Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, and I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money from the writing of this fan fiction.

Author's Note: I apologize for how long it took to get this chapter posted. However, there were a couple of things that Real Life threw at me that delayed the completion and posting of this chapter. First, the computer I had been using crashed, making it necessary to replace it, and reconstruct all of my chapter notes and the outline for this story, as well as the outlines for the remaining three stories in this series. Second, there was a death in the family a few months ago and my younger brother's children lost their maternal grandfather.

Chapter Twenty-Three

26 August, 1989

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Minerva McGonagall glanced around the Great Hall as she sat down to breakfast. Albus had told her earlier in the month he needed to leave the school to handle a few things that had come up, but had assured her he would only be gone a few days at most. Now with the start of term coming in less than a week, she hoped he would return to the school soon. None of the inquiries as to his possible whereabouts had helped her find Albus, and while she was able to handle most of the necessary paperwork relating to the school and the upcoming term in her duties as Deputy Headmistress, it was Albus who needed to approve the new term's curriculum in the various subjects. Fortunately he had already hired the new Professor for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, and the new Professor had arrived the day before.

Honestly, Minerva was at a loss for what to do about finding the Headmaster before term started. If she tried to contact the DMLE, to say Albus would not be pleased when-or if, considering the present absence of the man-he returned to the school would be an understatement. Feeling someone watching her, she turned her head to find herself looking into the impassive face of Severus Snape.

"I take it your attempts to locate Albus have been unsuccessful? And if he doesn't return in time for the start of term, what then?" the Potions Master asked dispassionately.

"Honestly Severus, I'm not sure. As the Deputy Headmistress, I could certainly take care of most of what Albus does for the school, however, there are some things that only the Headmaster can approve before they're done. We still have almost a week before term begins; for all I know, Albus could be on his way back to the school now, and he just hasn't arrived yet."

Severus was about to answer when the morning mail delivery arrived, one of the owls landing in front of him bearing a letter. Removing it from the owl, he noticed the crest of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black on the envelope. Curious, he opened the envelope and withdrew the letter.

Potions Master Snape,

I realize that receiving a letter from me, let alone actually reading it, is probably the last thing you want to do. I ask that you read my letter despite our history.

I recently was able to spend time with my godson Harry. Naturally, he asked for stories about his parents. In telling him stories about his father James, I told him several stories about the pranks James, Remus, Peter and I did while in school, and I admit, more than a few of those stories included the things the Marauders did to you.

Because I was lost in the memories behind the stories, I didn't immediately notice that Harry wasn't laughing. When I did take notice of his reaction, he looked uncomfortable and upset. So I asked him what was wrong.

What he told me made me feel as though I was receiving a dressing down from Lily, despite his resemblance to James. He described the way his cousin Dudley and some of his cousin's friends would play a 'game' they called "Harry Hunting", where they would chase Harry and beat him up if they caught him. He also told me how his cousin, along with his friends, would pick on other children as well, for no other reason than they could. Harry then asked me a question that reminded me even more of Lily: "If the people you picked on with pranks were hurt, how was that funny?".

His question brought to mind many of the things the Marauders did to the other students and you in particular. We were bullies to you, for no other reason, in my opinion, than James liked Lily Evans, you were already her friend, and Lily refused all of James' heavy handed attempts to get her to like him too. Having been James' best friend, I believe your friendship with Lily, when she would ignore him, made James jealous.

I also want to apologize for daring you to follow Remus under the Whomping Willow. I knew it could lead to you being hurt severely or even killed, and in my anger toward both you and my brother Regulus for being as close as you were, and in retaliation for standing up to my friends and I, I dared you to follow Remus. I have no excuse for my behavior then, and I am ashamed of myself for it. What amounted to a petty attempt at revenge could have gotten two people killed; you, if Remus had attacked you in his werewolf form, and Remus, for attacking you if you had managed to follow him that night.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to apologize for someone else's behavior, or I would offer you an apology on James' behalf as well. This lesson was brought home to me rather forcefully by Lily just after James humiliated you following our O.W.L. Exams. She told me that unless James saw what he did to you as wrong, and apologized to both Lily and you himself, then saying James was sorry for his actions would be worthless, because the person or people being given the apology would have no idea if it was truly because James knew he was wrong, or if it was simply one of his friends attempting to make him look good by apologizing for him.

Be angry with and hate me if you must, Potions Master; I deserve it for what I and my friends did to you, and doing nothing to stop my friends when the pranks and bullying got out of hand. I do however, ask that you do not hold the behavior of the Marauders, and James and I in particular regarding what was done to you, against my Godson Harry. I believe that if you can see beyond his resemblance to James, you will see he is very much Lily's son.

Whether or not you accept my apology is up to you, Potions Master. I won't ask for your forgiveness yet, to give you time to decide if you feel you can accept my apology. I already know that will take time.

Regards,

Sirius Orion Black III

Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

"Upsetting news, Severus?" Minerva asked, noticing the expression on her colleague's face.

"Not so much upsetting as unexpected, Minerva. It's nothing that concerns the school, however. If I may make a suggestion? Begin to plan what to do should Albus not return in time for the start of term. In his absence, you are Acting Headmistress, are you not?"

"You're right, of course, Severus. I should Floo call some members of the Board of Governors as well; if Albus fails to return, they'll need to decide if they will be confirming me as Headmistress of Hogwarts, which will necessitate hiring a new Transfiguration Professor and appointing a new Head of House for Gryffindor."

Setting down her cutlery from breakfast, Minerva rose from the table and left the Great Hall. One question kept running through her thoughts.

