A/N: Thank you for all the positive reviews since I have started this fanfiction. I honestly never expected this many people to start following this story when I started it, so thank you. Here is the next chapter.
Replies to comments:
Magitech: I'm not sure about treason, but at the very least he can be charged with obstruction of justice for ignoring someone's wishes in their will, and like I posted in a previous chapter, once Albus goes on trial, Amelia is going to nominate Augusta to take over the Supreme Mugwump position.
Wandamarie: I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far.
Hunzbookwyrm: Welcome to the story, glad I have you sitting on the edge of your seat for the next chapter, LOL.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Disney; those rights belong to J.K Rowling and Walt Disney respectively.
Chapter 13
The next morning, everyone at the McGonagall household enjoys a nice lie in due to the late night everyone had. At least, until Minerva's hearing picks up some odd noises from Harry's room, as she jumps out of bed and heads for his room, she runs into Remus heading to inspect the same thing. When they get there, they see not only Harry's crib floating a foot off the ground, but it's also cruising around his room like a flying carpet, his favourite book is floating in front of him, reading itself aloud to him while Fawkes follows behind him, making sure he's safe.
"What in the world is happening, and why is Fawkes here?" Remus asks, while remembering that Harry used to summon his toys when he was only 6 months old.
"Part of the story I will tell you at coffee time Remus." Minerva responds, shocked that her son was so powerful at such a young age. "Hendrick James Potter-McGonagall, land your crib right now, its time for breakfast."
"Breaky? Good, I hungry mama. Hi Uncle Moo." Harry says, "But mama, I no how to get down."
Once Minerva realizes that this is a product of her son's accidental magic, she pulls out her wand and lowers his crib back to where it's supposed to be and uses a charm to superglue it to the floor once it lands. Once her son is on solid ground again, she lifts him out of the crib and takes his hand to take him down to the kitchen.
After breakfast, Minerva gives him a bath, slowly getting used to the fact that Harry isn't going to be able to keep his food off him until he's older, she sends him to the living room to play while she makes a pot of coffee. Once the coffee is brewed, she and Remus sit down at the kitchen table so they can talk without little ears hearing them, but still have Harry in their line of sight.
"Alright Minerva, what's going on? All I know is that Harry's parents were murdered by You-Know-Who and that Sirius betrayed them." Remus asks once he's sure Harry's happily playing with his toys.
"You are partly right, Voldemort did kill Harry's parents, but it wasn't Sirius who told him of their location, they used Peter as the Secret Keeper for the Fidelius Charm, and the only reason I know that is because I went to the goblins on Saturday and was able to get them to unseal the Potter's Will by informing them that I was taking custody of Harry and blood adopting him."
"That actually makes more sense, Sirius considered James a brother, he would rather die than betray him and his godson."
"Exactly, and Albus knew that Peter was the secret keeper, and yet he has done nothing to get Sirius out of Azkaban." Minerva continues to tell Remus everything that has happened since Saturday, first adopting Harry, then about Albus forging the Hogwarts budget, how Albus had bound Harry's magic and failed to realize that Voldemort had attached a Horcrux to him, how Fawkes decided to fully bond with her and finally, how the goblins are helping her, Amelia and Augusta prepare a case against him.
"To think I held Albus in such high regard, since he allowed me to attend school even though I'm a werewolf. Is there anything you need me to do?" Remus asks once he's recovered from the list of wrongdoings courtesy of his former headmaster.
"All I need you to do is help me raise Harry and become my proxy in the Wizengamont. I need to be here on Saturday to babysit Harry, Neville, and young Susan Bones, as much as I would enjoy being there while Dumbledore's on trial, I need to be here for my son."
Remus is shocked, not because Minerva asked him to be her proxy, but because this is the 2nd job offer he has gotten in a week. "Are you sure Minerva? Surely there's someone better to be your proxy."
"Filius is busy with his current duties at Hogwarts, I have no idea what other surprises Fate will throw towards us, and I know I can trust you. You were one of the best prefects I've had in all my years of teaching at Hogwarts, and I need someone trustworthy to be my proxy until I'm sure I can leave Harry with someone else. He's already lost one set of parents; he cannot lose anyone else." Minerva states.
"Alright Minerva, I will be your proxy." Remus agrees, knowing that Minerva is stubborn, but loyal to those she deems worthy. Before Minerva can reply, Doc interrupts their conversation.
"Miss, I'm sorry to bug you, but I have a letter from Gringotts for you."
"Thank you, Doc." Once Doc goes to play with Harry and Bashful, Minerva opens the letter, noticing its from Axegut.
Dear Minerva,
I apologize for interrupting your day, especially we only saw each other last night. I despise having to write to you so soon, but Axewielder and I are concerned about something we found out due to the ritual. Don't worry, the ritual was successful, and your son is as healthy as a horse, but what we are concerned about is the size of the Horcrux. We politely request a meeting with you as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Axegut, Potter Account Manager."
