"I didn't know you would come to meet so soon."
Harry stepped off of the ladder and removed his invisibility cloak. "You could see me?" he asked.
"These eyes are not just to kill and petrify," Selandra said as she sat in the secret chamber outside Salazar's statue looking at Harry. The way she'd curled her body made her look terrifying as she raised her head while looking at Harry.
"I should've known," Harry said.
"Why did you come to meet me so soon?" she asked. "It's very late at night."
"Call it my luck that I saw you coming out of the forbidden forest," Harry said. "Tom is back."
Selandra looked at him for a moment in silence before flicking her tongue. "I know," she said. "I could sense his magic on my way here."
"Sense him?" Harry asked. "Is he also a vessel?"
"No," Selandra said. "It's just that he's too powerful in his original body that it is hard for us divine beasts to ignore it. He's sure grown a lot more powerful than before. I can tell that it isn't natural, though."
"It's not a surprise seeing that it is Tom," Harry said. "I wanted to ask something from you, if that is okay."
"You don't need more of my venom, do you?" she asked. Harry heard a tinge of amuse in her tone.
"No," he said. "I need you to help someone."
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"It is clearly a sick joke by some wannabe attention seeker!" Fudge said slamming the Prophet on the table as he was surrounded by high ranking ministerial officers including Amelia.
"And what about the dead muggle family that we found?" Amelia said.
"He's not back! It can't be!" Fudge said. "Someone else murdered a muggle family and cast the dark mark over the house to create panic among the people."
Amelia sighed mentally as she looked from Fudge to Kingsley, her second-in-command. His team was the one who had received the complaint of the dark mark's sighting after which he'd contacted her. He, too, believed that Voldemort was back because he trusted his boss and not Fudge.
She knew it was useless to make Fudge realize how wrong he was in this matter which is why she was only here for show, as a formality to inform the minister of magic of a threat's possible happening. If he was unwilling to believe her then it was his fault.
"This is going to be a headache convincing the media to take back these prints," Fudge said. He missed Lucius in matters like this. He was the one to take care of such matters. Now Fudge had to do it all by himself and he wondered how much money it was going to cost out of his own pocket.
"Are you suggesting that we hide this entirely from the people?" Amos Diggory said. "At least more than half of them have already read the papers by now and the other half would know by word of mouth."
"So we obliviate them," Fudge said. "We have a department to tackle situations like this."
"Obliviate the entire population of a magical nation, minister?" Seth McLaren, head of department of accidental magic response said. It was his department that dealt with mass obliviation, mostly obliviating muggles if they've seen or witnessed anything magic related. "Tracking all of them all at once, especially in a small time window is impossible."
Fudge glared at him. "Are any of you competent enough to do your job?" he shouted at them.
"The Prophet is yet to take statements from the DMLE," Amelia said as everyone looked at her. She hated doing this but it could save all the other departments from doing unnecessary work just because Fudge wanted this matter gone. "We can fabricate a story, catch a death eater and 'get a statement' from him where he accepts casting the dark mark after killing the muggle family."
"Isn't that how it happened?" Fudge asked. "Or are you really stupid enough to think that one can come back from the dead?"
"We will get to the matter and resolve it soon, minister," Kingsley said.
"I want the matter settled by the end of tomorrow," Fudge said glaring at him. "Now move your arses and do what you're supposed to do!"
Amelia sighed once she was out of Fudge's office. It was impossible to make that guy see the truth. "How are we going to handle this?" Kingsley asked coming to stand beside her.
"We gain no help from the minister in this matter because he won't listen to the truth," she said. "Get a team ready and let's find ourselves a low-level death eater. I hate to do this but fabricating a story is all we can do for now. That will, at least, get the Prophet off of our back and then we can work in peace on the actual matter. I hate to admit it but Fudge is right about things getting difficult if people start to panic."
"I have to ask, Amelia," Kingsley said, "how sure are you on this one?"
She looked at him. "If Dumbledore isn't saying anything then it doesn't mean that it is not happening, King," she said. She knew Kingsley was also a member of the Order of Phoenix just like her, Remus, Sirius and a few others. She wondered when will Dumbledore contact all of them regarding Voldemort's return but until then she couldn't just sit around and do nothing.
