AN:*Crow crawls in, dragging self with arms and lugging backpack and laptop bag behind*
So... much... going... on... this... week...
Need... weekend...
*collapses*
*Note: Crow owns nothing*
The next day brought something Slender had, personally, been dreading since Day 1 of coming here; The Reporters.
On a hunch, he'd arrived early that morning and met with Adrian and Harry at Ravenclaw with Nikolaus joining shortly after. Minutes into breakfast, a flurry of owls brought the post as well as a newspaper with a bold headline that resulted in Slender tearing one from a student in his hurry.
Harry Potter Returns with Kidnappers?
Once thought to be lost forever, it's been revealed that Harry Potter has finally returned to the magical world! Though the rumors were confirmed at Diagon Alley back in late July, no photographic evidence or statements were made. Similarly, reporters at the event were unable to remember specifics of the people Mr. Potter was with before they escaped due to what we attribute to be a spectacular display of accidental magic from Mr. Potter himself.
However, this intrepid reporter has uncovered that he is, in fact, attending Hogwarts! Sources inside have given us information on our savior.
"Oh, he's just like in the books! He's dashingly handsome, though rather short, but his hair is the same black messy look in the illustrations. And his eyes! They're like emeralds, just like they said!" Quoted from one student in his year (who wishes to remain Anonymous). When prompted for any further details, she replied, "Well, he's rather reclusive and quiet. Even his dorm mates can't say much about him or where he's been these past few years. All we really know is that he has two boys he considers 'brothers'. One in Hufflepuff and one in Ravenclaw, with him."
Yes, you heard right, dear readers. A Potter has gone into Ravenclaw! Despite centuries of family history and being staunchly in the Light Sided Gryffindor House, this mysterious boy has flipped the odds and gone to the House of the Wise.
Details on this supposed 'family' are scarce, though my sources reveal that the two 'brothers'' names are Aidan Thrasher and Nico Brawls, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, respectively. The 'father' figurehead of this unusual family has been identified as a mysterious Simon Limeman whose background is entirely muggle!
Evidently, our hero has been concealed all these years by a muggle family before being found and brought to Hogwarts. We are grateful that he has been returned back to his rightful place here in Britain.
It has been leaked that there will be a hearing later today at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to discuss his continued living conditions with his possible 'kidnappers'. We wish our Ministry well and thank Merlin that Harry Potter has been found once more.
-Rita Skeeter
Slender set down the paper, fingers steeped in thought and ignoring the indignant outcry from the Ravenclaw he'd taken the newspaper from in the first place. Instead, he deliberately set it further from the Ravenclaw's hands and handed it to his wards who read it quickly.
"Kindappers?!" Harry yelped indignantly.
"Aidan Thrasher?!" Adrian growled.
"Simon Limeman?!" Nick laughed incredulously. He kept snickering into his hand despite Slender's irritated glare.
"They make me sound like some Heavy Metal BDSM freak!" The fire-wielder ground out furiously.
"Well, we don't know about that, lover-boy." Nick teased. A subtle amount of smoke drifted upwards from where Adrian's hand met the wood table. The undead corpse shut up rather quickly.
"Regardless, this poses a problem." Slender mumbled irritably. "Firstly, depicting us as kidnappers will only lessen the public's view of us. Secondly, the fact that they consider us 'muggles' and what is associated with it doesn't help either."
"But you didn't kidnap me!" Harry protested loudly enough for others around them to hear, "I went with you and you adopted me legally! I can't go back there! I can't!" His breathing turned panicked as memories of distorted walrus-like men, horse-faced women, and bipedal pigs flooded back. His panic doubled when he realized they weren't distorted at all.
"Harry!" Slender firmly snapped the boy out of his anxiety, "Regardless of whatever happens, you will not leave our care. I can promise you that." The last statement resonated with his mental projection, indicating the underlying tone that if a corrupted law wouldn't be on their side… then things would get very unpleasant for the Wizarding world.
Slender sighed, re-reading the small article, "I had hoped to address this meeting quickly and quietly. The fact that this meeting has been leaked poses a problem. This means increased traffic and possibly more hassle by the general public than I'd anticipated."
He turned to Harry, "I think it would help if you came with to provide your direct input in this matter. I will try to pick you up later this afternoon when your classes are over."
"Alright, Sl- er, Solomon." Harry stammered over the name.
"This is difficult," Adrian admitted, "Solomon doesn't have all too much of a nickname and it's a mouthful to say 'Mr. Lindermann' all the time."
"Still, for the moment, just continue to use the formalities." Slender reasoned. They ate in relative silence, save for the redheaded Gryffindor's bellyaching informing everyone that the first year lions had Professor Snape's class that morning.