"Like I said, Fate loves to throw curveballs at me, read what Axegut has just sent me." Minerva tells Remus once she finishes reading the letter.
"Well, that's unfortunate, in that case I will keep an eye on Harry while you meet with the goblins." Remus says once he finishes reading the letter. "If this is as bad as they think it is, I will gladly accept Elanor's job offer to work with them. I will do anything in my power to keep my cub safe." With that, Minerva sends a reply to Axegut to confirm a meeting for the next day, to give her a day to rest and recuperate from the week she's been having.
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts
Albus cannot figure out why the students are laughing at him daily, not realizing that his beard is still neon pink, and now his hair matches it, and still wondering where his phoenix is. "Where is Fawkes? I know he was nowhere near a burning day, and since Ted and Andromeda are here, he should have returned long before them." Meanwhile, Minerva had told Filius what the goblins had said regarding flushing Albus' system of every charm, potion, and even muggle beauty products so that he could possibly go on trial Saturday. The only charm that would stay in place is the notice me not charm on his beard, since the house elves made sure to reapply that charm before he woke up each morning.
"No matter, I'm sure Fawkes will return to me soon, now, I need to figure out how to keep Severus out of Azkaban on Friday." Albus says to himself, while puttering around his office. With today being Thursday, he only has two days to find a way to keep Severus out of prison, while still under his thumb. As he sits down at his desk, he notices Horace's resignation letter and a lightbulb goes off in his head. "Of course, how stupid of me, I'll vouch for Severus at the trial and give him the job of Potions Professor here. I know he will have no choice but to accept the position, especially since he decided to throw himself at my feet to save Lily, not even caring about what would happen to her son; he just wanted his fantasy to become a reality." With that, Albus takes out a piece of parchment and begins to write out an agreement for Snape to sign before Saturday takes place. Not knowing that Fate and people he trusts has other plans.
The next day, at Gringotts
"Minerva, thank you for meeting with us, where's young Hendrick?" Axewielder asks once the meeting starts.
"Hendrick is watching 'The Fox and the Hound' with his Uncle Remus, who offered to babysit while we discuss what you found out during the ritual, and I must ask you to pass on my thanks again to everyone who helped cleanse my son."
"We will do that, now, the reason we asked to meet with you is because when the ritual was nearing completion, Elanor noticed that the fraction of soul that was in Harry's scar was only 1/49 of his total soul." Axegut begins to explain. "When she told us about this, we decided to do a little more digging into Riddle's past and cold cases of the DMLE that Amelia had sent us. When we finished looking through the cases yesterday, lining them up with Tom's past work history and travels, and doing the math, we are 75% sure that before the night of Halloween, Tom had created 6 of these abominations."
"Six horcruxes?! According to you, it is horrendous enough to split your soul once! Why would anyone be mad enough to split their soul that many times?!" Minerva explains as she sinks into her chair. "Do you have any idea what he would use to contain his soul, or even where to find them?"
"We do not know that information, unfortunately. All we know is how many he's created." Axewielder explains.
"Well, I guess we will cross that bridge when we come to it, at least we now know that the war isn't truly over, just on hold." Minerva says. "I know Albus taught Tom many years ago, he may just know a few details about Tom that he hasn't disclosed to anyone."
"I would agree with that train of thought, do you know if any house elves have started flushing his system with the potion?"
"I got word from Filius this morning that the house elves have been diligently switching his drinks with the flushing potion, the only thing they reapply to him is a notice me not charm on his hair and beard, which have been a bright neon pink since earlier this week." Minerva explains.
"Wonderful, lets hope everything goes according to plan on Saturday. May your gold never run out." With that, Axewielder closes the meeting, and Minerva heads back home to relieve Remus of his babysitting duties and catch him up on the latest news.
Two Days Later, Wizengamont
'Well, its time to play the music, its time to light the lights, its time to get things started in the Wizengamont today.' Amelia thinks to herself once everyone arrives, noticing that not only is Rockgrinder sitting in the visitor's section, but that Remus Lupin is sitting in as Minerva's proxy for this session. 'The fireworks are going to fly today.'
"Everyone take your seats, today's Wizengamont session is now in session." Albus says through a Sonorus Charm. "Today, we will be busy, as there are several Death Eaters scheduled for trials, are there any questions before we start the trials?"
"I have a question Chief Warlock, where is Harry Potter?" Amellia asks, deciding to start the fireworks show early.
"Harry is safe, I have made sure of that, unfortunately, I cannot say anything more than that, because I believe it best for him to be raised out of the spotlight." Albus states, lying silkily through his teeth. He remembers Lily's stories about her sister, and because of this, purposefully placed Harry with her.
