The Mutt who Lived
by Teddylonglong
All recognizable Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story. I am merely borrowing the characters to play with them.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
Warnings: Completely AU, partly OOC, Dumbledore/Weasley bashing.
"Excuse me, Griselda, but who is the head of the Department of Education, you or Albus?" Minerva asked in an upset voice. "Do we really have to make Amelia and Moody hurry with the trial against Albus to rid him of the position as head of the Wizengamot, before we'll be able to set up our school? Please consider the poor students, who won't be able to finish their NEWTs and OWLs this year. Albus won't be able to properly educate them in the near future, considering the dunderheads of colleagues he has left."
'Oh Merlin, I've spent too much time with Severus,' she thought in annoyance at her own choice of words.
"And your school is going to open its doors exactly when?" Griselda enquired, strictly.
"Originally, we decided on September next year," Minerva admitted; "however, at least for the fifth through seventh classes, we'll commence in January."
"Very well," Griselda decided, "you have my permission for the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts. Please keep me updated about the teachers and the classes that are taught at the school. I need as many details as possible."
"I am going to be the headmistress with James as the deputy headmaster," Minerva informed her and listed up the other teachers.
'Thank Merlin,' she thought, when she and James returned to the manor, a parchment with the permission for the MAMA tucked into her robe pocket.
HP
In the meantime, Lily had floo-called Alastor Moody and Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and his deputy, as well as Rita Skeeter, a reporter from the Daily Prophet, who had been a few years before her at Hogwarts. She had invited Moody and Amelia for two o'clock the same afternoon and Rita for three o'clock.
The conversation with Amelia and Moody was short, as they already knew everything about the events of Halloween, considering that Lily and James had called them to Godric's Hollow the same evening. They merely informed them about Dumbledore's behaviour in the aftermath.
"I always thought highly of Albus, but lying to me about Sirius was a no-go," the gruffy Auror voiced his opinion, only to add, "Amelia will see to it."
"Exactly," Amelia agreed and promised to set up a trial for the old wizard within the month.
"I still have to pick a bone with you," Moody added, gruffly, "as you cost me two of my best Aurors, but if you ever need help with your school, we'll support you," he informed Lily, before he readied himself to step into the fireplace.
Inu let out a warning growl, before he stood in front of Moody and looked up to him.
"It's all right, Mutt," Moody told him, causing Inu to turn to Amelia and lick her hand.
"Amelia, I believe that was an invitation to join us and Sirius in the evenings, whenever you can get away from your job," Lily told the friendly witch, who smiled in return.
"If you're sure, I'll gladly follow the invitation," she replied, promising to come over later in the evening.
HP
The conversation with Rita Skeeter, in which Minerva, James and Sirius joined Lily, took much longer, as they informed her about everything that had happened ever since Inu had defeated Voldemort.
At the same time, they asked her to put up an announcement for the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts and provided her with an image of the crest for the new school, which consisted of a photograph of Inu, taken at the edge of the lake in the manor's garden, surrounded by small letters saying 'Where there's a will, there's a way'.
"Perhaps we should also mention the Howlers," Severus spoke up and, seeing Lily and Minerva nod, explained about the Howlers from Molly Weasley, suggesting to add a comment that they would not take children from families who did not morally support the school.
"No," Lily contradicted. "We don't want to step down as low as Molly Weasley's level, and her children are Arthur Weasley's as well, and he is a very gentle man. He would never act like her."
Everyone agreed, and Minerva demanded to have the articles sent to her for proof reading and correction before printing.
"Please give me an hour, and you'll have your text," Rita agreed, smiling.
HP
In the morning, the headline of the Daily Prophet screamed in red letters, 'The Merlin Academy for Magical Arts (MAMA) – the new rival to Hogwarts'
The subtitle added, 'Dumbledore – greatest manipulator of the time'
The whole front page as well as pages 2 and 3 told the readers everything about Dumbledore's behaviour and his attempted manipulations during the Halloween night, which resulted in the setup of a new school for magic. The articles ended with an announcement and offer for immediate registration for the school:
'The Merlin – named after the ancestor of the Potters, Great Merlin – Academy for Magical Arts will be open for magical children from the age of four, for muggleborns from the time of their first display of accidental magic after the age of four. The MAMA crest will contain the face of our beloved hero, the Mutt who Lived, see below.
The school will open its doors from the following school year onwards. Only students who are going to take their OWLs at the end of this school year and older will be accepted from January onwards.
Applications for all years can already be sent to the following address:
Minerva McGonagall
Headmistress of the Merlin Academy for Magical Arts
Potter Manor
Dragonsedge
Wales'
HP
The manor consisted of four wings, which were built around a small park. Minerva, James and Lily decided to use the South wing, in which the master suite and the nursery were situated, as the wing for the staff's private quarters. The West wing would hold the students' dormitories, the North wing, in which the library was situated, was going to be equipped with the classrooms. The East wing, of which the ground floor was dominated by the parlour, the dining room and – above all – the entrance hall, was going to be the wing, in which a large dining room as well as the common rooms were going to be situated.