Shortly before they left, Hedwig flew in through the opening with a brown letter in her beak. She landed gracefully in front of Harry and motioned towards him with the letter as he took it off of her. He opened it and found large, uneven letters.
Hello Harry,
I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three?
I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with this owl. I never caught what you named her, but I'm glad she made it to you alright.
By the way, if you want, I'd like to meet that pet cat of yours I heard about.
Hagrid
"Interesting," Slender murmured after reading the letter.
"Should we go?" Harry asked, "I know he's with Dumbledore, but he seems pretty harmless. This offer also seems harmless, too."
"Plus, if anything does happen, we can take care of ourselves." Adrian remarked, his eyes glowing slightly to accentuate the fact.
"Very well, but I want Jeff and Smile to be with you. He told us he's friends with the Emporium at Diagon Alley so seems to have a fondness for animals. Smile's presence may help things run smoothly."
Harry penned a quick 'yes' reply and sent Hedwig back on her way. Slender assured them that everything is in hand and got up to leave.
After Charms class, the two ravens waited in the main hall for Nick to get out of Transfiguration. They didn't wait long until Jeff arrived with Smile on a leash, looking for all intents and purposes like a normal canine. Once reunited, they travelled down the long, gravel path through the grounds to an enormous hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
They approached the door and Harry knocked three times. Excited barking echoed through the space and a loud voice could be heard through the door, "Back, Fang! Back you bloody dog. It's just guests."
He opened the door and gave a cheerful hello to the group there, but was stunned silent as the boarhound at his side snarled angrily at Smile, Jeff, Adrian, and Nick. "Now wha's got you so worked up, boy?"
The dog didn't respond and just kept baring its teeth at the group. It quickly stopped when Smile snarled right back and the dog backed away, tail between his legs and hidden behind Hagrid's massive form. The perplexed half-giant let them into his home and offered tea from a very nice china teapot along with something he called 'rock cakes'. The others discovered the 'pastries' lived up to their name and were dense and almost impossible to eat without a chisel and an iron jaw. There were bits of raisins in it, too, but only Hagrid could bite through them. Nick, on the other hand, claimed they were delicious after he dunked them in his tea to soften them up, first. Hagrid took the compliment happily.
They went around introducing themselves, before Hagrid had enough of Fang snarling in the background. "Alright, you bloody mutt, out!"
He picked up the dog under his arm and put him outside, closing the door to his muffled barking. He sat back down at his seat and looked at them apologetically, "Sorry 'bout that, he really isn't like that most o' the time. Don't know what's gotten into him."
They assured him that Fang was alright. Jeff went a step further, "He probably smells the blood on me. I work as a butcher's assistant back home." The others nodded, familiar with his cover story in case he's ever discovered with blood on part of his clothes he couldn't glamour or triggered a guard dog.
Hagrid was surprised, "Oh, and how's that like?"
"Eh, it's a good way to earn cash during the day," Jeff shrugged, "Sol usually homeschools in the evening."
"Sol?" The large man asked curiously.
"Short for Solomon. Solomon's a mouthful and Lindermann's too long. Plus, he's not our dad and he doesn't really go by 'Uncle'." Jeff explained. Harry shuddered a little at the image of calling his guardian 'uncle' after his last experience with one.
Hagrid nodded in understanding as Adrian's eyes wandered in thought, "Actually… you might also hear us call him Slendy."
The others stared at him with wide eyes as Hagrid looked curious. "Why'd you call him that?"
"It's a slurred mix of Solomon and Lindermann with that whole affectionate "y" thing at the end. It makes sense, too, 'cause he's so skinny." Adrian laughed it off, "Yeah, he doesn't mind the nickname when we're at home, but he isn't too crazy about it in public.
Hagrid grinned, "Don't worry, it'll be our secret." (I'm sure it will, they thought sarcastically) "'Sides, it sounds like a fairly normal name, too. Not the worst nickname to get, either. A boy back in my year was called 'Stumpers', hated it e'ry day of his life." He returned to his rock cake as the others nodded discretely towards Adrian. "By the way, did your cat decide to come along? I know they're proud creatures, they are. Won't go anywhere they don't want to."
Harry nodded and pulled BRVR out from his pouch. The small pokemon grinned up at the giant man as he excitedly looked at him. "Incredible! Tha's just somethin' else, ain't it? Who'd've thought this little guy could pack such a punch." He scratched BRVR under his chin which elicited happy purrs from the electric type. "Never handled somethin' that shoots lighting. 'Sides Thunder Eagles in America, nothin' really has the same ability. Plus, those birds can't be tamed and are pretty hard to find in the first place."
He started asking Harry about the creature's diet, needs, behaviors, etc. He was particularly interested about defense, offence, and dangers. They thought it was an interesting quirk to have and didn't mind giving him a basic rundown of a Pikachu's hazards.
