interrupt."
"Oh, my God!" Hermione cried, blushing. "You're naked!" she said to Katie. Then the twins and their girlfriends entered, also nude.
"What's all the screaming about?" Angelina asked. Then they noticed Hermione and Justin still holding each other.
"Finally got together, eh?" Alicia asked, sitting on the side of the pool prior to entering. "Congrats."
"You're all nude!" Hermione gasped quietly.
"Didn't have our suits," Fred said with a grin. "Lord Potter said it was fine. He'd do as he liked in his own house."
"I'm so sorry," Hermione said, worriedly, turning to Harry. "Do you want us to leave?"
"I don't care one way or the other," Harry replied. "Stay, go, it's up to you. You're likely to see more than just a bit of 'T' and 'A' though."
Lee and Leanne entered, followed by Ginny, Jimmy, and Demelza.
"Where's Ron and Susan?" Harry asked.
"They're still in the changing room. Ron can't decide what's more important, covering himself or gaping at Susan," Ginny smirked. "We all know that Jimmy can blush and get hard at the same time. I now unfortunately know the same about my brother." Jimmy blushed, but laughed. With that, Ginny dove into the water.
The rest of the team joined her, and soon they were splashing and swimming away. Hermione then decided that swimming nude wasn't really that different than swimming topless, and decided what's good for the gander's good for the goose. With just a moment's hesitant glance at Justin, she undid her bikini ties and threw the two small pieces of fabric against the wall. When Justin balked, Harry watched her swim up to him and whisper in his ear. He quickly shucked his trunks, throwing them against the wall as well.
A short time later Ron and Susan made an appearance to the catcalls of the rest of the team. As with Ginny, both of them could've used a lesson in personal grooming. Harry also noticed that Ron was… smaller than average: not by much, but erect, he was still less than five inches. Harry hoped for his sake he'd have a growth spurt. They both quickly dove in.
It was then that Ron noticed Hermione was there, and quickly pulled Susan some distance away. Some time after that, he was shocked to see her kiss Justin.
"So," Harry said casually, swimming up to the kissing couple. "When did this happen?"
"Oh," Hermione stammered. "Today. Just a few minutes ago."
"And you're already nude together," Harry grinned. "Funny how that happens."
"Come on, Harry," Hermione pleaded. "It's just swimming."
"So, what'd you say?" he asked, turning his attention to Justin.
"We were watching the match," Justin said. "And you were attacked. Hermione got us to safety. She had her wand out and was looking around for bad guys. She just looked so… I don't know, but I knew what I wanted."
"He said, 'When this is over, d'you wanna go out?'" Hermione concluded, sighing at Justin's description.
"Pretty straightforward," Harry pointed out. "You said yes, obviously."
"Of course I did," Hermione huffed. Just then, Angelina ran by, chased by one of the twins.
"Oi!" Harry called out. "No running! You could slip and bust your head." Angelina slowed down and the twin caught her.
"Aaah! George!" she shrieked as he wrapped her up and palmed her breasts, kissing her neck.
"Wha…" Hermione gasped, losing the power of speech as she watched George's erection slide between Angelina's bum cheeks.
"You know what?" Harry asked rhetorically, loud enough for anyone nearby to hear. "They'd be doing it in the shower anyway, and today, I just don't bloody care." George seemed to take that as a cue, and pushed Angelina up against the wall, sliding into her from behind as she gasped and encouraged him. Soon, the pool room was filled with the sounds of slapping flesh as Fred laid Alicia down on the side of the pool and started fucking her as well.
Harry left the blushing new couple and swam over to Katie, who was chatting with Ginny.
"I think they've been waiting for this," Katie grinned, indicating Lee and Leanne, who had exited the pool and were laying down next to Fred and Alicia. Leanne moaned loudly as Lee entered her. "It's all she bloody talks about in private. 'I wish Lee and I could shower with you guys after practice some day,'" she mimicked.
Harry looked around and saw Ron and Susan at the far end of the pool, blushing brilliantly, but doing their best to ignore what was going on.
"I get Susan, Hermione, and Justin being uncomfortable," Ginny commented. But you'd think Ron would at least have expected something like this was going to happen. I don't understand why he's not taking advantage of it. For that matter, I don't understand why you're not taking advantage of it."
"Who says he isn't," Katie grinned. She reached out and grabbed his cock underwater. "God, he's hard as fucking steel right now." Harry grinned as Katie stroked him a bit.
"Merlin, I wish I had a boyfriend right now," Ginny sighed, watching Harry get a handjob.
"I'm sure you're not the only one," Katie said, nodding to Demelza and Jimmy.
They were standing a few meters away in shallow water up to their shoulders, watching the foursome fucking on the floor across the pool. Jimmy's mount was slack as he watched, and there was a slightly unfocused quality to them. Demelza was watching the foursome and grinning. It was then that Harry noticed that Demelza's shoulder was flexing rhythmically, just like Katie's was as her hand stroked Harry beneath the surface.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Harry said, whispering. "I think Demelza might be giving Jimmy a hand."
"Fuck! She is," Katie gasped, grinning at Harry as she continued to stroke him. "I wonder if he's gonna pay her back."
"If he's any kinda gentleman he will," Harry said, snaking his own hand between Katie's legs.
"I think I'll go clue him in and leave you to it," Ginny said with a wicked grin as she swam away. The redhead passed the younger reserves and said something softly, causing Jimmy to start, and blush even more than he had been. Then she swam over to where Hermione and Justin were engrossed in conversation at the far end of the shallows.
Harry was quickly distracted by the feelings of pleasure coming from his own crotch, and his entire attention was diverted to that and making Katie feel as good as he did. A few minutes later they quietly moaned out their orgasms and once again relaxed against the lip of the pool.
"Fancy a turn in the hot tub?" Harry asked. Katie nodded, and the two quickly pulled themselves out of the pool and made for the tub, passing Jimmy and Demelza on the way. It looked like the young boy had taken Ginny's advice to heart, because Demelza was trying to suppress her moans by hugging Jimmy as his hand was working furiously underwater. Harry and Katie shared a grin at that, and continued on.
They found Hermione, Justin, and Ginny sharing the tub, and Harry and Katie slipped in. It looked like the new couple had managed to suppress their urges. In Harry's opinion, some light conversation and the warm, soothing jets of the jacuzzi were the perfect end to a rollercoaster morning.
"Justin," Harry said idly, "What was it Hermione whispered to you that convinced you to skinny dip with us?" Hermione instantly blushed, and Harry could tell her eyes were pleading with Justin to make something up. Unfortunately for her, Justin didn't see her.
"She asked me if I'd ever had a hand job underwater," Justin answered him simply, blushing slightly. Hermione sighed and buried her face in her hands from embarrassment. Ginny patted her consolingly on her shoulder.
"And the answer to that question?" Katie asked, intrigued. Justin grinned.
"I have now." Harry was shocked.