From the dining room, a small staircase led to the kitchen, and from the kitchen back door, a path went out to the greenhouses, where the Herbology classes were going to take place. A classroom for the Care of Magical Creatures classes was going to be installed in the front part of the horse stables, which had not been used anymore ever since the number of horses had been reduced in James' youth.
During the two months before the official opening of the school, the teachers supervised the elves working on the various parts of the school that had to be re-built, and James even hired an architect to assist with the overall project.
Harry, Neville and Inu did not mind that their parents had a lot of work; they thoroughly enjoyed being together the whole day and, under the watchful eyes of Lissy, the elf who had already been responsible for James when he was small, spent many hours exploring the manor, which was quickly changing to a comfortable, modern school building.
HP
As Minerva had predicted, the parents of the current Hogwarts students were extremely upset about the teaching situation at Hogwarts. Even if Dumbledore tried to lay the blame onto Minerva and her crew, who had left the school without prior notice, everyone had read the Daily Prophet and was aware of the circumstances. Therefore, ninety percent of the fifth-, sixth- and seventh-year students immediately registered for the new school, ready to change to the MAMA from January 1 onwards.
Apparently, the parents of the younger students preferred to wait how the situation at Hogwarts would develop and how the reputation of the new school was going to be before deciding – even if the fact that Minerva McGonagall, whom they all knew from their own time at Hogwarts, was the headmistress was reassuring to say the least.
HP
At the end of the month, Albus Dumbledore's trial took place in the form of a Wizengamot meeting.
Dumbledore as the head of the Wizengamot opened the meeting, however, immediately passed word to Alastor Moody, who had called for the session in the first place.
"We have two points to deal with today," Moody announced, "first of all, Lord James Potter and Lord Arcturus Black have called for a vote of no confidence against Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore. Secondly, my deputy, Amelia Bones will lead a trial against the same Albus Dumbledore over accusations from the Potter family, the Black family and myself.
'Oh well, they've probably all read about it in the Daily Prophet,' Lily thought from the visitors' gallery, where she was sitting together with Minerva, Sirius as well as Harry, Neville and Inu.
Moody shortly repeated the events of Halloween, how Albus Dumbledore had sent Hagrid to take Harry to his muggle relatives, assuming that his parents had perished in the attack by Voldemort.
"I wonder how he knew that the Dark Lord was going to attack in the first place," Lucius Malfoy spoke up, causing Lily to inwardly groan. 'Slimy git,' she thought in annoyance.
"He told us that he had received information from a non-disclosed source," Amelia spoke up, grimly.
'I can't wait for him to get his trial,' Lily thought, knowing that Severus had given Amelia a large list of Death Eater names, who were due for trials during the next few months.
"And who might that be?" Malfoy enquired.
"Chief Warlock, do you wish to divulge information on this point?" Moody enquired, glaring at the old wizard, who apparently understood the warning.
"Not at this time, no," Dumbledore replied.
"Why in the world could you assume that we were dead and Harry alive?" James enquired.
"I knew that Lily tapped into the dark arts to cast a blood charm on the child that would help him survive while she sacrificed her life," Dumbledore replied in a firm voice.
"And you did not think you had to check out the situation before making assumptions?" James asked, incredulously.
"May I please?" Lily enquired and, upon receiving a nod from Alastor Moody, asked, "How dare you attempt to send Harry to the Dursleys? They're the worst muggles one can imagine, and they're excluded in our will. Why did you not only miss to check out if we were really dead but not even head to Gringotts to have our will read to you before acting? Plus, why did you even bother to do anything? You're neither a relative nor a friend of the family, and Harry has a godmother, a godfather, a granny, an honorary uncle along with many friends of the family. This is so absolutely ridiculous that I'm about to assume that you belong into a ward for people who've lost their minds."
"Above all," Arcturus Black spoke up, and everyone stared at the old wizard in apparent surprise. 'Oh right, James and Sirius were talking about that he never says anything on the Wizengamot,' Lily thought, "making himself the boy's guardian, deciding over his life and what else can be seen as an attempt of line theft." Apparently noticing the looks from all sides, he added, "This very well concerns me, as young Harry is the grandchild of my only sister, Dorea. Even if my irresponsible grandson was not the boy's godfather, I would have been in the game as his great uncle."
"That's true," James added, nodding his head in approval.
"It is indeed something that could be seen as line theft," Amelia spoke up in a firm voice.
