I hope everyone is staying as safe as possible. These times are rough for so many. Maybe this story will help a few.
So, I have finally figured out how this entire series is going to end. I mean, I changed the ending a few times, making it more daring and climatic every time. It probably can't get any more cumulative then what I have planned.
percyjacksonfan135: Thank you for your your consistent upliftment!
brade1991: It's good to hear from you. The MACUSA doesn't exist in my series. There are no witches or wizards living in Northern America, because that's where the demigods reside. The Ministry case is about challenging Percy's magic while he was in the UK. They call it 'unrecorded magic'.
Moncef: Oh wow, your review is a blast to read. I'm happy to answer your questions.
1) In Her Choices, I introduced the concept of a supernatural entity living with the Jacksons in No.3 Privet Drive. I sort of continued this in 'The Cursed' when Harry is in his first year at Hogwarts. But now, I feel that it would make the plot far too complicated to bring the entity back. I'm hoping I can resolve the subplot somehow.
2) Don't worry, I'm bringing in Leo and Piper along with the Roman demigods. I already have a plan for that, it's not going to be as dramatic as the quest in the Lost Hero canon, but I'm spinning something. Leo's going to be bowled over by Harry, that's for sure. I want to give all these characters good friendships.
3) There's no specific idea with the mirror. It's just something Harry hates. I'll see if I can bring that back for this fic.
4) Everything that happened in Power was planned. Including the trauma, the new powers for all three. Power was what I had been planning for a long time to write. Now that that part is over, I'm focusing on how to make the series get enough characters needed for the end. It's going to be wild!
I love Harry and Sally's relationship too! That's one of my most favourite things about this series.
Things will work out, my friend. These characters are friends and family. They will grow to trust each other and love each other. It's not just about using super amazing powers. It's about learning to use them for the people around them.
Your reviews are all amazing! I love reading them, they mean so much to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
I have no working knowledge of courtroom sessions and the like. Everything I do know is from sitcoms and movies.
Warning: Talks of people dying (and being brought back to life); non-explicit description of a corpse; unconsented Legilimency.
Nico and Hazel emerged out of the shadows to Central Park. The moonlight filtered through the trees, cool breeze touching their skin and removing the grim of the Underworld.
Hazel dropped to her knees and grabbed hands full of the earth, crushing them in her fists. She gasped when they turned into wet clumps, mud clinging to her palm, dirt collecting below her nails.
"Welcome to New York City," Nico murmured, letting Hazel soak up her new reality.
She looked up at the sky, watching faint stars barely twinkle under the haze of lights from skyscrapers. There was a jet flying across the horizon, catching her attention. Noises of cars and trucks could be heard from the roads outside the park, despite the early hours. The city was still bustling with its ever-present lively air, brightly coloured in blues of skyscrapers and greens of the trees at five in the morning.
Hazel sat on the ground, still stunned. "I've never been to New York."
It took Nico a moment for the joke to settle in.
"Oh! Ha! Yeah…"
He turned around and closed the mighty chasm that had opened when they exited the Underworld. The hole in the earth shifted, growing smaller as the two sides merged, leaving behind a long scar on the ground that once led to Charon's lobby. The hot air from below cut off leaving behind a crisp cool breeze.
Hazel watched him with wide eyes. "You can open pathways to the Underworld?"
Nico sat back and wiped away cold sweat that had gathered beneath his hairline. "Not the entire place… just to the lobby. It takes a lot of energy."
He had to settle down for this.
"I need to catch you up to speed," Nico told Hazel. "It's the year 2013. We're in the 21st century. Things are pretty good for us now. Since you're Pluto's kid, your safe haven is in San Francisco, a place called New Rome. There's also a camp there to train Roman demigods to fight monsters. I know all this feels like a lot but you'll catch on."
Hazel's eyes grew wet. "Why are you doing this, Nico? This is against the rules. I shouldn't be here."
He swallowed and wrung his hands, "I checked your file, Hazel. You deserve a chance at a full life."
She sniffled. "There are a lot of people who deserve to come back to life. You chose me because we're siblings, right?"
Nico stared. "I guess I was being selfish."
"Yeah," Hazel gave him a weak smile. "I was being selfish too."
Nico stared at the ground trying to accept the full reality of what he'd done. He'd brought a dead girl back to life. He had gone and done that.
It was far easier than it should have been. Nico knew that if Charon had been in the lobby, he would have stopped him. But Nico and Hazel managed to move through the waiting souls and just… leave the Underworld.
"Okay, Hazel?" he called, trying to get her attention away from a line of ducks walking on the grass. She blinked at him. "We need to go to New Rome."
Hazel nodded slowly. "Is it far from here?"
Nico winced. "It's across the country. We're actually way closer to my camp. It's in Long Island on the East Coast of the US. New Rome is on the West Coast."
She inhaled carefully. "But the US is a… big country, yes?"
"Yeah. Don't worry," Nico rolled his head to massage his neck. "I can call Lee Lee. She can get us to New Rome. You'll fit right in."
Hazel gave a weak smile, looking exhausted already. Nico wondered how badly being alive so abruptly would affect her body. He had to get her somewhere safe as soon as he could.
Despite it being too early, Nico knew Lee Lee would respond. He took a deep breath and gave a sharp whistle, the sound blasting through the trees and cutting through the static of the morning. Hazel flinched at the suddenness of it.
"Sorry," he said. "I think that'll work. Give it a minute. Lee Lee is a hellhound, but she's very friendly. She'll like you. Now, we gotta make up your backstory for the Romans to hear. Nobody can know that you were dead."
"Right," Hazel said, crossing her legs. She and Nico set about spinning a story about Hazel staying too long at the Lotus Hotel and Casino, a place where time bent and stood still while the world moved on for centuries. Hazel was born in 1928, a December baby. They kept those dates the same and changed other small details to make it more believable.
By the time Hazel could recite her new origins without faltering, Mrs. O'Leary, everyone's sweet little hellhound, appeared in the clearing, melting out of the shadows. She landed on her paws which were not so overgrown as before. Lee Lee was larger, having grown in the past few months under the Hunters of Artemis.
Nico grinned and stood up, overjoyed to see her, but his heart jumped when he saw that there was somebody sitting on the back of Lee Lee's neck, having ridden through the shadows as well.
