Harriet Potter and the Guardians of Atlantis Part 3: Harriet Potter and the Founder's Wars
Rated: T for mild language, violence, and mild sexual references. Future chapters will be rated M.
I do not own Harry Potter, or any of its characters.
Chapter 1: Barty Crouch's Bad Summer
Harriet Potter sat in the branches of her tree in Little Whinging. It didn't matter that the tree was not on her aunt's property, or that she hadn't been here in ages. Ever since she'd plotted her escape from Little Whinging almost 2 years ago, this had been her tree. Luckily the owners of this property were a kindly old couple who generally liked Harriet. They didn't mind her spending time here. Once again, she felt the cool breeze going up her shirt. It felt nice, especially without the broken ribs.
In truth, those memories no longer bothered her. Oh, she still saw them as horrible experiences, but she no longer obsessed over them. Ever since she had taken a drink from the Holy Grail earlier in the year, she had been healed; mind, body and soul. All the psychic wounds that her uncle's abuse had left were healed, and Harriet was left with only a sense of sadness about the whole thing. She was grateful for that gift, and it was a gift. Most people had to heal the hard way.
But one plus about Harriet's healing was that all traces of her reluctance to return to Privet Drive were gone. It helped that her aunt had finally found a career that suited her, helping judge homes for neighborhood beautification contests. It was absolutely petty work, of course, but Harriet now understood her aunt to be an absolutely petty person. She'd come to have some affection for the woman, she might even call it a type of love, but Harriet knew she would never have a mother-daughter relationship with Petunia Evans, and that was fine.
Harriet was also getting along with her cousin Dudley, but that relationship was getting more strained. Dudley was returning to form a bit, and was becoming a bit of a bully again. Harriet realized she shouldn't be too surprised, Dudley liked to fight. Still, Dudley mostly was picking on the other boys who were picking on other kids, so Harriet wasn't too angry at him. Still, Harriet had come to the conclusion that violence was seldom an answer to childhood problems. Not that she regretted beating the tar out of Draco Malfoy, but he had attacked her best friend Hermione, and that was something that just couldn't stand.
Hermione was doing well, though her parents had been upset with her. They hadn't liked that she'd been out of bounds at night, and that this had put her into direct contact with Lord Voldemort. They'd required a visit from Headmaster Dumbledore to calm them down, apparently. Helen Granger had been coming around to Harriet before, but she now seemed to blame Harriet for putting her daughter in danger. Which wasn't entirely fair, though it was probably somewhat accurate.
The entire incident with the Grail was a bit of a disaster for the school, to be honest. Dumbledore was doing his best to figure out a way to stop Voldemort from breaking into the school whenever he wanted to, but it would be difficult.
Harriet had noted that the tensions in the school had cooled a lot in the last months of the year. The Gryffindors had been ready to start attacking Slytherins in the halls after the attack on Hermione, and the Hufflepuffs had been little better. Things had cooled down a lot after Harriet had won the Quidditch cup however. Pretty much the entire school (apart from the Slytherins) had celebrated that. And when the house cup went to Gryffindor as well, things were more or less diffused.
For the moment at least.
Harriet sighed as another gust of wind caressed her. It really was a nice day. Pity she would have to ruin it with the conversation she had planned. But she had to talk to her aunt. She'd already put this conversation off for too long. But she'd wanted to do it on a day Harriet was sure that Sirius wouldn't be here. He did not need to learn what Snape had told her after she had recovered the Grail.
Harriet gingerly climbed down the tree. It was easier to reach handholds than it had been, but her hands and feet didn't fit as well anymore. In the past few months Harriet had shot up like a weed. She was now taller than Dudley. She honestly felt a bit gangly, but her aunt had assured her that this was normal. Most girls had a big growth spurt before boys did.
She walked back home. Dudley was off somewhere with one of his friends. He wouldn't be an issue. Her aunt didn't have to work today. This would be perfect.
"Hey Aunt Petunia!" said Harriet as she re-entered the Dursley home.
"Harriet," said Petunia in a not unfriendly tone, "I thought you'd be gone for a while."
"I need to talk to you about something," she said, "But first, what do you know about Severus Snape?"