"Moreover, why in the world did you tell Moody that my grandson was the Secret Keeper, although it had been you who cast the Fidelius charm in the first place?" Arcturus growled.
"You should know better than to lie to the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Moody added, sounding equally grumpy.
The meeting continued in this way for another thirty minutes, and Lily thought in confusion, 'What are they doing? This is neither a real Wizengamot meeting nor a trial, but something in between, which is not really well organised.' Nevertheless, she was contented when the vote of no confidence passed with a 90 percent approval, and Dumbledore was released as the head of the Wizengamot and as Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Other than the loss of his positions, he did not receive any punishment, considering that his actions did not have any consequences whatsoever.
Lily was less pleased, however, when James was elected as Dumbledore's successor as Chief Warlock, knowing that he had already enough work as the deputy headmaster for their school on top of being the Transfiguration professor. Arcturus Black was elected as Dumbledore's successor as Supreme Mugwump.
'Dumbledore is still the headmaster of Hogwarts,' she thought, when the meeting ended and she left the room with a toddler on each hand and Inu on her heels. 'Oh well, I wonder if he already regrets that he didn't retire,' she thought in amusement at the many applications, which they had already received for the MAMA.
HP
The remaining weeks of the year passed in hectic, as there was much work left for last-minute preparations for the arrival of the fifth- through seventh-years. Only from these three years, they had received applications for around one hundred students, and during the last week of the year, the Christmas mood made quickly place for excitement and anticipation.
Nevertheless, the permanent residents of Potter Manor decided to hold a party on New Year's Eve, to which everyone could invite families if they wanted. While Pomona and Poppy invited her sisters for the evening, Sirius invited Amelia – who was already a permanent guest at the manor anyway and brought her niece, who was the same age as Harry and Neville. James invited Arcturus Black – without telling Sirius about the matter – and Arcturus, who was an Unspeakable, even brought a colleague, stating that Unspeakable Raros was a relative of Sirius and him as well.
Needless to say that many of the conversations that night revolved around the new school, and it was Arcturus who gave them a brilliant idea.
"Why don't you ask Nicholas Flamel if he would be willing to teach Alchemy as an elective subject?" he enquired, only to add, "At least until one of his students has taken their NEWTs and is willing to take over?"
"Do you know him personally?" James enquired. "That might help greatly."
"Yes, I know him," Arcturus replied, promising to ask the old wizard about the matter.
"It would be from September onwards then," Minerva spoke up, "and it would make a wonderful asset to our usual classes."
"I'll see to it," Arcturus promised, before Sirius addressed him in a strict voice.
"Who is Raros?" he enquired in a sharp voice. "I can't imagine anyone but Regulus, but he's dead."
"Is he now?" Arcturus asked, quirking an eyebrow at his grandson, before he excused himself.
HP
Minerva had arranged with the Department of Magical Transportation that the MAMA Express was going to leave from platform nine and three quarters at King's Cross station at two o'clock in the afternoon. They had decided on that specific time for two reasons – to not interfere with the Hogwarts Express, which was leaving from the same platform at eleven o'clock in the morning, and to have the students arrive around dinner time, as the train travel to the nearby station took about five hours.
The train station was located in the nearby magical village Dragonsedge. The village was about the same size as Hogsmeade and offered sufficient entertainment for the students to visit once a month. Conveniently, from Potter Manor, it was only a five-minute walk into the village and to the station.
HP
New Year's Day was a cold but sunny day. In the morning, James led the whole group of teachers along with the three seventeen-month-olds to the staff room for everyone to see the portrait, which the hose-elves had moved in front of the room on his request.
"I'd like to introduce you to my ancestor, Merlin," James spoke up, and everyone greeted the old wizard, exchanging a few words with him.
"Thanks my boy," Merlin told James, once everyone had left an hour later. "It's an honour to have your school named after me and to have my portrait transferred to such an interesting place. I appreciate it."
James gave his ancestor a slight bow, before he replied, "Oh you might regret it, as everyone will come to ask you if they need assistance. You'll probably have many admirers among the students, too."
HP
While Minerva, Pomona and Poppy took the toddlers out into the park to build a snowman after a short nap after lunch, Lily, James and Sirius made their way to the station, taking Inu with them for a much-appreciated walk. It was a bit too early, however, they preferred being on time, especially as it was the first time, and the students would not know how to get to the school.
When they were waiting on the otherwise deserted platform, Sirius suddenly transformed into his canine form and dashed away – only to return ten minutes later, out of breath and very grumpy.
"What happened?" Lily asked, gently.
"Wormtail," Sirius gasped. "It was him."
tbc...
Thank you so very much for the many kind reviews for the previous chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and what you expect from this story. Any ideas or opinions are welcome. I have posted a picture of the MAMA crest to my facebook group (Link is on my author's page).
Next chapter: "Death Eaters".