Where in Merlin's name is Albus?

OoOoOoO

In London, Amelia Bones sat in the office of her liaison with MI-5. She tried to sit quietly as her counterpart sifted through the various documentation. She mentally shook her head, knowing that the Muggles had a fairly strong case against Albus Dumbledore themselves. She still couldn't believe how stupid Albus has been. He'd actually believed that he would be able to just stroll into a jail and the guards would let him leave with two prisoners just on his say-so, to say nothing of attempting to drug one of those same guards. He had completely disregarded the Statute of Secrecy.

"Are you absolutely sure that you would get a conviction against this man, Madam Bones? If I understand the information I've been given correctly, one of Her Majesty's courts would be more likely to convict him than the courts you use. His reputation in your government would make it unlikely anyone would believe he was even capable of committing a crime, to say nothing of the position he holds within that body."

"Which is why I plan to get him removed from his positions within our government, through a Vote of No Confidence first, and then bring him to trial. I have at least a bit of hope that a majority of the Wizengamot would remove him as Chief Warlock, and, if someone during the session makes the suggestion that perhaps Albus Dumbledore shouldn't be the one to represent us in the International Confederation of Wizards, I would certainly second a motion for removal as Britain's representative. Once he is removed from those two positions, it will be easier to get a conviction, although a conviction isn't guaranteed. I don't think anyone knows exactly how many people may owe Albus a favor, or, and I don't have proof he would do this, only speculation, people he might be able to bribe to retain at least some of his influence. I'm hopeful that if we can get people to stop thinking he's the Second Coming of Merlin, I would be successful in getting a conviction. As things stand right now, he's already missed at least one, if not two, sittings of the Wizengamot, and at least one of those sittings was a trial. Purely because he decided to disregard the Statute of Secrecy and got himself arrested by law enforcement in your government. Has anyone figured out what is so special about these two prisoners yet, that Albus Dumbledore would have such a vested interest in seeing them released?"

"Not that I am aware of, Madam Bones."

" You're certain that he hasn't been able to convince anyone to let him go?"

"Quite. When he was placed in the cell after being taken into custody, according to the file, he was warned that there were cameras recording inside his cell and the area surrounding his cell for his safety. Allegedly one of the guards believed he might be either senile or mentally disturbed based on his actions, and requested he be placed on suicide watch. Not only is someone monitoring the camera in his cell, someone goes to check his cell in person frequently. The door is never opened, someone just looks through the glass to verify he's there and hasn't tried to harm himself."

"Then I believe we need to go and retrieve Mr. Dumbledore, to ensure he gets back to-somewhat-familiar surroundings, don't you?" Amelia asked with a false sweetness.

OooOoOo

Albus Dumbledore sat in the cell he'd been placed in, and tried without success to think of a way to convince the muggles guarding him to let him leave, as it had been proven that his Compulsion charms didn't appear to work on them for some reason. He looked up when he heard the door being unlocked and opened.

"Mister Dumbledore, there are a couple of people here to see you."

"Am I going to be allowed to leave finally?" Albus asked, standing up from the cot he'd been sitting on.

"I wouldn't know. I was only told to bring you to speak to these people. Just a reminder, there are cameras not only in your cell here, but positioned so the people who we have not only as prisoners like yourself, but the people who work here, stay safe. So I don't recommend trying to suddenly leave now that you aren't in that cell, even temporarily. Understand? As much as I and my colleagues would hate to do so, considering your apparent age, we will stop you if you try to escape."

"May I at least change into my own clothing? If I am being brought to see other people, wearing the clothing you and your colleagues have forced me to wear while here would give a bad impression."

"Your clothing will be returned to you if and when you are released. Not before. Having visitors, and wanting to make a good impression on those visitors, is not sufficient reason to return your clothing, Mr. Dumbledore," the guard explained, walking over to secure Albus' wrists in front of him before leading him from the cell.

Opening the door to a room not far from the cell Albus Dumbledore had just occupied, the guard brought him inside and stood in one of the corners, allowing Albus to awkwardly take a seat in one of the three chairs around a table in the room. Recognizing one of the people also seated at the table, Albus felt his spirits lift a bit. Before he was able to speak, however, the person in the third chair raised his hand in a 'stop' gesture.

"Your name is Albus Dumbledore, correct?"

"I am Albus Dumbledore, yes. May I know your name as well, Sir? And would you be able to tell me when I may leave here? I have very important things I must do."

"My name is Clarence Whitehall, and you have caused quite a bit of paperwork for my office recently. When Madam Bones, who is seated beside me, came to me with a request for aid in locating you, I thought it would be a simple case of an elderly man getting confused in an unfamiliar area and getting lost, something that any precinct of our police can handle. Looking into the background of where you were located means this is in no way simple. To answer your question Mr. Dumbledore, on when you may leave here, it would likely be after the relevant paperwork regarding your transfer of custody from our jurisdiction to that of Madam Bones is completed."

"I've let them know you're what they would class a 'person of interest' in a few things to me and my Department, Mr. Dumbledore. Mr. Whitehall was more than willing to assist me with your extradition and transfer to our jurisdiction after that," Amelia Bones stated flatly.

"A person of interest? What could I have possibly done to be seen like that, Amelia?" Albus asked.

"As the investigation into the allegations is still ongoing, I'm afraid I can't answer that, Mr. Dumbledore. And I will remind you that you should address me as Madam Bones, not Amelia. So please just answer the questions we ask honestly and fully, and we can complete the paperwork needed so you and I may leave more quickly."

Amelia sighed, knowing another long day was just beginning.