Bianca slid down to the ground, landing gracefully and making her way towards Nico. Her armour was glowing in soft silver under the quickly fading moon in the sky. Her circlet was placed smoothly in her hair to signify her Huntress status. She looked at Hazel curiously before asking, "Hi, Nico. What's up? Who's this?"
He couldn't talk at the moment. He'd hoped to get Hazel to Camp Jupiter without anyone knowing what he'd done. Bianca was not going to be happy about this. There was no way Nico could lie to her.
"Hello," Hazel chirped, waving at her. "I'm Hazel."
"Hello, I'm Bianca," she smiled back. "Lieutenant of Lady Artemis and Daughter of Hades. And this is Lee Lee."
Lee Lee barked happily and began to scratch behind her ears. Hazel peered up at the hellhound not scared in the least. Nico sighed. Bianca frowned at him before turning back to Hazel. "You are a demigod, aren't you? I can tell."
"But you can't tell who her Godly parent is?" Nico muttered.
She frowned at him. "What's going on?"
Hazel looked at Nico clearly wondering if they should tell her the truth or try the backstory on her first. He shook his head and said, "Bi, you're not gonna like this but…"
Nico explained what he did. Bianca went through all five stages of grief and nearly invented a sixth stage. Hazel gave Lee Lee good scritches.
Alice Cullen was a connoisseur of aesthetic beauty and she had made it her personal mission to give Rachel a glow up. Three hours of being primped and pampered ended with Rachel having straight long red locks that curled near the tips. Her freckles were on display, splattered across her face, her lips a soft pink. Her cheeks had nude tones and her eyelashes were brushed to make her green eyes pop.
She wore a mild vermillion tailored suit with a casual fancy stance that was preferable in an office party setting than an actual office meeting.
Thankfully, Rachel was in flats, so she didn't have to worry about tripping onto her face in front of the entire court. Even so, she was now practising walking as smoothly as possible on the shiny floor of the dining room in Frost mansion.
The most frustrating part of the exercise was that Harry didn't have to go through it. He'd put on his own make-up and Alice had just tossed a set of pressed pants with a mild forest green shirt and dark blazer to go along with it. He didn't even get a tie.
"Now," Alice said with a glorious finality. "You both look like twins!"
Rachel glared at Harry's outfit. "How long did it take you to get into that?"
He smirked, pink lipstick contrasting with the devilish attitude. "Ten minutes."
"Liar."
"I like the blush."
"Shut up. I can't believe I had to try on summer dresses for this! And it was even in the wrong size!"
Alice winced. "Sorry. I don't know why I packed one too small."
"Alice," Sally sighed. "Don't you think this is going a little overboard?"
"It isn't! The official story is that Rachel is a muggle heiress from France, far away from the UK Ministry. She's never been to the States and she's never lived in Britain, only visits London occasionally. That's where she and Harry met and set off Harry's danger sense. Harry then does a background check on her, bordering on illegal actions which the Ministry will absolutely believe," Alice said with a bell-like laugh. "All Rachel has to do is confirm the story and make sure there is no trace of an American accent in her words!"
Harry frowned. "I have several problems with your story."
"The non-registered aspect of magic detected, that the Ministry will want to focus on -" Alice continued, "...will be that Rachel has incredibly odd visions which she inherited from Lily. But she doesn't have any magic, so that makes her a squib who occasionally opens her third eye."
Rachel buffed her nails over her lapel. "Are there squibs who do have visions?"
"They're rare, but muggles can be very open-minded," Alice answered, bouncing over to the table to close her make-up kits. "I mean… look at me!"
"You're a vampire!"
"Thank you for noticing. But I had visions before I was bitten. You don't need magic to be special."
Rachel let out a deep breath and nodded.
"Now let's practice your accent," Alice invited her back to the table. "When are you leaving?"
"As soon as Tonks brings Cedric over," Harry said looking at the time. "It's nearly 9."
"Session starts at 10. We have time," Sally nodded, brushing Harry's cowlick back. "You'll do great. Both of you. There'll be nothing to worry about. Albus will be with you the entire time. As long as you know what to say, the judgement will go in your favour."
Harry nodded and looked over to listen to Rachel practice speaking in English with a soft French lilt. She seemed confident enough at Frost, but Harry knew that standing in front of a dozen strangers could be nerve-wracking.
He had faith in Rachel, though. She was made of tougher stuff than she herself knew.
"I'm alive," Hazel whispered for the tenth time. Nico guided her along by the arm. They shadow-travelled right into DJ's old room in Frost mansion because it was the one place no one ever visited.
Sorry, DJ.
Bianca kept Lee Lee quiet and contained, but the sweet canine was excited to sniff around the room. The was a bright morning in Gretna Green and the sunlight baffled them for a moment.
"Yeah, you are," Bianca replied to Hazel. Nico couldn't stop looking around the space. DJ's room was immaculate without a speck of dust. It was probably a charm that kept it like that, but Nico felt his chest ache at the thought of DJ diligently cleaning his room to achieve superior levels of sparkles.
"This is a boy's room," Hazel said in surprise. She looked around them, taking in the photos placed on the bedside stand.
"Boys exist, Hazel," Bianca sighed. "We all just have to accept that someday."
Nico made a face. "It's… not mine. It's a friend's."
"Will he be back soon?" Hazel asked. She was looking at one of the photos. It was a moving picture of Percy, Harry, DJ, and Nico, asleep on Percy's bed in Sally's house. Somehow, all four of them had managed to squeeze into it and slumbered through till dinner.
That had been the most amazing nap.
In the photo, DJ threw a hand around Percy's waist, not even blinking awake. Nico's legs were splayed out over Harry's back.
"No," Nico said, hoping his voice was steady.
He stared at the photo long enough to realise that the room behind him was quiet and there were more noises coming from downstairs than from Lee Lee. Bianca stepped towards the door, her stance battle-ready. "Who's in the house, Nico?"
He stepped towards the door and carefully turned the knob, opening it by a few inches. The voices were clearer now.
"I can hear Sally," Nico whispered. "And Tonks. I think Harry's here too. Wait, they have the court session this morning! He and Rachel have to go to the Ministry now."