Hagrid was delighted to see BRVR playing with a ball of yarn he carried with in his large coat. He also had a set of large knitting needles and what looked like the a hand-knit circus tent in the making. A little ways into their tea talk, he got some deer meat from the forest and gave some to both BRVR and Smile in two decently-sized bowls. Both were extremely happy and decided that this was their new favorite half-human.
As Hagrid watched the two eat and talked with Jeff on Smile's care, Harry happened to look at an old newspaper the half-giant had left lying around. 'BREAK-IN AT GRINGOTTS!'. He quickly scanned the rest of the document and noted it was the same date that Hagrid went to retrieve something for 'Hogwarts Business'.
He waited a few minutes and then sent a small gesture to the others to wrap things up. They excused themselves, thanked him for the tea, and left the large hut. As they walked away, Hagrid kept a close eye on Fang, who growled at their backs.
"Wassa matter with you, boy? Them's perfectly fine people, they are." He scolded. He watched the figures retreat back to the castle and smiled, "Why, I'd bet none of 'em would hurt a fly."
Fang whined nervously as he mourned how wrong his master was.
Slender and Harry appeared in the middle of nowhere, escorted by Minerva McGonagall. They'd arrived in a dingy little alley in the middle of urban London. As they walked through, Slender addressed the professor, "I don't suppose there are any discrete entrances?"
She shook her head sadly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Lindermann, but aside from magical methods, the only way for muggles to enter is through the overworld entrance. I have no idea how those buzzards found out about this meeting, but I assure you I will do everything in my power to keep them at bay."
She led them towards a grimy, red telephone booth. She ushered them in and they found it surprisingly spacious on the inside despite its tiny exterior. They both just chalked it up to magic and left the headaches to that. McGonagall approached the telephone and punched in a number. When the last number on the rotor clicked into place, a cool female voice sounded above them.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your names and intentions."
"Minerva McGonagall, Solomon Lindermann, and Harry Potter. Custody hearing," McGonagall called back clearly.
Three stick-on buttons appeared in the change-return slot and they placed them over their chests as the phone booth descended. Harry watched through the glass as they went downwards through the earth and into a large corridor filled with rows of fireplaces opening to an enormous atrium housing a gold statue he couldn't quite make out at this distance. However, his attention quickly was redirected downwards towards an enormous crowd of reporters waiting and scrambling towards the area where the booth would touch down.
Solomon scowled, "I don't suppose there's any way to direct this booth somewhere else?"
"Not that I know of," McGonagall sighed in frustration.
The moment the doors opened, they were assaulted by question upon question shouted at them with lights bursting like strobe lights. They walked out into the sea of people, Slender holding onto Harry's shoulders protectively. They got to the security guard's desk who had to shout over the din of questioning reporters.
Harry felt the distinct tingle of Sigma as Slender released another pulse of the dangerous radiation. The cameras burst once more and a few odd bits and bobs around the desk used for tracking dark objects also exploded violently. The stunned reporters looked at their ruined cameras and photographs as Slender remained impassive, "No photography, please."
He walked through the security checkpoint and swiftly made their way towards one of the gilded elevators at the end of the atrium. It was an enormous space, seemingly impossible to exist under populated London. The walls were some reflective gray-black stone that made the entire room one big mirror.
The center held an enormous, gold statue of a witch, a wizard, a centaur, a goblin and a curious bedraggled elf-like creature. Water spouted from various locations on the statue, the most prominent being the tips of the wands held by the witch and wizard. Rather absurdly, water spouted from the tips of the ears of the tiniest creature that looked up with blind adoration.
The doors opened at their approach and they requested the elevator boy to take them to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The elevator ascended through the complex structure of the Ministry until it reached the right floor.
They walked out into a space filled with desks with some magical policemen, Aurors if he remembered correctly, filling out menial paperwork. A lot of them pulled a double-take recognizing the young boy with them and hearing about the upcoming hearing. A few palmed their wands, eyes narrowed at Slender, the Boy-Who-Lived's supposed 'kidnapper'. They were escorted through to a young secretary at the entrance to a large set of office doors.
Slender spoke loudly and clearly, "We're here to discuss the guardianship of Harry Potter." She nodded meekly and rushed through the doors to emerge a few seconds later to let them in. Except, she held back Professor McGonagall.
"I'm sorry, Professor, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait outside. It's a matter of guardians only." She said timidly. The aged professor huffed but nodded and took a seat in the waiting area, picking up a magazine of Transfiguration Weekly.
They were led into the spacious office with very few decorations and mostly just a large desk with three comfortable-looking chairs in front of it. A woman with a strong jaw and a monocle sat behind the desk watching them and one of the chairs was occupied by the small figure of the Goblin Snagrock, the Potter Account Manager.
