Summary: Azkabam escapees, politicians, dementors, divided loyalties, difficult questions and, soul mates? Things are getting complicated. Mentions of slash & 3soms. Violence and some language.
realarkangel: Soz, in't mean to confuse you
Firehedgehog; Cheers
digisammiegirl; It wasn't a full month! Got me! Also, damn exams. Because they suck. I woul like to give Hermione a paper fan, thanks for the idea!
FallenHope-Angel: My Tracy is fwaesom. 'nuth said.
Holysinner5527: Thank you's. I do love my snaky-babys so...
Sandy Anderson: Yup! I love Grell. He and Sebby should just go off an make lots of evil/psyco babies.
Starfool: Of course I'm going to keep writting. I'm having entirly to much fun to stop now.
Repercussions
Waking up wasn't painful; there was no headache or nausea to great him on reaching awareness. It just wasn't a nice experience either.
Ron opened his eyes to the stark white of the hospital wing, and frowned at the ceiling.
"Hey." murmured Harry from somewhere to the left. "You're late, if you had woken up ten minutes earlier you would have heard Hannah and Madame Pomfrey arguing, it was quite impressive."
"We so totally corrupted that girl." Ron sat up slowly, pausing for a few moments to reclaim his arm from where it was trapped under Neville, and rubbed his forehead. "I feel, hollow."
Harry nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the two boys that lay between them. He seemed vaguely sad, and vaguely lost. It wasn't a good look on him.
Someone had pushed a couple of beds together and tucked them all in together, and though they were dry and mud free only their shoes and socks had been removed. It looked like Pomfrey had been unable to get them to let go of each other.
"The bonds broke, didn't they." stated Ron. "The nasty ones I mean. I know I felt something go." He waved a hand, face crease in an expression somewhere between confusion and distress. "I can hardly sense them, or you. And you all feel different somehow. You're the smart one Harry, what's wrong with us?"
A croaked smile.
"We are semi-normal, mentally balanced individuals. To put it another way, we are normal. We no longer require each other around in order to function properly." The green eyed boys sighed softly, absently playing with a lock of Indigo's hair. "I haven't had this much thinking space in lifetimes. My mind is mine alone once more."
"We've reverted to factory settings?"
Ron wrinkled his nose, not entirely comfortable with the idea. Harry laughed.
"Yes Ron, we have reverted to factory settings."
"Wigginsy." mused the redhead, and then gave a light kick to what he presumed was Neville's ankle. "When are you going to stop pretending to be asleep kid?"
"Sometime tonight. Maybe tomorrow."
"…Wh're you kickin' me?" muttered Indigo from somewhere between Neville and Harry's legs. "M' sleepin'."
"Well, you shouldn't be, it's morning already." Ron grinned, the sleepy disorientate version of the blond prince of malice and terror was strangely appealing.
"Let's all become nocturnal." Neville waved a hand vaguely, and then reached over and tried to pull one of Ron's arms over him like a blanket. "Back to sleep now. M'm getting a cold patch on my back."
"What am I, a hot water bottle?"
"Les' yer' goo' fer; somthin'."
Ron huffed, and settled back down to sleep, or be a heater. Harry smiled.
"The more things change, the more they sort of don't."
Xxxxxxxx
The Ministry of Magic was not happy, not happy at all.
Penelope Clearwater, Jackie Darkfrost, Dean Thomas, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Yuki Greengrass, Ron Weasley, Indigo Malfoy, Susan Bones, Tracy Davis and Harry Potter had been gathered into a room to be informed of this fact. Anyone with a sound knowledge of tactics or simply how these kids operate would know it wouldn't go well.
Fudge had been ranting.
"Oh gods that hat!" Neville's head hit the desk. As a way to shut someone up it was surprisingly effective.
"Had you only just noticed it?" asked Yuki, an eyebrow raised disbelievingly.
"I think I was trying to convince myself it wasn't real."
Indigo patted Neville's shoulder, genuinely sympathetic for once in his existence, and was instantly latched onto and used as a teddy bear.
Fudge turned purple, which clashed unattractively with his lime green bowler hat, and swelled up slightly.
"Do you have the faintest idea how much trouble you are in? Attacks on ministry personal! Destruction of ministry property! These are serious crimes!"
"We destroyed no property." stated Penelope, frowning.
"The dementors!"
"They are sentient beings." snapped Dean. "Horrible, evil foul an unnatural I grant, but still sentient beings. They are not objects or property."
"Actually non-human slavery is still legal here." murmured Yuki, gazing at her nails.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop as every Light student turned and glared at Fudge. He spluttered.
"Why are you glaring at me? You have house elves don't you?"
"Legally house elves have no rights." continue Yuki, her tone faintly malicious. "There have been campaigns to bring in new laws to protect them but for some reason it never happens. Funny that."