Hazel stood by Bianca, curious and quiet. Lee Lee kept nudging at her. Bianca hushed her gently. "It's okay, girl. Nico, when's the session?"
"Umm, they planned to wrap it up before lunch. Maybe 11?"
Bianca looked at Hazel. "Percy's called for a counsellors' meeting in camp. I need to be there for that. Nico, you have to get Hazel to New Rome, before Chiron meets up with Lupa."
Nico stared. "Chiron's meeting who?"
"The mother wolf who advises the Roman demigods. She's nearly as old as Chiron. He says she's willing to listen to his case," Bianca added.
Hazel looked between the two of them. "The… the wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus?"
"Yes! Someone knows her history."
Nico flushed. "I'm better at Ancient Greek history."
Bianca placed her hands on her hips. "How you convinced the Romans you were one of them, I'll never know."
He turned back to the door, muttering under his breath as Hazel giggled. He was already starting to see the cons of introducing Hazel to Bianca.
He strained his ears to listen to what was happening downstairs. The voices had stopped and Nico couldn't hear anything else. He frowned, opening the door wider before jerking back from the sight of Sally and Alice standing right in front of DJ's door.
Lee Lee whined and Bianca gave an awkward cough.
Sally folded her arms, supremely disappointed. "Nico, you're supposed to be at camp. Hello, Bianca."
"Hello, Ms. Jackson."
While Sally just seemed wry, Alice looked horrified.
"Oh my gods," she whispered, staring at Hazel. "What happened to your clothes?!"
Hazel looked equally horrified, stepping back. "Um, I… they've always been like this."
Sally stepped into the room. "Oh honey, are you hurt?"
Nico should have found better clothes for Hazel. She was still wearing the dress she'd died in. A dull nose would be able to smell the tar, oil, and dried blood on her. The once soft floral print was completely faded and stained brown from the dirt of the Fields of Asphodel.
"No, no. I'm fine," Hazel said in a small voice. She was trying to hide in Lee Lee's pelt.
Alice held out a hand. "Wait! Now I know why I brought that outfit two sizes too small for Rachel! Hold right there!"
She disappeared in a blur which made Hazel and Lee Lee yelp. Bianca only blinked and Nico barely had time to sigh when Alice was back, holding a neat packet. She threw it to Hazel who was too stunned to catch it. Bianca snatched it out of the air and peered inside.
"Cute," Bianca told Hazel who only looked at the bright summer dress in interest.
Percy checked the time. It was way too early for this, but Chiron had just left for New Rome. Lupa had suggested the obscure time to not alert the Romans and cause a panic about the upcoming news.
"Bianca's running late," Travis said, quickly interrupted by a yawn. Everyone around the ping-pong tables were in various stages of sleep. Castor and Katie were actually slumbering. Percy rubbed his face and turned towards the only one who was wide awake.
Annabeth was busy tapping away at her laptop, probably engrossed with construction on Olympus. He had barely seen her without the laptop these days. She'd even bring it on the small dates they'd have, trying to find downtime between rebuilding Olympus, designing new cabins at camp, and debriefing everyone about the Roman demigods.
Will had his head slumped over his arms on the table, but he blinked blearily and droned, "Natalie said that Bianca and Mrs. O'Leary left like an hour ago. They ought to be back by now."
"An hour?" Clarisse grunted, arm folded and leaning back to find a more comfortable spot on her chair. "She knows we have a meeting and she decides to frolic around the coast?"
Thalia heaved a sigh, eyes closed, but still annoyed. "Bianca wouldn't have left unless it was important. And if she's not back, she's probably busy."
Clovis, the head of the Morpheus cabin gave a loud snore. Percy felt a wave of tiredness hit him, his head reeling with exhaustion. The ping-pong table looked like a wonderful place to just lay down and close his eyes -
"Clovis!" Annabeth barked waking everyone up. "You made me lose my train of thought! I need to submit this doc Ganymede before breakfast!"
Clovis blinked. "So...sorry, Annabe...zzzzz."
He nodded off so fast that Percy had to hold himself up to not follow suit. Annabeth rubbed her eyes furiously and went back to work.
Drew was one other person who'd managed to sit up. She was curling her eyelashes, employing the magical power of Aphrodite to stay awake, whatever that power was. Percy turned her neck this way and that and shook his head to wake himself up.
"Okay, you know what? This was a mistake. Sorry, everyone. Let's just go back and sleep. We can reconvene after the cabin checks in the morn-"
Loud footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the meeting room. Clarisse sat up with a groan, "Finally!"
The door opened and Bianca and Nico walked in, looking as awake as Annabeth. Percy narrowed his eyes and saw tiny black wisps leaving Nico's skin. It was only for a moment.
"Did you both shadow-travel right into the Big House?" Percy sighed. "Last time you did that, you nearly crashed right into Mr. D, Nico!"
Nico winced. "Yeah… won't do that again."
Will kicked a chair for Nico to sit. Bianca looked over at Thalia and sat quickly at her place without a word.
"Where were you?" Thalia asked, unflinchingly.
Bianca cleared her throat. "That's none of your business, I'm afraid. Had to do some checks, decided to pick up Nico."
Will didn't seem to catch the barely friendly tone. "I thought Nico was at camp?"
Percy sighed. "We're going to talk about your random comings and goings later, Nico. I wanted to say a few things, let's get this over with and go back to sleep."
"Sleep," Clovis whispered.
It took another ten minutes for everyone to stop yelling at the poor boy and slapping themselves awake.
"The Ministry session is today!" Percy stood up and raised his voice before Clarisse could take her knife out. "Harry and Rachel are going to reveal her in official capacity and all those big words used in newspapers. They'll call us after breakfast to let us know how it went."
"But the wizards don't know about us, right?" Katie wondered, nervously. "What letter they'd sent Harry, it was like some vague guess about a different kind of magic."
"Unrecorded magic," Thalia clarified. "Harry had travelled between Hogwarts and camp too often, it must have left a trail even if he didn't use his wand. But he was sure enough that it'll go well. Rachel's an important figure in their community, once they shift the tide, the rumours will die down."
Nyssa raised a hand. "Um… sorry, if this sounds pessimistic, but what about the kids from the party?"