"Snape?" asked Petunia, her face showing a bit of surprise, "That's a name I haven't heard in a while. He was a friend of your mothers for a time, though I gather they had a falling out. I always thought he was a bit creepy to be honest. But I suppose he was her only wizard friend before she went to Hogwarts."
"He's my potions teacher," said Harriet.
"Yes, I had wondered whether that Snape was the same man," said Petunia.
Harriet steeled herself. Petunia needed to know this. But she couldn't tell Sirius. If she did…
"There's something I need to tell you," said Harriet, "But if you tell Sirius, he'll fly off the handle. He'll probably try to kill Snape or something, which is the last thing we need."
"Okay, I can keep your secret," said Petunia, "I wouldn't want Sirius to get hurt."
Harriet grinned at that. Her aunt had taken a bit of a fancy to Sirius Black. He didn't return her feelings at all, and she knew it, but that didn't stop her aunt from dreaming.
"Voldemort attacked my parents because there was a prophecy that I was going to defeat him," said Harriet, "Snape was the one who told Voldemort the prophecy existed. He is the reason Voldemort killed my parents."
Petunia suddenly went very still. "Snape was a Death Eater?" she finally asked.
Harriet nodded. "According to Snape, he didn't realize the prophecy referred to me and my mother until afterwards. He begged for my mother's life, and when Voldemort refused he told Dumbledore what he had done in an attempt to save her. I have to admit that I'm not sure that he meant to save my father and myself at all."
"That… doesn't make it right," said Petunia, her voice sounding shrill and angry.
"I agree, yet… " started Harriet, "He swore to protect me to make up for his failure. He's prepared to be a spy once more if Voldemort returns. I don't know that I can forgive him, but maybe I will need to work with him."
Petunia nodded curtly. "I understand, and I agree with you. No need to go on a crusade against Snape, but no need to forgive him either. Damn him! He was always too interested in Lily."
Petunia straightened herself. "And yes, this must be kept from Sirius at all costs. He will definitely attack Snape if he learns of this," she said sensibly.
Harriet nodded. That was exactly what she had thought. She was glad an adult agreed with her. Now she could get on with her summer at least, without this conversation weighing over her head.
XXXXX
"Hey there!" said Harriet as she walked into the yard of Hermione's house.
Helen Granger gave Harriet a put upon look. "Did you walk all the way over here?"
Harriet nodded happily. "It's only twenty-five minutes or so."
"And you are going to want me to drive you back I suppose," said Helen.
"If it's not too much trouble," said Harriet, "I could leave a bit early I suppose."
Helen sighed. She didn't really approve of Harriet for some reason, but Hermione had made it very clear that she wasn't going to make any headway in trying to pry them apart. Harriet also guessed that Robert, Hermione's father had stepped in a bit as well. He seemed to like Harriet quite well indeed.
"Harriet!" said Hermione, leaning out of an upstairs window, "I thought I heard you out there. Come up, I've been doing some reading."
Harriet grinned. Hermione was always doing some reading. But Harriet had to admit, it was usually worth it when Hermione got excited by something.
Harriet soon found herself in Hermione's bedroom. It was a cozy space, full of books and various magical components. Harriet remembered when she had first met Hermione and this room had been filled with science equipment. It brought a smile to her face.
"So I've been reading up on psychology," said Hermione, "And I think I know why the Grail affected you so strongly."
"Psychology tells you that?" asked Harriet dubiously.
"Well specifically, I don't think the Grail did all that much for you, at least mentally," said Hermione, "I think that Professor Sprout's therapy really worked, but you never really noticed it because you weren't really being exposed to any of the triggers that caused you to go off while you were at Hogwarts. So when you looked for something in your personality that had changed, you saw the things that therapy had healed."
"That's awfully far-fetched," said Harriet.
"More far-fetched than 'a magic cup healed me?'" asked Hermione.
"We're witches Hermione, magic often is the simplest solution to a problem," laughed Harriet.
"You were already mostly okay with being back at Privet Drive over the holidays, and that is a fact," said Hermione, her finger jabbing at Harriet.
"That's… true," said Harriet, "I still think it was the magic cup."
Hermione growled with frustration. Harriet just grinned like an idiot. It was so fun to do this to her!
