Title: Retrograde
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Nothing Specific, general for first few books.
Rating: M
Disclaimer: I do not own Hermione, or Luna, or Ginny, or Cho, or... I would buy them all but I am broke.
Summary: Harry's trial before fifth year goes differently because someone knows more than they should about Harry. Time Travel Fic.
Amelia sat in the Minister's chair of the Wizengamont Chambers and glanced up at Harry, who was sitting up in the public gallery. He nodded down to her. They had discussed what was going to happen today the night before, her curled up on the couch of their apartment with her head in his lap.
After the defamatory article had come out in the Prophet two days before, and then the published retraction alongside the letter to the editor from 'the Voice of Hogwarts' yesterday things had been hectic for both the Office of the Minister and for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Barnabas Cuffe had come into the DMLE almost as soon as the Retraction edition of the Prophet had come out and 'turned himself in' and provided a lot of evidence against other Reporters who had… less than upstanding ethics, in particular Rita Skeeter and her illegal Animagus status.
Dumbledore called the Wizengamont to order and handed the floor over to Amelia.
"Members of the Wizengamont, I am sure by now you have all at least heard of the article in the Daily Prophet two days ago." Amelia began slowly. "While the tone and content of the article was deplorable, at its core it asked a simple question. It asked what we don't know about a person in authority over our children and the spouse of the current Minister. Unlike my predecessor, I believe that is a fair question. To that end, you are now being provided the transcripts that were provided to Hogwarts when William Tenor first transferred into Hogwarts, which are a matter of record."
Members of the Minister's staff were passing around a folder to each member of the Wizengamont. It was the record that Amelia had provided in the package to Harry just before he had gone back in time. A record she herself had gotten from the Hogwarts Archives a few years before that farce of a trial and fateful meeting. Amelia pushed that thought to the side before she got a headache. She had once, on a slow evening when 'Young' Harry was in his Second Year, after having tortured herself by going to watch one of his Quidditch Matches, tried to figure out the circular logic of where those records came from and had only gotten a migraine for her troubles.
She watched all of the Members reading the file. Most were mildly interested, but she could see Dumbledore's brows furrow. He recognised something familiar in the file but could not place it.
"There is also one other relevant file." Amelia added.
Her staff went around with a second file. That was the Unspeakable's file on an 'unknown temporal anomaly'. In that file was also the form that stated that William Tenor was also Harry Potter.
Dumbledore, of course, understood the relevance of the two files first, minutes before anyone else, and his eyes went directly to Harry, widening in shock and then a relieved expression spread over his face. Slowly other Members put it together and then began to explain it to the Members who had not figured it out.
"You married The-Boy-Who-Lived?" one of the Members blurted out, a Member who had to have the files explained to him.
"No. I married my Hogwarts boyfriend, William 'Harry' Tenor." Amelia replied. "The fact that he was given that particular moniker is immaterial."
"Immaterial?" Augusta Longbottom said with a raised eyebrow.
"Like myself, Dowager Longbottom, you were once an Auror. Did leaving the Corps invalidate your identity as a person?" Amelia asked.
"The confirmation of William Tenor as being the same person as Harry Potter had been long known by the Ministry. Over thirty years, in fact." A hooded figure of an Unspeakable said from a corner. "More than long enough that it precludes any charges or accusations being levelled against either Minister Bones or himself for any perceived deception. It is not illegal to use a name other that your birth name, so long as there is a record of it in the Ministry, which there is."
The Members of the Wizengamont were shocked into silence. Partly from the revelation, for a few because they were fuming that they could not use this against the Minister or the DADA Professor, but mostly because the Unspeakable had flat out spoken. An Unspeakable would occasional show up to observe Wizengamont proceedings but they had never spoken in the chamber in living memory, until now.
"Why are the Unspeakables even involved?" A Dark aligned Member from the Blood Purists demanded.
"If you have to ask that, I am wondering how you are smart enough to remember to breathe, let alone cast Magic or sit in this chamber as a Member." The Unspeakable replied.
"Because it involves Time Travel, you idiot." Philip Greengrass snapped. "How else could someone born in 1980 graduate from Hogwarts in 1968."
Harry and Amelia sat down on the two chairs in front of the desk while Andromeda Tonks sat behind the desk. Tears were running down Amelia's cheeks as she had just related the details of her prior miscarriage. This was the second meeting the couple had with the Healer. The previous visit was a basic consultation and some basic scans.
"Ok." Andromeda said, having made notes during the retelling. "First thing I am going to do is put you on a pair of Potions. One is a supplement Potion that makes sure you have certain levels of minerals and vitamins. I know you were put on something similar last time but this is a much more refined and effective. The second potion reduces the risk of miscarriage by up to sixty-four percent and will also help ease any morning sickness. The nutrient potion is daily while the other one is weekly."
Harry nodded as Amelia was drying her eyes.
"Side effects?" Harry asked.
"Increased appetite for the nutrient potion. I recommend snacks throughout the day. For the anti-miscarriage potion, there can be a few… let's go through them."
"Potter!" Severus Snape growled as he burst into the Staff Room with his wand in hand as he stalked towards the seated DADA professor.
Well, one second he was stalking towards Tenor… Potter, and the next he was on his back on the table in the middle of the room with a bared knife poised millimetres from his neck.
"Snape." Harry said in a flat calm that was orders of magnitude more intimidating that anything the Potions Professor had ever managed. "I am not the little boy you thought you could push around anymore. Nor am I James Potter. Put the past away, avoid your old Master and fucking do your job to TEACH the students instead of insulting them, or Professor Sprout will have a new source of fertiliser for a while."
"I am the youngest…." Snape began.
"Youngest Potion Master in Centuries. You may have mentioned it." Harry said sarcastically, applying a hair more pressure. "Doesn't mean you can teach. You assume everyone understands Potions the way you do, so you miss steps in your written instructions and occasionally use shorthand no one else understands. I learnt more in one lesson with Slughorn than I did in four years with you because he actually explains things."
Harry stepped back and watched as Snape rose and wiped the tiny trickle of blood from his neck before looking at Harry with combined fear and hatred.
"If I hear even a whisper of you making any kind of move against Susan or Hermione, you will die slowly and no one will ever find your body." Harry added before calmly sheathing his knife and walking out of the Staff Room.
Lord Voldemort looked down at the note from one of his 'Loyal' Death Eaters in the Wizangamont. It appears that Bones' new Husband, this DADA professor Tenor, was actually Harry Potter. That kind of explained why Harry Potter went missing but… if Tenor, who was fourth on Voldemort's personal shit list because of that disaster when they went after Bones, was actually Harry Potter, number one of his shit list, and married to the Bones Bitch, number two on his shit list….
"Well, fuck." Lord Voldemort muttered.
Luckily there were no Death Eaters around to hear that. Lucky for them.
TBC….