Percy tried not to grimace. "The party was a success. Everyone got along. Harry and Ron are in contact with them, they're all close friends so it shouldn't be a problem."
"I heard that Hermione had to leave the country," Travis whispered, suddenly solemn.
Percy shook his head. "She did. But only because she's attending school in France. Hogwarts is still closed and it'll be at least a few more months till they reopen. Dumbledore'll let us know about that situation, so if we get things here sorted, we might be able to give them good alibies or excuses, anything they need to keep the secret going."
Clarisse's shoulders dropped. "Isn't that a little too hopeful?"
Percy pressed his lips together. His thoughts went towards his mom, housing a Primordial deity in her soul, towards Sirius, still stuck in a coma because of him, towards Harry who refused to even entertain the idea of visiting DJ's grave due to misplaced guilt, towards Pandora's Pithos secure in Rachel's cave. The jar contained the spirit of hope, pulsing like a live being inside.
Hope was too dangerous in the wrong situations. But they needed to have the right amount of it to keep pushing forwards.
"I think it's just the right amount of hope we need," Percy murmured. "We need hope and luck for Chiron's meeting with Lupa to go well. We need to stay strong when the Romans find out about us. We can't let it get bad now, not after everything we went through in the summer. We survived a freakin' war. We deserve to have a good epilogue."
Drew finally looked up from her curler. "Aww, Percy. That's so sweet!"
Bianca even smiled. "We can all benefit from a little bit of optimism. We can't go about thinking that the Romans would just hate us right off the bat."
Clarisse huffed. "I dunno. If I were a Roman, I'd be hella suspicious. Remember the last time the Greeks went up to meet the Romans? And don't tell me it's just Ancient Mythology, it's a real past."
Will looked around. "How about another party?"
"Oh my gods."
"Really, Will?"
"We can't just have parties to solve any problem!"
"It'd be cool if we could, though," Travis sighed. "Can you imagine the gods throwing parties instead of wars to settle arguments?"
Annabeth mumbled without taking her eyes away from the laptop and the constant tapping, "A never-ending party."
Percy chuckled. "That sounds cool and all. But let's stick to proper introductions first. We can throw a full-on carnival if everything turns out well."
"We have to invite the witches and wizards for that!" Drew cheered. "Lee's been badgering me on a date for ages. The poor boy's wretched."
Everyone stared at her on confusion. Even Annabeth looked away from her laptop, her keyboard taps ceasing. Travis swallowed, looking weirded out. "Lee Fletcher?"
"No. Lee Jordan, you dumbass."
"Jordan?" Percy said in disbelief. "Fred and George's friend?"
"My boyfriend," Drew said, her glare unflinching.
Katie's jaw dropped. "You've been steady with him all this time?! Holy shit, girl!"
Drew shrugged, smug with the reactions. Percy had only seen them meet once at the party. How had they hit it off so well?
"Ooh," Travis whispered. "Connor's not gonna be happy."
"He can get his own man!"
"Not that, jeez! He's been trying to talk to Colin all summer, but dude's been evasive," Travis said sadly. "Connor's heartbroken."
Thalia dropped the hand that had been supporting her chin. "Connor threw a stink bomb in my yard last week. Are you telling me that's his way of dealing with a broken heart?"
"Yup. So you can't mess with him okay?"
Thalia glared at him and Percy rubbed his temples. "Um, can we get back on topic, everyone?"
"Yes, please," Annabeth said before typing something on her laptop again. "I have the minutes of the meeting, shall I repeat it?"
"No, that's… I thought you were busy with some doc?" Percy asked slowly.
"I multi-task. We're waiting on Chiron's reports on his conversation with Lupa, Harry's reports on the court sessions, Rachel's reports on the Gods' movements in regards with the new prophecy -"
"We hadn't discussed that."
"We should have. By the way, Camp Jupiter might also have a Seer. Rachel will need to be on the front lines with them for that. Once that unit is cohesive enough, the integration will be smoother."
Most others were blinking from the information. Nyssa leaned to the side. "Integration?"
Annabeth blew a curl of hair out of her face. "I'm not saying we move into each others' camps. But there was a reason we were separated. We need to work to make sure we fit better together now. Clarisse is right, it'll be tough. They may not believe us even if Lupa agrees. We might not like something about them even if the Oracle wants us to meet. Either of us could distrust the other, so what's the saving grace we need to make sure that nothing bad will come out of this?"
The mood in the room dipped. Percy knew Annabeth was running on caffeine and no sleep, but her analysis was brutal and on point.
"I liked it better when Percy was talking," Traviss muttered, slouching in his chair. Katie elbowed him.
"You want a saving grace, Annabeth?" Bianca suddenly spoke up. "Nico has some more information about the Romans that he'd like to share."
Percy blinked and everyone was now waiting for Nico to explain. It didn't help that the thirteen-year-old was now slinking in the shadows. "Um… I found a Roman demigod… in the Lotus Hotel and Casino. That's why we were late. We'd gone to Camp Jupiter to get Hazel in safely."
Drew dropped her curler. Nyssa recoiled in shock and Thalia choked.
"I'm sorry, you what?!"
Percy had to sit down to hear this. Gods, he was so tired.
Rachel was starting to sweat. Harry tried to think of ways to settle her nerves. Just ten minutes to go until session began, they couldn't afford to lose their confidence.
Tonks and Cedric sat beside the pair on the wooden benches outside large doors. The Ministry hall was vacant, with a few office tables placed around, empty trays with old memos still lying about.
To alleviate her fears, Tonks began to turn her arm into odd sock-puppet forms. Rachel looked intrigued and was fully immersed in the wizard shapes that ballooned out of Tonks's hand.
The door leading from the Atrium swung open and Dumbledore and Kingsley walked in at a brisk pace. Tonks gave them a salute with her arm transfigured into a partial duck.
"Morning everyone," Kingsley said, shooting Rachel a soothing smile. "Our schedule is on track. There are Order members at all entrances and situated in the courtroom as well. Where is Kettler?"
"He's in," Cedric answered, nodding towards the courtroom doors. "He's debriefing the Aurors on Rachel's security. We're not using Veritaserum and Umbridge isn't happy about that."
"You should've seen her face," Harry muttered, scowling. "She's under the impression that this is a criminal case."