"Tha- That's not the point!" squawked Fudge, waving a fist. "You have destroyed at least 50 dementors! This is-"
"Shocking, I know." purred Indigo, gazing at Fudge though his eyelashes and smiling pleasantly. "An astonishing talent as well, but never mind that. After all, the real question is what the dementors were doing at that Quiditch match in the first place, isn't it? They're purpose was to patrol the borers of the grounds, and yet they crossed the boundaries, targeted a Quiditch match…"
"Went after students." said Harry idly. "Innocent children, the future or our nation, who could have been Kissed. But we are informed that the Ministry has complete command of the dementors. So, one must come to the final, terrible question. What is the Ministry doing setting these monsters on children?"
"Surely not, just think of the public response to such a thing, why, the government would be lynched. The dementors must simply be more independent then anyone knew."
"But still, whoever came up with the idea of putting such things near children… Clearly not fit for a position of authority."
"I dread to think what the newspapers will make of it."
There was a long moment of silence. Fudge looked increasing more green as the implications dawned on him. Harry maintained an attentive expression and Indigo smiled lazily.
"Er, I feel that it was, perhaps, an overreaction." squeaked Fudge, quailing under the threat levelled at him by a pair of teenage Wizengamot members. "Perhaps the manner should be, er, forgotten about. Yes?"
"Perhaps it should be." said Harry, utterly serene. "Will there be anything else Minister?"
"Um, no."
"How wonderful. Don't you have something terribly important to be doing? Legislation for the protection of House Elves, perhaps?"
"Y-yes, terribly busy…"
Fudge backed out of the room, his expression one of baffled horror.
There was a moment of perfect silence, and then Jackie started laughing.
"My gods that was completely evil! Is the Prophet..?"
"I have absolutely no knowledge of any Muchkins planning to sell the story, complete with pictures, to the newspapers." stated Tracy, an expression of wide eyed innocence on her face. "Neither Hermione or I would ever assist with the writing of such an article."
Jackie started laughing again. This time he showed no signed of stopping.
"While that was somewhat entertaining, please exercise a little restraint Jackie." Penelope pursed her mouth, frowning in a ridiculously lady-like manner. "You sound like a deranged hyena."
"S-sorry! Can't help it!"
"Yes you can. Come on, breathe deeply."
Jackie obeyed. Ron snickered.
"Boy, you are completely an utterly whupped."
He shut up immediately as Penelope gave him a faintly disapproving look.
"The word hypocrite springs to mind." Mussed Susan.
"She's my sister in law, you're allowed to fear your sister in law. Jackie isn't he brother in law, he's not allowed."
"Yet."
Dean was the recipient of a number of shocked stares. He smiled and shrugged.
"Hey, things change. In a few years the situation could be different."
Such statements can cause extreme paranoia if delivered properly. This one was, and did.
"You are very quiet." murmured Harry, barely audible under the sounds of their friend's perplexed conversation.
"Fudge got where he is because he knew how to play the media." Indigo gazed pensively at nothing. "He won't let this go."
"I do so hate it when you make dire predictions."
Xxxxxxxxxxx
William Trelor was a proud man, the descendant of many generations of purebloods, and taught of his superiority from the cradle. He had just pulled a copy of the Daily Prophet out of a bin.
They always said that prison would change a man.
He read the headline, read it again and swore very softly before running back to his fellow escapees.
Josephine, who had been unanimously vote Head Bitch in Charge due to Bellatrix's complete and utter lunacy, frowned slightly at his early return. Her expression changed swiftly to one of shock as he held the newspaper before her eyes.
DEMENTORS SWARM STUENTS!
The pictures were crystal clear, vivid and shocking, the article had been written to stir up trouble, it was a beautiful piece of Ministry slamming PR. No wonder the writer had used a pen name.
Griffins Feather. It was a good name. There were a number of legends about Griffins, one of the best know was that it was impossible to lie around one.
Josephine handed the newspaper to Dag and settled back on her haunches, her wide pale eyes considering.
"It credits the destruction of the dementors to students." said Carrow incredulously, reading over Dag's shoulder. "Students! That's insane!"
The Rockwoods shared a look full of hidden meanings. Bellatrix giggled.
"The Davis family are rich in song magic, Amelia Bones would teach her niece how to fight, the Black Widow had a son and Harry Potter is 13 years old. Who is to say what they could do together?"
"Everyone hates dementors." breathed Josephine.
"We have to go to Hogwarts." said Rodolfus, speaking for the first time since their escape. "We need to know how they did it. To free the others."
"We could easily be caught." stated Luke, ever the voice of common sense. "There is mention of aurors, and we have no way into the castle."
"Actually…" William shrugged. "There are a few passages into Hogsmead. I found one in 6tyh year, starts under Honeydukes and comes out of a statue of a hunchback."
"Hogwarts it is then." Dag grinned. "Should be fun."
This time even the two lunatics glared at him.
Xxxxxxxxx
Say one thing for Cornelius Fudge, say he is a public relations genius.
A blame chain had been constructed with a speed that suggested that he'd been preparing for something like this for several years now, someone had been fire and the focus had been shifted from Hogwarts to the security of Azkaban so smoothly that the panicking public didn't even notice it happen. The new reason to freak out and run around like headless chickens kept everyone far to busy to ask their elected leader difficult questions.