The woman stood and extended her hand, "Good afternoon. My name is Amelia Bones, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Thank you for coming today."
Slender nodded and returned the shake, "Hello Ms. Bones, my name is Solomon Lindermann." He looked over to the goblin, "and it's good to see you as well, Account Manager Snagrock."
The goblin and the witch were both stunned. The goblin recovered first, "Y-you remembered me?"
"It would be inconsiderate to not." Slender replied evenly. The goblin just nodded before turning back towards Amelia.
The woman cleared her throat as the guardian and ward sat in the remaining two seats, "Now, Mr. Lindermann, we're here to discuss your guardianship of Harry Potter. I need some legal reassurance that he is, in fact, your ward."
"I can put that to rest," Snagrock replied, pulling out the large folder of the Guardian Contract. He set it on her desk with a heavy 'thump' and spoke, "I've run it past our best Contract Specialists. This document is official, legal, and unbreakable. Mr. Lindermann is, in fact, the undeniable, legal guardian to Mr. Harry James Potter, here."
With that, Madame Bones nodded and closed the file on her desk, "Well, that's a multitude of questions eliminated rather easily. Now for another, Mr. Lindermann, where has Mr. Potter been over the last four years?"
"I'm afraid that's none of your concern," Slender replied coolly.
Her eyes narrowed behind the monocle, "I believe you'll find that it is very much our concern, Mr. Lindermann. We need an address for Mr. Potter to legally accept your filing."
"You will find that the documents are all in accordance with the law. I have supplied a method to contact us in the event of absolute emergencies, but attempts to track our location will not be permitted. I ask that you please respect our wishes and leave us as we are. He is safe, that is all I can tell you."
Amelia was about to reply when the door rang out with three loud knocks. She hadn't even spoken for their permission to enter when the door opened and a woman bustled her way in. The guests were rather repulsed by her appearance while Madame Bones looked like she wanted to stave off an enormous headache brewing.
The woman in question was short. Not short as in petite like an acrobat, but more squat like someone two or three times her size pressed down in a hydraulic machine. Her face was saggy with a wide mouth that almost put a certain monster-under-the-bed to shame. Her eyes bulged out grotesquely from her sockets. She wore a bright pink cardigan that almost matched Sally's style if it weren't on a much older woman and an out-of-place black bow in her hair finalized the set-up.
Overall, it gave the impression that perhaps she had been in a reverse case of the Princess and the Frog, but the Prince didn't kiss the Toad quite right and… that was the result of the mix between.
Privately, Slender wondered if she was in any way related to the Croaking Glekogs, a particularly disgusting and slimy breed of amphibious species inhabiting the Under-Realm swamp and wetland zones. She would be roughly the same height and shape as one. Perhaps they'd managed some rudimentary glamour?
"Ah, Madame Bones," She simpered in a shockingly high voice, "I see I've arrived not a minute too late."
"Ah, Madame Umbridge… you're… here…" Amelia said neutrally. She turned back to the guests, "Mr. Lindermann, Mr. Potter, Account Manager Snagrock, may I introduce Madame Dolores Umbridge, Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic."
The toad-like woman glanced at the goblin and sneered, but her eyes landed on Harry with the uncomfortable feeling of a toad watching a fly. Slender adjusted his seat so he was between the two, locking his jet-black eyes with her slimy, algae-moss green/brown.
"Madame Umbridge, may I ask what you're doing here?" Madame Bones said, interrupting the stare-down.
Umbridge smiled falsely, "Ah, yes, Minister Fudge has requested that I be present here to ensure full cooperation with the Ministry. As well as getting some information from Harry Potter's guardian, of course."
"I was in the middle of the investigation, which was about to conclude." Madame Bones stated irately.
Madame Umbridge 'hmphed' in her direction, "Well, consider my help additional."
She waved her wand and conjured a garishly pink chair for herself just to the side of the desk. Amelia sniffed distastefully, but returned to her business-like neutrality. However, before she could speak, the Undersecretary addressed Slender directly.
"Mr. Limeman?" She asked pleasantly.
Slender's scowl cut her off abruptly, "I'm afraid the newspaper this morning was regrettably incorrect. My name is Solomon Lindermann. Anything else I would consider… insulting."
The toad woman swallowed, but Harry noted her hand quivering slightly on the armrest. Despite attitudes that muggles were 'inferior', Slender's naturally intimidating aura (possibly Sigma-based) still bled through. Amelia and the goblin looked mildly amused. Umbridge drew herself up (which amounted to maybe 5 millimeters of height difference) and cleared her throat, "Hem hem. Mr. Lindermann, who were your parents?"
Slender was rather intrigued, "They… are not on this Earth. They were not magical, if that is the question's intent." Technically no lies were said.