Rachel gave a high pitched laugh that sounded painful and forced. Dumbledore looked at her over his half-moon spectacles.
"Rachel, may I talk to you aside?"
She swallowed. "Sure. Do you have a paper bag?"
She went off to stand with Dumbledore while Cedric stood up to walk around the hall, making sure to have Rachel's six. Tonks nudged Harry's side.
"How're you feeling?"
Harry rubbed the back of his neck, breathing out loud. "A little nervous. But we'll be fine. I know it. Kettler has a solid plan, as long as we follow that to a T, we'll be out of here by lunchtime."
Tonks and Kingsley smiled encouragingly. Harry's shoulders went less stiff at the thought of not having to be alone for this. At least he'd have people at his back.
The doors opened and Kettler poked his head out, searching the empty hall before catching them.
"Kingsley! A word if you will?"
The Head Auror nodded and gave Harry a soft pat on the shoulder before walking into the courtroom. Harry exhaled listening to Tonks hum to herself, feeling unnerved. The silence built up to a careful white noise in the background.
A plate crashed onto the floor, shattering to pieces.
Harry and Tonks jumped up, spinning around with wands out pointing at the dark figure standing by one of the tables. The newcomer shrieked and jumped back in alarm.
"Who are you?" Tonks barked, stepping in front of Harry. He immediately looked around the hall, searching for anyone else, but there was nobody.
"No one! I mean, my mum works on this floor but I couldn't find her!" The young girl cried, clutching a box to her chest and fumbling through her coat for blue visitor's badge.
"Outsiders are not allowed here," Tonks said, firmly. "All employees on this floor are on a break until after lunch. We're busy here, please leave, miss."
The girl ducked, brown hair falling in front of her face. She was awfully familiar to Harry who took another moment to realise who it was.
"Vane?!" He snapped, lowering his wand. "What the hell, get out!"
Romilda Vane blinked up at him. She looked annoyed now. "Hey, come on. I told you, my mum works here -"
"And I told you all employees are off the clock for now," Tonks replied, frowning.
Romilda looked over to the large double doors of the courtroom and then back at Harry. "Nice outfit, Potter. Love the blush."
"Nice attitude," Harry remarked, "Did you get it from the orcs?"
Romilda didn't look peeved or even shocked at the sight of him. It made Harry's stomach churn. He hated her presence. It was almost like she knew he'd be here.
Well, everyone knew the court session was today. The timings hadn't been officially released to the public, but that didn't stop anyone from prying. A small chunk of the Order had spent hours keeping traffic clear from the Ministry, preceding the session. So, how did Romilda get in?
Harry glared at the visitor's badge pinned to her scarf. It looked innocuous enough, but he also distrusted the box in her hands.
"Love potion is banned in the Ministry as well, Romilda," Harry said. "Didn't you get the memo?"
She sneered. "Ha, ha. This is my mum's lunch. She forgot to take it."
"And you obviously couldn't use the parcel it. Tragic."
"Actually, I couldn't. Because a lot of the floo network in and out the Ministry is closed today," she snapped back.
Tonks sighed impatiently. "Ms. Vane, you need to leave now before I have to escort you out."
"Fine!" Romilda huffed and turned on her heel. "It's not like this is a big building."
"Oh, go cry at a mirror!" Harry yelled.
She flipped him off and headed for the elevators. Tonks gave Harry a look as she left.
"What? You know what she did," he defended himself. Tonks didn't oppose him.
Harry's blood boiled whenever he was reminded of Vane. She'd outed him to everyone in the world when she blabbed to Rita Skeeter about his bisexuality. All because he'd made her the laughing stock after catching the love potion she'd tried to feed him.
And people went after him for breaking the laws.
He tried to simmer down by the time Rachel and Dumbledore were back. They gave him a curious look and he shrugged it off.
"You look nervous too," Rachel said. She brought her hand up and pulled Bolt out of her neck, the tiny wriggling puppy stretching and leaning towards him. Harry took her in his arms and let the small puffs calm him down.
"I'd turn into a tiger if you liked," Bolt murmured. "But that might scare a few people."
Rachel grinned. "You okay?"
Harry buried his fingers into Bolt's pelt. The puppy licked his face.
"Should I tell you the same thing I told Rachel?" Bolt asked, placing her paws on his shoulders. "No matter what happens in there, you'll be safe. I can get you both out if anything goes wrong."
Harry exhaled, long and slow. "I know. Yeah, that's… that's good. I know we'll be fine now. But what about later?"
He looked at them. "What if later, both of you become targets again?"
And Rachel, who'd always tried and failed at being brave when it came to Voldemort, leaned in and whispered in her regular accent, "It's a good thing I can't stay dead then. I'll come back and we can kick his ass together."
She said that just for him. She knew how much Harry would like to kick snake-face's arse. Harry couldn't stop the smile that filled his face.
The doors finally opened and Kingsley ushered them inside.
"Please state your name and occupation for the record," Mr. Lance Kerit asked. He was a thin and stern man in flowing black robes, representing the Ministry's reservations.
Rachel sat at the table on either side of Harry and Dumbledore, facing the tall desk of the judge. The courtroom was a remarkably large room with tall walls, the ceiling high above what she thought was necessary. The raised seats around the dim room was crowded with silent spectators, many of them clad in maroon robes, but she could hear whispers breeze through them. Their eyes were on her, ears perked up ready to catch the slightest sign of weakness.
Regrets abound.
"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," she said into the mic. "I do not have a job."
The man placed his hands behind his back, eyeing her with soft suspicion. "How old are you, Ms. Dare?"
"I turned sixteen this August."
"August?" he asked. Rachel felt Harry sit rigidly beside her. He was probably not even breathing. But they'd rehearsed this enough times.
"I celebrate my birthday on the first of August, Mr. Kerit."
"Why is that?"
She turned to look at their attorney, Kettler who gave her an encouraging nod. "I was found by a foster agency in Paris when I was fifteen months old. I had no papers and could not tell anyone about my origins. The agency sent me to an orphanage where I stayed for five months before my parents adopted me. The doctor who examined me suggested that was born perhaps some time at the end of July or the beginning of August, so we went with the latter."