XXXXX
"He's taking another run at werewolf rights?" demanded Sirius, "What is Crouch's game?"
"I don't know," said Fudge, "Though I suppose he's not exactly had a great few months."
Sirius laughed as he sat back in the large comfortable chair in his Wizengamot office. That was an understatement. Barty Crouch had always kept control of the Wizengamot through an alliance of the Progressives and a law and order faction of moderates. However, that coalition had begun to fray recently, and it was entirely Crouch's fault. He'd refused to put Draco Malfoy on trial before the full Wizengamot, knowing that Lucius Malfoy would buy his acquittal for the brutal assault on Hermione Granger.
Both the law and order people and the progressives had been angry at this. The progressives had been mollified by the fact that Crouch had used the incident to drum up support for the Muggle and Muggleborn Civil Rights Act. But the law and order moderates had wanted a bone as well. And that bone would be Anti-werewolf legislation. But the Progressives and the Pureblood supremacists both opposed this.
"Do you think he's trying to get the non-Death Eater purebloods on his side?" wondered Fudge, "They probably wouldn't be enough in and of themselves, but if the next election turned out big for the moderates…"
"Ugh, that's the last thing we need," said Sirius angrily, "Greengrass would love such an alliance. He really doesn't like Nott and Malfoy very much. But I'm not sure that Crouch can get the less racist purebloods all on side at this point. They're really angry about the MMCRA."
"That may be why he has Umbridge taking point," said Fudge, "She's definitely a pureblood supremacist, but she's also completely loyal to, well, to herself, but she sees herself as an integral part of the Ministry of Magic."
"Sounds like a winner," said Sirius.
"She's a real piece of work," said Fudge, leaning over Sirius's desk for emphasis, "She's great at sucking up to her superiors, but a terror to anyone below her on any organizational chart. The ultimate sycophant. I will admit, she used to have me fooled, and I'm not easy to fool, at least in the political realm."
"Now let's not get ahead of ourselves here," said Sirius, "You used to be sort of an officious blowhard. You were VERY easy to fool back in the day."
Fudge waved him aside. "Details, details. In any case, Umbridge has a very, very nasty reputation. She will do almost anything to win. Keep an eye on her. She is very dangerous. I'm absolutely surprised that Barty is using her."
"You think Crouch Jr. might have suggested her?" asked Sirius.
Fudge just shrugged. He hadn't told Fudge that Crouch Jr. was a Death Eater of course, but Fudge already knew he was closer to them than his father. Sirius had to admit, when Dumbledore and Morgan had told him the truth about Crouch Jr. he almost hadn't believed it. But after keeping tabs on him for a while, he now couldn't believe that he'd missed it for so long.
"Crouch doesn't have the votes for this bill now in any case," said Fudge, "I bet this is just a trial run of his new faction."
"Why does he need a new faction?" wondered Sirius, "It wouldn't be that hard to patch up his relationship with the moderates without turning on the progressives."
"Simple," said Fudge, "Because the progressives have become your faction. I'm certain he'll be willing to work with you again when he can counterbalance you somewhat. But I think it's clear, Barty Crouch thinks you are challenging him for Minister."
"Well that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," said Sirius, "You couldn't pay me to become Minister for Magic. Can you imagine that? Merlin, by the end of the first month the Ministry would be in chaos."
"I think there are a lot of people who'd willingly support you," said Fudge carefully.
"Wizards have the worst sense," said Sirius, in agreement with Fudge's statement. Sirius liked Fudge, he really did, but he had no desire to be Minister. He'd have to nip this in the bud somehow.
XXXXX
Lucius quietly paced the length of his study at Malfoy Manor. He was beginning to get worried about the political situation. Crouch's latest move indicated that he was trying to create a faction, and that was very bad for the Purebloods. So long as Crouch had been content to align himself with Progressive causes, Bryant had done well in keeping the pureblood faction in line. But if a more moderate law and order faction popped up, it would seriously support Crouch's tenure as Minister, as well as tempt many of the more law and order minded Pureblood Supremacists. Possibly including Bryant. As long as they could deny the progressives an absolute majority, they could deal for favourable additions to the laws.