Dolores put on a great show of sympathy, "I'm very sorry for your loss, Mr. Lindermann. However am I to understand that you have no magical heritage?"
"Correct."
"And what is your relation with the magical world?" She pressed.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Only the connection through my wards, including Harry. May I ask what standing this has in the custody hearing?"
Umbridge's reply was interrupted by Madame Bone's own answer, "Well, actually, it pertains to your preparedness to handle magical children. It's a bit different from taking care of muggle children and we need to ensure you are capable of handling incidents such as accidental magic or magical illnesses and access to treatment."
"Ah, I see," Slender nodded, "I have been doing fine for four years. We have dealt with Harry's accidental magic prior to this. I assure you we are quite capable."
Madame Bones nodded reluctantly, "I suppose. Still, I want to give you a possible portkey to access Saint Mungo's, a magical hospital here in the UK, for any magic-related incidents you find yourself unable to handle. Furthermore-"
"Hem hem." They turned towards the squat witch in the corner. "I'm not sure a muggle is qualified to handle magicals. Particularly such an important Wizarding figure as Harry Potter." She sniffed.
Amelia frowned, "Madame Umbridge, need I remind you that muggleborns are raised very well by their nonmagical parents. Additionally, from reports after the attack, Professor Dumbledore left him with his muggle aunt and uncle prior to an incident that caused the change in guardianship." She noted a slight twitch from Harry and Slender putting a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
"But that is exactly why his guardianship ought to be changed to a proper pureblood family," Umbridge argued staunchly. "We cannot have the savior of the Wizarding world just raised by some muggles on the whim of that crackpot! Minister Fudge, himself, has offered his home to the boy and he's heard that the Malfoy family have generously offered themselves as an option as well as have several other noteworthy families. The Notts, the Parkinsons, the Diggorys, the Smiths-"
Slender stood abruptly, "Madame, I can assure you that Harry will not be leaving my care."
The woman slowly stood up, her murky eyes trying to match the ferocity of his own. She simpered lowly, "Mr. Lindermann, I'm not sure you understand the complications of this case. This boy needs more than just some other run-of-the-mill child. The Ministry cares deeply for all its citizens and will see to it that he is taken care of properly."
"Well, thankfully this is all moot." Slender replied darkly.
The goblin cleared his throat, "I'm afraid he's correct. The guardianship forms are absolute. He is the sole and unbreakable guardian to Harry James Potter."
"I demand a copy of that contract!" Umbridge shrieked. She rounded on Amelia, "Madame Bones, I want this document analyzed by every contract specialist in the DMLE!"
Snagrock chuckled, "I assure you, madame, that it will be done as you asked, but I guarantee you will get nowhere. The contract is entirely ironclad. Not even our best contract specialists could reverse this one."
Dolores turned an ugly shade of puce, glaring at the small creature before rounding back to Slenderman. "The Ministry can declare a document void if they deem it necessary." She hissed threateningly.
"Well, in that case, I do not regret at all to inform you that the British Ministry has no power over us as American citizens, which in the last few years we've acquired for Harry as well. This entire meeting was purely for clearing that up." The entity replied coldly. Harry shivered at the danger that was hinted just behind his statement. It felt like he was challenging her to force him to spear her right then and there with one of his tentacles.
"Madame Umbridge," Madame Bones began, "I must dismiss you from this hearing. You are deliberately hindering this interview and conducting yourself very inappropriately."
The toad-woman sputtered and her face took on a color reminiscent to a regurgitated beet, cherry, and raspberry smoothie. She stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Madame Bones waited a few seconds before waving her wand and vanishing the hideous chair.
"I thought she'd never leave." She muttered. Slender, Harry, and Snagrock grinned in agreement. She turned back to the white-haired guardian, "Mr. Lindermann, I'm happy to say that it all seems in hand and above the board. So, the Ministry of Magic of Britain and the UK hereby recognizes you as the official guardian to Harry Potter. Congratulations."
"Thank you." He shook her hand and the hand of the goblin before Harry followed suit.
Amelia started leading them back through the door when the goblin spoke, "Mr. Lindermann, before we leave the privacy of this office, I'd like to inform you that your mail issue was looked into. It seems there was a mail ward around Mr. Potter, but we cannot tell who set it up. I apologize. However, the ward has since been removed, so you should expect a test correspondence within the next business week."
"Thank you, Snagrock. Gringotts has been extraordinarily helpful. I also wanted to say I will be attending the meeting we arranged tomorrow." Snagrock gave a small bow.
"Mail wards?!" Amelia sputtered, drawing attention to herself. She cleared her throat and addressed Slender, "We will be in touch, later." Slender nodded, but internally sighed. Another meeting and another complication.