"What did their will say about guardians for him?" Augusta asks.
"They never wrote a will, so I placed him where I thought would be the safest place for him. Now, no more about The-Boy-Who-Lived, let's get these trials started. First up on the list, Severus Snape; aurors, please bring Severus in." With that, Justin and another auror bring Severus into the room. 'Showtime,' Amelia thinks. Before Albus can say anything, Amelia stands up and says "Chief Warlock, I request that Severus Snape be tried under veritaserum."
"I cannot allow that Ms. Bones, it's against the law." Albus replies.
"It is against the law to interrogate purebloods under veritaserum, Severus, what's your blood type?"
"O negative." Severus drawls out, speaking for the first time, earning chuckles throughout the courtroom.
"Let me rephrase that, what is your blood status?" Amelia clarifies.
"I am a half-blood, my mother was a witch, my father a disgusting muggle." Severus reluctantly replies.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the court, please be advised that nowhere in the law books does it say that it is illegal to use veritaserum on a half-blood." Amelia states, making her way down to the courtroom floor, "So let's vote, all those in favour of using veritaserum on Mr. Snape, please raise your wands." With that statement, over three quarters of the Wizengamont raised their wands. "Majority wins, Mr. Croppy, please call Unspeakable 88 to bring in the veritaserum." A few minutes later, Unspeakable 88 appears with a sealed vial of the truth serum, and proceeds to place three drops on Severus' tongue.
"Albus, do you mind if I question the defendant? It would be wonderful practice for me." Amelia asks.
"I don't think this is necessary at all, Severus has my complete trust." Albus interjects, "But if it means that much to you, then I will allow it."
"Thank you, now Severus, for the records and to prove that the veritaserum is working properly, please state your full name and the Hogwarts house you were in for the court."
"Severus Tobias Snape, Slytherin graduate." Snape replies in a monotonous voice.
"Thank you, Mr. Snape. Now, you have been accused of being a Death Eater, how do you plead?"
"Nnnn- guilty." Severus says, trying to fight the veritaserum.
"How did you become a Death Eater, and why?"
"I was invited by Lucius Malfoy, the Dark Lord will not meet with anyone unless invited by another member of his followers, or valuable information to pass onto him. The Dark Lord promised to sponsor me in my passion of becoming a Potions Master. I instantly agreed to become one of his followers to bring myself out of the poverty my mother landed us in due to marrying an alcoholic, abusive man who she refused to leave."
"So that is the reason why you became a Death Eater, how does one attain the mark on your arm? From our investigations, everyone who has been arrested since Voldemort's demise has been found with the exact same mark on their left forearm." Amelia presses.
"The Dark Mark is bestowed upon us when we torture and kill our first target he gives us, it can be anyone from a filthy muggle to a well-known Ministry employee." Severus says, the veritaserum forcing him to spill everything that he has learned since joining them. "Last year, I was having a drink in the Hog's Head, where a Seer began spouting a prophecy. I tried to eavesdrop on the Seer and the other person she was sitting with, but the bar owner tossed me out halfway through. I immediately told the Dark Lord the portion of the prophecy I heard."
"So, in summary, you must be willing to take the Dark Mark?"
"Yes, that's true." Severus says, "However, you will not be able to send me to Azkaban for this. You see, yesterday, I signed an agreement with Headmaster Albus Dumbledore to become the new Potions Master at Hogwarts, since The Dark Lord kept his promise to get me through my Potions Mastery, I am eligible to teach students the subtle art of potion making."
"Oh, he did, did he?" Amelia then continues, "Why do you say that because of this, you will be able to avoid any form of punishment?"
"I became a spy for Albus, due to the prophecy I told the Dark Lord, he decided to target the two families that the prophecy could be referring to." Severus states.
"It feels like I am missing something, Severus, please tell us the part of the prophecy you heard." Amelia presses, feeling like she has just won the jackpot.
"I forbid you to say anything Severus!" Albus yells. Before he can say anything else, Augusta stands up and quickly silences him. "Supreme Mugwump, you should know as well as anyone here that it is terrible manners to interrupt someone when they are in the middle of asking a question. Ms. Bones, Mr. Snape, please proceed, for I would love to hear what you have to say."
"Thank you, Mrs. Longbottom, Mr. Snape, the prophecy, if you please."
(This next portion is taken directly from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, page 741)
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the 7th month dies. That is all I heard before I was thrown out."
"Thank you, Mr. Snape, now I have two more questions for you, who was the Seer, and who was he/she foretelling the prophecy to?" Amelia asks. Severus tries to fight the veritaserum, but it is futile.
"The Seer was Sybill Trelawney, and the one who heard it, was Albus Dumbledore."
End A/N: That's all for now. Hope you enjoyed it, the trials have started and Dumbledore's about to end up in a pot of hot water.