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Dumbledore didn't know what he could do. Voldemort had finally returned in his original body and all of his plans regarding the dark lord were in shambles. Harry won't talk to him far less trust him. Also, Voldemort had moved his horcruxes to a more secure location. He had gone to find the locket in that cave but only found a duplicate of it. Even the ring had been moved. Severus also had no idea where the other horcruxes were and that didn't settle well with Dumbledore but he couldn't do anything in that regard.
He only knew about the locket, the ring and the diary and he hadn't been able to find the latter. He knew it was with Lucius but after his death no one knew the location of the diary. Dumbledore had no idea where the other horcruxes were or what they were apart from one of them which was Harry.
Harry.
Dumbledore's eyes opened wide when he realized it. That boy must've felt Voldemort's return through his scar. But how would he talk to Harry regarding the matter? It was important for Harry to stay away from the actual truth until the very end or else there was a chance that he won't willingly sacrifice himself to defeat Voldemort.
The boy had successfully evaded him, especially since the start of this term. Dumbledore thought how he could approach him regarding the matter. He had already gotten out of control and that wasn't a good sign. If Harry figured out another way around all of this then Dumbledore knew his plan for the greater good will not come to fruition.
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McGonagall walked into her office and saw a letter lying on the table. She wondered who it was from as there was no name of the sender. She checked to see if it was a trap letter but found nothing wrong and so opened and read it. The contents of the letter shocked her.
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Ginny turned off the fire and let her newest batch of love potion to cool down when she heard footsteps coming towards the unused classroom she was in. She looked at the door and saw someone's shadow underneath the crack. Panicked she grabbed the sheet of cloth and covered her potions setup before hiding behind the small tower of benches and desks.
There was a knock on the door followed by McGonagall's voice.
"Is anyone there?" McGonagall said. When no answer came she opened the door and walked in.
Ginny didn't know what to do in a situation like this. She never thought that she'd get caught. McGonagall had already searched all over the Gryffindor tower and the castle and had found nothing so why was she going at it again?
She saw as McGonagall walked towards where Ginny had set up her small potions' lab. She could've used some notice-me-not charms but she didn't know them. The sheet obviously grabbed attention as it was maroon in color, right from the bed of her Gryffindor dorm room.
The deputy headmistress removed the sheet and found Ginny's setup. She took a whiff of the hot potion and knew that it was ammortentia as she could immediately smell what her heart desired the most. Fortunately she was a very skilled witch. She put the lid back on the cauldron to stop the smell from escaping before she turned and looked around the classroom when her feline eyes caught a very slight movement behind the furniture tower.
"Homenum revelio!" she said whipping out her wand and the desks and benches moved on their own, revealing Ginny looking at her terrified.
McGonagall couldn't believe her eyes as she walked towards the youngest Weasely sibling. So the rumors were true. Ginny was obsessed with Harry but how could an eleven year old brew such powerful love potion…unless someone taught her how to.
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When Harry received summon from McGonagall he wondered what she wanted to talk about. As he entered her office and saw Mr and Mrs Weasely there along with Ginny he sort of got an idea as to what this was about.
"You wanted to see me, professor?" he asked walking up to where everyone was.
"We've found who spiked your cup, Lord Potter," she said in all formality knowing that this could very well take a legal turn. "Do you have anything to say for yourself, Ms Weasely?"
Ginny was standing there, crying. She couldn't even look at him as he noticed Ginny's mother holding her protectively while her father stood there like a helpless man. Arthur Weasely, that's what his name was. Harry had heard from Remus what an honest and good man he was.
"There is no proof for any of this!" Molly said loudly. Harry almost winced at her screeching sound.
"I found your daughter in the same room hiding where I found this small lab set up, Molly," McGonagall said. "If that is not enough for you, I had Severus and Filius check for residue of the potion on her and Ms Weasely has it all over her body. The fumes of this potion do have a tendency to cling to whatever they can. So there's more than enough evidence to prove your daughter's involvement in this. But seeing that she targeted an emancipated minor not to mention the lord of an ancient and noble house the final decision falls into Lord Potter's hand. He is the only one who can either grant you pardon or put you up with legal charges which has enough evidences to back him up."