So that had to be nipped in the bud, even if it might mean that the Progressives ended up with more absolute power in the Wizengamot. And so Lucius needed to deal Crouch a blow. Or he needed to permanently cut the ties between Crouch and the Progressives. If he did that, then Crouch would have no choice, he'd have to deal with all the purebloods in order to get anything done.
And that was why he'd invited Barty Crouch Jr. here today. He'd made sure Narcissa and Draco were gone of course. He trusted them, but Crouch Jr.'s association with him had to be absolutely confidential. Draco was young enough that he might accidentally let something slip accidently. The only person still here was Dobby, and his magic would keep Lucius' secrets safe.
Speaking of Dobby, he popped into the study right on time with a bottle of wine. He was a punctual elf, Lucius gave him that. He was a bit too independent, but enough punishment kept that in check.
There was a pop as Barty Jr. apparated into Lucius's study.
"Barty!" said Lucius, "So glad that you could join me today! Please have a seat."
"Good to see you too Lucius," said Crouch Jr as he took a seat.
"Want some wine?" offered Lucius, with Dobby stepping forward.
"Thank you," said Crouch, "Though we should keep this brief. We don't want anyone suspecting anything."
"My family is gone for the day," said Lucius, "So we have a fair bit of time. But it won't take long."
Barty smiled as Dobby poured his drink. "So what do you think of my father's new legislation?" he asked with a grin.
"It's doomed," said Lucius happily, "But that isn't the point to be honest. He wants to create a faction. If he does, we need to be sure that it is a faction that depends on us, not the other way around."
Crouch grinned wryly. "I bet you do want that. I'm not really involved in politics though, so why come to me?"
"First, have you had any luck finding our master?" asked Lucius. He wasn't really interested, but asking this was a good way to put Crouch in a better mood.
Crouch shook his head. "Apparently there was something to the lead I had before, but it is gone now. I have heard rumours that the Dark Lord had returned to Britain last year, but I was unable to confirm them."
Lucius managed to avoid laughing at that. Crouch was an idiot if he thought there was even the slightest possibility that this was true. If the Dark Lord did return, something which Lucius doubted would happen, it would surely reach his ears.
"My sources said much the same," lied Lucius, "A pity. Still, we must do our best in his absence. So, to put things simply, I want to drive a permanent wedge between your father and the progressives in the Wizengamot. And the best way to do this is to force him to turn against Dumbledore."
"Interesting," said Crouch, "But why come to me about this?"
Lucius smiled. "It is simple. I need you to set my plan in motion. My movements are watched. But you… you could plant the weapon we need to use."
Lucius pulled out the small black diary, and laid it on the table.
"Our master made this when he was a boy in school apparently. It was designed to wake up Slytherin's monster in the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts. Simply plant it on a person, and if they begin to write in it slowly this diary will begin to control their actions. And what it has them do is simple. It will have them open the Chamber of Secrets."
"Ah!" said Crouch Jr., his face turning vicious, "After a while, the chaos would force my father to pressure the Board of Governors to remove Dumbledore."
"And the progressives will see this as a move against them," said Lucius, "If we follow this up with a more pureblood oriented administration at Hogwarts, we can permanently break that alliance."
Crouch laughed. "Clever. It could work. Who do you want me to plant the diary on?"
"I have just the idea…" began Lucius. This had gone far more smoothly than he had hoped. Now if things could go smoothly at Hogwarts.
XXXXX
It was now mid July, and Harriet's time at Privet Drive had come to an end. And she was finally coming home to Grimmauld Place. That was her true home, and she'd come to love it, despite the fact that it was a bit on the grim and dark side.
"All we have on the plate right now is Barty's werewolf bill," said Sirius, "Which means that I should be able to spend a lot of time with Harriet this summer."
"That is so good," said Petunia, "I'm sure you'll have a lovely time. Still, if you ever want to come over for a meal or something, please feel free Sirius."
Sirius managed to not quite do a double take. "Well, I will have to see if I can work something out at some point. But thank you for the invitation."
Translation: No way in hell, thought Harriet. Her aunt was getting a lot less subtle in her attraction to Sirius.