They walked out of the room and McGonagall abruptly stood up before Slender raised a hand to calm her. They gave a recap of the meeting to the aged professor who congratulated them both on the success. Amelia led them towards the elevator and the elevator boy started taking them towards the ground level.
As they approached their stop, they looked out the grate door and saw the atrium was filled with reporters murmuring amongst themselves, writing in notepads, and checking their cameras. In the middle of it all was an officious-looking man in a blindingly garish lime green bowler hat. One reporter noticed the lift approaching and the sea of reporters suddenly swarmed around wildly trying to get closer.
Amelia groaned with her face in her hand. McGonagall's lips were pressed into a thin line, "I knew Fudge was a daft politician, but I should have suspected he'd try to pull something like this."
Slender looked out and saw there were new reporters with new photographers and new cameras. However, for this large of a crowd, a Sigma burst strong enough to destroy it all could very well irradiate someone to death. It was too soon, but on the other hand…
"Mr. Potter!"
"Madame Bones, if you woul-"
"Daily Prophet! What is the verdict on-"
"Professor! Why are you here? Is this in regards to-"
"Mr. Potter! Over here!"
"Mr. Potter!"
"Harry!"
"Mr. Potter" "Mr. Potter" "Mr. Potter"
The grates opened and Amelia used an Auror-grade crowd control spell to separated the sea of reporters from a clear path towards the visitor's entrance. The man in the bowler hat, however, managed to get beyond it and walked up towards the group, beaming.
"Harry Potter. Such an honor," He grabbed the boy's hand and shook it, ignoring Harry's awkward grimace. The reason became obvious as he looked over at the reporters and beamed in the blinding flashes of thousands of cameras capturing the shot of the Minister shaking the Boy-Who-Lived's hand.
Slender grabbed Harry by the shoulder and pulled him back, eyeing the man with obvious distrust. The Minister seemed flustered and then laughed to himself, "Oh ho! I'm terribly sorry. Of course you don't know who I am. My name is Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic." He said grandly.
Slender remained stony as the Minister's smile faltered. "Well, anyways, I was hoping to get a statement from Mr. Potter and possibly allow for some questions from the crowd." He gestured to the eager reporters around him and made to grab Harry again, but Slender blocked him.
"I'm afraid, Minister Fudge, that we are on a rather tight schedule and we need to leave quickly." The guardian replied coldly.
At this point, the Minister was sweating slightly, "Well, yes, of course, of course, but first a photograph and a quick statement, yes?"
"No."
The tall being pushed past the flustered, little man with the Head Auror and Transfiguration Professor right behind. Unfortunately, with the sea of people trying to get through, the spell Madame Bones had used failed and the reporters swarmed, pushing each other forward, jostling the group.
Harry felt hands grabbing him and pulling him away from Slender, who started shouting his name and was panicked as he tried to find the short boy in the sea of tall adults. Voices blurred and twisted around him as bodies pressed closer together. His eyes became disoriented from the bright bulb flashes and the microphones, notepads, and faces shoved at him.
He began getting frantic and nervous. He had to get out!
He had to!
"NO!"
The roar of noise quieted and he felt the area open up around him. He opened his eyes and found a spot about a meter in radius from him completely devoid of reporters who had been flung into the crowd. As for the rest, the cameras had exploded once more destroying the photographic evidence inside but also caused the thousands of notepads and parchment papers to catch fire and crumbled to ash in the reporter's hands.
The room was silent at the display of very powerful accidental magic. Slender pushed his way through the stunned crowd and directed his shivering ward through the crowd, which parted at his glare. They made it to the phone booth followed shortly after by Professor McGonagall which rose away, leaving a dismayed and frustrated Minister and a legion of reporters without a story.
That evening saw the Hogwarts Teacher's Lounge filled with its staff around a long table. A house elf brought up a steaming pot of coffee, tea, and a tray full of small nibbles. After a minute, Professor Dumbledore himself came in, beaming at all of them, and sat at the head. "Alright, now let's begin our annual End of the First Week Review."
"Well, we have had several cases of homesickness, nothing too unusual. A floo call fixed most right up, though one muggleborn Hufflepuff had to be escorted to the nearest muggle payphone at the nearest town to call her parents. It wasn't terribly inconvenient and she was much better afterwards." Poppy reported.
"I fear Mr. Crawley has become rather reclusive this past week. I suspect some issues with his home life deteriorated over the summer. I will endeavor to help him, but he may need a mind Healer eventually." Severus murmured, nodding to Madame Pomfrey.
"Speaking of," Filius began, "I overheard one of my raven's parents are 'divorcing'. It's a muggle custom for breaking a marriage legally and I understand it can be strenuous on the children involved. I'll keep an eye on him as well."
