Sensing Magic
by Teddylonglong
Please refer to chapter 1 for my disclaimer and warnings. Thank you.
Considering that Marvolo wished to have Professor Prince in attendance, Amelia Bones decided on a Sunday for her questioning of what she still assumed was an evil wizard.
"You're much too nice to Snivellus. The students would be happy if he cancelled his classes for once." Sirius rolled his eyes in apparent annoyance.
"Sirius, don't be so mean towards Severus. Don't you remember that you owe him your freedom?" Amelia shook her head in exasperation over her husband's stubbornness. During their more or less regular meetings with Regina, Miranda, Severus and Remus on Saturday evenings, she had become good friends with each of them and could not really understand Sirius' distrust of the Potions master.
"Just so you know, Meli, I am going to attend that meeting as well in my capacity as an Auror to keep you safe."
Amelia let out a deep sigh. "Well, if you don't have better things to do on a Sunday morning, I don't mind. However, you have to promise to behave yourself and remain quiet. You may only watch and not actively participate in the questioning. If you behave, I'll have a surprise for you later on."
Sirius grudgingly agreed. 'Oh well, if he manages to behave, I'll tell him about the baby later on,' Amelia resolved. So far, she had not let him in on the secret of her pregnancy, however, intended to do so at the next opportunity anyway. 'He'll be very happy, although I wished he would grow up a bit more. He's more like an overgrown child himself,' she thought, giving her husband a fond smile.
HP
When Harry woke up on Sunday morning, he felt Severus' magic nearby, and from the occasional rustling of pages he realised that he was reading, 'probably his Potions Quarterly. It sounds like that.'
"Good morning," he said, smiling at his adoptive father.
"Good morning, Harry," the older wizard replied in a soft voice. "I just wanted to let you know that your mother and I am going to have breakfast at home this morning. Right afterwards, I must head to the ministry, where Marvolo is going to have his questioning today."
"Ah, all right. That's why he's so excited right now."
"Can you feel his emotions all the time?" Lucy, who had just returned from doing her business in the herb garden, showed him the concerned look his guardian cast him.
"Not all the time, only when he's extremely happy, sad or excited." Harry gently caressed the canine's fluffy ears.
"Perhaps, I should teach you Occlumency." Severus seemed pensive. "It might help blocking out Marvolo's emotions. It won't be easy though, considering that you're only ten and it's fairly advanced magic, which usually isn't even taught to the students."
"Please teach me. You know I am not scared of difficult things."
"Oh, that reminds me of something. When I spoke with Fawkes the other day…"
"Can you speak with Fawkes?" Harry was too surprised to realise that he rudely interrupted the older wizard.
"No." Severus smirked in apparent amusement at his excitement. "Godric Gryffindor was so kind as to translate for me. Apparently, Fawkes was his familiar in the past, and he is a phoenix Animagus. Anyway, Fawkes told me that he is waiting for you to become a phoenix Animagus, and when I informed him that you're a canine Animagus, Professor Gryffindor insisted that as his descendant, you'd well be able to have multiple forms."
"Really? Wow, that's cool. Of course, I will try to become a phoenix then. It would be brilliant if I could fly without a broom."
Severus shook his head. "How are you going to take Lucy or Teddy with you to be able to see when flying in your phoenix form?"
"Oh." Harry had not even thought about that. "That won't work. Oh well, I will still try to get a second Animagus form. Please don't tell anyone about it though, especially not the headmaster."
"I won't." Severus nodded, reassuringly.
"May I have breakfast at home, too?"
"If that's what you wish, of course you may. As you're not a student yet, you don't have any obligation to take the meals in the Great Hall."
HP
Harry spent the morning in the elves' quarters playing with Teddy and Lucy. 'I wonder if I can trigger the interrogation,' he thought, recalling how he had watched Marvolo talk with his followers before. From Marvolo's excitement, which seemed to intensify by the minute, he could sense that it was going to begin soon. Just to be sure that his friends would leave him in peace for a little while, he informed Lucy and Teddy what he intended to do. Careful, so as to not alert his mind friend to his presence, he wished himself into Marvolo's mind, smiling happily, when it worked. Just like before, he was even able to take in Marvolo's surroundings through the older wizard's eyes. Shortly afterwards, the interrogation commenced by Amelia questioning Marvolo.
To his disappointment, the interrogation was not overly interesting for him, as Harry had already heard everything that had happened to Marvolo at least twice before. Only after the man had explained about the Imperius curse, which the old lord had reinforced frequently to prevent that it might wear off, the questioning turned to matters, of which Harry had not heard before.
"Why did you go after the Potters?"
"That was because of a prophecy made by Sibyl Trelawney to Albus Dumbledore. It said that a boy would be born with the power to defeat me. It became clear that the boy would be Harry Potter. When Severus Snape asked me to spare Lily Potter and her family, I decided to simply ignore the prophecy, of which I have only heard the first part anyway. However, Rosier decided otherwise and forced me to go after them. Fortunately, at least Harry survived. As a descendant of the Slytherin family, he is my only living relative at this time."
"What are your plans for the future?"
"I intend to take over the lordship of House Gaunt, the family from my mother's side, seeing that Harry has been made the heir of the Slytherin family by his defeat of me. I wish to work on improving the situation of all magical beings, including Squibs, muggleborns, elves, dwarfs, goblins and so on. Harry and I decided to work together in this direction. He has already managed to cure the werewolves from lycanthropy together with his adoptive father, Lord Severus Prince, and among the elves he is known as the saviour of the elves."
"Harry is my godson. Do not take him from me like you took my brother," Sirius growled at Marvolo. "How did Regulus Black die?"
Severus sent a bloodcurdling glare at the Auror, which was echoed by Amelia's, while Marvolo replied.
"He betrayed me and by doing so succumbed to one of my safety features. It was his own decision."
"Sirius, you're going to sleep on the sofa tonight," Amelia added, motioning for Severus to administer the antidote to the Veritaserum.
tbc tomorrow...
Thank you so very much for the kind reviews for the previous chapter. I appreciate it very much, and my muse really needs the feedback. Thank you.