"Well, come now Harriet," said Sirius, "Kreacher is already getting your things."
Harriet immediately linked arms with her godfather and waved goodbye to Petunia and Dudley. She was actually going to miss them. A little. A very little.
Suddenly she felt the uncomfortable sensation of being apparated. And then she was at Grimmauld Place.
"Good to be home," she said.
"Good to have you here," said Sirius roguishly.
"So had any lady friends visit recently?" asked Harriet.
"Um, I haven't had a lot of time for that sort of thing Harriet," said Sirius, a bit anxiously Harriet noticed.
"You used to have women over all the time," said Harriet.
"Yes well, it'll be a bit difficult to do that now, won't it?" said Sirius.
"What do you mean?" asked Harriet innocently.
"Well, I mean… oh bollocks, I kind of stepped in that one didn't I?" said Sirius, clearly reticent to explain human sexuality to Harriet.
"Are you worried about me?" asked Harriet, "Because I don't care if you have women over for the night. Have fun for all I care."
"Um, well that's good to know," said Sirius, who's ears seemed to be turning red.
"Sirius," said Harriet, "Aunt Petunia has had the talk with me. I know all about all those things. You should be grateful. Though I admit, it would have been hilarious seeing you trying to explain things to me."
Sirius seemed to relax a lot immediately. "That's good news," he said, "I wasn't quite sure what to do."
"Don't worry, if I do have any questions, I will ask you. Just to make sure you get some embarrassment," said Harriet sweetly.
Sirius nodded. "You know, if I did get a date, I could possibly have you go spend the night with the Weasley's. I know Ron and Ginny would be delighted to see you."
"What are you planning?" asked Harriet suggestively.
"Well you told me to have fun!" laughed Sirius. Now it was Harriet's turn to blush.
XXXXX
As Harriet's birthday approached, she began to suspect that something was up. The reason was simple, Sirius was refusing to tell her what he had planned for her birthday. Which meant he had a surprise planned. Harriet trusted Sirius to do something she would like, but she was worried that he wouldn't invite some people that she very much wanted to be there. Like Luna, whom Harriet had only corresponded with for a great while. Luna's father had wanted to spend all summer in some foreign country looking for creatures, and while that had sounded somewhat fun to Luna, she had ultimately asked if they could come back for her friend's birthdays. Xenophilius hadn't been able to say no.
The day of her birthday, Harriet was not disappointed. Ginny, Luna and Hermione were there, as was Ron. Arthur Weasley was also present, and it wasn't long until Harriet discovered why.
"Wait, you got us Harpies tickets?" Harriet nearly screamed.
"I thought you'd like it," said Sirius, his face a bit smug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Harriet squealed as she ran over and hugged her godfather.
Ginny coming was a no brainer of course, she was also an avid Harpies fan. Hermione was there solely because Harriet was there, but she was actually a little excited to see an all women's team playing. And it was against Puddlemere, so it would be a good match! Harriet wasn't sure that Luna was all that into Quidditch, but she seemed quite happy to be there. Ron of course was never going to say no to going to a Quidditch match, even if it wasn't his beloved Chudley Cannons, and even if he was going with a gaggle of girls.
"Actually it's probably a good thing that the Cannons aren't playing the Harpies today," said Harriet, "I wouldn't want to hurt your feelings when the Harpies won."
"Hey!" shouted Ron, but he didn't say that Harriet was wrong.
They got to the Quidditch over an hour and a half before the match started. "Usually some of the players are around to sign autographs beforehand," said Sirius, "If you want to go down and meet them, now would be your chance."
Harriet and the rest of the girls decided to do just that. Ron had initially thought to go with them, but some glares from his sister had put that to rest.
"Why didn't you want Ron to come with?" asked Harriet.
"I know this is your party, and that Ron is your friend, but honestly I wanted to do something with just us girls," said Ginny.
Harriet shrugged and nodded. She did understand, of course, but she had to admit that Harriet didn't feel she needed a break from the boys as much as most of the other girls she knew. She just got along better with them. Most of the time.
When they got down near the pitch, there were indeed a number of Harpies players there, greeting fans and signing autographs. Including Gwenog Jones, their captain. Ginny nearly started gibbering when they got close to the pitch.