The whispers grew louder. Rachel sat with her back straight, praying that she wasn't shaking. One one side, Harry was motionless, and on the other, Dumbledore sat, quite calm and collected. She tried to absorb the older man's energy.
"Your honour," Mr. Kerit addressed the judge, a pale woman named Amelia Bones. "Based on Mr. Kettler's introduction of Ms. Dare, previously named Rosalie Potter, and her own words, I would like to summarise the session with these facts. Almost exactly fifteen years ago, on the fateful night of the 31st of October, 1997, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named broke into the house of the Potters and, sadly, took the lives of Lily and James Potter. The official statement was that the only survivor was the youngest child, Harry Potter, who came to be known as the Bow-Who-Lived. We were told that firstborn, Rosalie Potter, did not survive the explosion of the house. We were told that three innocents perished that night.
"And yet, sitting here before us, is the alleged Ms. Rosalie Potter, herself. Mr. Kettler has elucidated on her discovery which was mere coincidence it would seem. Apparently," Mr. Kerit's voice turned a little sour. "Mr. Potter ran into her in London, the previous year. Now, correct me if I am mistaken, Ms. Dare, but London is quite a big city, is it not?"
Rachel unclenched her jaw to answer. "Yes, Mr. Kerit."
"And you crossed paths with Mr. Potter. What made the two of you realise that there was more here than meets the eye?"
Harry sat forwards, ready to answer, but Rachel tapped her foot over his.
"Members of a family need not look like each other to be called a family," Rachel said easily. "But in our case, the Potters are very similar looking. Harry and I met outside a bakery. I saw this boy with eyes like mine. As you can guess, I have always been told my green eyes are a little too green. Unique in fact. I was just curious about another soul having a similar feature as I do. Of course, his horrid hair ensured I didn't talk to him until we were actually leaving the bakery."
A few people grinned. Harry shot her a playful look and she shrugged, nerves relaxing. "The real reason I introduced myself to him because he was wearing his flag bracelet."
Harry pulled back on the sleeve of his coat to flash around the colourful cloth bracelet wrapped around his wrist. It was bright pink with stripes of blue and purple overlapping at equal intervals. Rachel raised her hand as well to show everyone the yellow cloth bracelet with pink and blue dots.
"Here was a boy with eyes as unique as mine and wearing out and proud bi colours," Rachel said, smiling a Mr. Kerit's pinched face. "As a fellow queer, I had to introduce myself."
He seemed to dawdle for a moment. "I see. And you came to the conclusion that were related after one conversation?"
"Oh, it was hardly an easy talk," Rachel lowered her arm. "Harry was closed off and obviously didn't like talking to strangers. A good attitude in a big city, but I like making friends, so I told him about a better bakery line down the street. We only spoke for a couple of minutes before he really began to look at me with an odd expression. It didn't really bother me at first. The British can be peculiar. But he then asked me my full name and began to look tense. I didn't feel any red flags around the situation. And my driver was just a few feet away, so I was good. We spoke for a bit more before he went pale. I thought he looked sick so we said our goodbyes and left. I didn't really think much of it till a month later when he actually came to my house with his godfather, Sirius Black and our cousin, DJ."
The people sitting around them were muttering again. Madam Bones was listening intently, her enchanted quill taking notes of the case.
Rachel paused for a bit to take a breath. "It was a slightly stilted conversation. My parents were obviously worried that Sirius would try to fight for custody, but we had it settled in a pinch. I am a squib. I have no magic and it is far safer for me to stay away from the UK in this climate."
A man in royal blue robes sitting on the right side of the judge frowned and tilted his head. Rachel recognized him for the papers. That was Rufus Scrimgeour, the new Minister for Magic. He was a more dynamic figure than the previous Minister, definitely someone to keep an eye on.
"Mr. Potter? When you first met this girl outside the bakery, how long did it take you to recognize her?"
Harry suddenly looked as collected as she felt. "A few minutes. As Rachel just explained, I am not in the habit of making small talk with strangers. Her bracelet was interesting and it was nice to meet someone like me but I was in a hurry to get to Diagon Alley so aside from the very obvious red hair, nothing stood out. I think it's clear that my sister looks similar to our biological mother, Lily Potter. But I don't connect the looks of any red-headed girl I meet to my mother. Rachel had a sunny disposition and at the end of the encounter I was thoroughly distressed about the coincidence of running into someone who looked quite like me, a little like DJ, and very much like Lily. As did everyone, I believed that my sister had passed away that unfortunate night. I was under no obligation to start imagining that she was incredibly back."
Mr. Kerit frowned. "But you showed up at her house with no invitation?"
Harry's head leaned down, now fixing the man with a stony stare. Dumbledore took over.
"If I may, Mr. Kerit," he said and everyone in the room immediately fell quiet. The silence nearly stunned Rachel. The Headmaster stood up patted the table and walked about to the centre of the room. He began to address the witches and wizards dressed in maroon robes.
"I have spoken to Mr. Black about this," Dumbledore said, not at all seeming phased. "He looked up the Dare family on a hunch. If there was nothing to connect, we would have dropped the case and never thought of it again. But we found muggle headlines, public news that clearly stated Rachel's adoption by the Dares. There were a few things that stood out for us, as in the lost papers and how the floo system had been mismanaged so monumentally that instead of connecting to another safehouse, it led Rachel all the way to another country.
"We solved that problem quickly. As the property was under the Fidilius charm, Lily and James could connect their hearth to only three other houses at the most. For maximum security, they chose only two connections: one to Sirius Black's house, and one to Jacob and Melody Potter's home. The second Potter residence was also attacked that night. The late Melody had sent her young son through the floo as well, right to Sirius's floo. Emergency floo travel laws were established in the 90s and this automatic transportation shut down Sirius's connection to safeguard his house from any attack. The hearth in both homes were now out of reach, but James had clearly brute-forced a new connection, trying to open a way to another house, far away enough to keep his daughter safe till someone knew to find her.