Kettleburn put down his mug of black coffee with his still-attached hand, "I caught some third years trying to see the Forest a few days ago." He turned towards Albus, "This year, I think we really need to enforce the 'don't go in the forest' shtick. The centaurs have been antsy lately and the unicorns are a lot more skittish than usual."
"I'll keep that in mind," The Headmaster responded.
"I caught two sixth years… alone in the astronomy tower," Professor Sinistra hid the smirk with a sip from her tea, "Thankfully I arrived early enough to stop anything from… 'progressing', but they were rather passionate." She shook her head humorously.
Babbling mirrored her smirk, "Why, Aurora, what a coincidence. I caught two sixth years alone in a broom closet."
"Marcus Summers and Amanda Steinway?" Sinistra asked the runes professor.
She grinned knowingly, "I believe we may need to keep a closer eye on them this year."
Dumbledore nodded, eye twinkling, before bringing in the conversation, "It seems all rather standard for the first week. Now I wish to ask about our… unusual guests."
The mirth died quickly at the face of the newest topic of interest. Harry Potter and his unusual family. McGonagall began, "They seem rather ordinary. Both at the Alley and with my classes. Besides, I've told you all that I know."
Dumbledore nodded, thankful for her tact. She told him about the boy, Benjamin, and what seemed to be accidental magic. However, Poppy confirmed that he had no stable magical potential what-so-ever. It seemed rather contradictory. Then, of course, she informed him of Mr. Lindermann's remarkable Apparation skills. The method was unusual in itself, but taking seven people with him in a side-along required enormous power.
If the man was, in fact, a wizard, he seemed adamant that he hide it or refute some past regarding it.
This all seemed to be building into some enormous mystery. And if he hated anything, it was a mystery without a scrap of information towards the answer.
"What about you, Filius," He asked the Charms Professor. "You are his head. Has there been anything regarding Mr. Potter that you find unusual?"
Flitwick shook his head, "I'm sorry, Albus, but he seems fairly normal. A bit anti-social towards other ravens, but hardly the first Ravenclaw to be so. Both he and his brother, Mr. Thresher, seem fine with the prefects as long as they don't bother them with questions. A rather understandable situation. Aside from that, they get along well-enough with their roommates and they're both very bright."
"I see the same with Mr. Brahms, too." Pomona added. "A bit quiet and reserved about his home life, but he's warmed up with the rest of the 'puffs well."
Dumbledore nodded, not expecting much on the front of the unusual 'Brothers'. He turned to the potions master, a wry smile as he half-expected his response. "And what do you think, Severus?"
"He's as arrogant as his father and just as bone-headed," Snape sneered. "The other two are mediocre in their potions work. However, Mr. Thresher's tattoos suggest he may be a troublemaker."
Filius was startled, "Mr. Thresher has been extremely well behaved, but what tattoos are you referring to?"
"He has two tattoos of a muggle concept called 'barbed wire'. It's essentially a length of metal wire with spikes along it periodically. He has them running down the length of his arm." Snape said quietly.
Pomona was surprised, "That sounds ghastly! Why on earth would muggles design such a thing?"
"Originally, the wire was developed as a means to keep cattle from leaving a paddock. The wire is painful if touched, so it would discourage them from approaching it. As I understand, a similar concept called 'razor wire' is incorporated in perimeter fences to muggle prisons meant to cut inmate's hands to shreds if they try to escape by climbing the wall." Snape replied neutrally.
"And you say Mr. Adrian Thresher has this imprinted along his arms?" Professor Sinistra asked incredulously, though a little green-faced at the image.
"Yes, although it is not terribly uncommon, such imagery is associated with what muggles call 'Punks', 'Goths', or other juvenile delinquents that frequently disrupt establishment and purposefully try to cause trouble." Snape remarked snidely.
Dumbledore nodded, "I see, then Filius please keep a watchful eye on him. I'd rather he not… er, what do muggles call it?... 'spray paint' on the walls."
"I will, Headmaster," the half-goblin replied.
"Anything else, Severus?" Albus asked politely.
Snape snarled, "Yes. I want you to keep that wretched brat away from my dungeons at all times!"
"Severus!" McGonagall scolded in surprise.
"I mean Ms. Williams!" He responded angrily. "That psychotic little girl mixed dropped potions ingredients into a cauldron and created a potion. Yes, I know, and yes, it was a proper potion and not some muggle stew!" He growled to their incredulous faces.
"Then, she calls me over under the pretense that her potion 'smelled funny'. I get close to it and she grabs my hand and tries to drown me in the mess. I was lucky to vanish the vile drink before I touched it! I tested the remainder after class and it was highly acidic! She would have killed me!"
The teachers were all stunned and confused. McGonagall spoke, "A-are you sure it was intentional, Severus. It could have been just a harmless prank that she hadn't thought through."