"But you don't have anything for them to autograph!" said Hermione.
"Oh please," said Harriet, "There's a gift shop right over there. We can buy all sorts of things to get signed."
And there were indeed all sort of things to be signed, including Quaffles, Quidditch robes, bludgers, and all sorts of other Quidditch paraphernalia. There were also posters. One had the 1953 Quidditch team, and there were posters of each of the individual players from the modern team.
"Really?" said Hermione, "They're selling that?"
Harriet turned to look at what Hermione was talking about. It was a poster of Gwenog Jones, but she wasn't wearing standard Quidditch gear. Instead she was dressed in a much skimpier Muggle workout outfit. Harriet had to admit, Gwenog had a very athletic physique.
"It looks fine to me," said Ginny, "She's an athlete. And she is in really good condition apparently."
"I agree with Ginny," said Harriet, "I think it's good to give girls athletic women to look up to, especially in the magical world where staying fit isn't exactly a priority."
"You really think this isn't just pandering to men?" asked Hermione.
"Well, we can ask her!" said Harriet as she grabbed one of the posters.
Gwenog was in fact thrilled to see Harriet and Ginny liked the poster, and she even signed it. "Far too many witches and wizards don't think it is important to keep in shape. Especially witches. Sometimes I think we're too reliant on magic," Gwenog grinned, "It's nice to know that Harriet Potter agrees with me."
And for once, Harriet actually blushed when someone recognized her.
As they made their way up to the stands, both Harriet and Ginny had arms full of things they'd bought. Ginny hadn't had a lot of money on her, but Harriet had insisted she buy what she wanted and Harriet would pay for it. "I mean, it's the Harpies," said Harriet.
But as they approached the stands, they ran smack into a man coming down the stairs. Ginny was knocked over and her bag full of stuff went flying.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" said the man, who immediately began helping Ginny pick up her things. Harriet recognized the man. He was the son of the Minister for Magic, Barty Crouch Jr. She knew that for some reason Sirius didn't like him much any more, but he hadn't shared his reasons why.
Soon all of Ginny's things were back in her bag, and the four girls had to suffer through Crouch's effusive apologies as he also tried to speed away.
"What was that about?" asked Hermione.
"Maybe he's a Puddlemere fan that just doesn't want to see his team beaten," said Luna.
Hermione sighed. "Not you too Luna," she said sadly.
The match was a good one, and the Harpies did indeed win the match 480 to 310. Ron had been very impressed, and even he had to admit that the Harpies were in good form this year.
"Currently in second place!" said Ginny, correcting him.
All in all, Harriet had to admit, it was a great birthday. And it wasn't over.
"The three of you will be having a sleepover at the Weasley's," said Sirius to Harriet, Luna and Hermione.
"As long as you keep the twins out of our hair," said Ginny.
"Oh, don't worry," said Arthur, "They've been put on notice."
XXXXX
"So, how far did you get?" Ginny asked Hermione. As they were laying on the floor in the Weasley's living room on top of their sleeping bags. They had all changed into pajamas, and the conversation had mostly been Harriet and Hermione telling the younger girls about Hogwarts.
"Get with what?" asked Hermione.
"Harriet told me that you were translating the diaries of Helga Hufflepuff," said Ginny, "So how far have you gotten?"
"Well I wouldn't call it translating," said Hermione, "more like summarizing. And I am making progress. Still they only let me have one volume at home at a time, so it takes a while when I get to a new tome. Still, I think I'll finish before school starts. Which is great, because we have a new goal!"
"A new goal?" asked Ginny.
"She thinks instructions on finding Rowena Ravenclaw's study are in those journals," said Harriet. "Which might be true."
"That would be a huge historical coup," said Luna, "Ravenclaw's notes were rumoured to be some of the most complete of her time period."
"You seem to know a lot about Ravenclaw," said Hermione.
"I've always wanted to be in Ravenclaw," said Luna, "It seems the most sensible of the houses."
Harriet grinned.
"Well I am very happy in Gryffindor," said Hermione.
"You have to admit, we Gryffindors do tend to make a lot of reckless decisions," said Harriet, "I'd argue that Hufflepuff valuing friends over knowledge makes them more sensible though."