"Several things went wrong that horrifying night," he said, his voice going low and sombre. "But of this I am certain. All four parents managed to save their infant children in dangerous ways. Rachel's blood has been tested against her brother. St. Mungo's had saved their records when it was transferred to the new hospital. The DNA results are inconclusive proof of their blood relation. When we realised that Rachel is alive and in a good place, Sirius Black took the decision to leave her be. But he would never keep his two charges separate from family. I allowed Harry and DJ timely visits to Paris to simply reconnect with a friend that ought to have always been family. Rachel's parents do not have knowledge of the magical world, and we plan to keep it that way until our situation turns better. But until then, we planned to cast specific untraceable charms over her person to keep Rachel out of harm's way when she did come to London. That is the source of the unrecorded magic you have detected."
Rachel blinked like she was the one who needed to take a breath after all that Dumbledore said. Harry shot her a look, lips quirking upwards for a sec.
Mr. Kerit looked speechless for some reason. He turned to look, not at the judge, but at the woman in bright pink robes sitting beside Madam Bones. She had an ugly pinched expression. Rachel was trying not to look at the awkwardly placed feather in her hat that was an obvious opposite to any fashion statement necessary.
Kettler finally stood up and nodded to Dumbledore. "Thank you, Headmaster. Your Honour, this is not a criminal proceeding. The question asked to my client was the use of unrecorded magic in the presence of Mr. Potter. There have been speculations of non-human magic which, as I have added in my reply, is an outdated accusation that bears no discernable threat other than a bigoted hatred. Aside from the baseless allegations, there is no crime here. Mr. Potter did what he had to secure the safety of his sister. I ask you to now review the case and consult the jury."
Madam Bones sat back, her face remaining clear of animosity. Scrimgeour was also silent.
"I believe the jury may break for -" Madam Bones's statement was interrupted with a cough. Everyone turned to look at the pinched face of the lady in pink robes who was smiling tightly at Rachel now.
"Here we go," Harry whispered.
"Madam Bones," The woman said, her voice ear achingly high. Her saccharine tone made Rachel want to gag.
"I have one query to ask of Ms. Dare," she said, smiling delicately. Rachel swallowed, trying not to clench her fists.
The judge narrowed her eyes. "Yes, of course, Madam Undersecretary."
The pink robed lady stood up, patting down her outfit. It looked like she was wearing an awful mink coat around her shoulders like a shawl. Rachel couldn't stop staring at the tiny details she detested.
'Calm down!' Bolt yelled in her head. 'That's Umbridge. She's a nightmare, but you'll do great, don't worry.'
'Thanks for that!' Rachel retorted steeling herself.
The pink lady looked down her nose at Rachel, her beady eyes crinkling. "Ms. Dare. The knowledge of your life seems fascinating. We do love a wonderful, happy ending for the tragic tale that is the Potter family."
She spoke like Rachel was a child unable to understand the layers in her words.
"And I am ecstatic to hear that the meeting between Sirius Black and Mr. and Mrs. Dare was cordial. But tell me this, Ms. Dare. Where are your parents?"
Rachel felt her blood go cold. Sweat immediately gathered around her hairline and her skin felt clammy. She tried to give a thoughtful look but could say anything.
Harry stepped in, "Mr. and Mrs. Dare -"
"I posed the question to Ms. Dare, not you, sir," Umbridge chastised like she was slapping his wrist with a barbed wire.
She couldn't speak. Bolt tried to calm her, but thoughts and memories flooded her brain.
They're missing.
Mom's being possessed by Gaia. Dad's missing. Sandy and Genie are completely off-grid. No one knows where they are.
I'm alone. They left me.
Don't come back, Aunt Sandy had said.
Rachel pressed her nails on the polished surface of the table, feeling the soft wood give way beneath her invincible fingers. Physical objects couldn't hurt her. But the right words paralysed every cubic inch of her being.
"I haven't seen them in a while," Rachel said, her voice cracking a little. "Since they don't know that the wizarding world exists, the Order of the Phoenix decided that these summer months are the perfect time for all protective enchantments to be cast over our house, my school, their offices, and everything we come into regular contact with. It is possible when I return 'ome, it will be an even longer time before I can meet Harry here along with all the friends I have made. I have been made aware of the dangers in Britain and know how important it is to stay away so necessary measures can be taken to safeguard the people who cannot simply pick up their lives and leave. I make the choice to keep away from my parents for now so they stay safe."
Rachel now looked right at Umbridge and said, "Unlike a few others, I cannot make an unfeeling decision of staying away from a brother who is not like me. I make the decision to stay away from him for his safety and security. I love him and someday, hope to live together again. I hate having to choose between my family because I love them all but I must decide more for their sakes than my own."
Umbridge went sallow. Her smug smile dropped and for a moment she stared in stunned silence. A few people turned to look at her oddly. But Rachel shot Umbridge a glowing smile daring a rebuttal. The pink lady hastily sat down and stayed quiet, occasionally directing glowering eyes towards Rachel who always made a point of meeting them head-on.
Everyone has secrets, pink lady, Rachel thought. And I think I've figured yours out.
Mr. Kerit cleared his throat, looking between Umbridge and Madam Bones before saying, "No further questions, Your Honour."
The jury members left through a side door for their private discussion and Harry lowered his head on the table and closed his eyes with a silent groan.
"I can almost feel your headache," Rachel whispered. "What's wrong?"
"She was trying Legilimency on you," Harry hissed under his breath.
Rachel froze. "She what?! Umbridge?"
"Shh!" Harry peered up and saw Dumbledore was standing to the side, talking to one of the wizards in a tall blue hat behind them. Kettler was discussing something with Tonks and Cedric leaned forwards to ask Harry, "What's wrong?"
"My head's splitting," Harry swallowed. "Umbridge is trying to get into Rachel's head and I don't think Percy's slept well."
Cedric looked confused, "What?"
Rachel took slow breaths. Did Umbridge really try to sneak into her head and read her thoughts? Oh gods, she hadn't even felt that.
"I need some air," Harry said, eyes screwed shut in discomfort.
Cedric followed Harry to the bathrooms and Rachel sat there, twiddling her thumbs. Bolt whispered, 'Don't maintain eye-contact. That's how Legilimency works.'
Damn her, Rachel thought, quickly looking at the table and closing her eyes for good measure.
Harry washed his face thoroughly, letting the cool water soothe his throbbing temples. Whatever Rachel had said at the end had clearly irked Umbridge enough for her to shut up and sit down, but it also made the woman be incredibly bold enough to try and get into her head, with scores of witches and wizards sitting in the room, including Dumbledore.