He reached into his robes and pulled out the sheet of paper. He laid it out for all of them to see the obvious skeletal figure doodled on the page, "I believe her intentions are quite clear."
The staff sat back, absorbing this information. No one could say anything to contest it, but no one could imagine Ms. Williams as anything other than the sweet, innocent little girl she always seemed to be. Minerva had privately considered the nightmarish vision she'd seen of the girl, but couldn't tell if it was real or not. She chose not to speak out.
After a brief silence, Hagrid cleared his throat, "Well, they seemed pretty normal to me. Fang kept growlin' at 'em, but that was it."
"You met them," Dumbledore asked, intrigued.
"Sure did, I invited 'em for tea earlier today 'smatter of fact."
Dumbledore became even more interested in what the half-giant could have possibly learned, but the man couldn't say anything terribly relevant. The dog and the yellow cat liked deer meat and Mr. Lindermann had an embarrassing nickname among his wards, but aside from that completely irrelevant information, there was little to no information on their personal lives.
The Headmaster stopped questioning the groundskeeper after a minute and turned to the resident nurse, "And last, but not least; Poppy, have you noticed anything regarding your ward?"
"No, Headmaster, Mr. Downing was completely normal. He just suffered a severe panic attack. I can't tell you much more about it, but he was just as muggle as you'd expect." She knew he wanted to ask the same question Minerva had asked, but kept telling them the boy's readouts all showed he had no stable magical core.
Dumbledore sighed, nodding his head in acceptance. "Then, as the last subject on this matter, I believe Harry should be offered a re-sort."
Filius was outraged, "Albus, he has been just fine in my house! He has shown no objection towards it and he seems to enjoy his situation as well! Why offer a resort? Is my house not good enough, headmaster?"
"No, Filius, I just believe that perhaps the hat didn't understand him as well as he thought. I just want to offer him the choice."
Filius was still boiling over, but maintained his silence. Dumbledore continued, "I'll arrange a meeting with Mr. Lindermann on Sunday to discuss this."
He dismissed everyone save for Snape and McGonagall, whom he quietly requested to stay behind for a moment. When they were alone, he spoke to them, "Now, I want you to keep a close eye on both the students and his family for any abnormalities in behavior or anything that may hint towards them. If so, I want you to report it to me immediately. Thank you, you may leave."
He walked out from the teacher's lounge, thinking that overall the meeting went better than expected. He wasn't any closer towards understanding these mysterious people, but he was closer on a different track.
He absently gave the candy-themed password to the gargoyle guardian and ascended the stairs to his office where he sealed the door against intruders. The room was filled with his old trackers and instruments standing silent, but at the ready.
Earlier in the week, he had found an illegal spell to remove a small sample of blood from an individual into a container. Purebloods passed the laws immediately ages ago for fear of theirs or their heir's blood being stolen for rituals or examined and discovering the interbred lineage.
As Harry was on his way to charms class, he'd hardly felt the pinprick on his neck. Likewise, he'd missed Dumbledore in a disillusionment charm fleeing with a tiny vial of red liquid.
He pulled out the small vial and set it on his desk. The room was carefully strung with silver threads and runes from device to device all converging at a small, solid gold bowl in the center on an elevated pedestal where all of the lines and runes met. He set about, calibrating each device one last time before walking carefully up to the pedestal.
He couldn't risk acquiring multiple samples over and over for each individual tracker and after they were set into the boy's blood, they could be unstrung and put around his office once more so his guests were none-the-wiser.
He poured the small blood into the bowl and stood back. The runes on the bowl glowed and channeled the magic of the blood through the silver strings and trails of ancient symbols. He grinned as the machines began to puff and whir and spark again for the first time in four years.
Now, Dumbledore was hardly up-to-date in terms of technology and discoveries, so he didn't even know the term, but even if he did, he could never have guessed that the subject's blood was outrageously radioactive. Nor could he have predicted the effects on delicate magical instruments.
The blood began to glow as the trackers drew on the unworldly energy of Sigma. The trackers spun faster and puffs of smoke became tea-kettle whistles reaching higher octaves with each passing second.
Dumbledore had the sense to duck to the ground just as the entire array of trackers exploded.
He quietly raised his head and was mortified.
He was left despondent in a room filled with shards of glass, silver, and gold from the remnants of a thousand, expensive devices. The silver wire was incinerated from the immense energy surged through them. The runes were cracked and ruined. And all that was left in the bowl was a small smudge of black soot.
He sighed sadly as Fawkes trilled in the corner.
AN: From YouTube Slender series like Everymanhybrid, Sigma affects blood, so I figured it'd be a cool scene to get rid of that loophole in the whole 'Harry can't be found'.
I felt like this chapter was... 'meh', but I have plans for later as things progress. I just need time to get things arranged out here as the new semester starts up.