Luna thought about that. "Not all friends are sensible people though," said Luna, "Some of them can be quite odd."
Harriet began to laugh. "No argument there Luna. No argument there."
XXXXX
Sirius looked at the new poster that Harriet had put on her wall. "And you were giving me a hard time," he joked.
Harriet put her hands on her hips, "This is not the same. It's designed to be empowering and inspiring."
"It is rather cheeky," joked Sirius again. Harriet suppressed a grin at that. Okay, Gwenog was showing rather more of her backside off than she strictly needed to. But it looked good on her!
"I think it took incredible courage for her to do this," said Harriet, "If I have a body even half as good as hers I'd love to do something like this."
Sirius's eyes twinkled. "Oh really, you'd be up for posing like that would you?"
"That isn't all that daring for muggles," said Harriet, "But if it would help I'd do it naked!"
Sirius did try to keep a straight face at that, Harriet did have to admit that. But he couldn't. He just burst out laughing.
"Harriet," he said when he finally calmed down enough to talk, "Did you think that was going to shock me or something? You'll have to do better than that."
"I guess I overdid it a bit," said Harriet, blushing, "I was mostly joking of course. Mostly."
"Listen Harry, if you end up posing for posters like that when you get older, that's your business. I won't try to stop you," said Sirius, "Though don't expect me to do anything but try and ignore that it's happening! Still, I just don't see it happening. I think you're going to be able to inspire other witches in far more concrete ways."
Harriet had to admit, he had a point. After all, she had a dark wizard to kill.
XXXXX
The vote in the Wizengamot had gone even worse for Barty Crouch than Lucius had claimed it would. Far less of the moderates had abandoned Sirius than Barty had hoped. And practically no purebloods had defected either. In the end, the bill had died a rather ignominious death, and Barty Crouch's dream of creating his own Wizengamot faction was dead.
Lucius would probably try to get him to call off handing the diary to the Weasley girl, Barty Jr. thought mirthlessly. Too bad he'd already planted it.
Barty smiled viciously. Lucius thought he was a blind fanatic who couldn't see what Lucius was doing. It had taken Crouch longer than he liked to admit to realize that Lucius had no intention of helping Crouch find their master, but he had ultimately realized that this was the case. But he could bide his time and wait. Lucius would get his when the time was right.
And so he'd set the plan in motion the moment he'd had a chance. If Dumbledore could be neutralized before their master returned, so much the better. Still, it was best not to leave these things to chance. Crouch had no faith in any plan Lucius had designed.
"Too bad about the vote today," he said as he approached Dolores Umbridge.
"Thank you for your sympathies," said Umbridge, "It really is a shame that the Ministry will not have the tools to hunt down such dangerous creatures."
"I agree," said Crouch, "In fact, I had an idea, a way to perhaps get some of these regulations into law under the radar, if you had a moment…"
Umbridge smiled, a fake smile that said she didn't believe him. "Your father said you weren't very political," she said.
"I'm more conservative than him that's all. I haven't wanted to rock the boat. Now that he's pursuing sensible legislation, I'm inclined to help him," lied Crouch.
"Very well," said Umbridge, as she led him away from the chambers where the Wizengamot had just met and towards her office.
As soon as the two of them were alone however, Crouch pulled out his wand, pointed it at Umbridge, and cast, " Imperio."
As Umbridge stiffened, Crouch Jr. grinned. It never hurt to have a backup plan.
Author's Note: Well, I promised I would return when I had written rough drafts of the first two chapters of Part 7. So here I am. I still have my problems with Rowling, but I've decided that it serves no one for me to simply not publish something that ultimately reflects my perspective as opposed to hers. Just to make it clear though, I am doing this because ultimately I believe that this particular fandom was built on ideas of inclusion and acceptance, and those are the ideas I am hoping to bring out.
There will be some close following the Chamber of Secrets plot for a few chapters, so bear with this story for a bit. When it starts to veer off, it will go in direction that, while not completely original, is defintely different from canon. Again, this is a very slow burn, but it is going somewhere very different.
One last thing. I do not closely follow my pms on this site. So please don't be offended if I don't reply to you in a timely manner or at all.