The mirror in front of him showed that his make-up stayed on point. Thank goodness for that. Harry dabbed his face dry while Cedric checked the stalls.
Harry ran a hand through his hair. "I don't think she got through -"
Cedric quickly waved a hand, pointing to the last stall which apparently wasn't empty. Harry cursed himself.
"We're nearly done," Cedric assured him, whispering fast enough for no eavesdropping to take place. "I'll let Albus know, he can add a shield to stop her."
There was a knock on the main door and Tonks called from outside, "The jury's nearly done. I think we're wrapping this up now. Is everything alright?"
Cedric went to talk to her and Harry dried his collar that had been soaked from his hasty splash of water, when the stall behind him silently opened.
Harry gawked at the reflection. Romilda Vane was waving at him through the mirror.
He sput around in disbelief. She immediately placed a finger on her lips and pointed to a paper file in his hand. It looked some official notice and Harry angrily whispered, "Did you steal that?"
"No! I duplicated it." She whispered back, eyes darting to the side to check for Cedric. "I need to talk to you for a moment!"
"Duplicating Ministry files is also a crime! By the way, this is the men's room!"
"Prove it!" Romilda snapped.
Harry threw his arms out, gesturing to himself.
She rolled her eyes. "Please, the sign outside is a silhouette of a person in trousers. And I'm wearing trousers!"
This was not helping the growing headache. Harry nearly growled. "Stay away from me, Vane."
"No!" she whispered, now looking urgent. "I need your help!"
"My help?! Fat chance."
"Keep your voice down," Romilda pleaded. "I don't want to get caught!"
Poor you. Harry gave her a close-lipped smile before calling out loudly, "Cedric!"
"It's about Rita Skeeter!" Romilda hissed, before closing the stall door, just as Cedric and Tonks ran back in, wands about, and dragging Harry behind them.
"What?" Tonks yelled, looking around the 'empty' bathroom.
Harry, meanwhile, was completely stunned. Rita Skeeter? Why on earth was Vane asking him about Skeeter?
Skeeter had been missing for months. Harry had heard snippets from the Order about a case on her, but there had been no leads. Did Romilda know something more than them?
"Um…" Harry said, thinking fast. "I'm hungry."
Tonks and Cedric stared at him.
"Yeah, so. I'll just be a moment, and we'll go back to the courtroom, wrap everything up and head home, huh?" Harry blabbered, slipping through Cedric's arms and walking into the stall next to Romilda's. He shut the door and heard Tonks mutter something about waiting outside.
"I'm right by the door," Cedric said, moving towards the entrance of the bathroom. Harry carefully closed the lid of the commode and kneeled down to look at Romilda through the gap below the stall walls. Cedric was too close for them to talk, but she was prepared with a piece of paper and a pencil. She scratched something on it and slid the paper to Harry.
Rita's missing.
Harry scowled. He grabbed the pencil and write back, Everyone knows.
Romilda responded by pushing the file towards him. Harry moved back, carefully avoiding it. It could be a portkey. He didn't think she would know how to enchant one, but that didn't matter. He wasn't taking chances. Harry was already in a stall talking to someone he thought he'd never speak to.
Using his wand, he flipped through the pages. His eyes met the gruesome sight of a colour-frozen photo of a dark shape hanging on a rope, suspended from a tree.
Harry stared. The photo wasn't an original. The picture was blurred like someone had done a haphazard duplication spell on the real photograph. But Harry's mind made the jump when he could catch the shiny green skirt of the figure in the picture.
Rita Skeeter was hanging from a noose.
No, that couldn't be right. This had to be a fake.
Skeeter was dead?
Aside from the terrible photograph were papers with illegible writing. The first page had a scrawl on the top which Harry could decipher as Rita Louise Skeeter.
Was that her middle name? What was a lovely name like 'Louise' doing with a horrid title like 'Rita Skeeter'? Harry shoved the file back, glaring at Romilda. She was already scratching something on her paper to show it to him.
She's not 'just' missing. And I have proof.
Harry wrote back. No paper will accept this. Duplicating this file is a crime. They'll catch you for that. Your parents will be in trouble because you are a minor!
He showed her the paper and she read the whole thing before glaring at him. Harry shrugged and wrote down.
This could be anyone. She could have run away from the UK. Be careful with this file.
Romilda didn't reply. Harry burned the paper and the pencil to remove evidence, before pulling on the flush and leaving the stall.
Rachel was eyeing him curiously as he sat down. Harry's hair was less cool-messy and more rolled-out-of-bed-messy.
"Tell you later," he whispered before she could ask.
The courtroom was busy again. The jury filed in one by one, taking their seats. Umbridge was still glaring, trying to catch Rachel's eye.
"Do you think she could actually read my mind?" Rachel asked, worried. Harry shook his head. "Probably not. You're far too strong for the likes of her. But she tried hard enough I felt it, that's what I'm worried about."
One of the witches sitting on the jury bench handed Madam Bones a scroll. Mutters died down in the room and Rachel placed a hand at her side below the table which Harry grasped.
Scrimgeour sat back, a curious look on his face, but he hadn't uttered a word through the entire thing.
Madam Bones rolled the parchment sheet close and clasped her hands together. "In light of the information heard out today for civil case RLP-3010-2013/16, I declare the reason for secrecy on the Potter case as a valid cause for concern with overwhelming evidence for the motion. The jury has come to the unanimous conclusion to drop all charges against the clan in question. We welcome Ms. Rachel Elizabeth Dare to our community and hope that the precautions taken to safeguard her wellbeing are of the high standards. Court adjourned."
The gavel came down with a bang and Rachel felt all the pressure vapourize from her body. She hadn't even realized how tense she'd been.
She'd done it. She was out. Rachel was not a secret to the witches and wizards anymore, everyone would know her now.
Rachel wrapped her arms around Harry whispered, "Thanks."
She didn't have to say why exactly she was tanking him. For once, Harry didn't struggle against the embrace. He patted her arm and relaxed.
Haven't done this in a while.
Q: When was Rita Skeeter killed in canon?
Stay tuned for the next installment. Again, I don't have a schedule planned, but I know exactly where this story is going now, so that should help.
Cabba.