Molly glared at Harry which was a mistake as she would soon realize. Harry wasn't looking at her but at Ginny. "You are only eleven," he said slowly. "I am only twelve. Of course here in the magical world there are things like betrothals but even that doesn't give one reason to so blindly be affectionate towards someone that they would use love potion to get their way. I don't even know you. But there's something more that concerns me and that is how someone as young as you can brew something as powerful and complicated as ammortentia unless someone else taught you how."
He looked at Arthur and Molly. The Weasely family head had his head down in shame. Harry's eyes shifted to Molly whose look on her face told Harry that she was the one responsible for it. "I take it that's you?" he said looking at her.
"What?" Molly looked shocked. McGonagall and Arthur looked at her as well.
"Molly?" Arthur said.
"Lord or not but you sure are a white liar," she said glaring at Harry.
"Why don't we ask her then?" Harry said looking at Ginny. "Ginny?" the girl looked at him and was immediately lost at how handsome he looked up close. Harry felt a little weird being looked at that way. "Who taught you how to brew that potion?" he asked.
"Ginny, you know damn well what's going to happen if you answer that question," Molly said before she realized what she'd done as all the eyes were on her now, once more, including her husband's as well.
"Molly, don't tell me…" Arthur said in shaky voice as he looked at his wife.
"Seems like Mr Weasely's in the dark then," Harry said. "I had a feeling he wouldn't be doing something as low as this as he seems like an honest man. But you..." he said looking at Molly, "teaching your daughter how to brew a potion as dangerous as this…What was your intention?"
Molly didn't say anything. Harry sighed.
"Ginny, was it your mother?" he asked. "Tell me and I will forgive you."
A new light of hope sparked inside her when Ginny heard him say it as she looked at him with big, wide eyes. She nodded slowly but was roughly pushed by her mother. Harry caught her in time before she could fall on the floor while McGonagall tied Molly before she could do anything else.
For Arthur it was too much as he pulled the chair and sat down holding his head.
"What do you want to do, Lord Potter?" McGonagall asked.
"What's right," Harry said, "but let's keep it quiet."
McGonagall nodded. "I'll open the floo channel," she said before walking up to the fireplace in her office.
"You have no jurisdiction!" Molly screeched before McGonagall flicked her wand, applying a silencing charm on her mouth. She threw a pinch of floo powder in the fireplace as it flashed in small green flames before she called the aurors. She kept her floo line open for the aurors to arrive.
The aurors arrived and McGonagall explained them the entire situation. They looked from Ginny to Molly in surprise. Manipulating one's own child was low.
"Why'd you do it, Molly?" Arthur asked as the aurors arrested her. McGonagall removed the silencing charm off of her but she didn't say anything. She just looked away. "Our little girl? What could you have gained by using our daughter to trap Lord Potter?"
Harry walked up to Arthur. "I know you didn't expect things to go this way, Mr Weasely," Harry said. "You're a good man as Remus tells me but I cannot forgive her," he said looking at Molly. "You know I'll have to press charges." Arthur nodded as he hugged his daughter. "I think she'll need some help, too," Harry said looking from Ginny to McGonagall.
The deputy headmistress nodded as the aurors took Molly away. "Ms Weasely," McGonagall said, "you're excused for the next few days. Take time to absorb this."
The girl nodded before looking at Harry and mumbling a 'sorry'. She and her father then headed towards the fireplace and walked into the green flames.
"I still can't believe Molly would do something like that," McGonagall said. "I've known her for years."
"Ginny might not be the only one," Harry said as McGonagall looked at him with shock. "Targeting house heads like me is very common in this society. I also had Ronald trying to befriend me earlier last year. I hope you can pick things up with the way I am hinting you?"