And while Fudge waited for the public to forget about the matter, he made a few fire calls to a certain gossip mongering reporter of his acquaintance.
Rita Skeeter entered Hogwarts on the pretence of investigating the effects of the dementors attack on the students and the feelings towards the wraiths, which had not been removed. She had Dumbledore's permission to be there.
She found Ginny Weasley with the speed born of many years experience in locating the people who would give her the stories she wanted to hear.
The possessions and petrifactions of last year, an opinion on the DADA teachers and off course a few of the rumours that surrounded the Hit Squad. Oh, what a nest of scandal and gossip Hogwarts had become.
An attack on Harry Potter would have to be carefully worded, and any accusations on the Huffelpuff trio would go badly for her, but there were 5 dark side purebloods in the group and the Weasleys were peculiar enough to make a decent target. Considering the, unconventional relationships the three elders boys had entered into it wouldn't be too difficult to worry the conservative public, but something a little extra was needed.
The library was full of busy students and hiding places. Harry Potter was sitting with several friends, scowling at a roll of parchment.
"Why do people ask such stupid questions?"
"To make sure you know the answers." answered Davis absently.
"Why do they think I don't? They are very obvious answers."
"Because, on average, humanity is sub monkey." explained Malfoy, who was drawing on Neville Longbottoms arm. "The intelligent ones are cancelled out by the stupidity of the majority."
"Perhaps we should do something about that…" murmured Granger.
"What are you suggesting?" asked Moon mildly.
"Well, consider America. They elected George Bush. They invented spray cheese. They clearly deserve to suffer. Let's make them suffer."
"Hermione, we cannot blow up America." stated Potter firmly. "No matter how valid your point may be."
"We would never manage to stock up enough explosives." agreed Bones.
"We could get enough to blow up Texas, surely." said Moon, a maniacal note in his voice. "If we take out the Bible Belt it's bound to improve matters no end. And George Bush was from Texas."
"The idea has merit, though wizzarding Britain is really in no position to be critical of other peoples elected leaders." Malfoy sounded faintly amuse. "Also, hit wizards."
"Yes, those could prove…" Potter trailed off and sighed deeply. "Indigo, why have you drawn a skull on Neville's forearm?"
"Harry, why do you ask questions to which you already know the answers?"
"He's still refusing to let go?"
"I may not be able to attend my next lesson."
"That's tomorrow morning. Surely he'll have woken up by then."
"Ari, I have drawn a skull on his arm. With a quill. These things tickle like hell."
Potter incline his head towards Malfoy in acknowledgment of the point, and both boys returned to their previous occupations.
Granger rested her head on Davis's shoulder.
"It has come to the point that I not only find it normal when they do that, but can also make a reasonable guess about what they are talking about. This worries me."
"There there darling." murmured Davis, kissing the top of the muggelborns fuzzy head. "It happens to us all in the end."
Xxxxxxxxxx
The next morning the Great Hall was subjected to a vast horde of worried, whispering teenagers.
Severus glare at them on principle an unfolded his newspaper.
"That's a terrible waste of coffee sir." said Julian, whose good reflexes had enabled him to avoid the spray, just. "Is there a problem?"
"Other than the newspapers declaring that my best student has been convince to destroy Texas and become a dark lord, while keeping my stepson as his dark consort? No, everything is fine." Severus rubbed his forehead, glaring at the newspaper as he read on. "Or is Indigo becoming a dark lord, having brainwashed the Hit Squad into supporting his quest for world domination, and keeping Harry and Neville as his concubines? Skeeter is somewhat unclear on precisely who is in charge."
Julian looked faintly disturbed.
"They seem a little young to have, or be, consorts or concubines."
"That is the point which disturbs you?"
"Paedophilia is a deeply evil thing. But Harry, Indigo or Susan becoming a Dark Lord or Lady strikes me as somewhat inevitable, and since anyone of them would run the country significantly better than our current leader the matter is of little concern to me. If you will excuse me professor."
Julian went to Hazel, who had been beckoning him for a few minutes. Severus turned to Professor Sprout.
"Are all your students like that?"
"Well, we are a very practical house…"
Xxxxxxxxxx
Augusta Longbottom read the Daily Prophet with ever deepening incredulity.
Her boys, becoming concubines? To ark lords? At their age? And destroying Texas along the way! How utterly inappropriate, she would have to have a word with the editor of the Daily Prophet about this nonsense. The toss he had started printing was simply absurd.
She would send a howler. Right after she had found out what all this fuss about Texas was.
Xxxxxxxxxx
The Weasley boys receive Howlers from their mother at lunchtime. As all four went off simultaneously it was rather hard to work out just what Mrs Weasley was shouting about most of the time.
"…Shame on you… Comes of consorting with… No good... You will have no further contact with that boy!"
The howlers went up in flames.
Percy raised an interesting question.
"Which boy is she talking about precisely?"
An next time; Psychiatrists and Home