McGonagall knew what Harry meant as she'd seen Ron's behavior around Harry last year. After their confrontation regarding Ron calling Hermione a mudblood he hadn't approached Harry. "Manipulating kids are easy," Harry said remembering how Dumbledore had planned the same thing for him in a way. "Unfortunately these manipulations can leave a lasting effect on children's mindset."
"I will talk to Arthur about seeing Ginny for the next few days," McGonagall said. "Thank you for not going public with this, Lord Potter."
"As long as the real culprit is caught," he said.
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For the next few days all the Weasely siblings were called back home by Arthur who sat them down and explained to them what had happened. While Harry had more than enough evidence to put Molly in Azkaban for a very long time he didn't use them all and was lenient a bit resulting in Molly getting only ten years' worth of sentence. It could've been over twenty had Harry provided all the evidence but he didn't. He'd seen what this had done to the Weasely family and so he didn't want to make things more difficult for them.
Ron and Percy kept glaring at him throughout the whole time the trial took place while Arthur, William, Charlie, Fred and George sat quietly, their heads down in shame because of the heinous act Molly had done.
Ginny was provided a kids' therapist by the ministry on the behest of Amelia upon Harry's personal request. She could understand how bad Harry felt with all of this. All of this was Molly's fault but her entire family had been dragged into the hole along with her, especially poor Ginny. He wanted to make things right for her. She was too young to be experiencing things like this.
It was during this time that Harry realized that his family owned a good portion of the Daily Prophet so a letter to the editor-in-chief was more than enough for the print media to not publish anything from the trial or whatever was going on with the Weasely family.
William Weasely, the eldest of the Weasely siblings, took a desk job in the department of curse breakers so that he could spend more time at home as long as her little sister was going to be there. He knew their father was going through a lot so he wanted to relieve him from this one burden if he could.
In between the trial and everything Harry introduced Selandra to Neville and Luna by taking them to the secret chamber one weekend. Luna was ecstatic when she met the monstrous basilisk and without a care in the world skipped towards Selandra and started scratching behind her hood. At first Selandra was shocked but Celia must've said something to her as she then began to enjoy Luna's scratching.
Harry as surprised but didn't say anything. Not much made sense when Luna was involved. He'd learned to just go with the flow whenever she was doing anything and apparently it worked.
Amelia informed Harry, Remus and Sirius about the DMLE finding even more murders of muggle families. This time, however, the dark mark wasn't cast above the houses but they all knew who had done it. Remus and Sirius told Amelia about their plan to get the prophecy for Harry and she agreed but getting into the DoM was impossible unless one was either an unspeakable or a subject of one of the prophecies inside the prophecy room which is where they needed to go.
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It was pouring down hard as he stood in the dark alley wearing a cloak with a large hoodie as he saw his targets approach without them having the slightest of idea what was about to happen.
Crabbe and Goyle Senior were just as close friends like their sons were with each other. However, unlike their sons these two were not stupid or dumb. They were also members of Voldemort's inner circle death eaters.
Goyle ducked at the last moment as a red spell narrowly passed him, hitting the small closed shop behind them and exploding with a loud bang. The two had their wands out immediately when the ground beneath them started to move. They looked down to see it had turned into mud. Their large bodies and weight didn't help as they started to sink in slowly. The more they tried to get out of it the more they got stuck. Once they had been in up to their waist someone jumped down behind them.
They couldn't move enough to turn around to see who it was when two 'expeliarmus' hit them, flying their wands away from their hands. Then they heard the footsteps as the ground became solid again. They saw a person in a hooded cloak come in front of them as he pointed his wand at them.
"Whoever you are, you're making a terrible mistake," Crabbe said.
"Says the man stuck halfway into the ground," the man said.
The two looked at this mystery man with shocked eyes. They knew that voice. "Draco?" Goyle said.
The person removed his hoodie and revealed his face. Draco looked them dead in the eyes with an expressionless face. "I will ask one simple question," he said. "Do you know where the remaining two horcruxes are?"
"But you died!" Crabbe said.
"Wrong answer," Draco said as a green jet of spell from his wand killed them both in an instant. "Wrong answer," Draco said before covering his face and walking away from the place.
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Thanks for reading…
